Up to the date of this re-organisation Bury St Edmunds Council used a coat of Arms granted in 1606.
Thingoe Council was granted Arms in 1958.
Neither Haverhill nor Clare Council were granted Arms, but the former used a badge depicting a loom.
With four former authorities in the new Borough neither of the armorial bearings could identify the new authority and areas.
Therefore the Borough Council of St Edmundsbury petitioned for a Grant of Armorial Bearings. The Arms designed by the College of Arms, were approved by the Council and with effect from 13th February 1975, were reserved to the Borough Council. Letters patent by which a right to Arms is established, were granted by the Garter, Clarenceux and Norry and Ulster Kings of Arms on 21st June 1977.
What is the purpose of Armorial Bearings?
The functional purpose of Arms is identification. It therefore follows that they must be unique in order to identify one particular person or, as in this instance, a local authority and area. Heraldry is believed to have begun in the period 1130 to 1160.
In the days before gunpowder, Knights fought on horseback and wore steel armour and a helmet, and carried a shield.
As the helmet completely covered their faces they were unrecognisable. Hence the practice arose of wearing a distinctive crest on a cloak or mantle worn over the helmet and painting a design and motto on the shield, to show people who they were. Later these crests, designs and mottoes were registered by the College of Arms. They were handed down from father to son and became, the Crest, Arms and Motto of the family.
The right to bear Arms is regarded as being in the nature of a dignity. Like all dignities, Arms emanate from the Sovereign, as the fount of all honour.
Armorial Bearings may be granted to local authorities, universities, colleges, hospitals, learned societies, dioceses and the like, all of which have an existence recognisable at law. Such a grant of Arms has to be registered by the College of Arms in the same way as Arms granted to an individual.
The College of Arms uses a complicated system of technical terms to describe a grant of arms in order that they can be registered totally accurately, but in the fewest possible words. Many words derive from Latin or Norman French and go back to Medieval times. This description is known as a Blazon.
Blazon in respect of the grant of Armorial Bearings to The Borough Council of St Edmundsbury
Arms | Azure, a representation of the Sword in its Scabbard of the St Edmundsbury Borough Council proper between in fess, two pairs of arrows each in saltire points downwards, Argent enfiling an Ancient Crown Or. |
Crest | On a Wreath of the colours upon a grassy mount a Wolf sejant proper resting the dexter paw upon a King's head couped at the neck also proper crowned Or, mantled Gules doubled Argent. |
Supporters | Dexter, a Lion per chevronny Or and Gules charged on the shoulder with a roundel Gules fretty Or; Sinister, an Ounce Sable bezanty gorged with a collar compony counter compony Argent and Azure and charged on the shoulder with a roundel Or fretty Sable. |
Motto | Sacrarium Regis Cunabula Legis |
Glossary of Terms
The modern equivalents of some of the words in the blazon are as follows:-
Argent | silver |
Azure | blue - usually dark |
Bezanty | repeated coin-like circles in rows |
Charged | represented |
Chevronny | with inverted V's |
Compony | a chequered band coloured alternately metal (gold or silver) and tincture (one of the colours) |
Couped | cut - the point of severence |
Dexter | right hand. Hence the left hand side as viewed, (armed man carrying shield is behind it) |
Doubled | mantling turned back to reveal some of the reverse side |
Enfiling | encircling |
Fess, in | in the centre of the shield |
Fretty | interlaced, as in weaving |
Gorged | beasts neck encircled with some object |
Gules | red |
Mantled | Fronds of fabric falling from below the wreath and draped on each side of the Helm |
Or | gold |
Ounce | name applied to members of the cat family - mountain panther, snow leopard or cheetah |
Proper | in natural colour |
Sable | black |
Saltire, in | in the form of an X |
Sejant | sitting on haunches |
Sinister | left hand. Hence the right hand side as viewed |
Wreath of the Colours | two lengths of fabric twisted like the strands of a rope with which the helmet of rank is encircled and upon which the crest is set. The wreath is of six segments alternate metal and tincture being the major colours of the shield. In this instance, Azure and Or - namely dark blue and gold |
Translation of the Blazon into English
A modern description might run as follows:-
Arms
The colour of the shield is blue. In the centre of the shield is the Sword of the St Edmundsbury Borough Council in its natural colours. It has a red velvet scabbard trimmed with gilt ornaments. The spirally twisted grip of the sword is also of gilt.
On either side of the Sword is an ancient gold crown encircling two silver arrows in the form of an X with their points downwards.
Crest
The wreath is of silver and blue.
Above this is a grassy hill on which sits a wolf in profile and natural colour facing left. Its right paw rests on the gold crowned head of a King which has been cut off at the neck. The mantling is coloured red on the outside and silver on the inside.
All of this is in turn placed upon a Helm appropriate to a corporation - steel, with the visor closed facing the viewers left.
Supporters
On the dexter side (the viewer's left) is a lion on which gold and red inverted V's are superimposed. Its claws and tongue are blue. On the shoulder is a roundel with interlaced lines of red and gold.
On the sinister side (the viewer's right) is a black panther with rows of gold coin-like circles. Around its neck is a collar or band in checks of blue and silver. On the shoulder is a roundel with interlaced lines of gold and black. The tongue and claws are red.
Motto
The Latin: "Sacrarium Regis Cunabula legis" may be translated "Shrine of the King, Cradle of the Law". This was also the motto of the former Borough of Bury St Edmunds.
Interpretation, or what does it all mean?
Let's look at why the Kings of Arms designed the Council's coat of arms the way they did. There is an explanation and a reason, for each item included.
Arms
Whereas the possession of a mace or maces was a legitimate ambition of every corporation - a right granted to Bury St Edmunds by the Charter of Incorporation in 1606 - the right to have a Sword has always been more sparingly granted. Bury St Edmunds was one of the few towns to be granted the right for a Sword of State in the 17th Century, by Letters Patent of Charles II dated 3rd July 1684.