The portcullis was the heraldic badge of the
House of Beaufort, and the first Tudor king,
Henry VII, who was of matrilineal Beaufort descent, adapted both the portcullis and the
Tudor rose into
Royal badges of the
House of Tudor. Since then, the portcullis has been a moderately common
motif of English
heraldry, especially that heraldry dating from the Tudor period. The heraldic office of
Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, a junior
officer of arms in the
College of Arms at
London, dates from this period. Through
Lord Charles Somerset, son of
The 5th Duke of Beaufort, the portcullis has found its way into several South African coats of arms. Somerset established several towns during his governorship at the then-
Cape Colony and named them for his family. These include
Worcester,
Somerset West,
Fort Beaufort, and
Beaufort West. Institutions that derive the portcullis from these arms include a school, a chamber of commerce, and a rugby club. Other (around 30) South African coats of arms that include a portcullis are not necessarily related to either
Lord Charles Somerset or any of the towns named after and by him. Although the
Palace of Westminster served as the official
royal residence for both Henry VII and
Henry VIII until 1530, the current use of the portcullis as a symbol of the palace and of
Parliament does not date from that time. Rather, the symbol was developed as part of
Sir Charles Barry's plans for the rebuilt palace after
the original burned down on 16 October 1834; he conceptualized the new palace as a "legislative castle", and the symbol of a castle gate—i.e., a portcullis—fit well with the scheme. Since then, the portcullis has become the primary symbol of Parliament; an office building for
Members of Parliament (MPs), opened in 2001, is named "
Portcullis House". During the 20th century, use of the portcullis as a symbol of Parliament spread beyond Britain and to the other
Commonwealth realms. For instance, the
coat of arms of Canberra has a portcullis in its
crest, preserving a connection between the British Parliament at Westminster and the
Australian Parliament to which Canberra is home. The badge, coat of arms, and flag of the
Canada Border Services Agency all include a portcullis, symbolizing the agency's role as His Majesty's agents responsible for the border services of Canada. A portcullis was previously found on the
British one-penny coin and on the
predecimal thrupenny bit; this has since been replaced by a section of the
Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. It was also featured in the now-defunct
HM Customs and Excise in the United Kingdom and still appears in the rank insignia for the various grades of commissioner in the
Australian Border Force. The portcullis may appear: • as a charge in its own right, as in the arms of the
London Borough of Richmond:
Ermine, a portcullis chained or, a bordure gules charged with eight fleurs-de-lys or • with nail heads shown in a contrasting colour, as in the arms of
Wallingford Town Council:
Gules, a portcullis or studded sable, chained Argent, ensigned with an ancient crown of the second, all within an orle of bezants • with spikes of a contrasting colour, as in the crest of
Tendring District Council:
...a portcullis or, nailed and spiked azure • in the gateways of castles, fully lowered or part raised, as in the arms of
Winchester City Council:
...five castles triple towered in saltire argent masoned proper the portcullis of each part-raised or...; though these do not appear in gateways of castles unless the blazon specifies them. It is often shown with chains attached, even when the blazon does not mention them. ==See also==