(Vol. vi., p. 146.)
However remarkable the conduct of the rustic esquire of Downham may appear
in the present duly, when he accepted and wore the livery of his neighbour
the Knight-Baronet of Houghton Tower, it was a Common practice for
gentlemen of good birth and estate to accept and wear, and even to assume
without solicitation, upon state occasions, the livery of an influential
neighbour, friend, or relation, in testimony of respect and affection for
the giver of the livery.
Thus it appears in the Diary of Nicholas Assheton that, in 1617, to the
Court at Mirescough "Cooz Assheton came with his gentlemanlie servants as
anie was there," and that the retinue of menial servants in attendance upon
Sir Richard Houghton was graced by the presence of more than one country
gentleman of good family. Baines, in his _History of Lancashire_, vol. ii.
p. 366., also relates concerning Humphrey Chetham, that--
"In 1635 he was nominated to serve the office of sheriff of the county,
and discharged the duties thereof with great honour, several gentlemen
of birth and estate attending and wearing his livery at the assizes, to
testify their respect and affection for him."
Evelyn, in his _Diary_, gives a similar account of the conduct of "divers
gentlemen and persons of quality" in the counties of Surrey and Sussex:
"1634. My father was appointed sheriff for Surrey and Sussex before
they were disjoyned. He had 116 servants in liverys, every one livery'd
in greene sattin doublets. Divers gentlemen and persons of quality
waited on him in the same garbe and habit, which at that time (when
thirty or forty was the the usual retinue of the high sheriff) was
esteemed a great matter. Nor was this out of the least vanity that my
father exceeded (who was one of the greatest decliners of it); but
because he could not refuse the civility of his friends and relations,
who voluntarily came themselves, or sent in their servants."
The practice of assuming the livery of a relation or friend, and of
permitting servants also to wear it, appears to have existed in England in
the time of Richard II., and to have had the personal example of this
sovereign to support it. He seems, however, to have thereby excited the
disapprobation of many of his spiritual and temporal peers. I produce the
following passage with some hesitation, because it is by no means certain
that any one of the liveries thus assumed by Richard was a livery of cloth:
"17^{th} Richard II. A.D. 1393-4.
"Richard Count d'Arundell puis le comencement de cest present Parlement
disoit au Roy, en presence des Achevesques de Canterbirs et d'Everwyk,
le Duc de Gloucestr', les Evesques de Wyncestre et Saresbirs, le Count
de Warrewyk et autres....
"Item [=q] le Roy deust porter la Livere de coler le Duc de Guyene et
de Lancastr'.
"Item [=q] gentz de retenue de Roi portent mesme la Livere....
"A qei [=n]re S[=r] le Roi alors respondi au dit Count ... [=q] bientot
apres la venue son dit uncle de Guyene quant il vient d'Espaign darrein
en Engleterre [=q] mesme [=n]re S[=r] le Roi prist le Coler du cool
mesme son uncle et mist a son cool demesne et dist q'il vorroit porter
et user en signe de bon amour d'entier coer entre eux auxi come il fait
les Liveres ses autres uncles.
"Item (quant au tierce) [=n]re S[=r] le Roi disoit [=q] ceo fuist de
counge de luy et de sa volunte [=q] gentz de sa retenue portent et
usent mesme la Livere de Coler."--_Rolls of Parliament_, vol. iii. p.
313.
"Richard Earl of Arundel, after the commencement of this present
parliament, said to the King in the presence of the archbishops of
Canterbury and of York, {474} the Duke of Gloucester, the Bishops of
Winchester and Salisbury, the Earl of Warwick, and others....
"Item. That the King uses to wear the livery of the collar of the Duke
of Guienne and of Lancaster.
"Item. That persons of the retinue of the King wear the same livery.
"To which our lord the King then answered to the said earl....
"That soon after the coming of his said uncle of Guienne, when he came
from Spain last into England, that himself our lord the King took the
collar from the neck of the same his uncle and put it on his own neck,
and said that he vowed to wear and to use it in sign of good love of
whole heart between them also, as he did the liveries of his other
uncles.
"Item (as to the third). Our lord the King said that it was by leave
from him, and by his wish, that persons of his retinue wear and use the
same livery of the collar."
