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![[St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador]](../images/c/ca-nl-sj-l.gif)
1:2 image by
Peter Orenski, 13 November 2012
based on research
and information provided by James Croft
and Kevin Harrington
Source: Canadian City Flags,
Raven 18
See also:
The City of St. John's (160,172 inhabitants in 2011; 480 sq. km) is the
capital of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
St. John's recorded
the first permanent settlers with a family named Oxford establishing a
plantation probably in the area west of Beck's Cove in the early 1600's. The
north side of the harbour saw wharves, fish stores, and warehouses constructed
to accommodate the trade which grew as a result of the fishery. A path which
crossed the various streams and brooks running down the side of the hill
connected these premises. This path later became known as the lower path and
later still as Water Street - the oldest commercial street in North America. St.
John's performed this role throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
as the major commercial and service centre for the Newfoundland fishery. The
port's importance as a major cog in this fishery made it a prime military target
for any nation wishing to gain control over this important food supply. The
earliest record of these battles dates back to 1555 when the Basques travelled
overland to capture St. John's from the French. Over one hundred years later, in
June 1665, the great Dutch naval strategist Admiral De Ruyter captured St.
John's from the English. Commencing in the late seventeenth century and running
throughout most of the eighteenth century, the English and French engaged in a
series of wars which saw St. John's used frequently as a battle ground. The last
of these battles occurred in 1762 when the British recaptured St. John's from
the French after a brief fight. The outbreak of the of the Napoleonic Wars in
1791- 92 in Europe saw a growth in the demand for salt fish. The economic boom
in the Newfoundland fishery ended with the conclusion of the war. Fish prices
fell and generally remained depressed until the outbreak of WW I in 1914. In
1921 St. John's became incorporated as a city with the passage of the City of
St. John's Act by the Newfoundland government.
http://www.stjohns.ca/cityservices/archives/history.jsp - Municipal website
(full text)
Ivan Sache, 29 July 2012
Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.
The flag of the City of St. John’s has a white field with its colourful
coat of arms, nearly the full height of the flag, in the centre. The simple
shield has a horizontal top and simply-curved sides forming a pointed “U”
shape. It has a red field, with a white section on its top third bearing three
wavy blue stripes with three undulations at its base. Atop the wavy stripes is
an early ship sailing toward the hoist with a jib and square main sail in white
and a golden yellow hull. A long pennant blows forward from its single mast,
a smaller ensign from a staff in the stern, both in red. In the centre of the
lower section is a lamb oriented toward the hoist, depicted in white with black
details, a golden yellow halo, and holding with its right foreleg a staff (ending
in a cross finial) from which streams a swallow-tailed white flag bearing a red
cross. On either side of the lamb is an inverted scallop shell in white outlined
in black. Above the shield is a knight’s helmet in grey, white, and black with
an elaborate crest: a golden yellow crown in the form of a crenulated stone
wall with five towers, surrounding a rocky hill. On it stands a lion in golden
yellow, with right foreleg raised between two red and white Tudor roses with
green leaves and stems. Its tongue and claws are red. The mantling is red with
black and white details. On either side of the shield, standing on a slightly
186 Canadian City Flags
arched wooden platform of brown and golden yellow, are two sailors—at the
left, in 15th-century garb (a brown hat over a green, orange, and purple tunic
and cowl) holding a scroll inscribed 14 97, at the right in late-16th-century
garb (a green hat and a grey, collared jacket) holding a scroll inscribed 15 83.
Both have orange leggings and brown footwear. The scrolls are white, the
dates black, in old script. Below the shield curves a white ribbon inscribed
AVANCEZ in blue serif letters.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags,
Raven 18,
2011
The arms were created by the College of Arms in
London, England, and granted 1 March 1965.
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags,
Raven 18,
2011
The flag of St. John's is prescribed in Article 28 of the
City of St. John's Act:
"Flag
28. (1) The city shall have an official
flag consisting of a reproduction of the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's
emblazoned in colours on a white background, the proportions of the flag and the
position of the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's on it being those
approved by the council.
