Herald Horse

[jamesir]

Can anyone help? This quote is from a letter sent in Perthshire in 1713 to the Duke of Atholl. 'There is a herald horse due to your Grace...The old woman begs your Grace will let her have the use of him till the ground be laboured.'

Was this term used for a draft animal? The writer, Alexander Robertson of Struan, was famously facetious, so it may be an obscure piece of levity

 

[Dubsie]

Was looking at cigarette cards earlier - there's a set with a Herald Trumpeter here:
http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Horse-Cigarette-Cards-1890s-1930s_W0QQugidZ10000000001344985
Would expect a Herald Horse to be a fast one with stamina for use as a messenger, rather than heavy cart horse type