mmm^ DEDICATED BY COMMAND TO THE QUEEN. THE BOOK OF THE COURT; EXHIBITING THE HISTORY, DUTIES, AND PRIVILEGES OF THE SEVERAL RANKS OF THE ENGLISH NOBILITY AND GENTRY, PARTICULARLY OF THE GREAT OFFICERS OF STATE. AND MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD: INCLUDING VARIOUS FORMS OF COURT ETIQUETTE, TABLES OF PRECEDENCY, RULES TO BE OBSERVED AT LEVEES AND DRAWING ROOMS, etc. ALSO AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON REGAL STATE AND CEREMONIAL, AND A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE CORONATION CEREMONY. BY WILLIAM J. THOMS, FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES. SECOND EDITION, LONDON: HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. MDCCCXLIV. III TIB 4^ TO HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN. Madam, I HAVE the honour to dedicate to Your Majesty the following volume, which I have ventured to designate " The Book of the Court ;" and I beg leave, most respectfully, to tender my grateful thanks for the distinction which Your Majesty has conferred upon me, by granting me Your Majesty's gracious permission so to do. May I be allowed to add to this expression of thanks, my fer- vent prayer for Your Majesty's long and happy reign, 'and that, — while under Your Majesty's governance, the country may boast of the same high honour in arms, and glory in the liberal arts, which distinguished it in the reign of Elizabeth, — Your Majesty may, under Providence, secure those advantages to Your people, without the heavy cares and ceaseless anxieties which their purchase entailed upon that illustrious Queen. I remain, With the profoundest veneration. Madam, Your Majesty's most faithful Subject and dutiful Servant, WILLIAM J. THOMS. _k- VJ iO /**• ^ a/ '4^ PREFACE. A BOOK without a preface is an anomaly. Custom demands a preface, even though it be brief as the posy of a ring ; and every "writer finds at least when his booh is finished, if not before, the benefit and expediency of paying the tax, and of availing himself of the opportunity thereby afforded, to apologise for the sins of omission, and commission, of which he has been guilty, and to pro- pitiate, as far as possible, by a statement of what he wished to have done, the favorable judgment of the public upon what he has actually accomplished. If the Editor of the present volume has at all succeeded in the object at which he aimed, he flatters himself that the work will be found (with deference be it spoken) eminently useful and instruc- tive to two great classes of readers. The former comprising those who do go to court ; the latter those who do not. The former will find in it, if not all the necessary rules for their guidance, at least many useful and available pieces of information ; and the latter that knowledge which, if it answer no other end, will at all events, to a certain degree, contribute to their escape from the "parlous state" in which honest Touchstone demonstrated all those to be, who have never been at court. " Why, if thou never was't at court, thou never saw*'st good manners — if thou never saw good viii PREFACE. manners, then thy manners must be wicked ; wickedness is sin, and sin is damnation. Thou art in a parlous state, shepherd !" The sin, which awakened the wrath of this motley counsellor, was the sin of ignorance, and that, it is the end and aim of the present work to remove ; but as good manners, radiating from their com- mon centre, the Court, are now somewhat more rife in the world than they were when Shakspeare wrote, and as the high character of the Court no longer justifies the dictum of the satirist, " Exeat Aula Qui vult esse plus" — it has not been deemed advisable to touch upon the subject of courtly virtues, or to weary the reader with any of those goodly moralizations, and, what the profane of the present day might per- haps designate, twaddling ethics, which are to be found in the " Treatise of the Court, or Instructions for Courtiers ; digested into two books. Written in French hy the noble and learned Jurisconsult Monsieur Denys de Refuges, CounccUor of Estate, and many tymes Ambassador (in foraigne parts ) fory^ two last French Kings his Masters ,•"" which treatise Avas, in the reign of James the First, deemed by Master John Reynolds worthy of being " done into English" for the benefit of the country gentlemen of that day. Instead of following the path pointed out by this great authority, the Editor, yielding no less to his own views, than to the utilitarian spirit of the present day, has proposed to himself, merely to give some account of the nature, origin, duties, and peculiar privileges of the several ranks of the Nobility, of the various Great Officers of State, of the higher Official Appointments, and, though last not least, of the members of the Royal Household. In carrying out this plan, he has, on the one hand, endeavoured to avoid, as far as possible, too PREFACE. IX great minuteness of detail, in order that the reader might be spared the infliction of such bulky folios, and portly quartos, as the writers of Germany and France have devoted to the history of" Hofrecht,'" and " Ceremonial ;" while, on the other, he has sought to irrigate the occasional dryness of the matter in hand, by the introduction of such historical and biographical anecdotes, as serve at once to illus- trate the subject, give variety to the work, and justify him in say- ing to the reader, as did the learned author of the " Jocular Tenures" — " Lege — Ride — Disce." But as, notwithstanding the Editor's endeavours to avoid the two extremes of brevity and difFuseness, the various articles which are here collected together, illustrative of the power of the Crown and of Parliament, of the gradual formation of the Nobility, and of the constitutional origin and modification of the various execu- tive Officers of the State, can scarcely hope to rise unscathed from the Procrustean bed of criticism ; he begs to submit to the can- dour of his readers two observations. Such as consider the several heads of his subject too long, will, he hopes, do him the justice to believe, that he has not " bestowed all his tediousness upon their worships." While to* those who may have expected further information than is here presented to them, he begs to offer an excuse in the novelty of his undertaking. " It is remarkable," says Sir Harris Nicolas, " that while the Statute and Common Law of the country have been illustrated by some of its most learned writers, the origin, history, and duties of several of the highest offices of the Crown have been, comparatively, neglected." — " Nor are the omissions of Coke, Blackstone, and other jiu-ists on that subject, supplied by any writer whatever." To supply, in some measure, this deficiency, is the object of X PREFACE. the present volume. That it may do so ertootually. can only be accomplished bv the co-operation of those Avho will kindly enable the Editor to correct his errors, and till irp his omissions ; should the favour of the pubhc alFord him the opportunity of doing so, by the publication, at some future time, of an edition of his work, still more worthv of the Illustrious Patronage with which it has been honoured. The Editor's last but not least pleasing duty, is to offer his best thanks to his kind friend John Bruce, Esq. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, but for whose ready assistance, and valu- able hints, the work would have wanted much of whatever merit the reader may now be pleased to ascribe to it. TABLE OF rOXTEXTS. Introducton' Essav ..... Page 9 Sect. I. The Sovereign and Royal Family . . .35 II. The NobHity and Gentry . . . 89 III. The Orders of Knighthood . . .153 IV. The Houses of Parliament . . . 183 V. The Great Officers of State . . . .213 VI. The Royal Household .... 293 VII. Ambassadors . . . • .391 VIII. Coronation Ceremonies . . . 407 Appent)ix. 1. Orders of Precedence . . . • ,447 2. Proclamations relative to Levees and Dra^^•ing Rooms . 480 3. Proclamation, exempting the Members of the Household from Arrest, &c. . . * . . . 48^ 4. Lord Hunsdon's Letter respecting the Gentlemen Pensioners 483 Index ...... 485 THE BOOK OF THE COURT. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON REGAL STATE AND CEREMONIAL. In a work destined, like the present, to exhibit a view of the nature of the Kingly Office, of the gradual formation of the Nobility, and of the constitutional history of the Great Officers of State, and, at the same time, to record some of the more striking usages of Courtly and official Life, a preliminary sketch of the rise and progress of that Regal State, Etiquette, and Ceremonial, which have at all times exercised so much influence upon these several matters, will not, it is presumed, be considered out of place. Though Ceremonial, like civilization, may have been derived by us from the East, — ex Oriente lux, — from that East, which is at the present day its chosen resting-place, — it may be deemed a suffi- ciently rigid observance of the long-established rule, " commen^ons au commencement," if we state that it migi-ated from the Oriental Courts, in the time of Charlemagne ; that by the marriage of Otho the Second with the Grecian Princess Theophania, at the close of the tenth century, it became still more widely developed ; until, at length, under the influence of the Emperor Charles V,* it found its way into every Court in Europe. * If Charles V. be really entitled to the credit of having disseminated Etiquette and Courtly Ceremonials throughout Europe, verily he had his reward ; for it is recorded, that on his entry into Douay, not only was he received in great state under triumphal arches decorated with flowers, but that the Magistrates, to do honour to the occasion, put a clean shirt upon the body of a malefactor, that was hanging in chains at the city gate. B 10 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. An examination into tlie Ceremonial of the ancient British and Anglo-Saxon Courts, though far more to our present purpose, would, however, occupy so large a portion of the space allotted to this division of the work, that we have no alternative but to refer the reader who may be desirous of information upon these points, to " The Anglo-Saxon Laws,"" edited by Schmid, * and to " The Laws of Howel Dha," edited by Walton, f We fear, indeed, that the result of such an examination would fearfully disappoint such as anticipate that the courtly reunions of those days bore any resemblance, however remote, to the polished meetings of our own times. Had the magnates of the Principality been distinguished for courtesy, it would scarcely have been deemed necessary to pass a law, that none of the courtiers should " give the Queen a blow, or snatch anything with violence from her, under the penalty of incurring her Majesty's displeasure." That courtiers should con- template such a thing as striking a woman, and that woman a Queen, is scarcely credible ; it might surely have contented them to have given such a blow to the King, at least to his Prerogative, as they did, when they forbade him to " do what he pleased with his own," and decreed that there were three things which he had no power to part with, viz., " his treasure, his hawks, and — ' Horresco referens V — his breeches ! " Of the numerous Officers and Retainers, who, under the influence of ambition, and a love of aggrandisement, thronged the busy halls of the Conqueror, there are many valuable records preserved in Doomsday Book. Rufus, his son and successor, as we are told by Lord Lyttleton, "in the magnificence of his Court and buildings greatly exceeded any King of that age ;" and an anecdote, very characteristic of his vanity and extravagance, is given in the old * " Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen," von Dr. R. Schmid. ler Theil. 8vo. 1832. Ingulphus tells us that Alfred, who lived two centuries before the Conquest;, divided his attendants into three classes, who were appointed to wait, by turns, monthly. t "Leges Wallicse," folio 1730. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 11 Metrical Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester, * and which may be thus modernized : — " As his Chamberlain him brought, as he arose one day, The morrow for to wear a pair of hose of sey. He asked what they cost him ? — ' three shillings,' the other said ; ' Fy a dibles,' quoth the King, ' who says so vile a deed ? A King wear any cloth, but what should cost him more ; — Buy a pair of a mark, or you shall rue it sore ! ' A worse pair full enough, the other sith him bought. And said they cost a mark, and therefore so were brought ! — ' A bel amy,' quoth the King, ' these are now well bought ; — In this manner serve thou me, or thou shalt serve me not.' " To correct the dissolute habits whicli had prevailed among the courtiers of William Rufus, was one of the earliest steps adopted by Henry I. to ingratiate himself with his subjects. An edict against all offenders and oppressors was published by liim in the first year of his reign ; but still with so little effect as to render it necessary to publish a second, five years afterwards ; and we are told by Eadmer, that Henry''s attendants plundered every thing that came in their way, so that the country was laid waste wherever the King travelled ; for which reason people, when they knew of his approach, left their houses, carrying away what provisions they could, and sheltering themselves in the woods, and by-places, for fear their provisions should be taken away by the King's Purveyors.f * The story is likewise told by William of Malmsbury, who styles the monarch's attendant " Cubicularius," which Pegge, from the rough lan- guage the King uses to him, — " Fill ait Meretricis," — supposes to mean not a Lord, but an inferior Officer of the Bed-chamber. ■j- In the reign of John, the abuses of Purveyance had risen to such a height that they were made the subject of three articles of Magna Charta ; and almost every subsequent reign produced some enactment to repress the abuses to which this branch of the Prerogative gave rise ; until 1661, when the grievance was wholly abolished by the act of 12 Charles II, the Parliament, at the same time, granting to the King, in satisfaction of B 2 12 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. These things called loudly tor redress ; it was therefore made pub- lic, by the King's command, that whoever belonging to the Court spoiled the goods of those who entertained them in these progresses, or abused the persons of their hosts, should, on proof of their crime, have their eyes put out, or their hands and feet cut oiF. Of the Officers of the Court of Henry II. we have a very detailed account in the " Black Book of the Exchequer," published by Hearne. Among these appears one, which, though he figures con- spicuouslv in the Household of John, has not formed a part of the Roval Establishment for some time. He is styled the Aquarius, being obviously an attendant upon the King's bath, for which he was allowed a double mess ; and, when the King travelled, one penny for drying the King's cloths ; and, when the King bathed, four-pence, except on the three great feasts of the year.* The num- ber and variety of Officers mentioned in this document confirm the reputation for a love of splendour, which is always ascribed to our Kinffs of the Norman dvnastv. Madox, among others, notices their fondness of display, and the manner in which they manifested it. " The Kings of that race," he savs, -j* " were exceeding pompous, both in Court and camp. In their Court they showed their magnificence in the stateliness of the interest which he conceded, a certain tax upon beer. We have else- where noted (ride page 38) that the only trait of this ancient right of the Crown now existing, consists in the impressment of vehicles for the removal of the Queen's forces, baggage, &c. * Hearne — " Liber Niger Scaccarii," i. 353. The profits of office are frequently styled, in derision, "candle ends and cheese parings." It is perhaps going far to find the origin of this phrase ; but " candle ends" used anciently to form an important part of the allowance to the King's Officers. In the very Record before us, the Chancellor is spoken of as being entitled, among other allowances, to one great wax and/ortj/ candle gjiJs ! — unum grossum cereum et xl. frusta candelamni. t Madox — " History of the Exchequer," cap. ii. § i. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 18 their palaces, the ricliness of their furniture, tlie splendour and num- ber of their retinue, the plenty of their provisions, and the like. The Court was the centre of resort for all the Barons and great men of the realm, who, being Peers of the King's Court, gave, as occa- sion required, their attendance there, and more particularly as many of them were invested with the Great Offices of the King's Court. The splendour of the King's Court appeared very much in the con- fluence of the Nobility and chief men of the realm, and in the greatness of his Officers or Ministers." Stephen maintained a like reputation ; and of the condition of the Enjrlish Court in the reig-n of Richard Coeur de Lion and his brother, Walter Scott has left us a vivid, and perhaps accurate picture, in his matchless " Ivanhoe." Though we must be cautious not to let the blaze of "barbaric pearl and gold," with wliich he has overlaid it, blind us to the coarseness and absence of refinement and high moral principle by which, at this time, all Courts must have been more or less distinguished. In the " Wardrobe account of the Twenty-eighth year of Edward I. (a.d. 1299 — 1300,) published some years since, by the Society of Antiquaries, under the able editorship of the late John Topham, Esq. we are furnished, in the various Items of which the account consists, with ample means of forming a very accurate opinion, as to the extent and splendour of the Court of that Monarch.* * It must be borne in mind, that the department of the Wardrobe was formerly much more extensive than it has been since the constitution of many offices for the execution of part of its duty. It then comprised the payments of the military and naval expenses, as well as the civil and domestic ; and was one of the Royal Treasuries for the receipt of the re- venues of the Crown. Madox, in his valuable " History of the Exche- quer/' gives many proofs of the Sheriffs and debtors of the Crown paying their tollages, fines, rents, and taxes, into the hands of the Keeper of the King's Wardrobe. The author of the treatise called " Fleta," who wrote his celebrated work upon the laws of England, about the time of 14 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. In the subseq^uent publication by the Society, entitled " A Col- lection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Government of the Royal Household, made in divers reigns, from King Edward III. to King William and Queen Mary," — and to -which the reader will find frequent reference in the course of the following pages, we have abundant materials for illustrating the sumptuary history of the English Court. The most valuable, though not the earliest document, contained in the volume, is unquestionably the " Liber Niger Domus Regis Anglise," or the " Black Book of the Household," compiled in the reign of Edward IV, and which being not only more full than any document of a similar nature, but also frequently referred to in the subsequent Ordinances and Regulations, an abstract of what it con- tains may assist the reader in forming an idea of the extent and magnificence by which the Court of an English Monarch was, at that era, distinguished. this very Record, gives the following minute description of the oflfice of Treasurer of the King's Wardrobe : " To him is committed the care of the expenses of the King and his family ; who, together with a Clerk, asso- ciated with him as a Comptroller, shall keep a record of what belongs to their office. He shall keep the King's money, jewels, gifts, and private receipts, and shall make a separate roll thereof, wliich shall be returned annually into the Exchequer. And in another roll, which shall be exa- mined by the Steward, Treasurer, and Comptroller, he shall enter the daily expenses, (expensa quotidiana,) also necessary expenses, in which the buying of horses, carriages, and many other articles, shall be com- prised ; also gifts, alms, and oblations ; wages of Knights and Archers ; Messengers, foreign fees, presents or accommodations ; also the expenses of the Wardrobe, in which the buying of cloth, furs, wax, spices, linen, and such Hke, shall be comprised ; also of jewels, foreign expenses. Am- bassadors, and Falconers. The Treasurer ought also to convene every night the Steward of the Household, the Chamberlain, Comptroller, and his Clerk ; the Marshal of the Hall and the Usher, and Knights-serjeants INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 15 The compiler of the exordium or introduction to this Household Book, treats upon the necessity there is for great Monarchs to have large household establishments. He descants upon the wisdom of King Solomon in the observance of good rules, appointments, and ordinances by his Ministers, Avhich supported his splendour and magnificence, and gained the affections of his people. In England he instances King Lud, as being famous for his household and great hospitality. King Cassibellon, he tells us, for one festival slew 40,000 kyne and oxen ; 100,000 sheep ; 80,000 deer and other wild beasts of the wood ; besides poultry, wild fowl and tame, of sea and land, with other purveyance of victuals : on which occasion were introduced many disguisings, plays, minstrelsy, and sports. King Hardeknute, he calls a father nourish er of familiarity, famous for the great abundance of his provisions, and for cunning cooks in curiositie. King Henry I. bore the fame of an excellent meat-giver, and Avas reputed by the people as a young Solomon, *' For his riches, great noblesse, Wisdom, love, and largesse." of the Marshal ; the Ushers of the Hall and of the Chamber, the Purvey- ors of the table ; the Butler, Pantryman, Baker, and the Clerks of those offices, who were accountable for the expenses of diet, viz. of bread, wine, and ale ; fish, cups, salt, fruits, cheese, and such like ; also the Master, Mas- ter-Cooks, Cooks, the Larderer, Poultry-man, Scullery or Saucery-man, Salter, and Clerks of the kitchen, who were necessary to give an account of what passed in their respective offices ; also the Almoner, the Door-keeper, the Serjeant for the care of the sumpters and carriages; the Clerk of the Mar- shalsea, who should answer for the expenses of hay and corn, litter, shoeing of horses, harness, or trappings for horses and carnages, and the wages of Serjeants, Esquires, Clerks, and Boys ; and it was his duty to know those who were newly admitted to the wages of the King, and those who went out of duty ; and to withhold the w^ages of such as were absent without the King's special Ucence, or were not in the King's service," &c. 16 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. But the house of King Edward III, he says, was the house of very policy, and flower of England, the first letter of certainty among his domestics upon a grounded rule ; he appointed duties to his offices and officers by a formal and convenient custumal more certain than was used before his time ; he framed his new statutes, commandments, and charges upon every officer inward and outward ; and exercised his acts, in honour and profit to himself, and to the favour and great ease of all his liege people. Upon the cround-work of those statutes, and to correct abuses which had been subsequently introduced. King Edward IV, with the advice of his Great Council of Lords Spiritual and Temporal, the Cardi- nal of Canterbury ; George, Duke of Clarence ; Richard, Duke of Gloucester ; the wise and discreet Judges, and other well-advised and learned men of England in all improvements, many of them luiving long time had great knowledge of the expense and conduct of King's houses, upon many prudent proofs, and long studied de- liberations, by their whole assent, formed the instructions which are contained in that book ; wherein the Royal Court is defined to consist of all intermixtures, weighed by wisdom and worship, profit and reason, answering to every state and degree, whereby every Officer should have sufficient power in all truth to perform the King's service honourably ; so that the King should have his goods and provisions duly expended, but not wasted. After thus stating the motives for forming this book, and the manner in which it was made, the compiler proceeds to state the annual charge of the Royal establishment contained therein to amount to 13,000/, — under the several heads of diet for the Household for general use, and on extraordinary festivals ; for wines of different kinds, oblations, rewards and fees, for horses and carriages ; wages of the keepers of hawks, falcons, and other amusements ; and for robes for Knights, Officers, Esquires, Clerks, Valets, Pages, and inferior Servants ; the services of meat and drink of all sorts for the King's Royal Person, the allowance of lights and fires for his rooms and chambers, and of litter and rushes for his beds and pallets, the offerings to be made by the King INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 17 on the principal festivals of the year ; viz. at Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, and All Hallow Tide of 6s. 8d. called a noble of gold ; and for his daily offerings to the Dean of the Chapel, a plate of gold to the value of seven-pence, — also the offerings to the Cross, on Good Friday ; for medicinable rings of gold and silver, delivered to the Jewel-house, and the yearly offering at the shrine of St. Thomas, at Canterbury, in the name of Chyvyage, three florins of gold from the privy coffers. The Officers attendant upon the King's Chamber are appointed to be, the Chamberlain ; the Confessor ; Knights ; Chaplains ; Squires for the Body ; Physician and Surgeon ; Gentlemen Ushers ; Yeomen of the Robes, of the Beds, of the Crown, and of the Chamber ; and Grooms, Waiters, and such strangers as should be thought fit to be admitted. Per Annum. £ s. d. The account then states the establishment and allowance for a Queen in Court to be 40«. a day for diet for her own person; and I2d. a day each for 100 attendants, making in the whole - - - -255500 For a Prince, being Heir Apparent to the Crow^n, for his own diet, 30*. a day, and for 50 attendants, 1 2d. a day . _ _ - For a Duke and 240 attendants For a Marquess and 200 attendants For an Earl with 140 servants For a Viscount with 80 servants - For a Baron with 40 servants For a Banneret with 24 servants For a Knight of the Household with 1 6 servants - For a Squire of the Household with 6 servants - The account then defines the particular duty of every Officer in Court ; and their allowance for diet, wine, and ale, fire and lights, wages, liveries, number of servants, and all other perquisites to which they were entitled. 1560 4000 3000 2000 1000 500 200 100 50 18 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. These Officers are expressed to be a Bishop Confessor ; the Chancellor of England ; the Great Chamberlain of England ; the Chief Judsfe of the Common Pleas ; the King's Chamberlain ; Bannerets ; Knights ; Secretaries ; Chaplains ; Esquires of the Body ; Keepers of the Wardrobe ; Gentlemen Ushers ; Yeomen of the Crown ; Grooms of the Chamber ; Pages of the Chamber ; Officers of the Jewel House ; the Physician, Surgeon, Apothecary, and Barber of the King ; the Henxmen ; Esquires of the House- hold ; Kings of Arms ; Heralds and Pursuivants ; Serjeants of Arms ; INIinstrels ; Waiters and INIessengers ; the Dean of the Chapel, Chaplains, and Clerks ; Yeomen and Children of the Chapel ; Clerk of the Closet ; IMaster of Grammar ; Office of Vestiary ; Clerk of the Crown ; Clerk of the Market ; and Clerks of the works. Another division gives the duties and perquisites of the Officers of the Household ; namely, the Steward ; the Treasurer ; the Comptroller ; and the Cofferer ; who are called the Sovereigns or Rulers of the Household. The Clerks of the Green Cloth, Clerks of the Comptrolment, and the Compting-hoiise ; the Bake-house ; the Pantry ; Wafery ; Butlery ; Purveyors of the Wine ; of the Cellars ; Butlery of Ale ; Pitcher-house and Cup-house ; Ale- takers ; of the Spicery, Confectionary, Chandlery, Ewery ; of the Nappery or Linen Department ; and the Laundry. The same volume contains another highly curious article, in the Ordinances issued by Henry VIL for the regulation of his House- hold, which, besides defining the particular duties of the Gentle- men Ushers, and directing the oider of sitting in state in the pre- sence of their Sovereign, to be observed by the Nobles of the Realm, upon all public occasions, and at the Great Festivals, contains also a minute description of the manner of proceeding, not only at Coronations, but upon all occasions of State Ceremony. The Ordinances made at Eltham by Henry VIIL who, at least in the beauty of his person, the extent of his accomplishments, and in love of magnifipc^nce, was " every inch a King," show the English INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 19 Monarch to have been not only the contemporary, but in fondness for state and pageantry, the rival of Charles V. Elizabeth, who inherited her father's love of splendour, was very careful to maintain the dignity of her Household, by the choice of Officers qualified by birth and education to do justice to her selec- tion, and to add by their personal appearance, to the dignity and elegance of her Court. Francis Osborne, whom Johnson pro- nounced " a conceited fellow," adding, " were a man to write so now, the boys Avould throw stones at him," gives us a remarkable instance of the extent to which Elizabeth carried her attention upon this point. " This Princess," says he, " in imita- tion of her father Henry VIII, did admit none about her for Pen- sioners, Privy-Chamber-men, Squires of the Body, Carvers, Cup- bearers, Sewers, &c. (which were not a few in number,) but persons of stature, strength, and birth, refusing to one her consent, (de- manded before any could be admitted to the meanest place in her House,) because he wanted a tooth ; yet was never known to desert any for age, or other infirmity, after once enrolled, but either con- tinued them, or, upon their discharge, gave them considerable and well paid pensions. As for her Guard, Ushers, Porters, and all attending below stairs, they were of a no less extraordinary size than activity for shooting, throwing the bar, the weight, wrestling, &c."* The well-known taste of the Sovereign exercised of course extra- ordinary influence over the conduct of the Nobles, and we cannot therefore be surprised at Bishop Goodman''s telling us " that in the time of Queen Elizabeth, at the Feast of St. George, when many of the Lords were present, and every one had a multitude of servants, and all of them in their chains of gold, (and at that time of the year, very often some Ambassadors were wont to come to London, and the merchants to entertain those Ambassadors which * " Historical Memoirs on Reign of EUzabeth and James/' Works^ p. 374. 20 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. came to treat for trading,) I do believe, that at sometimes I have seen very near ten thousand chains of gold stirring."* * " Court of King James/' vol. i, p. 199. Having begun to quote the worthy Bishop, w^e must continue. The following observations on the in- fluence which the introduction of gunpowder has exercised on Courts and Kings, are too closely connected with the present subject to be omitted. " And here I shall acquaint you, that since the invention of gunpowder, the use whereof first came into this kingdom in the time of Edward III. some three hundred years since, princes have been more imperious, and taken much more upon them than formerly they did. Then did they raise their prerogative, and live in a more magnificent fashion, answerable to their state and dignity ; for gunpowder is in eftect the whole strength of war ; all other weapons and instruments, are little regarded in respect of it. " Now if Princes can make themselves the sole masters of gunpowder, which is easily done by their commissions, that none shall make powder but whom they shall appoint, and being made, that they shall have the pre-emption or sole emption, certainly they leave their subjects naked and weaponless, and no way able to resist their power, and then they may insult and do what they please ; then they began to lay impositions, to increase their revenues, and to live in a more magnificent manner. Be- fore the conquest, my founder. King Edward the Confessor, did but live like a private man ; he kept the money which he had in a chest in his own bed-chamber, and Hugolin his servant had the key of it ; there was no Lord High Treasurer with his mace, and his white staff, and all his Officers attending him ; his Queen Editha would sometimes pose young scholars in their grammar rules, and then sometimes give them a piece or two of silver out of her own purse, and send them to the buttery to break their fast. This Edward the Confessor died in the Painted Chamber, where the two Houses of Parliament did meet ; and there upon his death- bed did he foresee great troubles that would befall this kingdom. After this time, when the Conqueror came in, who never fought but one battle, and was very lovingly received by the Bishops, and the Nobles, and many others in the kingdom, (for Harold had no colour of right, and his father. Earl Goodwin, had left a very ill report behind him,) yet Wil- ham of Normandy would needs hold the kingdom by conquest, and his INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 21 The memory of Elizabeth's days, as still preserved to us, not only in the Memoirs of the times, but in that history Avhich all who successors did even hold it by that title, and gave it in their own style as Henricus Tertius post conquestum, Henricus Octavus post conquestum. They might have remembered that if Normandy in the time of WilHam the Father did conquer England, then England, in the time of Henry I. his son, did conquer Norm.andy, and there was a requital. But truly the conquest was with his laws, and his successors' laws, and not with his sword ! or suppose there had been an absolute conquest, yet certainly he did not conquer his own soldiers. Now the gi-eatest part of the Enghsh are descended from Normans, and in that right they might claim a liberty, that the conquest is expired, and now they are to be governed by just laws. " Of all the Kings in England, Henry II. was the gi-eatest and the most powerful, and he did much enlarge his prerogative, and did much in- crease the state and magnificence of his court. He held great territories, and all in quiet possession ; he was made Lord of Ireland, by Adrian IV. Pope, an Englishman, whose name was Nicholas Breakspeare, and whose father was a monk of St. Alban's, and he himself from within four miles of the place. For those om* other Kings which were conquerors, as Edward III. and Henry V, you must consider that what thay held, holding it by the sword, and being never there peaceably settled, their gain by their conquests did little more than quit cost. But the state and magnificence of the English court, did especially appear in the time of Kincf Henry VIII : the order and allowance of his house was contrived by Cardinal Wolsey in as magnificent a manner as any Prince hath in the world ; here was no putting to board wages : the meanest yeoman had three good dishes of meat ; every gentleman's table had five dishes ; the Clerk Comptroller had eight dishes, very substantial meat, more than would have served forty or fifty people, and his table cost the King, buy- ing the meat at the King's price, very near 1000/. per annum. The Lord Chamberlain had sixteen dishes : two joints of meat went for a dish. " I will not here speak of the very great excess of the Lord Steward's table, in the time of the Parliament, for the entertainment of the Lords and the Members of Parliament. 22 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. run may read, the portraits of the great men who guided her coun- cils and led her hosts to the battle, is so associated with ideas of external magnificence as well as of internal worth, that we can readily imagine how fashions ran riot, and were pushed to such extremes as to call for the enactment of a species of sumptuary laws* It would take both more time and more space than can here be allotted to it, to trace how far the example of Charles V. had influ- enced the etiquette and ceremonial forms which prevailed at the Court of Elizabeth, when the homage paid to the sex, as well as to the rank of the Sovereign, savoured strongly not only of the gal- lantry of the times, but of that high notion of female infallibility implied in the Spanish Proverb, " Blancos manos no offendete^ White hands never offend." The insular position of England, and the nature of its political institutions, were not favourable to the growth of so stately a plant as the Spanish etiquette of Charles' days might claim to be regarded : it is probable, therefore, that it exercised no direct and immediate influence in this country. The marriage of Philip with Queen Mary might have introduced a more rigid observance of Etiquette and Ceremonial than had heretofore prevailed, but the condition of the Court and nation generally, * Rapiers succeeded, in the reign of Elizabeth, the heavy two-edged swords, but were worn of such an extraordinary length, that government limited the length of these weapons to three feet ; a proclamation was made to this effect, as also for the curtailment of ruffs ; and steady, serious citizens were placed at each gate, to cut the ruffs, and break the rapiers' points, of all passengers who exceeded the allowed measure. " He (says Stowe) was accounted the greatest gallant that had the deepest ruff, and the longest rapier." Lord Talbot, in a letter to Lord Shrewsbury, relates "that in 1580, M. Malvolser, the French Ambassador, riding to take the ayer, inne hys returne came thorowe Smithfield, and there at the barrs was stayed by thos officers that setteth to cut swordes, by reason his rapier was longer than the statute. He was in a great fewrie and drewe hys rapier. In the meane season, my Lord Henry Seamore cam, and so stayed the matter. Her majestic is greatly offended with the officers, in that they wanted judgment." INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 23 during licr unhappy reign, was not such as to admit of this in- fluence being very strongly marked ; and it must have remained for the succeeding reign, when the throne was occupied by a maiden Queen, to see some few of the choicest off-shoots of this stately plant naturalized in England. Before proceeding to consider further of the dissemination of Spanish etiquette, a few illustrations of it will not be out of place. The nature of this extraordinary system, — if system that can be called, which seems to have been based on the wildest doctrines of the infallibility and divine origin of Kings, but which yet ex- ercised so much power over all within its circle, that one Sovereign is said to have quietly submitted to be roasted alive, rather than violate its all-powerful and mysterious laws.* Philip III, the martyr alluded to, was gravely seated by the fire-side, the fire-maker had kindled so great a quantity of wood that the monarch was nearly suffocated with heat, but Etiquette would not allow him to rise from his chair ; the domestics could not presume to enter the apartment, for Etiquette forbade them. At length the Marquis de Potat appeared, and the King ordered him to damp the fire ; but he excused himself, alleging that he was forbidden by Etiquette to perform such a function ; for Avhicli the Due d'Usseda ought to be called upon, as it was his busi- ness. The Duke was gone out ; the fire burnt more fiercely; and the King endured it rather than derogate from his dignity by a violation of Etiquette. But his blood was so heated, that on the following day he was attacked with erysipelas in the head, and died in consequence. Other instances, not less remarkable, and perhaps not more au- * The reader w^ilb we hope, give us credit for the cautious " it is said" with which we have qualified our allusion to this story. D'IsraeH, in his " Curiosities of Literature," has told it on the authority of the well known " Art de verifier les dates ;" while Bolton Corney, in his Illus- trations of D'Israeli's work, pronounces it " a tissue of fiction and witti- cism, the death of the King being the only undoubted fact it contains." Who shall decide when doctors disagree ? 24 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. thentic, may be adduced, especially as respects the extreme jealousy and respect with which the females of the Royal Family were regarded. Nay, the feet and legs of Queens were held so sacred, that it was a crime to think, or at any rate to speak, of them. On the arrival of the Princess INIaria Anna of Austria, the bride of Philip IV, in Spain, a quantity of the finest silk stockings were presented to her in a city w'here there were manufactories of that article. The Major Domo of the future Queen threw back the stockings with indignation, ex- claiming, " Know that the Queens of Spain have no legs." When the young bride heard this, she began to weep bitterly, declaring she would return to Vienna, and that she Avould never have set foot in Spain had she known that her legs were to be cut off. This ridiculous etiquette was on another occasion carried still fur- ther; one day, as the second consort of Charles II. was riding a very spirited horse, the animal reared on his hinder legs. At the moment when the horse seemed on the point of falling back with his fair rider, the Queen slipped off on one side, and remained with one of her feet hanging in the stirrup. The unruly beast, irritated still more at the burden which fell on one side, kicked, with the utmost violence in all directions. In the first moments of danger and alarm, no person durst venture to the assistance of the Queen for this reason, that excepting the King and the chief of the Meni- mos, or little pages, no person of the male sex was allowed to touch any part of the Queen of Spain, and least of all her feet. As the danger of the Queen augmented, two cavaliers ran to her relief. One of them seized the bridle of the horse, while the other drew the Queen's foot from the stirrup, and in performing this service dislocated his thum. As soon as they had saved her life they has- tened away with all possible expedition, ordered their fleetest horses to be saddled, and, were just preparing for their flight out of the kingdom, when a messenger came to inform them that, at the Queen''s intercession, the King had pardoned the crime they had committed in touching her person.* * Charles Lamb, in giving an account of Sir Richard Fansliaw's trans- lation of " Qneror por Solo Querer," — " To love for love's sake," gives INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 25 These specimens of Spanish Punctilio, which mitrlit easily be multiplied, though of a date posterior to the time of Charles Y, are sufficiently characteristic of the principles which were, though some further illustrations of this prudery. After quoting a passage from Fanshaw's version — he proceeds. " To my taste this is fine, elegant, Queen-like raillery; a second part of' Love's Labour Lost,' to which indeed this extraordinary play has still better pretensions than Shakspeare's, for after leading three pair of royal lovers through endless mazes of doubts, difficulties, oppositions of dead fathers' wills, a labyrinth of losings and findings, jealousies, enchantments, conflicts with giants, and single- handed against armies, to the exact state in which all the lovers might with the greatest propriety indulge their reciprocal wishes — when, the deuce is in it, you think, but they must all be married now, — sud- denly the three ladies turn upon their lovers ; and, as an exemplification of the moral of the play, ' Loving for Love's sake,' and a hyper-plato- nic truly Spanish proof of their affections — demand that the Lovers shall consent to their mistresses taking upon them the vow of a single life ; to which the gallants, with becoming refinement, can do no less than accede. The fact, is that it was a Court Play, in Avhich the characters, males, giants, and all, were played by females, and those of the highest order of Grandeeship. No nobleman might be permitted amongst them ; and it was against the forms, that a great Court Lady of Spain should consent to such an unrefined motion as that of wedlock, though but in a play," " Appended to the Drama is a poetical account of a fire which broke out in the Theatre, on one of the nights of its acting, when the whole Dramatis Personte were nearly burnt, because the common people out of ' base fear,' and the Nobles out of ' pure respect,' could not think of laying hands upon such ' great donnas ;' till the young King lireaking the Etiquette, by snatching up his Queen and bearing her through the flames upon his back, the Grandees (dilatory iEneases,) followed his ex- ample, and each saved one, (Anchises' fashion,) till the whole courtly com- pany of comedians were got off in tolerable safety. Imagine three or four stout London firemen, on such an occasion, standing off in mere respect !" 26 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. perhaps in a very modified degree, for a long time, the foundation of the Courtly Etiquette of Europe. The manner in which Charles effected this was not of course by force of arms, though his soldiery were the instruments which produced this result. At a time when the profession of arms was regarded as the sole road to honour and distinction, the example of those who followed that profession Avas irresistible ; and it was by the moral influence, in the time of peace, of his numerous, well-trained and splendidly caparisoned military followers, that the manners of the Escurial were transplanted into all the Palaces of the Continent.* Charles was probably an unconscious instrument of the work "which he was the means of accomplishing. Not so that great reformer of Courtly Etiquette, Louis XIV, the founder of the system which prevails at this very moment, more or less, in every Court of Europe. " Europe, we are told in the 'Memoirs of the House of Bran- denburgh,' (vol. ii. p. 76,) ' filled with enthusiasm with the charac- ter of grandeur which Louis XIV. impressed upon all his actions, with the politeness which reigned at his Court, and the great men who shed a lustre on his reifjn, sought to imitate that France which she admired. All Germany travelled thither ; and a young man who had not passed some time at the Court of Versailles, was looked upon as an imbecile. The taste of the French prevailed in our kitchens, in our furniture, our garments, and in all those trifles * " The Emperor Charles V, who introduced numbers of his rich and splendid Spaniards and Flemings into Gemiany, thereby awakened a great fondness for marks of distinction, rank, and splendour, — and a love for foreign elegances. The Spanish manners, which the Imperial Court from this time began to imitate, formed by degrees the taste of our princes, — who, as it is well known, assembled at this time frequently at the Im- perial Court ; and on other such occasions, w^hen the new German No- bility were to be seen in all their splendour ; and sanctioned their sons and relatives entering into the Imperial army and serving in the grand campaigns of this monarch.— Moser. " Deutsches Hofrecht," i. 2] '.i . INTRODUCTOKY ESSAY. 27 over which the tyrant fashion holds her sway : this passion, carried to excess, degenerated into a mania ; women, enthusiasts in all things, purshed it to an extravagant length." The power which Louis exercised for so long a period over the politics of Europe may justify his claim to be styled, as he was wont to be, " Le Grand Monarque." In some respects he had the spirit of a King, but, his constant attention to matters of Eti- quette, serves to impress us with the notion, that in others his mind was that of a Gentleman Usher. The following sketch of Louis, of the system of Etiquette introduced by him, and the inconveni- ences which its chains imposed upon the victims of it, j ustify us in holding such an opinion of him. This prince, who governed France during sixty years, and who was for thirty years the arbiter and the terror of Europe, whose re- gulations elevated to the highest degree of splendour the military administration, the navy, the fine arts, and the commerce of the country, did not disdain to lend his attention to the most minute details. From the chauffe-cire to the Chancellor of France, from the turnspit to the Grand Ecuyer, employments, prerogatives, attri- butes, all in the State and in his house was regulated by his care. On looking through the singular Code of Ceremonial Law enacted by him, and which even in their palaces, and in their strictest re- tirement, made princes, princesses, and the very monarch himself, slaves to its regulations, leaving them neither the free use of their arms, their hands, nor of their will, one knows not whether to smile at or pity them. Their consideration is at all events enough to cure any one of the desire of becoming a King. When the King rose from his bed, the Great Chamberlain, or the first Gentleman of the Chamber, or some other great officer, put on his Majesty's dressing-gown, and the firstValet-de-Chambre sup- ported it. As soon as the shirt had been offered to the King, the first Valet-de-Chambre assisted in putting on the right sleeve, the first Valet of the Wardrobe the left sleeve. When the Queen wished to have her hair taken down, it was the place of one of the Bed-chamber Women to perform this office 28 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. wholly, or in part ; she might even comb the Queen's hair, but this office she usually left to the care of the first Maid in Waiting. At the King's dinner and supper, the Captain of the Guard was always behind his Majesty's arm-chair. He allowed no one, at these times, to converse with him upon business. At rising, when the first Maid in Waiting had put on the Queen's shoes and stockings, her Majesty herself put on her garters, which as well as her petticoat, the Bed-chamber Woman gave to her, having received them from the first Maid in Waiting, who had presented them to her. The Queen, as it appears, had the liberty to put on her garters herself. Upon occasions it was allowed to the King to do the same, but the first Valet-de-Chambre was obliged at bed time to untie the garter of the left leg ; it is not said that he undid the other. His Majesty had a Cravatie?; who was to arrange his neck cloth ; the office of putting on the cravat belonged to the Master of the Wardrobe. If, however, when the cravat was put on, the Cravatier discovered that any part of it did not set well, the Cravatier could touch it, and himself put on the King's cravat in the absence of the superior officer. Well may M. Barriere ex- claim how irksome a thing Royalty must have seemed to one who could not put on as he pleased, his garters, his cravat, or his stockings ! But to continue, — in the higher departments, in the first employments of the State, particular privileges overwhelmed Avith good-luck and glory those who possessed those employments. If the King desired to have a little broth in the course of the morning, the first Maitre d'Hotel had the right of accompanying it. If a " lit de Justice'''' was held, it was the Grand Chamber- lain's privilege to lie on the ground at his Master's feet, unless, however, he preferred a place under the canopy which covered the Monarch. The Grand Ecuyer had the misfortune to be more conveniently or comfortably seated, but as a consolation, he wore round his neck the King's dress sword. At the time of mass, the Chief Almoner gave the holy water to the King. At the chase, at the moment his Majesty mounted on horseback to go to the INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 29 laisser courre, tlie Grand Veneur presented to him a stick to move the branches out of his way. Every employment had thus its prerogative, "which satisfied the self-love of the holder of it. Nothing Avas disdained at his Court, which might serve as an introduction to favour, or serve as a guide to fortune. Placed nearer to the Prince, the first Gentlemen of the Chamber had, according to ancient etiquette, more agreeable duties to perform ; they were commissioned to order the apparel, par extraordinaire, when there were balls, ballets, masquerades, and similar diversions at Court. It was their office to regulate the characters which were to be taken, and the comedies which were to be performed. It is easy from these circumstances to conceive the number and importance of their occupations. As for the Gentle- men in Ordinary, it was their privilege to go and receive the Ambassadors of the Shah of Persia, and the Messengers of the Grand Turk. A Constable and certain Marshals of France once held a place amongst them, an honour of which they had reason to be proud, and they are not the less glorious in the eyes of the nation, that they have had as brethren, at various periods, Mal- herbe, Racine, and Voltaire. One would suppose that by the aid of so many statutes and re- gulations, every possible difficulty had been foreseen, but rival claims and jealousies were continually causing disputes and subjects of contention, and as it always happens in similar cases, the service of the Prince suffered from it. Nay more, the result sometimes proved a source of annoyance to him. Louis XV, when little more than an infant, had the greatest enjoyment in attending the fair at St. Germains. Already the carriage drawn by eight horses was at the foot of the grand staircase. The King had got into it, but at this moment an unexpected dispute arose between the Due de Maine and the Marechal de Villeroi as to the places they were respectively to occupy in the carriage. The Marechal, in his character of Governor, did not intend yielding up the place of honour to any but to the first Prince of the Blood. They sub- mitted the dispute to the Council of Regency, which was favour- 30 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. able to the Duke de Maine, but in the mean time they went in again : the King, sorrowful and vexed, as persons of his age are on such occurrences, missed for that year seeing the fair at St. Germains.* It is but doing justice to the character of Louis to add, that this strict regard to punctilio formed but a portion of the one ruling idea, namely, the power and infallibility of the Sovereign, "f* on which his notions of monarchical government were founded. Louis' system of monarchy, however, not being based upon the broad principle of the happiness cf the people, gradually crumbled into dust, under the nerveless rule of his successors : and when the last traces of it were swept away in the stormy times of the Revo- lution, the ceremonial forms, which had up to that moment existed with it,^ likewise disappeared. During the existence of the Republic, the Directory, and the Consulate, etiquette and ceremony were necessarily disregarded. In the amusing memoirs of the Duchesse d'Abrantes, we are fur- * Barriere, " Memoires Inedits du Comte de Brienne," tome i^ p. 87— 94. t The tomb had scarcely closed over Louis, before indications of the instability of the Monarchy, which he had founded, were made manifest. In 1 724, when the Convulsionaires were forbidden by Royal edict to as- semble at the Cimetiere Saint Medard, where the Deacon Paris was then supposed to work miracles, the following couplet was found on the closed gates of the Cemetery. " De par le Roi, defense a Dieu, D'operer miracle en ce lieu." The laughter with which it was received, was as much directed against Louis' doctrines of kingly power, as against the absurdity of the fanatics. X That it existed in full vigour in the daysof Marie Antoinette, is proved by Madame Campan's memoirs of that mihappy Queen, to which we are referred by a French writer to know " quelle affaire c'etait pour une Reine que de passer une chemise, et k quelle chances elle etoit exposee pendant qu'elle occupoit de cette grave operation ! " INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 31 nished, however, witli many curious anecdotes of tlie measures adopted to restore this necessary adjunct to the dignity of the Im- perial Court. It was indeed found to be so essential both to the comfort and policy of Napoleon, that some approach should be made to the system which prevailed under the " ancicn regime " — that, previous to his Coronation, he directed the compilation of a code of laws upon the subject, which was published at Paris in 1805. In England, which owes the introduction of the Etiquette, as well as of the morals of the French Court, to the dissolute follow- ers of Charles II, it was greatly modified by the political institu- tions of the country ; until at length the fondness of George III. and his consort for the enjoyments of domestic life, paved the way for that gradual abandonment of strict Etiquette and courtly parade, Avhich were felt to be no longer essential to the dignity and comfort of the Monarch. To the work thus begun, the Bill passed in 3782 for the retrenchment of the Royal Household greatly con- tributed. The effects of which measure are thus described by WraxalL* " Many persons of high rank reluctantly disappeared from about the King's person and court, in consequence of Burke's Bill of Reform. The Earl of Darlington quitted the Jewel Office, and Lord Pelham the Great Wardrobe ; the first of which offices owed its institution to Elizabeth, while the latter remounted to the times of the Plantagenets. The Earl of Essex laid down the Stag Hounds, as did Lord Denbigh the Harriers ; while the disasters of Saratoga and of York Town were thus felt by rebound through every avenue of St. James's. Gibbon, who had sat at the Board of Trade since 1779, being dismissed from his official attendance in Whitehall, found himself more at leisvire to continue that great historical work which he ultimately completed on the Banks of the Lake of Geneva, and which will perpetuate his name to distant ages. George Selwyn lost a lucrative appointment under the Board * " Historical Memoirs," vol. iii, p. .54. 82 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. of Works, and though possessed of an affluent fortune, together with a Borough, yet as he loved money, no man who suffered in consequence of the reduction of the Civil List retained a deeper resentment towards the party who had abridged his enjoyments and diminished his income." In addition to the causes already enumerated, the affliction Avith which George III. was afterwards visited ; and the retired habits of his successor, all assisted to produce that desirable result, — the moulding of the ceremonial of the Court to suit the altered tone of the public mind, and to reduce it, without violence, to the standard of reason and convenience. In times of barbarism a crowd of retainers is essential both to the safety and dignity of the Prince ; but in more advanced ages, the progress of refinement, even though such refinement be con- fined to the Court, leads to the rejection of numbers as a source of dignity, and to the substituting, in lieu of them, a rigid system of Etiquette, as a means of preserving the safety of the monarch, and of keeping up that respect for the Crown which is so essential to the well-being of the State. But in our own times, when the usages of civilized life are so widely disseminated, it is to the honour and comfort of the Crown, that the strictness and punctilio of the olden days should be thrown aside ; except in so far as they may be necessary to prevent the inconveniences which would result from a non-observance, on the part of those admitted to the Royal Presence, of the distinction which exists betAveen the personal and official character of the Sovereign ;* betAveen, as it Avere, the Throne and the occupant of the Throne. * The answer given by Charles to one of the associates of his careless hours, who on some occasion availed himself of that opportunity to Avhisper some request into the Royal ear, — " You must ask that of your King !" was not one of the least witty sayings Avhich have been attri- buted to himj of whom it was well Avritten, He never said a foolish thing, And never did a Avise one. THE SOVEREIGN, AND ROYAL FAMILY. SECTION I. THE SOVEREIGN. The office of the Sovereign of England, whether held by a King or a Queen Regnant, is, in the words of the Coronation oath, " To govern the people of this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the dominions thereto belonging, ac- cording to the statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the respective laws and customs of the same ; to his power to cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all his judgments ; to the utmost of his power to maintain the laws of God, the true profes- sion of the Gospel, and the Protestant reformed religion established by law ; to maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established within England and Ireland, and the territories thereunto belong- ing ; and to preserve unto the bishops and clergy of England and Ireland, and to the united church committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them." To enable the Sovereign to execute the duties of this great office, the law has suiTOunded the throne by a variety of coun- sellors, and clothed its occupant vfiih. many high attributes and prerogatives. It attributes to the Sovereign imperial dignity and perfection ; and, because the rule and government established in this kingdom cannot be maintained, even for an instant, without a person filling the office of sovereign, and able to execute its duties, the law ascribes to that person a never-ceasing existence.* The imperial dignity of the Sovereign is equivalent to a declaration that the Crown of England owes no kind of subjection to any power * State Trials, xxiv. p. 246. D 2 36 THE SOVEREIGN. on earth. The ascribed perfection which is expressed in the well known legal apophthegm, " the king can do no wrong," simply means that if any wrong be committed in the name of the chief magistrate, it is chargeable upon the responsible advisers of the Crown, and not upon the Sovereign, from whom all our courts derive their authority, in whose name they act, and over whom, consequently, none of them can have any jurisdiction. The perpetuity of the Crown, expressed in the quaint maxim that " the king never dies," indi- cates that upon the demise of a monarch all the powers and au- thorities of the head of the state vest instantly in his legitimate successor without a moment"'s interregnum. The day on which a Sovereign dies is therefore the day of the accession of his suc- cessor. * The prerogatives of the Crown are certain high authorities vested in the Sovereign, either as incident to his pre-eminent station, or as necessary for the preservation of order, and the maintenance of the civil liberties of the people. They are as widely spread as his authority, which pervades and animates the whole frame- * This has been the practice from the death of Henry VIII. Before that time, the reigns of our monarchs were reckoned from their corona- tions, or from some other day subsequent to the death of the predecessor. When the accession was reckoned from the coronation, the new monarch was recognised as chief magistrate, but was styled " Dominus," and not king, during the period which intervened between the death of his pre- decessor and his own coronation. A charter of Richard I., dated nearly a montli after his father's death, and in which he styles himself " Lord of England, (Ricardus Dei Gratia Dominus Anglise,)" was recently com- municated to the Society of Antiquaries, by Mr. William Hardy, and is printed in the Archeeologia (xxvii. p. 109). That the same title was used by John before his coronation, is fully proved by Sir. F. Palgrave, in his Introductions to Vols. I. and II. of the Rotidi Curiae Regis ; and an earlier instance occurs in the Fcedera, in a charter of the Empress Maud, in which she styles herself " Anglorwm Domina" (I. 14.) Maud w^as at that time in possession of the royal authority, but was never crowned Queen. See upon this subject Nicolas's " Chronology of History," p. 272. et seq. THE SOVEREIGN. 37 work of our government, but are susceptible of division as having reference to the Sovereign, principally in two characters ; as the head and representative of the state, and as the head of the legis- lature, the church, and other privileged bodies. As Me representative of the state, the Sovereign has the supreme exclusive management of transactions between the United King- dom and all foreign powers. He has the sole power of sending ambassadors and other ministers abroad, and of receiving ambas- sadors from foreign states. He alone can enter into treaties, can declare war or make peace, and, as necessarily incident to the pre- rogative which assigns to the Sovereign the management of a war, he alone is the head of the army and navy, is alone entitled to direct their operations, to regulate their discipline, and increase or diminish their numbers. On similar grounds, the Sovereign alone is entitled to erect and govern castles, and other places of strenirth within his dominions. In cases of actual or threatened invasion, or of rebellion, or insurrection, the Sovereign may require the personal service of every man able to bear arms, and even in time of peace, seafaring men may be compelled to enter the navy by forcible impressment.* As incident also to his war-prerogative, the Sovereign may promulgate blockades, lay on embargoes, or prohibit the exportation of arms or ammunition. He may also order aliens to leave the country, or prevent their coming into it at his pleasure. * The right of the Sovereign to the personal services of the people was formerly far more extensive than it is at present. A proof of this may be seen in the right of purveyance, which was an ancient prerogative by which the officers of the crown were empowered to take at pleasure pro- visions for the household from all the neighbouring counties, and also to press into their service such carts and carriages as were required. Though payment was always made for the same, it was not only at a rate below the market price, but also very uncertain. Under these circumstances it can well be conceived what an intolerable grievance it was felt to be, and to what abuses, from its very nature, it was subject. Purveyance has now fallen into desuetude, except in so far as relates to the im- 38 THE SOVEREIGN. As tlie head of the state the Sovereign is the fountain ofjtistice, which he is sworn to administer according to law, and which the people have a right to demand at his hands. Down even to the time of James I. the Sovereign was occasionally personally present upon the judgment-seat of the highest legal tribunal ; but by long and uniform usage it has been settled that the Sovereign cannot now determine any cause except by the mouth of his judges, whose power is an emanation from the royal prerogative, and whose authority can therefore only be derived from the crown. The lord chancellor is appointed by the mere delivery of the great seal into his custody ; the chief-justice of the King's Bench is created by writ ; the vice chancellor and the rest of the judges by letters patent. Incident to this prerogative are the right to pardon or reprieve offenders, and also the power to change the mode of punishment by death, by substituting what is esteemed to be a milder kind of death for one more severe. Intimately connected Avith the right which the people have to justice, is the claim of those to protection whose youth or mental incapacity disables them from taking care of themselves. Of all such, whether infants, idiots, or lunatics, it is the prerogative of the Sovereign to be the guardian — a prerogative which is exercised through the Lord Chancellor. pressment of such carts and carriages as may at any time be required for the removal of the King's forces, their baggage, &c. In Birch's ' Memoirs of the reign of Elizabeth,' vol. i. p. 155. we meet with a story on this sul>ject which will not here be out of place. A carter had been three times at Windsor, with his cart, to carry away, upon summons of a remove, some part of the stuif of her Majesty's wardrobe ; and when he had repaired thither once, twice, and a third time, and was at last informed by the officers of the wardrobe, that the remove did not hold, the carter clapping his hand on his thigh, said, "■ Now I see that the queen is a woman as well as my wife !" which words being overheard by her Majesty, who then stood at a window, she said " What a villain is this !" and so sent him three angels to stop his mouth. THE SOVEREIGN. 39 The same officer exercises also another prerogative of a somewhat similar kind, which vests in the Sovereign the general superinten- dence of all charities. Nor arc the infont, the weak-minded, and the destitute, the only- persons whom the constitution has placed under the special guar- dianship of the head of the state. It has always been the policy of our law to regard the merchant with peculiar favour ; and, in token of it, he is especially recommended to the protection of the Sove- reign ; and many royal prerogatives have arisen from a consideration of the advantages which the state derives from a well-regulated commerce. In the Sovereign is vested the prerogative ownership of all ports and harbours, and to him is entrusted the safety of naviga- tion. He possesses the right of erecting beacons and light-houses in such places as he thinks proper ; he, alone, can grant letters- patent, by which the benefits of an invention are secured for a period to the original contriver; he, alone, can create markets and fairs, and authorise the taking a reasonable toll therein ; he, alone, can coin money, fix its denomination or value, or render it current or call it in ; he, alone, can legalise the circulation of foreign coin, and fix the rate at which it shall be taken in payment. And this he does by proclamation, which is the prerogative mode by which the king communicates wdth his people. No subject may adopt it. In the reign of Henry VIII. a gentleman of Northumberland was fined and imprisoned for announcing by proclamation, in several market-towns, that he was the executor of a deceased person, and was ready to pay his debts. Another prerogative right, which is incident to the Sovereign as the head of the state, is, that he is the ultimus hceres of the kinsf- dom, and in that character is entitled to everything in which no one else can claim a property. In this way the Sovereign acquires a right to Avhales, sturgeons, and other peculiarly valuable fish thrown upon the shore, or taken within the seas parcel of the king's dominion ; also to ships or goods thrown by wreck upon the shore, or found floating upon the sea, or lying in it, without any mark upon them, by which the property can be proved, and without any 40 THE SOVEREIGN. claim being made for them during a year and a day ; also to estrays, which are animals wandering about without any known owner ; also to treasure-trove, or gold or silver found in a private place, the owner being unknown. Upon the same ground, the Sovereign is entitled to the estates and effects of all illegitimate persons dying intestate, and without children. Such persons, not being capable of being heirs them- selves, are held, also, to be incapable of having heirs, except amongst their own descendants. So, also, the Sovereign is entitled to estates to which there are no heirs, or the only heirs to which are aliens ; and to all lands and goods forfeited on account of the crimes of the possessor. The same reasoning was the foundation of the ancient prerogative riirht to all wild beasts, and undomesticated birds ; whence it arose that the king alone could grant the power of enclosing a forest, a park, or a free warren ; or the power of marking wild SM'ans so as to reduce them into possession, and acquire a right of property in them. Another prerogative right incident to the head, or representative of the state, is that of being the fountain of honour and privilege. It is the state which rewards, or dignifies, through the medium of its only representative, the Sovereign. The various ways in which this great constitutional power is ex- ercised, will become the subject of observation hereafter ; at present it will be sufficient to point out, that the Sovereign may annex to honours and dignities whatever restrictions and qualifications he pleases, and that no man can legally refuse to accept from the Crown any dignity or honour whatsoever ; nor can either of them be surrendered back to the Sovereign, so as to destroy the rights of those entitled to inherit. When a dignity is in abeyance, by reason of its having descended to coheirs, it is legally vested in the Crown during the period of such abeyance, and the Sovereign may determine the abeyance by nominating any one of the coheirs as successor to the dignity. As the fountain of privilege, the Sovereign may remove various THE SOVEREIGN. 41 personal disabilities, as by making an alien a denizen, or he may in some cases exempt his subjects from common law liabilities, as for instance from arrest, if the privileged person be engaged in the service of the Crown.* The Sovereign may also communicate, as it were, to his subjects, by grant, many of his own peculiar authorities. Whilst vested in the Sovereign these are termed prerogatives, in the hands of a subject they become franchises, and are of many kinds. For instance, the Sovereign may grant to his subjects that perpetuity of existence which he himself possesses, by erecting them into a cor- poration ; whether for purposes of education, as the Universities ; of trade, as the Bank of England, and the insurance companies ; for the advancement of science, as the Royal Society, and the College of Physicians ; or for local government, as all Municipal Corpo- rations. In like manner the king may grant to a subject a right to wreck * " The king hath moreover a special prerogative, v^rhich is indeed very seldom exerted^ that he may, by his writ of protection, privilege a de- fendant from all personal, and many real suits, for one year at a time and no longer, in respect of his being engaged in his service out of the realm. And the king also, by the common law^, might take his creditor into his protection, so that no one might sue or arrest him till the king's debt were paid ; but by the statute 25 Edw^ard III. s. 5. c. 19., notwith- standing such protection, another creditor may proceed to judgment against him with a stay of execution till the king's debt be paid, unless such creditor will undertake for the king's debt, and then he shall have execu- tion for both." Blackstone, Book iir. cap. 19., where, in a note it is said, "Sir Edward Coke informs us (1 Inst. 131) that therein he could say nothing of his own experience, for albeit Queen Elizabeth maintained many wars, yet she granted few or no protections ; and her reason was that he was no fit subject to be employed in her service, that was subject to other men's actions ; lest she might be thought to delay justice." But King William in 1692 granted one to Lord Cutts, to protect him from being outlawed by his tailor (3 Lev. 332), which is the last that appears upon our books. 42 THE SOVEREIGN. or treasure-trove within a peculiar district, or may authorise him to convert his house into a castle, or give him the power of adminis- tering justice in his own courts. All these, and many other exclusive privileges and franchises, can be derived only from the Crown. Finally, with respect to this branch of our subject, the Crown, as the head of the state, is the source and centre of all executive authority, and is consequently possessed of the undoubted pre- rogative of appointing to all ministerial offices, and of creating any new offices, not inconsistent with the constitution, or prejudicial to the people. The great Offices of State will form subjects for consideration hereafter, and it will appear that they are now held, as it were, by various tenures ; but it was the general rule of the common law that the Sovereign might terminate at pleasure the authority of all officers employed by himself. Under the feudal law the number of royal officers was increased by a great variety of fantastical tenures ; it being the custom to annex the performance of some service to almost every grant of land. It will appear, hereafter, that many of these ancient ser- vices are still claimed to be exercised at coronations, and instances occasionally occur of their being demanded and rendered at other times. One of the most ancient of them is found in Domes- day, under the title of Firma unius noctis — one night's entertain- ment — which is an obligation to find the Sovereign with his suite lodging for one night. This service frequently occurs in Domesday book, usually as having been rendered in the time of Edward the Confessor ; and continues still in force, having been demanded and paid by the Ijord of the Manor and Baron of Warminster, to King George the Third, on Monday the 13th September 1786, the king, queen, and princesses being entertained at Longleat by the Lord Viscount Weymouth. Charles II. was likewise entertained in the same way in 1663, when Sir John Thynne possessed the same property.* * Ellis, "Domesday Book," i. 2C0 ; ii. 501, &c. THE SOVEREIGN. 43 The Sovereign being thus essentially the source of all authority, and superior to' all classes of his people, it seems necessarily to follow that when the rights of the Sovereign and those of a subject clash or come in opposition, those of the Sovereign should take precedence. Hence the law has given the Sovereign various pre- rogative rights for the recovery of his debts by writ of extent, and has assigned to those debts a priority in payment. The law has indeed anxiously guarded against bringing down the Sovereign in any respect to the level of his subjects, and with that view has consistently exempted him from all those liabilities which fall equally upon all other classes. The Sovereign and a subject cannot be joint-tenants ; the sovereign pays no toll,* nor tax; is ban-ed * The recent demand of toll, stated to have been made from her Majesty and suite on crossing Battersea bridge, which, if legal, can scarcely be pronounced becoming, is not without a parallel. Many years since a man named Feltham, rented Hampton bridge, where he made several alterations. As he was anxious to thrive by his tolls he kept the gate locked when nothing w^as passing. One morning the Royal hunt came across from Hounslow heath to the bridge, where the stag had taken water and swam across. • The hounds passed the gate without ceremony, followed by a large party crying, " The King !" Feltham opened his gate, which he closed again after they had rushed through without paying ; when a more numerous and showy party came up, vociferating more loudly, " The King ! the King !" He stood with his gate in his hand, though menaced with horsewhips. " I '11 tell you what," said he, " hang me if I open my gate again till I see your money. I pay 400/. a-year for this bridge, and I laid out 1000/. upon it. I 've let King George through, God bless him : I know of no other king in England. If you have brought the King of France, hang me if I let him through without the blunt!" Suddenly the King himself appeared among his attendants ; Feltham made his reverence, opened his gate again, and the whole company went over to Moulsey Hurst, where the hounds were at fault. The King, chagrined for the moment, sent back Lord Sandwich to know the reason of the interruption. The man explained the mistake, and added, that when royal hunts passed over this bridge, a guinea had been always 44 THE SOVEREIGN. by no lapse of time, cannot be a copyholder, nor hold lands of his subject, nor, to sum up all in a few words, be placed in any man- ner in such a position with respect to his subjects that his relative superiority over them can be destroyed. These are the principal prerogative rights of the Sovereign as the head of the state, considered in its corporate and collective capacitv. He has other prerogatives in connection with certain peculiar privileged bodies, or component parts of the state, of which bodies he is the Head. Thus, the Sovereign is the head of the national church, and, althouijh his power in that respect does not extend to any altera- tion of the established religion, it enables him to reform all abuses in the church, to appoint days for thanksgiving or fasting, to issue proclamations for preventing immorality and profaneness, and en- join the reading of them in churches and chapels. He is the ultimate judge in ecclesiastical causes ; he has the disposal of the principal ecclesiastical preferments ; the patronage of all bishop- ricks* and archbishopricks ; and, as patron paramount of all the paid, which franked all, and that this was " his first good turn." Lord Sandwich returned to the King, but his Majesty hastily desired him to pay for all his attendants, who amounted to less than forty of the whole party. The matter was eventually satisfactorily explained to the King, who, crossing the bridge some time afterwards, on a visit to the Stadt- holder, then resident at Hampton Coiui, pidled down the carriage win- dow, and laughing heartily said to old Feltham, " No fear of the King of France coming to-day." * The celebrated letter of EHzabeth to the Bishop of Ely, is too cha- racteristic of the wTiter, and of her notions of the prerogative, to be omitted. It is in these words : — " Proud Prelate, " I vmderstand you are backward in complying with yoiu- agree- ment ; but I woidd have you know that I, who made you what you are, can unmake you, and if you do not forthwith fulfil yom- engagement, by God I will inunediately mifrock you ! " Yours, as you demean yourself, " Elizabeth." THE SOVEREIGN. 45 benefices in England, has the right and care of filling all such churches as are not regularly filled by their patrons, whether it happen through neglect or incapacity. The Sovereign may erect a free chapel and exempt it from the jurisdiction of the ordinary ; he may call a national or provincial synod, for the determination of all matters of heresy or schism, or other merely spiritual and ecclesiastical causes, and finally, he has an exclusive right to the publication of all liturgies and books of divine service, in use in the established church, and a prerogative copyright in the autho- rised translation of the bible. Again, the Sovereign is the head of the parliament, and not only according to constitutional doctrine, but in actual practice, is the onlv law-maker. The Houses of Lords and Commons are in this respect his advisers. They petition, and advise, and consent ; the Sovereign enacts. The Sovereign alone is entitled to summon a Parliament. The session cannot commence without his presence, either in person or by representation ; it may be holden wheresover, and prorogued or dissolved whensoever he pleases ; and a prorogued parliament may at any time be called together again by royal proclamation, giving fourteen days' notice. The Sovereign appoints the speaker of the House of Lords by commission, and the speaker of the Lower House must be approved bv him, althouofh chosen bv the House itself. The Sovereign may add any number of members to the House of Peers, by raising individuals to the English peerage. The power formerly possessed of increasing the number of members of the Lower House has probably been relinquished. In his connection with the houses of Parliament, the Sovereign has the same peculiar independence and superiority to control, with which it has been the policy of the constitution to invest him in all his characters. He may or may not, at pleasure, adopt the advice tendered to him by the two houses, and which is contained in the bills they present to him. If he consents, they become laws ; if he does not, there is no constitutional power that can call him to account, or require his reasons for refusal. 46 THE SOVEREIGN. It is witli a view to these pre-eminent duties that the law views the safety of the Sovereign with an anxiety bordering npon jea- lousy. The compassing or imagining his destruction, is con- sidered as necessarily co-existing with an intention to destroy the rule and government of the country. Without the Sovereign, the whole framework of the government would be subverted, and to imagine his deposition, is consequently the highest crime against the state of which a subject can be guilty.* The Sovereign of England in all public instruments and letters uses the plural number. Before the time of Richard I. however, the singular only was used, as may be seen at the end of writs, &c. Teste meipso. This practice has probably arisen from the twofold office of the Sovereign, of whom the lawyers say. Rex est persona mixta cum sacerdote, habet ecclesiasticam et spiritualera jurisdictionem ; wherefore at his coronation he is " anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and prophets were of old ;" which practice Selden has shown to have been observed in this country for upwards of a thousand years. The Sovereign of England is styled " Dei Gratia,"'' by the grace of God, as the sovereigns of France were formerly, and those of * The law upon this subject was thus stated by Sir John Scott, after- wards Lord Eldon, in his opening speech upon the trial of Hardy for High Treason, in 1794. " The fact that such is the character, that such are the duties, of the king, accounts for the just anxiety bordering upon jealousy with which the law watches his person — accounts for the fact, that in every indict- ment the compassing or imagining his destruction or deposition, seems to be considered as necessarily co-existing W\i\\ an intention to subvert the rule and government established in the country ; it is a purpose to destroy and to depose him in whom the supreme power, rule, and govern- ment, under constitutional checks and limitations, is vested, and by whom, with consent and advice in some cases, and with ad\'ice in all cases, the exercise of this constitutional power is to be carried on." State Trials, vol. xxiv. p. 246. THE SOVEREIGN. 47 Spain still are. And as the Frencli monarcli was designated the " Most Christian," the King of Spain, the " Most Catholic," and the Emperor of Germany, the " Defender of the Church," so the Sovereign of England is always styled " Defender of the Faith," a title which was confirmed to Henry VIII. and his suc- cessors, by a bull sent to that monarcli on the publication of his answer to Martin Luther, by Leo X., as a mark of his holiness''s approbation. The titles of our Sovereigns have undergone many changes. Henry IV. Avas "His Grace;" Henry VL, "His Excellent Grace ;" Edward IV., " High and Mighty Prince ;" Henry VIL, sometimes " His Grace," and sometimes "• His Highness ;" Hen- ry VIIL, first " His Highness," then " His Majesty." The Sove- reign has since been styled " Sacred Majesty," and latterly the form adopted has been " Most Excellent Majesty." The style and titles of her present Majesty, whom God long preserve, are as follows : — " Her Most Excellent Majesty, Vic- toria, by the grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ; Defender of the Faith ; Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter ; of the Most Ancient Order of the Thistle ; of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick ; of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath ; and of the Most Dis- tinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, of the Ionian Islands," &c. It will be seen that her Majesty does not style herself Sovereign of France, as did her predecessor, Queen Elizabeth of glorious memory, who, regardless of the Salic law, was resolved, that if she could not be Queen, she would be King of France,* and neither * " One good thing has followed from our dropping (I cannot consent to use any stronger term) the title of ' King of France ;' our official cor- respondence with foreign courts, instead of being carried on in French, which used to be the case^ is now invariably, I believe, carried on in the English language." So says the author of " Heraldic Anomalies," vol. i. p. 136 ; who thereupon proceeds to tell the following story: — " During the w^ar between England and Spain, in the time of Queen 48 THE SOVEREIGN. altered tlie arms or titles appertaining to her regalities. But this title of King of France was renounced by George III, on the occasion of the Peace of Amiens in 1802, although such re- nunciation was not one of the stipulations of the treaty. Neither does her Majesty style herself Queen of Hanover ; for the Salic law prevailing in that country, his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, as the next heir male, succeeded to the throne of Hanover upon the death of his late Majesty. One of the consequences of this alteration is, that the royal arms of Eng- land will now vary very considerably from those borne by her Majesty's predecessors. And by an order of council which appeared in the Gazette of the 1st August, 1887,* the arms are to consist of the four grand quarters only ; namely, England in Elizabeth, commissioners on both sides were appointed to treat of peace. The Spanish commissioners proposed that the negotiations should be carried on in the French tongue ; observing, sarcastically, that ' the gentlemen of England could not be ignorant of the language of their fellow subjects, their Queen being Queen of France as well as England.' ' Nay, in faith, gentlemen,' replied Dr. Dale, one of the English commissioners, ' the French is too vulgar for a business of this importance ; we will, there- fore, if you please, rather treat in Hebrew, the language of Jerusaleyn, of which your master calls himself King, and in which you of course must be as well skilled as we are in French.' " * The proclamation recites the fact of George III, having, by order in council, dated Jan. 1, 1801, appointed, that with the arms of Great Britain and Ireland there should be borne, on an escutcheon of pretence, the arms of his Majesty's dominions in Germany, ensigned with the Electoral Bonnet ; and also of bis having, on substituting the title of King of Hanover for his ancient title of Elector of the Holy Roman Em- pire, issued another proclamation, dated June 8, 1816, ordering that the arms of his dominions in Germany should in future be ensigned with the Hanoverian Royal crown, instead of the Electoral bonnet. It may be as well to observe that her Majesty, though a female, does not bear her arms in a lozenge, but a shield, they being arms of dominion, and not of blood. THE SOVEREIGN. 49 the first and fourth, and Scotland and Ireland in tlie second and third quarters ; tlie escutcheon of pretence, bearing the arms of Hanover surmounted by the crown of that kingdom being dis- continued. It has been already stated, that the constitution attributes perpe- tuity to the Sovereign. The King never dies ; for, says Blackstone, immediately upon the decease of the reigning prince in his natu- ral capacity, his kingship or imperial dignity, by act of law, without any interregnum or interval, is vested at once in his heir, who is, eo instanli^ King to all intents and purposes.* The following official record, of the proceedings on the accession of her Majesty Queen Victoria, will serve to show the constitutional forms observed at the commencement of a new reign. (fEOM the supplement to the LONDON GAZETTE.) Whitehall, June 20, 1837. On Tuesday morning, the 20th of June instant, at twelve mi- nutes past two o'clock, our late Most Gracious Sovereign King- William IV. expired, at his Castle of Windsor, in the 72d year of his age, and the seventh year of his reign. This event has caused one universal feeling of regret and sorrow to his late Ma- jesty's faithful and attached subjects, to whom he was endeared by the deep interest in their welfare which he invariably manifested, as well as by the many manly virtues which marked and adorned his character. * Blackstone's Commentaries, Bk. i. c. 7, s. 3. In France a similar practice obtains. " Le Roi est mort : Vive le Roi !" is the form in which the death of a sovereign is declared. It has been stated, that immediately upon the death of King George III, which took place at Windsor, at about eight o'clock in the evening of the !iJ9th January 1820, the event was notified by a herald proclaiming, tu the sound of trumpets, from one of the windows of the Castle, " The King is dead. Long five the King !" E 50 THE SOVEREIGN. Upon the intimation of this distressing event, the Lords of the Privy Council* assembled this day at Kensington Palace, and gave orders for proclaiming her present Majesty, who made a most gracious declaration to them, and caused all the Lords, and others of the late King's Privy Council who were then present, to be sworn of her Majesty's Privy Council. Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign Lord King William IV. of blessed and glori- ous memory, by whose decease the Imperial Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Alexandrina Victoria,'}" * The Privy Council is the one which is first called to the assistance of the new Sovereign. By the common law^ that royal council was dis- solvedj ipso facto, upon the demise of the King ; but by the statute 6 Anne, cap. 7, it continues in existence for six months after the King's demise, unless sooner determined by his successor. t The following amusing paragraph appeared in the Gazette de France in the beginning of the year 1836. One would hardly have expected to see any claim to the throne of Great Britain put forth at the present day in behalf of the legitimate heirs of the house of Stuart; and still less ex- pected to find that claim vested in the Due d'Angouleme. "If the throne of England had not been usurped by William of Orange, and if the succession had gone down from father to son, the English law- yers would have been called on, at the death of Henry IX, to verify the titles of succession coming from the third branch descending from Charles I, the first two being extinct; and they would have found — 1. Henriette- Anne, of Angleterre, youngest daughter of Charles I, deceased in 1670, wife of Philip Duke of Orleans the Regent. — 2. Anne-Marie of Orleans, daughter of Henrlette ; manied April 10, 1684, to Francois- Vlctor- Amedee II, Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia. — 3. Victor-Ame- dee III, eldest son of the preceding. — 4. Marle-Therese of Savoy, bom Jan. 31, 1756, daughter of Victor-Amedee III; married Nov. 16, 1773, to Charles-Philip of France, Comte dArtols, afterwards Charles X. 5. Louls-Antolne, Duke dAngouleme, son of Marie-Therese of Savoy and Charles- Philippe of France, Comte dArtols. — 6. In default of THE SOVEREIGN. 51 saving the rights of any issue of his late Majesty King Wil- liam IV. which may be born of his late Majesty's consort : We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this realm, being here assisted with these of his late Majesty's Privy Council, with num- bers of others, principal Gentlemen of quality, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, do now hereby, with one voice and consent of tongue and heart, publish and proclaim that the High and Mighty Princess Alexandrina Victoria is now, by the death of our late Sovereign, of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful liege Lady Victoria, by the grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, De- fender of the Faith, saving as aforesaid. To whom, saving as aforesaid, we do acknowledge all faith and constant obedience, with all hearty and humble affection ; beseeching God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless the royal Princess Victoria with long and happy years to reign over us. Given at the Court at Kensington, this 20th day of June 1837. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. Here follow the names of all the members of the Royal Family, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the other Privy Councillors, the Lord Mayor and Members of the City deputation, &c. who signed the proclamation. direct issue of Louis-Antoine, Duke dAngouleme, the right of succession would belong, according to English law, to Mademoiselle, daughter of the Duke de Berry, and niece of the Duke d'Angouleme. Thus, according to the Catholic law of England, we have the true royal legitimacy per- fectly proved. Monseigneur the Duke d'Angouleme, for the Catholics of Ireland, Scotland, and England, ought incontestably to be considered King of Great Britain, and Mademoiselle heiress-presumptive of the Crown, in the place and instead of William IV. and the Princess Victoria, who reigns only by virtue of a Protestant law of usurpation and revolution." Well may Shakspeare say, " there is much virtue in 'if — your 'if is E % 52 THE SOVEREIGN. At the Court at Kensington, the 20th day of June 18S7, present, the Queen's most excellent Majesty in council. Her Majesty, being this day present in council, was pleased to make the following declaration, viz. " The severe and afflicting loss which the nation has sustained by the death of his Majesty, my beloved uncle, has devolved upon me the duty of administering the goveniment of this empire. This awful responsibility is imposed upon me so suddenly, and at so early a period of my life, that I should feel myself utterly oppressed by the burthen were I not sustained by the hope that Divine Pro- vidence, which has called me to this work, will give me strength for the perfonnance of it ; and that I shall find in the purity of my intentions, and in my zeal for the public welfare, that support and those resources which usually belong to a more mature age, and to longer experience. I place my firm reliance upon the wisdom of Parliament, and upon the loyalty and affection of my people. I esteem it also a peculiar advantage that I succeed to a Sovereign whose constant regard for the rights and liberties of his subjects, and whose desire to promote the amelioration of the laws and institutions of the country, have rendered his name the object of general attachment and veneration. Educated in England, under the tender and enlightened care of a most affectionate mother, I have learned from my infancy to respect and love the constitution of my native country. It Avill be my unceasing study to maintain the reformed religion as by law established, securing at the same time to all the full enjoyment of religious liberty ; and I shall steadily protect the rights, and promote to the utmost of my power the happiness and welfare, of all classes of my subjects." Whereupon the Lords of the Council made it their humble re- quest to her Majesty that her Majesty''s most gracious declaration your only peacemaker." But for the very important if in the present case, England might, ere now, have ranked among the most enslaved and priest-ridden of nations. THE SOVEREIGN. 53 to tlieir lordships might be made public ; which her Majesty was pleased to order accordingly. C. C. Greville. Here follow the signatures of the Privy Councillors present : — At the Court at Kensington, sent, The Queen's Most H. R. H. the Duke of Cumberland, H. R. H. the Duke of Sussex, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, Archbishop of York, Lord President, Lord Privy Seal, The Earl Marshal, Lord Steward, Duke of Leeds, Didce of Wellington, Marquis of Salisbury, JNIarquis of Hertford, Marquis Camden, JNIarquis of Londondeny, IMarquis of Westminster, Earl of Carlisle, Earl of Shaftesbury, Earl of Albemarle, Earl of Jersey, Earl of Aberdeen, Earl of Roseberry, Earl of Tankerville, Earl of Clarendon, Earl of Clare, Earl of Wilton, Earl Grey, Earl of Mint 0, Earl of Lichfield, Earl of Ripon, Earl of Belfast, Viscount Castlereagh, Lord John Russell, Lord Francis Egerton, Viscount Palmerston, the 20th day of June 1837, pre- Excellent Majesty, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount Combemiere, Viscount Canterbury, Lord Stanley, Lord Burghersh, Viscount ]\Ioi-peth, Viscount Ho wick. Viscount Lowther, Lord Hill, Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci, Lord Cowley, Lord Stuart de Rothsay, Lord Heytesbvuy, Lord Brougham, Lord Chief Justice Denman, Lord Chief Baron Abinger, Lord Glenelg, Right Hon, the Speaker, Right Hon. T. P. Courtenay, Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, Bart. Right Hon. Wm. Sturges Bourne, Right Hon. Su- J. Beckett, Right Hon. Sir S. Canning, Right Hon. Sir G. Ouseley, Bart. Right Hon. C. W. W. Wjmn, Right Hon. Sir W. Fremantle, Lord Chief Justice Tindal, Right Hon. Sir Robert Gordon, Right Hon. John C. Hemes, Right Hon. the Vice-Chancellor, Right Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, Right Hon. John W. Croker, Right Hon. Sir Robert Adair, Right Hon. Sir James Graham, 54 THE SOVEREIGN. Right Hon. C. P. Thomson, Right Hon. Sir A. Johnston, Right Hon. Sir H. Parnell, Bart. Right Hon. Sir E. Knatchbull, Bt. Right Hon. Thomas Erskine, Right Hon. T. L. Corry, Right Hon. Sir J. C. Hobhouse, Bt. Right Hon. H. Labouchere, Right Hon. Henry EUis, Right Hon. Sir H. Vivian, Bart. Right Hon. Edward Ellis, Right Hon. G. S. Byng. Her Majesty, at her first coming into the council, was this day pleased to declare that, understanding that the law requires she should, at her accession to the Crown, take and subscribe the oath relating to the security of the church of Scotland, she was now ready to do it this first opportunity ; which her INIajesty was graciously pleased to do, according to the forms used by the law of Scotland, and subscribed two instruments thereof, in the presence of the Lords of the Council, who witnessed the same. And her Majesty was pleased to order that one of the said instruments be transmitted to the Court of Session, to be recorded in the books of Sederunt, and afterwards to be forthwith lodged in the public register of Scotland ; and that the other of them remain among the records of the council, and be entered in the council books. The House of Lords met on the same day at a quarter past ten o'clock. The Lords present were, the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Marquis of Salis- bury, the Earl of Chichester, Viscount Strangford, and Lord Kenyon. After prayers had been read by the Bishop of Salisbury, their Lordships took the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to her Majesty Queen Alexandrina Victoria, and signed the Parliamentary Roll ; after which the House adjourned to three o'clock. Shortly after three o'clock, pursuant to adjournment, the Earl of Shaftesbury took his seat on the Woolsack ; at which time there were upwards of fifty Peers in the House, to whom the oath of alle- giance and supremacy were administered. Among the noble Peers Avho took the oaths and signed the Parliamentary Roll were, the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Richmond, Lord Ellenborough, Earl Grey, the Duke of Northumberland, Earl Beauchamp, the THE SOVEREIGN. 55 Marquis of Westminster, Lord Wynford, Lord Rolle, the Mar- quis of Ormonde, Lord Hatherton, Lord Dundas, Lord Bandon, Lord Brougham, the Archbisliop of Dublin, tlie Earl of Albemarle, the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Abingdon, Bishop of Exeter, the Earl of Glengall, the Bishop of Winchester, Lord Langdale, the Earl of Ripon, and the Archbishop of York. The Duke of Richmond was the first who signed the Parliament- ary Roll, as the Premier Duke present. The Duke of Norfolk, who subsequently arrived, and the Earl of Fingal, took the oaths as Catholic Peers. Lord Melbourne and Lord Duncannon entered the House shortly before four o'clock, took the oaths, and signed the Parliamentary Roll. The Lord Chancellor took his seat on the Woolsack, and shortly afterwards, Lord Glenelg also took the oaths, as did Lord Lynd- hurst. The Duke of Sussex also took the oaths, and subscribed the Par- liamentary Roll. Their Lordships then adjourned. In the Commons* a considerable number of members entered the House at twelve o'clock, but the Speaker did not appear before a quar- * It is generally considered, in the metropolis and elsewhere, that by the death of the Sovereign both Houses of Parliament stand dissolved. Such, however, is not the fact. A statute was passed in the reign of his Majesty George the Third, that the Legislature should not be considered dissolved by the mere demise of the King or Queen ; but that the Lord Steward for the time being should attend the Houses of Lords and Commons within twenty-four hours after the decease of the Monarch, and administer the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, and abjuration to the Speaker, Lord Chancellor, and the members of both Houses ; and that the Parliament, thus constituted, should continue for six months afterwards, unless previously dissolved by the reigning Sovereign. In consequence of the Marquis Conyngham, after the demise of his Majesty George the Fourth, not arriving in town within the specified time, by which circum- 56 THE SOVEREIGN. ter to one ; lie immediately proceeded to the head of the table, and took the oath of allegiance to her Majesty Alexandrina Victoria, saving the rights of any issue of his late Majesty, King William the Fourth, which may be born of his late Majesty's consort. He then took his seat in the chair ; and the Chief Clerk called on the members present, beginning with the representatives of the city of London, to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to her Majesty. About 150 members Avere present at this period ; they advanced to the table in groups of 50, in the order in which they had inscribed their names. Amongst those who first came forward were Sir R. Peel, the Marquis of Chandos, Lord W. Bentinck, Sergeant Talfourd, Sir A. L. Hay, &c. The Roman Catholic members took the oaths appropriated to them in groups by themselves. About 820 members were sworn in at four ©""clock, when the House adjourned ; the Speaker having intimated that he should take the chair at ten o'clock the following dav. The ceremony of proclaiming her Majesty, Queen Victoria, took place on the 21st of June, the day after her ISLajesty's accession to the throne. The form of the ceremonial observed upon this inter- esting occasion is here fully described, by way of giving complete- ness to the work, and with a fervent hope that it may be so many years before the country witnesses its repetition, as to render it ne- cessary to search for precedents. Her INIajesty, accompanied by the Duchess of Kent, and attend- ed by Lady Mary Stopford, arrived at the palace from Kensington at ten o'clock, escorted by a party of the Life Guards. The roval stance considerable interruption in public business occurred, an act was passed, dispensing in future with the attendance of the Lord Stew- ard, and providing that, in lieu thereof, the First Clerk of the House of Lords should sw^ear in the Speaker, and other honourable members, by administering a similar oath to that adopted on the assembling of Parlia- ment. Fifty members having been thus sworn in, the Speaker assumes the chair, and the oaths are regularly administered to the remaining mem- bers as they present themselves at the table. THE SOVEREIGN. 57 suite, occupying two other carriages, included Lady Flora Hastings, the Master of the Horse, Colonel Cavendish, and Colonel Harcourt. The Queen, who was attired in mourning, soon after her arrival passed through the state-rooms to the presence-chamber ; the win- dow of which, looking into the large court-yard of the palace by the side of Marlborough House, was open. The guns in the Park having fired a salute, her Majesty made her appearance at the win- dow, and was received by the public, who filled the court, with loud and reiterated cheers. The Duchess of Kent was on the right of her Majesty. Viscount Melbourne, the Lord Chancellor, the 'Marquis of Lansdowne, the Lord Steward, the Earl Marshal, and the Groom of the Stole, stood close to her Majesty. The Com- mander of the Forces, the Lord Privy Seal, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Master of the Horse, Viscount Conibcrmere, Gold Stick in Wait- ing ; the Postmaster-General, the Marquis of Headfort, (in Wait- ing,) and Lord Gardner, Lords of the Bedchamber; the Vice- Chamberlain, the Treasurer of the Household, the Comptroller of the Household, Sir William Houstoun, Groom in Waiting ; and the Hon. William Bathurst, in their several uniforms, and with their respective ensigns of office, were in attendance around her Majesty. Li the court-yard, a guard of honour of the Life Guards was drawn up in the middle of the yard, fronting the palace ; a little in advance stood the Queen's Marshalmen, and the Queen's Sergeant Trumpeter, and the Household drums and trumpets in state uniforms. On the north side of the space, between the Guards and the palace, were the Sergeants-at-arms on horseback, bearing their large gilt maces, and wearing silver collars of S.S. ; on the opposite side, near to the window at which her Majesty stood, were the Heralds and Pursuivants dismounted and uncovered. Sir William Woods, (Clarenceux King of Arms,) acting as Deputy Garter, wore a splendid tabard richly embroidered in gold, and a cold collar of S.S. James Cathrow Disucv, Esq. Somerset He- raid; C. G. Young, Esq. York Herald ; and Walter Aston Blount, 58 THE SOVEREIGN. Esq. Chester Herald, wore tabards of satin richly embroidered, and silver collars of S.S. Mr. James Pulman, Portcullis Pursuivant ; Mr. Robert Laurie, Rouge Croix Pursuivant ; Mr. George Harri- son, Blue Mantle Pursuivant ; and Mr. T. W. King, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, also wore embroidered satin tabards. On her Majesty showing herself at the presence-chamber window, Sir William Woods, having taken his station in the court-yard under the window, accompanied by the Duke of Norfolk as Earl Mar- shal of England, read the proclamation, containing the formal and official announcement of the demise of King William the Fourth, and of the consequent accession of Queen Alexandrina Victoria to the throne of these realms. The following was the proclamation : — " Whereas it hath' pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign Lord King William the Fourth of blessed memory, by whose decease the Imperial Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Alexandrina Victoria ;* we, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this realm, being here assisted with these of his late Majesty's Privy Council, with numbers of other principal Gentlemen of quality, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, do now hereby with one voice and consent of tongue proclaim the High and Mighty Princess Alexandrina Victoria is now, by the death of our late Sovereign William the Fourth, of happy memory, become our only lawful and rightful liege Lady Alexandrina Victoria the First, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. &c. &c. to whom we acknowledge all faith and constant obedience, with all humble and hearty affection ; beseeching God, by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess Alexandrina Victoria with long and happy yeais to reign, God save the Queen !*" * Her Majesty was originally proclaimed, and the oaths of allegiance to her administered, in the name of " Alexandrina Victoria ;" but, upon its being discovered that she had affixed her signature at the Privy Council as " Victoria' only, the former name was immediately omitted. THE SOVEREIGN. 59 At first, the cheering prevented tlie proclamation from being heard ; but the latter part of the proclamation was very distinctly given ; and at the words " God save the Queen !" Sir William gave the signal by waving his sceptre. Loud and enthusiastic cheering followed, which her Majesty graciously and frequently acknowledged. The Household Trumpeters then played " God save the King I"" and a signal Avas given for the Park and Tower guns to fire, in order to announce the fact of the proclamation having been made. Her Majesty then withdrew, attended by the great officers of state. At a quarter past ten the procession for the purpose of pro- claiming her Majesty was formed in the court-yard, and com- menced their march towards Charing-cross. On arriving opposite St. James's-square, the procession halted for a few seconds ; and, the Guards, stationed in Pall Mall, wheeling, headed the proces- sion, which then recommenced its movement in the following order : — Four Pioneers on horseback. Mr. Lee, the High Constable of the City of Westminster, on horseback, with his staff of office. The Deputy High Bailiff of Westminster. Horse Guards. Trumpets. Two Knight MarshaPs Officers. Knight Marshal's Men, two and two. Household Drums. Kettle Drums. Trumpets. Sergeant Trumpeter in his collar, on horseback, bearing his mace. Sergeants-at-arms, tAvo and two, on horseback. Pursuivants. Heralds. A Sergeant-at-arms. King-at-arms. A Sergeant-at-arms. A detachment of Life Guards. At Charing-cross, those in advance of the procession, having (30 THE SOVEREIGN. passed the nortli side of the statue of King Charles the First, halted opposite Northumberland House, when the Heralds, being uncovered, proclaimed her Majesty Queen Victoria. This portion of the ceremony having been performed, the ca- valcade proceeded towards Temple-bar, at which place it arrived shortly before eleven o'clock. Here the Guards, who headed the procession, formed on each side of the Avay ; while Rouge Croix, Pursuivant-at-arms, advanced between two trumpeters to the gate, which was closed. Several minutes elapsed after the halting of the procession without any proceeding taking place, in conse- quence of the Lord Mayor not having arrived.* At eleven o'clock, * The following account furnishes a more detailed record of the pro- ceedings of the Lord Mayor upon this occasion : — The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor having been wraited upon by the York Herald-at-arms, C. Young, Esq. on Tuesday, and informed by that officer that her Most Gracious Majesty Alexandrina Victoria would be proclaimed on the following day, his lordship directed the Sword-bearer to summon the Aldermen, the Recorder, the Sheriffs, and the other civic functionaries to attend at the Guildhall, in order to proceed to the per- formance of the ancient ceremony of opening the gates of the City to the Heralds-at-arms, who were appointed to read the proclamation in Fleet- street at the corner of Chancery-lane, in Cheapside at the comer of Wood- street, and in Cornhill at the gates of the Royal Exchange. At ten o'clock the Lord Mayor arrived at Guildhall, in his state car- riage, drawn by six horses, and was attended by the Recorder, Aldermen Wood, Sir William Heygate, Sir C. Marshall, Pirie, Wilson, Cowan, Winchester, Lainson, Harmer ; Sheriffs Sir James Duke and Johnson ; City Pleaders Gvu'ney and Randall ; the Remembrancer, the City Solici- tor, Mr. Firth, of the Town Clerk's office ; Under Sheriffs France and Wire, &c. In the State carriage, with the Lord Mayor, were his lordship's chaplain (the Rev. Mr. Home), Charles Hick, Esq. (the Sword-bearer), and the Mace- bearer. At half-past ten o'clock the procession moved from Guildhall, headed by the City Marshals in full dress, on horseback. The leading streets from THE SOVEREIGN. 