(Gr. κήρυξ, Lat. facialis, factialis, vel fetialis, Ger. herald, Fr. héraut, Span. heraldo). As the Germans were the first among modern European nations to reduce heraldry to a system, and as we are undoubtedly of German origin, it may be safely concluded that the English word is derived from the German.
Heralds appear to have been important and prominent persons among the older Asiatic nations, as well as among the Greeks and Romans, and their privileged and almost sacred character was generally recognised. Though the herald of Nebuchadnezzar is the only one mentioned in Holy Writ, these officers are frequently alluded to by the Greek poets and historians, while the members of the Roman College of Heralds established by Numa were generally selected from noble families, and held in very high estimation. Their most ancient and most important duties were to carry messages of amity or defiance to foreign powers, and to proclaim the national will or that of the sovereign on great occasions.
In the middle ages the presence of heralds at tournaments was considered as indispensable as that of the knightly combatants themselves; and the task of instructing young knights on their installation, very generally devolved on the senior heralds or kings-of-arms. But their chief glory and source of wealth passed away with the days of chivalry; their ambassadorial functions have also fallen into desuetude; and now their chief occupation is to record and illustrate pedigrees, and armorial bearings (see HERALDRY), and to marshal great national solemnities.
Heralds were in high repute in Germany and France before they were known in this country. Hither, however, they came from the latter country in the days of chivalry, and soon found favour with those whose high descent and noble deeds formed their constant themes of praise.
Mention is made of Chester herald so far back as the reign of Richard II.; but the first English herald advanced to a higher dignity appears to have been William Tyndale, appointed Lancaster king-of-arms by Henry IV. In Scotland, at the coronation of Robert II. in March 1371, Lyonking-of-arms appears to have been summoned with his attending heralds by the Lord-Marischal of Scotland, and then sworn and crowned. In England, before the institution of Heralds' College, the heralds belonged exclusively to the Royal Court as "Household Servants," though there are instances, after that period, of their being permanently attached to, or occasionally employed in the households of powerful noblemen, gentlemen of good estate, and dignitaries of the Church. Thus we find that the fifth Earl of Northumberland, of 1512, assigned x. marcs yearly to each of his heralds, and v. marcs to each pursuivant; and we are told by Cavendish that the pursuivant of Cardinal Wolsey carried before his lord "a great mace of silver gilt."
It may now be proper to notice in their order the three existing associations of heralds in the United Kingdom—viz., the College of Arms, or Heralds' College of England; the Lord-Lyon's Court, or Heralds' Court in Scotland; and the Office of Arms, in Ireland.
HERALDS' COLLEGE. In 1483 Richard III. constituted the heralds of England a collegiate body, like the collegium fecialium of Rome, incorporated them by letters patent, and assigned to them as an habitation "one messuage, with the appurtenances, in London, in the parish of All Saints, called Pultney's Inn, or Cold Harbore, to the use of twelve the most principal and approved of them." Edward VI. freed them from taxes, and Philip and Mary were also benefactors to the institution. In the latter reign Stanley or Derby House was granted to the heralds.
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1 Cruden's Concordance, art. Herald. 2 Those who wish to prosecute an inquiry into the various functions of the Roman heralds will find ample means of gratifying their curiosity in Plinius, tom. i., voce Feciales; and in Hofmann, tom. ii., under the heads Fetiales and Heroldus. 3 Selden's Titles of Honor, p. 703 (Ed. 1672). 4 Household Book of the Earls of Northumberland (Ed. 1827, p. 47); Cavendish's Life of Wolsey by Singer, 2d ed., p. 108. 5 Rymer, vol. xii., p. 215; Dallaway's Inquiritis, p. 134. in lieu of their first habitation, of which they had been deprived by Henry VII.
The present college, situated in Doctors' Commons, was built, after a design of Sir Christopher Wren, on the site of old Stanley House, which was burned in the fire of London. The president or superior of the college is the Earl-Marshal of England, who nominates, for appointment by the sovereign, all the members of the collegiate chapter, consisting of three kings-at-arms, six heralds-at-arms, and four pursuivants-at-arms.
