As part of the Local Government Act, 1972, it was decided that the County Borough of Burton upon Trent should be merged with Uttoxeter Urban District Council, Uttoxeter Rural District Council and Tutbury Rural District Council to form the new East Staffordshire District Council with its main headquarters at Burton Town Hall.

This meant that the old Burton County Borough Arms would no longer be valid and an application was made for new ones. These were granted on June 8, 1973.

Transcription:
TO ALL AND SINGULAR to whom these Presents shall come. Sir Anthony Richard Wagner Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Garter Principal King of Arms John Riddell Bromhead Walker Esquire members of the Royal Victorian Order upon whom has been conferred the Decoration of the Military Cross, Clarenceaux King of Arms and Walter John George Verco Esquire Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Norray and Ulster King of Arms send greeting! Whereas Arthur Gordon Wyatt Gentleman, Chairman of the District Council of East Staffordshire did represent unto The Most Noble Bernard Marmaduke, Duke of Norfolk, Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, upon whom has been conferred the Territorial Decoration Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England and One of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, now deceased, that pursuant to the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 The District Council of East Staffordshire consisting of a Chairman and Councillors was on the Eighteenth Day of June 1973 duly constituted a body corporate by that name to administer as from the First day of April 1974 that area theretofore administered by the Council of the County Borough of Burton upon Trent, The Urban District Council of Uttoxeter and the Rural District Councils of Uttoxeter and of Tutbury that the Chairman and the Councillors of the District Council of East Staffordshire are desirous of having Armorial Ensigns granted to them in their corporate capacity, he therefore, as Chairman of the said Council and on behalf of the same did request the favour of His Grace’s Warrant for Our granting and assigning such Arms and Crest and in the same Patent such Supporters as We may consider fit and proper to be borne and used by The District Council of East Staffordshire on its Common Seal or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms and likewise by that Corporation by whatsoever name or style it may hereafter be known or status it may hereafter enjoy provided such changes be duly recorded in the College of Arms and Foreasmuch as the said Earl Marshal did by Warrant under his hand and Seal bearing date the Twentieth day of May 1974 authorize and direct Us to grant and assign such Armorial Ensigns accordingly Know Ye therefore that We the said Garter Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster in pursuance of His Grace’s Warrant and by virtue of the Letters Patent of Our several Offices to each of Us respectively granted do by these Presents grant and assign unto The District Council of East Staffordshire the Arms following that is to say:- Argent a Chevron barry wavy Argent and Azure fimbriated Gules between three Towers proper on a Chief Azure between two Fleur de lis Argent a demi-Sun issuant Or charged with a Stafford Knot Sable And for the Crest On a Wreath Argent and Gules In front of a Garb Or enfiling a Mural Crown proper a Bugle Horn mouth to the dexter Gules stringed Sable, as the same are in the margin hereof more plainly depicted And by the Authority aforesaid I the said Garter do by these Presents further grant and assign unto The District Council of East Staffordshrie the Supporters following that is to say:- To the dexter a Lion Or resting its interior rear foot on a Barrel proper and to the sinister a Deer proper attired and unguled Or resting the interior hoof on a like Barrel, as the same are in the margin hereof also more plainly depicted the whole to be borne and used forever hereafter by The District Council of East Staffordshire on its Common Seal or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms and likewise by that Corporation by whatsoever name or style it may hereafter be known or status it may hereafter enjoy provided such changes be duly recorded in the College of Arms In witness whereof We the said Garter Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms have to these Presents subscribed Our names and affixed the Seals of Our several Offices this Eighth day of May in the Twenty-fourth year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of hwer other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith and in the year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred and seventy-five.

The new Coat-of-Arms was established as below.

The white and blue waves, carried forward from the arms of the County Borough of Burton-upon-Trent, represent the rivers Trent and Dove. The towers allude to Tutbury. The rising sun depicts the direction “East” and the Staffordshire knot represents the County.

The fleurs-de-lys, also taken from the Burton arms, are from the arms of the Bass family which included Lord Burton, which inturn refer back to the dedication of the Abbey to Saint Mary.

The wheatsheaf represents the whole rich agricultural area around Uttoxeter, and the mural crown, symbol of civic government, is common to the crests of Burton and the County Council. The hunter’s horn symbolises Needwood Forest.

The lion is one of the County Council and England Supporters and the buck denotes the parkland and forest of East Staffordshire. The barrels or tuns are a further reference to Burton, the centre of British brewing.

In 1992, the District Council became a Borough Council. Sadly, the Coat-of-Arms has now largely fallen into disuse today and in all places where it would have traditionally appeared, when tradition stood for anything, it has now been replaced by the more ‘modern’ East Staffordshire Borough Council seen below.