As to the mural crowns in Russia:

Prior to the reforms of Catherine II the Great, the use of provincial arms in the additional capacity of the arms of the province’s civic center was commonly tolerated, save several rare special cases. Accordingly, coronets appropriate for territories sometimes appeared in the civic context. Catherine established self-standing system of civic arms but no coronets were used. BTW in the end of the XVIII century and in the early XIX century, mural coronets (usually with jewelled rim) appear in family heraldry as a charge (Counts Zawadowski, Rezvoy etc) usually denoting non-military service.

It was temp. Nicholas I (1825-1855) that mural crowns were introduced for cities, although the principal provincial centers were allowed to bear Imperial crown.

In 1850-ies, a set of coronets differing in form and colour was established for districts, cities and towns of different administrative rank. Thus, an Imperial capital (Russia officially had two: St. Petersburg and moscow) had a right to Imperial crown, the old Tsardom’s centers were granted correspondent regal caps, a "civic lieutenantship" (city exempt) enjoyed a special open quasi-nobiliary coronet, and the rest were allowed to sport mural coronets - from a coronet of five embattlements visible, all Or masoned Gu (for a provincial center with more than 50 000 inhabitants) to a two-embattlemented coronet Gu masoned Or (for prominent non-cities which, despite of their rank, got arms). County centers had coronets Arg masoned Sa. The cities with acting fortresses were allowed to ensign their mural coronet with an Imperial eagle (without escutcheons and the regalia in claws). There were various special cases - exclusive individual grants, like in the case of Sebastopol.

It was not possible to restore this system in 1990-ies for two reasons. First, the administrative system became profoundly different. Second, the modern cities and districts are, constitutionally, not items of State administrative system but self-standing non-State formations vested with power; thus they cannot be measured merely by their administrative role.

I had a pleasure to design a new system which was approved in 2002, partly based on the old one and employing for cities, in the average situations, mural coronets of different forms and colours, this time without distinctive masoning. This sistem had to be totally revised in 2005, following an fundamental reform of the federal municipal law. This time I was one of the authors and, after debates, only golden coronets were kept, and new forms introduced.

The main coronets according to the 2005 system may be seen here (the text is in Russian but it is illustrated):

http://sovet.geraldika.ru/article/13245 (two versions of emblazonment are illustrated for counties and rural municipalities to show possible variations) or here:

http://sovet.geraldika.ru/article/16257.

In short, a county bears a plain coronet vallary of five projections visible; a city not included into a county bears a coronet of five battlements visible; a city/town included into a county, the same with three battlements; a rural municipality, a coronet vallary of three projections; and an inner municipality of a city-province (moscow and St.Petersburg), a non-embattled mural circlet-like coronet. A coronet for an inner municipality which has the rank of a city itself is currently under discussion (it may be bi-tinctured, Or and Arg).

In any case, both 2002 and 2005 systems confirm the right of the old regal capitals to their caps and allow, in some rare cases, the possibility to restore the pre-revolutionary coronet (see http://sovet.geraldika.ru/article/19438, about the city of Kyakhta, formerly a "civic lieutenantship", which was allowed to retain the correspondent coronet [BTW as well as to quarter the arms of the merged town of Troitskosavsk]).

Michael Y. Medvedev;65223 wrote:

Dear Dennis, what we have is a modern rendering based on and not reproducing the sphragistical prototype; are you sure that the mural coronet was present on the original seal?

Yes I’m sure. I was told so when I asked about it before. Unless I was lied to by the Chief Herald of Ireland’s office, or unless they were mistaken, then yes I am sure…as sure as I can be assuming they gave me the right info. Remember it was the seal for the borough, not the small town, which is what uses it now as the borough is defunct. As you canm imagine, the email said they did not like that they were using it, but had no way to enforce them not to use the old borrough’s arms, such is the way things are in Ireland.

Yes, it is more a modern appearance, however, so is the arms of Co. Cork, which are also based on an older seal dating back to the 16th century IIRC and can again be seen in another seal with several other arms on it later than that. And just as in this case it is the same coat of arms, excepting for modern tastes in artistic expression.

So, it is that old and it was used then in at least this one case. I don’t know of another Irish case, though I could email them again and see if they will have the time to share the answer.

Besides, and I may be wrong here, but I can not see how ‘Napoleonic Heraldry’ would, or did, influence Irish heraldry, as Irish heraldry is most influenced by English heraldry and to a lesser extent Scottish heraldry with its own twists of course. And modern republican Irish heraldry is, for better or worse, always want to purge itself of much of other national influences, excepting of course, and ironically, the Gules, doubled Argent mantling. And I am unaware of how English armory has been, or is, influenced by Napoleonic heraldry. Perhaps places once under their control, but that was never, as far as I know, the UK, which at that time included Ireland. Still does technically in a small part, but I digress.

Of course I am open to being wrong and would appreciate any fraternal correction. If you would like I can contact the CHoI again to confirm what I was told before and post it here. Just let me know.

C’ya Michael.

Dear Denny, yes, this would be fascinating.

OK. I’ll contact them again. The last time I did not hear back from O Comain, so I think he has left…or else he has much more important things to do than correspond to me. Seriously, Michael, I will email them again and ask again. They take a little bit of time, not too much considering, to respond. So, please be patient.