The office of Magister Marecallus, or Chief Marshal, is of great antiquity, and appears in the reign of Stephen to have been hereditary in the family of Marecalli. This officer was styled at different times marecallus regis, marecallus Anglorum, and comes marecallus. The Earl-Marshal is eighth in rank among the great officers of state; and the dignity is now, by virtue of a grant of Charles II., in 1672, hereditary in the family of Howard Duke of Norfolk.
The royal commands regarding great public ceremonies are addressed to the Earl-Marshal; and under his direction are prepared the programmes which regulate order and precedence on such occasions. He still holds a court in Heralds' College, though it is but the shadow of what was in olden times the court of chivalry or honour, as constituted by Richard II. From the decisions of the Earl-Marshal an appeal may be made to the Sovereign in council.
The three kings-of-arms are styled Garter, Clarenceux, and Norroy. Of these Garter is the principal. As may almost be inferred from his name, one of his chief duties is to assist at all ceremonies connected with the Order of the Garter, either at home or abroad. "He was ordained," says Ashmole, "by King Henry V., with the advice and consent of all the knights' companions, who, for the honour of the order, was pleased he should be the principal officer within the College of Arms, and chief of the heralds." The first Clarenceux king-of-arms was also appointed by Henry V., and Norroy was created by Edward IV. When the College of Arms was erected, the kings-of-arms proceeded to divide England into two districts—viz., north and south of the Trent. To Clarenceux the southern, and to Norroy the northern provinces were committed. Hence they were called the "provincial kings," each having jurisdiction independent of the other, while Garter, as principal, presided over all.
The six heralds are styled Chester, Lancaster, Richmond, York, Windsor, and Somerset. They are esquires by creation, and rank according to seniority of appointment.
The four pursuivants are Portcullis, Rouge-dragon, Bluemantle, and Rouge-croix; and though these officers form a class subordinate in rank to the heralds, they now generally succeed the latter on any vacancy occurring by death or preferment.
Though the members of this college have certain limited stipends, and fees on the creation of peerages, baronetcies, &c., their chief source of income is derived from fees for professional advice and assistance in tracing pedigrees and the descent of properties and titles, for the registration of nominal and armorial additions and distinctions sanctioned by the sovereign, and for granting coats of arms when the royal assent is not indispensable.
The importance of genealogies in relation to history is too obvious to require comment; and in countries like our own, where one branch of the legislature is in its nature hereditary, the most carefully compiled genealogies are essentially necessary.
The older records of the college are most curious, valuable, and authentic. Among these are the heralds' visitations of counties—documents giving the results of certain progresses made by the heralds through different districts of England. Though various visitations undoubtedly took place at an earlier period, they seem to have proceeded on no regular commission till 1528. The visitation books, the most valuable portion of the college library, contain elaborate pedigrees and representations of the coat-armour of the nobility and gentry existing in the counties, and at the dates, to which they refer; and they tend to throw much light on national as well as family history. When the 6th Duke of Norfolk, at the request of Evelyn, bestowed the Arundelian library on the Royal Society, he stipulated that the herald's chief officer should have those that concerned heraldry and the marshal's office, books of armoury, and genealogies; and these now form part of the College library.
The daily occupation of the various members of the College of Heralds naturally leads them to much antiquarian research, and in this field and in general literature many of them have exerted themselves successfully. But above all, the names of Camden, Dugdale, Ashmole, and Vanbrugh shed peculiar lustre on this ancient institution.
Besides the members of Heralds' College, extraordinary heralds are occasionally appointed to assist the former on great occasions, and there is an officer called Bath king-of-arms, permanently attached to the Order of the Bath.
Heralds' Court, or Lord Lyon's Court in Scotland.—According to Chalmers, the origin of Lyon king-of-arms, and the body of Scotch heralds, is lost in the mist of antiquity. Their first appearance on record was, as already stated, at the coronation of Robert II. in 1371. At that time they were apparently dependent on the Great Marischal, or Lord-Marischal of Scotland; bearing the same relation to him that the English heralds bore to the Lord-Marshal of England. The dignity of Marischal of Scotland seems to have been hereditary in the family of Keith for several centuries. The first who bore the title lived in the time of Malcolm II., but no mention is made of the title Earl-Marischal till 1458. The dependence of the heralds on this nobleman ceased, however, long prior to the extinction of the family of Keith, Earls-Marischal in Scotland; and Lyon has for an extended series of years held his place by commission under the Great Seal, and has been recognised as the head of the Scotch office of arms. He doubtless derives his name of Lyon from the cognizance of Scotland, as one of the signiferi or pursuivants is called Unicorn, in allusion to the supporters of the national shield. Lyon is generally appointed for life, is the sole principal herald or king-of-arms, and holds his court in the General Register-House at Edinburgh. The last grant of the office of Lyon was made by George III. in 1796 to the then Earl of Kinnoull and to his son. The latter is now Lord-Lyon.
