Shield of Newfoundland and Labrador in front of provincial legislature

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

was originally granted by Garter King of Arms, during the reign of King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

, on 1 January 1637/8.

History

On November 13, 1637, "all that whole Continent Island or Region commonly called NEWFOUNDLAND" was granted to

David Kirke Sir David Kirke ( – 1654), also spelt David Ker, was an adventurer, privateer and colonial governor. He is best known for his successful capture of Québec in 1629 during the Thirty Years' War and his subsequent governorship of lands in Ne ...

Governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as ...

from 1638 to 1651, James Marquess Hamilton, Phillip Earle of Pembroke & Montgomery and Henry Earle of Holland. On January 1, 1638 it was deemed that a coat of arms was necessary "for the greater honor and splendor of that Countrey and the people therein inhabiting." The Arms of the Newfoundland granted by Sir John Borough Garter Principal King of Arms

The Arms of the Newfoundland granted by Sir John Borough Garter Principal King of Arms

The original grant describes the arms as follows:

I have accordingly for the purpose before recited devised sett forth and contrived the Armes & Ensignes hereafter described. That is to say Gules a Grosse Argent In the first Quarter of the Escocheon a Lyon Passant gardant Crowned Or In the second an Unicorne passant of the second armed maned and unguled of the third gorged with a Crowne whereunto is affixed a chaine passing between his fore leggs and reflexed over his back of the last. In the third as in the second. In the fourth as in the first And for the Creast Upon an Healme Mantled Gules doobled Argent and a Wreath Or & Gules an Elke passant pper The Escocheon supported by two Savages of the Clyme pper armed and apparaled according to their Guise when they goe to Warre And Under all in an Escroll this Motto Quaerite prime Regnum Dei as in the Margent more plainly is depicted.

Not long after receiving this grant, a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

broke out in England. Kirke was a Royalist and on the losing side of the war. Kirke was arrested and died in

The Clink The Clink was a prison in Southwark, England, which operated from the 12th century until 1780. The prison served the Liberty of the Clink, a local manor area owned by the Bishop of Winchester rather than by the reigning monarch. As the Libe ...

in Southwark around the end of January 1654 and the coat of arms granted him was forgotten. It was not used for over 200 years and it appears its existence was unknown to both the Newfoundland and United Kingdom authorities. Instead, the colony used as its Great Seal both the Royal coat of arms and a design which was approved in 1820 and which incorporated a badge depicting the figure of Mercury, the classical god of commerce, presenting to

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

a fisherman who, kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of the sea. Below this, the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words "Haec Tibi Dona Fero" meaning "These gifts I bring thee" appear, and written around the circumference of the seal is "Sigillum Terrae Novae Insulae" meaning "Seal of the Island of Terra Nova". In 1893, D.W. Prowse published ''A History of Newfoundland'', in which he printed a copy of the Newfoundland arms. Prowse erroneously attributed the armorial bearings to John Guy, and described the image as the arms of the "London and Bristol Company for Colonising Newfoundland". The Newfoundland Post Office perpetuated his error by issuing a 1910 two-cent stamp depicting the arms and included attribution to the London and Bristol Company, which financed Guy's colonization attempt. Following the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Imperial War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

requested to know which arms should be used on memorials in French cathedrals commemorating Newfoundland's involvement. Newfoundland's High Commissioner in England, Sir Edgar Bowring began the search, but it was his successor, Captain Victor Gordon, who received confirmation from the College of Arms in London that the Kirke coat of arms belonged to Newfoundland. In 1928 the government of the Dominion of Newfoundland officially adopted this coat of arms. It has been in use ever since, despite the changes in Newfoundland's status from Dominion to a colony run by the

Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion beca ...

in 1934, and subsequently to a

province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

in 1949. The ''Coat of Arms Act'' (RSNL 1990, chapter C-20, as amended) provides the current legal authority for the use of the arms.

Symbolism

Crest :An elk appears standing on a wreath of gold and red to represent Newfoundland's wildlife. Escutcheon :Two silver

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

s and two gold lions occupy opposing quadrants of the shield. This part of the Coat of Arms recalls the royal beasts which appear on the

Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, or the royal arms for short, is the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. These arms are used by the King in his official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom. Vari ...

. The lion represents

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the unicorn represents

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Compartment :A mossy knoll. Supporters :The two supporters are fanciful interpretations of the

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of indigenous people who lived on the island of Newfoundland. Beginning around AD 1500, the Beothuk culture formed. This appeared to be the most recent cultural manifestation of peoples w ...

, an Indigenous group from the island of Newfoundland.

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 ...

:''Quaerite prime Regnum Dei'', quoting Matthew 6:33 from the Bible, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God".

Redesign

Starting in the 2010s, the coat of arms has been criticized for its portrayal of indigenous peoples. In 2016, Indigenous artist Jordan Bennett produced a newly commissioned artwork "tamiow tle’owin" for the "With Secrecy and Despatch" exhibition at the Campbelltown Art Centre, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia. The piece focuses on the Newfoundland and Labrador coat of arms and is, according to the artist's statement, "a commentary on the exotification, exploitation, and commodification of Indigenous cultures." In 2018, the Newfoundland and Labrador government confirmed its plan to redesign the province's coat of arms, in response to the province's Indigenous Peoples Commission's call for changes in the name of reconciliation. Randy Edmunds, MHA for Labrador's Torngat Mountains and parliamentary secretary for Indigenous Affairs, noted at the same time that elk are not native to Newfoundland and Labrador, and suggested it be replaced with a caribou. News of a potential redesign spawned media polls and tongue-in-cheek suggestions. It also spurred a satirical response from Indigenous newspaper columnist and

Qalipu First Nation The Qalipu First Nation (Pronounced: ha-lee-boo, meaning: Caribou), is a Mi’kmaq band government, created by order-in-council in 2011 pursuant to the Agreement for the Recognition of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq Band. After the band was approved as a ...

Councilor Andy Barker: In June 2021, amid the aftermath of the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the

Kamloops Indian Residential School The Kamloops Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, it was once the largest residential school in Canada, with its enrolment peaking at 500 in the 1950s. The sc ...

in British Columbia, Premier Andrew Furey announced that the government had issued a formal notice to the

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

to begin the redesign process.

References

External links

Coat of arms and flag of Newfoundland and Labrador
Online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges
tamiow tle’owin
indigenous commentary as part of the "With Secrecy and Despatch" exhibition, Campbelltown Art Centre, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia, {{Heraldry in Canada Provincial symbols of Newfoundland and Labrador

1638 establishments in Canada

History

Symbolism

Redesign

See also

References

External links