Hubert Chesshyre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hubert Chesshyre
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Chesshyre taking part in the Garter Day procession at Windsor Castle on 19 June 2006.
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| Clarenceux King of Arms | |
| In office 1997–2010 |
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| Preceded by | John Brooke-Little |
| Succeeded by | Patric Dickinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre
22 June 1940 |
| Died | 24 December 2020 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | The King's School, Canterbury |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Officer of Arms |
| Awards |
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David Hubert Boothby Chesshyre (June 22, 1940 – December 24, 2020) was a British officer of arms. An officer of arms is an expert in heraldry, which is the study of coats of arms and genealogy (family history).
Hubert Chesshyre worked for over 40 years as an officer of arms for Queen Elizabeth II. He was part of the Queen's official household. He held the important position of Clarenceux King of Arms. This is the second most senior role at the College of Arms in England. The College of Arms is where new coats of arms are designed and old ones are recorded. This role also made him the second most senior heraldry expert in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries.
He also held other important jobs, like being the Secretary of the Order of the Garter. This is a very old and important group of knights and ladies in Britain. He also helped with family history for the Royal Victorian Order. Hubert Chesshyre worked on heraldry and family trees for famous people, including former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath. He wrote seven books, including the official history of the Order of the Garter.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Hubert Chesshyre was born on June 22, 1940. His father was Colonel Hubert Layard Chesshyre, an officer in the Royal Engineers. His mother was Katharine Anne. His family had a long history, including ancestors like the Earls of Dundee and Lauderdale.
Education and Early Jobs
Hubert Chesshyre went to St Michael's Preparatory School and then The King's School, Canterbury from 1954 to 1959.
He then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and earned his first degree in 1962. Later, he got his Master of Arts degree in 1966. After Cambridge, he worked for wine companies like Moët et Chandon and John Harvey & Sons from 1962 to 1965. He then went to Christ Church, Oxford, where he earned a diploma in education in 1967.
Chesshyre also served in the Honourable Artillery Company for a year, from 1964 to 1965.
Working with Heraldry
At the College of Arms
Even though he studied education, Hubert Chesshyre decided to work at the College of Arms starting in 1967. This is where he became an expert in heraldry. In 1969, he was a special officer at the ceremony where Prince Charles became the Prince of Wales.
He became a full member of the College of Arms in 1970. He held several important positions there:
- Rouge Croix Pursuivant (1970–1978)
- Chester Herald (1978–1995)
- Norroy and Ulster King of Arms (1995–1997)
- Clarenceux King of Arms (1997–2010)
These titles are different ranks of heralds, with King of Arms being the highest. He also managed the College's records as Registrar from 1992 to 2000.
As a herald, Chesshyre designed coats of arms for many famous people. These included former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, Speakers of the House of Commons like Baroness Boothroyd and John Bercow, and artists like Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Terry Pratchett.
He was also the Secretary of the Order of the Garter from 1988 to 2003. This meant he helped manage the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain. After the 1992 Windsor Castle fire, he helped with the heraldry for rebuilding parts of Windsor Castle. He also helped with the family history of the Royal Victorian Order for 23 years.
Hubert Chesshyre retired from the College of Arms on August 31, 2010. His last public duties were at the State Opening of Parliament and the Garter Day ceremony in 2010.
Other Important Work
In 1973, Chesshyre wrote a report about a missing part of the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I in Westminster Abbey. He was also part of the Abbey's advisory panels from 1985 to 2003, helping with its architecture and fabric. He was also a heraldry advisor for a special window in the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, which The Queen unveiled in 1995.
In 2002, Chesshyre helped organize a re-enactment of the funeral of Arthur, Prince of Wales. He carried Prince Arthur's special helmet through the streets of Worcester during the event.
He also gave many lectures about heraldry and history in the UK and other countries. He helped explain that the word "crest" is often used incorrectly. A crest is only one small part of a full coat of arms. He even helped get this correct meaning included in The Times newspaper's staff manual.
Besides his heraldry work, Chesshyre was also a talented singer. He was a choral scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge, and sang with The Bach Choir for many years. He also joined the London Docklands Singers and was a member of the Madrigal Society, which is Europe's oldest musical society.
Books and Writings
Hubert Chesshyre wrote several important books about heraldry and history.
One of his most famous books was The Most Noble Order of the Garter, which he wrote with Peter Begent and Lisa Jefferson. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wrote the foreword for this book. Reviewers said it was the most complete study of the Order of the Garter since the 1600s and was unlikely to be improved upon.
He also wrote The Identification of Coats of Arms on British Silver, which helped people understand the coats of arms found on old silver items. A reviewer said he had a gift for making a difficult subject "exciting and interesting."
With A. J. Robinson, he wrote The Green: A History of the Heart of Bethnal Green and the Legend of the Blind Beggar. This book tells the history of Bethnal Green in London.
Awards and Recognition
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Hubert Chesshyre received several honors for his work. He was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in 1988 and later promoted to Commander of the Order (CVO) in 2003. The Royal Victorian Order is given by the monarch for personal service.
He became a Freeman of the City of London in 1975. He was also elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1977, which is a group dedicated to the study of human history. He was a member of the Heraldry Society and later became a fellow. He was also a vice-president of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.
In 1998, the Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society invited him to give their special Mountbatten Memorial Lecture.
Death
Hubert Chesshyre passed away on December 24, 2020, at the age of 80.
Coat of Arms
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List of Publications
Books
- Carl Alexander von Volborth, Heraldry of the World, edited by D. H. B. Chesshyre (1973)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, The Identification of Coats of Arms on British Silver (1978)
- A. J. Robinson and D. H. B. Chesshyre, The Green: A History of the Heart of Bethnal Green and the Legend of the Blind Beggar (1978, 1986)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre and Adrian Ailes, Heralds of Today: A Biographical List of the Officers of the College of Arms, London, 1963–86 (1986)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre and Thomas Woodcock, eds., Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary vol. 1 (1992)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, Garter Banners of the Nineties (1998)
- Peter J. Begent and D. H. B. Chesshyre, The Most Noble Order of the Garter: 650 years (1999)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre and Adrian Ailes, Heralds of Today: A Biographical List of the Officers of the College of Arms, London, 1987–2001 (2001)
Book Chapters
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, "The Most Noble Order of the Garter", in The Orders of the Thistle and the Garter (1989)
- Contribution to Anthony Harvey and Richard Mortimer, eds., The Funeral Effigies of Westminster Abbey (1994, 2003)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, "The Modern Herald", in Patricia Lovett, The British Library Companion to Calligraphy, Illumination and Heraldry (2000)
- Peter Begent, Hubert Chesshyre, and Robert Harrison, "The Heraldic Windows of St George's Chapel", in A History of the Stained Glass of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (2005)
Journal Articles
- P. J. Begent and D. H. B. Chesshyre, "The Fitzwilliam Armorial Plate in St George's Chapel, Windsor", The Coat of Arms, NS 4 (1980–82)
- P. J. Begent and D. H. B. Chesshyre, "The Spencer-Churchill Augmentations", The Coat of Arms, NS 6 (1984–86)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, "Canting Heraldry", The Coat of Arms, NS 7 (1987–89)
- Hubert Chesshyre, "The Heraldry of the Garter Banners", Report of the Society of the Friends of St George's and the Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, vol. VII, no. 6 (1994/5)
- Chesshyre also wrote regularly for the journal British History Illustrated.
Book Reviews
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, review of Richard Marks and Ann Payne, eds., British Heraldry from its Origins to c. 1800 (1979)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, review of G. D. Squibb, Precedence in England and Wales (1982)
Unpublished Manuscripts
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, "Number Seventeen, or the History of 17 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green and the Natt Family" (c. 1970–80)
- D. H. B. Chesshyre, "The Restoration of the Regalia to the Tomb of Queen Elizabeth the First in Westminster Abbey: Research into the Identity of the Collar Missing from the Queen's Marble Effigy" (1973)
