Francis Sedley Andrus

LVO 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 ...

(26 February 1915 – 9 November 2009) was a long-serving

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

officer of arms who was Beaumont Herald of Arms Extraordinary. As such, he was a Royal

officer of arms An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions: * to control and initiate armorial matters; * to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state; * to conserve a ...

, though not a member 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 ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. Andrus was born in 1915, the son of Brigadier-General Thomas Alchin Andrus and Alice Loveday (née Parr). 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, Ne ...

and

St Peter's College, Oxford St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is located in New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, United Kingdom. It occupies the site of two of the university's medieval halls, dating back to at least the 14th ...

. On the maternal side of his family, he was descended from Randle Smith of Oldhaugh, Cheshire, the father of William Smith who was created Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary on 23 October 1597. The tradition of armorial interest continued with Andrus. In July 1938, Andrus was interviewed by Alfred Trego Butler, who was Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the time. Andrus had hoped to become part of Butler's staff at the College of Arms. After Andrus had worked for Butler for a year, his career at the College of Arms was interrupted by the outbreak of

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 opposing ...

. As he was deemed unfit for military service, he spent the duration of the War doing farm work. On his return in October 1946, Butler had become very ill. In that year, Butler asked

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 ...

, who was serving as Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary, to take on both his clients and his young protégé. Wagner employed Andrus until 1970, when he was appointed Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. This appointment lasted until 1972, when he was promoted to the office of Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary. On 1 March 1982, Andrus retired from the position of Lancaster to take on the office of Beaumont Herald Extraordinary. Andrus died on 9 November 2009. At the time of his death, he was one of only a few people remaining at the College of Arms who had any experience before World War II. He was also one of the few remaining officers of arms who had been a part of the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

References

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External links

The College of Arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrus, Sedley English officers of arms 1915 births 2009 deaths Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire

See also

References

External links