Heraldry

Wed, Nov 10th 2021 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Mark Dennis of The Heraldry Society of Scotland

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The speaker at the meeting on 10 November at the New Club was Mark Dennis, now retired, formerly an Advocate at the Scottish Bar and a Judge for 16 years. He gave a fascinating talk and presentation on the 800 year history of Scottish Heraldry ('That was so much more interesting than I expected' said one member!). Having remarked that heraldry is all about the visual, Mark showed excellent pictures to illustrate the points he was making. He explained that the laws of heraldry date back to the 16th century and are still overseen by a judge known as the Lord Lyon, who has the right to seize any bogus arms when they appear. The talk was full of humour and we were given points to be remembered: that heralds do not play trumpets and that a coat of arms must not be called a 'crest'. The speaker introduced members to specific terms used in the 'blazon' or written description of the arms: 'per fess' means divided down the centre, 'invected' means bubbled at the edges, a 'band' is a stripe. He spoke about helmets, which can be simple or wreathed, about different axes, about mottos, about how lions look away from the observer and leopards look at them! We heard about the intricacies involved in the new royal coat of arms at the Union of 1603, about the different crowns and that 'dexter', the right side, is the place of honour. 'A forever trademark' was how Mark described a coat of arms. The vote of thanks was given by Gordon Wowk.

Mark was raised in Sonoma California and was a member of the Rotary Club of Petaluma.

His wife was head-hunted to St Andrews University.

He further trained as an advocate in Scotland.

His interest in heraldry found him appointed first Ormond Pursuivant of Arms and then the Ross Herald in the Court of the Lord Lyon.