Scottish Heraldry

In Scotland all arms and crests are personal property – i.e. the right to wear a coat of arms and use it (for example on stationery, building ornamentation, flags etc) belongs only to the person or corporate body which matriculated it at the Lyon Court. There is no such thing as a ‘family’ coat of arms or crest. An heir can use the matriculated arms without re-recording them in their own name although it is suggested that title to the arms be made up every third generation or thereby. However, it is not unknown for people to seek re-matriculation of arms which were recorded centuries ago. Younger members of the family bearing the same surname can record the arms with minor differences.

Odd though it may seem, if you use the arms of someone else in Scotland then you are usurping arms, and if you make up your own arms, then you are using bogus arms. In both cases you are committing an offence. In the first instance a possible offence would be investigated by the Procurator Fiscal to Lyon Court, an independently appointed official, and if it was thought there was an offence he could seek to bring the offence to the notice of Lyon Court. This is a very rare occurrence as it is usual that when the potential offence is pointed out the individual or organisation seeks to put matters right.

If a person, or a shop or some other commercial enterprise offers to sell you “your coat of arms” or “your family’s coat of arms” you will probably get a cheaply produced version of the arms of a clan chief or of someone with your surname who has matriculated arms.

The position regarding clan heraldry is more complicated. The origins and extent of the clan system are fiercely debated by historians and research has shown that the ‘clan’ of a Highland chief or landowner did not equate with everyone in Scotland with the same surname. What most people regard as the clan system (the elaborate organisation by surname of tartans, mottoes, and heraldic accoutrements) was largely a 19th century phenomenon. Those who profess allegiance to a chief and wish to demonstrate their association with a clan may wear the crest of the chief within a strap and buckle bearing the chief’s motto (but not the full coat of arms) as a badge but it should not be used on personal items such as stationery, cutlery or signet rings.

A crest is the element of an armorial achievement which appears above the helmet and a crest cannot exist unless associated with a shield of arms. It is incorrect to call an heraldic achievement “a crest”.

This is a legal process but is relatively simple and does not normally require a lawyer. The procedure was made much simpler by the publication of templates of the ‘prayer’ to the Lord Lyon for the matriculation of arms in Scots Heraldry by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney (see bibliography). The granting of new arms is normally straightforward, and very little information about an individual is required, but any genealogical claims must be proved by documentary evidence sufficient for a court of law. Provided that you are a person considered reputable and ‘deserving’, a coat of arms will normally be granted, painted onto vellum together with details of personal and family history and recorded in the Lyon Register. If you bear the surname of a Scottish family of which others of the name have recorded arms your arms may be devised to reflect in some way the arms of others of that name. The arms of those for whom there is a chief of name will have their arms based on those chiefly arms even though you may have no provable genealogical connection. The process of matriculation is different from the granting of arms and proof of your connection with a previous member of the family bearing the same surname is required before the Lord Lyon can authorise your own distinct coat of arms. In 2021 the cost of a new grant of shield and crest was around £2800 whilst a re-matriculation of previously recorded arms was around half that sum. For further details on acquiring arms, see the website of the Court of the Lord Lyon.

The pre-eminent historian of Scottish burghs, Roderick Urquhart, published guides to the armory of local authorities in three volumes, which discuss the arms matriculated to burghs and counties (before 1975) and regional, district and island councils between 1975 and 1996, and a third volume discusses the arms of current local authorities. In these volumes, the arms of each local authority is accompanied by a black and white illustration of the arms, details of the matriculation in the Lyon Register, and historical notes on each local authority, especially where local events, individuals or traditional industries have influenced the choice of arms. The arms of pre-1975 burghs and counties are described in R M Urquhart, Scottish Burgh and County Heraldry (Heraldry Today, 1973). The arms of district, regional and island councils 1975-1996 are described in R M Urquhart, Scottish Civic Heraldry (Heraldry Today, 1977) and Scottish Civic Heraldry 2 (Scottish Library Association 2001)

The evolution of the royal arms of Scotland and of the United Kingdom are discussed in Royal Heraldry by J.H. and R.V. Pinches (Heraldry Today 1974).

There is some information under ‘Symbols’ in the section on ‘The Monarchy Today’ in the website of the UK monarchy <https://www.royal.uk/royal-banner-royal-arms-scotland> [accessed 26 April 2024].

The royal arms have not changed since 1837, so a building which features these arms must either (a) have been built after 1836 or (b) have been built earlier than this, but had the royal arms added later. If the royal arms featured belong to a monarch before 1837, then, in theory, the building might date from the reign concerned, but, again, there is always the chance that the building might be earlier, and the arms added later.