Lancaster Herald
Encyclopedia
Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an English
officer of arms
at the College of Arms
in London
. The title of Lancaster Herald first occurs in 1347 at Calais
, and to begin with this officer was a servant to the noble house of Lancaster
. As a retainer of John of Gaunt (1377–1399) Lancaster was advanced to the rank of King of Arms
, and was later promoted to the royal household of Henry IV
(Gaunt's son), and made king of the northern province. This arrangement continued until 1464, when Lancaster reverted to the rank of herald
. Since the reign of King Henry VII (1485–1509) Lancaster has been a herald in ordinary. The badge of office
is a red rose of Lancaster, royally crowned.
The current Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary is Robert John Baptist Noel
, MA (Oxford)
, MPhil (Cambridge
).
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...
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...
. The title of Lancaster Herald first occurs in 1347 at Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, and to begin with this officer was a servant to the noble house of Lancaster
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
. As a retainer of John of Gaunt (1377–1399) Lancaster was advanced to the rank of King 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:...
, and was later promoted to the royal household of Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
(Gaunt's son), and made king of the northern province. This arrangement continued until 1464, when Lancaster reverted to the rank of herald
Herald
A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
. Since the reign of King Henry VII (1485–1509) Lancaster has been a herald in ordinary. The badge of office
Heraldic badge
A heraldic badge is an emblem or personal device worn as a badge to indicate allegiance to or the property of an individual or family. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance...
is a red rose of Lancaster, royally crowned.
The current Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary is Robert John Baptist Noel
Robert Noel
Robert John Baptist Noel is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.Robert Noel is the son of Hon. Gerard Eyre Wriothesley Noel, of Westington Mill, Chipping Campden, and grandson of the fourth Earl of Gainsborough...
, MA (Oxford)
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
, MPhil (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...
).
Holders of the office
Brackets indicate a date or approximate date for which there is evidence that the named person was holder of this office. The reigning monarch is given if the date is not known more precisely.Lancaster Herald to the Earl or Duke of Lancaster
- (1354) Herman (surname unknown)
- (1358) John (surname unknown)
- (1366) Nicholas (surname unknown)
- (1386) Roger Durroit, EsqEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
. - (Ric IIRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
) Richard Bruges, Esq.
Lancaster King of Arms in Ordinary
- (Ric IIRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
) Richard Bruges, Esq. - (1426) John Ashwell, Esq.
- (1436) William Boys, Esq.
- (1447) William Tyndale, Esq.
Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary
- (Edw IVEdward IV of EnglandEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
) James Collier or Collyer, Esq. - (Edw IV) Richard Ashwell, Esq.
- (1486) (name unknown)
- 1509-1526 Thomas Wall, Esq.
- 1526-1527 William Jennings or Jenys, Esq.
- 1527-1531 William Fellows, Esq., made visitation at Carmarthen in 1530.
- 1531-1536 Fulk ap Howell, Esq., re-instated 1539, executed for counterfeiting Clarenceaux's seal, December 1549.
- 1536-1538 Thomas Milner, Esq., condemned for his submission to Robert AskeRobert Aske (political leader)Robert Aske was an English lawyer who became the leader of rebellion in York. He led the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 and was executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1537.-Biography:...
. - 1553-1559 Nicholas Tubman, Esq.
- 1559-1588 John Cocke, Esq.
- 1588-1602 Nicholas Paddy, Esq.
- 1602-1609 Francis ThynneFrancis ThynneFrancis Thynne was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Thynne was born in Kent, the son of William Thynne, who was Master of the Household of King Henry VIII. He attended Tonbridge School. Francis Thynne was an antiquary before being admitted to the College of Arms after several...
, Esq. - 1609-1613 Nicholas CharlesNicholas CharlesNicholas Charles or Carles was an English officer of arms, namely Lancaster Herald between 1609-1613. He made a copy of an early and rare 13th. c. roll of arms, the original of which is now lost,known after him as "Charles's Roll".-References:...
