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INTRODUCTION.

Among the original Companions were the Prince of Wales;Sir William Montacute, Earl of Salisbury; Sir Roger Mortimer,Earl of March; Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, Sir Hugh Cour-tenay, and Sir Henry Earn, not one of whom appears to havebeen Knighted before July 1346.

The Knighthood of the Prince of Wales is shewn by Par-liamentary and other Records to have taken place at La Hogue,in Normandy, on or about the 12th of July 1346. 5 A contem-porary Chronicler states, that the Earls of Salisbury and Marchwere Knighted on the same occasion as the Prince of Wales, 6which agrees with their both being then under age, and withthe former being described as a minor, and in the King’scustody, without the designation of “ Miles” or “ Chivaler,”in a Record dated on the 24th May 1346/ Sir Hugh Courtenayis not described as a Knight in the Letters of Protection issuedto him when going abroad, on the 15th of June 1346 ; 8 norwas that title applied to Sir Bartholomew Burghersh either onthe 26th of June 1346, or on the 4th of June 1347/

It is not pretended that the omission of “ Miles” or “ Chi-valer,” in relation to those persons, is positive proof that theywere not Knights; but as they were then all under twenty, andsome not more than eighteen years of age, and as the appella-tion was attributed to other individuals in the same or in similar

Companions must have been Knighted at or before their election, shews the difficulty whichthe Author of the “ Memorials” felt, in endeavouring to reconcile those statements with thefirst Feast of the Order having been held in 1344.

3 Rotuli Parliamentorum, Vol. II. p. 163. Foedera, N. E. Vol. III. p. 90. See p. 10

postea.

6 Vide p. 10 note 8 postea.

8 Rot. Franc. 20 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 13.

7 Rot. Franc. 20 Edw. III. m. 6.9 Rot. Franc, eod. ann.