Rouge Croix Pursuivant
Encyclopedia
Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms
of the College of Arms
. The office is named after St George's Cross
which has been a symbol of England
since the time of the Crusades
. The office is vacant, after the promotion of the last holder, David White, to Somerset Herald
in 2004.
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...
. The office is named after St George's Cross
St George's Cross
St George's Cross is a red cross on a white background used as a symbolic reference to Saint George. The red cross on white was associated with St George from medieval times....
which has been a symbol of 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...
since the time of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. The office is vacant, after the promotion of the last holder, David White, to Somerset Herald
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...
in 2004.
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 IVHenry IV of EnglandHenry 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...
) Nicholas Serby - (Hen IV) Richard Boys
- (Hen VHenry V of EnglandHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
) Giles Waster - (Hen V) Roger Legh or Lygh
- (Hen V) John WritheJohn WritheJohn Writhe was a long-serving English officer of arms. He was probably the son of William Writhe, who represented the borough of Cricklade in the Parliament of 1450–51, and is most remembered for being the first Garter King of Arms to preside over the College of Arms...
- (1422) John Mowbray
- (Hen VI) Robert Ashwell
- (Hen VI) James Billett
- (Hen VI) John Mallett
- (Hen VI) Robert Dunham
- (Hen VI) Richard Ashwell
- (Hen VI) John Ballard
- (Hen VI) Thomas Holme
- (Hen VI) John More
- (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 Carlill - (Edw IV) Roger Stanford
- (Edw IV) Richard Slacke
- (Edw IV) John Water or Walter
- (Edw IV) Thomas Benolt
- (Edw IV) Thomas Waters
- (Edw IV) Robert Browne
- (Edw IV) William Jenyns
- (Edw IV) Thomas Tonge
- (1484) George Berry
- (1485) Richard Greenwood
- (1492) (name unknown)
- 1505-1509 William WriothesleyWilliam WriothesleyWilliam Wriothesley or Wrythe was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the second son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe; the younger brother of Thomas Wriothesley; and the father of Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton.-Personal life:Wriothesley was probably born in...
- 1509-1515 Thomas HawleyThomas HawleyThomas Hawley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his career of royal service as a groom porter to Queen Margaret of Scotland from her marriage in 1503 until 1508...
- 1515-1520 Laurence de la Gatta
- 1521-1521 Thomas Wall
- 1524-1535 Charles WriothesleyCharles WriothesleyCharles Wriothesley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the last member of a dynasty of heralds that started with his grandfather—Garter Principal King of Arms John Writhe.-Personal life:...
- 1535-1538 Bartholomew Butler
- 1538-1540 Thomas Stevenson
- 1540-1541 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....
- 1541-1543 Justinian Barker
- 1543-1546 William FlowerWilliam Flower (officer of arms)William Flower was an English Officer of Arms in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. He rose to the rank of Norroy King of Arms, serving in that capacity from 1562 until his death in 1588.-Life and work:...
- 1546-1547 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...
- (Edw VIEdward VI of EnglandEdward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
) Simon Newbald - 1551-1553 Nicholas Tubman
- 1553-1566 Henry Cotgrove
- 1566-1569 William DethickWilliam DethickSir William Dethick was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Sir Gilbert Dethick and followed his father as Garter Principal King of Arms...
- 1569-1580 Thomas Dawes
- 1580-1592 Ralph BrookeRalph BrookeRalph Brooke was an English Officer of Arms in the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. He is known for his critiques of the work of other members of the College of Arms, most particularly in A Discoverie of Certaine Errours Published in Print in the Much Commended 'Britannia' 1594, which touched...
- 1592-1604 Thomas Knight
- 1604-1619 William Wyrley
- 1619-1621 John GuillimJohn GuillimJohn Guillim was an antiquarian and officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is, perhaps, best remembered for his monumental work A Display of Heraldry which was first published in London in 1610....
- 1621-1624 Augustine VincentAugustine Vincent-Life:He was born presumably in Northamptonshire, about 1584, third and youngest son of William Vincent and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Mabbott of Walgrave, merchant of the staple. He early obtained a post in the Tower of London. He had access to the documents preserved in the Tower, and...
