Heraldry of the Ivy League

Having been on five of the eight campuses, I'd have to say the arms of Harvard and Penn are my two favorites.

I'm deeply honored to have been asked recently to join as a co-presenter on the topic of the heraldry of the Ivy League Schools.  Sponsored through the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B), this free Zoom presentation is scheduled for Thursday, September 7th at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).  

Click here to register through NYG&B for the free Zoom presentation 

The main presenter is Mr. Paul Campbell who serves as the President of the US-based College of Arms Foundation, a philanthropic operation endeavoring to: 

"promote English heraldry in the United States and support the efforts of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority for England – as well as Wales, Northern Ireland, and Commonwealth nations. We are not part of the College of Arms, but we work very closely with the Garter King of Arms and the other Officers of Arms and Staff of the College" (College of Arms Foundation website, August 24, 2023).

 

The arms of the College of Arms Foundation (US) blazoned: Argent, a cross and within four tressures all gules as many doves their dexter wings elevated and inverted azure, beaked and legged of the second.  Link to the foundation is located under "websites of interest."  

Established in 1983 and incorporated as a 501(3)c not-for-profit organization in the State of New York,  the College of Arms Foundation's original purpose was to, "raise funds to preserve the College’s building, on Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, where it has been based since the late 17th century" (College of Arms Foundation, 2023).  As time passed, the focus of the foundation evolved.

"In 2001, the Foundation's focus was changed to promote knowledge of, and interest in, English heraldry in the United States. Through 2014, the Foundation co-sponsored lectures on heraldry with the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, at whose office the events were held. Since 2014, the Foundation has funded special projects at the College of Arms"(College of Arms Foundation website, August 24, 2023).

I recently became a member of the foundation, unquestionably because of my love of all things English.  Regardless, I've rather enjoyed making new connections and friendships within the heraldry community.  

For comparison, the arms of The White Lion Society (UK) which seeks to support the work of the College of Arms in the United Kingdom.  Notice the slight differencing from the US foundation's arms.  Link to the Society is located under "websites of interest."  

Insofar as the heraldry of the Ivy League is concerned, my interest remains focused on the involvement of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) and several projects he collaborated on within a few of these storied institutions.  La Rose, of course, designed the arms for all the schools (and many of the houses) at Harvard in preparation for the university's Tercentenary celebration in 1936.  La Rose also designed the arms for both Calhoun College (now Grace Hopper College) and Pierson College at Yale.  La Rose partnered with Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) to render several historical coats for incorporation into the Holy Grail stained glass window at Princeton.  Finally, la Rose was interviewed in 1933 concerning the newly adopted arms at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Having stepped foot on the campuses of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Penn, I'd say the arms of Harvard and Penn are tied for my favorite designs.  I absolutely loved Dartmouth's campus, but lament their design of arms.  Click here to read a proposal by Johnathan Good in 1995 to Dartmouth College to adopt a revision of their arms by Jonathan Good.  

A proposed seal containing Jonathan Good's proposed arms for Dartmouth College.  The seal matrix and gothic tracery was the design of la Rose and used heavily by him for corporate seals in the early 20th century. 

Posting my research here has certainly helped provide greater visibility of my work within the heraldry community, literally igniting my desire to continue and work harder.  

I do hope you'll join us for this presentation.     

The Arms of Hampden-Sydney College

L-R: Arms of Hampden, Hampden-Sydney College, and Sidney.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I caught the heraldry bug as a student at Hampden-Sydney College.  I remember my days there very well. I recall my freshman year being enamored by the College's coat of arms, a young symbol for an old place.  They adorn the front gates to campus along with a promise etched in Latin, Huc venite iuvenes ut exeatis viri.  “Come here as youths so that you may leave as men,” it warns.  I certainly passed through those hallowed gates in the fall of 1998 as a precocious youth, only to leave its embrace as a man.  Travel down College Road, following the famous white "pipe and post" fencing, and you arrive onto the idyllic campus of Hampden-Sydney College--a.k.a. "the Hill."  

Hampden-Sydney College, founded on November 15, 1775 (the same day as the US Marine Corps) and located just outside of Farmville, Virginia, is one of a tiny cadre of men's colleges left in the US.  Proudly a liberal arts college, Hampden-Sydney's founders were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who likely sent a message to any Tories in the colonies regarding the loyalties of this new school in Prince Edward County.  

