Coat of arms of Gibraltar
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| Coat of arms of Gibraltar | |
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| Escutcheon | Divided per fess: 1st Division: Two thirds Argent, a triple-towered castle of Gules, masoned and ajouré of Sable. |
| Motto | Latin: Montis Insignia Calpe English: Landmark Mount of Calpe |
| Use | 1502 - |
| 1802 1 quarto copper token | |
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| Coat of arms of Gibraltar in the exergue | Seal of Gibraltar (view of the Rock from the Bay of Gibraltar) |
The coat of arms of Gibraltar was first granted by a Royal Warrant passed in Toledo on July 10, 1502 by Isabella of Castile. The arms are still in use in two slightly different versions by the present-day Government of Gibraltar (under British authority) and by the municipality of San Roque, Cádiz (under Spanish authority).
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[edit] Heraldic description
The arms were described in the Royal Warrant as consisting of:
- "An escutcheon on which the upper two thirds shall be a white field and on the said field set a red castle, and below the said castle, on the other third of the escutcheon, which must be a red field in which there must be a white line between the castle and the said red field, there shall be a golden key which hangs by a chain from the said castle".[1]
The arms consist of a shield parted per fess:
- 1st Division: Two thirds Argent, a triple-towered castle of Gules, masoned and ajouré of Sable.
- 2nd Division: One third Gules, a key of Or hanging by a chain also of Or from the castle.
The castle has its roots in the heraldry of the Kingdom of Castile, the largest and most important medieval Spanish kingdom, of which Isabella was queen. The key represents the Spanish dominions and signified Gibraltar's status as the "key" to Spain (or, alternatively, the key to the Mediterranean).[2] The idea of Gibraltar being the key to Spain or the Mediterranean originated well before the Spanish conquest. The followers of Tariq ibn-Ziyad, who invaded Spain via Gibraltar in 711, are said to have adopted the symbol of the key when they settled in Granada.[3] The coat of arms was accompanied by the inscription "Seal of the noble city of Gibraltar, the Key of Spain".[4]
[edit] British use
The Government of Gibraltar utilises a modified version of the original coat of arms. It is very similar to the original but has an additional motto, Montis Insignia Calpe (Landmark Mount of Calpe), which was adopted in 1836 to commemorate the 1779-83 Great Siege of Gibraltar.[5] It is the oldest coat of arms in use in an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and is unique in that it is the only armorial insignia that dates from before the period of British colonial administration.
The arms differ from the seal of Gibraltar, which is an image of the Rock of Gibraltar with a sailing ship in the forefront. There is no evidence available as to when this image was created.
From 1982, a banner of the arms has been used as the Flag of Gibraltar. The arms also appear in the flag of the Governor of Gibraltar.
The arms of the government of Gibraltar are the same as the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom plus a badge featuring the coat of arms of Gibraltar underneath.
[edit] Spanish use
A very similar coat of arms is in use by the nearby Spanish municipality of San Roque. When Gibraltar was captured by Great Britain in 1704, the city council and much of the population established a new town near the existing chapel of Saint Roch to the west of Gibraltar, in an area that remained under Spanish control.[6] The Royal Warrant of 1502 which granted the coat of arms was taken by the city council to San Roque along with Gibraltar's standard and records, and is now in the San Roque municipal archives.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Spanish Occupation", Gibraltar Tourist Guide. Accessed 2007-02-09
- ^ Robert Montgomery Martin, History of the Colonies of the British Empire, p. 559. W.H. Allan, 1843
- ^ Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, A Year in Spain, p. 332. Hilliard, Gray, Little, and Wilkins, 1829.
- ^ Frederick Sayer, The History of Gibraltar and of Its Political Relation to Events in Europe, p. 82. Saunders, 1862
- ^ Ian Sumner, British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (2): Infantry, p. 9. Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1841762016
- ^ Rock of Contention: A History of Gibraltar, George Hills, p. 176. Robert Hale & Company, 1974. ISBN 0709143524
- ^ "Arms of Gibraltar", Government of Gibraltar. Accessed 2005-05-31
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