HERALDRY. 
Thomas, fir Noah, March 15, 1775* 
Thomfon, fir Alexander, one of the Barons of his Ma- 
jerty’s Court of Exchequer, Feb. 7, 1787. 
Thompfon, fir Benjamin, Count Rumford, Feb. 23, 1784. 
Thorrowgood, fir Thomas, Feb. 9, 1761. 
Trafford, fir Clement-Bochin, Nov. 3, 1760. 
Treife, fir Chrifiopher, Feb. 23, 1761. 
Trollope, fir Henry, Vice-Admiral of his Majefty’s Blue 
Squadron, 1798. 
Turner, fir Chricbloe-John, Feb. 13, 1786. 
Vanhatten, fir John, Jan. 23, 1761. 
Vavafor, fir Philip, Jan. 21, 1761. 
Vernon, fir Edward, June 24, 1773. 
Waldo, fir Timothy, April 12, 1769. 
Wallace, fir James, Feb. 12, 1777. 
Ward, fir Thomas, Nov. 16, 1761. 
Watfon, fir William, Oft. 6, 1786. 
Watfon, fir James, June 10, 1795. 
Watl'on, fir William, March 18, 1796. 
Welch, fir Richard, March 2, 1803. 
Williams, fir John, Sept. 27, 1771. 
Williams, fir Thomas, Captain in the Rpyal Navy, 1797• 
Williams, fir Daniel, June 16, 1802. 
Wilfon, fir Thomas, Lieutenant Colonel of Dragoons; 
Jan. 21, 1761. 
Wilfon, fir Henry, July 3, 1794* 
Wilfon,-fir John, Nov. 15, 1786. 
Wood, fir George, one of the Barons of his Majefty’s 
Court of Exchequer. 
Wynne, Right Hon. fir William, D.C.L. and F.R.S. 
Mafter of Trinity Hall, in the Univerfity of Cam¬ 
bridge; Sept. 24, 1788. 
"Ximenes, fir Morris, April 16, 1806. 
Yorke, Right H'on. fir Jofeph-Sidney, half-brother to 
the Earl of Hardwicke ; a Captain in the Royal Navy ; 
and M.P. for St. Germains, in the county of Corn¬ 
wall ; April 21, 1805. 
Yoiinge, fir George, Vice Admiral of his Majefty’s 
Blue.Squadron ; Auguft 24, 1781. 
ESQUIRES and GENTLEMEN. 
The title of Efquire is a dignity next below that of 
a Knight, as Gentleman is the next below that of an 
EJ'quire. Thefe degrees of rank, according to the order 
of precedency, have been already amply explained in 
vol. vii. p. 20; and vol. viii. p. 3.36 ; to which we beg 
to refer the reader. We will here however remark, that 
as the origin of the dignity or title of Efquire, fee.ms to 
have arifen from the appointment of a gentleman to be¬ 
come the companion and warlike attendant of a knight, 
and in virtue of fuch office to have been inverted with 
coat-armour; it will follow, by the laws of Heraldry,that 
the eldeft fon of fuch efquire, and the eldeft fon of his 
pofterity for ever, may claim thofe armorial bearings as 
his inheritance, and the title of “Efquire” as his birth¬ 
right. 
So likewife the title, of Gentleman, is defined to be 
one, qui arma gerit, who inherits coat-armour from his 
anceftors; as when an efquire leaves feveral Tons, the 
eldeft inherits the title of efquire, and his brothers that 
of gentlemen ; all claiming , an hereditary right to the 
fame family arms, bufdiftinguilhed by the devices which 
we have explained in p. 442, of this volume, and deli¬ 
neated in the correfpondent Engraving, Plate VIII. 
The daughters are likewife entitled to the fame coat of 
arms, to be borne on a lozenge. 
