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RICH. III. it to Sir Thomas Cawarden. I have placed these circumstances here, as connected with the history of the Herald's College.

Lord Orford, in his Historic Doubts, has given two portraits of King Richard, both taken from one drawing; the original represents him, and Ann his Queen, at their full lengths; he in armour, each an imperial crown, his coat of arms upon his breast, a robe lined with ermine over all, doubled much round the neck to hide his deformity; the right hand has a sword, the left an orb, surmounted with a cross: she full faced, an open crown, hair flowing to the bottom of the back, a robe which reaches to her feet, a little open before, tassels falling to the knees, coming from two full blown roses; the robe ermined to a little below the breast, and then the whole covered with the arms of Richard on the dexter side, and her own, with quarterings, on the sinister: in her right hand she holds a sceptre, ending in an ornament surmounted with a dove; her left just appears upon the breast. Mr. Dallaway has given the effigies of Richard in complete armor, with a tabard of his arms over it, standing upon a boar, an imperial crown upon his head, and a scepter in his right hand. Above him is the royal arms, impaling those of his Queen; on each side of him. are helmets, surmounted with the badge of his several principalities. One bears the name of "Segul Edward," a cross crosslet; "England," a lion crowned, passant guardant; "France," a fleur de lis, "Walys," a greyhound; "Gascoyn and Guan," a sprig of broom; and "Ireland," a harp. At the bottom is written,

"Ricūs tertius Rex Anglic. Anne uxoris, filie secunde Rici Nevill,
"Comitis War., et Anne Comitisse, uxoris sue infelix maritus."

This is taken from an illumined roll of the Earls of Warwick, in the library of the College of Arms, drawn by Rous, the monk of Guy's Cliffe, who has so accurately described him. It is not so handsome as the former: both are unlike Houbraken's and Virtue's engravings of him. Garter Browne exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries, in 1770, a painting on board, which his wife's ancestor, a Needham, one of his falconers, perhaps received from the King: it represented him, though young, grey-headed, a sour countenance, one shoulder considerably higher than the other, and, with a square cap. This portrait better agrees with the engraved portraits

given

given by Houbraken and Vertue, than what Lord Orford gave in his RICH. III. Historic Doubts.

There is nothing more difficult than to obtain a true and authentic series of the heralds, previous to the foundation of the College of Arms, or to speak more properly, the incorporation of that body. Mr. Lant, Mr. Anstis, Mr. Edmondson, and other gentlemen, who had the best opportunities, and whose industry was equal to their advantages, have not been able to accomplish it; and from that time, especially in Richard's reign, it is not practicable. Some idea may be formed of the heraldic body at the commencement of this reign, by observing the names of those who attended the funeral of Edward IV. Sandford, and other writers, mention Garter, Clarenceux, Norroy, March, and Ireland, kings at arms; Chester, Leicester, Gloucester, and Buckingham, heralds; and Rouge-croix, Rose-blanch, Calais, Guisnes, and Harrington, pursuivants. In the ceremonial of this funeral, published in the first volume of the Archæologia, by inserting a comma between the words Rose-blanch, makes it appear like two officers. It is probable, that Gloucester and Buckingham heralds, and Harrington pursuivant, were not regal, but officers belonging to the princes and noblemen who bore those titles *. As the elder Anstis, Garter, gives very many instances of such being used by the Sovereign, some offices might have been vacant, and several royal heralds were then, as well as Rouge-croix pursuivant, employed upon the Continent in embassies: so that these names are not to be intirely depended upon as being all regal officers, nor including all that were so.

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Grafton, speaking of Richard's coronation, mentions Garter king at arms as following the Earl of Surrey, who bore the sword of state, and upon the former's right hand went the gentleman usher of the King's privy chamber, and on the left the Lord Mayor of London: he also says, that the trumpets and heraults" marshaled the way. One ceremonial of this coronation, which the elder Anstis had seen, says there were at it three kings of arms, and thirteen more heralds and pursuivants. In another book which this Garter had seen, it is said, "that before the third course "at that coronation dinner, came down the heralds of arms, eighteen of them,

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* Richard III. in his first year, August 18, dispatched Buckingham herald with letters, being no doubt borrowed for that purpose of his master, the Duke of Buckingham, who soon after revolting, was beheaded, Nov. 2, following. August 20, Blanc-Sanglier was also sent by Richard with letters.

RICH. III.

66

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"them, and four of them were crowned, and so they came before the King, and three of them were crowned, and so they came before the King, and then the king of the heralds spake certain words, and when he "had spoken the words all the other heralds cried largess thrice." This account is confused, but the sense seems to be that there were in all eighteen of the body, four of whom were kings at arms, and that three who had been nominated were created heralds or pursuivants: unfortunately no names nor offices are mentioned.

