Here is the bird that never flew
Here is the tree that never grew
Here is the bell that never rang
Here is the fish that never swam.
The City of Glasgow had no single official armorial bearings until the 19th century. There were at least three official seals in use and a patent was granted by the Lord Lyon in 1866.
The emblems had been used in various forms and can be traced back to the seals of the Bishop of Glasgow. The fish was the first to appear, on the seal of Bishop William Wyschard in 1270, to be joined by the bird in 1271, on the seal of Bishop Robert Wyschard.
On a later seal of the prelate the tree, or at least a branch, is shown along with the fish and bird. The bell first appears in 1321 on the privy seal of the Chapter of Glasgow.
The first seal on which all the emblems are represented together is that of the Chapter of Glasgow used from 1488-1540, but it was not until 1647 that they appeared in something like their present combination on a seal ‘maid by directioune of the toune’. There were several subsequent variations, the latest being in April 1996, when the present Lord Lyon granted a patent to the city following Local Government reorganisation.
To read more about the various parts of the City Crest follow the links below:
The city motto "Let Glasgow Flourish", registered at the Lyon Court in 1866, is a curtailment of the text inscribed on the bell of the Tron Church cast in 1631 – "Lord let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of thy word and praising thy name.
*Note: The City Arms must not be reproduced without the permission of Glasgow City Council.