Montague
 |
 Civic heraldry of Canada Armorial Canadienne |
 |
|
MONTAGUE
Province : Prince Edward Island
Official blazon
Arms : Vert a pall reversed wavy joined at the base with a pale also wavy all Azure fimbriated Argent charged in chief a fish leaping between on the field two plows Argent and over all in fess a stone bridge of two arches throughout Or masoned Sable.
Crest: Issuant from a mural coronet Gules masoned Argent a representation of the sailing vessel Empress Argent.
Supporters: On a compartment of water Azure crested Argent joined per pale with a grassy mound set with lupins proper dexter a mermaid Or queued Argent wearing on its head a garland of oak leaves Vert sinister a horse Or maned and unguled Argent gorged with lupin blossoms Gules.
Motto: PROSPER FAIR MONTAGUE
Origin/meaning
The arms were officially granted on September 29, 1996.
The shield is green with a wide wavy band of blue edged in white running down the centre, top to bottom. Near the base of the shield, the band splits into three, each part also edged in white; the effect being like a river of several branches. Across the centre of the shield and on top of the blue band is a bridge of cut stone with two arches coloured gold. The central pier between the arches is set in the centre of the blue band.
Above the bridge on the blue band is a fish, in a leaping position. On either side of the fish, above the bridge on the green "field" of the shield, is a gold plow.
The symbolism of the design is multiple. The green represents the lands of the town and the surrounding fields and is, also, a principal colour in the provincial coat of arms of Prince Edward Island. The blue band represents the Montague River, which at the base is linked to the other two regional rivers, the Cardigan and Brudenell. The bridge symbolises the crossing of the river at the town. While the actual bridge is not stone, the stones represent the idea of permanence and the ongoing importance of the crossing with the gold referring to commence and wealth via transportation. As well, the two arches form an "M" in outline, a subtle reference to the Town's name. The fish honours one of two historic industries and ongoing recreational activity in the river and the nearby sea, as well as the new aquaculture operations. The plows underline the importance of agriculture and links the new symbol with the existing town emblem. Both the fish and the plows are shown in white, the second major colour in the arms of Prince Edward Island.
The crest is a fishing boat common to the estuaries and sea in eastern P.E.I. The mural coronet is the traditional heraldic symbol for municipal government, so refers to the Town as a municipal corporation. As well, the red is an allusion to the heritage building which houses the Museum.
The compartment on which the shield rests and the supporters stand is a combination of sea on the left and land on the right; grass set with lupin flowers. The supporter on the left is a mermaid with gold body and hair and a silver tail. She wears a green open crown of oak Ieaves. On the right is a gold horse with silver mane and hooves and a collar of lupin blossoms in red.
The theme of the compartment and supporters is to demonstrate that Montague's history and prosperity has been formed by sea and land, so one supporter is a sea creature and the other a land creature. Additionally, the mermaid can be seen as representing the spirit of the sea. The oak leaves in her coronet refer to the oak trees in the arms of the Province. The horse also honours agriculture and the pioneers and lupins are a familiar sight in the gardens and along the roadsides of the Island.
The motto "Prosper Fair Montague" is a call to the ongoing success of the community with the adjective referring to the Town's setting and appearance. The phrase actually combines an invocation of prosperity, with part of the comment of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet where she says, in Act II, "In truth fair Montague . . ."
Contact and Support
Partners:
Your logo here ?
Contact us
© since 1995, Heraldry of the World, Ralf Hartemink 
Index of the site
Literature : Image from http://www.gg.ca