Ex Ungue Leonem!

A Christmas Tale from Edinburgh 1891

The scene is Christmas Day 1891, at 32 Great King Street in the douce Georgian New Town of Edinburgh. If we were able to look through the window, we might see some servants and family rushing around in a state of high anxiety. Helen, the lady of the house, with her children Millicent, John, Arthur and Cuthbert, all home from school, all dreading the arrival of Papa coming home from his attic office in New Register House off Princes Street. Why were they so anxious and dreading the arrival of the head of the household?

The Christmas tree was up and decorated sumptuously with ornaments and candles, a roaring fire was crackling in the hearth, an enormous goose had been turning on the spit. What could possibly go wrong?  

“Here he comes,” cries Millicent, posted as a look-out at an upstairs window. Her father, tired after a busy day working on some contentious heraldic conundrum, spotted her and waved cheerily to his darling daughter.

“Right,” cried Mama, “all into the drawing room and close the door. I want to speak to your father alone!”

 Helen opened the door to her husband, Mr James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King-of-Arms, for it is he, and uttered the fatal words,

 “Darling, I have something to tell you before we go in to Christmas Dinner, and I want you to remain very calm.”

 Lyon’s face darkened.

What is it,” he asked testily. “Has cook burned the goose?”

“Much worse,” said Helen, pausing for dramatic effect: “we have no potatoes!”

Her husband let out a truly leonine roar.

 “What?!! I ordered them myself – a half-ton sack – from that wonderful farm in Crook of Devon! How could there be no potatoes for our Christmas Dinner?”

 “Cook went up to Waverley Station to find out and it seems the potatoes could not get through as the train-drivers are on strike,” said Helen pacifically.

 “On strike!” her husband bellowed, with such vehemence that it drew an answering carillon from the grandfather clock in the hall. “That useless North British Railway Company will be hearing from my solicitors!”

And so, the Balfour Paul family, James and Helen, little Millicent, John, Arthur, and young Cuthbert, munched their way through an unusually spartan Christmas Dinner, the clouds of their father’s rage adding an unseasonal sauce. Three months later, at Edinburgh Sheriff Small Debt Court, the roaring Lyon had the satisfaction of being awarded a decree of absolvitur against the North British Railway Company in the sum of 9 shillings by Sheriff Hamilton. Ex ungue leonem!

The later-knighted James Balfour Paul went on to make some pretty strong judgements himself, including that allowing Mrs. Fraser-Mackenzie to keep the supporters with her quartered arms formerly thought to be exclusive to the Clan Chief. The decision was upheld by the Court of Session and ultimately by the House of Lords in 1921, establishing an important precedent in Scottish heraldic law regarding the differentiation of arms and the non-exclusive use of supporters.

Even this victory did not give Sir James the satisfaction granted to him by the 9/- won for depriving his Christmas table of roast potatoes.  Truly, ex ungue leonem!

New Armiger

 The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Ian Roger Pinniger. The artist was Adel Gaspar.

Or on a pale Gules three lions statant guardant Or between four thistles slipped Proper paleways.

From the Register 100 years ago

 From the Register one hundred years ago this week, the arms of the famous civil engineer, Sir Alexander Gibb, largely responsible for the building of the Kincardine Bridge and Rosyth Naval Dockyards. 

Gules a dexter arm in armour embowed in base the hand holding lance in bend Or surmounted by a fess of the Last charged with to spurs Sable leathered of the First 

From the Register 200 years ago

 From our files 200 years ago this week, the arms of Archibald Fletcher, advocate, of Auchendinny House near Penicuik, a prominent abolitionist and enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution.

Sable on a cross fleury between two escallops in the dexter chief and sinister base points Argent and as many quivers filled with arrows in the sinister chief and dexter base points Or, two towers embattled Gules. in pale and two dexter hands Proper. fessways in fess, each holding a cross crosslet fitchee Azure, all within a bordure quarterly, 1st and 4th gyronny of eight of the Third and First, 2nd Argent two galleys of the First, oars in action, 3rd chequy of the Second and Fifth.

Mark Dennis RIP

 Updated 15/12/2025 - click on the images to enlarge

 Tributes have been flowing in to our dear friend and former herald, Mark Dennis (1951-2025) who died suddenly on Friday and whose artistry and generosity touched so many lives all over the world. His exuberant work was so prolific that it will take a long time to assemble even a representative fraction of his work. Mark eschewed commissions but did a lot of work privately for his friends - much of which we have never seen so I would be good if people who have examples of Mark's work would kindly send photographs or scans to the Lyon Office. 

First of all, here is Mark's painting of his own arms as Ormond Pursuivant and later Ross Herald Extraordinary.

Mark painted two portraits of friends. Here is his 2023 portrait of Lyon Morrow:

and his 2025 portrait of Rothesay Herald, Sheriff George Way of Plean, bearing the Elizabeth Sword which Mark designed:

Here is Mark with HM The King, Lyon and the Elizabeth Sword itself:

 

The BBC has an item on the sword where Mark talks about it HERE. 

Mark's refashioning of Scottish ceremonial dates from at least 1998 when he designed and organized the payment for a new Collar of State for the Lord Lyon, later followed by a leonine crown, both items being worn by Lyon at the Coronation.

At the same event in November 2025 when Mark unveiled his portrait of Rothesay Herald, he also, with typical Mark wit and skill, presented Kintyre Pursuivant with a snuff mull engraved with Kintyre's badge making it the Mull of Kintyre:

Mark painted a fine achievement for the King and Queen when they were Duke and Duchess of Rothesay - the achievement included Her Majesty's father's arms, recorded in the Lyon Register in 1980.

