The badge carries the coat of arms of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. The design consists of the simplest form of armorial bearings, a shield of Arms, without crest or supporters. This was the earliest form of civic arms and is borne by several ancient corporations – including, Winchester, Lincoln, Canterbury, York and Durham – as well as many modern boroughs such as Fareham and Epsom and Ewell.
The shield forms a kind of heraldic map with the two former Rural Districts of Basingstoke and Kingsclere and Whitchurch symbolised by two beech trees, a predominant feature of the natural scene, on a background of gold representing agriculture.
A narrow blue wave in the form of a chevron suggests the Test, Bourne, Loddon and other local rivers watering the district. Below the chevron is St Michael and the dragon, which is featured in the ancient seal of the former borough of Basingstoke and has been used in the past in lieu of a coat of arms. This is as shown in recent versions except that the staff in his left hand is topped with the distinctive St Michael’s Cross, with rounded ends, as it is in the ancient seal. This cross may be seen prominently displayed in St Michael’s Church, Basingstoke.
The motto ‘Steadfast in Service’ is derived from the mottoes of Lord Porchester and the Earls of Carnarvon (‘Ung Je Serviray’) and Lord Portal ('Constanter’).
