This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(September 2010) |
This is a list of the coats of arms of various county councils (current and former) in England.
Under heraldic law in England, arms are not granted to places as such, but only to the corporate bodies that govern them. Accordingly, although arms and devices were associated with counties from the seventeenth century onward, there were no official grants until the establishment of county councils in 1889.
The first grant was made to West Sussex County Council soon after its establishment in 1889. The cost of the grant was defrayed by the Duke of Norfolk, titular head of the College of Arms, who was also first chairman of the county council. Further grants were made over the years, the number greatly increasing after the passing of the Local Government Act 1929 when county councils gained extra powers. Following the Second World War the majority of non-armigerous county councils obtained grants. When Durham County Council received a grant of arms in 1961 (it had previously been using the arms of the Diocese of Durham) only Hampshire County Council was left without an official grant.
Changes to local government in 1965 meant that several arms became obsolete and new arms had to be granted to Greater London, Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely and Huntingdon and Peterborough.
Local government in England and Wales was completely reorganised in 1974, with all existing county councils abolished. In their place was established a system of metropolitan and non-metropolitan county councils. Some of the non-metropolitan counties were identical or very similar in area to the previous administrative counties, and in their case they could apply for the transfer of the arms of the previous county councils by Order in Council. In some other cases, where substantial alterations were made to the county council's area, the College of Arms granted arms very similar to the previous arms, with a number of changes introduced. In the metropolitan counties, and entirely new non-metropolitan counties such as Avon, Humberside and Cleveland; new arms had to be designed. The arms of two small county councils were transferred to Huntingdon and Rutland district councils.
The six metropolitan county councils (five of which had arms) and the Greater London Council were abolished in 1986 and their arms became obsolete.
By 1995 all the remaining non-metropolitan county councils were using official arms, the last being Dorset, to whom the predecessor Dorset County Council's arms were transferred on 24 February of that year. [1] From 1996 a piecemeal reform of local government meant the abolition of a number of county councils. It also recreated Worcestershire county council, who regained the use of the former county council arms. The unitary authority of Herefordshire, a county for ceremonial purposes, also gained the use of the old county council arms. Among the unitary authorities created was East Riding of Yorkshire. However this had a very different area to the pre 1974 East Riding and so was not allowed to take over the old arms. The council did obtain a grant of new arms. Rutland district became a unitary authority and ceremonial county, retaining the coat of arms that had been transferred from the previous county council.
The arms were granted to the councils of the county, and not to the county in general. This means that they can only be used by the council itself, who cannot allow another body or individual the use of their arms. However, many county councils have an additional heraldic badge which they can license organisations associated with the county to use.
The accepted practice is that it is permissible to illustrate the arms of a county council subject to copyright of the illustrator. In this case they should be clearly labelled as the arms of the county council.
There are 25 two-tier county councils remaining in England after a series of reforms.
Council | Image | Granted |
---|---|---|
Cambridgeshire County Council | Created 1976 | |
Derbyshire County Council | Transferred 1974; Crest and supporters added 1976 | |
Devon County Council | Transferred 1975 | |
East Sussex County Council | Created 1975 | |
Essex County Council | Transferred 1974 | |
Gloucestershire County Council | Transferred 1976 | |
Hampshire County Council | Created 1992 [2] | |
Hertfordshire County Council | Transferred 1974 | |
Kent County Council | Transferred 1975 | |
Lancashire County Council | Transferred 1974 | |
Leicestershire County Council | Transferred 1974 | |
Lincolnshire County Council | Created 1977 | |
Norfolk County Council | Transferred 1974; Supporters added 1992 | |
Nottinghamshire County Council | Transferred 1977 | |
Oxfordshire County Council | Created 1976 | |
Staffordshire County Council | Transferred 1975 | |
Suffolk County Council | 1978 | |
Surrey County Council | Created 1974 | |
Warwickshire County Council | Transferred 1975 | |
West Sussex County Council | Created 1975 | |
Worcestershire County Council (created 1998) | Transferred 1998 |
Council | Image | Granted | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Buckinghamshire Council | The council agreed to apply for a new coat of arms from the College of Arms in November 2021. [3] | County Council, became Unitary in 2020. | |
Bristol City Council | Transferred 1974 | District Council, became Unitary in 1996. | |
Cornwall Council | Transferred 1975 | County Council, became Unitary in 2009. | |
Cumberland Council | 1951 [lower-alpha 1] | County Council abolished in 1974, revived Unitary in 2023. | |
Dorset Council | Transferred 2019 [4] | County Council, became Unitary in 2019. Crest (granted in 2009) not shown. | |
Durham County Council | 1974 | County Council, became Unitary in 2009. | |
East Riding of Yorkshire Council | 1996 | County Council abolished in 1974, revived Unitary in 1996. | |
Herefordshire Council | Transferred 1998 | County Council abolished in 1974, revived Unitary in 1998. | |
Isle of Wight Council | Transferred 1975 | County Council, became Unitary in 1995. | |
Northumberland County Council | Transferred 1974 | County Council, became Unitary in 2009. | |
North Yorkshire Council | Created 1980 [lower-alpha 2] | County Council, became Unitary in 2023. | |
Rutland County Council | Transferred 1974 | District Council, became Unitary in 1997. | |
Shropshire Council | Transferred 1974 | County Council, became Unitary in 2009. | |
Somerset Council | Transferred 1974; Crest and supporters added 2003 [lower-alpha 3] | County Council, became Unitary in 2023. | |
Wiltshire Council | Transferred 1976 | County Council, became Unitary in 2009. |
Council | Image | Granted |
---|---|---|
Greater London Council | 1965 |
Council | Image | Granted |
---|---|---|
Avon (abolished 1996) | 1976 | |
Bedfordshire (abolished 2009) | Transferred 1975 | |
Berkshire (abolished 1998) | New Arms 1974 | |
Cheshire (abolished 2009) | Transferred 1976 | |
Cleveland (abolished 1996) | 1974 | |
Cumbria (abolished 2023) | Created 1974 | |
Dorset | Transferred 1995. Crest granted 2009 (not shown) [1] | |
Hereford and Worcester (abolished 1998) | 1978 | |
Humberside (abolished 1996) | 1976 | |
Northamptonshire (abolished 2021) | Transferred 1975 |
Council | Image | Granted | Article |
---|---|---|---|
Greater Manchester | 1974 | Coat of arms of Greater Manchester | |
Merseyside | |||
South Yorkshire | 1978 | ||
Tyne and Wear | No Arms Granted | ||
West Midlands | |||
West Yorkshire | 1975 | Coat of arms of West Yorkshire |
The counties of England are divisions of England. There are currently 48 ceremonial counties, which have their origin in the historic counties of England established in the Middle Ages. The current ceremonial counties are the result of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 and are based on the Local Government Act 1972 administrative counties which included a number of new counties such as Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear. However, some counties introduced by the Local Government Act 1972, including Avon, Cleveland and Humberside no longer exist. The term "county", relating to any of its meanings, is used as the geographical basis for a number of institutions such as police and fire services, sports clubs and other non-government organisations.
Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely was, from 1965 to 1974, an administrative and geographical county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In 1974 it became part of an enlarged Cambridgeshire.
Waltham Holy Cross was a local government district in the county of Essex, England. It was created as a local board of health district in 1850 when the parish of Waltham Holy Cross adopted the Public Health Act 1848 and was governed by Waltham Holy Cross Local Board of Health. In 1894 it became an urban district and the board became Waltham Holy Cross Urban District Council.
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and were also the counties for the purposes of Lieutenancies. Later changes in legislation during the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in counties with no county council and 'unitary authority' counties with no districts. Counties for the purposes of Lieutenancies are now defined separately, based on the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.
Rhondda was a local government district in the geographical area of the Rhondda Valley, south Wales, from 1877 until 1996, with various statuses through its history.
Heraldry in Scotland, while broadly similar to that practised in England and elsewhere in western Europe, has its own distinctive features. Its heraldic executive is separate from that of the rest of the United Kingdom.
The London County Council was granted a coat of arms in 1914 and a heraldic badge in 1956. The coat of arms can still be seen on buildings constructed by the council before its abolition in 1965.
The Coat of arms of Leeds City Council derives its design from the seventeenth century. In 1662 the Borough of Leeds received a new charter which created the office of mayor, and the arms seems to date from about this time as they incorporate part of the arms of the first mayor. These arms were recorded at the heraldic visitation of Yorkshire in 1666. By the time that the borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, silver owls had been added both as crest above the shield, and as supporters on either side. These additions were not authorised, however, and in 1920 application was made by Leeds County Borough Council to the College of Arms to have these additions officially granted. In the following year the grant of crest and supporters was made, with the colouring of the owls altered to "proper", or natural colourings. Gold ducal coronets were added to the supporters for further heraldic difference.
The coat of arms of the City of York Council is the coat of arms granted to the City of York Council, the local authority of the City of York, England. The borough has been extended a number of times from the original city contained within the city walls. However, the arms have remained the same throughout all these changes to the borough.
The coat of arms of the City of Edinburgh Council is the coat of arms belonging to The City of Edinburgh Council, the local authority of Edinburgh, Scotland. The coat of arms was registered with the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1732, having been used unofficially for several centuries previously. The central symbol is a castle, representing Edinburgh Castle.
A heraldic shield has been associated with the historic county of Sussex since the seventeenth century. The device, displaying six martlets or heraldic swallows on a shield, later formed the basis of the flag of Sussex and the armorial bearings granted to the county councils of East and West Sussex.
Flags and symbols of Yorkshire have been used to identify Yorkshire and its related councils through flags and symbols. This article also includes flags and symbols used by the present and former local authorities covering Yorkshire.
The coat of arms of Poole was first recorded by Clarenceux King of Arms during the heraldic visitation of Dorset in 1563. The arms were recorded again at the visitation of 1623, but neither visitation noted the colours of the arms. The design originated in a seal of the late 14th century and therefore predated the setting up of the College of Heralds in 1484 and also the order of King Henry V in 1417, which disallowed the bearing of arms without authority from the Crown.
English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings of arms of the College of Arms. An individual's arms may also be borne 'by courtesy' by members of the holder's nuclear family, subject to a system of cadency marks, to differentiate those displays from the arms of the original holder. The English heraldic style is exemplified in the arms of British royalty, and is reflected in the civic arms of cities and towns, as well as the noble arms of individuals in England. Royal orders in England, such as the Order of the Garter, also maintain notable heraldic bearings.
Norwich City Council is the local authority for Norwich, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Norfolk, England. It consists of 39 councillors, elected to represent 13 wards, each with three councillors. It forms the lower tier of local government in Norwich, responsible for local services such as housing, planning, leisure and tourism.
The coat of arms of the City of London Corporation is the official coat of arms granted to the City of London Corporation. The Corporation governs the City of London, one of the 33 administrative areas within Greater London, England.
The Montgomeryshire flag refers to proposals for a flag of the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. Neither has been registered with the Flag Institute.
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Croydon is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Croydon, granted on 10 December 1965.
Harold Ellis Tomlinson PhD (1916–1997) was an English educationist and heraldist. He designed many civic and corporate coats of arms, served as heraldic advisor to local government associations, and published monographs on the subject.