Grant of Arms
The Company’s armorial bearings were approved by the Kings of Arms on 9 February 2026. They comprise several heraldic components, namely, the Crest, Torse, Helm, Shield, Mantling, Compartment and Motto.
BLAZON
Arms: Argent a Cross Gules the upper limb Sable and a Chief also Sable at fess point a Nurse’s Fob Watch the rim Sable the face Argent the hands Gules.
Crest: Upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Sable On a Mount Vert charged with Chamomile Flowers proper a Turkish Fanoos Lantern Sable the shade Or.
Mantling: Party Sable and Gules doubled Argent.
Supporters: Dexter the Figure of Ethel Gordon Fenwick proper vested in a Dress Sable the collar and cuffs Argent capped also Argent and holding in the exterior hand a Scroll Argent Sinister the Figure of Annie Catherine Brewster proper vested in a Dress Azure the collar and cuffs Argent and a Pinafore Argent charged on the chest with a Cross couped Gules capped also Argent and perched on the exterior wrist an Owl proper all on a Compartment of a Grassy Mount growing thereon to the dexter Echinacea and to the sinister Primrose proper.
Motto: PAST PRESENT FUTURE
EXPLANATORY NOTES
The Crest comprises a Turkish fanoos lantern above a wreath of chamomile flowers. The lantern is a symbol of care and a tribute to Florence Nightingale and the nurses who served with her in Scutari. The chamomile flowers symbolise holistic nursing.
The Torse, a twisted roll of fabric laid on top of the Helm, is black and white, an allusion to The Royal Hospital of St Bartholomew in the City of London where the Founders of the Guild of Nurses all trained.
The Mantling is red and black, a reference to the Company’s Livery. The reverse is white signifying hygiene and cleanliness.
The Shield features a central red cross on a white background, a symbol of sacrifice and service and an allusion to the Arms of the Corporation of the City of London. It also features a heraldic depiction of the Company’s badge - a nurse’s fob watch with the hands set at 2016, the year in which the Guild of Nurses was founded, and with the figure 12 in roman numerals, a reference to the Founders’ set number at Barts.
The Compartment comprises a mound of grass with echinaceas, symbolising treatment of infection and relief from pain, and primroses. The primrose is the birth flower for February, the month in which Florence Nightingale received her ‘call’ from God and also in which the Court of Aldermen recognised the Guild of Nurses.
The two Supporters are (dexter) Ethel Gordon Fenwick (1857-1947) one of the foremost nursing reformers and the founder of the Royal British Nurses Association, and (sinister) Annie Catherine Brewster (1858-1902) born in St Vincent and one of the first African-Caribbeans to pursue a career in nursing in London.
Ethel Gordon Fenwick, who championed nurse registration and who is recorded as the first registered nurse in the United Kingdom, represents professional validation and continuing development within nursing. She is depicted wearing a matron’s uniform of the Victorian era and holding a scroll symbolising wisdom and learning.
Annie Catherine Brewster represents diversity and inclusion. She is depicted wearing a blue uniform and a white apron - an allusion to the National Health Service. The red cross on her apron is an allusion to Edith Cavell and symbolises the protection afforded to nurses and patients in armed conflicts. The owl perched on her arm is a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and vigilance.
The Motto, Past Present Future, signifies that the Company exists for the nursing profession in perpetuity.