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The Arms of Dover were used
by the Borough of Dover until Local Government Reorganisation
in 1974. After this they were used by the Charter Trustees
of Dover until 1996, when they were adopted by the newly formed
Dover Town Council.
The Arms are in trefoil, or
three lobed, form. At the top they contain a shield bearing
the Arms of the Cinque Ports,
beneath this are devices copied from the seal of the Borough
dating from 1305. Beneath is a ribbon bearing the words “Ville-et-Portus-Dover”
(Town and Port of Dover).
The Cinque Port Arms show
the front halves of the three lions from the Arms of England
joined to the back halves of three ships. Dover District Council
has adopted a variant of the Cinque Port Arms.
The device on the lower left
hand side of the Dover Arms is taken from the front of the
Corporate Seal and shows a mediaeval Cinque Ports ship believed
to date from around 1284.
The device on the lower right
hand side is from the reverse of the Seal and represents the
legend of St Martin of Tours, the Patron Saint of Dover. St
Martin is shown on horseback dividing his clock with his sword
for the poor man he meets outside the city gate of Amiens.
The Arms of Dover cannot be
described as a ‘Coat of Arms’ as they are not registered with
the College of Heralds, technically it is a ‘device’ which
was acquired over the years. An attempt to register the Arms
was dropped, as the question of alterations (some of the items
on the Arms are not heraldically correct) and other complications
(mainly financial) arose.
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