Temple's Ecclesiastical Heraldry

Anchored by the arms of the Episcopal Church, select ecclesiastical arms
designed by Col. Harry D. Temple.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

After emblazoning several designs created by Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004), I've admittedly become smitten with his work in scholastic, civic, and ecclesiastical heraldry.  As head of the US Army's Institute of Heraldry, Temple naturally devised a lot of military heraldry but I have little interest there. 

The researcher in me has already started a "Temple Roll of Arms" to begin collecting data on Temple's non-military designs, and I easily gathered 20 so far.  I know more exist.  Challenge accepted!

From what I gather based on my data so far, Temple's ecclesiastical work was mainly within the Episcopal Church and primarily designing arms for cathedrals and parishes.  However, there are at least two designs for Episcopal dioceses--Dioceses of Virginia and Georgia.  

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Dekay (1993) cites Temple designing the arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in 1971, blazoned:  Sable, three lymphads Or, on a chief Argent a cross Gules.  His simple design for the diocese ties together Virginia's settlement of Jamestown through the ships as well as its Anglican heritage with the chief of St. George.  Again, lovely and simple.  

The arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Temple's design for the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia was adopted by the see in 1971 and blazoned: Azure, on a bend engrailed Or cottised Argent, a boar's head couped Gules armed Argent and langued Azure between two roses Argent seeded and barbed Or.

The following design rationale comes from the Diocese of Georgia's Archives:

"The symbolism and description in modern language is this: The wide wavy-edged diagonal band is gold and is taken from the Elliott coat of arms in honor of the Right Reverend Stephen Elliott, the first bishop of Georgia. The two thin parallel stripes are of silver and are memorials to Dr. Thomas Bray, to whom the Episcopal Church in Georgia traces its beginning, and Dr. Henry Herbert, the first English priest in Georgia.

The boar’s head is from the arms of General James Oglethorpe, who brought the Church of England to Georgia in 1733. It is colored red.

The two roses, whose petals are silver with sepals and pistils of gold, symbolize the Church’s service to Georgia – the Cherokee rose is the State flower.

The rose at the upper right represents the Diocese of Georgia of the Episcopal Church in the United States, while the one at the lower left memorializes the Diocese of Georgia of the Episcopal Church of the Confederate States of America."

The arms of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Temple virtually cornered the market devising arms for cathedrals in the Episcopal Church and set the standard for placing a mace and crozier in saltire behind his armorial designs for cathedrals.   One source I saw recently attributes Temple for designing 32 coats of arms for Episcopal cathedrals.  I've recently emblazoned a few and included below, selected purely based on my biased opinions.

Temple cleverly employed gyronny in the base of arms for Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona to mimic the state's flag--both in design and colors yielding geographic identification.  Employing three cross-crosslet fitchy provides a fitting number for the Holy Trinity.  Dekay (1993) notes that Trinity became the cathedral for the Diocese of Arizona in 1988 and thus these arms were likely created around that time with the following blazon:  Gyronny of twelve Or and Gules, on a chief Azure three crosses-crosslet fitchy Argent.

The arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Temple's design for the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky we see a similar scheme used as in the arms for the Diocese of Virginia--still simple and clear however.  The chief readily identifies the Anglican nature of the institution while three golden fleurs-de-lis honor the city's namesake with charges from the French royal arms.  The inescutcheon at the honor point narrows the identification by abstractly illustrating the monogram for Jesus Christ with a red coronet for Christ's kingship and crucifixion, according to Dekay (1993).

Blazon for the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky:  Azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or, on a chief Argent a cross Gules in honor point an inescutcheon Or charged with a Chi-Rho Sable enfiling a coronet Gules. 

The arms of Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

For Trinity Cathedral's coat of arms, Temple leaned into local history by incorporating barry wavy lines to reference George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.  Dekay (1993) adds that the three celestial crowns refer to the cathedral's merger of All Saints' Parish and Trinity Parish in order to form the present cathedral community.  The star is a reference to the state of New Jersey.

The blazon for the arms of Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey:  Sable, on a chevron barry wavy Argent and Azure fimbriated Or a mullet Or between three celestial crowns Or.

