Rothesay (New Brunswick)

ROTHESAY

Official blazon

Arms : Argent on a fess wavy Azure between in chief two oars in saltire Sable surmounted by an apple Gules and in base a feather Sable a reef knot Argent between two fountains.
Motto: QUINQUE IUNCTA IN UNO

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on January 14, 1999.

The shield is divided by a wavy band, representing the Kennebecasis River, a unifying symbol of the community.

In the upper portion of the shield, a red apple refers to East Riverside-Kingshurst, a former shipbuilding area centred around Appleby’s Wharf, the remnants of which can still be seen on the river bottom today.

Renforth is represented by two crossed oars, signifying the strong rowing history of the community. The village itself was named after James Renforth, an English oarsman who suffered a stroke and died during a championship race between the English "Tyne" crew and the famous New Brunswick "Paris" crew, which won the World Rowing Championship in Paris, France, in 1867.

During the 19th century, there was a great deal of shipbuilding activity in East Riverside-Kingshurst and Fairvale, signified by the nautical Reef Knot located in the centre of the shield.

The fountains represent the source of water and allude specifically to the community of Wells.

Rothesay is represented by a single black ostrich feather in honour of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who visited the area in 1860 and was reminded of his duchy of Rothesay, in Scotland, a title still borne by the Heir to the Throne. The badge of the Prince of Wales consists of three ostrich feathers ensigned by a coronet. Ostrich feather badges were adopted by Edward III and his descendants and was borne most famously by Edward, the Black Prince.

Thus the heraldic symbols are combined on a common shield representing the five communities that now constitute the Town of Rothesay. This unity is underlined by the Latin motto: QUINQUE IUNCTA IN UNO, translated as: "Five United in One".