The Dufferin Medal was a Canadian award instituted in 1873 by the Earl of Dufferin — Canada's third

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

who served in that role from 1872 to 1878. The Dufferin Medal was an official British commendation to Canadian students and athletes who had achieved high excellence in academics and athletics.

Lord Dufferin Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (21 June 182612 February 1902) was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society. In his youth he was a popular figure in the court of Queen Vict ...

and Lady Dufferin presented the medals to honorees, annually, through the end of their appointment in 1878. Dufferin Medals were the forerunner to

Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

. While gold, silver, and bronze denoted first, second, and third, acknowledgement in biographies often only reference the "Dufferin Medal". Gold medals in proficiency categories — where competition was not involved — were rarely awarded.

Medal prestige

Academic institutions and athletic clubs used their medal counts to tout opportunities for recognition and institutional excellence.

and Lady Dufferin, who were popular among Canadians, gained greater popularity for the gifts. And while the awards came with no cash, the medals themselves held tangible value as

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

. The Dufferin Medals went a long way towards motivating students, artists, musicians, and athletes, and had the same positive effect on validating efforts of institutions, professors, academicians, and coaches.

Design

The design of the medals went through at least two iterations. In 1877, the medals were made of solid metal — gold, silver, or bronze — and recipients were given bronze duplicates. One side portrayed the British coat of arms, with the motto, ''Per Vias Rectas''. The other side showed full heads of the Earl of Dufferin and the

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

at the left. Their profiles are encircled with the inscription, "Earl of Dufferin, K.P.,

K.C.B. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

, G.C.M.G.,

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

Countess of Dufferin The ''Countess of Dufferin'' was the first steam locomotive to operate in the Canadian prairie provinces and is named after Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Countess of Dufferin (later Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava), the wife of the Earl o ...

". Engraved on the rim, in rustic characters, was the name of the student's institution, the year, and the student's name. Of the 18 gold medals awarded, four are known to still exist.

Notable recipients

* 1873:

Edwin Arnold Vail Edwin Arnold Vail (August 19, 1817 – July 31, 1885) was a physician and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Kings County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1857 to 1866, from 1870 to 18 ...

, Gold Medal for

Marksmanship A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than- ...

, winning the most points at the Wimbledon Cup * 1873: Kate Sara Chittenden, Bronze Medal for Art,

Hellmuth Ladies' College Hellmuth Ladies' College (founded September 1869; closed 1899) was a private college for women in London, Ontario. The college was founded by Reverend Isaac Hellmuth and was inaugurated by Prince Arthur. The college had no official connection wit ...

* 1874:

John Stewart McLennan John Stewart McLennan (5 November 1853 – 15 September 1939) was a Conservative member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in Montreal, Quebec and became an industrialist and publisher. The son of Hugh McLennan and Isabella Stewart, he was ...

, Gold Medal for Historical Research and Cultivation of English Style,

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

* 1875: Charles Langelier, Silver Medal for Second Best Academic Work at

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxemb ...

* 1876: Charles Fitzpatrick, Silver Medal for Second Best Academic Work at

* 1877: James McKay, Bronze Medal for Ancient and Modern History, St. John's College at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Thomas Chase-Casgrain Thomas Chase-Casgrain, (28 July 1852 – 29 December 1916), also known as Thomas Casgrain, was a French-Canadian lawyer and politician. As a young attorney he became famous for his participation in the prosecution of Louis Riel. He was bor ...

, Silver Medal for Second Best Academic Work at

* 1878:

Ned Hanlan Edward Hanlan (12 July 1855 – 4 January 1908) was a Canadian professional sculler, hotelier, and alderman from Toronto, Ontario. Early life Hanlan was born to Irish parents; one of two sons and two daughters. His mother was Mary Gibbs, his fath ...

, Gold Medal, Champion

Sculler Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, i ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= "The Dufferin Medal," by Stuart P. Kenning, '' The Canadian Numismatic Journal,'' Vol. 9, No. 7, July 1964, pps. 287–288; {{OCLC, 0008-4573 "The Lord Dufferin Medal," ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

'', Vol. XLII, No. 196, July 15, 1877, pg. 5
History of the Administration of the Earl of Dufferin in Canada
'' by

William Leggo William Augustus Leggo (25 January 1830 – 21 July 1915) was a Canadian inventor, engraver and businessperson. He is noted for co-inventing the half-tone engraver with George-Édouard Desbarats. He had several patents to his name, includin ...

, Toronto: Lovell Printing and Publishing Company (1878) "Canadian Numismatics,"
by Robert Wallace McLachlan (1845–1926), ''American Journal of Numismatics'', Vol. 18, No. 3, January 1884, pg. 58 "The Dufferin Medals,"
''The Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal'', Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montréal, Vol. 3, No. 4, April 1875, pg. 157 Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada Academic awards Canadian literary awards * Canadian art awards Awards established in 1873 1873 establishments in Canada Recurring events established in 1873 Early career awards

Medal prestige

Categories

Design

Notable recipients

See also

References