Archibald George Blomefield Russell (20 June 1879 – 30 November 1955) was an English art historian and a long-serving

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 ...

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 and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Early life

Russell was the fourth son of Theodosius Stuart Russell, Chief Constable of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and his wife Louisa Blomefield the daughter of Rev. Sir Thomas Blomefield, 3rd Baronet. Russell was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

and became a journalist, art critic and art historian, writing works on

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

Heraldic career

Russell's

heraldic 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 branc ...

career began on 10 November 1915 when he was made Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms In Ordinary. The vacancy in this office occurred due to the promotion of Arthur Cochrane to the office of

Chester Herald Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an Officer of Arms, officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office of Chester Herald dates from the 14th century, and it is reputed that the holder was herald to Edward, Prince of Wales, also kn ...

earlier in the year. On 21 April 1922, Russell was promoted to the office of

Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an England, English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The title of Lancaster Herald first occurs in 1347 at Calais, and to begin with this officer was a servant to the noble house of Duchy of ...

. This appointment came as a result of the death of the previous Lancaster, Edward Bellasis. Russell served as a herald in ordinary for more than thirty years. In 1954, with the death of Arthur Cochrane, a vacancy occurred in the office of

Clarenceux King of Arms Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of Englan ...

. Russell was chosen to fill the position and held it until his death a year later. Russell married Janet Frances Kerr in 1915 and had two sons who were killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Taukkyan War Cemetery
/ref> In his later years he was an ardent collector of moths and butterflies. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Antiquaries The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are "to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquit ...

and a Fellow of the

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London ...

Published works

*''The Prophetic Books of William Blake: Jerusalem'', Ed., 1904. *''The Letters of William Blake; together with a Life by Frederick Tatham''. Methuen, 1906. *''The Prophetic Books of William Blake: Milton'', Ed., 1907. *''The engravings of William Blake'', Houghton Mifflin, 1912.

Arms

References

External links