THE MURRAY CLAN SOCIETY’S Coat of Arms, granted on 15th May 1990 by Lord Lyon King of Arms, was the brainchild of the Convenor of the Murray Clan Society at the time, who became a life member of the Murray Clan Society (Edinburgh) in October 1981 during the International Gathering of the Clans at the fairly young age of 17. He later served as Convenor between 1987-1990. He designed and matriculated the Society’s Coat of Arms and thought it would be a good idea to place on record for posterity the origin and meaning of these arms before his demise. 

The design of the Shield is based on the undifferenced Arms of Murray, that is to say, Azure three mullets Argent (three silver stars on a blue background). The symbol used to indicate the supportive and co-operative nature of the Clan Society is interlaced annulets (circles/rings) and Lord Lyon granted five annulets on a band in the middle of the Shield. The Motto must in some way answer or reply to that of the Chief - "Furth Fortune and Fill the Fetters" - an instruction by King James II in 1475 to 'go forth, good fortune go with you and fill the chains with your prisoners'. Lord Lyon was happy to approve my suggested wording: "FORWARD WITH FORTUNE", which reflects the aspirations of the Society. The Crest was approved as a tower Argent masoned Sable on the Wreath (a white and black tower symbolising Comyn's Tower, part of the original Blair Castle), charged with a ducal or crest-coronet Azure (a blue coronet representing the patronage and noble status of the Chief).

On 25th March 1988, his proposal to petition Lord Lyon King of Arms for a grant of armorial bearings was agreed at the Annual General Meeting of the Murray Clan Society in Edinburgh, subject to a separate fund being established, and subject to approval from the Clan Chief, His Grace the 10th Duke of Atholl, who wholeheartedly supported the proposal stating that "I am convinced that it is a good idea for the Society to petition Lord Lyon King of Arms and I certainly approve of the decision taken". Miss Esme Murray-Speakman, a tall, striking woman, a keen mountaineer and traveller with a love of unusual places - who died at her home in Taynuilt near Oban in about 1997 aged 83 - discretely made a substantial donation to get the fund off the ground; and His Grace the 10th Duke of Atholl, Iain Murray, privately pledged to make up any shortfall. Donations reached £1,030.45. On 15th May 1990, the Society was granted the Ensigns Armorial with the following proclamation:-

TO ALL AND SUNDRY WHOM THESE PRESENTS DO OR MAY CONCERN

WE, Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Writer to Her Majesty's Signet, Lord Lyon King of Arms, send Greetings: Whereas, Keith Murray-Hetherington, Convenor, for and on behalf of THE MURRAY CLAN SOCIETY having headquarters at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl in the County of Perth, having by Petition unto Us of date 28 October 1988 Shewn; THAT the objects of the said Society are to promote social links among people bearing the name Murray, and to stimulate interest in the history, culture and traditions of the Clan; AND the Petitioner having prayed that there might be granted unto him and on behalf of The Murray Clan Society such Ensigns Armorial as might be found suitable and according to the Laws of Arms, KNOW YE THEREFORE that We have Devised, and Do by These Presents Assign, Ratify and Confirm unto the Petitioner for and on behalf of The Murray Clan Society, the following Ensigns Armorial, as depicted upon the margin hereof, and matriculated of even date with These Presents upon the 14th page of the 75th volume of Our Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, VIDELICET:- Azure, five annulets conjoined in fess Argent between three mullets of the Last. Above the Shield is placed an Helm suitable to an Incorporation (VIDELICET: a Sallet Proper lined Gules) with a Mantling Azure doubled Argent, and on a Wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest a tower Argent, masoned Sable, charged of a crest-cornet Azure, and in an Escrol over the same this Motto "FORWARD WITH FORTUNE", by demonstration of which Ensigns Armorial the said Society is amongst all Nobles and in all Places of Honour, to be taken, numbered, accounted and received as a Society Noble in the Noblesse of Scotland; IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF We have Subscribed These Presents and the Seal of Our Office is affixed hereto at Edinburgh, this 15th day of May in the 39th Year of the reign of Our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth the Second, By the grace of God, of United Kingdom of Great Briain and Northern Ireland, and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety.