Naming the new institution after two English patriots, John Hampden (c.1595-1643) and Algernon Sidney (1623-1683) was in stark contrast to the very Anglican College of William & Mary located down the road in Williamsburg.  The College of William & Mary, chartered in 1693, received its grant of arms from the College of Arms in London on May 16, 1694 (Godson, et. al, 1993, 23).  For Hampden-Sydney College, it would take 201-years (depending on which date you choose) to obtain its own arms, and all thanks to two gentlemen.    

Two Gentlemen and a Plan

No discussion about Hampden-Sydney College's coat of arms would be complete without acknowledging two giants--each in their own right--who came together and effectively gave generations of alumni an iconic image to revere.  As both of these men are no longer with us, I want to do justice by sharing the story as I know it.  For if institutional memory fades, we risk losing the contributions made by those great men of Hampden-Sydney who have come before us.  

  

Professor John L. Brinkley (1937-2012) at his desk in Morton Hall, Hampden-Sydney College.  Brinkley's office was famously a mess, with books and papers piled high and perfumed by the aroma of his last cigar.  Brinkley is truly Hampden-Sydney College's G.O.A.T.

Professor John Luster Brinkley (1937-2012), graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa from Hampden-Sydney in 1959.  Brinkley was truly a force on campus, and a widely beloved and respected professor of classics.  For every home football and lacrosse game, the professor could be spotted behind the home team bench complete with a walking stick in one hand and a cigar in the other.  Moreover, Brinkley was Hampden-Sydney College's first Rhodes Scholar, earning another bachelor's degree in 1962 and a master's degree in 1966, both from Trinity College, Oxford.  Ever the scholar, in between his two degrees from Oxford, Brinkley earned a master's degree from Princeton in 1965 (Brinkley, 1994).  Needless to say, while no student ever called him, "Doctor Brinkley," he simply did not need a doctoral degree--he was a scholar in his own right.  In addition to his teaching duties, Brinkley served as the College Historian, authoring its definitive history, On This Hill:  A Narrative History of Hampden-Sydney College 1774-1994.     

The other giant in the story of how Hampden-Sydney College received its honorary devisal of arms, is none other than James Lewis Kirby, Jr. (1923-2015).  Kirby, another Princeton graduate, sent his two sons to Hampden-Sydney College, and one of those sons signed my diploma as a trustee.  Kirby served in the 87th Infantry Division under General George Patton in the Battle of Bulge during World War II (New York Times Obituary, May 11, 2015).  Kirby resided at the historic Claremont Manor in Surry County, Virginia and was heavily involved with history, genealogy, and most important of all, heraldry.  

The arms of James Lewis Kirby, Jr. (1923-2015), granted from the College of Arms (London) on January 20, 1966, image is from Kirby (1989), plate #106.  Note the diapering in base, a heraldic form of decoration seen in argent (white or silver).  Click image to enlarge.

Kirby self-published a rather attractive, full-color armorial in 1989, titled Heraldry of the Kirkby and Kirby Families.  Kirby (1989) illustrates the evolution of the family's heraldry, and most notably, his ever-changing arms.  In 1966, Kirby received his first devisal of arms from the College of Arms in London, blazoned: "Argent, two bars and on a chief gules a cross trefly or between two roundels barry wavy or and azure" (page 48).  My belief is that Kirby sought the grant based on his genealogical work as well as his membership in the Most Venerable Order of St. John (as seen in the external medal below the shield).

All of this key background information is to demonstrate Kirby's passion for heraldry.  Kirby must have spent a small fortune on his multiple emblazonments, fully registering the Kirby pedigree with the College of Arms, etc.  I can imagine the heralds were on a close, first-name basis with their client from Claremont Manor.  With this information established, let's return to the Hill to see where the story of Hampden-Sydney College's arms picks up.  

A Bicentennial Celebration

The arms of James Lewis Kirby, Jr.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The year 1976 would indeed be a bicentennial year for the United States as well as Hampden-Sydney College.  Since the creative process with the College of Arms takes some time, especially in the pre-internet age, preparations had to be made well in advance to be realized in time for any celebrations.   

