The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons beaten by the Sheriff of London (Original)

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons beaten by the Sheriff of London art by Ron Embleton
The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons beaten by the Sheriff of London art by Ron Embleton

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons beaten by the Sheriff of London (Original)

FREE DELIVERY
£0.00
£495.00
In Stock
Add To Your Wishlist
Artist: Ron Embleton
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 26" x 17" (660mm x 420mm)
Date: 1969
Code: EmbletonRRejectedLL

This is the unique original Watercolour painting by Ron Embleton.

In March 1542 - during the reign of King Henry VIII - George Ferrers MP (1500-1579) was arrested as he had agreed to stand surety for a friends debts. His friend had defaulted on his debt and so Ferrers was arrested and taken to debtors prison. When Ferrers' fellow MPs heard of his arrest they ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons to go and release Ferrers.

The prison officials refused and, according to Raphael Holinshed's Chronicle, there "ensued a fray within the Counter gates between Ferrers and the officers, not without hurt of either part, so that the sergeant was driven to defend himself with his mace of arms, and had the Crown thereof broken off by bearing off a stroke, and his man struck down". Shortly after this, the two sheriffs of London appeared, but treated the Sergeant-at-Arms with great contempt.

When these events were communicated to the House of Commons the MPs informed the Lords of what had happened and both ruled that the offenders could be punished by Parliament. Subsequently Ferrers' was released, the prison officials and the Sheriffs of London were imprisoned in the Tower for a fortnight.

This case was instrumental in the formation of Parliamentary Privilege of freedom from arrest or prosecution.

This beautiful and powerful piece of original artwork is from Look and Learn no. 393, 26th July 1969.
  • Artist Biography
    Ronald Sydney Embleton (6 October 1930 - 13 February 1988; Limehouse, London, UK)
    Born in Limehouse, London in 1930, Embleton began drawing as a young boy, submitting a cartoon to the News of the World at the age of 9 and, at 12, winning a national poster competition.

    In 1946 Embleton went to the South-East Essex Technical College and School of Art. There he had the incredible good fortune to be taught by David Bomberg, one of the greatest ? though at that time sadly under-appreciated ? British artists of the twentieth century.

    At age 17 he earned himself a place in a commercial studio but soon left to work freelance, drawing comic strips for many of the small publishers who sprang up shortly after the war.

    He was soon drawing for the major publishers. His most fondly remembered strips include Strongbow the Mighty in Mickey Mouse Weekly, Wulf the Briton in Express Weekly, Wrath of the Gods in Boys' World, Tales of the Trigan Empire and Johnny Frog in Eagle and Stingray in TV Century 21.

    Embleton also provided the illustrations that appeared in the title credits for the Captain Scarlet TV series, and dozens of paintings for prints and newspaper strips. A meticulous artist, his illustrations appeared in Look and Learn for many years, amongst them the historical series Roger?s Rangers.

    Oh, Wicked Wanda! was a British full-colour satirical and saucy adult comic strip, written by Frederic Mullally and drawn by Ron Embleton. The strip regularly appeared in Penthouse magazine from 1973 to 1980 and was followed by Embleton's equally saucy dark humoured Merry Widow strip, written by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione.

    Less well known, however, was his equally energetic career as an oil painter. In fact, being a painter had been his life's ambition ? his 'driving force', according to his daughter Gillian. It was only his remarkable success as an illustrator that in the end largely diverted him from the painter's path.

    Embleton died on 13 February 1988 at the relatively young age of 57 after a lifetime of truly prodigious artistic output of remarkable quality.
10% OFF EVERYTHING!

Special offer to welcome you to our new website! Just add to your cart and this discount will be applied automatically. This amazing deal expires on 31st January.

FREE DELIVERY
£0.00
£495.00
In Stock
Add To Your Wishlist

Similar Items...