The Arms of The Episcopal Church: Design Evolution and Hazardous Committees Part I

Arms of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As a baptized and confirmed member of the Episcopal Church, I've long held a fascination with the arms of my church.  From the ubiquitous "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," sign to the banner of arms flown within my childhood parish, St. Peter's in Huntington, West Virginia, I simply grew up surrounded and nurtured by this familiar symbol within a loving community.  For the greater portion of my life, I did not know, much less understand, the particulars of how this flag could represent both history and faith at the same time.      

When I began researching the heraldic work of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) in 2014, I went searching for the real history behind these attractive arms.  Sure, there was a lot of surface-level data, incorrectly identifying William M. Baldwin (d.1942), from the Diocese of Long Island, as the designer.  Even my own church history professor and co-editor of An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church (2000), The Rev. Dr. Donald S. Armentrout (1939-2013) got it wrong too (page 174).  To be fair, many of the works cited herein are out of print and have since been digitized and readily found through the internet--that powerful search tool was not so well established at the time of Slocum and Armentrout's book.  Progress indeed.

I remember early on discovering Hertell's (1941) article published in The Layman's Magazine of the Episcopal Church, in which the author attributes the design of the Episcopal Church's arms to la Rose.  Furthermore, Luce (1958) also concurs with Hertell (1941) regarding la Rose's hand in the design.  More recently, Egleston and Sherman (2019) broke the news revealing the herald's design and provided a needed contribution to the story.  To be clear, la Rose did not actually make the physical flag or banner of arms, that was the work of Baldwin--and this confusion is likely what led many within the church to credit Baldwin for the design.  Nonetheless, Hertell (1941) set my course to dive into the journals of past General Conventions and even contact the Archives of the Episcopal Church for more data.  Thus, I've been stewing on this article for nearly 10 years, it's time to hit the publish button.  

This article--offered in two parts--will examine in chronological order all known data and events revealing the evolution of the arms of the Episcopal Church.  It's a fascinating story, but one that has not been completely told, until now.  

20th Century American Ecclesiastical Heraldry 

Interest in heraldry within the Episcopal Church was growing at the turn of the 20th Century.  In 1901, Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) published an article, "The Heraldry of the American Church," fueling a discussion on the state of affairs regarding diocesan seals and arms in the Episcopal Church (Cram, 1901 June 29).  Cram's introduction reflects his high-minded ideals of aestheticism:

Ralph Adams Cram in 1911. 
Image is from Wikipedia.

"Heraldry is at once a science and an art:  it is a language of symbols; it is expressed through conventionalized forms of the most decorative nature and through colors of great beauty, therefore it is an art:  it is governed by unchangeable laws that became finally fixed after centuries of development, laws that are recognized and obeyed by all civilized Western peoples, therefore it is a science" (Cram, 1901 June 29, 813).  

After establishing the subject as both art and science, Cram continues with a lament of heraldry in America:

"Most unfortunately for us of the United States, our independence was achieved at a time when heraldry in England was sinking into a slough of deep disgrace, and therefore the states and cities of the new Republic simply perpetuated the scandals of contemporary England; for one correct coat of arms like that of Maryland, we have ten such effigies as the arms of New York, New Hampshire..." (Cram, 1901 June 29, 813).

Cram would continue his article by surveying the extant arms and seals of Episcopal dioceses in the US with amendments for those arms failing to meet basic heraldic standards.  Much to the chagrin of others, Cram offers praise and approval for the seal and arms of the Diocese of Washington, DC used at that time--an example of one instance in Cram's article which would drawl ire from the magazine's readers.   

Cram's article sparked numerous letters to the editor offering criticism of the architect's understanding of heraldry.  The Rt. Rev. Henry Benjamin Whipple (1822-1901), Bishop of Minnesota, wrote a letter to the editor of The Churchman defending the diocese's seal, writing, "I believe the seal of a diocese should tell something of its history, setting forth a high ideal of the Church's mission" (Whipple, 1901 July, 77).  The Rev. Dr. C. Ellis Stevens (d. 1906) wrote to the editor pointing out several items in Cram (1901 June 29) such as the inappropriate use of quartering for diocesan arms (Stevens, 1901 August, 171).  As a result of Stevens' letter, the cleric would later publish a full article on the subject.

The armorial flags of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Perhaps the harshest criticism of Cram (1901 June 29) can be found in another letter to the editor of The Churchman from Mr. Frederick W. Story of Baltimore, Maryland.  Story (1901 August 10) writes:

"Against Mr. Cram's article in The Churchman of June 29, we must protest.  We do not wish to be unkind to the living, but we do mean to be just to those who are gone.  Heraldry is not 'at once a science and an art,' neither is it, 'a language of symbols': it is a body of fixed rules of description--historic rules, by the way, which Mr. Cram himself seems not entirely to understand" (172).

