Portcullis Pursuivant
Encyclopedia
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 instituted around 1485, probably at the time of Henry's coronation
. The badge of office is very similar to that of Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary
, the latter being ensigned with the Royal Crown.
The office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary has been vacant since the promotion of the last holder in 1999.
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 office is named after the Portcullis
Portcullis
A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
chained Or badge
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...
of the Beauforts, which was a favourite device of King Henry VII. King Henry's mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort. The office was instituted around 1485, probably at the time of Henry's coronation
Coronation
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...
. The badge of office is very similar to that of Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary
Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor appears to have been raised to the rank of a royal...
, the latter being ensigned with the Royal Crown.
The office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary has been vacant since the promotion of the last holder in 1999.
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.- (Hen VIIHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
) Ralph Lagysse - 1516-1549 Robert Fayery or Fairy
- 1550-1553 Richard Withers
- 1553-1559 John Cocke
- 1559-1559 Edward Merlin
- 1559-1567 Ralph Langman
- 1567-1571 Robert GloverRobert Glover (officer of arms)Robert Glover was an English Officer of Arms, genealogist and antiquarian in the reign of Elizabeth I. In the College of Arms, he rose to the rank of Somerset Herald of Arms, serving in that capacity from 1571 until his death in 1588...
- 1571-1585 Richard Lee
- 1585-1588 William SegarWilliam SegarSir William Segar was a portrait painter and officer of arms to the court of Elizabeth I of England who became Garter King of Arms under James I....
- 1588-1597 Thomas LantThomas LantThomas Lant was a draftsman and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Lant was born in Gloucester and was one of seven children of Thomas and Mary Lant. When Lant was twelve years old, he became a page to Richard Cheney, the Bishop of Gloucester. When Cheney died in 1579,...
- 1597-1619 Samuel Thompson
- 1619-1625 Philip Holland
- 1625-1633 Thomas Preston
- 1633-1660 John Beauchamp
- 1660-1663 John Wingfield
- 1663- Thomas Holdford
- (Ja IIJames II of EnglandJames II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
) Thomas Holford, jun. - 1689- Laurence Cromp
- (Will IIIWilliam III of EnglandWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
) John Hesketh - 1713-1718 Thomas Wightwick
- 1718-1746 Richard Mawson
- 1746-1780 Peter Toms
- 1780-1817 John-Doddington Forth
- 1817-1822 George Frederick Beltz
- 1822-1838 James Pulman, EsqEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
. - 1838-1841 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....
, KGSJVenerable 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... - 1841-1878 George William Collen, Esq.
- 1878-1882 Arthur Staunton Larken, Esq.
- 1883-1894 William Alexander LindsayWilliam Lindsay (officer of arms)William Alexander Lindsay, CVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Lindsay was the son of Hon. Colin Lindsay and Lady Frances Howard. On 7 May 1870, he married Lady Harriet Gordon, a daughter of the 5th Earl of Aberdeen and Mary Baillie...
, 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 - 1894-1913 Thomas Morgan Joseph-WatkinThomas Joseph-WatkinThomas Morgan Joseph-Watkin was a barrister and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Having spent much of his early life as a cowboy in Texas, Joseph-Watkin began his career at the College of Arms as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1894...
, Esq. - 1913-1922 Keith William Murray, Esq., FSA
- 1922-1926 Hon. Sir George Rothe BellewGeorge BellewSir George Rothe Bellew, KCB, KCVO, KStJ, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms is London. An expert genealogist and armorist, Bellew was appointed to the office of Garter Principal King of Arms–the highest heraldic office in England and Wales.-Personal life:Bellew...
, KCB, KCVORoyal 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 - 1926-1931 Alfred ButlerAlfred ButlerAlfred Trego Butler MVO, MC, FSA was a genealogist and officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Early and personal life:...
, Esq., MVORoyal 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...
, 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....
, FSA - 1931-1943 Sir Anthony Richard WagnerAnthony WagnerSir 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...
, KCB, KCVO, DLittDoctor of LettersDoctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
, FSA - 1949-1957 Charles Murray Kennedy St Clair, 17th Lord Sinclair, 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...
- 1957-1966 Sir Alexander Colin Cole, KCB, KCVO, TDTerritorial DecorationThe Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, FSA - 1970-1980 Michael MaclaganMichael MaclaganMichael Maclagan, CVO, FSA, FRHistS was a British historian, antiquary and herald. He was Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford for more than forty years, and a long-serving officer of arms.-Career:Maclagan was educated at Winchester College and Christ Church, Oxford...
, Esq., CVO, FSA, FRHistSRoyal Historical SocietyThe Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London... - 1981-1992 Peter Brotherton SpurrierPeter SpurrierPeter Brotherton Spurrier was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was appointed Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1981 and York Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1992. He retired from the College of Arms in May 1993....
, Esq. - 1992-1999 William George HuntWilliam Hunt (officer of arms)William George Hunt, CStJ,TD, FCA is the current Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in London. Hunt worked for many years in the City of London as a chartered accountant. He was appointed as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1992 and in 1999 he was appointed as...
, Esq., TD