Eibeibunka 46

Eibeibunka 46

9 『英米文化』46, 9–22 (2016) ISSN: 0917–3536 An Unusual Moment in Book History: Text and Image in the Works of Francis Sandford1 TAKANO Michiyo Abstract This study aims to situate Francis Sandford’s works in the context of English book his- tory. In particular, I seek to discover the unusualness embodied in these books, with special attention to A Genealogical History of the Kings of England, and Monarchs of Great Britain (1677). Sandford established trusting relationships with his kings, and the books he pub- lished during his service as a herald were for and about the royal family. Although this study is mainly concerned with the Genealogical History, the backgrounds and circumstances of the other works need to be discussed as well, given the lack of sufficient studies. In particu- lar, the integration of text and illustration is an area of great interest in Sandford’s books. Therefore, this study also examines the print culture of seventeenth-century England, as well as the engravers and etchers of that time. Introduction The herald and genealogist Francis Sandford (1630–94) published four books, all of which concern the royal family. These books reflect Sandford’s diligent research on his sub- jects, and with their fine, abundant illustrations they have great significance for early mod- ern book history. There is relatively little information about Sandford. Perhaps the most reliable biographi- cal source is Anthony Wood’s Fasti Oxonienses (1691). Wood briefly describes Sandford’s early life, his promotion to herald after the Restoration, and his publications. However, Wood was not particularly knowledgeable about Sandford’s life at the time of writing, only mentioning that Sandford lived in or near Bloomsbury around 1691. Sir William Dugdale mentions Sandford a couple of times in his diary, which is not surprising considering he was a senior herald to Sandford. Sandford also appears in Dugdale’s letters from the 1680’s. 10 『英米文化』46 (2016) Later, in the nineteenth century, Mark Noble touches on Sandford in History of the College of Arms (1805), most likely on the basis of information provided by Wood. In the twentieth century, Sir Anthony Wagner, in Heralds of England (1967) also mentions the life and work of Sandford. These two works by Noble and Wagner focus on the history of the College of Arms and therefore do not emphasize individual heralds. Sandford’s works have yet to be fully studied. Steven N. Zwicker has provided commen- tary on Sandford’s The History of the Coronation of … James II … and of his Royal Consort Queen Mary (1687). However, this is a relatively short examination that discusses the his- torical background and provides bibliographic explanations. More research is needed on the rest of Sandford’s work. The present study aims to situate Sandford’s works in the context of English book history. In particular, I seek to discover the unusualness embodied in these books, with special atten- tion to A Genealogical History of the Kings of England, and Monarchs of Great Britain (1677). Sandford established trusting relationships with his kings, and the books he pub- lished during his service as a herald were for and about the royal family. Besides the Genea- logical History, these works are included: A Genealogical History of the Kings of Portugal (1662), The Order of Ceremonies Used for, and at, the Solemn Interment of the Most High, Mighty and Most Noble Prince George Duke of Albemarle (1670), and The History of the Coronation of … James II … and of his Royal Consort Queen Mary (1687). Although I am mainly concerned with the Genealogical History, the backgrounds and circumstances of the other works should be discussed as well given the lack of sufficient studies. In particular, the integration of text and illustration is an area of great interest in Sandford’s books. There- fore, I will also examine the print culture of seventeenth-century England, as well as the engravers and etchers of that time. I. Francis Sandford was born in 1630 in Ireland and grew up in the home of his maternal grandfather. After the rebellion of 1641 in Ireland, he moved to Sandford, Shropshire, where his ancestors had lived. As the name suggests, the Sandfords were a gentry family that sup- ported the royalty. They suffered and were fined because of their support for the king during the revolutionary period. Unfortunately, young Francis lost the opportunity to receive the education his family had hoped for. However, after the Restoration, he was made Rouge TAKANO Michiyo An Unusual Moment in Book History 11 Dragon Pursuivant by letters patent in 1661. While it is known that he had graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, no further details about his education are available. He began to prosper after entering the College of Arms, where he met Sir William Dugdale, who was then Norroy King of Arms. Sandford