Arms of British Columbia | |
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Versions | |
Armiger | Charles III in Right of British Columbia |
Adopted | 1906, augmented 1987 |
Crest | Upon a helm with a wreath argent and gules the royal crest of general purpose of our royal predecessor Queen Victoria differenced for us and our successors in right of British Columbia with the lion thereof garlanded about the neck with the provincial flower that is to say the pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) with leaves all proper mantled gules doubled argent. |
Shield | Argent, 3 bars wavy azure, issuant from the base a demi-sun in splendour proper, on a chief, the Union Device charged in the centre point with an antique crown Or |
Supporters | On the dexter side, a wapiti stag (Cervus canadensis) proper and on the sinister side a bighorn sheep ram (Ovis canadensis) argent armed and unguled Or. |
Compartment | Beneath the shield a scroll entwined with pacific dogwood flowers slipped and leaved proper inscribed with the motto assigned by the said warrant of our royal predecessor King Edward VII that is to say Splendor sine occasu. |
Motto | Splendor sine occasu "Splendour without diminishment" |
The coat of arms of British Columbia [1] is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of British Columbia. The arms contain symbols reflecting British Columbia's British heritage along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shield is the Union Jack, representing the United Kingdom. The lower portion of the shield features a golden sun setting into the ocean, representing the province's location on the Pacific.
The original arms, consisting of only the shield, were granted by royal warrant of King Edward VII on 31 March 1906. [2] The arms were further augmented with supporters, a crest, and a compartment, by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 15 October 1987.
A banner of arms comprises the provincial flag, which was adopted in 1960.
The first heraldic provincial symbol was the Great Seal of the province: the royal crest of the crowned lion upon the imperial crown, as was the usual practice for British colonies, but with the letters "BC" added. This design was created by Richard Clement Moody [3] [4] This design was used upon British Columbia joining Confederation. [1]
The first coat of arms of the province was created by Canon Arthur Beanlands of Victoria, whose version was similar to the modern one: "The union device of Great Britain and Ireland: on a chief barry undée argent and azure, a setting sun in base Or." [5] This coat was adopted by Order-in-Council 268 July 19, 1895, as the arms and great seal of the province per the authority inferred from Section 136 of the British North America Act. Upon the order in council, the motto of the province is typeset incorrectly as Spendor Sine Occasu[ sic ], which is one of several hand-made corrections and deletions upon the instrument.
While the design of the great seal was a provincial prerogative, coats of arms were (and are) honours granted by the sovereign. The province attempted to register the design with the English College of Arms in 1897, but was unable to do so for several reasons. First among them was the use of the royal crest, which is the exclusive right of the sovereign and could not be granted to another entity even as a sign of utmost loyalty to the Queen. The heralds objected to the placement of the Union Flag in an inferior position on the shield (conflicting with the popular slogan, "The sun never sets on the British Empire"). The use of supporters, a high honour, was considered presumptuous, as no other province had been granted such a privilege. [1]
The shield only (with the positions of the Union Flag and setting sun reversed, and with the antique crown added), along with the motto, was granted in 1906. The achievement of arms was augmented with a crest, supporters, and compartment granted by Queen Elizabeth II, on 15 October 1987. [1] [2]
The coat of arms of Canada, also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada or, formally, as the Arms of His Majesty The King in Right of Canada, is the arms of dominion of the Canadian monarch and, thus, also the official coat of arms of Canada. In use since 1921, it is closely modelled after the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, with French and distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those derived from the British version.
The coat of arms of Prince Edward Island, officially the King's Arms in Right of Prince Edward Island, are the coat of arms of Prince Edward Island, being the arms of King Charles III in right of the province. They were created when the shield and motto in the achievement were granted in 1905 by royal warrant from King Edward VII. The latest iteration was given by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 2002.
The original coat of arms of New Brunswick was granted to New Brunswick by a Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868. The provincial flag is a banner of the arms.
In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount, or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing. Care must be taken to distinguish true compartments from items upon which supporters are merely resting one or more feet, or, sometimes, mere heraldic badges or pure decoration under the shield, and, conversely, care must also be taken in very unusual cases such as the coat of arms of Belize and Gabon, in which what may be taken to be a crest, trees in both coats of arms rising above the shield, is really part of the compartment. It is sometimes said to represent the land held by the bearer. As an official part of the blazon it is a comparatively late feature of heraldry, often derived from the need to have different supporters for different families or entities, although sometimes the compartment is treated in the blazon separately from the supporters.
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The coat of arms of Ontario is the armorial emblem representing the Canadian province of Ontario. The arms contain symbols reflecting Ontario's British heritage, along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shield is the red cross of St. George, representing England. The lower portion of the shield features three golden maple leaves on a green background.
The flag of British Columbia is based upon the shield of the provincial arms of British Columbia. At the top of the flag is a rendition of the Royal Union Flag, defaced in the centre by a crown, and with a setting sun, a view from parliament across the water at the province capitol, representing the location of the province of British Columbia at the western end of Canada.
The coat of arms of Alberta, the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of Alberta, contains symbols reflecting Alberta's English heritage along with local symbols. The upper part of the shield features the red cross of Saint George. The lower portion of the shield depicts the Rocky Mountains, grass prairies, and wheat fields – representing Alberta's landscape.
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The arms of the City of New Westminster, in British Columbia, Canada, were adopted by city council in 1860, the year when the city was incorporated, and formally granted to the city by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1994.
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The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada is a Canadian organization that promotes interest in heraldry in Canada. It was founded in 1966 and granted royal patronage in 2002.
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The coat of arms of Vancouver was granted by the College of Arms on 31 March 1969.
Canadian heraldry is the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in both modern and historic Canada. It includes national, provincial, and civic arms, noble and personal arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays as corporate logos, and Canadian blazonry.
The coat of arms of Abbotsford is the heraldic symbol representing the city of Abbotsford. The arms was granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 25 October 1995. The grant included the full coat of arms as well as a flag and a badge, both derived from the arms.