In the fall of 1974, an "unusually generous and imaginative friend of the College made an intriguing offer" (The Record, December 1976, page 5).  What would that offer be?  If the offer is for a proper coat of arms, then it is definitely coming from Lewis Kirby.  Remember, Kirby already had ample experience working the heralds in London by this time.  And yes, the intriguing offer was for a colonial college bearing the names of English patriots to formally ask an office of the Royal Household in England for a coat of arms.

The article continues:

"This friend, an accomplished student of heraldry, proposed to sponsor— and underwrite--the considerable expense of the process of having the College of Arms, an office of the Royal Household and the only secular authority in the world (there is a corresponding office in the Vatican) empowered to assign coats of arms and other heraldic devices, devise for Hampden-Sydney what is in heraldic technical parlance called "an achievement of arms"' (The Record, December 1976, page 5).

The friend, Lewis Kirby, wished to remain anonymous concerning his involvement and thus his name does not appear in the article.  I name him and give him credit simply because we would not have our beloved arms had Mr. Kirby not stepped forward.  

Painting of the College's armorial ensigns
now residing in Bortz Library.
Click image to enlarge.

Thankfully, the College accepted the offer.  College President, Dr. W. Taylor Reveley II (1917-1992) needed a competent member of the staff to liaison with the heralds in London.

"At Dr. Reveley's request, Professor John L. Brinkley, class of 1959, undertook to study up heraldry and become the College's liaison officer with Mr. Brooke-Little and the College of Arms. Professor Brinkley and Mr. Brooke-Little agreed at once that it would be most appropriate for Hampden-Sydney not only to stay within the traditional inventory of symbols (or "devices") of British heraldry, but also to adopt symbols and colors from the arms of John Hampden and Algernon Sydney. 

In addition, certain devices peculiar to Hampden-Sydney would be used in order to make the whole achievement unique to the College, scrupulously observing all the rules and usages of British heraldry" (The Record, December 1976, page 5). 

But how can a college in the US in 1974 possibly receive an honorary devisal of arms from the College of Arms in London?  That the College officially opened its doors on November 10, 1775, meant that the college was up and running during the reign of King George III.  Currently on the College of Arms website, we find the following:

"Honorary arms may be granted to U.S. citizens and to citizens of countries within the Commonwealth where King Charles III is not Head of State and where there is no national heraldic authority. They must meet the same criteria of eligibility for a grant as subjects of the Crown, and in addition they must record in the official registers of the College of Arms a pedigree showing their descent from a subject of the British Crown. 

This may be a recent forebear such as a parent or grandparent who lived in the same country under the British Crown; an emigrant from Britain, Ireland or anywhere else where the British monarch was Head of State; or a more distant ancestor such as inhabitant of the north American colonies before the recognition of American independence in 1783" (College of Arms website, August 21, 2023).  

With a generous grant from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the College was able to obtain an honorary devisal of arms from the College of Arms.  It would serve as a proud moment during the College's bicentennial celebrations in 1976.  The grant, written most unusually in Latin, was dated with a touch of irony, July 4, 1976. Then Richmond Herald, John P. Brooke-Little (1927-2006), came to campus--dressed in the herald's tabard--and presented the letters patent on October 19, 1976 before the college community.  

The application of heraldry is endless, one concept using the College's arms as a seal.  The official seal of the College is non-heraldic.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In front of the gathered assembly inside Johns Auditorium on campus, Professor Brinkley offered remarks for the celebration, which he titled "Heroes, Names, and Symbols."

"The event which we are assembled to witness this evening well illustrates the truth of Emerson's line, "We are symbols and we inhabit symbols." Each of us has surely had his private thoughts that confute the cynic who sees only the irony, and not the compelling symbolism of the welcome visit in this, our nation's Bicentennial year, of the sovereign of Great Britain to our nation's capital — and to this Commonwealth, and now of an officer of Her Royal Household to this campus on, of all days, 19 October, the 195th anniversary of the Lord Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown. 

It is reported that King George III, upon hearing of the surrender exclaimed, "My God! Lord God! It's all over"— an altogether pardonable overstatement of the result of what we can choose to regard as an unfortunate, if inevitable, family squabble. After the manner of such things, the passage of generations has made a difference" (The Record, December 1976, page 7). 

