The Coat of Arms was designed by the Garter King of Arms in London in consultation with the Governor and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office during 1982/83, and was authorised on 30 Jan 1984.
This is the heraldic description of the Coat of Arms (with reduced heraldic jargon):
It features a shield, the chief (band occupying top part of the shield) showing the national bird, the St. Helena plover, on a gold background. The base (lower part of the shield) depicts an Indiaman (three-masted sailing ship) with black rigging and gold furled sails heading towards two cliffs on the dexter (right side, being that to the left of the spectator).
The crest (figure affixed to the helmet) upon a helmet in a blue naval crown is a demi figure representing St Helena. She is wearing a gold veil, silver vest and blue mantle. She is holding a lily in her right hand and, in the crook of her left arm, she is supporting a cross raguly (cross whose arms have small regular projections set at an angle on both sides). Surrounding the shield is a blue and gold mantle and beneath the shield, upon a scroll, the motto ‘Loyal and Unshakeable.’
How the motto was acquired seems to be a mystery. It has been suggested that it was introduced by Governor Massingham when the new Coat of Arms and flag were commissioned in 1983.
