English: Drawing of arms of John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, 1st Earl of Huntingdon (c.1352-1400), KG, a uterine half-brother of King Richard II (1377–1399). With a ducal coronet above. Text:

"John Holland brother to Thomas Holland was created Earle of Huntingdon in the 14th yeare of Richard the 2nd & in the 20th yeare eiusdem (of the same) Duke of Excester of whome did desc(en)d Henry Duke of Excester that dyed sans issue & Anne his sister that was maryed to Sir Thomas (sic) Nevill, Knight, father to Ralphe first thirde Earle of Westmorland: Quarterly, the first England with a border of Fraunce; the second Azure, a lyon ramp(an)t gardant semy de (de) lucis (fleurs-de-lys) argent (i.e. Holland of Upholland, Holland ancient); the 4th as ye first, the third as the seconde".

The bordure of the arms of Holland modern he states as "of France", which is generally interpreted as Azure semy of fleurs-de-lys or, as in the royal arms of France. There appears to be widespread confusion as to the tinctures of the bordure, although this author has drawn it as Argent semy of fleurs-de-lys or, which cannot properly be blazoned as "France". He has also painted the charges on the arms of Holland of Upholland as or instead of argent as he correctly blazoned. It appears that these arms were granted as a special honour by King Richard II to John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, to whom that king had also granted an earldom and a dukedom and the large estate of Dartington in Devon. The 1st Duke's elder brother Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (and their father Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, husband of Joan Plantagenet) had earlier been granted use of the royal arms of their maternal grandfather Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, 6th son of King Edward I by his second wife Margaret of France (Royal arms of King Edward I within a bordure argent). These replaced their paternal arms of Holland of Upholland (shown here in the 2nd and 3rd quarters), after the 1st Earl of Kent married into the royal family in 1340.