Coat of arms of the City of Christchurch

Last updated
Coat of arms of the City of Christchurch
Chch COA.JPG
Armiger Christchurch City Council
Adopted21 February 1949
Crest Kiwi
Torse Blue and Gold
Blazon Four Lymphads, Mitre, Fleece and Garb and two Bars Wavy
Supporters Pūkeko
Compartment Grassy with Celmesia Flowers
Motto Latin: Fide Condita Fructu Beata Spe Fortis

The coat of arms of the City of Christchurch, also known as the armorial bearings, is the official symbol of the City of Christchurch, New Zealand. They were granted to the city by the College of Arms by letters patent on 21 February 1949.

Contents

Blazon

Translation of the blazon

The colour of the shield is first described. ‘Or’ is gold. Then the items on the shield are described. ‘On a Chevron’ A chevron is similar to an inverted V. ‘Gules’ is red, therefore the chevron is coloured red. What is on the chevron is then described. ‘a Mitre’ is a bishop's mitre. It position is stated to be between ‘a Fleece’, which is on the left and ‘a Garb’ on the right, which is a sheaf of wheat. A fleece is usually depicted as whole sheep. ‘Of the first’ describes the colour of these three objects and refers to the first colour mentioned, vis ‘Or’, which is gold. ‘In base two bars wavy’ means in the base of the chevron are two wavy bars. ‘Azure’ means blue so that the bars are coloured blue. A ‘Chief’ is a wide horizontal stripe at the top of the shield. ‘Of the last’ is the last colour described, which is blue. Therefore, the Chief is blue. Then the objects on the Chief are described. The ‘four Lymphads’ means four sailing ships and these ships have their ‘sails furled’ i.e. the sails are gathered into the mast rather than fully extended as when sailing. ‘also of the first’ describes the ship's colour, which is the first colour mentioned, which is gold. ‘For the Crest on a Wreath’ is the standard way of describing the helmet above the shield and the mantling. Mantling is standard on Arms and is the material-like item wrapping around the helmet. Then the Crest's colours are described ‘Or’ (gold) and ‘Azure’ (blue) and the object that is above the crest. ‘a Kiwi’ is a bird and ‘proper’ means that it is depicted in its natural colours; in this case brown. The supporters are the creatures on either side of the shield. ‘a Pūkeko’ is another bird and one is placed on each side facing the shield. Again ‘proper’ means that the bird is depicted in its natural colours. The motto is not always described in the Blazon nor is what the supporters stand on described. This is assumed by the heraldic artist.

Significance of main features

The original grant of the coat of arms of the City of Christchurch; complete with artistic rendition and seals of the Kings of Arms. Chch COA2.JPG
The original grant of the coat of arms of the City of Christchurch; complete with artistic rendition and seals of the Kings of Arms.

Arms

The four lymphads represent the "First Four Ships" (the Charlotte-Jane , the Randolph , the Sir George Seymour and the Cressy) which arrived in 1850 with the first settlers of the area. The mitre symbolizes that Christchurch was planned as a Church of England settlement and was made a bishop's see, with city status, by Queen Victoria in 1856. The fleece and garb denote the agricultural and pastoral pursuits of the surrounding region. The two bars wavy represent the two rivers running through the city: the Avon and Heathcote.

Crest

On the blue and gold wreath of the helmet is a kiwi, a flightless native bird, which is also used as a New Zealand national emblem.

Supporters

The pūkeko (or Australasian swamphen) is a native bird found in and around the Christchurch City area.

Motto

Fide Condita Fructu Beata Spe Fortis translated means "Founded in Faith, Rich in the Fulfillment thereof, Strong in Hope for the Future". Further interpretation can be read:

  1. "Fide condita" is a reference to ecclesiastical origins and name of the city, taking "fides" in the sense of the Christian Faith.
  2. "Fructu beata" means "rich in the fruits of the earth" and "rich in the fruits of her industry", as well as in the fulfillment of the Founders' Faith.
  3. "Spe fortis" means at once "strong in hope" and "bold in her claims upon the future".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Nunavut</span>

The coat of arms of the territory of Nunavut was granted by a warrant of Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada, dated 31 March 1999, one day before the territory of Nunavut, Canada, was created. The same document specified the flag of Nunavut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Western Australia</span>