61 however, a peal of bells from St, Bride''s clmrcli announced tliat the City functionaries had taken their stations at the entrance to Temple-bar to Gracechurch-street having been, by order of his lordship, cleared of all vehicles, and bars having been placed at the different wide entrances to these thoroughfares, so that the public might be secured from accidents as far as the magistracy could provide against danger, there was no obstruction whatever, although the spectators were unusually numerous. When the Lord Mayor's carnage arrived near Temple-bar, the gates of which had been, in accordance with ancient practice and privilege, closed a short time previously, a Pursuivant of arms advanced from the Westminster side, between two trumpeters, preceded by two of the Life Guards, to the gates ; and, after three loud blasts of the trumpet, a knock was heard. The City Marshal called out from within the gates, " Who comes there ?" to which was replied, " The Officers of arms, who demand entrance into the City, to proclaim her Royal Majesty, Alexandrina Victoria Queen." The City Marshals, immediately upon hearing this summons, rode up with their hats off to the carriage of the Lord Mayor, which stood opposite to Chancery-lane, and informed him that the Heralds were at the gates, and desired admission to proclaim the Queen. His lordship having ordered that the gates should be opened, the Heralds and the rest of the procession, who had been reading the proclamation in Westminster, passed through ; and a Pursuivant and the York Herald of arms ap- proached the Lord Mayor, and presented to his lordship the order of council requiring him to proclaim her Majesty. The Lord Mayor, ad- dressing himself to the York Herald of Arms, said, " I am aware of the contents of this paper, having been apprised of the ceremony appointed to take place yesterday ; and I have attended to perform my duty, in accordance with the ancient usages and customs of the City of London." His lordship then read the order of council, requiring the Heralds to proclaim her Majesty the Queen Alexandrina Victoria within the juris- diction of the City, and returned it to the York Herald of arms, who proceeded to read the proclamation immediately after the trumpet was sounded. As soon as the proclamation was made, there was a flourish 62 THE SOVEREIGN. the Temple known as the Middle Temple-lane gate. The Officer- at-arms having knocked thrice at the gate, amid a flourish of trumpets, the senior City Marshal rode up under the archway, and from the City side of the gate demanded " Who comes here ?" To this the Herald replied, " The Officer-at-arms, who demands entrance into the City of London, to proclaim her Royal Majesty, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom." The City Marshal then partially opened the gate, and admitted Rouge Croix within the walls of the City of London. The Pursuivant- at-arms, having been conducted to the Lord Mayor, then ex- plained the object of his mission, and directions were given for the admission of the cavalcade. Rouge Croix, upon the receipt of this permission, returned to the western side of the gate, when the barriers were thrown wide open to admit the procession, which then advanced to Chancery-lane, and the proclamation was read a third time. The whole of the City authorities here joined the procession, falling in immediately after the OfRcers-at-arms ; and the cavalcade proceeded down Fleet-street, up Ludgate hill, through St. PauFs Church-yard and Chcapside, until they arrived at the end of Wood-street, where they halted, for the purpose of proclaiming her Majesty a fourth time. The procession having been at this point joined by several of the City companies, moved on to the Royal Exchange, where it again halted ; and the proclamation, having been read for the last time, was received with deafening cheers, and then the several component parts of the procession separated. At each of the points at which the proclamation was made, the band played the national anthem. On re-passing the Mansion House, the trumpets of the heralds again struck up " God Save the Queen !" which was received with great cheering. At Charing-cross the proclamation was read by J. C. Disney, of trumpets again, and the Herald having cried aloud " God save the Queen !" the people waved their hats, and several persons cried out " Long live Queen Victoria !" THE SOVEREIGN. 63 Esq. Somerset Herald ; in Chancery-lane, by C. G. Young, Esq. York Herald ; in Wood-street, (on the spot where the cross for- merly stood,) by W. A. Blount, Esq. Chester Herald ; and lastly, at the Royal Exchange, by Mr. J. Pulman, Portcullis Pursuivant. After the ceremony, the Duke of Norfolk and Sir William Woods had an audience of the Queen. A few words on the subject of the state costume worn by her Majesty will not here be out of place. The Queen never wears any robes officially, but on her visit to Parliament, when she wears red ; and at the Coronation,* when she will go to the Abbey in crimson, and there be invested with purple. Her Majesty, as Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, Avears the riband, (over the left shoulder,) badge, and stars of the order, — the two latter set in diamonds, — and an armlet with the motto of the Order on her left arm. On these occasions her Majesty gene- rally wears on her head a splendid circlet of diamonds. -j- * Full particulars, not only of the costume worn by the Sovereign at the Coronation, but of that solemn ceremonial generally, will be found in the Section of this work which is devoted entirely to that subject. t The reader who has had occasionally the good fortune to see her Majesty, may consider these particulars uncalled for. But the book is written, if not " for all time/' at least for all people ; and there still exist those who have no idea of the Sovereign ever being with head uncrowned, or hand unsceptred. Witness that country-gentleman, who, going to the theatre on an occasion of George the Fourth visiting it, would not believe the King was the King, because he had not his kingly crown upon his head ; and who, when his disbelief upon this point was some- what shaken, was confirmed in the accuracy of his former judgment upon ascertaining that the Lion and the Unicorn did not hang down on each side of him, for he felt positive, and nothing could persuade him to the contrary, that the King of England had never had any other arms but those. This is stated to have been a fact ; if so, it adds another to the many cases in which " Le vrai nest pas le vraisemblable." G4 THE QUEEN-CONSORT. The following is the style in which her Majesty is to be ad- dressed by letter. But, generally speaking, it is more in accord- ance with official etiquette to address her Majesty through the head of the department to which such communication may refer. (Superscription.) To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty. (Commencement.) Madam, (Conclusion.) I remain, With the profoundest veneration. Madam, Your Majesty's most faithful subject, and dutiful servant, * * * THE QUEEN-CONSORT. The Queen-Consort, as wife of the reigning King, is, by virtue of her marriage, participant of divers prerogatives. In the first place, she is a public person exempt and distinct from the King ; and not, like other married women, so closely con- nected as to have lost all legal or separate existence so long as the marriage continues. For the Queen-Consort is of ability to purchase lands and to convey them, to make leases and to grant copyholds, and do other acts of ownership, without the concurrence of her lord ; which no other woman can do : a privilege as old as the Saxon era. She is also capable of taking a grant from the King ; may sue and be sued alone ; have a separate property in goods as well as lands, and a right to dispose of them by will : in short, in all legal proceedings is looked upon as a ^"^ feme sole,'''' and not as a '''■feme covert,'''' — as a single, and not as a married woman.* The Queen- Consort has also many exemptions and minute pre- * Blackstone, Book i. cap. 4. THE QUEEN-CONSORT. 65 rogatives : for instance, she pays no toll ; nor is she liable to any amercement in any court. But in general, unless where the law has expressly declared her exempted, she is upon the same footing with other subjects ; being to all intents and purposes the King's sub- ject, and not his equal. The Queen-Consort of England has also separate courts and officers distinct from the King''s, not only in matters of ceremony, but even of law : and her Attorney and Solicitor-general are entitled to a place within the bar of his Majesty*'s courts, together with the King's counsel. The original revenue of our ancient Queens-Consort seems to have consisted of certain reservations or rents out of the demesne lands of the crown, which were expressly appropriated to her Majesty, distinct from the King. It is frequent in Domesday Book, after specifying the rent due to the crown, to add likewise the quantity of gold or other renders reserved to the Queen, and which were frequently appropriated to particular purposes ; as, to buy wool for her Majesty's use, — to purchase oil for her lamps, — or to furnish her attire from head to foot ; which was frequently very costly, as one single robe, in the fifth year of Henry II, stood the city of London in upwards of fourscore pounds.* She has a further addition to her income in that ancient per- quisite called Queen-gold,j- or Aurum Regince, of the payment of which there are traces in Domesday Book, and in the great Pipe Roll of the thirty-first of Henry the First ; and which, it is sup- * Blackstone, Book i. cap. 4. + " The Queen-gold, or Aurum Regince, is a royal revenue belonging to every Queen-Consort during her marriage with the King, and due from every person w^ho hath made a voluntary offering or fine to the King, amounting to ten marks or upwards, for or in consideration of any pri- vileges, grants, licences, pardons, or other matter of royal favour con- ferred upon him by the King ; and it is due in the proportion of one- tenth part more, over and above the entire offering or fine made to the King ; and becomes an actual debt of record to the Queen's Majesty by the mere recording of the fine." — Blackstone, Book i. cap. 4. F G6 THE QUEEN-CONSORT. posed, was originally granted in consequence of those matters of grace and favour, out of which it arose, being frequently obtained from the crown by the powerful intercession of the Queen. No attempt, however, has been made to enforce this claim since Charles I, at the petition of his Queen, Henrietta Maria, issued out his Avrit for levying it, but afterwards purchased it of his consort for ten thousand pounds ; finding it, perhaps, too triflino- and troublesome to levy. Prynne in vain endeavoured, by his learned treatise on the subject, to excite Katherine to re- vive this antiquated claim. Prynne's book, which was published in 1668, was written in consequence of Coke having, in his Institutes, " overmuch clipped this gold coin, and mistaken or misapplied some records concerning it." Another ancient perquisite belonging to the Queen-Consort, mentioned by all our old writers, is, that on the taking of a whale on the coasts, which is a royal fish, it shall be divided between the King and the Queen ; the head only being the King's property, the tail of it the Queen's. The reason of this whimsical division being, as assigned by our ancient records, that the Queen's ward- robe might be furnished with whalebone. But though the Queen-Consort is in all respects a subject, yet, in point of the security of her life and person, she is put on the same footing with the King. It is equally treason (by the statute 25 Edw. III.) to compass or imagine the death of our Lady the King's companion, as of the King himself ; and to violate or de- file the Queen-Consort amounts to the same high crime, as well in the person committing the fact, as in the Queen herself if consenting. The Queens-Consort have been graced with " all the royal mak- ings" of a Queen from a very early period. Before the Conquest they were anointed and crowned, and sate with the Kings in seats of state. The time when these honours were first allowed to them is uncertain ; the earliest positive evidence of that fact being the ritual assigned to the age of /Ethelred II, who was elected in 978. THE QUEEN-CONSORT. GT The coronation of the Queen-Consort has been pronounced to be " as an acknowledgment of the right of succession in her issue," and " as a recognition of her constitutional character, as essential as that of the monarch himself."* " Of these doctrines, however," says Mr. Taylor, " a sufficient refutation may be derived from the following obvious considerations : — 1st, That the observance or omission of this coronation never was or could be held to influence the right of inheritance of the legitimate issue of a royal sovereign. 2ndly, The coronation of the King is essential, inasmuch as it is a political act ; in that of the Queen, however, no such character can be discovered : no consent is asked from the people as to the person to be crowned ; no conditions are required from her,'|' no oath is administered, no homage or allegiance is offered. The Queen's coronation, though performed at the same place, and usually on the same day, with that of the sovereign, is a subsequent and distinct solemnity ; it proceeds from the King,:]: and is granted to his consort for the honour of the kingly office. * " Some Inquiry into the Constitutional Character of the Queen-Con- sort." London. 8vo. "Edinburgh Review" for September 1814; and Taylor's " Glory of Regality," pp. 49 and 307. t See the ancient form, in a pamphlet entitled " A Collection out of the Book called Liber Regalis, remaining in the Treasury of the Church of Westminster, touching the Coronation of the King and Queen together." London, 1661. This tract was reprinted in 1821. X It may be remembered that, in the ease of the late Queen Caroline, Lord Londonderry declared in the House of Commons, in reply to a question from Mr. Monck upon this subject, that neither himself, nor any other of the King's ministers, were prepared to advise any act of the Crown by which the Queen should be included ; and the Queen, hav- ing then laid before the Privy Council her claim to a participation in the ceremony of the coronation, was heard by her Attorney and Solicitor General before the Privy Council assembled at Whitehall for the purpose : when, after hearing the arguments on each side, which occupied some days, the Council infonned the King they had come to an unanimous opinion against the claim ; which decision was communicated in due form to her Majesty. f 2 G8 THE QUEEN-DOWAGER. In Germany, the Empress is both crowned and anointed ; an honour now common to the consorts of the European sovereigns. In France, under the ancien regime, they were not cro^nied with the Kino-s, whose coronation alwavs took place at Rheims ; but at the Abbey of St. Denis near Paris. THE QUEEN-DOWAGER. The Queen-Dowager is the widow of the King ; and, as such, enjovs most of the privileges belonging to her as Queen-Consort. But it is not high treason to conspire her death, or to violate her chastity, because the succession to the crown is not thereby endan- gered. Yet still, pro dignitate regali, no man can marry a Queen-Dowager without special licence from the King, on the pain of forfeiting his lands and goods. This, Sir Edward Coke tells us, was enacted in Parliament, 6 Hen. VI, though the statute be not in print. But a Queen-Dowager, though an alien born, shall still be entitled to dower after the King*'s demise, which no other alien is.* A Queen-Dowager, when married again to a subject, does not lose her regal dignity, as Peeresses-Dowager do their peerages when they marry commoners. For Katherine, Queen-Dowager of Henry V, though she married a private gentleman, Owen ap JSIeredith ap Theodore, commonly called Owen Tudor, yet by the name of Katherine, Queen of England, maintained an action against the Bishop of Carlisle. And so the Queen-Dowager of Navarre, mar- rying with Edmond, Earl of I^ancaster, brother to King Edward I, maintained an action of dower (after the death of her second husband) by the name of Queen of Navarre. •j' * Blackstone, Book i. cap. 4. f In France^ as is well kno\\Ti, the Queens formerly wore white as moLU-ning for their husbands ; and Mary of France, the sister of Henry VIII. and widow of Louis XII, and who afterwards married Charles Bran- don, Duke of Suffolk, was called La Reine Blanche from this circum- THE PRINCE OF WALES. 69 Letters to her Majesty tlie Queen-Dowager should be addressed as follows : — (Superscription.) To her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen-Dowager. (Commencement.) Madam, (Conclusion.) I remain, With the highest respect, Madam, Your Majesty's most dutiful, most humble, , and most devoted servant, THE PRINCE OF WALES. The eldest son and heir of the King or Queen of England is born Duke of Cornwall, and immediately entitled to all the rights, revenues, &c. belonging thereto, as being deemed in law at full age on his birthday. He has been also, since the time of James I, as eldest son to the King or Queen of Scotland, Duke of Rothsay and Seneschal of Scotland from his birth. He is afterwards, at the pleasure of the King, created by patent, and other ceremonies, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester and Flint, &c. It is well known that the title of Prince of Wales was first transferred to the sons and heirs apparent of England from those Princes of Wales, (of North Wales especially,) that in the elder times, being Welsh, held the country under the Kings of England by the name of Princes ; but not so well, when this first took place. stance. The etiquette of the French court in the fourteenth century squired a widow^ed Queen to pass the first six weeks of her widowhood ithout seeing autrechose quela ehandelle.—Marchangy, tome iv.p. 360. re w 70 THE PRINCE OF WALES. Some place the beginning of this title in the heirs apparent of England in the thirty-ninth of Henry III. " But," says Selden,* " though Wales was given by this charter to Prince Edward by Henry III, yet I find no warrant that therefore the special title of Prince of Wales, as it belongs to the son and heir apparent, began in him." Others place the beginning of this title in Edward, son and heir to Edward I.f And it is true, indeed, that this Edward was after- wards styled Prince of Wales, as is seen in the writs of summons of him to the parliaments of the laiter time of his father, and which are directed to " Edwardo Principi Wallia et Coviiti Cestria, Jilio suo charissimoy But the first charter of creation seen by Selden was that of King Edward 1114 to ^^^ ^^^ and heir apparent Edward, Duke of * Selden, " Titles of Honour/' Part ii. cap. 5. f " Upon that knowne stone of the King's sending for Queene Elianor, being with child, out of England, to be delivered at Carnarvon Castle. After she was delivered, he ingaged himselfe (they say) to the Welsh, that they should have a Prince most free from all kinds of blemish on his honour, and one that could not speak one word of English, meaning this young Prince. And it is true, indeed, that this Edward, sonne and heire apparant of Edw^ard I, was afterwards stiled Prince of IVales, as we see in the writs of summons of him to the parliament of the later tune of his father." — Selden, ibid. \ "■ It is worthy of observation that Edward III. never bore the title of Prince of Wales ; the earliest writ of summons to parliament in which his name occurs is that of 5th Aug. 9 Edw. II, 1320, he then being about eight years of age, wherein he is styled ' TLdicardo Comiti Cestrensi filio nostra charissimo /' and by the same designation he was summoned in the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, of Edw. II. Some writers of authority assert that he was created Prince of Wales and Duke of Acqultaine in a parlia- ment held at York, 15th Edw. II ; but not only is no notice of such an occurrence to be found in the Rolls of Parliament, but it is scarcely cre- dible that, if such creation really took place, he should have been sum- moned to the next and subsequent parliaments as Earl of Chester only : THE PRINCE OF WALES. 71 Cornwall, some few years after he was made Duke. This charter, which Selden has printed at length, contains also the particulars of the rites of investiture, which were the crownet and ring of gold, and the rod o? silver ; and with these he was invested jMxf a morem, as the words are, as if before that time such as were Princes of Wales had usually received their principalities by like investiture. Since this patent, the title (which, according to the limitation, after the death of any Prince created, is preserved in the crown,) hath been granted almost to all the sons and heirs apparent since that time, as also it was to Richard of Bourdeaux, son and heir to the Black Prince, and more recently in the case of George HI, who, upon the death of his father, Frederick, Prince of Wales, on the 20th of March 1751, was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester upon the 20th April following. But, since the charter above referred to, the creations have been with some difference. Sometimes the titles of Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester have been given with it, by the same patent and investiture, with the difference of the rod beincr of Pold : as when Henry lY. created his son, Henry, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester, " j;er sertum in capite, annidum in digito aureiim, et virgam aureain.'''' But, since that time, the Earldom of Chester only has been usually joined with it in the patent ; and it has been resolved that there needs no new creation to his father, in consequence of his creation to that principality, was reon- larly summoned from 4th July, 30th Edw. I, 1322, when he became eighteen years of age, until he ascended the throne, as ' Edwardo Prin- cipi Wallice, filio suo ckarissimo.'" A note to Blackstone's Commentaries, vol. i. p. 223, states, on the au- thority of Hume, who cites Burnet, that " Queen Mary and Queen Eliza- beth were created by their father, Henry VIII, Princesses of Wales ; each of them at the time (the latter after the illegitimation of Mary) being heir presumptive to the crown ; but, on examination, it appears that the statement is unfounded." — Nicolas' " Synopsis of the Peerage," vol. r, p. 5, note. 72 THE PRINCE OF WALES. the son and heir apparent of the other title of Duke of Cornwall, to which he is born heir. In the letters patent issued by George I. on the 22nd September 1814, declaring his son, George Augustus, of Brunswick Lunen- buro-h " Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester," the investiture* is thus described : — " Likewise, we invest him, the said Prince, with the aforesaid principality and county, which he may continue to govern and protect ; and we confirm him in the same by these ensigns of honour, the girding on of a sword, the deli/ering of a cap and placing it on his head, with a ring on his finger and a golden staff in his hand, according to custom, to be possessed by him and his heirs, Kings of Great Britain." Since the time of James, however, the proper title of the eldest son and heir apparent of the sovereign is, " Magnae Britannia Princeps," although he is ordinarily called the Prince of Wales. Charles II. was by order, not creation, admitted Prince of * We learn from a " MS. Account of the Conveyance of Great Estates into the King's presence at the time of their creation," (British Musuem, Additional MSS. No. 6,297,) what was the preparation for the creation of a Prince. First, his robes of estate, viz. a mantell or robe of crimson velvet, con- taining eighteen yards, edged with gold lace, and furred with ermine. Item, a kirtle or riccote, containing fourteen yards, edged and furred as before, and of the same stuff. Item, the laces, tassels, and buttons, of silk and gold, for the same robes, and a girdle of silk for the nether garment. Item, a hood and a cap of estate of the same velvet, with the edging and the furring as afore, with button, laces, and tassels of Venice gold, for the said cap. Item, a sword, the scabbard covered with crimson cloth of gold, plain, and a girdle agreeable to the same. Item, a coronal. Item, a verge of gold. Item, a ring of gold to be put on the third finger. THE PRINCE OF WALES. <0 Wales, had a principality, with the earldom of Chester,* confirmed to him by the descent, and was allowed to hold his court separate from the King"'s. The Prince of Wales is, next to the Sovereig^n, chief in the realm, yet he is a subject, holding his principality and seignories from the King, and giving the same respect to the King as other subjects do. Yet although he has no kingly prerogatives, by the law of England, during the life-time of his father, he has certain privileges above other persons ; for, by statute 25 Edward III, to compass or conspire the death of the Prince of Wales or heir apparent to the crown, or to violate the chastity of his consort, was declared to be as much high treason as to conspire the death of the King, or violate the chastity of the Queen ; and this out of regard to the due succession to the crown, for the Prince of Wales is next in succession ; and, again, to violate his wife might taint the blood royal with bastardy. He is further privileged to sit at the King's right-hand in all solemn assemblies of state and honour, and may retain and qualify as many chaplains as he pleases. The mantle worn by the Prince of Wales at a coronation is doubled below the elbow with ermine, spotted diamond-wise ; but * " The earldom of Chester v^^as once also a principality," says Sel- den, (" Titles of Honour," Part ii. cap. 5,) " erected into that title by par- liament in 21 Rich. II, wherein it was also ordained that it should be given only to the King's eldest son. But that whole parliament was repealed by the 1 Hen. IV, although the earldom hath usually been since given with the principality of Wales." " Note," says Coke, " no son of the King but his first-begotten shall be Duke of Cornwall, although he be heir apparent of the crown." " So that not without reason did Edward III, King of England, place Richard, his grandchild and next heir apparent, in the solemn feast at Christmas at his table next to himself, above all his uncles, being the sons of that King, and men manifoldly renowned for their prowess and virtue."— Brydall's" Law of England relating to Nobility and Gentry," p. 6. 74 THE PRINCE OF WALES. the robe wliicli lie wears in parliament is adorned witli five bars or guards of ermine, set at an equal distance one from the other, "vvith a gold lace above each bar. His coronet is of gold, and consists of crosses-patee and fleurs-de-lis, with the addition of one arch, and in the midst a ball and a cross, as hath the royal diadem, which was solemnly ordered, to be used, by a grant, dated Feb. 9, 1661, 11 Charles 11. Besides the coronet, the Prince of Wales has another distin- guishing mark of honour peculiar to himself, commonly called the Prince of Wales'* Feathers. This consists of a plume of three ostrich feathers, with an ancient coronet ; under which, in a scroll, is the well-known motto, " Ich Dien" — " I serve ;" a device assumed by Edward the Black Prince after the famous battle of Cressv, in which he slew with his own hand John, Kinsr of Bohe- mia, the stipendiary of the King of France, in whose Avars he was then serving ; and it Avas from the head of the Bohemian monarch that Edward, then Prince of Wales, took such a plume and motto, and which have ever since, in remembrance of that event, been borne by his successors. The following extract from the London Gazette, of the 15th Nov. 1783, exhibits the Ceremonial of the introduction of his RoA^al Highness George Augustus Frederick Prince of Wales into the House of Peers, at the meeting of Parliament, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 1783. His Royal Highness having been, by letters patent, dated the 19th day of August, in the second year of his Majesty"'s reign, created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, was in his robes, which, with the collar of the order of the Garter, he had put on in the Earl Marshal's room, introduced into the House of Peers in the following order : — Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, Avith his staff of office. Earl of Surrey. THE PRINCE OF WALES. 75 Deputy Eail Marshal of England. Earl of Carlisle. Lord Privy Seal. Garter Principal King of arms, in his robe, with his sceptre, bearing his Royal Highness"' patent. Sir Peter Biirrell, Deputy Great Chamberlain of England. Viscount Stormont, Lord President of the Council. The Coronet On a crimson velvet cushion, borne by Viscount Lewisham, one of the Gentlemen of his Royal Highness' Bed-chamber. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wai-es, Carrying his writ of summons, supported by his uncle, his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and the Dukes of Rich- mond and Portland. And proceeding up the House with the usual reverences, the writ and patent were delivered to the Earl of Mansfield, Speaker, on the woolsack, and read by the Clerk of the Parliament at the table, his Royal Plighness and the rest of the procession standing near : after which, his Roval Highness was conducted to his chair on the right hand of the throne, the coronet and cushion having been laid on a stool before the chair ; and his Royal Highness, being covered as usual, the ceremony ended. Some time after, his Majesty entered the House of Peers, and was seated on the throne with the usual solemnities ; and, having delivered his most gracious speech, retired out of the House. Then his Royal Highness at the table took the oaths of alle- giance and supremacy, and made and subscribed the declaration ; and also took and subscribed the oath of abjuration. 76 THE PRINCESS ROYAL. The only other member of the Royal Family peculiarly regarded by the laws, is the King s eldest daughter, generally designated the Princess Royal, who is regarded by the law with the same jealousy as the Queen-Consort, or the consort of the heir appa- rent ; and for the same reason, that the heirs of the crown may not be debased or bastardized.* And the eldest daughter of the King is also alone inheritable to the crown on failure of issue male, and therefore more respected by the laM's than any of her younger sisters ; insomuch that, upon this, united with other (feodal) principles, while our military tenures were in force, the King might levy an aid for marrying his eldest daughter, and her only.-f* * Blackstone's Commentaries, Bk. i. cap. 4. t " Of this ' Aid pur fille marier,' there is a noted case in the reign of King Henry II. An aid was levied by that King for the marriage of his daughter Maud to the Duke of Saxony, concerning which there are many memorials extant. This aid was one mark jm-fee. It w^as paid by the several barons and knights holding in capite, according to the number of their respective fees. For instance, in Norfolk and Suffolk, the Earl of Clare paid fourscore and fourteen pounds and odd, for his own knights* fees and the knights' fees of his lady, the Countess (of the old feoffment), and Ciij. s. iiij. d. for his fees of the new feoffment." — Madox's "■ History of the Exchequer," vol. i. p. 572. 77 THE ROYAL FAMILY. " The rest of the Royal Family," says Blackstone,* " may be considered in two different lights, according to the different senses in which the term ' Royal Family ' is used. The larger sense in- cludes all tliose who are by any possibility inheritable to the crown. Such, before the Revolution, were all the descendants of William the Conqueror, who had branched into an amazing extent by inter- marriages with the ancient nobility. Since the Revolution and Act of Settlement, it means the Protestant issue of the Princess Sophia ;-f- now comparatively few in number, but which, in process of time, may possibly be as largely diffused. The more confined sense in- cludes only those who are within a certain degree of propinquity to the reigning prince, and to whom therefore the law pays an ex- * Commentaries, Bk. i. cap. 4. f Upon the death of the young Duke of Gloucester, the only remain- ing child of seventeen which the Princess Anne had borne, and who died, on the 29th July 1700, of a malignant fever partly produced by the fatigue he had undergone on his birthday five days previously, the King, William III, in his speech to both Houses of Parliament, observed how absolutely necessary it was that they should make further provision for the succession of the Crown in the Protestant line, in the event of his death, and that of the Princess Anne of Denmark, without issue. The Parliament thereupon, in the same session, passed " An Act for ike further limitation of the Crown, and better securing the rights and liberties of the subject, whereby it is enacted, " That the most excellent Princess Sophia, Electress and Duchess-Dow- ager of Hanover, daughter to the most excellent Princess Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, eldest daughter of King James I. of happy memory, be and is hereby declared to be the next in succession in the Protestant line to the Im- perial Crown and Dignity of the realms of England, France, and Ireland, with the dominions and territories thereunto belonging, after his Majesty and the Princess Anne of Denmark ; and, in default of issue of his Majesty 78 THE ROYAL FAMILY. traordinary regard and respect ;* but, after that degree is past, they fall into the rank of ordinary subjects, and are seldom considered any farther, unless called to the succession upon failure of the nearer lines. The younger sons and daughters of the King and other branches of the Royal Family, who are not in the immediate line of suc- cession, were therefore little farther regarded by the ancient law than to give them, to a certain degree, precedence before all peers and public officers, as well ecclesiastical as temporal. This is done by the statute 31 Henry VIII. c. 10, which en- acts, " That no person or persons, of what estate, degree, or condition soever he or they be of, (except only the King's chil- dren,) shall at any time hereafter attempt or presume to sit or have place at any side of the cloth of estate in the parliament chamber, and the said Princess Anne respectively, to the Crown and Regal Govern- ment of the said kingdoms of England, France, Ireland, &c., shall be and remain and continue to the most excellent Princess Sophia, and the heirs of her body, being Protestants," &c. Soon after Queen Anne's accession to the throne, she was pleased to order the Princess Sophia to be prayed for in the prayer for the Royal Family. And the more firmly to secure the succession in the Protestant line, the Queen did, in the parliaments held in the fourth and fifth years of her reign, give her royal assent to two further acts ; viz. One for naturalizing the said Princess Sojykia, and the issue of her body ; and the other, An act for the greater security of her Majesty's person and govern- ment, and of the succession of the Crown of England in the Protestant line. And, by the articles of the Union, the Protestant succession in the house of Hanover was made a fundamental part of om* present constitution. * "To all the King's children belong the title of Royal Highness: all subjects are to be uncovered in their presence, to kneel when they are admitted to kiss their hands ; and at table they are (out of the King's presence) served on the ^-?zee."— Chamberlayne's " Present State of Great Britain," 1723, p. 61. THE ROYAL FAMILY. 79 neither of the one liand of the King's Highness nor of the other, whether the King's Majesty be there personally present or not ;" and further, that certain great officers therein named shall have precedence above all Dukes, except only such as shall happen to be the King's son, brother, uncle, nephew, (which Sir Edward Coke explains to signify grandson or nepos,) or brother or sister's son. But, under the description of the King's children, his grandsons are held to be included, without having recourse to Sir Edward Coke's interpretation of nephew. And therefore, when George II. created his grandson Edward, the second son of Frederick Prince of Wales, deceased, Duke of York, and referred it to the House of Lords to settle his place and precedence, they certified that he ought to have place next to the Duke of Cumberland, the then King's youngest son, and that he might have a seat on the left hand of the cloth of estate. But when, on the accession of George III, those royal personages ceased to take place as the children^ and ranked only as the brother and uncle of the King, they also left their seats on the side of the cloth of estate ; so that when the Duke of Gloucester, his Majesty's second brother, took his seat in the House of Peers, he was placed on the upper end of the Earls' bench, (on which the Dukes usually sit,) next to his Royal Highness the Duke of York. The coronets of all the sons, brothers, or uncles of the Sovereign, consist of a circle of gold bordered with ermine, heightened with four fleurs-de-lis and as many crosses-patee alternately, agreeably to the grant made by Charles II. in the thirteenth year of his reign. The coronets of the Princesses of Great Britain consist of a circle of gold, bordered with ermine, and heightened with crosses- patee, fleurs-de-lis, and strawberry-leaves alternately ; whereas a Prince's coronet has only fleurs-de-lis and crosses. The sons, brothers, and uncles of the Sovereign, are styled Princes of the Blood Royal ; as the daughters, sisters, and aunts are Princesses of the Blood Royal. 80 MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. Letters addressed to the Princes of tlie Blood Royal are super- scribed, " To His Royal Highness," — commence with " Sir," — and conclude, " I remain. With the greatest respect, Sir, Your Royal Highness' most dutiful and most obedient humble servant." A similar style is used in addressing letters to the Princesses of the Blood Royal, or the wives of the Princes. The nephews, nieces, and cousins of the Sovereign, are merely Princes and Princesses of the Blood, and do not take the style of Royal. A letter addressed to a Prince of the Blood should commence, " Sir ;" — and concluding with, " I have the honour to be. With great respect, Sir, Your Highness"* most obedient and very humble servant." be superscribed, " To His Highness, MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. In the year 1718, George I. was pleased to signify his pleasure to his Lord Chancellor, that he should require all the .Judges of England to meet, and give him their opinions on the following question among others, namely, " Whether the care and appro- bation of his Majesty's grandchildren, when grown up, did belong of right to his Majesty, as King of this realm, or not?" MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 81 In the consideration of this question, Parker, then Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench, afterwards Lord High Chancellor, delivered himself in these words: — " There is no law against any one for man-ying without the father's consent ;* but the crime is, to marry any of the Royal Fa mily without the King's consent. The King's consent was always held necessary in case of marriage of any of the Royal Family, always used and never contested ; were it otherwise, it would be setting up two independent powers, and is a trust too big for any subject." Baron Fortescue Aland remarked, that " happy it was for this nation that the King, in the marriages of Mary,"]" Queen to Wil- liam III, and of Queen Anne, had this prerogative; for, had the pretended paternal right prevailed, the English nation had been for ever undone, and our religion destroyed, and we had never seen the many and great blessings we enjoy, and are like to enjoy, by this family sitting on the throne of Great Britain." Ten of the twelve Judges were of opinion, that the care and ap- probation of the marriage of his Majesty's grandchildren, when grown up, did belong of right to his Majesty as King of this realm. The two dissenting Judges were of opinion, that the King had no exclusive right as to marriage, but only a concurrent right with * The Act to prevent clandestine marriages did not pass until the fol- lowing reign. It is the statute 26 Geo. II. c. 33. t Charles II, who had obliged his brother the Duke of York to allow the young Princesses, his daughters, to be brought up in the Pro- testant faith, performed perhaps the most popular measure of his reign when he concluded a marriage between the Lady Mary, the elder Princess, and heir apparent to the crown, and the Prince of Orange. '' All par- ties," says Hume, " strove who should most applaud it." And even Ar- lington, who had been kept out of the secret, told the Prince, " That some things, good in themselves, were spoiled by the manner of doing them, as some things bad were mended by it ; but he would confess that this was a thing so good in itself, that the manner of doing it could not spoil it," 6 82 MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. the Prince their father. However, they declared it to be a duty incumbent upon every member of the Royal Family to apply to the King, and to receive his royal approbation upon every occasion of this kind ; for they found, that all negotiations of mamages in the Royal Family had been carried on by the intervention of the Crown ; and that such marriages as had been contracted without the royal assent and approbation, had been held as a contempt of the regal authority. The most frequent instances of the Crown's interposition go no farther than nephews and nieces,* but examples are not wanting of its reaching to more distant collaterals. -j* And the statute 6 Henry VI, which prohibits the marriage of a Queen-Dowager ■without the consent of the King, assigns this reason for it — " be- cause the disparagement of the Queen shall give greater comfort and example to other ladies of estate, who are of the blood royal, more lightly to disparage themselves." Therefore, by the statute 28 Henry VIII, c. 18, (repealed among other statutes of treasons by 1 Edward VI, c. 12,) it was made high treason for any man to contract marriage with the King's children or reputed children, his sisters or aunts, ex parte paternd, or the children of his brethren or sisters ; being exactly the same degrees to which precedence is allowed by the statute 31 Henry VIII, before mentioned. * Blackstone's " Commentaries/' Bk. i. c. 4. who, in his note (besides the Instances cited in Fortescue Aland's " Reports," &c. 1748, fol.) refers to others ; as for brothers and sisters, under Edward III, Henry V, Edward IV, Henry VIII, and Edward VI. For nephei&s and nieces voider Henry III, Edward I. and III, Richard II. and III, and under Henry VII. + Blackstone, ihicL, w^here he refers to instances of it reaching to great- nieces under Edward II ; to first cousins under Edward III ; to second and third cousins under Edward III, Richard II, Henry VI. and VII, and under Queen EUzabeth ; to fourth cousins under Henry VII ; and to the blood royal in general under Richard II. MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 83 The act under which the marriages of the Royal Family are now regulated, is that of 12 Geo. II, c. 11 ; and which not only de- clares that marriages of the descendants of George II, (with certain exemptions,) if contracted without the previous consent of the King, shall be null and void ; but also that all persons solemnizing, assisting, or being present at any such prohibited marriage, shall incur the penalties of the statute oi prtemumre. The two principal clauses of the act in question are here in- serted, by way of showing clearly what is the law upon this subject, as also by way of answering the question now so frequently pro- posed, namely. Whether the Royal Marriage Act (as this statute is generally designated) bears at all upon the question of the mamage of the Sovereign ? It does not, neither does there exist any act to fetter the free choice of the Crown in this respect.* * The following letter, addressed by Elizabeth to Sir Edward Stafford, during the negotiations for her marriage with the Duke of Anjou, which my accomplished friend Mr. Thomas Wright, who has lately printed it from a copy formerly in the possession of Sir Christopher Hatton, justly describes " as so noble and characteristic that it deserves to be imprinted on the memories of all her countrymen," refers so immediately to this im- portant subject, as to justify, if justification be necessary, its insertion in this place. THE QUEEN TO SIR ED^yARD STAFFORD. " Stafford, as 1 gi'eatly regard your poor man's diligence, so will I not leave him unrewarded. For the charge 1 have written to Monsieur that 1 have given in to you, this it is : first, for the commissioners' authorities, I have good reason to require that they may be as I desyred, both for present mislikes as well as for after mishaps. It happened in Queen Mary's days, that w^hen a solemn ambassade of five or six at the least were sent from the Emperor and King of Spain, even after the articles were signed, sealed, and the matter divulged, the danger was so near the Queen's chamber-door, that it was high time for those messengers to depart without leave-taking ; and bequeathed themselves to the speed of the river-stream, and by water passed with all possible haste to Graves- g2 84 MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. " Be it enacted, That no descendant of the body of his late Majesty George II, male or female, (other than the issue of Princesses who have married, or may hereafter marry, into foreign families,) shall be capable of contracting matrimony without the previous consent of his Majesty, his heirs or successors, signified under the great seal, and declared in council ; (which consent, to preserve the memory thereof, is hereby directed to be set out in the licence and register of marriage, and to be entered into the books of the privy council ;) and that every marriage or matrimonial contract of any such descendant, without such consent first had end, and so away. I speak not this that I fear the like ; but when I make collection of sundry kinds of discontentments all tied in a bundle, I suppose the faggot will be harder altogether to be broken. There is even now another accident fallen out, of no small consequence to this realme. I am sure the States have accorded to the demands of Monsieur, and do present him the sovereignty of all the Low Countries. Suppose now, how this may make om* people think well of him, and of me to bring them to the possession of such neighbours. " Stafford ! I think not myself well used ; and so tell Monsieur, that I am made a stranger to myself, which he must be, if this matter take place. In my name, show him how impertinent it is for this season, to bring to the ears of oiu- people so untimely news. God forbid that the banes of our nuptial feast should be savoured with the sauce of our sub- jects' wealth ! what may they think of me, that for any glory of my own would procure the ruin of my land ! Hitherto, they have thought me no fool : let me not live the longer the worse. The end crowneth all the work. " I am sorry that common posts of London can afford me surer newes than the inhabitants of towns will yield me. Let it please Monsieur to suspend his answer unto them, till he send some unto me of quality and of trust to commvinicate and concur with that I may think best for both our honours ; for I assure him it shall too much blot his fame if he deale otherwise, not only in my sight, unto whom it hath pleased him to promise more than that, but especially to all the world, that be over- MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 85 and obtained, shall be null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever. " Provided always, and be it enacted, That in case any such descendant of his Majesty King George II, being above the age of twenty-five years, shall persist in his or her resolution to contract a man-iage disapproved of, or dissented from, by the King, his heirs or successors ; that then such descendant, upon giving notice to the King's privy council, (which notice is hereby directed to be entered in the books thereof,) may, at any time from the expiration of twelve calendar months, after such notice given to the privy seers of his actions. Let him never procure her harm whose love he seeks to win. My mortal foe can no ways wish me a gi-eater losse than England's hate ; neither should death be less welcome unto me than such mishap betide me. You see how nearly this matter wringeth me ; use it accordingly. " If it please him, the deputies may have the charge of this matter, joined with the other two that were aforementioned. I dare not assure Monsieur how this great matter will end, until I be assured Avhat way he will take with the Low Countries ; for rather will I never meddle wdth marriage, than have such a bad covenant added to my part. Shall it ever be fovmd true that Queen Elizabeth hath solemnized the per- petuall harm of England under the glorious title of marriage with Francis, heir of France ? No, no : it shall never be ! " Monsieur may fortune ask you, ' Why should not the Low Countries be governed by the indwellers of that country as they were wont, and yet under my superiority, as well as the King of Spain did V I answer, the case is too far different, since the one is far off by sea's distance, and the other near upon the continent. We willingly will not repose cm- whole trust so far in the French nation as we will give them in pawn all our fortune, and afterward stand to their discretion ; I hope I shall not live to that hour. Farewell ! with my assurance that you will serve with faith and diligence. In haste. Your Sovereign, Elizabeth." Wright's " Queen Elizabeth and Her Times," vol. ii. pp, 150 — 152. 86 MARRIAGES OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. council as aforesaid, contract sucli marriage, and his or her marriage with the person before proposed and rejected may be duly solem- nized, without the previous consent of his Majesty, his heirs or successors ; and such marriage shall be good as if this act had never been made, unless both Houses of Parliament shall, before the ex- piration of the said twelve months, expressly declare their disap- probation of such intended marriage." THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY. SECTION II. THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY. ^*'' NoBiLiTiE," says Milles,* " whicli many of the greater sort of wits with great proof of uncorrupted verity and much flowing eloquence, have gone about to derive out of divers fountains, is of three sorts ; and is divided into Nobilitie Ccelestial, which eon- sisteth in Religion ; Nobilitie Philosophicall, which is got by moral vertues ; and Nobilitie Politicall, whereof this present trea- tise is." This nobility, " whereof," as Milles says, " this present trea- tise is," is again divided, by writers on the subject, into a greater and lesser nobility. To the former class belong Dukes, Mar- quesses, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons ; and to the latter. Knights, Baronets, Esquires, and Gentlemen. All which degrees of nobility and honour are derived from the Sovereign, who, as has been already observed, is the fmmtain of all honoui'. And from the power of the Sovereign to institute new titles at pleasure, it has arisen that all degrees of nobility are not of equal antiquity. DUKE. The title of Duke, the highest which exists in the Peerage of England, was adopted by the French, -f* and other nations, long * " Catalogue of Honour," p. 1. t In France, before the Revolution, the title of Duke w^as very supe- rior to the other dignities, and the peerage was composed of Dukes only ; but the rest of the nobility were properly jealous of this pre-eminence. 90 DUKE. before it was used in England, Avliere, down to the time of Ed- ward VI, it was conferred only on Princes of the Royal Blood. As an English title, it was first created in the eleventh year of the reio-n of Kins' Edward III, when that monarch conferred the dignity of Duke of Cornwall upon his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, who was before only Earl of Chester : but the term Dux, or Duke, was, according to Selden, used in the description of Earls many years before it became a distinct dignity. The charter of creation of the Duke of Cornwall is cited by Cruise,* to show that the dignity of Duke was originally annexed to the possession of lands. The next instance of a similar creation, was that of Henry Earl of Lancaster, who, on the 6th of March 1351, was created Duke of Lancaster ^br life, according to Selden, (who states that he was so created in Parliament, but no notice of such an event is to be found in the Rolls of Parliament,) and the words of the charters of creation are considered to have rendered both these dignities Dukedovis hy Tenure, and as such they are said still to exist — that of Cornwall being vested in the eldest son of the Kins, who becomes such the moment he is born ; and that of Lancaster being in the hands of the Crown. But in the third Report of the House of Lords on the Peerage, p. 126, Henry, Duke of Lancaster, is stated to have been created to that dignity, to him and the heirs male of his body ; and it is there contended, that the grant of the dignity of Duke of Corn- wall was personal ; that the property was granted to him to enable and opposed v^rith spirit every encroachment of the peers. In a procession of the Order of the Holy Ghost, several Dues et Pairs endeavoured to prevent M. de Gamache from walking at the side of the last Duke. The master of the ceremonies hastened to inform the King of the dispute, who decided that the Dukes were wrong if they pretended that a gentleman should not walk aside of them. So, after the procession, the Dukes said they had never formed such a pretension, and that it was a misunder- standing." — Sir James Lawrence, " Nobility of the British Gentry." * Ciiiise, " Treatise on Dignities," p. 1 9. DUKE. 91 him to maintain the dignity of Duke according to liis rank ; tliat the King''s patent of creation, and not tlie grant of the property, made him Duke of Cornwall, as a mere title or name of honour ; and that the property did not make him Earl of Cornwall or give him any title of dignity. After the period in question dukedoms were occasionally granted as a personal dignity, with remainder, in most instances, to the heirs male of the body of the grantee, though, like other digni- ties, instances might be cited where the limitation has been of a more special nature, and one or two occur where the remainder has been to the heirs general of the person so created. And it has been contended by Sir Harris Nicolas,* that the position of Sel- den, in wliidi he has been followed by Mr. Cruise, that the Duke- doms of Cornwall and Lancaster are Dukedoms by Tenure, is not correct, the former being a personal honour, though with a pecu- liar limitation to the eldest son of the King for the time being ; and the latter being clearly a personal honour when confeiTcd on Henry Earl of Lancaster it 1351, and which, on his death Avith- out issue male, became extinct ; but it was again conferred, though with more extensive powers, in 1362, on John of Gaunt, who married the daughter, and eventually sole heir of the last Duke. During the reign of Elizabeth very few Dukes existed in Eng- land, and in 1572, this title became extinct, on the execution of the Duke of Norfolk for high treason. The title was revived, however, in the following reign, when James I. bestowed the title of Duke of Buckingham upon his favourite, George Villiers. At the present day Dukes are created by patent ; anciently the form of creation Avas by cincture of a sword, the putting on of a mantle of state, and other ceremonies of a like nature, as may be seen from the following extract from Milles' " Catalogue of Ho- nor," p. 46, which shows what was anciently * Sir Harris Nicolas, " Observations on Dignities," prefixed to his very valuable and original " Synopsis of the Peerage of England." 92 DUKE. THE MANNKE OF CREATING A DUKE. " In the yeare mdxlvii. the xvii. of the month of February, and in the first year of the reign of Edward, the sixth of that name, the nobilitie being called together and assembled into the Tower of London, Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford, the King's uncle, and Protector of the kingdom, with others promoted unto the divers degrees of nobility, was in this wise created Duke of Somerset. " He himself being apparelled in an inner robe of honor, the Heralds went before him in their heralds' coats, the chief of whom, Garter, following alone, carried the charter. " The Earls of Shrewsbury and Oxford, going together, the Earl of Shrewsbury on the right hand, carried a verge of gold, and the Earl of Oxford on the left, carried the Duke's cap with a coronet of gold. "Next unto whom followed the Earl of Arundel, carrying a sword with the hilt upwards. "At lenofth the Earl of Hertford himself was conducted in the midst, betwixt the Duke of Suffolk and the Marquess of Dorches- ter ; — Avhen they, in this manner attired in their robes of honor, were come into the chamber of salutation (which they commonly call the presence chamber), they, after thrice obeisance made, Avent unto the King, sitting in his chair of estate ; where fortliM'ith the Earl kneeled down, all the rest standing about him, Garter, king of heralds, delivered the charter unto Baron Paget, the King's secre- tary, who gave the same unto the King, and he delivered it to him again, to be read aloud. " And when he came unto the word ' investwimus,'' or, we have invested, the King put a Duke's mantle upon the Earl ; and at the words ' Gladio cincturavimus^'' girt him with a sword. And at the words ' Cappcc et Ctrculi aurei hnpositionein,^ the King him- self, in like manner, put upon his head a cap with a coronet of gold upon it. And at length, at those words, ' Virgce aureoe tradi- tionem,'' the King himself gave into his hand a verge of gold. " Which done, the secretary read the rest, even unto the end of DUKE. 93 the charter : wherein he pronounced him, the said Earl of Hert- ford, to be Duke of Somerset, at wliich time the King forthwith gave the charter unto the Duke to be kept ; who, after thanks given unto the King's Majesty for so great an honour and dignity received, in this sort attired, stood by the chair of estate, whilcst the Noblemen returned to bring in others, who were also to be created." At the Coronation of a Sovereign, a Duke"'s robes consist of a crimson velvet mantle and surcoat, lined with white taffeta; the former being doubled from the neck to the elbow, with four rows of dark spots on each shoulder. His coronet is of gold, set round with eight strawberry-leaves of the same metal at equal distances ; the cap inside being of crimson velvet, lined and turned up with er- mine spotted, and surmounted by a golden tassel. The Coronation robe or mantle of a Duchess is of crimson velvet, the cape being furred with minever pure, powdered * with four bars or rows of ermine. The mantle is edged round Avitli minever pure, five inches broad, and the train two yards on the ground. Her coronet is the same as the Duke's, with a cap of crimson velvet turned up with ermine, with a tassel of gold on the top. A Duke's parliamentary robes are made of fine scarlet cloth, lined with white taffeta, having four guards of ermine on each side, at equal distances, each guard being surmounted by gold lace, and the robe itself tied up to the left shoulder by a white riband. His cap is made of crimson velvet, lined and turned * From a MS. in the British Museum (Harl. 1776, fol. 31 b.) which treats of " Apparel for the Heads of Gentlewomen/' more especially of the number of powderings, (as the black tufts of ennine on tlie white minever fur, are there designated,) which the various ranks are entitled to, and which declares that " none shall wear an ennine or lettice bonnet, unless she be a gentlewoman bom, having arms," we learn, that a Duchess, " being abo-ve the estate of a Countess, who is only entitled to twenty-four, may wear the number convenient at her pleasui"e." 94 DUKE. up with ermine, and having a gold tassel on the top. These robes are only worn on occasions of ceremony and importance, as when the Sovereign is present, for the purpose of opening or terminating the session of Parliament. We are told in Segar, " Honor Militarie k Civil," bk. iv. c. 22, "that a Duke must go after the ancienty of his ancestor's crea- tion, so that he be of the same blood and stock, and the Dutchess his wife to cro according' to the same. But if he be a Duke of a new creation, then he is to proceed as a new Duke. " He is to have in his own house a cloth of estate, and in every other place out of the prince's presence, so that the same may come not to the ground by half a yard. " A Duchess may likewise have her cloth of estate, and a Ba- roness to bear up her train in her own house ; and no Earl ought to wash with a Duke but at a Duke's pleasure. "A Duke's eldest son is born in the degree of a Marquess, and shall go as a Marquess, and wear as many powderings as a Mar- quess, and have his assayes, the Marquess being present, saving he shall go beneath a Marquess, and his wife beneath a Marchioness, and above all Dukes' daughters. But if so be a Duke hath a daughter, Avhich is his sole heir, if she be the Duke's eldest daughter, then shall she go before a Duke's eldest son's wife. "Also, a Duke's daughter is born equivalent to a Marchioness, and shall wear as many powderings as a Marchioness, saving she shall go beneath all Marchionesses, and all Dukes' eldest sons' wives. They shall have none assayes in the Marchionesses' presence ; and if they be married to a Baron, they shall go according to the degree of their husbands. And if they be married to a Knight, or one under the degree of a Knight, they are to have place according to their birth. "Note, that a Baron is an estate of great dignity in blood, honor and habit, a Peer of the realm, and companion of Princes ; and, therefore, it is no disparagement unto his wife (albeit a Duke's daughter), to take her place according to her husband's condition. "All Dukes' younger sons be born as Earls, and shall wear as many DUKE. 95 poAvderings as an Earl, saving they shall go beneath all Earls, and Marquesses'" eldest sons, and above all Viscounts. And their ■wives shall go beneath all Countesses' and Marquesses' daughters, and above all Viscountesses' and next to Marquesses' daughters. " Also all Dukes' daughters shall go one with another, so that always the eldest Duke's daughter go uppermost, unless the Prince's pleasure be to the contrary."* A Duke may retain and qualify eight chaplains, and a Duchess two. A Duke is usually styled by the Sovereign, " Our Right Trusty and Right Entirely Beloved Cousin ;" and if a member of the Privy Council, "a?^rf Counsellor.'''' When addressed per- sonally, he is styled Your Grace ; when by letter, it should com- mence " My Lord Duke ;" end — " I have the honor to be. My Lord Duke, Your Grace's most devoted and obedient Servant," and be addressed " To His Grace the Duke of * * * " A Duchess is to be addressed in the same style, with the excep- tion of " Madam" being substituted for " My Lord Duke." * " Note, that if any of all the degrees of nobility be descended of the Blood Royal, they ought to stand above and precede all others that are in pari dignitate of themselves; as a Duke of the Blood above all Dukes not of the Blood ; and so the like in all other degrees, except the Prince's known pleasure be to the contrary. "A Duke's eldest son and heir, of the Blood Royal, shall have place be- fore a Marquess ; and if he be not of the Blood, he shall have place above an Earl. •' An Earl's son and heir, of the Blood Royal, shall precede a Viscount ; and if he be not of the Blood, he shall have place above a Baron." — Segar, p. 24L QQ MARQUESS. MARQUESS* The title of Marquess was unknown in tliis country as distin- guished from other titles of honor, until the creation of Robert de Vcrc, Earl of Oxford, by Richard II. to the dignity of Marquess of Dublin for life, by a charter which is entered on the Rolls of Parliament."!* Mr. Cruise, on the authority of Selden, derives the appellation from the word Marchio, which had been used for many ages to describe both Earls and Barons, but especially those who were Lord Marchers or Governors of the frontier provinces : and at the * Such is the proper mode of spelling this title, and which has, how- ever, only obtained generally within these few years. The amusing author of " Heraldic AnomaUes," (vol. i. p. 218,) gives the present Duke of Marlborough, when Marquis of Blandford, the credit of having been among the first to revive the old and con-ect mode of writing it. Marquis was not only incorrect, but objectionable, not only as being more French than English, and though a high title in France, not only more common than in England, but one so frequently adopted as a travelling title, as to give rise to a verb, " se marquiser," to assume the title of Marquis. f We learn from a passage in Walsingham, which Selden has quoted, " Titles of Honor," Part ii, cap. 5, p. 759, that this was not only a new dignity, to which the English had not been accustomed — nova dig^iitas Anglicis insueta ; but that the other Earls were displeased at the act, seeing that they considered the Earl of Oxford neither wiser nor braver than themselves — quia nee prudentid, ncc armis valentior extitisset. In the patent itself there is no other clause of investiture than naming him ; but the Parliament says that Michael de la Poole, Earl of Suffolk and Chancellor of England, declared the merit and reason of the creation, and then the King himself invested him in a more formal manner, " by the cincture of a sword and the imposition of a golden coronet on his head " — " per Gladii cincturam et Circuli Aurei suo Capiti imposi- tionem." MARQUESS. 97 Coronation of Queen Eleanor, wife of Henry III. John Fitz-Alan, Ralph Mortimer, John de Monmouth, and Walter Clifford, as Marchiones de Marchia Wallm, being Lord Marchers of Wales, claimed as jus marchicE to carry the canopy, which belongs to the Barons of the Cinque Ports. The next creation was that of John de Beaufort, Earl of Somer- set, who was created Marquess of Dorset by the same Monarch, the investiture being by the imposition of a golden coronet on his head, and with a grant of thirty-five marks yearly for creation money, which dignity, however, he did not assume ; but was created by another patent, of the same date, Marquess of Somerset : although he continued to be called Marquess of Dorset until the 1 Hen. IV. when this title was abolished. The subsequent proceedings in this case, as recorded by Salden, exhibit a curious proof of the novelty of the title. " The Com- mons afterwards in the Parliament of the fourth year of the same King, recommending his merit to the King and Lords, and so making it their suit that he might be restored to the title of Mar- quess; he gave them hearty thanks for their fiivour towards him, but humbly declared himself to the King, that he was unwilling to have any such title, because it was then so strange and new in this kingdom ;" or, as it is quaintly but characteristically expressed in the Rolls of Parliament, " Et sur ceo, le dit Cont, engenulant, molt humblement pria au Roi, que come le noun de Marquis feust estrange noun en cest roialme, q'il ne luy vorroit ascunement doner eel noun de Marquis.'''' In the 24th year of Henry VIII. the title of Marchioness was bestowed upon Lady Anne Rochfort, and from the proceedings on that occasion we learn the rules and ceremonies used on the crea- tion of a Marchioness* Anne (Rochfort), daughter of Thomas, Earl of Wiltshire ^nd of Ormond, upon a Sunday, namely, the 1st of September 1532, in the 24th year of King Henry VIII., was at Windsor in this man- ner invested. * Milles, p. 42. H 98 iMARQUESS. " The King himself, attended upon with the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Marquesses, Earls, Barons, and other the great estates of the kingdom, together with the French Ambassador and many of the Privy Council, went into the chamber of salutation (which they commonly call the presence), and there sate him down in his chair of estate. " Unto the which place the aforesaid Anne was conducted with a great train of noble courtiers, both men and women. The heralds went foremost, Garter King of Heralds first, carrying the King's charter. After whom the noble Lady Mary, daughter to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, upon her left arm earned a robe of estate of crim- son velvet furred with ermines, and in her right hand a coronet of gold. Her the aforesaid Anne followed, with her hair loose, and hano-ing down upon her shoulders, attired in her inner garment, which they call a surcoat, of crimson velvet, lined with ermines also, with straight sleeves ; going in the midst betwixt Elizabeth, Coun- tess of Rutland, on her right hand, and Dorothy, Countess of Sus- sex, on her left : Avhom many noble ladies and gentlewomen fol- lowed. " But she, being brought towards the King's royal seat, thrice made her obeisance, and coming unto the King, fell down upon her knees. The King gave the charter before delivered unto him in to the Bishop of Winchester, his secretary, to be read, which as he was reading aloud, at these words, ' Mantella inductionem,'' (in the charter,) the King put upon Anne, the Marchioness, the robe of estate, delivered him by the Lady Mary ; and at the words ' Circuli Anrei,'' put also upon her head a coronet of gold. At length the charter being read, the King gave unto her two charters, viz. the one of the creating of her to be a Marchioness, and to the heirs male issuing out of her body for ever ; and another for the receiving of a thousand pound revenue yearly for the maintaining of that her dignity."" All which things at length performed, she gave the King most humble thanks, and so having on her robe of estate, and a coronet upon her head, with the trumpets aloud sounding, departed. MARQUESS. 99 The title of Marquess does not appear again to have been con- ferred until the reign of Edward VI, when it was bestowed on William Parr, Earl of Essex, (brother of Katherine, sixth and last Queen of Henry VIII.) who was created Marquess of Northamp- ton ; and on William Paulct, Earl of Wiltshire, who was created Marquess of Winchester. Since that period it has been frequently granted, and has now become like the comparatively modern title of Viscount, a common title of peerage in this country. It has always been conferred by letters patent, and, as in the case of other dignities created in that manner, descends agreeably to the limitation expressed in the in- strument of creation. The Parliamentary and Coronation costume of a Marquess differs from those of a Duke only so far, that whilst the Duke has four guards of ermine on each side of his mantle, the Marquess has four on the right, and only three on the left, each guard being sur- mounted by gold lace. A Marquess"" coronet consists of a circle of gold bordered with ermine, set round with four strawberry leaves, with as many pearls placed alternately on pyramidal points of equal heights. The Coronation robe or mantle of a Marchioness is of crimson velvet, the cape furred with minever pure, and powdered with three rows and a half of ermine ; the edging four inches in breadth, and the train a yard and three quarters on the ground. Her coronet is of eight pearls raised upon points or rays, with small strawberry leaves between, above the rim ; the cap being of crimson velvet turned up with ermine, and with a tassel of gold upon the top. Segar, in the work already quoted, tells us, " that a Marquess must go after the ancienty of his ancestor"'s creation, and the Mar- chioness, his wife, according to the same. " He is to have a cloth of estate in his own house, so that it hang a yard above the ground, and in every other place, saving in a Duke's house, or in his Sovereign's presence. " He may have no assayes in a Duke's presence, but only his cups H 2 100 MARQUESS. covered. Neither may a Marchioness have her gown borne in a Duchess' presence but by a gentleman, for it is accounted a higher deo-ree to be borne by a woman than a man. But in her own house she may have her gown borne up by a knight's wife. "- Also there ought no Viscount or Viscountess to wash with a Marquess or a Marchioness, but at their pleasure. " A Marquess" eldest son is born in the degree as an Earl, and shall go as an Earl, and have his assayes in an Earl's presence, and wear as many powderings as an Earl, saving that he shall go beneath an Earl, and above all Dukes' younger sons, and his wife shall go beneath all Countesses, and above all Marquesses' daughters. " But if the Marquess' daughter be his heir, and she the eldest Marquess' daughter, then she shall go above the younger Marquess' eldest son's wife. " Item, a Marquess' daughter is by birth equal to a Countess, and shall wear as many powderings as a Countess, saving she shall go beneath all Countesses and Marquesses' eldest sons' wives. But they shall have none assays in any Countess' presence. " And if they be married to a Baron, then they shall go according to their husband's degree, ut supra. And if they be married to a Knight, or under the degree of a Knight, then they shall take place after their birth. " Item, Marquesses' younger sons be borne as Viscounts, and shall wear as many powderings as a Viscount, saving only they shall go beneath all Viscounts and Earls' eldest sons, and above all Barons ; and their wives shall go beneath all Viscountesses and Earls' daugh- ters, and above all Baronesses. " Item, all Marquesses' daughters are to go one with another, so that always the eldest Marquess' daughter go uppermost, unless the pleasure of the Prince be to the contrary." A Marquess is entitled to retain and qualify five chaplains. A Marquess is officially entitled by the Sovereign, " Right Trusty and Entirely Beloved Cousin,'''' axidi also upon some occa- sions, " Puissant Prince^ EARL. 101 When addressed personally he is styled *' Mi/ Lord ^ when by letter, its superscription should be " To the most Honourable* The Marquess of ," and it should commence with " My Lord Marquess," and conclude, " I have the honour to remain. My Lord Marquess, Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble servant." A Marchioness is addressed in a similar style, the word " Ma- darn'' being substituted for " My Lord Marquess.'''' EARL.f The title and dignity of Comes, Earl, was introduced into Eng- land by the Normans at the Conquest, from which period to the end of Henry IIL Baron and Earl were the only names of dig- nity or titles known in England. And some writers have con- jectured that the application of Comes arose from the circumstance of the EarFs being Comes et socius Jisco in percipiendis, because * So, at least, a Marquess is officially styled by Garter King at Arms, and not " Most Noble," which is incorrect. t " An Earl," says Blackstone, Bk. i. cap. xii. §. 3. " is a title of no- bility so ancient, that its original cannot clearly be traced out. Thus much seems tolerably certain, that among the Saxons they were called Ealdormen, quasi Elder men, signifying the same as Senior or Senator, among the Romans ; and also Schiremen, because they had each of them the civil government of a several division or shire. On the irruption of the Danes they changed the name to Eorles, which, according to Camden^ signified the same in their language. In Latin they are called Comites, (a title first used in the Empire,) from being the King's attendants ; ' a societate nomen sumpserunt, reges enim tales sibi associant.' After the Norman Conquest, they were for some time called Counts or Countees from the French ; but they did not long retain that name themselves, though their shires are from thence called counties to this day." 102 EARL. generally the Earl had the third part of the profits arising from the pleas of the county.f But the learned Selden, who says that the title of Comes was given to Earls, among other Latin names in the Saxon times, many ages before any mention of this third part, adds, " that fancy touching the word Comes began, as far as I have yet observed, about the time of Henry II. ; and after King John, I find no memory of the continuance of it. Until his time, the charters of creation or liveries of earldom sometimes have that ' unde Comes est,"" with such reference to the tertius denarius (or third penny) as may persuade us that the fancy continued then. But good authors of those ancient times with us, derive the title of Comes no otherwise than the writers of other nations." * * * " Bracton, that lived about the end of Henry III., speaking of Comites in general, but having his eye, doubtless, more especially upon those of his own country, well says, that they are called ' Comites quia a Comitatu'^ sive a societate nomen siimpserunt, qui etiam dici possunt Consults a Consulendo. Reges enim tales sihi associant ad consulendum et regendum populum Dei, Sfc.'' " And in confirmation of this opinion, Selden observes, on the au- thority of an ancient writer quoted by Camden, that several Earls had not the third penny, or third part of the pleas of the county. Cruise, in his Treatise on Dignities, states that the dignity of an Earl was originally annexed to the possession of a particular tract of land, and that there appear to have been three diiferent kinds of Earldoms. The first was where the dignity was annexed to the seisin and possession of an entire county, with ^z^ra regalia, in which case + Nicolas' '^ Synopsis of the Peerage/' Intr. p. Ixxii. :{; Sir Han-is Nicolas states^ Introd. p. Ixxiii. that Bracton does not derive the -word Comes from Comitatus. It w^ill be seen from the above passage quoted from Selden, (p. 638, edition 1631,) that Bracton, on the contrary, does so derive it. It is, however, probably only an error of the press ; but the errors of the press of so good an authority as Sir H. Nicolas, are deserving of being pointed out. EARL. 103 the county became palatine,* and the person created Earl thereof acquired regal jurisdiction and royal seignory. By reason of the * Of this kind were Chester, Pembroke^ and Durham ; but by sta- tute 27 Henry VIII. c. 24, the privileges of Earls Palatine were much abridged, with the exception of the Bishop of Durham. Hutchinson, in the first volume of his "History of Durham," describes the Palatine power, formerly possessed by the Bishops of Durham, and which, according to Sir Edward Coke's opinion, commenced soon after the Con- quest. " They had power to levy taxes for the service and defence of the Palatinate, and make truces with enemies ; to raise defensible troops within the liberty, from sixteen to sixty years of age, and to impress ships for war. They sat in judgment of life and death, and held execution by life and limb. They had power to create barons, who with their vassals were bound to attend the Bishop's summons in council ; and thence may be observed, the greatest part of the lands within the liberty are held of the Bishop as Lord Paramount in capiie. They coined money, granted licenses to embattle castles, build churches, found chantries and hospi- tals, instituted corporations by charter, to which the Crown's assent was not essential to maintain their legality, and granted markets, fairs, &c. They had all manner of royal jurisdiction, both civil and military, by land and by water, for the exercise whereof they held proper comts, and appointed officers and other ministers of every department, as well such as the Crown nominates without the liberty, as such as the King has been used to depute, according to the exigency of special cases, or for the special execution of acts of parhament." After specifying their various officers, who rivalled in number and power those attached to the Crown, he proceeds: — "Thus by themselves and officers they did justice to all persons in all cases, without either the King, or any of his bailiffs or offi- cers, interfering ordinarily in anything. Whatever occasion the King had within this liberty, his writs did not run here ; they were not di- rected to his own officers as in other counties, but to the Bishop himself, or in the vacancy of the see to the proper officers of the Palatinate. When King Henry II. sent his justices of assize here upon an extra- ordinary occasion of murders and robberies, he declared by his charter, that he did it with the license of the Bishop, and juro hdc vice tantum and 104 EARL. royal jurisdiction, the Earl Palatine had all the high courts and officers of justice which the King had, with a civil and criminal jurisdiction ; and by reason of his royal seignory he had all the royal services, and royal extreats Avhich the King had ; so that, in fact, a county palatine was, in every respect, a feudal kingdom of itself, but held of a superior lord.* The second kind of Earldom was, where the King created a person Earl of a county, without granting him the seisin and pos- session of the county itself, or any of the franchises of an Earl Palatine, but only the third part of the profits, or tertiiim dena- riuvi, arising from the pleas of the county court. The third kind of Earldom was, where the Crown granted a considerable tract of land to a person to hold per servitum unius comitatus. On this subject, however, a variety of conflicting opinions exist, nor does there appear to be any positive evidence of the prin- ciple which regulated the creation and descent of Earldoms until the reign of Edward III. when they were conferred by charters or letters patent, with an express limitation either to the heirs that it should not be drawn into custom, either in his time or the time of his heirs, not being done but upon absolute necessity ; and that he vfovld nevertheless have the lands of St. Cuthbert to enjoy their liberties and ancient customs as amply as ever." * We are told, that in France, where the title of Count is now purely honorary, the Counts, taking advantage of the weakness of the later Kings of the Carlovingian dynasty, converted into hereditary principaUties those districts and cities which they had originally only commanded as officers of the Crown; and joined to their names those of their counties. It is only since the ninth century, and especially since the fiefs had become hereditary, that it has been usual in documents to distinguish places by their Comtes. It was with the view of abolishing these Comtes sou- verains in France, and to prevent too great an increase of counties gene- rally, that Charles IX. issued an ordonnance, declaring that all Duchies and Counties should revert to the Crown in default of heirs male. EARL. 105 general, or lieirs male of the body of the grantee. From the Con- quest to the reign of Henry III. they appear, in several instanees, to have been held like Baronies, by the tenure of certain lands, which had been created into Earldoms. On the forfeiture of those lands, the persons on whom the Crown conferred them, in most instances, assumed the title of Earl ; and even as late as the reign of Edward III. the titles of the Earldoms of which Henry Plant- agenet, Duke of Lancaster, died possessed, were assumed by John of Gaunt, the husband of Blanch Plantagenet, his daughter and eventually sole heir. Selden, who was too wise to despise the historical illustrations of manners, customs, and laws, which may be gathered even from " old wives' tales,"" and " ballads in print," quotes from the Rhyming Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester, the following quaint narrative of the creation of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, natural son to Henry I. The King having speech with Mabile, the sole daughter and heir of Sir Robert Fitz Hayman, Lord of Gloucester, told her, he should his son to her spousing anonge, This maid was ther agen^ and withsaid it long. The King oft sought her suith ynon, so that atten ende Mabile him answered, as gode maide and hende, ' Sir/ she said, ' well I wot tliat your hert ope me is More for myne heritage, than for my selve I wis ; So fair heritage as I have, it were me great shame, For me to have a lord, but he had a two name. Sir Robert le Fitz Haim my father's name was. And that ne might nought be his, that of his kinne nought nas. Therefore Sir for Godis love, ne let me no man owe But he have a two name whereby he be iknowe.' ' Damoyselle,' quoth the King, ' thou sayest well in this case Sir Robert le Fitz Haim thy faders twoname was ; And as fair twoname he shall have, if me him may by see Sir Robert le Fitz Rey his [two] name shall be.' ' Sire,' quoth this maid then, ' that is a fair name , As who sayeth all ids life and of great fame. 106 EARL. And what shall his son hight then and they that of him come. So ne might they hight whereof nameth gone V — The King understood that the maid said no outrage. And that Gloucester was chief of their heritage. ' Demeselle/ he said then, ' thy Lord shall have a name For him and for his heirs fair without blame. For Robert Earl of Gloucester his name shall be and his. For he shall be Earl of Gloucester and his heirs I wis !' ' Sire,' quoth this maid then, — ' well liketh me this ; In this form I will that all my goods be his.' Thus was Earl of Gloucester first ymade there. It is right to say that the language has here been slightly modern- ized to suit those readers who may never have devoted their atten- tion to the study of the middle English literature and language. The following account* of the rites and ceremonies observed when Walter Devereux, Baron Ferrers of Chartley and Viscount Here- ford, was created Earl of Essex by Elizabeth at Greenwich, on the 4th May 1572, exhibits the forms of investiture then in use. " The same Walter Devereux, Baron Ferrers of Chartley and Viscount Hereford, having on an inner gown of purple silk, and covered with a robe of estate, and a velvet mantle of the same colour, and going in the middle betwixt the Earl of Sussex on his right hand and the Earl of Huntingdon on his left, both of them in their robes, was conducted from the Queen's chapel unto the Queen's presence. " Next before him went the Earl of Leicester, carrying a cap of estate and a coronet of gold, and the Earl of Bedford on the left, bearing before him a sword with the hilt upward. " Before these also went Garter, the Chief King of Arms, with the charter, alone, and before him all the rest of the heralds by two and two together. " When they were come to the Chamber of Presence, after they had thrice made their most low obeisance, with some little space betwixt, they drew near unto the Queen, then sitting in her chair * Milles' " Catalogue of Honour," p. ,S8. EARL. 107 of estate, where the aforesaid Walter kneeled down, the rest stand- ing by. There the charter was first delivered unto the Queen, who gave it to William Cecil, Baron of Burghley, who delivered the same to William Cordell, Knight, Master of the Rolls, to read it aloud. Where, at these words in the charter, ' Gladio cinctura- vimus,'' the Queen put about his neck a sword, hanging over- thwart towards his left hand, and at the words ' Cappcc et Circuit mirei,'' she also put upon his head a cap with a little coronet ; and after reading that which was left, pronounced him the said Walter before Viscount Hereford, now created Earl of Essex, for him and his heirs male, as in the charter itself more at length appeareth. " These things being done, the said Master of the Rolls (instead of the secretary, for the helping of whom he had read the charter) delivered it to the Earl of Oxford, Great Chamberlain of England ; but he delivered it unto the Queen, who also gave the same unto the Earl of Essex to be kept. But he, after great thanks, with greatest humility given, withdrew himself aside amongst the other noble- men standing thereby, expecting another coming to be created Earl.'"' In like manner, and at the same time also, Edward, Baron of Clynton and Say, and Admiral of England, was for himself and his heirs male created Earl of Lincoln. " These things altogether finished, they departed in the same order that they came in, with the trumpets aloud sounding, whom the heralds received. Garter went before, whom the new Earls fol- lowed in the middle betwixt the Earls of Sussex and Huntingdon. And being so attired in the ornaments of their creations, were con- ducted to dinner into a dining chamber prepared for the same purpose. " Where, after they had set a space, at the coming in of the second course. Garter, with the rest of the heralds, coming into the dining chamber crying aloud, Largesse ! he alone proclaimed the Queen's style, first in Latin, after in French, and thirdly in English : and having thrice repeated the word Largesse, and withdrawing them- selves a little farther from the table, proclaimed the style of these last created Earls in French and English in these words : " Du trcs haut et puisant Seigneur Guatier D'Evercux, Conte 108 EARL. de Essex, Viscount Hereford, Baron Ferrers de Chartley et Cheva- lier du tres noble ordre de la Jarretiere. " Of tlie most high and mighty Lord Walter of Devereux, Earl of Essex, Viscount Hereford, Baron Ferrers of Chartley, and Knight of the most honourable Order of the Garter. " Du tres haut et puisant Seigneur Sir Edouarde, Conte de Lin- coln, Baron de Clinton et Say, grand admirall d'Angleterre, et Chevalier du tres noble Ordre de la Jarretiere. " Of the most high and puisant Sir Edward Earl of Lincoln, Baron of Clinton and Say, Great Admiral of England, and Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter." " For many centuries," says Sir Harris Nicolas, " Earldoms have always been conferred by letters patent, or charters, accom- panied by an investiture in Parliament, and the manner in which the dignity was to descend was, as in the case of all other titles, by patent, expressly defined. The investiture has long since been dispensed with,* and the ancient practice of creating a person Earl of some county or town, has, from the great increase of dignities in this country, given place to deriving the title from some village or estate, and even from the name of a family. In most instances the title has been limited to the heirs male of the body of the grantee, but remainders are by no means uncommon to the issue of a sister or daughter, or to some other person named in the patent." The robes worn by an Earl at a Coronation are of crimson velvet, diiFering from those w^orn by a Duke and Marquess, only * In one of tlie MSS. on Heraldic Matters bequeathed to the British Museum by the late Miss Banks, we find the following curious parti- culars of the apparel for the creation of estates from the degree of an Earl upwards : " Imprimis, for akirtle or siu-coate 14 yards of crimson velvet. Item, for the mantle 18 yards of crimson velvet, furred with white miniver fur. Item, the hood, scabbard of the sword, and the girdle, to be of the same velvet. EARL. lOf) in so flir, tliat they have but tliree guards of ermine and gold. lace. His parliamentary robes are of fine scarlet cloth, lined with white taffeta, doubled with three guards of ermine at equal distances, with gold lace surmounting each guard, and tied up to the left shoulder with white riband. An EarFs coronet* is a circle of gold, bordered with ermine, " To be provided for the creation of an Earl. 1st. To appoint the name of the county. The day of his creation. The place w^here he shall dine with the noblemen. The robes of Estate. The letters patent. The circulet. Three Earls in their robes, whereof two principal to lead him, and one to bear the sword. Garter, King of Arms, to bear his letters patent. His style to be proclaimed, and one Earl to bear his circlet. These duties are to be paid at the creation of the estate aforesaid. £ s. d. To the Office of Amis 10 and bis gown To the Tmmpets . 10 To the Gentlemen Huishers 10 To the Sewers . . . . To the Yeoman Huishers . To the Grooms of the Chamber 1 To the Pages .... To the Yeoman Waiters To the Groom Porters . 6 8 To the Ewery .... 6 8 To the Cellar . 10 To the Buttery .... 10 To the Pantry . 10 To the Musicians at pleasure." * It has been stated, that the Lord Treasurer Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, was the first Peer of his degree who wore a coronet. But Sandford, 1X0 EARL. heiglitened Avitli eight pyramidal points, or rays, on the top of which are as many hirge pearls, which are placed alternately be- tween as many strawberry leaves. His cap is of crimson velvet, lined with ermine, and has a gold tassel on the top. The robe or mantle of a Countess, at a Coronation, is of crimson velvet, the cape furred with pure minever, and powdered with three rows of ermine ; the edging three inches in breadth, and the train a yard and a half on the ground. Her coronet is composed of eight pearls raised upon points or rays, with small strawberry leaves between, above the rim ; the cap being of crim- son velvet, lined with ermine, and having a tassel of gold on the top. Segar's " Honor, Militarie and Civil," must be again referred to, for the particulars of the several privileges attached to this dio-nity,* and by way of showing how great his authority must be upon such subjects, the reader will perhaps excuse the intro- duction of a small quotation from the work, in which Sir William, in a case respecting duels, treats upon the dignity, not of any man of rank, but of a very important feature in the face of any man of rank, or rather, indeed, of a man of any rank — to wit, the nose ! in his " Genealogical History of the Kings and Queens of England," ob- serves that the figure of John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, upon his monument, in the chapel of St. Edmund in Westminster Abbey, is adorned with a diadem, composed of a circle of greater and lesser leaves or flow- ers, which was the most ancient instance of an Earl having a coronet on, that had come within his observation. * We learn from the amusing Diary of Pepys, that in the time of Charles the Second, when the custom still prevailed of the Nobility, Great Officers of State, and Royal Household, making new-year's gifts to the Sovereign, and receiving gifts in return, that "^an Earl gives twenty pieces in gold in a purse to the King." Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe and jewels were, according to Dr. Drake, principally furnished by the annual new-year's gifts of her cour- tiers. I EARL. Ill " Two gentlemen being in figlit, the one puttetli out tlie eye of his enemy, and he in requital of that hurt cutteth off his nose : the question is, who is by those hurts most dishonoured ? It may seem at first sight that the loss of an eye is greatest, being a member placed above, and that without the sight a man proveth unfit for all worldly actions ; yet for so much as the want of a nose is commonly accounted the greatest deformity, and a punish- ment due for infamous offences, it may be reasonably inferred that the loss of that feature should bring with it most dishonour. Be- sides that, seeing man is made according to the image of God, we account that the face being made more deformed by the loss of the nose than of one eye, therefore the greatest honour of the combat is due unto him who taketh the nose of the enemy." To return to our more immediate subject, however, he states that — " An Earl shall go after the ancienty of his ancestor's creation, so that he be of the same kindred and stock ; and the Countess,* his wife, shall go according to the same. He may have none assayes in a Marquess's presence, but only his cup covered. Neither may any Countess have her gown borne up in a Marchioness''s pre- sence by a gentlewoman, but by a gentleman. " Also an Earl may have, in his own house, a cloth of estate, which shall be fringed round without any pendant. And a Baron ought not to wash with an Earl, but at his pleasure. " Item, an Earl's eldest son is born equal to a Viscount, and shall go as a Viscount, and shall wear as many powderings as a Viscount. But he shall go beneath all Viscounts, and his wife beneath all Viscountesses, and above all Earls' daughters. But if she be the Earl's daughter and heir, and the elder Earl's daughter, then she shall go above the younger Earl's eldest son's wife. " Item, all Earls' daughters be born as Viscountesses, and shall wear as many powderings as a Viscountess, yet shall she go be- * The title of Comitissa, CountesSj does not occur earlier than the ninth century. 112 EARL. noath all Viscountesses and Earls' eldest sons' wives. And if tliey be married to a Baron, or to any other above a Baron, then they shall go after the degree of their husband. And if they be married to a Knight, or under the degree of a Knight, then they are to go and have place according to their birth. " Item, all Earls' younger sons be born as Barons, and shall wear as many powderings as a Baron, saving they shall go beneath all Barons and Viscounts'' eldest sons, and above all Baronets. And their wives shall go beneath all Baronesses and Viscountesses' daughters, and above all Baronets' wives. " Item, all Earls' daughters to go one with another, the elder Earl's daughter to go uppermost, unless the pleasure of the Prince be to the contrary." An Earl may retain and qualify five chaplains. The style of an Earl is " Right Honourable,'''' and he is offici- ally addressed by the Crown as " Our Right Trusty and Right Well-beloved Cousin,''''* and bears also upon some occasions the title of " Puissant Prince." Letters addressed to him should be directed to " The Right Honourable the Earl of " Commence, " My Lord," — and conclude, " I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and very humble servant." * This style of address is as ancient as the reign of Henry IV. who being either by his wife, his mother, or his sisters, actually related or allied to every Earl in the kingdom, artfully and constantly acknow- ledged that connexion in all his letters and other public acts ; from whence the usage has descended to his successors, though the reason has long ago failed." — Blackstone, Bk. i. c. 12, §. 4. 113 VISCOUNT. This title, wliicli is always conferred by letters patent, and de- scends according to the limitation expressed in them, is the most modern title of Peerage in this country. The word had long been used to denote the sheriff of a county, (thus Blackstone says, ' the Sheriff, Earl's Deputy, or Vice-comes,") and though the dignity was known in France at a much earlier period, where, like all other titles in that kingdom, it was of a feudal nature and attached to lands, it was not introduced into England until the reign of King Henry VI., who, on the 12th February, in the eighteenth year of his reign, anno 1440, created John Lord Beaumont Viscount Beaumont by letters patent. This dignity was limited to the heirs male of his body, and it is observable that King Henry, on the 10th January, in the nine- teenth year of his reign, granted him the feudal Viscounty of Beau- mont in France, which had been forfeited to the Crown by the re- bellion of the Due d'Alen^on, and having been bestowed by Henry V. upon his brother John Duke of Bedford, had by his death re- verted to the Crown.* And Selden further informs us, that about five years after this creation, he had other letters patent (before any other Viscount made in England) of a more express designation of the place or precedence belonging to his dignity. f The second instance of the creation of a Viscount in this coun- try occurred a few years afterwards, for it appears that Henry Lord Bourchier was, on the 14th December, (25 Henry VI.) 1446, summoned to parliament as Viscount Bourchier ; and it is pre- sumed that the patent of creation to that dignity was dated shortly * Selden, Part ii. cap. iii. p. 530 ; and cap. v. p. 764. t His first charter gave him rank in parliament, and elsewhere, above all Barons, super onmes Barones ; his second gives him precedence above all Viscounts, fiendos et creandos, and above all Earls' heirs and sons, and immediately below all Earls. I 114 VISCOUNT. , before that writ was issued, but neitlier Dugclale nor any other writer cites any such patent, but merely refers to the writ as proof that he was so created. This dignity has, comparatively, been but seldom conferred ; its precedence, as stated in the patents of John Viscount Beaumont, is immediately below all Earls and above all Barons. Formerly, each person who received it was previously a Baron, but in a few modern instances individuals have been at once created Barons and Viscounts, as in the case of Viscount Canterbury, created in 1835, Viscount Canterbury and Baron Bottesford. And other instances again have occurred, Avhere individuals have been raised to the dig- nity of a Viscount without having been either previously possessed of a Barony, and without being at the same time created to that dignity, as in the case of Viscount Sidmouth, who was so created on his resignation of office in 1805. And here it may be observed, that it has of late years been un- derstood, that every Premier, being a commoner or Baron, may, on his retirement from office, claim a Viscounty. In the case of the late Right Honourable George Canning, who was at the time of his death, in August 1827, First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, a Viscounty was conferred on his widow, the present Viscountess Canning, in the January following. The robes worn by a Viscount at a coronation consist of a mantle and surcoat of crimson velvet, lined with white taffeta ; the mantle doubled from the neck to the elbow with two rows and a half of ermine. His parliamentary robes are of fine scarlet cloth; the mantle having two doublings and a half of plain white fur. A Viscount's coronet consists of a circle of gold, bordered with ermine, with sixteen pearls set thereon, but not raised upon points. The cap is of crimson velvet, lined with ermine- and having a tassel of gold. The coronation robe of a Viscountess is of crimson velvet ; the cape fuiTcd with minever pure, powdered with two rows and a half of ermine ; the mantle edged round with minever pure, two inches in vrscouNT. 115 breadth, and the train being a yard and a quarter on tlie ground. Her coronet has sixteen pearls set on the rim, the cap being of crimson velvet, lined with ermine, and with a tassel of gold. " A Viscount (says Segar) must go after the ancienty of his own ancestor's creation, and the Viscountess must have place ac- cording to the same. He may have in his own house the cup of assay holden under his cup while he drinketh, but none assay taken. " He may have a carver and a sewer with their towels when they set their service on the table ; the Viscount being there present. And all Viscountesses may have their gowns borne up by a man in the presence of a Countess. Also they may have a traverse in their own houses. " Item, Viscounts' eldest sons be born as Barons, and shall wear as many powderings as a Baron, saving he shall go beneath all Barons, and above all Barons' young sons. And his Avife shall go beneath all Baronesses, and above all Viscounts' daughters. " Item, Viscounts' daughters be born as Baronesses, and shall wear as many powderings as a Baroness, saving she shall go beneath all Baronesses and Viscounts' eldest sons' wives. And if they be married to a Baron they shall go after the degree of their husbands. -' Item, Viscounts' younger sons shall go as Bannerets, and wear as many powderings as a Banneret, saving they shall go beneath all Bannerets." A Viscount may retain and qualify four chaplains,* and his Viscountess two. The style of a Viscount is " Right Honourable,'''' and he is officially addressed by the Crown, " Our Right Trusty and Well- beloved Cousin.'''' He is addressed as " Mi/ Lord,'"' and a letter to a Viscount should so style him at the commencement, and be directed " To the Right Honourable Lord Viscount ." * It may, perhaps, be as well to explain in this place that, by the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. c. 13, an Archbishop may qualify eic/ltt chap- lains ; a Duke or Bishop, six ; Viscount, four ; Baron, Knight of the I 2 110 BARON. BARON* Before entering upon tlie subject of the dignity of a Baron by writ and a Baron by patent, it will be necessary to make a few ob- servations on an order of nobility now no longer existing, but which was the first introduced into this country after the Norman Conquest ; and this is the BARON BY TENURE. After the Conquest, all dignities were attached to the posses- sion of certain lands, which, agreeably to the Feudal System intro- duced into this country by the Normans, were held immediately of the King, upon condition of performing certain honorary services, and which was called a Feudum Nohile, and undoubtedly conferred nobility on the individual to whom it was granted. The services Garter, and Lord Chancellor, three; Duchess, Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess, Baroness, Treasurer and Comptroller of the Household, King's Secretary, Dean of Chapel Royal, Lord Almoner, and Master of the Rolls, two each ; and Chief Justice of the King's Bench, one. All of whom may purchase licence or dispensation, and take two benefices with cure of souls. A chaplain must be retained by letters testimonial under hand and seal, or he is not a chaplain wdthin the statute ; and a chaplain, thus qualified, may hold his livings though dismissed from attendance during life : nor can a nobleman, though he may retain other chaplains in his family, qualify any of them to hold pluralities while the first are liv- ing. — 4 Rep. 90. * The etymology of the name Baron is by no means decided. The opinion most generally entertained, derives it from the Celtic word Ber or Bar, changed by the Romans into Baro. In the middle ages this term was applied to those nobles, whether ecclesiastics or laymen, who BARON BY TENURE. 117 by wliicli these lands were held, chiefly consisted of attending the Sovereign in war with a certain number of Knights ; and likewise of attending his great councils, afterwards designated Parliaments. The number of Knights to be provided by each Baron depended on the conditions annexed to the grant, and according to that number he was said to be possessed of so many Knights'-fees ; that is, his lands were nominallv divided into certain divisions, to the tenure of each of which was appended the duty of providing a Knight completely armed for the field, whenever the King commanded his attendance.* Selden considers that the lands which were conferred by William the Conqueror on his followers, descended to their posterity, and who consequently were deemed to form the Baronial body of the kingdom ; but in the reign of John, from many having alienated portions of their possessions, a great part of them became so reduced as to cause such of the Barons as retained all the lands granted to their ancestors, to obtain a law by which they only should in fu- ture be styled Barons, and all the rest merely tenants in chief, or Kniiihts; but because the name of Baron could not be taken from them, the addition of majores was given to the most powerful Barons, and that of minores to the others. From that period to the reign of Henry III. the right of sitting in the legislative as- sun-ounded Sovereign Princes ; and from this arose the practice, which ex- isted for so long a period, of bestowing this title of honour upon Saints : thus we read in Froissart, torn. 3, cap. 30 — " or em-ent ils affection d'aller en pelerinage au Baron Saint Jacques." This title of Baron was after- wards supplanted by that of Monsieur, which is found joined to the names of Saints as late as the fifteenth century. So great was the honour attached to this title in France, that the nobles quitted the title of Prince for that of Baron : — this was done in France, in the year 1200, by le Sire de Bourbon. It may be added, that the Montmorency family style themselves " les premiers Barons de la Chretiente." * SiK H. NicoLAs's " Synopsis of the Peerage"— Introduction, p. iii. 118 BARON BY TENURE. serablies appears to have been confined to those persons Avho, from possessing entire Baronies, were styled Barones majores : but, under that monarch, it has been held that this practice ceased, and that no person was then considered to be entitled to sit in parlia- ment, unless he was summoned thereto by the King's writ ; though Mr. Cruise contends, on the authority of a proceeding in Parliament, in the Parliament which met in 1225, as given by Matthew Paris, that the Crown never possessed the prerogative of omitting to sum- mon the principal nobles to every parliament. This subject is, however, one of very great uncertainty ; nor has its investigation by the Committee of the House of Lords, " on the Dignity of a Peer of the Realm," produced any information of a conclusive nature. Baronies by Tenure have, however, long ceased to exist ; and the resolution of the King and Privy Council, in the case of the Barony of Fitzwalter, in 1669,* " that no such Baronies had for many ages existed," is not opposed by any decision before that period ; and in every instance since, which at all bore upon the question of Ba- * The Barony of Fitzwalter was, in the reign of Charles II, claimed liy Henry Mildmay, Esq., the heir general of Robert Fitzwalter, who was summoned to Parliament 24th June, 23 Edward I, 1295, and opposed by Robert Cheeke, Esq., who claimed it as a Barony by tenure. Before tlie case was decided Henry Mildmay died, and Benjamin, his brother and heir, urged his claim to the Barony, and eventually the King issued an order in Council for the cause to be heard by the Privy Coimcil on the 19th January 1669, when the two Chief Justices and the Lord Chief Baron were ordered to attend ; wdien, the nature of a Barony by tenure being discoursed, it was found to have been discontinued for many ages, and not in being, and so not fit to be revived, or to admit any pretence of right of succession thereto. Whereupon it was ordered by his Majesty, with the advice of the Lord Chancellor, the two Chief Justices, and the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Sir Matthew Hale, that the petitioner, Benjamin Mildmay, should be admitted humbly to address himself to his Majesty for his writ to sit in the House of Peers as Baron Fitzwalter, and he was so sunnnoned accordingly. BARON BY WRIT. 119 ronics by Tenure, tlic resolutions of the House of Lords have tended to confirm that of the Privy Council in 1669. The last case was that of the Barony de Roos, in 1805, claimed by the Duke of Rutland, as Feudal Lord, from the possession of Belvoir Castle, said to have been the fountain of that dignity ; when the House of Lords decided, that "the Duke of Rutland was not entitled to the Barony claimed on the part of the co-heirs of Robert de Roos," and it was subsequently confirmed to one of the co-heirs, Lady Henry Fitzgerald. There is, however, one Earldom extant, that of Arundel, which the ducal house of Norfolk enjoys by the feu- dal tenure of Arundel Castle ; but that, like other exceptions, only establishes the rule, as the honour endures solely by a special Act of Parliament, passed in the third year of King Charles L To the Barons by Tenure succeeded the BARON BY WRIT.* The cause to which the origin of Baronies hy Writ may be im- puted, has been differently stated by the most distinguished writers on the subject ; but as it is foreign to the object of these obser- vations to enter into the enquiry, it is only necessary to remark that, though writs of summons to Parliament were probably issued at a much earlier period, the first writ of that nature on record, was tested the 24th December, in the 49 Henry III, and that after that year no similar writ is extant until the 22 Edward I, in which, year about sixty persons were commanded to attend the King wherever he might be, to advise on the affairs of the kingdom. It has been doubted, however, whether this writ can be deemed a re- gular writ of summons to Parliament, notwithstanding that it was * Writs of summons to Parliament are of that species usually called Brevia Clausa, because they are closed up with yellow wax, and sealed with the Great Seal of England ; they are then sent with labels to every individual Peer. 120 BARON BY WRIT. admitted as such by tlic House of Lords in the case of the claim to the Barony of Roos ; and therefore, perhaps the earliest positive writ of summons to Parliament, after the 49 Henry III, is that tested on the 24th June 1295, 23 Edward I.* It has long been settled that a writ of summons to Parliament, attended by a sitting f in Parliament under such writ, constituted a Barony in fee, descendible to the heirs generally of the persons so summoned and sitting in Parliament. For, in cases of Ba- ronies by writ, the dignity is not conferred until the person has actually sat in Parliament by virtue of such writ ; so that, in an instance where the person was summoned to Parliament, and died before the Parliament sat, it was resolved that he was not a Peer.:}: It is contended by Cruise, in his " Treatise on Dignities," that a solemn investiture with robes in Parliament was formerly ne- cessary to complete a dignity created by Writ of Summons. When this practice ceased is not known, but it appears not to have been necessary at the time when Lord Coke wrote, as it was then fully settled and admitted, that a Writ of Summons to Parliament, and a sitting in pursuance thereof as a Peer, except in the case of a spiritual person, operated as a creation of a Barony, descendible * Nicolas — Introduction, p. xliii. t Sir W. Blackstone states, that some wrere of opinion that there must be at least two writs of summons, and a sitting in two distinct Parlia- ments, to evidence an hereditary Baron ; but this is a mistake, for in the case of the Barony of Clifton, there was but one writ and a sitting under it, which was held sufficient to create a Barony.— Nicolas, Intro- duction, p. xlv. X In the 8 James I, a question having arisen in Parliament, whether Edward Nevill, who was summoned to Parliament in 2 and 3 Philip and Mary, but died before the Parliament met, was a Baron or not ? it was resolved, " that the direction and delivery of the writ did not make him a Baron or noble until he came to Parliament, and there sat ac- cording to the conunandinent of the writ, for until that the writ did not take eftect." — Nicolas, Introduction, p. xlvi. BARON BY WRIT. 121 to the lineal lieirs, or heirs of tlie body, both male and female, of the person so summoned ; ^vhich doctrine has been confinned by so many decisions, that it is not now to be shaken.