HISTORY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD OF %\)t tknttsft €mptit; OF THE ORDER OF THE GUELPHS OF HANOVER; AND OF THE 50e&ais, Clasps, anti Crosse*, CONFERRED FOR NAVAL AND MILITARY SERVICES; BY SIR NICHOLAS HARRIS NICOLAS, CHANCELLOR, AND KNIGHT GRAND CROSS OF THE ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE; KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF THE GUELPHS. VOLUME THE FIRST. LONDON: PUBLISHED FOR JOHN HUNTER, MADDOX STREET, (robe maker to her majesty) BY WILLIAM PICKERING, CHANCERY LANE; AND JOHN RODWELL, NEW BOND STREET. MDCCCXLII. TO THE QUEEN, SOVEREIGN OF THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER, OF THE MOST ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE THISTLE, OF THE MOST HONOURABLE MILITARY ORDER OF THE BATH, OF THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF SAINT PATRICK, AND OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE. MADAM, It is with the most profound respect that this History of the Orders of Knighthood of the British Empire is submitted to their Sovereign and Chief. When founding these Knightly Fraternities, Your Majesty’s Royal Predecessors were animated by a desire to reward important services to the Crown; and the Annals of the British Orders abound in the most pleasing of all Historical incidents, —the loyalty and devotion of the Subject, honourably distinguished by the gratitude of the Prince. In Antiquity, Renown, and Splendour, in Fame derived from the rank and merits of the persons on whom they have been conferred, the chief Orders of British Knighthood yield to none. Sovereigns and Princes of every Nation, the DEDICATION. most powerful Peers, and the greatest Statesmen and Warriors of England, have felt honoured by admission into them; and these Institutions have thus proved as ornamental to the Throne, as useful to the State. Under these circumstances, MADAM, it was humbly hoped that a General History of the British Orders of Knighthood might be deemed worthy of Your Majesty’s attention; and that hope was encouraged by Your Majesty having graciously deigned to allow this Work to be placed under Your August Protection. That Your Majesty’s Orders may long retain the lustre which the patriotism and virtues of their Sovereign now reflect upon them; and that these marks of Royal Favour may long continue to be conferred bv the same Illustrious Hand, is the earnest prayer of, MADAM, Your Majesty’s Most dutiful, most faithful, and most obedient Subject and Servant, Londox, 12th May 1841. NICHOLAS HARRIS NICOLAS, CHANCELLOR OF THE ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE. VITTORIA E ’l nome; e ben conviensi a nata FRA LE VITTORIE, E A CHI O VADA, O STANZI, DI TROFEI SEMPRE E DI TRIONFI ORNATA LA VITTORIA ABBIA SECO, O DIETRO, O 1NNANZI. ARIOSTO. / preface. I N whatsoever light considered, whether as part of the Institutions of the Country, as containing in their History many interesting facts, or as being the Reward of those Services by which the military Renown of Great Britain has been established, The Orders of Knighthood of the British Empire are undoubtedly entitled to attention. It is very remarkable, that no general History of the British Orders should have hitherto appeared, when books especially addressed to almost every class of Society, and illustrative of nearly all other Constitutional subjects, are continually issuing from the press. This fact must seem still more extraordinary when it is remembered, that besides any intrinsic value which might belong to a work of this description, it could scarcely fail to interest, in the highest degree, not only such persons as had been distinguished by marks of their Sovereign’s favour, but their families and friends, to whom it would be a perpetual memorial of those relatives whose services and character reflect honour upon their name. II PREFACE. The Orders of the United Kingdom are five in number, namely, The Garter, The Thistle, The Bath, Saint Patrick, and Saint Michael and Saint George ; besides which Medals, Crosses, and Clasps, have been instituted for Naval and Military services. Of these Orders, only two, The Garter and The Bath, had found an Historian; but the labours of Ashmole and Anstis, though of great value, are materials for, rather than a History of either Fraternity. Neither of those writers, however, treat of the Garter after the year 1672; and Anstis’s treatise on the Bath was written in 1725, shortly before its revival by King George the First; since which time great changes have been made in the constitution of both, and especially in that of the Bath, which has, in fact, been twice placed ou an entirely different foundation, first in 1725, and secondly in 1815. But it is desirable to point out, still more fully, what has been previously written on those Orders. The earliest collection of facts relating to the Order of the Garter, is the “ Register,” called from its cover the “ Liber Niger,” or “ Black Book,” which was compiled between 1534 and 1538, by Doctor Aldrich, the Registrar, from then existing records; commencing with the year 1416, and brought down by another person to the 5th Edward VI. 1551. That MS. was printed in 1724 by John Anstis, Garter King of Arms, with so learned an Introduction, and such elaborate Notes, as to excite regret that he should have left the General History of the Order to be written by far less able hands. In 1672, Elias Ashmole, then Windsor Herald, published a PREFACE. ni folio volume entitled “ The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, collected and digested into one body, a work furnished with a variety of matter relating to Honour and Noblesse,” which contains dissertations on “ Knighthood in general,” on “ The Religious Orders of Knighthood in Christendom,” and on “ Orders absolutely Military ;” and he then describes the History of the Castle, Chapel, and College of Windsor, and the Institution of the Order of the Garter; separate chapters being appropriated to the Statutes and Annals of the Order, to its Habits and Ensigns, to its Officers, to Elections, Investitures, and Installations, to Fees, to the Grand Feast, to the Degradation of Knights, and to the Honours paid to deceased Companions; which are followed by Biographical Memoirs of the Twenty-five original Companions, and Lists of all the Knights of the Order, with Plates of their Arms. Upon that volume, Ashmole bestowed immense labour and research, and as he had access to the Records of the Institution, it will always form the great storehouse of information on the subject. It was honoured by the especial approbation of the Sovereign, of the Foreign Princes who belonged to the Order, and of the other Knights Companions, and obtained for its author applause and substantial rewards. Many other works have certainly appeared, as well before as since 1724, in which the Order of the Garter has been treated of; but as they did little more than copy, in an abridged and imperfect manner, the statements of Ashmole, they are not deserving of further notice. IV PREFACE. Of the Order of the Bath, before its revival, or more properly speaking, before its institution as a Capitular and Military Fraternity, by King George the First, Anstis collected and published in 1725, in a small volume, nearly every fact relating to it, modestly entitled, “ Observations introductory to an Historical Essay upon the Knighthood of the Bath,” since which period, brief accounts of the Order have occasionally been published in various books, but supplying little towards a proper History of the Institution. Of the Order of the Thistle many particulars were given by Nisbet, in his “ System of Heraldry,” in 1724; but though more remarkable for the adoption of the fabulous story of its origin, than for accuracy or research, those observations were the only source from which the little that had since been said of that Institution was obtained. Of the Order of Saint Patrick, founded by King George the Third in 1783, scarcely anything, except its Statutes and some Ceremonials of Investitures and Installations, was published ; while of the most recent of the British Orders, that of Saint Michael and Saint George, still less was known. Though as highly prized by the Navy and Army even as an Order of Knighthood, the public were ignorant of every thing, except the existence, of those Honorary Medals, Clasps, and Crosses, which tell, in the most emphatic manner, of the actual presence of their possessors in one or more sanguinary combats. A full and complete Register of the Names of all the individuals upon whom Honorary Distinctions have been con- PREFACE. v ferred by the Sovereign, was no where to be found; neither in any printed volume, nor, in some cases, in the Archives of the Departments where it was naturally to have been expected that they would have been preserved, and even with so much accuracy and care, as to have required no other labour than mere transcription. Such was the state of the materials, so far as they existed in a collected shape, for a History of the Orders of Knighthood and similar Institutions of this Country, when the present Work was undertaken; and it is therefore evident, that for a General History, not only must the facts that had already been published, respecting the Garter, the Bath, and the Thistle be entirely re-cast, but that none of those facts related to periods within a century and a half of the present time, in the one case, or within a century in the others; while for a History of the other Orders, and of the Naval and Military Medals, Clasps, and Crosses, almost every thing had to be both ascertained and written. But extensive and valuable as is the information afforded by Ashmole and Anstis, it was necessary to add to it, whatever subsequent discoveries among the Public Records might have brought to light; and also to institute inquiries among that great depository of antiquarian knowledge, the manuscripts in the British Museum. A still more obvious source, were the Registers, and other records, of the Orders themselves ; but, as will hereafter be observed, access to the Registers of the Order of the Garter was refused: there is no early or complete Register of the Order of the Bath : and vr PREFACE. it seems doubtful whether that of the Order of Saint Patrick has been regularly kept, even if any be in existence. Many of the difficulties which arose out of these circumstances were, however, materially lessened by the kindness of Sir William Woods, Garter; of Sir William Betham, Ulster; and of Albert William Woods, Esquire, Deputy Secretary and Deputy Registrar of the Order of the Bath. Sir William Woods, in the most obliging manner, furnished Extracts from “ Garter’s Register,” which commences in 1644, of the Elections, Investitures, Installations, and Deaths of the Knights, and supplied every other information in his power. Sir William Betham was no less serviceable, with respect to the Order of Saint Patrick; and Mr. Albert Woods, at the sacrifice of much time and labour, afforded that assistance in completing the Lists, with the various facts and dates, of the Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commanders, and Companions of the Bath, without which they could not have been made either so full, or so correct, as they are now presumed to be. As the Register and other records of the Order of the Thistle, and of Saint Michael and Saint George (the latter of which are in the Author’s official custody) have been consulted, and as the earliest Register of the Order of the Garter, now extant, is printed, every existing authority has been referred to, except the Register of the Garter between the years 1553 and 1644; and it is only just that the reason of those records not having been as carefully examined as all the other materials, should be stated. PREFACE. VII An application to the Honourable and Very Reverend Doctor Hobart, Dean of Windsor, the Registrar of the Order of the Garter, for access to the Manuscripts in question, was refused; and when the object for which it was solicited is considered, together with the facts, that those volumes were opened to the former Historians of the Order, and that the request was made by an individual who, from holding a high Office in another of Her Majesty’s Orders, was not likely to make an improper use of a public document (even if his own character were not a sufficient security), the refusal must certainly seem as discourteous as it was unexpected. This disappointment was not, however, so serious as it might appear; because Ashmole’s Work contains, it is believed, every material statement that occurs in those Manuscripts; and the more important of the Registers alluded to, (“ the Blue Book,”) had long since been transcribed. These remarks shew some of the sources whence the materials for this Work have been derived, and will, it is hoped, prove that it had not, either in plan or extent, been anticipated by any similar publication; and, that, if properly executed, it can scarcely fail to become a useful addition to Historical literature. Its plan will now be briefly explained. The general History of each Order contains, under the reigns of the Sovereigns, an account of its institution and origin, and of every transaction that has occurred, illustrated by notices of all the Historical events that relate to the subject. Then follow, a description of the Habits and Ensigns; Ceremonials of Election, Investiture, and Installation; an # vi i r PREFACE. account of the Fees; and, in the instance of the Order of the Garter, of the Grand Feast; of the “ Alms or Poor Knights,” or as they are now called, the “ Military Knights of Windsor and particularly, of the Ladies of the Order, styled “ Ladies of the Fraternity of Saint George and of the Garter;” of the Officers; of the Stall Plates of the Knights; of the Degradation of a Knight; and of the Honours paid to deceased Companions. These statements are followed by Remarks on the various changes in the Orders, the anomalies which now prevail in them, the inconsistency of the Statutes with their present condition, and the number of Knights that have belonged to them, classed according to their rank. For the freedom with which the imperfections in the several Orders have been pointed out, and suggestions submitted for their improvement, it is hoped that no apology is necessary; more especially as the most important defect in the constitution of one of the principal Orders, formed the subject of a Message from the Crown to Parliament in the year 1834; though the judicious measures then proposed, yet remain to be accomplished. To the History of each Order there is an Appendix, which contains such Notes and Illustrations as were too long for insertion with the text, or such facts as have been ascertained, or have happened since it was printed, followed by a full Chronological List of all the Members and Officers, from its foundation to the present day, containing their Names and superior Titles, the date of their Election or Nomination, Investiture, Installation, and Death. PREFACE. IX The History of Medals, Chains, Clasps, and Crosses, conferred in reward of Military or Naval Services, is the only account of those Distinctions that has been published; and in tracing the existence of Honorary Medals to past ages, several historical facts, of more than common interest, have been discovered. Of the Naval Medal, instituted after the Victory gained by Earl Howe in June 1794; of the Military Medal, established after the Battle of Maida in 1806, and of the Clasps and Crosses (which were instituted for a reason, that in itself redounds to British glory, namely, that several Officers had gained so many Medals that it became inconvenient to wear them), little was generally known. Instead of there being a complete printed List of the Veterans who have been thus distinguished, the Admiralty Office did not even contain the Names of such Admirals and Captains as had received the Naval Medal, before the time of the Battle of Trafalgar. The records of the Horse Guards respecting the Military Medals, Clasps, and Crosses, were, however, in a more satisfactory state; and the List now printed was compiled from the Official Register. Access to that document was afforded, in the most obliging manner, by Lieutenant General Lord Fitzroy Somerset, K.C.B. Military Secretary to the General Commanding in Chief; to whom, and to Sir John Barrow, Bart., Second Secretary to the Admiralty, for the permission he gave to extract whatever that Office might contain for the objects of this Work; to Henry Bedford, Esquire, of the Admiralty, and to Frederick Henry Lindsay, Esquire, First Assistant Secretary, at the Horse B X PREFACE. Guards, for the attention shewn to him, the Author’s thanks are due. To the List of Officers who have received Honorary Medals, Clasps, and Crosses, it was desirable to have added the Names of the numerous Officers and Soldiers, on whom the Medal for the Battles of the 16th and 18th of June 1815, called “ the Waterloo Medal,” was conferred, of which there is a record in the Royal Mint; but, as such a Catalogue would have extended this Work far beyond all practicable limits, and is not likely to be compatible with any private publication, it must probably remain for the Government to cause it to be printed; and a more proper memorial of that Victory could not be suggested. It might, also be expedient to print in a similar manner, the Names of the Non Commissioned Officers, Privates, and Seamen, who have obtained the Medal “ for Long Service and Good Conduct.” Though the Royal Order of the Guelphs of Hanover was never a British Order of Knighthood, it was not thought right to exclude it from this Work, because its Sovereign and Grand Master was, until four years ago, also the Sovereign of Great Britain; and because it has been bestowed upon so great a number of British Subjects, that it became, in its appropriation, almost one of the National Orders. That Institution has, therefore, been treated with nearly the same care, and upon the same plan, as the other Orders; and the Appendix contains as complete a List, as it seems now possible to form, of all the Natives of this Country upon whom any of its Classes have been conferred; a task of considerable difficulty, PREFACE. xr and in the execution of which the assistance of Mr. Albert Woods was again of great value. Laborious as the other parts of the Work have proved, (and of which its appearance affords but an inadequate idea, since many of the statements, though of only a few words, were not obtained until after almost innumerable references), by far the most toilsome was the compilation, with due exactness, of the Names, Dates of Appointments, &c. and Deaths of the Members of the various Orders, and of the Officers upon whom other Decorations have been conferred. To create a lasting Memorial of the distinguished men, f by whose talents, conduct, and valour, the Country has been raised to the pinnacle of Martial glory, and thus to form, as it were, a general REGISTER OF HONOUR, or LIBRO D’ORO of British Merit, was no unworthy, and it assuredly has proved a grateful task. Of many Heroes of Great Britain and Ireland it may truly be said, that these volumes not only “ Preserve their Names to far succeeding days, But call the slumbering Worthy from the tomb, And bid his fame revived, eternal bloom ,” 1 and that in them, to use the words of the Ordinance for extending the Order of the Bath, “ the Names of Officers who signalized themselves by eminent services during the late War, will be delivered down to remote posterity, accompanied by the Marks of Distinction which they have so nobly won.” 1 Hoole’s Translation of Ariosto; Canto xxxvii. XIX PREFACE. The propriety of forming such a Register, is shewn by the obscurity of the early history of the Order of the Garter, and by the absence of any complete Official Record of this nature; but still more, by the fact that, in not a few cases, the names of some of the gallant Officers who received the Order of the Bath so lately as the year 1815, had almost fallen into oblivion. Miscellaneous Remarks are appended to the History of the Orders, on the Precedency of the Members, as well among each other as among other persons; on the proper manner of Wearing Decorations; and on the mode in which representations of the Insignia should be introduced into the Armorial Bearings of the Knights and Companions; so that it is hoped, that there is no point connected with these Institutions which has not been treated of and illustrated. The Introduction contains a general summary of the History of Knighthood in England, and of all Institutions of a Chivalrous nature which have existed in this Country since the Conquest, particularly of Bannerets. Besides a copious Index to the particular History of each Order, and to the Introduction and Miscellaneous Matters, a General Index will be found, containing a reference to every Name mentioned in the work. As a List of the Plates is given in another part of this volume, it is only necessary to state here, that they consist of fac simile representations of the Collar, Badge or Cross, Star, and Ribband of each Order; and of the Medals, Clasps, and Military Crosses, with engravings on wood of the Badges of the Officers of the Orders, and of such other objects as were PREFACE. xm necessary to illustrate the text. In every instance the drawing was made from the original; and the Plates, which are printed in oil colours by Mr. Baxter, according to his newly invented plan, reflect much credit on his accuracy and skill. Besides the Gentlemen to whom the Author has already offered, and now desires to repeat his best thanks (more especially to Sir William Woods, K.H. Garter, to Sir William Betham, Ulster, and to Mr. Albert Woods), or whose contributions are acknowledged in the Notes, there are several to whom he is deeply indebted. Among those friends, Percy Viscount Strangford, G.C.B. and Charles George Young, Esquire, York Herald and Registrar of the College of Arms, occupy the foremost station. It is as much beyond his power to describe the value of Lord Strangford’s continual assistance, as it is to express the grateful sense which he entertains of his Lordship’s kindness. From Mr. Young he has received similar aid to that which he has experienced for nearly twenty years; and on no occasion was it more constant, more useful, or more appreciated. To Edward Hawkins, Esquire, Keeper of the Antiquities in the British Museum, he is under great obligations for information respecting early Honorary Medals. The Author also begs leave to thank the Earl of Listowel, K.P.; Doctor George Cook, Dean of the Order of the Thistle, and the Lord Lyon King of Arms; and some of the Officers of the other Orders; Sir Henry Ellis, K.H. Principal Librarian, Charles Frederick Barnwell, Esquire, Assistant Keeper of the Antiquities, and John Holmes, Esquire, of the British Museum ; XIV PREFACE. Alexander Macdonald, Esquire, of the Register House, Edinburgh ; Thomas Duffus Hardy, Esquire, of the Record Office in the Tower; The Reverend Joseph Hunter, Thomas Wille- ment, Esquire, and Thomas Palmer, Esquire, of the Rolls Chapel, for various communications. Indeed, with the solitary exception of the Dean of Windsor, he never sought for information in any quarter, without its having been cheerfully and courteously afforded. These acknowledgments ought, however, in common justice, to be accompanied by the Author’s cordial approbation of the manner in which his wishes have been attended to, by Mr. John Hunter, the proprietor of the Work. The large outlay for its publication was made by him; and during its progress, it was only necessary to suggest anything likely to render it more complete, to be assured of his immediate assent, however great the expence or trouble. On many points, and particularly on those relating to his own Art, the information afforded by Mr. Hunter was extremely useful; and it is not too much to say, that in those matters it could be obtained from no other person. Pecuniary advantage, it is but fair to add, was not the object either of the Proprietor or Author; for the capital expended would scarcely be repaid to the former, even if every copy were sold, while the labour of the latter has been wholly gratuitous. Under all the circumstances, it seems reasonable to hope, that a Work, of which the design is National, which appears under the gracious protection of the Sovereign, which records PREFACE. XV the names and honours of British Heroes, and which must be gratifying to the just pride, because conducive to the fame, of the Families of those whom it commemorates, will receive some share of Public patronage. With respect to the Members of the Orders to whom the volumes are more particularly addressed, it can hardly be imagined, that they will not seek to possess a Book which records their Names and Honours, and makes them acquainted with the History and Regulations of those Honourable Fraternities, into which it was their ambition to be admitted. The ' right to wear a Ribband or a Star is the least valuable part of their distinctions :—the real honour, is to belong to Institutions of which the Sovereign is the Head and Chief, and which have been rendered illustrious by the merits and services of the individuals, who, from time to time, have been appointed to them. Of the propriety of Knights being well acquainted with the constitution, history, and rules of their Order, our ancestors were fully aware; and that duty is so strongly inculcated by a writer of the fifteenth century, in “ The Book of the Ordre of Chyvalry or Knyghthode,” which was “ translated out of French into English at a request of a gentle and noble Esquire,” and presented to King Richard the Third by Caxton, about the year 1484, that these remarks could not possibly be concluded in more appropriate words : “ i£>oft> 0one, 0apO t&e Iftnpgljt, fenotoe0t t&oto not tofrat 10 tfje rule ano orDre of fcngg&t&ooe, ano 31 mernaglle fcoto tfroto oare0t oemaunoe Cbpoalrpe or ftnpgbt&ooe, unto the tgme tfiat tfjoto itnotoe the ©rote; for noo fcnpgin mage not lone the ©tore, ne tfjat tufiicfie appertegnetf) to &10 ©tore, but gf he can XVI PREFACE. fenotne tfje Deffaultes tpat fje Dotpe agegnst tfje orDre of Cpgnalrge. H 3 e no ftnggpt ougpt to ma&e ong Enggpte0 iiut gf pe pgm self fenotoe tpe ©rote; for a Di 0 orDgnate Enggpte 10 pe, tpat mafeetp a iftnggpt, anD can not 0petoe tpe ©tore to pgm, nc tpe cu0tomme of Cpgnalrg.jFrenD, sagD tpe i&nggpt, tpe rule ano orDte of Cpgnalrge 10 toreton in tjji0 Igtgl idoofee tfmt 31 fjolD pere in mgn panDeo..Cpenne tfjc Iftnggpt DelgnerD to tpe C0quger tpe Igtgl l 5 oo&e. 9 nD topanne pe paDDe reDDe tperin, pe unDer0toDe tjjat tpe Iftnggpt onlg amonge a tpou0anD pet0one010 cpo0en toortpg to pane more noPle offgee tpan alle tpe tpousanD. 0 nD pe paD al0o unDemanDen Pg tpat Igtgl 'IBoofee, tpe rule anD orore of Cpgnalrg.Cpe Enggpt tpen 0apD, Cpi0 Igtgl iBooke, tpat i0 maDe for tpe Denocion, logalte, anD tpe orDenaunce tpat a Enggpt ougpt to pane in poIDgng pi0 ©tDre, ge spall Pere toitp goto to tpe Courte topere a0 ge go unto, anD to 0petoe to alle tpem tpat toill Pe maDe i&npgpte0.Cpenne tpe Enigpt gaf to tpe esquper pi0 Ple00gnge, anD pe took lene of pgm, anD toofce tpe iBoo&e moepe Denoutelg, anD after mounteD upon pis palfrog, anD toent fortp pa0telg to tpe Courte. 3 nD topan pe toa0 comen, pe pre0enteD tpe T 5 ooPe, moepe tog0elg anD orDgnatlg to tpe noPle fitgng; anD furtpermore pe offrgD tpat energ noPle man tpat tooiD Pe in tpe SDrDre of Cpgnalrg, mggpt pane a copge of tpe 0agD I600P, to tpe enDe tpat pe mggpt 0ee anD lerne tpe DrDre of ffimggptpoDe anD Cpgpalrge.” Torrington Square, 18th April 1841. Contents of tfce 3fntroliuctton. Page Title. Dedication to Her Majesty. Preface. Introduction. Remarks on the Dignity of Knight Bachelor.. i—xxxi Remarks on the Dignity of Banneret .. xxxii—xliii Institution of the Order of the Garter, xliii,lxi—Ixxxiv Collars of the King’s Livery. xliv Order of the Bath. xlvi Baronets .....xlvi—xlviii Badges worn by Functionaries .. xlviii Order of the Royal Oak. xlix Page Order of the Bath.xlix, li—lxxxvii Order of Saint Patrick . ] Order of the Guelphs. li Order of Saint Michael and Saint George .. lii Medals, Crosses, and Clasps. lii Remarks on the principle upon which Orders are conferred.liii—lxi Remarks on the number of the present Members of Orders, of Persons wearing other Decorations, and of Knights Bachelors; and on the Propriety of Remodelling the Orders, &c.lvii—lxi introduction. NIGHTHOOD, one of the most ancient dignities in Christendom, and universally considered “ the first of all military dignity, and the basis and foundation of all Honours in our nation,” 1 was originally both of a Religious and Military character; and was conferred upon Sovereigns, Princes, Peers, and all other persons of exalted birth, condition, or merit, except ecclesiastics. King Edward the Third, King Henry the Sixth, King Henry the Seventh, and King Edward the Sixth were Knighted after their accession to the Crown, by their own subjects, 2 as were Louis the Eleventh and Francis 1 Institutions, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, by Elias Ashmole, folio, 1672, p. 13. The praise which Mennenius (Deliciae Equestrium sive Militarium Ordinum, 4to. 1613, p. 1.) bestows on Knighthood, approaches to extravagance : “ De Equestrium virorum symbolis et origine, sive Militaris Ordinis, tum antiquitate, cum prae caeteris eminentia scribendo vix me expedio, quin nescio quod mihi magnificum in eodem et quasi supra nobilitatem excellentius nomen hoc ab antiquo prae se ferre videatur, et solia veluti ascendens Regia omnis nobilitatis civilis vindex, et pro tribunali quasi judex sedeat.” 2 Of the Knighthood of King Edward the Sixth, Bishop Burnet observes, “ The Lord Protector Knighted the King, being authorized to do it by Letters Patents. So it seems, that the law of Chivalry required that the King should receive Knighthood from the hand a 11 INTRODUCTION. the First of France; * * 3 and no one, however exalted his rank, could confer Knighthood, unless he had himself received it. With Knighthood every lofty and generous feeling was associated. It was the ambition of youth, the ornament of manhood, and the pride of age; and he upon whom the honours of Chivalry had been bestowed, was thus stimulated to obey the dictates of justice, to be a loyal subject, a brave and devoted soldier, the defender of the unfortunate and oppressed, and above all, to become the advocate, protector, and guardian of woman. “ As I am a true Knight,” was the most solemn assurance that could be given of fidelity and truth; and that he was a “ loyal and valiant Knight,” was the highest compliment which the Commons of England could pay to Edward Duke of York, grandson of King Edward the Third. 4 In the character drawn by Chaucer of “ a veray parfit, genti 1, Knight,” it is a principal feature that he loved “ —--Chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, freedom and curtesie;” and that in his deportment he was “meke as is a mayde.” Another writer of the same period says, “ Hit bycometh to a Knyght to be curteys and hende, Trewe of his tonge, tales loth to huyre, Bote thei be of bounte, of batailes and of treueth.” 5 Of a Knight, it has been well observed by St. Palaye, that of some other Knight; so it was judged too great a presumption for his own subject to give it, without a warrant under the Great Seal.” History of the Reformation, An. 1547. Ed. 1829, vol. I. p. 15. 3 Ashmole, p. 44, and the authorities there cited. 4 Rotuli Parliamentorum, 9th Hen. IV. vol. III. p. 612. 5 Piers Ploughman, p. 109. The duties of a Knight were thus ingeniously expressed in an acrostic of the word “ Miles,” by Capucius, Cardinal of St. George, on the Knighthood INTRODUCTION. in 44 The severity and justice of the rigour of war ought to be tempered, in his person, by a sweetness, a modesty, a politeness, which the term courtesy perfectly expresses, and of which no other laws contain injunctions so formal as those of Chivalry. Nor is there any law which insists, with equal force, on the necessity of inviolably keeping one’s word, or which inspires so much horror for lying and falsehood.” * I * * * * 6 Every man who held a Knight’s fee immediately of the Crown (which in the time of King Edward the Second amounted to J?20 per annum), was compelled, on becoming of age, to take the Order of Knighthood, or pay a fine for exemption; and it was not until the reign of King Charles the Second, that this usage, which had frequently been made the source of profit to the monarch, and of grievous oppression to the subject, was abolished. “ The name of Knight Bachelor,” says Lord Chief Justice Coke, 44 is resolved in our books without any contradiction, to be a name of dignity, 7 and of the inferior degree of nobility, and therefore is parcel of his name, and in writs and indictments he ought to be named 4 Knight,’ by the Common Law; but so it is not of the state of an Esquire or Gentleman. Britton 8 styleth a Knight 4 honourable,’ and in the record of of William Earl of Holland, by John King of Bohemia, in 1247, as given by Mennenius (P- 9) : M agnanimus in adversitate, I ngenuus in consanguinitate, L argifluus in honestate, E gregius in curialitate, S trenuus in virili probitate. 6 Memoires sur l’Ancienne Chevalerie, par La Curne de Sainte Palaye. Ed. 1826. de Nodier, vol. I. p. 67. 7 Year Books, 14 Hen. VI. 15, Brooke’s Abridgment, tit. Additions, 44. 8 Britton’s words are, “ Ascuns trespas sount nequedent pluis punissables, si come trespas fait en temps de peas a Chivallers, ou a autres gentz honorables, par rybaus, et par autres viles personnes.” Cap. 25, f. 49 b . IV INTRODUCTION. 9 Edw. I. Sir John Acton, Knight, hath the addition of 4 Nobi- lis; ’ and certain it is, that seeing it is a name of dignity, it followeth, that he ought to have sufficient revenue to maintain that dignity.” 8 It is a principle of Law, 44 that the highest and lowest dignities are universal, for if the King of a Foreign Nation come into England by leave of the King of this Realm, (as it ought to be), in this case, he shall sue and be sued by the name of a King: so shall he sue or be sued by the name of a Knight, wheresoever he received that degree of dignity: but otherwise it is, as of a Duke, Marquess, Earl, or other title of honour given by any Foreign King; yea, though the King by letters patent of safe conduct, do name him Duke, or by any other his Foreign title of dignity : for experience sheweth, that Kings joined in league together (by a certain mutual, and as it were a natural power of monarch s, according to the law of nations) have denized one another’s subjects and ambassadors, graced with this title of honour. Therefore, though a Knight receive his dignity of a Foreign Prince, he is so to be styled in all legal proceedings within England : and Kings were wont to send their sons to their neighbour Princes, to receive Knighthood at their hands.” 9 Of the supposed antiquity of Knighthood, and its derivation from the Equestrian Order of Rome, all that can be said will be found in the pages of Selden and Ashmole; and the following observations will, therefore, be confined to the history of that dignity in England since the Conquest. 8 Second Institute, p. 594. 9 Doddridge’s Law of Nobility, ed. 1658, fo. 129, on the authority of 11 Edw. III., Brief 473; Year Books, 6 Hen. IV. 14 b ; 20 Edw. IV. 6; and Coke’s Seventh Report, f. 15 b , 16. See the History of the Order of the Guelphs, pp. 25, 26. INTRODUCTION. v Selden remarks, that “ The name of Knight (which is most commonly with us restrained to an honorary title), together with Miles and Chivaler, being but the same with Eques, have been and are, as all or most of other words that make the titles of honour, of divers significations. Knight, or Cniht, or Cnyht (as it was written in the Saxon), signified as, puer, servus, or an attendant. 1 ” Lord Chief Justice Coke also states, that “ Chevalier, i. e. Eques, Knight, is a Saxon word, and by them written Cnite. Chevalier taketh his name from the horse, because they always served in wars on horseback. The Latins called them Equites, the Spaniards Cavalleroes, the Frenchmen Chevaliers, the Italians Cavallieri, and the Germans Reiters, all from the horse .” 2 “ The degree of Knighthood is of so great splendour and fame,” says a writer quoted by Ashmole , 3 “ that it bestows gentility, not only upon a man meanly born, but also upon his descendants, and very much increaseth the honour of those who are well descendedand he adds, that “ it is a maxim laid down by a learned Civilian , 4 that Knighthood ennobles, inasmuch that whosoever is a Knight, it necessarily follows that he is also a gentleman; for where a King gives the dignity to an ignoble person, whose merit he would thereby recompense, he is understood to have conferred whatsoever is requisite for the completing of that which he bestows . 5 By the Common Law, if a villain were made a Knight, he was thereby 1 Titles of Honour, ed. 1672, p. 636. 2 First Institute, 74 b . 3 P. 43, namely, “ Flandria illustrata,” by Anthony Sanders, 2 vols. folio, 1631. 4 Andreas Tiraquel (de Nobilitate et jure Primigenitorum, fol. 1573, vol. I. c. vm. p. 60), “ Militia nobilitat, ut quisquis est Miles, is quoque continuo sit nobilis.” 5 Florentin de Therriat, de la Noblesse Civile, p. 188. VI INTRODUCTION. enfranchised, and accounted a gentleman ; * * 4 and if a person under age and in wardship were Knighted, both his minority and wardship terminated. 2 The more ancient manner of conferring Knighthood, was by investiture with “ the military girdle, instead of all other arms, because that part, more eminent amongst them, girdeth, sup- porteth, and adorneth the rest,” 3 whence Selden considers that girding with the sword and belt, was the most essential part of the ceremony; and it was long used in all solemn creations of Knights, 4 together with golden spurs. Ashmole observes, “ that if we sum up the principal ensigns of Knighthood, ancient and modern, we shall find them to have been, or are, a horse, gold ring, shield and lance, a belt and sword, gilt spurs, and a gold chain or collar,” 5 but the chain or collar does not, as will afterwards be shewn, appear to have been worn until the beginning of the fifteenth century. It was also often conferred with various other rites and ceremonies; and from bathing being one of the principal, those who performed them were called “ Knights of the Bath,” and which eventually became a distinct class of Knights; but it was more frequently bestowed in the field, by laying a sword on the shoulder of the candidate, kneeling, with the exclamation, “ Avancez Chevalier au nom de Dieu,” or “ Au nom de Dieu, de Saint Michel et de Saint George, Je te fais Chevalier,” 6 and sometimes with the exhortation, “ Soyez preux, hardi, et loyal,” 6 or “Be a good Knight in the name of 1 Glanville, 1. v. c. 5. Bracton, 1. iv. f. 198 b . 2 Selden’s Titles of Honour, pp. 652, 653. 3 Spelman’s Glossary. 4 Ashmole, pp. 12, 13. Vide History of the Order of the Bath, p. 4 et seq. 5 Ashmole, p. 30. 6 St. Palaye, vol. I. p. 63. INTRODUCTION. vii God .” 7 The Knights created by either of those modes, were called “ Knights Bachelors, or of the Spur, who are indifferently styled Knights, Milites, and Chivalers, and sometimes was formerly vested. Notwithstanding the assertion of Ash- mole, that “it is apparent enough that they who never were, bestowed in England, since the commencement of the twelfth 7 Sir Thomas Smith, who was Secretary of State to King Edward the Sixth and to Queen Elizabeth, and died in 1577, says, “ When any man is made a Knight, he kneeling saying, ‘ Sus,’ or ‘ Sois Chevalier au nom de Dieu,’ and (in times past) they added 4 Saint George;’ and at his arising, the Prince saith, ‘ Avauncer.’ This is the manner of dubbing of Knights at this present; and the term 4 Dubbing ’ was the old term in this point, and not Creation.”—De Republica Anglorum, ed. 1584, p. 24. The present manner of conferring Knighthood in England, is for the Sovereign to lay a Sword, usually the Sword of State, on each shoulder of the individual, and then to bid him to “ Rise” by his Christian name, with the addition of “ Sir.” 8 Selden’s Titles of Honour, p. 632. Knights were also called “ Equites aurati,” from their gilded spurs. Selden (p. 642) adverting to the statement of Walsingham, that it was supposed Sir John Oldcastle intended to Knight William Murle, the rich brewer of Dunstable in the field, 44 because he brought with him two horses trapped with gold, and a pair of gilt spurs hid in his bosom, whence, as in other nations, they have the names of Equites aurati ,” says, “ But I understand not how that agrees with an Act of Parliament under Henry the Fifth, 4 Q’ nulle persone enorre en temps a venir ascunes des geynes ap- pellez shethes, ne metafile, sinon argent; ne argente nulle metaile, forsprisez les esperons des Chivalers et tout l’apparaill q’ appartient al Baroun, et desuis cell estate.’” (Rot. Pari. IV. 126). Upton expressly says, “ Qui quidem Princeps tenetur alium veteranum Militem eidem assignare qui sibi calcaria deaurata praeparabit, et secum transibit ad assaltum faciendum;” and in the illuminations of early Chronicles, Knights are represented with gilt or gold spurs. 9 Ashmole, p. 35. Milites times .” 8 9 Simplices, for distinction from Bannerets in the elder to state One of the greatest difficulties in treating of Chivalry is, fate whom the power of conferring Knighthood and others who never could be Knighti have conferred this dignity, it is extremely doubtful whether it has ever been down, is stroken of the Prince, with his Sword naked, upon the back or shoulder, the Prince INTRODUCTION. viii century, by those who were not themselves Knights. The proofs cited by Ashmole are, that “ anciently Bishops and Priests made Knights, so also do the Popes and some Commonwealths, nay Women in whom the supreme power is vested, as Queens Mary and Elizabethand he quotes an ancient law of Spain, that “ the King or his son and heir, though they be no Knights, may nevertheless make Knights, by reason that they possess the Kingdom, and are therefore the head and chief of Chivalry, and consequently all the power thereof, is closed up and contained in the King’s command.” 4 But the exception, as well in the case of the Kings of Spain and the Queens Regnant of England, as in that of the Pope and Commonwealths, tends to establish the rule ; and for the very reason contained in the Spanish law, namely, that the supreme power of the State was vested in the persons who have conferred the honour. The right of the Priesthood to bestow Knighthood was derived from the Saxons, and may have been continued in consequence of the Order having originally so much of a religious character; but it was specially forbidden to be exercised in a Synod held at Westminster, so early as the year 1102. 5 As has been already stated, several Kings of England, after the Crown had devolved upon them, were Knighted by their own subjects; and when the Earl Marshal demanded, as his fee, the horse and furniture of Alexander the Third, King of Scotland, on his being Knighted at York, by King Henry the Third, in * Ashmole, p. 35. 5 Ibid. p. 37. “It was among other things ordained, ‘ Ne Abbates faciunt Milites’ (Concil. Brit, tome ii. p. 22), by which word ‘ Abbates’ we suppose is understood all sorts of Spiritual persons.” Selden (p. 638) does not appear, however, to give the same construction to that Ordinance. INTRODUCTION. IX 1252, the Scottish Monarch refused, saying, he might have received his Knighthood either from any other Catholic Prince, or from any one of his own subjects, being a gentleman. 6 Immediately after King Henry the Sixth and Edward the Sixth were Knighted, they gave the honour of Knighthood to many young noblemen and gentlemen. An idea prevails, that in the middle ages every Knight might confer the dignity; but this power seems then to have resided only in Sovereign Princes, in their representatives, the Lieutenants and Commanders of their Armies; and perhaps in a few other persons of exalted birth and station; thus, at the battle of Wakefield in December 1460, four persons were Knighted by the Duke of Somerset, eight by the Earl of Northumberland, four by the Earl of Devonshire, three by Lord Clifford, and one by Lord Roos. 7 Though the instances of powerful subjects of the Crown, and of Commanders of Armies having Knighted individuals in the field, are innumerable, it is believed that there are few, if any examples of its having been done by a simple Knight Bachelor. If, however, the mere possession of the honour did not authorize a mere Knight to impart it to others, the source from which personages of higher rank (except the representatives of the Sovereign) obtained that power, remains to be ascertained. But the authority, however derived, was greatly restrained, in or before the reign 6 Titles of Honour, p. 641. Selden adds, “If at least ‘ Nobiles’ may be taken in the relation of it for Gentlemen and not for Noblemen, as, according to the English phrase, it often is.” Matthew Paris’ (p. 1103) words are : “ Quia si placeret ei potuit ipse arma suscipere a quovis Principe Catholico, vel ab aliquo Nobilium suorum, sed et reverentiam honorem tanti Principis Domini et vicini sui, maluit ab ipso Rege Angliae cingulo donari militari quam aliquo alio.” 7 Cottonian MS. Claudius C. iii. f. 62, 63. b X INTRODUCTION. of King Henry the Eighth, though it was undoubtedly still vested in the Commanders of Armies, who frequently Knighted several persons both before a battle to stimulate the courage of their soldiers, and after a victory to reward those who had eminently signalized themselves. “No man,” says Sir Thomas Smith, “ is a Knight by succession; no, not the King or Prince. Knights, therefore, be not born, but made; either before the battle, to encourage them the more to adventure their lives ; or after the conflict, as advancement for their hardiness and manhood already shewed : or out of the war, for some great service done, or some good hope through the virtues which do appear in them.” 1 This was so universal a custom, that it is scarcely necessary to adduce particular instances. Froissart 2 says, that in 1380, when the English Army were before Troyes, the Earl of Buckingham, the King’s Lieutenant, made Sir Thomas Try vet a Banneret, and Knighted several persons; and then calling to him a right gentle Esquire of Savoy, called Ralph de. Gruyeres, son of the Count of Savoy, who had been requested to be made a Knight, both before Ardres and St. Omer, said to him, ‘ Ralph, if it pleases God and Saint George, we shall have conflict of arms, therefore I wish you to be a Knight.’ The Esquire excused himself, as he had before done, thus, ‘ My Lord, may God thank you, and return you the good and honour you would do me; but I will never be a Knight unless I am made by my natural Lord, the Count of Savoy, in battle, by Christians against Saracens,’ so he was troubled no more.” Hall relates, that after the battle of Flodden, in 1513, the 1 De Republica Anglorum, ed. 1584, p. 21. See also Ashmole, p. 41. 2 Par Buchon, ed. 1837, tome II. p. 104. INTRODUCTION. xi Earl of Surrey “ thanked God with humble heart, and called * to him certain Lords and other Gentlemen, and then made them Knights, as Sir Edmond Howard, his son, and the Lord Scrope, Sir William Percy, and many other; ” that in 1522, “ when the Lord Admiral had won the town of Morlaix, he called to him certain Squires, whom for their hardiness and noble courage he made Knights; first, Sir Francis Bryan, Sir Anthony Browne, Sir Richard Cornwall, &c. and divers others and that, in the following year, the Duke of Suffolk having defeated the French, and taken the town of Mondidier, “ on the feast of All Saints the Duke, in the chief church of Roye, made Knights, the Lord Herbert, the Lord Powys, Oliver Manners, Arthur Pole,” and ten others. 3 The custom of Knighting persons after a battle, and of giving them pensions or lands to support their dignity, is thus alluded to by Shakespeare : “ Bow your knees; Arise, my Knights o’ th’ Battle. I create you Companions to our person, and will fit you so With dignities becoming your estates.” 4 Some light is thrown on this subject by a letter from Henry Algernon Earl of Northumberland to the King in 1532, in which he said that his letters patent of the Office of Warden of the Marches, recited that he was “ to use the said office as hath been accustomed in your most noble Progenitor’s days; by reason whereof the most part of the exercise of mine authority runneth upon a custom, in which custom, as all the whole country here doth confirm, that Wardens in their rodes hath advanced the Order of Knighthood to them that so 3 Ed. 1809, pp. 564, 643, 670. 4 Cymbeline, Act v. sc. 5. INTRODUCTION. xii deserveth, for which I assure your Grace I have no small suit, and yet nevertheless, always according to my most bounden duty, I would not enterprise to doings thereof, unto the time I knew further of your most gracious pleasure. Most humbly beseeching your Highness thereof, seeing it is the thing that shall touch most my power, honesty, and also the encouraging the hearts of gentlemen to serve me the better underneath your gracious Highness.” 1 This letter shews that the power of conferring Knighthood was then still supposed to be incidental to certain high Officers of the Crown; but authority to confer Knighthood was sometimes expressly granted to the Commander of an army, by King Henry the Eighth; 2 and Sir Thomas Smith states, that “ Knights are made either by the King himself, or by his Commission and Royal authority, given for the same purpose; or by his Lieutenant in the wars, who hath his Royal and absolute power committed to him for the time.” 3 Queen Elizabeth (the most tenacious of her prerogative of all English Sovereigns) nevertheless permitted several of her subjects to confer Knighthood; and many persons were Knighted in 1559 at Berwick, by the Duke of Norfolk; by the Earl of Leicester and the Earl of Sussex between 1564 and 1571; by Sir Henry Sidney in 1583 ; 4 and by the Earl of Essex as Commander of the Expedition to Cadiz in 1596, though the profuse manner in which that nobleman bestowed the honour 1 State Papers, vol. IV. p. 629. 2 In 1543 Sir John Wallop, Captain of Guisnes, was appointed by Letters Patent, Commander of the Forces sent to aid the Emperor, whereby power of inflicting capital punishment was given to him; “ Ac etiam milites bene meritos Insigniis et Honore Militari si ita visum fuerit donandi, et gradu ac titulo Ordinis Equestris condecorandi.” Rot. Patent. 35 Hen. VIII. p. 1C, m. 24. 3 De Republiea Anglorum, ed. 1584, p. 22. 4 Harleian MSS. 6063, f. 23 et seq. INTRODUCTION. xiii gave offence to the Queen. King James the First in an Ordinance of April 1623, for the registration of Knights, speaks of persons who may receive the dignity “ from us or any of our Lieutenants ;” 5 and the Duke of Albemarle, as Lieutenant General and General Governor of Jamaica, in May 1686, was empowered to confer Knighthood “ upon such person or persons, within the said Island, not exceeding six in number, as he might think deserving the same, in the King's service, and who, on being duly registered in the Court of Chancery in Jamaica, were to enjoy all such privileges as a Knight Bachelor created in the Kingdom of England could enjoy.” 6 For a long period, however, the only subject who has made Knights, by virtue of power incidental to his commission, was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; but even his authority to do so was considered doubtful; and in the year 1823 the question was referred for the opinion of : the Judges, who reported that “ the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland does, since the union of Great Britain and Ireland, possess the power of conferring the honour of Knighthood as he did whilst Ireland was a separate Kingdom,” 7 apparently on the grounds of precedent and usage, 5 Vide p. xxx, postea. 6 Rot. Patent. 4 Jac. II. p. 4 , m. 20. Ex inform. Thomas Palmer, Esq. of the Rolls Chapel. 7 The following note respecting this question, has been obligingly communicated by Charles George Young, Esq. York Herald : In December 1821 Earl Talbot, as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Knighted Captain John Phillimore, of the Royal Navy, when the Admiralty raised a question as to the power of the Lord Lieutenant and Governor General of Ireland to confer the honour of Knighthood, without an express authority from the Sovereign, no such authority being given in any express terms by the Letters Patent or Commission constituting him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Towards the close of the same month, Earl Talbot was succeeded by the Marquess Wellesley as Lord Lieutenant, who after he had taken the Oaths, and been Invested with the Collar of Saint Patrick on the 29th of December, Knighted John Kingston James, Esquire, XIV INTRODUCTION. supported by certain Instructions which accompany the Lord Lieutenant’s Commission; and the power has been exercised by every subsequent Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Since the revival of the Order of the Bath in 1725, many of the King’s subjects, filling high and distinguished situations abroad, have been authorized by Royal Warrants under the Seal of that Order, to represent the Sovereign for the purpose of Investing Knights-Elect with its Ensigns; and as Knighthood is a necessary qualification, that dignity was generally conferred by the Representative of the Sovereign, in the usual manner, before he Invested the individual with the Ribband and Badge. Thus, the Duke of Montagu, as Grand Master, the then Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, by which act the Question was still kept under discussion. Sir John James was created a Baronet before the final decision ; and in the Patent he was described as “ John Kingston James, Esquire, claiming to be Sir John Kingston James, Knight.” A Case was submitted to the Attorney General and Solicitor General of England, and to the Attorney and Solicitor General of'Ireland, when the former Officers gave an opinion against, and the latter in favour, of the right and power of the Lord Lieutenant. The point was eventually, in 1823, referred»by command of the King in Council, for the opinion of the Judges, who after due consideration of the subject, reported, That understanding from the manner in which the Question was proposed to them, “ That the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland possessed, before the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, the undisputed power of conferring the honour of Knighthood, and having seen the forms of Patents appointing a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland before and since the Union, and having considered the Statute for the Union of the two Kingdoms,” were of opinion, “ that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland does, since the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, possess the power of conferring the honour of Knighthood as he did wdiilst Ireland was a separate Kingdom.” The Report was signed by C. Abbott. R. Graham. J. Bayley. J. A. Park. G. S. Holroyd. J. Burrough. W. D. Best. J. Hurlock. The following Judges, being absent from the discussion and meeting of the other Judges, subsequently signified their concurrence in this opinion, viz. R. Richards. W. Garrow. J. Richardson. After this Report, the Lord Lieutenant, on the 30th September 1823, conferred the Honour of Knighthood upon George Rich, Esquire, Chamberlain of His Excellency’s Household. INTRODUCTION. xv Knighted and Invested the Duke of Richmond in 1725; Lord Nelson Knighted and Invested Sir Thomas Graves in 1801; and the Duke of Wellington appears always to have Knighted the General Officers whom he was directed to Invest/ On other occasions, and particularly since the year 1815, Knights-Elect have often been Invested without having been Knighted; and they have either been made Knights Bachelors on their return to England by the Sovereign in the usual way, or, in a few cases, they have actually remained Knights Grand Cross, or Knights Commanders of the Bath, without having ever been Knighted. These proceedings are altogether anomalous and improper, and appear to have been caused, either by doubts whether the Crown can delegate its authority to bestow Knighthood, or as to the technical form by which that power should be coveyed. That the Crown may authorize any of its subjects, being a Knight, to confer Knighthood, is, however, indisputable. The custom has existed for ages: it is unquestioned by any writer on the Law or Constitution : and prevails, at the present moment, (after a reference for the opinion of the Judges on the point), in the case of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Under no circumstances, therefore, ought a Knight Grand Cross, or a Knight Commander of the Bath, or of any other British Order, to be Invested with the Ensigns, until he had received the Accolade, unless he had been previously Knighted by Letters Patent. The practice of making Knights by Letters Patent is modern, the earliest instance being that of Robert Chambers, Esquire, a Judge in Bengal in 1777; the next, that of the 7 History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 45, 99, 111, note. XVI INTRODUCTION. Earl of Westmorland, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as a qualification for election into the Order of the Garter, in 1793; and the third, that of Captain Edward Hamilton, for his exploit in re-capturing ‘ The Hermione’ in 1800. 9 It is submitted that such a mode of conferring the honour can rarely be necessary, because it is seldom that there is not a Knight in the immediate vicinity of the individual, who is to receive that mark of the Royal favour, and who could be empowered to represent the Sovereign for the purpose. Similar authority might also be granted to the Governor General of India, and of other important Colonies, its exercise being, of course, restrained to the individuals specially selected by the Crown. It is very remarkable, that the ancient manner of conferring Knighthood, which for many centuries was the most universal, and the most cherished honour in Europe, and which was deemed as becoming to Sovereigns as to the humblest gentleman in their dominions, should now be almost obsolete, except in England. Orders of Knighthood undoubtedly exist in every Empire, Kingdom, and Independent State, but, it is believed 9 From information obligingly supplied by Thomas Palmer, Esq. of the Rolls Chapel, Between the years 1800 and 1823, eighteen persons were Knighted by Patent, and there have been several cases since that time. Those Patents are very concise, of which the first, that of Sir Robert Chambers, is here given : “ George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth. To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting. Know ye that We, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant unto Our trusty and wellbeloved subject, Robert Chambers, Esquire, one of the Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William, in Bengal, the degree, title, honour, and dignity of a Knight Bachelor, together with all rights, precedence, privileges, and advantages to the same degree, title, honour, and dignity belonging or appertaining. In witness, &c. Witness Ourself at Westminster, the seventeenth day of June, in the seventeenth year of Our Reign. By Writ of Privy Seal.” Pat. 17 Geo. III. p. 4. m. 13. INTRODUCTION. XVII that, in no other country than Great Britain, does the original and generic dignity of a Knight Bachelor, created by the imposition of a Sword, now exist . 1 In a few instances, however, British subjects have been Knighted by Foreign Monarchs , 2 but rather in conformity with the usage of England, than from being part of the institutions of their own realms. Another singular fact is, that a Title strictly synonymous with Knight, should still be attributed, in a most important instrument, to persons of whom very few are Knights; namely, in Writs of Summons of Barons to Parliament under the Great Seal, wherein they are addressed by their baptismal and surnames, with the addition of “ Chevalier .” 3 The appellation of Knight is also given to Knights of the Shire, immediately after whose election, the ancient form of Investiture of Knights, namely, girding with a sword, always takes place, and to the Military Knights (formerly the Poor Knights) of Windsor, even though none of those persons should be Knights Bachelors. The qualifications for the honour of Knighthood were principally merit, birth, and estate. For several centuries scarcely any other claims were recognised than valour and conduct in the field; but the candidate was usually expected to be a gen- 1 By the Statutes of the Order of Saint Louis of France, instituted in April 1693, it was provided that, “ Apres que le Chevalier pourvu aura prete serment, Nous luy donne- rons VAccolade et la Croix.” 2 Sir Sidney Smith was Knighted by the King of Sweden, under the Banner Royal, which was assigned as a reason for his not having been Knighted by King George the Third, when His Majesty, at the request of the Swedish Monarch, Invested him with the Ensigns of the Order of the Sword in May 1792.—London Gazette. When Foreign Princes have Invested Knights-Elect of the Order of the Bath, they have always first given them the Acolade. Vide History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 45, 88, 91, 97. 3 “ But the Title of itself (says Selden, p. 637) is then Honorary only when it is had by such creation; and it endures for life only.” XV111 INTRODUCTION. tleman of three paternal descents, and that his Armorial Ensigns should have been borne by his father, grandfather, and great grandfather: while, according to some authorities, it was also necessary that his mother should have been of gentle, or, as the word is still used abroad, of noble birth. The Statutes of the Order of the Garter require that the person to be elected shall be a Knight, and “ a Gentleman of blood,” which is defined to consist of “ three descents of noblesse, that is to say, of name, and of arms, both of his father’s side and also of his mothers side.” In England, however, these qualifications were frequently disregarded, by Knighthood having often been conferred on individuals, not merely of obscure origin, but also of illegitimate birth. The third qualification for Knighthood was that of estate or wealth; and not only was a candidate for the honours of Chivalry expected to have sufficient property to maintain the dignity, but the possession of a Knight’s fee or lands of a certain yearly value, (varying at different periods from £20, £30, and £A0, to ^50), gave the Sovereign the power of compelling the proprietors to receive Knighthood, or to pay a fine for being exempted, either for their lives or for a certain period, unless they could allege old age, irrecoverable weakness, loss of limbs, or other bodily infirmity ? or having taken Holy Orders, as an excuse. 1 “ But albeit,” says Ashmole, “ in the promiscuous course of bestowing of Knighthood, where the men of wealth and estate (whether otherwise worthy or not) became dignified, yet was not the gate of Honour then shut against those, who wanting riches sought her out, by the paths of virtue and merit: for where See Ashmole, pp. 33, 34, and the authorities there cited. 1 INTRODUCTION. XIX men of low fortunes deserved well of their Country, and that for their good services the King had judged them worthy of honour, he was accordingly pleased to bestow such annual pension, or lands upon them, as he esteemed sufficient to maintain that degree of dignity (whatsoever it was) so conferred.” 1 Numerous cases exist of grants of pensions from the Crown for the support of the dignity of Knighthood; and it is a striking feature in the constitution of the Order of the Garter, that while the more distinguished and more fortunate members of the general body of Chivalry, were admitted into that noble Fraternity, a provision for life was perpetually established for a similar number of Knights, who had fallen into poverty and decay. Great consideration has always been shewn for Knights and Esquires by the Legislature. In the assessments levied on goods and chattels in 1306 and 1308, the armour, horse, jewels, and robes of Knights and Gentlemen and of their wives were exempted, together with their utensils of gold, silver, and brass. 2 In 1363, the Commons having stated in their petition to the King that divers things had become much enhanced in value by the people wearing apparel not suited to their condition, it was enacted: “ That Esquires and all manner of Gentlemen, under the estate of a Knight, which have no land nor rent to the value of ^100 by year, shall not take nor wear cloth for their clothing or hosing of an higher price than within the price of four marks and a half the whole cloth, by way of buying nor otherwise; and that they wear no cloth of gold, nor silk, nor silver, nor no manner of clothing embroidered, ring, 1 Ashmole, p. 34. 2 Rot. Pari. vol. I. pp. 270, 443, 446, 452, 458. XX INTRODUCTION. buttons, nor ouche of gold, ribband, girdle, nor none other apparel, nor harness of gold nor of silver, nor nothing of stone, nor no manner of fur: and that their wives, daughters, and children be of the same condition as to their vesture and apparel, without any turning up or purfle; and that they wear no manner of apparel of gold or silver, nor of stone. But that Esquires which have land or rent to the value of two hundred marks by year and above, may take and wear cloths of the price of five marks the whole cloth, and cloth of silk and of silver, ribband, girdle, and other apparel reasonably garnished of silver: and that their wives, daughters, and children, may wear fur turned up of miniver, without ermines or letuse, or any manner of stone but for their heads.” By the twelfth chapter of the same Statute it was further enacted : “ that Knights which have land or rent within the value of 200 marks, shall take and wear cloth of six marks the whole cloth for their vesture, and of none higher price; and that they wear not cloth of gold, nor cloths, mantle, nor gown furred with miniver, nor sleeves of ermines, nor no apparel broidered of stone, nor otherwise; and that their wives, daughters, and children be of the same condition; and that they wear no turning up of ermines nor of letuses, nor no manner of apparel of stone, but only for their heads; but that all Knights and Ladies which have land or rent over the value of 400 mark by year to the sum of j£1000, shall wear at their pleasure, except ermines and letuses, and apparel of pearls and stone, unless only for their heads.” 3 3 Statutes (the edition printed by the Record Commission), vol. I. pp. 380, 381. Rot. Pari. vol. III. pp. 281, 282. INTRODUCTION. xx i In 1378 the Commons prayed “ that no man or woman within the Realm, except Knights and Ladies, should use any manner of stone, furs, cloth of gold, gold ribband, or silk cloth, unless he could spend £A0 b}^ the year.” 4 In 1401 they desired “ that all Signs and Liveries of cloth should be abolished, except that all the sons of the King, Dukes, Earls, Barons and Baronets (i. e. Bannerets) might use the King’s Livery of the Collar, as well in his absence as in his presence; and that all other Knights and Esquires might use it in the King’s presence, but not in his absence.” They asked moreover, that “ the King would consent that his Livery for Yeomen or Yalets, of the Cresset with the Star, should be abolished; and that no one should use the said Livery, or any other Livery of Sign of any other Lord, or of any person of lower estate, either in the King’s presence or in his absence, except that the King might give his Livery of cloth to all his household servants, his Officers, Counsellors, Justices of both Benches, his Clerks of the Chancery, the Barons of the Exchequer, and other persons of his Council, learned in both Laws. In the same way all other Lords, spiritual and temporal, and other persons of lesser estate, might give their cloth of Livery to their household servants, and counsellors learned in both Laws, only, and to no others; and that he who acted to the contrary thereof, if a Knight of inferior rank than Duke, Earl, or Baron, should pay £40, an Esquire £20, and a Yeoman or Valet £IQ” 6 Three years after the accession of King Edward the Fourth, the Commons petitioned the King, that he would ordain by autho- 4 Rot. Pari. III. 66 b . 6 Rot. Pari. 2 Hen. IV. vol. III. pp. 477, 478. XXII INTRODUCTION. rity of Parliament, “ that no Knight under the estate of a Lord, other than Lords’ children, nor no wife of any such Knight, should wear any manner of cloth of gold or any manner of ‘ corses ’ wrought with gold, or any fur of sables ; and if any such Knight do the contrary, or suffer his wife or child, the same child being under his rule or governance, to do the contrary, that then he forfeit for every default £20 and also “ to ordain and establish that no Bachelor Knight, nor his wife, wear any cloth of velvet upon velvet, but such Knights as be of the Order of the Garter, and their wives,” upon pain of forfeiting for each offence 20 marks. 7 In 1482 the Commons requested the King to ordain, “ that no man under the degree of a Knight should wear any manner of velvet in their doublets nor gowns; and that no man under the same degree should wear any damask or satin in their gowns, but only Esquires for the King’s body, under the penalty of forty shillings.” 8 Immediately after King Henry the Eighth came to the Throne, it was enacted, that “no man under the degree of a Knight, except Esquires for the King’s body, his Cupbearers, Carvers, and Sewers having the ordinary fee for the same, and all other Esquires for the body, having possession of lands, tenements, or other hereditaments to the yearly value of 300 marks, and Lords’ sons and heirs, Justices of the one Bench or of the other, the Master of the Rolls, Barons of the King’s Exchequer, and all other of the King’s Council, and Mayors of the City of London for the time being, use or wear any 7 Rot. Pari. 3 and 4 Edvv. IV. An. 1463-4. vol. V. pp. 504, 505. 8 Rot. Pari. 22 Edw. IV. vol. VI. p. 221. INTRODUCTION. xxiii velvet in their gowns or riding coats, or furs of martin in their apparel, upon pain to forfeit the same fur and apparel, wherewith soever it be mixed, and for using of the same to forfeit 40s. Nor no person other than be above named wear velvet in their doublets, nor satin nor damask in their gowns nor coats, except he be a Lord’s son, or a Gentleman having lands or tenements of the yearly value of £100 under the same penalty.” 1 This Act was renewed, in the same terms, in 1515. 2 It was enacted in 1532, “ that no man, unless he be a Knight, wear any Collar of gold, named a Collar of S; and that no man, under the degree of a Baron’s son or of a Knight, except he may dispend yearly in lands or tenements, &c. £200 over all charges, should use or wear any chain of gold, bracelet, ouche, or other ornament of gold in any part of his or their apparel, or in the apparel of their horse, mule, or other beast, except every such chain, jewel, ouche, or ornament be in weight one ounce of fine gold or above, and except rings of gold, to be worn on their fingers, with stones or without; nor any manner of velvet in their gowns, coats with sleeves, or other uttermost garments, nor any furs of libards, nor any manner of embroidery, pricking, or printing with gold, silver, or silk, in any part of their apparel, or on their horses, mules, or other beasts. And that no man under the said estates and degrees, unless he possessed .J’lOO yearly in lands, &c. should wear any satin, damask, silk, chamlet, or taffeta, in his gown, coat with sleeves, or other uttermost apparel or garment, nor any manner of velvet, otherwise than in sleeveless jackets, doublets, coifs, par- 1 Statutes of the Realm (ut supra), 1 Hen. VIII. 1509-10, vol. III. p. 8. 2 Stat. 6 Hen. VIII. vol. III. p. 121. XXIV INTRODUCTION. tettes, or purses, nor any fur whereof the like kind groweth not in England, Ireland, Wales, Calais, Berwick, or the Marches of the same, except foynes, genettes, called grey genettes, and bogye.” 2 As the title of Knight “ is parcel of his name,” the distinctive and peculiar appellation of Knighthood, “ Sir” ought always to be prefixed to it in his style, however exalted may be his other honours; “ for the greater dignity doth never drown the lesser dignity, but both stand together in one person; and therefore, if a Knight be created a Baron yet he remaineth a Knight still; and if the Baron be created an Earl, yet the dignity of a Baron remaineth, and so of others. But if an Esquire (which is no name of dignity) be made a Knight, the degree of the Esquire is changed and gone, and cannot so be named in any judicial proceeding.” 3 Though both law and ancient usage shew the propriety of applying to Princes and Peers who may be Knights, the peculiar designation of Knighthood, “ Sir,” (for the same reason that those Peers who have taken Holy Orders are styled “ Reverend,”) the custom has so nearly fallen into desuetude, that almost the only modern instances of it, were the proclamations of the style of Peers, as Knights of Saint Patrick, at their Installation in August 1821. 4 The learned Anstis, certainly the highest authority on such a subject, 2 Stat. 24 Hen. VIII. vol. III. p. 430. In a subsequent clause, the sons and heirs apparent of Knights, were classed with the sons and heirs apparent of persons, having 300 marks a year. 3 Coke’s Second Institute, p. 594. Year Books, 8 Edw. IV. 23. 4 Vide The History of the Order of Saint Patrick, Appendix, p. vii. The omission of the title of “ Sir” on the Stall Plates of the Knights of the Garter and Bath (of which those of the Knights of Saint Patrick, though in English, are imitations), may perhaps be ascribed to their style being in French. INTRODUCTION. XXV in his dedication of the Register of the Garter, to Thomas Earl of Pembroke, properly styled him, “ The Right Honourable Sir Thomas Herbert, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter ; 5 and in the lists of Knights of the various Orders in this work, the usage has been revived; and it may be hoped that it will be generally adopted. As a Knight was created by a species of Investiture, he could only lose his honours by Degradation, or in other words, by actual deprivation; and there is a strong resemblance in this respect between the Order of Knighthood and the Order of the Priesthood. In both cases the degree was conferred by personal imposition;—of the sword on the Layman, and of the hands on the Clerk; and in both, too, it was absolutely necessary that the person who bestowed it, should himself be a member of the Fraternity. Neither the Knight nor the Priest can divest himself of that character. Having once received either the one or the other, it attaches to them for the remainder of their existence; and the only mode by which it can be lost (except by the omnipotence of an Act of Parliament), is by Degradation. Indeed so indelible is the character of 5 Of this practice numerous early examples might be cited. Selden, p. 643, states, that “ the known title of Sir, prefixed with us to the Christian name, in compellations and expressions of Knights so created, is very ancient; and in Edward the First’s time was so much taken to be parcel of their names, as that the English Jews, in their Hebrew instruments or Starrs retained it, and wrote it “1 *$} ‘ Sir,’ without interpreting it by any word of their own, as they do in Latin express it by ‘ Dominus.’ ” Among the more recent instances are the following: Hall, in describing the trial of Edward Duke of Buckingham, K.G. in 1521, says, “ Then the Clerk of the Council said, ‘ Sir Edward Duke of Buckingham, hold up thy hand,’ ” See .—“ Then said the Duke of Norfolk to the Duke of Suffolk, ‘ What say you of Sir Edward Duke of Buckingham,’ ” &c. Ed. 1809, p. 623. In the act for attainting Thomas Lord Seymour, in 1549, he is called “ Sir Thomas Seymour, Lord Seymour of Sudley, High Admiral of England.” d XXVI INTRODUCTION. Knighthood, that there are some grounds for believing that it survives a conviction of felony or treason, even if it be forfeited (except under a special provision for the loss of all dignities) by an Act of Attainder. “ The Degradation of a Knight,” says Selden , 1 “ is also as a respect of honour to Knighthood in general, although by reason of the ceremonies used in it, and because it is the contrary of Creation, we have made it a several member of our division concerning Knights. For as, by the Canon Law, when, for any grievous offence, a Clergyman is to be delivered over to secular punishment (lest the rest of his dignity should suffer also in the infamy which he suffers in his punishment), he is first to be degraded from the dignity he hath in the greater or less Orders, as also he is to be when his fault punishable by the Church is so great, that it were too scandalous to the rest of his dignity, if he being condemned should suffer the punishment, and yet remain in his degree of Orders; so for the honour due to Knighthood in general, some examples are, that when judgment of treason hath been to be given against one that had formerly received the Order, he hath been first degraded from his Knighthood, lest so much ignominy as accompanied the judgment for such an offence should lie on any that were a Knight when he suffered it; and some other kinds of degradation from Knighthood have been exercised here in this present age, which are so known that I purposely decline further mention of them . 2 But also, as by the Canon 1 Titles of Honour, p. 653. 8 Selden here alludes to the Degradation of Sir Francis Mitchell in 1621. See page xxviii, postea. INTRODUCTION. XXVll Laws, the ceremony of degradation from any degree of Order is by a solemn taking away those things from the Clerk wherewith he was so invested at his taking the Order from which he is to be degraded; so the ceremonies of degradation of a Knight were, in ancient times, such as that the sword with which he was girt at his Knighting, and the spurs that were put on him, were to be publicly taken off from him, and some other solemnities were sometimes in it.” The earliest account in our Annals of the Degradation of a Knight, is that of Sir Andrew Harcla Earl of Carlisle, in the reign of King Edward the Second, who had been convicted of high treason, and on whom the following sentence was passed: “ Que vous soietz degrade; que vous perditz noun de Count, pur vous, et pur vous heirs, a touts jours; que vous soietz deceynt del espee; que vous esporeuns d’orrees soient coupez de talouns;” 3 but, according to some authorities, he was likewise divested of his shoes and gloves, 4 and was immediately afterwards beheaded and quartered. Another well known instance of Degradation is that of Sir Ralph Grey in 1468, for treason. He was taken to Doncaster, and there publicly deprived of his honour of Knighthood, by his gilt spurs being hewn from his heels, and by his sword and all his armour being taken off him and broken. 5 Lord Chief Justice Coke 3 Placit. Hil. Term, 18 Edw. II. rot. xxxiv and xxxv. Selden’s “ Titles of Honor,” pp. 653, 654. 4 Robert of Avesbnry. 5 “ Et le dit Sir Ralph Grey fuit carie a Doncaster, et la fuit deprive del honor del Chevalier devant mults del people le Roy : s’ ses gilt spores hewes de ses pees, et son espee et tout son armour sur luy debruse, et pris de luy en le champe, et puis, il decoll. Year Books, 4 Edw. IV. f. 20. Stow says, that the judgment given against Sir Ralph Grey was as follows : “ Sir Ralph Grey, for thy treason, the King had ordained that thou shouldest INTRODUCTION. xxviii observes, “ when a Knight is degraded, one of his punishments is, 4 quod clypeus suus gentilicius reversus erit,’ and here his arms be reversed that he beareth none 6 and in an illuminated copy of Matthew Paris’ 4 Historia Major,’ Sir William de Marisco, who committed treason in the reign of King Henry the Third, is represented with his sword, and the staff of his banner broken, and his shield hewn into two pieces. 7 In the reign of King James the First, Sir Francis Mitchell having been convicted of “ grievous exactions,” was sentenced, by Parliament, to be degraded from the honour of Knighthood, but without any prejudice to his wife and children; and the ceremony of degradation was publicly performed in Westminster Hall, in May 1621, by the Heralds, in the presence of the Commissioners of the Office of Earl Marshal. His sentence having been read by a Pursuivant of Arms, “ the spurs were broken in pieces by the servants of the Earl Marshal, and thrown away; then, the silver sword (which ought to have been gilded) is taken from his side, broken over his head, and thrown away. Last of all, they pronounce him no longer to be a Knight, but a knave.” 8 have had thy spurs stricken off hard by the heels, by the hand of the master cook, who is here ready to do as was promised thee at the time that he took off thy spurs, and said to thee as is accustomed, ‘ that and thou be not true to thy Sovereign Lord, he shall smite off thy spurs with his knife hard by the heels,’ and so shewed him the master cook ready to do his office with his apron and his knife. Moreover, Sir Ralph Grey, the King had ordained here thou mayest see, the Kings of Arms, and Heralds, and thine own proper coat of Arms, which they should tear off thy body, and so shouldest thou as well be degraded of thy worship, nobles, and arms, as of thy Order of Knighthood. Also here is another coat of thine Arms reversed, the which thou shouldest have worn on thy body, going to thy death wards, for that belongeth to thee after the law.” Annals, p. 418. 6 Second Institute, p. 595. 7 Royal MSS. 14 C vn. f. 133, in the British Museum. 8 Camden’s Annals. INTRODUCTION. XXIX The only recent instances of Degradation are those of Lord Cochrane in 1814, and of Sir Eyre Coote in 1816, from the Order of the Bath; 9 but as those persons were not degraded from their Knighthood, though expelled from the Order of the Bath, they were not thereby deprived of the dignity of Knights Bachelors. While alluding to the dignity of Knight Bachelor, an extraordinary fact must not be omitted. The first time the Crown is known to have commanded a Register to be kept of Knights, was when King James the First, by an Ordinance, in May 1622, 10 which was confirmed by a Proclamation dated at Windsor, on the 25th of April 1623, declared, that great inconvenience had arisen “ for want of an exact Roll kept in the Office of Arms of such as have received the Order of Knighthood, whereby some have presumed to challenge that dignity, upon whom it was never conferredthat the precedency of many of those who had received it could not be determined; and that though on the 15th of May preceding, 1 directions had been given to the Earl Marshal for keeping such a Register, it had not been found effectual. The King therefore commanded, that all persons who had been Knighted since the 15th of May 1622, should, within three months, and “ all others that shall receive the like dignity from Us, or any our Lieutenants, shall, within one month after receiving the same, within England, or within one month after their coming into the Realm, bring or send a sufficient Certificate thereof, with the date, to 9 History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 212 et seq. 10 A copy of the Ordinance of May 1622, which is to the same effect, is in the Harleian MS. 6063. XXX INTRODUCTION. the Earl Marshal, or to such other person as might be appointed, to the end the same may be registered in a Roll to be kept in the Office of Arms, upon pain that every person neglecting to bring such Certificate shall lose his precedency, and in all commissions, employments, and places, shall be ranked after such as shall be registered before them.” 2 Since that period (except during the Commonwealth) a record of the name of every person who has been Knighted, with the date and place where the honour was bestowed, has been preserved in the College of Arms. But this Register does not now contain, as it undoubtedly ought to do, the name of every Knight, but only of such Knights as have paid their Fees, which amount to <=£108. It would therefore appear, that the Register of Knights, though made at the command of the Sovereign by his own Officers, is not kept for the advantage of the Crown, so that it may know on whom the Dignity has been conferred, or for that of the public, that means may exist for detecting impostors, but solely for the benefit of the Knights themselves; and it consequently depends upon the payment of heavy Fees by private individuals, whether the Sovereign shall or shall not possess a record of the persons upon whom he bestows title, rank, precedence, and privileges, in reward, as it must be presumed, of services to the State. 3 The fault of this system, (which is 2 Hargrave MSS. 325, in the British Museum. 3 Lists of Knights Bachelors will be found in works edited by Walkley in 1642, and 1652; by Philpot, Somerset Herald, in 1660; and in the different editions of Chamber- layne’s State of Great Britain. A complete List of persons Knighted from 1760 to 1828, was published by the late Francis Townsend, Esq. Pursuivant of Arms, entitled “ Calendar of Knights,” 8vo. 1828. In the Harleian MS. 6063 are Lists of Knights made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and King James, both chronologically and alphabetically arranged ; and INTRODUCTION. XXXI no reproach to the Officers of Arms, because it is their duty to record the Names of such Knights only as are officially transmitted to the Heralds’ Office from the Lord Chamberlain’s Department), and the proper remedy for it, are too obvious to require to be pointed out. Before the immediate subject of this Work, the Orders of British Knighthood, distinguished by peculiar Ensigns, is noticed, it is proper to advert to another and a higher degree of Chivalry, of which so little has been written in this country , * * * 4 that it is only imperfectly understood; namely, that of Banneret, or as it was sometimes written Baronet, 5 and now generally called, Knight Banneret. There is not, however, space or the Harleian MSS. 5801, 5802 contain a valuable collection of the Pedigrees of Knights made from the accession of King Charles the Second to the death of Queen Anne, by Peter Le Neve, Norroy King of Arms, who states, in some prefatory remarks, that he had transcribed “ the Catalogue from the entries thereof in the Heralds’ Office, London, which are transmitted to them, when their Fees are paid to the Receiver; so that those gentlemen who paid no Knighthood Fees must not expect to have any notice taken of the times of their being Knighted.” Lists of the Knights made from the reign of Henry the Sixth to that of Charles the First, occur in the Harleian MS. 5177 (which also contains a curious “ Plea between the Advocate of the Bachelor Knights, and the Anti-Advocate for the Knights of the Bath, defendant,” principally in reference to Precedency) ; in the Lansdowne MS. 678; and, with their Arms and Crests, in the Cottonian MS. Claudius C. nr. 4 The most satisfactory account of the dignity of Banneret, which like most other institutions, was long common to England, France, Spain, Germany, and other Countries, will be found in Daniel’s “ Histoire de la Milice Fran^oise,” livre III. cap. v. (vol. II. p. 84 et seq.) and in the ninth Dissertation in Du Cange’s edition of Joinville’s Histoire de St. Louis. 5 Vide p. xx, antea, and p. xxxvi note, postea. Bannerets were called “Baronets” in numerous other early Records and Chronicles; and those instances were carefully collected in support of the Baronets’ claim to precedency over the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons, in the reign of James the First, on the absurd pretence that the newly created dignity of Baronet was therefore the same as the ancient one of Banneret. See the Harleian MS. 6213, and Selden’s Titles of Honour, p. 657. The Wife of a Banneret was called a Banneress. Rot. Pari. vol. III. p. 58. XXX11 INTRODUCTION. opportunity to enter fully into a subject, which would require a separate treatise; but enough may be said to give an idea of the history and nature of that dignity. A Banneret, or Knight Banneret, 6 was a Knight who being possessed of considerable lands or revenues, and having distinguished himself in war, was elevated to that rank, whereby he became entitled to bear, in the field, a Square Banner containing his Arms, and to command such Knights, Esquires, and Soldiers as he had furnished for his Sovereign; so that a Banneret was, in fact, the Commander of a body of officers and soldiers raised by himself, serving under his Banner, and paid by the Crown. Camden does not trace this dignity in England to an earlier period than the time of King Edward the Third ; 7 and Ashmole 8 has only shewn that it existed in the year 1306. There can, however, be little doubt, that Bannerets formed 6 Ashmole, p. 13 (who cites Spelman), says, “The title of Knights Banneret was bestowed on such who had so well deserved in the Wars, that they were afterwards permitted to use the ‘Vexillum quadratum,’ or a square Banner; whence they were truly called ‘ Equities Vexillarii,’ or ‘ Chevaliers a Baniere,’ from the Dutch word ‘ Banerhere,’ Lord or master of the Banner,” which agrees with the notice of a Banneret in Coke's “Fourth Institute,” p. 6. * 7 Britannia, ed. 1608, p. 124. Ashmole, p. 13. Minshew says, “The title of Banneret was given at the first by the Kings of England and France to such gentlemen that valiantly carried themselves in two Royal battles, or to such as had ten vassals, and means to maintain a troop of horse at their own charge.” Nisbet, from his usual desire to prove the existence of all Institutions in Scotland long before they were known in England, observes of Bannerets (“ System of Heraldry,” vol. II. part iv. p. 86), “ I find by our historians this Order to have been of older standing [i. e. than the reign of King Edward the First] with us; for Sir Alexander Carron, Banneret, is said by them to have carried the Banner of Alexander I. (who began his reign in the year 1107) in his expedition against the rebels in ,Mearns and Murray;” but this statement is very doubtful. 8 P. 14, who cites a mandate to the Clerk of the Wardrobe, to furnish the necessary articles for making Thomas Bardolf a Knight “ tanquam Bannerettus,” dated 3rd May, 34 Edw. I. 1306. INTRODUCTION. XXXlll part of the English Army, if not towards the close of the reign of King Henry the Third, at all events early in that of King Edward the First. They are mentioned in the list of the garrison of the Castle of Caermarthen in the year 1282; 9 and the dignity was certainly established in France in, if not before the thirteenth century; and persons of superior station, from birth, office, or property, were sometimes considered to possess that rank, before they were either Knighted, or actually created Bannerets. Thus, in 1302 and 1306, when several individuals 9 Among the Records of the Tower is a Roll entitled, “ Pacationes Banerettis, Militibus, Armigeris, et Peditibus, commorantibus in garnistura Regis apud Kermardin cum equis coopertis et non coopertis, &c. a die Martis in crastino translationis Sancti Wulstani, scilicet octavo die Junii anno regni regis Edwardi decimo.” In this Roll these words occur: “ Et sciendum quod Banerettus capit per diem quatuor solidos, Miles duos solidos, et quilibet de cmteris equis coopertis duodecim denarios.” The three Bannerets therein mentioned were Alan Plokenet, Ralph Daubeney, and Philip Daubeney. From the information of T. D. Hardy, Esq. One section of the Wardrobe Accounts of the 28th Edw. I. 1301, (4to. 1787, p. 188 et seq.) contains the wages and allowances of the Bannerets and “Simple Knights” of the King’s Household, all of whom are so described, and which afford a correct idea of the distinction between those ranks. In a contemporary French Poem, descriptive of the Siege of Caerlaverock by the Army under King Edward the First, in June 1300, wherein the Banners of all the personages are blazoned, the writer observes, of Philip Augustus (1180—1223), but that the authors of that period speak of them, not as if they were then a new class of persons ; and he adds, that in the collection of records of that reign, made by Duchesne, Bannerets occur. Daniel also states, that to be a “ Ban- 84, 85. According to Selden (“ Titles of Honour,” p. 655), Bannerets were sometimes made the time of Philip Augustus. 1 Banneret was recognised as an established order of society in this country in Banneret was “ II ne me puet pas souvenir Ke Baneret i fuissent plus.” Daniel says, that Bannerets are not mentioned by contemporary writers before the time neret” it was necessary to have for vassals many gentlemen to follow his Banner, and that in some French families it was hereditary, though that before actual creation of the person he was called an “Esquire Banneret.” “ Histoire de la Milice Fran^oise,” tome II. pp. in France by Patent; and he observes, “ We have no example either of a creation of them by Patent, or making the Title hereditary in England.” XXXIV INTRODUCTION. were Knighted with the ceremonies of vigils, bathing, and investiture with the belt and sword, one of them received the usual appurtenances, as “ the son of an Earl,” others as “ Bannerets,” or as “simple Bannerets,” and others obtained only such as belonged to “ simple Knights,” or to a “ Bachelor;” and in 1348, 1360, 1383, and 1389, some of the Justices of the King’s Bench and Common Pleas were “ received into the Order of Knighthood after the manner of Bannerets.” 2 Barons and Peers of higher rank being also entitled to bear a Square Banner, it has been said that the dignity of Banneret “ is esteemed the last among the greatest, viz. ‘ nobilium majorum,’ or the first within those of the second rank, and is placed in the middle between the Barons and the other Knights.” 3 A Banneret could only be created when the King’s Banner was displayed; and Froissart has given some picturesque descriptions of the ceremony. In the Prince of Wales’s expedition to Spain in 1367, Sir John Chandos, one of the Knights Founder's of the Order of the Garter, served in the van of the army, under the Duke of Lancaster; and on the morning of the battle of Navarret, Chandos “ brought his Banner in his hands, rolled up, to that Prince, and said, 4 My Lord, behold here is my Banner, I deliver it to you in this way, that it may please you to display it, and that this day I may raise it, for thank God I have land and heritage sufficient to support the rank as it ought to be.’ Then the 2 See The History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 8—12. * Ashmole, p. 14. He adds, “ In which respect, the Banneret may be called Vexillarius Minor, as if he were the lesser Banner-bearer, to the end he might be so differenced from the greater, namely, the Baron, to whom properly the right of bearing a square Banner doth appertain.” INTRODUCTION. XXXV Prince and the King, Don Pedro, took the Banner, which was of silver, with a sharp pile gules, between their hands, by the staff, and displayed it, and returned it to him, saying, 4 Sir John, behold your Banner, may God grant that you may do your duty;’ then Sir John Chandos bore his Banner to his own company, and said, 4 Sirs, behold here my Banner and yours, keep it as your own;’ and they took it right joyfully, and said, that by the pleasure of God and Saint George they would keep and defend it to the best of their power; and the Banner remained in the hands of a good English Squire, William Allery, who bore it that day, and acquitted himself well.” 4 When the Army under Thomas of Woodstock Earl of Buckingham, younger son of King Edward the Third, appeared before Troys in France in 1380, heralds were sent to challenge the garrison to battle. Before their return, Sir Thomas Tryvet, a distinguished soldier, presented himself to the Earl of Buckingham, and claimed the dignity of Banneret. Holding his Banner, furled, in his hand, Tryvet said, 4 My Lord, if it please you, I wish in this journey to-day to display my Banner; for, thank God, I have sufficient revenues to maintain the estate as a Banneret ought.’ 4 It pleases us well,’ replied the Earl; and taking the Banner by the staff returned it to him, saying, 4 Sir Thomas, may God grant that 4 “ La apporta Messire Jean Chandos sa Banniere entre ses mains, que encore n’avoit nulle part boutee hors, au Prince, et lui dit, ainsi, ‘ Monseigneur, vecy ma Banniere. Je vous la bailie, par telle maniere qu’il vous plaise, a devellopper, et que aujourd’hui Je la puisse lever ; car Dieu mercy, J’ai bien de quoi, terre et heritage, pour tenir etat ainsi qu’il appar- tient a ce.’ Adonc prit le Prince, et le Roi, Dan Pietre, qui la etoit, la Banniere entre leurs mains, et la developperent, qui etoit d’argent a un pel aiguise de gueles, et lui rendirent par la haste, en disant ainsi, ‘ Tenez, Messire Jean, vecy votre banniere: Dieu vous en laisse votre preu faire.” Froissart par Buchon, Ed. 1837, tome I. p. 534. XXXVI INTRODUCTION. you may do your duty here and elsewhere .’ 4 Tryvet then took his Banner and displayed it, and delivering it to a trusty Esquire rode to the van, pursuant to the command of Lord Latimer the Constable, and Lord Fitzwalter the Marshal; and then the Earl made several Knights .” 5 Ashmole says, “ In later times it appears that he that was advanced to the honour of Banneret in the field, went between two senior Knights, with trumpets before them, the Heralds carrying a long Banner called a Pennon, with his Arms painted thereon; and so was brought unto the King or his Lieutenant, who, bidding him good success, commanded the end or tip of the Banner to be cut off, that of an oblong it might become a square, like the Banner of a Baron : this done, he returned back to his tent, conducted as before .” 6 According to many authorities, the following formulary was observed in creating Bannerets: “ A Knight that is to receive this honour, shall be led between two other Knights before the King or General, bearing his Pennon of Arms in his own hand: and in presence of all the nobility and other captains, the Herald shall say unto the King or his General, these words following : ‘ May it please your Grace, to understand that this gentleman hath shewed himself valiant in the field, and for so doing deserveth to be advanced unto the degree of Knight * “ Dieu vous laist faire votre preu cy, et autre part.” 5 Froissart par Buchon, ed. 1837, tome II. p. 104. 6 Ashmole, p. 42, (Daniel’s “ Histoire de la Milice Fran^oise,” tome II. p. 85,) says, that from the manner of making a Banneret was derived the old proverb, “ Faire de pennon banniere,” to express an advancement from one dignity to a higher. It is remarkable that Froissart, in his account of the creation of Sir John Chandos and Sir Thomas Trivet, should say nothing of cutting off the end of their pennons. INTRODUCTION. XXXVII Banneret, as worthy from henceforth to bear a Banner 7 in the war.’ Then the King or General shall cause the points of his Pennon or Guidon to be rent off, and the new Knight shall go unto his tent conducted between two other Knights, the xx s . Here is to be noted, that no Knight Banneret can be to the standard, as the measure of a weapon of duel ought to be. It is used to make the borne in battle shall be four yards and a half long, and slit at one end.” MS. in the College of Arms. The following remarks on Banners, Standards, and Pennons occur in a curious Treatise on Heraldry, containing unusual or extraordinary bearings, compiled about the 32nd Hen. VI. 1454, in the Harleian MS. 2259, f. 186 b , 187 : “ Every Baronet [i. e. Beast, or thine Helmet, or Crest. A Squire shall not have his Arms in the field displayed, but his Geton or his Standard. Arms shall be in a Pennon as well as in a Banner. And and the Heralds shall rase it out, &c. A King or a Duke when he cometh first into the field shall have his Banner rolled with a lace, and not displayed: and then the eldest Duke Duke xx u , and sic, &c. ; item, when a Knight is made Bannerer in the field, the Heralds In a Banner, Pennon, Geton, &c. the charges should be represented looking towards the Staff on both sides, as if it were transparent, and not as Banners are sometimes painted, with the lion, eagle, or other bearing, looking towards the staff on one side, and towards the end (or, as it is technically termed “ the fly”) of the Banner on the other. (See Nisbet’s System of Heraldry.) A description of various ancient Banners, Standards, &c. will be found in the “ Retrospective Review,” New Series, vol. I. p. 90 et seq. and vol. II. p. 510 trumpets sounding all the way before him, there to receive Fees, viz. to the Heralds iij h vj 3 viij. And if he were before a Knight Bachelor, then he is to pay also unto the trumpeters 7 “ A Banneret’s Banner ought to be three feet square. The old form of the Banner of a Banneret was but two feet square, but now their worship is increased, and therefore they have three feet as a Banner, which feet are to be understood to be in measure according made but in the War and the King present, or when his Stan- i # breadth of a Banner less than the length, but that is without rule. His Standard to be Banneret] and each estate above a Baronet shall have his Banner displayed in the field, if he be Chief Captain. Every Knight shall have his Pennon [which was of a triangular shape]. Every Esquire and Gentleman his Geton or Standard, [which was slit at the end]. Thou shalt set no Arms in a Geton, Standard, nor Streamer, but thy Device and thy though he be Chief Captain, but he may wear his Coat. A Squire shall have no Pennon, when he shall be made Bannerer, the King or the Captain shall make a slit on the Pennon, shall command the Herald to unlace it, and if it be the King’s Banner the fee is xl h , a shall bring him at night to his tent and there they shall have . . . fees.” et seq., and in the “ Excerpta Historica,” pp. 50, 163, 314, 404. I I i I INTRODUCTION. xxxviii dard Royal is displayed in the field. A Banneret thus made, and every estate above him, may bear his Banner displayed if he be a Captain, and set his arms therein as Barons do.” 8 If a Banneret were created in reward of his services, and had not sufficient property to support his dignity, grants were usually made by the Crown for that purpose; thus, in the year 1346, King Edward the Third granted Sir John Coupland, who was created a Banneret for having taken David King of Scots prisoner at the Battle of Neville’s Cross, <£500 per annum out of the Exchequer, to maintain his rank; * 1 to Sir Reginald Cobham 400 marks a year were assigned, in 1336, for the same purpose, 2 together with some lands; and to Sir Thomas Rokeby, a Banneret, 200 marks a year were given, in 1346, for his support. 3 Sir John Lisle, one of the original Knights of the Garter, “ ut ipse statum Baneretti melius manutenere possit,” received £200 a year for life in 1355 ; 4 and various other instances might be adduced, so lately as the reign of King Edward the Sixth. So highly was the dignity of Banneret considered in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, that Bannerets were classed with Barons ; 5 and it is said that the title of Banneret was used 8 “ Honor Military and Civil,” by Sir William Segar, fol. 1602, p. 69. MS. in the College of Arms; and the Harleian MSS. 69, f. 54 ; 1354, f. 17; 1107, f. 75. A somewhat different formulary occurs in the Harleian MS. 6064, f. 69. 1 Pat. 20 Edw. III. p. 2. m. 22. and 29 Edw. III. p. 1. m. 2. The latter Patent is printed in Prynne’s Animadversions on Coke’s Fourth Institute, p. 245. 2 10 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 7. 3 Rot. Claus. 20 Edw. III. p. 2. Ashmole, p. 35. Coke’s Fourth Institute, p. 6. * Rot. Patent, 29 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 29. 5 Thus in the Poll Tax, 2 Ric. II. 1379, when Dukes were assessed at 10 marks, Earls and widows of Earls at £4, “ chescun Baron et Baneret, ou Chivaler qi poet atant des- INTRODUCTION. XXXIX almost synonymously with that of Baron: * * * * * 6 that is to say, Barons were occasionally described as Bannerets, as well in the records of Parliament as elsewhere ; not, however, that Bannerets were ever described as Barons; and by the Statutes of the Garter ordained by King Henry the Fifth, it is provided, that of the nine Knights who, on every vacancy, are to be proposed for election into that Order, three shall be Earls or of greater degree, three Bannerets , and three Bachelors; 7 and in other parts of those Statutes, Bannerets are mentioned where the word “ Barons” occurs in the existing Code. The wages of a Banneret when retained to serve in war, were usually the same as those of a Baron, and double those of a simple Knight; thus, in the reign of King Edward the First, the Bannerets (under which designation all the Barons were included) received exactly twice the daily pay of Knights. 8 In 1310 and 1311, when the wages of a Banneret were four pendre,” were to pay 40s.; and “ chescun Baronesse voeve paera come le Baron, et Banresse come le Baneret,” while Knights, and such Esquires as by the Statute ought to be Knights, and their widows, were to pay 20s.—Rot. Pari. vol. III. pp. 57, 58. By Stat. 13 Ric. II. it was enacted, that if any one sued for a charter of pardon for treason, murder, &c. he should be fined according to the following scale: Archbishops or Dukes, £1000; Bishops or Earls, 1000 marks; Abbot, Prior, Baron, or Banneret, 500 marks; Clerks, Knights Bachelors, or of inferior rank, 200 marks. 6 Selden’s Titles of Honour, pp. 608—^-610, 655—657. Ashmole, p. 274. The Rolls of Parliament of 18 and 46 Edw. III. (vol. II. pp. 146, 309) and of 1, 2, 3, and 5 Ric. II. (vol. III. pp. 11, 32, 73, 100); Reports of the Lords’ Committees on the Dignity of a Peer of the Realm, vol. I. pp. 317, 329, 340, 350, 354 ; and particularly the arguments on the Claim to the Barony of Camois, in the House of Lords, in July and August 1838. Peers, when Bannerets, were, however, sometimes called “ Chivalers,” and sometimes “ Bannerets,” see, in the instance of Richard Lord Scrope of Bolton, Rot. Pari. vol. III. pp. 71, 100, and Rot. Scot. vol. II. pp. 22, 23, 110, 121, 123. 7 Ashmole, p. 274. Vide The History of the Order of the Garter, p. 65. 8 Vide p. xxxi, note, antea, and Liber Quotidianus Contrarotulatoris, 28 Edw. I. 4to. 1787, p. 188 et seq. xl INTRODUCTION. shillings a day, a Knight received only two, and an Esquire one shilling ; * 1 and for the expedition to France under King Henry the Fifth in 1415, the daily wages of each Duke were 13^. 4 d .; of each Earl, 65 . 8 d.; of each Baron and Banneret, 45.; of each Knight, 2 5 .; of each Esquire, being a Man at Arms, I5. ; and of each Archer, 6d. 2 It has been already observed, that at the solemn creation of Knights, with the ceremonies of vigils, bathing, and investiture, those persons who were considered to have the rank of “ Bannerets,” received a larger quantity of cloth for their Robes, and of other articles, than a “ simple Knightand, in the agreements to serve the Crown in war, a Banneret had generally two or more Knights and several Esquires in his retinue, while Earls retained one or more Bannerets, besides Knights and Esquires. Bannerets did not, however, serve under Barons, which is another proof of the equality, in a military point of view, of those dignities; thus, in King Henry the Fifth’s expedition to France, the Duke of Clarence engaged to furnish a retinue of 240 Men at Arms, of whom there were 1 Earl, 2 Bannerets, 14 Knights, 222 Esquires, together with 720 mounted Archers; the Duke of York provided 1 Baron, 4 Knights, 94 Esquires, and 300 mounted Archers; the Earl of Dorset’s retinue consisted of 1 Banneret, 6 Knights, and 92 Esquires; the Duke of Gloucester’s of 200 Men at Arms, viz. 6 Knights, 193 Esquires, and 600 mounted Archers; and that of the Earl of March of 1 Banneret, 3 Knights, and 55 Esquires . 3 * 1 Selden’s Titles of Honour, p. 656, from the Wardrobe Accounts of 4 Edw. II. 2 Foedera, vol. IX. pp. 223, 227, 230. 3 Fcedera, ut supra. History of the Battle of Agincourt, ed. 183!. Appendix. INTRODUCTION. xli Bannerets have been divided, by modern authorities, 4 into two classes; those created under the King’s Banner in a Royal Army, in open war, the King himself being present, and those made under any other circumstances; but this distinction seems to have been unknown in the fourteenth century, for neither Sir John Chandos, nor Sir Thomas Try vet, whose creations are described by Froissart, 5 were made Bannerets when the King was with the Army; and though the former received that honour from the Prince of Wales, the latter was created by the Earl of Buckingham, both being the Sovereign’s Lieutenant. This dignity appears gradually to have lost much of its importance; and it now exists only in name. Bannerets still formed part of the English Army in the reign of King Henry the Eighth, 6 and Sir Ralph Fane, Sir Francis Bryan, and Sir Ralph Sadler were created Bannerets by the Protector Somerset after the battle of Pinkney, in September 1547 ; 7 but Sir Thomas Smith, who wrote in the middle of 4 Vide the regulation for the Precedency of Baronets in 1612. 5 Vide pp. xxxiv—xxxvi. antea. 6 Fourteen Bannerets were in King Edward the Fourth’s Army which invaded Normandy in 1475. King Henry the Seventh made three Bannerets before, and ten after the Battle of Stoke; and several Knights in the Army which landed in France in June 1513, are said to have been then made Bannerets.— Selden’s Titles of Honour, p. 656. Retrospective Review, New Series, vol. II. pp. 516, 519. Hall’s Chronicle, ed. 1809. In February 1529, Sir David Owen, by his will, directed that his body should “ be buried in the Priory of Esseborne after the degree of a Baronet, that is, with helmet and sword, his coat armour, his standard, his pendant, and set over a banner of the Holy Trinity, one of our Lady, and another of Saint George, borne after the order of a man of his degree, and the same to be set over his tomb in the said priory.”— Testamenta Vetusta, vol. II. p. 700. 7 Harleian MS. 6213.—The Protector, by Letters Patent, dated 11th August 1548, was granted, with other extraordinary privileges, the power of creating Barons and Knights • “ Damus et concedimus praedicto avunculo nostro, in absentia nostra, plenam potestatem et auctoritatem quoscunque in armata et exercitu sic congregato, juxta sanam in ea parte dis- f xlii INTRODUCTION. the sixteenth century, if not before, after saying that “ Knights Bannerets are made in the field, with the ceremony of cutting off the point of his Standard, and making it as it were a Banner; he being before a Bachelor Knight, is now of a higher degree, allowed to display his Arms in a Banner as Barons do,” adds, “ but this Order is almost grown out of use in England ;’ M and in the argument on the claim of Baronets to precedency in the year 1612, it was said that “ there are not Bannerets now in being, and peradventure never shall be.” The extinction of Bannerets arose from the change in the manner of raising the English Army, especially after the abolition of feudal tenures. The last time when a Knight Banneret was made in England has not been precisely ascertained; but it is supposed by some that Sir Ralph Sadler, and by others that Sir John Smith, who was Knighted by King Charles the First, at the Battle of Edgehill in October 1642, for having rescued the Royal Standard, was the last person created to that dignity. Unless, however, Sir John Smith’s Banner was delivered to him by His Majesty, with the usual formalities (which is very doubtful), he could not have been made a Banneret. * 1 2 It appears from the preceding observations, that at the cretionem suam, exigentibus eorum meritis, Ordine Militari, Baronis, seu alio quovis Titulo Nobilitatis seu Dignitatis, honorandi et decorandi, eisque Arma et insignia armorum, et Titulos, Dignitatis et Nobilitatis, prout decet, assignandi et concedendi.” Foedera, tome xv. p. 176. Sir Ralph Fane afterwards obtained an annuity from the Crown for the support of his dignity of Baronet. Rot. Patent, 4 Edw. VI. 1 Commonwealth of England, ed. 1621 and 1640, p. 48.