PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
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Discovered
by Jacques Cartier in 1534 the island was named Ile St Jean by Samuel de
Champlain in 1603 and became a part of the French colony of Acadia.
The Island began to be settled in 1720 after it had become British by the
Treaty of Utrecht (1713). The settlers lived primarily at Port-la-Joye and
Havre Saint-Pierre (St. Peter's Harbour). At Port-la-Joye there was an
administrative unit and a garrison, detached from Louisbourg, where sat the
government for both Ile Royale and Ile Saint-Jean. It became its own separate
colony on 28 June 1769, after determined lobbying by the island's
proprietors. In 1769 a
Great Seal Deputed was made for the island which had to include: “on the one side, a representation of a
large spreading oak, with a shrub under it and the legend or motto underneath
PARVA SU INGENTI and this inscription
round the circumference SIGILLUM INSULÆ SANCTI JOHANNIS
IN AMERICA and on the reverse His
Majesty’s arms, crown, garter and supporters.” [1] In the
next few hundred years the representation on the obverse of the seal was
repeated, the inscription round the circumference adapted in 1799 to the new
name of the island. [2] |
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Seal of Ile St.
Jean, 1769 |
Seal of Prince
Edward Island, 1815 |
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Seal of Prince
Edward Island, 1820-1830 |
Seal of Prince
Edward Island, 1839-1949 |
In 1799 the
Isle Saint Jean was renamed as Prince Edward Island in honour of the then
Commander-in-Chief of British North America: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and
Strathern, the father of Queen Victoria. In the next century its capital,
Charlottetown, became the scene of the beginning of that series of
discussions and conferences which finally issued in the Confederation, 1867,
which founded the Dominion of Canada. For various local reasons, however,
Prince Edward Island did not join the new state for another six years with
the consequence that arms for this Province were not assigned, as for
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, in 1868. The lack of such
ensigns was rectified, therefore, by the grandson of the one after whom the
Province was named in a Royal Warrant of 30th May, 1905. The following is the
blazon of the arms; Argent, on an island
Vert, to the sinister an oak tree fructed to the dexter thereof three oak
saplings sprouting, all Proper, on a chief Gules a lion passant guardant Or. The gold lion
passant guardant is from the arms of both Prince Edward and King Edward VII.
The geographical circumstance of the Province is indicated by a symbolic
island; while the three small oaks near a large one probably signify the
three counties of the Province - Kings, Queens, Princes - adjacent to its
offspring, in a sense, Canada. The motto is used in conjunction with these
arms, parva sub ingenti (Small Things under Huge), would seem to bear out
this contention. [3] Æ See illustration in the head of
this article, |
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Grant
of Arms for Prince Edward Island, 1905. |
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EDWARD R. & I. EDWARD THE SEVENTH by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King,
Defender of the Faith; To
Our Right Trusty and Right Entirely beloved Cousin and Councillor Henry, Duke
of Norfolk, Earl Marshal and Our Hereditary Marshal of England, Knight of Our
Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of Our Royal Victorian
Order, Greeting: - WHEREAS by virtue of and under the Authority of an Act of
Parliament passed in the twenty-ninth year of the Reign of Her late Majesty
Queen Victoria entitled “British North America Act, 1867,” it was (amongst
other things) enacted that it should be lawful for the Queen by and with the
advice of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council on an Address from the
Houses of Parliament of Canada and also by the Houses of the Legislature of
Prince Edward Island to admit Prince Edward Island into the Union or Dominion
of Canada; And
Whereas the Queen did by Her Royal Proclamation bearing date the twenty-sixth
day of June, one thousand eight hundred and sevety-three, declare, ordain and
command that from and after the first day of the month the said Colony of
Prince Edward Island should be admitted into and become part of the Dominion
of Canada and the said Colony has accordingly become a Province of the said
Dominion of Canada.
