A Mystery Emblem for Manitoba
Auguste Vachon, Outaouais Herald Emeritus
Revised version of an article published in The Prairie Tressure (Spring/Summer 2008), pp. 4-12.
In 1878, an emblem was created for Manitoba in unusual and somewhat perplexing circumstances. Years later, it became an object of wonder since its very existence and origin had long remained in the dark. I was able to retrace the history of the arms, at least in part, and to provide some answers to the question of an earlier writer on the subject: “Do any readers know the background of these designs?” [1] Though this particular creation seemed to many as if it had mushroomed out of nowhere, the impetus that brought it into being precedes Confederation.
In December 1865, the Secretary of State for the Colonies advised the Governor General that, pursuant section 3 of the Colonial Naval Defence Act, vessels owned, or in the service of the Colony, were to fly the Blue Ensign with the badge or seal of the colony in the fly. He further asked, on behalf of the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, to be supplied with "a correct drawing of the Seal or Badge which is to form the distinguishing mark of Canadian Vessels.” [2] The quartered arms of Confederation’s four original provinces were authorized by royal warrant of 1868 as a common seal for the Dominion of Canada. On 16 July 1870, Canadian government ships were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with the 1868 quartered arms in the fly. [3] In other words the heraldic design for a seal had become the identifying mark of the country in an application that was sanctioned by British officials.
The confusion seal-badge-arms reached the provinces early on when an order-in-council dated 7 August 1869 authorized the governors or administrators of British colonies to use the Union Flag (Jack) with the badge of the colony in the centre. [4] The flag of the governor general of Canada became a white roundel in centre of the Union Flag or Jack displaying the four-province shield topped by the royal crown within a wreath of maple leaves. For lieutenant governors, the provincial device was at the centre and the crown was absent. [5] This gave rise to further pleas from the Admiralty to obtain the devices used by Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Manitoba, which yet remained obscure.
A further circular despatch issued on August 23, 1875, clearly placed the imagery of seals and arms on the same footing: “In those colonies in which no device has been fixed upon, coloured drawings of the distinctive device on the Seal of the Colony, exclusive of the Royal Arms, as that will be the Badge which will hereafter be adopted in all cases, and the publication in the Admiralty Flag Book of these devices will cause the Flags of the different colonies to be more widely known.” [6]
Another letter from the Colonial Office in 1878 basically placed arms and badges on the same level, creating further confusion. It does point out that only four provincial shields are granted and that steps might be considered to have the "entire Arms of the Dominion" made regular. It further conveys the view of the Lords of the Admiralty that the arms of the Dominion might be amended “...so as to include the badges (or a portion of them) of the additional provinces now included in the Dominion [arms].” [7] In fact, this is exactly what Canadians had begun doing on the Dominion shield, probably as a result of the earlier requests from the Colonial Office on behalf of the Admiralty for whatever distinguishing devices the provinces could submit in coloured format.
The order-in-council of 2 August 1870 authorizing the seal of Manitoba had contained a rather awkward heraldic description which quickly became confused with arms: Vert, a Buffalo, Guardante proper. On a Chief Argent a St George’s Cross – Gules with a Royal Crown in centre. [8] The description of Manitoba’s seal with colours may seem unusual since no one surely thought that the impressions would be in colour. On the other hand, colours can be indicated by lines and dots called hatchings which are engraved into the metal die and appear in the impression. In fact, Manitoba’s first seal shows diagonal lines denoting a green (Vert) field. [9] Moreover the ongoing entreaties from the Lords of the Admiralty for coloured drawings of provincial identifying marks gave the impression that provinces could choose their own emblems, a further incentive to describe them in heraldic terms.
Apparently the ongoing confusion seal-badge-arms convinced the provinces that their seals or other devices were legitimate heraldic creations. After inventing colours for them as the Admiralty had requested via the Secretary of State for the Colonies, these designs were included in the quartered Dominion shield, itself originally intended as a common seal for Canada. This may not have been done entirely in response to the requests of the British government, but the repeated urgent pleas, which placed arms, seals and badges on the same footing, paved the way for the confused heraldic situation expressed in both composite Dominion shields and provincial marks of identification.
Between 1868 and 1871, the Red Ensign began being flown on land and sea, originally with the four-province shield in the fly, then with Manitoba and other provinces added as they joined Confederation. [10] Even Joseph Pope, Under Secretary of State for Canada, had long believed that Canada was granted proper arms in 1868, stressing that only the four original provinces should be displayed. [11] But popular logic dictated that the new provinces joining Confederation had to be there for the emblem to be representative. Whether the addition of devices to the quartered arms of the four original provinces began with the Red Ensign or separately is difficult to say.