Story (1901 June 29) goes on to offer additional criticism regarding Cram's praise for the seal and arms of the Diocese of Washington, DC, an insightful critique of the diocesan arms that la Rose would later echo in his own words as well.  In Cram's defense, the father of collegiate gothic architecture was viewing heraldry through his distinctly high Anglo-Catholic lens of aestheticism--heraldry could hold in tension art and science, identity and abstraction, language and symbols for the commoner to inhabit.  Perhaps this view may be overly "romanticized," but it provides space for this arcane subject to become relevant in the modern age.      

On August 31, 1901, Cram defends his article with his own letter to the editor of The Churchman.  Cram points out that he was correct in judging American ecclesiastical heraldry by the standards set forth in English private heraldry rather than by any standards employed throughout the Anglican Communion as suggested by Stevens because, "much of the ecclesiastical heraldry of Great Britain is absolutely bad--witness the half-dozen aberrations referred to by Mr. Story in his severe attack on my article" (Cram, 1901 August 31, 263).      

Given the reception of his article on ecclesiastical heraldry, Cram would later defer all things heraldry to his friend and colleague la Rose--Cram would stay out of the national spotlight concerning this subject.

In 1902, The Rev. Dr. C. Ellis Stevens would follow up his editorial comments through his own contribution to the cause with his article, "Anglican Episcopal Seals" (Stevens, 1902 April 5).  Stevens maintains his focus on reviewing the seals and arms found throughout the wider Anglican Communion and generally avoids singling out any American see; however, Stevens poses an important question to his audience regarding designs for new arms.  "How do the new dioceses in the mother and daughter lands apply the old heraldic principals" (Stevens, 1902 April 5, 435)?  Unfortunately, Stevens does not provide any clear framework in response to his own question.  "The future of American episcopal seals is sure increasingly to tend in such direction [viewing ancient Anglican arms as the standard measure], unless we develop an ecclesiastical eccentricity which we have never yet shown in anything" (Stevens, 1902 April 5, 435).

Showing unification and differencing in arms, L-R: Diocese of Quincy, St. John's Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

La Rose successfully landed his first commission for an Episcopal diocese just three years later in 1905.  The herald's design for a seal and coat of arms was adopted during the Diocese of Quincy's 28th annual convention held in May 1905.  Additionally, la Rose would also complete his first commission for an Episcopal cathedral, St. John's Cathedral for Quincy between 1906-1907 (Diocese of Quincy, 1906; The Living Church, 1906; Wright, 1908).  To learn more about the arms of the Diocese of Quincy and its cathedral, please click here.  Taken together, both coats would effectively set a new standard for armorial bearings within the church. 

   

La Rose would make his own written contribution to advance perspicuous heraldry in 1907.  In a series of articles published in Cram's Christian Art, la Rose took aim at the deplorable state of heraldry found within the seals and arms of the Episcopal dioceses.  Much like his own coat of arms, la Rose's pen would roar like the lion bearing a sword cutting to the heart of American heralditis.  

In his first article, la Rose cites foundational literature on the subject in order to provide context to the readers concerning popular misunderstandings of heraldry.  La Rose writes:

"The Editors of 'Christian Art,' have invited me to criticise in detail and without reservation, the Diocesan arms and seals of the [Episcopal] Church, considered as heraldry and as design.  I regret that I have felt obliged to devote an entire article to establishing a point of view, but several years' experience with American Prelates and Diocesan Committees convinces me of the necessity of this" (La Rose, 1907 May, 70).      

Already we see the herald's growing frustration working with committees attempting to convince them to adopt his designs and rationale for new armorial bearings.  In his follow up article in Christian Art, la Rose would pick apart, piece-by-piece, those Episcopal diocesan seals and arms without reservation, adding fuel to the discussion started by Cram in 1901. 

La Rose (1907 November) notes the hazard of designing arms by committee and the prevailing heralditis concerning "compound" coats:

"With two exceptions [for compound coats], every diocesan 'Committee on Arms and Seal' with which I have had dealings has been pestered by the demand from some untrained amateur for a quartered diocesan coat.  Now among the one hundred and thirty-six coats of British and colonial sees known to me there is not a single instance of a compound coat standing for a single diocese" (60).

La Rose continues the article with arguments for clear simplicity in designs for new diocesan coats in order to provide those arms with distinctive "carrying power."  Regarding a proposed design for the Diocese of Newark, la Rose offers his opinion of Stevens' article from 1902:

"Two years ago the late Rev. C. Ellis Stevens, whose enthusiasm for heraldry outstripped his scholarship, but who nevertheless performed much good service in the subject, sent me a drawing of proposed arms for the diocese" (La Rose, 1907 November, 71).

La Rose would save his greatest condemnation regarding the "compound" arms of the Diocese of Washington, DC.

"Perhaps the worst of all, as even though unconsciously, the most impudent and misleading of American coats [Diocese of Washington, DC]...From the foregoing it will be seen:  first, that the dexter impalement of the diocesan arms is an incorrect version of the arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem; and secondly, that in using these arms the diocese and bishop are guilty of a bit of heraldic assumption which even the Patriarch of Jerusalem or the Anglican bishop in Jerusalem would never dream of" (La Rose, 1907 November, 64).

