THE HERALDS AND OFFICERS OF ARMS
The crown is the Fountain of Honour, having supreme control of coat-armour.
This control in all civilised countries is one of the appanages of
sovereignty, but from an early period much of the actual control has been
delegated to the Heralds and Kings of Arms. The word Herald is derived from
the Anglo-Saxon--_here_, an army, and _wald_, strength or sway--though it
has probably come to us from the German word _Herold_.
In the last years of the twelfth century there appeared at festal
gatherings persons mostly habited in richly coloured clothing, who
delivered invitations to the guests, and, side by side with the stewards,
superintended the festivities. Many of them were minstrels, who, after
tournaments or battle, extolled the deeds of the victors. These individuals
were known in Germany as _Garzune_.
Originally every powerful leader had his own herald, and the dual character
of minstrel and messenger led the herald to recount the deeds of his
master, and, as a natural consequence, of his master's ancestors. In token
of their office they wore the coats of arms of the leaders they served; and
the original status of a herald was that of a non-combatant messenger. When
tournaments came into vogue it was natural that some one should examine the
arms of those taking part, and from this the duties of the herald came to
include a knowledge of coat-armour. As the Sovereign assumed or arrogated
the control of arms, the right to grant arms, and the right of judgment in
disputes concerning arms, it was but the natural result that the personal
heralds of the Sovereign should be required to have a knowledge of the arms
of his principal subjects, and should obtain something in the nature of a
cognisance or control and jurisdiction over those arms; for doubtless the
actions of the Sovereign would often depend upon the knowledge of his
heralds.
The process of development in this country will be more easily understood
when it is remembered that the Marshal or Earl Marshal was in former times,
with the Lord High Constable, the first in _military_ rank under the King,
who usually led his army in person, and to {28} the Marshal was deputed the
ordering and arrangement of the various bodies of troops, regiments, bands
of retainers, &c., which ordering was at first facilitated and at length
entirely determined by the use of various pictorial ensigns, such as
standards, banners, crests, cognisances, and badges. The due arrangement
and knowledge of these various ensigns became first the necessary study and
then the ordinary duty of these officers of the Marshal, and their
possession of such knowledge, which soon in due course had to be written
down and tabulated, secured to them an important part in mediæval life. The
result was that at an early period we find them employed in semi-diplomatic
missions, such as carrying on negotiations between contending armies on the
field, bearing declarations of war, challenges from one sovereign to
another, besides arranging the ceremonial not only of battles and
tournaments, but also of coronations, Royal baptisms, marriages, and
funerals.
From the fact that neither King of Arms nor Herald is mentioned as
officiating in the celebrated Scrope and Grosvenor case, of which very full
particulars have come down to us, it is evident that the control of arms
had not passed either in fact or in theory from the Crown to the officers
of arms at that date. Konrad Grünenberg, in his _Wappencodex_ ("Roll of
Arms"), the date of which is 1483, gives a representation of a _helmschau_
(literally helmet-show), here reproduced (Fig. 12), which includes the
figure of a herald. Long before that date, however, the position of a
herald in England was well defined, for we find that on January 5, 1420,
the King appointed William Bruges to be Garter King of Arms. It is usually
considered in England that it would be found that in Germany armory reached
its highest point of evolution. Certainly German heraldic art is in advance
of our own, and it is curious to read in the latest and one of the best of
German heraldic books that "from the very earliest times heraldry was
carried to a higher degree of perfection and thoroughness in England than
elsewhere, and that it has maintained itself at the same level until the
present day. In other countries, for the most part, heralds no longer have
any existence but in name." The initial figure which appears at the
commencement of Chapter I. represents John Smert, Garter King of Arms, and
is taken from the grant of arms issued by him to the Tallow Chandlers'
Company of London, which is dated September 24, 1456.
Long before there was any College of Arms, the Marshal, afterwards the Earl
Marshal, had been appointed. The Earl Marshal is now head of the College of
Arms, and to him has been delegated the whole of the control both of armory
and of the College, with the exception of that part which the Crown has
retained in its own hands. {29} After the Earl Marshal come the Kings of
Arms, the Heralds of Arms, and the Pursuivants of Arms.
[Illustration: FIG. 12.--_Helmschau_ or Helmet-Show. (From Konrad
Grünenberg's _Wappencodex zu München_.) End of fifteenth century.]
The title of King of Arms, or, as it was more anciently written, King of
Heralds, was no doubt originally given to the chief or principal officer,
who presided over the heralds of a kingdom, or some principal province,
which heraldic writers formerly termed _marches_; or else the title was
conferred upon the officer of arms attendant upon some particular order of
knighthood. Garter King of Arms, who is immediately attached to that
illustrious order, is likewise Principal King of Arms, and these, although
separate and distinct offices, are and have been always united in one
person. Upon the revival and new modelling of the Order of the Bath, in the
reign of George the First, a King of Arms was created and attached to it,
by the title of Bath King of Arms; and King George III., upon the
institution of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order of Knighthood, annexed to that
order a King of Arms, by the appellation of Hanover. At the time of the
creation of his office, Bath King of Arms was given Wales as his province,
the intention being that he should rank with the others, granting arms in
his own province, but he was not, nor was Hanover, nor is the King of Arms
of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, a member (as such) of the
corporation of the College of Arms. The members of that corporation
considered that the gift of the province of Wales, the jurisdiction over
which they had previously possessed, to Bath King was an infringement of
their chartered privileges. The dispute was referred to the law officers of
the Crown, whose opinion was in favour of the corporate body.
