Heralds of England, Scotland and Ireland
Heralds of England
Garter
- 1415-50: William Bruges
- 1450-78: John Smert
- 1478-1504: John Wrythe
- 1505-34: Sir Thomas Wrythe (alias Wriothesley, son of John)
- 1534-6: Thomas Wall
- 1536-50: Sir Christopher Barker KB 1547
- 1550-84: Sir Gilbert Dethick Kt 1549
- 1584-6: vacant (Sir Robert Cook, Clarenceux, acting Garter)
- 1586-1606: Sir William Dethick (son of Sir Gilbert) Kt 1603
- 1607-33: Sir William Segar (d. 1633) Kt 1616
- 1633-43: Sir John Borough (d. 1643) Kt 1624
- 1643-4: Sir Henry St. George (son of Sir Richard, Clarenceux, d. 1635) (1581-1644) Kt 1627
- 1645-77: Sir Edward Walker (1612-77) Kt 1645
- *1643-60: Sir Edward Bysshe, intruded c. 1643, confirmed by Parliament 20 Oct 1646, deposed at Restoration, 1660 (subsequently Clarenceux) (1615-79) Kt 1661
- 1677-86: Sir William Dugdale (1605-86) (previously Norroy) Kt 1677
- 1686-1703: Sir Thomas St. George (eld. son of Sir Henry) (d. 1703) Kt 1669
- 1703-15: Sir Henry St George (2nd surv. son of Sir Henry) (1625-1715) Kt 1677
- 1715-18: vacancy - disputed Gartership
- 1718-44: John Anstis (1669-1744)
- 1744-54: John Anstis (son of above, Joint Garter with his father, 1727-44) (1708-54)
- 1754-73: Stephen Martin Leake (1702-73)
- 1773-4: Sir Charles Townley Kt 1761
- 1774-80: Thomas Browne
- 1780-4: Ralph Bigland (1711-84)
- 1784-1822: Sir Isaac Heard Kt 1786
- 1822-31: Sir George Nayler (1764-1831) Kt 1813, KH 1816
- 1831-8: Sir Ralph Bigland (nephew of Ralph Bigland, above) (1757-1838) Kt 1831
- 1838-42: Sir William Woods (d. 1842) Kt 1832, KH 1834
- 1842-69: Sir Charles George Young (1795-1869) Kt 1842
- 1869-1904: Sir Albert William Woods (1816-1904) Kt 1869, KCB 1897, KCMG 1890, GCVO 1903; son of Sir William Woods
- 1904-18: Sir Alfred Scott Scott-Gatty (1847-1918) KCVO 1911
- 1918-30: Sir Henry Farnham Burke (1859-1930) CVO 1901, KCVO 1919, CB 1910
- 1930-44: Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston (subsequently Norroy & Ulster) (1874-1957)
Kt 1930, KCB 1937, MVO, KCVO 1935; grandson of Sir Albert Woods
- 1944-50: Sir Algar Henry Stafford Howard (1880-1970) KCB 1951, CVO 1934, KCVO 1944, MC
- 1950-61: The Hon. Sir George Rothe Bellew (1899-1993) KCB, MVO 1935, CVO 1949, KCVO 1953
- 1961-78: Sir Anthony Richard Wagner (subsequently Clarenceux) (1908-95) KCB, KCVO 1961
- 1978-92: Sir Alexander Colin Cole (1922-2001) KCB 1992, MVO 1977, CVO 1978, KCVO 1982
- 1992-95: Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan (b. 1924) LVO 1978, CVO 1986, KCVO 1994
- 1995-2010: Peter L. Gwynn-Jones (b. 1940) LVO 1994, CVO 1998, KCVO 2010
- 2010- : Thomas Woodcock (b. 1951) LVO 1996
Clarenceux
- ...
- ?: Thomas Benolt (d. 1534)
- ?: William Harvey (d. 1567)
- : Robert Cooke (d. 1592)
- 1597-1623: William Camden (1551-1623) (see his portrait with coat of arms
- ...
- ?: Sir William Le Neve
- ?: Sir Richard St. George (previously Norroy)
- ?: Sir Edward Bysshe (1615-79)
- ?: Sir Henry St. George (1625-1715)
- 1704-26: Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) Kt 1714
- ...
