Keynsham
 |
 Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom |
 |
|
KEYNSHAM
Incorporated into : 1974 Wansdyke
Official blazon
Arms : Gules six Clarions three two and one Or a Chief wavy barry wavy Azure and Argent.
Crest : Out of a Roman Corona radiata Or a demi Dragon also Or gorged with a Brass Wire enfiled with a Cogwheel proper and holding between the claws an Escutcheon Argent thereon a Cross Sable charged with a Leopard's Face Gold.
Motto : 'MAINTIEN LE DROIT' - Maintain the right.
Origin/meaning
The arms were officially granted on June 5, 1962.
The six golden clarions or trumpets on a red ground are the arms the extinct Keynsham Abbey, and the wavy blue and white bars represent the rivers Avon and Chew. It has been suggested that the appearance of six clarions is due to the combining of the three clarions of the de Clares, Earls of Gloucester, with the three of the Greenville family who were also of great influence in the district in bygone times, but this is not so. The original arms of the de Clares show six clarions, later reduced to three, and it was the early version which was adopted by Keynsham Abbey from its founder and patron William, Earl of Gloucester.
The wreath and mantling are in red and gold, the colours of the Abbey arms and also those of Somerset County Council. The Roman crown alludes to the Roman occupation and the golden dragon of Wessex, refers both to our Saxon history and to the old brass industry of Keynsham and Saltford. One of the badges of the former "Society of Mineral and Battery Works" was a golden dragon.
A more specific reference to this formerly important local industry is the brass wire around the dragon's neck, on which is threaded a cogwheel to represent modern industries. Between the dragon's claws is the basic family shield of the Brydges or Bridges, in reference to their long connection with the district. The motto is also theirs.
Contact and Support
Partners:
Your logo here ?
Contact us
© since 1995, Heraldry of the World, Ralf Hartemink 
Index of the site
Literature : Image and information from here
