City of Hartford
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
City of Oxford
The coat of arms of Oxford shows an ox fording
the River Thames.
It has bearers that
represent two members of the court of Elizabeth
I who spent a week at Christ Church in 1566,
namely:
- Left: a black elephant representing Sir Francis Knollys, High Steward of the City, Lord Lieutenant, and MP for the County
- Right: a green beaver representing Henry Norreys of Rycote, Captain of the City Militia and MP for the County
The leopard on top, which is dotted with blue fleurs de lys, was a unique crest granted to
the city by Queen Elizabeth I. It wears the royal crown and holds the Tudor Rose in its
paws.
The Latin motto "Fortis est Veritas" means "The truth is
strong".
Archdiocese of Hartford
The arms of the Archdiocese of Hartford are called canting arms or armes parlantes, which speak or proclaim the name of the bearer. It displays a hart (deer) crossing a ford (hart+ford = Hartford), and is analogue to the ancient arms of the City of Oxford in England which displays an ox crossing a ford in the same manner. The hart bears a Paschal banner, a symbol of Jesus Christ. The wavy silver and blue lines at the base of the shield are the heraldic convention for water and are an allusion to the Connecticut River which flows through the state. These arms were designed by Pierre de Chaignon Larose and have been used since Bishop John J. Nilan's term as seventh Ordinary of the See, 1910-1934.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)