New Grant

 The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Benjamin Steven Nossiter. The artist is Adel Gaspar.

Azure a fess nowy Argent between two polar stars of six points Or, on a chief Or a kangaroo leaping Azure between two Ordnance Survey Benchmarks Sable.

Lonach Pipe Band

  The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Lonach Pipe Band. The artist is Adal Gaspar.

The blazon is: Per saltire Or and Vert in chief a stag's head cabossed tined of twelve Tenné and in base a thistle in bloom slipped Proper.

St Peter's Basilica 1626-2026

 The Holy See has announced events for the 4th centenary of the re-dedication of St Peter's Basilica by Urban VIII Barberini in 1626. Unusually for recent Vatican designs  the logo is tasteful and beautiful and a great contrast to the awful thing which signified last year's Jubilee Year.

Here for comparison is last year's monstrosity:

The 4th Centenary logo uses the marble intarsia crosses bottony from the wall of the Basilica for its inspiration.  

  

Lord Elgin 102nd birthday

 Warmest congratulations to the oldest Knight of the Thistle, Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine on his 102nd birthday today.  Ad multos annos! 

Here are Lord Elgin's arms in a glorious emblazonment by the late Mark Dennis.

Richard d'Apice detection

 Richard d'Apice spotted an item in Dreweatt's Auction catalogues and did some detective on it, finding it was a 17th century heraldic panel which had been stolen from St Leonard's Church Flamstead in 1996. Despite being listed in the Art Loss Register the auction house had missed the entry. It has now been returned to the church.   

New Archbishop of Westminster

 The new Archbishop of Westminster has announced he will use his arms unimpaled:

Paly-wavy of ten Bleu-celeste and Gules on a Chief Or four Crosses of Jerusalem the outer pair issuant Gules

100 years ago today

 From the Public Register 100 years ago today, the arms of Sir Henry Craik Bt. P.C. KCB, MP for the Scottish Universities and son of the Minister of St George's Kirk, Glasgow. The blazon is:

Argent on a sea in base undy Azure and of the First a three-masted ship under full sail proper flagged Gules, on a chief indented of the last a book expanded of the field leaved Or between two antique lamps of the last.

Happy Burns Nicht!

 

Three new entries in the Lyon Register

  The Lord Lyon has granted arms to Sinclair Academy, West Lothian: the artist was Elle Colverson. The arms use the ancient engrailed black cross of the Sinclairs. Argent a cross engrailed Sable within a bordure Purpure.

Lyon has matriculated the arms granted by the College of Arms to Bernard Michael Akin. The artist was Gayle Page.  

Or gutty de sang on a pall reversed Azure three arms issuant their hands clasping Or.

Lyon has also granted arms to Kenneth James Dwight. The artist was Gayle Page.

Azure a bend engrailed Or between three estoiles two and one in chief and a lion passant guardant in base all Or.

Memorial Service for Mark D. Dennis, late Ross Herald Extraordinary

There will be a Memorial Service in St Andrews on Saturday 28th February at 11a.m. for Mark Dennis. All are most welcome.

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