1 - 2: The Crest That Tells a Story

Have you ever taken a close look at the Axminster coat of arms? While we have had to slightly simplify its intricacies for the banner medium, all the key elements are there:

• The golden globe surmounted by a cross are from the arms of King Athelstan who was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939
• The battle axes are from a major local battle after which seven earls were buried in Axminster with seven priests then appointed to pray for their souls
• At the base is a shuttle, a key tool in carpet-making
• Rising above is the ancient Minster, around which the town grew up.

Not included, because it is too detailed for banner painting, is the simple motto: ‘Steadfast and faithful’.