queft, and who remained fo till the fifth of the Conquerora; when after his Revolt, and feizing the Isle of Ely, William, in the Year 1069, gave this Earldom to Robert Comins; and he being flain, the Conqueror then bestowed it on Cofpatric, who being deprived of it in the Year 1072d, he laftly gave the Earldom of Northumberland to Waltheof, the Son of Siward, fo much taken Notice of in the Annals. Whether the City and County of York were included in this Grant is difputable; it feems rather that it was only the prefent County of Northumberland and the Bishoprick of Durham over which he prefided: For we read that Waltheof fat as Judge, in temporal Affairs, with Walcher Bishop of Durham, in their County-Courts, and readily affifted that Prelate with his Secular Authority f. The Succeffion of the subfequent Earls of Northumberland will be, therefore, foreign to our Province, because Yorkshire, as we take it, was from this Æra wholly discharged from the Government of thofe Earls, and under the Jurifdiction of the Vicecomites, High Sheriffs, of the County of York, under whofe Authority, as Governors of the Caftle of York, no Doubt but the City was then included. Thefe Vicecomites were antiently Subftitutes to the Earls, and removable at their Pleasure; but afterwards came to be annually nominated by the Kings; for, excepting William Mallet, Robert Fitz-Richard. and one or two Eftoteiles, all of Norman Extraction, which fome would pretend were hereditary Viscounts here, we read of no Earl of York or Forkshire, till a long Time after the Conquest.

The first Mention that we find any where in Hiflory of a titular Earl of this County is William le Grofsi, of the House of Campaigne, and Earl of Albemarle, a great Commander,

a Vide H. Huntingdon, f. 369, n. 30.

b Confulatum Northumbriae Roberti Comyns. Vide Hunting. 1. 7. f. 211. b. Ordericum Vital. f. 512. b. Sim. Dunelm. col. 198.

38 eComitatum Northumb. Cofpatrieo. Hoveden, parte priore, f. 259.

d. Idem, pars 1. 454. n. 33. Idem, pars I. f. 260. n. 10. f Idem, pars 1. f. 260. n. 40.g Sim. Dunelm. cal. 198. Ordericus Vitalis, fcribit quod Robertus Richardi, filius Eboracents praefidii cuftos cum multis peremptus eft, an. 106ỏ, f. 512, c. Malet eadem pagina, vocatus eft praefes caftrenfis, that may be Governor of York Caftle.. Richard Hagulfad."

Commander, who was by King Stephen, after the Victory over the Scots, at the famous Battle of the Standard, in 1138, made Earl of Yorkshire; or, according to fome, of York. The Arms our Heralds have given this Earl are, Gules, a Cross Patonce vairy.

a.

Otho, Duke of Saxony, Son of Henry Leon, Duke of Bavaria, by Maud the Daughter of Henry II. King of England, in 1190, was created by his Uncle Richard I. Earl of York b. Whereupon fome performed Homage and Fealty to him, but others refufing, the King gave him, as an Exchange, the County of Poitiers. This Prince was afterwards faluted Emperor by the Name of Otho IV. and, in 1200, fent Ambaffadors to his Uncle King John, to request the reftoring the Counties of York and Poitiers; which that King, by Reafon of the Oath made by him to the King of France not to aid Otho, refufed c. He bore the fame Arms with the first Kings of England, which were of Norman Defcent, viz. on a Field Gules, two Leopards or Lions paffant gardant Or..

For many Years after this our City bestowed no Title on any Perfon, until Richard II. in 1396, having called a Parliament at Westminster in the ninth Year of his Reign; amongst feveral other Creations, Edmund of Langley, fifth Son to Edward III. was made the first Duke of York. This Prince died, and left Iffue by one of the Daughters of Peter, King of Caftile and Leon, two Sons.

Edward Plantagenet, the eldeft, was firft made Earl of Rutland, then Duke of Albemarle; and, after the Death of his Father, fucceeded to the Dukedom of York. He loft his Life valiantly fighting, amongst the very Few of the English that were flain, at the famous Battle of Agincourt, October 25, 1415, 3 Henry V. in France, and left no Iffue. His Body was brought over into England by Henry V. and buried in the Collegiate Church of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire, with great Solemnity. Richard, the other Son, was created Earl A 2

2 Heylin.

of

b Hoveden's Words are, that the King gave him Comitatum Eboraci. Idem, pars 2, f. 802.d Heylin.

e Parl. 9 Ric. II. n: 24. Cart. 9 Ric. II. n. 26. Pat. 9 Ric. II. b. 1. n. 10. on the 6th of Auguft.

Walfingb. p. 393. n. 40.

of Cambridge at a Parliament held at Leicester, the fecond of Henry V. He married Anne Sifter of Edmund Mortimer Earl of March, whofe Grandmother was the only Daughter and Heir of Lionel Duke of Clarence, third Son of King Edward III. This Earl Richard, attempting to fet the Crown upon the Head of his Wife's Brother Edmund, was detected, and beheaded at Southampton, by the Command of Henry V. upon the Charge of be ing hired by the French to deftroy him.