Berry in his _Encyclopædia Heraldica_ further remarks: "The Kings of Arms
of the provincial territories have the titles of _Clarenceux_ and _Norroy_,
the jurisdiction of the former extending over the south, east, and west
parts of England, from the river Trent southwards; and that of the latter,
the remaining part of the kingdom northward of that river. Kings of Arms
have been likewise assigned other provinces over different kingdoms and
dominions, and besides Ulster King of Arms for Ireland, and Lyon King of
Arms for Scotland, others were nominated for particular provinces abroad,
when united to the Crown of England, such as _Aquitaine_, _Anjou_, and
_Guyenne_, who were perhaps at their first creation intended only for the
services of the places whose titles they bore, when the same should be
entirely subdued to allegiance to the Crown of England, and who, till that
time, might have had other provinces allotted to them, either provisionally
or temporarily, within the realm of England.
There were also other Kings of Arms, denominated from the dukedoms or
earldoms which our princes enjoyed before they came to the throne, as
_Lancaster_, _Gloucester_, _Richmond_, and _Leicester_, the three first
{30} having marches, or provinces, and the latter a similar jurisdiction.
Windsor, likewise, was a local title, but it is doubtful whether that
officer was ever a King of Arms. _Marche_ also assumed that appellation,
from his provincial jurisdiction over a territory so called.
But although anciently there were at different periods several Kings of
Arms in England, only two provincial Kings of Arms have, for some ages,
been continued in office, viz. Clarenceux and Norroy, whose provinces or
marches are, as before observed, separated by the river Trent, the ancient
limits of the escheaters, when there are only two in the kingdom, and the
jurisdiction of the wardens of the forests.
_Norroy_ is considered the most ancient title, being the only one in
England taken from the local situation of his province, unless _Marche_
should be derived from the same cause. The title of _Norroy_ was anciently
written _Norreys_ and _Norreis_, King of Arms of the people residing in the
north; _Garter_ being styled _Roy des Anglois_, of the people, and not
_d'Angleterre_, of the kingdom, the inhabitants of the north being called
_Norreys_,[1] as we are informed by ancient historians.
It appears that there was a King of Arms for the parts or people on the
north of Trent as early as the reign of Edward I., from which, as Sir Henry
Spelman observes, it may be inferred that the southern, eastern, and
western parts had principal heralds, or Kings of Arms, although their
titles at that early age cannot now be ascertained.
_Norroy_ had not the title of King till after the reign of Edward II. It
was appropriated to a King of Heralds, expressly called _Rex Norroy_, _Roy
d'Armes del North_, _Rex Armorum del North_, _Rex de North_, and _Rex
Norroy du North_; and the term _Roy Norreys_ likewise occurs in the Pell
Rolls of the 22nd Edward III.; but from that time till the 9th of Richard
II. no farther mention is made of any such officer, from which it is
probable a different person enjoyed the office by some other title during
that interval, particularly as the office was actually executed by other
Kings of Arms, immediately after that period. _John Otharlake, Marche King
of Arms_, executed it in the 9th of Richard II., Richard del Brugg,
Lancaster King of Arms, 1st Henry IV., and _Ashwell_, _Boys_, and _Tindal_,
successively _Lancaster Kings of Arms_, until the end of that monarch's
reign.
Edward IV. replaced this province under a King of Arms, and revived the
dormant title of _Norroy_. But in the Statute of Resumptions, {31} made 1st
Henry VII., a clause was inserted that the same should not extend to _John
Moore_, otherwise _Norroy_, chief Herald King of Arms of the north parts of
this realm of England, so appointed by King Edward IV. by his Letters
Patent, bearing date 9th July, in the eighteenth year of his reign. It has
since continued without interruption.
_Falcon King of Arms_ seems the next who had the title of King conferred
upon him, and was so named from one of the Royal badges of King Edward
III., and it was afterwards given to a herald and pursuivant, under princes
who bore the falcon as a badge or cognisance, and it is difficult to
ascertain whether this officer was considered a king, herald, or
pursuivant. _Froissart_ in 1395 calls _Faucon_ only a herald, and in 1364
mentions this officer as a King of Arms belonging to the King of England;
but it is certain that in the 18th Richard II. there was a King of Arms by
that appellation, and so continued until the reign of Richard III., if not
later; but at what particular period of time the officer was discontinued
cannot be correctly ascertained.
_Windsor_ has been considered by some writers to have been the title of a
King of Arms, from an abbreviation in some old records, which might be
otherwise translated. There is, however, amongst the Protections in the
Tower of London, one granted in the 49th Edward III. to _Stephen de
Windesore, Heraldo Armorum rege dicto_, which seems to favour the
conjecture, and other records might be quoted for and against this
supposition, which might have arisen through mistake in the entries, as
they contradict one another.
_Marche_ seems the next in point of antiquity of creation; but although Sir
Henry Spelman says that King Edward IV. descended from the _Earls of
Marche_, promoted _Marche Herald_ to be a King of Arms, giving him,
perhaps, the marches for his province, it is pretty clearly ascertained
that it was of a more early date, from the express mention of _March Rex
Heraldorum_ and _March Rex Heraldus_ in records of the time of Richard II.,
though it may be possible that it was then only a nominal title, and did
not become a real one till the reign of Edward IV., as mentioned by
Spelman.