The buffalo emblem of Manitoba was added to the Dominion shield, perhaps for the first time, on the front page of L'Opinion publique of 2 January 1873. By the next year, the shield had become a hodgepodge of granted arms combined with other devices (fig. 1). [12] Later shields included creations by amateur heraldists: Arthur John Beanlands and Edward Marion Chadwick (fig. 2). [13] Chadwick believed in a comprehensive shield that would display the emblems of all the provinces and territories for which he coined the expression écu complet (complete shied). [14] The resulting motley combinations have often been attributed to the ignorance of Canadians in heraldic matters, but the incitation to treat homegrown emblems as legitimate had largely come from the mother country.
In December 1865, the Secretary of State for the Colonies advised the Governor General that, pursuant section 3 of the Colonial Naval Defence Act, vessels owned, or in the service of the Colony, were to fly the Blue Ensign with the badge or seal of the colony in the fly. He further asked, on behalf of the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, to be supplied with "a correct drawing of the Seal or Badge which is to form the distinguishing mark of Canadian Vessels.” [2] The quartered arms of Confederation’s four original provinces were authorized by royal warrant of 1868 as a common seal for the Dominion of Canada. On 16 July 1870, Canadian government ships were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with the 1868 quartered arms in the fly. [3] In other words the heraldic design for a seal had become the identifying mark of the country in an application that was sanctioned by British officials.
The confusion seal-badge-arms reached the provinces early on when an order-in-council dated 7 August 1869 authorized the governors or administrators of British colonies to use the Union Flag (Jack) with the badge of the colony in the centre. [4] The flag of the governor general of Canada became a white roundel in centre of the Union Flag or Jack displaying the four-province shield topped by the royal crown within a wreath of maple leaves. For lieutenant governors, the provincial device was at the centre and the crown was absent. [5] This gave rise to further pleas from the Admiralty to obtain the devices used by Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Manitoba, which yet remained obscure.
A further circular despatch issued on August 23, 1875, clearly placed the imagery of seals and arms on the same footing: “In those colonies in which no device has been fixed upon, coloured drawings of the distinctive device on the Seal of the Colony, exclusive of the Royal Arms, as that will be the Badge which will hereafter be adopted in all cases, and the publication in the Admiralty Flag Book of these devices will cause the Flags of the different colonies to be more widely known.” [6]
Another letter from the Colonial Office in 1878 basically placed arms and badges on the same level, creating further confusion. It does point out that only four provincial shields are granted and that steps might be considered to have the "entire Arms of the Dominion" made regular. It further conveys the view of the Lords of the Admiralty that the arms of the Dominion might be amended “...so as to include the badges (or a portion of them) of the additional provinces now included in the Dominion [arms].” [7] In fact, this is exactly what Canadians had begun doing on the Dominion shield, probably as a result of the earlier requests from the Colonial Office on behalf of the Admiralty for whatever distinguishing devices the provinces could submit in coloured format.
The order-in-council of 2 August 1870 authorizing the seal of Manitoba had contained a rather awkward heraldic description which quickly became confused with arms: Vert, a Buffalo, Guardante proper. On a Chief Argent a St George’s Cross – Gules with a Royal Crown in centre. [8] The description of Manitoba’s seal with colours may seem unusual since no one surely thought that the impressions would be in colour. On the other hand, colours can be indicated by lines and dots called hatchings which are engraved into the metal die and appear in the impression. In fact, Manitoba’s first seal shows diagonal lines denoting a green (Vert) field. [9] Moreover the ongoing entreaties from the Lords of the Admiralty for coloured drawings of provincial identifying marks gave the impression that provinces could choose their own emblems, a further incentive to describe them in heraldic terms.
Apparently the ongoing confusion seal-badge-arms convinced the provinces that their seals or other devices were legitimate heraldic creations. After inventing colours for them as the Admiralty had requested via the Secretary of State for the Colonies, these designs were included in the quartered Dominion shield, itself originally intended as a common seal for Canada. This may not have been done entirely in response to the requests of the British government, but the repeated urgent pleas, which placed arms, seals and badges on the same footing, paved the way for the confused heraldic situation expressed in both composite Dominion shields and provincial marks of identification.
Between 1868 and 1871, the Red Ensign began being flown on land and sea, originally with the four-province shield in the fly, then with Manitoba and other provinces added as they joined Confederation. [10] Even Joseph Pope, Under Secretary of State for Canada, had long believed that Canada was granted proper arms in 1868, stressing that only the four original provinces should be displayed. [11] But popular logic dictated that the new provinces joining Confederation had to be there for the emblem to be representative. Whether the addition of devices to the quartered arms of the four original provinces began with the Red Ensign or separately is difficult to say.
The buffalo emblem of Manitoba was added to the Dominion shield, perhaps for the first time, on the front page of L'Opinion publique of 2 January 1873. By the next year, the shield had become a hodgepodge of granted arms combined with other devices (fig. 1). [12] Later shields included creations by amateur heraldists: Arthur John Beanlands and Edward Marion Chadwick (fig. 2). [13] Chadwick believed in a comprehensive shield that would display the emblems of all the provinces and territories for which he coined the expression écu complet (complete shied). [14] The resulting motley combinations have often been attributed to the ignorance of Canadians in heraldic matters, but the incitation to treat homegrown emblems as legitimate had largely come from the mother country.
