A brief list of the officers of arms of the Principality of Liège

There is a more comprehensive and authoritative discourse on the office of the herald of arms of the Principality of Liège in Dubois, Sebastien, Demoulin, Bruno, Kupper, Jean-Louis (eds.), Les institutions publiques de la principauté de Liège (980-1794), tome 1, Bruxelles: Archives générales du Royaume: 2012, pp.582ff. (pdf.)

Legend

X: La Croix 1947
P: Poncelet, Edouard, "Réception d'un héraut d'armes du pays de Liège sous Gérard Groesbeek", in Melangés Camille de Borman. Recueil de mémoires relatifs a l'Histoire, à l'Archéologie et à la Philologie, offert au Baron de Borman, et publié par ses amis et admirateurs, Liège: H. Vaillant-Carmanne, 1919, pp.431-439. (gallica.)

Note

About the source

The list relies mostly on X except where otherwise stated. Other sources remain supplemental position.
For the pre-1640 officers, P is the main source (X relies on him).

Miscellaneous

Pre-1640 officers are listed on an occurence basis while the List is on a person basis.
P states that Ferdinand von Bayern retained heralds in his capacity as Prince-elector Archbishop of Köln, citing Dubois, R., "L'élection et le couronnement de l'empereur Mathias", in: Bulletin de l'Institute Archéologique Liégeois, tome 34, 1904, pp.301-332, p.329. (Internet Archive) [But is it really so? The passage does refer to heralds of arms but whose master seems to be not mentioned.]
The herald of arms of the Principality of Liège had no heraldic title unlike most contries and like Lorraine where from the late seventeenth century its heralds were simply known as the herald of arms of the duchies of Lorraine and Barrois. Also, there was no distinction of king of arms and herald of arms like Spanish (later Austrian) low countries (see Fourez, 1932, p.303; Fourez cites Jurisprudentia Heroica, t. II, art. XVI, § 13, p.78.). However, X says J.-G. Le Fort (3.) made distinction between the two terms of king of arms and herald of arms when he styled himself J. Le Fort, escuyer, roy d'armes de S. M. I. & C. et héraut provincial sur le district du Bas-Rhin et pays circonvoisins et de S. A. l'évêque et Prince de Liège ....
There is a mention to a preco of Liège in 1275: per preconem Leodiensem facta dicitur, Morerod, Jean-Daniel, "Aller à Lausanne pour une bulle papes, curialistes et solliciteurs. (XII^e-XIII^e siècles)", in Studien und Dokumente zur Gallia Pontificia, Bd. 6, 2009, pp.179ff., p.189. The author translates it as a été faite par le héraut de Liège (ibid. pp.189-90). Was he really a herald, or a préconiseur? I made a little discussion on preco in my list of heralds of Bordeaux.
Publications before 1946 used Liége, in this page, I altered them and so only Liège appears.

