.gif)
Colin Cole (officer of arms)
Encyclopedia
Sir Alexander Colin Cole, KCB
, KCVO
(16 May 1922 – 20 February 2001) was a long serving officer of arms
at the College of Arms
in London
. Eventually, he would rise to the rank of Garter Principal King of Arms
, the highest heraldic
office in England
.
Colin Cole was born in Surrey
on 16 May 1922, the elder son of Edward Cole, a prosperous staples manufacturer. The family descends from John Cole, a yeoman
in the parish of Twickenham
, Middlesex
, in the mid-17th century.
Cole was educated at Dulwich College
(where his portrait stands in the stairwell to the Great Hall), Pembroke College
, Cambridge
and Brasenose College, Oxford
where he read Law. During the World War II
he served as a captain in the Coldstream Guards
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
in 1949 and pursued a legal career before aspiring to be an officer of arms.
In 1944 Colin Cole married Valerie Card. They had four sons and three daughters.
of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
. Shortly after this, began his migration from the bar to the College of Arms. This came came as a result of the revival, in 1954, of the High Court of Chivalry (which had not sat since 1737) to hear the case of Manchester Corporation
versus Manchester Palace of Varieties for wrongfully displaying the city's coat of arms
. Cole represented the Palace of Varieties but he lost the case.
After a short term as Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary
, Cole was appointed an officer in ordinary (a full member of the College of Arms) as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary
in 1957. He became Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary
in 1966. Cole also served as the College's registrar
and librarian
from 1967 to 1974. He was appointed Garter Principal King of Arms
four years later, in 1978 and held that position until 1992.
As Garter, Cole liberalised the rules devised by Sir Anthony Wagner
for the admittance of new officers to the College. Previously they had always been university graduates who had also served a heraldic apprenticeship. Under Cole's leadership, this rule no longer applied and the majority of the pursuivants appointed had no pretensions to scholarship.
His leisurely conduct of day-to-day business, hampered by the lack of a properly staffed office, sometimes led to expressions of irritation from clients. When a patent for a Knight of the Garter was belatedly presented to the Queen to sign, it came back with a note that read: "Her Majesty prefers to sign these while the recipient is still alive." Likewise, during the time leading up to the wedding
of the Prince of Wales
in 1981 Cole's inability to find the relevant file of precedents in time, led to the officers of arms not being invited to the wedding.
Cole's strong streak of shrewdness and worldly wisdom was rarely deployed to the benefit of the College; indeed, its role was somewhat curtailed when he was at the helm. By Letters Patent of 4 June 1988 the Queen established a separate heraldic authority for Canada
with a new Chief Herald of Canada
. From that date all grants of arms in Canada were made through that authority and not, as before, through the English Kings of Arms
or the Lord Lyon. This abolition of the Earl Marshal's
imperial jurisdiction was a significant development in the history of the English heralds, and marked a serious reduction in the area of their activity.
It was considered at the time that Garter Cole, as the principal heraldic adviser to the Crown, should have tried to prevent this unnecessary diminution of the College's authority, but unfortunately he was hampered by lack of rapport with his Sovereign. Cole would perhaps have better suited the early Hanoverians, many of whose tastes he shared.
It must also be noted that giving such advice would have been difficult. Garter King is a member of the Household of the Queen of the United Kingdom. The Canadian Heraldic Authority is a creation of the Queen of Canada and Her Government in Ottawa
. Moreover, there was a political hurdle created in 1964. John Ross Matheson reports on page 121-2 of his book Canada's Flag (1980; ISBN 0-8161-8426-7) the situation in 1964 of a committee of the Canadian Parliament detailed to consider the task of developing a Canadian flag. The committee was asking if Dr. Conrad Swan, then Rouge Dragon Pursuivant (and a Canadian who was planning to be in Ottawa on other business), might be able to appear before the committee. Matheson writes "I did not see the final wording of our request but I have wondered since whether it may have been indelicately worded. ... To the considerable consternation of our committee, a curt reply was received by cable from Sir Anthony Wagner on Monday, 5 October denying permission to Rouge Dragon to appear. Garter stated that he alone would appear for the college. The shocked reaction of the committee when this communication was studied destroyed utterly the influence in Canada of this historic heraldic authority."
