Pontefract - Pontefract, UK - Coats of Arms on Waymarking.com

Pontefract was an important defensive position in Yorkshire after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The area was awarded to the De Lacy family who built a castle on the site which they lived in for over two centuries.

It was an important site in the English Civil War and it was believed to be the strongest inland castle at the time. The Parliamentarian forces laid siege to the castle three times between 1648-49. This caused great suffering to both the castle inhabitants and the local population who requested the castle to be destroyed as it acted as a magnet for trouble.

The ruins of the castle remain and are publicly accessible.

The municipal buildings were erected in 1932.

The Coat Of Arms

The arms were granted in 1585 by Robert Glover, Somerset Herald when the castle was still a dominant feature of the town and surrounding area.

It was because of this that the design came about. It shows a white castle with three towers on a black shield with a banner flying from each turret. Below the castle are blue and white wavy lines representing water, possibly the castle's moat.

The motto is in Latin 'POST MORTEM PATRIS POR FILIO' which translates to 'After the Father We are for the Son'.

The motto relates to the refusal of the garrison at Pontefract Castle to surrender the Castle when called upon so to do, following the execution of Charles I in 1649. It is taken from coins struck by the garrison and was adopted as the town's motto some time after the Restoration in the reign of Charles II.

The Library

"The library was opened in 1975 to a design by disgraced Pontefract architect, John Poulson. The library was one of Poulson's final buildings, opening two years after his imprisonment for corruption. The building is of two storeys, the first floor being a mezzanine. The interior is clad in wood with a central staircase linking the ground floor with the mezzanine. The ceiling has square skylights situated over the central atrium. The exterior has the characteristic geometric shapes of Poulson's earlier brutalist style buildings, however unlike his earlier works the pre-cast concrete is finished. The windows are tinted to protect the stock and extrude from the building. The library is the only public library in the town." Extracted from Wikipedia

Bearer of Coat of Arms: Town Full name of the bearer: Pontefract Where is Coat of Arms installed (short description) ?: On the wall of the library near to the entrance Material / Design: Cast metal Blazon (heraldic description): Per fesse wavy Sable and barruly wavy Argent and Azure a quadrangular Castle in perspective only three of its four towers being visible on the dome of each tower Argent a Flagstaff proper and flying therefrom to the sinister a Banner Gules Address: Pontefract Library Shoemarket, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF8 1BD Web page about the structure where is Coat of Arms installed (if exists): [Web Link] Web page about the bearer of Coat of Arms (if exists): [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Logging requirements: Please upload your own personal photo of the coat of arms. You or your GPS can be in the picture, but it’s not a requirement.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.