NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Great Seal of Scotland

The Great Seal of Scotland allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official. The earliest seal impression, in the Treasury of Durham Cathedral, is believed to be the Great Seal of Duncan II and dates to 1094. Durham Cathedral silhouetted against the sunset Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham in the North East of England, was founded in 1093 and remains a centre for Christian worship today. ... Duncan II (1060?- November 12, 1094) was king of Scotland and a son of Malcolm III and his first wife Ingibiorg and therefore a grandson of Duncan I. For a time he lived as a hostage in England and became king of the Scots after driving out his uncle, Donald...

Strictly, the Great Seal of Scotland was abolished by the Act of Union 1707 which provided that "a Seal in Scotland after the Union be alwayes kept and made use of in all things relating to private Rights or Grants, which have usually passed the Great Seal of Scotland, and which only concern Offices, Grants, Commissions, and private Rights within that Kingdom" The Acts of Union were twin Acts of Parliament passed in 1707 (taking effect on 26 March) in the Scottish and the English Parliaments. ...

Although referred to in the Scotland Act 1998 as "the seal appointed by the Treaty of Union to be kept and made use of in place of the Great Seal of Scotland", the seal is still commonly referred to as the Great Seal of Scotland. The Scotland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster. ...

The Design of the Great Seal is a responsibility of the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The reverse of the seal shows the monarch on horseback, but is not changed from reign to reign - the current version is that engraved in 1911 for the accession of King George V. The obverse is inscribed "ELIZABETH II D G BRITT REGNORVMQVE SVORVM CETER REGINA CONSORTIONIS POPULORUM PRINCEPS F D" and the figure on it is the same as on the Great Seal of the United Kingdom. Arms of the Office of the Lord Lyon The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that kingdom, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the oldest Heraldic court in the world that... King George V King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Emperor of India His Majesty King George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House... The Great Seal of the Realm is a British institution by which the monarch can authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. ...

The Great Seal is administered by the Keeper of the Great Seal. From 1885 this office was held by the Secretary of State for Scotland. It transferred in 1999 to the First Minister of Scotland, whose place in the order of precedence in Scotland is determined by his office as Keeper of the Great Seal. In practice the Seal is in the custody of the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, who has been appointed as Deputy Keeper. The Secretary of State for Scotland is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilites for Scotland, at the head of the Scotland Office. ... The First Minister (Prìomh Mhinistear in Scots Gaelic) is the leader of Scotlands national home rule government, the Scottish Executive, which was established in 1999 along with the reconstituted Scottish Parliament. ... The Order of precedence in Scotland was fixed by Royal Warrant in 1905. ...

List of Keepers of the Great Seal of Scotland since the Union

Categories: Seals | Government of Scotland Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J.S. Bach appointed as chamber musician and... Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ... Events Natchez, one of the oldest towns on the Mississippi, founded. ... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Islay (June 1682 - April 15, 1761) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, and soldier. ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Events January 8 - Cape Colony becomes a British colony January 10 - Dutch in Cape Town surrender to the British January 19 - The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope February 6 - Royal Navy victory off Santo Domingo - see:Action of 6 February 1806 March 23 - After traveling through the... James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale (1759-1839), was a British politician and writer. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Secretary for Scotland was the former title of the chief minister in charge of the Scotland Office in the United Kingdom government. ... The Secretary of State for Scotland is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilites for Scotland, at the head of the Scotland Office. ... The First Minister (Prìomh Mhinistear in Scots Gaelic) is the leader of Scotlands national home rule government, the Scottish Executive, which was established in 1999 along with the reconstituted Scottish Parliament. ...