September 2005 Newsletter (No. 6)

The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the Death of Admiral Lord Nelson was commemorated in London by a flotilla of over forty boats, which sailed upstream from Greenwich to Westminster on 16 September 2005, following the route taken by Nelson's funeral procession on 8 January 1806. Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, York Herald, took his position, in uniform, just in front of the funeral barge itself.

The College of Arms will mark this last great heraldic funeral with a photo-graphic exhibition of items from the archives that relate to Nelson and his evolving armorial bearings. The exhibition will take place from early October in the Earl Marshal's Court at the College of Arms, and admission will be free. For further information contact the College of Arms. Illustrated left are the Arms exemplified to William, Earl Nelson following the death of his brother Horatio. A further augmentation was added to the shield in 1807 in honour of Trafalgar.

Welcome to the sixth 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. It is produced every three months and sent automatically and free to those who subscribe by entering their name and e-mail address in our mailing list. Other benefits for those who submit their names in this way include advance notice of College of Arms events, relevant publications, and media appearances. If you wish to remove your name from this list, to send the newsletter on to a friend, or send a genealogical or heraldic enquiry to the College, please make use of the links listed at the top of this page.

In Memoriam

Open House Weekend: the College of Arms was open to the public on Saturday 17 September as part of the Open London scheme. Tours were conducted of the Earl Marshal's Court, the Waiting Room and the Record Room, with some of the College's manuscripts on display. Over 400 people took the opportunity to visit the College and see parts of the building not normally open to the public. Officers and volunteers were on hand to conduct tours and answer the many questions that were asked about heraldry, genealogy and the work of the College.

450th Anniversary: Letters Patent were issued by Philip and Mary on 18 July 1555, re-incorporating the heralds, and giving them a new home, Derby Place, on which site they remain today. To mark this anniversary a photograph of the 1555 Charter has been on display in the Earl Marshal's Court since July, together with a transcription and translation of the Latin text. Also on display are photographs of the Charter of Richard III by which the heralds were first incorporated, and the Letters Patent granted by Edward VI in 1549 which confirmed certain privileges and exemptions enjoyed by the heralds.

Recent Grants of Arms

A very small selection of those recently receiving grants or exemplifications from the English Kings of Arms:

FARRIS, Celia Upton of Palm Beach, State of Florida, USA. Arms and Badge. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms. 25/4/2005. College reference: Grants 170/273.

EMMS, David Acfield, of Birdham, co. West Sussex, OBE. Arms and Crest. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 10/6/2005. Grants 170/307.

HARVEY, Right Reverend Robert Condit, of Winchester, State of New Hampshire, USA, formerly Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest, son of the late Hamilton St John HARVEY, born in Canada. Honorary Arms, Crest and Badge. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms. 28/12/2004. College reference: Grants 170/267.

HILL, John Andrew Patrick, of Sible Hedingham, co. Essex, CMG, CBE. Arms, Crest and Badge. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 18/9/2004. College reference: Grants 170/307.

KNOTT, Michael, of Bangor, Co. Down. Arms, Crest and Badge. Garter and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms. 14/6/2005. College reference: Ulster Grants 4/211.

LAW SOCIETY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. Arms. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms. 27/5/2005. College reference: Grants 170/300.

TAYLOR, Enid, of the London Borough of Haringey, wife of Thomas Henry Taylor. Arms. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 5/5/2005. College reference: Grants 170/277.

TRUSCOTT, Peter Derek (Truscott), Baron, of the City of Westminster. Arms, Crest, Badge and Supporters. Garter King of Arms. 20/4/2005. College reference: Grants 170/256.

TUGENDHAT, Sir Michael George, of the City of Westminster, Knight, one of Her Majesty's Justices of the High Court of Justice. Arms and Crest. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 24/3/2005. College reference: Grants 170/269.

WILLIAMS, Sir Charles Othniel, of St Lucy in the Island of Barbados, Knight. Arms, Crest and Badge. Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms. 24/11/2004. College reference: Grants 170/252.

Appointments

Phillip Patrick O'Shea, LVO, New Zealand Herald Extraordinary and Special Advisor on Honours to the Cabinet Office, New Zealand, was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2005.

David Rankin-Hunt, MVO, MBE, TD, Norfolk Herald Extraordinary, administrator of the Royal Collection, was appointed LVO in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2005.

Patric Dickinson, Richmond Herald, has been elected President of the Society of Genealogists. This follows several years' service as a Vice-President of the Society; the former President, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, has now been appointed Patron of the Society.

Appearances

Shakespeare's Globe: two manuscripts from the College archives are currently on display at Shakespeare's Globe, London, as part of the exhibition Shakespeare and the Gunpowder Plot. This interactive exhibition marks the 400th anniversary of the plot. The College manuscripts shed light on both sides of the question: one provides information about the Catesby family, and the other relates to Lord Monteagle, the discoverer of the plot.

Royal Heraldry Society of Canada Annual Convention 2005: Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, York Herald, addressed the Convention, which was held this year in Edmonton, Alberta, and which celebrated the centenary of the founding of Alberta. His lecture, which took place on Saturday 24 September 2005, was entitled 'Musical Instruments in Heraldry'.

