A Concise History of Knighthood containing the Religious and Military Orders which have been instituted in Europe with descriptions of their mantles, caps, collars, stars, ribbons, and mottoes. Also Accounts of the Installations of the Garter, Bath, Thistle, and St. Patrick; Correct Lists of the Knights of Each, to which is added the antient ceremonies used at Duels, Combats, Justs, and Tournaments, the whole imbellished with 82 copper plates, comprising 11 orders, accurately drawn and neatly engraved, being the completest collection ever published in Great Britain. In Two Vollumes, collected from the best and most approved Prints and Manuscripts, with a correct Index to the whole. Volume the First. (First Volume Only)
London: none stated, 1784. Clark, Hugh. Original. Hardcover. Thin, brown leather/boards. 285 pp. with 26 copper plates. Bookplate inside front cover of Jeffrey Wyatville, the architect who worked on both Chatsworth and Windsor Castle. Fair. Pages of preface through 285 are clean and tight with spine attached. Both covers, however, have detached, along with the front pages up to the preface and also the back free end paper, all of which are present and in proper order. Age toning to everything, but only slight to actual page faces. Some bleeding from plates onto facing pages. Page edges brittle. Still a good copy for reading or research. Could be rebound. There may be a few plates missing. Item #147571
An exhaustive explanation of knighthood with copper engravings by Hugh Clark. Truly a fascinating book, especially with its text written in the usage of the times and the descriptions of the minutiae, formalities, hierarchy, ceremony, and responsibilites that went with knighthood in those days. This volume includes the knights of Britain (6 plates), Austria (13 plates), Denmark (3 plates), and France (14 plates). The British section contains several lists of the Knights of the Round Table; lists of knights installed by each king; and the endless fees incurred by each knight for installation, robes, the choir at Windsor, "Fees to be paid by the Knights to the Sovereign's Servants" and many more. The hierarchy of ceremonial procession is included for The Order of the Garter, and all sorts of other interesting tidbits about knighthood abound in this volume. Each order has at least a brief introduction (as with those of Austria and Denmark). The introductions for the Garter, Bath, Thistle, and St. Patrick are much more comprehensive, and, in some cases, taken from other (earlier) writings. One of these fine introductions was written by Sir Richard St. George (Knight) previously and used here. A rare, historic treasure.
Price: $500.00