Harley MS 1386

Heraldic book bought by John Withie (1593-c. 1678), arms painter, from John Guillim (c 1551-1621), Pursuivant of Arms, 14 May 1612.

Contents:

f. 1*v: Arms of John Guillim from former parchment cover cut out and pasted on verso of f. 1*.

f. 1: Front leaf with shelfmarks, provenance inscription, pen trials, doodles of animals and birds. Includes the following:

• Quotations from Chaucer mentioning banners, penons, etc.
• Spartan proverb ‘Admota manu Fortunam esse implorandam’, from Conrad Lycosthenese, illustrated with a drawing of a man pushing a wheel.
• At foot of folio provenance inscription: ‘Bought of Mr John Guillim Pursuivant of Armes 14 May 1612’

ff. 2-25: Alphabet of some of the names in this volume.

ff. 16-17: Notes on King Richard III’s coronation: Procession of the King and Queen to the Tower, 4 July 1483; Lords created by him the following day; Knights of the Bath created by him that evening; attendees on the King’s procession through the City of London towards Westminster, 5 July 1483; procession of the King and Queen to their coronation in Westminster Abbey, 6 July 1483.

ff. 17-18: Notes on King Henry IV’s coronation: Great officers made by King Henry IV on being proclaimed King; ordering of claims to serve at the coronation made 4 October 1399; Knights of the Bath made at the Tower by the King before his coronation. Followed on the same folio (f. 18r) by a passage on the division and hatred between the houses of Lancaster and York, from Hollinshed. Notes from William Rastell under the headings, intrusion, reasonable aid, amerciaments, treasons (f. 18v).

ff. 19: Headed ‘Constables of England’. Succession of the Constables up to the death of the five sons of Milo, Earl of Hereford.

ff. 20-22: Large pedigree of Bowrghe of Ireland; Copcott; Burgoyne; Brokett; and of other allied families, with arms.

ff. 23-26: Pedigree of the noble family of Stafford, with arms, from a book belonging to the family.

ff. 27-118: Arms tricked in printed escutcheons. Folios 27-90 have continuous original numbering. Escutcheons on some folios remain unfilled (both numbered and unnumbered). Includes:

• Arms of the founders of Welsh families, and English families who settled in Wales, with names added later (ff. 27-29).
• Arms of the earls of Chester from Leofric to John le Scot (f. 33).
• Arms of Wikes of Gloucestershire (f. 33v).
• Headed ‘Coats of rare Bearinge’, as are some later sections (ff. 34-36).
• Arms of Calthrop, and related families (ff. 37-38).
• Arms ascribed to the kingdoms of the Heptarchy (f. 38v).
• Names of nobles and greater gentry in England during the reign of Edward I. Latin (ff. 39-45).
• Arms of knights of various counties during the reign of Edward I (ff. 46-82), as follows: Norfolk, notes on Knights of Rhodes or St John of Jerusalem, Suffolk, Cambridge, Essex, Hertford, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Berkshire, Sussex, Wiltshire and Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Derby and Nottingham, Lincolnshire, Westmorland and Lancashire, York, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, Warwick, Gloucester, Hereford, Huntingdon, Worcester, Cheshire, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Northumberland and Cumberland.
• Names and arms of those who accompanied King Henry V at the siege of Rouen (f. 84*, 84**, 85, 86r).
• Arms of English gentlemen f. 86v).
• Small collection of foreign and English arms, headed ‘ex libro Mri Usher’ (f. 88v-89v).
• Arms of the offices of Clarenceux, Garter, Norroy and Ulster, with arms of the Lord of the Isles (f. 90).
• Arms of the Kings of Scotland, from Malcolm to Robert III (f. 90v).
• Arms from the pedigree of Hoo (ff. 91v-92)
• Arms of Italian nobility (f. 93r).
• Arms of nobility in the Low Countries (f. 93v).
• ‘Coats of rare Bearing’ (ff. 94-97).
• Arms of Arundel, de Riparijs, Stourton, Monhaulte, and Argentine (f. 98r).
• Arms of Gloucestershire families (f. 98v).
• Arms of Knights created by Sir William Russell, Lord Deputy of Ireland. 1 September 1594 (ff. 118).

ff. 119-120: Transcripts and extracts from charters relating to families of Gloucester, Lasci, Mortimer, Munemy, Clifford, Beauchamp, Longespee, Aldithlega, and others, with tricks of two seals.

f. 121: Tenure of the barony of Halton, Cheshire.

f. 122: Argument of one of the officers of arms, against Sir Michael Blounte who claimed to be heir male of Sir Walter, 1st Lord Mountjoy.

ff. 123-125: Draft articles.

f. 126: Arms of Briton, Saxon, Danish and Norman kings, of Ireland, Welsh princes, Normandy, Guyen, and England.

f. 127: Transcript of letters patent of Queen Elizabeth I, constituting Christopher Ussher Ulster King of Arms in Ireland, after the resignation of Nicholas Narbon. Witnessed 30 Jun 30.Eliz. I. Latin.

f. 128: Letters patent of William Harvey, Clarenceux King of Arms assigning arms to Richard Davies, Bishop of St Asaph. 20 February. 2. Eliz. I. With the arms of Smythe of Herefordshire at the foot of the page.

f. 128v: Style of Queen Elizabeth.

f. 129: Passages in the Old Testament book of Ezra, illustrating the usefulness of books of pedigrees.