York herald was instituted, as some say, by Edward III. in honour of his son, whom he created Duke of York; but several manuscripts expressly attribute that institution to Edward IV. Sufficient authority has not been produced for either of these assertions; and the earliest record in which this officer is mentioned, is a patent roll of the 1st year of Richard III. granting to John Water, York herald of arms, the manor of Bayhall, &c.

Richmond herald occurs in the reign of Edward IV.; in the 12th year of which, that officer was made Gwyenne king of arms.

The succession of these titles down to the present time, has been uninterrupted. Besides these, there have been numerous other heralds, who have belonged to sovereigns, princes, and nobles, whose titles were taken from territories within the realm, foreign dominions belonging to the crown, places where signal victories have been obtained, the badges of the sovereign, the titles of their lords, &c.; but as it is long since they became extinct, it is not necessary to give a list of them here.

The privileges even of the higher nobility did not, however, extend so far as to allow a nobleman personally to create, at his own will, and for his own use, a herald of arms; but when any nobleman was desirous of having a heraid of his own, he was obliged to present the person whom he had chosen to his sovereign, who, consenting thereto, either personally, or by some one authorized so to do, created the person nominated a herald, in presence of the officer of arms of the crown. This ceremony being, in all respects, the same as that observed in creating the king's heralds, excepting the necessary variation of certain clauses in their oath, and their investiture with the tabard or coat of arms of their particular lord. These heralds had, thereupon, an annuity, or a sufficient maintenance, settled upon them for life.

Next in succession, and lowest in degree, follow the PURSUIVANTS OF ARMS. These were, as their name imports, which is most probably of French extraction, followers, marshals, or messengers, attendant upon the herald. As the nobility possessed heralds, so they did pursuivants, who were created by them, with great ceremony, in the following manner. One of the heralds, wearing his master's coat, leading the person to be created a pursuivant by the left hand, and holding a cupful 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 poured part of the wine and water on 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 his arms hung before and behind, and the longer part of it on both sides of the persons created; and in which way the pursuivant was always to wear it. This done, an oath of fidelity was administered to him, and the ceremony concluded. 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, which is the most ancient title of a pursuivant, and, doubtless, was taken from the red cross of St. George. He was instituted by Henry V. from which time it was regularly continued until April, 1644; after which

Blue Mantle: this officer is said to have been instituted by Henry V.; but, according to others, by Edward III. by whom he was so called, in allusion to the French coat being blue, which that monarch had assumed. The only vacancy which has occurred in the succession of this officer, was between the years 1646 and 1660.

Rouge Dragon, who was instituted by Henry VII. on the day preceding his coronation, and was so styled from the ensign of Cadwallader, from whom that king derived himself in a male line; or, according to others, from the red dragon, one of the supporters of that monarch's arms; which supporter, it is again observed, was itself assumed from Cadwallader's ensign. And

Portcullis, who was likewise instituted by Henry VII. and so named from that badge or cognizance used by him. The succession of the two last-mentioned offices has not been interrupted since their institution.

The pursuivant is a noviciate, or in a state of probation for future promotion. Anciently, the term of noviciature was seven years, after the expiration of which the pursuivant was eligible to the office of herald; and this institution was then so particularly attended to, that the sovereign was allowed to dispense with one year only, and that but on extraordinary occasions. In this kingdom, however, there was probably some relaxation long ago; as we find the heralds petitioned for the restoration of this ancient qualification; but, since that time, it has been determined by a judgement in Westminster Hall, that a person may lawfully be made, directly, per saltum, a herald, without ever being a pursuivant.

The tabards of the kings of arms are velvet, with the royal arms richly embroidered, over which they wear the collar of SS. with two portcullises of silver gilt; the crown with which they are crowned is a circle of gold, inscribed with part of the first verse of the 51st Psalm, Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnum misericordiam tuam, and is surmounted with sixteen upright leaves, shaped like those of the oak; (it was formerly ornamented with fleurons, and resembled the coronets of the present dukes) within the crown is a cap of crimson scarlet, doubled with ermine, having at the top a large tuft, or tassel, wrought in gold silk. See Pl. 29, fig. 7. Anciently, they wore their crowns at the four high feasts of the year, Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, and All Saints' day, when their attendance was required near the person of their sovereign; but of late, they have only worn them at coronations. They also each wear, at a gold chain or riband, the escutcheon, or badge, of their office, by which they are distinguished.

