Laurence Dalton

The story of Laurence Dalton, Norroy, King of Arms:

Laurence Dalton's career began in the reign of Henry VIII, and advanced steadily through all the grades required. These were: Calais, Rougecroix, Richmond and finally Norroy in 1556.

Ther were four degrees in the calling of a Herald, beginning with pursuivants of arms, passing into one of six offices of Heralds, known as Lancaster, Richmond, Chester, Somerset, York and Windsor. Above these were two provincial Kings of Arms, Clarenceux for the south, Norroy for the North, and above all to them, Garter KIng of Arms.

The Heralds, were created to attend Dukes in martial exections and in all things endeavour themslves for the defence of their Society. The King of Arms have by Charter power to visit the noblemen's families, to set down their pedigrees, to distinguish their arms, and in the open market-place to reprove such as falsely take upon them nobility or gentry.They also can order every man's exequires and furwerals according to their dignity and to appoint unto them their arms or ensigns.

The ceremony of creating a Herald was carried out in a assembly of all the existing Heralds, presided over by Garter or his representative, and was impressive enough. He was invested with a collar of

SS, a satin coat richly embroidered vilth gold and took oath upon a copy of the Gospel on which was laid a sword "that longeth to Knighthode", and a King of Arms vias in addition actually crowned and armointed with wine, while his coat of velvet, richly embroidered. The oath was to obey, and secret, "a man of silence", to have knowledge of all the noble gentlemen within his marches, to teach

pursuivants and heralds, and register all acts of honour. Heralds were of course men of good birth, masters of courtesys employed by the sovereign on errands of state, as when Le Neve (York) and Henry St, George (Richmond) were sent to France to escort Charles I's Queen, and received of her 1,000 French Crowns.

There business in the ordinary way was to carry out Visitations and the series of these provide us with these pedigrees that are raw material of the genealogist.

Laurence Dalton entered the College of Arms between 1536 & 1538 as Calais Pursuivant extraordinary.

In November 1546, Laurence Dalton, Gent. was promoted to be Pursuivent Rouge Croix.

On April 12 1547

Laurence Dalton, late Rouge Croix, to be Richmond Herald. While he was a Richmond Herald, on May 16th, 1549 he had a warrent for 29p. He had a pordon, dated at Westminster, April 26, 1556. It was soon after that he was raised to be "King of Arms" and nominated Norry, but his patent did not pass until Sept. 6 1557, nor was he created until Dec. 8 & 9 1556.

The record of his creation, found in the British Museum is also printed there and reads as follows:

Note that the text is written in the usual Court Latin.

The Creacion of Laurence Dalton (Alias Ptychemond Herald at Armes) to be Norrey Kinge at Armes on Frydaye in the mornynge by ix of the Clocke the ixtli of December, 1558, Anno primo Regine Elizabeth in the Duke of Norffolkle Chambre within the Savoye of London.

"Item fyrst the Duke beinge sett in his chayre all th offycers at Armes there present put on theyre Cotes at Armes excepte onelye the seid Rychemonde and knelyd downs afore the Duke and then the Duke commandyd and toke unto Clarencieux to reade a byll signydd with Queen Elizabeth's hande, which gave the seid Duke awethorytie to create the seid Rychemond to be Norrey Kinge at Armes, accordyng to his letters Pattente geven unto hym of the same a twelve month before, althowghe hyt bare the date and style of the Quene that deade was, all which tyme (for the most parte) the said Rychemond hadd byn in the Northe attendinge upon therle of Westmorland the King and Quene lyuetenante there, which lycence reade openlye, Clarencieux began to reade his othe, Rychemonde leyinge his hande on a boke and a swerd, the swerde holde by Sir Nycholus Strange lyinge on a boke, the boke holden by Lancastre, which othe endyd, Rychemond kyssyd the boke and swerde, then Laneastre reade the pattent where, at the word of Erigimus Roudgecroix kyssinge the collar of SS. delyvered hyt to the Duke who put it on Rychemond's neeke. And at the words of Nominamus Norrey, Roudgedracon kyssinge the bole of wyne delyvered the same to the Duke who powryed parte thereof on Rychemonde's heade at the which all the offyce seid alowde Norrey Kinge at Armes. And at Vestimus, Yorke as afore delyvered the Cote of Ames to the Duke who put yt on Norrey's backe. And at Coronamu, Wyndsor lykewyse delivered the Crowne which the Duke put on Norrey's head, and then the pattent was read owt, which done, Laneastre kyssed yt and delyvered hyt to the Duke who gave it to the Norrey with a admonycion to observe his othe"

