[1] I have to acknowledge the kind permission to use the following
illustrations--by Messrs. Virtue and Co., four blocks from Cutts'
_Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages_, 1872; by Messrs. Mitchell
and Hughes, six blocks from Dr. Jackson Howard's _Miscellanea
Genealogica et Heraldica_; by Messrs. Nichols and Son, sixteen blocks
from _The Herald and Genealogist_, _Collectanea Genealogica et
Heraldica_, _The Topographer and Genealogist_, and _The Visitation
of Huntingdon_, 1613 [Camden Society]; by Messrs. Parker, eight
blocks from Hewitt's _Ancient Arms and Armour_ and _The Archæological
Journal_, vol. iv; by the Society of Antiquaries, eight blocks
published in their _Proceedings_; and by the Royal Archæological
Institute, one block from _The Archæological Journal_, vol. xi.
[2] Randle Holme's _Academy of Armoury_, book i. p. 9, tells us how
Froissart, describing the battle of Poictiers, says that the Black
Prince commanded the body of the Lord Richard Duras to be laid on a
shield, and that five men should bear the same to the Cardinal of
Peregorth for a present, &c. Also, that towards the end of the reign
of Edward III, the Frenchmen, to save themselves from the liberal shot
of the English archers, had shields made of elme-wood, seven feet in
length and three in breadth and an inch in thickness, which were made
sharp at the foot to pitch into the ground.
[3] It would be curious to ascertain, if we could, how long the die
sinkers in early times required to make these large and splendid
seals. I have only noted a few instances which throw light upon it,
but, no doubt, a careful search might show the earliest dates after
their succession when the several kings used their new great seals.
Rymer's _Fœdera_ contains many orderings and surrenderings of such
seals; the great difficulty is to connect the impression with the
thing ordered or dealt with. Blackstone [_The Great Charter and the
Charter of the Forest_, 4to, 1759, pp. xxix and xliii] informs us that
the great Charter of Henry III, dated 12th November, 1216 (he was
crowned at Gloucester, 28th October, 1216), was sealed--as declared
in the document--with the seals of Gualo the Legate and William Earl
of Pembroke; King John's seal having been lost in passing the Washes
of Lincolnshire, and no new seal being made for King Henry till two
years after. About 6th November, 1218, a new great seal was made
for King Henry III, and then began to be used in sealing writs, of
course, but was forbidden to be put to anything which might tend to
perpetuity till the king should arrive to full age; and a footnote is
added, "It has not even in later times been altogether unusual for the
successor to defer for a while the making of a new great seal,--and
in the interim to use his predecessor's:--The Editor has met with a
patent of Rich^d Cromwell, dated 18 Nov. 1658, [11 weeks after his
protectorship commenced] which was sealed with Oliver's seal." Roger
de Hoveden notes, under the year 1194, that Richard I. ordered a new
great seal to be made, but the earliest deed to which it is known to
be attached bears date 18th May, 1198--that is, four years afterwards.
(M. Deville's _Treatise on the Seals of Richard I._, and _Archæological
Journal_, vol. iii, p. 372.) Among the Standish Deeds, which I had
lately the honour to lay before this Society, was one--a licence to
found a chantry at Standish--granted by Edward III. on 12th February,
1328, and with apparently an unfinished seal. The impression is a bad
one, but the lions afterwards on the horse clothing seem to be wanting.
He only ascended the throne 25th January, 1327. On the fourth day of
his reign, viz., 28th January, 1327, he delivered his great seal to
the Bishop of Ely as Chancellor, two fleur-de-lys having been engraved
on the under side thereof (Rymer's _Fœdera_, vol. ii, p. 683). This
was his father's seal, thus slightly altered on one side. In October
of the same year Edward III. stated by proclamation that he had a new
great seal, different on both sides from the seal hitherto used; which
great seal was to have authority from 4th October, 1327. Rymer, vol.
ii, p. 718, records that the previous seal was broken up in the king's
presence, in his chamber in the Castle of Nottingham. See Professor
Willis on the great seals of Edward III., a learned paper printed in
the _Archæological Journal_, vol. ii, p. 14.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
The caret character is used to represent superscripts, e.g. "Rich^d."
Both "torse" and "torce" were used in this book.
Both "scroll work" and "scroll-work" where used in this book.
Both "wood-cut" and "woodcut" were used in this book.
Page 24, "p." changed to "pp."
Page 26, closing square bracket added after "p. 187."
Page 39, "15" changed to "by" ("He was beheaded by Edward II.").
Page 51, period added after "sett to my hand."
Page 53, "II" changed to "II."
Page 60, closing parenthesis added.
Page 67, "cornucopiaœ" changed to "cornucopiæ."
Page 69, closing parenthesis added after "p. 211."
Page 74, closing parenthesis added.
Page 86, "indroduced" changed to "introduced."
Page 94, period added after "considerable expense."