By Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 25 August 2026, His Majesty The King has been pleased to appoint James Lawson Broun to the office of Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms, vacant by the promotion of James van Someren Peill, now Garter King of Arms.
James Broun was born in Buckinghamshire but grew up in the East Midlands. He attended St George’s Academy in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, and Brasenose College, Oxford, where he read History and Politics, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 2017. He subsequently received the degrees of Master of Research from King’s College London (2018) and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sussex (2022). Before entering the College of Arms as a Probationary Officer in 2025, he worked successively as a Policy Manager at Make UK and as the Research Manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. He holds Associate Fellowships of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Historical Society, and recently joined the Council of the Harleian Society. James lives in London with his wife.
