Brooke-Little, John 1927–2006

(John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born April 6, 1927, in London, England; died February 13, 2006. Herald and author. Brooke-Little was a well-known British herald and expert on the history of heraldry. He had a fascination for the subject of heraldry since he was a young man, founding what would later become the Heraldry Society even before he went to college. A student of New College, Oxford, where he earned a B.A. in 1952 and an M.A. in history in 1956, Brooke-Little toyed with the idea of entering the Catholic clergy, but he was also enamored of the theater. He would later opine that the pomp, tradition, and ceremonious role of the herald would combine the features he liked best of both worlds. He began work as a herald in 1952, helping to work on Queen Elizabeth II's coronation ceremony. Four years later, he was made Bluemantle Pursuivant in the College of Arms; he would serve as the College of Arms registrar from 1974 to 1982, treasurer from 1978 to 1995, and librarian from 1974 to 1994. Over the years, he moved up the ranks, becoming Richmond Herald in 1967, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms in 1980, and finally Clarenceux King of Arms in 1995. The chair of the Heraldry Society for five decades, Brooke-Little also produced many books on British royalty, knights, and heraldry over the years, including Knights of the Middle Ages (1966), A Heraldic Alphabet (1973), Royal Arms (1977), and Royal Ceremonies of State (1978); Brooke-Little also edited Dod's Peerage and Parliamentary Companion from 1953 to 1960. Forced into mandatory retirement in 1997, he was a decorated Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight of Justice, Order of St. John, Knight Grand Cross of Grace and Devotion, Order of Malta (he was former chancellor of the British Association of the Order of Malta), and Distinguished Cruz San Raimundo de Penaforte, among other honors.

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Times (London, England), February 17, 2006, p. 75.