Courtesy Bourne Town Council

 

THE ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF 

BOURNE URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

1899-1974

 

and of

 

BOURNE TOWN COUNCIL

FROM 1974

 

 

 

By Letters Patent dated 23rd July, 1953, the
College of Arms granted a Coat of Arms to the
Bourne Urban District Council in the following
terms:—


"Or, on a fess azure between in chief three
torteaux and in base a Wake Knot gules, a bar
wavy argent, and for the crest, on a wreath of
the colours issuant from the battlements of a
tower gules a demi-lion ermine holding between
the paws an escutcheon azure charged with a
fleur-de-lys argent."


The shield is a modification of the Wake arms
hitherto in use. The three red roundels on gold
remains, and the characteristic Wake knot sur-
mounting the previous design is identified with
them in the base of the shield. The two red
bars from the Wake arms are replaced by a
single broad blue one charged with a wavy
white one; this figure represents the historic
Carr Dike and the Bourne Eau.
Above the shield is the closed helm granted
to civic authorities, and this is furnished with
the twisted crest-wreath and slashed cloak or
mantlings in the main colours of the arms, gold
and blue.


The red battlements represent the Castle; the
ermine lion is from the arms of the Cecils, of
which family was Queen Elizabeth I's famous
Treasurer, Lord Burleigh, and the Marquesses
of Exeter who have owned the market right
since 1564. The lion holds a shield of the arms
of the Digby family of the Red Hall.

The Coat of Arms was transferred to "The Parish Council of Bourne" on 21st May 1974 and registered as such at the London College of Arms on 10th March 1975 and the original Patent of Armorial Bearings have been endorsed accordingly.

 

THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT

Photo courtesy The Local newspaper

Photo courtesy The Local newspaper

The actual Letters Patent issued by the College of Arms was handed to the Town Council in 1983 and is currently valued at £8,000. It has been finished on parchment with three royal seals attached and is contained in an inscribed case which is currently kept in a safe but in the autumn of 2007, councillors decided to put the document on display in the Town Hall once secure arrangements could be made. The clerk to the council, Mrs Nelly Jacobs, said that it was irreplaceable and added: "It is a most attractive document and the council has decided that the people should have the opportunity to see what a glorious piece of history we have in our possession."

 

WRITTEN OCTOBER 2007

 

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