The badge of Garter principal king of arms, is the arms of that order; viz. 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; on a chief azure, (not gules, as given by the Rev. M. Noble and others, who have copied the error from Edmondson) a coronet within a garter of the order, between a lion of England and a fleur-de-lis, or. See Pl. 30, fig. 25.*

The badge of Clarencieux king of arms, is, on an escutcheon, crowned with a crown of the king of arms, on a

office of Garter king of arms; G. Harrison, Esq. that of Clarencieux; *This Plate was engraven, when Sir Isaac Heard, Knt. held the

missioners therein to make due inquisition of all matters of arms, of then late years given, by his heralds and pursuivants of arms, to any persons, without good warrant by the law of arms: or usurped or taken by persons unlawfully, and without good warrant by the law of arms; and upon due examination and trial thereof, to revoke and disannul all such as should be so tried, and found unlawfully or unworthily assigned, or given, or usurped, by any person in the like unlawful manner. Three other commissions were issued during the same reign, for the like purposes; one in the 13th, and the other two in the 15th year thereof. Derby House, the then college, was entirely consumed by the great fire of London, 1666; but the heralds had the good fortune to save, with the exception of one or two, all their muniments and books: they were timely removed to a room in the palace of Whitehall, and afterwards to an apartment in the palace of Westminster, formerly called the Queen's court. Whereupon, public notice was given, that the heralds' office would be held there, for a certain space of time. The college was soon afterwards begun to be rebuilt, and the expences thereof were defrayed, partly by the subscriptions of the nobility and gentry, and partly by contributions from the members thereof, and by sums made up by the general fees and profits of the office. In November 1683, the college part of the building was finished; and the rooms divided among the officers by their mutual agreement, and according to their degrees, and were afterwards confirmed to them by the earl marshal; which apartments have been ever since annexed to their respective offices. The college consists of an extensive range of quadrangular buildings, and is one of the most handsome and best designed brick edifices in London.

The importance of these institutions arises equally from the high offices confided to the members thereof, and from the share they contribute to public advantage. Besides the other and various functions which their officers perform, the preservation of genealogies, the registry of legitimate descents, and the innumerable records which by them are made, and deposited therein, bave frequently proved of great utility in ascertaining public rights and private inheritances. Lord Chief Justice Coke admits the books of the kings of arms, from their first institution, to be the best evidence in settling controversies about pedigrees, titles of honours, dignities, &c.; so that these books are not only allowed as evidence at common law, in both houses of parliament, and in proceedings in equity, and the ecclesiastical courts; but, with regard to precedency, public ceremonials, and coats of arms, their records are conclusive. Several authors, in their writings, have given an elevated character of the college of arms in London; among these were Maitland and Hector Boetius, who both affirm that it far surpasses every institution of the kind in Europe, for the regular and judicious manner in which it is conducted.

The tracing out genealogies, and making out pedigrees, as well as the regulation of the proper bearing of armorial eusigns, early fell to the employment of the heralds. A proper knowledge of their descent, or tracing the first founder of a family, seems to have early been the desire of most nations. To the patriarch of a family, and the chief of a tribe, this office was generally appropriated; and among the Jews, especially, the greatest attention was paid to lineal descent. In the early centuries, when all the learning of this country was confined within the pale of the cloister, the registering of the succession and connexion of