Fig. 1. Dominion shield in use from 1874 to c. 1915. The devices are from left to right and from top to bottom: arms granted in 1868 by Queen Victoria to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia; adaptation from the 1870 Manitoba seal; badge adopted by British Columbia in 1870; Prince Edward Island’s 1869 seal. The charging buffalo looks like a bull and the crown is missing on the cross. Porcelain plate c. 1905, with Gemma mark, by Schmidt & Co., Altrohlau (Bohemia), Austria. Photo from the Auguste and Paula Vachon collection of heraldic ceramic souvenirs and tableware, now in the Canadian Museum of History.
Fig. 2. Chadwick’s écu complet, c. 1903-05. The arrangement of the arms is as follows: 1st row from left to right, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia; 2nd row New Brunswick (all four official, 1868), British Columbia (unofficial designed by Arthur John Beanlands for the 1895 provincial seal), Prince Edward Island; 3rd row Northwest Territories, Yukon (all three unofficial Edward Marion Chadwick creations) and Manitoba (unofficial adaptation from its 1870 seal). Pottery plate by Frank Beardmore, Fenton, England. c. 1905. Same source as figure 1.
By November1877, only Manitoba had not supplied an emblem for the “Admiralty Flag Book” (Drawings of the flags in use at the present time by various nations). [15] In December 1879, Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Secretary of State for the Colonies, wrote Lord Lorne, the new governor general, that the publication of the “Flag Book” was being delayed because the “device” for Manitoba was missing. [16] But already in May 1878, Lord Dufferin, the previous governor, had sent Hicks Beach a version of Manitoba’s arms which included supporters, a motto, and a crown on top of the shield. Its insertion in the publication was delayed because the Lords Commissioners recommended that the design be submitted for approval by the College of Arms, but nothing came of this recommendation.
The Lords Commissioners also suggested that the supporters, crown and motto be removed to make the “badge” more in keeping with Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The reply of the government of Manitoba confirming that it had no objections to the peripherals being removed was delayed until March 1880. Finally in December of 1880, the Colonial Office sent Governor Lorne, the arms of Manitoba as they would appear in the “Admiralty Flag Book” and stated that these would be “painted and sold”. [17] What were the supporters and motto in the original design sent to the Admiralty? If the drawing has survived, it would also tell us what was sent to England and whether subsequent changes in content or colours were made in England. [18]
The proof that the arms sent for the “Admiralty Flag Book” are the ones referred to in Macaulay’s article and figures 2-4 is contained in an 1885 letter from Marine and Fisheries which states: “… I beg to enclose for the information of His Honour [Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba], Copy of drawing of the Badge for the Flag of Manitoba, as it appears in the Admiralty Flag Book…” The letter goes on to outline its correct use by the lieutenant governor, namely: “… the Union Jack with the Arms or Badge of the Colony emblazoned in the centre thereof, on a White Shield [roundel] surrounded by a Green Garland…” The drawing attached to the letter is reproduced here (fig. 3). [19] It is signed “McQ” who may have been an artist or copyist.
The files of the Public Record Office (England) contain an official colour booklet printed in 1881, reproducing the same arms. The three garbs (sheaves of wheat) in base are gold on green. The cross and saltire, in the upper left, are red on a white field and the imperial crown over them is proper (natural colours). The three fleurs-de-lis are gold on blue. [20] These same arms also appear in colour in the “Admiralty Flag Book” of 1889 (fig. 4). [21]
The Lords Commissioners also suggested that the supporters, crown and motto be removed to make the “badge” more in keeping with Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The reply of the government of Manitoba confirming that it had no objections to the peripherals being removed was delayed until March 1880. Finally in December of 1880, the Colonial Office sent Governor Lorne, the arms of Manitoba as they would appear in the “Admiralty Flag Book” and stated that these would be “painted and sold”. [17] What were the supporters and motto in the original design sent to the Admiralty? If the drawing has survived, it would also tell us what was sent to England and whether subsequent changes in content or colours were made in England. [18]
The proof that the arms sent for the “Admiralty Flag Book” are the ones referred to in Macaulay’s article and figures 2-4 is contained in an 1885 letter from Marine and Fisheries which states: “… I beg to enclose for the information of His Honour [Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba], Copy of drawing of the Badge for the Flag of Manitoba, as it appears in the Admiralty Flag Book…” The letter goes on to outline its correct use by the lieutenant governor, namely: “… the Union Jack with the Arms or Badge of the Colony emblazoned in the centre thereof, on a White Shield [roundel] surrounded by a Green Garland…” The drawing attached to the letter is reproduced here (fig. 3). [19] It is signed “McQ” who may have been an artist or copyist.