* The mode of creatin*? Peers by writ of summons, has been, however, for a long time discontinued, and the only writs now issued are those to the eldest sons of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls,f in their father's Baronies ; but such writs do not create * On the death of a Baron whose dignity originated in a writ, without isme male, the Barony becomes vested in his daughters ; if he has only one daughter she succeeds to the Barony, but if there be more than one, the title falls into abeyance among them, and continues in that state until all but one of the daughters, or the sole heir of only one daughter, survives, in which case the Barony devolves on the surviving daughter or on the heir of her body. If, however, the representation of such daughter be among her co-heirs, the dignity falls into abeyance among them, unless the Crown exercises its prerogative by allowing the Barony to either of the said co-heirs. The earliest instance of the Crowm having terminated an abeyance of a dignity is presumed to have taken place in the reign of Henry VI ; but the right to do so has been considered as one of the royal prerogatives from a much earlier period. The manner of temiinating the abeyance of a dignity in favour of a person who is not a Peer, is by the issuing of a writ of summons, by the style and title of the Barony in abeyance ; but where the person in whose favour an abeyance is to be determined is already a Peer, and has a higher dignity, the Sovereign confinns the Barony to him by letters patent. In the case of a female the abeyance is also teiTuinated by patent. — Nicolas, Introd. p. xlvi. f There is an instance in the reign of Charles I. of the son and heir of a Baron who possessed two Baronies, having been summoned to Parlia- ment in one of them. The Hon. Conyers Darcy, son of Conyers Baron of Darcy and Conyers, (who was subsequently created Earl of Holder- ness,) was sunnnuned to Parliament in his father's Barony of Conyers in 1680. 122 BARON BY PATENT. heritable Peerages. If, however, a writ of summons issue to the eldest son of a Peer, as a Baron, under a misapprehension that the Barony had been vested in his father, then the writ is deemed a new creation, and the dignity is heritable as a Barony by writ. 1'his Avas established in 1736, by the decision regarding the Ba- rony of Strange, in which James Stanley had been summoned in 1628, under the supposition that the Barony had belonged to his father, William, sixth Earl of Derby ; and again, in the similar case of the Barony of Clifford. The first Avrit to an elder son is stated to have been issued 22 Edward IV. when Thomas Fitz-Alan was summoned to Parlia- ment (in his father's the Earl of Arunders Barony) as Baron Maltravers. The next and last class of this order of the nobility compre- hends the BARON BY PATENT. The first instance of a Barony having been created by letters patent under the great seal, which only differ from charters in the mode of attestation, occurred in the reign of Richard II, who created John Beauchamp of Holt, Lord Beauchamp of Kidder- minster, by letters patent, dated 10th Oct. 1387, 11 Richard II. to him and the heirs male of his body. But this Baron never sat in Parliament, having been attainted in the following year. The next instance of the kind was in the 10 Henry VI, when Sir John Cornwall was created Baron Fanhope. It has been contended that, excepting in the case of Lord Beauchamp of Kidderminster, there is no example from the 11 Edward III. to the 1 Henry VII. of a dignity having been created by patent, otherwise than in Parliament ; from which it was attempted to be inferred that the Crown could not formerly confer a Peerage without the consent of Parliament. This doc- BARON BY PATENT. 1^3 trine, however, never existed in England, wliere tlic Crown has always been considered as the Fountain of Honour. In all letters patent, by which dignities are created, there is a clause of investiture, similar to that contained in the ancient charters of creation of personal dignities ; and even so late as the 13 James I. the solemn investiture of Barons created by letters patent was performed by the King himself,* by putting on the * The following is an extract from the MS. in the British Museum before quoted^ and shows what was required " To be provided for the creation of a Baron. " First, to appoint the name of the Barony. " The day of the creation. " The place w^here he shall dine with the gentlemen. " The robe, kirtle, and hood. " The letters patent to be borne by Garter. " The Barons in their robes to lead him, and one to bear his robes. " His stile to be proclaimed by Garter. " These duties to be paid at the creation of the estate aforesaid. '>' To the Office of Arms . 6 13 4 and his gown " To the Trumpets " To the Gentlemen Huishers . 1 1 " To the Sewers 1 ♦' To the Yeomen Huishers 10 " To the Grooms of the Chamber 10 " To the Yoemen Waiters 10 " To the Pages . . . • " To the Ewery .... " To the Groom Porters . 10 6 6 8 8 " To the Cellar .... G 8 " To the Pantry .... " To the Buttery " To the Musicians at pleasure. " The King's Largesse at such creation is 4 C 6 6 8 8 8" Banks' MS. Add. MS. 6297, ff. 177-180. 124 BARON BY PATENT. new Baron a robe of scarlet and a hood fui-red uitli minever ; but in that year the Law advisers of the Crown declared, that the deli- very of letters patent was sufficient,* without any ceremony, and in the modern patents of creation the public ceremony of investi- ture is dispensed with by express words. Annuities were sometimes granted to a new-made Baron, to support his dignity ; but this practice has long since fallen into desuetude. A sitting in Parliament is not necessary to perfect a creation by letters patent, for, by a clause inserted in such patent, the creation becomes perfect and complete as soon as the great seal is put to that document ; and many instances might be cited of persons created by letters patent, dying without ever having sat in Par- liament, and the dignity has nevertheless descended to their pos- terity ; and in one instance a Barony (that of Dormer) had ex- isted for above two centuries, and descended to the tenth Baron before cither of the inheritors of the dignity ever took his seat in Parliament.'!" But on the other hand, whatever measures may have been pre- * The ceremony of public investiture has, however, been observed since the time of James I. as we leam from " Pepys' Diary," who, under date 20th April 1661, says — " — And so went away to Whitehall ; and, in the Banqueting House, saw the King create my Lord Chancellor (Hyde), and several others. Earls, and Mr. Crewe, and several other Barons ; the first being led up by Heralds and five old Earls to the King, and there the patent is read, and the King puts on his vest, and sword, and coronet, and gives him the patent. And then he kisseth the King's hand, and rises and stands covered before the King, and the same for each Baron, only he is led up by three of the old Barons. And they are girt with swords before they go to the King." t The fact of the ancestors of the late John Evelyn Pierrepoint, tenth Baron Donner, having been Catholics, accounts for this extraordinary circumstance. BARON BY PATENT. 125 viously adoptetl for the creation of a Peer, if the party dies before the great seal has been actually affixed to the patent, the creation does not take place. Thus, in the case of the Hon. Charles Yorke, who was Lord Chancellor in 1770, a warrant for creating him Lord Morden, Baron of Morden, county Cambridge, was signed on the 18th January 1770 ; but as he died on the 20th of that month, before the patent received the great seal, his son did not inherit the dignity. The following account of the conferring the Barony of Burleigh by charter on that great minister, Sir William Cecil, will, at least, make the reader acquainted with the rites and ceremonies observed upon such occasions, if it possesses no other interest for him. " William Cecil, Knight, attired in a robe and mantle, and in this form brought forth the 15th day of February, the xiii year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, was in the Royal Palace at West- minster in a great assembly of courtiers made Baron of Burghley. " First, the Heralds go before by two and two together, whom Garter alone followcth, carrying in his hands the royal charter. Henry Carey, Baron of Hunsdon, carried the Baron's cloak. After whom followed William Cecil, Knight, in the midst betwixt Edward, Baron Clinton, on the right hand, and William Brooke, Baron Cobliam, on the left. " Who, entering into the Chamber of Salutation (which we com- monly call the Presence Chamber), and making their obeisance thrice, approached unto her Royal Majesty: where Garter first delivered the charter unto the Earl of Sussex, then Chamberlain of the Queen's House, who gave the same unto the Queen, and she again delivered the same unto John Wolley, Esq. to be read. Where at the words ' investivimus,'' — we have invested — the Queen put upon him the Baron's cloak, and the charter being read, pro- nounced him, the said William Cecil, Knight, Baron of Burghley, and his heirs male after him. " Which thing being done, the charter was again delivered unto the Queen, who forthwith gave it to the Baron to be kept : who at 126 BARON BY PATENT. length, after most great thanks given her for the honour by him received, in his honourable attire, with a great noise and sound of trumpets, departed to dinner in the same order and manner that he came in. " After mid-dinner, Garter, with the rest of the Queen's heralds, coming near unto the table, and having first altogether in French called out Largesse.^ forthwith proclaimed the Queen's style in Latin, French, and English ; and so withdrawing themselves a little farther off, and again repeating Largesse, he repeated the style of the new Baron in these words : — " ' Du tres noble Seigneur Guillaume Cecil, Chevalier, Baron de Burghley.' " And so having done their obeisance, and altogether crying twice Largesse, they departed."* The Coronation robes worn by a Baron are of crimson velvet lined with white taffeta, the mantle doubled from the neclc to the elbow, having two rows of white fur. His Parliamentary robe is of scarlet cloth, but having only two guards of white fur, with as many rows of gold lace. A Baron formerly wore only a circle of gold ; but the coronet now worn, and which was granted to this order by Charles II, is formed by six pearls set at equal distances on a circle of gold, bordered Avith ermine. The cap is of crimson velvet, lined with ermine, and surmounted by a tassel of gold. The Coronation robe or mantle of a Baroness is of crimson velvet, the cap furred with minever pure, and powdered with two bars or rows of ermine. It is edged round with minever pure two inches in breadth, and the train being three feet on the ground. The coronet is a rim or circle with six pearls, not raised upon points, the cap being of crimson velvet turned up with ermine, with a tassel of gold on the top. " A Baron," says Segar, whose authority must once more be * MiLLEs' " Catalogue of Honour/' p. 32. BARON BY PATENT. 127 referred to, " must go after the ancienty of his ancestor''s creation, so that the eklcst Baron go uppermost ; and the Baroness, his wife, must go after the same. She may have her gown borne up by a man in presence of a Viscountess, and the Baron may have the cover of his cup holdcn underneath when he drinketh. " Item, a Baron'*s eklcst son shall go and have place as a Banneret, because his father is a Peer of the Realm ; and by the same reason all Barons"" younger sons shall precede all Bachelor Knights. " Item, all Barons' daughters shall go above all Bannerets' wives, that is to say, she shall have the upper hand of Bannerets'" wives and Knights' wives. " Item, all Barons' daughters to go one with another, so that the eldest Baron's daughter go always uppermost, unless the Prince's pleasure be to the contrary." A Baron may retain and qualify three chaplains, and his Ba- roness two. A Baron is styled " Right Honourable,'''' and when addressed officially by the Crown, " Right Trusts/ and Well-beloved^ Letters addressed to him should commence " My Lord," — conclude Avith " I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and very humble Servant," And be directed "To the Right Honourable Lord ." 128 BARONET. The lowest degree of honour which is hereditary in this country, is that of Baronet, which became a new and distinct title under James I., Avho on the 22nd May, in the ninth year of his reio'u, made divers * by patent, that differed not from another in any syllable, more than the names of them that "Were created. "f* The ostensible, if not actual motive, which James had in view in the creation of this new dignity, was the settlement of the Province of Ulster, in Ireland. Accordingly, every per- son created a Baronet obliged himself " to maintain^ the num- ber of thirty foot soldiers in Ireland for three years, after the rate of eight-pence sterling money of England by the day : the wages of one whole year to be paid upon the passing of the patent." In return for this sum, which amounted to about 1,095/. the party paying it was created a Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male ; Avith precedence before all Knights, except Knights of the Garter ; and the right to have the title of Baronet added, and that of Sir prefixed to his name, in all deeds and writings ; — his patent, moreover, containing a special clause, * Sir Nicolas Bacon, of Redgrave, was the first person advanced to the dignity of a Baronet, on the creation of the order, on which account, his successors, down to the present day, have always been styled the Premier Baronets of England. f Selden. " Titles of Honour." Part 2. cap. 5. X There is no doubt, however, that the real object was " to put mo- ney in the purse," as the Earl of Salisbury intimated, when justifying the proceeding to James, who was very fearful of offending the Peer- age — " Tush, sir, the money will do you good, and the honour will do them very little ! " In fact, Hume expressly tells us, that at that time "'each rank of nobility had its price affixed to it." BARONET. 129 entitling his wife and the wives of his heirs respectively, to be styled Lady, Madam, and Dame, secmuhim usiim locjuendi. The King further bound himself and his successors, that the number of Baronets so created should at no time exceed two hundred, and that there never should, at any future period, be any new dignity created, having rank below that of Baron and above that of Baronet. To those thus created by the King's patents, others were after- wards added, who were made by warrants of Commissioners, authorized under the Great Seal, to treat with such as desired to obtain this honour upon the terms set forth in the patent. But, though the dignity in question was to be purchased by money, and not to be obtained by merit, the instructions to the Commissioners desired them to treat with none " except such as appeared, upon good proof, to be men for quality^ state of living, and good reputation, worthy of the same,"'' and who were further required " to be, at the least, descended of a grand- father by the father's side that bear arms," and to have "a cer- tain yearly revenue in lands of inheritance, in possession one thousand pounds per annum de claro ; or lands of the old rent, as good {in accompt) as one thousand pounds per annum of improved rents ; or, at the least, two parts in three to be divided of lands, to the said values in possession, and the other third part in reversion, expectant upon one life only, holding by dower or in Jointure.* This commission lasted, however, but a short time, and others were again created by patent. In the following year disputes having arisen on the subject of precedency between the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons * Selden, " Titles of Honour." Where the form of the patent, the warrant to the Commissioners, and James's decrees upon the subject ot the place and precedency of the Baronets are all preserved. K JSO BARONET. and the newly-created Baronets, the King issued a decree upon the subject, in which he adjudged, among other things — That the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons were to take place and precedence before all Baronets. That all Bannerets* made under the King's standard, in an * Knight Banneret is a degree of knighthood of very great antiquity, which was usually conferred as a reward for merit in the field. The form of creation, which was mostly by the King, at the head of his army, and under the royal standard displayed, though sometimes by his generalissimo, being one of great solemnity. The Knight elect, bearing a long ensign or pendant, on which his arms were painted, was intro- duced between two elderly Knights, preceded by heralds and trumpets, into the presence of the King, who, " after good words and wishes of happy fortune, commanded the tip or point of the said pennon to be cut off, so that of a long pennon it might be made a four-square ban- ner." Hence the name. How great an advance in dignity this altera- tion was foi-merly esteemed, we may learn from the fact, that in Poictou none but Barons, or those above the degree of a Baron, might bear their arms in a banner, or en drappeau qiiarre, while chastellans and those of inferior rank were allowed to bear them en forme d'escuscion, or in a pennon only. See Selden : " Titles of Honour," p. 540. Le Grand D'Aussy " Fabliaux," tome i. p. 231, tells us, that in France, where all the nobility, like that of the rest of Europe, was di- vided into three classes of Bannerets, Knights, and Esquires, a Banneret was one who possessed so many lands and vassals as enabled him to conduct a certain number of gentlemen, his dependants, to the wars, under his own banner. That this dignity passed from father to son, and might be possessed by an Esquire, seeing that it was attached to the soil, whilst that of a Knight died with him, being attached to the person. In the year 1773, at a review of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth, George IH. conferred the honourable title of Knight Banneret on several flag officers, viz.: — Admirals Pye and Sprye, and on Captains Knight, Bickerton, and Vernon. But neither this, nor some subsequent creations in 1778, being according to the original institvition, a pamphlet was pub- lished, entitled " A Short Inquiry into the Nature of the Titles con- BARONET. 131 army royal, in open war, the King personally present, should take place and precedence before all other Bannerets whatsoever, as, likewise, before the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons, and also, before all Baronets — such younger sons of Viscounts and. Barons and such Baronets taking precedence, however, before all Bannerets, other than such as shall be made by the King himself, &c. His Majesty further decreed, that the Knights of the Garter, the Privy Councillors, the Master of the Court of Wards and Li- veries, the Chancellor and Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer, the Chancellor of the Duchy, the Chief Justice of the King's Bench, the Master of the Rolls, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and all other the Judges and Barons of the degree of the coif of the said Courts, should, by rea- son of such their honorable order and employment of state and justice, have place and precedency in all places, and upon all oc- casions before the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons, and be- fore all Baronets. But, with respect to the wives* of the said Baronets, and of the ferred at Portsmouth and in the Camps, by his Majesty, in 1773 and 1778, showing the origin and ancient privileges of Knights Banneret." 8vo. 1779. An earlier edition of this pamphlet, which was written by Sir W. Fitzherbert, elder brother to the late Lord St. Helens, had ap- peared in 1773. * " The ladies of Baronets have been styled Baronetesses, and not im- properly, to give them rank above Knights' ladies ; but, I apprehend, many of them may be unaware that they have, as Baronetesses, a higher rank than their own husbands ; for they take place of all Knights' ladies, whereas Baronets have not precedency of Knights of the Garter, or of Knights Bannerets created by the King himself in person, under his ban- ner, displayed in a royal army in open war. The same may be said of the ladies of Baronet's sons, and of the daughters of Baronets. They pre- cede the wives of the sons and daughters of all Knights whatsoever." — " Heraldic Anomalies," vol. i. p. 267. K 2 132 BARONET. heirs males of their bodies, it was decreed, that by virtue of the dignity of their husbands, they should take place and precedency next unto and immediately after that place that is due and belong- eth to the wives of the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons, and to the daufjhters of such Viscounts and Barons. And to this decree it was also added, that the Baronets and their eldest sons, being of full age, should be knighted ; and that they and their descendants should bear, either in a canton in their coats of arms, or in an escutcheon, at their election, the arms of Ulster, namely, in a field argent a hand gules, such as is commonly called a " bloody hand." And further, that Baronets for the time being, should have place in the " army of the King, his heirs and successors in the gross, near the King's standard." The question of the precedency* of this new dignity does not appear to have been entirely set at rest, by this decision ; for, four years afterwards, there appeared a further decree upon the subject, in which, after reciting the privileges, &c. already quoted, it is de- clared,-|- " that the eldest sons of the same Baronets and their wives, as well during their husbands'' lives as after, and the daughters of the same Baronets, the said daughters following next after the said wives of the eldest sons of the same Baronets, shall have place and precedence before the eldest son, and the wife of the eldest son, of any Knight of what degree or order soever. And, likewise, that the younger sons of the same Baronets and their wives, as well during their husbands'' lives as after, shall, after the same manner, have place and precedency next after the eldest sons, and wives of the eldest sons, and before the younger sons, and before the wives of the younger sons, of any of the Knights aforesaid." Baronets and their eldest sons (when of age) have the privilege * The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determuied, some holding it to be the head of the mobiles minores, while others, again, rank Baronets as the lowest of the nobiles majores, because their honour, like that of the higher nobility, is both hereditary and created by patent. \ Selden, " Titles of Honour," part ii. cap. 9, s. 3. BARONET. 133 of being knighted by the King, if they desire it, without payment of any fees or dues for the same ; and as many of the Baronets first created, and their eldest sons, were knighed, they so became Knights* and Baronets, as all the members of this order are now- very frequently, though very incorrectly styled. It has been already stated, that James, on the first institution of this order, bound himself and his successors that the numbers of it should never exceed two hundred ; but, as this was obviously an en- croachment upon an important part of the prerogative of his succes- sors, it has been of course utterly disregarded by them. In the reign of Charles II. they amounted to eight hundred and eighty-eight, and the numbers are now only limited by the pleasure of the Crown. It remains to be observed that the professed object of this crea- tion, the settlement of the Province of Ulster, having long since been accomplished, it is now customary upon the creation of a Baronet to remit the payment of the stipulated amount. But the ancient form of the patent being still retained, as if this sum had been actually paid, in order that the same may be discharged, a warrant is issued by the Crown to the Treasurer, Chancellor, Under-Treasurer, and Barons of the Exchequer, directing a tally to be struck purporting the payment thereof, whereupon the newly created Baronet receives his quietus out of the Exchequer ac- cordingly. * A Baronet is not Knight and Baronet without he actually present himself before the Sovereign, and claim the honour of knighthood. An il- lustration of this may be seen in the following case. " Sir Henry Ferrers^, Baronet, was indicted by the name of Sir Henry Ferrers, Knight, for the murder of one Stone, whom one Nightingale fe- loniously murdered, the said Sir Henry being present aiding and abetting, &c. Upon this indictment, Sir Henry Ferrers being arraigned, said that he was never knighted, which being confessed, the indictment was held not to be sufficient. Wherefore he was indicted de novo, by the name of Sir Henry Ferrers, Baronet." — Brydall's " Law of England relating to the Nobility, &c." p. 50. 134 BARONET. A Baronet has no robes, coronet, or distinctive badge whatever.* BARONET OF IRELAND. This order was instituted by James I, for the same purpose, and with the same privileges, as the Baronets of England. Sir Charles Coote, who was Vice President of the Province of Connaught, was the first on whom this honour was conferred, his patent bearing date the 2nd April 1620, and his successors have, in consequence, been stvled ever since, the Premier Baronets of Ireland. Since the Union in 1801, no Baronets have been created other- wise than as Baronets of the U nited Kingdom. BARONET OF SCOTLAND, OR OF NOVA SCOTIA. The order of Baronets in Scotland was instituted for advancing the plantation of Nova Scotia in America, and for settling a colony, to which the aid of these Knights was designed. The order was only intended, not absolutely created, by James I. before his death, for in his charter of Nova Scotia in favour of Sir William Alex- ander, dated 10th September 1621, and in another charter dated 8th November in the same year, granting to Sir Robert Gordon, of Lochinvar, a part of Nova Scotia designated the Barony of Gal- loway, there is no mention made of this order, so that it was not actually instituted until the time of Charles I, anno 1625. The first patent, dated the 28th of May in that year, being bestowed on the above-named Sir Robert Gordon. Their patents, which resemble, generally, those granted to the Baronets of England, disposed to each of these Knights a certain * A petition has, however, recently been presented by the Baronets to the Queen, praying her Majesty to confer some mark of their order upon them. It would appear from Ashmole's " History of the Order of the Garter," "that In 1627, there was an intention to move his then Majesty that all Baronets and Knights Bachelors might wear ribbons of several colours^ some badge or jewel, in such sort as did the Knights of the Bath, to distinguish the one from the other, but the matter dropped." KNIGHT. 135 portion of land in Nova Scotia, and erected the same into a free barony with great and ample privileges ; gave to the newly created Baronets the same place and precedency before all other Knights, &c. with the exception (in addition to those excepted in the English patents) of Sir William Alexander, his Majesty's Lieutenant of Nova Scotia, and ordained that they should, " as an additament of honour to their armorial ensigns, bear either on canton or ines- cutcheon, at their option, the ensign of Nova Scotia, being Argent a cross of St. Andre v>r azure, (the badge of Scotland counter- changed,) charged with an inescutcheon of the Royal Arms of Scot- land, supported on the dexter by the Royal Unicorn, and on the sinister by a savage or wild man, proper, and for the crest a branch of laurel, and a thistle issuing from two hands conjoined, the one being armed, and the other naked, with this motto, Munit hac et altera vincil.'''' About four years afterwards, Charles I. being desirous of adding further dignity to this title, issued a royal warrant, granting them the privilege of wearing an orange-tawney riband and a medal ; the last being presented to each of them by the King himself. KNIGHT.* As mention has already been made of the Knights Banneret,'!' and as the several orders of Knighthood which exist in this country * It is a curious circumstance tliat the English name of this degree. Knight, is almost the only one which does not imply its equestrian na- ture. • For in the French a Knight is styled Chemlier, from Cheval, as in German, Rltter, or Rider, or, as an old poet has better expressed it — Eques ah Equo is said of very right. And Chevalier is said of Chivalrie, In which a Rider is a Knight ; t Vide page 130. J 36 KNIGHT. ■will form the subject of the following section of this work, it only remains under this head to treat of Knights Bachelor, as those Knights are properly styled, who, without belonging to any parti- cular order, have the honour of Knighthood conferred upon them by the Sovereign. This degree of honour is the most ancient, although now the lowest class of Knighthood in England, and having, of late years, been conferred without any reference to the principles formerly ob- served in bestowing this title, has fallen most considerably in public estimation.* Formerly, on the contrary, this title was so highly esteemed, that the King's sons as well as the King's subjects were considered to receive an accession of dignity by it. Nay, more. Kings them- selves did not disdain to receive this dignity. Louis XI, of France, Arragoners done also specific Caballiero through all that partie Is name of Worship, and so took its 'ginning Of Spurs of Gold and chiefly of Riding. From these spurs of gold with which Knights were generally invested, they were likewise frequently designated Eguites Aurati. * To this cause, and the understood fact that its subject, a well-known Norfolk gentleman, prided himself upon being a simple commoner, the following anecdote owes its merit : — Some time after the gentleman in question had made his celebrated speech, in which he was reported to have designated George III. as the " most blood-thirsty monarch that had ever sate upon the throne of Eng- land," he was intrusted by the electors of Norfolk with an address to the throne. The nature of the address was as little agreeable to George IV. as was the presence of the individual w^ho had so stigmatized his father ; and after receiving it with marked displeasure. His Majesty told the bearer he hoped he would never think of bringing him another address of a similar character. " If my constituents intrust it to my hands for that purpose, it will be my duty to present it to Yoiu- Majesty," said the ho- nourable member. " Very well," said the King ; " but remember, if you do— by God I'll knight you !" KNIGHT. 137 at the time of his coronation, received this honour from Pliilip of Burgundy, as did also Francis I. at the hands of the illustrious Bayard, the Knight without fear and without reproach. For it is to be remembered, that in France as in this country, subjects as well as Sovereigns, ecclesiastics as well as laymen, were qualified to give this title. For instance, we read in Ingulphus, that Brand, Abbot of Bury St. Edmund's, bestowed this honour upon Hcreward and another Saxon of noble blood, at the time of the Conqueror, and Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, made William Rufus a Knight during the life-time of his father. Some limit was, how- ever, put to this practice by the parliamentary enactment of the third of Henry I, " 7ie ahhates faciant mililes,'''' whereby Abbots were forbidden to create Knights. As to the forms an^ ceremonies observed on these occasions, they Were, according to Selden, of tw o kinds — courtly and sacred ; the former consisting of the feasts held at the time of creation, and of the giving of robes, arms,* and spurs ; and the latter of those devo- tional practices performed in the church by the Knight elect, before and at the time of receiving the dignity. The form of creation has varied greatly at different times ; yet the girding on of a sword was rarely or never omitted imtil in the later ages, when its place has been supplied by the accolade, or stroke on the neck and shoulder, according to the mode still in use. And this, it may be presumed, was the form observed in the case mentioned by Judge Thirning in the time of Henry IV. " I have heard," said he, " that a Lord had issue a son, and carried him to the font, and presently as soon as he was baptized, took his sword and made him a Knight." In illustration of which practice it may be observed, that Monstrelet expressly states, that every son of a French King is a Knight at his christening. * We are told by William of Malmsbury, that when Alfred knighted his grandson, Athelstan, he bestowed upon him a purple robe, a jewelled belt, and a Saxon sword in a golden sheath. 188 KNIGHT. The sacred ceremonies anciently observed in the conferring of this dignity are first mentioned by Ingulphus, who speaks of their havinff been in use with the Saxons before his time, and of their consisting of a solemn confession, a vigil in the church, receiving the sacrament after an offering of the sword on the altar, and the redemption of it when the newly created Knight was invested with it by the officiating priests. Nor are the solemnities which were observed upon the conferring of this honour the only proofs, although they would alone be satis- factory ones, of the high estimation in which Knighthood was for- merly held. For though it was formerly contended that by the Kings's making of a Knight, the person honoured, whether before gentle or not, is both lawfully a Knight, and becomes moreover, in every respect, of the estate of a gentleman ; yet, on the other hand, it was held by some as essential that the party to be knighted should be a gen- tleman by birth ; and by some of the old laws of France it was decreed that if any, not being a gentleman on the father's side, although he be of the mother's side, permitted himself to be knighted, he was to be degraded from that dignity, and that by having his spurs cut off by his Lord upon a dunghill.* And it is certain that if any nobleman conferred this honour upon one who was not a gentleman, not only was the giving of it consi- dered improper, but he who gave it was liable to be fined for his offence. Selden-j- illustrates this by a case which occurred in France in the reign of St. Louis, when the two sons of one Philip de Bourbon, who was not a gentleman, received Knighthood, the one from the Count of Flanders, the other from his son, the Count of Nevers. The King hearing of it, though he allowed the Knights * " Si aucun que n'est gentilhomme de par son pare, le fut il de par sa mere, souffroit estre fait Chivalier, son Seigneur luy peut fait trencher ses Esperns sur un fumier."— Selden, " Titles of Honour/' p. 549, from an old Customier of Paris and Orleans. t Selden, " Titles of Honour," p. 549. KNIGHT. 139 by special favour to retain the dignity, yet did he fine them heavily for receiving of it, and the two Counts for conferring it u])on them, because they neither could nor ought to confer Knighthood uj:)on a villain without the King's authority, " non poterant nee debcbant facere de villano, railitem sine auctoritate Regis !*" It is not within the province of the present work to trace the various causes which have led to the gradual decline of this once highly exalted dignity in the estimation of the public generally. The founding of special orders of Knighthood with precedence above this ancient and much-honoured class, may have assisted to produce this alteration. But the frequency with which Knight- hood has been bestowed of late years, and the indifference mani- fested with regard to the qualifications of those on whom it has been conferred, have, perhaps, contributed still more to produce this result. Sir William Walworth, the celebrated Lord Mayor of London, is stated to have been the first citizen who received this honour, w'hich was conferred upon him by Richard IL for slaying Wat Tyler. But the service rendered to the Crown, in this instance, was so clearly of a military nature, and so much in accordance with those services usually rewarded by the distinction of knighthood, as not to constitute a precedent for bestowing the same honour indiscriminately upon all Sir William''s successors in the civic chair. Not that it is to be insisted upon that every Lord Mayor should, like honest Jack Falstaff", " kill his Percy" before he re- ceived mark of his Sovereign's approbation. In the reign of Henry VIII. Serjeants-at-Law were first knighted — perhaps because that bluflp monarch considered them "as cunning at fence" w^ith the weapons of law, as the Knights of old had been with the more formidable-looking, but not less fatal, weapons wielded by them in the field and the tourney. But the most fatal attack upon the dignity of knighthood was made by James I, who seems to have anticipated, in one respect, some of the favourite theories of the political economists of the present day ; and as they argue — one class for cheap bread, another 140 KNIGHT. for cheap law, and a third for cheap knowledge — so James appears to have advocated the doctrine of cheap honours ! Hume tells us that each rank of nobility had its price affixed to it ; and as the titles cost the maker nothing, it was quite clear the production would keep pace with the demand. James's creation of two hun- dred Baronets has already been noticed ; but even this diffusion of dignities was surpassed by the facility with which he created Knights ; for, in the year 1604, the second of his reign, he created no less than three hundred at one time.* Upon which occasion an advertisement is said to have been affixed to the door of St. Paul's Cathedral, offering to teach a new Art of Memory, to enable people to recollect the names of all the newly created Nobles and Knights. That James was conscious that his conduct in this respect was not justifiable, is evident, from his telling one of these Knights, who showed symptoms of a knowledge of his own unworthiness to be so honoured, " Hold up your head man, and spare your blushes ; I have more cause to be ashamed than you have." The reader of Sir Walter Scott's admirable story of " The Fortunes of Nigel " doubtless remembers the peril which threatened the eye of honest Richie Moniplies, when about to be dubbed a Knight, from the awkward manner in which James handled the sword with which he performed the ceremony. The incident is copied from the life ; for Sir Kenelm Digby tells us in his Memoirs, that when he received the honour of knighthood, had it not been for the Duke of Buckingham guiding the sword aright, the King would most assuredly have thrust the point of it into Sir Kenelm's eye, instead of laying it across his shoulders.']' * On this occasion a very curious dialogue was written on the ques- tion of precedency, between Knights and Serjeants-at-Law. It is entitled " A Reporte of a Familiar Conference betwene a Knighte's Eldest Sonne and a Studient in the Lawes of the Realme, concerning the Pre-eminency of the Order of Knighthode before the degi-ee of a Serjeant -at-Lawe." t We have a remarkable illustration of this peculiarity in the constitu- tion of James's mind, in the curious "Diary of Bishop Goodman/' who, ESQUIRE. 141 As no one was ever more deeply sensible than James of how great perils do environ The man who meddles with cold iron, it may almost be asked whether he did not handle the sword thus frequently for the purpose of making Knights, byway of accustom- ing himself to the sight of such weapons. It only remains to add, that this dignity has gradually declined in value, ever since it was perverted from its original purpose ; and as it is no longer a mark of favour for very extraordinary merit, so is it no longer conferred with extraordinary ceremony. The party to be created kneels before the Sovereign, who laying a sword upon his shoulder, bids him rise, calling him by his Christian name. — There is a pleasant anecdote told of the knighting of Sir Ri- chard Birnie, which serves at once to illustrate the present form of conferring knightliood, and exhibits an instance of kind consider- ation on the part of George IV. towards that deserving public servant. Birnie, who had for some reason begged to decline the honour of being publicly knighted, was summoned one morning to attend at Carlton House. On his arrival he was immediately ushered into the presence of the King, with whom he found the Duke of W el- speaking on the subject of Buckingham's rise into James's favour, tells us, (vol. i. p. 224,) — " Upon a St. George's day, the Queen and the Prince being in the bedchamber with the King, it was so contrived that Bucking- ham should be in some nearness, to be called in upon any occasion ; and when the Queen saw her own time, he was called in. Then did the Queen speak to the Prince to draw out the sword and give it her ; and immediately with the sword drawn she kneeled to the King, and humbly beseeched his Majesty to do her that special favour as to knight this Noble gentleman, whose name was George, for the honour of St. George, whose feast he now kept. The King at first seemed to be afeard that the Queen should come to him with a naked sword ; but then he did it very joy- fully ; and it might very well be that it was his own contriving, for he did much please himself with such inventions." 142 ESQUIRE. linston. After a few observations, tlie King saying — " You will, I presume, have no objection to be knighted Avith the sword of the Duke of Wellington ? " — borrowed the Duke's sword for the pur- pose, and laying it upon the shoulders of the indefatigable magis- trate, said — " Arise, Sir Richard Birnie." The wives and widows of Knights, in legal proceedings, and in Courts of Justice, have not the title of Lady,* as the wives and widows of nobleman have ; yet that title is, by the courtesy of Eng- land, always bestowed upon them. ESQUIRE. Next to the dignity of Knights Bachelor, but preceding the more common title of Gentleman, comes that in which every one rejoices who can, like good Master Shallow, " write himself Armi- gero ; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigeroy The titles of Armiger, Scutifer, or Scutarius, from whence the French Ecuyer, and our title of Esquire, are derived, are of very considerable antiquity, and had their origin in the chivalrous prac- tices of the olden times ; for, as it is well said in an old French * The following story shows us another distinction between Ladies by courtesy and Ladies by right : — The lady of a certain City Knight was upon some occasion presented to the old Princess Amelia, wdio Avas very deaf. The Princess, -who was not aware that she was merely a Knight's lady, was about to do as she would have done, had she been the lady of a Peer, and salute her, — to the great horror of the Gentleman Usher in Waiting, who, shocked at the violation of etiquette which he saw about to be committed, and aware of the infirmity under which his Royal mistress laboured, exclaimed, loud enough to be heard by all who v/ere present, and to the utter discomfiture of the subject of his remarks, — " Don't kiss her, your Royal Highness, don't kiss her — she is not a real Lady I " ESQUIRE. 143 writer, " Tl y a tres grand apparence que la vray et originaire eti- mologie dii nom d'Escuyer vient de porter Tescu, mais non le siens ains celuy de son maistrc/"' And hence all such gentle- men as were either employed in military service, or served other distinguished soldiers as their personal attendants, if they had not received the order of Knighthood, were designated Esquires. Chaucer, an authority as elegant as he is excellent, illustrates this completely in his description of the Squire : — With him ther was his sone, a yonge Squier, A lover, and a lusty bachelor. With lockes cruU as they were laide in presse. Of twenty yere of age he was I gesse. Of his stature he was of even lengthe. And wonderfuU deliver, and grete of strengthe. And he had be sometime in chevachie. In Flaunders, in Artois, and in Picardie, And borne him wel, as of so litel space In hope to standen in his ladies grace. Embroudered was he, as it were a mede AUe fill of freshe floures, white and rede. Singing he was, or floyting, all the day, He was as freshe as is the moneth of May. Short was his goune, with sieves long and wide, Wel coude he sitte on hors, and fayre ride. He coude songes make, and wel endite. Juste and eke dance and wel pourtraie and write. So hote he loved, that by nightertale He slep no more than doth the nightingale. Curteis he was, lowly and servisable. And carf before his fader at the table. In this admirable sketch (which it is to be hoped no proftxne reader will designate pottery, as George I. was wont to style Pope''s verses,) we find a direct reference to the Esquire\s prac- tice of arms, as also to his attendance on the Knight his father. 144 ESQUIRE. And how necessary such attendance of an Esquire upon every Knight was formerly considered to be, is shown by what Selden tells us of Sir Francis Tias, his " recovering five pounds damages, under Edward I., in Wakefield Court, in Yorkshire, against one German Mercer, for an-esting the horse of one William Lepton, that was his Esquire, and so making him to be unattended."* In the time of Richard II. we find the name of Esquire ex- pressly given as a created and honorary title by patent. One John de Kingstone having been challenged by a French Knight to a trial of martial skill, was, by such a patent, received into the state of a Gentleman, and created an Esquire by this monarch. In this patent, which is given at length by Selden, no mention is made of the Collar of S. S. which, in the ancient creation of this dignity, (when such as otherwise had it not were created into it) was usually given by the King, as an ensign of such creation. This custom, of which traces still exist in the investiture of the Sovereign's Serjeants at Arms, &c. with such collars on their appointment, was so prevalent as to be alluded to in the old ballad of King Edward IV. and the Tanner of Tamworth. The King having called for a collar, — " A collar, a coller," the Tanner he said, " I trow it will breed sorrow ; After a coller cometh a halter, I trow I shall be hanged to-morrow." " Be not afraid. Tanner," said our King, " I tell thee, so mought I thee, Lo! here I make thee t//e best Esquire That is in the North Countree." It may be added, that in the effigies of the " Moral Gower " which adorn his monument in the Church of St. Mary Overy, Southwark, he is represented as wearing a collar of the description above referred to. * Selden, " Titles of Honour," part ii. cap. 5, p. 833. ESQUIRE. 145 Having thus seen wlio were tlic parties formerly entitled to be styled Esquires,* it may, perhaps, be as well to inquire, in the next place, who are now the proper claimants to that dignity, which is in the present day so frequently assumed, and so liberally bestowed by the courtesies of society. Blackstone tells usf that Esquires and Gentlemen are con- founded together by Sir Edward Coke, who observes, J that every Esquire is a Gentleman, and a Gentleman is defined to be one qui arma gerit, who bears coat-armour, the grant of which adds gentility to a man's family, in like manner as civil nobility among the Romans was founded in tliey^s imaginum, or having the image of one ancestor, at least, who had borne some curule office. It is, indeed, a matter somewhat unsettled, what constitutes the dis- tinction, or who is a real Esquire ; for it is not an estate, however large, that confers this rank upon its owner. Camden, who was himself a herald, distinguishes them the most accurately, and he reckons up four sorts of them : — 1. The eldest sons of Knights, and their eldest sons, in per- petual succession. 2. The eldest sons of younger sons of Peers, and their eldest sons, in like perpetual succession. Both which species of Esquires Sir Henry Spelman entitles Arviigeri natalitii. 3. Esquires created by the King's letters patent, or other inves- titure, and their eldest sons. 4. Esquires by virtue of their offices, as Justices of the Peace, and others, who bear any office of trust under the Crown. * The Squire w^as not less noble than the Knight, and changed not his helmet on being knighted. But a Squire having distinguished himself by some brilliant action, opened his vizor to be identified, before his chief con- ferred on him the honour of Knighthood. Hence the helmet of the Squire is painted vfith the vizor closed, and the helmet of the Knight writh the vizor open. — Sir James Lawrence, " Nobility of British Gentry," p. 3. f " Commentaries," Book i. cap. 12, s. 2. X 2 Inst. 668. L 146 GENTLEMAN. To these may be added the Esquires of Knights of the Bath, each of whom constitutes three at his installation, and all Foreign, nay, Irish Peers ; for not only these, but the eldest sons of Peers of Great Britain, though frequently titular Lords, are only Esquires in the law, and must be so named in all legal proceedings. To these, other writers have added Esquires of the King's body,* which are limited in number to four ; and the Members of the Lower House of Parliament. Sheriffs of Counties, who are for life in respect of the dignity of their office ; Justices of the Peace, but who are Esquires only so long as they remain in the commission. All those who bear special office in the Royal household ; but who are Esquires only during the continuance of their office. Counsellors at Law, Bachelors of Divinity, Law, or Physic. Mayors of towns are also reputed Esquires, or equal to Esquires. GENTLEMAN. The lowest degree of the minor Nobility is that of a Gentleman ; for it must be remembered that much as this title has been per- verted from its original meaning, it still implies, in its correct and proper sense, — Nobility. Fit nobilis, nascitur generosus — a nobleman may be made, but a man must be born a Gentleman, is a very old and very well founded maxim. Francis I, who boasted of the proud title of the * A curious dissertation upon the subject of this now obsolete office, forms the first part of the " Curialia," wTitten by Pegge, who considers (page 8,) " that the Esquires of the Body were an appendage to the King, as being a Knight ; and as every Knight had anciently two Esquires attending him in an intimate degree, so the King might well be entitled at least to fozir, which was no more than was claimed by every Peer, while a Knight Bachelor had but two" GENTLKMAN. 147 King of Gentlemen,* declared his inability to make a Gentleman ; and our own James I, who was not too scrupulous as to what titles he created, or upon whom he bestowed them, when asked by his nurse to confer this honour upon her son, fairly told her, " My good woman, a Gentleman I could never make him, though I could make him a Lord ! " Selden, in his " Table Talk," goes still further, where he says, " What a Gentleman is,'f it is hard for us to define. In other countries he is known by his privileges ; in Westminster Hall he is one that is reputed one ; in the Court of Honour, he that hath arms. The King cannot make a Gentleman of blood, (what have you said ?) nor God Almighty, but he can make a Gentleman by creation. If you ask which is the better of these two, — civilly, the Gentleman of blood ; morally, the Gentleman by creation may be better ; for the other may be a debauched man, this a Gentleman of worth." And of worth will every Gentleman be, most assuredly, who acts up to those principles with which Guillim tells us all who lay claim to this title ought to be endowed ; for, according to this great authority, every Gentleman ought " to love, honour, and fear God, to walk after his commandments, and to his power defend and maintain the Christian religion ; to be loyal and serviceable to his prince and country ; to use military exercises, to frequent the wars, and prefer honour before worldly wealth ; to be charitable to the distressed, and to support widows and orphans ; to reverence ma- * It is said of Francis I. that his common asseveration was " Foi de Gentilhomme ! " and that having one day asserted something to one of his courtiers, " Foi de Roi," the latter showed some slight inclination to doubt the royal word, which Francis perceiving, instantly added, " Foi de Gentilhomme !" and so at once quieted his hearer's scruples. t Brummel is said to have defined a Gentleman to be a man who ate peas with a fork ; but if this definition be his, it is not worthy of his genius. Another arbiter elegantiarum has declared any man may pass for a Gentleman who wears a black coat, and holds his tongue ; and this certainly approaches very nearly to the received ideas upon the subject. 148 GENTLEMAN. gistrates, and those placed in authority ; to clierish and encourage truth, virtue, and honesty; and to eschew riot, intemperance, sloth, and all dishonest recreations and company ; to be of a cour- teous, gentle, and affiible deportment to all men, and to detest pride and haughtiness ; to be of an open and liberal heart, delight- ing in hospitality, according to the talent that God hath blest him with ; to be true and just in his word and dealings ; and in all respects to give no cause of offence." When these admirable rules of conduct for the guidance of a Gentleman were laid down, the title was not so universally bestowed as it is in the present day, and the author whom we have just quoted, describes the several classes who were entitled to be so styled, as follows : — " The first is a Gentleman of ancestry, which must needs be a Gentleman of blood. " The second is a Gentleman of blood, and not of ancestry, as when he is the second degree, descended from the first. " The third is a Gentleman of coat-armour, and not of blood, as when he bears the King's device given him by a herald ;* but if he have issue to the third descent, that issue is a Gentleman of blood. * Though the King may have some difficulty in making a Gentleman, Garter, King at Arms, has none. The following manuscript note, by Dr. Ducarel, in one of the Banks' MS. in the British Museum, (Add. MS. 6297, fo. 75.) gives us an instance of Sir John Wryothesly making a Gentleman to some purpose. " There was one James Parker, a servant in court to King Henry VII, that had accused Hugh Vaughan (one of the Gentlemen Ushers of the said King) unto the said King, of some undutiful words spoken by him of the said King: whereupon the person accused challenged combat with his accuser, and because he was not a Gentleman of coat-annom-. Sir J. Wry- othesly, then principal King of Anns, gave unto the said Hugh Vaughan a coat -armour, with helmet and tymber, 14 Oct. 6 Henry VII. Where- upon the said King sent for the said Garter, and demanded of him whether he had made any such patent, or no : who answered, that he had made GENTLEMAN. 149 " The fourth is a Gentleman of coat-armour, and not of blood, as when the King giveth a lordsliip to him and his heirs for ever, ■with the arms belonging to the said lordship. " The fifth is a Yeoman, Avho, the King making a Knight, is a Gentleman of blood. " The sixth is the son of a Yeoman, who, being advanced to Spiritual dignity, is a Gentleman ; and if he be a Doctor of the Civil Law, then is a Gentleman of blood." These, and these only, were, in the so-called " good old days," the parties considered as gentlemen. But the democratic spirit of more recent times, while on the one hand it laughs to scorn the distinctions of rank, and mockingly repeats the inquiry — When Adam delve, and Eve span. Who was then the gentleman ?* yet on the other, lavishly bestows a title which is, in its real nature, as essentially aristocratic as title can be*, upon every indi- vidual who does not gain a living by manual labour, or, to use a such arms. Whereupon, the King's Highness, in his most royal person, in open justes, at Richmonde, before all his lordes, allowed the said H. Vaughan to run with the said Ja. Parker, who was at that time slain by the said Vaughan in the said just." Hudibras tells us, moreover, that a herald Can make a Gentleman, scarce a year old. To be descended of a race Of ancient Kings, in a small space. And what is more — • for a piece of coin. Twist any name into the line. * Much curious illustration of this rhyming couplet, so popular among the radicals of all times, will be found in the notes to the " Songs and Carols," published by Pickering, from the Sloane Manuscripts in the British Museum, 150 GENTLEMAN. favourite phrase of the day, upon every " respectable man ;" certainly, upon every one answering to the legal definition of a respectable man.* So that Sir Thomas Smith's remarks are as just and well- founded now, as they were at the time when they were first written. " As for Gentlemen," says the worthy Knight, " they be made good cheap in this kingdom ; for whosoever studieth the laws of the realm, who studieth in the universities, who professeth the liberal sciences, and (to be short) who can live idly, and without manual labour, and Avill bear the port, charge, and countenance of a Gentleman, he shall be called Master, and taken for a Gentleman." It has, of late years, been the fashion to consider the Peers as the only nobility in the British empire ; but how improperly so, is very clearly shown in the little volume written upon this subject by Sir James Lawrence ; who, maintaining that gentility is superior to nobility, says, with great truth, " the gentry being the nursery garden from which the Peers are usually transplanted, if the Peers were to date their nobility from the elevation of their ancestors to the Upper House, what upstarts would their lordships appear in the opinion of the pettiest baroTt on the continent."j- * Though it is, perhaps, not quite con'ect to style tliat a legal defi- nition which is given by a witness in a couit of law, the case refeiTed to is too characteristic, and applicable to the present subject, to be omitted. On the trial of Thui-tell for the mm'der of Weare, a billiard-room keeper, who had spoken of some party connected vnth. that wretched case as " a respectable man," upon being pressed to explain what his ideas of a respectable man were, after some hesitation, said — he kept a gig ! t " On the Nobility of the British Gentry ; or the Political Ranks and Dignities of the British Empire compared with those of the Continent, &c." by Sir James Lawrence, Knight of Malta. ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. SECTION III. [53 THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER. This Order, which, according to the learned Selden, " exceeds in majesty, honour, and fame, all the chivalrous orders in the world," was instituted by Edward HI. in the year 1349, the twenty- third of his reign. Hume tells us,* that the prudent conduct and great success of Edward in his foreign wars, had excited a strong emulation and a military genius among the English nobility ; and these turbulent Barons, overa-wed by the Crown, gave now a more useful direc- tion to their ambition, and attached themselves to a Prince, who led them to the acquisition of riches and glory. That he might further promote the spirit of emulation and obedience, the King- instituted the Order of the Garter, in imitation of some orders of a like nature, religious as well as military, which had been estab- lished in different parts of Europe. The number received into this Order consisted of twenty-five persons besides the Sovereign, and, as it has never been enlarged, this badge of distinction con- tinues as honourable as at its first institution, and is still a valuable though a cheap present, which the Prince can confer on his great- est subjects. A vulgar story prevails, but is not supported by any authority, that at a court ball Edward's mistress, commonly supposed to be the Countess of Salisbury, dropped her garter; and the King taking it up, observed some of his courtiers to smile, as if they thought he had not obtained this favour merely by ac- cident, upon which he called out '■'• Horn soit (jui inal y pense P'' " Evil to him that evil thinks !" and as every incident of gallantry among those ancient warriors was magnified into a matter of great importance, he instituted the Order of the Garter in memorial of * History of England, chap. xvi. 154 ORDER OF THE GARTER. tliis event, and gave these words as tlie motto of the Order. This orio-in, though frivolous, is not unsuitable to the manners of the times ; and it is indeed difficult to account, either for the seem- ingly unmeaning terms of the motto, or for the peculiar badge of the Garter, which seems to have no reference to any purpose either of military use or ornament. Accordincr to another account, the Order had its rise in the cir- cumstance of Edward's picking up the garter of his Queen, Avhich had accidentally slipped from her leg ; and that the motto was adopted from the reply made by the Queen to her husband's inter- rogatory of — what men would conjecture of her, upon her losing her garter in such a manner. A third opinion traces its origin to Richard Coeur de Lion''s having, upon the occasion of some warlike expedition during his Avars in Palestine, chosen a leathern thong garter as the distinctive mark of his partisans.* While a fourth ascribes its foundation to * Though this opinion seems scarcely tenable, it receives some ap- parent confirmation from the following note by Miss Banks, preserved among the MSS. bequeathed by that lady to the British Museum. (Add. MS. 6321). " The Duke [of Northumberland] also told us that the original docu- ments of the Order have long ago, and by means of which he is ignorant, fallen into the hands of the Emperor, and are now preserved either at Prague or Vienna, at one of which places they were seen by the late Duke of Leeds. " From these, said the Duke, it appears that the real oingin of the Order took place at St. John DAcre, in the Holy Land, when it w^as be- sieged and taken by the Crusaders. The town was captured in a night assault, in which the Knights of the Christian army were ordered to wear a strap of white leather bound round the leg under the left knee, in order to distinguish them from the infidels ; and that this strap of leather, and not the Countess of Salisbury's garter, is the origin of the garter now^ worn. But surely the motto seems to prove that some im- proper idea had been annexed to it by the persons on whom the motto cries shame ; but no scandal whatever could apply to a Knight's knee- strap. ORDER or THE GARTER. 155 the fact of Edward at the battle of Cressy, or some other of his victories, having- issued his garter as a signal for battle, whicli proving successful, determined him to institute this order in memory of the event. But whatever may have been its origin, it is certain that this Order is, not only in the opinion of every historian who has written on the subject, but also in the estimation of the people of all countries, far preferable to any other existing in the world. This feeling may have arisen partly in the great care taken in the creations of this Order to maintain a proper reverence for it — by not admitting any one a member who has not been a gentleman by name and arms, both by the father's and mother's side, for three descents — nor any who has either spot or blemisli ; wlio has been convicted of heresy, or attainted of treason ; who is decayed by prodigality or riot, or who has fled in the day of battle : and partly again, from the fact that while foreign Princes* are proud " Surely, if the Duke is right, this w^ould be a proper time, when we subsidise the Emperor, to ask for the return of documents of the utmost value to the Order, and of no value whatever to the Sovereign who has them in possession. " The Duke also remarked, that one of the statutes of the order gives countenance to this story ; it is the statute which commands the Knights never to be without the garter round the left knee, except when on horseback, when they may wear in its stead a strap of white leather ; such a strap, no doubt, as was worn by the Christian Knights at Acre. The Duke certainly refers to the ancient statutes ; in the modern ones, as regulated Aug. 5, 1 & 2 William and Mary, the 10th statute requires a blue riband to be worn under the boot when riding." * It is impossible to enumerate in this place how many Sovereigns of each of the European states have been members of this Order since the date of its foundation. At the present moment there are no less than six foreign potentates belonging to it — namely, the Emperor of Russia, the King of Belgium, the King of Prussia, the King of the Netherlands, the King of Denmark, and the King of Wiilemburg, to whom may be added the Duke of Saxe Meinengen, and the Duke of Brunswick. 156 . ORDER OF THE GARTER. to wear the Ciarlcr, the Sovereigns of England have rarely thought fit to accept of any foreign orders. Upon the original constitution of the Order it consisted of the Sovereign and twenty-five Knights' Companions. The only al- teration which has taken place in this respect, was by the statute passed on the 17th of January 1805, whereby it is decreed that the Order should from thenceforth consist of the Sovereign, and twenty-five Knights"' Companions, together with such lineal de- scendants of King George II. as may be elected, always excepting the Prince of Wales, who is a constituent part of the original in- stitution. Special statutes have since also, at different times, been proclaimed for the admission of Sovereigns, and Extra Knights, the latter of whom have, however, always become part of the twenty-five Companions, as vacancies have occurred. The habits and ensigns of this most noble Order consist of the Garter, Mantle, Surcoat, Hood, George and Collar. The first four, namely, the Garter, Mantle, Surcoat, and Hood, were as- signed to the Knights' Companions by the Founder ; and the George and Collar were added by Henry VIII. The Garter, which is worn below the left knee, is of dark blue velvet, edged with gold, with the motto, " Honi soit qui mal y pense," embroidered thereon in letters of gold — and with a buckle and pendant of gold richly chased.* The Garter is pre-eminently * The Garters which have been sent from time to time to foreign Monarchs on their election, have been still more richly adorned. That sent to Henri Quatre was enriched with diamonds and rubies ; that to Christian IV. of Denmark, with gold and pearls ; but these were far excelled by that sent to Gustavus Adolphus, in which the motto was composed of small diamonds, with a diamond for every stop, the whole being within a range of diamonds above and below on the sides of the Garter ; the number, including those on the buckle, amounting to 411. Ashmole tells us, that the Garter which King Charles I. wore upon his leg at the time of his martyrdom, had the letters of the motto com- posed Hkewise of diamonds, which amounted to the number of 412. It came to the hands of Captani Preston, from the trustees for the sale of ORDER OF THE GARTER. 157 the ensign of the Order, being the first part of the habit presented to foreign Princes, and absent Knights, who, as well as all other Knights elect, are therewith first adorned. The second ensign of the Order is the Mantle, which is the chief of those vestments which the Sovereign and Knights'* Com- panions make use of upon all solemn occasions relating to the Order.* This mantle, which is very long and ample, is made of Garter-blue velvet, lined with taffeta ; that of the Sovereign being distinguished by a greater length of train. The third ensign is the Surcoat or Kirtle, which is of crimson velvet, lined with white taffeta ; and, like the Mantle, adorned on the left side with an eight-pointed star richly embroidered in silver, the four central rays of which are longer than the four others. In the centre of this star is the Red Cross of St. George, the Patron of the Order, and the whole is surrounded w^itli a small Garter of blue velvet, on which is embroidered the motto in letters of cfold. The Hood, like the Surcoat, is of crimson velvet, lined with taffeta, and the Hat is of black velvet, rather high and with a narrow brim. The plume, which is of white ostrich feathers with a tuft of black heron feathers in the centre, is fastened to the hat by a band of diamonds. The Collar of the Order must always be of gold, and must weigh exactly thirty-two ounces. It was appointed by the statutes of the King's goods^ who received it, and sold it to Ireton, some time Lord Mayor of London, for 205^. But after the Restoration, the King's At- torney-General, proceeding upon an action of trover and conversion, a verdict was given for the King against him for 205/. and 10/. costs, in Trinity Term, 16 Charles IL * All who witnessed the Coronation of George IV. must well remem- ber the striking effect of the costume of this Order. His Majesty the King of Belgium and the late Marquess of Londonderry both wore it upon this occasion. They were the only Knights present who did so, and were certainly two of the noblest looking figures in all that gorgeous pageant. 158 ORDER OF THE GARTER. Henry VIII. that the Colkr should be composed of pieces of gold in fasiiion of Garters ; the centre of each being composed of roses, alternately white and red ; and the number of these Garters being twenty-six, corresponding with the ordained number of the Sove- reign and Knights' Companions. These links or Garters are united to each other by Lacs d'Amour, or True Lovers'* Knots. From the middle of this Collar, suspended from one of the Garters, hangs the George, which consists of an image of St. George sitting on horseback, fully armed, and who, liaving thrown the Dragon on his back, is encountering him with a tilting spear. As this ensign is allowed to be adorned with jewels at the pleasure of the wearer, it is sometimes entirely composed of diamonds and other precious stones. The lesser George is an oval medallion of gold, on which is represented St. George in golden armour, with a sword in his right hand, and in the act of striking the Dragon — the whole surrounded by a Garter in blue enamel with the motto in letters of gold. About the latter end of the reign of James I. it was decreed that this lesser George, which heretofore was daily Avorn before the breast in a gold chain, should, for the more conveniency of riding or action, be worn appendant to a blue riband * spread over the left shoulder and brought under the right arm, agreeably to the fashion still in use. * Collins tells us in his " Peerage," (4th Ed. vol. i. p. 189,) that the riband had been originally worn about the neck, but is said to have been altered to its present fashion, in consequence of the Duchess of Portsmouth having, some time after the installation of her son, the Duke of Richmond, introduced him to his father Charles II. with his riband over his left shoulder, and the George appendant on the right side, when his Majesty was so pleased with the conceit, that he commanded all the Knights' Companions of the Order to wear it the same way. This, however, could not have been the case, inasmuch as in the por- trait of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyke, and in the rare prints of the Duke of York, by Hollar, the riband is represented as worn over the left shoulder in the manner still observed. ORDER OF THE GARTER. 159 The colour of this riband has given rise to much discussion. That now in use is called Royal Purple, Garter Blue, and Mazarin Blue. That formerly -worn was sky blue,* and the alteration to the present colour is said to have been made by Charles II. out of compliment to the celebrated Hortensia Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, who visited England during his reign, and whose favour- ite colour it was. That this, however, could not have been the case, was recently shown by Sir Henry Ellis, in a commvmication to the Society of Antiquaries, by reference to the portrait of the celebrated Philip Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield, now in the Mineral Gallery in the British Museum, who is represented as wearing a sky-blue riband, which is said to be the latest existing evidence of that colour. His Lordship was installed at Windsor in the year 1730, at the same time with the Duke of Cumberland, the hero of Culloden. Sir H. Ellis mentioned a tradition, that some time after this event, the Pretender, taking upon himself to create Knights of the Garter, George II. determined upon changing the colour of the riband, from the sky-blue formerly worn, to that of Garter-blue now in use. For the convenience of travelling, the Knights of the Order are permitted to wear a blue riband under their boot instead of the Garter ; but without that and their lesser George and star, they, by the statutes of the Order, are never to appear in public, except upon the principal feasts of the year, when they wear their Collars, and upon these occasions the riband with the George is omitted. At the great solemnity of the installation of a Knight of the Garter, his helmet, crest, sword, banner, and plate containing his * The Earl of Sandwich commanded the English fleet at Solebay fight ; his ship was blown up, and all hands in it perished. His body was some time after driven on shore, and recognised by the George and ri- band about the neck. This riband is still preserved by the family, and is of a light blue colour, exactly the same as that now worn by the Knights of St. Patrick. Banks' MS. in Brit. Museum, Add. MS. No. 6323. 160 ORDER OF THE GARTER. arms and titles, arc set over his stall in the Chapel of St. George, at Windsor, as a mark of honour, where they remain so long as he continues of the Order.* PRELATE OF THE GARTER. The Prelate is the first and premier officer. His office is as ancient as the institution, and is of great honour ; but he has nei- ther salary nor pecuniary fees allowed him ; he has apartments al- lotted in Windsor Castle, and, as often as he goes thither, he is allowed a court-livery for himself and servants, according to the doo-ree of an Earl. This office was first filled by William de Edyngton, Bishop of Winchester, and has ever since been vested in his successor for the time being, who, by his office, takes place in Parliament next to the Bishop of Durham. By his oath he is to be present at all chapters, whereunto he is summoned ; to report all things truly ; to take the scrutiny faith- fully, and present it to the Sovereign ; to keep secret and not dis- close the councils of the Order ; to promote and maintain the honour of it, and to withstand and reveal what is designed to the contrary. By a warrant under the signet of the Order, dated Feb. 19, 13 Charles II, the Prelate had assigned him for his livery of the Order, one robe of purple velvet, containing eighteen yards, and ten yards of white taffeta for lining, as also the arms of St. George within the Garter, having laces, buttons, and tassels of purple silk, * Installation is not absolutely necessary to perfect the creation of a Knight of the Garter. For example, the London Gazette of the 1 3th of June 1801, contains orders, dated 29th May, and June 3rd, in the same year, authorizing certain noblemen to exercise all the rights and privileges belonging to the Knights' Companions of the Garter, as if they had been formally installed. His Majesty having been pleased to dis- pense with the statutes and regulations usually observed in regard to installation. ORDER OF THE GARTER. 1 Gl and Venice gold ; lie is to wear this robe yeaily on the vigil and day of St. George, whether it be in Parliament, or any other solemn occasion or festival whatsoever. The honours conferred on this officer are, that his place in all proceedings and ceremonies of the Order is on the right hand of the Chancellor ; and his arms are impaled with those of his see, surrounded with the Garter. His apartments in the Castle of Windsor are situated in the tower on the north side, called Winchester Tower ; and as often as he shall arrive thither, or at any other place, by the Sovereign's command, on the business of the Order, he ought to have allowed him the court liverv for himself and retinue, according to the stipends that Earls resident at court possess. This officer, as well as the Chancellor, had the honour granted him of being allowed to wear upon the left part of his coat, cloak, or riding cassock, at all seasons when not invested with his robe, a scutcheon of the arms of St. George, but not enriched with pearls and jewels. This order has never been repealed, although some restriction was put upon it soon after its promulgation. CHANCELLOR OF THE GARTER. This office, which was first instituted by Edward IV, is vested in the Bishop of Salisbury for the time being. He is to keep the great seal of the Order, and has place and precedence in all pro- ceedings and sessions next the Prelate ; in all places and cere- monies he is ranked after the Knights Privy Counsellors, and before the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The statutes allow him apartments in Windsor Castle, in the south-west tower, in the lower ward of the castle, called Chancellor's Tower. His oath, robe, and livery, in the Sovereign's court, are the same as the Prelate's. His office is not only to seal original statutes appointed to remain perpetually in Windsor Castle, but also those copies, of which each Knight Companion is obliged to have one, are in 162 ORDER OF THE GARTER. his keeping, with letters of licence, mandates, and certificates re- lating to the Order. The Chancellor's badge of distinction is a medal of gold, ena- melled with a red rose, within a Garter of blue enamel, with the motto, " Honi soit qui mal y pense ;" and on the reverse thereof, St, George enamelled within the Garter, which is worn pendant to a purple riband or gold chain. REGISTER OF THE GARTER. This officer was one of the three constituted at the first insti- tution of the Order. But though by the constitution of the office a secular person is made capable of it no less than an ecclesiastic, it appears to have been filled for many years by one of the Canons of Windsor. Since the 8 of Henry VIII, however, the Dean of Windsor having generally held the office, it was at length deter- mined at a chapter held at Whitehall on the 22nd of April, 11 Charles I, that the offices of Dean of Windsor and Register of the Garter should be henceforth concentrated in one and the same person. The mantle worn by this officer is of crimson satin, lined with taffeta, with an escutcheon of St. George"'s arms, embroidered on the left shoulder, but not encircled with the Garter, having tassels the same as those of the Prelate and Chancellor ; and he wears on his breast a red book of the Order, with the device, two pens in Sal tire, within the Garter. GARTER. The fourth officer of the Order is Garter, instituted with the advice and consent of all the Knights Companions by Henry V, who, for the honour of the Order, was pleased he should be the principal officer within the College of Arras, and chief of the Heralds. The services enjoined him, relating to the Order, were in preceding time performed by the Windsor Herald of Arms, an officer created by King Edward III. ORDER OF THE GARTER. 1(33 The substance of the oath administered to liim on his admission by the Register, whilst he humbly kneels beside him at the feet of the Sovereign, is — to yield obedience to the Sovereign and Knights Companions ; to keep silence, and not disclose the secrets of the Order ; to make signification of the death of each Knio-ht Companion ; to execute faithfully all things committed to his care ; to inquire diligently after all the noble acts of the Kni^-hts Companions, and certify them to the Register ; and to be faithful in the exercise of his office. The rights of bearing the letters to strangers signifyino- their election, and returning their answer belongs to Garter by the con- stitutions of his office.* His robe is the same as the Register : he * The follov^rjng anecdote, related by Miss Banks, in the manuscript to virhich we have already referred, will perhaps not be deemed out of place on this occasion. It is interesting, as exhibiting recent traces of the spirit which animated that age of chivalry, whose departure was lamented by Burke. " The Duke of Northumberland, who called at Spring Grove yesterday Oct. 30, 1813, related an anecdote respecting the Order of the Garter, which deserves to be minuted down in order that it may be sought for in the publications of the time when it happened. " Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick had, when elected into the Order, the command of the allied armies (then opposed to those of France) in Germany, and was at the time when the officers of the Order arrived, bringing with them the insignia for his Highness' investiture, encamped on the crest of a ridge in the face of the French army, which occupied the crest of the opposite ridge, separated only by a narrow valley. " The Prince, highly gratified by the honour he had received, resolved to have the ceremony of his investiture performed at the head of the troops, and made the necessary preparations for that purpose. " The Mashal Due de Broglio, commander of the French army, hearing of this, and guided by that animating spirit of chivalry, for which the French nation was then admired by all Europe, sent a flag of truce to the Prince, to inq^uire if these facts were as he had heard them repre- M 2 IG4 ORDER OF THE GARTER. wears pendant to a chain a gold medal enamelled with the Sovereign's amis, impaled with the Cross of St. George, sur- rounded with the Garter, and crowned with an Imperial crown. BLACK ROD, The fifth and last officer is the Black Rod. This officer was instituted by the founder. According to the institution, he is to be a o-entleman of blood and arms, born in the Sovereign's dominions, and if not a Knight at his admission into the office, he is to be knighted ; and, for the honour of the Order, he is appointed the Chief Usher in the kingdom. In a chapter held at Whitehall the I Sth of February, 6 Car. I, it was decreed that the office of the Black Rod should from thence- forth successively, as soon as the same should become void, be annexed to some one of the Gentlemen Ushers, Daily Waiters, whom the Sovereign should appoint. The oath given to this officer (temp. Hen. VIII.) was " truly and faithfully to observe and keep all the points of the Statutes of the Order, as to him belonged and appertained." His mantle is sented, and in that case to offer to the Prince a suspension of arms for the day on vfhich the ceremony was to take place. " The Prince willingly accepted this honourable and high-minded offer. " The day an'ived and exhibited both the armies drawn up on their respective ridges, in full view of each other. The ceremony was per- formed in the sight of both ; and when ended, both armies fired z,feu-de- joye in honour of the occasion. The Prince had ordered tents to be pitched in the intervening valley, to give an entertainment in honour of the ceremony, and to this he invited the Duke and his principal officers, who accepted the invitation. They dined together, and at night returned to their respective armies, to recommence on the next rising of the sun the hostilities in which they were engaged." An account of the installation of the Prince by his proxy. Sir Charles Cotterel Dormer, knight, at Windsor, May 6, 1760, may be seen in the Imperial Magazine, for 1760, p. 263. ORDER OF THE THISTLE. 105 the same us tliosc of the Register and Garter. It was orJaiucJ that he or his deputy should carry a Black Rod (whence he hath his title) before the Sovereign, or his deputy, at the feast of St. George within the Castle of Windsor, and at other solemnities and chapters of the Order; on the top of the rod there ought to be set a Lion of England. This rod serves instead of a mace, and has the same authority to apprehend delinquents, and such as have offended against the Statutes of the Order. And where he apprehends any one of the Order, as guilty of some crime for which he is to be expelled, the manner of it is by touching him Avith his Black Rod : his fee for which is five pounds. He has assigned him a gold badge, to be worn pendant to a chain or ribbon, before his breast, com- posed of a knot (like those in the Collar of the Order) encompassed with the Garter and Motto, being alike on both sides. There is a house in Windsor Castle granted to this officer by letters patent, during life. It is situated on the south side of the castle, in the middle ward. By the constitutions he is granted Baron*'s service at Court, and livery thereto appertaining. King Charles I. annexed to this officer the custody of the Little Park of Windsor, for ever ; which was not to be disposed of but under the Great Seal of the Order, and then only to the Usher of the Order for the time being. THE MOST ANCIENT ORDER OF THE THISTLE. This Order, which is especially destined for the nobility of Scotland, though one ribbon is generally given to a Prince of the Blood Royal, and two to so many English noblemen of the first distinction, is dignified with the title of the " Most Ancient," and is said by John Lesly, Bishop of Ross, in his History of Scotland, to have taken its beginning from a bright cross in the heavens, in form like that whereon St. Andrew the Apostle suffer cd martyrdom, which appeared to Achaius, King of Scots, and 1(36 ORDER OF THE THISTLE. Hungus, King of the Picts, as they were on their knees at prayer the n'ight before the battle was fought betwixt them and Athelstane, Kino- 'of England ; Avhen St. Andrew, their tutelary Saint, is said also "to have appeared, and promised to these Kings that they should always be victorious when that sign appeared. And the next day these Kings, prevailing over King Athelstane in battle, went in solemn procession, barefooted, to the kirk of St. Andrew, to return thanks to God and his apostle for their victory ; vowing that they and their posterity would ever bear the figure of that cross in their ensigns and banners. If the Order be of this antiquity, which is, however, exceedingly doubtful, James V. of Scotland, who is said by other writers to liave first instituted it in 1540, in imitation of that of the Golden Fleece, which he received from the Emperor Charles V. in 1534, that of St. Michael which he received from Francis I. in 1535, and that of the Garter, bestowed upon him in the following year by our bluff Harry, can only lay claim to the honour of having revived it. Neither did he accomplish this so effectually as to have enabled it to exist through the Reformation ; about which time we are told the Knights devoted themselves so entirely to religion, as to abandon their Order ; which was not resumed until the 6th of June 1 687, in the reign of James VII. of Scotland, and Ilnd. of England,* who created eight Knights, signed a body of Statutes for their better regulation, and appointed the Royal Chapel at Holyrood * There exists an original portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, painted at Rome, in which he is represented with the Order of the Thistle as prescribed by the Statutes of James II. whereby the Knights Brethren were commanded to wear tlie image of St. Andrew to a blue watered tabby riband; which colour was by Queen Anne in 1703 changed to green, as now worn. Might not her Majesty in making this alteration have been somewhat influenced by a motive similar to that which is said (vide ante, page 159) to have induced George II. to change the coloiu: of the riband of the Order of the Garter. ORDER OF THE BATH. 167 House to be the Chapel of the Order, as it still continues. On this occasion the chapel was repaired, a fine organ added to it, and stalls were fitted up in it for the Sovereign and Knights Brethren, having their respective banners suspended over them. But in 1688, James being compelled to abandon his throne, no farther notice appears to have been taken of the Order until the 31st of December 1703, when Queen Anne was pleased to sign another body of Statutes, whereby it was restored to its ancient magnificence. By a Statute passed in May 1827, the Order is henceforth to consist of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights. The badge or jewel of this Order is worn pendant to a dark green riband over the left shoulder, and tied under the arm, and consists of a figure of St. Andrew in a blue garment, holding a Burgundian or St. Andrew''s cross of Avhite enamel, on rays of gold, forming an eight-pointed star. The star of this Order, which is worn on the left side of the coat or cloak consists of a St. Andrew's cross of silver embroidery, with rays emanating from between the points of the cross, in the centre of which is a green thistle, bearing a blue flower ; upon a field of gold, surrounded by a circle containing the motto, " Nemo me im- pune lacessit," in letters of gold on a green ground. The Collar is of gold, and is formed of thistles and sprigs of Rue enamelled vert, these being the two ancient symbols of the Scots and Picts. THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH. The Order of the Bath, which is so called from the ceremony of bathing, performed by the Knights previous to their inauguration, has been generally supposed to have taken its rise at the coronation of Henry IV, Avho, as we are told by Froissart, on the day of his coronation, created forty-six such Knights, " giving them long green coats, the sleeves whereof were cut straight, and furred with 168 ORDER OF THE BATH. minever, and witli great hoods or chaperons furred in the same manner, and after the fashion used by Prelates ; and every one of these Knights, on his left shoulder, had a double cordon, or string of white silk, to which white tassels were pendant." But though this picturesque old chronicler tells us that all the Esquires avIio were on the next morning to be created Knights, had each of them his esquire attending him, a separate chamber, and each his separate bath, where the rites of bathing were that night performed ; yet his statement does not contain a single word from which it is to be inferred that Knights of the Bath had their first institution at this coronation ; and Mr. Anstis* has shown good reasons for believing that the origin of this Order of knighthood to be of yet greater antiquity. He has at least clearly shown that the ceremonies observed in the investiture of these Knights had been long and frequently employed previous to this occasion. Be its origin of what date soever it may, the honour of being created a Knight of the Bath is one which it was for a long time customary to bestow upon such of the flower of the nobility as had not previously re- ceived the honour of knighthood, at the coronations of Kings and Queens, and at their marriages ; sometimes, also, when their sons were invested Princes of Wales, or Dukes, or when they solemnly received the cincture or military girdle of knighthood. The following extracts from the appendix to Anstts' Essay, exhibits the ceremonies observed in the creation of Knights of this Order in the year 1610, when Prince Henry, son of James I. was created Prince of Wales. THE MANNER OF THE CEEATION OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE BATH, AND THE CEREMONIES OBSERVED IN SOLEMNIZING THE SAME. " According to the order given from the Commissioners appointed for the oversight and directing of these ceremonies, the Lords, and others that were to receive the honorable Order of the Bath, repaired on Saturday, the 2nd of June, to Dui'ham House, in the Strand, and there in the * Anstis, " Observations Introductory to an Historical Essay upon the Knighthood of the Bath." 4to. London, 1725. ORDER OF THE BATH. 169 afternoon heard evening prayer, observing no other ceremony at that time, but only passing through the hall, the Heralds going before them, with their coats upon their amis unto the chapell, from whence, after service ended, they returned unto the chamber they were to supp in. Their supper was prepared at one table, and all sat upon one side of the same, every man having an Escutcheon of his Arms placed over his head, and certain of the King's Officers being appointed to attend them. In this manner having taken their repast, the table was removed, and several bedds made ready for their lodging in the same place, in the same manner, all on one side, and each one as afore, right under the escutcheon of his own arms. Their beds were palets of red say, but they used no cur- tains ; the Knights in the mean while were withdrawn into the Bathing- chamber, which was the next room to that they supped in, where for each of them was provided a several bathing-tub,* which was lined both within and without with white linnen, and covered with red say. After the bath they betook themselves to rest. Early the next morning they were awakened with musick, and at their uprising invested in their her- mits' habits, which was a goune of gray cloth girded close, andtiood of the same, with a linnen coyfe under it, and an handkerchief hanging at his * The duty of preparing all such necessaries as are used at this cere- mony belonged to the King's Barber, as will be seen by the following warrant from Charles I. " Whereas, his Majesty hath been pleased to appoint Mr. Thos. Celd- wall his Majesty's Servant and Barber, to make provision of all such ne- cessarys as are to be used at the ceremony of Bathing the Knights of the Bath at this his Majesty's Coronation, to be holden y^ 2nd day of Fe- bruary next, at Westminster, as to his place by ancient custom belong- eth."— Add. MSS. British Museum, No. 6297, fo. 360. The fees paid to this officer by a patent granted by Henry VI, were " from every Knight twenty-four ells of linen cloth, which was to be placed about the bathing vessel, with a tapet or carpet of red worsted, and twenty shillings for shaving him ; forty shillings from every Baron or his Peer ; one hundred shillings from every Earl or his Peer ; and ten pounds from every Duke or his Peer, severally on the same account." — Anstis, p. 47. 170 ORDER OF THE BATH. girdle, cloth stockings soaled with leather, but no shoes, and thus apparalled, their Esquires going with the Heralds wearing their coats of arms, and sundry sorts of wind instruments going before them, they proceeded from their lodging down through the hall, the meanest in order formost as the night before, till they came to the chapell, where after service done, their oath was ministered unto them by the Earl of Worcester, and the Earl of Suffolk, in a solemn and ceremonious manner, all of them standing forth before their stalls, and at their coming out making low reverence towards the altar, by which the Commissioners sate ; then were they brought up by the Heralds by two at once, the chiefest first, and so the rest, till all successively had received their oaths, which in substance was, that above all things they should honour God and maintain true religion, love their sovereign, serve their country, help maidens, widows, and orphans, and to the uttermost of their power cause equity and justice to be observed. This done, whilst they were yet in the chapell, wine and sweetmeats were brought ; then they departed to their chambers to be disrobed of their hermits' weeds, and now revested again in robes of crimson taffeta lined with white sarcenet, having white hats on their heads with white feathers, white boots on their leggs, and white gloves tyed to the strings of their mantles. All which performed, they mounted on horseback, their saddles being of black leather and bridles of the same, with white crosses upon their breasts, and the cruppers of their horses, each Knight between his two Esquires, well apparelled, with footmen attending, and his page riding before him, carrying his sword with the hilt upwards, and his spurs hanging thereon. " In this order they ranked every man according to his degi-ee, the best or chiefest first, they rode fair and softly towards the court-gate, they were conducted by the heralds, and others appointed for that pui-pose, into the hall, where his Majesty, sitting under his cloth of estate, gave them their knighthood in this manner : First, the principal Lord that is to receive the Order comes, led by his two Esquires, and his Page before him, bearing his sword and spurs, and kneeled down before his Majesty ; the Lord Chamberlain takes the sword of the Page, and delivers it to the King, who puts the belt over the neck of the Knight aslope his breast, placing the sword under his left arm ; then two noblemen of the chief about the King put on his spurs, and so is the ceremony performed in this sort : ORDER OF THE BATH. 171 the Earl of Oxford, which was the principal of this number, being first created, the rest were all consequently knighted alike, and when the solemnity thereof was fully finished, then all returned again in order as they came, saving some small difference in that the youngest or meanest Knight went foremost, and their Pages behind them. Coming back to Durham House, their dinner was ready prepared in the same room, and after the same fashion as their supper was the night before, that being sat, they were not to taste of any thing that stood before them, but with a modest carriage and graceful abstinence to refrain, divers kinds of sweet music being played the while, and after convenient time of sitting, to arise and withdraw themselves, leaving the table furnished to their Esquires and Pages : and about four of the clock in the afternoon, they rode again to Court to their service in the King's chapell, keeping the same order they did at their return from thence in the morning, every Knight riding between his Esquires, and his Page following ; at their entrance into the chapel, the Heralds conducting them, they make a solemn reverence, the youngest Knight beginning, the rest orderly insuing, and so one after another take their standing before their stalls, where all being placed, the eldest Knight maketh a second reverence, which is followed to the youngest, and then all ascend into their stalls and take their accustomed places ; service then beginneth, and is very solemnly celebrated, with singing of divers anthems, and playing on the organs, and when the time of offertory is come, the youngest Knights are summoned forth of their stalls by the Heralds, doing reverence, first within the stalls, and again after they are descended, which is likewise imitated by all the rest ; and being all come forth and standing before their stalls, as at first, the two eldest Knights with their swords in their hands, are brought up by the Heralds to the altar, where they offer their swords, and the Dean receives them, of whom they presently redeem them with an angel in gold, and then come down to their former places, whilst two others are led up in like manner, so doing successively, till the whole ceremony be performed, which done, and service ended, they depart in such order as they came, with accustomed reverence. " At the chapel door they were encountered by the King's Majesty's cook, who stood there with his white apron and sleeves, and a chopping knife in his hand, and challenged their spurs, which were likewise 172 ORDER OF THE BATH. redeemed with a noble in money, threatening them nevertheless, that if they should not be true and loyal to the King, his Lord and Master, it must be his office to hew them from their heels. On Monday morning, they all met together again at the Court, where in a private room ap- pointed for them, they were clothed in long robes of purple satin, with hoods of the same, all lined and edged about with white taffeta, and thus apparelled, they gave their attendance at the side board, as is already declared." But this Order may be said never to have been established upon any solid foundation, until the year 1725, Avhen it was, at the suggestion of Sir Robert Walpole, renewed by George the First, whT enacted Statutes for its regulation, by which it was ordained to consist of the Sovereign and thirty-seven Knights Companions. The Duke of Montagu was named Grand Master, but upon his death that dignity was re-united to the Crown. Since this period the Order has gradually increased in honour and importance ; and by Statute, 2nd January, 1815, it was ordained that " for the purpose of commemorating the auspicious termination of the long and arduous contest in which this Empire had been engaged," the Order should henceforth be composed of three classes — viz. 1st Class. To consist of Knights Grand Crosses, whose number is not to exceed seventy-two, exclusive of the Sovereign and Princes of the Blood Royal, one sixth of which may be appointed for civil services. The remainder must have attained the rank of Major- General in the army, or Rear-Admiral in the navy, and must have been previously appointed to the second class. 2nd Class. To consist of Knights Commanders, number, upon the first institution not to exceed one hundred and eighty ; exclu- sive of Foreign Officers holding? British Commissions, of whom not exceeding ten maybe admitted as Honorary Knights Commanders. In the event of actions of signal distinction, or of future wars, the number of this class may be increased. Knights Commanders are entitled to the distinctive appellation of Knighthood ; to have the same rights and privileges as Knights Bachelors, but to take pre- cedence of them ; to wear the badge pendant by a red riband ORDER OF THE BATH. 173 round tlie neck, and the star embroidered on the left side. This class is not now conferred upon any officer below the rank of ]\Iajor- General in the army, or Rear-Admiral in the navy. 8rd Class. Companions of the Order ; not limited in number ; they are to take precedence of Esquires, but are not entitled to the appellation, style, &c. of Knights Bachelors. They wear the badge assigned to the third class, pendant by a narrow red riband to the button-hole. This class has never been conferred upon any officer below the rank of Major in the army, or Conmiandcr in the navy ; nor can any officer be nominated to it, unless he shall have been especially mentioned in despatches in the London Gazette, as having distinguished himself in action. The new Badge for the Military Classes of the Order, is a gold Maltese cross of eight points, enamelled Argent — in the four angles, a lion passant, guardant Or. In the centre, the rose, thistle, and shamrock, issuant from a sceptre between two imperial crowns Or, within a circle gules, thereon the motto of the Order, ' Tria juncta in uno," inscribed in letters of gold, surrounded by two branches of laurel proper issuing from an escrol azure, bearing the words ' Ich Dien Z' It is worn by the Grand Crosses pendant from a red riband across the right shoulder, by the Knights Commanders from the neck, and by the Companions from the button-hole. The Collar is of gold, weighing thirty ounces Troy weight, and is composed of nine imperial crowns, and eight roses, thistles, and shamrocks, issuing from a sceptre, enamelled in their proper colours, tied or linked together with seventeen gold knots, enamelled white, having the badge of the Order pendant therefrom. The Star of the Military Grand Crosses is formed of rays or flames of silver, thereon a gold Maltese cross, and in the centre, three imperial crowns proper upon a glory of silver rays Avithin the motto, which is surrounded by branches of laurel proper issuing from an escrol azure with the words ' Ich Dien.' The Civil Knights Grand Crosses retain the old Badge and Star of the Order ; which last is of silver, formed of eight points or rays, charged with three imperial crowns proper, upon a glory of 174 ORDER OF ST. PATRICK. silver rays, surrounded witli a circle gules, on wliict is inscribed the motto of the Order. The Badge is of gold, and contains a rose issuing from the dexter side of a sceptre, and a thistle from the sinister, all between three imperial crowns, encircled by the motto ' Tria juncta in uno.' The Star of the Knights Commanders is in the form of a cross patee of silver, having the same centre as that of the Grand Crosses, but without a gold Maltese cross thereon. The dress of ceremony worn by Knights of the Bath, on solemn festivals, such as coronations or installations, consists of a surcoat of crimson, lined and turned up w^ith white ; over this is worn a red mantle lined with white, fastened with rich gold tassels, and with the star of the Order embroidered on the left side. The vest, smallclothes, and stockings are white, the two former of white satin. The shoes are of white leather, the spurs of gold, and the hat, which is somewhat high crowned, is adorned with a plume of white feathers. THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF ST. PATRICK. This Order was instituted by George the Third, on the 5th February 1783, when his Majesty was pleased " to order Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the kingdom of Ire- land, for creating a Society or Brotherhood, to be called Knights of the Illustrious Order of St. Patrick ; to consist of the Sovereign and fifteen Knights Companions ; of which his Majesty, his heirs and successors, shall perpetually be sovereigns ; and his JSIajesty's Lieutenant-General and Governor-General of Ireland, or the Lord Deputy or Deputies, or Lord Justices, or Chief Governor or Governors of the said kingdom for the time being, shall officiate as Grand Master."* * London Gazette, 5th February 1783. ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE. 175 The 11 til of March in the same year, was the day appointed for the investiture of the Knights with the ensigns of their dignity previous to their installation ; wliich took place on the 17th of the same month, with great ceremony, in the cathedral of St. Patrick, Dublin. The number of Knights Companions have been increased since the Order was first instituted, from fifteen to twenty-two. The Star of this Order, which is embroidered on the left side of the coat or cloak, is of silver, formed with eight points or rays, having in its centre a cross saltire gules, on a field argent, sur- mounted with a trefoil (or shamrock) vert, charged with three imperial croAvns within a circle of gold, bearing the motto of the Order ' Quis separabit.' The Collar is of pure gold, and is formed of six harps and five roses alternately, which are joined together by twelve knots. In the centre is a crown, and pendant thereto a harp, which supports the jewel. The Jewel, which is also worn pendant from a light blue riband over the left shoulder, is the same as the Star, except that in place of the rays, it is sun-ounded by a circle of trefoils. THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF ST. MI- CHAEL AND ST. GEORGE. This Order was instituted by George the Fourth, when Prince Regent, (in commemoration of the United States of the Ionian Islands being placed under his Sovereign protectorship,) by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, " for natives of the United States of the Ionian Islands, and of the Island of Malta and its Dependencies, and for such other subjects of his Majesty as may hold high and confidential situations in the Mediterranean." By Statutes dated 16th August, 183^, the Order is henceforth 176 ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE. to consist of fifteen Knights Grand Crosses, exclusive of the Grand Master, twenty Kniglits Commanders, and twenty-five Cavalieri or Companions. The members of the several classes of this Order enjoy rank and precedency immediately after the corresponding classes of the Order of the Bath ; that is to say, the Knights Grand Crosses after Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath ; the Knights Com- manders after the Knights Commanders of the Bath ; and the Cavalieri and Companions after the Companions of the Bath, with the exception of the six senior Cavalieri, who retain the appellation of British Knighthood " Sir," and the precedency assigned to them by the original Statutes of April 1818. All natives of the Ionian Islands and of Malta, who receive the third class of the Order are styled Cavalieri ; and all natives of Great Britain and Ireland, Companions. The Grand Master is the first and principal Knight Grand Cross, and the Lord High Com- missioner of the Ionian Islands, has precedency of all other Grand Crosses. The Knights Grand Crosses are entitled to bear sup- porters, and to encircle their arms with the Collar, riband and motto of the Order. The Knights Commanders and Cavalieri also encircle their arms with the riband and motto ; and the Companions suspend the badge of the Order to their arms. The Star of a Knight Grand Cross is composed of seven rays of silver alternately with seven small rays of gold, and over all the cross of St. George, gules. In the centre is a medallion of the Archangel St. Michael encountering Satan, surrounded by a blue circle, inscribed with the motto of the Order " Auspicium Me- lioris T^vi." The Kniglits Commanders bear on their left side a star com- posed of four rays, with a small cross of eight points in saltire, of silver, surmounted by the Cross of St. George, gules, and having the same centre as the star of the Grand Crosses. The Collar is formed alternately of lions of England, Maltese crosses, and the cyphers of S. M. and S. G. having in the centre the imperial crown over two winged lions passant guardant, each FOREIGN ORDERS OP KNIGHTHOOD. 177 holding a book and seven arrows. At tlie opposite end of the Collar, which is of gold, the crosses being enamelled white, are two similar lions. The Badge is a gold cross of fourteen points of white enamel, edged with gold, having in the centre, on the one side, the Arch- angel St. Michael encountering Satan, and on the other, St. George on horseback encountering the dragon, within a blue circle, on which the motto of the Order is inscribed. The cross is surmounted by the imperial crown, and is worn by the Grand Crosses to a wide riband of Saxon blue with a scarlet stripe from the right shoulder to the left side ; by the Knights Commanders suspended to a narrower riband from the neck ; and bv the Cavalieri and Com- panions at the button-hole, suspended from a still narrower riband. The Mantle is of Saxon blue satin, lined with scarlet silk, tied with cordons of blue and scarlet silk and gold, and having on the left side the star of a Knight"'s Grand Cross. The Chapeau is of blue satin, lined with scarlet, and surmounted with white and black ostrich feathers. FOREIGN ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. When Elizabeth was consulted relative to her subjects receiving honours and dignities from foreign Sovereigns, she is reported to have said : " Between princes and their subjects there is a most straight tye of affections. As chaste women ought not to cast their eye upon any other than their husbands, so neither ought subjects to cast their eyes upon any other Prince than him whom God hath given them ; I would not have my sheep branded with another man's mark. I would not that they should follow the whistle of a stranger shepherd." The wise policy by which this speech is characterized is still ob- served, in so far, that no British subject is allowed to wear the Insignia of any Foreign Order of Knighthood without first ob- taining his Sovereign's permission so to do, and having the same N 178 FOREIGN ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. duly registered at the College of Heralds ; nor does any permission granted subsequently to March 1813, authorize the assumption of any style, rank, precedence, or privilege appertaining to that of a Knight Bachelor of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.* The following regulations on the subject of Foreign Orders appeared in the London Gazette of the 6th of December 1823. 1st. That no British subjects shall accept a Foreign Order or wear its Insignia, without having previously obtained a wan-ant under the Roval Sign Manual (directed to the Earl Marshal of England), granting them his Majesty's permission to accept and wear the same. * Though the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order is no longer so inti- mately allied to the British Orders of Knighthood, as it was before the late separation of the Crown of Hanover from that of these realms, it has been conferred by the Sovereigns of England upon so many of their British subjects," as to demand some notice in this place. This order was founded by George the Fom-th, when Prince Regent, in 1815, in commemoration of the raising of Hanover into a kingdom, and for rewarding those persons who had performed any signal service to their King and country. The King of Hanover is Grand Master ; and the Order is composed of three classes, viz. Grand Crosses, Commanders, and Knights,into which civil and military men are alike admitted. The Badge of the Order is a Maltese cross, surmounted by two swords, and the crown of Hanover upon the upper limb of the cross, and between each limb a lion passant guardant in the centre ; in a medallion is the White Horse of Hanover on a field gules, encircled by the motto of the Order ' Nee aspera terrent,' which is again encircled by a wreatli of laurel. In the badge of the Civil Knights the words are omitted, and a wreath of oak leaves substituted for that of laurel. This badge, when not worn from the Collar of the Order, which is com- posed alternately of lions passant guardant, and double ciphers of G. R., is worn by the Knights Grand Crosses scarfwise, from a sky-blue riband : by Commanders round the neck ; and by the Knights by a riband and gold buckle from the button-hole. FOREIGN ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. 179 2nd. That the intention of a Foreign Sovereign to decorate a British subject with the Insignia of such Order, shall be notified to his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, either through the King's Minister abroad, or through the accre- dited Minister of the Foreign Sovereign resident at this Court. 3rd. That when his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs shall have taken his Majesty's pleasure, and ob- tained his consent upon the occasion, he shall then signify the same to his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home De- partment, in order that he may cause the usual warrant to be pre- pared for the Royal Sign Manual, and take such other steps as may be necessary for carrying his Majesty's pleasure into effect accord- ingly. 4th. That when the warrant is signed by the King, it shall be announced in the Gazette in the usual manner, and registered in his Majesty's College of Arms. 5th. That no svibject of his Majesty could be allowed to accept the Insignia of a Foreign Order from any Sovereign of a Foreign State, except they shall be so conferred in consequence of active and distinguished services before the enemy, either at sea or in the field ; or unless he shall have been actually employed in the service of such foreign Sovereign. 6th. That his Majesty's license and permission doth not authorise, and shall not be deemed or considered to authorise, the assumption of any style, rank, precedence, or privilege, appertaining unto a Knight Bachelor of these Realms. It remains to be observed, that before the Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs takes the King's pleasure, on an applica- tion for an Officer in the Army to be permitted to accept a Foreign Order, he causes the same to be referred to the Commander-in- Chief, through his Royal Highness's Secretary, to know whether or not his Royal Highness sees any objection to his Majesty's plea- sure being taken thereon. N 2 THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. SECTION IV. 183 THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. The Parliament of Great Britain, — the source, under the favour of Divine Providence, of all the blessings which as a nation we enjoy, — is one of the most interesting subjects that can engage the attention of an inquirer. "Climates,'' it has been elegantly re- marked by the historian of the Middle Ages, " climates more pro- pitious may impart more largely the mere enjoyments of existence ; but in no other region have the benefits that political institutions can confer been diffused over so extended a population ; nor have any people so well reconciled the discordant elements of wealth, order, and liberty." And " these advantages," he continues, " are surely not owing to the soil of this island, nor to the latitude in which it is placed, but to the spirit of its laws."* The history of the assembly from which those laws have emanated lies beyond both the purpose and the limits of the present work ; but yet it would seem to be incomplete, if we did not point out in what man- ner, and by what successive developments, this great constitutional power has acquired its present form. That the Kins^s of the Ando-Saxons availed themselves of the wisest and most influential of their subjects, and enacted laws with their consent, is unquestionable ; but in what manner their witenage- mote, or viychel-si/noth, was assembled, of whom it was composed, by whom convoked, or what were the limits of its authority, are questions which have disturbed, and will probably continue to dis- turb, the repose of antiquaries in all generations. From the Conquest down to the reign of Henry III, the King, according to the prevalent opinion, took Council of his Barons, or tenants-in-chief, tliat is, of persons who held lands immediately from the Crown, and John bound himself by an article in Magna Charta to summon all those persons whenever an aid or scutage was required. * Hallani's " Middle Ages," ii. 374. 184 THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. Shortly after the reign of John, this description of Parliament was modified in two important particulars. First, instead of all the tenants-in-chief being summoned, the lower and poorer persons of that class were exempted, and the attendance, which was consi- dered burthensome, was confined to the higher order of Barons — the King's Peers. Second, the place of the lesser tenants-in-chief was supplied by representatives at first only of the counties, and afterwards of the boroughs also. The progress of the principle of representation is traceable, but with difficulty. Indications of county representation are to be found in the reign of John, but no earlier instance of the represen- tation of boroughs has been discovered than that contained in the celebrated writs by which Simon de ^Montfort summoned a Parlia- ment in 1264, when he held Henry III. in captivity. Whether this was actually the first instance of borough representation, or is merely the first now extant, is a very difficult point ; and so also is the question whether the three Estates originally sate and voted together or not. It is far more probable that, in the first instance, the Commons were summoned merely as petitioners, the enactment of laws resting with the King, acting under the advice of the Lords. The popular principle, however, once engrafted in our Constitution, spread and grew rapidly. I\atriotic men, ready to take advantage of every favourable opportunity for extending the power of the " poor humble Commons," were never wanting ; and, whenever the Crown rested upon the brow of an imbecile Monarch, such as Ed- ward II, or Richard II, or of an usurper, as in the instance of Henry IV, an increase of the importance of the third estate was the inevitable result. The power of levying taxes without the consent of the Commons was never pretended after the accession of Richard II ; their right to have a voice in the enactment of all laws was yielded by Henry IV ; and so also was the equally important right of check- ing the application of the supplies. The power of impeachment was assumed at the close of the reign of Edward III, and fully established in that of his successor ; and, finally, freedom of speech THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. 185 and person were secured during tlie wars between the Roses. By these gradual steps, the Commons ascended to that equality of power with the other branches of the Legislature which they now so fully enjoy. In the meantime the House of Peers * underwent two chancres in its constitution, which brought it into its present form. After the reign of Henry III. we have seen that its members were those of the tenants in cajnte, who were summoned. Two qualifications were necessary — tenure of lands, and a summons. In process of time those qualifications became disjoined, the King assumed a prerogative right of summoning to the House of Peers whomsoever he pleased ; and every one whom he summoned thenceforth became a Peer. This was one change ; the other was, that the King granted the dignity of the Peerage by his letters patent ; and persons thus ennobled, became entitled to their summons to attend the Parliament. The three modes of acquiring a seat in the House of Lords, from about the reign of Henry III. were, therefore, I. By tenure and summons; II. By summons alone ; and III. By letters patent. The first has now become obsolete ; the second, which arose probably in the reign of Henry III ; and the third, which sprang up in the time of Richard II, are still the only modes by Avhich the Peerage can be obtained.-f* * It may not be improper here to observe, that the first instance in which Earls and Barons appear to have been styled Peers, is in the award of exile against Hugh le Despencer, and Hugh le Despencer, his son, in the Parliament which met at Westminster in the 14th of Edward II, anno 1321, which instrument concludes in the following words: " Therefore we, Peers of the land. Earls and Barons, in the presence of the King, do award that Sir Hugh le Despencer, the father, and Sir Hugh le Despencer, the son, be disinherited for ever," &c. — " First Report on the Dignity of a Peer," p. 281. ■\ The reader will find some further information upon these points in the Second Section of this work, under the heads of Baron by Tenure (p. 116), Baron by Writ (p. 119), and Baron by Patent (p. 122). 186 THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. We have thus traced the successive stages by which our Parlia- ment assumed its present form. The subject is curious as well as important, and affords abundant scope for comment, as well as many amusing illustrations of ancient manners, some few of which may probably be excused. When the Parliament was held at Westminster, the Commons anciently sat in the Chapter House of the Abbey, the Lords in the adjoining palace ; and many of those buildings, the destruction of which we have had so recent occasion to deplore, were connected with memorable incidents in Parliamentary history : the Painted Chamber, the White Chamber, Marculph's Chamber, and the Green Chamber, are of perpetual occurrence in the Parliament Rolls. The Parliament assembled at eight in the morning (Rot. Pari. ii. S21), and at their first meeting, some one of the ministers pronounc- ed an oration or theme, taking a passage from Scripture as a text, and dividing his address after the manner of a sermon (ibid. iii. 1). Persons elected to serve in Parliament were obliged to find sureties to their constituents for their attendance, and at the close of the session were entitled to wages* ; the members for counties after the rate of four shillings, and those for boroughs two shillings a day. Writs to levy these wages were delivered to the members upon their return home. Bargains were often made by the constituents Avitli their member, who undertook to " render the service " for a certain sum ; and many boroughs found the charge so grievous, that they petitioned to be relieved from the expensive honour of return- ing members. In the 4th of Henry TV, at the close of the Parliament, the Earl of Northumberland, in the absence of the Steward of the Household, invited "all the Lords, spiritual and temporal, and all the Commons," to dine with the King on the following Sunday. (Rot. Pari. iii. 493.) * The Members of the House of Commons do not, at the present day, receive any fee, salary, or emolument whatsoever. It has been thought right to state this fact, inasmuch as an impression prevails that they are paid a certain sum for every day they may attend upon Committees, &c. THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. 187 In the reign of Henry VI, (cap. xxiii. sec. 14,) it was enacted, that none but notable Knights, notable Esquires, or Gentlemen born, should be returned for counties (Auth. Ed. of Statutes, ii. 342) : and in the 39th of Henry VI, a county election was set aside because the person returned was not of gentle blood. Anecdotes of this description might be multiplied, but we must pass on to usages more accordant with the taste and feelings of a later period. THE SUMMONING OF PARLIAMENT. The authority for summoning a Parliament is vested in the Sovereign only : during his absence from the realm, indeed, the same may be done by the Gustos Regni for the time being ; or, during his minority, or mental incapacity (if the same should un- fortunately occur), the Regent, or Protector Regni, is similarly empowered. The mode of summons is as follows : — Forty days, at least, before the time when the Parliament is in- tended to assemble, the King issues out his writs, " cum advisa- mento Gonsilii sui " (by the advice of his Gouncil) ; the warrant being " Per ipsum Regem et Consilium" (by the King himself and his Gouncil). These Writs are addressed and sent to each of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal ; the former being commanded *'in fide et dilectione" (in their fidelity and attachment), and the latter " per fidem et allegiantium" (by their fidelity and allegiance), to appear at the time and place stated, in order to give their advice in certain important questions which concern the welfare or safety of Church and State. Other Writs are sent to the Sheriffs of each county, commanding them to summon the people to elect so many Knights of the Shire for each County, Citizens for each City, and Burgesses for each l^orougli, as the case may be. In order to be enabled to sit, either as a Peer or as a Commoner, it is absolutely necessary that a man be of full age, that is, twenty- one years old at the least ; and, that the Members of both Houses may be enabled to attend to the public service of their country, Avithout let or hindrance, they were formerly privileged, with their servants and retinues, as wcl! as their necessary goods and furniture, from all 188 THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL. imprisonments and attachments for debts, trespasses, accounts or covenants, " all the time that they were on their way to the place of Parliament, all the time of the session, and all the time that they were on their way home again ;"" but they never were privileged from arrest for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. These pri- vileges, as regards the Commons, were slightly modified and more clearly defined by 12 William III. cap. S, and by 10 George III. cap. 50. The persons of Peers are still sacred from arrest and outlawry, whether the Parliament be sitting or not ; but their pro- perty is liable to sale and sequestration by the decree of a court of law or equity. The place of meeting of this high and honourable assembly may be in whatsoever city, town, or house, it shall be the King''s plea- sure to appoint. Latterly, the Parliaments have invariably been held (with the exception of one at Oxford, in the reign of Charles I,) in the King's ancient palace at Westminster. THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL. The Lords Spiritual, as a constituent part of the Upper House of Parliament, are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and twenty-four Bishops * of England, and four represen- * The Bishops, it must be remembered, sit in Parliament as Barons. By the constitutions of Clarendon (enacted in 1164 in the 11th of Henry the Second), it was declared that the Archbishops, Bishops, and Abbots, should hold their lands as Baronies ; that is, that they should be tenants in capite to the King ; and as^uch should have the privilege of sitting in the King's Court or Great Council of the Nation. They were, however, exempted from doing homage for their Baronies, and were bound only to take the oath of fealty to the King. The Prelates have always since attended in their places, and voted upon every subject that has been brought before the Lords, except in trials for high treason, and other cases of a criminal nature. On such occasions, they never attend or vote ; in compliance with the canons which forbid them from partici- pating in matters of blood. The first instance of their thus absenting THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL. 189 tative Prelates for Ireland. The right by which the English Bishops sit in the Upper House, arises from their liolding certain baronies under the King. The same may be said of the Irish Bishops ; but by the articles of the union between Ireland and England, the whole body are represented by four, who sit in the House of Peers by rotation. The Bishops are not, strictly speak- ing, Peers of the Realm, but only Lords of Parliament.* It is on this account that they are not tried as Peers of the Realm, but by a jury, in the same manner as other commoners : the instance of Bishop Fisher, in the reign of Henry VIII, may be quoted as an example. But although they are distinct from the Lords Temporal, they do not vote separately. They are, indeed, in acts of Parliament usu- ally distinguished : yet in practice they are blended together under the name of " The Lords." They mingle in their votes, and the majority of such intermixture binds both estates : so that, notwith- themselves w^hich is recorded, occurred in 1338, when certain Lords and others, being accused of treason, &c. the Prelates having entered a pro- testation, saving their right to be present in Parliament, withdrew without taking any part in the trial. A remarkable exception from the rule of Prelates not interfering in criminal matters is related by Hatsell, " Precedents," vol. iv. p. 203, where it is stated that the warrant for the execution of the Lord High O Admiral Seymour was signed by Cranmer. * A bill passed in 1641 to exclude the Bishops from Parliament, and from exercising any temporal jurisdiction or authority. In the first par- liament which assembled after the Restoration, means were taken to remove this disability. " The Bishops," says Hume, " though restored to their spiritual authority, were still excluded from Parliament, by the law which the late King had passed immediately before the commence- ment of the civil disorders. Great violence, both against the King and the House of Peers, had been employed in passing this law ; and on that account alone the partisans of the Church were provided with a plausible pretence for repealing it. Charles expressed much satisfaction, when he gave his assent to the act for that purpose. It is certain, that the autho- rity of the Crown, as well as of the Church, was interested in restoring the prelates to their former dignity." 190 THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL. standing tliat the ancient distinction still continues, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal form but one estate : and a bill would undoubtedly be valid, which should pass the House, although every Bishop Avere to vote against it. Respecting the validity of a bill that should pass from the Bishops making the majority, whilst every temporal Peer present dissented, there is some doubt ; there being no precedent for, or against, such a proposition. The Lords Temporal consist of all the Peers of the realm, by whatever titles of nobility they may be distinguished ; whether as Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, or Barons. The number of Lords Temporal is indefinite, and may be in- creased at the pleasure of the Crown. Some of them, viz. the ancient nobility, sit in the House by descent : some by creation, as do all new-made Peers ; others by election, as do the sixteen repre- sentative Peers chosen for Scotland, who hold their seats only during the term of each Parliament ; and the twenty-eight repre- sentative Peers for Ireland, who are elected for life. The prerogative which the Sovereign enjoys of increasing the peerage at his pleasure, is generally made use of for the purpose of rewarding such as are eminent for their services to the public ; but there are too many instances on record of its application to the ends of favouritism, and not a few to ensure votes in the Upper House, for the purpose of carrying particular measures. On the first day of every new Parliament, before the Peers or Members can sit in the House or debate on any subject whatever, they must take the necessary oaths, which by an act passed in the reign of his late Majesty William the Fourth, is now administered by the Clerk of the House of Commons, instead of the Lord Stew- ard of the Household, whose duty it was formerly : and any Mem- ber voting without having done so, is liable to the forfeiture of all his property, which heavy penalty is said to have been inflicted upon two occasions. Two Peers and a Prelate (including the Speaker if a Peer) are suflScient to constitute a House of Lords ; but when any important measure is to come under discussion, it is usual for an order to be made that their Lordships shall be summoned. MANNER. OF SITTING IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 191 The form of voting in the House of Lords consists in each Peer answering " Content," or " Not Content,'" beginning with the youngest Baron, and so proceeding seriatim until all have ex- pressed their opinions. If the numbers should be equal, the question is invariably presumed to be resolved in the negative, and the " Not Contents " have the effect of an absolute majority. It is a peculiar privilege of the Lords, that any Peer or Pre- late, who is prevented by sickness or other cause from attending in his place, may by licence from the King make another Lord of Parliament his Proxy,* to vote for him in his absence ; except when the House is in Committee, in which case, only such Lords as are present, can vote. It remains to be observed that no Lord can hold more than two Proxies, and that the Proxies of Spiritual Lords 'I' must be given to Spiritual Lords, and those of Temporal Lords to Temporal Lords. MANNEll OF SITTI^JG IN THE HOUSE OF LOKDS. Whenever the Sovereign is present in Parliament, he sits at the upper end of the House of Lords, in a throne, or cliair of state ; * The Members of the House of Commons are not allowed to vote by proxy, being themselves only proxies for their constituents. \ The Parliamentary costume of the Archbishops and Bishops consists of a rochet or surplice, with lawn sleeves, and a square black cap. At coronations the Archbishop of Canterbury wears in addition, a superb cope, which reaches from his shoulders down to his feet. The mitre, crosier, &c. have been laid aside since the Reformation, and are now merely painted in the arms of the several sees. Lysons furnishes us in his " Environs of London," with a curious notice on the subject of that important part of episcopal costume — the Bishop's wig. He tells us that in the great dining-room at Lambeth Palace are portraits of all the Archbishops, from Laud to the present time ; from which it appears, that Archbishop Tillotson was the first Prelate who wore a wig, which then was not unlike the natural hair, and worn without powder. 192 MANNER OF SITTINCx IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. having a crimson velvet canopy, or cloth of state, over his head : on his right hand (if he have children or brothers so entitled) sits the Prince of Wales ; on his left, the Duke of York ; both under the same canopy. Farther off, on the right hand, and somewhat in advance, are placed, on a form, the King's Vicar General (if such an office be in existence), and the Archbishops of Canter- bury * and York f . Below these, on another form, are seated * The Archbishop of Canterbury, who is called Primate of all England and Metropolitan, is the first Peer in England, next to the Blood Royal. It is his privilege to crown the Sovereign ; and it hath been resolved, " that wheresoever the Court may be, the King and Queen are the proper domestic parishioners of the Archbishop of Canterbury." The Bishop of London is his provincial Dean, the Bishop of Winchester his Subdean, the Bishop of Lincoln his Chancellor, and the Bishop of Rochester his Chaplain. The Archbishop of Canterbury has under his authority several courts for the settlement of ecclesiastical affairs; namely, the Court of Arches, Court of Delegates, the Prerogative Courts and Court of Peculiars. Archbishops may retain and qualify eight Chaplains. The Arch- bishop of Canterbury is styled in the Kings Writs " By the grace of God," and styles himself, " By Divine Providence ;" he has the titles of " His Grace," and " The Most Reverend Father in God," and letters written to him should commence, " My Lord Archbishop," conclude " I remain with the highest respect, my Lord Archbishop, your Grace's . most devoted obedient Servant," and be superscribed, " To His Grace The Lord Archbishop of ." f The Archbishop of York has place and precedence of all Dukes not of the Blood Royal, and of all great Officers of State, except only the Lord Chancellor : he has the honour to crown the Queen Consort, and to be her perpetual Chaplain. He is styled " Primate of England," and " Metropolitan," and within his own province enjoys many of the same privileges as the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop of York, like the Bishops, styles himself, " By Divine Permission." MANNER OF SITTING IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. 193 the Bishops of London,* Durham,f and Winchester ;| then the rest of the Bishops, according to their priority of consecration. On the King's left hand, upon forms, are seated the Lord Chan- cellor, or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal ; the Lord Treasurer (when such office is not in commission) ; the Lord President of the King's Privy Council, and the Lord Privy Seal ; although only Barons, these sit above all Dukes, except those of the Royal Family. On the same side sit the Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls, according to the dates of their creation. * The Bishop of London has preference and precedence over all other Bishops, in the first place, as being provincial Dean of the Arch- bishop of Canterbury, and secondly, as being Bishop of the capital of the empire. f Next in rank among the Bishops is the Bishop of Durham ; which precedence was awarded him in consideration of his being not only a Bishop, but also the Count Palatine of his diocese. He is in right of his see. Earl of Sadberg, and his privileges as Earl Palatine have been already mentioned. Vide p. 1 03. It was, we presume, in this latter character, that Doctor Talbot, then lately translated to the see of Durham, made his ap- pearance at a review in the train of George the First — " in a lay habit of purple with Jack boots, and his hat cocked, and a black wig tied behind him like a militant officer." Such at least is the account in the Flying Post of the 14th June 1722. X The Bishop of Winchester, who was anciently reputed Earl of Southampton, and is so styled in the new Statutes of the Order of the Garter made by Henry tlie Eighth, though that title no longer belongs to him, ranks next to Durham on the episcopal bench. He is Subdean of the province of Canterbmy, and, in the vacancy of the see of London^ executes the Archbishop's mandates for convocation, &c. ; which office, in the event of both the sees of London and Winchester being vacant, belongs to the Bishop of Lincoln, as Chancellor of the province. The power and wealth of this see were formerly so great, that William de Edyngton having been elected Archbishop of Canterbury, refused the honour, saying, " Though Canterbury had the highest rack, yet Winchester had the deeper manger." 194 MANNER OF SITTING IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. On the first form, across the House, below the woolsacks, sit the Viscounts ; and upon the next, the Barons ; all in the order of their creation. The Lord Great Chamberlain of England, the Lord High Con- stable, the Earl Marshal, the Lord High Admiral, (when such office is not in commission,) the Lord Steward of the King's Household, the Lord Chamberlain, and the principal Secretaries of State, if Peers, sit above all others of the same rank of nobility with themselves; and if any of them be Bishops, above all Bishops not invested with any of the said offices. The Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, when the King is not present, sits on the first woolsack, in front of the throne ; his Great Seal and Mace being placed before him : this is his place as Speaker of the House of Lords ; but whenever the House is formed into a Committee, or whenever the Chancellor is desirous of speaking on any question, he takes his place among his Peers according to his proper rank of nobility. Upon other Avoolsacks sit the Judges, the King's Council- at-Law, and the Masters in Chancery : these, not being Barons, have no suffiage in Parliament ; they sit in the House of Peers merely to give their advice when the same is required. The Clerk of the Parliament, whose duty it is to record all things done in Parliament, and to keep the Records of the same, and the Clerk of the Crown, who is charged with all Parliamentary Writs and Royal Pardons, sit on a form behind the Table, which is placed in advance of the woolsacks. Without the Bar, sits the King's first Gentleman-Usher (called the Black-Rod, from a black staff which he carries in his hand) ; there is also a Yeoman- Usher, who assists Black-Rod in the execution of his duty, and acts in his absence ; a Serjcant-at-Mace, always attending the Lord Chancellor ; and a Crier upon all State Trials and Courts of Claims. When the King is present with the Crown on his head, the Lords are dressed in their robes, but none of them are covered. The Judges stand till the King gives them leave to sit. THE FIRST MEETING OF PARLIAMENT, ETC. 195 When the King is absent, the Lords at their entrance do reverence to the Throne or Chair of State. On snch occasions, the Judges may sit, but may not be covered, till the Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, signify to them the leave of the Lords. The King's Council, and Masters in Chancery, sit also, but they are never covered. THE FIRST MEETING OF PARLIAMENT AND CHOICE OF A SPEAKER BY THE COMMONS. On the day stated in the Writ of Summons, the Sovereign comes in state, attended by his officers and guards, to meet the Members of both Houses ; and on his arrival at the House of Lords, as well as on his departure therefrom, Royal Salutes, of twenty-one guns each, are fired. On the Sovereign's entrance he proceeds to the Prince's Chamber, where he puts on his Crown and Robes ; and is from thence conducted into the House of Lords by the Lord High Chamberlain. Having taken his seat on the Throne, and returned the obeisance of the Prelates and Peers, who stand in their respective places, in their robes of state and office, he sends for the Commons, by the Gentleman-Usher of the Black Rod. That officer immediately proceeds to the Lower House, and having given three distinct taps with his Rod or Badge of Office at the door or entrance of the House, which is immediately opened, advances to the Bar, and makes a bow to the Members ; then, pro- ceeding a few steps further, he repeats his obeisance a second and a third time, saying, " Gentlemen of the House of Commons, the King commands this Honourable House to attend him imme- diately in the House of Peers." He then withdraws, retiring backwards and bowing. The Commons forthwith attend his Majesty by proceeding to the Bar of the House of Lords, in a body ; and having made their obeisance, are there, in the King's name, commanded by the Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, to choose a Speaker for their House, o 2 196 THE FIRST MEETING OF PARLIAMENT, ETC. who shall not only be their chairman and the regulator of their proceedings during their sittings, but also the mouth-piece or channel of communication between them and the other branches of the Legislature, during the existence of that Parliament. Whereupon, the Commons returning to their House, make choice of one of their own Members, in manner as follows. At the commencement of every new Parliament, or on the death or resignation of the old Speaker, the Mace,* which usually lies upon, is placed under the Table of the Commons' House ; when any Member standing up in his place, and making a short introduc- tory speech, may move that such a Member, as he then names, may take the Chair, and being seconded in that motion by some other Member, if no contest arise, the mover and seconder lead the per- son so named from his seat to the Bar of the House. From thence they conduct him, bowing thrice, up to the Chair, where being placed, he stands up and returns thanks to the House for the * And here it may be as well to observe that the King's Serjeant-at- Arms at the present day still attends the House of Commons, by the special permission of the Sovereign, and not by any authority properly belonging to the House ; in token of which the Mace is surrendered by the Speaker at the close of the session, and deposited in the Royal Treasury, now called the Jewel House, in the Tower. — Palgrave, " Truth and Fic- tions of the Middle Ages," p. 263. It may be added, that whilst the Speaker is in the Chaii*, the Mace is always laid upon the Table, except when sent to the Committee Rooms to summon the Members to attend the House ; which invaiiably takes place when Election Committees are to be balloted for. And whenever the Serjeant-at-Arms makes his appearance in any Committee Room with the Mace on his shoulder, the Members of that Committee must instantly quit their present business and proceed to the House, on the principle that all private business must give place to the general business of the nation. When, however, the House resolves itself into a Committee of the whole House, the Mace is laid under the Table, and the Chairman of that Committee takes the seat usually occupied by the Clerk of the House. THE FIRST MEETING OF PARLIAMENT, ETC. 1.97 honour they have done liim ; at the same time modestly acknow- ledging his inability to perform such a trust, and requesting that the House would make choice of some more able person to be their Speaker.* This being, of course, disapproved, he submits to their pleasure ; and, after receiving the directions of the House respecting the usual requests to be made on his appearance before the King, he adjourns to the day appointed for that purpose. But if a contest should arise respecting the choice of a Speaker, and some other Member be moved for, and the motion be seconded as before, the choice is de- termined by a question, as in a Committee of the whole House, by * When once elected the power of the Speaker is of great extent ; but how necessary it is that he who exercises it should do so with discretion, is shown by a curious story told of Speaker Onslow, who was rather more strict in enforcing the regulations of the House than acquainted with their origin. Whenever a member turned a deaf ear to his awful cry of " Order, Order/' he was accustomed to threaten that he would name him. " Order, Sir, — Sit down this instant. Sir, or I shall be compelled to name you. Sir !" But this dreadful punishment having been ofttimes threatened but never inflicted, an Honourable Member one day ventured to ask, — what would be the consequence if the Speaker were to name any Member. At this unexpected question the Speaker reddened, looked exceedingly grave, fidgeted about in his chair for some time, and at length, shaking the pow- der from his wig, said, " The Lord in Heaven knows. Sir ! I 'm sm"e I don't." He ought to have known, however, that a reprimand is the pu- nishment awarded to all those who are thus pointed out to the notice of the House. But Sir Edward Seymour, who was Speaker in the reign of Charles II. earned his authority beyond the verge of the House ; For it is told of him, that his coach happening to break down with him at Charing Cross, he ordered his attendants to stop the next gentleman's carriage they met and bring it to him. The gentleman in it remonstrated against being turned out of his own coach, but Sir Edward told him it was more proper for him to walk than the Speaker of the House of Commons, and left him to do so without further apology. 198 THE FIRST MEETING OF PARLIAMENT, ETC changing sides ; tlie Clerk of the House of Commons being the person whose duty it is on such occasions to put the question. On the day appointed for the Speaker's presentation to the Sove- reign, the Usher of the Black Rod is again sent for the Commons ; that officer enters the House with the same ceremonies as before ; but he now alters his style, and addresses himself to the Speaker. The Commons then, proceeding as before to the Bar of the House of Lords, with their Speaker at their head (the whole House being presumed to be present), make their obeisance to his Majesty and to the Lords ; after which the Speaker addresses a speech to the King, begging him to command the Commons to make a " fitter choice." If, however, the choice of the Commons be approved of by his Majesty, the Lord Chancellor replies, saying that, " the King does not allow of a refusal,"" but confirms their choice by admitting him for Speaker. The Speaker then petitions his Majesty that the Commons may have, during the sitting of Parliament, — first, freedom from arrests and disturbances ; — secondly, freedom of speech in their own House ; — thirdly, free access to the Sovereign ; — and fourthly, that all their proceedings may receive a favourable construction. These petitions being granted by the Sovereign, through the Lord Chancellor, the Sovereign proceeds to make his Speech* to both Houses, in which he informs them of the present state of the na- tion's affairs at home and abroad, and of his friendly relations with foreign governments ; he then urges upon them whatever matters * Sharon Turner^ in the fourth volume of his " History of the Anglo- Saxons," gives us an account of what a King's speech was nearly nine cen- turies since, that is to say, in the year 993. It is preserved in a charter in which the King recites what had passed at one of the Witena-gemots. " I benignantly addressed to them salutary and pacific words. I admo- nished all — that those things which were worthy of the Creator and ser- viceable to the health of my soul or my royal dignity, and which should prevail as proper for the English people, they might, with the Lord's as- sistance, discuss in common." MANNER OF VOTING IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 199 may be deemed objects of legislation during the present session, and concludes by drawing the attention of his " faithful Commons" to the revenue, and to the granting of the necessary supplies. The Sovereign then withdraws, and the Commons retire to their own chamber. Some one, now, in each House, moves an Address in answer to, and approval of, the Royal Speech. Such motions are invariably seconded and carried, although an amendment is ge- nerally offered by some member in opposition to the existing ministry. MANNER OF SITTING, VOTING, AND SPEAKING, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Commons sit in their House promiscuously : the Speaker has a chair, or seat, fixed at the upper end ; and the Clerk, with his assistants, sit near him at the Table, just below the Chair. The Members of the House of Commons never had any robes, except the Speaker and the Clerks, who always, in the House, wear gowns, as professors of the law do in term time ; also, the four Members for the city of London, who on the first day of every new Parliament wear scarlet gowns, and sit altogether on the right hand of the Chair, next to the Speaker. Each Member, as he enters the House, makes his obeisance to the Speaker, by raising his hat ; which he immediately replaces, however, as he goes to his seat. Previously to debates upon great public questions, it is cus- tomary for the Members to take their places at an early hour in the afternoon ; this is done by writing their names upon a piece of paper, and wafering it upon the back of the seat which they are desirous of securing. Such an intimation is generally respected. His Majesty's Ministers and the leaders of Opposition are alone exempt, by courtesy, from this ceremony : they sit on the front benches next the Table, the Ministers on the Speaker's right hand, and the Opposition on the left. The favourers of each party, generally, sit on the benches behind their respective ^00 MANNER OF VOTING leaders : this is always the case when questions of moment are to be discussed ; both sides being anxious to display the collective strength of their partisans. The time of sitting in Parliament was, formerly, upon any day, in the mioming. On Sundays and some high festivals, or fast-days, it is not usual to assemble, except on the most urgent occasions. The presence of forty Members is requisite " to make a House" in the House of Commons, and eight a Committee. But if forty be present at the commencement of business, and any of them subse- quently retire, the proceedings may continue until such time as any Member moves that the " House be counted ;" when, if it be found to consist of less than the required number, the Speaker immediately adjourns it. The Speaker always adjourns the House to nine of the clock in the morning of such day as the House may agree to adjourn to ; but the Members seldom meet until four in the afternoon ; and important business is rarely commenced until about five: the con- sequence is, that the debates are seldom concluded before two or three o'clock next morning ; and oftentimes, they are so late as five and six. In the House of Commons the Members vote by " Ayes" and " Noes," altogether ; but if it be doubtful which is the greater number, the House divides. If the question be whether any Bill, Petition, &c. is to be brought into the House, then the " Ayes," or approvers of the measure, go out ; but if it be upon anything which the House is once possessed of, then the " Noes" go out. Upon all questions where the House divides, the Speaker appoints four Tellers, two of each opinion ; who, after they have told or numbered those within, place themselves in the passage between the Bar and the door, in order to tell those who went out ; who, till then, are not permitted to re-enter the House. This being done, the two Tellers who have the majority, take the right hand, and all four placing themselves within the Bar, make three reverences as they approach towards the Table, where they deliver the written numbers, saying, " The Ayes that went out are so many, the Noes who remained are so many," and vice versa, as it ma'/ happen. This the Speaker repeats, declaring the majority. IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 201 When a Member is desirous of speaking on a Bill before the House, he stands up in his place uncovered, and directs his speech to the Speaker. He may speak as long as he pleases, but having once sat down, he is not permitted to speak again to the same matter, unless personally reflected upon ; but when the whole House is resolved into Committee on any business, a Member may speak as often as he pleases, or as the Chairman of the Committee may deem expedient. The form of debating on Bills and passing Acts is as follows : — Any Lord, or Member of Parliament, moves for the Bill to be brought in ; which being agreed to by the House, he with others is ordered to prepare and bring in the same. When the Bill is ready, some one of the Members so ordered, after due notice given, presents the Bill ; reading the notice at the side Bar of the House, and desiring leave to bring the Bill to the Table. On the question being agreed to, it has a first reading by the Clerk at the Table ; after whom, the Speaker taking the Bill in his hand, reads the abstract of it. This done, after debate upon the Bill, if any take place, he puts the question, " whether it shall have a second reading ?'''' and sometimes, upon motion, appoints a day for it. When the Bill is read a second time, the question is whether it shall be committed^ which is either to a Committee of the whole House, if the Bill is of importance, or if otherwise, to a private Committee ; any Member at pleasure naming the persons to be of that Committee. These names being read by the Clerk at the Table, it is ordered that they meet in the Speaker's Chamber, and report their opinion to the House. The Committee meet accord- ingly, and having chosen a Chairman, proceed upon the Bill. The Chairman havinj? first caused a clerk attending the Committee to read the Bill, then takes it himself, and reads it paragraph by paragraph ; putting every clause thereof to the question, filling up the blanks, and making amendments according to the opinion of the majority of the Committee. When they have gone through the Bill, the Chairman, by direction of the Committee, makes his report at the side Bar of the House ; reading all the alterations 202 MESSAGES BETWEEN THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. made by the Committee, and pointing out how far these amend- ments may have changed the scope of the Bill. Any clauses which the Committee have thought fit to be added, are marked alphabetically, read by the Chairman, and delivered to the Clerk, who reads all the amendments and clauses. The Speaker then puts the question, whether they shall be read a second time ; and if this be ao-reed to, reads them himself. The question is then put, whether the Bill so amended shall be engrossed, and read a third time on some future day. On the day appointed, the Bill is read a third time ; after which the Speaker, holding the Bill in his hand, puts the question, " Whether the Bill shall pass ?" and if the majority be for it, the words " Soit bailie aux Seigneurs,'" are written on it by the Clerk. (In the House of Lords the words are of course " Soit bailie aux Communes.'''') MESSAGES AND CONFERENCES BETWEEN THE HOUSES OF LORDS AND COMMONS. When a Bill is sent by the Commons up to the Lords, out of respect to the Upper House it is always accompanied by eio-ht of the Members of the Commons; who are introduced into the House of Lords by the Usher of the Black Rod. While they advance towards the Bar, making three profound reverences, the Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, comes down to the Bar, cai-rying the Great Seal ; and the Member who carries the Bill delivers it into his hands, saying, " The Commons have passed an Act, entitled, &c. &c. &c., to which they desire your Lordships' concurrence." The Lord Chancellor having received the Bill, bows and returns to his seat on the woolsack, the deputation from the Commons retiring with the same reverences as Avhen they en- tered the House, the door of which is then shut upon them : and if they have more Bills to present, which is generally the case, they again knock, and the same ceremony is gone through. A Bill sent down by the Lords to the Commons is never car- ried by any of the Lords themselves, but is sent by two of the THE ROYAL ASSENT. 208 Masters in Chancery, or by two of the Judges, when it relates to her Majesty or the Royal Family ; and who, coming up to the Speaker, and bowing thrice, deliver the Bill to him after one of them has read the title, and desire that the same may be taken into con- sideration. If the Bill afterwards pass the House of Commons, it is endorsed with the words " Les Communes ont assentez.'''' All messenffers from the Commons to the Lords are introduced by the Usher of the Black Rod ; Avhilst those from the Lords to the Commons (who on matters of great importance are generally one or more of the Judges) as well as all persons appearing at the Bar of the House, are ushered in by the Serjeant-at-Arms in attend- ance. That officer, placing himself on the right hand of the mes- senger, with his mace on his shoulder, advances with him towards the Speaker, both bowing three times as they draw near the Table : having delivered the message, they retire bowing, without turning their backs on the Chair. If a Bill pass in one House, and being sent to the other the Members demur upon it, a Conference is demanded, when certain Members deputed by each House meet to debate upon the busi- ness. On these occasions the Lords are covered and seated at the Table, while the Commons remain standing and uncovered. THE ROYAL ASSENT. When a Bill has passed both Houses, it is necessary that it receive the Royal Assent, which is given either by a Commission granted by the Sovereign to some of the great Officers of State, or by the Sovereign in person. In the latter case, the Sovereign comes in state to the House of Lords, and having robed and placed the Crown upon his head, takes his seat upon the Throne, all the Peers present being in their robes. The Bill is then brought to the King, the Clerk of the Crown reads the title of it, and when he has read it, the Clerk of the Parliament, according to his instructions from the King, who hath before ma- turely considered the Bill, pronounceth the Royal Assent. If it be a Public Bill, the answer is " Le Roi le veut,'" — the 204 THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT^ King wills it to be so ; if a Private Bill, it is " Soit fait comme il est desire^''' — let it be as it is desired. If the Sovereign does not approve of the Bill, the answer is, " Le Rot s'ttvisera," — the King will consider of it. If the Bill authorizes a grant of money to the King, the Speaker of the House of Commons (in which all such Bills must originate,) carries it up and presents it, when the answer is, " Le Rot remercie ses loi/aiix stij'ets, accepte leur benevolence, et aussi le veuty'' — the King thanks his loyal subjects, accepts their benevolence, and wills it to be so. A Bill of the King's General Pardon, which begins with the Royal Assent, has but one reading in each House, because both Lords and Commons must accept it as the King pleases to give it. When such a Bill or Act of Grace is passed by the King, the Clerk of the Parliament thus pronounces the gratitude of the people, — " Les Prelats, Seigneurs, et Communes en ce present Parlement assemhlez, an nom de touts vos autres suj'ets, remercient tres humblement votre Afa/este, et prient a Dieu a vous donner en smite bonne vie et longue,''' — the Prelates, Lords, and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in the name of all your other sub- jects, most humbly thank your Majesty, and pray God to grant you in health and wealth long to live. THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. The privileges and power of the two Houses of Parliament are many and great ; but distinct from each other. They have both the same power of making and repealing laws, conjointly with the King ; but the Lords are also sole judges, in the arraignment of any Peer of the Realm ; in impeachment of the Ministers of the Crown ; of Writs of Error respecting illegal proceedings in Courts of Law ; and in Appeals from Decrees of the Court of Chancery. In matters of importance, such as the corruption of Judges and Magis- trates, they can put witnesses and others to their oaths. The House of Commons has no power to administer an oath, THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. 205 except in those peculiar instances in which that power is decreed by express Act of Parliament. Amongst the privileges of Parliament, that of freedom of speech stands the most conspicuous ; and both Houses enjoy it in a degree superior to that of any other European legislative assembly. It is particularly demanded of the Sovereign in person, by the Speaker of the House of Commons, at the opening of every new Parliament ; and is invariably granted.* Another privilege of Parliament consists in the protection of the persons of the Members of both Houses from arrest; which protection extends even to the servants and necessary attendants of the Lords. This privilege, however, does not extend to treason, felony, nor to those offences in which sureties of the peace might be demanded ; nor to the writing and publishing of seditious libels. This privi- lege is not given either to Peers, Prelates, or Commoners, for their own sakes ; but as a guard which the Constitution has set over their persons for the secure performance of that duty which they owe to the public. Still the dominions of the Law being paramount * The following case, however, will show the danger of abusing this important privilege. In 1 62 1 a Mr. Edward Floyde was punished by the House of Commons for a breach of Privilege, in having scoffed at the son-in-law and daughter of the King, James the First. The sentence is thus reported : — 1 . Not to bear Arms as a Gentleman, nor be a competent witness in any Court of Justice. 2. To ride with his face to a horse's tail, to stand in the pillory, and have his ears nailed, &c. 3. To be whipped at the cart's tail. 4. To be fined 5000^. 5. To be perpetually imprisoned in Newgate. It was put to the question, first, whether Floyde should be w^hipped or not, because he was a Gentleman ; yet it was agi'eed, per plures, that he should be whipped. Then it was put to the question, whether Floyde's ears should be nailed to the pillory or not, and agreed per jdures, not to be nailed. 206 THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. to the privileges of Parliament, the Members of the latter cannot use the plea of privilege as an obstacle to the regular course of justice in matters of high concern to the public. The person of a legislator is sometimes arrested ; but communication of the fact, and of the cause of detention, must be ii^imediately made to the House of which he is a Member ; as he cannot be lawfully detained without the consent of that House. The franking of letters is another privilege common to the Mem- bers of both Houses.* This very great and necessary privilege, being formerly grossly abused, is now so restricted by statute, that no individual can frank " more than ten, nor receive more than fifteen, letters in any one day," and " no letter or package so franked or received, may exceed one ounce in weight ;" and it is moreover enacted that — " if any person be convicted of forging or counter- feiting the superscription, or of altering the date of any letter or packet, in order to avoid the payment of the duty of postage, he shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall be transported for seven years." * The privilege of franking letters by Members of Parliament occurred in the debate on the Post-office Bill in the year 1660, concerning which, the following is related in the 23rd volume of the Parliamentary History : — Colonel Titus reported the Bill for the settlement of the Post-office, with the amendments. Sir Walter Earlc delivered a proviso^ for the letters of all Members of Parliament to go free, during their sitting. Sir Heneage Finch said, " It was a poor mendicant proviso, and below the honour of the House." Mr. Prynn spoke also against the proviso. Mr. Bunckley, Mr. Boscawen, Sir George Downing, and Serjeant Charlton for it : the latter saying the Council's letters went free. The question being called for, the Speaker, Sir Harbottle Grimstone, was unwilling to put it, saying, he was ashamed of it. Nevertheless, the proviso was carried, and made part of the Bill, which was ordered to be engrossed." The Lords subse- quently disagreed to this proviso, and it was ultimately thrown out. At a later period, however, both Houses did not feel it to be " below their honour" to secure for themselves this exemption from postage. For further history of Franking, see Report, 16th April 1735. THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. 207 There are some privileges, exclusive of those already mentioned, peculiar to the Members of the House of Lords * One of these, which is very ancient, was declared by the " Charter of the Forest," and confirmed in Parliament in the 9th year of Henry III. By it, every Lord Spiritual or Temporal, in passing through the King's forests, when summoned to Parliament, may kill one or two of the King's deer without warrant ; provided that he do it in view of the forester, or on blowing a horn if he be absent. In order to preserve a dignity in their proceedings, and to have the benefit of proper advice on points of law, the House of Lords has a right to be attended by the Judges, by such of the King's learned council who are Serjeants, and by the Masters in the Court of Chancery. The Peers also enjoy the right of Protest ; that is, each Peer may, with leave of the House, enter upon the Journals, his reasons for dissent, whenever a vote passes contrary to his wishes. Further, all Bills that in their consequences may affect the rights of the Peerage, must have their origin in the House of Lords ; and they may not be altered or amended in the other House. The privileges peculiar to the House of Commons relate princi- pally to the imposing or levying of taxes on the people ; and to inquiries into the election of Members to serve in Parliament. f * Amoncr those which it is hoped are now to be esteemed obsolete — that of being hanged in a silken cord, must not be forgotten. It was one, however, exercised (we presume we must not say enjoyed, though such would be the correct term) by Lord Stourton, who was executed in the reign of Queen Mary, for the murder of Wm. Hartgill and his son, and still more recently by Lord Ferrers. t It may here be remembered that, having been duly elected, a Member can neither vacate nor be removed from his seat, during the continuance of the same Parliament, unless by a vote of expulsion, or some legal disqualification. The acceptance of any office of profit under the Crown will disquahfy, and the Stewardship of the Ch 'titer u Hundreds in Buckinghamshire, though the salary is but twenty shillings a year,^ is one of such offices, and one usually granted to any person who applies 20S THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. It is the ancient and indisputable privilege and right of the House of Commons, that all grants of subsidies, or parliamentary aids, do begin in their House ; indeed they have at all times been so anxiously tenacious of this privilege, that they have never suffered the Lords to make any change in the Money Bills which they have sent them, but have only allowed their Lordships simply to reject or accept them. This important privilege of raising or withholding the supplies is the very life and soul of the House of Commons ; upon it their very being may be said to exist ; for, at a dissolution of the Par- liament, (at all times in the power of the Crown,) the Commons completely vanish ; whereas the Lords being an hereditary body, still exist. Aware, therefore, of the advantages which they derive from the power of granting the supplies to the Crown, the Com- mons have at all times watched over this privilege with the most fostering and anxious solicitude. Hence the warmth, nay, the re- sentment with which they have so often rejected the amendments proposed by the Lords to their Money Bills ; nay, such is the in- dignation shown by the Commons at any, the most distant, attempt of the Lords to encroach upon this right, that when any Money Bill is returned by them with the slightest alteration, it is treated with great contempt ; and such have sometimes been literally kicked out of the House, without so much as being examined. When a Money Bill, therefore, is at any time altered by the Lords, it is now usual for the Speaker to state to the House, " that the Bill containing an objectionable clause, the House cannot, con- sistently with its ancient privilege, do otherwise than reject it," and it is then rejected accordingly. Another almost invaluable privilege of the Commons, is the power which they possess of impeaching public delinquents ; even for it for the purpose of being enabled to resign his seat in a formal manner. The practice of thus gi'anting this Stewardship, began about 1750 ; and though it is usually granted to all who ask for it, there have been instances of Members being refused the oflfice. THE PRIVILEGES OF PARLIAMENT. 209 the highest Lords in the Kingdom, both Spiritual and Temporal. In fact, the House of Commons is the great inquest of the Realm, summoned from all parts, to present public grievances and delin- quents, to the King and Lords, to be redressed and punished by them ; and to this purpose, the Lords sit in their robes on the bench, and covered, as the Judges of the land do in other judicatories. They swear and examine witnesses, and at length pass sentence ; while the Members of the Commons' House stand uncovered at their Lordships' Bar, to produce witnesses, manage evidence, &c. On such occasions it is always customary for the Commons to appoint a Manager of the impeachment, whose business it is to pre- cede the House in their passage to the Bar of the Lords ; there to act as their spokesman, and to impeach the delinquent, " in the name of all the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland." The Speaker of the House is not obliged to take upon himself this ungracious office. The last instances of impeachment by the Commons, were those of Warren Hastings, in 1787, managed by Mr. Burke ; and of Viscount Melville, in 1805, managed by Mr. Whitbread. GREAT OFFICERS OF STATE, &c. SECTION V. p 2 213 THE LORD HIGH STEWARD OF ENGLAND. The first Great Officer of the Crown was formerly tlie Lord Steward of England, or Viceroy, for so the word signifies in the Saxon ; and who is styled in Latin, Magnus Anglise Senes- chal! us. This honourable office is of great antiquity, having been esta- blished prior to the reign of Edward the Confessor. In the time of William the Conqueror, William Fitz Eustace was Steward of England. This great office, which was anciently next in authority to that of the Sovereign, was formerly one of inheritance. By a record produced by Sir Edward Coke, it would appear to have been an- nexed to the Earldom of Leicester, — " Seneschalcia Anglire pcr- tinet ad Comitivam de Leicester, et pertinuit ab antiquo." ^Vhile other records again prove it to have belonged to the Barony of Hinckley, and Coke himself states that in the reigns of William Rufus and Henry I, Hugh Grantsemenel, Baron of Hinckley, held that Barony by the said office. This apparent difference, however, is easily explained. Hinckley was part of the possessions of the Earl of Leicester ; for Robert Bel- lamont, Earl of Leicester, in the reign of Henry II, married with Pe- tronil, daughter and heir of the said Hugh Grantsemenel, Baron of Hinckley, and Lord Steward of England, and the office accordingly continued to be filled by the Earls of Leicester, until the attainder of the celebrated Simon de Montford, in the reign of Henry III ; who, in the fifteenth year of his reign, created Edmond, his second son, Earl of Leicester, Baron of Hinckley, and High Steward of England. These titles were regularly enjoyed by his successors down to Henry of Bolingbroke, son and heir of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who Avas the last that had any estate of inheritance in 214 THE LORD HIGH STEWARD OF ENGLAND. tlie office of the Steward of England ; * the office having merged in the Crown upon his accession to the throne. The power of this office being so great as to be considered unfit to be intrusted to any below the Sovereign, it has never been granted but by a Commission pro hdc vice, for the despatch of some special business, as the arraignment of a nobleman for treason, &c., which business being ended, the Commission expires with it. -f* And the Commission is moreover " limited and appointed," as in the case of a Lord of Parliament being indicted of treason or felony ; when the grant of this office, under the Great Seal of England, is to a Lord of Parliament, reciting the indictment, and restraining him to proceed only upon such indictment. And it was formerly usual at every coronation to issue a Com- mission to some nobleman, constituting him pro hdc vice High Steward of England, who used by virtue of his office to sit judi- cially in the White Hall of the King's Palace at Westminster, near the chapel, to receive the petitions of the Officers of State, and of such of the nobility and gentry as were by the tenure of their respective estates bound to perform services of different kinds at the Coronations of the Kings and Queens of England. These petitions or claims he had the power to examine, allowing * Summus Anglise Seneschallus : or a Survey of the Lord High Steward of England, &c. 4to. London. 1680. This pamphlet, Avritten during the imprisonment of Lord Stafford and the other Catholic Peers, in the Tower, in the year 1679 and 1680, as an answer to fourteen queries on various points of law connected with the trial of Peers, submitted by them to the author, is ascribed to Sir Edmund Saunders, afterwards Lord Chief Justice of the Coml of King's Bench, by a contributor to the " Gentleman's Magazine," for March 1834, of a very interesting paper on this subject. t Thus at Elizabeth's coronation, Henry Earl of Arundel, was on the 12th January 1559, created High Steward, to hold that office dvuing the whole of the 15th day of January, then instant, " from the rising of the sun on the same day, to the setting thereof," being the day of the Queen's coronation. — Rymer's " Foedera," xv. 495. THE LORD HIGH STEWARD OF ENGLAND. 215 such as were supported by documents and precedents, and rejecting such as were not satisfactorily established ; hence this tribunal was called the Court of Claims. Of late years, however, it has been usual to issue a Commission, constituting certain Members of the Privy Council a Court of Claims, empowered to do all such acts with regard to this Court, as the High Steward of England had been used to do in former times. The Lord High Steward, however, still performs on these occa- sions a part of the service belonging to his office, that of walking next before the Sovereign in the procession to the church, bearino- the crown of St. Edward. This duty was performed at the coro- nation of George IV. by the Marquess of Anglesea ; and at that of his late Majesty by the Duke of Hamilton. It has been already observed, that whenever it vmfortunatcly happens that a Grand Jury finds a true bill against a Peer of the Realm for treason or felony, a Commission is issued constituting a Lord High Steward, with authority to try the accused. The first High Steward created for this purpose, was Edward, Earl of Devon, for the trial of John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon, in the reign of Henry IV. It has been generally believed, that this nobleman Avas put to death by the tenants of the Duke of Gloucester, in revenge of the murder of their Lord. It appears, however, from the following passage, fovmded upon the excellent authority of the Year Book, 1 Henry IV, that the Earl underwent a trial before a legal and competent tribunal.* * This account Is corroborated by some entries in Rymer ; from which it appears that on the 5th January 1400, warrants were directed to the Sheriffs to arrest Thomas, Earl of Kent, and John, Earl of Huntingdon, and that on the 10th of the same month, a warrant was granted to the Constable of the Tower, to receive the body of the Earl of Hunting- don ; and further, that in a proclamation of the 25 th Febmary he is styled ' the late Earl of Huntingdon,' from which we may infer that he had been executed. See ' Gentleman's Magazine ' loco citato, which 2] 6 THE LORD HIGH STEWARD OF ENGLAND. " The Earl of Huntingdon was indicted of higli treason in London, by a Commission before tlie Mayor and Justices, for that he, with other persons, agreed to go a mumming (which the French call masquerades,) on the night of Epiphany, in which they agreed to kill the King, then at Windsor. And after the King granted a Commission to the Earl of Devon, reciting that whereas, John, Earl of Huntingdon, was indicted of high treason, and that he would that right should be done ; and because the office of the Steward of England is now void, he granted it to the said Earl of Devon, to do justice to the said Earl of Huntingdon, commanding by the same Commission all the Lords to be attendant upon him ; and precept was likewise given by the same, to the Constable of the Tower to be attendant on him, and to bring the prisoner, viz. the Earl of Huntingdon, before the said Earl of Devon, on the day appointed. Whereupon the Earl of Devon the same day sat in Westminster Hall, under a cloth of estate, by himself, and the Earl of Westmoreland and other Earls and Barons, sat a considerable distance, and all the Justices and Barons of the Exchequer sat round a table, and after three O Yes's made, and the Commission read, the Justices delivered the indictment to the Lord Steward, which Avas delivered to the Clerk of the Crown, who read it to the said Earl of Huntingdon, which he confessed, whereupon Hill, the King''s Serjeant, prayed judgment, w^hich the Lord Steward (after he had rehearsed the whole matter) pronounced in this manner : That the Earl of Huntingdon should be taken back to the Tower of London, and from thence be drawn to the gallows, and there hanged ; and being yet alive, cut down, and his entrails drawn out of his body, and burnt, and that he should be beheaded and quar- tered, 'et sic Deus propitiatur animse suae !' " The Justices then said, that if the Earl of Huntingdon had de- contains also an account of the proceedings on the aiTaignraent of the Duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Henry VIII, from the Lans- down MSS. THE LORD HIGH STEWARD OF ENGLAND. 217 nied the treason, the Lord Steward should have demanded of every Lord in open court, what they thought in their consciences, be- ginning with the puisne Lord ; and if the greater number said guilty, then the judgment to be given as above."" It has been the practice of late years to appoint the Lord Chan- cellor High Steward on these occasions ; when he is attended from his house to the House of Lords, by the Judges and Officers at Arms, in great state ; where the Peers being assembled, his Commission is read, and a white rod, his emblem of office, is put into his hand with great ceremony ; and then His Grace, for so he is then styled, takes the seat allotted for him as Lord High Steward, and proceeds to the trial of the person or persons arraigned before him. When the trial is over, his Grace breaks the rod, which ends his Commission.* Amonff the more recent instances of the issuing of such a com- mission, may be mentioned those so vividly described by Walpole in his inimitable correspondence. When Lord Ferrers was tried. Lord Keeper Henley was appointed Lord High StcAvard, while at the trial of the rebel Lords in 1746, Philip, Lord Hardwicke, the Chancellor, was installed in that office ; neither of whom seem to have satisfied Walpole's ideas as to the manner in which its duties ought to be executed.'!" At the trial of Lord Byron in 1765, the * At the conclusion of the trial of Robert, Earl of Kingston^ in 1798, for the murder of Colonel Fitzgerald, after he had been pronounced " Not Guilty," and discharged upon payment of fees, " The Lord High Steward then holding up the White Rod in his hands, said, ' The Commission of the Lord High Steward stands dissolved,' and immediately broke the rod." ' Eur. Mag.' vol. xxxiii. p. 43G. f " The Chancellor was Lord High Steward ; but though a most comely personage, with a fine voice, his behaviour was mean, curiously searching for occasion to bow to the Minister that is no Peer (Henry Pelham), and consequently applying to the other Ministers in a manner for their orders ; and not even ready at the ceremonial. To the prisoners he was 218 THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. Lord Chancellor Northington presided ; and Lord Batliurst, wlien the celebrated Duchess of Kingston was indicted for bigamy in 1776, of which Comedie larmoyante, as he calls it, Walpole unfortunately has not left any account. THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. The Lord High Chancellor of England is the first Judicial Officer of the Crown, and first lay person of the State after the Blood Royal. He is created neither by writ nor patent, but by the mere delivery of the Great Seal into his custody. In the like manner, the act of taking away the Seal by the King determines the office. His oath is as follows : 1. That he will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King and his people, in the office of Chancellor. 2. That he will do right to all manner of people, poor and rich, after the laws and usages of the realm. 3. That he shall truly counsel the King, and his counsel he shall layne and keep. 4. That he shall not know, nor suffer the hurt, or disinheriting peevish ; and instead of keeping up the humane dignity of the law of England^ whose character it is to point out favour to the criminal, he crossed them, and ahiiost scolded at any offer they made towards de- fence." Letter to Horace Mann, 1st August 1746. Writing to Mann of the trial of Lord Ferrers, he says, " My Lord Keeper was Lord High Steward, but was not at all too dignified a personage to sit on such a criminal ;" and in a letter to Montagu, he says, " The judge and criminal were far inferior to those you have seen. For the Lord High Steward, he neither had any dignity nor affected any ! Nay he held it so cheap, that he said at his own table t'other day, ' I will not send for Garrick, and learn to act a part.' " THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. 219 of the King, or that the rights of the Crown be decreased by any means so far as he may lett it. 5. And if he may lett it, he shall mahe it clearly and expressly to be known to the King, with his true advice and counsel. 6. And that he shall do and purchase the King's profit in all that he reasonably may. He is officially a Privy Counsellor, and according to Lord Elles- mere, Prolocutor of the House of Lords by prescription. He has the appointment of all Justices of the Peace ; is Visitor in the Kinc's ridit of all Roval foundations ; and Patron of all Crown livings under the value of twenty marks in the King's books ; and further, it is his high prerogative to judge according to equity, conscience, and reason, where he finds the law of the land so defective, as that the subject would be injured thereby. The office having in early times been always filled by eccle- siastics,* for no others were capable of performing an employment * In Bishop Goodman's "Court of James the First," vol. i, p. 276, we have the following sketch of the transfer of this office from the hands of ecclesiastics to laymen. " Heretofore this great office was altogether executed by churchmen ; and to whom should a Christian King recommend the discharge of his conscience, but to a priest ? Of late years they say the lawyers have so entangled it in the grounds and rules of law, as that none is fit to dis- charge it but only a common lawyer. The churchmen conceive that it is necessary that this great officer ought to be acquainted with cases of conscience, to see how every circumstance be duly weighed, and how they do alter and vary. It is certain it hath never been so well ordered as by churchmen ; and it was a great honour and support to their pro- fession, and so accordingly in the practice of religion. When Henry VIII. intended to overthrow the church, then did he put out churchmen /ro77i sitting at the stern ; then was the Chancellorship taken away from Car- dinal Wolsey, and given to Sir Thomas More ; then was the Chancery so empty of causes, that Sir Thomas More could five in Chelsea, and yet very sufficiently discharge that office ; and coming one day home by ten of the clock, whereas he was wont to stay until eleven or twelve, his 220 THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. SO conversant in Avriting,) he became Keeper of the King's con- science ; and by special appointment, he now exercises a general superintendance as guardian over all infants, idiots, and lunatics ; though these latter powers are not necessarily attendant on his office, as Blackstone seems to have imagined, but can be delegated by the Crown to any other judicial officer ; as in fact they were delegated even so late as the time of James I, when the Seals were held by Dr. Williams, then Dean of Westminster, and afterwards Bishop of Lincoln. The Court of Chancery, over which he presides, has, like the Exchequer, two distinct tribunals as a Court of Law and a Court of Equity, though so little is usually done on the Common law side of the Court, that there are no traces of any Writ of Error being actually brought since the fourteenth year of Queen Eliza- beth ; the Writs issuing from the legal side of the Court, either relate to the business of the subject or of the Crown ; the former, lady came down to see whether he was sick or not ; to whom Sir Thomas More said, ' Let your gentlewoman fetch me a cup of wdne, and then I will tell you the occasion of my coming :' and when the wine came, he drank to his lady, that he thanked God for it, he had not left one cause in Chancery, and therefore came home for want of business and employ- ment there. The gentlewoman w^lio fetched the wine told this to a Bishop who did inform me, and when Sir Thomas More found that the taking away of that office from the church was a preparative to over- throw the church, then did he make means to resign up his office ; and being now at good leisure, he wrote in the behalf of the church. He that succeeded him was Audley, w-ho was a very needy man, and had little but what he got by the spoils of the church ; and in his time was the suppression of abbeys and monasteries. " Queen Mary brought it again to the church, and made Bishop Gar- diner her Chancellor, to whom the Lord Henry Howard, so often men- tioned in his books, lived in his house as a page, and to whom until his dying day he was wont to give a very honourable testimony for his piety and justice ; and he dying, Queen Mary nominated Doctor Nicolas THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. 221 according to the simplicity of ancient times, were kept in a hanaper, 171 hanaperio ; the others in a little sack or bag, in parvd hugd ; and hence the modern distinction between the hanaper and petty bag office. Blackstone has asserted (vol. iii. c. iv. s. 8,) that no lawyer ever sat in the Court of Chancery from the times of the Chief Justices Thorpe and Knyvet, successively Chancellors to King Edward III, in 1372 and 1873, until the promotion of Sir Thomas More, in 1530. No doubt however can be entertained, that Chief Justice Fortescue held that office under King Henry VI ; though, as Selden remarks, the appointment having taken place during the King's flight into Scotland, "thememorie thereof (as it could hardly be otherwise,) wants in the patent rolls." Fortescue speaks of himself, as " Cancellarius Anglise qui sub hac clade exulabat," and in the dialogue which he supposes himself to carry on with the young Prince of Wales, the Prince is always made to Heath, Archbishop of York, by whose counsel and direction the death of Queen Mary was kept secret, until he himself, according to his office, being Speaker of the Lord's House in Parliament, did reveal her death, and nominated Queen Elizabeth to succeed, which she did very well re- quite ; for the same week she put him out of his office, and the same year she put him out of his bishopric, and after thirty-eight years she made a law to make good that deprivation, and to justify her own act, which it should seem before that law was made, might have been questioned. Thus, when the Bishops had it, they did make no such purchases, and left no such estates, as since the Chancellors have done ; but they lived upon their church preferments, little respecting the profits of that office." The anecdote which the worthy Bishop has related relative to Sir Tho- mas More having no cause left in Chancery, is thus referred to by one of his punning and poetical contemporaries. " When Move some years had Chancellor been No more suits did remain ; The same shall never more be seen, Till More be there again." 222 THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. address him by that title. It is due to the honour of the office, that so illustrious a name as that of Fortescue should be added to the list of those that have filled it ; for however deserved the cele- brity which may attach to such names as those of More or Somers, there is still, considering the age in which he flourished, a grace in the style of Fortescue, and a liberality in his opinions, which would have been creditable even to the most distinguished of his suc- cessors, and which at least Bacon and Clarendon might have copied with advantage. Blackstone, however, with this exception, is correct in saying, that the Great Seal was in the custody of ecclesiastics * or statesmen, * The following extract from Cavendish's " Life of Wolsey/' showing the state the Cardinal observed in his passage to Westminster, forms a striking contrast to the fashion of this degenerate century, which has seen one of the greatest Chancellors that ever sat upon the woolsack, daily walking down to court with his umbrella under his arm ! " Nowe," says Cavendish, " I will declare unto you his order in going to Westminster Hall, dayly in the teamne season. First, ere he came out of his privy chamber, he heard most commonly every day two masses in his closet : and as I heard one of his Chaplains saye, which was a man of credence and of excellent learning, the Cardinall, what business or weighty matter soever he had in the day, he never went to bed with any parte of his divine service unsaide, not so much as one collect ; wherein I doubt not but he deceived the opinions of diverse persons. Then going againe to his privy chamber, be woidd demaund to some of his said chamber, if his servauntes were in a readiness, and had furnished his chamber of presence, and waiting chamber. He being thereof then adver- tised, came out of his privy chamber, about eight of the clocke, apparelled all in red ; that is to say, his upper garment was either of fine scarlet, or taffety, but most commonly of fine crimson satten engrained ; his pillion of fine scarlet, with a neck set in the inner side with blacke velvet, and a tippet of sables about his necke ; holding in his hand an orange, whereof the meate or substance within was taken out, and filled up again with the part of a spunge, wherein was vinegar and other confections againste the THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. 223 from the reign of Edward III. to tliat of Henry VIII : after tlie times of Sir Thomas More, it was indiscriminately committed to courtiers, such as St. John and Wriothesly, or to churchmen like Gardiner and Heath, until Queen Elizabeth made Puckering Lord Keeper in 1592 ; from which date until the present (with the pestilent aires ; the which he most commonly held to his nose, when he came among any presse, or else that he was pestered with any suiters. " And before him was borne first the broade seal of Englande, and his Cardinal's hat by a Lorde, or some gentleman of worshipe right solemnely. And as soone as he was entered into his chamber of presence, where there was dayly attending upon him, as well noblemen of this realme, and other worthy gentlemen, as gentlemen of his owne family ; the two great crosses were there attending to be borne before him. Then cried the gentlemen ushers going before him bareheaded, and said, ' On before, my lordes and masters, on before ; and make way for my Lorde Cardinall !' " Thus went he down through the hall, with a serjeaunt of arms before him, bearing a gi-eat mace of silver, and two gentlemen carrying two great pillars of silver ; and when he came to the hall doore, then his mule stood trapped all in crimson velvet, with a saddle of the same and gilt stirrups. Then there was attending upon him, when he was mounted, his two crosse bearers, and his pillar bearers, in like case, with great horses all trapped in fine scarlett. Then marched he forward, with a traine of noblemen and gentlemen, having his foote-men twenty-fom- in nmiiber about him, bearing each of theme a gilt poll-axe in their handes; and thus passed he forthe, until he came to Westminster Hall doore. And there he alighted and went after this manner, up into the Chauncery, or into the Star Chamber ; howbeit most commonly, he would goe into the Chauncery, and staye awhile at a barre made for him beneath the Chauncery on the right hand, and there commune sometimes with the judges, and sometimes with other persons. And that done, he would re- paire into the Chauncery, sitting there till an eleven of the clocke, hearing of suites and determining of other matters. And from thence, he would diverse times goe into the Star Chamber, as occasion would serve. There he spared neither highe nor lowe, but judged every estate according to his merits and desertes" 224 THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. exception of Bishop Williams) the appointment has always been filled from the bar ; for though it is believed that he never prac- tised, there is no doubt that Lord Shaftesbury had received a legal education. It is customary on trials of Peers for felony, to create the Chan- cellor Lord Steward, pro hdc vice, who, as has been already observed, is during the period of the Commission addressed by the title of His Grace. The Great Seal has been not unfrequently put in Commission, and was so on the resignation of Lord Thurlow, in the year 179S, and lastly, on the resignation of Lord Lyndhurst, when on the 23rd April 183.5, Sir Charles Christopher Pepys, Sir Launcelot Shad- well, and Mr. Justice Bosanquet were appointed Commissioners, and continued to act until the 18th January 1836, when Sir Christopher Pepys was created Lord Cottenham, and received the Great Seal. By the Statute of 25 Edward LII, it is made treason " if a man slay the Chancellor, being in his place doing his office." This statute, however, is confined to the actual killing, not to wounding or a bare attempt to kill. It appears by 5 Elizabeth,* ch. 18, and 1 William and Mary, ch. 21, that the Lord Keeper and the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal, are considered as equally within the protection of the statute. It is only of late years that it has been customary to create the Lord High Chancellor an hereditary Peer of the Realm. The first instance of the elevation of any Chancellor to the Peerage, occurred in the year 1603, when James I, delivered a new Great Seal to Sir Thomas Egerton, and shortly afterwards created him Baron of Ellesmere and Lord High Chancellor of England. * By this statute, the offices of Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper, were made the same in authority, power, and precedence. The only difference being, that the Lord Chancellor has letters patent in addition to tlie Great Seal, which the Lord Keeper has not. THE LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. 225 It is an ancient custom on the first day of terra for the Judges to breakfast with the Lord Chancellor in Lincoln's Tnn Hall, and proceed with him in their respective carriages to Westminster Hall. Being arrived at the hall door in Palace yard, and having alighted with their officers and train-bearers, they form a procession along the hall, until they come opposite to the Court of Common Pleas, before which stand the Serjeants at Law, who have previously arranged themselves in their full dress wigs and gowns, and await the coming of the Judges, who are also in their full dress. On their arrival the Serjeants all bow, and their obeisance being ac- knowledged by the Judges in like manner, the Lord Chancellor, having approached the first Serjeant in the rank, shakes hands with him, saying, " How dy'e do. Brother : I wish you a good term !" whereupon the Serjeant bows, and thanks his Lordship, and the Chancellor bowing to him, the Serjeant again bows ; and the Chancellor salutes and shakes hands with the next Serjeant in like manner, and so with each Serjeant present, and then proceeds with his officers to his Court. The Lord Chief Justice of England and each of the Puisne Judges of the Court of King's Bench, saluting and shaking hands with each Seijeant in the same manner, follow the Chancellor and proceed into Court. Li the same manner also do the Chief Justice and Puisne Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, and then enter their Court. Lastly, the Lord Chief Baron and the Puisne Barons of the Exchequer, having also so saluted the Serjeants, enter the Court of Exchequer ; whereupon the Serjeants withdraw to commence business before the Judges. It is to be noted that one Judge does not salute the Serjeants before the rest of the Judges begin to salute them. Thus, whilst the Chancellor is saluting the second Serjeant, the Lord Chief Justice salutes the first ; and he salutes the second while the Chancellor salutes the third, the next Judge of the King's Bench Court saluting the first Serjeant; and so the Judges proceed succes- sively, and close to each other, till all the Seijeants have been completed. Q 226 THE LORD HIGH TREASURER. THE LORD HIGH TREASURER. Is the third great officer of the Crown. He is appointed not only by the Sovereign delivering unto him a white staff, but also by letters patent ; formerly the office was conferred by the deli- very of the golden keys of the Treasury. When the letters patent have passed the Great Seal, he goes in state to the Court of Chancery, and, on his knees before the Lord High Chancellor, or Lord Keeper (or such as are by letters patent constituted to supply that office) he takes the oath. 1 . That well and truly he shall serve the King and his people in the office of Treasurer. 2. That he shall do right to all manner of people, poor and rich, in such things as concern his office. S. The King's treasure he shall truly keep and dispend. 4. He shall truly counsel the King. 5. The King's counsel he shall " layne" and keep. 6. That he shall neither know nor suffer the King's hurt, nor his disinheriting, nor the rights of the Crown to be decreased, by any means as far forth as he may " lett" it. 7. And if he may not " lett" it, he shall make knowledge thereof, clearly and expressly, to the King, with his true advice and counsel. 8. That he shall do and purchase the King's profit in all that he reasonably may do. After he has taken the above oath, he repairs to the Court of Exchequer, at the bar of which Court the aforesaid letters patent are read ; he then takes his place in that Court, which is now only honorary, he never sitting among the Barons as formerly (with the Chamberlains) judicially. The Lord High Treasurer is a Lord by his office, and governs the Upper Court of Exchequer, has the custody of the King's trea- sure, and of the foreign and domestic records there deposited. He has the appointment of all Commissioners and other officers em- THE LORD HIGH TREASURER. 227 ployed in collecting the revenue of the Crown. He has the nomination of all escheators, and disposal of all places in any- wise relating to the revenue of the kingdom ; and is empow- ered to let leases of the Crown lands. His place, which is held during pleasure, is accounted one of great value* as well as power. * In the reign of James I. when it was the fashion to give money for the Great Offices of State, the white staff of My Lord High Treasurer ap- pears to have cost the holder 20,000^. — witness, the following story, told by Howell, " Familiar Letters," Sec. iii. p. 50, ed. 1645 : — " The Marquis of Buckingham continueth still in fulness of grace and favour ; the Countess, his mother, sways also much at Court ; she brought Sir Henry Montague from delivering law on the King's Bench, to look to his bags in the Exchequer, for she made him Lord High Treasurer of Eng- land, but he parted with his White Staff before the year's end, though his purse had bled deeply for it (above 20,000/.) which made a Lord of the land to ask him at his return from Court, ' Whether he did not find that wood was extreme dear at Newmarket,' for there he received the White Staff." In Bishop Goodman's " Memoirs of the Court of King James," vol. i. p. 289, et seq. we have an interesting anecdotical sketch of the Lord High Treasurers of that day, of which the following story relating to Lionel Cranfield, afterwards Earl of Middlesex, may serve as a sample, especially since it affords a curious illustratiim of an early com-t manner of marking the Sovereign's favour : — " When he was Lord Treasurer there fell out this accident : — ' The King was very earnest in speech with my Lord when the Gentlemen waiters brought in word that dinner was upon the table, yet still the King went on with his discom-se, and questioning with my Lord. The Gentlemen came the second time, and told his Majesty that the time was far spent, and that dinner was upon the table : still the King had business to confer with my Lord and came not. The Gentlemen came again and told his Majesty that his meat was grown cold, and they would caiTy it back again unless he came as soon as they were gone back. My Lord told the King that he did wish they would eat up all the meat and leave him the 0.9. 228 THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. Killin» the Lord Hiffli Treasurer in tlie execution of his office is high treason. This office, which is one of great antiquity, was formerly exe- cuted by ecclesiastics : Odo, Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeaux, half-brother to the Conqueror, is the first on record from that era. The first lay Peer who possessed it was Richard Lord Scroop, of Bolton, anno 1371, the 45th of Edward IH. This great office is now, and has been for nearly two centuries, executed by five persons, who are called Lords Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Treasurer, viz. one who is called First Lord of the Treasury, and four others, who are styled Lords of the Treasury only. The constitution of England recognises no such officer as the Prime Minister or Premier, but these titles are usually given to the First Lord of the Treasury as head of the Administration. Another of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury holds the office of CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. He is styled Chancellor and Under Treasurer of the Exchequer ; he has the custody of the Exchequer Seal ; he has also the control- ment of the Rolls of the Lords of the Treasury, and he sits in the Court of Exchequer above the Barons of the Exchequer. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the principal finance mi- nister of the Government, and as all questions of supply originate in the House of Commons, no Peer can conveniently be appointed to this office. When the First Lord Commissioner of the Treasury reversion, for so they had done with his estates ; they had culled out all the best things, and left him to live upon projects and fee-farms. The King then went to dinner, and caused his carver to cut him out a court dish, that is something of every dish, which he sent him as part of his reversion, so much was the King taken with that conceit.'" — Ibid. p. 311. THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. 929 is a commoner, the two offices are generally united, as they were by Lord North, and again by Mr. Pitt. On the death of a Chancellor of the Exchequer, it is customary that the Seals should be committed ad interim to the Chief Justice of the King's Bench ; thus Lord Ellenborough became twice Chancellor of the Exchequer, for a few days, on the death of Mr. Pitt in 1806, and again on the death of Mr. Perceval in 1812. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, have precedency before the Chief Justice of the King's Bench. THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL Is the fourth great officer of State. In the time of King John he was styled Principalis et Capitalis Consiliarius, and con- tinued to be so designated until the reign of Elizabeth, when the office Avas suspended, the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper supply- ing his place. It was revived but once by Charles I. and then re- mained vacant until the new-modelling of the Privy Council by Charles II. in 1679, when the office was bestowed on the celebrated Lord Shaftesbury. The President of the Council is appointed to this important office by letters patent under the Great Seal durante bene placito, and by statute 21 Henry VIII. he is to attend the Sovereign's person, to manage the debates in Council, to propose matters from the Sovereign at the Council-table, and to report to the Sovereign the resolutions of the Council thereupon. THE PRIVY COUNCIL. The Privy Council, styled in the Rolls of Parliament the " Continual or Permanent Council," in contradistinction to the " Great Council ;" and now called by way of eminence, The 230 THE PRIVY COUNCIL. Council, is a Council of State held by the Sovereign Avith his Counsellors to concert matters for the public service, and for the honour and safety of the realm. The King's -will is the sole constituent of a Privy Counsellor ; and this also regulates their number, which, in ancient times, was about twelve. It afterwards increased to so large a number that it was found inconvenient for secrecy and despatch, and therefore King Charles II. in 1679 limited it to thirty ; Avhereof fifteen were to be the principal officers of state, and those to be so virtute officii ; the other fifteen being composed of ten Lords and five Commoners of the King's choosing. Since this time the number has been much augmented, and now continues indefinite. Privy Counsellors are made by the King's nomination without either patent or grant, and on taking the necessary oaths they be- come immediately Privy Counsellors during the life of the Sove- reign who nominates them, but subject to removal at his discretion. Any natural born subject of England is capable of being a member of the Privy Council upon taking the necessary oaths ; but by the Act of Settlement 12 and 13 William III. cap. 2, it is enacted, that no person born out of the dominions of England, unless born of English parents, even though naturalized by Parliament, shall be capable of being of the Privy Council. The duty of a Privy Counsellor appears from the oath which he takes on his admission to the office to be : — 1. To advise the King according to the best of his cunning and discretion. 2. To advise for the King's honour and the good of the public, without partiality through affection, love, meed, doubt, or dread. 3. To keep the King's counsel secret. 4. To avoid corruption. 5. To help and strengthen what shall be resolved in the Council. 6. To withstand all persons who would attempt the contrary, and — 7. To observe, keep, and do all that a good and true Counsellor ought to do to his Sovereign Lord. THE PRIVY COUNCIL. 2:31 The Privy Council is, or ouglit to be, the primum mobile of the State, and that Avhich gives the motion and direction to all the inferior parts of it. It is likewise a Court of Justice of great anti- quity ; the primitive and ordinary way of Government in England being by the King and Privy Council. At the present day the power of the Sovereign in Council is very great. He can, with their advice, dissolve the Parliament, or prorogue it, or call a new one ; he has power in certain urgent cases to publish Proclamations, enforcing them by such pains and penalties as to him and to the Council shall appear requisite ; and these Proclamations must be observed as if done by Act of Parliament. It is the business of the Privy Council to inquire into all crimes and trespasses against the law, but their jurisdiction being only to inquire and not to punish, they therefore can only commit such offenders to safe custody in order to take their trial in some of the courts of law ; and the persons so committed by them are as much entitled to their Habeas Corpus, by Statute 16 Car. II. cap. 10, as if they had been committed by an ordinary Justice of the Peace. But in Colonial or Admiralty causes, which arise out of the juris- diction of this kingdom, and in matters of lunacy or idiocy, being a special flower of the prerogative, although they may involve ques- tions of extensive property, the Privy Council continues to have cognizance, being the Court of Appeal in such cases, or rather, the appeal lies to the King's Majesty himself in Council. And so likewise when any person claims an island or a province in the nature of a feodal principality by grant from the King or his ancestors, tlie determination of that right belongs to his Majesty in Council ; as was the case of the Earl of Derby with regard to the Isle of Mann, in the reign of Elizabeth, and the Earl of Car- digan and others, as representatives of the Duke of Montague, with relation to the Island of St. Vincent in 1764. But from all the dominions of the Crown, excepting Great Bri- tain and Ireland, an appellate jurisdiction (in the last resort) is 232 THE PRIVY COUNCIL. vested in this tribunal ; which usually exercises its judicial autho- rity in a Committee of the whole Privy Council, who hear the alle- gations and proofs, and make their report to His Majesty in Coun- cil, by whom the judgment is finally given. Privy Counsellors sit at the Council Board bareheaded and ac- cording to their rank ; and at all debates the lowest delivers his opinion first, and the Sovereign last of all declares his judgment, which closes the matter in debate. The privileges of Privy Counsellors, as such, consist in their being entitled, although but private gentlemen, to be styled Right Honourable, and to have precedence of all Knights and Baronets, and of the younger sons of Barons and Viscounts ; but principally in the security which the law has given them against attempts and conspiracies to destroy their lives. For by Statute 3 Henry VII. cap. 14, if any of the King's menial servants of his household con- spire or imagine to take away the life of a Privy Counsellor, it is felony, though nothing be done upon it. And the reason of making the Statute, Sir Edward Coke tells us, was " because such servants have greater or readier means, either by night or by day, to destroy such as be of fjreat authority and near about the King ; and such a conspiracy was just before this Parliament made by some of Knig Henry VII.'s household servants, and great mischief was like to have ensued thereupon." This act extends only to the King's me- nial servants. But the Statute 9 Anne, cap. 16, goes further, and enacts that anij person that shall unlawfully attempt to kill, or shall unlawfully assault, and strike, or wound, any Privy Coun- sellor in the execution of his office, shall be a felon without benefit of clercjv.* The dissolution of the Privy Council depends upon the King's * Blackstone's " Commentaries," Book i. cap. v. § 4. Tliis act was passed in consequence of the attempted assassination of Harley, after- wards Earl of Oxford, who was stabbed with a penknife by Gulscard, when the latter was under examination on a charge of High Treason by a Committee of the Privy Council. THE LORD PRIVY SEAL. 233 pleasure ; and he may, whenever he thinks proper, discharge any particular Member, or the whole of it, and appoint another. By the common law, also, it was dissolved, ipso facto, by the King's demise, as deriving all its authority from him. But now, to pre- vent the inconveniences of having no Council in being at the ac- cession of a new Prince, it is enacted by Statute 6 Anne, cap. 7, that the Privy Council shall continue for six months after the de- mise of the Crown, unless sooner determined by the successor.* THE LORD PRIVY SEAL. The Lord Privy Seal is an office of great trust, honour, and antiquity. In the time of Edward III. he was was called Keeper of the Privy Seal (or private Seal) to distinguish it from the other called Keeper of the Great Seal, and was afterwards called Clerk of the Privy Seal, Clerk being then a title of eminency. He is the fifth great officer of State, and is denominated from his having the custody of the Privy Seal, which he must not put to any grant without good warrant under the King's signet ; nor to any warrant, if contrary to law and custom, or inconvenient, without first ac- quainting his Majesty therewith. This Seal is used by the King to all charters, grants, and pardons, signed by the King before they come to the Great Seal. But a warrant may be granted by the King, under the Privy Seal, to issue money out of the Exchequer, * The reader who may be desirous of further information upon the subject of the Privy Council, its origin, history, and authority, and the various modifications which that authority has from time to time under- gone, is referred to Sir Francis Palgrave's ' Essay on the Original Autho- rity of the King's Council,' 8vo. London, 1834; and to the 'Proceed- ings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England, edited by Sir Harry Nicolas ;' — of which the sixth volume was published in the course of last year. 234 THE LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN OF ENGLAND. and is sufficient, because a chattel in possession ; and also the same may be affixed to other things that never pass the Great Seal, as to cancel a recognizance made to the King, or to discharge a debt. But no writs can pass this Seal which touch the Common Law. He is appointed by letters patent ; he is a Privy Counsellor by his office ; takes place next after the Lord President of the Council, and before all Dukes ; and Chief Judge of the Court of Requests when it shall be revived. He is admitted into office by taking the oath of office prescribed by law. Previous to the SOth of Henry VIII. this office was filled by ecclesiastics; but about that period Henry, Lord Marney, suc- ceeded Bishop Fox as Lord Privy Seal ; since which time the office (except when put in Commission) has rarely been intrusted to any but Temporal Lords, and those above the degree of Barons. LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN OF ENGLAND. The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth great officer of state. This high office, which is of very great antiquity, and, formerly, of the highest importance, was for many successions enjoyed by the noble family of De Vere, Earls of Oxford (having been granted to them by Henry L) and continued to be so until the death of Henry De Vere, the eighteenth Earl of Oxford, with- out issue ; when Mary, sister and heir of Edward, father of the said Henry, having married Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby, of Eresby, was mother by him of Robert, Lord Willoughby, of Eresby, who made claim to the Earldom of Oxford, as also to the titles of Lord Bolbeck, Sandford, and Badlesmere, and to the office of Lord Great Chamberlain of England. After much dispute, the House of Lords gave judgment that he had made good his claim to the office, but not to the Earldom (which was decided in favour of the heir male collateral) ; and he was accordingly, on the 22nd of November, the 2 Charles L admitted into the House of Lords with THE LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN OF ENGLAND. 235 his Staff; and his descendants continued to enjoy the same until the death of Robert Bertie, fourth Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, Marquis and Earl of Lindsey, Lord Willoughby of Eresby, and Lord Great Chamberlain of England, in 1779, Avho, dying unmar- ried, was succeeded in the Dukedom, Marquisate, and Earldom, by his uncle. Lord Brownlow Bertie ; but the barony of Wil- loughby of Eresby fell into abeyance ; and for the Great Cham- berlainship there were several claimants ; viz. the Lord Brownlow Bertie, then Duke of Ancaster; Earl Percy, eldest son of the Duke of Northumberland ; the Duchess Dowager of Athol, in her own riffht. Baroness Stramre of Knockvn ; and the Ladies Priscilla Barbara, (in her own right, Baroness Willoughby of Eresby,) and Lady Georgiana Charlotte Bertie, sisters and co-heirs of the said Robert, fourth Duke of Ancaster, deceased. At length, after hearing all parties in support of their respective pretensions, the House of Peers desired the opinion of the twelve Judges, who gave it as their opinion, that the office devolved to the Ladies Priscilla Barbara and Georgiana Charlotte, as heirs to their brother, the aforesaid Duke Robert, deceased ; and that they had power to appoint a deputy to act for them, not under the degree of a Knight, who, if his Majesty approved of him, might officiate ac- cordingly, and agxeeable to this opinion the House gave judgment. Whereupon, Peter Burrell, Esq. afterwards Lord Gwydyr, hus- band of the said Lady Priscilla Barbara, was appointed, and re- ceived the honour of Knighthood from his Majesty. The office is now enjoyed jointly by the Marchioness Dowager of Cholmondeley, and her nephew Lord Willoughby de Eresby, son of the above named Lady Priscilla Barbara, afterwards Lady Gwydyr, in whose favour, as elder co-heir, the Crown terminated the abey- ance of the Barony of Willoughby de Eresby on the 18th March, 1780. The Marchioness Dowager of Cholmondeley having executed the office, during the late reign, through her son, the present Marquis, it devolves upon Lord Willoughby de Eresby, during the reign of 236 THE LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN OF ENGLAND. Her present Majesty. To this officer belong very many perqui- sites,* privileges, &c., but which usually, on a coronation, are com- promised for a certain sum. On such occasions he is to have forty ells of crimson velvet for his own robes ; and on the Coronation-day, before the King rises, his duty is to carry to him his shirt and wearing apparel ;-f and Avhen his Majesty is dressed and gone out of his bed-chamber, he is to have his bed and all the furniture of his bed-chamber where * We are told in the " Black Book of the Household" of Edward IV. that the " Grete Chaumbyrlayne of Englond, comithe to the Courte at the five principall festes of the yere, takes suche ly veroy and servyse after the estate he is of; and for his wynter and somer robes, for the festes of Cristmas and Whitsontide, to be taken of the Countyng house by evyn porcions 10/. 13s. 4d. ; and for his fee of the King's householde at the ii termes of Ester and Mighelmas, by evyn porcions, xx marcs in the Coun- tyng-house." t This attendance on the Sovereign before he rises, which at the Coro- nation of Queen Anne is said to have been performed by the Duchess of Marlborough, is a relic of those duties from which he derives his name. In France, where this office is of great antiquity, and has always been enjoyed by the noblest families, it was the duty of the Grand Chamber- lain to sleep in the King's chamber when the Queen was not there, and every morning he was summoned by one of the Household in order that he might cany to the King his shirt, &c. Another of his privileges was the right of laying on the gi-ound at the King's feet whenever he held a lit de Justice. Du Tillet ascribes the origin of this prerogative to a very touching cir- cumstance : when speaking of Pierre de Villebeau, Seigneur de Baigneux, Grand Chamberlain of St. Louis, King of France, who died at Tunis, he says, " He was buried at the feet of the King, his master, in the same manner as he lay at his feet when living ; and from this it has arisen that wlien the King holds his lit de Justice and trone royal the Grand Chamber- lain reclines at his feet, and that such a place is deemed an honom'able rank," THE LORD HIGH CONSTABLE. 237 he lay the night before/with his wearing apparel and night-gown, for his fee ; he also claims to serve the King with water as well before as after dinner, and to have the basins and towels as his fee. When the King or Queen go to Parliament he disposes of the Sword of State to be carried by what Lord he pleases, at which time he goes himself before on the right hand of the Sword, next the King or Queen's person, and the Earl Marshal on the left. Upon all solemn occasions, the keys of Westminster Hall, the Court of Wards, and the Court of Requests, are delivered to him, and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, Yeoman Usher, and Door Keepers, are then under his command. To him also belongs the fitting up of Westminster Hall for a Coronation, or the trial of a Peer or Peeress, or any public solemnity. He is likewise entitled to certain fees from every Archbishop or Bishop when they do homage or fealty to the King, and from all Peers on their creation, or doing homage or fealty. THE LORD HIGH CONSTABLE. The office of Lord High Constable, formerly annexed to the Earldom of Hereford, and hereditary in the successive noble fami- lies of Bohun and Stafford, was for many years held by Grand Ser- jeanty,* having been originally granted by the Empress Maud to Milo de Gloucester, in the reign of King Stephen. * " Tenure bv Grand Serjeanty is where a man holds his lands or tene- ments of our Sovereign Lord the King, by such services as he ought to do in his proper person to the King ; as to carry the banner of the King, or his lance, or to lead his army, or to be his Marshal, or to carry his sword before him at his Coronation, or to be his Sewer at his Coronation, or his Carver or his Butler, or to be one of his Chamberlains of the receipts of his Exchequer, or to do other like service, &c. And the cause why this service is called Grand Serjeanty, is for that it is a greater and more worthy service 238 THE LORD HIGH CONSTABLE. Margaret, the daughter, and at length sole heir to Milo de Glou- cester, becoming the wife of Humphrey de Bohun, the Constable- ship, together with the Earldom of Hereford, passed into that great family ; but after nine generations the male line became extinct in the person of Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton, who died in 1371, leaving two daughters, his co- heirs, viz. Eleanor, who became the wife of Thomas Plantagenet, of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Buckingham, the sixth son of King Edward III ; and Mary, who married Henry Plantagenet, afterwards King Henry IV, son of John Plantagenet of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. On a partition made between these two great co-heiresses, the Earldoms of Hereford and Northamp- ton were allotted to Eleanor, the elder sister ; and the Constable- ship, with the Earldom of Essex, to Mary, the youngest. But on the death of JNIary's grandson, Henry VI, without issue, the Con- stableship became once more united to the Earldom of Hereford, and the entirety of the Bohun inheritance became vested in the posterity of her elder sister Eleanor. Eleanor de Bohun had issue by her husband, Thomas de Plantagenet of Woodstock, one only daughter and heir, Ann Plantagenet, who, becoming the wife of Edmund de Stafford, Earl and Baron of that name, the Constable- ship, with the Earldom of Hereford, passed finally to her descend- ants the StafFords, Dukes of Buckingham ; in Avhich noble family they continued until the attainder in 1.521 of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, the last hereditary High Constable of Eng- land :* since whose death it has never been granted to any sub- than the service in the tenure of Escuage. For he which holdeth by Escuage is not limited by his tenure to do any more especial service than any other which holdeth by Escuage ought to do : but he which holdeth by Grand Serjeanty ought to do some special service to the King, which he that holds by Escuage ought not to do." — Blount's "■ Ancient Tenures/' p. 1 ; Littleton's " Tenures," sec. 153. * The castle of Caldecot, near Chepstow, in the county of Monmouth, was the residence of the Lord High Constable of England, and held by him in virtue of his office. THE LORD HIGH CONSTABLE. 239 ject,* but pro hdc vice, at some solemnities, as at a Coronation, -|- or trial by combat. | The Lord High Constable and the Earl Marshal were formerly Judges of the Court of Chivalry, called, in the time of Henry IV. Curia Militarise and afterwards the Court of Honour. The power of this officer was formerly so great, and oftentimes so improperly made use of, that a statute passed in the 13 Richard II. for regu- lating and abridging the same, together with the power of the Earl Marshal ; and by this statute no plea could be tried by them in their court that could be tried by the common law of the realm. Whilst this great officer was of constant use, he was regularly summoned to Parliament, of which the earliest instance is that of Thomas de Woodstock Comes de Buckingham, summoned in the * Henry VIII's opinion that this office gave too much power for any subject was also the opinion of Harry Martin, who, when in 1 647 it was proposed in the House of Commons " That it was necessary for the House of Commons to have a High Constable of their own that will make no scruple of laying his Majesty by the heels," wisely enough objected that "the power was too great for any man," and the motion was quashed. — " Heraldic Anomalies," vol. ii. p. 304. t Henry, Earl of Arundel, was on the 1 3th January 1559, created High Constable, to hold that office for the whole of the 14th January then instant, being the day before the Queen's [EUzabeth's] Coronation. — Ry- mer's " Foedera," xv. 494. On the 14th January 1559, Elizabeth, " niyndyng to precede to the solemnitie of her Coronation in such and like honorable sorte as in the Coronatyon of her Progenytors hath been accustomed," granted a commis- sion to the Earl of Arundell to make not more than thirty Knights of the Bath on the Queen's behalf within two days then following. — Ibid. 497. X The only instance that occurs of a trial by combat being ordered since the cessation of the office of Lord High Constable was that between Lord Reay and David Ramsay, Esq., 28th November 1631; but the King afterwards prevented the combat. On this occasion Robert Bertie, Earl of Lindsey, was appointed Lord High Constable. 