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Welcome to The Society of
Scottish Armigers |
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The Scots are a curious
bunch. On the one hand we can be extremely egalitarian. “A Man’s a man for
a’ that,” Burns’ great prophetic ode to the brotherhood of man, captures
something central to our national character.
On the other, we are deeply attached to our history. Highlanders in
particular have been famously and fanatically loyal to their kings and
chiefs, even when those leaders, frankly, proved unworthy of that
devotion. Particularly among Scots of the Diaspora there remains a strong
identification with clan, a fascination with chiefs and with the mottos,
badges and insignia that go with them. These details tie us together and
bind us back to the land of our ancestors, the home of our hearts.
Get to a Highland Games and see the proud
displays in the clan tents, the flags flying everywhere, the vendors
selling everything from T-shirts, ties and sashes to mugs, key-rings and
who knows what with your clan tartan and insignia.
Except, of course, that clans don’t have coats of arms or mottos; armigers do. An armiger is an individual with heraldic arms. A clan is a group of people who recognize a specific armiger as their chief and wear his or her crest surrounded by a strap and buckle bearing the chief’s motto or slogan. |
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Lord Lyon Dr. Joseph Morrow,
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President |
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It’s a bit more
complicated than that. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the supreme judge of
heraldry in Scotland, may recognise the chief of a clan or the head of a
family by a grant or a confirmation of the principal Arms of the clan or
family in question. And for an armiger to be an armiger, their arms
must also have been recognized by the Lyon Court and entered in the
Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, which has been
maintained since 1672. Scotland, in fact, has some very precise rules
governing arms and heraldic achievements.
The Society of Scottish
Armigers was founded to help people understand some of these rules and
avoid common mistakes. The Lord Lyon is our President, and one of our
missions is to serve as a conduit, a means of communication between him
and the general public on matters of heraldry and practice, although we
do not speak for him in an ‘official’ sense.
Similarly, many of the
prominent clan chiefs are also members of the Society, and we are in
active communication with the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs,
though, again, we do not speak for them in any official sense either.
You can find links here to both their website and Lyon’s. |
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The Arms of Hugh
Archibald William Montgomerie, Earl of Eglinton and Winton |
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This website, then, is
intended to serve many disparate groups. We want to be a forum for our
members. But most of all we hope to serve the general public and be a
resource for Scots all over the world, and for cities which may find
themselves hosting Scottish Games or festivals. By improving
understanding, and avoiding misunderstanding, we hope to play our small
part in strengthening the important ties which bind Scots of the
Diaspora to the land of our ancestors.
Please let us know if you find the site
helpful, and what we can do to make it better. |
| Rt Hon The
Earl of Eglinton and Winton |
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© The Society of Scottish
Armigers last Update
30 Jul 2021
Web Design |
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