NEW
SOUTH WALES
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The European
discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain
James Cook during his 1770 survey along the unmapped eastern coast of the
Dutch-named continent of New Holland, now Australia. In his
original journal(s) covering the survey, in triplicate to satisfy Admiralty
Orders, Cook first named the land "New Wales". However, in the copy
held by the Admiralty, he "revised the wording" to "New South
Wales". The colony of
New South Wales was founded in 1788. It originally comprised a larger area of
the Australian mainland also including Lord
Howe Island, New Zealand, Norfolk
Island and Van Diemen's Land. During the 19th century,
large areas were separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South
Australia, New Zealand, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory
(1863). The first
British settlement was made by what is known in Australian history as the First
Fleet; this was led by Captain Arthur
Phillip, who assumed the role of governor of the settlement on arrival in
1788 until 1792. |
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A seal for the colony was adopted in 1790 and was followed by a series of nine other seals. Being a colony of Great Britain the heraldic devices of the king of Great Britain were valid in the colony. Something of a local heraldry was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century and was folllowed by the adoption of a flag and its badge. In 1906 an achievement was granted by King Edward VII. This achievement is used until the present day. It replaces the royal achievement, the royal arms remaining the same. |
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The Bowman Flag of ca1806 |
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The
Bowman Flag was made about 1806, and is the earliest known example of
heraldry designed in colonial NSW. It was reputedly painted by the women of
the Bowman household at Richmond on material from Mrs Bowman's wedding dress. The
commonly accepted story is that the flag was made to commemorate Lord
Nelson's famous naval victory at Trafalgar (off the coast of Spain) (Concise Guide),
and that it was made by Mary Bowman. A recent examination by a State Library
curator, however, has suggested that it was painted by a professional painter
(Woodford 2005: 19). Consideration
of the blazon contributes to understanding the flag and its coat of arms. The
overall form of the Arms, especially the second motto above the shield, is
typical of Scottish and French heraldry. The Arms of a Scottish clan chief
are denoted by such a second motto or cri-de-guerre (war cry). The
elongated shape of the shield is typical of 18th
century British heraldry. The three flowers represent England, Ireland and
Scotland, but are not grafted onto a single stem as
in the Union Badge of Great Britain adopted in 1801 but remain separate,
although gathered together in a posy. The border around the shield is
characteristic of Scottish heraldry, although not
unknown in English and Irish practice. The
supporters are the feature that usually attracts the most attention: a
kangaroo and an emu on a grassy field, both alert and apparently watching
something in the distance. They are the earliest known use of indigenous
animals in Australian heraldry - and the grass the earliest use of indigenous
plants. The
Scottish forms evident in the design strongly suggest the hand of a Scottish
heraldic artist, and that the Arms were prepared for a person of some
standing in the community. The shield shape and the separate
floral emblems suggest that the artist had left Britain before 1801 and was
not familiar with the official symbolism adopted after the Union with
Ireland. John
Bowman and his family had arrived in NSW in 1798 from East Lothian in
Scotland, which is consistent with these Scots
influences, and settled at Richmond in the Hawkesbury District. The rural
character of the Hawkesbury is perhaps alluded to by the long grass. The
supporters clearly place the Arms in NSW, but what are they watching for? The
two mottoes have lead all previous analysts of these
Arms to attribute them to the news of Nelson's victory, but there is no
certain evidence of this. Perhaps the emu and kangaroo are watching for other
disturbances in the colony? The entwined floral emblems suggest an equality
of status between the English, Irish and Scots
settlers of the Hawkesbury, united (as the cri-de-guerre cries out)
and expected to do their duty. But united against what, or whom? Blazon: Supporters: dexter an emu statant to the
dexter regardant contourné, sinister a kangaroo regardant, both proper; Motto: In an scroll over the same the word 'Unit'y; and on a compartment below the arms
'ENGLAND EXPECTS
EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY' with a field of grasses [1] |
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Badge: Argent, a cross Gules, charged with four
eight-pointed stars and in fess point a lion passant guardant Or. Granted 15th
of February 1876 The
Badge of New South Wales as adopted in 1876 In
1869 the Imperial authorities in London required all
colonial authorities to adopt and use on naval ships a badge or emblem that
would be placed on a blue ensign to identify the particular colony or
territory that a vessel belonged to. In 1874 the order was re-issued, and the
badge shown above was adopted in New South Wales in 1876. The Colonial
Naval Defence Act 1865 allowed the British colonies
to acquire their own naval vessels, and in accordance with the 1869
requirement the above badge was prepared. It was designed by the NSW Colonial
Architect James Barnet with Captain Hixson, the President of the Marine
Board. Captain Hixson argued for a design based upon the white ensign of the
Royal Navy (essentially a red cross on a white
field). This reflected not only Hixson's former
naval service, but also the main source of military defence for the colony in
the Pacific Ocean where other European powers were seeking out new colonies.
