RICHARD III. Elccted King, June 26, 1483; -Proclaimed, June 22; -Crowned, July 1, following; - NONE of our monarchs was a greater benefactor to the heraldic body than Richard III. He was more splendid in his establishment than even 'his royal brother, Edward IV. His coronation in London was magnificent beyond that of every preceding Sovereign. Not content with this coronation in London, Richard determined to be crowned also in York, commanding his secretary, John Kendale, to acquaint "the gude maisters, the mair, recorder, and aldermen, and sheriffs " of the citie of York, of his intentions, that they might properly enter"tain his Highness, and the Queen, at their coming, as laudably as their "wisdom could devise, with pageants, and good speeches, allowing for "the shortness of the warning." They were desired " to hang the streets " through which the King's grace should come, with cloth of arras, ta pestry work, and other," assigning as a reason, because "there would " be many southern lords and men of worship, who would greatly mark " their city's manner of receiving their graces." That nothing might be wanting to throw splendor upon the solemnity, Richard directed the keeper of his wardrobe to send him a variety of rich cloths, spurs, banners of our Lady, the Trinity, St. George, St. Edward, St. Cuthbert, and of his own arms, all sarsenet, three coats of arms beaten with fine gold for his own person, five coat-armers of heralds, lined with buckram*; forty trumpet-banners of sarsenet, seven hundred and forty pensils of buckram, three hundred and fifty pensils of tartar; four standards of sarsenet with boars; thirty thousand quinysans of fustian with boars. * Under the general name of heralds, it might be thought were included kings, heralds, and pursuivants; but as only one kind of dress is mentioned, it probably relates to heralds. However, it is evident Richard had five officers at arms with him in the North; but neither their surnames, nor heraldic ones, are mentioned. It is extraordinary, that coatarmors are not spoken of for kings and pursuivants. RICH. III. RICH. III. The coronation at York was equal to the preparation. After being received there in a most royal manner, the clergy in their richest copes, the surrounding nobility and gentry, the corporation and richest citizens, all united to pay their homage and respectful attentions to their new Sovereign, who, in his surcoat-robe royal, with his crown upon his head and his scepter in his hand, attended by many of his spiritual and temporal peers, went in procession through the city, accompanied with his Queen, also crowned, leading in her left hand, Prince Edward, their son, wearing a demy crown. Dr. Rotherham set the crown upon Richard's head, in the chapter-house belonging to his cathedral. The ceremony was performed, September 8, 1483. Knowing that his orders to destroy his nephews had been fully executed, he on the same day created his only legitimate son, Edward, Prince of Wales, investing him with that principality by a golden rod, a coronet of the same precious medal, and other ensigns. At this time Richard knighted Gefferey de Sasiola, ambassador from Spain, by putting a collar of gold round his neck, striking him upon the shoulder thrice, and in other ways according to the usage of England; in testimony of which he gave him letters patent, dated at York the same day *. He likewise conferred knighthood upon Richard of Gloucester, his natural son, with many northern gentleAfter these ceremonies there were " tilts and tournaments, masks, revels, stage-plays, with other triumphant sports, with feastings to the utmost prodigality;" in which was squandered away all the treasure, which his glorious brother had for many years been collecting with great skill and industry, whose coffers, seized by Richard, were thus lavishly poured out, either from vanity, love of popularity, or to gain the solid and permanent regard of his northern subjects, that they might continue a check to his southern ones, as well as a barrier to the Scottish nation. Richard gave a munificent charter to the city of York: in return, she assisted him in all his insurrections raised by the Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of Richmond. Richmond. She lamented his death, but prudently acquiesced in recog- RICH. IH. nizing his successful adversary*. men. * Richard, pleased with so splendid an alliance as the crowns of Arragon and Castile, on the same day wrote a letter of thanks to Ferdinand and Isabella, the sovereigns of those kingdoms, thanking them for renewing the treaties with him; he also included his obligations to their ministers, Cardinal de Mendosa and the Count deLeryn. The Spanish monarchs had recognized his title, though Isabella, sprung from a Lancastrian branch of the Plantagenets, might well have rejected a treaty with him, on that, as well as for more forceable reasons. One reason why we know so little of Richard's officers of arms is, because being chiefly in the north during the whole of his short reign, and because they also were there attending his person, there were few in that part of England to note what happened. In London, the meagre chroniclers of the day only were to be found. As it is both curious and useful to see the state of the heralds previous to the time when they were incorporated, I shall transcribe the orders given, relating to them, as entered in the Liber niger Domus- Regis Edw. IV. "Kinges of armes, heraulds, and pursuevantes, commying " into the royal courte, to the wurshipp of these five feasts in the yere, sitting at mete and souper in the hall; and to begynne at one " end of the table togyder, uppon days of estate, by the martyalls as signation, at one mele, and if the king kepe estate in the halle, then "these walke before the steward, thresaurere, and countroller, comying with the kinge's servyce from the surveying bourde at course, they cry the kinge's 66 every course, and aftyr the laste largesse, shaking theyre grete cuppe. Jewel-house, and during these festival dayes they wayte upon the kinge's person, comying and goying to and fro the churche, halle, " and chambre, before his highnesse, in theyre