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Although
Vair is in fact
a fur, made up
of the skins of
some small furry
animal (usually
assumed to have
been a squirrel)
stitched
together topside
and reverse to
give a
contrasting
pattern it is
here set as a
representation
of a sense of
style; seen here
in the armiger’s
heraldic
colours, which
are blue (Azure)
and silver
(Argent). There
are various
styles of vair,
and the style
chosen for these
arms by the then
Garter, King of
Arms, is that of
the lining of
the cloak worn
by Geoffrey
Plantaganet
(Count Geoffrey
of Anjou,
d.1150) in the
coloured enamel
portrait of him
from his tomb in
Le Mans
cathedral. The
purist might
blazon this
style "vair in
pale", but for
better or worse
the patent says
simply "vair".
The
dragon is
relevant to the
fact that the
armiger comes
from Wales, the
national symbol
of which is the
red dragon. The
Welsh Dragon is
guardant,
however,
(standing, with
one front leg
raised), whereas
here the dragon
is courant
(running
forwards): this
is appropriate
because the
armiger has
always been very
quick at doing
things - it is
part of his
nature not to
let grass grow
under his feet.
The
shield is
surrounded by
the ribbon and
badge of the
Order of the
Bath, which was
awarded to the
armiger in 1994.
The ribbon is
murrey, an
unusual heraldic
colour which is
supposed to be
the colour of
the mulberry
fruit. It is
sometimes
described as
crimson, but
this is strictly
incorrect:
murrey has a
sort of bluish
tinge to it. The
motto of the
order "Tria
Juncta in Uno"
is inscribed on
the ribbon. This
motto refers to
the joining of
the three
Ancient Kingdoms
of England,
Scotland and
Ireland in the
United Kingdom.
The badge has
three crowns
with the
national emblems
of the rose,
thistle and
shamrock.
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