The College of Arms NEWSLETTER May 2004
No. 1	Send an enquiry              Subscribe            Unsubscribe

Arms: Sable a bookcase replenished with Books Or. Supporters: Two Guinea Fowl Sable beaked and legged Or. Motto: Persévérance et Exactitude. The armorial bearings of Baron de Sévelinge, a nobleman under King Henry Christophe of Haiti (ruled 1811-20).             This is just one of the many remarkable coats of arms in the Armorial Général du Royaume d’Hayti, which will be published by the College of Arms next year in full colour, with historical and heraldic introductions and notes: see below for details.

Welcome to the first edition of the College of Arms Newsletter. This has been created to keep interested members of the public up-to-date with the activities of the College of Arms and its officers, including matters of genealogical and heraldic significance such as recent grants of arms and recently recorded pedigrees.

	Recent Grants of Arms			Relevant publications
	In the News			Honours and Appointments
	Events at the College of Arms			Recently recorded pedigrees

Recent Grants of Arms

A small selection of those recently receiving grants or exemplifications from the English kings of arms:

AMPLEFORTH ABBEY Abbot and Trustees. Exemplification of arms granted in 1921 to the Abbot and Governing Body of the Abbey and College of Ampleforth, transferred by Royal Licence dated 1/10/2003. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms, 3/3/2004. College reference: Grants 169/237.

AUCHI Nadhmi Shakir. Arms, crest and badge. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 23/6/2003. College reference: Grants 169 / 196.

CHASE DE VERE Financial Solutions plc. Arms. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms, 22/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/191.

DWYER Sir Joseph Anthony, Kt. Arms, crest and badge. Garter and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms, 27/2/2004. College reference: Grants: 169/235.

FOSTER OF THAMES BANK, Norman Robert (Foster), Baron, OM. Arms, crest, supporters and badge. Garter King of Arms, 30/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/186.

GREY COLLEGE, Durham University. Crest. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms, 25/2/2004. College reference: Grants 169/240.

GROSSMAN Loyd Daniel Gilman, OBE. Arms, crest and badge. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 5/3/2004. College reference: Grants 169/238. See the College website for an illustration and blazon of the arms.

HUBBARD Diana. Arms and four badges. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 23/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/193.

JAMIESON Robert Henry Victor. Arms and crest. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 9/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169 / 233.

McCULLOUGH Sir Iain Charles Robert, Kt, Justice of the High Court. Arms and crest. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 10/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/231.

PERVEZ Sir Mohamed Anwar, Kt, OBE. Arms, crest and badge. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 27/1/2004. College reference: Grants 169/227.

ROSE The Rt Hon Sir Christopher Dudley Roger, Kt, Lord Justice of Appeal. Arms and crest. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 12/1/2004. College reference: Grants 169 / 211.

SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY for the Faculty of Medicine. Arms and crest. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms, 12/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/184.

WILLIAMSON Sir Robert Brian, Kt, CBE. Arms, crest and badge. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms, 6/12/2003. College reference: Grants 169/219.

In the News

Civil Registration: Delivering Vital Change. This is the title of a discussion document produced in June 2003 by the Office of National Statistics as part of the consultation procedure leading up to a government regulatory reform order on the registration of births, marriages and deaths. The text of the document and details of the proposed reforms can be seen on line at the ONS website.  A detailed submission was made in response to the document by Garter King of Arms on behalf of the College of Arms at the start of this year; this voiced general support for some aspects of the proposed reforms, but enunciated specific concerns about the details, many of which are shared by the wider genealogical world, and about the fact that the mechanism of the regulatory reform order (which allows no opportunity for parliamentary debate) should have been chosen for such important measures.

Rouge Croix Pursuivant on television: 8 March 2004. David White (Rouge Croix) appeared in the penultimate part of Terry Jones’s popular television series ‘Medieval Lives’. The theme of the episode was Chivalry, and it featured a visit by Mr Jones to the College of Arms where Rouge Croix showed him a design of arms and crest that might be granted to him. The design of the arms was, needless to say, appropriate to the grantee: a checky shield with a large and menacing python disposed across it.

Coronations Conference: 27 March 2004. Patric Dickinson, Richmond Herald and Earl Marshal’s Secretary, was a member of the expert panel discussing the possible shape of the next Coronation at a well attended conference organized by the Society for Court Studies, which took place at the University of London Senate House. The other members of the panel were Dr Wesley Carr, Dean of Westminster, Colonel Sir Mike Parker, organizer of the Royal Tournament and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, and Daniel Brittain-Catlin, who for many years has produced the BBC coverage of the State Opening of Parliament and other ceremonial events. The discussion was chaired by the Royal biographer Robert Lacey and the conference as a whole was presided over by the historian David Starkey.

Death of Lord Sinclair (formerly York Herald). Lord Sinclair, CVO, died on 1 April. He had been appointed Portcullis Pursuivant in 1949 (as the Master of Sinclair, after a distinguished decade of service in the Coldstream Guards) and advanced to the post of York Herald in 1957. From 1960 he was Genealogist to the Royal Victorian Order. He retired from the College of Arms in 1968 and devoted himself to local affairs in Scotland as a Deputy Lieutenant for Kirkcudbrightshire, Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries and Galloway and in other capacities.