Arms of the Diocese of DC.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

While never one to criticize without proffering a solution, la Rose illustrates a clear and simple revision for the Diocese of Washington, DC as seen on the left.  While la Rose offered this design in 1907, the diocese would not adopt these arms until 1946.

In 1914, la Rose publishes another essay, this time in The Living Church, illustrating the herald's scholarship in describing the origins of ecclesiastical heraldry in the Church of England by categorizing those diocesan seals and arms into three distinctive categories:  sacerdotal, hagiological, and armorial (La Rose, 1914 April 11, 835).  Moreover, the herald brings up his ongoing frustration with committees.  La Rose (1914 April 11) notes:

"Certain conclusions pertinent to American diocesan heraldry may be drawn from this group. Probably the first impulse of a committee on Diocesan Seal (and I have dealt with many), is to insist that a mitre, a key, or a crozier-sometimes all of these--appear as a charge on the diocesan shield, the shield in their mind not being truly 'episcopal' without at least one of them. They also forget that all this episcopal hardware may appear as 'external ornaments' to the shield, and that therefore the appearance of any of it on the shield itself without especial reason (as in the cases of Norwich, Meath, etc.), results in an aimless and tiresome reduplication" (836).

From la Rose's article, we begin to understand the collective mind regarding heraldry in the Episcopal Church at that time.  Furthermore, when these minds come together in the form of an appointed committee to design a see's coat, heralditis sets in causing problems for the herald.  When compared to the US Roman Catholic Church, la Rose would seemingly have a far easier time convincing Roman prelates to adopt his armorial designs than a roomful of committee members each possessing ideas for designs.  

Nonetheless, la Rose's articles reflect the herald's attempt to educate the church on the laws and customs of heraldry to combat fomenting heralditis from the pews.  Unquestionably, the herald would be worn down over the years by committees on seals or arms and his focus would shift entirely to Rome; la Rose's article in 1914 would be his final publication concerning Anglican and Episcopal heraldry.     

Baldwin's Lament

In 1918, we learn of William Baldwin's attempt to spark a national conversation regarding the need for the Episcopal Church to adopt some form of a national symbol.  Baldwin (1941) recounts the events of 1918 generating such need:

"When the Diocese of Long Island celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, Bishop Burgess appointed the writer [William M. Baldwin] to take charge of the grand procession through the Cathedral's ample grounds that preceded the special service in the Cathedral.  I thought it would be most impressive if each parish, mission and diocesan organization could carry a specially designed ecclesiastical flag or banner. 

"When these flags and banners were being made it was found there was no flag or banner of the General Church" (page 408).

Baldwin's lament of a non-existent banner for the Episcopal Church sparked a discussion within the church that would reach its zenith 22 years later during the 1940 General Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.  Thankfully, Baldwin's work for the diocesan celebration effectively gave him a cause that he would see through until the church took action.  Presently, there are no known arms in use designed by Baldwin; it is likely the layman simply held a deep appreciation for the subject and nothing more.

By comparison, however, la Rose's portfolio of armorial designs within the Episcopal Church by 1918 would number as follows: 16 dioceses adopting arms, the Diocese of New York rejecting two design proposals for arms in 1912, a proposed design for the Diocese of Washington, DC in 1907 but not adopted until 1946 (Chandler, 1946 December), one Episcopal seminary, two cathedrals, one parish church, and one missionary district all employed arms designed by the herald.  

As if la Rose's portfolio was not impressive enough, Cram would offer his highest praise for the herald to a potential client to cement la Rose's reputation in the field of heraldry.  In a letter housed in the Archives of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, Cram writes a formal introduction of la Rose to The Rt. Rev. David H. Greer (1844-1919), Bishop of the Diocese of New York, in preparation for the diocese to consider adopting arms.  Cram (1912) proudly gives the following summation of la Rose to the prelate, "Mr. La Rose, who is certainly the greatest herald in America, and possibly the foremost ecclesiastical herald in the world."  High praise indeed.

After listing la Rose's completed commissions for Episcopal dioceses up to 1912 in the letter, the architect adds, "he [la Rose] and I together have done the arms for Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.  On my own account I have done Chicago, Los Angeles, and Rhode Island, but La Rose is a far better herald than I am, and knows about a hundred times as much" (Cram, 1912).  Cram's letter to the bishop illustrates the architect's deference to la Rose for all matters related to heraldry and likely signals the lessons learned following his 1901 article on the subject.

Quite simply, there was no one else more suited to the task of devising national symbols for the Episcopal Church than la Rose.

La Rose's First National Commission 

Arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In 1919, la Rose landed his first national commission for an Episcopal Church organization with his armorial design for the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (National Student Council of the Episcopal Church, 1920 March, 12).  In the absence of any national symbols for the Episcopal Church at this time, the herald rendered the coat within one of his key themes, a "cross in national colors."  To read a thematic analysis of the cross in national colors found within 13 designs in la Rose's portfolio, please click here.

