Vexillology is the study of the history,symbolism and usage of flags or,by extension,any interest in flags in general.
The Right Honourable 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 country,issuing new grants of arms,and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon,the oldest heraldic court in the world that is still in daily operation.
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
A pursuivant or,more correctly,pursuivant of arms,is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official heraldic authorities,such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. In the mediaeval era,many great nobles employed their own officers of arms. Today,there still exist some private pursuivants that are not employed by a government authority. In Scotland,for example,several pursuivants of arms have been appointed by Clan Chiefs. These pursuivants of arms look after matters of heraldic and genealogical importance for clan members.
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary,now ceremonial,office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland,the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the royal family. The Lord High Constable was,after the King of Scots,the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He also performed judicial functions as the chief judge of the High Court of Constabulary. From the late 13th Century the Court –presided over by the Lord High Constable or his deputies –was empowered to judge all cases of rioting,disorder,bloodshed and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King,the King's Council,or the Parliament of Scotland. Following James VI's move to England,the jurisdiction of the Lord High Constable was defined in terms of the "resident place" appointed for the Council.
Sir Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight was Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland from 1981 until 2001.
Sir Thomas Innes of Learney (1893–1971) was a Scottish officer of arms who was Lord Lyon from 1945 to 1969.
A herald,or a herald of arms,is an officer of arms,ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
A private officer of arms is one of the heralds and pursuivants appointed by great noble houses to handle all heraldic and genealogical questions.
George Alexander Way of Plean CStJ is a Scottish Sheriff and former Procurator Fiscal of the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland. In November 2015,it was announced that he was to be the first Scottish Sheriff to be appointed a member of the Royal Household in Scotland as Falkland Pursuivant Extraordinary at the Court of the Lord Lyon. In December 2017,he was promoted to Carrick Pursuivant in Ordinary and then to Rothesay Herald in 2024. In 2020,he was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Brechin. In June 2021,he was appointed as Genealogist of the Priory of Scotland in the Most Venerable Order of St.John.
Ormond Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a current Scottish pursuivant of arms in Ordinary of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
Linlithgow Pursuivant of Arms is a Scottish pursuivant of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
March Pursuivant of Arms is a Scottish pursuivant of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
Falkland Pursuivant of Arms is a Scottish pursuivant of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon.
The Flag Institute is a membership organisation and UK-registered educational charity devoted to the study and promotion of flags and flag flying. It documents flags in the UK and around the world,maintains a UK Flag Registry,and offers advice and guidance about flags and their design and usage. It is often consulted on these matters but holds no official status or authority.
John Philipot was an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London and a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629. Though he successfully attained the position on Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary,he is best known for his production of a roll of arms of the Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports.
The Court of the Lord Lyon,or Lyon Court,is a standing court of law,based in New Register House in Edinburgh,which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms,known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland,as well as records of genealogies.
Joseph John Morrow,is the current Lord Lyon King of Arms. He was appointed on 17 January 2014 and,sworn of office on 27 February before the Lord President of the Court of Session,as Lord Lyon,Morrow took part in the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023.
The Flag of Kirkcudbrightshire is the flag of the county and Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It was registered with the Flag Institute as the flag of the county in June 2016 after the Lord Lieutenant petitioned the Lord Lyon.
