Clarenceux King of Arms is an
officer of armsAn 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 ArmsThe 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 is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial
kings of armsKing of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.-Heraldic duties:...
and his jurisdiction is that part of
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
southSouth is one of the cardinal directions and is opposite to the north.By Western convention, the bottom side of a map is south; the southern direction has azimuth or bearing of 180°....
of the
River TrentThe River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire between Biddulph and Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent is...
. The office almost certainly existed in 1420, and there is a fair degree of probability that there was a
Claroncell rex heraldus armorum in 1334. There are also some early references to the southern part of England being termed Surroy, but there is not firm evidence that there was ever a king of arms so called. The title of Clarenceux is supposedly derived from either the Honor (or estates of dominion) of the Clare
earls of GloucesterThe title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A mythical earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear. See also Duke of Gloucester.-Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation :...
, or from the
Dukedom of ClarenceDuke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. The first three creations were in the Peerage of England, the fourth in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the fifth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The title was first...
(1362). With minor variations, the arms of Clarenceux have, from the late fifteenth century, been blazoned as
Argent a Cross on a Chief Gules a Lion passant guardant crowned with an open Crown Or.
The current Clarenceux King of Arms is
David Hubert Boothby ChesshyreDavid Hubert Boothby Chesshyre, CVO is Her Majesty's Clarenceux King of Arms. Both of his parents are of ancient families. However, his paternal line had no authorised coat of arms until he himself procured a grant of arms in 1970 and his paternal grandfather's surname was Isacke and not Chesshyre...
,
Esq.Esquire is a term of British origin , originally used to denote social status.Ultimately deriving from the medieval squires who assisted knights, the term came to be used automatically by men of gentle birth. The social rank of Esquire is that above gentleman...
,
CVOThe Royal Victorian Order
is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognizing distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms,
any members of her family, or any of her...
,
MAA Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic master degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in English, Fine Arts, History, Nursing, Humanities, Geography, Philosophy, Social Sciences or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a...
(
CantabThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
),
DipEdThe Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka...
(
OxonThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
),
FSAThe Society of Antiquaries of London is the world’s premier Learned Society for heritage. It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London in the United Kingdom, along with the Royal Academy and four other leading Learned Societies; the Linnean Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the...
,
FHSThere are several heraldry societies around the world. Some of the more notable ones include:*The Heraldry Society*The Heraldry Society of Scotland*The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada*The American Heraldry Society*The American College of Heraldry...
.
Holders of the office
Brackets indicate a date for which there is evidence the named person held this office
- (1334) Andrew (surname unknown)
- (1383) Richard Spenser
- (1419) William Horsley
- (1425) John Cosoun
- (1435) Roger Legh or Lygh
- (1461) William Hawkeslowe
- 1476-1483 Sir Thomas Holme
- 1483-1516 Roger Machado
Roger Machado was an English diplomat and officer of arms of Portuguese extraction. He lived among the Portuguese merchants at Bruges in 1455.-Early heraldic career:...
- 1516-1534 Thomas Benolte
- 1534-1536 Thomas Tonge
- 1536-1557 Thomas Hawley
Thomas 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...
- 1557-1567 William Harvey
- 1567-1594 Robert Cooke
- 1594-1597 Richard Lee
- 1597-1623 William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, and officer of arms. He wrote the first topographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
- 1623-1635 Sir Richard St George
Sir Richard St George was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms on London during the seventeenth century. The date of birth of Richard St George is unknown, though he was married in 1575 and joined the College of Arms in 1602...
- 1635-1646 Sir William Le Neve
- 1646-1650 Arthur Squibb
- 1650-1658 Sir Edward Bysshe
- 1658-1661 William Ryley
- 1661-1680 Sir Edward Bysshe
- 1680-1704 Sir Henry St George
- 1704-1726 Sir John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard...
- 1726-1741 Knox Ward
- 1741-1755 Stephen Martin Leake
Stephen Martin Leake was a numismatist and long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Though he eventually rose to the highest rank in the College, he was born as Stephen Martin and was the only son of Captain Stephen Martin, a naval officer, and his wife, Elizabeth...
- 1755-1773 Charles Townley
Sir Charles Townley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Early and private life:...
