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Scottish flag: Lord Lyon's recommendations

The Court of the Lord Lyon: Scottish Heraldic Flags

Information Leaflet No. 3

All heraldic flags In Scotland come under the legal jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, in terms of the Act of Parliament 1672 cap. 47 and under 30 & 31 Vict. cap. 17. The Lord Lyon’s regulations governing the display of heraldic flags in Scotland are broadly as follows. Doubts and questions of exact detail should be referred to the Court of the Lord Lyon, HM New Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YT, telephone 0131-556-7255.

GENERAL

1. SIZE
The size of a flag depends on the site where it is flown, from very small flags for table decorations to enormous flags for the top of a tower. Clear legibility determines the size suitable. Therefore sizes are only given hereafter for special flags, where the sizes are fixed by regulation.
2. PROPORTIONS
The proportions of a flag, the relation of its width to its height, remain constant regardless of its size. Where relevant, these are given hereafter in the form "2:1", i.e., a flag whose width is twice its height.
3. HOIST
The "hoist" is the part of the flag nearest to the pole.
4. FLY
The "fly" is the part of the flag furthest from the pole. In long flags such as Standards, the devices are described in order reading from the hoist to the fly.
5. RESPECTING
All heraldic flags are designed with the convention that the pole is on the left of the flag, from the spectator’s point of view. And it is on this convention that the flag and its contents are described. A lion rampant, for example, will face or "respect" the pole. Heraldic devices are sewn right through the flag’s material, so on its reverse side all the devices will be reversed left to right, and the lion will still respect the pole. Lettering on flags such as Standards is the only exception to this rule, otherwise the words would read backwards on the reverse side. Such exceptions have to be of double thickness.
6. MATERIALS
Any material suitable to the context and the owner’s pocket maybe used for flags, from nylon or nylon-and-wool bunting for flags flown out of doors to silk, satin and rich brocades for flags used for internal display. Metallic nylon "Lurex" material gives good and economic results when used for gold and silver.
7. FRINGES
Except in a few cases such as Standards, fringes are regarded as mere decoration to be added or omitted at the owner’s whim. Where used, they should be either plain and of the same metal (gold or silver) that is predominant in the flag, or they may be of alternate portions of the main colour and the main metal of the flag itself
8. COLOURS
There are no fixed "heraldic colours" for flags. Any red that is clearly "red" and not orange or purple is correct. In general it is found that the brightest possible colours give the best effect. The rules of heraldic composition prevent garish results.
9. METALS
i.e., Gold and Silver. These occur in almost all heraldic flags, and can be shown either as