Letters Patent for Armorial Bearings of the Corporation of the City of Melbourne 1970

College of Arms, London

Registration number

1086834

Artist/maker

College of Arms, London

Title

Letters Patent for Armorial Bearings of the Corporation of the City of Melbourne

Production date

1970

Medium

parchment, wood, ribbon, wax, glass

Dimensions (H x W x D)

112 x 106.5 cm

Inscriptions

engraved on plaque on frame: LETTERS PATENT FOR ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF MELBOURNE PRESENTED BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 6TH APRIL 1970

Credit line

Presented to the City of Melbourne by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 6th April 1970
City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection

Keywords

Letters Patent, 1970, Royalty, Coat of Arms, Armorial Bearings, Heraldry, Horace Hall

Summary

The elements that make up a coat of arms, or armorial bearings, originate in royal tradition. The legitimate use of a coat of arms is wholly subject to royal approval. In the case of the City of Melbourne, almost 100 years passed before that approval was sought and granted, in 1940. But there were still problems. Following advice from the respected heraldist Horace Hall, changes were made to the quarters of the shield which saw the position of the whale and the bullock transposed, or swapped. As a water-based symbol, the whale was moved from top right to bottom left where it was positioned next to the other water-based symbol, the ship. This change brought the coat of arms into strict conformity with the rules of heraldry. The Letters Patent granting the new armorial bearings to the city was presented by the Queen at Melbourne Town Hall in April 1970.