Plymouth, Coat of Arms

PLYMOUTH
DATA

The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History

PLYMOUTH COAT OF ARMS

The coat of arms of the City of Plymouth, UK

The motto is 'Turris fortissima est nomen Jehova' translating as "The name of Jehovah is the strongest tower" and is taken from the Proverbs of Solomon.

The present coat of arms was designed by Mr Arthur Cockrane, Clarenceux King of Arms, and was authorised in 1931. It consists of a silver spade-shaped shield with a green St Andrew's Cross (the dedication of the Mother Church of Plymouth) and four black towers representing the towers of the original Plymouth Castle.

The crest is a blue naval crown, which replaced the inaccurate crown on the earlier arms, and a red anchor held aloft by a golden lion's paw: this is taken from the old Devonport arms and represents the naval connection.

The two lion supporters have red medallions charged with a silver boar's head: these are taken from the arms of the Mount Edgcumbe family, who held the Manor of East Stonehouse.

These colours are used in the design of the Plymouth Data Website: the green from Plymouth, the navy blue from Devonport and the red from East Stonehouse.

Principal Sources:

Polglaze, Hugh, "The Romance of Plymouth's Coat-of-Arms", Doidge's Western Counties Illustrated Annual, 1935, Hoyten & Cole, Plymouth, 1935.