The coat of arms of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, now capital of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, was granted officially on 30 June 1890, although it has been used from 1643. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the city is blazoned as ''Party per fesse argent and azure, in chief a pile vair and on a canton gules a bell argent, in base a ship with sails set argent on waves of the sea proper''. This heraldic language describes a shield that is divided in two horizontally (''party per fesse''). The top (''chief'') of the shield is silver (''argent''), and has a point-down triangle (''a pile'') with a repeating blue-and-white pattern that represents fur (''vair''). There is also a red square in the top corner (''a canton gules'') on which there is a silver bell. It is likely that the bell is an example here of "canting" (or punning) heraldry, representing the first syllable of Belfast. In the lower part of the shield (''in base'') there is a silver sailing ship shown sailing on waves coloured in the actual colours of the sea (''proper''). The supporter on the "dexter" side (that is, the viewer's left) is a chained wolf, while on the "sinister" side the supporter is a sea-horse. The crest above the shield is also a sea-horse. In the lower part, the coat of arms has the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto "" in black on a white tape. This is taken from

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

116 Verse 12 in the Latin Vulgate Bible (Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quæ retribuit mihi?) and is literally "For (''Pro'') so much (''tanto'') what (''quid'') shall we repay (''retribuamus'')" The verse has been translated in bibles differently – for example as "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?". It is also translated as "In return for so much, what shall we give back?" These arms date back to 1613, when King James I granted Belfast town status. The seal was used by Belfast merchants throughout the 17th century on their signs and trade-coins. A large stained glass window in the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

displays the arms, where an explanation suggests that the seahorse and the ship refer to Belfast's significant maritime history. The wolf may be a tribute to the city's founder,

Sir Arthur Chichester Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (May 1563 – 19 February 1625; known between 1596 and 1613 as Sir Arthur Chichester), of Carrickfergus in Ireland, was an English administrator and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 160 ...

, and refer to his own coat of arms. The elements that make up the arms of Belfast also appear on its flag.

Gallery

File:Coat of arms of Belfast (shield).svg, Lesser coat of arms File:Belfast Coat of Arms (Partial).svg, Version used in the logo of the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

File:Belfast city CoA painting.png, Seal of the city File:Flag of Belfast.svg, Flag of the city

References

{{commons category, Coats of arms of Belfast 1890 introductions 1890 establishments in Ireland Coats of arms of Northern Ireland Culture in Belfast History of Belfast