Coat of arms of Cape Colony

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Cape Colony coat of arms

The Cape Colony received responsible government in 1872, and with it came a growing sense that that the Colony should have its own arms. The laying of the foundation stone of the new colonial parliament building in May 1875 was considered as a good opportunity for the display of the colony's badge and flag.

A Cape Town attorney with a keen interest in heraldry, Charles Aken Fairbridge (1824-1893), was accordingly asked to design arms for the Colony.

The symbolism of the arms is obvious: The lion is a South African animal, and also appears in the arms of the two colonial powers which ruled at the Cape, Netherlands and Great Britain. The rings were taken from the arms of the founder of the colony, Jan van Riebeeck. The fleur-de-lis represent the contribution of the Huguenots to the early history of the country. The crest is the Lady of Good Hope, grasping an anchor – a reference to the Cape’s origins as a safe harbour and ‘tavern of the seas’. The supporters, a wildebeest and an oryx, are two typical South African animals. The motto, "Spes Bona" simply means “Good Hope”.

The foundation stone of the colonial parliament was laid on 12 May 1875 - and, according to the Cape Argus newspaper, "among the conspicuous features of the spectacle was the new colonial flag, hoisted aloft above the corner stone, with the heraldic shielding, surroundings and mottoes blazoned on the Union Jack and the Royal Standard floating in the breeze from the loftiest flagstaff in the centre".