Let’s observe two points. We write “came down to us” because we do not exclude the possibility of other slightly earlier ones that have been lost, destroyed, or badly dated; we cannot rule it out. Secondly, we utilize the conditional because we are not certain that the duke used the arms depicted on his shield. Let’s explain the problem right away. The chronicles written by John of Marmoutier, around 1170, tell that, in 1127-28, Geoffrey was knighted by his father-in-law, Henry I of England. Godfrey’s wife was the Empress Matilda, widow of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. On that occasion, the king would have allowed him to bear a blue shield, azure, decorated with gold lions, or. The splendid enamel tomb plate dates about 30 years after the investiture. Geoffrey died in 1151 and the enamel would be from 1155.

What shows us that we are faced with a real coat of arms, and not just with a personal emblem very similar to the later shields? The composition and colours, the tinctures, are consistent with heraldic rules, the figures are placed on a shield, on its field, and above all we have proof of the heredity of the coat of arms. Observe this tomb in Salisbury Cathedral.