Cornwall County Council's coat of arms, registered with the College of Arms in the 1940's, uses elements which have traditionally appeared on other heraldic devices associated with Cornwall over centuries.

Like the county itself, the shield is enclosed by waves, and at its heart is the history and mystery of the golden roundels or 'bezants'. Many fanciful guesses have been made about their origin, although no-one is really certain how the county came to adopt such a bold graphic symbol.

Nowadays 15 bezants appear arranged in an inverted triangle, but earlier Cornish emblems show them used as a border, or arranged to fill a whole shield.