Coat of arms of New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
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.
The achievement of arms was augmented with crest and motto by an Order in Council of then-Lieutenant Governor John Babbitt McNair
in 1966. The supporters and compartment were added by Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II
on 24 September 1984, and presented to the province in a public ceremony in Fredericton the following day to mark the province's bicentennial.
Shield
Compartment
Supporters
Motto
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
by a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
on 26 May 1868. The provincial flag is a banner of the arms.
History
The original coat of arms, consisting solely of the shield, was based on the design of the Great Seal of New Brunswick, which featured a sailing ship.The achievement of arms was augmented with crest and motto by an Order in Council of then-Lieutenant Governor John Babbitt McNair
John Babbitt McNair
John Babbitt McNair, CC was the 23rd premier of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada from 1940 to 1952. He worked as a lawyer, politician and judge....
in 1966. The supporters and compartment were added by Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 24 September 1984, and presented to the province in a public ceremony in Fredericton the following day to mark the province's bicentennial.
Symbolism
CrestCrest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
- The crest], an Atlantic salmonAtlantic salmonThe Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
leaping, sits on a golden helmet and a coronet of maple leaves, and is marked with St. Edward's crown, all three symbols of royal authority.
Shield
- The shield features a lion passant or "leopard" in chief, commemorating both England (whose arms feature three such lions) and BrunswickBrunswick-LüneburgThe Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
(whose arms have two). The principle charge is an ancient galley, symbolizing the maritime province's links to the sea.
Compartment
- The compartment is covered by the provincial flower, the purple violet, and the fiddleheadFiddleheadFiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond...
, an edible fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
that grows in New Brunswick.
Supporters
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...
- The supporters are white-tailed deerWhite-tailed DeerThe white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
collared with Maliseet wampumWampumWampum are traditional, sacred shell beads of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of the indigenous people of North America. Wampum include the white shell beads fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell; and the white and purple beads made from the quahog, or Western North Atlantic...
, and bear badges of the Union coloursUnion FlagThe Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
and of the fleurs-de-lisFleur-de-lisThe fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
of royal France, to commemorate the colonization of the area by those powers.
Motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
- The motto, Spem reduxit (Hope was restored), refers to the province's having acted as a haven for LoyalistLoyalist (American Revolution)Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
refugees who fled there after the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
See also
- Symbols of New BrunswickSymbols of New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Official Symbols:...
- Flag of New BrunswickFlag of New BrunswickThe flag of New Brunswick, Canada, is a banner modelled after the province's coat of arms and was adopted by proclamation on February 24, 1965....
- Canadian heraldryCanadian heraldryCanadian 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 heraldic...
- National symbols of CanadaNational symbols of CanadaNational symbols of Canada are the symbols that are used in Canada and abroad to represent the country and its people. Prominently, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of...
- List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
- HeraldryHeraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...