Lionising our leopards

David Burrows looks at the implications for Shrewsbury after revelations about the town’s crest.

Altogether now….

“Three Lions on our crest

Oops they should be Leop-ards

Seems we made a mess….”

And there I have to end it. The only rhyme I can think of for leopards will get me in trouble!

I know a lot of people say this after the fact, but I’ve been sitting on top of Mount Smug following the revelation by an heraldic expert that the coat of arms for Shrewsbury should contain three leopards - or loggerheads - and not three lions as it did before Shrewsbury became Shrewsbury and Atcham.

And the reason I give a monkey’s? Or a leopard’s…? My beloved football club.

When Shrewsbury Town moved to their new stadium the traditional badge - which had the three lions on it - was changed to a single lion.

It caused uproar (gerrit?). Ok, it didn’t, but a couple of people were unhappy - even if it was better than that art deco shrew they had for a time in the 1980s.

Loudest amongst them, in this office at least, was me, who continually ranted that they should be leopards because a loggerhead is an heraldic leopard (I’d done my research too, don’t you know?). I was mostly told to shush.

But now I’ve been proved right. Shrewsbury officials asked for the research to be done after failing to agree which of the big cats should appear on their crest once a town council is formed following Shropshire’s move to a unitary authority.

And Joe Expert said the weight of history was on the side of the loggerheads.

Hoorah.

So will Shrewsbury Town FC change their badge? Will Lenny the Lion become Lenny the Leopard?

I wouldn’t bet on it.

But at least I can stop ranting now. I can finally let it lie. On.