Coat of Arms
The borough was granted a coat of arms in 1901. The design included references to the three constituent authorities. The lion, crozier and two letters B represent Bermondsey vestry, and are derived from the insignia of Bermondsey Abbey. The crown and axe were the emblem of St Olave's District Board of Works, and were derived from the royal arms of Norway, Saint Olave being the anglicised name of King Olaf II of Norway. The ship represented Rotherhithe and the Surrey Commercial Docks.
The Latin motto adopted by the borough was Prosunt gentibus artes or "Arts profit the people", and was adapted from Ovid's Metamorpheses.
Read more about this topic: Metropolitan Borough Of Bermondsey
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