Sir William Le Neve (1600?–1661) was an English herald and genealogist.

Life

Le Neve was the son and heir of William Neve of

Aslacton Aslacton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated between Norwich and Diss, and is near Great Moulton. The closest town to Aslacton is Long Stratton. The village name means 'Aslakr's farm/settlement'. ...

, Norfolk, by his first wife, the daughter of John Aldham of

Shimpling Shimpling is a village and civil parish in south Suffolk, England. About from Bury St Edmunds, it is part of Babergh district. The village is formed from two halves, the newer Shimpling Street and about away the old village of Shimpling. T ...

; his father died in 1609. Le Neve was appointed

Mowbray herald extraordinary Mowbray Herald of Arms Extraordinary was an England, English Officer of Arms, officer of arms. From the time of King Richard II of England, Richard II to that of Henry VI of England, Henry VI, Mowbray was the Duke of Norfolk's private herald. Since ...

, under a warrant dated 24 June 1622 . He was then

York herald York Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms. The first York Herald is believed to have been an officer to Edmund of Langley, Duke of York around the year 1385, but the first completely reliable reference to such a ...

, 25 November 1625;

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 ...

, December 1633; and

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 Engla ...

, 23 June 1635, having been knighted at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...

on 23 April 1634. In 1640 he was in correspondence with

Sir Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early years Sir ...

. In 1625, Le Neve went to France with

Henry St George Sir Henry St George (1581–1644) was an English Officer of arms. He was the third (but eldest surviving) son of the herald Sir Richard St George and his wife Elizabeth St John. Life He was born on 27 January 1581 at Hatley St George, Cambr ...

to France, to bring back the future

Queen Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...

. In 1639, Le Neve and George Owen were attached to the

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

, the

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 ...

, for the

First Bishops' War First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. In 1642 Le Neve was sent by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, on the day before the

battle of Edgehill The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642. All attempts at constitutional compromise between ...

, to the parliamentary army under the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, with a proclamation. This mission is now described as intelligence work. Le Neve was deprived of his proclamation, and taken to Essex blindfolded, where his protests were found amusing. There is an account of the brusque treatment he received from Essex in the

Earl of Clarendon Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire. First creation of the title The title was created for the first time in the Peera ...

's ''History''. Le Neve was deprived of his position in 1646, when Arthur Squibb was made Clarenceux herald. He was declared to be a

lunatic Lunatic is an antiquated term referring to a person who is seen as mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck". History The te ...

in October 1658, and Sir Edward Walker was empowered to execute his office. Again in 1661 he was found to be insane. Le Neve died at

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. It li ...

, on 15 August 1661, and was buried at St. Benet's, Paul's Wharf. He was not married. An antiquarian and collector, he bought works from the library of

William Dethick Sir William Dethick (c. 1542–1612) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Sir Gilbert Dethick and followed his father as Garter Principal King of Arms. Though he was adjudged a qualified armor ...

. He left manuscripts that went to the Ashmolean Museum.

Arms

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Neve 1661 deaths English officers of arms English antiquarians Year of birth uncertain People from South Norfolk (district)