- -1838: Sir William Woods (later garter)
- 1838-: Edmund Lodge
- -1846: Joseph Hawker (-1846)
- -1848: Francis Martin (-1848)
- 1848-: James Pulman
- -1882: Robert Laurie (-1882)
- 1882-1894: Walter Aston Blount (-1894)
- 1894-1911: George Edward Cokayne (-1911)
- -1919: Sir William Henry Weldon (-1919) CVO, KCVO 1919
- 1919-22: Charles Harold Athill (-1922) MVO
- 1922-26: William Alexander Lindsay (1846-1926) CVO 1924
- 1926-27: Gordon Ambrose de Lisle Lee (1862-1927)
- 1928-1954: Sir Arthur William Steuart Cochrane (1872-1954) MVO 1911, CVO 1931, KCVO 1937
- 1954-1955: Archibald George Blomefield Russell (1879-1955) CVO
- 1956-1967: Sir John Dunamace Heaton-Armstrong (1888-1967) Kt 1953, MVO
- 1968-78: John Riddell Bromhead Walker (1913-84) CVO, MC 1944
- 1978-95: Sir Anthony Wagner (1908-95) (previously Garter)
- 1995-97: John Philip Brooke Brook-Little (1927-2006) MVO 1969, CVO 1984
- 1997- : David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre (b. 1940) LVO 1988, CVO 2004
Norroy
Norroy-Ulster
- 1943-44: Sir Algar Howard (1880-1970) (later Garter)
- 1944-57: Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston (1874-1957) (later Garter)
- 1957-66: Aubrey John Toppin (1881-1969) CVO
- 1966-71: Richard Preston Graham-Vivian (1896-1979)
- 1971-80: Sir Walter John George Verco (1907-2001) MVO 1957, CVO 1970, KCVO 1981
- 1980-95: John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little (1927-2006) (later Clarenceux)
- 1995-97: David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre (b. 1940) (later Clarenceux)
- 1997-2010: Thomas Woodcock (b. 1951) LVO 1996
- 2010- : Patric Laurence Dickinson
See Anthony Richard Wagner: The Heralds of England. London,
HMSO; 1967.
The chief herald of Scotland is Lyon King of Arms. Until 1866 he
had a deputy, called Lyon Depute; when the then-Lyon Depute was appointed
Lyon King of Arms without replacement in 1866, the two offices were thought
to have been merged. The office was thoroughly reformed by an Act of 1867.
- 1399- :Henry Greve
- 1410-21: Douglas
- 1437-: Alexander Nairne (?)
- 1471-: Laird of Woodhead
- 1450-90: Duncan Dundas (?)
- 1489-: Sir Andrew Murray of Truim
- 1496-1512: Henry Thompson of Keillour
- 1512-19: Sir William Cumyng of Inverallochy
- 1522-: Thomas Pettigrew of Magdalensyde
- 1542-55: Sir David Lindsay of the Mount
- 1555: Sir Rovert Forman of Luthrie
- 1567: Sir William Stewart of Luthrie
- 1568: Sir David Lindsay of Rathillet
- 1591: Sir David Lindsay of the Mount
- 1620: Sir Jerome Lindsay of Annatland
- 1630: Sir James Balfour of Denmilne, Bt.
- 1658: Sir James Campbell of Lawers
- 1660: Gilbert Stewart (?)
- 1660: Sir Alexander Durham of Largo
- 1663: Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, Bt.
- 1677: Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo, 2d Bt.
- 1727: Alexander Brodie of that Ilk
- 1754: John Hooke-Campbell of Bangeston. Co. Pembroke
- 1796: Robert Auriol, 10th earl of Kinnoull
- 1804: Thomas Robert, 11th earl of Kinnoull (1785-1866)
- 1866: George Burnett (1822-90)
- 1890: Sir James Balfour Paul (1846-1931) Kt 1900
- 1927: Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (1859-1929)
- 1929: Sir Francis James Grant (1863-1953)
- 1945: Sir Thomas Innes of Learney (1893-1971)
- 1969: Sir James Monteith Grant (1903-81)
- 1981: Sir Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight (b. 1938)
- 2001: Robin Blair (b. 1939)
announcement
of his appointment, Feb 9, 2001
A list of heralds is given in John H. Stevenson's Heraldry in Scotland (1914).
See also Sir Francis James Grant: The Court of the Lord Lyon,
list of His Majesty's officers of arms and other officials with
genealogical notes, 1318-1945. Edinburgh, Printed for the
Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner, 1945.
The current Lyon, Robin O. Blair, a retired lawyer, was a partner in Dundas and
Wilson solicitors. He took office in February 2001.
The previous Lyon, second son of Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, had a rapid
career in Scots heraldry under the tutelage of his father: Falkland
Pursuivant Extraordinary in 1957 (at the extraordinary age of 19!),
Carrick Pursuivant 1958-72, Lyon Clerk 1966-81, Marchmont Herald 1972-81,
Lord Lyon in 1981. In 1978 he produced a 3d edition of his father's
Scots Heraldry.
There is some
biographical information on the Innes (which may or may not
be accurate; there seems to be a confusion between "baron" and "baronet"!).
Note that, since the reform of 1867, the office has been taken very seriously
by its holders, and most Lyons since that date have been scholars of repute in
their own right (Burnett, who contributed to Woodward's Treatise for
the Scottish sections; Paul; Grant; Innes of Learney; Innes of Edingight)>