240 THE LORD HIGH CONSTABLE. 50 Edward III. as Constabularius Anglise ;* and such appears to have been the case with all the holders of this office down to its last possessor, Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, upon whose at- tainder it became forfeited to the Cr3wn,f as has been already- observed ; being only revived upon certain state occasions, when the Lord High Constable, for the time being, takes rank next to the Lord Privy Seal and immediately preceding the Earl Marshal. At Coronations it is the place of the Lord High Constable^: to attend the Royal Person, assist at the reception of the regalia from the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, and, together with the Earl Marshal, to usher the Champion into the Hall. The Duke of Wellington performed the duties of this office at the Coronation of George IV. as also at that of William IV. * " LaAvs of Honour," p. 325. t This office formerly existed in France, and ranked as the first in the kingdom ; where its duties seem to have been analogous to those of Ge- neralissimo of the French armies, the duties of which were filled by Riche- lieu upon the death of Francois de Bonne, Due de Lesdiguiers, the last subject to whom this high charge was intrusted. It has been said that in 1804 Napoleon had the idea of holding this office under the Bourbons, to whom he then thought of restoring the sceptre of France. Be this as it may, he afterwards created his brother Louis, Connetahle de I' Empire. — " Encyclopedie des Gens du Monde," &c. tome \a. p. 575. % The original High Constable's staff" of office, the same which was last home by Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, at the Coronation of King Henry VIII. and used by him, in his attendance on that monarch at the famous interview with Francis I. at the Champ du drap d'Or, is still preserved in the Castle of Stafford ; which was restored some years since by the present Lord Stafford, then Sir George Jerningham, who was admitted by the House of Lords on the 6th July 1825, to have made out his claim to the title, dignity, and honour, of Baron Stafford, under cer- tain letters patent bearing date 12th September, in the sixteenth year of the reign of Charles I., but whose claim to the original Barony of 1299 remains still before their Lordships for decision. 241 THE EARL MARSHAL OF ENGLAND. The Earl Marshal is the eighth great officer of state, and is an Earl by virtue of his office, which no other Earl is. This office is of great antiquity, and is not said to have been holden by tenure or serjeanty, as the offices of Lord High Steward and High Constable were. Yet in the time of Henry L Sir William Dugdale recites, that Robert de Venois and William de Hastings impleaded Gilbert Mareschal, and John, his son, for the office of Mareschall* to the King, but without success; which John, in the 10 Henry IL being the King's Marshal upon the difference between that King and Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, laid claim for the King to one of that Archbishop''s manors, which had been so long enjoyed by his predecessors. * According to Camden, this office of Mareschall, as set forth, appears to mean the office of Marshal of the King's House, an office distinct from that afterwards known by the name of Earl Marshal of England, of which he gives the following account, viz. That Roger de Montgomery was Marshal of the Norman army at the Conquest, and is accounted the first Marshal of England. For some years after, there is in no histories men- tion of the office until King Stephen's time, when Maude the Empress, for strengthening herself against him, made Milo, Earl of Hereford, Constable of England, who, for the better assuring his party, made Gilbert Clare, Earl of Pembroke, Marshal of England, with the state of inheritance, who, in respect of his usual habitation at Strigull, was commonly called Earl of Strigull. In which office Richard, his son, surnamed Strongbow, succeeded ; by whose only daughter and heir it descended to William Mareschall, who had five sons who died without issue, and five daughters, to the eldest of whom, named Maude, in the partition of the inheritance, was assigned the office of Marshal of England, with the manor of Hempsted Marshall, which old records state the Marshals held " in Marescagia et per virgam Mareschillise." And thus the two offices of Marshal of the King's House and Marshal of England became united and inheritable in the same family. R 242 THE EARL MARSHAL OF ENGLAND. Unto John, son of this said John, King Henry 11. confirmed his office of Marshal ; which John, at the Coronation of Richard I. bore the great gilt spurs ; and afterwards, dying without issue, William Mareschall, Earl of Pembroke,* was his brother and heir, whose five sons, successively Earls of Pembroke, dying with- out issue, his five daughters became heirs, as also to their brothers ; of which daughters, Maude, the eldest, married Hugh Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, whose son, Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, after fre- quent solicitation, obtained the honour and office of Marshal in right of his mother, the 32 Henry III. when the King solemnly gave the Marshal's Rod into her hands, in regard of her seniority in the inheritance of the Mareschalls, Earls of Pembroke, which she thereupon delivered to Earl Roger, her son, whose homage the King received for the same. This Earl Roger dying without issue, the inheritance devolved upon Roger, his nephew and heir, who, in the 30 Edward I. having no issue, constituted the King his heir, delivering unto him the Marshal's Rod upon condition to be rendered back in case of hav- ing children, and other certain terms ; but he dying without issue the 25th year of the same King's reign, the office fell thereby into the hands of the Crown. Edward II. afterwards granted the same unto Thomas Broth erton, his brother. Brotherton died, leaving Margery, his daughter and heir. Countess of Norfolk, during whose life King Edward III. and Richard II. disposed this office to divers others, sometimes for life, sometimes during pleasure, until at last King Richard II, in the twentieth year of his reign, gave it by his patent in Parliament to Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Not- tingham, who was the grandchild of the said Margaret ; and so it came to the blood of Brotherton again in the name of Mowbray ; which Thomas was then created Earl Marshal, being the first time * These Earls of Pembroke were oftentimes called also Mareschall, according to Mathew Paris and other historians ; but it docs not appear that any one had this title by creation till the time of Richard II. who conferred it on Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Nottuigham. THE EARL MARSHAL OF ENGLAND. 243 of the title of Earl being affixed to the office of Marshal ; at the same time he had power given that he and his successors in the office should bear in their hands a gold truncheon, enamelled with black at each end, at the upper end having the King's arms en- graven thereon, and at the lower end his own arms. But by rea- son of the judgment given against Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, not long before the 21 of Richard II. this honour and office were forfeited during his life, and the same during that period given to ''others. His posterity, however, by reason of the creation received from Richard II. had the honour and office restored, which they held till the 15 of Edward IV. when the issue male failed, and the honour, of course, expired. Richard III. however, bestowed the office upon Sir John How- ard, son of Sir Robert Howard, who had married Margaret, one of the daughters, and at length co-heirs of the aforesaid Thomas Mowbray, Earl Marshal and Duke of Norfolk, which Sir John he also created Duke of Norfolk. He it was to whom the rhyming couplet quoted by Shakspeare, — " Jockey of Norfolk be not too bold, For Dickon thy master is bought and sold," was addressed. This missive failed in its object, and adhering to his master and benefactor, he was slain with him, valiantly fighting at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Yet, on account of an attainder in Parliament at the beginning of the reign of Henry VII. the honour and office were forfeited, and granted to William Berkely, Earl of Nottingham, in tail ; who, deceasing soon after without issue, Henry VIII. gave the same for life to Henry, Earl of Surrey, afterwards Duke of Norfolk, and his issue male ; which state con- tinued (the interruption during the reign of Edward VI. excepted) until the 14 of Elizabeth, whence for many years the office was held for life only. King James I. at his Coronation, granted it to the Earl of Worcester for that occasion, and at other times it was executed by commission, until at length he was pleased, by letters patent, dated R % 244 THE EARL MARSHAL OF ENGLAND. 29th August 1622, to constitute Thomas Howard, Earl of Arun- del, Earl Marshal for life ; and the next year (with the advice of his Privy Council) granted letters patent, wherein it was declared that, during the vacancy of the office of Lord High Constable of England, the Earl Marshal had the like jurisdiction in the Court of Chivalry, as both Constable and Marshal jointly ever possessed. And on the 19th of October 1672, King Charles II. was pleased to grant to Henry, Lord. Howard, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten (with a long entail to divers others of the Howard family), the office and dignity of Earl Marshal of England, with power to execute the same by deputy or deputies, in as full and ample a manner as the same was heretofore executed by Henry Howard, late Earl of Arundel, grandfather to the said Henry, Lord Howard ; or by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk ; or by John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk ; or any other Earl Marshal of England, with an allowance of 20/. each year, payable out of the Hanaper Office. The first Lord Marshal (on record) w^as, in 1135, Gilbert de Clare, created Earl of Pembroke by King Stephen, anno 1139. The Earl Marshal's Court is the fountain of the law of arms, and is usually holden in the Hall of the College of Arms, or He- rald's Office, where his jurisdiction is to determine upon descents, pedigrees, escutcheons, and the like. Attendant on his court are the Kings of Arms, Heralds, and Pursuivants, who are expected to be persons of learning, skilled in the ancient and modern lan- guages, good historians, and conversant in the genealogies of the nobility and gentry. They publish all royal proclamations, mar- shal all the royal solemnities of coronations, man'iages, christenings, funerals, &c. They grant coats armorial, and supporters to the same, to such as are properly authorized to bear them ; and where no hereditary arms are known to belong to the party applying for a grant, they invent devices and emblazon them in the most applicable manner, so as to reflect credit upon their own fertility of knowledge, and to afford satisfaction to the anxious wearer of these new-fangled pro- totypes of ancient gentility. This Office (or College of Arms) was HERALDS. 245 incorporated by King Richard III. and enlarged, with many new privileges, by Philip and Mary;* but of late years its power and jurisdiction have been contracted by the greatness of the Common Law ; wherefore the Officers of Arms lose much of their former privileges for want of some definite law settling the Earl Marshal's power, and the due charges, fees, rights, and immunities of those acting under him. And this would seem to be the most fitting place to lay before the reader some account of the HERALDS' COLLEGE, OR COLLEGE OF ARMS. The Corporation consists of thirteen members : viz. three Kings at Arms, six Heralds at Arms, and four Pursuivants at Arms, who are nominated by the Earl Marshal of England, as ministers subordinate to him, in the execution of their offices, and hold their places by patent. They are all the King's servants in ordinary, and, therefore, in the vacancy of the office of Earl Mar- shal, have been sworn into their offices by the Lord Chamber- lain. Their meetings are termed " chapters," which they hold the first Thursday in every month, or oftener, if necessary, wherein all matters arc determined by a majority of voices of the Kings and Heralds, each havino" two voices. The Kings are Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy. * The 6 ofj^ Henry VIII, Edward, Earl of Derby, made an exchange with the King of his house, called Derby House, on St. Bennet's Hill, Doctors Commons, for certain lands in Lancashire. This house, Queen Mary, before her marriage with Philip of Spain, gave to Gilbert Dethick, Garter King of Arms, and others the King's Heralds and Pursuivants to dwell together and keep their records, which house is now called the Heralds' College, or College of Arms. It was destroyed by the dreadful fire in 1666, and rebuilt about three years afterwards. Sir William Dugdale erected the north-east comer at his own charge ; and Sir Henry St. George gave the profits of some visi- tations towards the same purpose. 246 HERALDS. INSTITUTION OF THE KINGS AT ARMS. Garter was instituted by King Henry V, in tlie year 1417, for the service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and for the dignity of that Order, he was made Sovereign, within the office of Arms, over all the other officers, subject to the Crown of England, by the name of Garter, King of Anns of England. By the constitution of his office, he must be a native of Eng- land, and a gentleman bearing arms. To him belongs the cor- rections of arms, and ensigns of arms, usurped or borne unjustly, and the power of granting arms to deserving persons, and sup- porters to the Nobility and Knights of the Bath. It is the office also of the Garter King of Arms to go next before the sword in solemn processions, none interposing except the Marshal ; to administer the oath to all the Officers of Arms, to have a habit like the Register of the Order, Avith Baron's ser- vice in the court, and lodgings in Windsor Castle ; he bears his white rod, with a banner of the ensign of the Order thereon, be- fore the Sovereign : when any Lord enters the parliament cham- ber, it is his part to assign him his place, according to his dignity and degree ; to carry the ensign of the Order to foreign Princes, and to do, or procure to be done, what the sovereign shall enjoin, relating to the Order, for the execution of Avhich he has a salary of 100/. a year, payable at the Exchequer, and 100/. out of the revenue of the Order, besides his fees. PROVINCIAL KINGS. The others arc called Provincial Kings, and their provinces to- gether comprise the whole kingdom of England ; that of Claren- cieux comprehending all to the south of the river Trent, and that of Norroy all to the north of that river ; but, though these provincials have existed from time immemorial, they were not con- stituted to these offices by the titles of Clarencieux and Norroy until the time of Edward III. HERALDS. 247 Clarencieiix is thus named from the Duke of Clarence, the third son of King Edward III. It is his duty, according to his commission, to visit his province to survey the arms of all per- sons, &c., and to register the descents, marriages, &c. ; to marshal the funerals of all persons within his province, not under the di- rection of Garter, and in his province to grant arms, Avith the con- sent of the Earl Marshal. Before the institution of Garter, Clarencieux was the principal Officer of Arms, and in the vacancy of Garter, he executes his office. Exclusive of his fees, he has a salary from the Exchequer of 40/. per annum. The duty of Norroy, or North Roy, i. e. North King, is the same, on the north of the Trent, as that of Clarencieux on the south. CEREMONY OF CREATING THE KINGS OF ARMS. The Kings of Arms were formerly created by the Sovereign, with great solemnity, upon the occasion of some high festival ; but since the ceremonies used at the creation of Peers have been laid aside, the Kings of Arms have been created by the Earl Marshal, by virtue of the Sovereign's warrants. Upon this occasion he takes his oath ; wine is poured upon his head out of a gilt cup with a cover ; his title is pronounced, and he is invested with a tabart of the royal arms, richly embroidered upon velvet, a collar of SS, with two portcullises of silver gilt, a gold chain with a badge of his office, and the Earl Marshal places on his head a Crown of a King of Arms, which formerly resembled a Ducal Coronet; but since the Restoration it has been adorned Avith leaves, resembling those of the oak, and circumscribed, according to ancient customs, with tho words " Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam miserecordiam tuam." Garter has also a mantle of crim- son satin, as an Officer of the Order, with a white rod, or sceptre, with the Sovereign's arms upon the top, which he bears in the 248 HEEALDS. presence of tlie Sovereign ; and he is sworn in a Chapter of the Garter, the Sovereign investing him with the ensigns of his office. DISTINCTION BETWEEN KINGS OF ARMS. The Kings of Arms are distinguished from each other by their respective badges, which they may wear at all times, either on a gold chain or ribbon, Garter's being blue, and the ProvinciaFs purple. THE SIX HERALDS Are Windsor, Chester, Lancaster, York, Richmond, and Somer- set, who take place according to seniority in office. They are created with the same ceremonies as the Kings, taking the oath of a Herald, and are invested Avith a tabart of the Royal Arms, em- broidered upon satin, not so rich as the King's, but better than the Pursuivant's, and a silver collar of SS, They are esquires by creation, and have a salary of 26/. ISs. 4:d. per annum, and fees according to their degree. The Kings and Heralds are sworn upon a sword, as well as a book, to show that they are military as well as civil officers. ROUGECROIX, BLUE MANTLE, ROUGEDRAGON, AND PORTCULLIS. The four Pursuivants are also created by the Earl ^larshal when they take the oath of a Pursuivant, and are invested with a tabart of the Royal Arms upon damask. They have a salary of 20/. per annum, wath fees according to their degree. It is the duty of the Heralds and Pursuivants to attend in the public office, one of each class together, by a monthly rotation. Besides these particular duties of the several classes, it is the general duty both of the Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivant, to attend the Sovereign at the House of Peers ; and upon certain THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. 249 high festivals, to the Chapel Royal ; to make Proclamations ; to marshal the proceedings at all public Processions ; to attend the installation of the Knights of the Garter, &c. All these officers have apartments in the college, annexed to their respective offices. They have, likewise, a public hall, in which is a court for the Earl Marshal, where Courts of Chivalry were formerly held, the Officers of Arms attending in their tabarts, and the Earl Marshal presiding. Their public library contains a large and valuable collection of original records of the pedigrees and arms of families, funeral certificates of the nobility and gentry, public ceremonials, and other matters connected with the peculiar duties of the office. THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. The Lord High Admiral is the ninth Great Officer of State. To him is committed the government of the Navy and the power to decide all maritime causes, as well civil as criminal, and of all things done on or beyond the seas in any part of the world ; and many other jurisdictions on the coasts, and in ports, havens, and rivers ; and of such wrecks and prizes as are styled by the lawyers Lagon, Flotson, and Jetson — that is, goods lying in the sea, floating on the sea, or cast by the sea on the shore (admitting some few exceptions and royalties granted to Lords of Manors) ; these, and all other cases dependent on his juris- diction, being determined in his Courts of Admiralty by such rules of the civil law as do not invade the common law of Eng- land.* For the sea being reckoned without the limits of the common law, the civil law is made use of in the Admiralty Courts in all civil matters, especially those ancient and celebrated maritime codes, known as the laws of Oleron ■}■ and the Rhodian * " Laws of Honour," p. 329. f The laws of Oleron, or Roles d'Oleron, (a small island on the west- 250 THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. law.* But in criminal matters, such as piracy, murder, treason, &c., a statute passed in the reign of Henry VIII, ordaining that criminal affairs should be tried by common law, with witnesses and a iury, and this by special commission from the King to the Lord Hio-h Admiral,whereof some of the Judges are to be Commissioners ; and in this manner are holden what are teimed the Commissions of Oyer and Terminer of the Admiralty, at the Sessions House in the Old Bailey. The statute of Charles II. describes the authority of the Lord High Admiral for the time being, in these words : — " That he shall have full power and authority to grant commissions to infe- rior Vice-admirals or Commanders-in-chief of any squadron of ships ; to call and assemble courts-martial, consisting of Commanders and Captains ; and no court-martial, where pain of death shall be inflicted, shall consist of less than five Captains at least — the Ad- miral's Lieutenant to be, as to this purpose, esteemed as a Captain. And in no case wherein sentence of death shall pass (by the articles em coast of France, at the mouth of the Charante,) have long been cele- brated. The oldest part of them consists of twenty-five articles, supposed to have been promulgated by the Dukes of Guienne about the middle of the twelfth century. They have long been of great reputation in France, as well as in this country, where they were introduced, wdien Eleanor, the heiress of Guienne, added that Duchy to the Crown of England by her second maiTiage with our Henry II. Their son, Richard Cceur de Lion, has had the reputation of improving this maritime code ; but his claim to that title has been disputed. See Pardessus, Collection des Lois Maritimes, &c. tome i. It may be added that a very early manuscript of these laws was in the curious library of the late Francis Douce, Esq. * The Rhodian laws (Lex Rhodia de Jactu), said to have been origin- ally established by the Greeks and modified by the Romans, are recog- nized as valid on all the coasts and waters of the MediteiTanean, forming the basis of all the maritime laws there in force, and of all judgments founded thereon. THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. 251 for regulating the government of his Majesty's ships of war, or any of them, except mutiny,) shall there be execution of such sentence without leave of the Lord High Admiral, if the offence be com- mitted in narrow seas ; but, in case any of the offences aforesaid be committed in any voyage beyond the narrow seas, then execution shall be done by order of the Commander-in-chief." He appoints Coroners to view dead bodies found on the coasts, and Judges in the High Court of Admiralty. To him belong all fines and for- feitures for all transgressions at sea, and at the sea-shore ; and in ports, from the first bridge on rivers to the- sea, goods of pirates, waifs, wrecks, &c. To this may be added, that the Lord High Admiral hath had commission to bestow knighthood on such as had distinguished themselves at sea. * This office was formerly of such great trust and honovir as to be assumed by the Sovereign himself, in those days when Kings were wont to join the expeditions of their fleets, and engage in battles at sea. Alfred the Great is the first named as Lord High Admiral — and, since the Conquest, Henry I. — while, on the other hand. King John appears to have been the last King who was so denominated. Since his time this appointment has most usually been given to some of the King's younger sons or near kinsmen, or else to some of the most distinguished of the nobility, who, by virtue of this dignity, have had their writs of summons and their place in the House of Lords, and this long before the act of Precedency. For the Earl of Arundle, in 13th Edward III ; the Earl of Northum- berland, in 7th Richard II ; the Earl of Devon and Marquess of Dorset, in the same King's reign ; and so the Earls of Salisbury, Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Wiltshire, and others of like degree . being Admirals, were summoned, as may be seen from the Close Rolls. So, again, John Dudley, Viscount Lisle, in the reign of Henry VIII ;-j- Thomas Lord Seymour, and Edward Feynes Lord Clin- * " Laws of Honour," p. 332. t A curious letter upon the state of the King's Fleet, in tlie reign of 252 THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. ton, * in Edward VI ; and in the time of Mary, and Philip and Mary, Edward Howard of Effingham ; and Charles f Earl of Not- tingham, in Elizabeth's time ; and George Duke of Buckingham, in the time of James I. and Charles I ;— were all summoned to Parliament with the title of Admiral added to their hereditary titles in the writ. In the reign of Charles II. this office was vested in his brother the Duke of York, J afterwards James II ; but, during his reign, it was in commission, and so remained until the latter end of William III, when it was given to Thomas Herbert Earl of Pembroke. After the Union with Scotland, Prince George of Denmark was the first Lord High Admiral of Great Britain. He died on the 28th October 1708, and Queen Anne acted by Secretary Burchett until 29th November 1708, when Thomas Earl of Pembroke was constituted Lord High Admiral, with a fee of three huntbed Henry VIII, may be seen in " Ellis's Original Letters," vol. i. p. 213 — in a letter to that Monarch from Sir Edward Howard, Lord Admiral. * We learn from Strype's " Memorials," vol. iii. p. 120, that a green and white uniform was worn by the Lord High Admiral (Clinton) and his Captains on the reception of the Prince of Spain. t This distinguished nobleman was advanced to the office in 1588, in which memorable year he and his gallant officers completed that destruc- tion of the Armada which the storms had already commenced. He held the office thirty-two years, during which time— viz. in 1596,he had gi-eat share in the taking of Cadiz and burning of the Spanish fleet. " His office was no less w^orth than forty thousand pounds per annum, for he had the titles of all prizes," says Bishop Goodman, voh i. p. 181. His portrait, among others, was contained in the celebrated tapestry destroyed in the fire of the House of Lords, and which is now only known by the prints of it published by Pine in 1739. X In that most amusing w^ork, " The Memoirs of Pepys," who was Secretary to the Admiralty during the reign of Charles IL and James II, the reader will find much amusing illustration of the state of the navy at that period, as well as of the duties of this office. THE LORD HIGH ADMIRAL. 253 marks * per annum. He resigned this office on the following year, when it was put in Commission, and remained so until the Can- ning Administration, when his late Majesty, the Duke of Clarencc,t accepted the office, which, though considerably abridged of its ancient perquisites and authority, still remains one of great honour, power, and emolument. His Royal Highness resigned the office in 1828, and it has been ever since, and still remains in Commission. In France, this dignity, one of the highest in the kingdom, en- joyed formerly so many prerogatives that Richelieu, dreading the influence which they would confer upon the possessor, procured an edict for its suppression in January 1627. It w^as re-established, however, in 1669 by Louis XIV. who took care, in so doing, to reserve to the Crown most of the privileges formerly attached to it. Though shorn of many of its prerogatives the office remained still of great importance and profit (one tenth of all prize money, and of all the fines inflicted in the Admiralty Court, being among the chief perquisites attached to it) ; but in 1759, the Due de Penthievre, who then held the office, renounced all claim to these last, receiving as an indemnity in lieu thereof the annual sum of 150,000 livres. This appointment was again suppressed in France at the time of the Revolution, but was re-established by Napoleon, who con- ferred the title upon Murat, but with it few of the privileges attached to it under the ajicien regime. On the restoration of the Bourbons, the Due d'Angouleme succeeded to the office, which * It appears by the statement of " Fees and Annuities paid out of the Exchequer several ways," in that rare volume, " Truth brought to light/' 1692, that "Charles Earl of Nottingham, Lord Admiral of Eng- land, had for his fee 133/. 6s. 8d. per annum. t It was to an official despatch which he was signing, as Lord High Admiral, that his Royal Highness was said to have added, if not with the discretion of a statesman, at least with the gallant spirit of a British seaman, the brief but energetic words, " Go it, Ned ! " 254 THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. liad tlien become merely a nominal appointment, and we believe no such office exists at present in that country.* The title of Admiral is supposed to be of eastern origin, and de- rived from the Emir of the Arabians, by which they designated a chieftain or superior of any kind. But by the Greek Emperors and by the Sicilian and Genoese, who were the first commercial na- tions of the western Continent, this title was peculiarly appropriated to the commanders of maritime expeditions ; and thus, on the esta- blishment of a supreme head of the French navy in 1270, the title of Amire or Amiral, in the Latin of that time Admiraldus or Ami- ralius,'}' was given to that officer. THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. " In the only attempts which have been made," says Sir Harris Nicolas,^ " to trace the history of the Office of Secretary of State, the mistake has been committed of supposing that there was a close resemblance between the duties of the ' King's Secretary,' in the thirteenth century, and those of the ' Secretary of State, of modern times.' " It cannot be doubted that the early Sovereigns of England, as well as those of other countries, were always attended by a learned ecclesiastic, originally called their " Clerk," and afterwards, their " Secretary," whose duty it Avas to conduct the King's correspond- ence, and communicate his commands in writing to the high Officers of State, when those functionaries did not receive them * " Encyclopedle des Gens du Monde/' vide Amiral. t Le Grand D. Aussy " Fabliaux/' tome i. p. 226, and Roquefort " Glossaire/' in verbo. :{: " Proceedings and ordinances of the Privy Council of England/' vol. vi. Preface, p. cxvii. &c. It is right to add that the present article is princi- pally derived from the very valuable sketch of this office given by Sir H. Nicolas in the volume referred to. THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. 255 from the Sovereign in person. They Avere not, however, in any sense of the term, Secretaries of State ; nor was that title ever attributed to them in England until the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; and except when they were members of the Privy Council, they were never in any degree responsible for the mea- sures of the government. The title of Principal, or Chief, or First Secretary, arose, not, as has been supposed, from the appointment by Henry VIII. of a Second Principal, or Chief Secretary, Avith co-ordinate powers and similar duties, but from the existence, at a very early time, of another Secretary of nearly the same rank, and with very similar duties, for the French, and in and after the time of Henry VIII. for the Latin languages. There is reason to believe that until the middle, or towards the close of the reign of Henry III, the King's Secretary was called the King''s Clerk, as that office is frequently mentioned in the Close Rolls of King John and Henry III. The first notice which has been found of the King's Secretary is in May, 37 Hen. III. (1253), when John Maunsell, Chancellor of London, and Provost of Beverley, Avas described by the title of Secretarius noster, in his appointment as one of the envoys to negotiate an alliance with Spain. The regulations made in 1347, for the government of the house- hold of EdAvard III, furnish us with some curious information on the subject of this office. From these regulations it appears that the King's Secretary received 46s. and 8^/. a year for his salary ; but his condition is most clearly shoAvn, by comparing it with that of the King's other officers. He Avas evidently much inferior in station, not only to the Treasurer, Comptroller, Keeper of the Privy Seal, Cofferer, Almoner, Dean of the Chapel, and other of the superior officers of the household, but even to the King's Phy- sicians, all of whom received double the amount of his wages. The King's Secretary was, moreover, classed both in rank and pay, with the Receivers of the Chamber, the Clerks of the Kitchen, the Clerk Marshal, the Clerks of the Wardrobes, Market and Privy 256 THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. Seal, the Chaplains, and the Surgeon. Of Edward IIFs Secre- taries, not even the names have been ascertained ; but the cele- brated Froissart states, in his Preface to his Chronicles, that he had been in his youth Secretary to Queen Philippa. The first time a second Secretary to the King is mentioned, is in the 12th Henry VI, 1433, the appointment of King's Secretary in his realm of France having being required by the affairs of that country in the reigns of Henry V. and VI. But this office, like many others, Avas retained, after the necessity for its creation had ceased, under the title of '' the King's Secretary for the French lan- guage ;" for from the patent of Dr. King, who was so created on the 18th March 1476, it is clear that he was to be little else than the King's second Secretary, it being specially provided that he should receive all kinds of bills and warrants issued by the King''s hand, and prepare all warrants whatsoever, addressed to the Chancellor, or to the Privy Seal, together with all letters, as well in Latin as in English, and should receive for them the accustomed fee. In the reign of Henry VII, we find the King"'s Secretary was considered of higher importance than he had hitherto been, for he was classed with the Barons, in the list of witnesses, present at Windsor, at the Confirmation of the treaty of peace with Portu- gal in 1489. The nature of the office of King's Secretary, as it existed in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII, is shown in a very satis- factory manner by the correspondence of Dr. Pace and Dr. Knight "with Cardinal Wolsey and Lord Cromwell, whence it appears that its duties did not then involve any ministerial responsibility. It is also manifest that Henry did not always intrust his Secretary with the communication of affairs of a very secret nature, and that he read every letter, and dictated the answers thereto, himself. In the ordinances made at Eltham for the governance of his household, Henry appointed " a good number of honourable, vir- tuous, sad, wise, expert, and discreet persons, of his council." A mong them was the Secretary, who is placed between the Comp- troller and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; while by THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. 257 the Statute of Precedency, or, as it is styled, " of placing the Lords," passed in 1539, he is assigned a place next to the King"'s Chamberlain. A very important change soon afterwards took place in the office of the King's Principal Secretary, by the division of it be- tween two persons who were to bear the same title, perform the same duties, and hold the same rank. The warrant, which must have been issued after April 1539, commences by providing " that Thomas Wriothesley and Ralph Sadler, and every of them, shall have the name and office of the King's Majesty's Principal Secre- taries during his Highness' pleasure." Though from the year 1540 to the present time there have been sometimes two Principal Secretaries, and occasionally, as at present, no less than three ; yet, the documents printed in the Fcedera tend to show, that for many years after the accession of Elizabeth there was only one Principal Secretary. Sir William Cecil, afterwards the celebrated Lord Burleigh, held that office for many years ; and the earliest instance of the use of the title of " Secretary of State," is in February 1601, the 43 Elizabeth, when his son. Sir Robert Cecil,* was styled " Our Principal Secretary of Estate." * Sir Robert Cecil, who was afterwards Earl of Salisbury, was Secre- tary of State to Elizabeth and James I. He wrote a tract entitled " The State and Dignity of a Secretary of Estate's Place, with the Care and Peril thereof/' which commences : — " All Officers and Councillors of Princes have a prescribed authority, by Patent, by Custom, or by Oath, the Secretary only excepted ; but to the Secretary, out of a confidence and singular affection, there is a liberty to negotiate at discretion, at home and abroad, with friends and enemies, in all matters of speech and intelligence. All servants of Princes deal upon strong and wary authority, and warrant disbursements, as Treasurers ; in conference with enemies, as General ; in commissions in executing offices by patent and instructions, and so in whatsoever else ; only a Secretary hath no warrant of commission, no — not in matters of his own." He adds afterwards, — " On the other side, the place of a Secretary is dreadful if 258 THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. The co-existence of more than two Secretaries of State was in- deed only a casual deviation from the usual practice, until the Union with Scotland : soon after this event the number was pro- fessedly increased to three. * Queen Anne, on the 3rd February 1708, declared in Council, that the public business increasing, her Majesty had thought fit to appoint a third Secretary of State of Great Britain ; but that she intended, nevertheless, to continue the foreign affiiirs for the present in the course of dispatch they were then in ; and, on the same day, James Duke of Queensberry was sworn one of her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State. He and his successors were esteemed Secretaries of State for Scottish affairs ; but the practice of appointing such an officer was discon- tinued in 1746, when John Marquess of Tweeddale resigned the Seals ; and there were only two Secretaries of State until the 20th January 1768, when William Earl of Shelburne, being Secretary of State, and Mr. Seymour Conway having resigned that office, Thomas Viscount Weymouth, and Wills Earl of Hillsborough, were sworn Secretaries of State, the latter becoming a third Secre- tary, and being destined to act for the Colonies. But, by the statute 22 George III. cap. 82, " the office commonly called or known by the name of Third Secretary of State, or Secre- tary of State for the Colonies," was, among others, suppressed and abolished ; and from that time the number of Secretaries of State remained two, until the 11th July 1794, when William Henry, Duke of Portland, was made a Secretary of State in addition to William Wyndham, Lord Grenville, and Henry Dundas ; and the number has since that period been constantly three. — That is to say, one for the Home Department, one for Foreign Affiiirs, and a third for the Colonies. he serve not a constant Prince ; for he that liveth by trust, ought to serve truly : so he that lives at mercy, ought to be careful in the choice of his master, that he be just and de bond naturd." * Preface to the " State Papers" lately printed by the Commission, issued in 1830, for the publication of the more valuable documents in the State Paper Office. THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. 259 Altliough the office of tlie King's principal Secretary has gradu- ally become one of the most important in the Government, it is not easy to state when or under what circumstances the change took place. It may most probably be assigned to the period when the affairs of the country began to be conducted by the Cabinet in- stead of the Privy Council — an imperium in imperio which fol- lowed the Revolution of 1689, and which concentrated all the powers of the Crown in a few, instead of dividing them among many of its advisers. To whatever causes the alteration in the office of Principal Se- cretary may be ascribed, it took place without any express law ; a fact which affi)rds another proof of the manner in which the Con- stitution has accommodated itself to circumstances, and of the diffi- culty of tracing even the functions and powers of some of the highest officers of the Crown to any defined or legal source. Without Letters Patent, much less an act of the Legislature, (instruments which are necessary for the creation of, and appointment to, many of the humblest public offices,) the King's Secretary, from being little more than the clerical instrument for conveying his Sovereign's commands, has become one of the most influential Ministers of State, whose signature is absolutely requisite to legalize nearly every act of the Crown, whose authority to use the King's name cannot be disputed by any one, except by the King himself ; who is answerable with his liberty and life to Parliament for the constitu- tional and judicious exercise of the prerogatives of the Crown ; and who, in the present distribution of the office among three indivi- duals of co-ordinate authority, performs most of the functions of the Government with all but indefinable powers and unlimited authority. When the origin and history of the office are considered, it is not surprising that the right of a Secretary of State to act in a ma- gisterial capacity in cases which involved the liberty of the subject* * This subject is fully treated of in some papers vmder the title of " The Craftsman," in the "Gentleman's Magazine, for the years 1731 s 2 260 THE SECRETARIES OF STATE. should have been doubted, or that the determination of a Court of Law in favour of that right should have been afterwards questioned. It was clear that his powers were derived neither from the Common nor the Statute Law ; and though from analogy the right of com- mitment was held by Lord Chief Justice Holt to be incidental to the office, there would have been some difficulty in finding a pre- cedent for the decision. It now onlv remains to observe that the Secretaries of State are still constituted, as in ancient times, by the King"'s delivery to them of the Seals of Office ; but, in addition to this investiture, they have always in modern times received also a Patent under the Great Seal. * This was certainly the case as early as the appointment and 1732," vol. i. p. 477 ; vol. ii. pp. 914 — 941. The powers of a Se- cretary of State on points of this natm'e were much discussed in the case of the celebrated John Wilkes in 1763, wdth reference to general warrants. Lord Chief Justice Pratt cautiously refrained from attributing to the office the authority upon which Lords Halifax and Egremont acted. In giving judgment he said, " he shoidd consider a Secretary of State's war- rant, through the whole aifair, as nothing superior to the warrant of a common Justice of the Peace ;" and though it was contended that the warrant issued on that occasion was " according to the uninteiTupted practice of the Secretary of State's office," it was said, that no war- rants of a similar form could be found, after a diligent search, before the reign of the Stuarts, and very few before the time of Lord Arlington, who was Secretary of State to Charles IL — Vide Gent. Mag. v. xxxiii. p. 242 — V. xxxiv. p. 622. The Correspondence of Horace Walpole contains much interesting and bitter comment upon this power. His friend Marshal Conway having voted against the Ministry on this question, was dismissed from all his employments — a fact which called forth from Walpole an offer of half his fortune. — Vide Letter to Conway, 21st April, 1764. * It is not known when the Secretaries of State first took an oath of office ; but " the Oath of a Secretary of State" occurs in a curious collec- tion entitled " The Book of Oaths," 18mo. 1649. THE MASTER OF THE ROLLS. 261 of Dr. Wilson, in 1578, and probably earlier. Whatever be their number, tliey constitute but one officer, and are co-ordinate and equal in rank and authority. Each is competent to execute any part of the duties of Secretary of State, the ordinary division of those duties between them being merely matter of arrangement for the more convenient despatch of business. From an early period to 1782 the two departments were denominated the Northern and Southern. In that year a new distribution was made, and the departments were styled the Home and the Foreign ; of which the former attended to the Colonial affairs until the revival of the third Secretaryship in 1794, when the superintendence of the Colonies was taken from the Home Secretary and conducted in the new office, which likewise carried on the correspondence arising out of the war then in progress. THE MASTER OF THE ROLLS. The Chancellor was anciently the head of a description of piiblic office composed of various clerks or scribes, whose duty it was to write and enroll all documents which passed under the Great Seal. The number of the Chancellor's assistants appears to have been twelve, and the chief amongst them was the Gardein, or Keeper, of the Routes, rolls, or parchments upon which were entered minutes of the business transacted in the Chancery. As that business in- creased, so did the number of the clerks, but the original twelve maintained a superior authority over the subsequent additions. They were " The Masters'" of the Chancery, and the chief of " the Masters" was also the " Keeper of the Rolls." In our mo- dern designation of " Master of the Rolls," we have combined the memory of these two official characters. The Rolls Estate in Chancery Lane, originally the Domus Con- versorum, founded by Henry III. for the reception of converted Jews, was annexed to the Office of Master of the Rolls in the 262 THE MASTER OF THE ROLLS. 15 Edward III, and the cliapel has been used from that period as a place of deposit for records ; but the annexation of this estate to the Mastership of the Rolls having been found to stand in the Avay of certain public improvements, Parliament interfered in the year 1837, and vested the Rolls Estate in the Crown, settling upon the Master of the Rolls an annual income of 7000/. in lieu of all pecu- niary fees and rents received by him.* This Act of Parliament does not, however, seem to affect a very ancient perquisite attached to this office, and which is thus described in the letters patent by which the present Chancellor was created Master of the Rolls : — " one tun, or two pipes, of Gascoyn wine," to be received annually, " when the vintage is brought into the port of London," by the hands of the Chief Butler of England. The more ancient of the Records or Rolls in the custody of the Master of the Rolls have been from time to time removed from the Rolls Chapel to the Tower of London, where the Master of the Rolls appoints a Keeper for them. The records of this description now at the Tower end with the reign of Edward IV ; after that period they still remain in the Rolls Chapel. But, besides this ancient authority as a Record Keeper, the Master of the Rolls exercises very important judicial functions as the second judge of the Court of Chancery. The origin of this judicial authority is disputed, but, in all probability, it grew up in periods when the other avocations of the Chancellor rendered it necessary for him to seek assistance in the performance of some of his manifold duties : the busy Wolsey unquestionably made use of the Master of the Rolls, as his deputy, in the hearing and deter- mining of causes. All doubt, however, upon this subject was set at rest by a Statute in the reign of George II. which declared the Master of the Rolls to have precisely the same original jurisdiction as the Chancellor, except in cases where, by the antecedent course of practice, the Chancellor himself must have personally acted. That Statute also renders it necessary that the Chancellor should * Stat. 7 William IV. and 1 Victoria, cap. 46. THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF CONTROL. '263 sign the orders of the Master of the Rolls to give them efficacy in certain cases. The Master of the Rolls holds his office for life, and takes pre- cedence immediately after the Chancellor. An appeal lies from his decrees to the Chancellor, and after the Master of the Rolls' de- crees have been signed by the Chancellor and enrolled, they may be appealed against to the House of Lords. THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF CONTROL. The President of the Board of Control, who has now always a seat in the Cabinet, is an officer of very recent origin. This appointment took its rise m the celebrated India Bill, proposed and carried by Mr. Pitt in 1784, which, with the acts which have subsequently been introduced for its modification and amendment, forms the basis of the present system of our Indian Government. By the creation of the Board of Control,* under the authority of these acts, the superintendence of the affixirs of India is so completely vested in the Ministers of the Crown, as to render them entirely responsible for their due administration. The Board of Control is appointed by the Crown, and consists of twelve Commissioners, of whom the two Secretaries of State and * The Board of Control was instituted in 1784, by Statute 24-Geo. III. s. 2, c. 25, and was further established and regulated by Statute 33 Geo. III. c. 52, the operation of which commenced in India on the 1st February 1794. By the former act six persons were to be nominated by the King as Commissioners for affairs of India, but by the latter, the number, instead of being limited to six Privy Counsellors, is indefinite, depending upon the royal pleasure : of which number the two principal Secretaries of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are to be three ; and it is at the pleasure of the Crown to add to the list two Conuuis- sioners, who are not Members of the Privy Council. 264 THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE. the Chancellor of the Exchequer are Members by virtue of their office. The President of the Board is the responsible Officer, but the assistance of two other Members is necessary to render its proceedings valid. This Board is vested with a control in all matters relating to the Government of India, Avhether civil, mili- tary, or financial. It has access to all records, and may require abstracts and statements. No dispatches relating to Government or revenue can be forwarded to India without its approval, nor can dispatches received from India be disclosed without their autho- rity. It originates instructions, which the Court of Directors had formerly the power of remonstrating against, but could not alter : and in consequence of the late alterations in respect to the Govern- ment of India, in addition to the powers Avith Avhich it was origin- ally invested, now assumes many which hitherto were possessed by the Court of Directors of the India House. The result of this change in the duties of the Board has been to attach greatly increased importance to the office of Presi- dent.* THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE. The President of the Board of Trade is that Minister of the Crown, Avho has the charge and superintendence of all matters * On the creation of the Board, which took place immediately after the prorogation of Parliament in 1784, Lord Sydney was nominally the President, Pitt as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lord Mulgi-ave, and Mr. William Grenville, the Joint Paymaster of the Forces, occupying seats at the Board ; but the whole power resided with HaiTy Dundas, then Treasurer of the Navy, a post which, demanding but little time or attention, left him at liberty to devote all his faculties to the adminis- tration of India. THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE. 265 connected with the trade, manufactures, and commerce of the country. The Board of Trade is hekl at the Council Chamber, and is indeed only a Committee of the Privy Council, consisting of certain Great Officers of State, with a President and Vice President, joined in a Commission by the Crown for the pur- pose of recommending proper measures in matters of Trade and Plantations. The commercial affairs of the country, which require the inter- ference of the Crown, having been from time to time, as questions arose, referred to a Committee of the Privy Council, and great in- convenience having arisen from the practice, Charles 11. was induced, in the year 1668, to erect a special Council of Trade. This, which was soon laid aside, was renewed in 1672, but again laid aside, and the former method of reference to Committees of the Privy Council revived. At length, in the year 1696, Wil- liam III. established a regular and permanent Board for settling all regulations and disputes relating to Commerce and the Colonies. This Board, besides the principal Ministers of State, who attended only on extraordinary occasions, consisted of a First Lord Com- missioner, and seven other Commissioners, with a salary of one thousand pounds each. On the introduction of Burke's celebrated Bill for Retrench- ment, in 1782, he contended for the inutility of this Board, which then was merely deliberative, and had no power to determine, but only to consider and recommend measures to his Majesty in Council, and the House of Commons agreeing in this view of the case, the Board was abolished accordingly. But Mr. Pitt, soon after coming into power, finding a great want of assistance in this important department of the Government, conceived the idea of again transferring the business to a Committee of the Council, which was done accordingly, and a President and Vice President of the Board were soon after appointed, Lord Hawlvsbury receiving the former Office, for which he was considered the fittest individual in the kingdom, even in the opinion of those 266 FIRST COMMISSIONER OF LAND REVENUE. political opponents, Fox and Grey, who attacked Pitt most violently upon the selection he had made. By the act 7 Geo. IV. c. 32, the salary " of the President of the Committee of Council for the consideration of matters relating to Trade and Foreign Plantations," is fixed at 2000/. per annum, and made payable out of the Fee Fund of the Council Office.* FIRST COMMISSIONER OF LAND REVENUE. The Crown Estates formerly constituted a very important part of the Royal Revenue, but by the numerous grants made from them by many of our Monarchs, they became so greatly reduced, that in the reign of Queen Anne Parliament interfered, and passed an act limiting all such grants. The Woods and Forests, which were also formerly very im- portant and valuable parts of the property of the Crown, having been greatly neglected, an act was passed (57 Geo. III. c. 61), vesting the authority, then enjoyed by the Chief Justice in Eyre, and other officers appointed for their management, on the death of the then possessors, in the hands of Commissioners, with powers to inquire into the condition of the Crown Lands, Woods, and Forests, and to sell and alienate fee farm and other rents. The result has been most advantageous. The Board of AVorks, or, more properly, the Office of his Majesty's Works and Public Buildings, which had the superin- tendence over all the royal Palaces, Mews, &c. has also latterly been joined with the Woods and Forests, and Land Revenues, which now form one Board, entitled the Board of Works, Land Revenue, and Woods and Forests. * An Act had previously passed in 1817, giving the privilege of franking to the Vice President, and fixing his salary also at 2000/. per annum. THE MASTER AND WORKER OF THE MINT. 267 The First Commissioner is Lord Duncannon. The sahiry attached to the office 2000/. per annum. THE MASTER AND WORKER OF THE MINT. The Master and Worker of the Mint is the Officer who has the superintendence of the Coinage of the country, and whose duty it is to receive all bullion brought into the mint, and, when coined, to superintend its re-issue, for which he receives a salary of 2000/. per annum. The original construction of the Mint, as it existed until the year 1815, when it was remodelled, appears to have been esta- blished in the eighteenth year of the reign of Edward II., Avhen that Monarch appointed a Master, Warden, and Comptroller, King's and Master's Assay Masters, and King's Clerk, beside several inferior Officers. The Moneyers, whose names, besides those of the different Monarchs, figure on the coins of the Anglo- Saxon period, would appear from that circumstance, and the silence of the Anglo-Saxon laws and Doomsday Book, on the subject of other Officers of the Mint, to have been the only ones employed in the Anglo-Saxon and early Anglo-Norman Mints. And this opinion is corroborated by the fact, that when in the reign of Henry I. the money was so much corrupted as to call for a sen- tence of the most exemplary severity upon the offenders, the punishment is said to have been inflicted upon the Moneyers only, without the least notice of any other officer. This was also the case, upon a similar occasion, in the reign of Henry II. Mr. Rudding, in his " Annals of the Coinage," is unable to de- termine the exact period when it became necessary to appoint some permanent superintending authority to prevent the bad practices of the Moneyers, but considers it probable that such an Officer was determined upon between the twenty-sixth Henry II, when the Moneyers were alone punished for the adulteration of the money. 26S THE MASTER AND WORKER OF THE MINT. and the tliird of Richard I, when Henry de Cornhill accounted for the profits of the cambium of all England, except Win- chester. It is not improbable that the first Warden of the Mint was appointed for the purpose of collecting the revenue arising from the seignorage charged upon the coinage of bullion* It is not within our purpose to trace the history of the Mint throuo-h its various changes. It will here suffice to observe that, the various questions which had from time to time arisen upon the subject of the coinage, &c. having attracted the notice of the legislature, an Order in Council was issued by the King on the 7th February 1798, appointing a Committee of the Privy Council " to take into consideration the state of the coins of this kingdom, and the present establishment and constitution of his Majesty's Mint." The result of this inquiry was the erection of the present Mint with greatly improved machinery, which took place between the years 1805 and 1810 ; while in March 1815 a new constitution was introduced, founded upon a very valuable report, drawn up and presented to this Committee by Lord Maryborough, then the Right Honorable W. Welleslcy Pole, who had been appointed Master of the Mint in the preceding year. * In the early days of our coinage, its expenses were paid by a duty or seignorage upon the money coined ; and besides these expenses a cer- tain duty was retained for the Sovereign, and formed one of the sources of his revenue : for it must be remembered, that the prerogative of coinage belongs exclusively to the Crown. This amomit of duty being regidated entirely by the will of the Sovereign, or rather perhaps by his necessities, was soon made a profitable and easily collected source of revenue. 269 THE SECRETARY AT WAR. Before entering into a detail of the duties to be performed by the Secretary at War, who is the officer responsible for the financial administration of the army, it will be well to submit to the reader a sketch of the existing arrangements for the transaction of the civil business of this important department of the State, derived from the Report of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the Civil Administration of the Army. The orders of the Government, as to the employment of the forces, are communicated to the military authorities by the Secre- taries of State, any one of whom is competent to signify the Sove- reign's commands, though practically this is usually done by the Secretary of State for the Colonial or Home Department. These Ministers, in their respective departments, communicate with the Commander-in-Chief and the Master General of the Ordnance, upon all points connected with the internal defence of the country and the protection of the foreign possessions of the Crown ; and it is by one of them that all the higher military appointments, to which the sanction of the Government is required, are authorized. The Secretary of State for the Colonies, in addition to the duties of this description, which in that capacity naturally fall to him, has further, as Secretary for the War Department, an authority in all matters relating generally to the army. It is his province to submit to the Sovereign the advice of the Ministers as to the whole amount of forces to be kept up, and he makes known to the Com- mander-in-Chief the establishment thus decided upon. In time of war he corresponds with officers commanding on foreign service, and conveys to them the orders of the Government : and he has,* in some instances, originated warrants prepared by the Secretary at * The act for regulating pensions to discharged soldiers, commonly called " Wyndham's Act," was made by the gentleman whose name it bears when he was Colonial Secretary, although issued by General Fitz- patrick, the Secretary at War. 270 THE SECRETARY AT WAR. War, for regulating the terms upon wliich soldiers are enlisted, and the pensions which they are to receive. Besides these substantial and important duties relating to the army, the Secretaries of State have committed to them others of a merely formal character. All military Commissions are techni- cally issued under their authority in the following manner : — The Commander-in-Chief, who takes the Sovereign's pleasure upon ap- pointments and promotions in the army, forwards a memorandum of those which are approved to the War Office : the Secretary at War then causes two lists to be made out of the new Commissions required ; the one containing those for regiments serving in India and Ceylon, and for the colonial corps, which is transmitted to the Colonial Department ; the other for the remaining regiments, which is sent to the Home Department. The Commissions are prepared in these offices ; they are forwarded by the Secretai-y of State to the Sovereign for signature, and completed by being countersigned on their return. In the same manner the authority for the issue of arms to the troops is given by the Secretary of State. The Secretary at War, upon being informed by the Commander-in-Chief that any given supply of arms is required by a regiment, writes to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, requesting that he will communi- cate the Sovereign's pleasure to the Master General and Board of Ordnance for the issue of the arms, and the letter written in conse- quence by the Secretary of State is the proper authority to that department for furnishing the required supply. The office of Secretary at War was established in 1666. Mr. Matthew Locke, who was the first who held this appointment, was an officer detached from the Secretary of State's office ; because, as it is understood, the Secretary of State found the consolidation of the finance of the army in his department so inconvenient that he got rid of it by establishing a Secretary at War, as a separate and independent branch. * The duties of this officer have, of course, at different times, been * Report, p. 25, " Evidence of Sir H. Hardinge." THE SECRETARY AT WAR. 271 subject to mucli variation ; at present they chiefly consist in preparing and submitting to Parliament the Army Estimates, in checking the details of military expenditure, and in attending to the due execu- tion of military laAV. It is further the duty of the Secretary at War, in concert with the Commander-in-Chief, and with the consent of the Treasury, in all cases in which any increase of expense is involved, to make from time to time such alterations as may be re- quired in the various regulations relating to the rates of pay, allow- ances, half-pay, and pensions ; the warrants by which all these points are determined being prepared under his direction, and sub- mitted by him to the Sovereign. It is likewise the practice for the Secretary at War, in consequence of his being the person called upon in Parliament to answer all questions connected with the admi- nistration of the army, to offer such suggestions as may seem to him to be required on various points, either to the Commander-in-Chief or Secretary of State. The Secretary at War also directs the insertion of all military appointments and promotions in the Gazette ; prepares and brings into Parliament the annual Mutiny Bill ; frames the articles of war ; issues routes for the movement of troops, as the necessary authority for their quarters and diet on a march ; and, as has been already mentioned, he is the channel for obtaining the authority of the Se- cretary of State for issues of arms by the Ordnance, when required by the military authorities. He is also, under the authority of various acts of Parliament, charged with the protection of the civil subjects of the realm against oppression and misconduct on the part of the military, and for this purpose communicates with the magistracy, in respect to complaints against officers and soldiers, over whom the Secretary at War exer- cises an independent authority in enforcing the provisions of the law. 272 THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. The Commander-in-Cliief is not a ministerial, but an executive officer, responsible to tlie Sovereign and the Government for the military organization, efficiency, and discipline of the army. He is in some respects under the two Secretaries of State, from ■whom he receives the orders of the Government as to the employ- ment of the forces ; but he receives direct from the Sovereign all such orders as regard the organization, the promotion, the discipline, field movements, and welfare of the army. The nature of the duties to be performed by the Commander-in- Chief, and the mode in which they are executed, cannot be better illustrated than in the words of a very competent authority — Sir Henry Hardinge — who, in his examination before the *' Commis- sioners appointed to inquire into the practicability of consolidating the Civil Departments of the Army," thus describes them : — " I have shown that the Secretaries of State can control him when State policy justifies their interference ; but I consider that it would be an encroachment on the King's prerogative to attempt any diminution of the power which the Commander-in-Chief now possesses, such as the privilege of carrying on his duty by personal communication with the King in his closet, and of being his Ma- jesty's organ of communication to the army ; for, although the Commander-in-Chief may suggest, he can make no important altera- tions in the system of the army, without reference to the Secretary of State or the Prime Minister ; yet, as he is responsible to the King for the efficiency of the army, he ought to have the means of keeping up his authority with the army ; he should always have direct access to his Majesty on the promotion and interests of indi- viduals, and should use his Majesty's name in promulgating the military orders to the army ; in fact, he should be responsible to the King, and not to the House of Commons." The Commander-in-Chief, like the Master of the Horse, has no place assigned him in the Statute of Precedency, though of the three THE MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. 273 Dukes summoned to Parliament by writ, in the 13 Charles II. viz: — George Duke of Buckingham, Charles Duke of Richmond, and George Duke of Albemarle — though the Duke of Buckingham was then Master of the Horse — his Grace of Richmond, of the blood royal by the Scottish line ; yet, neither of these additional titles was mentioned in their writs ; while the Duke of Albemarle, who was then Commander of the Forces, was specially entitled " General is exercituum suorum."" A further proof of the importance of this high office is shown in the fact, that it was for many years held by the late Duke of York. The present age, which justifies to the fullest the words of "faithful Griffith,"— '' Noble Madam, Men's evil manners live in brass — their virtues We write in water/' — is much more ready to remember the failings of his Royal Highness, than the unwearied zeal with which he executed the duty of this important post — his unceasing exertions for the good of the service, and his well-founded claim to the title of " The Soldier's Friend." THE MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. In the reign of Henry III. the principal Officer in charge of the military stores of the country, which were then deposited in the tower of London, appears to have been the ' Balistarius,' or pro- vider and keeper of the cross-bows. He was appointed by the King's letters patent, and received wages of twelve pence per diem, was provided also with a suit, consisting of a doublet and surcoat, furred with lamb-skin, and had an allowance for three servants. The last mention we find of this office is in the reign of Henry VI. when it was granted to Baldwin Jacobson for life. Another Officer was ' the Attiliator Balistarum,' or furnisher of harness and accoutrements. He was likewise appointed by letters T 274 THE MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. patent ; and his wages in the reigns of Henry III. and Edward I. were seven pence halfpenny per diem, with a suitable robe. At later periods several other officers are named, who held their ap- pointments by the King's letters patent ; such were the ' Galeator,' who, as the name implies, had the care and providing of the helmets ; the King's Armourer, and the Bowyer and the Fletcher, whose offices were to provide and keep the armour, the bows, and the arrows. In the fifteenth century we find these different branches under the direction of a principal Officer, styled the Master of the King's Ordnance,* who received two shillings per diem for himself, and was allowed sixpence per diem for his clerk, and sixpence per diem for a valet. The Master General of the Ordnance was formerly appointed for life. The celebrated Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was so ap- pointed by Queen Elizabeth on the 29th March 1596 : the last who held it for life being Sir William Compton, who entered on the duties of the Office on the 22nd January 1660. Since then they have been appointed only during pleasure. The present salary is 2000/. per annum. f * ' Bayley's History of the Tower/ (4to. ed.) p. 217, who refers to the Close Rolls, 1 Edw. IV. m. 2, &c. t The following extracts from Walpole's ' Last Ten Years of George II.' vol. ii, p. 132, will gladden the eyes of those economists who contend that all official men, like poets and horses, are to be fed, not fattened: according to the celebrated saying of Charles IX. of France, ' Equi et Poetae alendl sunt, non saginandi :' and who would fain persuade us, that if the successors of the Great Duke of Marlbo- rough, in the Mastership of the Ordnance, have not equalled him in talent, it is because they have not been kept at his munificent salary of Jozir shillings per diem I " January 1757. Charles, at the instigation of George To^vnshend, continued to sift the estimate of the Ordnance. They found that the Duke of Marlborough (Charles, second Didce,) had charged his own pay THE MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. 275 The Ordnance Office underwent a general revision in the reign of Charles II. : the first warrant fixing the constitution of the Office, and which forms to this day the basis of its regulations, being the one issued by that Monarch, and dated 20th July 1683. By this Warrant, the government of the Ordnance is confided to the Master General, and five principal Officers under his orders, viz. the Lieutenant General, Surveyor General, Clerk of the Ord- nance, Principal Storekeeper, and Clerk of the Deliveries. At the end of 1830, the appointments of Lieutenant General and Clerk of the Deliveries were abolished. The reduction of the Lieutenant General has necessarily thrown a great deal more business upon the Master General, especially in points of military duty.* The rules laid down in this warrant for the governance of the Office, form the foundation of the system on which the business of the Department is at present conducted : which business consists of two distinct branches, which are differently dealt with. The Master General of the Ordnance, who acts in concert with the Commander-in-Chief on points connected with the defence of the country, the distribution of artillery, and all matters in which the Ordnance is connected with the Army Department, directs personally, and without the assistance of the Board, all those matters with reference to the corps of Artillery and Engineers, which, in the case of the rest of the army, come within the pro- vince of the Commander-in-Chief. All military appointments, all at ten shillings a day. No Master of the Ordnance had received so much except Duke Schomberg, who had no regiment. The Great Duke of Marlborough, the late Duke of Argyle, the Duke of Montague, three men sufficiently attentive to their interest, had touched but foiur shiUings. The Townshends clamoured on this, and the Duke of Marlborough refunded all that he had received above four shillings a day." * Evidence of Mr. E. Elliot before the Commissioners on the Civil Administration of the Army. See also Pepys's ' Diary,' vol. iii, p. 200, for the reformations in progress in this Department in 1667, and of which the warrant before alluded to may probably be considered as the result. T 2 27() THE MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE. questions of discipline, and orders relating to the employment of tlie force, come under this description ; and likewise the ge- neral government and direction of the Military Academy at Woolwich. The other class of the duties of this Department (which may be termed, to distinguish them from the former, the civil duties) is placed under the superintendence of the Board, and of the individual officers of whom it is composed. This class includes business of very great extent and importance ; comprehending in the first place, with regard to the Ordnance corps, the greater part of that business, which, as relates to the rest of the army, is per- formed at the War Office, such as the examination of pay lists and accounts, &c. ; but the greater part by far having reference to matters, concerning not merely this particular branch of the mili- tary service, but the whole army, and even the navy. Arms, ammu- nition, and military stores of every description (including guns and carriages for the navy), are supplied by the Board to both services. Besides the clothing of the Artillery and Engineers, they furnish also that of part of the Militia, and of the Police Force in Ireland, and of some corps belonging to the army, and the great coats for all : they are likewise charged with the issue of various descrip- tions of supply, as fuel, light, &c. both in Great Britain and abroad, and with respect to the troops in Great Britain, of provi- sion and forage. The construction and repair of fortifications, military works, and barracks, is another large branch of the Department ; which has also the duty, altogether unconnected with anything of a military character, of furnishing various descriptions of stores for the use of the convict establishments in the penal colonies. The whole of this business is distributed amongst the three Board Officers of the Ordnance ; namely, the Surveyor General, the Clerk of the Ordnance, and the Principal Storekeeper. Each of these has his own separate and distinct duties ; but as all acts are done in the name and by the authority of the Board, all im- portant questions are brought before it, and every member of it is THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER. 277 expected to have a general knowledge of the business transacted in each separate division. The Master General attends the Board only on special and very rare occasions ; but all its proceedings, in the form of minutes, are regularly submitted to him for his approval, and are subject to his control. His authority is supreme in all matters, both civil and military, and he is considered responsible for the manner in which the Department is generally conducted.* THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster presides in the court of the Duchy Chamber, to decide questions relating to lands holden of the Sovereign, as Duke of Lancaster. llie origin of this Court was in the time of Henry IV, who had inherited the Duchy of Lancaster from his father, John of Gaunt, on whom it had been bestowed by grant from Edward IIL But the Duchy having merged in the Crown, when Henry be- came King, by the deposition of Richard II, he, conscious that he was more rightfully Duke of Lancaster than King of England, determined to save his right in the Duchy, whatever should befal the kingdom ; and accordingly, with the authority of Parliament, severed the possessions, liberties, &c. of the Duchy, from the Crown ; and so settled them on himself and his heirs, as if he had been no King, or any politic body at all. This state of things continued during the reigns of his son and grandson, Henry V. and Henry VI ; but Edward IV. hav- ing by recovery of the Crown, recontinued the right of the House of York, appropriated the Duchy to the Crown again ; yet so, * ' Report of Commissioners on Civil administration of the Army,' pages 6 and 7. 278 THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN'S BENCH. that he suffered the Court and officers to remain as he found them. In this manner the Duchy came together with the Crown to Henry VII, who, approving of the policy of Henry IV, on whose right he founded his title to the Crown, re-separated the Duchy as the other had done before him ; and so it has since continued. The Court, which does not appear to have been a Court of Record, was anciently a kind of Chancery Court, for the hearing of matters that occurred within the Duchy ; but its powers were restricted by statute 16 Car. c. 17; and it now chiefly takes coo-nizance of matters connected with the revenues of the Duchy. The Chancellorship is generally bestowed during pleasure, though there are two instances of its being granted for life ; the last being that of the celebrated Lord Ashburton. But in 1807, when it was surmised that it was his ISIajesty's intention to con- fer it on Mr. Perceval for life, the House of Commons addressed the Throne, humbly praying that the appointment might be made only during pleasure. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster takes precedency im- mediately after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and before the Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench. THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN'S BENCH. This great officer is the legitimate successor of the Justitiarius Anglice^ the representative of the Sovereign, in the ancient Royal Court in which he dispensed justice in person. Even now the style of the Coiirt preserves the memory of its ancient glories — it is " The Court of our Lady the Queen before the Queen herself.'''' Nor is it only on account of its pre-eminent dignity that this Court deserves our admiration. There is not, perhaps, any tri- bunal in the world which has been the scene of so many memo- THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN's BENCH. 279 rable actions, nor any one tliat has been more distinguislicd by the legal talent, the patriotic firmness, and the invincible integrity of those who have presided in it. The names of Gascoyne, Coke, Hale, Holt, Raymond, Hardwicke, Mansfield, Kenyon, Ellenborough, and Tenterden, may be appealed to, as at once doing honour to their profession and to mankind ; and, if it were allowable to refer to living persons, and more recent periods, it would not be difficult to prove that neither the dignified firmness of Gascoyne, who " rated rebuked, and sent to prison the immediate heir of England f nor the love of liberty which animated Coke, to spurn the dictation of the Council Board ; and Hale, to set at nought the illegal mandates of the Protector, has yet departed from amongst us. Recent events have shown, that we have a Chief Justice who is ready to main- tain the supremacy of the law, in spite of resolutions of Houses of Commons, or popular outcry, or any other power that can be brought against it. When the ancient Curia Regis was dissolved, the King's Bench, which was one branch of it, retained jurisdiction over all causes affecting the King's peace, and it also exercised, in the King's name, the prerogative right of supervising and controlling the proceedings of inferior tribunals. The ingenuity of the law- yers subsequently added to these peculiar branches of business a power of determining suits of a purely civil nature, which at first belonged solely to the Court of Common Pleas, and the power thus acquired, after having been jealously maintained by the judges for centuries, was ultimately, a few years ago, sanctioned by the legislature, so that the Court of King's Bench is now, not only the Supreme Court of Common Law,* possessed of its ancient * In the Common Law Courts, the first day of term was formerly occu- pied by the examination of Bail for persons who had been arrested, and whose opponents would not consent to the bail justifying before a Judge at his chambers. The following amusing exemplification of this proceeding in the Court of King's Bench, was written by the well-known John Baynes, Esq., at the time when Lord Mansfield was Chief, and Mr. Willes a Justice of the 280 THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN's BENCH. peculiar jurisdiction, but has cognizance of all civil causes, without the aid of any legal fiction. Its Judges are, by virtue of their Court. A person named Hewitt was then cryer^ and Mr. Mingay, a celebrated counsel, still remembered, is represented as opposing the Bail proposed by Mr. Baldwin, another counsel. "KING'S BENCH PRACTICE, CAP. X. OF JUSTIFYING BAIL." Baldwin. Hewitt, call Taylor's bail — for I Shall now proceed to justify. Hewitt. Where 's Taylor's bail ? 1st. Bail. I can't get in. Hewitt. Make way ! Lord Mansfield. For Heaven's sake begin. Hewitt. But where 's the other ? %iid. Bail. Here I stand. Minyay. I must except to both — Command Silence — and if your lordship crave it, Austen shall read our affidavit. Austen. Will Priddle, late of Fleet Street, gent. Makes oath, and saith, that late he went To Duke's Place, as he was directed By notice, and he there expected To find both bail — but none could tell Where the first bail lived — Mingay. Very well. Austen. And this deponent further says. That asking who the second was. He found he 'd bankrupt been, and yet Had ne'er obtained certificate. When to his house deponent went. He full four stories high was sent. And found a lodging almost bare. No furniture but half a chair, A table, bedstead, broken fiddle. And a bureau — (Signed) William Priddle. THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN'S BENCH. 281 offices, the Sovereign Conservators of the Peace, and Supreme Coroners of the Land, and its power extends over all civil coi-po- Swom at my chambers, Francis Butter. Mingay. No affidavit can be fuller. Well, friend, you 've heard this affidavit^ What do you say ? 'Und. Bail. Sir, by your leave, it Is all a lie. Mingay. Sir, have a care : What is your trade ? Stnd. Bail. A scavenger. Mingay. And pray, sir, were you never found Bankrupt ? 2nd. Bail. I 'm worth a thousand pound. Mingay. A thousand pound, friend, boldly said, In what consisting ? ^nd. Bail. Stock in trade. Mingay. And pray, friend, tell me — do you know What sum you 're bail for ? 2nd. Bail. Tmly no. Mingay. My lords, you hear no oaths have checked him, I hope your lordships will — Willes. Reject him. Mingay. Well, friend, now tell me where you dwell. \st. Bail. Sir, I have lived in Clerkenwell These ten years. — Mingay. Half a guinea dead, (aside.) My lords, if you 've the notice read. It says Dukes Place. So I desire A little further time t' inquire. Baldwin. Why, Mr. Mingay, all this vapour ? Willes. Take till to-morrow. Lord Mansfield. Call the paper. 282 THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE QUEEN'S BENCH. rations, magistrates and other lay persons, to compel tliem sum- marily to do Avliat their duty requires. The Judffes of the King s Bench and Common Pleas cannot be appointed until they have attained the degree of Seijeant at Law ; and if, as is very often the case, a person, not a Serjeant, is selected for a vacant Judgeship, he is appointed first a Serjeant, and afterwards a Judge, on the same day. The oath of the Chief Justice, as entered in the Book of Oaths, in the Crown Office, binds him, amongst other things, to do equal law and execution of right to all the King''s subjects, rich and poor, without having regard to any person ; not to take any gift or reward of gold or of silver, or any other thing which might turn him to profit, except meat or drink, and that of little value, of any man that has any plea, or process, hanging afore him ; not to take fees, or livery of any person but of the King ; not to delay any person's common right for the King's letters, or the letters of any other person, nor for any other cause ; and in case any letters come to him contrary to law, to certify the King thereof, and pro- ceed to do the law, the same letters notwithstanding.* The salary of the Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench was settled in 1825 at 10,000/. per annum, with a retiring pension of 4000/. per annum, after fifteen years' service. It has been usual, since, the time of Lord Mansfield, to make the Chief Justice of the King's Bench a Peer ; but this is by no means necessary, and is by some persons considered to be an ob- jectionable mixture of the legislative and judicial functions. He is styled "My Lord," when in the exercise of his office, Avhether he be a Peer or not. The number of the Judges of the King's Bench has varied at different periods. At present, under the authority of an act of Parliament passed in 1830, there are a Chief Justice and four puisne Judges. The former is created by writ, the latter by letters patent. * Report of Record Committee of 1 800, p. 2 1 7. 283 THE VICE-CHANCELLOR The office of Vice-Cliancellor existed at a very early period, but only occasionally. Syward, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and Dr. Young, in that of Henry VIIL were probably merely ap- pointed to perform the Chancellor's functions upon certain definite occasions ; to write and subscribe a charter for him in his absence ; or to ratify a treaty as his deputy. * The present office of Vice- Chancellor was instituted in 1813, with a view to facilitate the administration of justice in the Court of Chancery, and get rid of a long arrear of causes, the delay}* in the determination of which * " Hist, of the Chancery." Lond. 1 726, 8vo. p. 22. f The delays in the Coui't of Chancery were at that time attributed by some persons to the increase of business, and by others to the dilatoriness of the Chancellor, Lord Eldon. Probably both parties were, to a certain extent, in the right, inasmuch as both causes unquestionably existed. In- creased population and wealth have, within the last fifty years, added very greatly to the business of all our judicial tribunals ; and the mind of the venerable and admirable person to whom we have refeiTed was so con- stituted — his conscientious anxiety to do justice was so extreme — that rash and inconsiderate decision was a thing of which his nature was inca- pable. The wits of the day did not fail to take advantage of the Chan- cellor's peculiarity, and jokes and epigi'ams upon the subject were current everywhere. The following " Hearing of a Cause in Chancery" is one of the best of them : — Mr. Leach made a speech. Short, neat, and wrong ; Mr. Hart, on the other part. Was prosy, dull, and long; Mr. Parker made the case darker. That was dark enough without ; Mr. Cooke cited his book ; And the Chancellor said, " I doubt 1 " Having mentioned this peculiarity of Lord Eldon, his own reply to the 284 THE VICE CHANCELLOR. had occasioned a great deal of public complaint. The act by which the Coivrt was instituted (53 George III. c. 24) authorized his Majesty to appoint a Barrister, of fifteen years' standing at the least, to be an additional Judge, assistant to the Lord Chancellor, with power to determine all descriptions of causes pending in the Court of Chancery. His salary Avas directed to be 5,000/. per annum, but has since been increased to 6,000/. Like the common Law Judges, he holds his office during good behaviour, and in pre- cedence ranks after the Master of the Rolls. Sir Thomas Plumer, the Attorney-General at the time of the institution of the Court, was appointed the First Vice-Chancellor accusations founded upon it ought not to be omitted. Writing to Mr. Charles Butler in 1822, in reference to his recently-published "Reminis- cences/' Lord Eldon said,— "I have felt more consolation than I can ex- press, m reading in a part of your work what a considerable person stated in answer to the imputation of being dilatory. — That has been often, and I admit most fairly, imputed to me ; to all who accuse me of it I wish to give as my answer the passage I allude to." The " passage" referred to is an anecdote of the Chancellor D'Aguesseau, which is related by Mr. Butler in the following words :— " The only fault imputed to D'Agues- seau was dilatoriness of decision : we should hear his own apology. The general feeling of the public on this head was once respectfully communi- cated to him by his son. ' My child,' said the Chancellor, ' when you shall have read what I have read, seen what I have seen, and heard what I have heard, you will feel, that if on any subject you know much, there may be also much that you do not know, and that something even of what you know may not at the moment be in your recollection. You will then, too, be sensible of the mischievous and often ruinous conse- quences of even a small error in a decision ; and conscience, I trust, will then make you as doubtful, as timid, and consequently as dilatory, as I am accused of being." {" Butler's Reminiscences," i. 285, 4th edition.) Lord Eldon's letter, from which we have extracted, and the whole of which is exceedingly interesting and characteristic, was published in the "Gent. Mag. for March 1838," p. 271. THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COMMON PLEAS. 285 in April 1813. Upon his promotion to the Mastership of the Rolls, Sir John Leach, who had distinguished himself in opposition to the institution of the new Court, succeeded him as Vice-Chan- cellor, in January 1818. Sir Anthony Hart followed in May 1827 ; and, upon Sir Anthony's removal to Ireland in the October of the same year, the office was conferred on Sir Lancelot Shadwell, the present Vice-Chancellor. THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OP THE COMMON PLEAS. The Common Pleas ranks in the order of Common Law Courts next in dignity to the King's Bench. It was part of the ancient Curia Regis, and, like the King''s Bench, used to follow the person of the King, until the time of John, when, by an article of Magna Charta, which was prompted, probably, by the extreme incon- venience occasioned to suitors by the perpetual Avanderings of that unstable monarch, it was declared that Common Pleas should no longer follow the person of the Sovereign, but should be held in some certain place. That " certain place" has been Westminster Hall from that time to the present day. The original jurisdiction of this Court comprised all civil actions or disputes between sub- ject and subject ; and it still retains so much of its primary cha- racter, that it is the only Court in which a real action can be tried. The office of the Chief Justice, as defined by his oath, is simi- lar, within his own Court, to that of the Chief Justice of the King*'s Bench in his, and he is surrounded by the same restrictions as to the acceptance of gifts or the paying attention to illegal letters, whether from the King or any other person. His salary is 8,000/. per annum ; his retiring pension, 3,750/. There are now five Judges in the Common Pleas — a Chief Justice and four puisne Judges. 286 THE LORD CHIEF BARON OF THE EXCHEQUER. The Excliequer was the fiscal department of the ancient Curia Regis, and its original judicial functions were limited to disputes in which the King's revenue had an interest. " If there were no re- venue," said Chief Justice Treby, " the Exchequer would have no- thing to do." The same legal ingenuity, however, which managed, by means of an ingenious fiction, to give the King''s Bench a power of determining common pleas, was applied to obtain for the Ex- chequer a similar latitude of jurisdiction, and, under the pretence that the King's debtor was " less able to satisfy the King," whilst the debts owing to himself were withheld, the Judges of the Ex- chequer opened their Court to all suitors. The Judges were not anciently " men of the law,"" and hence were not styled Justices, but Barons ; even at the present day, " the Chancellor of the Exchequer," although bills for equitable relief are always addressed to him, is not, as is well known, a lawyer. The Chief Baron ranks immediately after the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and is entitled to the same amount of salary and retiring pension. His appointment is during good behaviour, and was so, even whilst the Judges of the other Courts were ap- pointed only during pleasure. * The Exchequer was anciently in considerable disrepute, on ac- count of the venality of its officers, and the unreasonable strictness with which accounts were scrutinized. Complaints upon these sub- jects are very common amongst thcAvriters of the middle ages; and Coke tells us, that, in his day, there was engraven upon a stone in the Exchequer wall. Ingrediens Jani, rediturus es semulus Argi." * Co. Litt. 4th Inst. p. 117. 287 THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. The Attorney General is the King"'s representative in the Courts, and the legal adviser of the various departments of the Government. In the former of these characters it is his duty to conduct all prosecutions, and other law proceedings specially insti- tuted by the head of the State* ; in the latter he prepares or settles all the more important formal documents which emanate from the executive authority. The history of the office is very obscure, but it would seem that before the reign of Edward IV. the King's Serjeants performed most of the duties now attached to the Attorney Generalship. William Husee was appointed Attorney General for England in the 11th year of that reign, and that is the first known instance of the use of the title. The King's Serjeants claimed precedence of the Attorney General, and will be found to have had it assigned to them in the tables of precedency before 1811, when a royal war- rant appointed the Attorney and Solicitor General to have place and audience at the head of the English Bar. The office was anciently conferred during good behaviour, and in 1620, when a prosecution in the Star Chamber was about to be instituted against Sir Henry Yelverton, the Attorney General, * The performance of this duty has frequently rendered the holders of the office of Attorney General obnoxious to a great deal of public odium. The mob would have dragged Sir John Scott out of his carriage at the time of the prosecution of Hardy for High Treason, but for the interference of Mr. Erskine, and the prompt courage of the Attorney General himself. " You imagine/' he said, addressing his assailants, " that if you kill me, you will be without an Attorney General. Before ten o'clock to-morrow morning there will be a new Attorney General, by no means so favourably disposed to you as I am." A friendly voice exclaimed, " Let him alone — let him go;" the mob separated, and his carriage drove on. 288 THE SOLICITOR GENERAL. the King appointed Sir Thomas Coventry, the Solicitor General, to institute the prosecution, and also to exercise the office of Attorney General during its pendency * The inconvenience ex- perienced at that time, probably gave rise to the present custom of appointing this officer during pleasure. THE SOLICITOR GENERAL. This officer shares with the Attorney General the duty of conducting State prosecutions, and advising the Government in matters of law. He holds his office in the same manner as the Attorney General, and is entitled to precedence immediately after him ; one of them being: jjcnerallv taken from the Common Law, and the other from the Equity Bar. Their duties are defined in their oath to consist in serving the King in his Courts of Record, and counselling him truly when called upon. They are duly and truly to minister the King''s matters, and sue the King''s process, after the course of the Law, and after their " cunning.'" They are not to take wages or fee of any man, for any matter against the King, where the King is party, and are duly, in convenient time, to speed such matters as any person shall have to do in the law against the King, without long delay, tracting or tarrying the party of his lawful process in that that to their office belongcth.'}* Not the least part of their official duty is the defence in the House of Commons, of all legal measures of Government relating to the administration of the law. This is generally cast upon them, and it is therefore important that the offices should be conferred upon such persons as are of sufficient influence to obtain scats in parliament. * Rymer's " Focdera," xvii. 231. t Record Report of 1800, p. 218. 289 THE MASTERS IN CHANCERY. In oiir notice of the Master of the Rolls we have explained the origin of these extremely useful officers. Their present duties are widely different indeed, from those assigned to them at the first institution of the office, but they still retain traces of their source. They were in the first instance the assistants of the Chancellor — they are so still. They then investigated facts with a view to the application of a common law remedy to the suitor"'s grievance ; they investigate facts now, but it is with a view to the information of the conscience of the Judges of the Court of Chancery, and in order that they may decide upon the facts which the Masters ascertain according to the rules of equity. The Masters stand indeed in the Court of Chancery, in the place of the Jury in the Courts of Law, but their range of duties is far more extensive. Wherever facts are disputed, a reference is generally made to one of the Masters, who investigates and settles them ; he examines accounts, makes inquiry respecting disputed dates, persons, places, and in one sentence, may be said to do ministerially, and under the direction of the Court, whatever is necessary to the attainment of substantial justice between the litigating parties. The Masters give attendance upon the House of Lords during the period of their sitting, and are frequently employed by that House as messengers to the Commons. Here again they seem to be assistants to the Chancellor. The Masters are eleven in number, besides the Master of the Rolls, and including the Accountant General, who is a Master for certain purposes ; the appointment is for life. Before the reign of Elizabeth they were generally Doctors of the Common Law, but are now selected from the Barristers practising in the Courts of Equity, by the Lord Chancellor. Their salary is fixed at 2500/. by act of parliament. V THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD. SECTION VL V 2 293 PRIVATE SECRETARY. The situation of Private Secretary to the Sovereign, which is one of a peculiar nature, resembling very much the original office of King''s Secretary, has been made the subject of discussion in the House of Commons. It appears that the first Sovereign (at least, since the Revolu- tion) who employed a Private Secretary was King George III, to whom a confidential person in that capacity was rendered absolutely necessary, upon his Majesty becoming afflicted with the loss of sight. When the late George IV. became Regent, and Colonel Mac- Mahon, a Privy Councillor, was appointed his Private Secretary, \fii\i a salary of 2000/. per annum, the subject was brought before the House of Commons on the 14th April 1812, and caused an animated and important debate. It was contended that such an office w^as dangerous and unconstitutional, as it must inevitably render the person holding it a secret adviser of the King, with a degree of influence over the royal mind inconsistent with the forms of government in this country, and destructive of a fundamental principle of the Constitution, namely, that no one can use the name of the Sovereign, offi;r him advice, or convey his commands, except he be one of the responsible Ministers of the Crown, answer- able to Parliament for his conduct. But it was said, on the other hand, that the office was not one of responsibility, but was precisely like that of any other Private Secretary in any other office of the State, differing only in the rank of the person under whom it was held ; that it was only an instrument for carrying on the business of the country ; that if the appointment was not divested of all respon- sibility, there would be nothing to justify it in the view of Parlia- ment ; and it was particularly stated by Lord Castlereagh, then 294 THE KEEPER OF THE PRIVY PURSE. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that the individual holding it was " incompetent to communicate the pleasure of the King in any way that could authorise any subject in the land to attend to it, or to act upon it, with official responsibility." * The attempts to prevent Colonel MacMahon's appointment having been defeated, upon a division, by a Ministerial majority of 176 to 100, there has ever since been a Private Secretary to the Sovereign ; and as many of the statesmen who in 1812 considered the appointment improper, have subsequently held office, and have not made any efforts for its abolition, it may, perhaps, be inferred that they have not found its existence inconvenient in practice, however unconstitutional it may appear in theory, -f* This office, we believe, does not at present exist ; it was filled by Sir Herbert Taylor during the reign of his late Majesty Wil-. liam IV, and also during the gi-eatcr part of the reign of George IV. THE KEEPER OF THE PRIVY PURSE. The Keeper of the Privy Purse is, comparatively speaking, a newly-created officer. Before the reign of George III. no such thing as a Privy Purse was known, the first mention made of it being in Mr. Burke's Bill in 1782. It is again mentioned in the act of 39 George III ; but it was not until the time of the Regency, when vested in the hands of Commissioners, that it was recognized as a fixed annual sum, the private property of the Sovereign. It then amounted to 60,000/. per annum, out of which the sum of 16,000/. was then placed at the disposal of the Queen, being 12,000/. for the payment of an established list of charities settled by his Majesty, and the remaining 4,000/. to continue the kingly bene- * Vide Parliamentary Debates. f Nicolas — " Proceedings of the Privy Council/' Preface, p. cxxxiv. THE KEEPER OF THE PRIVY PURSE. 295 factions to those persons who were not on the list, but were known to the Queen to have received charity from his Majesty to that amount. The Privy Purse is limited entirely to the personal expenses of the Sovereign ; no part of it being applied to defray any of the charges of the Household or other official expenses. For instance, as we have seen, the munificent contributions made by the Sove- reign to the various national charities, and to all the objects of the royal benevolence generally, are drawn from this fund ; the only one, indeed, over which the Sovereign exercises any direct control. Some illustration of the nature of this portion of the Civil List will be found in the following authority granted by his late Majesty George IV. to Sir William Knighton, the then Keeper of the Privy Purse : — *' I hereby authorize and direct Sir William Knighton, Bart., Keeper of my Privy Purse, to give notice to our several tradesmen that they are not to receive orders or to furnish any articles of fur- niture, &c. &c. &c. or to incur any expense whatsoever from their different trades, where such expense is to be provided for by my said Privy Purse, without receiving a specific order in writing for that purpose from the said Sir William Knighton, Bart. ; and I do also give my authority to the said Sir William Knighton, Bart., and order and direct him, during our will and pleasure, to under- take the entire management of my private aifairs, Avith a view to the observance of the most strict and rigid economy, that We may have the opportunity of relieving ourselves from certain embarrassments which it is not necessary to mention further in detail. We do, therefore, rely with confidence on the said Sir William Knighton for the strict performance and fulfilment of all our wishes on this head. " George R." " Royal Lodge, October 26th, 1822." * * "Memoirs of Sir William Knighton," by Lady Knighton, vol. i. p. 199. 296 THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. The Office of Lord Steward of the Household is one of great trust, dignity, and antiquity. His authority is very great, and extends over many other officers. The following extract from the " Black Book of the Household,"" of Edward IV. will serve to illustrate the early history of this important charge. " Steward of Household receiveth his charge of the King's high and proper person, and the staff of household, by these words following : ' Seneschall tenez le biiton de notre hostiell ;' by which he is also forthwith Steward of the whole Court of Mar- shalsea, that is, the Court of Household, in which he is Judge of life and limb ; and except those causes, the Treasurer, Controller, Cofferer, two Clerks of the Green Cloth, and the Chief Clerk of the Controlment, for any matters else done within the Household, or appertaining thereto ; they sit with him at the Board of Doom within the Household, that is, at the Green Cloth in the Counting- house, as recorders and witnesses to the truth. The secondary estate and rule under the King, of all his excellent Household, is wholly committed to be ruled and guided by his reason, and his commandments principally to be obeyed and observed for the King. Also within this Household, except in the King's chamber, always in his services to be served and covered out of the King's presence only, what great estate else that be present ; as for his cup, cup-board, and dishes, with double service, but no assay. " Item, he hath the office to call the names of Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, at the Parliament door, the first day of commence- ment, and to amerce such as fail by the certificate ; also he may licence such as would depart, as him thinketh pleasing to the King. Item, he, with the Treasurer and Controller, shall, upon All-hallowen day, whether the King keep hall or chamber, shew the King three names of the able homes, whereof the King shall THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD, 297 name one, to purpose to abide at his Christmas, hereof the officers to have, knowledge. Also, while he is present in Court, there ought no new commandments, nor changes of officers, or any other person be made, without the commandment first of his mouth. Also in all the Household rules and judgments, he representeth the Kinof's estate : his staff is taken as for commission. Also he may, in this Court of Household, admit any custom, not meddled with worship and profit, but change it, and edify anew such as shall seem to his wisdom, by the advice and council taken at the counting-board, for the better, and to the King and his Household of more honour and profit. " And for that he is head Officer, he giveth example to all others to be of good governance, with an ordinate rule to be contented with moderate costages within this Court, in liveries, services, taking dinners, meats, and suppers, in the hall, most especially, or in his chamber, or in any other office, as often as it pleaseth him to search and see the good sad rules, and the directions of officers in them. He hath daily in the hall eating, one chaplain, two esquires, four yeomen ; and to his chamber daily, for his breakfast, and his chamberlain, his meat and supper, and livery for all night ; viii loaves ; iiii messes of great meat ; ii rewards of roast ; ii pitchers of wine ; vi gallons of ale, in pots of silver for his livery ; and from All-hallowcntide till Easter, one torch to attend upon himself, one tortaycs to set his livery, bason, ewer, and towel by ; iii perchers, wax ; vi candles, wax ; VIII peris ; viii tallow ; iiii faggots, litter, and rushes, all the year, of tlie serjeant usher of the hall ; and after winter season, IIII shides ; ii faggots ; and when him liketh to have more largely in any thing, then his Keeper of his Chamber doth set it, and make thereof a record by the tale, or bill, into the counting-house. " Also, the Steward taketh of the counting-house for his fee at Easter and Michaelmas, xx marks ; and for his robes for winter and summer, at the feasts of Christmas and Whitsuntide, XVI marks ; and for his napery at the mi principal feasts of the 298 THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. year, by even portions, in prises of linen cloth, in the great spicery, or in money therefore by a bill in the counting-house, xiii/. xvirf. " Item, he hath one yeoman of his chamber still abiding in the Court, to keep his chamber and stuff; and he purveyeth against his Master or Lord's coming. This yeoman taketh to his cham- ber daily in Court one caste of bread, ii messes of great meat for noon and night, one gallon of ale whiles his master is absent. " The Steward, and Treasurer in his absence, within this court represents unto the estate of an Earl; he hath into this court ten persons. And if this Steward be but a squire, he weareth his robes of the same shape, but it is another fur of colour. This Steward, Treasurer, Controller, of very duty one of them, or all, ought to be at the daily accounts, to hear the complaints of of- fences of the court, and to correct them or appease them, as it accordeth, by due examination ; he ought to have the properties of all these names that be ascribed unto him, in rewarding of officers for their well doings, and in punition for their offences ; and that strictly for more or less by his discretion, that peace may be kept in court ; and with menacings, or threatenings outward, especially among officers." Such was the office in the time of Edward IV ; and it has only received those modifications which the changes that society has undergone since that period have rendered necessary. The Lord Steward, who still has no formal grant of his office, but receives his charge immediately from the Sovereign in person, is always a member of the Privy Council ; and by virtue of his office takes precedency of all Dukes who are not of royal blood ; and, until very lately, at the meeting of every new Parliament, received the oaths appointed by law to be taken by the members of the House of Commons. The Lord Steward has the sole direction of the Royal House- hold below stairs ; his authoritv reaches over all officers and ser- vants, except those of the Cliamber, the Chapel, and the Stable ; but as the estate of the Household is entirely committed to him, to THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 299 be ruled and governed by his discretion, all his commands in court are to be obeyed :* for which purpose also, the Lord Steward of the Household has authority to hold courts for the settlement of certain questions, and for administering justice between the King's Domestic Servants, &c. Of these Courts it is proper that some notice should be taken in this place. And first the Court of the Lord Steward, Treasurer, and Con- troller of the Royal Household w^as instituted by Statute 3. Hen. VII. c. 14. to inquire of Felony by any of the King's sworn Servants, in the Cheque Roll of the Household, under the degree of a Lord, in confederating, compassing, conspiring, and imagining the death or destruction of the King, or any lord or other of his Majesty's Privy Council, or the Lord Steward, Treasurer, or Comptroller of the King's House, the inquiry and trial thereupon, must be by a jury according to the course of com- mon law, consisting of twelve sad men (that is sober and discreet persons of the King's Household.) i* The Court of the Lord Steward of the Royal Household, or (in his absence) of the Treasurer, Comptroller, and Steward of the Marshalsea, was erected by Statute 33 Henry VIII. c. 12,1 with a * The Lord Steward is a White Staff Officer, for he carries in the Queen's presence a White Staff; but at other times going abroad, it is carried by a footman, bare-headed. At the death of the King or Queen he breaks his Staff over the Royal Corpse, and thereby discharges all the officers. " Laws of Honour," p. 333. + Blackstone, " Commentaries," Bk. iv. c. 1 9. X The Statute in question, after re-enacting that the loss of the right hand shall be the punishment for striking within the verge of the King's Court, proceeds to describe very minutely the foim and solemnity of the process : — " And for the further declaracion of the solemne and due circumstance of thexecucion apperteyninge and of longe tyme used, and accustomed, to and for suche malicious strikings, by reason whereof bloude ys, hathe bene, 300 THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. jurisdiction to inquire of, hear, and determine all treasons, mispri- sions of treasons, murders, manslaugliters, bloodshed, and other ma- or hereafter shalbe, shed^ againste the Kings peace ; it is therefore enacted by thauctaritie aforesaide, that the Serjeant, or chief Surgeon, for the tyme beinge, or his Deputye, of the Kings Housholde, his heires and successors, shalbe redye at the place and tyme of execucion as shalbe be appoynted as ys aforesaide to seare the stumpe when the hande is striken off. " And the Serjeant of the Pantrie for the tyme beinge of the saide housholde, or his deputye, shalbe also then and there redye to geve bread to the partie that shall have his hande so [strikinge] of. " And the Serjeant of the Seller for the tyme beinge of the same hous- holde, or his deputye, shall also be then and there redye withe a pott of redde Wyne to give the same partie drincke after his hande ys soe striken off" and the stumpe seared. " And the Serjeant of the Ewrie of the tyme beinge of the same hous- holde, or his deputye, shall also be [than] and there ready withe clothes sufficient for the Surgeon to occupye about the same execucion. " And the Yeoman of the Chaundrie for the tyme beinge of the same housholde, or his deputye, shall also be then and there and have in redynes seared clothes sufficient for the Surgeon to occupie aboute the same ex- ecucion. " And the Maister Coke for the tyme beinge of the same housholde, or his deputye, shall also be then and there redye and bringe withe him a dressinge knyffe, and shall delyver the same knyffe at the place of execu- cion to the Serjeant of the Larder for the tyme beinge of the same hous- holde, or to his deputye, who shalbe also then and there redye and holde uprighte the saide dressinge knyffe till execucion be done. " And the Serjeant of the Pultrie for the tyme beinge of the same hous- holde, or his deputye, shalbe also then and there redye with a cocke in his hand redye for the Surgeon to wrappe about the same stumpe when the hand shall be striken off. " And the Yeoman of the Scullarie for the tyme beinge of the same housholde, or his deputye, to be also then and there redye and prepare and make at the place of execucion a fyre of coles, and there to make redye THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 30l licious strikings, wlicrcby blood shall be slice! in any of the palaces and houses of the King, or in any other house where the royal searinge yrons againste the salde Surgeon or his deputye shall occupie the same. " And the Serjeaunt or chief Ferrour for the tyme beinge of the same housholde, or his deputye, shalbe also then and there redye and bringe withe him the searinge yrons and dely ver the same to the same Serjeant or chief Surgeon or to his deputye when they be hott. " And the Grome of the Salcerie for the tyme beinge of the same hous- holde, or his deputye, shall be also then and there redye withe vyneger and colde water, and give attendaunce upon the saide Surgeon or his de- putye untill the same execucion be done. " And the Serjeant of the Woodyarde for the tyme beinge of the same housholde, or his deputye, shall bringe to the saide place of execucion a blocke with a betill, a staple, and cordes to bynde the saide hande upon the blocke while execucion ys in doinge." — Authentic Edition of the Stat. Ill, 847. Moser, in his " Deutsche HofrechtJ' Band. II. s. 328, says, that the severest corporal punishments applied to the breaking the peace of the verge of the palace, the penalty for which in the Court Ordinances is the loss of the right hand ; and though he is not aware of any recent instance of this punishment being inflicted, he tells us that in the Ordinances of the Court of Wirtemburgh issued so lately as the year 171 1, it was clearly decreed that whosoever should resist or strike certain officers should have his hand hacked off. On the 10th June 1541, Trinity Term, 33 Henry VIII, Sir Edmund Knevet was arraigned before the King's Justices sitting in the Great Hall at Greenwich, for striking of one Master Clerc, of Norfolk, servant of the Earl of Surrey, within the King's House in the Tennis Court. Sir Edmund being found guilty, had judgment to lose his right hand. Whereupon every man being in his office ready to do execution, there was called forth Sir W. Pickering, Marshal, to bring in the said Sir Edmund; and when he was brought to the bar, the Chief Justice declared to him his offence, and the said Knevet confessing himself to be 302 THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. person shall abide. The proceedings are also by jury, both a grand and petit one, as at common law, taken out of the officers and sworn servants of the King's Household. The Court of the Marshalsea and the Palace Court at Westmin- ster, though two distinct Courts, are frequently confounded together. The former was originally liolden before the Steward and Marshal of the King's House, and was instituted to administer justice be- tween the King's domestic servants, that they might not be drawn into other courts, and thereby the King lose their service. It was formerly held in, though not a part of, the Aula Regis ; and when that was subdivided, remained a distinct jurisdiction ; hold- ing plea of all trespasses committed within the verge of the court, where only one of the parties is in the King's domestic service, (in which case the inquest shall be taken by a jury of the country,) and of all debts, contracts, and covenants, where both of the contract- ing parties belong to the Royal Household ; and then the inquest shall be composed of men of the Household only. By the Statute of 13 Richard II. st. 1. c. 3 (in affirmance of the Common Law) the verge of the Court in this respect extends for twelve miles round the King's place of residence.