East Lothian

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of the United Kingdom

EAST LOTHIAN

Since 1996 : Area Council
1975-1996 : District Council in the Lothian Region
until 1975 : County Council

The present Area Council comprises the former District Council, which was formed in 1975 from the former County Council plus the borough of Musselburgh and the parish of Inveresk.

Area Council

Official blazon

Gules, three bars Ermine, over all a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Azure. Above the Shield is placed a coronet appropriate to a statutory Area Council, videlicet:- issuant from a circlet eight paling piles (three and two halves visible) Or and eight garbs (four visible) of the Last, bandes Sable.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on May 13, 1996.

The arms are those of the former East Lothian District Council and East Lothian County Council, but with a different crown.

Community Councils in East Lothian : Dunbar, Gifford, Gullane and District, Haddington and District, Musselburgh and Inveresk, North Berwick, Prestonpans, Tranent and Elphinstone

District Council

Additions : 1975 Cockenzie and Port Seton, Dunbar, East Linton, Haddington, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Prestonpants, Tranent

Official blazon

Gules, three bars Ermine, over all a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Azure. Above the Shield is placed a coronet appropriate to a statutory statutory District, videlicet:- a circlet richly chased, from which are issuant eight thistle-heads (three and two halves visible) Or.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on August 25, 1975.

The arms are those of the former East Lothian County Council, but with a crown.

County Council

Official blazon

Gules, three bars Ermine, over all a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Azure.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on June 1, 1927

The red and ermine field comes from the arms of the Giffords of Yester, a family granted lands in East Lothian by King William the Lion (1165-1214) and now represented by the Marquess of Tweeddale.

The lion could recall the King of Scotland, since the County Buildings occupy a site said to be that of his palace at Haddington, it was chosen in reference to the ancient Earldom of Dunbar, the celebrated East Lothian family of Maitland of Lethington, the Earl of Wemyss and March (in 1927 Lord Lieutenant) and Sir Archibald Buchan Hepburn (in 1927 County Convener), since a lion rampant appears in all of their coats of arms.

The seal adopted by the County Council in 1890 bore the monogram HCC (as the County was called Huntingdonshire until 1921) with a goat on a mount above it, all within the legend MDCCCXC; when the County name was changed to East Lothian in 1921, a new seal was adopted bearing the monogram ELCC with a similar goat above.