Day 100
“So with our darkest days behind us our ship of hope will steer, and if in doubt, just keep in mind our motto :
PERSEVERE”
What a year it has been. As lockdown finally lifts, our online exhibition has come to an end. For this final post we are celebrating the Leith Crest and Motto. Leith will Persevere. Always.
The Leith Crest is a familiar sight in Leith, and the accompanying Persevere motto is a creed many Leithers live by. It adorns our civic buildings and public spaces; it is used to mark buildings significant to our heritage; is integrated into many community organisation, business and school branding - including the Leith High Constables, Leith Academy, Hibees, Leith Athletic, Leith Community Centre, Leith Trust and many others. It has travelled around the world carried by sailors as tokens of home, as mementos by Leithers who have moved away, by tourists and visitors to our shores, and given as gifts to family and friends who do not live here, but feel a connection. It is taught to our children in school. If you look out for it when wandering around Leith you will find variations of it dotted about everywhere.
But where did it come from and what does it mean?
The full truth of the origins of the crest appear to be lost in the mists of time. The imagery of the crest first appears in the history books in the 11th century, on the Leith flag. At that time, flags were not in common usage in Scotland - indeed the Saltire would not be adopted as the flag of Scotland until the 16th century, 3 - 4 hundred years later. However, they were in common usage in other northern European countries, notably Denmark which commonly had both family and regional or city flags, and France, where the flag of Leith is thought to have come from. The Leith crest would have proudly flown in the burgh, and from Leith based ships for over 770 years before the crest was officially recognised as the seal of Leith on 27th February 1889. The text on the registry entry reads as follows:
Crown Copyright Court of the Lord Lyon,image held in the National Registry of Scotland.
“Excerpt of Letters Patent from the Lyon King of Arms in favour of the Burgh of Leith, dated the 27th day of February 1889.
Whereas Thomas Aitken Esquire Provost of the Burgh of Leith and the Magistrates and Town Council of the said Burgh have by Petition of date the Thirteenth day of February current, Represented unto us that the said Burgh of Leith, though from early times a town of importance and consideration, was for the first time formally constituted a Parlaimentary Burgh in the year 1833 and have prayed that we would Grant our License and Authority to them and to their successors in office to bear and use a seal or otherwise for official purposes connected with the said Burgh such Ensigns Armorial as might be found suitable and according to the Laws of Arms: Know ye therefore that We have devised and do by these presents assign ratify and confirm to the said Provost and Magistrates and Town Council of the said Burgh of Leith and to their successors in office and to the said Burgh the following Ensigns Armorial as depicted upon the margin hereof and matriculated of even date with these presents in our Public Register of all Arms and Bearings in Scotland Viz; Argent, in a sea proper an ancient galley with the two masts sails furled sable flagged gules , sealed therein the Virgin Mary with the infant Saviour in her arms and a cloud resting over their heads all also proper from an escrol below the shield is placed this Motto: “Persevere”.
Matriculated the Twenty Seventh Day of February 1889”
While the official registry description designates the figure as the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, another school of thought is that the figure is actually Mary Magdalene holding her baby by Jesus. This is because there is nothing to link the Virgin Mary to the sea, whereas Mary Magdalene is thought to have travelled across northern Europe, and would have arrived there by boat, potentially travelling through France from whence the flag originated. However, there is a link in Leith to Virgin Mary in the origins of South Leith Parish Church which was originally a Chapel dedicated to St Mary, and the seafaring connection could simply be due to Leith being a port town.
Occasionally the date 1563 is added to the crest, it is thought that this bears some relation to the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots in Leith, however as this event took place in 1561, the dates do not quite add up. Queen Mary is known to have stayed at Craigmillar Castle in September 1563, so this could potentially be the link, but again there is nothing in written records to validate this theory.
