VISUAL LANGUAGE
Study Task - Captain Character 
Research

Leeds coat of arms

A coat of arms you would normally picture would feature majestic lions and dragons, but here in Leeds, we have the wise owl. 

The story of the Leeds owl begins with a French family by the name of Savile. Sir John Savile was Leeds’ first alderman and it was his coat of arms that first sported the iconic owl. The Savile family came to Yorkshire from Anjou, France after being granted the right to a great amount of Yorkshire land by William the Conqueror following their support during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was Sir John Savile’s coat-of-arms, which featured three owl, that began the Leeds association with the owl in the first place, and this has led to the Leeds Owl Trail. 

Civic Owl Trail

The Leeds coat of arms was created, featuring a fleece representing the textile industry, supported by the owls taken from Savile’s own coat-of-arms, which can be found in a stained glass window in Bowling Hall in Bradford.







The Borough of Leeds was incorporated by Charles I in 1626 after Sir John Savile was elected as the first councilman of the Borough. 


The owl became the symbol of Leeds and a rich part of its history. Over time, the magnificent bird began popping up all over town. The owl trail began in 2004, when local artists Antonia Stowe and Clifford Stead began researching the history of Leeds owl and coat-of-arms. After years of research and exploration, the Leeds Owl Trail was officially launched in 2009.