Original Coat of Arms
The original coat-of-arms consisted of a shield bearing a double-headed eagle. Above the shield, as a crest, was a cock and below the shield was the motto “Vigilantibus” (meaning “forever watchful”).
New Coat of Arms
A new coat of Arms was introduced 11th June 1930 by the Lord Lyon King of Arms after drawing attention to the Town Council that the original Coat of Arms was improper.
The Meaning of Airdrie : (Origin of the name)
Although still controversial, some say it derives from the Gaelic “ard ruith” meaning a level height or high pasture land. Others say it derives from Arderyth, the scene of the battle in 577AD between the armies of Aeddam, King of Kintyre, and Rydderych the Bountiful, King of Strathclyde. Possibly another suggestion could be that it was taken from the Gaelic “Airidh” meaning a sheiling or wayside town. As an aside, in 1695 the Scottish Parliament passed a special Act of Parliament authorising “Robert Hamilton of Airdrie” to hold four fairs yearly and a weekly market in the “town of Airdry”
|