—The passage relating to Bannerets does not occur in the editions of 1583 and 1584. 2 Gentleman’s Magazine, vol. lxii. p. 998. The same work (vol. xliii. p. 299) states that as King George the Third Knighted Admirals Pye and Spry, and Captains Knight, Bickerton, and Vernon, on board the Barfleur, which in consequence of His Majesty’s presence then bore the Royal Standard, in June 1773; and that as he conferred the same INTRODUCTION. xliii accession of King Edward the Third, the Dignities of England, below the rank of Baron and Peer of the Realm, consisted of Knighthood of two kinds, namely, Knight Bachelor, or “ simple Knight,” and Knight Banneret, or Banneret; and though Knighthood was sometimes conferred with peculiar ceremonies, of which Bathing was one, those who were thus inaugurated with the honours of Chivalry, did not then, nor till long after, form a distinct class of Knights, under the appellation of “ Knights of the Bath.” Except the investiture with a robe, sword, belt, and spurs at that ceremony, neither the Banneret, nor the Knight Bachelor, wore any Ensign, nor bore any Badge or mark of rank on his person. About the year 1348, King Edward the Third instituted a Noble Fraternity consisting of himself and Twenty-five Knights, whom he designated “ Knights of Saint George,” or of “ the Garter,” each of whom wore a light blue Garter, inscribed with the sentence, “ Hony soyt quy mal y pense,” on his left leg, together with the Arms of Saint George surrounded by a similar Garter, on the left side of a Robe or Mantle; when, for the first time in England (except in Religious Institutions), an Ensign or Badge was worn, as a personal mark of honour, honour on Captain Trollope, who had distinguished himself at the Battle of Camperdown, on board the Royal Charlotte Yacht, then bearing the Royal Standard, in October 1797, those officers became Knights Bannerets ; but this is evidently a mistake, because the Royal Standard was neither displayed in an “ Army Royal,” nor in “ open war nor were Banners delivered to any of those Officers. In 1773 a Pamphlet was printed on this subject, which was reprinted in 1779, entitled, “ A short Inquiry into the Nature of the Titles conferred at Portsmouth and in the Camps by His Majesty, in 1773 and 1778, shewing the Origin and Ancient Privileges of Knight-Banneret” (8vo. pp. 24), and that none of the Officers in question were created Knights Bannerets. It was written by Sir William Fitz Herbert, Bart, and it is said that only twenty-four copies were printed. A copy was not discovered until after the remarks in the text were printed. xliv INTRODUCTION. and as a sign of Brotherhood, which, from being constantly in sight, might stimulate them to observe their oath of loyalty to their Sovereign, and of devotion to the great causes of Religion and Virtue, military as well as moral. “ To what end,” says Ashmole , 1 “ were the Badges of such several Orders devised, but to be distributed as pledges of remembrance, that thereby the sincerity of their love who had united themselves into a Brotherhood (if at any time it should grow cold) might be quickened and renewed, and their friendship increased and established ? so that though human occurrences might occasion a distance between them, as to their persons, yet were these Ornaments as so many remembrances of the faith and oath whereby they were contracted into one body; and consequently of the harmony of minds and affections that ought to be among them.” In the reigns of King Richard the Second and King Henry the Fourth, other personal decorations were established, in the form of Collars, Cognizances, and Badges. These Collars were variously composed, some representing cods of the broom plant, or planta genesta, (in allusion to the surname of the Royal Family), having a white hart suspended to them. Others, and those now best known, consisted of the Letters S.S. the initial of the word ^outienes; while, in the reign of King Edward the Fourth, Collars were made principally of silver roses, having a white lion attached; but to the Collars given by King Richard the Third, a white boar was suspended . 2 These Collars (which were called a Collars of the King’s Livery,” 1 P.49. 2 Retrospective Review, New Series, vol. II. p. 500 et seq. Stothard’s Monumental Effigies, passim. Ashmole, pp. 30, 225. INTRODUCTION. xlv from the liberate under which they were issued from the Great Wardrobe) were granted by the Sovereign to persons of both sexes, and of various ranks, from a Prince of the Blood to an Esquire, not, however, as Ensigns or Symbols of a Knightly Fraternity, but as tokens of the Royal Favour; and they were accepted and worn as pledges of loyalty and attachment. Cognizances and Badges were marks of dependence or servitude, bestowed by the King, the Royal Family, Peers, and other persons of consequence, on their servants and retainers; and they were also used as ornaments on their houses and furniture. Though Badges are often confounded with Crests, there was this simple, but obvious difference between them, that while the former was the mark of servants and retainers, the latter was never assumed by any other person than by a male descendant of the family to which it belonged; and anciently, none but the Commander of an Army, or some other individual of high military rank, was permitted to place a Crest on his helmet . 3 Collars of the King’s Livery continued to be bestowed until the time of King Henry the Seventh (by whom the Collar and George of the Order of the Garter were instituted), and one of them, the Collar of S.S., which would seem from the Statute of King Henry the Eighth before cited , 4 to have been then the peculiar Badge of Knights Bachelors, is still given by the Sovereign, though its use is now confined to the Chief Justices and Chief Baron , 5 the Lord Mayor of London, 3 Archseologia, vol. XXI. * Vide p. xxiii, antea. 5 The use of the Collar of S.S., by the Chief Justices and Chief Baron, is very extraordinary, since a Badge, originally the especial mark of personal dependence on the Sovereign, has thus become one of the Ensigns of an Office, pre-eminently independent of the Crown. xlvi INTRODUCTION. the Kings’ Heralds, Sergeants of Arms, and a few other functionaries. The next instance of Badges being worn as Ensigns of an Order of Knighthood in England, was that of the Order of the Bath ; but although the Knights who were created with various ceremonies of which Bathing was the principal, always received a Robe or Mantle, a Badge does not appear to have formed part of their ornaments until the reign of King James; 6 and it was not regularly established until after the accession of King Charles the First. 7 The Order of the Bath fell into desuetude on the death of King Charles the Second, from which time until the revival of the Order of the Thistle by King James the Second in 1687, and again by Queen Anne, in 1703, the Knights of the Garter were the only Knights in Great Britain distinguished by Decorations or Insignia. King James the First finding that the ancient honour of Knighthood, which his immediate Predecessor bestowed with so much chariness and discrimination, had fallen into disrepute, from the lavish manner in which he had conferred it, and anxious by any means to obtain money, yielded to the suggestions of some unworthy favourite, and in the year 1611 created a new Dignity, called Baronets. The constitution of this Order was as anomalous, as the motives which called it into existence were unworthy of a Sovereign; but the lapse of more than two centuries, together with the birth and wealth, of many, and the merits of some of the persons to whom it has been granted, have fortunately done much towards redeeming its origin. King James appointed Commissioners to treat with 6 History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 35, 36. 7 Ibid. p. 37. INTRODUCTION. xlvii a certain number of such Knights and Esquires as might present themselves with offers of assistance for the service of Ireland, and to signify to such of them as desired to be admitted into the new Order of Baronets, that they must maintain thirty foot soldiers in that country for three years, at eightpence a day each, pay the wages for one year, upon passing their patents, and give bonds for the payment of the remainder. Under this pretence the sum of ,£1,095 was obtained from each purchaser of the new title; and the money thus raised, instead of being appropriated to the service of the State, was expended on, as it was always in fact designed for, the King’s private purposes. None but “ men of quality, state of living, and good reputation,” descended from a paternal grandfather who bore Arms, and worth £1000 per annum, were, however, to be chosen. Though King James covenanted that the Baronets of England should never exceed two hundred, and that neither he nor his successors would fill up any vacancy which might occur in that number, yet this fundamental principle of the Order has been so completely disregarded, that the Dignity has been conferred upon no less than 1660 persons. Without being Knights, the Baronets were to enjoy the title, and some of the distinctions of Knighthood, which were to be Hereditary in the heirs male of their bodies; and the King promised to Knight such of the newly made Baronets as had not already received that honour, as well as their heirs apparent for ever, on the latter becoming of age. The Baronets were to have precedency of all Knights, as well of the Bath, as Knights Bachelors, and of all Knights Bannerets, except those made under the King’s Banner, in a Royal ArmjN in open war, the King himself being present. King James xlviii INTRODUCTION. also improvidently engaged that neither He nor any of his Successors would institute any Degree, Order, or Dignity, or assign Precedency to any person whatsoever, under the rank of Lords of Parliament of England, which should be higher than, or equal to that of the Baronets. These, with some other privileges, were carefully and specially assigned to them by three distinct Instruments, viz. the Patents of their Creation, in May 1611; a Decree under the Great Seal, in May 1612; and another Decree, in the year 1616: so that the rights, privileges, and distinctions of Baronets have been settled in the most complete and unambiguous manner by their Royal Founder himself, after repeated disputes, and learned arguments. Yet even under such conclusive circumstances, attempts have recently been made to establish a claim to various “ rights, privileges, and distinctions,” of which some are absurd, others extravagant, and all (except perhaps the Knighthood of the heirs apparent of each existing Baronet of an old creation) unjustified by precedent, by analogy, by public convenience, or by the declared design and intention of the creator of the Order. In the year 1625, King Charles the First made several Baronets of Nova Scotia, for the advancement of that Colony; and in 1629 His Majesty authorized such Baronets of Nova Scotia as had then been created, and their heirs male, to wear a particular Badge or Cognizance. - Besides the Knights of the Garter, Bath, and Thistle, and the Baronets of Nova Scotia, a few functionaries in England and Scotland also wore a Badge; for instance, the Kings of Arms, the Officers of the Orders of the Garter and Thistle, and the King’s Messengers. INTRODUCTION. xlix Though never carried into effect, it is proper to observe, that King Charles the Second, immediately after his Restoration, entertained the intention of Instituting an Order of Knighthood, for those persons of rank and fortune who had supported the Royal Cause during the Rebellion, which was to be called The Order of the Royal Oak. The Knights were to wear a silver Medal or Badge (having thereon a representation of the King in an Oak tree), pendent to a Ribband about their necks; and a list of 687 persons, who were to have received the Order, was compiled, (arranged in Counties, with the value of their estates annexed), among whom were several Baronets and Knights. But the design was abandoned, lest the existence of such an Order, and the public exhibition of the Badge, should excite those party feelings and political animosities which it was the object of the Government to soothe and extinguish. 1 In 1725, King George the First revived, as it was termed, the Order of the Bath, but little of the original Institution, except the most objectionable parts, was retained; that is to say, a Name which was wholly inappropriate; a Motto and Ensigns that conveyed no obvious meaning, and inculcated no moral or patriotic duty; and Ceremonies which were so inconsistent with the feelings of the age, that they were never even intended to be performed. The new Order was to consist of the Sovereign, a Great Master, and Thirty-six other Companions; but, from the practice of making Extra 1 The List alluded to is printed in “The English Baronetage,” ed. 1741, vol. V. p. 363, from a MS. that belonged to Peter le Neve, Norroy King of Arms, then in the collection of Mr. Joseph Ames, and was reprinted with Dugdale’s Ancient Usage of Arms, and other Heraldic tracts, by T. C. Banks, Esq. folio, 1812. g 1 INTRODUCTION. Knights, which commenced in 1772, and which in consequence of the success of His Majesty’s Arms, became common between the years 1802 and 1814, the number of Extra Knights of the Bath at length amounted to twenty-two. In 1783, King George the Third established an Order of Knighthood for Ireland, to consist of the Sovereign, a Grand Master, (who was not, however, to be one of the Knights) and fifteen Knights Companions, called The Order of Saint Patrick, which was intended to become in that Kingdom, what the Garter was in England, and the Order of the Thistle in Scotland, namely, a Distinction to be given only to Peers. By the creation of Extra Knights of the Order of Saint Patrick, the number was increased to twenty-one in July 1821; and in 1833 it was permanently fixed at Twenty-two Knights. In 1815, the Order of the Bath was placed on an entirely new foundation; and for the first time in England, an Order was made to consist of more than one degree of rank, and of more than one class of members. This alteration was copied from other European States, most of which had one or more of its Orders divided into separate, and usually into three classes, called “ Knights Grand Cross,” “ Knights Commanders,” and “ Knightsbut sometimes into four, and even into five classes, the various degrees being designated simply by the number of the class. The first instance 2 of an Order, strictly military, being thus divided into classes, appears to have 2 Religious Orders, and those which were both Religious and Military, like the Knights Templars and the Knights of St. John, commonly called Knights of Malta, however, always consisted of classes, inasmuch as every person belonging to them was a member of the Fraternity. Ashmole (p. 65) says, of “ The Order of the Constantinian Angelick Knights of Saint George in Greece, but now in Italy,” that “ Amongst these Knights are three degrees, the first are called Collared , or Grand Crosses; these wear a Collar formed of Labarums, INTRODUCTION. Ii been that of Saint Louis of France, which was founded by King Louis the Fourteenth, in 1693; and the next, the Order of Maria Teresa of Austria, in 1757. But the custom soon afterwards became almost universal on the Continent, upon the principle that as there were various kinds and various degrees of merit, it was the duty of a beneficent Sovereign to provide corresponding kinds and degrees of reward, so that every one who had, in any capacity, benefitted his Country, might, by receiving an honourable testimony of his Prince’s favour, be stimulated to greater exertions, and afford an example to other members of the Community. The Order of the Bath, in its enlarged form, was intended to consist of Seventy-two Knights Grand Cross (exclusive of the Sovereign and Princes of the Blood Royal), One hundred and eighty Knights Commanders, -and of an unlimited number of Companions. Various alterations have since been made in the Order, which, together with the extraordinary anomalies and inconsistencies that prevail in the Institution, are fully described in its History. The Order of the Bath now * * 3 consists of 103 Knights Grand Cross, 158 Knights Commanders, and about 485 Companions. In 1815, the Prince Regent instituted an Order for the Kingdom of Hanover, called the Order of the Guelphs, of three classes, Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commanders, and Knights; but as it was alwa}^s a Foreign Order, it would whereat depends the figure of the Cross, and St. George; the second are the Knights , and these wear the Cross as is above described; the third are Servants, and they bear the Cross, only wanting the upper arm of it, and the Labarum. The Priests wear the like Cross with the Knights." See also the account of that Order in the “ Historic Chrono- logiche della vera origine di tutti gl’ Ordine Equestri e Religioni Cavalleresche, da Bernardo Guistiniano, 4to. Venice, 1672, p. 22. 3 On the 1st of March 1841. at. lii INTRODUCTION. not have been noticed in this work, had it not been conferred on many hundreds of British Subjects. The last British Order that has been created, is that of Saint Michael and Saint George, which is composed of the Sovereign, and the Grand Master, and of three classes, viz. Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commanders, and Cavalieri or Companions. It was instituted in April 1818, to reward natives of the Island of Malta, and of the United States of the Seven Ionian Islands, (which had been placed under the protection of Great Britain, by the Treaty of Paris, in November 1815), and it is also conferred for services rendered in the Mediterranean, or to the Ionian States. It now contains Twenty- seven Knights Grand Cross, Twenty Knights Commanders, and Twenty-five Cavalieri or Companions. Besides the Insignia of Orders of Knighthood, other Decorations have been given by the Sovereign to Officers of the Navy and Army; namely, Gold Medals, Crosses, and Clasps, each bearing the name of the person, and of the battle or event in which he had distinguished himself. These Medals or Decorations have been granted to nearly 970 Officers. There are also three Silver Medals, viz. the one which was given to every Officer and private Soldier engaged in the memorable conflicts of the 16th, and in the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815; and the two Medals instituted in 1830, one, to reward the long and faithful services of Non Commissioned Officers and Privates of the Army, and the other, those of the Petty Officers and Seamen of the RoyaJ Navy, and the Non Commissioned Officers and Privates of the Royal Marines. To this account of the various Orders and Decorations that have existed, or still exist in this Country, some observations INTRODUCTION. liii will be submitted respecting the principle upon which they have been, and are now bestowed, their present state, and the comparative numbers of Decorated persons with the population. The Order of the Garter, though originally intended for Knights Bachelors as well as for Peers, has for a long period been conferred only on the Royal Family, on Foreign Princes, and on the Nobility, not below the rank of Yiscount. The Order of the Thistle has been bestowed only on Peers, of whom not more than two or three, at any one time, have been others than Peers of Scotland. The Order of Saint Patrick has been confined strictty to those of Ireland, usually not beneath the degree of Earl. Thus, the three principal Orders are conferred only on Members, and generally of the higher ranks, of the Peerage. The Order of the Bath, on its revival in 1725, was given to thirty-seven individuals (of whom ten were Peers), supporters of the administration of Sir Robert Walpole, and was not then made the reward of distinguished services to the Crown. Twenty years afterwards, the Order was, however, frequently bestowed upon Officers of the Navy and Army for their conduct against the enemy, and on Ambassadors, and Ministers Plenipotentiary, since which time it gradually became the peculiar recompense of Military merit and Diplomatic services. Among many other well known Historical names, its Ensigns have graced the persons of Blakeney, Pocock, Amherst, Clive, Draper, Clinton, Harris, Rodney, Jervis, Eliott, Hood, Aber- cromby, Keith, Nelson, Duckworth, Saumarez, Wellesley, Stuart, Keats, Baird, Cochrane, Beresford, Graham, Hill, Cotton, Picton, Stewart, and Pakenham. But instead of having IV INTRODUCTION. been always given to successful Admirals or Generals who commanded in chief, it was often used as an inferior or secondary reward; for when a Peerage or a Baronetcy was granted to the superior Officers, the Red Ribband was conferred upon the second, the third, or the fourth in command. Thus, for the great Battle of the 1st of June 1794, none of the Admirals were appointed Knights of the Bath, because Earl Howe waited for a vacant Garter, the second and third in command (the latter of whom was already a Knight of the Bath) obtained Irish Peerages, and the three other Flag Officers, and the Captain of the Fleet were made Baronets. For the victory off Cape St. Vincent, in February 1797, the Commander in Chief, Sir John Jervis, was created an Earl; two of the Admirals were made Baronets, and that dignity having been declined by the other Admiral, because, as the son of an Earl he already possessed higher rank, he was afterwards created a Peer of Ireland, while Commodore Nelson, the fifth in command, was Invested with the Red Ribband. The Vice Admiral who was second in command at the Battle of Cam- perdown (at which only two Flag Officers were present) was made a Baronet; and his Chief, a Viscount. As there was no other Admiral at the Battle of the Nile than the Rear Admiral who commanded the British Squadron, Knighthood, and Medals were the only Honours conferred, except the Peerage to Sir Horatio Nelson. After the Battle of Trafalgar, Vice Admiral Collingwood (who succeeded to the command on the death of Lord Nelson) was raised to the Peerage, and never received the Order of the Bath; but which was conferred upon Rear Admiral the Earl of Northesk, the next Officer in command. INTRODUCTION. lv That the highest Military Order of this Country should always form one of the Distinctions bestowed upon an Admiral or General who gains a Victory, is a proposition that seems too obvious to require any remarks; and its propriety is shewn by the usage of every other Nation, of which the Orders of Saint George of Russia, and Maria Teresa of Austria (the Grand Cross of either being the highest object of a Soldier’s ambition), are striking instances. The feelings of the immortal Nelson on this subject 1 are those which actuate the Army and Navy generally; and it is scarcely too much to say, that the character and efficiency of the Services will mainly depend upon the encouragement and gratification of such sentiments. The propriety of making the Order of the Bath, after it 1 On a friend saying to Nelson, the day after the Battle of St. Vincent, that the Admiral, of course, would be made a Peer, and his seconds in command noticed accordingly ; and that “ as for you, Commodore, they will make you a Baronet,” the word was scarcely uttered, when placing his hand on the speaker’s arm, and looking him most expressively in the face, he said, “ No, no ; if they want to mark my services, it must not be in that manner.” His friend then said, “ Oh, you wish to be made a Knight of the Bath,” when Nelson instantly answered, “ Yes; if my services have been of any value, let them be noticed in a way that the public may know them.” The hero’s wish was gratified, but there not being a vacant Stall, he was nominated an Extra Knight of the Bath; and having won all his honours in victory, he insisted, with true Chivalrous spirit, upon wearing them in, what he felt would be, his last Battle.—“ A Narrative of the Battle of St. Vincent, with Anecdotes of Nelson before and after that Battle,” by Colonel Drinkwater Bethune, 8vo. 1840, p. 87. A similar feeling animated Lord Collingwood, whose mind might be supposed to have been of too solid a character, to care for personal distinctions. In a Letter to his Wife, written soon after the battle of Trafalgar, while it was doubtful whether Medals would be granted for that Victory, and alluding to his pension he said, “ To possess riches is not the object of my ambition ; but I was in hope I should have got another Medal; of that, indeed, I was ambitiousand when informed that Medals were to be given, he thus expressed his satisfaction: “ We are to have the Medals for the last Action, and I do not despair of getting another soon. I am the only Officer in the service with three.”—Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, ed. 1837, vol. I. pp. 309, 321. Ivi INTRODUCTION. became essentially a Military Order, one of the rewards of Officers who signalized themselves, notwithstanding they might have received other honours, was felt, and to a great extent acted upon, on the extension of the Order in 1815, by the Grand Cross having then been given to Admirals Viscount Hood, Sir Richard Onslow, Bart., Lord Radstock, Sir Roger Curtis, Bart., and to General Sir Robert Brownrigg, Bart.; and at the Coronation of King George the Fourth, to General Sir Henry Johnson, Bart., Admiral Sir Charles Henry Knowles, Bart., Generals Lord Harris, Sir Banastre Tarleton, Bart., Sir George Hewett, Bart., and Sir Hildebrand Oakes, Bart. * 4 Although the Order was rendered essentially Military in 1815, it was, nevertheless, permitted to retain so much of its Civil character, as to allow of the nomination of twelve Knights Grand Cross, (being one sixth part of the whole), “ in consideration of eminent services rendered to the State by British Subjects, in Civil and Diplomatic employmentsbut the number of twelve has always been exceeded, and there are now twenty-five Civil Knights Grand Cross, being just one fourth of the First Class of the Order. It is unnecessary to repeat here what has been submitted in the History of the Order of the Bath, 5 on the exclusion of all other kinds of services or merits from its honours, than those for which it is now bestowed; or to comment further upon the fact that an Officer may have served with brilliant distinction, have been present in many battles, and have been * See some remarks on these appointments in the History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 133, 151, 152, 263. 5 Ibid. “ General Remarks,” p. 266 et passim. • .Tt-l'll'. 6 M; INTRODUCTION. lvii severely wounded, without receiving even the lowest of the Military Classes of that Order. The following statement shews the number of Natives of this Kingdom who are Members of British Orders, of those who wear Decorations given by the Sovereign for Military or Naval Services, and of those who have been permitted to accept Foreign Orders : BRITISH ORDERS. Knights of the Garter .39 Thistle.16 Saint Patrick.22 C Grand Crosses . . . . 103 Knights of the Bath . . \ Commanders.158 > . . 746 t Companions. 485 J T , „ ,, f Grand Crosses .... 27 Knights of Saint Michael i f „ „ a Commanders.20 > . . 72 and Saint George ..i„ ... . ~ ^ i l Cavalieri and Companions. 25 J Members of British Orders. 895. Naval and Military Medals and Crosses (exclusive of the Waterloo Medal), about.350 1245 FOREIGN ORDERS. Order of the Guelphs Grand Crosses Commanders . Knights . . . 103 4 . 130 > . . 565 . 332 ) Other Foreign Orders, about 330 Grand Total, about .... 2140 h lviii INTRODUCTION. From this number of 2140, a large deduction (at least 500) must be made for persons on whom more than one of those Distinctions have been conferred; so that in a population of 25,000,000 (exclusive of the Colonies and of India) there are not above 1600 individuals who wear a Decoration of any kind whatever (except the Waterloo Medal), being about one in 15,000 of the whole population, and not so much as one in 4000 of adult males. But this calculation does not shew the exact state of the case. Of British Orders of Knighthood, strictly speaking, there are only 895 Members (of whom upwards of 20 belong to two Orders, and above 60 are natives of other States), being about one in 30,000 of the whole population, and one in 8000 of adult males. Moreover, of the 895 Members of British Orders, above one half do not bear the title of “ Sir,” (the distinctive appellation of Knighthood); and of the whole number, the Army and Navy possess about 730 Crosses of the Bath, and 20 of Saint Michael and Saint George; together with all the Medals and Military Crosses, and likewise (with few exceptions) all the Foreign Orders, which are permitted to be worn in this Country. The number of Peers of Great Britain and Ireland is about 570, and of Baronets about 900. Of Knights Bachelors, including those made by the Lords Lieutenant of Ireland, there are about 450, in which calculation the Knights of the Garter, Thistle, and Saint Patrick, and the Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders of the Bath and Saint Michael and Saint George are not included; but it comprehends many persons who are Companions of those Orders, or who are Knights of the Order of the Guelphs. Thus, the number of individuals INTRODUCTION. lix possessed of Hereditary Honours 1 is larger than of those who wear Distinctions given by their own Sovereign, and very much greater than the Members of the Orders of Knighthood. In the Statutes of the Orders of the Garter, the Thistle, the Bath, and Saint Patrick, essential alterations are necessary to render them consistent with the actual state of those Institutions. As the original Statutes of the Garter are adapted neither to the religion nor to the customs of the present age, they have been changed or modified by no less than forty-six additional Ordinances. The Statutes of the Thistle are extremely imperfect, while those of Saint Patrick, though compiled so recently as in 1783, were formed, as nearly as possible, upon the Statutes of the Garter and Bath, and thus contain many enactments suited only to former ages. The Statutes of the Order of the Bath, as has been already said, command things to be done, which however proper in the thirteenth, could not possibly be performed in the nineteenth century. But though that Order was placed on an entirely new foundation in 1815, not one of the necessary legal Instruments has yet been executed. Nor is there a single regulation for the government of the Order, in its present condition; and the two additional Classes of “ Knights Commanders” and “ Companions” are not even mentioned in the Statutes. Although twice the subject of Debate in the House of Commons, no measures have yet been carried into effect to establish the Order, legally and efficiently; nor to abolish those Fees, which were justly described by a Minister of the ) 1 A large proportion of the Titles borne in England have no legal existence, being derived only from courtesy, in the instance of the sons and daughters of Peers. ■i lx INTRODUCTION. Crown, in the year 1834, “ as a National grievance and a National dishonour.” That the anomalies and inconveniences which prevail in four of the Orders, should not long since have been removed, is the more surprising, because it would occasion neither trouble, difficulty, nor much expense; and without presuming in this place to state all the reasons which render such changes desirable, to point out what is required, or to suggest the best means of effecting the alterations, it may be submitted, whether the existing defects do not tend to impair the dignity of the Institutions, and to lessen the value of the Honours which the Crown is pleased to bestow ? If, in reply to these observations, it be said, that an exaggerated value is here attached to Orders of Knighthood; that it matters little in what condition they remain, or how absurd or how inconsistent may be their Statutes; that the difference between their practical administration and their constitution, is altogether immaterial; that it is of no consequence, whether the instruments required by law, for their existence, have or have not been duly executed; or whether the Orders be governed by fixed rules, (to be modified or changed, only in a legal manner), or be subjected to whatever innovations the exigency of any particular circumstances may be supposed to require, the proper answer would seem to be this :—that, if well founded, these might indeed be reasons for the discontinuance of such Institutions; but that so long as they do exist, they will be worse than useless, unless the Government consider them of high importance, and manifest that opinion in every act relating to them. INTRODUCTION. lxi But although the inconsistencies in the Statutes, and the absence of a great and comprehensive principle in the appropriation of the British Orders of Knighthood, might almost create the inference that such Institution are altogether unnecessary, who that reverences the Constitution, and desires that the Throne shall always possess its legitimate influence and power, would wish the abolition of one of the most graceful, most ancient, and (when carefully and wisely administered) most useful attributes of the Crown, which gratifies ambition without danger or inconvenience to the State, and enables the Sovereign to reward merit without expense to the people. 10th March 1841. Since the completion of the following History a valuable Work has appeared, entitled “ Memorials of the Order of the Garter, from its foundation to the present time, with Biographical Notices of the Knights in the reigns of Edward III. and Richard II., by George Frederick Beltz, K. H. Lancaster Herald.” As the professional reputation of Mr. Beltz, and his extensive researches on the subject, entitled the “ Memorials” to immediate attention, the Author lost no time in examining his statements and authorities. % It is observed, in a subsequent page, that the principal ©. i lxii INTRODUCTION. sources of information on the Order of the Garter, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, are the notices in the Accounts of the King’s Great Wardrobe, of Robes issued annually to the Companions for the Feast of Saint George; a veiy extensive series of which Accounts is preserved in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer. To that repository the Author did not fail to obtain access; and, having carefully examined all the Wardrobe Accounts which were produced to him, he felt persuaded that he had seen every document of that description which the Office was known to contain. His surprise was, therefore, extremely great on opening “ The Memorials,” to find that Mr. Beltz had been so fortunate as to see several Wardrobe Accounts in the Queen’s Remembrancer’s Office which had not been shown to him, containing many new facts respecting the names and dates of election of the Knights, in the reigns of King Edward the Third and King Richard the Second. It therefore became necessary to make a second investigation in that repository; and, after a long and fruitless correspondence with the Reverend Joseph Hunter, the Assistant- Keeper, and an official complaint to the Keeper-General, a positive order was issued to Mr. Hunter to “ communicate to him all the information contained in his descriptions of documents in the Office; to produce to him all known documents which, by their titles, or otherwise, are designated as containing information respecting the Order of the Garter; and to inform him of all the several classes or series of Records, which, to the best of his knowledge, might contain information respecting the Order of the Garter, its Knights, and Ladies.” INTRODUCTION. lxiii Furnished with this authority, the Author has recently made a laborious examination of every known document in the Queen’s Remembrancers- Office, which was at all likely to afford information respecting the Order of the Garter. Not only have all records, of which the dates and contents are ascertained, been inspected, but more than two thousand “Fragments” (as many undescribed Rolls are absurdly called,) have been examined; and much valuable and original information obtained. Besides the Wardrobe Accounts cited in Mr. Beltz’s “ Memorials,” which were neither seen by Ashmole nor Anstis, nor produced to the Author on his first inquiry, important particulars have been discovered in other similar records, illustrative of the Institution, which it is highly desirable should be prefixed to, or incorporated with its History. But there are other circumstances which seem to justify such additions. It is the Author’s misfortune to differ entirely from the opinions expressed by the writer of the “ Memorials” respecting the two most important facts in the history of the Noble Fraternity, viz. the date and the cause of its foundation. The respect due to Mr. Beltz’s abilities, and to the length of time and great research which he has employed on those points, requires that the view taken of them in the following pages should be supported by the additional evidence since brought to light. It is also proper to give this Work the advantage of the few original facts which have rewarded Mr. Beltz’s labours, (besides those derived from the Wardrobe Accounts,) all of which are thankfully attributed to their immediate source. The greater part of those facts were obtained by Mr. Beltz from the Registers of the Order in the custody of the Registrar, the lxiv INTRODUCTION. Honourable and Reverend Dr. Hobart, Dean of Windsor; and the Author consequently feels that he has additional cause to be dissatisfied with that gentleman’s conduct towards him. His application for leave to inspect those Registers was refused by Dr. Hobart, because he was not, he said, justified, in permitting them to be consulted; yet, it now appears that he had afforded to another writer on the Order the fullest access to all the manuscripts in question. Difficulties have arisen as to the best mode of presenting the new matter; but it seemed most advisable to introduce all that relates to the Foundation of the Order into this Supplement to the Introduction, inserting at the same time other facts particularly deserving of attention; to write anew the history of the Fraternity during part of the reign of King Edward the Third, and under King Richard the Second, King Henry the Fourth, and King Henry the Fifth; 1 to reprint the Catalogue of the Knights and Officers ; 2 and to insert a Chronological List of all the Ladies who are recorded to have belonged to the Society, (the names of some of whom have only now been discovered 3 ); to give references to all such Wardrobe Accounts since the year 1340, as have been examined, 1 The cancelled pages of the text are those beginning with page 39, and ending with page 66, and pages 91 to 94, all of which are distinguished from the former cancels by the letter in the lower corner. 2 As it was necessary, in consequence of the discovery of Records, to cancel a few pages of these Lists, it was thought better to reprint the whole Catalogue, so as to introduce all other corrections, and thus to render it the most full and accurate List of the Knights of the Garter yet published. Where a discrepancy is found between the text, after p. 66, (except from p. 91 to p. 94,) and the Lists, the statements in the latter are to be preferred. 3 Some variations will be found between the Catalogue and the Account of the Ladies of the Fraternity in pp.484—504, but the statements in the Catalogue are the most accurate. *4. \Z. H T M ! 1 : " d; | • -i i; -y. - >*. INTRODUCTION. lxv * together with lists of the persons to whom Robes of the Order are stated to have been issued. New Notes will also be found on the Windsor Tables; on Stall Plates; and on the nature and character of Wardrobe Accounts, chiefly in relation to the election, in the reign of King Henry the Fourth, of Henry the Third King of Spain, and Sir John Arundell, (whose names do not occur in any other Catalogue of the Knights), and of Thomas Earl of Salisbury. These alterations and additions render the more important parts of this History of the Garter, in point of fact, a new edition. They are the result of several months’ labour, and of much pecuniary expense; and, it is impossible to refrain from observing that this sacrifice of time and money would have been spared if two public functionaries had not withheld information, which it was the duty of the one to have afforded, and which might have been fairly expected from the other. Many essential and most valuable improvements have recently been made in the system of keeping the Public Muniments, but neither these changes, nor the intention of the Legislature, nor the wish of the Keeper-General that the Records shall be completely available, will be of much practical service unless the Assistant Keepers are equally animated by the desire of facilitating historical inquiries. The result of a full consideration of all the authorities discovered previously to the Author’s more recent inquiries, as stated in the following pages, 4 was, that though it be not impossible that King Edward the Third might, as Froissart asserts, have determined to found a Chivalrous Fraternity in 1344, in * Vide pp. 1 —16, postea. INTRODUCTION. lx vi January of which year, he invited Knights of all Countries to Jousts at Windsor, when he revived the Feast of the Round Table, 5 yet that the details of the Order of the Garter were not settled, (even if the Institution itself was contemplated,) the Companions appointed, nor the Name or Ensign established, until the latter part of 1347, or early in 1348. Ashmole and the Statutes of the Order, fix its date to Saint George’s Day, 23 Edw. III. 1349, while Selden and Anstis follow Froissart, by assigning the Foundation to the 23rd of April, 18 Edw. III. 1344. Another supporter of Froissart, Selden, and Anstis has now appeared in Mr. Beltz, who considers not only that the Fraternity was founded in 1344, but, that it was then so completely organized that all the Companions had been chosen, and that they attended the Feast of Saint George in that year. 6 This view of the subject is not, however, supported by any new 5 Qf « Th e R oun( J Table” it may be observed, first, that whatever may have been the original signification of the term, it was certainly applied in the thirteenth century to the place at which Jousts were held, and thence to the Jousts themselves. Matthew Paris relates, that in 1252, certain Knights desirous of proving their skill and courage, unanimously agreed to meet “ Non ufc in hastiludio illo, quod communiter et vulgariter Torneamentum dicitur, sed potius in illo ludo militari, qui Mensa Rotunda dicitur, vires suas attentarent.” Walsingham asserts, that in 1280, Roger Mortimer “ apud Kelingworthe ludum militarem, quem vocant Rotundam Tabulam, 100 militum ac tot dominarum constituit;” and that in 1344, King Edward the Third, “ fecit convocari plures artifices ad Castrum de Windesore et cepit aedificare domum quae Rotunda Tabula vocaretur,” See. and, after giving its dimensions, he adds, that Philip King of France erected a similar Round Table, Vide pp. 7, 8, 9, postea, where other writers are quoted to shew that the “ Round Table” was a large building, and not, as is commonly supposed, merely a Round Table at which guests sat at dinner. In a Patent of the 18 Edw. III. 1345,'(Vide p. 17, postea, and the Additional Notes) Jousts are mentioned as synonymous with a Round Table, “ pretextu Tabule Rotunde vel Justarum.'''’ 6 “ Memorials,” pp. xxxiii. xl. and in the Memoirs of the First Knights Founders, pp. 21, 29, 30, 37, 40, 43, 49, et passim. INTRODUCTION. Ixvii evidence, but was merely formed on a concentration of that “ which has descended to us upon the point.” 7 It is beyond dispute, that Garters with the Motto ©ong soit qe mal g pense were worn on the habits of the King and of several Knights at Jousts, towards the close of 1347 ; 8 and that the Order was in existence in 1348, is shewn by the Letters Patent relating to the Poyal Chapel at Windsor in August of that year, 9 and by the Prince of Wales having in November following given “ twenty-four Garters to the Knights of the Society of the Garter.” 1 The hypothesis of Ashmole, and the date in the Statutes are therefore proved to be erroneous; and the question lies between the date of 1344 and 1348. That the Order was not instituted before 1346, is shewn, it is submitted, by the following conclusive facts. There can be no doubt, that at the time of their election, all the Members of the Fraternity were Knights. The Society being a Knightly Association, it must obviously have consisted entirely of Knights , to which no one unless actually a Knight, could possibly have belonged. In the earliest description of the Fraternity yet discovered, they were accordingly called “ Knights of the Society of the Garter 1 and the Statutes expressly provide, that no one should be elected unless he were a Knight . 2 It follows, therefore, that the period at which any one of the 7 Ibid. p. xxx. 8 Vide p. 13, and Appendix, p. vi.— viii. postea. 9 Vide p. 14, postea. 1 “ Memorials,” pp. xxxii. 385. 2 Vide pp. 26 and 137, postea. Mr. Beltz’s remark, (Memorials, p. xl.) “ that the earliest copy of the Statutes now extant is of the reign of King Henry the Fifth, and that the Statutes of the Foundation may not have contained the condition of previous Knighthood,” is not, for the reasons stated in the text, entitled to any weight. lxviii INTRODUCTION. Companions can be proved to have received Knighthood, must have preceded his election into the Order; and consequently, that the Order could not have been completely established before the time when all the original Companions, or as they are termed, “ First Knights Founders,” were 3 This objection to the year 1344 being the date of the Institution, is alluded to by Mr. Beltz; and as the time of the Knighthood of the Prince, and of some of the original Companions, seems decisive of the question, it is proper to notice the manner in which he explains away the circumstance. He says, “ An argument, of more apparent force than any other, might be raised against the foundation in 1344, from the Knighthood of the Black Prince on his landing at La Hogue, on the 12th July 1346, and the conferring of the same honour immediately afterwards by himself upon the Earl of Salisbury and Sir Roger Mortimer, his young companions in arms, and who were also Founders of the Order of the Garter. If Knighthood was, according to the second Statute, a necessary qualification for admission into it, then the Prince and his two companions receiving Knighthood in 1346, were, at the time of such reception, not already Knights of the Order; and the Order had, therefore, not been founded at that date. But it is clear, from the public records, that the object of the Knighthood of the Prince upon that occasion was, to enable his royal father to claim from his subjects the accustomed aid due upon the Knighthood of the King’s eldest son ; an aid which, by the Statute of Westminster, could not be levied until the heir apparent had completed his fifteenth year. The ceremony in question, at La Hogue, does not, therefore, preclude the supposition that the young heroes had previously been honoured with the degree of Knight Bachelor; and that they were, on so memorable an occasion, and as a stimulus to their exertions at their entrance upon the theatre of war, advanced to the rank of Banneret. As it was a maxim in Chivalry that none but a Knight could confer the dignity of Knighthood, and as it is stated, that Prince Edward, upon being created Duke of Cornwall in 1337, (in the seventh year of his age), made twenty new Knights, we must presume that he had himself been Knighted in his early infancy; a custom prevalent not only at that period, but in our own times, in the families of Sovereign Princes.” (Memorials, pp. xl. xli.) Several examples are then cited of young Princes having been Knighted at a very early age; and Stowe, p. 233, Holinshed, p. 900, and Barnes’ Life of Edward III. p. 113, are quoted by Mr. Beltz, as authorities for the Prince of Wales having been Knighted in or before 1337. The hypothesis of the double Knighthood of any person in the fourteenth century, is too extraordinary to require refutation. On examining the authorities referred to, it however appears, that Barnes is the only one of them who says that the Prince of Wales Knighted persons in 1337, for w'hich statement he refers to Stowe, Holinshed, and Adam de Muri- muth, a contemporary Chronicler; but, as might reasonably be expected, neither of those writers state that the Prince of Wales conferred Knighthood on any persons in 1337; for INTRODUCTION. lxix Knighted. By applying this argument to the original Companions, it will be manifest that some of them were not elected until after July 1346, so that it is impossible that the first Feast of the Order could, as Froissart asserts, and as Mr. Beltz believes, have been held on Saint George’s day in 1344. 9 both Murimuth and Stowe say, that the persons who then received that distinction were Knighted by the King, while Holinshed merely observes that “ twenty Knights were made.” The idea that instead of being only Knighted in July 1346, the Prince of Wales might have been made a Banneret, seems equally unfounded. The rank of Knight was quite distinct from that of Banneret; and the aid due to the Crown was on making the King's eldest son a Knight, and not a Banneret. Moreover, the degree of Banneret was never conferred on a person above the rank of Baron; and a Prince of Wales would no more have been created a Banneret in 1346, than a Baronet in 1841. All authorities define a Banneret to be “ the last among the greatest, viz. nobilium majorum , or the first within those of the second rank, and is placed in the middle between the Barons and the other Knights .” (Vide pp. xxxii.—xliii. antea). In the Memoir of the Prince of Wales, Mr. Beltz has, however, abandoned the theory of the Prince’s having been twice Knighted or made a Banneret; but he there considers that he was elected into the Order of the Garter before he was Knighted. After saying, that “ although the Prince was included amongst the Founders” in 1344, he observes that, “ the honour of Knighthood was reserved for the moment when he should be armed and thereby qualified to enter upon his warlike course. This occasion presented itself when, accompanying the King on his memorable expedition against France, he landed at La Hogue on the 12th of July 1346.” (Memorials, p. 13.) Nor is it more likely that the Earls of Salisbury and March were made Bannerets in 1346, than that the Prince of Wales should have been so created. Both were by birth entitled to a much higher rank; and both were too young to have obtained a station which required great military experience. In his memoirs of those noblemen, Mr. Beltz merely says, that the Earl of Salisbury “ received Knighthood, if not the degree of Banneret, upon landing at La Hogueand of the Earl of March that he was one of the Founders of the Garter in 1344, “ and having, two years afterwards, in 1346, attended the King and the Prince of Wales on their brilliant expedition into France, he is said to have received Knighthood upon their landing at La Hogue, either from the hands of the Sovereign or those of the young Prince, immediately after his own investiture with that dignity,” (pp. 37, 40.) Neither the time of Sir Henry Eam’s Knighthood, nor the omission of the title of “ Knight” to the name of Sir Hugh Courtenay, or of Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, in records of 1346 and 1347, are noticed by Mr. Beltz in his account of the institution of the Order; and the inconsistency of the above extracts with each other, and with the fact that all the «. k lxx 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 Courtenay, and Sir Henry Earn, not one of whom appears to have been Knighted before July 1346. The Knighthood of the Prince of Wales is shewn by Parliamentary and other Records to have taken place at La Hogue, in Normandy, on or about the 12th of July 1346. 5 A contemporary Chronicler states, that the Earls of Salisbury and March were Knighted on the same occasion as the Prince of Wales, 6 which agrees with their both being then under age, and with the former being described as a minor, and in the King’s custody, without the designation of “ Miles” or “ Chivaler,” in a Record dated on the 24th May 1346/ Sir Hugh Courtenay is not described as a Knight in the Letters of Protection issued to him when going abroad, on the 15th of June 1346 ; 8 nor was that title applied to Sir Bartholomew Burghersh either on the 26th of June 1346, or on the 4th of June 1347/ It is not pretended that the omission of “ Miles” or “ Chivaler,” in relation to those persons, is positive proof that they were not Knights; but as they were then all under twenty, and some not more than eighteen years of age, and as the appellation was attributed to other individuals in the same or in similar Companions must have been Knighted at or before their election, shews the difficulty which the Author of the “ Memorials” felt, in endeavouring to reconcile those statements with the first 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. INTRODUCTION. lxxi instruments, it materially strengthens the doubt of their having been at that time Knights of the Garter. With respect to Sir Henry Earn, however, it is certain that he was not Knighted until after June 1346, because in a Record dated on the 18th of June 1348, he is said to have received Knighthood from the Prince’s hands and it was a fundamental rule, and the invariable practice of Chivalry, that no one could confer that distinction unless he had himself received it : 1 2 hence as the Black Prince was not Knighted until July 1346, he could not have conferred the honour on Sir Henry Earn before that time. Although it is only presumed that six 3 of the original Companions were not Knighted before July 1346, such was unquestionably the fact in the case of the Black Prince and Sir Henry Earn; and two instances are as conclusive on the point which they are cited to establish, as any greater number. The first part of the proofs that the Order was not completely formed in 1344, nor before the middle of 1346, is there- 1 Rot. Patent. 23 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 24. “ Edward eisne filz au noble Roy d’Engle- terre et de France, Prince de Gales, &c. Sachez que come nostre trescher et bien ame Monsir Henri Earn au temps qil avoit pris de noz meins Vordre de Chivaler, &c.; printed in Ashmole, p. 707. 2 Vide p. vii. et seq. antea. 3 It is, moreover, doubtful whether Sir James Audeley and Sir Miles Stapleton, two others of the first Founders, were Knighted before 1347, because Audeley seems to have been the person who is mentioned without the addition of “Chivaler” or “ Miles” in records dated 7th July 1346, and 12th and 17th April 1347 (Rot. Franc. 20 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 8 ; and 21 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 13 and m. 16,) and Stapleton (apparently, for there is some question of identity) on the 14th March 1347. In the last notice (Rot. Patent 19 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 10.) of Sir Sanchet Dabrichecourt, another of the original Companions, dated 20th October 1345, he is not called a Knight. Ixxii INTRODUCTION. fore, that some of the original Companions were not Knighted until after June 1346. That the Order was not founded between July 1346 and October 1347, may be inferred from the circumstance of King Edward the Third, and many of the original Companions, haying been engaged in the wars in France during the whole of that period; the King haying landed at La Hogue on the 12th of July 1346, and not having returned to England until the 12th October 1347. 4 The next evidence on the subject are the Accounts of the King’s Great Wardrobe, which contain notices of all articles of wearing apparel made for the King’s use, or given by him to the Peers, Knights, Officers, and Servants of his Court, and to other persons. Until the Author’s second investigation of those Accounts in August last, the only Records of this description known to be in existence between 1343 and 1353 were those from the 25th November 15 Edw. III. 1341 to the 10th April 18 Edw. III. 1344 ; 5 and the Accounts of the delivery of cloth, furs, mercery, &c. out of the King’s Great Wardrobe from the 29th September 22 Edw. III. 1348 to the 31st January 23 Edw. III. 1349, which include the Accounts of the King’s taylor commencing on the 21st of December 19 Edw. III. 1345. 6 It is therefore, clear, that Records exist in which the Robes of the Order would certainly have been mentioned, had they been prepared for the Sovereign and Companions for the Feast of Saint George in the years 1344, 1345, and 1346. 4 Foedera, N. E. Vol. III. p. 139; Vide pp. 20, 21 postea. 5 Now in the Chapter House at Westminster ; Vide p. 9 postea. 6 Vide pp. 12 postea, and Appendix, pp. vi—viii. Roll marked “ F. L. H. 639.” INTRODUCTION. Ixxiii There is not, however, any allusion whatever either to Garters, to the Motto, to the Feast of Saint George, or to the Fraternity, until towards the close of the year 1347, when the Accounts of John Mareys, the King’s taylor, state, that Garters, with the Motto, were prepared for the hastiludes, and other festivities held (apparently in honour of the King’s return from his glorious campaign), at Bury, Eltham, Windsor, Canterbury, and Lichfield, facts which are wholly inconsistent with the Order having been formed, and the first Feast celebrated in April 1344. 7 This view of the subject is strongly supported, even if it be not established, by the recent discovery of other Wardrobe Accounts extending from the year 1340 to 1349, the contents of which do not appear to have been ever before used in illustration of the history of the Order. The most important of those Records, in relation to this object, are the Accounts of drapery, mercery, &c. bought in the 16 Edw. III. 1342—1343; the Accounts of John Mareys, the King’s taylor, in the 16 Edw. III. 1342; the Accounts of drapery, mercery, &.c. bought in the 18 Edw. III. 1344; and more especially the Accounts of the same John Mareys, the King’s taylor, from 7 Mr. Beltz says (Memorials, pp. xxxi. xxxii.) that the entries relating to Garters in these Accounts occurring on the eighth of the twenty-three membranes of which the Roll consists, they must be referred to the earliest possible date mentioned in the Accounts, which is the 21st December 1345 ; but it is certain that the habits which were adorned with Garters were provided for the hastiludes, &c. that took place towards the end of 1347, and that there are no previous notices of the kind. It is also observed in the “ Memorials,” (p. 2,) that Garters, &c. are not mentioned in the Accounts as “ novel objects, but in terms which justify a presumption that similar entries might be found in documents of the like nature for the two or three antecedent years, should such Accounts be hereafter recovered.” It is not obvious how any article in such documents could appear as novelties; and the Accounts for some antecedent years do not contain any notice of them. lxxiv INTRODUCTION. the 29th September 18 Edw. III. 1344 to the 31st August 19 Edw. III. 1345, 8 which, as well as other Accounts for the year 1345, are of exactly the same character as those of 1348 and 1349, wherein the earliest notice of Garters and the Motto occurs. In none of these Accounts from 1340 to 1345 is there the slightest allusion whatever to the Order, to the Motto, or to Garters; and if the Fraternity then existed, or if its Symbol or Motto had been then used as a device or decoration on habits, as they were in 1347 and 1348, they would undoubtedly have been mentioned in the Accounts for those years, in the same way as they are mentioned in precisely similar Accounts of the same person , for 1347 and 1348. Though the Accounts of the King’s taylor, from Michaelmas 1344 to August 1345 are imperfect, the part still preserved contains a description of the Robes made for the King “for the Feast of the Round Table held at Windsor ” in 1344; and states that tunics and hoods were given to the King’s minstrels “ against the said Feast of the Round Table” and that various gowns, robes, &c. were issued for the Feasts of Pentecost and Easter, apparently in 1345. 9 The King’s Robe for the Feast of the Round Table is described as having been “ of red velvet, furred and purfledbut neither as an appendage to that Robe, nor to any gown or tunic mentioned in those Accounts, is there the most distant allusion to a Garter, or to the Motto; so that it is quite certain that the Habit of the 8 See a list of those Accounts with references to, and some description of, the originals, in the Appendix, under Wardrobe Accounts, pp. xvi. xvii. 9 Easter Day in 1344 fell on the 4th of April, and in 1345 on the 27th of March. INTRODUCTION. lx XV Order was not worn at the Feast of the Round Table in 1344, while the fact that nothing occurs respecting the Feast of Saint George (though Robes are said to have been issued for the Feasts of Pentecost and Easter) in those or any other Accounts yet discovered before 1348, is additional and indeed almost conclusive proof that the Order was not in existence until the latter part of 1347, or early in 1348. A few remarks on Froissart’s statement will now be added to these observations. It seems evident from a careful perusal of his narrative, that he has unconsciously blended two distinct transactions, and that he was misinformed on both, namely; the revival of the Round Table by King Edward the Third, in January 1344, and the institution of the Fraternity of the Garter in 1347 or 1348. Froissart 1 commences by stating that it was King Edward’s design to rebuild Windsor Castle, “ formerly built by King Arthur,” where “ the noble Round Table was first set up and establishedand then proceeds, “ And the said King created an Order of Knights, to consist of himself, his children, and the bravest of the land, who were to be in number, forty, and to be called Knights of the blue Garter; their Feast to be kept at Windsor annually on Saint George’s day.” He then says, that in order to establish this festival, the King assembled Earls, Barons, and Knights from his whole realm, who approved of the design.—“ Then were elected forty Knights,” &c.—“ The King caused Saint George’s Chapel to 1 The original passage will be found in pp. 3, 4, postea. As Froissart was born in 1337, he was only seven years of age in 1344, and eleven in 1348, so that he must have obtained his knowledge of these transactions many years after they occurred. lxxvi INTRODUCTION. be built,” &c.;—“ and in order that the said Feast might be known in all Countries, the King of England sent his heralds to publish and proclaim the same in France, Scotland, Burgundy, Hainault, Flanders, Brabant, and the German Empire, granting to all Knights and Esquires, who should be willing to come, safe conduct until fifteen days after the Feast.—“ At this Feast there were to be a Jousting by forty Knights within the Lists, against all comers, and also by forty Esquires; and this Feast was to be celebrated on Saint George’s day next coming, which would be in the year of grace 1344, at Windsor Castle.” He adds, that the Feast was accordingly celebrated on that day; that there was much feasting and tourneying for fifteen days; and that many foreign Knights were present. The first reflection which arises is, that Froissart does not mention the fact of King Edward’s having actually revived the Round Table in 1344; but he alludes to the Round Table only because it was instituted by King Arthur at Windsor Castle, which he says Edward intended to rebuild. He does not expressly state when the Order of the Garter was founded, but he supposed it to have been some time before the celebration of the first Feast, which he says was held on Saint George’s day in 1344. As there is no record of any assembly of Earls, Barons, and Knights (except in Parliament) between the close of 1343 and April 1344, nor any notice of safe conducts having been given to Foreign Knights within that period, except the writs of the 1st of January 1344, inviting Knights and Esquires of all Countries to Jousts at Windsor on Monday next after the Feast of Saint Hilary, next following, with promise of safe conduct until the octaves of the Feast of the Purification, i. e. the 9th of February, 7 there can be little doubt that Froissart alluded INTRODUCTION. lxxvii to the proclamations made on that occasion, and which are shown by the date of those Writs, to have referred to the Feast of the Round Table. Had any other Writs of that nature been * issued, they would also have been recorded : hence it is evident that the only Jousts held at Windsor between January and April in 1344, were those at the revival of the Round Table, at which time the Symbol of the Order does not appear to have been devised, and it certainly was not worn by the King. The detection of other discrepancies in Froissart’s narrative, together with some facts not hitherto applied to the purpose, will throw new light on the true origin of the noble Fraternity. The public muniments, and early, if not contemporary, Chronicles, prove that in January 1344, King Edward the Third held the “ Feast of the Round Table” at Windsor Castle, in imitation of, and apparently with the design of reviving, the famous Society of King Arthur, to which Knights and Esquires of all Countries were invited. 7 8 There is every reason to believe that Edward intended that this Feast should be celebrated annually; and as King Arthur’s Round Table consisted of many Knights, 9 and as the ancient Society was the prototype of the new, it may reasonably be presumed that a certain number of Knights were selected in 1344 to form it; and if that number wer e forty, Froissart’s mistake in saying that the Order of the Garter consisted of forty Companions, probably arose from his 7 This Writ will be found in p. 6, postea, note 7. 8 All the authorities are collected in pp. 6 and 9 postea; and see the Wardrobe Accounts of 1344 and 1345, ut supra. 9 See some remarks on the number of the Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table in the Additional Notes. 1 lxxviii INTRODUCTION. having again confounded the two transactions, and which is the more likely, from his stating that forty Knights tilted at the Feast of St. George in 1344. Two instruments on the Patent Rolls of 1344 and 1345, which have been strangely overlooked, tend still farther to clear up the darkness in which the birth of the Order is involved. On the 10th of February 1344, the King issued Letters Patent, reciting that he had been requested by some Knights of the County of Lincoln, for the recreation of military men, and for the practice of arms, to allow a certain number of Knights, elected for that purpose, to meet at Lincoln every year on the Monday next after the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, and there to hold hastiludes or jousts, and that Henry of Lancaster, Earl of Derby, “ who delighteth in feats of arms,” might be the Captain of them. It then states, that the King remembering the deeds of the ancients (an evident allusion to King Arthurs Round Table) how much the use and love of arms hath exalted the name and glory of military men, and how greatly the throne would be strengthened by the numerosity of persons expert in arms, and also the danger of dissensions which had often arisen from their not having employment, was accordingly pleased to grant that a certain number of Knights, elected for that purpose, might annually and peaceably assemble at Lincoln on the said day in every year, and there quietly, without oppression of the populace in the said parts, or unlawful assemblies, hold hastiludes or jousts with all who might come there to exercise arms, as well in time of peace as of war; that Henry Earl of Derby should be their Captain during his life; and that after his death, the Knights so elected might choose another fit person for their Captain, and INTRODUCTION. Ixxix so from thenceforth, on the death of every Captain, for ever more. 9 This Association was formed at the same time that King Edward revived the Round Table at Windsor; and his motives for encouraging those hastiludes or jousts are stated in the preceding record. The other document alluded to was dated on the 18th of January 1345. After reciting the former grant to the Knights of Lincolnshire, it contains a stipulation (and which would seem to have been its only object), that if ever the King should have an assembly of Knights within the Realm, “ on account of the Round Table or Jousts,” or of any other feats of arms, on the day appointed for the hastiludes at Lincoln, then in such case the Jousts should not be held there in that year, but that the Captain of those Knights should appoint another day for that purpose within one month of the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, next ensuing. 10 It is obvious from this grant that the King intended that the Feast of the Round Table should be frequently, if not annually celebrated; and the care which was taken to prevent the Associated Knights of Lincolnshire from being engaged elsewhere, justifies the inference that if Edward had previously instituted so distinguished a Fraternity as that of the Garter, it would have been expressly mentioned in that instrument; and that a similar stipulation would have occurred in it for securing the attendance of such Knights as belonged to the Order, at the annual Feast of Saint George, and more especially that of the 9 Rot. Patent, 18 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 44. A copy of the original will be found in the Additional Notes. Rot. Patent, 18 Edw. III. p. 2, m. 4. See the copy in the Additional Notes. 10 Ixxx INTRODUCTION. Earl of Derby and Lancaster, the Captain of the Knights of Lincoln, who was one of the original Companions of the Garter. In the form of the Knightly Association of Lincolnshire, if not in that of the new Round Table, the outline of the future Society of the Garter may be distinctly traced. The members were elected; and though they elected their Chief, or Captain, instead of that office being vested, as in the Order of the Garter, in one personage and his heirs, the variation was only such as the different nature of the two Institutions required. In 1342, a tunic of arms of velvet, powdered with small saracens of gold and silver, each having a jewel with the King’s Motto, and embroidered with trees and birds, was made for the King for a tournament. Tunics were also provided for the King and “ his two Knights” and for “ his Esquires,” for the tournament at Dunstable; and for the King and his eight Knights for the hastiludes at Northampton; and tunics and hoods “ of the said suit,” were given to twenty-two Esquires of the King and Queen, on the same occasion. 2 If these statements be compared with the description of the habits issued towards the end of 1347, and in 1348 for similar festivities, no other difference will be found than in the nature of the habits, decorations, and devices. At the hastiludes in 1342, the prevailing ornaments were birds, trees, and saracens, together with one of the King’s numerous Mottos; 3 while in 2 Vide the Appendix p. xvi. 3 For some of King Edward the Third’s Mottos, and those of Queen Philippa, see p. 13, postea. In 1360 or 1361, a satin hood was made for the King, embroidered with a gold woodbine; having the motto “ 30 p tooDUijmb,” in letters of gold.—Wardrobe Accounts of 1360 and 1361, Roll marked “ W. N. 935.” INTRODUCTION. lxxxi 1347 and 1348, the favourite Device was a blue Garter, with another of the King’s Mottos, namely, “ IDonp soit qe mal g pense.” These facts tend greatly to dissipate the obscurity in which the origin of the Order has so long remained. It appears from them that early in 1344 King Edward the Third instituted a Knightly Fraternity by reviving the Feast of the Round Table at Windsor; that another similar Association, both of which were to meet annually, then existed in Lincolnshire; and that hastiludes and jousts were frequently held, at which uniform habits, devices, and mottos, were worn, but that on none of those occasions, nor at the Feast of the Round Table, in 1344, is there the slightest reason for supposing that Garters, or the peculiar Motto, were used, or that the Feast of Saint George was particularly observed. Nothing is recorded of the Feast of the Round Table, or of the Assembly at Lincoln, in 1345; and the invasion of France renders it extremely unlikely that they should have been held in 1346, while the absence from England of the King, and of most of the Peers and Knights, until late in 1347, proves that they could not have taken place in that year. After King Edward’s return in October 1347, no more was heard of the Round Table at Windsor, or of the annual meeting of Knights at Lincoln; but an entirely new Fraternity was created, which seems, even if it were not intended, to have superseded both the others. Tradition, an uncertain indeed, but never altogether an unsafe authority, would fully explain the origin of the extraordinary Badge and Motto which adorned the habit of the Sovereign, and of several Knights at hastiludes held in 1347 and 1348; and there is positive evidence that, in the latter year, a new Fraternity, consisting of the Sovereign, his eldest I I' jTTf|JT > , m , v | n n rr ^Tiu[gf]-T -" ( r i n -irm— "--pr" - ‘^^Tf 1 1T|ip!n^ , wi^]^ff*~*nr* lxxxii INTRODUCTION. son the Prince of Wales, and of twenty-four Companions, which derived its name from that Badge, and of which (with the Motto) it was the Ensign, was completely organized. That the immediate cause of the institution of the Society of the Garter were the jousts, or hastiludes held in 1347 or 1348, at which Garters and the Motto, “ 5>onp sott qe mal p pewse,” were the prevailing and perhaps only device, seems indisputable; and the selection of the original Companions may have depended upon their success on the occasion. The constitution of the new Fraternity partook of the character of those proceedings. It was divided, like tilters at tournaments, into two bands, each consisting of twelve Knights, at the head of one of which was the Sovereign, and at the other the Prince of Wales; and to the Companions belonging to each were assigned Stalls, either on the Sovereign’s or on the Prince’s side of Saint George’s Chapel. 4 In the Accounts of the Prince of Wales’ expenses in 1348, various articles, among which were buckles, clasps, and bars, apparently for Garters, are said to have been given to the “ Knights of his Society for the hastiludes at Windsor; and in the notice of articles issued for the jousts at Canterbury, the expression “ for the King and his,” occurs. It is impossible to state exactly from which of the numerous hastiludes held in 1347 or 1348, the noble Fraternity arose, (but probably from those at Windsor early in the latter year,) or to explain the King’s motive for selecting any particular Jousts for the purpose. The perpetuity of the Institution seems to have been partly caused by the King’s resolution, that it should supersede the 4 Vide p. 13, postea. INTRODUCTION. Ixxxiii Round Table, 5 which he had revived in 1344 ; and the number of twenty-four Companions, besides the King and the Prince of Wales, may have arisen from its being the number of those who tilted. On the origin of the Garter itself, or on the Motto, no new light can be thrown. Mr. Beltz has adopted the opinion of some other writers, namely, “ that the Garter may have been intended as an emblem of the tie or union of warlike qualities to be employed in the assertion of the Founder’s claim to the French crown, and the motto as a retort of shame and defiance upon him who should think ill of the enterprise, or of those whom the King had chosen to be the instruments of its accomplishment. The taste of that age for its allegorical conceits, impresses, and devices, may reasonably warrant such a conclusion.” 6 But as this theory depends entirely on the supposition that the Order was founded before the invasion of France, in July 1346, it cannot survive the proofs which have been adduced, that the Ensign and the Order were alike unknown until towards the close of the year 1347. A great variety of devices and mottos were used by Edward the Third: they were chosen from the most trivial causes, and were of an amorous rather than of a military character. Nothing is more likely than that, in a crowded assembly, a lady 7 should 5 In the letter from Sir John Werchin, Seneschal of Hainanlt, to King Henry the Fourth, in 1408, he expressly states, that the Order of the Garter had been instituted instead of that of the Round Table. — Vide Beltz’s Memorials, p. 403, and p. 51, postea. 6 Beltz’s Memorials, p. xlvii. 7 See p. 18, postea, for the supposed name of the Lady. Mr. Beltz (Memorials, p. xliii— xlvi.) supports his disbelief of the popular account of the origin of the Garter, by endeavouring to show that a Countess of Salisbury could not have been the heroine, because William Earl of Salisbury, the husband of Katharine Countess of Salisbury, died of injuries lxxxiv INTRODUCTION. accidentally have dropped her garter; that the circumstance should have caused a smile in the bystanders; and that, on its being taken up by Edward, he should have reproved the levity of his courtiers by so happy and chivalrous an exclamation, placing the garter at the same time round his own knee, as “ Dishonoured be he who thinks ill of it.” Such a circumstance occurring at a time of general festivity, when devices, mottos, and conceits of all kinds were adopted as ornaments or Badges of the Habits worn at Jousts and Tournaments, would naturally have been commemorated, as other Royal expressions seem to have been, by its conversion into a Device and Motto for the dresses at an approaching hastilude. A reasonable doubt cannot, it is presumed, now remain, that the illustrious Fraternity was intended to supersede the Round Table which Edward had revived; that it had no loftier immediate origin than a Tournament or Hastilude; and that its Name, Badge, and Motto, were derived from no nobler source than a fair Dame’s misfortune, and a chivalrous Monarch’s gallantry. received “ at the jousts in January 1344, preceding the foundation of the Order.” The fact that those jousts were held three years before that event, removes part of Mr. Beltz’s objection; because the Earl’s widow might, of course, have been present at the festivities of the Court in 1347 and 1348, though her husband had died in 1344. Katherine Countess of Salisbury, was scarcely less, and was possibly much more, than forty years of age in 1348, and she died on the 23rd of April 1349. The incident in question might have occurred to the King’s cousin, Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent, then nineteen years old, who was about that time contracted or married to William Earl of Salisbury, one of the original Companions. Their marriage was dissolved by a Papal Bull, dated 13th November 1349, because it was proved that she had previously married Sir Thomas Holand, K.G.; and she was afterwards the wife of Edward the Black Prince, and mother of King Richard the Second. INTRODUCTION. lxxxv Nearly all the new information of much value in the “ Memorials,” subsequent to the reign of King Edward the Third, may be briefly stated. A remarkably curious letter from Sir John Werchin, Seneschal of Hainault, to King Henry the Fourth, proposing to encounter all the Knights of the Garter in a trial of arms, and that Monarch’s answer, lately found by Mr. Beltz in the Royal Library at Paris, have been introduced into the History of the Order, together with a notice of the combat that arose out of the Seneschal’s challenge. 8 The Knight elected before 1467, and so long supposed to have been “ the Lord of Monte Grisone,” is discovered by Mr. Beltz to have been the Conte de Monte Odorisio. 9 At a Chapter held on the 23rd of April 1634, a debate occurred respecting the colour of the Mantle ; and it was agreed that it ought to be blue and not purple, as was then used. 1 About the same time the Companions were enjoined to take care that in future their Arms, encompassed by the Garter, should not be worn on any part of the dress of their servants, but only be used in that manner upon household goods, and instruments in writing of all kinds. 2 This regulation is strongly at variance w r ith the modern practice of making the Star of the Garter, the Bath, and of other Orders, a mere ornament on the uniforms of officers and private soldiers of the army. To the remarks on the manner in which Queen Anne wore 8 Vide pp. 51—54, postea. 9 “ Memorials,” p. xxii. and vide pp. 92, 93, postea. 1 “ Memorials,” p. cix. on the authority of the “ Red Book,” f. 68, in the custody of the Registrar of the Order. Vide p. 340 postea. 2 Ibid. m XXXVI INTRODUCTION. the insignia of the Order, 3 the fact may be added, that soon after her accession she commanded the Chancellor to summon a select number of Knights for the purpose of obtaining their opinion as to the manner in which she should wear the Ensigns as Sovereign. The Companions to whom the consideration of the point was committed, were the Dukes of Somerset and Devonshire, the Marquess of Normanby, and the Earls of Rochester, Feversham, Portland, and Pembroke, who expressed their opinion that the Queen might wear the George pendant to a ribband from her neck, the Garter on her left arm, and the Star upon her breast. 4 In the account of the Chancellor of the Order, 5 reasons are given for discrediting the usual statement that the Office was always filled by the Bishop of Salisbury, from the time when it was granted by King Edward the Fourth, in 1475, to Bishop Beauchamp, and his successors in that See, until it was conferred upon Sir William Cecil by King Edward the Sixth. It has since been discovered that, in 1491, Doctor John Morgan, Dean of Windsor, was Chancellor of the Order, and that he received Robes of the Livery of the Fraternity in that year. 6 No other changes than deaths and appointments have taken place in any of the Orders since the following account of them 3 Vide p. 271 postea. 1 “ Memorials,” p. cxxi., from the Register of the Garter, Vol. v. f. 62. s Vide pp. 436 et seq. postea. 6 “ Magister Johannes Morgan Doctor, Cancellarius Garterii. de Robis et furruris pro Fraternitate ejusdem Garterii sibi anno vi. Henrici VII. liberatis sicut supra continetur.” A Fragment of Wardrobe Accounts from ] March 2 Hen. VII. 1487, to Michaelmas 8 Hen. VII. 1492, now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer. INTRODUCTION. lxxxvii was written, except in the manner of bestowing the Order of the Bath, wherein part of the alterations suggested in the “ General Remarks” on that institution have been introduced. The only promotions of Knights Commanders to the Grand Cross that have been lately made were for new and additional services ; 7 and the Second Class of the Order has been again opened to Officers of the Navy below the rank of Rear- Admiral . 8 In two instances, General Officers who were Knights Commanders, have in reward of civil services rendered as Governors of Colonies, been recently appointed Civil Knights Grand Cross; and there was a previous case in which that dignity was conferred upon a Companion of the Order . 9 These marks of the Royal favour may possibly, however, not prove so grateful to the recipients as might have been expected. To a soldier, distinctions won in the field are far dearer than those of a civil nature; and his advancement from the second Military to the first Civil Class of the Order of the Bath has the effect of merging, or rather superseding his military honours, because it is impossible for a person to be a Military Companion or a Military Knight Commander, and a Civil Grand Cross of the same Order. This is, however, only one of the numerous circumstances which seem to render the creation of an Order for Civil Merit, and the reconstruction of the Order of the Bath, highly proper and expedient. October 21 , 1841. 7 Vide History of the Order of the Bath, pp. 2G4, 265. 8 Ibid. p. 203. 9 Ibid. p. 188, note. lxxxviii INTRODUCTION. The Author, with deep concern, adds a few words to notice the death of George Frederick Beltz, Esq., the author of the “ Memorials of the Order of the Garter,” which event took place at Basle on the 23rd of October last, two days only after the preceding Observations were sent to press. In common with all to whom Mr. Beltz was known, the Author entertained great respect for his talents, and sincere esteem for his goodness of heart, and honourable character. Though compelled to differ from Mr. Beltz’s opinion on many points, he had flattered himself that his lamented friend would have found nothing to displease him in the comments upon his “ Memorials.” On a reperusal of those Remarks, now that the person most interested in them is unfortunately no more, he does not see any thing to alter; and he trusts that the family and friends of Mr. Beltz will consider that the tone and spirit of the Observations are perfectly consistent with the respect which he professes for his memory. Torrington Square, November 8, 1841 , Hist of ^lustrations. [The figures (within brackets) prefixed to each article, refer to corresponding figures in the upper right hand corner of each Plate. The Wood-cuts, worked with the Letter-press, are thus marked J.] Frontispiece. Title. 7 Initial Letter of the Introduction. ORDER OF THE GARTER. Page I Initial Letter. (2) Ribband, Lesser George, and Garter, .to face 345 (18) Badge on the Mantles, Collar, and Great George 352 (l) Star, Collar (as worn), and Great George .. 355 Banner, Helmet, and Crest, as suspended over the Stall of a Knight of the Garter in Saint George’s Chapel. to face 377 Page I Badge of Prelate. 434 I Badge of Chancellor. 449 I Badge of Registrar. 454 I Badge of Garter King of Arms. 463 I Badge of Black Rod . .. 466 ORDER OF THE THISTLE. Page 7 Initial Letter. 7 Collar in the reign of King James the Fourth, (Appendix). xxx 7 Collar in the reign of King James the Fifth ... 11 7 Various Collars of the reign of Queen Mary and of King James the Sixth . 12 7 Badge of the Knights in the reign of King Charles the Second. 16 ORDER OF Page 7 Initial Letter. 7 Badge worn by the Knights in the reign of King James the First . 36 7 Badge worn by the Knights in the reign of King Charles the Second. 38 (8) Collar, Badge, and Star, of a Civil Knight Grand Cross . to face 193 (7) Collar, Badge, and Star, of a Military Knight Grand Cross. to face 195 (9) Ribband, Badge, and Star, of a Knight Commander. to face 197 (10) Ribband and Badge of a Companion, to face 198 Page (4) Ribband and Badge . to face 64 (3) Star, Collar, and Jewel . to face 65 7 Badge of the Dean . 73 7 Badge of the Secretary . 74 7 Badge of the King of Arms. 75 7 Badge of the Usher. 78 THE BATH. Page 7 Badge of the Dean . 236 7 Badge (obverse and reverse) of the Genealogist 240 7 Badge (obverse and reverse) of the King of Arms 242 7 Badge of the Registrar. 243 7 Badge of the Secretary. 244 7 Badge (obverse and reverse) of the Gentleman Usher. 245 7 Badge of the Messenger. 246 7 Badge of the Officer of Arms Attendant on the Knight Commanders and Companions .... 248 7 Badge of the Secretary to the Knights Commanders and Companions 250 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. ii ORDER OF SAINT PATRICK. Page | Initial Letter. (5) Collar, Badge, and Star .. to face 61 (6) Ribband and Badge, and Badge of the Grand Master. to face 62 I Badge of the Prelate. 80 t Badge of the Chancellor . 81 Page 1 Badge of the Registrar. 82 1 Badge of the Secretary. 84 I Badge of the Genealogist. 85 1 Badge of the Usher. 86 1 Badge (obverse and reverse) of the King of Arms 88 ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE. Page I Initial Letter. I The reverse of the Angel of King Edward the Fourth, having thereon a representation of Saint Michael . 5 t The obverse of the George Noble of King Henry the Eighth, having thereon a representation of Saint George . 5 (11) Collar, Badge (shewing the obverse) and Star of a Knight Grand Cross. to face 72 Page (12) Ribband, Badge (shewing the reverse) and Star, of a Knight Commander. to face 73 (13) Ribband and Badge (shewing the obverse) of a Companion and a Cavaliere. to face 74 J Badge of the Prelate. 91 I Badge of the Chancellor. 93 I Badge of the Secretary. 95 I Badge of the King of Arms. 96 I Badge of the Registrar. 97 MEDALS, CROSSES, AND CLASPS. Page I Initial Letter. Medal and Ribband granted for Naval Battles, and the Medal, Ribband, and Clasp, granted for Military Battles . to face 23 I Naval Medal “ For Long Service and Good Conduct”. 30 Page I Medal given for the Battle of Maida in 1806 ,. 32 Cross and Clasps granted for Military Battles to face 35 I Military Medal “ For Long Service and Good Conduct”. 40 ORDER OF THE GUELPHS. Page I Initial Letter. (14) Collar, Badge (shewing the reverse) and Star of a Military Knight Grand Cross.. to face 15 (15) Collar, Badge (shewing the obverse) and Star of a Civil Knight Grand Cross ... .to face 17 (16) Ribband, Badge (shewing the obverse) and Page Star, of a Military Knight Commander, and the Ribband, Badge (shewing the reverse) and Star of a Civil Knight Commander, .to face 18 (17) Ribband and Badge of a Military and Civil Knight . to face 19 I Medal of the Order (obverse and reverse)- 81 Lit' LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. iii ARMORIAL Page J Escutcheon of a Knight of the Garter, with the Garter, Collar, and Great George. 15 1 Escutcheon of a Civil Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, with Helmet, Lambrequin, Circle, Motto, Collar, and Badge . 17 1 Escutcheon of a Military Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, with Circle, Motto, Wreath,Collar, and Badge . 17 I Escutcheon of a Knight Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint George, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, Collar, and Badge . 17 1 Escutcheon of a Knight Commander of the Bath, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, Wreath, and Badge. 18 1 Escutcheon of a Knight Commander of Saint Michael and Saint George, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, and Badge . 19 | Escutcheon of a Companion of the Bath, with Helmet, Lambrequin, and Badge. 19 BEARINGS. Page | Escutcheon of a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, with the Badge. '20 1 Escutcheon of a Cavaliere of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, and Badge. 20 J Escutcheon of a Military Knight Grand Cross of the Order of theGuelphs, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, Wreath, Collar, and Badge. 21 X Escutcheon of a Civil Knight Commander of the Order of the Guelphs, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, Wreath, and Badge... 21 I Escutcheon of a Military Knight of the Order of the Guelphs, with Helmet, Circle, Motto, Wreath, and Badge. 22 | Achievement of a Knight of the Thistle and his Wife. 23 X Achievement of a Knight of Saint Patrick and his Wife. She being an Heiress or Co-heiress 23 Note. —The Additional Illustrations, consisting of Portraits of H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge in the full Habit of the Order of the Garter; of H. R. H. the Duke of Sussex in the full Habit of the Order of the Thistle ; of H. R. H. Prince Albert in the full Habit of the Order of the Bath ; and of His Majesty the King of Hanover in the full Habit of the Order of Saint Patrick, are to face the commencement of the History of the respective Orders. HISTORY OF THE MOST NOBLE Smer of tfje barter. Contents of tjje 5)tstorj> of tf)e fBr&er « of tl>e barter. Page General History . 1—338* Habits and Ensigns . 337—362 The Garter. 337 The Mantle . 339 The Surcoat . 343 The Hood . 346 The Cap. 347 The Under Habit . 348 The Collar . 348 The George . 354 The Lesser George. 355 The Ribband . 356 The Star. 360 Election, Investiture, and Installation, 363—388 Election . • • • 363 Investiture. 370 Installation. 375 Pees. 388—393 T The Grand Feast . 395—416 The Supper on the Eve. 402 The Ceremonies on the Feast Day . 403 The Grand Procession . 406 The Offering of Gold and Silver .409 The Dinner on the Feast Day . 412 The Second Vespers .415 The Supper on the Evening of the Feast day 416 The Last Day of the Feast . 416 Honours Paid to Deceased Companions, 420—422 Stall Plates. 420 The Offering of Achievements . 422 Page Officers of The Order . 429—467 The Prelate . 429 The Chancellor . 435 The Registrar. 450 Garter King of Arms. 455 The Usher . 464 The Gospeller and Epistoler . 467 Revenues and Exfences . 468 The Seals . 469 The Poor, Alms, or Military Knights of Windsor . 471—483 Ladies of The Fraternity of Saint George, and of The Society of The Garter 484—504 General Remarks . 505—515 Appendix : List of Authorities. i—v Extracts from Wardrobe Accounts of 22 and 23 Edw. III. 1348—1349. vi—viii Windsor Tables and Stall Plates. viii—xv List of Wardrobe Accounts between 14 Edw. III. 1340 and 23 Edw. III. 1348.... xv—xvii Extracts from Wardrobe Accounts from 35 Edw. III. 1361 to 24 Hen. VII. 1509, containing the Names of the Companions to whom Livery of the Order w’as annually issued for the Feast of Saint George xviii—xlviii* Remarks on Stall Plates and Windsor Tables xlix*—1* Remarks on the Election of Henry III. King of Spain, Sir Thomas Montacute 4th Earl of Salisbury, and Sir John Arundel, in the Degradation of a Knight Companion 427—428 CONTENTS. Page Appendix ( continued ). reign of King- Henry IV.; with General Observations on the Accounts of the King’s Great Wardrobe. 1*—Iv* Ceremonials of Election, Investiture, and Installation, &c. xviii—xxvi Verses on the Mottoes of the Queen and Sixteen Companions, written in 1582, xxix—xxxviii Additional Notes ... . xxxix—lix*. lvi Chronological List of the Knights, from the Page Institution of the Order to December 1841, with the dates of their Elections, Investitures, Installations, and Deaths.1—lxxvi Chronological List of the “ Ladies of the Fraternity of Saint George, and of the Society of the Garter”.lxxvii—Ixxxi Chronological List of the Officers of the Order. lxxxii—lxxxvii List of the existing Knights of Windsor lxxxviii Errata et Addenda. Ixxxix ♦ J^tstorp of tfte #lost Bo Me fBrtier of the barter. ffifte there be Hiugfitts olb of the ©arttr Cfjat in tfjcr ftmtg btb rtgf)t tnoi:tf) ill?, anil the honour tfjeg iriir to tfe Jlaurir, .?s for it tfjep fiabr tfjer lanlr toljollg, ©her triumph else anir martial gtorg, fflSaijtcl) unto them ig more perfite rtcfjeg ©bait ang toigfjt tntagin ran or gessr; .if or one lefe gib in of tfjat noble tre ©o ang blight tfjat fjatf) irone toortljilg, an it be bone go ag it ougfjt to be, .®g more honour tfjan ang thing ertfjlg- Chaucer. HE Order of the Garter “ exceeds in majesty, honour, and fame, all Chivalrous Orders in the world 1 but though it has engaged the attention of able antiquaries, its early History still remains in obscurity. Neither the cause, nor the exact time of its foundation has been discovered; and fable and tradition have been called upon to supply the want of facts and records. Only one contemporary Chronicler alludes to the Institution; and the public muniments are entirely silent respecting it. The Annals of the Order itself, are extremely imperfect for nearly two centuries; and afterwards so many chasms and 1 Selden. B 2 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. mistakes occur in them, that there is some doubt of the identity of more than one of the original “ Knights Founders” (as the twenty-five first nominated are termed), and persons are said to have received the Order who were never honoured with its Ensigns: while, on the other hand, many distinguished individuals, the renowned Hotspur for instance, though they were undoubtedly Companions, are not mentioned in the Register, nor in any List of the Knights. The Statutes ordained by King Edward the Third for the government of the Order, have long since perished; and though copies of them are said to exist, they bear internal evidence of having been drawn up at a more recent period. Reliance may perhaps be placed upon the Statutes attributed to King Henry the Fifth; but the Register, commonly called the “ Black Book,” though it treats of the Order from its foundation, was not compiled, in its present form, until the latter part of the reign of King Henry the Eighth, at which time its History first assumes a character of regularity and precision. Under these circumstances there is great difficulty in treating of the Order of the Garter during the first century of its existence: and notwithstanding the numerous publications, and the extensive examination of records, which have taken place since the best works on the subject were published, little that is of essential importance, has hitherto been discovered. All, therefore, which can be done, is to endeavour to decide to which of the various theories respecting the cause and date of the Institution the balance of evidence inclines ; to reconcile, if possible, undoubted facts with those romantic anecdotes which rest on no other authority than popular tradition ; to select from the valuable collections of Ashmole and Anstis , 2 such statements as are interesting or useful; and, for the first time, to reduce the materials which are supplied by a variety of sources, 2 The most valuable Works on the Order of the Garter are: “ The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order' of the Garter, collected and digested into one Body, by Elias Ashmole, of the Middle Temple, Esq. Windesor Herald at Arms. London, fo. 1672.” In the licence for printing that Work, it is said that Ashmole had “ for fifteen years past applied himself to the search and study of things relating to the Order.” “ The Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, from its Cover in Black Velvet usually called the ‘ Black Book with Notes placed at the bottom of the pages, and an Introduction prefixed by the Editor.” [John Anstis, Esq. Garter King of Arms.] 2 vols. fo. London, 1724. “ Titles of Honor, by the late famous and learned Antiquary, John Selden, of the Inner Temple, Esquire : the third edition carefully corrected, with Additions and Amendments, by the Author, Lond. 1672,” folio. The other authorities from which this account of the Order is derived, will be described in a note at the end of the History of the Order. ANNO 1343-4.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 3 into a connected and general History of the Order, from its commencement to the present day. The Foundation of the Order of the Garter is assigned by Selden and Anstis to Saint George’s day, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Edward the Third, the 23rd of April 1344; and by Ashmole to the twenty-third year of his reign, 1349, or 1350. The first of these dates stands upon the authority of Froissart; and the second upon that of the recital in the Statutes of the Order. Froissart’s statement, 3 literally translated, is,—“ Of the Confraternity of Saint George, which King Edward established at Windsor. At this time there came into the mind and will of King Edward of England, that he would cause to be made and re-erected the Great Castle of Windsor, which King Arthur had formerly made and founded there, where first was begun and established the noble Round Table, of which were so many good and valiant Men and Knights, who went forth and toiled in arms and in prowess throughout the world. And that the same King would make an Order of Knights, of himself and his children, and of the bravest of his land, and that they should be in number forty, and that they should be called the Knights of the Blue Garter, and that the Feast should be kept from year to year, and should be solemnized at Windsor, the day of Saint George. And to begin this Feast, the King assembled from all his countries, Earls, Barons, Knights, and he told them his intention; and they all joyfully consented, because it appeared to them a very honourable thing, from whence all love would be nourished. Then were chosen forty Knights, who by opinion and by fame were the most brave of all others, the which sealed and swore to follow and keep the Feast and the Ordinances, such as were then agreed to and devised. And the King caused to be founded and built 3 The original French, as given in the edition of Froissart, printed at Paris by Verard, in 1518, which entirely agrees with that of 1530, and of Lyons, by Sauvage, in 1559, is as follows:—“ De la Confrairie Sainct George que le Roy Edouart establit a Winderose. En ce temps vint en propos & en voulonte au Roy Edouart dAngleterre quil feroit faire, et reediffier le grant Chastel de Winderose que le Roy Artus fist jadis faire et fonder la ou premierement fust commencee et estoree la noble Table ronde, dont tant de bons et vaillans homines et Chevaliers estoient et ysserent et travaillerent en armes et en proesses par tout le monde. Et feroit le dit Roy une ordonnance des Chevaliers de luy et de ses enfans et des plus preux de sa terre ; et en seroient en somme xl: Et les nommeroit on les Chevaliers du bleu Jartier: et la feste a durer dan en an, et de la solennizer a Winderose, le jour Sainct George. Et pour ceste feste commencer le Roy assembla de tout son pays, Comtes, Barons, Chevaliers: et leur dist son intention. Et ilz luy accorderent joyeusement, pource quil leur sembloit une chose moult honnorable ou toute amour se nourriroit. Adone furent esleus xl Chevaliers par ad vis et par renommee les plus preux de tous les autres: Lesquelz seellerent et j urerent a poursuyr et tenir la feste et les ordonnances telles quelles estoient la devisees. Et fist le Roy fonder et ediffier 4 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD HI. a Chapel of Saint George in the Castle of Windsor, and there established Canons to serve God, and most richly endowed them. Then the King sent to proclaim the Feast, by his Heralds, in France, in Scotland, in Burgundy, in conduct after the Feast; and that they should be at this Feast on the day of Saint George following, the year one thousand, three hundred, forty and four, at the Castle of Windsor. And the Queen of England was to be accompanied by three hundred Ladies and Damoiselles, all noble and gentle ladies, and great preparations to receive the Ladies and Damoiselles who were coming to approached the day of Saint George, when that Feast was to be kept in the castle of Windsor; and there the King of England had a great array of Earls, Barons, Ladies, and Damoiselles, and the Feast was most grand and noble, with good cheer and good Joustings, and lasted fifteen days. And there came many une chapelle de Sainct George au chastel de Winderose, Et y establit chanoines pour Dieu servir, et les renta moult grandement. Puis envoya le Roy publier la feste par ses heraulx en France, en Escoce, en Bourgongne, en Haynault, en Flandres, en Brabant et en lEmpire dAllemaigne: Et si donnoit a tous Chevaliers et Escuyers, que venir y vouldroient, quinze jours de sauf conduit apres la feste. Et devoit estre ceste feste le jour Saint George en suyvant lan Mil. ccc. xliiii au chastel de Winderose. Et devoit estre acompaignee la Royne dAngleterre de ccc Dames, et Damoiselles, toutes nobles et gentilz dames, et parees richement de paremens semblables.” “ Entandis que le Roy dAngleterre faisoit son grant appareil de recevoir Dames et Damoiselles que a la Feste viendroient luy vindrent nouvelles du sire de Clisson,”—namely, that Clisson had been beheaded in France; and Froissart proceeds to say it was the King’s intention to put Sir Henry de Leon, his prisoner, to death in retaliation; that at the Earl of Derby’s request, he abandoned so unworthy an idea, and released him on paying a reasonable ransom; that he sent for Sir Henry de Leon, acquainted him with his determination, and told him to go to the King of France with a message of defiance, and moreover to declare, “ a tous Chevaliers et Escuyers de dela que pource ne laissent mye a venir a nostre Feste, car nous les y verrons volentiers, et avront sauf venant et sauf retournant quinze jours apres la Feste.” . “ Or approcha le jour Sainct George, que ceste feste se devoit tenir au Chastel de Winderose et y fist le Roy dAngleterre grant appareil, Contes, Barons, Dames, et Damoiselles, et fut la Feste moult grande et noble, bien festoyee, et bien joustee : et dura par le terme de quinze jours ; et y vindrent plusieurs Chevaliers de deca la mer, de Flandres, de Haynault, et aussi de Brabant, mais de France ny eut il nulz.” In the recent publication of the French Chronicles, by Mons. Buchon, a few variations occur in this part of Froissart’s narrative, from the earlier editions; but the following only is in any degree material. After the account of the publication of the Feast by the heralds abroad, which is rather differently described, and the offer of safe conduct for fifteen days, these words are introduced: “ Et devoit etre a cette Fete une joute de quarante Chevaliers de par dedans, attendants tous autres, et de quarante Ecuyers aussi.” Hainault, in Flanders, in Brabant, and in the Empire of Germany ; and he gave to all Knights and Esquires who would come there, fifteen days of safe richly attired in like garments. While the King of England was making his the Feast, news came to him from the Sire de Clisson,” &c “ Now ANNO 1344.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 5 Knights from beyond the sea; from Flanders, from Hainault, and likewise from Brabant, but from France there was not one.” Although Froissart be inaccurate, in calling the number of the Knights forty, instead of twenty-five (exclusive of the Sovereign); in saying that the children of Edward the Third were among the original Companions, whereas the Black Prince only was then chosen; and in asserting that the Order was completely established, instead of having been merely instituted, in 1344, the substance of his narrative is corroborated by so many circumstances, that little doubt can be entertained of its general accuracy. * * * 4 The history of King Arthur and of the Knights of the Round Table, though now treated as fabulous, was considered in a very different light in the fourteenth century. Not satisfied with allowing the renown of British Chivalry to rest upon their own deeds, or upon the prowess of their immediate ancestors, the nobles who adorned the court of Edward the Third, and acquired imperishable glory for their country at Cressy and Poictiers, sought for it a loftier origin, and more extraordinary heroes than mortality affords, in the wild Anstis, in the additions to his work (Preface, vol. I. p. xvii), says, “ The narrative of Froissard, that this Order was instituted in 1344, the 18th Edw. III., seems to receive some strength, in that it was the current opinion, in an age not far remote from it; for Peter de Alliaco, Bishop of Cambray, who was born in the year 1350, and who himself is mentioned by Froissard, 1. 4, c. 96, concurs in this era. Among several tracts printed under the title Sibylla Francica at Ursell, 1606, 4to is, “ Petri Episcopi Cameracensis Dialogi ij de Querelis Franciae et Anglise et jure successionis utrorumque Regum in regno Francise,” p. 35, wherein a Frenchman is introduced, who after complaining of the aggressions of the English, refers to the battle of Cressy, and adds, “ Demum Rex Anglus ordinavit” festum in die Georgii et Ordinem de Jarretiere cum 40 Militibus et 40 Scutiferis et Regina presente, cum 300 dominabus et domicellis inductis eadem libertate [liberatione] anno [13] 44. 4 Anstis (vol. i. pp. 97, 98) has stated various reasons to shew the probability of Froissart’s having been well informed respecting the Order. He resided in England a few years after 1344; he was “ very conversant with the English Court and customs, and especially such as related to the Lords in whose frequent acquaintance he lived here; he presented the first part of his History to Queen Philippa, (who, according to his statement, was present at the first Feast,) and after her death, he continued it at the instance of Sir Robert de Namur, who is said to have been elected a Companion, about the 43rd Edw. III. 1369. Hence, Anstis justly observes, “ Under these circumstances it appears scarce conceivable that Froissart should be guilty of such a solemn piece of indiscretion, if the same may not be termed an extreme impudence, as to dedicate an History wherein he professes to write truth, to persons of such distinguished quality, who must themselves be well apprised of the time of this fact which must be so notorious and fresh in memory, that they as well as the nobility of that age must have immediately detected his error, and laughed at his credulity. It would seem an appeal in some measure to them, as vouchers for this his error, if it was one; for here is no room to suppose he was under any temptation to mislead his readers, for the antedating the Order, for so little a time, cannot fall under any suspicion of an incense of flattery.” 6 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. but enchanting annals of romance. Arthur of Britain, as the great Founder of British Knighthood, was the favourite idol of their imagination; and a belief in his existence, and in the feats of his Companions, as well as in every tradition which tended to the honour of Chivalry, was cherished almost as an act of faith and duty. 5 Of all his contemporaries, perhaps the most distinguished in the pursuits which formed the business, rather than the amusement of every man of gentle birth, was Edward the Third. 6 7 That monarch was then only thirty-five years of age; and a truce having suspended the war in France, he appears to have determined to imitate the example of Arthur, by founding an Association, or Brotherhood, of the most renowned Knights of the age. To carry this design into effect, in a manner consistent with its importance, and the customs of the time, he invited the Chivalry of all Countries to assemble at Windsor Castle; and letters were issued on the 1st of January, 1344, stating that for the recreation and pleasure of military men, who delight in the exercise of Arms, the King would hold Tournaments and general Jousts at his Castle of Windsor, on Monday, the 19th of that month; and that for the security of the Knights and 5 The feelings which then prevailed among the Chivalry of England respecting King Arthur are thus accurately described by the biographer of the Black Prince:—“At this period the romances of Arthur and his Knights, and the lays which were sung of great deeds and splendid passages of Arms, formed all the lighter literature of Europe; and, while a few of the sceptics of that day might be bold enough to doubt the authenticity of the British King’s history, and disbelieve the wonderful adventures of his Companions, the great bulk of the people looked upon such suspicions as a heresy in Chivalry, and believed as firmly in the tales of the Round Table, and the pursuit of the Sangrael, as in the power of absolution, and the infallibility of the Pope.”—James’ History of Edward the Black Prince, i. 393, 394. An account of King Arthur will be found in the following among other works; “ Assertio inclytissimi Arturii Regis Britanniae, Joanne Lelando Antiquario autore,” 4to. London, 1544; which was translated by Richard Robinson, with a curious dedication to Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, Sir Henry Sidney, and Thomas Smythe, Esquire, “ Chief Customer for her Majestie in the port of London; and to the Worshipful Society of Archers, in London, yearly celebrating the renowned memory of the magnificent Prince Arthur, and his Knightly Order of the Round Table.” 4to. 1582. 6 See the evidence of Sir Bertram Montbouchier, in the Scrope and Grosvenor controversy, p. 169. 