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Heralds.

Richmond

Stow Bardolph, in Norfolk. Having been one of those gentlemen who GEORGE I. met at the Bear Tavern in the Strand, in 1707, to promote the study of antiquity, he became a member of the Society of Antiquaries in 1718, the year after they were formed into a body. Unhappily becoming insane, he left the College, and threw himself into the Thames: being brought out of the river he was conducted back to his apartments, but those with him being too inattentive to him, he seized a sword, and saying, "now gentle"men I defy your attempts to oppose my designs," ran it through his heart, and instantly expired. This catastrophe happened May 14, 1720, when he had lived only fifty-two years. He was buried on the seventh of that month, in the church-yard of St. Bennet, Paul's Wharf. At the head of his grave was placed a stone, with his arms, Gules, a Chief indented. Or; a Crescent for a difference. The Crest, a Demy Lion. The former were allowed the Hare family in February, 1614 Beneath the arms is this inscription:

JOHANNES HARE, Arm.

"Fecialis

"Cognomina Richmond.

"Obiit 14 Maii, 1720,
"Etatis suæ 52."

The parish having obtained a faculty to contract the cemetary, when St. Bennet's-hill was new paved, this stone was removed, and placed against the north wall of the church. This unfortunate gentleman collected a large library. Several of his books are in the Heralds' College, where is also a catalogue of his books. Mr. Brooke, Somerset, had a paper written by him, relative to the order of his creation: it is no ways interesting. Mr. Thoresby expressed his obligations to him. Richmond had two sisters, Elizabeth, married to Philip Bedingfield, of Bromsthorp, Esq. and Ann, who dying unmarried, was buried, May 31, 1724, in a vault in St. Bennet's Church-yard.

ROBERT DALE, Esq.

Created May 3, 1721.

Son of Mr. Thomas Dale, of Cross-hill Hall, in the parish of Great Smeton, in Yorkshire. The Earl Marshal made him deputy registrar. He survived this appointment of Richmond only abou eleven months, dying April

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GEORGE I. April 4, 1722, and was buried in the church of St. Bennet, Paul's Wharf, on the seventh of that month. When Blanch-lion, he published "Anexact Catalogue of the Nobility of England, and Lords Spiritual," in He assisted Mr. Thoresby in his History of Leeds. By Prudence, his wife, whose maiden name I do not know, he had four children, born whilst he was Suffolk herald extraordinary. They were, 1. PrudenceRowe, born November 28, baptized December 5, 1708, and buried in the church of St. Bennet, Paul's Wharf, October 17, 1712. 2. Elizabeth, born December 23, 1709, married to Mr. John Bland, of Scarborough in Yorkshire. 3. Thomas-Hall, born September 25, baptized October 10, 1711, and buried in St. Bennet's Church, October 19, 1712; and 4. ThomasWeston, born November 6, baptized 21, 1712, and buried in the chancel of that church, December 18, 1712. So that three of these four children died within three months of each other. One of his daughters kept a milliner's shop on Ludgate-Hill. It was a great misfortune to his family that he was taken away so soon after he had obtained this preferment. If he was the same person that attended Sir Henry St. George, when Clarenceux, in his visitations, long before he was even an officer at arms extraordinary, as it is probable he was, there can be little doubt but that he was an heraldpainter.

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LANCASTER.

Ann.-JOHN HESKETH, Esq.-See next reign.

PURSUIVANTS.

ROUGE-CROIX.

Ann.-JOHN BOUND, Gent.

Died in this office, March 30, 1721, and was buried April 5, follow. ing, in the cemetary of St. Bennet's Church, Paul's Wharf.

Aug. 4, 1722.-RICHARD GRAHAM, Gent.

Also died without farther promotion.

July 26, 1725.-JOHN POMBRET, Gent.-See next reign.

GEORGE I
Pursuivants.

BLUE-MANTL E.

Cha. 11.-JOHN GIBBON, Gent.

