1625.] THE KNIGHTS OF NEWMARKET. 273 



DATE. NAME. COUNTY. 



1624. 



August ... Sir Thomas Hartop 



of Burton Lazus ... Leicester 



Nov. 19 ... „ Philip Parker 



of Arwerton ... ... Suffolk 



Dec. 2 ... „ Alexander Brett 



1624-25. 



Feb. 8 ... „ Thomas Swinborne ... Northampton 



„ 15 ... „ Nicholas Martin Devon 



„ 20 ... ,, Thomas Culpeper ... ... Kent 



„ 24 ... „ Roger Thornton 



of Snailwell Cambs. 



James I.'s knights were held in great contempt by the 

 old English families. Any gentleman who could, without 

 giving offence, usually declined the honour. Anent the 

 royal progress to Scotland in 161 7 Mr. Chamberlain writes : 

 "All our Pentioners that went with the King are knighted 

 there, that were undubbed before, and all the Gentlemen of 

 Yorkshire ; so that there is scarce left an esquire to uphold 

 the race. And the Order is descended somewhat lower, even 

 to Adam Hill, that was the Earl of Montgomery's barber, 

 and to one Green, husband of the queen's laundress, an 

 host of Doncaster, and to another that lately kept an inn 

 at Romford." But they brought grist to the royal mill, and 

 filled the pockets of the Scotch favourites. The same may 

 be said of this monarch's baronetcies, which were avowedly 

 designed to raise the wind. 



Sir Anthony Weldon (" Court and Character of King 

 James ") remarks that " At this time the honour of knight- 

 hood, which antiquity reserved sacred, as the cheapest and 

 readiest Jewell to present virtue with, was promiscuously 

 laid on any head belonging to the yeomanry (made addle 

 through pride and a contempt of their ancestors' pedigree) 

 that had but a court friend, or money to purchase the 

 favour of the meanest able to bring him into an outward 

 roome, where the king, the fountaine of honour, come downe, 

 VOL. I. T 