_Lancaster King of Arms_ was, as the same author informs us, so created by
Henry IV. in relation to his own descent from the Lancastrian family, and
the county of Lancaster assigned to him as his province; but _Edmondson_
contends "that that monarch superadded the title of Lancaster to that of
Norroy, or King of the North, having, as it may be reasonably conjectured,
given this province north of Trent, within which district Lancaster was
situated, to him who had been formerly his officer of arms, by the title of
that dukedom, and who might, according to custom, in some instances of
former ages, retain his former title and surname of heraldship, styling
himself _Lancaster Roy d'Armes del North_." {32}
_Leicester King of Arms_ was a title similar to that of _Lancaster_, and
likewise a creation to the same Sovereign, Henry IV., who was also Earl of
Leicester before he assumed the crown, and was given to a person who was
before that time a herald. It appears that _Henry Grene_ was _Leicester
Herald_, 9th King Richard II., and in the 13th of the same reign is called
a _Herald of the Duke of Guyen and Lancaster_, but prior to the coronation
of Henry IV. he was certainly a King of Heralds, and so styled in a privy
seal dated antecedent to that ceremony. A similar instrument of the tenth
year of that monarch's reign also mentions _Henry Grene_, otherwise
_Leicester King of Arms_.
As it is evident that, during the reign of Henry IV., _Lancaster King of
Arms_ has under that title the province of the north, _Mr. Edmondson_, with
good reason, supposes that the southern province, or part of that which is
now under Clarenceux, might at that time be under this _Leicester_,
especially as the title of _Clarenceux_ was not in being till after the 3rd
of Henry V., when, or soon after, the title of _Leicester_ might have
become extinct by the death of that officer; for although _Leicester King
of Arms_ went over into France with Henry V. in the third year of his
reign, yet he is not mentioned in the constitutions made by the heralds at
Roan in the year 1419-20.
_Clarenceux_, the next King of Arms in point of creation, is a title
generally supposed to have been taken from _Clare_, in Suffolk, the castle
at that place being the principal residence of the ancient Earls of
Hereford, who were, from thence, though very improperly, called _Earls of
Clare_, in the same manner as the Earls of Pembroke were often named _Earls
of Strigoil and Chepstow_; the Earl of Hampshire, _Earl of Winchester_; the
Earl of Derby, _Earl of Tuttebury_; the Earl of Sussex, _Earl of
Chichester_, &c. King Edward III. created his third son Lionel _Duke of
Clarence_, instead of the monosyllable _Clare_ (from his marriage with the
grand-daughter of the late Earl), but Lionel dying without issue male,
Henry IV. created his younger son Thomas _Duke of Clarence_, who being
slain without issue 9th of Henry V., the honour remained in the Crown,
until King Edward IV. conferred it upon his own brother. Mr. Sandford tells
us that _Clarence_ is the country about the town, castle, and honour of
_Clare_, from which duchy the name of _Clarenceux King of Arms_ is derived.
Spelman, however, contends that it is a mistake in attributing the
institution of _Clarenceux_ to King Edward IV. after the honour of
_Clarence_ devolved as an escheat to the Crown upon the untimely death of
his brother George, as he found William Horsely called by this title in the
reign of Henry V. and also Roger Lygh, under King Henry VI.; and it is
conjectured that the office of _Clarenceux King of Arms_ is not more
ancient than the reign of Edward III.
_Gloucester Herald_, frequently mentioned by historians, was originally
{33} the herald of the great Humphry, Duke of Gloucester, of whom mention
is made upon record in the 10th of Henry VI.; and Richard, brother to
Edward IV., who was created Duke of Gloucester, is said to have had a
herald by that title during the reign of his brother, and who was attendant
as such at the funeral of that monarch. In a manuscript in the Ashmolean
collection, it is stated that Richard Champnay attended as Gloucester King
of Arms at the coronation of Richard III. upon the 7th July following his
usurpation of the crown; but it appears by more authentic record that this
Richard Champnay was, by the style and title of Herald of Arms, on the 18th
September, in the first year of his usurpation, by patent created a King of
Arms and Principal Herald of the parts of Wales, by the style and title of
Gloucester, giving him licence and authority to execute all and singular
that by law or custom in former times belonged to the office of King of
Arms. It is supposed that the office ceased upon his death, which in all
probability took place before that of the usurper.
_Richmond King of Arms._--A herald called _Richmond_ is frequently
mentioned, as well belonging to the Crown as of the nobility. But the
records of the reign of King Henry VII., who had before his elevation to
the throne been Earl of Richmond, contain many entries of _Richmond King of
Arms_; but although somewhat vague in the description, sufficiently bear
out the conjecture that Henry VII., previous to his coronation, created a
new King of Arms by the title of _Richmond_, although no regular patent of
creation has ever been found.
Sir Henry Spelman informs us that, in addition to the two Kings of Arms for
the two Heraldic provinces bounded north and south by the river Trent,
there were also two provincial kings for the dominions of our Sovereign in
France, styled _Guyenne_ and _Agincourt_ (omitting _Aquitaine_ and _Anjou_,
which were certainly in being at the same time), and another for _Ireland_
by that name, altered by King Edward VI. into _Ulster_.
_Ireland King of Arms_ first occurs upon record 6th Richard II., anno 1482,
mentioned by _Froissart_, where he is called _Chandos le Roy d'Ireland_. A
regular succession of officers, by the title of Ireland King of Arms,
continued from that time till the reign of King Edward IV., but from the
death of that monarch till the creation of Ulster by Edward VI. it is
uncertain whether the title existed, or what became of the office.
Edward VI. altered the title of Ireland King of Arms into that of Ulster,
or rather considered it as a new institution, from the words of his
journal: "Feb. 2. There was a King of Arms made for Ireland, whose name was
_Ulster_, and his province was all Ireland; and he was the fourth King of
Arms, and the first Herald of Ireland." The patent passed under the Great
Seal of England.
