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SIR GILBERT DETHICK (1499/1500-1584)
Dethick manuscripts of the arms of the Knights of the Garter in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I, painted for Elizabeth I, volume 2.
1575RCIN 1047443
The Order of the Garter is the premier order of chivalry in Britain. In the sixteenth century it was still officially an exclusively male order, headed by the Sovereign, making Elizabeth I’s position at its head potentially ambiguous. The gift of this Garter book by Sir Gilbert Dethick, the most senior herald in England, was a pointed act of support for the Queen’s position at the head of the Order, and thus at the head of the country.
