Axminster

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AXMINSTER (Urban District Council)

Incorporated into: 1966 Axminster RDC (1974 East Devon)

Official blazon

Arms: Per saltire Gules and Azure an Orb between in fesse two Battle Axes erect the blades inwards and in base a Shuttle all Or.
Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours upon a Mount Vert a Minster proper.
Motto: 'STEADFAST AND FAITHFUL'

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on November 10, 1945.

The field and orb are from the arms attributed to King Athelstan, and the battle-axes refer to the Battle of Brunanburgh in 938, after which Athelstan endowed the Church at Axminster with lands so that prayers might be offered up for the souls of his earls who had been slain. The axes are also a play on the name. The shuttle refers to the carpets which take their name from the town where they have been made since 1755.

The crest symbolises the ancient minster round which the town grew up.

The arms are now used by the town council.Literature: