Bear the Gree History

 

Bear The Gree has been synonymous with the area for many years.  However for those of you  newer to the area or too young to remember, you will find Boclair House, Milngavie Town Centre Clock, Kessington Hall, the underpass at Milngavie Train station to name but a few, all bare the coat of arms today.

The arms seen above were granted on the 9th of January 1976 to represent Bearsden & Milngavie (District Council), which at the time comprised of Bearsden, Milngavie and part of the Old Kilpatrick district.  20 years on from that the area was incorporated into East Dunbartonshire Council, which it is today.

Many designs were produced by H.P. Cooper Harrison to combine the 2 burghs and the coat of arms above were finally agreed. 

It is based on the arms of the two former Burghs.  The muzzled bear looking into his den for Bearsden, with the red and black background which were the colours of the Campbell’s of Garscube.  The cross moline is taken from the arms of Milngavie and represents a mill rind (i.e. iron fixed to the centre of a mill stone of which water rotates), with a black and white background taken from the original coat of arms for Milngavie. The rose is taken from the arms of the Lennox Region and was part of both burgh arms.  The blue wavy bar symbolises the Allander river.

The motto “Bear The Gree” means to “Have the first place” and is taken from the arms of Bearsden.