MARSHAL (Fr. marichal, Tent. mare, horse, and male or seltalk, servant), a term, in its origin, meaning a groom or manager of the horse, though eventually the king's marshal became one of the principal officers of state in England. The royal farrier rose in dignity with the increasing importance of the ellevalerie, till he became, conjointly with the constable (q.v.), the judge in the curio inartiales, or courts of chivalry. An. earldom is attached to the dignity, and the office of earl-marshal is now hereditary in the family of the duke of Norfolk. When the king headed his .army in feudal thnes, the a.ssembled troops were inspected by the constable and marshal, who fixed the spot for the encampment of each noble, and examined the Dumber, arms, and condition of his retain ers. With these duties was naturally combined the regulation of all matters connected_ with armorial bearings, standards, and ensigns. The constable's functions were virtually abolished iu the time of Henry VIII., and the marshal became thenceforth the sole judge, in questions of honor and arms. The earl-marshal is president of the English college of arms, and appoints the kings-at-arms, heralds, and pursuivants. The marshal's functions were formerly exercised iu time of peace in the aula regis or king's great court, and on the division of the aula regis, he appointed deputies in the new courts; hence arose the offices of marshal of the king's (queen's) bench and of exchequer, whose principal duty is to take charge of persons committed to their custody by the court. Besides the earl marshal there is a knight-marshal, or marshal of the king's (queen's) household. The marshal of the king's bench held two different courts, which have been altogether dis continued since 1849. The marshal or provost-marshal of the admiralty is an officer whose duty it is to act ministerially under the orders of the court of admiralty in securing prizes, executing warrants, arresting criminals, and attending their execution.
The dignity of marshal existed formerly in Scotland, where a different orthography was adopted, and the office of marischal was hereditary in the family of Keith.- Sir Robert Keith, the marisehal, was one of the most distinguished warriors in the army of Robert the Bruce; and his descendant, the marischal, in 1456, had the dignity of earl, conferred on hinywith no other title but that of earl-marisehal. There is little doubt that the lyon king-at-arms was, like the English kings-at-arms, originally subject to the. marisehal, but his dependence ceased at a very early period, and the heraldic functions, discharged by the earl-marshal in England devolved in Scotland on the lord lyon, who. held office directly from the crown. Scotland had no knight-rnarischal till 1633, when, Charles I., at his coronation, created the office. In 1716 George, tenth earl-marischal, was attainted consequence of his share in the rebellion of the previous year, and the office has since been in abeyance. In France the highest military officer is called a: marshal, a dignity which originated early in the 13th century. There was at first only one marechal de France, and there were but two till the time of Francis I. Their number afterwards became unlimited. Originally the marshal was the esquire of the king, and commanded the vanguard in war; in later times the command became supreme, and the rank of the highest military importance. From the title of this class of general officers the Germans have borrowed their feld-marschall, and we our field-marshal, a dignity bestowed on commanders distinguished either by elevated rank or superior talents.