The Arms of First Families of Massachusetts

Seal concept designed by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As a proud member of the Hereditary Order of First Families of Massachusetts (HOFFMA), I recently had inspiration to see if I could create fresh renderings for the Order's use as those in print are rather dated.

My qualifying ancestor, Stukeley Westcott (1592-1677), was apparently quite the character since he was tossed out of Massachusetts only to become one of the first settlers to establish the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  He was a 2-for-1 as I am a member of both First Families of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island.  Interestingly enough, Westcott was also an early member of the First Baptist Church in America.  

Coat of arms of First Families of Massachusetts
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

History lesson aside, HOFFMA was organized in 1985 under the leadership of the late Dr. Roswell Levi Atwood of Massachusetts.  Dr. Atwood also designed HOFFMA's coat of arms around that same time, blazoned: "Barry wavy of six Azure and Argent on a chief of the second a cross Gules charged with a lion passant guardant Or of England."

Atwood goes so far as devise supporters blazoned: "on each side a griffin per fess Gules and Argent wings elevated, beaked, eared and tufted Or, armed Gules, and displaying above the shield a pillar Or; tassels pendant Gules."  This is pretty much all I'm going to cover on the supporters as they really don't interest me.

After becoming a member in 2015, I really wanted our coat of arms, well, to be simpler?  Thankfully, Atwood avoiding any temptation to run with a quartered coat!  So I've taken up the challenge in rendering a few design assets for HOFFMA with the hopes of their usefulness.  

Banner of arms, First Families of Massachusetts.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The annual directory sent to members notes that the flag of the Order--also an Atwood design--was apparently lost following the death of his son.  The flag, "reflects the Order's emblem on a field of white with gold trim."

After reading this I immediately saw the forthcoming banner of arms as rendered above.  I am planning to have the flag physically at 3ft x 5ft.  Not quite like Atwood's flag, perhaps cooler?

Members' medal of First Families of Massachusetts
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Now the Order's medal for members is rather slick and was quite fun to recreate digitally.  I actually need to order a miniature medal and excited to wear on formal occasions.  

I have at least one other hereditary society coat of arms to present and more to come soon.

Merry Christmas

The Arms of the University of the South, its schools, and residence halls.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

 Wishing you and yours every blessing this holiday season

and a prosperous new year!

The Arms of the Order of St. John

The arms of the Order of St. John.
Click to enlarge.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Since this summer, I've wanted to try my hand at rendering all the arms associated with the Order of St. John--the various priories around the world and so forth.  Well, project completed!  

I made this image to be poster size coming in at 16 inches x 20 inches and includes the coats of arms for the Sovereign Head, the Grand Prior, the Order itself, the 11 priories, 5 commanderies, and the St. John Eye Hospital Group.

All of these arms were devised and granted by the College of Arms and have as their basis the following blazon:  Gules, a cross throughout Argent in first quarter a representation of the Sovereign's crest.  Usually in the English manner, the first quarter is likely the obviously placement for any marks of differencing but has already been claimed by the Sovereign's crest.  Thus, the heralds opted to use the honor point, or center, for adding differencing marks.

I've added a small selection of the various arms in the Order of St. John illustrating these differencing marks. 

The coat of arms of the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John,
HM King Charles III.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John bears unique arms reserved only for the Sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III.  In these arms, we see the Order of the Garter belt taking precedence over St. John's Amalfi cross and draped with the black sash and Sovereign's badge.  In chief, we see the arms of the Order of St. John, where unfortunately, the Royal crest gets shrunk way too much in my opinion.  

Still, however, I love how this rendering came together and strikes a regal note.

Arms of the Order of St. John's Eye Hospital Group.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Eye Hospital Group features an abstract representation of an eye with the Amalfi cross in the center.  The rather intricate blazon was recently shared with me: "a voided and pointed Ellipse fesswise Sable enclosing a Pellet conjoined to a Decrescent and Increscent Vert throughout and charged with a Maltese Cross Argent."

Arms of the Order of St. John's Priory in Kenya.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Priory of Kenya do not use a traditional European eschuteon but rather a native one which seems more appropriate.  The Priory's differencing mark also matches in shape and comes from the national flag. 

Arms of the Order of St. John's Commandery in Western Australia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Commandery in Western Australia features a black swan atop three lines of barry wavy.  