7 “ Rex universis et singulis comitibus, baronibus, vicecomitibus, ballivis, ministris, et aliis fidelibus suis tam infra libertates quam extra, ad quos, &c. salutem. Sciatis quod cum ad recreationem et solatium hominum militarium qui in armorum exercitio delectantur, habere disposuerimus hastiludia et justas generales, apud castrum nostrum de Wyndesore, die Lunae proximo post festum Sancti Hilarii proximo futurum; Nos, volentes securitati omnium et singulorum, cujuscumque regionis sive nationis fuerint, illuc ex hfic causfi tunc venire volentium, providere, suscepimus omnes et singulos, tam milites, domicellos, ac scutiferos, cujuscumque regionis vel loci fuerint sic venire volentes, servientes et bona eorum quaecumque, illuc veniendo, ibidem morando, et exinde ad propria redeundo, in salvum et securum conductum nostrum, ac protectionem et defensionem nostras speciales: Et ideo vobis mandamus quod omnibus et singulis, sic venientibus, &c. prout in c&teris de conductu literis. ANNO 1344.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 7 Esquires of all Nations and Countries, who might wish to come, he had taken them, their servants, and goods, into his especial protection, while on their journey, during their sojourn, and on their return, which protection was to last until the 9th of February following. * * 7 • All that is known from contemporary writers of those Jousts and Tournaments is contained in the statement of Froissart; but many succeeding Chroniclers, some of whom lived in the fifteenth, and others early in the sixteenth century, agree in stating that they were celebrated with the utmost magnificence, and that King Edward the Third then instituted the Round Table, and the Order of the Garter. Of these accounts, that of Walsingham is the most worthy of attention, because he is remarkable for accuracy, and wrote in the reign of King Richard the Second. He says, in 1344, the King began to build a house in Windsor Castle, which should be called the Round Table; that it was of a circular form, and two hundred feet in diameter; and that Philip of Valois, King of France, stimulated by that circumstance, made a similar Round Table 8 in his dominions, with the view of attracting the Chivalry of Germany and Italy, lest they might join the King of England’s Table. 9 It is certain that, In cujus, 8cc. usque ad octabas Purificationis beatse Marias Virginis proximo futuras, duraturas. Teste Rege, apud Ditton, primo die Januarii.” Pat. 17 Edw. III. p. 2. m. 2. Foedera N. E. vol, ii. p. 1242. 8 Several instances might be cited of great personages holding Round Tables, in imitation of King Arthur and his Companions. Among others, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, is said to have held Round Tables of Knights, at Kenilworth, Bedford, and in Wales. Leland ut supra f. ll. b Collectanea I. 685. Knighton, 2553. 9 “ Anno gratiae millesimo trecentesimo quadragesimo quarto, qui est annus regni Regis Edwardi a conquestu tercii octavus decimus, Rex Edwardus fecit convocari plures artifices ad castrum de Windesore et coepit aedificare domum quse rotunda tabula vocaretur : habuit autem ejus area a centro ad circumferentiam per semidiametrum centum pedes, et sic diametrum ducentorum pedum erat. Expensae per hebdomadam erant primo centum librae. Sed ex post propter nova que Rex suscepit de Francia, resecabantur ad 20 libras, eb quod censuit pro aliis negotiis thesaurum plurimum comportandum. Eodem tempore Philippus de Valoys Rex Franciae hoc facto Regis Angliae provocatus, coepit et ipse rotundam aedificare tabulam in terra sua, ut sic sibi attraheret militiam Alemanni® et Italiae, ne ad Regis Angliae tabulam properarent.”—Walsingham, Hist. Angi. p. 154. fo. 1603. The following are the statements of other Chroniclers on the subject: “ Anno McccxLiij. Rex Angliae Rotundam Tabulam ccc Militum tenuit apud Wyndesoure, et totidem Dominarum, pro qua excessivi sumptus facti sunt, secundum decenciam Regiae Majestatis.” Cotton MS. Vitellius A. xx f. 54. “ A°. 19 Edw. III. [1345-6.] In this yere the kyng began the rounde table at Wyndesore, that is to seye the ordre of Knyghtes of the Garter.” Chronicle of London, 4to. 1826, p. 58. “ And in the xix yere of his regne anone after in Janfii byforre Lent [1345-6] the same Kyng Edward let make full nobil Justes and gret festis in the place of his birth at Windesore that ther was never none such seyn ther afor. At wich fest and rialte wer ij Kynges and ij Quenes, the Prince of 8 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. in 1344, Edward ordered some buildings to be erected in Windsor Castle; 1 and evidence has lately been discovered that a Round Table, made of oak, had been constructed at Windsor some time, and probably a few years, before December 1356. 2 The records which have been referred to, favour the correctness of Froissart’s assertion, that in January 1344, a grand Tournament and Jousts took place at Windsor, to which Knights and Esquires of all countries were invited, with the object of establishing a Fraternity similar to Arthur s Round Table ; and the next question is, whether the Order of the Garter was, as Froissart states, founded on that occasion. In considering this point, it must be observed that though the Companions were not chosen, nor the details of the Order settled, until nearly four years after the Jousts of January 1344, Edward mq,y, nevertheless, have founded it at that TV ales, the Duk of Cornewaile, x Erles ix Confesses, Barons and mony burgeis the wich might not lightly be nombrid. And of diverse landis beyond the see weren mony strangers. And at the same time when the Justis wer done Kyng Edward made a gret soper in the wich he ordeyned first and began his Round Tabul, and ordeyned and stedfasted the day of the Round Tabull to be holden ther at Wyndesore in the Witson weke evermore yerly.” Fructus Temporum, commonly called the Chronicle of Saint Alban’s, sub anno. “ Abut the xix yere of this Kynge, he made a solempne feest at Wyndesore, and a great Juste and Turnament, where he devysed and perfyted substancyally the order of the Knyghtes of the Garter.” Rastell’s Chronicle, ed. 1811, p. 216. “ Rex autem instituit Garterium Ordinem, cui tantus deinde accessit honor, ut maximos quosque reges non poenituerint in id venire collegium. Sunt numero sex et viginti Garterii equites (sic enim appellantur) et alius in alii demortui locum per electionem reliquorum cooptatur,” 8tc .—“ De causa autem instituendi Ordinis omnino ambiguitur: fama tamen apud vulgus etiam nunc tenet, Edoardum aliquando e terra collegisse Reginae seu amicae tibiarum tegminis ligamen, quod forte resolutum ita ut usu venit, ceciderat, et nonnullis heroibus id videntibus, ac jocose cavillantibus, dixisse, brevi tempore futurum, ut ejusmodi cingulo etiam ab illis summus haberetur honor, atque non multo post istiusmodi ordinem instituisse ac eum addidisse titulum, quo testaretur ipsos heroes contra quam erat, de se judicium fecisse. Et fama vulgi talis. Atqui autores Anglici verecunde superstitiosi, forte timentes ne imminutae magistatis regiae crimen subirent, si tale quid ut minus insigne prodidissent, maluerunt tacitum relinquere, perinde quasi nunquam alias visum esset, rem ab initio, a parva sordidaque origine ortam, magno esse incremento dignitateque auctam, &c. Proinde origo vera Garterii ordinis non erat praetereunda silentio, etiam si profecta esset ab amore, quo nihil est nobilius, dicente Ovidio.” Polydori Vergilii Urbinatis Anglicae Historiae Libri viginti septem. Basii. 1555. Lib. xix. fo. 378. “ L’an mcccxliiii. le Roy Eduvart d’Angleterre fist a Vindesore une Feste moult solennelle en la quelle il crea & establist l’Ordre de la bleu Jarretiere sur la quelle sont en language Francois escriptes ces mots ‘ Honny soit qui mal y pense.’ Et fut pur un jeune mignongne a qui la Jarretiere bleue tomba en dansant devant le Roy, & la leva ung chevalier qui diet les desuisdites paroles. En cest Jarretiere furent primerement receus quarante Chevaliers dont le Roy & ses enfans & les plus grands Princes & Seigneurs de sa terre estoyent Et ordonna que d’an en an le jour Saint Gregore [George] sen feroit la feste dedans le chasteau de Vindesore le quelle chasteau le roy Artur avoit fait faire autreffois edifier et in iceluy tener la noble table ronde,” &c. “ Les grandes Chroniques de Bretagne,” cited by Selden, in his “ Titles of Honor,” cap. v. p. 658, and which, he says, were written in the time of Henry the Eighth, by one that had been in England with some Ambassadors from the French King. ANNO 1344.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 9 time, but have waited until the College of Windsor, which was then building, and which may be considered as the domicile of the Order, was ready for its use, before he chose the Companions, appointed the Habits by -which they were to be distinguished, and finally organized the Fraternity. This hypothesis is not only extremely probable in itself, but is supported by some authority. * 1 2 3 The evidence respecting the period when the Order was in actual existence, is partly positive, and partly negative; but in both cases perfectly consistent and satisfactory. Nearly all that is known on the subject has been derived from the Accounts of the Royal Wardrobe, out of which the Habit, or, as it is termed, the “ Livery” of the Order was annually issued to the Sovereign and Companions. The Accounts between November 1341, and April 1344, are still extant; 4 those from April 1344, to December 1345, have long since disappeared; and though the original Accounts from December 1345, to January [1343-4.] “ King Edwarde made a great Fest at Wyndesore at Christemes wher he renewid the Round Table and the Name of Arture, and ordenid the Order of the Garter, making Sainct George the Patrone thereof.” Anonymous Chronicle in Leland’s Collectanea, vol. i. p. u. p. 560. Fabian, living in the reign of Henry the Eighth, and compiling the early part of his Chronicle from sources which are no longer accessible, says, “ In the year 1344, and in the nineteenth year, the King held a solemn Feast at his castle of Windsor, where between Candlemas and Lent were holden or executed many martial acts, as Jousts, Tournaments, with diverse other, at which were present many strangers of other lands. And in the end thereof, he there devised the Order of the Garter; and after established it, as at this day it is continued.” 1 “ On the 26th of February, 18 Edw. III. 1344, carpenters and masons were directed to be employed in completing some works at Windsor; and on the 28th of that month, carriages were provided for the conveyance of stone and timber which had been purchased for that purpose in the adjoining counties.” Pat. 18. Edw. III. p. 1. m. 39. d. Foedera N. E. vol. iii. p. i. p. 6. 2 Pell records, p. 164. Issue Roll. Mich. 30. Edw. III. To the Prior of Merton in money paid to him by the hands of Geoffrey de Chaddesley, one of the Canons of the said place, in full satisfaction of the money due to the same Prior for fifty-two oaks taken from the wood of the same Prior near Reading, for the Round Table at Windsor ; which said oaks were carried to Westminster for the King’s workmen there, £26. 13s. Ad. 3 Fabian, ut supra. 4 “ Liber Ricardi de Eccleshale locutenentis Robti de Kyldesby Contrarotulator Garderobe R a xxv die Nov anno xv [1341] usque xxj die Julii ffiotres soule Jl am tf)J? man. and a crupper, poirtral, 8tc. inlaid with silver. At the King’s plays on the feast of the Epiphany [6th January 1349], kept at Merton, there were used 13 vizards with dragons’ heads, and 13 masks with men’s heads crowned. The Wardrober likewise accounted at that time for materials delivered for a tunic, cloak, and hood for the King, with 100 Garters, furnished with buckles, bars, and pendants of silver; for making a doublet of white linen cloth, having about the cuffs and edge a border of long green cloth worked with clouds and vines of gold, with the King’s Motto thereon, Jit ts as it is; and for making 9 garnitures, covered with russett, whereof each had within it a coat of mail, and stuffing of cloth of Rheims, bulteel, and cotton; which were given by the King to the Earl of Warwick, Sir Robert de Ferrers, John de Beauchamp, John de L’lsle, John de Grey, Richard Talbot, Thomas de Lancaster, John de Levedale, and Thomas de Bradeston. To these extracts it may be added, that the King presented the Queen with two richly ornamented Corsets in 1364, the one having on it the Queen’s Motto, iHgit Stfrtrenge; and on the other, the Motto, Jfrlje iurutre murfje. 3 A copy of the original Patent will be found in Ashmole’s Appendix. The Seal of the College, which appears to be nearly contemporary with its foundation, contains the figure of Saint George in armour, holding a pennon of his Arms in his right, and a shield of the same in his left hand. Before him, King Edward the Third is kneeling; and in other parts of the Seal are the Arms of the King, St. Edward the Confessor, and of St. Edmund. It is engraved in Lysons’ History of Berkshire, p. 424. 16 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD TIT. to have been instituted “ to the Honour of Almighty God, the glorious Virgin Mary, and of Saint George.” Though the Patent does not state that the Chapel was to bear the name of “ Saint George,” it certainly had that designation; for in June 1349, the King granted a license to Henry Earl of Lancaster (one of the first Founders), to assign the advowson of Uttoxeter, in the county of Stafford, to the Warden and Chaplains of “ our Chapel of Saint George of Windsor;” 4 5 and in Pope Clement’s Bull, dated in February 1351, by which the College was exempted from Episcopal jurisdiction, and wherein the King’s foundation in 1348, is recited, it was provided that the Warden and College should pay one mark annually to the Apostolical Chamber, on the Feast of Saint George, “ in whose honour the said Chapel was founded.” 3 But the addition to the original Foundation of the College, which affords the strongest proof of the existence of the Order in August 1348, is that of the twenty-four Poor Knights, who have always been considered an integral part of the Institution; and it is highly improbable that they should have been attached to the College unless all the details of the Order had been settled. 6 If, as can scarcely be doubted, the Order was at that time completed, the fact that the number of the Canons and Poor Knights was fixed at Twenty-four, raises the inference that such must then have been the number of the Companions, because both the Canons and the Poor Knights were afterwards increased to Twenty-six, which has long corresponded with the number of the Companions; 7 and this idea receives some support from the circumstance, 4 Patent 18th June, 23 Edw. III. 1349. Rot. Patent, de eod. ann. p. 2. m. 29. In the Patent appointing John de la Chambre, the first Warden of the College, dated 14th November, 22 Edw. III. 1348, and William Mugge to the same office on the 18th June, 23 Edw. III. 1349, the Chapel is simply called the “ Chapel” or “ Free Chapel within the Castle of Windsor.”—Rot. Patent, de eisd. ann. 5 Printed by Ashmole, Appendix, No. III. 6 On this point Anstis (I. 99,) observes: “This grant, according to the notions of the law at present, would have had no legal subsistence, unless these Canons and Poor Knights had a being. Now the fourth and sixth articles of the Statutes of the Order, reserving the presentation of the first Canons and Poor Knights to the disposition of the First Founders, these Knights must therefore preexist as a Fraternity antecedent to those whom they were thus to nominate.” 7 This circumstance was noticed by Ashmole ; but as he was of opinion that the Order was not founded until the 23 Edward III. 1349, he considers the addition of two Canons and two Poor Knights to have been made after the Order was instituted. His words are, (p. 158,) “The ordained number of the Milites Pauperes, or Poor or Alms Knights, were at first but four and twenty, as were the Custos and Canons at the first foundation of the College. But shortly after, upon his instituting the Princely Society of Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter, consisting of six and twenty, ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 17 that in September 1351, which is the earliest mention of Mantles having been delivered to the Knights, now extant, the Clerk of the Wardrobe received payment for making Twenty Four robes covered with Garters. * * * * * * * 8 However uncertain the precise date of the Foundation of the Order, there is still greater obscurity respecting the origin of the principal Ensign, from which it derives its Title. The Annals of the Institution, the Chroniclers of the time, and the public records, do not afford the slightest information on the subject; and although the writers on the Order 9 have treated with contempt the romantic incident to which its extraordinary Symbol has been ascribed, they have neither succeeded in shewing its absurdity, nor suggested a more probable theory. The popular account is, that during a festival at Court, a Lady happened to drop her Garter, which was taken up by King Edward, who observing a significant smile among the bystanders, exclaimed, with some displeasure, “ Hony soit qui mal y pense” —“ Disgraced be he who thinks ill of it.” In the spirit of gallantry which belonged no less to the age than to his own disposition, and conformably with the custom of wearing a Lady’s favour, and perhaps to prevent any further impertinence, the King is said to have placed the Garter around his own knee. This anecdote is perfectly in character with the manners and feelings of the time; and it is very likely to have occurred. With a few variations as to the name of the Lady, some writers stating her to have been the Queen, others, there were added two more to the former number (as there was to the first Canons) to make them of like number with the Knights Companions of that Order; which number of twentv-six we after find settled at the Ordination of the College by the Bishop of Winchester, the Pope’s Delegate.” The Statutes of the College were settled at Southwark, on the 30th of November, 1352, by William, Bishop of Salisbury; and a copy of them, with other valuable papers relating to the College, occur among the Additional MSS. in the British Museum, Nos. 4845, 6, 7. As it is beyond all doubt, that the Order was completely established before November 1352, it is as remarkable that not a word respecting it should occur in those Statutes, as that there should be no direct allusion to the Institution in the Patent of the 22nd of August 1348. 8 Issue Roll, Mich. 25 Edw. III. As the person to whom the money was paid is called late Clerk of the Wardrobe, these Robes were probably provided some time before. The death of one of the original Founders might, however, have reduced the number to Twenty-four in 1351; but the coincidence is remarkable. 9 It is curious that Ashmole and Anstis, though differing materially as to the date of the Institution of the Order, should agree in repudiating the story in question; and Dr. Heylin, in his “ History of Saint George,” 4to. 1633, p. 328, calls it “ a vain and idle romance, derogatory both to the Order and the Founder.” D 18 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. the Countess of Salisbury, and others, the Countess of Kent, and with the addition that she was Edward’s mistress, the anecdote is certainly as old as the reign of Henry the Seventh . 1 The principal grounds upon which this explanation of a Garter having been made the Device of the Order has been rejected, are, that it would be derogatory to the Institution and absurd in itself, to suppose that so trifling an occurrence should have induced Edward the Third to create a distinguished Fraternity, partaking more of the character of religion than romance; that its Statutes and Annals are silent on the subject; that it is not mentioned by Froissart; and that as no peculiar duties nor homage towards the Female sex were imposed on the Knights, “ not so much as obliging them to defend the quarrels of Ladies, as the rules of some Orders then in being enjoined, it is obvious that the Order had not such a feminine institution .” 2 These objections are by no means conclusive. In attributing the Symbol of the Order to such a circumstance, it does not follow, nor is it pretended, that it was the primary, or only cause of the Institution. If, as is almost beyond a doubt, Edward had previously determined to form a Knightly Band, in imitation of the Round Table of King Arthur, and had not fixed upon any particular Ensign by which they should be distinguished, he may reasonably be supposed to have adopted one, arising indeed from accident, but felicitously suited to his purpose. A Garter has always been associated with sentiments of gallantry ; and to wear a Lady’s favour, her glove, her ribband, or any thing which belonged to her, was a common practice of the age; and this token, or 1 The earliest writer who attributes the Order to such an incident is Polydore Vergil, who states, on the authority of popular tradition, that King Edward having picked up the Garter of the Queen or of his mistress, and some of the courtiers jesting thereupon, he remarked that in a short time to come that Garter should be esteemed by them as the highest honour, and that he not long after instituted the Order of the Garter, and gave it that title. (Vide note, p. 7, antea.) Segar, whose Treatise on “ Honor, Military and Civil,” was published in 1602, says, p. 66, “ It is not publicly known what moved the King to make this Order; but thus it is vulgarly reported, that King Edward dancing with the Queen and other ladies of his Court, happened to take up a blue Garter which fell from one of them, and as some said, from the Countess of Salisbury (of whom the King was then enamoured), which Garter the King afterwards wore about his left leg for a favour. The Queen taking some offence thereat, it was signified unto the King by some of the Lords the cause of her displeasure, at which he smiling said, ‘ Hony soit qui mal y pense, I will make of it ere it be long the most honourable Garter that ever was wornand thereupon instituted the Order of the Garter.” Anstis (I. 122) says, “ I do not think myself obliged to verify the story of the slipping the garter of the Queen, or of the Countess of Salisbury,” but that he must, however, “do the justice to the Ladies to aver, that a tradition obtained as far back as in the reign of Henry VI. that this Order received its original from the Fair Sex, the particular occasion is not expressed in my author, which ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 19 “ emprise,” was regarded with feelings of which posterity has no adequate comprehension. Religion, Fame in Arms, and Homage to the Female Sex, were then the prevailing impulses in every Knightly bosom. In the institution of the Order of the Garter all these ideas would be combined and recognized in the strongest manner, if the popular account of the origin of the Symbol be received. The illustrious Brotherhood were placed, next to the Almighty, under the protection of the tutelar Saint of England, whose Ensign—the emblem also of the Christian faith—adorned their Habits. A Chapel, in which an ecclesiastical community were richly endowed, was appropriated to the worship of God, the service of the Order, and the use of the Knights; and the charity of the Sovereign and the Companions was shewn by their supporting a number of the poorer members of the general body of Chivalry, equal to that of the Fraternity itself. Homage to woman—the peculiar pride and duty of Knighthood, was inculcated by the Device of the Order; while its purity was vindicated, and the idle scoffer rebuked, by its simple and beautiful legend, Hotty soit qui mal y pense. That a graver cause for instituting the Order may be reconciled with the romantic history of its Symbol, did not escape the learned and judicious Selden ; 3 and Edward may well have desired to commemorate the Knightly manner in which he relieved a fair and high-born Dame from the rudeness of a crowd, and converted an untoward accident into a mark of favour and distinction. must therefore be left in the dark.” The reference is to “ Mondonus Belvaleti Catech. Equit. Ord. Periscelid. p. 7. Et sunt pleriq ; nonnulli autumantes hunc Ordinem exordium sumpsisse a sexu Muliebri,” &c. This work has not been found. The statement of Holinshed (ed. 1587, vol. I. p. 159) is as follows :—“ The Order of the Garter was devised in the time of King Edward the third, and (as some write) upon this occasion. The queenes majestie being then livinge, being departed from his presence the next waie toward hir lodging, he following soone after happened to find hir garter, which slacked by chance and so fell from hir leg, unespied in the throng by such as attended upon hir. His groomes and gentlemen also passed by it, disdaining to stoope and take up such a trifle: but he knowing the owner, commanded one of them to staie and reach it up to him. ‘ Why and like your grace (saieth a gentleman) it is but some woman’s garter that hath fallen from hir as she followed the queenes majestie.’ ‘ What soever it be (quoth the king), take it up and give it me.’ So when he had received the garter, he said to such as stodd about him, ‘ You my maisters doo make small account of this blue garter here (and therewith held it out) but if God lend me life for a few moneths, I will make the proudest of you all to reverence the like.’ And even upon this slender occasion he gave himselfe to the devising of this order.”—See also vol. II. p. 366. s Ashmole, p. 179. « 3 Titles of Honor, p. 658. 20 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. To determine the degree of attention to which tradition is entitled, is one of the most difficult tasks of an historian; for it is as unsafe wilfully and absolutely to reject its legends, as it is implicitly and blindly to adopt them. The proper rule is, perhaps, to consider whether the statement be probable; whether, if true, it be likely to have been recorded by contemporary Chroniclers ; and lastly, whether a more rational explanation have been, or can be given. In this instance, the probability seems indisputable ; and the story itself is at least three hundred years old. The only writer likely to have mentioned an anecdote of this nature is Froissart; and his silence is the most material presumption against it; but even if he had heard it, he might not have thought it necessary to explain the origin of the Emblem of the Order. It is, however, impossible to believe that a Garter, and so remarkable a Motto, would have been selected, unless some incident had given interest to both; more especially, as no trace has been found of either having- ever before been used as a Badge or Device. 4 One of these statements, and which occurs in the preface to the Register of the Order, written by Dr. Aldridge, after the 26th Henry VIII. as related by Ashmole, p. 181, is, that King Richard the First being at the siege of Acre, and tired with the length of the siege, “ He by the assistance and mediation of St. George (as imagined) was inspired with fresh courage, and bethought himself of a new device, which was, to tye about the legs of a chosen number of Knights, a leathern Thong or Garter (for such had he then at hand), whereby being put in mind of the future glory that should accrue to them, with assurance of worthy rewards if they overcame, they might be roused up to the behaving themselves gallantly and stoutly in the wars,” &c. and that “ after a long interval of time and divers victories obtained by him, the said King, returning into his country, determined with himself to institute and settle this most noble Order of St. George, on whose patronage the English so much relied.” Of this story, Ashmole says, “ But admit this (though we are to note it is only a relation put down in the preface of the Black Book, but not any part of the annals of the Order, nor can it plead higher antiquity than the reign of King Henry the Eighth, because written a little after the time he reformed and explained the Statutes of the Garter), all this we say admitted, and that King Richard the First did make use of this device in the Holy Land, as a signal or distinction of a party going out upon some warlike exploit, yet that he thence took occasion to frame a distinct Order of Knighthood afterwards, there is not the least mention, nor any ground to imagine. So that all the advantage can be made of it is that (as Doctor Heylin affirms), we may warrantably be persuaded this occasion much heightened the reputation of that Saint among the English, by which means, in process of time, the most heroick Order of the Garter came to be dedicated to him, and not that it in any way contributed to the Institution of it.” The other statement, which occurs in Camden’s “ Britannia,” p. 207, is to this effect, and is thus stated by Ashmole, p. 183: “ Edward the Third, having given forth his own Garter for the signal of a Battle that sped fortunately (which, w-ith Duchesne, we conceive to be that of Crescy, fought almost three years after his setting up of the Round Table at Windsor ; rather than, with the author of the Nouveau Theatre de Monde, that of Poicters, which happened above seven years after the foundation of the Order, and whereat King Edward was not present); the victory, we say, being happily gained, he thence took occasion to Institute this Order, and gave the Garter (assumed by him for the symbol of Unity and Society) preeminence among the Ensigns of it, whence ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 21 Two other causes have been assigned for the adoption of a Garter as the Ensign of the Order; but they almost disprove themselves, and have been rejected by the best authorities . 4 To the objection that Edward the Third and his Companions would have deemed it “derogatory” to wear a Garter as the Ensign of their Fraternity, the very fact of its adoption as such, and the universal spirit of the age, alike prove that they considered it an honour to do so. The silence of the Statutes is wholly immaterial. No authentic copy of the original Statutes exist; and though those which were afterwards compiled explain the object, and state the time of the Institution, and the duties of its members, and prescribe rules for its government, neither they, nor the Statutes of any other British Order explain the reason why a peculiar Ensign or Motto were selected. As it is not supposed that the Order itself was founded purposely and solely to commemorate the fall of a Lady’s garter, or the King’s gallantry on the occasion, and as the anecdote was scarcely suited to the pen of a grave that select number, whom he incorporated into a Fraternity, are frequently styled ‘ Equites Aurea Periscelidis ,’ and vulgarly, Knights of the Garter.” The following account of the Institution of the Order is translated from an early Portuguese work, by Pedro Mariz, entitled “ Dialogos de varia Historia;” but he appears to have merely followed Polydore Vergil and other subsequent writers: “ In imitation of him (John, King of France), and about the same time, King Edward of England created another Order of Knights, under the Invocation of Saint George, which he called ‘ da Gartera,’ or Garrotia (which word, in the English tongue, signifies what we call Liga), which said Gartera the Knights of this Order wear as their Ensign, garnished with gold and precious stones, bound about their left leg, and with a device in the French language, which signifieth ‘ Vituperetur qui male cogitat.’ The Master of this Order is always the King of England, for so willed the Founder of it, to whom the thing happened which was the cause of its being instituted, which thing I do not here mention, because it has been told in many divers ways by writers, and by some of these as a matter of much unbecoming lightness; and I hold that in things which cast discredit upon princes, it is better to be deemed ignorant than insolent.” —Edit. 1598. Dial. iii. p. 124. Puttenham, in his “Arte of English Poesie,” printed in 1589, speaks of the Order in the following manner : “ King Edward the Third, her Majesty’s most noble progenitor, first Founder of the famous Order of the Garter, gave this posie with it, Hony soit qui mil y pense, commonly thus Englished, ‘ 111 be to him that tliinketh ill,’ but in mine opinion better thus, ‘ Dishonoured be he who meanes unhonorably.’ There cannot be a more excellent devise, nor that could contain larger intendment, nor greater subtilty, nor (as a man may say) more virtue or Princely generosity. For first, He did by it mildly and gravely reprove the perverse construction of such noble men in his Court, as imported the King’s wearing about his neck the Garter of the Lady with whom he danced, to some amorous alliance betwixt them, which was not true. He also justly defended his own integrity, saved the noble woman’s good renown, which by licentious speeches might have been impaired, and liberally recompensed her injury with an Honor, such as none could be devised greater, nor more glorious, or permanent upon her and all the posterity of her house. It inureth also, as a worthy lesson and discipline for all Princely personages, whose actions, imaginations, countenances and speeches, should evermore correspond in all truth and honorable simplicity.”—4to. p. 85. 22 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. divine like the Dean of Windsor, by whom the earliest existing Annals w r ere compiled, it is in no degree invalidated by his silence. Ashmole’s attempt to divest the Order of what he terms a “ feminine institution,” is singularly unfortunate. The obligation to defend the rights of Ladies formed an essential part of the ordinary oath and duties of Knighthood in general, to which class the candidates for admission into the Order necessarily belonged. His inference that no peculiar consideration was shewn for Ladies in its Foundation, and consequently that Edward the Third could scarcely have adopted an article of their attire for its Ensign, is refuted by the. fact, that in few similar Institutions was more respect shewn to them; and that in none were they more intimately associated with the Order itself. As far as their sex permitted, the Queen, the Wives of the early Companions, and a few other illustrious Females, were, in fact, members of the Institution; for, as will be shewn hereafter, they wore Hobes similar to those of the Knights, placed the ennobled Garter on their arm, were present at the Great Festivals, were sometimes described as “ Dames de la Fraternite de Saint George,” and are even expressly said to have been “ received into the Order .” 5 Agreeably to the practice of every Country professing the Christian religion, the Fraternity was to be placed under the special protection of some eminent Saint; and the choice naturally fell upon Saint George, the great Patron of Soldiers, and who has been for ages the peculiar “ Guardian, Protector, Defender, and Advocate 6 7 of England;” the “ very Tutor and Patron 5 Among the articles delivered out of the Wardrobe of Henry the Fifth, in 1413, were, “ La Liveree de Seint George, faits et deliverez as diverses Chivaliers et Dames de la Fraternite de Seint George tenuz mesme l’an.”—Fcedera, ix. 3. 6 In the articles prepared by Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, against Henry the Fourth, Saint George is called “ Martyr and Knight, special Protector and Defender of the Realm of England and Avocat.” 7 This description of Saint George occurs in the articles of Lord Scales, in his challenge to Sir Anthony, Bastard of Burgundy, in 1467: “ In the wurship, reverence, and helpe of oure blessid Savioure Jh’u Criste, of the gloriouse Virgyne his modir, and Seint George very Tutor and patron and cry of Englisshemen; in augmentacion of Knyghthode and recomendacion of nobley ( nobless ): also for the gloriouse scoole and study of Armes, and for the vailliance thereof to my power to meyn- teyne and folowe: and for to voide slewthfulnes of tyme loste, and to obey and please my feire Lady I, Antony Wodevile, Knyght, Lorde of Scales and of Nucelles, Englissheman, xvij day of Aprille, yere of oure Lorde Mcccclxv, have resceyvid by the Ladies the gyft of a riche Coler of golde, and in that hangyng a noble Souvenaunce: the which of theire grace have takyn, and set it upon my right thigh. The which Souvenaunce, by Goddes pleasire, congie and licence of the Kyng my soveraigne, I have takyn the charge for emprise to fournysshe and accomplisshe, with the helpe of God, the Armes that folowith,” Sec.— Excerpta Historica, p. 180. ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 23 and Cry of Englishmen.” 7 For this reason the Order has always borne the title of “ The Order of Saint George,” as well as of “ The Garter.” 8 It is neither desirable nor necessary to enter into the controversy to which the history, and even the very existence of Saint George, has given rise; 9 and it may be sufficient to state, that he is commonly considered to have been Saint George of Cappadocia, a valiant soldier, who suffered martyrdom in Palestine, under Diocletian, about the year 290; and that the Legend which has caused him to be represented encountering a Dragon is, that having arrived at Sylene, in Lybia, Saint George found that the King’s daughter was about to be sacrificed to the rapacity of a fierce and venomous Dragon, which infested a lake x near that place; that he attacked the Dragon; wounded him by a thrust of his spear; and having overthrown him, desired the Princess to place her girdle round the monster’s neck, and to fear nothing; and that having done so, the Dragon followed her as “ if he had been a meek beast and debonaire.” The time and cause of Saint George being chosen the tutelar Saint of this Country, are matter of conjecture. As early, however, as the reign of King Edward the Pirst, and probably long before, the Arms of Saint George—a red Cross on a white ground—were always borne in the field, together with those of the Sovereign, of Saint Edmund, and Saint Edward the Confessor; 10 and though the Banners of the two latter Saints fell into desuetude, the Banner of Saint George continued to be the national Ensign of England until the accession of King James the First, when in violation alike of the principles of taste and of 8 In a Poem attributed to Chaucer, the Livery of the Knights of the Garter is thus noticed : “ -for God’s pleasaunce And his mother, and significaunce That ye ben of Saint Georges livere, Doth him service and Knightly obeisaunce, For Christis cause is his, well knowin ye.” 9 The works in which the History of Saint George has been investigated, are “ Historia Rerum et Urbis Amstelodamensium, autore John Isaico Pontano,” folio, 1611, wherein Gibbon’s objections to the history of Saint George have been partly anticipated; “ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Cap. xxiii; “ Heylin’s History of Saint George,” 4to. 1631, 2nd ed. 1633; “ Selden’s Titles of Honor,” Ed. 1672, p. 660; “ Pettingall’s Dissertation on the original of the Equestrian Figure of Saint George and of the Garter,” 4to.; and Observations in reply to that tract, by the Rev. Samuel Pegge, in the Archaeologia, vol. I. p. 32. Butler considers the representation of Saint George to be an emblematical figure, purporting that by his faith and Christian fortitude he conquered the Devil, called the Dragon in the Apocalypse. 10 Retrospective Review, New Series, vol. I. p. 90—Siege of Caerlaverock, 4to. p. 86. 24 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. Heraldry, it was blended with the Banner of Saint Andrew of Scotland. This union of the two Ensigns was rendered still more confused by the addition of the Banner of Saint Patrick of Ireland in 1801 ; and in this incongruous assemblage of Crosses and Colours, the integrity of each has been lost, and every Historical and National association destroyed. The Arms of Saint George also formed the peculiar Badge, which distinguished the soldiers of England; 1 and the invocation of his name—“ Saint George for England”—“ Saint George to the Rescue,” was a Cry which never failed to inspire them with confidence and valour. The Order of the Garter was probably founded by Letters Patent, and as such instruments were usually recorded, it is singular that no notice of its creation should occur on the Bolls of Chancery. There is reason to believe that a body of Statutes were drawn up by Edward the Third either immediately upon, or very soon after, the establishment of the Order; and it is certain that the Seal of the Fraternity existed as early as 1353, because messengers were paid before Michaelmas in that year, for conveying letters summoning “ the Knights of the Order of Saint George” to Windsor, which were sealed with “ the Seal of Saint George.” 2 3 4 5 No direct reference to the Order has been discovered after 1347 or 1348, 1 Among the Statutes made by King Richard the Second for the government of his Army, in 1386, is the following :—“ Also that every man of what estate, condicion, or nation they be of, so that he be of our party, bear a Sign of the Arms of Saint George, large both before and behind, upon peril that if he be slain or wounded to death, he that hath so done to him shall not be put to death, for default of the Cross that he lacketh; and that none enemy do bear the same token or Cross of Saint George, notwithstanding if he be prisoner, upon pain of death.”—Harleian MS. 1309. A similar regulation was made by Henry the Fifth, in 1416.—History of the Battle of Agincourt, 8vo. 1832, App. p. 35. * Issue Roll, 27 Edw. III. p. 160. 3 Wardrobe Accounts from the 14th of February, 24 Edw. III. 1350, to the 30th of September, 25 Edw. III. 1351, now remaining in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer. 4 Anstis, 1.105 .—“ To William Retford, late Clerk of the Great Wardrobe, in part payment of £160 for the making of twenty-four robes with ten Mantles, powdered with embroidered Garters, and twelve Standards of worsted thread of the King’s Arms, for the Chapel of Windsor.” 5 The account of John de Buckyngham, the Keeper of the Wardrobe of the Household for the 27th Edw. III. [1353], remaining with the Queen’s Remembrancer. “ In offerings distributed at a high mass performed in the King’s presence on the Feast of St. George, and for a mass for the deceased Brethren of the Order, 6«. 8J. In the offerings of the Lord the King at the Great Altar in the Chapel of St. George at Windsor, on the Eve of the same Saint, 6s. 8 d. In the like offerings of the Lord the King at the Reliques in the same Chapel, on the same day, 6s. 8 d. In the offerings of the same Lord the King at the Mass of Requiem for the deceased Brethren of the same Order, namely, on the Morrow of St. George, 6s. 8 d. —(Anstis, ii. p. 50.) ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 25 until 1350, when Robes were issued for the King, against the coming Feast of Saint George, together with a Garter containing “ the King’s Motto, gopt qtu mat v pensr-,” 3 and in September, 1351, payment was made for twenty-four Mantles powdered with Garters, and for twelve Standards of the Kings Arms for the Chapel at Windsor. 4 On Saint George’s day, 1353, offerings were made at a High Mass, celebrated in the King’s presence, as well as at a Mass of Requiem for the deceased Brethren of the Order ; so that more than one of the original Founders must have died before that year. 5 After that period, notices of the Order frequently occur among the expenses of the Royal Household. 6 In 1358, the Queen and other Ladies were present at the Great Feast; 6 and the King issued a special mandate for the payment of £500 to Queen Philippa, for her dress upon the occasion. 7 That the Queen and the wives of the Companions were then attired in the Habit of the Order is extremely probable, because like the Knights, she made her offerings in the Chapel at Windsor on Saint George’s day; 8 and, as will be more particularly shewn, the Queen and other Ladies did undoubtedly receive Robes of the Order from the Royal Wardrobe, early in the following reign. 8 Though the Statutes which are said to have been enacted at the Foun- 6 In the 32nd Edw. III. 1358, payments were made to messengers who were sent to various parts of England with Letters of Privy Seal addressed to divers Lords and Ladies, commanding them to be at Windsor on the Feast of Saint George; for the carriage of oats to Windsor for the same Feast; to William Volaunt, King of the Heralds, as a gift from the King for the good service rendered by him on the Feast of Saint George; and to twenty-four minstrels, who performed before the King on that occasion. In the 34th Edw. III. 1360, John Marreis, the King’s Taylor, was paid for making a Robe for the King, of the pattern of the Knights of the Garter, for Saint George’s Feast. In the following year, 1361, £100 were paid for the expenses incurred at Windsor on the Feast of Saint George. In the 37th Edw. III. 1363, Habits of the Order were issued out of the wardrobe, and the King offered at the mass of Requiem on the Morrow of Saint George; in the 45th year, 1371, he offered a noble of gold at the high mass celebrated in his presence in the Chapel of Saint George on Saint George’s day; and in his 51st year, 1377, £100 were paid to the Keeper of the Wardrobe for the purchase of divers things to be newly made for the Knights at Windsor.—Accounts Eod. Ann. Anstis, II. p. 51. 7 To Philippa, Queen of England, in full payment of £500 which the Lord the King commanded to be delivered to her of his gift in aid of her equipment against the Feast of St. George last past at Windsor.—Pell Records. Anstis, II. 100. 8 Among the Expenses of Philippa, Queen of England, from the last day of September, in the 25th (1351) to the 26th (1352) year of the reign of the King of England, were, “ In offerings made at the high mass celebrated in the Chapel of WTndsor Castle on Saint George’s day, 13s. 4 d .”— Anstis, I. 123. 26 HISTORY OF THE [EDWAED hi. dation of the Order, are presumed to be of more modern date, they are, nevertheless, entitled to attention. They commence with reciting that King Edward the Third, in the twenty-third year of his reign [1349—1350], to the Honour of Almighty God, the Glorious Virgin Mary, and of Saint George the Martyr, had established a Society or Military Order in his Castle of Windsor in the following manner: He constituted himself Sovereign, and the Prince of Wales and the other twenty-four Knights therein named, 9 Companions. It was declared that the King of England for the time being should for ever be Sovereign “ of this Order of Saint George or Society of the Garterthat no one should be elected into it unless of gentle birth, and a Knight without reproach, because the Institution did not admit the ignoble or unworthy: That the twenty-six Co-Knights and Confreres of the Order should wear the appointed Mantles and Garters at the said Castle, whenever they entered the Chapel or Chapter House, or performed any duty relating to the Order; and rules were laid down respecting their proceedings at the Supper on the Eve, and on the Feast day of Saint George. An arrangement was made for the institution of thirteen secular Canons and thirteen Vicars, and for the nomination to vacancies among them. The Canons were each to receive a Mantle of purple- coloured cloth, with a circle of the Arms of Saint George. It was ordained that twenty-six veteran Knights, not having enough for their own support, should be maintained for the honour of God and Saint George, continually serving God in prayer. The election of these Knights was vested in the Sovereign, and they were to have a red Mantle with a shield of the Arms of Saint George, but not placed within the Garter. Power was reserved to the Sovereign to appoint a Deputy in case of his absence from the Feast of Saint George, and though such Deputy was forbidden to make any new ordinance, he was authorized to punish infractions of the Statutes. All the Knights Companions were enjoined to assemble at Windsor Castle on Saint George’s Eve, and, sitting in their several Stalls, and wearing their Mantles, to hear Divine Service. The Helmet and Sword of each Knight were to be placed above his Stall during his life. Penalties were to be inflicted for non-attendance; and such Companions as had not arrived at the appointed hour were prohibited from taking any part in the proceedings of the Chapter. If any Knight being in England, and not having the Sovereign’s permission to stay away, were absent from two consecutive Feasts 9 For the names of the first Founders, see p. 31—37, postea. ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 27 of the Order, he was forbidden to enter his Stall until he had offered a jewel of the value of twenty marks at the Altar of Saint George, which fine was to be doubled every year until he had made atonement. Every Companion was enjoined to wear his Mantle of sanguine colour, from the hour of first Vespers on the Eve, until the second Vespers on the Morrow, of Saint George, wheresoever he might happen to be, in the same manner as if he were with the Sovereign at the usual celebration of the Feast. If any Companion appeared in public without the Garter, he was, on being warned thereof, to pay half a mark to the Warden and College, as others had before paid who had committed the same offence. A ceremonial was settled for making the offerings at High Mass; and in Processions in the Chapel, the Sovereign was to walk after all the other Companions. On the Morrow of Saint George’s day a Mass of Requiem w T as to be celebrated for the souls of all the faithful deceased, at which the Knights were particularly commanded to be present. Every Companion was to leave a Mantle in the Chapel for his use whenever it might be necessary to wear it, and he was enjoined to obey the precepts and admonitions of the Sovereign. If any of the Knights passed near Windsor Castle, he was, for the honour of the place, to enter, if he conveniently could, and having put on his Mantle, the Canons then present were to conduct him with reverence into the Chapel. If he arrived at the time of Mass, he was, for the honour of God and of Saint George, to remain during the service, but if he arrived after mid-day, he was to hear the Psalm “ De Profundis” once sung, and make his offering. In case any Companion entered the Town without going to the Chapel and making his offering, he was to walk on foot one mile towards the Chapel, and offer a penny in honour of Saint George. On the death of any Member of the Order being known, the Knights were each to cause a certain number of masses to be said for his soul, viz. the Sovereign, 1000; a Foreign King, 800; the Prince of Wales, 500; every Duke, 600; every Earl, 300; every Baron, 200; and every Knight Batchelor, 100; and if this were omitted for more than a quarter of a year, the Sovereign was to cause the number of masses to be doubled, with a prescribed increase for further delay. After the death of any Companion, all the Knights within the Realm were to be summoned by the Sovereign to attend a new election; and all, or six at the least, besides the Sovereign and his Deputy, being duly assembled, each of them was to name nine of the most sufficient persons whom he believed to be without ignominy or shame, whether subjects of the Sovereign or other 28 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. wise, provided they did not favour or defend the Sovereign’s enemy; namely, three Earls or persons of superior rank, three Barons, and three Knights Batchelors. The Prelate of the Order (the Bishop of Winchester for the time being), and in his absence, the Dean of the College, or Registrar, and in their absence, the senior Residentiary, was to write down these nominations, which were to be shewn to the Sovereign, who was then to select from those so named the person to whom the greater number of suffrages had been given; and who, for the honour of the Order, and the advantage of the King and the Realm, might appear the most proper to be admitted. For failing, without sufficient cause, to attend an election, a Knight was to pay one mark to the College; and in the next Chapter he was to kneel upon the ground before the Sovereign, and other Knights, until he had reconciled himself to them. A Knight-Elect was to receive the Garter as a token that he was one of the Companions of the Order, but his Mantle was not to he given to him until he was inducted into his Stall: if he died before he was Installed, he was not to be named as one of the Founders, because he had not had full possession of his degree, a moiety of the prescribed number of masses were however to be said for his soul, because he had had livery of the Garter, and nothing more. If a Knight-Elect did not use due diligence to be Installed, after he had received the Garter, especially within one year, he being in England, and not having licence of absence from the Sovereign and other Knights, his election was to be void ; and they might proceed to a new election. Neither the Sword nor Helmet of a Knight-Elect was to be fixed over his Stall until he entered the Castle, but they were to be placed before his Stall only; so that in case he were never Installed, his Sword and Helmet might not be irreverently taken down ; and, that Knightly honour might be preserved, they were to be courteously and honourably removed out of the Choir, and afterwards to remain for the public use of the College. On the Election of Foreigners, notice thereof, together with the Garter, Mantle, and Statutes of the Order, under the Common Seal, were to be transmitted to them within four months, that they might deliberate upon the tenor of the Statutes whether they would consent to such election or no. If they accepted the Order, whatever might be their rank, they were, within eight months, to send a Proxy, of the degree of a Knight, void of reproach, to be Installed; and he was to bring with him the Mantle of the Order of sanguine coloured silk, together with a Sword and Helmet, to be placed in the College. The Mantle was to be put on ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 29 the right arm of the Proxy by the Sovereign or his Deputy, at the time of Installation, and he was to wear it in that manner, during the Canonical hours, immediately afterwards, in the name of his principal; but he was never again to wear it, nor to enter or vote in any Chapter of the Order. Such Installations by Proxy were expressly confined to Foreigners, because they could not appear in person, and were only allowed with the intent that the Knight might participate in the masses and prayers of the Order, of a moiety of which he would be deprived if he died without being Installed. If any Earl, Baron, or Knight Batchelor of the Order, died, his successor, whether Earl, Baron, or Knight Batchelor, was to have his predecessor’s Stall, whatever might be his own rank; and no one elected was to change the order of the Stalls, except the Prince of Wales, who after his election was always to have the Stall opposite to that of the Sovereign; and so in case an Earl occupied the Stall of a Knight and £ contra; which was ordained that it might be known who were the first Founders of the Order. Every Knight on his admission was to present money, according to his rank, in support of the Canons and Poor Knights, and in augmentation of the alms of the College: viz. the Sovereign forty-six marks; a Foreign King twenty pounds; the Prince of Wales twenty marks; every Duke ten pounds; every Earl ten marks; every Baron one hundred shillings ; and every Knight Batchelor five marks: and these pious donations were established that a person entering into this military Order, might thereby the more worthily obtain the name, title, and privilege of one of the Founders. Until these payments were made, neither the Helmet nor Sword of the Knight was to be placed over his Stall. The fees of all Foreign Knights were to be paid by the Sovereign at the time of their Installation by Proxy. On the decease of one of the original Knights Founders, a shield of his Arms made of metal, and his Helmet, were to be affixed to the back of his Stall; and this was also to be done on the death of all succeeding Knights, but beneath those of the first Founders, and of less size. The Knights were to be sworn to observe the Statutes. In the event of the Sovereign’s absence from the Realm at the time of an Installation, or if, for other reasons, he could not perform his duty in person, he might appoint one of the Companions to act for him. A Common Seal was ordained to be made, the custody of which was to be entrusted to such person as the Sovereign might appoint; but it was provided by a subsequent Statute, that the Seal was to remain in the custody of one of the Companions of the Order, at the pleasure of the Sovereign; and if the Keeper of the Seal 30 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD HI. quitted the Sovereign’s person, he was to leave it in the custody of such other of the Companions, being present with the Sovereign, as his Majesty might appoint: so that the Common Seal might at no time be taken out of the Sovereign’s presence, so long as he continued in England; and in the King’s absence from the Realm, the same rule was to be observed with respect to his Deputy. Every Companion was to have a copy of the Statutes under such Seal, and on his death, his executors were to deliver it to the Warden of the College at Windsor; and the Original Statutes sealed therewith, were to remain for ever in the Treasury of the College. No Knight of the Order was to quit the Kingdom without the Sovereign’s permission: and in case any Military expedition should be undertaken, or any matter arise which could redound to Knightly Honour, the Sovereign was, of his favour, bound to prefer the Companions of the Order to all others. None of the Knights of the Order was to bear Arms against another of the Knights, except in the war of his liege Lord, or in his own just quarrel. If a Companion were retained to support the part or quarrel of any Lord, and the adverse party afterwards sought to retain any other Companion of the Order, in support of his cause, no such Companion subsequently solicited, was to consent to serve; but he was bound to excuse himself, because one of his Companions had been previously retained or armed on the other side. Every Knight retained by any Lord, was to stipulate that he should be entirely absolved from all service of war, in case any of his Companions of the Society of the Garter had been previously retained by such Lord’s adversary, and was armed in his cause. If the Knight subsequently retained, did not know that one of his Companions was already retained or armed, he was to relinquish his engagement the moment he became aware of it. All licences granted to Knights of the Order wishing to visit Foreign countries, to obtain Honour by the performance of Knightly Deeds, and all other writings concerning the Order, were to be issued by the Sovereign under the Common Seal. In case any of the Companions from motives of devotion, wished to reside continually in the Castle of Windsor, provision was to be made for his support, out of his own property. If any Knight, not a Companion of the Order, or any other person, paid ten pounds or upwards yearly to the College, with the object of participating in the prayers there offered, his name was to be entered in the list of Benefactors, so that the Canons and Poor Knights might for ever pray for him. If any of the Canons died, and the Sovereign was absent from the ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 31 Realm, the Warden of the College was to notify the circumstance to him, that he might present another to the vacant Canonry. Lastly, it was provided that there should be a Registrar of the Order, appointed by the Sovereign and Companions, who was to be of more ability than the others of the College. He was to be present in every Chapter, to register and take notes of all Elections and the names of those elected, and of the penalties inflicted relating to the Order, with the causes thereof, from Chapter to Chapter, every year. He was to be sworn, on taking his office, to register faithfully; and at the commencement of every Chapter, on the Eve of Saint George, all matters which had been entered during the preceding year were to be publicly read before the Sovereign and Society, so that if any thing required correction, it might be duly and properly amended . 1 An interesting part of the Annals of the Order, is the selection made by the Founder, of his first Companions. But this point is unfortunately involved in much of the darkness by which the pristine glories of the Institution are obscured. Though doubts exist as to the identity of some, and to the biography of others of the original Knights, it is unquestionable that they were all eminently distinguished by birth or military fame. The names of the first Founders occur in all the modern copies of the Statutes; and while the accuracy of those Lists is in many instances shewn by evidence, there is no other proof whatever, except the Windsor Tables, that some of the persons therein mentioned ever were elected. King Edward the Third declared himself and his heirs, being Kings of England, to be perpetual Sovereigns and Chiefs of the Order, and he is said to have chosen as his original Companions, 1 Of the Statutes attributed to King Edward the Third, Ashmole has printed three Copies, all of which are in Latin. The first Copy (and of which an abstract is given in the text,) consists of thirty- four articles, and was copied from the commencement of the MS. entitled “ Registrum Ordinis Chartaceum,” which was written about the time of King Henry the Fifth, but is no longer extant. That they could not have been originally compiled at the Institution of the Order, is proved by some of the Companions being described by Titles which they did not possess until some years afterwards, by those Statutes referring, in article 10, to “a former decree,” and in article 12, to “former usage;” and by the 33rd article being taken from the Statutes ordained by Henry the Fifth. The second Copy was from a MS. in Lord Hatton’s library, which, though consisting of thirty-six articles, differs in no material degree from the first Copy, the additional articles being made by the division of two of the articles into four. The third Copy was taken from “ the Black Book,” which was compiled by Dr. Aldrich, Dean of Windsor, and Registrar of the Order, in the 25th Henry VIII. 1534, and is merely a more elegant, but less authentic version, of the other Copies. See Ashmole, p. 191, and Appendix, Nos. I. II. III.; and Anstis, vol. II. p. 41. 32 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. I. Sir Edward, Prince of Wales, his eldest son, who in 1347, was in the seventeenth year of his age; and who had recently acquired, at Cressy and Calais, part of the glory which has rendered the name of “ the Black Prince,” one of the most renowned in British History (A ’ C) . He died in June, 1376. II. Sir Henry, Earl of Lancaster and Derby, the King’s second cousin, he being son of Henry, and grandson of Edmond, Earl of Lancaster, the second son of King Henry the Third. He had distinguished himself in the command of the army in Scotland, as early as 1336; was created Earl of Derby in 1342; succeeded his father in the Earldom of Lancaster in 1345, was made Lieutenant of Aquitaine in the same year, and was at the Siege of Calais in 1347; towards the end of which year he was present at the Tournament at Eltham. The Earl was raised to the Dukedom of Lancaster in 1351, by which title he is described in the Statutes. After serving in all the expeditions of his time, and becoming as conspicuous by his services as by his rank, he died in March, 1360. III. Sir Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who was then about thirty years of age, and had distinguished himself both in Scotland and France. He commanded a wing of the King’s army at Vironfoss, was at the battle of Sluys, led the van under the Black Prince at Cressy, and was at the siege of Calais. (A) He died in November, 1369. IV. Sir John de Greilley, Capitow de Buche, of whom Ashmole says, “ we are yet to seek who this person was, notwithstanding there hath wanted no pains in the search.” The difficulty respecting his identity arises from his being styled “ le Capitow de la Bouche, Monsieur Piers,” * 2 on the Plate in his Stall; for the title of “ Capitow de Buche” appears to have been borne long before, as well as long after, by John de Greilly, who also became Viscount of Benanges, and having supported Edward the Third, served this country with such fidelity, that he preferred dying a prisoner in Paris in 1377, W He received the Livery of the Order by virtue of a Writ of Privy Seal, dated 12th March, 35th Edw. HI. 1361. Wardrobe Accounts, eod. ann. Edw. III. now preserved in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer, from which extracts are given by Anstis, I. 42. Vide p. 38, postea. (C > He received the Livery of the Order in the 47th or 48th Edw. III. 1373 or 1374. Wardrobe Accounts, now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer. Vide p. 40, postea. 2 Vide Anstis, I. p. 6—10. His Stall-Plate still exists. The “ Capitau de Beoche” had Livery of the Order in March, 38th Edw. III. 1364 ; and in a record of the preceding year, he is called “John de Greyllye Capitau de la Buche.” Ibid. p. 6. See also Foedera, V. 785; 819; Archibald Capitow ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 33 to abandoning his engagement. It would appear that it was John Captal de Buche who was the Knight (B> Founder of the Order, and that a mistake was made in the baptismal name on his Stall Plate. V. Sir Ralph Lord Stafford, a distinguished soldier, who was then about forty-eight years of age. He had served on the most important occasions in the wars, since the accession of Edward the Third, and was at Cressy and the siege of Calais. He was not created Earl of Stafford (A,B) until March 1351, though he is described by that title in the earliest copy of the Statutes. At the time of his election he had married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Hugh de Audley, Earl of Gloucester, by Margaret de Clare, the King’s first cousin. His eldest son, who died about 1347, was also allied to the Royal Family, having married a daughter of Henry Earl of Lancaster. The Earl of Stafford died in August 1372. VI. Sir William Montacute, second Earl of Salisbury, in which title he succeeded his father, who is said to have died of wounds received in Tilting at Windsor in 1343. He was Knighted, with the Prince of Wales, at La Hogue in July 1346, and is presumed to have been at the siege of Caen, the battle of Cressy, and the surrender of Calais. His mother was the Countess of Salisbury, of whom Froissart says the King was enamoured, and whose name is popularly identified with the Ensign and Motto of the Order. She was Katherine, daughter of William Lord Grandison; married William first Earl of Salisbury; was about forty years old when left his widow, in 1343; and died in 1349. 3 The Earl (A,B,c) of Salisbury (D,E ' F,G ’ H) , (the Knight Founder of the Garter), contracted to marry Joan Plantagenet, daughter of Edmund, and sister and heir of John Earl of Kent, and granddaughter of King Edward the First; but Sir Thomas Holand (another of the first Founders) having alleged a prior and stronger right to her, he obtained the sentence of the Pope in his favour. This circumstance has caused her to be sometimes taken for de Buche, uncle and heir of John, late Capitau de Buche, did homage to Richard II. at his coronation. Ibid. VII. 161. 189. he could not have been much above eighteen years old: he succeeded his father in 1355, and 'died in April 1369. X. Sir John Beauchamp, who was a younger brother of Thomas Earl of Warwick, another of the Founders. He was an eminent soldier; had served in the battles of Vironfoss and Sluys, and had the honour of bearing the King’s p The Plate of his Arms still remains in the Chapel of Saint George. (A) He received the Livery of the Order in April, 1361. Ibid, in 1364. CC) Ibid, in 1374. (D > Ibid, in 1379. (E) Ibid, in 1384. 6 The earliest existing representation of one of the first Knight Founders, in the Habit of the Order, is that of Sir Nigel Loring, which occurs in the list of Benefactors to the Abbey of St. Albans, and is now in the Cottonian MS. Nero, D. vn. Not satisfied with recording the names of those who ANNO 1348.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 37 of Calais, (A,B,C> and was (D,E) evidently a soldier of great reputation: 6 he died in 1385. XX. Sir John Chandos, who was one of the most eminent Knights of his time, and had distinguished himself by several deeds of great valour p . He served in the expedition to France in 1346, was conspicuous for his bravery at Cressy, acquired fresh renown at Poictiers, and left one of the brightest names in the rolls of Chivalry. He was slain in France in December 1370, and his loss is said to have been almost as much lamented by his enemies as by his own countrymen, for the King of France observed, “ there was no Knight left alive who was able to make peace between the realms of France and England.” XXI. Sir James Audley. Though there is some doubt respecting the parentage of this person, there can be none that he had earned high distinction before, and had increased his reputation after, his election. Ashmole confounds him with James Lord Audley of Heleigh; but he was clearly the Sir James Audley who was in the wars in France in 1342, in the retinue of the Earl of Lancaster in 1344, and having been in that of the Prince of Wales in 1346, may be presumed to have served at Cressy, and at the Siege of Calais. Froissart, whose account of his valour at Poictiers, the rewards which he received from the Black Prince, and the generous manner in which he disposed of the Royal grants, is well known, says that he died while Seneschal of Poitou in 1369, and that his obsequies were attended by the Prince of W ales. XXII. Sir Otho Holland was a younger brother of Thomas Earl of Kent, one of the Founders. Little is known respecting him; but he appears to have been at the Siege of Calais, if not at Cressy; and was about thirty- five years of age when elected. He died in September 1360. XXIII. Sir Henry Eam, about whom there is more uncertainty than respecting any other of the Founders. It is shewn by the grant of a pension of contributed to the revenues of the Abbey, the gratitude of the Monks induced them to preserve their effigies ; and however little may be the merits of these drawings as works of art, or as portraits, they are very curious, and, as illustrations of costume, valuable. Sir Nigel Loring, having bestowed ten marks, is introduced at f. 104 b , near the date of 1380. He appears as an old man with a red cap, or hood, on his head, and red shoes on his feet, the rest of his person being covered with a white robe, powdered with Garters; and he holds a purse in his left hand. It may also be observed that another representation of a Knight of the Garter in the reign of Richard II. occurs in the Royal MS. 20 B. vi. in which one of the personages about the King seems to wear a Garter beneath his left knee. p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 38 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. one hundred marks to him, payable out of the manor of Bradnash in Devonshire, by the Prince of Wales, on the 18th of January 1348, that he was born the subject of the Duke of Brabant, and that when he received the honour of Knighthood from the Prince’s own hand, he had engaged to devote himself to his service, as well in peace as in war; and the date of that patent would imply that he had distinguished himself in France, and perhaps at Cressy and Calais, in 1346. This is literally all which has been discovered about him, except that the Prince’s grant was confirmed by the King in June 1349. He must have died before 1360, because in that year Thomas Lord Ughtrede, who is said to have succeeded to his Stall, received Livery of the Order. XXIY. Sir Sanchete Dabrichecourt. Of this Knight little has been discovered; and he is supposed to have been the son of the Lord of the Castle of Amberticourt, in Hainault, who hospitably received Isabel, Queen of Edward the Second, when driven out of France; in consequence of which the Queen brought him, with his wife and children, to England, where they were treated with favour by the Court. He p must have died before 1360, as his Stall was at that time filled by Sir William Fitz Warine. XXY. Sir Walter Paveley, who was about twenty-eight years of age when elected. He was nearly related to Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, another of the first Founders, had served in Brittany in 1342 and 1343; and as he was in the expedition into France in 1346, it is likely he was present at Cressy, and the Siege of Calais 1 *. jJe (A,B ’ c) died in June 1375. It would appear, therefore, that the original Companions consisted of two Princes of the Blood, the Prince of Wales and the Earl of Lancaster; of the Captal de Buche, a distinguished Gascon Nobleman; of the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury; of five Barons, Stafford, Mortimer, Lisle, Grey of Rotherfield, and Mohun ; and of fifteen Bannerets or Knights, two of whom were Foreigners ; and that with few, if indeed any exceptions, they had all served in the expedition to France in the preceding year, were present at the Battle of Cressy, p Their Stall Plates still remain in Saint George’s Chapel: that of Sir Walter Pavely is engraved in Anstis, II. p. 146. (a,b,c) |j e rece [ vec [ t}j e Livery of the Order in 1361, 1364, and 1374. 8 The authorities for this statement are principally the French Rolls of the 20th and 21st Edw. III. 9 Letters were written on the 20th October 1346, to the Earl of Angus, Sir Henry Percy, and some other Peers, Knights, and others, among whom was John Coupland, who made David prisoner, and was created a Banneret, thanking them, in strong terms, for their services on that occasion.— Foedera, N. E. III. 92, 102, 103, et passim. ANNO 1348 .] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 39 and very probably also at the memorable Siege of Calais . 8 Thus, it would seem that the first Knights Founders had all partaken of the recent glories of the campaign in France; and it is remarkable that none of the Knights 9 who signalized themselves against the Scots at the battle of Neville’s Cross, in the same year, were admitted into the new Fraternity at its creation, though that victory was graced by the capture of the Scottish Monarch himself. Although the Society contained the flower of English Chivalry, very few veteran Knights were among the first Founders. Four of the original Companions had not attained their twentieth year; ten, at least, of the others were under the age of thirty; and several illustrious individuals were then passed over, whose claims, if election into the Fraternity were then the reward of Military services, were superior to those of many who were chosen. The Order contemplated the admission of Foreigners, and three were actually elected; but none of the Sovereigns, with whom Edward was then in alliance, nor any of the relations of the Queen, were among the original Companions. Nor, even, were all the Princes of the Blood Royal of England included; and though the extreme youth of the King’s children sufficiently explains why his eldest son only was appointed, that reason can hardly apply to his first cousin, John Earl of Kent, who was then eighteen years of age, and who lived for four years after. It seems also extraordinary, that individuals of inferior station, and apparently of much less influence, merit, or renown, should have been preferred to such powerful personages as the de Bohuns, grandsons of King Edward the First, one of whom was Earl of Hereford and Essex, and Lord High Constable, and the other, Earl of Northampton ; or to Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon; de Vere, Earl of Oxford; the Lords Cobham, Bourchier, Dagworth, and Manny, and many others, whose exploits adorn the history of their time ; and surprise has already been expressed 1 that two or three Knights, who had been highly conspicuous in the Tournaments and Jousts when the Order appears to have been completely formed, were not selected for that distinction. Very little is known of the Order during the remainder of the reign of its Founder. The vacancies caused by deaths were filled by the election of the following thirty-seven Knights, all of whom were distinguished by high birth, or services; namely, Richard of Bourdeaux, (afterwards King Richard the Second) only son of the Prince of Wales; the three surviving sons of 1 Vide pp. 13, 14, antea. 39* HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. Edward the Third, Lionel Duke of Clarence, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge, (afterwards Duke of'York); Henry Earl of Derby (afterwards King Henry the Fourth); John de Montfort, surnamed the Valiant, Duke of Brittany, and Earl of Richmond; 1 2 Humphrey de Bohun, seventh Earl of Hereford; William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton f John Hastings, second Earl of Pembroke; Robert de Ufford, the first, and William de Ufford, the second Earl of Suffolk ; 7 Hugh second Earl of Stafford, 3 son of Ralph Earl of Stafford, one of the Founders, who died in 1372; the King’s son-in-law, Ingelram Sire de Coucy, Earl of Bedford; 4 5 6 Sir Guichard d’Angle, afterwards created Earl of Huntingdon for life; Henry Lord Percy, afterwards made Earl of Northumberland, and his brother, Sir Thomas Percy, afterwards created Earl of Worcester ; Sir Thomas Holand, second Earl of Kent; Edward Lord le Despenser; Sir Thomas Beauchamp, fourth Earl of 1 Anstis (I. 73) suggests that the Du.ke of Brittany resigned, or was removed from the Order, about 1380, when he abandoned his alliance with England, and formed a treaty with the King of France, because he is not said to have received Robes in the 7th, 11th, 12th, or 13th Ric. II. But no reliance can be placed on that fact, for on many occasions persons were omitted who undoubtedly were Companions, and among others, the Prince of Wales in 1364, and John of Gaunt in 1374. Anstis was not aware that the Duke of Brittany received Livery of the Order in 1376, 1377, 1378, or 1379. It is remarkable that no notice should have been taken of the Duke’s having been a Knight of the Garter, in the interesting Poem containing a minute history of his Life, from 1341 to 1381, written by his Counsellor and Secretary, Guillaume de St. Andre, printed in Morice’s “ Memoires pour servir de Preuves a l’Histoire de Bretagne.” Tom. II. p. 306—362. 2 On the 4th of May 1350, the Earl of Northampton settled the advowson of Dadington on the College of St. George; and in 1351 he presented a Robe to the King for the Feast of St. George, in that year. Wardrobe Accounts for the 24th and 25th Edw. III. in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer (Roll marked “ W. N. 1215.”) 3 Messengers were paid on the 14th April, 51 Edvv. III. 1377, for conveying letters, summoning the Earl of Stafford, Lord Basset, Lord Neville, Sir Hugh Wrottesley, Sir John Sully, and Sir Nigel Loring, Knights of the Garter, to repair to Windsor, to attend the ensuing Feast of Saint George.— Issue Rolls of the Exchequer, edited by Frederick Devon, Esq. 8vo. 1837, p. 203. 4 See the account of his resignation of the Order in the 1st Ric. II. p. 48, postea. 5 The election of Sir Thomas Ufford is one of the most doubtful statements respecting the early Companions. It stands on the authority of the Windsor Tables only; and his name has not been found in the Foedera, Rolls of Parliament, or Gascon Rolls, as having served in any expedition, or held any office. Froissart, however, mentions a Sir Thomas Ufford as one of the Knights who accompanied Sir Thomas Felton through Navarre into Spain, in 1367, when Felton and his Companions were made prisoners. Beltz’s “Memorials of the Order of the Garter,” 8vo. 1841, p. 127. There is no trace of the Plate of his Arms in the Chapel at Windsor. 6 Sir Frank Van Hale received Robes for the Feast in 1364; and by an original writ of Privy Seal, now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer, dated 2nd June, 40th Edw. III. 1366, the Keeper of the Great Wardrobe was ordered to deliver to our dear and loyal “ Frank de Hale ANNIS 1348—1377.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 40 Warwick, son of Thomas Earl of Warwick, one of the first Founders; William fourth Lord Latimer; Reginald Lord Cobham of Sterborough; John third Lord Neville f Ralph fourth Lord Basset; 3 Walter Lord Manny, under whose Banner King Edward the Third and the Black Prince fought at Calais, in 1349, perhaps the highest distinction a subject ever received from his Sovereign; Guy Lord Bryan, a veteran warrior, who lived to the age of ninety; Thomas Lord Ughtrede; Sir William Beauchamp, afterwards Lord Bergavenny ; Sir Thomas Ufford; 5 Sir Frank Van Hale; 6 Sir Alan Buxhull; Sir Richard Pembrugge; Sir Thomas Banestre; 7 Sir Richard la Vache ; Sir John Sully; 3 Sir William Fitz Warine p ; Sir Thomas Granson, or Grandison ; and Sir Robert de Namur, 8 (who married Elizabeth of Hainault, a relation of Philippa, Queen of England) all of whom, except the Earl of Northampton and Sir Thomas Ufford, are recorded to have received the Robes of the Order. 9 un des Chevalers du Garter” cloth, &c. for his Robes, for the Feast of Saint George last passed, of the suit of the other “ Chivalers du Garter.” 7 Among the vestments, ornaments, &c. belonging to the Chapel of St. George, in the 8th Ric. II. were the swords of King Edward the Third, of the Earl of Suffolk, and of Sir Thomas Banestre. Anstis (II. 152,) has engraved the Plate of Sir Thomas Banestre’s arms, affixed to his Stall. Ashmole, 635. Anstis, I. 154. P The name of Sir Fulke Fitz Warine occurs on a Plate in the 13th Stall, on the Sovereign’s side; hut it is presumed to be a mistake for Sir William Fitz Warine, who was certainly a Companion in 1361, and was a benefactor to the College of Windsor. 8 It is said in Beltz’s “Memorials of the Order of the Garter,” p. 170, and in “ L’Art de Verifier les Dates,” that Sir Robert de Namur married Elizabeth the sister of Queen Philippa; but the Will of that lady, dated and proved in 1375, and other facts, throw great doubt on that statement. Vide “ Excerpta Historica,” pp. 23—25. 9 See the Article Wardrobe Accounts, and the Catalogue of the Knights of the Garter in the Appendix, for the years in which the Robes of the Order was severally issued to them. The Knights mentioned in the text succeeded, according to the Windsor Tables, to the Stalls of the following Companions; and the dates of their predecessors’ deaths tend, in many cases, to shew, with tolerable certainty, the time of their respective Elections. The letter p prefixed to the names indicates that the Plate of their Arms still remains in their Stalls, and P * that their Plate was in existence in August 1563. (Additional MS. No. 6298, in the British Museum.) See the Notes at the end of the History of the Order, for remarks on the “ Windsor Tables,” and “ Stall Plates.” The Letters and Figures after the names, indicate the Stalls which they are stated to have filled ; thus, “ S. 1.” “ S. 2.” “ S. 3.” &c. refer to Stalls on the Sovereign’s Side of Saint George’s Chapel; and “ P. 1.” P. 2.” P. 3.” &c. to Stalls on the Prince’s side. p# Sir William Earl of Northampton, (S. 7) vice Sir Hugh Courtenay (ob. circa 1349). p Sir William Fitz Warine, (K. 13) vice Sir Sanchet Dabrichecourt (last notice 1345). p Sir Reginald Lord Cobham, (P. 9) vice Sir Thomas Wale ob. 1352). Sir Robert Earl of Suffolk, (P. 8) vice Sir Richard Fitz Simon (last notice 1348). P Sir Richard la Vache, (K. 5) vice John Lord L’lsle (ob. 1355). Sir Thomas Lord Ughtrede, (P. 12) vice Sir Henry Earn (last notice 1358). Sir Walter Lord Manny, (K. 8) vice John Lord Grey (ob. 1359). p Sir Frank Van Hale, (K. 12) vice Sir Otho Holand (ob. 1359). 40* HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. The Feast of Saint George seems to have been regularly kept, and the Livery of the Order was annually issued to the Knights. On some occasions the Festival was celebrated with great splendour. For Saint George’s Day in 1351, a robe of cloth of gold called “ nak,” furred, was prepared for the King, together with other robes powdered with Garters; and there were provided ten escutcheons of the King’s Arms to place on a dorser of velvet at Windsor ; ten Garters of blue taffeta, and three Garters of the same material, having thereon in letters of Indian pearl, the motto, li?onp 0ott qc male p penge; robes of red velvet embroidered with silver clouds and eagles of pearl and gold, that is, under each alternate cloud an eagle of pearl, and an eagle of gold, 9 every eagle having in his beak a Garter with the said motto; and two pennoncels or streamers of triple sindon, three yards in length, and three yards and a quarter in depth, each covered with gold eagles, Sir Thomas Ufford, (P. 4) vice Roger Earl of March (ob. 1360). Sir Lionel Duke of Clarence, (K. 6) vice Sir John Beauchamp (ob. 1360). Sir John Duke of Lancaster, (P. 7) vice Sir Thomas Holand (ob. 1360). p Sir Edmund Earl of Cambridge, (K. 7) vice William Earl of Northampton (ob. 1360). Sir Edward Lord le Despenser, (K. 2) vice Henry Duke of Lancaster (ob. 1361). ** Sir William Lord Latimer, (K. 13) vice Sir William Fitz Warine (ob. 1361). p Sir John Sully (P. 9) vice Reginald Lord Cobham (ob. 1361). p Sir Humphrey Earl of Hereford, (K. 9) vice Sir Miles Stapleton (ob. 1364). Sir Ingelram Earl of Bedford, (P. 12) vice Thomas Lord Ughtrede (ob. 1365). [Sir Henry Lord Percy, (Query K. 5) vice Sir Richard la Vache, (ob. 1366.)] p Sir Ralph Lord Bassett, (K. 6) vice Lionel Duke of Clarence (ob. 1368). Sir Richard Pembrugge, (P. 4) vice Sir Thomas Ufford (ob. 1368). Sir John Lord Neville (P. 5) vice Bartholomew Lord Burghersh (ob. 1369). Sir Robert de Namur (P. 8) vice Robert Earl of Suffolk (ob. 1369). Sir John Earl of Pembroke, (K. 9) vice Thomas Earl of Warwick (ob. 1369). Sir Thomas Granson, (P. 11) vice Sir James Audeley (ob. 1369). p Sir Guy Lord Bryan (K. 11) vice Sir John Chandos (ob. 1369). Sir Guichard Earl of Huntingdon, (K. 8) vice Walter Lord Manny (ob. 1372). Sir Alan Buxhull, (P.3) vice Ralph Earl of Stafford (ob. 1372). p Sir Thomas Earl of Warwick, (K. 9) vice Humphrey Earl of Hereford (ob. 1373). Sir John Duke of Brittany, (P. 2) vice John Earl of Pembroke (ob. 1375). Sir Hugh Earl of Stafford, (K. 2) vice Edward Lord le Despenser (ob. 1375). Sir William Earl of Suffolk, (K. 2) vice Sir Richard Pembrugge (ob. 1375). p Sir Thomas Banestre, (P. 13) vice Sir Walter Paveley (ob. 1375). Sir Thomas Earl of Kent, (P. 6) vice John Lord Mohun (ob. 1374). [Sir Thomas Percy, (Query P. 11) vice Sir Thomas Granson, ob. 1375 or 1376.] Sir William Beauchamp, (K. 12) vice Sir Frank Van Hale (ob. before 1376). Sir Richard Prince of Wales, (Prince’s Stall) vice his Father, the Black Prince (ob. June, 1376). Sir Henry Earl of Derby (K. 3) vice Le Captal de Buche (ob. 1376). 9 Silver clouds are supposed to have been one of the Badges of King Edward the Third, and they were placed on his Robes in 1347, (vide p. 15, antea, and p. viii. postea). Golden Eagles were embroi. dered on his Robes in 1344. See Wardrobe Accounts of that year, Roll marked “ E. B. 1383.” ANNIS 1351—1363.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 41 and containing in the centre, a shield of the King’s Arms quarterly, within a blue Garter. 1 For the same Feast, the Queen received a red velvet robe, adorned like that of the King with gold eagles and silver clouds; and to the Lady Isabel, their daughter, was given a red velvet robe embroidered with one hundred and nineteen circles of silk and pearl, with trees of silk and gold, on a terrage of green velvet with flowers, leaves, &c. 2 A surplice was likewise issued to William Mugge, who is described as “ Dean of the Free Chapel of Windsor.” 3 In 1358, proclamations were made, inviting Knights and Esquires from all Countries, to general Jousts; and two hundred pounds were paid to Queen Philippa for her apparel on the occasion. Messengers were sent to various parts of England commanding the attendance of many Lords and Ladies; and besides John King of France (who had been taken prisoner at Poictiers, and who is said to have scornfully remarked, alluding to the poverty of the Royal Exchequer, “ that he never saw so royal a feast and so costly made with tallies of wood, without paying of gold and silver,”) the Duke of Brabant, the Queen of Scotland, and numerous foreign Ladies, and other illustrious individuals were present. 4 In 1363, Robes were prepared for the King; and a hood was made for one Knight “ of the Livery of the said Knights,” by the King’s command, together with one thousand Garters with the motto of the Order, for robes “ for the Knights of the Garter.” 5 1 This appears to be the earliest instance of Arms being placed within the Garter; but on the 12th April 1351, a painter was paid six shillings each, for 100 large white pavises, in the centre of which was a shield of the King’s Arms, within a Garter. These pavises were to be used onboard ships; and in April, 29th Edw. III. 1355, the Clerk of the King’s Ships gave a receipt for 99 pavises ornamented with leaves, and with an escutcheon of the King’s Arms within a Garter, for Ships. In 1353, were made 1040 pavises with a similar shield within a blue Garter; and in August 1370, the Clerk of the King’s Private Wardrobe in the Tower, received from the Clerk of the Great Wardrobe, 43 targets painted with Garters. Wardrobe Accounts for the years 1351, 1353, and 1370, Rolls marked, “ H.C.H. 516.” “ W.N. 998.” and “ H.C.H. 7230.” 2 Accounts of the Great Wardrobe, from 14th February, 24 Edw. III. 1350, to 30th September, 25 Edw. III. 1351. Roll marked “ W.N. 1215.” 3 Ashmole, p. 153, says, that the Warden or Custos of Saint George’s Chapel, was not styled Dean until about the end of the reign of King Henry the Fourth. In December, 26th Edw. III. 1352, the Prince of Wales gave a tun of wine to “ Sire William Mugge, Dean de Windesore.” Beltz’s “ Memorials of the Order of the Garter,” p. 386. In April, 40th Edw. III. 1366, the King ordered a Robe to be issued for the “ Gardien of our Free Chapel of Saint George in our Castle of Windsor.” Original Writ of Privy Seal, now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer. 4 Knighton, col. 2617. Chronicle of London, p. 63. Pell Records, Issue Roll, 32 Edw. III. p. 169. Anstis, II. 50. 5 Wardrobe Accounts for the 36th and 37th Edw. III., Roll marked “ E. B. 1418.” 41 # HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. In 1372, Froissart says, “ The same season, died the gentle Knight Sir Walter Manny in the city of London.”—“ When that summer was come, and that King Edward of England had holden his feast and solemnity of Saint George at Windsor, as was his usage yearly to do, and that Sir Guiscard d’Angle was entered into the same Fraternity with the King and his children, and other Barons of England, the which were called in the Fraternity, Knights of the Blue Garter. 6 For the Feast of Saint George in 1375 and 1376, the King’s daughter, Isabel Countess of Bedford, received a gown and hood of the Livery of the Order. At the Anniversary in 1376, six new Knights were elected, who are presumed to have been the Earls of Suffolk and Stafford, Sir Thomas Holand, Sir Thomas Percy, Sir Thomas Banestre, and Sir William Beauchamp; and who filled the Stalls that had become vacant by the deaths, in 1375, of the Lords le Despenser and Mohun, Sir Walter Paveley, Sir Richard Pembrugge, Sir Thomas Granson, and Sir Frank Van Hale. By a Writ of Privy Seal, dated on the 4th of April in that year, six Mantles and Hoods, and six Garters with the King’s motto, l£on?> 0oit qe matpenge, were provided for “ six Knights of the Fraternity of Saint George, newly made by the King at the Feast of Saint George.” Two Mantles were also prepared for two Canons of Saint George’s Chapel, then newly appointed; and for two Poor Knights, of the King’s bounty made at the same Feast. Ten escutcheons containing the Arms of Saint George for ten Mantles, “ that is, for six Knights of the Society of the Garter, for two Canons of the King’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, and for the two Poor Knights then appointed,” were likewise provided, from which it is evident, that the Arms of the Patron Saint of England and of the Order, adorned the Mantles of the Knights and other Members of the Fraternity of the Garter, within twenty eight years of its foundation. 7 The Feast in 1377, appears to have been celebrated with remarkable splendour. Previous to the Chapter for electing two Knights to the Stalls, which had become vacant by the deaths of the Black Prince and the Captal de Buche, several distinguished young noblemen were admitted to the Order of Knighthood, with the usual solemnities of vigils and bathing; namely, the Sovereign’s « Ed. 1812, vol. I. p. 437. 7 Ashmole, (p. 211,) considers that the Arms of Saint George encircled by the Garter, were placed on the Mantles of the Knights from the time of the Institution of the Order, but Mr. Beltz (“ Memorials” p. li.) says, he had not met with any authority for so early a use of the decoration in the manner stated by Ashmole. Vide p. 339, postea. !■;! : ii 111 ANNIS 1372—1377.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 42 grandsons, Richard Prince of Wales, and Henry Earl of Derby, (afterwards King Henry the Fourth), and his sixth son, Thomas of Woodstock, the Earl of Oxford, Lord Beaumont and Lord Mowbray, two sons of the Earls of Stafford and Salisbury, three sons of Lord Percy, (one of whom was the renowned Hotspur,) John de Sothereye, 8 and a son of Sir John Arundel, all of whom received scarlet Robes and other articles, the nature and size of which depended upon their rank. The Wardrobe Accounts of that year, state that gowns and hoods of the Livery of the Order were prepared for the King, for two new Knights, elected instead of the Prince and the Capitow de Buche deceased, and for the Countess of Bedford; and that the Keeper of the King’s Armour had provided three swords for the Prince of Wales, the Earl of Derby, and the son of Sir John Arundel, who had received the Order of Knighthood at the Feast of Saint George. Two velvet scabbards for the said swords; and a Helmet and a Crown with a Leopard thereon, were also purchased, “ to remain in the Chapel of Saint George in Windsor Castle, for the Order of Saint George, which the Prince had then received.” 9 Before concluding the history of the Order, during the reign of its Founder, it should be observed, that there is scarcely any contemporary evidence to shew who were elected into it before 1361. Of the first Companions, the election of ten, namely, the Earls of Lancaster and March, the Lords LTsle, Grey, and Beauchamp, Sir Thomas Holand, Sir Richard Fitz Simon, Sir James Audeley, Sir Otho Holand, and Sir Henry Earn, stands on no better authority than the Windsor Tables, which were not compiled before the reign of King Henry the Fourth, and the Statutes compiled in the reign of King Henry the Fifth; but of four others of the Founders, Sir Hugh Courtenay, Sir Thomas Wale, Sir John Chandos, and Sir Sanchet Dabrichecourt, the Windsor Tables and those Statutes 8 Sir John de Sothereye, of whom little is known, was evidently a distinguished favourite of King Edward the Third. The same Wardrobe Accounts state, that in January 1376, presents were made to the sister of Lord Percy, whom John de Sothereye had married, and to his own sister. After the Knighthood of the young Prince of Wales, a horse fully accoutred was given him, and another to Sothereye. 9 Accounts of the Cloth, Furs, Mercery, &c. delivered out of the Great Wardrobe, from 24th November 48 Edw. III. 1374, to the 6th July, 1 Ric. II. 1377, on which day King Edward was buried at Westminster, being for two years and 224 days, (Roll marked “ W. N. 1214;”) also the Accounts of John Fordham, of money spent for the use of Prince Richard, from 1st January 50 Edw. III. 1377, to the day of his Coronation, (Roll marked “ W. N. 436.”) The expenses for making the two new Knights of the Garter at Windsor in 1377, are also noticed in the Roll marked “ T. G. 807.” All those Accounts are now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer at Westminster. 42* HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD III. are corroborated by Plates of their Arms being still in their Stalls, or by such Plates having been in Saint George’s Chapel in the year 1583, which would be conclusive evidence of their election, were it not doubtful whether any of the Plates were erected before the reign of King Henry the Fifth, while it is well known that many of them were not placed in the Stalls until long after the deaths of the Knights whom they commemorate. 1 It is a remarkable fact, that after October 1345, (more than two years before the Fraternity was established) no trace can be found in any record of Sir Sanchet Dabri- checourt, nor of Sir Richard Fitz Simon, after 1348; and that in the recent extensive investigation of the fiscal Accounts of the period, which include payments of the wages of the Peers and Knights employed in the Army and Household of the Sovereign, the name of neither of those individuals, nor of Sir Henry Earn, 2 ever appears, although the other original Companions are repeatedly mentioned. 3 Nor do their names occur in any of the Rolls for the year 1347, in the Tower. The election of the Earl of Northampton and that of Sir Thomas Ufford, (of whom nothing has been discovered in the documents alluded to) are also noticed in the Windsor Tables; but while many circumstances render the admission of the Earl of Northampton into the Order, nearly certain, the little that is known of Sir Thomas Ufford, justifies a doubt whether the honour was ever conferred upon him. 4 So great is the uncertainty respecting the exact date of election of Companions between 1348 and 1361, that it is far from improbable, that a few other Knights may have been received into the Order, and died within those thirteen years; and it is, therefore, extremely desirable that the Accounts of the Great Wardrobe, in or about the years 1350 and 1355 should be discovered, those for 1361 being the earliest after 1348, that have yet been brought to light. 5 The omission of the names of Companions in the Windsor Tables, proves little 1 See the Article Stall Plates, in the Appendix. 2 It is, however, highly probable that Sir Henry Earn was one of the original Companions, because he is frequently noticed in the Accounts of the Black Prince, from 1349 to 1356, as “ nostre treschere bacheler Monsieur Henry Earn.” Beltz’s Memorials of the Order of the Garter, pp. 383—396. 3 See the article Wardrobe Accounts in the Appendix, for a List of the documents referred to « in the Text. 4 Vide p. 40, note 5, antea. 5 Three of the original Knights, Sir Sanchet Dabrichecourt, Sir Richard Fitz Simon, and Sir Hugh Courtenay, are presumed to have died before 1350 ; Sir Thomas Wale died in 1352, and Lord LTsle in 1355, and, as nothing is known from contemporary records, of the Companions until 1361, the Stalls ANNO 1377.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 43 against the possibility of other elections, for in numerous cases, Knights are altogether omitted; and in some instances, the Christian names of Companions, for example, of the Captal de Buche, one of the original Founders, and of Albert Duke of Bavaria and Holland, who was elected about 1398, were erroneously given. King Edward the Third closed his long and glorious reign on the 21st of June 1377, when his grandson, KING RICHARD THE SECOND, became Sovereign of the Order. Neither the Annals nor any other source afford much information respecting the Fraternity during the twenty-two years of the reign of this unfortunate Monarch ; and his Sovereignty is principally remarkable for affording the earliest instance of a formal resignation of the Order, and of the regular admission of Ladies as Members of the illustrious Society. On the removal of the young King to the Sovereign’s Stall, his uncle, the Duke of Lancaster, was placed in that of the Prince; and Sir John Burley, who had been Captain of Calais, and was one of the most distinguished men of his age, was chosen to fill the vacancy. It was rendered imperative by the Statutes that the Knights of the Order should not serve against the Sovereign, nor against each other; and this regu- of these Knights may have been filled by one or more Knights before that year. One of the persons on whom it is highly probable that the Order should have been conferred, is Sir Thomas Bradeston (Vide p. 14, antea), who died in the 33rd or 34th Edw. III., 1359 or 1360, one or two years before the date of the earliest List, now extant, of persons to whom Robes were issued. Another chasm in the Accounts of the Great Wardrobe occurs between 1364 and 1370, during which time, five Companions died, to whose Stalls elections may have been made, and the individuals so honoured, may have died or been deprived before the time when the names of all the Fraternity can be again proved by contemporary evidence. A similar remark applies to Sir Robert de Namur, who is supposed to have succeeded the Earl of Suffolk in 1370; but though he lived until 1392, and according to Froissart (who dedicated his Chronicles to him) was present at the Feast of Saint George in 1381, and was again in England in 1382, the only contemporary proof of his having received the Order, is, that Robes were issued to him in 1376, six years after his election, and sixteen before his decease: hence, there is nothing to shew that he had not in that long interval (during which Robes were prepared for all the other Knights,) resigned the' Order. It must also be observed, that the dates of the deaths of several of the early Companions, have not been accurately ascertained. (G) <8 43* HISTORY OF THE [RICHARD II. lation, which was common to such Institutions, not only made independent Princes hesitate in accepting each other’s Orders, but caused them to look with suspicion upon such of their subjects as did. This explains the apparently singular fact, that none of the greater Sovereigns of Europe were invested with the Order of the Garter until long after it was founded, though Richard the Second was the son-in-law, both of the King of France, and of the Emperor of Germany; and though, in later times, the oath was purposely modified for Foreigners, it was always matter of doubt whether they would, or would not, consent to their election. A striking instance of the obligation which the Knights believed to have been imposed upon them on accepting the Order, occurred in the case of Ingelram, Sire de Coucy, Earl of Bedford, who had married the Princess Isabel, daughter of King Edward the Third. Soon after the death of his Royal father-in-law, the Earl of Bedford sent a courteous, but formal renunciation of the Order to Richard the Second, saying he could no longer belong to it, consistently with his duty to the King of France, with whom England was then at war, as Charles had required him to perform the service which he owed to his natural and Sovereign Lord. 1 To the Stall thus vacated Sir Lewis Clifford, who appears to have been attached to the Household of the Princess of Wales, the King’s Mother, was elected. Materials were furnished for Robes for the Sovereign for Jousts at Windsor on the morrow of the Epiphany, in 1378, and for plays at Windsor at Christmas ; 1 This Letter, which was apparently written on the 26th of August, 1377, about two months after the death of King Edward the Third, is printed in the Foedera, vol. VII. p. 173: “ Treshonnoure et trespoissant Seigneur, “ Vostre noble et grant -Seignourie scet et congnoit assez I’aliance, que, de la grace et bonte de trespoissant et bon Roy, mon treshonnoure, et tresredoubte Seigneur et Pere le Roy, derrainement trespasse (que Dieux face merci) a pleu que j’ai eu a ly et au encore avec vous ; dont treshonnoure Seigneur je vous mercie tant comme je puis et scai. Or est il avenu que la guerre est entre le Roy de France mon naturel et Souverain Seigneur, d’une part, et vous d’autre, dont il me desplait plus que de chose qui puist estre en ce monde se admender le peusse, et m’a commande et requis que je le serve et acquitte mon devoir, comme je y sui tenus, au quel comme vous savez bien, je ne doy desobeir, si le servirai a mon poir, come je le doy faire. Et pour ce, treshonnoure et trespoissant Seigneur, que on ne puist, en aucune manere, parier ne dire chose qui fust contre moy ne mon honnour, vous fais assavoir les choses dessusdites, et vous renvoie tout ce que je pourie tenir de vous en foy et hommage. Et aussi, treshonnoure Seigneur, mon tresredoubte Seignur et Pere dessus dit vuolt moy ordonner et mettre en la tres- noble Compaignie et Ordre du Jartier: si plaise vostre tresnoble et poissant Seignourie de pourveoir, en lieu de moy, tel ou ainsi que il vous plaira, et moy tenir pour excuse en ce. Car, treshonnoure Seigneur, se en autre maniere vous me voliez aucune chose commander, je le feroie de tout mon pooir. “ Treshonnoure et trespoissant Seigneur, je prie a Messire qu’il vous dont bonne vie et longue. Escript le xxvj jour d’Aoust. “Le Sire de Coucy.” ANNIS 1377—1384.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 44 for a blue Mantle embroidered with Garters, with the motto Oonp tfott q* mal p ; for 2000 Garters of blue taffeta, embroidered with gold and silk of divers colours, with the same motto, according to the King’s fashion, for hoods; and for twenty-six Robes of scarlet cloth, for the Sovereign, the Duke of Lancaster, and others of the Society of the Garter, against the Feast of St. George in that year. In 1378, a rigid investigation took place into the conduct of the Canons and Poor Knights, by the Bishop of Saint David’s, then Lord Chancellor, the result of which was very unfavourable to the moral character of many of them. 2 Jousts were held at Windsor, in 1379; and Robes covered with Garters, containing the motto of the Order, were provided against Saint George’s Day, for the Companions, and for the King’s Mother; for his half sisters, the Duchess of Brittany and the Lady Courtenay; for the Duchess of Lancaster, by the description of the Queen of Spain, 3 for the Countesses of Cambridge, Oxford and Bedford, and for the two daughters of the Duke of Lancaster, 3 all of whom are said to have been then “ newly received into the Society of the Garter.” 4 Before 1384, in which year Robes were prepared for twenty-four Knights and twelve Ladies, 5 the following eight persons had been elected, namely, Thomas of Woodstock, Earl of Buckingham, afterwards Duke of Gloucester, the King’s uncle; Thomas Mowbray, first Earl of Nottingham, then Earl Marshal, and afterwards Duke of Norfolk; Sir John Holand, afterwards made Earl of Huntingdon, and Duke of Exeter, one of the Sovereign’s half brothers; Sir Simon Burley, who had been the King’s Tutor, and was afterwards his Chamberlain, but was executed for treason in 1388, and his brother, Sir Richard Burley; Sir Brian Stapleton; Sir Bermond Arnaud de Preissac, Soudan de la Trau, a Lord 2 Foedera, vol. VII. p. 204. 3 The Robes of the Queen of Spain .(Duchess of Lancaster), the Countess of Cambridge, and of the two daughters of the Duke of Lancaster, were without Garters. * “Ad facturam m. m. ccc Garteriorum, 8tc. de dictamine supradicto & pro xxvj garniamentis cum tot capuciis de panno lanae iStigo pro domino Rege Duce Lancastrian et aliis Militibus de Societate Garteriorum, ac eciam pro matre Regis et aliis Dominabus de novo receptis ad eandem Societatem Garteriorum contra festum Sancti Georgii anno secundo.” Wardrobe Accounts from Michaelmas, 1st Ric. II., 1377, to the 22nd September, 3rd Richard II., 1379, now in the Office of the Queen’s Remembrancer of the Exchequer (Roll marked “ F. L. H. 1023”). For the names of the Knights and Ladies to whom Robes were issued, see Wardrobe Accounts, in the Appendix. 5 See the Wardrobe Accounts of that year, postea. Among the articles made for the King about this time was a long Chain, having on it the motto, Jiauiq treparttr. Roll marked “ W. N. 1302.” 44* HISTORY OF THE [RICHARD II. of Gascony, and an eminent soldier, who is described by Froissart as “ un vaillant Chevalier et bon homme d’armes;” 6 and Sir Thomas Felton, a gallant Knight, who appears to have survived his election only a few weeks. 7 Between 1384 and April 1389, the King’s favourite, Robert de Yere, ninth Earl of Oxford, whom he created Marquess of Dublin and Duke of Ireland; Edward Earl of Rutland, eldest son of the Duke of York, afterwards created Duke of Albemarle, and became Duke of York ; Richard Fitz Alan, sixth Earl of Arundel; Sir Henry Percy, the renowned Hotspur; Sir Nicholas Sarnesfield, who had been Banner bearer to King Edward the Third; John second Lord Devereux; Thomas sixth Lord le Despenser, afterwards made Earl of Gloucester; 8 and Sir Peter Courtenay, Captain of Calais, the King’s Chamberlain, were elected. For the Annual Feast in 1385 and in 1386, Robes were issued to twenty-two Knights and to fourteen Ladies; in 1387, to nineteen Knights and eleven Ladies; and in 1388, to twenty-one Knights and fourteen Ladies. Though the Livery of the Order is stated to have been annually given to the Companions as well as to the Bishop of Winchester, and to the Queen and other Ladies 9 during the remainder of King Richard’s reign, nothing particularly deserving of attention occurs in the Wardrobe Accounts on the subject. 1 In October 1390, a Tournament was proclaimed in Smithfield, to which Knights of all Countries were invited; and which was held with extraordinary magnificence. 2 Among the Foreigners who were attracted to these Jousts, was William Count of Ostrevant, eldest son of Albert Count, but often called Duke of Holland and Hainault, and a near relation of the Royal Family of 6 See the Account of the Soudan de la Trau in Anstis, I. pp. 161,162, where an engraving is given of the Plate of his Arras affixed to his Stall.—Ibid. II. 165. 7 Sir Thomas Felton is said to have been elected vice Sir Hugh Wrottesley, who died on the 28th of January, 1381; and died on the 26th of April in the same year. Esch. 4th Ric. II. No. 22. 8 Though Lord le Despenser is here said to have been elected before 1390, because the Windsor Tables make him the immediate successor of Sir John Sully, who died about 1388, it must be observed that he was not one of the twenty two Companions for whom Robes were issued for the Feast in 1389, and that there is no proof of his having been elected before 1399, in which year he received Robes. Another Knight may, therefore, have been chosen instead of Sir John Sully, and have died or been removed before the election of Lord le Despenser. 9 For the names, see Wardrobe Accounts, postea. 1 A List of all the Companions at various periods will be found in the Appendix under Wardrobe Accounts, p. xv. et seq. postea. 2 See Froissart’s animated description of these festivities in the Lyons’ Edition of his Chronicle, edited by Sauvage, 1599, or in Lord Berner’s Translation, Ed. 1812. vol. II. p. 512, et seq. ANNIS 1384—1390.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 45 England . 1 He was received with great kindness and respect; and Froissart says, “ Then there began again great feasts, with dinners and suppers given by the King, and especially the King did great honour to the Count of Ostrevant, his cousin, which Count was desired by the King and his uncles that he would be content to take on him the Order of the Garter . 