As Norroy, Lawrence was "Principall Herauld and Kinge of Armes of the North East and West parts of England from the River of Trent Northward" Following his appointment, on 7th February 1558 he went with William Colbarne, Rouge Dragon, to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the Earl of Westmorland, Queen Mary's Lieutenant of the North, was in command of a large English force at Berwick keeping watch on the border with Scotland, to commence a Visitation of his part of England. Payments were made to Lawrence for eight yards of crimson damask and two yards of crimson velvet for his livery and two coate of arms painted with fine gold wrought with "oyle", one of damask the other of sarcenet. He was also paid 6d a mile for his journey to Newcastle with three men who were paid 3d a mile each. For his diet and enter- tainment at Newcastle Lawrence received six shillings a day and his men 6d a day each.

The record of his Visitation (taken from MS Anatis C 9 is printed in Surtees Vol. 122. It is perhaps not surprising that the visitation records the Dalton pedigrees. In the case of the Daltons of Bispham in Lancashire the pedigree starts with the marriage of Sir Robert eldest son of Sir Richard and finishes with the marriage of Alyce, one of the daughters of the second Sir Richard. There is opposite this in the margin of the manuscript a note "Loke more VI leaves afterwards", but in the manuscript there was only one leaf afterwards, so part of the pedigree may be missing. Before this pedigree there is a pedigree of the Daltons of Kyrkbye Mysperton in Yorkshire, descending from Sir John, the second son of the first Sir Richard of Bispham, continuing down to a Roger who married four times, though the note of the fourth marriage is suspect.

Laurence's Visitation was not recorded in the College of Arms, and various suggestions have been made to account for this that his proceedings were irregular because they were made before his creation ceremony (although in a later Court decision it was held that proceedings of a King of Arms after appointment but before creation were valid); that he never made ready his fair copy and delivered it to the College as he ought to have done: or that the copy was lost.

Laurence returned to London in October 1558. Mary, his wife died on the following 17th of November and Laurence was created by Elizabeth acting through the Duke of Norfolk on the 9th of December as already mentioned. On 12th December he officiated as Norroy at Mary's funeral bearing "the target with the garter and the crown". Presumably he also played a leading role in the proclamation and accession of Elizabeth.

Laurence died three years later, as already mentioned, and waa buried at St. Dunstan's-in-the-West, in Fleet Street, here his wife Dorothy was later buried with him, and the effigy from his monument or tomb is reproduced at the begining of this article. The effigy shows him with his hands clasped in prayer wearing not only his crown and tabard but also the collax of SS mentioned in the record of his creation. This was the badge of the Lancastrian princes to which Henry VII added the portcullisses and Tudor rose shown in the effigy drawing. The Church of St. Dunston's-in-the-West has since been rebuilt and there is now no trace of Lawrence or his monument.

