This article is about the coat of arms of the City of London Corporation. For the coat of arms of the former London County Council, see Coat of arms of London County Council.
The coat of arms of the City of London is the official coat of arms of the City of London, England, which is one of a number of cities and boroughs in Greater London.
Coat of arms of the City of London
Versions
Stylised version, used as a logo by the City of London
Arms:Argent a cross gules, in the first quarter a sword in pale point upwards of the last.
Crest:On a wreath argent and gules a dragon's sinister wing argent charged on the underside with a cross throughout gules.
Supporters:On either side a dragon argent charged on the undersides of the wings with a cross throughout gules.
The Latin motto of the City is Domine dirige nos, which translates as "Lord, direct (guide) us". It appears to have been adopted in the 17th century, as the earliest record of it is in 1633.[3][4]
Arms above the southern entrance to Guildhall, by George Dance (1788), surmounted by a "Muscovy hat" rather than a helm and crest
The coat of arms is "anciently recorded" at the College of Arms. It was in use in 1381, forming part of the design of a new mayoral seal brought into use on 17 April of that year. The arms consist of a silver shield bearing a red cross with a red upright sword in the first quarter. They combine the emblems of the patron saints of England and London: the Cross of St George with the symbol of the martyrdom of Saint Paul. The 1381 arms replaced an earlier shield, found on an early 13th-century seal, and on two embroidered seal-bags of 1319, that depicted St Paul holding a sword.[2][3] It is sometimes said that the sword in the 1381 arms represents the dagger used by Lord Mayor of LondonWilliam Walworth to kill Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants' Revolt, on 15 June 1381. This tradition dates at least as far back as the first edition of Holinshed's Chronicles, published in 1577, but cannot be correct, as the arms were in use some months before Tyler's death.[5][2][6][4][7]
The crest and supporters came into use in the 17th century, but were used without authority until 30 April 1957, when they were confirmed and granted by letters patent from the College of Arms.[1][2][3]
The crest is a dragon's wing bearing the cross of St George, borne upon a peer's helmet. A primitive form of the crest first appeared in 1539 on the reverse of a new common seal. This showed a fan-like object bearing a cross. Over time this evolved into a dragon's wing, and was shown as such in 1633 when it appeared above the city's coat of arms in the frontispiece to the fourth edition of John Stow's Survey of London. The wing is specified as a dragon's "sinister" wing, i.e. its proper left wing. It has been speculated that the use of a peer's helmet (rather than that of a gentleman, as appears in other civic arms) relates to the use of the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" by the Lord Mayor.[4] The helm was confirmed in 1957.[1] Earlier representations sometimes show the arms surmounted by a "Muscovy hat", as worn by the City Swordbearer during the Stuart and Georgian periods: a notable example is seen carved above the main southern entrance to Guildhall.
On the seal of 1381 two lions were shown supporting the arms. However, by 1609 the present supporters, two silver dragons bearing red crosses upon their wings, had been adopted.[3][4] The dragons were probably suggested by the legend of Saint George and the Dragon.[2][6]
^ abcdBriggs, Geoffrey (1971). Civic and Corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. London: Heraldry Today. p. 240. ISBN0-900455-21-7.
^ abcdefBeningfield, Thomas James (1964). London, 1900–1964: Armorial bearings and regalia of the London County Council, the Corporation of London and the Metropolitan Boroughs. Cheltenham and London: J Burrow & Co Ltd. pp. 21–23.
