ANNE, QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND
First Coat-of-Arms
1. Arms.—Within the Garter. Quarterly.
1st and 4th grand quarters; quarterly; France and England.
2nd grand quarter; Scotland.
3rd grand quarter; Ireland.
As used by James I. (q.v.).
Used from 8th March 1702 until 6th March 1706.
[Bianchini. De Kalendario et Cyclo Cæsaris. Romae, 1703.]
Second Coat-of-Arms
2. Arms.—Within the Garter. Quarterly.
1st and 4th grand quarters, impaled.
Dexter: England.
Sinister: Scotland.
2nd grand quarter; France.
3rd grand quarter; Ireland.
Colours as used by James I. (q.v.).
Used from 6th March 1706 until 1st August 1714.
Crest.—A Royal Crown ppr., thereon a lion statant guardant or, crowned ppr.
Supporters.—Lion and unicorn.
Motto.—Semper eadem.
Badges.—Tudor rose and Thistle.
[England. Laws. 1702.]
The Royal name ensigned with a Royal Crown, and the motto "Vivat Regina" upheld by two cherubs.
[Euclid. Elements. Oxford, 1703.]
The Royal Monogram ensigned with a Royal Crown.
[Overbeck. Reliq. Ant. Romae. Amst., 1708.]
Queen Anne (born 10th May 1655, died 1st August 1714) was the second daughter of James II. and Anne Hyde, daughter of Edward Hyde, first Earl of Clarendon. She succeeded her cousin, William III., on the throne of England in 1702. Queen Anne was the last of the Stuart line to occupy the throne of England.
The first coat-of-arms used by Queen Anne was the same as that generally used by her predecessor, but without the arms of Nassau, that is to say, first and fourth grand quarters, France and England quarterly; second grand quarter, Scotland; and third grand quarter, Ireland. In 1702 a notice was published in the London Gazette to the effect that "wheresoever there shall be occasion to embroider, depict, grave, carve, or paint Her Majesty's Royal Arms with a motto, this Motto following, viz. Semper eadem, is to be used" (23rd December). It will be remembered that this motto had been previously used by Queen Elizabeth.
The Legislative Union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland took place on Thursday, 6th March 1706, when the royal assent was given to the Act. A change in the Royal coat-of-arms took place in consequence of this Act, and for the remainder of the reign of Queen Anne (1706-1714) the first and fourth grand quarters contained the coats of England and Scotland impaled, in the manner used to denote husband and wife; the second grand quarter, France; and the third grand quarter, Ireland. Besides the coat-of-arms, the crowned initials and name of Queen Anne were frequently stamped upon her books, and some of her book-stamps appear to have been designed by foreigners.
Queen Anne's books came to the British Museum with the rest of the old Royal Library of England in 1757.