Guyenne, a part of Aquitaine, in France, a province belonging to {34} the
British Crown, gave title not only to a King of Arms, but to a herald
likewise, and Sir Henry Spelman dates its creation in the time of Edward
I., although it is somewhat doubtful, and thought to be in the reign of
Edward III. Guyenne Herald appears upon record during the reign of Henry
VI., and though Kings of Arms were frequently styled heralds in old
records, it is more than probable both offices were in existence at the
same time. From the time of Edward IV. no such officers belonging to the
Crown of England seem to have been continued, and it is doubtful whether
they ever held in constant succession from their first creation.
_Aquitaine_, which included what were afterwards called Guyenne, Xantoigne,
Gascoigne, and some islands, gave title to a King of Heralds as early as
the reign of Edward III., and it is conjectured to have been an officer
belonging to the Black Prince, who had the principality of Aquitaine given
to him by his father; but although this officer is mentioned in the reign
of Richard II. and 3rd of Henry V., no record occurs after the latter
period.
_Agincourt_ was also a title conferred upon a herald, in memory of that
signal victory; and lands were granted to him for life, 6th Henry V., as
mentioned by Sir Henry Spelman; but whether the office was continued, or
any particular province assigned to this officer, cannot be ascertained.
_Anjou King of Arms_ was likewise an officer of King Henry VI., and
attendant upon John, Duke of Bedford, when Regent of France, who assumed
the title of Duke of Anjou. But upon the death of the Duke of Bedford, this
officer was promoted to Lancaster King of Arms; and in all probability the
title of Anjou, as a King of Heralds, was discontinued.
_Volant_ also occurs upon record in the 28th Edward III., and _Vaillant_,
_le Roy Vaillant Heraud_, and _le Roy Vailland_, are likewise mentioned in
1395.
Henry V. instituted the office of Garter King of Arms; but at what
particular period is rather uncertain, although Mr. Anstis has clearly
proved that it must have taken place after the 22nd May, and before the 3rd
September, in the year 1417.
Stephen Martin Leake, Esq., who filled the office, sums up its duties in
the following words: "_Garter_ was instituted by King Henry V., A.D. 1417,
for the service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, which was made
sovereign within the office of arms over all other officers, subject to the
Crown of England, by the name of Garter King of Arms of England. In this
patent he is styled Principal King of English Arms, and Principal Officer
of Arms of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and has power to execute the
said office by himself or deputy, being an herald. By the constitution of
his office, he must be a native of {35} England, and a gentleman bearing
arms. To him belongs the correction of arms, and all ensigns of honour,
usurped or borne unjustly, and also to grant arms to deserving persons, and
supporters to the nobility and Knights of the Bath; to go next before the
sword in solemn proceeding, none interposing, except the constable and
marshal; to administer the oath to all the officers of arms; to have a
habit like the registrar of the order; baron's service in the court;
lodgings in Windsor Castle; to bear his white rod with a banner of the
ensigns of the order thereon before the Sovereign; also when any lord shall
enter the Parliament chamber, to assign him his place, according to his
dignity and degree; to carry the ensign of the order to foreign princes,
and to do, or procure to be done, what the Sovereign shall enjoin, relating
to the order; with other duties incident to his office of principal King of
Arms, for the execution whereof he hath a salary of one hundred pounds a
year, payable at the Exchequer, and an hundred pounds more out of the
revenue of the order, besides fees."
_Bath King of Arms_ was created 11th George I., in conformity with the
statutes established by His Majesty for the government of the Order of the
Bath, and in obedience to those statutes was nominated and created by the
Great Master of the Order denominated _Bath_, and in Latin, _Rex armorum
Honoratissimi Ordinis Militaris de Balneo_. These statutes direct that this
officer shall, in all the ceremonies of the order, be habited in a white
mantle lined with red, having on the right shoulder the badge of the order,
and under it a surcoat of white silk, lined and edged with red; that he
shall wear on his breast, hanging to a golden chain about his neck, an
escocheon of gold, enamelled with the arms of the order, impaling the arms
of the Sovereign, crowned with the Imperial crown. That at all coronations
he shall precede the companions of the order, and shall carry and wear his
crown as other Kings of Arms are obliged to do. That the chain, escocheon,
rod, and crown, shall be of the like materials, value, and weight, with
those borne and used by Garter Principal King of Arms, and of the like
fashion, the before specified variations only excepted: and that besides
the duties required of him in the several other articles of the statutes,
he shall diligently perform whatever the Sovereign or Great Master shall
further command. On the 14th January 1725, His Majesty was further pleased
by his Royal sign-manual, to erect, make, constitute, and ordain the then
Bath King of Arms, _Gloucester_ King of Arms, and principal Herald of the
parts of Wales, and to direct letters patent to be made out and pass the
Great Seal, empowering him to grant arms and crests to persons residing
within the dominions of Wales, either jointly with Garter, or singly by
himself, with the consent and at the pleasure of the Earl Marshal, or his
deputy for the time being, and for {36} the future that the office of
Gloucester should be inseparably annexed, united, and perpetually
consolidated with the office of _Bath King of Arms, of the Most Honourable
Military Order of the Bath, and Gloucester King of Arms, and principal
Herald of the parts of Wales_. And also that he, for the dignity of the
order, should in all assemblies and at all times have and take place and
precedency above and before all other provincial Kings of Arms whatsoever."
This armorial jurisdiction, however, was subsequently, as has been
previously explained, annulled.
