The coat of arms of the University of Toronto is the primary emblem of the University of Toronto, which is the largest university in Canada. It is currently used in several different contexts by the University and can be seen on its own, on the University banner, as part of the heraldic achievement of the University, or featured in the logos of numerous University divisions, as well as the logo of the University as a whole. [1]
Despite its varied usage, modification of the coat of arms is extremely rare, as its use is strictly controlled by the University's Office of International, Governmental, and Institutional Relations. [2] Several University divisions, notably the colleges, have their own emblems, and they do not regularly use the University coat of arms.
The motto, which is not itself part of the arms but of the overall heraldic achievement, is velut arbor aevo, Latin for "may it grow as a tree through the ages". [3] This phrase originates from Horace's Odes , book I, ode 12, line 45: crescit occulto velut arbor ævo fama Marcelli ("the fame of Marcellus grows like a tree over time unseen").
The blazon of the University coat of arms is as follows:
Azure two open Books and in base a Beaver all proper, upon a Chief Argent the Royal and Imperial Crown also proper, and for the crest on a wreath of the colours an Oak tree proper stemmed and fructed Or. [4] [5]
The armorial bearings of the University are blazoned by the Canadian Heraldic Authority as follows: [6]
The origins of the coat of arms are obscure. The earliest reference to the device is an 1857 recommendation that the senate of the University adopt the coat of arms, which was accepted. From that point on, the general design has remained largely unchanged. There have been minor alterations, such as the loss of the original supporters (Minerva and Victoria) and the transformation of the beaver from an aggressive to a more benign charge over time. The latter was described by University graphic designer Caz Zyvatkauskas in 2000 as the "emasculation of the U of T beaver". [4]
In 1917, owing to a lack of uniformity among the coats of arms on campus due to decades of lax regulation, the board of governors petitioned the College of Arms to create an official description of the University coat of arms. [3] The result was the current blazon, quoted in the preceding section. The arms of University College were completed at the same time. Both arms cost the University a combined £89, six shillings. It was at this time that the crest of the University, which was originally a maple tree, became an oak tree. [4]
The armorial bearings of the University of Toronto were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on May 20, 2016. [6]
The University of Toronto contains many divisions, some of which use emblems distinct from those of the University. Some University divisions were founded as independent institutions and were later absorbed into the University. This, as well as the different aesthetics of those eras during which the emblems were designed, accounts for the difference in styles used by each institution.
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings, as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch of heraldry, concerns the design and transmission of the heraldic achievement. The achievement, or armorial bearings usually includes a coat of arms on a shield, helmet and crest, together with any accompanying devices, such as supporters, badges, heraldic banners and mottoes.
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 coat of arms of Nova Scotia is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is the oldest provincial achievement of arms in Canada, and the oldest British coat of arms in use outside Great Britain. It is blazoned as follows: Argent, a saltire azure charged with an escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Scotland.
The coat of arms of Western Australia is the official coat of arms of the Australian state of Western Australia. It was granted by a royal warrant of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia dated 17 March 1969.
In heraldry, an ordinary is one of the two main types of charges, beside the mobile charges. An ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use as long as the traditional ordinaries. Diminutives of ordinaries and some subordinaries are charges of the same shape, though thinner. Most of the ordinaries are theoretically said to occupy one-third of the shield; but this is rarely observed in practice, except when the ordinary is the only charge.
The coat of arms of Toronto is a heraldic symbol used to represent the city Toronto. Designed by Robert Watt, the Chief Herald of Canada at the time, for the City of Toronto after its amalgamation in 1998. The arms were granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 11 January 1999.
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms, flags, and badges for Canadian citizens, government agencies, municipal, civic and other corporate bodies. The authority also registers existing armorial bearings granted by other recognized heraldic authorities, approves military badges, flags, and other insignia of the Canadian Forces, and provides information on heraldic practices. It is well known for its innovative designs, many incorporating First Nations symbolism.
The rule of tincture is a design philosophy found in some heraldic traditions that states "metal should not be put on metal, nor colour on colour". Heraldic furs such as ermine and vair, and charges described as "proper", are generally exempt from the rule of tincture.
Kiveton Park was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974.
The London County Council was granted a coat of arms in 1914 and a heraldic badge in 1956. The coat of arms can still be seen on buildings constructed by the council before its abolition in 1965.
The Coat of arms of Leeds City Council derives its design from the seventeenth century. In 1662 the Borough of Leeds received a new charter which created the office of mayor, and the arms seems to date from about this time as they incorporate part of the arms of the first mayor. These arms were recorded at the heraldic visitation of Yorkshire in 1666. By the time that the borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, silver owls had been added both as crest above the shield, and as supporters on either side. These additions were not authorised, however, and in 1920 application was made by Leeds County Borough Council to the College of Arms to have these additions officially granted. In the following year the grant of crest and supporters was made, with the colouring of the owls altered to "proper", or natural colourings. Gold ducal coronets were added to the supporters for further heraldic difference.
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has traditionally had considerable latitude in design, but a verbal blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements. A coat of arms or flag is therefore primarily defined not by a picture but rather by the wording of its blazon. Blazon is also the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, the act of writing such a description. Blazonry is the art, craft or practice of creating a blazon. The language employed in blazonry has its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax, which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning a complex coat of arms.
The Coat of arms of Malacca resembles European heraldic designs, and descended from that of Malaysia and the Federated Malay States under British colonial rule.
A heraldic shield has been associated with the historic county of Sussex since the seventeenth century. The device, displaying six martlets or heraldic swallows on a shield, later formed the basis of the flag of Sussex and the armorial bearings granted to the county councils of East and West Sussex.
The Coat of arms of Penang is largely based on the coat of arms of Penang first granted to the Settlement of Penang, then in the Federation of Malaya, by a Royal Warrant of King George VI dated 11 September 1949.
Cornish heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in Cornwall, United Kingdom. While similar to English, Scottish and Welsh heraldry, Cornish heraldry has its own distinctive features. Cornish heraldry typically makes use of the tinctures sable (black) and or (gold), and also uses certain creatures like Cornish choughs. It also uses the Cornish language extensively for mottoes and canting arms.
Coat of arms of the London Borough of Bexley is the official coat of arms of the London Borough of Bexley, granted on 20 May 1965.
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Camden were granted on 10 September 1965. The borough was formed by the merger of three former boroughs, namely the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead, the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn and the Metropolitan Borough of St. Pancras, from whose arms elements were utilised in the arms of the new borough.
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Ealing is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Ealing, England, granted on 1 September 1965.
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Hackney is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The coat of arms were granted on 25 July 1969.