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| The armorial banners of the United States and Hampden-Sydney College, rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024. |
I caught the heraldry bug as a student at Hampden-Sydney College. I remember my days there very well. I recall my freshman year being enamored by the College's coat of arms, a young symbol for an old place. They adorn the front gates to campus along with a promise etched in Latin, Huc venite iuvenes ut exeatis viri. “Come here as youths so that you may leave as men,” it warns. I certainly passed through those hallowed gates in the fall of 1998 as a precocious youth, only to leave its embrace as a man. Travel down College Road, following the famous white "pipe and post" fencing, and you arrive onto the idyllic campus of Hampden-Sydney College--a.k.a. "the Hill."
Hampden-Sydney College, founded on November 15, 1775 (the same day as the US Marine Corps) and located just outside of Farmville, Virginia, is one of a tiny cadre of men's colleges left in the US. Proudly a liberal arts college, Hampden-Sydney's founders were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who likely sent a message to any Tories in the colonies regarding the loyalties of this new school in Prince Edward County.
Naming the new institution after two English patriots, John Hampden (c.1595-1643) and Algernon Sidney (1623-1683) was in stark contrast to the very Anglican College of William & Mary located down the road in Williamsburg. The College of William & Mary, chartered in 1693, received its grant of arms from the College of Arms in London on May 16, 1694 (Godson, et. al, 1993, 23). For Hampden-Sydney College, it would take 201-years (depending on which date you choose) to obtain its own arms, and all thanks to two gentlemen.
Two Gentlemen and a Plan
No discussion about Hampden-Sydney College's coat of arms would be complete without acknowledging two giants--each in their own right--who came together and effectively gave generations of alumni an iconic image to revere. As both of these men are no longer with us, I want to do justice by sharing the story as I know it. For if institutional memory fades, we risk losing the contributions made by those great men of Hampden-Sydney who have come before us.
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| Professor John L. Brinkley (1937-2012) at his desk in Morton Hall, Hampden-Sydney College. Brinkley's office was famously a mess, with books and papers piled high and perfumed by the aroma of his last cigar. Brinkley is truly Hampden-Sydney College's G.O.A.T. |
Professor John Luster Brinkley (1937-2012), graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa from Hampden-Sydney in 1959. Brinkley was truly a force on campus, and a widely beloved and respected professor of classics. For every home football and lacrosse game, the professor could be spotted behind the home team bench complete with a walking stick in one hand and a cigar in the other. Moreover, Brinkley was Hampden-Sydney College's first Rhodes Scholar, earning another bachelor's degree in 1962 and a master's degree in 1966, both from Trinity College, Oxford. Ever the scholar, in between his two degrees from Oxford, Brinkley earned a master's degree from Princeton in 1965 (Brinkley, 1994). Needless to say, while no student ever called him, "Doctor Brinkley," he simply did not need a doctoral degree--he was a scholar in his own right. In addition to his teaching duties, Brinkley served as the College Historian, authoring its definitive history, On This Hill: A Narrative History of Hampden-Sydney College 1774-1994.
The other giant in the story of how Hampden-Sydney College received its honorary devisal of arms, is none other than James Lewis Kirby, Jr. (1923-2015). Kirby, another Princeton graduate, sent his two sons to Hampden-Sydney College, and one of those sons signed my diploma as a trustee. Kirby served in the 87th Infantry Division under General George Patton in the Battle of Bulge during World War II (New York Times Obituary, May 11, 2015). Kirby resided at the historic Claremont Manor in Surry County, Virginia and was heavily involved with history, genealogy, and most important of all, heraldry.
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| The arms of James Lewis Kirby, Jr. (1923-2015), granted from the College of Arms (London) on January 20, 1966, image is from Kirby (1989), plate #106. Note the diapering in base, a heraldic form of decoration seen in argent (white or silver). Click image to enlarge. |
Kirby self-published a rather attractive, full-color armorial in 1989, titled Heraldry of the Kirkby and Kirby Families. Kirby (1989) illustrates the evolution of the family's heraldry, and most notably, his ever-changing arms. In 1966, Kirby received his first devisal of arms from the College of Arms in London, blazoned: "Argent, two bars and on a chief gules a cross trefly or between two roundels barry wavy or and azure" (page 48). My belief is that Kirby sought the grant based on his genealogical work as well as his membership in the Most Venerable Order of St. John (as seen in the external medal below the shield).
