PART I.

THE OFFICE OF KEEPER OF THE ROYAL MENAGERIE, IN THE REIGN OF EDWARD IV. {283a}

LETTER from Richard Brooke, Esq., F.S.A., to Sir Henry Ellis, K.H., F.R.S., Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries of London, upon the office of Keeper of the Royal Menagerie in the Tower of London, in the reign of Edward IV.

“_Liverpool_, 17_th_ _November_, 1849.

“Dear Sir,—I have been recently much interested, in reading Mr. Collier’s _Annals of the Stage_. My curiosity was excited, by the passage in vol. i. pp. 35 and 36, in which he gives in a note, a copy from the _Harl. MSS._, No. 433, of a warrant of 1st Richard III., {283b} to John Brown, appointing him keeper of the King’s bears and apes; and Mr. Collier there slates, that if a keeper of those animals were known before the reign of Richard the Third, he is not aware of any earlier record of his existence, as a licensed court officer. On reading the passage, I felt a strong impression, that the _Rotuli Parliamentorum_ contained proofs of the existence, at an earlier date than that reign, of an officer of a similar description, to the one alluded to by Mr. Collier. Although I have not succeeded in discovering, that any person is previously mentioned, as being the keeper, by royal authority, of bears and apes in England, I have discovered in the 5th vol. of the _Rotuli Parliamentorum_, proofs in three different instances, in the reign of Edward IV.; one of which is as early as 1461, of the fact of a keeper (Ralph Hastings, Esq.), having been appointed, by letters patent of that King, to what would, in more modern times, be called the Royal Menagerie, in the Tower of London. Lions and lionesses are there mentioned, as being kept in the Tower, in all the three instances; and leopards are mentioned in the first of them. As Edward IV. only came to the throne on the 4th of March, 1461, and as the references to the grant of the office are worded in a commonplace manner, as if it were nothing extraordinary, it is only fair to presume, that the keeping of foreign animals in the Tower, and the appointment of an officer to have the custody of them, not only existed in the reign of Edward IV., but may have occurred at least as far back as the reign of Henry VI.

“It is probable that the passages in the _Rotuli Parliamentorum_, to which I have alluded, are well known to many of our Society, still there may be some who are not aware of them; and I am induced to subjoin extracts, and request them to be read before the Society, under the impression that all information of this nature is useful, as tending to give us an insight into the customs and habits of an age gone by.

“I remain, dear Sir,

“Yours faithfully,

“RICHARD BROOKE.

“To Sir Henry Ellis, K.H., F.R.S., Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries, &c. &c.”

Extract from the Act of Declaration of the Royal Title and of Resumption of 1st Edward IV., A.D. 1461.—_Rot. Parl._ vol. v. fo. 475:—

“Provided also, that this seid acte of assumpcion or resumpcion, extend not nor in any wise be prejudiciall unto Rauff Hastynges, Squier for oure body, of or in any graunte made unto hym by oure lrēs patentes, berying date the XXX day of Juyn the first yere of oure reigne, of the office of kepyng lyons, leonesses and leopardes, within our Toure of London that tyme beying, and of theym that within the same Toure for the tyme shal be, with a place for the Keper of such lyons, leonessez and leopardes there deputed, with another place there, which for the same lyons, leonessez and leopardes within oure seid Toure is ordeyned, with the wages of xii_d._ by day for hymself, and for sustentation of every lyon, leonessez and leopardes abovesaid vi_d._ by day, duryng the lyf of the said Rauf. But that oure seid lrēs patentes stande good and effectuell after the contenue of the same; the seid acte or any other acte in this Parlement made or to be made notwithstonding.”

The Act of Resumption of 4th Edward IV., A.D. 1464 (_Rot. Parl._ vol. v. fo. 533), contains a very similar proviso and reservation of the office, in favour of the before-mentioned Ralph Hastings, except that it does not mention the leopards, and that the allowance is stated to be 16_d._ a day, instead of 1_s._, for fees for himself, besides what was also allowed for the keep of the lions and lionesses.

The following is an extract from the act:—

“of any graunte made by us to hym by any of oure lrēs patents of the office of kepying of lions and lionesses within our Toure of London; or of any graunte made by us to the said Rauff by oure lrēs patentes, of a place within the said Toure for kepying of the seid lions and lionesses there deputed, or of anoder place which for the seid lions and lionesses within the seid Toure is ordeyned, or of xvi_d._ by the day, by us graunted to the said Rauff, for his fees and occupation of the seid office, or of vi_d._ by the day by us graunted to hym, for the sustentation of every lion and lionesse.”

Perhaps the latter passage may be considered as elucidated, in some degree, by another passage, which occurs in the subsequent act of 7th and 8th Edward IV., as will be next noticed; and that 6_d._ a day was allowed for the keep of each lion, &c.: no trifling sum at that time.

The Act of Resumption of 7th and 8th Edward IV. A.D. 1467 and 1468 (_Rot. Parl._ vol. v. fo. 598), also contains a proviso and reservation to the same effect as the last, respecting the grant of the office to Ralph Hastings; but mentions 1_s._ a day only, for his fees, besides a further allowance for the keep of the animals. It provides that the act should not prejudice the grant to Ralph Hastings, of the office—

“of kepying of lyons and lyonesses within oure Toure of London, or of any graunte made by us to the seid Rauf, by oure letters patentes, of a place within the said Toure, for kepying of the seid lions and lionesses there deputed, or of an other place whiche for the said lions and lionesses within the seid Toure is ordeyned, or of xii_d._ by the day by us graunted to the seid Rauf, for his fees and occupation of the said office, or of vi_d._ by the day by us graunted to hym, for the sustentation of every lyon, and of every lyonesse vi_d._”