Top 10 Favorite Renderings of 2024

Contenders, but alas, not finalists for the top 10 favorite renderings.
Row 1 (L-R):  Trinity Washington University, Sisters of St. Augustine, St. Joseph's Academy
Row 2 (L-R): Mundelein College, St. Paul's Harvard Square, St. Peter's Abbey
Row 3 (L-R):  St. Peter's Seminary and the George Washington University
Arms rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Happily lost in the world of digital heraldry throughout the better part of 2024, I quickly noticed something surprising to my somewhat judgmental eyes which recalled an observation made by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  To paraphrase the great American heraldic designer, la Rose posited as a blazon falls into the hands of an artist, the draughtsmanship ultimately renders the verdict on whether or not a coat of arms is both clear and perspicuous.  Not that I am by any stretch close to mastering digital heraldry, but it is evident that when certain design principles are followed a poorly emblazoned coat of arms can be transformed for the better.  

The other observation I've noticed from the artist's chair is consistency wins the day.  I've stuck to, more or less, the standard heater shield shape, bold colors, thick outlines, and no shading (only because I haven't learned that yet).  Looking back now on probably a hundred or so arms completed, I do find applied consistency in this particular art form is beautiful, especially when grouping together different arms.

So, from that large well, I am sharing my top 10 favorite renderings memorable in my learning process.  Enjoy!

Top 10 Favorite Heraldic Renderings for 2024

10.  St. Thomas Choir School

Arms of St. Thomas Choir School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

St. Thomas Choir School is a foundational school attached to St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  The design made the list for the very reason that my rendering of the open and inscribed book marked a first instance for me in going out on a limb and trying something new.  What was that?  Adding medieval style musical notes to help fill in space while also providing additional reference to the school's purpose.  

The school's arms were designed in 1963 by The Rev. Canon Edward N. West (1909-1990).

9.  College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham

Arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of
Our Lady of Walsingham.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

O England's Nazareth!  All the world shall come to Walsingham.  If one were to name their heraldic blog in dedication to Our Lady of Walsingham, then it behooves the owner to get cracking on an emblazonment of those arms.  The primary obstacle in my way of rendering the College of Guardians' design was the Holy House found in dexter canton.  

If the reader only knew how many hours I spent trying every shortcut I could think of to nail that holy place!  When I finally admitted that I will need to begin from scratch things began to fall in place.  The Guardians' arms were granted by the College of Arms in 1945 and the blazon simply reads, "Argent, on a cross Sable five lilies slipped and seeded proper, on a canton Azure a holy house Or."  So, the artist is completely at liberty to design precisely the Holy House at Walsingham.  

My version of the Holy House at Walsingham.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I tried to keep everything symmetrical, clear, and avoiding too much detail in the composition of the Holy House as seen above.  Is it perfect?  Eh, no but represents some growth in this new medium.

8.  Princeton University 

Arms of Princeton University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

When it comes to corporate heraldry, I'm reluctant to say whether or not a design is good or bad.  Why?  Because I know to those attached to the organization have a symbol they're proud of and represents them.  In the case of Princeton, however, I've never cared for the shield shape and rendering that dominates the university's symbolic representation.  Princeton officially adopted its coat of arms in 1896 and perhaps the shield's shape was meant to appear ancient and distinguished.  

Armorial flag of Princeton University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

This rendering made me fall in love in with Princeton's simplicity in its design of arms.  Remember, Princeton's arms were assumed in the great American tradition just as those earlier Ivy League institutions devised their own.  

I say use the standard heater shield shape and join me in my new love affair of these arms!

7.  Woodberry Forest School (WFS)

Seal and arms of Woodberry Forest School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of this Virginia preparatory school--much like Princeton--never wooed me in how the school presents them.  The eradicated pine trees were far too small in between a rather skinning chevron on the field.  Fill the field, I say, and be bold!  I would love to know who designed these arms and any rationale too.  My theory is that the chevron comes from the Walker arms honoring the school's founder while the three eradicated fir or pine trees create a cant or heraldic pun on forest.

The challenge of creating a seal with the arms while working in the school's motto was quite fun.    

Armorial flag of Woodberry Forest School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how lovely WFS's arms appear as an armorial flag.

