Award dated 19 July 1347 of a court of honour convened before Calais in the matter of Warbelton vs. Gorges. MS Ashmole 1137, f.144, Bodleian Library
English: An 18th-century facsimile (MS Ashmole 1137, folio 144r, Bodleian Library) of the charter recording the verdict of the Court of Honour at Calais dated 19 July 1347 in the heraldic case of Warbelton v. Gorges. A partial transcription of the original medieval French text follows: Nous Henri counte de Lancastre de Derby de Leycestre et seneschal d'engletere William de Clynton counte de Huntyngdon Renaud de Cobham Gautier sire de Manney William Lovel Stevene de Cosinton comis de monseigneur le roi d'engletere et de ffraunce aoier trier et jugger toutes maniers de batz d'armes et heames de dayntz son host en son siege devant Caleys fessouns savoir as touz presens avenir cestes [...] ou [...] come Johan fiz et heir monseigneur Johan de Warbelton se plaint devant nous / Tibaud fiz monseigneur Tibaud Russel se appela [...] nom de Gorges porta ses armes cestassavoir lozenge d'or et d'aszeur [...] sanz diffrence et [...] les ditz Johan et Tibaud jurres et examinez personalement devant nous et [...] et evidences [...] come d'autre [...] fust [...] par sang come par tesmoignance d'aunciens chivalers de leurs pays / les auncestres le dit Johan d'auncestre en auncestre du temps [...] memoire ont porte les dites armes sanz chaunge / Et vu monsiegneur Rauf de Gorges ayel de cestuy Tibaud susdit lessa ses armes et [prist (?)] les armes susdites de volunte et vu de ses heirs morust sanz heir male / et fust le dit Tibaut fiz de sa soer augge fust par bon delib[er]acon et avis par nous les dits armes au dit Johan heritablement Et nous avant dit Henri et William countes Renaud Gautier baneretz et William Stevene chivaler susdites a cestes [lettres ouvertes (?)] avons fait mettre nos seaux en tesmoignance de vite et de perpetuel record Done au dite siege en la veille de seynte Margrete l'an du grace mill CCC qaraunte sept. [...] excudebat ab autographo penes Petr Le Nev armigerum Norroy Regum Armorum. [We Henry, Earl of Lancaster, Derby and Leicester, seneschal of England; William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon; Reginald de Cobham; Walter Lord de Manny; William Lovel; Steven de Cosinton; commissioned by the lord king of England and of France to hear, try and judge all manner of disputes of arms and helms [i.e., crests (?)] within his host in the siege before Calais, make known to all present and future this [decree]. Whereas John son & heir of Sir John de Warbelton makes plaint before us; Theobald son of Sir Theobald Russell calls himself by name of de Gorges carries his arms, that is to say lozengy Or and azure [...] without difference and [...] the said John & Theobald have been sworn and examined personally before ourselves [...] and evidence [... taken ...] by blood as well as by witness of ancient knights of their counties; the ancestors of the said John from ancestor to ancestor from time [immemorial] have borne the said arms without change; and Sir Ralph de Gorges uncle of the present Theobald herestated relinquished his arms and took-up the said arms voluntarily and his heirs died without male heir; and the said Theobald was the son of his sister. It has been adjudged by good deliberation and counsel by us that the said arms [belong to] the said John hereditably. And we the foresaid Henry and William, earls; Reginald, Walter, bannerets; and William, Steven, knights; above stated, to these [letters patent (?)] have caused to be placed our seals in witness as present and perpetual record. Given at the said siege on the eve of St Margaret [i.e., 19 July] the year of grace one thousand three hundred and forty seven. Drawn from the original in the possession of Peter Le Neve, esquire, Norroy King of Arms.]