2 The Count answered, how he would take counsel in that matter. Then he counselled with the Lord of Gome- gines and with Ferabras of Vertun, bastard, who in no wise would discourage nor counsel him to refuse the Order of the Garter ; 3 so he took it on him, whereof the Knights and Squires of France, such as were there, had great marvel, and murmured sore thereat amongst themselves, saying, ‘ The Count of Ostrevant sheweth well that his courage inclineth rather to the English than the French, when he taketh on him the Order of the Garter, and weareth the King of England’s Device ; 4 he sheweth well he regardeth not the House of France, nor the House of Burgundy; the time will come he shall repent himself, all things considered.’—‘ Thus these Frenchmen evil accused him without cause ; for that he had done was nothing contrary nor hurtful to the realm of France, nor to his cousins nor friends in France, for he thought no otherwise but honour and love, and to please his cousins in England, and to be thereby the rather a good means between France and England, if need were: nor the day that he took on him the Order of the Garter and his oath, every man may well understand that he made no alliance to do any prejudice to the realm of France; for that he did was but for love and good company.” Froissart then states, that the King of France was much displeased when he heard of the gracious reception of the Count of Ostrevant in England, “ and how he had the chief prize and honour of the Jousts above all other strangers» and how he had spoken so fair to the Englishmen, that he was become the King of England’s man, and had made service and alliance with him, and taken on him the Order of the Garter, in the Chapel of Saint George, in Windsor, which Order was first established by King Edward the Third, and his son the Prince of Wales, and how that no man might enter into that Confrairy or 1 Philippa, Queen of Edward III. was the aunt of Albert Count of Holland. 2 “ Qu’il voulsist estre de l’Ordre des Chevaliers du bleu Jartier, dont la Chapelle Sainct George est en Chastel de Winderose.”—Edit. 1518, 1554. 3 “ L’Ordonnance de l’Ordre du bleu Jartier de la Compaignie Sainct George. Si y entra et le prit,” &c.—Ibid. * “Quand il prend le bleu Jartier et la Divise du Roy Richard d’Angleterre.”—Ibid. 45* HISTORY OF THE [RICHARD II. Company, without he make oath, never to bear arms against the Crown of England, which promise they said the Count of Ostrevant had made without any reservation .” 5 In describing these Jousts, a Chronicler of the time says, “ On the King’s side were the twenty-four Knights of the Garter; and they were all of suit, their coats, their armour, shields, horse trappers, and all was white Harts with Crowns about their necks, and Chains of gold hanging thereupon ; and the Crown hanging low before the Hart’s body, the which Hart was the King’s Livery that he gave to Lords and Ladies, Knights and Squires, for to know his Household from other people ; and at the first coming to their Jousts twenty-four Ladies led those twenty-four Lords of Garter with Chains of gold, and all the same suit of Harts as is aforesaid, from the Tower on horseback through the City of London into Smithfield .” 6 7 8 9 10 6 “ Car il s’estoit fait homme au Roy d’Angleterre; et avoit fait serment et alliance a luy, et pris 1’Ordre du bleu Jartier en la Chapelle du Chateau de Windesore, en la Compaignie et Confrairie des Chevaliers de Saiftct George, laquelle Ordre le Roy Edouard d’Angleterre et son fils le Prince de Galles avoyent mis sus : et ne pourroit nul entrer en la Compaigne, ne faire serment, qui jamais se peust armer contre la couronne d’Angleterre: et tel serment avoit fait le Comte d’Ostrevant sans nulle reservation.” Ibid. The translation in the text is that of Lord Berners’ Ed. 1812, vol. II. p. 514. 6 Anonymous Chronicler, cited by Anstis, II. 56. 7 Foedera, vol. VII. pp. 535, 536. 8 The Windsor Tables state that “ Le Conte Palatyn Due de Bavayre, Robert , succeeded the Duke of Gloucester in 1397, in the eighth Stall on the Sovereign’s side. Doubts have been expressed as to the identity of that personage, and it has been supposed that he was Rupert Duke of Bavaria, who became Emperor of Germany in 1400 and died in 1410. But there are the following conclusive reasons for considering that he was Albert, Duke of Bavaria and Count or Duke of Holland, father of William, Count of Ostrevant, a Knight of the Garter. First, the original letter from King Henry the Sixth, cited in the Additional Notes (vide p. xl. postea), wherein it is said that the late “ Count Albert and Duke William of Bavaria, Counts of Hainault, Holland, and Zealand, had been Companions of our College of Chivalry of the Order of the Garter secondly, Duke Albert died in 1404, and according to the Windsor Tables, Eric King of Denmark, who certainly received the Order before 1408, then filled that Stall, whereas the Emperor Rupert lived until 1410, and continued in amity with England: thirdly, though Robes were issued for the “ Duke of Bavaria” in 1399 and 1401, yet in 1405 the “ Duke of Holland” was the only Foreign Knight who received them, and who was undoubtedly William, previously Count of Ostrevant ; and Robes were then also issued to the “ Duchess of Holland senior” and to “ the Duchess of Holland Junior,” the former being evidently the widow of Albert Duke of Bavaria and Holland, and the latter the wife of their son William, then Duke of Holland, and who, in 1408 and 1409, was described in the Wardrobe Accounts as “ Duke of Holland, Duke of Bavaria, and Count of Ostrevant.” See Wardrobe Accounts in the Appendix. 9 Anstis (I. 44) first corrected the error of confounding the Duke of Surrey with his father, Thomas Earl of Kent, who died in 1397. 10 William Earl of Salisbury, one of the Founders, died on the 3rd of June 1397. The Earl of Salisbury, who received Livery of the Order in 1399, must therefore have been his successor, John de ANNIS 1390—1399.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 46 On the death of Lord Bassett in 1390, William Duke of Guelders and Juliers, who had maintained the interests of this Country, and did homage to the King in 1387/ appears to have been elected; and the vacancies occasioned by the decease of Sir Robert de Namur in 1392, and of Lord Devereux in 1393, are said to have been filled by the election of John second Lord Bourchier, and of John fourth Lord Beaumont, who died in September 1396. In 1399 Robes were prepared for twenty of the Companions and for the Queen and twenty-two Ladies; and the list of the names of the Knights shews that Albert Count Palatine, Duke of Bavaria, and Count, but styled Duke, of Holland ; 8 Thomas Holand, third Earl of Kent and Duke of Surrey; 9 John de Montacute, third Earl of Salisbury; 10 John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset and Marquess of Dorset (eldest son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by Katherine Swynford, and who, with his brothers and sister, had been made legitimate by Parliament) / Sir William Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire; Sir William Arundell * 1 2 (a younger son of Sir John Arundell, by Eleanor Maltravers, and grandson of Richard Earl of Arundell) ; and Sir Simon Felbrigge, the King’s Banner bearer, had been previously elected, and were then Companions. John Duke of Lancaster, having died in February 1399, Sir Philip la Yache was soon after elected in his vacancy. 3 Montacute, the third Earl, who was beheaded for attempting to restore Richard to the Throne in 1400, and who has never before been considered a Companion by any writer on the Order. 1 Excerpta Historica, p. 152. 2 Some interesting notices of Sir William and Sir Richard Arundell have been recently collected by Charles George Young, Esq. York Herald, and printed in the Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, vol. VI. p. 1—20. 3 It is stated in the Windsor Tables that William Lord Willoughby of Eresby, succeeded to the Stall of Sir Thomas Felton, who died on the 26th of April 1381, and that Richard Lord Grey of Codnor was the successor of Richard Earl of Arundel, who died in 1397; but it is most probable that there was, in each instance, an intermediate occupant; because it appears that those Knights were not elected until the reign of King Henry the Fourth. According to some authorities, Sir Robert Knollys, one of the most famous soldiers of his time, whose name is familiar to the readers of Froissart, and whose exploits obtained for him the appellation of “ Le veritable Demon de la Guerre and Sir Robert Dunstanville, were also elected; but there is no proof that either of them was ever received into the Order. Their names do not occur in the Windsor Tables; and Anstis, who (I. 30—32) took great trouble to discover whether Sir Robert Knollys, who died in August 1407, was elected, says, “ he is concerned to be compelled to doubt whether he was a Companion.” The principal circumstance against Knollys’ election is the omission of his name in the Lists of Companions who received Livery of the Order from 1374 to 1379, or from 1384 to 1399. There is but slight authority for Sir Robert Dunstaville, or Dunstanville’s election, and the probability, if not certainty, is, that neither Knollys nor Dunstanville were Companions. There are stronger reasons for believing that Sir Matthew de Gournay, whose celebrity was inferior to that of few of his contemporaries, was a Knight of the Garter, because he is called so in a contemporary record. On 46* HISTORY OF THE [RICHARD II. Of the persons to whom the Order was given during King Richard’s reign, * * * 4 many had distinguished themselves in his service, and others were his personal favourites, several of whom were involved in his destruction. It is remarkable, that the Garter was, in two instances, bestowed upon three members of the same family, namely, the Earl of Northumberland, his son, Sir Henry Percy, “ Hotspur,” and his brother, Sir Thomas Percy ; and upon Sir John, Sir Simon, and Sir Richard Burley. From the principle of Fraternity which existed among the Companions, and from a regard for the honour of the Order, arose that desire to save them from disgraceful punishments, which was shewn on several occasions. In February 1388, Sir Simon Burley, being found guilty of treason, was adjudged to be drawn, hanged, and beheaded; but inasmuch as he had served the late, as well as the reigning King, and because he was “ de la Compaignie de la Gartier,” Richard, with the assent of the Lords of Parliament, remitted the former part of the sentence, and he was merely beheaded. 5 King Richard the Second was Deposed 6 on the 29th of September 1399. the Issue Roll of the Exchequer, 3rd April, 9th Ric. 1386 (a translation of which Roll has been printed by Mr. Devon, 8vo. p. 229), there is the following entry : “ Johanni Butt nuncio misso versus partes occidentales cum Literis de signeto Regis, directis Matheo de Gournay, Guidoni de Brien, Johanni Sully, et aliis Militibus in dictis partibus de Garterio, de prorogatione Festi Georgii, per dictum dominum Regem, certis de causis ordinata, in denariis deliberatis pro vadiis suis, xxs.” Though Sir Matthew de Gournay is not included among the Knights of the Garter, in any List, though there is no Stall Plate for him, and though the Windsor Tables do not mention his name, it is very probable that he should have received that distinction. He had served with great honour in the wars of Edward the Third; was a prisoner to the French in 1376; was present, and gave his assent, in Parliament (though never summoned as a Peer of the Realm), to the imprisonment of Richard the Second, in 1399; and was a Privy Counsellor in 6 Henry IV. 1404-5. (Foedera, N. E. III. p. 65. IV. 16, 19; Rot. Pari. II. 343, III. 427; Privy Council Books, I. 157, 237, 245.) It is, however, extraordinary, if Gournay were ever a Knight of the Garter, that he should not even once be stated in the numerous Wardrobe Accounts of the period to have received the Livery of the Order. 4 The succession of Knights, in the reign of Richard the Second, according to the Windsor Tables, was as follows; but several Companions are certainly omitted, apparently, (sometimes, but not always) because they were attainted of high treason, or because, though elected, they had not been installed ; and it is obvious, from the dates of the death of some of the Knights, who are there called the immediate predecessors of others, that there must have been intermediate elections. In other respects, likewise, this Catalogue cannot be entirely relied upon. The names of persons within brackets do not occur in the Windsor Tables, but are inserted according to the time when they are supposed to have been elected. Sir John Burley (P. 7). He is said to have succeeded to John Duke of Lancaster’s Stall (P. 7) when the Duke was removed to that of the Prince, probably in 1377 or 1378. Sir Lewis Clifford, (P. 12) vice Ingelram Earl of Bedford (resigned 1377). p Le Soudan de la Trau (P. 13), vice Sir Thomas Banastre (ob. 1379.) ANNO 1399.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 47 KING HENRY THE FOURTH. The violent manner in which this, the third Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, obtained the Crown, and the constant effort required to preserve it, account for nothing more having occurred respecting the Fraternity in his reign, than supplying vacancies, and observing the annual Feasts, which, when the King was not engaged in more important duties, were celebrated by himself in person. It was, however, during King Henry’s Sovereignty that the Order had Sir Thomas Duke of Gloucester (K. 8), vice Guichard Earl of Huntingdon (ob. 1380). p Sir Thomas Felton (K. 10) vice Sir Hugh Wrottesley (ob. 1381). [Sir John Holand, afterwards Earl of Huntingdon and Duke of Exeter, query (K. 10) vice Felton ob. 1381], p# Sir Simon Burley (K. 13), vice William Lord Latimer (ob. 1381). Sir Bryan Stapleton (P. 3) vice Sir Alan Buxhull (ob. 1381). Sir Richard Burley (P. 4), vice William Earl of Suffolk (ob. 1381). p# Sir Thomas Earl of Nottingham, and Earl Marshal (P. 7), vice Sir John Burley (ob. 1383). [Sir Robert Earl of Oxford and Duke of Ireland, query (P. 13) vice Soudan de la Trau, ob. about 1385.] Sir Richard Earl of Arundel (P. 10), vice Sir Nigel Loring (ob. 1386). Sir Nicholas Sarnesfield (K. 2), vice Hugh Earl of Stafford (ob. 1386.) Sir Edward Earl of Rutland, Duke of Albemarle, and Duke of York (P. 4), vice Sir Richard Burley (ob. 1387). [Sir Henry Percy (Hotspur), query (P. 13) vice Robert Duke of Ireland, attainted 1388]. p Sir John Lord Devereux (K. 13), vice Sir Simon Burley (ob. 1388). p Sir Peter Courtenay (P. 5) vice John Lord Neville (ob. 1388). [Sir Thomas Lord leDespenser and Earl of Gloucester,query (P.9) vice Sir John Sully, ob. 1388]. Sir William Duke of Gueldres (K. 6), vice Ralph Lord Basset (ob. 1390). Sir William Count of Ostrevant (K. 11) vice Guy Lord Bryan (ob. 1390). p Sir John Lord Bourchier (P. 8), vice Sir Robert de Namur (ob. 1392). P Sir John Lord Beaumont (K. 13), vice John Lord Devereux (ob. 1393). Sir William Scrope, Earl of Wiltshire (P. 3), vice Sir Bryan Stapleton ob. 1394. p Sir William Arundel (K. 2), vice Sir Nicholas Sarnesfeld (ob. 1395). p Sir John Earl of Somerset and Marquess of Dorset (K. 13), vice John Lord Beaumont (ob. 1396). [Sir Thomas Holand Earl of Kent and Duke of Surrey, query (P. 6) vice Thomas Earl of Kent ob. 1397]. [Sir John Earl of Salisbury, query (K. 4) vice William Earl of Salisbury, ob. 1397.] Sir Robert [Albert] Duke of Bavaria and Holland (K. 8), vice Thomas Duke of Gloucester (ob. 1397). p Sir Simon Felbrigge (P. 13), vice Le Soudan de la Trau (ob. circa 1384), but there was probably one or more successors of the Soudan. p Sir Philip la Yache (Prince’s Stall) vice John Duke of Lancaster (ob. 1399). (H) In the 13th Hen. VI. 1435, the Wardrobe Accounts (Anstis, II. 112) state that the following Companions, and the Prelate, received Livery of the Order : Lord Willoughby. Talbot. Scales. Hungerford. Fanhope (Sir John Cornwall). William Harington. Simon Felbrigge. *' Sir Sir John Robsart. William Phelipp. John Fastolf. Robert Umfre ville. John Ratclyffe. Hertouk Von Clux. Knights of the said Fraternity.’ Duke of Bedford. Gloucester. York. Earl of Warwick. Huntingdon. Suffolk. Arundel. Stafford. The other Knights at that time were, the Emperor Sigismond, the King of Denmark, the Duke of Coimbra; and Edward King of Portugal was then elected into the only vacancy. 1 Register, Anstis, II. 107—110. c«,r,s) jj e rece i ve d the Livery of the Order in the 18th, 22nd, and 35th Hen. VI. 1439, 1443, and 1457. Vide p. 74, 76, postea. 2 Record in the Exchequer, cited by Anstis, II. 111. L 74 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VI. Garter. 3 It was at the same time agreed, that the charge imposed upon Foreigners, of celebrating masses for the deceased Knights, should, in future, be borne by the Sovereign. 4 The King’s uncle, the famous Duke of Bedford, Regent of France, and the Earl of Arundel, having died in 1435, Edmund Beaufort, Earl of Mortaine (Q) 5 (afterwards Marquess of Dorset (R) and Duke of Somerset), and Sir John Grey P(Q) , eldest son of Lord Grey of Ruthyn, both of whom had signalized themselves in the war in France, were elected, either towards the end of that year, or early in 1436. 6 Though unnoticed in the Register, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury (Q,R,S) was chosen, in 1437, to fill the Stall become vacant by the death of Sir Robert Umfreville f and early in 1438, Albert Duke of Austria, afterwards King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Emperor, by the title of “ Albert the Second,” was elected into the vacancy occasioned by the death of the Emperor Sigismond, in December 1437; but Duke Albert was never installed. 8 3 On the 1st of May 1436, the Privy Council directed the Keeper of the Wardrobe to deliver to Garter “nostre Liveree de la Gartier, assavoir un Mantel 8t Robe furrez ove hermine, et le Gartier,” to be conveyed to the King of Portugal; and a similar Robe furred with ermine, with a Garter, was to be given to Garter, to take to “ Don Pedro, frere du dit Roy, Due de Conimbre.”— Foedera, x. 639. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 113—115. 3 The Privy Council ordered a Garter to be conveyed to the Earl of Mortaine, by Windsor Herald, on the 5th of May, 1436.— Foedera, x. 640. 6 Ibid. II. 116, 117, Sir John Grey succeeded to the Duke of Bedford’s Stall, and the Earl of Mortaine to that of the Earl of Arundel.—Windsor Tables. 7 Register, Anstis, II. 119, 120. 8 Ibid. II. 119.—Among the Notes of the Proceedings of the Privy Council in January, 16th Hen. VI. 1438, are the following: “ Ambassadors to be sent to the Duke of Austria for three causes : The first for the Garter; the second for alliance; the third for marriage.”—Vol V. pp. 86, 87. 9 The Windsor Tables state that the Duke of Gloucester was removed to the late King of Portugal’s Stall, and that the Earl of Longueville succeeded to that of the Duke of Gloucester. Among the reasons which the Privy Council urged upon the Earl of Longueville to induce him to make his son deliver up the town of Blaye in June 1443, was “ that he is a brother of the Garter.”— Proceedings of the Council, vol. V. p. 292. Ibid, in 1443.—Vide p. 76. The Wardrobe Accounts from Michaelmas, 22nd Hen. VI. 1443, apparently to the same time in the following year, 1444, printed by Anstis, I. 174, state that Livery of the Order had been issued to the Prelate and following Companions, King of Portugal. Duke of Gloucester. York. Exeter. Somerset. Marquess of Dorset. Earl of Suffolk. Earls of Stafford. Salisbury. Longueville. Shrewsbury. Viscount Beaumont. Lords Willoughby. Scales Lords Hungerford. Sudeley. Fauconberg. Sir John Robsart. John Fastolf. Hertouk Von Clux. Simon Felbrigge. Anstis presumes that there must be an error in the date assigned to these Accounts, and that they belong to an earlier year (I. 174. II. 123.), because Sir Simon Felbrigge, whose name occurs therein, died between the 21st of September 1442, and February 1443 ; but the insertion of the title of “ Duke of Exeter,” which was not created until January 1443, and of the “ Marquess of Dorset,” who was so created in June in that year, tends to prove the correctness of the date; and therefore Sir Simon Felbrigge’s name may have been introduced, in consequence of the Keeper of the Wardrobe having been ignorant of his decease. Moreover, Lord Fanhope, who died in December 1443, is omitted in those Accounts. It is nevertheless remarkable, that the Earl of Stafford, who was created Duke of Buckingham in September 1441, should not be described by the latter title. According to the Windsor Tables, Alphonso King of Portugal succeeded to the Stall of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, who died in February 1446; but no notice occurs therein of Alphonso King of Arragon. They state, however, that Viscount Beaumont succeeded to the Stall of Sir John Ratclyffe; Lord Sudeley to that of Sir William Harington ; and the Duke of Viseu to that of Sir Simon Felbrigge. cs:> He received the Livery of the Order in 1457. 1 Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. V. p. 309. See Anstis’ remarks on this minute, vol. I. p. 180, 181; but there is no ground for the doubt he expresses as to its date. Communications had ANNO 1445.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 77 1450: and there is reason to believe, that if that Prince’s election did take place in 1443, it became void in consequence of his having then declined the Order. The next transactions recorded are the proceedings of a Chapter, held by the Duke of Buckingham on Saint George’s Eve in 1445, * 2 Henry being on that day married to Margaret of Anjou, at Titchfield Abbey. According to the Register, there were then four vacant Stalls; 3 but the actual number of vacancies in the Order could not have been more than three; and, if the King of Arragon had really been elected, no more than two; for the Duke of Coimbra, who was then living, is not included in the list of Foreigners whose taken place with the King of Arragon in February 1438 and October 1442; and immediately after this entry respecting the Garter, is a memorandum to speak to the Secretary, that a letter be sent unto the King of Arragon in all haste.—Ibid. vol. V. pp. 90, 218, 310. 2 The Register (Anstis, II. 124,) assigns this Chapter to the 22nd of April, 22nd Hen. VI. i. e. 1444; but it is clearly a mistake for the 23rd Hen. VI. 1445; since (among other proofs of the fact) it states that the Helmet and Sword of the Duke of Somerset were then offered, whose death certainly happened on the 27th of May, 22nd Hen. VI. 1444. 3 Twenty-one Knights are named in the Register, viz. the King of Denmark. Portugal. Duke of Viseu. York. Gloucester. Buckingham (Earl of Stafford). Exeter. Lord Scales. Hungerford. Sudeley. Fauconberg. Sir John Robsart. John Fastolf. Hertouk Von Clux. Marquess of Suffolk. Dorset (Earl of Mortaine.) Earl of Salisbury. Shrewsbury. Longueville. Viscount Beaumont. Lord Willoughby. and the four Stalls said to be vacant are those of the “ Emperor Sigismond, the Duke of Somerset, Lord Bardolf, and Lord Fanhope.”—II. 125. Between May 1444, and Saint George’s Day, 26th Hen. VI. 1448, when the names of the Knights are next given in the Register (II. 135), three Companions had died, viz. Sir Hertouk Von Clux, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Duke of Exeter; and six are said to have been elected, viz. John de Foix Earl of Kendal, the Earl of Avranches, Sir John Beauchamp, Sir Thomas Hoo, and Sir Francis Surienne, besides the King of Portugal. There must, therefore, have been three vacancies in May 1444, independently of the Stall then or afterwards tilled by the King of Portugal; and, consequently, the King of Arragon was not then a Knight, because one Stall is said to have been still vacant in May 1448. According to Monstrelet, and other writers, Giles of Brittany, third son of John Duke of Brittany, and cousin of Henry the Sixth, was elected a Knight of the Garter; and his tragical fate (having been strangled in prison by command of the King of France, on the 24th of April 1450), is said to have been hastened by a Letter, purporting to have come from the King of England, demanding his release, on account of his being a Companion of His Order.—(Vide Anstis, I. 68; Monstrelet, III. 31; Histoire de Charles VII. p. 212; Lobineau’s Histoire de Bretagne, p. 637.) The intimate manner in which Giles of Brittany was connected with Henry (vide Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. IV. p. xliv. vi. ii. viii. ix. 9. 11, &c.), make it extremely probable that he should have received the Garter; but neither the Register, Windsor Tables, nor contemporary records afford the slightest support to the statement of Monstrelet, and the other writers above cited. s 78 HISTORY OF THE [henry vi. attendance was excused at the annual Festival in that year. No election, however, took place, because a sufficient number of Companions were not present, and because the King had not given the necessaiy power to his Lieutenant, the Duke of Buckingham. A curious communication was made to that Chapter by Sir Hertouk Yon Clux, who had been Ambassador to the Imperial Court, namely, that the new Emperor “ desired to know what it would stand him in, if he were to be admitted into the Honourable Order.” 4 As Albert the Second died in October 1439, the Prince alluded to must have been his successor, Frederic the Third; and as it is not likely that the Emperor would have made such an inquiry unless he had been already elected, it may be inferred either that Frederic had been chosen during the period the Register is silent, or, that it had been intimated to him by Yon Clux, that Henry the Sixth intended to confer the Order upon him. According to the Register, however, the Emperor Frederic was not elected until 1457. 5 The next Chapter was held on the 12th of May 1445; and is remarkable as being the first of which the Scrutinies of the Elections are extant. They shew, that in conformity with the Statutes, every Companion proposed nine persons, of whom three were Dukes or Earls; three, Barons or Bannerets; and three, Knights Batchelors. Some remarks on the Election of Knights will be found in the proper place; and it will therefore only be observed here, that whatever might have been the intention of the Founder, or the original usage, the Sovereign did not then consider himself bound to admit the person who had the greatest number of suffrages; for, on this occasion, no more than eight Companions were present, and though some of the persons proposed had six, and others seven, the Knight actually elected had only five votes. 6 * 8 9 4 “ In hoc Concilio Dominus Heretooks Cleux indicavit, quod Imperator novus scire cupiebat, quanti sibi staret, si forte in honorandum Ordinem admittendus.”— Register, Anstis, II. 126. 5 Register, Anstis, II. 160. 6 Register, II. 126—128. 7 The Windsor Tables do not notice John de Foix Earl of Kendal, but make Richard Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III., the immediate successor of Sir Hertouk Von Clux. p The Plate of his Arms still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. (S) He received the Livery of the Order in 1457. 8 Anstis, II. p. 126,128, 129. It is, however, remarkable, that he was one of the Knights proposed for election in the Chapter at Brentford, assigned to July 24th Hen. VI. but really held in July 23rd Hen. VI. 1445, vide p. 79. 9 Register, Anstis, II. 128. ANNO 1447.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 79 At that Chapter John de Foix Viscount of Chastillion, afterwards created Earl of Kendal, son of Gaston de Foix Earl of Longueville, was chosen into the Stall of Sir Hertouk Von Clux; 7 and as Sir John Beauchamp, p afterwards created Lord Beauchamp of Powyk (S) , is stated to have been present and voted, 8 he must have received the Order before that time, though not Installed until August in that year. It was then agreed that since a Marquess was of higher rank than an Earl, and next to a Duke, he should pay thirty-three shillings and fourpence above the ten marks demanded of an Earl, on his Helmet and Sword being placed over his Stall; and also that a Viscount should pay sixteen shillings and eightpence more than the fee of one hundred shillings paid by a Baron. 9 This regulation arose from the degrees of Marquess and Viscount 1 having been created since the Institution of the Order. On Sunday the 11th of July 1445, 2 the King held a Chapter at the Lion Inn, in Brentford, when Sir Alvaro Vasquez d’Almada, a Portuguese Knight (w T hom for “ his great zeal and good love” the King created Earl of Avranches in Normandy, with a pension of one hundred marks a year, and to whom he presented a gold cup, containing one hundred marks), and Sir Thomas, afterwards made Lord Hoo and Hastings p# , appear to have been elected] and they, as well as Sir John Beauchamp, were Installed on the 16th of August following. 3 On Saint George’s Eve 1447, the King of Portugal is said, in the Register, to have been elected into the vacancy occasioned by the death of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester ; 4 and the Windsor Tables also state that he succeeded to that Prince’s Stall. But the King of Portugal had been elected in or before 1443 ; 5 and these statements can only be explained, by supposing that, according to the strict letter of the Statutes, his election had become void from his not 1 Viscount Beaumont, who was so created in 1440, was the first Viscount in England. He was then a Knight of the Order. 2 Erroneously said in the Register to have been held in the 24th Hen. VI. i. e. 1446. The Letters Patent creating him Earl of Avranches, dated 4th Aug. 23rd Hen. VI. 1445, contain a strong eulogy on his merits, and state that he had been unanimously elected a Knight of the Garter.—Vide Anstis, II. 131. p# His Stall Plate was in Saint George’s Chapel in August 1563. 3 Register, Anstis, II. 131.—The Earl of Avranches succeeded to the Stall of the Duke of Somerset, Sir Thomas Hoo to that of Lord Fanhope, and Sir John Beauchamp to that of Sir William Phelipp. Windsor Tables. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 133—The Duke of Gloucester died on the 28th of February 1446, Esch. 25th Hen. VI. No. 26. 5 Vide p. 76, antea. 80 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VI. having sent a Proxy to take possession of his Stall; and that he was re-elected on this occasion. At a Chapter held on the 27th of November 1447, in the King’s bedchamber at Westminster, Sir Francis Surienne, called the Arragonese, 6 who had long served this country with equal fidelity and success, was elected in place of the Duke of Exeter, 7 who died in the preceding August; and the Fees to be paid to Garter King of Arms, to the Register, the Usher, and to the College of Saint George, as well as to some of the servants of the King’s household, on the admission of a Companion into the Order, were fixed. 8 The Duke of Coimbra and the Earl of Avranches having fallen at the battle of Alfata Robero, on the 20th of May 1449; Lord Hungerford dying on the 9th of August in the same year; and the Duke of Suffolk having been beheaded in a small vessel off Dover, in May 1450, four Stalls became vacant. Alphonso the Fifth, King of Arragon and Naples; 9 Casimir the Fourth, King of Poland ; 9 William the Victorious, Duke of Brunswick; and Richard Wydville Lord Ryvers (S) , (afterwards father-in-law of King Edward the Fourth), were elected on the 4th of August following, when all the Stalls were filled up except that of the deceased Emperor Sigismond, 1 which was reserved for a future Prince of Wales, or for some other illustrious personage. The next election, and which appears to have occurred in the same year, was that of John Mowbray Duke of N orfolk (S) , Earl Marshal, in the room of Sir Francis Surienne. 2 6 Sir Francis Surienne was a veteran soldier of great merit. In 1437 he was Captain of the Town and Castle of Montargis; and in 1441 he stated in a petition to the King, that he had then served for more than seventeen years in his wars, and on other occasions to the utmost of his power, and that during the rebellion in France, he and his wife and children had lost to the value of 100,000 livres, in consideration of which an annuity of 100 marks was granted to him.—Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. V. p. 147. See also pp. 29, 34, 44, 296. His Installation fees were paid by the King.—Issue Roll of the Exchequer, p. 460. Sir Francis Surienne is not noticed in the Windsor Tables; from which fact and other circumstances, Anstis (I. 75) infers that he had been degraded or had resigned the Order. In November or December 1449, Surienne yielded the Castle of Fougeres in Normandy to the King of France, and thenceforth, according to Monstrelet, remained in the interest and obedience of that monarch, which certainly renders it likely that he should have been expelled from the Order. The Register says, the Duke of Norfolk was elected into the place of Sir Francis Arragonoys, now deceased; but Anstis cites a safe conduct, dated 27th November 33rd Hen. VI. 1454, for Sir Francis Arragonoys, Knight, and twelve others, to come into England, the terms of which shew him to have been a suspected person.—Rot. Franc. 33rd Hen. VI. m. 24. Anstis, I. 76. Register, Anstis, II. 134, and note. 8 Anstis has printed the Table of Fees from the Registrum Chartaceum, II. 134. He received the Livery of the Order in 1457. Printed by Charles Whittingham No, 21 Tooks Court Cursit or S treet ClaQcery Lane ANNIS 1451—1453.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 81 A Chapter was held at Windsor on the 29th of May 1451, at which the “ Earl of Exeter” is said to have presided, in consequence of the King’s being at Westminster, where Parliament was sitting, but as there was then no such person as the Earl of Exeter, the name of the Deputy must be a mistake; and on the next day the achievements of the Dukes of Gloucester and Suffolk and of Sir John Robsart, were offered in the usual manner. * 1 * 3 The proceedings in the Order after this time, bear striking evidence of the effects of the Civil War by which the country was disturbed. In a Chapter held at Windsor in 1452, the Duke of York, his brother-in-law the Earl of Salisbury, Lord Scales, and Lord Willoughby, were declared to have incurred certain penalties, for being absent without assigning any cause; 4 and Henry Viscount Bourchier p , (who seems to have been chosen in the place of Sir John Robsart), 5 and the Duke of Norfolk were, about that time, Installed. Lord Fauconberg was said to be a prisoner in France, and Lord Ryvers at Calais. The Duke of York having determined to wrest the government from the Duke of Somerset and the Queen’s party, had shortly before retired to Ludlow Castle; and the Register, in April 1453, states that the Duke of York, and Lord Hoo and Hastings were fined for not attending the annual Feast. 6 On the 7th of May, Sir Edward Hull, who had often been employed on missions, and in the French wars, was elected instead of Lord Willoughby, who died in that year; but he was never Installed. 7 9 Clarenceux King of Arms, and John Newport Esquire, were sent to the Kings of Arragon and Poland, to admit and receive them into the Order of the Garter, in June 31st Hen. VI. 1453.—Privy Seal, de eod. ann. Anstis, I. 52. Issue Roll, p. 474. 1 Register, Anstis, II. 142. * Ibid. pp. 142, 143.—The Kings of Arragon and Poland, and the Duke of Brunswick are not mentioned in the Windsor Tables, and do not appear to have taken possession of their Stalls; and after some time had been allowed them for that purpose, their elections were considered void. Lord Ryvers succeeded to the Stall which became vacant by the death of Lord Hungerford. 3 Register, Anstis, II. 144. p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 146. 5 The Windsor Tables, however, state that Viscount Bourchier succeeded to the Stall of the Earl of Avranches; and make George Duke of Clarence the successor of Sir John Robsart; but one or more intermediate occupants are evidently omitted. 6 Register, Anstis, II. 148. i Ibid. p. 151. M Printed bv Charles YVbitCn^iiani No. SI looks Court Cursitor Street Cliancerr T.aiie 82 HISTORY OF THE [henry vi. The next Chapter of which the proceedings are entered in the Register, though said 8 to have been held on the 11th of May, 32nd Henry VI. 1454, must have occurred between July and December 1453. In consequence of the King’s illness, 9 the Duke of Buckingham presided; and the Duke of York is represented to have sent this excuse, “ that the Sovereign having for some time been angry with him, he durst not attend, lest he should incur his farther displeasure, and thereby aggravate the illness under which the King was suffering.” Penalties were directed to be exacted of the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Hastings, and Lord Scales, for being absent; and it is stated in the Register, that the Duke of Somerset was imprisoned in the Tower; that John de Foix Earl of Kendal, was a prisoner in the hands of the King’s enemies; that the Earl of Salisbury, Lord Beauchamp, and Viscount Beaumont, were ill; that Lord Fauconberg was excused, because he had but recently returned from imprisonment in France, and had permission to visit his house and lands ; and the venerable Sir John Fastolfj because he was so very old and infirm that he could neither walk nor ride without the greatest danger; and Lord Ryvers, because he was residing at Calais. On that occasion the achievements of the great Earl of Shrewsbury, 10 who was slain at Chastillion, in July in this year, were offered; but no election took place, because two Knights only were present. 1 In February 1454, the Duke of York having succeeded in placing himself at the head of affairs, and been appointed the King’s Lieutenant, assembled Parliament. 2 On the 3rd of April, he was constituted Protector of the Realm; 3 8 It is remarkable that it should have escaped the learned Editor of the Register, that the date assigned to this Chapter is evidently wrong; and that it must have been held sometime between July 1453, when the Earl of Shrewsbury fell at Chastillion, and the end of that year. Its proceedings prove that the Duke of York was then hostile to the government; but he had certainly assumed the direction of affairs before December 1453, and overtures seem to have been made to him to do so as early as October in that year. In December or January following, he caused the Duke of Somerset to be committed to the Tower, from which Somerset was not released until the 7th of February 1455, having, as he himself said, been confined one year and ten weeks.— Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. VI. pp. xlvii. lxiii. lxviii. 163—5. Foedera, XI. 361. 9 A melancholy statement of the King’s condition in March 1454 was made to Parliament by the Peers, who were sent to Windsor for the purpose of ascertaining his pleasure upon certain important affairs.—Rot. Pari. V. 241. 10 John, first Earl of Shrewsbury, presented Queen Margaret with a volume of Romances most splendidly illuminated, which is now preserved among the Royal Manuscripts in the British Museum, marked 15 E. vi., and ought not to pass unnoticed in this work. The principal illumination represents the Earl offering the volume to the Queen, who is sitting on a throne by the side of Henry the Sixth. ANNIS 1455—1456.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 83 and he did not lose his authority until January 1455. No transactions of the Order are recorded during that period; and as there were some vacant Stalls, it is singular that the Protector did not fill them up with his own adherents; for he shewed himself fully aware of the value of such distinctions in securing political support, by having in July 1454, obtained Henry’s authority to give Collars of the King’s Livery to eighty gentlemen, who were to swear not to accept fees of any person without the King’s licence. * * * 4 The next Chapter noticed in the Register, is said to have been held on the 22nd of May 1455; 5 but as the first Battle of St. Alban’s was fought on that day, the date must be erroneous ; and it was probably held on the preceding Eve of Saint George, at which time the Queen’s party were again in power. The Duke of York, the Earl of Salisbury, and other Lords of the Yorkist faction, alleged illness as an excuse, or were fined for not having assigned any reason for being absent; and although another vacancy had occurred by the death of Lord Hoo and Hastings, no election took place. On that occasion, the Sovereign and all the Knights who attended, are said, after the censing of the reader of the Epistle, at the conclusion of the Mass for the deceased, to have reverently kissed the Heart of Saint George. 6 The Battle of St. Alban’s, in which the Order lost the Duke of Somerset, having re-established the authority of the Duke of York, he was again made Protector of the Realm, in November 1455. He was not present at the next Chapter, on the 22nd of April 1456; and all which is said to have then Shrewsbury is habited in a sanguine coloured Robe, powdered with Garters, each containing the Motto of the Order; and he wears a Collar of SS. The Arms of the King and of the Queen, as well as those of the Earl, are introduced, surrounded by the Garter, charged with the Motto. The last article in the Collection, is a Copy of King Henry the Fifth’s Statutes of the Order, with a painting of Saint George on horseback, attacking the Dragon, having near him the Virgin who is the heroine of the legend. On each side are thirteen Knights of the Garter, apparently the First Founders, the most conspicuous person in the two groups being an aged King (evidently intended for Edward the Third), on the one side, and the Black Prince on the other. They all wear a red surcoat, spangled with small gold Stars; and over it, a Blue Robe powdered with Garters. The copy of the Statute in this MS. has been collated with the one before noticed (p. 65, antea), but the variations are merely verbal and unimportant. 1 Register, Anstis, II. 152. 2 Rot. Pari. vol. V. p. 239. 3 Ibid. p. 243. 4 Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. VI. p. 209. 5 Anstis, II. 153, 155. 6 Ibid. p. 155.—The Heart of St. George was brought to England by the Emperor Sigismond, and was presented by him to the College of Windsor, on his election into the Order, in May 1416. See a long account of the relics of Saint George in Anstis, II. 214. 84 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VI. occurred is, that Robes and Garters were sent to the Kings of Arragon and Poland, 7 and to the Duke of Brunswick, who had been previously elected. Before October following, the Yorkists were again driven from power; and in a Chapter held on the 4th of that month, the King of Portugal was Installed by proxy; and the sword and helmet of the Duke of Somerset were offered with the usual solemnities. 8 In May 1457 (S) , John Talbot, second Earl of Shrewsbury, then Lord Treasurer, was elected to the Stall which had belonged to his father, perhaps to mark, by so unusual an occurrence, the respect which was felt for the splendid services of the deceased warrior; and as a further distinction, the Earl was appointed the Sovereign’s Lieutenant at that Festival. The Duke of York, the Earl of Salisbury, and their confederates kept away, but were nevertheless excused; 1 the Emperor Frederic is said to have been elected on that occasion, instead of the Duke of Somerset; and Lionel Lord Welles, and Lord Stanley p , the King’s Chamberlain (both of whom had been Lieutenants of Ireland, and were elected about that time), were Installed. 2 Though a reconciliation took place between the leaders of the two factions in March 1458, 3 it produced little effect; and perhaps the earliest indication of the 7 Though the King of Poland is said to have been elected in August 1450 (vide p. 80, antea), his name nevertheless appears to be a clerical error in this entry in the Register, for Portugal; for on the 15th of September, 34th Hen. VI. 1455, a Garter of gold, ornamented with pearls and precious stones of the value of £40, was made for the King of Portugal. On the 19th of November following, a Warrant was issued to the Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, stating that “ Our right entirely well-beloved brother, the King of Portugal, is chosen to be a Knight of the Garter, to whom we will send in all haste by our well-beloved squire, John Fetiplace, the Garter and all that longith thereto,” and commanding him to deliver to the said John, a Mantle, Gown, and Hood of the Order, which are minutely described.— Foedera, XI. 368. On the 20th of February, 35th Hen. VI. 1457, a warrant was issued for the payment of the King of Portugal’s Installation Fees. Anstis, I. 53. On the Issue Roll of the Exchequer, there is an entry of a payment of 100 marks on the 22nd of October 1455, for a Garter to be delivered to John Fetiplace to be taken to the King of Portugal, and of £40 for Fetiplace’s expenses in his mission, (p. 480). 8 Register, Anstis, II. 157. CS) The Wardrobe Accounts from Michaelmas 35th Hen. VI. 1456, to the 28th of September 1457, (Anstis, II. 158,) state that Livery of the Order had then been issued to the Duke of York. Viscount Beaumont. Lords Beauchamp. Buckingham. Bourchier. Ryvers. Norfolk. Lords Scales. Stanley. Earls of Salisbury. Sudeley. Welles. Shrewsbury. Fauconberg. Sir John Fastolf. By Writ of Privy Seal, dated 13th May 1457, Mantles and Garters were delivered to the Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord Stanley, which fixes the time of their election.—Ibid. 1 Register, Anstis, II. 158. p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. ANNO 1458.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 85 discontent of the Duke of York and his friends after that event, was their absence from the ensuing annual Feast of the Order, which was kept by the Sovereign _ • in person on the Eve of St. George, when the Duke of York, Salisbury, and Lord Bourchier, “ were excused by the King’s speaking for themthe Duke of Norfolk and Lord Scales were declared to have incurred the usual penalties, and the latter was fined in the additional sum of twenty marks ; and Lord Fam conberg is said to have been in prison. The Sovereign and the Companions, to advance the honour of their Patron, Saint George, then entered into a subscription for immediately erecting his Image on horseback, 2 3 4 apparently to be placed in the Chapel at Windsor. Either on that occasion, or very soon after, Jasper Tudor Earl of Pembroke, the King’s uterine brother; James Butler Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire; John Lord Dudley, Treasurer of the Household; and John Lord Berners p , 5 all of whom were distinguished adherents of the House of Lancaster, must have been elected; because they are included among the Knights in the next Chapter, which was held on the 21st of April 1459, when the Emperor Frederic is said to have been introduced into the Duke of Somerset’s Stall ; 6 the Garter and 2 Anstis, II. 160, 161. Another vacancy had been made by the death of Sir Edward Hull, Constable of Bourdeaux, who was slain on the 18th of July 1453, but who had never been installed. Neither the Emperor Frederic nor Lord Welles are noticed in the Windsor Tables ; and the successor of the Duke of Somerset is there said to be Sir William Herbert, who was not elected until the reign of King Edward the Fourth. Lord Stanley succeeded to the Stall of Lord Hoo and Hastings. Anstis, II. p. 151. The following entry, which, however, has nothing to do with the Order, occurs in the Register, and is evidently an interpolation of the Compiler in the time of Henry the Eighth : “ In this year, 35th Hen. VI. (1456-7) the art of stamping books, or of printing, began at Mentz, a famous city of Germany, which we have since known to increase in a wonderful manner.” 3 Whethamsted, p. 414—428. Paston Letters, vol. I. 151—156. Turner’s History of England, III. 269. Chronicle of London, p. 251. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 162. The King gave £5, Dukes £2, Earls £1 6s. 8 d., Barons £1, and Knights Bachelors 13s. 6d. 5 The Earl of Pembroke’s election on this occasion is not noticed in the Windsor Tables, as he occurs as the successor of George Duke of Clarence, who was not a Companion until some years after: Lord Berners succeeded to the Stall of the Duke of Coimbra, which is said to have been destined for the King of Poland (Register, II. 142). Lord Dudley had the Stall of the deceased Earl of Longueville. The name of the Earl of Ormond does not occur in those Tables. 6 It is doubtful, notwithstanding the statement in the Register, whether the Emperor Frederic ever took possession of his Stall. His name does not occur in the Windsor Tables ; and some MS. authorities cited by Anstis, II. 165, state that he declined his election, while others assert that he was never installed. It is, however, certain that his name is not mentioned in the Register after the accession of King Edward the Fourth, and that William Lord Herbert succeeded to the Duke of Somerset’s Stall in March 1462. 86 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VI. Robes were sent to the King of Poland; and it was determined to reserve the Stall which had belonged to the Emperor Sigismond, for the Prince of Wales. 7 He had been created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in March 1454, 8 and was in the seventh year of his age; but it is doubtful whether he was ever a Companion of the Order; for his name does not occur in the Windsor Tables, and he must have been Knighted before his admission, whereas he is said to have received Knighthood from his father, after the second Battle of St. Alban’s in February 1461, 9 scarcely a fortnight before the accession of Edward the Fourth. The Register states that the memorials of the 38th Henry VI., that is, from September 1459, to August 1460, are lost. If any proceedings took place in the Order in that interval, but which the unsettled state of the country renders unlikely, they probably consisted of the degradation of the Duke of York and the Earl of Salisbury, who were attainted of high treason in November 1459, 10 the record of which in the Register would, no doubt, have been destroyed after the accession of King Edward the Fourth. But a strong reason for believing that neither the Duke of York nor the Earl of Salisbury was degraded, is, that if they had been expelled from the Order, it is almost certain that their places would have been filled by two of the most distinguished Lords of the Lancastrian party; and perhaps by the Dukes of Somerset or 7 Register, Anstis, II. 163. Three vacancies had been made by the deaths of the King of Arragon, Lord Stanley, and the Earl of Longueville; and the swords and helmets of the two latter were then offered. The Register says that the Chapter agreed that the Ambassador then going to Rome, should also proceed to the King of Arragon, and remind him to send a proxy for his Installation; but, as Anstis shews (II. 165), that Prince died on the 8th of June 1458, and the Earl of Pembroke was then elected in his vacancy. In April 1459, the Order consisted of the Twenty-four following Knights, besides the Sovereign, and one Stall was reserved for the Prince of Wales, whence it is evident that the Duke of Brunswick’s election was considered void, probably because he had either declined the Order, or had omitted to send a proxy for his Installation. He lived until 1482 ? but is not again mentioned in the Register: Emperor Frederic. King of Portugal. King of Poland. King of Denmark. Duke of Viseu. Duke of York. Duke of Norfolk. Duke of Buckingham. 8 Rot. Pari. V. 290. 10 Rot. Pari. V. 346. Earl of Salisbury. Earl of Shrewsbury. Earl of Pembroke. Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire. Earl of Kendal. Viscount Bourchier. Viscount Beaumont. Lord Sudeley. MS. Chronicle quoted by Anstis, II. 165. Lord Scales. Lord Fauconberg. Lord Beauchamp of Powyck. Lord Welles. Lord Dudley. Lord Berners. Lord Ryvers. Sir John Fastolf. Harleian MS. 252. ANNIS 1460—1461.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 87 Exeter, the Earls of Northumberland, Devon, or Westmoreland, or Lord Clifford or Fitz Hugh, 1 * of whose election there is no trace. The situation of affairs was, however, soon changed in consequence of the victory gained by the Yorkists near Northampton, on the 11th of July 1460, in which the Duke of Buckingham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and Viscount Beaumont fell, on the King’s side; and Lord Scales, who had latterly espoused the Royal Cause, was killed shortly after. As all the persons who were attainted in the preceding November, were fully restored by Parliament in October 1460,® when the Duke of York was recognized as heir-apparent to the Crown, both he and the Earl of Salisbury, were of course replaced in their Stalls, if indeed they had been removed from them. The Battle of Northampton caused four vacancies; and, according to the Register, a Chapter was held in the Bishop of London’s Palace on the 8th of February, 39th Henry VI. 1461, which was attended by the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Bourchier, and the Lords Dudley, Welles, Beauchamp, Ryvers, and Berners; when Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, (“ the King Maker,”) William Lord Bonville, Sir Thomas Kyriell, 3 and Sir John Wenlok, were elected; and the Chapter assigned to the Earl of Warwick the Stall of the Duke of Buckingham; to Lord Bonville, that of Lord Scales; to Sir Thomas Kyriell, that of the Earl of Shrewsbury; and to Sir John Wenlok, that of the Viscount Beaumont. 4 5 The date of that Chapter must, however, be erroneous, for those proceedings evidently occurred after the Battle of Northampton, while the Duke of York was in power; and they could not possibly have taken place after the Battle of Wakefield, which was fought on the 29th of December 1460, because the Duke of York was then slain; the Earl of Salisbury was taken prisoner, and shortly after beheaded; and the Queen and the Lancastrians once more obtained possession of the government. It is said, 3 1 It is extraordinary that none of these Noblemen should have been elected into the Order. The services of the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland, and the Lords Clifford, and Fitz Hugh, were so important as to call forth the strongest expressions of thanks from the Privy Council.—Proceedings of the Council, vol. VI. p. 119, 123, 248, 249. * Rot. Pari. V. p. 374. “ William Lord Bonville and Sir Thomas Kyriell for the prowess of Knighthood, approved in their persons, called to the Order of the Garter.” Rot. Pari. 1st Edw. IV. vol. V. p. 477. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 166—168. According to the Windsor Tables, however, the Earl of Warwick succeeded to the Stall of the Duke of York, Sir Thomas Wenlok to that of the Earl of Shrewsbury ; Lord Bonville and Sir Thomas Kyriell are not noticed. 5 Hall, p. 245. 88 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VI. that after the Battle of Northampton, the King was removed to the Bishop’s Palace in London, where this Chapter met; and it is therefore most likely to have been held there soon after that event. 6 Great regard was manifested by the Duke of York on that occasion, for the services of his followers; for though his eldest son, Edward Earl of March, (who within little more than a year became Sovereign of the Order), was nominated in each list, he was not chosen; and the names of the other persons proposed are of interest, because they shew who were deemed the most eminent among the Yorkist party, and consequently to whom King Edward the Fourth was mainly indebted for the Throne. Besides the four Companions, who were elected, the Knights nominated in the scrutiny were, the Earl of Oxford, who was in each of the eight lists; Lord Grey of Ruthyn, Lord Stourton, Lord Fitzwarine, Lord Hungerford, Lord Grey of Richmond, Lord Montagu, and Sir Gaillard Duras; Sir John and Sir Thomas Neville (who was taken at Wakefield and beheaded), sons of the Earl of Salisbury; Sir Thomas Haryngton, (who was also at Wakefield and beheaded); Sir William Uvedale, and Sir John Shotesbroke. John de Foix Earl of Kendal, declined to vote, alleo-in^ as his excuse that he did not know what Lords and Knights of this Kingdom were “ without reproach;” and he gave whatever powers he might have to the King’s other subjects. This however, was, in truth, a mere evasion, even if it were not meant as a sarcasm, he being an active Lancastrian. 7 Though the Lancastrians were defeated at Mortimer’s Cross on the 2nd of February 1461, they gained a complete victory at St. Alban’s, on the 17th of the same month; and Lord Bonville and Sir Thomas Kyriell having fallen into their hands, they were put to death, notwithstanding a solemn promise to spare their lives. 8 Within a few weeks, however, the young Earl of March was proclaimed King; and having consolidated his power by the Battle of Towton, on the 29th of March, the hopes and strength of the Lancastrians became exhausted. On that occasion the Order lost only Lord Welles; so that on the deposition of King Henry the Sixth, supposing that no Companions of the 6 The Register (II. 166) states that the Chapter was held “ in the entrance of the 39th year of Henry’s reign; and as it began on the 1st of September 1460, that statement would be correct if the Election took place at any time after that day. February cannot be considered as the commencement of a regnal year which began six months before, and it may be a clerical error for “ September.” It is remarkable that Anstis should have considered the date of the 8th of February, 39th Hen. VI. 1461, as correct. 7 Register, Anstis, II. 167. 8 Rot. Pari. vol. V. p. 477. ANNO 1461.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 89 Yorkist party were degraded after the second Battle of St. Alban’s, for which, indeed, there was scarcely time or opportunity, five vacancies had happened since the Elections in September 1459, namely, those of the Duke of York, the Earl of Salisbury, the Lords Bonville and Welles, and Sir Thomas Kyriell. The reign of Henry the Sixth terminated on the 4th of March 1461, by the succession of KING EDWARD THE FOURTH. This monarch was generous, if not profuse, in rewarding the services of his followers. Besides immediately creating his brothers, Richard and George, Dukes of Gloucester, and Clarence, he made Yiscount Bourchier, Earl of Essex ; Lord Fauconberg, Earl of Kent, Admiral of England, and Steward of the Household ; Sir William Herbert, Sir John Wenlok, and Sir William Hastings, Barons by the titles of their respective names; and Sir John Neville son of the Earl of Salisbury, Lord Montagu. George Neville Bishop of Exeter, another son of the Earl of Salisbury, was appointed Lord Chancellor; the Earl of Warwick, Lord Steward and Chamberlain of England; and the Earl of Worcester, Lord Treasurer; and the King proceeded to fill up the numerous vacancies 1 in the On Edward’s accession, there appears to have been only seventeen Companions, viz. Emperor Frederic. Earl of Pembroke. Lord Berners. King of Portugal. Kendal. Fauconberg. Poland. Viscount Bourchier. Welles. Duke of Norfolk. Lord Sudeley. Ryvers. Earl of Warwick. Dudley. Sir John Wenlok. Wiltshire. Beauchamp. But this list was reduced before the end of the year 1461, to eleven, in the following manner:— The Emperor Frederic’s election either became void, or he resigned the Order, for though he lived until 1493, his name does not occur in the Register after Edward the Fourth’s accession, and in 1462, or 1463, Lord Herbert was placed in the Stall destined for him; the Duke of Norfolk died in 1461: the Earl of W iltshire was beheaded in 1461; the Earl of Pembroke was attainted and degraded in 1461; Lord Welles was slain at Towton, 29th of March 1461; and Lord Fauconberg, who was created Earl of Kent in 1461, died in 1462. The Knights living towards the end of the reign of Henry the Sixth, whose deaths or resignations have not been mentioned, are, the King of Denmark, who died in 1459; the Duke of Viseu, who died in 1460; and Sir John Fastolf, who died in November 1460. It is a remarkable fact, that in three years, 1459, 1460, and 1461, the Order lost no less than seventeen Companions, of whom only six died natural deaths, one (the Emperor) resigned, and one was degraded. 90 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD IV. Order of the Garter, by electing into it some of those noblemen, and others from among his adherents. Though at the last Chapter in the reign of King Henry the Sixth, Edward Earl of March had the suffrages of every Knight who voted, he was not elected; and like his immediate predecessor, became the Sovereign of the Order without having previously been a Companion. On the 17th of May 1461, a Chapter 7 was held at Windsor; but the King being in the North, did not preside in person; and the Yiscount Bourchier acted as his Representative. The achievements of the late Sovereign being removed from the Choir by the Heralds, those of his successor were substituted for them; and the Helmets and Swords of the Earl of Wiltshire, who was beheaded, and of Lord Welles, who was slain at Towton Field, were likewise taken away. The position of Henry the Sixth, with regard to the Order, was unprecedented. He had never been a Companion; and having ceased to be the Sovereign, he was considered also to have ceased to be a Member of the Fraternity. At that Chapter, it was enacted that the achievements which, for any cause whatever, might be removed from the Choir, should, like those of deceased Knights, be appropriated to the use of the College. 7 This regulation referred to the achievements of the Companions who had been degraded for Treason; but it was afterwards the practice to fling the Banners, Swords, and Helmets of Knights convicted of High Treason into the Choir, and to spurn them thence, through the Chapel and Quadrangle, into the ditch of the Castle. 8 9 10 Though it is not said that any Elections had taken place at the first Chapter, and though the proceedings in the second year are not preserved, it is shewn by 7 Register, Anstis, II. 174. 8 Though the Rolls of Parliament of the 1st Edw. IV. vol. V. p. 478, state that Henry the Sixth was attainted of High Treason, the clause attainting Him is not in the original record. 9 Viscount Bourchier, who was created Earl of Essex; Sir John Wenlok, created Lord Wenlok ; and Lord Fauconberg, created Earl of Kent in June 1461. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 10 A representation of Sir John Astley’s Investiture is engraved in Dugdale’s History of Warwickshire, p. 73. 1 This Commission is printed in Anstis, II. 175. The Earl of Worcester is not noticed in the Windsor Tables, which state that Lord Hastings succeeded to the Stall of Lord Scales; Lord Montagu to that of the Earl of Salisbury ; Sir John Astley to that of Thomas Lord Stanley, who died in 1459 ; and Lord Herbert to the Stall of the Duke of Somerset. ANNIS 1461—1464.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 91 a Commission issued on the 21st of March 1462, to the Earl of Essex, 9 Lord Berners, and Lord Wenlok, that several Knights had been elected. It stated that John Earl of Worcester*, William Lord Hastings*, the King’s Chamberlain, John Lord Montagu*, William Lord Herbert, and Sir John Astley*, 10 had lately been elected into the Order; and the three Commissioners were commanded to proceed to the Installation of the said Knights-Elect, by their proxies, in consequence of their being then engaged in attendance on the King’s person, or in his service. 1 Before this time, however, and probably in 1461, George Duke of Clarence* f Ferdinand King of Naples; Francis Duke of Milan; James Earl of Douglas* in Scotland (who was the first native of that Kingdom on whom the Order was conferred); John Lord Scrope**, of Bolton; Sir Gaillard de Durefort, Seigneur de Duras, a French nobleman, who had rendered eminent services to the King; Sir William Chamberlain*, 2 and Sir Robert Harcourt*, must also have been elected; because, in the proceedings of a Chapter held on Saint George’s Eve in 1463, the Duke of Clarence, the Earl of Worcester, the Lords Hastings,'Montagu, Herbert, and Duras, and Sir Robert Harcourt were then present; the King of Naples and Duke of Milan are included among the absent Foreigners; the Earl of Douglas was excused by the King’s letters; and Lord Scrope and Sir John Astley were said to be engaged in the affairs of the Realm. The achievements of John de Foix Earl of Kendal, who had joined the interests of France, were ordered to be removed; and his Stall, with that of the Prince 3 and of Sir William Chamberlain, who must have died soon after his election, were declared vacant. 4 2 The election of the Duke of Clarence and Sir William Chamberlain, is expressly said to have taken place in the 1st Edward IV. Vincent’s MS. in the College of Arms, cited by Anstis, II. 175. p# The Plate of his Arms was in Saint George’s Chapel in August 1563. 3 The Register says, one of the vacant Stalls was that of William Earl of Kent, who did not long enjoy his creation to that dignity ; but as the Windsor Tables state that the Earl of Douglas succeeded him (P. 9), the vacant Stall was that of the Prince of Wales.—Anstis, II. 176. 4 Anstis, II. 176, 177. The Duke of Clarence is said in the Windsor Tables, to have succeeded to the Stall of Sir John Robesart (P. 2); and the King of Naples had the Stall (P. 3) of Sir John Fastolf The Duke of Milan was never Installed, and his election became void; the Earl of Worcester succeeded to the Stall (K. 4) of the Duke of Norfolk ; Lord Montagu to the Stall (K. 6) of the Earl of Salisbury; Lord Scrope to that (K. 9) of the Duke of Buckingham; Lord Herbert succeeded to that (P. 8) of the Duke of Somerset; Lord Hastings to that (P. 5) of Lord Scales ; Sir Gaillard de Duras to that (P. 13) of the Duke of Viseu ; Sir John Astley to that (K. 13) of Lord Stanley; and Sir Robert Harcourt to the Stall (P. 12) of Viscount Beaumont, his immediate predecessor being Sir William Chamberlain, who is not named in the Windsor Tables, though the Plate of his Arms is still in Saint George’s Chapel. N 2 92 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD IV. In 1464, an Act of Parliament was passed against excess in the apparel of the Commonalty of the Realm, by which it was forbidden for any Knight under the rank of a Lord, except Lords’ children, to wear cloth of gold, or any corses wrought with gold or fur of sables, under a penalty of <£20 ; or for any Bachelor Knight or his wife, to wear any cloth of velvet upon velvet, “ but such Knights as have been of the Order of the Garter and their wives,” under a penalty of twenty marks. 5 Early in 1466, the Sovereign’s brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester p , afterwards King Richard the Third, seems to have been elected, 6 though the Register does not mention the circumstance, for on the 4th of February in that year directions were given for delivering his Sword and Helmet to be placed in Saint George’s Chapel; and in March following his Garter was paid for. 7 Nothing worthy of notice happened in the Order in 1464, or 1465; and it is said, in April 1466, that the King of Poland and the Duke of Gloucester had not yet taken possession of their Stalls. 8 About that time the accomplished Sir Anthony Wydville, Lord Scales, 9 eldest son of Earl Ryvers, and brother to the Queen, was elected, and he was present in the Chapter held at Windsor by the Sovereign, on the 22nd of April 1467. Before that year, Inigo D’Avalos, Count of Monte Odorisio, Great Chamberlain or Treasurer to the Kins; of o Naples, a distinguished Neapolitan nobleman, was elected ; but though the Garter was sent to him in November 1467, it is doubtful whether he was ever Installed; and he died in 1484. 1 5 Rot. Pari. 4th Edward IV. vol. V. p. 504. Statutes of the Realm, authorised edition, II. 399. In the Sumptuary Law of the 37th Edward III. the various classes of Knights were marked by the amount of their possessions ; but Knights of the Garter were not mentioned : nor are they alluded to in the Act on the same subject, in the 22nd Edward IV. Ibid. I. 380. II. 468. p The Plate of his Arms still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 The Duke of Gloucester is said to have had the Stall (K. 5) previously occupied by Sir Hertouk Von Clux, but there must have been one or more intermediate possessors. 7 Anstis, II. 181. 8 Register, Anstis, II. p. 182. 9 This distinguished person, who is said, in the Windsor Tables, to have had the Stall (K. 8) of the late King of Denmark, is famous for his combat with the Bastard of Burgundy in June 1467, of which a very minute and curious account is printed in the “ Excerpta Historica, ” pp. 171—212. 1 The Count of Monte Odorisio’s election was only recently discovered by George Frederick Beltz, K. H. Lancaster Herald, who, in his “ MemoriaJs of the Order,” p. xxii. satisfactorily establishes the fact, by the following entry on the Pell Roll, 7th Edw. IV.“ Die Lune ix Novembris, Thomaj at Wode aurifabro in denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprias pro uno Garterio de auro de liberata Sancti Georgii ab ipso empto et misso per Dominum Regem Comiti de Monte Orizo Camerario Regis de ANNIS 1467—1470.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 93 From the seventh to the tenth year of this reign, 1467—1471, there is a chasm in the Register, which can only be imperfectly supplied from other sources. In that interval many important political events took place, arising out of the attempt of the Earl of Warwick to restore Henry the Sixth; and it is said that Warwick was degraded from the Order in 1468 or 1469, and that Charles Duke of Burgundy, the King’s brother-in-law, who was certainly invested in January 1470, 2 had succeeded to his Stall. 3 Though Lord Herbert, who had been created Earl of Pembroke, was beheaded by the rebels in July 1468, and Earl Ryvers died in August in the same year, their vacancies were not filled up. Early in October 1470, the Earl of Warwick succeeded in replacing Henry the Sixth on the Throne ; and in November, Edward the Fourth and his principal adherents were attainted. Among those included in that proceeding, was the Earl of Worcester, who was beheaded shortly before; and it is highly probable that during the six months, namely, from October 1470, to April 1471, in which Henry possessed the Royal authority, his Ensigns as Sovereign of the Order replaced those of Edward in Saint George’s Chapel; that such of the Companions as adhered to the House of York, and had been attainted, were degraded; and that J asper Earl of Pembroke, who had been expelled, was Naples per breve de Privato Sigillo supradicto, viij//. xiijs. iiijd. Roberto Donne misso per Dominum Regem cum dicto Garterio ad Comitem de Monte Orizo in denariis sibi liberatis per manus proprias pro custubus et expensis suis eundo et redeundo ex causa predicta per breve predictum, xxxiii/f. vis. viijt?.” The Register (Anstis, II. pp. 183, 184), states that on the 22nd April 1467, “ Domino Principi, Regi Neopolitano, et Domino de Montgryson Apuliae, jam ante delectis ad illustrissimum Ordinem, sedes reservatae sunt.” This passage is, however, an erroneous translation by Dean Aldrich of the original French, of which Mr. Beltz states that a copy is preserved in the Ashmolean Museum, where the entry stands: “ Yacants non pas Installe.” Le Stalle de Prynce. Le Stalle pur la Roy de Poleyn q’est eslu. Le Stalle pur le Counte de Monte Grisone de Naeples q’est eslu.” Many fruitless inquiries have been made after a Count or Lord de Monte Grisone, and the real name was not known until Mr. Beltz, (in whose work a full account of Count Monte Orisio will be found,) caused the Pell Rolls for 1467 to be examined. The confusion is evidently to be attributed to an inexperienced transcriber having mistaken a capital O for a G, and a u for an n; and thus, from a mere clerical error, an eminent Foreign Nobleman has, for at least three centuries, lost the fame of having been a Companion of the most illustrious Order of Europe. 4 Anstis, I. 69, 82, who cites Preuves sur Comines, p. 101. Pell Records, Easter Term, 9th Edward IV. 1469.—The Duke of Burgundy’s Letter acknowledging the reception of the Order, was dated on the 4th of February 1469-70.— Foedera, XI. 651. 3 Windsor Tables. 94 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD IV. restored, and other Lancastrians elected; and it is certain that on King Edward the Fourth’s restoration, a similar change must have occurred by the removal of Henry’s Banner, and the restoration of the expelled Yorkists, and the election of others of that party. In these wars, seven Knights of the Garter lost their lives, namely, the Earls of Worcester, Ryvers, and Pembroke, and Sir Robert Hareourt, on the part of Edward; and the Earls, of Warwick (who was probably restored to the Order in 1470) and Northumberland (who had been raised to the Mar- quisate of Montagu), and Lord Wenlok, 4 on that of Henry the Sixth. The next entry in the Register, 5 contains the proceedings at a Chapter held in the Sovereign’s presence, on Saint George’s Hay 1472, when the Order seems to have consisted of only seventeen Companions, beside the Sovereign : 6 and though that record contains no other information than that Sir John Astley was sent for to complete the number of Knights necessary to proceed to an Election, 7 the narrative of an Officer of Arms, whose duty it was to attend the Feast, states that seven Knights were then elected, namely, the young Prince of Wales, who was not two years old, 8 “ the K. of P.” by which the King of Poland appears to have been meant, John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, John Stafford Earl of Wiltshire, and Walter Devereux p (jure uxoris, Lord Ferrers of Chartley), Walter Blount Lord Montjoy p , and John Lord Howard, afterwards Duke of Norfolk; and that the achievements of the Earls of Worcester, Pembroke, and Ryvers, and of Sir Robert Hareourt, were offered in the usual manner. 1 It would also appear that John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk p , 2 was 4 Though Lord Wenlok owed his Peerage and the Garter to King Edward the Fourth, he suddenly changed sides ; but being suspected of double treachery, was killed at Tewkesbury by the Duke of Somerset, one of the Commanders of the defeated Lancastrians.—Hall, p. 300. 5 Register, Anstis, II. 186. 6 Namely, The King of Portugal. The King of Naples. Duke of Burgundy. Duke of Gloucester. Duke of Clarence. Earl of Essex. 7 Register, Anstis, II. 187. Earl of Douglas. Earl Ryvers (late Lord Scales). Earl of Arundel. Lord Hastings. Lord Scrope. Lord Berners. Lord Sudeley. Lord Beauchamp. Lord Dudley. Lord Duras. Sir John Astley. 8 Vide p. 95, postea, where it appears that he was not elected until 1475. p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. ANNO 1475.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 95 elected in this year, as he was included among the Knights of the Order in May 1474. 1 2 3 If, as has been supposed, the achievements of King Edward the Fourth, and of the Companions who supported his cause, were removed during Henry’s occupation of the Throne in 1470, there must have been a previous Chapter in which they were restored, and Jasper Tudor Earl of Pembroke, with perhaps some newly-elected Lancastrians, expelled from the Order; and it was probably on the same occasion that William Fitz Alan Earl of Arundel, who succeeded 4 the Marquess Montagu, was chosen; for the first notice of him as a Companion, is the mention of his name among those who were excused from attending a Chapter in 1472. On the 26th of February 1474, Henry Stafford second Duke of Buckingham, Thomas Fitz Alan Lord Maltravers (eldest son of the Earl of Arundel), and Sir William Parre, were chosen in the room of Lord Berners, Lord Sudeley, and Lord Wenlok; 5 and on the 18th of August following, Frederic Ubaldi Duke of Urbino p , a Neapolitan nobleman of great valour, and Henry Percy, fourth Earl of Northumberland, were elected, the former into the Stall of Lord Montjoy, and the latter into that of the Earl of Wiltshire, both of whom were then dead. 6 On Saint George’s Day 1475, a Stall was, it is said, reserved for the Prince; and Lord Beauchamp is stated to be dead; 7 and on the 15th of May following, the Prince of Wales and his brother, Richard Duke of York, were unanimously elected into the Order; the Prince, then in his fifth year, being- placed in the Stall reserved for him, and the Duke of York, who was two 1 Printed by Anstis, I. 51, from a MS. in the College of Arms marked M. 15, f. 13. See his arguments that the King of Poland was meant by the “ K. of P.” It has been shewn, p. 84, antea, that the Garter and Robes of the Order were sent to Alphonso King of Portugal in the 34th Hen. VI. 1455; and he did not die until 1481. Casimir King of Poland was elected in the 28th Hen. VI. 1450; and though Robes were sent to him, he was never Installed. He was, however, considered a Companion so late as in the 6th Edw. IV. 1466 (Register, p. 182), but his name does not again occur in the Register. His original election, and his presumed re-election in 1472, may both have been considered void for want of Installation. In 1476 the whole number of twenty-five Companions was full, but the King of Poland was not one of them. 2 Of those Companions the Windsor Tables only notice that the Earl of Wiltshire succeeded to the Stall of Lord Herbert; Lord Ferrers to that of Sir Robert Harcourt; Lord Montjoy to that of Robert Lord Willoughby of Eresby; Lord Howard to that of Earl Ryvers ; and the Duke of Suffolk to that which his father, who died in 1455, had possessed, omitting the intermediate occupants. 3 Register, Anstis, II. 189. 4 Windsor Tables. 5 Register, Anstis, II. 188. 6 Ibid. p. 191. < Ibid. II. 193. 96 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD IV. years younger, in that of Lord Beauchamp. In the scrutiny, the Prince is designated “ Prince of England,” and not “ Prince of Wales,” 7 to which dignity he was created on the 26th of June 1471; and the young Duke of York voted at the election, in the following year, when the King conferred the Order upon his son-in-law, Thomas Grey, then lately made Marquess of Dorset, who was placed in the Stall of the late Duke of Norfolk. On that occasion the Duke of Clarence and Lord Hastings paid the Queen the compliment of likewise nominating her second son, Sir Richard Grey, by the description of “ Richard, the King’s son.” 8 He had the suffrages of Lord Hastings, Lord Maltravers, and another Knight, at the next Election; and in both the scrutinies, his name occurs in the first class, among persons of the highest rank. 9 * At a Chapter, on the 4th of November 1476, Sir Gaillard Duras was degraded from the Order, for having deserted the Sovereign’s interest, and joined the King of France; and Sir Thomas Montgomery 11 *, who had distinguished himself at the Battle of Barnet, and on many other occasions, was elected in his vacancy. 1 The Sovereign having by Letters Patent, dated on the 10th of October 1475, created the Office of Chancellor of the Order, 2 it was resolved, in that Chapter, that though the ancient Statutes required that the Seal should be kept by one of the Companions, attending the Sovereign’s person, yet, inasmuch as the King had appointed the Bishop of Salisbury to keep it, that Prelate should therefox-e be styled “ Chancellor of the Most Noble Order.” The Feast of Saint George was kept with gi’eat solemnity on the 27th of February 1476-7 ; and the Queen, the Princess Elizabeth, and the Duchess of Suffolk, the King’s sister, were present, wearing the Livery of the Order, “ gowns of Garters; and at the dinner, the Chancellor sat on the Sovereign’s 7 Register, Anstis, II. 193, 194. 8 Ricardus filius Regis,” in the original, though called “ Rich, the Queen’s son,” in the translation. Anstis, II. 194. 9 Two other members of the Grey family were nominated on this occasion, viz. Edmund Earl of Kent, and Lord Grey, perhaps Lord Grey of Wilton, or the eldest son of the Earl of Kent. In September 1482, Sir Richard Grey was again nominated in the first and second class, as “ Richard the King’s ,son,” or as “Sir Richard Grey,” when he obtained the votes of the six Knights who attended the Chapter. The Queen’s uncle, Sir Edward Wydville, had five votes. p# The Plate of his Arms was in Saint George’s Chapel in August 1563. 1 Anstis, II. 199. 2 See remarks on the Officers of the Order, postea. f ANNO 1477. j ORDER OF THE GARTER. 97 right hand (the Prelate being, it would seem, absent), and the Dukes of Clarence and Suffolk on his left.” 3 On the 10th of May 1477, when sixteen Companions were present, an ambiguity in the Statutes w r as explained. The Knights who attended the Feast of the Order were required to be at the Chapter House before the hour of “ Tierce,” on the preceding day; and a doubt haying arisen whether this meant the third hour after noon, or the Ecclesiastical hour of “ Tierce,” namely, from about nine in the morning to noon, the latter construction was given to it. 4 ' Though not noticed in the Register, a Decree was made in that Chapter, that on the death of any of the Companions in England, Garter King of Arms should go to his heirs or executors, and demand the copy of the Statutes which had belonged to the deceased, and immediately after, inform the King of the vacancy. The book so obtained, was to be delivered to the Dean of the College, or to the Registrar of the Order. If a Foreign Companion died abroad, and the fact were not certified by his heirs or executors to the Sovereign, within six months after the report of his death, the King of Arms or his Deputy was to go to his heirs and executors, at the Sovereign’s expense, and bring a certificate of his decease, with his copy of the Statutes, and to inform the Sovereign of his proceedings, so that He might call a new Election. 5 This regulation was made to prevent the inconvenience of an Election into a vacancy which had not actually occurred; and the care which the Statutes, as well as this Decree exhibit, not to act upon mere rumour, but to obtain proofs of the deaths of the Knights, accounts for often finding the names of Companions retained in the Register some time after their decease. It is curious to contrast the usage of that period with the present; for instead of returning the Garter, the Ensign of the Order, to the Sovereign on the 3 See the contemporary narrative, printed by Anstis, II. 196.—The Companions of the Order in February 1477 were: The King of Naples. The King of Portugal. Prince of Wales. Dukes of Burgundy. Urbino. York. Clarence. Gloucester. Buckingham. * Register, Anstis, II. 201. Duke of Suffolk. Marquess of Dorset. Earl of Essex. Arundel. Douglas. Ryvers. Northumberland. Lords Maltravers. Hastings. 3 Ibid. II. 201, 202. O Lords Dudley. Ferrers of Chartley. Scrope. Howard. Sir John Astley. Gaillard Duras. William Parre. 98 HISTORY OF THE [EDWAttD IV. death of a Knight, his copy of the Statutes was then given up; and no demand seems to have been made, as now, for the restitution of the Badges. Though not noticed under the reign of King Edward the Fourth, the Register states, in another place, 6 that the Order having been instituted to the Honour of the Blessed Virgin, the Sovereign had, with the unanimous consent of the Knights, decreed, that on the five Festivals of the Most Holy Mary, the Companions should wear Her Image in Gold on the right shoulder of their Mantles, during Divine Service; and also on all Sundays throughout the year. The Duke of Clarence having been put to death in 1477, and the Duke of Burgundy being slain at the Battle of Nancy, in January in that year, their vacancies were filled on the 10th of February 1480, by the election of Ferdinand the Second, King of Spain, and of Hercules D’Este Duke of Ferrara. 7 On that occasion a Statute was made, with the unanimous consent of the Companions, that every Knight should take an oath before he was Installed, that he would, to the utmost of his power, aid, support, and defend the Royal College of Saint George within the Castle of Windsor, as well in its possessions, as in all other things whatsoever. 8 The Pope having sent the King a Sword and Cap of Maintenance, they were solemnly presented to him on Saint George’s Day 1482, in Saint George’s Chapel. 9 The Archbishop of York, then Lord Chancellor, after reading the Pontiff’s letter, girt the King with the Sword, and placed the Cap upon his head; and during the procession Lord Stanley bore the Cap, upon the point of the Sword, in the presence of the Archbishop and eight Bishops. The Feast of the Order was celebrated on the Tuesday following, by Lord Maltravers, as Deputy to the Sovereign; and it is said, that though the “ King of Portugal was certainly dead, 1 neither his Sword nor Crest was offered, because,” in f> Register, Anstis, II. 48. 7 According to the Windsor Tables, on the death of the Duke of Burgundy the King of Naples was removed to his Stall, and the Duke of Ferrara succeeded the King of Naples. The King of Spain is not noticed; and as the King of Portugal was soon afterwards placed in the Stall of the Duke of Clarence, the King of Spain’s election seems to have become void. 8 Register, Anstis, II. 207, 208. 9 MS. penes Anstis, printed II. 211. 1 Alphonso King of Portugal died 24th of August 1481. 2 MS. penes Anstis, printed vol. II. p. 211. p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. A N NO 1483.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 99 conformity with the regulations just adverted to, “ the Sovereign was not as yet certified of his death, by his heirs or executors.” 2 On the 15th of September in the same year, a Chapter was held in the Tower of London, when John the Second, King of Portugal p , was Elected to fill the vacancy made by the death of his father; but his Election was soon after considered void, because he had not sent a Proxy to take possession of his Stall. 3 King Edward the Fourth, 3 by his Will, “ bequeathed his soul to Almighty God, and to His Glorious Mother our Lady Saint Mary, Saint George, Saint Edward, and all the Holy Company of Heaven; and our body to be buried in the Church of the College of Saint George within our Castle of Windsor, by us begun of new to be builded,” in the place which he had pointed out to the Bishop of Salisbury; and he desired that that Church should be thoroughly finished, under the supervision of the said Bishop, 4 the first Chancellor of the Order. King Edward the Fourth died on the 9th of April 1483, and was succeeded by his son, KING EDWARD THE FIFTH. Only one Anniversary of the Order occurred during the short period this unfortunate Prince was its Sovereign, which he kept at Ludlow. The / usual ceremonies were, however, observed at Windsor on the 24th of May 1483, by Lord Dudley, the King’s Deputy, 5 * but no Elections took place. Within a few weeks the Crown was usurped by the Duke of Gloucester; and the young Monarch and his brother, the Duke of York, are supposed to have been shortly after, murdered by their Uncle, 3 The Register states that the King of Portugal was Elected to the Stall of the late Duke of Clarence, into which, however, the King of Spain is said to have been chosen in February 1480.— Anstis, II. 207, 212. See the observations of Anstis, I. 185—190. The Elections both of the King of Portugal and of the King of Spain were soon after considered void.—Vide p. 100, note 7 . 4 Will of King Edward the Fourth, dated 20th of June 1475. Excerpta Historica, p. 366—379. 5 Anstis, II. 217. On the 24th of May, 1st Edw. V. 1483, the office of Usher of the Order of the Garter, was granted to William Evingham and Edward Hargyll, Esqs. to hold jointly for their lives and the life of the survivor.— Foedera, XII. 183. TOO HISTORY OF THE [RICHARD III. KING RICHARD THE THIRD, Who ascended the Throne on the 26th of June 1483. Before Saint George’s Day in the following year, at least nine Stalls had become vacant. Of these, two were caused by his Nephew and Himself having become the Sovereign of the Order; a third, by the death of the young Duke of York; three more, by the execution of the Duke of Buckingham, 5 Earl Ryvers, and Lord Hastings; and three others, by the attainder of the Marquess of Dorset, 6 and the death of the Earl of Essex, and of the Duke of Urbino. The Stalls of the Kings of Spain and Portugal 7 8 9 had likewise, according to the Statutes, become void, from those Princes not having sent Proxies for their Installation within the prescribed time. The Register contains no other information during this Monarch’s reign, 5 It is deserving of notice, that among the arguments which Grafton and Hall, who are followed by Holinshed, make Morton Bishop of Ely employ, to induce the Duke of Buckingham (in case he himself should refuse the Crown) to appoint some person as Governor of the Realm, was the Oath he had taken on becoming a Knight of the Garter: “ And if you yourself, knowing the pain and travel that appertaineth to the office of a King, or for any other consideration, will refuse to take upon yourself the Crown and Sceptre of this Realm, then I adjure you by the Faith you owe to God, by your Honour, and by your Oath made to Saint George, Patron of the Noble Order of the Garter (whereof you be a Companion), and by the love and affection that you bear to your native Country, and the People of the same, to devise some way how this Realm (now being in misery) may, by your high discretion and Princely policy, be brought and reduced to some surety and convenient regimen, under some good Governor by you to be appointed ; for you are the very Patron, the only help, refuge, and comfort for the poor, amazed, and desolate Commons of this Realm.” The Oath taken by Knights of the Garter when the Duke of Buckingham was Elected, merely bound them to observe the Statutes, and to maintain the liberties of the Chapel of Saint George (Ashmole’s Appendix, No. xxxvm); but in the reign of Henry the Eighth, the Knights swore to “ help, keep, defend, and sustain the honour, quarrels, rights, and dominions of the King” (Ibid. No. xli), and it was probably to this obligation that Grafton and Hall referred, an anachronism very likely to have been committed by those writers. 6 Rot. Pari. 1st Ric. III. vol. VI. p. 244—249. 7 Both those Sovereigns were proposed for Election in the Scrutiny, about 1484, which proves that they were not then Members of the Fraternity, their former Elections having become void. The King of Portugal was Re-elected in 1488, and the Ensigns were sent to him in December in that year.—Vide p. 112, postea. 8 At the Creation of the Prince of Wales, Richard the Third created Geoffrey de Sasiola, Ambassador from the Queen of Spain, a Knight, by giving him three blows on the Shoulders with a Sword, and by Investing him with a Gold Collar.— Foedera, XII. 200. 9 Register, Anstis, II. 217, et seq. Lord Lovell and Sir Richard Ratclyffe were two of the King’s principal favourites and counsellors; and they are commemorated in the well-known distich of the unfortunate Collyngborne : ANNO 1483.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 101 than the scrutiny at an Election held in his first year, and certainly after June 1483, 8 which shews that three Companions, Thomas Howard, then newly created Earl of Surrey (eldest son of John Lord Howard, whom Richard had made Marshal of England and raised to the Dukedom of Norfolk); Francis Lord Lovell p , Lord Chamberlain of the Household; and Sir Richard Ratclyffe, had been previously elected. 9 Though the Compiler of the Register says, “ no election, so far as we have account thereof, followed this nomination,” it would appear that Thomas Lord Stanley 11 , 1 Constable of England, who abandoned King Richard, and placed the Crown on Henry the Seventh’s head after the battle of Bosworth ; Sir Thomas, afterwards Lord Borough p ; and Sir Richard Tunstall p , were then chosen into the Order, because they were certainly elected in this reign, and had several votes given to them on that occasion. 2 Besides these Knights, Sir John Conyers p# was about this time 3 elected; and as the King 4 had then created his son, Prince Edward, who was ten years of age, Prince of Wales, it is probable that he was also placed in the Prince’s “ The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell our Dog, Rule all England under the Hog.” 1 One of the Knights who voted at this Election was, according to the Register, Sir William Stanley; but as he is supposed to have been elected in the 1st Hen. VII., Anstis presumes it to be a clerical error for Sir William Parre, who was probably then living, as he attended Edward the Fourth’s funeral. 2 Anstis, II. 217, et seq. There is a discrepancy between the statements of Anstis (II. 220) and the Windsor Tables, respecting the Stalls of these Knights. According to the latter, Lord Lovell was the successor of Henry Earl of Northumberland, who did not die until 1489; Thomas Lord Stanley, of Lord Hastings; Sir Thomas Borough, of John Lord Howard Duke of Norfolk (who, according to Anstis, was removed to the Fifth Stall on the Sovereign’s side, which had become vacant by Richard’s accession; but the Windsor Tables make John Earl of Oxford, Richard’s successor); and Sir Richard Tunstall, of Sir William Parre. Sir Richard Ratclyffe, Anstis says, was placed in the Stall of the Duke of Urbino; and he states that Lord Stanley was the successor of the Duke of Buckingham. p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. p# His Stall Plate was in Saint George’s Chapel in August 1563. 3 See Anstis, II. 220, note. The Windsor Tables state that he succeeded Sir Anthony Wydville, Earl Ryvers (who was beheaded in 1483), in the eighth Stall on the Sovereign’s side. He was probably elected at the first Chapter, with the Lords Stanley and Lovell, and Sir Richard Ratclyffe. * Shakespeare’s allusion to Richard the Third, as a Knight of the Garter, is well known: King Rich. Now, by my George, my Garter, and my Crown,— Queen E/iz. Profan’d, dishonour’d, and the third usurp’d. King Rich. I swear. Queen Eliz. By nothing; for this is no oath. Thy George, profan’d, hath lost his Holy honour; Thy Garter, blemish’d, pawn’d his Knightly virtue; K 102 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY YU. Stall; though from the imperfect account of the affairs of the Order at this time, and from the Windsor Tables not mentioning any Knight who was deemed a traitor, the fact is not recorded. 4 On the 22nd of April 1484, Lord Maltravers was appointed the Sovereign’s Deputy to hold the annual Feast; but nothing more is known with respect to the Order until after the 22nd of August 1485, the day of the accession of KING HENRY THE SEVENTH. As this Monarch had never been elected a Companion, his first admission into the Order was as its Sovereign ; and having obtained the Crown by violence, and after a Civil War, his accession was attended by great changes, as well in that Institution, as in every other department of the State. Some of the Knights who had attached themselves to the fortunes of King Richard the Third, shared his fate at Bosworth Field, while those who survived that conflict, were degraded from their Honours, and their places supplied by the more distinguished of Henry’s supporters. Though the Order of the Garter particularly flourished under the auspices of King Henry the Seventh, and received from him the most splendid of its Thy Crown, usurp’d, disgrac’d his Kingly glory: If something thou would’st swear to be believ’d, Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong’d. Richard III. act iv. sc. iv. However hypercritical, or offensive to the recollection of all the great modern personations of Richard’s character, regard for Historical accuracy makes it proper to observe, that the Usurper never wore a George; neither the Collar nor George having been instituted until after the accession of King Henry the Seventh.—Vide p. 118, postea. * The Order, shortly before the battle of Bosworth, which closed Richard the Third’s reign, appears to have consisted of Twenty-Two Companions, viz. King of Naples. Duke of Ferrara. Suffolk. Norfolk. Marquess of Dorset. Earl of Northumberland. Douglas. Arundel. Earl of Surrey. Viscount Lovell. Lord Scrope. Maltravers. Dudley. Stanley. Ferrers. Sir John Astley. Richard Ratclyffe. Thomas Burgh or Borough. Richard Tunstall. Thomas Montgomery. John Conyers. William Parre. t ANNIS 1485-1486.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 103 Ensigns, the records of its proceedings, during his reign, are extremely defective. No Elections are noticed in the Register until 1488, when the first scrutiny is recorded; several chasms, extending altogether over twelve years, occur; and the earliest list of the Companions is in 1503. These deficiencies are too important to admit of being completely supplied ; and though no actual omission may exist in the names of the Companions, much uncertainty, nevertheless, prevails as to the exact date of the Election of many ; and some transactions may have taken place which are no where recorded. But in this respect, the Annals of the Order resemble the other materials for a History of Henry the Seventh’s reign; for while the muniments of an early period are comparatively abundant, those from the accession of King Henry the Fourth to that of King Henry the Eighth, are deplorably scanty. It is nearly certain, that soon after Henry’s accession, he held a Chapter of the Order, and that having taken possession of the Sovereign’s Stall and sworn to observe the Statutes, 5 he commanded the achievements of the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, and Sir Richard Ratclyffe, who were slain in Richard’s army at Bosworth Field, as well as those of the Earl of Surrey and Viscount Lovell, who were attainted, 6 to be removed, and proceeded to the Election of six of his own adherents. 7 Those on whom the Order was then conferred, appear to have been John Earl of Oxford 1 *, 8 who led Henry’s vanguard of archers at Bosworth; John Lord Welles p , 9 uncle of the half blood Anstis (II. 221) includes the Earl of Essex among the Knights living at the end of Richard’s reign; but that nobleman died on the 4th of April 1483. Esch. 1st Ric. III. No 31. 5 Anstis, I. 66.—The King is said to have worn a Gown of black velvet, lined with cloth of gold, covered with red Roses (the Badge of the House of Lancaster), which gown, Garter King of Arms took for his fee.—Ibid. II. 223. 6 Rot. Pari. 1st Hen. VII. vol. VI. p. 276. 7 Anstis, II. 224, cites a Privy Signet Bill dated in the 1st Hen. VII. ordering payment for mending the King’s Garter, and for the Diamond which he wore; and an instrument for the discharge of several parcels delivered to him before Christmas in that year ,—“ Imprimis, five Garters of Gold”—whence, as Anstis remarks, it might be inferred that so many Knights were elected about that time. 8 The Earl of Oxford and Sir John Cheyney are described as Knights of the Garter in 1486. Vide p. 104, postea; and, according to the Windsor Tables, the former succeeded to the Stall which had been filled by Richard III. before his accession, and Sir John Cheyney to that of Lord Ferrers. 9 Viscount Welles is said to have been a Companion upwards of a year in 1488, and the probability is that he was elected upon this occasion. Vide p. 110, postea. He was not, however, installed until 1489, when he was placed in the Stall which had been filled by Sir Edward Wydville. p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 104 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. to the King, husband of the Princess Cecily, daughter of King Edward the Fourth, and the Queen’s sister; John Lord Dynham p , the Lord Treasurer; 1 and Giles Lord Daubeney , 2 both of whom had long adhered to Henry’s cause, and the latter had been raised by him to the Peerage; Sir William Stanley, 3 the King’s Chamberlain, who eminently distinguished himself at Bosworth ; and Sir John, soon afterwards, Lord Cheney p , who had likewise signalized himself on that occasion. The King seems also to have caused his uncle, Jasper Earl of Pembroke, whom he created Duke of Bedford, 4 (and who was originally elected in the reign of Henry the Sixth, but was attainted and expelled by King Edward the Fourth in 1461); and the Marquess of Dorset (who was attainted by Richard in 1483), 5 to be restored to their Stalls. Henry celebrated the first Feast of the Order, after his accession, on Saint George’s Day 1486, at York; 6 of which a minute account, by an eye-witness, is preserved. The King “ heard his even-song in the Minster Church, having a blue Mantle above his surcoat, and on his head his Cap of Maintenance, for he p The Plates of their Arms are still in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 Lord Dynham was evidently a Companion in May 1486. Vide pp. 104, 105, postea. According to the Windsor Tables, Lord Dynham succeeded to the Stall of John Duke of Suffolk, who died in 1491, five years after his election. 2 He was certainly a Companion in 1488. Vide p. 107, postea. He is not noticed in the Windsor Tables. 3 Sir William Stanley, by the description of “ the King’s Chamberlain,” voted at an Election in November 1488.—Anstis, II. 232, and among the Companions who sent excuses in 1493, was “Sir William Stanley.”-—Ibid. II. 235. The Windsor Tables place him in the Stall of Lord Dudley, who died in 1487. 4 He was restored by Parliament in 1st Hen. VII. (Rot. Pari. VI. 273), and voted by the title of Duke of Bedford, at an Election in November 1488.—Anstis, II. 232. The Stall attributed to him in the Windsor Tables, had been previously filled by George Duke of Clarence. 5 The Marquess of Dorset was restored to his Honours and Estates in 1st Hen. VII. 1485.—Rot. Pari. VI. p. 315; and he is mentioned as one of the Companions who sent an excuse for not attending in April 1493.—Register, II. 235. 6 The Order appears, in April 1486, to have consisted of the King of Naples. Portugal. Duke of Ferrara. Bedford. Suffolk. Marquess of Dorset. Earl of Douglas. Oxford. Earl of Derby. Northumberland. Arundel. Lord Maltravers. Daubeney. Dynham. Dudley. Scrope. Lord Welles. Borough. Cheney. Sir William Stanley. John Conyers. Thomas Montgomery. Richard Tunstall. As the date of the deaths of Sir John Astley and Sir William Parre have not been ascertained, it is ANNO I486.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 105 was crowned. On the morn, having the habit of the Garter above all other robes of estate, the Earl of Oxford bore his train. Also in the morn the train of the Mantle of the Garter, covered the train of the Mantle of estate, and the fur of the estate sufficiently shewed. The King kept his estate in the Bishop’s great hall, the Earl of Oxford gave attendance upon the Crown, having also the Habit of the Garter above the Habit of his estate; and Anthony Browne sewed that day; and the Lord Scrope of Bolton , 7 because he was a Knight of the Garter, in both his Habits , 8 served the King of water. Sir David Owen in his Habit carved; Sir Charles of Somerset in his Habit was Cupbearer; the Archbishop which ministered the Divine Service sat on the King’s right hand, in no other array, but as he daily goeth in; and at the other end of the King’s board that day sat no man. In the foresaid hall were six tables, that is to say, two in the midst of the said hall, and in every aisle two;” and at the first table on the right aisle, apparently by themselves, “ sat the Lord Scrope, Sir Thomas Borough, and Sir John Cheney, Knights of the Garter, all on one side, and beneath them left a void space.” The Heralds cried “ Largesse” at the accustomed times, and the King’s style, as proclaimed on that occasion, is remarkable for being the first instance that has been found in which “ Sovereign of the Garter” was added to the Royal titles . 9 After dinner “ the King and the Lords did off their Robes, except the Habit of the Garter, wherein Knights of the same, according to their Statutes, rode to even-song, and on the morn to the Mass of Requiem, which was sung by the Suffragan, mitred; and after Mass the King and the Knights of the Garter went to the Chapter House, and there held his Chapter of the Garter .” 10 possible that they were then living; but the name of Sir John Astley is not mentioned in the Register after the 1st Ric. III. 1484, nor that of Sir William Parre after the 21st Edw. IV. 1484, but the latter was certainly living in April 1483. According to the Windsor Tables, however, he must have died before 1484, as they state that Sir Richard Tunstall, who was elected in that year, succeeded to his Stall. The name of Sir John Astley’s successor is not given in those Tables, which makes it probable that he was living when the additions were made to them in the reign of Henry the Seventh. 7 John Lord Scrope of Bolton, was elected early in the reign of Edward the Fourth, and died in 1498. 8 That is, his Robes as a Peer, and as a Knight of the Garter. 9 De treis haute, treis puissant, treis Excellent Prince, le treis victorious Roy d’Angleterre, et de Fraunce, Seigneur de Irland, et Souveraigne de la treis Noble Ordre, Largesse, estsovez chriez, Larges.” 10 Anstis, II. 223, from the contemporary MS. Julius, B. xn. fo. 10 b , in the Cottonian Collection, and printed also in Leland’s Collectanea, Ed. 1774, vol. IV. p. 191. P 106 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY Vll. It appears from a letter to the Lord Treasurer Dynham, dated at Kenilworth on the 14th of May 1487, that the King had directed the Feast of the Order to be kept at Windsor (having himself observed it at Coventry) 1 by the Duke of Suffolk and Lord Maltravers; that it was deferred because the Treasurer had not delivered the necessary money; and that when funds were provided, neither the Duke nor Lord Maltravers attended. “We therefore remembering,” the Letter proceeds, “ that the Feast of Saint George, the Patron of this our Royaulme, hath yearly and continually been honoured and observed, and when it so hath been, good Grace and Honour hath been to our said Royaulme,” Lord Dynham was commanded to pay the expense of celebrating the Feast on the Sunday se’nnight following, at which the Duke of Suffolk, Lord Maltravers, and others would be ordered to attend; and the following passage tends to shew that Lord Dynham was himself one of the Companions of the Order: “ And in case ye might be there in your person, ye should honour God, and yourself, and singularly please us.” 2 * 4 On the 27th of April 1488, the Feast of Saint George was kept at Windsor with great splendour; and the description of it by a person who was present, is not only interesting in itself, but is important, because it contains the names of some Companions of the Order, of whose Election no earlier notice has been discovered, and shews the ceremony with which the Anniversary was formerly celebrated. “ In the third year of the King’s reign he solemnized the Feast of Easter at Windsor, and the Queen and my Lady, the King’s mother, accompanied with the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Essex, the Lord Edmond of Suffolk, the Lord Neville, the Lord Morley, the Lord Latimer, the Lord Barners, and gave his Largess to his Officers of Arms, and the reverend father in God, the Bishop of Exeter, did the Divine Service, and as touching his Maundy, and other alms as of old time accustomed. And after in the same week the King rode unto Hampton to see the six Galleys that were there at once, and there the King feasted the Patrons and the Captains; and they presented his Grace with 1 Anstis, II. 223. * Printed in Anstis, II. 225. 3 The Earl of Derby was raised to that dignity in 1485 ; he became a Knight of the Order while Lord Stanley, in the reign of Richard the Third. 4 Apparently the Archduke Philip, son of the Emperor Maximilian, afterwards King of Castile, in right of his wife. He was then about ten years of age, and was himself Installed as a Knight of the Garter in January 1506. Vide p. 119, postea. ANNO 1488.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 107 sweet wines, sugar, spices, and many other goodly things. And his Grace kept his Divine Service, the Day of Saint George, in his own Chapel above the Castle, because he had deferred the Feast of the Sunday then next following. At the first evensong of Saint George’s Eve, the King, none other Lord of Garter there being present, wore no Gown of the Livery, but other Gowns of silk under the Mantles, &c. And there was upon the right side of the King the Earl of Oxford and the Lord Daubeney; and on the left side, the Earl of Derby 3 and the Lord Dynham, and thus the King kept the Choir; and on the morn was at matins. And the Queen, my Lady the King’s mother, were in Gowns of the . Garter of the same, as the King and the Lords were in. And at Te Deum and Benedictus censed next after the King, and before the Knights; but none kissed the Gospel nor Pax, save the King and the Queen. The Earl of Oxford bore the train of the King’s Mantle that season, &c. The King and the Queen, and my Lady the King’s mother, also went a procession about the cloister, and the King both dined and supped in his own corner glazed chamber, and the aforesaid four Lords sat at his board; and on the morn the King and the Lords heard their Mass of Requiem in his own Chapel, and offered, &c. and so did the Queen and my Lady the King’s mother. “ On the Sunday next following, the King kept a great and a noble Feast at Windsor aforesaid, in manner and form as ensueth; First, on Saint George’s Eve there were assembled great number of estates of this realm, and in especial of the King’s Council, as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Bishop of Exeter, the Chief Judge of the King’s Bench, for at that season arrived many ambassadors of divers countries, as of the King of Romans, and his son the Duke , 4 also from the King of Scots, and from the Duke of Brittany; for which great matters the King deferred the Chapter until afternoon, and commanded the Lord Dynham and Sir Thomas Borough to Install, in his name, the Earl of Shrewsbury 11 , and the reverend father in God the Bishop of Winchester, Prelate of the Order 5 present, at his charge: and also the Lord Wydville p , 6 whose soul God pardon. And this was p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. 5 Peter Courtenay, who was translated to the See of Winchester on the 29th of January 1487. It is singular that no notice should be taken of the Chancellor of the Order in these proceedings. The only Officers mentioned, are the Prelate, the Dean of Windsor, Register, and Garter King of Arms. 6 Sir Edward Wydville, a younger brother of Richard Earl Ryvers, and great uncle of the Queen Consort. He died on the 27th of July 1488, and apparently, shortly before this narrative was written. 108 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. a solemn Mass of Our Lady sung by them of the College, wherefore the said Earl gave to the singers of the Choir a great reward. And at afternoon the King accompanied with his Brethren of the Garter, in their Mantles and in the Gowns of their Livery of the last year, rode from the quadrant on hakneys to the College, and went to their Chapter, and held their Chapter a great track of time, and from thence went to evensong; the Queen, and my Lady the King’s mother, being in like Gown of the Livery, riding in a rich chair, covered with rich cloth of gold, six coursers in that same chair, harnessed with that same cloth of gold. Also twenty-one Ladies and Gentlewomen following the Queen, clad all in crimson velvet gowns, and riding upon white palfreys, their saddles of cloth of gold, the harness of goldsmith’s work with white roses, demy trapper- wise.—Item, Sir Roger Cotton, master of the Queen’s Horse, riding upon a courser trapped with goldsmith’s work, leading the Queen’s horse of estate in his hand, with a saddle of cloth of gold, and thereupon three Crowns of silver gilt, with sambres of that same cloth of gold hanging unto the knees of the horse of both sides, the horse harnessed in goldsmith’s work, demy trapper-wise.