Knights come in many historical forms besides the traditional Knight inshining armor such as the legend of King Arthur invokes. There are the Samurai, the Mongol, the Moors, the Normans, the Templars, the Hospitaliers, the Saracens, the Teutonic, the Lakota, the Centurions just to name a very few. Likewise today the Modern Knight comes from a great variety of Cultures, Professions and Faiths.
A knight was a "gentleman soldier or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates ofcavalier or rider French chevalier and German Ritter) suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport. Since antiquity a position of honor and prestige has been held by mounted warriors such as the Greekhippeus and the Roman eques, and knighthood in the Middle Ages was inextricably linked with horsemanship.
Some orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have themselves become the stuff of legend; others have disappeared into obscurity. Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in several countries, such as the English Order of the Garter, the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim, and the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. Each of these orders has its own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state to selected persons to recognize some meritorious achievement.
Including under this term every kind of brotherhood of knights, secular as well as religious, historians of the military orders have enumerated as many as a hundred, even after eliminating the apocryphal and stillborn. This great number is explained by the eagerness with which the Middle Ages welcomed an institution so thoroughly corresponding to the two occupations of that period, war and religion. Royalty afterwards utilized this new idea to strengthen its own position or to reward faithful nobles, creating secular orders of knighthood until there was no country without its royal or princely order.
Even private individuals entered into the business; adventurers attempted to exploit the vanity of the noblesse by sham insignia of knighthood with which they decked themselves, and which they distributed among their dupes lavishly — though not gratuitously. Hence came a whole category of orders justly considered apocryphal.
In the seventeenth century Marino Caraccioli (1624), a Neapolitan nobleman, succeeded in passing himself off as Grand Master of the Order of Knights of St. George, which he pretended to trace to Constantine the Great.
In 1632, Balthasar Giron, who called himself an Abyssinian, brought to Europe an order no less ancient, that of St. Anthony of Ethiopia, an imposture almost immediately unmasked by another Oriental, the learned Abraham Echelensis (1646).
At the court of Louis XIV, a negro — brought to France from the Gold Coast posed as a prince, even securing the honor of being baptized by Bossuet (1686), and instituted the Order of the Star of Our Lady before returning to his alleged dominions.
In the Legion of Honor, democracy became a part of the new chivalry. No longer was this limited to men of noble birth, as in the past, who received favors from their king. The Order of Merit was the new society's way of recognizing citizens of merit. The head of state be he King or President could now bestow honors upon their citizenry.
The Legion of Honor is a national order of France, meaning a public incorporated body. While the President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order, day-to-day running is entrusted to the Grand Chancery (grande chancellerie) headed by the Grand Chancellor, usually a retired general, and the Secretary General, a civilian administrator.
The Code of Chivalry continued to influence social behavior long after the actual knighthood ceased to exist, influencing for example 19th centuryVictorian perceptions of how a "gentleman" ought to behave.
BECOMING A KNIGHT
There were only a few ways in which a person could become a knight. The first way was the normal course of action for the son of a noble:
When a boy was eight years old, he was sent to the neighboring castle where he was trained as a page. The boy was usually the son of a knight or of a member of the aristocracy. He spent most of his time strengthening his body, wrestling and riding horses. He also learned how to fight with a spear and a sword. He practiced against a wooden dummie called aquintain.
It was essentially a heavy sack or dummies in the form of a human. It was hung on a wooden pole along with a shield. The young page had to hit the shield in its center. When hit, the whole structure would spin around and around. The page had to maneuver away quickly without getting hit. The young man was also taught more civilized topics. He would be taught to read and write by a schoolmaster. He could also be taught some Latin and French. The lady of the castle taught the page to sing and dance and how to behave in the king’s court.
At the age of fifteen or sixteen, a boy became a squire in service to a knight. His duties included dressing the knight in the morning, serving all of the knight’s meals, caring for the knight’s horse, and cleaning the knight’s armor and weapons. He followed the knight to tournaments and assisted his lord on the battlefield. A squire also prepared himself by learning how to handle a sword and lance while wearing forty pounds of armor and riding a horse.
When he was about twenty, a squire could become a knight after proving himself worthy. A lord would agree to knight him in a dubbing ceremony. The night before the ceremony, the squire would dress in a white tunic and red robes. He would then fast and pray all night for the purification of his soul. The chaplain would bless the future knight's sword and then lay it on the chapel or church's altar. Before dawn, he took a bath to show that he was pure, and he dressed in his best clothes. When dawn came, the priest would hear the young man's confession, a Catholic contrition rite. The squire would then eat breakfast. Soon the dubbing ceremony began.
