Page:The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the British Empire Part 1.djvu/21

Rh of excellence, for every statement necessary to complete the chain of evidence as to the descent of a title has to be established by indisputable proof.

Less attention has been given to the Baronetage, possibly because the honour conveys no greater privilege than that of precedence, and so it has never been demmed essential to decide conflicting claims. It is true that a Royal Warrant, dated 3 Dec. 1783, rendered it necessary for each newly designated Baronet to enter his arms and pedigree in the College of Arms before his patent could be completed and his name appear in the "Gazette," but many of the pedigrces of the earlier creations require careful investigation (as will be seen in the Addenda entitled "Chaos"), while others contain intrinsic evidence of the misappropriation of the honour.

Another important feature in this volume is its illustrations. I have been allowed full access to some of the more spirited drawings of the older herald inters, the records of whose art remain with the College of Arms; and I have also been favoured with tracings of such triekings as seemed specially characteristic and more particularly worthy of adoption for this work. My chief friends in council have been Fr. Anselm, of Mount St. Bernard Abbey, Leicester, and Mr. Forbes Nixon, of Barnard's Inn; but the limited time at my disposal compelled me to call to their aid other artists, and thus it has been impossible for me to realise that uniformity of excellence which I hind hoped. I must take upon myself the responsibility of having the arms belonging to some of the recently extinct peerages placed upon hatchments, of having sanctioned the introduction of tilting-helmets instead of adhering to the modern rule of giving to each coat a helmet of degree, as well as some minor liberties which will appear to the trained eye, in order to give the artist more freedom. But I trust that the illustrations will be approved by those who are conversant with heraldry when it flourished as an art, and will contrast favourably with the illustrations that nearly every genealogical compilation exhibits. These, and the coach—painters and silversmiths, with their weak and spiritless designs, seem to be time public leaders of heraldic taste.

At the time of the Holy Wars each knight freely assumed his armorial ensigns, and the mutual respect of companions in arms was generally sufficient to preserve his choice sacred, although, by reason of residence in different parts of the kingdom, or continued service in remote countries, the same emblems might perchance be borne by more than one. An instance of the disputes which arose from conflicting claims to arms is afforded by the Scrope and Grosvenor controversy