When I applied my methods to WFS' arms, I loved the simplicity and plausible meaning of the design, earning it a spot on the 2024 top 10 list.

6. Lenox School

Arms of Lenox School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Lenox School's arms were an early favorite of mine designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) in 1930.  Moreover, these arms brought me in contact with the school's active alumni association which still carries on Lenox's legacy in spite of the school's closure years ago.

The design is also a classic la Rose method of what I call an "Americanization" of arms from the old world, and in this design the arms of the Duke of Richmond and Lenox.  Given the volume of designs created by la Rose during his career, there's no wonder why he needed multiple methods of differencing his designs.  Click here to read more on Lenox's coat of arms.

5.  St Edward's Seminary  

Arms of St. Edward's Seminary.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

This Roman Catholic seminary in Washington State has long since closed its doors to priestly formation and barely one letter remains detailing la Rose's design for the school's coat of arms.  Preserving the design became an essential matter for me.  When I finished my first rendering I simply sat back and smiled--I dare felt as though I was the first person to ever see these arms in full color!  

I've since tinkered a bit and refined a few items as I've learned more about the design software; however, I still believe the arms have never seen color much less digitization.  A win for la Rose!

Click here to read more about St. Edward's Seminary arms.

4.  Undergraduate Residence Halls, The University of the South

Small selection of arms of various undergraduate residential halls at
the University of the South.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Around 2018, all the undergraduate residence halls at the University of the South located in Sewanee, Tennessee received their own armorial flags designed by Dr. J. Waring McCrady.  McCrady designed the arms for the university and its schools back in the early 1980s and these 19 designs are in some manner his magnum opus.

Well, I love a challenge.  McCrady's designs for the residence halls were purely done in flag form and I wanted to translate them into shields.  Moreover, no blazons could be found but save a layman's description of each in the University Archives.  From that sheet, I took up the challenge.

The arms of Dr. J. Waring McCrady of Sewanee, TN.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Above are a few of those designs that I really enjoyed putting together.  I found it particularly moving to render McCrady's arms as well, admiring the many contributions he has made both to the university and the field of heraldry.

3.  Hampden-Sydney College 

The arms of Hampden-Sydney College in various shield shapes.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of Hampden-Sydney College, devised in 1976 by the College of Arms in London, caught my eye as an applicant to the school.  Upon admission, I became smitten and caught the heraldry bug.  The College's arms started it all for me!  

The armorial flag of Hampden-Sydney College.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Moreover, my first sketch for an armorial flag was for Hampden-Sydney in 2014, in pencil no less.  Then I could only dream of seeing a digital or even physical version of the flag.  I now have my flag flying from my front porch.  Being able to render both this past year was a real highlight for this proud alumnus.

Here's to "a glass of the finest."  Please click here to learn more about Hampden-Sydney College's arms.

2. The University of the South

The achievement of arms of the University of the South.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Again and again Sewanee's heraldry presented me with numerous challenges in rendering the various designs of the university.  Honestly, I put off working on this group until the very last to help keep my frustration at bay.  The Sewanee tressure and its many nuances took numerous tries, as I was being exacting in recreating it just as McCrady had done.  

The armorial flag of the University of the South.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I wanted to complete all of the university's assets that McCrady created--badge, crest, supporters, and so forth.  As I said I enjoy a challenge...My tressure breakthrough was an honest to goodness accident and led me to learn what a "clipping mask," is!  

The University Badge conceived by Dr. McCrady.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

To say I was over the moon once finished is an understatement.  Getting Sewanee's arms dialed in took a lot of time and patience.  

Please click here to learn more about Sewanee's heraldry.

1. The Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem 

Row 1 (L-R): Arms of the Order of St John and the US Priory.
Row 2 (L-R): Arms of the Priories of England and Canada.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

On 19 April this year I received the news of a lifetime when my name appeared in the London Gazette as newly appointed Member of the Order of St. John.  Truly, I was blown away and humbled by this high honor.  While I was naturally drawn to the chivalric and heraldic traditions of St. John, I also deeply appreciate the philanthropy and service we give freely in the order's name.

I wanted to render the arms of my priory here in the US using la Rose's style bald eagle in the blue roundel and see if I could make a contribution in this manner.  Well, it worked after numerous attempts.  And then as if to accept yet another challenge, I wanted to render all 11 priories and 5 commanderies of the Order across the globe.