The outdoor ceremony took place in front of family, friends, and nobility. The squire knelt in front of the lord, who tapped the squire lightly on each shoulder with his sword and proclaimed him a knight. This was symbolic of what occurred in earlier times. In the earlier middle ages, the person doing the dubbing would actually hit the squire forcefully, knocking him over. After the dubbing, a great feast followed with music and dancing. young man could also become a knight for valor in combat after a battle or sometimes before a battle to help him gain courage.
The first and simplest method of knighting was that used on battlefields, when the candidate knelt before the Royal commander of the army and was 'stricken with the sword upon his back and shoulder' with some words such as 'Advances Chevalier au nom de Dieu'. (The action of touching the sword on the recipient's shoulder is known as dubbing).
The second method involving greater ceremony, which could include the offering by the knight of his sword on the altar.
Although the monarch's 'lieutenants in the wars' and a few others of high birth could knight others, over the years successive Sovereigns began drastically to limit the power to confer knighthood - particularly Henry VIII.
Eventually, it became the custom for monarchs to confer all knighthoods personally, unless this was quite impracticable.
The alternative to knighthood was the payment of a fine instead of military service, and kings such as Edward II, James I and Charles I found such fines a useful source of income for the crown (this practice of fining was abolished in Charles II's reign).
James I even instituted a new honor of baronetcy (a title which could be passed on to descendants) in 1611, so that he could raise money and valuable reinforcements for his army.
Degradation from knighthood
In extreme cases, when a knight was found guilty of treachery or treason, he could lose his honor by formal degradation - a public ceremony in which his accouterments were taken off him.
Because the office of knighthood was treated with so much regard, taking on aspects of holy devotion, to be forsworn and stripped of knighthood was a purposefully traumatic experience. The king could make the determination to remove knighthood from a man, as could certain courts. In nearly all instances, the degraded man’s spurs were ‘hacked from his heels’, his sword broken (sometimes over his head), his coat of arms burned, and his shield hung upside down in a church or other public place. Often this disgrace was matched with a death sentence, for such knights were often charged with and found guilty of treason. Treason, cowardice, and being forsworn were reasons often cited for the degradation, though it appears to have been rarely used.
In 1468, Sir Ralph Grey was taken to Doncaster where, being guilty of treason, his 'gold spurs were hew from his heels while his sword and all his armor were broken'.
The last public degradation was in 1621 at Westminster Hall, when Sir Francis Mitchell was found guilty of 'grievous exaction' and had his spurs broken and thrown away, his belt cut and his sword broken over his head. Finally, he was pronounced to be 'no longer a Knight but Knave'.
Other more recent examples of degradation from honors are when Sir Roger Casement had his knighthood canceled during the First World War for treason. He was later executed. In 1979 Sir Anthony Blunt, a former Surveyor of The Queen's pictures, also had his knighthood withdrawn for espionage.
CHIVALRY:
Knights believed in the code of chivalry. They promised to defend the weak, be courteous to all women, be loyal to their king, and serve God at all times. Knights were expected to be humble before others, especially their superiors. They were also expected to not "talk too much". In other words, they shouldn't boast. The code of chivalry demanded that a knight give mercy to a vanquished enemy.
KNIGHTS CODE OF CHIVALRY
A knight was expected to have not only the strength and skills to face combat in the violent Middle Ages but was also expected to temper this aggressive side of a knight with a chivalrous side to his nature. There was not an authentic Knights Code of Chivalry as such - it was a moral system which went beyond rules of combat and introduced the concept of Chivalrous conduct - qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women.
Knights Code of Chivalry dating back to the Dark Ages
The Knights Code of Chivalry was part of the culture of the Middle Ages and was understood by all. A Code of Chivalry was documented in 'The Song of Roland' in the Middle Ages Knights period of William the Conqueror who ruled England from 1066. The 'Song of Roland' describes the 8th century Knights of the Dark Ages and the battles fought by the Emperor Charlemagne. The code has since been described as Charlemagne's Code of Chivalry. The Song of Roland was the most famous 'chanson de geste' and was composed between 1098-1100, describing the betrayal of Count Roland at the hand of Ganelon, and his resulting death in the Pyranee Mountains at the hands of the Saracens. Roland was a loyal defender of his liege Lord Charlemagne and his code of conduct a description of the meaning of chivalry.
