Help Them Remember

Thanks to the attention the Logan Family and Highland Clan Convention is bringing to Clan Logan Society International, I am receiving quite a few comments and questions as the President of the Society. In so many ways this is exactly what we hoped to happen with the advertising we are doing for the convention. I want to take a few minutes with today’s blog to really make certain we hone in on one point in particular. And then I have a favor to ask of you, Dear Reader.

I’ll be honest, I hope this discussion isn’t repetitious. I do feel like I talk about this one specific point so often that I wouldn’t be surprised if someone were to start miming the words as I speak in public on the subject. The subject is the history, or lineage, of the Chief of Name and Arms of Logan, or more commonly called Logan of that Ilk.

The Society’s Genealogist, Sean Logan, has written several blogs and newsletter articles on the topic as well. I would recommend everyone interested take a deep dive into Sean’s writings, as well as the final report of the esteemed John Logan Marjoribanks. I wish to quote John’s final report here:

On 10 September 1672, the Scottish Parliament passed an Act, which is still in force, requiring all those who make use of arms to register them with the Lord Lyon within a year. The register to be kept by the Lord Lyon “shall be respected as the true and unrepealable rule of all arms and bearings in Scotland”. George Logan of that Ilk was one of the gentlemen who registered his arms within the time limit. No other Logan came forward to register arms. George Logan was recognised as Logan of Logan, chief of name and arms of the Logan family. [emphasis added] Any Logan, male or female, who claims to be the current chief of Logan by inheritance will have to prove descent from this George Logan of that Ilk or from one of his ancestors.

We owe George Logan of that Ilk a great debt in making it a priority to register his arms. His efforts in following the Act of 1672, and the meticulous record keeping of the Lord Lyon King of Arms since then, is what allows us to be petitioning now to have a Commander of the name Logan recognized by the Lord Lyon.

Further, the very arms themselves, as registered, point to the depth of involvement the Logans have in the history of Scotland. The human heart displayed as a charge on the center of the arms is an allusion to the Battle of Teba, wherein two Logan knights, in the company of the good Sir Douglas, lost their lives in a noble, yet ill-fated, attempt to transport the heart of King Robert the Bruce to rest in the Holy Land. In recognition of the valour of these knights, the descendents of the Bruce granted the Logans of that Ilk the honour of adding the “heart of the Bruce” to their arms.

By registering his arms, George Logan of that Ilk ensured a beautiful visual and written legacy for all Logans of Scottish descent. Logans residing in the bonnie lands of Scotland, as well as the Logans of the diaspora, can point to these arms and begin to tell their united story of honour and valour and demonstrate how deeply the family name is tied to the founding of the nation of Scotland.

The favour I ask of you, Dear Reader, is to help me in ensuring this legacy is not forgotten. Please commit the above information to memory. Recite it to friends and family often. Talk about it after church. Talk about it over a wee dram in the pub. Use it to help awaken the shared genetic memory of all Logans.

There is much more to share about the Logans and their connection to Scotland [and believe me when I say I will] but this particular piece of information is paramount that you commit to memory. Then help others remember it as well.