The College was granted arms on January 20th, 1931.
SHIELD: Sable, a Cross Argent between four Leopard’s Faces Or, on a Chief of the last, the Castle with two Towers of the field between two open Books Argent, edged gold, bound Gules.
CREST: On a wreath of the colours, a Demi-man (representing St. Martin) habited as a Roman Soldier, holding in his dexter hand a sword with which he divides his cloak flowing from his shoulders, and supported by his sinister hand, all proper.
MOTTO: NON RECUSO LABOREM.
The blazon (heraldic description) means that on a black shield is a silver cross between four leopard’s faces of gold. On the upper third of the field (the “chief”), which is “of the last” tincture previously named, in this case, gold, is a castle with two towers “of the field”, that is to say, of the same colour as the main part of the shield, which is black. The castle is placed between two open books with white pages, edged with gold and bound in red. Above the shield is an esquire’s helmet-this is the type of helmet always given in England to a Corporation-and on it a wreath of twisted silk “of the (principal) colours” of the shield, which are here silver and black. The wreath helps to hold in place the mantling, which is the conventional representation of the cloth with which a knight covered the back of his helmet and his shoulders, and the crest, which is St. Martin, shown from the thighs upwards. He is in the act of dividing his cloak, which is fastened to his shoulders. He holds it in his left hand and his sword in his right-the words “dexter” and “sinister” mean the right and left of the bearer of the crest and shield, not of the viewer of them. St Martin, his armour, sword and cloak, are all “proper”, that is to say, represented in their natural colours.
The lower part of the shield displays the arms of the ancient Norman Priory of St. Martin, the buildings of which are now occupied by the College. The castle is an allusion, not to Dover Castle as might be expected, but to the Town of Dover, the Gateway of England. The crest refers to the well-known legend of St. Martin’s giving half his soldier’s cloak to a naked beggar who, that night, appeared to him in a dream and revealed that he was Christ whom Martin had clothed. St. Martin and the beggar appear in the Arms of the Dover Borough Council. The words of the motto, which may be translated, “l do not shrink from work”, are said to have been used by St. Martin on his deathbed.
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Good saint St Martin, very appropriate for Dover College. He was a Roman Centurion, a war hero.
There is an interesting story on the origin of a “Martinmas summer”, that infrequent (nowadays) late warm spell of weather. Martin became bishop of Tours and after his death his funeral cortege passed down the river Seine and as it passed all the flowers and trees came back into bloom, hence – Martinmas.
Thank you for a fascinating article of historical interest to any current student or OD.