Our Seal of Approval: an important symbol of history

by Stan Nowak
This article was submitted to the Dundas Star News for publication in the March 12, 2003 edition. Reproduced with permission of the author.

You still see it everywhere; on municipal vehicles, flags, clothing, key chains, lapel pins, even in our parks. Three years after amalgamation, the Dundas Town Seal is still a distinguishable presence in our community.

But the current familiar standard was only the second choice of our town forefathers. The first one was introduced by Councillor Robert Holt—later mayor, 1853-54—who presented an idea to council on December 15, 1848, that a town seal should be established, and so he "submitted a sketch shoeing a shield bearing three stars, surmounted by an eagle resting after having surmounted great difficulties, according to Mr. Holt’s description" (T. R. Woodhouse).

The proposal was subject to much ridicule by the council of the day. The quality of the drawing of the eagle was especially the object of much scorn. Several councillors derided the sketch saying that the 'eagle' looked more like a bird that had eaten too much and was ready to belch.

Councillor and editor of the Dundas Warder, Robert Spence, had another idea: “Why not a tomtit on a haystack, or a chipmunk on a rail fence?” He reasoned that those would be far more apt symbols "because there are no eagles in Dundas."

He later alleged that the seal was the personal seal of John Paterson, who was the President of the Council, or Mayor—our first one.

Not surprisingly, the town seal, along with its motto, nec Forte, nec Fata (Not by Fortune, nor by Fate), died a somewhat less than dignified death in 1850, and later the same year, a new seal—our familiar one—was adopted. It symbolized Dundas as a centre of trade and industry.

In the foreground is the beehive (industry) and in the background a steam-powered schooner in the Desjardins Canal (trade). Above the schooner is a crown flanked by the initials V R (Victoria Regina) for the British Monarch of the day, Queen Victoria. Surrounding the whole thing is a circular border, initially with the inscription 'Corporation of Dundas Inc. 1847'. Later, that inscription was substituted with 'Dundas Forever 1847–2000' as a tribute to our town charter. The original motto itself was never replaced.

Today, aside from slight graphic changes, the seal looks pretty much as it did in 1850, except that the inscription reads 'Community of Dundas since 1794', which recognizes Dundas' existence since that time. Interestingly, the seal was never registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority, so thus, it was never officially recognized as Dundas' Coat of Arms.

Dundas has undergone many transformations since 1774 from settlement, to village, to town, to being a part of the City of Hamilton. Since 1850, the Town Seal has stood as a symbol of strength, passion, and appreciation for our community.

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