A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

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PREFACE.
/'. e. Lyon Register, and sometimes by the letters (N. R.)
/. e. New Re-
gister.
The most certain vouchers for the practice of arms in Scotland, next
to the Lyon's Register, are ancient seals appended to charters, and other"
writs, many of which I have vseen, and to them I refer in the following
Treatise, mentioning them particularly.
Next to them are old manuscripts and illuminated books of blazons,
whereof sundry are now in my custody, and to which I also frequently
as follows :
refer,
I. I have an old illuminated book of arms, with the names of the families
who carry those arms, written under the shield, but often misplaced,
and the writing such as can scarcely be read : I conjecture it to
have been done by some Frenchman, in the reign of King James V. or
in the minority of our Queen Mary, but can say nothing certain that
wav. Only, I saw at London in the Herald-Office there, another of thesame
book, resembling mine both in the painting, writing, binding, &c.
so near as one book could resemble another. I met also there with sun-
dry others.
II. James Workman's Illuminated Book of Arms, who was herald in
the reign of King James VI. ; which book I frequently refer to by these
letters (W. MS.), which book I had from the ingenious Mr Henry Frascr,
Ross Herald.
III. Mr Pont, a known antiquary, his Alphabetical Collection, in manuscript,*
of the Arms of our Nobility and Gentry, the original of which
1 have, being handsomely blazoned, and written in a good hand, to which
I commonly refer thus, (P. MS.)
IV. James Esplin, Marchmont Herald, has left behind him an Illuminated
Book, with the pictures of sundry of our old kings and their arms;
as also the arms of our nobility and principal gentry, about the year
1630, to which I refer thus, (E. MS.) This book I have upon receipt
from Mr Hugh Wallace of Ingliston.
V. Sir James Balfour, a learned and famous antiquary, who was Lyon
King at Arms in the reign or King Charles I. left a Register of Arms,
now in the Lawyers' Library, to which I refer thus, (B. MS.)
VI. George Ogilvie, a late herald with us, has left a Collection of
Blazons, some of which I mention, and are marked thus, (O. MS.)
Besides those already mentioned, I have sundry other manuscripts of
arms in my custody, but do not so frequently refer to them ; because 1
am not certain by whom they are done, and therefore cannot depend
on their authority farther than as they agree with other books of the same
kind. And as to blazons which I have collected from printed books, old
b inklings, or other monuments of antiquity, when I refer to them I al-
ways mention them at large.
Many of those manuscripts &.c. are in danger of being lost to posterity :
But I am hopeful the collections I have made from them may be very
useful, at least for supplying any loss which may happen that way.
I likewise refer sometimes to Sir George Mackenzie's Science of He-
raldry thus, (M'K. H.)
As to memorials of particular families I have not been so full on them
as otherwise I might have been, had the number of sheets to which I
was confined allowed me ; but a work of that nature, though most desirable
in itself, yet being attended with many difficulties, requires much
time and labour : And, therefore, all that I could pretend to, at present,