The

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

was granted a

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 ...

in 1914 and a

heraldic badge A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

in 1956. The coat of arms can still be seen on buildings constructed by the council before its abolition in 1965.

Background and initial designs

By 1894 the LCC had adopted a device consisting of "an armed female figure between the armorial bearings of the Cities of London and Westminster". The question of an official coat of arms for the county council was first raised at a meeting of the council in 1897. Despite the opposition of two members on the grounds that it was "an insidious attempt to undermine the democratic character of the Council" and, jokingly, that they should not "degenerate to the level of the City Corporation", the General Purposes Committee were instructed to take steps to obtain a coat of arms. Nothing seems to have come of this, and the unofficial device continued in use. In May 1906 the general purposes committee was asked to consider and report on whether the council should make an "application to the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

or otherwise take steps to obtain a coat of arms, with a view to commemorating worthily its work in connection with public improvements, such as the construction of new streets and bridges, the restoration of ancient buildings and the like." No further action appears to have been taken until February 1911, when the committee recommended that a coat of arms be obtained at a cost not exceeding £100. The recommendation was rejected by the council, with one member stating that the letters "L.C.C." would be good enough for the council. Another councillor sarcastically suggested the arms of the council should include, among other things, a wrecked ship, the shut gates of the work department and a tombstone to the memory of municipal enterprise with the motto "

ad quod damnum ''Ad quod damnum'' or ''ad damnum'' is a Latin phrase meaning "according to the harm" or "appropriate to the harm". It is used in tort law as a measure of damage inflicted, and implying a remedy, if one exists, ought to correspond specifically a ...

". In 1914 the council chairman, Cyril Cobb offered to defray the cost of obtaining a grant of arms. Following discussions with the College of Arms, a design was submitted by the general purposes committee to the council on 24 February. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

of the proposed shield for the coat of arms was stated as: "On a cross the Imperial Crown between, in the first and fourth quarters a representation of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

and in the second and third quarters an ancient galley, on a chief a lion of England". The suggested crest was a lion issuing from a mural crown and holding a banner of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

. The supporters were to be a Roman officer-of-arms and a Saxon warrior. 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 ''loci dulcedo nos attinet'' or ''the pleasantness of the place holds us'' was suggested. This was adapted from the ''Annals'' of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

, and was stated to be the earliest mention of London in history. The towers were to represent strength and the galleys the shipping interests of the Metropolis. The cross, imperial crown and the lion in the crest were to show that London was the capital of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The mural crown symbolised municipal government. The supporters illustrated the origins and early history of the city.

Grant of arms

The final design for the arms, "simple in character and in every way suggestive of the corporate life of London", was agreed by the council on 26 May 1914. The arms were blazoned as: :''Barry wavy of six azure and argent, on a Chief of the last the cross of St George charged with a lion of England, the shield ensigned with a Mural Crown gold'' The blue and silver waves represented the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and the

Port of London The Port of London is that part of the River Thames in England lying between Teddington Lock and the defined boundary (since 1968, a line drawn from Foulness Point in Essex via Gunfleet Old Lighthouse to Warden Point in Kent) with the North Sea ...

. The English lion on a

St George's cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with the cru ...

was to show that London was the "Royal centre of England", encompassing the nation's capital city. The gold mural crown indicated that the arms were those of a municipal body. As the arms included part of the royal arms (the English lion) a royal warrant was issued granting the arms on 29 July 1914. The arms were registered at the

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

dated 20 October 1914. In 1953 the county council adopted a new representation of the arms, still conforming to the 1914 blazon.

Heraldic badge

The arms granted in 1914 could only be used by the county council itself. The council decided that it required an emblem which it could allow clubs and societies associated with the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

to use. Accordingly, they applied for the grant of an heraldic badge. The badge was granted by letters patent dated 12 March 1956, and was blazoned: :''An oval azure charged with two bars wavy argent, on a chief of the last a cross throughout gules, the whole encompassed by a rope or.'' The badge repeated the main motifs from the arms: the blue and silver waves and cross of St George. The badge was encircled by a golden rope for the maritime associations of the county. The council permitted "organisations, societies, clubs and other bodies having a connection or association with the County of London" to display the badge subject to conditions imposed by the council.Leaflet published by the London County Council, September 1956

References

* {{London County Council Culture in London History of local government in London London County Council

London City Council London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada. Composition London is divided into 14 wards, with residents in each ward electing one councillor. The mayor is elected citywide, who along with the councillors for ...

1914 in London Former municipal coats of arms in London Coats of arms of county councils in England

Background and initial designs

Grant of arms

Heraldic badge

See also

References