Alan Roger Dickins was Arundel Herald of Arms Extraordinary from 1998 to 2016. He was educated at

Epsom College Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orp ...

, Surrey and Emmanuel College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

, where he graduated with a law degree in 1968. He qualified in 1972 as a solicitor of the

Supreme Court of England and Wales The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales. The United Kingdom does not have a ...

, but a keen interest in

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

and

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, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

eventually led to his engagement in 1986 as a research assistant 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 Sover ...

. From 1995 he worked closely with

Garter Principal King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland ...

, Peter Gwynn-Jones while at the same time pursuing a fully independent legal career. He has made a special study of the relationship between intellectual property law and the present-day

law of arms The law of heraldic arms (or laws of heraldry) governs the "bearing of arms", that is, the possession, use or display of arms, also called coats of arms, coat armour or armorial bearings. Although it is believed that the original function of coat ...

. He was appointed Arundel Herald of Arms Extraordinary in 1998, succeeding Rodney Dennys (d.1993), and demitted that office in 2016. He was married from 1983 to 2015 and has two sons. His other interests include music and fell-walking.

Publications

*Alan R Dickins (ed.). ''The Visitation of Hertfordshire 1669''. (Harleian Society, London: 2019).

Arms

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English officers of arms English genealogists {{heraldry-stub