—And at that evensong the King, and the Knights of the Garter were censed, and neither the Queen nor my Lady the King’s mother: that [day] the King fasted, and therefore the void 7 was incontinent after he came into the great Chamber, and after that the Knights supped all on one side, and sat after their estates. On the morn all the Knights of the Garter reassembled in the Livery of the new year, that is to say, of white cloth with Garters, all on horseback with rich horse harness, and the King’s courser trapped with a trapper of Saint George of white cloth of gold, and the Lord Berners bore the King’s sword, his courser trapped with a rich trapper of St. Edward’s Arms; and thus in order, and as near after their Stalls as they might, rode down to the Chapel, and so straight to the Chapter, and then to Matins. The Queen, and my Lady the King’s mother, in like estate as before, came to Matins, and bode the Mass, but they had neither censing, nor pax, nor they offered not; and also they came to the second evensong : and when Matins were done, the Earls and the Lords went the next way to the Dean’s place to breakfast, and from thence to the Chapter again, and after to procession, and to the High Mass, and after to dinner; and the King kept his estate in the hall in manner and form as ensueth: 7 The void was a collation of sweetmeats and confectionary. ANNO 1488.J ORDER OF THE GARTER. 109 “ The day of the Feast the King kept his estate in the Hall, the Bishop of Winchester on his right hand, and that day no other estate sat at the King’s table. Item, there was in the Hall three tables : at the table on the right hand sat all the Knights of the Garter that were present, all on one side, and after their estates, that is to say, first the Duke of Suffolk, the Earl of Arundell , 8 the Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Lord Dynham, the Lord Wydville, the Lord Daubeney, and Sir Thomas Borough; and a little beneath them sat on both sides the table, the Dean, the Canons, and the Poor Knights of the College in their Mantles, and beneath them the residue of that Choir. Item, at the board in the middle of the Hall sat the Lord Both well, Ambassador of the King of Scots, and the Lord Edmond of Suffolk, the Lord Grey, the Lord Morley, the Lord Latimer, the Lord Delawarre, and the Lord Berners. And a little beneath them sat the King’s Chapel. Item, at the table on the left side of the Hall, sat the President of Kushemborough with other Ambassadors of the King of Romans, and his sons the young Duke. Also against them the Lord Malpartius, Ambassador of the Duke of Brittany, and the Lord Hussey, Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, and all that side sat furnished with Knights and Squires; and that day the Hall was marvelously ordered and served. Knights of the Garter served the King of water; Sir David Owen carved; Sir Charles of Somerset was Cup-bearer; Sir William Vampage, Sewer ; and Edward Beaupel Marshall drew the surnaps; and also incontinent after the King had washed, the Knights of the Garter served the King of the void, and other gentlemen the Prelate. And then were served Knights of the Garter; and from thence the King and the Lords went to the King’s Chamber, and after a tract of time took their horses and rode to the College, and after them the Queen, and my Lady the King’s mother, with Ladies and Gentlemen richly beseen as afore rehersed: And the King and his Brethren of the Garter entered the Chapter House, and with them the Prelate of the Order, the Dean, and Master Oliver King, then Registrar, and Garter King of Arms, and no more, and the Black Rod kept the door without forth; and the King with the other of the Order of the Garter had held their Chapter, they went unto evensong, and after evensong rode up again, the Queen and my Lady the King’s mother followed as before, and then the King supped in his Great 8 Thomas Earl of Arundel was elected into the Order while Lord Maltravers, in the 13th Edw. IV. 1474, and succeeded his father in the Earldom in 1487. 110 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. Chamber, the Prelate at his board, and the remainder at a side table in the presence. After supper was had the third void, brought in by Knights, and other the King’s servants, and delivered to the Knights of the Garter, and day-light, the ordinances were so well kept. The names of part of the Ladies Ryvers, the Lady Margaret of Clarence, wife of Sir Richard Pole, Dame Katherine Grey, my Lady Bray, my Lady Longville, Mistress Paston, Mistress , Mistress Saint John, Mistress Nanfant, Mistress Blount, Mistress morn, the Monday, the King, and the Knights of the Garter took above in the quadrant their hakneys, some in gowns of black cloth and some in gowns of proceeded to the Chapter, and after that to the Mass of Requiem; and before the offering of money, the Duke of Suffolk and the Earl of Arundel offered the 9 The Earl of Arundel and Lord Dudley both died in 1487. 10 Cottonian MS. Julius B. xii. f. 46. et seq. printed in Anstis, II. 226; and in Leland’s Collectanea. Ed. 1774, yoI. IV. p. 238. The compiler of the Register seems to have despaired of giving an such a Prince. I say nothing of many other things, the sight whereof is more affecting than the narration. This only be assured of, that no kind of magnificence was here omitted.” One of the Songs or Sonnets alluded to, seems to have been written by Skelton, the Poet Laureate, as follows : England now rejoice for joyous may thou be, To see thy King so flowering in dignity. O most famous Noble King ! thy fame doth spring and spread, Henry the Seventh our Sovereign in each Region; All England hath cause thy grace to love and dread, Seeing Ambassadors seek for protection, For aid, help and succour, which lieth in thy election. England now rejoice for joyous may thou be, To see thy King so flowering in dignity. This Realm a season stood in great jeopardy, When that noble Prince deceased King Edward; Which in his days gat Honor full nobly, After his decease nigh hand all was marr’d, Each Region, this land despised mischief, when they heard. Wherefore now rejoice for joyous may thou be, To see thy King so flowering in dignity. then the King went to his chamber, and all this Feast was accomplished by and Gentlewomen that waited on the Queen, and my Lady the King’s mother, at this Feast my Lady Anne sister unto the Queen’s Grace, the Countess of Croft, Mistress Scrope, Mistress Lacy, and Mistress On the velvet, and so rode to the College door, where they did on their Mantles, and so sword of the Lord William late Earl of Arundel ; 9 10 the Earl of Oxford and the adequate description of these Ceremonies. “ I say nothing,” he observes, “ of the Songs, the Sonnets, and Rhymes, published every where in praise of the King and on the happiness of the Kingdom under ANNO I486.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. Ill Earl of Derby, his Helm and Crest; the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Lord Dynham, the Sword of the Lord Dudley ; 9 the Lord Daubeney and the Lord Wydville, his Helm and Crest; which Swords and Helm were delivered to the aforesaid Lords by Garter King of Arms, and then the King offered; and after him, every Knight after his estate: and when Mass was done and De profundis said, the Feast was accomplished .” 10 At a Chapter held on that occasion, some additions were made to the Statutes of the Order. It was enacted that the Journals or Annals of every King should be transcribed, and the names of the Knights elected, as well as of those who died, be duly registered therein; that the original Book of the Statutes and Institutions, fairly copied, should be carefully preserved in the College of Saint George; and that the Register should be furnished with a copy of the Statutes, sealed with the Common Seal of the Order, to deliver to the Knights on their election, for which he should receive twenty shillings . 1 The Viscount Welles not having been Installed within a year after his election, the Sovereign’s pleasure was taken as to what should be done . 2 Mention is made of the decease of the Earl of Arundel and Lord Dudley, in place of whom, it is said John the France, Spain, Scotland, and Brittany, Flanders also, Three of them present, keeping thy Noble Feast, Of Saint George in Windsor, Ambassadors coming moe, Each of them in honor both the more and the less, Seeking thy grace to have thy noble behest; Wherefore now rejoice for joyous may thou be, To see thy King so flowering in dignity. O Knightly Order ! clothed in Robes with Garter, The Queen’s Grace, and thy Mother clothed in the same; The Nobles of thy Realm rich in array, after Lords, Knights and Ladies, unto thy great fame, Now shall all the Ambassadors know thy noble Name, By thy Feast Royal; now joyous may thou be, To see thy King so flowering in dignity. Here this day, Saint George, Patron of this Place, Honored with the Garter, Chief of Chivalry, Chaplains singing procession keeping the same, With Archbishops and Bishops beseen nobly, Much people present to see the King Henry ; Wherefore now Saint George all we pray to thee, To keep our Sovereign in his dignity. 1 Anstis, II. 230. 4 Viscount Welles was afterwards installed, and did not die until 1498. 112 HISTORY OF THE [HEN RY VII. Second King of Portugal p , 3 and George Earl of Shrewsbury, had been chosen. Though the Earl of Shrewsbury was only sixteen, he had distinguished himself at the Battle of Stoke; and his retainers rendered the King very important services at Bosworth, under his uncle Sir George Talbot. 4 On the 10th of November 1488, Sir John Savage, who abandoned King Richard on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth, and commanded the left wing of the Lancastrian army, was elected. 5 From the fourth to the eighth year of this reign, 1488 to 1493, the Annals of the Order are lost; but the contemporary Manuscript before cited, 5 states that the Sovereign kept Saint George’s Day in 1489, at Hertford, having with him the Earl of Derby, Lord Scrope, and Sir Richard Tunstall; that the Feast was celebrated at Windsor on the 19th of July, by the Earl of Arundel, when Lord Welles p and Sir John Savage p , Banneret, were Installed by Lord Scrope and Lord Dynham; and that on the morrow, the achievements of the Earl of Northumberland, (who had been murdered by the populace in the North, on the 28th of April, for enforcing the payment of an obnoxious tax); and of Sir Edward Wydville, who fell at the Battle of St. Aubin’s in Brittany, on the 27th of July, in the preceding year, were offered with the usual solemnities. 7 p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 John King of Portugal, is stated in the Register to have been elected in the 22nd Edw. IV.; but his Election was evidently considered void (vide p. 98, 99, antea). It would therefore appear, that King John was re-elected on this occasion; and on the 11th of December 1488, Ambassadors were appointed to treat with Him, who were empowered to Invest him with the Ensigns of the Garter (Foedera, XII. 351). Anstis says (I. 187), on the authority of a contemporary MS. in the College of Arms, that His Investiture took place on the 2nd of May 1486, on which day He kept the Feast of Saint George. On the 8th of July 1490, the King paid part of the cost of the Helmet, used at the King of Portugal’s Installation, which his Ambassadors had ordered, but left unpaid. (Ibid. 449.) 4 Hall, p. 411. 5 Anstis, II. 233. 6 Cotton MS. Julius B. xii. printed in Anstis, II. 233, and in Leland’s Collectanea, IV. 246—248. 7 Rot. Pari. 4 Hen. VII. vol. VI. p. 410. 8 The Earl of Surrey was certainly a Knight of the Order in April 1503; but no notice occurs of his re-election or restoration. The Windsor Tables place him in the Stall of Sir John Conyers, who died in 1489. 9 Foedera, XII. 403. A vacancy had been made by the death of the Earl of Douglas in 1488, but his decease is not noticed in the Register. Ashmole, p. 404, has engraved a drawing, which he found “in a fair vellum manuscript,” “ of the order and manner of Maximilian the First King of the Romans his sitting at dinner on the day of his Investiture with the Habit and Ensigns of the Order, together with Sir Charles Somerset and Sir Thomas Wriothesley, sent on the Embassy, to present him therewith.” 10 Vide postea. ANNIS 1489—1493.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 113 As Sir Thomas Howard Earl of Surrey, who had been attainted and degraded for his adherence to Richard the Third, was restored to that Earldom in January 1489/ it is probable that he was likewise reinstated in the Order. 8 About October 1489, the Emperor Maximilian p was Elected; 6 and on the 12th of October in the following year, Sir Charles Somerset and Garter King of Arms were sent to Invest him with the Ensigns of the Order; 9 but as he did not send his Proxy to take possession of his Stall, his election was, to his surprise, afterwards considered void. 10 Henry solemnized the Feast of Saint George in 1490, on the anniversary of his Accession, the 22nd of August; 11 and at the next Anniversary, kept on the 8th of May 1491, Arthur Prince of Wales was Elected and Installed. 12 About March 1493, the Ensigns of the Garter were sent to Alphonso Duke of Calabria p , eldest son of the King of Naples; 13 and at the Feast which was held on the 24th of April ensuing, the obsequies of the Knights who died in the preceding year, were celebrated; but as only two Companions attended, and no more than five had sent excuses, it was remarked by the Chapter, that the greater part of them had violated the Statutes. 14 The deceased Knights were, apparently, 15 Sir Richard Tunstall, who died in 1492, and Sir John Savage, who was killed at the 11 Writs of Privy Seal, printed by Anstis, II. 234. 12 Ibid. I. 40. 13 The election of the Duke of Calabria appears from the appointment of Dr. Urswick, Sir Humphry Talbot, Marshal of Calais, and of York Herald, to Invest Him with the Ensigns of the Garter, dated 5th of March, 8th Hen. VII. 1493, which ceremony was performed in May following. Foedera, XII. p. 517—528 ; and reprinted in Anstis, I. 40. The Windsor Tables place him in the Stall of the Duke of Bedford, who died in 1495. Hall, p. 459, says the Garter was given to the Duke of Calabria, “ according to his desire,” and after noticing the Investiture of that Prince at Naples, he observes, “ which Duke very reverently received it, and with more reverence revested himself with the same in a solemn presence, thinking that by this apparel and investiture, he was made a friend and Companion in Order with the King of England, whose friendship obtained, he feared nothing the assaults or invasions of his enemies. And this was the cause that he desired so much to be Companion of that noble Order, firmly believing that the King of England Sovereign of that Order, should be aider and maintainer of him against the French King, whom he knew would pass the mountains and make war on him. But this custom of assistance in Orders was, either never begun, or before clearly abolished. For in our time there have been many noble men of Italy, Companions as well of the Golden Fleece in Burgoyne, as of the Order of Saint Michael in France, that have been banished and profligate from their natural country, and yet have not been aided by the Sovereign nor Companions of the same Order. For surely the Statutes and ordinances of all the said Orders doth not oblige and bind them to that case, but in certain points. After this the Duke dismissed the Ambassador, rewarding him most princely. ” 14 Register, Anstis, II. 235. 15 Though the Duke of Suffolk died in 1491, and Sir John Conyers died in 1490, no notice is taken of their decease in the Register. Q 114 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. siege of Boulogne between October and November in the same year, “ who,” says Hall, “ going privily out of his pavilion with Sir John Riseley, rode about the walls to view and see their strength, was suddenly intercepted and taken of his enemies; and he being inflamed with ire, although he were captive, of his high courage disdained to be taken of such vileness, defended his life to the uttermost, and was manfully, I will not say wilfully, slain and oppressed, albeit Sir John Riseley fled from them and escaped their danger.” 1 A chasm of six years again occurs in the Register, it being entirely silent until 1499. It would appear, however, that during the interval, the Feasts of Saint George were regularly kept; that the Order lost eight Companions, namely, the Kings of Portugal and Naples; 2 the Duke of Bedford; Viscount Welles; the Lords Cheney, Scrope, and Borough; Sir William Stanley, who being suspected of supporting Perkin Warbeck, was, notwithstanding his eminent services in placing Henry on the Throne, executed for high treason in February 1495; and Sir Thomas Montgomery; that the Duke of Calabria p , who succeeded his father in the throne of Naples, was Installed in May 1494; 3 and that Henry Duke of York p , the King’s second son, afterwards King Henry the Eighth, who was about three years old, had been Elected, as he was Installed on the 17th of May 1495. 4 In 1497, in consequence of there not being sufficient money in the Treasury to pay the expenses of the Annual Feast, the Comptroller of the Household was ordered to advance £50 for that purpose, out of the amount in his hands for the war. 5 At a Chapter held at Westminster, on Saint George’s Day 1499, Sir Richard Pole p , the King’s Chamberlain was elected. He was the King’s first cousin (of the half blood), 6 which accounts for his honours, and for his having married Margaret Plantagenet (afterwards created Countess of Salisbury), only child of George Duke of Clarence, and the last survivor of her illustrious race. 1 Hall’s Chronicle, p. 459. 2 The King of Portugal died in October 1495; the King of Naples in January 1494; the Duke of Bedford in 1495; Viscount Welles in 1498; Lord Cheney about 1496; Lord Scrope in 1498; Lord Burgh in 1496 ; and Sir Thomas Montgomery died in January 1495. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Writs of Privy Seal, &c. in Anstis, 1.41. As this Prince abdicated the Throne, and retired from the world in the following year, he then, probably, renounced the Order. * Ibid. On the 18th of May 1495, £13 6s. M. were paid “ for offerings and expenses of my Lord the Duke of York at Windsor at his Installation.” Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VII. Excerpta Historica, p. 102. ANNO 1500.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 115 The scrutiny on that occasion proves that the eight following persons were then Companions; 5 6 7 but of the precise time of their Elections or Installations there is no account in the Register, nor has it been ascertained: namely, Edward Stafford Duke of Buckingham, son of the celebrated Duke of Buckingham who was beheaded by Richard the Third; Henry Algernon Percy Earl of Northumberland p , 8 who had displayed great zeal at Blackheath against the Cornish rebels, and whose father had been murdered; the Queen’s first cousin, Edmund de la Pole Earl of Suffolk, son of the Duke of Suffolk, by Elizabeth, sister of King Edward the Fourth; Henry Bourchier Earl of Essex p , who served at the siege of Boulogne and at Blackheath; Robert Lord Willoughby de Broke p , who had been created a Baron for his services, both before and after Henry’s accession; and had commanded the troops sent to the assistance of the Duke of Brittany against the French; Sir Charles Somerset, then Chamberlain of the Household, afterwards made Lord Herbert of Ragland, and Earl of Pembroke; Sir Edward Poynings, a Privy Councillor, who served in the army sent to aid the Emperor Maximilian; and Sir Gilbert Talbot p , Captain of Calais, who had signalized himself at Bosworth. In 1500, the Sovereign kept Saint George’s Day at Hertford, when some trifling alterations were made in the Ceremonials to be observed during Divine Service. 9 The Register is again silent for two years, but in the interval several transactions occurred. On the 24th of April 1502, a Treaty was concluded between the King, the Emperor Maximilian, and his son Philip Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, by which it was agreed that the Emperor and Archduke should be admitted into the Order of the Garter, and the King, and Henry Prince of Wales into that of the Golden Fleece, with as little delay as possible; and that those Princes should severally wear the Ensigns “ openly and publicly,” and faithfully obey the Statutes of the respective Orders, except 5 Anstis, II. 236. 6 See Pedigrees in the “ Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica,” vol. I. p. 295, 310. 7 Register, Anstis, II. 237—239. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel; and that of Sir Gilbert Talbot is engraved in Anstis, II. 209. 8 The Windsor Tables state that the Earl of Northumberland was the successor of Sir William Stanley; the Earl of Essex, of the Earl of Avranches; Lord Willoughby de Broke, of the Earl of Douglas; Sir Charles Somerset, of Lord Borough; Sir Edward Poynings, of Sir Richard Tunstall; and Sir Gilbert Talbot, of Sir Thomas Montgomery. 9 Register, Anstis, II. 241. 116 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. any part thereof should be dispensed with. 5 On the 18th of November following, Sir Thomas Brandon and Dr. West were empowered to Invest the Emperor with the Insignia of the Garter, and to administer the Oaths that he would observe the Treaty, and obey the Statutes; but they were authorised to dispense with any article in the latter to which he might object. 6 Though the Treaty shews that the Emperor was not then considered a Knight of the Garter, nor the King of England, of the Golden Fleece, Maximilian had not only been Elected, but was actually Invested with the Garter in October 1490; 7 and Henry, only two years before, had appointed his proxy to attend the Feast and Chapter of the Fleece. 8 The English Envoys arrived at the Imperial Court in February 1503; and when the Emperor was informed of the object of their mission, he expressed both surprise and displeasure. He said that as he had received the Order many years before, with the Garter, Mantle, and Statutes, to which he had sworn, it would be contrary to his honour to receive them again, and to take the Oath anew. Though the explanation that his Election on that occasion was void, because he had not been Installed, made some impression upon his Ministers, it did not satisfy the Emperor; and he positively refused to accept the Order a second time, saying he would send his Ambassadors to England with a Proxy, to perform whatever ceremony might be necessary to complete his original Election. Nor could the Emperor be induced to write to the Archduke Philip to desire him to accept the Order, until his Ambassadors had been with the King, and had “ concluded for his part, the which done, both he and the Archduke should,” he said, “ fulfill every thing to that Order appertaining, on Saint George’s Day next coming.” 9 10 11 This proceeding explains many apparent anomalies in the History of the Order, because it shews that if a Foreign Prince did not send his Proxy to 5 Foedera, XIII. 24. 6 Foedera, XIII. 35, 36. 7 Vide p. 113, antea. 8 Henry VII. is said to have been elected into the Order of the Golden Fleece in May 1491; and on the 26th of April 1500, he appointed his proxy to attend the Feast of that Order. Foedera, XII. 751. 9 See Sir Thomas Brandon and Dr. West’s account of their mission, in the Cotton. MS. Galba, B. ii. printed by Anstis, I. 85. 10 In April 1503, £20 were paid “ for the King of the Romans’ fine at Windsor.”—Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VII. Excerpta Historica, p. 130. In the preceding November, Garter was paid £2 for the Statutes for that Prince.—Ibid. p. 129. 11 Vide p. 119, postea. 12 Anstis, II. 241, 242. ANNO 1503.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 117 take possession of his Stall, his Election was, after a reasonable time, considered void, according to the Statutes; and this accounts for finding the same personage said to have been more than once Elected. The Emperor was Installed in April 1503; 10 but the Archduke, though Elected about that time, did not take possession of his Stall until his arrival in England in January 1506. 11 In May 1503, the Order is stated, in the Register, 12 to have consisted, besides the Sovereign, of the Prince of Wales, the Emperor Maximilian, John King of Denmark, the Duke of Ferrara, Philip Archduke of Austria, the Duke of Buckingham, Thomas Marquess- of Dorset; the Earls of Oxford, Arundel, Northumberland, Devon, Shrewsbury, Surrey, Derby, and Essex; George Lord Strange (eldest son of the Earl of Derby), Lord Daubeney, Sir Edward Poynings, Sir Richard Pole, Sir Reginald Bray, Sir Thomas Lovell, Sir Charles Somerset, Sir Richard Guldeford, and Sir Gilbert Talbot. The Stall of Lord Willoughby de Broke was declared void, which accounts for the whole number of the Fraternity. Of the Knights who were living in April 1499, Arthur Prince of Wales, the Marquess of Dorset, Lord Willoughby de Broke, and Lord Dynham had died p the King of Naples had retired to a monastery; 1 2 and the Earl of Suffolk had been attainted, 3 which made six vacancies; and the above list contains six names, viz. the Marquess of Dorset, the Earl of Devon, Lord Strange p , 4 Sir Reginald Bray, Sir Thomas Lovell p , and Sir Richard Guldeford p , which do not before occur in the Register. On the 8th of July 1502, the King’s eldest daughter, the Princess Margaret, previously betrothed to James the Fourth of Scotland, began her journey to that Kingdom, attended by a splendid suite, at the head of which was the Earl of Surrey, the Lord Treasurer. A very interesting account of her journey, reception, and marriage, by an Officer of Arms, in the Queen’s retinue, has 1 Arthur Prince of Wales died in 1502; the Marquess of Dorset, in September 1501; Lord Willoughby de Broke, early in 1503; and Lord Dynham, in 1501. 2 No account of the Election of the King of Denmark, of Philip Archduke of Austria and Duke of Burgundy, or of Thomas second Marquess of Dorset, is to be found in the Register. The name of the Archduke, as Duke of Burgundy, occurs in the Scrutiny in April 1499. 3 The Earl of Suffolk was attainted of treason in 1503. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. * Lord Strange died on the 4th of December, and Sir Reginald Bray on the 5th of August 1503. 118 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. been printed; 1 and is here referred to, because it states that on the day of the King’s marriage, the Earl of Surrey and Sir Richard Pole were richly arrayed “ in their Collars of the Garter,” which is one of the earliest notices of the Collar of the Order that has been discovered. On the 5th of May 1504, the Banner and Achievements of Lord Strange and Sir Reginald Bray were offered; and it appears that Guy Ubaldi Duke of Urbino p , 2 and Gerald eighth Earl of Kildare p , the Lord Deputy in Ireland, who had distinguished himself in reducing the native Irish to the King’s Government, were then Companions; but nothing occurs in the Register respecting the Chapter in which their Elections took place. 3 On Saint George’s Day 1505, the King went in a solemn procession to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, when the bones of one of the legs of Saint George, which had lately been presented to him by the Cardinal of Rouen, were publicly exhibited ; 4 and a contemporary writer 5 states that Richard Grey Earl of Kent p , Lord Henry Stafford 1 * (afterwards made Earl of Wiltshire), and Sir Rhys ap Thomas 1 *, were elected on the Eve of the Festival. Their names occur in the Register among the Knights-elect, in the Chapter held on the 4th of May in the following year, when the King of Denmark signified his acceptance of his Election; and the Earl of Kildare was Installed by proxy. 6 Though the Duke of Ferrara was then dead, his Banner, Sword, and Helmet were not removed, because his decease had not been formally notified; but this having been done before the ensuing Feast, on the 23rd of May 1506, they were then displaced. 7 The next Installation was one of the most remarkable in the History of the 1 Leland’s Collectanea, Ed. 1774, vol. IV. pp. 291, 292. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 2 The Duke of Urbino was elected before the 20th of February 1504, on which day ambassadors were appointed to Invest him. He was the son of the former Knight of the Order, of that title ; and Hall, p. 503, says, he was a “ noble warrior, and in the Greek and Latin tongues excellently learned; and this honour and high Dignity the Duke desired instantly to have, that he might be equivalent in all degrees of honour and nobility to his father Duke Frederic, a Prince in his time of high renown and estimation, which was received and chosen into the Order by King Edward the Fourth. After his Investiture by Sir Gilbert Talbot, he sent Sir Balthazar de Castellio, Knight, a Mantuan born, his orator, to King Henry, which was for him Installed according to the ordinances of that famous Order.” Anstis has printed the Instructions issued to Sir Gilbert Talbot and the Abbot of Glastonbury, to Invest the Duke of Urbino, vol. II. Appendix I.; and Ashmole, Appendix, No. cxxv., gives the Commission for Installing him, dated 7th November, 1506. 3 Register, II. 247. ORDER OF THE GARTER. 119 ANNIS 1506—1507.1 Order. Philip Archduke of Austria having determined to assert his claim to the Throne of Spain, in right of his wife, Joan, daughter and heiress of Ferdinand the Catholic, King of Castile, he assumed the title of King of Castile, and commenced his voyage to Spain; but being driven by a storm into Weymouth, in January 1506, the King invited him to Windsor, and treated him with every mark of courtesy and respect. Having previously been elected a Knight of the Garter, 4 5 6 7 8 Philip was Installed with great ceremony on the 9th of February; and took the Oath to observe the Statutes, without any other qualification than that he might not be obliged to attend personally at the Chapters, or to wear the Collar, except at his own pleasure. In placing the Collar around his neck, and on conducting him to his Stall, Henry addressed him as “ Mon Fils,” while Philip, in return, called the King “ Mon Pereand these affectionate appellations are repeated in the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the two Countries, which was signed by Henry and Philip, while sitting in their respective Stalls, and to the maintenance of which they were then both solemnly sworn. Previously to the Offering, Philip wished to stand before his Stall like the other Knights, and to follow the King to the Altar, requesting to be allowed “ to do his duty like a Knight and Brother of the Order ought to do to the Sovereignbut Henry declined, and taking hi m by the left hand, the two Kings Offered together. After the ceremony, Philip invested Henry Prince of Wales with the Collar of the Golden Fleece, 9 into which Order he had, it is said, been elected at Middle- burgh, in the preceding year. 10 On the 10th of May 1507, Sir Thomas Brandon p , Master of the Horse, 4 Register, II. 247. See Ashmole, p. 562, for an account of the ceremonial of the reception of the Relic at Greenwich, on the 27th of March 1504, at which all the Knights of the Order were present. It is there called the right leg of the Saint. 5 Cited by Anstis, II. 247. 6 Register, II. 249. The Election of the Earl of Kent, Lord Henry Stafford, and Sir Rhys ap Thomas, must have completed the number of Companions; for in 1503, there was only one vacant Stall, and two more had occurred by the deaths of the Earl of Derby in 1504, and of Sir Richard Pole in November in that year, for the expenses of whose funeral the King advanced £40 on the 15th of November, 1504.— Excerpta Historica, p. 132. 7 Register, II. 250. 8 As Duke of Austria, before May 1503.—Register, II. 242. Vide p. 117, antea. 9 See the contemporary narrative in the Cottonian MS. Vespasian C. xii. printed by Anstis, II. 254—256. 10 Anstis, I. 87. 120 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VII. was Elected into the vacancy made by the death of Sir Richard Guldeford; and the Banner and Sword of that Knight, as well as those of Philip King of Castile, who died on the 25th of September 1506, within a year of his Installation, were Offered. At that Chapter, it was determined to request the Sovereign to appoint a new Registrar, who should be sworn to perform his duties diligently and faithfully; and also to command the Black Book, or Register, to be immediately renewed. 9 The last person on whom the King conferred the Garter, was Charles Archduke of Austria (son of Philip, late King of Castile), and afterwards Emperor, by the title of Charles the Fifth, whose election took place on the 20th of December 1508, when, though under ten years of age, he was affianced to the Princess Mary of England. 1 Henry the Seventh’s Sovereignty of the Order will always be distinguished by his having instituted the Collar and George; and though the precise date has not been discovered, they certainly formed part of the Insignia as early as 1501, but probably not before 1497. 2 The custom of adding the title of “ Knight of the Garter,” to the Style of the Companions, in public instruments, appears to have begun in this reign, and about the year 1492; 3 probably in imitation of the Knights of St. Michael, and the Golden Fleece, who were then often so designated in Treaties. By his Will, the King bequeathed a Great Image of Saint George, weighing one hundred and forty ounces, adorned with rubies, pearls, sapphires, diamonds, and other precious stones, to the College of Windsor, “ there to remain while the world shall endure, to be set upon the High Altar at all solemn Feasts and dying on the 21st of April 1509, he was succeeded by his son, 9 Anstis, II. 254. 1 Ibid. I. 87. 2 See the account of the George and Collar, postea. 3 The earliest instance which has been found, is the appointment of Giles Lord Daubeney, “ unius Militum et Confratrum Ordinis nostri Garterii,” in October 8th Hen. VII. 1492, to treat with the Ambassadors of Charles of France.— Foedera, XII. 499. In the 9th Hen. VII. 1494, Sir Edward Poynings was described as “ Militis pro Corpore Nostro, Consiliarii Nostri, et unius Confratrum Nostrorum Ordinis Garterii.”— Ibid. pp. 558, 560; see also Foedera, XII. 6, 10,22, &c.; but the practice did not become general until the reign of Henry the Eighth, when and afterwards, the Knights of the Garter were often, like those of Saint Michael, simply called “ Knights of the Order.” It is remarkable that the Title should not have been given to the Companions at a much earlier period, for it was usual to distinguish the Knights “ of the King’s Chamber,” and “ of his Body” from others, soon after the period when the Order was Instituted. To this omission, much of the difficulty of ascertaining the names of the Knights of the Garter, and the time of their election is to be attributed. anno 1510.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 121 KING HENRY THE EIGHTH. The transactions of the Order under this, its tenth Sovereign, are important ; for the Statutes were not only entirely re-modelled by his command, but they are those by which it is still, professedly, governed, although many of them are entirely inconsistent with the Religion of the Country, repugnant to the feelings of the present age, and altogether unsuited to the actual state of the Institution. To use the words of Dr. Aldridge, the compiler of the Black Book, who became Register of the Order about 1534, Henry the Eighth’s “ magnificent mind was singularly affected to the Glory of God, and the Honour of Knighthood;” 4 and he certainly appears to have paid great attention to the interests, and to have done much to increase the splendour of the Order. Henry found at his Accession four vacant Stalls; 5 and on the 18th of May 1509, Thomas Lord Darcy, and Edward Sutton Lord Dudley, were elected; and a few days after Installed. 6 In the Act of Parliament which was passed in that year, “ against wearing of costly Apparel,” the Companions were classed with Lords; it being provided, that no man under the degree of a Lord, or a Knight of the Garter, should wear any woollen cloth, made out of the Realm; and that no one, under the degree of a Knight of the Garter, should wear in his gown or coat, or any other part of his apparel, any velvet of the colour of crimson or blue, upon pain of forfeiting the same, and forty shillings. 7 At a Chapter, held at Greenwich in 1510, Wolsey, then the King’s almoner, afterwards the celebrated Cardinal, was appointed Registrar of the Order; and Emanuel King of Portugal, Thomas Lord Howard p (eldest son of the Earl of 4 King Henry the Eighth was a Knight of the Golden Fleece, which he received while Prince of Wales (p. 118, antea); and of Saint Michael of France; and, it is said, also of the Elephant of Denmark.—See Anstis, II. 268. 5 Three Stalls appear to have been vacant at the death of Henry the Seventh; and the Stall of the King while Prince of Wales, became void by his Accession. 6 Register, Anstis, II. 272. 7 Statute, 1st Hen. VIII. c. 14.—The same prohibition occurs in Stat. 6th Hen. VIII. c. 1. and 7th Hen. VIII. c. 6. p The Plate of his Arms still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 122 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. Surrey, and subsequently Duke of Norfolk), Thomas West Lord La Warre, and Sir Henry Marney p , a Privy Counsellor, Captain of the King’s Guard, and afterwards raised to the Peerage, were chosen Companions; and Lord Howard and Sir Henry Marney being in attendance, were called in and Invested with the Garter. 8 In 1513, three Companions were chosen, namely, George Neville Lord Abergavenny p ; Sir Edward Howard, a gallant soldier who had been appointed Admiral of England for life, and who was killed at Brest, in command of an expedition against the French in the same year, without having been Installed (of whom the King of Scots, in a Letter to Henry, said, “ we think more loss is to you of the late Admiral who deceased to his great honour, than the advantage might have been of winning all the French gallies);” and Sir Charles Brandon p , Master of the Horse, 9 who married the King’s sister, Mary Queen Dowager of France, and was created Duke of Suffolk. On Saint George’s Day 1514, Julian de’ Medici, * 1 surnamed the “ Magnificent,” brother of the reigning Pope, Leo the Tenth, Gonfalonier and Lieutenant- General of the Armies of the Church; and Sir Edward Stanley, who commanded the left wing of the English army at Flodden in the preceding year, and was made Lord Monteagle p , were elected Knights of the Order. 2 3 4 In 1516 a Chapter was held at Eltham to supply the vacancy occasioned by the death of Julian de’ Medici; but though a scrutiny was taken, the Sovereign did not declare his pleasure. In May in that year, two Chapters were held at Windsor, at the celebration of the Annual Feast, when several matters were discussed, upon which the King’s commands were to be taken ; first, that it might be enacted that if difference should arise between any of the Com- p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 8 Register, Anstis, II. 274, 275.—The King of Portugal never took possession of his Stall, and his election seems to have been considered void, in or before 1519. 9 Register, Anstis, II. 275. 1 Ashmole, Appendix, No. ci. gives the Instruction issued to the ambassadors sent to Invest him. He died before he was Installed. 2 Register, Anstis, II. 277. 3 In one copy of the Statutes, in the reign of Edward the Sixth, such conduct is said to be “ a point of Reproach.”—Vide postea. 4 Edward the Fourth, by his Will, ordered his body “ to be buried in the Church of the College of Saint George within our Castle of Windsor, by us begun of new to be budded, in the place of the same Church by us limited and appointed and declared to the reverend father in God our right trusty and well beloved the Bishop of Sarum, where we will our body be buried low in the ground, and upon ANNIS 1516 — 1517 .] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 123 panions, it should if possible be heard and determined by other Knights of the Order; and that if any Companion, forgetting his dignity, should live dishonourably, and did not, on being admonished, forthwith reform his conduct, he should be excluded from the Fraternity. 3 The Chapter expressed their opinion that the Tomb of King Edward the Fourth should be erected where his body was buried, near the high altar of the Church, which he himself had built; and the Sovereign was to be acquainted with their reasons for thinking it advisable not to remove the Royal corpse from the place originally fixed upon for its interment. 4 It was, lastly, proposed that the existing, as well as all future Companions, should contribute, according to their rank and condition, towards the completion of that Church, especially of-the pulpit in the rood-roft, and the lanthorn. 5 On the 23rd of April 1517, a Chapter was held at Greenwich, when money was given for those purposes ; and the King signified his intention to the Knights, of being himself interred at Windsor. He then directed that all the Companions should be strictly enjoined to attend him at Windsor at the Feast in the following year, to consider various matters relating to the Order; 6 which seems to be the first indication of his design to alter the Statutes. Nothing, however, appears to have been done in 1518, except to elect Thomas Lord Dacre of Gillesland p , who had distinguished himself at Flodden; and Sir William Sandys p , the King’s Chamberlain, to the Stalls of Julian de’ Medici and Sir Gilbert Talbot. 7 The obsequies of the Emperor Maximilian, who died on the 11th of February 1519, were celebrated with great pomp at Saint Paul’s, when the King, all the Nobility of the Realm, and the Knights of the Garter were present. 8 the same a stone to be laid and wrought with the figure of Death, with scutcheon of our Armour, and writings convenient about the borders of the same, remembering the day and year of our decease, and that in the same place or near to it an Altar be made meetly for the room as hereafter we shall devise and declare. Item, we will that over the same sepulchre there be made a vault of convenient height as the place will suffer it, and that upon the said vault there be a Chapel or a Closet with an Altar convenient, and a Tomb to be made and set there, and upon the same Tomb an Image for our figure, which figure we will be of silver and gilt, or at the least copper and gilt, and about the same Tomb scripture made convenient, remembering the day and year of our decease. Item, we will that, near to our said sepulchre there be ordained places for thirteen persons to sit and kneel in, to say and keep such observance, Divine Service, and prayers as we hereafter shall express and declare.”— Excerpta Historica, p. 366. It appears from the proceedings of this Chapter, that Edward’s tomb was not then erected, and that an idea was entertained of removing his Corpse, probably to Westminster Abbey. 5 Register, Anstis, II. 279, 280. 6 Ibid. 281, 282. 7 Ibid. p. 285. 8 Hall, p. 598. 124 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII, In March 1519, a Chapter was held at Richmond; and the Register states that on account of an ambiguity in the Statutes respecting the times when the Robes were to be worn, a regulation was made on the subject; but it is silent about the celebration of the Feast of the Order in May in that year, and the general reformation of, and additions which were then made to the Statutes, of which the article concerning the Robes, formed part. On that occasion the Feast of Saint George was kept with unusual magnificence; and the description of the proceedings, by an eye-witness, throws some light upon the manners of the age. “ On the 27th day of May, being Friday, the said eleventh year [1519], the King removed from Richmond towards his Castle of Windsor, and appointed that about one of the clock at afternoon the same Friday, that all noblemen and others who should wait upon his Grace, should be ready between Richmond and Hounslow to attend upon him; and in consideration of the scarcity and straightness of lodgings, as well as the avoiding and eschewing of the corrupt air, every nobleman was taxed and rated to a certain number of horses; that is to say, every Duke at sixty horses; a Marquess at fifty horses; every Earl at forty horses; every Baron at thirty horses ; every Knight of the Garter Batchelor at twenty horses; and no other Knight or Nobleman to have above sixteen horses, with their carriages and all; and the King thus right nobly accompanied rode to Colnbrook, and at the sign of the Katherine Wheel the King took his courser, and his henchman richly apparelled followed, and also the King’s horse of state led. Garter King of Arms wore his Coat of Arms, the Lord Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, and Prelate of the Order, with many other great estates, gave their attendance upon his Highness. The Queen and the Ladies and their Companies stood in the field at the town’s end, beside the high way, towards Windsor, to see the King’s noble company pass by; and then the Queen rode to the ferry next way to the Castle, the King rode by the Slough, and so to Eton College, where all they of the College stood along in manner of procession, receiving his Grace after their custom; and at the Castle gate the Ministers of the College having rich copes, received the King with procession, and the King and the Knights of the Order at the Church door took their Mantles, and entered the Choir, and stood before their Stalls, till the Sovereign had Offered and returned to his Stall; then every Knight Offered according to his, as by the Statute is ordained, and entered their Stalls, which was a long ceremony, before they had all offered, because of the great number of the Knights that there were ANNO 1519]. ORDER OF THE GARTER. 125 present, nineteen in number, besides the Sovereign; whose names followeth, that is to say ; “ The Sovereign; Edward Stafford Duke of Buckingham; Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk; Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk; Thomas Grey Marquess of Dorset; Thomas Earl of Surrey, eldest son of Howard Duke of Norfolk; Henry Algernon Percy Earl of Northumberland; George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury ; Henry Bourchier Earl of Essex ; Richard Grey Earl of Kent; Henry Stafford Earl of Wiltshire; Charles Beaufort (Somerset) Earl of Worcester; George Neville Lord Bergavenny; Thomas West Lord la Warre; Edward Sutton Lord Dudley; Thomas Darcy, Lord Darcy; Sir Thomas Lovell; Sir Edward Poynings ; Sir Henry Marney; and Sir William Sandys : on the morrow after came, Thomas Fitz Alan Earl of Arundel . 1 The Offering done, the Sovereign and all the aforesaid Knights of the Order, with the Prelate and other Officers of the Order, as the Registrar, King of Arms, and Usher of the Order, called the Black Rod, borne by Sir William Compton, according to his Office of Usher. All those rode before the King from the College on to the Quadrant of the Castle, and so conveyed his Highness to his lodging, and so, for that night, being Friday, every person at their pleasure departed to their lodgings. “ On the Saturday at noon, at dinner time, began the Feast, whereat they were all honourably served according to their estates and degrees, according as to such a great and high Feast it appertained; and at three of the clock at afternoon, all the Knights of the Order, the Officers of the same, and many other noblemen, made them assemble in the Chamber of State, called the King’s Dining Chamber, except the Prelate of the Order, who because he had not his Habit, went the next way to the Chapter House. After that the King was come forth of his Secret Chamber, all the others proceeded in order before him till they came to the Court of the Quadrant, where the King, the Knights of the Order took their horses, and also the Officers of the same, except the said Prelate. The Knights of the Order did ride according to their Stalls, and not after their Estates; and at the middle door alighted, and so proceeded without the Choir unto the Chapter House, where at the door the Prelate of the Order 1 The following note occurs in the margin : “ Absent, Charles King of Spain, the Lord Dacres of the North, the Lord Monteagle, and Ryce ap Thomas. The Emperor Maximilian was dead this winter, whose hatchments were at this feast offered.” 126 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY V1TI. did to his Sovereign his due reverence, who went before the said Sovereign, and stood at the right corner of the vestment board, according to his room : the Sovereign at the midst of the north end having his pall and cushions and chair as it appertaineth; the Knights of the King’s side on the right side hand, and the other of the Prince’s side on left side; the Registrar and King of Arms of the Order stood at the board’s end, the Usher of the Order, Sir William Compton, kept the door within forth : which done and ordered, the Sovereign began his Chapter, and there by the advice of the Knights of the Order and of the whole Company, determined to make a general reformation of all ambiguities and doubts concerning certain articles of the old Statutes of the said Order, and to make and adjoin unto them certain other new Ordinances and Statutes, which His Grace trusted should be to the wealth, profit, honour, and augmentation of the said Order: whereupon all the Knights of the said Order with due reverence besought His Highness to reform all such points and articles of the said Statutes as His Grace should think at his pleasure convenient; and thereunto the whole Chapter gave their advice and assent. That done, all there being present kneeling with due reverence, besought His Grace as Sovereign, that if any of them had offended in breaking any Ordinance concerning the said Order, that His Majesty would remit it, and to give them a general pardon of all things as touching the said Order done before that present time, which His Grace lovingly and benignly granted unto them, to their great rejoicing. The Chapter finished, the Sovereign and all the Knights of the Order went unto their Stalls; and a little before the King’s Stall there was set an Altar, and between it and the King’s Stall was the King’s sword; on the right hand, the King of Arms and the Usher of the Order. The Lord Richard Fox, Prelate of the Order, who did the Divine Service, sat above besides the High Altar, assisted by the Abbot of Tower Hill, which both Prelates in pontificalibus at magnificat, censed first the Altar before the King, and after the King, and two of the Canons censed the Knights according to the Statutes as accustomed ; the Queen was not censed. The Evensong done, the King, the Knights of the Order, and the Officers of the same, all riding, returned in good order to the Quadrant. The Prelate’s Habit was a Mantle of scarlet furred with miniver, having the Arms of Saint George within a Garter upon his shoulder. The King supped in his Chamber of Estate, and at the King’s board’s end sat the three Dukes and the Marquess Dorset, and all the residue of the Knights of the Order sat in the same Chamber at two boards ANNO 1519.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 127 all along the one side, and after supper tarried till the void was brought in; and the void done, the King departed from thence; the Knights taking their leave, every of them went to their lodging for that night; and thus ended that Saturday, being the 28th day of May. “ And on the morrow, being Sunday, the 29th day of the said month, May, in the morning about eight of the clock, the Sovereign, Knights, and Officers of the Order, all being on horseback, rode down to the College to hear Matins, and alighted at the south door of the Church, and directly proceeded to their Stalls without going to the Chapter House, and at Te Deum and Benedictus the King was censed by the Prelates, and the Knights were censed as before is said. The Matins done, the King, Knights of the Order, and many others, went to the Dean’s place to breakfast; and after that done, went to the Chapter House, where the King eftsoon ratified the pardon granted unto them all, and willed a note to be made thereof, of all causes concerning the Order, &c.; which done, returned to the Choir, and after entered their Stalls till the procession was ready, which procession was ordered as of old time accustomed, and the Poor Knights went next before the Officers of Arms, on the side of the Ministers; that the Prelate of the Order, who did bear Saint George’s Heart under the Canopy honourably assisted, and four torches borne by four noblemen at the four corners went next before the Sovereign, saying that was his room and place; the Officers of the Order went before the Canopy, and the Knights of the Order before them; and before the Knights, the Officers of Arms, and before them on either side of the Choir, as is before said, went the Poor Knights and the Choir. The Queen and the Ladies this time went not a procession; which finished, the Sovereign and the Knights returned to their Stalls again, and then began the Mass, and after the Gospel the King was censed both by the Gospeler, the Abbot of Towerhill, and the Abbot of Medenham, Epistoler; and after one of them, the said Prelates went on one side, and the other on the other side, and censed the Knights. At the Offering time, the Knights offered according to the Statutes, after their Stalls; the Mass almost finished at the Agnus; the King and the Knights of the Order had holy bread and holy water; and after riding in like order as before, returned to the Quadrant; and after the King had paused a little while in his chamber, his Grace went to dinner into the Hall, and there kept his Royal estate, none sitting at his board but only the Lord Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester and Prelate of the Order, who sat on the right hand of the King and near the 128 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. board’s end, and all the other Knights of the Order, as Dukes, &c. according to their Stalls, sat all a row on the one side of the north part of the Hall, and none at the said board of the north side but only the Knights of the Order, for there was but as one board, for all were joined together in one; and on the south side of the Hall, at the Lord Steward’s board, sat certain French gentlemen, being hostages of France, accompanied with Earls and Lords, and none at that board under the estate of a Lord; and at the board on the said south side, sat the Dean of Windsor, Doctor Veysey , 1 2 3 4 Registrar, the Abbots of Towerhill and of Medenham, and the Choir or Chapel, and at the west end of the same board, which was all joined together as far as the ewer, sat the other Officers of the Order, as Registrar, Garter King of Arms, and the Usher of the Order, then being Sir William Compton, having the Office called the Black Rod, whose room was kept for him, accompanied with the Legate’s brother and four other honest strangers; and beneath the said strangers, for the second mess, sat divers Knights, and next to them sat the Office of Arms, and then certain other gentlemen filled up the board unto the Chapel or Choir. The residue of the other Officers sat in the Chapel at divers boards, for in old time the said Chapel was a parcel of the Hall. The Officers of the Order had spoons of fine gold, and the service that was served at the said Feast was very sumptuous and many subtleties. And somewhat before the second course, the Queen and the Ladies came to the Gallery at the Hall end, which was right honourably prepared for Her Grace, for to see the honourable services and ceremonies of the said Feast. The trumpets blew for the most part of the Dinner time, except at such time as other minstrels of England and of Spain did play. The King’s Style and Largess was proclaimed after the second course, as accustomed. The Dinner finished, the surnap was drawn by Stephen, Marshal of the Hall; then the Prelate, accompanied with the Ministers of the Church, said Graces; which done, the King was served of 1 “ Mem. that Doctor Veysey was both Dean and Registrar of the Order, and as Dean began the Chapel board; or else he should have sitten with the Officers of the Order.” 2 MS. in the College of Arms, marked M. 17. printed by Anstis, vol. II. Appendix, p. ii. and collated with the original. 3 Vide pp. 63, 65, antea. 4 Ashmole, p. 222. The copy in question was signed on the 5th of January 1508, by “ T. Row- thall,” who was then Register of the Order. Anstis, II. 335, refers to that MS. as being in the Office of Arms; but it is not now in the Library of the College. Ashmole also alludes to another Copy of the Statutes, which had belonged to Edward Stanley, Lord Monteagle, who was elected ANNO 1519.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 129 his void, and the Knights also, standing all along, and the middle of the Hall voided of the people, and after that the trumpets blowing, the minstrels playing, greatly accompanied with joy and God’s blessing, returned to his chamber, where he tarried unto the even-song time, which was after four of the clock, almost five.” 2 Before an abstract is given of the new Statutes, some observations must be made upon those by which the Order was at that time governed. No copy of any Statutes subsequent to the code of Henry the Fifth, 3 has been discovered; but it is certain that some addition must have been made to them, even if they were not materially altered; for in a copy, prepared for the Emperor Maximilian in 1508, 4 the Collar, which was certainly instituted by King Henry the Seventh, is mentioned as being part of the Ensigns of the Order. Of the Statutes 5 enacted in May 1519, the following is an abstract: The Preamble recites that “ In the Honour of God, Our Blessed Lady Saint Mary, Virgin immaculate, and the glorious Martyr Saint George, Patron of this noble Realm of England, and of Saint Edward, King and Confessor, to the exaltation of the Faith of Holy Church, and exercitation of virtue and good manners: Also for the right singular love We have and bear to the Noble Order and Estate of Chivalry and Knighthood, of the which by ardent affection We desire the Honour and Augmentation : Therefore We, Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England and of France, and Lord of Ireland, by the advice and assent of the Reverend Father in God, the Bishop of Winchester, Prelate of the said Noble Order, Chancellor, and of our right dear and right entirely well-beloved Cousins, the Duke of Buckingham Edward; the Duke of Norfolk Thomas; the Duke of Suffolk Charles; the Marquess Dorset Thomas;” and then follow the names of eight Earls, four Barons, and four Knights, “ Knights and Companions of the said Order, and the Officers ordinaries of the same then being present with Us, in plain Chapter in 1514, and which was said to be in the Hatton Library. In reply to the Author’s inquiry respecting it, of the Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, (Lord Hatton’s representative), he was obligingly informed, that his Lordship is not aware of the MS. being in his possession. 5 Anstis, II. 4, has printed these Statutes at length, from a copy in the custody of the Chamberlains of the Exchequer. A contemporary, and apparently authentic copy of them, on vellum, is now in the Chapter House, Westminster, at the beginning of which are emblazoned the Arms of the King, impaling those of St. George, encircled with the Garter ; and the King’s Badge, viz. Two Roses en soleil, the one Red, the other White, issuing from a terrage also en soleil ; and the whole surmounted by the Crown. At the end of that copy the Ordinance for the Officers is inserted. 130 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. holden within our Castle Royal at Windsor, the 29th day of May the 11th year of our reign [1519], maketh interpretation and declaration of the Articles of the said Statutes in manner and form as ensueth.” First: It was accorded that the King, his heirs and successors, Kings of England, should for ever be “ Sovereigns of the said Noble Order and Amiable Company of Saint George, named the Garter,” to whom should appertain the declaration, solution, and dispensation of all doubts in the Statutes. Secondly: That none should be chosen a Companion except he be a Gentleman of Blood, and Knight without Reproach; and a Gentleman of Blood was declared to be one of “ three descents of Noblesse, * * 4 that is to say, of Name and Arms both of Father side and Mother side.” The points of Reproach were declared to be three only: 1st. Conviction or Attainder of, or pain or public punishment for, Heresy or Error against the Faith Catholic; 2nd. Attainder or Conviction of high Treason; 3rd. Cowardice by flight in actual Battle; which offence not only rendered a Knight ineligible, but if committed by any of the Companions, he was “to be deprived and degraded of the Order.” Thirdly : It was accorded that the Knights should always wear their Mantles and Garters when in the Choir of the Chapel, where their Banners and Hatchments were set up; in the Chapter House, or elsewhere when the Knights assemble to do any act relating to the Order. Fourthly: 5 That the Sovereign and Knights shall yearly, wheresoever they may be (being at Liberty), on the Vigil of Saint George’s Hay, the 22nd of April, wear their whole Habit of the Order, viz. the Gowns, Mantles, Chaperons [or Hoods], and Collars, from the hour of the first Evensong until the conclusion of the second Evensong, using all such other Ceremonies as of old time accustomed, except time of war, sickness, long voyage, or other necessary cause, when it shall be sufficient “ to wear only the Garter, Mantle, and the Image of Saint George depending at a little chain of gold, or lace of silk,” at the pleasure of the Knight himself. 6 Fifthly: That there should be every year, on the Eve of Saint George, an assembly of all the Knights at Windsor Castle, “ where they shall have the service of Saint * This word is here used in the sense in which “ Noble” and “ Noblesse” were then, and are still, understood throughout Europe; and as they were formerly, and properly used in this country; viz. a Gentleman by descent, entitled to bear Coat Armour. 5 This is the Article mentioned in the Register as having been agreed to in the Chapter at Richmond, in the preceding April. Vide p. 124, ante. ANNO 1519.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 131 George,” during which they shall wear their Habit, being in their Stalls; and every of them shall have his Banner, Sword with Helm and Crest over his Stall. Rules are then laid down for the observance of the Feast when Saint George’s Day might happen to fall within fifteen days of Easter, in conformity with a former ordinance. Sixthly: The Knights were to assemble at Windsor Castle on Saint George’s Eve, at three o’clock in the afternoon, to hold their Chapter; and if they failed to do so, without having the Sovereign’s permission, or such excuse as he considered sufficient, they were to incur certain penalties. The Seventh article obliged the Knights to attend the Offering at High Mass, and prescribed the form in which they were to proceed from their Stalls to the High Altar. Eighthly: It is accorded that on the next Morrow after the Feast of Saint George, the 24th of April, before the departing of the said Company, all the Knights in black gowns, should take their Mantles, enter the Chapter, and afterwards hear Mass of Requiem for the souls of the deceased Knights, and of all other Christian people. The Banners, Swords, Helms, and Crests of the deceased Companions, were to be severally offered by such two Knights as the Sovereign or his Deputy might appoint. If any Knight had died in the preceding year, each Companion was to offer at the Mass of Requiem, a Taper, on the point of which there was to be a little escutcheon of the Arms of the defunct; and if more than one had died, “ then for every one an escutcheon of his Arms, and a groat, to be fixed near to the light on the said Taper.” Ninthly : The Knights were to leave a Mantle in the College, in case they were suddenly called upon to attend a Chapter; and it was decreed that the Sovereign might at any time or place, summon a Chapter. Tenthly: “ If any Knight of the said Company is founden openly and apparently without Garter,” he should immediately pay to the Officer of the Order, who first challenges him with being without his Garter, half a mark, except when “ a Knight is armed, or booted and spurred,” when he “ shall be bound to wear a little blue Lace, or Thread of blue silk, over his leg harness or boot, at his pleasure, in significance and token of the said Garter; provided that no Knight of the said Order enter into any Chapter without Garter, upon the pain of the said forfeiture.” Eleventhly: If any Knight came within half a mile of the Castle, he was to go in, if he could 6 The Register says, “ The Garter alone with the Image of Saint George hanging down by a golden chain or silken button.”—Anstis, II. p. 286. 132 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. conveniently do so, “ for the honour of the place,” and take his Mantle, and enter the Chapel, being met and conducted by the Canons. He was then to attend certain prescribed parts of Divine Service, and to make his Offering, upon pain of going half a mile on foot, and paying a groat to the Offering. The Twelfth Article related to the thirteen Secular Canons, eight Petit Canons, thirteen Vicars, thirteen Poor Knights, thirteen Clerks, and thirteen Choristers, who were “ to sing and pray for the prosperous estate of the Sovereign and of all the Knights of the Order living, and for the souls of those who were departed, and all Christian souls.” Thirteenthly: There were to be four Officers appertaining to the Order, a Prelate, Chancellor, Register, and King of Arms, whose duties were to be afterwards declared in the Book of Ordinances 8 made for them. The Fourteenth and last Article regulated the number of Masses which every Companion was to cause to be said for a deceased Knight. The Feast, in 1519, was observed with great splendour. All the Knights then in England are said “ to have rode on double horses, with the Henchmen following the King, from Colnbrook to Windsor in gorgeous apparel; and there he kept with great solemnity the Feast of Saint George, and dined in the Hall; and the Bishop of Winchester, Prelate of the Order, sat at the board’s end alone. The King was solemnly served, and the surnap cast, like the feast of a 8 Vide, postea. 1 Hall, p. 598. 2 Register, Anstis, II. 288, 289.' 3 4 5 Vide p. 130, antea. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 289. Ashmole (Appendix clxxxiv) has printed the declaration used on the occasion. p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel, and is engraved in Anstis, II. 219. 5 The Instructions issued to Lord Morley, Sir William Hussey, and Archdeacon Lee the King’s Almoner, the Ambassadors who, with Garter King of Arms, were sent to Invest this Prince, shew that he was Elected into the Order at his own request. The reason for sending him the Ensigns without, as was usual, first ascertaining whether he would accept them, was “ that both from the Emperor and the Lady Margaret and otherwise, the King’s Grace hath been many times advertised that the said Archduke hath been and is desirous to be accompanied, associate, and taken into the said Noble Order.” Those Instructions were printed by Anstis (Appendix, vol. II. No. iii. p. xxvii. See also Ashmole, Appendix, cxiij), “ because (Anstis says) in the letter of Cardinal Wolsey annexed to them, dated 26th August, it seems to be intimated that the then Duke of Ferrara had been also Elected into this Society“ but there is,” he adds, “ no memorial entered in this Black Book of his Election, neither is he mentioned in any Catalogue which the Collector hath seen.” (II. 292). After ordering the Ambassadors to dispense with certain parts of the ceremony at the Investiture of Archduke Ferdinand, Cardinal Wolsey says —“ And the semblable may ye Master Almoner and Sir William Hussey do with the Duke of Ferrara, in case ye being advertised that he will receive the same Order, shall proceed and pass unto him for that purpose.” Additional information respecting the Duke of Ferrara is afforded by two Letters from Cardinal Wolsey to the King, recently published from the originals in the State Paper Office, which leave no ANNO 1519.] 133 \ ORDER OF THE GARTER. Coronation. All things were plenteous to strangers that resorted thither. At the Mass of Requiem were offered the Banner and other Hatchments of Honour belonging to Maximilian, the Emperor of late deceased.” 1 In April 1521, Henry Courtenay Earl of Devon, the Queen’s nephew, was Elected; when the King himself Invested him with the Collar and George, and addressed him in very flattering terms. It was then ordered that the Knights should wear the Image of Saint George on a small Chain or Lace of silk, in the breast, and place the same within the Garter. 2 This Ordinance differs from the fourth article of the then existing Statutes, 3 because the permission to wear the George in that way was not restricted, as in the Statutes, to the cases of war, illness, or travelling; and the effigy of Saint George is directed to be encircled within the Garter, from which the lesser George seems, in fact, to have originated. The celebration of the Annual Feast in that year was postponed until the 9th of June, in consequence of the trial and execution of one of its most distinguished members, the haughty and ambitious Duke of Buckingham, who was then publicly degraded from the Order. 4 On Saint George’s Day 1522, the King’s nephew, Ferdinand Archduke of Austria, afterwards King of the Romans and Emperor of Germany, 5 and Sir Richard Wingfield p , Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is said to have doubt that it was intended to Elect that Prince, if he would engage to accept the Order. The first of those Letters is dated on the 10th of August: “ Sir, May it please your Grace to understand,” &c. “ Over this, Sir, I have been informed by my Secretary (Peter Vannes) in Latin tongue, that by letters sent from the Duke of Ferrara to your servant Gregory de Casalis, it appeareth that the Duke of Ferrara hath taken the Order of France (Saint Michael), desiring him to make his excuse, that he might not accept nor receive your Order of the Garter. Wherefore, Sir, in my poor opinion, it shall be well done, the certainty thereof be known by some good means, before you do cause him to be presented with the same : for it should not stand with your honour that the Order should be offered unto him, and he to refuse it. Beseeching your Highness that I may be advertised of your pleasure herein,” &c. In another Letter to the King dated on the 17th of August, Wolsey said, “ Over this, Sir, I have devised Letters, Instructions, and other writings for the dispatch of the Lord Morley, with other his colleagues, to the Archduke with the Garter, and ornaments of the same ; which said Instructions, because I have not had experience in the matters of the said Order, but have devised them after mine own conceit, it may please your Grace to take the pain to over read, and to advertise me whether the same contenteth your Highness or not; with your further pleasure what is done touching preparation of the Collar, of Garter’s Habit, and other ornaments aforesaid ; which thing and also the perfecting of this dispatch belongeth unto my Lord Chamberlain, being Chancellor of that Order, who must seal the writings and letters with the Seal of the Garter. Ascertaining your Grace, that forasmuch as at the despatch hereof there was an error found in the Commission, I shall therefore send the same to your Grace tomorrow to be signed accordingly, &c. Finally, for because it is doubtful, whether the Duke of Ferrara will forsake the Order of France or not, I therefore have ordained that an Officer of Arms 134 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. been indebted for the honour to the solicitation of the Emperor , * * * * * 6 were Elected ; 7 and the Statutes of the Order were again reformed. As the Statutes 8 then made, now govern the Order, except in the few cases in which they were controlled by subsequent Ordinances, a copy of them, with notes, is annexed; but the remarks which they suggest are deferred, until the whole of the Statutes , 9 as they now exist, shall have been given. shall be sent unto him with your Letters, and the Book of Statutes, to understand whether he will accept your Order or not; upon whose advertisement your Ambassadors appointed for that purpose, may proceed unto him, or return, as the case shall require.”—Yol. I. pp. 117, 120. The instrument by which the Archduke Ferdinand signified his acceptance of the Order, dated at Nuremburg 8th December 1523, is printed by Ashmole, Appendix cxv. and in p. 404, he has given an engraving of a painting in a contemporary MS. “ of the manner of sitting at dinner of Ferdinand Prince of Spain, on the day of his Investiture.” The remarkable fact of Wolsey saying that the Lord Chamberlain (the Earl of Worcester) was Chancellor of the Order, and the omission of the name of that Officer in the Statutes of May 1519, will be more fully noticed in the account of the Officers of the Order. The Election of the Archduke Ferdinand and Sir Richard Wingfield seems to have completed the number of the Companions, so that there could not have been a vacancy for the Duke of Ferrara. The Order then consisted of the Earl of Arundel, Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Shrewsbury, Marquess of Dorset, Earl of Northumberland, Earl of Essex, Earl of Worcester, Sir Thomas Lovell, Earl of Wiltshire, Earl of Kent, Sir Rhys ap Thomas, Emperor Charles V., Lord Darcy, Lord Dudley, Earl of Surrey, Lord La Warr, Lord Marney, Lord Abergavenny, Duke of Suffolk, Lord Monteagle, Lord Dacre, Sir William Sandys, Earl of Devon, Archduke Ferdinand, Sir Richard Wingfield. 6 Hall, p. 633. 7 Register, Anstis, II. 292. 8 Anstis considers it to be doubtful, in what language they were written. The original, which was formerly preserved at Windsor, has long since been lost; and as the whole of the Black Book is in Latin, it accounts for the copy of the Statutes therein, being in the same language; and Anstis suggests the possibility of its compiler, Dr. Aldrydge (who did not become Register of the Order until 1534) having taken the same liberty with those Statutes, which he did with the Statutes attributed to King Edward the Third, namely, adapt them to his own style, and Latinity. Aldrydge says, “ King Henry the Eighth did also in the exactest manner Reform the Statutes of the most Noble Order, at the request of the most noble Knights thereof, because some things seemed therein too abstruse and hard to be understood, and explaining and interpreting them clearly, restored them to their most evident sense and true perfection : Where the matter required it, he enlarged; where the contrary was feasible, he contracted them; and in all places he gave a new light to them. This explaining of the Statutes was indeed begun in the eleventh of this most noble Prince, but was finished in his fourteenth year, where (as the Order requires) it will be wrote in the Latin tongue. But it will be required of the King’s Herald, to whom it belongs, to turn it into the French or English Tongue.”—II. 268, 269. Anstis has printed a version, in French, from a copy in the Office of the Chamberlains of the Exchequer, and expresses his wish that a copy, delivered to some Knight soon after the 14th Hen. VIII. might be discovered. Perhaps the earliest copy, after that year, now extant, is the splendid one sent to Francis I. on his Election in 1527, in the British Museum, (Additional MS. 5712.) It is in French, and is certified to have been collated with the original, by the Usher of the Order. The contents agree with the French copy in Anstis, except that in the last article relating to the Collar, the roses are described as Red only; and with the remarkable addition of a fourth Point of Reproach, declaring that such Knights as should waste their patrimony in a dishonourable or profligate manner, might be degraded; remarks on which subject, will be found under the reign of Edward the Sixth. In the latter part of the reign of ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 135 ‘ THE STATUTES f and ORDINANCES of the Most Noble Order of ‘ Saint George, named the Garter, Reformed, Explained, Declared and ‘ Renewed, by the Most High, Most Excellent, and Most Puissant Prince, ‘ Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England and of France, ‘ Third of that name, his noble progenitor, sometime King of England and ‘ of the blessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, and the blessed Martyr Saint Henry the Eighth, the Statutes delivered to the Companions on their Election, appear to have been in English. 9 All the existing Statutes are distinguished by an inverted comma before each line. + The copy in the text is taken from the MS. marked Vespasian MS. A. xx. in the Cottonian 1540, were it not that the last Article, relating to the colour of the Roses in the Collar, which was made at a Chapter in April 1544, is inserted. All the variations between the copy in Vespasian A. xx. and the Statutes now issued to the Knights, (except obvious clerical errors,) are carefully shewn in the notes, together with the material variations between it, and the copies in the following MSS. in the British Museum, viz. I. The Lansdowne MS. 783. This Copy, which has the King’s Arms at the commencement, agrees with Vespasian A. xx. and seems to have been written about the same time. II. The Harleian MS. 567, which belonged to Sir Robert Dudley (afterwards the celebrated Earl of Leicester), who was elected a Knight of the Garter in April 1559. As his Arms, in the first leaf, are without a Coronet, and as he was made an Earl in 1563, it is evident that this copy was written between 1559 and 1563. The last Statute contained in it, is dated on the 12th of January, 1st Eliz. 1559. The copy of the Statutes in the Harleian MS. 235, which belonged to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who was Elected in 1561, and the copies in the Harleian MSS. 278 and 394, which were made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, as well as several other copies in the British Museum, have likewise been referred to; and they have been found to agree generally with the Harleian MS. 567. The copy in the Additional MS. 6288, which belonged to Sir William Herbert, who was elected in April 1542, differs so materially from all others, that its contents will be described when noticing the Statutes made by King Edward the Sixth. The copy of Henry the Eighth’s Statutes of 1522, printed by Ashmole, and reprinted in Dawson’s “ Memoirs of Saint George and of the Order of the Garter,” agree, except in the 19th article, with the copy in Vespasian A. xx. The important variations between the copy in the text, and the French copy printed by Anstis, are likewise noticed. § This passage is omitted. ‘ Defender of the Faith, Lord of Ireland, § and in earth under Christ, &c. ‘ the Supreme Head of the Church of England.§ ‘ Whereas the most Famous, most Happiest and Victorious Prince, Edward the ‘ of France, and Lord of Ireland, &c. To the honour of Almighty God, and George, Patron of the right noble Realm of England, and of Saint Edward Collection in the British Museum, which was certainly written in the time of Henry the Eighth, and is the earliest English copy that has been discovered. As the 19th Article occurs as it was originally enacted, and not as altered in May 1540, that copy would seem to have been written before 4 136 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. 4 King and Confessor, to the exaltation of the Holy Faith Catholic, ordained , 1 ‘ and established, created and founded, within the Castle of Windsor, a Company ‘ of Twenty-six noble and worthy Knights, for to be of the said Most Noble ‘ Order of Saint George, named the Garter, and for the honourable ‘ continuance, augmentation and entertaining 2 of the same, the said most ‘ victorious King did devise and institute divers honourable Statutes and laud- ‘ able Ordinances, for to be observed and kept, by the Co-Brethren and Confreres, ‘ Knights and Companions of the said Most Noble Order, among the which ‘ Statutes be certain doubts and ambiguities, which, to be more plainly declared, ‘ interpreted, and extended , 3 it is thought right necessary and expedient, that ‘ certain other 4 new Ordinances and Articles be to the said Statutes added and ‘ adjoined. Wherefore the said most excellent and victorious Prince, Henry ‘ the Eighth, King of England and of France, Defender of the Faith, and ‘ Lord of Ireland, &c . 5 and Sovereign of the said Most Noble Order, for the ‘ right singular love, good zeal, ardent and entire affection, that 6 his Royal ‘ Majesty hath and beareth to the said Most Noble Order, and to the state of ‘ Chivalry and Knighthood, and for the honourable continuance and increasing c of the same, and also at the humble request and instant desire of the Knights ‘ and Companions of the said 7 Noble Order; and by their advice, council, and ‘ assent, the twenty-third day of April, in the year of Grace One thousand five ‘ hundred and twenty-two,J and of his most noble Reign the fourteenth year, ‘ made interpretation and declaration of the obscurities, doubts, and ambiguities ‘ of the said 8 Statutes and Ordinances, which interpretations, and reformations, ‘ with their additions aforesaid, after the true intention of them, shall be from ‘ henceforth observed, kept and ensued, by the Sovereign and the Knights, ‘ Confreres, and Companions of the said Noble Order, in manner and form ‘ following: ‘ First: It is ordained and accorded, that the King, and his heirs and ‘ successors, Kings of England, shall be for evermore Sovereigns of the said ‘ Most Noble Order, and amiable 9 Company of Saint George, named the Var. 1 and, omitted. 2 maintenance. 3 expounded. * other, omitted. 5 &c. omitted. 6 this. 7 said Most Noble. 8 A clerical error occurs in the MSS. in this passage, which has been corrected from the printed copies. It stands thus in Vespasian A. xx. “ said Statutes, Ordinances, interpretations, with,” &c. 9 amicable. | Twenty-three.—Harleian MS. 567. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 137 ‘ Garter, to the which Sovereign, and to his heirs and successors, shall appertain 4 the declaration, solution, determination, interpretation, reformation, and dis- ‘ position, of all causes, concerning and touching any thing of obscurity or 4 doubt, contained in the Statutes of the said Most Noble Order. II. 4 Item, It is accorded, that none shall be Elected and Chosen for 10 to be ‘ Fellow or Companion of the said Most Noble Order, except that 11 he be a 4 Gentleman of Blood, and that he be a Knight, and without Reproach: and 4 that the Knights of the said 12 Noble Order, from henceforth, shall not name 4 any person in their Election, to be Fellow or Companion of the said 12 Noble 4 Order, in whom they shall think, or esteem in their conscience, to have spot 4 of Reproach: And as touching the declaration of a Gentleman of Blood, it 4 is declared and determined that he shall be descended of three descents of 4 Noblesse, § that is to say, of Name and of Arms, both of his Father’s side and 4 also of his Mother’s side: And as touching or concerning any manner of 4 Reproach, forasmuch as there'be divers and many sundry Points of Reproach, 4 there shall be here declared but Three Points of them only, as it 13 is declared 4 in manner and form following: 4 The First Point of Reproach is, that if any Knight, as God defend, be 4 convicted or attainted of Error -f* against the Christian faith Catholic, or had 4 for any 14 such offence suffered any pain or punishment public. 4 The Second Point of Reproach is, that if any Knight, as God defend, had 4 been arraigned, convicted, or attainted of High Treason. 4 The Third Point of Reproach is , 10 if any Knight depart or flee 16 away from 4 Battle or Journey, being with his Sovereign Lord, his Lieutenant or Deputy s 4 or other Captain having the King’s Power Royal and Authority, and whereas 4 Banners, Standards, or Pennons, have been displayed, and that they pro- 4 ceeded to fight, he that then reniously and cowardly flyeth or 17 departeth 4 away from thence, J ought to be esteemed and adjudged to have Reproach, 4 and never worthy to be elected Knight or Fellow of the said Company. And 4 if it fortune that any Knight of the said Company, as 18 God forbid, do 4 commit any such Reproach, that then he shall be departed 19 and disgraced 20 Var. 10 for, omitted. 11 that , omitted. 12 said Most Noble. 13 it, omitted. 14 any , omitted. 15 is, that if. 16 fly. 17 and. 18 which. 19 deprived. 20 degraded. § See the note, p. 130, antea, on the proper meaning of the word “ Noblesse.” + De Herise, ou d’Erreur. | Thenceforth.—Harl. MS. 567. T 138 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ of the said Order, at the next Chapter ensuing, if it so shall 21 please the ‘ Sovereign and the Company. III. ‘ Item, That every year, upon the Vigil of Saint George, that is to say, 4 the twenty-second day of the month of April, on what day soever it shall 21 4 fall on, and though no Service of Saint George be celebrate or done, all the ‘ Knights of the said Company, being in any 22 place or places of their liberties, 4 in what places soever it 23 be, shall be bound 24 to wear the whole Habit of the ‘ said Order, that is to wit, Robe, Mantle, Hood, and Collar, from the hour of ‘ the first Evensong, -fat the hour of tierce, that is, at three of the clock at 25 4 afternoon, until the said 26 Evensong-f- and other Divine Service, Supper and 4 Voidance be done and accomplished. And likewise on the Morrow, on Saint ‘ George’s day, at Matins, Procession, Mass , 27 and the second Evensong, 4 and all the said day, until that Supper and Voidance be done, as is 4 aforesaid. IV. 4 Item, That if for any causes, it should please the said Sovereign to 4 prorogue the said Feast and Solemnity of Saint George, or that the said e Feast should be prolonged and prorogued to another day, that all the Knights ‘ of the said Order, that shall be within the Realm of England, shall give ‘ their attendance, the even and day of Saint George, on the person of the 4 said Sovereign, and shall find themselves in his company, in what place soever 4 he be, within the said Realm of England; and they so giving their attendance 4 upon his said person, the said even and day, shall observe and keep the Service 4 of Saint George, if the Ordinance and Commandment of the Holy Church 4 doth suffer and permit it. And if the Ordinance of the Church doth not 4 permit it in this behalf, they be bound to tarry with the Sovereign and hear 4 such Service as shall be then limited and ordained by the Holy Church to be 4 done, and celebrated, the said even and day of Saint George, in observing and 4 keeping during the said days, of 28 all other ceremonies, as well in going to the 4 Chapter upon the said even before Evensong at afternoon, and-f- the said day 4 of Saint George, at afternoon, before the last Evensong, as also in wearing their 4 whole Habit: and every Knight being in his own Stall, in keeping the Divine 4 Service, from the time of the first Evensong of the said even, Matins, and Var. 21 shall, omitted. 22 any, omitted. 23 they. 24 bound for to wear. 25 clock in the afternoon. 26 said, omitted. 27 Morning Service. 28 of, omitted. f This passage is omitted in the Harleian MS. 567. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 139 ‘ Mass , 29 unto the last Evensong of the said day; and the morrow after ensuing, ‘ before the Mass of Requiem , 29 they shall take their Mantles upon such Gowns ‘ as shall please them,:]: and shall enter in 30 the Chapter, if there be any Election ‘ or other great affairs, before the said Mass of Requiem , 29 in using such ‘ ceremonies to this accustomed, as though they were present in the said Castle ‘ of Windsor. And in case that the said Sovereign be come and entered into ‘ the said Chapter, and that some of the said 31 Fellows of the said Order be not ‘ entered or 32 come with him, and should tarry behind, in 33 case they that have ‘ not given and done due attendance upon him, shall bide § without the doors of c the said Chapter, without entering into it, during all the time that the said ‘ Sovereign and other Knights shall be in the said Chapter, for that time. And ‘ if so be that any of the above-named Knights come too late to the first ‘ Evensong of the said even, or Matins, Mass , 29 or last Evensong, the said day ‘ of Saint George, he shall have for penance, that during the time and space of ‘ such Divine Service, he shall kneel or stand before his Stall, in the place of the ‘ Choristers, and if he came not to give attendance upon the person of the said ‘ Sovereign, the said even and day of Saint George, as is 34 aforesaid, and that ‘ he have no licence, or other reasonable excuse, and that 35 it be acceptable to ‘ the said Sovereign for his absence, in this case, the said Knight, that so shall ‘ have done for his penance, shall not come in 36 his Stall at the next Feast ‘ ensuing, in the presence of the 37 Sovereign, nor in his said 38 Stall in the said ‘ College of Windsor; and furthermore shall pay ten pounds, for to be converted ‘ and bestowed to the use of the ornaments of the said College. V. ‘ Item, If it chance that any of the Knights of the said Order, by leave ‘ or licence, or otherwise, were in his house, or in 39 any other place at his ‘ liberty and franchise, the said even and day of Saint George, he shall be bound ‘ to cause to be prepared a capital Stall in the Church or Chapel, in the which ‘ he shall hear Divine Service. In the which capital Stall shall be set and ‘ elevated the || Order of Saint George, named the Garter, being within a Garter, Vak. 29 Divine Service. 30 into. 31 said, omitted. 32 and. 33 in such case. 34 is, omitted. 35 that if it. 36 into. 37 the said Sovereign. 38 said, omitted. 39 in, omitted. % By the Statutes of 1519 the Knights were ordered to wear Black Gowns at the Mass of Requiem, vide p. 131, ante. § Pour leur penitance. || Les Armes d’l Ordre ou du diet Souverain estantz dedans une Jarretiere. 140 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ and his proper Arms within the Garter also, shall be set at a Stall, that shall ‘ be as much in distance after the proportion and quantity of the said Church or ‘ Chapel, from the Stall of the said Sovereign,^; as is his Stall in the Castle of ‘ Windsor, and shall wear his said Habit whole, and shall hear the Divine ‘ Service, such as by the Holy Church is ordained and limited for the said day, ‘ as well the first Evensong, Matins, Mass , 40 as the latter Evensong, in doing ‘ by him first reverence to the Altar in the Honour of God, and after to the ‘ Stall where is fixed or 41 set up the Arms of the said Order, as well and as ‘ often at his coming in, as at his going out of the said Church or Chapel; and 4 also as often as he shall pass before the said Arms, always except the ‘ Emperors, Kings, Princes, and Electors, the which may, in this case, so 4 ordain their Seats and Stalls, as it shall seem them best, and at their pleasure. VI. 4 Item, If it were so, that without any prorogation, the said Feast 4 and Solemnity of Saint George were kept and celebrated, the said 42 day and 4 even of Saint George, in the said Castle of Windsor; and if it were not the 4 pleasure of the said Sovereign for to be present, or that conveniently he may not 4 be there in person, the said day and Feast, at his said Castle of Windsor, that 4 in this case, in what place that his pleasure shall be, being within this 43 his 4 Realm of England, his Majesty may appoint and command such Knights of 4 the said Order, as best shall seem him, there for to keep company, and give 4 attendance upon the 44 person, and to keep all and 45 like ceremonies, as though 4 they were at the said Castle of Windsor, and they doing the things abovesaid, 4 shall be excused for their absence of the said Feast of Saint George, holden at 4 the said Castle of Windsor for that year. VII. 4 Item, It is agreed, that if the Sovereign cannot be at Saint George’s 4 Feast, that he shall make his Deputy by his letters, for to keep the Chapter, 4 upon Saint George’s even at the hour of tierce, the which is at three of the 4 clock at 46 afternoon, and on Saint George’s day, for to keep the said Feast, at 4 the cost of the said Sovereign for the space abovesaid, without any new 4 Ordinances to be made, having power to correct and redress all points of the 4 said Chapter, as for them shall seem necessary. VIII. 4 Item, That every year on Saint George’s even, that is to wit, the 4 twenty-second day of April, a gathering together shall be made of all the Var. 40 Divine Service. 41 and. 42 same. 45 this, omitted. 44 his. 45 and, omitted. 46 in the. % This passage is transposed. ANNO lo22.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 141 * Knights of Saint George, within the Castle of Windsor, that is to wit, of all ‘ them that shall be within this 47 Realm of England, or without that conve- ‘ niently may come; and there they shall have the Service of Saint George, ‘ and also shall wear the whole Habit of the said Order during the said Service, ‘ being ordinarily in their Stalls; and every of them shall have his Banner, ‘ Sword, with his Helm and Crest above his Stall, the which during his life shall ‘ abide in the said Chapel for his Honour, and in sign and knowledge-j~ that ‘ he beareth them in defence of the Holy Church, as the Order of Knighthood ‘ requireth . 48 But in case that the said Feast of Saint George, happen to fall ‘ within fifteen days after the Feast of Easter, or upon any fish day, or fasting ‘ day, then it shall be prorogued and prolonged at the Sovereign’s pleasure, as ‘ above is 49 said, if so be that the day of the said Feast be not assigned, nor ‘ ordained to be kept the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, nor the last ‘ day of April, nor upon the four first days of May, for because of the impedi- ‘ ment or let of Divine Service, ordained by the Holy Church for the double ‘ Feasts of Saint Mark, Philip and Jacob, and the Invention of the Holy Cross ‘ of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor at such days as shall fall the Ascension, or the ‘ Feast of Pentecost, or any other Feast of Solemnity, as is ordained in the ‘ Holy Church, whereby the first or second Evensong, by such prorogations , 50 ‘ might be letted and disturbed. IX. ‘ Item, That all the Knights of the said Order shall come yearly in the ‘ said place of the said Castle of Windsor, on Saint George’s even, at the hour of ‘ tierce, the which is at three of the clock at afternoon, as it 51 is abovesaid; and ‘ if they come not at the time assigned, without having a just and reasonable £ excuse , 52 that be acceptable to the said Sovereign, or to his Deputy, or otherwise c pardoned by the said Sovereign of their absence, by special Letters of excuse, ‘ in the which Letters their names and causes shall be written, or otherwise shall ‘ have their penance, after the ordinance and agreement of the said Chapter. ‘ And the said Ordinance is such, that they shall not enter into the 53 Chapter ‘ for that time, but shall bide without the door, and shall have no voice in any ‘ thing that is done in the said 54 Chapter, at that time only; and if they come ‘ not to Evensong, before the beginning of the said Evensong, they shall not Var. 47 the. 48 doth require. 49 is , omitted. 50 prorogation. 51 it, omitted. 52 that may be. 5,i the said Chapter. 54 said, omitted. •f Token, Harleian MS. 567. 142 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ enter into their Stalls, but shall bide below, before their said Stalls, in the ‘ Choristers places, during the said Evensong; and like penance is ordained for ‘ them that come not to the High Mass 1 betime, and at Evensong on Saint ‘ George’s day: And if there be any that come not to the 2 Feast, and have ‘ not a reasonable excuse towards the Sovereign or his Deputy, as it is above ‘ declared, his penance shall be, that he shall not enter within his Stall the ‘ next Feast after, but shall bide below as it 3 is said at the first Evensong, and ‘ shall go in the procession before all the three Crosses , 4 and shall sit below, as ‘ before is said, all the Mass 5 time, until the Offering, and he shall Offer last: ‘ and after his 6 penance, so done incontinent, he shall come before the Sove- ‘ reign’s Stall or his Deputy, and there he shall ask pardon; and after that, the ‘ Sovereign, or his Deputy, shall command him to go unto 7 his Stall in his ‘ first estate: And if he come not at the second Feast, and be dwelling within ‘ the Realm, without having any 8 excusation allowable to the Sovereign, or to 9 ‘ his Deputy, as is abovesaid, he shall not enter in 10 his Stall from thenceforth , 11 ‘ until the time that he hath given and offered a jewel unto Saint George’s ‘ Altar, within the said Chapel, of the value of twenty marks of silver of Troy , 12 ‘ and from thenceforward he shall double every year the penalty, unto the time ‘ he be reconciled. X. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that if any Knight of the said Company be found in ‘ appert 13 without his Garter, that he pay anon, after that 14 the challenge shall ‘ be made to him by any of the five Officers of the Order, or of the Warden of ‘ the said College, a mark of money, except he be booted for to ride; that then ‘ it shall suffice to wear under his Boot a blue Ribband of Silk, in signification ‘ of the 15 Garter; and also provided that no Knight of the said Order, from ‘ henceforth do enter into the Chapter without his Garter , 16 upon the pain ‘ abovesaid; and whosoever of the said Officers or Warden shall make the first 17 ‘ challenge, shall have the penalty for his labour. XI. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that the Knights of the Order of Saint George, ‘ alway, and as often as they shall wear their Mantles, they shall go before ‘ their 18 Sovereign, every of them with his Fellow that is fore-against him ordi- Var. 1 Morning Service. 2 the said Feast. 3 it, omitted. 4 choristers. 5 Service. 6 this. 7 to. 8 any reasonable excusation. 9 to, omitted. 10 into. 11 henceforth. 12 of Troy, omitted. 13 found to appear without. 14 that, omitted. 15 a. 16 Order, without his Garter, from henceforth do enter into the Chapter upon. 17 make the first omitted. 18 the. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 143 ‘ narily, as they be set in their Stalls; and if it should happen, that any of them ‘ were not there present, his Fellow fore-against him shall go alone; the which ‘ order shall be kept and observed, as well in going in procession, as elsewhere ‘ in other places. But at the Offering, the Sovereign or his Deputy shall go ‘ before all the Company, and the ordinary Officers of the said Order shall go ‘ as they have been accustomed, when any procession shall be done in the ‘ Chapter, Chapel, or elsewhere; and for the order of the said Knights for to ‘ sit at the table, for 19 to take their refection, be it at dinner or at supper, they ‘ shall sit all 20 along on 21 one side after their Stalls, and not after their state , 22 ‘ except children and 23 brethren of Kings, Princes, and Dukes that be 24 ‘ strangers; the which shall keep their places and rooms after their estate, and, ‘ at their voiding and going out shall abide and go in order so as they sat at ‘ the 25 table. XII. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that every one of them at the Castle of Windsor, ‘ on the morrow after the Feast of Saint George, before the departing of the ‘ Company, that the said 26 Knights 27 upon such Gowns as shall please them, at ‘ the Chapter door shall take their Mantles, and shall go into the said Chapter, ‘ and, after that, shall go and hear a Mass of Requiem , 28 the which shall be ‘ solemnly sung for the souls of all the Fellows of the said Order, which be ‘ departed and deceased, and for all Christian souls; and that all the Company ‘ be there present, without any of them be let by a reasonable cause, or have ‘ licence of the Sovereign or his Deputy before the departing. And when it ‘ liappeneth, that, for any cause of the voiding of any of the said Fellowship, ‘ there shall be certain Banners, Swords, Helmets, and Crests, the which ought ‘ to be Offered up, before the Offering of any silver, the said Hatchments ought ‘ to be Offered; first the Banner by two of the said Fellowship, such as the ‘ Sovereign or his Deputy, shall appoint or name, and, after that, the Sword ‘ shall be offered by two other, and likewise his 29 Helm and Crest by two other ‘ Knights of the said Order, assigned by the Sovereign or his Deputy. And ‘ if any Knight of the said Order should 30 decease the year before, then every ‘ Knight being in the said 26 Castle of Windsor, at the said Mass of Requiem , 28 ‘ shall offer a taper armed with a little escutcheon of the 25 Arms of the Knight Var. 19 for, omitted. 24 that be, omitted. 28 Divine Service. 20 all, omitted. 21 on, omitted. 25 the, omitted. 26 said, omitted. 29 the. 30 shall. 22 States. 23 or. 27 Knights aforesaid upon. 144 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ departed; and if there were more than one deceased» that then be made for ‘ every 31 of them an escutcheon of Arms, and a groat set nigh to the light of 4 the taper, the which escutcheons and tapers shall be made at the cost 32 and ‘ charge 33 of the Knights of the said Order. XIII. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that all strangers that shall be elect 34 Fellows of ‘ the said Order, shall be certified, by Letters of the Sovereign, of their Election, ‘ the which Letters of certification, with the Statutes of the said Order under ‘ the common Seal, shall be sent unto them, at the cost and charges of the said 4 Sovereign, in all diligence; and at the furthest they shall be certified of this 4 within 35 four months after the said Election, to the end that 36 the said Elect 4 may advise them by the said 37 Statutes, if they will receive the said Order, or ‘ no. But if the said Sovereign have great and high lets and business, that then ‘ he may defer the certification of the said Election, at his good pleasure, unto 38 ‘ time of opportunity and conveniency. After that 36 the certification have been ‘ delivered, and that the Sovereign shall be certifyed that the said Elect will 4 receive the said Order, then the Sovereign shall send unto the said Elect, by ‘ his Ambassadors , 39 his whole Habit, with the Garter and Collar; and that all 4 such strangers of what estate, dignity, or condition that they be of, shall send ‘ within seven months-f after the reception of the said Garter, Collar, and Habit, ‘ and that he have certified the Sovereign to have received those things , 40 a 4 sufficient Deputy or Attorney, after the estate of his Lord and Master, so that ‘ he be a Knight without Reproach, to be Stalled in his place, the which shall 4 bring with him, a Mantle of blue velvet of the Order, of that which he shall 4 send him, J and also his Banner, Sword, Helm, and Crest, for to be and abide 4 within 35 the said College during his life; and that the Mantle, in the time ‘ that the said Deputy or Attorney shall be Stalled by the said Sovereign or his 4 Deputy , 41 put upon his right arm, § for to hold the said Mantle upon his arm,§ Var. 31 every one of. 32 costs. 33 charges. 31 elected. 35 in. 36 that, omitted. 37 said, omitted. 38 unto the time. 39 Ambassador. 40 things by a. 41 Deputy, shall put. f Un moys J This sentence, which is scarcely intelligible in the English copies, is thus clearly given in the French: “ Lequel apportera avecques luy ung Manteau de velours bleu de ’1 Ordre, depar celluy qui l’envoiera; et aussi,” &c. The order of the articles in the French copy differs from that of the English, for this Statute there stands as the 21st article.—Anstis, II. 324. § This passage is omitted in the Harleian MS. 567. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 145 ‘ and shall be accompanied and led by two of the Knights of the said Order, ‘ from the door of the Chapter unto the Stall, and there being shall make his ‘ Oath, and shall be Stalled, for and in the name of his said Lord and Master. ‘ And the said 42 Mantle abovesaid, the said Attorney or Deputy shall bear it upon £ his right arm, during the 43 Divine Service, being set in the Stall of his said 42 ‘ Master and Lord , 44 without bearing of it at 43 any time after, and to have no ‘ manner of voice in the Chapter, or to come in it in the absence of him that £ hath sent him. And if he send not his said 42 Attorney within seven months £ abovesaid, without having a reasonable excuse, which shall be acceptable to £ the Sovereign or his Deputy, the Election shall be void of him, except so be £ that the said Knight be letted and disturbed by great affairs, then he may send £ his excuse to the said Sovereign or to his Deputy, within a month after; £ and after, as his excuse is, the Sovereign, or his Deputy, will allow it 46 or £ accept it, that then the said Sovereign, or his Deputy, may give unto him £ four months more of respite. And if he came not, or sent not his Attorney £ before the time of the four months be finished, that then in this case the £ Election shall be wholly void, from him, for that time. And it is 47 to be £ known, that 48 this favour is done and shewed to the strangers, the which may ' not well come in their proper persons, that they might be Stalled by Attornies, £ to the end that they may 49 be partakers of the Masses , 50 and all the prayers of £ the said Order; for they should fail of the half, if they were not Stalled before £ their death. And likewise it is ordained for them that be new Chosen and £ Elect 31 of the said Order, being in the King’s wars, by his commandment, for £ to enjoy the benefits of the said Statutes, to that that 52 shall appertain only £ to their Stallation. XIV. £ Item, There is also ordained, a Dean and Warden, with twelve £ Canons Seculars, the which shall be Priests at their entering in , 53 or else within £ a year next following; and also eight petty Canons, and thirteen Vicars, also £ Priests at their entering, or else at the giving of the next Orders, or at the £ farthest within a year after their Presentation. Also thirteen Clerks and £ thirteen Choristers, for to sing and 54 pray unto God for the prosperity || of the Var. 42 said, omitted. 43 the, omitted. 44 Lord and Master. 47 is so to be. 48 that, omitted. 49 might. 52 which. 53 in, omitted. 54 and to pray. 46 it, omitted. 51 elected. 45 at, omitted. 50 Divine Service. || Et bon estat. 146 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ Sovereign, and of all the Knights of the said Order living; and also for the 4 souls of all the Knights of the said Order departed, and for all Christian ‘ souls. And the presentation of 1 the said Canons shall belong alway to the said ‘ Sovereign of the said Order, and the said Canons, when any Knight of the 4 said Order is there present, * within the Choir of the said Chapel,* shall sit in 4 the lowermost seats, where they be want to sit at the Feasts 2 of Saint George; ‘ and in the absence of the said Knights, the said Canons may sit in the high ‘ seats, next unto the Stalls of the said Knights. -j~ XV. 4 Item, There be ordained Five Officers % appertaining to the said Order, ‘ that is to wit, Prelate, Chancellor, Register, and King of Arms named Garter, ‘ and an Usher at Arms named the Black Rod; the which shall be received ‘ and sworn to be of the council of the said Order: the secrets, with also their ‘ charges and privileges, shall expressly be declared, in the Book of the 4 Ordinances of the said Officers. XVI. 4 Item, It is also ordained, that Thirteen Poor Knights that have not 4 wherewithal to live, for to have in that place their living and sustentation 4 conveniently for their good prayers, in the honour of God and Saint George, 4 of the which, the charges and privileges, hereafter shall be declared, following 4 the Ordinances of the Officers,§ and of 3 their Election is ordained as of the 4 presentation of the Canons, so that alway the Election shall abide to the 4 said Sovereign. And it is agreed, that 4 the poor Knights shall have their 4 Mantles of scarlet, and an Escutcheon of the Arms of Saint George, without 3 4 Garter. XVII. 4 Item, It is agreed, that every Knight of the said Company, shall 4 leave his Mantle within the said College for any sudden chances that might 4 happen, for to keep, hold, and observe all such ordinances, precepts and com- 4 mandments, which may be advised in Chapter by the said 6 Sovereign. The 4 which Sovereign, by the consent and agreement of six Knights of the said 4 Order, may at all times and places, at his pleasure, summon and make to be 4 kept 7 Chapter, for all such causes, as it shall please to 8 the said Sovereign to 4 name, touching the said Order. Var. 1 of all the. 2 Feast. 3 of, omitted. 4 that, omitted. 5 without a Garter. 6 said, omitted. 1 kept a Chapter. 8 to, omitted. * Omitted in Harleian MS. 567. f In the French copy the fourteenth and fifteenth Articles are transposed. ^ Cinq principaulx Officiers. § De principaulx Officiers. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 147 XVIII. ‘ Item, It is agreed 9 that if it fortune, that any of the said Com- ‘ pany should come within two miles of the Castle,* * * * § that he shall go in if he ‘ may, for the honour of the place, if he be not busied or let by some just ‘ cause, and that he take his Mantle before -f he enter within the said Chapel, ‘ and also that-j- he enter not in but he have his Mantle upon him, and the ‘ Canons there 10 being present, for that time, shall come to receive him, and ‘ devoutly shall bring him into the said Chapel, and if it 11 be in time of ‘ Mass , 12 he shall tarry and hear Mass , 13 in the 14 honour of God and Saint ‘ George; and if it be at afternoon, he shall come in, in 15 manner abovesaid ) ‘ and there shall be said by the Canons, de profundis, for all Christian souls, ‘ jand there shall offer and return unto 16 his Stall .' 1 And if any of the said ‘ Company ride through the town, and will not offer, as it is agreed, that ‘ upon his obedience, for 17 every time that he faileth, he shall go one 18 mile§ ‘ on foot from the said Chapel, unto the said place, in the 14 honour of Saint ‘ George; and also for every time that he shall so fail, he shall give a groat ‘ for his Offering, the which distance for to come nigh unto the said Castle, is ‘ two miles alonely, and no more. XIX. ‘ Item,|| It is agreed that as soon as the death shall be known and ‘ certified of any of the Knights of the said Order, of what estate soever he Var. 9 It is agreed, omitted. 10 then. 11 he. 12 Divine Service. 13 Divine Service. 14 the, omitted. 15 in, omitted. 