The New Lord Lyon

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Professor William Sellar, Bute Pursuivant, has been confirmed to succeed Robin Blair as the next Lord Lyon, King of Arms in Scotland.

[BoldHighlander]

I'm curious, how long does one hold the post of the Lord Lyon? Is it a "life time" appointment or something less?

[gilmore]

Are there any informed guesses as to how the new Lord Lyon will decide any of the issues that have been developing recently, such as the granting of arms to foreigners whose only connection to Scotland is having bought a feudal barony, or the registration or recording of ownership and transference of ownership of feudal baronies?

[gilmore]

Lord Lyon King of Arms
07/03/2008

The Queen has been pleased, on the recommendation of the First Minister, to appoint Mr William David Hamilton Sellar, Solicitor, to be Lord Lyon King of Arms.

Mr Sellar succeeds Robin Blair, LVO, WS who has held the office of Lord Lyon since 2001.

Her Majesty is also to appoint Mr Sellar to be Secretary of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

Mr Sellar qualified as a solicitor in 1966. After two years with the Scottish Land Court, he joined the Faculty of Law at the University of Edinburgh where he is now an Honorary Fellow.

The Lord Lyon has both administrative and judicial functions. The administrative functions include the granting of armorial bearings to individual persons and corporations. The Lord Lyon’s judicial functions include ruling on who has the right to bear an existing coat of arms, and the authorisation of matriculations of differenced Arms. The post is part time - three days a week, with a salary range of £56,000 - £78,500 pro rata.

The Lord Lyon is appointed by Her Majesty The Queen under section 3 of the Lyon King of Arms (Scotland) Act 1867. The Office of the Lord Lyon is situated in New Register House, Edinburgh.

David Sellar, aged 67, is a graduate of the Universities of Oxford (History) and Edinburgh (Law). He qualified as a solicitor in 1966. After two years as a legal assessor with the Scottish Land Court, he taught in the Faculty of Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is now an honorary fellow of the Faculty. He is joint author of the Saltire Society’s Scottish Legal Tradition (1991), and has written on the history of various branches of Scots law, including marriage, divorce, incest, homicide and unjust enrichment. He has published on the Lordship of the Isles and on the origins of many Highland families, including the Campbells, MacDonalds, MacDougalls, MacLeods, Lamonts, MacNeills and Nicolsons.

He was O’Donnell Lecturer (in Celtic Studies) at Edinburgh in 1985, Stair Society Lecturer in 1997 and a Rhind Lecturer in 2000. He has been a Member of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland, Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Literary Director of the Stair Society, Chairman of Council of the Scottish History Society and Chairman of the Conference of Scottish Medievalists. He has also served on the Council of the Scottish Genealogy Society and of the Heraldry Society of Scotland. He was appointed Bute Pursuivant of Arms in 2001.

The appointment followed public advertisement of the post and a selection board met to interview a short-list of candidates and provide a recommendation to the First Minister.

[emolas]

The post is part time - three days a week, with a salary range of £56,000 - £78,500 pro rata.

I want a part-time job making £56,000 - £78,500.

[Sketraw]

I want a part-time job making £56,000 - £78,500.

Remember Lyon Court is a Court of Law and Lyon is the Judge in his Court which, also has its own Procurator Fiscal (prosecutor). To be Lyon you have to have a degree in law and we all know what solicitors get paid. I think at present full time judge in a court of law in Scotland is on about 160K + and they probably only work three days a week anyway

[Clockwork John]

I want a part-time job making £56,000 - £78,500.

Hell, I'd take a full-time job with a salary of £56,000 - £78,500.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Are there any informed guesses as to how the new Lord Lyon will decide any of the issues that have been developing recently, such as the granting of arms to foreigners whose only connection to Scotland is having bought a feudal barony, or the registration or recording of ownership and transference of ownership of feudal baronies?

It would be foolish to comment on a decision that might be taken by a judge on a case which has not yet come before his bench. That said, each Lord Lyon is independent, and is not bound by the actions of previous Lyons as each case is, and must be, decided on its own merits.

Judging by Lord Lyon's age (he is 67) I suspect he will only remain on the bench for a few years. Unless I am mistaken, judges are required to retire at the age of 70. If this is so, given that Lord Lyon Sellar is 67, I suspect he will only remain on the bench for a few years.

Given the Lyon's interests outside the law, it appears to me that the Office is is excellent hands.

[gilmore]

[QUOTE=MacMillan of Rathdown;505082]It would be foolish to comment on a decision that might be taken by a judge on a case which has not yet come before his bench.[QUOTE]

Not at all. It is not unlikely that he has already expressed sufficient views that informed observers could draw conclusions as to what he is likely to do. It happens all the time in Britsh, American and other jurisprudence.

That said, each Lord Lyon is independent, and is not bound by the actions of previous Lyons as each case is, and must be, decided on its own merits.

...

If that is true, and I doubt that it is, the Lyon Court would be the only court in the entirety of British, American and other legal systems based on them NOT to follow the doctrines of stare decisis and res judicata.

[Sketraw]

Are there any informed guesses as to how the new Lord Lyon will decide any of the issues that have been developing recently, such as the granting of arms to foreigners whose only connection to Scotland is having bought a feudal barony, or the registration or recording of ownership and transference of ownership of feudal baronies?

Gilmore, They no longer have the chance to petition for a grant of arms if they purchase a feudal barony. Since the abolition of feudal tenure in Nov 2004 this has not been possible. Feudal Baronies in the most part were based on 'land superiority' there is no longer land superiority. So purchasing a Barony will not entitle you to petition for a coat of arms. Unless you are already Scots, or have a proven paper chase of Scots decent, or own land in Scotland.