HERITAGE | The story behind Huddersfield’s coat of arms

By Oliver Thompson Huddersfield bears it’s very own coat of arms, you can see it dotted around the town in various locations, but how exactly did it come about? The large market and university town is located in West Yorkshire near the confluence of the Rivers Colne and Holme. Famous for being the birthplace of rugby league and it’s former inhabitants which include, Dr Who (Jodie Whittaker), Two Prime Minster’s (Harold Wilson & Herbert Asquith) and Hollywood actor (Sir Patrick Stewart), the area has been settled for over 4,000 years. The Coat of arms of Huddersfield was the symbol of the local government of the Corporation of Huddersfield, which was abolished in 1974 to make way for the Kirklees Metropolitan Council and West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council. In 1868, the design was approved by the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Huddersfield. The crest is modelled on the Ramsden family, who were prolific landowners in the area, having owned the manors of Almondbury and Huddersfield, and had played a major role in the development of the town. In 1599, William Ramsden bought the Huddersfield manor from the de Laci family, with which the Ramsdens oversaw Huddersfield’s growth from a small agricultural town to a prosperous wealthy industry town. Facilities attributed to the family include the Cloth Hall (1766) and Sir John Ramsden’s Canal (1780). In 1920, the Ramsden’s sold their estate to the Huddersfield Corporation, in which the area was described as ‘the town that bought itself.’ The motto ‘Juvat Impigros Deus’ can be loosely translated from Latin to ‘God defends the Diligent.’