Sir Walter Griffith, Sir John Aston, John Egerton, Anthony Fitz Herbert, Edward Grey and John Mitton. In 8 Henry VIII (1516) he served the office of Sheriff of Staffordshire for the third time. He was now in his sixtieth year, and the state of his health obliged him to obtain the curious license under the King's Sign Manual, which follows. In his capacity of Sheriff, he might have been called upon at any moment to appear in the presence of the King. As three names were submitted in each year, his name would have first come before the King in 6 Henry VIII, which is the date of the writ.1 HENRY R. (the King's Sign Manual) Henry by the grace of god King of England and of ffrance and Lord of Ireland. To almaner our officers justices and subgetts as well of spirituell preeminence and dignitie, as of temporall auctoritie, these our lettres hering or seing greting. fforasmoche as we bee credibly enformed that our trusty and welbiloved Richard Wrottesley Squier for certain diseases and infirmities which he hath in his hed cannot conveniently without his grete daunger bee discovered of the same. Wherupon we in consideration therof have by these presents licenced hym to use and were his bonet on his hed from hensforth in al place and at al seasons as well in our presence as elliswhere at his libertie. Wherfor we wol and commaunde you and every of you to permitte and suffie hym so to do without any your lette, chalenge or interuption to the contrary as ye tender our pleasure. Geven under our signet at our manour of Grenewiche the iiijth daye of Marche the VI yere of our reigne.2 Stamped below with a wafer seal, about an inch in diameter, quartering France and England in black lines. Richard must have died in 1521, for his name occurs on a Manor Roll of the 12th March 1521, and on the 6th December of the same year his son Walter paid the quit rent due to the Abbey of Evesham for the half rent ending at the previous Michaelmas. His wife Dorothy had predeceased him, having died in 1517. His will is dated 1518. He bequeathed by it twenty The names in 8 Henry VIII were Richard Wrottesley, Thomas Swynnerton, and Sir Ralph Egerton, and the King pricked the name of Richard (Sheriff's Roll, 10 November 1516). 2 The late Mr. Stephen Tucker, Somerset Herald, who had collected some of these licences with a view of writing a paper upon them, informed me that there were others in existence of the same period and in nearly the same words. He considered that these licences were the origin of the popular belief that certain families like the de Courcys and the Foresters, had an hereditary right of wearing a hat in the presence of the Sovereign; a privilege which he believed to have no foundation in fact. wy by the grace of you k Bes Irland Coalmaner our offe Pominünc and digetur að or fomy grit my fforafmoch and wellbound Berhard Pro mfremtett which he hath guite danger bee destored therof Hane by those pfente Hid fromhensporch mal pla ellisophere at his labortu. you to pmiffi and suffie Hy mension to the contrary as one gand of frimerorch Pirgut // ༦༡ ༠ ཆད་འདི་དཀལ་འོ་ ཆད་ཆོས་ལ་་་དའ་ཆའ་ ཚ་་་ my of and and ers missies and Enbgritte afwill of sprill of temporall amtoute theses tres heing Ze as we bee credibly insomed that o tinfty otteshy fqmer for certam diseases and in his hid cannot condemently Wout hes $ of the same. Whempontem confideraren hrcured Hym to vse and wwerhis boniton Hes sore and as al seasons afwell mà Psence as voll Psinci wherfor row wool and comande, you and und of ym so to do stout any yo lotte chalinge or Ab petender o please Penen onder & Ergmet day of March. the by you of am + am |