Invicta was used in Roma invicta

Roma invicta

Roma invicta is a Latin phrase, meaning "Unconquerable Rome", inscribed on the Statue of Rome.It was an inspirational motto used until the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. This symbolic statement was later printed on to gold coins, to help boost the morale of the failing Empire....

 meaning "Unconquered Rome" and is the motto of the county of Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Theories of origin

Invicta has been a motto for centuries. Roma Invicta is a Latin phrase, meaning "Unconquered Rome", inscribed on the Statue of Rome. It was an inspirational motto used until the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. This symbolic statement was later printed on to gold coins, to help boost the morale of the failing Empire.

For Kent, It dates back to the invasion of England by William The Conqueror. As the official motto, it appears on the coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 of Kent County Council

Kent County Council

Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...

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Legend has it that, while marching from the battle

Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...

 site at Hastings

Hastings

Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....

, William marched on to London on his way to the (then) capital Winchester. While passing through Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, the local people picked up branches and marched at William's men. Scared, William and his army took flight and took a different route to London. As the people of Kent felt that they had chased William away, they adopted "Invicta" as a county motto.
A different version of the legend above is depicted on a monument at Swanscombe in Kent where legend states this meeting took place on the Old Roman Road to London (Watling Street). The monument was moved in the early 1960s due to the construction of the A2 dual carriageway. It is now located in the church yard of Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Chuch in Swanscombe where the picture (right) was taken.

The monument states that "Near this spot by ancient tradition the men of Kent and Kentish men carrying boughs on their shoulders and swords in their hands met the invader William Duke of Normandy. They offered peace if he would grant their ancient rights and liberties otherwise war and that most deadly. Their request was granted and from that day the motto of kent has been INVICTA meaning Unconquered."

Its origin has also been said to have been because Dover was not besieged or defeated on William's march through Kent, but instead agreed to a conditional surrender to him, on its own terms, and was therefore not conquered by him. Holding of land in Kent by gavelkind

Gavelkind

Gavelkind was a system of land tenure associated chiefly with the county of Kent, but found also in other parts of England. Its inheritance pattern bears resemblance to Salic patrimony and as such might testify in favour of a wider, probably ancient Germanic tradition.It was legally abolished in...

, rather than the feudal-Norman laws of primogeniture

Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

, lasted until the early 20th century suggesting that the people of the county did indeed acquire some concessions from the Conqueror.

Local influences

As the motto of the county, Invicta is now a regularly used term within Kent

See also

• Roman Empire
  Roman Empire
  The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
  
  
• Flag of Kent
  Flag of Kent
  The Flag of Kent is the flag of the English county of Kent. It features the white horse of Kent on a red background, a theme used in several other Kent related coats of arms and logos or symbols...
  
  , sometimes referred to as the Invicta Flag
• White horse of Kent
  White horse of Kent
  The White horse of Kent, or the White Horse Rampant, is a symbol of Kent, a county in South East England.The figure of the prancing white horse can also be referred to as Invicta, which is the motto of Kent.-Origin:...
  
  , a symbol closely associated with Kent, sometimes referred to as Invicta