Lord Lyon Proclamation at Edinburgh 1888.

[J Duncan of Sketraw]

Lord Lyon George Burnett, LLD, WS, leads the procession of heralds to the Merket Cross of Edinburgh to make the Royal Proclamation of the opening of Parliament published in ‘The Graphic’ of the 11th February 1888, artwork by B Hall.

The Graphic was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Limited. The influence of The Graphic within the art world was immense and its many admirers included Vincent Van Gogh, and Hubert von Herkomer.

The Armorial Register is selling copies of the original print 24"x 16" in (600 mm x 400 mm) which was a centre fold of the Feb 1888 edition of the paper. The illustration is high resolution and has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and is available in two sizes - A4 ( 21.0 x 29.7cm, 8.27 x 11.69 inches) and A3 (29.7 x 42.0cm, 11.69 x 16.53 inches) size. http://www.armorial-register.com/lyon-heralds.html

[Michael F. McCartney]

The sizes in both inches and centimeters cited for both A3 and A4 are the same - I assume a typo?

[J Duncan of Sketraw]

I have sorted that out on the website Michael

[Mark A. Henderson]

Splendid looking print! Just curious, but are they wearing Bowlers?

[J Duncan of Sketraw]

I think its some sort of hard fore and aft type hat. It probably has a name I will see if I can find out Mark

[Chris Green]

Current Scottish heralds, like their English colleagues, wear a somewhat baggy form of the Tudor bonnet, not dissimilar to that worn by Knights and Ladies of the Garter and other British Orders of Chivalry, or indeed to the cap worn in the only extant picture of the first Lord Lyon whose image has been found, Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount (LL 1529-55):



The problem with that image is that Sir David (if indeed it is he) is clearly not wearing a tabard.

The de rigueur headgear in the days when Court Dress was still worn was the cocked hat with feathers, though I cannot (yet) find a picture of a Scottish Herald so attired:



This is Sir Algar Howard, successively Norroy, Norroy & Ulster and Garter.

[Mark A. Henderson]

I am familiar with the bonnet, but what they are wearing in the print, as far as I can tell, does not resemble a bonnet. Hmmm, I suppose I will have to purchase this print to investigate.