The files of the Public Record Office (England) contain an official colour booklet printed in 1881, reproducing the same arms. The three garbs (sheaves of wheat) in base are gold on green. The cross and saltire, in the upper left, are red on a white field and the imperial crown over them is proper (natural colours). The three fleurs-de-lis are gold on blue. [20] These same arms also appear in colour in the “Admiralty Flag Book” of 1889 (fig. 4). [21]
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Figs. 3.-4 On the left, drawing sent to Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba in 1885; on the right, copy from “The Admiralty Flag Book” of 1889, see a colour version of the arms here: https://www.fotw.info/flags/ca_mb-h.html.
Who conceived the mystery arms? Macaulay suggests that it could have been Chadwick, but this in not likely. At the time, Chadwick was not yet involved in creating provincial arms. His proposals, which became the arms of at least one Canadian province (Saskatchewan) [22] and the basis for the arms of one territory (Yukon), began some 22 years after the Admiralty version was sent to England in 1878. Also, we note that Chadwick accepted the charging buffalo version rather than the Admiralty one in his “écu complet” (all-inclusive shield) of the empire in 1900. [23]
One of the most surprising examples of the use of the Manitoba mystery arms occurs on a Dominion shield, which at one time decked the bow of HMS Canada, a corvette of the British Royal Navy launched in 1881 and sold for scrap in 1897 (fig. 7). The arrangement of the shields in this version is most unusual: 1st row, Nova Scotia, Quebec; 2nd row, Prince Edward Island (a landscape depiction of its seal), New Brunswick, British Columbia (1870 badge); 3rd row, Ontario, Manitoba (Admiralty version), see (fig. 5). It may be the only instance where the Admiralty version of the arms of Manitoba was included in the Dominion shield and it was on a British ship. There is no evidence that this design gained any popularity in Canada where it originated since it was apparently printed in British publications only.
One Internet site includes a recent rendering of the flag of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (1870-1905), showing the Admiralty arms of Manitoba on a white roundel within a wreath of maple leaves placed in centre of the Union Jack. [24] I have found no evidence that such a flag ever existed. The almost total absence of endorsement of the Admiralty version by Manitobans and by Canadians in general makes this unlikely.
One of the most surprising examples of the use of the Manitoba mystery arms occurs on a Dominion shield, which at one time decked the bow of HMS Canada, a corvette of the British Royal Navy launched in 1881 and sold for scrap in 1897 (fig. 7). The arrangement of the shields in this version is most unusual: 1st row, Nova Scotia, Quebec; 2nd row, Prince Edward Island (a landscape depiction of its seal), New Brunswick, British Columbia (1870 badge); 3rd row, Ontario, Manitoba (Admiralty version), see (fig. 5). It may be the only instance where the Admiralty version of the arms of Manitoba was included in the Dominion shield and it was on a British ship. There is no evidence that this design gained any popularity in Canada where it originated since it was apparently printed in British publications only.
One Internet site includes a recent rendering of the flag of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (1870-1905), showing the Admiralty arms of Manitoba on a white roundel within a wreath of maple leaves placed in centre of the Union Jack. [24] I have found no evidence that such a flag ever existed. The almost total absence of endorsement of the Admiralty version by Manitobans and by Canadians in general makes this unlikely.
Fig. 5. Arms of the Dominion of Canada taken from the bow of the British corvette HMS Canada. The shield proposed to the British Admiralty as arms for Manitoba occupies the lower right row. It is perhaps the only Dominion shield to include this design. The artefact belongs to the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria. Photo taken by Major Terrence C. Manuel.
The aggressive offensive of the Admiralty to secure provincial emblems must have seemed exaggerated and rather trivial in a fledgling province like Manitoba, all the more so that the use of the flags they were meant for was restrictive. That of the governor general and those of the lieutenant governors were to be flown on vessels, not on land, and the Blue Ensign identified government ships only. [25] Possibly the Admiralty strove to be as thorough as it could, but the remark that the devices “will be painted and sold” would seem to indicate a monetary component. I have often wondered whether the lieutenant governors made use of their authorized flags in the nineteenth century and, if so, to what extent.
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Figs. 6-7. The charging buffalo on Manitoba’s shield has given rise to many different depictions, some of them unrealistic. The one on the left appeared on the letterhead of the Department of the Provincial Secretary at least from 1901; the one on the right adorned the title page of the Canadian Law List (Hardy’s), 1900.
It is puzzling that the government of Manitoba did not provide the Admiralty with the design that had gained wide acceptance, namely the one combining the buffalo and cross of St. George with the crown on it (figs. 6-7)? Partial answers may lie in the content of the Admiralty arms of which the symbolism can only be deduced since no document has been found to make this clear. The gold wheat sheaves on a green field represent the dominant industry of the province, a commercial pursuit that had become more important than hunting the buffalo for its meat and pelt. The gold fleurs-de-lis on blue refer to settlers of French origins, but it also points to a desire to recognize the ethnic composition of the province. The cross and saltire on the upper left side reflect a similar purpose, the red cross representing England and the red saltire designating Ireland. My first impression was that the artist had incorrectly drawn the Union Jack, which would normally also include the white saltire of Scotland. It is known that the Union Jack is often badly rendered. On a number of depictions, the white saltire of Scotland becomes lost and only the red cross and red saltire with white edging remain (fig. 8). But why is the field on the proposed arms white and not blue as on the Union Jack?
