Armorial Bearings of the GWILLIM family of Wellington, of Trippenkennet, and of Whitchurch, Herefs

John Guillim (c. 1565 – 7 May 1621) of

Minsterworth Minsterworth is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the border of the City of Gloucester, on the north bank of the River Severn (effectively on the western side of the river) and on the A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow. Mi ...

, Gloucestershire, was an antiquarian and

officer of arms An 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; * to conserve a ...

at the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He is best remembered for his monumental work on heraldry, ''A Display of Heraldry'', first published in London in 1610.

Early life and education

Most sources date the birth of John Guillim to 1565 in the county of Hereford. Dictionary of National Biography (Vol. 23), ed. Stephen, Leslie, Sir, 1890 However, it is possible he may have been born around 1550. He was the son of John Guillim of

Westbury-on-Severn Westbury-on-Severn is a rural village in England that is the centre of the large, rural parish, also called Westbury-on-Severn. Location The village is situated on the A48 road (between Minsterworth and Newnham on Severn) and bounded by the R ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. This part of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is very close to the border with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and Guillim's ancestors were probably of Welsh extraction. He was educated at

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Heraldic career

Guillim Display of Heraldrie 3rd edition

The first record of his involvement with heraldry is the

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

's warrant, dated 23 February 1604, permitting him to wear the

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more develope ...

of the Portsmouth Pursuivant Extraordinary. From

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...

1613 he was receiving a salary from the

, although his official appointment as Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary was not made until 1618 The ''Display of Heraldry'' was written in about 1610 and was re-printed as early as 1611. Following Guillim's death seven further editions of the work appeared, the last in 1724. Some sources suggest that the original author of the ''Display of Heraldry'' was in fact a clergyman named John Barkham who was unwilling to have the work published in his own name. The early writings on English heraldry, including Guillim, "not only perpetuate the nonsensical natural history of olden days but are largely responsible for erroneous beliefs about heraldic charges having definite symbolic meanings and their being granted as rewards for valorous deeds—beliefs that today are perpetuated by the vendors of mail-order and shopping mall family coats of arms."

Marriage and children

John Guillim of

married Frances Denys, second daughter of Richard Denys (1525-1593), MP, of Cold Ashton and Siston Court, Gloucestershire, by his wife Anne St John, daughter of Sir John St. John of Bletsoe. By Frances he had the following children, 5 boys and 6 girls:The Visitation of the County of Gloucester taken in the Year 1623 by Henry Chitty and John Phillipot as Deputies to William Camden Clarenceux King of Arms. Edited by Sir John Maclean. London, 1885. pp 251-252 Guillim, 49-53 Dennis. *St John Guillim *Walter Guillim *George Guillim *Thomas Guillim *Richard Guillim *Prescilla Guillim *Margaret Guillim *Frances Guillim *Elizabeth Guillim *Anne Guillim *Alice Guillim

Death and burial

Guillim's death is recorded as having occurred on 7 May 1621, probably at

, although there is no record of his place of burial.

References

External links

The College of ArmsGuillim's ''Display of Heraldry'' (1611)1679
an
1638
editions also available {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillim, John 1560s births 1621 deaths English antiquarians English genealogists Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford English officers of arms People from Minsterworth