In the quartered shield
The partridge: Emblem of Aunis, the former province of France where Dompierre was located, a village where Jacques Archambault and his family lived before their emigration to New France in 1645. In heraldry, the partridge is the bird of excellence.
The cluster or grapes: Symbol of the vine, reminiscent of Jacques Archambault's profession as a winegrower in France; also represents initiation; Dionysian affiliation
The cannon: Reminds us that Jacques Archambault, who landed in Montreal, had to take up arms on occasion, particularly to defend a redoubt near the current Place d'Armes. Also recalls that his eldest son Denys died at the age of 21 in a cannon explosion during a scuffle against a party of 200 Iroquois.
The well: Represents a profession practiced in New France by Jacques Archambault, that of well digger. In addition to the first well on the Island of Montreal, which he dug in 1658 at the request of Mr. de Maisonneuve, the ancestor built at least three others for his neighbours who lived very close to the present Place d'Armes.
The shield is topped with the fleur-de-lis d'or, emblem of the Kingdom of France, flanked by external heraldic ornaments and underlined by the scroll bearing our patronymic – Archambault. Design : Jacques Archambault and Pierre Archambault
