Royal coat of arms of Scotland
On the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, inherited the throne of the Kingdom of England, becoming King James I of England and VI of Scots. The Royal Coat of Arms of England were quartered with those of Scotland, and a quarter for the Kingdom of Ireland was also added, as the English monarch was also King of Ireland. However, in each of his independent kingdoms, James used a different version of the same arms. This distinction in Royal protocol continued both prior to and post the Acts of Union in 1707. Today, the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom as used in Scotland continue to differ from those used elsewhere.
[
Current use
The Royal Coat of Arms now used in Scotland show the lion of Scotland in the first and fourth quarters of the shield, with those of England in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. The sinister unicorn supporter is replaced by the Imperially crowned golden lion of England, who supports a lance displaying the flag of England. (The flag of Scotland replaces the banner of the arms supported by the dexter unicorn in the original version).
The mottos In Defens and Nemo me impune lacessit appear as in the original arms. (The Scots expression Wha Daur Meddle Wi' Me? is regarded as the root of the Latin motto, itself referring to the floral emblem of Scotland, the Thistle, which has sharp spikes at the tips of its leaves resulting in a painful sensation should they be handled without due respect).
Since the Union of the Crowns these Scottish quarterings have been used for official purposes in Scotland, for example, on official buildings and official publications. The Scotland Office uses a version of the Royal Coat of Arms as used in Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, RCAHMS and the General Register Office for Scotland use a version of the crest.
The Royal Standard of Scotland, also known as the Lion Rampant, is the banner of the arms. It is officially flown from Balmoral Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse when the Queen is not in residence. It is also used in an official capacity by the First Minister, Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Lord Lyon King of Arms and Lord Lieutenants in their Lieutenancies.
Unofficially, the Lion Rampant is commonly used as an alternative flag for Scotland most often seen at sporting events involving Scottish national teams. (The Scottish Football Association uses a logo based upon the Royal Arms).
[
Use in other arms
The Royal Coat of Arms of Canada correspond to those of the United Kingdom in that they also feature the Scottish arms in the second quarter of the shield and use the unicorn as the sinister supporter. The Canadian version also mirrors the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland in that each supporter not only supports the shield but also a lance displaying a flag.
Both the flag and coat of arms of Nova Scotia feature elements of the Scottish arms. However, unlike the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada, those of Nova Scotia portray the unicorn as the Royally crowned dexter supporter, in the Scottish style. The shield depicts an inverse representation of the flag of Scotland and features the Royal arms of Scotland on an inescutcheon. The motto munit haec et altera vincit appears above the crest in keeping with the Scottish heraldic style.
The gold shield with double red tressure, with maple leaves (érablé-counter-érablé), is also used in the coat of arms of the Monarchist League of Canada, whose arms were granted by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
The standard of the Duke of Rothesay features on an inescutcheon the arms of the heir apparent to the King of Scots (the Royal arms of Scotland with a three point label).
[
See also
[
References
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information review our copyright contact and privacy policy.