Many believe that Cole's chief achievement as Garter King of Arms was the part he played in the restoration of the College building. The structure of the building was overhauled and the brickwork and stone balustrades repaired under the direction of the estate agents Cluttons. This was one of the first times the repair of an important historic building had been entrusted to a such a firm rather than to a specialist architect.
Although a member of the Court of Common Council from 1964, Cole never became an alderman, nor even a member of one of the Great Livery Companies, though he was a Freeman of the Scriveners, Basketmakers and Painter Stainers Companies. He was also a very active freemason.
in 1977, was promoted to CVO in 1979, and KCVO in 1983. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
in 1992.
Military in bearing and vocabulary, Cole was proud of his rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, RARO (Brevet
1973). Until his knighthood in 1983 he called himself Colonel Cole on the strength of his position in the Hon Artillery Company. He was honorary Colonel, 6/7 Battalion, the Queen's Regiment, from 1981 to 1986, President of The Royal Society of St George from 1982 to 1998, and Knight Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor
from 1995.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(16 May 1922 – 20 February 2001) was a long serving officer of arms
Officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:*to control and initiate armorial matters*to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state...
at the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Eventually, he would rise to the rank of Garter Principal King of Arms
Garter Principal King of Arms
The Garter Principal King of Arms is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms. He is therefore the most powerful herald within the jurisdiction of the College – primarily England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and so arguably the most powerful in the world...
, the highest heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
office in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Early life and education
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 16 May 1922, the elder son of Edward Cole, a prosperous staples manufacturer. The family descends from John Cole, a yeoman
Yeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
in the parish of Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, in the mid-17th century.
Cole was educated at Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
(where his portrait stands in the stairwell to the Great Hall), Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and Brasenose College, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
where he read Law. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as a captain in the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1949 and pursued a legal career before aspiring to be an officer of arms.
In 1944 Colin Cole married Valerie Card. They had four sons and three daughters.
Heraldic career
In 1953 Cole was Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordniary at the coronationCoronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. Shortly after this, began his migration from the bar to the College of Arms. This came came as a result of the revival, in 1954, of the High Court of Chivalry (which had not sat since 1737) to hear the case of Manchester Corporation
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
versus Manchester Palace of Varieties for wrongfully displaying the city's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. Cole represented the Palace of Varieties but he lost the case.
After a short term as Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary
Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinary
Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary is a current officer of arms in England. As a pursuivant extraordinary, Fitzalan is a royal officer of arms, but is not a member of the corporation of the College of Arms in London...
, Cole was appointed an officer in ordinary (a full member of the College of Arms) as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary
Portcullis Pursuivant
Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office is named after the Portcullis chained Or badge of the Beauforts, which was a favourite device of King Henry VII. King Henry's mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort. The office was...
in 1957. He became Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary
Windsor Herald
Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. It has been suggested that the office was instituted specifically for the Order of the Garter in 1348, or that it predates the Order and was in use as early as 1338...
in 1966. Cole also served as the College's registrar
Registrar (academic)
In education outside the United Kingdom, a registrar or registrary is an official in an academic institution who handles student records. Typically, a registrar processes registration requests, schedules classes and maintains class lists, enforces the rules for entering or leaving classes, and...
and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
from 1967 to 1974. He was appointed Garter Principal King of Arms
Garter Principal King of Arms
The Garter Principal King of Arms is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms. He is therefore the most powerful herald within the jurisdiction of the College – primarily England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and so arguably the most powerful in the world...
four years later, in 1978 and held that position until 1992.
As Garter, Cole liberalised the rules devised by Sir Anthony Wagner
Anthony Wagner
Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, KCB, KCVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He served as Garter Principal King of Arms before retiring to the post of Clarenceux King of Arms...
for the admittance of new officers to the College. Previously they had always been university graduates who had also served a heraldic apprenticeship. Under Cole's leadership, this rule no longer applied and the majority of the pursuivants appointed had no pretensions to scholarship.
