CREST BADGES

Under Scottish law, clansmen and clanswomen may wear their chief’s crest encircled with a strap and buckle bearing their chief’s motto or slogan. The encircled crest is called a crest badge. The strap and buckle is the sign of the clansman, or clanswoman, demonstrating their membership of their Chief’s clan. Through the years Murray Clan chiefs have had more than one crest or crest badge.

The demi-savage badge

The Demi-Savage was the old crest of the Stewarts of Atholl, granted in 1475 by King James III of Scotland to the first Stewart Earl of Atholl to commemorate a successful raid against the last McDonald Lord of the Isles. In the course of time, it came into the Murray family when the heir to the Tullibardine line (William Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine) married the heir to the Stuart Earl of Atholl (Dorothea Stewart). The Murrays retained the Demi-Savage and associated motto as part of the title, Earl of Atholl, which became the Duke of Atholl in 1703. The motto Furth Fortune and Fill the Fetters is old Scots and means ‘go onward with fortune and fill the shackles’ (leg irons). The demi-savage and the motto are engraved on the keystone over the main entrance of Blair Castle in Blair Atholl, Perthshire.

The mermaid badge

The mermaid is depicted very early in Scottish heraldry. As Murray means people who came from or lived by the sea, the Council of Clan Chiefs designated this crest to be worn by Murray clansmen or clanswomen. On the crest is a mermaid holding in her dexter (right) hand a mirror and in her sinister (left) hand a comb, all proper, with the motto Tout Prêt, which means “Quite (or lways) Ready (or prepared), for the chiefship of the Name and Arms of Murray. The mermaid is traced back to the Lordship of Balquidder. When the Murray’s assumed that title in the 16th-century, they adopted the mermaid as their crest badge. Balquhidder was part of the ancient princedom of Strathearn and the heraldic device associated with the district is the mermaid. Sir William de Moravia, married Ada, daughter of Malise, Earl or Seneschal of Strathearn, and, thus, acquired the lands of Tullibardine in that district. The Council of Clan Chiefs designated this crest to be worn by Murray clansmen.

The peacock badge

The peacock is the crest of Clan Arbuthnott but is sometimes sold as a Murray Clan crest badge. The convoluted story of how it became associated with the Murrays begins when Philip de Arbuthnott (1330 -1400) married Margaret Douglas, daughter of Sir James Douglas of Dalkeith (d. 1420), who was a chief ally of Sir Archibald Douglas, “the Grim” (1325 -1400). In 1362 Sir Archibald married Lady Joanna de Moravia (charter Latin for Moray) who was the widow of Sir Thomas de Moravia. He had died of the plague the previous year in the Tower of London. On his death, Lady Joanna became the heiress to the Moray properties at Bothwell and the baronies of Duffus, Petty, Balvenie, and Aberdour in the north east of Scotland, as well as the lordships of Bothwell and Drumsargard and a number of other baronies in lower Clydesdale. Sir Archibald, per the English property law of jure uxoris, Latin for "by right of (his) wife" became the legal possessor of her lands. The translation of the motto Praite is "Ready".

Which crest badge to wear?

Although the clan were allowed to wear either crest badges, sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Lord Lyon declared the Demi-Savage crest badge inappropriate. Since his decisions on heraldic matters have the force of law in Scotland, all the manufacturers of clan badges ceased producing the ‘Demi-Savage’ badge. There was a considerable amount of feeling on this subject - especially in North America - and when the 10th Duke of Atholl assumed his position as Chief of the Murray Clan he appealed this decision to the Lord Lyon Court, requesting the continued use of the Demi-Savage as the clansman’s badge. Eventually in the 1980’s the Lord Lyon modified the original decision, allowing use of the Demi-Savage crest badge. Following this reversal, our Chief at that time. George Ian Murray, the 10th Duke of Atholl decided that the Demi-Savage should be the crest badge used by members of his Clan. The Lord Lyon approved this decision in 1993.

Clan chiefs, clan chieftains, armigerous clan members, and un-armigerous clan members may wear crest badges, but there are differences in the type of crest badge. The Sovereign as "Chief of Chiefs", or Ardrigh, is entitled to wear four eagle's feathers, and on occasions sovereigns have done.

Clan chiefs

A clan chief is the head of his or her clan/family, and is the representer of the family's founder. A clan chief must be recognised as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and must possess the undifferenced of their name. Clan chiefs may wear their crest simpliciter, that is without being encircled by the motto and without any feathers. It is more common, however, for a clan chiefs to wear their own personal crest within a plain circlet inscribed with their motto or slogan (pictured above). The chief's crest badge does not contain the strap and buckle that other clan members are permitted to wear. Clan chiefs are also entitled to wear three eagle feathers behind the circlet of their crest badge. On certain occasions, such as clan gatherings, it may be appropriate to use real eagle feathers. Clan chiefs that are members of the British Peerage or a feudal baron are entitled to wear the appropriate coronet or baronial chapeau above the circlet on their crest badge, though this is a matter of personal preference.

Clan chieftains

Clan chieftains are the representers of large branches of a Scottish clan. They are officially recognised as clan chieftains by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Clan chieftains, like clan chiefs, may wear their own personal crest within a plain circlet inscribed with their own motto or slogan. Clan chieftains may also wear two small eagle feathers (unlike the chief's three). On certain occasions real eagle feathers may be worn behind the crest badge. If a clan chieftain is a member of the British Peerage or a feudal baron they are permitted to wear the appropriate coronet or baronial chapeau above the circlet on their crest badge.^[2] Clan chieftains may also wear the crest badge of their chief, in the same manner as an un-armigerous clan member.

Feudal barons

Recently, feudal barons have taken to wearing two eagle feathers behind their armiger's badge, but there is no ancient tradition of this; it is solely based upon the fact that anciently feudal barons were most likely to have been chiefs or chieftains. If the feudal baron is a member of a clan, it is advisable to consult the clan chief on clan customs and traditions. The Lord Lyon only gives guidance and not governance on the wearing of feathers and recommends consulting with a clan chief, who approves the number of feathers worn by members of the clan for clan events.

Armigerous clan members

In terms of Scottish Heraldry, an armiger is someone who has registered his or her own coat of arms, or has inherited a coat of arms according to the Laws of Arms in Scotland from an ancestor who had arms recorded in the Lyon Register. Armigers, like clan chiefs and chieftains, may wear their own personal crest within a plain circlet inscribed with their own motto or slogan. Armigers are permitted to wear one silver eagle feather behind the circlet (or on certain occasions a real eagle feather).If an Armiger is a member of the British Peerage or a feudal baron they are permitted to wear the appropriate coronet or baronial chapeau above the circlet on their crest badge. If an armiger is a member of a Scottish clan, they may wear the crest badge of their chief, however it must be encircled by a strap and buckle.

Non-armigerous clan members

Members of Scottish clans are considered, by the Court of the Lord Lyon, to be relatives of their clan chief. They can be either immediate family or extended family. Clan members can also be people who only bear the "clan surname" or a sept name associated with the clan. The Court of the Lord Lyon has also stated that anyone who professes allegiance to both the clan and its chief can be considered a clan member. All clan members may wear the chief's crest encircled by a strap and buckle inscribed with their chief's motto or slogan. The strap and buckle symbolises the membership to the clan and allegiance to the clan chief.