Pomp with a point

Resplendent in decorative tabards of gold, scarlet, and blue, with black and gold bicorn hats, the Heralds and Pursuivants of Scotland are to be seen on parade whenever there is an important display of national pageantry. But there is far more to these symbolic remnants of a bygone age than meets the eye.

Although the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms is known to date from the 14th century, its mythology lies deep in the mists of a long ago land of Celts and Druids, where High Sennachies were primarily held responsible for recording the genealogies of the ruling houses of Scotland.

In a medieval world preoccupied with primogeniture, it was critical to have a judicial authority to oversee pedigree, precedence and inheritance. European Chivalry – collectively knights, noblemen and horsemen – placed immense importance on heraldic devices, the coats of arms, shields, crests and monograms, which not only