I’ve had serious burnout for the last month or so, haven’t been able to work and a low mood. It’s like my subconscious downed tools due to my insane ambitions and ludicrous working conditions.
Anyway, after intense negotiations with myself, and a holiday in Wales, I woke up yesterday and I could work again. I celebrated by working until 4 am, I will never learn, and produced these pieces.
I live in England and all of these are actual local civic heraldry. The first, above, is the coat of arms for Lewes District. I’ve never actually seen this in use. We’re near the coast, hence the Heraldic Sea-lion and other nautical references.
The second, below, is for Lewes Borough. This can be seen widely around the town, including a pub sign for The Lewes Arms. The chequered design references William De Warren, an eleventh century Lord of Lewes.
Below is the coat of arms for all of East Sussex. The crown is a Saxon crown, appropriate for the region — the origin of the name ‘Sussex’ is “land of the South Saxons”. The birds are ‘Martlets’, a mythical bird from the Middle Ages that didn’t have legs as it never landed, sleeping in the air.
And here’s the coat of arms for the whole of Sussex, again featuring Martlets.











