The Flamborough Coat of Arms and Flag

On April 15th, 2011, the Cheif Herald of Canada (excercising the Royal Prerogative) granted arms, as well as a flag, to The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society that would reflect the historical Town of Flamborough. It is intended that these arms are to be used by the residents of Flamborough (including Beverly) to honour their history and identity. The arms and flag were presented to the community on April 29th, 2011, by the Right Reverand Bishop Ralph Spence, Albion Herald Extraoridinary, at the Carlisle Golf & Country Club.
On May 10th, 2011, the Flamborough flag was raised over Waterdown District High School in the presence of its student body, as well as a delegation from Allan A. Greenleaf Public School. 

The symbolism behind the arms and flag of Flamborough


The most important part of any coat of arms is the shield. The other elements around the shield are optional, however, they need to follow very strict guidelines of heraldic design.

The Shield:  A white shield with a green pine tree between two blue wavy triangles, rising from the base with their points converging toward the top of the shield.
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  • The top portion of the shield is green with a triangular notch in the middle, pointing upwards, charged with two gold crowns of maple leaves. This section recalls the dormer of an Ontario Cottage, a nineteenth-century vernacular architectural style common throughout Flamborough.  A dormer also appears in the logo of the Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society. The shape also recalls a plough moving through green turf, a reference agriculture and the early pioneers of this area.
  • The coronets depict the human history of the area, as well as its connections with the British and Canadian Crowns.
  • The pine tree appeared on a number of previous seals and arms of Flamborough's communities and represents the white pines that use to dominate the landscape.
  • The four wavy lines represent the four major wateways (Grindstone, Bronte, Spencer and Fairchild Creeks) and waterfalls (Webster’s, Tews, Borers and the Great Falls) of the region.  By their convergence, they also represent the amalgamation of the three townships with the village of Waterdown to create the Township (later Town) of Flamborough in 1974.
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Crest (top of the coat of arms):  A representation of the "Cobblestone Bridge" at Webster's Falls - a major landmark in the Flamborough region.


Motto:  "UNITED WE THRIVE" - developed by students from Greenville Public School and Rehoboth Christian School, as well as Kyle Menegaldo.


Supporters (animals on either side):  On the left side of the shield is a horse and on the right a great blue heron.  Both are wearing a medallion around their necks, depicting a blue arrowhead.  They stand on a platform representing the Niagara Escarpment, charged with three red trilliums rising from a bed of green violets.
  • The horse symbolizes the early pioneers of the Flamborough area and the continuing importance and contribution of agriculture.  It also illustrates the importance of the horse in development of the area and is also a reference to the iconic Rockton World’s Fair.
  • The Great Blue Heron is a common sight in the area marshes and along the waterways of the community. In particular, the heron represents the Beverly Swamp.•The arrowheads recall the Aboriginal People of the 'Neutral' and 'Attawandaron' nation, who were the first known human inhabitants of the Flamborough-Beverly area.
  • The eastern green violet represents the Beverly Swamp, which is home to a provincially significant concentration of the rare flower.
  • The trillium is the provincial flower of Ontario and the red variety is found in abundance in the Flamborough area. The number of trilliums represent the three areas (Dundas, Aldershot & Clyde) that have been annexed from Flamborough by surrounding municipalities (except Dundas which became independent).

The Flag is a reinterpretation of the arms, focussed at the centre to recall the motto. Purposely divided into four parts, the flag represents the waterways, waterfalls and original townships of this region. The colours of the flag, as with the arms, are the ones used by Flamborough when it was its own municipality (1974-2001).
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Pamphlet explaining the Flamborough Arms (Produced by Wilf Arndt, 2011):



Flamborough Flag designs considered by the Grant of Arms Committee 

(the final decision for the flag was made at the Tim Hortons in Clappison's Corners in 2010)

Presentation of the Grant of Arms at the Carlisle Golf and Country Club
April 29th, 2011

Raising the Flag of Flamborough over Waterdown District High School
May 10th, 2011
Pictures by Mr. Jaster

Raising the Flag of Flamborough over Balaclava Public School
June 10th, 2011
Pictures by Mr. Baker

Unvieling the flag at Westfield Heritage Village, Beverly
June 19th, 2011

The Flamborough Arms and Flag around the community

Information sheets distributed around town (reproductions of the front page of the special edition of the Flamborough Review produced for new residents):