The Knights Code of Chivalry and the vows of Knighthood The Knights Code of Chivalry described in the Song of Roland and an excellent representation of the Knights Codes of Chivalry are as follows:
- To fear God and maintain His Church To serve the liege lord in valor and faith
- To protect the weak and defenseless
- To give succor to widows and orphans
- To refrain from the wanton giving of offense
- To live by honor and for glory
- To despise pecuniary reward
- To fight for the welfare of all
- To obey those placed in authority
- To guard the honor of fellow knights
- To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
- To keep faith At all times to speak the truth
- To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
- To respect the honor of women
- Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
- Never to turn the back upon a foe
The origins of knighthood are said to date back to ancient Rome, where there was a knightly class Ordo Equestris (an order of mounted nobles).
Ordo is applied to any body of men, who form a distinct class in the community, either by possessing distinct privileges, pursuing certain trades or professions, or any other way. Thus whole sacerdotal body at Rome is spoken as an Ordo.
A knighthood (or a damehood, its female equivalent) is one of the highest honors an individual in the United Kingdom can achieve.
While in past centuries knighthood used to be awarded solely for military merit, today it recognizes significant contributions to national life.
Recipients today range from actors to scientists, and from school head teachers to industrialists.
A knighthood cannot be bought and it carries no military obligations to the Sovereign.
The Queen (or a member of the Royal Family acting on her behalf) confers knighthood in Britain, either at a public Investiture or privately.The ceremony involves the ceremonial dubbing of the knight by The Queen, and the presentation of insignia.
By tradition, clergy receiving a knighthood are not dubbed, as the use of a sword is thought inappropriate for their calling.Foreign citizens occasionally receive honorary knighthoods; they are not dubbed, and they do not use the style 'Sir'.
In ceremony of knighting, the knight-elect kneels on a knighting-stool in front of The Queen, who then lays the sword blade on the knight's right and then left shoulder. After he has been dubbed, the new knight stands up, and The Queen invests the knight with the insignia of the Order to which he has been appointed.
Contrary to popular belief, the words 'Arise, Sir ...' are not used.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Honours/Knighthoods.aspx
Contemporary Pontiff Knighthood Orders
The Holy See has awarded the distinction of knighthood since the early medieval period. Such honors originally conferred nobility, personal or hereditary according to the rank, but today the Papal Orders are a means by which the Holy Father might personally distinguish those who have particularly served the Church and society.
The Papal Orders are awarded in the name of the Supreme Pontiff and are given both as awards of His Holiness of the Roman Catholic church and also as Sovereign of the Vatican city State. Membership at one time was conferred by Papal Bull, or by Apostolic Letter, signed by the Pope himself, but since the reforms made in the structure of these Orders at the beginning of the 20th century, the diplomas have been signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State.
The contemporary Pontiff Knighthood Orders are subdivided between civil and military Orders.
Those Military are: The Supreme Order of Christ and that of The Golden Spur.
Those Civil are: The Order of Piano, Saint Gregory The Great and Pope Saint Sylvester, who don’t have a military tradition, in fact the uniform has no military insignia, and resembles a diplomatic uniform.
The first two mentioned: The Supreme Order of Christ and that of The Golden Spur are awarded by The Pope himself, the others are awarded by the Apostolic Delegate.
The bestowing of Pontiff Honor is in the role of the Pope, as he is the supreme Head of The Vatican State in a territorial, spiritual and international nature.
Between 1870 and 1929 The Holy See had no control over territory but maintained the international spiritual nature has and the tradition of giving honor.
The Honors given by the Pope himself include: The Supreme of Christ (this rarely given distinction cannot strictly be characterized today as an Order of Knighthood, but more as an award of honor of the highest possible standing),The Golden Spur, The Order of Piano, The Orders of Saint Gregory The Great and of Pope Saint Sylvester.
The Honors given by the Apostolic Delegate are: The Order of The Equestrian Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and The Order of the Teutonic Knights of Saint Maria (which, although founded as Religious Military Order of Chivalry, since 1928 has been a purely Religious Order of Priests, Brothers and Sisters, with a category of twelve honorary knights and an unlimited number of associates, known as Marianer. Its headquarters are in Vienna).
