Recent Posts

Sunday, May 17, 2020

New Registrations of Arms

Because the U.S. lacks any heraldic authority to grant and regulate the use of coat armour, many Americans find themselves scrambling to protect their arms.  In the U.S., armingers for the most part assume their arms, meaning they design and then assign those arms as their own rightful property.  There are many Americans who look abroad for legitimacy, claiming grants of arms from Lord Lyon in Scotland, the Heralds' College in London, or even the Bureau in South Africa.  Each authority has strict regulations and requirements for eligibility, usually being able to document a direct lineage and descent.

In the U.S., the pre-eminent authority on arms is, perhaps, the Committee on Heraldry working under the auspices of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston.  The Committee is the oldest non-governmental organization to research and register arms in the U.S.  Click here to see my previous post on the NEHGS.   During this lockdown, I went through my inbox from 2014 to find some official confirmation that the Committee had in fact registered my arms on September 2, 2014.  After a few email exchanges, I was excited to receive the following confirmation letter.

Official letter of registration from the Committee on Heraldry, May 3, 2020.

Well, that letter ignited a fire in me to get my arms out there and registered in a few other places. 

Certificate of registration from the Society of American Armingers, May 7, 2020.

Certificate of registration from The Armorial Register, May 9, 2020.

Thus, below is the listing of registrations completed.  


Thursday, May 7, 2020

A new emblazonment


The banner, badge, and arms of Dr. Chad M. Krouse,
digitally rendered by Quentin Peacock, Copyright 2020.

I am thrilled to share my latest emblazonment of arms, rendered by Quentin Peacock.  I've added a link to Quentin's website on the blog as he does exceptional work.  I love his rendering of my crest which makes the cardinal look beastly!  For a previous posting on the development of my personal arms, click here.  I've wanted to see my arms in a banner for some time, and that made me think about what would an appropriate badge might look like.  For starters, I was always drawn to the idea of the vidame's coronet, which is prominently featured in the crest of the arms of the University of the South.  I believe it's a powerful heraldic image for the laity and I was drawn to this for my badge.  Secondly, and I'll admit this, I've been a big fan of the Prince of Wales' badge which is blazoned, "a plume of three ostrich feathers argent enfiled by a royal coronet of alternate crosses and fleur-de-lys or."  The badge further incorporates the the motto "Ich Dien" on a blue ribbon.  

The badge of the Prince of Wales
 
So, my first draft of the badge was blazoned, "three Madonna lilies (lilium candidium) seeded proper enfiled by a vidame's coronet or."  It was ballsy, to the say the least.  When I posted the first emblazonment of the badge in a Facebook forum dedicated to heraldry, I immediately received some feedback suggesting that I not use the vidame's coronet.  The more I thought about it, I did not want to portray myself as someone that I am not.  In the capable hands of Quentin Peacock, he convinced me to simply change the coronet by using the flowers from the achievement, dogwood flowers and lilies.  Actually, when you turn the dogwood flower around, it makes a perfect cross!  
The badge of Dr. Chad M. Krouse 
digitally rendered by Quentin Peacock, Copyright 2020.

Thus, the final version of the badge came into being, blazoned: "three Madonna lilies (lilium candidium) seeded proper enfiled by a coronet of dogwood flowers and fleurs-de-lis or."




Saturday, May 2, 2020

Arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham

Coat of Arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham
Arms of the College of Guardians upon a supporter modeled on the Shrine
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is under the care of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham, as this is the official corporate name on their letters patent for a coat of arms from the College of Arms granted in 1945.  

I first encountered these arms when I was in Walsingham for the National Pilgrimage in 2009.  I wish I had paid more attention to Walsingham's heraldry, as various armorial ensigns were literally everywhere as I recall.

Processional banner of the arms of the College of Guardians
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The arms of the College of Guardians are based on those of the Augustinian Priory of Walsingham dating back to 1510 blazoned, Argent, on a cross Sable five Madonna lilies slipped and seeded proper.  
As the Shrine's restoration began in earnest under the direction of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten (1885-1958), the need for armorial identification of the new enterprise would follow.   

Armorial flag of the College of Guardians based on the Earl Marshal's Warrant of 1938
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The Rev. Henry Joy Fynes-Clinton (1875-1959) was actively involved with the work of the Shrine and helped petition the College of Arms for a grant.  He generously paid the heralds' fees for the grant on behalf of the Shrine.  

