Member

Given its historic connections with jousting and sporting competition, it seems entirely appropriate that footballers, who are in many ways the modern knights and jousters, should bear heraldic elements denoting their allegiances. Here is one area where I think we can all agree on the benefits of a long-established and light-touch regulatory regime. Founded by royal charter in 1484 by King Richard III, the College of Arms has delegated authority to act on behalf of the Crown in all matters of heraldry in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, acting alongside the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland. If a heraldic claim is sufficiently complex or contested, it can be decided in His Majesty’s High Court of Chivalry, a civil court presided over by the noble Duke, the Duke of Norfolk, as Earl Marshal. How fortunate we are to have him as a Member of your Lordships’ House, to maintain vigilance in this important area of the law.