A
pursuivant or, more correctly,
pursuivant of arms, is a junior
officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official
heraldic authorities, such as the
College of Arms in
London or
the Court of the Lord Lyon in
Edinburgh. In the
mediaeval era, many great nobles employed their own officers of arms. Today, there still exist some private pursuivants that are not employed by a government authority. In
Scotland, for example, several pursuivants of arms have been appointed by
Clan Chiefs. These pursuivants of arms look after matters of heraldic and genealogical importance for clan members.