Augmentation of Arms – Nicolaa De Bracton

So, the wonderfully talented scribe Aelfwyn Hatheort asked me to do some wording for Magistraa Nicolaa de Bracton’s augmentation of arms.  So I started looking for something from 14^th century Leicester (as that’s Nicolaa’s persona) and I may have gone down a rabbit hole for coroner’s courts.  I found William de Ledbrok being appointed to of ‘ballivus libertatis cum virida cera’ (which more or less translates to ‘Bailiff of Liberty under the green wax seal’).  Unfortunately it’s in French, but it’s a wonderful passage:

"Johan par la grace etc.... a touz etc.... saluz.
Savoir vous faceons que nous avons ordinez et assignez nostre
bien ame William de Ledbrok de Leycestre gardien de noz feez
et fraunchyses en les countez de Warrewyk, Leycestre, Northamton,
del honour de Leycestre et Roteland, et coilliour et
receyvour de tout la vert eyre que a nous attient es meismes les
counteez, ensemblement et de seiser es noz maines et lever chateux
des futifs et des felons et autres forfaitours queconqes a nous
appurtenantz, donantz au dit William plein poiar de garder noz
ditz fees et fraunchises, coiller et receyver nostre verte eyre,
et de seiser et lever chateux des futifs et de felons et autres forfaitours
queconques a nous issint regardantz sibien en la ville
de Leycestre come en les counteez avantditz..."

My French is admittedly horrible, but with some painstaking translation I was able to pick out the following phrases -- “by the grace, etc”, “we salute”, “we ordain and assign”, and so on.  Some connective language in the same style was also added, so about 25% is based on on the original source, and I filled it in the balance with Nicolaa’s full blazon and society and then smoothed out the wording to flow more smoothly.

Later, after I was done the first draft, Aelfwyn came back to me and asked me to extend out the last paragraph, with the legalese and seal verbiage, in order to balance the two columns of text on the scroll itself. This is admittedly taken from several sources, mostly from memory and previous scroll wordings, and extensively drawn out, so she could use as much or as little as needed.

Evander and Marion, by the Grace of the Crown, King and Queen salute Nicolaa de Bracton of Leicester upon the 27th day of April, the LIII year of the Society.  Your voice and hand and heart are known to us, and we ordain and assign by our words and seal an augmentation of honour upon her arms so all know she is, was, and will be a valued councillor to the Crown.  We consent to the said Nicolaa de Bracton to bear ‘Per pale gules and Or, five mullets two, two and one counterchanged within a bordure sable, and upon an escutcheon of honour sable a quill bendwise sinister argent enfiled of a coronet Or’, and we hope to come to see it upon her coat or banner or tabard.

The Crown hereby sets Our hand and sign manual to this writ and proclamation, passed down from the court to our clerks to Her Excellency Nicolaa de Bracton’s hand, and set down in the rolls of Ealdormere upon the 27^th day of April, being the Feast of Saint Winewald of Beverly, in the 21^st year of the Kingdom, and the 53^rd year of the Society, and the 7518^th year of the World, let none strike away our sigil nor gainsay this deed.

(Based on Gaunt’s Registry, 1372-1376, appointing William de Ledbrok to the office of ‘ballivus libertatis cum virida cera’ in Leicestershire, because Nicolaa loves the 14^th century and Leicester.

The original source can be found here: 

https://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/FoxVolume20.pdf

Brand, Barenwalde