Abbreviations

BN: Biographie nationale
SBL: Société des bibliophiles liégeois

Officers of arms to the prince-bishops of Liège before 1640

a. Name unknown: Horne pursuivant, 1380s and 1390-3 [According to Julia Smith's Heraldic Titles from the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Dictionary of Period Forms. S. U.].
b. Names unknown: Johann von Bayern (1389-1418) retained heralds [P, p.431].
c. Name unknown: herald of the bishop of Liège, 1399-1400. [Verbij-Schillings, Jeanne, "Un héraut-historien au début du XVe siècle: Bavière (autrefois Gueldre)", in Revue du Nord, vol.366-367, 2006, pp.693-707.]
d. Name(s) unknown: Heralds of Lord of Holland and of l'esleu du Liege, 1406 ['officier d'armes à la cour de Bourgogne]. [Johan III, Prince-Bishop of Liège 1390-1418 was (or claimed) Count of Holland only after 1417, so this reference could be either a herald or heralds of Prince-Bishop of Liège. Esleu here means a counter-bishop? (It means, more likely, just elected but not consacrated.) I am not sure. Even if so, As the Count of Holland in 1406 was Johan's elder brother and supporter Wilhelm VI, there is few possibility that the Count and the counter-bishop were the same person.]
e. Name unknown: Heinsberghe herald of the bishop of Liège, 1423 ['officier d'armes à la cour de Bourgogne].
f. Name(s) unknown: When Jean de Heinsberg (1419-1455) attended the coronation of Friedrich III at Aachen on 17 June 1442, he was accompanied by his herald(s) of arms [P, p.431].
g. Name unknown: Looz herald of the Lord of Liège, 1445 ['officier d'armes à la cour de Bourgogne; was Looz heraldic title or family name?]
h. Name unknown: Franchimont herald of arms of the bishop of Liège, 9 Sep. 1481 [P, p.432; X, p.2]. P says Franchimont here was not a family name but a surname of herald. P supposes this Franchimont and (k), (l) are same person.
i. Name unknown: heralds, 22 May 1484 [... cum tubis et hyraldis ...]. [P, p.433, citing Chestret de Hannefe, "Chronique de Gilles Jamsin (1468-1492)", in Bulletin de la Commission royale d'histoire, 5^me ser., tome 9, 1899, pp.597-610, p.604. (Internet Archive.)]
j. Name unknown: herald, 1 May 1485 [... per hyraldum ...] [P, p.433, citing "Chronique de Gilles Jamsin (1468-1492)" above, p.606.]
k. Thomas Franchimont: herald of arms of the King of the Romans, 1486. [P, p.432 says the office was held concurrently; X, p.2].
l. Name unknown: Franchmont, herald of arms to the bishop, killed on 6 Dec. 1489. [P, p.432.]
m. Name unknown: Late Franchimont, sometime herald of arms of the Lord of Liège, 23 Oct. 1495 [X, p.2, citing Poncelet, Cartulaire de l'Eglise St Lambert de Liége [sic], t. V. p.213 which I have not consulted.].
n. Name unknown: herald of arms of Corneile de Berghes (1538-1544), at his Joyeuse Entrée at Maestricht on 3 July 1538 [P, p.432].
o. Names unknown: Two heralds of arms of the Prince-Bishop at the funeral of Georges de d'Autriche (1544-1557) on 18 May 1557 [P, p.432].
p. David Hoyau: Ostrevant herald (to the Count of Hainaut?) sometime before created as Liège herald of arms. Liège herald of arms probably on 17 Nov. 1577 and discharged as Ostrevant at the same time. Returned Mons 1580 and seems to have entered Spanish royal service. Attended as de Mons [Does this mean herald of Mons or herald from Mons? It is not clear] at the funeral of Queen Anne-Marie on 29 and 30 Jan. 1581 with Guillaume Rugher, Hainaut herald who performed the functions of Toison d'or and Pierre Morrel, herald of Valenciennes [see Inventaire sommaire des Archives départementales antérieures à 1790, Nord. tome 5. Archives civiles. – Série B. Chambre des comptes de Lille, Nos. 2339 à 2787, Lille, 1885, p.288].
B. Mons ca. 1520; d. there 17 Apr. 1589 [all P]. See also his entry in BN, tome 39 (supplément tome 11), 1976, cols. 467-470 (pdf).
q. Names unknown: Two heralds of arms, at the Joyeuse Entrée of Ernst von Bayern, 8 June 1581 [P, p. 439].