Image copyright The Edinburgh Reporter
At the time of the amalgamation in 1920, other administrative matters took priority, and the matter of the Leith flag (and associated crest) was largely overlooked by the outgoing Leith Councillors, and new Edinburgh Councillors. As a result the flag became property of the crown, and as such became illegal to fly over the town of Leith - or anywhere else. In 2010 local business owner Alexander Wilson began a campaign to restore the flag of Leith - and with the support of Leith Academy, local businesses, and the Lord Provost, was successful in having the flag returned to the Burgh.
The rights to the flag had to be passed to a Leith wide organisation, and so was given to the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership - this has now morphed into the Local Community Planning Partnership and the Neighbourhood Networks.
Our Motto:
Persevere
Art work by Keith Paton
Image Credit: Amanda Rogers
It is unknown exactly when the motto “Persevere” was adopted by Leith - we can see from the registration document that it was recognised as a motto when the crest was registered in 1889, but how long before this it was in general use is a mystery. The screen of the crest with the motto on display in South Leith Parish Church (included in the slideshow above) is believed to date back possibly to the 1600’s, however it has been touched up a few times since, and there is no knowing if the motto was part of the original design. Whatever the case may be, the motto ‘Persevere’ is now firmly embedded in the mindset of anyone who grows up in, or becomes part of the Leith community.
We asked current Leithers to share what the motto has meant to them.
“They drummed it into us at leith academy “if at first you don’t succeed try try try again” I’ve never forgotten it.”
“Ian Mason It absolutely was! I can honestly say that it has stayed with me all my life. I never give up on anything! I am proud to be a Leither and to have the motto Persevere underpinning my life.”
“Was our school motto.... along with the ditty.... if at first you don’t succeed try, try again!!! It’s a mantra I still use to this day... instilled into my children and grandchild... ”
“Born in Leith went to school in Leith grew up in Leith worked in Leith got married in Leith daughter christened in Leith proud to be a Leither”
“Was our school motto too at Leith Academy. Our school song was a hymn that emphasized the word. Just cant remember the name of it.”
“I had the motto put on a shirt for a piping competition to give me confidence. Very proud of our motto..”
“Not a story from the past, but this very day [27th February 2021] on Constitution st. The residents will certainly be having to persevere with the tram works!”
“I live in Oshawa Ontario Canada I have a sweat shirt with the persevere badge on it. I got it from my friend Evelyn Smith who worked at Leith Academy. Being a Leither it means a lot to me.”
“My great uncle worked in the docks and I inherited his cap complete with the Persevere Badge/logo.
In my teens I also worked and lived in Sunny Leith. I was based in Bernard Street where an importer of butter and cheese took deliveries through the port via traditional open lorries to be distributed throughout the Lothians and Fife. Leith was a very busy place then with the docks a real hub.
I remember that cases (cardboard) of whisky used to be exported via Leith to far off countries no doubt. Stealing bottles would not be an option as open cartons was a tad obvious, so dockers used to drop the cases ‘accidentally’ and then hold a cup at the bottom corner and wait till the whisky worked its way through. The cartons were then sent on their way looking untouched.
I still have his cap with the badge. It reminds me of all the years I spent there, having an enjoyable wet lunch every Friday in the Jungle and walking home across the Links with a fierce wind freezing my left ear and matching my frozen right ear that got it that morning.
On other days, Leith Assembly Halls did rather decent meals at keen prices. The place was full of workers from all around but mostly from the Bonds. Nearby was the biscuit factory where many Leithers worked and came with bags of biccies for family and friends. I am sure I recall being a small child and on a tram in Leith. All those years later and I may be doing the same thing pretty soon. Hopefully.”
“I was born in Leith, and it means home to me. Family, friends, streets and houses, shops, churches, all are part of my life’s experience, and the motto Persevere has helped me tremendously. I try to live up to it in every situation, and I love the strength and simplicity of such a powerful motto.”
Leith sampler, I am reminded to Persevere every day! - Christine Muir
We hope you have enjoyed this online exhibition as much as we have enjoyed creating it - All of the team have learned so much about our wee bit of the world. But one thing has remained the same - while there have been many changes over the years, big and small, the spirit of Leith is certainly to Persevere - and we will take that forward for the next 100 years!
