Sir John Hayward (1564?–1627) was a civil lawyer and author of various historical works. His work was greatly influenced by Roman historians, most notably Tacitus. Indeed, the extent of Tacitus’s influence was such that Hayward was accused of outright plagiarism by Francis Bacon, who had been instructed by Elizabeth I to censor Hayward’s first publication, The First Part of the Life and Raigne of King Henrie the IIII (1599), for covert criticism of her government. Despite the fact that Bacon could not find treasonous material in the work, Hayward was imprisoned in the Tower, where he remained for the rest of Elizabeth’s reign.

By the time Hayward came to write The Lives of the III. Normans (1613), he was regarded more favourably in royal circles. He dedicated this book to Prince Charles (the future King Charles I), claiming that Henry, Prince of Wales (1594–1612), had encouraged its publication. The Lives of the III. Normans (1613) was a history of three Norman kings: William I, William II, and Henry I. The first book in English dedicated entirely to the Normans, it was presented to the young prince as a means for instruction. Hayward argued that history was ‘the fittest subject’ for Prince Charles, and that ‘no Histories are so profitable as our owne’.

The original text contained no illustrations. In this copy, however, there are four tipped-in portraits. The portraits of the three kings, along with the portrait of Hayward, serve as makeshift frontispieces – aides-mémoires allowing the reader to reflect upon the author of the book and its biographical subjects. 

The three portraits of the Norman kings were subsequently included in the 1638 edition of The Historie and Lives of the Kings of England by the lawyer and historian William Martyn (1562–1617).

The Portraits in the Copy

The first portrait, a representation of Hayward engraved by Willem de Passe (c. 1598–1637) in 1630, faces the title page. Beneath the sitter are two emblematical scenes. The scene on the left-hand side depicts a man fleeing from a woman and a demon, accompanied with the words ‘FLY FROM EVEL’, while the words ‘DOE GOOD’ are inscribed underneath the other scene, which displays an act of charity.

The same emblematical figures and accompanying text appear within the title-page frontispiece of the 1631 edition of The Sanctuarie of a Troubled Soule, in two plinths framing another portrait of Hayward, executed by Thomas Cecill (fl. 1625–1640) after a design by William Hole (d. 1624). Originally published in 1601, The Sancturie of a Troubled Soule was one of Hayward’s bestselling devotional works written during his imprisonment.

The verso of the portrait of Hayward within this copy is annotated in an unknown hand with the words ‘Sr Iohn Hayward Kt Dr of Law’ (see viewer below). ‘Henry Str[...?]’ is inscribed on the title page, but it is unlikely that he was responsible for writing ‘Sr Iohn Hayward Kt Dr of Law’ as the hands bear little resemblance to each other.

 

Measurements: 111 mm × 69 mm, including the border in ink.

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This portrait, representing William the Conqueror, has been pasted onto a leaf and subsequently inserted in between the final page of the dedicatory epistle and the first page of the ‘Life’ of William the Conqueror. Outlined on both sides of the leaf in an ink border, the portrait was engraved in c. 1628, probably by Renold Elstrack (1570–c. 1625). 

 

Measurements: 175 mm × 106 mm, including the border in ink. 

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This portrait, depicting William II, can be attributed with certainty to Elstrack owing to the initials at the bottom left-hand corner of the engraving. This portrait had originally been engraved by Elstrack for the Baziliologia (‘Book of the Kings’) (1618), a set of octavo portraits of the kings of Britain published in 1618 by Henry Holland (1583–c. 1649) and his brother Compton (d. 1622). 

 

Measurements: 172 mm × 109 mm, including the border in ink.

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Like the previous two portraits in this book, the final portrait has been pasted onto a leaf and tipped in. The portrait of Henry I, engraved by Elstrack, follows a similar design to that of William II; both kings are represented holding an orb and a sceptre. This particular portrait also originated from the Baziliologia (1618). 

 

Measurements: 172 mm × 114 mm, including the border in ink. 

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Further Reading

Griffiths, Antony, The Print in Stuart Britain 1603–1689 (London: British Museum Press, 1998), pp. 49–52

Manning, John J., ‘Hayward, Sir John (1564?–1627)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004), https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/12794 

The Lives of the III. Normans, Kings of England

The University of Manchester Library, U.K.

1613

This viewer displays the tipped-in portraits in this copy of John Hayward, The Lives of the III. Normans, Kings of England (London: R. B. [i.e. Robert Barker], 1613).

Special Collections R128547.1

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