The Bearer of the Royal Banner is one of the Great Officers of the

Royal Household in Scotland The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, ...

. The bearer participates in royal, state, and other ceremonial events when needed. In 1298, Alexander Scrymgeour was granted the office of Constable of

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

for the

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

service (

grand sergeanty Under feudalism in France and England during the Middle Ages, tenure by serjeanty () was a form of tenure in return for a specified duty other than standard knight-service. Etymology The word comes from the French noun , itself from the Latin , ...

) of carrying the royal banner in the army of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and in 1324

Robert I Robert I may refer to: *Robert I, Duke of Neustria (697–748) *Robert I of France (866–923), King of France, 922–923, rebelled against Charles the Simple *Rollo, Duke of Normandy (c. 846 – c. 930; reigned 911–927) * Robert I Archbishop of ...

granted Alexander's son, Nicholas Scrymgeour, and his heirs the heritable office of Banner-Bearer. His descendants retained the office until the death in 1668 of John Scrymgeour,

Earl of Dundee Earl of Dundee is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1660 for John Scrymgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope. At his death in 1668, the Duke of Lauderdale declared that the first Earl had no heirs-male, and had the crown seize all o ...

, whose estates and heritable offices, deemed to have fallen to the king as ''

ultimus haeres ''Ultimus haeres'' (Latin for ''ultimate heir'') is a concept in Scots law where if a person in Scotland who dies without leaving a will (i.e. intestate) and has no blood relative who can be easily traced, the estate is claimed by the King's and L ...

'', were regranted to Charles Maitland, later 3rd Earl of Lauderdale. In 1821 the 8th Earl officiated at the

Coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, but in the following year Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn carried the royal banner at

Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh ...

during the King's visit. The respective rights of the

Earls of Lauderdale Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The second Ea ...

and the Scrymgeour-Wedderburns, as representatives of the Scrymgeours, remained unresolved until 1902 when in view of the forthcoming coronation the Court of Claims found in favour of Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn. Henry's

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

proved his claim as heir to the Viscountcy of Dudhope in 1952 and the Earldom of Dundee in 1953. The

Earl of Lauderdale Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The second Ear ...

holds the separate office of

Bearer of the National Flag of Scotland The Bearer of the National Flag of Scotland is one of the Great Officers in the Royal Household of Scotland. The bearer participates in royal, state, or other ceremonial events when needed. By charter of novodamus of 1676, later ratified by th ...

Sources

Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia of the Laws of Scotland, vol.7 "The Crown", para 825. Political office-holders in Scotland Lists of Scottish people {{Scotland-stub

See also

Sources