King's Champion
The Honourable The King's (or Queen's) Champion is an honorary and
The
The 35th Champion was the 34th
History
Origins
The office of King's Champion was originally granted to
By 1377 the senior male line of the Marmions had died out, and in that year the office of King's Champion at the coronation of
In later years, the
John II Walshe (d.1546/7) of Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire, was King's Champion at the coronation of Henry VIII in 1509 and was a great favourite of the young king.[8]
Modern era
The words of the challenge varied over the years, but those used for the coronation of George IV in 1821 were these:
If any person, of whatever degree soever, high or low, shall deny or gainsay our Sovereign Lord George, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, son and next heir unto our Sovereign Lord the last King deceased, to be the right heir to the imperial Crown of this realm of Great Britain and Ireland, or that he ought not to enjoy the same; here is his Champion, who saith that he lieth, and is a false traitor, being ready in person to combat with him, and in this quarrel will adventure his life against him on what day soever he shall be appointed.
The holder of the post at that time, John Dymoke, was a clergyman and so the honour passed to his son,
At the 1902 coronation of
The Champion's Armour used for the coronations of
Office holders
Name | Year(s) | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
John Dymoke | 1377 | Champion at the coronation of Richard II. Recognised as champion by right of his marriage to his wife Margery. | [14][15] |
Sir Thomas Dymoke | 1399, 1413 | Champion at the coronations of Henry IV and Henry V | [16] |
Sir Philip Dymoke | 1429 | Champion at the coronation of Henry VI | [16] |
Sir Robert Dymoke | 1483, 1485, 1509 | Champion at the coronations of Henry VIII
|
[16] |
Sir Edward Dymoke | 1547, 1553, 1559, 1603 | Champion to Elizabeth I and James I ; son of Robert
|
[16] |
Sir Henry Lee | 1570 | Champion to Queen Elizabeth I | |
Charles Dymoke | 1625 | Champion to Charles I | |
Edward Dymoke | 1660 | Champion to Charles II | |
Charles Dymoke | 1685 | Champion to James II | |
Charles Dymoke | 1689, 1702 | Champion to Mary II and William III, Anne ; son of Charles
|
[17] |
Lewis Dymoke | 1714, 1727 | Champion at the coronations of George I and George II | [18] |
John Dymoke | 1761 | Champion at the coronation of George III | [18] |
Sir Henry Dymoke, 1st Baronet (1801–1865) | 1821, 1831 | Champion at the coronations of George IV (in place of his father, who as a clergyman did not act as Champion) and William IV, but not at the coronation of Queen Victoria | |
Frank Scaman Dymoke, 32nd of Scrivelsby (1862–1946) | 1902, 1911, 1937 | Champion to Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI | |
John Dymoke, 34th of Scrivelsby (1926–2015) | 1953 | Champion at the coronation of Elizabeth II; grandson of Frank | [19] |
Francis Dymoke, 35th of Scrivelsby (1955–2023) | 2023 | Champion at the coronation of Charles III; son of John |
References
- ^ Armitage, Rachel. "Scrivelsby's Francis Dymoke discusses role as King's Champion in Coronation". Licolnshire World. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.lincolnshireworld.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/breaking-news-kings-champion-francis-dymoke-has-passed-away-4452570
- ^ https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2023-04-27/roles-to-be-performed-at-the-coronation-service-at-westminster-abbey
- ^ https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/peerage-news/v0nlK22dR30; Peerage News: Lt-Col John Lindley Marmion Dymoke, MBE 1926-2015; Retrieved 30 March 2015
- ^ Nicholas Harris Nicolas; William Courthope (1857), Historic Peerage of England (hardback), London: John Murray
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Lodge, M.A., Rev. Samuel A. (1893). Scrivelsby, Home of the Champions with some accounts of the Marmion & Dymoke Families. High St., London, England: W. K. Morton. pp. 41, Chapter IV, The Marmions.
- ^ Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, ed. (1957), Rolls of Arms Henry III (hardback), London: Harleian Society
- ^ "Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol.13, 188/9, pp. 1–5, Little Sodbury". Bgas.org.uk. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
- ^ Strong 2005, p. 413
- ISBN 0199253927, 9780199253920, google books; Strong, Roy, Queen Victoria's Coronation at: Royal Archives: RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) Queen Victoria's Coronation, by Sir Roy Strong (Essay). Retrieved 24 May 2013, online
- ^ Strong 2005, p. 474
- ^ "Death of the hereditary Standard Bearer for England (the Queen's Champion)". Peerage News. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Roles to be performed at the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey". Royal.uk. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ G. Wickham Legg, Leopold (1901). English Coronation Records. pp. 160–161.
- ^ "The Kings Champion Part 2". 25 May 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d Burke, Bernard (1882). Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry. pp. 496–407.
- ^ "The King's Champion". historicalragbag.com. 10 May 2016.
- ^ a b Lodge, Samuel (1893). Scrivelsby, the Home of the Champions. Horncastle: W. K. Morton.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel John Dymoke, Queen's Champion - Obituary". The Telegraph. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
Bibliography
- Lodge, The Rev. Samuel (1893). Scrivelsby, The Home of the Champions. Horncastle: W K Morton.
- ISBN 978-0-00-716054-9.