Excerpt from Scottish Armorial Seals

The present Lyon King of Arms, Sir James Balfour Paul, received his appointment in 1890, and next year the Edin burgh Heraldic Exhibition was held under his auspices. It was opened on the 6th of July 1901, in the rooms of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and its success was in no small degree owing to the energy of the Curator, the late Mr. J. M. Gray, whose previous experience in organising similar exhibitions was of the greatest value. In going through the mass of material then brought together for the purpose of selecting subjects for the illustrated catalogue, it was felt in addition that the opportunity should not be neglected of utilising it for the production of a work on Scottish Heraldry which would contain particulars of all known armorial ensigns used in Scotland since their first introduction at the end of the twelfth century to the present time.

A book of this nature, giving the authority for all its statements, would be of great value to students of the history of their country and of its families. Nisbet made a commencement with such a work in the eighteenth century, which still remains the standard authority on the subject. The only other available book of reference is Burke's General Armory, which, along with English and Irish arms, contains a certain number of Scottish coats, but it is of little use when the question of authenticity arises, as no references are given as to the source of information or as to the date when the arms were in use.

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