Coat of arms of Sunderland

Sunderland's local authority first assumed a heraldic device in the 19th century. The first grant of arms was made in 1947, and this was not amended in 1967 when additional territory was incorporated into the County Borough of Sunderland. In 1974, on the creation of the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland, new arms were granted essentially the old arms with amendments to reflect the new incorporated areas, and in 1992 when Sunderland was created a City an entirely new grant of arms was made, the main charges being quite unlike any previous grant.