In Recognition of 'Good' Heraldry

Past recipients of the AHS Design Award
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
Click to enlarge

Of course good heraldry can be a rather subjective judgement.  I can hear a certain former mother-in-law exclaiming, "there's no accounting for taste!"  My philosophy of corporate heraldry falls into a transcendentalism world view rooted in the power we humans ascribe symbols for not just identification, but for representation.  More on all this later.  As such, I'm cautious to tear apart or degrade a coat of arms--regardless if I believe the design is efficacious or not--because someone somewhere believes to be represented by those arms.  So, I settle on whether or not a given design is clear and perspicuous, nothing more.  

In a sense, the American Heraldry Society believes something similar, accomplished through its Pierre de Chaignon la Rose Design Award.  Here's my write up for the award that I use for the election.

"Established in 2006, the Society's annual award is named in honor of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), the great American heraldic designer who led a revival in American heraldry during the early twentieth century.  The purpose of the award is to encourage and support excellence in American heraldry by recognizing coat of arms that provide the bearer with a strong public identity embodying the best heraldic design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic.

"Nominees for the award represent corporate bodies from academic, military, civic, religious, or social organizations whose coat of arms exemplifies the best in heraldic design. The arms must have been designed in the United States. The designs are nominated by the Society’s membership; finalists are selected by the Board of Governors."

Fairly straightforward.  To the point, I really like how we recognize those organizations proudly using their arms--most are rather surprised when they hear from us regarding such an award.  I think its important to provide education regarding sound heraldry by recognizing those designs selected by the Society.  Click here to see the AHS webpage for the design award.  

Recently, I was asked to render all the past recipients so that we could add all the arms to our new website and maintain a consistent design--see above!  Both la Rose and Col. Harry D. Temple have designs recognized by the award over the years.  One of my alma maters, The School of Theology at The University of the South received the award in 2024.  Click here to read about the 2024 recipient.  

Arms of the Gov. John R. Rogers High School ROTC
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The first recipient of the design award was Gov. Rogers HS ROTC, located in Pullyup, WA and whose arms were designed by the US Army's Institute of Heraldry in 1999.

Check out their blazon:  Celeste a pile reversed dancette of three the pale enhanced Argent below and between two demi-rams salient combatant armed and unguled Gold Brown

Arms of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe received the award in 2009 , and were designed by Professor Brian Abel Ragen of Southern Illinois University.  The arms are blazoned:  Tierced in chapé Vert and Argent a bunch of roses Gules leaved and slipped Vert.

Arms of the San Francisco Fog Rugby Club
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Finally, a rather cool design, the arms of the San Francisco Fog Rugby Club received the Society's award in 2007.  I like how the nebuly sort of resembles the famous fog in the Bay area.  Designed by Pete Arden and blazoned:  Barry nebuly of six Argent and Azure, on a bend Sable three mullets of the first.

Recent Finds Part III

Coat of arms, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, LA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Finding well done US corporate heraldry on the Internet continues to inspire me--it's somewhat coincidental that the majority of arms found are from parishes in the Episcopal Church.  I will change up my keyword searches for some variety down the road.  I've included a few of my favorites from the latest batch which I've rendered, staying as faithful as I can to the images in the absence of blazons.

First up, St. Luke's in Baton Rouge.  For St. Luke's the "bordure" is the Diocese of Louisiana.  Clear, clean, and well done heraldry.  

Coat of arms, Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Thomaston, ME
Rendered by Chad Krouse

The coat of arms of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Thomaston, Maine was a fun discovery.  It's a coastal town, hence the fountain and the use of the Amalfi cross for John the Baptist is spot on too.  A lovely and simple design.   

Coat of arms, St. James Episcopal Church, Zanesville, OH
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The coat of arms of St. James Episcopal Church in Zanesville, Ohio avoided the traditional arrangement of three escallops, opting for one shell charged on a sword.  I think the sword references the city's role in hosting scores of Union troops during the Civil War.

