Serjeant's Ring

At the English Law Bar, there is a distinction among the barristers. Those called Serjeants are of the highest and most ancient degree, and judges of the Courts of Westminster are always admitted into this venerable order before they are advanced to the Bench.

The ceremony of making a serjeant is or rather was a very imposing and expensive one. Connected with this ceremony, the serjeant had to give a great dinner, "like to the feast of a king's coronation," and which continued seven days, and he had to present gold rings, bearing some loyal motto, to every prince, duke and archbishop present, and to every earl and bishop, lord privy seal, lords chief justices, lord chief baron, every lord baron of Parliament, abbot and notable prelate, worshipful knight, master of the rolls, every justice, baron of exchequer, chamberlain, officer and clerk of the courts, each receiving a ring, convenient for his degree. And a similar token was given to friends.

These rings were delivered by some friend of the new serjeant's and who was of the standing of barrister. He was called his colt. Whitlock says, when the new serjeants counted, their colts delivered the rings. Why they are thus called is not very clear: "colt," according to Shakspeare, is a young foolish fellow.

In 1 Modern Reports, case 30, we have a hint of "short weight." "Seventeen serjeants being made the 14th day of November, a daye or two after Serjeant Powis, the junior of them all, coming to the King's Bench bar, Lord Chief Justice Kelynge told him that he had something to say to him, viz.: that the rings which he and the rest of the serjeants had given weighed but eighteen shillings apiece; whereas Fortescue, in his book De Laudibus Legum Anglioe, says, 'The rings given to the chief justices and to the chief baron ought to weigh twenty shillings apiece;' and that he spoke not this expecting a recompence, but that it might not be drawn into a precedent, and that the young gentlemen there might take notice of it."

We consider the matter about serjeants' rings sufficiently curious and interesting to allow of our adding extracts from Fortescue and Cooke:

"But this you must understand, that when the day appointed is come, those elect persons, among other solemnities, must keep a great dinner, like to the feast of a king's coronation, which shall continue and last for the space of seven days, and none of those elect persons shall defray the charges growing to him about the costs of this solemnity with less expense than the sum of four hundred marks; so that the expenses which eight men so elect shall then bestow, will surmount to the sum of three thousand and two hundred marks, of which expenses one parcel shall be this: Every of them shall give rings of gold to the value of forty pounds sterling at the least; and your chancellour well remembreth, that at what time he received this state and degree, the rings which he then gave stood him in fifty pounds. For every such serjeant, at the day of his creation, useth to give unto every prince, duke and archbishop being present at that solemnity and to the Lord Chancellour and Lord Treasurer of England a ring of the value of 26s. 8d.

"And to every earl and bishop, being likewise present, and also to the lord privy seal, to both the lords chief justices, and to the lord chief baron of the King's Exchequer a ring of the value of 20s.

"And to every lord baron of the Parliament, and to every abbot and notable prelate and worshipful knight, being then present, and also to the master of the rolls and to every justice a ring of the value of a mark; and likewise to every baron of the exchequer, to the chamberlains and to all the officers and notable men serving in the king's courts rings of a smaller price but agreeably to their estates to whom they are given.

"Insomuch that there shall not be a clerk, especially in the Court of the Common Bench, but he shall receive a ring convenient for his degree; and, besides these, they give divers rings to other of their friends."

"And on Tuesday, May 10, in the second week of the term, the said Sir John Walter being of the Inner Temple, Sir Henry Yelverton of Grayes Inne and Sir Thomas Trevor of the Inner Temple, with the benchers, readers and others of those Inns of Court whereof they respectively had been, being attended by the warden of the Fleet and marshall of the Exchequer, made their appearance at Serjeants Inne in Fleet street, before the two chief justices and all the justices of both benches. And Sir Randolph Crew, chief justice, made a short speech unto them, and (because it was intended they should not continue serjeants to practise) he acquainted them with the king's purpose of advancing them to seats of judicature, and exhorted them to demeane themselves well in their several places. Then every one in his order made his count, (and defences were made by the ancient serjeants,) and their several writs being read, their coyfs and scarlet hoods were put on them, and being arrayed in their brown-blew gownes, went into their chambers, and all the judges to their several places at Westminster, and afterward the said three serjeants, attyred in their party-coloured robes, attended with the marshall and warden of the Fleete, the servants of the said serjeants going before them, and accompanied with the benchers and others of the several Inns of Court of whose society they had been, walked unto Westminster and there placed themselves in the hall over against the Common Pleas bar.