CHESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
ARMS: Azure a Sword erect between three Garbs Or. Motto 'JURE ET DIGNITATE GLADII' - By the right and dignity of the Sword. Picture used with permission, do not reproduce. |
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The three gold wheatsheaves on blue are associated with the ancient Earldom of Chester. These arms were borne by Rululph de Blondeville. To the ancient arms of the Earldom of Chester has been added a sword -fitting emblem of the County Palatinate which the Earl 'held as freely by his sword as the King of England held by his crown'. To this the motto refers. |
CHESTER CITY COUNCIL |
*ARMS: Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or dimidiating Azure three Garbs Or all within a Bordure Or charged with eight Acorns proper. Motto 'ANTIQUI COLANT ANTIQUUM DIERUM' - Let the ancients worship the Ancient of Days. The City of Chester was formed by the amalgamation of the former City and County Borough of Chester, the Chester Rural District and the Tarvin Rural District. Picture used with permission, do not reproduce. |
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The present armorial bearings are based upon the arms originally granted to the City of Chester during the reign of Elizabeth I in 1580. |
CONGLETON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
*ARMS: Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure on a Tun Argent a Lion statant guardant Or between two Conger Eels also Argent on a Chief Azure between two Garbs a Mullet Or. Motto 'NUNQUAM NON PARATUS' - Never unprepared. The Borough of Congleton was formed by the amalgamation of the former Borough of Congleton, the Alsager Urban District, the Middlewich Urban District, the Sandbach Urban District and the Congleton Rural District. Picture used with permission, do not reproduce. |
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The background of six white and blue blue waves, like those in arms of the former Borough of Congleton, represent the Rivers Dane, Croco and Wheelock and their feeders. Overlying them is the very ancient "conger-tun" punning motif from the mediaeval seal and former arms, with the royal lion standing on the tun. The two gold wheatsheaves refer to the County. Two such sheaves appear in the arms of the Congleton RDC, one in those of the former Borough, three in those of Sandbach UDC and the device of Alsager UDC. The five-pointed gold star symbolizes the union of the five former authorities. It is also a felicitous allusion to the giant radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, which picks up stellar radio signals. |
CREWE AND NANTWICH BOROUGH COUNCIL |
ARMS: Quarterly Or and Gules a Railway Wheel of six spokes proper on a Chief wavy Azure three Garbs Or. Motto 'SEMPER PROGREDIAMUR' - Let us progress together. The Borough of Crewe and Nantwich was formed by the amalgamation of the Borough of Crewe, the Nantwich Urban District and the Nantwich Rural District. Image courtesy of The Heraldry Society. |
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The gold and red quarters are derived from the arms of the the de Malbanks, holders of the barony of Wich Malbank, one of the eight baronies of the Earldom of Chester. They held all the area now covered by the Nantwich authorities and Crewe, including Combermere Abbey, which owned Monks Coppenhall, the site of the modern Crewe. Their arms were borne by Combermere Abbey and have been used by both former Nantwich Councils.
The railway wheel, here seen in its natural colours, was the main charge in the arms of the Borough of Crewe and symbolizes the importance and growth of Crewe in the railway system in modern times. Also from the Crewe arms is the blue wavy "chief" representing the River Waldron, on whose bank the railway junction was sited. Here it also represents also the River Weaver in the Nantwich area. In Crewe's shield were two of the famous gold Cheshire wheatsheaves, a third is added to represent the three Cheshire authorities united in the new District and the important agriculture of the rural area. |
ELLESMERE PORT AND NESTON BOROUGH COUNCIL |
ARMS: Quarterly Gules and Azure on a Bar Argent a Barrulet Sable surmounted of a Pale also Argent thereon a Pallet Azure in the first quarter a Beaver in the second a Mercian Cross in the third a Garb and in the fourth a Cornucopia inverted all Gold. Motto 'LET US GO FORWARD TOGETHER'. The Borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston was formed by the amalgamation of the Borough of Ellesmere Port and the Neston Urban District. |
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The arms are based on those of the former Borough of Ellesmere Port. The black horizontal line between silver borders symbolizes the oil pipes of the petroleum industry and the blue vertical line between similar borders
represents the Manchester Ship Canal on which Ellesmere Port is the first inward Port of call. The Beaver refers to industry, while the Mercian Cross is representative of the Neston area of the Borough. The golden sheath has since the thirteenth century been traditionally associated with the Earldom and County of Chester, while the Cornucopia suggests prosperity. |
MACCLESFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL |
*ARMS: Argent a Lion rampant Azure holding between the forepaws a Garb Or all within a Bordure Azure charged with eight Garbs Or. Motto 'MEMORES BONI CONSILII' - Mindful of our worthy purpose. The Borough of Macclesfield was formed by the amalgamation of the former Borough of Macclesfield, the Alderley Edge Urban District, the Bollington Urban District, the Knutsford Urban District, the Wilmslow Urban District, part of the Bucklow Rural District and the Macclesfield Rural District. Picture and information thanks to Laurence Jones. |
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The blue lion holding a sheaf is from the arms of the former Borough of Macclesfield. The blue bordure with eight gold sheaves represents the eight former Cheshire councils merged in the new Borough. |
VALE ROYAL BOROUGH COUNCIL |
ARMS Barry wavy of six Argent and Azure issuant from the base an Abbot's Crosier Gules headed Sable on a Chief wavy Azure three Garbs Or. Motto 'VALE SAPE' - Be strong, be wise. The Borough of Vale Royal was formed by the amalgamation of the Northwich Urban District, the Winsford Urban District, the Northwich Rural District and part of the Runcorn Rural District. Picture used with permission, do not reproduce. |
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The background of six white and blue waves represents the River Weaver and its chief tributaries in the area, the Dane and Wheelock. The crosier is from the arms of the Northwich RDC, it recalls Vale Royal Abbey, whose arms in full are part of the Winsford UDC device. The Abbey, which gives its name to the Borough was founded and so named in 1270 by Prince (later King) Edward in what is now the centre of the region. In the Northwich RDC arms it is coloured blue for aesthetic reasons, here it has the colours generally ascribed to it in armorial records, which distinguish it from all other crosiers in ecclesiastical heraldry - red staff and black head. The golden wheatsheaves on blue refer to the County, and were common to the arms of the former Councils. |
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