Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

Page 30 text:

was only when every combination and colour was exhausted that newer families began to use birds, animals, mythological beasts, human heads and arms and finally inanimate objects such as the horns previously mentioned. Of all the animals used, the lion is the most common. The ferocity of this animal naturally appealed to a military class. Lions of some forty different types and postures are known to heraldry. The one used by Ripley House, the lion rampant, has long been a favourite. The motto Acta non Verba is particularly appropriate in this case. Copeman ' s blazers display the head of a griffin. This is a mythological beast, having the body of a lion and the head, claws and wings of an eagle. In the eyes of those who lived in the Middle Ages this united the fine qualities of the two creatures. The Groves ' House emblem is a contrast to the foregoing. Strictly speaking it is not an emblem in the heraldic sense at all. Rather it is an adaption of the Groves ' crest. Some explanation may be necessary here. The word crest is often misused to the pcint where it refers to any and indeed all heraldic devices. In actual fact a crest is merely a part of a coat of arms, being that portion which was worn on top of the helmet and which was designed to distinguish the wearer when a visor concealed the face. Can anyone imagine a knight crowned with a pine tree and two sheaves of wheat! Fortunately crests were very rarely worn. Some of the older ones might have presented a tolerable appearance mounted on a helmet, but a few of the modern ones would certainly look ridiculous. I do not wish to imply that the Groves ' crest falls into this category. As a matter of fact, like the Ripley House emblem, the design and motto are complementary. —26—

Page 29 text:

S hawniaan C mble 9 emA Through the medium of the movies or television, most of us saw all or part of the coronation service of the present Queen. I wonder how many of us realized that we were witnessing a pageant of heraldry. The magnificent robes; the colourful uni- forms; the dazzling regalia; the officers of state; the dignitaries of the Church; the order of precedence used in seating the peers and peeresses; even the orders, decora- tions and their ribbons were a part of it. Heraldry is all this and more. There is a branch of heraldry which we call armory, and it is this part of the art which concerns itself with the use of colours, emblems or symbols to represent individuals, families, clans or even nations It is a very ancient art; indeed, it has been in continuous use in Europe for at least eight hundred years. Originally it was used to identify members of a comparatively small class of nobles or knights. Today, it finds a much wider use among clubs, regiments, colleges, corporations and schools. Whether we realize it or not there is a good deal of heraldry at Shawnigan. Consider for a moment the colours of our school or house ties, or the emblem worn by those who have received th eir school colours or the gowns worn by members of the staff. They are all a part of heraldry. It is not difficult to appreciate the appeal which these symbols have for most people. The wearer of a device proclaims his membership in some organization and it enables him to feel, perhaps, more closely a part of that group. At the same time, one is often reminded of the antiquity of many coats of arms and in these cases an interesting link with the past is established. The arms of the University of Cambridge were granted in 1573. Other arms are even more ancient. Eton College received theirs from Henry VI in 1449- At this point I should like to say something about mottoes. It seems fairly certain that these were originally cries by means of which a leader might rally his forces in battle. Some were undoubtedly prayers invoking the aid of God while others simply expressed some ennobling sentiment. There are many hundreds in use and it is inevitable that some are more popular than others, thus they have been used many times. Shawnigan ' s motto, Palmam qui meruit ferat, was used by Lord Nelson. Copeman ' s, Vix ea nostra voco seems to have found favour with four or five families, among them that of Lord Greville and some branches of the Scottish clan Campbell. The coat of arms used by the School is that of the head of the Lonsdale family. It seems likely that it was granted to a person of that name sometime during the seventeenth century. Above the shield of the arms appears the crest, a stag ' s head. This, together with the hunting horns on the shield itself, suggest that the family was connected with some aspect of the chase. However, it ' is often a mistake to try to read too much int o the symbolism of armory. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the simplest geometrical designs were used. It —25—

Page 31 text:

The pine tree is particularly appropriate for a house in a school in this province while the sheaves — or garbs as they are called in the language of heraldry — can- not but remind us of the dignity of labour and the abundance of the harvest. What could be more suitable then than the motto Work is in itself a pleasure ? It has long been the custom of the sovereign of Great Britain to reward valour and distinguished service with some mark which would pass from generation to generation. The king would sometimes grant a special crest, an additional device or charge to be placed on the existing coat of arms or even a completely new coat of arms. Whichever one it was, it depicted symbolically the deeds of the individual to whom it was awarded. In heraldry we call these augmentations of honour. Sir Edward Lake received an augmen- tation of honour for his bravery at the battle of Edgehill. Today it adorns the Lake House blazer. Heraldry has been called the shorthand of history. It should help us to remember the great deeds of the past. In our case, it should remind us that we are a part of a school with a continuing tradition. If it can also encourage us to strive towards an even brighter future then it will indeed have performed a valuable service. —27—