Coat of arms, St. Peter's-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Bayshore, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

One more red shield, but oh boy it's a good one.  The coat of arms of St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Bayshore, NY nailed it by using the traditional crossed keys of St. Peter in an original way.  In fact, I would venture to say that this may be the best heraldic identification for a parish dedicated to Peter that I've seen. 

Coat of arms, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Walla Walla, WA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Here's another splendid variation on a saint's attributed arms--the coat of arms of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Walla Walla, Washington.  I'm guessing with the Columbia River nearby, the barry wavy readily explains itself as does the sword in pale with point to base (for St. Paul).  Original heraldry!

Coat of arms, Christ Church, Pelham, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The next two examples are rather interesting.  The arms on the left for Christ Church Pelham, NY can be seen in one of the parish's stained glass windows; however, a processional banner and current wordmarks show the arms on the right.  My guess is that the canton was not popular enough to stand the test of time.  

Coat of arms, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Southern Pines, NC
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The exact same issue occurs with the coat of arms of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines, NC.  The arms on the left can be found in one of the stained glass windows of the church, in addition to a processional banner actively used!  I believe the stained glass version includes the Blessed Virgin Mary and Christ child in pale.  Yet, the arms on the right are used in marketing word marks to identify the parish.  I believe the flowers are dogwood flowers--the official flower of the State of North Carolina.  However, without a blazon, its anyones guess.  Still, nice arms.

Both of these latter examples show how two parish coats of arms have seemingly evolved over time--likely those rendered in stained glass were the original arms only to be amended in time.  Why?  Possibly due to a parish leader's belief that "more" is needed in the design in order for the arms to be "more" dignified.  Both arms in stained glass, in my opinion, are perfectly acceptable.  

Finding Patterns in Temple's Heraldry

Four ecclesiastical coats of arms by Col. Harry D. Temple
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
click to enlarge

Searching the Internet for what I deem to be "good" US corporate heraldry has yielded quite a few finds.  For this article, I want to highlight a few themes (or patterns) in the data so far likely identifying the designer.

Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) was a proliferate heraldic designer in the Episcopal Church, active from the mid-to-late twentieth century.  While he was head of the US Army's Institute on Heraldry, he must have been a devout Episcopalian given the sheer volume of arms he produced for cathedrals and parishes.  To date, I've only discovered two coats of arms for Episcopal dioceses designed by Temple--Virginia and Georgia.  The Diocese of Virginia, however, plays an integral part in one theme under examination here.  

Coat of arms of Christ Church in Alexandria, VA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The chief of St. George, argent a cross throughout gules, is seen in two known arms by Temple as illustrated above in the top row--Diocese of Virginia and Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, KY.  Two designs that I found recently play perfectly into this design scheme, St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg and Christ Church Alexandria, both in Northern Virginia.  In these two later coats of arms, we see Temple adding differencing marks in the chief for variation.  Due to Christ Church's geographic location in Washington, DC, the undifferenced arms of Washington are used in chief--kind of brilliant I think.

Blazon for the arms of Christ Church Alexandria:  Azure, three lymphads Or on a chief Argent two bars and three mullets in chief Gules. 

Coat of arms of St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg, VA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

St. James' avoids using the traditional three escallops and places one at fesspoint on the chief.  The checky base comes from the Lee arms to play on the geographic location of the parish    

Blazon for the arms of St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg, VA:  Checky Or and Azure, on a chief Ermine a cross throughout Gules charged at fesspoint with an escallop Or.  

I feel very confident attributing the designs of Christ Church and St. James to Temple--once a designer has developed her or his framework for illustrating unification and differencing, those designs tend to be repeated and variated throughout their work.  I learned this lesson through my research on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).

Another example of Temple's framework showing unification through the canton
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Another example of Temple's framework for showing unification can be shown above in the arms of Augustine Parish (left) and Trinity Cathedral (right) in the Diocese of Easton.  

