Kate Middleton's Coat of Arms.

A topical press article courtesy the mirror..seems a C of A is a must have for the A-listers!

A coat of arms has been created for Kate Middleton and will be featured on a souvenir programme of the royal wedding.

The Middleton family's heraldic design was commissioned by Kate's father Michael in time for the marriage of his daughter to Prince William.The move signifies the growing social status of Kate's parents and also the practical need for Miss Middleton, a future Queen, to have a coat of arms.The design released today incorporates an acorn sprig - one for each of the Middletons' three children - an idea suggested by Kate.The oak tree is a traditional symbol of England and strength, and is a feature of west Berkshire where the family have lived for more than 30 years.At the centre of the coat of arms is an inverted 'v' or chevron coloured gold which represents Kate's mother Carole Middleton whose maiden name was Goldsmith.Above and below this feature are white chevronels to symbolise peaks and mountains, reflecting the family's love of the Lake District and skiing. But there are no references to the ancestors of the Middletons, made millionaires by their successful mail order business Party Pieces.The forebears of Michael, an ex-flight dispatcher, feature successful Leeds solicitors, while his wife, a former air hostess, is descended from a long line of labourers, carpenters and Durham coal miners.

Thomas Woodcock, Garter Principal King of Arms, from the College of Arms in the City of London, sat down with Kate's parents to create the design which cost £4,400.He said: "It's not compulsory but as their daughter is marrying into the Royal Family she will have a need probably to use a coat of arms."He added that Miss Middleton could have been granted her own heraldic design but her father commissioned the College in his name so all the family could use it.

Mr Woodcock added: "The Middleton family particularly wanted acorns or oak and I think Catherine Middleton in particular was responsible for the idea of these oak sprigs."The idea is that great trees grow from small acorns and the part of Berkshire in which the Middletons brought up their children there are a great many oak trees so it's something they associate with the upbringing of their children."And in the centre you have what is known as a chevron and that has been made gold as Catherine Middleton's mother's maiden name was Goldsmith - so that's a suitable reference to her in the centre of the family."

A version of the coat and arms which can only be used by Kate or her sister Pippa, as it denotes a Middleton spinster, will be printed on the back of the souvenir programme while William's will be on the front. The booklet will include the wedding order of service and be available on the day of the nuptials.

Kate's heraldic design features a tied ribbon to show she is an unmarried woman and the overall shape is an elaborate lozenge - a shield would be used for Middleton men.But Kate will only be able to use the coat of arms on letter headings and other items up until her wedding day on April 29.Following the Westminster Abbey ceremony, the coat of arms of William and his fiancee will be combined - something known as "impaled arms".Looking at the shield, the Prince's heraldic design will fill the left hand side and Kate's will be on the right.

Mr Woodcock added: "With any new design of a coat of arms you have to make sure that the design is distinct not just in colour but in the linear appearance and as there is a 16th century coat of arms with a chevron between three sprigs of oak we've made the differences - dividing the background colours."Red and blue were chosen as the Garter Principal knew Kate's coat of arms would have to be combined with William's, which feature the same shades, and the colours needed to complement each other.Kate's brother James will be able to pass down the coat of arms to his children but Pippa, as a woman, will not but she can use it during her lifetime.The formal legal document granting Mr Middleton his coat of arms is written on vellum parchment decorated by a herald painter with the text written by a scrivener.

Quiz Update

Detail of the display at Meldrum Public Library

Firstly, A Happy New Year ......and thanks to everyone who filled out the quiz forms, which we hope you found both interesting and entertaining. The quiz was compiled and distributed by Evelyn Munro, with displays set up in Oldmeldrum Town Hall windows, and the Public Library...many thanks to the library staff for their support.
A good number of completed sheets were returned, but unfortunately due to the extreme weather conditions the 'Light up Meldrum' was cancelled.
Furthermore Evelyn has been unwell for a number of weeks now and has been unable to go through the sheets and select a winner. We are hoping that she will be back in the driving seat soon. When Evelyn returns, the winner will be contacted and will be awarded an alternative 'prize'.
Sincere apologies for the delay and any disappointments.

