Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms holds a high office in Scotland . He is one of the Great Officers of State for Scotland. David Sellar was Lord Lyon King of Arms until the end of 2013 . In January 2014, Joseph John Morrow was named as his successor.
history
The office has been attested since the early 14th century, but could be older. The various tasks were then fixed over the years by parliamentary laws.
tasks
The duties of the Lord Lyon King of Arms are still varied.
He is the coat of arms king for Scotland and thus has important powers in the field of heraldry . Only he is authorized to lend new coats of arms . His counterpart for England in this role is the Garter Principal King of Arms . His office, the Court of the Lord Lyon , is the coat of arms for Scotland, like the College of Arms for the rest of the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, the court also has judicial functions. Lord Lyon also presides over him in this respect, he is its only judge. This court, partly comparable to the English Court of Chivalry , has jurisdiction over civil and criminal jurisdiction in the field of heraldry and is fully integrated into the Scottish judicial organization. Unlike its English counterpart, the court meets relatively often. It is the oldest dish in the world in this field and it still meets regularly. Because of this function, Lord Lyon must always be a trained lawyer.
He is also responsible for conducting state ceremonies in Scotland. In this respect, his protocol tasks correspond to those of the Earl Marshal in England. His annual responsibilities in this capacity include opening the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland .
After all, the Lord Lyon acts as the heraldic king and secretary of the thistle order . In this capacity he is present at the religious services of the Order and especially at the induction of new members.
Occur
On official occasions, Lord Lyon wears a tabard . Ex officio , he is one of the very few people in Scotland authorized to operate the Royal Standard of Scotland .
Individual evidence
- ^ New Lord Lyon King of Arms appointed ( Memento April 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), The Scottish Government, January 17, 2014.