City of Bath Heraldic Society Roll of Arms

Granted 11th January 2000.

Drawing by Tom Meek

Arms: Gules, on a pall wavy reversed argent between 3 griffins sejant those in chief respectant that in base guardant or a pall wavy reversed azure.

Crest: A griffin sejant per pale gules and or holding in the dexter foreclaws a quill pen Or feathered argent.

Mr Griffey's arms owe a lot to a pun on the word griffin. The motto sums up a great deal of the rationale behind the coat of arms. Mr Griffey is admitted as a Solicitor in England, Wales and Hong Kong, and as a Barrister in New Zealand (hence the quill in the griffin's foreclaw). He is also a Chartered Secretary and Magistrate. Mrs Griffey (who is Chinese) was born in Kowloon, and so the two griffins in chief represent the grantee and his wife respecting each other and literally looking East and West. In addition the two monsters happily represent his European and Chinese sons, both born in Kowloon. The inverted blue and silver pall also has several allusions. It represents the 'Y' of Mr Griffey's name to differentiate the Griffey family from those of Griffin and Griffith. The O'Griobhtha (O'Griffy or O'Griffey) sept in Ireland derives from the Gaelic griobhtha, i.e. griffin-like. Mr Griffey's home is in Bishopsworth, in the City and County of Bristol, i.e. the Bishop's farm, and so the pall also resembles a bishop's pallium, as well as a hayfork. Bishops worth is divided in two by the River Malago with east and west tributaries, and was formerly in Somerset. The red and gold tinctures can be found in the arms of Somerset, Bristol and the former Avon. They are also the imperial and revolutionary colours of China, as well as those of the new emblem of Hong Kong.