There’s a very nice banner being offered on eBay with very attractive arms. Does anyone know whose arms they are?

Hello All

We are back, but only just! My apologies for being away for so long but the hosting company’s servers were maliciously attacked which destroyed the functionality of nearly every site hosted by them. This lead to a huge effort to recover the fragmented remains of the various websites. My databases have just been cleaned and restored onto a new server. As you can see there is still quite a bit to do to recover the images from the gallery but I hope to have everything working properly by next week.

My apologies once again for the long absence but I hope you will continue to visit and contribute to this Scots Heraldry blog.

Anthony Maxwell

The Heraldry Society of Scotland / Society of Scottish Armigers
will be hosting a heraldry tent at the Celebration of Celts on
Saturday, 3 May 2008. Please join me in manning our tent.
I will be bringing my collection of materials, books and the likes,
to the event.

The games will be held at Columbia County Fair Grounds,
Chatham, NY about 20 miles South of Albany, NY.

For details of how to get there see,
http://www.celebrationofcelts.com/directions.html

If you think you might be able to attend, please drop me an e-mail,
dqwedvick@sbcglobal.net

Best Wishes !

Mediaeval Misfit ‘n Relic

A.M.D.G.

Finis !

In the earliest examples of heraldic seals that I have seen, there is no determination of the tinctures of the arms on the seal. In the 17th century, the use of the Petra Sancta shading system (among others) was adopted by copper engravers to code for heraldic and other colors.

In considering examples of modern desk seals and signet rings, I note that some artists do not use the Petra Sancta system of shading while others do. Dexter Seal Engravers seem to use Petra Sancta shading where ever possible, while other artists of note, such as Clare Street do not.

While both engravers produce wonderful works of heraldic art, is there any consensus of opinion regarding which makes for better heraldry and possibly a better seal?

The Registrar of the Canadian Heraldic Authority is pleased to announce that 50 new bilingual symbolisms are now accessible on the Online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. The updated records are at http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/new-neuf.asp?lang=e&WNItemID=8

The Registrar of the Canadian Heraldic Authority is pleased to announce that 20 new bilingual symbolisms are now accessible on the Online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. The updated records are at http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/new-neuf.asp?lang=e&WNItemID=7

The Toronto Branch Royal Heraldry Society of Canada will have an exhibition of heraldic bookplates by renowned Canadian heraldic artist Gordon Macpherson, KtStJ, FRHSC from Monday 21st April to Saturday 31st May 2008 at the John M. Kelly Library, St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto located at 113 St. Joseph Street in downtown Toronto.  The official opening of the exhibit will be held from 4:30 to 5:30pm on Saturday 26th April and will be followed by a reception at 6:00pm and dinner at 6:30pm in Gordon’s honour at Hart House U. of Toronto.  

Gordon Macpherson, of Oakville, Ontario, who serves as Niagara Herald Extraordinary at the Canadian Heraldic Authority, needs no introduction to members of this forum as his bookplates have been featured many times.  I am fortunate to own one of Gordon’s unique bookplates, as do some other regular contributors.  Gordon has also done bookplates for Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, Chief of Clan Macpherson, The Lady Saltoun, Chief of Clan Fraser and Mrs. Elizabeth Roads, Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records in Edinburgh, so his talents are not limited to Canada. 

R.H.S.C. Toronto Branch is hoping that the exhibition will help to raise public awareness of heraldry in Canada, if only to counter the dreaded logo, often chosen at great cost to replace a traditional coat of arms, and just as often rejected as failing to find favour with the unfortunate taxpayers who end up footing the bill.

Examples of Gordon’s work can be seen Here

See http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2008/20080308/pdf/g1-14210.pdf for the latest set of Canadian grants in the Canada Gazette 8 March 2008

The Queen has been pleased, on the recommendation of the First Minister, to appoint Mr William David Hamilton Sellar, Solicitor, to be Lord Lyon King of Arms.

Her Majesty is also to appoint Mr Sellar to be Secretary of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

David Sellar, aged 67, is a graduate of the Universities of Oxford (History) and Edinburgh (Law). He qualified as a solicitor in 1966. After two years as a legal assessor with the Scottish Land Court, he taught in the Faculty of Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is now an honorary fellow of the Faculty. He is joint author of the Saltire Society’s Scottish Legal Tradition (1991), and has written on the history of various branches of Scots law, including marriage, divorce, incest, homicide and unjust enrichment. He has published on the Lordship of the Isles and on the origins of many Highland families, including the Campbells, MacDonalds, MacDougalls, MacLeods, Lamonts, MacNeills and Nicolsons.

He was O’Donnell Lecturer (in Celtic Studies) at Edinburgh in 1985, Stair Society Lecturer in 1997 and a Rhind Lecturer in 2000. He has been a Member of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland, Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Literary Director of the Stair Society, Chairman of Council of the Scottish History Society and Chairman of the Conference of Scottish Medievalists. He has also served on the Council of the Scottish Genealogy Society and of the Heraldry Society of Scotland. He was appointed Bute Pursuivant of Arms in 2001.

The appointment followed public advertisement of the post and a selection board met to interview a short-list of candidates and provide a recommendation to the First Minister.

Young Bachuil sent me the following message this morning:

This morning at 3am I couldn’t sleep and was worried about father. I got up and said prayers for him, lit a candle, and asked St Moluag to watch over him. I prayed for a peaceful death.

Father died peacefully in his sleep at about 5.30am.

Heading up to Lismore now

Niall
Kind regards,
Sandford MacLean

Alastair Livingstone of Bachuil in front of his banner in 2003.