- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Bishopric of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Registration of Arms
March 15, 2019
Vol. VII, p. 158
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Blazon
Arms
Argent a cross Gules, in the first quarter a pastoral staff and a key wards upwards in saltire proper, on a chief Azure an oak tree penetrated transversely by a frame saw proper and issuant from a ducal coronet Or;
Symbolism
Arms
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The oak tree, the saw and the ducal coronet are the crest of the chief of the clan Hamilton and recall that the first bishop of Ottawa was the Right Reverend Charles Hamilton. The pastoral staff and key are symbols of episcopal authority. The red cross on a white field, the cross of St. George, is the main symbol of the Diocese of Ontario, from which the Diocese (Bishopric) of Ottawa was created in 1896.