Richmond Herald
Encyclopedia
Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms
of the College of Arms
in England. From 1421 to 1485 Richmond was a herald to John, Duke of Bedford
, George, Duke of Clarence
, and Henry, Earl of Richmond
, all of whom held the Honour (estate) of Richmond. However, on the accession of Henry VII
in 1485, Richmond became a king of arms
and remained so until 1510, when the office became that of a herald in ordinary of the Crown. The badge of office is a red rose of Lancaster
dimidiating the white rose en soleil of York
, ensigned by the royal crown. Although this device has all the characteristics of a Tudor
invention, it is likely to be of fairly recent derivation.
The current Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is Clive Cheesman
.
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...
in England. From 1421 to 1485 Richmond was a herald to John, Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
, George, Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. The first three creations were in the Peerage of England, the fourth in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the fifth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The title was first...
, and Henry, Earl of Richmond
Earl of Richmond
The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was held by various Bretons, Normans, the royal families of Plantagenet, Capet, Savoy, Tudor and Stuart.-History:...
, all of whom held the Honour (estate) of Richmond. However, on the accession of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry 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....
in 1485, Richmond became a 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 remained so until 1510, when the office became that of a herald in ordinary of the Crown. The badge of office is a red rose 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...
dimidiating the white rose en soleil of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, ensigned by the royal crown. Although this device has all the characteristics of a Tudor
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
invention, it is likely to be of fairly recent derivation.
The current Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is Clive Cheesman
Clive Cheesman
Clive Edwin Alexander Cheesman is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London, and is currently Richmond Herald, having been appointed on 7 April 2010. Cheesman was formerly a curator in the Department of Coins and Medals in the British Museum. He was Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in...
.
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.Herald of John, Duke of Bedford
- (1430) Peter Bouchard, EsqEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
. - (Hen VIHenry VI of EnglandHenry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
) Thomas More, Esq.
Herald of George, Duke of Clarence
- (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...
) William Brereton, Esq. - (1473) Thomas Griffin, Esq.
Herald of Henry, Earl of Richmond
- (1485) Roger MachadoRoger Machado (officer of arms)Roger Machado was an English diplomat and officer of arms of Portuguese extraction. He lived among the Portuguese merchants at Bruges in 1455.-Early heraldic career:...
, Esq.
King of Arms
- (1485) Roger MachadoRoger Machado (officer of arms)Roger Machado was an English diplomat and officer of arms of Portuguese extraction. He lived among the Portuguese merchants at Bruges in 1455.-Early heraldic career:...
, Esq. - 1498-1510 Robert Browne, Esq.
Herald of Arms in Ordinary
- 1511-1522 John Joyner, Esq.
- 1522-1536 Christopher BarkerChristopher BarkerSir Christopher Barker was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Heraldic career:Barker started his heraldic career as the private officer of arms of Charles Brandon. Barker was made Lisle pursuivant in 1513 and Suffolk Herald in 1517. He is known to have accompanied his employer on...
, Esq. - 1536-1540 John Narboone, Esq.
- 1540-1547 Gilbert DethickGilbert DethickSir Gilbert Dethick Kt FSA was a long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He would eventually rise to the highest heraldic office in England and serve as Garter Principal King of Arms....
, Esq. - 1547-1557 Lawrence DaltonLawrence DaltonLawrence Dalton was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Dalton was one of thirteen children of Roger Dalton of Bispham, Lancashire, and his fourth wife. Lawrence Dalton also had two half-brothers and one half-sister from his father's first marriage...
, Esq. - 1557-1566 Nicholas Narboone, Esq.
- 1566-1585 Hugh Cotgrave, Esq.
- 1585-1597 Richard Lee, Esq.
- 1597-1597 William CamdenWilliam CamdenWilliam Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
, Esq. - 1597-1615 John Raven, Esq.
- 1615-1635 Sir Henry St George
- 1635-1660 George Mainwaring, Esq.
- 1660-1677 Sir Henry St George
- 1677-1704 Henry Dethick, Esq.
- 1704-1707 John Hare, 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...
- 1707-1721 Peter Le NevePeter Le NevePeter Le Neve was an English herald and antiquary. He was appointed Rouge Dragon Pursuivant 17 January 1690 and created Norroy King at Arms on 25 May 1704. From 1707 to 1721 he was Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary, an officer of arms of the College of Arms...
, Esq. - 1721-1722 Robert Dale, Esq.
- 1722-1737 Charles Whinyates, Esq.
- 1737-1755 James Lane, Esq.
- 1755-1763 Francis Grose, FAS
- 1763-1764 Henry Pugolas, Jun., Esq.
- 1764-1780 Peter Dore, Esq.
- 1780-1803 Ralph Bigland the Younger, Esq.
- 1803-1838 Joseph Hawker, Esq.
- 1838-1846 James Pulman, Esq.
- 1846-1873 Matthew Charles Howard-Gibbon, Esq.
- 1873-1882 Henry Harrington Molyneux-Seel, Esq.
- 1882-1889 Arthur Staunton Larken, Esq.
- 1889-1919 Charles Harold AthillCharles AthillCharles Harold Athill, MVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his heraldic career by joining the College of Arms in 1882 as Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. The position lasted until 1889, when he was appointed Richmond Herald of Arms in...
, 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...
, 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... - 1919-1928 Sir Gerald Woods WollastonGerald WollastonSir Gerald Woods Wollaston, KCB, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Wollaston's family had a firm tradition at the College of Arms. Wollaston's great-grandfather was Sir William Woods, Garter Principal King of Arms from 1838 until his death in 1842...
, 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...
, 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... - 1928-1942 Henry Robert Charles MartinHenry Robert Charles MartinHenry Robert Charles Martin was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Martin's first heraldic appointment came on 31 May 1922 when he was made Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary to replace Archibald George Blomefield Russell...
, Esq., FSA - 1943-1961 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 - 1962-1967 Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart de la Lanne-Mirrlees, Esq.
- 1967-1980 John Philip Brooke 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...
, 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 - 1980-1989 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... - 1989-2010 Patric Laurence DickinsonPatric Laurence DickinsonPatric Laurence Dickinson, LVO is Clarenceux King of Arms.Dickinson was educated at Marling School in Stroud, Gloucestershire before going up to Exeter College, Oxford, where he graduated as MA. He was President of the Oxford Union Society and was subsequently called to the bar at the Middle Temple...
, Esq., LVO - 2010-present Clive Edwin Alexander CheesmanClive CheesmanClive Edwin Alexander Cheesman is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London, and is currently Richmond Herald, having been appointed on 7 April 2010. Cheesman was formerly a curator in the Department of Coins and Medals in the British Museum. He was Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in...
, Esq., PhD