In 16th century England, when a noble was given a title upgrade, was there a public ceremony or recognition to go along with the letters patent?

by kittydentures

I'm slogging my way through "The Other Boleyn Girl" (please don't as me why--I'm questioning my own sanity) and it just occurred to me that for all the talk about how Anne Boleyn and her relations were ennobled with titles and offices in the king's household, no historian--in my memory--has written whether or not there was any kind of investiture ceremony enacted publicly to affirm their new titles. Most historians don't even bother to mention the letters patent which was considered the legal document issued by the crown that granted a peerage to an individual. The most that I can recall in this context was Anne's coronation and the controversy it caused, but by that point she was being crowned queen and we all know there's an established ceremony that goes along with that title. But what about when she was made a marchioness? Did she get a ceremony then? Or was it simply a matter of the crown issuing the letters patent and the king saying "BTW, you're a marchioness now, congrats."

Admirable_Admiral

Anne Boleyn did indeed get a ceremony! We can find a description in Letters and Papers:

Sunday, 1 Sept. 1532, 24 Hen. VIII. The lady was conveyed by noblemen and the officers of arms at Windsor Castle to the King, who was accompanied by the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk and other noblemen, and the ambassador of France. Mr. Garter bore her patent of creation; and lady Mary, daughter to the duke of Norfolk, her mantle of crimson velvet, furred with ermines, and a coronet. The lady Marques, who was "in her hair," and dressed in a surcoat of crimson velvet, furred with ermines, with strait sleeves, was led by Elizabeth countess of Rutland, and Dorothy countess of Sussex. While she kneeled before the King, Garter delivered her patent, which was read by the bishop of Winchester. The King invested her with the mantle and coronet, and gave her two patents, one of her creation, the other of 1,000l. a year. She thanked the King, and returned to her chamber.

Milles' Catalogue of Honour contains a fleshed out version of this account, which gives it a much grander tenor. That's behind an EEBO paywall, but it's quoted at length in The Book of the Court (bottom of page 97 to 98). Milles published his work decades after Anne's death, but even if he wasn't working from eyewitness accounts, it's in-line with the dry-but-official outline quoted above.

Now the rest: I'm going to admit here that courtly ritual isn't my forte, so I was hoping I could turn up some good secondary sources for you. Unfortunately, like you said, there's not a lot out there on investiture ceremonies and letters patent that's easy to find. I assume it's because these things are so regulated that they become notable only if there were to be a breach in etiquette or a unique situation. To use a modern, but not contemporary analogy, how many times do we really take note of the U.S. presidential oath of office? The pageantry and the inaugural address are different every four years, but not the investiture ritual itself. It's the same every time. However, Lyndon Johnson's oath of office on Air Force One after Kennedy's assassination entered the history books precisely because of its unique circumstances.

In light of that, I tried to find a few other accounts of creation ceremonies. The actual investiture followed a general pattern, with changes based on social rank of the title being bestowed. Certain dress was required and it was regulated from the color and fabric down to the width of the ermine trim. Generally speaking, the person gaining the title would process toward the king, bow three times and then kneel. The king would bestow certain items upon them, such as a silver or gold rod, a coronet and cap, or a ring. The charter would be read aloud during the process and the ceremony would conclude with the person's new style being announced by the Garter King of Arms.

James I produced a much grander spectacle around the creation ceremony when his eldest son, Henry, became Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. A barge procession -- complete with artificial sea monsters -- to Whitehall. A ceremony creating 25 Knights of the Garter followed, an investiture before Parliament and a masque, among other festivities. I'll quote the actual investiture ceremony at length because the source is behind a paywall. If your interested and have access to the Early English Books Online database, it's worth tracking down for the relatively short full account. I'll cite the source below.

First went the Heralds and Officers of Armes in their rich coates, next followed the Knights of the Bath, being five and twenty in number, appareled in long Roabes of purple Satin, lyned with white Taffata; then Garter principal king of Armes, bearing the Letters Patents, the Earle of Sussex the purple Robes, the train borne by the Earle of Huntingdon, the Earle of Cumberland the sword, the Earl of Rutland the Ring, the Earle of Derby the Rod, and the Earle of Shewsbury they cap and Coronet. His Princely highness supported by the Earles of Nottingham and Northampton came bareheaded and so entering the Parliament chamber, where the king was set in his Throne, and the whole state of the Realme in order (divers stranger and forraigne Ambassadours being present) he made low obeisance to his Maiestie three times, and after the third time, when he was come neere to the king, kneeled down on a rich pillow or cushion, whilst the Earle of Salisbury read his Letters Patents. Then his Maiestie at the reading of the words of Investiture put the Robes upon him, and girded on the sword, invested him with the Rod and Ring, and set the Cap and Coronet on his head; with which ceremony the creation being accomplished, he arose, and was by the Earles of Worcester & Suffolke brought and seated in his place of Parliament on the left hand of his Maiestie.

--The order and solemnitie of the creation of the High and mightie Prince Henrie by Samuel Daniel

We find another account of a ceremony creating an Earls and Barons in Samuel Pepys' diary. This one is something of a mass investiture, with multiple earls and barons given titles on the same occasion, although the same ritual elements are found within -- with minor differences for each social rank. It must not have taken long, since he found time to taken in a play, then go drinking late into the night.

As a side note, while trying to see if the investiture ceremony for earls and barons had changed from the Tudors to Charles II -- there had been a new dynasty, a civil war, the execution of the king, a republican experiment, and a restoration of the monarchy in between -- I checked Milles. He described William Cecil's creation as Baron Burley as including a dinner. As did an account of her creating an earl, but those of her brother, Edward, don't seem to include one. Anne's creation as the Marchioness of Pembroke took place before mass, according to Chapuys, so it's unlikely that it included meal. Dinner seems to be something that Elizabeth liked to do, but perhaps was unique to her, or at the very least not universal.