THE SILVER WAITES’ BADGES OF YORK
Date Number Embroidered Silver
1520   Sleeve badges  
1521   Sleeve badges  
1522   Sleeve badges  
1523   Sleeve badges  
1524   Sleeve badges  
1525   Sleeve badges  
1526   Sleeve badges  
1527   Sleeve badges  
1544 3 scutcyons….with letters of gold for my lord mayour name  
1547 3 scutchons….wyth letters of gold for my lord mayour name  
1557 * syluer cheyne with the skutcheon (Rbt Husthwaite)
1559   Sleeve badges  
1561   Scutchoons….with lettres for my Lord mayour name  
1562*   Sleeve badges  
1566 3 + 1   a newe syluer [aggr] Cheyne agreeable with the thother iij cheynes
1571     Four chains mentioned
1572     Cheynes Cognysances
1584 4   newe florishinge and trimminge of the Scutchons and Chynes
1585 4 ….and foure connysantes foure collours with skuchions and foure connysantes (Rbt Hewite = Hewet)
      Full description with weights given
1592     siluer Cheyne and Scutchin (Jno Watson)
1593 4 + 1   the Cheyne and Conysent which is already made (Xpofer Smith & Cuth Thompson)
      and that a newe Connisent shalbe forthwith made….and a newe Cheyne
      the sayd Conysentes and Cheynes
1601     cheyne & Conysent
1631     Citties liuery with a Coninzant &c bearing the Cities armes
1639     and that their Cognizances bee new burnished
1639     for guilding the waytes scocheons
      * 1557 the first mention of chains with scutcheons. NB that by this date the scutcheons
      were on the chains and embroidered cognisances had been around since at least
      1544. Holes in the margins of the scutcheons suggest that at one time they had been
      sleeve badges, and that before 1544 when the embroidered arm badges were being
      made for the waites to wear. Were the scutcheons of 15th C manufacture? Their style
      suggests that apparently none were replaced, so what we have should all be
      original 16 (15?)th C originals.