Ammanford

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom

AMMANFORD

Incorporated into : 1974 Dinefwr

Official blazon

Arms : Per fesse dancetté Or and Sable in chief a Cross couped of the last.
Crest : On a Wreath of the Colours issuant from a Wreath of Oak Leaves Sable a demi Boar Gules armed Or.
Motto : 'HANFOD TREF TREFN' - The essential of a good town is orderliness

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on April 9, 1952. In 1974 it became part of Dinefwr district and the arms were transferred to the Town Council.

The ancient ecclesiastical Parish of Betws and its Beadhouse is represented by a cross on the golden shield. The cross also represents "Cross Inn", which was the name by which the village was known before the district became urbanised. The hills of the district are shown in the black peaks at the bottom of the shield, and the basic coal industry is shown as a black base to the shield itself. The River Amman which passes through the district has its source in the Black Mountains.

The crest shows in red, is Y Twrch Trwyth (The Wild Boar), because legend has it that King Arthur and his Knights hunted Wild Boar in the Amman Valley. This is perpetuated in the names of a number of farms within the district viz: Myddynfych, Glynmeirch, Glynmoch, etc. The boar rises from a wreath of oak leaves surmounting a spray of leaves conveying the impression of Tirydail (Land of the Leaves), a small hamlet within the former Urban District.

Underneath the Welsh motto "Hanfod Tref Trefn", which might be translated as "The basis of a good Town is Orderliness".

Literature : Image and information provided by Laurence Jones (laurencejones@eircom.net)