Alfred Trego Butler MVO, MC, FSA, FASG (8 October 1880 – 22 December 1946) was a

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

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 ...

Early and personal life

Alfred Butler was born in 1880 as the second son of Robert Frederick Butler of Lynford Gardens,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

. In 1905, he married Grace Blunt, daughter of Mr. J. Hughes Blunt of Huntingdon, and had two daughters.Obituary in ''The Times'', 24 December 1946 Butler died on 22 December 1946 at

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

, and was survived by his wife and daughters.

Military career

In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Butler served with the 8th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment, eventually rising to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. While a temporary Second Lieutenant, he was awarded the Military Cross. The citation reads:

Heraldic and genealogical career

At the age of 17, Butler became a clerk to Henry Burke, then

Somerset Herald Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an Officer of Arms, officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of Henr ...

. In 1919, on Burke's promotion to

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

, Butler became his secretary, and continued in this post until Burke's death in 1930. Burke specialised in genealogy, and Butler learned a lot from him, eventually being regarded as the foremost genealogist of his generation.''The College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street : being the sixteenth and final monograph of the London Survey Committee'', Walter H. Godfrey, assisted by Sir

Anthony Wagner Sir Anthony Richard Wagner (6 September 1908 – 5 May 1995) 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. He was one of ...

, with a complete list of the officers of arms, prepared by H. Stanford London, (London, 1963) During this time Butler also edited

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

, from 1922 – 1926. Butler became an officer of arms in his own right, being appointed Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1926, and promoted to Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1931. He was also made the Genealogist of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in 1930, and Honorary Genealogist of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1938. He resigned from both of these offices shortly before his death. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 1944.

Other honours and appointments

Alfred Butler was also a member of the council of the Harleian and British Record Societies, and of the Croft Lyons committee of the Society of Antiquaries, of which he became a fellow in 1927. In 1930, Butler was made an Officer of the Order of St. John in 1930 and promoted to Commander in 1934.

Coat of arms

As might be expected of an officer of arms, Butler bore a coat of arms. This was

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

ed *(Arms) ''Argent on a chief indented sable 3 covered cups or'' *(Crest) ''On a torse argent and sable a vine fructed proper supported by two eagles argent'' *(Motto) ''Je sers''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Alfred 1880 births 1946 deaths Commanders of the Order of St John English genealogists Members of the Royal Victorian Order English officers of arms Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists