Coat of Arms

As symbols of identification, coats of arms were commonly employed in the past to decorate buildings. These shields could be read by anyone who was familiar with the particular symbols (properly called charges) represented on the coat of arms.

Families of noble rank have their own individual coats of arms, and often cities, too, have armorial devices, as does Montreal.

The use of armorial bearings by municipal governments is traceable to the 12th century, when the practice of authenticating documents by means of official seals bearing a distinctive and complex device was used to render forgery of the seal difficult. Montreal's coat of arms is, of course, of a more recent vintage (Gazette, 10 August 1985, J8).