New Grant of Arms

The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Johnny Sei-Hoe Hon.

The blazon is: Sable on a fess Or between two Chinese swords saltireways points upwards proper hilted and pommelled of the Second in chief and an ancient crown of the Second in base a horse in full gallop of the First.

The crest is: a demi-Chinese dragon Or langued Gules holding in its dexter paw an hour-glass Proper.

The artist is Yvonne Holton, Herald Painter.

New Grant of Arms

The Lord Lyon has granted arms to William Robert Wiseman. The blazon is: Argent, a chevron Gules between in chief three eight-pointed stars and in base an antique lion rampant of the Second. The crest is a demi-sea-dragon Azure. The artist is Clare McCrory.

Lady Marion Fraser LT Lecture

Unicorn Pursuivant attended the annual Lady Marion Fraser Lecture of Scotland's Churches Trust in the University of Glasgow's glorious Memorial Chapel. Among the heraldry in the Chapel is the coat of arms of this year's lecturer, the current Chancellor, Sir Kenneth Calman, as well as that of a predecessor, Sir William Kerr Fraser, Lady Marion's husband.

The blazons are as follows:

Lady Marion Fraser: 
On a shield of lozenge shape three fraises in pale Argent between two bears' heads couped and respectant of the last muzzled Gules. 

Sir Kenneth Calman:
Argent on a fess Azure between in chief dexter an open book Proper fore-edges and binding Gules and sinister a garb and in base an oak tree eradicated on its top a redbreast Proper and arrow fessways Or.


Sir Kerr Fraser:
Azure three cinquefoils Argent on a chief of the last a castle triple-towered and embattled Sable masoned of the Seconf and topped with three fans Gules, windows and portcullis shut of the last, between two oak trees couped Proper, on top of each tree a robin redbreasts also Proper. 

Happy St Crispin's Day!

Happy St Crispin's Day! Patron of Leatherworkers, here he is as the crest of the Incorporation of Cordiners in Glasgow, arms granted in 1921:

Snawdoun becomes an FHS

Snawdoun was presented in London with her medal and certificate of Fellowship of the Heraldry Society. She is already a Fellow of the Heraldry Societies of Scotland, New Zealand and Canada.

Lyon in Penang

On Sunday 21st October, the Lord Lyon attended the Church of St George the Martyr in Penang which is the oldest Anglican Church in the Far East founded in 1819. He noted the continued strong usage of Diocesan heraldry by the Province of the Anglican Church of South East Asia.

Unicorn in Paris

Unicorn attended the exhibition Magiques Unicornes at the Musée du Moyen Age / Musée de Cluny in Paris.

Lyon and Carrick at the Guildry of Dundee

The Lord Lyon and Carrick Pursuivant, George Way of Plean gifted a new banner to the Guildry of Dundee at their AGM. It was received by the Lord Dean of Guild. The banner will be carried in the procession to the Kirkin of the Guildry early next year. The Coat of Arms was granted to the Guildry last year and was designed by students of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee.

Clan MacNicol

The Lord Lyon attended the International Clan MacNicol Gathering in Portree, Isle of Skye under the leadership their Chief John MacNeacail of MacNeacail and Scorrybreac. He attended the raising of the Clan Flag over the Clan Lands and addressed the Clan Open Meeting on the subject of the ”Ancient Origins of the Office of Lord Lyon.” The Lord Lyon is an honorary member of the Clan as his maternal grandmother was a Nicholson. 

Royal Warrant Holders

At the Edinburgh Royal Warrant Holders Association Annual Dinner in the Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh on the evening of the 10th October the Lord Lyon gave the reply from the guests. The meal and arrangements were all provided by the Warrant holders.

Snawdoun in Tournai

Snawdoun had lunch in the main square at Tournai surrounded by guild heraldry -the arms of the painters' guild were especially relevant.

Unicorn at the Trades Hall of Glasgow

Unicorn attended the Deacon Convener's Dinner last night in the historic Trades Hall of Glasgow - what a feast of heraldry the building is.

Lyon hosts Book Launch

The Lord Lyon hosted a reception on the 9th October to launch Dr David Bertie’s new book “The Heraldry of the Bishops of Scotland." The photograph shows the author with the Bishops of Brechin and Edinburgh and the Lord Lyon.

The book is published by the Heraldry Society of Scotland.

Scots Guards Association Dinner

The President the Rt Hon Earl of Dalhousie and the Committee of the Scots Guards Association, Dundee and Angus Branch, welcomed the Lord Lyon to the top table at their 92th Annual Dinner. A message to the Association was read from HM the Queen who is Colonel in Chief.

The arms are the third matriculation (1861) of the Earl of Dalhousie who was a Knight of the Thistle.

The blazon is: Quarterly first and fourth Argent and eagle displayed Sable for Ramsay; second and third parted per pale Argent and Gules within a bordure charged with eight escallops all counterchanged of the same for Maule. 

Snawdoun in Arras

Snawdoun Herald is attending the 33rd International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences in Arras and gave a paper on military references in Scottish heraldry through the ages. 

The arms she uses here to illustrate this are those of James Gibson-Craig, recorded in 1823. The blazon is: Quarterly, first and fourth Ermine on a fess Sable three crescents Argent (Craig), second and third Gules three keys bar-wise wards downwards Or (Gibson).
Crest: a chevalier on horseback in full carriere grasping a broken lance in bend proper
Supporters: Dexter: a chevalier armed as of the fifteenth century, holding in his dexter hand a spear proper; sinister: a horse rampant barbed proper.