Sorry Cheryl, you’ll not be a lady much longer...
Officials launch crackdown on heraldic titles bought online
THEY supposedly make everyone from tourists to Cheryl Fernandez-Versini the lord or lady of a tiny patch of Scotland. But the proliferation of these so-called ‘souvenir’ titles have cause a headache for the nation’s heraldic authority – as proud ‘nobles’ apply for their very own coat of arms. Now the Court of the Lord Lyon has made it clear that such titles bought online have no legal status – and that any bogus ‘laird’ or ‘lady’ attempting to register a coat of arms faces immediate rejection. In 2013, music mogul Simon Cowell bought the former X Factor judge – then plain Cheryl Cole – a small square of Scottish estate for her 30th birthday, mailing the deed for one square foot of the Bandrum estate, near Dunfermline in Fife, to her home in California. She later tweeted to her former boss: ‘I will now be
‘It’s amazing the cachet it has’
referred to as Lady Cheryl… when you address me both in person & through the media.’
More than 100,000 people from all corners of the world believe they have purchased titles by buying modest plots of land across the Highlands from companies cashing in on the fascination with the nobility.
One company, Highland Titles, says on its website: ‘Those “owning” as little as a 1 sq ft plot are encouraged to add the title “lord”, “laird” or “lady” to their credit or debit cards.’
But following a rise in applications to the 680-year-old Court of the Lord Lyon, set up by Robert the Bruce to approve heraldic designs in Scotland, officials stressed that anyone wishing to be granted arms must first prove themselves to be a ‘virtuous and welldeserving person’ who is domiciled in Scotland.
The court has gone as far as posting a warning on its website which states: ‘The ownership of “souvenir” plots of land of a few square feet or thereby is insufficient to bring anyone within the jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.’
The Court of the Lord Lyon also pointed out that the titles supposedly attached to the tiny portions of land were worthless.
A spokesman for the court said: ‘The term “laird” has generally been applied to the owner of an estate in Scotland, sometimes by the owner himself or, more commonly, by those living and working on the estate.
‘It is a description rather than a title and is not appropriate for the owner of a normal residential property, far less the owner of a small souvenir plot of land.’
However, some people are happy to cash in on their ‘title’.
Amanda McLean, who lives in Busselton, Western Australia, claims buying one with a tiny piece of Scottish soil has changed her life.
She said: ‘I use it when I check into a hotel. It’s amazing the cachet it has. You get upgraded and treated very well. I also have the name on my credit card and people call me Lady Amanda.’
Individuals and corporations have successfully applied to have their coats of arms granted, although the display of unauthorised arms is a criminal offence under a 1592 Act of the Scottish Parliament.
In 2010, the Act was used to order property tycoon and Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump to stop using a coat of arms devised to promote his Aberdeenshire golf development.
Its use was blocked because the design appeared remarkably similar to another coat of arms already in use. He was later allowed to use a modified crest.
A spokesman for Highland Titles, which has sold tens of thousands of plots, insisted that it had not misled its customers, adding: ‘In Scotland anyone can, subject to requirements of good faith, call themselves whatever they like, including “laird”, “lord” or “lady”.’