Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary is a current

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 ...

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 ...

. As a

pursuivant A pursuivant or, more correctly, pursuivant of arms, is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official heraldic authorities, such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In the mediaeval ...

extraordinary, Fitzalan is a royal officer of arms, but is not a member of the corporation of 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 ...

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 ...

. As with many other extraordinary offices of arms, Fitzalan Pursuivant obtains its title from one of the baronies held by the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The du ...

Earl Marshal of England Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particul ...

; the appointment was first made for the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

in 1837. The badge of office was assigned in 1958 and is derived from a Fitzalan badge of the fifteenth century. It can be blazoned ''An Oak Sprig Vert Acorns Or'', but is also recorded as ''A Sprig of Oak proper''. The first four Fitzalans, beginning with Sir Albert Woods, subsequently became

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 ...

Charles Wilfrid Scott-Giles Charles Wilfrid (or Wilfred) Scott-Giles (24 October 1893 – 1982) was an English writer on heraldry and an officer of arms, who served as Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinary. Life Charles Wilfrid Giles was born in Southampton on 24 October 1893, ...

, the well-known heraldic writer, also served as Fitzalan Pursuivant. The current Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary is Alastair Andrew Bernard Reibey Bruce of Crionaich, second cousin to the Hon. Adam Bruce, Marchmont Herald of Arms, currently also serving as the Governor of Edinburgh Castle.

Holders of the office

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * ''The College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street : being the sixteenth and final monograph of the London Survey Committee'',

Walter H. Godfrey Walter Hindes Godfrey, CBE, FSA, FRIBA (1881–1961), was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also a landscape architect and designer, and an accomplished draftsman and illustrator. He w ...

, assisted by Sir Anthony Wagner, with a complete list of the officers of arms, prepared by H. Stanford London, (London, 1963) * ''A History of the College of Arms &c'', Mark Noble, (London, 1804)

External links

The College of Arms
{{College of Arms English offices of arms

Holders of the office

See also

References

External links