Merchant Adventurers' Coat-of-Arms - Fossgate, York, UK
N 53° 57.489 W 001° 04.711
30U E 626071 N 5980575
This coat-of-arms is sitauted above an archway leading to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall on the south west side of Fossgate in York.
Waymark Code: WMK3NC
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/08/2014
Views: 4
The sculpture, carved from stone and painted, is located above an arched entrance to the grounds of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall. The relief is approximately 1.5 x 1.5 metres in size. The pegasus horses, either side of the central shield, and top centre are beautifully carved and coloured white with small red soses on their wings. The central shield is split into two horizontally. The top half is quartered with with two panels each showing two red roses and the other two panels each having a gold lion. In the lower half are three rows of waves coloured blue. A silver, armoured helmet sits above the shield. The background has scrollwork coloured blue.
The York Company website tells us:
Pegasus, the winged horse, and the waves symbolise travel over water, illustrating the role of the Merchant Adventurers who traded overseas. The white roses represent Yorkshire, and the lion is a national emblem for England. The Knight’s helmet and the shield were a customary part of the design of coats of arms.
The French motto on the coat of arms, ‘Dieu nous donne bonne aventure’ means ‘God give us good fortune’ – which the merchants wanted both spiritually and financially.