Difficulty of Matriculating Arms?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Has anyone here in the US gone through the process of matriculating arms with the Lord Lyon? Does it pose an impediment if one's ancestors emigrated from Scotland long ago (prior to the Revolution)? Must required descent from one bearing Scottish arms be in one's surname descent?

I'm aware of several resources on the web, as well as the website of the Lord Lyon, but was hoping that someone here might have first-hand experience.

Cordially,

David

Generally, those seeking arms (who live outside of Scotland) must show a clear line of descent from their last-born Scottish ancestor. As far as I am aware, it is not possible to obtain a grant of arms based on descent from a female ancestor (this is because arms descend with the name and it is unlikely that the petitioner would have the same surname as the ancestor). The mere use of a "Scottish" surname is not enough to qualify for a grant.

For persons of probable Scottish ancestry, but who do not satisfy the stringent requirements of the Lord Lyon, the most viable option is to apply for a grant of Arms from the South African Bureau of Heraldry, in Pretoria, RSA. Once these arms are granted the status of the armiger is the same as that as any other armiger insofar as the use and display of the arms and any heraldic additaments is concerned.

I hope that answers your question.