The Coat of arms of Leeds City Council derives its design from the seventeenth century. In 1662 the Borough of Leeds received a new charter which created the office of mayor, and the arms (the shield alone) seems to date from about this time as they incorporate part of the arms of the first mayor. These arms were recorded at the heraldic visitation

Heraldic visitation

Heraldic Visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms in England, Wales and Ireland in order to regulate and register the coats of arms of nobility and gentry and boroughs, and to record pedigrees...

 of Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 in 1666. By the time that the borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835

Municipal Corporations Act 1835

The Municipal Corporations Act 1835  – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...

, silver owls had been added both as crest above the shield, and as supporters on either side. These additions were not authorised, however, and in 1920 application was made by Leeds County Borough Council to the College of Arms

College of Arms

The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 to have these additions officially granted. In the following year the grant of crest and supporters was made, with the colouring of the owls altered to "proper", or natural colourings. Gold ducal coronets were added to the supporters for further heraldic difference.

In 1974, the county borough was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, becoming part of a much larger Metropolitan District of Leeds

City of Leeds

The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...

. The new Leeds City Council continues to use the arms of its predecessor, but to date no application has been made for the formal transfer of the armorial bearings.

Symbolism

• Three stars taken from the coat of arms of Sir Thomas Danby who was the first Mayor
  Mayor
  In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
  
   or Leeds.
• The fleece, a sign of the wool stapler, symbolises the wool industry in the city.
• Three owls taken from the coat of arms of Sir John Saville who was the first Alderman
  Alderman
  An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
  
   of Leeds.
• The motto, "Pro Rege et Lege", is latin
  Latin
  Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
  
   "For King and the law". Its motto is similar to the original used by the Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  n capital of Canberra
  Canberra
  Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
  
   which was granted its arms in 1928.The coat of arms has been this way since 1660s

Blazon

The formal description, or blazon

Blazon

In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

, of the arms is:

For the arms: azure, a fleece or; on a chief sable three mullets argent; and for the crest: On a wreath of the colours, An owl proper; and for the supporters: On either side an owl proper ducally gorged or. Motto: 'PRO REGE ET LEGE'.

See also

The arms of Leeds' West Yorkshire neighbours:

• Coat of arms of Bradford
  Coat of arms of Bradford
  The Coat of arms of Bradford City Council was granted in 1976. The present City of Bradford was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 and is one of five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire...
  
  
• Coat of arms of Calderdale
  Coat of arms of Calderdale
  The Coat of arms of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council was granted to the new council of Calderdale just a few months after the district was created as part of the new metropolitan county of West Yorkshire in 1974.-Symbolism:...
  
  
• Coat of arms of Kirklees
  Coat of arms of Kirklees
  The coat of arms of Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council was granted on 24 June 1974. This was just a few months after the district of Kirklees was created as part of the new metropolitan county of West Yorkshire...
  
  
• Coat of arms of Wakefield
  Coat of arms of Wakefield
  The Coat of arms of Wakefield City Council was granted in 1990. Between 1974 and 1990, the council did not have arms that represented its governance of the expanded metropolitan district of the City of Wakefield, and used the arms of the County Borough of Wakefield...
  
  

Sources

• G. Briggs, Civic and Corporate Heraldry, London 1971
• W. C. Scott-Giles, Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, 1953
• W. H. Fox-Talbot, The Book of Public Arms, London 1915