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v2.05 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Henry Burke

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Alfred Trego Butler''' [[Royal Victorian Order|MVO]], [[Military Cross|MC]], [[Society of Antiquaries of London|FSA]], [[FASG]] (8 October 1880 – 22 December 1946) was a [[genealogist]] and [[officer of arms]] at the [[College of Arms]] in [[London]].

==Early and personal life==
Alfred Butler was born in 1880 as the second son of Robert Frederick Butler of Lynford Gardens, [[Hampstead]]. In 1905, he married Grace Blunt, daughter of Mr. J. Hughes Blunt of Huntingdon, and had two daughters.<ref name="obituary">Obituary in ''The Times'', 24 December 1946</ref> Butler died on 22 December 1946 at [[St John's Wood]] in [[London]], and was survived by his wife and daughters.<ref name="obituary" />

==Military career==
In the [[First World War]], Butler served with the 8th Battalion, [[The Worcestershire Regiment]], eventually rising to the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]].<ref name="obituary"/> While a temporary [[Second Lieutenant]], he was awarded the Military Cross. The citation reads:<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30651|page=4997|supp=y|date=23 April 1918}}</ref>

{{cquote|For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in charge of a raid. He took up his duties at short notice, and was responsible for the training, of the party. He repelled an attempted counter-attack, and after inflicting considerable casualties successfully withdrew his party some 450 yards to our line, in spite of an enemy barrage across "No Man's Land."}}

==Heraldic and genealogical career==
At the age of 17, Butler became a clerk to [[Henry Farnham Burke|Henry Burke]], then [[Somerset Herald]]. In 1919, on Burke's promotion to [[Garter Principal King of Arms]], Butler became his secretary, and continued in this post until Burke's death in 1930.<ref name="obituary" /> Burke specialised in genealogy, and Butler learned a lot from him, eventually being regarded as the foremost genealogist of his generation.<ref name="obituary"/><ref name="college of arms">''The College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street : being the sixteenth and final monograph of the London Survey Committee'', Walter H. Godfrey, assisted by Sir [[Anthony Wagner]], with a complete list of the officers of arms, prepared by H. Stanford London, (London, 1963)</ref> During this time Butler also edited [[Burke's Peerage]], from 1922 – 1926.

Butler became an officer of arms in his own right, being appointed [[Portcullis Pursuivant|Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary]] in 1926,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33185|page=4868|date=23 July 1926}}</ref> and promoted to [[Windsor Herald|Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary]] in 1931.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33688|page=927|date=10 February 1931}}</ref> He was also made the Genealogist of the [[Order of the Bath]] in 1930,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33653|page=6314|date=17 October 1930}}</ref> and Honorary Genealogist of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] in 1938.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34579|page=7911|date=13 December 1938}}</ref> He resigned from both of these offices shortly before his death.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37760|page=5095|date=15 October 1946}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37774|page=5361|date=1 November 1946}}</ref>

He was elected a Fellow of the [[American Society of Genealogists]] in 1944.<ref>[http://fasg.org/fellows/all-fellows/ American Society of Genealogists: All Fellows.]</ref>

==Other honours and appointments==
Alfred Butler was also a member of the council of the [[Harleian Society|Harleian]] and British Record Societies, and of the Croft Lyons committee of the [[Society of Antiquaries of London|Society of Antiquaries]], of which he became a fellow in 1927.<ref name="college of arms" />

In 1930, Butler was made an Officer of the [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St. John]] in 1930<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33618|page=3956|date=24 June 1930}}</ref> and promoted to Commander in 1934.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33618|page=4058|date=26 June 1934}}</ref>

==Coat of arms==
As might be expected of an officer of arms, Butler bore a coat of arms. This was [[blazon]]ed
*(Arms) ''Argent on a chief indented sable 3 covered cups or''
*(Crest) ''On a torse argent and sable a vine fructed proper supported by two eagles argent''
*(Motto) ''Je sers''<ref name="college of arms" />

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-herald}}
{{s-bef|before=[[George Bellew|Sir George Bellew]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[File:Badge of the Portcullis Pursuivant.svg|25px|center]] [[Portcullis Pursuivant]]|years=1926 – 1931}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anthony Wagner|Sir Anthony Wagner]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Algar Howard|Sir Algar Howard]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[File:Badge of the Windsor Herald.svg|25px|center]] [[Windsor Herald]]|years=1931 – 1946}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Richard Graham-Vivian]]}}
{{end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Alfred}}
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:English genealogists]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:English officers of arms]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists]]

Alfred Butler - Revision history

imported>Tassedethe: v2.05 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Henry Burke