The Carruthers Convenor, Micheal Carruthers replendent in Carruthers Tartan, carrying the clan flag. Photo by Phoenix Photography Scotland.
As we come into the Scottish festival/games season, we have had a few questions regarding flags ie ‘what constitutes a Carruthers flag‘ and ‘who can fly them and where‘?
Of course the latter will depend on both the country you live in and the passion you have for our name, history and culture. The former, is of course far more simple to answer.
For instance, the flying of a flag with a false coats of arms would be challenged in Scotland and anywhere else there is a heraldic authority, such as Canada. The latter have already advised against the use of a photoshopped badge as arms, as they use the arms of another without their permission. In Scotland, this comes under the Lyon Court.
The Lord Lyon has the power, established by the Scottish Parliament (prior to the Union of Parliaments) and confirmed at Westminster, to confiscate images (representations) of coats of arms, and of armorial flags of which there are several categories being flown in Scotland and has done. Although his jurisdiction only covers our country, his guidance on such matters is recognised and respected throughout the world by those who celebrate and appreciate Scottish culture.
National flags
If we begin with the flag of the nation in which you live, then that is the correct flag to be flown by citizens and corporate bodies wishing to show their loyalty to that country.
In Scotland, and wherever Scottish culture is celebrated the Scottish Saltire (on the right), blue with its white diagonal cross, is the national flag of Scotland representing St Andrew our patron saint. It is the correct flag for Scots or Scottish corporate bodies to fly and demonstrates their loyalty and nationality. The Lion Rampant (on the left) is the Royal Flag of Scotland and is not usually flown in Scotland on public buildings, and if elsewhere then the use of the Saltire is more appropriate.
Regarding the use of the two Scottish flags and with guidance from the Lord Lyon’s Information Leaflet No 3: The personal banner of the King of Scots ie the Lion Rampant, may NOT be flown by anyone other than those specifically authorised as variously representing the Sovereign, as set out in para. 12 above. Its use by other non-authorised persons is an offence under the Acts 1672 cap. 47 and 30 & 31 Vict. cap. 17. The freedom of use accorded to the Saltire Flag is NOT extended to the Scottish Royal Banner. However you will still see a smattering of the Lion Rampant at events, although they are very much on the decline compared to when I was a child here in Scotland.
So what flags can Carruthers we use?
Once again, the flying of heraldic flags, banners, standards etc comes under the legal jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon. Firstly, and to reiterate, a coat of arms/arms is what is on the shield, it is not everything else that goes with it. As such any use of arms on a flag/banner will cover the full flag. There are no dragons, unicorns, fallow deer etc, unless these are part of an individual shield.
There are a few different Carruthers flags not all always open to general use, but all of which follow the same format for every other recognised Scottish clan or family.
The Chiefs inauguration. Flags/Banners following the Lord Lyons ruling, left to right: 1) The Clan banner/flag comprising the Clan crest badge on Carruthers tartan, 2) the Chiefs heraldic banner, flying his personal arms, 3) the personal heraldic banner of the Shennachie flying his own arms, 4) the heraldic banner flying the personal arms of the Holmains line of Mitchell Carruthers.
The Chief’s Banner/Flag
This flag, like all Scottish Chief’s banners, simply shows the arms ie what is on the shield. In the case of the Chief of Carruthers, it is a red flag on which sits two engrailed chevrons between three fleurs de lis in gold. Only when the Chief is present is this flag ever flown. As can be seen, any armiger (a clan member with their own set of arms granted by the Lord Lyon) are also entitled to have his own Banner (see above).
According to the Heraldry Society of Scotland: The heraldic Banner is the personal flag of an armiger in this case the Chief is, which shows the arms, as depicted on the shield, and nothing else. Conventionally, the design is placed on the flag as if the flagstaff were to the left of a drawing of the shield. Thus, a rampant animal is said to ‘respect’ the staff, an eagle displayed looks towards the staff and so on. The design should go through the fabric so that on the reverse side all the devices will be turned about but will still respect the staff. It is quite wrong to use a banner of a plain colour with the owner’s arms on a shield in the middle. This implies that the arms are of that colour with a small inescutcheon (shield) in the centre. It is equally wrong to show the helmet, crest, motto and supporters on a banner.
The purpose of a banner is to locate and identify its owner and it is the visual equivalent of his name. Flown over his house, it identifies his property, elsewhere, it indicates his presence. The size of a house banner will depend on the height of the building and the pole. It should be large enough to be identified from a reasonable distance. The best shape for a heraldic house flag is square, regardless of its size. A smaller banner or Parade banner is designed to be carried in processions, either by its owner or by his appointed banner bearer. Such a banner is usually made in fine fabric and may be fringed. Its proportions should be those of an upright rectangle about five feet wide by six foot deep.
This format is used by all Scottish Chiefs and can be differentiated from the other legitimate flags of clans, families and armigers by the arms they themselves bear.
The Chief’s standard.
The Chief’s standard, which is an elongated flag, similar to a guidon is about 4 yards long, is only normally flown when the Chief is present, but not always, but definately only with his permission. The standard sits upon the Letters Patent from the Lord Lyon, confirming his rank and permission and right to bear of the Chiefly arms of Carruthers.
The standard of a Chief, according to Heraldry at Poore House, is a long (4 yards), tapering flag that frequently end in a rounded, split fly. The flags feature the livery colours, badges, and motto of said flag’s owner. The two flags are very similar, with the main difference being the rank of the bearer (the standard being limited to certain ranks in period) and the size of the flag (the guidon is generally smaller and almost never features a motto).
When in flight, it usually defines the clan headquarters during a gathering.
