Heraldry and the like

Crest:  On a wreath a cardinal erased clutching in its beak a lilly seeded proper.
Assumed by the author, 1 June 2014.

Ever since my days as a student at Hampden-Sydney College, I have had a fascination with the subject of heraldry.  More specifically, I love the meaningful display of symbols which layers the history and stories of the person or corporation bearing those arms.  Hampden-Sydney received an honorary grant of arms from the College of Arms in London in 1976 as part of the college's bicentennial celebrations.  The heralds executed an attractive blazon which bears the symbols of both John Hampden and Algernon Sydney, for which the college is named.  Staring at these arms for four years made me curious to learn more about the arcane subject of heraldry.

I drew the crest above as part of my own assumption of arms.  Since there is no legal arms granting body in the US, any person who wishes to bear arms can and may do so--much like the medieval times.  I chose the cardinal as it represents the state of my birth (West Virginia) and my adopted home state (Virginia).  The cardinal, surprisingly, makes few appearances on coat amour and mainly in North America.  Personally, I find the cardinal to be quite noble.

Arms of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia

Arms of Prince George County, Virginia

Arms of the Senate of Virginia

The lilly is a representation of my devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham and can be found in the grant of arms to the College of Guardians of the Holy House (Walsingham).

Arms of the Sanctuary School which features the shield referenced above.

The actual grant of arms to the College of Guardians by the College of Arms in London.

Detail of the Holy House which can be found in the canton azure.

Finally, the motto.  I had three criteria for this: 1) must be deeply meaningful, 2) must be original, and 3) must be in German.  Since I fancy "all things English," and knowing that my armorial bearings would reflect this, I wanted to ensure that Krouse-German heritage was honored.  "Ich Mache Recht," or simply "I make right," was the end result.  I could have an entire post on the deeply meaningful statement of how I make things right in my life.  I'll spare the reader.  I'm very happy with the design of the crest and its representation of me.  Now, if only I could come to some agreement on the blazon of the shield.  More to come.