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By the right Honorable the Lords, Commissioners for the Office of Earle Marshall of ENGLAND.
THe Kings most Excellent
Maiestie being informed of many great abuses, offered to the Nobilitie and Gentrie of this Kingdome, aswell by the sinister practice of certayne mechanicall Trades-men, as Painters, Glasiers, Stone-cutters, Caruers, and many other Artificers, trading in Armoury, who presuming, without authoritie, to intermeddle with the marshalling of Armes, the erecting of Monuments, whereon Armes are to be fixed, Coats quartered, due differences to be obserued, being mysteries of Honour and out of their element, by reason whereof many great errors are daily committed, to the great offence and preiudice of our ancient Nobilitie and Gentrie of this Kingdome, and to the breeding of many ambiguous doubts and questions, which may happen in their Discents and Issues in future times, as also by a generall neglect of the Nobilitie and Gentrie themselues, in the omission of Funerals, and other ceremoniall Rites heretofore vsed, which are now almost or altogether laid aside. For remedie of which abuses and neglects, his
Maiestie out of his Gracious and Royall disposition, so much tendering the preseruation of the good estate of his said Nobilitie and Gentrie of this Kingdome, esteeming them the principall Pillars of this Land, who in all former Ages haue beene thought fit to be distinguished from the vulgar and meaner sort and ranke of people, and thereby haue beene respected and renowmed thorowout all Christendome: Hath commanded vs his Commissioners for the Office of the Earle Marshall of ENGLAND, to looke into the aforesaid abuses and neglects: whereupon, we the said Lords, Commissioners, (
viz. EDWARD, Earle of
Worcester, Lord Keeper of his
Maiesties Priuie Seale; LODOVICK, Duke of
Lenox, Lord Steward of his
Maiesties Houshold; GEORGE, Marques of
Buckingham, Master of his
Maiesties Horse; CHARLES, Earle of
Nottingham, Lord high Admirall of England; WILLIAM, Earle of
Pembroke, Lord Chamberlaine of his
Maiesties Houshold; and THOMAS, Earle of
Arundell) hauing taken due and considerate deliberation of the Premisses, and finding that by reason of the daily abuses and neglects aforesaid, that not only his
Maiesties Office, but also his Officers of Armes, the Kings Heraulds and Pursuiuants, being Officers of Honour, whose chiefest support and maintenance hath euer depended vpon the performance of the said Funerall Rites and Obsequies of the Nobilitie and Gentrie of this Land, taking at all such times Certificates of the Matches, Issues, and times of Decease of the Estates aforesaid, with their Armes, which of right they ought to beare, without wrong doing to any, and from whom his
Maiestie henceforward will expect a more strict account then of late time hath beene had. By Vertue therefore of his
Maiesties Commission to vs directed vnder the great Seale of England, bearing date the seuenth day of Februarie, in the fifteenth yeere of his
Maiesties Reigne of
England, France, and
Ireland, and of
Scotland the one and fiftieth, Doe order, decree, and ordayne, that aswell for the good of the said Nobilitie and Gentrie of this Kingdome, as otherwise, That from henceforth all Noble men, Baronets, Knights, Esquires, and Gentlemen of eminent Place, Office, Birth, and Qualitie, that shall be either silently buried in the Night time by Torch-light, or otherwise, by Day or Night time without the attendance of an Officer of Armes, shall neuerthelesse immediately after the death and buriall of euery such Defunct, returne a true Certificate of the Matches, Issues, and times of Decease, with their Armes, which of right they bore, for the which they shall pay into the said Office of Armes, such Fees as we haue and doe hereby set downe and appoint,
viz. Euery GENTLEMAN,
vsing Funerall Scutchions at his buriall, three pounds sixe shillings and eight pence, and vsing none, fortie shillings. Euery ESQVIRE
of Coat Armour, sixe pounds thirteene shillings and foure pence. Euery KNIGHT,
ten pounds. Euery BARONET
and BANNERET,
thirteene pounds, sixe shillings and eight pence. Euery BARON
and BARONESSE,
that ought to haue a great Banner and Bannerols, fiue and twentie pounds. Euery BISHOP,
fiue and twentie pounds. Euery VICOVNT
and VICOVNTESSE,
thirtie pounds. Euery EARLE
and COVNTESSE,
fiue and thirtie pounds. Euery MARQVES
and MARCHIONESSE,
fortie pounds. Euery DVKE
and DVCHESSE,
fiue and fortie pounds: and, Euery ARCH-BISHOP,
fiue and fortie pounds. All which said seuerall summes of Money, are to be paid to the said Officers of Armes, or their Assignes, being orderly demanded after the buriall of euery such Defunct, by the Heires, Executors, or Administrators, of all and euery Persons of the degrees aforesaid. The which Certificates and Fees, if they shall refuse to returne and pay, We shall, vpon complaint made by the Officers of Armes, to vs, or to the Earle Marshall of England for the time being, take such further order therein, as shall be thought meet and expedient for the accomplishment of his
