Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a current Scottish
pursuivant of arms in Ordinary of the
Court of the Lord Lyon
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 ...
.
The title was created after 1381, and derived from the
unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unico ...
. One of these beasts is used as a
supporter
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up.
Historically, supporters were left to an individual's free choice and were assu ...
for the royal arms of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and as a
royal badge.
The
badge of office is ''A unicorn couchant Argent, horned, unguled, maned and tufted Or gorged of a coronet of four fleurs-de-lys (two visible) and four crosses pattee (one and two halves visible) Or.''
The office is currently held by
Roderick Alexander Macpherson. He took part in the Royal Procession at the
2023 Coronation.
Holders of the office
See also
*
Officer of Arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
* to control and initiate armorial matters;
* to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state;
* to conserve ...
*
Pursuivant
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 ...
*
Court of the Lord Lyon
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 ...
*
Heraldry Society of Scotland
The Heraldry Society of Scotland was founded in 1977 with the aim of improving the study of heraldry.
The Society's arms feature a Saint Andrew's Cross with silver thistles and a red shield. Their crest is a herald wearing a tabard of the arms, an ...
References
External links
The Court of the Lord Lyon
{{Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
Offices of arms