A WORTHY EXAMPLE of early heraldic practice is the antiquity of the arms of the Scottish family of Murray, derived, like their name, from the province of Moray. Silver and blue were the ancient livery colors of the Morayshire Picts, and stars are said to have been painted on their bodies, in these colors, as a war-paint by which they could be distinguished from other tribes in battle. There was a noticeable tendency toward the use of blue in the original arms of the north-eastern mormaerships (Celtic earldoms), the region including Mar, Buchan, and Moray. In addition, stars appear in ancient Morayshire cave carvings, a possible indication of their ancient local significance. The heraldic device of "three Moray stars" appears in the arms of the Murrays and most old Morayshire families, including the MacRaes. Originally, these stars represented spur rowels (mullets) that were, accordingly, pierced for use. The colors, silver on blue, also relate to the origin of the Scottish national flag, the cross of St. Andrew.

The heraldic use of the three Moray stars by Murray families in the south of Scotland shows that their significance as a dynastic symbol extended even into pre-heraldic times, as these families migrated from the province of Moray before formal heraldry developed during the 12th-century. Such pre-heraldric dynastic affiliations throughout Gaeldom go hand-in-hand with shared heraldic symbology as a proof of the antiquity of pre-formal heraldry. Such armorial bearings were born in the mists of the unrecorded past. They are a constant reminder of the ancient European origins of the Gaelic race, as indeed, much of what people think and do in their daily lives today is a direct legacy from their earliest ancestors. Many of the assumptions which guide people’s lives reflect basic attitudes born of long tradition.

THE FOLLOWING BLAZON and/or emblazonment are certified by the armiger listed, to be his original (or inherited/matriculated) Arms. Society of American Armigers Registry Number: AA0129. Registration Date: 30th January 2023. Armiger: Darin Yawn of Carrollton, Georgia, USA. Heraldic Artist: Darin Yawn.

Arms: Azure, a lymphad Or, in full sail Argent charged with a harp Or, pennons flying, all between three mullets Argent, 2 and 1; a bordure Or, charged with eleven hurts.

Crest: Upon a helm with a wreath Or and Azure a peacock's head and neck yawning Proper.

Motto: Semper Curiosus

Design Rationale: I can trace my genealogy back through Murrays that came from Ireland around 1850. While DNA does confirm they originated in Scotland, some research indicates they left only as recently as the mid-1700s. All of this merely explains my interest and dedication to the Murray Clan (Society) as well as Scottish heraldry. Based on the Murray arms, I removed the royal tressure (I have no known connection to the Murray chief's line, only the surname). The lymphad charge represents me as a sailor and my family's arrival to the USA by way of Ireland (harp). The 11 roundels are an homage to our unsung clan hero, Andrew de Moray whose arms held the same (color unspecified, likely argent/azure/sable in some form). The peacock ("...head with long neck between two arms vested grasping the head by the beak and back") was an old crest of the Murrays of Tullibardine. My first heraldic research project was to demonstrate that while this crest is inappropriate to use as a "clan crest", it is not associated with our clan in error and instead has a well-documented history with the chief's line and deserves documentation. "My" peacock is yawning, a canting of my surname. 

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A NUMBER OF CASES of similarity between racing colours and coats of arms can be found. For example, the 10th Duke of Atholl (arms paly of six or and sable) had black and gold stripes with hooped sleeves in the same tinctures [pictured left]. He owned Far Bridge (1981-1988) and Boraceva (1988-1993). The display of armorial type devices as depicted on shields and banners has long been considered as associated with the need for ready identification at a distance of the leaders of groups in society, from the Emperors and Kings of sovereign territories down through Princes, Dukes, Earls, etc, to knights and the lords of manors (the origins of heraldry are a different matter and the subject is still open to debate and speculation — see, for example, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, by Woodcock and Robinson (1988, chapter 1). The essential difference, as we usually regard it today, between armory and the use of flags, etc., in general from early times lies in the emergence of the continued use of the same device by the heads of successive generations of the original bearer’s family. Once this principle of the treatment of arms as hereditary estate became accepted it soon became the norm, to be followed by the marshalling of a number of individual ‘family’ arms on a shield or banner to indicate a marriage (impalements and inescutcheons of pretence) or various lines of ancestry and inheritance (by quarterings).

The early use of arms to serve as a means of identification to those subject to the bearer’s overlordship and to act as the sign of a rallying point for his forces and supporters in the course of military activity and on peaceful occasions (especially state ceremonies and tournaments) is very rarely encountered today; very few members of the general public could now recognise any personal arms except those of members of the Royal Family. His Majesty the King's racing colours (purple, gold braid, scarlet sleeves).

