Quarterly:1st and 4th, Argent a Lion rampant Azure armed and langued Gules within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the second (for Lyon);3rd and 4th, Ermine three Bows strings palewise proper (for Bowes);as a Royal Augmentation, granted to the holder of the Earldom only, an Inescutcheon en surtout Azure thereon a Rose Argent barbed Vert seeded Or ensigned with an Imperial Crown proper within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the second, the said Inescutcheon ensigned with an Earl's Coronet proper.
The established history ofClan Lyon states that the family is of French origin, with the original namede Leonne, butJames Balfour Paul, in hisScots Peerage, states that the family is likely ofCeltic origin. The family's earliest recorded possessions, thethanages of Glamis, Glamis, Tannadyce and Belhelvies, were in a Celtic stronghold, while government positions held by family chiefs would have required fluency inGaelic.[1]
The first recorded family member,John Lyon, Lord of Glamis, was a courtier and diplomat, who was appointedKeeper of the Privy Seal in 1371 on the accession ofRobert II. He acquired significant lands, and on 18 March 1372, Robert II granted him "the free barony of Glamuyss in the sheriffdom of Forfar." Glamis has remained the seat of the family ever since.[1] His descendantPatrick Lyon, 1st Lord Glamis was created the firstLord Glamis in thePeerage of Scotland in 1445.
In 1606, the earldom was first created asEarl of Kinghorne in the Peerage of Scotland for Patrick Lyon, the ninth Lord Glamis, who was also createdLord Lyon and Glamis at the same time. In 1677, the designation of the earldom was changed to "Strathmore and Kinghorne" for Patrick Lyon, the third Earl. He was also granted the subsidiary titles ofViscount Lyon andLord of Glamis, Tannadyce, Sidlaw and Strathdichtie. The 10th Earl sat in theHouse of Lords as aScottish representative peer from 1796 to 1806, and again from 1807 to 1812. In 1815, he was createdBaron Bowes in thePeerage of the United Kingdom, but upon his death five years later without legitimate issue, the peerage became extinct. The Scottish peerages were inherited by his younger brother, the 11th Earl.
The 11th Earl was succeeded by his grandson, the 12th Earl, who also sat in the House of Lords as a representative peer from 1852 to 1865. He married but left no children, and the peerages were inherited by his brother, the 13th Earl, who sat in the Lords as a representative peer from 1870 until 1892. In 1887, he was createdBaron Bowes ofStreatlam Castle, in theCounty of Durham, and ofLunedale, in theCounty of York, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. This gave him and his successors an automatic seat in the House of Lords, which the earldom did not entitle them to until thePeerage Act 1963 extended that right to all holders of Scottish peerages. The 13th Earl was succeeded by his son, the 14th Earl, who in 1937 was createdEarl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, leading to his becoming the14th and 1st Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
Theheir presumptive is the present’s holder's younger brother Hon. John Fergus Bowes-Lyon (b. 1988) The heir presumptive’sheir apparent is his son, Albemarle John Bowes-Lyon (b. 2023)
Coat of arms of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Crest
Between two Slips of Laurel a Demi Lady to the girdle habited and holding in her right hand a Thistle all prope.
Escutcheon
Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Argent a Lion rampant Azure armed and langued Gules within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the second (for Lyon); 3rd and 4th, Ermine three Bows strings palewise proper (for Bowes); as a Royal Augmentation, granted to the holder of the Earldom only, an Inescutcheon en surtout Azure thereon a Rose Argent barbed Vert seeded Or ensigned with an Imperial Crown proper within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the second, the said Inescutcheon ensigned with an Earl's Coronet proper.
Supporters
On the dexter side an Unicorn Argent armed unguled maned and tufted Or, and on the sinister side a Lion per fess Or and Gules.
Motto
In Te Domine Speravi (In Thee, O Lord, have I put my trust)
Symbolism
The Arms of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne are famous for beingcanting as they represent the name of the holders of the title: Bowes-Lyon in that they feature bows and lions.