WhyteArms 1917Confirmation ByDeputyUlsterKingOfArms

Athlone Pursuivant of Arms (or Athlone Pursuivant) was a

junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers. D ...

of arms in Ireland, founded 1552 during the reign of

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

, King of England and King of Ireland, and was named for the town of

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

, which is partly in Co. Roscommon (in the province of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

). The other heraldic offices of Ireland being Ireland King of Arms, 1392-1485, the

Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the provincial King of Arms at the College of Arms with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is th ...

(

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

) from 1552, the Dublin Herald (

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

) and the Cork Herald (

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

). Accordingly, an officer was named for each of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. From 1943 the Ulster King of Arms was merged with the Norroy King of Arms as the

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the provincial King of Arms at the College of Arms with jurisdiction over England north of the River Trent, Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of ...

with jurisdiction for Northern Ireland. Heraldic matters in the Republic of Ireland are now handled by the office of the Chief Herald of Ireland (a part of the Genealogical Office in the National Library). The Order of St. Patrick was instituted by George III 5 Feb 1783 and the Athlone Persuivant became one of its officers thereafter, being 12th in order of precedence. There are no living members of the Order.

Literary reference

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

mentioned the office in '

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

' and again in '

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It was published in instalments starting in 1924, under the title "fragments from ''Work in Progress''". The final title was only revealed when the book was publishe ...

' as the "Athlone Poursuivant".

List of holders with recorded years in office

* 1552 Philip Butler, illegitimate son of Bartholomew Butler, gentleman, Ulster King of Arms; Butler was the first holder, appointed on midsummer day 22 June 1552 (or on 16 Jun 1552 according to Lodge) * 1568 Leonard Palmer * 1570 Edward Fletcher, appointed 20 Mar 1569/70, who gave the

Four Provinces Flag of Ireland This is a list of coats of arms of Ireland. In the majority of cases these are arms assigned to county councils created by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 or later legislation, either by the Chief Herald of Ireland in what is now the Repub ...

, succeeded by William Cotgrave * 1578 William Cottgreve or Cotgrave, appointed 19 Apr 1578 * William Laveret, appointed 28 mar 1595, 17 Jul 1608 * 1608 Alvane, alias Albon or Albone Levert or Laveret, son of William Leveret above, appointed 17 Jul 1608, d. 1638 * 1661/2 to 1665 Sir Richard Carney, Knt. appointed 15 Feb 1661/2 who became Ulster King of Arms * 1672 Richard Carney jun. son of Sir Richard Carney above, appointed 29 Apr 1672, 25 May 1683 * 1683 Richard Carney, son of Richard Carney jun., above appointed 25 May 1683 * 1690 James Terry, appointed by James II; (d. 1725) took his seal of office and his heraldic records with him to France. A collection of his pedigrees and papers has been published in bookform * 1700 Charles Ashfield, appointed 26 Apr 1700 * 1700 Mr. Joseph Moland, appointed 12 Jul 1700, 8 Aug 1702 * 1711/12, 1714, 1727 Philip Ridgate, Esq., appointed 8 Feb 1711/12, 15 Dec 1714, 19 Sep 1727 * 1745/6 William Hawkins, son of William Hawkins, Ulster King of Arms, appointed 28 Jan 1745/6 * 1749 George Winstanley, appointed 8 Sep 1749, 6 Mar 1761 * 1780-1783 Thomas Meredyth Winstanley, appointed 19 Dec 1780, later Dublin HeraldGalloway, p. 254 * 1783, 1804 George Twisleton Ridsdale, Esq. appointed, Dublin Castle, June 13, 1783. Proclamation of Peace at Dublin, Dublin Castle October 23, 1783 "...Athlone pursuivant made an oyez, and Ulster King at Arms read his Majesty's Proclamation aloud..." * 1807-1820 William BethamGalloway, p. 254 * 1817 George J. Ridsdale, appointed 27 May 1783 * 1820-1827 Joseph Rock, Esq. in office during the King's (George IV) visit to IrelandGalloway, p. 254 gives 'James Rock' * 1827-1829 Molyneux Cecil John BethamGalloway, p. 254 * 1829 William Crawford, esq.Galloway, p. 254 * 1865 Captain Robert Smith, died 1882Galloway, p. 254 * 1883 Bernard Louis Burke (b. 1861 - d. 1892 unm.), son of Sir John Bernard Burke and Barbara Frances MacEvoyGalloway, p. 254 * 1892-removed 1899 John Edward Burke * 1899-1907 Henry Claude Blake Galloway, p. 255 * Feb 1907-Nov 1907

Francis Bennett-Goldney Major Francis Bennett-Goldney (1865 – 26 July 1918) was an antiquary, Member of Parliament (MP) for Canterbury and former Mayor of Canterbury, who died during World War I. Life He was born Francis Evans, the son of Sebastian Evans, in Mo ...

(b. 1865 - killed 1918).Galloway, p. 255 The insignia of the Order of St. Patrick known generally as the Irish Crown Jewels, were stolen from the Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle shortly before a visit by the Order's Sovereign, King Edward VII. * 1908-1921 George Dames Burtchaell. In 1909 he was additionally appointed Registrar of the Office of Arms. Galloway, p. 255 On the death of Burtchaell, Nevile Wilkinson suggested Thomas Sadleir to succeed the deceased. However, Sadleir declined to accept the offer. He operated the Office of Arms in the capacity of Deputy Ulster King of Arms. The post of Athlone Pursuivant had never been filled since then.Hood (2002), pp.100-101.

Deputy Athlone Pursuivants - List of holders with recorded years in office

* 1874-1882 Joseph Nugent LentaigneGalloway, p. 255 * 1882-1883 Bernard Louis BurkeGalloway, p. 255

Notes

* Thomas Meredyth, previously Athlone Pursuivant, appointed Dublin Herald at Arms, 18 Apr 1783 - Patentee Officers in Ireland 1173-1826 James L. J. Hughes (Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1960) * The Cork Herald of Arms in 1907 was Pierce Gun Mahony, M.R.I.A. (Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead, Ireland - 1907 Vol. VII No. 2 of Part I., p. 96)

Sources

References

* {{cite book , last=Galloway , first= Peter , author-link=Peter Galloway , title=The most illustrious Order: The Order of St Patrick and its knights , year=1999 , publisher=Unicorn , location=London , isbn=0-906290-23-6 * ''The Present State of Great Britain and Ireland...'' by Guy Miege (London, 1738) * ''The Remembrancer or, Impartial Repository of Public Events for the Year 1783'' Part II printed for J. Debrett (London, 1783) *
Markievicz and the Knights of St Patrick
' by John Maiben Gilmartin, Irish Arts Review * ''Royal Roots - Republican Inheritance: The Survival of the Office of Arms'' by Susan Hood (Dublin, 2002)

External links

Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland

Pedigree of Jones signed by G. D. Burtchaell, Athlone Pursuivant, 1912
Irish officers of arms Heraldic authorities