George Edward Cokayne, (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911), was an English genealogist and long-serving herald 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 ...
in
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 ...
, who eventually rose to the rank 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 ...
. He wrote such authoritative and standard reference works as ''
The Complete Peerage
''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...
'' and ''
The Complete Baronetage
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.
Origins
Cokayne was born on 29 April 1825, with the surname Adams, being the son of William Adams by his wife the Hon. Mary Anne Cokayne, a daughter of
Viscount Cullen
Viscount Cullen of Tipperary was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 11 August 1642, along with the title Baron Cullen, for Charles Cokayne.
Derbyshire
The ancient family of Cokayne had its origins in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Charles Cok ...
. He was baptised George Edward Adams. On 15 August 1873, he changed his surname by Royal Licence to Cokayne. (Such changes were frequently made to meet the terms of bequests from childless relatives, often in the maternal line, who wished to see their name and arms continue.
[See for example ]Mark Rolle
Hon. Mark George Kerr Rolle (1835–1907; Mark George Kerr Trefusis), of Stevenstone, St Giles in the Wood, Devon, was High Sheriff of Devon in 1864, a DL of Devon and High Steward of Barnstaple.
Due to an inheritance from his uncle by ...
.)
Career
Education
He matriculated from
Exeter College on 6 June 1844, and graduated
BA in 1848 and
MA in 1852. He was admitted a student of
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
on 16 January 1850, and was called to the bar on 30 April 1853.
College of Arms
He began his
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 at the College of Arms in London with an appointment in 1859 to the post of
Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, and was promoted in 1870 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 ...
. In 1882 he was promoted to
Norroy King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds 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 t ...
, which office he held until his appointment as
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 ...
in 1894, which he held until his death in 1911.
''The Complete Peerage''
Cokayne wrote ''
The Complete Peerage
''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...
'', the first edition of which was published between 1887 and 1898
Marriage and progeny
On 2 December 1856, he married Mary Dorothea Gibbs, daughter of George Henry Gibbs by his wife Caroline Crawley. The couple had eight children, of whom two sons and two daughters survived their father.
[
One of his sons, ]Brien Brien is a surname and male given name. Notable people with this name include:
Surname
* Alan Brien (1925–2008), English journalist
* Alizée Brien (born 1993), Canadian racing cyclist
* Chris Brien, drummer, percussionist and drum clinician
* Do ...
, became Governor of the Bank of England
The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the Ba ...
from 1918 to 1920 and was ennobled in 1920 as Baron Cullen of Ashbourne
Baron Cullen of Ashbourne, of Roehampton in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 April 1920 for Brien Cokayne, 1st Baron Cullen of Ashbourne, Sir Brien Cokayne, Governor of the Bank of Engla ...
.
Death
George Edward Cokayne died at Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...
on 6 August 1911, aged 86.
Arms
References
External links
The Complete Baronetage
on Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
The College of Arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cokayne, George Edward
1825 births
1911 deaths
English officers of arms
English genealogists
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire