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 s<ame Habit. 
 The Master of the Household. 
 The Cofferer of the Houseliold. 
 Six Sergeants at Arms with their Maces, two abreast. 
 Three Great Offieers in their Robes of Estate on Horseliack, viz. 
 The Earl Marshal of The Lord High Steward. The Lord Higli Constable of 
 
 England. of England. lOnKland. 
 
 Six Sergeants at Arms more with their JIaces. 
 The Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household, Treasurer of Her Majesty's Housclmlil 
 
 with his White Staff. with his White Staff. 
 
 The Assistant of the Queen's Sewer. The Queen's Sewer. 
 
 * His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark dined at Jlcr 
 Majesty's table, and sat at the end thereof, on Her Majesty's left hand. 
 
 2 G 2
 
 452 THE CHALLENGE. 
 
 Then the dishes of hot meat carried up by the Gentlemen 
 Pensioners bareheaded, and placed on the table by the Lord 
 Carver, with the help of the Lord Sewer and his assistant. 
 
 Then the mess of dilly grout was brought up to the Queen's 
 table by Mr. Leigh, in right of his claim as Lord of the Manor 
 of Addington, in Surrey, who was knighted that day. 
 
 Then the two Clerks of the Kitchen in black figured satin 
 gowns and black velvet caps. 
 
 Grace was first said by a Bishop. 
 
 Soon after dinner was begun, William Hamilton, for his mother 
 as Hamilton, Lady of the Manor of Wemondley, in Hert- 
 fordshire, brought to Her Majesty the first cup of drink in a 
 silver cup gilt, which he presented to her on his knee, assisted 
 by the Lord Cupbearer and his assistants, of which the Queen 
 having drunk and returned the cup to him, he received it for his 
 fee. A httle before the second course was brought up, the 
 Knight Marshal cleared the hall. 
 
 Then the Queen's Champion* came to the door of the hall, 
 
 * Respecting the origin of the splendid office of King's Champion, 
 we have no account absolutely authentic ; but Sir W. Dugdale, as 
 well in his Baronage of England as in his History of Warivickshire, 
 asserts that William the Conqueror, to reward the services of those 
 eminent commanders who accompanied him in his expedition to Eng- 
 land, bestowed on them various grants of divers manors and lands 
 throughout this kingdom. Among those highly distinguished persons 
 was Robert de Marmion, on whom the Conqueror, amongst other 
 gifts, conferred the Castle of Tamworth, in the county of Warwick, to 
 hokl by Knight's service, and the manor of Scrivelsby, in the county 
 of Lincoln, to hold per Baroniam, or by Barony, with the peculiar 
 service of performing the office of Champion to the Kings of Eng- 
 land on the days of their Coronation. From this period the Mar- 
 mions became Barons of the realm per tenuram, or by tenure and 
 continued to flourish among the nobles for several generations, with 
 great lustre and renown, intermarrying with the heiresses of some of
 
 THE CHALLENGE. 4j3 
 
 mounted on a goodly white horse, in complete armour, between 
 the Lord High Constable and the Earl Marshal on horseback, 
 and entered the hall in manner following : 
 
 Two Trumpeters. 
 
 The Sergeant Trumpeter with Iiis mace on his slioulder. 
 
 The Sergeant8-at-Aniis with maces. 
 
 the most powerful Barons of the age. But about the 'iOth of Edward 
 1., Philip de Marmion, the fifth in descent from tlie first Robert, dieil, 
 leaving female issue only, whereby his great inheritance became di- 
 vided, and the Castle of Tamworth at length fell into the Freville 
 family, and the manor of Scrivelsby to the Ludlows, by the marriage of 
 whose daughter and heiress, Margaret, with Sir John Dymoke, knight, 
 the same came into that ancient and honourable name. This Sir 
 John Dymoke, at the Coronation of Richard II., claimed to execute 
 the said office of King's Champion, but it was counter-claimed by 
 Baldwin de Freville, who rested his pretensions on the tenure of Tam- 
 worth Castle. After great deliberation, it was found that the said 
 castle was only holden by King's Knights' service, and that this high 
 office was attached to the manor of Scrivelsby, which was holden />e/- 
 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 <jf Her Majesty's Household ; Household ; 
 
 attended by an Officer of the Jewel Office, his Coronet carried by a Page, 
 
 bearing on a cushion 
 the Ruby Ring and the Sword for the Offering. 
 
 The Lord Privy Seal ; his Coronet The Lord President of the Council ; his Coronet 
 
 carried by a Page. cari'ied by a Page. 
 
 The Lord Chancellor of Ireland ; attended by his Purse Bearer ; 
 
 his Coronet carried by a Page. 
 
 The Lord Archbishop of Armagh, in his Rochet, with his Cap in his hand. 
 
 The Lord Archbishop of York, in his Rochet, with his Cap in his hand. 
 
 The Lord High Chancellor ; attended by his Purse Bearer ; 
 
 his Coronet carried by a Page. 
 
