Ranging from serious historical researchers to the gullible, the fantasists and outright confidence tricksters – some of the major players in this genre that are no longer with us – having catered to a readership voraciously interested in a modern manufactured myth

Henri Rouzaud (Henri-Pierre Rouzaud), 14 November 1855 – 17 July 1935

Ernest Cros (Ernest-Marie Cros), 17 March 1857 – 1946

Marius Fatin, 12 November 1894 – 1967

Noël Corbu, 27 April 1912 – 20 May 1968

Frank Glynn, 1905 – 16 August 1968

Anne-Léa Hisler, 26 September 1916 – 29 August 1971

T. C. Lethbridge (Thomas Charles Lethbridge), 3 March 1901 – 30 September 1971

Dr Jean Girou, 22 November 1889 – 1972

Francis Blanche (Francis-Jean Blanche), 20 July 1921 – 6 July 1974

Roger Lhomoy, 17 April 1904 – 1974

Mathieu Paoli (Ludwig Scheswig), died after 1976

Comte de Henri de Lénoncourt (Henri Lobineau), 1891 – 29 May 1978

Robert Charroux (Robert Grugeau), 7 April 1909 – 24 June 1978

René Espeut, 1911 – 1979

Mgr Georges Boyer, 3 October 1892 – 13 June 1982

Iain Moncreiffe (Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet), 9 April 1919 – 27 February 1985

Philippe de Chérisey (Philippe Louis Henri Marie, Marquis de Chérisey), 13 February 1923 – 17 July 1985

Jacques Cholet (Jacques Marie Charles Cholet), 16 July 1911 – 5 December 1985

René Descadeillas (Paul-René Descadeillas), 1909 – 22 April 1986

Roger Crouquet, 1901 – 1987

Abbé Maurice-René Jean Mazières, 18 February 1909 – 8 April 1988

Margaret, Countess of Lichfield (Violet Margaret Dawson-Greene), 20 June 1899 – October 1988

Roger-Patrice Pelat, 31 July 1918 – 7 March 1989

Jean Bousquet, died 21 June 1989

Urbain Gibert, 28 February 1903 – 5 September 1989

Lionel de Roulet, 1910 – 1990

Frederick J. Pohl (Frederick Julius Pohl), 18 August 1889 – 21 February 1991

Abbé Albert Gau (Albert Louis Joseph Gau), 10 July 1910 – 14 May 1993

Christopher Cornford (Professor Christopher Francis Cornford), 9 February 1917 – 8 April 1993

Jos Bertaulet (Joseph Thijs), 1922 – 31 August 1995

André Malacan, 1927 – 1997

James P. Whittall II, 15 July 1932 – 18 November 1998

Patricia Villiers-Stuart (Patricia Frances Mary Fieldeb Villiers-Stuart, Nemon-Stuart), 28 September 1910 – 1998

Georges Cagger (Georges François Paul Cagger), 14 March 1909 – 1998

Henry S. C. (Pete) Cummings, 1928 – 5 March 1999

George Sims (George Frederick Robert Sims), 3 August 1923 – 4 November 1999

Jimmy Guieu (Henri René Guieu), 19 March 1926 – 2 January 2000

Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair (born Pierre Athanase Marie Plantard), 18 March 1920 – 3 February 2000

Henri Buthion, 8 August 1924 – 14/15 March 2002

Abbé Bruno de Monts de Savasse, 1910 – October 2003

Gérard de Sède (Géraud Marie de Sède de Liéoux), 5 June 1921 – 29/30 May 2004

Thierry Jean-Pierre, 27 July 1955 – 26 July 2005

Louis Vazart, 1957 – 20 August 2005

William S. “Bill” Crooker, 7 September 1934 – 9 November 2005

Marina Grey (Marina Antonovna Denikina), 20 February 1919 – 16 November 2005

Graham Simmans (Graham John Simmans), November 1919 – 2005

Jacques Rivière, 1 August 1945 – 23 April 2006

Gérard Dutriat, 25 August 1931 – 23 May 2006

Fr. Regino O. Cortes O. P., S. S. L., 1942 – 28 August, 2006

Robert Anton Wilson (Robert Edward Wilson), 18 January 1932 – 11 January 2007

Roger-René Dagobert (Roger-René Dagobert de Groucy), 1929 – 20 July 2007

Richard Leigh (Richard Harris Leigh, also known as Richard Bardmont), 16 August 1943 – 21 November 2007

