- The Governor General of Canada
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Mark George Peacock
Westmount, Quebec
Grant of Arms, Flag and Badge, with differences to Grant Seaton Spencer Peacock and Claire Katherine Ann Peacock
November 15, 2016
Vol. VI, p. 648
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Blazon
Arms
Azure a saltire serpentine Argent;
Crest
A peacock’s head and neck issuant from a bridge proper;
Motto
NEVER DONE, NEVER DAUNTED;
Symbolism
Arms
Blue and white, being the colours of the flags of both Scotland and Quebec, represent the 1838-1842 migration of the Peacocks from Dundee, Scotland, to their current home in Montreal, Quebec. The X-shape evokes the curule seat used in medieval times by dispensers of justice, and thus Mr. Peacock’s present role as a Superior Court judge. The slopes of the upper part represent Mount Royal and Westmount in Montreal, as well as the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, the province of birth of Mr. Peacock’s wife, Dru L. Spencer. For Mr. Peacock, the lower section, evoking a bridge, represents bridges between Scotland and Canada, the English and French cultures in Canada, and the civil and common law in his occupation. It also represents waves, and evokes recognition of three major rivers: the Ottawa River, relating to Mr. Peacock’s birth home in Ottawa; the Rideau River, connecting to Kingston, Ontario, where he studied law; and the St. Lawrence River, flowing past Quebec City where he also studied law, and on which his daughter Claire trained as a competitive rower.
Crest
The bird alludes to Mr. Peacock’s surname. The bridge represents the Cummings Bridge in Ottawa, and symbolizes the path from his original Ottawa home in Vanier to the location of the “Sign of the Red Hat,” the hat-maker’s shop of his great-great-grandfather, James Hay Peacock, the original immigrant from Scotland to Ottawa.
Motto
The phrase reflects the family’s spirit of commitment, perseverance and devotion to duty. It pays tribute to the service during World War II of Mr. Peacock’s parents: J. Clayton Peacock in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and Katherine A. Wayling in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service.