Battersea

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom

BATTERSEA

Metropolitan Borough of London

Incorporated into : 1965 Wandsworth

Official blazon

Arms: Per pale indented Argent and Azure a Bordure barry wavy also Argent and Azure thereon sixteen Mullets Or.
Crest: Issuant from a Rim Or and between eight Slips of Lavender a Dove holding in the beak an Olive Branch proper.
Motto: 'NON MIHI NON TIBI SED NOBIS'-Not for me, not for thee, but for us.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on September 30, 1955.

The blue and silver shield represents a similar device which was in unofficial use by the borough for more than sixty years, and the wavy border signifies Battersea's position on the Thames. The five-pointed stars are associated with the arms of the St. John family whose long connection with Battersea is well known, while their number, sixteen, represents the sixteen wards of the borough. The dove with olive branch used as a crest is a common heraldic device, but it stands on a circlet of gold between sprigs of lavender, an allusion to the lavender fields which gave the name to the borough's principal thoroughfare.

The arms as used on a JaJa postcard +/- 1905

The arms in the Coffee Hag albums +/- 1925

Literature : Information provided by Laurence Jones (laurencejones@eircom.net)