British Columbia Coat of Arms

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British Columbia Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of British Columbia was bestowed on the Canadian province of British Columbia on March 31, 1906 by King Edward VII and replaced an unofficial coat of arms from 1895.

symbolism

In the shield head of the escutcheon , the Union Flag is depicted as a symbol of the close ties with Great Britain , which also has a crown in the middle. The middle and lower thirds consist of three blue and four white waves, which are outshone by those of the rising sun. Sun and waves mark the province's location between the Pacific and the Rocky Mountains .

The gold helmet above the coat of arms is a symbol of British Columbia's sovereignty within the Canadian Confederation . The helmet cover and the helmet bulge are both in red and white, the national colors of Canada. Helmkleinod is a crowned golden lion standing on the Edwardian crown and wearing a dogwood flower around his neck (official flower of the province)

Shield holders are on the right the upright elk from Vancouver Island and opposite the upright, gold-armored, silver bighorn sheep from the mainland part of the province. They represent the union of the two colonies in 1866. The pedestal consists of more dogwood blossoms. The motto on silver tape with black capital letters reads Splendor sine occasu ( "Splendor without end") and describes the natural beauty of British Columbia.

history

Depiction of the older version of the coat of arms in the Parliament House in Victoria with the rising sun over the Union Flag

The first heraldic symbol was the great seal of the province, consisting of the initials "BC" and a lion standing on the imperial crown in between. This seal was in use when British Columbia joined the Confederation in 1871.

Canon Arthur Beanlands from Victoria designed the first coat of arms, which differed slightly from today's: on the shield, the sun stood over the Union Flag. The provincial government approved the coat of arms on July 19, 1895 and used it as the new large seal.

While it is the responsibility of the provinces to determine the appearance of the seal, coats of arms can only be bestowed by the sovereign as a sign of honor. The provincial government tried to have the coat of arms approved by the College of Arms in 1897, but was unsuccessful for various reasons. The first offense was the use of the lion as a helmet jewel, which was reserved exclusively for the monarch and could not be granted even as a sign of absolute loyalty. The heraldists also clashed with the placement of the Union Flag under the sun, as this did not conform to the principle "the sun never sets in the Empire". The use of shield holders, a great honor, was considered presumptuous as no other province had received this privilege.

After lengthy negotiations, only the motto and the coat of arms were initially approved, with the position of the sun and the Union flag reversed. The remaining elements were awarded on October 15, 1987 by Queen Elizabeth II . The lion as a helmet gem was approved because it had been made distinguishable with the addition of the dogwood blossom.

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