St Michael at Linlithgow

The Lord Lyon attended the unveiling of the Alan B. Herriot sculpture of St Michael in Linlithgow organized by the Linlithgow Burgh Trust on the 9th March. The plinth marks the 1673 grant of arms. At the ceremony it was remarked by way of solidarity that St Michael was the Patron Saint of Kyiv.

Like the Royal Burghs of Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy and Montrose, Linlithgow recorded two coats of arms from the two sides of its burgh seal in 1673: the famous Greyhound Bitch Sable and the sacred side, St Michael the Archangel defeating the dragon, sharing the saint with Kyiv.

The 2017 matriculation to the Linithgow and Linlithgow Bridge Community Council combines both coats, the royal arms held by the saint now replaced by the greyhound Sable and the tree.

Edinburgh prays for its twin city of Kyiv

  Edinburgh is praying for its twin city of Kyiv.

Since 1995, the arms of the City of Kyiv have been a representation of St Michael the Archangel.

SAFHS

 The Lord Lyon as Patron of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies attended the AGM on the 12th March and noted the activities planned for the coming year.

Clan Donald Society Lecture

 The Lord Lyon attended the Annual Academic Lecture of the Clan Donald Society of Scotland on the 12th March given by Dr Lauran Toorians on the topic of “Scotland and the Low Countries".

The Lord Lyon society

 The Lord Lyon is delighted to announce the creation of a new charity, the Lord Lyon Society. Under the patronage of the Princess Royal, The Society’s aim is to promote Scots heraldry, genealogy and the related arts, heritage and culture. https://lordlyonsociety.org.uk

International Bagpipes Day

  Today is International Bagpipe Day. Here are two splendid heraldic representations of that wonderful instrument.

Maclennan of Maclennan

Rhoderick MacLeod Prior.

350th Anniversary Event 2: Inverness Town House

  A delighted capacity audience in Inverness Town House, courtesy of Provost Helen Carmichael and Highland Council, attended a superb talk on Tuesday evening as part of the Lyon Office's events celebrating the 350th anniversary of the creation of the Pubic Register.

The speaker was the peerless Gordon Casely, Fellow of the Heraldry Society of Scotland and always a very engaging speaker. 

All photographs by  Edward Mallinson, Honorary Photographer to the Lyon Court.

  

International Woman's Day

 The Lyon Office marks International Women's Day with a series of tweets of arms of women.

The Duchess of Buccleuch in her own right, matriculated arms with crest, motto and supporters 1686

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Posthumous matriculation of arms for the Countess of Middleton - her father's arms as Durhame of Largo to be impaled with those of her husband. Lady Middleton was an ancestress of the Queen.  

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Mrs Frances Gordon in 1846 (vol 4 fol 92) was allowed the increasingly usual lozenge. 

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Lady Mary Christopher-Nisbet-Hamilton (vol 5 fol 78) was allowed a shield and supporters but curiously no crest in 1855. The blazon states that the supporters are for "the special circumstances of the case."

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The two Miss Bairds - Jane and Charlotte, 1887

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Grace Stewart of 1927

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                                      Helena Stewart-Mackenzie of Seaforth in 1944 was allowed the undifferenced arms of her granduncle, Lord Seaforth of Brahan.

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Finally, once again we show the arms of Mrs Katherine Liston, granted the open helm affronty as a Dame of the Venerable Order of St John, as well as the cross of the Order, motto, crest and shield, in 2021.

350th Anniversary Events: Event One - Glasgow City Chambers

 Huge thanks to Baillie Jacqueline McLaren and Glasgow City Council for their superb hospitality on Thursday at the first of our Events marking the 350th Anniversary of the Public Register, a talk by Rothesay Herald entitled "People Make Heraldry" - an adaptation of Glasgow's current slogan, "People Make Glasgow."

The Official announcing the Baillie, 

Baillie McLaren welcoming the Lyon Court and our 120 guests. 

Lyon welcoming everybody.

The socially-distanced audience. 

Some of the profusion of images from the Register

Shabir Beg OBE, Chairman Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society with guests

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Linlithgow Pursuivant Extraordinary Professor Gillian Black, Dr David Bertie, Elizabeth Roads, and Professor Beverly Bergman OBE

Falkland Pursuivant Extraordinary Colin Russell, with Ross Mennie and Gordon Lumsden

Two ex-Deacons of the Incorporation of Bonnetmakers & Dyers of Glasgow,

Janet Pierotti and Robert Linton with Mrs Fiona-Anne Linton

Rothesay, Baillie McLaren & Lyon

Shabir Beg OBE, Chairman Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society with Baillie McLaren, Lyon, Rothesay and guests.

                                    former MEP Maurice Steuart-Corry with Jane and Duncan Paisley of Westerlea

Among the guests was Shabir Beg OBE, Chairman Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, pictured here with Lyon

Unicorn Pursuivant Roderick Macpherson and Dr Christine Macpherson

All photographs courtesy of Edward Mallinson

300 Years ago in the Register

 There is an entry in the Register for 1722 for James Garham of Airth, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. Graham purchased Airth Castle, near Falkirk, in 1717 thereby gaining the territorial desgnation of "of Airth." He had studied Law in Louvain and eventually been appointed Judge Admiral of Scotland by the Duke of Lennox, the hereditary Lord High Admiral. 

 The blazon is: Quarterly first and fourth Or on a chief Sable three escallops of the First, second and third Argent a fess Imbattled betwixt three roses Gules 

Crest: a dexter hand issuing holding a sword in pale Proper. 

Motto: Non immemor (a Latin rendering of the Graham motto "Ne oublie")

Photo credit: National Trust for Scotland, Gladstones Land

He petitioned for arms in the same year as his rebuilding of the castle he had bought. He matriculated arms with a very small difference (the fess embattled)  from those of his chief, the Duke of Montrose.

 

300 Years ago in the Register

 In the Lyon Register for 1722, we find the arms of Sylvester Douglas of Whiteriggs.

 The Blazon reads: Quarterly first and fourth Argent a man's heart imperially crowned proper on a chief Azure three stars of the First; second and third Argent a cross counter Imbattel'd Sable all within a bordure of the First charged with eight holline leaves Vert.

Crest: a demi-savage holding in his right hand a Club Erected proper.

Motto: Fortis et Aequus. Vol 1 folio 291

Volume One, of course, has few exemplifications but there is a lovely one, with a fascinating story, in the British Museum, painted in 1729 by the astonishing Bavarian artist, Matthias Buchinger (1674-1740). As the legend at the bottom states, Matthias was "born without arms or legs". It seems he had some rudimentary hands, described as "fins" with which he was able to produce the most beautiful work, in astonishing detail. He is best known for his micrography - the creation of pictures and portraits using tiny letters, sometimes of Biblical texts. He travelled a lot and it seems this painting was executed in Aberdeen,