More information on the borough coat of arms

The Charter from the Kings of Arms at the College of Heralds describes the coat of arms designed for the new Corporation.

The coat of arms was formed using designs taken from the achievements of three families who had once owned the town, the Despensers, the Beaumonts and the Hastings. The lives of these noble families had been full of interesting little incidents.

The last two Despensers were hanged in 1326. The last Beaumont went mad, and on his death in 1507 his widow married the Earl of Oxford who, by coincidence, had been her husband's guardian. The Hastings interest survived until the early nineteenth century, but Richard III had one of them executed in 1483.

Later members of the family were on the losing side in the Civil War and were obliged to sell large acreages of land in Loughborough and elsewhere to restore their fortunes.

More information on the borough coat of arms

• The Bull's Head (bottom left) and the Maunch [lady's sleeve] (top right) are symbolic of the Hastings family.

• The Lion (the crest) is taken from the Beaumont Family.

• The Escallopes (cockleshells) and the Fret (lace pattern) diagonally on the bend come from the Arms of the Despenser Family.

• The Motto "IN VERITATE VICTORIA" can be translated as "IN TRUTH LIETH VICTORY". This was the motto of the former Barons of Loughborough.

In 1974 the new Borough of Charnwood was granted the use of the Arms, although it is now reserved for official documents and use by the Mayor's Office. The Council use the fox logo for its corporate image.