noble families was by ecclesiastics; but that this would soon fall to the lot of heralds, may be gathered from what has already been said of their early employments. The use of arms was so closely connected with the study of genealogy, and more especially when the mode of marshalling in the same escutcheon the armorial bearing of every heir female who had intermarried with the family, became of use, they were still more particularly necessary to each other. It was customary for the heralds of nobles to make out their lords' pedigrees illuminated with their arms; and there are some extant of very early date. The utility of family records would soon become evident; for, as it frequently occurs, that immediate inheritors of estates are wanting, and that heirs have to be sought from among the collaterals, by a reference to such pedigrees, the right and lawful successor is at once pointed out. After the heralds were incorporated, their college became the archives where such information was preserved. The foundation of an immense mass of genealogical documents which they possess, was originally obtained by transcribing those conventual registers, which, before their establishment, formed the only authorities besides oral tradition. In continuing those, to be as correct as possible would be their interest, that thereby the public might resort to them with greater facility and assurance, to obtain information. With this view, and also to correct the abuses and mistakes which were occasioned by the improper assumption of armorial bearings, a visitation of each county was decreed by the earl marshal. Such are said to have been made in the reigns of Henry IV. Edward IV. and Henry VII.; of which, imperfect documents only have reached us. A proclamation was also made by Henry V. declaring that no man, of what estate, degree, or condition soever, should assume arms, or coats of arms, unless he held, or ought to hold, them by right of inheritance, or by the donation of some person who had sufficient power to give them; and that all persons should make it appear, to officers to be appointed by the said king for that purpose, by whose gift they enjoyed such arms as they respectively bore, excepting those who bore arms with the king at the battle of Agincourt.

But irregularities in matters concerning nobility and gentility, their descents, pedigrees, designatious, titles, honours, arms, crests, &c. increased with the course of time: so that it required the full authority of the crown to put any stop to them. Therefore, as a remedy, commissions were issued under the great seal of England, to each of the two provincial kings of arms, authorizing and commanding each of them, by himself, or his sufficient deputy or deputies, under the seal of his office deputed and authorized, to visit the whole of his province, and all the parts and members thereof, according to the law of arms, and that from time to time, and as often, and whenever he should think fit ; and to convene and call before him, or his deputy or deputies, at such certain places, and at such convenient times, as he or they should appoint, all manner of persons that did, or pretended to bear arms, or were styled esquires or gentlemen, within his province; and to cause them to produce and show by what authority and right they challenged and claimed the same; and further grauting such officer and officers full power and license, not only to enter, upon reasonable request, and at reasonable times in the day, iuto all churches, castles, houses, and other places, at his or their discretion, to peruse, take knowledge of, survey, and view all manner of arms, cognizances, crests, and other

devices, of all persons within his province, authorized to to bear such, with the notes of their descents, pedigrees marriages, and issue; and to enter the same on record in a register book of arms, according to the form prescribed and set forth in the office, charge, and oath taken by him at his creation and coronation; and also to correct, control, and reform all manner of arms, crests, cognizances, and devices, unlawfully usurped, borne, or taken by any manner of person within such province, and contrary to the due order of the law of arms; and to reverse, puil down, or otherwise deface the same, at his or their discretion, wheresoever they were placed or set, or in whatever form, contrary to the ancient customs, laws, rules, privileges, and order of arms; with full power and authority to reprove, control, and make infamous, by proclamation, to be made at the assizes or general sessions, to be kept within his province, or at any other place or places, all manner of persons that unlawfully, or without just authority, vocation, or due calling, had usurped, or taken upon him or them, any manner of title of honour, dignity, or worship; as esquire, gentleman, or other. The regulations concerning funerals and mourning apparel, prescribed in the time of Henry VII. were also to be enforced; as, also, that no person should, at any funeral or interment, furnish or supply any pall of velvet without the special license of such provincial king. These commissions also prohibited all painters, goldsmiths, engravers, and other artificers, within the province, from executing any manner of arms, crests, cognizances, pedigrees, or other devices appertaining to the office of arms, unless he should be allowed by the provincial king, or his deputy; and likewise enjoined all sheriffs, commissioners, archdeacons, officials, commissaries, scriveners, clerks, writers, &c. not to call or name in any assize, session, court, or other public place, or give in any writing the addition of esquire or gentleman, to or for any person whatsoever, unless he were able to stand unto, or justify the same by the law of arms, or should be ascertained thereof, by advertisement, in writing, from the provincial kings.

