The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC; french: Société royale héraldique du Canada) is a Canadian organization that promotes interest in

heraldry 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 ...

in Canada. It was founded in 1966 and granted

royal patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

in 2002.

History

The society was established in October 1966, as the Heraldry Society of Canada, by a group of heraldic enthusiasts from

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

under the leadership of

Alan Beddoe Lieutenant-Commander Alan Brookman Beddoe, OC, OBE, HFHS, FHSC (June 1, 1893 – December 2, 1975) was a Canadian artist, war artist, consultant in heraldry and founder and first president of the Heraldry Society of Canada in 1965. Born ...

. The organizing meeting occurred at Ottawa's Beacon Arms Hotel. In 2002, royal patronage was extended to the society, and its name changed to the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. The designation was officially proclaimed at the society's annual meeting in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

on October 22 of that year by the

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...

Iona Campagnolo Iona Victoria Campagnolo, (née Hardy, born October 18, 1932) is a Canadian politician who served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 2001 to 2007; Campagnolo was the first woman to hold that office. Prior to becoming Lieut ...

. The arms of the society were accordingly augmented in December 2002 with the addition of the Royal Crown to the supporters. The society is notable for being one of the few organizations in Canada to make use of a

ceremonial mace A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the or ...

. The society's mace is fashioned from pewter and wood, and inscribed with heraldic symbols.

Activities

The society has six regional branches, which sponsor periodic talks and lectures on the topic of heraldry: British Columbia / Yukon, Laurentian (Montreal), Ottawa Valley, Prairie, Toronto, and Vancouver. It publishes a biannual journal, ''Heraldry in Canada'', a quarterly newsletter, ''Gonfanon'', and has published the reference books ''Canadian Heraldry'' (1981) and ''A Canadian Heraldic Primer'' (2001). The society has underwritten the cost of displaying the arms of the Governors General of Canada at Ottawa's Church of St. Bartholomew, sponsored the diamond jubilee display of the

Queen's Beasts The Queen's Beasts are ten heraldic statues representing the genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II, depicted as the Royal supporters of England. They stood in front of the temporary western annexe to Westminster Abbey for the Queen's coronation in ...

at the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

, financed the design and acquisition of the

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more developed ...

of the

Chief Herald of Canada Chief Herald of Canada is the title held by the head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The Chief Herald of Canada directs the operations of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and makes the grants of arms. There are exceptions to this, such as certa ...

, assisted in the restoration of the heraldic installations at Hart House at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, and actively liaisons with provincial and municipal governments for "the protection and proper use of heraldry".

Distinctions

The society grants three distinctions, each carrying

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

: Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (''FRHSC''), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (''FRHSC, Hon.''), and Licentiate of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (''LRHSC''). Notable persons having been granted society distinctions include Bruce W. Beatty, Graham Anderson, D'Arcy Boulton, Bruce Patterson,

Conrad Swan Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan (13 May 1924–10 January 2019) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Having been first appointed to work at the College in 1962, he rose to the office of Garter Principal King ...

Robert Watt Robert Douglas Watt, (born 1945) is a former Canadian museum curator and officer of arms who served as the first Chief Herald of Canada. He was appointed at the foundation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1988, and he was succeeded by Cla ...

Auguste Vachon Auguste Georges Vachon, is a Canadians, Canadian Officer of Arms, officer of arms. He held the post of Saint-Laurent Herald, Saint-Laurent Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the Canadian Heraldic Authority from its foundation in 1988 until his retirem ...

, Christopher McCreery,

John Matheson John Ross Matheson, (November 14, 1917 – December 27, 2013) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, and judge who helped develop both the national flag of Canada and the Order of Canada. Early life John Matheson was born in Arundel, Quebec, t ...

, Darrel Kennedy,

Claire Boudreau Claire Boudreau, (1965 - November 17, 2020) was a Canadian historian, genealogist, and officer of arms. She served as a herald in the Canadian Heraldic Authority from March 17, 1997 in the office of Saguenay Herald and later as Saint-Laurent Her ...

, and

Cathy Bursey-Sabourin Cathy Lynne Bursey-Sabourin (born 1957) is a Canadian designer and heraldic artist. She launched her career as a commercial and graphic designer in St. John's and Ottawa. Her involvement with heraldic art began at the Department of National Defenc ...

Arms of the society

The society's arms were granted by the

Canadian Crown The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the founda ...

and registered by the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) 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 th ...

: ;

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 ...

:''Quarterly per fess embattled Gules and Argent, in the first quarter an inescutcheon Argent charged with a maple leaf Gules;'' ;

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 ...

:''Issuant from maple leaves Gules, a demi lion Or holding a staff proper flying therefrom a banner of the Arms fringed Or;'' ;

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 ...

:''Dexter a beaver sejant Or collared Gules pendent therefrom a torteau bearing the Royal Crown proper, sinister a narwhal haurient Argent armed Or charged on the shoulder with a torteau bearing the Royal Crown proper, the whole set upon a compartment per pale of a grassy mound and waves proper;'' ;

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 ...

:''ET PATRIBUS ET POSTERITATI'' ("For ancestors and posterity")

References

{{Authority control Organizations established in 1966 Heraldic societies Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage Monarchy in Canada Canadian heraldry 1966 establishments in Ontario

History

Activities

Distinctions

Arms of the society

See also

References