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The Lord High ConstableEdward, who served under Alexander I and David I is called chief of David's knights (princeps militae), but the exact nature of the Constable's military role in the 12th century is unclear. The Lord High Constable was, after the King, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He also performed judicial functions as the chief judge of the High Court of Constabulary. The Court, presided over by the Earl or by his deputies, was empowered to judge all cases of rioting, disorder, bloodshed and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King, the King's Council, or the Scottish Parliament. He also held several honorific privileges, such as the right to sit on the right side of the King when he attended Parliament, custody of the keys to Parliament House, the ceremonial command of the King's bodyguards, and precedence above all Scotsmen except the members of the Royal Family and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland. Most of the powers, however, disappeared when Scotland and England combined into Great Britain under the Act of Union 1707. The office, nonetheless, continues as a ceremonial one. The office became hereditary in the twelfth century and has been held by the family of Hay, later Earls of Erroll since 1314. The Constable and the Duke of Hamilton (as Earl of Angus) may sit as assessors to the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The Earl of Erroll, Lord High Constable, is one of three peers entitled to appoint a private pursuivant, with the title "Slains".
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