Francis Jones (Welsh historian)
Encyclopedia
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...
, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, KStJ (5 July 1908 – 14 December 1993), was an author, archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and 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...
.
Early and private life
Born in TrefinTrefin
Trefin is a village in the Welsh-speaking area of Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is sometimes given the anglicised spelling Trevine, particularly on older maps, although the official name is now Trefin in both English and Welsh. Trefin has derived its name from the Welsh name 'Trefaen' which...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Francis Jones was educated at Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
County School, and eventually became a schoolmaster. He began to work on the county records held at Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
in 1931 and he made a report to the county council in 1936. He then secured an appointment in the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
, 1936-1939. Following war service and subsequent work on the official history of the Sicilian and Italian campaigns, he was appointed the first County Archivist of Carmarthenshire, serving from 1958-1973. He had married Ethel Charles in 1932 - they had two sons and two daughters. Jones died in Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
and was commemorated at the Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf
St Benet Paul's Wharf
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is the Welsh church of the City of London. Since 1555, it has also been the church of the College of Arms, and many officers of arms are buried there. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.-History:...
, which has been the religious home of the College of Arms since 1555.
Military career
Jones was commissioned into 4th BattalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, The Welch Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, but was subsequently transferred to the Pembroke Yeomanry
Pembroke Yeomanry
The Pembroke Yeomanry were formed in 1794, by Lord Milfordwhen King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was Prime Minister of Great Britain, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its King and which possessed a...
. He entered active service in 1939, and later took part in the North African landings and Battle of Beja, for which he was mentioned in despatches. He later fought in the Sicilian campaign and landing, then after landing at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
fought in the Italian campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
up to the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
as second in command of the regiment. He was subsequently posted as a General Staff Officer to the War Cabinet Offices, Historical Section, where he wrote the Official War Record for the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. He was later appointed Battery Commander in the Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary's Regiment)
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
.
Heraldic career
In 1963 the office of Wales Herald of Arms ExtraordinaryWales Herald Extraordinary
Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current English officer of arms extraordinary. Wales is a royal herald, but is not a member of the chapter of the College of Arms, but who process with the other heralds on ceremonial occasions...
was revived, in anticipation of the investiture of Prince Charles as 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...
, and Francis Jones appointed. (The last recorded reference to a Wales Herald was in the late fourteenth century.) In this capacity he was on the Earl Marshal
Earl Marshal
Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England...
's staff for the State funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, and officiated at the investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
of the Prince of Wales in 1969. Over the next 30 years he participated in State ceremonial with the officers of arms in ordinary
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...
of 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...
on occasions such as the State Opening of Parliament
State Opening of Parliament
In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December or, in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembles...
and the Garter service.
Writing career
Jones was a prolific writer with several hundred articles, essays and books published. He also appeared on BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio and television programs.
His main published works include
- The Holy Wells of Wales (1954)
- God bless the Prince of Wales: four essays for investiture year, 1969. (1969) ISBN 0-9500534-0-6
- The Princes and principality of Wales (1969) ISBN 0-900768-20-7
- Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families (1987) ISBN 0-906972-02-7
- A catalogue of Welsh manuscripts in the College of Arms (1988) ISBN 0-9500207-9-6
- Historic houses of Pembrokeshire and their families (1996) ISBN 0-9528344-0-5
- Treasury of historic Pembrokeshire (1998) ISBN 0-9528344-2-1
- Historic Cardiganshire Homes and their families (2000) ISBN 0-9528344-4-8
- Treasury of historic Carmarthenshire (2002) ISBN 0-9528344-6-4
Honours and appointments
Jones received the Territorial DecorationTerritorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
with three clasps for his military service. He was created a Commander of the Royal Victorial Order
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...
and Knight of the Order of St John. He was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
and received an Honorary Master of Arts degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
Among the many other positions he held and societies to which he belonged were:
- Deputy LieutenantDeputy LieutenantIn the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
DyfedDyfedDyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe... - Vice-President Dyfed Local Council
- Governor of the National Library of WalesNational Library of WalesThe National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
- CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
County Archivist 1958-1973 - Member of GorseddGorseddA gorsedd plural gorseddau, is a community or coming together of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is occasionally spelled gorsedh , or goursez in Brittany....
- Member of the Historical Society of the Church in WalesChurch in WalesThe Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
- President of the Cambrian Archaeological Society
- CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
History Association - PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
Record Society - Croeso ’69 Committee
- Académie Internationale d'HéraldiqueAcadémie Internationale d'HéraldiqueL'Académie Internationale d'Héraldique is a prestigious body that was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. Admission is by election, and the number of active academicians is limited to 75. There is no limit to the number of...
- Heraldry SocietyHeraldry SocietyThere are several heraldry societies around the world. Some of the more notable ones include:*The Heraldry Society*The Heraldry Society of Scotland*The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada*The American Heraldry Society*The American College of Heraldry...
- Honorable Society of Cymmrodorion
- Honorary Member of Mark Twain Society, USA