Maiesties commandement. And further, We the Lords, Commissioners aforesaid, doe straightly charge and command all the said Officers of Armes, which now are or hereafter shall be, to take a true Certificate of the Matches, Issues, and times of Decease of all the Estates aforesaid, with the Armes, which of right they ought to beare, without wrong doing to any (they paying such Fees as are before set downe by these Presents) and likewise, the like Certificates of all Gentlemen, whose estates exceede not on
[...] thousand Marks, to enter them as exactly as the rest, paying no Fees at all, which Certificates shall be truely and carefully Registred, and safely kept in a faire Booke in the Office of Armes, as an authentique Record, which in future time may determine and end many questions that hereafter may arise, as by many examples of late times haue beene seene. Prouided alwayes, that if any of the inferiour degrees abouesaid,
viz. Knights, Esquires, or Gentlemen, shall pretend pouertie or disabilitie, and shall make the same appeare by Petition vnto the Earle Marshall of England, or the Lords, Commissioners for the said Office for the time being, such order shall be taken therein, as that the Gentlemen shall be releeued, and the Office of Armes satisfied. Neuerthelesse, if any of the degrees aforesaid shall require to haue their Funerals honourably solemnized with Heraulds attendance, and such other ceremonies as haue in former times beene vsed, that then they shall pay all such Fees as heretofore haue beene accustomed. And for remedie of the former grosse abuses, which are daily committed by Painters, that keepe open shops of Armourie, and doe deuise and giue forth Armes at their pleasures, assuming the names of Heraulds Painters for their more countenance therein: Wee doe order and will, and in his
Maiesties name straightly charge them, and euery of them, aswell within the Citie of
London, as in all other Cities and Countries within this Realme, that from henceforth they presume not to paint any Armes vpon Coaches, or elsewhere, or Funerall worke, or to make or paint any Discents or Pedegrees, or giue any trick of Coats of Armes out of their Books and Shops for any of the Estates aforesaid, without the allowance and approbation of the Kings of Armes, to whom it doth chiefly appertayne. And for remedie of such abuses as are committed by Masons, which commonly make Tombs and Monuments, and doe ingraue diuers Armes and Matches, and set forth in their Inscriptions false Genealogies with vaine and friuolous Titles, setting vp Coronets vpon some vnfitting and impertinent to the qualities of the person whom they demonstrate: Wee charge them also and euery of them, by the immediate authoritie which we hold from his
Maiestie, and doe thereby order, that they shall not from henceforth ingraue, or cause to bee ingrauen, painted or set forth any Armes, Genealogies, Epitaphs, or Inscriptions, or make any Monument, without it be first seene and allowed by the Kings and Officers of Armes whom it doth concerne, the Copie whereof with the forme of the Monument, to be drawne and entered into a Booke, which Booke shall be called,
The Booke of Monuments, and be kept in the Office of Armes for euer, to the end if euer afterward any thing should happen to be added or diminished, or the Monument translated or defaced, as many are and haue beene, yet the truth may appeare by the said Register Booke. And whereas we are further aduertised, that diuers Glasiers, Gold-smiths, Cutters, Grauers, and Caruers, and other Artific
[...]rs, doe vsually paint in Glasse, graue in Metall, and cut Seales of Armes, carue in Timber, and such like diuers Armes, Coates, and Crosts, without any warrant or knowledge of the same to be true and iustifiable, to the great wrong and preiudice of many Noble and ancient Families of this Kingdome. Wee doe hereby order likewise, and in his
Maiesties name straightly charge and command them and euery of them, and all other Artificers whatsoeuer, to forbeare to paint in Glasse, cut Seales, or otherwise graue in Metall, or carue in Timber or otherwise, any matter of Armourie, before the draft thereof be first seene and allowed by the Kings and Officers of Armes, whom it shall concerne, vnlesse it be of the Nobilitie whose Coats and Quarterings are eminent and well knowne, or such of the ancient Gentrie as haue beene formerly viewed, approued, and allowed by the Prouinciall Kings of Armes, in their seuerall Visitations, within their Prouinces.
Giuen vnder our Hands and Seales,
the tenth day of
Nouember, in the sixteenth yeere of his
Maiesties Reigne of
England, France, and
Ireland, and of
Scotland the fiftie two, At WHITE-HALL.
Anno Domini 1618.