▁se als ▁are ▁uniformly ▁her ald ic ▁in ▁nature . ▁ ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁known ▁examples ▁of ▁arm ory ▁as ▁it ▁subsequently ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁pract iced ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁on ▁the ▁tomb ▁of ▁Geoff rey ▁Plant agen et , ▁Count ▁of ▁An jou , ▁who ▁died ▁in ▁ 1 1 5 1 . ▁ ▁An ▁en am el , ▁probably ▁commission ed ▁by ▁Geoff rey ' s ▁wid ow ▁between ▁ 1 1 5 5 ▁and ▁ 1 1 6 0 , ▁dep ict s ▁him ▁carrying ▁a ▁blue ▁shield ▁decor ated ▁with ▁six ▁golden ▁l ions ▁r amp ant . ▁ ▁He ▁we ars ▁a ▁blue ▁hel met ▁ad orn ed ▁with ▁another ▁l ion , ▁and ▁his ▁clo ak ▁is ▁l ined ▁in ▁v air . ▁ ▁A ▁medieval ▁chron icle ▁states ▁that ▁Geoff rey ▁was ▁given ▁a ▁shield ▁of ▁this ▁description ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁kn ight ed ▁by ▁his ▁father - in - law , ▁Henry ▁I , ▁in ▁ 1 1 2 8 ; ▁but ▁this ▁account ▁probably ▁dates ▁to ▁about ▁ 1 1 7 5 . ▁ ▁The ▁earlier ▁her ald ic ▁writers ▁attributed ▁the ▁l ions ▁of ▁England ▁to ▁William ▁the ▁Con quer or , ▁but ▁the ▁earliest ▁evidence ▁of ▁the ▁association ▁of ▁l ions ▁with ▁the ▁English ▁crown ▁is ▁a ▁se al ▁bearing ▁two ▁l ions ▁pass ant , ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁future ▁King ▁John ▁during ▁the ▁lifetime ▁of ▁his ▁father , ▁Henry ▁II , ▁who ▁died ▁in ▁ 1 1 8 9 .