* And as this tribunal was guilty, humbly submitted himself to the King's mercy ; then Sir Edmund desired that the King of his benign favour would pardon him of his right hand and take the left ; " for," quoth he, " if my right hand be spared I may hereafter do such good service to his Grace as shall please him to appoint ;" of this submission and request the Justices informing the King ; he, of his great goodness, granted him a free pardon. — Hargrave's " State Trials," V. xi. 16. * Blackstone, " Commentaries," Book iii. c. 6, s. iv. By the ancient Saxon Constitution, the Pax Regia, or privilege of the King's Palace, ex- tended from his palace gate to the distance of three miles, three furlongs, three acres, nine feet, nine palms, and nine barleycorns, as appears from a fragment of the Textus Roffensis cited in Dr. Hickes' Dissertat. Epis- tol. 114. THE LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 303 never subject to the jurisdiction of the Chief Justiciary, no writ of error lay from it (though a Court of Record) to the King''s l^cnch, but only to Parliament, till the Statutes 5 Edward III. c. 2, and 10 Edward III. statute 2, c. 3, which allowed such Avrit of error before the King in his palace. But this Court being ambulatory, and obliged to follow the King in all his progresses, so that by the removal of the House- hold actions were frequently discontinued, and doubts having arisen as to the extent of its jurisdiction, King Charles I. in the sixth year of his reign, by his letters patent, erected a new Court of Record, called the Curia Palatii, or Palace Court, to be held before the Steward of the Household and Knight Marshall, and the Steward of the Court, or his deputy, with jurisdiction to hold plea of all manner of personal actions whatsoever which shall arise between any parties within twelve miles of his Majesty's Palace at Whitehall. The legality of these letters patent having been questioned, and some judgments on them having been reversed, another Court, with the same title and powers, was erected by letters patent dated the 4th October, 16 Charles II.* The Courts of Marshalsea and of Her Majesty"'s Palace at West- minster, are now held in Great Scotland Yard every Friday for the expeditious recovery of debts to any amount, but not under forty shillings. The jurisdiction of these Courts does not extend beyond twelve miles from Whitehall, nor into the City of London. An action above twenty pounds may be removed to a superior court, but damages under twenty pounds cannot be removed. * See, for further information on this subject, " An Essay towards an History of the Ancient Jurisdiction of the Marshalsea of the King's House ; to which is subjoined an account of the Court of the Palace of the King at Westminster, created by Letters Patent of King Charles II," 8vo. Lon- don, 1812. 304 THE TREASURER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. The Treasurer of the Household is the officer next in rank to the Lord Steward in that department, and one of the three Staff Officers below stairs. He has power in the Lord Steward's ab- sence, with the Comptroller and other officers of the Green Cloth, to hear and determine offences committed within the verge. He also bears a white staff, and is always a Privy Councillor. The following extract from the " Black Book of the Household" of Ed- ward IV. shows us the nature of his office in the olden time, " Treasurer of Household, which taketh his charge before the King's highnesse, or his council of lords, as his oath, hereafter written, doth declare. He is the second estate next the Steward in this honourable court, and in the Steward's absence, both in the hall, in his own chamber, as in other offices, the King's chamber only excepted, he hath been used to be covered, cupboard, cup, and other, with double services, though the old saying be, that none of them both should be covered out of the King's hall, for there they represent the great state openly ; unto Avhom also all officers of court shall be obedient and serviceable as for the King's part, and the honour of this royal court. He doth both corrections in this court, and give pardons with the Steward. Also the great charge of policy and husbandry of all this houshold, groweth and standeth most part by his sad and diligent purveyance and conduct. " Also he is a giver of example to all others, to be of good go- vernance under a rule, contented with moderate costages in this court, of his livery and service, taking daily meats and suppers in the King's hall, or in any office else, when it plcaseth him to see the rules and demeanings of profit or no profit, in offices so named, or supposed not worshipful. Also he hath daily, while he is pre- sent in court, one chaplain, two esquires, two yeomen, eating in the hall ; and for his chamber, breakfast, noon, supper, and livery for all night, vii loaves, mi messes of great meat, ii rewards of THE TREASURER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 305 roast, II pitchers wine, vi gallons ale ; and from All-liallowtide till Easter a torch waiting for himself; a tortays to set his li- very by ; two perchers, wax ; iiii candles, wax ; vi candles, peris ; VI tallow ; nil faggots ; litter, and rushes, all the year of the ser- geant-usher of the hall. And after winter livery, in talwood, ii faggots ; and when it pleaseth him to have more in any thing, then his Chamberlain to record all that he hath by a tale or bill in the counting house daily when it requireth. *' This Treasurer taketh no fee in houshold, but for his robes winter and summer at the feasts of Christmas and Whitsuntide, XVI marks ; and for his napery at the iiii feasts of the year, by even portions in linen cloth out of the Spicery, or else by a bill from thence into this counting house, by even portions, xiii/. xvirf ; and for every day that he is out of court for the King''s matters touching this household, xxs. He hath always continuing in court one yeoman to keep his chamber and to purvey for his livery, for his horses in the country, taking livery daily, ii loaves, ii messes of great meat, one gallon of ale. " It belongeth to the Treasurer, with the Steward and Con- troller to remember the King's Highness of his disposition and purposes, how his rememberings and most abidings shall be both for his proper person, and for his household from time to time, by the which he may lodge readily the King's wines ; and to make provision for wood, coal, hay, oats, for that season ; and if policy will it, both for wheat, ale, beef, mutton, and such other as the country may bear. " To declare what the Treasurer ought to do, every office and officer in this court sheweth to him his part. These great officers have sometimes used to keep chariots at their own costs, founden at their livery, with their other horses in the country. After the noble Edward III. he is called ' Custos Magnee Garderohce hos- picii domini Regis.'' This Treasurer, in absence of the Steward, is served with double service ; he hath into this court viii persons ; also the Treasurer, Comptroller, Cofferer, and in their absence the Clerks of the Green Cloth, and the Chief Clerk Comptroller shall X 306 THE COMPTROLLER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. punish offences unto the stocks, by their discretion for their offences, after as they find the matter worthy such corrections or less." The form of the oath then administered is next given, but it is so long and so quaint that we will not bestow all its tediousness upon our readers. The account then proceeds to say that, after he has been sworn, " The Treasurer forthwith taketh his staff of the King, and in the next morning early after, in every office of household the remnants must be taken ; and in all the countries where the King hath any stuff lodging, to be hastily viewed for the old Trea- surer his discharge, and to the new Treasurer his charge ; and if he be a Batchelor Knight, he weareth his robes and hoods at iiii feasts of the year in the King's presence, like of form as doth a great Baron of England, and the King''s Carvers. And if he be a squire, he hath his robes of another fonn after the same shape." At the Coronation it is the privilege of the Treasurer of the House- hold to distribute the medals struck in commemoration of the event. This ceremony takes place during the performance of the homage, when he proceeds, accompanied by Garter King at Arms and the Usher of the Black Rod, and throws among the people from the north, west, and south sides of the theatre, the medals of gold and silver struck for the occasion. The salary of the Treasurer of the Household is 904/. per annum. THE COMPTROLLER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. The Comptroller of the Household is the second officer under the Lord High Steward, and next to the Treasurer. He also bears a white staff, and is by virtue of his office a member of the Privy Council. He checks and examines all the accounts of the Board of Green Cloth for the expenses of the Household, and in the absence of THE COMPTROLLER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 307 the Lord Steward is associated with the Treasurer of the House- hold in the trial of offences within the verge. The following is an account of the nature of this office, as it existed in the reign of Edward IV : " Comptroller of this Household Royal taketh his charge in the King's presence as it appeareth in his oath ; he is third in estate of this house after the Steward, but at no time nor place within this court covered in service, and but single served : by whose supervision and witness, the Treasurer of Household is discharged from many particular accounts of things dispended in Household, which, by his record, is comprised and allowed within the Trea- surer's account in gross, that else should be expressed in every small particularity, as of every pewter dish, cup of tree, pots of leather, or earth, as of other many small and infinite spices and other things ; and so passeth, by his controlment, as well as of vic- tual, or any other, gold or silver ; in whom also next after the Steward and Treasurer, the power of Household resteth ; to whom also the officers and ministers of this court owe obedience for the King ; he giveth ensample to all other of lower estate and degrees, to be content with moderate costs of livery and services in this household, sitting daily at meats and suppers in the hall, after the sight that he taketh first of the service of the whole court, or else when he sitteth in other place or office within the court to see the good governance thereof, and the diligence of officers and their conveyances in worship and profit to the King ; and whilst he is present in court, he hath eating in the hall, one gentleman, one yeoman ; and for his chamber for breakfast, and livery for noon and supper-time, and for all night v loaves ; ii messes of great meat, i reward of roast ; i pitcher wine, iv gallons ale ; and from All-hallowen-tide till Easter, i torch for himself; i tortays to set his livery by ; i percher, wax ; iiii candles, wax ; iiii candles, peris ; v tallwoods ; ii faggots ; litter, and rushes, all the year of the Seijeant of the Hall ; and for summer livery, ii tallwood, and II faggots ; and when he would have more larger in any X 2 308 THE COMPTROLLER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. thing to his chamber, then his Chamberlain to record it, by bill or tale into the counting-house ; and whiles himself is present in court he taketh daily by the cheque roll, fifteen pence ; the statutes of the noble Edward III, say till he be preferred by the Kino- to as much livelihood in other places, for term of his life. " Also for his robes, winter and summer, for the feasts of Christ- mas and Whitsuntide, by the wardrobe of household, which is the counting-house, eight marks ; and for his napery at the four feasts yearly, by equal portions in linen cloth of the great Spicery four ells, by bill directed to the counting-house, as for so much stuff bought of him, xiii/. and xvid ; and for his wages out of court, daily, when he is in business for the Household matters, xiii.s. and iind. Also he hath one yeoman to keep his chamber, and to make pur- veyance for his horses at his livery in the country, which yeoman taketh daily in the court ii loaves, i mess of great meat, and I gallon of ale.* The first Comptroller of the Household whose name has been handed down to us, is Sir Richard Edgecumbe, who held this ap- pointment in the reign of Henry VII. According to Beatson,f his successors in the folloAving reign were Sir Edward Poynings, afterwards Lord Poynings, Sir John Rus- sell, afterwards Earl of Bedford, and Sir John Gage ; but it is evident from the Ordinances made at Eltham, in 1526, by Henry VIII, for the government of his Household, that at that time the celebrated Sir Henry Guilfordj held the office of Comptroller, he * " Liber Niger Domus Regis Edw. IV," published by the Society of Antiquaries; 4to, London, 1790. t " Political Index," vol. i. p. 438. J This nobleman was one of the greatest ornaments of Henry's Court. In the early part of his life he had served with reputation in the wars with the Moors, in Spain, under Ferdinand and Isabella, while his learn- ing and personal qualities recommended him to the esteem of Erasmus, whose con-espondent he became. Granger tells us that Henry, in the seventh year of his reign, made him Master of the Horse for life. THE MASTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 309 being expressly named as such by Henry in that document. Be- sides which there exists a print of him by Hollar, from a painting by Holbein, in Avhich he is represented with his " white staff." THE MASTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD. The Master of the Household is a principal officer, who, since the abolition of the Cofferer* of the Household, ranks next to the Comptroller. His office is to survey the accounts of the House, and he has a special charge and oversight over the household, with regard to their behaviour, and the manner in which they perform the duties of their respective situations. This office would seem to be of somewhat more recent date than the majority of those of the Royal Household. There is no mention of it either in the Black Book of Household of Edward IV, or in the Eltham Ordinances of Henry VIII. In the latter, the Grand Master of the Householdf is frequently spoken of, but it is very evident that under that title the Steward of the Household is alluded to, and not the officer of whom we are now treating. Beatson, in his Political Index, records Sir Roger Palmer, K.P. as Master of the Household to James I. * The Office of Cofferer was one of those abolished in 1782, by Burke's celebrated Bill. Besides having the government and direction of the servants, he paid the wages of all, both above and below stairs ; paid for provisions by the direction and allowance of the Board of Green Cloth ; sate in judgment with the Lord Steward ; and had the superintendence of the distribution of the venison from the Royal Parks. t The same observation applies to the " Account of Queen Eliza- beth's Annual Expenses," in which, also, the Steward of the Household is styled " The Lord Great Master." 310 THE LORD HIGH ALMONER The Lord Hio-li Almoner, we are told by an aiitliority so recent as the reign of Queen Anne,* disposes of the King's or Queen's alms, and for that use receives what money is allowed by them, — all deodands, and honafelonium de se, to be that way applied. He likewise has tlie privilege to give the first dish from the royal table to what poor men he pleases, or, instead thereof, four-pence per diem. He next distributes to four-and-twenty poor men, nomi- nated by the parishioners of the nearest parish adjacent to the Court, wherever it happens to reside, to each of them four-pence in money, a twopenny loaf, and a gallon of beer, or instead thereof three-pence in money ; and this to be equally divided every morn- ing by seven o'clock, at the Court gate, where every man, before he receives the alms, is to repeat the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, in the presence of one of the Chaplains, deputed by the Lord Al- moner to be his Sub-Almoncr, who is likewise to dispense new- coined two-pcnces in the towns and places where the Sovereign passes through in progress, and this to a certain sum by the year. Besides these there are many poor pensioners to the King and Queen beloAv stairs, consisting of such as have been superannuated in the service, or else the widows of such of the Household servants as died poor, and were not able to provide for their wives and children, which have a competency duly paid them by the Lord Almoner, who has under him, besides the Sub-Almoner, a Yeoman and two Grooms. Though the duties performed by the Lord High Almoner, in the present day, differ very materially from those here recorded, the customs connected with the distribution of the royal alms and bounty, on Maundy Thursday,-]- retain such evident marks of their * " Laws of Honour," pp. 429 and SO. t " Maundy Thursday," says Nares in his " Glossary," " the day pre- ceding Good Friday, on which the King distributes alms to a certain THE LORD HIGH ALMONER. 311 remote origin, as to call for some account of the earliest instances of their being so bestowed, and of the gradual modifications which this division of our courtly ceremonials has undergone. One of the earliest instances on record, and which is the more curious, as it shows that the practice of regulating the amount of the dole given on Maundy Thursday by the age of the Monarch was then in existence, is preserved in the " Rotulus Misce or Roll of the Wardrobe Expenses of the 14th year of King John," in which there appears an item of fourteen shillings and one penny, *' for alms to thirteen poor persons, every one of whom received thirteen-pence at Rochester, on Thursday, in Coena Domini, (Holy Thursday,)" John having then reigned thirteen complete years. * number of poor persons at Whitehall^ is so named from the maunds (or baskets) in which the gifts are contained." Shakspeare uses the word maund also in the sense of basket :— " A thousand favours from her maund she drew." * The most remarkable entries in this curious document, (which is in- cluded in a Collection of Miscellaneous Records printed^ but not published, by the Record Commission,) having reference to religious observances, relate to John's mode of compensating his perpetual breaches of the rules pre- scribed by the Church for the observance of fast days. Whenever the King ate twice on a Friday, one hundred poor persons were to be fed with bread, meat and ale. If he profaned the day by any other breach of eccle- siastical discipline, one hundred more were to be added to the number ; and if he offended by seducing any of his Ministers to eat meat on a Wednes- day, the number of persons to be fed bore a proportion to the dignity of the seduced person. The Wednesday sin of the Justiciary was sometimes compensated only upon the same terms as the Friday sin of the Monarch, while twenty paupers were at all times a sufficient amends for Thomas Basset. Other " feedings" seem also to have taken place, in performance of vows. For instance — "28^/i December 1212, at Eiswell. — In alms to 350 poor persons whom the King fed, because he went to catch cranes and caught seven, for each of whom he fed 50 poor persons, every one of whom had a penny." 312 THE LORD HIGH ALMONER. In the wardrobe expenses of Edward I. we find money given on Easter Eve to thirteen poor people Avhose feet the Queen had washed ; which latter custom is said to have been performed by the Sovereign himself so late as the reign of James 11. But in 1731 we find the Archbishop of York, as Lord High Almoner, executing this part of the ceremonial. Elizabeth, as will be seen from the subjoined note,* followed the * " Order of the Maunday made at Greenwich, 19th March 1579, 14 Elizabeth," from No. 6183 Add. MSS. in the British Museum. " First, — The hall was prepared with a long table on each side, and forms set by them ; on the edges of which tables, and under those forms were lay'd carpets and cushions, for her Majestie to kneel when she should wash them. There was also another table set across the upper end of the hall, somewhat above the foot pace for the chappelan to stand at. A little beneath the midst whereof, and beneath the said foot pace, a stoole and cushion of estate was pitched for her Majestie to kneel at during the ser- vice time. This done, the holy water, basons, alms, and other things, being brought into the hall, and the chappelan and poore folkes having taken the said places, the laundresse, armed with a fair towell, and taking a silver bason filled with warm water and sweet flowers, washed their feet all after one another, and wiped the same with his towell, and soe making a cross a little above the toes kissed them. After hym within a little while followed the Sub Almoner, doing likewise, and after hym the Almoner hymself also ; then lastly, her Majestie came into the hall, and after some singing and prayers made, and the gospel of Christ's washing of his disciples' feet read, 39 ladyes and gentlewomen (for so many were the poore folkes, according to the number of the yeares complete of her Majestie's age) addressed themselves with aprons and towels to waite upon her Majestie, and she kneeling down upon the cushions and carpets, under the feet of the poore women, first washed one foote of every one of them in soe many several basons of warm water, and sweete flowers brought to her severally by the said ladies and gentlewomen, then wiped, crossed, and kissed them, as the Almoner and others had done before. When her Majestie had thus gone through the whole number of thirty- nine (of which twenty sat on the one side of the hall and nineteen on the THE LORD HIGH ALMONER. 313 practice of lier predecessors ; and in the reign of Charles II. as we are told in a letter, preserved in the " Rawdon Letters," p. 175, *' On Thursday last his Majesty washed poor men's feet in the Banquetting House, an act of humility used by his predecessors on Maundy Thursday to as many poor men as they had lived years. To each poor man he gave two yards of cloth for a coat, three ells of linen for a shirt, shoes, stockings, two purses, the one Avith thirty-three pence, the other with twenty pence, one jole of ling, one jole of salmon, a quantity of red and white herrings, one barrel with beer, and another with wine, with which they drank his other,) she resorted to the first again, and gave to each one certain yardes of broad clothe to make a gowne, so passing to them all. Thirdly, she began at the first, and gave to each of them a pair of shoes. Fourthly, to each of them a wooden platter, wherein was half a side of salmon, as much ling, six red herrings and cheat lofes of bread (manchet or cheat bread). Fifthly, she began with the first again, and gave to each of them a white wooden dish with claret wine. Sixthly, she received of each waitincr lady and gentlewoman theire to well and apron, and gave to each poor woman one of the same ; and after this the ladies and gentlewomen waited noe longer, nor served as they had done throwe out the courses before. But then the Treasurer of the chamber, Mr. Hennage, came to her Majestie with thirty-nine small white purses, wherein were also thirty- nine pence (as they saye) after the number of yeares to her Majesties saide age, and of him she received and distributed them severally. Which done, she received of him soe many leather purses alsoe, each containing 20*^. for the redemption of her Majestie's gown, which (as men saye) by ancient order she ought to give some of them at her pleasure ; but she, to avoide the trouble of suite, which accustomablie was made for that pre- feiTOent, had changed that reward into money, to be equally divided amongst them all, namely, ^Osh. a piece, and she alsoe delivered particu- larly to the whole companye. And so taking her ease, upon the cushion of estate, and hearing the quire a little while, her Majestie withdrewe herself, and the companye departed : for it was by that time the sun was setting." 314 THE LORD HIGH ALMONER. Majesty*'& health. The Queen did pay the same observance to several women about one of the clock at St. James." After these illustrations of the ceremonies formerly observed in the distribution of the royal alms on Maundy Thursday, it becomes interesting to witness those which obtain at the present time. It is on this principle that the following notice is here inserted. " The Queen's Royal alms were distributed on Thursday, 12th April 1838, at Whitehall Chapel. According to ancient usage, the number of men and Avomen who partook of the Royal Maundy was upon this occasion reduced to the age of the Sovereign. The poor and aged persons exceeding that number, who wxre upon the Royal Maundy lists of his late Majesty William IV, have been placed on supernumerary lists, to fall into vacancies as they occur, and will continue to receive the Royal charity during their lives. The ages of the recipients vary from sixty to one hundred years. Elizabeth Love, a Maundy woman, aged one hundred and ten, died on Sa- turday last. Upon this occasion (the first of the Royal charity in the new reign), the distributions took place with the usual forms, which, in consequence of the repairs of Whitehall Chapel, have not been observed since the year 1829. At three oVlock the pro- cession, consisting of the Yeomen of her Majesty's Body Guard, under the command of Mr. Ellerthorpe, Clerk of the Cheque, the children of the Chapel Royal, the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, the Priests of the Chapel Royal, the Sub-almoner (the Dean of Carlisle), the Sub-dean (the Rev. Dr. Sleath), the Secretary and Yeoman of the Almonry (J. Hanby, Esq.), the Groom of the Almonry (Mr. J. Jones), four children from the National School at Westminster, two children from the National School of St. George's, Hanover Square, then entered the Chapel, and took their respective stations. The Yeoman who carried the gold dish, which contained the alms, deposited it upon a table prepared for that purpose. " Divine Service then commenced, and after the first anthem ' Blessed is he who considereth the poor and needy ,"" the Sub- almoner and Officers of the Almonry distributed to each woman THE HEREDITARY GRAND ALMONER. 315 1/. 15s.; and to each man, shoes and stockings ; after the second anthem, ' Hide not thou thy face from me,' &c., the Sub-ahnoner distributed to each man woollen and linen cloth ; after the third anthem, ' O Lord, grant the Queen a long life,' the Sub-almoner, &c. distributed to both men and women purses of money ; each white purse contained nineteen silver pennies, being the age of her Majesty, and each red purse, 2Z. lO*. The Maundy men and women received upon this occasion, for the first time, 1/. 10s. each, as a commuta- tion in lieu of all provisions with which they had heretofore been supplied. This arrangement was sanctioned by his late Majesty William IV. and confirmed by the Queen." Such is the present ceremony on Maundy Thursday ; how long it may continue seems to be a question involved in some doubt ; at least, if the following observations in the " Report on the Civil List," presented to the House of Commons in December 1837, have reference to our present subject. " Considering that the sum distributed annually as alms and charity is applied in a manner suited rather to ancient than modern times, and is attended with some expense, it may not be inexpe- dient to consider whether the purposes of the Royal benevolence might not be more fully attained if some other and better mode of distribution were adopted." It is right to add that, in addition to this distribution on Maundy Thursday, the Queen's bounty is distributed twice annually, to a number of poor persons at the office of the Lord High Almoner, in Scotland Yard. THE HEREDITARY GRAND ALMONER. The Hereditary Grand Almoner of England attends at a Coro- nation, to be the distributor in alms of certain money collected in a silver dish, and of all the blue cloth upon which the Sovereign walks from the throne in Westminster Hall to the door of the Abbey 316 THE KNIGHT MARSHAL. church. He claims as the fee of his Office the said silver dish, with a linen towel or napkin which covers it, and a tun of good wine ; but the former of these only are allowed. The Office of Grand Almoner belongs to the Barony of Bed- ford, which before the reign of Richard 11. was possessed by the noble family of Beauchamp. At the Coronation of Henry IV. it was claimed by John, Lord Latimer and Thomas de Mowbray, in virtue of lands formerly belonging to Beauchamp, Lord Bed- ford : by the former, as one of the co-heirs, by the marriage of his ancestor with Maud de Beauchamp ; and by the latter, as inhe- riting a part of the Barony which had passed in marriage with Maud, daughter of Beatrix de Beauchamp, to the family of Botetort. At the Coronation of James IL the Earl of Exeter, descended from the Latimers by the marriage of his ancestor, Thomas, Earl of Exeter, with one of the co-heiresses of John Neville, the last Lord Latimer ; Sir George Blundell descended from Ela de Beauchamp, (daughter of William de Beauchamp, who died in the reign of Edward L) through the Pigots and Gas- coignes ; and Thomas Snagg, Esq. who, it is presumed, possessed some lands, parcel of the Barony by purchase, — claimed the office of Almoner, which was adjudged, for that time, to the Earl of Exeter. THE KNIGHT MARSHAL. The office of Marshal of the Household, or as it is more gene- rally called " Knight Marshal," though now that of a Deputy to the Lord Steward, has been supposed to have been originally that of a Deputy of the Earl Marshal ; and the nature of his duties, which may be pronounced to superintend the police of the Palace, justifies this supposition ; which is more fully confirmed by a ma- nuscript in the British Museum, which treats of the Order of the Office of the Earl Marshal of England, where it is expressly declared THE KNIGHT MARSHAL. 317 "that the Marshall shall have a Knight under him, bearing a white rod, and shall be sworn to keep the King's Counsel," and further, that " the Knight shall dine and sup in the King's Hall."* In the Ordinances made at Eltham by Henry the Henry VIII, in the 17th year of his reign, we find the following directions for THE ATTENDANCE OF THE KNIGHT MARSHAL. " Furthermore it is provided and ordained by the King"'s High- ness, that the Knight Marshal, his ofl&cers and deputies, shall give their due attendance in the Court, for execution of all such things as shall concern the office of the Marshalsea, within the precinct of the verge. And among others, the same Knight Marshal shall have special respect to the exclusion of boys and vile persons, and punishment of vagabonds and mighty beggars, not permitting any of them to remain in, about, or near unto the Court ; for little shall it prevail to purge the Court of unable or unmeet persons, or servants, if vagabonds, and such others as shall be expelled and lack masters, may remain in or about the same ; and semblably he shall take good regard that all such unthrifty and common women, as follow the Court, may be likewise, from time to time, openly punished, banished, and excluded, and none of them to be suf- fered near thereunto ; seeing all the premises and other things concerning his office to be put in effectual execution, as he will answer unto the King's Highness at his peril, and that the Lord Steward, or his under Steward, do keep the Court according to the order of the law, and the ancient customs of the Kings's House."-f- The Knight Marshal is now principally employed in the Queen's Court of Marshalsea. * Harleian MS. No. G0G4, fo. 121. f " Ordinances for the Government of the Royal Household/' London, 1790, fo. 152. 318 THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. The eight Marshal-men, who are under him, are properly the Queen's BailifFs. They arrest in the verge of the Court, when a warrant is backed by the Board of Green Cloth, and with the Knight Marshal, have place in all public Cavalcades. THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. It is not generally known that the King's Chamberlain, or as he is now called the Lord Chamberlain of the Household, in addition to his present duties, originally performed others of a very dif- ferent and much more important character. Although the office is no longer one involving political respon- sibility upon the possessor, he was for some centuries an influential member of the Government. To him was confided the respon- sible duty of indorsing upon all Petitions presented to the King his Majesty's answers ; and the following facts will show the con- sideration in which the King's Chamberlain was held, and the im- portance which was attached to that part of his functions. The King's Chamberlain* was usually, though not always, a Peer of the Realm ; and he was frequently the organ through which the Royal pleasure was communicated to Parliament and to the Council. He was often appointed to assist the Triers of Parliamentary Petitions, and to aid the execution of Ordinances made by the King and Council. * Among the earliest notices of the Chamberlain is a record that in the 9 John, 1208, the King had received, by the hands of Simon the Chamberlain, at Waverley, a book called " Pliny," which had been in the custody of the Abbot and Convent of Readmg, " Rot. Claus." vol. i. p. 108. THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 319 In tlie 15 Edward III. 1841, the Cliamberlain of the King's Househokl, with the other Officers of State, was ordered to be sworn on his appointment, to keep and maintain the Laws of the land, and the articles of the Great Charter, as well as the other Statutes. Towards the close of that reign Lord Latimer was im- peached for extortions and other crimes committed by him in Brit- tany, whilst he was Chamberlain, and a Member of the Privy Council. It was provided in the first year of Richard II, that during the King's minority his Chief Chamberlain, and other great officers, should be chosen by the Lords in Parliament, to which the Crown assented, saving always the estate and inheritance of the Earl of Oxford, whose ancestor had been created Great Chamberlain. Three years after, the Commons prayed that the five principal Officers, namely, the Chancellor, Treasurer, Keeper of the Privy Seal, Chief Chamberlain,* and Steward of the King's Household, might be chosen in that Parliament from the ablest persons in the Realm, and be continued in office until the next Parliament. In the 11th of Richard II, Sir Simon de Burley, who had been the King's Chamberlain, was impeached for having admitted great numbers of aliens into the Royal Household, and for having made divers grants to them ; and the next entry on the Rolls of Par- liament on the subject in the 13 Rich. II. 1389, shows that it was then, and had probably long before been, the custom for the King's Chamberlain to indorse Petitions ; and that the office of " Sub" or " Under" Chamberlain, or, as it was afterwards call- ed " Vice Chamberlain," then existed. In accordance with the request of the Commons in that year, that penalties should be ♦ Sir Harris Nicolas, from whose Preface to the sixth volume of " The Proceedings of the Privy Council," this account of the Chamberlain is de- rived, says : " The title ' Chief Chamberlain' seems to have been used as a distinc- tion from ' Under Chamberlain,' rather than as indicating the Office of Great Chamberlain of England." S20 THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. inflicted upon those Peers and other personages who might solicit pardons for certain offences, the King, after saving his rights and prerogatives, consented, that if any one petitioned him for a Char- ter of Pardon, for the offences specified, and if the Chamberlain indorsed such Bill, or caused it to be indorsed, he should put the name of him who prayed for such Charter upon the said Bill, under a penalty of 1000 marks ; that if the Under Chamberlain indorsed such Bill, he should do the same, under the penalty of 500 marks ; that none but the Chamberlain, or Under Chamber- lain, should indorse such Bills, or cause them to be indorsed, under the penalty of 1000 marks ; that such Bill should be sent and directed to the Keeper of the Privy Seal ; that no Warrant of Privy Seal should be issued to make such a Charter, unless the Keeper of the Privy Seal received a Bill for that purpose, in- dorsed or signed by the Chamberlain, or Under Chamberlain, as is above said ; that no Charter of Pardon of treason, or other felony, should pass the Chancery, without a Warrant of Privy Seal, except in cases where the Chancellor might grant them by his office witho\it consulting the King ; and that the penalties proposed by the Commons should be inflicted upon all persons, of whatever rank, who might obtain pardons for the offences in question. On the accession of Henry IV, when more attention was paid to legal forms, the Commons requested that the King"'s Chamberlain and Under Chamberlain should be sworn not to take any brocage, or gift, upon pain of forfeiture of their property, and imprisonment ; and it was soon after ordered, that persons who had presented petitions to the King, and had not been able to obtain answers to them, should apply to the Chamberlain and Council. In May 1406, the King's Chamberlain was appointed a member of the Council, by authority of Parliament ; and it was at the same time ordered, that thenceforward Bills to be indorsed by the Cham- berlains, and Letters addressed under the King''s Signet and man- dates to the Chancellor, Treasurer, and Keeper of the Privy Seal, and to all other officers, should be indorsed or made by the advice THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. .121 of the Council. The Commons further prayed that officers under the Chamberlain might not act by deputy ; that he should execute liis duties faithfully, without taking anything for so doing ; and that he should be sworn in Parliament to observe the common and statute law and ordinances, as well relating to the King's Household as for the good government of the realm. That the office of Under Chamberlain was of high rank in the reign of Henry IV, may be inferred from the circumstance of its being held by Sir Thomas Erpingham, a person of distinguished reputation, a Privy Councillor, and a Knight of the Garter ; who, when he impeached the Bishop of Norwich in Parliament, stood between the Duke of York and the Earl of Warwick, and was then described by the King as " sone bon loial liege, et quil est sage et vaillant chivaler." In the various ordinances for the regulation of the Council, the King*'s Chamberlain is always described as a member ex-officio ; and numerous instances 6ccur of his having signed or indorsed petitions in conformity with the regulations referred to. By the Statute of Westminster, in the 13 Edward I, 1285, the preamble to which is as follows : — " Concerning the King's Marshals of Fee, Chamberlains, Porters in the Circuit of Justices, and Ser- jeants bearing vierge before Justices at Westminster, which have the same offices in fee, and that ask more by reason of their fee than they have used to ask, whereupon many do complain on them that have known and seen the order of the Court of long time, our Lord the King hath caused to be inquired by an inquest, what the said officers of fee have used to have in times passed ;" — it was or- dained and commanded, "that the King's Chamberlains from hence- forth shall have of Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, and no other persons spiritual, of Earls and Barons holding an entire Barony, a reasonable fine when they do their homage or fealty ; and if they hold by a part of the Barony, they shall take a reasonable fine, according to the portion to them belonging. Other Abbots, Priors, and other persons spiritual and temporal, that hold no entire Barony, nor part of a Barony, shall not be distrained to make fine, V 322 THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. as it is said, by them that hold by a Barony or part of a Barony ; but the Chamberlain shall be contented with his upper garment, or with the price thereof, which is done in favour of persons religious, more than of lay persons ; for it is more convenient that religious men should fine for their upper garment than be stripped." In the 11 of Henry VI. it was determined that the Chamber- lain should not be appointed by the Council without the assent of the Duke of Bedford, and that he should not be removed at the pleasure of the King's preceptor. The duties and nature of the King's Chamberlain, in the reign of King Edward IV, are thus fully described in the regulations ordained for the government of his Household : " A Chamberlain for the King in Household, the Great Officer sitting in the King's Chamber ; and when it requireth for matters to be communed of the King's Council, then his meats and suppers in his own chamber, or else with the other estates of the Household, as it seemeth him best. He taketh his breakfast, if he will, in open day ; he presenteth, chargeth, and dischargeth all such per- sons as be of the King's Chamber, except all such officers of House- hold as minister for any victual for the King's mouth, or for his chamber ; for all those take their charge at the Green Cloth in the Counting-house. Item, he hath the punishing of all them that are belonging to the Chamber, for any offi?nce or outrage, saving the riffht of the Countina:-house in checking them for their vacations, or for lack of records, or mis-recording, or for loss of torches, napery, cups, wood, or such other stuff coming from the Treasurer's charge, and by them so miscarried. " The Chamberlain taketh his oath and staff* of the King, or of * Philip, Earl of Pembroke, who was Chamberlain to Charles I, used his staff of office not merely as an emblem, but as an instrument of autho- rity. He was very choleric, boisterous, and absurd ; and it was well said of him, that, when he w^as Lord Chamberlain, he broke many wiser heads than his own. We have it upon record that he broke his staff over the shoulders of May the Poet, for being out of his place in a masque at Court.. — See Granger, vol. ii. p. 119. THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 323 his Council ; he shall at no time, within this Court, be covered in his service ; he may have eating in the Hall, two esquires, two yeo- men ; and for the yeomen and other keeping his chamber, and for his proper livery at night, in open days, six loaves, four messes of great meat and roast, one pitcher of wine, four gallons of ale, one torch, one percher ; four candles, wax ; six candles, peris ; for winter livery, six tallwood, three faggots — the larger because he should take nothing of such stuff from the King's Chamber, nor suffer none to be taken away but for worship to the King ; he taketh also for summer livery three tallwood, one faggot ; rushes and litter all the year of the Seijeant Usher of the Hall and Chamber ; and of all other victual and stuff as he shall have need to within this Household, giving example of his content and moderate costages in Court, both to the King's honour and profit. " Item, for his robes at Christmas and Whitsuntide of the Count- ing-house, by even portions, eight marks, and for his fee at Michael- mas and Easter, by even portions, ten marks. This groweth to him from the Household, and not of the Jewel House, nor of the King's Wardrobe, for the favour and help that he should owe in assisting the Steward, Treasurer, and other officers of Household, in speak- ing to the King's Highness, or to his Noble Council, for the aid and good continuance of the honourable conduct of his Household. " Item, when himself is absent from Court, he leaveth a yeoman to keep his Chamber, and purvey for his livery of stuff in the coun- try, taking in Court at meal times one payn, one mess grosse de kusi/7i, one gallon service ; and when himself is present in this Court, to have in all six persons, Avaiters within the gate. The remnant of his servants abiding with his Household, at his livery in the country — a garde du corps le Roy ; his livery and every other without the King's gates is delivered always by the assent of the King's Herberger, and that by his bill ; and Avithin the King's gates no man shall harbour or assign but this Chamberlain, or Usher, or such other under him of the King's Chamber having their power. " This Chamberlain busily to search and oversee the King's Cliamber, and the estate made therein, to be according, first, for all Y 2 324 THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. the array belonging to liis proper royal person ; for his proper beds ; for his proper board at meal times ; for the diligent doing in serving thereof to his honour and pleasure ; to assign carvers, cupbearers, sewers, physicians, almoners, knights, or other worshipful estates for the towel ; and for the basin, Esquires of the Body to be attend- ant. The Usher of the Chamber ever to see, and quickly to re- medy, everything lacking or defaults, as well in the King's inner Chamber as in the outer Chamber, especially in sight towards strangers of worship, if the King keep his state in his Chamber ; and daily this Usher maketh his towel or surnape, as doth a Mar- shal when the King is in the Hall." All that need be added on the subject is, that the ofl&ce has ever since been held by persons of high rank ; that by the statute for Precedency in the 31st Henry VIII, the King's Chamberlain is placed next after the Lord Steward, and above all other persons of the same degree that he may happen to be of; that though the Lord Chamberlain is no longer responsible for political affairs, the appointment always changes with the Administration ; and that both he and the Great Chamberlain, as well as the Vice Chamber- lain, are Members of the Privy Council, which circumstance may be attributed to an adherence to ancient usage, and to a considera- tion for the rank which those officers hold in the State. The duties of the Lord Chamberlain are now confined to the superintendence and control of all the officers and servants of the Household above stairs, including even those of the Bedchamber, who were formerly wholly under the Groom of the Stole, but are now sworn by the Lord Chamberlain, or by his warrant to the Gentlemen Ushers. He has also charge over all the department of the Wardrobe, and over the State Band ; and he has the licensing of dramatic entertainments ; * the Serjeants-at-Arms, Messengers, * The Lord Chamberlain formerly exercised an extraordinary authority over actors, of which Colley Gibber, in his " Autobiogi-aphy," (vol. i. p. (202, ed. 1826) affords a curious illustration, when speaking of the well- known comedian Thomas Dogget, whose attachment to the House of THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 325 Trumpets, &c. arc under his direction ; and he has tlie oversight of the Royal Physicians, Surgeons, Sec, and, although a layman, of the Queen's Chaplains, and other officers of the Chapel Royal ; it is his place to examine into the charges of Coronations, and Brunswick is still commemorated by the coat and badge, given by him to be rowed for annually on the 1st of August. But to the story. — In King William's reign the Lord Chamberlain issued an order that no actor of either Company should presume to go from one to the other without a dis- charge, and his Lordship's permission ; and messengers actually took per- formers who disobeyed tliis edict into custody. Dogget was under articles to play at Drury Lane, but conceiving himself treated unfairly, quitted the stage, would act no more, and preferred to forego his demands rather than hazard the tediousness and danger of the law to recover them. The ma- nager, who valued him highly, resorted to the Lord Chamberlain, who, ac- cordingly, upon his complaint, despatched a messenger to Norwich, where Dogget then was, who was to bring him up in custody. But doughty Dog- get, who had money in his pocket and the cause of liberty at his heart, was not in the least intimidated by this formidable summons. He was observed to obey it with a particular cheerfulness, entertaining his fellow traveller, the messenger, all the way in the coach (for he had protested against riding) with as much humour as a man of his business might be capable of tasting ; and, as he found his charges were to be defrayed, he at every inn called for the best dainties the country could afford, or a pre- tended weak appetite digest. At this rate they jollily rolled on, more with the air of a jaunt than a journey, or a party of pleasm-e, than of a poor devil in durance. Upon his arrival in town, he immediately applied to the Lord Chief Justice Holt for his habeas corpus. As his case was something particular, that eminent and learned minister of the law took a particular notice of it : for Dogget was not only discharged, but the process of his confinement (according to common fame) bad a censure passed upon it in Court. " We see," says Gibber, " how naturally power, only founded on cus- tom, is apt, where the law is silent, to run into excesses ; and, while it laudably pretends to govern others, how hard it is to govern itself." 326 THE VICE CHAMBERLAIN. other public ceremonials in whicli the Sovereign appears, and of all furniture for and in the Parliament House, and in apartments in which addresses are presented to the Sovereign. THE VICE CHAMBERLAIN. The Vice Chamberlain, who, as has been already observed, is always a Member of the Privy Council, is the Deputy or Assistant to the Lord Chamberlain, exercising in his absence equal authority over the Household, and equally enjoying the privilege of handing the Queen to or from her carriage.* THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber from being, as they were formerly, near, and it may almost be said companionable Officers to the Royal Person, are now become the most remote, and are seldom visible in their proper sphere. * Walpole in one of his lively letters to Marshal Conway, speaking of a visit paid to him by the late Queen Charlotte, says, " As I had been assured that her Majesty would be attended by her Chamberlain, yet was not, I had no glove ready when I received her at the step of her coach : . yet she honoured me with her hand to lead her up stairs ; nor did I recol- lect my omission when I led her down again. Still, though gloveless, I did not squeeze the royal hand, as Vice-Chamberlain Smith did to Queen Mary ;" and in a note he thus explains this curious allusion : — " It is said that Queen Mary asked some of her attendant ladies what a squeeze of the hand w^as supposed to intimate ? They said " Love." " Then," said the Queen, " my Vice-Cliamberlain must be violently in love with me, for he always squeezes my hand." THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. 327 The most ancient mention of tlicm occurs in the time of Ed- ward IV, in the "Liber Niger Domus Regis Anglise," where they are styled Esquires of Household. At what period this title was changed to that of Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber does not ap- pear, but the alteration is supposed to have been made either in the reign of Henry VII. or early in that of Henry VIII ; for they were called Esquires of Household in the time of Richard III, and in the Eltham Statutes, Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. The chief end of their institution was to wait and attend on the King and Queen, at Court, in their diversions, progi-esses, and on all emergent occasions. Thus when Henry VIII. went incog to visit Anne of Cleves the day before her public reception, he took with him eight of these Gentlemen, and the whole body attended at the public interview, on horseback ; and again when Charles I. went to receive Marie de Medicis, the mother of his Queen Hen- rietta, at Mulsham Hall in Essex, the seat of Sir Mildmay, he was attended by several Gentlemen of his Privy Chamber. Some of their number also, Avere constantly appointed by the Lord Chamberlain, with a nobleman and the Master of the Cere- monies, to accompany all Foreign Ministers from Crowned Heads in their public entries, and to their audiences. And it may be seen from the Gazette of the 30th April 1763, that six of these Gentle- men attended their Excellencies M. Querini and M. Morosini, Ambassadors Extraordinary from the Republic of Venice, on every official occasion, from their landing at the Tower, to their audience of leave. The last public appearance of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber is at the funeral of the King or Queen, when they bear the canopy over the Royal corpse. Formerly this duty went still further, and they not only had the honour of supporting the canopy, but some of them had the office of carrying the body, in quality of under bearers. The body of Charles II. was to have been car- ried by them, but the coffin having been found too heavy, the Yeomen of the Guard were called in to perform that duty, and have claimed the office ever since. ii28 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. At the funeral of George 11. ten of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber bore the canopy, one at each of the eight staves, and two at each head staff, and had all an allowance of black cloth for mourning, which issued from the great wardrobe by warrant from the Lord Chamberlain. At the funeral of the late Queen Char- lotte, the canopy was supported by Gentlemen of the Privy Cham- ber, whereas at the funeral of George III. and William IV. that duty was performed by ten noblemen. Formerly two of these Gentlemen, chosen for their deportment, were nominated by the Lord Chamberlain, and knighted if not kni(rhts,* to represent at coronations the Dukes of Aquitaine and Normandy, an honour of the first magnitude, as it gave them, in their representative characters, precedence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the coronation of King William and Queen Mary, they took rank of George, Prince of Denmark, although he had maiTied the Queen's sister. The Prince walked only as a Duke, having been created Duke of Cumberland April 6, 1689, a few days before the coronation, Avith precedence of all other Dukes, by Act of Parliament, purposely to give him a place and proper rank in the solemnity ; but at the coronation of Queen Anne, the Prince had rank above the representatives of the Dukes of Aquitaine and Normandy, as the consort of the Queen, and had his train borne. The dress of these two gentlemen on such occasions were sump- tuous, bordering on Royalty, being mantles of crimson velvet lined * Knighthood was an indispensable qualification, for at the Coronation of George III. Sir William Robinson, who was appointed to represent the Duke of Normandy, was obliged to accept the honour of Knighthood, although he was a Baronet. Nay more, the ceremony having been by some accident omitted, was nevertheless deemed so essential, that he was knighted on the 23rd September, the day following the Coronation. William Bretton, Esq. was on the same occasion knighted at St. James's on the 21st September 1761, in order to represent the Duke of Aquitaine. See " Pegge's Curialia," p. 42. note, and Carlisle's " Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber," p. 315. THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER, 329 witli minever, and powdered with ermine, with caps of cloth of gold furred, and powdered likewise with ermine. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber have had for some time a place in such procession, next below the Barons of the Exchequer, and above the King's Serjeants at Law. Anciently they had a still higher place, for at the coronation of King Edward VI. they followed the canopy immediately after the assistant trainbearer. But at the coronation of George IV. they walked between the King's Solicitor General and Attorney General, and the Serjeant of the Vestry of the Chapel Royal, and the Serjeant Porter. Fur- thermore, when the King or Queen went by water to Parliament, two of these Gentlemen had place in the same barge, and likewise knelt upon the second step of the throne, where no other officer was suffered to interpose before them.* The dignity of the office of these Gentlemen, who were gene- rally chosen out of the sons of the nobility, or the first rank of gentlemen in the kingdom, was such that they were empowered to execute the King's verbal commands without producing any written warrant or order, their persons and characters being in themselves sufficient authority, as is exemplified in the well-known story of Wolsey's surrender to one of them. The King's Commission to arrest the Cardinal for high treason was granted to the Earl of Northumberland ; to whom, however, the Cardinal refused to yield himself, without seeing the King's Commission. This contained some instructions not intended for the Cardinal's knowledge, and the Earl therefore declined to produce it ; and matters were in this state when Sir Walter Walsh entered the apartment, to whom the Cardinal instantly surrendered himself, saying, " I trowe ye are one of the Kinges Privie Chamber ; your name is Walsh : I am content to yeeld to you, but not to my Lord of Northumberland, without I see his Commission ; the worst in the King's Privie Chamber is sufficient to arrest the greatest Peere of the Realmc, by the King's Commandment, without any Commission, therefore put * " True State of England/' p. 25. 330 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. your Commission and authority into execution ; spare not, I will obey the King's will : I take God to judge, I never offended the King in word nor deede."* This Officer has equally existed when the throne has been oc- cupied by a Queen Regnant, as may be seen in the Households of Mary and Elizabeth. For though, as was to be expected, our Queens have adopted Ladies in lieu of Gentlemen, in their Chambers of Retirement, yet the Gentlemen of the Privy Cham- ber were preserved entire, both in number and salary, there being always at least one of that body in waiting, who was either to attend the Chamber, or to " leave word with the Gentleman Usher where he shall have him, if the Queen at any time shall call for one of them to send anywhere, or any else her Majesty's pleasure." Though this office is still looked upon as one of considerable honour, f there is no longer any salary, fee, or perquisite,! an- nexed to it. The reign of James I, who increased the number of these Gentlemen from eighteen to forty-eight, proved fatal to their salaries, and left them nothing but the honour, except diet when in Availing, and those peculiar privileges which render the * " Carlisle's Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber," pp. 290—1. t Some of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, from that Chamber being styled ' Honourable/ or more properly ' Most Honourable/ have conceived themselves entitled to be so styled. They are not so designated however, in their Warrants and Certificates, and have clearly no more right to the title than each individual Member of the House of Commons to be called ' Honourable/ because that branch of the Legislature is styled the Honourable House of Commons. Pegge's " Curialia/' p. 66. X The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, and the Gentlemen Ushers of the same room v^ere allowed by Henry VIIL annually, ten yards of velvet each, for a cloak; and at the Coronation of Edward VL both these officers received a certain quantity of velvet for gowns, as well as of tinshey or tissue to line them. Pegge's " Curialia," p. 57. THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. 331 appointments, wliicli are in the gift of the Lord Chamberlain, still so much sought after. These consist principally of an exemption from serving the office of Sheriff, or any other penal office, in the toAvn or county in which they reside ; and it has been customary at the commence- ment of every reign, to issue an inhibitory Proclamation that none of the royal " Servants in ordinary, with fee, should be enforced or obliged to bear any public office, serve on juries or inquests, or be subjected unto any mulct or fine for not submitting thereunto."* It has often happened that a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber has been returned to the Council, and been pricked for Sheriff, and formerly so often as this has occurred, the appoint- ment has been superseded by a new one, and the party by an Order of Council discharged therefrom."}* But this privilege was waived from necessity between thirty and forty years since, in consequence of the difficulty of finding, in some of the small counties, gentlemen sufficiently able to bear the ex- penses of the Shrievalty, who had not been Sheriffs before, or who were not exempted by this privilege. But when George III. was applied to by the Council to waive this privilege, which arises out of the Prerogative of the Crown, Lord Kenyon was a long time before he could persuade his Majesty to suffer a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to be appointed Sheriff. The King, Avho, it is said, expressed his surprise that the Lord Chief Justice should * In the year 1761 a particular case happened with regard to Sir William Hart, Knight, who was elected Sheriff of London against his consent, and pleaded as an exemption, that he was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber ; but his case came neither within the letter nor the spirit of the Proclamation : for though the Sheriffs of Loudon are conso- lidated, quatenus Middlesex, and act provincially as one man, yet being elective by the Livery of London, Sir William Hart could not come within the Royal intention ; nothing but a civil disability could discharge him, and his plea was of course overruled, Pegge's " Curialia," p. 46. f Vide Appendix, for a copy of such Proclamation, issued on the Ac- cession of Her Present Majesty. 332 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. make such an application, knowing as he must, that he had no power to concede any of the Prerogative Rights of the Crown, which were in perpetuu77i indissolubly annexed to it, would not give up the privilege and would not suffer an Order in Council to be made thereon. From a somewhat similar case which occurred in 1815, when the claim of a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to be exempted from serving the office of Sheriff was overruled, from existing necessity, it would seem that the exemption is not abso- lute, but depends on there being some other person to be found capable of filling the office, and discharging the requisite duty.* The dress worn by the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber at the Coronation of George IV. consisted of a garter bluejacket, slashed * Carlisle's " Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber," pp. 285 — 7, which may likewise be consulted on the subject of these Officers claiming exemption from arrest on civil process. A motion was made in Hilary Term 1818, before the Judges of the Court of King's Bench, for a Rule Nisi for the discharge of a Gentleman of His Majesty's Privy Chamber, who had been arrested on civil process, which their Lordships refused. The question had been litigated before the Court in 1818, when the Chief Justice, though he would not discharge the defendant, left the case open for a Writ of Privilege. But upon inquiry it was ascertained that no such writ existed, — the Lord Chancellor stating, in answer to the defend- ant's petition, that his Lotdship would issue such Writ under the Great Seal, that all the offices had been searched, and alforded no instance of such writ ; and the answer delivered from the Lord Chamberlain's office being, that the only Writ of Privilege which they knew, was the War- rant of Appointment. The reason given for rejecting the motion was that the defendant had not shown on affidavit, that there was any par- ticular duty or fixed salary attached to the office, but that he had been summoned to attend his Majesty's Coronation. It was said that other classes of the community had also been summoned ; and it was fm-ther laid down, that the necessity of the Servant to his Majesty, also Fees an- nexed to the Office in proof of it^ must be shown, to entitle him to protec- tion from arrest, as derived through the Privilege of the Crown. THE GENTLEMEN USHERS OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. 333 with bright scarlet satin, and edged with gokl spangled gymp ; garter blue satin rosette on right shoulder, with long pendant bows and ends, and edged with gold spangles of gymp ; a pair of garter blue satin trunks, slashed Avith bright scarlet satin, and edged with gold spangled gymp ; a garter blue surcoat lined with bright scarlet silk, and hanging sleeves ; a pair of garter blue silk long hose affixed to elastic draAvers ; a white booked-muslin rulF; knee bands and rosettes of garter blue satin, edged with gold spangled gymp ; white kid gloves, and white kid shoes with blue heels, rosettes of garter blue satin, with gold spangled gymp ; chapeau of Genoa black velvet, with scarlet and black plume ; sword with gilt hilt, and garter blue scabbard, blue satin sword belt, with large gilt centre buckle, and small gilt buckle below. GENTLEMEN USHERS OF THE PRIVY CHAMBER. They have power of commanding all under them in the Privy Lodging, (the Bed-chamber excepted,) and the honour of leading the Queen, in the absence of the Lord Chamberlain. They likewise attend in the Closet at Chapel, where no other Gentlemen Ushers Avait.* In the Privy Chamber, they appear to have someAvhat higher authority than the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, Avho Avere not only sworn to obey the Gentlemen Ushers in all things re- specting the King's service, but Avere called upon to take their places, in case of absence. Thus, the orders of King Charles II. say, that " When no Gentleman Usher, shall be there to Avait, the eldest (or senior) Gentleman of the Privy Chamber in Avaiting shall officiate the place in all things, till one of the Gentlemen ^ Ushers shall come, both in going before us in the Privy Lodgings, and carrying the candle in the absence of our Lord and Vice- Chamberlain." •}- * '' True State of England," 1734, p. 28. f Pegge, p. 50. 334 THE GENTLEMEN USHERS DAILY WAITERS. It has been customary to confer the dignity of a Baronet upon the senior of these officers, and George III. conferred this honour upon Sir William Fitzherbert, of Tissington Hall in the county of Derby, in the year 1783.* These appointments are made by the Lord Chamberlain. GENTLEMEN USHERS DAILY WAITERS. The Gentlemen Ushers Daily Waiters have their attendance assio-ned them in the Presence Chamber, which is situated next without the Privy Chamber, where they wait next to the person of the Sovereign. They officiate monthly by turns, and are next in authority to the Lord Chamberlain and Vice Chamberlain ; all under officers above stairs being bound to obey them. The Senior has in addition the important office of Usher of the Black Rod, in which character, as has been before stated, he attends upon the House of Lords, and upon the Order of the Garter : his attendance on the Sovereign being dispensed with on account of his Parliamentary duty. These appointments, as well as those of * Sir William, on receiving this mark of distinction, retired to his pa- trimonial estate in Derbyshire, only coming to town at such times when by the orderly course of duty he was in waiting ; and continued thus to fulfilthe duties of his office, until being commanded by the Marquis of Salisbury, who was then Lord Chamberlain, to attend upon some cere- monial at St, James's, he pleaded the distance he was from London, in- disposition, and the expense of the journey for one day's attendance — mentioning, at the same time, that another Gentleman Usher coidd not fail doing the duty in his place. This remonstrance producing a second letter commanding Sir William's attendance or resignation, he immedi- ately took a post-chaise, reached the palace in time to perform his duty, and having done so gave in his resignation. THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES. '4:*^ 335 THE GENTLEMEN USHERS QUARTEELY WAITERS, * who also wait in the Presence Chamber, and give directions in the absence of the Gentlemen Ushers Daily Waiters, to whom they are second in authority, are in the gift of the Lord Chamberlain. THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES. When James I. ascended the throne of his united kingdoms, and promised himself and the world long halcyon days of peace. Foreign Princes, and a long train of Ambassadors from every European power resorted to the English Court. The pacific monarch, in emulation of an office which already existed in the Courts of Europe, created that of " Master of the Ceremonies ;" an appointment which was now found necessary to preserve the state and allay the perpetual jealousies of the representatives of their Sovereigns. The first officer was Sir Lewis Lewknor, with an assistant Sir John Finett, who at length succeeded him vmder Charles I, and seems to have been most amply blest with the genius of the place ; his soul doted on the honour of the office ; and in that age of peace and of ceremony, we may be astonished at the subtilty of his in- ventive shifts and contrivances in quieting that school of angry * The learned Spelman was of opinion that the use at Court at this day of Quarterly Waiters, had the first beginning from the invention of Alfred, who divided his domestic officers into three divisions, each of which waited a month at a time, and then returning home stayed there two months, until their turn in the fourth month came about again. See his " Life of Alfred," edit. Hearne, p. 198. Pegge, in his " Anecdotes of Old Times," p. 13, shows strong reasons for doubting the accuracy of this opinion. 336 THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES. and rio-id boys, whom lie liad under his care — the Ambassadors of Europe. D'Israeli has devoted one chapter of his " Curiosities of Lite- rature" to Sir John Finett, and his extraordinary Diary ;* which was published after his death, by his friend, James Howell, the well-known writer. We may, therefore, be spared from entering more at large upon the subject, at least in this place. But the following extract, descriptive of a " clash," to use Sir John's own word, which fell out between the Masters of the Cere- monies and of the Jewel House, on the subject of the right to carry the Kino-'s presents to Ambassadors, being at once illustra- tive of the duties of Sir John's high office, and a specimen of the elevated style, in which he narrates his manner of performing them, is too appropriate to the present subject to be omitted. " Two days before his (the Marshal Bassompiere's) departure, it being talked of in Court, that the Master of the Jewel House, Sir Henry Mildmay, had made his means to the Duke of Buckingham, and others near about the King's person for carriage and delivery of the Present designed to the Ambassador, (which was a rich jewel of four great diamonds, with a great pearl pendant at it, altogether esteemed by jewellers, at a merchant's rate, to be worth 7000/.) the Master of the Ceremonies understanding of these endeavours to the other's profit, and his disadvantage, both present and future, from precedent, came to my house (as to one whom it highly con- cerned, he said, in my right of reversion after his death, or in case of his sickness, or absence, when I was to carry the like Pre- sents to those Ambassadors, that I had attended or done service to, when they should be formally presented with Jewels from his Majesty,) and entreated me to go with him to the Lord Chamber- * " Finetti Philoxensis : Some Choice Observations of Sir John Fi- nett, Knight, and Master of the Ceremonies to the two last Kings : touch- ing the reception and precedence, the treatment and audience, the punc- tilios, and contests of Forren Ambassadors in England. Legati ligant Mundumy 16.56, sml. 8vo. THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES. 337 lain, the Earl of Montgomery,) to whom when we came, his Lord- ship, upon the first overture of the difference, resolved it to be an undue claim of the Master of the Jewel House, and professed he would to his power oppose him. From his lordship we went both together to the Earl of Pembroke, (then Lord Steward of his Majesty's Household, and but a small time before Lord Chamber- lain,) and he (with expression even of passion,) condemned the pretence of the Master of the Jewel House, saying, no man could better speak to that question than he could, who had been present when it was moved before the Lords of the Council, and King James himself, for their decision, which had most right to the car- riage of Presents, the Master of the Ceremonies, or the Master of the Jewel House ? This latter, pretended indeed (he said) to their carriage, when they consisted of plate or chains of gold, and were issued out of the office ; but he had heard (he said) the Master of the Jewel-House (Carew) nobly of himself disclaim all pre- tence of right to carry them, when they consisted of jewels, as rings, chains of diamonds, hat-bands, or the like, and that to this he could and Avould say more of his mind and knowledge, if he should be called to it by his Majesty. " This question thus far cleared, Sir Henry Mildmay, nevertheless, desisted not to make friends underhand for maintenance of his claim till the day and hour tliat the jewel was to be presented ; when the Duke of Buckingham (that had seemed before to favour him,) came about for the Master of the Ceremonies, and declared his opinion for him, so as the Earl of Carlisle, (who had in the interim the jewel committed by the King to his custody,) after he had also declared his sentence the same way, delivered it to the hands of the Master of the Ceremonies, by whom it was, that evening, presented to the Ambassador, and who, the next day, received in gratuity for it, and for his attendance, and pains taken in this Ambassador's service, 800 pieces. Immediately after he had presented it, he entering the King's withdrawing chamber, to give account to his Majesty, how thankfully it was accepted, I then standing at the door, heard his Majesty say, (when Sir Lewis thanked him for his most gra- z 338 THE MASTER OF THE CEREMONIES. cious favour in committing it to his carriage,) that it was the Mas- ter of the Ceremonies' right, and none other, to carry and present jewels to Ambassadors. The day of the Ambassador's departure, (November the 15th,) when he was resolved already, and the King's barge, with two others, appointed for his transport to Graves- end, the tide falling late, and the wind pronng high and con- trary, he had coaches hired for him, (at his own charge,) and with them and his own coaches went thither by land, the Master of the Ceremonies accompanying him so far, but no further, answer- able to the New Order for conduct of Ambassadors. The Mar- shal of the Ceremonies, (Walter Briscoe,) only appointed for his service on the way forward, as there might be necessary use of it, till he should be embarked at Dover, &c.""* It remains to be observed that, at the present day, the Master of the Ceremonies is always a person of good address, and Master of several languages. He is constantly attendant at Court, on all occasions of state ceremonial, when he wears, as the badge of his office, a gold chain and medal, having on one side, under the Crown of England, an emblem of Peace, with King James's motto, " Beati Pacifici," and on the other, an emblem of War, with the motto " Dieu et mon Droit.'''' He has under him an Assistant Master or Deputy, who now also executes the duties of the officer, who formerly assisted him, called the Marshal of the Ceremonies. THE LICENSER OF PLAYS. The King's Comedians, as part of the Household, are of course under the regulation of the Lord Chamberlain ; and it was of this circumstance that Sir Robert Walpole availed himself, when he introduced a bill (10 Geo. II. cap. 28) in 1736, to subject the Stage to the authority of a Licenser. Lord Chesterfield strenu- ously opposed the motion, declaring that the productions of his * " Finetti Philoxenis," p. 193—5. THE LICENSER OF PLAYS. 839 wit were an author's inheritance, though he added, " We, my Lords, thank Heaven, are otherwise provided for !"" Brooke's ' Gustavus Vasa' was the first play that called forth the exercise of these somewhat invidious powers, but on going to the press, he was amply remunerated by the public, for any disappoint- ment he might have experienced from the prohibition of the Court. One of the latest instances of the interference of the Licenser was in the case of Sir Martin Archer Slice's tragedy of " Alasco," which called forth the following extraordinary document, from the Licenser of that day : — A PLAYWRIGHT ON THE DANGER OF PLAY'S. " 29th February 1824; 5, Melina Place, Westminster Road. " Mr. Colman presents his compliments to Sir William Knighton, and is much gratified by Sir William having expressed a wish to see his short remarks on Alasco, a copy of which he has now the pleasure to enclose. " Although the ferment of the times has greatly subsided, still, Plays which are built upon conspiracies and attempts to revolutionize a state stand upon ticklish ground ; and the proposed performance of such Plays is to be contemplated with more jealousy when they portra}'' the dis- affected as gallant heroes and hapless lovers. Thus drawn ad caj)tandum vulgus, their showy qualities and tender distresses of the heart throw a dazzle and an interest round their sedition ; while they preach up the doctrine that government is tyranny, that revolt is virtue, and that rebels are the righteous. " Alasco, in the tragedy of the same name, is a character of the above description, and Walsingham is set up against him as a contrast. When- ever these two gentlemen meet, there is an effusion of claptrap sentiments between them, in the alternate support of Loyalty and Radicalism ; and they prdne in a pro and con dialogue, vying with each other, speech by speech, by turns, like a couple of contending swains in an eclogue. In respect to their good and evil influence over an audience, they are the Messieurs Bane and Antidote of the tragedy ; and from a tragedy that z 2 340 THE HISTORIOGRAPHER ROYAL. needs so much counter-poison for the chance only of neutralizing its arsenic, the deducement to be made as to its dangerous tendency is very obvious." * The salary attached to this office is 400/. per annum, and the Licenser is entitled to a fee for every play, song, or other theatrical entertainment licensed under the provisions of the above act, by the Lord Chamberlain, previous to public representation. The pay- ment of this fee appears to have existed for nearly a century. It was 2/. 2s. on all occasions, but the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the fees, Sec. of the several public offices on the Civil List establishment, recommended the following as a fair and proper scale of fees to be in future payable to the Examiner, upon licensing all theatrical entertainments, namely : £. For a License for every Dramatic Piece of three or more Acts 2 For a License for every Dramatic Piece of one or two Acts, or for a Pantomime containing Prose or Poetry - - 1 For a License for a Song, Address, Prologue, or Epilogue - s. d. 5 THE HISTORIOGRAPHER ROYAL. The Office of Historiogi-apher Royal was, we are told by Gran^rer, and other writers, especially created by Charles II. for the Avell-known James Howell ; and the monument to that voluminous writer, which formerly existed in the Temple church, is said to have described him, as " Regius Historiograph us in Anglici primus."" If the monument bore this description, it did, as monuments are very apt to do, assert that which was not true, for Bernard Andreas, who was also Laureate to Henry VII, and is better known as " Master Bernard the Blind Poet," was also Historiographer to that monarch. In this character he wrote a History of the Life * " Memoirs of Sir W. Knighton," vol. i. p. 220. THE HISTORIOGRAPHER ROYAL. S41 and Reign of Henry, from his birth to the year 1498, which exists in manuscript in the British Museum.* From that time he ap- pears to have presented the King annually with a narrative of the events of his reign. Two of these " Annual Registers" of the so- called good old times, viz. that for the twentieth, and that for the twenty- third year of Henry''s reign, are also preserved among the Cottonian manuscripts. i* As no mention of such an officer occurs in the reign of Henry VIII, or in the Household of Elizabeth, it is very pro- bable that the appointment, which had long lain dormant, was revived by Charles in HowclFs favour ; and hence might arise the supposition that he was the first who ever held the office. It does not appear who succeeded upon Howelfs death in 1666 to this appointment ; possibly it might have again lain dormant until 18th August 1670, when " glorious John" was appointed both Historiographer and Laureate, by patent. Dryden did not retain those appointments until his death, which took place on the 1st May 1700. In a Royal ^Var^ant, dated February 1688, Robert Plot, the historian of Staffordshire is spoken of as " our Historiographer," and Dryden's antagonist. Shadwell, who " never deviates into sense," was appointed both Laureate and Historiographer on the 29th August 1689. Thomas Rymer, whose name is immortalized by his invaluable collection the " Foedera," but who has endeavoured to ruin his own literary reputation by his " Short View of Tragedy," ^ was ap- pointed Historiographer by Patent, dated 2Sd December 1692. * In the Cottonian Library, Domitian, A. xvin. + Julius, D. III. and Julius, D. iv. X Was it this connection with the Com't, and a knowledge of its punctilios, acquired by the appointment of Historiogi'apher, which led him in this latter work, to broach the following whimsical doctrines of poetical propriety. " If I mistake not, in poetry, no woman is to kill a man, e.vcc/i( her quality gives her the adccmtaye above him ; nor is a servant to kill the g4,2 THE POET LAUREATE. Few names of literary note have held the office since this period, and none of those Avho have done so, have imitated the example of " Master Bernard."* The present Historiographer is G. P. R. James, Esq. the His- torian of " The Black Prince," and of " Louis XIV." THE POET LAUREATE. The office of Poet Laureate, who is the lineal descendant of the Scalds and Bards of the olden time, is one of great an- tiquity. master ; nor a private man, much less a subject, to kill a King ; nor will poetical decenaj suffer death to be dealt to each other by persons vshom the laws of duel allow not to enter the lists together .'" * The present Historiographer of the Burmese Court (for such an office exists there,) would seem to be as accomplished a courtier as Rymer himself, and as skilful in his description of an " imtoward event," as if he had been bom, bred, and educated within the atmosphere of an European Court. Witness the following account of the late disastrous war with the English, as recorded by him in the Buraiese National Chro- nicle, and which we have extracted from Crawford's * Embassy to Ava.* " In the years 1186 and 87, the Kida-pyu, or white strangers of the west, fastened a quarrel upon the Lord of the Golden Palace, They landed at Rangoon, took that place and Prome, and were pennitted to advance as far as Yandabo ; for the King, from motives of piety and regard to life, made no effort whatever to oppose them. The strangers had spent vast sums of money in their enterprise ; and by the time they reached Yandabo, their resom'ces were exhausted, and they were in great distress. They petitioned the King, who, in his clemency and generosity, sent them large sums of money to pay their expenses back, and ordered them out of the country." THE POET LAUREATE. 343 Whether the poets attached to the British Court, were ever *' crowned in the Capitol," like Petrarch, is a matter of some doubt. Selden * speaks upon the subject as follows : — " As from the use of the old Empire, the latter took the example of crowning Poets, so from that of the latter, some use of giving the laurel was anciently received into England. John Skelton had that title of Laureate under Henry VIII ; and in the same time., Robert Whittington called himself " Grammaticee Magister et Pro- tovates Anglise, in florentissima Oxoniensi academia Laureatus." Under Edward IV. one John Kay, by the title of his humble Poet Laureate, dedicates to him the siege of Rhodes in prose. But .lohn Gower, a famous Poet under Richard II, buried in St. Mary Overy's church, hath his statue crowned with ivy mixed with roses. " Habet ibidem statuam," (saith Bale,) " duplici nota insignem, nempe aurea torque et haederacea corona rosis inserta. Illud Mili- tis ; hoc Poetse ornamentum." In addition to the Laureates here named by Selden, we have just put forward a claim for Master Bernard Andreas to that honour ; and it appears from Rymer, (Foedera xii. p. 317,) that on the 24th November 1486, he received a grant of ten marks per annum, which he continued to receive until the year 1510. The following is a list of the Laureates since the time of Eliza- beth, with the dates of their several appointments : — Edmund Spenser . . . • Samuel Daniels . . 1598 * " Titles of Honour," part ii. cap. i. s. xliii. The conclusion of this passage is curious : — " And thus have I, by no unreasonable digression, performed a promise to you, my beloved Ben Jonson. Your curious learning and judgment may correct where I have erred, and add where my notes and memory have left me short. You are omnia Carmina doctus, Et calles mythwn plasmata et historiam ; and so you both fully know what concerns it, and your singular excellency in the art most eminently deserves it." 344 THE POET LAUREATE. Ben Jonson . . . .1619 Sir W. Davenant, . . . 1637 John Dryden .... 1668 Thomas Shad well . . . 1688 Nahum Tate . . . .1692 Nicolas Rowe . • . 1715 Laurence Eusden . . . .1718 Colley Gibber . . . 1730 William Whitehead . . .1757 Thomas Warton . . . 1785 * On the death of Warton, 21st May 1790, he was succeeded by Pye ; Pybus and Sir James Bland Burgess, it was said, being rival candidates for the appointment, a report which, whether true or not, gave rise to the following epigram, in which th.e name of a fourth and very unlikely candidate, to wit, Peter Pindar, is introduced : " Nos Poetse sumus tribus^ Peter Pindar, Pye, et Pybus ; Si ulterius ire pergis, Nobis add. Sir James Bland Burgess." On the death of Pye the appointment was tendered to Sir Wal- ter Scott, who declined it in favour of its present possessor, Dr. Southey. The Correspondence which passed between them on this subject, and which has lately been published in Lockhart's delightful Life of Scott, does credit to all pai'ties. Dr. Southey stipulated that * Many of these Poet Lam-eates have held at the same time the office of Historiographer. They have a gi-eat precedent for doing so. The Count d'Anguillara, when he bestowed the laurel crown upon Petrarch, granted him " in the poetic as well as in the historic art, and generally in what- ever relates to the said arts, as well in this holy city as elsewhere, the free and entire power of reading, disputing, and intei-preting all ancient books, to make new ones, and compose poems, which, God assisting, shall endure from age to age." THE MISTRESS OF THE ROBES. 345 his poetical offerings should be free-will offerings *; and that though he might have verses as plenty as blackberries, he should not give them "on compulsion." He has, however, now been silent so long, notwithstanding the encouragement to woo the Muse which the accession of a Queen to the throne of England might be sup- posed to offer him, that his admirers will begin to fear lest his " right hand should have lost its cunning." THE MISTRESS OF THE ROBES. The place of Mistress of the Robes was formerly, during the reign of a female Sovereign, held conjointly with that somewhat in- congruous office for a lady, the Groom of the Stole.f * The Poet Laureate was formerly expected to prepare a given quantity of "long and shorts," fashioned into the shape of an ode, upon every im- portant event ; and invariably on the natal day of the Sovereign, to fur- nish a Birth-day Ode. This was set to music by the Court Composer for the time, and performed at the Drawing Room. The public were formerly admitted to the antechamber on these occasions ; but an abuse of this privilege led to its abolition some years since. The Birtb-day Ode has now been discontinued for some time. Gibbon, in bis " Decline and Fall/ did bis best to hasten its abolition. " The title of Poet Laureate," said he, " which custom rather than vanity perpetuates in the English Court, was first invented by the Cfesars of Germany. From Augustus to Louis, the Muse has been too often false and venal ; but I much doubt whether any age or Court can produce a similar establishment of a stipendiary Poet, who, in every reign, and at all events, is bound to furnish twice a-year, a measiu-e of praise and verse, such as I believe may be sung in the Chapel and in the presence of the Sovereign. I speak the more freely, as the best time for abolishing this ridiculous custom is while the Prince is a man of virtue, and the Poet a man of genius." f The " Stole" is a narrow vest of the same cloth of tissue as the super-tunic, lined with crimson sarcenet, and was formerly embroidered 346 THE MISTRESS OF THE ROBES. Sarah, Ducliess of Marlborough, held both these offices in the reign of Queen Anne ; so did also Elizabeth, Duchess of Somerset. The celebrated Henrietta, Countess of Suffolk, who was in 1734 appointed Mistress of the Robes and Groom of the Stole, with a salary of 800/. per annum, to Caroline, Queen of George II, left the following memorandum of the Ceremonies observed at the Coro- nation of Queen Caroline, Avhich is supposed to have been drawn up to serve as a guide at the Coronation of Queen Charlotte, and which illustrates some of the more important duties of this high office. " At the late Queen's Coronation the Duchess of Dorset was Mistress of the Robes ; but Mrs. Howard, Bed-chamber Woman, having had all things belonging to that office for many years under her care, received her Majesty's commands to provide every thing proper for her Majesty's dress for the Coronation, and to inquire into all particulars necessary for the Queen to know. " Upon inquiry into the different offices, she received information that the Mistress of the Robes was the only person in whose name demands were to be made, and all answers were to be directed to Iter ; upon which Mrs. Howard told this to the Duchess of Dorset, who desired her to write in her (the Duchess's) name, and to receive all answers. All that follows may be taken as done by the Mistress of the Robes. Upon inquiry where her Majesty should be dressed, it was answered at Westminster. Immediately the Earl Marshal delivered up a room of his, very convenient for the purpose, and on the morning before the Coronation, all her with eagle roses, fleurs de lis, and crowns. Henry VI. is said to have been arrayed, at the time of his coronation, as a Bishop that should sing mass, with a dalmatic like a tunic, and a stole about his neck. — Taylor—" Glory of Regality," p. 81. Bishop Goodman, in his "Court of King James," (vol. i. p. 390,) says, " The Groom of the Stole is an officer which hath the best diet in the Court, drest in the King's own kitchen, in the best manner ; and the King did usually reconnnend guests to that table, especially such as were to he employed in the King's most private occasions." THE MISTRESS OF THE ROBES. 347 Majesty's robes and jewels were carried to that room under a guard. The Page of the Robes stayed there all night with a proper guard, which was asked of the officer on duty there. " By particular orders there was a small handkerchief provided. The night before the Coronation, the Queen's order to all her servants, except the Bed-chamber Woman, was to be at West- minster in the places assigned them, at the hour appointed for their summons ; and at a little after seven o'clock the next morn- ing, her Majesty, being in an undress, but every thing new, went into her chair, (not a state one,) with the curtains drawn ; her Lord Chamberlain in a hackney chair before her Majesty, and Mrs, Howard in hers behind, and particular care was taken that it should not be suspected when her Majesty passed the park. As soon as her Majesty got to Westminster, Mrs. Howard dressed her, assisted only by those who belonged to the office. Mrs. Her- bert, the other Bed-chamber Woman, came in, but being in her full dress could not assist. As soon as the Queen came into the room where the Peeresses were assembled, from that time the Duchess of Dorset assisted as Mistress of the Robes. She walked alone immediately after the Queen ; and when the service of the church was over, and the Queen was to be crowned and anointed, the four ladies were called to the pall, and the Mistress of the Robes then advanced on the right side of the pall, the Bed- chamber Woman on the left, to be ready to take off the circle and open the Queen's tucker, that the Bishop might crown and anoint her Majesty, and to be ready to close the tucker, and pin on the Crown. " There is a little handkerchief, which the Bed-chamber Woman in waiting gives to the Mistress of the Robes, to wipe off any oil that might fall upon the face. The Queen retires into St. Ed- ward's Chapel to offer her Crown, and then the Mistress of the Robe, assisted by the Chamber Woman, pin on the fine Crown appointed for her Majesty. " After dinner the Queen retired into the room in which she had been dressed, and there was undressed, and every thing was left 348 FIRST LADY OF THE BED-CHAMBER. tliere for tliat night, guarded as tliey had been the night before. Her Majesty went back to St. James's in private."* The salary of the Mistress of the Robes is 500/. per annum. FIRST LADY OF THE BED-CHAMBER. This office may be considered somewhat analogous to the lately abolished f appointment of Groom of the Stole, who, in the House- hold of the King, was First Lord of the Bed-chamber, and wore a o-old key as his emblem of office, and by virtue of his office had the custody of the long robe, or vestment, worn by the King on solemn occasions. He had the direction of all things relating to the King's Bed-chamber ; and Beatson tells us, " it Avas his office to present or put on the King's suit every morning, which was done in his absence by one of the Lords of the Bed- chamber." There is however one important difference between the offices : the Groom of the Stole had a salary of 2150/. per annum ; the First Lady of the Bed-chamber has but 500/. J * « Suffolk Corresp." vol. i. p. 262—5. + " Report from a Select Committee on the Civil List/' p. 5. + The Title of First Lord of the Bed-chamber is, comparatively speak- im, of recent date. The Duke of Lauderdale, who held the office in the reign of Charles II, was styled First Gentleman, and so was the Duke of Hamilton in the reign of George I. The same Officer at the French Court was in like manner designated " Premier Gentilhomme." In Mad. Campan's interesting " Memoirs of Marie Antoinette," (vol. i. p. 287,) we find some curious illustrations of the duties attached to the various classes of attendants in the department of the Bed-chamber of the Queen of France. Barriere tells us in his Introduction to the " Memoires du Comte de Brienne," (vol. i. p. 89,) that in the time of Louis XIV. the Fakts de Garde-Robe could claim the privilege of lacing the Queen's stays. THE MAIDS OF HONOUR. 349 THE MAIDS OP HONOUR. In the Wardrobe Account of Edward I. we have some account of the Queen's Houseliold ; three of her Ladies of the Bed-chamber (Domince) are named, Lady Jane de Funtaynes, Lady Vaux, and Lady Ida de Saux. Four other Ladies, or Maids of Honour, are also named in the same document ; the majority of them being foreigners who had most probably accompanied her Majesty from France. The following Copy of an Order issued by Henry VIII, for the daily provision of one of the Ladies of Honour to Catherine of Arragon, while it sets forth the privileges of the office at that time, serves also to illustrate very strikingly the manners of that age. " We will and command you to allow daily from henceforth unto our right dear and well-beloved the Lady Lucy, into her chamber, the diet and fare hereafter ensuing. "First, every morning at breakfast one chine of beef at our kitchen, one chete loaf, and one manchet at our pantry bar, and a gallon of ale at our buttry bar. " Item, at dinner, a piece of beef, a stroke of roast, and a re- ward, at our said kitchen, a cast of chete bread at our pantry bar, and a gallon of ale at our buttery bar. " Item, at afternoon a manchet of bread at our pantry bar, and half a gallon of ale at our buttery bar. " Item, at supper, a mess of porridge, a piece of mutton, and a reward at our said kitchen, a cast of chete bread at our pantry bar, and half a gallon of ale at our buttery.* * "■ The Maids of Honour belonging to the Queen's Household have lately presented a petition to the Lord Steward requesting that they may be allowed a compensation in lieu of suppers, they being seldom at home. Her Majesty, having been acquainted therewith, has ordered an addition of 70/. per annum to their salaries, which is to take place the first of next month."—" Westminster Mag. Aug. 1775," p. 450. 350 THE MAIDS OF HONOUR. '* Item, at after supper, a chete loaf and a manclict at our pan- try bar, and half a gallon of wine at our cellar bar. " Item, every morning at our woodyard, four tallsliyds, and two faggots. " Item, at our chandlery bar, in winter, every night one prichet, and four sises of wax, with eight candles, white lights and one torch. '* Item, at our pitcher house, six white cups. " Item, at every time of our moving one whole cart for the carriage of her stuff." In the " Ordinances for the government of the Queen''s House- hold," issued in the reign of Charles I, the Maids of Honour are desired " to come into the Presence Chamber, before eleven of the clock and to go to prayers, and after prayers to attend until the Queen be set at dinner ; and again at two o'clock to return into the said chamber, and there to remain until supper time : and when they shall be retired into their chamber, they admit of no man to come there, and that they go not, at any time, out of the Court without leave asked of the Lord Chamberlain, Vice-Chamberlain, or of Her Majesty. " And that the Mother of the Maids see all these orders con- cerning the Maids duly observed, as she will answer the contrary ; and if she shall find any refractoriness in those that should obey, that she acquaint the Lord Chamberlain therewith." The Maids of Honour,* whose attendance upon the Sovereign is regulated by a Roll, di'awn up at the commencement of each year, are now reduced to eight in number, with a salary of 300/. per annum. * The appointment of Maid of Honour has not been recognized at the French Court, since the time of Louis Quatorze. Voltaire, in his '^ Siecle de Louis XIV," chap, xxvi., relates the circumstance which led to the substitution of twelve Dames de Palais for the Filles cVhonneur who had before gi'aced the Court of the Queen. WOMEN OF THE BED-CHAMBER. 351 THE BED-CHAMBER WOMEN. In the correspondence of Henrietta Countess of Suffolk, (vol. i. p. 292,) we find the following curious illustration of the duties of this department: " The Bed-chamber women came into waiting before the Queen's prayers, which was before the Queen was dressed. The Queen often shifted in a morning ; if her Majesty shifted at noon, the Bed-cham- ber Lady being by, the Bed-chamber Woman gave the shift to the lady without any ceremony, and the lady put it on. Sometimes, likewise, the Bed-chamber Woman gave the fan to the lady in the same manner ; and this was all that the Bed-chamber Lady did about the Queen at her dressing. " When the Queen washed her hands, the Page of the Back-stairs brought and set down upon the side-table the basin and ewer ; then the Bed-chamber Woman set it before the Queen, and knelt on the other side of the table over against the Queen, the Bed- chamber Lady only looking-on. The Bed-chamber Woman poured the Avater out of the ewer upon the Queen's hands. " The Bed-chamber Woman pulled on the Queen's gloves when she could not do it herself. The Page of the Back-stairs was called in to put on the Queen's shoes. When the Queen dined in pub- lic, the Page reached the glass to the Bed-chamber Woman, and she to the Lady in waiting. The Bed-chamber Woman brought the chocolate, and gave it without kneeling. In general the Bed- chamber Woman had no dependance on the Lady of the Bed- chamber." The Bed-chamber Women are now seven in number, and their salary and attendance similar to those of the Maids of Honour. 352 THE BAND OF GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS, FORMERLY STYLED GENTLEMEN PENSIONERS. The Establishment of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, or Gentlemen-at-Anns, * as this portion of the Body Guard of the Sovereign is now styled, took place in the first year of the reign of King Henry VIII. (1509), previous to his Coronation, at the instance, as it is said, of Sir William Compton. His father had instituted at his Coronation in 1485, a body of fifty archers, under the title of Yeomen of the Guard ; but the young and spirited Henry VIII. was too high-minded to be contented with an escort of Yeomen, and therefore, delighted at a proposal so agreeable and flattering to his love of splendour, determined at once upon the establishment of this new and sumptuous troop of Gentlemen to attend his person and service. They were originally denominated " Spears," and at first so splendidly equipped and ftirnished, that it is said by some writers they were speedily disbanded on account of the expense, and not revived until 1589, on the occasion of Henry's marriage with Anne of Cleeves. This is not the case, however, though there is reason to believe that their pay was lessened and their retinue reduced, shortly perhaps after their first establishment ; for, in the statutes made at Eltham in 1526, for the government of the Household, we find the corps complete and fully officered, and (for the first time that we have good authority to call it so,) under the title which it so long retained of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. About this period it is presumed that the battle-axe first formed part of their equipments, as they now began to appear on foot at Court, as -well as on horseback in the field ; and it is supposed, in the re-modelling of the Band, the example of foreign countries was * This alteration in the designation of the Band took place by com- mand of his late Majesty. THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 353 kept in view, as it had been at their first establishment, and that the battle-axe was adopted from the Bees de Corbin, borne by some of the most ancient Household troops in France, and who were sometimes designated Gentils-hommes du Bee de Corbin, * as the Gentlemen Pensioners were frequently designated Gentlemen of the Axe. It does not consist with the limits of the present work to trace all the modifications which this branch of the Royal Household has undergone since the time of its establishment until the present day ; yet, as its state and splendour have increased or diminished with that of the Court for the time being, pome brief notice of the principal changes it has undergone, may serve to illustrate the his- tory of Regal State in this country, in illustrating that of the honour- able Corps which we are now considering. No very material alteration took place in the circumstances of the Band during the reign of Edward VI. and Queen Mary ; but in the latter, in the year 155S, they were, perhaps, of more real and essential use, in a military point of view, than at any other period since their establishment ; for, on the insurrection of Sir Thomas Wyat, they were very active in defending the Palace at Whitehall, which was beset by a party of the rebels from Westmin- * Les Gentils-hommes du Bee de Corbin were long regarded as the principal and most honourable guard of the King, being styled La Grande Garde de Corps. They were expressly instituted as such by Louis XL in 1474, and consisted, originally, of one hundred Gentlemen of rank and conse- quence, under the command of a Captain, a Lieutenant, and an Ensign. Each of these gentlemen was armed with a lance and attended by a man of arms and two archers, and as they were for the most part formed from the gentlemen of the King's Household or Pensioners — Gentils-hommes de son Hotel ou Pensionaires — the troop was called The Company of the Hundred Gentlemen of the King's Household, appointed for the guard of his person. — La Compagnie de Cent Gentils-hommes de la Maison du Roy ordonnes pour la garde de son corps. Pegge, " Curialia," part XII. page 16. ''1 \ 354 THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. ster, as we learn on tlie authority of Edward Underbill, one of the Band, who was present on the occasion. After marching up and down in front of the Palace, to keep off the rebels, for the space of an hour, news was brought that Wyat was taken. " Anon after," says Underhill, " the Guard of Pensioners were all brought into the Queen's presence, and every one kissed her hand ; of whom they had great thanks and large promises, how good she would be unto them ; but few or none of us got anything, although she was very liberal to many others that were enemies to God's Word, as few of us were." Elizabeth, who inherited her father's love of state and magnifi- cence, paid great attention to the constitution of this branch of her Body Guard, as is shown by the following account, given by Gervase Holies, kinsman of John Earl of Clare, who, Avhen Sir John Holies, had been in the Band : " I have heard the Earl of Clare say, that when he wasPensionerto the Queen, he did not know a worse man of the whole band than himself ; and that all the world knew he had then an inheritance of 4000/. a-year. It was the constant custom of the Queen," continues Mr. Holies, "to call out of all counties in the kingdom the Gentlemen of the greatest hopes and the best fortune and families, and with those to fill the more honourable places of her Household Servants, by which she honoured them, obliged their kindred and alliance, and fortified herself." * Notwithstanding the latitude of quarterly waiting, which had been obtained as an indulgence for the Band, towards the end of Henry the Vlllth's time, by Sir Anthony Browne, the whole body were frequently in attendance on Elizabeth, both at Court and in her progresses. Their appearance, which at all times was extremely splendid, was most particularly so, when the Queen ho- noured Henry Lord Hunsdon, her kinsman, and Captain of the Band, with a visit at Hunsdon House, in Hertfordshire, in the year 1588. | * Collins, " Historical Collections of the Families of Cavendish, Holies, See." — andPegge, " Curialia," part ii. p. 59. t A painting of this procession, made by command of Lord Hunsdon THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 355- It was probably in consideration of the constant services wliicli she exacted from this Band, who may be said to have reached their zenith during her reign, that she was induced to give them a table when on duty — a privilege which they never enjoyed before, and which in the following reign appears to have been commuted for an equivalent in board wages ; for, in the State Paper Office there exists an order on the Exchequer, signed by the King, James I. in the year 1616, for an " imprest of six thousand pounds, for wages and board wages then due to the Officers and the Band in general." The state of the Band at James's accession cannot be better described than in the celebrated letter which Lord Hunsdon the Captain addressed to the King upon that occasion, and which is, therefore, here reprinted. * The palmy state of things described in this epistle was not doomed to a long continuance ; for inconsi- derable persons, nominated by favourites, or introduced by money, gradually filled all the vacant offices of the Court, to the exclusion of the better sort of gentry. We have few particulars of the Band during the reign of Charles I. Their number appears to have been fifty, as heretofore ; and, on the occasion of the King''s triumphal entry into London, after his return from Scotland in 1641, he was escorted, among other royal attendants, by the Earl of Salisbury, Captain of the Pensioners, followed by the Gentlemen Pensioners, with their pole- axes, all mounted, with pistols at their saddles ; and, in the fol- lowing year, when he was at Oxford, and had reason to fear assassi- nation, it was commanded, that " as often as his Majesty did ride abroad, the Captain of his Majesty's Guard, (that is of the Yeomen,) the Lieutenant of the Pensioners and four of the Pensioners, should himself, is still in existence, fi'om which Vertue made an engraving for the Society of Antiquaries ; and, it is said, that the Dresses presented to the Band by George IV. on the occasion of his Coronation, were copied from the costumes exhibited in this picture. * Vide Appendix. 