The Queen at Tilbury

Queen Elizabeth appeared before her troops at Tilbury on 9th Aug 1588. She was on horseback and rode through the lines exhorting the men to remember their duty to their country and religion. She professed her wish to lead them herself into the field against the enemy. This painting is part of a diptych located in St Faith's Church, Gaywood in Norfolk. The standard displayed alongside the Queen shows her coat of arms as a red and white Tudor Rose supported by a lion and red dragon. These royal beasts would seem to provide an answer to the origin of the dragon badge of the Buffs. Other representations of Elizabeth's Coat of Arms show the same supporters but a more complex device in the middle.