The Seymour Unicorn
Given to Jane Seymour as a symbol of purity and fertility, the Seymour Unicorn is the latest beast to feature on a coin as part of The Royal Tudor Beasts Collection.
One of several heraldic beasts commissioned by Henry VIII, the Seymour Unicorn stands opposite the King’s Lion of England on the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace as Jane Seymour’s chief supporter.
Differentiating it from the Unicorn of Scotland, the Seymour Unicorn wears a royal coronet on its head and a wreath of flowers around its neck.
The unicorn rarely featured as a heraldic beast before it was chosen to flank the Moat Bridge. The fertility symbolism of the unicorn made it a fitting choice for the new queen because of Henry VIII’s desire for a son and heir.
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