cotes of armes. They take nother wages, clothing, nor fees by the countyng-house, but lyverey of theyre chambre, day and nyght, amongst them two loaves, "one * Yorkshire was generally attached to the White Rose; the city of York was personally so to Richard III. In the vicinity, at Sheriff Hutton, he lodged his intended bride Elizabeth, the beauteous and blooming daughter of Edward IV., and Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, only son of his brother George, Duke of Clarence. Henry VII. had the former conveyed to London with royal pomp: the latter with the utmost privacy. The Yorkshire troops, marching to the metropolis, overawed the citizens of London, and obliged them to declare the protector King. Decency, however, whilst he was at York, compelled him to capitally punish-some of them, for their criminal excesses when in the south. Richard III. only followed the example of Edward IV. in being crowned in York. Edward, marching from York, met Henry VI. at Hexham, where victory declared for him; the unfortunate monarch escaped only by the fleetness of his horse. The royal equipage falling into Edward's possession, he immediately used it, by being solemnly crowned in that city, May 4, 1464. Henry's rich cap of maintenance, or abacot, having a double crown, was placed upon his head. RICH. IIL. 166 one picher wyne, two gallons ale; and for winter season, if there be present a king of armes, for them all one tortayes of channdry, two " candells wax, three candells peris, iii talwood. These kinges of armes 66 are served in the halle as knyght's servyce, and lyvery for theyre horses nyghe the courte by the herberger; always remembred, that the cup "whiche the king doth create any king of armes or herolds withall, it " stonith in the charge of the Jewel-house, and not upon the treasurere " of the household. The fees that they shall take at the making of knyghtes of the Bath, it appearith next after the chapiter of squires.". This is sufficient to shew the attention of King Edward IV. to the officers of arms, and of the estimation in which they were held in the palace, as well as it denotes part of the duties expected of them whilst there. As Charles VI., in the year 1406, had incorporated the heralds in France, Richard III., following his example, gave his officers of arms a charter of incorporation, by the name of the College of Heralds, and granted them many privileges, making them free from subsidies and tolls, with exemption from all troublesome offices *. His Majesty also, by his letters patent, dated at Westminster, March 2, 1483-4, granted to John Writh, alias Garter, principal king of Englishmen, a large mansion, called ColeHerbert, standing in the parish of All Saints the Little, in the city of London, to him and his successors for ever. This house had long been the residence of the princes of the blood, the nobility, and the highest gentry. It was conveyed in these words: one messuage, with the appurtenances, in London, in the parish of All Saints, called Pulteney's Inn, or Cold Harbore, to the use of twelve the most principal and approved of them, the heralds for the time being, for ever, without compte or any other thing thereof, to us or to our heirs, to be given or paid." A chaplain was appointed, with an annual stipend of twenty pounds, who was directed to pray for the good estate of King Richard, Ann his Queen, and Edward their son, during their lives, and for their souls after death. Stow calls it Cole Herbert, Maitland and Mr. Pennant Cold Harbour, anciently Coldeherbergh: "it was a right fair, and stately house." Sir John Poulteney built it in the reign of Edward III., who had been lordmayor of London four times; whence it was called Poulteney's Inn, which * See Appendix, letter A. it it long retained after it had gone into other hands. He gave it, with the RICH. III. adjoining wharf, to Humphry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex: the Earl of Arundel became possessed of it by marrying that nobleman's niece. In the year 1397, it belonged to John Holland, Duke of Exeter and Earl of Huntingdon, who here magnificently feasted his half-brother, Richard II. In the next year it passed to Edmond of Langley, Earl of Cambridge: it came thence to the Crown. Henry IV. by his patent dated March 18, 1410, granted it to his son Henry, Prince of Wales. Henry VI, in his 22d year, conveyed it to John Holland, Duke of Exeter, whose son Henry being a Lancastrian lost it, by attainture of parliament. Edward IV. kept it in his hands, and at Richard III.'s accession it was in the Crown. When Richard III. fell at Bosworth, all his acts were rendered null, his grants cancelled, and himself declared a tyrant and usurper. Richard, with great and splendid talents, mixed qualities that but too justly merit. those epithets. The heralds had a double loss. The earl marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, likewise lost his life with his royal master, at whose request this grant of Cole Herbert had been made. It was in vain that they pleaded having performed the duties enjoined them. The grant was declared, void, and the officers at arms were ordered to remove. Garter claimed it in his private capacity. How long he kept possession does not appear; but in the reign of Henry VIII. it was given to Bishop Tunstal to reside in, that monarch having seized Durham Place, the town residence of the prelatical palatines. It was then given to the Earls of Shrewsbury, one of whom, in Stow's time, took down the ancient edifice, and erected upon its scite a number of small tenements, let out at great rents. The heralds being obliged to quit their college, retired to our Lady of Rounceval, or Ronceval, near Charing-cross, which had been a cell to the priory of Rouncevaux, in Navarre, founded by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, in the reign of Henry III. and suppressed by Henry V. amongst the alien priories, but had been rebuilt by Edward IV., who settled a fraternity in it: the cell stood upon part of the scite of Nor-thumberland-house. The heralds having no claim to it, they were only there upon sufferance of the Crown, until Edward VI. granted the scite of |