Page prepared by Dr. Donald Richardson

Taken from: The Order  of the Founders and Patriots of America: The Baronets of New 
England_ (http://www.founderspatriots.org/articles/baronets.htm)

"... In 1625 Charles I further enlarged the oversupply (of Baronages) by creating a Scottish order of baronet modestly to be limited to 1511 members. They were at first called the "Knights Baronets of Scotland and Nova Scotia". Their function was to finance the settlement of Scotland's North American province of Nova Scotia and until 1638 each baronet of Nova Scotia received with his letters patent and grant of 16,000 acres in that North American province, which then extended from Newfoundland to the Sainte Croix River and thus included a slice of what today is the State of Maine ... the Scottish baronets could wear from an orange tawny heck ribbon a badge consisting of the arms of Nova Scotia, i.e. the Royal Arms of Scotland on an inescutcheon upon a blue saltire on a silver field. The Scottish baronets were privileged to augment their arms with this badge, suspending it from the shield."