It also commemorated the naval service of Captain Cook and many of the early
governors of NSW. The
four stars represent the Southern Cross which mariners used to navigate in
the southern hemisphere. The stars had been used in the emblems of NSW since
the 1820s, and in its heraldry since the granting of the Arms of the Church
of England Diocese of Australia in 1836. The
Lion was taken from the several lions on the Royal Arms, and designated by
Barnet as the 'Lion in the South', either an allusion to the new British
society developing in the south land, or a further representation of British
naval power in the South Seas, or both. The
Badge of NSW thus combined elements of Royal, naval and colonial symbolism,
satisfying the requirements of the Imperial naval authorities and giving NSW
its first emblem of public authority free of any obvious convict associations.
It remains the State Badge today, and is depicted on the State Flag (State
Arms, Symbols and Emblems Act 2004, Schedule 2). blazon:
Argent, on a cross gules a lion passant guardant or, between four stars of
eight points also or (Silver with, on a red
cross, a golden lion walking forwards while looking at the viewer, between
four gold stars each with eight points). [2] |
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The
logo of the Government of New South Wales introduced 2010 shows a Waratah flower and the legend NSW Government.
It doest not replace the achievement but is more or less a successor of the
badge. The Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) is the floral
emblem of New South Wales, a large (10-12cm across) and spectacular scarlet
flower growing in the bush in clumps of tall stems. The Waratah is protected
by law. |
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Soon after its
adoption the badge was used as a charge of a coat of arms. These arms were considered
to be the arms of New South Wales in several heraldic compilations. After
1897 the field was tinctured Azure instead of Argent |
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Arms of
New South Wales In a German armorial, 1895 |
1d. Stamp
1897 Showing the crowned arms of New South Wales |
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Arms: Azure, a cross Gules charged
with a lion passant guardant Or
and four mullets Argent. Crown: The Crown of St. Edward.
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In the first years of the colony the Royal British achievement was used.
Detail of
the New South Wales crest on the title page of the Crown Lands Act 1861. Showing the royal achievement of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Royal Achievement of Queen Victoria and her successors This Coat of Arms was originally located above the Royal or Governor's
chair in the Legislative Council Chambers from 1856 to 2006. It has been
replaced with a New South Wales Coat of Arms. It has similar symbols of
royalty and the same inscriptions as the other Royal Coat of Arms on display
in the Jubilee Room. It represents the supreme authority in Australia and
consequently in New South Wales before being replaced by the authority of the
Federation of Australia in 1986. [3] On 11 November 1906 King Edward VII granted New South Wales an
achievement. On the arms the cross has a silver rim and is on a blue field.
In the four quarters are the symbols of argiculture and catle growing: a
fleece for the growing of sheep and a garb for agriculture. In the shield is
a rising sun radiant, represnting the motto ORTA
RECENS QUAM PURA NITES (Newly
Risen how Bright thou Shinest). The supporters, a lion and a kangaroo
symbolize the British past and the Australian continent. The royal warrant
reads: Arms: Azure, a cross Argent voided Gules, charged in the centre chief point
with a Lion passant guardant, and on each member with a mullet of eight
points Or between in the first and fourth quarters a Fleece of the last
banded of the second, and in the second and third quarters a Garb also Or;
And for the Crest On a Wreath of the Colours A Rising Sun each Ray tagged
with a flame of fire proper; And for the Supporters, On the dexter side A
Lion rampant guardant and on the sinister side A Kangaroo both Or, together
with this Motto, “Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites. (newly risen, how bright thou shinest). By R.W. 11th of October 1906, received Sydney February 1907 Æ See illustration in the head of this essay |
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Wedgewood's Etruria or Sydney Cove
medallion of 1789,
inspiration for Great Seal of
New South Wales issued in 1790. This
medallion commemorated the landing of the First Fleet in New South Wales in
January 1788, and was made from white clay dug in Sydney Cove and sent by
Governor Phillip to Sir Joseph Banks. The design, with its four classical
figures, inspired the composition of the first Great Seal of NSW approved by
King George III in 1790 (Gullick 1907: 31). When
Governor Phillip sent the clay to Sir Joseph Banks he wrote that this was the
clay …with which the Natives mark themselves, it is found in great plenty,
a few feet below the surface ... the people use it to cover their Houses.
