West Northamptonshire Council: New coat of arms

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) unveiled the design at its annual council meeting

A scallop shell representing the family of Diana, Princess of Wales, and a golden lion have been chosen to form part of a new council's coat of arms.

West Northamptonshire Council unveiled the design at its annual meeting.

The Conservative-controlled unitary authority was established in 2021 after Northamptonshire County Council was scrapped following financial mismanagement.

The council said the design celebrated its "proud history and heritage".

It said the hand-drawn coat of arms had been granted by the College of Arms - an organisation formed in 1484 which oversees the official registers of coats of arms and pedigrees.

The council said the design, which took two years to complete, had taken elements from the coats of arms of the former Northampton, Daventry and South Northants district councils, whose areas were merged to form the new council.

The black bull is taken from the coat of arms of the county council. A full explanation of the various elements is on the council's website.

The Spencer family, of which the late Princess Diana was a member, has lived at the Althorp Estate for centuries

Among the features included in the design were a golden lion, taken from the arms of Northampton, with a scallop shell on its foot in reference to the arms of the Spencer family, which has owned the Althorp Estate for 500 years, and was where the former Lady Diana Spencer grew up before marrying the then-Prince of Wales.

A crest also features a white castle on a ring of red roses and wheatsheaves, again taken from the arms of Northampton, representing rural settlements and agricultural heritage.

The shield features four traditional rose symbols of Northamptonshire representing Daventry, Brackley, Towcester and Northampton.

Councillor Andre Gonzalez De Savage said the design was "a powerful statement of local patriotism and how our area is deeply rich and rooted in tradition, history, and heritage".

"It is an emblem for all of us to be proud of and we hope residents will fully embrace it as part of the true identity of living in West Northamptonshire," he said.

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