Crowns and Coronets
August 2006

Crowns and coronets are popular items in South African heraldry, where they are found both as charges, and as crests or elements of crests.

Coronets
In addition to the range of coronets found in British and European heraldry, e.g. the ancient crown, astral crown, ducal coronet, and naval crown, there are several SA designs, most of them unique. Designs which have been used more than once are:

A coronet of four fleurs de lis alternating with four pearls.

Fir-twig Coronet: designed in 1984, and consisting of a plain circlet heightened of six stylised fir-twigs.

Protea Coronet: designed in 1984, and consisting of a jewelled circlet heightened of four stylised protea flowers alternating with pearls.

Other coronets, which have been used only once, are generally made up of a gold circlet heightened of charges. Charges used have included:

  • roses and trefoils (1974), wattle flowers and trefoils (1978),
     
  • wolfhooks (1982), proteas (1985), trefoils (1987),
     
  • garbs and bees (1991), proteas and roses (1993), chemical symbols for iron and bees (1996), Maltese crosses and mayflowers (1996), rays and Barberton daisies (1996), fleurs de lis and acorns (1997), proteas and fleurs de lis (1997), trefoils and proteas (1997), proteas and annulets (1998), bezants (2000),
     
  • arrowheads and bezants (2001), fountain pen nibs and protea flowers (2001), roses and pearls (2001), escallops and pearls (2002), Cape Dutch gables (2003), diamonds and emeralds (2003), proteas and bees (2003), and Hilton daisies (2004).

Mural Crowns
The mural crown is widely used in municipal arms. Sometimes it forms part of a crest, but often it takes the place of the crest and is placed on the helmet, or directly on top of the shield in lieu of a helmet. In addition to the English-style mural crown found in pre-1960s arms, there are nine South African patterns:

Mural crown: a highly stylised, and now rather dated-looking, crown used in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Mural crown: introduced in the 1970s, this is the basic pattern. It may be of a colour or a metal. The design resembles the mural crown of Napoleonic heraldry.

Mural crown with three towers issuant: this was introduced in 1988 for the arms of regional services councils. The crown is always metal, it has a smooth surface, and three battlemented towers issue from within the circlet.

Mural crown of huts: introduced in 1992, for local area councils. It was in colour or metal, with a smooth surface, and doors of contrasting tincture.

Mural crown with spearheads issuant: introduced in 1993, for urban councils in Bophuthatswana. It was always metal, with a smooth surface, and spearheads issuing upwards from the battlements.

Mural crown: introduced in 1996, for transitional authorities during the first phase (1996-2000) of local government reorganisation. It differed from the standard pattern by being encircled by a coloured band.

Mural crown with palisades: introduced in 2002 for the new generation of municipal arms. It is metal, with a brickwork pattern, and palisades attached to the battlements.

Rustic mural crown: also introduced in 2002, this is similar in shape to the basic mural crown, but the central section is silver with a blue bar across it and the upper and base sections are masoned to resemble stonework. It can be in metal or a colour.

Rustic mural crown with wooden palisades: a third pattern introduced in 2002. It is a low mural crown, masoned to resemble stonework, with palisades of wooden stakes issuing upwards from the battlements and embrasures. The crown is usually brown.

The current (2002-pattern) mural crowns are not linked to specific classes of municipality.

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References/Sources/Links
Brownell, FG: "Heraldry in South Africa" in Optima (Dec 1984)
— "Finnish Influence on SA Heraldic Design" in Arma 116 (1986)
Bureau of Heraldry Database
Government Gazette 23619 (19 Jul 2002)

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