Gordon Lee (officer of arms)
Encyclopedia
Gordon Ambrose de Lisle Lee, CB
, CVO
(July 1862–12 September 1927) was a British
officer of arms
.
Born in Aberdeen
, the son of the Reverend F. G. Lee, vicar
of All Saints, Lambeth, he was educated at St Mary's College, Harlow and Westminster School
and became an artist and designer. In 1889 he joined the College of Arms
as Bluemantle Pursuivant
. He was appointed York Herald
on 29 November 1905 in succession to George William Marshall
and then Norroy King of Arms in 1922, before being appointed Clarenceux King of Arms
, the Principal Herald of South, East and West England, on 5 October 1926 in succession to William Lindsay
. He was secretary to the Earl Marshal
from 1911 to 1917 and the Deputy Earl Marshal from 1917 until his death. He was also an expert in Japan
ese art and heraldry
and a stage designer.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1920 New Year War Honours and Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1926 New Year Honours.
Lee wrote Blessed Margaret of Salisbury: A Sketch of the Life and Times of The Last of the Plantagenets (1887) and The Episcopal Arms of England and Wales (1906).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(July 1862–12 September 1927) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer of arms
Officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:*to control and initiate armorial matters*to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state...
.
Born in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, the son of the Reverend F. G. Lee, vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of All Saints, Lambeth, he was educated at St Mary's College, Harlow and Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and became an artist and designer. In 1889 he joined the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
as Bluemantle Pursuivant
Bluemantle Pursuivant
Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms of the College of Arms in London. The office is reputed to have been created by King Henry V to serve the Order of the Garter, but there is no documentary evidence of this. There is, however, mention of an officer styled...
. He was appointed York Herald
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 herald is in February of 1484, when John Water...
on 29 November 1905 in succession to George William Marshall
George William Marshall
-External links:**...
and then Norroy King of Arms in 1922, before being appointed Clarenceux King of Arms
Clarenceux King of Arms
Clarenceux King of Arms 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 England south of the River Trent. The office almost certainly existed in 1420, and there is a fair degree of...
, the Principal Herald of South, East and West England, on 5 October 1926 in succession to William Lindsay
William Lindsay (officer of arms)
William Alexander Lindsay, CVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Lindsay was the son of Hon. Colin Lindsay and Lady Frances Howard. On 7 May 1870, he married Lady Harriet Gordon, a daughter of the 5th Earl of Aberdeen and Mary Baillie...
. He was secretary to the Earl Marshal
Earl Marshal
Earl Marshal is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England...
from 1911 to 1917 and the Deputy Earl Marshal from 1917 until his death. He was also an expert in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese art and heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
and a stage designer.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1920 New Year War Honours and Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1926 New Year Honours.
Lee wrote Blessed Margaret of Salisbury: A Sketch of the Life and Times of The Last of the Plantagenets (1887) and The Episcopal Arms of England and Wales (1906).