Langley (township)

LANGLEY (Township) Province : British Columbia

Official blazon

Arms : Quarterly first and fourth Vert a dogwood flower Argent seeded Or second and third Argent three bars wavy Azure and overall a cross quarterly-quartered counterchanged.
Crest: Out of a mural coronet Or charged with maple leaves Gules alternating with dogwood flowers Argent seeded Or a representation of one of the bastion towers of Fort Langley Argent.
Supporters: On a grassy mound Vert dexter a mare Or gorged with a collar of strawberry plants flowered proper pendant therefrom a plate fimbriated Vert and charged with two Salish salmon in orle as represented by Brandon Gabriel sinister a stallion Or gorged with a like collar pendant therefrom a cogwheel Vert each supporter holding between the forelegs a staff Argent flying therefrom dexter a banner of the Arms sinister the ensign of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Motto: NOTHING WITHOUT EFFORT

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on April 26, 1998.

There is double symbolism in the shield, first using the initial letter in the Corporation's name and secondly a strong figure representing Langley as an important historic and present day crossroads of activity.

The dogwood flowers honour Langley's status as the first capital of British Columbia while the wavy white and blue lines celebrate the importance of the rivers of the community, notably the Fraser River.

The lower part of the crest is composed of a mural coronet and open crown of cut dressed stones which is the traditional heraldic emblem for municipal governments. It is coloured in gold to represent the wealth flowing from various types of enterprise. On the coronet is a frieze of red maple leaves, for Canada, alternating with white dogwood flowers for B.C. Rising out of the coronet is a representation of one of the corner bastion towers at Fort Langley, representing the Corporation's status as the site of the first government in colonial B.C. (the mainland colony).

The shield rests and the supporters stand on a compartment of green grass, symbolizing the Township's pastoral landscape. On the left side is a gold mare. She wears a collar of flowers and leaves. The pendent on the collar is an emblem designed by Kwantlen artist Brandon GabrieI. On the right side is a gold stallion with a similar collar. From it hangs a green cogwheel.

The horses honour pioneer agriculture, transport and the continuing presence of horse-based recreation. There is one male and one female to symbolize the women and men who have worked together for more than a century to build the community.

The collars represent commercial farming. The Gabriel design celebrates the heritage and ongoing presence of the First Peoples who have lived in the area for centuries and the cogwheel symbolizes new tertiary level industry and commerce. The mare carries a flagstaff flying the Township flag and the stallion carries the famous red ensign of the Hudson's Bay Company, builders of Fort Langley.

Literature : Image from http://www.gg.ca