The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC; ) 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, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

in Canada. It was founded in 1966 and granted royal patronage 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 is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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. Bor ...

. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

on October 22 of that year by the

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch 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 the p ...

Iona Campagnolo Iona Victoria Campagnolo (née Hardy; October 18, 1932 – April 4, 2024) was 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 ...

. 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 Head of state, sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, der ...

. 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, and Toronto. 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 The following is a list of the governors and governors general of Canada. Though the present-day office of the Governor General of Canada is legislatively covered under the ''Constitution Act, 1867'' and legally constituted by the ''Letters Paten ...

at Ottawa's Church of St. Bartholomew, sponsored the diamond jubilee display of the

Queen's Beasts The Queen's Beasts are ten Heraldry, 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 Coronation of ...

at the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History () 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 Canada, as well as support related res ...

, 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 The Chief Herald of Canada is the director of the Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA) and is responsible for the authority's day-to-day operations. The chief herald typically handles petitions for arms and makes the grant of arms if the petition me ...

, 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 university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, 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, an 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 Graham Leslie Anderson (April 8, 1929 – November 18, 2012) was a British-born Canadian heraldic scholar and officer of arms. Anderson was formerly a student of Shawnigan Lake School and he began teaching at the School in 1957. He was the long ...

* D'Arcy Boulton * Bruce Patterson *

Conrad Swan Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan (13 May 1924 – 10 January 2019) was a Canadian-British herald who 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 ...

* Robert Watt * Auguste Vachon * Charles Maier * Christopher McCreery *

John Matheson John Ross Matheson (14 November 1917 – 27 December 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, th ...

Darrel Kennedy Darrel is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Darrel Akerfelds (1962–2012), American baseball pitcher and bullpen coach * Darrel Anholt (born 1962), Canadian ice hockey defenceman * Darrel Aschbacher (born 1935), American footba ...

Claire Boudreau Claire Boudreau (1965 – November 17, 2020) was a Canadian historian, genealogist, and officer of arms, serving as Chief Herald of Canada from June 26, 2007 to May 20, 2020. Life and career Boudreau served as a herald in the Canadian Heraldic ...

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 Defen ...

Arms of the society

The society's arms were granted by the

Canadian Crown The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

and registered by the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

: ;

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 like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

:''Quarterly per fess embattled Gules and Argent, in the first quarter an inescutcheon Argent charged with a maple leaf Gules;'' ; Crest :''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. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

:''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 language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

:''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 of Canada Canadian heraldry 1966 establishments in Ontario

History

Activities

Distinctions

Arms of the society

See also

References