The coat of arms of Newport is the

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

emblem of the city of Newport, South

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Also known as the Civic Badge, it has been borne by the present

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

since 24 July 1996 following the municipal reorganisation in April that year.

Timeline

Official usage of the Arms was granted to the Newport County Borough Council 17 April 1929, although the arms were unofficially in use before that date. Usage of the winged sea lion and winged sea dragon supporters was granted 7 May 1958. The subsequent Newport Borough Council used the arms from 1974 to 1996.

Symbolism

The coat of arms is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, the cherub above the shield and secondly, Newport was the first authority to use the winged sea lion which has rare heraldic usage.

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

:The shield is that of the Staffords,

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

s and

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

s of Buckingham,

Lords of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seigno ...

of Newport in the 14th and 15th centuries, but the reversed chevron marks the difference between these Borough Arms and those of the family.

Supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...

:The winged sea lion and winged sea dragon represent strength on land, sea and in the air.Heraldry of the World
/ref>

Motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

:The motto ''Terra Marique'' was adopted at the same time as the supporters and means 'By land and sea', in reference to Newport's position as a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

Derivations

The current Newport City Council logo features the winged sea lion derived from the coat of arms. A feature of the 1927 Newport Bridge is the four plaques showing the cherub over the shield but omitting the other detail of the coat of arms. Newport Rugby Football Club use a variant of the cherub and shield as their club

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

and Newport County football Club use a variant of the shield in their club crest.

The Stone Roses

In 1994 John Squire, guitarist of

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

designed the cover of their hit single

Love Spreads "Love Spreads" is a song by British alternative rock group the Stone Roses, released on 21 November 1994 as the first single from their second album, ''Second Coming''. The record reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, the highest peak fo ...

based on a photograph of a stone cherub and shield on Newport Bridge. The song was the band's biggest selling single, reaching number 2 in the UK charts. The cherub design was found on many pieces of

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

merchandise, the album from which Love Spreads is taken.

Gallery

File:Newport COA shield.svg, The shield of Newport File:FLAG OF NEWPORT.jpg, Theoretical heraldic banner of Newport File:Newport Bridge cherub.jpg,

Cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

and shield on Newport Bridge File:Newport_Market_Cherub.jpg,

and shield on

Newport Market Newport Market (also known as Newport Provisions Market) is a traditional Victorian indoor market, in Newport, South Wales. It is an early example of a large-span cast iron-frame building featuring a glass-filled barrel roof. Newport bus stati ...

, Upper Dock Street entrance File:Belle Vue Park gates.jpg,

Belle Vue Park Belle Vue Park is a large Victorian public park in the west of the city of Newport, in South Wales. It was awarded a Green Flag Award in 2008 and has maintained the status for over a decade since. The park is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Regist ...

gates, Cardiff Road, Newport

References

External links

Newport City Council - The Civic Badge
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920103143/https://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=council.homepage&contentid=DevXP002275 , date=20 September 2021 Newport Newport, Wales History of Newport, Wales Newport Newport Newport