Meantime efforts are being made to progress the restoration.... including trying to source funding to support the renovation. We will try to keep you informed of any developments.
In Evelyn's absence if you would like to find out more or get involved please email :
lheskethcampbell@yahoo.com

Commemorated in Meldrum

The otter wearing the crown represents the Meldrum family. Today this is remembered in the street name Otter Avenue. Meldrum Primary School pupils were responsible for naming the street. They have an otter on their school badge.


The road leading out of Oldmeldrum in the direction of Meldrum House is called Urquhart Road.


Greyhound Drive is another street name, which was inspired by the coat of arms. Meldrum Primary School pupils wanted to see the broken legs of the greyhound mended and as they couldn’t make this happen they submitted a request to the Council that a street be named after them.

Evelyn Munro

10.11.10

William Urquhart of Meldrum’s Coat of Arms

William Urquhart, and his ancestors before him, owned Oldmeldrum and all the land for miles around. They lived up at Meldrum House, which is now a hotel.

The coat of arms on the Town Hall is the personal one of William Urquhart. He was the 4th Urquhart laird of Meldrum. In 1741, to celebrate becoming chieftain of the whole clan, he had these new arms designed for himself. His initials W and U are clearly seen on the design.

His coat of arms also commemorates his ancestors. Around 1249 William’s forefathers changed their surname from Fedarg to Meldrum. The name Meldrum, a territorial one, originated here. The otter wearing a crown represents the Meldrums.

The crescent, which the otter holds between his paws, represents the Seton family. They came after the Meldrums. If the coat of arms is restored to its original colours, the crescent will be painted red.

The boars’ heads on the shield belongs to the Urquharts as do the greyhound supporters.

The writing at the top of the design is in Latin, Per Mare et Terras, which means ‘by land and sea ’. It refers to the otter, who can live on land or in the sea.

At the bottom of the design is the motto of the Urquhart clan,
Mean Speak and Doe Well.

It is still their motto today.

Evelyn Munro

09.11.10

Talking Animals

Oldmeldrum Square 1843

Written especially for the children and young people of Oldmeldrum

If the animals on the Urquhart coat of arms on the Oldmeldrum Town Hall could speak what tales they might tell!

Were they on the Tolbooth (the original Town Hall), we wonder, in 1746 when Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army marched through on their way North? Did they see the Duke of Cumberland’s army encamped in the town on its way to Culloden? Did they hear Jacobites whisper of rebellion?

What stories could they tell of the bustling, noisy markets and fairs of the 18^th and 19^th centuries? Could they recall the farmers and traders setting up their stances and the sounds and the smells of market day that filled the air?

Did they ever, at dead of night, hear prisoners cry out in the black-hole of the tollbooth below them?

Would they remember the lively cattle markets when Oldmeldrum was a great centre of the trade and the most important town of the Garioch? Did they watch as herds of cattle and their drovers ambled through on their way to the markets of the South.

Did they stir at the sound of galloping hooves and see the dust rising as the mail coach approached Barnett’s Inn (Meldrum Arms)? Did they hear the commotion and sense the urgency in the stable yard as the tired horses were set loose and fresh ones harnessed up for the next leg of the journey?

Meldrum has a rich history and this topic could lend itself to art, drama and storytelling as well as history or animations in Crazy Talk. What about creating a timeline of events in Meldrum’s history from 1741 to the present day? What about a re-enactment?

Evelyn Munro

03.11.10

Do you care about the Coat of Arms?

If you have any information about the coat of arms or an opinion on what should happen to it - eg should it be restored or just left alone....it would be great if you could leave a comment here, and/or forward this blogsite to everyone you think should know about it.

More detailed information about history( at least what has been uncovered so far ) of the plaque will be posted here in the not too distant.. so please register as a follower if you want to be alerted to new posts.

The present condition-what's broken?

The red marks indicate where there is damage to the plaque, : ie where parts are broken off.

As you can see the plaque has suffered considerable wear and tear since it was made around 25o years ago.

This diagram was produced by Karolina Kubisz, a conservator based in Elgin , who was invited to inspect the plaque and give an estimate for the cost of repair. Karolina was lifted with a cherry picker to enable her to have a close look .