2 A 2 356 THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. ride continually near his Majesty's person, and suffer none of mean condition or unknown to them to come near his Majesty," Whether the Band of Pensioners was dismissed in form, at the time of the Protectorate, or merely dissolved by the accidents of the times, does not appear. Cromweirs Body Guard, which con- sisted of 140 horse, supplied their place during the Commonwealth. At the Restoration, such of the old Band, as were living, appear voluntarily to have attended, deeming themselves, it is presumed, rather suspended than dismissed. They were soon, however, regu- larly re-embodied ; and, in the following July, when Charles dined at the Guildhall in the city, they went on foot on each side of the King's coach with pistols in their hands. It was in this reign, namely — in the year 1670 — that the number of the Band was re- duced from fifty, of which it originally consisted, to forty, as at present ; at which time, also, the salaries of the Officers and Gen- tlemen were fixed at their present rate. The Band has, ever since this period, existed merely as a guard of the Sovereign's person, within the verge of the Court, or on State Ceremonials, and as such, rather as an appendage to the Royal State than as a military body ; nevertheless, in the year 1745, when the rebellion had determined the King to set up his standard at Finchley Common, the following order, for each Gentleman to accompany the Royal Standard, was sent to the Clerk of the Cheque, by Sir William Wynne, the then Lieutenant : — ,,o "December .5, 1745. ftlR, " The rebels having advanced to Derby, the King has signified his intention to set up his standard on Finchley Common. You are, therefore, commanded to acquaint the Gentlemen of the Band to be in readiness with their servants, horses, and arms, to attend his Majesty there. " I am, sir, your friend and humble servant, " WiLLAM WyNNK." " To George Turner, Esq. Clerk of the Cheque to his Majesty's Band of Gentlemen Pensioners." THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 357 The year 1782 tlircatenetl to make great alterations in the con- stitution of this body. Mr. Burke, on bringing in his bill for the Reform of the Royal Household, proposed that no post under the command of the Captain of the Band should be sold, but be sup- plied thereafter by Officers of the Army or Navy upon half-pay of a certain standing ; the clause was, however, eventually omitted, as fraught with injustice to parties, who had given from one to six thousand pounds for their appointments. The Gentlemen Pensioners are now styled Esquires, in their warrants of appointment, which puts them upon a par with Captains in the Army, although they have no military rank. How long they have been so styled does not appear ; but in the several proclama- tions whereby Thomas Percy, one of this Band, was declared a traitor, for his participation in the Gunpowder Plot, he is in- variably described as Thomas Percy, Gentleman. The uniform now worn is certainly military, and very similar to that of the Foot Guards ; but at what period the uniform of the Band began to be assimilated with the prevailing costume of the day does not appear, though most probably at the Restoration.* At the Coronation of George IV, however, the Band wore a scarlet dress, slashed with blue, and covered with innumerable gold buttons, spread like lace over every part of the habit ; red silk * " There seems generally to have been a conformity of dress, at least in the outward garment of the Band ; thus at the siege of Boulogne, the Pensioners were habited alike;, and again at the coronation of King Ed- ward the Sixth, — though at one of the musters in his reign they appeared variously dressed and ornamented. We find their habit restored to uniformity in the reign of Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, after which we have no view of it till we come very near our own times. Thus, in the order for new clothes on the birth-day of George I. (May 28, 1726) we find the Band ordered to wear scarlet stockings ; in the next reign (a.d. 1751) these were exchanged for light grey stockings, the order further prescribing brigadier perukes and buckskin gloves." — Pegge, " Curialia," part ii. p. 99. 358 THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. stockings, wliite shoes, with red and black roses, Avhite gloves, and a black hat, Avith red and black feathers. Each of these splendid dresses, which were presented to the Gentlemen of the Band upon this occasion, is said to have cost two hundred pounds. The duty of the Band now consists in attending every Levee and Drawing-room in the Presence Chamber, where they stand to their arms when any of the Royal Family pass. They keep the pass in the room where the Sovereign receives an address on the throne, and also in the interior approach to the House of Peers, when the Sovereign goes thither. On all such occasions they are covered, en militaire. On the demise of the Crown, or on the death of a Queen-Con- sort, the Band of Pensioners attend the funeral, and flank the canopy ; and at Coronations, the Band have a prescriptive right to carry up the royal dinner without exhibiting any claims. They have the further honour of carrying up the second course at St. George's Feast.* In reward for such services on Coronations, the Sovereign has of late years usually confen'ed the honour of Knighthood on some of the Officers, or Gentlemen of the Band, ordering the customary fees to be paid at the Treasury ; and on Installations, the King often confers the same honour, but does not carry the compliment so far as to discharge the fees. It remains to be added, that the appointments to the Band of Gentlemen-at-Arms are obtained by purchase, subject however * " This, which was formerly an annual solemnity of the first magni- tude, (exclusive of festivals purely religious,) is not now observed except as a Collar Day, wiaen the 23rd of April (St. George's Day) falls on a Sunday ; unless we may be allowed by transposition to call that day St. George's Feast, when there is an Installation of Knights of the Garter at Windsor, on which occasion likewise, if the King be present, the Gen- tlemen Pensioners now perfomi the office of carrying up the second course." Pegge, "Curalia," part ii. p. 105. THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 359 to tlie approval of the ('aptain ; and they are sworn by the Clerk of the Cheque, by the Captain's warrant. But it will now be necessary that we say a few words respecting the several Officers of this honourable Band, CAPTAIN OF THE BAND OF GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. The Captain of the Band, on its first formation, was Henry Bouchier, Earl of Essex, a near relative of the Sovereign, his mo- ther being Anne Woodville, sister to Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen of Edward IV, and the grandmother of Henry VIII ; and the salary attached to the office in 1526, the time when the statutes at Eltliam were issued, appears to have been 200 marks — there not appearing to have been any at the original establishment. Sir Anthony Browne then held the post. Formerly the Captain had not any oath of office administered to him, but after he was nominated by the King, he took possession of the post with a little ceremonial, Avliich at once notified the Sovereign's pleasure, and carried dignity with it in the eyes of the Court and of the public ; and which is thus described by Thomas Stapley, Esq., who was Clerk of the Cheque to the Band in the reign of Charles I. Mr. Stapley speaks in the third person as fol- lows :* — " The Captain of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners never used to take any oath ; for he (Stapley) knew five Captains of the said Band, viz. Henry Lord Hunsdon, George Lord Hunsdon, the Earl of Northumberland, Thomas Earl of Suffolk, and Theo- philus Lord Walden ; yet he never knew, nor heard, that any of the said Captains were sworn, but their manner was when the Queen or King gave any of them the place of Captain, to send for the Clerk of the Cheque, and call for a roll, and such of the Band as were in quarter, to acquaint them with the King's pleasure to make him Captain. Whereupon the next Sunday following, such of the Gentlemen as were in town, attended the Captain from his lodging * Pegge, " Curialia," part ii. p. 126, 127. 360 THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. to the Presence Chamber, whereby notice was taken that the King had bestowed the place of Captain upon him." The Captain is now sworn into his post by the Lord Chamberlain in person, by virtue of the King''s warrant ; and bears as an ensign of office an Ebony Staff with a gold head, in the form of a cane, which he receives from the Sovereign without any other commis- sion, and which he surrenders likewise to the Sovereign on the resignation of his post. It is not known at what precise time this badge was first adopted, but in a plate of the Procession of the Knights of the Garter, 1671, in Ashmole's History of the Order, the Captain is placed at the head of the Band with a similar baton. LIEUTENANT OF THE KAND OF GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. The first Lieutenant of the Band was Sir John Peachy, with an allowance for wages and the support of his servants of six shillings a day. The Statutes of Eltham, which fixed the salary of the Cap- tain at 200 marks, established that of the Lieutenant, then Sir Ralph Fane, at 100.* We meet no further particulars of the salary of this officer until the reign of Charles II, when, upon the reduction of the number of the Gentlemen from fifty to forty, an increase was made to the salaries of the Officers, and that of the Lieutenant was fixed at its present sum of 500/. per annum. The Lieutenant carries as the Badge of his Office, a Staff of Ebony, similar to the Captain"'s, but with a silver head, which he receives from the King as an investiture in his office, after which he is sworn by the Clerk of the Cheque, in consequence of a war- rant from the Captain. * Pegge, in his " Curialia," part ii. p. 21, states one hundred pounds, but this is clearly a mistake, as may be seen by reference to tlie Statutes tliemselves, printed in the " Ordinances for Government of the Royal Household." 4to. 1790. p. 168. THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. 361 STANDARD BEARER.* The earliest mention of this Officer appears in the Statutes of Eltham, when the situation was hekl by Edward Dillingham, with a salary of 100 marks, which was increased in the reign of Charles II, at the reduction of the numbers of the Band, to 310/. per annum, at which it is now rated. The Standard Bearer carries a silver-headed Ebony Staff, similar to the Lieutenant's, which he likewise receives from the Sovereign, as his investiture in Office : after which he is sworn by the Clerk of the Cheque, in consequence of a warrant from the Captain. Though the Band have noAv no Standard, it is obvious from this Officer having been added to the establishment after its original formation, that such was not the case formerly. Indeed, there is reason to suppose that in the reign of Edward VI. there were two Standards, and this supposition is confirmed by a state- ment of Chamberlayne, who, in his " Anglise Notitia" for the year 1672, expressly says that the Standard was St. George's Cross, and likewise four bends, but without giving the colour of the field or of the charge. CLERK OF THE CHEQUE OF THE BAND OF THE GENTLEMEN- AT-ARMS. The Clerk of the Cheque, which is one of the additional offices which first appear in the Statutes at Eltham, when it was held by William Birch, was formerly an office entailing considerable trouble, and requiring constant attendance, on which account the * The corresponding Officer of the Yeomen of the Guard is styled " Ensign/' which arises from the French distinction, where the term Cornet or Standard Bearer has always been applied to the Horse, and that of Ensign to the Foot, as we now use them. See Pere Daniel, " Histoire de la Milice Fran9oise," torn. ii. p. 64. 262 THE GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. salary was fixed at forty pounds per annum, Avhicli was at that time considered a large sum. His duty was tlien, as now, to keep tlie cheque ; and in the article issued by Elizabeth, for the regu- lation of this body, he is by himself, or such deputy as shall be thought sufficient, to attend " every daye on the Queen's Grace's Chamber of Presence, by n}Tie of the clock before noon, to receive the appearance of the said Gentlemen, Sec."" The Clerk of the Cheque wears an officer's uniform, and has likewise an Ebony Staff, inferiorly ornamented on the head, (being partly silver and partly ivory,) which was first allowed by the Duke of Montagu, when Captain, in 1737, as appears from the following memorandum in the Order book : Deer. 7th, 1737. " His Grace the Duke of Montagu, was pleased to give a staflf to George Turner, Esq. Clerk of the Cheque, and direct him to carry the same whenever he attended on His Majesty, in the Presence Chamber." The Clerk of the Cheque is sworn by the Captain, and re- ceives the staff from him, and not from the King.* HARBINGER OF THE JJAXD OF GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS. The appointment of this office, which first appears in the oft- mentioned Statutes of Eltham, when it was held by John More, at a salary of eighteen pounds a year, is one of the highest marks of honour ever conferred on the band, as we learn from Lord Hunsdon's letter, that he had the rank of a Gentleman Harbinger. The peculiar duty of this Officer, is to provide for the proper accommodation of the Band, when the Court moves in progresses, &c. as the Knight Harbinger, formerly provided for the accom- modation of the King and Royal Family ; the Gentleman Har- binger for the Great Officers of State, and the Yeoman Harbinger for the rest of the retinue.-|- * Pegge, " Curialia;' part ii. p. 100. f Ibid. pp. 21. 98. THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. 363 MESSENGER AND AXE-KEEPER.* There is also anotlicr office of late date, viz. tlic consolidated one of Messenger and Axe-keeper. The Messenger is the ostensi- ble office, and in the Captain's disposal. The post of Axe-keeper, which seems, however, rather to be a revival than a new appoint- ment, is understood to pass with it, though not expressed in the Messenger''s warrant. THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. The Corps of the Yeomen of the Guard j- was raised by Henry VII. at his Coronation in 1485, upon the pretext of giving additional splendour to that ceremony, but in reality for the greater security of his person, " the Crown upon the King's head," as Lord Verulam expresses it, " having put perils into his thoughts." *' Wherefore," says Hall, the chronicler, " for the safeguard and preservation of his own body, he constituted and ordained a certain number, as well of good archers, as of divers other persons, being hardy, strong, and of agility, to give daily attendance on his person, whom he named Yeomen of his (iarde ; which precedent men thought, that he learned of the French King, when he was in * Pegge, " Curialia/' p. 98. t This term. Yeomen, was chosen, no doubt, with reference botli to their natural rank in society, for tliey were to be composed of persons next below the order of Gentry, and to the classification of officers in the Royal Household, almost every branch of which was formerly divided into Ser- jeants, Gentlemen, and Yeomen. Fidler in his " Holy and Profane State," ch. xviii. quaintly says, " a Yeoman is a Gentleman in the Ore, whom the next generation may see refined." 364 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. France ; for men remember not any King of England before that time, which used such a furniture of daily soldiers." The French model here alluded to was, " la petite Garde de Corps," formed by Louis XI. in 1475 (only ten years before) by separating from the Bees de Corbhi, or Hundred Gentlemen, the two archers by which each of these were attended, and erecting them into a distinct corps. That Henry might have received from this corps the idea of establishing a similar one in England, is highly probable ; and he might be confirmed in his inclination to do so, by the knowledge that a somewhat similar corps had formed part of the Royal Retinue in preceding reigns.* In the reign of the first founder, the number of the Yeomen of the Guard is said to have been limited to fifty ; but it seems soon after the accession of Henry VIII. to have increased to two hun- dred, of which number one hundred were to have horses.f The first instance of their talcing an active part in the military operations of the time, was at the siege of Terouenne in 1513, * These are styled, in Edward I V.'s Black Book of the Household, Yeomen of the Crown, and it is there said of them, — " In the noble Edward's Statutes these were called the xxiiii arckers a pie curraunts en- chkrmcnt devaunt le Roy per payes pur gard corps du Roy. These were called the King's Watchemen. At those dayes a Yeoman toke hut xs. for his gown, and iiiis. viiir/. for his hosen and shoone." In the same volume of Ordinances of the Royal Household, we have one of the Household of Edward III, in which they are spoken of as " Yeomen of Howsholde." f The figure of a Yeoman of the Guard on Horseback, with the rose on his breast and a bow in his hand, may be seen in the plate, represent- ing the interview between Francis I. and Henry VIII. in Montfau90n. Another print, representing one of them on horseback, armed with the carbine, which took place afterwards, w^hen small fire arms came into use, has been re-engraved by Grose, in his " History of the English Ai-my," from one in the " Diversarum Gentium Armatura Equestris." Anist. 1617. THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. 365 when, according to Hall the Chronicler, the King was attended by a great number of noblemen, and " six hundred Archers of his Guard, all in white gaberdines and caps." They were also era- ployed during this reign in attaching the unfortunate victims of Henry's jealous policy. In the case of Stafford, Duke of Buck- ingham, we are told, he was first put into the hands of Sir Henry Marney, Captain of the King's Guard ; and afterwards, when in his barge, going from Westminster towards London, he was met by an hundred Yeomen of the King's Guard, who, to use Hall's words, " without abode boarded the Duke's barge, and him in the King's name attached." And again, with regard to Wolsey, after he was arrested, and placed in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Steward of the Household, the King sent Sir William Kingston, Captain of the Guard, to fetch him from Sheffield to the Tower, and " when the Cardinal saw the Captain of the Guard, he was sore astonished, for then he perceived great trouble toward him."* In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, we find the number of the Yeomen in ordinary fixed at two hundred, and that of the extra Yeomen one hundred and seven ; and the earliest instance of the Yeomen of the Guard carrying up the Royal dinner occurs in this reign. Hentzner, who saw Elizabeth dine in public, in the year 1598, tells us that the dinner was served by the Yeomen of the Guard, bareheaded, ■\ clothed in scarlet, with a golden rose on their backs. * It is related, that one cause of Wolsey's troubles was his having been warned to beware of Kingston, which till then he had interpreted to mean the town of Kingston, in Surrey, on which account he always avoided passing through it on his way from Esher to London. Howard, " Defensative against Prophecies." ■\ " That they should appear bare-headed on such occasions, does not strike one at first, as the Queen was not only served, but even spoke to, kneeling : neither should I have mentioned this particular circumstance, S66 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. While on the subject of this part of the duty of the Yeomen, which consists of carrying up the dishes to the Sovereign's table, and which continues to be a branch of their duty to this day, it will be well to give some account of the origin of their popular name of " Beef-eaters." Some have imputed this to their well-fed appearance, others have derived it from the Buffetiers of the French, but with as little reason, seeing that they have never had aught to do with the ancient cupboard, or more modern Beaufet, which has always been under the charge of a Gentleman Usher, Esquire of the body, or some other Officer of superior rank. The fact seems to be, that it has its origin in a visit paid to the Abbot of Reading, by our bluff Harry, in the character and habit of a Yeoman of the Guard, a character which, to judge by his looks, he was well calculated to support to the life. The story is told by Fuller, * and is to the following effect : The King being hunting in that neighbourhood, disguised him- self as one of his Yeomen, and in a frolic, paid a visit to the Abbot about dinner time. The personal bulk of the King could well enable him to support the character. The Abbot finding it neces- sary (perhaps through fear) to be civil to such a guest, invited the supposed Yeoman to dine at his own table, where was a large piece of beef, of which the King, hungry from the chase, ate rather voraciously. Upon observing this the Abbot cried out, " Well fare thy heart ! and here, in a cup of sack, I remember the health of his Grace. I would give an hundred pounds, on the condition I could feed so heartily on beef as you do. Alas ! my weak squeamish stomach will hardly digest the wing of a small rabbit, or but that at present the Yeomen never take off their caps in tlie Royal Presence;, nor even should the King speak to them. The same etiquette is observed by the coachmen and footmen, when they wear their caps of honour : though both these and the Yeomen touch them en militaire." Pegge, "Curialia," pt. in. 31. * " Church History," Book VI. THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. 367 chicken." Tlie King (or rather the Beef-eater) took his leave, and in a few weeks after, the Abbot was committed close prisoner to the Tower, and fed for a short time on bread and water ; at length a piece of beef was set before him, for which the Abbot did not then want a competent inclination, and while he was thus regaling him- self, the King came intentionally into the apartment, in propria persona, and demanded the 100/. for having restored to the Abbot, his lost appetite for roast beef. The Abbot might, perhaps, think the remedy severe, and the physician's fee rather large ; but Dr. Fuller vouches the truth of the story, and says the money was paid before he had his release, after which it is natural enough to conceive that the Abbot henceforth would never see any of the Yeomen of the Guard, without annexing to him the idea of a Beef- eater ; and the story, when circulated, might very fairly entail that nic-name upon them. But to return to the Yeomen of the Guard. In the reign of James I. they are found at two hundred in number, and it was not until the regulations made by Charles II. in 1668, that th^r number was really fixed at any settled standard ; at this time it was fixed at one hundred, at which it now remains.* Six of these are called Yeomen Hangers, and two Yeomen Bedgoers ; the busi- ness of the former being to place, and displace, the tapestry in the Royal apartments, when the King removed from one Palace to another ; that of the latter being, on such removals, or in Royal progresses, to take the charge of the beds on the roads, and the care of putting them up and taking them down. When George II. went to Hanover to take the command of the army in the year 1743, the six Yeomen Hangers and two Yeomen Bedgoers were called to this duty, and had the care of all the * The number of the Wardens of the Tower, which, having been ori- ginally forty, was afterwards decreased to twenty-four, was increased by William III. in 1689 to thirty, and in the following year further enlarged to forty, which has been the complement ever since. S68 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. Royal baggage, and particularly of the King's camp equipage and bed. The tent was not actually pitched, but Pegge, on the autho- rity of one of these very Yeomen, tells us, that the Hangers and Bedgoers were prepared to have erected the pavilion, to have hanged it properly, and placed the bed. They, however, so far performed their duty, as to put up the King's bed every night on the road ; and at all times when the King halted, took their posts as Yeomen in ordinary, for which last purpose they carried with them their partizans, though, in their other capacities, they were armed with carbines. A Yeoman Usher, and a party of Yeomen, now compose the guard that attends in the Great Chamber on Levee days, and Drawing-room days, their office being to keep the passage clear, that the nobility who frequent the Court, may pass without incon- venience. The Usher is posted at the head of the room, close by the door leading into the Presence Chamber, to whom, when per- sons of a certain distinction enter from the stairs, the lowermost Yeoman, next to the entrance of the Chamber, calls aloud, " Yeo- man Usher !" to apprise him of such approach. To this the Usher makes answer, by audibly crying " Stand by !" to warn all indifferent persons to leave the pass clear. These are called the honours of the Guard Chamber, which are conferred on Peers and Peeresses of the three kingdoms, on Privy Councillors, Knights of the several Orders, on Ambassadors and Charges d'AfFaire, on the Great Officers of State, and on the Captain and Lieutenant of the Band. THE CAPTAIN. From a manuscript in the College of Arms, it appears that so lately as the year 1615, the Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard had no fee or salary from the King, his only allowance being a gown as an official habit, which gown Peck, in his " Desiderata Curiosa," (4to. i. 59,) tells us was of the price of 14/., and there- fore, according to the value of money at that time, must have been THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. 369 richly ornamented. It was for this reason perhaps that, previous to the Restoration, this office was generally combined with one of emolument, such as the Vice Chamberlainship, which post, at the time of making- the Eltham Statutes (1526), carried with it a salary of one hundred marks. In the year 1660, the Captain, instead of a gown, received the more substantial remuneration of a salary of 1000/. per annum, which amount has continued until the present day. The Captain is at present, ex-qfficio, a Member of the Privy Council, being admitted thereof immediately upon his assuming the command. This was not however always so, as Viscount Fenton, who held the Captaincy from the accession of James I. in 1603, until 1617, was not made a Privy Councillor until the year 1609. The Captain, who carries an Ebony Baton, tipped with gold, as his badge of office, like the other Officers of the Corps, wears a military costume. THE LIEUTENANT. The Lieutenant was first added to the list of Officers in 1668, when the establishment was regulated by Charles II, the number of Yeomen being reduced to one hundred. The Honourable Thomas Howard, the second son of the Earl of Suffolk, was the first Lieutenant. The salary was then fixed at its present amount, namely 500/. per annum. The Lieutenant likewise bears a Baton, differing, however, from that of the Captain, in being mounted with silver instead of gold. THE ENSIGN. The Ensign was added to the Corps at the same time with the Lieutenant, the salary being then fixed at its present amount of 300/. per annum. But though such an appointment was then made, and has continued ever since, there does not exist the o B 370 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. smallest evidence that tlie Corps ever possessed either banner or standard. Like the Lieutenant, the Ensign bears an Ebony Baton mounted with silver. THE EXEMPTS, OR EXONS. These four officers, who are styled in their Commissions " Corporals,"* Avere also additions made at the period before referred to. Their name of Exempt is manifestly borrowed from those Officers of the French Garde du Corps, who are styled, in their Commis- sions, Capitaines Exempts des Gardes du Corps. Richelet, in his Dictionary, tells us that the Exempt is an Officer who commands in the absence of the Lieutenant or Ensign, and it is further said that the French Exempt has charge of the night watch. In both cases, the two offices are completely parallel. The Exempt of the Yeomen of the Guard is a resident officer, who sleeps at St. James's, as Commandant of the Yeomen on duty, which no other officer of the Corps does ; and he has, in this manner, a dele- gated authority, which he exercises in the absence of his superior Officer. The appointment of the Exons belongs to the Captain, by whom they are sworn ; and from whom they receive their Batons of office. * The term Corporal, which is said to be derived from the Spanish Caho de Esquadra, (head of a paxty,) as our Comet is from Corneta (a Standard,) was not originally used in its present sense. Thus Holin- shed, speaking of the armament sent by Elizabeth in 1560, to assist the Scots against the French, uses the word " Coi-porals " for Captains : and Stowe, speaking of the naval force fitted out against Portugal in 1588, alluding to five captains of ships, calls them " Corporals of the Squadrons." THE SERJEANTS-AT-ARMS. 371 THE CLERK OF THE CHEQUE. In 1660 tlic pay of this Officer was advanced from twenty, to one hundred and fifty pounds per annum. Hugh Boscawen, Esq. who became Clerk of the Cheque in 1772, was, on the Captain's application to his Majesty, permitted to wear the uniform, and take a post in the Guard Room, or Cireat Chamber, when his Majesty shoukl pass through. Neither he, nor his successor Mr. Gregg, carried a Baton ; but on Mr. Gregg's death in 1787, he was suc- ceeded by Francis Barker, Esq. one of the Exons, who, in con- formity with the Clerk of the Cheque of the Gentlemen Pensioners, was by his Majesty's commands, dated 5tli July 1787, allowed a Baton of office. THE SERJEANTS-AT-ARMS. The Serjeants-at-Arms are the most ancient kind of guard, wait- ing on the person of our Kings ; they commonly walk before the Sovereign, and at a Coronation attend the several bearers of the Regalia. The Serjeants-at-Arms were first instituted by Richard I. in imitation of a Corps, of the same name, formed by Philip Augustus King of France. Their duty, originally, was to watch round the King's tent, in complete armour, with a mace, bow, and arrows, and a sword ; and occasionally to an-est traitors and other offenders about the Court, for which their mace was deemed a sufficient authority. Their number was at first twenty-four, all being persons of good birth ; but in after times they were so much increased as to become a public grievance; and in the reign of Richard II. a statute was passed (13 Rich. II. c. vi.) limiting their number to thirty. In later times the number has been much less : those immediately 2 E 2 372 THE SERJEANTS-AT-ARMS. attached to the Sovereign not having exceeded eight for some years. There was anciently a formal creation of a Serjeant-at-Arms, not unlike that of an Officer-at-Arms. Pegge, Avho has written a Dissertation on this office, (Curialia, part v.) was so fortunate as to meet with an account of this ceremonial in the British Museum ; which, though it bears no date, seems to belong to about the time of James I. or his immediate successors. It runs as follows : " THE CREATION OF A SERJEANT-AT-ARMS. " On a Sermon-day, in his Majesty''s passage to Chapel, his Majesty is pleased to make some stay in the Presence Chamber, and there the Serjeant-at-Arms to be created is presented by the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlain, and the Serjeant falls down on his knees. Then the Senior Serjeant, having the col- lar of S. S., delivers it to the Lord Chamberlain ; and his Lord- ship presents it to his Majesty, Avho is pleased to put it about the neck of the Serjeant-at-Arms. The senior Serjeant likewise de- livers the Mace to the Lord Chamberlain, which his Lordship pre- sents to his Majesty, and his Majesty lays it on the right shoulder of the person to be created, and says, ' Rise up, Serjeant-at-Arms, and Esquire for ever !' " The imposition of this Collar created the party an Esquire, as we have already noticed under that head *; but this creation goes a step further, for when the Serjeant has received his Mace from the King, he is declared to be not only an Esquire by office, (a title which, generally speaking, is lost upon the party quitting such office,) but, what is still more, an Esquire for ever. This ceremonial of creation is now wholly dispensed with, and the office is virtually conferred by patent, though formerly both these forms were necessary. It was said of the Clergy at the time of the Reformation, that they shortened their beards and Icno-thened their sermons ; and it * Vide ante, p. 144. THE DEAN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. 873 has been said in like manner of the Seijeants-at-Arms, that they liave increased the size of their Maces, as their business has lessened. Certain it is, that when they were actively employed in appre- hending and attaching the subjects of the King, all of whom were liable to such arrest, " always excepted the eldest son of the King, and the ladies his daughters," their Maces were of a size to admit of concealment, and, like the constable's staff of modern times, merely an emblem of authority. They are now, however, so un- wieldy as to justify Pegge's remark, that " the Serjeants seem now to carry the whole weight of their ancient armour on their shoulders." The Seijeants-at-Arms are appointed for life, with a salary of 100/. per annum. THE DEAN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. The Dean of the Chapel Royal is chosen by the Sovereign ; and as Dean of the Chapel acknowledges no superior but the Sovereign. For as the King's Palace is exempt from all inferior temporal juris- diction, so is his Chapel from all spiritual ; it is called Capella Dominica, the Domain Chapel ; is not within the jurisdiction or diocese of any Bishop, but as a Royal Peculiar, exempt and re- served to the visitation and immediate government of the Sove- reign, who is Supreme Ordinary, as it were, over all England. It is for this reason, that the appointment has been usually bestowed upon the Bishop of London for the time being. The Dean has the entire government of the Chapel, and the choosing of all the officers thereof; namely of the Sub-Dean and the twenty-six Gentlemen. All Offerings * made by the King or Queen on the twelve prin- * Collar and Offering Dm/s. — " Twelve days in the year, being liigh and principal festivals, his Majesty, after divine service, attended with S74 THE DEAN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. cipal feasts of the year, are distributed amongst the poor by the Dean of the Chapel. The present Sub-Dean is Dr. Sleath, the respected Head Master of St. Paul's School. his principal Nol)ility, adorned with their Collars of the Garter, together with the Heralds, in their rich coats, in a gi-ave solemn manner at the altar, offers a sum of gold to God. " All offerings made at the holy altar by the King and Queen, belong to the Dean of the Chapel, to be distributed amongst the poor. " Those twelve days are Christmas, Easter, Whitsundai/, and All Saints, called Household-dai/s, upon which the Bi/zant, or gold, to be offered, is delivered to the King by the Lord Steward, or some other of the principal Officers : then New Year's Dai/ and Twelfth Dai/, upon the latter of which, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, in several purses, are offered by the King. Lastly, Candlemas, Annunciatioti, Ascensioti, Trinity Sunday, St. John Baptist, and Michaelmas Day, when only gold is offered. Upon Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday, his Majesty usually receives the Holy Sacrament, none but two or three of the principal Bishops, and some of the Royal Family, communicating with him. " The gold offered by the King at the altar, when he receives the sacrament, and upon high festivals, is still called the Byzant, which anciently w^as a piece of gold, supposed to be coined by the Emperors of Constantinople, which city was formerly called Byzantium. That which was used by King James L was a piece of gold, having on the one side the portrait of the King kneeling before an altar, with four Crowns before him, and circumscribed with this motto. Quid retribuam Domino j)ro omnibus quce tribuit mihi? And on the other side was a lamb lying by a lion, with this motto, Cor contritum et humiliatum non despiciet Deus." Chambcrlaine's " Present State of Great Britain," p. 99. In the little volume, entitled " Precedency," published by Edmondson, Mowbray Herald, there is, in addition to an elaborate table of precedency, the form of" Procession to the Chapel Royal in April 1726," drawn up pursuant to an order of the Earl Marshal, and in which fomn the Knights of the Bath are ranecd. 375 THE CLERK OF THE CLOSET. It is the duty of the Clerk of the Closet, or Confessor to the Sovereign, who. is usually a Bishop, to attend at the right hand of the Sovereign in the Royal Closet during Divine service ; to re- solve such doubts as may arise concerning spiritual matters. Wraxall, on the authority of Selwyn, has recorded a curious in- stance of the inconvenience resvilting from the existence of such an appointment, which could never have been anticipated when the office was first instituted. The story, though somewhat long, is good, and carries so much the appearance of being true as not only to justify our saying, se non e vero E ben trovato^ but, also, our quoting at length. " Selwyn told me that George I, Avhen he came over here from Ha- nover in 1714, understanding very imperfectly the English language, found himself so weary while assisting at the service in the Chapel Royal, that he frequently entered into conversation in French or Ger- man with the persons behind him. Charles II, who could not plead the same excuse for his inattention, was accustomed, as we know from Burnet, to fall fast asleep ; and Harry Bennet, afterwards created Earl of Arlington, usually awoke his Majesty toward the conclusion of the sermon. Among the few individuals who had retained, under the new reign, the places that they held or occupied about Queen Anne, was Dr. Younger, Dean of Salisbury. Anticipating the change of sovereigns, he had applied with such success to ren- der himself master of the German language, that he was continued in the office of Clerk of the Closet, which gave him great access to the King, behind Avhose chair he usually stood at Chapel. With Younger his Majesty often talked during the service, a circum- stance which, as being indecorous, naturally excited much offence. Lord Townscnd, then one of the Secretaries of State, animated by a sense of loyal affection, ventured to acquaint him that his de- G 76 THE CLERK OF THE CLOSET. portment at Chapel gave cause of regret, mingled witli animad- versions, to many of- liis most attached subjects, beseeching him, at the same time, particularly to abstain from conversing with Dr. Younofcr. Far from resenting the freedom taken with him, his Majesty promised amendment ; and Lord Townsend strongly en- joined the Clerk of the Closet to observe in future the most deco- rous behaviour on his part. Finding, however, that they resumed or continued the same practice, Lord Townsend sent Younger a positive order, as Secretary of State, directing him, without presum- ing to present himself again in the Royal presence, to repair imme- diately to his Deanery. Dr. Younger, conceiving the injunction to proceed from the King, obeyed Avithout remonstrance or delay ; and the Secretary, waiting on his Majesty, informed him, that the Dean had received a kick from a horse which fractured his skull, of which accident he was dead. George I. expressed the deepest concern at his loss, and never entertained the most remote idea of the deception whicli had been practised on him. Several years after- wards, before which time Lord Townsend had quitted his employ- ment, the Kinij ffoingf down to review some recfiments that were encamped on Salisbury Plain, the Bishop and Chapter of that city had the honour to be presented to him, and to kiss his hand ; but when Younger approached for tlie purpose, his Majesty, overcome with amazement at beholding again a man whom he had long con- sidered as no more, could scarcely restrain his emotions. As soon, however, as circumstances permitted, he sent for the D-ean into his presence, and a mutual explanation took place. Conscious of the rectitude and propriety of the motives which had actuated Lord Townsend in his conduct, he never expressed any sentiment of anger or of resentment, but contented himself Avith promising Younger to confer on him a mitre as soon as an occasion should present itself — an assurance which he would have probably realized, if the Dean had not shortly afterwards been carried off by death.""* * " Wraxall's Historical Memoirs;' iii. 59. 377 THE KING'S CHAPLAINS. The King's Chaplains are forty-eight in number, so that there are four appointed for every month, Avhich is their time of waiting. They are to preach in the Royal Chapel on Sundays and other fes- tivals, and in the morning before the Household ; to read divine service before the King out of Chapel twice a day in the private Oratory ; and to say grace to the King at dinner in the absence of . the Clerk of the Closet. During waiting they had formally a table and attendants, but do not now enjoy that privilege. They do not receive any salary, but are generally provided for by some spiritual preferment which is in the immediate gift of the Sovereign. When there are five Sundays in a month, as it sometimes happens, the Lord Chamberlain appoints the preacher. The appointments of Chaplains are likewise in ]iis Lordship's gift. THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. It was not until the reign of Henry VIII. that the duties of the Chapel Royal were performed at St. James's Palace, which was first built by that monarch. We have no account of Henry's Es- tablishment, which will furnish us with any particulars as to the number of persons attached to his Chapel, further than that among the emoluments they derived from their places, were board wages of twelve-pence per diem. But as Henry was not only a lover of music, but himself an accomplished musician, we may justly infer that this part of his Household was on a scale of grandeur and mag- nificence calculated to satisfy his well-known taste for splendour and 378 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. display.* And we are tlie more warranted in coming to this conclu- sion, since we know on liow gi-and a scale was the private chapel of the haughty Wolsey — and also since, in the regulations for the govern- ment of the Royal household, drawn up by that Cardinal about the year 1526, it is expressly said, that when the King is on jour- neys or progresses, only six Singing Boys, and six Gentlemen of the Choir, shall make a part of the Royal retinue ; who daily, in absence of the residue of the chapel, shall have a mass of Our Lady before noon, and on Sundays and holidays, mass of the day, besides Our Lady*'s Mass, and an anthem in the afternoon ; for which purpose, no great carriage of either vestments or books shall be required. In the Account of the Expenses of the Privy Purse of King Henry VIII, published some few years since by Sir Harris Nico- las,-]- we find several entries referring to the Chapel Royal, which deserve to be inserted in this place. On the 26th February 1529, Ave find the following entry : — " Item, the same daye paicd to Craine, the Maister of the Chil- dren, for the wages of Robert Pury, for one quarter now due, at iijd by the daye, xxijs. vjd." * Hence perhaps his order, that " James Hill and his fellows, Gentlemen Singers, shall have dayly from the kitchen one mess of great meat, and from all other officers like ' bouche of Court ' among them, as the Phy- sicians." — " Additions to Eltham Ordinances," p. 208. t In " The Privy Purse expenses of King Henry VIII," edited by Sir Harris Nicolas, there occur several entries of payments made to the Choristers of Windsor — " in rcicarde for the Kinifs Spurs," which the Editor supposes to mean " Money paid to redeem the King's Spurs, which had become the fee of the Choristers at Windsor, perhaps at Installations, or at the annual celebration of St. George's Feast. No notice of the sub- ject occurs in Ashmole's or Anstis' History of the Order of the Garter. Mr. Markland, quoting a note to Gifford's edition of Ben Jonson, vol. ii. page 49, says, " In the time of Ben Jonson, in consequence of the interrup- tions to Divine Service occasioned by the ringing of the spurs worn by THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. 379 " Item, for the boarde wages of the some Robert for ix wokes and iii dayes, at xxd a woke, xvs. ixd." There occur also sundry entries to Master Cole, Sub-dean of the King's Chapel, and to Sir John the organ-maker, " in rcwarde by the King's commandemente xls." — which organ-maker, says the Editor, it is almost certain was a priest. Among other items connected Avith this subject, we remark several which serve to show the difficulty which then existed in procuring boys capable of performing the duties of choristers in the Chapel Royal. And the inconvenience, which Henry himself experienced, in this respect, may have induced him to extend to the deans of Cathedral and Collegiate churches the power of m- jyressing children possessed of good voices, for the purpose of supplying their choirs with them : — an arbitrary and oppressive method, apparently first employed by Henry VI, whose precept, authorizing such a measure, dated 1454, is preserved in Rymer's Foedcra.* persons walking and transacting business in Cathedrals, and especially in St, Paul's, a small fine was imposed on them called ' Spur Mone^,' the exaction of which was committed to the Beadles and Singing Boys." — This practice, and to which, probably, the items in Henry's Household Book bear reference, still obtains, or at least did till very lately, in the Chapel Royab and other Choirs. Our informant himself claimed the penalty, in Westminster Abbey, from Doctor Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, and received from him an Eighteenpenny Bank Token as the fine. He likewise claimed the penalty from the King of Hanover, then Duke of Cumberland, for en- tering the Choir of the Abbey in his spurs. But his Royal Highness, who had been installed there, excused himself with great readiness, pleading " his right to wear his spurs in that church, inasmuch as it was the place where they were first put on him ! " — See further " European Mag." vol. Hi. p. 16. * Among the victims of this tyrannical exercise of authority, and which 380 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. In the reign of Henry's successor, Edward VI, who has himself recorded his ability to " play the lute," the Chapel Royal estab- lishment appears to have continued on much the same scale, when Richard Bowyer was Master of the Children, with a fee of 40/. with largesse to the children at high feasts, 9/. 13s. 4d. and allowance was carried on during the reigns of Edward the Sixth and Elizabeth, and even, it is said, by their successors, was Thomas Tusser, the well-known author of the " Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry/' who, in his poem entitled the " Author's Life," thus records the events of his early life. " It came to pass, that bora I was Of linage good, and gentle blood. In Essex laier, in village fair That Rivenhall height : Which village lide, by Banktree side. There spend did I my infancy. There then my name in honest fame Remained in sight. •' I yet but young, no speech of tongue. Nor tears withal that often fall From mother's eyes when child out cries To part her fro. Could pity make good father take. But out I must to song be thrust. Say what I would, do what I could. His mind was so. " Oh painful time ! for every crime. What toosed ears like baited bears ! What bobbed lips, what perks, what nips. What hellish toys ! What robes ! how bare ! what college fare ! What bread, how stale ! what penny ale! Then Wallingford, thou wert abhorred Of silly boys ! THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. S81 for breakfast, for cliiklren, 1 61. Of Gentlemen of tlie Chapel there were thirty-two, each at lj;d. per day, among whom we may mention Richard Farrant, Thomas Bird, father of the celebrated William Bird, Thomas Tallis, and William Hynnes, and who appear, in turns, to have presided at the organ. Dr. Christopher Tye, although " Thence for my voice, I must (no choice) Away of force, like posting horse. For sundry men had placards then Such child to take ; The better brest, the lesser rest. To serve the quire, now here, now there ; For time so spent, I may repent And sorrow make. " But mark the chance, myself to 'vance, By friendship's lot, to Paul's I got. So found I grace, a certain space Still to remain. With Redford there, the like no where For cunning such, and virtue much By whom some part of music art So did I gain. " From Paul's I went to Eaton sent. To learn straightways, the Latin phrase, Where fifty-three stripes, given to me. At once I had : For fault but small, or none at all, It came to pass, thus beat I was : See, Udall, see, the mercy of thee To me, poor lad ! " Udall's treatment of poor Tusser might perhaps have been induced by misbehaviour on his part. But the Chapel Boys of that age were the victims of a cruel practice — they Avere the proxies of the children of the Royal Family, and were whipped for the faults of their principals — a 382 THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. not inserted in the list of the musicians of the Chapel Royal or Household, was undoubtedly at the head of all our ecclesiastical com- posers at this period. An admirable specimen of his abilities as a musician will be found in his anthem, " I will exalt thee, O Lord 1" printed in the second volume of Boyce's collection. The musical establishment of Queen Mary diiFered but little from that of her brother, and the same observation applies to the practice which probably had its rise in the education of Prince Edward, as Burnett mentions Barnaby Fitzpatric as whipping boy to that Prince, and a Mr. Murray as whipping boy to Charles I. In an old comedy, written by Christopher Tye, a scene occurs in which Tye and Cranmer are met by a young musical pupil, called Brown, w^ho is can-ying the Prince's cloak and hat. Cranmer inquires what has become of the Prince, and is told, he is at tennis with the Marquis of Dorset : upon which the following dialogue ensues : — Cranmer — Goe, beare this youngster to the chappel straighte And bid the maister of the children whip him well : The Prince will not learn, sir, and you shall smart for it. Brown — Oh good, my lord, I'll make him ply his book to-morrow. Cranmer — That shall not serve your turne. Away, I say. (Exit Brown.) So, sir, this policie was well devised. Since he was w^hipped thus for the Prince's faults, His grace has got more knowledge in a month. Than he attained in a year before ; For still the fearful boy to save his breech. Doth hom-ly haunt him wheresoe'er he goes. Ti/e — ^"Tis true, my lord, and now the Prince perceives it ; As loath to see him punished for his faults. Plies it on purpose to redeeme the boy, &c. This practice likewise prevailed in France, and that so lately as in the infancy of Louis XV. Mad. du Deffand (1. 345) says, " Le Roi dans son enfance avoit un petit Hussar qu'on fouettait quand le Roi n'avoit pas bien dit sa le9on." THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. 383 Chapel of her successor, Elizabeth, during whose reign the choral music of England for the first time laid a claim to an equality with that of the rest of Europe. This, however, does not appear to have been the effect of royal munificence ; for Elizabeth, though extremely fond of splendour and show, Avas so parsimonious that she suffered the Gentlemen of her Chapel, till the time of her death, to solicit in vain for an augmentation of salary, which the difference in the value of money and manner of living, since the first estab- lishment of the Chapel, seems to have rendered necessary. In the reign of James I, however, the Gentlemen of the Chapel, being assisted by the influence and solicitation of several powerful noblemen, succeeded in obtaining an increase of 10/. to their annual stipend. An entry of which event appears in the cheque book of the Chapel Royal, signed not only by five of the Great Officers of State, but by the Sub-dean, Chaplains, and Gentlemen of the Chapel then living. Of Charles I, Play ford tells us, in the preface to his " Introduc- tion," — " that he was not behind any of his predecessors in the love and promotion of music, especially in the service of Almighty God ; and with much zeal he would hear reverently performed, and often appoint the service and anthem himself, especially that sharp service composed by Dr. William Child, being from his knowledge of music a competent judge therein ; and would play his part excel- lently well on the bass viol, especially of those incomparable fancies of Mr. Coperario to the organ." During the Civil Wars and the Interregnum which followed, the members of the Chapel were dispersed throughout the country, seeking protection from those who were often ill able to afford it to them, or endeavouring to maintain themselves by teaching, in which, from the disturbed state of the times, they met of course with but little success. At the restoration of Charles II, it appears from the cheque- book that the Choral Establishment of the Royal Chapel consisted of three organists, Edward Lowe, Dr. William Child, and Dr. Christopher Gibbons ; a Master of the Children, Captain Henry 384* THE GENTLEMEN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. Cook ; a Clerk of the Cheque ; Henry Lawes (the friend of Mil- ton), who composed the Coronation Anthem, and nineteen Gentle- men, among whom Thomas Purcell, the uncle of the great com- poser, and Raphael Courtville, are the only persons of whom any thing is known. The salaries of the several members were now augmented to 70/. per annum, and " every Gentleman of the Chapel in orders had allowed to him for a gown, five yards of fine scarlete, and the rest of the gentlemen being laymen, had allowed unto each of them foure yards of the like scarlete." In the account of the establishment of the Household of King William and Queen Mary, A.D, 1689, preserved in the British Museum, under the head of " Wages, Board Wages, and other allowances for the Chappel Closet and Vestry," the following items occur : " To Stephen Crispin, and 22 Gentlemen of the Chapell, whereof 2 to be Organists, in all 23 persons, at 4s. per diem. Wages, 262/. 6s. lO^d. Board Wages, 1416/. 135. l^d. per annum. « To the Master of the Musick, for teaching and keeping 1 children at 24/. per annum each, — 240/." This number, however, must afterwards have been reduced to twelve; for George I, on his accession, in compliance with the ad- vice of Archbishop Tenison, added four, thus augmenting them to sixteen. In the reign of Queen Anne, the salaries of the Organists and Gentlemen of the Chapel were 73/. per annum, and 30/. per annum was allowed for the maintenance and teaching of each of the ten Children. This last allowance has been, within a few years, aug- mented to .50/. per boy ; while the salaries of the members of the church are, by the operation of Mr. Burke's Bill, now reduced be- low 60/. per annum. 385 THE MASTER OF THE HORSE. Tlie Master of the Horse is esteemed the third Great Officer at Court, giving place only to the Lord Steward and Lord Chamber- lain of the Household. The Master of the Horse was anciently called Come Stahuli, or Constable, to whom a higher employment and power were heretofore given. He has now the charge of ordering and disposing of all matters relating to the Sovereign's stables, races, breed of horses, &c, as he had, heretofore, of all the posts of England. He has likewise the power of commanding the Equerries and Pages, Grooms, Riders of the Great Horses, Coachmen, Farriers, Smiths, Saddlers, and all other tradesmen employed in the King or Queen's stables ; to all of whom the Avener,* by his warrant, administers the oath for the true and faithful discharge of their duty. He has the charge of all the revenues appointed for the service and mainte- nance of the Sovereign's horses, for charge of the stable, and for coaches, sumpter-horses, &c. He only, of all other Officers, has the privilege of making use of any horses. Pages, or Footmen, belonging to the Royal Stables. At any solemn cavalcade he rides next be- hind the Sovereign ; in the case of a Queen Regnant, in the car- riage with her JNIajesty ; and formerly used to lead a led horse of State. Though he neither lias rank in the Act of Precedency, nor is men- tioned by his official title in his writ of summons, yet he precedes, by virtue of his office, other Grand Officers of State in the Court, and is placed next the Lord Privy Seal. His salary is 2500/. per annum. * The Avener and Clerk Marshal, by order of the Master of the Horse, (or of the Commissioners for executing that office, when it is in Commis- sion,) sw^ears in all the Officers belonging to the Stables. He also has the superintendence of all the accounts for the expenses of the Stable, and of the payment of all the Officers and servants of the Department. 2 c 386 THE CHIEF EQUERRY. The Chief Equerry was formerly always styled Gentleman of the Horse, as the first Gentleman of the Bed-chamber was entitled Groom of the Stole. He is the next officer to the Master of the Horse, and in his absence presides over all affairs relating to the Royal Stables. His salary is now fixed at 1000/. per annum. That of the remaining Equerries, of which there are four, at 750/. per annum. Her Majesty's equestrian skill, and fondness for that healthful recreation, horse-exercise, bid fair to render these appointments as stirring as they were in the days of George III., of whom Wraxall says, " It was his delight to mount his horse before the Equerry in Waiting could possibly be aware of it ; often in severe and unpleasant weather, which rarely deterred him ; always at an early hour. One of his Equerries has assured me, that when thus surprised, he has been compelled to follow the King down Windsor Hill, with scarcely time to pull up his stockings under his boots. No place about his Majesty's Court or person, so long as he retained his intellect, could indeed be less of a sinecure, than the office of Equerry. The appointments were very inadequate to the fatigue, and exertions of the post, — a fact of which the King himself was so well aware, that he used to say he had fewer applications for the employment of Equerry than for any other in his donation." * * Wraxall — "Memoirs of My Own Time," vol iii. p. 137. THE PAGES OF HONOUR. 38T THE PAGES OF HONOUR. In the office of Page of Honour to the Sovereign, there exist traces of the original institution of Pages ; when, as Scott says, youths of noble birth were early removed from their paternal homes, to serve as it were an apprenticeship to the duties of chivalry and courtesy in the family of some Prince, or man of rank, and military renown. There their education was severely moral, and pursued with great strictness, in respect to useful exercises, and what were deemed elegant accomplishments. From being Pages they were advanced to the next gradation of Squires ; from Squires, these candidates for the honour of knighthood were frequently made Knights. In this instance, to use Ben Jonson's words, the custom • by a line Of institution from our ancestors Hath been derived down to us, and received In a succession for the noblest way Of brushing up our youth in letters, arms, Fair mien, discourses civil, exercise, And all the blazon of a gentleman ! Where can he learn to vault, to ride, to fence. To move his body gracefully, to speak The language pure, or to turn his mind, Or manners, more to the harmony of nature. Than in these nurseries of Nobility ? The duty performed by the Page of Honour at a review, namely, that of carrying the Sovereign's cloak or surtout, placed before him on horseback in a portmanteau of blue velvet, richly embroi- dered with gold, was one formerly belonging to the Esquires of the Body, when such officers existed in our Courts. 2 c 2 AMBASSADORS SECTION VII. 85)1 AMBASSADORS. Trifling, and unimportant, as may be the matters forming the subjects of discussion, between two nations, it would be difficult to bring them to a satisfactory conclusion by means of correspondence only ; a conference is thus rendered necessary ; but, as personal interviews between the heads of the several States are not always practicable, there remains no alternative, but that they should employ representatives, furnished with full authority and instruc- tions to treat in their name with Foreign Powers. Hence the origin of Embassies, and the foundation of those rights and privi- leges which Ambassadors enjoy. The proper and primitive object for which Embassies were ap- pointed, clearly indicates that all those who are authorised to treat in their own name with Foreign Powers, are thereby possessed of the right of Embassy ; while again the right of sending Ambas- sadors confers, as a necessary result, the power of receiving them. The right of Embassy being an essential prerogative of the go- vernment, belongs, if the throne of a monarchy becomes vacant, to those whom the constitution authorises to hold the reins of govern- ment during such Interregnum. The Monarch who voluntarily abdicates his throne can no longer exercise the right of Embassy ; neither can a King, who is a prisoner, exercise such privilege so long as his imprisonment continues ; while the involuntary loss of his throne no more deprives a Monarch, de jure, of his right of Embassy, than the possession of the throne confers such right upon the usurper. It is on this ground that the act of dispatching or receiving a Minister, is looked upon, in Europe, as a recognition of the rights of the party to whom such Minister is sent, or from whom such is received. 392 A3IBASSAD0RS. The universal Law of Nations recognises no division of these Ministers into different orders, it regards them all as ministering the affairs of the state which they represent ; but only in so far as relates to those matters with the m.anagement of which they are entrusted ; it is from this quality that it deduces the different riffhts which it attributes to them. But the International Law of Europe has introduced several classes or orders of Ministers, dis- tinguished by the different degrees of authority with which they are invested, and of Ceremonial with which they are received. This distinction has not however always existed : in the more remote times, there was but one order of Ministers recognised in Europe, who were sometimes called Ambassadors, sometimes Commissioners. Princes, for their private affairs, employed simple agents ; and on occasions of ceremony or minor importance, they availed themselves of the services of noblemen; who, like the agents, however, were not received in the character of, or with the Ceremonial of public ministers. It is only since the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the exalted notions attached to the representative character, the heavy expenses of properly maintaining it, and the ceremonial difficulties which continually arose respecting it, led to the employment of public Ministers of inferior dignity, for whom neither the rights of the grand ceremonial, nor of being recognised as the representa- tive of their Sovereign, were demanded ; and who were distin- guished with the title of Residents ; that of Ambassador being reserved for those who appeared with all the splendour of the re- presentative character. But these Residents, being public Minis- tors, claimed precedence before the mere Agents for private affairs, even although such Agents were at the same time charged with a public Commission, which would of course occasionally happen. At length the latter, on such occasions, received the title of Charges d' Affaires, to distinguish them from the mere agents on private affairs, to whom the name of Agents (from that time held of course in lower estimation) was henceforth exclusively applied, at the different Courts. AMBASSADORS. 393 It was not until the first half of the seventeenth century that noblemen, who were merely Envoys, were received with any cere- mony ; which was at first very vague, sometimes approaching that of Ambassadors, but much more frequently bearing the same rela- tion to that of Resident Ministers, which the treatment of Extra- ordinary, bore to that of Ordinary Ambassadors. By degrees, more particularly after the commencement of the eighteenth century, the Ceremonial of Envoys became more de- cided, and in the majority of Courts they were regarded as Mi- nisters of a second rank, much inferior to the first or Ambassadors, but much above that of the third, or mere Residents. Since then, without any increase in the number of classes of Ministers, there has been an increase in the numbers of the inferior classes, by the nomination of Ministers, with the character of Minister Plenipo- tentiary, Resident Minister, and Minister Charge d'Affaires. The regulation on the subject of relative rank among the Diplo- matic Agents, annexed to the act of the Congress, of which it forms a part, divides them into three classes. 1. That of Ambassadors,* Legates,f or Nuncios. * The origin of the word Ambassador, which is borrowed from the low Latin, Amhascia, Ambaxia, Ambasciator, is very uncertain. Du- cange tells us the word has been derived from different roots : Scaliger, Salmasius, and Spelmann, referred it to the Gallic Ambactus client, so that Ambascia would signify a mission executed by a client, or servant ; and Ambasciator would be such client, charged with a mission, or sent to bring orders. Lindenbrog, on the other hand, derives it from the German Am- bacht labor, and Ambachten to labor ; according to this opinion, which is stated also by Paul Merula and Vendelin, the term Ambasciator was applied to any one who, for a sum of money, undertook the delivery of a message, — an explication scarcely befitting the honourable duty of a negotiator. Albert Acharisi derives it from the Latin Ambulare, while others again have traced it from a Hebrew root. f The mention of Legate calls to mind Wotton's celebrated definition of an Ambassador, entered by him in the Album at Augsburg, — 394 AMBASSADORS. 2. That of Envoys, Ministers, or others accredited to Sove- reigns. 3. That of Charges d'Affaires, accredited to Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs. But the five Powers assembled at the Conference at Aix-la-Cha- pelle in 1818, having discovered that they had overlooked a point of Diplomatic etiquette, which might give rise to future discussion, agreed that the Resident Ministers accredited to those powers, should form, in respect to their rank, an intermediate class between the Ministers of the second clasti and the Charges d'Affaires. Having now spoken of the nature of the Ambassadorial Office, and of its several branches, the Etiquette, and Privileges connected with it, are the next object of consideration. The Minister, on his arrival at the place of his destination, pre- sents to the Minister of Foreign Affairs a copy of his credentials, and demands an audience. This may be either public or private ; the former was, until late years, preceded by his solemn entry. Martens tells us that, in Monarchies, the Prince sends the Master of the Ceremonies, or whosoever is selected to introduce the Ambassador, with such other Officers of the Court as may be con- sidered necessary, to his hotel ; when he, accompanied by his suite, and sometimes by the other Foreign Ministers,* enters the Royal " Legatus est vir bonus peregre missus ad mentiendum Reipublicae causa." This unlucky piece of banter drew upon Wotton, some years afterwards, the wrath of the famous libeller Scioppius, who maintained that the sentiment thus recorded was a principle of the Protestant religion, and the rule of conduct of Wotton's master, James I. Although Wotton made a satisfactory defence, it appears, from Walton's life of him, that James was so much displeased as never afterwards to employ him. * De Real, " La Science 'du Gouvemement," (v. 309,) tells us this part of the ceremony has ceased, ever since the fatal affray which took place between the French and Spanish Ambassadors at London in 1661, AMBASSADORS. 395 carriage drawn by six horses, whicli is followed by his own, drawn by a similar number. Conducted into the interior Court and of which Pepys in his " Diary," under date 30th Sept. gives us the following description : " Heard of a fray between the two Embassadors of Spaine and France ; and that, this day, being the day of the entrance of an Embassador from Sweden, they intended to fight for the precedence. Our King, I heard, ordered that no Englishman should meddle in the business, but let them do what they would. And to that end all the soldiers in the town were in arms all the day long, and some of the train-bands in the city ; and a great bustle through the city all the day. Then we took coach (which was the business I came for) to Chelsey, to my Lord Privy Seale, and there got him to seal the business. So back again ; and at Whitehall light, and saw the soldiers and people running up and down the streets. So I went to the Spanish Embassador's and the French, and there saw great preparations on both sides ; but the French made the most noise and ranted most, but the other made no stir almost at all ; so that I was afraid the other would have too great a conquest over them. Then to the Wardrobe, and dined there, and then abroad and in Cheapside : hear that the Spanish hath got the best of it, and killed three of the French coach-horses and several men, and is gone through the city next to our King's coach ; at which, it is strange to see, how all the city did rejoice. And indeed we do natm-ally all love the Spanish, and hate the French. But I, as I am in all things curious, presently got to the water side, and there took oars to Westminster Palace, and ran after them through aU the dirt, and the streets full of people ; till at last, at the Mewes, I saw the Spanish coach go, with fifty drawm sw^ords at least to guard it, and our soldiers shouting for joy. And so I followed the coach, and then met it at York House, where the Embassador lies ; and there it went in great state. So then I went to the French house, where I ob- serve still, that there is no men in the world of a more insolent spirit where they do well, nor before they begin a matter, and more abject if they do miscarry, than these people are ; for they all look like dead men, 396 AMBASSADORS. of the Palace, saluted by the guards, and accompanied by his in- troducer, he ascends, par Fescalier des ambassadeurs, to the saloon destined for his reception, of which both the folding doors are then thrown open. The Monarch is there seated under a canopy, with his Ministers beside him, and surrounded by the Members of the Royal Family, &c. The Ambassador, attended by some of his suite, then approaches the Sovereign, making three reverences as he advances, while the latter, rising and uncovering, replaces his hat, and then sitting down, makes a sign to the Ambassador to be covered,* and to be seated in the arm-chair prepared for him. and not a word among them, but shake their heads. The truth is, the Spaniards were not only observed to fight most desperately, but also they did outwit them ; first in lining their own hamesse with chains of iron that they could not be cut, then in setting their coach in the most advan- tageous place, and to appoint men to guard every one of their horses, and others for to guard the coach, and others the coachmen ; and, above all, in setting upon the French horses and killing them, for by that means the French were not able to stir. There were several men slain of the French, and one or two of the Spaniards, and one Englishman by a bullet. Which is very observable, the French were at least four to one in number, and had near 100 case of pistols among them, and the Spaniards had not one gun among them ; which is for tlieir honour for ever, and the others' dis- grace. So, having been very much daubed with dirt, I got a coach, and home ; where I vexed my wife in telling of her this story, and pleading for the Spaniards against the French." * This right of being covered forms an essential part of the ceremonial; however, in an audience witli a Queen, the Ambassador is contented merely to make the sign of doing so. Nor does he go beyond that, in an audience with the Pope. We are told in the " Memoires de Brienne," II. 326, that the per- tinacity of an Ambassador from Holland to Louis XIV. in wearing his hat before that IMonarch, determined him to break off the treaty of com- merce, which he contemplated forming, with that country. Vanberning, AMBASSADORS. 897 The Minister accordingly resumes liis hat, and commences his discourse, in the course of which, making mention of his creden- tials, he takes them from the hand of his Secretary, to present them to the Sovereign. When the Ambassador has finished his harangue, the King, or more generally his Minister, makes a reply to it ; and the ceremony being thus concluded, the Ambassador retires, making three bows as he leaves the presence, keeping his face turned the whole time towards the King. He is then and for the most part immediately admitted to an audience of the Wife of the Monarch, and of such Members of the Royal Family as hold separate courts, all of whom he addresses in the same manner, receiving a reply either from themselves personally, or especially, in the case of Princesses, by an Officer of the Household. In Republics the detail of the Ceremonial of the first audience of an Ambassador is less uniform ; but the honour of the arm- chair, the right of being covered, and the speech upon introduc- tion, are generally introduced in the same manner; though it must be observed, that none of these ceremonies are necessary to authorise an Ambassador to exercise his functions. A private audience is frequently all that is required, the public entry and audience being indefinitely postponed ; and here it may be added, that the right of demanding, at all times during his stay, private audience, is the distinction and important prerogative of an Am- bassador. Among the many privileges which an Ambassador enjoys by virtue of his being the Representative of his Sovereign, the first is that of perfect security ; for as he is necessarily placed among for that was the name of the Ambassador, contrived to work Louis up into such " a pretty considerable rage," as to draw from him the excla- mation, " Vous me parlez bien fierement. Monsieur I'Ambassadeur : un autre Roi, moins modere, vous aurait fait jeter pars les fenetres du Louvre !" Then bidding Brienne make his complaint to the States, he turned his back on the Ambassador, and retired to his Cabinet. 398 AMBASSADORS. those who have always the power, and from the nature of his duties, not mifrequently the will, to molest him, it is requisite that he should be in the fullest manner protected from every kind of violence whatever, either to his person, or his property. The breach of this privilege has, from the earliest ages, been considered a high offence against the rights of nations ; whether proceeding from the sovereign power itself, or from the unauthorized acts of individuals. The Porte used to violate this right by confining the ministers of any power it went to war with in the Seven Towers, under the pretence of protecting them from popular outrage. The last minister shut up in the " Seven Towers" was M. Ruffin, the envoy of the French Republic. Since that time, partly from some improvement in the Turks, but more from their weakness and fears, the practice has dropped, and is not likely to be re- newed. The second essential privilege of an Ambassador is, that no legal process can affect him in his person or his property ; so much of his property, at least, as is connected with his official character, such as his furniture, equipages, &c. This privilege is analogous, and, in some degree, subsidiary to the former ; for it would be of little avail to protect an Ambassador from open out- rage, if he were liable to be harassed by legal proceedings, which, if instituted (as it is always possible they should be) without foundation, would be only a cloak to violence, and even if well founded would interfere with the discharge of his public functions. Ambassadors are, therefore, deemed not to be amenable for their conduct before any criminal tribunal of the country they reside in. It must not, however, be supposed that they are at liberty to misconduct themselves with impunity. They are bound to respect the laws and customs of the country they are in ; and if they commit any offence, the sovereign may complain of it to the government they represent ; or, if the case is of a more serious nature, he may demand that they be recalled, or may even dismiss them peremptorily, and in either case require that they be brought AMBASSADORS. 399 to trial in their own country. And if an Ambassador is guilty of an offence wliicli threatens the immediate safety of the State, not even the privilege of personal security will protect him from any degree of force which may be necessary to defeat his intentions : thus, if he engages in a conspiracy against the government, he may, if the circumstances require it, be put under arrest, in order to be sent home ; and if he is found in arms, joining in a rebellion, there is no doubt, but that the principle of self-defence will justify his being treated as an enemy^ The same principle also extends to civil suits, and no claim can be enforced against an Ambassador by any compulsory process whatever. These privileges are not confined to the Ambassador alone, but are extended to all his suite — his companions as they are some- times called, — including not only the persons employed by him in diplomatic services, but his wife,* chaplain, household, &c. The Law of Nations, in this respect, is fully recognized by the Law of England. By the Statute of 7 Anne, c. 12, -f* all legal process * Before the introduction of permanent missions, it was by no means usual for Ambassadors to be accompanied by their wives, and the title of Ambassadress was unknown. It was only in the course of the seven- teenth century, when permanent missions became more frequent, that the practice and title arose. Bynkershoek, " Du Juge Competent," cap. XV. S. 7. tells us that the French minister at the Hague joked upon the arrival of the Wife of the Spanish Ambassador, saying " que c'etait une embassade Hermaphrodite." " The wife of the Ambassador enjoys, as such, an inviolability still more distinguished, than that which is due to her by sex and birth. The privileges of her husband are extended to her ; and with regard to the ceremonial of visits, precedence, presentation at Court, &c. she claims, with reference to other ladies of rank, the same advantages as are claim- ed by her husband with respect to theirs." Martens, " Precis du droit des Gens." Lib. vii. c. 9. -)■ In respect to civil suits, all the foreign jurists agree, that neither 400 AMBASSADORS. against the person or goods of any Ambassador, or of his domestic, or domestic servants, is declared to be void. The benefit of this Act may be claimed by any one who is actually in the domestic service of the Ambassador, whether lie is a British subject, or a foreigner, provided he is not a merchant or trader within the bank- rupt law ; and it is not necessary that he should be resident in the Ambassador's house. But if he takes a house, and uses it for any other purpose besides that of residence — as if he lets part of it in lodgings, he so far loses his privilege, and his goods arc liable to be distrained for parochial rates. Whoever sues out, or executes any process contrary to the provisions of the act, is punishable at the discretion of the Lord Chancellor and the two Chief Justices, or any two of them, as a violator of the Law of Nations, and disturber of the public repose ; — with this exception, however, that no one can be punished an Ambassador, nor any of his train or comites, can be prosecuted for any debt, or contract, in the courts of that Kingdom w^herein he is sent to reside. Yet Sir Edward Coke maintains, that if an Ambassador make a contract which is good, jure gentium, he shall answer for it here. But the truth is, so few cases (if any) had arisen wherein the privilege was either claimed, or disputed, even with regard to civil suits, that our law books are silent vipon it, previous to the reign of Queen Anne ; when an Ambassador from Peter the Great, Czar of Muscovy, was actually airest- ed and taken out of his coach in London, for a debt of fifty pounds, which he had there contracted. Instead of applying to be discharged upon his privilege he gave bail to the action, and the next day complained to the Queen. The persons who were concerned in the arrest were exa- mined before the Privy Council, (of wdiich the Lord Chief Justice Holt was at the same time sw^om a member,) and seventeen were committed to prison, most of whom w-ere prosecuted by information in the Court of Queen's Bench, at the suit of the Attorney General ; and at their trial before the Lord Chief Justice were convicted of the facts by the jury, reserving the question of law, how far those facts were criminal, to be afterwards argued before the judges ; w^hich question was never deter- AMBASSADORS. 401 for arresting an Ambassador's servant, unless tlic name <>[' siicli servant be registered with tlie Secretary of State, and by him trans- mitted to the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex. The third essential privilege of an Ambassador is, that his re- sidence enjoys a security similar to that of his person and pro- perty : it is not only protected from open outrage, but it is likewise exempted from being searched or visited, whether by the police, by revenue officers, or under colour of legal process of any descrip- tion whatever. This privilege has sometimes been construed to extend so far as to make the Ambassador's residence an asylum, to which any offender might flee, and be out of the reach of the law ; but the Government has, in such a case, a right to demand that the of- fender be given up, and if he is an offender against the state, it mined. In the mean time, the Czar resented this affront very highly^ and demanded that the Sheriff of Middlesex, and all others concerned in the an-est, should be punished with instant death. But the Queen, to the amazement of that despotic court, directed her secretary to inform him, " that she could inflict no punishment upon any the meanest of her subjects, unless warranted by the law of the land ; and, therefore, was persuaded that he would not insist upon impossibilities." To satisfy, how- ever, the clamours of the Foreign ministers, (who made it a common cause,) as well as to appease the wrath of Peter, a bill was brought into Parliament, and afterwards passed into a law, to prevent and to punish such outrageous insolence for the future, and with a copy of this act, ele- gantly engrossed and illuminated, accompanied by a letter from the Queen, an Ambassador Extraordinary was commissioned to appear at Moscow, who declared, that though her Majesty could not inflict such a punishment as was required, because of the defect in that particular of the former established constitutions of her kingdom, yet, with the unani- mous consent of the Parliament, she had caused a new act to be passed to serve as a law for the future." This humiliating step was accepted as a full satisfaction by the Czar ; and the offenders, at his request, were discharged from all further prosecution. Blackstone, " Commen- taries," Bk. 1. cap. 7. 2 D 402 AMBASSADORS. is held that in case of a refusal on the part of the Ambassador, it may even be justifiable, if the circumstances require it, to seize him by force. This privilege of asylum, as it is called, was formerly granted in some cities to the whole quarter in which the Ambassador re- sided ; such was the case at Madrid, till in the year ] 684 it was confined to the residence itself Such also was the case at Rome to a much later period ; and even at the present day some vestiges of this immunity still remain, but since 1815 it has been confined to cases of correctional police. There are some other privileges which, though not essential to the character of Ambassadors, are yet very generally admitted. Ambassadors are, for instance, in all civilized countries allowed the free exercise of their religion ; they are in general exempted from direct taxation ; and they are usually allowed to import their goods Avithout paying any Custom-House duties: this last privilege, however, being extremely liable to abuse, has sometimes been limited. At Madrid, since the year 1814, and at St. Petersburgh, since 1817, Ambassadors are allowed six months to import their goods free of customs, and after that time their exemption ceases. At Berlin, they are only allowed to import goods until the duties payable amount to a certain sum. If any violence has been offered to an Ambassador, or any of his privileges have been infringed, although he may himself, if he chooses it, prosecute the offender, it is more usual for him to de- mand satisfaction of the Government, and it is their duty to bring the offender to punishment. All the privileges of an Ambassador cease, however, with his existence — so that he is not entitled to obsequies inconsistent with the general rule ; for, as it is gravely remarked by a writer of the age of Louis XIV., " Des qunn Amhassadcur est mort, il ventre aussitot dans la vie privec.'''' Having thus terminated at once the official and mortal career of oiu' subject, wc take our leave of it. It has long been the fashion to decry the abilities of our English Diplomatists, m ith what injus- AMBASSADORS. 40o tice is very clearly shown in an able article, written by the Bio- grapher of Sir W. Temple, in a recent number of the Foreign Quarterly Review.* The paper abounds with pleasant illustration, of which the following, on the subject of the self-possession essen- tial to a Diplomatist, may serve as a specimen. When a living Statesman of high talents and character was placed at the head of the Foreign Office in England, he solicited instructions from the late Lord Malmsbury. " Always keep your back to the light, and learn to take SnufF ! " was the brief re- commendation of one of the ablest of our regular Diplomatists. The objects were to conceal from his adversary the emotions of his countenance, and to obtain a few moments for deliberation before he spoke. * Vol. xiii. p. 1, et seq. 2 D 2 CORONATION CEREMONIES. SECTION VIII. CORONATION CEREMONIES. It had been originally intended to have treated in this Section of the present work, not merely of the Coronation Ceremonies generally, but, with reference to the approaching solemnisation of that imposing public act, to have considered more particularly the forms observed, in this country, at the Coronation of a Female Sovereign. This intention having been anticipated byM. Planche,— whose agreeable volume,* while it does credit to the antiquarian cha- racter of its author, affords a striking proof that matters of his- torical research may, by a judicious mode of treatment, be made perfectly welcome to the general reader, — the Editor determined to confine himself to such illustration of the coming Coronation as was to be found in the forms observed on the accession of the last Queen Regnant to the throne of these Realms. This resolve might have been shaken, had he realised his anti- cipation of discovering, among the manuscripts deposited in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, a Formula of the Corona- tion of Queen Elizabeth. But the document, which he had been led to suppose was of the nature referred to, having proved, upon further examination, to be nothing more than a transcript fi'om a manuscript, in the Harleian Library of the British Museum, entitled, " Articles of the Queen's Majesty's Coronation,"-}- con- * Regal Records ; or a Chronicle of the Coronations of the Queens Regnant of England. By J. R. Planche, F.S.A., &c. London, 1838. t Harleian MS., No. 6064. Lambeth MS. No. 1075 b. Though dis- appointed in the manuscript, the Editor's acknowledgments are not the less due to his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury for the readiness with which he granted his permission for its examination ; and to the Rev. S. R, Maitland, the librarian, for his politeness on the 408 THE CORONATION PROCESSION sisting only of memoranda of steps to be taken preparatory to that event, did away with the necessity of altering the arrange- ment he had first determined upon.* " Queens formerly," as we are told, f " proceeded from the Tower to their Coronation, in litters of cloth of gold or white tissue, without cover or baytes, their heir dishevelled about their shoulders, with a circlet of gold on their heads, richly set with precious stones. Their kirtells of cloth of tissue and mantells of the same furred with ermine, and two palfrays clad in white damask, head and all over, down to the ground, or with some other rich coverture suitable in colour to the litter, and they bear the same. Over the Queen was carried a cloth of gold or tissue, with gilt curtains, and sometimes silver bells at the end, by sixteen Knights, disposed four and four, by turns. A palfray of estate with a side-saddle, trapped w ith cloth of tissue, is led after her by the Master of the Horse. " Queens have had three and at other times four chariots fol- lowing of them. The first two of red cloth of gold, the third of white, and the fourth of red satin. Every chariot being drawn by six horses longways, and open in all parts except the top. '■ Betwixt the Queen's litter and every of these chariots rode six or seven Ladies richly apj)arelcd in crimson velvet, &c., and last of all the Ladies' Women all clad in the liverys of their Ladies." occasion. The library at Lambeth is now deposited in wliat was formerly the great hall of the Palace, which has been most beautifully fitted up for the purpose by the munificence of the present Archbishop, and is unquestionably one of the most beautiful objects of its kind in the metropolis. * The reader who may be desirous to learn the fullest particulars extant, touching Elizabeth's Coronation, is referred with confidence to M. Planche's volume, to which (with the exception of the de- tails of what takes place in the Abbey, derived from Miss Banks's MS. in British Museum) the Editor is principally indebted for the fol- lowing information relative to the Coronation of Queen Anne. t Banks's MS, in British Museum— No. 9297 of'Addl, MSS, OF QUEEN ANNE. 409 But this was in those days of chivalry whose departure Burke so eloquently lamented. In the following account of the Corona- tion of Queen Anne, the ceremonies approach very closely those of our own practical and utilitarian time. CORONATION PROCESSION OF QUEEN ANNE. 23rd April, 1702. The Dean's Beadle of Westminster. The High Constahle of Westminster, vvitli his staff, in a scarlet cloak. A Fife. Drums four abreast. Drum Major. Trumpets four a abreast. Sergeant Trumpeter. Tlie Six Clerks in Chancery, in gowns of blaek-flowerecl satin, with black silk loops and tufts, two abreast. The Closet Keeper of the Chapel Royal. Chaplains Iiaving dignities, in scarlet and tippets, with square caps in their hands, four abreast. Sheriffs, Aldernion, and Recorder of London, two abreast, in tlieir scarlet gowns, those liaving passed the chair wearing their gold chain. blasters in eliancery, in rich gowns, two abreast. The Queen's younger Serjeants-at-Law, in scarlet gowns, and their caps in their hands. The Queen's Solicitor, the Queen's Attorney, in black velvet gowns. The Queen's Ancient Sergeants. Esquires of the Body. Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Barons of the Exchequer, and .justices of both Benches, in Judges' robes of scarlet, with tlicir caps in their liands. Lord Cliief Baron, and Lord Chief .Justice of the Common Pleas, in scarlet robes, with tlieir collars of SS. gilt. Master of the Rolls, in a rich gown. Lord Chief .Justice of tlic King's Bench, in a scarlet robe, witli his collar of SS. Children of the Choir of Westminster in surplices. Serjeant of the Vestry, Serjeant Porter, in scarlet gown. Children of the Chapel in scarlet mantles. Choir of Westminster in surplices. Groom of the Vestry. Organ Blower. Gentlemen of the Queen's Chapel in scarlet mantles. Sub-Dean of the Queen's Chapel in a scarlet gown, turned up with I)lack velvet. Prebendaries of Westminster in surphees and rich coiies. 410 THE CORONATION PROCESSION Dean of Westminster in a rich cope. Tlio Master of the Jewel House in a scarlet robe. Privy Councillors of England, not Peers, in their usual habits. Two Pursuivants of Arms. Baronesses in their robes, two abreast, their coronets in their bands. Barons in their robes in like manner. Bishops. Two Pursuivants of Arms. Viscountesses in their robes, two abreast, their coronets in their hands. Viscounts in their robes, in like manner. Two Heralds of Arms in their rich coats and collars of SS. Countesses in their robes, two abreast, their coronets in their hands. Earls in their robes, in like manner. Two Heralds of Arms. Marchionesses in their robes, two abreast, with their coronets in their hands. Marquisses in their robes, in like manner. Two Heralds of Arms. Duchesses in their robes, two abreast, with their coronets in tlieir hands. Dukes in their robes, in like manner, except those who bear any of the Regalia. The two Provincial Kings of Arms in their rich coats and collars of SS., and medals, with their coronets in their hands. l,ord Privy Seal. Lord Archbishop of York. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, with the I'urse. Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Two Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, Sir James Clarke and Jonathan Andrews, to represent Uu' Dukes of Aquitaine and Normandy, in crimson velvet mantles, lined with miniver, powdered with ermine ; cacli of thorn his cap in his hand of cloth of gold, furred and powdered with ermine. His Uoyal Highness Prince George of Denmark, his train borne by his Master of the llobcs. St. Edward's Staff, The Gold Spurs, The Sceptre with the Cross, borne by by Lord by the the Earl of Dorset. Viscount Longuevillc. Earl of Huntingdon. The Third Sword by the Curtana, by the The Pointed Sword, Earl of Pembroke. Earl of Kent. by the Lord High Admiral of Earl of Derby. , England. The Lord Mayor of London Garter, Principal King The Gentleman Usher of bearing the city mace, of Arms, the Black Rod, in a gown of ci'imson velvet, wearing his collar and with the black rod in liis wearuig his collar and jewel, his coronet hand, jewel. in his hand. The Lord Great Chamberlain in his robes, with his coronet and white staff in his hand. S The Earl JLirshal of The Sword of State The Lord High ^ ■< England in his robes, with in the scabbard, borne by Constable of England, § "S his coronet and the Earl of 0.\ford. Duke of Bedford. §■ g Earl Marshal's staff in his in his robes, with his ji 2 hand. staff and coronet > o in is hand. = OF QUEEN ANNE. 411 o The Queen's Scoptrc with the Dove, borne by the Duke of Riehmond. The Patten, by tlie Lord Bishop of Saruni. Supported by the Bisiiop of Exeter. Captain of the Yeomen of the tiuaril. Thk Crown, borne by tlie Duke of Devonshire, tlie Lord High Steward. The Bible, by the Lord Bishop of Worcester. THE QUEEN. walking beneath a canopy borne by sixteen Barons of the Cinque Ports,* in her royal robes of crimson velvet, furred with ermine, and bordered with gold lace ; on her head a circlet of gold, wearing the great collar and George. Her train borne by a Duchess in her robes, assisted by four ladies,and the Queen's Lord Chamberlain. Captain of her Ma- jesty's Guard. The Orb, borne by the Duke of Somerset, Lord President of the Council. The Chalice, by the Lord Bishop of llochester. Supported by the Bishop of Durham. Caiitain of the Band of (ientU'men I'ensioners. Ladies of the Bedchamber. The Women of the Bedchamber. Ensign and Lieutenant of the Yeomen of the Guard. Yeomen of the Guard, four abreast. O * We may here point oat one very remarkable circumstance regard- ing Queen Anne's procession from Westminster Hall to the Abbey, which is not noticed by Mr. Planche — not being mentioned in the Gazette, nor in the Heralds' draft of the procession— in which the Queen is spoken of as ' ivalking," as had been usual with former so- vereigns, beneath a canopy borne by sixteen Barons of the Cinque Ports. But we find in the London Post, No. 434, of April 22 and 24, 1702, and again in the Postman, No. 960, of April 23 and 25, that Her Majesty was carried in an open chair, under a rich cano[)y [of yellow velvet, supported by the Barons of the Cinque Ports] from Westminster Hall to the Abbey gate, and returned to the Hall in the same manner. — See " Gentleman's Mag." June, 18:38, p. GIO. 41*2 THE ENTRANCE INTO THE CHURCH. We will now give the account of the Ceremony of the Corona- tion, from the manuscript in the British Museum, entitled — A Formulary of that part of the Solemnity ivhich is to he per- formed in the Collegiate Church of St. Peter\s, Westminster, at the Coronation of HER MAJESTY QUEEN ANNE. 23d April, 1702. THE ENTRANCE INTO THE CHURCH. The Queen, as soon as she enters in at the west door, is to be received with the following anthem, sung by the choir of West- minster, who, with the Dean and Prebendaries of that church, are before to fall off from the procession a little to the left side of the middle aisle, and stay there to attend the coming of Her Majesty, and then going before her to sing Anthem 1. — Ps. cxxii. Ver. 1 . " I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." Ver. 2. "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." Ver. 4. " For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord." Ver. 5. " For there are set thrones of judgment, even the thrones of the house of David." Ver. 6. " O pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee." Ver. 7. " Peace be within thy vv alls, and prosperity within thy palaces." " Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning," &c. THE RECOGNITION. 410 The Queen, in the mean time, passing up through the body of the church into and through the choir, and so up the stairs to the theatre, and having passed by her throne, she, with the procession on the south side, makes her humble adorations, and then kneel- ing at the faldstool set for her before her chair, uses some short private prayers, and, after sitting down, (not in her throne but in her chair, before and below her throne,) there reposes herself. THE RECOGNITION. The Queen being so placed, the Archbishop turneth to the east part of the theatre first, and after, together with the Lord Keeper, Lord Great Chamberlain, Lord High Constable, and Earl Marshal, (Garter King-at-Arms preceding them,) goes to the other three sides of the theatre in this order, south, west, and north, and, at every of the four sides, with a loud voice speaks to the people ; and the Queen in the mean time, standing up by her chair, turns and shows herself to the people, and at every of the four sides of the theatre, as the Archbishop is at every of them, and while he speaks thus to the people : " Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Anne, undoubted Queen of this realm, whereof all you that are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same ?" . The people signify their willingness and joy by loud and re- peated acclamations, all withone voice crying out, " God save Queen Anne." And then the trumpet sounds. And after that the choir sings this anthem : Anthem 2. — Ps. xxi. Ver. I. " The Queen shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord ; exceed- ing glad shall she be of thy salvation." Ver. 3. " Thou shalt prevent her with the blessings of goodness ; and slialt set a crown of pure gold upon her head." 414 THE FIRST OBLATION. Ver. 5. " Her honour is great in thy salvation ; glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon her head." Ver. 6. " Thou shalt give her everlasting felicity, and make her glad with the joy of thy countenance." Allelujah. THE FIRST OBLATION. While the anthem is singing, the Archbishop goeth down, and, before the altar, puts on his cope, and then goeth and standeth at the north side of the altar ; and the Bishops who are to bear any part in the office do also vest themselves, and the Officers of the Wardrobe do spread carpets and cushions on the floor, and steps of the altar. This being done, the Queen, supported by one or two Bishops, attended (as always) by the Dean of Westminster, and the Lords that carry the Regalia going before her, goes down to the altar and, kneeling down upon the steps there, makes her first obla- tion, which is a pall (or altar-cloth) of gold, delivered by the Master of the Great Wardrobe to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and by him to Her Majestic, and an ingot or wedge of gold of a pound weight, which the Treasurer of the Household delivers to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and he to Her Majestie, both to be received by the Archbishop standing, (in which position he is also to receive all other oblations;) the pall to be reverentially laid upon the altar, and the gold to be received into the basin, and with like reverence put upon the altar. The Archbishop saith this prayer, the Queen still kneeling : " O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place, with them also who are of an humble spirit, look down mercifully upon this thy servant Anne, our Queen, here humbling herself before thee at thy footstool, and graciously receive these oblations, which, in humble acknowledgment of thy sovereignty over all, and thy great bounty to her in particular, she hath now offered up to thee. Ac- THE LITANY. 415 cept, we beseech thee, this her free-will offerinp;, through Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. Amen." The Queen having thus offered and so fulfilled his command- ment who said, " Thou shalt not appear before the Lord thy God empty," goes to her chair set for her on the south side of the altar, where she is to kneel at her faldstool when the Litanie be- gins. In the mean time the Lords who carry the regalia (except those who carry the swords) come in order near to the altar, and present every one what he carries to the Archbishop, and he to the Dean of Westminster, to be placed upon the altar, and then retire to the places and seats appointed for them. THE LITANY. Then followeth the Litany, to be sung by two Bishops, vested in copes, and kneeling at a faldstool above the steps of the the- atre on the middle of the east side thereof, the choir singing the responses to the organ, and at the end of the collect. We humbly beseech thee, SfC, shall be added by the Archbishop or one of the Bishops. " O God, who providest for thy people by thy power, and rulest over them in love, grant unto this thy servant Anne, our Queen, the spirit of wisdom and government, that, being devoted unto thee with all her heart, she may so wisely govern this kingdom, that in her time the christian religion may continue in peace, and thy church and people in safety and prosperity, that so perse- vering in good works to the end, she may by thy mercy come to thy everlasting kingdom, through thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us evermore. Amen." THE BEGINNING OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE. Then the Archbishop beginneth the Communion. " Our Father which art in heaven," &c. 416 THE SERMON. " Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open," &c. " Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting," &c. The epistle to he read hy a Bishop. — J Pet. ii. ver. 13 — 17. The gospel to he read by another Bishop. — St. Matt. xxii. ver. 15—22. Then the Archbishop beginneth the Nicene creed, and the choir singeth it, the Queen standing up. THE SERMON. At the end of the creed one of the Bishops is ready in the pulpit, placed upon the pillar at the north-east corner of the theatre, and begins the sermon, which is to be short and suitable to the great occasion.* The Queen hears the sermon sitting in her chair, on the south side of the altar, over against the pulpit. On her right hand stands the Bishop of Durham, and beyond the Bishop on the same side the Lords that carry swords ; on her left hand, the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Lord Great Chamberlain ; on the north side of the altar sits the Arch- bishop, in a purple velvet chair, the Bishops being placed on forms along the north w all betwixt him and the pulpit ; and on the south side, east of the Queen's chair, nearer to the altar, stand the Dean of Westminster, the rest of the Bishops, and the Prebendaries of Westminster. THE DECLARATION AND OATH. The Sermon being ended, the Archbishop goeth to the Queen, and, standing before her, asketh her, " Is Your Majestic willing to make the Declaration ?'* And the Queen answering, " I am willing." — * It was preached by the Archbishop of York, who took for his text Isaiah xlix.23, " Kings shall be thy nursing ftithers, and queens thy nursing mothers." THE DECLARATION AND OATH. 417 The Archbishop being ready with the said declaration written on a roll of parchment, and reading it as follows : — " I, Anne, by the grace of God, Queen of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence of God, profess, testifie, and declare that I do believe that in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper there is not any transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, at, or after the consecra- tion thereof, by any person whatsoever. "2. That the invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other saint, and the sa- crifice of the Mass, as they are now used in the church of Rome, are superstitious and idolatrous. 3. And I do solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testifie and declare, that 1 do make this Declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordi- nary sense of the words read to me, as they are commonly understood by English protestants, without any evasion, equivoca- tion, or mental reservation whatsoever, and without any dispensa- tion already granted me for this purpose by the Pope, or any other authority or person whatsoever, or without any hope of any such dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking that I am or can be acquitted before God, or man, or absolved of this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope, or any other person or persons, or power whatsoever, should dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning." The Queen makes and audibly repeats and subscribes the same. Then the Archbishop administers the Coronation Oath,* ask- ing her — * The Coronation Oath, and the alterations which it has undergone, are very amply discussed in Mr. Taylor's " Glory of Regality." Little change has been made in it of late years, but in former times very serious interpolations and omissions appear to have passed without notice. A charge of altering the Coronation Oath was one of tlie '2e 418 THE DECLARATION AND OATH. Is your Majestie willing to take the oath ? And the Queen answering — I am willing — The Archbishop ministereth these questions, and the Queen, having a book in her hands, answers each question severally as followeth. Archbishop. — Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this kingdom of England, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same ? Queen. — I solemnly promise so to do. Archbishop. — Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgments ? Queen. — I will. Archbishop. — Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the gospel, and the Pro- testant reformed religion established by law ; and will you pre- serve unto the bishops and clergy of the realm, and to the churches committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them, or any of them ? Queen All this I promise to do. Then the Queen arising out of her chair, supported as before, articles of impeachment against Archbishop Laud ; but upon exami- nation it proved, that the clauses alluded to had been omitted in the oath of James the First. In the first volume of the second series of " Sir H. Ellis's Letters illustrative of English History," we have a fac-simile of the Corona- tion Oath of Henry the Eighth, altered and interlined hy his own ha?id : one of such interlineations, namely, of the words " nott preju- dyciall to hys jurysdyction and dygnite royall,"— after the promise to maintain the rights and privileges of the holy church — is very curious, as showing that Henry (who had been intended for an Archbishop of Canterbury, had his elder brother lived) looked to something like supremacy in the Church of England at the very outset of his reign. THE ANOINTING. 419 and assisted by the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Sword of State being carried before her, shall go to the altar, and there make her solemn oath, in sight of all the people, to observe the promise, laying her right hand upon the Holy Gospel in the great Bible which was before carried in the procession, and is now brought from the altar by the Archbishop, and tendered to her as she kneels upon the steps, and saying these words — " The things which I have here before promised, I will per- form and keep, so help me God." Then the Queen kisseth the book. THE ANOINTING. The Queen having thus taken her oath returns to her chair, and then kneeling at her faldstool, the Archbishop beginneth the hymn, " Veni, Creator Spii'itus," and the choir singeth it out. Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire And warm them with thy heavenly fire ; Thou who the anointing Spirit art, To us the sevenfold gifts impart ; Let thy blest unction from above Be to us comfort, life, and love ; Enable with celestial light The sweetness of our mortal sight ; Anoint and cheer our hearts, our face, With the abundance of thy grace ; Keep far our foes, give peace at home — Where thou dost dwell, no ill can come ; Teach us to know the Father, Son, And Spirit of both, and all but one, That so through ages all along This may be our triumphant song ; In thee, O Lord, we make our boast. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Veni Creator being sung out, the Archbishop sayeth this prayer : 2 F. 2 420 THE ANOINTING. " O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and everlasting God, the exalter of the humble, and the strength of thy chosen, who, by the anointing with oil didst of old make and consecrate kings, priests, and prophets, to teach and govern thy people Israel, re- gard, we beseech thee, the supplications of thy congregation. Bless and sanctify this thy chosen servant Anne, who, by our office and ministry, is now to be anointed with the oil, [here the Archbishop lays his hand upon the Ampulla*] and consecrated * The Ampulia, or Golden Eagle, and the " holy oil " which is poured from it, are connected, like the royal chair, with some of the miracles that no one now believes, and with some interesting historical facts. In some Vers Anacreontiques, addressed to Nicolas de Thou, Bishop of Chartres, who crowned Henri le Grand in the year 1594, by N. Rapin, is the following allusion to the origin of the sacred oil used in the Coronation of the Kings of France : " Heureuses mains que Pont oigTit De I'Huyle Saincte de Cieux Que range meme apporta Au grand Prelat Tourangeois Pour promt remede a son mal." Amongst the honours bestowed, by the Virgin, on St. Thomas a Becket, (according to a MS. in the Cotton Library,) he received from our Lady's own hand, at Sens in France, a golden eagle, and a small phial of stone or glass, containing an unction, on whose virtues she largely expatiated. Being then in banishment, he was directed to give them in charge to a monk of Poictiers, who hid them in St. Gregory's church at that place, where they were discovered in the reign of Edward III., with a written account of the vision ; and, being delivered to the Black Prince, were deposited safely in the Tower. Henry IV. is said to be the first prince anointed with these vessels. " Holy oil " still retains its use, if not its virtue, in our Corona- tions. The King was formerly anointed on the head, the bowings of the arms, on both shoulders, and between the shoulders, on the breast, and on the hands ; but the ceremonials of the last two Coronations only prescribe the anointing of the head, breast, and Tin; ANOINTING. 121 Queen of this realm. Strengthen her, O Lord, with tiie Holy Ghost the Comforter, confirm and establish her with the free and princely spirit, the spirit of wisdom and government ; the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength ; the spirit of knowledge and true godliness, and fill her, O Lord, with the spirit of thy only fear, now and for ever. Amen. The prayer being ended, the choir sings Anthem, 1 Kings, i. 34. Ver. 34. " Zadok the priest and IVathan the prophet anointed Solomon King." Ver. 39. " And they blew the trumpets, and piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them." Ver. 40." And they said, God save King Solomon : long live the King: May the King live for ever. Amen." In the mean time the Queen, rising from her devotions, goes before the altar, (supported and attended as before,) and is there by hands. In these, too, nothing is said of the " consecration" of the oil, which seems anciently to have been performed on the morning of the coronation. " Not all the water in the rough rude sea Can wash the balm from an anointed king," Richard II. is made to say, by Shakspeare, on the invasion of Bolingbroke. Sir Walter Scott, in his notes to Marniion, speaks of a singular ancient consecration of the kings of arms in Scotland, who seem to have had a regular Coronation down to the middle of the sixteenth century, — only that they were anointed with ivine instead of oil. The Eagle is of pure gold, finely chased ; the head screws ott' at the middle of the neck for putting in the oil, and the neck being hollow to the beak, the oil is poured through the point of tiie beak. The weight of the whole is about eight or ten ounces, and the cavity will contain about six ounces of oil. 4-2-2 THE ANOINTING. the Lord Great Chamberlain, &c., disrobed of her upper garment of crimson velvet, vthich is immediately to be carried thence into the Queen's traverse, set up for her in St. Edward's Chapel. The Queen sits down in her chair, (placed in the middle of the area over against the altar with a faldstool before it,) wherein she is to be anointed ; four Knights of the Garter hold over her a rich pall of silk or cloth of gold, the Dean of Westminster taking the Ampulla and Spoon from off the altar, holdeth them ready, pouring some of the holy oil into the Spoon,* and with it the Archbishop anoints the Queen in the form of a cross ; first, on the crown of the head, saying — " Be thy head anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed." Secondly, on the breast, saying- — " Be thy breast anointed with holy oil. Thirdly, on the palms of both hands, saying — " Be thy hands anointed with holy oil. " And as Solomon was anointed King by Zadok the priest, and I^athan the prophet, so be you anointed, blessed, and conse- crated Queen of this kingdom over the people, whom the Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern, in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen." Then the Queen kneeleth down at the faldstool, and the Arch- bishop standing, saith this prayer or blessing over her : — " Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by his Father was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows ; by his lioly anointing, pour down upon your head and heart the blessing of the Holy Ghost, and prosper all the works of your hand, that, by the assistance of his heavenly grace, you may govern and pre- * The Anointing Spoon is also of pure gold, with four pearls in the broadest place of the handle, and the bowl of the spoon is finely chased within and without ; by its extreme thinness it appears to be very ancient. THE PRESENTING OF THE SPURS. 