DERWENTSIDE DISTRICT COUNCIL

ARMS: Barry wavy of eight Argent and Azure an Eagle displayed wings inverted Or gorged with a Mural Crown proper pendent therefrom by a Ring a Cross of St. Cuthbert and charged on each wing with a like Cross Azure.
CREST: On a wreath of the Colours in front of Flames a Miner's Pick head upwards in pale and two Swords points upwards in saltire proper hilts and pomels Or pendent from the Pick by a Chain Argent a Roman Shield Sable charged with a Thunderbolt and on a Bordure Or ten Pellets.
BADGE: A Fountain charged with an Eagle as in the Arms.

Motto 'DONEC DEFLUENT AMNIS' - Until the river ceases to flow.
Granted 8th May 1975.

The Derwentside District was formed by the amalgamation of the Consett Urban District, the Stanley Urban District and the Lanchester Rural District. The area was abolished on 31st March 2009, and became part of the County Durham Unitary Authority.

derwentside dc arms
derwentside badge
Badge

The background of eight white and blue waves refers to the River Derwent, from which the District rakes its name, and the Derwent and other reservoirs, and the Rivers Deerness and Browney. The gold Roman Eagle is suggested by that in the insignia of the Lanchester RDC. This refers to the concentration of important Roman antiquities in the District - Dere Street, the Roman sites of Longovicium (Lanchester) and Vindomora (Ebchester in Consett) and the Roman cattle station in Stanley. Around its neck is a white ribbon from which hangs the distinctive cross of St. Cuthbert, seen in the arms of the Stanley UDC and the device of the Lanchester RDC. It is here coloured blue and refers to the numerous associations of the whole district with Durham's patron saint.
The flames and crossed swords, from the arms of the Consett UDC, represent the steel industry and the pick, also from the Lanchester devive, indicates coal mining. From it hanging by its steel chain, is the Roman Shield from the crest of the Stanley UDC, with its black background and circles for coalmining, and gold thunderbolt for the Pontop Pike Broadcasting Station.
The motto is appropriately in Latin to link with the Roman eagle, and is taken from Horace's Epistles, and the two D's indicate Derwentside District.


DURHAM CITY COUNCIL

ARMS: Sable a Cross Argent surmounted by another Cross Gules.
*CREST: On a wreath of the Argent and Gules issuant a dexter and sinister Arm embowed proper supporting a Mitre enfiling a Ducal Coronet Or.
*SUPPORTERS: On either side a Lion ducally crowned Or supporting with the interior hind leg a Miner's Lamp proper.
*BADGE: A Crozier Or and a Sword proper hilt and pommel Or in saltire enfiling a Ducal Coronet of the last.

Motto 'FAITH FORSIGHT AND INDUSTRY'.
Arms recorded at the Visitation of 1615 for the original City. Crest, supporters and badge granted?

The City of Durham was formed by the amalgamation of the City of Durham and Framwelgate, the Brandon and Byshottles Urban District and the Durham Rural District. The area was abolished on 31st March 2009, and became part of the County Durham Unitary Authority. In 2018 a new parish council was formed, initially known as the City of Durham Parish Council, to represent the core urban area of Durham.

Image from the Heraldry Society Image Library.

durham city arms
durham city badge
Badge

The shield is that of the former City of Durham and Framwelgate, when the new, larger, city was formed in 1974, Garter King of Arms added a crest and supporters for the larger area. Durham owes its origin to the monks who, late in the tenth century, founded the Church to contain the shrine of St Cuthbert. It is unsurprising, therefore, that the arms of the City should be of a religious character. The habit of the Benedictine monks who were installed in the present Cathedral consisted of a white cassock and a black cloak, and this may have suggested the tinctures of the City arms, the red cross being added as the emblem of the national patron, St George.
The crest has the distinctive mitre within a ducal coronet of the Bishop of Durham. This is lifted by two arms, representing the people of the city, uoholding all that is good in the city.
The lions are national emblems and the miner's lamps are from the shield of the Durham RDC as is the motto.


EASINGTON DISTRICT COUNCIL

ARMS: Tierced in pairle reversed Vert Sable and Azure in chief a Garb and a Miner's Lamp Or and in base on Water barry wavy a Cargo Steamer affrontée proper.
CREST: On a Wreath Or and Azure a Pick and Spade in saltire Sable hafts downward and tied with a Ribbon Or.

Motto 'BY COURAGE AND FAITH'.
Granted 28th September 1951, to the Seaham Urban District Council.

The Easington District was formed by the amalgamation of the Seaham Urban District and a majority of the Easington Rural District. The area was abolished on 31st March 2009, and became part of the County Durham Unitary Authority.

