“It’s not about status”

THE Officers at Arms in their red and gold uniforms. The gong. The fanfare greeting the Lord High Commissioner.

For some, the ceremonials accompanying the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland are an intrinsic element of the event, a reflection of the Church’s position as national church and of its historic links with state and monarchy.

Others consider them a symbol of a Church out of touch with the modern world, and in denial of its reduced circumstances.

Last year the person ultimately responsible for organising the ceremony, Joe Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms, found himself invited to speak to the Assembly to offer his perspective.

“I think there had been a debate the year before about the ceremonial, and whether it should be dropped,” he says. “The influence and direction of state ceremonials within Scotland, and whether it is something we hang on to or get rid of, is clearly something that’s important to the Church, and is bound up with questions about how formal worship should be. All of these things are part and parcel of the same debate.”

Joe acknowledges that the ceremonial elements of the Assembly are not the most vital part of the week, but he still argues that something important would be lost if they were to be dispensed with.

“ I think it’s important that we keep a strong focus on the influence the church has, and that the church is seen to be having the best approach it can to engaging with the state and influencing things in society.

“I don’t believe it says anything about the essence of the Church, but it brings a bit of colour and it physically reflects relationship between church and state,” he says.

“If you do away with all the ceremonial it becomes just a business meeting, and it could lose the sense of the significance and influence of the national church. I think it’s important that we keep a strong focus on the influence the church has, and that the church is seen to be having the best approach it can to engaging with the state and influencing things in society.”

Last year’s speech was 50 years to the day since Joe had previously spoken in the hall when, as President of the National Council of Youth Fellowships – ‘a very earnest body of young Christians’ – he petitioned the Assembly to encourage more participation of young people.

From there, his career took in priesthood in the Scottish Episcopal Church (serving three parishes in areas of multiple deprivation in Dundee) before he moved into the law, combining the two professions for a while before the demands of the latter became too great – although, he says, he can still be persuaded to preach on occasion, and is at home in both Episcopal and Presbyterian settings.

He successfully applied for the position of Lord Lyon 10 years ago, following a longheld interest in Scottish heraldry. Doing so, he became the latest incumbent in one of the great Scottish offices of state, which probably emerged out of the ancient role of High Shenachie, the recorders and reciters of royal genealogy.

Today his office grants and records Coats of Arms, and keeps the records of all Arms granted as far back as the 17th century. He also has a niche legal role ruling on disputes to do with Arms and clanships, which is why the position must be held by a qualified lawyer.

The ceremonial role includes taking part in the opening of the Scottish Parliament, the National War Memorial Service, services related to the Order of the Thistle, and oneoff events including the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, the Honours of Scotland Service which followed the King’s Coronation and, most recently, the removal of the Stone of Destiny from Edinburgh to Perth.

He says that the ceremonials have helped create a uniquely Scottish sense of identity, particularly since the Parliament was reopened in 1999. “I think one of the things the office has allowed Scotland as a nation is the space to do its own thing ceremonially. There’s a sense that you are creating with others a sense of history, of identity. And I think it’s very important for any country, at a national level, to give itself a sense of identity.”

He also sees his job as one of education, engaging with bodies throughout the country to promote and explain the Office within the modern context. Within that, he says he spends a lot of time considering the ‘optics’, but thinks you can get too concerned about appearances. “I find, for example, if I go along to young people’s groups, if I go in jacket and trousers they are disappointed I haven’t got my uniform on.”

At the General Assembly, he will be present with the Officers at Arms at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the arrival of the Lord High Commissioner and the Ceremony of the Keys, and then accompanies the monarch’s representative during the Assembly itself.

He admits that the appointment of a member of the Royal Family – such as this year when Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, will fulfil the role - adds a bit more interest. “But whoever’s in that role stands in as monarch, so it wouldn’t matter if that’s Joe Bloggs or a member of the Royal Family, in terms of state precedence you can’t go higher than the monarch.”

He says that it is significant to him that his role is one of service to the people of Scotland.

“If anybody thinks the role of the Lord Lyon is one of power and authority, they want to walk in my shoes for a while. It’s not about status but providing a new platform, of integrating old traditions (into modern Scotland).”

He’s also keen to point out that being involved in the ceremonial side doesn’t blinker him to the important issues the Assembly will discuss.

“Look, if you ask me whether it’s more to grant someone a Coat of Arms or to feed someone who doesn’t have enough to eat, there is no question for me,” he says. “The ceremonials bring a bit of history, a bit of colour, a bit of pageantry into proceedings that are enjoyed by many.”