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| Impaled arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
For the longest time, I've been delaying any sort of work requiring the impaling (or marshalling) of arms. Why? I've simply never been much of a fan. The symmetry is ruined; charges get distorted in order to fit into smaller areas and the whole design just looks muddled in my mind. Well, I'm beginning to evolve on this very subject after finishing a study on several, forcing my hand to practice and learn.
This post will focus on several impalements for clergy below the rank of bishop in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition. I have another article in the works concerning personal arms of bishops
Simply put, the practice of impaling arms for clergy is a way to illustrate both the cleric's rank and office. Furthermore, the action of impaling two separate coats of arms shows a marriage of sorts--the cleric is "married" in a way to her or his cure.
The galero, cords, and tassels (external ornaments) provide the viewer with the cleric's rank denoted by the color and number of tassels surrounding the escutcheon. The office, more abstractly speaking, can be understood by the dexter (viewer's left) impalement of the arms themselves. While the rank and office may change over time and reflected by different external ornaments, the personal arms in sinister (viewer's right) and the armiger's motto do not.
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| Personal arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Take, for example, the arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West (1909-1990) who served as Canon Sacrist, and had a stint as sub-dean, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. As a canon, West was permitted to display three red tassels illustrating his rank. Moreover, I believe Canon West held six doctoral degrees (earned and honorary), and is shown with red skein in the cords pendant from the galero.
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| For illustrative purposes only, purple cords reflecting the rank of dean with red skein for the D.D. degree Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Finally, impaling the canon's arms with those of the cathedral he serves identifies the office. If West was the dean of the cathedral, his cords would be purple with red skein for the D.D. degree.
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| Impaled arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE with St. Thomas Church Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
The personal arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE (1931-2014) impaled with those of his parish, St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City, showing the same arrangement of three red tassels for a canon, but on a black and white cord based on one artifact I found. Andrew was an honorary canon and held an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree--the armiger decides whether or not to show the red skein for the D.D. which in the US is an honorary degree.
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| Personal arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
The black and white cords identify the armiger as a priest in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition. Both Andrew's personal arms and those of St. Thomas Church were devised by the College of Arms (Andrew's was a grant of arms).
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| Impaled arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten with the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Walsingham Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
The impaled arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten (1885-1958) are a bit unique. Father Hope is commemorated as the restorer of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England. While he was a priest in the Church of England, Father Hope was also the administrator of the Shrine and preferred two tassels indicating the rank of a dean in the Roman Catholic tradition.
Impaling Father Hope's arms with those of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham shows his relationship as head--or dean--of the college. Fitting and appropriate.
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| Arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
In fairness to Father Hope, the schedule and use of ecclesiastical hats for clergy was not codified by the College of Arms until 1976. Click here to see those renderings from the College of Arms.
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| Impaled arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS with those of Episcopal Parish of Alton Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
I had the honor of designing both the personal arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS, Rector of the Episcopal Parish of Alton, and his parish. As a priest, one tassel is pendant from the galero along with a cord of black and white indicating a presbyter in the Episcopal Church.
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| Personal arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Father Garron's arms are blazoned:
Arms: Argent, on a fess Sable two Mayflowers (epigaea repens) Argent barbed Vert charged with a fleur-de-lis Azure debruised by a pile Azure thereon a dove descending Argent haloed Or;
Motto: Dum Spiro Spero, “while I breathe, I hope.”
To help clearly illustrate all these differences, I've created a schedule which is more appropriate for use in the Episcopal Church.
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| Illustration of rank most appropriate for use in the Episcopal Church CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
I'm beginning to get the hang of all this marshalling business, practice certainly helps.
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