Arms of Alan Taylor Catto

Blazon

Or on a chevron between in chief two lymphads Sable sails Gules flagged Sable and in base a hand Gules, a cinquefoil Argent between four garbs Or, all within a bordure Sable;

Symbolism

The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The black chevron on a yellow field and the black sailing ships are common to Catto coats of arms. The flower is emblematic of Scottish Frasers, whose name is derived from the French word fraise, meaning “strawberry.” It likely alludes to the historical connection between Mr. Catto’s family and the Frasers, one ancestor having been the grieve, or estate manager, to the Frasers of Memsie, and Mr. Catto’s grandfather having come from Fraserburgh in Scotland before immigrating to Canada. The sheaves of wheat possibly refer to his oldest traceable ancestor in Scotland, who was a farmer. The border is a Scottish method of differencing that indicates that Mr. Catto is a younger branch of the family.