Bowyers Company, 1488

To all true Cristen People thies presentes lres reding hering or seeing I Thomas Clarenceu principall heraulde and King of Armes of the South pts of this Realme of England otherwise called Thomas Holme Knyght send deu and humble recomendacion and greting as it apperteigneth in oure Lord God Everlasting Equite woll and reason ordenneththat for so moche as I understond for certain that evry Crafte and fraternite wtin the Kynge most Royall Cite of London called his Chambr compace stody devyse & ynmagynewt theyre besy curys & undeleyd devoyres and dyligencys and suche psonys namely as be lyneally dyscendyd from noble blode compellyd therunto by verrey course of nature the most convenyent and most honourable weyes and meanes to them possible for to Exalte and pferre theyre Crafts and frateryteys to honour and nobley & to as excellent laude and recomendacyn as by theyr myndes canne be thoughte or contryvyd to thentent that evy psonne entrying or comying into theyr Crafte & fraternyteys heryng of theirsadde and laudable vertuoux and comendable disposiscions and opynyons shulde the rather enforce and apply themselfe effectually wth all possible delygence towards the maintenance and supportacyon & long contenewaunce of the same to the laud and preysing of God thenor of the kynge our Sovraige lorde of this his Realme and Cite aforsaydand of the sayd Crafte & fraternyte, amongs whom I the sayd King of Armes note and appoynte at this tyme specially the goode sadde and worshipfull and well disposydpersones the Wardens of the full honourable Crafte & frateryte of Bowyers of the said Cite, that is to say Willm Awssten and Richard Clarke Citizens Bowyers and Wardens of the same Crafte for the tyme being wt all the hole body of the same I the sayd King of Armes for the tender zele and inward affeccyon that I bere towards the said Crafte andfraternyte for the preferring and encresse therof to honneur and nobles have geven and graunted unto theym the Armeys hereafter following as in the Margyne dipikt more plenlyapperyth that is to saye They beare Sable uppon a cheveron gold thre mollets persyd betwene thre flotys silver, the Crest uppon the Helme Thre bowes bent goulys strykyd goldsette wtyne a wreyth golde and asure, the Mantell sable Forred wth Ermyn, as in the margyne depyct wch armes by thactoryte and powre of myn office annexed and attrybutydof the sayd Kyng have devised and ordeyned to and for the sayde Craft and frateryte of Bowyers to theym that now be and to them that hereafter schalbe theyre successours, In singne and token of Noblesse for evermore. To have and to hold occupy and rejoice the same armys pesybly and vouablye to the said Wardens and their SuccessoursBowyers at theyr plesyres wtoute eny impediment Interrupcion lette or enpchement by vertue of my said graunte for evrmore. In wytenesse wherof I the sayd King of Armys tothies psents syngned with my hand do putte my seall of Armys of auctoryte Yeven at London the xxth day of Novembris in the iiijthe yere of the Reygne of our Sovrgne lord king Henry the vijthe.

[Source: Fifteenth Century Patents of Arms]