Coat of arms of Barbados

The coat of arms of Barbados was adopted shortly before independence, on February 14, 1966, according to a decree by Elizabeth II, the country's last reigning monarch. The design is by Neville Connell, director of the Barbados Museum. Like other former British possessions in the Caribbean, it consists of a field supported by two animals and stamped with a helmet with a national symbol on top.

Golden shield

The central part of the coat of arms of Barbados is known as the "golden shield". It consists of a field of gold in which there are two "Prides of Barbados", which are the national flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima of the Poinciana genus) and a fig tree " barbada" (Ficus citrifolia) which was common on the island at the time the Portuguese arrived on the island and after whom it is named.

Coat of arms

The shield formed by a field of gold with the aforementioned elements is supported by two figures in the shape of animals (supports in heraldic terminology). On the left a heraldic dolphin in azure and gules, representing the fishing industry of Barbados, and on the right a pelican in natural colors symbolizing a small island called Pelican Island that once existed off the coast of Bridgetown.

The shield is stamped with the helmet of Barbados with burelete and lambrequin of gules and gold with a crest in the shape of an extended arm of gold holding two sugar canes. The cross formed by the reeds represents the one on which Saint Andrew was crucified. At the base of the shield there is a legend that says: "Pride and Industry" (Pride and Industry) in reference to the nation's motto.