Maltravers Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current
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 ...
extraordinary in
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 b ...
. As such, Maltravers is a royal
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 ...
, but is not a member 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 ...
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 ...
. The present office was created in 1887 by the
Earl Marshal
Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eig ...
, who was also 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 dukes ...
and
Baron Maltravers
The title Baron Maltravers or Mautravers was created in the Peerage of England on 25 January and 23 October 1330 when John Maltravers was summoned to Parliament by writs directed ''Iohanni Mautravers Iuniori''. The barony fell into abeyance among ...
. The office is known to have been held by 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 ...
to
Lord Maltravers
The title Baron Maltravers or Mautravers was created in the Peerage of England on 25 January and 23 October 1330 when John Maltravers was summoned to Parliament by writs directed ''Iohanni Mautravers Iuniori''. The barony fell into abeyance am ...
when he was deputy of
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
from 1540 to 1544. The badge is blazoned as ''A Fret Or''. It was officially assigned in 1973, though it had been assumed by two Maltravers Heralds in the 1930s. It derives from the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
of Maltravers ''Sable a Fret Or and a Label of the points Ermine'', and was the badge of John,
Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The e ...
through which family the
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
y passed to the Howard dukes of Norfolk.
The current Maltravers Herald of Arms Extraordinary is
John Martin Robinson
John Martin Robinson FSA (born 1948) is a British architectural historian and officer of arms.
He was born in Preston, Lancashire, and educated at Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine school in Scotland, the University of St Andrews (graduating ...
,
MA (
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
)
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
(
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
)
FSA.
Holders of the office
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 ...
*
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 ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
* ''The College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street : being the sixteenth and final monograph of the London Survey Committee'',
Walter H. Godfrey, assisted by 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 ...
, 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
Mark James Noble (born 8 May 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder and is well remembered for his time at English club West Ham United, spending eighteen years with the club. Apart from two sh ...
, (London, 1804)
External links
The College of Arms
{{College of Arms
English offices of arms