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Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records

Field	Value
image	Arms of the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records.svg
image_size	120px
caption	The arms of office of the Lyon Clerk
tradition	Gallo-British
jurisdiction	Scotland
authority	Court of the Lord Lyon
officername	Russell Hunter Esq.
officertitle	Lyon Clerk

Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records is a legal and heraldic office in Scotland. The holder of this office is appointed by the Crown, and like the Lord Lyon King of Arms receives an annual salary. Lyon Clerk's duties include heraldic research, the preparation of papers, lectures and conducting and assisting with the preliminary business of application for a grant or matriculation of armorial bearings. This includes scrutiny of documents supporting the application. As Keeper of the Records the duties include maintaining the records of the Court of the Lord Lyon, overseeing the preparation of documents, allowing inspection of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland and other records, and issuing certified extracts when required. Until 1867 there was a Lyon Clerk Depute, and in 1986 Elizabeth Ann Roads became the first woman appointed to the office of Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records.

Role

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In 1669 the Parliament of Scotland passed the Lyon King of Arms Act 1669, the act confirmed the privileges and emoluments of the: '"Lyon King at Armes and his breethren heraulds and pursevants their Clerk of Court and thair successors". The Lyon King of Arms Act 1672 mentioned the 'Lyon Clerk' as one of the recipients of all documents, on behalf of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.

The Lyon Clerk, together with the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Procurator fiscal, the Herald painter and the Macer of the Court constitutes the Court of the Lord Lyon. The Lyon Court is a part of the Scottish judiciary and deals with the subject of heraldry and genealogy in Scotland. The Lyon Clerk assists the Lord Lyon in both his ministerial and judicial work. The Lyon Clerk is appointed by the Crown through the Royal sign-manual, the appointment is then published in the Edinburgh Gazette. The Lyon Clerk's salary is paid for by the Crown. This has been the case since the Lyon King of Arms Act 1867, when the whole of the Lyon Court and Her Majesty's Officers of Arms were formally made into civil servants. Prior to this reform the Lyon Clerk received fees for every grant and matriculation. In 1837 the Lyon Clerk is paid £19 6s. for a grant of arms with supporters and £15 15s. without, for a matriculation £4 10s. 6d with supporters and £2 17s. without.

The Lyon Clerks have a prominent role in the operations of the Lyon Court. Every submission of application for a grant of arms, a matriculation of arms or the recording of genealogy must be made through the Lyon Clerk. This submission must be done either personally, by an intermediary agent or by correspondence, the Lyon Clerk is required to personally interview and reply to each applicant. As such the Lyon Clerk must take receipt of all documents and evidence submitted by the applicant in each case. Finally after the grant or matriculation has been made the Lyon Clerk must ensure that the resulting patent of arms is properly illuminated and emblazoned for the applicant and for the Lyon Court's register.

As Keeper of the Records, the Lyon Clerk is responsible for the maintenance of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. This is done through the regular addition of new grants and matriculations. The Lyon Clerk must ensure that members of the public have access to the register by facilitating searches and studies of the records.

Lyon Clerks and Keepers of the Records

Arms	Name	Date of appointment	Notes	Ref.
	Adam or Alexander MacCulloch	(1554)	Marchmont
	James Purdie of Kinaldies	(1584)	Islay
	John Purdy	4 January 1587	Ross
	James Borthwick, WS	(1594)	Rothesay
	James Winram	(1607)
	Robert Winram	1625
	George Watson, WS	1625
[[File:Arms of Thomas Drysdale.svg	70px]]	Thomas Drysdale	1632	Islay
	William Weir	1660
	Robert Smith of Gibleston	8 August 1663
[[File:Arms of Maule, Earl of Panmure.svg	70px]]	Harry Maule, WS	1709
[[File:Arms of Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, Baronet.svg	70px]]	Charles Erskine	4 June 1715	Bute
[[File:Arms of Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, Baronet.svg	70px]]	David Erskine	6 June 1724	Rothesay
[[File:Arms of Alexander Brodie, 19th of that Ilk.svg	70px]]	Thomas Brodie, WS	8 December 1769	Lyon Depute
[[File:Arms of Robert Boswell of St. Boswells.svg	70px]]	Robert Boswell of St. Boswells, WS	2 November 1770
	James Home of Linhouse, WS	4 May 1804	Lyon Depute
	David Clyne, SSC	3 February 1819
[[File:Arms of Edward William Auriol Drummond-Hay.svg	70px]]	Edward William Auriol Drummond Hay	1 April 1823
	Alexander Macdonald	5 May 1845	(Ad interim)
[[File:Arms of Lorimer of Kellyfield.svg	70px]]	James Lorimer of Kellyfield	7 November 1848	(Ad interim)
3 May 1864	(For life)
[[File:Arms of Sir James William Mitchell.svg	70px]]	James William Mitchell	6 March 1890	Rothesay
[[File:Arms of Sir Francis James Grant.svg	70px]]	Francis James Grant, WS	3 September 1898	Rothesay
	Harold Andrew Balvaird Lawson, CVO	4 September 1929	Rothesay
[[File:Arms of Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight.svg	70px]]	Malcolm Innes of Edingight, CVO, WS	4 August 1966	Carrick
Marchmont
[[File:Arms of Don Pottinger.svg	70px]]	John Inglis Drever "Don" Pottinger, LVO	9 July 1981	Islay
[[File:Arms of Elizabeth Ann Roads.svg	70px]]	Elizabeth Ann Roads, LVO	5 February 1986	Linlithgow
Carrick
Snawdoun
	Russell Hunter Esq.	25 June 2018

Lyon Clerks Depute

Name	Date of appointment	Notes
Robert Innes, WS	(1675)
James Dallas	1715
David Erskine	1718	Rothesay
No depute	1724–1751
William Richardson	6 May 1751
Robert Donaldson	1755 April 17	Marchmont
William Walker	29 July 1769	Marchmont
James Cumyng	7 November 1770	Herald painter
Robert Ranken	7 November 1773
William Boswell	24 December 1794
Alexander Liston Ramage	7 September 1796
John Blair	12 January 1799
Alexander Boswell	23 January 1801
Thomas Small	2 May 1804	Marchmont
John Edward Touch	20 June 1807
David Clyne (joint)	25 August 1807
Alexander Lambe Robertson
and
William Thomson (joint)	25 August 1812
De Carteret Mendell	5 November 1819
William Smith	17 May 1823
Archibald Duncan	7 September 1825
William Anderson	8 November 1828	Marchmont
Alexander Macdonald	3 June 1829
William Anderson	7 May 1845	Marchmont
John Whyte	29 June 1863
Robert Riddle Stodart	9 May 1864
James William Mitchell	4 June 1886	Rothesay
Office abolished in 1867.

References

;Appointments ;Citations ;Bibliography

References

"Court Activity 2010". Court of the Lord Lyon.
"Badges of the heralds of the Commonwealth & Ireland". White Lion Society.
(1669). "Lyon King of Arms Act 1669". [[List of acts of the Parliament of Scotland.
(1672). "Lyon King of Arms Act 1672". [[List of acts of the Parliament of Scotland.
Stevenson p.51
"Lyon King of Arms Act 1867 (30 and 31 Vict. c. 17)".
Great Britain Parliament, House of Commons. (1837). "House of Commons papers, Volume 39". HMSO.
Stevenson p.52
Stevenson pp.447–448

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scottish-heraldry

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