16 to. 17 upon. 18 a. * “ Half a mile,” in the Statutes of 1519. ■f Omitted in Vespasian A. xx. but evidently a clerical error. J Omitted in Harleian MS. 567. § “ Half a mile, or 500 paces,” in the Statutes of 1519. || At a Chapter held on the 24th of May, 32nd Hen. VIII. 1540, it was resolved, That the sums hitherto paid by the Sovereign and Companions for Masses for the deceased Knights, should thenceforward be applied to charitable purposes, (vide p. 166, postea). The following Article was accordingly inserted instead of the one in the text, and which forms the Nineteenth Article of the present Statutes. It occurs in the Harleian MS. 567, and Lansdowne MS. 783. The French Copy in Anstis agrees with the text. ‘It is accorded, the thirty-second year of our Sovereign Lord, King Henry the Eighth, by the Grace ‘ of God, King of England, and of France, Defender of the Faith, Lord of Ireland, &c. Upon Saint ‘ George’s Day, the twenty-third of April, at a Chapter holden at the Palace of Westminster, by the ‘ Sovereign and the Companions of the said Most Noble Order, then and there assembled, that as soon ‘ as the death of any of the Companions of the said Order shall be certainly known, every of the rest, ‘ being no Strangers, shall pay according to the rates of their degrees hereafter specified, immediately ‘ upon a demand for the same, by the Register and the Dean, or one of them, to be by one of them ‘ employed in Alms deeds, as in amending high-ways, or such other works of charity, as the King’s ‘ Majesty from time to time shall limit and appoint, the several sums of money ensuing, first the 148 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ be of, that then the Sovereign shall cause to be sung for him that is deceased, ‘ a thousand Masses; for a King, being a stranger eight hundred Masses; the ‘ Prince seven hundred; every Duke six hundred; every Marquis four hundred ‘ Masses; every Earl three hundred Masses; every Yiscount two hundred ‘ and fifty Masses; every Baron and Banneret two hundred Masses; and ‘ every Knight Batchelor one hundred Masses. And if it be not done within ‘ a quarter of a year after the decease, certified unto him by letters sent from ‘ the Sovereign, as it is accustomed, that then he shall double the quarter of the ‘ whole. And if he be half a year behind, then he shall double the Masses as ‘ it is abovesaid. And so from time to time unto the end of the year. And ‘ if he do it not within the year, then he shall be bound to double the years. XX. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that if any of the said Company die, that the Sove- c reign or his Deputy, after that they shall have certification of his death, shall be ‘ bound for to send and give knowledge , 19 by their letters, to all the Fellowship 20 ‘ of the said 21 Order, being within England, for to come and be with the said ‘ Sovereign, or his Deputy, in what place soever it be, where it shall please him ‘ to assign conveniently, within six weeks after the certification of the death, or • decease of the said Knight, the which all assembled, or at the least six, with ‘ the Sovereign, or his Deputy, abovesaid, every of them that there shall be ‘ present , 22 come to the Election, shall name nine of the worthiest and sufficient ‘ Knights, without reproach, that he shall know subjects to the said Sovereign, f or others, so 23 be that they hold no contrary party or be against him, that is ‘ to wit, three Dukes, three 24 Marquisses, JEarls, or of 25 greater estate, three Var. ly notice. 20 Fellows. 21 Noble, omitted. 22 and, omitted. 23 to, omitted. 24 three, omitted. 2S of, omitted. ‘ Sovereign 8/. 6«. 8 d. a King of another Realm 6/. 13s. M. the Prince 51. 16s. 8 d. a Duke 51. a ‘ Marquis 3 1. 15s. 0 d. an Earl 50s. a Viscount 41s. 8 d. a Baron 33s. 4 d. a Batchelor Knight 16s. 8 d. ‘ of all which sums of money, thus to be received, the said Dean or Register, or either of them, shall ‘ yearly, at the Chapter, present his account to the King’s Majesty, with his true and just declaration of ‘ the disbursing again, and defraying of the same ; in that case, the party whose portion shall appear ‘ to be unpaid, shall, in the name of a pain, add to his former duty another third part of the same, ‘ and so for every year that he shall be behind, to pay a third part more than he should pay, if he ‘ should satisfy his ordinary, according to the rate before expressed. And if the Dean and Register, ‘ or one of them, should not, at every such Chapter, present the certificate of the receipts and payments ‘ in form aforesaid, whereby the same may appear to the Sovereign and Companions of the Order then ‘ present, or at least he, in whom the default shall rest, shall, in the name of a pain, content and pay ‘ immediately, to be employed about the like purpose, as is aforesaid, the sum of ten pounds for everv ‘ offence.’ + Three Harl. MS. 567. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 149 ‘ Barons or Bannerets, and three Batchelors, 26 the which denominations, the £ chief Prelate of the said Order, shall write, that is to wit, the Bishop of ‘ Winchester for the time being, or in his absence the Chancellor, or the Dean ‘ or Register, or the most ancient Residencer of the said College, in their ‘ absence. And the denominations so done, by all, or six at the least, by him ‘ that hath written, shall be shewed to the said Sovereign or his Deputy, that ‘ then shall choose of them that be named, he that shall have the most voices, ‘ and also he that the Sovereign shall esteem to be most honourable to the said ‘ Order, and most profitable to his Crown and to his Realm. And if there be ‘ any Knight of the said Order, that doth 27 fail for 28 to come to the said Election, ‘ if he be not let by a just cause, and that the said cause of his excuse, shewed £ under his seal of Arms, be found by the Sovereign, or his Deputy, to be just ‘ and reasonable, then 29 his excuse to be accepted 30 and allowed. And that if £ his cause be not just, and that he come not to the ceremonies above named, it ‘ is agreed, that he shall pay to the Warden of the College, § for to sing for him £ that is departed, 20s. sterling. And at his 31 next coming to the Chapter, he ‘ shall be before the Sovereign, or his Deputy, and the Company, and shall ‘ kneel upon the ground in the midst of the Chapter, until the time that he be £ reconciled by 32 the Sovereign, or 33 his Deputy, and the said Company. XXI. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that if any Knight of the said Company should £ depart, and another is chosen and elect, he shall have, soon after his election, £ the Garter, in signifying that he is one of the Knights and Fellows of the £ Order of the Garter, and his Robe and Hood shall be delivered him in the £ Chapter-house, incontinently, after that his commission hath been read before £ the Sovereign, or his Deputy, and the Company; and after that shall be led by £ two Knights of the said Order, accompanied with the other noblemen. And £ the Officers of the Order shall also be present, and his Mantle shall be borne £ before him by one of the Knights of the said Order, or by the King at 3i Arms £ of the Order, the which Mantle shall be delivered to him for his Habit, after £ that he shall have made his Oath before his Stall, and not before. And this £ done, he shall return unto the Chapter-house, where he shall receive by the Var. 56 Batchelor Knights, the. 27 shall. 28 for , omitted. 29 and. 30 acceptable. 31 the. 32 .to. 33 to, omitted. 34 of. § For to distribute in deeds of Charity to poor people with other meritorious deeds for them that be departed, 20 s. sterling. Harleian MS. 567, and Lansdowne MS. 783. 150 HISTORY OF THE [henry viii. ‘ Sovereign, or his Deputy, the Collar, and so 2 he shall have the full possession ‘ of his Habit wholly, except great Princes Strangers, the which may receive 4 their Habit wholly within the Chapter-house, as it hath been used and accus- ‘ tomed in times past, for the shortening of time. And if he die before he have ‘ received his 3 Habit, he shall not be named one of the Founders, seeing that 4 4 he lacketh to have full possession of his estate; but he shall -f have the one 4 half 5 of the Masses 6 abovenamed, for the deliverance of the Garter, and none ‘ other thing above it. And 7 he, so chosen, come not in all good diligence after ‘ the reception of the said 8 Garter, in the said place, for to be Stalled, and in 9 ‘ specially within the year of his election , 10 if he be a Knight dwelling within £ the Realm, and hath no excuse reasonable, allowable and acceptable to the ‘ said Sovereign, or to his Deputy, and the Company, X then the election shall ‘ be void of him. And the Sovereign or his Deputy, and the Company,J shall ‘ go and make another new election, and neither the Banner, the Sword, nor the ‘ Helmet, nor Crest of him so chosen, be put upon his Stall, within the Castle, 4 before his coming; to the end, that if he come not, his said hatchments, as 4 Banner, Sword, Helmet , 11 be not taken down nor availed, but honestly put 4 out of the Choir, and the rest of 12 other things shall abide, to the profit and use 4 of the said Order. XXII. 4 Item, It is agreed, that if any of the Dukes, Marquisses, Earls, 4 Viscounts, Barons, Bannerets, or Batchelors die, that he that shall come after, 4 and succeed in his place and room, be he Duke, Marquiss, Earl, Viscount, 4 Baron, Banneret , 13 Batchelor, or any of the estates abovenamed, he shall have 4 the self same Stall that his predecessor had, and shall not change it without he 4 have 14 especial licence or warrant of the said Sovereign, always all Emperors, 4 Kings, and Princes, be excepted, the which shall keep and hold their Stalls 4 after their estate , 15 and very next unto the Sovereign; and then, by this mean, 4 a Duke shall take the Stall of a Batchelor, and a Batchelor the Stall of a 4 Duke, in sign and knowledge of the first Founders. Var. 2 so, omitted. 3 the. 4 that, omitted. 3 part. 6 Divine Service. 7 And if he. 8 said, omitted. 9 in, omitted. 10 election and if. 11 Helmet, nor Crest, of him, be not. 12 Crest and. 13 Banneret or Batchelor. 14 have a special warrant or licence. 13 estates. t be participant and partaker of the meritorious deeds aforenamed, &c.—Harleian MS. 567, and Lansdowne, 783. + Omitted in Harleian MS. 567. ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 151 XXIII. ‘ Item, If there be any 16 place or Stall void, the Sovereign, at his ‘ pleasure, may advance and translate by his special licence, any Knight of the ‘ said Company in the said Stall, 17 so be it that it be more higher than the Stall ‘ that he was in before. Also the Sovereign, 18 once in his life, may, if it please ‘ him, make a general translation of all the Stalls at his pleasure, except of 19 ‘ Emperors, Kings, Princes, and Dukes, the which always shall keep their ‘ places and Stalls, if not that they be translated in 20 more higher room and Stall, ‘ in the which translation, the long continuance in the Order, and the praises, 21 ‘ worthiness, and merits of the Knights, ought to be considered and remembered, ‘ the which Knights, from henceforth, in going and sitting, at all times that they ‘ shall wear their Mantles, shall keep their places after the Order of their Stalls, ‘ and not after their estates, as is aforesaid. XXIV. ‘ Item, It is agreed that all the Fellows abovesaid, at their first ‘ coming in, shall give, every of them, a certain sum after their estate, for the ‘ entertaining 22 and maintenance of the Canons and poor Knights, dwelling in the ‘ said place, and for the Alms deeds that is there perpetually ordained, that is to ‘ wit, the Sovereign 40 marks, a Stranger King 20 l. the Prince 20 marks, every ‘ Duke 10/. every Marquis 81. 6s. 8 d. every Earl 10 marks, every Viscount ‘ 116s. 8 d. every Baron and Banneret 100s. every Batchelor 5 marks; and their ‘ Banners, Helmets, Crests, and Swords, shall not be set over their Stalls, until ‘ the time that they have paid, at their entering, the aforesaid sums, every one £ after his estate and degree, whereof he is. And it is to wit, that the Sovereign ‘ is bound to pay for every Stranger, that shall be chosen and elect, when he ‘ shall be Stalled, in his proper person, or by procurement or attorney, and these 4 gifts be given, to the intent, that every one of them that shall enter into the ‘ Order, be more worthy to have the name, title, and privilege of one of the ‘ Founders of the said Order. XXV. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that every Knight within the year of his ‘ Stallation, shall cause to be made an Escutcheon of his Arms and Hatchments, ‘ in a plate of metal, such as shall please him, and that it be surely set upon ‘ the back of his Stall, and the other that shall come after, shall have their ‘ Escutcheons and Hatchments in like manner; but their Plates of Metal, nor ‘ their Hatchments, shall not be so large, nor so great as they of the first Va r. 16 Stall or place. 19 of, omitted. 17 if so be that he be higher. 20 into., 21 praise. 18 Sovereign may, once in his life, if. 22 entertainment. 152 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ Founders were, except Strangers, which may use their plates and fashions at 4 their pleasure. XXYI. c Item, It is agreed, that no Knight, chosen and elect for to be ‘ Fellow of the said Noble Order, shall not be Stalled by procurement or 4 attorney, except he be a Stranger, and may not well come hither in his proper 4 person to be Stalled, or other that is busied without the Realm, for the 4 affairs of the 1 Sovereign, or by his commandment and licence, as it is 2 above 4 declared. XXVII. 4 Item, That every Knight entering in 3 the said Order, shall 4 promise and swear, faithfully to observe and keep 4 the points and articles 4 that here folioweth, that is to wit, that to his true power, he shall help 5 4 during his life, and during the time that 6 he shall be Fellow of the said 4 Order, for to 7 keep, defend, and sustain, the honour, quarrels, rights, and 4 lordships, of the Sovereign of the said Order. * Item, That with all his power, he shall enforce himself, and take pains 4 honourably to entertain and augment the said Order. And if it happen him 4 for to know any thing, that were imagined and procured to the contrary, of the 4 defence and resistance of this, with all his true power he shall put himself in 4 more greater endeavourment. 4 Item, That well and truly, he shall accomplish and entertain, all the 4 Statutes, Points, and Ordinances, of the said Order, and of all this shall make 4 a general Oath, all and so, as though it were read unto 8 him, from point to 4 point, and 9 article to article, and shall make the said Oath to the Sovereign of 4 the said Order, or his Deputy, in swearing and promising upon the Holy 4 Gospels, for to keep them and entertain them, without any fraud or delusion, 4 and upon this he shall touch the Book and kiss the Cross. 4 Item, This done, the said Knight so chosen, with due reverence shall 4 receive the Garter, the which the Sovereign, or his Deputy, shall put it about 4 his left leg, in saying these words; * 44 Sir, the loving Company of the Order of the Garter hath received you 4 44 their Brother, Lover, and Fellow, and in token and knowledge of this, they 4 44 give you and present you this present Garter; the which God will that ye 10 Var. 1 his. 2 it, omitted. 3 in fi that, omitted. 7 for to, omitted. 4 to keep and observe. 5 help, omitted. 8 to. 9 and from article. 10 you. i'rinfed by Charles YVliittingham No. 21 Tooks Couit Cursitor Street Chancery I cap ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 153 ‘ “ receive and wear from henceforth, to his praise and pleasure, and to the ‘ “ exaltation and honour of the said 11 Noble Order, and of 12 yourself.” XXVIII. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that in case that the Sovereign be out of ‘ the Country, to the which he cannot, in proper person, do that 13 shall ‘ appertain to the Stallation, he may give power and authority, by his Letters ‘ of Commission, to two of the Fellows, or to divers, for 14 to exercise it in his ‘ name. XXIX. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that a common Seal and Signet, of the Arms ‘ of the Order, be made, the which shall rest in the custody and keeping of the ‘ Chancellor of the Order, or of such a Knight and Fellow of the said Order, as ‘ shall please the Sovereign to name and assign. And if he, that shall have the ‘ Seals in keeping or custody 16 should depart, or go forth, for any cause, 20 ‘ miles far from the Sovereign, then he shall deliver the said Seals to the ‘ Sovereign, or to such lr Knight of the Order, or to any other person, that it ‘ shall please the said 18 Sovereign f-for to ordain and appoint, to the intent, ‘ that at no time, the said Seals be out of the presence of the said Sovereign,-f- f he being within his Realm; and if he be out of his Realm, the Signet shall ‘ suffice for to seal all such acts and writings, touching the said Order, that ‘ there may be concluded and made. XXX. ‘ Item, It is agreed that every Fellow, of the said Order, from hence- ‘ forth, shall have the Statutes of the said Order, first collected and overseen by ‘ the Register, and after that sealed with the common Seal aforesaid; and if the ‘ Knight will have any Arms devised, or Cognizance made, within the Book of ‘ the said Statutes, then the said Book shall be delivered to the King at 19 Arms ‘ of the Order, for truly to ordain of it, as it shall appertain. And the Original ‘ to be likewise 20 signed and sealed, the which shall abide in the Treasury of the ‘ said College for evermore. XXXI. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that after the death of any of the Knights of ‘ the said Company, his executors shall be bound for to send again, and to 21 ‘ deliver the Statutes of the said Order, within three months after, if so be that ‘ the Statutes hath 22 been delivered unto 23 him by the Sovereign, or to his Var. 11 said Most Noble. 12 of, omitted. 13 that which shall. 14 for, omitted 16 custody or keeping. 17 such a Knight. 18 said, omitted. « of. 2 ° Original likewise to be signed. 21 to, omitted. 22 have. 23 to. T This passage is omitted in the Harleian MS. 567 ; and in the Lansdowne MS. 783. X 154 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. ‘ charge, the which Statutes shall be delivered again, to the Warden, or Register, ‘ of the said College, or to one of the principal Officers for the time being.-f- XXXII. ‘ Item, It is agreed, that none of'the Knights of+ Saint George, ‘ of the said Company of the Garter, shall go out of the country, nor 24 dominion, ‘ of the 25 Sovereign without having leave and licence of the Sovereign; and 26 ‘ therefore it is agreed, that if any voyage be made, or any other noble act, ‘ appertaining to the Honour of Knighthood, the said Sovereign, of his grace, ‘ for the great love, favour, and confidence, that he bears towards the Knights ‘ of the said Order, will prefer, advance, and present, the said Fellows and ‘ Knights of the 27 Order of Saint George, before all other. XXXIII. * * * 4 Item, That none of the Knights of the said Order shall not 28 arm ‘ themselves the one against the other, but in the wars of his Sovereign Lord, in ‘ his right and just quarrel, and if it should happen, that any of the said Order £ were retained with any Lord, and holding his party and quarrel, and the 4 adversary party desireth 29 also 30 to have another Fellow of the said Order with ‘ him, in this case, such a Knight and Fellow shall not be retained, but may 4 excuse him 31 from all such things, because his Fellow is armed against him, on ‘ the other side, and was retained before him, and every Knight of the said Order, ‘ shall be bound to except, when he shall be retained, that he may wholly be 4 discharged from his service of war, if any of the Fellowship be before him 4 retained, or holding the contrary and adversary party, and if he that is 32 second 4 retained, know that any of his Fellows be retained before him, and armed with 4 his adversary party, then he that is second retained, at the first knowledge that 4 he shall have thereof, shall be bound to excuse him towards his master, and 4 leave that quarrel. XXXIV. 4 Item, That all the licenses given to Knights of the said Order, Vae. 24 or. 25 the said Sovereign. 26 and, omitted. 27 the said Order. 28 not, omitted. 29 desireth, omitted. 30 also desiring to. 31 himself. 32 is the second. 4 This Article does not appear to have occurred in the French copy. Anstis, II. 335, however, supplied it from the Emperor Maximilian’s copy, dated 5th January 1508, before alluded to (p. 129), supposing it to have been accidentally omitted by the translator. Anstis likewise added the following Article from a Copy of the Statutes made for Charles the Ninth, who was elected in 1564, and which also occurs in Francis the First’s Copy in 1527: 1 Item, il est accorde, que apres la mort de chacun 4 des Chevaliers, ses executours seront tenuz de renvoyer, et delivrer les Estatutz du diet Ordre dedans < trois mois apres, s’il est ainsi, que les diets Estatuz luy aient este baillez par le Souverain, ou par son 4 commaundement; les quels Estatuz seront redelivrez au Gardein ou Registreur du diet College, ou 4 a un des principaux Officiers du diet Ordre.’ J 44 The Order of.” Harleian MS. 367. .Printed bv Charles YVlriltineham No. 21 Tooks Court Cursitor S Street Ghnnrprv 1 ANNO 1522.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 155 ‘ that go out of the Realm for to seek and obtain honour, and all certifications, 4 or sending letters and writings concerning the said Order, from henceforth, 4 shall be sealed with one of the Seals of the said Order. XXXY. 4 Item, It is agreed, that if any Knight of the said Order, for his 4 devotion, will dwell within the said Castle continually, there shall be ordained 4 for him a dwelling place convenient, by the assignment of the Sovereign, and 4 he of his proper goods, and at his costs and charges shall provide for his living. XXXVI. 4 Item, If any other Knight, not being of the said Order, hath 4 any will to dwell there for his devotion, there shall be ordained for him a 4 dwelling place, after the will and pleasure of the said Sovereign, and with 4 the consentment of the said Company. XXXVII. 4 Item, It is ordained, that if any Knights, or other person, will 4 give any lands, heritage, or rents, for to be participant of all the good 4 Oraisons-f- and Prayers, that shall be said , 33 in the said place, also his name 4 shall be registered, and the Canons and Poor Knights shall pray perpetually 4 unto 34 God for him; and also the said Dean, Warden and Canons of the said 4 College, from henceforth, shall not take any manner of charge upon the said 4 College, without the advice and consentment of the said Sovereign, or his 4 Deputy, and the Fellowship of the said Order, in presence, and by them 4 consented and agreed in plain Chapter. XXXVIII. 4 Item, For to have better knowledge of the Knights that shall 4 be of the said Order, the Sovereign of it willeth and ordaineth, by the wills and 4 consentments of all 33 the whole Company, that from henceforth, that every 4 Knight of the said Order shall have and wear, apertly and openly, a Collar 4 of Gold about his neck, weighing thirty ounces of troy weight, and not 4 above, the which Collar shall be made by pieces, in 36 fashion of Garters, in 4 the midst of which Garters shall be a ^double Rose,§ the one Rose of 37 red, 4 and the other 38 within white, and the other Rose white, and the other Rose 4 within red.J And at the end of the said Collar shall be put and fastened the Yae. 33 said there, in. 34 to. 35 all, omitted. 36 in the fashion. 37 of, omitted. 38 other, omitted. f “ Orisons, prayers, or other meritorious deeds of Charity that shall be said or done in the said place.”—Harl. MS. 567, and Lansd. MS. 783. + “ Shall be a red Rose.” All the rest is omitted.—Harl. MS. 567. § 44 A double Rose: the other Rose of red, and the inner Rose white; and the next outer Rose white, and the inner Rose red, interchanged, countercoloured red and white.”—Lansd. MS. 783. 156 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. 4 Image of Saint George, the which Collar, the said Sovereign, his successors, 39 ‘ and amiable 40 Company of the said Order, shall be bound to wear, and in 4 especial 41 in principal and solemn Feasts of the year. And in other days of 4 the year shall be holden to wear a small Chain of Gold with the Image of 4 Saint George, depending at the end of the said Chain, except in time of war, 4 sickness, long voyage, then it shall suffice him to wear alone, a Lace of Silk, 4 with the said Image of Saint George. And if the said Collar have any 4 need of reparation, it may be put in the hands 42 of the goldsmith and 4 workman, unto the time that it be repaired, the which Collar also may not 4 be made more richer with stones, or other things, reserving the said Image, 4 the which may be garnished and enriched at the pleasure of the said Knight. 4 Also the said Collar may not be sold, engaged, aliened, nor 43 given, for any 4 need, cause, or necessity, whatsoever it be.’ % In May 1522, the Emperor, Charles the Fifth, arrived in England; and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Suffolk, five Earls, several Bishops and Barons, two 44 Knights of the Order,” (Sir Henry Marney and Sir Rhys ap Thomas,) and forty-one Knights, were appointed to receive him at Canterbury. 1 Though not noticed in the Register, a Chapter was held on the 19th of June 1522, at which the Emperor, who had been Elected in December 1508, 2 was present; and it is said, that 44 on Corpus Christi Day, the King and Emperor, with great triumph, rode to the College of Windsor, where the Emperor wore his Mantle of the Garter, and sat in his own Stall, and gave to the Heralds two hundred crowns.” 3 In April 1523, Sir Thomas Boleyne p , father of Queen Anne Boleyne, then Treasurer of the Household (afterwards created Viscount Rochford, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond), was Elected; 4 and in July in the same year, Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of C hartley p was Chosen, and placed in the Stall made Var. 39 successor. 40 amicable. 41 especially. 42 into the hand. 43 or. X According to a contemporary MS. in the Cottonian Library, Julius C. ix. f. 198, this Statute was made in a Chapter, at Westminster, on the 29th of April, 36th Hen. VIII. 1544; but the only Chapter in that year noticed in the Register was held at Greenwich, on the 23rd of April, and nothing is said respecting this Statute. In the French and Latin copy, in the Register, it occurs as the last Article, without any thing to shew it was not enacted with all the others, except this note by Dr. Wren (Register of the Order) in 1631 : 44 Totum hoc Caput assuitur de novo ex institutione Hen. VIII.”—Anstis, II. 339. The copy of the Statutes which were sent to Francis I. in 1527, proves, however, that the Article itself occurred in the Statutes of 1522; but as the Roses in the Collar are .AMNIS 1522—1525.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 157 vacant by the death of Lord Monteagle. 5 On Saint George’s Day 1524, a Chapter was held at the King’s Palace of Beaulieu, in Essex, when Sir Arthur Plantagenet (who was made Viscount L’Isle in 1533), a natural son of King Edward the Fourth; and Robert Lord Fitzwalter p (afterwards Earl of Sussex), who distinguished himself at Tournay, were Elected; 6 and it appears that the King had before declared and explained that all the Knights should take their places in processions, and sit at table, in the order of their Stalls, and not according to their birth or titles of Honour, unless the Sovereign should select any particular person to sit at his own board, and that a Decree was then made to that effect. 7 Two Stalls being vacant on Saint George’s Day 1525, William Fitz Alan Earl of Arundel p , and Thomas Manners Lord Roos, Warden of the East Marches (who was created Earl of Rutland in June following), were Elected; and a circumstance occurred which shews how strictly the Statutes were adhered to. After Lord Roos had been Invested with' the Garter, it was discovered that he had never been Knighted; and the King directed the Companions to reassemble and form a new Chapter. Henry then declared the Election of Lord Roos to be void, and commanded the Ensigns to be taken from him; which having been done, he was called in, and Knighted. The Companions then proceeded to a new Election, wdien Lord Roos having been again unanimously chosen, was declared a Knight of the Order; and the King desired the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk to restore the Insignia to him; on receiving which he was Installed. 8 On the 7th of June in the same year, Sir Henry Fitzroy, the King’s natural son by Elizabeth Lady Talboys (who was then about seven years of age, and was shortly after created Duke of Richmond and Somerset, with precedency of all Dukes, except the lawful children of the King); and Ralph Neville fourth Earl of Westmoreland p , were Elected into the vacancies caused by the deaths of the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Arundel. 9 In April 1526, therein described as Red, only, the Article seems to have been merely altered in 1544, to authorize the change in the colour of the Roses. 1 Foedera, XIII. 768. 2 Vide p. 120, antea. 3 Hall, p. 641. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 360. He was Elected to the vacancy occasioned by the death of Henry Stafford Earl of Wiltshire, and was Installed on the 15th of August following.—Ibid. p. 361. * Ibid. P . 363. 6 Ibid. p. 366. * Ibid. pp. 466, 467. s Ibid. p. 369. 9 Ibid. p. 370. 158 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. the Order was conferred upon three distinguished Officers of the Royal Household; namely, William Blount Lord Montjoy, the Queen’s Chamberlain; Sir William Fitzwilliam p , then Treasurer, who had been Admiral of England, and was afterwards made Earl of Southampton; and Sir Henry Guldeford p (brother of Sir Richard Guldeford before mentioned), the Comptroller, who had served under the King of Arragon against the Moors, and was Knighted by that Prince, who bore the King’s Banner at Terouenne , * 1 and was one of the most celebrated persons of Henry’s court . 2 They were immediately Invested with the Collar and other Insignia, and were Installed in May following, when the Banners, Helmets, and Swords of the Earl of Worcester, the Lords la Warr and Dacre, and Sir Richard Wingfield, were removed from the Chapel . 3 The Register in this year states, that complaints having been made by the Poor Knights, the Lord Chancellor, as Visitor of the College, was directed to hear their grievances. But it is said they gained nothing by their remonstrance, for they “ made (as they say) a rod for their own backs, whilst desirous to lay a burthen no ways due upon willing and generous minds; but deceived of their unjust aim, they, as they highly deserved, rendered them for the future more averse to them :” 4 * 6 7 8 9 whence it would seem that the quarrel was between the Poor Knights and the Ecclesiastical members of the College, to which body, it must however be remembered, the writer himself belonged. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. Sir Henry Guldeford’s Stall Plate is engraved in Anstis, II. 234. 1 Hall, pp. 522, 540. 2 Register, Anstis, II. p. 376. 3 Ibid, p.378. A full account of their Installation is printed by Anstis, II. Appendix, No. iv. p. xxix. et seq. 4 Ibid. p. 377. 6 The Register says the Chapter was held on the 10th of April, 19th Hen. VIII. which would place it in 1528; but a contemporary MS. cited by Anstis, and other circumstances, shew that it was held on Saint George’s Day in 1527. 6 The Register (II. 380) adds, however, “ unless the Sovereign should vouchsafe his presence there.” 7 Anstis, II. 379, on the authority of the MS. marked M. 17. in the College of Arms. 8 Register, Anstis, II. 379, 380. 9 Anstis, II. p. 382. Wolsey’s letter to the King on this subject was dated at Amiens, on the 16th of August 1527: “And proceeding in further devising with the said French King, his Grace entered into communication of the perpetual peace, and the conjunction of your two Majesties in one heart and will, highly esteeming and rejoicing thereat, and having the Collar of his Order (Saint Michael) about his neck, and holding the Image of Saint Michael appending thereunto, in his hand, ANNO 1527.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 159 At a Chapter at Greenwich on Saint George’s Day 5 in 1527, it was determined that the Knight who might be appointed to act as the Sovereign’s Lieutenant, at the Feast at Windsor, and as Assistants to him, should be excused from attending there in the following year, 6 unless they themselves wished to be present; and this exemption was afterwards extended to three years. 7 It was likewise provided, that the Usher of the Order should carry the Black Rod before the Sovereign, or his Deputy, on Saint George’s Day, and at every Festival at Windsor, and be present in all Chapters. 8 The friendly relations which existed between this Country and France were strengthened towards the close of 1527, by the Sovereigns interchanging their Orders, which was proposed, in a very happy manner, by Francis the First. In an interview which Cardinal Wolsey obtained of that Prince at Amiens, Francis, after a profusion of compliments, placing his hand on the Badge of the Order of Saint Michael, which was suspended from his neck, said, “ Now the King my Brother and I be thus knit and married in our hearts together, it were well done, me seemeth, that we should be knit par colles et jambs.’' 9 Henry was accordingly elected a Knight of Saint Michael, on the 15th of September; 1 and on the 21st of October, Francis the First, and John de Yere, Earl of Oxford, Great Chamberlain of England, were chosen Companions of the Garter. 2 On the 25th of that month, Henry wrote to the French Monarch, said, ‘ Now the King my Brother and I be thus knit and married in our hearts together, it were well done, me seemeth, that we should be knit par colletz et jambes;’ meaning thereby that ye should interchangeably take and receive each other’s Order. For the which his overture, proceeding of himself and of so good mind, after I had given convenient thanks, not misliking the same, I said I would with diligence advertise your Highnes thereof. It may therefore be your pleasure to notify unto me your Grace’s determination herein, to the intent that if it shall be thought to your Majesty that this permutation of Orders may confer and be beneficial to the corroboration of the said union and perpetual peace, as it is great semblance and likely the same shall be, I may cause that the Great Master (who with the President of Rouen shall pass with me, at my return to your Realm, for taking of your Grace’s Oath and ratification of the perpetual peace and such other treaties as be now concluded here), shall bring to your Highness the said Order : and your Grace, after the presentation and receiving thereof or before (remitting most reverently the resolution of the same to your High wisdom and pleasure), may determine what shall be done for the collation, disposition, and sending of your said Order.”—State Papers, vol. I. p. 259. 1 The proceedings of the Chapter “ de l’Ordre Monseigneur Sainct Michel, Archange et Premier Chivalier de l’Ordre de Paradis,” in which Henry the Eighth was “ Esleu, Nomine, et Appelle a Frere Chivalier, et Compaignon de l’Ordre et amiable Compaignie de Monseigneur Sainct Michel;” and Anne de Montmorency, Marshal and Grand Master of France, was appointed to convey to him the Collar and other Ensigns and Statutes of the Order, are printed in the Foedera, XIV. 228, 229. 2 Register, Anstis, II. 382. 160 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. and addressed him, as “ Treshault, tresexcellent, et tres puissant Prince, nostre trescher et tresame Frere, Cousin, Compere, et perpetuel Confedere et Allie.” After stating that for his “ tresgrande Noblesse, treshaulte Renommee, Chevale- reux Couraige, vaillans Faictz,” and his other great merits and virtues, and for the increase of the perpetual amity, peace, and confederation between them and their subjects, Francis had been Elected into the “ amiable Compaignie et Noble Ordre Sainct George,” Henry prayed him to accept the Order; and added the following subscription, in his own hand, “ Vostre bon Frere, Cousin, Compere, et perpetuel Amy, Henry R.” 3 Sir Arthur Plantagenet Viscount L’Isle, Knight of the Garter, Dr. Taylor, Vice Chancellor of England, Sir Nicholas Carew, Master of the Horse, Sir Anthony Browne, and Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Garter King of Arms, were sent to Paris with the Ensigns of the Order; 4 and Anne de Montmorency, Great Master and Marshal of France, and Monsieur de Huniers, both Knights of Saint Michael, having arrived at Greenwich, Henry and Francis were severally Invested, with extraordinary ceremony, on the same day, Sunday, the 10th of November. 5 Both Sovereigns promised, on the word of a King and on their honour, to observe the Statutes of the respective Orders, in whatever might not be against themselves, nor inconsistent with the Statutes of their own Order, or the Orders which they had before accepted from other Princes. 6 7 Francis seems to have attached much importance to the Order of the Garter; for when he received the Herald who brought the Emperor’s challenge, on the 10th of September 1528, he came to the English Ambassadors, and 3 This Letter, together with the certificate of Francis’ acceptation of the Order, and the original Commission for his Investiture, is bound up with the copy of the Statutes which were sent to him, now in the British Museum (Additional MS. 5712). A beautiful illumination is prefixed to the Statutes, representing, on a leaf of gold, diapered with roses and lilies, a Female figure, with the word Concordia, holding two branches, the one of red Roses, and the other of white Lilies, between which Escutcheons of the Arms of Saint George, of the Sovereign, impaling those of Saint George, and of the King of France, each within the Garter, are introduced. 4 Francis’s certificate of his acceptance of the Order, and of his having been Invested with the Mantle and other Ensigns, was dated at Paris, 10th November 1527.—Ashmole’s Appendix, No. cxvi. and Foedera, XIV. 232. 5 A description of Henry’s Investiture, and the Feast on the occasion, is in Hall, pp. 734, 735; and of that of Francis, and his Installation, on the 26th of January 1527-8, by his Proxy, Monsieur Tiercelm, in Anstis, II. Appendix v. p. xxxii. 6 Foedera, XIV. 229, 233. 7 Letter from the English Ambassadors to Cardinal Wolsey, 12th September 1528, in the Cotton. MS. Caligula, D. ii.—Anstis, I. 88. ANNIS 1528—1532.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 161 “ shewed his leg whereon he had the Garter, saying, that seeing he went about an act wherein consisted the honour of Knighthood, he thought that he could not put a better remembrance, nor do any thing that should better move him and stir him to the defence of his Honour than the wearing thereof. He said also, that he thought it convenient to be worn that day, to the intent men should see the thing whereabout he went concerned the King’s Highness, his Brother’s honour, as well as his, and said he could do no less for the defence of the honour of the one, and for the honour of the other.” 7 For four years no Election, nor any other proceeding relating to the Order took place, except the celebration of the Feast. 8 By an Act of Parliament in 1529, regulating the number of Chaplains which Peers and others might appoint, it was provided that Archbishops and Dukes might have six, Marquesses and Earls five, Viscounts and Bishops four, and the Lord Chancellor, Barons, and Knights of the Garter, three Chaplains each. 9 On Saint George’s Day 1531, Henry Algernon Percy Earl of Northumberland was Elected into the Marquess of Dorset’s vacancy; and the Earl, who received the Ensigns “ with the greatest joy,” 1 was Installed on the 7th of May, on which day the Annual Feast was kept. 2 At the Anniversary in the following year, it was determined that the Stall of Lord Dudley, who died in 1531, should remain vacant. In October 1532, the King went to Boulogne, to meet Francis the First- The interview was conducted with great magnificence; and among other testimonies of amity and esteem, the Monarchs conferred their Orders upon two 8 More full accounts of the celebration of the Feast in 1528, 1530, 1531, and 1532, than occur in the Register, are printed by Anstis, II. Appendices, Nos. vi, vii, vm, and ix, p. xxxiv—xxxvi, from a contemporary MS. marked M. 17, in the College of Arms. The following List of the Knights, in May, in the 20th of Hen. VIII. 1528, in the order of their Stalls, occurs therein : Earl of Oxford. Lord Mountjoy. Sir William Fitz William. The Sovereign. King of France. Duke of Richmond. Marquess of Exeter. Earl of Shrewsbury. Earl of Essex. Earl of Westmoreland. Viscount Fitzwalter. Earl of Rutland. Lord Dudley. 9 Stat. 24th Hen. VIII. c. 13. Emperor Charles V. Ferdinand King of Hungary and Bohemia. Duke of Norfolk. Marquess of Dorset. Duke of Suffolk. Earl of Arundel. Viscount L’lsle. Lord Bergavenny. Lord Ferrers of Chartley. Lord Darcy. Viscount Rochfort. Lord Sandys. Sir Henry Guldeford. Register, Anstis, II. 386, 388. 2 Ibid, and Appendix, No. vm. p. xxxv. 162 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. of the most distinguished Noblemen in the other’s suite. On the 25th of that month, a Chapter of Saint Michael was held, which was attended by Henry, as one of the Knights; when the Duke of Norfolk and the Duke of Suffolk were Elected, and Invested with the Collar of that Order; but they swore to observe the Statutes, so far only as might be consistent with their allegiance. After the King’s arrival at Calais he summoned a Chapter of the Garter, which was held on the 28th of October, and was attended by Francis, wdio wore the Mantle and voted, when Anne de Montmorency p Count de Beaumont, Great Master and Marshal, and Philip de Chabot, Count de Neublanc, Admiral of France, were Elected and Invested with the Garter and Collar. These personages, who, together with the King of Navarre and the Cardinal of Loraine, dined on that day with Henry, * 3 4 5 6 were Installed by their proxies in May in the following year. 3 The proceedings at Boulogne are remarkable events in the Annals of the Order, for on no previous, or subsequent occasion did the Kings of England and France attend together and vote as Companions in the Chapters of their p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Hall, pp. 792, 794, who says this Chapter was held on “ Monday, being Saint Simon and Jude’s day,” i. e. the 28th of October; but the Register states that on the 27th of October “ a most glorious Chapter of this Order was held at Calais, in which the King of France, the Dukes of Richmond, Norfolk, and Suffolk, the Marquess of Exeter, the Earls of Arundel, Rutland, and Oxford, Viscount L’lsle, Lord Sandys, and Sir William Fitzwilliam, were present (II. 389). As the Collars with which the French Noblemen were invested, were then borrowed from the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, it would appear that the Election of two French Noblemen was not contemplated when Henry left England (Vide Anstis II. 391). To the many proofs that subjects were then obliged to obtain the permission of their own Sovereign to accept a Foreign Order, may be added the letters from Francis the First to Montmorency and Chabot, dated on the 24th of October 1532, allowing them to accept the Garter.— Duchesne’s Preuves de l’Histoire de Montmorency, p. 280, and quoted by Anstis, I. p. xii. 4 Register, Anstis, II. 389. 5 Henry is supposed to have been privately married to Anne Boleyn at Dover, on the 14th of November following.—Hall, p. 794. 6 Stat. 24th Hen. VIII. c. 13. The prohibition respecting woollen cloth manufactured out of the Realm, was repeated.—Vide Stat. 1st Hen. VIII. c. 14; 6th Hen. VIII. c. 1; 7th Hen. VIII. c. 6; and p. 121, antea. It has been already observed that Dr. Aldridge, the compiler of the “ Black Book,” was in 1534 appointed Register of the Order (Anstis, II. p. 393); and he prefixed to the Annals of King Henry the Eighth’s reign, two Paintings, one representing the Sovereign and Companions assembled in Chapter; and the other, a Procession of the Knights to the High Altar. Engravings of these Paintings are given by Anstis, vol. II. p. 268, and in his Appendix, ii. p. xlj, he thus describes them: “ This representation consists of two draughts or parts. The first figure represents the Chapter of this Order, in which the Sovereign sits in his Chair of State, with an arched Crown on his head, holding ANNO 1532.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 163 respective Orders. Like the other Knights, Francis nominated for Election into the Garter, three Earls or persons of higher degree, three Barons, and three Knights Bachelors, and the names present an interesting fact, which has not hitherto been noticed. Henry was then enamoured of Anne Boleyn, whom he had recently created Marchioness of Pembroke, and who accompanied him to Calais. With a solitary exception, the French King gave all his suffrages for his own countrymen; and as the exception was in favour of her brother, George Lord Rochford, 4 it was evidently intended as a compliment to the future Queen of England. 5 It does not appear for whom King Henry voted at the Election into the Order of Saint Michael; but none of the Knights present at that Chapter of the Garter, except the King of France, voted for any other Frenchman than the two who were Elected. Parliament passed another Sumptuary Law in 1532, by which the use of the colour of purple was confined to the King and Queen, the King’s mother, children, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts; but an exception was made for the Mantles of the Order of the Garter. 6 the Sceptre in his right hand, and in his left the Mound surmounted with the Cross. He is habited in a scarlet surcoat with round sleeves in the form of a surplice, having over it the Mantle of the Order lined with Ermine, ensigned with Saint George’s Cross, encompassed with the Garter upon his right [sic] shoulder and about his neck, or rather his shoulders, the Collar of the Order with the Image of Saint George pendant thereto. On the Sovereign’s left hand are represented thirteen Knights Companions all standing, and on his right twelve, which twenty-five are in the same scarlet surcoats reaching down to the small of their legs, and over them the Mantles of the Order with the like Collars and Georges : Two of them on his right hand have arched Crowns upon their heads, sceptres in their right hands, and mounds in their left. On his left is one in the same manner, and another with an unarched Crown upon his head, having the mound in his right and sceptre in his left hand. Six of the other Companions have red caps lying flat upon their heads ; one hath a black cap doubled or lined with red ; the residue of the number with black caps, save only one on the right hand who is pictured uncovered. “ The other draught represents a procession made in the Chapel to the Altar: below the steps of the Altar on each side there stand thirteen ecclesiastics with their tonsures, having over their surplices rich copes, and each holding a book open, as though they were singing by notes. The procession passes on between them to the Altar, and is begun by three persons in breast; he in the middle being habited in a Gold surplice bears a Cross, and on each side of him hath two persons clothed in black, having red stockings, who seem to be vergers, because they carry maces (though the Statutes and several Ceremonials mention three Crosses borne on these occasions), then the Knights proceed in the following manner, having all of them their Tabards with their Armorial Bearings cast over their Mantles: “ First three Companions in breast, Sir William Fitzwilliam having on his left Sir William Sandys, who hath his Wife’s Arms in an inescutcheon, and on his right, the Admiral of France. These three juniors went without doubt therefore together, that the Sovereign might, according to the rule, proceed single; at last eighteen other Companions go two in two in breast in this method: 164 HISTORY OF THE [HENKY VIII. On the 20th of January 1535, James the Fifth* of Scotland, the King’s nephew, was Elected in the room of Lord Montjoy. 1 He was the first Scottish Monarch who received the Order; and it is remarkable that his father, James the Fourth, was not made a Companion on his marriage with the Princess Margaret of England, in August 1503. On the occasion of King James’s Election, the Statute requiring the presence of six Knights was dispensed with, five only having voted; 2 and Lord William Howard being soon after sent to Invest him, James received the Ensigns “ with Princely heart and will.” 3 A formal instrument was executed in February 1535, stating the articles of the Statutes which he had sworn to observe, and that he had refused all the others; 4 and he was Installed by his proxy, John Lord Erskine, in August 1535. 5 But it appears to have been necessary to press him to appoint his proxy; 6 and in Bishop Stewart’s Letter to Secretary Cromwell, announcing the departure of Lord Erskine, dated on the 1st of August 1535, he says, on Saint George’s Day, James “ began to wear the tokens and ensigns of the said Noble Order, and ever intends to persevere in heartly love and kindness with his dearest uncle, your Sovereign.” 7 At the ensuing Chapter, it was determined that the King of Scotland ought to have a Stall suitable to his dignity; and a general transposition of the Stalls being made, he was placed after the King of the Romans. 8 The next Election occurred at Greenwich on Saint George’s Day 1536, The Earl of Wiltshire. 00 $3 The Earl of Oxford. Lord Darcy. ctf pfi Montmorency. Lord Ferrers. Earl of Rutland. Lord Abergavenny. bp *£ Earl of Sussex. Viscount L’lsle. > ^ Earl of Westmoreland. Earl of Northumberland. Earl of Essex. Earl of Arundel. S3 O Earl of Shrewsbury. Duke of Suffolk. b.0 .5 Marquess of Exeter. Duke of Norfolk. *> ci Duke of Richmond. Then come in breast three Officers of the Order, Garter Principal King of Arms, habited in the Sovereign Tabard, having on his right hand the Register in an albe or white surplice, with the tonsure on his head, and on his left the Gentleman Usher in a Gown of murrey colour, with a cape having a double Chain hanging over his shoulders, with the Black Rod in his right hand. It is somewhat strange that the Prelate and Chancellor are omitted out of this draught. “ The King of Scotland with his Tabard of Arms, with a Crown unarched on his head, having on his right hand, Ferdinand King of the Romans [whose Tabard is charged with the Arms of Spain]. Then the King of France with the Emperor on his right hand, these three latter with arched Crowns and their Tabards of Arms. A person bareheaded carrying the Sword of State (the emblem of royal and military power), holding the hilt of it with both hands, having a double chain hanging about ANNO 1537.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 165 when ten Knights voted; but they were unanimous only in nominating Sir Nicholas Carew, the Master of the Horse. The Register having delivered the Scrutiny to the Sovereign, he read and placed it in his vest; and the following day, while proceeding to hear the Mass of Requiem for the deceased Companions, Henry, pulling out the paper, said that though it contained the names of many who fully deserved their voices, he thought Sir Nicholas Carew should be preferred, as well because the largest number of votes fell upon him, as on account of his birth and merits. Carew being accordingly introduced into the Chapter, he fell upon his knees and humbly returned thanks for the honour conferred upon him, in preference to so many worthier persons, which he ascribed to no merit of his own, but solely to the King’s goodness, and the favour of the Companions. 9 Henry Clifford Earl of Cumberland p having on many occasions shewn great zeal for the King’s service, and particularly in suppressing Aske’s rebellion in the northern parts of England, he was unanimously Elected a Knight of the Garter in April 1537; and all the Companions present are said to have expressed their satisfaction at the Sovereign’s choice, and their own high sense of the Earl’s loyalty and services. 10 The King being at Windsor in August 1537, held a Chapter on the 5th of that month for Electing a Knight in the room of Lord Darcy, who had been convicted of High Treason; and Thomas Lord Cromwell, then the Principal his shoulders, clothed ki a gown of russet colour, with a cape to it, and with red stockings. Then the Sovereign alone, with the Crown, Sceptre, Mound, Collar, and George, as he was represented in the Chapter without any Tabard of his Arms.” p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 The Achievements of Sir Henry Guldeford were offered on Saint George’s Day 1533. 2 Register, II. pp. 394, 395.—In the Harleian MS. 6074 (which belonged to Wriothesley, Garter King of Arms), there is an account of the cost of the Book of the Statutes sent to the Scottish Monarch, amounting to £3 4«. Qd. James was also a Knight of the Golden Fleece, and Saint Michael. See a notice of the Collars of these Orders among his jewels in the History of the Order of the Thistle, postea. 3 Letter from Bishop Stewart to Cromwell, in “ State Papers,” vol. V. p. 19.—The account of the King of Scotland’s Investiture is in Anstis, vol. II. Appendix, No. xi; and the Instructions to Lord William Howard, are in Ashmole, Appendix, No. cij. 4 Anstis, II. p. xl.—The Articles agreed to by King James were, the Second, the Third, the Twenty- first, and the Twenty-third. 5 Hall, p. 818. Anstis, II. p. xci. 6 State Papers, vol. V. p. 23. 7 Ibid. p. 30. 8 Register, Anstis, II. 396. 9 Ibid. II. 398, 401. 10 Ibid. II. p. 404. ]66 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. Secretary, and Keeper of the Privy Seal, and afterwards Earl of Essex, was Elected. 1 Cromwell, as is well known, was of mean extraction; and that he should have aspired to the Garter was severely censured, both at the time and since, as an act of unwarrantable vanity. It has been said 2 that his Election was the first time the article of the Statutes requiring the qualification of gentility of birth was dispensed with; and he himself appears to have received the honour as if he were conscious it was far beyond his pretensions. Being called into the Chapter House, says the Register, 3 “ he immediately fell down before the Sovereign, giving with all the eloquence he was master of (and certainly he was master of the justest), infinite thanks to his Majesty, for vouchsafing so great and glorious an honour to him, who was so inconsiderable a person, and (in his own opinion) so undeserving; and to all the Society then present, who had now made him one of their Companions, and so readily admitted him to the honour of the most Noble Order; and since he could not make them a return answerable to their merits, yet he would never leave off desiring and endeavouring it, as well by serving them, as by all other means in his power.” It is a curious coincidence, that this celebrated person should have succeeded to a Stall which became void by Treason, and that, within four years, he should, for the same crime, have made room for another. At the Chapter in which Cromwell was Elected, a Stall was reserved for the Prince, whose birth was then expected; 4 and on the 12th or 13th of October following, the Queen, after two days of extreme suffering, was delivered of “ the most renowned Prince Edward, whose birth caused all over the Kingdom of England far greater joy and transport than can be told or expressed.” 5 On the 23rd of April 1539, John Lord Russell p (afterwards Earl of Bedford), Sir Thomas Cheney p , Treasurer of the King’s Household, and Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Sir William Kingston 11 , Comptroller of the Household and Constable of the Tower, were Elected. 6 * * * * Their Installation, of which 1 Anstis, II. 407, 408. 2 Ibid. II. 408. note. 3 Ibid. II. 408. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. p. 410.—The Register states that Edward the Sixth was born on Saint Edward’s day, the 13th of October; but Anstis has cited a contemporary MS. in the College of Arms, which seems to shew that the event took place on Friday, Saint Wilfrid’s day, the 12th of October, which was the Eve of that of Saint Edward. The name of Edward being given to the young Prince, supports the opinion that he was born on the Feast of Saint Edward the Confessor. The Register does not contain any notice of the proceedings of the Order in the 30th Hen. VIII. 1538, probably because the ANNO 1539.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 167 a minute account is preserved, 7 took place on the 17th of May following, when the Annual Feast was held; and it was then determined that the Sovereign’s pleasure should be taken, whether the Ensigns of Knights convicted of High Treason, should, in future, be pulled down and removed. 8 The next Chapter was held at Westminster on Saint George’s Day 1540, when Thomas Lord Audley of Walden 1 *, Lord Chancellor, and Sir Anthony Browne p , Master of the Horse, were chosen. 9 The Scrutiny on that occasion is deserving of remark. Fourteen Knights voted, every one of whom nominated the young Prince Edward, by the designation of,“the Prince of England;” but though he had been declared Duke of Cornwall soon after his birth, he was never created Prince of Wales, nor Elected into the Garter. It is, however, extremely probable, that when this Election took place, the King intended to admit the young Prince into the Order. A Stall was purposely reserved for him before his birth ; 10 and it is very unlikely that the whole Chapter should have ventured to propose him, unless they had cause to believe that their votes would be agreeable to the King, more especially as the Prince was never before, nor afterwards, nominated. For what reason Henry, neither then nor at any other time, conferred the Garter upon him, has not been discovered; and it is even difficult to form a plausible conjecture on the subject. His youth could scarcely be the objection, for Henry (though his elder brother the Prince of Wales was then living), was himself Elected before he was three years of age. The King had given the Order to his natural son, the Duke of Richmond, when only seven years old; and before his father’s decease, Prince Edward had nearly attained his tenth year. In a Chapter held at the celebration of the Feast in May in that year, a question arose, whether the names of Knights convicted of Treason, should be blotted out of the Records of the Order, or be retained there ? The Sovereign being consulted, determined that the crimes of such persons should be marked with deserved infamy, but that the Books should not be defaced with blots or writer was removed from the Deanery of Windsor and Registership of the Order, to the Bishoprick of Carlisle, Dr. Aldridge having been elected to that See on the 18th of July 1537. After that time it was written by another person. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 Register, II. 411, 412. 7 Anstis, II. 412; Appendix, No. xm. p. xliv. 8 Register, Anstis, II. p. 413. 9 Ibid. p. 413, 414. 10 Vide p. 164, antea. 168 HISTORY OF THE [HENRY VIII. erasures; and he therefore directed that wherever their names and actions were mentioned, the words, “ Vah! Proditor,” “ Out upon thee! Traitor,” should be written in the margin. 9 Doubts having occurred whether the old Funeral rites, with Masses, or Services for the dead, should be continued, as prescribed by • the nineteenth article of the then existing Statutes, or in any other manner, it was ordained by the Sovereign, with the assent of the Knights present, on the 24th of May ensuing, that the following sums should still be paid, viz. by th<5 Sovereign, ,£8 6s. 8 d .; by a Foreign King, £6 13s. 4c?.; by a Prince of Wales, £5 6s. 8 d .; by a Duke, £5; by a Marquess, £3 15s.; by an Earl, 50s.; by a Viscount, 41s. 8c?.; by a Baron, 33s. 4c?.; by a Knight Bachelor, 16s. 8c?.; and that the Register of the Order, or the Dean of Windsor, after being informed of, and having notified the death of any of the Companions, should receive the same, and then distribute it to pious uses, such as repairing and mending highways, relief of the poor, &c. as the Sovereign might direct. The Dean and Chapter, or one of them, once in every year, were to account to the King in Chapter, for the money so received, declaring how they had bestowed the same; and if any of the Knights declined to pay this money, he should be fined to the amount of a third part of the said sum, and so from year to year as long as he should be a defaulter. But if the Dean or Register did not render a proper account, both of them, or he who might be in fault, was to pay ten pounds as a penalty, to be distributed in a similar manner. 10 This Decree now forms the nineteenth article of the Statutes delivered to the Knights on their Election; and is said to have been made on the 23rd of April, 1540. 11 The King shewed his respect for the memory of Queen Jane Seymour, by conferring the Garter upon his brother-in-law, Edward Earl of Hertford, in January 1541 p but though three other Stalls were then vacant, 2 they were not filled up until Saint George’s Day following, when Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, a name dear to literature; Sir John Gage p (who served at the sieges of 9 Register, Anstis, II. p. 417. 10 Ibid. II. 417, 419. I * 1 2 3 4 Vide p. 147, antea. 1 Register, II. 420. 2 Ibid. p. 421. Namely, those of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Sandys, and Sir William Kingston. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Gage’s History of Hengrave, p. 228. 4 Register, II. 423.—In the Proceedings of the Privy Council on the 23rd of April, 33rd Hen. VIII. 1541, it is said, “ being Saint George’s Day, the Council did not sit.”—Vol. VII. p. 182. ANNIS 1543—1547.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 169 Tournay and Terouenne, was appointed Captain of Guisnes, and was afterwards Vice Chamberlain, Captain of the Guard, Comptroller of the Household, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Constable of the Tower); 3 and Sir Anthony Wingfield, the Vice Chamberlain, were Elected. 4 In April 1543, John Dudley Viscount LTsle (afterwards Duke of Northumberland); William Paulet Lord St. John p (afterwards Marquess of Winchester); and William Lord Parr (afterwards Marquess of Northampton), brother of Queen Katherine Parr, 5 w’ere chosen into the Order. 6 It was intended that they should have been Installed at the celebration of the Annual Feast in May; but as Lord Parr was then about to join the army in the North against the Scots, the ceremony was performed, in his case, on the 27th of April. 7 On Christmas Eve in the same year, a Chapter was held for the Election of Sir John Wallop p , Captain of Calais, 8 and Lieutenant of Guisnes, an old and eminent soldier; and such was the desire to shew respect to the new Queen, that notwithstanding her brother had been Elected in that year, seven out of the nine Knights who voted, nominated her uncle, Lord Parr of Horton, 9 for the same distinction. On Saint George’s Day 1544, Henry Fitz Alan Earl of Arundel p , and Sir Anthony St. Leger p , Lord Deputy of Ireland, were chosen into the Order; 1 and on the same day in the following year, Thomas Lord Wriothesley p , the Lord Chancellor, and Francis Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury 11 , were Elected. 2 These noblemen were the last persons upon whom the Garter was conferred by Henry the Eighth; though a scrutiny was taken at Greenwich, on the 3rd of May 1546, apparently with the intention of Electing Henry Grey Marquess of Dorset (afterwards Duke of Suffolk) who had married the King’s niece. King Henry the Eighth died on the 28th of January 1547; and was succeeded by his son, 5 Henry VIII. married Katherine Parr on the 12th of July 1543. 6 Register, II. 426. ? Ibid. II. 427. 8 Ibid. II. 429. A copy of the Warrant for his Robes is in the Harleian MS. 6074. f. 40. 9 At the next Election, in April 1544, Lord Parr was again nominated by all the Knights who voted, except Lord St. John. 1 Register, II. p. 431. 2 Ibid. p. 434. Z 170 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. KING EDWARD THE SIXTH. Like King Henry the Sixth, and King Henry the Seventh, the first admission of Edward the Sixth into the Order of the Garter was as its Sovereign; and though important alterations were made in its constitution during his reign, for the purpose of adapting the Statutes to the change which had taken place in the Religion of the Country, they were abrogated by his successor, and have never been revived. Not satisfied, however, with restoring the Original institutions of the Order, Queen Mary caused the Register to be defaced, by erasing every insertion which was not in accordance with the Roman Catholic Faith; 2 and the transactions thus obliterated, must be supplied from other sources. The first Chapter was held in the Tower, on the 17th of February 1547, 3 4 5 when Henry Marquess of Dorset (father of Lady Jane Grey), and afterwards Duke of Suffolk; Edward Stanley Earl of Derby p ; Sir Thomas Seymour, Master of the Horse (brother of the Protector, and the King’s maternal uncle, and who on the day before had been made Lord Seymour of Sudeley); and Sir William Paget p , who had frequently been employed on diplomatic missions, and was afterwards created a Peer, and appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2 Vide p. 182, postea. 3 The young King was Knighted by his uncle, the Duke of Somerset, by virtue of a Commission under the Great Seal, on the 6th of February 1547, nine days after his accession.—Anstis, II. 439, and Privy Council Register. * The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 Register, II. 441. The page of the Register in which their Election, and the Degradation of the Duke of Norfolk were recorded, has been removed, though the Scrutiny was allowed to remain. The Elections are given by Anstis (I. 441, 442) from a contemporary MS. and the Wardrobe Accounts of the 1st Edw. VI. The Degradation of the Duke of Norfolk on that occasion is inferred from Queen Mary’s Letter commanding him to be restored, wherein it is said that he had been expelled by King Edward the Sixth and the other Companions.—Ashmole, p. 622, and postea. 5 In a Letter from the Council in London to the Council with the King, dated 6th September 1546, it is said, “ the King’s Majesty hath determinately resolved to give the Order to Don Aloycius Marches of Gonzaga; and so the answer is made to his agents.”—State Papers, vol. I. p. 858. It is doubtful who the person so described actually was. The pedigrees of the Gonzaga family do not mention any other member of the name of Lewis, then living, than Lewis de Gonzaga, younger son of Frederic Marquess of Gonzaga, and first Duke of Mantua, the which Lewis de Gonzaga married Henrietta of Cleves Duchess of Nevers, and became in her right Duke of Nevers; but in 1546 he was only eight years of age. ANNIS 1546, 1547.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 171 were Elected. On that occasion, the Duke of Norfolk, who with his son, the accomplished Earl of Surrey, had been attainted of Treason in 1546, appears to have been Degraded from the Order. 4 It was intended about that time to confer the Garter upon Lewis Marquess of Gonzaga; 0 but he does not appear to have been ever Elected. The Annual Feast was celebrated on the 23rd of May following, when it was debated, whether the Banner and Achievements of King Henry the Eighth, which then hung over the Sovereign’s Stall, should be taken down and Offered at the Mass of Requiem, his Banner, Sword, Helmet, and Crest having been previously Offered up at his interment in the Chapel; and it was determined that they should not again be Offered, but remain for the existing Sovereign. The Knights-Elect were then Installed; and the Achievements of Francis the First of France, who died on the 31st of March 1547, were removed. 6 No proceedings in the year 1548 are noticed in the Register; but on the 20th of April, an Ordinance was made by the Privy Council “ for abolishing and changing of certain rites in the Order of the Garter,” with the view of suppressing every thing of a superstitious character, or which might be inconsistent with the King’s recent injunctions: and at a Chapter on the 22nd of that month, it was determined that no other ceremonies should be observed at the Anniversary, than such as were described in a Letter from the Lords of the Council. 7 Though probably not intended, these alterations had the effect 6 Anstis, II. 441, 442, from a contemporary MS. See Ashmole, p. 629. 7 This Letter, which is printed by Ashmole, p. 473, is as follows: “ After our most hearty commendations : Forasmuch as the King’s Highness hath appointed a most Godly reformation of divers abuses and rites in the Church, to a more convenient and decent order, of the which some hath been used heretofore in the Most Honourable and amicable Order of the Garter, and being not reformed, there should make a disagreeing from His Majesty’s most Godly proceedings. Therefore it is His Majesty’s will and pleasure, by the advice of us the Lord Protector, and other His Highness’s Council, that all such things, as be not conformable and agreeing to His Majesty’s injunctions, orders, or reformations, now of late prescribed, should be also in that Most Noble Order and the Ceremonies thereof left undone, and reformed, as hereafter followeth. First, that no Procession be made with going about the Church or Churchyard, but the King’s Majesty’s Procession, lately set forth in English to be used. His Majesty and other Knights of that Honourable Order sitting in their Stalls, at the entry such reverence to be made to the King’s Majesty only, as was heretofore. The Offering to be in the Box for the Poor, without any other reverence or kissing of any paten or other thing, but only at the return due reverence to the King’s Majesty, as was used before. The Mass of Requiem to be left undone, but yet both upon Saint George’s Day, and the next day, a Mass to be sung with great reverence; in the which, immediately after the words of Consecration is said, the Priest shall say the Pater Noster, and so turn and communicate all, or so many of the Order or other, after they have done, as shall be 172 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. of preventing the Feast of Saint George from being again kept at Windsor during Edward’s reign. “ Under what churlish fate,” Ashmole pathetically observes, “ this noble place then suffered, we cannot guess, other than the common calamity of that age, wherein most Ceremonies, solemn or splendid, either (chiefly such as related to Divine Service) came under the suspicion of being superstitious, if not idolatrous.” 8 On the 23rd of April 1549, Francis Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon p , who commanded the army sent to Boulogne, and who had been made a Knight of the Bath at the Coronation of Queen Anne Boleyn, and George Broke Lord Cobham p , Deputy Captain of Calais, were Elected; and it was agreed in that Chapter, that thenceforward the Knights-Elect might, if they pleased, be Installed by Commission “ without Feast.” * 1 The Lord St. John, Lord Great Master (or as the Office is now called, Lord Steward), the Earl of Arundel, Lord Chamberlain, and Sir William Paget, Comptroller of the Household, were directed to peruse the Statutes, and with the advice of the Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector, and other Companions, they were, apparently, to propose such alterations as might seem necessary; but the rest of the passage in the Register has been erased. 2 Two other Decrees were made in that Chapter, one directing an escutcheon of the Arms of all the Knights to be placed in the temporary Stalls which were erected, when the Feast was kept elsewhere than at Windsor; 2 and the other for reviving the ancient privilege enjoyed by the Heralds, of exemption from any taxes, taillage, impositions, subsidies, or benevolences. 3 On the 1st of December in the same year, disposed Godly at the same time to receive the Communion, according to such order as is prescribed in his Highness’s Book of Communion, and without any other rite or ceremony after the said Communion to be used, except it be some Godly psalm or hymn, to be sung in English, and so to end the said Service. All Chapters and other rites concerning the said Order, not being contrary to these, to remain as they have been prescribed and used, the which we have thought good to signify unto you, that you may follow the same accordingly. From Greenwich, the 20th of April 1548.” 8 Ashmole, p. 473. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 Register, II. 443, and contemporary MS. cited by Anstis. The Earl of Huntingdon and Lord Cobham, were Installed on the 13th of December 1549.—Ibid. p. 445. 2 Register, II. 443. 3 Anstis, II. p. 444, from a MS. in his possession, and Harleian MS. 6074, fo. 10; but that Ordinance is not noticed in the Register. * Register, II. 445. The Oath was as follows: “ You being chosen to be one of the Honourable ANNO 1550.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 173 Thomas West, Lord la Warr p , and Sir William Herbert 1 * * *, Master of the Horse, and Lord President of the Marches of Wales (afterwards created Earl of Pembroke), were chosen into the Order; and at their Installation on the 13th of that month a new Oath, adapted to the Reformed Religion, was administered to them. 4 On Saint George’s Day, and on the day following, in 1550, Chapters were held at Greenwich; but no Election took place, because the only Stall then vacant was that of the late King of France, which was kept for some personage of the highest rank, or, as it is expressed in the Register, “ which is kept for a great Estate.” It was then “ agreed, that the Book of the Statutes should be reformed, whereupon the King’s Majesty delivered One Book, wherein were contained certain Statutes unto the whole Company, by the same to be corrected and reformed as they thought best, until the next Chapter, the Registrar then being absent by reason of extreme illness.” 5 King Edward states, in his interesting Journal, that at this Feast, “ Monsieur Trimouille, and the Vidame of Chartres, and Monsieur Henaudy, came to the Court and saw the Order of the Garter, and the Knights, with their Sovereign, receive the Communion.” 6 It has been supposed, 7 that although certain Companions were appointed to revise the Statutes in 1549, and again in April 1551, nothing was done until March 1553, when they were entirely remodelled ; but the copy of the Statutes 8 which belonged to Sir William Herbert, between December 1549 and October 1551, when he was created Earl of Pembroke, shews that many material alterations had already been made in them, though they certainly do not appear Company of the Order of the Garter, shall promise and swear by the Holy Evangelists, by you bodily touched, to be faithfull and true to the King’s Majesty; and to observe and keep all the points of the Statutes of the said Order, and every article in them contained (the same being agreeable, and not repugnant to the King’s Highness’ other Godly proceedings), as far as unto you belongeth, and appertaineth as God help you, and these Holy Evangelists.” 5 Register, II. p. 445. 6 Anstis, II. 445. “ 23rd of April 1551. The French King, and the Lord Clinton, chosen into the Order of the Garter ; and appointed that the Duke of Somerset, the Marquess of Northampton, the Earl of Wiltshire, and the Earl of Warwick, should peruse and amend the Order.”—King Edward the Sixth’s Journal. 7 Ashmole, p. 194. 8 Additional MS. 6288, in the British Museum, which is proved to have belonged to Sir William Herbert, before he became Earl of Pembroke, by his Arms, which are painted on the first page (with those of the Sovereign), being without a coronet. 174 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. to have been framed with any reference to the change which had taken place in the Religion of the Country. No notice is taken in that copy of the Ordinance made in April 1548, for abolishing all ceremonies of a Romish nature, in Saint George’s Chapel; 9 nor of the resolution of the Chapter in 1549, that the Knights Elect might, if they pleased, be Installed by Commission, without any Feast. 1 Besides mere verbal variations, 2 Sir William Herbert’s copy differs from the usual copies of the Statutes of King Henry the Eighth, in the following important particulars. Like the Statutes sent to Francis the First in 1527, a fourth Point of Reproach occurs, which is thus stated, and which is similar to a proposition made in Chapter in the year 1516 ; 3 “ The fourth Point of Reproach is, that if any Knight of the Order from henceforth, by prodigality or riot wilfully and negligently mispend, sell, alien, or do away his patrimony or livelihood, by reason whereof he shall not be able honourably to maintain himself and his estate, in such honourable manner as may conserve the honour of the said Order and of himself, in this case he shall be summoned by the Usher of Arms of the Order, called the Black Rod, by commandment of the Sovereign, his Lieutenant or Deputy, to appear before his Majesty, or his Commissioners, and the Knights of the Order, at the next Chapter ensuing, and there to be examined before the said Sovereign or his said Commissioners, and the Knights and Companions of the said Order, and if he be found in such great default of prodigality, insolent riot, or wilful negligence, that then the Sovereign, with the advice of the Company of the said Order, may Deprive and Degrade him of the Order at the said Chapter, if it be their pleasure.” The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Articles of the former Statutes, are superseded by the following, which forms the third Article in this copy, and is described in the margin as “ The Order to be kept on Saint George’s Eve; ” 9 Vide p. 171, antea. 1 Vide p. 172, antea. 2 Among other trifling variations, is the omission of the name of Saint Edward the Confessor, in the preamble. After the words, “ made interpretation and declaration of the obscurities, doubts, and ambiguities of the said Statutes,” this sentence is added, “ with other certain additions to them adjoined, the tenor of which laudable ordinances, interpretations,” &c. In the twenty-first article, instead of “ But he shall have the one half of the Masses above named,” or as it now stands, “ But he shall have the one part of the Divine Service abovenamed,” it is said, “ But he shall be prayed for there.” 3 Vide p. 123, antea. Ashmole, p. 288, states that this Point of Reproach also occurs in a copy of ANMS 1550, 1551.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 175 “ Item, That the twenty-six aforenamed Knights shall wear their Mantles and Garters ordained at the said place, when they shall be present at the said Castle, that is, to wit, at all times that they shall enter within the Chapel of Saint George, or in the Chapter House, for to hold Chapter, or to do any thing, or act appertaining to the Order, and in like manner they shall wear their Mantles the Eve of St. George, coming with the Sovereign, or his Deputy, in manner of procession, from the King’s great Chamber unto the College, and returning in likewise, and also shall wear their said Mantles at the supper of the said Eve, they that will sup and the others also, until the void be done, and on the morrow in coming to the said Chapel and returning to dinner, and after, as long as the said Sovereign or his Deputy shall hold the State. Also in coming to the second Evensong and in returning, and at supper until the void be done, and that every of the twenty-six Companions aforenamed, at every time of their entrance into the Choir of the said Chapel, devoutly shall make obeisance, first towards the Altar, in honour of God in manner of the people of the Church, and after to the Sovereign, and to his Stall in his absence, before that they enter in their Stalls; and in like manner at the departing from the said Stalls.” To the eighth Article of Henry the Eighth’s Statutes, which provides for the assembling of all the Companions on Saint George’s Eve, this addition occurs : “ Also, that the Sovereign may have with him the number of the Company required by the Statutes, because that if any Election be, it may be vailable, and if in the same time there be any lacking of the said Companions, that then the Election shall appertain to the said Sovereign, and of the same shall the said Deputy sufficiently be certified by the said Sovereign, and in like case that the said Deputy shall signify to the Sovereign of all them that lack, if any be in England, because that for the time of the lacking in this presence of the said Sovereign is not found the number of the said Companions as abovesaid, and the Statutes which had belonged to Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset, who was Elected on the 17th of February, 1st Edw. VI. 1547. It is, however, remarkable, that though this Point of Reproach has not been found in any other copy of the Statutes than those above noticed, yet Sir Edward Walker, Garter, stated in his address, on Investing the Duke of Gloucester in 1653, that if any Companion were guilty of heresy, treason, cowardice, or that by prodigality he hath wilfully wasted his patrimony, he may (if the Sovereign and Companions please) be degraded and deprived of the Order, as unworthy thereof.”—Ashmole, p. 310. Besides the copies of the Statutes referred to in p. 135, antea, the one which belonged to Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Garter, from 1509 to 1535, and to Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter, from 1557 to 1586 (Harleian MS. 6074), has also been examined. It is in English, and agrees with the copy in the Cottonian MS. Vespasian, A. xx. 176 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. that the said Deputy be certified by the said Sovereign of the merits and names of men of war and of honour, that by the advice of the said Sovereign, shall be any thing worthy, because of their valiantness, to be named for to be of that Company, and that the Election shall appertain to the said Deputy in manner and form of the Statutes aforesaid.” In a Parliament held at Westminster, on the 30th of January 1551, an Act was passed intitled, “ an Act for the Keeping of Holy Days and Fasting Days,” which contains a proviso, “ that it shall be lawful to the Knights of the Right Honourable Order of the Garter, to keep and celebrate solemnly the Feast of their Order, commonly called Saint George’s Feast, yearly from henceforth, on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th days of April, and at such other times as shall be thought convenient to the King’s Highness, his heirs and successors, and the said Knights of the said Honourable Order.” 4 On Saint George’s Eve 1551, the Constable of France was removed to the Stall of the late Earl of Southampton; and on the following day, Henry the Second, King of France 1 *; and Edward Lord Clinton 1 *, Lord High Admiral, and afterwards Earl of Lincoln, were chosen Companions; and the latter was immediately Invested. The Duke of Somerset, the Marquess of Northampton, and the Earls of Warwick, Arundel, Bedford, and Wiltshire, were appointed to read over the Statutes, evidently for the purpose of revising them; 5 6 7 but the remainder of the passage is obliterated in the Register; and it was ordered that the money received on the decease of any Knight of the Order, should be employed in relieving the poor of Windsor, and other Towns, at the discretion of the Dean of the College. 4 Statutes at large, authorized edition, vol. IV. part 1. p. 133. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 5 Register, II. 446, 447. 6 King Edward the Sixth’s Journal, and Anstis, II. 447. His Majesty states, that the French Monarch was Invested in his bedchamber, and that he gave Garter King of Arms, a Chain worth £200, and his Gown, dressed with aglets, worth £25. Ashmole (Appendix, Nos. cxxx. cxxxi.) has printed the warrants for materials for the Banner, Mantles, and other articles for the French Monarch’s Installation, dated 10th and 11th May 1551. 7 King Edward the Sixth’s Journal, 21st May, 12th June, 14th, 17th July, and 29th September 1551. Of which the original is in the Cottonian MS. Nero C. x. and was printed in Bishop Burnet’s History of the Reformation. The following notice of King Edward the Sixth’s Election into the Order of Saint Michael occurs in the Privy Council Register:—“ 14th June 1551. This day the French Ambassador had access to the Lords, to whom he declared that the King, his Master, and the Company of the Order of Saint Michael, had appointed the King’s Majesty to be of the same ANNO 1552.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 177 The Ensigns of the Garter were sent to the French Monarch by the Marquess of Northampton, the Bishop of Ely, and Sir William Hoby; and to render the Embassy more splendid and imposing, the Marquess was accompanied by the Earls of Rutland, Worcester, and Ormond; the Lords L’lsle, Fitzwalter, Bray, and Bergavenny, and thirty other gentlemen. Henry was accordingly Invested on the 20th of June, at Chateau Brian, when the Bishop of Ely made an oration, to which the Cardinal of Lorraine replied. 6 An intimate alliance between this Country and France being projected, the Marquess of Northampton was instructed to negotiate the marriage of his Sovereign with the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Henry the Second; and on the 12th of June, Edward was Elected a Knight of Saint Michael, with the Insignia of which he was Invested at Hampton Court, on the 17th of July; and on the 29th of September, the King, himself, states that “ the Feast of Michaelmas w as kept by me in the Robes of the Order.” 7 On the 28th of September 1551, Thomas Lord Darcy of Chiche, the King’s Chamberlain, was Elected; 8 and in the next Chapter, held at Westminster, on the 23rd of April 1552, Lord Paget was Degraded from the Order, on the pretence that the meanness of his birth had always disqualified him, and that he should never have been chosen into the Fraternity. 9 The true cause of Lord Paget’s degradation is said to have been, that he had given offence to the Duke of Northumberland; 10 and he was restored to the Order immediately after Mary came to the Throne. Another vacancy having occurred by the execution of the Duke of Somerset, Henry Neville Earl of Westmoreland, and Sir Andrew Dudley, Captain of Guisnes (brother of the powerful Duke of Northumberland), were Elected on the 16th of December. 11 Order, for which purpose the Marshal Saint Andrew was enjoined to bring the same Order to his Majesty, praying his Majesty that he would accept the same accordingly.” See also the account of King Edward the Sixth’s Investiture, Ashmole, p. 368, 369, who says the King “ caused his Arms, surrounded with the Collar of St. Michael, to be set up in his Chapel at Hampton Court, each Michaelmas day after his acceptation of that Order, during his life.” 8 Register, II. 448. 9 King Edward the Sixth, in his Journal, says, 22nd of April 1552, “ The Lord Paget was degraded from the Order of the Garter for divers his offences, and chiefly because he was no gentleman of blood, neither of father-side nor mother-side.” The record of his Degradation has been removed from the Register. See the fifth article of Edward the Sixth’s Statutes of the Order, postea. 10 Strype’s Annals, vol. II. part 2. p. 75. 11 Register, II. 467—470. Strype’s Memorials, ed. 1822, vol. II. part 2. pp. 30, 75. King Edward A A 178 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. All that remains to be stated concerning the Order * 1 before the death of Edward the Sixth, relates to the long intended alteration of the Statutes; of which, however, the Register itself contains no account. On the 17th of March, 1553, 2 a Chapter was held at Westminster, in which were present the Sovereign, the Dukes of Suffolk and Northumberland, the Marquesses of Northampton and Winchester, the Earls of Arundel, Derby, Huntingdon, and Pembroke; Viscount Hereford, the Lords Clinton, Darcy, and Cobham ; Sir Thomas Cheney and Sir Andrew Dudley; and the following Officers, or as they were called, “ Ministers,” Sir William Cecil (afterwards the celebrated Lord Burleigh), Chancellor, Sir Philip Hoby, Usher, and Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter. An entire new code of Statutes was then agreed upon; and it was provided, that “ all other which are contrary to the same shall be abolished and repealed.” Though those Statutes were soon after abrogated, they form an important feature in the Annals of the Order, present some curious illustrations of the manners and feelings of the age, and are of much interest, from the circumstance of their having been translated into English by King Edward himself. 3 As, however, they have been printed, 4 it is only necessary to notice briefly the most material variations from, and additions to, the previous Statutes. The Preamble 5 recites, and approves of the Institution of the Order in these words:—“ Our most noble ancestors, Kings of England, studying greatly and long considering with themselves what devout reverence towards God, what natural love to their Country, what loving affection to their subjects they ought to bear, they soon found that nothing was either fitter or more agreeable with their office than to advance to high honour and glory, good, godly, the Sixth’s Journal, 24th of April 1552. The Garter was sent to the Earl of Northumberland by the King of Arms, on the 8th of May 1552, with a Letter which stated that he had been Elected in consideration as well of his approved fidelity at all times, as also for the nobleness of his house. Sir William Hoby, the Usher of the Order, was sent with the Garter to Sir Andrew Dudley, and in the Letter to him, his services and fidelity are mentioned as the cause of his Election.—Anstis II. 470. 1 On Saint George’s Eve 1552, Sir Anthony St. Leger, who was accused by the Bishop of Dublin “ for divers brawling matters, was taken again into the Privy Chamber, and sat among the Knights of the Order.”—King Edward the Sixth’s Journal. 2 The King, in his Journal, says: “ 24th April 1552. The Order of the Garter was wholly altered, as appeareth by the New Statutes,” so that the change must have taken place a year before the New Statutes were promulgated. 3 Burnet’s History of the Reformation, vol. II. p. 205. ANNO 1553.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 179 valiant, well couraged, wise, and noble men, and to breed and maintain a certain amity, fellowship, and mutual agreement in all honest things amongst all men, but especially among equals; for they judged honour, as surely it is, the reward of virtue and concord, the foundation and enlarger of commonwealths. When they had wisely weighed these things, they thought it best to make a certain Fellowship, and as it were a College of those that had very well and honestly borne themselves at home in time of peace, and had tried themselves valiant and wise abroad in martial feats; wherefore they devised, that such men, in a token of concord and unity, should wear about their legs a certain Garter, whereby they should declare to all men, that for their Country and God’s cause they would be ready valiantly and manfully to spend not only their goods, but also themselves and their lives, and for that cause they have called this Fellowship the Order of the Garter. But that old serpent, Satan, a continual adversary to mankind, had so great envy hereat (for that he espied it to be of all men both in our own and Foreign Countries much commended), that he busily laboured to deface and utterly to destroy so great an encouragement and occasion of virtueand had “ filled and stuffed the very Statutes and Ordinances of this Fellowship and Order with many obscure superstitions and repugnant opinions. We, therefore, to defeat this so great malice of that subtle enemy, have been greatly moved by the Ancientness, Majesty, and very Goodliness of this Order, so that we thought all our study, labour, and diligence to be well bestowed, in reducing the same to his original estate and pristine foundation.” It was enacted, first, that the Order should “ thenceforth be called the Order of the Garter, and not of Saint George , 4 5 6 lest the honour which is due to God the Creator of all things, 4 Anstis, Introduction, vol. II. Appendix xiv. The copy printed has been collated with a contemporary copy in the author’s possession. 5 In the account given by Bishop Burnet of the preamble, doubt is expressed whether Saint George ever existed. The contemporary abstract of the New Statutes in the Cottonian MS. Nero C. ix. fo. 93, differs from both copies. 6 The following anecdote is related in Oldmixon’s History of the Reformation, p. 210: “How different this good Protestant Edward the Sixth was from some Kings that have called themselves Protestants, since his most unhappy death, may a little appear in his opinion of Saint George, the pretended Patron Saint of England, in so high esteem with some of our late Monarchs, as King Charles the Second and King James the Second, who affected to be crowned on the 23rd of April, because it was Saint George’s Day; in which they were also imitated by Queen Anne; and on that account, probably as much as on the Saint’s, that day has as great honours paid it by many even 180 HISTORY OF THE [EDWARD VI. might seem to be given to any creature.” The name of Saint George only once again occurs, and then, apparently, from inadvertence; and the Badge of the Order is described as “ a massy golden Image of an armed Knight sitting on horseback, with a drawn sword in his right hand, all compassed with a Garter of gold hanging thereat, in which Garter shall be this sentence contained, hony soyt qui mal y pense, which is the cognizance of the Order.” It appears 7 that a design had been entertained of converting the Badge of the Order into an Emblem of the newly Established Religion; for in one draft of the reformed Statutes, the Ensign is described as “a Horseman holding in one hand, a Sword piercing a Book, on which shall be written ‘ Verbum Dei,’ and on the Sword, ‘ Protectio and in the other hand, a Shield, on which shall be written ‘ Fides.”’ To the Article which provides that the Order shall consist of Twenty-five worthy Knights besides the Sovereign, and no more, it is as pithily as truly added, “ because the more come to it, the less honour it is esteemed.” Nothing is said in the new Statutes of the Canons or Choristers, nor of the Poor Knights; but the manuscript draft states that “ they shall enjoy their livery so long as they live, but after they die, that Preachers shall enjoy their Promotion or Livings in the Castleand that the vacancies in the Poor Knights shall be supplied by “ maimed or hurt soldiers; only they shall not use the superstitious ceremonies that has been accustomed.” The Collar was to weigh thirty ounces, to be formed of pieces or links of gold “ coupled together, like the fashion of Garters, with Roses red, as of late hath been accustomed,” instead of red and white Roses within each other alternately, as in the Collar designed by Henry the Eighth. But this description of the Collar evidently arose from a mistake; because, in the Badges assigned to the at this time, as it had in the days of Popery; it being the custom to have a sermon preached upon it at Court, when the Knights of the Order of the Garter attended in their formalities. On Saint George’s Day, before the Duke of Somerset’s second imprisonment, there was a sermon at Greenwich, before the King, the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland, the Knights of the Order, and others of the Nobility; the King, after the sermon, being come into the Presence Chamber, said to those about him, ‘ My Lords, pray ye, what Saint is Saint George that we have so honoured him ? ’ At which question the Lords were all stunned, not expecting it from so young a King; and not well knowing what answer to make. At last the Marquis of Winchester replied, ‘ If it please your Majesty, I did never read in history of Saint George, but only in Legenda Aurea, where it is thus set down, that Saint George out with his sword, and ran the Dragon through with his spear.’ The King fell a-laughing, and could not for a while speak : at length he said, ‘ I pray you, my Lord, and what did he with his sword the while?’—‘ That I cannot tell your Majesty,’ said Winchester.” 7 Bishop Burnet, and the Cottonian MS. Nero C. ix. f. 93. ANNO 1553.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 181 Officers, the Roses were similar to those in Henry the Eighth’s Collar, and Edward the Sixth could have had no reason for rejecting the Badge of the House of York. The “ Apparel of the Order,” which was “ to be worn at the Feasts and other appointed Assemblies,” was to consist of “ a side Kirtle of crimson; a Mantle of blue purple, with a Hood; a Collar also, or a Chain of gold; and a Garter, to be tied about the left leg.” “ At the end of the Collar, or Chain, or a small Lace of silk black, which shall be sometimes used instead of the Chain, shall hang the Cognizance of the Order,” before described. The Garter was to contain the Motto in golden letters; and in the rest of the Apparel, “ the old fashion, both of the making and wearing of the same,” was to be continued. The Arms of the Order, and the Hatchments of the Knights, were not to be altered. On the death of a Knight, the King of Arms was to take down his Banner, Sword, Helmet, and Crest, and present them severally to the Dean, saying, “ These were the Hatchments of a Knight of this Noble Order, who deceased his life such a day;” adding, “ Blessed be the Dead that die in the Lord.” The Oath of the Knights bound them to “ defend and maintain all the dignities, causes, laws, and dominions of the King of England;” to “ set forth God’s glory and honour;” to obey the Statutes; and to “ defend and maintain the Liberties of the Order.” In the Article relating to causes of Degradation, a passage was introduced to meet the recent case of Lord Paget: “ Whosoever shall be convicted of any capital offence, or shall be known cowardly to have turned their face from their enemies in battle, or shall be spotted with any capital crime, though they escape the pains of death, or have been received into this Company, for lack of knowledge of their stock and lineage, according to the Ordinance above expressed, and shall be afterward duly proved no Gentleman, shall be removed and expelled from this Order and Fellowship.” Foreign Princes were not to be obliged to take any Oath, perform any ceremony, nor to wear the Cognizance, “ except as they might think properand other Sovereigns, on swearing to observe the Statutes, were to do so, with this qualification; “ So that nothing he therein specified contrary to such things as I have heretofore sworn unto.” The Annual Feasts were to be kept on Whitsun-even, Whit Sunday, and Whit Monday, unless otherwise appointed. The Officers were called “ Ministers of the Order,” and “ Ministers of Honour;” and were to consist only of the Chancellor, Registrar, Usher or Provost, and the King of Arms, the Office of Prelate being discontinued; and Robes and Badges were assigned to them. They were to be under the Sovereign’s protection, who was 182 HISTORY OF THE [MARY. to defend them from all injuries and wrong; and they were to have all their suits determined by the King, “ without vexation in any other Courtand however monstrous and illegal this privilege may now appear, it was actually submitted to, and acknowledged, so lately as the reign of Charles the First. 8 King Edward the Sixth died on the 6th of July 1553, when the Crown devolved upon his half-sister, QUEEN MARY. Though, on the death of King Edward the Sixth, the Royal authority was exercised for a few weeks by an Usurper, it does not appear that the government of Lady Jane Grey conferred any Honours; and the only effect which that event had upon the Order of the Garter, was to produce three vacancies by the attainder of the Duke of Northumberland, the Marquess of Northampton, and Sir Andrew Dudley, in October 1553, for having attempted to place Lady Jane on the throne. Mary lost no time in restoring the Order of the Garter to the condition in which it was left by her Royal Father; and in replacing in their Stalls such of her adherents as had been expelled from them. On the 27th of September 1553, in a Chapter at Saint James’s, “ It was decreed and ordained that the Laws and Ordinances (made by King Edward the Sixth), which were in no sort convenient to be used, and so impertinent and tending to novelty, should be abrogated and disannulled ; and no account to be made of them for the future and commands were issued to Sir William Petre, who was on that day admitted as Chancellor, “ to see that they should be speedily expunged out of the Book of Statutes, and forthwith defaced, lest any memory of them should remain to 8 Ashmole. Vide postea, under Officers of the Order. 1 Ashmole, p. 194, on the authority of the Liber Ceruleus. 2 Vide, p. 170, antea. * 1 2 3 * 5 Vide, p. 177, antea. 4 Ashmole, pp. 285, 622, where the Queen’s directions to the Registrar and Garter King of Arms, for the Duke of Norfolk’s restoration, are printed. p The Plate of his Arms still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 5 Harleian MS. 304, f. 132, which contains valuable memoranda respecting the Order in the reigns of Philip and Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, and apparently taken from the Liber Ceruleus, or Register. ANNIS 1553—1554.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 183 posterity, and only those Decrees and Ordinances which her father and his Royal predecessors had established, should be retained and observed.” 1 On that occasion the Duke of Norfolk, who was attainted and removed from the Order in 1546, 2 and Lord Paget, who had been Degraded on pretence of his mean extraction, 3 were honourably restored, re-invested with the Garter and Collar, replaced in their former Stalls, and all the records of their disgrace in the Register were cancelled and defaced. 4 In contemplation of the Queen’s marriage with Philip, afterwards King of Spain, that Prince was Elected into the Order on the 24th of April 1554; and Henry Ratclyffe Earl of Sussex p was also chosen, instead of Sir Andrew Dudley. 3 The Queen postponed the celebration of the Annual Feast “ until the coming of our most dear cousin the Prince of Spain, to the intent the said Feast might be also honoured with the Installation of our said dearest cousinand the 5th of August was appointed for that purpose. 6 Philip arrived at Southampton in July, and the Earl of Arundel, and Garter King of Arms, who were appointed to Invest him, proceeded, on the 20th of that month, to his ship; but meeting him on his way to the shore, entered his barge, and informed him of his Election. The King of Arms having the Garter in his hand, kissed it, and presented it to the Earl of Arundel, who fastened it round the Prince’s leg, and then placed the George about his neck. 7 On his marriage with Queen Mary, on the 25th of July, Philip became Joint-Sovereign of the Order, and was placed in the Sovereign’s Stall on the 5th of August, the Queen herself having previously The Installation of the Earl of Sussex was honoured with the presence of King Philip.—Ashmole, p. 345. The Knights of the Garter at Mary’s accession were Emperor Charles V. Ferdinand King of the Romans. Henry II. King of France. Henry Duke of Suffolk. Anne Duke of Montmorency. John Duke of Northumberland. William Marquess of Winchester. William Marquess of Northampton. Henry Earl of Arundel. Francis Earl of Shrewsbury. Francis Earl of Huntingdon. Edward Earl of Derby. Henry Earl of Westmoreland. John Lord Russell. William Earl of Pembroke. Walter Viscount Hereford. Edward Lord Clinton. Thomas Lord Darcy of Chiche. George Lord Cobham. Thomas Lord La Warr. Sir John Gage. Sir Thomas Cheney. Sir Andrew Dudley. Sir Anthony St. Leger. There was one vacancy, and three other Stalls became void by the attainder of the Duke of Northumberland, the Marquess of Northampton, and Sir Andrew Dudley, in October 1553. 6 Ashmole’s Appendix, No. clx. 7 Ashmole, p. 308. 184 HISTORY OF THE [MARY. Invested him with the Mantle and Collar. 9 Philip is said to have then “ kept Saint George’s Feast, himself in his Royal estate; and the Earl of Sussex was also the same time Stalled in the Order. At which time an Herald took down the Arms of England at Windsor, and in the place of them would have set up the Arms of Spain; but he was commanded to set them up again by certain Lords.” 10 .His Majesty’s position in the Order, as well as in the Realm, was as anomalous as unprecedented. He had been Elected one of the Companions, but had become Joint-Sovereign by authority of Parliament, so that it might be doubtful whether his Election was not rendered void by that circumstance. But he was not thought to have lost the Order on ceasing to be its Joint- Sovereign ; for on the accession of Queen Elizabeth he was placed in the second Stall on the Prince’s side; his uncle, the Emperor Ferdinand, being removed to the Prince’s Stall. It was enacted in a Chapter at Windsor, on the 5th of August 1554, over which Philip presided in person, “ that all the Acts ‘ and Decrees being written in divers places of the Great Book of the Most ‘ Honourable Order, which were repugnant and disagreeable, either with the ‘ ancient Orders and Statutes of the Honourable Order, or else with the Laws of £ the Realm, should clearly be abolished and taken away, by the most noble and ‘ worthy the Marquess of Winchester, the Earls of Arundel and Pembroke, and ‘ the Lord Paget.” * 1 2 On the same day “ it was also ordained and enacted, that ‘ the same Admonitions which be given to Foreign Princes and Knights at their £ Admission to the Noble Order, should henceforth for ever be given to every £ Knight and Subject of this Realm at his first Admission and Stallation to the £ Noble Order, and that there shall be no difference in Ceremonies or otherwise £ amongst the Noble Companions of this Honourable Order at their Investure £ or Admission to the same.” 1 9 Ashmole, p. 352. 10 Holinshed, ed. 1587, p. 1120. 1 Statutes of the Order now delivered to the Companions, p. 44, 45. A copy of the Admonitions will be found in another place. 2 The Duke of Savoy is said (Harleian MS. 304, f. 132) to have been Elected on the 7th of August, and Installed on the 31st of January 1st and 2nd Ph. and Mar. 1555, in the third Stall on the Prince’s side by his proxy, after the death of the Duke of Norfolk. Ashmole, p. 383, says the Duke of Savoy was Elected on the 6th of August. Lord Clinton and Garter were appointed Ambassadors to Invest him on the 18th of October 1554.—Ashmole, Appendix No. lxiii. See also Nos. lviii. lxiv. cxvii. and the Commission authorizing the Lords Clinton and Paget to Install the Duke of Savoy, and Lord Howard of Effingham (the former by his proxy, John Thomas l’Augusto, des Comtes de Stropiane), is dated 29th January 1st and 2nd Ph. and Mar. 1555, is in Ashmole’s Appendix, No. cxxvi. The Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Earl of Bedford, and Lord La Warr, died in 1554. ANNIS 1555—1557.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 185 On that occasion Emanuel Philibert Duke of Savoy p , 2 and William Lord Howard of Effingham 1 *, were Elected; and “at a Chapter holden at West- ‘ minster the 9th day of October in the 1st and 2nd of Philip and Mary [1554], ‘ the King being present, it was ordained, that Sir William Peter, Chancellor ‘ of the Order of the Garter, and all other succeeding him in that Office of the ‘ Chancellor, should wear for a Cognizance, a Rose of gold about their neck, ‘ inclosed or compassed with the Garter.” 3 On Saint George’s Day 1555, Anthony Browne Viscount Montagu 1 * was chosen into the Order; 4 and “at a Chapter holden at St. James’s, nigh to ‘ Westminster, the 22nd day of April the 2nd and 3rd Philip and Mary [1556], ‘ it was decreed and enacted, that all the Lords of the Honourable Order of the ‘ Garter, should wear henceforth, their Hoods of the right shoulder, that the ‘ Cross being on the left shoulder, might better be seen and appear; and that ‘ the accustomed usage or difference between the Clergy and Laity might be ‘ observed, the one sort customably wearing their Hoods of the left shoulder, ‘ and the other of the right shoulder.” 5 In April 1557, Thomas Ratclyffe Earl of Sussex, William Lord Grey of Wilton, and Sir Robert Rochester, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Comptroller of the Household, were Elected. The Earl of Sussex and Sir Robert Rochester were Invested; but Lord Grey, being a prisoner in France, Garter was sent to notify his Election. 6 The Installation of these Knights- Elect was several times postponed; but the Earl of Sussex 1 * was at length Installed on the 8th of January 1558; and Lord Grey p , by his proxy Six Humphrey Ratclyffe, in April in the same year. 7 Sir Robert Rochester, however, died towards the end of 1557, without having been Installed; and consequently he was not buried with the honours due to a Companion of the Order. 8 The only other person wdio received the Garter from Philip and Mary was Sir Edward Hastings 1 *, Master of the Horse, soon after created Lord 3 Existing Statutes, p. 47. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 The Commission for his Installation dated 12th October 2nd and 3rd Ph. and Mar. 1555, is in Ashmole, Appendix, No. xxix. 5 Existing Statutes, p. 48. 6 Ashmole, p. 302. 7 Ashmole, p. 313.—The Commission dated 16th April 4th and 5th Ph. and Mar. 1558, is in Ashmole, Appendix, No. liv. 8 Anstis’s Memoir of Sir Robert Rochester, vol. I. 264, 267. 186 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. Hastings of Loughborough, and appointed Lord Chamberlain, who was Elected on the 23rd of April, and Installed on the 25th of May 1558. The last proceeding respecting the Order in the reign of these Sovereigns, appears to have been the following Decree, made at a Chapter held on the 1st of June 1558, “ that the three Officers of the Order, namely, the Registrar, ‘ King of Arms (called the Garter), and Black Rod, should wear at the Feast ‘ of Saint George, and Chapters, a silk Mantle, the outside crimson Satin, the ‘ inside white Taffeta, with the Ensign of Saint George upon the left shoulder, ‘ but without the Garter, and made with Tassels, in the same manner as the ‘ Prelate’s and Chancellor’s.” 9 Queen Mary dying on the 17th of November 1558 without issue, was succeeded by her half sister, QUEEN ELIZABETH. It is remarkable that the motives which induced King Edward the Sixth to adapt the Statutes of the Order of the Garter to the Religion of the State, did not cause Queen Elizabeth 1 11 to revive her Royal brother’s code, or at all events, 9 Existing Statutes, p. 48. 1 The following were the Knights of the Order at Queen Elizabeth’s accession, according to their Stalls, as given in the Harleian MS. 304, f. 133. 1. The Sovereign. 2. Henry II. King of France. 3. Anne Duke of Montmorency. 4. Henry Earl of Arundel. 5. Edward Earl of Derby. 6. Francis Earl of Huntingdon. 7. Void (by the death of Viscount Hereford). 8. William Lord Paget. 9. Void (by the death of Lord Darcy). 10. Henry Earl of Westmoreland. 11. William Lord Howard of Effingham. 12. Anthony Viscount Montagu. 13. William Lord Grey of Wilton. 1. The Prince’s Stall, Void (by the death of the Emperor Charles V.) 2. Emperor Ferdinand. 3. Emanuel Duke of Savoy. 4. Francis Earl of Shrewsbury. 5. William Marquess of Winchester. 6. William Earl of Pembroke. 7. Edward Lord Clinton. 8. Sir Thomas Cheney. 9. Void (by the death of Lord Cobham). 10. Sir Anthony St. Leger. 11. Edward Lord Hastings. 12. Thomas Earl of Sussex. 13. Void (by the death of Sir Robert Rochester, Elect). To whom should be added Philip King of Spain, he having again become one of the Companions, on ceasing to be Joint-Sovereign of the Order. ANNO 1559.