The New Murrey and Blue blog

We all know about the Order of the Garter, and the many knights who’ve been honoured by being admitted to its exclusive ranks. We also know that there were Ladies of the Garter, starting with Queen Philippa of Hainault, consort of the Order’s founder, King Edward III.

She was followed by a number of other ladies, through from Edward’s reign to that of Henry VII. The latter honoured his mother, Margaret Beaufort, and two of his daughters, and then stopped inviting ladies to the Order. In fact there were no other ladies admitted until Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII, in 1901. The ladies didn’t wear the Garter on their leg, for it wouldn’t have been visible or seemly, but on their arm.

I’m sure too that we’ve all come across the description of the 1390 tournament that accompanied the Garter celebrations, when the participating knights on foot were led out on golden chains by ladies on palfreys. A romantic scene, very much in keeping with the court of King Arthur, which had inspired Edward III all those years before.

I’d always imagined the ladies would have been chosen for their looks, much as happens today. Then, when reading Nigel Saul’s Companion to Medieval England (page 204 in my copy), I came upon the following:-

“….“each participating knight [was] led on chain of gold by a lady of the sorority of the Garter….”

This can only mean these ladies were the Ladies of the Garter. Yes? I don’t know whether this was because the ladies, being unable to joust themselves, were honoured by appearing in this romantic parade. Whatever the reason, I now have a rather different take on this whole scenario. No pretty young girls recruited for the occasion, but important (mostly royal) ladies.

Only one illustration of this scene has turned up in my searches see below. It shows Sir John Holand, Earl of Huntingdon, being led out in the 1390 tournament. It seems the knights were on foot. I think the lady on the palfrey is probably Sir John’s wife, Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, who had been a Lady of the Garter since 1378, although she doesn’t appear to be wearing the Garter. Not visibly anyway.

If my reasoning above is correct, then I have to wonder about previous St George’s Day tournaments. Did this golden chain thing only appear in 1390? Or was it there from the outset, in one form or another? Was King Edward III himself led by his queen? Was Edward of Woodstock, the “Black Prince” led by his wife, Joan of Kent? Was John of Gaunt led by his second wife, Costanza of Castile? And so on.

All the above ladies were Ladies of the Garter.