Fig. 8. In a surprising number of depictions, the Union Jack is represented with only the red cross of St. George (England) and the red saltire of St. Patrick (Ireland) both edged white. In the process, the white saltire of St. Andrew (Scotland) disappears. This example comes from a postcard by W.G. MacFarlane of Toronto entitled “Harbor Front, St. John, N.B.” Postmarked 13 June 1905. From the Auguste and Paula Vachon heraldic postcard collection.
Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that the initial source of inspiration was the English red cross of St. George with the royal crown in centre on a white field as seen at the top of the buffalo arms (figs. 6-7). No doubt, it was felt that representing only the English was unfair. But adding only the saltire of St. Patrick and excluding the white saltire of St. Andrew comes across as an aberration since the Scots had played an important role in the settlement of Manitoba. The head office of North West Company (1779-1821), which was managed primarily by Highland Scots, was located in Winnipeg. The Red River Colony (from 1811), a venture of Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, brought a number of Scottish settlers to Manitoba. The unicorn supporter in the present arms of the province represents early Scottish settlers. [26]
When Louis Riel and his party captured Fort Garry in 1869 during the Red River Rebellion, a Fenian Irishman named W. B. O’Donoghue replaced the Union Jack with a green and white one bearing a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock. [27] The white flag representing the Métis provisional government also included a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock and a large bison in the lower part according to at least one account. [28] The recognition of the Irish by a red saltire and not the Scots in the proposed Manitoba arms possibly reflected this earlier mindset.
One other possibility was contemplated by Guy Cadogan Rothery who describes the crosses as “… the Union Badge of 1707 (a combination of the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew) …” [29] This interpretation comes across as intellectually satisfying: the historic Union Flag flown during the early years of the Hudson’s Bay Company being placed adjacent the historic fleurs-de-lis of royal France representing inhabitants of French origin. But a closer look reveals the 1707 union badge hypothesis to be untenable. In Queen Anne’s 1707 flag, the crosses were red for England and white for Scotland and the field was blue, not white. Moreover Rothery’s description does not mention the crown over the two crosses and states that Manitoba bore these arms, but there is no known pictorial or written evidence of its use by the government or the public.
When Louis Riel and his party captured Fort Garry in 1869 during the Red River Rebellion, a Fenian Irishman named W. B. O’Donoghue replaced the Union Jack with a green and white one bearing a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock. [27] The white flag representing the Métis provisional government also included a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock and a large bison in the lower part according to at least one account. [28] The recognition of the Irish by a red saltire and not the Scots in the proposed Manitoba arms possibly reflected this earlier mindset.
One other possibility was contemplated by Guy Cadogan Rothery who describes the crosses as “… the Union Badge of 1707 (a combination of the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew) …” [29] This interpretation comes across as intellectually satisfying: the historic Union Flag flown during the early years of the Hudson’s Bay Company being placed adjacent the historic fleurs-de-lis of royal France representing inhabitants of French origin. But a closer look reveals the 1707 union badge hypothesis to be untenable. In Queen Anne’s 1707 flag, the crosses were red for England and white for Scotland and the field was blue, not white. Moreover Rothery’s description does not mention the crown over the two crosses and states that Manitoba bore these arms, but there is no known pictorial or written evidence of its use by the government or the public.
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The Admiralty version of arms for Manitoba seems to have been exclusively a response of the provincial government to repeated requests from British officials. Apparently, after the emblem came into being, no steps were taken by the province to make it known to the public. The arms were likely better known in Great Britain than in Canada since they had appeared in several publications in the mother country. The reasons for a new design remain unclear given that the Manitobans had already accepted an emblem by popular consent. The absence of the Scottish white saltire in the part honouring settlers from Great Britain is also puzzling considering that the Scots were important colonists of the province. Hopefully further information will come to light and provide clearer answers to several questions, namely who designed the arms, why was the existing buffalo device discarded, why Scotland was excluded, what was the exact symbolism?
Notes
All the web sites referred to in this article were consulted on 15 May 2021.
LAC = Library and Archives Canada.
All the web sites referred to in this article were consulted on 15 May 2021.
LAC = Library and Archives Canada.
[1] G.A. Macaulay, “Early Variants of the Arms of Manitoba” in Heraldry in Canada, vol. 32, no. 1 (March, 1998), p. 3.
[2] LAC, MG 30, E 86, vol. 118, file 23, Viscount Cardwell to Monck, 16 Dec. 1865. The Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 said nothing about flags or specific identification for colonial ships. It made provisions for colonial men and ships to serve in the Royal Navy at times of emergency. The document is reproduced in Gilbert Norman Tucker, The Naval Service of Canada (Ottawa: King’s Printer, 1962), pp. 388-90:
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/docs/Naval_Svc_vol1_e.pdf. The Blue Ensign identifies government ships. It seems that the British Admiralty envisaged a time when there would be many colonial government ships on the sea.
