South Staffordshire

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE

Additions : 1974 Cannock RDC, Seisdon RDC

Official blazon

Arms : Vert a Stag Royal's Head caboshed between the attires a Stafford Knot Or a Chief Argent fretty Gules nailed Or.
Crest : On a Wreath of the Colours, out of a Garland of Laurel Leaves Or in front of an Oak Tree proper fructed Or a demi Unicorn Argent armed crined unguled and supporting a Quiver of Arrows erect Or.
Supporters : On either side a Stag Royal proper the dexter gorged with a Collar Argent charged with six Escallops Sable (three being manifest) the sinister gorged with a Collar Argent charged with six Mullets Gules (three being manifest) and each charged on the shoulder with a Sun in splendour Or thereon a Stafford Knot Gules.
Motto : 'HONESTE NEC TIMIDE' - Honestly but not timidly.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on January 2, 1976.

The shield and crest combine emblems from both former council's arms and the supporters symbolise the Cannock Chase area of South Staffordshire.

The shield is drawn from those of the constituent Councils. The Stafford Knot is shown gold on green, as in both former councils' arms, between the antlers of the Cannock Stag's head. The shield is completed by the pattern of red trellis-work on white, with gold nails at the intersections, from the Seisdon shield. The stag's head indicates the Chase and the Forest of Brewood and the trellis is the arms of the ancient Trussel family of Seisdon and Acton Trussel. The gold nails refer to an old established local industry.

The crest combines emblems from the two councils' crests, viz. the white unicorn with gold horn, mane and hooves from Seisdon's crest, and the gold quiver and arrows from that of Cannock. These are from the heraldry of several families prominent in the life of the area; the unicorn is that of the Greys and Wrottesleys and the quiver is that of the archer in the crest of the Giffards. They are encircled by the laurel leaves seen in the Cannock shield, from the arms of the Levesons, now Dukes of Sutherland, who had much to do with the development of the local mining industry. Behind the unicorn is the famous Boscobet Oak from the Cannock Rural District Council crest.

The supporters indicate the forest areas of South Staffordshire and its industries. Two stags suggest the Chase and Brewood Forest; they are also supporters of two other families long associated with the community, the Littleton Barons Hatherton and the Legge Earls of Dartmouth, from whose respective arms are taken the stags' distinguishing collars, showing three black scallop shells and three red five-pointed stars on white. To differentiate them further from other stag supporters they wear shoulder badges formed of a gold blazing sun charged with a red Stafford Knot. The full sun is a symbol of the South, and with the Knot denotes South Staffordshire.

The motto is "HONESTE NEC TIMIDE" - "Honestly but not timidly"- a combination of elements from the Seisdon motto (HONESTE PROGREDIEMUR CONANDO) and the Cannock Rural District Council's motto, the Bridgeman family's NEC TEMERE NEC TIMIDE.