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• The Visitations of Yorkshire in the Years 1563 and 1564: Made by William ... By William Flower
• https://books.google.com/books?id=pjMEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA394&lpg=PA394&d...
• https://archive.org/details/visitationsyork00britgoog
• https://archive.org/stream/visitationsyork00britgoog#page/n97/mode/1up
• Pg.85
  • Dalton.
• Sir Rychard Dalton of Byspam in Lancashyre, Knight. = ; ch: Sir Robert (m. . . . Latham), Sir John (2 son.) Dalton
  • Sir John Dalton Knight 2 son. ; ch: B (Pg.86 Sir Pyter Dalton Knight. = . . . . doughter of . . . . ; ch: John Dalton.)
  • Sir Robert Dalton son & heyre of Sir Rychard Dalton Knight. = . . . . doughter of Sir Thomas Latham. ; ch: A (Pg.86 Sir John (m. . . . . Hussey) Dalton)
    • https://archive.org/stream/visitationsyork00britgoog#page/n98/mode/1up
    • Pg.86
    • Sir John Dalton Knight. = . . . . doughter of Sir Henry Hussey Knight. ; ch: Sir John (m. . . . . Pylkyngton.) Dalton
      • Sir John Dalton Knight son & heyre to Sir John. = . . . . doughter of Sir Rychard Pylkngton. ; ch: Sir Rychard (m. Kateren Venables), Robert (m. Margaret . . . . ) Dalton.
        • Sir Rychard Dalton Knight son & heyr to Sir John. = Kateren doughter of Sir Thomas Venables, Knight. ; ch: Ales (m. William Gryffyth), other doters Dalton
          • .... etc.
        • Robert Dalton of Bispayne, 2nd son. = Margaret doughter of . . . . ; ch: William (m. Elsabeth Beaconsall), John (3rd son.), Rychard (m. doughter of Fleming) Dalton
          • William Dalton 2nd son. = Elsabeth doughter of . . . . Beaconsall of Lancashyre. ; ch: Richard (a Prest.), Anne (m. Seth Worsley) Dalton
            • .... etc.
          • Rychard Dalton of Croston son & heyr to Robert maryed = doughter & on of 3 heyrs of Sir William Fleming of Wath in Yorkshyre. ; ch: Roger (m. . . . . Ratclyf & . . . . Standyche & . . . . Faryngton & (Pg.87 Jane Jakes), Ellen (sine exitu.), Ellen (Lady Garter.) Dalton
            • Roger Dalton of Dalton Hall in Yorkshyre & after of Croston had no issue by his 2 and 3 wyffe. = . . . . doughter of Sir John Ratclyf of Lancashyre fyrst wyff. ; ch: 1. William (m. Margaret Terboke & Jane Towneley), 2. Roger (sine prole.), Sybell (m. William Wolberd Draper) Dalton ; = 2. . . . . doughter of Standyche. ; = 3. . . . . doughter of Faryngton. ; = 4. See next page (Pg.87 Jane Jakes)
              • 1. William Dalton of Bispam son & heyre to Roger = Margaret doughter of Sir William Terboke of Terboke Hall fyrst wyf to William. ; ch: Robert (sine prole), Roger (sine prole), Jane (sine prole), Margery (m. . . . . Wenloke & Gylbert Moreton), 3 others (sine prole) Dalton. ; = 2nd to Jane bass doughter to Sir John Towneley of Lancashyre. ; ch: Robert (m. Anne Kechyn), Thomas (2 son.), Roger (3 son.), Rychard 4 son.), Anne (m. . . . . Westmer) Dalton
                • Margery fyrst wyff to . . . . Wenloke & after to Gylbert Moreton & had issue by nether of them but dyed sans issu.
                • Robert dalton of Thurnam weded Anne doughter of John Kechyn.
• https://archive.org/stream/visitationsyork00britgoog#page/n99/mode/1up
• Pg.87
  • Dalton.
• Roger Dalton of Dalton Hall in Yorkshire & after of Croston had no issu by his 2 and 3 wyffs doughter of Standyche and of Faryngton. = Jane daughter & on of the heyres of Roger Jakes of Barkemsted in Herefordshire (sic) & Mawde doughter of . . . . Shordyche. ; ch: A (Pg.88 Larance (m. Anne Breme), Henry (sine prole), Thomas (sine prole), Thomas (sine prole), Rychard (sine prole), 3 others (sine prole), Margaret (m. Rychard Pawley & Thomas Weston), Anne (m. Thomas Baker), Cyssely (m. .... Chygwell of Essex.), Elsabeth (m. Frauncis Colbarne), Jane (m. Richard Not & Robert Vady) Dalton
  • https://archive.org/stream/visitationsyork00britgoog#page/n100/mode...
  • Pg.88
  • Larance Dalton* alias Norry Kynge of Armes maryed Anne doughter of Rychard Breme of London.
  • Margaret wyff to = Rychard Pawley of London Fyshmonger. ; ch: Walter, Doraty Pawley. ; = Thomas Weston of London, Taylor. ; ch: Jane (m. Andro Roo of London, fat maker, a Porthugall), Margaret (m. Nycolas Collet of London, Shomaker.) Weston
  • Anne Wyff to = Thomas Baker of Barkensted had issue. ; ch: Awstyn, Raff, Ales, Ellyn, Cyssely Baker
  • Elsabeth wyff to = Frauncis Colbarne & had issue lyving 2 doters. ; ch: Jane, Elsabeth Colbarne
  • Jane wyff to Richard Not of London, Ale Bruer, after wyff to Robert Vady.
  • * "Died 1561." (Thomas Norcliffe, 1738-1768.) _________________
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 13
• Dalton, Laurence by Thompson Cooper
