White Boar Brooch

Doubtless the most famous personal device of the Wars of the Roses is the white boar of Richard III. A traditional explanation for his choice is that “bore” is an anagram of Ebor, short for Eboracum (the Latin city that became York). Whether this is true or not, Richard used the badge extensively, ordering thousands of fabric badges both for his coronation, and for the installation of his son as Prince of Wales. Three silver or silver gilt badges are extant, as are numerous copper alloy boars, mostly mounts.

I know of three published pewter badges of the king’s device – this fearsome one, another in the Museum of London (which you can see in Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges) and a third found in London (Portable Antiquities Scheme record ID: LON-37EC38). The small number of what was probably many thousands of badges is disappointing – their owners may have found it convenient to toss them in the fire or hand them off to a tinker after Richard’s defeat.