A family squabble...the professor had style and whit!  Let's examine the design and rationale for the College's coat of arms.  

Unpacking the College's Arms

Several elements in the College's arms provide clear reference to her eponyms.  The white/silver field, red cross saltire, and the blue displayed eagles identify Hampden.  In heraldry, it should be noted, the color Argent can be rendered in silver or white depending on the artist's preference.  Referencing Sidney in the new arms is accomplished by incorporating both the gold field and blue pheons. 

L-R: Arms of Hampden, Hampden-Sydney College, and Sidney.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The blazon, or heraldic description, for the arms of Hampden-Sydney College is:  Per saltire Argent and Or, on a cross saltire Gules an open book proper inscribed ΓΝΩΣΕΣΘΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ between two pheons and as many eagles displayed Azure.  The blazon is fixed and thus recorded at the herald's college in London, and any future coat of arms must be careful in order to avoid infringing on the College's arms.  Aside from US copyright protection, there is no government regulation for arms in this country. 

The main focal point for the College's arms is the open and inscribed book.  As a charge in heraldry, the book can be open or left closed, contain claps on the covers, and if opened, the pages can be inscribed with a motto or simply left blank.  Heraldry has given the charge of the book to mean scholarship, wisdom, and knowledge.  As a charge, books can be found on arms of many scholastic institutions world-wide.  

The seal and arms of Boston College
illustrating another example of a 
Greek inscription.  Image
from la Rose (1918).

The arms of Oxford bear an inscribed open book, while the arms of Cambridge contain a closed book.  The University of St. Andrews in Scotland simply has an open book without an inscription.  Here in the US, the arms of Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, and The Catholic University of America--to name but a few--all have the book (open or closed) as a heraldic charge in their arms.  

Usually, but not always, the inscriptions on open books in scholastic arms tend to be rendered in Latin.  Within the US, both Yale and Emmanuel College use Hebrew.  Boston College, so far as I know at present, is the only other scholastic coat in the US that bears a Greek inscription on their open book.

For Hampden-Sydney College's arms, the inscription that was selected is from the Authorized Version of the Gospel according to St. John 8:32, "ye shall know the truth."  Here again we encounter Professor Brinkley of the Classics Department.  Greek was selected, rather than Latin, to emphasis the importance placed on the classics at Hampden-Sydney College.  Perhaps there was some bias, as Professor Brinkley was deputized by the college to work with the College of Arms.

Ex libris of Michael Maclagan.
Author's private collection.

Professor Brinkley leaned on an old classmate from his days at Trinity College, Oxford to help translate the letters patent into Latin.  

"Fortunately, Mr. Michael Maclagan, a mediaeval history don at Professor Brinkley 's second alma mater, Trinity College, Oxford, is an expert at heraldry and heraldic Latin (which is unlike anything Cicero ever encountered or uttered), and he generously collaborated in producing the text, which in first draft showed a distinctly puckish Tory bias: e.g., Virginia was referred to as a prouincia and Governor Godwin was styled a proconsul; but we were not amused, and these tendentious designations were firmly corrected to res publica and rector, respectively" (The Record, December 1976, page 6). 

Michael Maclagan (1914-2003) served as Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms and later promoted to Richmond Herald.

Letters patent are legal instruments which, in this case, assign arms to individuals or corporate bodies.  The document bears wax seal impressions as the signatures that authenticate its legal status--this is why the "President and Trustees" of the College were named as assignees.  

An example from a grant of arms illustrating the arms of the Earl Marshal (Duke of Norfolk), the Sovereign, and the College of Arms.  Click image to enlarge.

On letters patent for devisals, emblazonments of arms for both the Sovereign and the College of Arms are omitted as a sign of respect to the state outside the realm of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.  In the case of Hampden-Sydney's letters patent, the arms of the offices of the heralds signing the document are emblazoned--Clarenceux King of Arms (top left), Garter King of Arms (center), and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms (top right).

The letters patent assigned to the President and Trustees of Hampden-Sydney College and rendered most unusually in Latin.  The framed 30"x 30" vellum document resides inside Atkinson Museum. Click image to enlarge.

