[2] The design originated in a seal of the late 14th century and therefore predated the setting up of the College of Heralds in 1484 and also the order of King Henry V in 1417, which disallowed the bearing of arms without authority from the Crown.

[1] At the same time the crest was granted, a mermaid supporting an anchor and holding a cannonball, although it had been in use since the 18th century.

[5] In 1976 the borough council received the grant of supporters, the figures on either side of the shield, a gift from Oscar Murton, the then Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons to commemorate his period of service as a Councillor and MP for Poole.

Santiago de Compostela was a popular destination for Christian pilgrims departing from Poole Harbour in the Middle Ages.

The royal dragon is coloured red, but that granted to Poole was altered to gold for heraldic difference.