Arms of the National Student Council
of the Episcopal Church
appearing in Morehouse (1941 September),
page 27.

According to Turner (2010), the National Student Council was formally organized in May 1918 by the Conference of Episcopal College Workers to function as an advisory council of students to the Presiding Bishop (32).  The following year, la Rose's design for arms were adopted and published in the council's March 1920 bulletin.  

In 1935, the Church Society for College Work, also an Episcopal-affiliate, would be established separately from the student council and organized to assist college ministry in a variety of ways including fundraising (Turner, 2010, 34).  By the early 1940s, the Church Society for College Work would use the same arms for their advertisements in The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church (Morehouse, 1941 September, 27).   

I believe la Rose pulled together several elements into this design to clearly identify the owner as a quasi-academic institution within the Episcopal Church.  Here we see the herald employing one of his favorite charges to represent scholarship, the open and inscribed book containing a fitting motto, "for Christ and the Church."  The blue bordure containing eight white bishop's mitres was most likely la Rose's illustration representing the then eight provinces of the Episcopal Church.  

The blazon for the armorial bearings of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church/Church Society for College Work is: Argent, a cross throughout gules cotised azure, over all an open book bound and edged with two clasps or thereon inscribed PRO CHRISTO PER ECCLESIAM, and on a bordure azure eight bishop's mitres argent.  

A Need for National Symbols

The next discussion concerning heraldry for the national church would occur in 1921 during the February 15-16 meeting of the Presiding Bishop and National Council in New York City.  According to The Spirit of Missions (1921 March) we learn the following from the Council's meeting:

"Several prominent Churchwomen of New York have submitted to the Council a design for a coat of arms.  The Council is at present using as its official seal the coat of arms of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.  

"Mr. Pierre LaRose [sic], of Harvard, a recognized authority on such matters, has made a design which was exhibited to the Council.  Much appreciation was expressed for the generous thought of the originators of the scheme, who propose to bear all expense in the matter, but it was felt that longer consideration should be given to it and a committee was asked to report at the next meeting" (182).

La Rose was involved from the very beginning concerning new arms for the Episcopal Church.  Unfortunately there is no existing data such as a blazon or description of la Rose's proposed design.  Additionally, from a review of the Council's minutes, housed at the Archives of the Episcopal Church, William Baldwin was appointed to join this special committee along with, "The Rt. Rev. Dr. Murray and The Rev. Dr. Freeman" (National Council, 1921a February 17).  Baldwin was indeed serious about his quest to see the church adopt armorial bearings.    

Illustration of evidence informed design of la Rose's 1921 proposal for national arms of the Episcopal Church.  It is entirely possible he incorporated the 1515 miter which he loved to use in diocesan arms.  Blazon: Argent, a cross throughout Gules, on a bordure Azure eight bishop's mitres of the field.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In the absence of any known blazons or descriptions of la Rose's design, we can use existing data to render an informed guess.  First, we know the herald recycled designs due to their perspicuous nature.  For example, la Rose's initial design for arms of the University of Chicago in 1910 would later be proposed and adopted by Mundelein College in 1930--with slight differencing by inscribing the open book on the breast of the phoenix and two roundels on the wings.  To read more about la Rose's work for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1930, please click here.  

Secondly, the importance of showing unification and differencing from the corporate sole to its subsidiary foundations were two critical tasks la Rose mastered as early as 1905, as evidenced in the previously discussed arms of the Diocese of Quincy and its cathedral.  

La Rose had already worked out an appropriate national symbol for the Episcopal Church in the arms of the National Student Council through the blue bordure with eight white bishop's mitres.  It seems doubtful that the herald would have changed his mind regarding an appropriate display.  It is probable that la Rose took the blue bordure and eight bishop's mitres from the National Student Council and incorporated the Cross of St. George for a clear and simple design.  This design assertion mirrors la Rose's well known philosophy and methods for devising new corporate arms.  

La Rose would have readily wanted to prominently feature the arms of England--sometimes referred to as the Cross of St. George--blazoned: Argent, a cross gules, to clearly identify the English heritage of the Episcopal Church.  In his rationale for the design of arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia in 1913, la Rose clearly notes the use of the red cross to symbolize the Anglican Communion (Diocese of Olympia, 1913, 20).

  

Good (2007) notes the adoption of these arms came during the reign of King Edward III and his establishment of the Order of the Garter in 1348.  For a deeper analysis on the Cross of St. George in heraldry, please click here to read Good's (2007) article from the Coat of Arms.

The red cotised blue cross from the arms of the National Student Council would confuse this symbolic heritage and thus likely dropped.  

Arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Furthermore, la Rose also employed the red cotised blue cross in the arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society in 1918, albeit charging the cross with a silver/white star in chief (La Rose, 1918, 192).  With two different denominational coats using the same ordinary, the simple red cross of St. George for the Episcopal Church becomes the logical solution.  