All of this key background information is to demonstrate Kirby's passion for heraldry. Kirby must have spent a small fortune on his multiple emblazonments, fully registering the Kirby pedigree with the College of Arms, etc. I can imagine the heralds were on a close, first-name basis with their client from Claremont Manor. With this information established, let's return to the Hill to see where the story of Hampden-Sydney College's arms picks up.
A Bicentennial Celebration
The year 1976 would indeed be a bicentennial year for the United States as well as Hampden-Sydney College. Since the creative process with the College of Arms takes some time, especially in the pre-internet age, preparations had to be made well in advance to be realized in time for any celebrations.
In the fall of 1974, an "unusually generous and imaginative friend of the College made an intriguing offer" (The Record, December 1976, page 5). What would that offer be? If the offer is for a proper coat of arms, then it is definitely coming from Lewis Kirby. Remember, Kirby already had ample experience working the heralds in London by this time. And yes, the intriguing offer was for a colonial college bearing the names of English patriots to formally ask an office of the Royal Household in England for a coat of arms.
The article continues:
"This friend, an accomplished student of heraldry, proposed to sponsor— and underwrite--the considerable expense of the process of having the College of Arms, an office of the Royal Household and the only secular authority in the world (there is a corresponding office in the Vatican) empowered to assign coats of arms and other heraldic devices, devise for Hampden-Sydney what is in heraldic technical parlance called "an achievement of arms"' (The Record, December 1976, page 5).
The friend, Lewis Kirby, wished to remain anonymous concerning his involvement and thus his name does not appear in the article. I name him and give him credit simply because we would not have our beloved arms had Mr. Kirby not stepped forward.
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Painting of the College's armorial ensigns
now residing in Bortz Library.
Click image to enlarge. |
Thankfully, the College accepted the offer. College President,
Dr. W. Taylor Reveley II (1917-1992) needed a competent member of the staff to liaison with the heralds in London.
"At Dr. Reveley's request, Professor John L. Brinkley, class of 1959, undertook to study up heraldry and become the College's liaison officer with Mr. Brooke-Little and the College of Arms. Professor Brinkley and Mr. Brooke-Little agreed at once that it would be most appropriate for Hampden-Sydney not only to stay within the traditional inventory of symbols (or "devices") of British heraldry, but also to adopt symbols and colors from the arms of John Hampden and Algernon Sydney.
In addition, certain devices peculiar to Hampden-Sydney would be used in order to make the whole achievement unique to the College, scrupulously observing all the rules and usages of British heraldry" (The Record, December 1976, page 5).
But how can a college in the US in 1974 possibly receive an honorary devisal of arms from the College of Arms in London? That the College officially opened its doors on November 10, 1775, meant that the college was up and running during the reign of King George III. Currently on the College of Arms website, we find the following:
"Honorary arms may be granted to U.S. citizens and to citizens of countries within the Commonwealth where King Charles III is not Head of State and where there is no national heraldic authority. They must meet the same criteria of eligibility for a grant as subjects of the Crown, and in addition they must record in the official registers of the College of Arms a pedigree showing their descent from a subject of the British Crown.
This may be a recent forebear such as a parent or grandparent who lived in the same country under the British Crown; an emigrant from Britain, Ireland or anywhere else where the British monarch was Head of State; or a more distant ancestor such as inhabitant of the north American colonies before the recognition of American independence in 1783" (
College of Arms website, August 21, 2023).
With a generous grant from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the College was able to obtain an honorary devisal of arms from the College of Arms. It would serve as a proud moment during the College's bicentennial celebrations in 1976. The grant, written most unusually in Latin, was dated with a touch of irony, July 4, 1976. Then Richmond Herald, John P. Brooke-Little (1927-2006), came to campus--dressed in the herald's tabard--and presented the letters patent on October 19, 1976 before the college community.
In front of the gathered assembly inside Johns Auditorium on campus, Professor Brinkley offered remarks for the celebration, which he titled "Heroes, Names, and Symbols."
"The event which we are assembled to witness this evening well illustrates the truth of Emerson's line, "We are symbols and we inhabit symbols." Each of us has surely had his private thoughts that confute the cynic who sees only the irony, and not the compelling symbolism of the welcome visit in this, our nation's Bicentennial year, of the sovereign of Great Britain to our nation's capital — and to this Commonwealth, and now of an officer of Her Royal Household to this campus on, of all days, 19 October, the 195th anniversary of the Lord Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown.
