Derry

	DERRY (LONDONDERRY) Country: United Kingdom Northern Ireland Incorporated into: 2014: Derry City and Strabane DC Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":54.99730000000000273985278909094631671905517578125,"lon":-7.32129999999999991899812812334857881069183349609375,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
English	blazon wanted

Official blazon

Arms: Sable, a human skeleton Or seated upon a mossy stone proper and in dexter chief a castle triple towered argent on a chief also argent a cross gules thereon a harp or and in the first quarter a sword erect gules.
Motto: Vita, veritas, victoria

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on April 28, 1953, but was already confirmed by the College of Arms on June 1, 1623.

The 1623 arms also used a harp in the centre of the cross, which was omitted in 1953.

The devices an Derry's arms are a skeleton, a three-towered castle and a red cross and sword. The sword and cross are devices of the City of London and show the link between the two cities. The castle is thought to relate to a 13th or 14^th century keep belonging to the local native chieftains. There a many theories about the skeleton. The most popular one is that it is that of a Norman knight who was starved to death in the castle dungeons in 1332.

Image gallery

The pre 1953 arms with the harp
The old arms as used on a local bridge
The old arms in the city
The arms on a Wills's cigarette card, 1906
The arms in the Coffee Hag albums +/- 1935
The arms at the Bank Of Ireland, Trinity, Dublin

Literature: Image and information provided by Laurence Jones.

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