Sir Albert William Woods (16 April 18167 January 1904) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or Sovereign state, state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
* to control and initiate coat of arms, armorial matters;
* to arrange and participate in ceremo ...
, who served as
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. ...
from 1869 to 1904. The Woods family has a strong tradition of service 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 ...
. Albert Woods was the son of
Sir William Woods, Garter King of Arms from 1838 until his death in 1842. Likewise, the grandson of Albert Woods was
Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston, who also rose to the rank of Garter King of Arms and served there from 1930 until 1944.
Heraldic career
Woods' first heraldic appointment came in 1837 when he served as
Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary at the coronation of
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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. In 1838 Woods became a member of the chapter of 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 ...
when he was appointed
Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. After a short appointment as
Norfolk Herald of Arms Extraordinary, Woods was promoted to the office of
Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1841. He held this position until 1869, when he was appointed Garter Principal King of Arms, a position he held until his death 35 years later.
From 1866, Woods was
registrar
A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to:
Education
* Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records
* Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...
of the College of Arms. At his appointment as Garter Principal King of Arms, he was also named the
King of Arms
King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings and sometimes certify genealogies and noble titles. In other traditions, the power has been de ...
of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
. In 1878, he was made registrar of the
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
and the
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (GCIE)
#Knight Commander ( KCIE)
#Companion ( CIE)
No appoi ...
. He officiated at the
coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, 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 ...
s both of
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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and of
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
.
Woods's eye for heraldic design has been deprecated by some heraldists. In his ''Complete Guide to Heraldry'',
Arthur Fox-Davies
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (28 February 1871 – 19 May 1928) was a British expert on heraldry. His ''Complete Guide to Heraldry'', published in 1909, has become a standard work on heraldry in England. A barrister by profession, Fox-Davies worke ...
refers to his designs as "wretched", "unsuitable" and "abortions". He is particularly critical of the
crests granted by Woods, which frequently incorporated tree trunks, either in front of the crest or underneath it, a practice Davies considered unheraldic.
"Garter's Ordinaries"
Woods was responsible for the compilation of the important unpublished
ordinary of arms
An ordinary of arms (or simply an ordinary) is a roll or register of coats of arms arranged systematically by design, with coats featuring the same principal elements (geometrical ordinaries and charges) grouped together. The purpose of an ord ...
(a systematic register of
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
) known as "Garter's Ordinaries". He began work on it in 1842 and continued until his death in 1904. By that date the ordinary comprised two series, one of five and the other of six volumes, plus indexes. Following his death it was donated to the College of Arms by his grandson, Gerald Woods Wollaston: since then, subsequent Garter Kings of Arms have added to it and kept it up to date by including within it new
grants of arms. It remains in use:
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 ...
has described it as "an indispensable tool at the College".
Honours and appointments
*1837 - Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary
*1838 - Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary
*1841 - Norfolk Herald of Arms Extraordinary
*1841 - Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary
*1869 -
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
*1869 - Garter Principal King of Arms
*1897 - Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
*1899 - Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
*1903 - Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Arms
See also
*
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 branch ...
*
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 ...
*
Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
References
External links
The College of Arms*
DNB entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Albert
1816 births
1904 deaths
English officers of arms
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Knights of Grace of the Order of St John
Knights Bachelor
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London