Coat of arms of Saint Helena

Coat of arms of Saint Helena
Shield of the coat of arms
Details
Adopted	1984
Motto	"Loyal and unshakable"

The coat of arms of Saint Helena was authorised on January 30, 1984.

The arms feature a shield, with the top third showing the national bird, the Saint Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae, known locally as the Wirebird - stylized, but with its unmistakable head pattern. The bottom two thirds depict a coastal scene of the island, a three-masted sailing ship with the mountainous island to the left. The coastal scene is taken from the colonial seal of the colony and shows the flag of England flying from the ship (when the shield was first introduced in 1874 the flag was a White Ensign^[1]).

The motto is Loyal and unshakable. The full coat of arms features, above the shield, a woman holding a cross and a flower. This represents Helena of Constantinople, also known as Saint Helena, after whom the island is named. The cross is shown as Helena is credited with finding the relics of the True Cross (cross upon which Jesus was crucified).^[1]

The local two pound coin has the full coat of arms on its reverse.

Arms usage by dependencies

The arms are not used by Saint Helena's dependencies. Tristan da Cunha uses its own arms, while Ascension Island uses the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.

The shield of the arms feature on the flag of Saint Helena and the Governor's flag.

See also

• Coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha
• List of coats of arms of the United Kingdom and dependencies

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Flags of the World St Helena