Based on information from Heraldry Scotland: At the hoist (the end nearest the pole), the standard usually shows the owner’s arms (as above), although some are still granted with the former practice of having the national saltire in the hoist. The remainder of the flag is horizontally divided into two tracts of the livery colours for chiefs of clans or families (in the case of Carruthers red and gold), three tracts for very major branch chieftains and four for others. Upon this background are usually displayed the owner’s crest and heraldic badges, separated by transverse bands bearing the owner’s motto or slogan. The whole flag is fringed with alternating pieces of the livery colours.
A Guidon
A Guidon on the other hand is a long flag similar in shape to the standard. The guidon is eight feet long and is assigned by the Lord Lyon to non-baronial lairds who have a following. It tapers to a round, unsplit end at the fly and has a background of the livery colours of the owner’s arms. The owner’s crest or badge is shown in the hoist, and his motto or slogan is lettered horizontally in the fly. It may also, we believe have the national saltire in the hoist, but this is definitely not the norm.
The Pennon
This is an example and is strictly speaking, a small guidon only four feet long, which nowadays is very rarely assigned or flown today, although the Shennachie of McEwen has just haed one granted by the Lord Lyon. The pennon carries the owner’s arms in the hoist and his livery colours dividing the fly on which is their personal motto, which tapers down to a rounded end. The term pennon, however, was more commonly used to refer to a long triangular flag borne at the end of a lance or spear or flown from the mast of a ship.
A Pinsel
The fourth is a Chief’s pinsel, which can be flown by the senior representative at a gathering, to show they are acting on behalf of their Chief.
It is a small triangular flag granted by the Lord Lyon only to chiefs or very special chieftain barons for practical use to denote a person to whom the chief has delegated authority to act in his absence on a particular occasion. The flag is 4 feet 6 inches long by 2 feet high, with a background of the main livery colour of the chief’s arms. On it is depicted his crest within a strap and buckle bearing the motto and outside the strap and buckle a circlet inscribed with his title. On top of the circlet is set his coronet of rank or baronial chapeau if any. In the fly is shown the clan plant badge (in our case Gorse) and a scroll with his slogan or motto.
NB In all of the above, there are no dragons and no unicorns, in-fact there isn’t even any fallow bucks rampant, which are the official supporters of the Carruthers Chief’s arms.
Clan flags
These flags/banners may be flown by every clan member, they are the clan banner: as seen here being held by our convenor at the ’24 Gathering and Inauguration of our Chief. It contains the Carruthers clan and family crest sitting upon our official clan tartan. It is also used by our Convenor and regional Commissioners at festivals and again, was carried with pride at the inaugural Edinburgh Tartan Parade by our Convenor, Michael Carruthers and his family.
The Street Banner
The next is the Street Banner which can be flown from homes to show the allegiance of a clansman, clanswomen or family to both their Chief and their clan/family.
The Gonfannon
And last, but not least the Gonfannon, often seen at the head of individual clans as a mark of identification at a festival or highland games parade
These three, can be used quite happily by our ‘ain’ folks who wish to announce their history and heritage to the world, and please if you do fly them, please fly them with pride.
What is not a Carruthers flag?
So, what is not a Carruthers flag: well any flag that uses or incorporates the arms of our chief without permission, whether placed on the tartan of another clan or not. It is that simple. As such Carruthers Clan flags etc contain the clan badge of Carruthers on the Carruthers tartan, as seen above.
So please note, irrelevant of what is claimed by sellers of such items, if they are not as described above, they are not worth the material they are printed on.
What is the Lord Lyon’s role
Taken from CRW flags.com
Many people have made the mistake of assuming that Scottish law on heraldry is mutatis mutandis, the same as English law. But not so. The Scottish Parliament’s enactments are largely intact and have in part been confirmed at Westminster. I know of no legislation from either Strasbourg or Holyrood which changes the situation. The Lord Lyon’s jurisdiction is not only far wider than that of his colleagues, the three Kings of Arms at the College of Arms but his legal position is stronger.
The Court of the Lord Lyon is a court of law, and infractions can be punished. While the authority of the Earl Marshal’s Court has been (weakly) affirmed in the 20th century, it has sat only once in centuries. The Lyon Court has an undisputed authority confirmed in regular sessions. How frequent I am not certain.
Mike Oettle, 4 May 2006
As can be seen, the Lord Lyon has been charged by the British Monarch with the responsibility of all things heraldic in Scotland, which includes the flying of flags. In fact one of the Officers of Arms, the March Pursuivant of the Lyon Court is Mr Philip Tibbets FSA Scot, a vexillologist (flag expert) of some international repute from Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire.
In response to the questions, we hope we have shown in full what may or may not be flown and why.
However, it remains down to, not only the laws of the land in which you live, but also to the respect and integrity that an individual has for their Scottish heritage.
With Carruthers being recognised through our Chief and thus having full and official status in Scotland, the use and understanding of Carruthers tartan, crests and arms has become far more common place. Most certainly, at well-respected festivals and gatherings worldwide, the awareness of our status and accoutrements are well known. As such, more and more people both inside and outside the family are aware of the facts regarding our family, its history and heritage, and are challenging and differentiating truth from fiction when it is presented to them.
Always were, always are, always will be Carruthers!
Promptus et Fidelis
For interest, what are the dimensions given for the chief’s Standard and the chief’s Pinsel, as specified in the chief’s Letters Patent issue by Lord Lyon?
They are the same dimensions as permitted for the use by all Scottish Chiefs and both items may only be used by the Chief himself unless permission is given otherwise. Hope this helps.