Former Vice-President of the Clan MacThomas
Society
Roger Fulton Pye, the elder son of Reginald Arnold Pye and his
wife Alice Margaret, nee Thom, of Oporto Portugal, was born
there on 19th April 1922, in the house in which he was to die
nearly 79 years later. He spent most of his life in Portugal,
apart from his education at Sutton Valence School, Kent, and
his service in the R.A.F.V.R (Squadron Leader) as a light
bomber pilot with 180 and 500 squadrons – a history of which
he later wrote.
He joined Rawes and Co. Ltd. in Oporto, succeeding his
father as senior partner, later occupying the same position in
Rawes (Peritagens) Limited. Rawes and Company were several
agents in Portugal for the Commercial Union Assurance Company;
they were also shipping and insurance claims agents, Lloyds
Agents, Agents for the Institute of London Underwriters and
the American Institute of Marine Underwriters. In 1977 the
latter, which had always been Roger Pye’s particular
responsibility, was formed into a separate company, Rawes
(Peritagens).
Outside business hours his interests were mainly
antiquarian, with heraldry being his speciality. He wrote
numerous articles and read papers at several international heraldic
conferences and before other
bodies.
He managed the case for the revival
of the long dormant Clan MacThomas chiefship, resulting in the
Lord Lyon’s recognition of Captain Patrick MacThomas, who
appointed him in May 1967 as Clan Seanachaidh. He was a Vice
President of the Clan MacThomas Society and the Honorary
Editor of its magazine Clach a’ Choilich. He wrote many of the
early issues himself. Amongst his appointments were FSA Scot
1967; FSA 1973; Socio Efectivo, Instituto Portuges de
Heraldica 1974; Membre Associe, Academie Internationale
d’Heraldique 1978 and FHS 1980.
His other great interest was animal welfare and he and
his wife ran what was virtually a free dispensary and animal
shelter for the poorer inhabitants of the part of Oporto in
which they lived. They also kept Serra da Estrela dogs
(Portuguese herd dogs), breeding several Portuguese champions.
He introduced the breed to the UK, wrote the first book in
English on it and its background, and was the first President
of the Estrela Mountain Dog
Association.
He served on the committee of the British Church of St.
James in Oporto and as the Honorary Treasurer of the Oporto
British Hospital, O.St J. 1977.
Roger Pye married Jean, the daughter of John Hewitt of
Foulsham, Norfolk and she predeceased him. They had two
children, a son who also predeceased him and a daughter Caryll
(Mrs R.S. Howard) . He died on 18th February
2001.
Following Roger Pye’s death
in 2001, Andrew MacThomas, the 19th Chief of Clan MacThomas
wrote:
Roger Pye’s role in restoring the
MacThomas chiefship to my family, and in helping my father to
be officially recognised by the Lyon Court by the historic
designation of “The MacThomas of Finegand”, has always been
acknowledged by my family. As such, Roger always had a very
special place in our hearts. He was, after all, one of the
founders of the modern Clan Society when it was formed in 1954
and, for many years, Editor of Clach a’ Choilich. Over the
years the Clan Magazine has carried many of Roger’s
wonderfully written articles about the clan history, which he
himself has brought up to date through meticulous research.
His enormous knowledge of highland lore, and in particular,
the history of the Clan MacThomas is
irreplaceable.
I had been in regular correspondence with Roger for
over thirty years and appreciated his entertaining and amusing
letters and sound advice. I shall miss him
enormously.
The recently published book, The History of the Clan
MacThomas, is
dedicated to the memory of Roger Fulton Pye – "without whom
much of the history of the Clan would have been lost for
ever". Indeed much of its contents have been adapted from the
research and writings of Roger Pye.