 The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, in his Rocliet. with his Cap in his hand ; 
 
 attended by two Gentlemen. 
 
 PRINCESSES OF THE BLOOD ROYAL. 
 
 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, in a Robe of Estate of Purple Velvet, and \veai-ing 
 
 a Circlet of Gold on her head ; her train borne by Lady Caroline Campbell, 
 
 assisted by a Gentleman of her Household ; the Coronet of Her Royal Highness borne 
 
 by Viscount Villiers. 
 
 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, in a Robe of Estate of Purple Velvet, and wearing 
 
 a Circlet of Gold on her head ; her train borne by Lady Flora Hastings, 
 
 assisted by a Gentleman of her Household , the Coronet of Her Royal Highness borne 
 
 by Viscount Morpeth. 
 
 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester, in a Robe of Estate of Purple Velvet, and 
 
 wearuig a Circlet of Gold on her head ; her Train borne by Lady Caroline Legge, 
 
 assisted by a Gentleman of her Household ; the Coronet of Her Royal Highness bonie 
 
 by Viscount Emlyn.
 
 THE PROCESSION. 
 
 461 
 
 St. Edward's Staff, 
 
 borne by the 
 Duke of Roxburuhe : 
 his Coronet carried 
 by a Page. 
 
 THE REGALIA. 
 
 The Golden Spurs, 
 
 borne by 
 
 Lord Byron ; 
 
 Iiis Coronet carried 
 
 by a Page. 
 
 The Sceptre with the Cross, 
 
 borne by the 
 
 Duke of Cleveland ; 
 
 his Coronet carried 
 
 by a Page. 
 
 Curtana, 
 borne by the 
 Duke of Devonshire 
 his Coronet carried 
 by a Page. 
 
 The Second Sword, 
 
 borne by the 
 Duke of Sutherland ; 
 liis Coronet carried 
 bv a Page. 
 
 The Third Sword, 
 borne by the 
 Marque.ss of Westminster ; 
 his Coronet carried 
 by a Page. 
 
 Black Rod. Deputy Garter. 
 
 The Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, 
 
 as Lord Great Chamberlain of England ; his Coronet borne by a Page. 
 
 PRINCES OF THE BLOOD ROYAL. 
 
 His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, in his Robes of Estate, carrying his Baton as Fielil 
 
 Marshal ; his Coronet borne by the jVIarquess of Granby ; 
 
 liis Train borne by Major-General Sir William Gomm. 
 
 His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, in his Robes of Estate ; 
 
 his Coronet carried by Viscount Anson ; 
 
 his Train borne by the Hon. Edward Gore. 
 
 The High Constable of Ireland, The High Constable of Scotland, 
 
 Duke of Leinster ; 
 his Coronet borne by a Page. 
 The Earl Marshal of England, The Sword of 
 
 tlie Duke of Norfolk, State, 
 
 with his Staff ; borne by 
 
 attended by two Viscount Melbourne ; 
 
 Pages. his Coronet carried by a Page. 
 
 The Sceptre with the Dove, 
 
 borne by the 
 
 Duke of Richmond ; 
 
 his Coronet 
 carried by a Page. 
 
 The Patina, 
 
 borne by 
 
 the Bishop of Bangor. 
 
 St. Edward's Crown, 
 
 borne by the 
 
 Lord High Steward, 
 
 Duke of Hamilton, 
 
 attended by two Pages. 
 
 The Bible, 
 
 liorne by 
 
 the Bishop of Winchester. 
 
 Earl of EiTol ; 
 his Coronet borne by a Page. 
 The Lord High Constable of England, 
 the Duke of Wellington, 
 with his Staff and Baton as Ficld- 
 Jlarshal ; attended by two 
 Pages. 
 
 The Orb, 
 
 borne by the 
 Duke of Somerset ; 
 
 his Coronet 
 carried by a Page. 
 
 Tlie Chalice, 
 
 l)ornc by 
 
 the Bishop of Lincoln. 
 
 BS 
 
 H-5 
 
 The Bishop of 
 Bath and Wells. 
 
 Lady Adelaide Paget. 
 
 Lady Frances-Elizabeth Cowper, 
 
 THE QUEEN, The Bishop of 
 
 in her Royal Robe of Durham. 
 
 Crimson Velvet, 
 
 furred with Ermine, and 
 
 bordered with Gold Lace ; 
 
 wearing the 
 
 Collars of her Orders ; 
 
 on her head 
 
 a Circlet of Gold. 
 
 Her INIajesty's Train borne by 
 
 Lady Caroline- Amelia-Gordon Lennox. 
 Lady Mary-Alethea-Beatrix Talbot. 
 
 -■3 
 
 El 
 
 S >
 
 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»le<J to 
 bring with them two cardjs, with tlieir names legibly written thereon, one to be left 
 with the Queen's Page in attendance in the Presence-chamber, and the other to l>e 
 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. 
 
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