Small Royal Hereford City Coat of Arms Plaque

Rare British collectible - Most interesting historic small antique 19th Century Royal Hereford City Coat of Arms Heraldic Plaque with the latin inscription Invictae Fidelitatis Praemium which translates to Reward for faithfulness unconquered. Very decorative. Handmade from out of brass & filled with lead. Depicting the Hereford City Coat of Arms. It comprises the arms of one sovereign of England surrounded by an award for gallantry given to the whole city by another sovereign of the realm. The Hereford coat of arms depicts Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Argent on a Bordure Azure ten Saltires of the second. The crest on a Wreath of the Colours a Lion passant guardant Argent holding in the dexter paw a Sword erect proper hilt and pomel or Supporters on either side a Lion ram­pant guardant Argent gorged with a Collar Azure charged with three Buckles or central to the design is a shield bearing three lions passant guardant. This device was the personal arms of King Richard l, Sovereign of England. He gave this city its first Royal Charter in 1189 and the City of Hereford which also shares with the City of London, this difference that they are the only places in the realm which are allowed to wear a Sovereign’s Coat of Arms within their own. The remainder of the design dates from much later to 1645 at which time England was in a state of civil war. The City of Hereford stood for the King and at the time in question was garrisoned by Royalist troops. The garrison was very small with only around 150 to 200 men. A much greater army force of Scottish troops comprising some 14,000 men who where under the command of Leslie Earl of Leven, arrived in Hereford. These were mercenary troops fighting for Cromwell. On finding out from spies about the size of the garrison in the City, they quickly surrounded it & wanted to capture it. The citizens of Hereford joined forces with the already stationed garrison soldiers and helped to do the duties of the soldiers, they held off the Cromwellian troops for around 5 weeks. There was no penetration of any of city defense lines by any if Scottish troops, all that they achieved was destroying one part of the old bridge over the Wye and dislodged some stones from the city walls. At the end of five weeks, the Scots had enough of attempting to take the city, they responded to a rumour circulating that a relief army force for the city was on its way, they then quickly abandoned there positions & left the Royal Standard flying in triumph over the city. King Charles l on hearing of this news was so happy, he praised the citizens of Hereford. He made a personal trip to the city to thank them for their success. He had dinner at the Bishop’s Palace and at the end of this dinner it is alleged to have made the Grant of Arms which the City of Hereford now has and is known as the Coat of Arms. The actual grant of Letters Patent is dated 16th September 1645, and the Grant of Arms was as follows:- Around the Royal Shield of Richard there shall be a blue border representing the surrounding of the Royal stronghold by the forces of the Commonwealth. On that blue border there will be placed ten saltires, which are white diagonal crosses, one for each of the ten regiments which comprise the Scottish besieging force. Thus the Arms of the City of Hereford represent the successful defense of the City for the Crown against the rebel forces. On top of the Coat of Arms is found a lion crest, signifying loyalty to and defense of the Crown, and is rare in civic heraldry. Of even greater rarity is the barred peer’s helm supporting the crest found only in the arms of one other municipal authority in England – The City of London. King Charles l also gave the motto Invictae Fidelitatis Praemium which translates to Reward for faithfulness unconquered. Superb for the private collector, trade, gallery & interior design home decorater. Viewings are welcome by appointment only for customer support please send us a message. We offer our clients exceptional professional customer service. Browse our other exciting collections available in our shop gallery, happy shopping.