What is Officer of arms?
An '''officer of arms''' is someone who is chosen by a [[sovereign]] or [[state]] to do some important jobs relating to: * heraldry and [[coat of arms|coats of arms]] * arranging and conducting ceremonies of state * keeping and interpreting heraldic and [[genealogy|genealogical]] records. In [[Scotland]] the officers of arms maintain the old job of a [[herald]] - passing on royal messages. Three days after [[parliament]] is dissolved in [[London]] the royal proclamation is read out at the [[Mercat Cross]] in [[Edinburgh]]. They wait three days because this is how long it used to take to get from London to Edinburgh by horse. {{commons}} {{Politics-stub}} [[Category:Heraldry]] [[Category:Government occupations]]