Valenciennes

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VALENCIENNES

Département : Nord

Official blazon

(fr) De gueules au lion d'or.

Origin/meaning

The arms show a lion, but the origin is not clear. It has been stated that it is the lion of Hainaut in inversed colours, but that is unlikely as Hainaut never used a single lion, but a quartered shield of Vlaandere (Flandre) and Holland since the 13th century. In the 19th century also swan supporters have been used (see also below for the swan arms).

The seal from 1374	The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms in Hozier (1696)
The arms in Traversier (1842)	The arms on a medal (1864, image from auction site)
The arms in the Café Sanka album +/- 1932	The arms on a tobacco card by Laurens
The arms on a postcard by Barré Dayez	The arms in the Abadie albums

Sometimes other arms are shown for the town, showing a swan. These are canting arms; Val-de-Cygnes (valley of swans). I have, however, only seen those on maps, or sources based on maps, from the 16th and 17th century. Sometimes alone, sometimes both arms (lion and swan) are shown on the map.