Month: August 2023

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The Tudor Rose

The Tudor rose is, of course, the most poignant symbol, and graphic propaganda as well, of the Tudor dynasty and what it stood for. The visuals are very well-known – the red rose and the white rose together. But what does it actually stand for and what is the significance of it?

A rose with red and white petals is the Tudor dynasty’s heraldic emblem (1485-1603). In the XV-XVI centuries symbols and emblems were very popular. Every English nobleman used one or few images as some kind of identification mark. Heraldic emblems used to adorn almost everything, ranging from nobleman’s personal banner to his housewares. Every wedded pair had his personal sign combining marrieds’ symbols. That’s exactly the way the Tudor rose appeared. In 1486 the founder of the House of Tudor, Henry VII, married king Eduard IV’s daughter (1461-1470; 1471-1483). Tudors traced their genealogy to the House of Lancaster. The latter had a red rose as his symbol. Eduard IV’s favorite emblem was also a rose, but a white one. Red-and-white rose signified a union between Henry VII and Elisabeth of York.

It has been suggested that the red rose “probably owes its popular usage to Henry VII quickly responding to the pre-existing Yorkist white rose in an age when signs and symbols could speak louder than words”. What this means is that it was believed the red rose was never really the symbol of the Lancastrian cause, but that Henry VII made it so because he wanted a symbol that represented the union of the houses. Personally, I do not believe this. I think that the red rose was the defining symbol of the House of Lancaster in order to contrast with the white rose of York. The red rose is now the symbol of Lancashire as a whole. The colour red implies danger, blood and battle. There certainly were battles, as Henry V won at Agincourt, and Henry VI lost his throne at the Battle of Towton. 

The white rose is a different story. It was used to contrast with the red rose of the House of Lancaster in order to clearly define the two sides. It was definitely in use during the fifteenth century, even if the red rose was not. The white rose has since been adopted as the symbol for the whole of Yorkshire.

When Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor took the throne as Henry VII. He was the Lancastrian heir at the time, and he married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. This ended the Wars of the Roses by uniting the two houses, and the two symbols were merged to create the iconic emblem of the House of Tudor.

The Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, are combined to create the iconic Tudor Rose.

The combination of the red and white represents unity and mutual regard. It was supposed to demonstrate that England was united and that civil war was over. The Tudor rose was carved onto buildings and liveries in order to demonstrate their loyalty to the crown. 

It is worth studying the history of the Tudor rose at least to understand that there are so much politics and so surprisingly little truth about it. Firstly, the White and the Red Roses were not the common symbols of the House of Yorks and the House of Lancaster, they were used just from time to time along with the others. Secondly, the idea underlying the Wars of the Roses is very far from being true. At that time people were not thinking about the period from 1450 to 1480th as of the confrontation between two Roses. Probably they did not even know that they were living during the period of a civil war. Plenty of frightening details were just invented by the court propagandists in order to support the reputation of the new dynasty. In the course of time, the legend of the War of the Roses has accumulated more and more details. Shakespeare has created the scene in which the House of Yorks has chosen the White rose as their symbol, while the Red was chosen by the House of Lancaster and both have sworn to hold these flowers ’till the death. The expression “War of the Roses” has appeared much later – in the 19th century. And it’s interesting to know that it has been spread not by a historian but by a writer –  famous Walter Schott.

I am designing, with another artist, the graphics package for the SBTCA 50th Anniversary Jubilee Weekend celebration – We have chosen this iconic symbol to represent the much needed ‘coming together’ required in order to make possible what a clubs purpose is: “To Promote, Preserve, Protect” the Staffordshire Bull terrier in unison, as a strong group of enthusiasts who must work  together to achieve this goal and to respect our history and traditions of the Stafford. 

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Faults and Serious Faults in the Stafford 

In the country of origin, UK, at the end of the written Breed Standard for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier it is stated: 

“Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.”

This is a good reminder to not only look for the balanced Stafford, remember its origin, but also to balance your judging when in the ring with the breed. The AKC Breed Standard for the Stafford lists only three ‘faults’ and only three ‘serious faults’. Fault judging is to be avoided but these six points should be kept in mind when you find yourself faced with similar virtuous examples in your ring from which to select from. The standard was written as a way to describe this particular breed as a blueprint to follow to differentiate the Stafford from other terriers. 

Faults:

  • “Non-conformity with heights to weights limits” – Our Standard calls for dogs 28-38lbs, bitches 24-34lbs with both dogs and bitches being 14” – 16” at withers. They should be balanced height to weight. BALANCE is the key word here. Get familiar with what 34lb bitches and 38lb dogs look and feel like. And remember a 14” dog is in Standard and is  balanced at 28lbs just as a 16” bitch is in Standard and balanced at 34lbs. 
  • “Dark eye preferred but may bear some relation to coat color. Light eyes or pink eye rims to be considered a fault, except that where the coat surrounding the eye is white the eye rim may be pink.” This means we prefer a dark eye but in a red or brindle dog, for example, there can be some consideration for a lighter brown eye. We do not want to see yellow, gray or blue eyes at all no matter what coat color. 
  • “A tail that is too long or badly curled is a fault.” This is self explanatory but to be taken into consideration as to the above paragraph regarding degree and affect upon health. Also, in the original point system the tail was valued at only 5 points. I’ve heard it said that if the Stafford has one thats half the points right there. 

Serious faults:

  • “Pink (Dudley) nose to be considered a serious fault.” The Stafford nose needs to be black. Some argument of consideration could be made for the blue Stafford but even then we want the darkest possible pigmentation so that the nose appears black. 
  • “Full drop or full prick to be considered a serious fault.” A small, thin leathered tight ear held back close to the head would be preferred and safest in its original function, however there is consideration for a half prick ear. This means half, not 3/4 and never full drop or full prick. Either of those not only would affect hazzard in its original fuunction, but also gives a foreign expression. As well this differentiates the breed from other terriers. 
  • “The badly undershot or overshot bite is a serious fault.” The scissor bite is called for, and we want large well placed canines but as we also strive for a strong muzzle and underjaw, a slight under/over may not affect the original function – however – converging canines would affect the health and comfort of the Stafford. 

Again, it is worth repeating – please keep in mind the exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work when judging this breed. With only these few faults mentioned they should be easy to keep in mind.