John de Havilland
Encyclopedia
John von Sonntag de Havilland, FSA
(17 October 1826—18 September 1886) was an officer of arms
at the College of Arms
in London
during the 19th century. He is notable for being one of only two English
officers of arms to have been born in the United States of America (Blanche Lyon Pursuivant Extraordinary
Alexander Ochterlony, appointed in 1784, was the other).
. His father, John Haviland, was born in Somerset, England, and practiced as an architect and an engineer; in Russia, John Haviland met John Quincy Adams, who encouraged him to come to the United States — which he did in 1816. John de Havilland's mother, Mary (née Wright), was the daughter of Captain W. L. von Sonntag of the French
army and the sister and heiress of General Sir George von Sonntag, Governor of South Russia.
John de Havilland served as an adjutant lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of United States Dragoons in the army of General William J. Worth
during the Mexican War
(1846-1848). He later became a barrister
at the Inner Temple
in London
as well as a Professed Knight
of Justice of the Order of Malta. See images (1-3) below...
John de Havilland’s interest in heraldry and armorial bearings is shown in 1865 when he updated Thomas Fiott de Havilland’s 1852 book “A Chronicle of the Ancient and Noble Norman Family of de Havilland”. John de Havilland’s updated edition gives considerable detail to the lives of his own parents and grandparents with their heraldic coats of arms displayed in the margins. John de Havilland explains that his maternal grandfather – William Ludwig von Sonntag - was born in Pforzheim (modern South West Germany) in 1745. Captain William Ludwig von Sonntag was one of the 10,000 troops of King Louis XVI of France that were sent – under the Count de Rochambeau - to America to aid the Americans in their Revolutionary War against Great Britain. Captain von Sonntag was present with his regiment at the siege of York-Town, in Virginia, where Lord Cornwallis surrendered, which virtually closed the war; the independence of the States being acknowledged soon after by Great Britain.
John de Havilland also gives a swashbuckling account of his paternal grandfather – James Haviland - as being remembered in Somersetshire for his wonderful strength and cool courage. An example of this cool courage is given whereby James Haviland is captured by the French during a yachting excursion and held as a prisoner at Brest. During James Haviland’s imprisonment he defeats a French Officer who is the best swordsman in the garrison. The unarmed James’ death seemed very likely – after an argument over a card game and after he had floored the Frenchman - as the Frenchman returned with his sword. James parried the sword of the lunging Frenchman and replied with a red hot poker - taken from the bars of a fire grate - into the Frenchman’s mouth passing through his cheek thus ending the contest.
In 1872, John de Havilland was made a fellow
of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He is also remembered as a soldier of fortune who served in Spain
under Don Carlos
where he became a General in the Spanish Army. According to a College of Arms Monograph, he was of uncommon physical strength and one of the most picturesque characters in the history of the College of Arms.
In 1880, John de Havilland used the rank of General in his correspondences. At this time, John de Havilland took an active part in politics and was a member of the Liberal Reform Club
. Correspondence between the Political Committee of the Reform Club and General John de Havilland from April 1880 until June that year indicate that he could be a colourful and controversial character. The General 'conspicuously canvassed' against the Liberal candidate - Mr. C. Acland - for the Western Division of Somerset.
In statements by a Mr. C. Lamport sent to the Liberal Reform Club in Pall Mall London, General John de Havilland was said to have "voted for the Conservative candidates for the election for this division for the county. He drove into Wellington in a carriage displaying the Tory colours, and himself wore such evidence of partisanship. I met him at the door of the polling booth, and on expostulating with him as being a member of the Club, he justified his vote by stating that 'half the members of the Club, if polled, would vote for the Conservatives.'"
It was resolved that General John de Havilland be expelled from the Club. The copy of the resolution also states that: "There can be no doubt that the action of the Committee was prompted by the Radical members of the Reform Club, who for a long time have made war upon those who still maintain the politics of its founders. These Radicals, worshippers of Mr. Gladstone, expelled Mr. Charles Liddell at the same time with General de Havilland. They never miss an opportunity of showing their political liberty towards a "Reformer" showing any independence of character. And General de Havilland having in January 1877 dedicated to Lord Beaconsfield a pamphlet entitled "England herself at Constantinople, the best solution of the Eastern Question," (since then we have acquired Cyprus and Egypt!) these Radicals of the Reform seized upon the fact of General de Havilland's having openly expressed his dissent from the foreign policy Mr. Gladstone advocated before the last general election, and his opposition to Home Rule, as a pretext for his expulsion from the Reform Club."
