Part 38 (1/2)
III. Arms and Armorial Insignia are granted _only_ through the College of Arms in England, and through the Lyon Office in Scotland, in both realms with the direct sanction of the Crown expressed in England by the Earl Marshal. In Ireland all Grants are made by Ulster King of Arms with the same sanction.
It is to be observed and kept in remembrance that the _sole right_ to Arms is a Grant from the College or the Crown, or Inheritance by lineal descent from an ancestor to whom a Grant was made or in whom a right to bear Arms has been officially recognised and registered by the Crown.
All ”Grants” and ”Confirmations of Arms” (Confirmations, that is, of the Claims of certain individuals to bear certain Arms, by some uncertain right and t.i.tle duly set forth and approved and thereafter legalised by the Crown) are formally and regularly recorded, with a full blazon of the insignia, at the College or Offices of Arms.
It is very greatly to be desired that, in addition to this time-honoured usage of the Heralds in making these records, some simple plan could be adopted for the periodical registration at the College of Arms of all armorial insignia that are borne by right. Almost equally desirable, also, it would be to make a corresponding registration, as far as might be possible, of whatever insignia are borne _without_ any right. The contents of both registers would form unquestionably useful publications of a periodical character. In connection with any such project as I have just suggested, it appears to me that good service might be rendered to the cause of true Heraldry amongst us, if _Badges and Mottoes_ (without any other insignia whatever) were formally granted by the College, under certain conditions, and at the cost of a small Fee.[9]
[Footnote 9: I leave this sentence as it has. .h.i.therto stood in the book. Badges are now granted and recorded, but a prior right to arms is required. --A. C. F.-D. 1908.]
In new Grants of Arms, as in so many formal doc.u.ments, something of the early form of Expression, with some traces of its piquant quaintness, are still retained. Very quaint indeed, and very extravagant also, is the style that was generally adopted by the Heralds of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and yet characteristic of both the men and their times. As an example of one of these old doc.u.ments, an example of no common interest in itself, I now give the Grant of Arms to JOHN SHAKESPERE, the Poet's father, in the year 1596. Two draft copies of the original Grant are preserved in the College of Arms; the following transcript is printed from the later of the two copies, the earlier having been used to supply any word or pa.s.sage that now is wanting in the other. The insertions thus obtained are printed in brackets.
[Transcriber's Note: All brackets except footnote references are in the original. Letters in braces { } (”curly brackets”) were printed as superscripts.]
GRANT OF ARMS TO JOHN SHAKESPERE, A.D. 1596.
To all and singuler n.o.ble and Gentelmen of what estate [or] degree bearing arms to whom these presentes shall come, William Dethick alias Garter princ.i.p.all King of Armes sendethe greetinges. Know yee that, whereas by the authoritie and auncyent pryveleges perteyning to my office from the Quenes most excellent Ma{te} and by her highnesse most n.o.ble and victorious progenitors, I am to take generall notice and record and to make declaration and testemonie for all causes of arms and matters of Gentrie thoroughe out all her Majestes Kingdoms, Domynions, Princ.i.p.alites, Isles, and Provinces, To th' end that, as manie gentelmen, by theyre auncyent names of families, kyndredes and descentes, have and enjoye certeyne enseignes and cotes of arms, So it is verie expedient in all ages that some men for theyr valeant factes, magnanimite, vertu, dignites, and desertes, may use and beare suche tokens of honour and worthinesse, whereby theyre name and good fame may be the better knowen and divulged, and theyre children and posterite in all vertu (to the service of theyre Prynce and Contrie) encouraged. Wherefore being solicited and by credible report informed that John Shakespeare of Stratford uppon Avon in the counte of Warwik, whose parentes and late antecessors[10] were for theyre faithefull and va[leant service advaunced and rewarded by the most prudent] prince King Henry the Seventh of [famous memorie, sythence which tyme they have continewed at] those partes, being of good reputacion [and credit; and that the] said John hathe maryed [Mary, daughter and one of the heyrs of Robert Arden, of Wilmcote, in the said] counte, esquire.[11] In consideration whereof, and for the encouragement of his posterite, to whom such Blazon [or Atchevement] by the auncyent custome of the lawes of armes maie descend, I the said Garter King of Armes have a.s.signed, graunted and by these presentes confirmed this s.h.i.+eld or cote of arms, viz. Gould, on a bend sables a speare of the first, steeled argent; and for his crest or cognizance a falcon, his winges displayed, argent, standing on a wrethe of his coullors, supporting a speare gould, steeled as aforesaid, sett upon a helmett with mantelles and ta.s.selles as hath ben accustomed and dothe more playnely appeare depicted on this margent. Signefieng hereby, and by the authorite of my office aforesaid ratifieng, that it shalbe lawfull for the sayd John Shakespeare gent. and for his cheldren, yssue and posterite (at all tymes and places convenient) to bear and make demonstracion of the said Blazon or Atchevement uppon theyre s.h.i.+eldes, Targets, Escucheons, Cotes of arms, Pennons, Guydons, Ringes, Edefices, Buyldinges, Utensiles, Lyveries, Tombes or Monumentes, or otherwise, for all lawfull warrlyke factes or civile use and exercises, according to the lawes of armes, without let or interruption of any other person or persons for use or bearing the same. In witnesse and perpetuall remembrance hereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, and fastened the seale of my office endorzed with the signett of my armes, At the Office of Armes, London, the xx. daye of October, the x.x.xviij. yeare of the reigne of our Soveraigne Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of G.o.d Quene of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faythe, etc.
