M

Member

Speaking in the House of Lords on 16 December 2024

Debate

Football Governance Bill [HL]

Contribution

A common error is to use “crest” to describe a coat of arms or a heraldic achievement in full, but the crest is another distinct element, originating in the decorative sculptures worn on the top of helmets by knights who jousted in tournaments. Like those decorations, it sits atop the helm in a heraldic display and might be an animal or indeed something else; in the old coat of arms and crest of the borough of Whitley Bay, it was a representation of the lighthouse on St Mary’s Island, rising out of a coronet of four lily flowers. It is therefore wrong for this Bill to refer to crests, not just because they are one specific heraldic element but because, like coats of arms and supporters, they have to be granted officially.

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