It is reported that King George III, upon hearing of the surrender exclaimed, "My God! Lord God! It's all over"— an altogether pardonable overstatement of the result of what we can choose to regard as an unfortunate, if inevitable, family squabble. After the manner of such things, the passage of generations has made a difference" (The Record, December 1976, page 7).
A family squabble...the professor had style and whit! Let's examine the design and rationale for the College's coat of arms.
Unpacking the College's Arms
Several elements in the College's arms provide clear reference to her eponyms. The white/silver field, red cross saltire, and the blue displayed eagles identify Hampden. In heraldry, it should be noted, the color Argent can be rendered in silver or white depending on the artist's preference. Referencing Sidney in the new arms is accomplished by incorporating both the gold field and blue pheons.
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| Click image to enlarge. Art rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024. |
The blazon, or heraldic description, for the arms of Hampden-Sydney College is: Per saltire Argent and Or, on a cross saltire Gules an open book proper inscribed ΓΝΩΣΕΣΘΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ between two pheons and as many eagles displayed Azure. The blazon is fixed and thus recorded at the herald's college in London, and any future coat of arms must be careful in order to avoid infringing on the College's arms. Aside from US copyright protection, there is no government regulation for arms in this country.
The main focal point for the College's arms is the open and inscribed book. As a charge in heraldry, the book can be open or left closed, contain claps on the covers, and if opened, the pages can be inscribed with a motto or simply left blank. Heraldry has given the charge of the book to mean scholarship, wisdom, and knowledge. As a charge, books can be found on arms of many scholastic institutions world-wide.
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The seal and arms of Boston College
illustrating another example of a
Greek inscription. Image
from la Rose (1918). |
The arms of Oxford bear an inscribed open book, while the arms of Cambridge contain a closed book. The University of St. Andrews in Scotland simply has an open book without an inscription. Here in the US, the arms of Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, and The Catholic University of America--to name but a few--all have the book (open or closed) as a heraldic charge in their arms.
Usually, but not always, the inscriptions on open books in scholastic arms tend to be rendered in Latin. Within the US, both Yale and Emmanuel College use Hebrew. Boston College, so far as I know at present, is the only other scholastic coat in the US that bears a Greek inscription on their open book.
For Hampden-Sydney College's arms, the inscription that was selected is from the Authorized Version of the Gospel according to St. John 8:32, "ye shall know the truth." Here again we encounter Professor Brinkley of the Classics Department. Greek was selected, rather than Latin, to emphasis the importance placed on the classics at Hampden-Sydney College. Perhaps there was some bias, as Professor Brinkley was deputized by the college to work with the College of Arms. Moreover, Professor Brinkley leaned on an old classmate from his days at Trinity College, Oxford to help translate the letters patent into Latin.
"Fortunately, Mr. Michael Maclagan, a mediaeval history don at Professor Brinkley 's second alma mater, Trinity College, Oxford, is an expert at heraldry and heraldic Latin (which is unlike anything Cicero ever encountered or uttered), and he generously collaborated in producing the text, which in first draft showed a distinctly puckish Tory bias: e.g., Virginia was referred to as a prouincia and Governor Godwin was styled a proconsul; but we were not amused, and these tendentious designations were firmly corrected to res publica and rector, respectively" (The Record, December 1976, page 6).
Letters patent are legal instruments which, in this case, assign arms to individuals or corporate bodies. The document bears wax seal impressions as the signatures that authenticate its legal status--this is why the "President and Trustees" of the College were named as assignees.
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| An example from a grant of arms illustrating emblazonments of the Duke of Norfolk, the Sovereign, and the College of Arms. Click image to enlarge. |
On letters patent for honorary devisals, emblazonments of arms for both the Sovereign and the College of Arms are omitted as a sign of respect to the state outside the realm of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the case of Hampden-Sydney's letters patent, the arms of the offices of the heralds signing the document are emblazoned--Clarenceux King of Arms (top left), Garter King of Arms (center), and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms (top right).
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| The letters patent assigned to the President and Trustees of Hampden-Sydney College and rendered most unusually in Latin. The framed 30"x 30" vellum document resides inside Atkinson Museum. Click image to enlarge. |
These documents are meticulously hand decorated by court painters who are approved and contracted through the College of Arms. The client pays the cost for the creation of the document, and these works of art are not cheap. In concert with both the client and the heralds, artists can add certain decorations and related elements around the document. Each time I've shared the photo of the College's letters patent within various heraldry forums, I frequently hear from others how odd it is to see these letters patent in Latin. Brinkley's influence over the final document secured a rather special place in the history books for these arms and the letters patent.
