Stephen Martin Leake (5 April 1702 – 24 March 1773) was a

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

and long-serving

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 ...

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.

Early life

Though he eventually rose to the highest rank in the College, he was born as Stephen Martin and was the only son of Captain Stephen Martin, a naval officer, and his wife, Elizabeth. A relative left his considerable estate to Captain Martin on condition that he and his family adopt the additional name and arms of Leake. Shortly after the inheritance was completed in 1721, the family lost more than £20,000. The younger Leake was then holding a clerkship in the Navy Office, but the loss necessitated a search for a better position. His father attempted to buy a post in the Treasury but failed. Leake was admitted to the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

and made a younger brother of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

in 1723. In 1724 he became a deputy lieutenant for

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

Early successes

In 1725, the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

was "revived" in Britain.

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. ...

, Sir John Anstis arranged for Leake to be made an

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

to one of the

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 Gr ...

s. Anstis had met Leake while working with his family on the Royal Licence to change the family's name. The knight to whom Leake was attached was the

Earl of Sussex Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex. The fifth creation came in the Peera ...

, deputy

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 ...

. In March 1726 Leake was elected a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

. He also published his essay ''Nummi Britannici Historia'' in that year covering the history of English coinage. This work was reissued in several editions during Leake's life.

Heraldic career

Leake had made many powerful connections, but still lacked an appointment that would provide for his needs. Leake tried to use John Anstis to obtain a position at the College of Arms. Anstis used the opportunity of Leake's request to secure an appointment as Garter for his own son. After being embarrassed by Anstis, Leake assumed that he would be able to gain sympathy in other circles. In 1727 his connections gained him a spot 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 ...

at the College. He was promoted

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 t ...

in December 1729. As a

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 ...

and

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 ...

, Leake directed his energy toward improving the fortunes of the College of Arms. In 1729 he applied to the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

for the prosecution of a

painter–stainer The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. An organisation of painters of metals and wood is known to have existed as early as 1283. A similar organisation of stainers, who generally worked o ...

who offered to research arms for customers. This suit was unsuccessful, but he also sought a new charter for the college that would have confirmed its monopoly on these activities. He also attempted to revive

heraldic visitation Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (or alternatively by heralds, or junior officers of arms, acting as their deputies) throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to register and regulate the ...

s in 1731 and 1744. His Reasons for Granting Commissions to the Provincial Kings of Arms for Visiting their Provinces was printed in 1744. This, like most of his other projects failed. It was impeded both by Anstis as Garter and by the government. In 1732 Leake was also engaged in the attempted revival of the

High Court of Chivalry His Majesty's High Court of Chivalry is a civil law (i.e., non common law) court in English and Welsh law with jurisdiction over matters of heraldry. The court has been in existence since the fourteenth century; however, it rarely sits. The so ...

. After five years nothing had been accomplished, so the court closed. It did sit again until 1954. Though he was not successful in most of these endeavors, he was able to raise the awareness and prestige of the College in England. Leake was promoted to

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 Englan ...

in 1741 and Garter Principal King of Arms in 1754. He immediately became deeply involved in the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

, for which the office is named. He worded with the

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilated to the deane ...

to bring the official registers up to date. He also compiled a collection of drawings of knights'

stall plate Stall may refer to: Enclosures * Animal stall, an enclosure for an animal * Restroom stall, an enclosure providing privacy to the user of a single toilet in a public restroom * Market stall, a makeshift or mobile structures for selling market goo ...

s from

St George's Chapel St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

, and travelled abroad to invest foreign princes with the Garter. Though Leake was always a vocal critic of the patronage and purchase by which heralds were appointed, he did have his thirteen-year-old son, John Martin Leake, appointed Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1752.

Personal life

In 1735 Leake married Anne, daughter of Fletcher Powell, a brewer. They had six sons and three daughters, all of whom survived their father. Powell's estate in Hertfordshire later passed to Leake's descendants. Leake himself lived in

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

, where he was active in vestry affairs and helped raise volunteer units during the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

, and at

Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England located east of Colchester, west of Walton-on-the-Naze, Frinton-on-Sea and north of Clacton-on-Sea. History Since 2002, archaeological investigations ahead ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, where his father had acquired an estate in 1720. By 1770 he was suffering badly from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

and

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

and he died at Mile End on 24 March 1773. He was buried in Bradgate park

Arms

External links

The College of Arms

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *

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 ...

. ''A History of the College of Arms''. (London, 1805), 408–414. *L. Campbell and Francis Steer. ''A Catalogue of Manuscripts in the College of Arms Collections''. (London, 1988). *

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 ...

. ''Heralds and Heraldry in the Middle Ages''. (London, 1956), 9–10, 107-110, 154–159. *Sir Anthony Wagner. ''Heralds of England: a History of the Office and College of Arms''. (London, 1967), 110–117. {{DEFAULTSORT:Leake, Stephen Martin 1702 births 1773 deaths English antiquarians English genealogists English officers of arms English numismatists Members of the Middle Temple Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Thorpe-le-Soken Garter Principal Kings of Arms Members of Trinity House