That nothing might be wanting for the furtherance and due execution of these commissions, all justices, mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, constables, and other officers, were required to be aiding and assistant thereto; and if in such visitation, any matter could not be decided by the provincial king of arms, then he was authorized to command the person concerned, under a penalty, to appear before the earl marshal, on a time appointed, by whom it would be decided.

In consequence of such commissions being sealed, the provincial king of arms issued a warrant under his hand and seal, directed to the high constable of the hundred, or to the mayor or chief officer of the place, where he intended to hold his visitation, commanding him to warn the several knights, esquires, and gentlemen, particularly named in such warrant, as also all others resident within his jurisdiction, as well those who assumed such titles, as those that did not, to appear personally before him, at the house and on the day specified in the warrant; and to bring with them such arms and crests as they then bore, together with their pedigrees and descents, and such evidences and ancient writings as might justify the same, in order to their being registered.

On the day appointed, either the provincial king, or his marshal, or deputy attended, in order to make the proper inquisitions. In those days, when the laws of chivalry were

still held in high respect, these intimations were pretty generally attended to; an attested pedigree was to be shown by those who had not, in a former visitation, been registered in the book of arms; whilst those who had, produced their certificate, which they then received, with a table of the succeeding descent.

In many cases, the admittance of the claim or title was respited, if it so happened that the proper proofs were not ready to be produced, on the account of removal from other counties, or such causes; such persons were admitted to enter themselves, with as many generations upwards, as they could clear, together with such arms as they used; and further proofs were ordered to be produced in the next visitation.

The earliest visitation recorded in the college of arms, took plate in 1528-9, by order of a commission granted and executed by Thomas Benoilt, Clarencieux, for the counties of Gloucester, Worcester, Oxford, Wilts. Berks. and Stafford. After this, visitations were regularly made once in every twenty-five or thirty years. They were much encouraged by many of the private gentry, who gave every facility to the plan, by liberal communications; yet evasions and objections were made by many persons; and by some, a total contempt of the court of chivalry and its customs was openly avowed. Those who thus disclaimed all title to armorial ensigns, are noted in several visitations; and, in consequence, their posterity are considered as having no right to bearings of any description, unless they were afterwards specially conceded. The esteem in which visitations were held, was much lessened by the heralds deputing and authorizing incompetent persons, who, to a want of dignity, added motives entirely mercenary, which caused them to grant and allow the ensigns of gentility to mean and unqualified persons; which, of course, not only gave umbrage to the ancient gentry, but contributed to throw au odium upon the institution. But when such illicit proceedings were discovered by the court of chivalry, they were not only disowned, but properly punished. Canses such as these, together with the quarrels of the heralds, which operated much to their detriment, and the frequent prohibitions granted by the king's bench, to stop proceedings in the curia militaris, or earl marshal's court, gave no inconsiderable check to the visitations of the provincial kings; and when the powers of the last-mentioned court ceased, by reason of no constable of England being appointed, when the officers of arms could no longer maintain their authority, enforce their commands, or punish delinquents, commissions for visitations were no longer applied for. The last that was issued bears date 13th of May, 2nd James II. 1686, and was granted to Henry St. George, Clarencieux, and authorized him to visit his province, from time to time, as often, and when he should think meet and convenient for the same; he therefore began his visitation on the 8th of July, 1686; and in 1687, visited the wards of Billingsgate, Castle Baynard, and Cornbill; and afterwards registered some pedigrees, which bear date so late as the years 1700, 1703, and 1704.

The want of genealogical documents after visitations had ceased to be made, was attempted to be supplied by funeral certificates; which, had they been encouraged, and the regular delivery of them into the college of arms enforced by public authority, would have proved extremely serviceable in bringing down and authenticating the pedigrees of our nobility and gentry.