Every so often, the Mayor’s Office gets a request for an official Langley City pin, which is the City’s Coat of Arms. We recently got a request, and it got me thinking. I was looking back through my past blog posts, and while I had previously posted about the City’s logo, which was updated in 2017, I had never actually written about the Coat of Arms and what it represents. Langley City is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, a perfect time to learn about our Coat of Arms.
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| The Langley City pin. While the pin says “City of Langley,” the actual motto is “Strength of Purpose, Spirit of Community.” |
Langley City’s Coat of Arms was granted and is registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which is a service of the Governor General of Canada. The practice of officially granting and recording Coats of Arms dates back to the Middle Ages. Until 1988, they were granted by the Sovereign (King/Queen or their representative) in Canada. Coats of Arms are used as official identity marks, and they were traditionally used for sealing legal documents, although this practice is no longer in use today.
Coats of Arms convey a great deal of information through their design. So what do all the symbols and designs in Langley City’s Coat of Arms mean?
The arms or shield symbolize the crossroads of Yale Road (Fraser Highway), Glover Road, and the BC Electric Railway. The blue star of Innes in the centre of the shield represented “Innes Corners,” which was the original name of the crossroad and is named after Adam Innes, one of the original settlers in Langley Prairie. This is why the Coat of Arms is painted into the middle of the intersection of Fraser Highway and Glover Road/204th Street at the entrance of the Fraser Highway One-Way. You can learn more about this history in my video, The History of Langley City: Part 1.
The crest or top combines the rural coronet (small crown), which is the traditional emblem for municipal governments, with maple leaves for Canada and dogwoods for British Columbia. The canoe is a reference to the McMillan Expedition of 1824, which went through Portage Park in Langley City and led to the founding of Fort Langley. There is a plaque in Portage Park that shares the story of this expedition. The lion on the coat of arms is the Scots heraldic symbol for McMillan. The lion also symbolizes the determination of citizens to defend the City’s interests, which is why it is holding the flag.
The compartments or bottom blue and white bars symbolize the Nicomekl River, with the grass and lilies representing nature.
The elk represents nature and the land. The elk is wearing a medallion with wheat sheaves. This is a reference to Langley City’s original name, “Langley Prairie.”
The horse represents agriculture and industry. The horse is wearing a medallion with a cog wheel and a gold coin. The gold coin is a traditional symbol of commerce. The Fraser Highway One-Way was the original centre of commerce for Langley.
Coats of Arms are packed with a lot of meaning and tradition, including Langley City’s.