He painted the royal arms many times - here he paints the royal arms first of all as used in Scotland and then in England:

Mark designed the pre-Union version of the royal arms of Scotland for the Scottish Parliament building:

 

He painted many coats of arms for friends - as these are all in private collections it would be good if the recipients would share them with us. Here are two splendid examples: the first is the coat of arms of Fra' Ian Scott, lately Grand Prior of England of the Sovereign Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, who was granted supporters and a new crest by the Lord Lyon in 2023:

Mark also painted the marital arms of Major-General Alastair Bruce, Governor of Edinburgh Castle, and Stephen Knott:

                                                           

He revived, almost single-handedly, the ancient practice of funeral hatchments..First of all Royalty:

HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother - note the pleurants supporters:

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh:

HM Queen Elizabeth:

He also painted many hatchments for non-royal friends:

Alan Watson

David Lumsden of Cushnie, Garioch Pursuivant

Sir Hamish Forbes of Newe and Edinglassie

Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight, Lord Lyon 1981-2001

Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick

Frederick B. Casely

Romilly Squire

Charles Burnett, late Ross Herald

David Sellar, Lord Lyon 2008-2014

Many people have been brought to a love of heraldry by Mark's sumptously-illustrated book for the Heraldry Society of Scotland, Scottish Heraldry - an Invitation:  

Moving on now to bookplates. Here is the bookplate Mark created for The Hon. Adam Bruce, Marchmont Herald:

And here the bookplate of George Way of Plean:

One of Mark's hobbies was providing artistic and heraldic advice to the Kate Kennedy Club Procession in St Andrews. For the Heraldry Exhibition in the Trades Hall, Glasgow, in 2017 Mark  assembled a scene (under the Cordiner's flag) from the Procession, including a magnificent banner of the arms of the Marquess of Montrose,

Mark created a poster called Tournament Mêlée for Historic Environment Scotland:

Next the assumed arms of Robert Burns, done in eighteenth century style:

The year-long series of events in 2022 marking the 350th anniversary of the Lyon Register was branded by another of Mark's subtle creations:

More recently, Mark designed the badge for the Lord Lyon Society:

Then we have the crest he created for the 100th birthday of Lord Elgin:

As well as his Kate Kennedy Procession materials, Mark created a tabard or houce des armes for historical re-enactment:

Mark also created the tabard, sported here by George Way of Plean,  of Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo:

Mark created the ingenious arms then granted by Lyon for the Kate Kennedy Society. Here is the lovely version by Annette Read until I track down Mark's original:

 

The arms of The Countess of Mar:

Mark was also limner to the Venerable Order of St John, in whcih capacity he painted these stallplates  for the Chapter House:

The arms of Viscount Younger of Leckie:

The Congress Badge for the St Andrews Heraldry Congress 2006:

Mark was Secretary General of the Congress. 

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Scottish Society for the Arts, Mark painted a new version of the Society's arms:

The arms of the late John Duncan of Sketraw:

Mark's friend and long-time collaborator on many of his artistic projects, Kevin Greig, has kindly supplied some more material:

As a generous "thank-you" gift to the Officers of Arms who took part in Operation Unicorn, the funeral of the Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Lyon commissioned from Mark a drawing which was then executed in silver by Archie Stirling as brooches for the ladies and cufflinks for the men:  

and the brooch:

Here is another of Mark's many Unicorns, full of movement and life:

Then we have the fine tie Mark designed for the Heraldry Society of Scotland:

Two more splendid works from the Bruce family collection. First of all the glorious achievement of Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine which Mark painted in honour of Lord Elgin's 90th birthday in 2014: characteristic Dennis touches include the initials of Lady Elgin tattooed on one savage and the anchor of the Boys' Brigade on the other, who is also bearing Lord Elgin's Norwegian Order of Merit. The five sprigs on the compartment represent Lord and Lady Elgin's five children, including The Hon.Adam Bruce, Marchmont Herald whose arms follow. 

When visiting friends, Mark thought nothing of dashing off a lively sketch. Here is the famous Wyrm Crest, recorded in both England and Scotland, of Mrs Anne Dawes Edgar:

Speaking of dragons.....

Another bookplate has come in from Mark's dear friend, Dr Adrian Ailes.

Mark painted the arms of Admiral Collingwood for an article by the late Peter Drummond Murray for the Heraldry Society of Scotland.  

For the same article. Mark painted the arms of Vice-Admiral Norwich Duff

And Captain Eliab Harvey:

Captain Robert Moorsom:

Captain John Pilfold

Rear Admiral the Earl of Northesk

Viscount Bridport

Admiral Lord Nelson:

The Kate Kennedy Club banner for James VII in the style of the period:

The 12th Earl of Northesk:

Baronetess Dame Maureen Dunbar of Hempriggs - one of only four baronet titles heritable in the female line:

Gordon Casely has kindly provided another of Mark's bookplates, this time for Sheriff  David Bogie:

Mark had very strong views on lions rampant. Here is the lovely drawing he made for children (or anybody) to colour in for the "Heraldry for the Self-Isolator" course posted in daily instalments during the first 2020 lock-down:

One of Mark's joys was the Annual Procession of the Kate Kennedy Club in St Andrews. He sent this photograph in 2019 with the description: "Here you can see some of the scrum as 140 or so people clamber into clobber ranging from full high Gothic plate armour to Tudor gowns to tweedy period golfing kit -  all eminent folk associated with the town and uni starting from St Andrew, First-called, himself."

Here is a close-up of the stall-plate Mark painted as limner for the Venerable Order for James Bingham KStJ: