The armorial bearings, granted to the town at the time of its incorporation in 1886 under Letters Patent by the College of Heralds, are defined as follows:

Quarterly per pale nebuly, Gules and Argent, on a fesse Ermine, between a cross patonce of the second in the first quarter, a Mullet Sable pierced of the field in the second, a Silkworm Moth volant in the third, and a rock in Base there on a Stork in the fourth, three Sprigs of Cotton Tree slipped and fructed, all proper. And for the crest, on a wreath of the colours upon a Mount Vert, between two Boars’ heads erect, couped, sable, a Tower proper, suspended there from by a Riband Gules, an Escutcheon Or, charged with a Lion passant, also Gules.

This coat of arms represents Middleton’s history, both old and new. The former receives recognition by the inclusion of devices from the arms of three local families, namely: the cross from the Middletons, the mullet from the Asshetons, and the stork from the Starky family of Tonge Hall. The town’s more recent history is reflected in the use of the cotton flower and the Silkworm Moth, both of which indicate the major industries through which modern Middleton has developed.

The Latin motto: “Fortis in arduis”, means “Courage in Adversity”.