| Matlock
Bath : Coat of Arms |
| Matlock Bath : Twentieth Century Photographs, Postcards, Engravings & Etchings |
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Matlock Bath seems to have had at least five designs for its
coats of arms; the ones we know of are discussed
here.
Shown above
are arms published on an early twentieth century postcard
and they incorporate both the Royal lion of England and
Britannia with her helmet, spear and lozenge shaped shield
upon which is the Union flag[1].
The second set of arms includes a four arched bridge and
a river in the design (below). It was featured on china souvenirs,
in this instance a small mirror made by Willow Art China
of Longton. The bridge represents Matlock's mediaeval stone
bridge and the river is the River Derwent which flows through
both Matlock and Matlock Bath. There is a helmet above the
shield. The bridge design was more commonly found on Matlock
memorabilia.
Acanthus leaves used in the mantle behind the coat of arms,
the red rose of Lancaster and the crown are common to both.
The most likely crown is the Imperial State Crown, but it
is very difficult to tell[2].
Presumably, the red rose and crown symbolize the link to
John of Gaunt, Earl of Lancaster, that the district had in
the Middle Ages. |
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The remaining three designs have all be
found on china souvenirs.
The bud vase immediately below has a similar coat of arms
to those above, incorporating several features found on them
both. The acanthus leaves, the lion and the knight's helmet
surround the top of the shield. The Lancastrian
rose, the crown and water are all represented on the shield
itself, but the bridge symbol has gone. The piece, of English
make, is marked underneath: |
J. M. White
Derwent China
Matlock Bath.
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| The tiny W. H. Goss jug
below is another variant but is much simpler. It shows only
a shield, on which is water, the crown and the rose but has
no mantle. |
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| The final piece of china is a pretty teapot
which has no maker's mark. There are four symbols displayed
on the shield this time. Top left is a moose, complete with
antlers, sitting in a wooden enclosure. Top right is an urn
and fountain, presumably representing the water fountain in
the Royal Pavilion. Below is a crown and a rose. |
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Below is a second postcard, written on
23rd July 1904. This is variant of the arms shown on the
postcard at the top of the page, but without the mantle of
acanthus leaves surrounding the arms. The lion doesn't look
very happy! The brief message is written on the picture as,
at that time, only the recipient's name and address could
be written on the reverse.
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Postcard of arms at the top of the page published by W R & S,
in the collection of and provided by and © Ken
Smith. No date
Postcard of arms at the bottom of the page
in the collection of and provided by and © Ken
Smith. Written in 1904
Photograph of arms on china in the collection of, provided by and © Ann
Andrews and Ken Smith. Researched by Ann Andrews. Intended for personal use
only
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References:
[1] An example of these arms on commemorative
china is shown on Peter Allen's replica war memorial. See
War Memorials
[2] The
official web site of the British Monarchy >The Royal
Collection and other collections>The Crown Jewels > Gallery
The link will open in a new window.
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