Banks in turn sent the clay to his friend Josiah Wedgwood, who made a series
of medallions marking the founding of the colony. The design shows `Hope
encouraging Art and Labour under the influence of Peace, to pursue the employments
necessary to give security and happiness to an infant colony'. The
medallions were made at Wedgwood's pottery at Etruria in Warwickshire,
England. The pottery was named Etruria after the Etruscans of pre-Roman Italy
who, in late 18th and early 19th century Europe,
were romanticised and idealised as unspoilt by Greek or Roman civilization,
living in harmony with nature. These pre-Imperial Etruscans were compared to
the indigenous peoples of New South Wales and the Pacific Islands, who were
called by the French philosopher Rousseau (among others) “Noble Savages” in
allusion to the supposed similarities of their lifestyles
with the those of the idealised Etruscans. [4] |
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The First (or Territorial) Seal of New
South Wales of 1790 - 1817
On the
4th August 1790 King George III approved the design
of a seal for the government of NSW and the adjacent Pacific Islands. This
example was used to seal a land title document in 1792. The
seal shows on its obverse a design that alludes to the intended redemptive
qualities of the convict settlement, and was described in a Royal Warrant for
the seal as follows: Convicts
landed at Botany Bay; their fetters taken off and received by Industry,
sitting on a bale of goods with her attributes, the distaff [a spindle for
spinning wool or flax], bee-hive, pick axe, and spade, pointing to an oxen
ploughing, the rising habitations, and a church on a hill at a distance, with
a fort for their defence. Motto: Sic fortis etruria crevit
[So, I think, this is how brave Etruria grew]; with this inscription round
the circumference, Sigillum Nov. Camb. Aust. [Seal New South Wales] 'A New
Seal', 1791-1817 The
seal was received in NSW on HMS Gorgon in September
1791, and immediately began to be used as the official 'signature' of the
colonial authorities. The illustration shows a very early example of a wax
impress of the seal fixed to a title deed for land granted to ex-convict
Edward Varndell by Governor Phillip in February 1792. The
worn appearance of the seal demonstrates not only
the passage of time but a shortage of the proper wax for using in the seal
matrix (or mould). Governor Phillip complained of this in 1791, and also that
he had no official to register land grants. Gullick attributes the 'bumpy'
look of many early seals such as this to the wax shortage. Sealing
not only land title documents but also pardons of
convict sentences and many other functions, the seal brought to life its
symbolism of the convict freed through industry and co-operation. This seal
is sometimes referred to as the Territorial Seal, and was replaced by the
second seal in 1817. [5] |
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The Third Great Seal of NSW,
1827-1832
This
illustration shows the Third Great Seal issued during the reign of King
George IV. This seal was attached to an official document commissioning John
Dight as a Coroner in NSW, dated on the King's Birthday (4th
June) 1828. [6] |
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The Sixth Great Seal 1870 - 1905
The
Sixth Great Seal adopted in 1870 discarded all
references to NSW's convict past and represented a fundamental break in the
colony's official symbols. In place of the convict emblems, the
self-governing, gold-enriched colony was represented by a golden fleece
between two Prince of Wales' feathers on a background of nine stars beneath
the Royal Arms. This was the first use of the golden fleece in the official
symbols of NSW, and the first direct symbolic association with old Wales. The
new design followed the ‘Newfoundland pattern’, and
had been requested by Colonial Secretary Charles Cowper
in 1869 (Gullick, 1907:29). Cowper had been a leading figure in the colony’s
anti-transportation movement. At one level the
golden fleece represented the colony’s wealth in gold and wool, and the
feathers a pun on its namesake. However, the combination also alludes to an
ancient order of Pan-European chivalry and the even more ancient Principality
of Wales. The
design of the Sixth Seal gave the colony an allegorical new history: beneath
starry skies, freed of the stains of convictism and imbued with mythical and
noble Celtic origins, almost alluding to a pre-colonial (or pre-English)
lineage and a status under the Crown that was separate
rather than subordinate. Gullick
attributed a cardinal importance to the Sixth Seal: it was the first time the
convict emblems were not included, and the colonial
seals had evolved to reflect this (1914: 19). The convict emblems were
finally omitted, and with them went all reminders of
the convict stain (1907: 10). The Sixth Seal shows a NSW that is culturally
distinctive, if still politically subordinate. Analogies with the
constitutional position and cultural separateness of old Wales are strongly
suggested: the seal symbolises a direct relationship between the Crown and
NSW that was reinforced everytime it was used. However, whether all references to convictism had been removed depends upon
how deeply one reads the layers of allusion. [7] |
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The Great Seal of New South
Wales.
shown here is the ninth great
seal, and was used during the reign of King George VI between 1937 and 1952. The
design follows the standard pattern set by the 8th
Great Seal adopted early in the reign of King George V in 1912 with the Royal
Arms above the State Arms. The representation of the shield in the State Arms
follows the usual forms, although the coronet (or is it a 'shocked' mane?) on
the lion supporter is not referred to in the blazon
for the Arms, and the artistry evident in the kangaroo legs and tail is a
little unusual. Satisfactorily depicting the kangaroo supporting the NSW Coat
of Arms seems to have been an ongoing design issue
for heraldic artists during the 20th century. [8] |
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Arms
Sleeve Patch |
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© Hubert de Vries 2006-10-16. Updated 2014-07-29
Heraldry of the World