Norroy & Ulster King of Arms

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms.

The current office is the combination of two former appointments. The office of Ulster King of Arms was established in 1552 by EDWARD VI to replace the post of Ireland King of Arms, which had lapsed in 1487.

In 1943, the office of Ulster was combined with that of Norroy, and the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms now has jurisdiction over the the six counties of Northern Ireland as well as England north of the Trent.

Norroy and Ulster has also acted as Registrar and King of Arms of the Order of St Patrick since 1943, though no knights of that Order have been created since 1934, and the last surviving knight died in 1974.

The arms of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms date from 1980 and 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 Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, who was appointed in September, 2010.

Kings of Arms wear ceremonial tabards on State and ceremonial occasions, as worn here by the late Sir Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones KCVO.