Concerning the heralds Berry remarks: "In former ages, when honour and
chivalry were at their height, these officers were held in great
estimation, as appears by the ceremonies which attended their creations,
which was by the Sovereign himself or by special commission from him, and,
according to Gerard Leigh, was after the following manner: The King asked
the person to be so created whether he were a gentleman of blood or of
second coat-armour; if he was not, the King gave him lands and fees, and
assigned him and his heirs proper arms. Then, as the messenger was brought
in by the herald of the province, so the pursuivant was brought in by the
eldest herald, who, at the prince's command, performed all the ceremonies,
as turning the coat of arms, setting the manacles thereof on the arms of
the pursuivant, and putting about his neck the collar of SS, and when he
was named, the prince himself took the cup from the herald, which was gilt,
and poured the water and wine upon the head of the pursuivant, creating him
by the name of _our herald_, and the King, when the oath was administered,
gave the same cup to the new herald.
_Upton_ sums up the business of a herald thus: That it was their office to
create under officers, to number the people, to commence treaties of
matrimony and of peace between princes, to visit kingdoms and regions, and
to be present at martial exploits, &c., and they were to wear a coat of
their master's arms, wearing the same in conflicts and tournaments, in
riding through foreign countries, and at all great entertainments,
coronations of kings and queens, and the solemnities of princes, dukes, and
other great lords.
In the time of King Richard II. there belonged to the King of Arms and
heralds the following fees, viz.: at the coronation of the King, a bounty
of £100; when the King first displayed his banners, 100 marks; when the
King's son was made a knight, 40 marks; when the prince and a duke first
display their banners, £20; if it be a marquis, 20 marks; if an earl, £10;
if a baron, 5 marks of silver crowns, of 15 nobles; and if a knight
bachelor, newly made a banneret, 3 marks, or 10 nobles; when the King is
married, the said Kings of Arms and heralds to have £50; when the Queen has
a child {37} christened, a largess at the Queen's pleasure, or of the lords
of the council, which was sometimes £100, and at others 100 marks, more or
less; and when she is churched, such another largess; when princesses,
duchesses, marchionesses, countesses, and baronesses have a child
christened, and when they are churched, a largess suitable to their quality
and pleasure; as often as the King wears his crown, or holds Royal state,
especially at the four great festivals of Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide,
and All Saints, to every one of the three Kings of Arms present when the
King goes to the chapel to mass, a largess at the King's pleasure; when a
maiden princess, or daughter of a duke, marquis, earl, or baron is married,
there belongs to the said Kings of Arms, if present, the upper garment she
is married in; if there be a combat within lists, there belong to the Kings
of Arms, if present, and if not to the other heralds present, their
pavilions; and if one of the combatants is vanquished, the Kings of Arms
and heralds who are present shall have all the accoutrements of the person
so vanquished, and all other armour that falls to the ground; when subjects
rebel, and fortify any camp or place, and afterwards quit the same, and
fly, without a battle, there appertain to the said Kings of Arms and
heralds who are present all the carts, carriages, and tools left behind;
and, at New Year's Tide, all the noblemen and knights of the court used to
give the heralds New Year's gifts. Besides the King's heralds, in former
times, divers noblemen had heralds and pursuivants, who went with their
lords, with the King's heralds, when attending the King.
The fees of the King's heralds and pursuivants of arms have since varied,
and, besides fees upon creations of peers, baronets, and knights, they have
still donations for attendance at court upon the festivals of Christmas,
Easter, Whitsuntide, All Saints, and St. George's Day; fees upon
installation of Knights of the Garter and Bath, Royal marriages, funerals,
public solemnities, &c., with small salaries paid from the Exchequer; but
their ancient fees from the nobility, upon certain occasions, have been
long discontinued, and their principal emolument arises from grants of
arms, the tracing of genealogies, and recording the same in the Registers
of the College of Arms."
The present _heralds_ are six in number, viz.:--
_Windsor Herald_, which title was instituted 38th of Edward III., when that
monarch was in France.
_Chester Herald_, instituted in the same reign.
_Richmond Herald_, instituted by King Edward IV.
_Somerset Herald_, instituted by King Henry VIII. about the time when that
monarch created his son Henry Fitzroy Duke of Somerset.
_York Herald_, instituted by King Edward III. in honour of his son, whom he
created Duke of York. {38}
_Lancaster Herald_, also instituted by Edward III. when he created his son
Duke of Lancaster.
The heralds were first incorporated as a college by Richard III. They were
styled the Corporation of Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivants of Arms.
Concerning Pursuivants of Arms, Berry remarks that these officers, who are
the lowest in degree amongst officers of arms, "were, as the name implies,
followers, marshals, or messengers attendant upon the heralds. Pursuivants
were formerly created by the nobility (who had, likewise, heralds of arms)
with great ceremony in the following manner. One of the heralds, wearing
his master's coat, leading the person to be created pursuivant by the left
hand, and holding a cup full of wine and water in his right, came into the
presence of the lord and master of him who was to be created, and of whom
the herald asked by what name he would have his pursuivant called, which
the lord having mentioned, the herald then poured part of the wine and
water upon his head, calling him by the name so assigned to him. The herald
then took the coat of his lord, and put it over his head athwart, so that
part of the coat made for the arms before and behind, and the longer part
of it on both sides of the arms of the person created, and in which way the
pursuivant was always to wear it. This done, an oath of fidelity was
administered to the new-made pursuivant, and the ceremony concluded."
This curious method of the wearing of the tabard by a pursuivant has long
since been discontinued, if indeed it was ever generally adopted, a point
on which I have by no means been able to satisfy myself.
The appointment of heralds and pursuivants of arms by the nobility has long
been discontinued, and there are now only four pursuivants belonging to the
College of Arms, viz.:--
_Rouge-Croix_, the first in point of antiquity of creation, is so styled
from the red cross of St. George, the Patron Saint of England.
