Peter Gwynn-Jones
The following obituary first appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 1 September 2010.
Sir Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones KCVO MA, who died on August 21 aged 70, was Garter Principal King of Arms, the effective head of the College of Arms, from 1995 until earlier this year; during his tenure as Garter he steered the heralds through a period of technological change, while his designs helped to reinvigorate the ancient art of heraldry.
The office of Garter King of Arms, of which Gwynn-Jones was the 36th holder, was created by Henry V in 1417, initially concerned with the ceremonies of the Order of the Garter. While still performing these, Garter is also in charge of Royal heraldry and the arms of peers, as well as exercising a supervisory role over the English heralds.
Gwynn-Jones was a familiar face in the House of Lords, where he was responsible for introducing new peers to their seats. This duty, undertaken by the sovereign until the 17th century, saw Gwynn-Jones introduce more than 400 peers. During his incumbency the introduction ceremony was shortened, but when the Lords debated whether the Garter's presence was needed, they strongly affirmed their support for him and he was received with cheers. Indeed, his profile at Westminster was such that, on wishing to show some friends St Mary Undercroft, the parliamentary chapel, during recess, he was told that no one, not even the prime minister, could enter – but Garter King of Arms was a different matter. He came to international attention in 2002, when he delivered the proclamation of the styles and titles of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother at her funeral in Westminster Abbey.
Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones was born at Tanfield House, Yorkshire, on March 12 1940. His father, Major Jack Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones, was an officer in the Royal Artillery; during the Second World War he was involved in the retreat to Dunkirk and later was charged with the disposition of anti-aircraft guns at home. Shortly after the war Peter's parents divorced and his father subsequently moved to South Africa.
After schooling at Wellington College, where he developed an interest in science, he initially failed to gain a place at Cambridge, partly as the result of an unsuccessful experiment involving ball bearings and a quantity of treacle. After work at Unilever and a period as a schoolmaster, he was accepted by Trinity College, Cambridge, to read History. When he came down, initial approaches to employers, including the BBC, were unsuccessful, and he passed three years in an insurance office in Holborn.
In 1967, after writing to the College of Arms offering his skills in history and genealogy, he was employed as assistant to Colin Cole, then Windsor Herald and subsequently Garter. He later worked for Sir Anthony Wagner, then Garter, before being appointed Bluemantle Pursuivant in 1973, promoted to Lancaster Herald in 1982. Between 1983 and 1995 Gwynn-Jones additionally served as House Comptroller at the College, and during this period instigated a massive restoration and fund-raising scheme leading up to the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the incorporation of the College by Richard III. This work was crucial in securing the College's future as a working environment.
When Sir Conrad Swan unexpectedly resigned as Garter after only three years, Gwynn-Jones was approached and offered the position. He initially declined the appointment, but later agreed to take on the role temporarily. Ultimately, his tenure as Garter was to last almost 15 years. Among the questions posed to him following his appointment was what he (a Welshman) proposed to do about the representation of Wales in the Royal Arms. The explanation that, as a principality within the kingdom of England, Wales was already represented, unfortunately failed to placate the Welsh nationalists.
As Garter, Gwynn-Jones was more accessible than some of his predecessors, and was always open to the inquiries of officers and staff despite his busy practice and official duties. The latter included serving as genealogist to the Orders of the Bath, St Michael and St George, and St John of Jerusalem; he was Inspector of Regimental Colours and of RAF Badges; he also served on the Committee of the Royal Mint.
It was during Gwynn-Jones's time as Garter that the College of Arms began to use email, an important asset in dealing with heraldic and genealogical inquiries from around the world.
A prolific designer of arms, by his retirement he had completed almost 1,000, his grantees including individuals, corporate bodies and even the island of Tristan da Cunha. His approach to design combined the traditional and the modern, with a particular interest in geometrical configurations. Heraldry being a symbolic medium, these were preferred to objects which would in time become dated. Exceptions were occasionally made: the crest of Sir John Stuttard, a former Lord Mayor of London, featured a lion with ski poles. Gwynn-Jones traced the history of heraldic design in The Art of Heraldry (1998), a book that features a number of his own designs.
Alongside his heraldic work, he always remained interested in genealogy, one of his pet theories being that a number of Quaker families had gained access to the ranks of the gentry in the 18th and 19th centuries through participation in foxhunting.
Upon his retirement he published a volume of memoirs, The Coati Sable, a confessional and anecdotal account of his life, the coati (a type of raccoon from the Americas) featuring on the crest of Gwynn-Jones's own coat of arms, itself a punning allusion to Coity, Glamorganshire, the home of his paternal ancestors.
A lifelong bachelor, he dedicated himself to travel, mainly in India and South America, in pursuit of his interests in natural history.
He was appointed LVO in 1994, CVO in 1998 and KCVO in the 2010 New Year's Honours List.