The list

1. Henri van den Berch: King-herald of arms (roij hérauld d'armes) of Pays de Liège et Comté de Looz, created 14 Aug. 1640. King of arms of the Provinces of Rhin, Suabe and district of Franconie by Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine in 1658.
B. Liège; bapt. 31 May 1592; d. before 27 Mar. 1666 (Hannus'(2) diploma explicitly states ... vacant by the death of Henrij van den Berg ...). See also his entry in BN, tome 26, 1936-1938, cols. 258-260 (pdf); Becdelièvre-Hamal, Antoine Gabriel de Biographie liegeoise, tome 2, 1837, pp. 172-178 (Google Books); pp. 175-178 of Poswick, Eugène, "Manuscrits historiques sur le pays de Liège", in: Bulletin de la Société des bibliophiles liégeois, tome I, 1882, pp. 44-94, pp. 168-206. [Where is the following part(s?) of this list?]
2. Barthélemy Hannus: Herald of arms of the Principality of Liège and its dependencies, nominated 27 Mar. 1666.
D. before 1 Sept. 1682 (Le Fort's (3.) diploma explicitly states ... vacant by the death of Bartholomé [sic. S. U.] Hannus). In a certificate dated 4 Mar. 1675, he styled himself herald of arms of His Most Serene Highness prince elector of Cologne in his country of Liège and county of Loos (Poplimont, Charles Emmanuel Joseph, La Belgique héraldique, tome 2, Bruxelles: Typ. de G. Adriaens, 1864, p.444 (Internet Archive)). Here are some mentions on him: Harenne, J. B. de , "Le chateau de La Rochette et ses seigneurs" in Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeoise, tome 22, 1891, pp.27-250, p. 78 (Internet Archive); Exposition de l'art ancien au Pays de Liège: Catalogue général, Liège: A. Bénard, 1905, item no. 1224 (not page numbered) (Internet Archive).
3. Jean-Gilles Le Fort: Herald of arms in le pays de Liège, le duché de Bouillon et le Comté de Looz, confered 1 Sept. 1682. Imperial herald of arms in the district of Bas-Rhin, by the diploma by Emperor Leopold I, 12 Dec. 1688. See also AT-OeStA/HHStA RHR Miscellanea gratialia lateinische Expedition 43-1-7 Lüttich oder Johannes Ädigius Le Fort, Gesuch des Herolds und Wappenkönigs im Westfälischen Reichskreis in puncto manutenendae immunitatis et jurium Heroaldi caesarei, 1706 (Akt (Sammelakt, Grundzl., Konvolut, Dossier, File)).
Hannus' (2) cousin and pupil. B. Verviers, ca. 1641. D. 9 Feb. 1718. Seems to have attended the ceremony of the first Mass of the Elector of Köln, at the church of the Jesuits of Lille, 1 Jan. 1707 with heralds of Beechtergaden, Hildesheim, Regensburg and of the House of Bayern [Mercure galant, janvier 1707 [tome 1]. – Mercure Galant, OBVIL, under RELATION De ce qui s'est passé au sujet de la premiere Messe qui a esté celebrée par Monsieur l'Electeur de Cologne, dans l'Eglise des R.P. Jesuites de la Ville de Lille, le 1. Janvier.; see also The Present State of Europe, vol. 18, 1707, p. 99. (Google Books)]. If it was really him, this is the only occasion that any of the heralds of Liège after 1640 performed ceremonial duty, as far as I could find. See also his entry in BN, tome 11, 1890-1891, cols. 679-681 (pdf).
4. Jacques-Henri Le Fort: Imperial herald of arms in the district of Bas-Rhin, 20 July 1701, to succeed his father. Herald of arms of the Principality of Liège, 18 Mar. 1718. Seems to have been active in the former capacity, see an example of his certification.
B. 27 Aug. 1680; d. 3 Oct. 1751.
5. Simon-Joseph Abry: Herald of arms of Cité et Pays de Liège, Duché de Bouillon, Comté de Looz and their dependencies, nominated 31 Jan. 1752.
B. Liège; bapt. 8 July 1675. D. there 8 Apr. 1756. The diploma of his nomination is published by Eugène Poswick.
6. Pierre-Martin-Arnold de Villers de Piteit: Herald of arms of the Principality of Liège and its dependencies, nominated 2 June 1761.
B. Tongres; d. 1793. An account when he visited Farciennes on 17 April 1765 (yes, it was a kind of Visitation) in which he styles himself roy darme (sic) is published in Kaisin, J, Annales historiques de la commune de Farciennes, tome 2, Tamines: C. Duclot-Roulin, 1889, pp.124-127. (pdf)
7. Henri van Ophoven: King of arms, genealogist, armorist of the pays de Liège, duché de Bouillon, marquisat de Franchimont, Comté de Looz, de Hornes and all other places and dependencies of the Prince-Bishop of Liège, nominated 20 Mar. 1790, the Prince-Bishop then being in exile.
Bapt. 24 Oct. 1758 or 1 Sept. 1761; d. Liège, 25 June 1805.

In fiction

* Name unknown: Rouge Sanglier, herald to William de la Marck, whom the herald styled Prince Bishop of Liège. In Sir Walter Scott, Quentin Durward, 1823, Chapter XXXIII: The Herald.

