Winchester

	WINCHESTER Country : United Kingdom England Additions: 1974 Droxford RDC 1974 Winchester RDC (partly) Status: City 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":51.0602999999999980218490236438810825347900390625,"lon":-1.3232999999999999207744849627488292753696441650390625,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
English	Gules five Castles triple towered in saltire Argent masoned proper the Portcullis of each part-raised Or and on either side of the castle in fess point a Lion passant guardant that to the dexter contourné Gold.

Origin/meaning

The arms were first recorded by the Heralds during their visitations between 1622 and 1686. The earliest example is in a late 15th-century window in the Westgate.

The castles and Royal Lions "passant guardant", or "Lions of England" suggest a derivation from the Common Seal of 1253, consisting only of a single triple-towered castle, and the Statute Merchant Seal of 1283, comprising the bust of Edward I between two castles and a single Royal Lion. Winchester, the ancient capital of England, continues therefore to use its Arms in the original form and has never sought to add a crest, a motto or supporters, which emblems were not in use for towns at the time when Winchester's Arms originated.