lic letters]. Parliament was affected by the
factionalism of the times. The speaker of the commons was often an
officer of some great lord. In 1426, the retainers of the barons
in Parliament were forbidden to bear arms, so they appeared with
clubs on their shoulders. When the clubs were forbidden, they came
with stones concealed in their clothing.

Kings created dukes and marquesses to be peers. A duke was given
creation money or allowance of 40 pounds a year. A marquess was
given 35 pounds. These new positions could not descend to an
heiress, unlike a barony or earldom. An earl was given 20 pounds,
which probably took the place of his one-third from the county.
King Henry VI gave the title of viscount to several people; it had
an allowance of 13.3 pounds and was above baron. It allowed them
to be peers. There were about 55 peers. In King Edward IV's reign,
the king's retinue had about 16 knights, 160 squires, 240 yeomen,
clerks, grooms, and stablemen. The suitable annual expense of the
household of the king was 13,000 pounds for his retinue of about
516 people, a duke 4,000 pounds for about 230 people, a marquess
3,000 pounds for about 224 people, an earl 2,000 pounds for about
130 people, a viscount 1,000 pounds for about 84 people, a baron
500 pounds for about 26 people, a banneret [a knight made in the
field, who had a banner] 200 pounds for about 24 people, a knight
bachelor 100 pounds for about 16 people, and a squire 50 pounds
for about 16 people. Of a squire's 50 pounds, about 25 pounds were
spent in food, repairs and furniture 5, on horses, hay, and
carriage 4, on clothes, alms and oblations 4, wages 9, livery of
dress 3, and the rest on hounds and the charges of harvest and
hay time. Many servants of the household of the country gentleman
were poor relations. They might by education and accomplishment
rise into the service of a baron who could take him to court and
make his fortune.

Barons' households also included steward, chaplains, treasurer,
accountants, chamberlain, carvers, servers, cupbearers, pages, and
even chancellor. They were given wages and clothing allowances and
had meals in the hall at tables according to their degree.

The authority of the King's privy seal had become a great office
of state which transmitted the King's wishes to the Chancery and
Exchequer, rather than the King's personal instrument for sealing
documents. Now the king used a signet kept by his secretary as his
personal s