Temple's framework using the canton for differencing
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Temple also used the canton for differencing and/or to provide additional historical facts/names/etc. for the corporate arms in question.  Here we see (left) Cathedral of St. James in South Bend, IN, (center) St. Luke's Cathedral in Orlando, FL, and (right) the retired arms of St. Paul's Parish in Richmond, VA.

Likely another example of Temple's framework for unification
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Finally, I'm currently on the hunt for evidence to support my hypothesis that these two arms were designed by Temple.  First, the canton raised my suspicion followed by the "bordure" of the arms of the diocese where the parish is located--Central Gulf Coast (left) and New Hampshire (right).  The cantons, here, provide additional geographic references--the star for Texas and the chevron between three estoiles refers to the arms of the Earls of Peterborough.

I love finding patterns in data, especially in heraldry.  Yes imitations exist, but more often than not, a designer's framework is easily recognizable once understood.  More to come. 

Recent Finds Part II

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and its cathedral
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

As I keep coming across good heraldry found online, I've taken up the challenge to render and post here for the sake of preservation.  First up, the arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas--not a new coat to me but its cathedral, Christ Church is a new one.  I like the simplicity of the cathedral's design, especially by carrying the diocese's star over and placed in dexter quarter to show unification.  The designer of the cathedral's arms, unknown to me at present, clearly knew what they were doing.

Arms of Christ Church Cathedral Houston, TX
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Blazon for the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, TX:  Argent, on a cross throughout Azure the Greek monogram for Christ (I and X) paleways Or in dexter quarter a mullet Azure.

Arms of Boutetourt Press Williamsburg, Virginia
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Here's a corporate coat of arms, those of Boutetourt Press located in Williamsburg, Virginia.  While not found on the Internet, these arms grace the dust jacket of my copy, "Hark Upon the Gale," a pictorial history book on the College of William & Mary.  I'm drawn to these arms because they are simply brilliant for a press to bear and use.  

Arms of Zion Episcopal Church, Manchester, VT
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Creating the fretty for the arms of Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester, Vermont was quite the challenge for me.  But...see how the fretty in base creates the image of a six pointed star, or the Jerusalem star?  Brilliant!

What I believe to be the arms of St. James Episcopal Church, Hendersonville, NC
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms for St. James' in Hendersonville, North Carolina were discovered carved in relief on the parish's sign.  The three golden escallops were easily identifiable and the fretty design was also visible.  As to the tinctures/metals?  The top of the fretty was painted red, so the base has to be a metal.  I tried gold and the shells truly became lost due to the field's powerful color.  So, I used Argent.  Who knows which is correct at present?

Arms of All Saints Episcopal Church, Palo Alto, CA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I like how the semy plays on the celestial crown which customarily represents "all the saints."  I think these arms were designed by The Rev. Ekford Dekay.  

Arms of All Saints Episcopal Church Peterborough, NH
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The coat of arms of All Saints Episcopal Church located in Peterborough, New Hampshire were quite fun to recreate.  The image I found for the arms was rather small and I believe the charges between the canton's chevron are estoiles.  Moreover, there's a lot of symbolism packed into this design.  I fully suspect Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) designed these arms.  The bordure contains the arms of the Diocese of New Hampshire to show the parish's unification and the canton refers to the arms of the Earls of Peterborough--argent, a chevron between as many estoiles sable.

Recent Finds

Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Every now and then I stumble upon a rather attractive coat of arms from an unknown designer living on the Internet or social media, providing its owner with a dignified symbol.  It so happens that the four designs I rendered and posted above are ecclesiastical coats from parishes in the Episcopal Church.  When the subject of heraldry in the Episcopal Church emerges, we find ourselves in the lawless deserts of the wild west.  Truly, and I mean it, anything goes...or rather seems appropriate to adorn an escutcheon.  

The other ironic feature of these four coats of arms is the clear theme of barry wavy.  Additionally, my study of these four proves once again that a decent emblazonment makes all the difference.  The modernization of these designs leave much to the imagination...Nonetheless, I am committed to preserving good corporate heraldry in the US, regardless of the designer.