These documents are meticulously hand decorated by court painters who are approved and contracted through the College of Arms.  The client pays the cost for the creation of the document, and these works of art are not cheap.  In concert with both the client and the heralds, artists can add certain decorations and related elements around the document.  Each time I've shared the photo of the College's letters patent within various heraldry forums, I frequently hear from others how odd it is to see these letters patent in Latin.  Brinkley's influence over the final document secured a rather special place in the history books for these arms and the letters patent.

Identification Through Heraldry

The primary purpose of heraldry is identification.  Born on the medieval battlefields of Europe, heraldry served as early expression of branding by providing fully clad knights with specifically designed symbols for easy identification.  Simple and clear designs rendered onto a shield--revealing friend or foe--could make all the difference in a life-or-death fight.  Heraldry is a language of abstraction, crafting specific meaning through its canon of imagery.  The design philosophy handed down from those 13th century shields today translates into creating coats of arms that are simple and perspicuous.  

In the modern era, corporate bodies such as colleges and universities have embraced armorial bearings for much the same purpose to provide clear and meaningful identification of their mission, values, and history.  However, not every academic institution in the US knows how to transform a coat of arms into a readily identifiable marketing symbol.  

Once received by the College, the Publications Office had to do something with this newfound shield.   

A current digital emblazonment in use today by the College alumni association which illustrates Dr. McClintock's "ribbons" containing the College's name, along with the slight reworking of the pheons and shield.

Enter Dr. Richard McClintock.  In keeping with the theme of the classics, Dr. McClintock holds all three of his degrees in the study of Latin.  Moreover, the recently retired doctor, served his long career at the helm of the College's Office of Publications.  His mini-bio on the Department of Classics, University of Virginia's website shares:

"A one-year replacement job at Hampden-Sydney College accidentally led to a thirty-seven year career as the director of the College's publications office. His fifteen minutes of classical fame (including an interview on NPR's 'All Things Considered') came as a result of his discovery that the printer's dummy text know as "Lorem ipsum" derives from the Loeb edition of Cicero's De Finibus" (University of Virginia website, August 21, 2023).

Dr. McClintock is another Hampden-Sydney legend whom I've been privileged to work with over the years--a true gem.  With the new arms in the hands of a creative, discerning scholar, McClintock needed to tweak the design as it was emblazoned.  He shared with me what happened. 

"I tweaked the coat of arms, callously, to make it a better branding symbol. That involved not only adding the ribbons (for which I had no specific model, but pursued a logical solution to my needs – basically making four chunks of a circular ribbon of the right lengths). 

"I also, even more callously, changed the shape of the shield, so that it was more square; the original was very tall and skinny and did not fit nicely into my circle of ribbons or, for that matter, look very stable without Hampden and Sidney to hold it up" (R. McClintock, personal communication, June 22, 2014).  

McClintock refers to the two supporters (images of the likeness of Hampden and Sydney) as found on the letters patent and armorial ensigns.  From the image below, you can see the shield's shape is tall and somewhat skinny, owing to the artist's desire for the cross saltire and open book to be at the "fess point," or directly on center.  By reshaping the shield, the cross saltire and open book drops below the fess point somewhat.  While he claims to have reshaped things "callously," I believe McClintock's careful eye for design was exactly what the arms needed in order to be more useful as a marketing insignia.

While the blazon, or the Anglo-Norman description of the arms' composition and arrangement, for a given coat remains fixed for all time, each emblazonment is solely in the hands of the heraldic artist.  In other words, the draftsmanship of the arms is left to the artist, and Dr. McClintock was firmly within his rights as an artist to tweak things 

Finally, the College also received a heraldic badge, which places two batons in saltire, topped with red liberty caps behind the open, inscribed book.  "The batons and Liberty Caps are Roman symbols of manumission and are only incidentally reminiscent of the French Revolution" (The Record, December 1976, page 6).  According to Fox-Davies (1978), heraldic badges came into use during the early 14th century during the reign of Edward III and never followed any prescriptive formula.  "In fact, the use of a badge, in the days when everybody who was anybody possessed arms, was quite subsidiary to the arms, and very much akin to the manner in which nowadays monograms are made use of" (Fox-Davies, 1978, page 454).  

