Somerset Herald
Encyclopedia
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 officer, when he was the only herald to receive coronation
liveries.
By 1525 Somerset was again in private service, on the staff of the Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Henry Fitzroy
, although he was appointed by the King and shared the heralds' fees as a herald extraordinary. On the death of that nobleman in 1536 the herald
returned to the service of the crown, and all later officers called Somerset have been members of the royal household as heralds in ordinary. The badge
of office is A Portcullis
Or Royally Crowned. This is a version of the Beaufort badge
.
The current Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is David Vines White, MA
(Cantab.)
MA
(London
).
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...
. 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 officer, when he was the only herald to receive 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...
liveries.
By 1525 Somerset was again in private service, on the staff of the Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Henry Fitzroy
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset was the son of King Henry VIII of England and his teenage mistress, Elizabeth Blount, the only illegitimate offspring whom Henry acknowledged.-Childhood:...
, although he was appointed by the King and shared the heralds' fees as a herald extraordinary. On the death of that nobleman in 1536 the 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....
returned to the service of the crown, and all later officers called Somerset have been members of the royal household as heralds in ordinary. The 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 office is A 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...
Or Royally Crowned. This is a version of the Beaufort 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...
.
The current Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is David Vines White, MA
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...
(Cantab.)
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...
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...
(London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
).
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.Royal Herald
- (1493) John Young, EsqEsquireEsquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
, escorted Margaret TudorMargaret TudorMargaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
to Edinburgh, 1503. - (1511) John Ponde, Esq.
Herald to the Duke of Richmond and Somerset
- (1511) John Ponde, Esq.
- (1528) William Hastings, Esq.
- (1536) Thomas Traheyron or Trahern, Esq.
Herald of Arms in Ordinary
- 1536-1542 Thomas Traheyron or TrahernThomas Trahern (officer of arms)Thomas Trahern was Somerset Herald, an English officer of arms. His murder was a setback to Anglo-Scottish relations.-Prelude:...
, Esq., killed in Scotland, 25 November 1542. - 1543-1545 Richard Radcliffe, Esq.
- 1545-1551 William Harvey, Esq.
- 1551-1571 Edmond Atkynson, Esq.
- 1571-1588 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...
, Esq. - 1589-1597 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....
, Esq. - 1597-1624 Robert Treswell, Esq.
- 1624-1645 John PhilipotJohn PhilipotJohn Philipot was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Though he successfully attained the position on Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary, he is best known for his production of a roll of arms of the Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports.Philipot was born at Folkestone in 1588 and was...
- ? William Crowne, Esq.
- 1657-1658 George Owen, Esq.
- 1658-1660 Henry Bysshe, Esq.
- 1660-1680 Sir Thomas St George
- 1680-1700 Francis Burghill, Esq.
- 1700-1720 Samuel Stebbing Esq.
- 1720-1759 John WarburtonJohn Warburton (officer of arms)John Warburton was Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in the early 18th century. Warburton was a collector of old drama manuscripts, who is perhaps most notable because of his carelessness. On one occasion, he left a pile of manuscripts in the kitchen. When he came looking...
, Esq., FRSRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, 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... - 1759-1773 Ralph BiglandRalph BiglandRalph Bigland was an English officer of arms and cheesemaker. He was born at Stepney, Middlesex, and was the only son of Richard Bigland and his wife, Mary. His father was a native of Westmorland, descended from the Bigland family of Bigland, Lancashire.-Early career:In 1728 Bigland was...
- 1773-1777 Henry Hastings, Esq.
- 1777-1794 John Charles BrookeJohn Charles BrookeJohn Charles Brooke FSA was an English antiquarian and Somerset Herald at the time of his premature death in 1794.-Early life:...
, Esq, FSA - 1794-1813 John Atkinson, Esq.
- 1813-1854 James Cathrow, Esq.
- 1854-1866 William Courthope, Esq.
- 1866-1872 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...
, Esq., FSA - 1880-1887 Stephen Isaacson Tucker, Esq.
- 1887-1911 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 - 1911-1926 Everard GreenEverard GreenEverard Green, FSA was an English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his heraldic career in 1893 with his appointment as Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. He continued in this post until 9 October 1911 when he was appointed Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary...
, Esq., FSA - 1926-1950 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...
, 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...
, KCVO, FSA - 1951-1967 Michael Roger Trappes-LomaxMichael Trappes-LomaxMichael Roger Trappes-Lomax, FSA was a poet, soldier, historian, and officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
, Esq., FSA - 1967-1982 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., 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...
, 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 - 1982-1997 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 - 2004-Present 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.