La Rose's selection of a bordure would not only difference an otherwise established coat, but plays upon the Scottish roots running deep within the Episcopal Church; a bordure in Scottish heraldry can be used to show cadency.  Thus, the symbolism of an American Church with direct ties to England and a "child" of sorts from the Scottish Episcopal Church is made clear in one coat for identification.  Using eight mitres to represent the provinces of the Episcopal Church adds national symbolism connecting geographically the wider church.  The blue bordure with mitres would furthermore show unification with the National Student Council's established arms and follows the exact ordering of designs la Rose rendered for the Archdiocese of Chicago and its foundations in 1930.  Overall, la Rose's 1921 proposal for arms reflects the national colors of red, white, and blue.

An evidence informed blazon of la Rose's 1921 proposal for arms of the Episcopal Church:  Argent, a cross throughout gules, on a bordure azure eight bishop's mitres argent.

An Official Proposal

At the April 27, 1921 meeting of the National Council, the minutes record the new committee was now named "Committee on Corporate Arms," and that Baldwin reported several designs were submitted and that two additional members be appointed, "Bishop Perry and The Rev. Dr. Mann be added to the Committee and the Committee asked to continue its investigation" (National Council, 1921b April 27, 62).  Here again we do not have any data regarding blazons or descriptions of the proposals.  

Nearly one year later, there was no official proposal from the committee.  Bishop Perry reported during the February 8-9, 1922 meeting of the National Council that, "the Committee had this matter [new corporate arms] under consideration and had a number of plans but was not yet ready to make a final report" (National Council, 1922a February).  

Three months later, the National Council met again on May 10-11 in preparation for the General Convention to be held later that fall.  Finally, the Committee on Corporate arms submits an official proposal for consideration.

llustration of the 1922 proposal for arms of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

According to National Council (1922b), we have the following description:  "Committee on Corporate Arms:  This committee reported through Bishop Perry by submitting a design showing a red cross on a white shield, surrounded by a blue border, with thirteen silver stars, and surmounted by a bishop's mitre."  

No designer is mentioned in the Council's minutes, nor is a blazon for the proposed design recorded.  Furthermore, without the minutes from the Archives of the Episcopal Church, we would not know how many stars were incorporated in the bordure.  In order to visualize the 1922 proposal, I recreated these arms above with the following blazon:  Argent, a cross throughout gules, on a bordure azure 13 mullets of the field.  

By comparing the 1922 committee proposal seen above to la Rose's design in 1919 for the National Student Council, we see the use of the blue bordure containing white/silver charges in both coats--the final data point supporting the likely blazon of the herald's 1921 design.  Moreover, by taking all three designs into consideration, the 1922 proposal by the committee was clearly based on la Rose's design from 1921.  

I believe the Committee on Corporate Arms reworked the charges and their numbering on the bordure effectively rendering a fussy design--replacing the eight bishop's mitres with thirteen stars due to the committee's desire to have the mitre placed above the shield as an external ornament.  It is simply remarkable that this otherwise simple change from la Rose's 1921 proposal took the committee more than a year to complete--the dangers of designing arms by committee.  

At the time of the Episcopal Church's establishment in the US, there were originally nine dioceses--what does the number 13 represent in the committee's proposal?  Perhaps the 13 original colonies?  No design rationale is offered in the minutes or the General Convention journal.

When the church gathered in Portland, Oregon for General Convention that September, the committee would put forth its design for formal adoption, but ultimately the design was not adopted.

Please click here to read the second and final installment.

 Works Cited

Baldwin, W.M. (1941).  History of the church flag.  Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 10(4), 408-409.  

Chandler, G.M. (1946 December).  Seal of the Diocese of Washington--1946.  Washington Diocese, 5-6.

Cram, R. A. (1901 June 29).  The heraldry of the American church.  The Churchman, 83(26), pp. 813-818.

Cram, R.A. (1901 August 31).  The heraldry of the American church [Letter to the editor].  The Churchman, 84(9), pp. 263-264.

Cram, R.A. (1912 September 5).  Letter from Ralph Adams Cram to The Rt. Rev. David H. Greer.  Unpublished letter.

Diocese of Olympia. (1913).  Journal of the third annual convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Olympia.  Ranch Press.

Diocese of Quincy (1906).  The 28th annual convention of the Diocese of Quincy.  Review Printing Company.  

Egleston, C.L. & Sherman, T. (2019 May 19).  A flag and a seal: Two histories.  In C. Wells (Ed.), The Living Church, 258(9), pp. 16-17. 

General Convention (1922).  Journal of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church.  Abbott Press.

Good, J. (2007).  Argent a cross gules: The origins and English use of the arms of Saint George.  The Coat of Arms, 3(1), 9-18.  https://www.theheraldrysociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CoA-213-Good-paper.pdf

Hertell, E.S. (1941).  Our church's flag.  In C.P. Morehouse (Ed.), The Layman's Magazine of the Episcopal Church, no.15, 14-15.