[3] Sir Joseph Pope, The Flag of Canada, 1912, p.12-13.
[4] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, microfilm reel T 1160, Earl Granville to the officer administering the Government of Canada, Sept. 14, 1869.
[5] Sir Joseph Pope, op. cit., illustrations facing p. 6.
[6] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, microfilm reel T 1160, Carnarvon to the Officer administering the Government of Canada, 23 August 1875.
[7] Ibid., Robert Hall, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, to Dufferin, 27 June 1878.
[8] See Conrad Swan, "Arms from Deputed Great Seals: An Imperial Phenomenon" in The Coat of Arms, vol. 9, no. 153 (Spring 1991), p. 28-31 and Auguste Vachon, "The Augmented Arms of Manitoba" in Heraldry in Canada, vol. 27, no. 2 (June 1993), p. 2.
[9] Conrad Swan, Canada: Symbols of Sovereignty (Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, 1977), p. 197, figure 12.3.
[10] Canadian Illustrated News, May 6, 1871 p. 274, 281 and June 9, 1877, front page.
[11] LAC, MG 30, E86, vol. 7, no. 40, Pope to J. Ogilvie, 31 May 1897.
[12] This seven-province shield appeared on the front page of the Canadian Illustrated News of 5 December 1874. The same shield within a wreath of maple branches, with the royal crown on top and a beaver below, was featured on the medal of the Dominion of Canada at the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876, of which there is an example in the collection of LAC. This combination should have gone out of existence after arms were granted to other provinces from 1905 to 1907, but some depictions of it could be seen about a decade later.
[13] For further information on the evolution of the Dominion shield, see Auguste Vachon “Dominion Shields” in Variations in the Arms of Sovereignty Connected with Canada (a Pictorial Overview): https://www.heraldicscienceheraldique.com/dominion-shields.html.
[14] The term écu complet, meaning a comprehensive shield, was coined by Chadwick since this expression is not found in French heraldic vocabulary. He himself offers a definition: “The term ‘Ecu complet’ signifies the quartering in one shield of the armorials of, or representing the countries, states, or territories under one Sovereign.” LAC, MG 30, E1, 86, vol. 129, file 89, “Armorials of Canada” sent by Chadwick to Pope with a letter dated 25 April 1904.
[15] Letter to Auguste Vachon from Adrian Ailes, heraldry and seals specialist at the Public Records Office of the National Archives of the United Kingdom, 6 March 2000. Mr. Ailes very kindly summarized the correspondence he could find regarding the arms of Manitoba designed for the Admiralty. Drawings of the Flags in use at the present time by various nations was first published by HMSO in 1775, then in 1889 and 1907.
[16] Hicks Beach Lorne, 10 December 1879. I consulted this letter in files of the Secretary of State of Canada relating to the arms and flags of the provinces. These files have since been acquired by LAC.
[17] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, Microfilm reel T-1160, Dufferin to Hicks Beach, 7 May 1878; Hicks Beach to Dufferin, 31 May 1878; Robert Hall to Dufferin, 27 June 1878; Lorne to Hicks Beach, 31 March 1880; Earl of Kimberley to the officer administering Canada, 5 Dec. 1880; Kimberly to Lorne, 6 Dec., 1880.
[18] In his letter (see note 15), Adrian Ailes informed me that: “A folder in the file (i.e., ADM 116/185) once held the design noting that it had originally been enclosed in a letter from the Colonial Office dated 31 May 1878 but the folder is now empty; a note on it states the device was then sent back to the Colonial Office 1 November 1878”. In 1917 Manitoba sought to augment the arms they were granted in 1905, but nothing came of the project. The supporters were a caribou on the left and an elk on the right, both in natural colours. The crest was a gold wheat sheaf. Underneath the shield were two crossed prairie crocuses, a flower which has remained a provincial emblem to this day. The proposed motto Fides in Futuris means “faith in the future.” Was there any link between these additions and those proposed in 1878? The information comes from a letter by J.W. Armstrong, Provincial Secretary, to the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba in Council, 2 Nov. 1917, of which the Manitoba Archives sent me a copy.
[19] William Smith, Deputy Minister of Marine and Fisheries, to Grant Powell, Under Secretary of State, 15 Jan., 1885. Files of the Secretary of State, see note 16. The “White Shield” is in fact a white roundel or plate in heraldry. An entry in the on-line catalogue of the British Library describes one 1875 edition as [With notes of alterations and additions. Dated 1884 and 1887.]
[20] This information was also given to me by Adrian Ailes (see note 15). The booklet Arms and Badges of the Several Colonies of Great Britain (HMSO, 1881) is contained in a file (PRO ref: MT9/183). Ailes’ blazon is as follows: “Vert three garbs in fess or, a chief per pale, dexter argent the crosses of St George and St Andrew gules surmounted at the centre with the imperial crown or (could be proper) and sinister France modern.”
