Officers of Arms and heraldic art under King James Sixth and First, 1567-1625

Abstract

This thesis,"The Officers of Arms and Heraldic Art under King James Sixth and First" is contained in two volumes comprising text and plates. The chapters in volume one deal in turn with the composition of the heraldic executive, the duties undertaken by the Officers, the heraldic records kept by them, and the painters who were attached to the Office of Arms.The chapter is divided into three time-periods and for each a detailed account of the duties of the Lyon King of Arms is given, along with the activities of certain Officers. The existing Armorial Manuscripts for each of the three periods are also considered, along with a summation of the knowledge that Officers possessed of the science of heraldry during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. An appendix gives biographical details of all known Officers of Arms from the period 1567 to 1625.

The second chapter considers some of the individual and corporate patrons who commissioned heraldic art during the reign. A comprehensive list is not attempted, instead representative patrons from different social groups are featured along with representative corporate bodies. The influence of the Officers of Arms on the patronage is suggested, particularly with respect to royal and state heraldry. The legacy of the leading heraldic patron, the Earl of Dunfermline, is treated in detail. Additional biographical notes on certain patrons are provided in an appendix.

The next group to be considered are the craftsmen. These are looked at by specialties and include goldsmiths, painters, and masons. Examples of their work are featured and discussed in order to show the range of heraldic art being undertaken during the reign of King James VI and I. Individual information on known craftsmen is given in an appendix, and specific examples of heraldic art by unknown craftsmen are included in the general survey. The final chapter summarises the reasons for using personal and corporate heraldry, looks at the distribution of the Officers of Arms, and shows the correlation between Officer location and the distribution of heraldic art in Scotland. The impact of religious training on a specific group of patrons is mentioned. The influence of patrons on craftsmen, coupled with consideration of continental art styles and their impact on the decorative vocabulary leads to recognition of a native decorative style.The characteristics of the style are listed with reference to extant examples. Finally a few comments are made on the many examples of heraldic art which have been lost since 1625. A distribution map and list constitutes the final appendix.

The second volume consists of Plates showing examples of heraldic a~t in the many forms created during the reign. The Plates are grouped to correspond to each chapter subject in volume one.