Sir Peter Gwynn-Jones was Garter King of Arms, the senior English
herald and head of the College of Arms, for 14 years, retiring only
months before he died. During his tenure of the post he introduced
more newly created peers to the House of Lords than any Garter in
history, and in his career of more than 40 years at the College of
Arms was responsible for the creation of nearly 1,000 new heraldic
designs. In 2002 a worldwide television audience saw and heard him
proclaim, in a distinctive voice, the titles of Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother at her funeral service in Westminster Abbey.
Having advised the Crown on the title to be taken by each new peer,
Garter King of Arms then takes a major role in their ceremony of
introduction to the House of Lords. Since James I, too embarrassed by
having accepted money for peerages, declined to appear in person the
Crown has been represented by Garter. The creation of many new life
peers by the Blair administration meant that Gwynn-Jones, of ruddy
complexion, dressed in black stockings and the embroidered tabard of
the Royal arms, became a familiar sight at Westminster. He introduced
more than 400 peers and his tabard, thought to have been made for the
1838 coronation, wore out and had to be replaced.
Gwynn-Jones was an inspired designer of coats of arms for individuals
and corporations. Tesco, the All England Lawn Tennis Club and
Tristan da Cunha are among those that bear arms designed by him. He
combined traditional heraldic elements in new ways, creating arms
that, while modern, were of medieval spirit in their boldness and
simplicity. Always keen to steer his clients away from the trite lion
or stag, he drew on his knowledge of exotic fauna for alternatives.
Under his auspices the armadillo, the anteater, the rabbit-eared
bandicoot and many other species gained a place in English armory. On retirement he donated his extensive collection of natural history
books to the College of Arms in the hope of inspiring future heralds
and heraldic artists in their work.
Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones was born in Yorkshire in 1940, the son of
Major Jack Gwynn-Jones. His paternal ancestors came from Coity,
Glamorganshire, his great-grandfather having risen through the ranks
of the Royal Engineers to become a major. On his mother's side
another great-grandfather was General Sir Richard Harrison, also of
the Royal Engineers, whose ambiguous orders were thought to have led
to the death of the Prince Imperial in southern Africa in 1879. As
Garter, Gwynn-Jones had a portrait of Harrison in his office, one of
several he owned of his maternal family, the history of which he knew
in great detail.
His parents divorcing when he was six, he was brought up in Dorset in
the household of his stepfather, Lieutenant-Colonel Gavin Young, which
involved much participation in gymkhanas and hunting with the
Blackmore Vale. After schooling at Wellington he went up to read
history at Trinity College, Cambridge. On coming down he endured
employment in the insurance industry for three years, before his
interest in genealogy and heraldry, present since childhood, drew him
to the College of Arms. Working first as an assistant to the then
Windsor Herald, Colin Cole, he was appointed Bluemantle Pursuivant in
1973, and Lancaster Herald in 1982. He was an energetic and efficient
officer of arms with a large practice. With the help of accomplished
artists in his employ he did much to revive the tradition of painting
elaborate decorative borders to the letters patent granting new coats
of arms.
In 1995, on the unexpected resignation of the then Garter, Gwynn-Jones
was wary of accepting promotion to the post, believing that the State
and government work that Garter is required to spend so much time
undertaking was insufficiently remunerated. His robust attitude led
the Treasury to concede that Garter's government work should be
better paid, helping to secure the long-term health of the historic
office instituted by Henry V in 1415. His initial hesitancy overcome,
Gwynn-Jones revelled in the Gartership and the varied and interesting
work it brought him.
He had a particular antiquarian interest in grants of arms made by the
English Kings of Arms during the Tudor period. The fussy design of
many of these was not to his taste, but his researches identified many
previously unrecognised grants from the period and established that
the Tudor heralds granted hundreds more coats of arms than had been
realised.
A somewhat undomesticated bachelor, Gwynn-Jones dined out in
restaurants or his club virtually every night of his adult life. He
travelled regularly, usually with the study of natural history as a
main purpose. India and America, where he had many friends, were
favourite destinations. He lectured widely on heraldry in the US and
prided himself on having visited every state. In 1984 he oversaw the
arrangements for the Heraldic Exhibition at the New York Historical
Museum to commemorate the quincentenary of the College of Arms. In his
books Heraldry (jointly with Henry Bedingfeld, 1993) and The Art of
Heraldry (1998), he demonstrated that the ancient traditions and
spirit of heraldry were thoroughly alive in the 20th century.
Until his retirement Gwynn-Jones also held the offices of Genealogist
of the Orders of the Bath, St Michael and St George, and St John of
Jerusalem. The chapels of the orders of knighthood hold many examples
of his heraldic designs both on stall plates and on the banners
currently displayed there.
He was Inspector of Regimental Colours and Inspector of Royal Air
Force Badges. An attempt by a firm of plumbers to have the previously
unofficial SAS symbol of a winged dagger registered as a trademark
helped him to persuade the Ministry of Defence of the desirability of
ensuring that all regimental badges and sundry insignia were recorded
at the College of Arms.
He was appointed LVO in 1994, promoted CVO in 1998, and advanced to
KCVO in the New Year's Honours List this year.
Sir Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter King of Arms, was born on March 12,
1940. He died on August 21, 2010, aged 70.