The coronet is often used in heraldry to denote a municipal corporation. It’s decorated with an alternating pattern of maple leaves, for Canada, and the former Town of Bradford emblem, and thistles, representing the Scotch settlement, the earliest in Township of West Gwillimbury.
The helmet and mantling, the stylized decorate cloth flowing down and out from the top of the helmet, are traditional component parts of a coat of arms.
The background colour of the shield is green, representing the rich farmlands of the Town. The overall structure of the shield echoes the old emblem of the former Town of Bradford, which was modelled on the arms of the namesake City of England.
The black chevron in the center of the shield represents the rich soil on either side of the Holland River.
The chevron is edged in the gold to symbolize the wealth brought to the region by and drawn from the Holland River.
The cornucopia is a traditional symbol for agricultural wealth. It refers to the vegetable industry and honours the cornucopia displayed in the former Township of West Gwillimbury emblem.
The cow, taken from the former Township of West Gwillimbury emblem, represents another facet of the Town’s agricultural industries as do the wheat sheaf.
The grassy mound beneath the shield represents at the lands and fields of the Town, the wavy blue and white bars beneath it, represents the waters of the Holland River.
The two gold horses honour the motive power for early transport and the agricultural heritage of the community and by extension, the men and women who built the Town and Township.
The medallion on the gold stallion’s collar featuring the gold tulips honours Samuel Holland the great Surveyor General, namesake of the river, who was born in Holland in the early 1800th century.
The medallion on the gold mare’s collar features a black rampart lion that forms part of the coat of arms of several branches of the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, nee Gwillim, wife of Governor John Simcoe, and namesake of the Township.
EX TRIA UNUM (out of three, one) On January 1, 1991, the former Town of Bradford and portions of the former Township of West Gwillimbury and former Township of Tecumseth were amalgamated to become the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