The coat of arms of Western Australia is the official coat of arms of the Australian state of Western Australia. It was granted by a royal warrant of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia dated 17 March 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Bahamas</span> National coat of arms of The Bahamas

The coat of arms of the Bahamas contains a shield with the national symbols as its focal point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Belize</span> Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Belize was adopted upon independence, and the current coat of arms is only slightly different from that used when Belize was a British colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordinary (heraldry)</span> Basic geometric charge in heraldry

In heraldry, an ordinary is one of the two main types of charges, beside the mobile charges. An ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use as long as the traditional ordinaries. Diminutives of ordinaries and some subordinaries are charges of the same shape, though thinner. Most of the ordinaries are theoretically said to occupy one-third of the shield; but this is rarely observed in practice, except when the ordinary is the only charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Toronto</span> Official coat of arms of the City of Toronto

The coat of arms of Toronto is a heraldic symbol used to represent the city Toronto. Designed by Robert Watt, the Chief Herald of Canada at the time, for the City of Toronto after its amalgamation in 1998. The arms were granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 11 January 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Zimbabwe</span> National coat of arms of the Republic of Zimbabwe

The current coat of arms of Zimbabwe was adopted on 21 September 1981, one year and five months after the national flag was adopted. Previously the coat of arms of Zimbabwe was identical to the former coat of arms of Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Victoria (state)</span>

The coat of arms of Victoria is the official heraldic symbol of the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria was the second state of Australia to gain arms, granted on 6 June 1910 by royal warrant of King George V. The state had been named in 1851 after his grandmother, who was in reign at the time. The final version of the arms was granted 28 March 1978 in the royal warrant issued by Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Sunderland</span>

The coat of arms of Sunderland is the official heraldic arms of the City of Sunderland in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Mitcham</span>

Mitcham was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1915 to 1965 around the town of Mitcham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Edmonton</span>

The coat of arms of Edmonton was granted on 28 October 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of New South Wales</span> Coat of arms of the Australian state of New South Wales

The coat of arms of New South Wales is the official coat of arms of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was granted by royal warrant of King Edward VII dated 11 October 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Seychelles</span> Coat of arms of the Indian Ocean country

The coat of arms of the Republic of Seychelles shows a shield, in which a giant tortoise is located on green grounds. On the ground there is a coco de mer palm tree. Behind it there is a blue sea with two islands and a sail ship to be seen. The shield is enthroned by a silver helmet, on which a white-tailed tropicbird is located above blue and white waves. The shield is supported by two white sailfish. Beneath the shield the motto of Seychelles is stated: "Finis Coronat Opus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Leeds</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council</span>

The coat of arms of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council was granted in 1976. The council is the local authority for the district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The coat of arms is based on those of Bradford Corporation, the local authority for the County Borough of Bradford, both of which were abolished in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blazon</span> Art of describing heraldic arms in proper terms

In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has traditionally had considerable latitude in design, but a verbal blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements. A coat of arms or flag is therefore primarily defined not by a picture but rather by the wording of its blazon. Blazon is also the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, the act of writing such a description. Blazonry is the art, craft or practice of creating a blazon. The language employed in blazonry has its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax, which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning a complex coat of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Dominica</span>

The coat of arms of Dominica was adopted on July 21, 1961. It consists of a shield with two guardian sisserou parrots bracing the shield atop of which is a lion passant. The quarters of the shield depict a canoe, a banana tree, a palm and a frog of the native species known as the mountain chicken. Below the shield is the national motto: Apres Bondie C'est La Ter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Penang</span> Heraldic emblem representing the Malaysian state of Penang

The Coat of arms of Penang is largely based on the coat of arms of Penang first granted to the Settlement of Penang, then in the Federation of Malaya, by a Royal Warrant of King George VI dated 11 September 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pile (heraldry)</span>

In heraldry, a pile is a charge usually counted as one of the ordinaries. It consists of a wedge emerging from the upper edge of the shield and converging to a point near the base. If it touches the base, it is blazoned throughout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the London Borough of Bexley</span>

Coat of arms of the London Borough of Bexley is the official coat of arms of the London Borough of Bexley, granted on 20 May 1965.

References