Arms:Quarterly, 1st: Gules on a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent an Escutcheon Or charged with a Demi-lion rampant pierced through the mouth by an arrow within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the first (Howard); 2nd: Gules three Lions passant gardant in pale Or, Armed and Langued Azure, in chief a Label of three points Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd: Checky Or and Azure (Warenne); 4th: Gules a Lion rampant Or, Armed and Langued Azure (Fitzalan).
WhenRichard II made Thomas Mowbray the Duke of Norfolk in 1397, he conferred upon him the estates and titles (includingEarl Marshal) that had belonged to the Earls of Norfolk. His elderly grandmother, Margaret, was still alive, and so at the same time she was created Duchess of Norfolk for life. Mowbray died in exile in 1399, months after his grandmother, and his dukedom was repealed. His widow took the title ofCountess of Norfolk.[2]
In accordance with the marriage arrangements, Richard inherited the lands and wealth of the Mowbray family. He was also made Duke of Norfolk. However, upon the death of Edward IV, the throne was offered to Edward's brother,Richard III. After Prince Richard was lodged in June 1483 in the Tower of London, where his elder brother (brieflyEdward V) was too, both Richard and Edward were declared illegitimate. They subsequentlydisappeared, and the titles of both York and Norfolk were forfeited to the crown.
This leftJohn Howard, the son of Thomas Mowbray's elder daughter Margaret, as heir to the dukedom, and his support for Richard III's accession secured his creation as 1st Duke of Norfolk in 1483, in the title's third creation. From this point to the present, the title has remained in the hands of the descendants of John Howard, except for periods when it was temporarily forfeited.
The Catholic faith of the Howard dynasty often resulted in conflict with the reigning monarch, particularly during and after the reign of Henry VIII. In 1546,Thomas Howard, the third Duke, fell out of favour with the dying Henry and was attainted on 27 January 1547; he was stripped of his titles and his lands reverted to the Crown. Imprisoned in the Tower of London, he narrowly escaped execution through Henry's death the following day, but remained imprisoned until the death of Edward VI and the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary to the English throne in 1553, upon which his lands and titles were restored to him. However, the Duke died the following year aged around 81, and was succeeded by his grandson Thomas as the fourth Duke of Norfolk.
Following Mary's death in 1558 and the accession of her sister Elizabeth I, the Duke was imprisoned for scheming to marry Elizabeth's cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. After his release under house arrest in 1570 and subsequent participation in theRidolfi plot to enthrone Mary and Catholicism in England, he was executed in 1572 for treason and his lands and titles again became forfeit.
In 1660, the fourth Duke's great-great-grandson, the 23rd Earl of Arundel, was restored to the family lands and dukedom. Mentally infirm, the fifth Duke never married and died in 1677. He was succeeded by his younger brotherHenry as the 6th Duke, through whom the7th Duke,8th Duke and9th Duke of Norfolk were descended in the male-line.
The 15th Duke of Norfolk owned almost 50,000 acres with 19,400 acres in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 21,000 acres in Sussex and 4,400 acres in Norfolk.[6]
In addition to the ducal title, the dukes of Norfolk also hold the hereditary position ofEarl Marshal, which has the duty of organising state occasions such as thecoronation of the monarch and thestate opening ofParliament. For the last five centuries, save some periods when it was underattainder, both the dukedom and the earl-marshalship have been in the hands of the Howard family. According to theHouse of Lords Act 1999, due to his duties as Earl Marshal, Norfolk is one of only two hereditary peers automatically admitted to theHouse of Lords, without being elected by the general body of hereditary peers (the other being theLord Great Chamberlain).
The Duke of Norfolk participates in the formal ceremony surrounding the annualState Opening of Parliament held at the Palace of Westminster each year. He is among the four individuals who precede the monarch in procession to the House of Lords chamber, and one of the two of these who would traditionally walk facing the sovereign (thus backwards), though this has not been practised in recent years.
As the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk is head of theCollege of Arms, through which he regulates all matters connected with armorial bearings and standards, in addition to controlling the arrangements for state functions. He is one of three claimants to the title ofChief Butler of England.
The Duke of Norfolk currently holds the followingsubsidiary titles (year of present creation noted for each):
All titles are in thePeerage of England, save for the most recent, the Barony of Howard of Glossop which is in thePeerage of the United Kingdom. All descend to heirs male except the Barony of Beaumont, which can pass in the female line. The styleEarl of Arundel is used as acourtesy title by the Duke's eldest son, the present holder beingHenry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel. The styleLord Maltravers is used as a courtesy title by the eldest son of the Duke's eldest son (the Duke's grandson).
1st: Issuant from a Ducal Coronet Or a pair of Wings Gules each charged with a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent (Howard); 2nd: On a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant gardant with tail extended Or gorged with a Ducal Coronet Argent (Thomas of Brotherton); 3rd: On a Mount Vert a Horse passant Argent holding in the mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper (Fitzalan).
Helm
Helm of a peer
Escutcheon
Quarterly, 1st: Gules on a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent an Escutcheon Or charged with a Demi-lion rampant pierced through the mouth by an arrow within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the first (Howard); 2nd: Gules three Lions passant gardant in pale Or, Armed and Langued Azure, in chief a Label of three points Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd: Checky Or and Azure (Warenne); 4th: Gules a Lion rampant Or, Armed and Langued Azure (Fitzalan).
Supporters
Dexter a Lion, sinister a Horse both Argent the latter holding in the mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper.
Motto
Sola Virtus Invicta (Latin for "Virtue alone is unconquered").
