Home › What Heraldry Means. - College of Arms › What Heraldry Means. - College of Arms: Marmion

What Heraldry Means. - College of Arms: Marmion

Now, largesse, largesse, Lord Marmion!

Knight of the crest of gold; A blazoned shield in battle won Ne'er guarded heart so bold."

Lord Marmion then fulfilled the duty that was expected of all knights under such circumstances, "and scattered angels round." At another time when a mission was sent by James the Fourth to greet Marmion on his entering Scotland, it was led, as was usual under such circumstances, by the King-at-arms, Lord Lyon. "First came the trumpets, at whose clang So late the forest echoes rang; On prancing steeds they forward prest, With scarlet mantle, azure vest; Each at his trump a banner wore, Which Scotland's royal scutcheon bore; Heralds and pursuivants, by name Bute, Islay, Marchmont, Rothsay, came, In painted tabards proudly showing Gules, argent, or, and azure glowing, Attendant on a king-at-arms, Whose hand the armorial truncheon held That feudal strife had often quelled, When wildest its alarms.

From his steed's shoulder, loin, and breast, Silk housings swept the ground, With Scotland's arms, device, and crest, Embroidered round and round.

The double-tressure might you see First by Achaius borne, The thistle, and the fleur-de-lys, And gallant unicorn.

So bright the king's armorial coat, That scarce the dazzled eye could note, In living colors blazoned brave, The Lyon, which his title gave.

Sir David Lindesay of the Mount, Lord Lyon, King-at-arms."

The pursuivant belonging to these noble houses usually bore as his official name that of some device taken either from the coat-ofarms or the badge of his master. The Duke of Northumberland, the House of Percy, gave to theirs the name of "Esperance," taken from their motto, "Esperance en Dieu." The pursuivant belonging to the Duke of Norfolk was called "Blanche Lion," from a device always used by that house as their badge. As the right to bear arms came to be vested in the hands of the sovereign alone, and what is styled "Herald's College" was formed, the nobles were forbidden to indulge in the possession of that which at last had become purely a monarchial prerogative. And now, children, - at least those of you whose imaginations are in good working order, -suppose we imagine ourselves as staying in London for a day or two. The Grand Hotel, on Trafalgar Square, is rather conveniently situated for sight-seers, and we will make that our supposed stoppingplace. It is morning, and, taking hansoms, we will rattle down Northumberland Avenue until we reach the old river Thames. Here we find the grand Victoria Embankment, that, fringed with trees, skirts the edge of the river as far as Blackfriars Bridge. There WHAT HERALDRY MEANS. the street ceases to be an embankment, but, by turning a little to the left, we still follow the road, though under a different name. It is now Queen Victoria Street. Our "cabbies" call halt, and, tumbling out upon the pavement, we find ourselves in front of quite a finelooking building, or, if it is not, it ought to be, for it was one of those creations of Sir Christopher Wren's, that sacrilegious tongues ought not to criticise. But what is this building for which we have taken such an extended visionary flight? Why, we have come to pay our respects to the grand mausoleum, that Heraldry, with the aid of her friends, has built for herself. Not that she, for the smallest moment, when constructing it, had any such funereal thoughts in her mind, not she; but within a few years, I think, she has begun to have suspicions - dark, uncomfortable forebodings - that for such a purpose it may eventually be compelled to serve. At present, she uses it as a sort of clothes-press, as it were, in which to hang her faded old court-robes, garments that are a good deal moth-eaten, and where the cloth-of-gold is sadly tarnished. To guard them, a few loyal old retainers of hers, who have gotten into a sort of paralytic way, save when galvanized into sudden action by the advent of unexpected American visitors, are kept. When a gap occurs in the number of these faithful servitors of hers, she finds a few more equally devoted adherents to fill their places. Heraldry tries by various devices to fatten her lean person; but, truth to say, she is really looking very scrawny, full of wrinkles and crow's-feet, and suffers much not only from inanition, but also from that painful disorder called "megrims." Attacks from this difficulty are extremely violent at every access of power gained by the Liberal party in England. Her only consolation then is a visit to this "sanctum sanctorum" of hers, there to take such heart of grace as she can in poring over the famous old parchment rolls in which England's oldest families find their names enrolled. She also spends much time in spiritual communion with her faithful chamberlains and attendants. Still, after such experiences she often looks more weazened than ever, and nothing less than a trip through Australia, India, and other of Great Britain's colonies can help her to recover her exhausted vitality. But we are blocking up the sidewalk, and it is time to mount the steps of this unique edifice. As we do so we are aware that the great Bible House of London looms up in close proximity at our right, while just beyond it stands the great house where the "Thunderer" forges his bolts that by thousands every week-day morning are flung abroad from its portals. Heraldry certainly has pitched her tent in a goodly neighborhood; but, just as we start to pass over the threshold, an ominous sound is heard, accompanied by uncanny tremblings of the ground beneath our feet, recalling to our minds for a terrified second the uncomfortable fact that we are in the land of Parnell and Dynamite - Fenianism and Nitro-glycerine. Our interest in heraldic research dies suddenly out, and we turn to fly for refuge to our cabs. The drivers reassure us, "Nuthin' but the Underground," - one of the subterranean trains whose rails make a complete net-work beneath the foundations of London's great buildings; so, somewhat mortified, we again essay to enter the College of Arms, and at last we are within, and find the herald and the pursuivant, who alternate with their associates in presiding over all heraldic matters.

Brother Jonathan is always easily recognizable, whether appearing as a he, in the best fitting garments that a London tailor can pro- WHAT HERALDRY MEANS. duce, or as a she, clad in the latest fashions of a Paris mantua-maker; so we are not surprised at the smile of condescending thrift with which all money-making Britons approach a possible Railroad King, or parvenu Bonanza Prince. But the sweetness of even such a smile has a sort of an adulterated look about its corners. The officials have occasionally stumbled upon an unfortunate family, who, although obliged to seal their letters with their thumbs, evince no desire to better their condition, but do show themselves to be remarkably endowed with both peripatetic and inquisitive qualities. Therefore a discreet, though very slight reserve is noticeable in their reception of us. Their worst fears being realized, we will not blame them if it takes them a few minutes to regain their equanimity. When, at last, they succeed in doing so, a certain iciness of manner effectually suppresses any undue curiosity or excessive questioning on our part, but we learn from a few concise answers that the energies of thirteen officers are required to attend to the needs of the college, and to form this number they have three kings-at-arms, six heralds, and four pursuivants. One herald and one pursuivant, with such clerkly assistance as they require, are to be found, each for a month at a time, at the college.