[21] The Library of Congress sent me a photocopy of the page in question (plate 16) from: The British Admiralty, Drawings of the Flags in use at the present time by various nations (London: Darling & Son, 1889).
[22] LAC, MG 30, E86, Vol. 129, file 89, Pope to Reid, 19 Sept. 1905; Lee to Pope, 3 Oct. 1905.
[23] Robert Merrill Black, “SHAGOTYOHGWISAKS; E.M. Chadwick and Canadian Heraldry” in Heraldry in Canada, vol. 24, no. 3 (Sept. 1990), p. 11.
[24] https://www.fotw.info/flags/ca_mb-h.html.
[25] Pope, op. cit., p. 6, 11-12.
[26] https://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1403&ShowAll=1.
[27] Albert Raimundo, The False Traitor: Louis Riel in Canadian Literature, PhD thesis (University of Toronto, 1999), p. 125-26, 129: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=NQ41111&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=46624415.
[28] The flag representing the Métis provisional government is described by Riel’s Secretary, Louis Schmidt. His account contains an ambiguous phrase which translates literally as “flowers of lily and clover.” Assuming that flowers is plural because it applies to two plants and that flower of clover means a shamrock, the flag would be white with a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock at the top and a large bison “in relief” below: “… nous devions ce jour-là arborer le nouveau drapeau du Gouvernement provisoire. Ce drapeau a été conservé. Il avait un fond blanc, avec des fleurs de lys et de trèfle, et un gros bison en relief dans le bas.” Donatien Frémont, Les secrétaires de Riel, Louis Schmidt, Henry Jackson, Philippe Garnot (Montreal: Chantecler, 1953), p. 41. Frémont states that the flag was preserved, but there is no known evidence of this today. The exact composition of the provisional government’s flag has given rise to many different depictions and descriptions. It is nevertheless fairly clear that it contained at least one fleur-de-lis and a shamrock: Conrad Swan, Canada: Symbols of Sovereignty, p. 195.
[29] Guy Cadogan Rothery, Concise Encyclopedia of Heraldry (London: Senate, 1994), p. 285: a reprint of the 1915 edition.
[2] LAC, MG 30, E 86, vol. 118, file 23, Viscount Cardwell to Monck, 16 Dec. 1865. The Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 said nothing about flags or specific identification for colonial ships. It made provisions for colonial men and ships to serve in the Royal Navy at times of emergency. The document is reproduced in Gilbert Norman Tucker, The Naval Service of Canada (Ottawa: King’s Printer, 1962), pp. 388-90:
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/docs/Naval_Svc_vol1_e.pdf. The Blue Ensign identifies government ships. It seems that the British Admiralty envisaged a time when there would be many colonial government ships on the sea.
[3] Sir Joseph Pope, The Flag of Canada, 1912, p.12-13.
[4] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, microfilm reel T 1160, Earl Granville to the officer administering the Government of Canada, Sept. 14, 1869.
[5] Sir Joseph Pope, op. cit., illustrations facing p. 6.
[6] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, microfilm reel T 1160, Carnarvon to the Officer administering the Government of Canada, 23 August 1875.
[7] Ibid., Robert Hall, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, to Dufferin, 27 June 1878.
[8] See Conrad Swan, "Arms from Deputed Great Seals: An Imperial Phenomenon" in The Coat of Arms, vol. 9, no. 153 (Spring 1991), p. 28-31 and Auguste Vachon, "The Augmented Arms of Manitoba" in Heraldry in Canada, vol. 27, no. 2 (June 1993), p. 2.
[9] Conrad Swan, Canada: Symbols of Sovereignty (Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, 1977), p. 197, figure 12.3.
[10] Canadian Illustrated News, May 6, 1871 p. 274, 281 and June 9, 1877, front page.
[11] LAC, MG 30, E86, vol. 7, no. 40, Pope to J. Ogilvie, 31 May 1897.
[12] This seven-province shield appeared on the front page of the Canadian Illustrated News of 5 December 1874. The same shield within a wreath of maple branches, with the royal crown on top and a beaver below, was featured on the medal of the Dominion of Canada at the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876, of which there is an example in the collection of LAC. This combination should have gone out of existence after arms were granted to other provinces from 1905 to 1907, but some depictions of it could be seen about a decade later.
[13] For further information on the evolution of the Dominion shield, see Auguste Vachon “Dominion Shields” in Variations in the Arms of Sovereignty Connected with Canada (a Pictorial Overview): https://www.heraldicscienceheraldique.com/dominion-shields.html.
[14] The term écu complet, meaning a comprehensive shield, was coined by Chadwick since this expression is not found in French heraldic vocabulary. He himself offers a definition: “The term ‘Ecu complet’ signifies the quartering in one shield of the armorials of, or representing the countries, states, or territories under one Sovereign.” LAC, MG 30, E1, 86, vol. 129, file 89, “Armorials of Canada” sent by Chadwick to Pope with a letter dated 25 April 1904.