And then I had an idea...

The arms of the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John,
His Majesty King Charles III.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

A friend and colleague in the Order shared with me how the arms of the Sovereign appear for the Order of St. John, something I had never seen before.  Could I possibly recreate these arms?  I wanted to try!

And what a challenge it presented too.  Learning how to weave the Order of the Garter's beelt through the Order of St. John's eight-pointed cross was one challenge, and then trying to figure out how to create the sash and badge was another.  Above are the arms of His Majesty King Charles III as Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John.

The badge of the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Rendering the arms of the Order of St. John and those of the Sovereign Head and Grand Prior come in at number one for me as my favorite renderings of 2024.  

The armorial flag of the Order of St. John.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In so many wonderful ways, these designs showcase my growth in learning digital heraldry and creative problem solving.  I've had a blast spending time will all the designs I've been fortunate to render and look forward to creating more in 2025.

Heraldic Freedom & Preservation

Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

'There are no mistakes, just happy accidents," the famous American artist Bob Ross (1942-1995) so wisely quipped.  Indeed, my journey into the ever-expansive world of Adobe Illustrator and digital heraldic design has been marked by more "happy accidents," than not.  Interestingly enough, whenever I've made a digital error, somehow the design ends up working and unintentionally solved a problem I was facing.  For this and other reasons I quickly fell in love with the ability to bring to digital life and in full color coats of arms.  

Colored pencil drawing from 2014.

This whole artwork business really commenced back in 2014 as I began my studies in heraldry.  I wanted art for this blog simply because I am a visual learner; moreover, heraldry was intended to live in full color and amplifies any fact or opinion on the subject.

Around 2015, digital heraldry was beginning to take off and those artists available for commission priced me out of the market.  My solution:  colored pencils!

Case in point, please see this amateur drawing of my coat of arms from that time period (never mind the dogwood's flowering variety) to the left.  While dreaming of having a full color digital emblazonment of my arms, pencil and ruler brought me closer to those nuances known abstractly in the art and science of heraldry.

And there were many, many happy little accidents.

I will state it is hard to image that 10 years later, I would be able to solve my own problem and produce plenty of artwork for this blog.

Vector format designed
in 2024.

This year kicked off working with a young digital heraldic artist in Europe who kindly put up with all my requests.  As his free time for commissions became challenging, I knew I needed to pursue other options.  The pressing issue for me was a need for many renderings to use in my presentation at the heraldic congress in Boston.  With "my go to guy" out of commission, I was beginning to worry.  

Enter Adobe Illustrator.  Following a successful pass in Canva piecing together various assets for the American Heraldry Society, I felt empowered to leap to the next level.  

Freedom.  Literally true heraldic freedom; I now have the tools to complete armorial ensigns as I choose.  As a result of the is newfound freedom, I made a decision to focus on those American corporate arms in danger of extinction in the digital age.  What do I mean by extinction?  We truly have a great heraldic tradition in the US born from the early 20th Century onwards; however, many of those institutions which once bore arms have since closed or retired their armorial bearings.  Think Harvard Law, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Calhoun College at Yale are just a few examples of how culture can impact symbols and their ascribed meaning.  Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) rendered numerous designs for schools whose doors have since been shuttered and their archives scattered. 

The retired arms of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA.
The "cathedral of the Confederacy," retired the design in 2015.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

La Rose's proposed design for St. Norbert's College in De Pare, WI in 1925.
The College did not adopt this design.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Even those designs for arms which were not adopted are worthy of preservation and study.  I am simply having the time of my life with the ability to render historical corporate coats of arms.  My next article will feature my 2024 Top 10 Favorite Renderings.

The Arms of Church of the Advent Boston

Seal and coat of arms of Church of the Advent Boston.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

You cannot have Advent without the Advent...Boston that is.  Hands-down my favorite Anglo-Catholic parish in the Episcopal Church, I have had several deeply spiritual experiences living into the beautiful liturgies at Church of the Advent Boston.  Founded in 1884 in the Back Bay area of Boston--Brimmer Street to be precise--Advent is simply the best of Anglo-Catholic liturgy and theology and well worth a pilgrimage.   

