12

HISTORY OF THE

[TEMP. RICHARD II.

At Christmas, in the seventh year of the reign of King Richard the Second,1383, John de Holt and William de Burgh, Justices of the Common Pleas, were“ received into the Order of Knighthood, after the manner of Bannerets.” TheChief Justices of the King’s Bench and Common Pleas were admitted in the samemanner, at Windsor, on the Feast of Saint George in 1389; and they received,in addition to their winter and summer robes, cloaks and hoods for theirvigils, and materials for their beds and Baths. 1 In the same year, Geoffrey dela Yal, of Ireland, was appointed by the King to “ receive from him the Orderof Knighthood, after the manner of a Banneret,” when his apparel consisted ofthe usual robe, with a silk band for his vestment at dinner, a pair of blackstockings, materials for his vigils, bed, and Bath, a sword, with a belt of whiteleather, a pair of boots, two pair of gilt spurs, a saddle and a bridle. 2

At the Feast of Saint George in 1390, the young Earls of March andStafford, and Alphonso, son of the Count of Denia in Arragon, received “ theOrder of Knighthood” from the King at Windsor, and had the usual robes,bedding, and materials for covering their Baths. 3 An interesting notice of themanner of conferring Knighthood at this period occurs in the account givento Froissart of King Richard the Second’s expedition to Ireland in 1394.Speaking of four native Irish Kings who had submitted to King Richard’sauthority, Froissart’s informant told him, “ I inquired if they would like to receivethe Order of Knighthood, for that the King of England would willingly makethem Knights, according to the usage and manner in France, in England, andin other Countries. They replied, that ‘ in Ireland, at the age of seven years, aKing makes his son a Knight, and that if the son has not a father, then thenearest of his blood and lineage makes him: and the young boy Knight learnsto tilt with such a lance as he can easily carry, against a shield fixed to a postin a field, and the more lances he breaks, the more he is honoured: by suchmeans they make new Knights in our Country, and especially all the childrenof Kings.’ I told them, that ‘ the Knighthood they had received in theirchildhood would not satisfy the King of England, but he would give it them inanother manner.’ They asked * how?’ and I answered, ‘ that it would be inHoly Church, for more worthily they could not be [created].”—“ About two days

1 Comp. Gard. 7 et 12 Ric. II. Anstis, Appendix, Nos. xxix. xxx. 2 Comp. Gard. 12 Ric. II.Anstis, Appendix, No. xxxi. 3 Comp. Gard. 13 Ric. II. Anstis, Appendix, No. xxxu.

4 “ Sirent;” but Anstis (Appendix, No. xxxm.) refers to a MS., in which the words are etservent : “ and they served that day at the table of the King of England.’'—See also Anstis, p. 33.