423 serve the people committed to your charge in wealth, peace, and godliness ; and after a long and glorious course of ruling this temporal kingdom wisely, justly, and religiously, you may at last be made partaker of an eternal kingdom, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." This prayer being ended, the Queen rises and sits down again in her chair, and the Dean of Westminster wipes or dries the places anointed with fine linen or fine Lombart wool, delivered to him by the Lord Great Chamberlain. Then is sung this short Anthem. — Psalm Ixiii. 9. " Behold, O God, our Defender, and look upon the face of thine anointed." Psalm xviii. 51. " Great prosperity givest thou unto thy Queen, and wilt show loving-kindness to thine anointed evermore."" AUelujah. THE PRESENTING OF THE SPURS AND SWORD, AND THE GIRDING AND OBLATION OF THE SAID SWORD. The Spurs* are brought from the altar by the Dean of West- minster, and delivered to a nobleman appointed thereto by the Queen, who, kneeling down, presents them to her, v.ho forthwith sends them back to the altar. Then the lord who carries the Sword of State,t returning the said Sword to the officers of the * The Spurs, called the Great Goklen Spurs, are elaborately wrought both round the edge, and at the fastening. They have no rowels, but end in an ornamented point, being wliat are conmionly denominated Prick Spurs. New richly embroidered velvet straps were added to them for the Coronation of George IV. f The Royal Swords are named Cartana, or the Sword of Mercy ; the Sword of Justice to the Spirituality, which is obtuse ; the Sword of Justice to the Temporality, which is sharp at the point ; and the Sword of State. Of these tiie last alone is actually used in the Coro- 424 THE PRESENTING OF THE SWORD. Jewel House, which is thereupon deposited in the traverse in King Edward's Chapel, he receiveth thence, in lieu thereof, another Sword in a scabbard of purple velvet provided for the Queen, to be girt withal, which he delivereth to the Archbishop, who, laying it on the altar, saith the following prayer : " Hear our prayers, we beseech thee, O Lord, and with thy heavenly grace so sanctify and bless this thy servant Queen Anne, that she may not bear the Sword in vain, but may use it as the minister of God, for the terror and punishment of evil-doers, and for the protection and encouragement of all that do well, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Then the Archbishop takes the Sword from off the altar, (and the Bishops assisting and going along with him,) delivers it into the Queen's right hand, and she holding it, the Archbishop saith, " Receive this kingly Sword, brought now from the altar of God, and dehvered to you by the hands of us the bishops nation, being that with which the Sovereign is girded after the anoint- ing ; the rest are only borne in the procession by certain Great Officers. But Curtana has been honoured with a proper name since the reign of Henry IIL, at whose Coronation it was carried by the Earl of Chester. It is a flat sword, without a point ; looking to which circumstance, anJ to its being also entitled the Sword of Mercy, some etymologists liave traced it to the Latin crirto, to cut short ; while other writers, among whom is Mr. Taylor, would transfer our researches to the scenes of ancient chivalry, and the exploits of Oger the Dane, or Orlando, as affording the title to this appendage of the monarchy. " The sword of Tristan," says this writer, in his ' Glory of Regality,' " is found (ubi lapsus !) among the regalia of King John ; and that of Charlemagne, Joyeuse, was preserved to grace the Coronations of the Kings of France. The adoption of these titles was, indeed, perfectly consonant with the taste and feeling of those ages, in which the gests of chivalry were the favourite theme of oral and historical celebra- tion, and when the names of DurUndana, of Curteiii, or Escalibere, would nerve the warrior's arm with a new and nobler energy." THE INVESTING WITH THE ROBES. 4*25 and servants of God, though unworthy." The Queen, standing up, the Sword is girt about her by the Lord Great Chamber- lain, or some other peer thereto by her appointed ; and then the Queen, sitting down, the Archbishoj) saith, " Remember him of whom the Royal Psalmist did prophesy, saying. Gird thee with the Sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty. Good luck have thou with thine honour. Ride on prosperously, because of truth, meekness, and righteousness. Be thou follower of him. With the Sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity, protect the holy church of God, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are gone to decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish and reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in good order ; that doing these thhigs, you may be glorious in all virtue, and so represent our Lord Jesus Christ in this life, that you may reign for ever with him in the life to come. Amen." Then the Queen, rising up, ungirds her Sword, and going to the altar offers it there in the scabbard, and then returns and sits down in her chair, and the chief peer, or he to whom Her Majesty shall vouchsafe that honour, offereth the price of it ; (scilicet 100 shillings,) and having thus redeemed it, receiveth it from the altar by the Dean of Westminster, draweth it out of tiio scabbard, and carrieth it naked before Her Majesty during the rest of the solemnity. THE INVESTING WITH THE KOYAL KOBES, AND THE DELIVERING OF THE ORB. Next the Robes Royal, or Purple Robes of State, of cloth of tissue, and lined or furred with ermine, are by the Master of the Great Wardrobe delivered to the Dean of Westminster, and by him put upon the Queen, standing, who, having received them, sits down, and then the Orb* with the cross is brought from the * The Orb, or Mound, (Fr. monde,) is an emblem of sovereignty, said to be derived irom imperial Komc; and to have been first 426 THE DELIVERY OF THE ORB. altar by the Dean of Westminster, and delivered into the Queen's hands by the Archbishop, pronouncing this blessing and exhorta- tion : " Receive this imperial Robe and Orb, and the Lord your God endue you with knowledge and wisdom, with majesty and with power from on high. The Lord clothe you with the Robe of righteousness, and with the garments of salvation ; and when you see this Orb, thus set under the cross, remember that the whole world is subject to the power and empire of Christ our Lord, for all power is given unto him both in heaven and earth ; he ruleth in the kingdoms of men, and giveth them to whomsoever he pleases. He is the blessed and only Potentate, the Prince of the Kings of the earth ; on whose vesture and on whose thigh a name is written. King of kings, and Lord of lords ; so that no man can reign happily upon earth who derives not his autho- adorned with the cross by Constantine, on his conversion to Chris- tianity. It first appears among the royal insignia of England on the coins of Edward the Confessor ; but Mr. Strutt authenticates a pic- ture of Edgar, " made in the year 996," which represents that prince kneeling between two saints, who bear severally his sceptre and a globe surmounted by a cross. This part of the regalia, being induc- tive of supreme political power, has never been placed in the hands of any but Kings or Queens Regnant. In the anomalous case of the Coro- nation of William and Mary as joint sovereigns — the " other world,"' that Alexander wept for, was created ; and the spare Orb is still to be seen among the royal jewels of England ! This Orb is a ball of gold six inches in diameter, with a band of gold set with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. On the top is a large amethyst, which serves as the foot or pedestal of a rich Cross of gold set with diamonds, and in the centre, on one side, a sapphire, and an emerald on the other ; four large pearls in the angles of the cross, and three large pearls at each end ; the height of the Orb and Cross being eleven inches. THE INVESTITURE WITH THE RING. 4-27 rity from him, and directs not his administrations and actions according to his laws." '!-> THE INVESTITURE PER ANNULUM ET BACULUM. The Master of the Jewel House dehvers the Queen's Ring* (in which a table jewel is enclosed, and on that St. George's cross is engraven) to the Archbishop, who puts the Ring on the fourth finger of her Majesty's right hand, and saith, " Receive this Ring, the ensign of kingly dignity, and of de- * The Ring with which the Sovereign is invested is of plain goUl, with a large table ruby on which the cross of St. George is en- graven. It is by some writers called the Wedding-ring of England, and, like the " Ampulla," is illustrated by a miraculous history, of which the following are the leading particulars : — A certain " fayre old man" having asked alms of St. Edward the Confessor, he had nothing at hand to bestow upon him but the ring. Shortly after, two English pilgrims lost their way in the Holy Land, when " there came to them a fayre ancient man, wyth whyte beer for age. Thenne the olde man axed theym what they were, and of what regyon. And they answerde that they were pylgrims of England, and hadde lost theyr fellyshyp and way also, Thenne thys olde man comforted theym goodly, and brought theym into a fayre cytee ; and whanne they had refreshed theym, and rested there alle nyhte, on the morne this fayre olde man v/ent with theym, and brought theym in the ryghte waye agayne. And he was gladde to here tlieym talke of the welfare and holynessc of theyr kynge Saynt Edward. And whan he shold depart fro theym, thenne he tolde theym what he was, and sayd, " I am Joiian the EVANGELYST ; and sayc ye vnto Edward your kyng, that I grete him well by the token that he gaff to me thys rynge with his own handes, whych rynge ye shalle delyver to hym agayne ;"— and whan he had delyvered to theym the rynge, he departed fro theym sodenly. — Goldene Legende, p. 187. 4'id THE SCEPTRl-: AND ROD. fence of the Catholic faith, that as you are this day consecrated head of this kingdom and people, so, being rich in faith and abounding in good works, you may reign with him who is King of kings; to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." The Queen delivers her Orb to the Dean of Westminster to be again laid upon the altar, and then the Dean of Westminster brings the Sceptre* and Rod to the Archbishop, and the Lord of the Manor of Worksop, who usually claims to hold an estate, by the service of presenting to the Queen a right-hand glove on the day of her Coronation, and supporting the Queen's right arm whilst she holds the Sceptre with the Cross, delivers to the Queen a pair of rich gloves, and, upon any occasion happening after- wards, supports her Majesty's right arm, or holds her Sceptre by her. The gloves being put on, the Archbishop delivers the Sceptre with the Cross into the Queen's right hand, saying, " Receive the Royal Sceptre, the ensign of kingly power and justice." And then he delivers the Rod with the Dove into the Queen's left hand, and saith, " Receive the Rod of equity and mercy, and God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels and all just works, do proceed, j)revent and follow you, and direct and assist you in the just and e(jual administration and exercise of all these powers, which he * The Sceptre with the Cross, or Sceptre Royal, is of gold, and richly embellished ; 5^ inches above the handle being curiously embossed and set with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and the top with leaves, from which rises a mound made of an amethyst garnished with diamonds, and a cross with a large table diamond in the centre. The Sceptre with the Dove is also of gold, three inches in circumference at the handle, and 2| inches at the top ; and set with diamonds and precious stones. Upon the mound is a small Jerusalem Cross, whereon is a Dove, with wings expanded, as the emblem of mercy. THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. 42\) hath given you. Be so merciful that you be not too remiss, so execute justice and judgment that you forget not mercy ; judge with righteousness, and reprove with equity, and except no man's person. Break the jaws of the wicked, and pluck the spoil out of his teeth, that the blessing of him that was ready to perish may come upon you. Repress the proud, and lift up the lowly ; punish the wicked and protect and cherish the just, and lead them all in the ways of righteousness ; and thus in all things follow his great and holy example, of whom the prophet David saith, Thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity ; the Sceptre of thy kingdom is a right Sceptre, even in Jesus Christ, our Lord God blessed for evermore. Amen." THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. The Archbishop, standing before the altar, taketh the Crown, (called King Edward's Crown*) into his hand, and laying it before him upon the altar, saith — " O God, the Saviour and Re warder of them that faithfully serve thee, who alone doth govern them with mercy and loving- kindness, bless and sanctify this thy servant Queen Anne, our * St. Edward's Crown, with which the act of Coronation is per- formed, derives its name from that which is said to have been worn by the Confessor, and preserved in the Abbey of Westminster. The one now used, which was made for the Coronation of Charles II., is a golden Crown of two arches crossing at the top, and rising from a rim or circle of gold, over a cap of crimson velvet lined with white taffeta and turned up with ermine. The base of the arches on each side is covered by a cross pattee ; between the crosses are four Jleurs de lis of gold, which rise out of the circle ; the whole of these are splendidly enriched with pearls and precious stones. On the top, at the inter- section of the arches, which are somewhat deprest, is a globe of gold surmounted by a cross pattee, adorned with jewels, and particularly by three large oval pearls, one of which is on the top of the cross, and the others pendent at each limb. 430 THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. Queen, who now, in lowly devotion, boweth her head to thy divine majesty ; and as thou doest this day set a Crown of pure gold upon her head, so enrich her royal heart with thy heavenly and abundant grace, and crown her with all princely virtues which may adorn the high station wherein thou hast placed her, through him who is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be honour and glory for ever. Amen." Then the Queen, sitting dovm in her Chair,* the Archbishop assisted with other Bishops, comes from the altar, the Dean of * The Coronation Chair is composed of oak, and is still firm and sound, though much disfigured by wanton mutilations and the effects of time. The mode of its construction so decidedly accords with the general architecture of Edward the First's reign, that no hesitation could be felt by any one conversant with the subject, in ascribing it to that period, even were there no document extant to support the conjecture. Whatever may have become of the original chair in which Kenneth is reported to have had the Stone inclosed, and which does not appear ever to have been brought into England, it is certain that the present chair was purposely made for the reception of this highly-prized relique of ancient customs and sovereign power. This fact is rendered evident by the " Wardrobe Accounts" of Edward's time, which have been published under the direction of the Society of Antiquaries. Among the entries of the year 1300 are the following particulars relating to " a step" which had been recently made " ad pedem novcB CathedrcB in qua Petra Scocie reponitur" " To Master Walter, the painter, for the costs and expenses incurred by him about making one step at the foot of the new chair, (in which is the stone from Scotland,) set up near the altar before St. Edward's Shrine, in the Abbatial Church at Westminster, in pursuance of the order of the King, in the month of March, and for the wages of the carpenter and painter for painting the said step, and for gold and divers colours bought for the painting of the same, together with the making of one case for the covering the said chair, as appears from the particulars in the Wardrobe Book, 1/. 19*. 7c?." The venerable stone is placed within the frame-work of the chair. I THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. 431 Westminster brings the Crown, the Archbishop, taking it of him, reverently putteth it on the Queen's head. At the sight whereof, beneath the seat, and lias at each end a circular iron handle affixed to a staple let into the stone itself, so that it may be lifted up. It is of an oblong form, but irregular ; measuring twenty-six inches in length, sixteen inches and three quarters in breadth, and ten inches and a half in thickness. As far as can be ascertained from inspecting it in its present inclosed situation, it bears much resemblance to the Dun stones, such as are brought from Dundee in Scotland, and used for various purposes. It is a sandy, granular stone, a sort of debris of sienite, chiefly quartz, with light and reddish-coloured felspar and also light and dark mica, with probably some dark green hornblende, in- termixed : some fragments of a reddish-grey clay slate, or schist, are likewise included in its composition. On the upper side (but hidden by the seat of the chair) there is also a dark brownish-red coloured flinty pebble, which, from its hardness, has not been cut through, though innnediately crossed by the indent above mentioned. Tradition intimates that this stone was originally brought from Egypt, and it is a remarkable fact, when mineralogically considered, that \he substances composing it accord, in the grains, with the sienite oi" Pliny, the same as Pompey's pillar at Alexandria, but the particles arc much smaller. Geologists will perhaps determine how far this may agree with any formation succeeding the sienite, in the Egyptian quarries. The fullest account of this stone given by any single writer, is that by Fordun, who, in his Scoti-Chronicon, which was composed in the reign of Edward III., has devoted an entire chapter to its early his- tory ; the substance of his statement is as follows : — There was a certain King of Spain, of the Scottish race, called Milo, having many sons ; one, however, named Simon Brek, he loved above all the others, although he was neither the elder nor the heir. His father, therefore, sent him to Ireland with an army, and gave him a marble chair, carved with very ancient art by a skilful workman, in which the Kings of Spain, of the Scottish nation, were wont to sit when inaugurated, from which cause it was carefully brought into his 432 THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. the people, with loud and repeated shouts, cry " God save the Queen !" and the trumpets sound, and (by a signal given) the great guns of the Tower are then also shot off. region, as if it were an anchor. This Simon having reached the above island with a great army, reduced it under his dominion, and reigned in it many years. He placed the aforesaid stone or chair at The- mor, the royal residence, a noted place, at which his successors were accustomed to reside, distinguished with kingly honours. Gathelus, as some say, brought this chair, with other regal ornaments, with him from Egypt into Spain. Others relate, that Simon Brek, having an- chored on the Irish coast, was forced by contrary winds to withdraw Ins anchors from the billowy surge, and whilst strenuously labouring to that end, a stone, in the form of a chair, cut out of marble, was hauled up with the anchors into the ship. Receiving this, both as a precious boon from Heaven, and as a certain presage of future dominion, he, trembling with excessive joy, adored his gods for the gift, as if they had absolutely appointed him to the kingdom and the crown. It was there prophesied, likewise, that he and his posterity should reign wherever that stone should be found ; from which divination some one made this metrical prophecy, which, according to the common opinion, has frequently proved to be true : — " Ni falbt Fatum, Scoti, quocuiique locatum Invenient Lapidem, legnare tenentur ibidem." The internal dissensions of Scotland in the latter part of the thir- teenth century were extremely favourable to the designs of Edward I., who, having formed a league with Bruce against John Baliol, defeated the latter in a desperate battle near Dunbar, in April, 1296; and quickly subduing all Scotland, resolved to deprive the nation of every vestige of its independence. With that intent he caused the Crown, Sceptre, and Inauguration Stone, with all the public archives, charters, jewels, &c., to be conveyed to London, there to remain as lasting memorials of his conquests, and of the entire subjugation of the Scots. Notwithstanding the assertion of Walsingham, that Edward I. gave this chair for the use of the officiating priests at Westminster '\fieri THE PUTTING ON OF THE CROWN. 433 The noise ceasing, the Archbishop goes on and saith, "God crown you with a Crown of righteousness and virtue, of victory and honour. The Lord himself be unto you for a Crown of glory, and for a diadem in the hand of your God. Be strong and of a good courage, observe the commandments of God and walk in his ways, fight the good fights of faith, and lay hold of eternal life, that when you shall have finished your course, you may receive a Grown of glory and honour and immortality that fadeth not away, which God the righteous Judge shall give you at that day." Then the choir singeth this short anthem. Anthem. — Psalm cxlvii. 12. " Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise thy God, O Sion !" Isaiah xHx. 23. — " For kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nursing mothers." Ps. xlviii. 8. — " As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of our God: God upholdeth the same for ever." celebrantiiim Cathedram Sacerdotum" and which Hardyng has limited to the " Mas^ Priest," there is every reason to presume that it has been regularly used as the Coronation Chair of all other sovereigns, from the time of Edward II. In Strutt's " Hojjba Anjel-cyjipn " is a representation of the latter monarch in a chair of state, which was evi- dently intended for that under review. Camden calls it " the roj'al Chair or Throne ; and Selden, speaking of this venerable remain, em- ploys the words, " on it are the Coronations of our Sovereigns." Ogilby, in his account of the Coronation of Charles II., expressly designates it by the name of St. Edward's ancient Chair, which, he says, (covered all over with cloth of gold,) was first placed on the right side of the altar^ and, at a subsequent part of the ceremony, removed into " the middle of the aisle, and set right over against the altar, whither the King went and sate down in it, and then the Archbisliop brought St. Edward's crown from the altar and put it upon his heail. James the Second was crowned in the same Chair, as appears from Sandford, as were also William the Third, Queen Anne, and all our succeeding Sovereigns to the present time. 2 F 434 PRESENTING OF THE BIBLE. Ps. xxi, 13. — "Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strengtli : so will we sing and praise thy power." HALLELUJAH. As soon as the Queen is crowned, while the anthem is singing, the Peers and Peeresses put on their coronets, and so also the Kings of Arms. THE PRESENTING OF THE HOLY BIBLE. Then shall the Dean of Westminster take the Holy Bible, })rought by one of the Prebends of Westminster, and brought back by the Dean (or a Bishop) in the procession, for this pur- pose, from off the altar, and deliver it to the Archbishop, who, with the rest of the Bishops going along with him, shall present it to the Queen, first saying these words to her : — " Our gracious Queen, thus saith the Lord of old to his peculiar people, by the hand of his servant Moses: When thy king sitteth upon the throne of the kingdom, he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and so keep all the words of this law to do them, and that he turn not aside to the right hand or to the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children ; and accordingly afterwards, when they made Jehoash king, they not only anointed and crowned him, but they gave testimony also, that is the Book of the Law of God, to be the rule of his whole life and government. " To put your Majesty in mind of this rule, and that you may follow this example, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. " Here is wisdom, this is the royal law, these are the lively oracles of God ; blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this book, and keep and do the things contained THE BENEDICTION AND TE DEUM. 435 in it; for these arc the words of etenial life, able to make you wise and happy in this world, nay, wise unto salvation, and so happy for evermore, through faith which is in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory for ever. Amen." THE BENEDICTION AND TE DEUM. And now the Queen having been thus anointed and crowned, and received all the ensigns of royalty, the Archbishop solemnly blesseth her, and all the Bishops standing about her, with the rest of the Peers, follow every part of the benediction with a loud and hearty Amen, in this manner : — " The Lord bless you and keep you ; the Lord make the light of his countenance to shine ever upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord protect you in all your ways, and preserve you from every evil thing ; the Lord prosper the works of your own hands upon you, the Lord prosper your handiwork. Amen. May all the blessings of heaven and earth plenteously descend upon you ; the Lord give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, a fruitful country and healthful seasons, a faithful senate and a quiet empire, wise counsellors and victorious armies, a loyal nobihty and a dutiful gentry, and an honest, peaceable, and obedient commonalty. Amen. " In your days may justice flourish, and righteousness look down from heaven ; may mercy and truth meet together and kiss each other ; may wisdom and knowledge be the stability of your times, and the fear of the Lord your treasure. Amen. " The Lord preserve your life and establish your throne, that your reign may be prosperous and your days many, that you may live long in this world, obeyed and honoured and beloved by all your people, ever increasing in favour both with God and man ; and leave a numerous posterity to rule these kingdoms after you by succession in all ages. Amen. "The glorious majesty of the Lord your God be upon you, and He who hath made you Queen over this great people bless you •2 T 2 486 THE INTHRO^JIZATION. with all increase of your grace, honour and happiness in this world, and crown you with immortality and glory in the world to come. Amen." Then the Archbishop turneth to the people, and saith — « And the same Lord God Almighty grant, that the clergy and nobles gathered together this day for this great and solemn service, and together with them all the people of the land, fearing God and honouring the Queen, and yielding all cheerful obedience to God's commands and hers, may, by the gracious assistance of God's infinite goodness, and by the vigilant care of his anointed servant our gracious Queen, be continually governed and preserved in peace, plenty, and prosperity, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the eternal Father and God the Holy Ghost, be glory in the church throughout all ages and without end. Amen." The blessing being thus given, the Queen, sitting down in her chair, vouchsafes to kiss the Archbishops and Bishops assist- ing at her Coronation, they kneeling before her, one after another. Then the choir begins to sing " Te Deum Laudamus," and the Queen goes to the theatre on which the throne is placed, all the Bishops, Great Officers, and other Peers attending her, every one in his place, the Sword being carried before her; and there slie sits down and reposes herself in her chair before the throne. THE INTHRONIZATION. The " Te Deum" being ended, the Queen is lifted up into her throne by the Arciibishop and Bishops, and other Peers of the kingdom ; and being inthronized, or placed therein, all the Great Officers, those that bear the Swords and the Sceptres, and the rest of the nobles, stand round about the steps of the throne ; and the Archdeacon, standing before the Queen, saith, •' Stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth the seat and state of royal and imperial dignity, which is this day delivered unto you, in the name and by the authority of Almighty God, and by THE HOMAGE. ^J37 US the bishops and servants of God, though unworthy ; and as you see us so approach nearer to God's altars, and to await there, so vouchsafe the more graciously to continue to us your royal favour and protection; and the Lord God Almighty, whose minis- ters we are, and the stewards of his mysteries, establish vour throne in righteousness, that it may stand fast for evermore, like as the sun before Him, and as the faithful witness in heaven. Amen." THE HOMAGE.* The exhortation being ended, all the Peers then present do their homage publicly and solemnly unto the Queen upon the * It is perhaps unnecessary to inform the reader that Ilornuge and Fealty are the bonds of reciprocal duty and protection between lord and tenant ; and that, by the ceremonies of doing homage and swear- ing fealty, the feudal relations of seignior and vassal are added to tlie civil and political characters of king and subject. Sir M. Wright, Law of Tenures, (p. 67, note,) observes, tliat the words of homage (jeo deveigne vostre home,) though pronounced by the tenant, equally obliged the lord; for homage, according to Britton, (170,) '' lie deux homes par leur commun assent." With regard to the homage said to be done by the temporal peers at our Coronations, the reader will observe, that although the ceremony performed is strictly that of homage, yet a form of adjuration is added to it, which gives to the tenant's profession the force of an oadi of fealty. This blending of two distinct solemnities is certainly a departure from original prac- tice ; but it is nevertheless a departure of long continuance, and one that is perfectly known to the writers on legal antiquities. Mr. Taylor, to whose "Glory of llegality" we are indebted f{)r the above note, has furtlier shown that whatever may have been the usage of later reigns, the doing of homage by bishops was not a prac- tice of antiquity. At what time, or in what manner, their profession of fealty took its present form, he is unable to determine ; but as few 438 THE HOMAGE. theatre; and in the mean time the Lord Chancellor, (or Lord Keeper,) attended by Garter King of Arms, &c., proclaims the if any, directions or examples for the correct performance of these ceremonies have come down to us, from the times when the feudal institutions were in their full vigour, it may not be thought unlikely that some unintended deviations from former practice may have been made, when their history was yet unexamined, but their spirit already extinct. The present remarks cannot be properly concluded without some account of the kiss of homage. Selden observes that " kissing the feet hath been used in Europe at the doing of homage upon investi- tures received from great princes, as we see in that of Rollo or Ro- bert, first Duke of Normandy, receiving the duchy from Charles the Simple and such more ; though in later ages, and at this day, the kiss ill homage be on the cheek or lips." Mr. Taylor, who states that he knows of no authority in any age, or country, for the kiss of homage being given to the hands, or feet, thinks that, like the osculum pads in the service of the Church, it was intended as a token of union and agreement, not of reverence and submission ; and in Matthew Paris, where he is speaking of John receiving the homage, we find the very name received in connexion with it, " osculum pads recepit et dimisit.'' Selden adds the following remarkable fact : " The kiss of homage is so essential also, that the homage hath not enough, it seems, of what is legal without it; for in the time of Henry VI. a great plague being about London, a bill was put up in parliament to ordain and grant, (so are the words of the roll,) by the authority of this pre- sent parliament, that evericke of your said lieges, in the doing of their said homage, may omit the said kissing of you, and be excused thereof, (at your will the homage being of the same force as though they kissed you,) and have their letters of doing their homage, the kissing of you omitted notwithstanding. And the bill having passed both houses, the superscription is Le Roy le voet, as the usual words of his consent are." — Titles of Honor, p. 3L It may be added, while on this subject, that though the doing of homage now forms a part of the Coronation Ceremony, it was not in TUF, no magi;. 439 Queen's general pardon, reading it distinctly and audibly at the four sides of the theatre, and at every of them, as he goes along, the Treasurer of the Household throws among the people, medals of gold, or silver, as the Queen's princely largess or donation. The Archbishop first kneels down before Her Majesty's knees ; the rest of the Bishops kneel on either hand, and about him, and they do their homage together for the shortening of the ceremony, the Archbishop saying, " I, Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, (and so every one of the rest, I, N. Bishop of N.,) and then repeat the rest audibly after the Archbishop, " will be faithful and true, and faith and truth will bear unto you, our Sovereign Lady, and your heirs Kings of England. And I will do and truly acknowledge the ser- vice of the lands which I claim to hold of you as in riirht of the church, so help me God !" And then the Archbishop kisseth the Queen's left cheek, or hand.* After this the other Peers of the realm do their homaire in like manner : the Dukes first by themselves, and so the Mar- quisses, the Earls, the Viscounts, and the Barons severally. The first of each order kneeling before Her Majesty, and the rest with and about him ; all putting oft' their coronets, and the foremost of each class beginning, and the rest saying after him, " I, N. Duke or Earl, Sic. of N., do become your liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship ; and faith and truth I w ill bear unto you, to live and die against all manner of folks. So help me God !" old times immediately connected with it, being frequently performed on the day following the Coronation. In the time of Richard i. it was " secimdd die post coronationem ;" in the reign of John and Henry III. it was " in crastino." See M. Paris. * It appears from the accounts of the ceremony preserved in the London Gazette, that the Kiss of Homage was, on this occasion, in conformity with ancient usage, gutn to the cheek. 440 THE FINAL ANTHEM. The Peers having thus done their homage, they stand alto- gether round ahout the Queen ; or each class and degree, going by themselves, (or, as it was at the Coronations of K. Charles I. and II.,) every Peer, one by one in order, putting off their caps and coronets, singly ascend the throne again, and stretching forth their hands, do touch the Crovt^n on her Majesty's head, as pro- mising, by that ceremony, to be ever ready to support it with all their power, and then every one of them kisseth the Queen's cheek or hand. While Her Majesty's general pardon is reading, and the medals are thrown about, and the Peers are doing their homage, the Queen, if she thinks good, delivers her Sceptre with the Cross to the Lord of the Manor of Worksop to hold, and the other Sceptre, or Rod, with the Dove, to some one near to the Blood Royal, or to the Lord that carried it in the procession, or to any that she pleases to assign, to ease her thereof, and to hold it by her. And the Bishops that support the Queen in the procession may also ease her by supporting the Crown, as there shall be occasion. THE FINAL ANTHEM. While the general pardon is proclaimed, the medals scattered, and the homage of the Lords performed, the choir sing this anthem, with instrumental music of all sorts, as a solemn conclu- sion of the Coronation : Chorus. — Psalm Ixxxiv. 11. " The Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will give grace and glory." Psalm XX. 6. " Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed: he will hear her THE COMMUNION. 441 from his lioly heaven. He will hear her, and help her with the saving graee of" his right hand." Psalm xxi. 7. " For the Queen trusteth in the Lord through the mercy of the Most High ; she shall not be moved, her hand shall find out all her enemies.'^ Psalm XXXV. 9. " His salvation is nigh them that fear him ; that glory may dwell in the land." Chorus. — Psalm Ixxii. 18. " Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth won- drous things." Ver. 19. "And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen." Hallelujah ! At the end of this anthem the drums beat, and the trumpets sound, and all the people shout, crying out, " God save Queen Anne ! long live Queen Anne ! May the Queen live for ever !" THE COMMUNION. Then the offertory begins, the choir singing the first sen- tence — " Let your light so shine before men," &c. And the Archbishop reading — " Charge them that are rich in this world,"" &c. Then the organ plays, and the choir singeth — " Let my prayer come up into thy presence as incense, and let the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." In the mean while the Queen descends from her throne, sup- ported and attended as before, and goes to the steps of the altar, and kneels down there ; and first the Queen offers bread and wine for the communion, which, being then brought out of St. 44-2 THE COMMUNION. Edward's Chapel, are delivered into her hands, the bread upon the patten by the Bishop that read the epistle, and the wine in the chalice by the Bishop that read the gospel, and are by the Archbishop received from the Queen and reverently placed upon the altar, and decently covered with a fair linen cloth, the Arch- bishop first saying this prayer— « Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, these thy gifts, and sanctify them unto this holy use, that by them we may be made partakers of the body and blood of thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, and fed unto everlasting life of soul and body, and that thy ser- vant Queen Anne may be enabled to the discharge of this weighty office, whereunto of thy great goodness thou hast called and appointed her. Grant this, O Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen." Then the Queen, kneeling as before, makes her second obla- tion, offering a mark weight of gold, which the Treasurer of the Household delivers to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and he to Her Majesty, and the Archbishop, coming to her, receives it into the basin, and places it upon the altar, and then repeats the Collect used before at the first oblation— " O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place with them also who are of an humble spirit, look down mercifully upon this thy servant Anne, our Queen, here humbling herself before thee at thy footstool ; and graciously receive this oblation, which, in humble acknowledgment of thy sovereignty over all, and thy great bounty to her in particular, she hath offered up unto thee ; accept, we beseech thee, this her tVee-will offering, through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen." Then the Queen returns to her chair, and she kneeling at her faldstool, the Archbishop saith — « Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's church," &c. " You that do truly and earnestly repent," &,c. " Lift up your hearts." Answer. " We lift them up unto the Lord." THE COMMUNION. 443 Archbishop. " Let us give thanks unto our Lord God." Answer. " It is meet and right to do so." Archbishop. " It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty that we should, at all times and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, by whom kings reign, and princes rule and decree justice ; who makest kings to be the nursing fathers of thy church, and queens her nursing mothers ; and especially this our gracious Queen, defender of thy faith and protector of thy church, that under her we may lead a quiet, peaceable life, in all goodness and honesty ; therefore, with angels," &c. The Prayer of Address. " We do not presume to,"" &c. The Prayer of Consecration. " Almighty God, our heavenly Father," &c. When the Archbishop and the Bishop's assistant have coinnui- nicated in both kinds, the Archbishop adrninistereth the bread, and the Dean of Westminster the cup to the Queen,* the Bishop's * Connected with this most solemn part of the ceremonial are two anecdotes related of George tlie Third, which, wlien put in aj)position, are remarkably characteristic of his peculiar views on religious mat- ters. The first is from Bishop Newton's Memoir of himself, prefixed to his " Works," where he tells us, that " when the King approached the communion-table, in order to receive the Sacrament, he incjiiired of the Archbishop whether he should not lay aside the crown ? The Archbishop asked the Bishop of Rochester, but neither of them knew, or could say, what had been the usual form. The King determined within himself that humility best became such a solemn act of devo- tion, and took off his crown and laid it aside during the adminis- tration." 'The second is told by Wraxall in his " Historical INIemoirs," ii. 21. " Towards the end of the month of January 1805, at a tiuie when the 444 THE FINAL PRAYERS. assistant holding a towel of white silk or fine linen before the Queen, which she receives. The Archbishop goes on to the post communion — " Our Father which art in heaven," &c. " O Lord, our heavenly Father, we thy humble," &c. The choir sings — « Glory be to God on high," &c. And in the mean time the Queen returns to her' throne upon the theatre, and the Archbishop reads the final prayers. THE FINAL PRAYERS- « Assist us mercifully, O God, in these our supplica- tions," &c. " O Lord, our God, who upholdest and governest all things in King was much occupied in preparations for the installation of the Knights of the Garter destined to take place on the approaching 23rd of April, and while conversing on the subject with some persons of high rank at Windsor, one of them, the late Earl of Chesterfield, a nobleman much distinguished by his favour, said, " Sire, are not the new knights now meant to be installed, obliged to take the Sacrament before the ceremony ?" Nothing could probably have been further from his idea or intention than to have asked the question in a manner capable of implying any levity or irreverence ; nevertheless His Ma- jesty instantly changed countenance, and assuming a severe look, after a moment or two of pause, " No," replied he, " that reli- gious institution is not to be mixed with our profane ceremonies. Even at the time of my Coronation I was very unwilling to take the Sacrament, but when they told me that it was indispensable, and that I must receive it, before I approached the communion-table 1 took off the bauble from my head. The Sacrament, my Lord, is not to be profaned by our gothic institutions." The severity of the King's manner while he pronounced these words, impressed all present, and suspended for a short time the conversation. THE RECESS. 445 heaven and earth, receive our humble prayers with our thanks- givings for our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne, set over us by thy grace and good providence to be our Queen ; and so, together with her, bless Catherine, the Queen Dowager, and the whole Royal Family, with the dew of thy heavenly Spirit, that they all, ever trusting in thy goodness, protected by thy power, and crowned with thy gracious and endless favour, may continue be- fore thee in health, peace, joy, and honour, a long and happy life upon earth, and after death obtain everlasting life and glory in the kingdom of heaven, by the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour, who with thee, O Father Eternal, and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen." " Almighty God, who hast promised to hear," Sec. " The peace of God, which passeth all understanding," 8:c. THE RECESS.* The Coronation and Communion being performed and ended, the Queen, accompanied and attended as before, descended from her throne, crowned, and carrying her Sceptre and Hod in her hand, and went down into the area eastward of the theatre ; and as she passed by the altar, the rest of the regalia lying upon it were re-delivered by the Dean of Westminster to the Lords that brought them in the procession, to be again borne before Her Majesty, and so they proceeded in state into King Edward's Chapel, the organ playing all the while. The Queen being come into the chapel, and standing before the altar, took off her royal and imperial Crown, and delivered it to the Archbishop, who laid it upon the altar there, and the rest of the regalia were given into the hands of the Dean of Westmin- ster, and by him laid there also. The Queen then withdrew herself into the traverse prepared * From IMS. in College of Arms, quoted by M. rianche. 446 THE RETURN, for her upon the western wall of that chapel, and the Queen within her traverse was disrobed by the Lord Great Chamber- lain, &c., of her royal robes of state, which were forthwith deli- vered to the Dean of Westminster, and were laid also upon the altar, and again she was arrayed in her robes of purple velvet furred with ermine, which were worn the rest of that day, and which were before laid in the traverse for that purpose. When the Queen, thus habited, came forth of her traverse, she stood before the altar ; the Archbishop, being still vested as before, did set the Crown of State (provided for the Queen, and laid ready upon the altar to be worn for the rest of the solemnity) upon her head, and this being done, the Archbishop, the Dean of Westminster, and Bishop's assistant who had read the Litany, divested themselves of their copes, and left them there, proceed- ins: in their usual habits. The Queen took the Sceptre with the Cross in her right hand, and the Orb in her left, and the Sword and the Rod with the dove being borne before her Majesty, and the Officers of Arms having put the rest of the proceeding in order, they went from King Edward's chapel to the theatre, and thence through the midst of the choir and the body of the church, and so out of the west door, and returned unto Westminster Hall in the same manner as they came, saving that the Peers, who in the former proceed- ing carried any of the regalia, which were then left behind in the church, or which the Queen then wore, did not go, as they then did, immediately before the Queen, but fell into the proceeding, and were ranked in place according to their degrees or consecra-- tions, and in this proceeding all the Nobility had their coronets, and all the Bishops their caps, on their heads, and the Kings of Arms their crowns. They proceeded in the following manner; the Officers of Arms having arranged the procession for the return while the Queen was in St. Edward's chapel. THE PROCESSION BACK TO TME HALL. 447 A Fife. Drums — four abreast. Drum-Major. Trumpets four abreast. Kettle Drums. Sergeant Trumpets. Si.v Clerks in Cliancery. The (iuoen's Cliaplains, liavins Dignities. Sheriffs, Aldermen and Recorder of London. Masters in Chancery. The Queen's younger Serjeants at Law The Solicitor and Attorney General. The Queen's Ancient Serjeants. Esquires of the Body. Gentlemen of tlie Privy Chamber. Barons of the Exchequer and Justices of both Benches. The Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. The Lord Chief Justice of the Common Picas. Master of the Rolls. Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench. The Sergeant Porter. Master of the Jewel House. Privy Counsellors not Peers. Two Pursuivants of Arms. Baronesses wearing their Coronets, as did the rest of the Peeresses. Barons wearing their Coronets, as did the rest of the I'eers. Bishops wearing their Caps. Two Pursuivants. Vicountesses. Viscounts. Two Heralds. Countesses. Ivirls. Marchionesses. Two Heralds. Duchesses. Dukes. The Two Provincial Kings of Arms wearing their Crowns. Lord Privy Seal. Lord President of the Council. Lord Archbishop of York. The Keeper of the great Seal with the Purse. Lord Archbishop of Cantorliury. The Duke of Aquitaine. The Duke of Norniaiulv . Prince George of Denmark, his train bonic. The Third Swonl.— Curtana.— The Second Sword. 448 THE BANQUET. Tlie Lord Mayor Deputy Garter principal The Gentleman Usher of the of London. King of Arms. lack Rod. The Lord Great Chamberlain. The Earl Marshal. The Sword of State. The Lord High Constable. g | The Lord High Steward. The Sceptre with the Dove, borne by the Duke of Riclimond, who did bear it on the Queen's right hand during dinner. Supporter THE QTJBBN, Supporter ^ ,^ a Bishop. in her Robes of Purple Velvet furred a Bishop. JT) :^ S I witli Ermine, and the Crown of State | 3 ~ .| on her head, bearing St. Edward's § g £ g Sceptre with the Cross in her right g g ^ ^ hand, and the Orb in the left, under the Canopy,* supported, and her Train borne as before. The Captain of the Yeomen of The Captain of the Horse The Captain of the Band of the Guard. Guards in 'Waitiiig. Pensioners Ensign and Lieutenant of the Yeomen of the Guard. The Yeomen of the Guard. The proceeding being come to Westminster Hall, the fife and drums fell off on the sides without the Hall door, the trumpets entered the Hall and went up to the gallery over their door at the lower end of the Hall ; those wlio had walked being then placed by the Heralds, every class at their several tables appointed for them. Then the Heralds should have gone up to their gallery ap- pointed for them, at the upper end of the Hall over the Queen's table, if it had not been filled with persons that had no right there. * The Barons of the Cinque Ports had waited during the ceremo- nial at the west door of the choir, where they again received Her Majesty on her return. " They that bear the cloth of honour over her Aie Barons of the Cinque Ports." In the time of Edward the Confessor, when the ports were en- franchised, and in the time of Edward the First, 1278, when their charter was confirmed, it contained these words : — " Et THE BANQUET, 449 The Great Officers and those who represented the Dukes of Aquitaine and Normandy, stood on each side near the throne till Her Majesty passed by, and when she ascended the steps of the throne, the l^arons of the Cinque Ports carried away the canopy. Her Majesty being ascended the throne, retired for a while to the Court of Wards. quod habeant honores sues in Curia nostra ;" which is construed, the honourable service performed by the Barons at the Coronation oftho Sovereign of England The earliest evidence of their performing this office occurs in the Patent Rolls, 33 Edward III., where it is stated that the Barons of the Cinque Ports claimed and obtained their an- cient right and privilege of bearing the canopy at the Coronation of Eleanor, daughter of Raymond Earl of Provence, and wife of Henry the Third, although their claim was contested by the Marchers of the Marches of Wales. And it is asserted that they enjoyed at that Coro- nation the privilege of sitting at the banquet, on the right hand of the King, and continued to enjoy the same until 1750 ; when, at the Coro- nation of George the Second, they were compelled to dine at a second table on the right hand of the King ; who, in reply to their memorial urging their claim to dine on His Majesty's right hand at the principal table, decided that no alteration could then be made in the arrangement, but that it should be confined without prejudice to their claim at future Coronations. Matters were worse, however, at the Coronation of George the Third, for the Barons who waited in the Court of Requests, before they went down into the hall, having heard that there was no table provided for them in the hall, applied to the Lord High Steward, as his Lordship passed through the Court of Requests, for their proper table, the same having been allowed by the Court of Claims. But his Lordship absolutely refused the same, and told them they should not dine in the hall ; and upon the Barons returning into the hall with the canopies, they found all the tables on the King's right hand fdlcd with Peers and Peeresses ; upon which the Barons stood together in the hall at the upper table on the King's right hand until past nine at •2g 450 THE BANQUET. As soon as the hot meat was ready to be brought to the table, she returned into the Hall attended as before, and having deli- vered the Sceptre and Orb to the Lords appointed to hold them, o'clock at night, (no table being provided for them in the hall,) when they returned in the barge to the Salt Office, where they had met and robed in the morning. Horace Walpole, in his letter to Montagu, describing the ceremo- nial of the Coronation of George the Third, and speaking of Lord Talbot refusing tables to the Knights of the Bath and the City of London, and their complaints upon the subject, adds, " To the Barons of the Cinque Ports who made the same complaints, he said — ' If you come to me as Lord Steward, I tell you it is impossible ; if as Lord Talbot, 1 am a match for any of you !' " For their services the Barons receive the Canopy, Staff", and Bells as their fee, and it is customary for the Barons to apply to the house- keeper of the House of Commons for leave to put the canopy in that house after their return from the Abbey, and to procure an order from the Lord High Steward for the King's watermen to carry it there. The costume worn by the Barons of the Cinque Ports at the Coro- nation of George the Third was as follows : — An Oxford Master of Arts' long sleeve gown, of scarlet cloth faced with scarlet satin, with long slit sleeves and a large cope of scarlet satin. A waistcoat of scarlet satin lined, and a small square open cuff of white satin, and breeches of scarlet satin, with white satin knots at the knees. Stockings of scarlet silk, and shoes of black velvet, with scarlet satin heels, tops of scarlet satin, and tied with white satin knots. The wigs according to the Earl Marshal's orders. White stiff" top glazed gloves, bound with scarlet satin ribbon. Caps of black velvet like a Scotch bonnet, only larger. Laced bosoms instead of neckcloths, and laced ruffles. Cross carved gilt swords, with white satin scabbards and white satin belts, with gilt buckles the same in fashion as those worn by the Knights of the Bath, to be worn over the waistcoats. THE IJANQUET. 451 they bore them on each side of her, viz. the Sceptre on the rifjht and the Orb on the left, and the Lords who carried the four Swords bore them next on the Queen's right hand, and the Lord Great Chamberlain standing on her left. Her Majesty washed in this manner, the Lord Great Cham- berlain, preceded by a Gentleman Usher followed by the Cup- bearer, being an Earl, assisted by the other Lords, went to the Cupboard, and from thence brouglit the basin and ewer to Her Majesty, the Cupbearer pourin g out the water whilst Her Ma- jesty washed her hands, and the two assistants held the towel in right of Sir Peter Soame, Bart., Lord of the manor of Haydon, in Essex. Her Majesty having washed, seated herself in her chair of state at the table,* and then the hot meat was brought up in this manner — two of Her Majesty's women sitting at her feet. The Lord Sewer with the Lord his assistant went to the dresser of the kitchen, where the Master of the Horse to Her Majesty, as Sergeant of the Silver Scullery, called for a dish of meat, wiped the bottom of the dish and likewise the cover within and with- out, took assay of that dish and covered it, then delivered that dish and the rest of the hot meat to the Gentlemen Pensioners, who carried it to the Queen's table in the following manner: First Two Clerks Comptrollers in Velvet Gowns. Two Clerks of tlie Green Cloth in the se/- haroniam, and was the caput haronia;, or head of the barony of the Marmion family ; and it moreover appearing that the late King Ed- ward III., and his son Edward Prince of Wales, surnamed the Black Prince, had often been heard to say that the office belonged to Sir John Dymoke, the question of right was decided in his favour. From this period to the present, a lapse of nearly 500 years, the office has been executed by the Dymoke family at the several Coronations of the Kings and Queens of England. At that of Richard II., by Sir John Dymoke before mentioned ; at that of Henry IV., by his son Sir Thomas Dymoke, who was one of the forty-six Esquires created by that King Knights of the Bath on the day of his Coronation ; they having watched all the night before, and bathed themselves. This Sir Thomas also performed the same office at the Coronation of Henry V., as his son Sir Philip Dymoke did at that of Henry VI. ; and his grandson, Sir Robert Dymoke, Knight Banneret, did also at the same 454 THE CHALLENGE. Tlie Champion's two Esquires ; tlie one with a target, with the Cliampion's arms painted thereon in the left hand , the other carrying the lance in the right hand, upright. Then the several Heralds of Arms ; immediately before him the Herald with the Champion's challenge in his hand. The Earl Marshal, in his The Champion on horse- The Lord High ConstaWe, robes and coronet, back, with a gauntlet in his robes, coronet, on horseback, with the on his right hand, his hel- and collar of the order, on Earl Marshal's staff met on his head, horseback, with the in his hand. adorned with a plume of Constable's staff. feathers, white, blue, and red. Four Pages richly appareled attending the Champion. At the lower end of the Hall the trumpet sounded thrice, then the Herald cried silence, and proclaimed the Champion's challenge ill tlie following words : — " If any person, of what degree soever, high or low, shall deny or gainsay our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne, of England, Scot- land, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith," &e. Then the Champion threw down his gauntlet, where it hav- ing lain for some small time, the Herald took it up and delivered it again to the Champion. Then they advanced to the middle of the Hall, where the challenge was made in hke manner, the trumpet sounding. solemnities of Richard III., Henry VII., and Henry VIII. ; to which last he was one of the generals who commanded at the siege and cap- ture of Boulogne. Sir Edward, son of Sir Robert Dymoke, was champion to Queen Elizabeth, as was Sir Robert Dymoke, his son, to James I. and Charles I. ; and his son, Sir Edward, to Charles II. ; and his son, Sir Charles Dymoke, to James II. ; whose son, another Charles, was champion to Queen Anne ; he dying without issue, was succeeded by his brother, Lewis Dymoke, who executed this office at tlie Coro- nation of George I. and George II. On the Coronation of George III. John Dymoke, Esq. had the like honour ; and the office was performed by a son of the head of the Dymoke family, at the Coronation of George IV. It was done by proxy, because the hereditary champion was a clergyman ; and the Coinnilttee of Privileges allowed the office to be executed by his son, on his petition to that effect. THE CHALLENGE. 455 Lastly, they repaired to the steps leading up to the throne, where the Herald ascended to the top of the steps, and proclaimed the challenge as before. The Champion having received his gauntlet from the Herald, put it on, making a love obeisance to Her Majesty. Then the Lord the Cupbearer, with his assistant, as before, brought a gold cup of wine covered, and presented it to the Queen, who drank to the Champion and sent the cup by the said Lord the Cupbearer to him, who, having drunk thereof, made a low obeisance to Her Majesty, and returned in the same man- ner as he came, carrying with him the cup and cover as his fee. The Champion being retired out of the Hall, and the Hall being cleared. Garter's Deputy, followed by the Provincial Kings of Arms with their coronets on their heads, together with the Heralds and Pursuivants, repaired to the lower end of the Hall, where putting themselves in order, the eldest first, they made their obeisance to Her Majesty ; and from thence advancing to the middle of the Hall, did the like, and then proceeded to the bottom of the steps leading to the throne, and there made a third reverence ; then ascending the steps, Garter's Deputy repaired to the middle of the table, the Officers of Arms being behind him, they all made their reverences to Her Majesty, and Garter's deputy having thrice cried largesse, proclaimed Her Majesty's style as foUoweth : — " Serenissimse, Potentissimse, et Excellentissimsc Principis, Anna?, Dei gratia Anglian, Scotia?, Francias, et Hiberniai lie- ginse, Fidei Defensoris." After which all the Officers of Arms made their obeisance. Then Garter's Deputy proclaimed Her Majesty's style in French in the words following: — " De tres haute, tres puissante, tres excellente princesse, Anne, par la grace de Dieu Reyne d'Angleterre, d'Ecosse, France, et Irlande, Dcfenseur de la Foy." 456 PROCLAMATION OF THE QUEEN S STYLE. And the Officers at Arms having made their reverences, Gar- ter's Deputy proclaimed Her Majesty's style in English, viz. — " Of the most high, mighty, and most excellent Princess Anne, by the grace of God Queen of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith," &c. Then the other Officers of Arms cried largesse thrice, made their obeisances to Her Majesty, and retired, , going backwards, with their faces towards the throne. From thence they proceeded to the middle of the Hall, cried largesse thrice, and then Garter's Deputy proclaimed the Queen's style in three languages as be- fore, and then retired. Then the second course was brought up to the Queen's table with the same solemnity as the first. Then — Ryder, Esq., for the Manor of Nether Blessington in Kent, presented on his knee to Her Majesty three maple cups ; and the Mayor of Oxford, on being then introduced by the Lord the Cupbearer to Her Majesty, the said Lord, by Her Majesty's command, delivered to the said Mayor the aforesaid three maple cups in right of his claim. Then the Lord Mayor of London, attended by the Aldermen, Sheriffs, &c., with the twelve principal citizens, in pursuance of their claim to be assistants to the Chief Butler of England, pre- sented to Her Majesty a gold cup of wine with a cover, and the Queen, having drunk a little thereof, gave back the said cup and cover to the said Lord Mayor, as his fee. Her Majesty having dined, the basin and ewer with water was brought to her by the Lord Great Chamberlain, and having washed, as before dinner, and grace being said, Her Majesty received her Sceptre, and the Regalia and Swords being car- ried before her, she retired into the Court of Wards, where part of the Regalia was delivered to the Dean of Westminster, and the rest to the Master of the Jewel House ; and from thence Her Majesty departed privately to her palace." So terminates the official record in the College of Arms. HER majesty's DEPARTUllE. 457 From the London Gazette we learn that, " Dmner beinc ended, and all things performed with great splendour and mag- nificence, about half an hour past eight in the evening Her Ma- jesty returned to St. James's ; the day concluded with bonfires, illuminations, ringing of bells, and other demonstrations of a general satisfaction and joy." Such were the forms observed at the Coronation of the last Queen Regnant of England preceding Her present Majesty. It now only remains to exhibit those to be observed on the present happy occasion. It will be seen that the precedent adopted, is that of the Coronation of His late Majesty, the Pro- cession from Westminster Hall to the Abbey, and the Banquet afterwards, being omitted ; to the regret of many, who hold that the rule, " The more ceremony, the more state," is one especially deserving of observation on the accession of a youthful Queen, as well as of those who regard every mark of honour paid to Her Majesty as the Head of the State, not only as a just tribute of loyalty and devotion to the Sovereign, but as an evidence of at- tachment to the great and fundamental princijjles of the Con- stitution. 458 THE CEREMONIES TO BE OBSERVED AT THE ROYAL CORONATION OF HER MOST SACRED MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA, IN THE ABBEY CHURCH OF WESTMINSTER, ON THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1838. Published by authority of the Earl Marshal. The Peers and Peeresses, in their robes of estate, and others, summoned b}' Her Majesty's command to witness the ceremony of the Coronation, will be conducted to the places assigned to them in Westminster Abbey previous to the arrival of Her Ma- jesty ; the Lords Spiritual on the north side of the Area or Sacra- rium, the Lords Temporal in the south transept, and the Peer- esses in the north transept. The Great Officers of State, the Archl.nshops of Canterbury and York, the Noblemen appointed to carry the Regalia, all in their Robes of Estate, and the Bishops who are to support Her Majest)', as well as those who are to carry the Bible, the Chalice, and the Patina, will assemble in the Jerusalem-chamber, adjoining the Deanery, before ten o'clock ; where the Regalia, having been previously laid on the table, will be delivered by the Lord Cham- berlain of the Household to the Lord High Constable, and by him to the Lord Willoughby d'Eresby as Lord Great Chamber- lain, and by his Lordship to the Noblemen by whom the same are to be borne, in the following order, viz. — 1 REGALIA. 459 REGALIA. First, St. Edward's Staff, to the Duke of Roxburghe. Second, the Spurs, to the Lord Byron, deputy to the Baroness Grey de Ruthyn. Third, the Sceptre with the Cross, to the Duke of Cleveland. Fourth, the Pointed Sword of Temporal Justice, or third sword, to the Marquess of Westminster. Fifth, the Pointed Sword of Spiritual Justice, or second sword, to the Duke of Sutherland. Sixth, Curtana, or Sword of Mercy, to the Duke of Devonshire. Seventh, the Sword of State, to Viscount Melbourne. Eighth, the Sceptre with the Dove, to the Duke of Richmond. Ninth, the Orb, to the Duke of Somerset. Tenth, St. Edward's Crown, to the Duke of Hamilton, as Lord High Steward. Eleventh, the Patina, to the Bishop of Bangor. Twelfth, the Chalice, to the Bishop of Lincoln. Thirteenth, the Bible, to the Bishop of Winchester. The Dean and Prebendaries of Westminster will be in the nave, in readiness to join the proceeding next before the Officers of Her Majesty's Household. Her Majesty and the Princes and Princesses of the Blood Royal, attended by the Officers of the Household of Her Majesty, will proceed in state from Buckingham Palace precisely at ten o'clock, and arrive at the Abbey at eleven o'clock. On arrival at the west entrance of the Abbey Her Majesty will be received by the Great Officers of State, the Noblemen bear- ing the Regalia, and the Bishops carrying the Patina, the Chalice, and the Bible, when Her Majesty will repair to her robing cham- ber, constructed on the right of the platform without the entrance. The Ladies of Her Majesty's Household and the Officers of the Royal Household, and of the respective households of the Princes 460 THE PROCESSION. and Princesses, to whom duties are not assigned in the solemnity, will immediately pass to the places prepared for them respec- tively. Her Majesty, having been robed, will then advance up the nave into the choir ; the Choristers in the orchestra singing the anthem, " I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord," &c. THE PROCEEDING FROM THE WEST DOOR OF THE ABBEY INTO THE CHOIR. The Prebendaries and Dean of Westminster. Officers of Arms. Comptroller of Her Majesty's Treasurer of Her Majesty's Household, Household. (attended by two Gentlemen,) bearing the Crimson Bag with the Medals. Her Majesty's Vice-Chamberlain, acting for The Lord Steward of Her Majesty's tlie Lord Chamberlain 462 THE PROCESSION. Lady Anne-Wentworth Fitzwilliam. Lady Catherine-Lucy- Wilhelmina Stanhope Lady Mary-Augusta-Frederica Grimston. Lady Louisa- Harriet Jcnkinson. Assisted by the Lord Chamberlain of the Household ; (his Coronet borne by a Page, I followed by the Groom of the Robes. The Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes. Marchioness of Lansdowno, first Lady of the Bedchamber. Ladies of the Uedchaniber : viz. (^ountess of Charlemont. Marchioness of Tavistock. Lady Lyttelton. Countess of Mulgravc. Lady Portman. Lady Barham. Maids of Honour ; viz. Hon. Margaret Dillon. Hon. Harriet Pitt. Hon. Miss Cavendish. Hon. Caroline Cocks. Hon. Miss Lister. Hon. Matilda Paget. Hon. Miss Spring Rice. Hon. :Miss Murray. Women of the Bedchamber. Lady Harriet Clivc. Lady Caroline Harrington. Lady Theresa Digby. Lady Charlotte Copley. Hon. Mrs. Brand. Viscountess Forbes. Lady Gardner. Hon. Mrs. Campbell. The Gold Stick of the Life Guards The Master of the Horse ; in waiting ; his Coronet his Coronet borne by a Page. borne by a Page. The Captain-General of the Royal Archer Guard of Scotland ; his Coronet borne by a Page. The Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard ; The Captain of the Band of Gentlemen at his Coronet borne by a Page. Arms ; his Coronet borne by a Page. Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy Purso. Knsign of the Yeomen of the Guard. Lieutenant of the Yeomen of the Guard. Exons of the Yeomen Clerk of the Checque to the Exons of the Yeomen of the Guard. Yeonu-n of the Guard. of the Guard. Twenty Yeomen of the Guard. The Prebendaries, entering the choir, ascend the theatre, and pass over it to their station on the south side of the Altar, beyond the Queen's Chair. « The Lord Steward of the Household will pass to his seat as a Peer ; and the Vice-Chamberlain, Treasurer, and Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household will pass to their seats. The Lord Archbishops of York and Armagh, and the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, will pass to their seats. THE PROCESSION. 463 The Dean of Westminster, the Great officers of State, viz. the Lord High Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Lord Privy Seal, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord Pligh Constable, the Earl Marshal, with the Lord Archbishop of Can- terbury, will ascend the theatre, and stand near the great south- east pillar thereof. The Princesses and the attendants of their Royal Highnesses will be conducted by the Officers of Arms to the Royal Box. The Princes of the Blood Royal will be conducted to their seats, as Peers, by the Officers of Arms ; and the Noblemen who carried the coronets, and the train-bearers of their Royal High- nesses, will go to the places provided for them. The High Constables of Scotland and Ireland will be con- ducted to their places as Peers. The Pages will, upon ascending the theatre, deliver the coro- nets and staves, which they had carried, to the respective Noble- men, and go to the seats provided for them ; where they will remain until after the return of the Procession, which they will not join, but go to the Jerusalem Chamber. The Gentlemen at Arms, who will guard Her Majesty, will remain at the foot of the steps ascending to the theatre, and are hereby especially ordered not to advance any further: the Officers of the Yeomen of the Guard and the Exons will stand within and near to the choir door : and the Yeomen of the Guard will stand in the nave on the outside of the entrance to the choir. The Queen, ascending the theatre, will pass, on the south side of her throne, to her chair of state, on the south-east side of the theatre, being the Recognition Chair, and, after her private devotion, (kneeUng on her faldstool,) will take her seat; the Bi- shops, her supporters, standing on each side; the Noblemen bearing the four Swords on Her Majesty's right hand, the Sword of State being nearest to the royal person ; the Lord Great Cham- berlain and the Lord High Con stable on her left ; the other Great Officers of State, the Noblemen bearing the Regalia, the 464 THE RECOGNITION. Dean of Westminster, Deputy Garter, and Black Rod, standing near the Queen's chair ; the Bishops bearing the Bible, the Cha- lice, and the Patina, will stand near the pulpit ; and the Train- bearers, the Lord Chamberlain of the Household, and the Groom of the Robes, behind Her Majesty. The Mistress of the Robes, the Ladies of the Bedchamber, the Maids of Honom-, and the Women of the Bedchamber, will pass to the seats provided for them. The Master of the Horse, the Gold Stick, the Captain-Gene- ral of the Archer Guard of Scotland, and the Captain of the Band of Gentlemen at Arms, and the Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, will pass to their seats as Peers ; and the Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy Purse to a seat provided for him. THE RECOGNITION. Upon the conclusion of the Anthem, the Archbishop of Can- terbury will advance from his station at the south-east pillar, and, together with the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Great Cham- berlain, the Lord High Constable, and the Earl Marshal, pre- ceded by Deputy Garter, will move to the east side of the theatre, where the Archbishop will make the Recognition thus: — " Sirs, 1 here present unto you Queen Victoria, the undoubted Queen of this realm ; wherefore, all you who are come this day to do your homage, are you willing to do the same ?" and repeat the same at the south, west, and north sides of the theatre ; during which time Her Majesty will be standing up by her chair, and turn to- wards the people on the side at which the Recognition is made ; the people replying to each demand with loud and repeated acclamations of "God save Queen Victoria;" and at the last Recognition the trumpets will sound, and the drums beat. The bearers of the Regalia, during the Recognition, remain standing about Her Majesty. Her Majesty will then resume her seat; and the Bib'e. the THE FIRST OFFERING. 465 Chalice, and the Patina will be carried to and placed upon the Altar by the Bishops who had borne them, who will then retire to their seats. The Great Officers will resume their station near Her Majesty. Two Officers of the Wardrobe will then spread a rich cloth of gold, and lay a cushion on the same, for Her Majesty to kneel on, at the steps of the Altar. The Archbishop of Canterbury will then proceed to the Altar, put on his cope, and stand on the north side. The Bishops who are to read the Litany, will also vest themselves in their copes. THE FIRST OFFERING. The Queen, attended by the two Bishops, her supporters, and the Dean of Westminster, the Great Officers, and the Noblemen bearing the Regalia and the four Swords going before Her Majesty, will pass to the Altar. Her Majesty, kneeling upon the cushion, will make her first offering of a pall, or altar-cloth of gold, which will be delivered by an Officer of the Wardrobe to the Lord Cham- berlain, by his Lordship to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and by him to the Queen, who will deliver it to the Archbishop of Can- terbury, by whom it will be placed on the Altar. The Treasurer of the Household will then deliver an ingot of gold, of one pound weight, to the Lord Great Chamberlain, who having presented the same to the Queen, Her Majesty will deliver it to the Arch- bishop, to be by him put into the oblation basin. Her Majesty continuing to kneel, the prayer " O God, 7cho dwellestin the high and hdly place" &c., will be said by the Arch= bishop. At the conclusion of the prayer, Her Majesty will rise, and go, attended as before, to the Chair of State on the south side of the area. The Regalia, except the Swords, will then be delivered, by the several Noblemen who bore the same, to the Archbishop, and by 2 H 4G6 THE LITANY. liis Grace to the Dean of Westminster, to he laid on the Altar ; the Great Officers of State (with the exception of the Lord Great Chamberlain) and the Noblemen who had borne the Regalia de- posited on the Altar, going to the respective places appointed for them ; the Bishop of Durham standing on the right hand of Her Majesty, with the Noblemen carrying the Swords on his right hand ; the Bishop of Bath and Wells on Her Majesty's left hand, and near him the Lord Great Chamberlain. The Noblemen bearing the Swords (except the Sword of State) will continue to stand on the south side of the area until the Inthronization. the litany will then be read by the Bishops of Worcester and St. David's, kneeling at a faldstool above the steps of the theatre, in the centre of the east side thereof, the Choir reading the Responses. At the conclusion of the Litany, the Bishops will resume their seats on the bench along the north side of the area. THE COMMUNION SERVICE, previously to which the choir will sing the Sanctus — " Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! Lord God of Hosts /" The Archbishop will then begin the Service, the Bishop of Rochester reading the Epistle, and the Bishop of Carlisle the Gospel. The Service being con- cluded, the Bishops will return to their seats. THE SERMON will then be preached by the Bishop of London. During the Sermon, Her Majesty will continue to sit in her Chair on the south side of the area, opposite the pulpit; supported on her right hand by the Bishop of Durham, and beyond him, on the same THE OATH. 467 side, will stand the Noblemen carrying the Swords ; on her left the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and, near him, the Lord Great Chamberlain. The Archbishop of Canterbury will take his seat in a purple velvet chair, on the north side of the area, Deputy Garter standing near him ; the Dean of Westminster standing on the south side of the area, east of the Queen's seat, and near the Altar. THE OATH. The Sermon being concluded, (and Her Majesty having on Monday, the 20th day of November, 1837, in the presence of the two Houses of Parliament, made and signed the Declaration,) the Archbishop of Canterbury, advancing towards the Queen and standing before her, will minister the questions prescribed by the Service ; which having been answered by Her Majesty, she w ill arise from her Chair, and, attended by her Supporters and the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Sword of State alone being borne before Her Majesty, will go to the Altar, where, kneeling upon the cushion placed on the steps, and laying her right hand on the Holy Gospels, tendered to Her Majesty by the Archbishop, will take THE CORONATION OATH, kiss the book, and to a transcript of the oath set her sign-manual, the Lord Chamberlain of the Household holding a silver standish for that purpose, delivered to him by an officer of the Jewel-office. The Queen then returning to her Chair, where Her Majesty had sat during the Sermon, on the south side of the area, the following Hymn will be sung by the Choir, the Archbishop reading the first line, " Come, Holy, Holy Ghost, our souls in- spire," &c. THE ANOINTING. Upon the conclusion of the hymn, the Archbishop will read the prayer preparatory to the Anointing. " O Lord, Holy Father, 2 u 2 468 THE ANOINTING. ijoho, by anointing with oil, didst of old make and consecrate kings, priests, and jnophets" &c. At the conclusion of this prayer, the Choir will sing the Anthem, " Zadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet,'' &c. At the commencement of the Anthem, the Queen will arise from her Chair, go before the Altar, and, attended by her Supporters and the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Sword of State being borne before her, will be disrobed of her crimson robe by the Mistress of the Robes, assisted by the Lord Great Chamberlain, which will be immediately carried into St. Edward's Chapel by the Groom of the Robes. The Queen will then proceed to and sit down in St. Edward's Chair, covered with cloth of gold, and with a faldstool before it, placed in front of the Altar, when Her Majesty will be anointed ; four Knights of the Garter ; viz. — the Duke of Rutland, the Mar- quess of Anglesey, the Marquess of Exeter, and the Duke of Buccleuch, (summoned by Deputy Garter,) holding over the Queen's head a rich pall or cloth of gold, delivered to them by the Lord Chamberlain, who will receive the same from an Officer of the Wardrobe ; and, the Anthem being concluded, the Dean of Westminster will take fi*om the Altar the Ampulla containing the consecrated oil, and pouring some into the Anointing S{)Oon, the Archbishop will anoint Her Majesty on the head and hands, in the form of a cross, pronouncing the words, " Be thou anointed,''' &c. The Queen then kneeling at her faldstool, the Archbishop, standing on the north side of the Altar, will pronounce the prayer after the Anointing ; when Her Majesty, arising, will resume her seat in St. Edward's Chair ; the Knights of the Garter will return the pall to the Lord Chamberlain, (to be by him re-delivered to the Officer of the Wardrobe,) and return to their seats. THE SPURS. After this the Dean will take the spurs from the Altar, and deliver them to the Lord Chamberlain, who, kneeling down, will THE OFFERING OF THE SWORD. 469 present them to Her Majesty, who will return them to be laid upon the Altar. THE SWORD. The Viscount Melbourne, carrying the Sword of State, will now deliver it to the Lord Chamberlain, and in lieu thereof receive from him another Sword in a scabbard of purple velvet, (presented to him by an Officer of the Jewel-office, who will take charge of the Sword of State,) which his Lordship will deliver to the Arch- bishop, who will lay it on the Altar, and say the prayer, " Hear our prayer, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and so direct and support thy servant. Queen Victoria," &c. The Archbishop will then take the Sword from off the Altar, and, assisted by the Archbishop of York and Armagh, with the Bishops of London, Winchester, and other Bishops, will deliver the Sword into the Queen's right hand, saying, " Receive this kingly sword," &c. OFFERING OF THE SWORD. The Queen, rising up, will go to the Altar, where Her Majesty will offer the Sword in the scabbard, (delivering it to the Arch- bishop, who will place it on the Altar,) and then return to and sit down in St. Edward's Chair : the Sv, ord will then be redeemed for one hundred shiUings by Viscount Melbourne, who will receive it from the Dean, and carry it during the remainder of the solem- nity, having first drawn it out of the scabbard, and delivered the latter to an Officer of the Wardrobe. The Archbishops and Bishops, who had assisted during the Offering, will return to their places. THE INVESTING WITH THE MANTLE. The Queen then standing. Her Majesty will be invested by the Dean with the Imperial Mantle, or Dalmatic Robe of cloth of 470 THE INVESTING WITH THE MANTLE. gold, delivered to him by the Officer of the Wardrobe, the Lord Great Chamberlain fastening the clasps. THE ORB. The Queen then sitting down, the Archbishop having received the Orb from the Dean, will dehver it into the Queen's right hand, saying, " Receive tMs imperial robe and orb" &c. Her Majesty will then return the Orb to the Dean, who will lay it on the Altar. THE KING. The Lord Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household then, receiving from the Officer of the Jewel-office the Ruby Ring, will deliver the same to the Archbishop, who will put it on the fourth finger of the Queen's right hand, saying, " Receive this ring" THE SCEPTRES. The Dean will then bring from the altar the Sceptre with the Cross and the Sceptre with the Dove, and deliver them to the Archbishop. In the mean time the Duke of Norfolk, as Lord of the Manor of Worksop, will leave his seat, and, approaching the (^ueen, will, kneeling, present to Her Majesty a Glove for her right hand, embroidered with the arms of Howard, which Her Majesty will put on. The Archbishop will then deliver the Sceptre with the Cross into Her Majesty's right hand, saying, '■^ Receive the royal sceptre^'' &c. ; and then the Sceptre with the Dove into her left hand, say- ing, " Receive the rod of equity^' &c. ; and the Lord of the Manor of Worksop will support Her Majesty's right arm, and hold the Sceptre as occasion may require. THE CROWNING. The Archl)ishop, standing before the Altar, and having St. THE CROWNING. 471 Edward's Crown before him, will take the same into his hands, and consecrate and bless it with the prayer, " O God, who crownest thy faithful servants with inercy" Slc. Then the Archbishop will come from the Altar, assisted by the Archbishops of York and Armagh, with the Bishops of London, Winchester, and other Bishops, the Dean of Westminster carrying the Crown ; and the Archbishop will take and place it on Her Majesty's head ; when the people, with loud and repeated shouts, will cry " God SAVE THE Queen :" and immediately the Peers and Peeresses present will put on their coronets; the Bishops their caps; and the Kings of Arms their crowns; the trumpets sounding, the drums beating, and the Tower and Park guns firing by signal. The acclamation ceasing, the Archbishop will pronounce the exhortation : " Be strong and of good courage" 8cc. The Choir will then sing the following Anthem : " The Queen shall re- joice" &c. THE HOLY BIBLE. The Dean then taking the Holy Bible from the Altar, w ill de- liver it to the Archbishop, who, attended and assisted by the same Archbishops and Bishops as before, will present it to the Queen, saying, Our gracious Qi/een" &c. The Queen will then return the Bible to the Archbishop, who will give it to the Dean, to be by him replaced on the Altar, the Archbishops and Bishops returning to their seats. THE BENEDICTION AND TE DEUM. The Archbishop then pronouncing the Benediction, the Bishops and the Peers will follow every part of the Benediction with a loud Amen. The Archbishop, then turning to the people, will say, " And the same Lord God Almighty grant" &c. The Te Deum will be sung by the Choir, at the commencement of which the Queen will remove to the Recognition Chair, on which Her Majesty first sat, on the south side of the throne, the two Bishops her Supporters, the Great Officers of State, the Noblemen carry ^ 472 THE INTHIIONIZATION. ing the Swords, and the Noblemen who had borne the llegaUa coming from their respective places, and attending Her Ma- jesty. THE INTHIIONIZATION. Te Deum being ended, the Queen will then ascend the theatre, and be lifted into Her Throne by the Archbishop, Bishops, and Peers around Her Majesty ; and, being so enthroned, all the Great Officers of State, the Noblemen bearing the Swords, and the No- blemen who had borne the other Regalia, will stand around about the steps of the Throne ; when the Archbishop, standing before the Queen, will pronounce the exhortation, " Stand firm and hold fast;' &c. THE HOMAGE. The exhortation being ended. Her Majesty will deliver the Sceptre with the Cross to the Lord of the Manor of Worksop, to hold the same on her right hand, and the Sceptre with the Dove to the Duke of Richmond, to hold the same on her left hand, during the Homage. The Archbishop will then kneel before the Queen, and, for himself and the others Lords Spiritual, will pronounce the words of Homage, they kneeling round him, and saying after him. The Archbishop will then kiss Her Majesty's hand, and the rest of the Lords Spiritual will do the same, and retire. Then the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge, ascending the throne, and taking off their coronets, will kneel before the Queen; and the Duke of Sussex will pronounce the words of Homage, the Duke of Cambridge saying after him. Their Royal High- nesses will then severally touch the crown upon Her Majesty's head, and kiss Her Majesty's left cheek, and then retire. The Dukes and other Peers will thereupon perform their Homage, the senior of each degree pronouncing the words of Homage, and the rest of the same degree saying after him, and each Peer of the THE HOMAGE. 473 same degree, successively, touching Her Majesty's Crown, and kissing Her Majesty's hand, and then retiring. The Peers, bear- ing the Swords, will, when going to perform their Homage, deliver them to Noblemen near them to hold during that ceremony. At the conclusion of the Homage, the Queen will receive the two Sceptres from the Dukes of Norfolk and Richmond. During the performance of the Homage, the Choir will sing the Anthem, " This is the day which the Lord hath made^" &c., and the Treasurer of Her Majesty's Household will throw about the medals of the Coronation. THE HOLY SACRAMENT. After the Anthem, the Bishops of Carhsle and Rochester, who had read the Epistle and Gospel, will receive from the Altar, by the hands of the Archbishop, the Patina and the Chalice, which they will carry into St. Edward's Chapel, and bring from thence the bread upon the Patina, and the wine in the ChaUce. Her Ma- jesty will then deliver the Sceptres to the Dukes of Norfolk and Richmond, and descend from Her Throne, attended by her Sup- porters, and assisted by the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Sword of State being borne before her, and go to the Altar, and taking off her Crown will deliver it to the Lord Great Chamberlain to hold ; and then kneel down. Then the Bishops will deliver the Patina and ChaUce into the Queen's hands, and Her Majesty will dehver them to the Archbishop, who, having said the prayer, " Bless, O Lord,'" &c., will reverently place the same upon the Altar, covering them with a fair hnen cloth. The Queen, still kneeling, will make her SECOND OFFERING, (a purse of gold,) which the Treasurer of the Household delivers to the Lord Great Chamberlain, and he to Her Majesty, from « 474 THE SECOND OFFERING. whom the Archbishop will receive it. The Archbishop will then say the prayer, " God, who dwellest^'' &c. Her Majesty will then go to her Chair on the south side of the area, and kneel at her faldstool. When the Archbishop and Dean, with the Bishop's Assistants, namely, the Preacher, and those who had read the Litany and the Epistle and Gospel, have communicated. Her Majesty will ap- proach the Altar, and receive the Sacrament, the Archbishop ad- ministering the bread, and the Dean of Westminster the cup. The Queen will then receive the Crown from the Lord Great Chamberlain, put it on, and repair to her throne : receiving again the Sceptre with the Cross in her right hand, and the Sceptre with the Dove in her left ; being there supported and attended as during the Inthronization. The Archbishop will then proceed with the Communion Service, at the end of which the Choir will sing the Anthem, " Hallelu- jah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth /" &.c. ; and the same being concluded, the Archbishop will read the final prayers, and pronounce the blessing. The Service being concluded, Her Majesty, attended by the two Bishops her Supporters, the Great Officers of State, the No- blemen bearing the four Swords before her, and the Noblemen who had carried the Regalia then lying upon the Altar, will de- scend into the area, and pass through the door on the south side into St. Edward's Chapel ; the Noblemen who had carried the Regalia receiving them from the Dean of Westminster as they pass by into the chapel ; the organ and other instruments all the while playing. Her Majesty being in the Chapel, and standing before the Altar, will deliver the Sceptre with the Dove, which Her jNLajesty had borne in her left hand, to the Archbishop, who will lay it upon the Altar there. THE FINAL PROCEEDING. 475 Her Majesty will then be disrobed of her Royal Imperial Mantle, or Robe of State, and arrayed in her Royal Robe of Purple V^elvet, by the Lord Great Chamberlain. The Archbishop will then place the Orb in Her Majesty's left hand. The Noblemen who had carried the Gold Spurs and St. Ed- ward's Staff, will deliver the same to the Dean, to be by him de- posited on the Altar in the Chapel. Whilst Her Majesty is in St. Edward's Chapel, the Officers of Arms will arrange the procession for the return, so that all may be ready to move at the moment when the Queen leaves the Chapel. Her Majesty will then proceed out of the Choir, and to the west door of the Abbey ; the Queen wearing her Crown, and bearing in her right hand the Sceptre with the Cross, and in her left the Orb ; their Royal Highnesses the Princes and Princesses wearing their coronets. The four Swords will be borne before the Queen, in the same order as before. The Dean and Preben- daries, and the Bishops, who had carried the Bible, the Chalice, and the Patina, will remain in the choir. The Noblemen who had severally carried the Crown, the Orb, the Sceptre with the Dove, the Spurs, and St. Edward's Staff, will walk in the same place as before ; those who have staves and batons carrying the same; all Peers wearing their coronets: and the Archbishops and the Bishops supporting Her Majesty, wearing their caps ; and the King of Arms their crowns. The Swords and the Regaha will be received, near the west door, by the Officers of the Jewel-office appointed for that purpose. Her Majesty, and the Princes and Princesses of the Blood Royal, will return to the Royal Palace with the same state as in their proceeding to the Abbey. NORFOLK, Earl Marshal. APPENDIX. No. I. TABLE OF RANK AND PRECEDENCE. THE QUEEN. The Royal Family.* The Archbishop of Canterbury — Lord Primate of all England. The Lord High Chancellor. The Archbishop of York — Primate of England. The Lord High Treasurer. The Lord President of the Most Honourable Privy Couniil. The Lord Privy Seal. The Lord Great Chamberlain of England. (When in actual performance of official duty by Statute 1, George I., c. 3.) The Lord Hich Constable. The Earf Marshal. The Lord High Admiral. The Lord Steward of the Queen's Houseliold. The Lord Chamberlain of the Queen's Household. The Master of the Horse. Dukes, according to the dates of their Patents. Marquesses, according to the dates of their Patents. Dukes' Eldest Sons. Earls, according to their Ancientry. Marquesses' Eldest Sons. * The precedence among the Royal Family, when all the following classes actually exist, is ns follows : — The Prince of Wales. The Sovereign's .Sons. The Sovereign's Grandsons. The Sovereign's Brothers. The Sovereign's Uncles. The Sovereign's Nephews. 478 APPENDIX. Dukes' Younger Sons. Viscounts, according to the dates of their Patents. Earls' Eldest Sons. Marquesses' Younger Sons. The Bishop of London. The Bishop of Durham. The Bishop of Winchester. The other English Bishops, according to their Seniority of Consecration. The Queen's Chief Secretary. If a Baron, above all Barons not having an superior office. Barons, according to their Ancientry. Knights of the Most Noble Order of St. George or the Garter. Knights of the Most Ancient Order of the Thistle. Knights of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick. The Speaker of the House of Commons. Viscounts' Eldest Sons. Earls' Younger Sons. Barons' Eldest Sons. Privy Councillors. Chancellor of the Exchequer. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench. Master of the Rolls. Vice Chancellor. Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Judges and Barons of the Coif, according to the priority of their appointments. Viscounts' Younger Sons. Barons' Younger Sons. Baronets, according to the dates of their Patents. Military Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath. Civil Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath. Knights Commanders of the Bath. Knights Bachelors. Members in Parliament for Counties. Gentlemen of the Most Honourable Privy Chamber. Her Majesty's Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. Gentlemen who have served the liigh office of Sheriffs of Counties. Baronets' Eldest Sons. Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath's Eldest Sons. Knights Commanders of the Bath's Eldest Sons. Masters in Chancery, Admirals and Generals, Serjeants-at-Law, Queen's Counsel, Full Colonels, and Deputy Lieutenants of Counties, Dignitaries in the Church, and Doctors in the three Learned Professions. Companions of the Order of the Bath. Knights Bachelors' Eldest Sons. Baronets' Younger Sons. Esquires by Office, and those who are styled Esquires in the Queen's Commissions ; also Barristers-at-Law. Gentlemen entitled to bear Arms, registered in the Heralds' Office, Clergymen, Attorneys and Solicitors, Surgeons, and Subalterns in the Navy, who are all Gentlemen by Profession. APPENDIX. 479 A TABLE OP RANK AND PRECEDENCE AMONG LADIES. THE QUEEN. Aunts of her Majesty, Daughters of George III. Wives or Widows of the youn^rer Sons of Geonte III. The Daughters of His Royal Higlmess the Duke of Cambridge. The Sister to the kite Duke of Gloucester. Duchesses. JMarchionesses. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Dukes. Daughters of Dukes. Countesses. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Marquesses. Daughters of Marquesses. Wives of the Younger Sons of Dukes. Viscountesses. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Earls. Daughters of Earls. Wives of the Younger Sons of Marquesses. Baronesses. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Viscounts. Daughters of Viscounts. Wives of the Younger Sons of Earls. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Barons. Daughters of Barors. Wives of Privy Councillors. Maids of Honour to Her Majesty. Wives of the Younger Sons of Viscounts. Wives of the Younger Sons of Barons. Wives of Baronets. Wives of Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath. Wives of Knights Commanders of the Bath. Wives of Knights Bachelors. Wives of Knights of Shires. Wives of Gentlemen of the Most Hon. Privy Chamber. Wives of Members of Her Majesty's Hon. Corjjs of (xentlemcn-at- Arms. Wives of such Gentlemen as have served the Office of Sheriffs for Counties at large. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Baronets. Daughters of Baronets. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath. Daughters of Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Knights Commandei-s of the Bath. 480 APPENDIX. Daughters of Knights Commanders of the Bath. Wives of Masters in Chancery ; of Admirals and Generals (not knighteil) ; of Ser- jeants-at-Law ; of Queen's Counsel ; of full Colonels and Deputy Lieutenants of Counties ; of Dignitaries of the Church ; and Doctors in the three learned Pro- fessions. Wives of Companions of the Bath. Wives of the Eldest Sons of Knights Bachelors. Wives of Baronets' Younger Sons. Wives of Esquires by Ottice. Wives of Captains, R.N. ; of Lieutenant-Colonels and Majors ; of Barristers at Law ; and of Captains in the Army. Wives of Gentlemen bearing arms ; of Clerg\Tnen ; of Attomeys-at-Law, Solicitors, and Surgeons ; and of Commanders and Subalterns in the Navy, Army, and Ma- rines, — all of whom are Gentlemen by Profession. APPENDIX, No. TI. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE OF FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1837. Lord Chamherlain's Office, July 10, 1837. Notice is hereby given, that her Majesty will hold a Levee at St. James's Palace on Wednesday, the 19th instant, at two o'clock. REGULATIONS TO BB OBSERVED AT THE QUEEN'S LEVEES, ST. JAMES'S PALACE. The Noblemen and Gentlemen who propose to attend her Majesty's Levees at St. James's Palace, are requested to bring with them two cards ^vith their names thereon written, one to be left with the Queen's Page in attendance in the Presence-chamber, and the other to be delivered to the Lord in Waiting, who will announce the name to Her Majesty. And those gentlemen who are to be presented are hereby informetl. it is absolutely necessary that their names, with the name of the gentleman who is to present them, (not the Lord in Waiting,) should be sent to the Lord Chamberlain's office, before twelve o''clock on Monday, the 17 ih instant, and before twelve o'clock on every day but one previotis to each succeeding Levee, in order that they may be sub- mitted for the Queen's approbation ; it being Her Majesty's command that no pre- sentation shall hereafter be made at the Levees, but in conformity with the alwve regulations ; and further, that no person shall be admitted, on any pretence whatever, who has not been so presented. It is particularly requested, that gentlemen who are to be presented at the Levee will have their names distinctly written upon the card to be delivered to the Lord in Waiting, in order that there may be no mistake in announcing them to the Queen. The state apartments will not be open for the reception of company coming to Court, until half-past one o'clock. APPENIJIX. 411 iMrd Chnviberlaxu't Offia:, July 10, J}j:j7. Notice m hereby given, that her Majesty will hold a Drawinj^-room, at St. Janick'B Palace, on Thursday, the 20th iiustaiit, at two o'clock. BEGt'LATIONB TO BE OBSEKVfcfj aI my. UUKKN'h DKAWINC-fUXiMK. The Ladies who purpose attending her Majesty's Drawing-roonis are refjue»lee delivered U> the Lord in Waiting, who will announce the name to lier Majesty. And those Ladies who are to l>e presented are hereby informed, that it is alisolutely neces- sary that their names, together with the names of the Ladies who are to present them, should be sent into the Lord Chamberlain's Office two clear days before the Draning- room, in order that they noay be submitted for the Queen's approlration ; it beinu her Majesty's command, that no presentation shall take place, unices the name of the Lady presenting, together with that of the Lady to be presented, shall appear on the card to be delivered, as before directed, corresponding with the names sent into the Chamlx-rlain's Office. Lorrf CtuimberUiin'is Office, July 10, \Z?/J. BV COMMAND OF HER MAJEBTV. Notice is hereby given, that all persons having Petitions or Addresses to present to her Majesty at the Levee, are to write on two cards, with their names, a state- ment of the object of such Petitions or Addresses, and of the persfin* from whom they come ; one card U) l>e delivered U) the Page in the ante-room, and the other to the Lord in Waitinfi, who will read its contents, at the time of presentation, to her Jlajesty ; and ttiat, on these occasions, no other statement is to l>e addressed Ut her Majesty. lyyrd Chamberlain't Office^ July 13, \i'>'.M. BY COMMAND OF THE QUEEN. No persons are to remain in the throne-room, having passed her Majesty at the Levees, but the Ministers, the Great Officers of the Household, the Foreign Minis- ters, and the Officers of the Household upon duty. And at the Drawing-rooms, the Ladies of the Ministers, of the Great Officers of the Household, and of the Foreign Ministers. 2 I 482 APPENDIX. APPENDIX, No. III. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE OF AUGUST 8, 1837. At the Court at St. James's, the 19th day of July, 1837. PRESENT, The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council. Whereas her Majesty's Royal Predecessors were pleased, from time to time, by their respective Orders made in Council, to declare and signify their pleasure that their servants should have and enjoy all ancient liberties, rights, and privileges ; and that none of their servants in ordinary with fee should be enforced or obliged to bear any public office, serve on juries or inquests, or be subjected to any mulct or fine for cot submitting thereunto : her Majesty, this day taking the same into consideration, and thinking it reasonable that all her servants in ordinary vrith fee, should, in re- gard to their constant attendance upon her Majesty's person, enjoy the like privi- leges with those of her predecessors, doth therefore hereby order, with the advice of her Privy Council, that the Lord Chamberlain of her Majesty's Household, in rela- tion to such of her Majesty's servants who are under his Lordship's command above stfiirs ; and the Lord Steward of her Majesty's Household, or, in his absence, her Majesty's Officers of the Green Cloth, as to such as are accounted Officers below stairs ; and the Master of the Horse, for the servants belonging to the stal)les, do respectively signify unto the Lord Mayor of London, and to her Majesty's Justices of the Peace, within the city of Westminster, counties of Middlesex and Surrey, and the Mayors, Sheriffs and Bailiff's, of any corporation or county, and to all such as may be therein concerned, whensoever there shall be cause for asserting the said privilege, that her Majesty has thought proper, conformably to the example of her predecessors in this behalf, to order and require that her servants should have, hold, and enjoy all the said liberties, rights, and privileges ; and that henceforward none of her servants in ordinary with fee be enforced or any ways obliged to bear any pulilic offices, serve on juries or inquests, watch or ward, in any place where they dwell, or elsewhere, nor subjected to any mulct or fine for not submitting thereunto : and the Lord Chamberlain of her Majesty's Household for those servants above stairs, the Lord Steward of her Majesty's Household, and, in his absence, her Majesty's Officers of the Green Cloth, for the servants below stairs, and the Master of the Horse for the servants belonging to the stables, are hereby authorised and required to take especial care that this her Majesty's pleasure be duly observed and put in execution -, and that her Majesty's Attorney General for the time being be, and he is hereby autho- rised and required, upon any application made to him by any of her Majesty's ser- vants in ordinary with fee, to cause a stop to Ije put to all proceedings already had oi- APPENDIX. 483 Id bo commenced agjiiiist them, or ;iuy of them, lor refusing to watch or to serve on juries, or heur or undergo uiiy puhlie office or employment above mentioned ; ;uid lier Miijesty doth hereby further order, that copies of tliis Order be left with the respective Clerks of the Peace for tlie cities of London and Westminster, and coun- ties of Middlesex and Surrey, to be kept amongst the records of her Majesty's Ses- sions, to the intent that due obedience may be given thereunto, and her servants may not be vexed with unreasonable proceedings. €. C. GREVILLE. APPENDIX. No. IV. ORIGINAL LETTER FROM LORD HUNSDON TO KING JAMES THE FIRST, OF THE ANTIQUITY, USE, AND HONOUR OF THE BAND OF GENTLEMEN PENSIONERS. " Most mighty and most gracious Liege and Sovereign, " Amongst many other honours and duties which I owe unto the memory of my late deceased Sovereign, this is not the least ; that it pleased her Majesty, upon the decease of my lord and father, who also enjoyed the siime honourable office, to grace me with the Captainship of her Band of Gentlemen Pensioners ; which place and dignity I have to this present enjoyed ; for the further continuance whereof I humbly desire to understand your Majesty's directions, and withal do think it a matter agreeeable to my duty and allegiance, plainly and truly to inform your Majesty of the institution, nature, quality, andservice of this honourable band. They are in all fifty Gentlemen, besides myself, lieutenant, standard-bearer, clerk of the checcpie, and gentleman harbinger, chosen out of the best and the ancientcst families of Eng- land, and some of them sons to Earls, Barons, Knights, and Esquires, men there- unto especially recommended for their worthiness and sufficiency, without any stain or taint of dishonour, or disparagement in blood. Her Majesty and other Princes her predecessors have found gj-eat use of their services, as well in the guard and defence of their royal persons, as also in sundry other important employments, as well civil as military, at home and abroad ; insomuch as it hath served them always as a nursery to breed up deputies for Ireland, Ambassadors into foreign parts. Counsellors of State, Captains of the Guard, Governors of Places, and Commanders in the wars both by sea and by land. Withal, I cannot omit to signify unto your jNlajesty the alacrity and affection wherewith, upon the decease of her Highness, they diil embrace your Majesty's title and cause ; insomuch that upon my motion they did most will- ingly offer themselves to a strong and settled combination, by solemn oath and vow, to defend and prosecute your Majesty's lawful right and title by themselves, their 484 APPENDIX. friends, allies, and followers, (being no contemptible portion of the kingdom,) to the last drop of their blood, against all impugners whatsoever ; with which humble and dutiful desires of theirs to serve your Majesty I thought it my part and duty to acquaint you, and withal humbly desire to know your Majesty's pleasure and reso- lution concerning them. I have caused them to remain all about the court, with their horses, armour, and men, to attend the body of our late royal mistress ; and being generally all desirous to wait upon your Majesty at your entry into this king- dom, as those that would be loth to be second to any in all obsequious and serviceable duties to your Majesty, where I humbly desire your Majesty's further direction, " And even to desire Almighty God," &c. INDEX. Abeyance, 121 Accession of Her Majesty, Forms ob- served on, 49 Admiral, the Lord Higb, 249 Almoner, Hereditary Grand, 315 Lord High J 310 Ambassadors, 391 , Orders of, 394 -, Privileges of, 397 , Reception of, 394 Ampulla, The, 420 Anointing, The, 419 Archbishop of Canterbury, 192 of York, ih. Arrest, Royal Household privileged from, 482 Attorney-General, 287 Avener, 385 Baron, 116 by Tenure, 116 by Writ, 119 by Patent, 122 of Exchequer, Lord Chief, 286 Barons of the Cinque Ports, 448 Baronet, 129 of Ireland, 134 of Scotland or Nova Scotia, ib. Bath, Order of, 167 Bed-Chamber Women, 351 Bishops, 193 Bishop of London, ib. of Durham, 103, 193 of Winchester, 193 Chamberlain, the Lord Great, 234 of the Household, Lord, 316 Champion, the Office of King's, 452 Chancellor, Lord Ili-h, 218 of the Exchequer, 228 of Duchy of Lancaster, 277 Chapel Royal, Dean of, 373 , Gentlemen of, 377 Chaplains, the Queen's, ib. Chief Justice of Queen's Bench, Lord, 278 of Common Pleas, 285 Chiltern Hundreds, the, 207 Clerk of the Closet, 375 Commander-in-Chief, 272 Comptroller of the Household, 306 Commons, House of, 195 , manner of sitting, voting, and speaking in, 197 Conference between the two Houses of Parliament, 202 Constable, the Lord High, 237 Coronation ceremonies, 407 of Queen Anne, 409 of Queen \'icu)ria, 458 Oath, 417 Chair, 430 Crown, St. Edward's, 429 Drawing Rooms, Regulations to be ob- served at, 481 Duke, 89 Earl, 101 Earl Marshal of England, 241 Equerry, the Chief, 386 Esquire, 142 Kxemptb or Exuns of Yeomen ol the Guards, 370 436 JNDEX. Franking, History of, 206 Garter, Order of, 153. , Prelate of the, 150 , Cbancellor of, 161 , Regalia of, 162 , King-at-Arms, ib. Gentlemen, 146 Gentlemen-at-Arms, 352 , Lord Hunsdon's Letter respecting the, 483 Gentlemen Pensioners, 352 , Captain of, 359 , Lieutenant of, 360 , Standard-bearer of, S6 1 ' , Clerk of Checque of, ib. -, Harbinger of, 362 Gentlemen of Privy Chamber, 326 Usher of Privy Chamber, 333 Daily Waiters, 334 Quarterly Waiters, 335 Great Officers of State, 213 Heralds, 246 . College, 245 Historiographer, Royal, 340 Homage, 437, 472 Household, Royal, 293 , Proclamation of Pri- vilege, 482 Knight Banneret, 130 Bachelor, 135 of the Garter, 153 Thistle, 165 Bath, 167 St. Patrick, 174 St. Michael and St. George, 175 Knighthood, Orders of, 153 , Piegulation respecting Fo- reign Orders of, 177 Knight Marshal, 316 Lady by courtesy, 142 of Bedchamber, First, 348 Land Revenue, First Commissioner of, '266 Levees, Regulations to be observed at, 479. Licenser of Plays, 339 Maids of Honour, 349 Marcjuess, 96. Marriages of Royal Family, 80 Marshal of England, Earl, 241 , Knight, 317 Masters in Chancery, 289 Master of the Ceremonies, 335 Horse, 387 Household, 309 Mint, 267 Rolls. 261 Master General of the Ordnance, 273 Maundy Thursday, Ceremonies on, 312 Mistress of the Robes, 345 Nobility and Gentry, 89 Orb, or Mound, The, 425 Pages of Honour, 386 Palace, penalty for striking in, 299 Court, ib, Verge of, 302 Parliament, Houses of, 183 Summoning of, 187 Manner of sitting in, 291 Conference between the two Houses of, 202 Privileges of, 204 Poet Laureate, 342 Precedence, Tables of, 477,479 Prerogatives of the Sovereign, 36 President of the Council, 229 of Board of Control, 263 of Board of rade, 264 Prince of Wales, 73 Princess Royal, 76 Privileges of Ambassadors, 394 of Parliament, 204 of Royal Houseliolds, 482 Privy Chamber, Gentlemen of, o'^e Gentlemen Ushers of, 333 Privy Council, 229 , Lord President of, ib. Privy Purse, Keeper of, 294 Privy Seal, The Lord, 233 Proclamation of Queen Victoria, 56. Purveyance, 38 Queen, Prerogatives of the, 36 , Titles of the, 47 , Proceedings on the Accession of, 49 , Proclamation of, 56 Queen Consort, The, 64 INDEX. 4b7 Ring, The Coronation, 427 lioyal Assent, '203 Royal Family, The, 77 , Tlie Marriage of, 80 Royal Household, 293 St. Micliael and St. George, Order of, 175 St. Patrick, Order of, 174 Secretary at War, 269 Secretaries of State, 254 Secretary, Queen's Private, 293. Sergeants-at-Anns, 371 Solicitor General, 288 Sovereign, The, 35 , Prerogatives of the, 36 , Titles of, 47 , Proceedings on Accession of, 49 -, Proclamation of, 56 Speaker of House of Commons, 197 , Choice of, 195 Spurs, The Great Golden, 423 Spur Money, 378 Steward, Lord High, 213 Steward of the Household, Lord, 296 Stole, 346 Groom of, 346, 348 Striking in the Palace, Penalty for, 299 Swords, Royal, 423 Thistle, Order of the, 165 Titles of the Sovereign, 49 Treasurer, Lord High, 220 of the Household, 304 Verge of the Palace, 302 Penalty for striking within, 299 Vice-Chamherlain, 326 Vice-Chancellor, 283 Viscount, 113 Yeomen of the Guard, 363 , Oaptain of, 368 . , Lieutenant of, 369 , Ensign of, il>. , Exempts or Ex- ons, 370 Yeoman Hangers, 367 Bedgoers, ih. T ON DON : PRINTF.D BY SAMUF.I. UF.NIT.EV, Dorset-street, Fleet-street. ,-^Y^ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. BLE NON-RENEWA AUG Oo 1990 DUE 2 WKS FROM DATE RHCEIVED SEP ^ k m^ Form E» 30 BO It. } 't- 3 ^^58 00516 0246' DA 111 T38b 18^^ UCSOUTHfR-.Rr -:;''•.;., AA 000 677 907