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The
arms allude to those
borne by the
first-documented
Whitneys, and by other
Whitneys over the
centuries. The first
Whitneys, of Norman
heritage, settled in the
Welsh Marches soon after
the Conquest, in the
vicinity of what is now
Whitney-on-Wye,
Herefordshire. This
prominent and powerful
line continued there
until the seventeenth
century, when the last
of the Whitneys of
Whitney died without
issue. In the
intervening centuries,
Whitneys branched out to
Ireland, North America,
and beyond.
Whitneys
have long borne crosses
chequy on their arms,
thought to signify
service in the Crusades.
While these arms were
initially described as
Azure, a cross chequy Or
and Gules, some later
examples were described
as Azure, a cross chequy
Or and Sable. For this
armiger, the tinctures
are Argent and Gules, to
reference the colours of
the National Flag of
Canada. The compass rose
on the shield provides
additional difference,
and recalls the
armiger’s service to
Canada.
Fairbairn’s
Book of Crests of the
Families of Great
Britain and Ireland
(revised 1892), notes
that “all the Whitney
families in Great
Britain have retained
the original (bull’s
head) crest
substantially
unaltered”. The bull’s
head has long been
associated with the
Whitney name. It is said
to have been adopted as
a crest after Sir
Randolph de Whitney, who
accompanied King Richard
I to the Crusades, was
attacked by three
Saracens. While Sir
Randolph fought his
attackers, a Spanish
bull appeared and
charged, at which time
the Saracens fled. The
assistance of the bull
is remembered in the
crest. This armiger adds
a naval crown for
difference, and to
reflect service as a
naval officer.
The
motto echoes that
historically used by the
Whitneys of
Herefordshire
(magnanimiter crucem
sustine- ‘gallantly
uphold the cross’), as
well as one used within
the Canadian Armed
Forces. The result is
lux crucis, meaning,
'the light of the
cross'.
The
medal depicted is the
Canadian Forces
Decoration (C.D.),
awarded for 12 years of
military service.
References: Melville,
The Ancestry of John
Whitney (1896); Pierce,
The Descendants of John
Whitney (1895);
Fairbairn, Book of
Crests of the Families
of Great Britain and
Ireland (1892); Fuller,
History of the Worthies
of England (1662).
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