Swans have been royal birds since the 12c and were served at great feasts. A keeper of the king's swans appeared in the 14c, while a law of 1482 restricted the ownership of swans to men worth more than 5 marks a year. Swans appear as supporters on the Vintners' Company's coat of *arms. The Vintners, as also the Dyers, still mark Thames swans each year by clipping their bills. -
Cf. Supporter
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.