Coat of Arms, St. Patrick's Episcopal Church Brewer, Maine
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

St. Patrick's Episcopal Church bears a lovely coat of arms with striking originality.  My favorite design of this set.  I only wish there was some form of geographical identification incorporated into the design--absolutely illustrate the dedication of the parish but don't go overboard!  I chose to use an ancient Celtic crozier rather than some shiny new crook.  The symmetry of the snake's head facing dexter with the crook to sinister works nicely I think.

Coat of arms, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Branford, CT
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Coat of arms, Grace Episcopal Church, Massapequa, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Coat of arms, Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston, TX
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I'll keep hunting for more.  These designs give me hope and prove that there is such a thing as good American heraldry.

Two late comers, but worthy nonetheless...

Coat of arms, Church of the Holy Trinity, New York, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 

Coat of arms, Christ Church Alexandria, VA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

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 designing 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 inescutcheon 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 inescutcheon 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.

The Arms of Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets

Arms of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As a follow up from my previous posting regarding the arms of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), I want to share another Virginian collegiate-military coat of arms from Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets.  The Corps of Cadets is a military component of Virginia Tech, a public university located in Blacksburg.  Established in 1872, the Corps of Cadets sport a rather simple and pleasant coat of arms.  

Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) from the US Army Institute of Heraldry not only designed VMI's arms but also those of his alma mater, Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.  

Designed in 1965, the Corps arms are blazoned:  Ermine, on a pale Gules a sword point upward Argent, pommel and hilt Or.

Armorial flag of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Through Temple's design for Virginia Tech, we see the sword in pale used to identify the bearer as military--the same scheme he used earlier in 1961 for VMI's coat of arms.  I appreciate and admire Temple's desire to maintain consistency in charges for identification, as I believe when viewing all arms with the associated charge makes a powerful constant in a designer's armorial.  

L-R: Arms of VMI and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets both designed
by Col. Harry D. Temple.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Seeing the two sets of arms above, I believe, furthers my argument.  Click on the label below "Harry D. Temple" to see his other designs covered.  

The Arms of Virginia Military Institute

The arms of VMI set within its famous monogram.
Created by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has its own militia, that's right.  Right next door to Washington & Lee University in Lexington, the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) has a rich legacy of producing leaders along with a strong alumni network.  Established on November 11, 1839, VMI was the first state military college at that time, and whose cadets even fought in Civil War.

Coat of arms of the Virginia Military Institute.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Devised in 1961 by Col. Harry D. Temple, the Director of the US Army Institute of Heraldry, the arms of VMI abstractly honor the institution's legacy and blazoned:  "Argent, on a cross Gules a sword in pale point upward of the first, pommel and hilt Or, surmounted by an antique lamp inflamed of the third, on a canton Sable a chevron rompu Or."  Click here to read the document from VMI's archives regarding their arms.  

The arms of the Virginia Company
granted by the College of Arms in 1619.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

From a design rationale point of view, here is a breakdown of the heraldic elements.  The red cross references the same found in the arms of the Virginia Company granted by the College of Arms in 1619.  

The sword in pale identifies the militaristic character of the school and combines this reference with the oil lamp for scholarship and learning.  The black canton and broken chevron hits a little closer to home for VMI, as this augmentation of honor references those cadets who lost their lives in the valiant charge on May 15, 1864 in the Battle of New Market.  I find the use of the chevron rompu, here, to be extremely meaningful for all in the VMI community.  

The US Army Institute of Heraldry devised a crest and motto to compliment the arms.  Consilio et Animis, or "By wisdom and courage," is truly a fitting motto for such a place.  

Concept for incorporating numerous elements into a seal.
Created by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Admittedly I had not paid VMI's arms much attention over the years--in fact I had altogether forgot about them until recently.  I'm glad I spent some time rendering VMI's arms, as Col. Temple has a great record designing all manner of corporate arms--civic, ecclesiastical, scholastic, and military.  Click here to read about Col. Temple's design of arms for Tift College.  

Banner of arms of VMI.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.