_Blue-Mantle_, so called by King Edward III., in honour of the French coat
which he assumed, being blue.
_Rouge-Dragon_, so styled from the red dragon, one of the supporters of the
Royal arms of King Henry VII. (who created this pursuivant), and also the
badge of Wales, and
_Portcullis_, also instituted by Henry VII., and so named from that badge,
or cognisance, used by him.
The duties of a pursuivant are similar to those of a herald; he assists in
all public processions, or ceremonies, such as Royal marriages, funerals,
installations, &c., and has certain fees for attendance upon such
occasions. Pursuivants likewise receive fees upon creations of peers,
baronets, and knights, and also donations for attending court upon the
principal festivals of Christmas, Easter, Whit-Sunday, All {39} Saints, and
St. George's Day, and a small salary payable out of the Exchequer. They
wear a tabard of damask silk, embroidered with the Royal arms, like the
heralds, but no collar of SS.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.--Officers of Arms as represented in the famous
Tournament Roll of Henry VIII., now preserved in the College of Arms.]
Of the Heraldic Executive in Scotland, Lyon King of Arms (Sir James Balfour
Paul), in his book "Heraldry in relation to Scottish History and Art,"
writes: "At one period the Lyon was solemnly crowned at his inauguration,
and vested with his tabard and baton of office." The ceremony was a very
elaborate one, and is fully described by Sir James Balfour in a MS., now in
the Advocates' Library. There is also an account of the coronation of Sir
Alexander Durham, when Laurie, the minister of the Tron Kirk, preached from
the text, "What shall be done to the man whom the king delighteth to
honour?" The crown was of gold, and exactly similar to the Imperial crown
of Scotland, save that it had no jewels. Now the Lyon's crown is the same
as the English King of Arms. The crown is only worn at Royal coronations.
At that of Charles I. at Edinburgh in 1633, the Lyon carried the vessel
containing the sacred oil. In addition to his strictly armorial
appointment, the Lyon is also a King of Arms of the Most Ancient and Most
Noble Order of the Thistle.
Heralds and pursuivants formed an important part from very early times not
only of the Royal Household, but also of those of the higher nobility, many
of whom had private heralds. Of these officers there is a very full list
given by Dr. Dickson in the preface to the Lord Treasurer's Accounts. Of
heralds who were or ultimately became part of the King's Household we meet
with Rothesay, Marchmont, Snowdon, Albany, Ross, and Islay; Ireland,
Orkney, and Carrick are also mentioned as heralds, but it is doubtful
whether the first and last were ever more than pursuivants. Of the latter
class of officers the following were in the Royal establishment: Carrick,
Bute, Dingwall, Kintyre, Ormonde, Unicorn; but we also find Aliszai or
Alishay, Dragance, Diligens, Montrose, Falkland, Ireland, Darnaway,
Garioch, Ettrick, Hales, Lindsay, Endure, Douglas, and Angus. Of the latter
Garioch was created by James IV. for his brother John, Earl of Mar; Hailes
in 1488, when Lord Hailes was made Earl of Bothwell; while Lindsay and
Endure were both evidently attached to the Lindsay family, as were Douglas
and Angus to the noblemen whose titles they bore. In 1403 Henry IV. of
England granted a pursuivant under the title of Shrewsbury to George, Earl
of March, for services rendered at the battle of that name, but we do not
find that the office was continued.
In Scotland heralds appear at an early date, though none are mentioned as
attending the coronation of Alexander III. in 1249; nor is there any
account of any such officers accompanying that sovereign when he did homage
to Edward I. at Westminster in 1278. In the next {40} century, however,
armorial bearings were quite well known in Scotland, and there is an entry
in the Exchequer Rolls on 10th October 1337 of a payment of £32, 6s. Scots
for the making of seventeen armorial banners, and in 1364 there is another
to the heralds for services at the tournaments; while William Petilloch,
herald, has a grant from David II. of three husbandlands in Bonjedward, and
Allan Fawside gets a gift of the forfeited estate of one Coupland, a herald
(_temp._ Edward Baliol).[2] The first mention of a herald, under his
official designation, which I have met with in our records occurs in 1365,
when there is a confirmation under the Great Seal by David II. of a charter
by Dugal McDowille to John Trupour or Trumpour "_nunc dicto Carric
heraldo_." Sir James Balfour tells us that the Lyon and his heralds
attended the coronation of Robert II. at Holyrood on 23rd May 1371, but
whether or not this is true--and I have not been able to verify it--it is
certain that a Lyon Herald existed very shortly after that date, as in the
Exchequer Rolls mention is made of the payment of a certain sum to such an
officer in 1377; in 1379 Froissart says that a herald was sent by Robert
II. to London to explain that the truce had been infringed without his will
and against his knowledge, and on 8th April 1381 a warrant was issued in
London for a licence to "Lion Heraud" of the King of Scots, authorising him
to take away a complete suit of armour which he had bought in that city. It
is not, however, till 1388 that we find Lyon accorded the Royal style. In
that year a payment is made "_Leoni regi heraldorum_," but at the audit
following the battle of Otterburn he is called _defunctus_, which suggests
that he had been slain on that well-fought field. The Lyon appears in
several embassies about this period both to England and France, and one
Henry Greve, designed in the English Issue Rolls as "King of Scottish
Heralds," was at the Tower of London in 1399, either at or immediately
after the coronation of Henry IV. From 1391 onwards there is frequent
mention of one Douglas, "Herald of the King," and in 1421 he is styled
"Lyon Herald."
Of the German officers of arms they, like the English, are divided into
three classes, known as _Wappenkönige_, _Herolde_, and _Persevanten_.
