Royal Burgh of Newburgh
Latin Motto
“Cruce Sancti Andreas Docebatur Populum”
“By the Cross of St Andrew were the people taught”
One of four Royal Burghs which is quite special since it was never represented in Parliament, or in the Convention of Royal Burghs until modern times, they are known to historians as the four inactive Royal Burghs of Fife.
The Latin shows two grammatical errors “Andreas” should be “Andreae” and “Populum” should be “Populus”, it was decided to leave them as they were written.
Newburgh was granted as a Burgh to the Abbot of Lindores by King Alexander III in 1266 and was, in 1600, raised to a Burgh of Regality in favour of Patrick Leslie, later Lord Lindores, son of the 5th Earl of Rothes.
In 1631, King Charles I created th e town a Royal Burgh.
The arms repeat several features on the old Burgh seal.
They use the red and gold colours of MacDuff, Earl of Fife.
The couped cross quadrate with its lion rampant represents the famous and ancient Cross MacDuff, situated near to the Burgh.
The Cross-formed the sanctuary of the Clan MacDuff.
The blue colour of the thistles and the buckle in the chief recall the Leslie connection, the thistle being part of an augmentation granted by King Charles I to Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven , the noted Covenanting General.
The battlements refer to the castle in the arms of the Lordship of Lindores.