Picture used with permission, do not reproduce.

easington dc arms

The emblems refer to coal mining, shipping and agriculture.


SEDGEFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL

ARMS: Quarterly Gules and Sable an Orle counterchanged over all in chief two Garbs and in base a Locomotive Driving Wheel Or.
CREST: On a Wreath Argent and Gules an Oak Sapling of three branches the centre branch fructed proper the other two each enfiled by a Mascle Sable.
SUPPORTERS On the dexter side a Lion guardant Argent resting the dexter forepaw upon a Pick head downwards Or and on the sinister side a Panther also Argent incensed proper resting the sinister forepaw upon a Shovel Or all upon a Compartment composed of a Grassy Mound with a Railway Track set palewise thereon proper.
BADGE: A Mascle Sable surmounting an Oak Sapling of three branches eradicated and fructed proper and enfiling the branch on the sinister side.

Motto 'SERVE WITH HONOUR'
Granted 25th April 1975.

The Borough of Sedgefield was formed by the amalgamation of the Shildon Urban District, the Spennymoor Urban District, part of the Darlington Rural District and the Sedgefield Rural District. The area was abolished on 31st March 2009, and became part of the County Durham Unitary Authority.

Picture used with permission, do not reproduce.

sedgefield bc arms
sedgefield badge
Badge

The red and black quarterly background of the shield are from the arms of the Spennymoor UDC, as the Council's Headquaters are based in the town. The two sheaves of corn, like those in the arms of the Sedgefield RDC and the Darlington RDC, refer to agriculture. The locomotive wheel depicts Shildon's link with railway engineering, which was refered to by the locomotive 'Royal George' in the device of the Shildon UDC. The 'orle' represents the merger of the four former authorities into one.
The red and white of the wreath are the colours of St. George, showing that these are English arms. The two black dimonds are symbols of coal. The acorn and oak branch growing through the diamonds represent the New Town of Newton Aycliffe, with its new industries gradually growing through and replacing the coal industry. The first syllable of Aycliffe is derived from the Saxon for oak.
The white lion is derived from the arms of the Durham County Council, here shown looking forward. The white panther breathing flames, refers to the engineering of the area and its furnaces. The pick and shovel are further reminders of the former coal industry. The railway track depicts the historical connection with the birth of the railways at Shildon, and the green grass outlines the connection with the District's rural areas.


WEAR VALLEY DISTRICT COUNCIL

ARMS: Azure a Fess wavy Argent between in chief in front of two Shepherd's Crooks in saltire Argent a Mitre affronty encircled with a Coronet Or the infulae entwined with the crooks and in base a Castle of three towers Or.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours issuant from a Mural Crown Argent charged with six Lozenges three being manifest Sable a representation of the Killhope Wheel proper.
SUPPORTERS On the dexter side a Boar Or armed and langued Gules and on the sinister side a Wolf Or each standing upon a Branch of Oak fructed proper.

Granted 22nd May 1975.

The Wear Valley District was formed by the amalgamation of the Bishop Auckland Urban District, the Crook and Willington Urban District, the Tow Law Urban District and the Weardale Rural District. The area was abolished on 31st March 2009, and became part of the County Durham Unitary Authority.

Picture used with permission, do not reproduce.

wear valley dc arms
bishops aukland
Device used by the Bishops Auckland UDC

The blue background is like that of the arms of the Durham County Council and the Bishopric with which it is so closely associated, and the white W-shaped wave represents the River Wear. The gold crowned mitre of the Bishops of Durham, is seen in the device of Bishop Auckland, with its infulae entwined with two crossed shepherds' crooks in white - a reference to Crook and Willington and to both senses of the 'pastoral staff' for the Bishop's crozier is only an elaboration of the shepherd's crook, one such also appearing in the Bishop Auckland device. The castle alludes to Dan's Castle, which has associations with Tow Law, the Bishop's Castle at Auckland and Stanhope Castle in Weardale.
The mural or walled crown, is a common symbol of local government, here in white as a reference to limestone quarrying. It is charged with three black diamonds from the County arms, an obvious allusion to the coal-mining industry, and from it rises the distinctive Weardale monument to the old lead-mining industry, Killhope Wheel.
The boar and wolf are historic denizens of Weardale Forest, represented by the branches of oak on which they stand. The Romans hunted wild boar in the Forest and the Weardale wolves are remembered in the name of Wolf's Cleugh near Stanhope. One of the supporters of the arms of the Stanhope family, of whom sprang Lord Weardale, was a gold wolf, and both supporters are shown in this colour.


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