Civic Heraldry of the United Kingdom Scotland

ABERDEEN (Burgh, District and City Council)

Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on November 4, 1976 (see image below) and again on July 29, 1996 (above). The only difference is the change in crown.

The arms are originally granted in 1674 to the city (Burgh) of Aberdeen and continued by the City of Aberdeen District Council (1976-1996) and the Aberdeeen City Council (since 1996).
The three towers already appear on the 15^th century seals of the city and are said to represent the three fortified hills, Castle, Port and St. Catherine's. The city was originally built on and around these hills. The Royal bordure is supposedly granted by King Robert I in 1308, to thank the citizens in their effort to recapture the castle in Aberdeen and to expel the English. However, it is more likely that the bordure was added by James I (1406-1437), together with the leopard supporters, as Aberdeen was one of the cities to underwrite his expenses during his exile in England. The motto refers to the siege of 1308, when all English were killed in the city.

Literature : Urquhart, 1979, Old image provided by Laurence Jones; new image from here.

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