The College's badge.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The heraldic badge of Hampden-Sydney College is blazoned: behind an open book proper inscribed ΓΝΩΣΕΣΘΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ two batons in saltire proper topped with liberty caps Gules.  

If you think of the College's badge as its signature monogram, the references are striking.  In other words, through the pursuit of knowledge and truth, students can find freedom and liberty to create a better world--"forming good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning."  I find this a fitting message and indeed the signature of Hampden-Sydney College.  Sadly, however, the badge is rarely used as the arms enjoy much greater popularity on campus.  I do recall seeing the badge adorning the bookstore's plastic totes, which somehow always managed to bear the weight of so many expensive textbooks--manumission indeed! 

Ex Libris of Hampden-Sydney College designed by Dr. McClintock using the artwork from the letters patent.  Dr. McClintock shares that this bookplate is most likely the only work from the Publications Office that used the original artwork, as future designs of the arms would be modified as described above.  Click image to enlarge.

Following Professor Brinkley's death in 2012, I wanted to do something to honor the late professor at Trinity College, Oxford.  Working with Dr. McClintock, we created a special bookplate bearing the arms of both Hampden-Sydney College and Trinity College and pasted within Brinkley's (1994) book.  Hampden-Sydney's President Dr. Christopher B. Howard (b. 1969), another Rhodes Scholar, sent Brinkley's book to the principal at Trinity College as a commemorative addition to their library.  I never heard what the response was from Trinity College, but I was glad we did something for our late, great professor. 

Designing a Banner of Arms

As I began my journey in the world of heraldry back in 2014, I quickly became attracted to what I simply call flying heraldry.  Sometimes called a "banner of arms," a flag can hoist skyward any coat of arms in a dignified manner.  By taking the design inside the shield and arranging in 2:3 ratio, an armorial flag (or banner of arms) offers another use for arms.  

My sketch for the College's armorial flag back in 2014.  Drawing by the Author.

The College has, for as long as I remember, used a flag bearing the name of the College.  While certainly acceptable as a flag, I believed we could do better, especially with our coat of arms in mind.  

From concept to reality: the banner of arms of
Hampden-Sydney College.

While I was thrilled with my humble pencil drawing, I had few options then to digitize the design.  Digital heraldic artists were few and far between, and those practicing had prices out of my reach; however, as technology rapidly changed the field of heraldry, a new crop of artists with competitive offerings have emerged making digital emblazonments affordable.  

Nearly 50 Years Strong

This is the story of how Hampden-Sydney College received its coat of arms as I know it.  I think it's a rather lovely story filled with interesting people, people who in many ways dedicated their lives to Hampden-Sydney College.  That is, partly, what makes the College so very special--her devotees.  During my four years on the Hill, I was formed into the man I am today.  I am thankful to have crossed paths with both Professor Brinkley and Dr. McClintock.  I learned many lessons there:  how to write, how to think critically, and how to embrace my values and employ them throughout my life.  While I certainly did not appreciate those lessons upon graduation, I now look back following 21-years since those student days with gratitude for having those formative experiences.  Thus, I proudly display these arms, for they are a constant reminder of those lessons and experiences never to be forgotten.

The arms of Mr. Kirby bound in appreciation.

Thank you Mr. Kirby and Professor Brinkley, we alumni owe our deepest gratitude to you both for giving us a treasured symbol for a place we love and cherish.  If not for Mr. Kirby's passion for heraldry combined with his love of Hampden-Sydney, we would simply not have our beloved coat of arms.  

Thank you Dr. McClintock, the scholar and artist who effectively turned these armorial bearings into that wildly popular symbol known by so many today.  We do, in fact, inhabit this great symbol.  

In 2026, Hampden-Sydney College, along with the United States, will mark a very special moment in its life, its Semiquincentennial celebration.  The College's coat of arms, now the identifiable symbol of Hampden-Sydney, will celebrate a very respectable 50th birthday.

Works Cited

Brinkley, J.L. (1994).  On this hill: A narrative history of Hampden-Sydney College 1774-1994.  Hampden-Sydney College.

