Finlaggan Pursuivant of Arms is the private officer of arms of the Clan Donald in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The office of Finlaggan Pursuivant is held by Thomas Miers, who was appointed at a ceremony in Edinburgh on 25 July 2009. Miers succeeds the Hon. Adam Robert Bruce (b. 1968) following his appointment as Unicorn Pursuivant. Bruce was appointed by Godfrey James Macdonald, 8th Baron Macdonald of Slate, Chief of the Name and Arms of Macdonald and High Chief of Clan Donald. This post was revived in 2005, after 510 years, in a ceremony attended by

Ross Herald of Arms in Ordinary Ross Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a Scottish herald of arms Extraordinary of the Court of the Lord Lyon. The office is however held in Extraordinary after the retirement of the last holder in Ordinary. The title of the office is derived from ...

from the Court of the Lord Lyon and the four MacDonald chiefs. Installation of Clan Donald Officer of Arms by Gordon Casely The

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...

ic title comes from Finlaggan, near

Port Askaig Port Askaig ( gd, Port Asgaig) is a port village on the east coast of the island of Islay, in Scotland. The village lies on the Sound of Islay (Caol Ìle) across from Jura. Economy Port Askaig has a hotel, a petrol station and shop next to the ...

in Islay, the centre of the realm of the Macdonald Lords of the Isles until they lost power in 1493. Descended from the 12th-century King Somerled, the Lords of the Isles ruled Scotland from

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

, and were effectively independent of the control of the Scottish Crown. The title Lord of the Isles is now borne by Prince Charles. Bruce's installation as Finlaggan marks the revival of the ancient practice of senior clan chiefs having their own private

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 e ...

s to look after matters of clan heraldry and

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

. Finlaggan joins that of

Slains Pursuivant Slains Pursuivant of Arms is a private officer of arms appointed by the Chief of the Name and Arms of Hay – presently the Earl of Erroll, Lord High Constable of Scotland. It is believed that the Hay family had an officer of arms since the ti ...

to the

Earl of Erroll Earl of Erroll () is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay. The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are ''Lord Hay'' (created 1449) and ''Lord Slains'' (1452), both in the Peerage of Scotland. ...

, Garioch Pursuivant to the Countess of Mar and

Endure Pursuivant Endure Pursuivant of Arms is a private officer of arms appointed in 2006 by the Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force ...

of the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres.

References and notes

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External links

The Court of the Lord LyonThe Heraldry Society of Scotland
Offices of arms

References and notes

See also

External links