Hunstanton town sign

Image: © Adrian S Pye Taken: 31 Mar 2021

The sign in the shape of a “T” denotes the fact Hunstanton is a town, not a village. The sign is surmounted by a heraldic device, with the motto “alios delectare iuvat” which translates as “it is our pleasure to please.” Above is the crown of St Edmund, pierced with two arrows, The sea is represented by the blue wavy lines and above is a lion passant for England. The crest is a helm. Below the name is St Edmund himself with the wolf which guarded his body when he was killed by the Danes. The church is dedicated to St Edmund but Edmund has other connections. When his father, Æthelweard of East Anglia died in 854, Edmund, although only 14 years old, sailed for East Anglia to claim his inherited land. He arrived just North of Hunstanton. For the next 14 years he was a model King and then in the year 869AD a great army of Danes attacked from the North. Stories tell how the victorious heathen Danes tried to force Edmund to renounce his Christian beliefs, but he refused. So they tied him up and used him for target practice. According to legend, a wolf guarded his body until it could be buried in a shrine in what is known today as Bury St Edmund's. The village sign in Hunstanton depicts St Edmund's arrival in East Anglia and the wolf that protected his body after his martyrdom. Both sides are identical.

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