Following approval from London, Fynes-Clinton wrote an article in Our Lady's Mirror regarding the new arms:
"The ancient arms of the Priory of Walsingham, which can be seen in the window of the Lady Chapel in the Parish Church and elsewhere, can almost be looked on as the Arms of Our Lady of Walsingham. The College of Guardians of the Holy House, as a corporate body owning part of the ancient property of the Priory and formed to carry on its work, might claim a sort of moral right to the use of these Arms. But the use of a Coat of Arms and Crest is limited by strict rules and is under the jurisdiction of the College of Arms, with the authority of the Earl Marshal and the King. 
"Feeling, therefore, that it would be proper for the Guardians to have the right to their own arms, one of them has provided the necessary fees and obtained a grant of the ancient Priory Arms with a 'difference,' viz : a representation, in the corner of the shield, of the Holy House. It is a gift in honour of our Benefactress and our Queen" (1945).
Fynes-Clinton rightfully points out that the arms of the Priory of Walsingham, found in the local parish window, were already in existence.  As such, the College of Guardians could not rightfully lay claim to those arms.  Thus, the arms had to be differenced in order to be granted, and the heralds in London provided a two distinctive marks of differencing with a blue canton and a golden Holy House.

My version of the armorial flag of the arms of the College of Guardians
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Fynes-Clinton continues in the same article:
"In heraldic language the full achievement is: upon a choir mantle azure, lined gules, ensigned on left shoulder with the escutcheon of the college, a shield argent upon a cross sable, five lilies of the first slipped and seeded proper; a canton azure, charged with a Holy House or. Upon a helm mantling of the colours, and crest, issuing from a celestial crown of 12 points and stars, or, three lilies argent seeded or. Motto: Domus Dei: porta caeli. The House of God: the Gate of Heaven.We may regard these arms as the banner under which we all serve Our Lady of Walsingham. 
"Let us consider them as emblematic of our devotion :—The silver shield—Our Lady’s purity. The black Cross—Her suffering in the dark hour of the Passion. The five lilies—the five joyful mysteries of the Incarnation in her Rosary. The canton of Mary’s blue showing the Holy House, the 'House of God”, speaking of the lowliness of the Incarnation. The celestial crown of the crest—the glory of her Crowned Motherhood in heaven, and the three lilies—her purity, lowliness and charity. The motto also speaks of earth and heaven— 'Domus Dei', 'This', amongst us, 'is none other than the House of the God-Child'; 'Porta Caeli', 'this is the Gate of Heaven', which we indeed find the Holy House to be as we enter the presence of the mystery of the Incarnation in the Blessed Sacrament" (1945).
Since Father Patten had used an image from the front of the Priory's seal to recreate the statue of Our Lady, it's only fitting that the obverse containing an image of the Holy House should be used in the arms.  The detail of the Holy House can be found on the Priory's seal.

Arms of the College of Guardians
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The arms of the College of Guardians are both simple and clear, identifying the corporate body as de facto guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady.

The blazon for the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our of Walsingham:

Arms:  Argent, on a cross Sable five Madonna lilies slipped and seeded proper on a canton azure a Holy House Or;   

CrestOut of a celestial crown points ending with stars of six points, three Madonna lilies seeded and stemmed proper;

MottoDomus Dei Porta Caeli, Latin for "House of God, Gate of Heaven."

Arms and motto of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
The Rev. Father Alfred Hope Patten (1885-1958), Anglican priest and Restorer of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham bore arms which can also be found in the Anglican Shrine.

Impaled arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten and the College of Guardians
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
As illustrated in the arms above, Father Hope preferred two black tassels from his galero--the number traditionally indicates the office of a dean.  Perhaps the number reflected his unique office as the restorer and administrator of the Shrine.  My rendering of Father Hope's arms are based on an image of his ex libris in my collection.  

The blazon of arms for The Rev. Alfred Hope Patten: 

Arms:  Lozengy Sable and Ermine, a canton Gules;

Motto:  Nulla Pallescere Culpa, Latin for "to turn pale at no crime."

I really like seeing Father Hope's arms impaled with those of the Guardians as he was the founder.  

Works Cited

Fynes-Clinton, H.J. (1945 Spring).  The armorial bearings of Our Lady.  The Guardian's Grant of Arms.  The Archives of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, accessed May 1, 2025, https://walsinghamanglicanarchives.org.uk/grantofarms.htm