(2) The official flag of the city referred to in
subsection (1) may be flown at all official places and on all official occasions
of the city."
http://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/c17.htm#28_
The
coat of arms of St. John's is prescribed in Articles 23-24 of the City of St.
John's Act:
"Coat of Arms
23. (1) The Coat of Arms of the city is that
Coat of Arms described as follows:
"Gules a Paschal Lamb proper between in
chief two Escallops Argent a Chief of the last charged with an ancient Ship sail
set pennon and flag flying upon Water Barry wavy proper And for the Crest
Issuant from a Mural Crown Or a Rocky Mount Sable thereon a Lion passant Or
between two Roses Gules each charged with another Argent barbed seeded slipped
and leaved proper, Mantled Gules, doubled Argent. On either side a male figure
the dexter habited as a Mariner of the Fifteenth Century holding an Escroll
Argent inscribed thereon the numerals 1497 Sable and the sinister habited as a
Mariner of the late Sixteenth Century holding a like Escroll inscribed 1583".
(2) The Coat of Arms referred to in subsection (1) may for all purposes be
called the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's .
(3) A pictorial
representation of the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's , printed in black
and white, is as follows:
Use of Coat of Arms
24. Except with express
permission granted by resolution of the council, another person, other than the
city, shall not assume or use the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's or a
design in imitation of it or calculated to deceive by its resemblance to it or a
paper or other material upon which the Coat of Arms of the City of St. John's or
a design in imitation of it or calculated to deceive by its resemblance to it is
stamped, engraved, printed or otherwise marked."
http://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/c17.htm#23_
The
arms and supporters (but not the flag) of St. John's were granted by Letters
Patented registered on 15 March 2005 in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and
Badges, vol. IV, p. 456, as announced on 11 June 2005 in the Canada Gazette, Vo.
139, p. 2,034. The emblems were originally recorded in the records of the
College of Arms, London, England, 1 March 1965.
"Supporters: Dexter, a mariner of the 15th century holding an escroll
inscribed 1497, sinister a mariner of the late 16th century holding a like escroll inscribed 1583 proper;
Arms: Gules a paschal lamb proper between in
chief two escallops argent, a chief argent charged with an ancient ship its
pennon and flag flying proper upon barry wavy azure and argent;
Crest:
Issuant from a mural crown or a rocky mount sable thereon a lion passant or
between two Tudor roses slipped proper;
Motto: AVANCEZ."
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=454 -
Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges
Memorial University of
Newfoundland prepared the following interpretation of the City Crest:
"The
saint after which the City is named is symbolized on the shield by the lamb,
carrying a banner bearing St. George’s Cross, and scalloped shells. The ship,
sailing on waves at the top of the shield, refers to the province’s early
discoverers and explorers. The shield is supported on the left by a mariner of
the fifteenth century bearing the year the island was discovered by Cabot. The
supporter on the right is a mariner of the late sixteenth century, bearing the
date 1583 - the year Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed the island for England. The
stone wall of the crest stands for civic authority, while the lion and roses
refer back to the City’s British heritage. "Avancez" or "advance", the City’s
motto, can be seen at the base of the coat of arms".
http://www.stjohns.ca/cityservices/archives/crest.jsp - Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 29 July 2012
As Britain’s easternmost port in North America, St.
John’s had a long and interesting history of signal flags. Upon sighting a vessel
approaching, a signaller would hoist at Signal Hill a flag symbolizing its
nationality and corporate owner. For more information, consult Mark Le
Messurier, “The Signal and Commercial Flags of St. John’s, Newfoundland c.
1500–c. 1900” in Raven: A Journal of Vexillology, Volume 7 (2000), pp. 19–36 .
Scott D. Mainwaring, Canadian City Flags,
Raven 18,
2011