Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-09-17
I'll QUEEN's CHAMPION.

occurred at Horncastle recently, has
reminded h world that even in tho
midst Of the present prosnic and utili-
tartan agc one knightly office, ut least,
is in existence, to contradict.thc asser-
ton of Edmund Burke that tthe q
of chivnlry is gone" Tho late. holder
of the Office was q Lincolnshire magis-
trnto and an officer in the local miliein;
h two previous O were c~lergyinen.
Tho Office is not, us it hns often been
stated, hereditary to tho Dy1noite fam
lily, but Is attached to the lord OF tho
manor OF Scrivclsby, which is held by
the ancient tenure known as grand
e., where one holds
lands Of the sovereign by service which
he has to perform in person. The scrv-
ice by which Scrivclsby ia held is thus
quoted by the New York World: THAT
the lord thereof shall be the lring,s
champion" -.
The championship has no salary 1T
tGched TO it, for, though the Dyhioke
family hold Scrivelsby' on tho ferdal
tenure OF performing this duty, they
have been owners of. that manor for
upward of Eve hundred years, and they
obtained it, not by royal grant or out
of the public purse, but by marriage
|. with an hciress, the last of the proud
line of Marmion, granddaughter of
Philip de Murmion, n name which 70
calls memories of chivalry and of tho
poetry of Shakespeare md Sir Walter
Scott. There is no record of the Office
under the Saxon kings, but, according
to the late Sir BERNARD Burke, its du.
ties were appended by William /. nsan
honor to the old baronial house of
-. ---
owners Of the manor of Scrivelsby.
This manor, together. with the castle
OF Tamworth, had been conferred,
soon after the Norman conquest, on
one Robert de Marmyon, lord of Fon-
tcnoy, in Normandy. on condition of
performing the Office of champion ut
the kings coronation.
The name Of Dymoke is Welsh. Tho
Dymolses, or aDymocks-for the name
il spelled both wnys-clnim q tradition
nj descent from Tudor Trevor, lord OF
Hereford and Wilmington, and founder
of the tribe of tho Marches. Tho
chief himself had three sons, the sec
ond of whom, marrying q daughter OF
the prince Of North Wales, half a cen
fury before the Norman conquest, boz
came the nncestor of one David mp
Madoc, who, in the Welsh tontue, ;psas
styled ~coiloquially Dai Madoc, the
word Dai being the short form of 'Dn-
vid. His son and heir was David IN
Dai Mndoo, or David. Dai Madoc; end
by the usual Infringement Dai Madoo
came in the course of time TO be pro-
nounccd rs Daimoc or Damoc, the tran
sition from which to Dimoc or Dyrnoc,
and again from that to Dimos or Dy-
mOlSc is easy
The first, then. of the Dymokc FINN
ily who fulfilled his Office rs champion
was Sir John Dymol1e, knight, who
married Margaret Ludlow in tho reign
Of Edward Ill, and was prcsent,at the
coronation of Richard III: His claim
was disputed by Baldwin dc Frevillc,
the lord Of Tnmworth castle, but after
dolibcration it was found that the
right belonged to the manor of Scriv-
elsby, rs tho cnput baroniae or head
OF the barony Of the Marmion family;
and, ma it appeared TINT the late King
Edward III. and his son, Edward,
prince OF Wales, known rs the black
prince, had often been heard to say
that the Office IA held by Sir John
Dymolte, the question was settled In
his favor.
The Gcntlcman's Magazine for 1891
contains a picture Of the royal
champion, Henry Dymokc, in tho act
OF riding on his white charger into
Westminster hall, and throwing
down the glove or gauntlet OF defiance,
supported on either side by tho duke
Of Wellington and the marquis OF
Anglcscy, also on horseback, while
two hernlds stand by on foot with
tabards and plumes. The performance
Of the champion on this occasion Is
thus described by Sir Walter Scott in o
letter TO one Of his friends:
"Thc champions duty YVES per-
formed, ms of right, by young 'Dymoke,
q fine looking youth, but bearing per-
haps q little too much tho. appear
once OF n maiden knight TO be tho
challenger Of tho world In tho kings
behalf. lie threw down his gauntlet,
however, with becoming m%unhdod, and
showed rs much horsemansliip Us the
crowd OF knights and squircs around
him would permit TO he exhibited. Ills
nrnor wa In good taste, but his
shield was out Of all propricty, being n
round rondachc, or Highland targct, q
defensive weapon which It would DO
impossible to use on horseback, instead
of being n thrcc-corncrcd or leather
shield. which In the time OF. tho tilt
was suspended round tho neck.
Pardon this antiquarian scruplc,
which you may believe occurred TO fcw
but myself. On the whole. this striking
part of the exhibition somewhat dis.
appointed me, for I would havo Ind
the champion loss embarrassed by hi,
nssis,anta aud ut liberty 10 put his
horse on the grand pos. and yet tho
young lord OF Scrivclsby looked and
behaved extremely we'll"
The last time the ceremony OF tho
challenge was carried out was at tho
coronation OF George w., when
Horny Dynoko, tho deputy Of his
father, n clergyman, threw down tho
gauntlet In Westminster hall. This
Horny Dymokc, soon after Quccn Vic.
toria's accession, vas created = knight
rs n rccompensc, IL wns said, for wniv.
ing his claims TO discharge tho duties
OF his Office at tho queens coronation.
Sir Henry was succeeded by his
brother, Rov. John Dymokc, and no by
his SON., Henry Lionel DymoIsc, whom
Francis Seaman Dymokc, Just de.
ceased, succeeded In 1875 The prcs-
cnt champion" Is his only son, also
named frnutis Seaman Dymolse.