The
Garter Principal King of Arms (also
Garter King of Arms or simply
Garter) is the senior
King 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 the senior
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...
of 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...
. He is therefore the most powerful
heraldA 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....
within the juristiction of the College – primarily
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...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
and
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
– and so arguably the most powerful in the world. The position has existed since 1415.
The current Garter Principal King of Arms is
Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-JonesPeter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones, CVO is a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is the current Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior English officer of arms.-Life and career:...
,
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...
),
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...
.
Garter is responsible to the
Earl MarshalEarl Marshal is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Scotland.- England :...
for the running of the College.
The
Garter Principal King of Arms (also
Garter King of Arms or simply
Garter) is the senior
King 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 the senior
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...
of 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...
. He is therefore the most powerful
heraldA 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....
within the juristiction of the College – primarily
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...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
and
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
– and so arguably the most powerful in the world. The position has existed since 1415.
The current Garter Principal King of Arms is
Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-JonesPeter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones, CVO is a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is the current Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior English officer of arms.-Life and career:...
,
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...
),
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...
.
Role
Garter is responsible to the
Earl MarshalEarl Marshal is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Scotland.- England :...
for the running of the College. He is the principal adviser to the
SovereignA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, a form of government in which the country or entity usually ruled or controlled by an individual who usually rules for life or until abdication...
of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
with respect to ceremonial and
heraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, with specific responsibility for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and, with the exception of Canada, for Commonwealth realms of which
The QueenElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
is Sovereign. He also serves as the King of Arms of the Order of the Garter and his seal and signature appear on all grants of arms made by the College.
History
The office takes its name from the
Order of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
.
Henry V of EnglandHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
instituted the office of Garter in 1415 just before sailing for
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
The Garter Principal King of Arms was placed by King Henry V over all the whole body of heralds. He may be said to have two distinct capacities united in his person, one relative to the order of the Garter, the other as head of the College of Arms, and on this account he not only takes an oath in a chapter of the Garter, before the Sovereign and Knights, but as king at arms another oath before the
Earl MarshalEarl Marshal is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Scotland.- England :...
, and therefore he is stiled both principal officer of arms of the most noble order of the Garter and principal king of English arms.
He has power to appoint an herald for his deputy: he must be a native of England and a gentleman bearing arms. It was anciently held that he was neither to be a knight nor a clergyman; but there has been one instance of a Garter having been a foreigner; and since the reign of Henry VII many of them have received knighthood: one was created a knight of the Bath. The office entitles him to the privilege of correcting errors or usurpations in all armorial bearings, to grant arms to such who deserve them, to present to the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons , and the Lords...
a
genealogyGenealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
of every new
peerThe Peerage is a system of titles in the United Kingdom, which represents the upper ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title...
, to assign his place in the chamber of parliament and to give him and the knights of the Bath supporters.
The arms of his office are, according to the official source,
Argent a Cross Gules on a Chief Azure a crown enclosed in a Garter between a lion passant guardant and a fleur de lis all Or. However, some writers have deemed the chief "gules" (red), not "azure" (blue).
Holders of the office
- 1415–1450 William Bruges
William Bruges was an English officer of arms. He is best remembered as the first person appointed to the post of Garter King of Arms, which is currently the highest heraldic office in England.-Origins:...
- 1450–1478 John Smert
- 1478–1504 John Writhe
John Writhe was a long-serving English officer of arms. He was probably the son of William Writhe, who represented the borough of Cricklade in the Parliament of 1450–51, and is most remembered for being the first Garter King of Arms to preside over the College of Arms...
- 1505–1534 Sir Thomas Wriothesley
Sir Thomas Wriothesley was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office.-Personal life:...
- 1534–1536 Sir Thomas Wall
- 1536–1550 Sir Christopher Barker
Sir Christopher Barker was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Heraldic career:Barker started his heraldic career as the private officer of arms of Charles Brandon. Barker was made Lisle pursuivant in 1513 and Suffolk Herald in 1517. He is known to have accompanied his employer on...
