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Heywood, Lancashire (England)

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough

Last modified: 2013-02-23 by rob raeside
Keywords: heywood | lancashire | lamb | pp |
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[Heywood] image by Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013


See also:

Description of the Flag

Heywood’s flag currently features the town’s coat of arms and motto Alte Volo, meaning ‘I Fly High’. "

The arms of Heywood are indeed the arms granted to the former Heywood Municipal Borough Council by the college of Arms on 14 May 1881.

"The Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of Heywood were granted armorial bearings by the College of Arms on May 14, 1881. The blazon was as follows:
Or five pellets between two bendlets engrailed the whole between as many mascles sable; and for a crest on a wreath of the colours in front of the trunk of a tree eradicated fessewise and sprouting to the dexter a falcon rising proper each wing charged with a pellet and holding in the beak a sprig of oak also proper three mascles interlaced Or. The arms were based on those of the Heywood family: Argent, three roundels between two bendlets all gules, Crest: a falcon rising from a tree trunk proper. In the arms of the borough, the colouring was changed form silver and red to gold and black. The heralds also introduced mascles or hollow diamond shaped figures. It has been suggested that these were intended to represent the coal and iron industries.[6] The Latin motto of the Heywood family Alte Volo or "I fly high" was also adopted."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Borough_of_Heywood#Coat_of_arms - Wikipedia, with sources given as:
AC Fox-Davies, The Book of Public Arms, 2nd edition, London, 1915
WC Scott-Giles, Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, 1953
Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013


Blue flag

[Heywood] image by Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013

Flag originally reported (see photo) by Valentin Poposki, 1 November 2012

The status of the blue flag with a white square charged with the arms of Heywood and the place's name below is unknown, since no source was provided - accordingly, we cannot guess in which circumstances the flag was used.
Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013


St. George cross flag proposal

[Heywood] image by Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013

"Rochdale News", 22 December 2012, has an article about a proposed change in Heywood's flag.

"Heywood's flag could be altered to include the St George’s Cross. The move is being considered following a report encouraging civic leaders to embrace the national flag. Members of the public are now being asked for their views on the design, which can be seen above.
[...]
The suggestions follow a report known as This Sceptred Isle*, which accused civic leaders and politicians of failing to safeguard the St George’s Cross.
[...]
Heywood’s flag currently features the town’s coat of arms and motto Alte Volo, meaning ‘I Fly High’. "

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/76408/new-flag-for-heywood

*report available online
http://www.britishfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/BritishFutureSceptredIsle.pdf

The proposed design is a white flag with the St. George's Cross and the arms of Heywood (see below) superimposed. If we strictly follow the wording and the logic of the article, the current flag of Heywood should be white with the coat of arms of Heywood.
Ivan Sache, 6 January 2013

New initial Heywood flag that went out to consultation, final design change will see the cross of St George extended to meet the Old Municipal Borough of Heywood crest.
Cllr Alan McCarthy, 14 January 2013
(Rochdale Metropolitain Borough Council)
Heywood Township Chairman