Jurisdiction in arms, which at one time was vested in all the heralds jointly, is now exercised by Lyon alone, who performs the duties of his office by deputies of his own appointment. This devolution of duty on a deputy may be traced nearly as far back as 1663, when Lyon first obtained the title of Lord-Lyon, king-of-arms.
The heralds, six in number, are styled Rothesay, Marchmont, Albany, Ross, Snowdon, and Islay, and rank according to seniority. The pursuivants are also six in number, and bear the names of Kintyre, Dingwall, Carrick, Ormond, Unicorn, and Bute. All these officers receive their commissions from the Lord-Lyon, and usually for life, and their duty is now confined to attendance at royal proclamations, coronations, and other great public ceremonies.
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1 Madox's History of the Exchequer, vol. i., pp. 43-48. 2 Evelyn's Diary, 29th Aug. 1678. 3 Ashmole's Order of the Garter, chap. 8. 4 Chalmers' Caledonia, vol. i., p. 762, note. The *macer* at one time were reckoned among the officers at arms, but from the institution of the Court of Session or College of Justice, they were entirely detached from the heralds' office, and now wait only on the judges of the supreme law courts. After the pursuivants are accordingly to be ranked the messengers-at-arms, of whom there are many in every county. They are admitted and removed by the Lord-Lyon, and their duty is to execute the "process and letters" of the superior courts. The jurisdiction and authority of the Scottish king-of-arms is thus twofold; one over the officers at arms, in which respect he may not inaptly be regarded as, in some respects, at the head of the executive department of the law in Scotland; and the other in relation to bearings and ensign armorial. The Lord-Lyon is now empowered by statute "to assign arms to all virtuous and well deserving persons" on their application to him for the same; and this whether they belong to families already possessing them or not. There is a marked difference between the present and the old law on this subject; for, by 12 Jas. VI., cap. 127, Lyon was empowered to imprison during his pleasure such as improperly assumed armorial bearings. To the court of the Lord-Lyon are attached a procurator-fiscal, to sue before his lordship; a clerk and registrar, and a messenger who acts as macer. The principles which regulate the Herald's Court at Edinburgh are stated in the Report, dated 1821, of the Commission on Courts of Justice in Scotland.
The decisions of the Lord-Lyon are now subject to the review of the Court of Session, though probably at one time his judgments, like those of the Earl-Marshal of England, could only be reconsidered by the Sovereign in council.
Office of Arms for Ireland, or Ulster's Office.—It is situated in the Record Tower of Dublin Castle; and the professional staff consists of one king-of-arms, two heralds, four pursuivants, one registrar, and one clerk of the records. The chief officer is styled Ulster king-of-arms. He holds his appointment from the Crown, and acts under the immediate direction of the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. According to Rymer, the first Ulster king-of-arms, Bartholomew Butler, was appointed by letters patent of Edward VI., dated at Westminster, June 1, 1552; and Philip Butler, son of Bartholomew, was on the 28th of the same month appointed by letters patent Athlone herald. The two heralds of the present day are called Cork and Dublin; and the senior pursuivant bears the title of Athlone, the others being called pursuivants of St Patrick. The functions of Ulster's office are very similar to those exercised by the English College of Heralds. The records of the Irish Office of Arms consist of pedigrees of the Irish nobility and gentry, certificates of their deaths and funerals, &c., from the time of Henry VIII. down to 1700; and grants of arms, &c., for the same period, and down to the present time, with volumes relating to religious ceremonies, processions, &c. It would appear, from an official list, or heraldic calendar, published by the Registrar of the Irish Herald's Office in January 1846, that upwards of 1850 noblemen and gentlemen then living (including the members of their several families) had recorded their pedigrees, and registered their armorial bearings in that office.
(H. G. R.)