Coat of arms of the University of Cambridge

Arms of the University of Cambridge

The arms of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, are blazoned: Gules, on a cross ermine between four lions passant guardant Or, a Bible lying fesseways of the field, clasped and garnished of the third, the clasps in base. Or in layman's terms:

“	On a red background, a cross of ermine fur between four gold lions walking but with one fore-leg raised, and facing the observer. These lions must always face the left-hand edge of the page or item on which the arms are displayed (which means they are facing right, heraldically speaking). On the centre of the cross is a closed book with its spine horizontal and with clasps and decoration, the clasps pointing downward.	”
	— University of Cambridge Communications Team

The arms were granted at the 1576 visitation of the County of Cambridge undertaken by Robert Cooke, a graduate of St John's College and the then Clarenceaux King of Arms. The motto is not a fixed or necessary component of the arms, but the motto generally used by the University is Hinc lucem et pocula sacra, Latin for "From here, light and sacred draughts" or less literally "From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge".^[1]

See also

• University of Cambridge
• Coat of arms of the University of Oxford

References

1. University of Cambridge Communications Team (2012). Identity Guidelines (PDF) (5th ed.). Cambridge: University of Cambridge. pp. 4–5.

External links

• Coat of Arms, University of Cambridge.