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

City of Wakefield

The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...

, and used the arms of the County Borough of Wakefield. Arms had been granted to the district's constituent city and towns, (Wakefield

Wakefield

Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....

, Castleford

Castleford

Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...

, Horbury

Horbury

-Demography:In 2008 Horbury had a largely white population compared with Yorkshire and the Humber.-Population change:The population of Horbury in 2001 was 10,002-Transport:...

, Knottingley

Knottingley

Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....

, Ossett

Ossett

Ossett is a market town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on junction 40 of the M1 motorway, half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and Wakefield, to the east. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire...

 and Pontefract

Pontefract

Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...

) but an application 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...

 was made for a unifying achievement.

The shield of the arms has a background of black and gold. The black represents the coal mining industry that was once widespread and important to the district. In the top, left of the shield is the arms of the city of Wakefield.

The compartment

Compartment

In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount , or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing...

 shows thirteen acorns which represent the thirteen former local government areas of the West Riding of Yorkshire that merged to form the metropolitan district in 1974. Beneath the compartment is a motto, "Persevere and prosper".

Arms of the County Borough Council

The arms used before 1990 had been used in Wakefield for over 500 years. The arms had the simple 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 "Azure, a fleur-de-lys Or". Despite its history, arms were not officially granted until 1932 when the Ermine

Ermine

Ermine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...

 fimbriation

Fimbriation

In heraldry and vexillology, fimbriation refers to small stripes of colour placed around common charges or ordinaries, usually in order for them to stand out from the background, but perhaps just because the designer felt it looked better, or for a more technical reason to avoid what would...

 was added. Consequently the blazon became "Azure, a fleur-de-lys Or fimbriated Ermine".

See also

The arms of Wakefield's 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 Leeds
  Coat of arms of Leeds
  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 seems to date from about this time as they incorporate part of the arms of the first mayor. These arms were...
  
  

• Coat of arms of West Yorkshire
  Coat of arms of West Yorkshire
  The Coat of arms of West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was granted in 1975 to the new Metropolitan county council created in the previous year...