These, like our own officers, had peculiar titles; for example _Suchenwirt_
(an Austrian ducal herald), _Lub-den Frumen_ (a Lichtenstein pursuivant),
_Jerusalem_ (a herald of the Limmer Palatinate), _Romreich_ (an Imperial
herald). About the middle of the sixteenth century, the official names of
the heralds fell into disuse; they began to make use of their ancestral
names with the title of _Edel_ and _Ehrenvest_ (noble and honourable), but
this did not last long, and the heralds found themselves thrown back {41}
into the old ways, into which the knightly accoutrements had already
wandered.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.--The velvet tabard of Sir William Dugdale, Garter
King of Arms from 26th April 1677 to 10th February 1686.]
[Illustration: FIG. 15.--William Bruges, the first Garter King of Arms,
appointed 5th January 1420. (From an illuminated MS. in the Museum at
Oxford.)]
The official dress of an officer of arms as such in Great Britain is merely
his tabard (Figs. 13, 14, 15). This garment in style and shape has remained
unchanged in this country from the earliest known period of which
representations of officers of arms exist; but whilst the tabard itself has
remained unaltered in its style, the arms thereupon have constantly
changed, these always being the arms of the Sovereign for the time being.
The costume worn with the tabard has naturally been subject to many
changes, but it is doubtful if any attempt to regulate such costume was
ever officially made prior to the reign of Queen Victoria. The tabard of a
pursuivant is of damask silk; that of a herald, of satin; and that of a
king of arms, of velvet.
The initial letter on page 1 is a portrait of John Smert, Garter King of
Arms, and is taken from the grant of arms to the Tallow Chandlers' Company,
dated 24th September 1456. He is there represented as wearing beneath his
tabard black breeches and coat, and a golden crown. But Fig. 15 is actually
a representation of the first Garter King of Arms, William Bruges,
appointed 5th January 1420. He is represented as carrying a white staff, a
practice which has been recently revived, white wands being carried by all
the heralds at the public funeral of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone. In
Germany the wands of the heralds were later painted with the colours of the
escutcheons of the Sovereign to whom they were attached. There was until
recently no official hat for an officer of arms in England, and
confirmation of this is to be found in the fact that Dallaway mentions a
special licence to Wriothesley Garter giving him permission to wear a cap
on account of his great age. Obviously, however, a tabard requires other
clothing to be worn with it. The heralds in Scotland, until quite recently,
when making public proclamations were content to appear in the ordinary
elastic-side boots and cloth trousers of everyday life. This gave way for a
brief period, in which Court dress was worn below the tabard, but now, as
in England, the recognised uniform of a member of the Royal Household is
worn. In England, owing to the less frequent ceremonial appearances of the
heralds, and the more scrupulous control {42} which has been exercised, no
such anachronisms as were perpetuated in Scotland have been tolerated, and
it has been customary for the officers of arms to wear their uniform as
members of the Sovereign's Household (in which uniform they attend the
levees) beneath the tabard when making proclamations at the opening of
Parliament or on similar occasions. At a coronation and at some other full
State ceremonies they wear knee-breeches. At the late ceremony of the
coronation of King Edward VII., a head-dress was designed for the officers
of arms. These caps are of black velvet embroidered at the {43} side with a
rose, a thistle, or a harp, respectively for the English, Scottish, and
Irish officers of arms.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.--A Herald. (_Temp._ Hen. VIII.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 17.--A State Trumpeter. (_Temp._ Hen. VIII.)]
A great deal of confusion has arisen between the costume and the functions
of a Herald and a Trumpeter, though the confusion has been confined to the
minds of the uninitiated and the theatrical stage. The whole subject was
very amusingly dealt with in the _Genealogical Magazine_ in an article by
Mr. G. Ambrose Lee, Bluemantle, and the illustrations which he gives of the
relative dresses of the Heralds and the Trumpeters at different periods
(see Figs. 16-19) are interesting. Briefly, the matter can be summed up in
the statement that there never was a Trumpeter who made a proclamation, or
wore a tabard, and there never was a Herald who blew a trumpet. The
Trumpeters nearly {44} always accompanied the Heralds to proclaim their
presence and call attention to their proclamation.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.--A State Trumpeter and a Herald at the coronation
of James I.]
In France the Heralds were formed into an incorporation by Charles VI. in
1406, their head being Mountjoye, King of Arms, with ten heralds and
pursuivants under him. It will be noticed that this incorporation is
earlier than that of the College of Arms in England. The Revolution played
havoc with the French Records, and no College of Arms now exists in France.
But it is doubtful whether at any time it reached the dignity or authority
which its English counterpart has enjoyed in former times.
Fig. 20 represents a French Herald of the early part of the fifteenth
century. It is taken from a representation of the Rally of the Parisians
against King Charles VI. in 1413, to be found in a MS. edition of
Froissart, formerly in the Royal Library at Paris.
All the heralds and Kings of Arms (but not the pursuivants) wear the
curious collar of SS about which there has been so much discussion. {45}
The form has remained unchanged, save that the badge is the badge for the
time being of the Sovereign. The heralds have their collars of SS of
silver, whilst those of a King of Arms are of silver gilt, and the latter
have the further distinction that a portcullis is introduced on each
shoulder. The heralds and Kings of Arms usually place these collars round
their shields in representations of their arms. Collars of SS are also worn
by Serjeants-at-Arms, and by the Lord Chief Justice.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.--Peace proclaimed at the Royal Exchange after the
Crimean War.]
The English Heralds have no equivalent badge to that which the Scottish
Heralds wear suspended from their necks by a ribbon. In Ireland both
Heralds and Pursuivants wear a badge.
