<C><B>ON ACQUIRING SCOTTISH ARMS<b>


<C>by
<C>Donald Draper Campbell
<C>(c) DDC 1984, 1986

<T>Several years ago I petitioned the Lord Lyon King of Arms for a retrospec-
tive grant of arms for and in memory of my Scottish ancestor, John Campbell (b.
c1775, Scotland; d. 1820's, Georgia) and for matriculation of those arms, if
granted, to me with suitable differencing.  The Lord Lyon has acted favorably on
my petitions -- retrospective arms have been granted to John Campbell and in
turn those arms have been matriculated to me.  I would like to share the
knowledge I have gained in my effort to acquire arms with those who may be
interested in acquiring arms.


<B>THE LAW<b>

<T>The use of Armorial Bearings in Scotland is governed by Act of 1672 cap. 47
and 30 & 31 Vict. cap. 17, and it is the Lord Lyon King of Arms in Edinburgh
who administers the law.  Lyon's authority governing the use of arms is restricted
to their use in Scotland alone.  Even though you may not reside or plan to
reside/visit Scotland, you may want to make use of Armorial Bearings depicting
your Scottish heritage/lineage, and it is only proper and fitting that you should
comply with the laws of Scotland regarding the use of Armorial Bearings.

<T>In Scotland, there is no such thing as a "family crest" or "family coat of
arms" which anyone can assume, or a whole family can use.  Arms are as personal
as a person's name.  They are used to define and identify a person.  They are a
form of individual heritable property, devolving upon one  person  at a time by
succession from the grantee or confirmee, and thus descend like a Peerage.


<B>ELIGIBILITY<b>

<T>There are basically four methods by which you can establish your right to
Scottish arms.  First, you are the male senior descendant of someone to whom
arms were granted (a grantee) and recorded in the <B>Public Register of All Arms
and Bearings in Scotland<b> (<B>Lyon Register<b>).  Since arms are heritable
property, they pass automatically on the death of the original owner to the eldest
son, then to his eldest son, and so on forever, without any need for further
registration (matriculation) of the arms.  Alternatively, if you are male senior
descendant of a grantee who bore arms before 1672 but failed to register them in
the <B>Lyon Register<b>, they must now be recorded in the <B>Lyon Register<b>
before you can use them. [NB.  To be the heir to an ancestor's arms, you must be
of the "blood" (i.e., adopted children with no blood connection cannot inherit) and
bear the same surname as the person to whom the arms were granted (the
grantee).]

<T>Second, you are a younger son, or belong to a younger branch, of a grantee,
thus you inherit a right to apply for a "matriculation" of those ancestral Arms
with a suitable mark of difference added appropriate to your place in the family. 
Provided you can prove direct descent in the male line from the grantee, you may
apply whether a native Scot or not.

<T>Third, if you cannot prove descent from a grantee  as outlined in  cases 1
and 2 above, but you are a native Scot (i.e., born in or legal resident of Scot-
land), you may petition the Lord Lyon King of Arms for Letters Patent granting
arms to you which, if granted, would be recorded in the <B>Lyon Register<b>.

<T>And finally, fourth, you cannot prove descent from a grantee, again as
outlined in cases 1 and 2 above, but are <U>not<u> a native Scot, however you
can prove descent through the male line of a native Scot, then you may petition
the Lord Lyon for Letters Patent granting arms to and in memory of your
Scottish ancestor.  Once arms have been granted to your ancestor (who then
becomes a grantee), those arms can be matriculated to you with suitable
differencing as may be required as in case 2, above.


<B>A LADIES' ARMS<b>

<T>By courtesy, a daughter is entitled to a life-use of her father's undifferenced
arms.  Upon marriage, she has several options.  She may continue to bear her
father's undifferenced arms so long as she retains her father's surname alone
(since as noted above, arms are inseparable from the surname in which they were
originally granted); or she may impale them with her husbands arms (her husb-
and's on the right, her father's on the left), or bear, by courtesy, her husband's
undifferenced arms alone.  In all cases a ladies' arms are displayed on a diamo-
ndshaped lozenge; however, she does not normally display the helmet, mantling,
crest, motto, etc.  She may wear the crest as a broach or badge.  Today ladies
can, and quite often do, apply for arms in their own right.