- 1624-1626 John Bradshaw
- 1626-1637 George Owen
- 1637-1638 Edward WalkerEdward Walker (officer of arms)Sir Edward Walker was an officer of arms and antiquarian who served as Garter King of Arms.-Early life:Walker was born in 1611 at Roobers in Nether Stowey, Somerset, and entered the household of the great Earl Marshal Thomas Howard in 1633.-Charles I:Walker was in almost constant attendance on...
- 1638-1639 Henry Lilly
- 1639- William DugdaleWilliam DugdaleSir William Dugdale was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.-Life:...
- (intruded) Robert Browne
- (intruded) Everard Exton
- 1660-1677 Henry Dethick, EsqEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
. - 1677-1686 Henry Ball
- 1686-1688 Charles Mawson
- 1688- Samuel Stebbing
- (AnneAnne of Great BritainAnne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
) 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... - (Anne) John Bound
- 1722-1725 Richard Graham
- 1725-1751 John Pomfret
- 1751-1752 Alexander Cozens
- 1752?-1773 Henry Hastings
- 1773-1777 John Charles Brooke, 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...
- 1777-1784 Francis Townsend
- 1784-1794 John Atkinson
- 1794-1803 Joseph Hawker
- 1803-1823 William Radclyffe
- 1823-1839 Robert Laurie
- 1839-1854 William Courthope
- 1854-1866 James Robinson PlanchéJames PlancheJames Robinson Planché was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including extravaganza, farce, comedy, burletta, melodrama and opera...
- 1866-1872 John von Sonnentag de HavillandJohn de HavillandJohn von Sonntag de Havilland, FSA was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London during the 19th century...
- 1872-1880 Stephen Isaacson Tucker
- 1880-1887 Sir Henry Farnham BurkeHenry BurkeSir Henry Farnham Burke, KCVO, CB, FSA was a long serving Irish officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Biography:Henry Burke was a son of Sir Bernard Burke . Henry Burke was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1880...
, 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...
, CBOrder 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...
, FSA - 1887-1904 George William MarshallGeorge William Marshall-External links:**...
, Esq., LLD, FSA - 1904-1915 Sir Arthur William Stuart CochraneArthur CochraneSir Arthur William Steuart Cochrane, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Biography:...
, KCVO - 1915-1922 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 - 1922-1928 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 - 1928-1941 Philip Walter Kerr, 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...
, FSA - 1947-1954 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.... - 1954-1960 Sir Walter John George VercoWalter VercoSir Walter John George Verco, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms who served in many capacities at the College of Arms in London.-Biography:...
, KCVO - 1961-1967 Rodney DennysRodney DennysLieutenant-Colonel Rodney Onslow Dennys, CVO, OBE, FSA was a British foreign service operative and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. During World War II he served in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army.Dennys joined the Foreign Service in 1937, serving in...
, Esq., CVO, OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FSA - 1970-1978 David Hubert Boothby ChesshyreHubert ChesshyreDavid Hubert Boothby Chesshyre, CVO served for more than forty years as an officer of arms to Queen Elizabeth II.-Family background:...
, Esq., CVO, FSA - 1978-1982 Thomas WoodcockThomas Woodcock (officer of arms)Thomas Woodcock, CVO, DL, FSA is Garter Principal King of Arms.Woodcock was educated at Eton College. He went up to University College, Durham, where he obtained a BA degree, and subsequently to Darwin College, Cambridge, where he received his LLB degree. Woodcock was called to the Bar at the...
, 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...
, FSA - 1983-1993 Henry Edgar Paston-BedingfeldHenry Paston-BedingfeldSir Henry Edgar Paston-Bedingfeld, 10th Baronet is an Officer-at-Arms of the College of Arms in London, EC4.He currently serves as Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, the junior of the two provincial Kings-at-Arms, to which office he was appointed 20 September 2010...
, Esq. - 1995-2004 David Vines WhiteDavid White (officer of arms)David Vines White is Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in London.White was educated at Marlborough College, before going up to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he obtained the degree of MA...
, Esq.