PROVINCIAL KINGS. CLARENCEUX. Hen. VII. ROGER MACHADO, Esq. HEN. VIII. Provincial Kings. This king at arms, who by birth was a foreigner, had probably been Clarenceux. an officer to Henry VII, previous to his accession. That Monarch greatly esteeming, offered to advance him to the place of Garter, which, as he ill understood the English language, he declined. For this modesty, Henry obliged Sir Thomas Wriothesley to give him a pension of twenty marcs. When repeated altercations had subsisted between them, relative to Garter's visiting Clarenceux's province, he accepted from Garter forty marcs yearly, payable out of his fees arising from such visitation; but Sir Thomas, to avoid appearing the deputy of Clarenceux, and he to retain some authority as Clarenceux, applied jointly for, and obtained a bill, signed by that Sovereign, giving them equal powers to execute the office; but like all other divided authority, it still led to much altercation and mutual upbraiding. That Monarch, November 17, 1494, gave him and John Meautis, secretary of the French language, a grant to empower them to import Gascon wines to any part of France, Spain, or Britain, or the countries of any of the Sovereigns in alliance with his Majesty, not exceeding a certain quantity. In this grant he is placed after Meautis, and styled Roger Machado, alias dictus Richmond, rex armorum de Clarenceux. At other times he writes himself variously, putting after his name alias Richmond, alias Clarenceux, or alias Richmond, alias Roy d'Arms de Clarenceux. His death happened in 1516. His arms were Gules, five Axes Argent, two, one, and two. Mr. Brooke, Somerset, calls him a Frenchman, and says he came in with Henry VII., whose herald he had been when a subject. This accounts for his never having had any inferior office in the College. 1516. THOMAS BENOLTE, Esq. He appears also to have been of foreign extraction. He had shewn his merit prior to his admission to this post. In 1514, Henry sent him, respecting the intended marriage of his sister, the Princess Mary, with Louis XII. At the time of his appointment he was in Spain, to proclaim war against Charles V. At his return, he consented that his commission should be such an one as his predecessor had accepted, empowering Gar HEN. VIII. Provincial Kings. Clarenceux. ter, jointly with him, to grant arms, and do other things belonging to 3 contrary 66 Provincial Clarenceux. contrary to that of Guienne, who, having omitted some very essential HEN. VIII. points, was sent out of Spain in disgrace. We may well suppose the difficulty of performing such messages; because about seven or eight months afterwards, when his Imperial Majesty sent Toison d'Or, Burgundy king at arms, to these two great Sovereigns, Henry and Francis, to explain his conduct, having acted incautiously, he was near involving himself in ruin. Favine, in his Theatre of Honor and Knighthood, speaks of the circumstance thus: September 10, 1528, "Toison d'Or presented himself first. "to the King of France, in the great hall of the palace at Paris, the King "being assisted with all the princes of his blood, divers ambassadors and strange lords, with an infinite number of prelates, peers of France, and others: but because the herald had discovered his message with impu"dence, indiscretion, and Spanish rodomontado terms, in presence of the King, and clothed in his coat of Spain, he was summoned to give his patent for acceptance of the fight, and the field of battle. When he "had declared publicly, that he had nothing in writing, but only his cre"dence by word of mouth, the King denied him audience, and forbad "him, before all present, on pain of his life, to utter, or move one "word that might offend him: and so the herald of Spain returned back, "without doing any thing.". Favine, with the prejudice of a Frenchman, does not notice Guienne's ill-conduct, though it is mentioned by so many authors on the contrary, he says, the Emperor sent them away the second of January, but does not tell us of the approbation Clarenceux gained, remarking only of both their behaviour at Burgos, that it was "very simple, yet very sprightly." Clarenceux, however, was very near suffering undeserved disgrace, if not ruin, upon his return to England. Henry was exasperated at his declaring war. The council threw all the blame upon him. In this dangerous dilemma he went to Hampton Court, where his Majesty then was, and by the friendship of Sir Nicholas Carew, was privately brought into the royal presence, when producing his orders signed by Cardinal Wolsey, he exculpated himself from all blame. Henry properly transferred his indignation from him to his minister. The King soon after sent him on an embassy to Cleves, to treat with the electors and dukes of Germany. From thence he travelled into Italy, to negotiate with her princes and states. In the 14th of this reign, he attended Sir Thomas Cheney, ambassador to France, to defy the most christian King: thence he Q went 1 Clarenceux. HEN. VIII. went to the Emperor. In Henry's twenty-first year, he was sent again to "Here "Here under lieth the Bodi of Thons Benolte, Squyer, some tyme servt "and offycer of Armes, by the name of Windsor Herault, unto the right, high, " and most mighty Prince of most drade Souaye Lord "Kyg Henry the viii; which Thomas Benolte, otherwyes namyd Clarenceux "Kyg of Armes, decesid the viij day of May, in the year of our Lord God "MVCXXXiiij, in the xxvj yere of our said Soveraye Lord *.” In the Harleian Collection is his effigies as Clarenceux, taken from his tomb. Mr. Townley took a copy of this upon vellum, which the late Mr. Brooke, Somerset, says, was beautifully fine in colors. His arms were Argent, a Chevron invecked, Sable, between three Torteaux ; on a Chief Azure, a Lion passant guardant, Or. He married Mary, daughter of Laurence Richards, alias Fermour, of Minster-Lovel, in Oxfordshire, Esq. ancestor of the Earls of Pomfret, by whom he had two daughters, his co-heirs; Eleanor, married to Jones, of Caerlion, in Monmouthshire; and Ann, who had two husbands, Sir John Radcliffe, and Richard Buckland, Esq., by whom she had several children. The other wife of Clarenceux is not mentioned. THOMAS TONGE, Esq. Created at Guildford, in the Friers' church, August 2, 1534. When Norroy, he went his visitation in the county of Cornwall, though that seemed to have been in the province of Clarenceux, as was Dorsetshire, which he also visited. He went into Yorkshire, which was in his proper march. The originals of these visitations are still preserved in the College. The latter begins thus: "The visitation of the northe contereye, began at Sir Brian Stapletonis, knyght, of Notynghamshyre, "the vii day of August, the yere of Lorde God, 1530, by Thomas Tonge, Noreye kynge of armys." He appears to have been a skilful herald. In the year 1529 he, and Garter Wriothesley, were examined, relative to various particulars, at the trial of Henry VIII. and his Queen, Catherine of Arragon, about the devorce the King wished. They certified, that Prince Arthur died in the castle of Ludlow, April 2, 1502, and that his brother Henry was born June 28, 1491; also that the marriage between Prince Arthur and "Lady" Catherine, was November 14, 1501. He Q 2 * In the partition fees, is £10 at St. George's day, 1534. "Mr. Clarenceux Tho. Benolt absent, seke, and dyed the 8th daie of Maie next ensuinge, on whose soule God "have mercie." HEN. VIII. Provincial |