The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-05 00:00:00

V-

7;'
-:

THE curs CLAW TO PRECEDENCE AT
CEREMONIALS WITHIN THE WALLS.

The following is copied from the Appendices in the
Repertory of the Conrt of Aldermen, on the subject
of the funeral of Lord Nelson, in the mayoralty of
James Shaw, ERq., afterwards Sir James Shaw, •
Bait

" College of Arms, Jan. 6, 1806.
" My Lord,—Mr. Townshend, Windsor Herald,
attended at -the Mansion-house to-day in order to
communicate to your Lordship a letter which has been
addressed to me by his Grace the Earl Marshal, and
of which I have the Duke's permission 'to transmit to
your Lordship a copy.
" I sincerely hope that the decision upon the ques-
tion of precedency will be satisfactory to your Lord-
ship,_ and to the Corporation of the City of London.l
tocco
hhe asin,ave, however, not yet received any instructions on
as your Lordship will perceive by the
ceremonial,
of which I take the liberty of sending a
number of copies herewith.
hwlith may great pleasure attend to the com-
mands receive on the subject of your
Lordship's place in the procession.
" I have the honour to be, &c.,
" ISAAC HEARD, Garter.
";;The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor."
" Worksop, Jan. 4, 1806.
" Sir—l this day received by the hands of Mr.
Windsor Herald your letter of the 2d, containing a
o reference from the Secretary of State's ffice desiring
my opinion on the claim made by the Lord Mayor
for rank in the procession in the funeral of the late
Lord Viscount Nelson, dated the Ist instant.
"From the hasty manner in which I have con..
sidered the precedents pointed out in the report now
sent in, I am of opinion that if his Majesty attends in
person, and it shall be his Majesty's pleasure that the
City sword should be borne before him by the Lord
Mayor (either with or without the sword of state),
the placing his Lordship next the person of the King
seems to arise out of the circumstance and is sanc-
tioned by the precedents of his Majesty's predecessors
Charles I. and Charles 11., and William 111. and Queen
Anne. In the procession on the accession of James 1.,
,wthen.tneAiag attended in person, and the City swop„,
*O3lO borne, a differed 'station was allotted to him
at the 'funeral of Sir Philip Sydney, where the King
did not attend, it seems the Lord Mayor and members
of the corporation closed the procession as conservators
where they had the jurisdictien, giving dignity and
solemnity to a ceremonial which so mush interested
the feelings of the English nation mid its allies.
"I lament I have not had more time to examine
more minutely a case that relates to persons of
such high consideration, and much wish for more ,
time to reconsider it. I will immediately re-
pair to London, where I hope to arrive on
Monday night, and request your attendance with
the other Kings of Arms and Heralds at my apart-
ments at the College of Arms, on Tuesday, the 7th,
at two o'clock, and request you will have the goodness
to inform the Lord Mayor (immediately), that in case
he wishes to make any communication to me on the
subject, he may have the opportunity to do it before
I return any answer to the reference from the office
of the Secretary of State.
"I am, Sir,
" Your obedient humble servant,
" NORFOLK, E.M:
" Sir J. Heard, Garter King of Arms," &c.
" Sir —I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
favour Of this day, enclosing a copy of a letter from
his Grace the Earl Marshal on the subject of my rank
in the intended ceremonial of Lord Nelson's funeral.
"As I have this day seen Mr. King, the Under
Secretary of State, on the subject of the rank allotted
to me, which, on a reference to his Majesty's direc-
tions—as far as I can understand at present, seems
to accord with his Grace's feelings as Earl Marshal,
and my own, it seems hardly necessary further to
trouble the Earl Marshal with a meeting on the
subject; and, indeed, I have little doubt ere the re-
ceipt of this you will have received such instructions
as will preclude the necessity of any further discussion
on my part.