And Forasmucgh as oits is Our Royal Will and Pleasure that for the
greater honour and distinction of the said Province of Prince Edward Island
certain Armorial Bearings should be assigned thereto. KNOW YE
therefore that We of Our Princely Grace and Special Favour have granted and
assigned and by these Presents do grant and assign for the said Province of
Prince Edward Island the Armorial Ensigns following, that is to say: “Argent
on an Island Vert, to the Sinister an Oak Tree fructed, to the Dexter thereof
three Oak Saplings Sprouting all Proper, on a Chief Gules a Lion Passant
Guardant Or,” to be borne for the said Province on Seals, Shields, Banners,
Flags or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms. Our
Will and Pleasure therefore is that you, Henry, Duke of Norfolk, to whom the
cognizance of matters of this nature doth properly belong do require and
command that this Our Concession and Declaration be recorded in Our College
of Arms in order that Our Officers of Arms and all other Public Functionaries
whom it may concern may take full notice and have knowledge thereof in their
several and respective departments. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given at Our Court at St. James’s this thirtieth day
of May, 1905, in the fifth year of Our Reign. By His Majesty’s Command Alfred Lytton I Hereby certify that the foregoing copy of the
Royal Warrant assigning Armorial Ensigns to the Province of Prince Edward
Island is faithfully extracted from the Records of the College of Arms,
London. As witness my hand at the said College this
nineteenth day of July, 1905. A.S. Scott-Gatty, Garter |
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Officially
granted by Vice-Regal Warrant on December 13, 2002, by Her Excellency
Adrienne Clarkson, Governor-General of Canada, and by an act of the
Legislature. The entry
in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada is as follows: Vol. IV, p.
195 Province of Prince Edward Island Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island Augmentation
of Arms April 26, 2002 Vol. IV, p. 195 Blazon Arms: Argent on an
island Vert, to the sinister an oak tree fructed, to the dexter thereof three
oak saplings sprouting all proper, on a chief Gules a lion passant guardant
Or; Crest: On a grassy
mount a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) reguardant crowned with the Royal
Crown and bearing in its beak a leaf of the red oak tree (Quercus rubra L.)
fructed proper; Supporters: Two foxes (Vulpes
fulva) Sable embellished Argent, that to the dexter gorged with a collar
of potato blossoms proper, that to the sinister gorged with a length of
fishnet Argent, both on a mount Vert set with a Mi'kmaq star Azure between
lady's slipper flowers (Cypripedium acaule), red roses, thistles,
shamrocks and white garden lilies proper; Motto: PARVA SUB INGENTI Symbolism Arms: The shield is
based on the design of the great seals deputed of Prince Edward Island in use
since 1769. The oak tree and
saplings allude to the motto. They have been interpreted as a reference to
Prince Edward Island as a small colony within the British Empire, and latterly
as the smallest province within Canada. The three saplings can refer to the
three counties of the province. The lion is taken from the Royal Arms, and
can also refer to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, for whom the Province was
named. Crest: The blue jay
is the official avian emblem of the Island. The red oak leaf in its beak is a reference to Prince Edward Island’s
official tree. The Royal Crown worn by the blue jay
indicates the Province’s co-sovereign status within Confederation. Supporters: The silver
foxes symbolize the importance of the ranched fur industry in the Province’s
history. The garland of potato
blossoms represents the Island’s main agricultural activity, and the length
of fishnet alludes to the fishing industry. The foxes stand on a grassy mound
adorned by flowers and the Mi’kmaq eight-pointed star. This star honours the
Province’s first inhabitants and traditionally represents the sun, which
plays a central role in the spiritual lives of the Mi’kmaq people. It is
depicted as if woven of porcupine quill, a popular Mi’kmaq art form. The
rose, lily, shamrock and thistle symbolize the English, French, Irish and
Scottish heritage of the early settlers. The lady’s slippers are the floral
emblem of Prince Edward Island. Motto: Meaning “The
small under the protection of the great”, this Latin phrase is taken from
Book II of Virgil’s Georgics, and has been used by the province since 1769. Above the shield sits
the Royal Helm, representing Prince Edward Island's ties to England as well
as its co-sovereignty in Confederation. The mantle and the wreath are
coloured red and white, official colours of Canada. [4] |
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Present Seal |
© Hubert de
Vries 2015-12-11
[1] Public Record Office, London: CO 226, vol. 1, pp.
135-8
[2] Swan, Conrad: Canada, Symbols of Sovereignty.
Toronto, 1977. Pp.141-148, Ill.8.1-8.6.
[3] Swan, Conrad: The Canadian Arms of Dominion
and Sovereignty. In: Recueil du Ve Congrès International des Sciences
Généalogique et Héraldique à Stockholm.
Stockholm, 1960 pp 264-265.