Morehouse, C.P. (Ed.) (1941 September).  The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, 20, 27.

National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1920 March).  1919 annual report of the National Student Council, bulletin 6.  National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907 May).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America.  In R.A. Cram (Ed.), Christian Art, 1(1), pp. 64-70.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907 November).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America II.  Diocesan arms.  In R.A. Cram (Ed.), Christian Art, 2(2), pp. 59-71.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1914 April 11).  Ecclesiastical heraldry.  The Living Church, 50(24), pp. 835-836.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918).  Some examples of Catholic corporate heraldry.  In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 58(February), pp. 189-198.

Luce, J.H. (1958).  The history and symbolism of the flag of the Episcopal Church.  Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 27(4), 324-331.

Morehouse, C.P. (Ed.) (1941 September).  The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, 20, 27.

National Council. (1921a).  Minutes from the February 17th meeting of the National Council of the Episcopal Church [unpublished document].  The Episcopal Church, New York, NY.

National Council. (1921b).  Minutes from the April 27th meeting of the National Council of the Episcopal Church [unpublished document].  The Episcopal Church, New York, NY.

National Council. (1922a).  Minutes from the February 8-9 meeting of National Council of the Episcopal Church [unpublished document]. The Episcopal Church, New York, NY.

National Council. (1922b).  Minutes from the May 10-11 meeting of National Council of the Episcopal Church [unpublished document].  The Episcopal Church, New York, NY.

Slocum, R.B. & Armentrout, D.S. (Eds.) (2000).  An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A user-friendly reference for Episcopalians.  Church Publishing, Inc., 174. 

Stevens, C.E. (1901 August 10).  Heraldry of the American Church [Letter to the editor].  The Churchman, 84(6), pp. 171-172.

Stevens, C.E. (1902 April 5).  Anglican Episcopal seals.  The Churchman, 85(14), pp. 431-435.

Story, F.W. (1901 August 10).  To the editor of The Churchman [Letter to the editor].  The Churchman, 84(6), 172.

The Living Church (1906).  Diocesan seal for Quincy.  The Living Church, 35(24), 1007.  

The Spirit of Missions (1921).  Meeting of the Presiding Bishop and council.  The Spirit of Missions, 86(3), 182.

Turner, B.W. (2010).  Pro Christo Per Ecclesiam:  A history of college ministry in the Episcopal Church [Unpublished master's thesis].  Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia. https://issuu.com/janus532/docs/cmthesis/19

Whipple, H.B. (1901 July 20).  Seal of the Diocese of Minnesota [Letter to the editor].  The Churchman, 84(3), 77.

Wright, J. (1908).  Some notable altars in the Church of England and the American Episcopal Church.  MacMillan Company.  

The American Heraldry Society

The arms of the American Heraldry Society.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

When I dove head first into the world of heraldry back in 2014, I was curious to know if there were other crazy folks inspired by this abstract and rather arcane subject.  Upon discovering the American Heraldry Society (AHS), I was excited to know others like me existed in the world, and I immediately joined and became a new member.  

In those days all discussions were posted within forums on the Society's website, whereas today the Society's FaceBook page hosts those conversations.  I remember well seeing all the brilliantly colored digital emblazonments of members' arms in those forums, and those images fueled my desire to find a digital heraldic artist for my own arms.  I was thrilled to find a sharing community of scholars and enthusiasts who were simply passionate about heraldry.

Society members patiently answered questions from this tenderfoot, provided assistance with blazoning, and otherwise mentored me on this journey of discovery.  Simply put,  Society members hold a wide body of knowledge relating to many aspects of heraldry--from civic/corporate, ecclesiastical, Scottish/English, to the heraldry of US Presidents and American historical figures.  AHS is a veritable feast for networking and learning.  

The Society awards annually its Pierre de Chaignon la Rose Design Award to organizations in the US bearing and currently using arms.  The design award is the Society's opportunity to promote corporate arms by recognizing their use in the 21st century.  The Society also maintains a scholarship fund.  

Though I had to step away from any heraldic pursuits for a number of years to buckle down on my doctoral research, I am oddly grateful for those dark days of quarantine during the pandemic--the isolation reignited my passion for heraldry and I resumed membership in AHS.   

Arms of AHS emblazoned by
Quentin Peacock of the UK. 
Image source: AHS Facebook.

Now in 2023, I was recently elected to serve as a Governor-at-large for the Society.  For context, board membership consists of five elected members; three serve one year terms as officers of the Society, while the other two serve at-large with staggered two year terms. 

I cannot describe how I felt when I was nominated to be on the Board of Governors--I was honestly surprised and quite humbled actually.  Through this blog, I have since learned, colleagues in the field know who I am along with my research focus--this was the surprising part (humbling as well).  For the next two years, I will endeavor to give my all towards furthering the work and mission of the Society.  I am excited to get started; the opportunities for AHS and its members are plentiful.