John von Sonntag de Havilland died on 18 September 1886 and was buried at Langford Budville
, in Somerset, England.
. On 26 March 1872, he was promoted to the position of York Herald of Arms in Ordinary
. It is also notable that de Havilland helped in the publication of the 1878 edition of Burke's
General Armory, which remains a standard reference work for those interested in heraldry
.
recorded at the 1623 visitation
of Gloucester
. The arms are blazon
ed "Argent three Towers triple-towered Sable Portcullises Gules". As York Herald, de Havilland impaled these with his maternal arms of von Sonntag, blazoned "Argent a Sun in splendor proper", and used a Chief of Religion as a Knight of Malta in addition to setting his shield on the Maltese Cross
. See image (4) below by Bedford Lemere
& Co - a firm of British architectural photographers active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century....
John de Havilland's coat of arms can also be seen at St Peter's Church at Langford Budville (near Wellington) in the County of Somerset, England. They are set in a stained glass window there. His father - John Haviland - has his coat of arms on the left. His mother - Mary von Sonntag - has her coat of arms are on the right. It can be seen in the photograph below that John de Havilland's coat of arms is a combination of the parental coats of arms......
(5) St Peter's Church at Langford Budville, Somerset, England.
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
(17 October 1826—18 September 1886) was an 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...
at 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...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the 19th century. He is notable for being one of only two English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
officers of arms to have been born in the United States of America (Blanche Lyon Pursuivant Extraordinary
Blanche Lyon Pursuivant
Blanche Lyon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary was a British office of arms created during the reign of King Edward IV. In 1602, the office was made "extraordinary" for the appointment of Francis Thynne, before his promotion to Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary that same year...
Alexander Ochterlony, appointed in 1784, was the other).
Personal life
John de Havilland was born on 17 October 1826, probably near Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. His father, John Haviland, was born in Somerset, England, and practiced as an architect and an engineer; in Russia, John Haviland met John Quincy Adams, who encouraged him to come to the United States — which he did in 1816. John de Havilland's mother, Mary (née Wright), was the daughter of Captain W. L. von Sonntag of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
army and the sister and heiress of General Sir George von Sonntag, Governor of South Russia.
John de Havilland served as an adjutant lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of United States Dragoons in the army of General William J. Worth
William J. Worth
William Jenkins Worth was a United States general during the Mexican-American War.-Early life:Worth was born in 1794 in Hudson, New York, to Thomas Worth and Abigail Jenkins. Both of his parents were Quakers, but he rejected the pacifism of their faith...
during the Mexican War
Mexican War
Mexican War may refer to:*Mexican War of Independence *Mexican–American War *French intervention in Mexico *Mexican Revolution *Mexican Civil War *Cristero War *Mexican Drug War...
(1846-1848). He later became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as well as a Professed Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of Justice of the Order of Malta. See images (1-3) below...
John de Havilland’s interest in heraldry and armorial bearings is shown in 1865 when he updated Thomas Fiott de Havilland’s 1852 book “A Chronicle of the Ancient and Noble Norman Family of de Havilland”. John de Havilland’s updated edition gives considerable detail to the lives of his own parents and grandparents with their heraldic coats of arms displayed in the margins. John de Havilland explains that his maternal grandfather – William Ludwig von Sonntag - was born in Pforzheim (modern South West Germany) in 1745. Captain William Ludwig von Sonntag was one of the 10,000 troops of King Louis XVI of France that were sent – under the Count de Rochambeau - to America to aid the Americans in their Revolutionary War against Great Britain. Captain von Sonntag was present with his regiment at the siege of York-Town, in Virginia, where Lord Cornwallis surrendered, which virtually closed the war; the independence of the States being acknowledged soon after by Great Britain.
John de Havilland also gives a swashbuckling account of his paternal grandfather – James Haviland - as being remembered in Somersetshire for his wonderful strength and cool courage. An example of this cool courage is given whereby James Haviland is captured by the French during a yachting excursion and held as a prisoner at Brest. During James Haviland’s imprisonment he defeats a French Officer who is the best swordsman in the garrison. The unarmed James’ death seemed very likely – after an argument over a card game and after he had floored the Frenchman - as the Frenchman returned with his sword. James parried the sword of the lunging Frenchman and replied with a red hot poker - taken from the bars of a fire grate - into the Frenchman’s mouth passing through his cheek thus ending the contest.
