Invicta (motto)

Invicta (meaning "undefeated") is the motto of the county of Kent, England [ [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/kent.html www.civicheraldry.co.uk] Kent heraldry site] . It dates back to the invasion of England by William The Conqueror. As the official motto, it appears on the coat of arms of Kent County Council.

Theories of origin

Legend has it that, while marching from the battle site at Hastings, William marched on to London on his way to the (then) capital Winchester. While passing through Kent, the local people picked up branches and marched at William's men. Scared, William and his army took flight and took a different route to London. As the people of Kent felt that they had chased William away, they adopted "Invicta" as a county motto.

Its origin has also been said to have been because Dover, as head of the Cinque Ports, was not besieged or defeated on William's march through Kent, but instead agreed to a conditional surrender to him, on its own terms, and was therefore not conquered by him. Holding of land in Kent by gavelkind, rather than the feudal-Norman laws of primogeniture, lasted until the early 20th century suggesting that the people of the county did indeed acquire some concessions from the Conqueror.

Local influences

As the motto of the county, Invicta is now a regularly used term within Kent, notably by:

*Invicta Dynamos, the men's ice hockey team in Gillingham
*Invicta Dynamics, the women's ice hockey team in Gillingham
*Invicta FM, the commercial radio station covering the county
*Folkestone Invicta F.C., a Ryman League football club in Folkestone
*Invicta Water Polo, a National League team based in the county

Many companies in the county also use Invicta as part of their trading name. "Invictaway" [ [http://nationalbusco.fotopic.net/p12901490.html Image of a black liveried Invictaway bus] ] [ [http://flickr.com/photos/andytakersdad/1472885872/in/set-72157601795326096/ Image of a green liveried Invictaway bus] ] was a brand name for the London commuter coach operation of the former Maidstone bus operator Maidstone & District.

ee also

* Flag of Kent, sometimes referred to as the "Invicta Flag"
* White horse of Kent, a symbol closely associated with Kent

References