The coat of arms of Newport is the

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

emblem of the city of Newport, South

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Also known as the Civic Badge, it has been borne by the present

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the principal areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

since 24 July 1996 following the municipal reorganisation in April that year.

Timeline

Official usage of the Arms was granted to the Newport County Borough Council 17 April 1929, although the arms were unofficially in use before that date. Usage of the winged sea lion and winged sea dragon supporters was granted 7 May 1958. The subsequent Newport Borough Council used the arms from 1974 to 1996.

Symbolism

The coat of arms is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, the cherub above the shield and secondly, Newport was the first authority to use the winged sea lion which has rare heraldic usage.

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

:The shield is that of the Staffords,

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

s and

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

s of Buckingham,

Lords of the Manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

of Newport in the 14th and 15th centuries, but the reversed chevron marks the difference between these Borough Arms and those of the family.

Supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

:The winged sea lion and winged sea dragon represent strength on land, sea and in the air.Heraldry of the World
/ref>

Motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

:The motto ''Terra Marique'' was adopted at the same time as the supporters and means 'By land and sea', in reference to Newport's position as a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

Derivations

The current Newport City Council logo features the winged sea lion derived from the coat of arms. A feature of the 1927 Newport Bridge is the four plaques showing the cherub over the shield but omitting the other detail of the coat of arms. Newport Rugby Football Club use a variant of the cherub and shield as their club crest and Newport County football Club use a variant of the shield in their club crest.

The Stone Roses

In 1994 John Squire, guitarist of

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

designed the cover of their hit single

Love Spreads "Love Spreads" is a song by British alternative rock group The Stone Roses, released on 21 November 1994 by Geffen Records as the first single from their second album, ''Second Coming'' (1994). The record reached number two on the UK Singles ...

based on a photograph of a stone cherub and shield on Newport Bridge. The song was the band's biggest selling single, reaching number 2 in the UK charts. The cherub design was found on many pieces of

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...

merchandise, the album from which Love Spreads is taken.

Gallery

File:Newport COA shield.svg, The shield of Newport File:FLAG OF NEWPORT.jpg, Theoretical heraldic banner of Newport File:Newport Bridge cherub.jpg,

Cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

and shield on Newport Bridge File:Newport_Market_Cherub.jpg,

and shield on

Newport Market Newport Market (also known as Newport Provisions Market) is a traditional Victorian indoor market in Newport, South Wales. It is a Grade II-Listed building in the city centre, owned and operated by Newport City Council. The main structure, co ...

, Upper Dock Street entrance File:Belle Vue Park gates.jpg, Belle Vue Park gates, Cardiff Road, Newport

References

External links

Newport City Council - The Civic Badge
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920103143/https://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=council.homepage&contentid=DevXP002275 , date=20 September 2021 Newport Newport, Wales History of Newport, Wales Newport Newport Newport