Identification Through Heraldry
The primary purpose of heraldry is identification. Born on the medieval battlefields of Europe, heraldry served as early expression of branding by providing fully clad knights with specifically designed symbols for easy identification. Simple and clear designs rendered onto a shield--revealing friend or foe--could make all the difference in a life-or-death fight. Heraldry is a language of abstraction, crafting specific meaning through its canon of imagery. The design philosophy handed down from those 13th century shields today translates into creating coats of arms that are simple and perspicuous.
In the modern era, corporate bodies such as colleges and universities have embraced armorial bearings for much the same purpose to provide clear and meaningful identification of their mission, values, and history. However, not every academic institution in the US knows how to transform a coat of arms into a readily identifiable marketing symbol.
Once received by the College, the Publications Office had to do something with this newfound shield.
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| A current digital emblazonment in use today by the College alumni association which illustrates Dr. McClintock's "ribbons" containing the College's name, along with the slight reworking of the pheons and shield. |
Enter Dr. Richard McClintock. In keeping with the theme of the classics, Dr. McClintock holds all three of his degrees in the study of Latin. Moreover, the recently retired doctor, served his long career at the helm of the College's Office of Publications. His mini-bio on the Department of Classics, University of Virginia's website shares:
"A one-year replacement job at Hampden-Sydney College accidentally led to a thirty-seven year career as the director of the College's publications office. His fifteen minutes of classical fame (including an interview on NPR's 'All Things Considered') came as a result of his discovery that the printer's dummy text know as "Lorem ipsum" derives from the Loeb edition of Cicero's De Finibus" (
University of Virginia website, August 21, 2023).
Dr. McClintock is another Hampden-Sydney legend whom I've been privileged to work with over the years--a true gem. With the new arms in the hands of a creative, discerning scholar, McClintock needed to tweak the design as it was emblazoned. He shared with me what happened.
"I tweaked the coat of arms, callously, to make it a better branding symbol. That involved not only adding the ribbons (for which I had no specific model, but pursued a logical solution to my needs – basically making four chunks of a circular ribbon of the right lengths).
"I also, even more callously, changed the shape of the shield, so that it was more square; the original was very tall and skinny and did not fit nicely into my circle of ribbons or, for that matter, look very stable without Hampden and Sidney to hold it up" (R. McClintock, personal communication, June 22, 2014).
McClintock refers to the two supporters (images of the likeness of Hampden and Sydney) as found on the letters patent and armorial ensigns. From the image below, you can see the shield's shape is tall and somewhat skinny, owing to the artist's desire for the cross saltire and open book to be at the "fess point," or directly on center. By reshaping the shield, the cross saltire and open book drops below the fess point somewhat. While he claims to have reshaped things "callously," I believe McClintock's careful eye for design was exactly what the arms needed in order to be more useful as a marketing insignia.
While the blazon, or the Anglo-Norman description of the arms' composition and arrangement, for a given coat remains fixed for all time, each emblazonment is solely in the hands of the heraldic artist. In other words, the draftsmanship of the arms is left to the artist, and Dr. McClintock was firmly within his rights as an artist to tweak things
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The badge. Image is from
Hampden-Sydney College (1976).
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Finally, the College also received a heraldic badge, which places two batons in saltire, topped with red liberty caps behind the open, inscribed book. "The batons and Liberty Caps are Roman symbols of manumission and are only incidentally reminiscent of the French Revolution" (
The Record, December 1976, page 6). According to Fox-Davies (1978), heraldic badges came into use during the early 14th century during the reign of Edward III and never followed any prescriptive formula. "In fact, the use of a badge, in the days when everybody who was anybody possessed arms, was quite subsidiary to the arms, and very much akin to the manner in which nowadays monograms are made use of" (Fox-Davies, 1978, page 454).
The heraldic badge of Hampden-Sydney College is blazoned: behind an open book proper inscribed ΓΝΩΣΕΣΘΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ two batons in saltire proper topped with liberty caps Gules.
If you think of the College's badge as its signature monogram, the references are striking. In other words, through the pursuit of knowledge and truth, students can find freedom and liberty to create a better world--"forming good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning." I find this a fitting message and indeed the signature of Hampden-Sydney College. Sadly, however, the badge is rarely used as the arms enjoy much greater popularity on campus. I do recall seeing the badge adorning the bookstore's plastic totes, which somehow always managed to bear the weight of so many expensive textbooks--manumission indeed!
