University Coat of Arms and Supporters to the Arms
Coat of Arms The University’s Coat of Arms was granted by Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy, and Ulster Kings of Arms to the Birmingham Corporation for use by the former College of Technology.
Shield and crest The Arms consist of a shield and crest. The shield has two sections – the field (the main background) which is coloured blue and a chief (the broad band across the top of the shield) of silver. On the field is a diagonal line of five gold diamonds joined one to the other.
This is similar to the first quarter of the Arms of the City of Birmingham and incorporated in the Arms of the College to show its connection with the city.
On the chief is an open book bound in red, placed between two black hammers, showing the connection of the University with technology. The book represents learning and the hammers, engineering and allied trades. The crest is also designed to stress the pursuit of knowledge. It consists of a red torch held erect by a forearm between two branches of gold laurel.
Wreath The wreath is silver, red and black, these colours being taken from the shield. It is surmounted by a mural crown (resembling a wall) which is reserved in modern grants for persons and organisations connected with public corporations. The cloth mantling which hangs down from the top of the helm is the survival of the cloak, originally worn to protect the armour, and coloured in blue and gold, the two principal colours of the shield.
06-07
Supporters to the Arms To mark the Universityʼs 50th anniversary in 2016, the (then) Vice-Chancellor Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, requested from Her Majestyʼs College of Arms the favour of supporters to Aston Universityʼs Arms. This was duly granted and the Letters Patent was formally presented to Aston University by the York Herald, Michael Peter Desmond OʼDonoghue Esq, during a service at St Phillip’s Cathedral, Birmingham, on 29 September 2016.
Symbolism The ancient connection between the squirrel and Aston originates from Aston Manor’s coat of arms and its owners, the Holte family (a squirrel’s nest is also called a holt). The animal also appears on the University mace and on the Chancellor’s chain of office (the latter was originally the property of the Mayor of Aston Manor). The Canada goose is a recent connection that symbolises the family of geese living on the University campus.
One further piece of symbolism is the gorse around the animalsʼ necks. This is a reference to the settlement of Gosta Green – known as Gostie Green during the 18th century. It is thought that this was a conflation of the name of the original landowner (William de Gorsty) with the word ‘gorseʼ (as gorse bushes were common nearby).
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