, Esq. - 1613-1637 William Penson, Esq.
- 1637-1641 Thomas Thompson, Esq.
- 1641-1658 William Ryley, Esq.
- 1658-1660 George Barkham, Esq.
- 1660-1665 William Ryley, Esq.
- 1665-1676 Robert Chaloner, Esq.
- 1676-1689 Francis Sandford, Esq.
- 1689-1712 Gregory KingGregory KingGregory King was an English genealogist, engraver and statistician.-Life:Gregory King was born at Lichfield, England. His father was a surveyor and landscape gardener. Gregory was a very bright boy and his father used him as an assistant in his surveying work. At 14 Gregory became a clerk to...
, Esq. - 1712-1713 Rowland Fryth, Esq.
- 1713-1727 John Hesketh, Esq.
- 1727-1729 Stephen Martin LeakeStephen LeakeStephen Martin Leake was a numismatist and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Though he eventually rose to the highest rank in the College, he was born as Stephen Martin and was the only son of Captain Stephen Martin, a naval officer, and his wife, Elizabeth...
, Esq. - 1729-1743 Charles Greene, Esq.
- 1743-1761 Thomas Browne Esq.
- 1761-1774 Sir Isaac HeardIsaac HeardSir Isaac Heard was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his heraldic career as Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. He would go on to hold the posts of Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary, Norroy King of Arms and Brunswick King of Arms. In 1784, he was...
- 1774-1781 Thomas Locke, Esq.
- 1781-1793 Charles, son of Sir Charles TownleyCharles Townley (officer of arms)Sir Charles Townley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Early and private life:Charles Townley was born on Tower Hill in 1713, the son of Charles Townley, of Clapham, Surrey and Sarah Wilde, daughter of William Wilde of Long-Whatton in Leicestershire. His mother...
- 1793-1822 Edmund LodgeEdmund LodgeSir Edmund Lodge, KH , herald, was a long-serving English officer of arms, a writer on heraldic subjects, and a painstaking supplier of short, accurate biographies.-Life and career:...
, Esq., FSASociety of Antiquaries of LondonThe 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... - 1822-1841 Sir George Frederick Beltz KHRoyal Guelphic OrderThe Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, FSA - 1841-1869 Sir Albert William WoodsAlbert WoodsSir Albert William Woods, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, KGStJ, FSA was an English officer of arms. The Woods family has a firm tradition at the College of Arms. Albert Woods was the son of Sir William Woods, Garter Principal King of Arms from 1838 until his death in 1842...
, GCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe 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...
, KCBOrder of the BathThe 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...
, KCMGOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KGStJVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
, FSASociety of Antiquaries of LondonThe 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... - 1870-1882 George Edward CokayneGeorge CokayneGeorge Edward Cokayne FSA was an English genealogist and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Life:...
, Esq., FSA - 1882-1922 Edward Bellasis, Esq.
- 1922-1954 Archibald George Blomefield Russell, Esq., CVORoyal Victorian OrderThe 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...
, FSA - 1954-1968 John Riddell Bromhead WalkerJohn Walker (officer of arms)John Riddell Bromhead Walker, CVO, MC was a soldier and long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London....
, Esq., CVO, MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.... - 1972-1982 Francis Sedley AndrusSedley AndrusFrancis Sedley Andrus, LVO was a long-serving English officer of arms who was Beaumont Herald of Arms Extraordinary. As such, he was a Royal officer of arms, though not a member of the College of Arms in London....
, Esq., LVORoyal Victorian OrderThe 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... - 1982-1995 Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-JonesPeter Gwynn-JonesSir Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior English officer of arms, from 1995 to 2010.-Life and career:...
, Esq., CVO, FSA - 1999–Present Robert John Baptist NoelRobert NoelRobert John Baptist Noel is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.Robert Noel is the son of Hon. Gerard Eyre Wriothesley Noel, of Westington Mill, Chipping Campden, and grandson of the fourth Earl of Gainsborough...
, Esq.