Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial

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 d ...

at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is the older office, there being a reference as early as 1276 to a "King of

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 ...

s beyond the Trent in the North". The name '' Norroy'' is derived from the French meaning 'north king'. The office of Ulster Principal King of Arms for All-Ireland was established in 1552 by

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...

to replace the older post of Ireland King of Arms, which had lapsed in 1487. Ulster King of Arms was not part 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 Sovere ...

and did not fall under the jurisdiction of 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 eight ...

, being the heraldic authority for the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed fro ...

(the jurisdiction of the College of Arms being the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On ...

and Lord Lyon's Office that of the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a la ...

). Ulster was Registrar and King of Arms of the

Order of St Patrick The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple (later cr ...

. Norroy and Ulster King of Arms now holds this position, though no new

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

s of that Order have been created since 1936, and the last surviving knight died in 1974. Heraldic matters in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

are now handled by the office of the Chief Herald of Ireland (a part of the

Genealogical Office The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann), the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald ...

in the

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...

). The arms of the new office of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms were devised in 1980 based on elements from the arms of the two former offices. They are blazoned: ''Quarterly Argent and Or a Cross Gules on a Chief per pale Azure and Gules a Lion passant guardant Or crowned with an open Crown between a Fleur-de-lis and a Harp Or''. The current Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is

Robert Noel Robert John Baptist Noel (born 15 October 1962) is an Officer of Arms (Herald) at the College of Arms in London. Formerly the Bluemantle Pursuivant, he has been the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms since April 2021. Early life The younger so ...

, who succeeded

Timothy Duke Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke, FSA (born 12 June 1953)"Duke, Timothy Hugh Stewart"
...

in 2021.

Norroy Kings of Arms until 1943

Ulster Kings of Arms until 1943

Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms from 1943

Player's cigarettes Norroy King of Arms cropped

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, (London, 1804)
List of Ulster Kings of Arms

External links

The College of ArmsChief Herald of Ireland
{{Heraldic authorities Offices of the College of Arms Irish officers of arms

Norroy Kings of Arms until 1943

Ulster Kings of Arms until 1943

Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms from 1943

See also

References

External links