Arms of the Office of the Lord Lyon

The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and 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 is still in daily operation.The post was formerly held by an important nobleman, whose functions were in practice carried out by his assistant, the Lyon-Depute. The practice of appointing Lyon-Deputes, however, ceased in 1866. Arms of the Office of the Lord Lyon This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Arms of the Office of the Lord Lyon This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Lyon Court, that is The Court of the Lord Lyon, is the institution which regulates heraldry in Scotland. ... In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are officers who either inherit their positions or are appointed by the Crown, and exercise certain ceremonial functions. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe and a constituent nation of the United Kingdom. ... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

The Lord Lyon is responsible for overseeing state ceremonial in Scotland, for the granting of new arms to persons or organisations, and for confirming given pedigrees and claims to existing arms. A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ...

As a government department, fees paid for granting coats of arms are paid to the Treasury. The misuse of arms is a criminal offence in Scotland, and treated as tax evasion. Prosecutions are brought before Lyon Court, Lord Lyon being the sole judge. Appeals can be made to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, and ultimately to the House of Lords in London, following standard legal practice. There is no appeal if the Lord Lyon refuses to grant a coat of arms, as this is not a judicial function, but an exercise of the Royal Prerogative. The Court of Session is the supreme civil court in Scotland. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... This article or section should include material from Royal Perogative. ...

The Lord Lyon has several English equivalents.

• Being responsible for Scottish state ceremonies he parallels the Earl Marshal in England.

• Lord Lyon is Scotland's only "King of Arms," or a high heraldic officer. England has three: the Garter Principal, the Clarenceaux (responsible for southern England), and the Norroy and Ulster (responsible for northern England and Northern Ireland). Unlike the English Kings of Arms, he does not need permission from the Earl Marshal.

• The Court of the Lord Lyon is the heraldic authority for Scotland, much as the College of Arms is responsible for granting arms in England

Whilst the Court of Chivalry, which last met in 1954 is a civil court, the Lyon Court meets often and has criminal jurisdiction. Lord Lyon is empowered to have assumed coats of arms and whatever they are affixed to destroyed. As an example, when Leith Town Hall, now used as a police station, was renovated during the 1990s, several of the coats of arms decorating the Council Chamber were found to be attributed to the wrong person. The police were given special permission to retain the display, on condition that the tourist guides pointed out the historical anomalies. Earl Marschal (or Marischal) is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Scotland and Ireland. ... Earl Marschal (or Marischal) is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Scotland and Ireland. ... The Colleges own coat of arms was granted in 1484. ... The Court of Chivalry is a civil court in England. ... Former Royal Yacht Britannia is permanently moored at Leith harbour. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

List of Office Holders

(incomplete)

• Alexander Nairne (1437- 1450)
• Duncan Dundas (1450-1490)
• Henry Thomson (1504-1512)
• Sir William Cumyng (1512-1530)
• Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount (1530 - 1535)
• Sir Robert Forman (1535 - 1567)
• Sir William Stewart (1567 - 1568)
• Sir David Lindsay of Rathillet (1568 - 1591)
• Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (1591 - 1621)
• Sir Jerome Lindsay (1621 - 1630)
• Sir James Balfour (1630 - 1658)
• Sir James Campbell (1658 - 1660)
• Gilbert Stewart (1660)
• Sir Alexander Dundas (1660 - 1663)
• Sir Charles Erskine Bt. (1663 - 1677)
• Sir Alexander Erskine (1677 - 1726)
• Cochrane(?)/ Alexander Drummond (names uncertain) (1726)
• Alexander Badie (1727 - 1754)
• John Hooke-Campbell (1754 - 1796)
• Robert Auriol Hay (1796 - 1804)
• Tommy Hay (1804 - 1866)
• Georgie Burnett (1866-1890 )
• Jimmy Paul (1890 - 1927)
• Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton (1927 - 1929)
• Frank Jim Grant (1929 - 1945)
• Tom Innes (1945 - 1969)
• Jim "Monteith" Grant (1969 - 1981)
• Malcolm Innes (1981 - 2001)
• Rob Blair (2001 - )

Sir David Lyndsay (c. ...

External links

• Office website of the Court of the Lord Lyon
• The Heraldry Society of Scotland’s pages on the Lord Lyon

• The Scottish Court Service’s page on the Lord Lyon