Charles Aubrey Hamilton Franklyn (25 August 1896 – ) was a British medical doctor, and scholar of

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

, heraldry, and academic dress. He was the son of Captain (later Major) Aubrey Hamilton Franklin and his wife Ethel Mary Franklin (née Gray), altering the spelling of his surname in 1932, as a result of his research into his own family history. He traced his interest in academic dress to September 1910, when he became a pupil at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

, and it retained considerable fascination for him for the rest of his life. Between 1949 and 1956 he designed complete systems of academic dress for the universities of Malaya (which bestowed upon him an honorary MA in 1951),

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, Hull, the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

, and the Chichester Theological College. At various times he contributed to the academic dress schemes of several other universities (in particular, the universities of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, 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. Cam ...

and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, and the

New University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

). He also served as Bedell of Convocation at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. In his works, he often boasts his own academical dress designs as the most 'beautiful and dignified in the world'. His 1970 monograph on academic dress, the result of many years' research, is somewhat difficult to find (primarily due to its limited print run, and the author's insistence that any unwanted copies be returned to him rather than sold on) but contains a large amount of valuable information and remains a standard text on the subject. He was married, in 1929, to Erica Milly Bolton; the marriage was annulled in 1933.

Coat of arms

Franklyn's coat of arms was as follows:

Bibliography

* ''The Bearing of Coat Armour by Ladies'' (John Murray, 1923) * ''A Short genealogical & heraldic history of the families of Frankelyn of Kent and Franklyn of Antigua & Jamaica, B.W.I., together with sections on the families of Bolton of Sandford and Gray of Billericay'' (E.O. Beck, 1933) (printed privately, limited to 70 numbered and signed copies) * ''Academical Dress from the Middle Ages to the Present Day, including Lambeth Degrees'' (W. E. Baxter, Lewes, 1970) (printed privately, limited to 200 numbered and signed copies) * Frank W. Haycraft, ''The Degrees and Hoods of the World's Universities and Colleges'', 5th edition, revised and enlarged by Frederick R.S. Rogers, Charles A.H. Franklyn, George W. Shaw and Hugh Alexander Boyd (W.E. Baxter, Lewes, 1972) (printed privately, limited to 500 numbered and signed copies) * ''The Genealogy of Anne the Quene'' (Heraldry Today, 1977) * '' The ancient family of Francklyn of Chart Sutton, Sutton Valance, Maidstone, Mereworth Castle, Kent'' (Fotodirect, 1977) (printed privately) * ''A genealogical history of the families of Paulet (or Pawlett), Berewe (or Barrow), Lawrence, and Parker'' (Foundry Press, Bedford, December 1963) (printed privately, limited to 102 numbered and signed copies) * Supplement to ''A genealogical history of the families of Paulet (or Pawlett), Berewe (or Barrow), Lawrence, and Parker'' (W. E. Baxter, Lewes, Sussex, December 1968) (printed privately, limited to 150 numbered and signed copies)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklyn, Charles 1896 births 1982 deaths British genealogists 20th-century British medical doctors Academic dress People associated with the University of Southampton People associated with the University of Hull People associated with the University of Cambridge People associated with the University of Nottingham People associated with Ulster University People associated with the University of London