Out with the old .. in with the ?

This wee post is absolutely nothing to do with Cheshire heraldry but touches on my wider interest of heraldry in general and Scottish heraldry in particular. It is appropriate, I feel, that we mark the day: Today, the 14th of December 2007, Robin Orr Blair is due to pack away his personal belongings and leave the offices of the Court of the Lord Lyon at New Register House. I am sure that he will receive a warm and enthusiastic send off.

I cannot bring my readers any news of the appointment of a successor as, to the best of my knowledge, no one has yet been appointed; or at least it might be better to say that there has been no official announcement of an appointment ... yet. I am aware that interviews have been held and rumour has it that there was a short list of three candidates but this is nought more than gossip.

Can there be a period of time where the country (Scotland) is without its chief herald? Are we about to enter an heraldic interregnum?

It has come to my attention that a petitioner who first submitted his petition to Lyon Blair in  November 2004 has just, this very week, received his long awaited Letters Patent (some 37 months later) so it would seem that Mr. Blair will yet be returning to his old offices quite often, and probably for quite a period of time, as tradition has it that he is expected to sign the Letters Patent of those who received a grant of arms under his reign.