White horse of Kent

The White horse of Kent, or the White Horse Rampant, is a symbol of Kent, a county in South East England.

Origin

The white horse of Kent is the old symbol for the Jutish kingdom of Kent, dating from the 6th - 8th century [ [http://www.hampshireflag.co.uk/world-flags/allflags/gb-kent.html www.hampshireflag.co.uk] Coat of Arms] .

The white horse relates to the emblem of Horsa, the brother of Hengest, who defeated the king Vortigern near Aylesford. The first recorded reference to the white horse can be found in "Restitution of Decayed Antiquities" from 1605 by Richard Verstegan. The book shows an engraving of Hengist and Horsa landing in Kent in 449 under the banner of a rampant white horse.

Usage

The horse is a key part of the official coat of arms of the county, and appears on the coat of arms of many of the Boroughs of Kent [ [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/kent.html www.civicheraldry.co.uk] Kent Borough Council coats of arms] and on the University of Kent coat of arms. The horse is depicted on the Flag of Kent and forms part of the modern logo of Kent County Council, Kent Fire Brigade and Kent Police.

The horse also features on the logos of many companies and sports teams in Kent. It was used on the former "Invictaway" London commuter coaches operated by Maidstone & District [ [http://nationalbusco.fotopic.net/p12901490.html Image of a black liveried Invictaway bus] ] [ [http://flickr.com/photos/andytakersdad/1472885872/in/set-72157601795326096/ Image of a green liveried Invictaway bus] ] . A large number of pubs in the county also feature "White Horse" in their name, although this also occurs around the United Kingdom and may not necessarily relate to the Kent horse.

ee also

* White Horse Stone, megaliths near Aylesford, Kent
* Invicta (motto)

References