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These arms originated from an old legend surrounding St
Nicholas, who is the city's patron saint due to his association with mariners. According to the legend, Nicholas had been travelling through his diocese, when he lodged for the night in a house on the wayside. Unbeknownst to Nicholas, his host
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The supporters are two leopards, though in early depictions they are sometimes shown as lions. According to legend, the beasts were granted by James I as a gesture of thanks to the burgh for underwriting his expenses while he was held captive in
England. The city's local magazine is called the
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was a cannibal, and had secretly been kidnapping local children for meat. When
Nicholas's plate was placed before him, he immediately recognised the meat for what it was. Going over to the cauldron, he made the sign of the Cross, and the children were then restored to life.
167:, in right of Aberdeen's city status. Prior to the formation of the current council in 1996, a district council's coronet was used, representing Aberdeen's status as a district. This was made of gold, and was decorated with spikes and sheaves of wheat.
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azure, a temple argent, St
Nicholas standing in the porch, mitred and vested proper, with his dexter hand lifted up to heaven praying over three children in a boiling cauldron of the first, and holding in the sinister a crosier
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There has been some controversy over whether the leopards ought to be represented in profile or with their faces towards the viewer. The former is nowadays more common, in accordance with the 1674 blazon.
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on Castle Hill, the city gate on Port Hill, and a chapel on St
Catherine's Hill. The latter two are no longer in existence, and St Catherine's Hill has in fact been levelled.
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184:"Leopard" and when Union Bridge was constructed in the 19th century small statues of leopards in a sitting position were cast and placed along its railing tops.
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gules, three towers triple-towered within a double-tressure counterflowered argent. Supported by two leopards proper; and in an escrol above "Bon Accord"
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and his men laid siege to
Aberdeen Castle, before destroying it in 1308 and massacring the English Garrison, retaking Aberdeen for the townspeople.
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Due to local government reorganisation, the arms have been regranted twice: in 1976 to the City of
Aberdeen District Council, and in 1996 to
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The city's official toast is "Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again - Bon Accord!", which is based on an extract from the
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Conversely the image of a single tower, rather than the triple, is often used in the city. Notably they can be seen in the arms of
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46:. This design is known to have been used on city seals from the 15th century onwards, if not earlier.
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A second shield was also recorded, based on the city's counterseal. This consisted of a temple, with
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The three towers represent the three buildings that stood on the three hills of mediaeval
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standing in the doorway praying over a cauldron of boiling children. This was blazoned:
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requiring all persons or bodies using arms to record them in a register maintained by
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156:. As such, the arms are today the corporate property of the City Council.
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has ever accompanied the arms, but they may be displayed with a
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for "Good
Agreement". Legend tells that its use dates from the
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as a mark of royal favour, but may only date from the reign of
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The arms displayed on a lamp-post at the Great
Southern Road
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The Arms of the Royal and Parliamentary Burghs of Scotland
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consists of three towers within a border decorated with
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133:19th century engraving of the second shield
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732:Aberdeen International Football Festival
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375:. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
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580:Aberdeen International Youth Festival
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826:Municipal coats of arms in Scotland
514:Members of the Scottish Parliament
333:Scottish Burgh and County Heraldry
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623:Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route
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88:The border of fleurs-de-lis, or
250:takes its name from the motto.
694:Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
465:1964 Aberdeen typhoid outbreak
276:. William Blackwood & Sons
270:Marquis of Bute, John (1897).
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699:Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney
218:Wars of Scottish Independence
651:The Robert Gordon University
460:River Dee ferryboat disaster
373:A Thousand Years of Aberdeen
246:in the Canadian province of
656:North East Scotland College
319:, 2nd edition, London, 1915
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565:Theatres and Concert Halls
504:Provosts and Lord Provosts
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235:poem "The Final Toast" by
220:in the 14th century, when
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455:Battle of Aberdeen (1646)
450:Battle of Aberdeen (1644)
371:Keith, Alexander (1987).
359:Scottish Civic Heraldry 2
742:Royal Aberdeen Golf Club
618:Aberdeen railway station
295:Gazetteer for Scotland.
79:Robert Gordon University
346:Scottish Civic Heraldry
317:The Book of Public Arms
237:David Lester Richardson
71:Aberdeen Grammar School
646:University of Aberdeen
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117:Lord Lyon King of Arms
109:Parliament of Scotland
94:royal arms of Scotland
83:University of Aberdeen
75:Robert Gordons College
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509:Members of Parliament
499:Aberdeen City Council
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154:Aberdeen City Council
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628:Dyce railway station
608:Aberdeen bus station
31:The arms of Aberdeen
796:Notable Aberdonians
684:Diocese of Aberdeen
770:Petroleum industry
689:Bishop of Aberdeen
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200:Banner of the arms
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58:Shield of the arms
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18:Bon Accord (motto)
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752:Pittodrie Stadium
747:Aberdeen Warriors
737:Aberdeen GSFP RFC
727:Cove Rangers F.C.
661:Secondary Schools
560:Parks and Gardens
532:Areas of Aberdeen
16:(Redirected from
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603:Aberdeen Airport
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297:"Aberdeen City"
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331:R M Urquhart,
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570:Architecture
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300:. Retrieved
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278:. Retrieved
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242:The town of
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139:St Nicholas
704:Presbytery
585:Public art
302:2007-05-15
254:References
244:Bon Accord
226:Bon Accord
210:Bon Accord
171:Supporters
111:passed an
638:Education
595:Transport
542:River Don
537:River Dee
524:Geography
435:Etymology
820:Category
807:Category
789:See also
676:Religion
491:Politics
440:Heraldry
418:Aberdeen
81:and the
39:Aberdeen
762:Economy
552:Culture
427:History
248:Alberta
233:Masonic
102:James I
780:Retail
214:French
121:blazon
775:Media
714:Sport
280:6 May
206:motto
192:Motto
161:crest
282:2015
204:The
50:Arms
35:The
159:No
144:or.
113:act
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324:^
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20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