In addition each King of Arms has his crown; the only occasion, however,
upon which this is worn being at the ceremony of a coronation. The crown is
of silver gilt, formed of a circle upon which is inscribed part of the
first verse of the 51st Psalm, viz. "Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam
misericordiam tuam": the rim is surmounted of sixteen leaves, in shape
resembling the oak-leaf, every alternate one being somewhat higher than the
remainder. Nine of these leaves are shown in a representation of it. The
cap is of crimson satin, closed at the top by a gold tassel, and turned up
with ermine.
Garter King of Arms has a baton or "sceptre" of silver gilt, about two feet
in length, the top being of gold, of four sides of equal height, {46} but
of unequal breadth. On the two larger sides are the arms of St. George
impaling the Sovereign's, and on the two lesser sides the arms of St.
George surrounded by the Garter and motto, the whole ensigned with an
Imperial crown. This "sceptre" has sometimes been placed in bend behind the
arms of Garter King. Lyon King of Arms has a baton of blue enamel with gold
extremities, the baton being powdered with roses, thistles, and
fleurs-de-lis. Lyon (Sir James Balfour Paul) in his "Heraldry in relation
to Scottish History and Art," remarks that this is one of the few pieces of
British official regalia which is still adorned with the ancient ensigns of
France. But knowing how strictly all official regalia in England is
required to have the armorial devices thereupon changed, as the Royal arms
and badges change, there can be very little doubt that the appearance of
the fleur-de-lis in this case is due to an oversight. The baton happens to
be that of a former Lyon King of Arms, which really should long since have
been discarded and a new one substituted. Two batons are usually placed in
saltire behind the arms of Lyon King of Arms.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.--A French Herald of the early part of the fifteenth
century.]
Ulster King of Arms has a staff of office which, however, really belongs to
his office as Knight Attendant on the Most Illustrious Order of St.
Patrick.
The Scottish Heralds each have a rod of ebony tipped with ivory, {47} which
has been sometimes stated to be a rod of office. This, however, is not the
case, and the explanation of their possession of it is very simple. They
are constantly called upon by virtue of their office to make from the
Market Cross in Edinburgh the Royal Proclamations. Now these Proclamations
are read from printed copies which in size of type and paper are always of
the nature of a poster. The Herald would naturally find some difficulty in
holding up a large piece of paper of this size on a windy day, in such a
manner that it was easy to read from; consequently he winds it round his
ebony staff, slowly unwinding it all the time as he reads.
Garter King of Arms, Lyon King of Arms, and Ulster King of Arms all possess
badges of their offices which they wear about their necks.
The badge of Garter is of gold, having on both sides the arms of St.
George, impaled with those of the Sovereign, within the Garter and motto,
enamelled in their proper colours, and ensigned with the Royal crown.
The badge of Lyon King of Arms is oval, and is worn suspended by a broad
green ribbon. The badge proper consists on the obverse of the effigy of St.
Andrew bearing his cross before him, with a thistle beneath, all enamelled
in the proper colours on an azure ground. The reverse contains the arms of
Scotland, having in the lower parts of the badge a thistle, as on the other
side; the whole surmounted with the Imperial crown.
The badge of "Ulster" is of gold, containing on one side the cross of St.
Patrick, or, as it is described in the statutes, "The cross gules of the
Order upon a field argent, impaled with the arms of the Realm of Ireland,"
and both encircled with the motto, "Quis Separabit," and the date of the
institution of the Order, MDCCLXXXIII. The reverse exhibits the arms of the
office of Ulster, viz.: "Or, a cross gules, on a chief of the last a lion
of England between a harp and portcullis, all of the first," placed on a
ground of green enamel, surrounded by a gold border with shamrocks,
surmounted by an Imperial crown, and suspended by a sky-blue riband from
the neck.
The arms of the Corporation of the College of Arms are: Argent, a cross
gules between four doves, the dexter wing of each expanded and inverted
azure. Crest: on a ducal coronet or, a dove rising azure. Supporters: two
lions rampant guardant argent, ducally gorged or.
The official arms of the English Kings of Arms are:--
_Garter King of Arms._--Argent, a cross gules, on a chief azure, a ducal
coronet encircled with a garter, between a lion passant guardant on the
dexter and a fleur-de-lis on the sinister all or.
_Clarenceux King of Arms._--Argent, a cross gules, on a chief of the second
a lion passant guardant or, crowned of the last. {48}
_Norroy King of Arms._--Argent, a cross gules, on a chief of the second a
lion passant guardant crowned of the first, between a fleur-de-lis on the
dexter and a key on the sinister of the last.
Badges have never been officially assigned to the various Heralds by any
specific instruments of grant or record; but from a remote period certain
of the Royal badges relating to their titles have been used by various
Heralds, viz.:--
_Lancaster._--The red rose of Lancaster ensigned by the Royal crown.
_York._--The white rose of York en soleil ensigned by the Royal crown.
_Richmond._--The red rose of Lancaster impaled with the white rose en
soleil of York, the whole ensigned with the Royal crown.
_Windsor._--Rays of the sun issuing from clouds.
The four Pursuivants make use of the badges from which they derive their
titles.
The official arms of Lyon King of Arms and of Lyon Office are the same,
namely: Argent, a lion sejant full-faced gules, holding in the dexter paw a
thistle slipped vert and in the sinister a shield of the second; on a chief
azure, a St. Andrew's cross of the field.
There are no official arms for Ulster's Office, that office, unlike the
College of Arms, not being a corporate body, but the official arms of
Ulster King of Arms are: Or, a cross gules, on a chief of the last a lion
passant guardant between a harp and a portcullis all of the field. {49}