In the meantime, please consider pointing your browser to The American Heraldry Society's website and our AHS Facebook page.  All are welcome and invited.

The Board of Governors has its work cut out, and fixing our website is top of mind.  With the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences coming to the US for the first time in September 2024, the Society has a significant opportunity to help represent American heraldry in Boston--oddly where my research muse spent the majority of his life.  I will certainly post relevant AHS news and happenings here in the days and weeks to come.  Onwards!

Board of Governors for 2023-2024

President: Ethan MacDonald, FSA Scot

Secretary: Kimon Andreou

Treasurer: David Boven, Ph.D. (Immediate Past President)  

Jeremy Hammond is currently one of two Governors-at-large with a term ending in 2024, and thus was not up for election.  Let's roll up our sleeves and dig in.

Additionally, I want to acknowledge and thank Joseph McMillan and David Pope for their tireless service, devotion, and leadership to AHS.   

The blazon for the arms of the American Heraldry Society:  Gules, an American Bald Eagle displayed proper on a chief azure three escutcheons argent.

"Heralditis" and the American Architect

 

The arms of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose as illustrated on his 1895 bookplate. Digital rendering by vErmines Love Supreme, August 2023.

Herald/i/tis, noun: (i) a condition infecting an individual to employ heraldic decoration for artistic purposes without regards to the rules or customs of heraldry; (ii) when a designer of a coat arms ignores the primary canon, arma sunt distinguendi causa, that armorial bearings should simply and clearly identify its owner and nothing more.

Example: "The architect was deeply afflicted with heralditis and sketched out a new quartered coat of arms for the school's chapel, which does not clearly identify the school at all."  

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Acknowledgement 

Special thanks and appreciation to Matthew Alderman, heraldic artist to the New England Historic Genealogical Society's Committee on Heraldry, for his gracious assistance in tracking down la Rose's article published in Liturgical Arts. 

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As the nation's leading herald in the early to mid-20th century, Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) encountered an American mindset afflicted with what he would eventually define as "heralditis."  In nearly every new corporate coat of arms he would design for an organization, la Rose would spend more time sending correspondence to those leaders explaining the rules and customs of heraldry than any rationale for its design--a noble, yet exhausting endeavor.  

There is no question, therefore, that la Rose's prescription for battling heralditis was pure and simple:  education.  La Rose was not the only herald on a mission to fight this good fight.  Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) aided in the prescription of education with his article, "The Heraldry of the American Church" (1901 June 29).  The Rev. Dr. C. Ellis Stevens (d. 1906) made an additional contribution to the cause with his 1902 article, "Anglican Episcopal Seals," (April 5, 431-435).  

La Rose's first attempt can be found in a series of articles he published in Cram's Christian Art in 1907 (La Rose, 1907 May; La Rose, 1907, November).  These two articles focus heavily on Anglican heraldry and specifically seals and arms found within the Episcopal Church.  The singular focus is rather interesting, likely reflecting la Rose's growing impatience with appointed committees of amateurs.

In 1914, the herald would publish one last attempt to assuage fears of heralditis creeping into the Anglican and Episcopal Church with his article on ecclesiastical heraldry in The Living Church (La Rose, 1914 April 11, 835-836).  Following publication in 1914, la Rose seemingly surrenders to the Episcopal Church; at present, there is no data concerning the herald's attempt to provide further education on heraldry within the Episcopal Church.  

The fight against heralditis would be a life-long pursuit for the herald, engendering in many ways his life's purpose.  

An example of heralditis as found in the armorial bearings for The University Choir at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.  These arms in no way identify the owner as being a choir, much less one from Sewanee, and were likely appropriated from an early architectural sketch of arms for All Saints' Chapel.  Image source:  The University Choir Facebook page.

A recent discovery from the Archives of the University of Notre Dame revealed another such document promoting education of heraldry to fight the dreaded disease of heralditis.  In an undated document written by la Rose, "Ecclesiastical Heraldry and Architects," we learn the herald's first use of heralditis (La Rose, n.d.).  With the kind assistance from Matthew Alderman, we now know the undated document from the Archives of the University of Notre Dame was the basis for la Rose's article by the same name published by Liturgical Arts in 1933.  

Armorial bearings devised by la Rose for the Diocese of Sacramento in 1923 and the Diocese of Oklahoma (now Archdiocese of Oklahoma City) in 1922.  Image is courtesy of Matthew Alderman and appears in La Rose (1933), 191.  Click image to enlarge.

La Rose (1933) adds black and white emblazonments in the article of his designs for arms of the following archdioceses/dioceses:  Cleveland, Monterey and Fresno, Manchester, Santa Fe, Portland (ME), Rochester, Milwaukee, Seattle, Helena, San Francisco, Toledo, and Leavenworth.  The herald selected the Dioceses of Sacramento and Oklahoma for full colored emblazonments.