College of Arms Foundation: York Herald will attend a reception in his honour in New York City, on 29 September 2005. Details of the Foundation, which supports the work of the College of Arms in the USA and which organizes a full programme of events, may be had from http://www.coaf.us.

Lectures

Nelson and Trafalgar: David White, Somerset Herald, is to address the Heraldry Society on 19 October 2005 on the subject of 'The Heraldry of Trafalgar'; he will speak on a similar theme at the Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth on 16 November 2005. On 3 December 2005 he will present a lecture to the Heraldry Society of Scotland on the subject of 'The Heraldry of Nelson'.

Publications

The Visitation of London begun in 1687, edited by T. C. Wales and C. P. Hartley, drawing on earlier work by J. L. O. Holden and G. D. Squibb (London, 2004), was recently despatched to subscribers by The Harleian Society. This important two-volume work comprises transcripts of certain manuscripts in the records of the College of Arms and elsewhere relating to the Visitation made by Sir Henry St George, Clarenceux King of Arms, with very full notes and supporting material. Detailed information about many London families is included, with blazons of Arms and edited pedigrees, and over 1,800 persons are listed. This and other publications are available from the Harleian Society by writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Carol Hartley, one of the editors of the work and a Research Assistant at the College of Arms, published an article in the September edition of the Genealogists' Magazine, journal of the Society of Genealogists, entitled 'In the footsteps of Sir Henry St George: Editing the Heralds' Visitation of London begun in 1687'.

Jane Austen Society: an article concerning the armorial bearings of the Austen, Knight, Leigh and Perrot families by Carol Hartley was included in the Annual Report of the Jane Austen Society 2004, published in June 2005.

The Coat of Arms: An article entitled 'Tudor Enigmas' by Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter King of Arms, appears in the September issue of The Coat of Arms, journal of the Heraldry Society. It raises certain points of interest in relation to the history of the College of Arms and of heraldry in the sixteenth century, and is furnished with substantial appendices. In the same issue of the journal, Jackson Armstrong discusses the biographies of early heralds in the New Dictionary of National Biography.

Recently Recorded Pedigrees

BOSTOCK of Stafford. A five-generation pedigree showing descendants of the Bostock family of Stafford, co. Stafford, who include Dudley Herbert Bostock of Stafford (born 1874) and his brother Geoffrey Rowley Bostock of Hampstead, co. London (born 1880). Cross-referenced to Surrey 18/280-3 and Surrey 18/308-9. College reference: Norfolk 51/38.

DAWSON of Offham, co. East Sussex. Three generations headed by Paul Wakeham Dawson of Offham, and including connections to the Gibbs and Harmer families. Cross-referenced to Surrey 30/158. College reference: Surrey 31/215.

FROST of Sheffield, co. South Yorkshire. A pedigree of four generations showing a descent from Frank Raymond Frost of Sheffield. Cross-referenced to Surrey 8/318. College reference: Surrey 31/203.

INCE of Barbados. A pedigree of ten generations headed by John Ince of the parish of St John, Barbados, who was living there in 1715, and including a connection with the Cave family. Cross-referenced to Norfolk 50/54. College reference: Norfolk 51/42.

LLOYD of Brynlluarth co. Denbigh, Bugden co. Huntingdon, North and South Collingham and Mattersey co. Nottingham, Manchester co. pal. Lancaster and Barrowby co. York. A six-generation pedigree showing the descent of George Lloyd of Barrowby and of Hulme Hall, Manchester (died 1783), from Ieuan or Evan Lloyd ap Rhys ap Llywelyn ap Dafydd of Brynlluarth, and from Nicholas SHEPPARD (died 1587), Archdeacon of Northampton and Master of St John's College Cambridge. Connected with GETHIN or GETHING of Plas Cernioge co. Denbigh and Islington co. Middlesex, and cross-referenced to 13D14/112, Vincent 136/793 and Protheroe 6/54. College reference: Surrey 31/209.

SASSER of Georgia and Florida, USA. A pedigree of four generations showing a descent from Amos Howell Sasser of Grady County, Georgia (Born 1856, died 1941). College reference: Surrey 31/229.

SEAGROVES of Florida and New York, USA. An eight-generation pedigree which shows the descent of the Seagroves family from Mark Andrews of Cumberland County, formerly of Essex County, Virginia (born 1724, died 1775). It descends via his great granddaughter Catherine who married Robert Sinclair Holloway of Upson County, Georgia, and via the Davis family. College reference: Norfolk 51/28.

STEERE of Western Australia. A pedigree of four generations showing the descent from Frederick John Lee Steere of Moora, Western Australia and later of Victoria, Australia. Cross-referenced to Surrey 12/102, Surrey 22/146. College reference: Surrey 31/217.

Elsewhere in the Records

GILES, David Peter Vaughan Lindsay of Bude, co. Cornwall. Following a petition a Royal Licence was granted by Her Majesty enabling him to take the additional surname of GOODING, and to bear the Arms of Gooding, on 2 December 2004. College reference: I.85/179. The Arms, Crest and Badge of Gooding were duly exemplified by Letters Patent to David Peter Vaughan Lindsay Gooding Giles. Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms. 27/5/2005. College reference: Grants 170/305.

« December 2005 Newsletter (No. 7) June 2005 Newsletter (No. 5) »