The coat of arms of King's College London in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, are

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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

ed: ''on a Pale Azure between two Lions rampant respectant Gules an Anchor Gold ensigned by a Royal Crown proper on a Chief Argent an Ancient Lamp proper inflamed Gold between two Blazing Hearths also proper.'' The current coat of arms was developed after the mergers of the college with

Queen Elizabeth College Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, opened in 1885 but which later accepted men as well. The first King's 'extension' lectures for ladi ...

and

Chelsea College of Science and Technology Chelsea College of Science and Technology was established as a College of Advanced Technology (United Kingdom), College of Advanced Technology on a single site on the corner of Manresa Road and King's Road, Chelsea, London, Chelsea, London SW ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1985. The Rampant Lions are from Chelsea College's crest and the Blazing Hearths are from Queen Elizabeth College's. The arms incorporates aspects of the heraldry of the two colleges. A warrant for the use of the current arms was granted by 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 ...

, and the right to use the Royal Crown in the armorial achievement was granted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1995. File:Coat of Arms of King’s College London (1829-1985).png, Arms of King's College from 1829 to 1985 File:King's Coat of Arms 1911.png, Arms of King's College, used sometime in 1911 File:Queen_Elizabeth_College_coat_of_arms.jpg, Arms of

, merged into King's c1985 File:Chelsea_College_University_of_London.png, Arms of Chelsea College, merged into King's c1985

Original coat of arms

The original coat of arms used from 1829 to 1985 is that of

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

, who was the King at the time of foundation of the college. The shield depicts the royal coat of arms together with an

inescutcheon In heraldry, an inescutcheon is a smaller Escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon that is placed within or superimposed over the main shield of a coat of arms, similar to a Charge (heraldry), charge. This may be used in the following cases: * as a sim ...

of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

, while the supporters embody the college motto of ' ("With Holiness and Wisdom"). The original arms is displayed on the

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

of King's College London. The crest and supporters are blazoned: ''On a Helm with a Wreath Or and Azure Upon a Book proper rising from a Coronet Or the rim set with jewels two Azure (one manifest) four Vert (two manifest) and two Gules a demi Lion Gules holding a Rod of Dexter a female figure habited Azure the cloak lined coif and sleeves Argent holding in the exterior hand a Lond Cross botony Gold and sinister a male figure the Long Coat Azure trimmed with Sable proper shirt Argent holding in the interior hand a Book proper.'' There is no surviving correspondence in the

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

Archives and at the

regarding the choice of the original coat of arms. A wide variety of unofficial adaptations have been used during the college history. The original arms can still be seen at the entrance to the 19th century King's Building at the

Strand Campus The Strand Campus is the founding campus of King's College London and is located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, adjacent to Somerset House and continuing its frontage along the River Thames. The original campus comprises the Grade ...

. The King's College London coat of arms is only used on formal documents, including examination certificates, formal invitations and graduation materials, and it acts as a legitimising device on official legal titles and documents.

References

{{Academic heraldry

King's College London

Original coat of arms

See also

References