My Arms and Heraldic Items

[Nathan]

I like what you have done to make your arms differenced.

Being based on Scottish clan chief's arms, are you required to have them recorded by Lord Lyon, or do these become Canadian arms in their own right? And are they a result of a petition and a grant of arms under the Canadian system, or from the Lyon court?

I am intrigued by Scottish arms, as they usually take a varied form of the chief's arms if the name is the same - there is an acceptance in Scotland that a shared surname shows familial blood connections, hence the similar arms. It is quite different for English arms, unless directly related by descent.

Some years ago, Clan Munro magazine published a detailed list of grants of arms to those of the clan, together with illustrations and reasons for the differences, like you have mentioned for your own, and all given in heraldic terms. They were all clearly recognisable as Munro, but all also equally distinct in detail, and showing the bearers as armigerous clansmen.

If there is something similar for Clan Donald, it would be fascinating to see all the arms illustrated together for camparison.

I petitioned for my grant through the Canadian Heraldic Authority, with consultation on the West Highland and Scottish best practices from an employee of Lord Lyon's court.
My arms are Canadian in their own right. If I moved to Scotland, I would register them with the Court of the Lord Lyon. Lyon's court refuses to grant arms to foreign nationals who reside somewhere with their own legitimate heraldic authority, so as not to undermine the legitimacy of that authority. They have made some exceptions to this rule for particular reasons, but it is rare and there needs to be a compelling reason.

If you are interested in looking at some other Clan Donald arms gathered together, you might enjoy this website:

https://highcouncilofclandonald.com/...nald-armorial/