The Arms of Brookline Public Library

Brookline Public Library Coat of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Several years ago, I became obsessed with the heraldry of Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941), undeniably America's greatest heraldic designer.  La Rose, perhaps, made his greatest contributions in the fields of ecclesiastical and scholastic heraldry, advancing a design aesthetic unseen on American soil.  Prior to la Rose's explosion onto the scene, American heraldry was all over the place with plenty examples of poorly composed and designed arms.  From among the 200 or so coats that I've identified thus far designed by la Rose, there is one oddity among them that stands out, the Brookline Public Library.  The arms for the Brookline Public Library, known thus far, is the only non-academic or non-religious arms designed by la Rose.  Click here to read an updated article on the arms of Brookline Public Library.

Brookline, Massachusetts was the first town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish their own library as a result of new legislation in 1857 allowing localities to adopt taxes for this purpose.  According to Battis, Reed & Clark (2009), the library committee set aside $100 in 1910 for the creation of a seal for use as a bookplate.  Interestingly enough, this is the first and only example that I've been able to find of what la Rose charged for his design services.  According to one website which adjusts for inflation, $100 in 1910 is today the equivalent of $2,780.00.  This is not an insignificant amount!  La Rose would have likely provided a sketch and a painting of the design, since he was not an engraver.  Most likely the seal was engraved by someone else in Boston.  

The Trustees of the Public Library of Brookline (1911) published in their 54th annual report noted,

 "reference should be made to the seal of the library, especially designed for the carved medallion over the east door of the facade, which also may be used on the stationary and bookplates.  We are indebted to Mr. Pierre La Rose for the design, and to Mr. Sturgis, our architect, for the final rendering of it" (p.363).

This pieces together how la Rose most likely got involved in the library project.  

Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951) was a well-known Boston architect and most assuredly knew fellow architect Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942).  Cram and la Rose ran among similar Brahmin circles in Boston.  Based on my research, it is my belief that Cram was the one who leveraged his book of business in order to launch la Rose's heraldic career.  Early on, Cram and la Rose partnered on a number of heraldic projects within the Episcopal Church.  Before too long, Cram's firm was slammed with work.  I also believe that at some point, Cram bowed to la Rose and acknowledged the latter's expertise on the subject of heraldry.  Thus, if Cram's firm had a project requiring heraldic work, the firm would recommend la Rose to the client.  

Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Source: The Brookline Library Webpage

Brookline Public Library arms carved medallion in the pediment.
Source: The Brookline Library Flickr Site

The Bookplate created by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose in 1910.
Source: Battis, Reed & Clark (2009), page 75.

In my rendering above, I made the open book larger since it's the central charge in the arms.  The armorial bearings of Brookline Public Library is thus blazoned: Gules, an open book edged with three clasps or and inscribed SAPIENTIA LEGENDO, and in base barry wavy argent and sable. 

Banner of arms, Brookline Public Library.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Beautiful, elegant, and characteristically simple--la Rose was a brilliant heraldic artist.  And yes, I'm still obsessed with la Rose's work.

Works Cited

Battis, C., Reed, A., & Clark, A. (2009).  Public library of Brookline: A history celebrating 150 years of library service, 1857-2007.  Authors, 69.

Trustees of Brookline Public Library (1911).  The fifty-fourth annual report of the trustees of the public library of Brookline for the year ending December 31, 1910.  Grimes Press, 363.

New Registrations of Arms

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thus, below is the listing of registrations completed.  

• 2 September 2014 - The Committee on Heraldry, New England Historic Genealogical Society
• 4 February 2015 - U.S. Heraldic Registry, Registration #20150204G
• 7 May 2020 - The Society of American Armingers, Registration #AA0076
• 9 May 2020 - The Armorial Register, International Armorial, Registration #0550, Volume 4
• 30 July 2023 - Discord: The Heraldry Community Roll of Arms  

A new emblazonment

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

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

The badge of the Prince of Wales

 

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

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

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

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

Today is May Day (at least when I started writing this post) and May has traditionally been Mary's month.  What a better way to combine two subjects I love, Walsingham and heraldry.  As such, I was able to finish up a project I started in 2014, painting the arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Walsingham.  I hung the plaque above an icon of Our Lady of Walsingham that I had commissioned back in seminary.  I told you I was revisiting old hobbies.

I first encountered these arms when I was in Walsingham for the National Pilgrimage in 2009.  I wish I would have paid more attention to Walsingham's heraldry, for it was everywhere!  The Shrine's Facebook page has been generally more active of late, and I've spotted a few images they've shared that I'd like to re-share here.

If you look closely on the flag of St. George, you'll spot an escutcheon of the arms.

The arms of the College of Guardians ensigned by a gallero on the tombstone of The Rev. Alfred Hope Patten, the restorer of the Shrine.  Interesting that his own arms were not used.  See my previous post on the matter.  

So, it begs the deeper question, what is the provenance of these arms?  According to one source I found online, the arms of the Priory of Walsingham were recorded around 1510, blazoned, "argent a cross sable five lilies slipped [of the field]."  These seem simple and most attractive.  Simple enough.  What, then, of the Holy House which we see on the shield today?  

The next clue comes in 1945.  The Shrine's restoration and expansion began in the 1930s, and it makes sense that as the enterprise grew, the corporate governing body (the Guardians) would want some device or brand for the Shrine.  At that time, the Rev. Henry Joy Fynes-Clinton was actively involved with the work of the Shrine and approached the College of Arms in London for a grant of arms.  He generously paid the heralds' fees for the grant on behalf of the Shrine.  Fynes-Clinton wrote an article for "Our Lady's Mirror" in the Spring of 1945 entitled "Armorial Bearings of Our Lady," in which he describes the new grant.  Click here to read Fynes-Clinton's article.  

Fynes-Clinton rightfully points out that the arms of the Priory of Walsingham, found in the local parish window, were already in existence. As such, the College of Guardians could not rightfully lay claim to those arms.  Thus, the arms had to be differenced in order to be granted.  In this case, the use of a canton is a brilliant way to difference these particular arms.  Moreover, the Holy House would suffice for that differenced canton.

The Rev. Alfred Hope Patten had used the front of the seal to help create the statue of Our Lady.  It's only fitting, then, that the obverse should be used to create the arms.  The detail of the Holy House can be found on the Priory's seal.

And voila!  The arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our of Walsingham have armorial bearings blazoned, "argent upon a cross sable, five lilies of the first slipped and seeded proper; a canton azure, charged with a Holy House or."   The crest is blazoned, "upon a helm mantling of the colours, issuing from a celestial crown of 12 points and stars, or, three lilies argent seeded or."   The motto is Domus Dei: porta caeli, which Fynes-Clinton translates as, "the House of God: the Gate of Heaven."

The letters patent.  Photo is from the Walsingham Shrine's website.

A fine rendering of the mantling, arms, crest, and motto.  Photo is from the Walsingham Shrine's Archives.

An ex libris (bookplate) from the College of St. Augustine, Walsingham.  Here's where we see the use of the priest's galero as an external ornament.

If you look closely (click image to enlarge) at Mary's cloak or cope, you can spot both the arms of the Guardians (viewer's left) and the arms of the Shrine's restorer, Hope Patten (viewer's right).  I had never noticed these arms here before!

And finally my rendering of the arms, acrylic on pine.  Getting the detail of the Holy House just right was quite the challenge.

All told, it was fascinating to dive into the history of these arms and their association with the Shrine.  I just can't believe it took a pandemic for me to finish these beautiful arms.