There is, however, one area where the use of relatively simple designs in a form similar to arms flourishes at the present time and where the use and display thereof is essential for the very purpose of identification, often at a considerable distance, which at one time was met by the display of armorial devices. This is in the field of horse racing where many followers of the sport could instantly recognise the colours of the better known owners. The purpose of these remarks is to compare and contrast both the design of the recognition devices involved and the controls exercised over them by the appropriate authority.

Contests between horses were no doubt arranged by their owners from very early times and probably arose, at least in part, as a result of rival claims as to their abilities. References to such events in the form of chariot races and races between mounted riders occur in the literature of ancient Greece and Rome and it might reasonably be suggested that the various nomadic peoples of Central Asia engaged in riding their mounts in competition to settle wagers from earlier times. It would seem, however, that the sport in a form which we would recognise today first became popular during the reign of King James I although Newmarket was then already established as a centre for horse-racing. Since that time many sovereigns and other members of the Royal families have taken a keen interest and continue to participate.

In early races horses would often be ridden by the owner or his groom or stable-lad and it would seem natural for the latter to wear the owner’s livery. As the sport developed and the number of owners entering races rose so would there have been an increasing need for an expanding range of different designs of clothing in order to provide means of identification of the contestants. As in the early days of heraldry, so with horse-racing there would probably have been no control over the adoption by an owner of any design he wished, any clash being dealt with by the organisers of the meeting where it occurred for the purposes of the event in question (such a procedure still operates today in certain circumstances).

As the sport developed so regulatory bodies came into existence, promoted and supported by leading personalities of the turf, to control and administer the activities of racing and to establish rules for the conduct thereof. In Great Britain these functions are enforced by the Jockey Club (founded c. 1750) which originated as a social club for the leading devotees of racing (one meaning of ‘jockey’ in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was one who managed or had to do with horses). For a long time the Club confined its activities to flat racing but c. 1968 it was amalgamated with the National Hunt Committee which had, since 1866, been the independent authority for steeplechasing and hurdling. The combined authority, under the name of the Jockey Club, now supervises all types of horse-racing; it operates a system of licensing jockeys and trainers, controls the organisation of race meetings, lays down rules for the conduct of racing and enforces penalties for breaches thereof, and, of prime importance in the present context, registers colours for race-horse owners to be worn by their jockeys when competing on the course. Similar bodies with similar aims have since become established in other countries where the sport has flourished, eg France (the Société d’Encouragement des Races des Chevaux was founded in 1833), Australia, and the USA.

As suggested above, racing colours probably originated at least in part from owners’ livery colours. Since those early days colours developed along lines which appear to owe much to the ordinaries of simple armory but there are some note-worthy differences between arms and colours. For example, beasts, birds, flowers, and monsters do not appear to have featured on colours; with a few exceptions, designs seem limited to simple geometric devices. Strangely, however, at least two colours which appear in races at the present time feature tartans (for Mr R. J. McAlpine we have the McAlpine tartan for the body of the jacket and yellow sleeves and for Mrs D. Riley-Smith the Henderson tartan with lime-green sleeves) a feature which rarely, if ever, occurs in Scottish, let alone English, heraldry and which hardly lends itself to easy recognition at a distance.

Prior to the early 1970s owners were allowed to register with the Jockey Club any design not already registered. Since that time new applications for colours have had to conform to a specified range of designs reached by international agreement between the various national controlling bodies. Racing colours are comprised of three elements — Jacket, Sleeves, and Cap; the jacket might be compared with the armorial shield, but with the sleeves considered as an elaboration of flaunches, and the cap as a counter-part to the simple forms of very early crests. It will at once be apparent that nearly all of the permissible jacket designs have immediately recognisable heraldic counterparts, for example:

• stripe, braces, stripes — pale, pallets hoop, hoops — fess, bars
• halved, quartered, diabolo — per pale, quarterly, per saltire
• sash — bend sinister (but see below)
• cross belts — saltire
• chevron — chevron reversed
• chevrons — chevronnels
• check — chequy
• diamonds — bendy-bendy sinister spots — roundels stars — mullets etc.

Extract of an article Coat of Arms no 149 Spring 1990 by H. F. Merchant.