Richard his Son, fixteen Years after the Death of his Father, by the great, but unwary, Generofity of Henry VI. was fully reftored to the Dukedom of York, as Son of the laft-mentioned Richard, the Brother of Edaward Duke of York, and Coufin German to Edmund Earl of March*. Befides being Duke of York, he was Earl of March and Ulster, Lord of Wigmore, Clare, Trim, and Connaught. This was the Prince who firft advanced the Claim of the Houfe of York to the Crown of England, in Oppofition to the Line of Lancaster, then in Poffeffion of it. The Duke raised some Commotions against the Government in order to try the Affections of the People, and, finding his Party ftrong enough, he at length laid Claim to the Crown in full Parliament†; alledging that he was Son and Heir to Anne Mortimer, Sifter and Heir to Edmund Earl of March, defcended in a right Line from Philippa, the Daughter and fole Heir of Lionel Duke of Clarence, third Son of King Edward the Third; and therefore in all Juftice to be preferred in the Succeffion to the Crown before the Children of John of Gaunt, the fourth Son of the faid Edward.

Thefe Allegations, fays Camden, pleaded ftrongly for the Duke of York, and fhewed his Title to be clear and evident; yet by a wife Forefight to prevent the Dangers that might enfue upon it, the Matter was fo adjufted, that Henry VI. fhould poffefs and enjoy the Kingdom for Life, and that Richard Duke of York fhould be appointed his Heir and Succeffor in it, and he and his Heirs to fucceed after him; with this Proviso, that neither of them should contrive any Thing to the Prejudice of the other. But the Duke, too ambitious to wait thefe dilatory Methods, raifed Forces, and fet

*Rot. parlium. 10 Hen. VI. Camden's Brit. † Rot. parliam. 39 Hen. VI. x. 10, &c.

оп

on Foot the cruel War betwixt the White and Red Roje Parties, in which the Iffue was unfortunate to himself, being flain at Wakefield, and his Head fet upon one of the Gates at York, from whence it was foon after taken down by his victorious Son, and buried with the Body at Fotheringhay with the utmoft Solemnities.

The next Duke of York was Richard, called of Shrewsbury, fecond Son to Edward IV. King of England, fo created very young by his Father, on May 28, 1474, 14 Edward IV. This unhappy Prince is fuppofed to have been murdered with his elder Brother, in the Tower of London, by his Uncle Richard Duke of Gloucefter.

The next was Henry, the fecond Son of Henry VII. King of England, who was afterwards King himfelf by the well-known Name of Henry, VIII. From his Inveftiture into the. Duchy of York, the Kings of England have always used to confer that Honour on the second Son of the Royal Family.

Charles, the fecond Son of James I. King of GreatBritain, who in Scotland had been made Duke of Albany, Marquis of Ormond, Earl of Rofs, and Baron Ardmanoch, was, when a Child not full four Years old, created Duke of York, by girding him with a Sword, (to ufe the Words of the Form) putting a Cap and Coronet of Gold upon his Head, and by delivering him a Verge of Gold; after the King his Father, according to the ufual Manner, had created him, with eleven others of noble Families, Knights of the Bath. He was afterwards King of Great-Britain.

James, the fecond Son of King Charles, was declared Duke of York at his Birth by his Royal Father, and fo intituled, but not fo created till January 27, 1643, by Letters Patent, bearing Date at Oxford. For a further · Augmentation of his Titles he had the Earldom of Ul--fter, in the Kingdom of Ireland, conferred upon him by his Brother Charles II. in the 10th Year of his Reign;; afterwards he was King of Great-Britain.

After the Acceffion of King George I. to the Throne, he was pleafed, on the 5th of July, in the fecond Year of his Reign, 1716, to create his Brother Erneft Auguft Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburgh, Bishop of Ofnaburgh, Earl of Ulfter in Ireland, Duke of York and Albany in Great

A 3

Great-Britain, to him and the Heirs Male of his Body, who died without Iffue.

The next Duke of York was Edward-Auguftus, fecond Son of Frederick Prince of Wales, born on the 14th of March, 173. As he was defigned to prefide at the Naval-Board, the Knowledge of Maritime Affairs was a peculiar Branch of the Plan allotted for his Studies. On March 18, 1752, he was elected a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and installed on the 4th of June following,

His Royal Highnefs, on July 25, 1758, embarked at Portsmouth, on board the Effex, commanded by Richard afterwards Lord Viscount Howe, and proceeding with the Fleet, was prefent at the Reduicton of Cherburgh, in Normandy, by Gen. Bligh. Having likewife failed in September enfuing with the fame Nobleman, when his Lordship efcorted the Tranfports with the Troops fent out against St. Malo, he witneffed the unfortunate Affair at St. Cas, on the 28th of that Month, where he fhewed. great Refolution and Firmness of Mind. His Highness, after he had gone thro' the fubordinate Offices of Midthipman and Lieutenant, was, on June 19, 1759, promoted to the Command of his Majefty's Ship Phanix, of 44 Guns.

On April 1, 1760, his late Majefty was pleafed to grant unto his Royal Highness, and the Heirs Male of his Body, the Dignities of Duke of York and Albany, of Great-Britain, and Earl of Ulfter in the Kingdom of Ireland. On March 31, 1761, his Royal Highness was appointed Rear-Admiral of the Blue.

On the 5th of June, 1761, the Common Council of London voted that the Freedom of their City should be prefented to his Royal Highnefs, in a Gold Box of 150 Guineas Value, in Teftimony of their dutiful Affection for their Sovereign, and as a Pledge of their grateful Refpect to his Royal Highnefs, for his early Entrance into the Naval Service of his King and Country.

At his Brother's Nuptials, September 8, 1761, his. Royal Highness, as chief Supporter to the Royal Bride, walked on her Right Hand; and at the Proceffion of the enfuing Coronation, on the 22d of that Month, appeared. in his Robes as firft Prince of the Blood.

October