This practice of one of our early sovereigns seems to afford a precedent
for the mode in which divers gentlemen and persons of quality voluntarily
showed civility towards Richard Evelyn, and for that in which several
gentlemen of birth and estate testified their respect and affection for
Humphrey Chetham. Nicholas Assheton also appears to have the support of
this royal precedent in so far as relates to his accepting and wearing the
livery of a friend and neighbour; and the custom of his day evidently lends
its sanction to his forming, upon a state occasion, one of the body of
menial servants in attendance upon Sir Richard Houghton, when he went to
meet the king.
Another passage in the _Rolls of Parliament_ seems to afford a respectable
civic precedent for the services performed by Nicholas Assheton and other
liveried gentlemen, when they waited at the lords' table at Houghton Tower:
"11^{th} Edward III. A.D. 1337.
"A [=n]re Seigneur le Roy et a son conseil monstre Richard de Bettoyne
de Loundres, qe come au Coronement [=n]re Seigneur le Roy [=q] ore est
il adonge Meire de Loundres fesoit l'office de Botiller ove CCC e LX
vadletz vestutz d'une sute chescun portant en sa mayn un coupe blanche
d'argent come autres Meirs de Loundres ountz faitz as Coronementz des
[crossed p]genitours nostre Seigneur le Roy dont memoire ne court pars
et le fee q appendoit a cel jorne c'est asavoir un coupe d'or ove la
covercle et un ewer d'or enamaille lui fust livere [crossed p] assent
du Counte de Lancastre et d'autres Grantz qu'adonges y furent du
Conseil nostre Seigneur le Roy [crossed p] la mayn Sire Ro[/b]t de
Wodehouse et ore vient en estreite as Viscountes de Londres hors del
Chekker de faire lever des Biens et Chateux du dit Richard xx/iiii
ix_li._ xiis. vid. pur le fee avant dit dont il prie qe remedie lui
soit ordeyne.
"Et le Meire et Citoyens d'Oxenford ount [crossed p] point de chartre
q'ils vendront a Londres l'Encorronement d'eyder le Meire de Loundres
pur servir a la fest et toutz jours l'ount usee. Et si i plest a [=n]re
Seigneur le Roy et a son Conseil nous payerons volonters la fee issent
qe nous soyons descharges de la service."--_Rolls of Parliament_, vol.
ii. p. 96.
"To our lord the King and to his Council sheweth Richard de Bettoyne of
London, that whereas at the coronation of our lord the King that now
is, he their mayor of London performed the office of butler with three
hundred and sixty valets clothed of one suit each, bearing in his hand
a white cup of silver, as other mayors of London have done at the
coronations of the progenitors of our lord the King, whereof memory
runneth not, and the fee which appertained to this day's work, that is
to wit, a cup of gold with the cover, and a ewer of gold enamelled,
were delivered to him by assent of the Earl of Lancaster, and of the
other grandees who then there were of the council of our lord the King,
by the hand of Sire Robert de Wodehouse, and now comes in estreat to
the viscounts of London out of the Checquer, to cause to take the goods
and chattels of the said Richard, eighty-nine pounds twelve shillings
and sixpence, for the fee aforesaid, whereof he prays that remedy be
ordained to him.
"And the mayor and citizens of Oxford have, by point of charter, that
they shall come to London to the coronation, to help the mayor of
London to serve at the feast, and always have so done. And if it please
our lord the King and his Council, we will pay willingly the fee,
provided that we be discharged of the service."
There can be little doubt that the citizens of Oxford bore their own
travelling expenses; and it seems probable that the citizens of London and
Oxford bore the cost of the three hundred and sixty suits of clothes and
three hundred and sixty silver cups; but this is scarcely sufficient to
account for their willingness to pay a sum of money equivalent to about
fifteen hundred pounds in the present day, in order to be relieved from the
honourable service of waiting clothed in uniform, each with a silver cup in
his hand, helping the Mayor of London to perform the office of butler at
coronation feasts. However this may be, it is still somewhat remarkable
that, in the seventeenth century, Nicholas Assheton of Downham, Esq., and
other gentlemen of Lancashire, upon a less important occasion than a
coronation feast, dressed in the livery of Sir Richard Houghton and
voluntarily attended, day after day, at the lords' table at Houghton Tower,
and served the lords with biscuit, wine, and Jelly.