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Clan Thompson Society

Clan Thom(p)son

Society

Clan Thom(p)son

Society

whereof all of the members, on establishing right to, or receiving fresh grants of, personal hereditary nobility will be awarded arms as determinate or indeterminate cadets both as may be of the chief family of the clan.’

A clan is therefore a community which is both distinguished by heraldry and recognized by the Sovereign. At the head of this honourable community is the chief. He is the only person entitled to display the undifferenced shield of Arms; ie without any marks of dependency upon any other noble house.

Chiefship is a title of honour and dignity within the nobility of Scotland. Any claimant to such a title must establish, to the satisfaction of the Lord Lyon representing the Sovereign, that he or she is entitled to the undifferenced arms of the community over which they seek to preside. It is the determining of chiefship which is among the Lyon Court's central work.

A clan or family. which has a recognized chief or head confers noble status on the clan or family which gives it a legally recognized status and a corporate identity. A family or name group which has no recognized chief has no official position under the law of Scotland only. NOT, the US or anyplace else.

(The last sentence there should not be read as meaning that a clan ceases to be a clan as soon as it loses its chief and cannot immediately choose the rightful successor. Once a clan has a chief whose arms are recognized by a Lord Lyon it remains a clan unless it is officially broken by law -- very unlikely today.) Now with that in your mind, read http://www.baronage.co.uk/2002d/thomson.html

Question: Are Thom(p)sons a clan?

Answer: Again, referencing the link above..... you will see that there was a Clan Thomson in Workman’s Manuscript 1565-66, even though there is currently no organized Clan Thomson and currently no one recognized by Lyon as Chief. The first step is to get recognition as a clan by Lyon. Once that is achieved, in the interim would be the