It is not certain in what year the Great Seal of the Mayor and Community of the Burg of Totnes was first adopted but the earliest known impression is on a deed of 1387, when John Russell was mayor. The device is of a water gatehouse which is flanked by two round towers, a central and higher tower surmounting the gate and on either side a large key. This seems to indicate the pride of the burgesses in the ancient importance of the borough as a royal fortress.The arms of the borough were recorded in Elizabethan times as similar to the device on the seal.
The Armorial Bearings of the Corporation of the Borough of Totnes were transferred to the Town Council of Totnes on the Sixteenth of April 1975 and the transfer was recorded in the College of Arms. The Bearings were described thus:
"Sable upon Water in base Azure and between two keys wards upwards and outward a triple towered Castle the Portcullis raised and upon each outer tower a Banner all Argent..."