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. ...

, Gloucestershire, was an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

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 ...

at the

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

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He is best remembered for his monumental work on

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, ''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 Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

(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 Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. This part of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

is very close to the border with

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

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 The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

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 developed ...

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 many Western Christian liturgical calendars on 29 Se ...

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)16381679
an
1724
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