James* very properly reflecting upon the value of money, augmented JAMES I. the salaries of the officers at arms. In 1617 he raised Garter's place from £40 to £50, Clarenceux's and Norroy's, each from £20 to £40, the heralds from £13. 65. 8d. to £20. 13s. 4d. each, and the pursuivants from £10 to £20 each, per annum. In his ordinances of the household it was commanded, that the heralds should be included, with some others, that were to be allowed one mess upon Allhallows-day, Christmas-day, and the three holidays, New-year'sday, Twelfth-day, Easter-day, and Whit-sunday. It was stipulated, however, that no person allowed diet upon these days, should have more loaves of bread, beer, and wine, than was ordinary to the like messes of meat, in all other days out of the feasts. To every ten dishes and seven dishes it was ordered, there should be allowed two fine cheat loaves every meal, more than is accustomed during the time; and to six dishes, one fine cheat loaf more than at an ordinary meal. By an order of the Commissioners for executing the office of Earl Marshal, made in the year 1618, a regulation was made, respecting the fees appointed to be paid by all degrees to the officers at arms, for registering their funeral certificates, and the prices for all funeral work were settled; which prices being carried to Ireland by two kings at arms, according to the said order, were published by proclamation in that kingdom. These funeral certificates were continued until the civil war; in some measure afterwards. They are most authentic records; with the escheats, or registers post mortem, give the best account of descents of families and succession of estates, of any thing we possess. The splendor which had been so great at funerals began to subside: the expense was burthensome to the relatives. The custom of burying the dead late in the evening succeeded it: alarmed at the consequences, the kings, heralds, and pursuivants, presented a petition to Dr. Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, requesting * The King, at his accession to the English throne, judiciously endeavoured to unite the three kingdoms whose crowns he wore. At the installation of Prince Henry, when elected a Knight-companion of the Garter, the procession was alms knights, prebends, pursuivants, heralds, Ulster king at arms, Lyon king at arms, and Clarenceux king at arms (these two walking together), the four new elected knights, the other knights-companions, Black Rod, Garter principal king at arms, Registrar, Chancellor, and the Sovereign's representative, leading the Prince in his hand. 2 : JAMES I. questing that a stop might be put to the practice, especially amongst the higher orders, referring his Grace to a paper, in which they stated their reasons against nocturnal funerals, and burying the dead by torch-light. We have, at least, one instance, where the heralds obtained satisfaction for a funeral being marshalled and ordered, without their knowledge or approbation; for January 19, 1618-9, Lewis Conquest, the younger son of Conquest, executor of his will, and his eldest brother, were brought before the delegates for the office of the Earl Marshal, because they had set forth their father's funeral without consulting the heralds, and had placed the arms of the defunct in the church; for which the delegates, after censuring, ordered them to pay £10 to the College, repay the journey of York herald, and give Clarenceux, in whose province the funeral had been solemnized, £2. We may form some idea of the revenue which the College derived from the funerals of the gentry, by stating the number of those whose burials they attended. From October 22, 1597, to May 14, 1605, they were in these proportions. In the year 1597, five; in 1598, twenty-two; in 1599, twenty; in 1600, twenty-six; in 1601, eighteen; in 1602, twelve ; in 1603, six; in 1604, twelve; and in 1605, there were six. In these numbers were not included any of the nobility, their funerals appertaining to Garter. The perquisites were very considerable to the heralds upon these occasions; the fees due to the College for a knight's funeral, in 1582, Sir George Rogers, amounted to £55, a very considerable sum at that period. In this reign there was a regulation made, stating what fees were due to the officers at arms, at their " first entrance of the tylte," of all estates of the nobility, from the Prince downwards. These costly warlike pageantries almost expired with the Tudors: one only is noticed, I think, in this reign, of which Camden, Clarenceux, says, March 20, 1620, the heralds came before the delegates, about the tournament of the Prince, and challenge of Chaloner, and Compton Holland. The tournament was held on the 24th of that month. Henry, Prince of Wales, had a very martial spirit; his brother Charles more inclined to the arts; the King loved hunting and the banquet. It was allowed, that at a court de verge, the Earl Marshal might sit. in judgment against criminals offending withing the verge of the court. The Duke of Lenox, steward of the palace, April 6, 1620, held such a court in Westminster-hall. On the preceding third of that month, his grace, JAMES I. with the Earls of Pembroke and Arundel, met in the office of arms to settle all the proper forms to be observed. court James, by an order dated April 27, 1623, directed to the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, Earl Marshal of England, appointed the officers at arms to register, or enrol, all Knights dubbed previously to May 15 then last: an arduous task! They were become so many, that it was difficult to detect those who assumed the distinction, James having indiscriminately lavished it on so very many of his new subjects. The profusion of new honors in this reign must have been extremely beneficial to the College. We have the form of a solemn degradation of a gentleman who had received knighthood, for crimes which had rendered him unworthy the honor that had been conferred upon him by the King. Sir Francis Michel, knight, having been convicted of grievous exactions, was