- 1550–1584 Sir Gilbert Dethick
Sir Gilbert Dethick, Kt, FSA, was a long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He would eventually rise to the highest heraldic office in England and serve as Garter Principal King of Arms....
- 1584–1586 Vacant
- 1586–1606 Sir William Dethick
Sir William Dethick was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Sir Gilbert Dethick and followed his father as Garter Principal King of Arms...
- 1607–1633 Sir William Segar
Sir 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....
- 1633–1643 Sir John Borough
- 1643–1644 Sir Henry St George
- 1643–1660 Sir Edward Bysshe
- 1645–1677 Sir Edward Walker
Sir Edward Walker was an officer of arms and antiquarian who served as Garter King of Arms.-Early life:Walker was born in 1611 at Roobers in Nether Stowey, Somerset, and entered the household of the great Earl Marshal Thomas Howard in 1633.-Charles I:Walker was in almost constant attendance on...
- 1677–1686 Sir William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale was an English antiquary.-Life:He was born at Shustoke, near Coleshill, Warwickshire, of an old Lancashire family, and he was educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry...
- 1686–1703 Sir Thomas St George
- 1703–1715 Sir Henry St George
- 1715–1718 Disputed Gartership
- 1718–1744 John Anstis
John Anstis was an English officer of arms and antiquarian. He rose to the highest heraldic office in England and became Garter King of Arms in 1718 after years of plotting.-Early life:...
- 1744–1754 John Anstis
John Anstis was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Anstis was born in St Clement Danes, Westminster, and was the seventh child and eldest son of John Anstis and his wife, Elizabeth. He was educated at Westminster School and privately by Michael Maittaire. He graduated from Corpus...
- 1754–1773 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...
- 1773–1774 Sir Charles Townley
Sir Charles Townley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Early and private life:...
- 1774–1780 Thomas Browne
- 1780–1784 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...
- 1784–1822 Sir 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...
- 1822–1831 Sir George Nayler
Sir George Nayler, KH was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Heraldic career:...
- 1831–1838 Sir Ralph Bigland, the Younger
- 1838–1842 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....
- 1842–1869 Sir Charles George Young
Sir Charles George Young served in the heraldic office of Garter King of Arms, the senior member of the College of Arms in England from 1842 until his death in 1869....
- 1869–1904 Sir Albert William Woods
Sir Albert William Woods, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, KGStJ, FSA was an English officer of arms. The Woods family has a firm tradition at the College of Arms. Albert Woods was the son of Sir William Woods, Garter Principal King of Arms from 1838 until his death in 1842...
- 1904–1918 Sir Alfred Scott Scott-Gatty
Sir Alfred Scott Scott-Gatty, KCVO, KStJ, FSA was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London and a successful composer.-Personal life:...
- 1919–1930 Sir Henry Farnham Burke
Sir Henry Farnham Burke, KCVO, CB, FSA was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the only child of Sir John Bernard Burke who was Ulster King of Arms from 1853 until his death in 1892. Henry Farnham Burke was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary...
- 1930–1944 Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston
Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston, KCB, KCVO was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Wollaston's family had a firm tradition at the College of Arms. Wollaston's great-grandfather was Sir William Woods, Garter Principal King of Arms from 1838 until his death in 1842...
- 1944–1950 Sir Algar Henry Stafford Howard
Sir Algar Henry Stafford Howard, KCB, KCVO, MC, TD was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
- 1950–1961 Hon. Sir George Rothe Bellew
Sir 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...
- 1961–1978 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...
- 1978–1992 Sir Alexander Colin Cole
- 1992–1995 Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan
Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan, KCVO, KGCN, FSA, FRHSC was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Having been first appointed to work at the College in 1962, he rose to the office of Garter Principal King of Arms in 1992...
- 1995–2010 Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones
Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones, CVO is a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is the current Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior English officer of arms.-Life and career:...
- 2010–2016 Thomas Woodcock
Thomas Woodcock, LVO, FSA, DL is Her Majesty's Norroy and Ulster King of Arms and appointed Garter Principal King of Arms . He was educated at Eton College. He went on to University College, Durham and Darwin College, Cambridge. Woodcock was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple...
See also
- The Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
- The 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...
External links