The original charter of Royal
Burgh was granted to the town in 1373 during the reign of Robert III,
but this was suppressed by William, Earl of Douglas who held the barony
of North Berwick during that period. The Earl refused to implement the
charter because he might lose his right of superiority over the port
and burgh. The charter now in existence was granted by James VI on 18th
September 1568. The Royal Burgh coat of arms (above) depicts the ferry
boat with four oarsmen each wearing a Scots bonnet, a mast with a furled
sail, a lion at the prow and the flag of St. Andrew, patron saint of
Scotland at the masthead. The crowned figure of the laird, Earl of Douglas
with his ermine gown and the town motto at the base, Victoriae Gloria
Merces, meaning 'Glory is the Wages of Victory.'
The system of armorial and
burgh bearings that evolved over Western Europe led to the establishment
of centres in each country for the granting and recording of such things
and in Scotland the office of Lord Lyon, King of Arms is used for this
purpose. Lord Lyon is a Great Officer of the State and a judge with
his own court. He is appointed by the sovereign, answers to no one else
and is responsible for granting armorial bearing of the recognition
of clan chiefs. It is a treasonable offence to assault the Lord-Lyon
when he is carrying out the monarch's work. The Lyon sits as judge to
oversee any abuse of heraldic law brought to his court by his procurator
fiscal. His is the only court of chivalry in regular use, and is completely
integrated within the national legal system.
In the 1990s he oversaw the
case of the logos used by Porsche. As there was no acknowledged grant
for the design in Scotland, Lyon ruled that while it would be churlish
to demand that the radiator badges on every Porsche car be removed,
the company was prevented from displaying its shield on garages or publicity
material.
At his discretion, grants
for armorial bearings are made. If evidence of inheritance can be proven,
the original grant may be 'matriculated' or altered for the grantee's
descendants, and it is then recorded in the Public Register of All Arms
and Bearings in Scotland by his Clerk and Keeper of the Records. In
addition to his services to the cause of heraldry, the Lord Lyon makes
Royal Proclamations from the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh. On 8th February
1952, he proclaimed Elizabeth II, Queen of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle.
His title itself refers to
the use of a heraldic lion on the arms of Scottish kings and may date
back to William 'the Lion', who reigned from 1165 to 1214. The lion
appeared on his son Alexander's shield, and has been in use ever since.
The Royal Burgh of North
Berwick coat of arms (above) was withdrawn in 1975 when government legislation
disbanded the Town Council in favour of local authority regionalisation.
Part of this restructuring was to elect a Community Council to represent
the views of the town and whose first priority was to enlist the assistance
of Lord Lyon, King of Arms and successfully reinstate the Royal Burgh
title and a new Coat of Arms was approved.