Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate, but were merged in 1943. Norroy King of Arms is the older office, there being a reference as early as 1276 to a "King of Heralds beyond the Trent in the North." The name is derived from the French nord roi meaning "north king". The office of Ulster King of Arms was established in 1552 by King Edward VI to replace the older post of Ireland King of Arms, which had lapsed in 1487.
Ulster King of Arms was independent from the College of Arms. He was Registrar and King of Arms of the Order of St Patrick, and the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms still holds this position, though no new knights of that Order have been created since 1934, and the last surviving knight died in 1974. Heraldic matters in the Republic of Ireland are handled by the Genealogical Office.
The arms of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms were devised in 1980 based on elements from the arms of the two former offices. They are blazoned: Quarterly Argent and Or a Cross Gules on a Chief per pale Azure and Gules a Lion passant guardant Or crowned with an open Crown between a Fleur-de-lis and a Harp Or.
The current Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is Timothy Duke who succeeded Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld in 2014.
(L) indicates the holder was Lancaster King of Arms. This title was used for the King of Arms of the northern province in the reigns of Henry IV, V and VI, instead of Norroy.
(1276) Peter de Horbury
(1338) Andrew
1386-1399 John Othelake
1399-1426 Richard Bruges (L)
1426-1436 John Ashwell (L)
1436-1447 William Boys (L)
1447-1464 William Tyndale (L)
1464-1477 Thomas Holme
1477-1478 John Writhe
1478-1493 John Moore
1493-1493 Roger Machado
1493-1510 Christopher Carlill
1510-1510 Thomas Benolt
1510-1516 John Yonge
1516-1522 Thomas Wall
1522-1522 John Joyner
1522-1534 Thomas Tonge
1534-1536 Thomas Hawley
1536 Sir Christopher Barker
1536-1546 William Fellows
1546-1550 Gilbert Dethick
1550-1557 William Harvey
1557-1562 Lawrence Dalton
1562-1592 William Flower
1592-1593 Edmund Knight
1593-1603 William Segar
1603-1623 Sir Richard St George
1623-1634 Sir John Burroughs
1634-1635 Sir William le Neve
1635-1644 Sir Henry St George
1644-1645 Sir Edward Walker
1646-1658 William Ryley
1658-1660 George Owen
1660-1677 Sir William Dugdale
1677-1680 Sir Henry St George
1680-1686 Sir Thomas St George
1686-1700 Sir John Dugdale
1700-1704 Robert Devenish
1704-1729 Peter Le Neve
1729-1741 Stephen Leake
1741-1751 John Cheale
1751-1756 Sir Charles Townley
1756-1761 William Oldys
1761-1773 Thomas Brown
1773-1774 Ralph Bigland
1774-1780 Sir Isaac Heard
1780-1781 Peter Dore
1781-1784 Thomas Locke
1784-1803 George Harrison
1803-1822 Ralph Bigland
1822-1838 Edmund Lodge
1838-1839 Joseph Hawker
1839-1846 Francis Martin
1846-1858 James Pulman
1848-1849 Edward Howard-Gibbon
1849-1859 Robert Laurie
1859-1882 Walter Blount
1882-1894 George Cokayne
1894-1911 Sir William Weldon
1911-1919 Sir Henry Burke
1919-1919 Charles Athill
1919-1922 William Lindsay
1922-1926 Gordon Lee
1926-1928 Sir Arthur Cochrane
1928-1930 Sir Gerald Wollaston
1931-1943 Sir Algar Howard
1552-1566 Bartholomew W. Butler, Esq.
1566-1588 Nicholas Narbon, Esq.
1588-1597 Christopher Ussher, Esq.
1597-1629 Daniel Molyneux, Esq.
1629-1633 Daniel Molyneux and Adam Ussher, Esq.
1633-1655 Thomas Preston, Esq.
1655-1660 Sir Richard Carney
1660-1683 Sir Richard St George
1683-1698 Sir Richard Carney and George Wallis, Esq.
1698-1722 William Hawkins, Esq.
1722-1759 William Hawkins and John Hawkins, Esq.
1759-1765 James McCulloch, Esq.
1765-1787 William Hawkins, Esq.
1787-1788 Gerald Fortescue, Esq.
1788-1820 Rear Admiral Sir Chichester Fortescue
1820-1853 Sir William Betham
1853-1892 Sir Bernard Burke
1893-1908 Sir Arthur Vicars
1908-1940 Sir Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson
1940-1943 Vacant, duties performed by Thomas Ulick Sadleir (Deputy Ulster)
Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms from 1943
1943–1944 Sir Algar Howard
1944–1957 Sir Gerald Wollaston
1957–1966 Aubrey Toppin
1966–1971 Richard Graham-Vivian
1971–1980 Sir Walter Verco
1980–1995 John Brooke-Little
1995–1997 Hubert Chesshyre
1997–2010 Thomas Woodcock
2010 Patric Dickinson
2010–2014 Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld
2014 Timothy Duke incumbent
