Coat of arms of Prince Edward Island
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Prince Edward Island
was begun when the shield
and motto in the achievement were granted in 1905 by royal warrant of the King Edward VII
.
The additions to the arms were granted on 26 April 2002, and the process was completed on 13 December 2002, when the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson
, Governor General of Canada
, unveiled the crest, supporters, and compartment, after which the full achievement was taken into official use. This was requested by Prince Edward Island Premier Pat Binns
to commemorate the 150th anniversary of responsible government
on the island.
is a blue jay
holding in its beak a sprig of red oak, both symbols of the island. The crown represents royal sovereignty and its use in the arms is an honour granted by the Queen.
The supporters are silver fox
es, rare animals native to the region; fur
farming was perfected on Prince Edward Island, and Island silver fox fur was prized. The fox also represents sagacity and wit. To denote other Island industries, one fox wears a garland of potato blossoms, and another one wears a length of fishing net.
The compartment
centres on a Mi'kmaq eight-pointed star symbol representing the sun; this is surrounded by rose
s for England, lilies for France, thistle
s for Scotland, and shamrock
s for Ireland, as well as Lady's Slipper
s, the floral emblem of the island.
The island's motto
, Parva sub ingenti (the small under the protection of the great), is taken from Virgil
's Georgics
. The full quotation is:
It has been the island's motto since 1769.
The warrant also specified the motto Parva sub ingenti.
This was augmented by proclamation, recorded in the PEI Royal Gazette, 21 December 2002, with the following:
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
was begun when the shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
and motto in the achievement were granted in 1905 by royal warrant of the King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
History
In the chief of the shield is the lion passant (or "leopard") of England. The lower portion depicts three oak saplings, representing the Island's three counties, beneath a mature oak that originally represented Great Britain. Prior to the adoption of the current coat of arms, the trees were used, without the lion, as the symbol of the province.The additions to the arms were granted on 26 April 2002, and the process was completed on 13 December 2002, when the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
, Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, unveiled the crest, supporters, and compartment, after which the full achievement was taken into official use. This was requested by Prince Edward Island Premier Pat Binns
Pat Binns
Patrick George Binns , is a Canadian diplomat who was named Ambassador to Ireland on August 30, 2007.Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being the 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island, holding office from 1996 to 2007, during which time he was the leader of the Prince Edward...
to commemorate the 150th anniversary of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
on the island.
Symbolism
The 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....
is a blue jay
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in...
holding in its beak a sprig of red oak, both symbols of the island. The crown represents royal sovereignty and its use in the arms is an honour granted by the Queen.
The supporters are silver fox
Silver fox (animal)
The Silver Fox is a melanistic form of red fox. Silver foxes display a great deal of pelt variation: some are completely black, save for the white tail tip, while others are bluish-grey, and others may have a cinereous colour on the sides...
es, rare animals native to the region; fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
farming was perfected on Prince Edward Island, and Island silver fox fur was prized. The fox also represents sagacity and wit. To denote other Island industries, one fox wears a garland of potato blossoms, and another one wears a length of fishing net.
The compartment
Compartment
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...
centres on a Mi'kmaq eight-pointed star symbol representing the sun; this is surrounded by rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s for England, lilies for France, thistle
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
s for Scotland, and shamrock
Shamrock
The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland. The name shamrock is derived from Irish , which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover ....
s for Ireland, as well as Lady's Slipper
Lady's Slipper
Lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids are the orchids in the subfamily Cypripedioidea, which includes the genera Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium...
s, the floral emblem of the island.
The island's 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...
, Parva sub ingenti (the small under the protection of the great), is taken from Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Georgics
Georgics
The Georgics is a poem in four books, likely published in 29 BC. It is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil, following his Eclogues and preceding the Aeneid. It is a poem that draws on many prior sources and influenced many later authors from antiquity to the present...
. The full quotation is:
- ...etiam Parnasia laurus parva sub ingenti matris se subicit umbra.
- ...so too a small plant, beneath its mother's mighty shade, upshoots the laurel-tree of Parnassus.
It has been the island's motto since 1769.
Blazon
The shield was blazoned by Royal Warrant on 30 May 1905, as:- Argent on an island Vert, to the sinister an oak tree fructed, to the dexter thereof three oak saplings sprouting all proper, on a chief Gules a lion passant guardant Or.
The warrant also specified the motto Parva sub ingenti.
This was augmented by proclamation, recorded in the PEI Royal Gazette, 21 December 2002, with the following:
- A HELMET: Or mantled Gules doubled Argent with a wreath of these colours;
- AND FOR A CREST: On a grassy mount a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) reguardant crowned with the Royal Crown and bearing in its beak a leaf of the red oak tree (Quercus rubra L.) fructed proper;
- AND FOR SUPPORTERS: Two foxes (Vulpes fulva) Sable embellished Argent, that to the dexter gorged with a collar of potato blossoms proper, that to the sinister gorged with a length of fishnet Argent, both on a mount Vert set with a Mi'kmaq star Azure between lady's slipper flowers (Cypripedium acaule), red roses, thistles, shamrocks and white lilies proper.
See also
- Symbols of Prince Edward IslandSymbols of Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Symbols:...
- Flag of Prince Edward IslandFlag of Prince Edward IslandThe flag of Prince Edward Island, Canada, is a banner modelled after the provincial arms. The flag has the proportions 2:3; the three sides away from the mast are bordered by alternating bands of red and white....
- 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"...