LIVERY (AF. liverie. li•eree, OF. liveree, lirree, Fr. /irree, from ML. liberata, delivery, from Lat. liberare, to deliver, set free, from Tiber, free), A word applied in its origin to the cus tom which prevailed under Carolingian kings of delivering splendid habits to the members of their households on great festivals. In the days of chivalry the wearing of livery was not, as confined to the domestic servants. The duke's son as page to the prince wore the prince's livery, the earl's son bore the duke's colors and badge. the son of the esquire wore the livery of the knight, and the son of the gentleman that of the esquire. Cavaliers wore the livery of their mistresses. There was also a large class of armed retainers in livery attached to many of the more powerful nobles. In England this cus tom became such a menace to strong govern ment that in 1390 the statute of Livery and Maintenance was passed, forbidding any one save the King to give a suit of livery. The law. however, was evaded. and the evil continued
until the time of the Tudors. The livery colors of a family are taken from their armorial bearings. hieing generally the tincture of the field and that of the principal charge; or. where the field has two tinctures. both are taken. The royal family of England have sometimes adopted colors vary ing from the tinctures of the arms. The Plan tagenets had scarlet and white: the House of York, nurrey and blue: white and blue were adopted by the House of Lancaster; white and green by the Tudors; yellow and red by the Stuarts and by William III.; and scarlet and blue by the House of Hanover. An indispensable part of the livery in former times was the badge (q.v.).
The freemen of the different trade guilds of London are called liverymen. entitled to wear the livery of their respective companies, and the companies pride themselves on the splendid ap pearance which their liveries make in the civic train.