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 187 to have divested them of such Ordinances and Ceremonials as were inconsistent with the Protestant faith. The first Chapter was held on the 12th of January 1559, and was attended by the Marquess of Winchester, the Earls of Arundel, Shrewsbury, Derby, Sussex, Huntingdon, and Pembroke, Viscount Montagu, Lord Clinton, Lord Howard of Effingham, and Lord Hastings of Loughborough. It was stated, by the Queen’s command, that having lately succeeded to the Crown, she wished to communicate with the Companions on matters concerning the Order, and necessary to be done. Garter King of Arms was ordered to remove the Ensigns of Ferdinand Emperor of the Romans to the Stall previously filled by Charles the Fifth, the late Emperor, and those of Philip King of Spain to that which had been occupied by King Ferdinand. 2 It was also then “ ordained, ‘ that, if any man being a Gentleman in Name, Arms, and Blood, and descended ‘ of Gentlemen of three descents, that is to say, of father and mother, grand- ‘ father and great-grandfather, hath heretofore been convicted of High Treason, ‘ and after such conviction be pardoned of the Sovereign, and restored in Blood, ‘ that every such Gentleman in Name, Arms, and Blood, descended as is afore- ‘ said, being otherwise qualified, according to the ancient Statutes of this Noble ‘ Order, shall be from henceforth always accounted eligible, and may be chosen ‘ to be one of the Companions of this Order.” 3 On the 24th of April 1559, at the Palace of Westminster, Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, Henry Manners Earl of Rutland 1 *, and Sir Robert Dudley 1 *, whom the Queen had appointed her Champion at her Coronation, and made Master of the Horse (afterwards the celebrated Earl of Leicester), were chosen ; and William Parr Marquess of Northampton, having been restored to the Peerage by Parliament, was re-EIected into the Order. 4 The Queen directed that the Feast should be kept at Windsor on the 28th of May; but it was postponed to an early day in June, lest the presence of the French Ambassadors should interfere with the ceremonies. 5 The four Knights-Elect were then Installed ; and they appear to have taken an extraordinary Oath, for the obliga- 2 Additional MS. No. 6298, f. 83, in the British Museum.—Ashmole, p. 324. 3 Existing Statutes, p. 49. This Statute was made with reference to the Marquess of Northampton, and Lord Robert Dudley (afterwards Earl of Leicester).—Ashmole, p. 287. 4 Harleian MS. 304, f. 133. Camden’s Annals, p. 57. Ashmole, pp. 287, 622. 5 Additional MS. 6298, f. 84. Harleian MS. 304, f. 133. 188 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. tions, instead of being known and determined, were conditional and uncertain: “ But inasmuch as on account of the change of Religion which had then taken place, the Oaths could not be administered to them in the usual terms, they promised that they would obey the Statutes in such manner and form as might be agreed upon by the Queen and the Companions in the next Chapter.” 6 The propriety of altering the Statutes of the Order induced the Queen, in a Chapter on the 23rd of April 1560, to issue a Commission to the Marquess of Northampton, the Earls of Arundel and Pembroke, and the Lord Howard of Effingham, empowering them “ to read over and consider them, and to consider with a watchful care and diligence if any of them were disagreeable to the Religion, Laws, and Statutes of this Realm, and if any such were found, the same to be faithfully represented to the Sovereign, to the end that she, with the Knights Companions, might establish such Decree concerning them as she should think fit;” 7 but nothing appears to have been done. In June in the same year, Adolphus Duke of Holstein, “ Heir of Norway,” (son of Frederic the First, King of Denmark), who had distinguished himself as a soldier, having arrived in England on a private mission, to dissuade the Queen from marrying the King of Sweden, he was Elected into the Order at Greenwich, and Installed by his proxy, Viscount Hereford, in December following. 8 In this year, Philip King of Spain is said to have returned the Garter by the hands of the Queen’s Ambassador, Viscount Montagu, who had been sent to induce him to renew the alliance between England and Burgundy. Philip did not conceal his regret at the change which had taken place in the Religion and Policy of this Country; but he displayed no sectarian bitterness, expressed himself still desirous of opposing the designs of the French, who sought to have Elizabeth excommunicated, and stated that he had taken measures to prevent this, in the eyes of a son of the Church of Rome, the greatest of all calamities, 6 Additional MS. 6298, f. 85.—The Commission for their Installation on the 4th of June, dated on the 1st of that month, is in Ashmole, Appendix, No. xxv. 7 Liber Ceruleus, p. 53, cited in Ashmole, p. 195. Additional MS. 6298, f. 86. 8 Harleian MS. 304, f. 133. Ashmole, Appendix, No. cxxvm. Camden, in his Annals (edit. 1625, p. 56), thus speaks of the Duke of Holstein: “ Adolph, likewise Duke of Holsatia, was stirred up by Frederic the Second King of Denmark, his nephew, to hinder her from marrying with the King of Sweden, and carried with hopes to be able to effect it, by the desire which herself had by her letters witnessed unto him, that he was carried with the same affection towards the English as he had been long ago towards the Spaniards, and by the promise that she had most lovingly made him, he came into Englarld, where she entertained him royally, honoured him with the Order of the Garter, gratified ANNIS 1561—1562.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 189 from befalling her, without his own consent. 9 It appears, however, that Elizabeth did not accept Philip’s resignation of the Garter, for he continued a Companion until his decease, notwithstanding the war between England and Spain, and the attempt to invade this Country by the Spanish Armada in 1588. At the Anniversary of the Order in 1561, George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, and the Queen’s cousin, Henry Carey Lord Hunsdon p , were Elected; * 1 and the Festival was kept on the 18th of May, the Earl of Arundel being the Lieutenant, 2 “solemnly at Court in this manner. All Her Majesty’s Chapel came through her Hall in copes, to the number of thirty, singing, ‘ O God the Father of Heaven,’ &c. the outward court to the gate and round about being strewed with green rushes. After came Mr. Garter, and Mr. Norroy, and Master Dean of the Chapel, in Robes of crimson satin, with a red Cross of Saint George; and, after, eleven Knights of the Garter, in their Robes; then came the Queen, the Sovereign of the Order, in her Robes, and all the guard following in their rich coats, and so to the Chapel; and after Service done, back through the Hall to Her Grace’s great Chamber; and, that done, Her Grace and the Lords went to dinner, where she was most nobly served; and the Lords sitting on one side, were served in gold and silver. After dinner were two new Knights of the Garter Elected, viz. the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Hunsdon. There were attending all the Heralds in their Coat armour before Her Grace. These were Installed at Saint George’s Feast, held at Windsor, the 18th day of May following, the Earl of Arundel being the Queen’s Deputy.” 3 No Elections took place in 1562; but in a Chapter held at Westminster, in that year, “ it was agreed that all the Knights of the said Order, wheresoever ‘ they be, upon any solemn Feasts, as also upon all Apostles’ and Evangelists’ ‘ days (which according to the Order of England be kept Holy), shall wear the him with an annual pension, and (through her extraordinary courtesy) professed unto him, her Majesty obliged for ever a most illustrious Prince, who had purchased the renown to be a most famous warrior, in a conquest lately by him won against those of Dittmars.” 9 Camden’s Annals of Queen Elizabeth, p. 57. p The Plate of his Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 Harleian MS. 304. f. 133. Garter was sent to the Earl of Shrewsbury, to notify his Election.— Ashmole, p. 302. 2 Ashmole, Appendix, No. clxxix. 3 Nichols’ Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. I. p. 57. 190 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. ‘ Collar of the Order.” 4 On the 24th of April 1563, the Sovereign signified her pleasure, that “ if any nominations were taken from the Knights Companions, the same should be entered in the Annals, though there were no Election made of any person into the Order at that time.” This regulation arose from its being doubtful whether it was necessary to register the Scrutiny when no actual Election took place. 5 In that Chapter, Thomas Percy Earl of Northumberland, and Ambrose Dudley Earl of Warwick p , were Elected; 6 and as the latter was then Lieutenant at Havre de Grace, or, as it was sometimes called, Newhaven, Garter King of Arms was sent to him with the Ensigns, 7 and he was Installed on the 22nd of May by his proxy, Sir Henry Sydney 6 (who married his sister), 8 and the Earl of Northumberland in person. 9 * Existing Statutes, p. 50, 51 : there erroneously printed, “ shall wear the Collars of the Order.” In the Additional MS. 6289, “ wear their Collars.” 5 Ashmole, p. 292. 6 Harleian MS. 304. f. 133. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 7 Holinshed, Ed. 1587, p. 1201. Ashmole, p. 302, 308, Appendix, No. ljii. Ashmole says, it was then customary for the friends of a Knight-Elect to send him, by the King of Arms, several Garters and Georges, “ as tokens of congratulation for the Honour he was at this time to receive, which so soon as the Investiture was finished, and Garter returned from putting off his Robe, he delivered unto him, with the particular services and respects of those his friends who had so bestowed them; for such we find to have been sent by Garter, and presented to the aforesaid Earl of Warwick, at Newhaven, and to the Lord Scrope, at Carlisle, An. 26th Eliz.”—p. 309. 8 Ashmole, pp. 342, 377. Lord Grey of Wilton’s Achievements appear to have been then Offered. —Ibid. p. 630. 9 Ashmole, pp. 342, 601. 1 Ashmole, Appendix, Nos. lxv, cxxxiv. Holinshed, III. 1206. Nichols’ Progresses. Strype’s Annals, vol. II. part ii. p. 116. 3 Of these tributes two are so intimately connected with the Order of the Garter, as to justify a particular notice. On the Election of Henry Earl of Northumberland and three other Knights in 1593, George Peele, the dramatist, addressed a Poem to that nobleman, entitled, “ The Honour of the Order of the Garter,” which will be again alluded to; and though the Earl of Bedford had then been dead many years, the Poet thus gracefully remembered his Patron, and introduced an anecdote relating to the Order itself: “ In the Book That on a desk lay open before Fame,— For in a sumptuous chariot did he ride Of crystal, set with leaves of glittering gold, And fair tralucent stones, that over all It did reflect,—within that glorious Book I saw a name rejoiced me to see, Francis of Bedford; I could read it plain, And glad I was that in that precious Book That name I found; for now methought I said, Here Virtue doth outlive th’arrest of Death. ANNO 1564.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 191 Peace having been concluded with France, in April 1564, Charles the Ninth p was Elected into the Order of the Garter on the 24th of the same month. Lord Hunsdon, Sir Thomas Smith, and Sir Gilbert Dethick, the King of Arms, were appointed to Invest him, which ceremony was performed at Lyons. * 1 Two other persons of great consideration, in the eyes of their contemporaries, whose names and merits are still remembered, Francis Russell Earl of Bedford p , Captain of Berwick, and Sir Henry Sydney p , were Elected in the same Chapter. The Earl of Bedford has, however, other clai*^ to respect, than those to which his public services entitle him. He was a great patron of literature and literary men; and more than one writer has commemorated his worth. 2 For dead is Bedford, virtuous and renowned For Arms, for Honour, and Religious love, And yet alive his Name in Fame’s records, That held this Garter dear, and ware it well: Some worthy wight let blazon his deserts: Only a tale I thought on by the way, As I observed his honourable name. I heard it was his chance, o’erta’en with sleep, To take a nap near to a farmer’s lodge, Trusted a little with himself belike: This aged Earl, in his apparel plain, Wrapt in his russet cloak, lay down to rest, His Badge of Honour buckled to his leg, Bare, and unhid. There came a pilfering swad, And would have prey’d upon this ornament, And ’say’d t’ unbuckle it, thinking him asleep : The noble gentleman, feeling what he meant, ‘ Hold, foolish lad,’ quoth he, ‘ a better prey; This Garter is not fit for every leg, And I account it better than my purse.” The varlet ran away : the Earl awak’d, And told his friends, and smiling said withal, ‘ ’A would not, had ’a understood the French Writ on my Garter, dar’d t’ have stol’n the same.’ This tale I thought upon, told me for truth, The rather for it prais’d the Poesy, Right grave and honourable, that importeth much : ‘ 111 be to him,’ it saith, ‘ that evil thinks.” Works of George Peele, by the Rev. Alexander Dyce, 8vo. 1829, vol. II. p. 236, 237. A few years after the Earl of Bedford’s Election, a person of the name of William Tashe composed Verses on the Mottoes of the Sovereign, of Eleven of the Knights, and of the Chancellor, Sir Francis Walsingham; and the original MS. beautifully written on vellum, with paintings of their several Arms, is now in the British Museum (Harleian MS. 3437). Tashe appears to have inscribed his work to the Earl of Bedford, and a copy of his verses will he found in the Appendix. 192 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. So much confusion and inconvenience had arisen from the frequent translations of Stalls, that it was agreed in Chapter, on the 29th of April 1565, “ that ‘ whosoever should be chosen to this Degree of Honour, should take and be ‘ Installed in the lowest Stall, according to his Election, except Kings and ‘ Princes of a Foreign Nation.” 1 The Earl of Bedford (to whom Garter had been sent to notify his Election), and Sir Henry Sydney were Installed on the 14th of May, when a change of Stalls took place; 2 and the Achievements of the Earls of Westmoreland and Rutland, and Lord Paget, were Offered. 3 In the beginning of the year 1566, Monsieur Rambouillet came to England, to be Proxy for his Sovereign at his Installation as a Knight of the Garter, which ceremony took place in the month of January; 4 and it being impossible to confer, in return, the Order of Saint Michael on the Queen, he brought with him the Ensigns for any two Peers whom she herself might select. Her choice fell upon the Duke of Norfolk, for his rank; and upon the Earl of Leicester, from her personal regard; and they were Invested in the Palace of Westminster. 5 It was decreed in a Chapter, held on the 24th of April, in this year, “ that Garter King at Arms of the said Order, and they that shall succeed ‘ him in the said Office, shall wear in Sign of the said Order, the Arms of the ‘ Sovereign, within a Garter, and an Imperial Crown on the same; and like- ‘ wise the Usher of the said Order shall wear a Knot within a Garter, which ‘ Knot is joined with the Rose in the Collar.” 6 On the morrow of Saint George’s Day in 1567, the Emperor Maximilian the Second was chosen into the Order p ; and the Ensigns being sent to him in May, by a distinguished Embassy, of which the Earl of Sussex was the chief, he was Invested at Uienna, on the 4th of January 1568. 7 A Statute was made in 1567, which had the effect of abolishing the celebration of the Annual Feast at Windsor, or in the words of Ashmole, “ which gave the greatest and almost 1 Existing Statutes, p. 50. Ashmole, p. 328. 2 Ashmole, pp. 302, 325. It appears from a scheme of the Stalls, in p. 325, that pursuant to the Decree of April in this year, the Earl of Bedford and Sir Henry Sydney were placed in the lowest Stalls; and that the second Stall on the Prince’s side was reserved for the King of France. 3 Ibid. p. 630. 4 Vide Ashmole, p. 442, Appendix, No. cxxvii, cxxix, for instruments respecting the ceremony. 5 Camden’s Annals, p. 126. Camden adds: “This she took for a great honour, remembering herself that no English was ever honoured with this Order, save Henry the Eighth, Edward the Sixth, and Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk. But when she exactly observed all things that belonged to the ANNIS 1567—1569.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 193 fatal blow to the growing honour of this no less famous than ancient Castle of Windsor, and severed the Patron’s Festival from the place;” * * * 6 7 8 for during the remainder of Elizabeth’s reign, only one Anniversary of Saint George was kept there with the ancient solemnities. 9 “ At a Chapter, in the 9th year ‘ of Queen Elizabeth, the day of Saint George, for certain great causes, it was ‘ ordained, that if the Feast was not celebrated at Windsor, the day and even ‘ of Saint George, as hath been accustomed, it should suffice, that the observation ‘ thereof should be kept in what place that the Sovereign were at that present, ‘ whereas the rest of the Knights and Companions should be holden no less to be ‘ present, as though the Feast were to be celebrated at Windsor. And further, ‘ that no other Celebration in the name of the Feast of Saint George, should, ‘ from henceforth, be solemnized and kept at Windsor, except the Installation ‘ of some noble personage, at the commandment of the Sovereign.” 10 An Ordinance was likewise made in 1567, though not introduced into the Statutes, “ that the Knights Companions should be bound by their Oath, to take care by their last Will, that, after their decease, all their Ornaments which they had received, should be restored; the Robes to the College, the Jewels to the King that gave them.” 11 On the 26th of November 1569, the Earl of Northumberland, having headed a rebellion in the North, with the intention of restoring the ancient Religion, was proclaimed a Traitor at Windsor Castle, by the sound of trumpet and the voice of the Heralds; and the next day, the sentence of Degradation being publicly read, his Achievements were taken down, and spurned out of the west door of the Chapel, into the Castle ditch. 12 In April 1570, William Somerset Earl of Worcester 1 *, and Henry Hastings Earl of Pembroke p , were Elected; and they were Installed on the 19th of June following. 13 On the 24th of April 1571, Precedency was granted to the Companions, it being concluded and honour of it, she was at length much displeased to see it so vilified that it was prostituted indifferently to every man.” A description of the Investiture of the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Leicester with the Order of Saint Michael, is given by Ashmole, p. 369. 6 Existing Statutes, p. 50.—The Harleian MS. 332, contains contemporary paintings of the Arms, Quarterings, and Supporters of Fifteen Knights of the Garter, in the early part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. p His Stall Plate still remains in Saint George’s Chapel. 7 Harleian MS. 304, f. 133. Holinshed, p. 1210. Ashmole, Appendix, Nos. lxvj, lxxx, xc. 8 Ashmole, p. 474. 9 Ibid. pp. 474, 475. 10 Existing Statutes, p. 51. 11 Ashmole, p. 636. 12 Ibid. p. 621. 13 Ashmole, Appendix, No. xxvii. ’ C C 194 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. agreed in a Chapter held on that day, “ that the Knights of the same Most ‘ Noble Order, shall go above all other Knights; and in the low Parliament ‘ House, shall sit above all other Degrees, within the said House, next unto the ‘ Treasurer and Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household, bearing white ‘ Staves.” 6 Though two Stalls were then vacant, and a scrutiny was taken, the Queen would not declare an Election. 7 On the 24th of April 1572, Francis Duke of Montmorency (son of Anne Duke of Montmorency, on whom King Henry the Eighth conferred the Garter), Walter Devereux Viscount Hereford, 11 (immediately after created Earl of Essex), and William Cecil Lord Burghley p , first Minister of the Crown, “ On whose mighty shoulders most doth rest The burden of this Kingdom’s government,” 8 Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton p , 9 * and Edmund Brydges Lord Chandos p , were Elected; 1 and at the Investiture, Elizabeth, as a mark of her special grace and favour, adorned Lord Burghley with the Garter, with her own hands. 2 In May, the Queen sent the Earl of Lincoln, Lord High Admiral, with a splendid embassy to France, for the ratification of the alliance lately formed with that country; and Charles deputed, on his part, Francis Duke of Montmorency, who arrived in England in June, with a magnificent train, and was received with the highest distinction. 3 Elizabeth is stated to have bestowed this honour on the 6 Existing Statutes, p. 51. 7 Ashmole, p. 294. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 8 Spenser’s Address to Lord Burghley prefixed to the “ Faerie Queene.” 9 Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, though one of the distinguished men of his times, will live in the mind of posterity from the immortal fame bestowed upon him by Spenser, in verses prefixed to the “ Faerie Queene “ Most noble Lord, the pillar of my life, And Patron of my Muses’ pupilage; Through whose large bounty, poured on me rife, In the first season of my feeble age, I now do live bound yours by vassalage; (Sith nothing ever may redeem, nor reave Out of your endless debt, so sure a gage); Vouchsafe in worth this small Gift to receive.” 1 Harleian MS. 304, f. 38. 2 Ashmole, p. 301. 3 Camden’s Annals, ed. 1625, p. 313. Stow’s Chronicle by Howes, p. 672. Nichols’ Progresses, vol. I. p. 33, from the Lambeth MS. No. 959, f. 39. It states that the Duke of Montmorency received ANNO 1574.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 195 Duke, “ in grateful commemoration of the love which Anne, Constable of France, his father, manifested unto her.” 4 The Ensigns were immediately sent to him by the Earl of Worcester; and the Queen was solemnly sworn, in the presence of the French Ambassadors, to observe the treaty. In June, the Feast of Saint George was kept with unusual pomp at Windsor, the Earl of Leicester being the Sovereign’s Lieutenant, and the Earls of Bedford, Worcester, and Huntingdon, and Sir Henry Sydney his Assistants; and on the 17th of that month, the Duke of Montmorency, the Earl of Essex, Lord Burghley, Lord Grey of Wilton, and Lord Chandos were Installed. 5 At the Anniversary in 1574, Henry Stanley Earl of Derby p , and Henry the following presents, the value of which, allowing for the difference in the value of money, was enormous: “ To Monsieur Montmorency.” A Garter of gold with diamonds and rubies. A George and diamonds A wire Chain to the same A Collar of Gold .... Another George .... One Cup of gold .... Sum of gold, &c. More, in divers parcels of gilt plate xlviii/. lx/. x/. ijs. vj(Z. ccv/. vs. xxv/. cccxlijZ. vijs. xd. 595/. 15s. 4 d. 2623 ounces, at 7s. 8 d. 1004/. 15s. 2d. Sum total 1600/. 10s. 6d. To Mons. de Foys (Paul Foix colleague with the Duke). In gilt plate 1149 ounces, at 7s. 8d. . . . 440/. 9s. 6d. 4 Camden ut supra. 5 A contemporary and full account of the ceremony is in the Harleian MS. 6064, f. 40, et seq. That MS. gives “ the names of the Knights, as they were Installed at the same Feast, 1572,” thus : 1. The Sovereign. 2. The French King. 3. The Duke of Savoy. 4. The Earl of Arundel. 5. The Earl of Derby. 6. The Lord Howard of Effingham. 7. The Viscount Montague. 8. The Earl of Shrewsbury. 9. The Lord Hunsdon. 10. Sir Henry Sydney. 11. The Earl of Huntingdon. 12. The Lord Burghley. 13. The Lord Chandos. 1. The Emperor. 2. The King of Spain. 3. The Duke of Holstein. 4. The Duke of Montmorency. 5. The Earl of Lincoln. 6. The Earl of Sussex. 7. The Earl of Leicester. 8. The Earl of Warwick. 9. The Earl of Bedford. 10. The Earl of Worcester. 11. The Earl of Essex. 12. The Lord Grey of Wilton. 196 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. Herbert Earl of Pembroke * 1 *, President of the Council in Wales, were chosen Companions, 1 and were Installed on the 20th of May, 2 when the Achievements of the late Earl of Derby, and the Lord Howard of Effingham, were Offered. 3 Charles the Ninth, King of France, having died on the 30th of May in that year, he was succeeded by his brother, Henry the Third, who was Elected a Knight of the Garter in April 1575; 4 but the Ensigns were not sent to him until January 1585, when the Earl of Derby and Sir Edward Stafford were appointed Ambassadors to Invest him. 5 Henry received the Order with great honour, in the Church of the Augustine Friars in Paris, on the 18th of February after evening prayers, when he promised to observe the Statutes in all points that were not inconsistent with those of the Orders of Saint Michael, and the Holy Ghost. 6 In the same Chapter in which the French Monarch was Elected, Charles Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord Chamberlain of the Household, afterwards Earl of Nottingham, was chosen into the Order; and he was Installed on the 8th of May 1575, “ at a small breakfast for haste.” 7 Though a scrutiny was taken in 1576, there was no Election 8 until the 24th of April 1578, when the Queen, with the view of strengthening her alliances against Spain, 9 caused the Emperor Rudolph the Second, 10 and Frederic the Second, King of Denmark 1 *, to be Elected. The Emperor does not, however, appear to have been Installed, even if he were ever Invested ; 10 and the King of Denmark did not receive the p The Plate of their Arms is in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 Harleian MS. 304, f. 134 b . 2 Ashmole, Appendix, No. xxx. 3 Ashmole, p. 630. 4 Harleian MS. 304, f. 134 b . Camden says he was Elected in 1534. If so he must have been then re-Elected. 5 Ashmole, Appendix, Nos. lxviii, lxxviii, xcn, cxvm. 6 Camden’s Annals. Nichols’ Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. II. p. 209. The English are said to have refused to attend the celebration of Mass on that occasion.—Ibid. 7 Harleian MS. 304. 8 Ashmole, p. 293. 9 Camden’s Annals, p. 21. 10 The Emperor Rudolph succeeded his father, the Emperor Maximilian, on the 12th of October 1576, and was Elected a Knight of the Garter in 1578. On the authority of Le Neve, Ashmole (p. 325) says the Prince’s Stall was reserved for the Emperor Rudolph; “ and on the Tablets, erected in the Town Hall of Shrewsbury, and Church of Ludlow, in commemoration of Sir Henry Sydney’s having kept Saint George’s Day in the former town in 1581, and in the latter in 1582,” the following Foreign Princes are said to have been Elected, but not Installed, namely, “ Rudolphus, second of that name, Emperor of the Romans, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria; Henry the Third, French King; Christian [Frederic] King of Denmark; and the Most Noble Prince John Casimir, ANNIS 1578—1580.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 197 Ensigns until 1582, in June in which year, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, and the King of Arms, with a suite of fifty-six persons, proceeded to Denmark to Invest him. The ceremony was performed in Cronenburg Castle on the 14th of August; and Frederic constituted Lord Willoughby his Proxy, who was accordingly Knighted, and Installed on the 13th of January 1583. * 11 John Casimir, son of Frederic the Third, Prince Elector Palatine, came to England in the winter of 1579, to explain his conduct in having led a large army from Germany into the Low Countries, at great expense to the Queen, and the States, without performing any service. He met with a gracious reception; and having been Elected a Knight of the Garter on the 8th of February 1580, Elizabeth honoured him by placing the Garter round his leg with her own hands, and granted him a pension. The Prince p was Installed by his representative, Sir Philip Sydney, on the 13th of January 1583, when that famous person was Knighted. 12 On that occasion the Achievements of four deceased Companions, the Emperor Maximilian, the Duke of Savoy, and the Earls of Arundel and Essex, were, “ with wonted Honour severally Offered, but not without the sad and sorrowful view of all the standers by.” 13 Though three Stalls were vacant at the Anniversaries in 1581, 1582, and 1583, and though scrutinies were taken, the Queen would not make an Election. 14 Pursuant to the Statutes, which enjoined such Companions as might be absent from the Sovereign on the Day of Saint George, to keep the Duke of Bavaria and Palatine of the Rhine.”—Ashmole, p. 617, 618. In two Lists of the Knights of the Garter in the State Paper Office, one of which was signed by Garter, and dated in 1587, the Prince’s Stall is marked “ Void—The Emperor Elect.” That the Emperor Rudolph’s Eleotion was considered void after the accession of King James the First is certain; for though his Imperial Majesty lived until 1612, the Prince of Wales was placed in the Prince’s Stall; and all the vacancies in the Order were filled up by new Elections in July 1603. It is proper to notice the curious set of Engravings of “The Proceeding of the Sovereign and Knights Companions at the Feast of Saint George, designed by Marcus Gerard, and set forth in the 20th year of Queen Elizabeth [1578], by Thomas Daws, sometime Rouge Croix Pursuivant at Arms, 1578,” of which a reduced copy is given in Ashmole, p. 515. This Procession must refer to the year 1575 or 157 6, for the Emperor Maximilian, who died in October 1576, is represented as the Senior, and Lord Howard of Effingham as the Junior Companion, and no notice is taken of the King of Denmark, who was Elected in April 1578. Though there was then one vacancy, the effigies of twenty-five Knights are introduced, but the shield of the Fellow of Lord Howard is left blank. 11 Nichols’ Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. II. p. 201. Harleian MS. 304; Foedera, XV. 793. Ashmole, pp. 326, 438, Appendix, Nos. lxvii, xci, cxxi. 12 Harleian MS. 304. Camden’s Annals, p. 390. Ashmole, pp. 326, 438, 630. The Letters of Procuration were, however, dated on the 12th of February 1580.—Ashmole, Appendix, No. cxxii. 13 Ashmole, p. 630. 14 Ibid. p. 294. 198 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. Feast in whatever place they happened to be, Sir Henry Sydney, Lord President of the Council in Wales, observed it with great ceremony at Shrewsbury in 1581, and at Ludlow in 1582. On those occasions the Arms of the Knights who had been Installed, and the names of the Knights Elect, were placed in the principal Church of both Towns; and a memorial of the circumstance was written on Tablets, in the Town Hall of Shrewsbury, and in the Church of Ludlow. 4 On the 24th of April 1584, Thomas Cooper, Bishop of Winchester, was admitted into the Office of Prelate; and Edward Manners Earl of Rutland 1 *, William Broke Lord Cobham, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Henry Lord Scrope of Bolton, Governor of Carlisle, and Warden of the West Marches of Scotland, were Elected. Garter King of Arms was sent to the Earl of Rutland at Newark, to Lord Cobham, and to Lord Scrope at Carlisle, to notify their Elections. They were severally Installed on the 15th of April 1585, (Lord Scrope having appointed his son, Sir Thomas Scrope, who was Knighted the day before by the Queen to qualify him for the Office, as his Proxy); and the Achievements of the late Earls of Sussex and Lincoln, were Offered on the same day. 5 On Saint George’s Day 1585, two, if not three Stalls were vacant; but the Queen determined that they should remain so, though an Election was held and the scrutiny of the votes was presented to her. 6 The same unwillingness was shewn by her Majesty in the next year, when there were other vacancies; and it would seem that she availed herself of the pretence of having lost the list of Suffrages, to avoid making an Election. 7 The Feast of Saint George in 1586, was observed with greater magnificence abroad than at home; for the Earl of Leicester, Lieutenant and Governor- General of the Queen’s Forces in the Low Countries, kept the Anniversary of Saint George at Utrecht, with a degree of splendour which excited the astonishment of the inhabitants. 8 4 Ibid. p. 617, 618. p Their Stall Plates still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Harleian MS. 304, f. 134; 6064, f. 51. Lansdowne MS. 64, art. 45. 6 Harleian MS. 304, f. 147 b . 156. Ashmole, p. 295. It was then decided that the Knights had no right to see the scrutiny before it was registered.—Ibid. ■> Ibid. f. 148. 8 See the Account of these Festivities in Stow, p. 716, 717. Holinshed, p. 477; and Collins’ State Papers, vol. I. p. 76. Ashmole, p. 618. ANNIS 1586—1588.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 199 In 1587, the Queen attended the Chapter on Saint George’s Day, but refused to be present when the scrutiny was taken, because she was not attired in the Mantle of the Order, which appears to have been an excuse for not filling the vacant Stalls, it being said that the Election of several Companions was “ most earnestly desired.” 9 This proceeding was, however, part of Elizabeth’s favourite system of government. Every vacant Honour or Office, secured the fidelity and zeal of numerous candidates; and she preferred relying upon the hopes of many expectants, than upon the gratitude of the few who could be appointed. In a Chapter at Greenwich, on the Eve of Saint George 1588, Sir Amias Paulet, one of the Privy Council, was admitted as Chancellor, instead of Sir Francis Walsingham, then lately appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ; and on the following day, an Election was made, but the Sovereign’s pleasure was not declared until the 24th of April, when the well known favourite, Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, Thomas Butler Earl of Ormond p , President of Munster, and the Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton p , were declared Knights of the Order. Being introduced into the Chapter, they fell upon their knees, and were Invested by the Queen; * 1 who in the appointment of Essex gratified a young, and in that of Hatton, an old favourite; while she balanced her personal predilections, by a regard for merit, in rewarding so valuable a public servant as the Earl of Ormond. The Knights Elect were Installed on the 23rd of May in the same year. 1 On the 6th of September following, the Order lost the celebrated Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, whose death is alluded to, on account of the respect which he shewed for the Institution, in that important instrument wherein men rarely disguise their real feelings, or seek to impose on others or themselves. In his "Will, dated on the 1st of August 1587, Leicester thus affectionately mentioned his brother, Ambrose Earl of Warwick: “To my dear and noble brother, I leave to him, first, as dear an affection as ever brother bare to other. And, for a remembrance, I send him a Cup of 9 Harleian MS. 304, f. 152. Eight Knights voted, and the greatest number of suffrages were as follow: Earl of Cumberland . . 7 Lord Strange. 4 Sir Francis Knollys ... 7 Oxford .... 4 Sir Christopher Hatton . 8 Sir Francis Walsingham 7 Kent. 4 1 Harleian MS. 304, f. 158. Ashmole, p. 298. Four Stalls were, however, still allowed to remain void. See the Scheme of Stalls in 1588, in Ashmole, p. 329. 200 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. Gold, which my old friend, my Lord of Pembroke gave me; and a George, which hath the French Order and the English in one, with a plain gold Chain at it. This token he must keep in remembrance, that his brother was of both the Orders, and not only so, but almost the oldest of both the Orders, in both the Realms.” To his “ good son-in-law the Earl of Essex,” the Earl of Leicester bequeathed “ the best armour I have, one my Lord Chancellor gave me, two my best horses, with a George and Garter, in hope he shall wear it shortly,” 2 an expectation which was realized by Essex’s Election at the ensuing Anniversary. On Saint George’s Eve in 1589, the Earl of Essex was absent without the Sovereign’s permission. The next day John W olley, a Privy Counsellor, was appointed Chancellor, on the death of Sir Amias Paulet; and in a Chapter held before Evening prayers, the Earl of Huntingdon, the Queen’s Lieutenant, announced to the Companions, that the Sovereign had promised to Elect into the Order any Foreign Prince on whom their choice might fall. None however was selected; but on the following day, Henry RatclyfFe Earl of Sussex 1 *, who was in waiting, having been introduced, was Invested by the Queen herself; 3 and Thomas Sackville Lord Buckhurst p , (afterwards created Earl of Dorset), who was not aware of the honour designed him, received the Ensigns from 3 the Lieutenant. Both the Knights-Elect were Installed on the 18th of December, when the Achievements of three deceased Companions, the King of Denmark, the Earl of Leicester, and the Earl of Worcester, were Offered in the accustomed manner. 4 On the 22nd of April 1590, a Chapter was held at Greenwich, when the Earl of Pembroke was appointed the Sovereign’s representative. The Earl of Essex justified his absence in the preceding year, by alleging that he was then employed in the expedition against the Spaniards. The Queen honoured the ceremonial of the Feast Day with her presence; after which the Knights proceeded to Elect King James the Sixth of Scotland, and King Henry the Fourth of France and Navarre, into the Order. It is very 2 Collins’ State Papers, pp. 75, 86. p Their Stall Plates are in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Ash mole, p. 301. 4 Harleian MS. 304, f. 169. Ashmole, pp. 270, 271. 5 Ashmole, Appendix, No. lxix. ANNIS 1590—1592.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 201 remarkable, that King James should never have been Invested or Installed, until he became Sovereign of the Order; and it was not until September 1596, that measures were taken for sending the Ensigns to Henry the Fourth. In that year a defensive treaty against the Spaniards, and of strict amity between England and France, was executed and confirmed by the oaths of the contracting Sovereigns; and on the 6th of September, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and Garter King of Arms, were appointed Ambassadors to Invest the French Monarch. 5 The ceremony was performed with the greatest splendour in the Church of Saint Owen at Rouen, on Sunday the 10th of October; 6 and Henry was Installed on the 27th of April 1600, by his Proxy, the Sieur de Chattes, Governor of Dieppe. 7 * * No Elections were made in 1591; but the Annual Feast was observed, with the usual formalities at Greenwich, under the Lieutenancy of the Earl of Derby. The Queen did not join the procession on Saint George’s Day, before noon (having to wait until her Robes were brought from the Tower), when she was conducted to the Chapel by the Earl of Essex and Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord Admiral, in their Robes of the Order, her train being borne by the Lord Chamberlain and two Ladies; and having heard Divine Service, they made their Offerings. 1 At the Anniversary in 1592, which was kept at Greenwich, Lord Burghley officiated as Lieutenant, though from having the gout, he was obliged to be carried in the procession in a chair. On Saint George’s Day the crowd was so great, as to impede the entrance of the Knights to the first morning prayers. The Queen attended Divine Service in the Chapel sitting in her Stall; and after the Offerings, a solemn prayer was pronounced for the King of France, which was followed by the usual prayers for the Sovereign and Companions of the Garter. On the next day a Chapter was held, when the Queen signified her pleasure for the Election of Gilbert Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, and George Clifford Earl of Cumberland 11 , who had distinguished himself on several occa- sions at sea, and especially in defeating the Spanish Armada; “ but,” it is said, 6 A full account of the proceedings, by William Segar, Somerset Herald, afterwards Garter, is printed in Stow’s Chronicle, pp. 777—781. 7 Ashmole, Appendix, No. cxxm. clvi. Additional MS. 6298, f. 98. 1 Harleian MS. 304, f. 162. D D 202 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. “ the Earl of Worcester * 2 was excepted,” whence it would appear that it was intended he should also have been chosen on that occasion. The Earl of Cumberland was not then at Greenwich; and Garter was sent to the Earl of Shrewsbury’s 3 lodgings to conduct him to the Presence, where he was received by the Earl of Huntingdon, and led to Her Majesty, “ who, with most gracious words of affection, put on his neck the George, with a blue ribband, and calling for a Garter, the Lord Admiral assisted her in placing it round the Earl’s knee.” The Earl of Cumberland having soon after arrived from Plymouth, it was proposed to send his Garter to him; but the Lord Treasurer signified the Queen’s intention to Invest him herself on Whitsunday, which she accordingly did, all the Knights of the Order (but not wearing their robes) being present. 4 Both the Knights-Elect were Installed on the 19th of June in the same year, 5 by Lord Howard of Effingham and the Earl of Ormond, when the Ensigns of four deceased Knights, John Casimir Count Palatine of the Rhine, and Duke of Bavaria; George Earl of Shrewsbury; Ambrose Earl of Warwick; and Sir Christopher Hatton, were Offered. 6 In 1593, Saint George’s Eve was kept at Westminster, Lord Howard of Effingham being the Sovereign’s Lieutenant; and on the Feast Day, the Queen attended the morning service, as well as all the other ceremonies, after which 8 Edward Somerset fourth Earl of Worcester, succeeded his father in 1589, and was Elected in the following year. 3 The copy of the Statutes which belonged to George and Gilbert Earls of Shrewsbury, is in the British Museum, Harleian MS. 235. In the fly leaf Earl Gilbert has written, “Was at this ElectionTA 0 . 1592, when I Gilbert Shrewsbury was Elected of the Order of the . . ere 40 years of age, 1592. Garter there were these of the Order, 1. The Sovereign. 2. Void. 3. Void. 4. Viscount Montagu. 5. Lord Hunsdon. 6. Earl of Huntingdon. 7. Lord Grey. 8. Earl of Pembroke. 9. Lord Cobham. 10. Earl of Essex. 11. Void. 12. Lord Buckhurst. 13. Void. 1. Void. 2. King of Spain. 3. Void. 4. Void. 5. Void. 6. Lord Burghley. 7. Earl of Derby. 8. Lord Howard of Effingham. 9. Lord Scrope. 10. Earl of Ormond. 11. Earl of Sussex. 12. Void. 13. Void.” In the next leaf the Earl wrote: “ This Booke was my fathers who Almyghty God toke to his mercy the 18. of Novemb. in A 0 1590, et reg. reg. Elizabethse 33°. at Sheffield Lodge. I was elected into ANNO 1593.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 203 she walked in public, accompanied by the Knights of the Order and many other Noblemen, and the Ladies of the Court. In the evening a scrutiny was taken for an Election, which was delivered to the Chancellor, who was desired by the Lieutenant to take a note of its contents, lest it should be lost, as had before happened; and on the following day five Knights were declared to have been chosen, namely, Henry Percy, the young Earl of Northumberland 11 ; Edward Somerset Earl of Worcester ; Thomas Lord Borough p , who had been Ambassador to Scotland, and Governor of Brill in Flanders, and was afterwards Lord Deputy of Ireland; Edmund Lord Sheffield p (afterwards Earl of Mulgrave), who distinguished himself against the Spanish Armada; and the venerable Sir Francis Knollys*, the Treasurer of the Household. All of them, except the Earl of Northumberland, who was absent, were immediately introduced into the Presence; and the Earl of Worcester being Knighted by the Lord Admiral, the Queen placed the George round his neck, and, assisted by two Knights, the Garter on his leg. Lord Borough and Lord Sheffield were then Invested in a similar manner; but the Investiture of Sir Francis Knollys seems to have been attended with an affecting circumstance. He “ was conducted by the Lord Hunsdon and the Earl of Essex, Garter going before them, and the Queen’s Majesty would herself, only, put on his George and Garter with the felowship of this Order at Grenewydge, at the feast of St. George, Elizabeth» 34 t0 . and we two were instated at Wynsour in June followynge. The Earle of Ormond and the L. Charles Howard L. Admy- rale of England, were the two ho. persons that Installed us then.” The Book afterwards fell into the hands of Robert Harley (first Earl of Oxford and Mortimer), as appears from the following memorandum of Charles Duke of Shrewsbury, K.G. “ This Book was given me by Mr. Harley in May 1711, a few days before he was made Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, and Lord Treasurer of Great Britain. “ I was Installed at Windsor on the 5th of June 1694. Charles Shrewsbury.” Soon after the Duke’s decease in 1718, the Duchess restored the volume to the Earl of Oxford : “ This Book was restored to my noble Lord the Earl of Oxford by her Grace the Duchess of Shrewsbury, soon after the decease of the late Lord Duke her husband, and was placed in the Library the 15th day of September 1719. Humfrey Wanley.” On one of the leaves there is a list of the members of the Talbot family who have been Knights of the Order. 4 Harleian MS. 304, f. 166 b , et seq. The writer appears to have been present, and he adds, “ The Earl of Salop was dubbed Knight in the Privy Chamber after dinner that day, and paid his fees double Note, £14.”—See also Ashmole, p. 301. 5 Ashmole, pp. 313, 336, 338, 339. * * * 4 5 6 Ibid. p. 163, and Additional MS. 6298, f. 88 b . p Their Stall Plates are in Saint George’s Chapel. 204 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. most kind words, and tears on all sides.” The Knights-Elect 7 were Installed on the 25th of June, when the Swords and Helmets of Yiscount Montagu and Lord Scrope of Bolton were Offered with the accustomed formalities. 8 The Investiture of the Earl of Northumberland and the other Knights-Elect 7 Additional MS. 6298, f. 88, and Harleian MS. 304, f. 168. The account of this Festival in that MS. seems to have been written by Garter King of Arms, who was in attendance, as he says, “We Garter,” &c. “ After supper only Mr. Boyer and I were too officious to talk too long time, but it is good to do our duty with diligence, for the which we had thanks of the Lieutenant.” 8 Additional MS. 6298, f. 89 b . 9 In 1593 George Peele, “ Master of Arts in Oxenford,” printed “ The Honour of the Garter displayed in a Poem gratulatory: Entitled, to the worthy and renowned Earl of Northumberland, created Knight of that Order, and Installed at Windsor: Anno Regni Elizabeth*, 35. Die Junii 26,” 4to. reprinted in Mr. Dyce’s excellent edition of Peele’s Works, 8vo. 1829, whom “ ad Maecenatem Prologus,” he calls, “ Nobthdmbekland’s fair flower, The Muses’ love, patron, and favourite.” The Poem opens with a description of a Vision, which he supposes himself to behold at Windsor Castle, when King Edward the Third, conducted by Renown, “ The Herald of Eternity, And Pursuivant at Arms to mighty Jove,” and attended by a glorious train (among which were all the Original Knights Founders), passes before his eyes. Peele thus adopts the popular History of the Ensign of the Order: “ Then I call’d to mind What Princely Edward, of that name the Third, King Edward, for his great achievements fam’d, What he began, the Order of Saint George, That at this day is honour’d through the world, The Order of the Garter so yclept, A great effect grown of a slender cause, Grac’d by a King, and favour’d of his feres, Fam’d by his followers, worthy Kings and Queens, That to this day are Sovereigns of the same. The manner how this matter grew at first Was thus. The King disposed on a time To revel, after he had shaken France, (0, had he bravely held it to the last!) And deck’d his Lions with their Flower de Lyce, Dispos’d to revel, some say, otherwise, Found on the ground by fortune as he went A Lady’s Garter, and the Queen’s I trow, Lost in a dance, and took it up himself: It was a silken ribbon weav’d of blue. His Lords and standers by, seeing the King Stoop for this Garter, smil’d, as who would say, Our office that had been, or somewhat else. King Edward wistly looking on them all, With princely hands having that Garter seiz’d, ANNIS 1594—1596.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 205 was commemorated by a Poet, in a manner which deserves more than a passing allusion. 9 In 1594, 1595, and 1596, the Anniversary of the Order was kept at Greenwich in the usual manner; but though scrutinies were taken on those occasions, From harmless heart, where honour was engrav’d, Bespake in French (’a could the language well, And rife was French those days with Englishmen ; They went to school to put together towns, And spell in France with fescues made of pikes,) “ Iioni soit qui mal y pense” quoth he. Wherewith upon advisement, though the cause Were small, his pleasure and his purpose was T’ advance that Garter, and to institute A noble Order, sacred to Saint George, And Knights to make whom he would have be term’d Knights of the Garter.” He then describes Edward the Black Prince and the Twenty-Four other Companions, “ That from the spacious aery house of Fame Set forward Royally to solemnize Th’ Installment of some new-created Knights.” » Among the Knights Founders, Peele included the Earl of Southampton, apparently an intentional mistake, for the purpose of introducing Henry Wriothesley Earl of Southampton (who was afterwards Elected into the Order), the warm patron of Shakespeare, and other Poets. The scene becomes crowded with all the great heroes of Antiquity and Chivalry, Hector of Troy, Alexander the Great, Godfrey of Boloigne, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Jason and the Knights of the Golden Fleece, the Knights of St. Iago, Rhodes, and the Holy Sepulchre; and he then, in compliment to Queen Elizabeth, notices “ a worthy man of mark,” “ A Prince of famous memory I saw, Henry the Eighth, that led a warlike Band Of English Earls and Lords and trusty Knights, That wore the Garter, sacred to Saint George.” A passing eulogium is paid to the Earl of Bedford, which has been already noticed (p. 191, antea), and he approaches the immediate subject of his Poem : “ The train cast in a ring About the Castle, making melody, Under the glorious spreading wings of Fame, I saw a Virgin Queen, attir’d in white, Leading with her a sort of goodly Knights, With Garters, and with Collars of Saint George: Elizabeth, on a compartiment Of gold in bysse was writ, and hung askew Upon her head, under an Imperial Crown. She was the Sovereign of the Knights she led: Her face, methought, I knew, as if the same, The same great Empress that we here enjoy, Had climb’d the clouds, and been in person there ; 206 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. the Queen pursued her favourite policy of keeping the candidates in suspense; for no Elections were made; * 1 and though in 1596 the Knights are said to have anxiously expected that the Queen would have declared her choice, she was pleased to postpone an Election until the following year. 2 The only other transactions which took place in those years were the admission of William To whom the earth, the sea, and elements Auspicious are.” ****** “ When all were whist, King Edward thus bespake: ‘ Hail Windsor ! where I sometimes took delight To hawk, and hunt, and back the proudest horse, And where in Princely pleasure I repos’d, In my return fro France,’—a little sigh I heard him fetch withal; his reason why I cannot guess : I think it was for this, That England had given o’er their traffic there,— ‘ And twenty times hail Windsor !’ quoth the King, ‘ Where I have stall’d so many hardy Knights, And Tournaments, and Royal Jousts perform’d : Behold in honour of mine ancient throne, In honour of fair England, and Saint George, To whom this Order of the Garter first I sacred held : in honour of my Knights Before this day created and install’d, But specially in honour of those five, That at this day, this Honour have receiv'd, Under Elizabeth, England’s great Sovereign, Northumberland and Worcester, noble Earls, Borough and Sheffield, Lords of lively hope, And honourable old Knollys fam’d for his sons, And for his service gracious and renowned; Lo, from the house of Fame, with princely trains Accompanied, and Kings and Conquerors, And Knights of proof, loyal and valourous, I re-salute them here, and gratulate To those new Knights created by a Queen Peerless for wisdom and for Majesty, The Honour of the Garter: may they long Wear them as notes of true Nobility, And virtue’s ornaments. Young Northumberland, Mounted on Fortune’s wheel, by Virtue’s aim Become thy badge, as it becometh thee, That Europe’s eyes thy worthiness may see. And, Worcester, what pure honour hath put on With chaste and spotless hands, in honour wear: Answer the noblest of thine ancestry, i Additional MS. 6298, ff. 90, 91. 2 Additional MSS. 6298, f. 92 b . and 93 b . Ashmole, p. 295. ANNIS 1595—1597.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 207 Wickham Bishop of Winchester, as Prelate of the Order, on the 22nd of April 1595; of Sir Edward Dyer as Chancellor; William Day, Bishop of Winchester, as Prelate, and of Dr. Bennett, Dean of Windsor, as Registrar, in April 1596. 3 At length the long expected Elections took place. On the 22nd of April 1597, after the usual ceremonies were performed, under the Lieutenancy of In deeds to Fame and Virtue consecrate. Borough, brought up in learning, and in arms, Patron of Music, and of Chivalry, Brandish thy sword in right, and spend thy wits In Commonwealth affairs: it shall become Thy forwardness to follow virtue’s cause And great designs of noble consequence. And, Sheffield, shape thy course no otherwise Than Loyalty, the loadstar of Renown, Directs; that as thine ancestors have done, Thine earthly race in honour thou may’st run. To thee, old man,’ with kindness, quoth the King, ‘ That reap’st this honour in thy waning age, See what a trophy Queen Elizabeth Prepares before thy hearse : long may’st thou live And die in fame, that hast well near atchiev’d The noble Norris’ honour in thy sons, Thrice noble Lord, as happy for his few, As was the King of Troy for many moe.’ With that he ceas’d, and to the foremost Earl,— For why methought I see them every man, Stall’d in their places, and their ornaments,— ‘ Percy,’ quoth he, ‘ thou and thy lordly Peers, Your names are in this Register of Fame, Written in leaves and characters of gold; So live, as with a many moe you may Survive and triumph in Eternity, Out of Oblivion’s reach, or Envy’s shot; And that your names immortally may shine In these records, not earthly but divine.’ Then shalms and sackbuts sounded in the air, But shriH'st of all, the trumpet of Renown; And by and by a loud retreat he rung. The train retir’d, as swift as stars don shoot, From whence they came, and day began to break : And with the noise and thunder in the sky, When Fame’s great double doors fell to and shut, And this triumphant train was vanish’d quite, The gaudy Morn out of her golden sleep Awak’d, and little birds uncag’d, gan sing, To welcome home the bridegroom of the Sea.” * Additional MS. 6298, f. 94, 95. 208 HISTORY OF THE [ELIZABETH. Charles Lord Howard of Effingham (who in that year was made Earl of Nottingham), the Sovereign summoned the Companions to her private oratory, all others being excluded, when she explained her wishes respecting the rank of the persons who were to be chosen. The Queen retired to prayer, and the Knights proceeded to a Scrutiny; and Her Majesty having approved of the nominations, Frederic the Sixth, Duke of Wirtemberg; Thomas Lord Howard of Walden (younger son of the Duke of Norfolk, and afterwards created Earl of Suffolk); the Queen’s cousin, George Carey second Lord Hunsdon p , Chamberlain of the Household; Charles Blount Lord Mountjoy p (afterwards Earl of Devonshire), a distinguished soldier; and Sir Henry Lee p , Master of the Armoury, were Elected. All of them (except the Duke of Wirtemberg, who did not receive the Ensigns until after the accession of King James), were Invested by the Sovereign; and were Installed on the 24th of May following. * 4 In September of that year, the Ambassador sent by Christian the Fourth of Denmark, to renew the ancient alliance with this Country, had an audience of the Queen, when he returned the Ensigns of the Garter worn by his father, King Frederic the Second, who died in November 1588. The Queen received them with expressions of sorrow for his loss, and signified her intention of conferring the same Honour upon his successor, if she were assured of his friendship. 5 At the Anniversary in 1598, Thomas Bilson, Bishop of Winchester, 6 was sworn into the Office of Prelate, and Richard Coningsby, into that of Black Rod; but though a scrutiny was taken, the Queen refused to make any Election until the next year. The Feast of Saint George in 1599, was kept at Greenwich, but not with the usual pomp, in consequence of the rebellion in Ireland. 7 When the second prayers were concluded, the Queen “ in splendid Royal apparel, and a joyful countenance, descended from her Chamber to the Chapel, when she made her offering amid the acclamations of the spectators.” After evening service she entered her oratory, and intimated to the Knights, p Their Stall Plates are in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 Additional MS. 6298, f. 94, 95. 5 Stow’s Chronicle, p. 784. Nichols’ Progresses, vol. II. p. 509. Camden’s Annals, p. 192. 6 Dr. Wickham, Bishop of Winchester, died on the 12th of June 1595; and his successor, Dr. Day, on the 20th of September 1596. t Additional MS. 6298, f. 96. ANNIS 1599-1601.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 209 the persons whom she thought worthy to be Elected in the place of the great Lord Burghley, who had died shortly before, and of other deceased Companions. Robert Ratclyffe Earl of Sussex p , Henry Broke Lord Cobham, and Thomas Lord Scrope of Bolton p , were accordingly chosen. The Earl of Sussex and Lord Cobham were Invested on the following day, but Lord Scrope was absent. They were, however, all Installed on the 6th of June in that year. 8 The Queen shewed the same reluctance to confer the Order at the Anniversary in 1600, as she had done on so many other occasions; for though Lord Buckhurst, the Lieutenant, had signified to the Companions, by her commands, the individuals whom she desired might be nominated, and though they accordingly proceeded to a scrutiny, they were informed on the next day by the Chancellor, that the Sovereign had postponed the Election until the ensuing year. 9 Only two other persons received the Garter from Queen Elizabeth, namely, William Stanley Earl of Derby p , and Thomas Cecil second Lord Burghley (afterwards created Earl of Exeter), both of whom were Elected in 1601, and Installed on the 26th of May in that year. 10 Queen Elizabeth dying on the 24th of March 1603, was succeeded by * Additional MS. 6298, f. 98. 9 Ibid. 10 At the Anniversary in 1602, Garter prepared a small volume for the Queen, containing the Arms of the then existing Knights, beautifully painted on vellum, which is now in the Royal Library in the British Museum. It appears that seven Stalls were then void, and that the collection was not completed, for there are only Twenty-two Shields (among which, seven are left blank for the vacant Stalls), and the names and arms of the Earl of Sussex, Lords Cobham and Mountjoy, and Sir Henry Lee are omitted. E E 210 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES 1. KING JAMES THE FIRST. 1 Although King James was Elected 2 into the Order of the Garter in April 1590, he does not appear to have been Installed, nor even Invested with the Ensigns, so that he can scarcely be considered to have belonged, de facto, to the Fraternity, until the 24th of March 1603, when he became its Sovereign. The proclamation of King James in the City of London, was attended by a remarkable circumstance, in reference to the Order. When the Lords of the Council came to Ludgate, they found it shut; and the Lord Mayor and Aldermen in attendance signified their determination that no persons should come into the City, unless they intended to proclaim James King of Scots, as King of England. The Privy Counsellors replied, “ they came with no 1 At James the First’s accession, the Order, according to a Scheme of the Stalls printed in “ Honor Military and Civil, by William Segar, Norroy,” folio 1602, consisted of only Eighteen Knights, viz. Henry IV. King of France. Charles Earl of Nottingham. Thomas Lord Buckhurst. George Earl of Cumberland. Edward Earl of Worcester. Thomas Earl of Ormond. Gilbert Earl of Shrewsbury. Henry Earl of Northumberland. Edmond Lord Sheffield. George Lord Hunsdon. Thomas Lord Howard of Walden. Charles Lord Mountjoy. Robert Earl of Sussex. Thomas Lord Scrope. Thomas Lord Burghley. Sir Henry Lee. Henry Lord Cobham. William Earl of Derby. To these eighteen Companions, two Knights Elect, viz. King James the Sixth of Scotland, and Frederick Duke of Wirtemberg, who was Elected in 1597, should be added. A third Knight Elect, was probably the Emperor Rudolph (vide p. 196), though his Election was certainly considered void in or before July in this year. After the Elections on the 3rd of July 1603, the Order became full; for though, according to the Scheme of the Stalls on that day, as given in Ashmole, p. 330, two Stalls were void, it is evident that they were reserved for the King of Denmark and for the Duke of Wirtemberg, who had been Elected in 1597, both of which Princes were soon after Installed. 2 Vide p. 199, antea. 3 Dr. Goodman’s (afterwards Bishop of Gloucester) “ Court of King James,” recently printed by the Rev. J. S. Brewer, B. A. with valuable notes. The Editor says the truth of the anecdote is confirmed in Johnstone’s History of Britain, p. 359; and he gives the following version of it, from a MS. Diary of a person who lived on terms of intimacy with Dr. Parry, one of Queen Elizabeth’s chaplains, afterwards Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester:—“ 24 March 1603. This morning about 3 at clock, her ANNO 1603.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 211 other design,” and promised upon their honour to proclaim him. Sir Robert Lee, the Lord Mayor, said, “ it was no sufficient security and assurance to take their Honours’ word in so great a business, and that he would have better security, whereupon one or two of the Lords pulled off their Blue Ribbons, together with their Georges, and did mortgage them, that they would proclaim none other; and then they were admitted, and did proclaim King James accordingly.” 3 James’s first act, in relation to the Order, was to prorogue the Annual Feast, until he should have arrived in England; and the 3rd of July was appointed for its celebration. 4 On Saint George’s Eve, however, a Chapter was held at Whitehall, when Prince Henry (afterwards Prince of Wales) 1 *, then in his eleventh year, and the King’s brother-in-law, Christian the Fourth, King of Denmark 1 *, were chosen ; 5 and their Election was remarkable for being vivd voce , or by acclamation, without a scrutiny being taken. 6 Before the , 3rd of July, Lodowic Stewart Duke of Lenox (afterwards created Earl and Duke of Richmond), Lord Chamberlain and Admiral of Scotland; Henry Majesty departed this life, mildly, like a lamb ; easily, like a ripe apple from the tree: cum levi quadam febre, absque gemitu. Dr. Parry told me that he was present, and sent his prayers before her soul; and I doubt not but she is amongst the Royal Saints in Heaven, in eternal joys. About 10 at clock, the Council and divers Noblemen, having been awhile in consultation, proclaimed James VI. King of Scotland, the King of England, France and Ireland; beginning at Whitehall gates, where Sir Robert Cecil read the proclamation which he carried in his hand, and after read again in Cheapside : many Noblemen, Lords spiritual and temporal, Knights, five trumpets, many Heralds. The Gates at Ludgate and portcullis were shut and down, by the Lord Mayor’s command, who was there present with the Aldermen, &c.; and until he had a token beside a promise, the Lord Treasurer’s George, that they would proclaim the King of Scots, King of England, he would not open them.”—Ibid. pp. 56, 57. 4 Ashmole, p. 475. 5 Harleian MS. 6166, fo. 133. p Their Stall Plates still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 Ashmole, p. 282. There is some uncertainty about the date of the Election of the Prince of Wales, and Christian IV. The Harleian MSS. Nos. 5877, p. 47, and 6166, fo. 133, expressly state that it occurred on the 22nd of April, “ in a Chapter in the King’s Closet next the Chapel of Whitehall.” Ashmole, on the authority of the “ Liber Ceruleus,” p. 150, says it took place on the 14th of July; while the following extract from a Letter from Sir Thomas Edmonds to the Earl of Shrewsbury, dated at the Court at Greenwich, June 15th, states that they were Elected on the 14th of June: “ The King resolved to remove hence on Monday next to Windsor, by reason that the Queen doth so much hasten her journey, and because my Lord of Rutland is to be dispatched presently into Denmark, to be the King’s deputy at the Christening of a daughter of the said King’s. The King did therefore yesterday cause a Chapter to be held of the Order of the Garter, for the choosing of that King, and our young Prince, to be of the Order, whereby my Lord of Rutland’s journey shall also serve that turn to carry the Garter to that King.”—Lodge’s Illustrations of British History, 8vo. vol. III. p. 12. 212 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES I. Wriothesley Earl of Southampton, 4 who had been attainted for Treason in 1598, but was restored to his Honours in this year; John Erskine Earl of Marr, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland; and William Herbert Earl of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlain of the Household, were Elected and Invested; and they were all, together with Prince Henry, Installed on that day. On that occasion the Achievements of Queen Elizabeth were Offered in the usual manner. 5 In June 1603, the Earl of Rutland was appointed Ambassador to Invest the King of Denmark with the Ensigns of the Order, and to represent his Sovereign at the baptism of the young Prince Christian; 6 and in September, Robert Lord Spenser of Wormleighton, and Sir William Dethick Garter King of Arms, were sent to Invest the Duke of Wirtemberg, who had been Elected in April 1597, which they performed in the Church of Stutgard, on the 6th of November. 7 Henry Lord Cobham having been convicted of Treason, was Degraded from the Order; and on the 12th of February 1604, his Achievements were removed from Saint George’s Chapel; but, “ by the King’s clemency,” they were only spurned out of the Church Door, and not into the ditch of the Castle. 8 4 The Earl of Southampton is thus gracefully commemorated in Peele’s “ Honour of the Order of the Garter” (vide pp. 204, 205, antea) : “ Then the brave Earls of Stafford and Southampton, To whose successors, for his sake that lives And now survives in honour of that name, To whom my thoughts are humble and devote, Gentle Wriothesley, Southampton’s star, I wish all fortune, that in Cynthia’s eye, Cynthia, the glory of the western World, With all the stars in her fair firmament, Bright may he rise, and shine immortally.” 5 Ashmole, p. 345. Harleian MS. 6166, fo. 134. “ At the beginning of the Feast, the said 2nd of July, grew some question between the Heralds and the Prebends of Windsor, about their precedency; for that the Prebends claimed place of the Heralds, and then the Alms Knights also would go next the Prebends, and they both to have preeminency before the Heralds. But that day, by order of the Earls of Nottingham and Worcester, the Heralds had the preeminent place, but with much ado, insomuch that the Prebends refused to proceed to the Church wdth the Knights, but when the Knights were entered the Church, the Prebends came some good space after, and took their seats. Yet, after this, to avoid all contention which might happen between the Heralds and the Prebends, who challenged the preeminent place (as afore), because some of them were Doctors of Divinity, and had made complaint to the Knights of the Garter that they were wronged, it was against the next day, being Sunday and the day of Saint George, ordained by the said Knights of the Garter, that the Alms Knights should go first, then the Pursuivants of Arms, then the Prebends, and after them the Heralds; so that the Heralds kept still their better place, as they were accustomed. Whereupon they went to the Church upon Sunday in the same order; on which day were, after Divine Service ended, offered up the Banner, Sword, Helm, and Crest of the late deceased Queen Elizabeth : ANXIS 1605—1606.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 213 On the 20th of April 1604, the Duke of Wirtemberg was Installed; 9 but though there were two vacancies, * 1 no Elections took place. At the Anniversary in 1605, which was kept at Greenwich, Ulric Duke of Holstein p , the Queen’s brother, who was then in this Country, and Henry Howard Earl of Northampton, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports p , were Elected and Invested. Both of them were Installed on the 16th of May, when Prince Henry was the Sovereign’s Lieutenant; 2 and in September following the King of Denmark was Installed by his Proxy, Henry Ramelius, his Principal Secretary and Counsellor of State. 3 Two vacancies having occurred, by the deaths of the Earls of Cumberland and Devon, Robert Cecil Earl of Salisbury 1 *, and Thomas Howard Viscount Bindon p , were chosen in their places in April 1606; “ so that,” says a contemporary writer, “ there were now four of the Howards Knights of the Garter.” 4 The two Knights-Elect were Installed on the 21st of May, by four joint-Commissioners, three of whom (perhaps as a particular compliment to their illustrious House), were Charles Howard Earl of Nottingham, Thomas Howard Earl of Suffolk, and Henry Howard Earl of Northampton. 5 the Banner, by the Earl of Nottingham, Lord Admiral, and Lord Treasurer; the Sword, by the Earls of Shrewsbury and Cumberland; and the Helm and Crest, by the Earls of Northumberland and Worcester.”—Harleian MS. 5877, fo. 48. 6 Ashmole, Appendix, Nos. lxx, lxxix. Sir William Segar, Garter, was joined with the Earl of Rutland in his mission, of which an account will be found in Stow’s Chronicle, p. 825. 7 A full account of the ceremony is given by Ashmole, pp. 411—416; and see Appendix, Nos. ltx and lxxi. 8 Ashmole, p. 622. 9 Ibid. p. 327. 1 By the Degradation of Lord Cobham, and the death of Lord Hunsdon, in September 1603. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 2 Harleian MSS. No. 6166, fo. 156, and No. 5877, fo. 49. Ashmole, 298. Several transpositions were made of the Stalls in 1604 and 1609.—Ashmole, pp. 327, 328. 3 Stow’s Chronicle; and Ashmole, p. 328. The number of the Companions was then complete. ♦ Harleian MS. No. 6166, fo. 156, and No. 5877, fo. 51. Ashmole, 298. 5 As the Ceremony was attended by some unusual circumstances, it is desirable to give the following description of the proceedings by a contemporary: “ The said new chosen Knights were Installed at Windsor, the 21st of May following, where were present for their Installment as Commissioners, Charles Howard, Lord Admiral, the Earl of Worcester, the Earl of Suffolk, and the Earl of Northampton, having a joint Commission directed to them all four, without limitation of three or two, &c. Whereupon, two of them, supposing that they might execute all things belonging to their Commission, the Admiral and the Earl of Worcester brought the Earl of Salisbury in his Surcoat into the Choir, and set him in the lower Stall; and there, Garter holding the Book to swear on, the Register read the Oath; which done, the said Lords carried the Earl of Salisbury into his seat, and there robed him with his Mantle and Collar, and with all other circumstances and appurtenances, and so left him in his Stall. Afterwards, the Admiral and the Earl of Worcester going into the Chapter-House, to fetch the 214 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES I. On Saint George’s Day 1608, George Hume Earl of Dunbar®, Governor of Berwick; and Philip Herbert Earl of Montgomery 15 , Lord Chamberlain of the Household, were Elected (apparently instead of Frederic Duke of Wirtembcrg and the Earl of Dorset), and were Installed on the 18th of May following. No particular notice of the proceedings of the Order occurs until 1610, when a letter from a person at the Court states, that “ Our Saint George’s Feast passed without making any new Knights, there being no place void but only that of the Lord Scrope.” 1 At the Anniversary in 1611, the King’s second son, Charles Duke of York (afterwards Prince of Wales, and King Charles the First), who was about eleven years of age ; Thomas Howard Earl of Arundel® (the fifth of that distinguished family who were then Knights of the Order); and the well known favourite, Robert Carr Viscount Rochester®, 2 were chosen; and they were all Installed on the 13th of May. 3 It being intended to place the Duke of York in the second Stall on the Prince’s side, he walked in a corresponding place, in the Procession to the Chapel, on the day following his Election; but it was soon afterwards determined, in a debate in Chapter, “ that notwithstanding he was the Sovereign’s son, yet should he have no more preeminence than other Knights Companions, but come in as a puisne; and that his Achievements (which had been set over that Stall), should therefore be removed to that Stall next above the Viscount Rochester’s, and so to be consorted with the Earl of Montgomery.” It was also then declared, “ that all Princes, not absolute, should be Installed thenceforth in the puisne place.” The Decree relating to the Duke of York was, however, abrogated in April in the following year, after Viscount Bindon, there fell out contention between them and the other Commissioners left in the Chapter-House, when the Admiral and the Earl of Worcester carried the Earl of Salisbury into the Chapel, about the Commission, which before they had not considered of, for that, according to the words of their Commission, all four should have been at the Installment of the Earl of Salisbury. Wherefore all the said Commissioners finding their error, went into the Chapel, and again called down the Earl of Sarum, sitting in his Robes of the Garter, from his Stall, into the lower seat, where he first was, and there caused him to be new sworn; which done, and every of the four Commissioners laying hand of his Robes, and lifting up his Robes and Collar, as it had been a new Investiture, and testimony of their allowance and confirming of all the Investiture and other testimonies used before by the Admiral and the Earl of Worcester, they all four afterwards carried him up, and placed him in his Stall, according to their Commission, as before they two had done. After this, they all four went into the Chapter-House, and brought forth Viscount Bindon, gave him his Oath, and duly placed him in his Stall, according to the Commission. And then they went to Service, which done, they Offered the Banners, Swords, and Helmets of the two deceased Knights, [the Earl of Cumberland and the Earl of Devonshire,] and then they Offered severally for themselves, and then went to dinner,” &c.—Harleian MS. 5877, fo. 50, printed in Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 1070. ANNIS 1611—1613.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 215 reference had been made to precedents; and he was then translated to the Stall originally designed for him. * 1 * 3 4 Another attempt was made in a Chapter on Saint George’s Feast in this year, to remove the anomalies that existed in the Statutes, for which purpose a Commission was issued on the 14th of May 1611, to the Earls of Nottingham, Worcester, Pembroke, and Northampton, authorizing them to “ examine the Registers and other monuments, which pertained to the Order; and where any thing should be found obscure, to make it clear; where contrariety appeared, fitly to reconcile it; yet with no endeavour of innovating any thing, but an intention of renewing all things, as near as might be, to the first and most ancient Institution of the Order: saving always power to himself, as Sovereign of the Order, to add or change any thing (according to the occasion), as it should seem agreeable to his prudence, for the honour of this Most Noble Order.” 5 It does not, however, appear that anything was done on the subject. In January 1613, Maurice de Nassau, Prince of Orange, and Frederic, the Palsgrave p , Count Palatine of the Rhine, who was then betrothed to the Princess Elizabeth, whom he married on the 14th of the next month, were Elected Knights of the Garter. 6 The Prince of Orange was Invested at the Hague, by Sir Ralph Winwood, and Sir William Segar, Garter King of Arms, on the 14th of February 1613; 7 and both he and the Palsgrave were Installed on the 7th of that month, the former by his proxy, Count Lodovic of Nassau, his cousin, and the latter in person. 8 The Prince of Orange is said to have received the Order with great satisfaction, and to have bestowed magnificent presents upon the Ambassadors. 9 A Letter, written at the period, contains p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 1 Letter from Mr. Chamberlaine to Sir Ralph Winwood, dated 2nd May 1610, printed in Nichols’ Progresses of James the First, vol. II. p. 309: Thomas Lord Scrope of Bolton died on the 3rd of September 1609. 3 Ashmole says, p. 336, that “ the King granted Lord Rochester new Arms, to quarter with his paternal Coat, because a single Coat was conceived not to stand fair enough in a Banner of the proportions” of that belonging to a Knight of the Garter. Numerous Single Coats have, however, been placed on the Banners. 3 Ashmole, p. 348. Stow’s Chronicle, p. 912. Nichols’ Progresses of James the First, II. 421. 4 Ashmole, p. 330. 5 Ibid. p. 195. 6 Nichols’ Progresses, II. 516, 517. 7 An account of the ceremony of the Investiture of the Prince of Orange is in Ashmole, p 416 et seq.; and various documents relating to it, in Appendix, Nos. lxxii, xciii, and xcvn. 8 Additional MS. in the British Museum, No. 4173, and printed in Nichols’ Progresses of James the First, vol. II. p. 523. Ashmole, p. 326. 9 Ashmole, p. 522. its®- THF SPBTT -lir-jx" 216 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES I. some particulars of the Installation of those Princes: 1 “Count Henry should have been proxy for Grave Maurice; but contrary winds withheld him, so that a young gentleman of the same family, John Ludowic Nassau, was on the sudden chosen by those of the Order, sur le champ, to stand for his Deputy, which office he performed well and gracefully, being a proper young gentleman of twenty-one years. The Palatine sware with an exception, ‘ salvis legibus Sac. Rom. Imperii;’ and the young Count, ‘ salvis Constitutionibus Ordinum Provinciarum Confsederatarum.’ The Feast was in the Great Hall, where the King dined at the upper table alone, served in State by the Lord Gerard, as Sewer, the Lord Norris, as Cupbearer; the Lord Compton, as Carver. All that were of the Order at a long cross table across the Hall; the Prince by himself, alone; and the Palatine a little distant from him. But the Count Nassau was ranged over against my Lord Admiral, and so took place of all after the Sovereign Princes, not without a little muttering of our Lords, who would have had him ranged according to seniority, if the King had not overruled it by prerogative.” But a more curious anecdote of the Prince of Orange has been printed: “ Prince Maurice took it as a great honour to be admitted into the Fraternity of that Order, and wore it constantly: till afterwards, some villains at the Hague, that met the reward of their demerit (one of them, a Frenchman, being Groom of the Prince’s chamber), robbed a jeweller of Amsterdam, that brought jewels to the Prince. This Groom, tempting him into his chambers to see some jewels, there with his confederates strangled the man with one of the Prince’s Blue Ribbons; which being afterwards discovered, the Prince would never suffer so fatal an instrument to come about his neck.” 2 On Saint George’s Day 1615, Thomas Erskine, Viscount Fenton, afterwards created Earl of Kellie p , in Scotland; and William Lord Knollys p , afterwards made Earl of Banbury, were Elected. 3 They were Installed in May in the same year; and an idea may be formed of the pompous manner in which the Knights-Elect proceeded to Windsor on those occasions, by the following 1 Additional MS. in the British Museum, No. 4173. 2 Wilson’s History of James the First. P The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Camden’s Annals, ab. anno 1603 ad annum 1623, 4to. Lend. 1691, fo. 12. Don Diego Sarmiento, the Spanish Ambassador, was, at his request, present on the occasion. ANNO 1616.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 217 extract from a contemporary Letter: “On Monday our new Knights of the Garter, Lord Fenton and Lord Knollys, ride to Windsor, with great preparation to re-vie one upon another who shall make the best shew : though I am of opinion that the latter will carry it by many degrees, by reason of the alliance with the House of the Howards, Somerset, Salisbury, and Dorset, with many other great families, that will bring him their friends, and most part of the Pensioners; yet most are persuaded that the other will bear away the bell, as having the best part of the Court, all the Bedchamber, all the Prince’s servants and followers, with an hundred of the Guard, that have new rich coats made on purpose, besides Sir George Villiers, the Favourite, and Mr. Secretary, whose presence had been better forborne, in my judgment, for many reasons,—but that every man abound in his own sense.” 4 The Royal favourite, Sir George Villiers p , Master of the Horse, better known as Duke of Buckingham, and Francis Manners, Earl of Rutland, were Elected into the Order on the 24th of April 1616, to the surprise, it would seem, of all the Court; for it is said in a Letter, written a few days afterwards, “ The King went away the next day after Saint George’s Feast towards Newmarket and Thetford, the Earl of Rutland and Sir George Villiers being that morning Elected into the Order of the Garter; which seemed at first a strange choice, in regard that the wife of the former is an open and known recusant, and he is said to have many dangerous people about him; and the latter is so lately come into the sight of the world, and withal it is doubted that he had not sufficient likelihood to maintain the dignity of the place, according to express articles of the Order. But to take away that scruple, the King hath bestowed on him the Lord Grey’s lands, and means, they say, to mend his grant with much more not far distant, in the present possessions of the Earl of Somerset, if he do cadere causa, and sink in the business now in hand.” 5 Sir Robert Sydney Viscount L’Isle p having been appointed to deliver Flushing and Breda (which had been held as cautionary Towns,) to the States General, it was determined to “ grace him” with the Garter before his departure ; and he was accordingly Elected on the 26th of May 1616. The three 4 Letter from Mr. Chamberlaine to Sir Dudley Carleton, dated 20th May 1615. Additional MS. 4173, and printed in Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 91.—See some Remarks on these Processions, postea. 5 Ibid, dated 30th April 1616. Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 165. F F 218 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES 1. Knights-Elect were Installed on the 7th of July. 1 On the preceding day, it was debated in Chapter, whether the notorious Earl of Somerset, who had been convicted of felony, but still wore the Order, should be Degraded. After a long discussion, “ the King ordained, that Felony should not be reckoned amongst the disgraces for those who were to be excluded from the Order of Saint George, which was without precedent;” 2 and instead of his Achievements being expelled with ignominy, they were actually removed to a higher Stall. 3 The King intending to visit Scotland in March 1616, the Feast of Saint George was not celebrated until the 13th of September. 4 In 1618, it appears to have been kept with more than usual magnificence; 5 but in 1619, the observance of the Feast was postponed on account of the death of the Queen, which took place on the 2nd of March, and the dangerous illness of the King himself. 6 At the Anniversary in 1618, another effort was made to reform the Statutes. On the 26th of April in that year, a Commission was issued under the Seal of the Order, to the Earls of Nottingham, Worcester, Southampton, Arundel, and Montgomery, and to Viscount LTsle, in the following words: “ Whereas, ever since our coming to the Crown of this our Realm of England, we have had a special care to maintain and uphold the dignity and honour of our Most Noble Order of the Garter, whereof we are Sovereign, as to the world hath well appeared, both by our careful observation at all due 1 Mr. Chamberlaine wrote to Sir Dudley Carleton, on the 25th of May 1616: “ For all my haste, I must not forget that it is thought the Lord Lisle shall to-morrow be made Knight of the Garter, a Chapter of the Order being appointed for that purpose, to grace him the better, now he is going over to render Flushing.”—Nichols’ Progresses of James the First, vol. III. p. 170. 2 Camden’s Annals ut supra, p. 19. Ashmole, p. 621. 3 Letter from Mr. Chamberlaine, dated July 6th (Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 177). “ The King is now at Windsor, where the Instalment of the Knights of the Garter is to be to-morrow upon the King’s charge; and this afternoon there is a Chapter to be held about the Earl of Somerset’s Arms or Hatchments (as they call them), whether they were to be taken away or left as they are; only he wears his Garter still, and his George, by what privilege I know not. The Lord Hay is upon parting [as Ambassador to France], having lingered here long in hope to be made of the Garter, the success whereof cannot be held now in suspense beyond this day.” 4 Ashmole, pp. 479, 597. 3 In 1618, Saint George’s Day is said to have “ passed with much solemnity, the Lords and their followers being very gay and gallant, specially my Lord of Buckingham,” &c. In 1619, “On Wednesday is Saint George’s Feast, when there is like to be a great creation, I mean not of Knights of the Order, but hereditary Titles.” In 1620, “ The King is now at Greenwich, where the solemnity of ANNIS 1618—1622.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 219 times of all the Ceremonies and Solemnities belonging to the same, and also by the choice we have made of noble and worthy persons, whether Princes of Foreign Nations or subjects of our own Kingdoms, to supply the places which have been void of that Society. Now forasmuch as we are not ignorant that in all human Constitutions, there may be not only ambiguity, suffering doubtful interpretation, but also defect, for which addition is requisite, the same best appearing in time, which is the producer and trier of truth, We have therefore thought fit, out of the knowledge and experience we have of your understanding and wisdom, and the confidence we repose in your faithfulness and sincerity, being men of honour, and Knights and Companions of our said Order, to nominate you six, and to appoint you, or any four of you, to take an exact view of all the Ancient Statutes and Articles of our said Order. And do give unto you, or any four of you, full power and authority to call before you all such persons, whether Officers of our said Order, or others, as can give you light or information concerning the same: and after a serious consideration thereof, had by you all, or four of you, We will and require that you set down in writing, what in the said ancient Statutes and Articles, you shall conceive meet to be explained, and what to be added, whereby our said Noble Order may be made more famous and illustrious, that the same being presented to us, the Sovereign and the Society, at a Chapter holden, may be resolved on in part or in all, to be put in execution, if to us it shall seem so good .” 7 Saint George’s Day was kept on Thursday last. The only thing of note I hear thence is, that it coming to the Marquess of Buckingham’s turn to be coupled in one mess with the Earl of Rutland, he left him single himself, and consorted with the Earl of Leicester; and yet the opinion is the match must go on with his daughter, or else he should do her great wrong, as well in other respects, as that she hath condescended so far, for his sake and his mother’s, to be converted and receive the Communion this Easter.” In 1621, the Polish Ambassador was invited to witness the ceremonies, and at the dinner he “ saluted the King, Prince, and Knights, as they sat at table.” In 1622, “ St. George’s solemnity was deferred till the 22nd of May. The Spanish Ambassador, Coloma, was at the solemn service, placed in the Chapel closet on the King’s side. The States Commissioners were appointed for that on the Queen’s side; but because the Spanish Ambassador would never endure them so near him, when there was but a thin wainscot board between them, and a window to be opened at each of their pleasures, they were persuaded to excuse themselves, which they did, the rather because they were invited to the Earl of Exeter’s at Wimbledon. The closet was therefore “ at the service of the young Landgrave and his followers, whom,” continues Sir John Finett, “ I conducted in the dinner time to the Banquetting house, where the Prince supplying his father’s place (his Majesty being then indisposed), the Landsgrave stood at his Highness’ left hand, and the Spanish Ambassador on his right, most part of the dinner time.”—Contemporary Letters printed in Nichols’ Progresses of James I. vol. III. pp. 480, 547, 606, 664, 764. 6 Ashmole, p. 479. 7 Ashmole, pp. 195, 196. 220 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES I. Though the Commissioners met frequently, and heard various propositions, four years elapsed without any progress being made in the reformation of the Statutes; but in a Chapter, on the 19th of May 1622, certain New Articles were submitted to the Sovereign. No copy of those Articles has been discovered ; but it is said to have been suggested, “ that every year a Commission from the Sovereign should be given or continued to such Knights of the Order, as in Chapter should be thought fit, to consider of all things to the Order, belonging; and that the year following, an account by the Knights in Chapter should be given of their proceedings, by virtue of the said Commission. 5 6 This, with eight other Articles (one of which was the following), was confirmed by the Sovereign and Companions in a Chapter at Whitehall, on the 22nd of May, 7 “ that nothing relating to the exploits or services of the Companions, or any other Act in Chapter, should be registered, before it had been perused and considered by the then Knights Commissioners, or at least four of them, who when they should set times apart to consult of the affairs of the Order, for which they were chiefly constituted, might then also make use of such opportunities as should give this business dispatch with more conve- niency.” So profuse an expense had been occasioned by the cavalcades of the Knights-Elect from London to Windsor, that the King deemed it expedient to interfere. At the Installation of the Earl of Rutland, Lord LTsle, and Sir George Villiers, in 1616, he prohibited them from giving Livery coats, “ for saving charge and avoiding emulation;” and it was decreed in a Chapter in 1618, “ that every of the Knights Companions should have fifty persons to attend him unto the Annual Solemnities of the Order, and no more.” 8 It was at the same time ordained, that the existing, as well as all future Companions should present a piece of plate of the value of £20 at the least, for the use of the Altar of Saint George’s Chapel. 9 No other notice of any alteration, or addition to the Statutes occurs in the copies delivered to the Knights on their Election, as having been made in this reign, except the following, respecting the colour of the Ribband; and though 5 Ashmole, p. 196. 6 .Ashmole, p. 196, adds, “ And so happily and effectually went this work forward, that on the Feast Day of Saint George, held at Windsor in the ensuing year, the said Earl of Worcester (being then the Sovereign’s Deputy for that Feast) with ten Knights Companions more, did agree to eight other Articles (most of them concerning the Alms Knights), which the next morning were approved of by the ANNIS 1622, 1623.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 221 the colour was not previously pointed out by the Statutes, it would seem that from the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth (if not before), the Ribband had generally been blue. At a Chapter held the 19th day of May 1622, it was decreed, that “ whereas ‘ the Colour of the Ribband had not been particularly expressed in any Article ‘ of the Statutes, and the blue of Sky Colour had been used for some years ‘ past, it should for the future always be of a Blue Colour and no other.” * 1 Until this time the salaries of the Officers and Poor Knights, as well as the incidental expences of the Order, had been paid out of the receipts of the Exchequer by authority of the Great Seal or Privy Seal; but the King “ well considering its institution, nature, and constitution ; and that it was in the nature of a distinct Sovereignty, governed by laws, statutes, and assemblies of its ownand “ conceiving it incongruous that the Officers should longer receive or challenge their pensions by virtue of any other Seal than that of the Order; and in some kind derogatory to the Dignity of the Order itself, to permit other Seals longer to work within, or upon the same,” determined to render the Order in every way independent of any document which did not pass under its own Seal. In the Chapter at Whitehall, on the 22nd of May 1622, it was decreed, “ That all things concerning the Order, should thereafter be passed under the Seal of the Order only; and in particular, that the Grants of Poor Knights’ places after their being signed by the Sovereign, should be passed under the Seal of the Order only, and none other.” 2 At the Anniversary in the following year, the Chancellor was directed to advise with His Majesty’s Attorney-General, in what manner the salaries could be received and paid under the Seal of the Order, “ His Majesty’s pleasure being that all Grants *and Payments concerning the Order, should afterwards pass under the Seal of the Order only, and by virtue thereof.” 3 This regulation, however, was then carried into effect with respect to the appointments of Poor Knights only; but in the next reign its object was more completely attained. On the 2nd of February 1623, James second Marquess of Hamilton 1 *, was (like the Prince of Wales and King of Denmark in 1603) Elected, not by Sovereign; and that day, before the celebration of Divine Service, by the Sovereign’s Deputy, and Companions assembled in the Chapter House, the observation thereof was also decreed.” ^ Ashmole, p. 200. 8 Ibid. p. 339 . ® Ibid. p. 491 . 1 Existing Statutes, p. 52. 2 Ashmole, p. 258. 3 Ibid. p His Stall Plate is in Saint George’s Chapel. 222 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES I. scrutiny, but by acclamation. 1 He succeeded the Earl of Exeter; 2 and as a special mark of favour, his Mantle was given to him by the Sovereign, 3 and he was Installed on the 7th of July following. The King’s infirmity, which obliged him to be carried in a chair, shortened the ceremonies on Saint George’s Hay in that year; 4 and it was decreed in a Chapter held on the morrow of the Feast, “ That the Sovereign being advertised of the death of a Knight Companion of the Order, the Knights Companions remaining at the Court, should move him to declare his pleasure, whether he would that Letters should be sent to all the Knights Companions within the Realm, to attend his person for the choice of a new Knight, at a day by the said Sovereign appointed, according to the ancient Statutes of the Order; or be pleased to defer the Election until the day and Feast of St. George, at what time Elections have been most usually made, wherein the Sovereign’s pleasure and direction was to be followed and observed, and according as he resolved in what place it should be, so it ought (by Letters directed to the Knights Companions within the Realm) to be made known unto them.” 5 * * 8 This regulation was, however, merely declaratory of the ancient usage respecting Elections. In 1623, two Decrees were made; the one that “ The Registrar of the Order should compose a Book, wherein should be orderly transcribed the 1 Ashmole, p. 282. 2 Letter in Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 810, dated 22nd February 1623: “ Last week the Earl of Exeter’s Collar and Garter were bestowed on the Marquess of Hamilton the next day after his decease.” 3 Ashmole, p. 334. 4 Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 852. 5 Ashmole, p. 263. 6 Ashmole, p. 200, who observes, “ That after much inquiry, we have not heard that such a Book was drawn up by him, or any of his successors.” 7 Ibid. p. 313. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 8 His Stall Plate is engraved in Anstis, II. p. 267, which states that he was Installed on the 22nd of April 1624, though Anstis, I. 270, says the Duke was Elected on the 24th, and Installed on the 25th of April 1624, the date of the day on the Plate being erroneous. In a Letter dated on the 30th of April 1624, it is said, “The Duke of Lenox is chosen Knight of the Garter in his brother’s place, and was Installed at Windsor.”—Nichols’ Progresses, vol. III. p. 972. It is remarkable that Sir Simon D’Ewes, should state in his Diary, on the 16th of that month (Harleian MS. 646), “ that Ernest Count Mansfeldt, the General of the Protestant Army in Germany, who was then in London, had been graciously received, and royally entertained by the King and Prince,” “ and on Friday the 23rd, being Saint George’s Day, he was made Knight of the Garter at Whitehall,” and that in a list of Twenty-six Knights of the Garter (besides the Sovereign) in the 2nd Car. I. 1626, in the Harleian MS. 1979, f. 181, the third, on the King’s side, is said to have been “ The Count Mannesfeild,” for no such ANNO 1625.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 223 form and manner of all the Solemnities, Ceremonies, and Processions, which were accustomally used at the Feast of Saint George, and celebration of the Order, as also of taking down and Offering the defunct Knights’ Achievements, to the end the Knights Companions upon recourse to it, might have full information thereof;” 6 and the other for hastening the Installation of Knights-Elect; into which, however, this condition was introduced: “ Unless for some special cause, the Sovereign should think fit to defer the same, until the Eve or Day of Saint George next following the time of Election.” 7 At the Anniversary in 1624, Esme Stewart Duke of Lenox*, was Elected in the place of his brother, the deceased Duke of Lenox and Richmond, and he was immediately Installed. 8 Duke Christian of Brunswick* (Wolffenbuttel), the late Queen’s nephew, 9 having come to England, he was received with great favour; and together with William Cecil Earl of Salisbury, and James Hay Earl of Carlisle* (the seventh of King James’ Scottish subjects who received the distinction), were Elected into the Order on the 31st of December in that year; and at the Investiture of the Duke of Brunswick, the King himself placed the Ribband and George round his neck. 10 No other Elections took place in the reign of King James the First; and dying on the 27th of March 1625, he was succeeded by his son, Election appears to have taken place. Chamberlaine, who states that valuable presents were bestowed on Count Mansfeldt, says nothing of his having received the Garter.—Ibid. p. 971. 9 This Prince was a younger son of Henry Julius Duke of Brunswick (Wolffenbuttel), by his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Frederic II. King of Denmark (Anderson’s “ Royal Genealogies,” p. 520). He was born in September 1599, and distinguished himself as a soldier, having lost an arm in battle. He died on the 9th of June 1626. “ The Duke of Brunswick (Chamberlaine observes, in a Letter to Sir Dudley Carleton, 8th of January 1625) cannot complain of his entertainment, which was every way complete, very good and gracious words from the King, with the honour of the Garter, and a pension of £2000 a year. The Prince lodged him in his own lodgings, and at parting gave him £3000 in gold, besides other presents. The Earl of Salisbury was Knight of the Garter with him, and I hear a third is sent to the Lord of Carlisle to content him, for that it was thought he lingered after home, and was somewhat earnest for leave for that purpose.”—Nichols’ Progresses of James I. vol. III. p. 1027. 10 Ashmole, pp. 298, 301, 331. The Duke of Brunswick, the Earl of Carlisle, and the Earl of Salisbury were not Installed until the 13th of December, 1 Car. I. 1625. 224 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. KING CHARLES THE FIRST. In the earliest act of this Sovereign, who is said to have been “ the greatest increaser of the Honour and Renown of this Most Illustrious Order,” 1 he shewed that consideration for propriety, and that attention to decorum, which marked his character upon all occasions. On the 7th of April 1625, His Majesty postponed the celebration of the Annual Feast to the middle of August, “ for sundry causes, but especially for the late death of the high and mighty King, his most dear and most entirely beloved father, which bringeth unto him cause of grief, infinitely more than of triumph.” 2 The first Election took place on the 15th of May in that year, when Edward Sackville Earl of Dorset®, Henry Rich Earl of Holland®, who subsequently distinguished himself in the Civil Wars, and sacrificed his life in the Royal cause, and Thomas Howard Viscount Andover® (soon after made Earl of Berkshire) were Elected. 3 Towards the end of June, Claude de Loraine, Duke of Chevreuse, who was the King’s Proxy at his nuptials with the Princess Henrietta-Maria, arrived in England with letters from the Queen Regent of France, respecting the marriage; 4 and on the 4th of July he was chosen a Companion. 5 The Duke of Chevreuse, the Earls of Dorset and Holland, and Viscount Andover, as well as the Duke of Brunswick, and the Earls of Salisbury and Carlisle, who were Elected in the last year of the reign of King James the First, were Installed on the 13th of December following, 6 at which time the Feast was solemnized. It was then agreed that all the Companions should present a piece of plate to Saint George’s Chapel. 7 An important Decree was made on the 27th of April 1626, respecting the Ensigns of the Order, from which the Star now in use has been derived. The Arms of Saint George were previously worn by the Knights upon their 1 Ashmole, p. 195 2 Letter to the Knights, Ashmole, Appendix, No. clxi. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Ashmole, p. 331. * Foedera, XVIII. p. 116. 5 Ashmole, p. 331. 6 Ashmole, p. 331, 345.—This is also the date on their Stall Plates, but in p. 345 Ashmole says, they were Installed on the 23rd of November. The Dukes of Brunswick and Chevreuse were placed in the uppermost Stalls among strangers.—Ibid. 331. The Earl of Dorset, being ill, w'as Installed by ANNO 1626.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 225 Mantles only; but it was ordained by the following Statute, that the Escutcheon of the Patron Saint, encircled with the Garter should, upon all occasions, be worn upon the left side of the coat or cloak: “ Whereas the Robes concerning the Order, first having the same ordinary use which Cloaks have at this time, and now are worn only at the Feast of Saint George, Installing of Knights, and holding of Chapters, so that the Arms of the Garter, not being daily worn thereon, may be thought an omission, whereby the Order doth receive some diminution of honour, contrary to the intention of the Founder. King Charles, out of his princely desire by all due means to advance the honour of the said Noble Order, at a Chapter holden at his Palace of Westminster, on the 27 th day of April, in the second year of his reign of Great Britain, the same day being by prorogation appointed for the day and Feast of Saint George, for that year, His Majesty, with eleven Knights of the Order, viz. Edward Earl of Worcester, Lord Privy Seal; Robert Earl of Sussex; William Earl of Pembroke, Lord Chamberlain of His Majesty’s House; Philip Earl of Montgomery; Francis Earl of Rutland ; George Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral of England; William Earl of Salisbury; James Earl of Carlisle ; Edward Earl of Dorset; Henry Earl of Holland, Captain of His Majesty’s Guard; and Thomas Earl of Berkshire, hath ordered and ordained that the Knights and Companions of the Order, and the Prelate and Chancellor of the same, shall after three months next after the date before-mentioned of the said order, wear upon the left part of their Cloaks, Coats, and Riding Cassocks, at all times when they shall not wear their Robes, and in all places and assemblies, an Escutcheon of the Arms of Saint his proxy, Sir Richard Young.—Ibid p. 373. The following were the Companions on the 15th of December 1625, in the order of their Stalls, as given by Ashmole, p. 331 : 1. King Charles (Sovereign). 2. The Prince Palatine. 3. The Duke of Chevreuse. 4. The Earl of Worcester. 5. The Earl of Suffolk. 6. The Earl of Derby. 7. The Earl of Pembroke. 8. The Earl of Arundel. 9. The Earl of Kelly. 10. The Earl of Rutland. 11. The Earl of Leicester. 12. The Earl of Carlisle. 13. The Earl of Holland. 1. The King of Denmark. 2. The Duke of Brunswick. 3. The Earl of Northumberland. 4. The Lord Sheffield. 5. The Earl of Sussex. 6. The Earl of Mar. 7. The Earl of Montgomery. 8. The Earl of Somerset. 9. The Viscount Wallingford. 10. The Duke of Buckingham. 11. The Earl of Salisbury. 12. The Earl of Dorset. 13. The Viscount Andover. 7 Ashmole, p. 491.—This order was repeated in 1628, and confirmed in 1630. Ibid. G G 226 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES 1. George, that is to say, a Cross within a Garter, not enriched with pearls or stones; that the wearing thereof may be a testimony apart to the world, of the honour they hold from the said most Noble Order, instituted and ordained for persons of the highest honour and greatest worth.” 8 This Ordinance is, however, somewhat differently stated in the present Statutes : “ At a Chapter held the 27th of April in the second of King Charles, ‘ it was decreed, that from and after three months next following, the Knights ‘ Companions, wheresoever they should be, not being in their Robes of the Order, ‘ should wear on the left side of their Cloaks, Coats, Cassocks, an Escutcheon ‘ of Saint George, that is to say, a red Cross within a Garter, but not enriched ‘ with precious stones, that the wearing thereof might be a testimony to the ‘ world, of the honour they hold from the said most Noble Order, Instituted and ‘ Ordained for persons of the highest honour and greatest worth.” 9 This Escutcheon was soon after placed upon Beams or Rays of Silver, in the form of a Cross or Star ; and a Medal was struck, in 1629, to commemorate the circumstance. * 1 On the 23rd of April 1627, three Stalls being vacant, the King signified his pleasure that, “ out of Foreign Princes, the nomination of whom belongs only to the Sovereign,” the Chapter should choose Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden p ; and Henry Frederic of Nassau, Prince of Orange; 2 and on the same occasion, Theophilus Howard Earl of Suffolk p , Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, was Elected. The Prince of Orange was Invested by Viscount Dorchester and Sir William Segar, Garter, in May in that year, though, until a few days before his Investiture, 3 doubts were entertained whether the Prince would accept the Order, the French resident Ambassador having alleged that it would not be consistent with his Master’s honour for the Prince to receive the Order of the King of England, because he had lately invaded the French 8 Ashmole, p. 216. 9 Existing Statutes, p. 62, 63. 1 Ashmole, p. 216.—The Star will be more particularly described under “The Ensigns and Habits of the Order,” postea. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. * Ashmole, pp. 271, 275, 384, and Appendix, Nos. lxxiii, xciv, cxix. 3 Sir William Segar’s Narrative of the Prince’s Investiture is in Ashmole, p. 418. The Prince of Orange is said to have refused to put on the Robes of the Order, because his brother Prince Maurice had not done so.—Ibid. p. 420. ANNIS 1628—1629.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 227 dominions in the Isle of Rhe, and assisted the rebels in Rochelle. The King of Sweden was Invested by James Spence, Esq- and Henry St. George, Richmond Herald, on the 23rd of September, in his tent in the midst of his army. 4 These personages were Installed on the 24th September 1628, the King of Sweden p , by his Proxy the Earl of Cleaveland; the Prince of Orange by his Proxy Lord Dorchester; 5 and the Earl of Suffolk in person. 6 In 1628 William Compton Earl of Northampton p , Lord President of the Council in Wales, was Elected; and he was Installed on the 21st of April in the following year. 7 At a Chapter held at Whitehall, on the 23rd of April 1629, the following Decree was made respecting the Precedency of the Chancellor of the Order, which clearly shews that the Sovereign intended that the Office should always be held by a layman : “ Charles R. “ The Office of Chancellor of the Order being by the Institution a place of honour, and so disposed of that the same hath ever been possessed by persons of great worth and virtue, yet because it appears not that any declaration hath been made of the rank and right of place belonging to that Office, His Majesty hath therefore, by the advice of all the Knights present at the Chapter held upon the day and Feast of Saint George, ordered and decreed that Sir Francis Crane, the present Chancellor, and all others that shall succeed him in that place hereafter, shall in right of that place, in all assemblies, and upon all occasions, be ranked and placed immediately after Knights Privy Counsellors, and before the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the person holding both places being in pari gradu), and consequently before all others whom the said Chancellor is to precede. And to the end public notice may be taken hereof, and the respects known that is due to that place, his Majesty hath commanded an entry thereof to be made in the Register of the Order, 4 Walkley’s “ New Catalogue of Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, Barons, Baronets, Knights of the Bath, Knights Batchelors,” &c. ed. 1658, p. 122. The King of Sweden Knighted on that occasion Peter Young, Esq. the King’s Gentleman Usher; Henry St. George, Esq. Richmond Herald, and four other subjects of King Charles the First; and Young and St. George had a grant from Gustavus of the Arms of Sweden, to be borne in their own Arms, as a perpetual badge of honour.—Ibid. 5 Ashmole, pp. 438, 448. 6 As a special mark of favour, the Sovereign gave the Earl of Suffolk and the Earl of Northampton, who was elected in the next year, their Mantles.—Ashmole, p. 334. 7 Ashmole, pp. 301, 339. In p. 301—303, a description of his cavalcade to Windsor is given. 