From thefe ancient diftinctions in fociety, we trace, 
to the prefent day, the laudable avidity with which 
Efquires and Gentlemen have, from the earlieft of times, 
preferved and valued thefe infignia of an honourable 
defcent, as marks which juftly entitle them to the re- 
fpe£t of mankind.—But then thefe infignia or arms muft 
be hereditary,—not aflumed :—or, they muft be grant¬ 
ed by the Earl Marfhal of England. Yet it is to be 
lamented that too many perfons, to their fltame and dif- 
777 
honour, aftume the armorial bearings of others, and 
thus take to themfelves a-mark or ftamp of precedence, 
which never belonged to them; and which, when de- 
tefted, cannot Jbut terminate in their confufion. And 
this is the more to be regretted, becaufe in a coun¬ 
try where a College of Arms is one of its public ef- 
tablifhments, all perfons whofe acquirements in the 
community, whether by commerce, public or private 
fervices to the ftate, fuccefsful enterprizes abroad, 
or perfevering induftry at home, have been fuch as to 
raife them to affluence and diftinftion, and thereby en¬ 
title them to afpire to arms, may obtain them there, .by 
‘lating the particulars on which they found their claim. 
But to flrow the folly and impropriety of alltiming arms 
and crefts,. without having them firft duly exempli¬ 
fied in the Heralds’ Office, we may here quote the judi¬ 
cious remarks of the late Ralph Bigland, efq. then 
Somerfet herald, lince Garter king of arms, in his trea- 
tife on this fubjeft, printed in 1764. 
“ To fee arms or enfigns of honour on feals, plate, 
coaches, or fet forth in churches, public halls, dedica¬ 
tions to books, &c. which are known to be the right of 
particular families, ufurped, or taken by perfons who 
never were legally inverted with them, feems repugnant 
to reafon, as well as to the ancient and prefent laws of 
arms, and indeed to the fenfe of the wifeft nations; and 
if fome care is not taken to check thefe abufes, great in¬ 
conveniences may hereafter enfue to pofterity. All na¬ 
tions have maintained that no perfon can alfume arms 
without lawful authority ; and whoever prefumes to bear 
them without the king’s licence, or having firft obtained 
the earl marflial’s warrant to'the proper officers efta- 
bliflied by patent under the great feal of Great Britain 
to grant the fame, infringes upon the fovereign, the 
fountain from whom all honours fiiould fpring. The 
king’s children do not bear arms without a licence from 
the fovereign, their royal father, directed to the earl 
ntarfhal, &c. neither can a perfon, though dignified with 
the title of Baronet, Knight, or Efquire, when created 
by the royal favour a peer of this realm, or nominated 
to be a knight companion of either of the honourable 
orders, have fupporters to the arms he has ufed, unlefs 
he can prove a lawful right to them ; and the fame law 
is obferved with-regard to efquires to knights of the 
bath, See. I mention this to fhew, that however fome, 
from an ill-judged opinion may contemn, or endeavour 
to difcountenance, all things of this kind, there is a time 
when fuch diftinctions muft be legally fettled ; and as 
nothing can excufe a negligence of this fort, every per¬ 
fon fhould be cautious of bearing falfe arms; and he 
fhould confider thefe things in due time, that his chil¬ 
dren may not hereafter be under the necelfity of fettling 
what their father might or fhould have done before. 
One would think it natural for every one who had cre¬ 
ditably advanced himfelf in fortune, to covet fomething 
adequate in honour; and it is certain that he who by 
his induftry, his more extenfive and profperous dealing,, 
or by any other honourable methods, is enabled to be a 
founder or reftorer of gentility, and fhall entail a coat 
of arms upon his family, has a real claim to honour, 
and ftimulates his offspring to exert thofe laudable prin¬ 
ciples which have deferved fuch diftindtion, and which 
are conftantly open to all fuch perfons in this great com¬ 
mercial and free country.”—And on this fubjeCt we may 
further quote the following paflage from Maitland’s va¬ 
luable Hiftory of London: 
“ As to arms, no perfon who hath the leaft know¬ 
ledge in our hiftory or laws, can be ignorant of the value 
put upon them by our anceftors, as being the hereditary 
marks of their noblefie : they are the moll permanent 
and lafting honours whereby the memory of families is 
preferved; many of which, but for them, would be 
buried in oblivion. Lord chief juftice Coke, fpeaking of 
arms, aflerts, that every gentleman muft. be arma gerens$ 
and that the belt trial of a gentleman in blood is by 
bearing 
