HERALDRY. 



Artns from Southampton to the French 

 King, to demand restitution of what he 

 had detained wrongfully from him ; the 

 said King of France sent Montjoy King 

 of Arms, from Roan, to assure King Hen- 

 ry he would give him battle. 



The Emperor's herald defied Francis I. 

 King of France ; and giving his master all 

 his titles, of Castile, Leon, Arragon, Na- 

 ples, &c. in a long roll, King Francis com- 

 manded his heralds to receive the chal- 

 lenge, and to repeat Francis as many 

 times as the other had kingdoms and pet- 

 ty titles. 



At the baptism of Madame Isabelle de 

 France, to whom King Henry VIII. of 

 England was godfather, the infant's name 

 was proclaimed by the kings and heralds 

 of arms, both of France and England, 

 having their coats of arms adorned with 

 the arms of both kings. 



In the year 1635, a French herald was 

 .sent from Paris to Flanders, where, by 

 sound of trumpet, he denounced and pro- 

 claimed war against the King of Spain, 

 and all his dominions, and fixed up and 

 left the defiance in all the towns that he 

 passed. 



Besides kings and princes, divers noble- 

 men in ancient time had also their he- 

 ralds and pursuivants, as in the reign of 

 Richard II. anno 1379, the Earl of North- 

 umberland sent an herald, named North- 

 umberland, to that king, for a safe con- 

 duct to come and commune with him. 



In 1436, the duke of Gloucester sent his 

 herald, named Pembroke, to defy the 

 Duke of Burgundy ; and the Duke of Bed- 

 ford had his herald, named Bedford, whom 

 he sent to defy Charles VII. of France. 



In 1496, the thirteenth of Henry VII. 

 the earl of Surry sent Norroy king of 

 arms to the captain of Ayton-Castle, 

 (which was one of the strongest places 

 between Berwick and Edinburgh) to de- 

 liver him the said castle, which he re- 

 fused ; and whilst the said Earl lay at 

 Ayton, the King of Scotland sent to him 

 Marchmont, and another herald, with a 

 challenge, either to fight army to army, 

 or person to person. 



Heralds have likewise been employed 

 in jousts and tournaments; and as to shields 

 and arms, we read that King Henry .III. 

 in the twenty-eighth of his reign, anno 

 1244, commanded the keepers of the 

 Archbishoprick of Canterbury, that they 

 paused to be brought a fair stone, to be 

 laid upon the body of Gerald Fitz-Mau- 

 rice, who was justice of Ireland, and died 

 at Canterbury, and also commanded them 

 to set thereon his shield with his arms. 



And thus much may suffice to show th 

 antiquity of heralds, and in some measure 

 their use ; next of their college. 



Of the College of Heralds. This College 

 is seated upon St. Bennet's Hill, near Doc- 

 tor's Commons, and was the ancient house 

 of Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby, who 

 married Margaret Countess of Richmond, 

 mother of Henry VII. : and the Duke of 

 Norfolk, having in lieu thereof exchanged 

 lands with the crown, he procured the 

 same to be bestowed by Queen Mary on 

 the King's heralds and pursuivants of arms 

 for ever : to the end that they might re- 

 side together, (if they pleased) and as- 

 semble and agree together, for the good 

 government of their faculty, and that their 

 records might be there safely preserved, 

 &c. 



Since the fire of London, 1666, which 

 consumed the whole house, it is fairly and 

 conveniently rebuilt, with a large room 

 for the keeping the Court of Honour, to- 

 gether with a library, and houses and 

 apartments for the officers thereto belong- 

 ing. 



They were made a college or corpora- 

 tion by charter of King Richard III. and 

 by him (being wholly employed and en- 

 trusted in regulating all affairs belonging 

 to the noble science of arms) had several 

 privileges granted them ; as to be free from 

 subsidies, tolls, and all manner of offices 

 in the kingdom ; all which privileges were 

 confirmed by King Edward VI. in the 

 third of his reign ; and for their regular 

 proceedings have a public signet, where- 

 with they seal and authorise all business 

 concerted in the office. 



Of this collegiate society are (besides 

 the Earl Marshal, who is their head) three 

 kings of arms, six heralds, and four pur- 

 suivants; all which we will speak of in 

 their order. 



Oft/ie Earl Marshal. This great office, 

 which is hereditary in the noble family of 

 Howard, Dukes of Norfolk, (descended 

 by the mother's side from Thomas de 

 Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham, the first 

 Earl Marshal of England) which office is 

 now held by his Grace Charles Duke of 

 Norfolk; and by the statute of 31 Henry 

 VIII. has his place next after the Lord 

 Great Chamberlain, and Constable, and 

 before the Lord High Admiral, and Lord 

 Steward of the King's house. 



This officer, who is governor of the col- 

 lege of heralds, has sometimes been the 

 King's lieutenant general in martial af- 

 fairs, and is an Earl by his office, which 

 no other officer in England if. 



The Earl Marshal's court was held in 