<B>THE FORM OF PETITIONS<b>

<T>There are there mainly three basic forms your petition can take:  (1) a
petition for a new grant of arms for yourself, (2) a petition for a grant of arms
to an ancestor, and (3) a petition for a matriculation from existing registered
arms of the senior branch of your family.

<T>A NEW GRANT OF ARMS:  This procedure is used by the native Scot wishing
to apply for a new grant of arms to himself.  The petitioner should do so by
submitting a formal petition to the Lord Lyon.  The petition should set out the
details of your ancestry as far back as you wish to be recorded on your Letters
Patent (the illuminated parchment of the grant).  All statements concerning your
ancestry must be supported by proof/documentation.  Your petition must prove to
Lyon that you are eligible to receive a Scottish grant of arms.

<T>A GRANT OF ARMS TO AN ANCESTOR:  This procedure is used for nationals
of other countries who are of Scottish descent.  Your petition must set out how
you descend from the ancestor to whom you wish arms retrospectively granted,
proving of course that your ancestor was a native Scot.  All statements concern-
ing your ancestry must be supported by proof/documentation.

<T>Arms retrospectively granted to a Scottish ancestor will now have descended
to the applicant if he is the senior male descendant, without further charge or
need for re-registration.  Descendants of <U>younger<u> sons inherit only a right
to apply for a version of the ancestral arms with an added mark of difference
appropriate to their place in the family.

<T>A MATRICULATION FROM EXISTING ARMS:  Arms are heritable property,
and on the original owner's (i.e., the grantee's) death they descend to his eldest
son, and in turn to his eldest son, and so on forever, without any need for
further registration or incurring any additional cost.  A younger brother may
inherit his father's undifferenced Arms if the elder brother dies first and leaves
no heirs of his own.  (NB.  If this is the case, the "younger" son must rematricu-
late in order to establish his right  to succession and  make it indefeasible
against any competing claimant.) Otherwise younger sons and their descendants
inherit only a right to apply for "matriculation" of their ancestral arms with a
small mark of difference added, appropriate to their place in the family.

<T>As a descendant of a younger son you should submit a formal Petition to the
Lord Lyon setting out your descent from the grantee ancestor and ask that his
arms to be "matriculated" in your own name with a suitable mark of difference. 
Again all statements must be supported by proof/documentation.


<B>THE COST<b>

<T>First, there is the basic expense of researching your family's history and
lineage, then there is the cost of acquiring photocopies of documents which must
be submitted to support your petition, and finally there are the fees due the Lyon
Court.

<T>The Lyon Court fees can range anywhere from #188.00 for a simple
matriculation without supporters but with a crest, to #966.00 for a new grant of
arms with supporters and crest.  Generally speaking, supporters are only granted
to Peers, Clan Chiefs, etc.  In the case where application is being made for a
grant of arms (without supporters) to an ancestor (a retrospective grant), the cost
is #438.50.  In this case it is suggested that family members group together to
share the cost of a retrospective grant, since thereafter, all family members are
entitled to matriculate cadet arms, which is less expensive, i.e., #188.00.

<T>It should be noted that <U>no<u> fees are due until all the details of the
Arms and draft text for the Letters Patent have been agreed to with the
Petitioner and a note that the fees are due is sent to the Petitioner.  At any
point up till then the petition may be withdrawn without incurring any cost
whatever.

<T>Upon completion of the grant or matriculation process, you will receive a
deed from the Crown through H.M. Lord Lyon King of Arms conveying the Arms
to you. The document you receive is a beautifully illuminated parchment with a
full color painting of your arms and handwritten outline of your descent.


<B>MY EXPERIENCES IN PETITIONING FOR A GRANT OF ARMS<b>

<T>I began researching the origins of my family in about 1970 with the intent of
writing the definitive family history.  I found that some research had been
carried out in the 1920's; however, most had been lost to several hurricanes in
the late 1920's and early 1930's.  I was, however, able to locate a considerable
wealth of information on the origins of the family over the next six years.  It
was also during this period that I acquired an interest and involvement in Clan
Campbell and some insight to Scottish heraldic matters.  The result was setting
my sights on determining if I had an ancestor who was an armiger, hoping, of
course, that I would find one so that I could acquire a coat of arms for myself.

