[ANSTHRLD] Achievements in a Tudor Roll of Arms

[Bob Wade]

In Coblaith's site there are links http://coblaith.net/Heraldry/Armorials/ to several period and grey area armorials.  One of them is digitalized as 'BSB Cod.icon. 291 - English arms - England, middle of the 16th century'.  BSB categorizes the 1024 achievements into 7 sections: 
1. Royal Arms of King Henry VIII of England (7 displays) 
2. Family coat of arms of the 12 most important peers of England and Ireland (12 displays) 3. Family coat of arms of the members of the Order of the Garter (23 Displays) 
4. Coat of arms of the British royal family (6 Displays) 
5. Family coat of arms of the British aristocracy (100 Displays) 
6. Coat of Arms English Bishops [sic] (27 Displays) 
7. English family coats of arms (849 Displays) 
Below is a simple statistical analysis of the Roll with notes of my initial observations within each category. 
  
Motto: Only displayed in 1 entry -- Henry VIII as King of England. The motto is that of England "Diev et Movn Droit". 
  
Helm and Mantling: Displayed in all but 6 entries -- Marshalled Arms of Henry VIII with each of his 6 wives.  In place of the Helm, Mantling and Crest is a Crown.   A Cap of Maintenances per fess gules and ermine rests on the affronty helm for Henry VIII as King of England.  All other helms face to dexter.
  
Supporters: ca 3% (34/1008*), but only displayed in Categories 1-5 .  A further analysis needs to be done, but my initial impression is the Supporters are 1 DC clear from each other.
NOTES Category 1: (1) The Supporters for Henry VIII as King of England are a lion guardant Or crowned gules and a dragon Or, but the sinister is different for each of the remaining 6 marshalled arms.  (2) * Displays not included in the statistic above. 
NOTE Category 2: ca 85% (10/12) of the "Important Peers" displayed Supporters. 
NOTES Category 3: (1) ca 95%* (19/20) of the "Knights of the Garter" displayed Supporters.  (2) * 3 Displays, Crowns of other Countries, not included in the statistics. 
NOTES Category 4:  (1) Only 1 display, marshalled arms of England, of the "Royal Family" had Supporters.  The 5 cadenced arms of England did not.  (2) * Displays not included in the statistics above. 
NOTE Category 5: (1) ca 7% (7/100) of the "British Aristocracy" displayed Supporters.  (2) Although Parker http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/Jpglossc.htm#crest notes "Quarterly; first and fourth barry of six or and azure, on a chief of the first, two pallets between as many esquires based of the second, over all an inescutcheon argent--MORTIMER. Second and third or, a cross gules--DE BURGH. Crest, out of a ducal coronet proper, a plume of feathers azure. Supporters, two lions guardant argent, their tails coward and reflected over their backs--Seal of Edmund MORTIMER, Earl of March [who died in 1424]", the display for the Earl of March on p [17] has unmarshalled arms with an ermine escutcheon and neither Crest nor Supporters.
 
Crests: Colored or sketched in ca 33% (326/1008)* of the displays.  A further analysis needs to be done but, with the exceptions noted under Categories 3 and 6 below, my initial impression is the Crests are 1 DC clear from each other.
NOTES Category 1: (1) As noted under 'Helm and Mantling' above, the 6 marshalled displays have a Crown in place of the Mantling, Helm and Crest.  These are the only displays with Supporters but no Crest, including a leopard crowned Or on the Cap of Maintenance for the display of Henry VIII as King of England.  (2) * Displays not included in the statistics. 

NOTE Category 2: 100% (12/12) of the "Important Peers" displayed Crests. 
NOTES Category 3: (1) 100%* (20/20) of the "Knights of the Garter" displayed Crests. (2) * 3 Displays, Crowns of other Countries, also displayed crests but are not included in the statistics. 
NOTES Category 4: (1) 5 of the 6 displays for the "Royal Family" had variations of leopards Or as crests.(2) * Displays not included in the statistics above.

NOTES Category 5: (1) ca 75% (75/100) of the "British Aristocracy" displayed Crests.  (2) No crest for the Earl of March as noted above under 'Supporters'.
NOTES Category 6: 100% of the displays for "English Bishops" had crests, but all were a mitre argent garnished Or.
NOTE Category 7: (1) ca 23% (192/849) of the displays for "Family Coat of Arms" had tinctured or sketched in Crests.  (2)  The intended percentage is probably a higher -- the mantling was not tinctured on several pages and there is a disproportionately small number of Crests from pp [69]-[99] and pp [35]-[68] & [100]-[105], indicating the Roll may be unfinished.
 
Tentative Conclusions:  With regards to this one specific Roll, Ansteorra's current Achievement Policy is historically consistant with separating Achievement elements into four cagtegories and conflict-checking Supporters and Crests.  However, again with regards to this one specific Roll, the Supporters element would be a better historical reflection if granted to Peers (85% of "12 Most Important Peers" and 95% of "Knights of the Garter")rather than Nobility (17% of "Royal Family" and 7% of "British Aristocracy").  The Achievement Policy is unconnected with regards to this one specific Roll for Mottos unless their absence in it means they were unregulated by Tudor heraldic authority.
 
Has anyone else had the opportunity to find anything in primary sources?
 
Tostig