La Rose begins his manifesto:

"When the editor invited me to contribute an article on heraldry, I was a bit nonplussed, for heraldry is not a liturgical art, in that no phase whatever of the Church's liturgy involves its use.  The Church existed for twelve centuries or more without the slightest need of it, and if tomorrow heraldry were to be wiped off the face of the globe--which I sometimes wish would happen--the Church would be no poorer liturgically. 

"To phrase such a wish requires explanation.  My reason for it is that, in America, the essential nature of heraldry and its underlying purpose are pretty generally misunderstood, and, in consequence, it is constantly misused, especially by architects, and, for our specific purpose in this article, in ecclesiastical fabrics" (La Rose, 1933, 187).   

The article from 1933 gives us a glimpse into the herald's weary state of mind, having been worn down over the years by committees and armchair enthusiasts fighting back to advance heralditis in America.  

The high altar at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in New York City.
Image is from the Parish's Facebook page.  Click image to enlarge. 

Ever the teacher and educator, la Rose provides an example of heralditis for the readers of Liturgical Arts.

"Better to explain what I am driving at, let me cite one or two specific instances.  In the church of Saint Vincent Ferrer, in New York, there is a frieze or band of decorative carving running round the clerestory which consists of an imposing array of coats-of-arms--an improbable decoration in a medieval church of its style.  

"On my first visit there I studied these arms with interest, and I daresay I should have felt flattered, because a large number were coats which I had myself designed for their owners.  But I could only groan, lamenting the, to me, obvious fact that my good friend, the architect, or some draughtsman in his office, had been temporarily afflicted with the worst case of 'heralditis' I have yet come across.  For I could discover few if any of the shields to have logical reason for appearing there.  

"To be specific, they were the arms of a number of Ordinaries, taken presumably from the Catholic Directory.  Now, of the prelates represented, only one could possibly have had any kind of juridical relation to this particular church; none, so far as I remember them was a member of the Order of Preachers.  I doubt if a single one had been a Benefactor, in the sense of having been financially concerned with the building of the fabric or its endowment; and finally, not one of them had yet been buried there.  

"Why, then, string up the personal arms of a group of people, however distinguished, who had no relation to this building, to the clergy in charge of it, or to the congregation that worships there?  This is sheer non-sensical heralditis, of a kind which no medieval architect would have ever been guilty" (La Rose, 1933, 190). 

Indeed, why?  The example from la Rose helps define this common illness which continues to plaque the American mindset to this very day.  I should say that, although the herald made sweeping strides in his battle, the war on heralditis continues.  Education for prevention is the best prescription, being mindful that this task can chip away at even the most battle-hardened knight.  

Works Cited

Cram, R.A. (1901 June 29).  The heraldry of the American church.  The Churchman, 83(26), pp. 813-818.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (n.d.). Ecclesiastical heraldry and architects.  Unpublished document.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907 May).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America.  In R.A. Cram (Ed.), Christian Art, 1(1), pp. 64-70.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907 November).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America II.  Diocesan arms.  In R.A. Cram (Ed.), Christian Art, 2(2), pp. 59-71.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1914 April 11).  Ecclesiastical heraldry.  The Living Church, 50(24), pp. 835-836.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1933).  Ecclesiastical heraldry and architects.  In H.L. Binsse (Ed.), Liturgical Arts, 2(4), pp. 187-194.

Stevens, C.E. (1902 April 5).  Anglican Episcopal seals.  The Churchman, 85(14), pp. 431-435.

Revisions & Updates

The arms of The Episcopal Church designed by la Rose between 1939-1940.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Over the past several days, I've gone back and revised several old articles.  I wanted to overhaul several important posts to fit my style standards, etc.  One such article, "Variations on a theme: Pierre de Chaignon la Rose and the cross in national colors," desperately needed to be updated.  Furthermore, I was able to add two more corporate coats within this same theme.  Please click here to read a thematic analysis of 13 corporate coats designed by la Rose in the cross in national colors.  

For a non-la Rosian article, I've revised the "Heraldry of the University of the South," and included new emblazonments rendered by Lucas A. Hofmann.  Please click here to learn more about the heraldry of The University of the South.

I'm currently working on another unidentifiable scholastic coat and fielding numerous emails from archives all over the place--an exciting time as I prepare to close a chapter on data collection.  I can hear my dissertation chair in my head saying, "after 10 years, you have enough data (250 or so corporate arms) so start your analysis and write!"  Yes, I hear this message loud and clear.  To be honest, it is exhausting at this point to keep searching for new discoveries, as the gap seems to widen more and more in locating sources for attribution and dating.  

Furthermore, I have since accepted that I could either spend the rest of my life hunting down lost arms designed by la Rose, or simply push forward with the data in hand.  I've longed believed that no single researcher holds an absolute knowledge on any given subject.  The goal of research, in the end, is to publish and plant a flag in the ground pointing the way for others to follow.  It is my hope that others will continue the quest I started back in 2014.  Onwards!