British Colonial Heraldry as a Reflection of Imperial Building in the late 18th – Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

The article examines the heraldry of the British imperial possessions and its transformation in the late 18th – early 20th centuries. Heraldic symbols are analyzed in the context of British imperial building and rivalry of European powers for colonies, the periodic transition of the latter from the authority of one metropolis to another, the political and administrative status of dependent territories, their geopolitical and economic significance.

Based on a number of publications of collections of coats of arms and flags of British possessions, it was possible to analyze several dozens of coats of arms and heraldic badges of both the largest British colonies and dominions, and small imperial possessions of varying status. Coats of arms of individual provinces, cities, and individuals were also used.

It was possible to trace how traditional British symbols were integrated into colonial heraldry: the Union Jack, heraldic lions and leopards, the allegorical figure of Britain, crowns, ships, etc. Their use substantiated the right to own a colony, the legality and necessity of the British presence there. The issue of the reasons for the appearance of symbols of other powers on individual coats of arms was studied, too. These two categories of symbols, on the one hand, retained their traditional meaning, and on the other, those were endowed with new meanings that met the tasks of British imperial construction. Local symbols that referred to the peculiarities of nature, and the economic life of the colonies were also considered. Those were called upon to prove the need for the British presence to protect the colonists or based on the idea of London’s civilizing mission in relation to the subject peoples, for whose benefit and prosperity the British colonial empire was created.