"Arms:
Perfess wavy argent and gules, a griffin segreant counter-changed
holding between the foreclaws a Tau crossper pale vert and sable.
Crest:
On a wreath of the colours, between two sprigs of oak fructed
a dexter cubit arm proper charged with a cogwheel or, the hand
holding two flashes of lightning in saltire azure.
Supporters:
On either side a unicorn, that on the dexter ermine armed, crined
tufted and ungules or and gorged with a collar azure charged
with a bar argent. That on the sinister argent, armed, crined,
tufted and unguled or and charged on the neck with three lozenges
conjoined in fess sable.
Badge:
A roundel of the arms environed on a wreath of oak fructed proper.
Motto:
Hold Fast That Which Is Good".
Explanation
& Description of the Arms
The design incorporates a shield divided by a wavy line representing
the River Mersey and the Manchester
Ship Canal which cut across the borough. On the shield is
a Griffin, representing the de Trafford Family who gave their
name to the borough. The Griffin is counterchanged - the top
half being the red (gules) eagle on a white background, and
the bottom half being the white (argent) lion, representing
the Massey Family of Dunham Massey,
on a red background.
The Griffin
holds a T-shaped Greek Tau Cross, the initial standing for the
name Trafford. The Tau is in green (vert) and black (sable),
representing both the rural and the industrial nature of the
borough. The Crest wreath is in the Trafford colours of red
and white. In the crest is a raised forearm holding two shafts
of blue (azure) lightning to symbolise Trafford's large electrical
industry, and set in the shape of an X (saltire) to represent
the Roman number 10, representing the 10 communities which make
up the Metropolitan Borough.
The arm
is also charged with a gold (or) cogwheel taken from the Altrincham
Arms to represent engineering. The two branches of oak are taken
from the Urmston Arms to represent the wooded countryside in
that area. The two supporting creatures are both (unusually)
unicorns. The one side is a pure white (argent) unicorn taken
from the Sale Arms, and another is ermine as in the Altrincham
Arms. The latter wears a blue and white barred collar from part
of Bowden's Crest. The white unicorn is derived from the crest
of the Carringtons, kinsmen of the Masseys of Sale, whose three
black diamonds (or lozenges) are seen in both the Sale and Carrington
families' shields.
Thus the
new Coat of Arms incorporates elements and insignia taken from
historic town's Arms and represents all of the local communities
which were combined to make Trafford Metropolitan Borough.
