In May 1899 Mr. Robert Day was appointed by
the Council to select the most appropriate design for the
seal of Cork County Council from 65 submissions. The
winning entry was from Guy and Company Ltd., Cork, and is
described as follows:-
“The design contains within the trefoil shape the
shields of four ancient boroughs corporate, Youghal,
Kinsale, Bandon and Cork, the latter occupying the
central position as the chief city of the province, and
which gives its name to the county. In the angles of the
trefoil are placed the shields of three of the less
important towns within the jurisdiction of the County
Council. The whole enclosed in circular form, the upper
part bearing the title and at the bottom the year of
institution. The raised outer rim is composed of a
running border of shamrocks. Celtic ornament is
introduced into the sunk trefoil shape.”
The three towns not mentioned are Castlemartyr,
Charleville and Midleton, all of which had been boroughs
corporate prior to the Municipal Corporations (Ireland)
Act, 1840. Clonakilty had also been a chartered borough
but surprisingly never had a shield or coat of arms and
this perhaps explains its omission from the shield.
A description of the armorial bearings are as follows (moving
clockwise):
[Centre] CORK CITY, has no armorial bearings registered
in Ulster’s Office. Those attributed to the city and
generally used are – Or, on waves of the sea a ship
of three masts in full sail proper, between two towers
gules, upon rocks also proper. Motto: STATIO BENE FIDA
CARINIS (a trustworthy harbour for ships). Burke in his
General Armory blazons the coat, Or, an ancient ship
between two castles in fesse gules.
[12 o’clock] YOUGHAL, The ancient seal of the town
represent An ancient one-masted ship or galley with sail
furled and yard square set. The arms are not registered
in Ulster’s office, but they are usually blazoned
sable with galley argent sometimes or.
[2 o’clock] CASTLEMARTYR, has no arms recorded in
Ulster’s office. Castlemartyr was incorporated by
charter of Charles II, dated 28 July 1675. The arms of
the borough are engraved upon the silver mace, now in the
possession of Mrs. Leycester, of Ennismore, Cork, and
represent a castellated building of two square towers,
with pyramidical tops, from the tallest of which a flag
is floating.
[4 o’clock] BANDON, has no arms recorded in Ulster’s
Office. The seal represents an embattled bridge of seven
arches, with water transfluent in base, at either end of
the bridge thereon an embattled gateway, domed. In the
centre chief point an escutcheon party per bend embattled
argent and gules, surmounted by an Earl’s cornet
proper (the arms of Boyle, Earls of Cork and Orrery).
[6 o’clock] MIDLETON, has no armorial bearings
registered in Ulster’s office. The old Corporate
seal of the town bears – Argent, on a chief vest,
two spear heads of the first embrued gules, with the
legend “Corporation of Middleton 1670” round
the margin. These are, of course, the arms of BRODRICK,
LORD MIDLETON, whose ancestor, Sir John Broderick, Knt.,
received a charter of incorporation for the town from
Charles II in 1670.
[8 o’clock] KINSALE. Chequy argent and sable. These
arms are not registered in Ulster’s office, but
appear upon a seal of the Corporation, which bears the
legend, “The Arms of the Corporation of Kinsale”.
A tree and a bird perched on a branch at a dexter side,
appears to be growing from the top of the escutcheon.
This is probably intended for a crest, but in another
seal a foliated ornament occupies its place.
[10 o’clock] CHARLEVILLE, has no arms recorded in
Ulster’s Office. The seal of mayoralty of the staple
of Borough of Charleville exhibits an embattled gateway
or castle.
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