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Ex Libris of Hampden-Sydney College designed by Dr. McClintock using the artwork from the letters patent. Dr. McClintock shares that this bookplate is most likely the only work from the Publications Office that used the original artwork, as future designs of the arms would be modified as described above. Click image to enlarge.
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Following Professor Brinkley's death in 2012, I wanted to do something to honor the late professor at Trinity College, Oxford. Working with Dr. McClintock, we created a special bookplate bearing the arms of both Hampden-Sydney College and Trinity College and pasted within Brinkley's (1994) book. Hampden-Sydney's President Dr. Christopher B. Howard (b. 1969), another Rhodes Scholar, sent Brinkley's book to the principal at Trinity College as a commemorative addition to their library. I never heard what the response was from Trinity College, but I was glad we did something for our late, great professor.
Designing a Banner of Arms
As I began my journey in the world of heraldry back in 2014, I quickly became attracted to what I simply call flying heraldry. Sometimes called a "banner of arms," a flag can hoist skyward any coat of arms in a dignified manner. By taking the design inside the shield and arranging in 2:3 ratio, an armorial flag (or banner of arms) offers another use for arms.
The College has, for as long as I remember, used a flag bearing the name of the College. While certainly acceptable as a flag, I believed we could do better, especially with our coat of arms in mind.
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| My sketch for the College's armorial flag back in 2014. Drawing by the Author. |
While I was thrilled with my humble pencil drawing, I had few options back then to digitize the design. Digital heraldic artists were few and far between, and those practicing had prices out of my reach; however, as technology rapidly changed the field of heraldry, a new crop of artists with competitive offerings have emerged making digital emblazonments affordable.
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And now in 2024, we have a fully digitized armorial flag,
rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024. |
Now that I've completed this project, it is my plan to share these digital files with the College community allowing anyone to fly our beloved arms. If any reader would like the digital file for the 3ft x 5ft armorial flag of the arms of Hampden-Sydney, email me at chad(dot)m(dot)krouse(at)gmail(dot)com. There are plenty of flag vendors nowadays that can quickly produce a custom flag.
Nearly 50 Years Strong
This is the story of how Hampden-Sydney College received its coat of arms as I know it. I think it's a rather lovely story filled with interesting people, people who in many ways dedicated their lives to Hampden-Sydney College. That is, partly, what makes the College so very special--her devotees. During my four years on the Hill, I was formed into the man I am today. I am thankful to have crossed paths with both Professor Brinkley and Dr. McClintock. I learned many lessons there: how to write, how to think critically, and how to embrace my values and employ them throughout my life. While I certainly did not appreciate those lessons upon graduation, I now look back following 21-years since those student days with gratitude for having those formative experiences. Thus, I proudly display these arms, for they are a constant reminder of those lessons and experiences never to be forgotten.
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| The arms of Mr. Kirby bound in appreciation. |
Thank you Mr. Kirby and Professor Brinkley, we alumni owe our deepest gratitude to you both for giving us a treasured symbol for a place we love and cherish. If not for Mr. Kirby's passion for heraldry combined with his love of Hampden-Sydney, we would simply not have our beloved coat of arms.
Thank you Dr. McClintock, the scholar and artist who effectively turned these armorial bearings into that wildly popular symbol known by so many today. We do, in fact, inhabit this great symbol.
In 2026, Hampden-Sydney College, along with the United States, will mark a very special moment in its life, its Semiquincentennial celebration. The College's coat of arms, now
the identifiable symbol of Hampden-Sydney, will celebrate a very respectable 50th birthday.
Works Cited
Brinkley, J.L. (1994). On this hill: A narrative history of Hampden-Sydney College 1774-1994. Hampden-Sydney College.
Fox-Davies, A.C. (1978). A complete guide to heraldry. Bonaza Books.
Godson, S.H, Johnson, L.H., Sherman, R.B., Tate, T.W., & Walker, H.C. (1993). The College of William & Mary: A history (vol. 1). King and Queen Press.
Hampden-Sydney College (1976). College receives coat of arms. The Record of the Hampden-Sydney Alumni Association, 53(4), 5-7.
La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918). Some examples of corporate Catholic heraldry. The Ecclesiastical Review, 55(February), 189-198.
Lewis, J.L., Jr. (1989). Heraldry of the Kirkby and Kirby families. The author.
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