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City of London (United Kingdom)

by Graham Bartram, courtesy of World Flag Database

Description
Coat of arms
Lord Mayor of the City of London
London County Council
Greater London Authority
Port of London Authority
Kingston-upon-Thames
Borough of Hackney
London Rowing Club
London 2012 Olympics candidate city

See also:

Description of the flag

This is the flag of the city of London as it appears in Inglefield (1979).
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 26 April 2000

This is the banner of arms of the Corporation of the City of London. Note however that the City of London does not include all of what is commonly known as London, but the ancient city only, from Fleet St eastward ("the Square Mile"), which is now the financial centre of London. Its authority does not extend to the adjacent City of Westminster, nor to the surrounding boroughs, which together constitute Greater London.

Consequently there is a 'Lord Mayor of London' who heads the Corporation, but there will soon be a separate 'Mayor of London' in charge of the whole of Greater London.

You can see the full achievement of the coat of arms of the City at the bottom of the page on www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Andrew Yong, 26 April 2000

The St. George's Cross, red on white, distinguishes a number of civic flags associated with London. That of the city of London bears in the canton, in red, the sword which beheaded St. Paul. On the shield which forms the badge of the Corporation of Lloyd's the Cross and Sword of London City are placed above a foul anchor in gold.
Jarig Bakker, 21 December 1999

From Brewer's famous Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:
Dagger, in the City arms of London, commemorates Sir William Walworth's dagger, with which he slew Wat Tyler in 1381. Before this time the cognisance of the City was the sword of St. Paul.

Brave Walworth, knight, lord mayor, that slew
Rebellious Tyler in his alarmes;
The king, therefore, did give him in lieu
The dagger to the city armes.

Fourth year of Richard II. (1381), Fishmongers' Hall.
Rob Carter, 18 March 2004

Sounds like "fable" in the title of the source is the operative word. It's invariably blazoned as a sword, and this City of London website notes that the modern arms were in use several months before the incident mentioned in the poem. This strikes me as similar to the urban legend about the way the head of the eagle on the US Presidential) COA faces. Since it was changed shortly after World War II, people assumed the change was connected with the change from war to peace. Since the London seal changed about the same time as Wat Tyler's rebellion, people assumed the change had something to do with Wat Tyler's rebellion.
Joe McMillan, 18 March 2004

Coat of Arms

by James Frankcom

The Arms and symbols of London. The City of London is ancient. Originally Caer Lud named after a mythical Celtic King Lud who is attributed to founding the city in c.130BC. The city was developed into a wealthy port by the Romans but then destroyed by Queen Boudicca of the Iceni in 60AD. Rebuilt again with new city walls in 100AD the city (now known as Londinium) then became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia. The city flourished under the Romans. The Roman legions left Britain in 410AD. The Bishop of London seemed to hold considerable authority over the city at this time which was almost a city state. London was evacuated in 470AD when its defence against the marauding Saxons and Jutes from their base in Kent became impossible. The city was the abandoned and desolate for several centuries. It is said that the original tradesmen and burgers of London were allowed to move back into the mainly destroyed walled ci