1596.
[Footnote 10: Above the word _antecessors_ is written _Grandfather_.]
[Footnote 11: _Gent._ was first written, and it is altered to _esquire_.]
Like other doc.u.ments of its cla.s.s, in this Grant the language is framed after certain regular forms; so that it is to be read without that exact observance of particular expressions, which is rightly bestowed upon legal and historical records. The interest inseparable from this Grant is enhanced in no slight degree by the strong probability that John Shakespere made his application to the College of Arms by the advice and in consequence of the request of his son. Had the worthy Garter been able to divine the ”dignities and desertes” of the son, he might possibly have employed formal language of a still more complimentary character, when drawing up a Grant of Arms for the father.
A much more curious specimen of the heraldic style and form of expression (and also of the spelling) of the earlier days of the Queen ELIZABETH era, is a Grant of Augmentation and Crest, by LAWRENCE DALTON, Norroy King of Arms, to JOHN BENNETT, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentleman, A.D. 1560. The Preamble to this Grant, which is printed in full in _Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica_ (p. 48), is thus written:--
To All and Singuler as well n.o.bles and gentles as kings herauldes and officers of Armes as others w{ch} thes presentes shall see Reade or heare Lawrence Dalton Esquire Al's Norrey Kinge of Armes of thest and west p'tyes of Englande fro the Ryver of trent northwarde Sendythe Due and humble comendacons and greatinge fforasmuche as awncyentlye fro the begynnynge and not w{th}owt great Delyberacon Equitie and Reason hyt hathe byn by the moste n.o.ble and famous princes Constytutyd and ordeynyd that men of wysdom knoledge vertue and of n.o.ble lyefe and Coorage haue byn notoryowslye commendyd to the Woorlde w{th} Sonndrye monumentes and Remembrances w{th} tokens of honnor for A testamonye of theyre good Desertes As Amonge the Romayns y{e} Erecc'on of Statues and Images w{th} tytles and Appellac'ons of honnour And of more latre Dayes w{th} the moste p'te of nac'ons bearinge of Signes and tokens in Shyldes callyd Armes w{ch} be the Demonstrac'ons and Evidences of n.o.blenes vertue and woorthynes that to eu'ry man accordinge to theyre Desertes be Dyu'slye Dystrybutyd Wherby such signes and tokens of the woorthye and cooragyous might appeare before the cowarde vnwoorthye and Ignorant Even so yt ys yet obs'vyd that suche w{ch} have merytyd or donne com'endable s'vice to theyre prince or countrye or by theyre woorthye and Lawdable lyefe Do Daylye encrease in vertue wysdom and knowledge shulde not be forgoten and so put in oblyvyon but rewardyd w{th} som token of honnor for the same the Rather to move and styrre other to the Imytac'on of lyke n.o.blenes vertue and woorthynes ffor w{ch} purpose hyt was not therefor w{th}owt great provydence ordeynyd and yet ys that there Shulde be officers and herauldes of Armes to whose office hyt shulde be appropryate to kepe in Regestre tharmes pedegrees and Descentes of n.o.bles and gentles w{th} theyre woorthye and valyant actes and to have power and awethorytye to allowe and Ratefye vnto the woorthye Som awgmentac'on token or Remembrance of n.o.blenes for theyre seyde woorthynes And now beinge Desyryd--
And so forth, worthy Mr. Norroy having forgotten such ”signes and tokens” as stops, while carefully showing what style and form it is _not_ desirable for us to adopt, however excellent may be his system of building up honourable insignia upon a foundation of n.o.bleness, virtue, and worthiness.