The Teutonic Order survived the collapse of the Habsburg Empire by abandoning its "chivalric" character, retaining only its religious identity. Henceforth the only members of the Order have been professed religious brothers or sisters. The last Habsburg Grand Master resigned shortly after the First World War and the admission of knights to membership ceased immediately; today there are no survivors from the Habsburg era and the Order functions as a religious Order of the Church, operating principally in Austria, Germany, north Italy and parts of former Yugoslavia. The familiares, who are decorated with either the Knights Cross or the Marian Cross, are not members of the Order, but are lay associates rewarded for their services. The Marian familiares are sometimes called "Teutonic knights" but this is a misnomer and the only persons entitled to be so styled are the twelve "Knights of Honour" who have been specially distinguished by the award of the knight's Cross by the Hochmeister.
LEGITIMATE ORDERS OF CHIVALRY
The authenticity or legitimacy of an order of chivalry and knighthood stems from its fons honorum ( fount of honor). To be considered as legitimate, such an order must not only have a fons honorum, but that fons honorummust meet certain criteria in order to have the historical authority to “make knights” as it were.
In actuality most of the old orders are in fact revivals of previous orders, or were founded in the 19th and even 20th centuries. For example, the BritishOrder of St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta were driven from Malta by Napoleon in the late 1700s only to splinter and reconstitute themselves in the 19th century. The Order of St. Lazarus was abolished on July 31, 1791, by a decree of the National Assembly signed by the King of France, and was only revived in the early 20th century and was only officially granted its charter in 1888.
From the Middle Ages onwards, the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) was divided into about 300 entities each with practically sovereign rights, which were represented in the imperial parliament (Reichstag), and some 1500 minor lordships that had no other sovereign than the emperor.
The territories of the Imperial Knights (Reichsritterschaft) were immediately depending from the emperor (as kind of a protector). The Imperial Knights were divided into several chapters (Kreise): Swabia, Franconia, Rhenish, Alsatian chapter, the chapters were divided into cantons (Kantone).
In addition, there were many ecclesiastical institutions with limited sovereignty within the secular territories; they practiced jurisdiction and collected taxes in their small territories.
Italian Republic
In the Italian peninsula coexists four different sovereign states, that is, the Italian Republic, the State of Vatican City, the Republic of San Marino and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The honors awarded by these three institutions, together with the Orders of the House of Savoy and the Houses of per-unification states are part of the chivalrous and noble heritage of the Italians and represent the only legitimate Chivalric Orders historically and legally.
German nobility
The German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class in the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.
In Germany, all legitimate children of a nobleman became nobles themselves, and most titles passed onto all the children with few exceptions. All the children of sovereigns did not, of course, become kings or electors, but did become princes or princesses, dukes or duchesses, etc.
The German nobility as a legally defined class was abolished on August 11 1919 with the
WeimarConstitution, when all Germans were made equal before the law, and any legal rights or privileges due to nobility ceased to exist.
The German nobility continues to play an important role in the various European nations that have not abolished the nobility. Most of the European royal families are descendants of the German nobility.
Today, there are many orders in both Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Most of these resemble state orders which recognize personal status.
MODERN ORDER OF CHIVALRY
Centuries after the American and French revolutions, a global market flourishes in false titles of nobility and self-styled orders of chivalry. This occurrence is because it provide to a general common desire to feel virtuous about oneself, a sense of well-being dependent on the drive to assert one's distinctiveness and the yearning for recognition.
In the United States, as in other republics, the government awards decorations for valor and meritorious service but has no legal provision for orders of knighthood as such. Chivalric bodies are treated as private associations, registered as such with the state in which they have headquarters. The most sought-after status for American groups is that of a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable institution. Such status ignores whether or not a body is an authentic chivalrous order. In these circumstances it is easy to see why there has been indiscriminate use and abuse of the term, order of knighthood.
Although bona fide orders have been created out of private initiative for charitable, military or religious purposes, since the 19th century there have been a large number of orders created either to satisfy personal vanity, or to enrich a group of people (or both). Not all recently created orders of chivalry need be rebuked by such an assertion, but caveat emptor remains the rule.
WHO IS A KNIGHT?
For some time there has ranged within the confraternity community a debate concerning who is and who is not a real knight. Without question, those British Knights of the Garter and their brethren have inherited the title in an indisputable tradition extending unbroken back to Edward III in the 14th century. When the Queen of England confers a knighthood, it is in recognition of deeds done in service of Crown and Commonwealth.