- 1773-1780 Ralph Bigland
Ralph 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...
- 1780-1803 Isaac Heard
Sir Isaac Heard was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his heraldic career as Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. He would go on to hold the posts of Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary, Norroy King of Arms and Brunswick King of Arms. In 1784, he was...
- 1803-1820 George Harrison
- 1820-1822 Sir George Nayler
Sir George Nayler, KH was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Heraldic career:...
- 1822-1831 Sir Ralph Bigland
Ralph 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...
- 1831-1838 Sir William Woods
Sir William Woods was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was an illegitimate son of the Duke of Norfolk and was appointed to the post of Clarenceux King of Arms in 1831. In 1838, he was promoted to Garter Principal King of Arms, which position he held until his death in 1842....
- 1838-1839 Sir Edmund Lodge
Sir Edmund Lodge, KH was a long-serving English officer of arms and a writer on heraldic subjects. He was born in London on 13 June 1756 and was the son of Edmund Lodge, rector of Carshalton, Surrey. He held a Cornet's commission in the army, which he resigned in 1773. In 1782 he became...
- 1839-1846 Joseph Hawker
- 1846-1848 Francis Martin
Francis Martin 1652-1722 was an Irish Augustinian.He was born in Galway during the occupation of the town by the Cromwellian army, his family been one of the Tribes of Galway. He was educated in one of the secret schools in the city. In 1673 he began his studies for the priesthood in Louvain with...
- 1848-1859 James Pulman
- 1859-1882 Robert Laurie
- 1882-1894 Walter Aston Blount
Walter Aston Edward Blount Esq. FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was born the eldest son of Edward Blount...
- 1894-1911 George Edward Cokayne
George Edward Cokayne FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Life:Cokayne was baptised with the name of George Edward Adams. On 2 December 1856, he married Mary Dorothea Gibbs, daughter of George Henry Gibbs and Caroline Crawley. Cokayne studied law at university...
- 1911-1919 Sir William Henry Weldon
- 1919-1922 Charles Harold Athill
Charles Harold Athill MVO FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He began his heraldic career by joining the College of Arms in 1882 as Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. The position lasted until 1889, when he was appointed Richmond...
- 1922-1926 William Alexander Lindsay
William Alexander Lindsay, CVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Lindsay was the son of Hon. Colin Lindsay and Lady Frances Howard. On 7 May 1870, he married Lady Harriet Gordon, a daughter of the 5th Earl of Aberdeen and Mary Baillie...
- 1926-1927 Gordon Ambrose de Lisle Lee
Gordon Ambrose de Lisle Lee, CB, CVO was a British officer of arms.Born in Aberdeen, the son of the Reverend F. G. Lee, vicar of All Saints, Lambeth, he was educated at St Mary's College, Harlow and Westminster School and became an artist and designer. In 1889 he joined the College of Arms as...
- 1928-1954 Sir Arthur William Stuart Cochrane
Sir Arthur William Steuart Cochrane, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London....
- 1954-1955 Archibald George Blomefield Russell
- 1956-1967 Sir John Dunamace Heaton-Armstrong
Sir John Dunamace Heaton-Armstrong, MVO was a long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.During the First World War he was commissioned into the Cavalry Branch of the Reserve of Officers of the British Indian Army as a second lieutenant, and was later promoted to...
- 1968-1978 John Riddell Bromhead Walker
John Riddell Bromhead Walker, CVO, MC was a soldier and long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London....
- 1978-1995 Sir Anthony Richard Wagner
Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, KCB, KCVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He served as Garter Principal King of Arms before retiring to the post of Clarenceux King of Arms...
- 1995-1997 John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little
John Philip Rudolph Dominic Aloysius Mary Brooke-Little, CVO, KStJ, FSA, FSG, FHS, FHG , FRHSC , FHSNZ, KM, GCGCO was an influential and popular British writer on heraldic subjects and a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
- 1997-Present David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre
David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre, CVO is Her Majesty's Clarenceux King of Arms. Both of his parents are of ancient families. However, his paternal line had no authorised coat of arms until he himself procured a grant of arms in 1970 and his paternal grandfather's surname was Isacke and not Chesshyre...
External links