Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
BE2005.4.47 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Magrath Coat of Arms |
Description |
Magrath coat of arms painted on paper and pasted on cardboard. Painted in brown and beige colours. The coat of arms features a shield with 3 lions in the top left quarter, a hand holding a cross in the top right quarter, a hand holding a hatchet in the bottom left quarter, and finally a deer in the bottom right quarter. Beneath the shield, the motto reads: Fortiter Gerit Crucem. Above the shield, there is a knight in armour holding a shield with a cross painted on it and a spear. There are three brass-coloured fasteners poked through the cardboard backing. |
Year Range from |
1900 |
Year Range to |
1920 |
Dimensions |
W-38.5 L-31 cm |
History |
The Gaelic MacGrath (pronounced macgraw - the 'th' is silent in Gaelic), and its many variants: Magrath, MacGraw, Magra, come from the Irish personal (first) name of MacRaith, originally from the personal name Rath (pronounced raw), meaning 'grace' or 'prosperity'. The name Macraith in its many forms is not patronymic, and was applied to men 'endowed with more than an ordinary measure of sanctity or grace.' 'FORTITER GERIT CRUCEM', translated from the Latin, means 'He bravely bears the cross.' Reverend James Magrath (1766-1851) was from a family with a long tradition of producing Irish Protestant ministers. During the Reformation, Mile Magrath left the Catholic Church to become the Archbishop of Cashel, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I. James Magrath would follow in this tradition and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1790. Reverend Magrath, at the age of 58, immigrated to Upper Canada from Ireland (1827). He would become the first rector of St. Peter's Anglican Church also known as the Toronto Mission. Reverend Magrath had settled on land north of Dundas Street which he named 'Erindale'. Later the village of Springfield would become Erindale named after the Magrath property. Magrath lived with his wife, Mary (she died in 1839), and his four sons and one daughter. Reverend Magrath died in 1851 at the age of 82. References: Magrath family file, Museums of Mississauga |
People |
Harris, Mary |