146 History of the English Landed Interest. 



Rowland de Sarcere held 110 acres of land by sergeantry, 

 for which he should perform on each recurring Christmas Day, 

 before our sovereign lord the king, altogether and once a leap 

 and a puff, a service by no means so picturesque as that which 

 drew crowds on each successive coronation ceremony to see a 

 Dymock of Scrivelsby in Lincolnshire ride up Westminster 

 Hall, on a goodly white courser, armed at all points in rich 

 armour, and having a plume of blue feathers at his helm, pre- 

 ceded by the Knight Marshall and followed by his trumpeters, 

 sergeant at arms, and esquires, with the Earl Marshall riding 

 on one side of him, and the Lord High Constable on the other. 

 Then the York Herald would proclaim, to the awe of the gap- 

 ing crowd at the lower end of the hall, the following chal- 

 lenge — " If any person of what degree soever, high or low, 



shall deny or gainsay our Sovereign Lord King King of 



England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, 

 son and next heir of our sovereign lord the last king, de- 

 clared to be right heir to the Imperial Crown of this realm of 

 England, so that he ought not to enjoy the same, here is his 

 champion who saith that he lieth, and is a false traitor, being 

 ready in person to combat with him, and in this quarrel will 

 adventure his life against him on what day soever he shall be 

 appointed." Then, to the huge delight of the spectators, off 

 comes the champion's gauntlet, which falls clashing upon the 

 stone pavement, there to lie for a short interval till returned to 

 its owner by the York Herald. The ceremony is repeated once 

 in the middle of the hall, and once more at the top of the steps, 

 after which some court officials tender the king a gilt cup of 

 wine, from which he drinks to the Champion. With several 

 reverences the latter then drains the cup to the dregs and 

 backs out of the royal presence, taking the piece of plate for 

 his fee according as had been adjudged him by the Court of 

 Claims. The crowd dissolves, and the service of grand-ser- 

 geantry is over. Under that of pettj'-sergeantry the Dukes 

 of Marlborough and Wellington hold their lands on condition 

 of the presentation of a flag to the sovereign. These instances, 

 perhaps, are the last lingering evidences of that warlike 

 pageantry which surrounded the heyday of feudalism. For 



