Hi Darcy

It looks to me like it is based upon a municipal crest for Guelph.  The snake is actually the lion's tail, with the lion standing on a crown (in this case it appears to be the Imperial crown, normally used to signify that the monarch in question is a male, this works for the time 1929, although a statement on the City of Guelph website re the city's original arms indicates that it was topped by " the supposed Guelphic crown with a lion on it ... representing Guelph's link with the British Royal family).  The itself city was named Guelph (again from the city's own website) "because it was one of the family names of the British royal family, and it had apparently never been used as a place name before" and the arms included " the symbolic white running horse of Hanover, the ancient principality in Germany where the Guelph royal connections go back 1,000 years" (http://guelph.ca/living/about-guelph/).

The running horse is the replicated upon the arms or crests of a number of agencies in that municipality, including the police force and the university.

Daniel German 

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Hiltz, Darcy
Sent: September-23-14 3:36 PM
To: Arcan-L; [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Arcan-l] Crest

Hi folks,
I was wondering if anyone has ever come across a crest like this.  Floreat Scientia is familiar enough.  The crest has a running horse and what appears to be a crown and a snake at the top.  
I wonder if it was a library specific design, although I have no documentation to suggest this and I think unlikely.   

Sincerely, 
Darcy Hiltz | Archivist / Librarian | Information Department | Main Library
100 Norfolk Street, Guelph, ON N1H 4J6 | P: 519.824.6220 x245 
E: [log in to unmask] | www.library.guelph.on.ca
 


 

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