<T>By about 1976 I had traced my family's pedigree back seven generations to a
John Campbell (b. c1775, Scotland; d. 1820's, Georgia) who, with his future bride
Mary Nicholson, immigrated to the Carolinas from the Highlands of Scotland
following the American Revolutionary War and finally settled in Appling County,
Georgia in the late 1810's.  Their only two sons, John (jr) and Neill, and wives,
moved south to Florida in the early 1820's, settling finally in Madison County in
about 1833.  I was, however, unable to determine the exact date and place of
John Campbell's birth, or the names of his parents, and whether or not he was an
armiger or entitled to arms.  However, I found reference in a published history of
south Georgia families that an Alexander Campbell, of Brooks County, Georgia, (b.
1777, Isle of Skye, d. 1875, Georgia) was the brother/relation of a John Campbell,
of Appling County, Georgia.  I was also given leads on several documents which
would provide me with the exact date and place of this ancestor's birth, as well
as substantiate the relationship between John and Alexander Campbell.

<T>So in January 1977 based on my findings, I petitioned the Lord Lyon for a
retrospective grant of arms for and in memory of my Scottish ancestor John
Campbell and matriculation of those arms, if granted, to me.  Since I was asking
for a grant of new arms for John Campbell, I suggested the appropriate differenc-
ing for this cadet branch of Clan Campbell might be the addition of a Glossy Ibis
to indicate that this cadet branch was located in south Georgia and Florida, since
the habitat of the bird is in that area.  I also suggested that the motto should be
"In Harmony," since that was the name of the community where the family resided
in Madison County, Florida.

<T>I had a basic understanding of the petitioning process and what I thought
was required in the way of proofs and the approach I should take in my case.  In
my cover letter I indicated that I had several leads on the exact date and place
of birth of John Campbell and that information would be forthcoming.  I ran
down numerous leads over the next few years and came up with nothing.  As time
went on I came to the conclusion that documentation which would provide the
exact date and place of this ancestor's birth and parentage did not exist.  I felt
that without this information, my petitions were dead in the water and that I
should withdraw them.  However, I decided that since I would be in Scotland for
the International Clan Campbell Gathering in July 1983, I should first try to meet
with the Lord Lyon to discuss my petitions before withdrawing them.

<T>My meeting with the Lord Lyon proved to be most beneficial, for we
discussed the doctrine of family tradition and history.  One has to remember that
early Scottish history was an oral history which was later put to paper and that
in many cases exact locations and dates of events are unknown but they are
accepted as tradition.  I had read about the doctrine of family history and
tradition, but was unaware of its applicability to my case.  This doctrine became
the keystone to the granting of my petitions.

<T>In researching the origins of my family, I had located several "documents"
which substantiated the premise that John Campbell and his future wife were born
in Scotland in the 1770's, came to America following the American Revolutionary
War and had two sons, John (jr) and Neill.  These facts had been put to paper
between about 1900 and 1930 when then third generation members of the family
were still alive.  These documents provided sufficient proof that John Campbell
was in fact a native Scot and, therefore, the Lord Lyon was able to retrospec-
tively grant arms to him.


<B>MY ARMORIAL BEARINGS<b>

<T>My "coat of arms," technically called an "Achievement," consist of the
following elements: a shield, helmet, mantling, wreath, crest and motto.

<T>THE SHIELD:  The Shield is the foundation of all arms, and without it
nothing else can exist.

<T>THE HELMET:  Specific forms have been assigned to the following ranks:
Royal, Peers, Knights and Baronets, Feudal Barons, Esquires and Gentlemen. 
Today the distinction between helmet of an Esquire and a Gentleman has been
dropped.  My helmet is of this latter category.

<T>THE MANTLING:  The mantling is the cloth cape, suspended from the top of
the helmet and hanging down the wearer's back to shield him from the heat of
the sun.  Specific forms of coloring have been assigned:  Peers and certain of the
Officers of State:  outside - crimson, lining - ermine; and All other since 9 July
1891: outside -- principal "color" of arms; lining -- principal metal [i.e., the
Livery Colors, which in my case are Sable (black) and Or (gold)].

<T>THE WREATH:  Between the crest and the helmet usually appears a Wreath
of twisted cloth of the Mantling showing alternate twists of the owner's Livery
Colors, on which the Crest stands.

<T>THE CREST:  Crests developed both from the plume and from the fan-shaped
ridge along the top of some helmets which was designed to temper a blow.  The
ridging came to be cut either in the form of an animal or other object, or in a
fan-shaped design, upon which the arms or a part of them was painted.