The Knights of Saint John also have an intact lineage, running all the way back to the 12th century.The various modern fraternal organizations based on the Templar romance have a more debatable connection. Then there are the Knights of Columbus and similar organizations lies yet another tradition now more that thirty years old.
A Knight of Saint John, a Templar and the Knight of Columbus are members of close fraternal organizations whos aims are to achieve good works in the world and to provide an internally consistent system of values based on core religious beliefs common to most of the world's population.
Lastly, many smaller groups use the concept of knighthood to inspire their members in some way and to build better people. In every instance the an accolade of knighthood now has little to do with the feudal structure and everything to do with a recognition of a particular kind of individual who has built their renown in the context of doing right.
Contested Orders
Not every decoration or organization which resembles an order of knighthood is intended to be one. The American Legion of Merit, for example, has ranks similar to those of an order of chivalry, but it is not a knighthood. Members of the Society of the Cincinnati, a private organization founded in the United States, wear a distinctive medal but do not claim to be knights. Britain's prestigious Order of the Companions of Honour is not an order of knighthood.
Revived extinct orders.
These usually describe themselves as "military and hospitaller" and are given out by private individuals. The names of such bodies tend to be those of orders that once existed under the authority or protection of the Papacy or another sovereign ruler but no longer do so.
The phenomenon is even more serious considering that these initiatives, which are cleverly placed under historical religious institutions, are seen by most people, not as private bodies, which they in fact are, by as coming under aegis of the Church and the Holy See.
Dynastic Orders
Dubious dynastic orders and questionable private initiatives. Those originating such so-called orders may obtain, in an effort to acquire a semblance of respectability, the spiritual support and patronage of the Patriarch of an autocephalous Eastern Church. In addition to making unjustifiable historical claims about their origins, their promoters invariably assume bogus titles of nobility ostensibly showing them to be the heads of former reigning houses and thus genuine fountains of honor.
Self-styled" orders
Self-styled orders are legion; some are imitations of extinct orders of knighthood, or even existing ones, created by self-appointed "princes" or "grand masters". What the leaders of these self-styled orders lack is the legal right of
fons honorum. Some organizations have provided a false
fons honorum to satisfy the need. In these cases, the founder or patron of the "order" has essentially assumed a false title of nobility in addition to assuming some sort of sovereignty, current or former.
The founders of such "Orders" are hoping to satisfy the ambitions of those anxious for recognition but whose personal standing or religious affiliation may have made them ineligible for membership in a genuine Order. Many of the members are sincere and respectable people deluded into believing that they were receiving a real "honor" and persuaded that, through their membership. The "self-styled orders" are membership organizations and have not been created by a State or a Monarch.
With few exceptions, self-styled orders began to arise in the middle of the eighteenth century, and they continue to emerge. Some are short-lived and only last a few decades. There are differing opinions about what principles or rules should be applied to distinguish an organization as a genuine chivalric order or a merely self-styled one.
FALSE TITLES OF NOBILITY
False titles of nobility are supposed titles of nobility that have been fabricated and are not recognized by any government and were not so recognized in the past, even in countries in which titles of nobility once existed or still exist. They have received an increasing amount of press attention, as the number of schemes that attempt to sell these titles has increased. False titles are also sometimes connected to self-styled orders of chivalry.
All Royal and noble families became noble or royal at some point in the history. This came through various means, by peaceful purchase, by absolute force and by stratagem or trickery. Therefore, if a non-royal or non-noble person obtains a noble title, which was legally, officially and legitimately conveyed upon him or her and it was accepted and approved by the Sovereign Head of the appropriate family, then this person will be recognized as a noble or royal person of being the actual owner of a true and legitimate noble or royal title.
We remain stunned by the very large number of titles and honors which are reported on some Internet sites related to self-styled princes, descendants and pretenders. The profusion of principalities, dedications, decorations leaves most surprised by the fervid imagination of those who are fascinated by what they presume to be the monarchy and chivalry world than for the positions listed.
The alleged princes of today’s list of imaginative titles that have been created by its imaginative ancestors, stirring and mixing which are often used without real titles used by the genuine ancient rulers of state to which they refer. Sometimes, unfortunately, you can not even understand in which regions of the world are connected with the thrones of which is claimed to be the custodians, they do not report pedigrees or relationships; genealogies are sometimes broken and full of gaps that make them useless. And in general, even when apparently complete forms from father to son, a few precautions are sufficient for an expert to see if its names are fakes and added.
