DOWAGER DUCHESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 270, 13 November 1937, Page 10

DOWAGER DUCHESS.

AUCKLAND VISIT.

THE HOUSE OF NORFOLK.

ARRIVES TO-MORROW. The Dowager Duchesa of Norfolk and her daughter, Lady Winefried FitzalanHoward will arrive in Auckland by the Aorangi to-morrow evening. The Dowager Duchess is a leading figure in Catholic circles in England. She holds the title of Baroness Herries in her own right, being the elder daughter and heiress of Lord Herries, whom she succeeded in the Scottish Barony in 1908. In 1904 she wa» married to the Duke of Norfolk, who died in 1917, leaving one son and three daughters by the marriage. Among other distinction* the Duchess is Dame, first-class, of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

The history of the Norfolk Dukedom is famous. Extinction, attainder, forfeiture and beheading have dogged its course for generations, followed in some cases by pardon and restoration. The present Duke of Norfolk holds one of the few offices at Court that is not more or less a sinecure. He is the hereditary Earl Marshal of England, an office which dates back for many hundreds of years. In this office there is a great deal of work— unpaid—which he i* called upon to do. As the head of the College of Arms, his authority regulates all matters concerning the granting of coats-of-arms. A new peer applies to the Earl Marshal for a grant of arms, and it is issued on his warrant by the King of Arms.

The present Earl Marshal is a descendant of Thomas Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk, a son of Edward 1., who was made hereditary Marshal bv King Edward 11. in 131 C. The first Duke of Norfolk was Thomas Mowbray, grandson of Brotherton, and he was also the first to be styled Earl Marshal, the title Marshal of England having been used previously. Mowbray's descendant, John Howard, was created Duke of Norfolk and Earl Marshal by King Richard 111., who was also the founder of the College of Arm*. Richard made them a corporate body and gave them a charter.

The Marshal's duties included the keeping of order in the King's presence, the guarding of the doors of his hall, and the finding of lodgings for those who came to attend great ceremonies. The Duke of Norfolk is the leading Catholic layman in England.

The Dowager Duchess and Lady Winefried Fitzalan-Howard will be the guests of the Governor-General and Viscountess Galway.