His leisurely conduct of day-to-day business, hampered by the lack of a properly staffed office, sometimes led to expressions of irritation from clients. When a patent for a Knight of the Garter was belatedly presented to the Queen to sign, it came back with a note that read: "Her Majesty prefers to sign these while the recipient is still alive." Likewise, during the time leading up to the wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
of the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
in 1981 Cole's inability to find the relevant file of precedents in time, led to the officers of arms not being invited to the wedding.
Cole's strong streak of shrewdness and worldly wisdom was rarely deployed to the benefit of the College; indeed, its role was somewhat curtailed when he was at the helm. By Letters Patent of 4 June 1988 the Queen established a separate heraldic authority for Canada
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...
with a new Chief Herald of Canada
Chief Herald of Canada
Chief Herald of Canada is the title held by the head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The Chief Herald of Canada directs the operations of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and makes the grants of arms. There are exceptions to this, such as certain grants made directly by the Governor General. The...
. From that date all grants of arms in Canada were made through that authority and not, as before, through the English Kings of Arms
King of Arms
King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.-Heraldic duties:...
or the Lord Lyon. This abolition of the Earl Marshal's
Earl Marshal
Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England...
imperial jurisdiction was a significant development in the history of the English heralds, and marked a serious reduction in the area of their activity.
It was considered at the time that Garter Cole, as the principal heraldic adviser to the Crown, should have tried to prevent this unnecessary diminution of the College's authority, but unfortunately he was hampered by lack of rapport with his Sovereign. Cole would perhaps have better suited the early Hanoverians, many of whose tastes he shared.
It must also be noted that giving such advice would have been difficult. Garter King is a member of the Household of the Queen of the United Kingdom. The Canadian Heraldic Authority is a creation of the Queen of Canada and Her Government in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Moreover, there was a political hurdle created in 1964. John Ross Matheson reports on page 121-2 of his book Canada's Flag (1980; ISBN 0-8161-8426-7) the situation in 1964 of a committee of the Canadian Parliament detailed to consider the task of developing a Canadian flag. The committee was asking if Dr. Conrad Swan, then Rouge Dragon Pursuivant (and a Canadian who was planning to be in Ottawa on other business), might be able to appear before the committee. Matheson writes "I did not see the final wording of our request but I have wondered since whether it may have been indelicately worded. ... To the considerable consternation of our committee, a curt reply was received by cable from Sir Anthony Wagner on Monday, 5 October denying permission to Rouge Dragon to appear. Garter stated that he alone would appear for the college. The shocked reaction of the committee when this communication was studied destroyed utterly the influence in Canada of this historic heraldic authority."
Many believe that Cole's chief achievement as Garter King of Arms was the part he played in the restoration of the College building. The structure of the building was overhauled and the brickwork and stone balustrades repaired under the direction of the estate agents Cluttons. This was one of the first times the repair of an important historic building had been entrusted to a such a firm rather than to a specialist architect.
Although a member of the Court of Common Council from 1964, Cole never became an alderman, nor even a member of one of the Great Livery Companies, though he was a Freeman of the Scriveners, Basketmakers and Painter Stainers Companies. He was also a very active freemason.
Honours and appointments
Colin Cole was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1977, was promoted to CVO in 1979, and KCVO in 1983. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1992.
Military in bearing and vocabulary, Cole was proud of his rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, RARO (Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
1973). Until his knighthood in 1983 he called himself Colonel Cole on the strength of his position in the Hon Artillery Company. He was honorary Colonel, 6/7 Battalion, the Queen's Regiment, from 1981 to 1986, President of The Royal Society of St George from 1982 to 1998, and Knight Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor
Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor
The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor was formed in 1908 and received royal recognition in 1912. Its patron is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It is a registered charity and seeks to uphold the dignity of knight bachelor and the rights of the degree of knighthood at all times, to register...
from 1995.
See also
- John Brooke-LittleJohn Brooke-LittleJohn Philip Rudolph Dominic Derek Aloysius Mary Brooke-Little, CVO, KStJ, FSA, FSG, FHS, FHG , FRHSC , FHSNZ, KM, GCGCO was an influential and popular British writer on heraldic subjects and a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
- The College of ArmsCollege of ArmsThe College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- HeraldryHeraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...