Today, being the last Sunday of January, is Leprosy Sunday when we think of the work of the Leprosy Mission. and many Scots armigers who are members of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem.
The MHOSLJ matriculated arms in the Lyon Register in 1967. (Vol. 50 fol. 35).
Lord President Scott Williamson of the Court of Deans of Scottish Guildries chaired a meeting of the Court tonight with 50 in attendance. The Lord Lyon gave a lecture on the Court of the Lord Lyon and a Coat of Arms for Robert Burns.
Today's Home-Schooling offering is Exotic Beasts used in Heraldry, like this splendid giraffe!
Today's materials for Home-Schoolers are heraldic countryside animals - like this lovely hedgehog crest, truly armed at all points.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/HeraldicWoodlandBeasts.pdf
The BUTTERFLY, SCARAB, DRAGONFLY, and SPIDER do not make many appearances in Scottish heraldry but they can be found.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/HeraldicCreepyCrawlies.pdf
The bee is an ancient symbol of many cultures, millennia before the arrival of heraldry. It is today's topic for home-schooling.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/HeraldicBees.pdf
A much younger future-Lord Lyon with the top table at a Burns Supper in Arbroath in the mid 1980’s .He was proposing the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns.
The Lord Lyon attended as a guest the Virtual Burns Supper of the Robert Burns World Federation . A message was given by HRH The Duke of Rothesay who emphasised that the Bard was an international figure of friendship and fellowship.
The Lyon Office materials for Home-Schoolers project continues today with some of the Gruesome Nasties lurking in the Register. The worksheet includes a wyrm and a two cockatrices nonetheless.
Tomorrow there will be an EXAM!
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts6Nasties.pdf
Carrick Pursuivant has taken delivery of a great lock-down pick-me up in the form of a beautiful table banner made for him by the eminent heraldic artist Baz Manning. It is good to have something life-enhancing to report.
Home-schoolers alert! Today's fantastical beasts are sea-creatures you are unlikely to meet at the local aquarium
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts5Seabeasts.pdf
The Lyon Office continues its Home-School series, with the WYVERN and the UNICORN.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts3Wyverns.pdf
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts4Unicorns.pdf
Sadly, we have to record the death of another Scottish armiger: Fra' Paul Sutherland, Knight of Justice in Solemn Vows of the Order of Malta. He recorded arms in 1999. R.I.P.
We note with sorrow the death of a Scottish armiger, the distinguished Australian architect and designer Michael Bryce AM AE. We send our sincere condolences to his widow, Dame Quentin Bryce, 25th Governor General of Australia, and their family.
We record with sadness the death of John Alexander Spens, MVO, OStJ, RD, WS, Carrick Pursuivant (1974-1985), Albany Herald (1985-2011). We send our sincere condolences to his wife and family. May he rest in peace.
We continue our look at some of the fantastical beasts in heraldry with a look at the GRIFFIN - an alarming fusion of eagle and lion.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts2Griffins.pdf
It is with sadness that we record the death today of another Scottish bishop, Bishop Vincent Logan, the much-loved former Bishop of Dunkeld. May he rest in peace.
Here be dragons! Home-schoolers alert: Heraldry is full of gruesome monsters and fantastical beasts. Today's worksheet looks at DRAGONS. courtofthelordlyon.scot/Beasts1Dragons
It is with great sadness that we record the sudden death today of Most Rev. Philip Tartaglia, Metropolitan Archbishop of Glasgow. Today, January 13th is the Feast of St Mungo, Patron Saint of the Archdiocese.
May he rest in peace.
Here is a contribution to the materials for Home-Schoolers - good luck to both the children and the supervising adults!
This unit is free-standing and deals with CRESTS.
https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/HeraldicActivity1Crests.pdf
The annual Molendinar Lecture of the Mediaeval Glasgow Trust will be delivered online this year by Falkland Pursuivant Extraordinary, Roderick Alexander Macpherson.
His topic will be: Coinage & Coining It in Glasgow.
The talk will be given over Zoom and you can register for it HERE:
https://mediaevalglasgow.org/event/molendinar-lecture-2021-coinage-coining-it-in-glasgow
The Lord Lyon took part today in a seminar with Rev. Mark Johnstone, Minister of Glasgow Cathedral, and Gordon Wylie WS on "Signs and Symbols - Glasgow's Coat of Arms" promoted by Mediaeval Glasgow Trust.
The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Malcolm John McNair Edmiston. The blazon is:
Parted per chevron Gules and Argent, three crescents all counterchanged, on a chief tierced in pale, first and third Argent, a Jerusalem cross Gules, and in second Gules, a Jerusalem cross Argent.
Volume 93 folio 106.
The artist is Maggie Spalding.
The Lord Lyon will give an online lecture on "Signs & Symbols: Glasgow’s Coat of Arms" on Saturday 9th January at 1.30 p.m. The lecture is free but you have to register for it here: mediaevalglasgow.org/events
The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Colin Stanley McGregor.
The blazon is: Argent, a chevron Azure in chief two pairs of battle-axes in saltire Proper, in base a sword in bend surmounted of an oak tree in bend sinister Proper, the former supporting on its point an antique crown Gules. The artist is Annette Reed.
Volume 94 folio 72.
Dwyer Wedvick, of the Society of Scottish Armigers, has set a little puzzle for the New Year.
It can be found here:
http://www.scotarmigers.net/ssagallery/displayimage.php?album=21&pos=44
Happy Epiphany! Here are the purported arms of the Magi as depicted in the 16th century Forman-Workman manuscript at the Lyon Office.
From our files 150 years ago: Andrew Rutherfurd, advocate, nephew of Lord Advocate Lord Rutherfurd: Argent an orle and in chief three martlets Gules, all within a bordure ermine.
Crest: A mermaid holding in her dexter hand a mirror and in her sinister a comb all Proper.
Tributes have been flowing in to our dear friend and former herald, Mark Dennis (1951-2025) who died suddenly on Friday and whose artistry ...