In 1872, John de Havilland was made a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He is also remembered as a soldier of fortune who served in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
under Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
where he became a General in the Spanish Army. According to a College of Arms Monograph, he was of uncommon physical strength and one of the most picturesque characters in the history of the College of Arms.
In 1880, John de Havilland used the rank of General in his correspondences. At this time, John de Havilland took an active part in politics and was a member of the Liberal Reform Club
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...
. Correspondence between the Political Committee of the Reform Club and General John de Havilland from April 1880 until June that year indicate that he could be a colourful and controversial character. The General 'conspicuously canvassed' against the Liberal candidate - Mr. C. Acland - for the Western Division of Somerset.
In statements by a Mr. C. Lamport sent to the Liberal Reform Club in Pall Mall London, General John de Havilland was said to have "voted for the Conservative candidates for the election for this division for the county. He drove into Wellington in a carriage displaying the Tory colours, and himself wore such evidence of partisanship. I met him at the door of the polling booth, and on expostulating with him as being a member of the Club, he justified his vote by stating that 'half the members of the Club, if polled, would vote for the Conservatives.'"
It was resolved that General John de Havilland be expelled from the Club. The copy of the resolution also states that: "There can be no doubt that the action of the Committee was prompted by the Radical members of the Reform Club, who for a long time have made war upon those who still maintain the politics of its founders. These Radicals, worshippers of Mr. Gladstone, expelled Mr. Charles Liddell at the same time with General de Havilland. They never miss an opportunity of showing their political liberty towards a "Reformer" showing any independence of character. And General de Havilland having in January 1877 dedicated to Lord Beaconsfield a pamphlet entitled "England herself at Constantinople, the best solution of the Eastern Question," (since then we have acquired Cyprus and Egypt!) these Radicals of the Reform seized upon the fact of General de Havilland's having openly expressed his dissent from the foreign policy Mr. Gladstone advocated before the last general election, and his opposition to Home Rule, as a pretext for his expulsion from the Reform Club."
John von Sonntag de Havilland died on 18 September 1886 and was buried at Langford Budville
Langford Budville
Langford Budville is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near the River Tone miles north-west of Wellington, from Wiveliscombe and west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Bindon, Lower Chipley, Lower Wellisford, Ramsey and Runnington...
, in Somerset, England.
Heraldic career
John de Havilland began his career as an officer of arms in 1866 when he was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in OrdinaryRouge Croix Pursuivant
Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms of the College of Arms. The office is named after St George's Cross which has been a symbol of England since the time of the Crusades...
. On 26 March 1872, he was promoted to the position of York Herald of Arms in Ordinary
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...
. It is also notable that de Havilland helped in the publication of the 1878 edition of Burke's
Bernard Burke
Sir John Bernard Burke, CB was a British officer of arms and genealogist.-Personal life:He was born in London, and was educated in London and in France. His father, John Burke , was also a genealogist, and in 1826 issued a Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the...
General Armory, which remains a standard reference work for those interested in 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"...
.
Coat of arms
John de Havilland used a coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
recorded at the 1623 visitation
Heraldic visitation
Heraldic Visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms in England, Wales and Ireland in order to regulate and register the coats of arms of nobility and gentry and boroughs, and to record pedigrees...
of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. The arms are blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
ed "Argent three Towers triple-towered Sable Portcullises Gules". As York Herald, de Havilland impaled these with his maternal arms of von Sonntag, blazoned "Argent a Sun in splendor proper", and used a Chief of Religion as a Knight of Malta in addition to setting his shield on the Maltese Cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
. See image (4) below by Bedford Lemere
Bedford Lemere
Bedford Lemere & Co was a firm of British architectural photographers active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.-History:The company was established by Bedford Lemere in 1861, with its studio at 147 Strand, London from 1867 to 1947...
& Co - a firm of British architectural photographers active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century....
John de Havilland's coat of arms can also be seen at St Peter's Church at Langford Budville (near Wellington) in the County of Somerset, England. They are set in a stained glass window there. His father - John Haviland - has his coat of arms on the left. His mother - Mary von Sonntag - has her coat of arms are on the right. It can be seen in the photograph below that John de Havilland's coat of arms is a combination of the parental coats of arms......
(5) St Peter's Church at Langford Budville, Somerset, England.