Fox-Davies, A.C. (1978).  A complete guide to heraldry.  Bonaza Books.

Godson, S.H, Johnson, L.H., Sherman, R.B., Tate, T.W., & Walker, H.C. (1993).  The College of William & Mary: A history (vol. 1).  King and Queen Press. 

Hampden-Sydney College (1976).  College receives coat of arms.  The Record of the Hampden-Sydney Alumni Association, 53(4), 5-7.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918).  Some examples of corporate Catholic heraldry.  The Ecclesiastical Review, 55(February), 189-198.

Lewis, J.L., Jr. (1989).  Heraldry of the Kirkby and Kirby families.  The author.   

New York Times (2015). Paid notice: Deaths Kirby, James Lewis Jr, May 15. https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9C07E2DD113AF932A25756C0A9639D8B63.html 

Blog Overhaul and More

 

The arms of Chad Krouse, assumed in 2014, and rendered by Dimitri Prica, August 18, 2023.

I recently commissioned a digital heraldic artist through Discord's Heraldry Server to emblazon several shields so that I could update my blog's masthead.  Click here to read more about this community of heraldic enthusiasts.  As this blog has evolved since its earlier days of random thoughts to now focusing on heraldic research, I thought it was time to get a proper masthead to reflect where I am in life--we're still refining it.  The digital artist, Dimiri Prica, did an amazing job with these coats, a link to his portfolio can be found to the reader's left under "websites of interest."  Prica is a young digital heraldic artist in France.  I first commissioned Prica during the summer of 2020 to render the attributed arms I designed for the Black Lives Matter movement--my one and only viral moment in history.  Click here to read more about the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.  Following that design, Aemdal rendered both an ex libris and my heraldic badge.  I appreciate and enjoy the artist's style, which feels fresh and young.   

The attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement, designed by Chad Krouse on June 10, 2020 and rendered by Dimitri Prica.

The artist's style is unique, employing darker colors with various shading techniques to accent certain elements.  The rendering of my arms as seen above exemplifies the artist's careful eye.  Prica's style, in my opinion, gives a respectably modern feel.  While the blazon remains static for all coats of arms, the heraldic artist does enjoy certain freedoms, such as how to actually draw the charges, etc.  

My research muse Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941) would likely have a strong opinion on the use of darker colors in heraldry.  La Rose was interviewed in 1933 regarding the newly adopted arms for the University of Pennsylvania, where he adds:   

"Gules in heraldry is bright red--heraldry knows nothing about crimson, cherry, etc. which is purely a livery detail.  In one's liveries (and athletic colours and academic hoods come under that head) one may establish any shade or tone of colour one chooses, but not so in heraldry...One may fixe a 'blazon' for all time...(in this case the principal symbols of the Penn and Franklin Arms)...but every subsequent painter, carver, or die-cutter is wholly at liberty to carry out the blazon in his own manner... 

In other words, the actual draughtsmanship of heraldry is a very flexible thing, and an heraldic composition is good or bad according the disposition and colouring of its charges, not their draughtsmanship" (The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1933, 2-4).  

As someone once said, there is no accounting for taste.  And who knows, perhaps la Rose would have embraced the digital age.    

Ex libris for Chad Krouse and rendered by Dimitri Prica, June 4, 2020.

I am absolutely giddy for now having full color digital emblazonments of all the arms of my two alma maters that bear arms--Sewanee: The University of the South and Hampden-Sydney College.  One day I plan to devise arms for my third.   

Previously, there were no digital renderings in the public domain for any of Sewanee's heraldry.  So to have these digital emblazonments today makes me happy, as they are lovely arms.  To that end, I've updated my post on the heraldry of Sewanee: The University of the South.  Click here to read more about the Heraldry of Sewanee.  That this previous post has been viewed more than 1,400 times since writing it in 2014 illustrates the interest in Sewanee's heraldry.    

Some unique design elements rendered by Aemdal for Sewanee's heraldry include the shading points within the university's pall cross.  I also love how the crossed fleam in the School of Theology's coat is rendered.  Finally, Prica simply did full justice to McCrady's "Sewanee Tressure," as I have seen versions where this gets butchered--the counter-changed crosses tend to be larger in size when compared to the other crosses within the tressure.    

