Humberside - Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms

Humberside County Council held a competition to design a coat of arms for the new county. The winning design was by a Mr E H Cook from Thorngumbald and letters patent granting the arms were issued by the College of Arms on 28 July 1976.

The shield was an heraldic map of the county: at the top was a gold ducal coronet from the arms of the city of Hull between two white Yorkshire roses, while at the bottom of the shield were two gold fleurs-de-lis representing Lincolnshire. Across the centre of the shield was a blue and silver wave for the River Humber.

The crest was a blue eagle taken from the East Riding County Council arms rising phoenix-like from flames, suggesting a new authority emerging from the ashes of the old. The eagle's wings bore gold droplets standing for North Sea Oil and held a sword in the beak for the Scunthorpe steel industry.

The supporters on either side were: a silver dolphin bearing a terrestrial globe and supporting an anchor for worldwide trade; and Ceres goddess of harvest, for the county's agriculture. They stood upon a compartment depicting the countryside and coastline of Humberside.

The blazon or technical description of the arms was:
Per fess Sable and Gules on a Fess wavy Argent between in chief a Coronet Or between two Roses Argent barbed and seeded proper and in base two Fleurs de Lis Or a Bar wavy Azure and for a Crest on a Wreath Or and Gules rising from Flames proper a demi-Eagle Azure Goutté d'Or armed also Gold holding in the beak a Sword point downwards proper hilt and pommel Or.
And for Supporters on the dexter a Dolphin Argent finned Or charged on the shoulder with a Terrestrial Globe Azure the land masses Or supporting an Anchor proper and on the sinister a Female Figure habited representing Ceres with Cornucopia all proper upon a Compartment per pale Water barry wavy Azure and Argent and a Grassy Field proper.

The motto was United we Flourish.

On the abolition of the county council in 1996 the arms became obsolete. However, the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service continue to use a version of the shield as their badge.