Jean-Luc Robin, 27 July 1949 – 12 March 2008

William “Bill” Putnam, 19 April 1930 – 14 October 2008

Nicole Christine (Linda Lou Shereck), 26 December 1940 – 18 October 2008

Jean Markale (Jacques Bertrand), 23 May 1928 – 23 November 2008

Jean-Pierre Deloux, 13 February 1944 – 23 January 2009

Laurence Gardner (Barry Laurence Gardner), 17 May 1943 – 12 August 2010

J. R. Church (Jerry Rolan Church, Sr), 17 November 1938 – 22 March 2011

Didier Audinot, 23 December 1956 – 6 June 2011

Elizabeth Van Buren (Giuletta Elizabeth Emmons Van Buren, later Verdon Roe), 20 February 1929 – 3 September 2011

Celia Brooke (Dayang Celia Margaret Captier-Brooke), 3 November 1944 – 17 December 2011

Jean Blum, 1932 – 7 June 2012

Émile Saunière, December 1911 – 16 June 2012

Jean Pellet, 1931 – 10/11 September 2012

Hugo Soskin, Died 17 September 2012

David Wood (David Ronald Wood), 1929 – 19 November 2012

Philip Coppens (Filip Coppens), 25 January 1971 – 30 December 2012

Fred Gettings, 13 May 1937 – 15 January 2013

François Grassaud (François Joachim Pierre Grassaud), 3 June 1920 – 5 February 2013

Nicholas de Vere von Drakenberg (born Nicholas Logan Weir), 16 May 1957 – 26 February 2013

Michael Baigent (Michael Barry Meehan), 27 February 1948 – 19 June 2013

Robert Arnaut, 24 June 1929 – 1 August 2013

Richard Khaitzine, 20 September 1947 – 9 December 2013

Alain Féral (Alain Paul Alfred Marie Féral, alias Spatz), 18 September 1942 – 24 December 2013

John Ritchie, 25 February 1947 – 8 March 2014

Robert Brydon, 9 December 1930 – 21 May 2014

Brian Innes (Brian Stanley Innes), 4 May 1928 – 14 July 2014

Ian Sinclair, August 1939 – 10 October 2014

Stephen Crouch Plantard de St Clair, 25 January 1955 – 7 February 2015

Roger Hanin (Roger Levy), 20 October 1925 – 11 February 2015

Jean-Michel Thibaux, 18 April 1949 – 16 March 2015

Barbara Thiering (Barbara Elizabeth Thiering), 15 November 1930 – 16 November 2015

Umberto Eco, 5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016

Claude Jacquemart, 2 March 1936 – 5 March 2016

Jean-Alain Sipra, 1934 – 7 September 2016

Henri Fatin, died October 2016

Guy Gentil, died 3 November 2016

Adrien Bourrel, died 2016

Clysta Kinstler (Clysta Joyce Henry), 1931 – 31 January 2017

Niven Sinclair (Nivien James Sinclair), 3 April 1924 – 6 July 2017

Jim Marrs (James Farrell Marrs Jr), 5 December 1943 – 2 August 2017

Peter Berling, 20 March 1934 – 21 November 2017

Michael Anderson Bradley (pen name: Michael de Sackville), 12 May 1944 – 11 December 2017

Vi Marriott (Violet Olive Marriott, MBE), March 1920 – 17 December 2017

Ray Sutcliffe (Raymond Ernest Sutcliffe), 18 March 1920 – 3 February 2018

Geneviève Béduneau, 30 March 1947 – 5 April 2018

John Edwin Wood, 1929 – 6 April 2018

Zena Halpern, 25 March 1930 – 29 May 2018

Marcel Captier, 2 December 1948 – 23 August 2018

Ean Begg (Ean Cochrane MacInnes Begg), 1929 – 1 October 2018

Andrew Sinclair (Andrew Annandale Sinclair), 21 January 1935 – 30 May 2019

Tim Wallace-Murphy, 13 January 1930 – 29 June 2019

Tracy R. Twyman (Tracy Renee Twyman), 28 August 1978 – July 2019

Bettye Johnson (née Bettye Ann Carter), 26 July 1929 – 7 December 2019

Stuart Christie, 10 July 1946 – 15 August 2020

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing), 2 February 1926 – 2 December 2020

Gloria Amendola (Gloria Jean Amendola), 11 February 1956 – 4 April 2021

André Galaup, 23 November 1938 – 9 April 2021

Josep Tarrés I Fontan, 14 July 1929 – 19 April 2021

Henry Lincoln (Henry Soskin), 12 February 1930 – 24 February 2022

Suzanne Olsson (Suzanne Marie Olsson), 1943 – 23 June 2022

Bill Kersey (William Trefor Kersey), 22 November 1932 – 24 July 2022

Paul Rouelle, 14 August 1944 – 9 November 2022

* Also added to the list are these three notable journalists, the details of which are lost to us: Albert Salamon (La Dépêche du Midi), Pierre Sourbès (L'Indépendant), Pierre Pons (La Dépêche du Midi, died circa 2006)