The coat of arms of British Columbia is the

heraldic symbol Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

representing the Canadian province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The arms contains symbols reflecting British Columbia's British heritage along with local symbols. At the upper part of the shield is the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

, 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 Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

on March 31, 1906. The arms were further augmented with supporters, a crest, and a compartment, by royal warrant of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on October 15, 1987. A

banner of arms A banner of arms is a type of heraldic flag which has the same image as a coat of arms, ''i.e.'' the shield of a full achievement (heraldry), heraldic achievement, rendered in a square or rectangular shape of the flag. The term is derived from t ...

comprises the provincial flag, which was adopted in 1960.

History

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 Richard Clement Moody Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British governor, engineer, architect and soldier. He is best known for being the founder and the first Lieutenant ...

This design was used upon British Columbia joining

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. 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."BC Order in Council 268/1895 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 , 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 The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

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 ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

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 A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

had been granted such a privilege. 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

, on 15 October 1987. BC-Arms

Symbolism

;

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

:The crest is the Queen's royal crest (a gold lion ''statant gardant''—standing on all fours and facing the viewer—wearing the royal crown), differenced with a garland of

Pacific dogwood ''Cornus nuttallii'', the Pacific dogwood, western dogwood, or mountain dogwood, is a species of dogwood tree native to western North America. Description It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree, reaching tall, often with a canopy spre ...

, the provincial flower. ;

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

:The shield features a

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

in chief, with a

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

(known heraldically as an antique crown) at its centre. In base it has the sun setting into the ocean, representing the province's location on the Pacific. ;

Compartment Compartment may refer to: Biology * Compartment (anatomy), a space of connective tissue between muscles * Compartment (chemistry), in which different parts of the same protein serves different functions * Compartment (development), fields of cells ...

:The compartment is a garland of Pacific Dogwood. ;

Supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...

:The supporters are a

wapiti The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

(also known as

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

) stag and a

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

. The wapiti of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and the bighorn sheep of the mainland of the province symbolize the union of the two colonies which united to form British Columbia in 1866 ;

Motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

:The motto , is Latin and refers to the idea of ''the sun never setting over the British Empire''. (the form is the ablative, required after the preposition ) literally means a "setting" or a "going down", such as of the sun, and by extension can refer to "the west". While one can translate the phrase to mean "splendour without diminishment", in combination with the geographical position of British Columbia (in the far west of the former British Empire), the setting sun shown on the shield, and the old concept of the sun never setting over the Empire, the motto should be understood to express the idea "a shining without a sunset".

References

External links

Coat of Arms of British Columbia (Government of BC)

Arms and flag of British Columbia
in the online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges {{Heraldry in Canada Provincial symbols of British Columbia

History

Symbolism

See also

References

External links