The
Heraldry Society of Scotland was founded in 1977 with the objective of promoting the study of
heraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
and encouraging its correct use in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and overseas.
The Society encourages people to join whether they have their own
ArmsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, intend to procure Arms, or have a general interest in Scottish Heraldry. The membership is made up of people from around the globe with many meeting regularly in the Society's very active on-line Community Forum.
Meetings are held several times during the year for lectures or visits to places of historic and heraldic interest, both in Scotland and in other countries.
The Society is privileged to number many of
Her Majesty'sElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
Officers of ArmsA herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
among its members and a close liaison is maintained with the
Court of the Lord LyonThe Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
. The Society's current President is Charles Burnett, Esq.,
Ross HeraldRoss Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current Scottish herald of arms Extraordinary of the Court of the Lord Lyon. The office is however held in Extraordinary after the retirement of the last holder in Ordinary....
. The Society also participated, in conjunction with the Scottish Genealogy Society, in the planning of the XXVIIth International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences which was convened in
St AndrewsSt Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
in August 2006.
The Heraldry Society publishes a quarterly quality A4 sized colour newsletter entitled
Tak Tent, and an annual booklet (100pp) of essays entitled
The Double Tressure . The current (2007) editor of both is Professor James D. Floyd.
See also
- American Heraldry Society
The American Heraldry Society is a learned society that promotes the study of heraldry and education of U.S. citizens about heraldry. The organization also advocates the development of a distinctly American heraldic tradition and encourages the legal protection of armorial bearings in the U.S. The...
- Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
The Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, established in 1864, is the world's oldest non-governmental body primarily concerned with heraldry. It authenticates and records coats of arms rightfully borne in the United States or by U.S...
- The Heraldry Society
The Heraldry Society is one of the leading organizations in the world devoted to studying heraldry. In 1947, a twenty year old John Brooke-Little founded the Society of Heraldic Antiquaries. This title was changed to The Heraldry Society in 1950. It was incorporated in 1956 and is now a registered...
- Royal Heraldry Society of Canada
The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada is a Canadian organization that promotes the art of Canadian Heraldry. Founded as the Heraldry Society of Canada, the mission of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada and its branches is to promote the art of heraldry, particularly Canadian heraldry, and to...
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