Edward Heron-Allen was a remarkable man but his name is rarely remembered today, except by the members of the modest society that commemorates him and his achievements. Born in 1861, he lived until 1943 and his last entry in Who's Who listed his interests as ‘Persian literature; Marine Zoology; Meteorology; Heraldry; Bibliography; Occasional Essays and Scientific Romances; Auricula and Asparagus Culture.’ To these he could justifiably have added violinmaking, palmistry, Egyptology, archaeology, local history and many other more passing interests. He was an inveterate collector of all manner of things (but especially books), a pioneer of the Boy Scout movement, and the senior partner in his father's thriving legal practice until he retired at the age of 50. His diversity of interests suggests at first sight that he was a dilettante, a dabbler in diverse disciplines, knowing very little about a lot. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Edward Heron-Allen was a true polymath, a multidisciplinary savant with a natural aptitude for languages. Wherever he decided to put his efforts, he succeeded in becoming a leader in the field; a couple of examples will serve to demonstrate his talents. He was articled to his father's law firm in London's Soho when he was 18, but soon found a more interesting diversion round the corner at the workshop of Georges Chanot, one of the last of the great classical violin-makers.