sentenced May 5, 1621, to be degraded from knighthood, but without prejudice to his wife or children, adjudged incapable of any employment, fined £1000, and committed prisoner in his own house, in Finsbury-field, during the King's pleasure. He had, on the 23d of February preceding, been led in great contempt through London, to be conducted to the Tower. On June 16, 1621, being the last day of the term, this unfortunate man was brought, at three o'clock in the afternoon, by the Sheriffs of London, to Westminster-hall. Soon after came the Commissioners for executing the office of Earl Marshal: they were the Duke of Lenox, Marquis of Buckingham, Earl of Arundel, and many Barons, as spectators. The knightly culprit being brought before them, the sentence of the Parliament was openly read by Philipot, a pursuivant, in an audible voice; when the servants of the Marshal having hacked off his spurs, threw them away. The sword was then unbelted; it was of silver, but ought to have been of gold. Being broken over his head, it was likewise thrown away. Then the first Commissioner pronounced, that he was no longer a knight, but a scoundrel knave, such as was formerly Andrew de Harcla, when degraded by Anthony Lucy. Harcla, Earl of Carlisle, being convicted of treason, 18 Edward II., after judgment had his sword broken over his head, his spurs hewn off his heels, and his judge, Sir Anthony Lucy, significantly pronouncing, " Andrew, now art thou not "aknight, but a knave." During the whole ceremony of Michel's degrada Ce tion, 1 JAMES I. tion, the three kings at arms, Garter, Clarenceux, and Norroy, sat at the feet of the Lords Commissioners. The officers at arms had much trouble in this reign with painters, glassstainers, and engravers. Orders were made to restrain them from presuming to encroach upon the privileges appropriated to this corporate body. January 19, 1619, these classes of men came to the College, to hear the recent orders of the Commissioners of the Earl Marshal, respecting them. Complaints of ill practices by some of the heralds having reached the royal ear, James gave a Commission, dated February 7, 1618-9, directed to the Earl of Suffolk, high-treasurer of England, the Earl of Worcester, lord keeper of the privy seal, Lodowick, Duke of Lenox, lord steward of the household, Charles, Earl of Nottingham, high adımiral of England, William, Earl of Pembroke, lord chamberlain of the household, Thomas, Earl of Arundel, and George, Earl of Buckingham, master of the horse, the place of Earl Marshal being void; at which time it was stated, that many inconveniences had arisen of late years, for want of proper attention to the heralds, kings at arms, and pursuivants; and that many errors have been committed by certain heralds deceased, and by some of those who were living, in giving arms to such who had no pretensions to them by inheritance, as also, by giving to base persons armorial bearings. His Majesty, reflecting upon these things, ordered, these his Commissioners, to make inquisitions respecting the privileges, to reform the heralds, and to appoint, when there should be any vacancies, persons suitable to such offices. The infamous stratagem of Brooke, York herald, in first imposing upon Segar, Garter, to give arms to the public executioner, and then exposing them to the King, had done the College a great prejudice. The particulars of this nefarious transaction is given in a future page: here it is sufficient to observe, that it injured the members, by seeing the person who presided in the office sent to the Marshelsea prison. James acted with great attention to the College, respected their immunities, and behaved liberally every way towards them; but he was decidedly strict, in commanding and enforcing their duty. He had given a dreadful instance of severity to one of the Scotish heralds, just before he ascended the English throne, as we learn by a letter sent by Sir Ralph Winwood, ambassador from Elizabeth to the court of France, addressed to Secretary Cecil, dated May 23, 1601, 9 1601, O. St, in which he told him, that the Scots had received intelligence JAMES I. The unhappy disputes which had so violently shook the College in the last reign, were by no means allayed in this. Brooke, York herald, continued to be a firebrand amongst them. From the very nature of the institution, it makes a perpetual rivalry amongst the members, all the inferior officers constantly aiming to gain the same place, when a vacancy happens, but take away this competition, and the desire of excelling will cease. The violence of Brooke and Treswell, York and Somerset heralds, with the envy of others, greatly injured the establishment in the eyes of the public. The conduct of these two men was such, that grown bold by continual acting with effrontery, and having escaped with impunity, they at length defied the power which superintended the heralds. Their ill-conduct brought upon them a long-deserved punishment. A petition having been presented to the Commissioners for executing the Earl Marshal's of fice, dated May 10, 1620, charging them with being public disturbers of the College, who, proceeding to a still farther degree of imprudence, had spoken contemptuously against the Earl Marshal. For this being summoned, December 4, 1621, their judges, the President of the Council, Duke of Lenox, Marquis Hamilton, Earl of Worcester, Lord Digby, and the Earl Marshal himself, unanimously adjudged them to be sent to the Marshalsea Prison.. From Mr. Dallaway we learn, that at the magnificent funeral of James, each of the three kings at arms had eighty-six yards of black velvet, and ten of cloth of tissue; Lancaster, Chester, Windsor, and Somerset heralds, and the four pursuivants in ordinary, each forty-three yards of the former. It does not appear why York and Richmond were not included, because the warrant ordered that all the officers should have blacks. Lord Pem broke gave his warrants to the Earl of Denbigh, master of the great wardrobe, to provide such particulars, as would be useful to serve within the hearse Cc2 : |