The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, the only decorations which outrank it in precedence are the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. The Order of the Garter is dedicated to the image and arms of Saint George, England's patron saint.
Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England. He is the eighth of the great officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable of England and above the Lord High Admiral. The dukes of Norfolk have held the office since 1672.
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 Sovereign and are delegated authority to act on behalf of the Crown in all matters of heraldry, the granting of new coats of arms, genealogical research and the recording of pedigrees. The College is also the official body responsible for matters relating to the flying of flags on land, and it maintains the official registers of flags and other national symbols. Though a part of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, the College is self-financed, unsupported by any public funds.
Sir Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones was a long-serving Officer of Arms at the College of Arms in London. He was Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior English officer of arms, from 1995 to 2010.
John Martin Robinson FSA is a British architectural historian and officer of arms.
Garter Principal King of Arms is the senior king of arms and officer of arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The position has existed since 1415.
Arundel Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a supernumerary Officer of Arms in England. Though a royal herald, Arundel is not a member of the College of Arms, and was originally a private herald in the household of Thomas Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel. The first herald, John Cosoun, is known to have served the Earl both in Portugal in 1413 and later in France, where he attended his dying master in October 1415. The title was revived in 1727 as Herald Extraordinary.
Beaumont Herald of Arms Extraordinary was an officer of arms extraordinary in England. Beaumont was a royal herald, but was not a member of the College of Arms. The office was created in 1982 and named after the barony of Beaumont, one of the subsidiary titles of the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk. The badge of office combines the cross potent of the Kings of Jerusalem from whom the Beaumonts are descended, with the lion and fleur-de-lis charges from the family coat of arms. It is blazoned In front of a Cross Potent a Lion rampant within eight Fleurs-de-lis in orle Or.
Maltravers Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current officer of arms extraordinary in England. As such, Maltravers is a royal herald, but is not a member of the College of Arms in London. The present office was created in 1887 by the Earl Marshal, who was also the Duke of Norfolk and Baron Maltravers. The office is known to have been held by a pursuivant to Lord Maltravers when he was deputy of Calais from 1540 to 1544. The badge is blazoned as A Fret Or. It was officially assigned in 1973, though it had been assumed by two Maltravers Heralds in the 1930s. It derives from the coat of arms of Maltravers Sable a Fret Or and a Label of the points Ermine, and was the badge of John, Earl of Arundel through which family the barony passed to the Howard dukes of Norfolk.
Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current Officer of Arms Extraordinary under the Courts of England and Wales' jurisdiction. Wales is a Royal Herald, ie a member of the Royal Household, and while not being a member of chapter of the College of Arms, processes with the other heralds at ceremonial occasions. Wales Herald forms an integral part of the procession when the British monarch officially opens a session of Senedd Cymru at Cardiff Bay.
Norfolk Herald of Arms Extraordinary is an officer of arms in England. As an officer extraordinary, Norfolk is a royal herald, though not a member of the corporation of the College of Arms in London. Beginning in 1539 this officer was a herald to the dukes of Norfolk, though the first holder, John James, was paid a salary by King Henry VIII. Subsequent Norfolk heralds have been officers extraordinary, though the office has not always been filled but rather revived when required. The badge of office, assigned in 1958, is blazoned as Two Ostrich Feathers saltirewise each charged with a Gold Chain laid along the quill. It derives from the ostrich feather badge granted by King Richard II around 1387 as a mark of special favor to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, Marshal of England. Mowbray was also the first to be styled Earl Marshal.
Sir Alexander Colin Cole was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Eventually, he would rise to the rank of Garter Principal King of Arms, the highest heraldic office in England and Wales.
David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre was a British officer of arms.
Sir Thomas Woodcock FRHSC is a genealogist who served as Garter Principal King of Arms at the College of Arms from 2010 to 2021.
John Riddell Bromhead Walker was a soldier and long-serving English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.
Robert John Baptist Noel is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Formerly the Bluemantle Pursuivant, then the Lancaster Herald, he has been Norroy and Ulster King of Arms since April 2021.
Theobald David Mathew was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.
Howard Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary was an officer of arms extraordinary in England; that is, a royal herald but not a member of the College of Arms in London.
Dickins is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Major David Rankin-Hunt is a British member of the Royal Household at St James's Palace in London. He has been the Norfolk Herald Extraordinary since 1994.