Furthermore, it is absurd to speak of “Royal House in exile” because no government has issued sentences against the presumed princes. And is even humorous to define as Ambassador or Consul General, these titles are reserved to State and not to individuals. Not even a real King, non Head State, could grant them. Giving and receiving designations of this kind, means to be completely ignorant of law, history and heraldry.
A self-style prince claims that has recognitions from the Pope, Queen Elizabeth II or some other royal.
Sovereignty is neither created by recognition nor destroyed by non recognition.” (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, edition 15, part 3, vol 17, 1981, p. 312) International law denies that diplomatic or political recognition confers sovereignty. Also, in the past many title holders purposely wrote letters to various royals and got them to write back using their titles. Practically all royals and most orders did not investigate the claims of those who join. Such letters are merely courtesies, courtesy letters, not certifications of fact. They do not make a claim true or false.
Many title holders, by getting so-called apostolic blessings from the Pope from various companies, who do not check anything out, but use whatever name or title you give them, thus making it look like the Pope has certified them as real. This same phony ploy was used with Queen Elizabeth II, who gets thousands of letters each day and tries to return every single letter. No one has time to check them out. They use the identifying information they are given to write back. Obviously, such a letter or blessing certificate is meaningless in terms of title, validity and authenticity.
In addition, self-styled princes love to honor each other thinking that somehow, this makes their claims real and genuine.
Changes of name
Some companies purport to sell unsuspecting individuals a title when in fact they do no more than offer them the facility to change their name. Such an individual adopts the purported title, e.g. "Sir" or "Lord", as a forename rather than receiving any formal title. The
Identity and Passport Service is aware of this scam and will place an official observation in the individual's passport stating that the purported title is a name rather than the person's title. In essence, such an individual becomes Mr. Sir John Smith or Mr. Lord John Smith, for example, as their title has in fact not changed at all.
The act of legally changing one's name to add a title by deed poll or some other method does not create a legitimate or authentic title. This is make believe or phony.
Become the Laird, Lord or Lady of Glencoe, etc.
The purchase of land in Scotland is not sufficient, per se, to qualify anyone to legally use the title of Laird. The title ‘Lord’ is a ‘Peerage title’ (or a courtsy title of a Scottish ‘Law Lord’) and although it is true to say that the word Laird does derive from Lavert, which is the same root as the word Lord, a genuinely recognized Laird, is a member of the Nobilitas Minora, whereas those who are legally entitled to call themselves Lord, belong to the Nobilitas Majora, or the Peerage. The two terms are certainly not interchangeable.
A Lairdship is, in itself, a title which is linked to the Land, but for it to become a title and part of the name of the individual who owns the land, it is necessary to petition Scotland’s supreme herald, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, for the title to be officially recognized. The Lord Lyon does not actually recognize anyone as a Laird
Fake Lairdships
Several websites, and internet vendors on websites like Ebay, sell Scottish Lairdships along with small plots of land. The Court of the Lord Lyon considers these particular titles to be meaningless because it is impossible to have numerous “Lairds” of a single Estate at the same time, as has been advertised by these companies. According to Richard Bridgeman, 7th Earl of Bradford, these sellers have an income of $2,918,520 per acre of poor land, which could probably be purchased for about $100. W.R.B. Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore has doubts about such companies' claims of conservation of nature, as there are not independent proofs of it. Some of these sellers enclose with the deed a coat of arms, which is not authorized by the Lord Lyon, and it is unlawful in Scotland to use or display any arms unauthorized by the Lord Lyon. The most recent advice from the Lord Lyon specifically states that this designation is not appropriate to the owner of a souvenir plot, such as sold in these schemes.
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court or Lyon Office, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of genealogies.
The Lyon Court is a public body, and the fees for grants of arms are paid to HM Treasury. It is headed by the
Lord Lyon King of Arms, who must be legally qualified, as he has criminal jurisdiction in heraldic matters, and the court is fully integrated into the Scottish legal system, including having a dedicated prosecutor, known in Scotland as a
Procurator Fiscal.
Clan Member
A member of a clan is not noble title. A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descend. Even if actual lineage patterns are unknown, clan members may nonetheless recognize a founding member or apical ancestor. The Kinship-based bonds may be merely symbolical in nature, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a symbol of the clan's unity.
This is a list of Official Clans and Families registered by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Should you not find your name in here, then is either a Sept of one of the official clans or else it is not recognized as being an official clan.
Official Scottish Clans and Families:
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/clanmenu.htm
