Diocese of Leicester

DIOCESE OF LEICESTER

Country : United Kingdom
Denomination : Anglican
Established : 1926

Arms (crest) of Diocese of Leicester

Official blazon

Gules, a pierced cinquefoil ermine, in chief a lion passant guardant grasping in the dexter forepaw a cross crosslet :fitchee Or.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on August 12, 1949.

These arms have been in continuous use since the constitution of the Diocese in 1926. They were not, however, granted until 1949.

The cinquefoil is taken as representing the Norman family of Beaumont who held the Earldom of Leicester from 1107 until the death of Robert FitzPernell, the fourth Earl, in 1206. This was the device of Earl Robert and was probably intended for a pimpernel in allusion to his surname. Subsequently it has been taken to stand for the line of the Beaumont Earls of Leicester and as such appears in the arms of the City of Leicester. In this case it is intended to indicate the county of Leicestershire with which (except at four points) the Diocese is co-terminous.

For nearly eight centuries the county was in the pastoral charge of the Bishop of Lincoln being then transferred to that of Peterborough. To express this union with Lincoln one of the two lions from the arms of the Diocese of Lincoln is taken in the chief. The crosslet is taken from the arms of the Diocese of Peterborough, which, being held by the lion, also indicates that Peterborough itself was, until 1541, part of the diocese of Lincoln.

Literature:


Religious or Ecclesiastical heraldry portal



This page is part of the
Ceh.jpg
Ecclesiastical heraldry portal


Logo-new.jpg
Heraldry of the World

Catholic heraldry


Other Christian churches


Other religions


  • Total pages in the Ecclesiastical section : 18,802
  • Total images in the Ecclesiastical section : 17,728

Contact and Support

Partners:

Your logo here ?
Contact us



© since 1995, Heraldry of the World, Ralf Hartemink  
Index of the site Briggs, 1962