Wotton-under-Edge

	WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE Country : United Kingdom England Part of: Stroud < 1974 Dursley RDC Status: Town council 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":51.68090000000000117097442853264510631561279296875,"lon":-2.355379999999999807158701514708809554576873779296875,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
English	Arms: Or on a Chevron wavy Azure another wavy Argent between in chief two Beech Trees eradicated and fructed and in the base a Sheep passant proper. Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours a Latin Cross Or between two Teazles slipped and leaved proper. Motto: 'STRONG BY STREAM AND STAPLE'

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted in 1979.

The wavy chevron, sheep and teazles refer to the Town's situation on a stream, the livelihood of its inhabitants, that depended for centuries upon sheep rearing and the cloth trade. Beech trees are common, particularly around Wotton Hill and Tor Hill that flank the town. These hills are part of the "Edge", a limestone escarpment. The cross refers to the church and other ecclesiastic connections, and the teazles were employed in the weaving of cloth. The motto, is thus appropriate to the design of both shield and crest.

Before the arms were officially designed and granted, a traditional woolpack was used as the symbol of the town, dating back to at least 1669.

Image gallery

Town token from 1669

Literature: Image and information from here

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