Ripley

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RIPLEY (Urban district council)

Incorporated into : 1974 Amber Valley

Official blazon

Arms : Vert on a Chevron Or between in chief two Stags' Heads caboshed and in base a Fleur de Lys Argent a Chevronel Sable surmounted by a Tudor Rose barbed and seeded proper all within a Bordure also Argent thereon six Horseshoes also Sable.
Crest : On a Wreath of the Colours out of a Mural Crown Sable Flames proper issuant therefrom a Unicorn's Head Argent armed and crined Or charged with three Spearheads erect one and two Gules.
Motto: 'INGENIUM INDUSTRIA ALITUR'-Skill is fostered by diligence.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on April 8, 1954.

The green background of the shield refers to the Royal Forest of Duffield which gives the ancient background of the district.

The stags' heads, another reference to the Forest, are also from the arms of the Cavendish Dukes of Devonshire who came into possession of Ripley after the Dissolution. The chevron is for Heage or "Highedge" and also for the hilly character of the situation of Ripley. The black thinner chevron represents the coal seam lying beneath, and the Tudor rose, from the County arms, also refers to Coronation year, in which the grant of arms was sought. The fleur de lys is from a seal attributed to Darley Abbey, and is also the emblem of St. Mary patron of Crich, part of which is in the District. As the whole area was formerly in the protection of Darley Abbey, the arms are surrounded by a white border with six black horseshoes from the arms of its founders, the Ferrers family.

The black mural crown denotes a mining town, and the unicorn's head, adapted from the Wright crest which is used by the Butterley Company, rises from the flames suggesting the local heavy industries.

The motto can also be translated as "Character thrives on hard work" or "Ability thr ives on industry" and is a quotation from Cicero.