• DALTON, LAURENCE (d. 1561), Norroy king of arms, entered the College of Arms as Calais pursuivant extraordinary, became Rouge Croix pursuivant in 1546, Richmond herald in 1547, and Norroy king of arms by patent 6 Sept. 1557, though his creation as Norroy by Queen Mary at Somerset Place was postponed till 9 Dec. 1558 (Addit. MS. 6113, f. 144). He received a pardon 26 April 1556 for the extortions he had practised in his office of Richmond herald. In 1557-8 he began a visitation of Yorkshire and Northumberland. He died on 13 Dec. 1561, and was buried in the church of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, London. His portrait, representing him with his crown and tabard, is engraved in Dallaway's 'Inquiries into the Origin and Progress of the Science of Heraldry.'
• [Noble's College of Arms, pp. 128, 132, 144, 146, 153, 154, 171; Gent. Mag. 1823, ii. 487; Evans's Cat. of Engraved Portraits, No. 14854; Addit. MS. 6031, f. 172; Harl. MS. 1359, art. i.]
• From: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dalton,_Laurence_(DNB00) ____________
• 'Dalton01'
• Sir Richard Dalton of Bypsam, Lancashire
  • 1. Sir Robert Dalton
  • m. _Latham (dau of Sir Thomas Latham)
    • A. Sir John Dalton
    • m. _ Hussey (dau of Sir Henry Hussey)
      • i. Sir John Dalton
      • m. _ Pilkington (dau of Sir Richard Pylkyngton)
        • a. Sir Richard Dalton 'of Apethorpe'
        • m. Katherine Venables (dau of Sir Thomas Venables)
          • (1) Ales Dalton
          • m. William Gryffyth of Penryn
          • (2)+ other daughters
        • b. Robert Dalton of Bispayne
        • m. Margaret
          • (1) Richard Dalton of Croston
          • m. _ Fleming (dau of Sir William Fleming of Wath, Yorkshire)
            • (A) Roger Dalton of Dalton Hall
            • m1. _ Ratclyff (dau of Sir John Ratclyff of Lancashire)
              • (i) William Dalton of Bispam
              • m1. Margaret Terboke (dau of Sir William Terboke of Terboke Hall)
                • (a) Margery Dalton (dsp)
                • m1. _ Wenloke
                • m2. Gylbert Moreton
                • (b)+ other issue (dsp) - Robert, Roger, Jane, 8 others
              • m2. Jane (natural daughter of Sir John Towneley of Lancashire)
                • (m) Robert Dalton of Bispham, Pillin and Thurnham (dsp 1580)
                • m. Anne Kechyn (dau of John Kechyn)
                • Visitation ends with this generation, identifying Robert as "of Thurnham". This is presumed to be the Robert who is the first mentioned by Commoners, being described therein as "of Bishpam and Pilling, who acquired by purchase, in 1556, the manor and estate of Thurnham" and who was succeeeded by his nephew.
                • (n) Thomas Dalton
                • m. Anne Molyneux (dau of Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton)
                  • ((1)) Robert Dalton of Thurnham (d 1626)
                  • This is probably the Robert who married Elizabeth Hulton.
                    • ((A)) Thomas Dalton of Thurnham (d after Newbury 1643)
                      • ((i)) Robert Dalton of Thurnham
                      • m. Elizabeth Horner (dau of Thomas Horner of Middleham)
                        • ((a)) Elizabeth Dalton of Thurnham (d 1710)
                        • m. William Hoghton of Park Hall
                        • Their eldest son inherited Thurnham and took the name Dalton.
                        • ((b)) Dorothy Dalton of Faton and Aldcliffe who apparently married ...
                        • m. Edward Riddell of Swinburne Castle (b 1660, d 1731)
                • (o) Anne Dalton
                • m. _ Westmer
                • (p)+ other issue - Roger, Richard
              • (ii) Roger Dalton (dsp)
              • (iii) Sybell Dalton
              • m. William Wolberd Draper
                • (a)+ issue (dsp)
            • m2. (sp) _ Standyche
            • m3. (sp) _ Farnygton
            • m4. Jane Jakes (dau of Roger Jakes of Barkemsted and Mawde Shordyche)
              • (iv) Larence Dalton (d 1561)
              • m. Anne Breme (dau of Richard Breme of London)
              • (v) Margaret Dalton
              • m1/2. Richard Fawley of London (fishmonger)
                • (a)+ issue - Walter, Dorothy
              • m2/1. Thomas Weston of London (taylor)
                • (c) Jane Weston
                • m. Andro Roo of London (fat maker)
                • (d) Margaret Weston
                • m. Nicholas Collet of London (shoemaker)
              • (vi) Anne Dalton
              • m. Thomas Baker of Barkensted
                • (a)+ issue - Astwyn, Raff, Ales, Ellyn, Cyssely
              • (vii) Elsabeth Dalton
              • m. Francis Colbarne
                • (a)+ issue - Jane, Elsabeth
              • (viii) Jane Dalton
              • m1. Richard Not of London ("ale bruer")
              • m2. Robert Vady
              • (ix)+ other issue (dsp) - Henry, Thomas, Thomas, Richard, 3 others
            • (B) .... etc.
• Main source(s): Visitation (Yorkshire, 1563-4, Dalton), Commoners (vol i, Dalton of Thurnham)
• From: Stirnet.com
• http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/dd/dalton01.php _________________