The parish has a special connection to Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) who Shand Tucci (1975) notes Advent became the headquarters for a new gothic liturgical movement which Cram would help advance.  Moreover, Cram's first commissions were completed at Advent Boston, such as the furnishings in the Lady Chapel.  By understanding Cram's origins in his "gothic quest" we can begin to understand his friendship with Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) and their heraldic partnership.  I've posted the link to Shand Tucci's (1975) article below and commend it to the reader.

Coat of arms of Church of the Advent Boston.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Initially, I suspected that la Rose may have had a hand in designing the parish's arms given Cram's relationship to the parish as well as the gothic wafer design so prominently used by la Rose.  I was wrong.  

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and Church of the Advent Boston.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The parish seal and coat of arms were designed in 1923 by parishioner Robert Turner Walker (1867-1931).  According to Church of the Advent (n.d.), the trumpet in pale references the Second Advent as told in the Book of Revelation, and the three crowns comprised of alternating crosses patee and fleurs-de-lis identifies the parish within the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts whose arms contain the same crowns.  La Rose designed the arms for the Diocese of Massachusetts in 1906.

Furthermore, the charges in dexter quarter also bear meaningful symbolism as Church of the Advent (n.d.) notes:

"In the upper left quadrant is the red cross of St George, badge of England, surmounted by a circle containing wavy blue and white lines. The lines symbolize water, and the heraldic device is called a fountain and represents a well or spring. This may allude to our roots in the Church of England, but Cross + Well is also a rebus for Croswell, our first Rector."

The parish's arms make a lovely armorial flag as well.

Banner of arms, Church of the Advent Boston.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Works Cited

Church of the Advent Boston (n.d.). The parish seal.  Church of the Advent Boston.

Shand Tucci, D. (1975).  Ralph Adams Cram & Mrs. Gardiner: The movement for a liturgical art.  Fenway Court, pp. 27-34 https://issuu.com/gardnermuseum/docs/1975_web

Cram's Scholastic Heraldry

The arms of Groton School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The father of "collegiate gothic" architecture, Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) received a lot notoriety for his depth of knowledge regarding the art and science of heraldry but rarely do we see specific examples of his armorial designs rendered for US corporate bodies.  

The earliest known scholastic coat of arms designed by Cram are those of the Groton School located in Groton, Massachusetts.  According to Groton School (2009), the arms were unveiled in 1902 and blazoned:  Argent, on a cross Gules a sword with point to base hilt enfiling a crown Argent on a chief Sable three open books edged with two clasps Argent.

In my rendering above, I wanted to solve one problem I kept seeing in various emblazonments of Groton's arms, namely that the crown tends to get lost with the sword's hilt when everything is kept white.  By using various shades of white to silver for the sword's hilt and pommel, the crown is able to pop and become more evident in arms.  

The arms of Wellesley College.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Following a devastating fire in 1914 on the Massachusetts campus of Wellesley College, Cram was commissioned to help rebuild the charred grounds.  According to Wellesley College (1918) we learn about how the college's arms came to be:

"During various discussions that occurred with Messrs. Day & Klauder and other architects the desire was often expressed that the College should have a coat-of-arms. Mr. Day called attention to the fact that the seal of a college should not be used as a heraldic device on buildings. It was Mr. Davenport of the Board of Trustees who became interested in securing a coat-of-arms for the College, and asked the privilege of taking the initiative in the matter.  On consultation with Mr. Cram, Mr. Davenport asked Mr. William T. Aldrich of Boston to prepare a coat- of-arms for the College. Various designs were considered, and finally in June, 1917, he presented to the Trustees a coat- of-arms which had been prepared by Mr. Aldrich and approved by Mr. Cram. This design was accepted as the coat- of-arms of Wellesley College. The heraldic reading is as follows: 

Blazon: Azure, on an open ancient book the words "Incipit Vita Nova" on a chief Or, a cross crosslet of the field between two fountains" (pp 21-22).

Contemporary emblazonments of Wellesley's arms show five clasps on the open and inscribed book, and for this reason I added clasps to my rendering above.  The official blazon noted in Wellesley (1918) does not have have clasps on the book.

So, while Cram did not design Wellesley College's arms, he "approved" them.  I included these arms simply because it was important enough for the college to mention Cram's nod to the design and thus relevant to our discussion regarding his scholastic heraldry.