coat, arms, city, london, this, article, about, coat, arms, city, london, corporation, coat, arms, former, london, county, council, coat, arms, london, county, council, coat, arms, city, london, official, coat, arms, city, london, england, which, number, citie. This article is about the coat of arms of the City of London Corporation For the coat of arms of the former London County Council see Coat of arms of London County Council The coat of arms of the City of London is the official coat of arms of the City of London England which is one of a number of cities and boroughs in Greater London Coat of arms of the City of LondonVersionsStylised version used as a logo by the City of LondonArmigerCity of London CorporationAdopted1381CrestOn a wreath argent and gules a dragon s sinister wing argent charged on the underside with a cross throughout gulesBlazonArgent a cross gules in the first quarter a sword in pale point upwards of the lastSupportersOn either side a dragon argent charged on the undersides of the wings with a cross throughout gulesMottoDomine dirige nos Lord guide us Contents 1 Description and blazon 2 Historical development 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 Sources 6 External linksDescription and blazon editThe Corporation of the City of London has a full achievement of armorial bearings consisting of a shield on which the arms are displayed a crest displayed on a helmet above the shield supporters on either side and a motto displayed on a scroll beneath the arms 1 2 3 The blazon of the arms is as follows 1 2 3 Arms Argent a cross gules in the first quarter a sword in pale point upwards of the last Crest On a wreath argent and gules a dragon s sinister wing argent charged on the underside with a cross throughout gules Supporters On either side a dragon argent charged on the undersides of the wings with a cross throughout gules The Latin motto of the City is Domine dirige nos which translates as Lord direct guide us It appears to have been adopted in the 17th century as the earliest record of it is in 1633 3 4 A banner of the arms the design on the shield is flown as a flag of the City Historical development edit nbsp Arms above the southern entrance to Guildhall by George Dance 1788 surmounted by a Muscovy hat rather than a helm and crestThe coat of arms is anciently recorded at the College of Arms It was in use in 1381 forming part of the design of a new mayoral seal brought into use on 17 April of that year The arms consist of a silver shield bearing a red cross with a red upright sword in the first quarter They combine the emblems of the patron saints of England and London the Cross of St George with the symbol of the martyrdom of Saint Paul The 1381 arms replaced an earlier shield found on an early 13th century seal and on two embroidered seal bags of 1319 that depicted St Paul holding a sword 2 3 It is sometimes said that the sword in the 1381 arms represents the dagger used by Lord Mayor of London William Walworth to kill Wat Tyler leader of the Peasants Revolt on 15 June 1381 This tradition dates at least as far back as the first edition of Holinshed s Chronicles published in 1577 but cannot be correct as the arms were in use some months before Tyler s death 5 2 6 4 7 The crest and supporters came into use in the 17th century but were used without authority until 30 April 1957 when they were confirmed and granted by letters patent from the College of Arms 1 2 3 The crest is a dragon s wing bearing the cross of St George borne upon a peer s helmet A primitive form of the crest first appeared in 1539 on the reverse of a new common seal This showed a fan like object bearing a cross Over time this evolved into a dragon s wing and was shown as such in 1633 when it appeared above the city s coat of arms in the frontispiece to the fourth edition of John Stow s Survey of London The wing is specified as a dragon s sinister wing i e its proper left wing It has been speculated that the use of a peer s helmet rather than that of a gentleman as appears in other civic arms relates to the use of the honorific prefix The Right Honourable by the Lord Mayor 4 The helm was confirmed in 1957 1 Earlier representations sometimes show the arms surmounted by a Muscovy hat as worn by the City Swordbearer during the Stuart and Georgian periods a notable example is seen carved above the main southern entrance to Guildhall On the seal of 1381 two lions were shown supporting the arms However by 1609 the present supporters two silver dragons bearing red crosses upon their wings had been adopted 3 4 The dragons were probably suggested by the legend of Saint George and the Dragon 2 6 Gallery edit nbsp Arms on seal of 1539 nbsp At Blackfriars railway station nbsp On Tower Bridge nbsp On the walkway of Tower Bridge nbsp City boundary marker a single dragon supporter holds the shield of arms nbsp Plain shield on a coal tax post nbsp On a shabraque photographed at the Lord Mayor s Show 2011 nbsp On a pub sign near Hammersmith Bridge nbsp Lord Mayor Russell s personal arms during office 2019 2021 nbsp Arms of the Port of London AuthoritySee also editFlag of the City of London Coat of arms of London County Council Armorial of LondonSources edit a b c d Briggs Geoffrey 1971 Civic and Corporate Heraldry A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England Wales and Northern Ireland London Heraldry Today p 240 ISBN 0 900455 21 7 a b c d e f Beningfield Thomas James 1964 London 1900 1964 Armorial bearings and regalia of the London County Council the Corporation of London and the Metropolitan Boroughs Cheltenham and London J Burrow amp Co Ltd pp 21 23 a b c d e f The City Arms Research Guide 11 London Metropolitan Archives Retrieved 12 February 2018 a b c d Fox Davies A C 1915 The Book of Public Arms 2nd ed London T C amp E C Jack pp 456 458 Holinshed Raphael 1577 The Laste Volume of the Chronicles of England Scotlande and Irelande with their descriptions London p 1033 a b Scott Giles C Wilfrid 1953 Civic Heraldry of England and Wales 2nd edition London J M Dent pp 245 246 Crosley Richard 1928 London s Coats of Arms and the Stories They Tell London Robert Scott pp 14 21 External links edit The City Arms Research Guide 11 London Metropolitan Archives Retrieved 12 February 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Coat of arms of the City of London amp oldid 1163264932, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
