The Armorial of local councils in Scotland lists 46 heraldic coats of arms organised according to type of council, whether Regional, Island, City District, or Other. Each entry includes the name of the geographic area represented and a blazon (description in highly stylised heraldic language). Many entries include a mention of the shield supporter(s) and an image of the herald; some include a motto.
Area Councils (1996-present) There are 32 council areas in Scotland, each controlled by a council which is the local government authority.
Image Council Granted Details Aberdeen City Council - Aberdeenshire Council Angus Council Argyll and Bute Council Clackmannanshire Council Dumfries and Galloway Council Dundee City Council East Ayrshire Council East Dunbartonshire Council East Lothian Council - East Renfrewshire Council The City of Edinburgh Council Falkirk Council Fife Council Glasgow City Council The Highland Council Inverclyde Council Midlothian Council The Moray Council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar North Ayrshire Council North Lanarkshire Council Orkney Islands Council Perth and Kinross Council Renfrewshire Council Scottish Borders Council Shetland Islands Council South Ayrshire Council South Lanarkshire Council Stirling Council West Dunbartonshire Council West Lothian Council
Regional Councils (1975-1996) A heraldic template was set for all of these councils comprising a special coronet (a circlet richly chased from which are issuant four thistles leaved (one and two halves visible) Or) and sinister supporter (a unicorn argent). The Strathclyde council was never granted arms. Image Details Borders Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with four barrulets wavy Argent between in chief a salmon naiant and in base a ram's head cabossed Proper a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A border knight. Central Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with two caltraps in chief and a dexter mailed gauntlet paleways in base all Or a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A goshawk. Dumfries and Galloway Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with a lion rampant Argent crowned Or a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A stag Proper. Fife Blazon: Argent a knight armed at all points on a horse at full speed in his dexter hand a sword erect all Proper his surcoat Argent on his sinister hand a shield Or charged with a lion rampant Gules the visor of his helmet shut over which the wreath of his liveries with a mantling of the fourth doubled of the third is set a lion rampant issuing out of the wreath of the fourth the caparisons of the horse of the last fimbriated of the third and thereon six shields of the last each charged with a lion rampant of the fourth. Dexter supporter: St Servanus vested Argent. Grampian Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with a cross-crosslet fitchee Or a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A Ptarmigan Proper. Highlands Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with a star Argent a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A stag Proper. Lothian Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with a sun in splendour Or a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: A lion rampant Vert armed and langued Gules. Tayside Blazon: Azure a saltire Argent surmounted at the fess point by an inescutcheon Gules fimbriated Or and charged with a fleur de lis Argent and in chief a bar wavy of the last a bordure counter-compony of the first and second. Dexter supporter: An Angus bull Proper.
Island Councils (1975-1996) The island councils used the same supporter but their crown was four dolphins two and two respectant naiant (two visible) Or. Image Details Orkney Blazon: Parted per pale Azure and Gules in the dexter a dragon galley Or sails furled Argent and in the sinister a lion rampant imperially crowned Or armed and langued Azure holding in its forepaws a battleaxe erect in pale Gold. Dexter supporter: A fifteenth-century Udallerer. Motto: Boreas Domus Mare Amicus Shetland Blazon: Azure a base invected barry Argent and Sable the alternate party lines being engrailed and plain a dragon ship Or the sail charged with a raven Proper oars in action Or flag and mast Gules. Dexter supporter: A Shetland pony Proper. Motto: Med Logum Skal Land Byggia Western Isles Blazon: Or on a fess wavy Azure between three lymphads oars in action sails furled Sable flagged Gules two barrulets wavy Argent. Dexter supporter: An eagle Proper. Motto: Ardaichidh Fireantachd Cinneach
City District Councils (1975-1996) The city district council crown was a circlet richly chased from which were issuant eight thistle heads (three and two halves visible) Or. Image Details Aberdeen Blazon: Gules three towers triple-towered within a double tressure flowered and counterflowered Argent. Supporters: Two leopards Proper. Motto: Bon Accord Dundee Blazon: Argent a pot of three growing lilies Argent. Crest: A lily Argent. Supporters: Two dragons wings elevated their tails knowed together underneath Vert. Motto: Prudentia Et Candore Edinburgh Blazon: Argent a castle triple-towered and embattled Sable masoned of the first and topped with three fans Gules windows and portcullis shut of the last situated on a rock Proper. Crest: An anchor wreathed about with a cable all Proper. Supporters: Dexter a maid richly attired with her hair hanging down her shoulders and on the sinister a doe Proper. Motto: Nisi Dominus Frustra Glasgow Blazon: Argent on a mount in base Vert an oak tree Proper the stem at the base thereof surmounted by a salmon on its back also Proper with a signet ring in its mouth Or on the top of the tree a redbreast and in the sinister fess point an ancient hand bell both also Proper. Crest: The half-length figure of St Kentigern affrontee vested and mitred his right hand raised in the act of benediction and having in his left hand a crosier all Proper. Supporters: Two salmon Proper each holding in its mouth a signet ring Or. Motto: Let Glasgow Flourish