I add one other early doc.u.ment of another kind, which is an excellent model for present use by the Heralds of our own days, the orthography having by them been duly corrected.
EXAMPLE OF A CONFIRMATION OR RECORD OF ARMS:-- Theis are the anncient Armes and Creast, belonging to the name and famely of LEECHFORDE in the County of Surrey, descended from the LEECHFORDS in Buckinghamsheire. Which at the request of S{R} RICHARD LEECHFORDE of Shelwood in the County of Surrey Knight, I WILL'M SEGAR Garter, Princ.i.p.all King of Armes have blasoned, and sett forth in coullors, according as they are here depicted in the margent. Viz.” (here follows a written blazon).... ”Testifying hereby the saide armoryes to belong vnto the saide S{R} RICHARD LEECHFORD and to his yssue, to vse, beare, and shewe forth at all tymes, and in all places, at their free lib'ty and pleasure. In Witnes wherof....
&c. &c., with Seal and Signature, and the Date 3rd of JAMES I.
I presume that an argument in support of the abolition of all Taxation of ”Armorial Bearings,” on the plea of the utter absurdity of a tax upon an honourable distinction, would be met with the reply that ”Armorial Bearings” are taxed purely as ”luxuries,” and without the slightest reference to their intrinsic character. If the validity of this plea must be admitted, still this tax might be levied with what may be styled a becoming heraldic discrimination.
For example:--Arms distinguished by ”Augmentations of Honour” might be altogether exempted; a higher rate might be fixed in the case of Arms that are ensigned with Coronets, and that display Supporters. Arms borne by unquestionable right, and which are duly recorded at the College, might be rated at a comparatively low charge, certainly not to exceed five s.h.i.+llings a year. On the other hand, all Arms or armorial insignia borne with a very questionable right, or without even the pretence of any right whatever, might be subjected to the ordinary tax for ”Armorial Bearings” of their cla.s.s multiplied (according to circ.u.mstances) by four, six, or ten.
The tax estimated by the aid of the multiplication-table, that has just been suggested, would extend, under a special schedule possessing a high multiplying power, to any self-const.i.tuted ”Establishment” or ”Office,”
which, powerless to ”grant” Arms, undertakes--in consideration of a very trifling fee--to ”find,” and either to ”sketch” or to ”colour” them.
Exceedingly simple is the process, by means of which this undertaking is accomplished. It consists in consulting a printed Armory; and, when the desired ”Arms” have been ”found” in its well-stored columns, they then at once are a.s.signed to the applicant, in conformity with the comprehensive and beautifully simple theory, that all persons having the same surname and who also live (or were born) in the same county are equally ent.i.tled to bear the same Arms. Probably it does not occur to the patrons of advertising Heraldry-dealers, that upon precisely the same principle every person who has the same ”name and county” with any officer who may be ”found” in the Navy or the Army List, might a.s.sert a right to whatever rank and t.i.tle such an officer may enjoy by virtue of his commission.
The almost universal desire to possess some kind of armorial insignia, implies a corresponding recognition of the necessity to obtain them from some Inst.i.tution or Personage, supposed to be competent and authorised both to determine what they should be, and to impart a right to accept and to a.s.sume and bear them. It rests with the Heralds of the College of Arms to take the initiative in a course of action, which would direct all aspirants for heraldic distinctions, as a matter of course, to their own doors. The Heralds, who really are Heralds, and who alone are real Heralds, may rely on the support of Public Opinion. If a fict.i.tious Heraldry is not only prevalent, but in some sense actually in the ascendant, it is not because the counterfeit is preferred to the genuine, but because it is unconsciously mistaken for it. In very many instances, indeed, a determination to obtain ”Arms” is coupled with an ignorance of Heraldry so complete, as to ignore the existence of any such thing as a Heraldry that is fict.i.tious.
A popular College of Arms, without any serious difficulty, might establish its own authority with all cla.s.ses of the community; and, at the same time, it would not fail to impress upon the public mind the very decided difference that exists between the heraldic and the non-heraldic acceptation of the expression--”_an escutcheon of pretence_.” Much real good would certainly result from the rude shock that would be given to many a complacent display of armorial insignia, by showing the proud blazonry to be _abated_ with the baton sinister of heraldic untruth and unwarrantable a.s.sumption. And better still it would be to show to all who possess, or who desire to possess and to bear ”Arms,” that the ”Pride of Heraldry” is a worthy and a n.o.ble pride, because it is the Pride of Truth and Right.
CHAPTER XXII