None of our chronicles or histories say any thing of the heralds afterwards, until the conclusion of this short-lived reign. When Henry, Earl of Richmond, came to claim the crown, Richard was in the middle of the kingdom, surrounded with all the ensigns of majesty. On that day which closed his reign and life he wore his crown. No doubt, but that amidst all this splendor he had many of the heralds with him. It appears by Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, that "when K. Richard was come to Bos"worth to fight Henry, Earl of Richmond, he sent a pursuivant to the Lord

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Stanley, who hovered with his followers near the armies, to come to joyne "him which if he refused, he swore by Christ's passion, that he would "strike off his sonne's head, whom he had then in his hand, as an hostage "for his father's good behaviour. The lord Stanley answered; if he did so, "he had more sonnes: whereat K. Richard commanded incontinent to "beheade him; but his counsailors persuading, that it was now time to fight, and not for execution, it was forborne." Stow, in his Chronicle, acquaints us, that after the battle of Bosworth, "the whole camp re"moved to the town of Leicester, as he gorgeously the day before with "pompe departed out of the same towne; for his body was naked to the skinne, not so much as one clout about him, and was trussed behinde a pursuivant of armes, like a hogge or calfe, the head and arms hanging on one side of the horse, and the legs on the other side, and all sprinkled "with myre and blood, was brought to the Grey Friers' church, within the towne, and there homely buried, when he had reigned two years, two "months, and one day." The pursuivant, whose lot it was to thus indecently convey the dead body of his late sovereign to Leicester, where it lay "a spectacle of hate and scorn for two days, bare and uninterred," was Blanch-Sanglier, or White Boar, called by Trussel" Blanch-Senigleer, the King's own pursuivant at arms," i. e. so before he became a sovereign,

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and

There RICH. III.

and probably for that reason fixed upon to perform this office,
was something unmanly and indecent in this usage of a fallen enemy,
though that enemy had been most criminally ambitious and cruel. His
body, at last, by the charity of the Grey Friers, was buried in the
church belonging to their monastery, but without any of the pageantry
due to royalty. Henry VII., sometime afterwards, erected a tomb of
various colored marbles, with his effigies in alabaster. The monastery
being destroyed, the stone coffin in which his body had been laid was
taken away, and used as a trough at an inn.

Henry V. of heralds.

arms.

GARTER, PRINCIPAL KING AT ARMS.

The office of Garter, principal king at arms, was instituted by He was placed by that great monarch over all the whole body He' He may be said to have two distinct capacities united in his person, one relative to the order of the Garter, the other as head of the College of Heralds, and on this account he not only takes an oath in a chapter of the Garter, before the Sovereign and Knights, but as king at arms another oath, before the Earl-marshal, and therefore he is stiled both principal officer of arms, of the most noble order of the Garter, and principal king of English arms. He has power to appoint an herald for his deputy he must be a native of England, and a gentleman bearing It was anciently held, that he was neither to be a knight nor a clergyman; but there has been one instance of a Garter having been a foreigner; and since the reign of Henry VII. many of them have received knighthood: one was created a knight of the Bath. This office intitles him to the privilege of correcting errors or usurpations in all armorial bearings, to grant arms to such who deserve them, to present to the House of Lords a genealogy of every new peer, to assign his place in the chamber of parliament, and to give him, and the knights of the Bath, supporters. He ranks in the order of procession next before the sword; except the constable or marshal attend, and then they precede him. The officers of arms receive their oath from him. His robe is the same as the registrar of the Garter. He has the honorable office of carrying the ensigns of this order to foreign potentates upon their being elected, and he is to do whatever service the Sovereign enjoins, relative to the order. He is intitled to baron's service in the court, has apartments in

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Windsor

Garter.

Garter.

RICH. III. Windsor Castle, £100 paid out of the revenue of the Garter, and £100 as principal king at arms, out of the Exchequer. His fees from both these offices are very considerable. He may at all times wear his badge of office, either pendent to a gold chain or blue ribbon. It is of enamel, shewing St. George's cross, impaling the royal arms within the Garter, under the imperial crown of Great Britain; the same on both sides. The arms of his office are, Argent, St. George's Cross, agure in the grant upon a chief, Gules, a coronet, or open crown, within the Garter of the to Charles Cottam order, between a Lion of England, and a Fleur de lis, Or.

2.1-1788

Kings at
Arms.

Edw. IV. July 16, 1478.-JOHN WRYTHE, Esq.

He had been created by Henry V. Antelope pursuivant extraordinary, afterwards Rouge-croix, and then Falcon herald, not Leopard, as Weaver mistakingly says, by Henry VI. He was appointed Norroy king at arms January 25, 1476, and created on Candlemas day following by Edward IV., which monarch, also, upon the death of John Swert, Esq., gave him the place of Garter, the highest post in the heraldic department. The patent is given in Weaver; but it is too long to transcribe*. From some cause of discontent, perhaps to Richard's usurpation, he resigned his place of Garter, January 4, 1484-5, about five months before that King's death: he was, however, restored in the following reign, which see.

PROVINCIAL KINGS AT ARMS.

The provincial kings at arms were anciently stiled Reges Heraldorum, but in Henry IV.'s reign they began to change it to Reges Armorum. The institution is as ancient as the time of Edward III., who divided the kingdom into two provinces; all on the east, west, and south sides of the River Trent, he gave to one king of arms, who was thence called

* Sir William Brugge, or Brugges, knight, then Guienne king at arms, the son of Will. del Brug, Lancaster king at arms, was the first Garter so created by Henry V., and confirmed 24 Henry VI. He died before March 20, 1449, having married twice; first, Catherine, daughter of his successor, and Agnes, widow of William Aldenby, who survived him. Mr. Dalloway has given a colored engraving of Brugge, Garter, taken in 1420, from an illumined MS in the Museum of Oxford: it represents him at full length. To him succeeded John Smert, Esq. some call him Swertz. At his death his place was, supplied by John Wrexworth, Guienne king at arms, appointed in the month of March, 1416-17, 5 Henry V. Anstis, Weaver, and Mr. Dalloway, do not mention him; but it is evident that Mr. Edmondson, who does, is accurate. From this statement Wrythe, who succeeded him, was the fourth Garter.

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