worked under Dugdale, and the two spent the next 20 years as heralds. By the time of their first encounter, Dugdale had already published his major antiquarian works. Thus, it is only natural to suppose that Sandford was greatly influ- enced by the diligence and excellence of his senior herald as evidenced by his books. Dugdale became a herald in 1638, and his antiquarian interests led him to publish his masterpieces during the Commonwealth period. These include Monasticon Anglicanum (1655–1673), The Antiquities of Warwickshire (1656), and The History of St. Paul’s Cathe- dral (1658). After the Restoration, he continued his antiquarian studies and published The Baronage of England (1675–76). One of Dugdale’s contributions to early modern book his- tory is that he added a new value to folios. With the help of the etcher Wenceslaus Hollar, he gave his books a strong visual component through the use of highly artistic engraved prints. Folios had tended to be mainly text-centred, but with the addition of fine illustrations they became sophisticated pieces of art. The three-volume Monasticon, for example, is filled with illustrations of monastic churches and monks in their habits. These illustrations help the readers to more fully understand Dugdale’s thorough research on history and antiquities. Sandford was inevitably inspired by Dugdale’s approach to his subjects as well as his way of making beautiful books. Charles II appointed Sandford to investigate damage caused by the Great Fire of London (1666). Sandford worked on this project in collaboration with Wenceslaus Hollar. Around that time, Sandford persuaded the king to have the College of Arms rebuilt on the original site with a new design by Sandford. In 1676, Sandford was promoted to Lancaster Herald of Arms. Charles II died in 1685, and Sandford, who always enjoyed good relationships with kings, subsequently became close to Charles’s successor, James II. Thus, it can be said that Sandford dedicated his life to the later Stuart kings. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Sandford left the College and retired, yielding his position to his colleague Gregory King. Sandford’s first book was written after he became a herald. In fact, it was because he was a herald that his works were written and published. What, then, is a herald? The coat of arms has a long history in England, dating back to the twelfth century. Medieval knights wore coats of arms for identification in tournaments and war, Coats of arms remained as 12 『英米文化』46 (2016) family symbols, and the heralds were experts in recording and controlling them. Also called ‘officers of arms’, heralds are also genealogists from the early days, and they belong to the College of Arms, which was established in 1484. There are 13 posts within three different ranks: kings of arms, heralds, and pursuivants. Sandford became the Rouge Dragon Pursui- vant in 1661. This is one of the three pursuivant posts and was instituted by Henry VII in 1485. Later, Sandford became the Lancaster Herald, which is the oldest of the heralds, dat- ing to the fourteenth century. The most important herald is the kings of arms. William Cam- den, who was the Clarenceux King of Arms from 1597 to 1623, was a prominent Elizabe- than antiquary whose research on topography, antiquity, and genealogy strongly influenced his successors. Even today, heralds perform antiquarian and genealogical studies. Other- wise, their main duties include presiding over public processions as well as important mar- riages and funerals. They are also traditionally responsible for granting arms and approving genealogies. The head of the College of Arms is the Earl Marshall, which has been a heredi- tary office of the Duke of Norfolk since 1677. Given the extent of the Earl Marshall’s power and influence, it is likely that a conflict between the Earl Marshall and Sandford caused the latter to be expelled from the College in 1688. One of the duties of the heralds involves the administration of coats of arms. Heralds will visit families throughout the country to see if their coats of arms are used legitimately. Dug- dale, as the Norroy King of Arms, was responsible for the region north of the River Trent. Sandford would accompany him when making visits in the area. The Clarenceux King of Arms, on the other hand, is responsible for the region south of the Trent. Another important duty of heralds is to prepare and officiate ceremonies such as coronations, royal weddings, and funerals. Sandford wrote detailed accounts of the funeral of George Monck and the cor- onation of King James II. This was only made possible by the fact that Sandford was a her- ald and was among those who presided over these ceremonies. II. Seventeenth-century England saw great advancements in the book trade.

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    14 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us