228 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. and is pleased that the Earl Marshal of England shall likewise cause the same to be entered in the Office of Arms.” 8 In 1630, four Knights were Elected, namely, Richard Lord Weston p (afterwards Earl of Portland), the Lord Treasurer; Robert Bertie Earl of Lindsey p , Lord Great Chamberlain ; William Cecil Earl of Exeter p ; and James Marquess of Hamilton in Scotland, and Earl of Cambridge in England, Master of the Horse, afterwards Duke of Hamilton, all of whom were Installed on the 5th of October in that year. 1 «/ King Charles intending a more complete reformation of the Statutes than had been made by any of his predecessors, issued a Commission on the 6th of October 1630 (on which day the Feast of Saint George was held at Windsor), 2 3 to nine of the Companions, viz. the Earls of Mulgrave, Pembroke and Montgomery, Arundel and Surrey, Salisbury, Carlisle, Dorset, Holland, Berkshire, and Suffolk, commanding them to assemble four times in every year, to consider what changes and additions might be necessary. A meeting accordingly took place; but early in 1631, their Commission was superseded by another containing greater powers, which directed them, or any four or more of their number, to “ meet, consult, and take an exact view, and to peruse all the Statutes and Ordinances of the Order; as well such as were established in the beginning, as such as had been since made, by explanation or addition, and to consider advisedly, whether any thing had been ordered that had brought doubt or ambiguity, or did stand in need of alteration or amendment: to the end that if, upon mature deliberation by them, there should appear any contrariety or other defect, by want of plain expression or other omission, which were fit by the Sovereign to be supplied for the augmentation of the Honour of the Order, that then, in such case, he (the Sovereign) might (upon return of their proceedings) resolve of some general declarations in Chapter, to reform and reduce into one body all the Statutes and Ordinances thereof, that the same being compiled and settled in a perfect form, might be so delivered over 8 Ashmole, p. 245. 1 Dates on their Stall Plates. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 2 On this occasion the Sovereign authorized a contribution to be levied from the Companions, for providing “sacred furniture” for Saint George’s Chapel; and it appears that a similar measure was adopted in November 1625.—Ashmole, p. 492, Appendix, No. clxxi. 3 Ashmole, pp. 196, 197. ANNIS 1633—1634.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 229 to posterity, cleared and free from all future questions and doubts.” 3 But the same fate attended this Commission as befell all the former; for though it continued until 1637, nothing of the slightest importance was done. On the 18th of April 1633, 4 Charles Count Palatine 1 11 ’, the King’s nephew, son of Frederic King of Bohemia, by the Princess Elizabeth of England, was Elected. 5 He was then about sixteen years of age; and having been Invested by Sir William Boswell, the King’s Resident in Holland, and John Philpot, Esquire, Somerset Herald, in the States’ Army, near to Balduck, in Brabant, on the 25th of July, 5 he was Installed by his Proxy, the Earl of IDovor, in November following. In the same year, and apparently in the same Chapter, James Stewart Duke of Richmond and Lenox p ; Henry Danvers Earl of Danby; and William Douglas Earl of Morton, in Scotland, were Elected. 6 At the Anniversary in 1634, a Scrutiny was taken, but the Sovereign did 4 Dr. Heylin, in his History of Saint George, 2nd edit. 1633, gives (p. 402) the following List of “ The Fellow's and Companions of the Most Noble Order of Saint George, commonly called the Garter, as they now stand this present twentieth of October, Anno Dom. 1632. 1. Charles King of Great Britain, elected in 1611. 2. Christierne King of Denmark, elected in 1603. 3. Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden, elected in 1627. 4. Frederic Prince Elector Palatine, elected in 1612. 5. Henry Prince of Orange, elected in 1627. 6. Claude Duke of Chevreuse, elected in 1625. 7. Henry Earl of Northumberland, elected in 1593. 8. Edmund Earl of Mulgrave, elected in 1593. 9. William Earl of Derby, elected in 1601. 10. John Earl of Mar, elected in 1603. 11. Philip Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, elected in 1608. 12. Thomas Earl of Arundel and Surrey, elected in 1611. 13. Robert Earl of Somerset, elected in 1611. 14. Thomas Earl of Kelly, elected in 1615. 15. Francis Earl of Rutland, elected in 1616. 16. William Earl of Salisbury, elected in 1624. 17. James Earl of Carlisle, elected in 1624. 18. Edward Earl of Dorset, elected in 1625. 19. Henry Earl of Holland, elected in 1625. 20. Thomas Earl of Berkshire, elected in 1625. 21. Theophilus Earl of Suffolk, elected in 1627. 22. Richard Lord Weston, elected in 1630. 23. Robert Earl of Lindsey, elected in 1630. 24. William Earl of Exeter, elected in 1630. 25. James Marquess of Hamilton, elected in 1630. Earl of Banbury’s place void. Officers of the Order in 1632. 1. Prelate. 2. Sir Francis Crane, Chancellor. 3. Mathew Wren, Dean and Register. 4. Sir William Segar, Garter. 5. James Maxwell, Black Rod. 5 Ashmole, p. 384, Appendix, No. lxxiv. Walkley’s Catalogue, p. 131. Sir William Boswell was Knighted on that occasion by Lord Vere of Tetbury.—Ibid. 6 The Earls of Morton and Danby were Invested with the George by the Sovereign himself, in 1633.—Ashmole, p. 301. Ashmole, p. 340, gives an account of their Cavalcade to Windsor, to be Installed, in 1634. The Stall Plate of the Duke of Richmond states that he was Installed on the 6th of November 1633. 230 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. not think proper to make any Election. 7 A debate then took place upon setting apart, from the Royal Revenue, the annual sum of <£1000, for the use of the Order, in discharging the expenses of the Feasts, Legations to Foreign Princes, Salaries of the Officers, &c. with the intention of carrying into effect the design of the late Sovereign, and of rendering the Institution entirely independent of all other instruments than such as should pass under the Seal of the Order; 8 but nothing was done until three years after. 9 On the 24th of April 1635, * 1 Algernon Percy Earl of Northumberland * was chosen; and he was Installed on the 13th of May following. 2 In 1636, the Annual Feast was postponed to July; from thence to September; and again to December, on the 11th of which month, it was further prorogued to the 17th, 18th, and 19th of the following April, on account of the King’s “ other great and important affairs, and considering also the contagion and sickness dispersed into several parts of this our Kingdom, which by assembling of people, may be most dangerous both to ourself and our loving subjects.” 3 At the celebration of the Feast, thus prorogued, on the 18th of April 1637, several petitions were presented to the Sovereign for reformation of, and additions to the Statutes, some of which were granted, and the others referred to the Knights Commissioners, who had been appointed for that purpose in 1631. The Decrees made on that occasion were as follows: “At a Chapter, the nineteenth of April and 13th year of King Charles ‘ [1637], Whereas, according to the Statutes, no person was eligible, not being ‘ a Knight, it was declared, that this related only to His Majesty’s subjects, ‘ but not to Foreign Princes. That all Legations to deliver the Order to ‘ Foreign Princes, all Commissions, Patents of Officers, and Fees, all Grants ‘ and Licences, to go out of the Kingdom, be sealed with the Great Seal of ‘ the Order; and that all Letters concerning the Order, by direction of the ‘ Sovereign, and wrote by the Chancellor, be sealed with the Signet of the ‘ Order. That both Seals be, henceforth, carried in a purse of blue velvet, 7 Ashmole, p. 295. 8 Ibid. pp. 258, 259. 9 See p. 232, postea. 1 On that occasion, Ashmole, p. 575, says, “ There were exceptions taken by the Earl Marshal at the Earl of Berkshire’s servants, for that their Cognizances were adorned with Coronets set over them; and it was thereupon ordered to be amended against the next occasion of wearing them, upon a public account: and by special directions from the late Sovereign, King Charles the First, in the beginning of his reign, the Coats of the Footmen belonging to the Knights of the Order, were then, and for the future, forbid to have the Garter embroidered about their Badges, as being too great an abasement of ANNO 1637.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 231 ‘ embroidered with the Sovereign’s Arms, before the Sovereign, when he wears ‘ the Habit of the Order. And because that the carrying the Ensigns of the ‘ Order to Foreign Princes did properly belong to Garter King of Arms, it ‘ was ordained, that as well he, as all others whom the Sovereign should please ‘ to join with him, should religiously observe, that they deliver not the Ensigns ‘ of the Order into the hands of any such Prince, till they are fully satisfied, and ‘ have his Letters Patent under Seal, of his kind and grateful acceptance thereof, c which he is to bring back and produce to the Sovereign. Also that the old law ‘ be restored, whereby all persons receiving the Order of the Sovereign do take ‘ care, that the Ensigns be returned to the hands of the Sovereign after their ‘ deaths .” * * 3 4 It was decided that the right of “ carrying the Ensigns of the Order to Stranger Princes doth properly belong to Garter ; 5 that the words “ ut minimum” in the Statutes, respecting the necessity of a candidate for Election being a Knight, did not apply to Foreign subjects ; 6 that in consequence of many of the Companions having neglected their attendance upon the Sovereign at Saint George’s Feast, or to send their excuses and petitions for dispensation, “ contrary to the most ancient Statutes and their duty,” it was ordered, that from thenceforth every Knight of the Order should be bound to attend upon the usual days, or such as should be assigned by prorogation; but in case of sickness, or other important business, by reason whereof they might have cause to be excused, they should send, under their Seals of Arms, to the Chancellor, the reasons for their desire of leave of absence, twenty days at least, before the usual or assigned time, to be presented by him to the Sovereign; and whosoever should neglect so to do, except in sudden accidents, should not be dispensed with, but incur the penalty of the Statutes . 7 It was further decreed, “ That no dispensation should be granted, but with condition that the absent Knight shall send to Garter King of Arms, for his Scutcheons, at the same time that he sends his excuse and petition for that first and chiefest Ensign of the Order, to be worn by persons of so mean rank; which excess, for the same reason, deserves reformation in the Watermen’s Badges, too frequently worn within a Garter, in this age.” 3 Ashmole, Appendix, No. xxviii, and see the description of the Earl of Northumberland’s Cavalcade to Windsor.—Ibid. p. 340. 3 Ashmole, Appendix, No. clviii, clxii, clxiii. * Existing Statutes, p. 53. 5 Ashmole, p. 393. 6 Ibid. p. 287. 7 Ibid. p. 485. 232 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. Dispensation, and shall solemnly keep in his own house or abiding, the Feast, with all the sacred Rites and Ceremonies, in his Robes and other Ornaments, if health permit; and in case of sickness, upon his bed, according to the ancient Statutes.” 1 The Sovereign likewise signified his pleasure to the Chancellor, that the Companions should pay the arrears due for Obits, and other sums, according to the Statutes. 2 * The most important Decree, made in April 1637, related to the Revenues of the Institution, for the design entertained by King James the First, and revived in 1634, 4 5 of rendering the Order independent of all other authority than the Sovereign and Companions, and of all instruments except those under its own Seal, was completed. His Majesty was then pleased, not only to ratify the assignation of his Royal father of ,£1000 per annum for the use of the Order, but to increase that sum to £1200, settling it in perpetuity for ever, payable out. of the Customs of the Port of London, and to be received by the Chancellor of the Order for the time being, as Treasurer, of which money he was to render an account to the Sovereign and Companions yearly, at the Feast of Saint George. 0 A new Commission was issued under the Great Seal of the Order, on the 7th of May 1637, directed to seventeen of the Knights, 6 7 8 authorizing any three 1 Ashmole, p. 619. 2 Ibid. pp. 251, 493, relates an extraordinary proceeding in that Chapter, respecting the Privileges of the Officers, which will be elsewhere noticed. 4 Vide, p. 230, antea. 5 Ashmole, p. 259. Letters Patent were accordingly passed under the Great Seal, on the 23rd of January 1638. Rot. Patent. 12th Car. I. p‘. 25. Printed in Ashmole, Appendix, No. xi. 6 Namely, the Earls of Mulgrave, Derby, Pembroke and Montgomery, Arundel and Surrey, Kelly, Salisbury, Dorset, Holland, Berkshire, Suffolk, Lindsey, Exeter, the Marquis of Hamilton, the Duke of Lenox, and the Earls of Danby, Morton, and Northumberland.—Ashmole, p. 197. 7 Ashmole, p. 197. 8 Ashmole says (p. 197), “ Now who would think, that after so noble a designation of the Sovereign ; after his care to send forth a second Commission, with augmentative powers; after his earnest recommending this affair to their diligence, his pressing their dispatch for the speedy accomplishment of his Royal intentions; and lastly, his expecting from them an account of their transactions, at or before the celebration of the next Feast, these honourable persons, who were Companions of so noble and honourable an Order, and at their admission sworn to advance the honour of the same, no less than to defend and maintain it, should need a spur to so worthy a design? But it was so ! For although the aforesaid Commission was opened and read at the Court at Whitehall, the 30th of May following, in the presence and session of the Earls of Pembroke and Montgomery, Salisbury, Holland, Marquess Hamilton, and Duke of Lenox, Commissioners and Companions of this Most Noble Order; yet I find the then Chancellor, Sir Thomas Rowe, in an account of that day’s proceedings, by letter, dated the ANNO 1637.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 233 or more of them “ to meet and consult of any matter concerning the Statutes or Honour of the Order;” and besides the powers given by the former Commission, it was then provided that “ they should meet at the Sovereign’s Court, and begin to execute the said Commission in Wliitsun-week next ensuing, attended and assisted by the Chancellor of the Order, and all or any other Officers, or such of them as they should call and find serviceable. And being met and assembled, to have power to hear, propound, and debate whatsoever should be presented, or that they should conceive conducible to the honour and perfect establishment of the Order. And to prepare all matters of such their consultation, to be presented unto the Sovereign, at the next Feast of Saint George, and so successively at every Chapter to be held by the Sovereign, therein to receive his full determination, approbation, and Royal assent; with further power to adjourn from time to time, after the first opening and reading of the said Commission, their meetings to such places and days, as to them should seem most convenient .” 7 Though various meetings of the Commissioners were held, nothing was done to render the Statutes consistent with the actual condition of the Order; and it is impossible to deny the justice of the learned Historian’s censure of the apathy and indifference which the Companions displayed on the subject . 8 4th of June 1637, and directed to Dr. Christopher Wren, then Register of the Order (whose attendance was on that day excused), sadly profess; that it was as much as he could do, to procure and draw together five of the Knights Companions, to open and read the Commission, and this also in haste, quasi in transitu: and all that was done, was to appoint another meeting at the Court, in Midsummer week then next ensuing; and to lay a charge upon the Chancellor, to prepare matter (to wit, Propo- titions and Observations upon the Statutes), fit for their consultation, against that time, according to the tenor of the Commission. And elsewhere he makes this ingenuous acknowledgment, ‘ that he found such difficulty to procure meetings, and a certain nonchalance in every one, as if it were but a ceremonious affair, and so few hearty in it, that he feared he and the Officers should wait to little purpose.’ And so indeed it fell out; for albeit he attended the said Knights Commissioners in Midsummer week, according to the appointment at their last sitting; yet there was nothing done, save only the adjourning of their meeting to London. Some little (and but little) progress was afterwards made in this affair, at another meeting at Whitehall, the 8th of February following, where three of the said Knights Commissioners were present, namely, the Earls of Berkshire, Lindsey, and Northumberland, who ordered, that the Chancellor, Register, and Garter should prepare an abbreviation of the Statutes, and reduce every thing of one head into an act, to avoid confusion; and this being the half of what they then did, caused this expression to fall from the pen of this worthy Chancellor, in another letter to the Register, of the 24th of November 1637 : ‘ There is little hope of the Knights; they never meet, or to no purpose, though I am tired with solicitations.’ Finally, the 1st of February after, another assembly of seven of the Knights Commissioners was held also at Whitehall, in whose presence a few things were debated, but little concluded; and further than this sitting can I not trace the prosecution of this noble design and intendment of the late Royal Sovereign, all the following years of his reign, but that here it slept in silence and neglect.” V ' !: i H H 234 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. The Annual Feast in 1637, was kept by prorogation on the 3rd of October; so that Saint George’s Day was twice celebrated in that year. The Chapter having proceeded to an Election, and the scrutiny being delivered to the Sovereign, he declared, that “ he would receive no man into the Order before his son Charleswhereupon all the Knights Companions gave their opinion “ that this resolution was rather an effect of justice than fatherly indulgence, since they all acknowledged him to be more a Prince by merit and towardli- ness of his youth, than by the fortune of his birth, at which the Sovereign expressed his satisfaction no otherwise than by silence,” 1 a dignified rebuke of senseless flattery. The King having determined to confer the Garter on the Prince of Wales, Letters were written to the Companions in February 1638, acquainting them with His Majesty’s intention “ to create the Prince, his eldest son, Knight, and to propose him in Election to be a Companion of his Order, and that his Installation would take place at the Feast of Saint George, the celebration of which was postponed to the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of May.” 2 On the 20th of May, the Prince was chosen in a Chapter at Windsor, being then just eight years of age, and his Election was announced to him in a Letter from the Sovereign. 3 At his Investiture, the irregularity was committed of placing the Ensigns on his person before he had received the Accolade, which was, however, given immediately after; for being conducted to the chair of state, “ he most solemnly received the Order of Knighthood from the Sovereign, to honour which Knighthood, and the memory thereof, four of the chief nobility then present, the Earls of Essex, Saint Albans, and Elgin, and Viscount Grandison, were also Knighted.” 4 The Prince was Installed with great ceremony on the 22nd of the same month, and two Medals were struck to commemorate the event. 5 1 Ashmole, p. 294. 2 Ibid. p. 341, 342. 3 “ Charles R.—Our most dear and entirely beloved Son, having to Our great comfort seen and considered the ripeness of your youth, and conceived joyful and pregnant hopes of your manly virtues, in which We are assured you will increase to your own honour, both in prowess, wisdom, justice, and all Princely endowments : and that the emulation of Chivalry will, in your tender years, provoke and encourage you, to pursue the glory of heroic actions, befitting your Royal birth, and Our care and education. We, with the Companions of Our Most Noble Order of the Garter, assembled in Chapter, holden this present day, at Our Castle of Windsor, have elected and chosen you one of the Companions of Our Order. In signification whereof, We have sent unto you, by Our trusty and well beloved servant, Sir John Borough, Knight, Garter and Our Principal King of Arms, these Our Royal Letters, requiring you to make your speedy repair unto Us, to receive the Ensigns of Our Most ANNIS 1639—1641.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 235 In consequence of the King having joined the army at Berwick, * * * 4 5 6 the Feast in 1639, was prorogued to October; and in a Chapter at Windsor, on the 10th of that month, when the scrutiny was presented to the Sovereign, he said it was his intention to have chosen Prince Rupert, his nephew, a Knight of the Order, but as he was a prisoner with the Emperor, he would not Elect any one on that occasion. 7 Remarks were then made on the inconvenience of the seventeenth Article of the Statutes, which imposed certain penalties on the Knights if they came near to Windsor Castle without Offering; and the subject was referred to the next Chapter, but, as usual, nothing was done. 8 In 1640, the dissensions between the King and the Parliament, afforded little time or opportunity for the observance of Ceremonials. The eminent services of the celebrated Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford (whose fate is the deepest stain in the history of his Royal Master), induced the King to reward him with the Garter, at York, on the 12th of September 1640; but there not being six Companions in the army, and the few present not having their Mantles, a special dispensation was issued. 9 The celebration of the Feast of Saint George had been postponed from time to time, and the last prorogation fixed it to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of March 1641. On the 26th of February in that year, a Chapter was assembled, the proceedings of which are best stated in the words of the Chancellor: “ The Sovereign proposed unto the Knights of the Order, that having prorogued the celebration of the Feast of Saint George from time to time, unto the first, second, and third of March, so near unto Lent, that if the Feast were not held on those days, it could not be held within the year, because the 23rd of April, for the next year, did fall upon Good Friday, and so consequently must have been kept in Lent for this year, or not at all: And considering the great and important affairs of the Parliament, he moved this question, whether Honourable Order, and to be ready for your Installation upon the 21st day of this present month. Given under the Signet of Our Order, at Our Castle of Windsor, the 20th of May, in the 14th year of Our reign, 1638. “ To Our dearly beloved son, Prince Charles.”—Ashmole, p. 297. 4 Ashmole, p. 275. Walkley’s Catalogue, p. 136. 5 These Medals are engraved in Ashmole, p. 366; and in p. 502, there is an account of the Feast in that year. 6 Ashmole, p. 619. 7 Ibid. p. 294. 8 Ibid. p. 343. 9 Ibid. pp. 265, 267, 268. Appendix, No. xvi. 236 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES 1. if there were no Feast kept this year, it would be any blemish unto the honour of the Order or not, and whether he might not dispense with the Statute, and defer it until the next year? requiring the Knights and Companions to consult and give their opinions therein: the result whereof was, that though they did all confess an absolute power to dispense in the Sovereign, yet some of the Knights proposed unto him, that seeing from the Institution until this day, there was not found any year wherein the Feast was wholly omitted, but that some of his Ancestors, though engaged in war beyond the seas, either solemnized the Feast in their own presence, or by Commission in England, which was averred by the Chancellor to be both the fundamental Statute and constant practice, they humbly besought the Sovereign, not to begin to make a breach in that constant order, which hath been so long and uninterruptedly continued: whereupon it was resolved by general vote, that the Feast should be celebrated upon those afore appointed days in the last Prorogation.” 1 Though on this occasion the ancient usage was continued by the Feast being kept on the appointed days, it was not long before the King was compelled, by the condition of his affairs, to prorogue the observance of the Anniversary from year to year; and it was not again celebrated during his reign. No other notice of the Order in 1641, has been found, than that on the 22nd of May, the House of Lords resolved, that the Lord Chamberlain and some other Lords, 2 Knights of the Garter, having been summoned to the celebration of the Feast of Saint George at York, they should “ attend the weighty affairs of the King-dom discussed in Parliament.” 3 The difficulty, so pathetically lamented by the loyal Ashmole, 4 of inducing the Companions to leave their Parliamentary duties for the ceremonials of the Order, caused the Chapter at York on the 20th of April 1642, to consist of only four Knights, viz. Prince Charles, the Prince Elector, the Earl of Lindsey, and the Duke of Richmond and Lenox. A dispensation of the Statutes was again issued, and James Duke of York, the King’s second son, and his Majesty’s nephew, Prince Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, so well known 1 Ashmole, p. 483. 2 The Lords were the Earls of Pembroke and Montgomery, Salisbury, Holland, Dorset, Berks, and N orthumberland. 3 Ashmole, p. 526. 4 Ibid. p. 267. 5 Ibid. MS. Collections. ANNIS 1642-1645.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 237 in English History, as Prince Rupert, were Elected into the Order. 5 The mistake which had been committed at the Election of the Prince was then avoided; for the Duke of York received the honour of Knighthood on the day before his Election, together with the Earl of Caernarvon, Lord George D’Aubigny, and the Lords George and Bernard Stewart. 6 Prince Rupert being in Holland, Sir John Borough, Garter King of Arms, was deputed to convey the Ensigns to him, but that functionary dying, the Prince was not Invested until his arrival in England; and the ceremony was performed by the Sovereign at Nottingham, though from the pressure of affairs at the moment he was not Knighted. 7 The disturbed state of the Country from 1641 to 1645, 8 accounts for no Chapters having been held, no Elections having taken place, and for no Feast having been celebrated. On the 28th of October 1642, the Order lost one of its most loyal and distinguished Companions at the Battle of Edgehill, in the person of the Earl of Lindsey, General of the Royal Army, who fell gallantly, while leading the infantry against the rebels. But the hope of speedily terminating the war, by accommodation or force, having vanished, and there being, consequently, no prospect of observing the Annual ceremonies at Windsor, the King held a Chapter at Oxford, in January 1645. On the 17th of that month, a Decree was passed that the Duke of York and Prince Rupert should enjoy all the rights and privileges of the Order, though they had not been Installed. 9 The Chancellor, attended by the Registrar and King of Arms, was sent to the Prince’s lodgings, to explain why the Commission for his Investiture had not been executed, to deliver that Instrument to his Highness as a memorial of his Election, and to state that in consequence of Windsor Castle being in the hands of the Rebels, the Installation of the Duke of York and himself could not then take place. 10 Before the usual oath was administered to Prince Rupert he received the honour of Knighthood from the Sovereign; and “ in memorial of the solemnity,” Lord Capel and Lord Henry Seymour, second son of the Marquess of Hertford, were likewise Knighted. 8 Between 1640 and 1645, the Order lost six Companions; namely, the Earls of Suffolk, Exeter, Strafford, Derby, Lindsey, and Danby. 9 Ibid. p. 276. Letters dispensing with their Installation, dated at Oxford, 17th of January, 20th Car. I. 1644-5, are in Ashmole, Appendix, No. xv. 10 Ashmole, pp. 306, 307, where the address of Sir James Palmer, the Chancellor of the Order, to Prince Rupert is given. 238 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES I. A Chapter was held on the 2nd of March 1645, which was attended by the Duke of York, Prince Rupert, the Duke of Richmond, and the Earls of Berkshire and Dorset. After admitting Sir James Palmer as Chancellor, Sir Edward Walker as Garter, and Peter Newton, Esq. as Usher, the Chapter proceeded to Elect the King’s son-in-law, William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and Bernard de Nogaret de Foix, Duke of Espernon, and Captal de Buche. 1 The George and Garter were sent on the 4th of the same month to Sir William Boswell, His Majesty’s Resident in Holland, who was to deliver them to the Prince of Orange; and the Ensigns destined for the Duke of Espernon were forwarded to France, with the intention that Mr. Brown, the Resident at that Court, should present them to him ; but as that person was not a Knight, and for other reasons, Sir William Godolphin, a particular friend of the Duke of Espernon, was authorized to do so, for which the Duke is said to have “ bountifully rewarded him.” 2 It was also proposed on that occasion, that “ it might become a custom for the Sovereign to declare beforehand whether he would Elect any Foreign Prince, and whom; so that the Knights Companions might be sure to name him in the scrutiny.” 3 There being some uncertainty respecting the Chancellor’s Badge, a Decree was made on the 16th of December in the same year, by which it was ordained 1 MS. Collections which state that it was in this Chapter that the Duke of York and Prince Rupert took their oaths; but Ashmole, pp. 264, 276, says that they were admitted on the 17th of January. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. p. 271. 4 Ashmole, pp. 244, 245. 5 Ashmole (p. 204) says, “The Garter which his late Majesty wore upon his leg at the time of his Martyrdom, had the letters of the Motto composed likewise of diamonds, which took up the number of 412. It came into the hands of Captain Preston (one of the late Usurper’s Captains of Horse) from whom the said Trustees received it, and sold to Mr. John Ireton, sometimes Lord Mayor of London, for £205. But since the happy Restoration of the present Sovereign, Mr. Ireton was summoned before the Commissioners, impowered by a Commission under the Great Seal of England, to inquire after the Crowns’ Plate, Jewels, &c. of the said late Sovereign, which had been concealed or embezzled, and being charged with the buying the foresaid Royal Garter, and not denying it, composition was offered him, according to the direction of the Commission (as in all other like cases, where anything could not be had in kind), but he refusing the offer, the King’s Attorney General proceeded against him in an action of Trover and Conversion in the Court of King’s Bench, which coming to trial in Trinity Term, anno 16th Car. II. upon a full hearing, a verdict was given for the King, against the said John Ireton for £205, and £10 costs of suits.” “ The George which his late Majesty wore at the time of his Martyrdom, was curiously cut in an onyx, set about with twenty-one large table diamonds, in the fashion of a Garter: on the back side of the George was the picture of his Queen, rarely well limned, set in a case of gold, the lid neatly enamelled with goldsmith’s work, and surrounded with another Garter, adorned with a like number of equal sized diamonds, as was the foreside.”—Ibid. p. 228. ANNIS 1645—1649.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 239 “ that Sir James Palmer, Knight and Baronet, Chancellor of our said Order, and his successors shall wear about his neck at all times, in Honour of his said place that (thereby he may be known to be of that Office and Dignity, as hath been accustomed), a Medal or Jewel of Gold, enamelled with a Red Rose (within a Garter of blue enamel, with this sentence inscribed, honi soit qui mal y pense), or such a one as We or the rest of the Knights Companions of the said Most Noble Order of the Garter, do or shall from time to time hereafter wear in our Collars of the said Order, in particular reference unto us and them: and in the reverse thereof he shall bear the Scutcheon of Saint George enamelled within a Garter also, in reference to the Order itself, which he only shall wear hanging by a light purple Ribband, or in a gold Chain, as hath been accustomed.” 4 This appears to have been King Charles’s last act in relation to the Order, for the Rebellion had then attained a height that rendered it impossible to exercise the Royal authority; and his reign was terminated by his murder 5 on the 30th of January 1649. At the death of King Charles the First, the Order consisted of only Fourteen Companions, 6 two of whom, the Duke of Hamilton and the Earl of Holland perished on the scaffold on the same day, the 9th of March 1649, a few weeks after their Royal Master. 6 Namely, Prince Charles. James Duke of York. Charles Prince Elector Palatine. Prince Rupert. William Prince of Orange. Duke of Chevreuse. Duke of Espernon. William Earl of Salisbury. Edward Earl of Dorset. Henry Earl of Holland. Thomas Earl of Berkshire. James Duke of Hamilton. James Duke of Lenox and Richmond. Algernon Earl of Northumberland. It ought to have been mentioned under the year 1633, that Mr. Fleming, the King’s Agent in Switzerland, suggested to the Secretary of State, that the Duke of Rohan should be Elected a Knight of the Garter. This fact appears from the following Extract of Mr. Secretary Coke’s reply to Mr. Fleming, dated 22nd of April 1633, and now in the State Paper Office : “ The proposition which followeth in the latter part of your letter hath this inconvenience, that the rites of that Ancient Order comport not with innovation; and no precedent can be found of any Foreign subject ever admitted into it, if he were not employed in an intermarriage with this Crown, as the Duke of Chevreuse lately was.” 240 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. KING CHARLES THE SECOND. N otwithstanding the Monarchical authority, and its great pillar and support, the House of Peers, had been abolished; 1 and that the King was in exile, during the first eleven years of his reign, he nevertheless occasionally exercised his powers, as Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, by making new Elections, or rather, from the impossibility of assembling Chapters, by nominating Companions. On the 9th of September 1649, at Saint Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the King conferred the Order upon his cousin, Prince Edward p , Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria (youngest son of Frederic King of Bohemia, and the Princess Elizabeth of England); and George Villiers Duke of Buckingham p (son of the well known Favourite), who had distinguished himself by his loyalty to the late Sovereign. They were both previously Knighted, and the Ensigns being sent to them by Sir Edward Walker, Garter King of Arms, he Invested them therewith. 2 By warrants, dated at Saint Germain, on the 18th of September in the same year, the King appointed James Butler Marquess afterwards Duke, of Ormond p ; and Prince Maurice, Count Palatine of the Rhine 3 (brother of Prince Edward), and another of His Majesty’s cousins, Companions. The Letter sent to the Marquess of Ormond contains some interesting statements concerning the Order. After the usual address, it proceeds : “ Whereas our Royal Progenitors, the Kings of England, have in all times 1 Scobell’s Acts and Ordinances of Parliament, anno 1648, p. 8. Such Lords “ as had demeaned themselves with honour, courage, and fidelity to the Commonwealth,” and “ their posterities, if they shall continue so,” were, however, declared eligible for election to Parliament. The Title of Peerage was not taken away; but Peers were no longer to enjoy the privileges of Parliament, unless they had been elected to, and were sitting in Parliament. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 2 Ashmole, p. 275, Appendix, Nos. chi, civ. In a “ Perfect Diurnal of some passages in Parliament,” 24th September 1649, in the Additional MS. 6321, in the British Museum, the following passage occurs: “ From France. The Prince is gone lately thence; he made three Knights of the Garter before his going, viz. Prince Maurice, Prince Edward, and the Duke of Buckingham: as it is conceived, he goes for Scotland.” 3 MS. Collections, penes Sir William Woods, Garter. ANNO 1649 .] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 241 since the Institution of the Most Noble Order of Saint George, called the Garter, by our most noble and victorious ancestor, King Edward the Third, elected and chosen into the Fellowship thereof such Princes and other eminent persons, as well strangers, as of their own subjects, as have for nobility and the greatness of their births, accompanied with heroic virtues, especially in martial actions, been thought worthy of the same, We, therefore, considering that since the late horrid Rebellion in that our Kingdom, many of the Companions thereof are dead, and that some others, contrary to their honour and oaths, have deserted their allegiance, and are no more worthy to be esteemed Companions of so Noble an Order; and finding how necessary it is for our service, and the honour of the said Order, to elect others in their places vacant, who for their birth, courage, and fidelity, may be fit to be admitted thereunto. Know you, therefore, that We duly weighing the eminence of your birth and family, and above all, the great and most extraordinary services done by you for many years past, and still continued in the condition of our Lieutenant in that our Kingdom, together with your singular courage and fidelity, have thought it fit by our power as Sovereign of the said Order (dispensing with the usual ceremonies) to elect and choose you, our said right trusty and entirely beloved cousin, James Marquess of Ormond, to be Fellow and Companion of the said Most Noble Order of the Garter, and do herewith send unto you the George and Ribband, part of the Ensigns thereof, by our trusty and well beloved servant, Henry Seymour, Esquire, one of our Bedchamber, (in regard Sir Edward Walker, Knight, Garter Principal King of Arms, the proper Officer, is otherwise employed in our service), the which we do hereby will and authorize you to wear. And because it is not possible at present to have all other ceremonies and additions incident to the same fully perfected, We do further will and authorize you to wear and use the Garter or Ribband on your left Leg, the Glory or Star of Silver, with Saint George’s Cross embroidered within a Garter, upon your Cloak and upper Garments, as likewise the Great Collar of the Order, upon such days as are accustomed, to use the Garter about your Arms, and to style yourself Knight and Companion of the said Most Noble Order of the Garter, in as ample manner as if you had been Installed in our Castle of Windsor, where (when it shall please God to restore us to the possession thereof), you shall formally be Invested, and receive the Habit, and all other the above recited Ornaments of the said Most Noble Order. And we no way doubt, but as you have hitherto, with singular 1 1 242 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. courage, fidelity, and ability, served us, so you will still continue to do the same, as becomes a Knight and Companion of so Noble an Order.” 5 The Knights alluded to in that Letter, as having, “ contrary to their honour and oaths, deserted their allegiance,” and as being “ no more worthy to be esteemed Companions,” were, apparently, the Earls of Northumberland, and Salisbury ; 6 and those who had died since the Elections in 1645, were the King of Denmark, the Prince of Orange, the Marquess of Hamilton, and the Earls of Somerset, Mulgrave, Arundel, Morton, Pembroke and Montgomery, and Holland. In January 1650, at Jersey, the King privately signified to William Seymour Marquess of Hertford, and to Thomas Wriothesley Earl of Southampton 1 *, both of whom were then in England, that he had been pleased to choose them into the Order, 7 but neither of them was Invested until the Restoration; 8 and a few days after, His Majesty nominated the four following noblemen to be Companions, namely, William Duke of Hamilton, Secretary for Scotland, (whose brother, James Duke of Hamilton, perished on the scaffold in the preceding year); William Cavendish Marquess of Newcastle 1 *, at that time in Holland, who had been the King’s guardian, and had eminently signalized himself by his loyalty; James Graham Marquess of Montrose, then in Norway, a devoted adherent of the Royal cause; and James Stanley Earl of Derby, 9 who had long been distinguished by his fidelity and services, and who, in a skirmish with the rebels, in August 1651, received “ seven shot in his breast-plate, thirteen cuts on his beaver, five or six wounds on his arms and shoulders, and had two horses killed under him,” but escaped and joined the King before the battle of Worcester. “ The Earl of Derby,” says Lord Clarendon, “ was a man of unquestionable loyalty to the King, and gave clear testimony of it before he received any obligations from the Court, and when he 5 Ashmole, Appendix, No. xx. 6 Lord Clarendon’s History of the Rebellion, vol. II. pp. 306, 311. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 7 MS. Collections, penes Sir William Woods. Ashmole, p. 332. 8 “England’s Glory; or, an Exact Catalogue of the Lords of His Majesty’s Privy Council, with the Knights of the Order of Saint George called the Garter.” London, 1661. 9 MS. Collections, ut supra. 1 History of the Rebellion, vol. III. part i. p. 538. To this eulogium may be well added the glowing testimony to the virtues and loyalty of the Earl of Derby, and his illustrious House, by the late Mr. Lodge :—“ The motto, ‘ Sans changer ,’ used for so many centuries by the elder line of the noble ANNIS 1650 , 1651 .] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 243 thought himself disobliged by it. The King, in his first year, sent him the Order of the Garter, which, in many respects, he had expected from the last; and the sense of that honour made him so readily comply with the King’s command, in attending when he had no confidence in the undertaking, nor any inclination to the Scots, who he thought had too much guilt upon them, in having depressed the Crown, to be made instruments in repairing and restoring it.” 1 In April 1650, Sir Edward Walker, Garter King of Arms, presented a Petition to the Sovereign, then at Breda, asserting his right, by virtue of his Office, to be sent with the Order to Foreign Princes, as well as to His Majesty’s subjects. This petition was referred to the consideration of the Dukes of Buckingham and Hamilton and the Marquess of Newcastle, three of the Companions, who reported in favour of the claim, on the 27th of May; and a declaration to that effect, under the Royal Sign Manual, was drawn up on the following day. 2 The Order lost one of the most eminent of its Companions, and the King one of the most faithful of his subjects, on the 28th of May in this year, by the death of the gallant Marquess of Montrose, whose execution was marked by every act of cruelty which an infuriated mob could inflict. All efforts to subdue his noble spirit having, however, failed, the ingenuity of some vulgar mind suggested that the Book, in which his great military actions were recorded, should be tied about his neck. Montrose smiled at such impotent malice, declaring that he bore this testimony of his bravery and loyalty with more pride than he had ever worn his Garter. 3 The King arrived in Scotland, in June, with the hope of recovering his authority; but his fortunes were decided by the fatal Battle of Worcester, on the 3rd of September 1651, in which the Duke of Hamilton was mortally wounded, and the Earl of Derby taken prisoner, and soon after beheaded. On the morning of the Earl’s execution, he desired his eldest son, Charles Lord Strange, to put on his Order, House of Stanley, seems to have been adopted in a prophetic spirit. Invariably Honourable, Just, Bounteous, Hospitable, Valiant, and Magnificent; above all, invariably Loyal; that family may, perhaps, safely challenge History and Tradition to shew one defective link in its long chain of succession, to point out a single stain on the purity of its public conduct, or on its uniform exercise of the mild and graceful duties of private life. Of the nobleman whose eulogium will be attempted in the following pages (for the simple story of his life will form his true eulogium), it is not too much to say, that his family, the peerage, and his country, are bound in policy, as well as by affection, to cherish his memory, even with a reverential regard.” 2 The Documents on the subject are in Ashmole, pp. 303—305. 3 Clarendon’s History of the Rebellion. 244 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. saying, “ Charles, once this day I will send it you again by Bagaley. Pray return it to my gracious Sovereign, when you shall be so happy as to see him; and say, I sent it in all humility and gratitude, as I received it, spotless and free from any stain, according to the honourable example of my ancestors.” * 1 2 * 4 At the Battle of Worcester, the King’s baggage fell into Cromwell’s hands; and a Collar of SS, and a Garter, that belonged to His Majesty, forming part of the spoils, they were sent to the Parliament by the messenger who brought an account of the victory. The King’s lesser George, set with diamonds, was, however, preserved by Colonel Blague, who, having taken shelter in the house of Mr. Barlow, near Eccleshall in Staffordshire, delivered the Jewel into that gentleman’s custody. Mr. Barlow soon afterwards gave the George to Mr. Milward, then a prisoner at Stafford, who entrusted it to the well known Isaak Walton, to convey to Colonel Blague, whom the Parliament had confined in the Tower. Blague, “ considering it had already past so many dangers, was persuaded it could yet secure one hazardous attempt of his ownand succeeding in making his escape, he had the gratification of restoring the George to his Sovereign. 5 Up to this time no measure had been taken by the Parliament respecting Dignities; and (except the right of sitting in Parliament), Peerages and all other Honours, continued in the same state as in the reign of King Charles the First. In February 1652, however, an Act of Parliament was passed, declaring that the late King “ to promote his wicked and treacherous designs against the Parliament and People of England,” and to form a party for his assistance, had conferred “ Titles of Honour, Dignities, and Precedencies^ but in order that no persons should presume to assume unto themselves any Titles, Dignities, Honours, or Advantages, by a work so much contrary to the interests of the Nation,” it was enacted “ that all Honours, Titles, Dignities, and Precedencies whatsoever, granted by the said King since the 4th of January 1641-2, be and are hereby made null and void to all intents and purposes.” 4 Narrative of the Death of the Earl of Derby, by his servant, Bagaley, printed in Collins’ Peerage, Ed. 1779, vol. III. p. 70. 5 Commons’ Journals, Ashmole, p. 228. 1 Scobell’s Acts and Ordinances of Parliament. 2 The Protector seems to have created only one Peer, namely, Charles Howard of Naworth, eldest son of Sir William Howard, by Mary daughter of William Lord Eure, whom he made Baron Gil- Iesland, and Viscount Howard of Morpeth, on the 20th of July 1657; about Ten Baronets, and several ANNIS 1652 , 1653 .] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 245 Persons who, after the 25th of March 1652, should assume any Titles or Precedency by virtue of such grants, were to forfeit ,£100 for every offence, if the Title were that of Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, or Baron; and £40 if a Baronet or Knight, and a fine of ten shillings was to be imposed upon every person who attributed any such Titles to them. 1 The Act takes no notice of Honours granted by Charles the Second, evidently because such Creations were deemed illegal in consequence of the abolition of the Monarchy. It is remarkable, that though in a few instances the Dignity of the Peerage, Baronet, and Knighthood, and certain Precedencies were conferred, and Medals bestowed during the Commonwealth, 2 the Protector did not make a Knight of the Garter, nor a Knight of the Bath. These Orders were never formally abolished; but they were probably considered so inseparably united to the person, name, and office of a King, as to render it impossible for any other authority to create them. In January 1653, the King conferred the Garter upon George Digby Earl of Bristol 1 *; and His Majesty’s brother, Henry Duke of Gloucester, who was then in his thirteenth year, being released from his confinement in the Isle of Wight, came to the Hague, and in March was Elected into the Order, together with Henry Charles de la Tremouille, Prince of Tarento, eldest son of the Duke of Thouars. His Royal Highness was Invested by Sir Edward Walker, Garter, on the morning of the 14th of April (Easter Day), at the Hague, in the presence of the Queen of Bohemia, the Princess Royal, and all the English of condition; and in the afternoon of that day, Garter, attended by several Knights, Officers, and other Englishmen, Invested the Prince of Tarento at his lodging in that city. 3 In April in the same year, the King nominated his nephew, William de Nassau Prince of Orange (afterwards King William the Third, of Great Britain), though only three years old, a Companion. He was Invested in the presence of the Queen of Bohemia, the Princess Royal, and many other persons of quality, on the 4th of May by Sir Edward Walker, at the Knights.—Walkley’s Catalogue, ed. 1658. It is a remarkable fact that King Charles the Second should have created the person ennobled by Cromwell, “ Baron Dacre of Gillesland, Viscount Howard of Morpeth, and Earl of Carlisle,” on the 20th of April 1661, “ in consideration,” according to the Peerages, “ of his having been highly instrumental in the happy restoration, and of other loyal services.” P His Stall Plate is in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 Ashmole, p. 309, where Sir Edward Walker’s address to the Duke of Gloucester is given.—Additional MS. (in the British Museum) 6321, f. 25. 246 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. Hague, who in his speech on the occasion (which, on account of the Prince’s tender age, was addressed to his Mother, the Princess Royal) observed that His Highness was “ the youngest that ever was yet chosen into the Most Noble Society.” 4 On the 23rd of January 1654, the King wrote from Paris to Frederic the Great, Elector of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia (father of Frederic the First, King of Prussia), addressing him “ Mon Frere,” and stating that from the many proofs he had given his Majesty of his friendship, he had thought it proper to Elect him a Companion of the Garter, and thus to shew him a striking mark of his affection, and of his high esteem for his merits and person; and that for the confirmation of his Election, the Medal of Saint George, the Garter, and Star, were sent to him by Sir Edward Walker, Garter King of Arms, 5 by whom the Elector was accordingly Invested at Berlin on the 3rd of April following. Only one more Election took place before the Restoration, and no other notice been found of the Order between the years 1654 and 1660. On the 26th of February 1658, John Gaspar Ferdinand de Marchin p , Earl of Graville, Marquess of Clairmont d’Antrague, Captain General in the service of the King of Spain, and Lieutenant-General of all the King of England’s forces both by sea and land, was Elected a Companion of the Garter in a Chapter at Antwerp, in consideration “ of the nobleness of his birth and extraction, his eminent and famous actions performed in several military commands, and of the great zeal and affection with which he had engaged himself in the King’s service and cause for the recovery of his just rights.” 6 The King having Knighted the Duke of Gloucester (who though long before Elected, had not received the Accolade on account of the irregularity which attended the proceedings of the Order during the Sovereign’s Exile), Count de Marchin was called into the Chapter, Knighted, and Invested. 7 4 Ashmole, pp. 428, 429. Appendix, No. cvj. Additional MS. 6321, f. 25 b , where it is said that the Ensigns were provided by the Princess Royal, but that a Ribband was substituted for the Garter “ in regard it would be more aptly tied about his leg.” 5 Ashmole, Appendix, No. lxi, cvii, cviii. —Sir Edward Walker’s Journal, in Ashmole, pp. 429— 431. P The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 Ashmole, Appendix, No. cv. p. 290. 7 MS. Collections before quoted. The Order in 1658, and at the Restoration in May 1660, consisted of the following Twenty Companions; but in Walkley’s Catalogue, printed in 1658, only the five thus marked * are included in the List of “ the Fellows of the Most Noble Order of Saint George, ANNO 1660.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 247 King Charles the Second landed at Dover * 1 on the 25th of May 1660, and on the next day arrived at Canterbury. In the evening he held a Chapter of the Order of the Garter, in the ancient Abbey of Saint Augustine, 2 for the purpose of Electing into the Noble Fraternity, two of the persons to whom he was mainly indebted for his Restoration. His Majesty dispensing with all formalities, then declared General Monk, who was immediately after raised to the Dukedom of Albemarle p , and Admiral Edward Montagu, who commanded the fleet which brought the King to England, and was made Earl ofSandwich p , Companions of the Order. Sir George Monk was immediately Invested; and to shew him every mark of distinction, the Dukes of York and Gloucester assisted at the ceremony, and put on the Garter and George; and the Earl of Winchelsea and Lord Mordaunt were Knighted. 3 Sir Edward Montagu was Invested by Garter on board his ship in the Downs, on Sunday the 27th of May, at six o’Clock in the morning. 4 On the same day the King called commonly the Garter, according as they now are,” all the Knights Elected after the 4th of January 1641-2 being omitted in conformity with the Ordinance of Parliament in 1652 (vide page 244, antea). In Walkley’s List, King Charles the Second is called “ Charles eldest son to the late King,” but in the List of 1652 he is styled “Charles King of Scotland:” * The Sovereign. James Duke of York. * * Charles Prince Elector Palatine. Frederick Marquess of Brandenburg. Prince Rupert. Prince Edward. Henry Duke of Gloucester. William Prince of Orange. Bernard Duke of Espernon. Charles Prince of Tarento. * William Earl of Salisbury. * Thomas Earl of Berkshire. * Algernon Earl of Northumberland. James Marquess of Ormond. George Duke of Buckingham. William Marquess of Hertford. Thomas Earl of Southampton. William Marquess of Newcastle. George Earl of Bristol. Gasper Count Marchin. 1 Immediately after the Restoration, several tracts appeared relating to the Peerage and Knights of the Garter, most of which are noticed in Moule’s “ Bibliotheca Heraldica.” Among others, in 1661, was “ A History of Saint George, and of the Institution of the Order of the Garter, with the Names of the Companions in the reign of Charles the First, as well as those then living.” 2 “ Lately the House of the Dowager Lady Wotton.” 3 MS. Collections penes Sir William Woods. Baker’s Chronicle, ed. 1674, p. 733. Life of Lord Clarendon, p. 7. 4 Pepys gives the following description of Sir Edward Montagu’s Investiture:—“27th. (Lord’s ‘ Day.) Called up by John Goods to see the Garter and Herald’s coat, which lay in the coach, brought ‘ by Sir Edward Walker, King at Arms, this morning, for my Lord. My Lord had summoned all the ‘ Commanders on board him, to see the ceremony, which was thus: Sir Edward putting on his coat, ‘ and having laid the George and Garter, and the King’s letter to my Lord, upon a crimson cushion (in ‘ the coach, all the Commanders standing by), makes three congees to him, holding the cushion in his ‘ arms. Then laying it down with the things upon it, upon a chair, he takes the letter and delivers it 248 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. personally gave the George and Garter to the Earl of Southampton, who with the Marquess of Hertford, had been Elected at Jersey in January 1650/ and the King of Arms having returned in the evening from Investing Sir George Montagu, he was despatched to London to prepare for His Majesty’s reception there, and to deliver the Ensigns of the Order to the Marquess of Hertford, to whom he presented them on the 28th of May. 5 On the 31st of that month, the King signed Letters of Dispensation for conferring the Order upon Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford 1 *; and he was Knighted and Invested in the Council Chamber, on the following day. 6 Early in 1661, measures were adopted for restoring the Order to its proper condition, by filling up the vacant Offices, and Installing the numerous Knights who had been Elected since the Civil Wars. A Chapter was held on the 14th of January, when Sir Richard Fanshaw was sworn as Deputy Chancellor (in the absence of Sir Henry de Vic, His Majesty’s Resident at Brussels, who had been appointed to that Office some years before), Dr. Bruno Ryve, Dean of Windsor, as Registrar, and John Eyton, Esq. as Usher of the Black Rod. The King having determined that his Coronation should be celebrated on Saint George’s Day, he commanded the Feast to be kept at Windsor, on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of April, and directed seventeen Collars, Mantles of Celestial Blue (the original colour)/ and Surcoats, to be provided for the Knights, as well as Robes for the Officers; and other preparations to be made for a general Installation of the Knights-Elect, who were summoned to attend. 8 Some other Decrees 9 were made in that Chapter, but the only one introduced into the Statutes was, “ that the subjects of Foreign Princes should be Installed by ‘ their Proxies, as well as the Princes themselves.” 1 ‘ to my Lord, which my Lord breaks open and gives him to read. It was directed to our trusty and ‘ well-beloved Sir Edward Montagu, Knight, one of our Generals at sea, and our Companion Elect of ‘ our Noble Order of the Garter. The contents of the Letter is to shew that the Kings of England have ‘ for many years made use of this honour, as a special mark of favour, to persons of good extraction ' and valour (and that many Emperors, Kings, and Princes, of other countries, have borne this honour), ‘ and that whereas my Lord is of a noble family, and hath now done the King such service by sea, at ‘ this time, as he hath done ; he do send him this George and Garter to wear as Knight of the Order, ‘ with a dispensation for the other ceremonies of the Habit of the Order, and other things, till hereafter, ‘ when it can be done. So the Herald putting the ribband about his neck, and the Garter on his left ‘ leg, he saluted him with joy as Knight of the Garter. And after that was done, he took his leave ‘ of my Lord, and so to shore again to the King at Canterbury, where he yesterday gave the like honour ‘ to General Monk, who are the only two for many years that have had the Garter given them, before * they had honours of Earldom, or the like, excepting only the Duke of Buckingham, who was only Sir ‘ George Villiers when he was made a Knight of the Garter.”—Diary, vol. I. pp. 100, 101. ANNO 1661.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 249 On the 10th of April, Charles Stewart Duke of Richmond and Lenox p , Montague Bertie Earl of Lindsey p , Lord Great Chamberlain, Edward Montague Earl of Manchester p , Lord Chamberlain, and William Wentworth Earl of Strafford p , were Elected and Invested in a Chapter at Whitehall; and a Memorial of the Officers being taken into consideration, its prayer was granted. 2 None of Charles’ subjects had higher claims to his favour than the Earls of Lindsey and Strafford. The latter was the son of the celebrated Earl of Strafford, who was sacrificed alike to his Sovereign’s irresolution and to popular fury; and the Earl of Lindsey’s father fell at Edgehill, where he was himself wounded, and had afterwards suffered heavy fines and imprisonment. It appears that the Garter conferred upon the Earl of Lindsey, was offered to the great Lord Clarendon, who has left the following account of the circumstance: “ As soon as the King and Duke returned from Portsmouth, where they had seen the Queen embark for France, the King had appointed a Chapter, for the electing some Knights of the Garter into the places vacant. Upon which the Duke desired him ‘ to nominate the Chancellor,’ which his Majesty said, ‘ He would willingly do, but he knew not whether it would be grateful to him; for he had refused so many things, that he knew not what he would take;’ and therefore wished him to take a boat to Worcester House and propose it to him, and he would not go to the Chapter till his Highness returned. The Duke told the Chancellor what had passed between the King and him, and ‘ that he was come only to know his mind, and could not imagine but that such an Honour would please him.’ The Chancellor, after a million of humble acknowledgments of the Duke’s grace, and of the King’s condescension, said, ‘ that the Honour was indeed too great by much for him to 4 Vide p. 240, antea. 5 Garter’s Register, penes Sir William Woods Garter. Life of Lord Clarendon, p. 7. p The Plates of their Arms still remain in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 Garter’s Register. 4 5 6 7 Ashmole, p. 210. 8 Garter’s Register. Ashmole, p. 237, 250. Appendix, No. ix, x, xxxi, xxxiv, xxxv. 9 One of these Decrees related to the stipends of the Alms Knights (Ashmole, p. 165). A Dispensation was issued for the Companions appearing in Chapter without their Mantles, which had not yet been provided (Ibid. p. 268). See also p. 267, and Appendix, No. xvii. for a Dispensation at the ensuing Installation, of the necessary number of Knights who had been Installed, and Orders were issued for furnishing Velvet for the Chairs in the Chapter House, and Cushions in Saint George’s Chapel (Ibid. p. 337). 1 Existing Statutes, p. 55. 2 MS. Collections, ut supra. Ashmole, p. 265, says they were elected on the 1st of April. K K 250 HISTORY OF THE [CHAKLES II. sustain; that there were very many worthy men, who well remembered him of their own condition, when he first entered into his father’s service, and believed that he was advanced too much before them.’ He besought His Highness, £ that his Favours and Protection might not expose him to envy that would break him to pieces.’ He asked, ‘ what Knights the King meant to make;’ the Duke named them, all persons very eminent: the Chancellor said, ‘ no man could except against the King’s choice; many would justly, if he were added to the number.’ He desired his Highness ‘ to put the King in mind of the Earl of Lindsey, Lord High Chamberlain of England’ (with whom he was known to have no friendship, on the contrary, that there had been disgusts between them in the late King’s time); £ that his father had lost his life with the Garter about his neck, when this gentleman his son, endeavouring to relieve him, was taken prisoner; that he had served the King to the end of the war with courage and fidelity, being an excellent officer: for all which the King his father had admitted him a gentleman of his Bedchamber, which office he was now without; and not to have the Garter now upon his Majesty’s return, would in all men’s eyes look like a degradation, and an instance of his Majesty’s disesteem, especially if the Chancellor should supply the place, who was not thought his friend:’ and upon the whole matter, entreated the Duke £ to reserve his favour towards him for some other occa- 3 Continuation of Clarendon’s Memoirs, ed. 1759, pp. 43, 44. 4 Garter’s Register. Mercurius Publicus, 18th April, 1661. 5 The Earl of Bristol was then abroad, and his Countess appointed Sir Richard Fanshawe to act as his Proxy.—Ashmole, Nos. xlvii, xlviii. Lady Fanshawe says in her Memoirs, that Sir Richard Fanshawe was appointed Deputy Chancellor of the Order, because he understood it better than any, and was to have the reversion of it. “ The first Feast of Saint George, my husband was Proxy for the Earl of Bristol, and was Installed for him Knight of the Garter. The Duke of Buckingham put on his Robes, and the Duke of Ormond his Spurs, in the Stall of the Earl of Bristol.”—Ed. 1830, p. 133. 5 The Installation of the Foreigners was formerly dispensed with (Ashmole, p. 435, 436), and the Collar and Robes were sent to them.—Ibid. Appendix, Nos. cix. to cxin. 6 Ashmole, p. 349. The Companions who had been Elected by Charles the Second, but died without being Installed, w'ere Prince Maurice, died 1654 ; William Marquess of Hertford, restored to the Dukedom of Somerset in 1660, and died 24th of October in the same year; William Duke of Hamilton, died 11th of December 1651 ; James Marquess of Montrose, executed in May 1650 ; James Earl of Derby, beheaded in October 1651; and Henry Duke of Gloucester, died September 1660. 7 Ashmole, p. 201. One of those Decrees (Ibid. pp. 331, 332) is here inserted because it contains the names of all the Companions, in the order of their Stalls : “ Charles R.—Whereas divers Elected Knights and Companions of our Most Noble Order of the ‘ Garter, are by our special appointment, to be Installed in the Chapel of our Castle of Windsor, upon £ the 15th day of this instant, and that some of them who are Strangers, do not yet, nor are likely to ‘ appear either in their own persons, or by their sufficient Proxies, at the said Instalment, and so might ‘ run hazard to lose the benefit and advantage of their Pre-election in point of rank and precedency in ANNO 1661.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 251 sion, and to excuse him to the King for the declining this Honour which he could not support.’ The Duke replied with an offended countenance, ‘ that he saw he would not accept any Honour from the King that proceeded by his mediation;’ and so left him in apparent displeasure. However, at that Chapter the Earl of Lindsey was created Knight of the Garter, with the rest; and coming afterwards to hear by what chance it was, he ever lived with great civility towards the Chancellor to his death.” 3 On the 15th of April, the King arrived at Windsor from Whitehall, to hold the Feast of Saint George, and for the purpose of Installing Twelve Knights- Elect, 4 being attended by all the Companions, except Foreigners, the Marquess of Newcastle and the Earl of Bristol. 5 The ceremony began on that day, was continued on the 16th, and was concluded on the 17th, and the following Companions were Installed; 5 the Dukes of Ormond and Buckingham, the Earl of Southampton, the Marquess of Newcastle, the Earl of Bristol, the Duke of Albemarle, the Earls of Sandwich and Oxford, the Duke of Richmond, and the Earls of Lindsey, Manchester, and Strafford. 6 Among other Decrees made on that occasion, it was ordered that there should in future be two Copies of the Register, the one in Latin, to remain with the Registrar at Windsor; and the other in English, to be kept at Whitehall, and called, “ Registrum Aulicum.” 7 ‘ respect of some of our Subject Knights, who though since Elected, will be the first Installed, without ‘ some expedient taken therein to prevent it. There being no reason (nor is it our intention) that those ‘ Noble Persons should suffer that prejudice for want of that usual formality, and for which they are ‘ not in fault, but others, who according to the Statutes and ancient custom, were to give timely ‘ advertisement to the said Foreign elected Knights, and to summon them by themselves or Proxies to ‘ assist at the said Instalment : Our will and pleasure is, you proceed forthwith to the placing of the ‘ Hatchments of all the respective Knights and Companions of our said Order, whether Installed or ‘ Elect, Subject, or Strangers, over the Stalls, wh ‘ them in our foresaid Chapel: 2. The Duke of York. 1. The Sovereign. 3. Prince Elector of Brandenburg. 4. Prince Rupert. 5. Earl of Salisbury. 6. Earl of Northumberland. 7. Duke of Ormond. 8. Earl of Southampton. 9. Earl of Bristol. 10. Count Marchin. 11. Earl of Sandwich. 12. Duke of Richmond. 13. Earl of Manchester. ‘ And for so doing this shall be your sufficient W< we do in manner as followeth assign and appoint 1. 2. The Elector Palatine. 3. Prince of Orange. 4. Prince Edward. 5. Earl of Berkshire. 6. Duke of Espernon. 7. Duke of Buckingham. 8. Marquess of Newcastle. 9. Prince of Tarento. 10. Duke of Albemarle. 11. Earl of Oxford. 12. Earl of Lindsey. 13. Earl of Strafford. rant, any Statute or Custom to the contrary not- 252 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. Though Ashmole says, 1 he “ could not trace the prosecution of that noble design and intendment of the late Royal Sovereign to reform the Statutes, after the year 1638, but that here it slept in silence and neglect;” another attempt was certainly made in April 1661. The Chancellor, Registrar, and Garter, are said to have submitted to the Chapter a new Model of the Statutes; 2 and in a Warrant issued in May in that year, respecting the Under Habits of the Order, His Majesty stated, that at a Chapter held at Windsor on the 16th of April last, he had “ resolved upon a Review and Examination of its Statutes, to see if possibly length of time, and change of customs, might have introduced any thing in them, which might make them swerve from the ancient Rules, so far as they were not inconsistent with the present usance.” 3 This effort proved, however, as abortive as all the other measures on the subject. The Decree which was then made for the Under Habits, is thus stated in the present Statutes: “ At a Chapter, held the 1st of April, in the 13th year of King ‘ Charles the Second [1661], the Sovereign and Knights thinking it fit there ‘ should be some Under-habit, as well as Outer-habit of the Order, appointed ‘ for the Under-habit, a Cloth of Silver Doublet, or Vest, and Trunk Hose, ‘ from that time to be constantly used.” 4 On the 6th of November 1662, Christiern Prince Royal of Denmark (afterwards King Christiern the Fifth), being then in England, was Elected; and he was Invested by the Sovereign, assisted by the Duke of York and Prince Rupert, on the 8th of the same month. 5 In that year the Sovereign “ intending the augmentation of the Honour of this renowned Order, as in many other things, so in advancing the reputation of this Noble Ensign by a more public way,” caused the Cross of Saint George irradiated and encircled with the Garter, to be stamped on the new silver Coinage. 6 On the 10th of January 1663, the Sovereign and Companions in Chapter, ‘ withstanding. Given under the Signet of Our said Order, at our Court at Whitehall, the 10 of ‘ April 1661. By the Sovereign’s command, ‘ Hen. de Vic. ‘ To our trusty and well-beloved Servant, Sir Edward Walker, ‘ Knight, Garter, and Principal King of Arms of Our Most ‘ Noble Order of the Garter.” 1 P. 198. 2 Garter’s Register. 3 Ashmole, Appendix, No. clxxx. 4 Existing Statutes, p. 55. 5 Mercurius Publicus, No. xlv. Garter’s Register. Ashmole, Appendix, No. cxxxvi. 6 Ashmole, p. 207. 7 Ibid. p. 332. 8 Garter’s Register. Ashmole, pp. 264, 269, 298, 349. Mercurius Publicus, No. xvii. On that ANNIS 1663—1667.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 253 ordered that thenceforward, all Princes Strangers, of what soever condition, should have Precedence among themselves according to the Seniority of their Elections and Installations \ 7 but this regulation was altered in 1669. A Chapter was held on the 28th of March 1663, for the Election of James Scot, Duke of Monmouth, the King’s eldest natural son, in the room of Prince Edward, Count Palatine, who died in France shortly before. The Duke, who was then fourteen years old, was immediately Knighted and Invested; and on the 22nd of April, Prince Rupert, Christiern Prince of Denmark (by his Proxy Sir George Carteret, the Vice Chamberlain), and the Duke of Monmouth, were Installed. 8 The Feast was celebrated on Saint George’s Day, when the Queen was present; and on the 24th, the Achievements of Prince Edward and the Duke of Espernon were Offered. 9 It was decreed on that occasion, that the direction of the Ceremonies solely belonged to Garter. 10 The War with Holland, the Plague in London, and the Great Fire, are assigned as the reasons for no Chapter having been held, and for the Feast not having been kept in the years 1664, 1665, and 1666, * 11 during which period the Order lost only one Companion, the Earl of Lindsey. 12 On the 3rd of December 1666, James Duke of Cambridge, eldest son of the Duke of York (then a child three years old, who died in June in the following year, and was not Installed), was Elected at Whitehall, in the Earl of Lindsey’s vacancy, and being introduced, was Knighted and Invested by the King and Prince Rupert. 13 In 1667, the Feast of Saint George was celebrated on the proper day at Whitehall, but no Election took place. 14 It would appear, that the King and some of the Companions, instead of divesting themselves of the Robes of the Order, at the conclusion of the ceremony, wore them during the remainder of the day; upon which Pepys remarks: “ He (Mr. Evelyn 10 ) did tell me of the occasion a Petition was presented from Garter, praying to have £100 per annum, instead of Pensions from the Companions (Ashmole, p. 255), and the other Officers likewise petitioned for the continuance of their fees.—Ibid. 463, et seq. See also p. 256. 9 Mercurius Publicus. 10 'Garter’s Register. 11 Sir Edward Walker’s Register of the Order, from October 1664 to 1683, in the Additional MS. No. 6280, in the British Museum. 12 He died in July 1666. 13 London Gazette, No. 110. Ashmole, p. 299. 14 London Gazette, No. 150. Additional MS. 6280, f. 3. 15 Evelyn has himself described the ceremonies on that occasion (Diary, vol. II. p. 283,284), but he does not notice the circumstance mentioned by Pepys. 254 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. ridiculous humour of our King and Knights of the Garter the other day, who, whereas heretofore their Robes were only to be worn during their Ceremonies and Service, these, as proud of their coats, did wear them all day till night, and then rode into the Park with them on. Nay, and he tells me, he did see my Lord Oxford and Duke of Monmouth in a hackney coach, with two footmen, in the Park, with their Robes on; which is a most scandalous thing, so as all gravity may be said to be lost among us.” 5 In a Chapter held at Whitehall, on the 19th of June 1668, Charles the Eleventh, King of Sweden p , then only thirteen years of age, and John George the Second, Elector of Saxony p , were Elected. 6 The Earl of Carlisle and Henry St. George, Richmond Herald (as Deputy to Garter), were sent to Invest the King of Sweden; but the ceremony was delayed from unwillingness, on the part of the Swedish Government, to allow the Stall of the King of England to be placed on the right hand of that of his Swedish Majesty, lest the Crown “ should receive any diminution during the King’s minorityand they required precedents to be furnished them, certified by the Officers of the Order. Letters were accordingly written to Garter King of Arms, by the Commissioners, acquainting him with the objection; 7 and the precedents having been forwarded from the Chancellor and himself, under the Signet of the Order, the King of Sweden was Invested at Stockholm, on the 26th of July, and with the Collar and whole Habit on the 29th of that month. The Duke of Saxony was Invested by Sir Thomas Higgons, and Thomas St. George Esquire, Somerset Herald, on the 13th of April in that year, and both those Princes were Installed by their Proxies in May 1671. 8 After a long controversy, the Bishop of Salisbury succeeded in 1669, in establishing the right of himself and his successors, to the Chancellorship of the Order, under the Patent of King Edward the Fourth; and it was determined at a Chapter, held on the 19th of November in that year, that “ the Bishop of Salisbury, and his successors for ever, shall have and execute the Office of 5 Diary, 27th of April 1667, vol. III. p. 205. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 6 Additional MS. 6280, f. 11, and Garter’s Register. 7 A copy of the Correspondence is in the Additional MS. 6280. 8 Ashmole, Appendix, Nos. lxxv, lxxxii to lxxxviii, xcv, xcvi, cxx, cxxxvii. London Gazette, No. 393—Stall Plates. Additional MS. 6280, f. 19, 23, 43 to 45, and the Narrative of the Heralds appointed to invest the King of Sweden and the Elector of Saxony, in Ashmole, pp. 421—426. Upon Mr. Thomas St. George’s return from his Mission, he received the honour of Knighthood. ANNO 1669.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 255 Chancellor, of the said Noble Order, immediately upon the first vacancy of the said Office.” 9 Under this Decree, Dr. Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury, was admitted as Chancellor on the 25th of November 1671, after the death of Sir Henry de Vic; * 1 and the Office continued vested in the Bishop of Salisbury for the time being, until February 1837, when, for the reasons which will be afterwards stated, it was conferred upon the Bishop of Oxford and his successors in that See. 2 It was then proposed by the Duke of York, “ that seeing all the Knights of the Most Noble Order as well Princes of the Blood, Sovereign Princes, as other His Majesty’s subjects, are really Companions equal in the Order, that henceforward they might succeed each other, according to their respective admissions. Hereupon Garter was commanded to state the practice, which he did accordingly, as that from the Institution of the Order, to the reign of King Henry the Seventh, every new Elected Knight succeeded in the Stall of a Knight deceased; so, many times, a private Knight succeeded a King or Emperor: but ever since, all Knights Elected have succeeded in the lowest Stalls, except Princes of the Blood and Sovereign Princes, for whom the Sovereigns of the Order have always retained the principal Stalls next their own; and farther to evince the practice, Garter then humbly produced a scheme how all Sovereign Princes and Princes of the Blood had been placed for seventy years past. 3 And thereupon seeing his Majesty, by an Order in Chapter of the 10th of January 1663, had decreed that thenceforward all Princes of what condition soever, should have Precedency amongst themselves, according to their respective Elections and Installations, 4 and that his Majesty had lately sent the Order unto the King of Sweden and Elector of Saxony, Garter humbly prayed his Majesty’s commands how the King of Sweden should be placed, for if the said order of the 10th of January should be observed, and the Prince’s Stall to be still kept void, then the King would be placed in the fourth Stall of the Sovereign’s side, and have six to precede him. Whereupon his Majesty, Sovereign of the Most Noble Order 9 Garter’s Register. Additional MS. 6280, f. 33. Ashmole, p. 243. 1 “At a Chapter held at Whitehall, 25th Nov. 1671, wherein the Sovereign dispensed with the wearing of the Mantles and with the number of Companions, Dr. Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury, was sworn as Chancellor, and the Sovereign delivered to him the Great Seal and Signet of the Order, which done, he put about his neck (hanging at a purple Ribband) the Ensign or Badge of the Office of Chancellor, commanding him to wear the same.”—Additional MS. 6280, fo. 73. * Vide Remarks on the Officers of the Order, postea. 3 A copy of this Scheme is now in the State Paper Office. 4 Vide p. 253, antea. 256 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. of the Garter, by the advice and consent of the most Noble Companions thereof, was pleased to order and declare, “ First, that the Prince of Wales, and such Emperors and Kings, that ‘ should be of the Order, should be placed in the nearest Stalls to that of the ‘ Sovereign, according to their Elections and Installations. Second, that all ‘ other Sovereign Princes, and Princes of the Blood, should be placed in Stalls ‘ next unto Kings, according to the Priority of their Elections. Third, ‘ that all Companions Subjects, or Strangers, not of the Dignity above men- ‘ tioned, should be Installed in the lowest Stalls, so as they might be translated ‘ to the higher Stalls, according to Seniority in the Order, and the ancient ‘ practice.” 3 “ And whereas the Stall, commonly called the Prince’s Stall, is and hath been long void, his Majesty, by the advice of the said most Noble Companions, was pleased to order that the present King of Sweden should, by his Proxy, be placed in that Stall, and his Hatchments be hung up thereon accordingly, in convenient time.” 4 The Earl of Berkshire, the senior Knight, died in July 1669, having been forty-four years a Companion; and another vacancy occurred on the 3rd of January 1670, by the death of the Duke of Albemarle, “ infinitely lamented by their Majesties, their Royal Highnesses, and the whole Court and Kingdom. The sad news of this loss being brought to His Majesty, together with a Garter of the Order of the Illustrious deceased; His Majesty to express the great value he had for the incomparable merits of that great and glorious person towards His Majesty and his people, immediately commanded the Garter to be carried back to his son, the Earl of Torrington, now Duke of Albemarle, with a declaration of his pleasure that he should forthwith succeed his father in the place of Gentleman of his Bedchamber, as also in that of Lord Lieutenant of the County of Devon; and that as the last mark of His Majesty’s gratitude to the immortal memorj' of the deceased, His Majesty would himself take care for the funeral to be celebrated with a solemnity such as may become the glorious things he did in the service of the Crown, and the eminent sense and 3 Additional MS. 6280, f. 34. Existing Statutes, pp. 55, 56. The copy of those Ordinances in that MS. does not exactly agree with the printed Statutes; but the variations are merely verbal, and do not affect the sense. 4 Additional MS. 6280, f. 34. 5 London Gazette, 6th January 1670. 6 Ashmole, p. 266. 7 Additional MS. 6280, f. 32. 8 Existing Statutes, p. 56. ANNO 1670.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 257 value His Majesty will ever retain of them.” 3 The compliment paid to the memory and services of the Duke of Albemarle, by immediately sending his Garter to his son, seems to have been unprecedented; for though the sons of distinguished fathers had before been Elected into their vacancies, no instance is known of the Sovereign’s pleasure having been signified in so graceful and flattering a manner. A Chapter was summoned for the Election of Christopher Duke of Albemarle, on the 31st of January 1670; but only five Knights having attended, it was postponed to the 4th of February, 6 on which day he was Elected and Invested. A few days afterwards, the Chancellor informed the King of the young Duke of Albemarle’s wish to be permitted to wear the Star, without waiting to be Installed, alleging the precedents of several Knights-Elect having been allowed to do so. But His Majesty refused to comply with his request, on the ground that those dispensations from the Statutes had necessarily arisen out of the late unhappy times, and that he would be Installed within two months . 7 It was decreed in Chapter, on the 4th of February, “ that no Hatchments ‘ of any Knights-Elect, should be placed in the Chapel of Windsor, before his ‘ Installation Fees be paid.” 8 The subject of Fees on Installations was then referred to certain of the Companions, who made their Report on the 5th of March following. 9 Saint George’s Feast was kept at Windsor on the Sovereign’s birth-day, the 29th of May, when the King of Sweden, by his Proxy the Earl of Carlisle, the Elector of Saxony, by his Proxy the Earl of Winchelsea, and the Duke of Albemarle in person, were Installed: and the Achievements of seven deceased Companions, namely, of the Duke of Albemarle, and of the Earls of Salisbury, Berkshire, Northumberland, Southampton, Lindsey, and Manchester, were Offered. * 1 Five Stalls were then vacant. 2 Christiern Prince of Denmark having succeeded to the Crown, on the death of his father, Frederic the .Third, in February 1670, Monsieur Lindenow, his Resident in this Country, asserted His Majesty’s right to Precedence, in the Order of the Garter, of the King of Sweden, who, though a Junior Knight, 9 Printed in Ashmole, Appendix, No. clvii. Ashmole (p. 576) has given a Plate by Hollar, representing “ The Grand Procession of the Sovereign and Knights Companions, Anno 23 Caroli 2.” 1671. 1 London Gazette, No. 578. Ashmole, pp. 349, 436. Additional MS. 6280, f. 61. 2 Ashmole, p. 333. Additional MS. 6280, f. 63. 258 HISTORY OF THE [CHAKLES II. had been placed in the Prince’s Stall because he was a Sovereign Prince. 1 Mr. Secretary Trevor, in a Letter to Mr. Bertie, Envoy to the King ol Denmark, dated the 26th of May 1671, thus stated the Case: “ The Danish Resident here lies in some misfortune, that he can neither be seen abroad, nor admit a visit at home. He sent me a memorial lately, concerning the rank to be given to his Master, at this Instalment at Windsor. His pretence is, that his Master being the elder Knight, ought to be ranked before the King of Sweden; and that they being both equal Kings, Seniority ought to give the preference. The Swede pretends, that when his Master was made Knight, there was no other tete couronnee in the Order (the King of Denmark being then but Prince); and that by that prerogative, his rank was actually given him, in the Stall next the Sovereign, and this decreed to him in a Chapter called by His Majesty, when there could be no competitor with him. This His Majesty having examined, and finding to be true, must leave Sweden in that Stall, but will transpose the Duke of York, to please the King of Denmark.” 2 3 * On the 27th of June, Mr. Trevor acquainted Mr. Bertie with what had been done on the subject, at the Installation, adding, that the Danish Minister had informed him, that “ his Master desired to have kept his Stall, which he had as Prince of Denmark, and not to have been removed higher to the Stall, where His Majesty hath now placed himand that Lindenow had requested him to desire Mr. Bertie to represent to the Danish Court the reasons for the removal, which Mr. Trevor says, “ I believe you will willingly do, since it is to vindicate His Majesty’s care and respect to that Crown.” The explanation proved satis- 1 Vide p. 256, antea. 2 Retrospective Review, New Series, vol. II. p. 194. 3 Ibid. pp. 194, 195. Sir Edward Walker’s Report on this controversy, which is in the Additional MS. 6280, f. 47, contains the remarkable statement, that the Prince’s Stall had not been occupied by a Prince of Wales since the Reign of King Henry the Seventh, because, whenever a Prince of Wales was a Companion, some Foreign Sovereign was likewise a Knight of the Order. Though Ashmole’s work had not then appeared, his reputation caused him to be consulted on the subject. He says, in his Diary : “ 16 April 1670. I was entertained by Monsieur Lionberg, the Swedish Envoy.”—“ May 10. I dined at Sir Charles Cotterell’s [the Master of the Ceremonies] with the Danish Envoy, and after dinner they went to my chamber, in the Temple; where I so satisfied the Envoy touching the King of Sweden’s Precedence in the Order before his Master’s, that he thereupon waved the further prosecution of that affair.”—“ Life of Elias Ashmole,” pp. 336, 337. p Their Stall Plates are in Saint George’s Chapel. 4 London Gazette, No. 670. 5 6 Ibid. No. 683. Garter’s Register. 6 London Gazettes. The George found on the Earl’s body was immediately sent to the King; and a writer in the Gentleman’s Magazine, in May 1799, says he had seen the Ribband which was attached to it. ANNO 1672.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 259 factory; for Mr. Bertie informed Secretary Trevor, in July following, that the assignment to the King of Denmark “ of that very Stall which the Duke of York possessed, and which was the first in His Majesty’s hands to dispose of,” was “ of singular satisfaction to them; and as great an act of friendship, they confess, as they could wish; and withal, they desired a copy of that part of the Letter to shew the King himself.” 3 On the 18th of April 1672, John Maitland Earl of Lauderdale p in Scotland, and Secretary of State for that Country (afterwards Duke of Lauderdale, and created Earl of Guilford in England); 4 and on the 29th of May, Henry Somerset Marquess of Worcester 1 *, President of the Council in Wales; Henry Jermyn Earl of Saint Albans p , Lord Chamberlain of the Household ; and William Russell Earl (afterwards Duke) of Bedford, were Elected and Invested. On the 3rd of June following, the Duke of Lauderdale was Installed by his Proxy, Sir Gilbert Talbot, and the three other Knights-Elect in person. 5 An engagement was fought on the 28th of May, between the English and Dutch Fleets, near Solebay, in Suffolk, in which the gallant Earl of Sandwich, Admiral of the Blue, the second in command, after signalizing himself by remarkable intrepidity, perished, his ship, the Royal James, having taken fire. His body was found floating on the sea, and being recognized by the Order on his person, it was conveyed to Deptford; and after receiving all the honours which his Sovereign could bestow, was buried with great solemnity, in Westminster Abbey. 6 On the 15th of June 7 in that year, Henry Bennet Earl of Arlington, Secretary 7 In this year, 1672, Ashmole published his learned and valuable work on the Order of the Garter, which demands more than a passing notice. “ The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Collected and Digested into one body, by Elias Ashmole, of the Middle Temple, Esq. Windsor Herald at Arms. A work furnished with variety of matter relating to Honor and Noblesse,” is a folio of 720 pages, has numerous plates, and a copious Appendix of Illustrative Documents. The Work is dedicated to King Charles the Second ; and Ashmole says, in his Preface, that seeing, during “ the late unhappy times, the Honour of the Order trampled on, and itself sunk into a very low esteem among us, that reflection put me upon thoughts, not only of doing something that might inform the world of the Nobleness of its Institution, and the Glory which in process of time it acquired, both at home and abroad; but also of drawing up, in the nature of a Formulary, both the Legal and Ceremonial part thereof, for the better conduct of such as might be therein afterwards concerned, in case the eclipse it then waded under in our horizon, should prove of so long continuance, as that many occurrences, worthy of knowledge, might come to be in a manner forgotten.” A Royal Letter under the Privy Seal, dated 31st March 1670, is prefixed to the volume, stating that it had been represented to the King, that Ashmole had “ for fifteen years past applied himself to the search and study of things relating to the Orderand granting him the sole privilege of publishing 260 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. of State, was chosen a Companion, and Invested; and being then at Utrecht, in the King’s service, he was Installed on the 22nd of the same month, by his Proxy, Sir Robert Carr, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. 1 The next Election was of Thomas Butler Earl of Ossory (“ eldest son of James Duke of Ormond, the ancientest Knight of the Garter being His Majesty’s subject, but those of the Blood Royal” 2 ), on the 30th of September following, in the vacancy made by the death of the Prince of Tarento ; and he was Installed on the 25th of October, when the Achievements of that Prince were Offered. 3 “ At a Chapter, held the 17th day of December, in the twenty-fourth year ‘ of King Charles the Second [1672], the Sovereign decreed, the Bishop of ‘ Salisbury, Chancellor of the Order, might encompass his Arms with the ‘ Garter, in the same manner as used by the Bishop of Winchester, Prelate of ‘ the Order.” 4 On the 25th of January 1673, Charles Fitz Roy Earl (afterwards Duke) of the work for fifteen years. Every facility was afforded him by the Officers of the Order, as he had free access to the Registers and other Records, and had received great assistance from Dr. Wren, the Registrar. It is gratifying to know, that Ashmole’s industry and research were appreciated and rewarded by the King, as well as by Foreign Sovereigns. In June 1660, he was honoured with an audience of Charles the Second, who appointed him Windsor Herald, and commanded him to write a description of His Majesty’s Medals; and in February 1661, he was appointed Secretary of Surinam, and Comptroller of the Excise. On the 8th of May 1672, he presented his Book on the Garter to the King; and in October, the Duke of York “ told him he had read a great part of his Book; that he had done a great deal of honour to the Order of the Garter; that he had taken a great deal of pains therein, and deserved encouragement.” The Earls of Bristol and Bedford and the Duke of Lauderdale, three of the Knights, particularly commended his work; and the Earl of Bristol said, the Companions ought to “ present him with some considerable gift, and that he himself would move it.” The Earl Marshal gave him the George which his grandfather wore when he was sent as Ambassador to Germany; and the duty on the paper of the volume seems to have been remitted by the King’s commands. At a Chapter of the Order, held at Windsor, on the 29th of May 1674, there being present the Sovereign, the Duke of York, and thirteen other Companions, “ His Royal Highness the Duke of York was pleased to represent to the Sovereign, that Elias Ashmole, Esquire, Windsor Herald, had lately, with great industry and expense, composed and published a large Book, in folio, intituled, The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter; which Book, as it gives evidence of his great learning, industry, and judgment, so also it tends very much to the advancement of the honour and splendour of the Order, and is of great use to the Sovereign, Companions, and others who have relation thereunto. And his Royal Highness further represented, with what humble thankfulness the said Mr. Ashmole did acknowledge the gracious acceptance which the said Work had found from the Sovereign, and with what great bounty it had been testified ; and also how honourably divers Knight Companions had received the said Work. The Chancellor of the Order represented also how fair a reception the said Book had met with among the Kings and Princes Strangers, Companions of the Order; and in particular, how bountiful the King of Denmark had been toward Mr. Ashmole. Whereupon the Sovereign did recommend to the Companions the said Mr. Ashmole, and exhorted them to give some honourable testimony of their bounty of the value of his person and work.”—(Printed at the end of Ashmole’s volume.) ANNIS 1674—1677.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 261 Southampton, the King’s natural son, then eleven years old, was Elected into the Order in the room of the Duke of Richmond (who had recently died in Denmark), and was Installed on the 1st of April. 5 At the Anniversary in 1674, 6 John Sheffield Earl of Mulgrave (afterwards created Marquess of Nor- manby, and Duke of Buckingham) was Elected into the vacancy made by the death of Count de Marchin, and was Installed at the celebration of the Feast, on the 28th of May, when the Count’s Achievements were offered. 7 Three years elapsed without an Election or any proceeding deserving notice, having occurred in the Order. On the 16th of February 1677, Henry Cavendish Duke of NeAvcastle was Elected instead of his father, who died in December 1676; and on the 24th of March, Thomas Osborne Earl of Danby, Lord High Treasurer (afterwards created Marquess of Caermarthen, and Duke of Leeds), was chosen into the vacancy occasioned by the death of the Earl of Bristol, and on the 19th of April they were both Installed. 8 Like Christopher The King of Denmark sent him a Gold Chain and Medal, which his own Sovereign allowed him to wear; and he received a similar Chain and Medal from the Elector of Brandenburg, who intended to have his work translated into Dutch. Presents were also made him by the Elector Palatine. On the death of Sir Edward Walker, Ashmole refused the offer of being recommended, with almost a certainty of success, for the Office of Garter, in favour of his father-in-law, Sir William Dugdale ; and he again declined it on Sir William Dugdale’s death, in 1686. He was honoured with visits from all the Foreign Ambassadors, was proposed to be called to the Bench of the Middle Temple, and was evidently held in much consideration by his contemporaries. To these notices of Elias Ashmole, which have been taken from his Diary, it may be added, that on the 10th of July, 1677, he says, “ I made a Feast at my house in South Lambeth, in honour of my benefactors to my Work of the Garterand the following lines, in his own hand, are inserted in the copy of his work now in the Ashmolean Museum, at Oxford: “ Long may this Order flourish, and its Fame Extend as far, as did the Founder’s name. Let the now Soveraigne as successfull be, And terrible to France, as sometyme he; May all its Knights attaine to that Renown And Honour, did the Black Prince justly crowne; And as the Embleme, so let th’ Garter be The Parable to all Eternity. E. Ashmole. “ 17th February 1665-6.” 1 Garter’s Register. London Gazette, No. 688 2 Additional MS. 6280, f. 83. 3 Garter’s Register. London Gazette, Nos. 717, 724. * Existing Statutes, p. 56. 5 Garter’s Register. London Gazettes, Nos. 750, 769. 6 On this occasion Sir Edward Walker, Garter, “ by His Majesty’s special command,” printed “ the Order of the Ceremonies on Saint George’s Feast, when the Sovereign is present.”—4to. 1674. T Garter’s Register. London Gazettes, Nos. 880, 890. One Stall still remained vacant. 8 Garter’s Register. London Gazette. One Stall still remained void. 262 HISTORY OF THE [CHARLES II. Duke of Albemarle, 1 the Duke of Newcastle applied, without success, for permission to wear the Star and Mantle, and to vote in Chapters, before he had possession of his Stall. 2 Sir Edward Walker, Garter King of Arms, dying on the 20th of February 1677, a controversy arose whether that Office was in the gift of the Crown, or of the Earl Marshal. After much discussion the question was decided against the Earl Marshal; and in April following the King nominated Sir William Dugdale, 3 whose learned works bear lasting testimony to the propriety of the selection. Nothing took place after that time until the 31st of August 1680, when Henry Fitz Roy Duke of Grafton, another of the King’s natural sons, who was then serving at Sea with Sir John Bury, and James Cecil Earl of Salisbury, were Elected. 4 * The Earl of Salisbury was Knighted and Invested on the 15th of September in a Chapter at Whitehall, on which occasion Prince Charles, Elector Palatine of the Rhine 0 (grandson of Frederic King of Bohemia, and the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James the First), being in England, was chosen in the place of his father. 6 The Duke of Grafton, by his Proxy, Sir Edward Yilliers, and the Earl of Salisbury, in person, were Installed on the 30th of September 1680 ; 7 and Prince Charles by his Proxy, the Earl of Craven, on the 24th of January 1681. 8 In a Chapter held at Whitehall on the 11th of April 1681, Charles Lenox Duke of Richmond, another of the King’s illegitimate children, was Elected, on the death of the Earl of Ossory; and he was Installed on the 20th of the same month, when the number of Companions became complete. 9 On the 25th of September 1682, William Duke of Hamilton (son of the loyal Marquess of Hamilton who was beheaded in 1649) was chosen a Companion on 1 Vide p. 257, antea. * Additional MS. 6280. 3 The particulars of the controversy, which will be again noticed under the Officers of the Order, are given in the Additional MS. 6280, f. 109. Ashmole was consulted by both parties ; and it was proposed to him to succeed to the Office himself.—See his Diary, pp. 350, 351. * London Gazette, No. 1543. 5 Ashmole says in his Diary, “ 1680, Sept. 15, 5 Hor. 30 minutes, post merid. Sir Charles Cotterell presented me to the Prince Elector Palatine, in the Council Chamber, whose hand I kissed, and had much discourse with him about the Order of the Garter, into which he was ready to be Elected.”— p. 356. 6 Garter’s Register. London Gazette, No. 1547. Additional MS. 6280. i Ibid. 8 Ibid. No. 1584. 9 Ibid. No. 1606. Garter’s Register. The Elector of Saxony died on the 22nd of August, and the Earl of Ossory on the 30th of July 1680. ANNIS 1682—1684.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 263 the decease of the Duke of Lauderdale; and having arrived from Scotland, was Knighted and Invested on the 4th, and on the 21st of November, was Installed. 10 Though the custom had long prevailed of wearing the Ribband over the left shoulder, with the lesser George suspended under the right arm * 11 instead of round the neck, it was not until this year that the practice was regularly authorized by a Statute. At a Chapter held at Whitehall on the 19th of November 1682, the following Decree was made: “ Whereas for the greater honour of such as were Knights Companions of the most noble Order of the Garter, in the time of King Charles the First of blessed memory, it was in Chapter ordained that the Cloak, Coat, or Riding Cassock of each Knight Companion, when they did not wear their Robes, should have the Cross of Saint George, encompassed with the Garter, embroidered on the left part thereof, which being accordingly used, and commonly close before, doth hinder the sight of the sky-coloured Ribband and George hanging thereat, it is therefore thought fit and now ordained by the Sovereign and Knights Companions here assembled in Chapter, that to the end the said Ribband and George may be the more openly seen, each Knight Companion of the said Order shall from henceforth wear his said Ribband and George thereunto affixed, upon his uppermost Garment (be it Coat or Cassock) in the form of a belt, put over the left shoulder, and coming under the right 99 12 arm. 12 On the 1st of January 1684, Prince George of Denmark, second son of Frederic the Third, the reigning monarch, who on the 7th of August 1683 had married the Princess Anne, daughter of James Duke of York (afterwards Queen Anne) was Elected in place of Prince Rupert, and Invested; 13 and on the 10th of the same month, Charles Seymour Duke of Somerset, and George Fitz Roy Duke of Northumberland, another of the King’s natural sons, were 10 London Gazettes, No. 1759, 1775. 11 Vide Remarks on this subject under the head of Habits and Ensigns of the Order, postea. 12 Additional MS. 6280, f. 139.—The above is also the account given of this Decree in Garter’s Register, in the possession of Sir William Woods, Garter, in the handwriting of Sir William Dugdale ; but the Printed Statutes (p. 57) state that this Ordinance was made on the 30th of July 33 Car. II. [1681], though Sir William Dugdale takes no notice of any Chapter having been held on that day. The Decree itself is thus given in the Statutes now delivered to the Knights: “ At a Chapter, held the ‘ 30th day of July, in the 33rd year of the Reign of King Charles the Second [i. e. 1681], it was ‘ decreed, that the Ribband, with the George, should be worn over the Upper Habit, Beltways, over ‘ the left shoulder, and under the right arm, in such manner, as might best be seen.” 13 London Gazette, No. 1891. 264 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES II. likewise chosen Companions. The latter was then abroad, but the Duke of Somerset was immediately Invested; and the three Knights-Elect were Installed on the 8th of April following. 1 This was the last proceeding in the Order, during the reign of King Charles the Second, except the admission and Investiture, on the 9th of November in that year, of Dr. Peter More Bishop of Winchester as Chancellor, Dr. King Dean of Windsor as Registrar, and John Dugdale, Esq. Windsor Herald, as Deputy to his father, Sir William Dugdale, Garter. 2 His Majesty died on the 6th of February 1685 without issue, when the Crown devolved upon his brother, KING JAMES THE SECOND. The short reign of this Sovereign was marked by only one permanent act respecting the Order, namely, the Institution of the Badges that are still worn by the Prelate and Registrar. Like his Royal Brother, King James was Crowned on Saint George’s Day following his accession. At a Chapter held at Whitehall on the 6th of May 1685, Henry Howard Duke of Norfolk p , the Earl Marshal, was Elected into the vacancy occasioned by His Majesty’s accession, 3 and was immediately Knighted, and kneeling, 1 Ibid. No. 1894, 1919. 2 Garter’s Register. P Their Stall Plates are in Saint George’s Chapel. 3 The following were the Knights Companions immediately after the accession of King James the Second, on the 6th of February 1685: The Sovereign. Charles XI. King of Sweden. Christiern V. King of Denmark. William Prince of Orange. William Marquess of Brandenburg. Prince Charles of the Rhine. Prince George of Denmark. George Duke of Buckingham. James Marquess of Ormond. Aubrey Earl of Oxford. William Earl of Strafford. James Duke of Monmouth. Christopher Duke of Albemarle. Henry Marquess of Worcester. William Earl of Bedford. Henry Earl of Arlington. Charles Duke of Southampton. John Earl of Mulgrave. Henry Duke of Newcastle. Thomas Earl of Danby. Henry Duke of Grafton. Charles Duke of Richmond. William Duke of Hamilton. Charles Duke of Somerset. George Duke of Northumberland. The Election of Henry Duke of Norfolk completed the number. ANNO 1685.] ORDER OF THE GARTER. 2 65 “ the Sovereign put the blue Ribband, the lesser George hanging thereat, over his left shoulder and under his right arm” which is the first time a Companion is said to have been Invested in that manner. 4 On the 18th of June following, a warrant was signed for the removal of the Achievements of the Duke of Monmouth, who had been attainted of High Treason, which was done in the usual ignominious manner the next day. 5 In that Chapter Henry Mordaunt Earl of Peterborough p was Elected and Invested, 6 and the following Decree was made: “In Chapter held at Whitehall 18th June 1685, the Prelate moved the Sovereign, that whereas the Chancellor of this Most Noble Order, as also Garter Principal King of Arms, and the Usher of the Black Rod, had used certain Badges hung in gold Chains, or purple Ribbands, about their neck for their greater honour in their respective Offices, which had been given and assigned by his Royal Predecessors; that himself as Prelate, and his successor in that noble Office, as also the Dean of Windsor as Registrar and his successors, Registrars of this Most Noble Order, might have such peculiar Badges assigned to them as his Majesty should think fit. Whereupon the Sovereign graciously assenting that the Prelate should for his Badge have a George on horseback, slaying the Dragon, made of gold and enamelled, encompassed with the Garter, and over it the Episcopal Mitre, and the Register two silver Pens in saltire, encompassed with the Garter also, and enamelled, and for his making of them did then sign a special Warrant to the Master of the Jewel House .” 7 On the 2nd of July in the same year, a Chapter was summoned for the Election of Lawrence Hyde, Earl of Rochester 1 *, (second son of the great Earl of Clarendon), Lord High Treasurer, but only five Companions being present, a Dispensation was granted for the non-attendance of the number prescribed by the Statutes. 8 The Earl of Rochester was then Elected and Invested; and the 4 London Gazette, No. 2032. 5 Garter’s Register. 6 Ibid, and London Gazette, No. 2044. 7 Additional MS. 6280, f. 158 b . This Ordinance is thus expressed in the Existing Statutes, p, 57: “ At a Chapter held the 18th day of June in the first year of King James the Second, it was ‘ ordained that the Prelate, for his Badge, should have Saint George, on horseback, killing the Dragon, ‘ of Gold enamelled, encompassed with the Garter, and over it an Episcopal Mitre. And that the ‘ Register should have two silver Pens, cross wise, made of gold, enamelled, and encompassed with ‘ the Garter.” A representation of the Badge now worn by the Registrar will be found in the account of the Officers of the Order, postea. 8 Additional MS. 6280, f. 159. M M 266 HISTORY OF THE [JAMES IT. Duke of Norfolk, and the Earls of Peterborough and Rochester were Installed on the 22nd of that month. 1 Another vacancy having occurred by the death of the Earl of Arlington, Lewis de Duras Earl of Feversham p , Lieutenant-General of the Army, who had commanded the troops sent to suppress the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion, was Elected and Invested on the 31st of July; and he was Installed on the 25th of August. 2 By the death of the Duke of Buckingham on the 10th of April 1687, 3 a Stall became vacant; and on the 26th of the same month a Chapter was held at Whitehall, when Robert Spencer Earl of Sunderland 1 ’, Lord President of the Council and Secretary of State, was Knighted, Elected, and Invested. 4 * Sir William Dugdale, Garter, having died on the 10th of February 1685, he was succeeded by Sir Thomas St. George, who was sworn and Invested, as Garter, in that Chapter. 3 The Earl of Sunderland was Installed on the 23rd of May following his Election, by the Duke of Grafton and the Earl of Feversham. 6 Three vacancies having occurred in 1688 by the deaths of the Marquess of Brandenburg, and the Dukes of Ormond and Albemarle, a Chapter was held on the 28th of September in that year, when James Fitz James Duke of Berwick, the King’s natural son, and James Butler Duke of Ormond were Elected and Invested. The Duke of Berwick’s Election was soon after declared void, and the Duke of Ormond was not Installed until the next reign. Parliament having declared that King James the Second had abdicated the throne 7 on the 11th of December 1688, he was succeeded by his daughter the Princess Mary, and her husband the Prince of Orange, on the 13th of February 1689, under the Title of 1 London Gazette, No. 2054. Ashmole says in his Diary, “21st July 1685, I went to Windsor to the Installation of the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Peterborough, and Lord Treasurer,” p. 372; and on the “ 24th August, I went to Windsor to the Installation of the Earl of Feversham.” Ibid. Two Stalls became vacant in 1685 by the deaths of Prince Charles of the Rhine, and the Earl of Arlington, and another by the attainder of the Duke of Monmouth. p The Plates of their Arms are in Saint George’s Chapel. 2 London Gazette, No. 2056, 2063. Garter’s Register. Additional MS. 6280, f. 169. > 3 London Gazette, April 25, 1687. 4 Ibid. No. 2237. , 3 Garter’s Register. 6 London Gazette, No. 2245. 7 King James, however, neither acquiesced in those proceedings, nor abandoned his title of King of England; and he, as well as his son, frequently exercised the powers they attributed to themselves, as Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, by conferring its Ensigns upon the most faithful and distinguished of their adherents. His eldest son Prince James, who was proclaimed King of England at Paris in