John of Gaunt This was the counterpart to his brother, the Black Prince's, "shield for peace" (on which the ostrich feathers were white), and may have been used in jousting. The ostrich feather arms appeared in stained glass above Gaunt's chantry chapel in St Paul's Cathedral. John of Gaunt is a character in William Shakespeare's play "Richard II". Shortly before he dies, he makes a speech that includes the lines "This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars ... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England". He is also referred to by Falstaff
John Kirkby (bishop of Ely) John Kirkby (bishop of Ely) John Kirkby (died 26 March 1290) was an English ecclesiastic and statesman. Kirkby first appears in the historical record in the chancery during the reign of King Henry III of England. When Henry's son Edward I came to the throne, Kirkby was given the title vice-chancellor, because he often had custody of the Great Seal when the Chancellor, Robert Burnell, was absent from England. Often considered Burnell's protégé, Edward used Kirkby in 1282 as a collector of moneys for the king's Welsh campaigns. Edward rewarded him with a number of benefices, although Kirkby had not