To be consulted

Bormans, Stanislas, "Table des manuscrits généalogiques de Le Fort. Conservés aux archive de l'état, à Liège" 1re partie, in: Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeoise, vol. 4, 1860, pp.319-496. (with a notice on Le Fort the elder and the younger) (Internet Archive). 2e partie in Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeoise, vol. 5, 1862, pp.395ff., 3e partie in Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeoise, vol. 6, 1863, pp.131ff. [At a glance it seems nothing can I add to the list above.]
Clerx, P., "Supplément aux tables des manuscrits généalogiques de Le Fort" in: Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeoise, vol. 16, 1881, pp.183-320. (Internet Archive)
Goffin, René, "La famille du Héraut d'Armes David Hoyau", dans Tablettes du Hainaut, tome 1 , Hombeek, 1955, pp. 323-340.
Huart, Albert, "Les Armoiries de Barthélemy Hannus, héraut d'armes liégeois", SBL, 1942. Mentioned in X, p.67.
Naveau de Marteau, Léon, "Analyse du recueil d'épitahpes des Le Fort conservé aux Archives de l'État, à Liège", in: Bulletin de la SBL, tome IV, 1888-9, pp.209-383. (Google Books) [This is the first part. Following part(s?) seems to be not available online as of Jan 12, 2014.]
Naveau de Marteau, Léon et Poullet, Arnold, Recueil d'épitaphes de Henri van den Berch, Héraut d'armes Liège-Looz, SBL, 1925-1928, 2 vols. Tome 2 is available online.
Roger Denille, René Wattiez, Table des pièces et des meubles héraldiques: contenus dans l'Armorial dit de La Torre, Liège: SBL, 1982.
Schreurs, Fernand, "Henry van den Berch, roy héraut d'armes de la principauté de Liège", in Le Vieux-Liège, vol. 6, 1963, pp.300-310.
Schreurs, Fernand, "Le roy d'armes Henry van den Bergh, 'Gueldre-Liègeois'", in Le Vieux-Liège vol. 11, 1988, pp.411-425.
Stiennon, Jacques, "Le héraut d'armes Henri van de Berch et la numérologie", in Le Vieux-Liège, vol. 12, 1990, pp.39-44.
Van den Berg, J. et Bouhon, M., Armorial liégeois: collection de blasons inédits de familles bourgeoises et patriciennes du Pays de Liège: recueillie dans les églises et les cimetières de l'ancienne principauté, Liège: Gothier, 1882.
Wattiez, René, Armorial dit de la Torre: armorial liégeois, blasonné et publié par René Wattiez, Liège: SBL, 1978. [Its author is attributed to Simon-Joseph Abry. See Bibliographie héraldique internationale. (pdf)]
Armoriaux liégeois. Recueil d'armoiries bourgeoises du héraut d'armes Henri van Ophoven. Augmenté de l'armorial du pays de Franchimont et suivi de l'armorial de l'etat noble de Simon-Joseph Abry. Publié avec des notes et une table des meubles héraldiques par le Chevalier de Limbourg, SBL, 1930-1934, 2 vols.
Weber, Armand, Essai de bibliographie verviétoise (Société verviétoise d'archéologie et d'histoire — Bibliog. T. II), vol. 2, Verviers: Pierre Féguenne, 1903, pp.234ff. (Internet Archive.) [Le Fort's entry.]

Related materials

Abry, Louis, Loyens, Jean Guillaume , Recueil héraldique des bourguemestres de la noble cité de Liège, Liège: Jean-Philippe Gramme, 1720. (Google Books)
Ancion, J.-D.(ed.), Memorial de la ville de Liège: Continuation du Recueil de Loyens, Liège: Vaillant-Carmanne, 1884. (Google Books)
Bormans, Stanislas, "Le recueil héraldique des bourgmestres de la cité de Liège", in: Bulletin de Le Bibliophile belge, tome 2, 1867, pp. 270-280. (Google Books)
Helbig, Henri, Bormans, Stanislas (eds.), Les hommes illustres de la nation liégeoise par Louis Abry, Liège: L. Grandmont-Donders, 1867. (Google Books)
Lhoist-Colman, Berthe(ed.), Le livre de comptes de Simon-Joseph Abry, peintre et héraut d'armes liégeois (1675-1756), Liège: SBL, 1990. [Thanks to this work, I have added the reference to the diploma.]
Moffarts d'Houchenée, Stanislas, "Une bibliothèque de héraut d'armes au XVIIIe siècle: le catalogue des livres de Le Fort", in: Bulletin de la SBL, tome 23, 1997, pp.201-239.
Moffarts d'Houchenée, Stanislas, Les commissaires de la cité de Liège: 1424 - 1794: selon les manuscrits d'Abry et d'après les actes, Liège: SBL, 2005-2010.
Ophoven, J. Ch., Continuation du receuil héraldique des seigneurs bourg-mestres de la noble Cité de Liege, Liège, 1783. (Google Books)
Rye, Ernest de, Bormans, Stanislas, Poswick, Eugène, Traicté des maisons nobles du pays de Liège, Liège: Grandmont-Donders, 1870. (Google Books)

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