Orders
Circlet of theRoyal Victorian Order (appointed Knight Grand Cross in 2022). Often, the coat of arms of the Duke of Norfolk appears with the Garter circlet of theOrder of the Garter surrounding the shield, as seen in the arms of the17th Duke of Norfolk. However, this is not hereditary; the 17th Duke did not become a Knight of the Garter until 22 April 1983. The18th Duke of Norfolk, as of 2022, had not been appointed to the Order of the Garter.
Other elements
Placed behind the shield are two gold batons insaltire enamelled at the ends in black, which represent the Duke of Norfolk's office asEarl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England.
18th Duke of Norfolk, then the Earl of Arundel, atCarlton Towers, 1981
Framlingham Castle was originally a part of the properties of the Earls of Norfolk, but when the title fell from use, the castle was administered by the crown. In 1397, it was given to Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, by King Richard II. And when the Mowbray line became extinct, it passed eventually to theHoward family. Major repairs to this castle were carried out in 1485 by John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (second creation). The castle would remain in the Howard family, and thus the Dukes of Norfolk, for a while, but would eventually pass from their possession. In 1553, for example, Framlingham was given toMary Tudor, sister ofKing Edward VI.[8]
Bungay Castle, in Bungay, Suffolk, was also originally a part of the properties of the Earls of Norfolk. In 1483, it passed into the possession of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, and the family continued to own it, apart from brief periods, until the late 20th century. However, the castle has long been in a state of decay. Consequently, in 1987, the 17th Duke of Norfolk presented the castle to the town, which had already begun its own restoration attempts, along with an endowment for funding towards its preservation. It is now owned and administered by the Castle Trust.[9]
Arundel Castle in West Sussex has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for more than 850 years. Built in the 11th century byRoger de Montgomery,Earl of Arundel, the castle was seized by the crown in 1102. Some 50 years later, in 1155,King Henry II, who had added on to the castle, confirmedWilliam d'Aubigny as Earl of Arundel; he was given the honour, title and castle of Arundel. Arundel Castle is still to this day the home of The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and their children. TheFitzalan Chapel, founded in 1390 by the 4th Earl of Arundel, is located on the western grounds outside the castle, and has been the burial place of the most recent Dukes of Norfolk.[10]
Glossop Hall is an occasional residence of the Dukes, situated in the High Peak District of Derbyshire. As the family became closely connected with Sheffield, the Farm inGlossop became increasingly used, particularly: when Henry Howard lived there in the 1760s; when the 14th Duke enlarged The Farm as an occasional residence; and during the time of the 15th Duke, Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard, who had an interest in the activities of the city. The Glossop estate was sold by the family in 1925.
the heirs male descended from Lord William Howard, younger half-brother ofPhilip Howard, 20th Earl: (both lines currently extant)
the heirs male in the senior line of descent from Lord William Howard through his elder son Sir Philip Howard, grandfather of the firstEarl of Carlisle
the heirs male in the junior line of descent from Lord William Howard through his second son Francis, ancestor of the Howards of Corby Castle, Cumberland, England.
In the event all the currently extant lines of descent from the fourth Duke fail in the male line, the Dukedom of Norfolk and its subsidiary titles will become extinct; though there exists a currently extant branch of the Howard dynasty, theEarls of Effingham, in descent from the second Duke, their line was unaccountably omitted from the 1660 remainder.
12th Duke of Norfolk shown wearing the star and sash of the Order of the Garter
The following list is of the dukes of Norfolk, along with their year of investiture, who were also knights of theOrder of the Garter across all creations of the title.
Thomas Howard (1627–1677) 5th Duke of Norfolk, 21st/14th/2nd Earl of Arundel, 4th/6th Earl of Surrey, 16th Baron Mowbray 1660–1677 18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1654–1677
Henry Howard (1628–1684) 6th Duke of Norfolk, 22nd/15th/3rd Earl of Arundel, 5th/7th Earl of Surrey, 1st Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 17th Baron Mowbray, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1672–1684
Henry Howard (1655–1701) 7th Duke of Norfolk, 22nd/15th/3rd Earl of Arundel, 5th/7th Earl of Surrey, 2nd Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Mowbray, 19th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall, 1684–1701
Lord Thomas Howard (1662–1689)
Henry Charles Howard (d. 1720)
Thomas Howard (1683–1732) 8th Duke of Norfolk, 23rd/16th/4th Earl of Arundel, 6th/8th Earl of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall, 19th Baron Mowbray 1701–1732
Edward Howard (1685–1777) 9th Duke of Norfolk, 24th/17th/5th Earl of Arundel, 7th/9th Earl of Surrey, 4th Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 20th Baron Mowbray, 20th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1732–1777
Philip Howard (1688–1750)
Bernard Howard (1674–1735)
Earldom of Norwich (3rd creation) and Barony of Howard of Castle Rising extinct and Baronies of Furnivall, Mowbray, Segrave, Strange of Blackmere, and Talbot abeyant, 1777
Henry Fitzalan-Howard (1847–1917) 15th Duke of Norfolk, 30th/23rd/11th Earl of Arundel, 13th/15th Earl of Surrey, Lord Maltravers, Earl of Arundel and Surrey 1860–1917
Charles Edward Stourton (1923–2006) 27th Baron Segrave, 24th/26th Baron Mowbray, 23rd Baron Stourton
Miles Fitzalan-Howard (1915–2002) 17th Duke of Norfolk, 32nd/25th/13th Earl of Arundel, 15th/17th Earl of Surrey, 4th Baron Howard of Glossop 1975–2002
Italics: This title is held by a peer who holds another of higher precedence. *This title is no longer used due to the holder ceasing its use in October 2025
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