Exhibition on John Pine: 1 July to 18 September 2004. The engraver John Pine (1690-1756) was Bluemantle Pursuivant of arms from 1743 to his death. An exhibition on his life and work is to be held at Freemasons’ Hall, Holborn, between the above dates. The College will be loaning two copies of his engraving of the Procession of the Order of the Bath, 1725, and the tabard of another eighteenth-century herald, John Ives (Suffolk Herald Extraordinary 1774 to 1776).

Filly named after the College of Arms. In March, Chapter (the governing body of the College of Arms) was rather surprised to receive, but very happy to accede to, a request from the Newmarket racing establishment of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Mohammed al Maktoum to allow the name ‘College of Arms’ to be given to a two-year-old filly. College of Arms (illustrated here) is expected to start racing on the flat later this year.

Events at the College of Arms

Evening tours of the College of Arms. As explained on the website, officers of arms frequently host evening tours of the College for groups of not more than twenty. Usually the groups that visit are members of a society or club, though there is no reason why a party of friends, colleagues or associates should not visit. The tour usually consists of a guided visit to the three principal rooms of the College (Earl Marshal’s Court, Waiting Room and Record Room), with a chance to see college manuscripts at close quarters. Refreshments generally follow, this being arranged directly with the herald playing host. In the first third of 2004 parties have been welcomed from bodies including the Institute of Directors, ‘Discovering London’, the Association of Women Solicitors, the Georgian Group, Londres Accueil and the Guild of International Bankers.

Relevant Publications

The Armorial of Haiti. Heraldry enthusiasts and others who know of the remarkable manuscript ‘L’Armorial Général du Royaume d’Hayti’, which has been in the possession of the College of Arms since the mid-nineteenth century, will be delighted to learn that the decision has been taken to publish it in full. The College receives regular requests for photographs of individual pages from the manuscript and it is certain that the publication will arouse great interest in various circles. As with many such publishing ventures, however, the book needs to be largely sold before it can be produced, and subscribers are cordially invited to put their names down for copies. The book, which will be published in 2005, will cost £45; but advance subscribers will pay £29.50 (plus package and posting); if they wish, their names will appear in a subscribers’ list in the book itself. A subscription form will shortly be available on the website at and we would be delighted to send a copy of the leaflet to anyone who requests it by sending us an e-mail to the usual College enquiry address, enquiries@college-of-arms.gov.uk.

‘Despatches’ magazine. An article on the work of the College of Arms by Peter O’Donoghue, a research assistant at the College, appears in the April 2004 number of Despatches, the Magazine of the Friends of the Imperial War Museum, at pages 4-7.

Honours and Appointments

Secretary of the Order of the Garter. On the retirement of Hubert Chesshyre, Clarenceux King of Arms, from the post of Secretary of the Order of the Garter on 1 January, Patric Dickinson, Richmond Herald and Earl Marshal’s Secretary, was appointed to replace him. The duties of the post include the administration of matters relating to the appointment of new Knights of the Garter, and the organization of the Order’s service of thanksgiving which takes place in June each year. In recognition of his services, Hubert Chesshyre was raised to the rank of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the New Year’s Honours List. On 23 March the outgoing and incoming secretaries each had the honour of an audience with Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace, and respectively surrendered and received the badge of office.

Common Council of the City of London. In March William Hunt (Windsor Herald) was one of the seven common councilmen elected for the ward of Castle Baynard (in which the College of Arms stands).

The Heraldry Society. On 5 May David White (Rouge Croix) was elected Deputy Chairman of the Society.

Recently Recorded Pedigrees

A very small selection of pedigrees recently entered into the College’s official records:

ARMYTAGE of Kirklees in the parish of Hartshead, co York, Baronet. A seven-generation succession pedigree showing the descent of the ninth baronet and other members of the family from the fifth baronet who died in 1899. College reference: Norfolk 50/213.

BOWRING of the London Borough of Southwark and of Benhall, co Suffolk. A three-generation pedigree from 1923 to the present day with connected branches of the Tollemache and Kiley families, cross-referenced back to Surrey 18/206. College reference: Surrey 31/167.

CROMWELL of Anne Arundel County and various other counties in Maryland, and subsequently of Franklin and Drake Counties, Ohio. A pedigree of six generations from 1730, with descendant branches of the Legge, Schachne and Marlay families. College references: Surrey 31/73 and Norfolk 51/241.

DAVENPORT of Davenport, co pal Chester. A pedigree of seven generations showing the descent of John Davenport, reversionary tenant of the office of sergeant of the peace for Macclesfield Hundred, who was aged 30 in 1510 and died in or before 1554, from Sir John de Davenport, lord of Davenport, who was aged about 17 in 1305 and died in 1357 or 1358. Cross reference back to Norfolk 41/136. College reference: Norfolk 51/228.

HAVERY (otherwise AVERY) of Shields, Tynemouth and Cullercoats, co Northumberland, and of the City of Westminster. A pedigree of seven generations from 1776 to the present day. College reference: Norfolk 51/225.

TOLHURST of Gravesend, Northfleet, and Tunbridge Wells, co Kent, of Burnham-on-Crouch and Danbury, co Essex, and of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. A five-generation pedigree from 1913 to the present day and cross-referenced back to Grants 59/80 and Surrey 30/291. College reference: Surrey 31/169.