I'm also adopting several "style standards" in order to be consistent with posts:

• I will continue using APA 7th Edition for all citations and references.  While I learned MLA during undergraduate studies followed by The Chicago Manual of Style with my master's work (still miss this style), I was sufficiently indoctrinated with APA for my doctoral research.  It's easier and faster

• Blazons will be in bold.  When Latin is used within a blazon, I will capitalize all letters and provide a translation in parenthesis

• The first time a person's name is mentioned, I will use bold to off-set it.  If the person is no longer alive, I will add their dates in parenthesis.

• Whenever I add a reference to a previous blog post, I will clearly define the link by writing, "Click here to read..." so as to avoid any confusion that the link is spam or sending the reader into the ether

• I will endeavor to cite anything that is not either my own work or work that is well-known to the general public.  As a scholar-researcher, it is critical to show where I find things.  This principle lends more credibility to any work

• I've gone through and revised all "tags" for my posts in order to give the reader an easier tool to search posts based on a given topic--Scholastic Heraldry, Ecclesiastical Heraldry, etc. 

I've also added my personal email address to my profile so that readers who wish to correspond may do so.  Sometimes, simply throwing my research out into the void feels rather lonely.  Thus, I strongly encourage readers to comment on anything!  Feedback is critical to growth, and I do appreciate feedback--good or bad.  

Works Cited

Anonymous. (1933).  The coat-of-arms and flag.  The Pennsylvania Gazette, vol 32(1), 2-4.

La Rose On The Primary Purpose of Heraldry

The arms of Trinity Washington University located in Washington, DC.
The seal and arms were designed by la Rose in 1935.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

Earlier this week, I received some letters from the archives of Trinity Washington University in which Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) writes to the "Reverend Sister Superior" regarding his designs for new arms for the college.  Click here for some background information on la Rose.  According to the university's website, "founded in 1897 as Trinity College in Washington, D.C. by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Trinity was the nation’s first Catholic liberal arts college for women."  Thus, we know that this Reverend Sister Superior hails from the Congregation of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  

Image is from Trinity Washington University Archives, Record Group 15.3 Art and Music, folder la Rose, seal/coat of arms, 1935

The seal is classically la Rose.  The matrix contains gothic tracery, the simple and well-proportioned shield is set within a quatrefoil, the lettering is rendered in Lombardic, and the name of the corporation in Latin, Sigillum Collegii Trinitatis Washingtoniae.  I translate this to be "Seal of the College of Trinity Washington."  I remain in awe of la Rose's exacting hand, as all of this was rendered without computers--truly la Rose had the gift.  Click here to read my analysis of several of la Rose's seals.

My blazon for these arms is:  Gules, on a triangle inverted and void of the field an open book with three clasps all or inscribed SCIENTA ANCILLA FIDEI ("knowledge the handmaid of faith"), on a chief azure three stars argent.

One quick funny aside.  In my correspondence with another institutional archives, the archivist remarked that while they had several of la Rose's handwritten letters in their collection, those letters resembled "medieval manuscripts!"  Yes, la Rose's penmanship can be insufferable to transcribe.  

La Rose's handwritten letter to the Revered Sister Superior at Trinity Washington College, 10 February 1935.  From Trinity Washington University Archives, Record Group 15.3 Art and Music, folder la Rose, seal/coat of arms, 1935

Here is one quotation that stood out for me, and I probably spent 15 minutes trying to transcribe this from his handwriting:

“The sole purpose of heraldry it should be remembered, is to identify its owner, nothing more.  And good heraldry always endeavors to do this in the simplest forms possible—bearing out the old heraldic maxim: simplicitas formae antiquitatis nota” (La Rose letter to Reverend Sister Superior, February 10, 1935). 

The maxim that la Rose cites is taken from John Guillim's (c.1565-1621) landmark work, A Display of Heraldry, published in the early 17th Century.  I simply translate this to mean, keep your designs and forms within heraldry simple and straightforward.    

The unmistakable signature.

La Rose would follow this canon in every design that he produced during his long heraldic career.  Perhaps this is why so many of his coats are still in use today.

Works Cited

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1935 February 10).  Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to the Reverend Sister Superior of Trinity Washington College.  Unpublished letter.