Nesle

Country : France Département : Somme Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":49.75739999999999696456143283285200595855712890625,"lon":2.909400000000000208189021577709354460239410400390625,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon

French	De gueules à trois bars d'or posés en pal, celui du milieu surmonté d'une fleur de lis du même.
English	No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation

Origin/meaning

It is not clear when the arms were designed. Nesle was already mentioned as a town or city in the 13th century and the oldest known seal dates from 1303. It shows the arms of the 13th century Lords of Nesle, being two barbels (fish), slightly curved with the backs towards each other in the centre. The field covered with small trefoils .

Somewhere in history the two barbels became three and placed palewise and the trefoils disappeared. Instead a small fleur-de-lys appeared, probably testimony to the loyalty of the city and the lords of Nesle to the crown of France, then to France more simply. As there are no more historical seals available, it is not clear when this changes took place. The current arms were used at least in the early 19th century.

The arms shown in 1844

Literature: Images from http://www.armorialdefrance.fr; background by Jacques Dulphy