Descended of an ancient, rather than a genteel family: it now ranks amongst the gentry, and for a long time had been amongst the highest yeomanry in Kent. Its alliances have been great; its celebrity is so, from having given birth to the author of the "Causes of the Declension of the Roman Empire." Blue-mantle, born November 3, 1629, was son of Robert Gibbon, a woollen-draper in London, and a member of the Clothworkers Company, by a daughter of the Edgars of Suffolk. Having spent some time in Jersey, he was sent to Jesus College, Cambridge. Probably he was of an unsettled temper, for afterwards he became a soldier, and went to the Netherlands, to France, and Garter Anstis adds, if he mistook not, to the West-Indies. He procured the appointment of Blue-mantle by the patronage of Garter Dugdale, then Norroy. His patent was given only during pleasure, and he never received any other. At his death, in 17, he was the oldest officer at arms. He thought himself ill-treated in never having farther promotion. To assist in maintaining his family he kept a school. He was a learned, but imprudent man, injuring his best interests by an arrogant insolence to his superiors in the College, filling the margins of the books belonging to the library with severe reflections upon their conduct, couched in quaint terms, and in silly calculations of his own nativity. The reasons were, because he despised them for not having had so classical an education as himself, and because he had the preposterous credulity to suppose his destiny so fixed by the stars which presided at his birth, that good or ill behaviour could never alter it. These were weaknesses which shaded his excellencies. His "Introductio ad Latinam "Blazoniam, an Essay towards a more correct Blazon in Latin than for

merly hath been used," was a work which did him the highest credit: it was printed in octavo, in 1682. He wrote two small tracts in the French language, entituled, "Christian Valour encouraged," exhorting the King of France to join the Venetians in their design upon the Morea, and to attack the Turks, and leave Germany alone. He likewise wrote Day Fatality; Unio Dissidentium; Prince-Protecting Providences; Edwardus Confessor

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Blue-mantle.

GEORGE I

Pursuivants,

Confessor Redivivus. In the chapel of St. Catherine in the Tower is this Blue-mantle. inscription to the memory of his daughter:

"JOHAN. GIBBON, Collegii Heraldorum Socius, & Introductionis ad La"tinam Blazoniam Author, ob eximium erga defunctam respectum, quam tanquam "suam ipsius dilexit filiam, hoc tantillum memoriale proponi voluit. Cujus Pa"rentum Corpora in Ecclesia St. Marie Aldermanbury apud Londoniensis re"conduntur."

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"Which inscription," says the writer, " may also serve for the said John Gibbon himself, a member of this hospital, a Pursuivant named "Blue-mantle, of a great age, of good learning in history and heraldry. "He diligently collected out of English and Scotch authors, and other foreign writers, a particular account of the great and important services "of heralds in former times, which he styled Heraldo Memoriale; the "heads of which Garter Lake gave to Maitland, to insert in his "History of London." Anstis, Garter, personally knew, and thus speaks of him: "He is a person well skilled in many languages, and probably if he had in his younger days met with any proper encouragement, "he might have given the public some other collections relative to his "own faculty."

JAMES GREEN, Gent.-See next reign.

Patent June 3, invested and sworn June 24, 1719, at the Herald's College, by
Benjamin-B. Howard, Earl of Berkshire, Deputy Earl Marshal.

Rouge-dragon.

ROUGE-DRAGON.

Ann.-DUDLEY DOWNS, Gent.

He was an attorney at law, and deputy chamberlain in the Talley Court at the Exchequer. Distressed in his mind he threw himself in a pond at Islington, October 27, 1720, and was drowned.

ARTHUR SHEPHERD, Gent.-See next reign.

Portculis,

PORT

PORTCULLIS.

Ann.-THOMAS WIGHTWICK, Gent.-See York.

Dec. 11, 1718.-RICHARD MAWSON, Gent.-See next reign..

HERALDS EXTRAORDINARY.

MOWBRAY.

JOHN DUGDALE, Esq.-See next reign.

SUFFOLK.

GEORGE I.

Portcullis.

Heralds.

Extra

ordinary.

Mowbray

Ann.-ROBERT DALE, Esq.-See Richmond.

Suffolk.

NORFOLK.

JOHN ANSTIS, Esq.

So created previous to his obtaining possession of his reversionary grant of the office of Garter principal king at arms.-See Garter.

PURSUIVANTS EXTRAORDINARY.

ROUGE-ROSE.

THOMAS COOTE, Esq.

He does not appear to have risen higher than this office.

BLANCH-LION.

ARTHUR SHEPHERD, Gent.-See Rouge-dragon.

Admitted and sworn at the College June 24, 1720, before Benjamin-B. Howard,
Earl of Berkshire, Deputy Earl Marshal.

Norfolk.

Pursuivants
Extra-

ordinary!

Rouge-rose.

Blanch-lion.

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