- 1). Locate an illustration of your family crest or a relative´s coat of arms if you have a family member with an existing coat of arms. You can use this as the base of your design, but it is totally optional.
A record of each coat of arms has been kept since the 1600s (most with pictorial illustrations since the early 1800s) in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. There are also family trees and histories. The Public Register is located in the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh, and is open to the public weekdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m.. A fee for each record searched will be charged. Written requests for a search can be mailed to The Court of the Lord Lyon at:
HM New Register House
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 3YT
If you would like professional help locating your family records, contact the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives at:
259 Broad Street
Cowdenbeath
Fife, Scotland
KY4 8LG
+44 1383 515465 - 2). Complete your petition and mail it to the Court of the Lord Lyon. You must be legally residing in Scotland or born in Scotland or a resident of a Commonwealth country that does not have its own heraldic authority. U.S. citizens who can prove some genealogical descent to a person who lived in Scotland can submit a petition for a coat of arms in the name of the Scottish ancestor.
According to Robin Blair, Lord Lyon King of Arms, "A U.S. citizen can then apply for a matriculation, which would enable a version of the ancestor's arms to be recorded in the name of the U.S. citizen, the arms being differenced in such a way as to show the relationship of the U.S. citizen to the Scottish ancestor."
The processing time is lengthy, and you should expect to hear whether your application was approved within four to six months. You will be contacted to confirm the details of your design. - 3). Review the blazon, the written description of your coat of arms, written by the Lord Lyon once your design has been agreed upon.
- 4). Pay the appropriate fees (which can be found on the Lord Lyon website) and wait to receive final artwork and your signed certificate in the mail.
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