Sir Harford Jones and the Arms of Persia: During the Napoleonic Wars both Britain and France competed to form an alliance with the Persian Empire. The records of the College of Arms contain a transcript of a letter sent to the Foreign Secretary, George Canning, from Sir Harford Jones, British Minister at the Persian Court, dated 29th March 1809 at Tehran, which recounts an unusual series of diplomatic manoeuvres resulting in an unique heraldic honour. Jones recounts how at the behest of the French Ambassador, the Persian Emperor created the Order of the Lion and the Sun, an order of chivalry on the model of those which existed in Europe, and awarded it to several French dignitaries, including the famous diplomat Talleyrand.
The Emperor then offered the order to Sir Harford, but on the grounds of its instigation by and award to Napoleon’s representatives, he viewed himself as unable to accept it. The Emperor expressed disappointment, and in order to mitigate the situation, Jones offered to accept any other honour that His Majesty could give, and therefore received a patent granting him the right to use the Imperial Arms of Persia, with Supporters and surmounted by the Imperial Crown on a cushion. The letter concludes by stating that Jones would await his Sovereign’s command as to whether to actually make use of this unique honour, and precisely a year later on the 29th March 1810, George III issued a warrant to the Earl Marshal giving such permission and directing it to be recorded at the College of Arms. While the text of the Persian patent does not specify any limitations on how Sir Harford used the Imperial Arms, as recorded at the College of Arms they were added as a chief to his personal arms of Argent a Chevron Sable between three Ravens in the Centre Chief point the Star of the Imperial Ottoman Order of the Crescent proper, and the Imperial Crown on a cushion used as a second crest. College Reference: I.38/193; illustration of patent I.38/197.