William T. Aldrich (1880-1966) was an architect in Boston who was later commissioned in the 1930s by Wellesley College to design a sports center.  At the moment I cannot find any other heraldic designs by Aldrich.  Perhaps Wellesley's was a one-off? 

The arms of Rollins College.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The coat of arms of Rollins College is the other known work in scholastic heraldry by Cram.  Rollins College, located in Winter Park, Florida, was established in 1885 by the Congregational Church.  Zang (2019) notes that the college adopted Cram's design in 1933 and adds: 

"[Rollins' coat of arms] carries a blue St. Andrew’s cross on a gold shield. In addition to the college motto in Latin, it also incorporates the key elements of a rising sun and cascading water below from the College Seal. The two swords emblazoned on the cross were taken from the Coat of Arms of the family of Alonzo Rollins (1832-1887), the initial donor of the College. The book above the cross is a symbol of knowledge, and the emblem below designates a natural spring as a representation of Ponce de Leon’s famous Fountain of Youth." 

The arms of Rollins College are blazoned:  Or, on a cross saltire Azure two swords in saltire Argent pommel and hilt Or between in chief an open book with two clasps proper and a fountain in base

Should more examples of Cram's designs in scholastic heraldry come to light, I'll promptly update this article.

Works Cited

Groton School. (2009). Groton School Quarterly, LXXI, 3, p.3

https://issuu.com/grotonschool/docs/quarterly_2009_fall/4

Wellesley College. (1918 December).  Annual reports of the President and Treasurer of Wellesley College 1916-1918, series 7, no. 6.  

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Annual_Reports_of_the_President_and_Trea/odgiAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Annual+Reports+of+the+President+and+Treasurer+of+Wellesley+College+1916-1918&pg=PP7&printsec=frontcover  

Zang, W. (2019). Branding Rollins: A brief history of college logos and other institutional symbols. Rollins Archives.  

https://blogs.rollins.edu/libraryarchives/2019/05/29/branding-rollins-a-brief-history-of-college-logos-and-other-institutional-symbols/

More Designs by Temple

My variation for a seal with the arms of the City of Fredericksburg
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In 1971, Temple's (1911-2004) armorial design for the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia was officially adopted by the city.  Packed with meaning and references for Fredericksburg, Temple's design is blazoned:  Argent, on a cross saltire Azure two ostrich feathers in saltire Or on an ineschuteon Gules the crown of Charlemagne Or.  

The arms of Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The design of arms Temple devised for Tift College which was located in Forsyth, Georgia was adopted by the school in 1965 (Stone, 1969, p.173).  Tift College merged in 1986 with Mercer College and thus these arms are no longer extant. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about Tift College's arms as I had finally located an official blazon; click here to read about Temple's design of arms for Tift College.   

The blazon of arms for Tift College is: Argent, a cross Sable with a maltese cross of the first, on a chief Azure three roses Or barbed Vert (Tift, 1967, p.107).

The coat of arms of Augustine Parish
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

The arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Maryland were covered in my previously article on Temple's design; without hard evidence its entirely likely that Temple created these arms.  I've sent correspondence to Augustine Parish inquiring about design information for their coat of arms which I rendered above and added the processional cross which he used in a few designs.

Blazon for the arms of Augustine Parish:  Per pale Argent and Vert, in base two arrows in saltire Argent with points to chief surmounted by a winged spur Or and a canton of Calvert (Paly of six Or and Sable a bend counterchanged).

The arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena, Montana.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

Dekay (1993) provides both the blazon and design rationale for the arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena Montana; however no designer is named.  Based on the illustration in DeKay (1993) this coat is highly suspicious in that Temple most likely designed the cathedral's arms.  The line dancetty abstractly refers to the Rocky Mountains, the gold base comes from the arms of the first bishop of the Diocese of Montana, and the black cross patee honors the first vicar of St. Peter's.  I will send the cathedral a request for design information in the coming days.

Blazon for the arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena, Montana:  Per fess dancetty Azure and Or in chief a civic crown Argent charged with two keys in saltire Gules in a base a cross patee Sable (DeKay, 1993, p.109).

The arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke located in Orlando, Florida is another design likely created by Temple.  I happened upon these arms randomly and the canton immediately raised an eye brow towards Temple.  While I cannot locate a design rationale, the white canton and red cross saltire makes a clear reference to Florida's flag and the fleam is often attributed as a charge for St. Luke the "surgeon."  I rather like this simple design.

