Arthur Vicars

Sir Arthur Vicars (1862–1921) was an English-born genealogist and heraldic expert who spent his adult life in Ireland. He was appointed Ulster King of Arms in 1893, but was removed from the post in 1908 following the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels in the previous year. He was killed by the IRA in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence.

Antiquarian and expert in heraldry

Arthur Vicars was born on 27 July 1862 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and was the youngest child of Colonel Henry Vicars of the 61st Regiment of Foot and his wife Jane (originally Gun-Cunninghame). This was his mother's second marriage, the first being to Pierce O'Mahony by whom she had two sons. Arthur was very attached to his Irish half-brothers and spent much time at their residences. On completing his education at Magdalen College School, Oxford and Bromsgrove School he moved permanently to Ireland.

He quickly developed an expertise in genealogical and heraldic matters and made several attempts to be employed by the Irish heraldic administration of Ulster King of Arms, even offering to work for no pay.

In 1891 he was one of the founder members of the County Kildare Archaelogical Society, and remained its honorary secretary until his death.

Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms died in December 1892, and Vicars was appointed to the office by Letters Patent dated 2 February 1893. In 1896 Arthur Vicars was knighted and in 1903 he was created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a trustee of the National Library of Ireland.

In 1897 Vicars published "An Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536 -1810", a listing of all persons in wills proved in that period. This work became very valuable to genealogists after the destruction of the source material for the book in 1922 when the Public Record Office at the Four Courts was destroyed at the start of the Irish Civil War.

Theft of the "Irish Crown Jewels"

Vicars' career was very distinguished until 1907 when it was hit by the scandal of the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. As Registrar of the Order of St Patrick, Vicars had custody of the insignia of the order, also known as the "crown jewels". They were found to be missing on 6 July, and a Crown Jewel Commission was established in January 1908 to investigate the disappearance. Vicars, and his barrister Tim Healy, refused to attend the commission's hearings. The commission's findings were published on the 25 January 1908, and Vicars was dismissed as Ulster five days later. He continued to protest his innocence until his death, even including bitter references to the affair in his will.

On 23 November 1912, the London Mail published serious false allegations against Arthur Vicars. The substance of the article was that Vicars had allowed a woman reported to be his mistress to obtain a copy to the key to the safe and that she had to fled to Paris with the jewels. In July 1913 Vicars successfully sued the paper for libel, who admitted that the story was completely baseless and that the woman in question did not exist. Vicars was awarded damages of £5,000. ["The Irish Crown Jewels - Sir Arthur Vicars libelled", The Times, July 5, 1913]

Vicars left Dublin and moved to Kilmorna, near Listowel, County Kerry, the former seat of one of his half-brothers. He married Gertrude Wright in Ballymore, County Wicklow on 4 July 1917. ["Forthcoming Marriages", The Times, June 29, 1917]

His death

During the Irish War of Independence Vicars was known to entertain members of the British Army at his house. This led to him being targeted by the IRA. In May 1920 up to a hundred armed men broke into Kilmorna House and held Vicars at gunpoint while they attempted to break into the house's strongroom. On 14 April 1921 he was taken from Kilmorna House which was set alight and shot dead in front of his wife. According to the communique issued from Dublin Castle, thirty armed men took him from his bed and shot him, leaving a placard around his neck denouncing him as an informer."Murder of Sir A. Vicars", The Times, April 15, 1921]

He was buried in Leckhampton, Gloucestershire on 20 April. ["Funerals", The Times, April 19, 1921]

ources

*"Royal Roots, Republican Inheritance, The Survival of the Office of Arms", Susan Hood, Dublin 2002

References