The registration of arms is a colourful, exact and very Scottish way of memorialising personalities and family history. Anyone, at a glance, can see that I am the second son of Thomas Forsyth Torrance who differenced the traditional Torrance emblem of crossed oars with two books and a cross (he was a professor of theology, as am I). My heraldic supporting dogs were our own much loved dachshunds Maud and Cassiopea. It is a wonderful idea to digitise 350 years of these records, integrating families, histories and institutions.
Professor Iain Torrance KCVO Kt TD FRSE