Newcastle-upon-Tyne

	NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE Country : United Kingdom England Additions: 1974 Castle Ward (partly) 1974 Gosforth Urban District 1974 Newburn Urban District Status: City Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":54.97240000000000037516656448133289813995361328125,"lon":-1.6115999999999999214850276985089294612407684326171875,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
English	Arms : Gules three Castles triple towered Argent. Crest : On a Wreath of the Colours a Castle as in the Arms issuant therefrom a demi Lion guardant supporting a Flagstaff Or flying therefrom a forked Pennon of the arms of Saint George. Supporters : On either side a Sea Horse proper crined and finned Or.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on August 16, 1575 and confirmed in April 1954.

The three silver castles on a red shield are boldly drawn with heavily masoned portcullised gateways and machiolated battlements behind which, on each, rise three lofty towers. The castle motif goes back to earliest times for originally the town took its name from the "new Castle" built by order of Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, in 1080 and a castle was depicted on the twelf^th century common seal. The earliest extant example of the three silver castles on a red shield, dating from about 1400, is in the window on the north side of the Chancel on St. John's church.

The castle motif is repeated in the crest which is a golden demi-lion issuing from a silver castle. His forepaws grasp the golden staff of St. George's pennon depicted in a red on a silver ground. The castle stands upon a wreath of red and white above a tilting helmet, with eye slit of fifteen^th century style.

The supporters, two mythical sea-horses, gracefully drawn and shaded in green with fold manes, fins and tails, are a reminder that Newcastle is a seaport. Both the supporters and crest were added to the shield - "the most ancient insignia or arms", by grant of William Flower, Norroy King of Arms, dated 16th August, 1575.

The motto, 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' ('Triumphing by Brave Defence') was adopted during the Civil War, probably following the stubborn defence of the town against the Scots in 1644.

Image gallery

The arms on a cigarette card, 1900
The arms in an album from around 1905
The arms as used on a JaJa postcard +/- 1905
The arms as used on crested china
The arms as used on crested china
The arms on a cigarette card, 1905
The arms on a cigarette card, 1911
The arms in the Abadie albums, 1920s
The arms in the Abdulla-Wappen der Bekanntesten und Bedeutendsten Ausländischen Hauptstädte album, 1930
The arms on a Reddings trade card, 1933
The arms in the Coffee Hag albums +/- 1935