[15] Letter to Auguste Vachon from Adrian Ailes, heraldry and seals specialist at the Public Records Office of the National Archives of the United Kingdom, 6 March 2000. Mr. Ailes very kindly summarized the correspondence he could find regarding the arms of Manitoba designed for the Admiralty. Drawings of the Flags in use at the present time by various nations was first published by HMSO in 1775, then in 1889 and 1907.
[16] Hicks Beach Lorne, 10 December 1879. I consulted this letter in files of the Secretary of State of Canada relating to the arms and flags of the provinces. These files have since been acquired by LAC.
[17] LAC, RG 7, G21, vol. 163, file 290A, Microfilm reel T-1160, Dufferin to Hicks Beach, 7 May 1878; Hicks Beach to Dufferin, 31 May 1878; Robert Hall to Dufferin, 27 June 1878; Lorne to Hicks Beach, 31 March 1880; Earl of Kimberley to the officer administering Canada, 5 Dec. 1880; Kimberly to Lorne, 6 Dec., 1880.
[18] In his letter (see note 15), Adrian Ailes informed me that: “A folder in the file (i.e., ADM 116/185) once held the design noting that it had originally been enclosed in a letter from the Colonial Office dated 31 May 1878 but the folder is now empty; a note on it states the device was then sent back to the Colonial Office 1 November 1878”. In 1917 Manitoba sought to augment the arms they were granted in 1905, but nothing came of the project. The supporters were a caribou on the left and an elk on the right, both in natural colours. The crest was a gold wheat sheaf. Underneath the shield were two crossed prairie crocuses, a flower which has remained a provincial emblem to this day. The proposed motto Fides in Futuris means “faith in the future.” Was there any link between these additions and those proposed in 1878? The information comes from a letter by J.W. Armstrong, Provincial Secretary, to the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba in Council, 2 Nov. 1917, of which the Manitoba Archives sent me a copy.
[19] William Smith, Deputy Minister of Marine and Fisheries, to Grant Powell, Under Secretary of State, 15 Jan., 1885. Files of the Secretary of State, see note 16. The “White Shield” is in fact a white roundel or plate in heraldry. An entry in the on-line catalogue of the British Library describes one 1875 edition as [With notes of alterations and additions. Dated 1884 and 1887.]
[20] This information was also given to me by Adrian Ailes (see note 15). The booklet Arms and Badges of the Several Colonies of Great Britain (HMSO, 1881) is contained in a file (PRO ref: MT9/183). Ailes’ blazon is as follows: “Vert three garbs in fess or, a chief per pale, dexter argent the crosses of St George and St Andrew gules surmounted at the centre with the imperial crown or (could be proper) and sinister France modern.”
[21] The Library of Congress sent me a photocopy of the page in question (plate 16) from: The British Admiralty, Drawings of the Flags in use at the present time by various nations (London: Darling & Son, 1889).
[22] LAC, MG 30, E86, Vol. 129, file 89, Pope to Reid, 19 Sept. 1905; Lee to Pope, 3 Oct. 1905.
[23] Robert Merrill Black, “SHAGOTYOHGWISAKS; E.M. Chadwick and Canadian Heraldry” in Heraldry in Canada, vol. 24, no. 3 (Sept. 1990), p. 11.
[24] https://www.fotw.info/flags/ca_mb-h.html.
[25] Pope, op. cit., p. 6, 11-12.
[26] https://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1403&ShowAll=1.
[27] Albert Raimundo, The False Traitor: Louis Riel in Canadian Literature, PhD thesis (University of Toronto, 1999), p. 125-26, 129: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item?id=NQ41111&op=pdf&app=Library&oclc_number=46624415.
[28] The flag representing the Métis provisional government is described by Riel’s Secretary, Louis Schmidt. His account contains an ambiguous phrase which translates literally as “flowers of lily and clover.” Assuming that flowers is plural because it applies to two plants and that flower of clover means a shamrock, the flag would be white with a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock at the top and a large bison “in relief” below: “… nous devions ce jour-là arborer le nouveau drapeau du Gouvernement provisoire. Ce drapeau a été conservé. Il avait un fond blanc, avec des fleurs de lys et de trèfle, et un gros bison en relief dans le bas.” Donatien Frémont, Les secrétaires de Riel, Louis Schmidt, Henry Jackson, Philippe Garnot (Montreal: Chantecler, 1953), p. 41. Frémont states that the flag was preserved, but there is no known evidence of this today. The exact composition of the provisional government’s flag has given rise to many different depictions and descriptions. It is nevertheless fairly clear that it contained at least one fleur-de-lis and a shamrock: Conrad Swan, Canada: Symbols of Sovereignty, p. 195.
[29] Guy Cadogan Rothery, Concise Encyclopedia of Heraldry (London: Senate, 1994), p. 285: a reprint of the 1915 edition.
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