Blazon for the arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida:  Pean, on a canton Argent a cross saltire Gules charged with a fleam Or.

The arms of the Cathedral Church of St. James in South Bend, Indiana.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Dekay (1993) credits Temple for designing the arms for the Cathedral Church of St. James in South Bend, Indiana blazoned:  Azure, three bendlets Or on a canton Gules an escallop Argent (p.112).  The escallop is an attributed charge for St. James the Greater while the three gold lines mimic the waters left in the wake of St. James' missionary travels by ship.  I also like this simple design.

One thing remains clear, Temple loved a canton and he utilized them well. 

Works Cited

Dekay, E. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

Stone, E.W. (1969).  Yesterday at Tift.  Foote & Davies.

Tift College (1967).  Chiaroscuro [yearbook].  The Chiaroscuro Collections, Special Collections and University Archives, Mercer University, Macon, GA.  http://hdl.handle.net/10898/10928 

Temple's Ecclesiastical Heraldry

Anchored by the arms of the Episcopal Church, select ecclesiastical arms
designed by Col. Harry D. Temple.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

After emblazoning several designs created by Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004), I've admittedly become smitten with his work in scholastic, civic, and ecclesiastical heraldry.  As head of the US Army's Institute of Heraldry, Temple naturally devised a lot of military heraldry but I have little interest there. 

The researcher in me has already started a "Temple Roll of Arms" to begin collecting data on Temple's non-military designs, and I easily gathered 20 so far.  I know more exist.  Challenge accepted!

From what I gather based on my data so far, Temple's ecclesiastical work was mainly within the Episcopal Church and primarily designing arms for cathedrals and parishes.  However, there are at least two designs for Episcopal dioceses--Dioceses of Virginia and Georgia.  

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Dekay (1993) cites Temple desiging the arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in 1971, blazoned:  Sable, three lymphads Or, on a chief Argent a cross Gules.  His simple design for the diocese ties together Virginia's settlement of Jamestown through the ships as well as its Anglican heritage with the chief of St. George.  Again, lovely and simple.  

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Temple's design for the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia was adopted by the see in 1971 and blazoned: Azure, on a bend engrailed Or cottised Argent, a boar's head couped Gules armed Argent and langued Azure between two roses Argent seeded and barbed Or.

The following design rationale comes from the Diocese of Georgia's Archives:

"The symbolism and description in modern language is this: The wide wavy-edged diagonal band is gold and is taken from the Elliott coat of arms in honor of the Right Reverend Stephen Elliott, the first bishop of Georgia. The two thin parallel stripes are of silver and are memorials to Dr. Thomas Bray, to whom the Episcopal Church in Georgia traces its beginning, and Dr. Henry Herbert, the first English priest in Georgia.

The boar’s head is from the arms of General James Oglethorpe, who brought the Church of England to Georgia in 1733. It is colored red.

The two roses, whose petals are silver with sepals and pistils of gold, symbolize the Church’s service to Georgia – the Cherokee rose is the State flower.

The rose at the upper right represents the Diocese of Georgia of the Episcopal Church in the United States, while the one at the lower left memorializes the Diocese of Georgia of the Episcopal Church of the Confederate States of America."

The arms of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Temple virtually cornered the market devising arms for cathedrals in the Episcopal Church and set the standard for placing a mace and crozier in saltire behind his armorial designs for cathedrals.   One source I saw recently attributes Temple for designing 32 coats of arms for Episcopal cathedrals.  I've recently emblazoned a few and included below, selected purely based on my biased opinions.

Temple cleverly employed gyronny in the base of arms for Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona to mimic the state's flag--both in design and colors yielding geographic identification.  Employing three cross-crosslet fitchy provides a fitting number for the Holy Trinity.  Dekay (1993) notes that Trinity became the cathedral for the Diocese of Arizona in 1988 and thus these arms were likely created around that time with the following blazon:  Gyronny of twelve Or and Gules, on a chief Azure three crosses-crosslet fitchy Argent.

The arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Temple's design for the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky we see a similar scheme used as in the arms for the Diocese of Virginia--still simple and clear however.  The chief readily identifies the Anglican nature of the institution while three golden fleurs-de-lis honor the city's namesake with charges from the French royal arms.  The ineschuteon at the honor point narrows the identification by abstractly illustrating the monogram for Jesus Christ with a red coronet for Christ's kingship and crucifixion, according to Dekay (1993).

Blazon for the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky:  Azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or, on a chief Argent a cross Gules in honor point an ineschuteon Or charged with a Chi-Rho Sable enfiling a coronet Gules. 

The arms of Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

For Trinity Cathedral's coat of arms, Temple leaned into local history by incorporating barry wavy lines to reference George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.  Dekay (1993) adds that the three celestial crowns refer to the cathedral's merger of All Saints' Parish and Trinity Parish in order to form the present cathedral community.  The star is a reference to the state of New Jersey.

The blazon for the arms of Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey:  Sable, on a chevron barry wavy Argent and Azure fimbriated Or a mullet Or between three celestial crowns Or.

The arms of Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) in Easton, Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Here is another of Temple's cathedral designs, the arms of Trinity Cathedral seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Easton in Maryland.  It is important to note that the diocese itself does not bear arms but rather uses a simple seal, thus providing some challenges for any heraldic designer.  The canton--and ducal coronet--makes a clear reference to the Lord Baltimore's arms thus placing the owner in Maryland. 

Dekay (1993) gives the blazon for the arms of Trinity Cathedral in Easton, Maryland as:  Argent, on a chevron Gules three ducal coronets Or in base a cross patonce Sable, a canton paly Or and Sable with a bend counterchanged.

The arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Temple's design for an Episcopal parish located in the Diocese of Easton, we find the same canton illustrating unification of parish to the ordinary's cathedra.  At the moment I do not have definitive evidence of Temple's hand in designing St. Augustine's arms, but I'm willing to bet given the use of the canton in both arms, which in the parish's case also references the gift of land by Lord Baltimore.  As always, I'll be in contact with the parish to see what evidence is available and update this post as necessary.

From Augustine Parish website:

"St. Augustine Church, originally called the Manor Chapel, was one of the 30 churches paying tithes to the Bishop of London in 1690. It was the place of worship for the early settlers of Bohemia Manor, an estate of several thousand acres granted to Augustine Herman by Lord Baltimore in 1660 for surveying and mapping Maryland environs.  Herman, who was born in Prague in the early part of the seventeenth century, came to America to seek is fortune. He subsequently became the first naturalized citizen of the colony and a prominent historical figure in Maryland." 

Blazon of the arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Chesapeake City, Maryland: Per fess Argent and Vert in base two arrows in saltire points up Argent surmounted by a winged spur Or a canton paly Or and Sable with a bend counterchanged.

The retired arms of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Lastly, I want to highlight one of Temple's most controversial designs for arms which became newsworthy in 2015.  St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond, Virginia was known as "the cathedral of the Confederacy."  According to Graham (2023), St. Paul's accepted Temple's design in 1967, the arms blazoned:  Azure, cursily Or a sword palewise Argent hilted and pommelled Or, on a canton Gules fimbriated Argent a saltire Azure fimbriated Argent charged with a mullet Or.

The rationale is fairly clear:  the blue field and gold cross-crosslets reference the arms of the Episcopal Church while the sword in pale is associated with St. Paul.  The canton, however, is where things get messy and abstractly mimics the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.  The canton likely is a tribute to the parish's role as a house of prayer during the Civil War.  

By 2015, our society began an awakening through Black Lives Matter and many organizations began taking stock of names and symbols that exclude others.  St. Paul's began cleaning house and Temple's design of arms for the parish were quickly retired.  I will say that I do find the design simple and beautiful.  I chose to render the arms for sake of preservation in future studies of American heraldry.  Otherwise, I'm afraid, this design would be effectively erased.  

Having gone back through this post while adding several more of Temple's designs than originally planned, I must admit my visual delight in seeing his work rendered digitally in full color.  It does appear that cantons, ineschuteons, and chiefs are Temple's "go-to" in many of his heraldic designs.  Regardless, I am completely a Temple fan now and can't wait to explore and find more of his work.

Works Cited

Dekay, E. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

Graham, C.A. (2023). Faith, race, and the Lost Cause: Confessions of a southern church.  University of Virginia Press.