"I have the honour, &c.,
" JAMES SHAW, Mayor."
" College of Arms, Tuesday, 7th January, 1806.
"My Lord,—l have the honour to inform your
Lordship, that I have this moment received a war-
rant, under his Majesty's Royal signet and sign
manual of yesterday's date, directing me, as Garter
Principal King of Arms, to marshal and place the
Lord Mayor of London in the procession to the in-
terment of the late Lord Viscount Nelson in the same
station wherever he would have been placed if the
King himself had been present, bearing the City
sword, provided, nevertheless that this declaration of
his Majesty's pleasure be for this special occasion
only, and not construed into a precedent for the fu-
ture, to the prejudice of the rights of precedency of
any person or persons whatsoever.
"I shall, my Lord, render a cheerful obedience to
the commands of the Sovereign, and shall, ac-
cordingly .20rldff, on tl'ie
arrival of the same within Temple-bar, between bis
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the herald
who precedes the great banner.
"It is understood that your Lordship will, on this
occasion, bear the City sword, unattended by your
officers, and that the place of the aldermen, sheriffs,
arid City officers, will be the same as in the sketch of
the ceremonial which was transmitted to your Lord-
ship by the Under Secretary of State, on or about the
17th of last month.
" This arrangement I propose to announce by a
supplementary sheet to the ceremonial already printed.
" I have the honour to be, with great respect,
"My Lord, your Lordship's most obedient
humble servant,

" ISAAC HEARD, Garter."

28th Jan.—" Resolved unanimously, that the
thanks of this Court be given to the Right Honour-
able the Lord Mayor, for his judicious arrangement
of this City's part of the public procession on the Bth
and 9th inst., in honour of the late Lord Viscount
Nelson, for that manly, temperate, and persevering
conduct which procured him a warrant under the
King's sign manual to hold in the procession of the
9th inst., within the City, the place due to the chief
magistrate—viz., that of the first subject of the realm;
for the perfect concord in which he acted with the
committee of the other branch of the corporation ;
for his excellent disposal and brilliant display of the
military force of the City; for his polite attention to
all the members of this court, and to every other per-
son with whom he had intercourse on that solemn
occasion ; and for his liberal entertainments, particu-
larly that at the Mansion House on the 9th inst.,
when his hospitable table was attended by the muni-
cipal authorities of the City, and honoured by an as-
semblage of eminent persons, rendered dear to his
fellow citizens by the
great services they have per-
formed to their county in the honourable professions
of the navy and army.
The following has b-en abbreviated from the
journals of the Court of Common Council upon the
subject of the funeral
common Council, 13th Nov., 1805.—The Lord
Mayor acquainted the Court that he had convened
them together for the purpose of considering the late
glorious victory, obtained over the combined fleets of
France and Spain, off Cape Trafalgar, on the 21st
ult., when.—.

" The Court unanimously resolved to present an
address to his Majesty upon the subject.
" 21st November, 1805.—The address presented.

" Nov. 26.—Re8olved unanimously---That this
Court do cause a monument to be erected in the
Guildhall of this City to perpetuate:the memory of the
late Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson. And
a committee appointed, consisting of all the aldermen
and a commoner out of each ward, to procure models
or designs for the said monument, and to lay before a
future court such models or designs as they shall deem
worthy, with the expense of erecting the same. They
further resolved—That the said committee be di-
rected to obtain an inscription for the said monument
worthy to record the many gallant actions, splendid
victories, and eminent services 'rendered to his
counts y
byges the great naval hero, and to prove to
future ages the very high sense the city of London
entertained of merit, as well as to stimulate others to
emulate his bright example.
6 20th Dec., 1805.—The Lord Mayor reported he
had convened them together in consequence of a letter
be bad received from Lord Hawkesbury, one of his
majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, in relation
to the funeral of the late Lord Nelson. Letter read.
The Lord Mayor also laid before the Court a subse-
quent letter from John King, Esq., Under Secretary
of State in relation thereto, together with a sketch of
the procession by water and land, at the funeral.
The Lord Mayor stated that by such arrangement
the Lord Mayor of London was placed in a situation
different to what had heretofore been observed, and
that be should feel it his duty, that the dignity and
rank of the chief magistrate of the City should not be
departed from, inasmuch as he conceived that within
the city of London no subject could claim precedency
of him. The Court then resolved unanimously,
That it is the duty of this Court to attend in St.
Paul's Cathedral on all great national ceremonies,
agreeably to precedents established on the late occa-
sion of his Majesty attending Divine service in that
cathedral ;" and referred it to a committee, consist-
ing of the Lord Mayor, all the aldermen, and a com-
moner out of each ward, to arrange the attendance
of the corporation on the occasion of the funeral of
the late Lord Nelson. They also returned thanks to
the Lord Mayor for the handsome manner in which
he communicated Lord Hawkesbury's letter.
" 30th Jan., 1866.—The Lord Mayor stated to the
Court that in consequence of his representation in
respect of the right of precedency of the Lord Mayor
within the city of London, he had the high satisfac-
tion to state that his Majesty had been pleased to
issue his J. warrant for that purpose, which was

(
;---

.. :1J ~..