Prestatyn
 |
Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom |
|
PRESTATYN
Incorporated into : 1974 Rhuddlan
Official blazon
Arms : Barry wavy of six Azure and Or on a Mount in base Vert a Castle triple towered on a Chief Argent a Rose Gules barbed and seeded between two Sprigs of Oak fructed proper.
Crest : Out of a Circlet Azure charged with three Crescents Or a demi Dragon Gules supporting a Tree Stock raguly in bend proper. Mantled Azure doubled Or.
Motto : 'CYNYDDAF A LLAWENYCHAF’ - I grow and I rejoice
Origin/meaning
The arms were officially granted on September 2, 1964, and transferred to the Town Council on December 10th 1975.
The shield combines the history and topography of Prestatyn. Blue and gold waves represent the sea and sands, and the grassy mound represents the local uplands.
The castle is an heraldically stylised one referring to the strongholds that have indicated the strategic position of Prestatyn from pre-Norman days until the late thirteenth century, under the lordship of the Banastres and Crèvecoeurs. For many generations Prestatyn and Meliden were held by the Conwy family, now represented by Lord Langford. A principal emblem in the Conwy arms is a red rose, and this appears at the head of the shield to commemorate the long association of the Conwy family with the town.
The rose is also an obvious allusion to the fame of Prestatyn as the "Rose Town of North Wales" and, with two sprigs of oak referring to the abundant woodlands, especially Coed-yr-Esgob and Coed Bell, suggests the natural amenities which are so characteristic of Prestatyn.
At the base of the crest a blue circlet with three gold crescents alludes to the rapid growth of this seaside town, and from it rises a derivative of the device formerly used in the Council's seal - a tree-trunk supported by the Welsh dragon, shown as he appears in the crest of Clwyd.
The Motto is CYNYDDAF A LLAWENYCHAF meaning I GROW AND I REJOICE and is adapted from Seneca's Epistulae
Literature : Image and information provided by Laurence Jones.