<T>My Scottish ancestor, John Campbell, has been respectively granted the
following arms: "<U>Gyronny of eight Or and Sable, the first charged with four
ibises' heads erased of the Second<u>.  Above the shield is placed an Helm
befitting his degree with a Mantling Sable doubled Or and on a Wreath of the
Liveries is set for Crest <U>an ibis Sable<u>, and in a Escrol over the same this
Motto 'IN HARMONY'."  (<U>Lyon Register<u>, Volume 65, page 88.)

<T>Based on that grant, the following arms have been matriculated to me:
"<U>Gyronny of eight Or and Sable, the first charged with four ibises' heads
erased of the Second, within a bordure Azure<u>.  Above the shield is placed an
Helm befitting his degree with a Mantling Sable doubled Or and on a Wreath of
the Liveries is set for Crest <U>an ibis Sable<u>, and in a Escrol over the same
this Motto 'IN HARMONY'; which Ensigns Armorial are to be borne by Petitioner
during the lifetime of his father and grandfather debruised of a five point label
Azure and following the death of either a three point label Azure." (<U>Lyon
Register<u>, Volume 65, page 89.)

<T>The difference between arms granted to John Campbell and the arms
matriculated to me is the addition of a border and a label.  As a younger son of
a person to whom arms were granted, I inherited, not a right to those arms, but
a right to obtain a rematriculation of those arms with such difference as the Lord
Lyon considers suitable.  The basic differencing scheme used in Scottish heraldry
employs the use of borders.  In my case, I have an azure (blue) border indicating
that I descend from the fourth stem of the "family tree" of which there are living
male heirs.  At the time of the matriculation, both my grandfather, Alonzo
McKenzie Campbell, and my father, George Willard Campbell, were living, thus my
arms displayed a five-point label.  Following the death of my grandfather Alonzo
McKenzie Campbell in January 1985, I replaced the five-point label with a
three-point label as illustrated below.


<B>CONCLUSION<b>

<T>The subject of the granting and matriculating of arms as well as how one
might display and use arms is quite extensive and cannot be properly covered in a
short article.  The best source of information on the science of Scottish heraldry
can be found in a book written by the current Lord Lyon's father, Sir Thomas
Innes of Learney.  The Lyon Court has published several information leaflets
which are most helpful in describing the current format your petition should take,
use of heraldic flags, and use of heraldic badges, etc.  Copies of these
information leaflets are available directly from The Court of the Lord Lyon.


<B>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<b>

<T>This article would not have been possible without the help and guidence of
the late Don Pottinger, MVO, Lyon Clerk, Edinburgh; Alastair Campbell, Yrg of
Airds, Taynuilt, Scotland; and Diarmid Alexander Campbell, Esq, Denver, CO.

<T>The author may be contacted at: 4031 Ellicott Street; Alexandria, VA
22304-1011; Telephone (703) 931-5989.

<T>The Lyon Clerk, Mrs. Elizabeth A. Roads, may be contacted at: The Court of
the Lord Lyon, H.M. New Register House, Edinburgh  EH1 3YT, Scotland;
Telephone (031) 556-7255.


<B>REFERENCES<b>

<T>Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, KCVO, <B>Scots Heraldry<b>, 2nd edition, Edin-
burgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1956.

<T>Sir Iain Moncreiffe, Bt, CVO, QC, PhD, Albany Herald and Don Pottinger,
MVO, MA, DA, <B>Simple Heraldry<b>, Edinburgh: John Bartholomew & Son Ltd.

<T>The Court of the Lord Lyon, <B>Scottish Crest Badges<b>, Information Leaflet
# 2.

<T>The Court of the Lord Lyon, <B>Scottish Heraldic Flags<b>, Information
Leaflet # 3.

<T>The Court of the Lord Lyon, <B>Petitions for Arms<b>, Information Leaflet #
4.

<T>The Court of the Lord Lyon, <B>Differencing<b>, Information Leaflet # 6.


Arms of

Donald Draper Campbell

of Alexandria, Virginia,  USA

[write for illustration]


NOTE:  This article was originally published in the <B>Journal of The Clan
Campbell Society (United States of America)<b>, Vol. 11, Summer 1984, Number 3
and is reprinted with permission of the author.  All copyrights reserved by the
author.  No portion of this article may be reproduced in any fashion without the
expressed permission of the author.


--0-- the
Officers of Sta