WHereas the Kings most Excellent Majestie, hath by his [...]ers directed vnto Vs the Lord Deputie, signified his Princely pleasure, that calling to Our assistance, such of the Nobility & Councells We should thinke fit, a speedy redresse & reformation should be made of divers abuses & disorders concerning Armes & Armory in this his Majesties Realme of Ireland, occasioned partly through the boldnes of some Mechanicall persons, who presume to medle in Irmory without directiō from the King of Armes of the same, being the pro­per Officer appointed to attend that service, And partly t [...]rough the Nobility & Gentrie themselves, who have of late (of which his Majest. taketh notice) wholly in a maner laid aside all Fu [...]all rites & ceremonies, by means wherof (as his Majest. in his Princely & deep judgment most wisely fore-seeth) the Houses of the Nobility & Gentrie cannot but in a short time grow into many perplexi­ties & confused disorders in their Armes & Petegrees, for want of the vse of Armes at Obsequies & Funerals, and for want of the entrie of the day of the Decease, Matches, & Issues of the deceased parties. And whereas his most Excellent Maiestie hath likewise bin pleased to command that for direction in the premises, vse shoul [...] be made of an Order or Decree set forth in Print by the [...]ight Hon. the Lords Commiss. of the Earle Marshals Office of England for the reforming of the like abuses there, Dated the 10. day of Nov. in the 16. ye [...] of the Raigne of King IAMES of blessed memory, authorizing vs thereby to lay downe some such course and order for the redresse of the former e [...]ormities, & for the support of the Officers of Armes here as shall be thought fit and reasonable to stand with the state & condition of this Kingdome, with provision, that the said King of Armes have satisfaction for such Funeralls of the Lords, Knights, and other of eminent place & quality, as of late have not made vse of his Office, as by his Maiesties said Letters dated at VVestminster the 7. day of Aprill, in the third yeare of his raigne, & enrol'd in the Roles of [...]s Maiesties high Court of Chancery here, more at large appeareth We there­fore in obedience to his Maiesties said commandement, having taken a due & cōsiderat view of the fore-named Printed Order, & maturely pondered the other circumstances enioyned by his Maiestie, doe order, decree & ordaine, th [...] aswell for the good of the said Nobilitie & Gentrie of this Kingdome, as for the honour of the Kingdome it selfe, lest the most ancient & laudable vse of Armes should wholly be laid aside, & so no outward token or Embleme be left to make a difference between Familie, & Familie, or to distinguish betw [...]n the most honorable Nobleman & the poorest Artificer: That all Noblemen & Noble-women, Baronets, Knights, Esquires, & Gentlemen Being in nū ­ber twentie foure. cōtained in a schedule hereunto annexed: And all other that frō henceforth shalbe either silent­ly buried in the night-time by torch-light, or otherwise by day or night time without either Scuchions or other atchievements, or without attendance of an Officer of Armes, shall neverthelesse immediatly after the death and burial of every such Defunct, returne a true Certificate of the Matches, Issues, and times of decease, with their Armes which of right in their life they bore; for the which they shall pay vnto the said King of Armes (though by a Clause of his Letters-Patents he clayme the same Fees that are payde in Being dou­ble the Fees here reserued in euery state and degree. England) such Fees as we have & doe hereby set down and appoint, Ʋiz. Euery GENTLE­MAN twenty shillings English. Euery ESQVIER three pounds sixe shillings & [...]ight pence English. Euery KNIGHT five pounds Engl. Euery BARONET & BAN­NERET six pounds thirteene shillings & foure pence English. Euery BARON or BARONESSE twelve pounds ten shillings English. Euery BISHOP twelve pounds ten shillings English. Euery VICOVNT or VICOVNTESSE fifteene pounds English Euery EARLE or COVNTESSE seauenteene pounds tenne shillings English. Euery MARQVES or MARCHIONESSE twenty pounds English. Euery DVKE or DVTCHES twenty two pounds ten shill. Engl. And euery ARCHBISHOP twenty two pounds ten shillings English. All which said seuerall summes of money are to be payd to the said King of Armes, or his Assignes, being orderly demaunded, after the buriall of euery such Defunct by the Heires, Executors, or Administrators of all & euery Persons of the degrees aforesaid. The which Certificates & Fees, if they shall refuse to returne & pay (the Fees being reduced so low vnder that which is payd in England, & so by vs according to his Majesties Ca­veat, thought fit & reasonable to stand with the state of the Kingdom). W [...] vpon complaint made by the King of Armes, or his Assignes to Vs, take such further order therein, as shalbe meet & expedient for the accomplishment of his Majesties commandement. And [...] doe straightly charge the said King of Armes, who now is, or hereafter shall be, to make true & faire entries of the Certificates above-named so returned into his Office (they paying such Fees as are before set down by these presents. Persons of everall degrees whose Certificates must bee entred without Fees. And likewise to enter the like Certificates of all Gentlemen, whose estates in Land and goods exceede not five hundred Markes English. And of all Ladies & Gentlewomen vnder the degree of a Lady Baronesse as exactly as the rest, paying no Fees at all. (Provided that it be first duely proved before two of his Majesties Iustices of the Peace or more, that the party is no more worth.) Which Certificates so entred, may in future time determine & end many questiōs that hereafter may arise, as by many examples of late time have bin seen in England. Provision for some Knights, and Esquiers. Pro­vided alvvayes that if the Heires, Executors, or Administrators of any Knight or Esquire shall pretend povertie or disabilitie, and shall make the same ap­peare by Petition vnto the Lord Deputy, or other Governour or Governours f [...] the time being, order shall be taken vpon due proofe made, that the Heires, Executors or Administrators shalbe eased of paying the said Fees (if so i [...] shalbe thought fit) and the Certificate notvvithstanding entred as above. Ne­verthelesse if any of the degrees aforesaid their Wives and Children shall [...]quire to have their Funerals honourably solemnized vvith the attendance of one or both the Officers of Armes, according to their degrees, & vvith such other ceremonies as have in former times bin vsed, The Officers of Armes in England by the decree a­boue specified, are left at liber­tie in this case to make their composition as in former time. That then they shall pay the above-named Fees respectively vvith the addition of It was two shillings the mile out, and two shillings the mile home­ward, to the K. of Armes, and twelve pence the mile out & twelve pence homeward to the other Offi­cer before, according to the custome of En­gland. Twelue pe [...]ce English the mile outvvard, and Twelue pence English the mile homevvard, It was be­fore xx. Nobles for blackes, & Liveries for 4. Servants to the king of Armes & a quarter as much beside to the other Offi­cer according to the custome of England, be­side Fees in money for everie degree, above double the fees within named. and forty shillings English for Blacks, vvith entertainment of the Of [...]cer of Officers of Armes and their servants in the Funerall house, and meate for their Horses, as hath bin accustomed, & vvith the accustomed & ancient [...]quisite of Hearses vvith all their furniture vvhen any shalbe vsed, and the above named Fees to stand for satisfaction to both for all demands. And for remedie of the former abuses vvhich are daylie committed by Painters, Masons, Gla­siers, Goldsmiths, Cutters, Carvers, and the like, Wee doe straightly charge [...]d commaund them throught this Realme, that they presume not to meddle vvith any matters of Armorie or Armes, except those Armes that are so cōmonly knovvn as there is no likelyhood of error. And that no Painters, or other person set forth any Funerals, or make any Scuchions, or other Funerall [...]orke, vvithout speciall leave and approbation of the King of Armes, or his suffi­cient Deputy or Deputyes, as they vvill ansvvere the contrary at their pe [...] Provided that such as the said King of Armes shall appoint to make Scuchi­ons and other Funerall vvorke, shall not exceede the ordinary Price no [...]sed in and about London, as the same shall be certified vnder the hands of tvvo or more of the Kings of Armes there vvithin a yeare after the Date of the presents. Which Certificate is to be entred vpon Record in his Majesties high Court of Chauncery [...]ere. Given at his Majesties Castle of Dublin the 4. o [...] [...]ugust, in the third yeare of his Majesties Raigne. Anno Dom. 1627.

• Adam Loftus Canc.
• Ia. Armachanus.
• Lanc. Dublin.
• R. Corke.
• Hen. Valentia.
• Thom. Cromwell.
• Dom. Kilmallocke.
• Thom. Baltinglasse.
• R. Ranelagh
• R. Dillon.
• Will Caulfield.
• Henr. Docwra.
• Fr. Aungier.
• Will. Parsons.
• Rich. Bolton.
• Dud. Norton.
• Char. Coote.
• Adam Loftus.