Other District Councils (1975-1996) There were District Councils within the regions. Image DetailsBorders Region Berwickshire Blazon: Argent on a mount Vert a bear Sable collared and chained Or standing in front of a tree Proper. Ettrick & Lauderdale Blazon: Argent on a mount in base a stag lodged reguardant in front of an oak tree all Proper the tree charged of an inescutcheon of the arms of the Earl of Lauderdale (Or a lion rampant Gules couped at all his joints of the field within the Royal Tressure Azure). Motto: Leal To The Border Roxburgh Blazon: Azure a unicorn salient Argent horned maned and unguled Or the tail tufted Or on a chief Argent a hunting horn Sable stringed and viroled Gules between two esquires' helmets of the field. Motto: Ne Cede Malis Sed Contra Audentior Ito Tweeddale Blazon: Quarterly 1st Sable five fraises Argent 2nd Azure a horse's head couped Argent 3rd Vert a golden fleece 4th Or fretty Gules a chief embattled Gules charged with two thunderbolts Or. Motto: Onward Tweeddale Motto: Leal To The BorderCentral Region Clackmannanshire Blazon: Or a saltire Gules a chief tierced per pale 1st Vert sinister gauntlet 3rd also Vert a dexter gauntlet both Proper 2nd Argent a pale Sable. Motto: Look Aboot Ye Falkirk Blazon: Quarterly 1st Sable a bend bretessed accompanied by six billets Or three in chief and three in base 2nd Gules a stag's head erased with a cross-crosslet fitchee between the attires Or 3rd per pale Gules and Sable in a sea in base undy Argent and Azure a three-masted ship of the 17th century Or in full sail Proper flagged Gold 4th per fess engrailed Azure and Vert in chief a demi-angel Proper attired Argent wings displayed Or and celestially crowned Or holding in either hand a palm branch Vert and in base a bend wavy Argent charged with a bendlet wavy Azure. Motto: Ane For A|- valign=top |align=center | | StirlingBlazon: Azure on a saltire between two caltraps in chief and base and as many spur rowels in the flanks Argent a lion rampant Gules armed and langued of the first.
|- style="background:#ffe24b" align="center" | colspan="2"|Dumfries and Galloway Region|- valign=top |align=center | | Annandale & EskdaleBlazon: Or on a saltire Gules a golden fleece Or on a chief Gules a bar wavy Argent charged with two barrulets wavy Azure.Motto: Quinque Uniter
|- valign=top |align=center | 150px | NithsdaleBlazon: Argent a double-headed eagle displayed Sable beaked and membered Gules surmounted of an escutcheon Argent charged with a saltire Sable and surcharged in the centre with a hurcheon Or within a bordure Gules charged with five estoiles Or on a chief wavy Azure and endorse Or between dexter the demi-figure of the Archangel Michael wings expanded brandishing in his dexter hand a sword all Proper and on his sinister arm an escutcheon Argent charged with a cross Gules and sinister on a rock in base Proper a double-leaved gate Gules triple-towered on an ascent of five steps flanked by two towers all Argent towers arch-roofed and masoned Sable vanes Gules.Motto: Reviresco
|- valign=top |align=center | | StewartryBlazon: Azure a lion rampant Argent armed and langued Gules crowned with an antique crown Or surmounted of a bar chequy Argent and Vert.
|- valign=top |align=center | | WigtownBlazon: Per pale indented dexter Azure a lion rampant Argent armed and langued Gules crowned with an antique crown Or and gorged of an antique crown Vert sinister Gules a chevron Argent and issuing from the sinister chief a quadrant of the sun arrayed Or on a chief Azure having a fillet Ermine a saltire Or charged with nine lozenges also Azure.
|- style="background:#ffe24b" align="center" | colspan="2"|Fife Region|- valign=top |align=center | | DunfermlineBlazon: Azure on a rock Proper two lions supporting a tower with four steps Argent masoned sable windows and portcullis Gules.Motto: Esto Rupes Inaccessa
|- valign=top |align=center | | KirkcaldyBlazon: Azure an abbey of three pyramids Argent each charged with a cross pattee Or between in chief dexter a garb and sinister a buckle and in base a lymphad sails furled oars in action all Or.Motto: Vigilando Munio
|- valign=top |align=center | | North East FifeBlazon: Quarterly 1st Gules three crowns of myrtle Or 2nd Argent on a mount in base the figure of St Andrew Proper bearing his cross in front of him Argent 3rd Argent on a base undy Azure and Argent a lymphad sails furled Sable flagged Gules 4th Gules in chief a garb Or banded Vert in base a plough also or share Argent.Motto: Steadfast
|- style="background:#ffe24b" align="center" | colspan="2"|Highland Region|- valign=top |align=center | | Badenoch & StrathspeyBlazon: Or an osprey volant grasping a fish in its talons Proper a chief wavy per pale dexter Azure a boar's head couped Or and sinister Gules an antique crown also Or a bar wavy enhanced per fess wavy Argent and Azure.Motto: Tre Oideas Agus Creideamh
|- valign=top |align=center | | CaithnessBlazon: Azure a galley Or the sail thereof Argent charged with a raven Sable and in chief two crosier heads Or.Motto: Wark To God
|- valign=top |align=center | | InvernessBlazon: Per fess Azure and Gules a barrulet wavy enhanced Argent in base Our Lord upon the Cross Proper between a crescent and a mullet Or and in chief between dexter a cornucopia and sinister a fraise Argent on a pale or a cat saliant Proper.Motto: Concordia Et Fidelitas
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