Great Aycliffe

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom

GREAT AYCLIFFE (Town council)

Official blazon

Arms : Gules on a Chevron Argent between three Garbs Or banded Vert a Grenade Sable fired proper all within a Bordure Or.
Crest : a Wreath of the Colours on a Limestone Cliff an Oak Tree fructed with broken branch and another growing therefrom proper.
Supporters : On either side a Lion Argent holding in the interior paw in a Steel Gaunlet a Cross Patonce Gold.
Motto : 'NON MINIMA SED MAXIMA PETIMUS' - Not the least but the greatest we seek.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on September 20, 1956 to the Aycliffe Development Corporation and later transferred to the Town Council.

The gold border represents the bounderies of the designated site of the new town of Newton Aycliffe and the white chevron alludes to the bridge over St. Cuthbert's Way linking the town with Aycliffe Trading Estate. The sheaves of corn are taken from the arms of the Eden Family, of whose Estate the site of the new town formed a part, and the grenade represents the Royal Ordnance Factory out of which the Trading Estate was converted.

The oak tree is a refers to the oak forests which formerly covered this part of the country from which wall taken the Saxon name "Acle" meaning "oak leaf" from which the name of Aycliffe was derived. One of the branches of the oak tree is broken and bent down to indicate the disappearance from the area of its oak forests and with a lesser branch the letter "A" thus forming a rebus on Aycliffe. The limestone cliff is included as a geological allusion.The white lions are from the arms of the See of Durham, differenced with mail gauntlets in allsion to the military activities of the old Bishops of Durham. The crosses pattonce are derived from an old form of the arms of the See.

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