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His story and his connection to the Okanagan.
William Charles Heaton-Armstrong's story is one of those larger than life histories. It is a story full of hardship, excitement, entrepreneurial adventure, wealth, insinuated skulduggery, power, courage, and much satisfaction. It is a tale of ancient lineage, of ancestors who reached the highest peaks before spectacular falls, not once but a number of times. W.C. was true to this lineage and embodied all the spirit and adventure of his ancestors. He was a well-travelled man who knew that the old world order of being either a gentleman or a business man, but never both, was becoming a thing of the past. It was this latter realization which was to lead him to invest in Canada and give his name to Armstrong, BC.
The transformation of W.C. from gentleman adventurer to merchant banker would have found approval with his entrepreneurial ancestors. They can be traced back to the English Plantagenet King Edward I and to King James II of Scotland. Legend has it that the earliest mention of the name Armstrong in British history was in ancient times when a grateful king of Scotland, who had been unfortunate enough to have his horse killed from under him in battle, was immediately remounted by his armour bearer who was named Fairbairn. In gratitude, the king rewarded him with lands on the border between Scotland and England, and changed his name from Fairbairn to Armstrong with the added bonus of a personal crest designed by the king himself.
The border land was a dubious gift since it was a piece of property constantly in danger from marauding brigands from both England and Scotland. By the early sixteenth century the chief of the clan was John Armstrong of Glenockie. His clan was numerous and warlike and they spent their time harassing their English neighbours. After the Armstrong clan had defeated an army sent by the English king, the ungrateful Scottish king felt threatened by the Armstrong show of strength and had John and his retainers hung on June 8, 1530. This caused the new laird to flee to Holland as the rest of the clan dispersed to different parts of England.
By the 1600s, the Armstrong families in England...