It is with great sadness that I have learnt of the death of V. Ill. Kt Ray Gulliver on 28th November 2025, just 3 days before what would have been his 87th birthday.
V. Ill. Kt Ray Gulliver was installed as a knight of the Ancient College Gateway Conclave No 259 on 31st January 1995 and was therefore a member of our order for 30 years. He rose through the Conclave Offices to become its Sovereign in 2001 and remained in post for 2 years. Ray is known by many of the knights in the Division as the Conclave’s hard-working recorder from 2008 – 2020 and was responsible for many of the current knights of the Conclave becoming members of the Order. Before he became Sovereign, Ray had become a member of the Divisional Sepulchre Guard, and due to his membership was eligible to become a Founder of the Sacer Comitatus Conclave No 501 in 2009, and became its Sovereign in 2016, which was at the time one of his proudest moments.
V. Ill. Kt Ray was first made a Divisional Officer in 2003 as Divisional Herald, receiving a promotion in 2004, and then in 2011 becoming the Divisional Senior General in 2011, and in light of the considerable dedication that he had given to the Ancient College Gateway Conclave I promoted him to the rank of Divisional Eusebius in 2017, which he believed would be the pinnacle of his time within the Division. He had already received Grand Imperial rank in 2006 as Past Grand Warden of Regalia and received a promotion in 2012 to Past Grand Chamberlain, both appointments which were justly deserved.
In 2017 I invited Ill. Kt. Ray to become my Deputy, and he originally turned it down as he did not think he was well enough known in the Division. I was delighted when a few days later, he came back to me asking if the invitation still stood, as having spoken with his wife, Val, she convinced him to agree to take up the opportunity. During his 4 years as my Deputy, he not only visited all of the Conclaves on Divisional Visits as the Deputy Intendant-General, but also on many other occasions, and I valued his support and advice to me during his term as my Deputy. Ill. Kt. Ray received a further promotion in Grand Imperial Conclave in 2018 to the rank of Past Grand High Chancellor which meant that he became a Very Illustrious Knight.
Ray received one further honour within the Division and the Order, when I presented him with my personal award being the “Invictus Award” to mark the impact he had had within the Division and in the Ancient College Gateway Conclave, and it was especially fitting that I was able to present him with that at the delayed Golden Jubilee meeting of that Conclave, in front of not just his Conclave and many knights of the Division, but also in the presence of the Grand Sovereign, Most Illustrious Knight, Graham Flight.
V. Ill. Kt. Ray’s health was not good over the last couple of years and at this sad time our thoughts are with his wife, Val, and all of his family.
Requiescat in pace.
R. Ill. Kt. Nick Alder KCC