Harbingers

We still use the word ‘harbinger’ in constructions like ‘This was the harbinger of war.’ Meaning that something gives a warning or prediction.

In the Middle Ages, a harbinger was a man who travelled ahead of the royal (or a noble) household to warn that they were coming. Well, if you had 600-1000 assorted people rocking up at your castle, as might easily apply in the case of the court, it was enormously helpful to have some sort of advance notice.

But what sort of men were these harbingers? Purely by chance, I found an article about just such a man, Sir Robert Whitney (d 1402) by Charles Kightly.

The first point to note was that Whitney was (obviously) a knight. So these men were of some status and were not menials. This must have been helpful when dealing with the likes of the Mayor of Coventry, the Abbot of St. Albans or indeed anyone important enough to own a castle or manor that was suitably large.

Royal harbingers did not just announce the king was coming; they were also authorised to allocate lodgings. They did this, apparently, by chalking marks on buildings. Exactly what markings are not clear. Reserved for Lord Warwick? King’s chaplains lodge here? A representation of a livery badge? Anyway, whatever the marks were, it was an offence to remove them. Imagine having a lovely townhouse, only to find it’s been allocated as a billet for such-and-such a lord, meaning that you and your family have to squeeze in the attics or even leave the house altogether. Don’t like it? Tough! Any redress if they leave a mess behind? Probably not.

Whitney’s daughter, Perrine, was one of Anne of Bohemia‘s ladies and his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Clanvowe, was one of Richard II‘s knights. This is an example of a family making a career at court, and no doubt taking the opportunities that presented themselves. Interestingly, both Whitney and Clanvowe clearly had Lollard sympathies, at the least, and came from the same part of the Welsh Marches.

A harbinger might also have military duties. In this case, Whitney went ahead of Richard II’s Irish expeditions to work in the role of a logistics officer, making sure food was available for the army. This even extended to arranging for fishing boats to provide fish for fast days.

Whitney was trusted enough to also perform some diplomatic services for King Richard and was clearly of relatively senior status. However, like many others, he transferred allegiance to Henry IV with little fuss. He was, however, no longer employed in the role of harbinger.

In 1402 he was killed in the defeat at Pilleth (or Brynglas) inflicted on Henry’s forces by those of Owain Glyndwr. Whitney was only a few miles from his home.