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SIR THOMAS WRIOTHESLEY (C. 1460-1534)

The Wriothesley Garter book

c.1530

RCIN 1047414

Compiled by the herald Sir Thomas Wriothesley, this beautifully-illustrated manuscript contains a variety of records on heraldic matters, in particular the Order of the Garter. But the manuscript is open at what is thought to be the first contemporary view of the opening of Parliament, at Blackfriars in 1523, with Henry VIII enthroned in the middle.To the King’s right are three bishops. Seated are Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (identified by his Cardinal’s hat) and William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury. Behind Wolsey stands Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London. In the centre are the Justices, seated on woolsacks, with the Peers on the right and the Bishops on the left, with the Abbots representing the monasteries behind them. At the bottom of the picture are the members of the House of Commons at the Bar of the House, headed by their Speaker, Sir Thomas More.

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