A Scottish feudal barony is a personal dignity. It does not create a separate legal title for a spouse, but long custom has developed courteous forms of address for the baron or baroness and their family.
For a male baron who is married, the traditional courtesy style is “The Baron and Baroness of X”. Authorities differ on alternative usages. Debrett’s notes that “the social form of address for a Scottish feudal Baron and his wife is ‘the Baron and Baroness of Pitlochry’; or ‘the Baron of Pitlochry and Madam Maitland [surname]’.” The Convention of the Baronage of Scotland observes that “by tradition, several usages are acceptable: Lady Pitscot, The Lady Pitscot, and Baroness of Pitscot. Today Lady Pitscot is the most widely accepted version. Madam (e.g. Madam Shand of Pitscot) is also used, particularly in the West of Scotland, and this is the form used by most clan chiefs. For foreign travel, Baroness may be preferred. In Lyon Court documents there will also be found: Lady of Pitscot and Lady of the Barony of Pitscot.”
Where the holder is a baroness in her own right, her husband does not receive a courtesy title from the barony and is referred to by his own personal rank. A formal style might therefore read: “The Baroness of X and Mr John McDonald.”
The eldest son of a baron may be known by his father’s territorial designation with the addition of “younger”, often shortened to “yr”: for example, “James McDonald of X, yr” or “James McDonald, Younger of X”. Daughters of a baron may add the territorial designation to their surname, e.g. “Jane McDonald of X”, sometimes with the addition of “Maid” before the designation. Younger sons receive no special style beyond that appropriate to their own rank.
For certain official documents issued in the United Kingdom, such as driving licences and passports, the baronial title may in some circumstances be included. Eligibility depends, among other things, on providing satisfactory proof of baronial status, and applicants should seek guidance from the relevant government authorities. Practice on formal recognition of baronial dignities varies in other jurisdictions around the world.
Heraldry is the art and science of using hereditary symbols to distinguish an individual or corporate body. In the Middle Ages it served a practical purpose of identification; today it is valued both for its visual language and for the genealogical and historical information it can convey. Arms are used in many professional and personal contexts and are an important tool for genealogists and historians tracing pedigrees.
Holding a Scottish feudal barony brings the baron or baroness within the jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon King of Arms. A baron may petition the Lord Lyon for a grant of Arms and other armorial ensigns such as heraldic flags. The Lord Lyon is His Majesty’s representative in Scotland on matters heraldic and ceremonial and maintains the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. The barony itself should be recorded in the Scottish Barony Register, which the Lord Lyon may consult in deciding whether the applicant is indeed a baron entitled to arms. If eligibility is established, the Lord Lyon issues Letters Patent, a formal deed on behalf of the Crown granting Arms.
An Achievement of Arms is the full heraldic display: a shield or escutcheon bearing the arms, accompanied by the appropriate helm indicating baronial rank, mantling, motto and crest. Where the armiger is entitled, this may also include supporters, a compartment and a coronet of rank. From the mid-twentieth century Scottish feudal barons were granted Arms with additaments reflecting their rank, including chapeau, feudo-baronial mantle, helm, standard and badge. The chapeau or baronial cap was in Gules if the family retained the feudal possession, or Azure “if they are representer of the family previously associated with the barony”, and a cap “lined contre ermine”, black with white tail-spots, if the barony was originally held other than under the Scottish Crown.[35]
In Scotland, supporters are regarded as one of the highest heraldic honours. They are granted chiefly to peers, but have also been authorised for certain barons who are heirs of those who would have been called to Parliament before 1592. Eligibility to petition for supporters may depend, among other factors, on whether the relevant charters preserved the right to supporters when the barony was resettled.[36]
Following the coming into force of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, the Arms of Scottish feudal barons do not ordinarily include baronial additaments as part of the armorial bearings. Today a helm appropriate to their rank is the principal heraldic indication of baronial status, marking the armiger as above a gentleman yet below the peerage. This is generally a steel helm with one or three gold bars.
Armigers may display their crest as a badge, or within a plain circlet bearing their motto. It is customary, though not regulated by the Lord Lyon, for armigers to wear eagle feathers behind the crest. Traditionally a baron wore one feather; in modern practice barons often wear two.
In Scots law, Arms are personal heritable property. There is no such thing as a generic “family coat of arms”; each armiger’s Arms are specific to that individual, even where they follow a familial pattern. The final appearance of the Arms is determined by the Lord Lyon after discussion with the petitioner. The process is necessarily detailed, reflecting both the precision of heraldry as an art and the seriousness with which Arms are treated in the Scottish legal system. Decisions of the Lord Lyon are judicial interpretations of law, and those seeking a grant or matriculation of Arms are directed to the Court of the Lord Lyon for authoritative guidance.
Further information is available from the Court of the Lord Lyon at:
