Sir Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones (12 March 1940 – 21 August 2010) was a long-serving
Officer of Arms 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. He was
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. ...
, the senior English officer of arms, from 1995 to 2010.
Life and career
Gwynn-Jones was born in 1940, the son of Major Jack Gwynn-Jones, of
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. He was educated at
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to:
*Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England
** Wellington College International Shanghai
** Wellington College International Tianjin
*Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...
, and
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, where he obtained an
MA. In 1970 he joined 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 ...
and became assistant to
Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, who was the Garter Principal King of Arms. In 1973 Gwynn-Jones was appointed
Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. In 1982 he was promoted to
herald,
and served until 1995 as
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 ...
and became House Comptroller 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 1995 he was appointed
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. ...
,.
He retired in 2010. He died later that year on 21 August.
Appointments and honours
Gwynn-Jones was Secretary of the
Harleian Society from 1981 until 1994,
Inspector of Regimental Colours from 2 October 1995, and Inspector of
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Badges from 1996. He was also appointed in 1995
Genealogist to the Order of the Bath,
Genealogist of the Order of St Michael and St George, and
Genealogist of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. He was non-executive Vice-President of
The Heraldry Society from 1996.
Gwynn-Jones was appointed
Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(LVO) in 1994, promoted
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, Mon ...
(CVO) in 1998, and appointed
(KStJ) in 1995. In anticipation of his retirement
The Queen promoted Gwynn-Jones
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
(KCVO) in the
2010 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and NevisSaint Christ ...
.
''The Coati Sable''
Gwynn-Jones's autobiography, ''The Coati Sable: The Story of a Herald'', was published by The Memoir Club in 2010, coinciding with his retirement as Garter The title is a reference to the coati (a type of American raccoon) that featured on Gwynn-Jones's own coat of arms and served as a punning allusion to Coity, Glamorganshire.
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 ...
*
Officer of Arms
*
Pursuivant
*
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 ...
Bibliography
*Gwynn-Jones, P. Ll. (1998) ''The Art of Heraldry : origins, symbols, designs'', London : Parkgate,
*Gwynn-Jones, P. Ll. (2010) ''The Coati Sable: The story of a Herald'', Durham : The Memoir Club,
References
External links
The College of ArmsObituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwynn-Jones, Peter Llewellyn
1940 births
2010 deaths
English officers of arms
People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Knights of Justice of the Order of St John
English genealogists
English male non-fiction writers
Garter Principal Kings of Arms