Scotland's Churches Trust

 Lyon and Unicorn attended a virtual board meeting of Scotland's Churches Trust of which they are both trustees.

Universities of Scotland

 As colleges and universities start to return, we wish all students and staff a safe return and productive academic year.

 

Sir Malcom Innes of Edingight R.I.P.

  News has come in that  Orkney Herald Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight KCVO WS, has died. Sir Malcolm was Lord Lyon King of Arms from 1981-2001. He was one of the longest-serving Officers of Arms ever, having been a page in 1948 when he was ten years old and then Falkland in 1957. We send our sincere condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.

New Heralds for Canada

 The Lord Lyon and Officers of Arms send congratulations to the two newly-appointed heralds at the Canadian Heraldic Authority: Fabienne Fusade, Miramichi Herald and Alix Chartrand, Saguenay Herald.

Lyon gives a Talk by Zoom

 Yesterday the Lord Lyon gave a talk over Zoom on the Heraldry of the Order of St John to the AGM of the Perth and Kinross St John Committee.

The arms granted in 1946 to the Grand Priory in the British realm of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St john of Jerusalem.

The arms granted in 1947 to the Priory of Scotland of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St john of Jerusalem.

Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Andrew Balvaird Lawson CVO (1899-1985)

  One of the many anniversaries which occur this month is that of the appointment of Harold Andrew Balvaird Lawson, appointed Unicorn Pursuivant on September 1st 1929 and Lyon Clerk ten days later. 

In 1939 he became Rothesay Herald, later Rothesay Herald Extraordinary.

He matriculated his great-grandfather's arms in 1985 shortly before his own death. The blazon for the matriculation is Parted per saltire Argent and Sable, a saltire Gules, on a chief engrailed Azure three garbs Or.   

His portrait, painted by Don Pottinger, hangs in Lyon Clerk's office.

Feast of St Giles

 Today is the Feast of St Giles, Patron Saint of Edinburgh. To mark this, here are the arms of the Convenery of the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh which display the beloved doe (sometimes described as a hind) of St Giles as a supporter.

The painting is by Yvonne Holton, Herald Painter and Dingwall Pursuivant.

Community Flag for Skye

 Many congratulations to nine-year-old Calum Alasdair Munro from Kilmuir who created the winning design for a community flag for Skye. Philip Tibbetts, Honorary Vexillologist to the Lyon Court, attended the raising of the new flag yesterday.

 

Robert Burns again

  Professor Gillian Black of the Department of Law at Edinburgh University, has been conducting an informal study of some of the heraldry to be encountered in Scottish cemeteries: she has written this post for us.

 Robert Burns and Jean Lorimer

 Perhaps the most famous “faux” arms in Scotland are those designed by Robert Burns – and I was surprised and delighted to find them on a memorial in East Preston Street cemetery, in Newington, Edinburgh:

The stone was erected in 1901 by the Ninety Burns Club, to mark the grave of Jean Lorimer, or “Chloris”. She lived from 1775 – 1831, and inspired at least 24 of Burns’ songs, including (as noted on the gravestone) “The Lassie wi’ the Lintwhite hair”.

 

More information about Jean’s eventful life can be found here:

http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/LorimerJean17751511831.541.shtml

 And as for the arms on the stone: 

 These show the arms which Burns sketched out for himself in a letter to Alexander Cunningham in 1794, although they were only registered in 1988 by the Burns Federation. The blazon is:             “Argent, a holly bush and in chief a club and stock-and-horn saltireways all Proper."

and for crest: "A woodlark perching on a sprig of bay tree Proper."

 A final note is that this stone is also a very rare example (in fact, to date, the solitary example) of arms on a Celtic cross. I am not sure why this should be, but my graveyard ramblings so far have never yet yielded a Celtic cross displaying arms.

Editor's note: here is the painting done in 18th century style by former Ross Herald Extraordinary, Mark Dennis, of the Bard's assumed arms:

HRH The Princess Royal

 Warmest birthday greetings to HRH The Princess Royal.

Schools go back

 In the week Scottish schools go back for the fist time in nearly five months, we celebrate the heraldry of some of our primary schools:

Badge for the Honorary Vexillologist

The Lord Lyon has today granted a badge to the Honorary Vexillogist. The painting is by the current holder of the post, Philip Tibbetts, pending the re-opening of the Lyon Office.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Warmest greetings to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on this his 99th birthday.