The arms of Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) in Easton, Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Here is another of Temple's cathedral designs, the arms of Trinity Cathedral seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Easton in Maryland.  It is important to note that the diocese itself does not bear arms but rather uses a simple seal, thus providing some challenges for any heraldic designer.  The canton--and ducal coronet--makes a clear reference to the Lord Baltimore's arms thus placing the owner in Maryland. 

Dekay (1993) gives the blazon for the arms of Trinity Cathedral in Easton, Maryland as:  Argent, on a chevron Gules three ducal coronets Or in base a cross patonce Sable, a canton paly Or and Sable with a bend counterchanged.

The arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Temple's design for an Episcopal parish located in the Diocese of Easton, we find the same canton illustrating unification of parish to the ordinary's cathedra.  At the moment I do not have definitive evidence of Temple's hand in designing St. Augustine's arms, but I'm willing to bet given the use of the canton in both arms, which in the parish's case also references the gift of land by Lord Baltimore.  As always, I'll be in contact with the parish to see what evidence is available and update this post as necessary.

From Augustine Parish website:

"St. Augustine Church, originally called the Manor Chapel, was one of the 30 churches paying tithes to the Bishop of London in 1690. It was the place of worship for the early settlers of Bohemia Manor, an estate of several thousand acres granted to Augustine Herman by Lord Baltimore in 1660 for surveying and mapping Maryland environs.  Herman, who was born in Prague in the early part of the seventeenth century, came to America to seek is fortune. He subsequently became the first naturalized citizen of the colony and a prominent historical figure in Maryland." 

Blazon of the arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Chesapeake City, Maryland: Per fess Argent and Vert in base two arrows in saltire points up Argent surmounted by a winged spur Or a canton paly Or and Sable with a bend counterchanged.

The retired arms of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Lastly, I want to highlight one of Temple's most controversial designs for arms which became newsworthy in 2015.  St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond, Virginia was known as "the cathedral of the Confederacy."  According to Graham (2023), St. Paul's accepted Temple's design in 1967, the arms blazoned:  Azure, cursily Or a sword palewise Argent hilted and pommelled Or, on a canton Gules fimbriated Argent a saltire Azure fimbriated Argent charged with a mullet Or.

The rationale is fairly clear:  the blue field and gold cross-crosslets reference the arms of the Episcopal Church while the sword in pale is associated with St. Paul.  The canton, however, is where things get messy and abstractly mimics the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.  The canton likely is a tribute to the parish's role as a house of prayer during the Civil War.  

By 2015, our society began an awakening through Black Lives Matter and many organizations began taking stock of names and symbols that exclude others.  St. Paul's began cleaning house and Temple's design of arms for the parish were quickly retired.  I will say that I do find the design simple and beautiful.  I chose to render the arms for sake of preservation in future studies of American heraldry.  Otherwise, I'm afraid, this design would be effectively erased.  

Having gone back through this post while adding several more of Temple's designs than originally planned, I must admit my visual delight in seeing his work rendered digitally in full color.  It does appear that cantons, ineschuteons, and chiefs are Temple's "go-to" in many of his heraldic designs.  Regardless, I am completely a Temple fan now and can't wait to explore and find more of his work.

Works Cited

Dekay, E. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

Graham, C.A. (2023). Faith, race, and the Lost Cause: Confessions of a southern church.  University of Virginia Press.

The Arms of Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Arms of Virginia Military Institute

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Arms of Woodberry Forest School

My take on a seal with arms for Woodberry Forest School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Not terribly far from Richmond, Virginia is Woodberry Forest School, a preparatory school for boys and young men established in 1889.  For the longest time I've admired the simplicity of the school's coat of arms, but never dug into their origins.  Recently, I needed to render the arms and armorial flag for a project and this gave me pause to begin thinking critically about this straightforward design.  

There is little (and I mean little) information regarding WFS' coat of arms; however, its clear that the school community highly cherishes this symbol as the arms literally adorn every item in the bookstore.  I've only seen the arms set within a wafer style seal bearing the school's name and date of establishment.  I've added their version below for reference.  

Official seal and coat of arms of Woodberry Forest School.

Image source: WFS website.

Fill the field! This heraldic design rule always rang loudly whenever I encountered WFS' arms. Yet, when I finished my emblazonment recently I had a "grinchy" change of heart. I actually like the simplicity of the design, though not a big fan of stains such as "tenne."

Orange and black are the school's livery colors; it appears that from some desired need to incorporate those tinctures in a design of new arms resulted in the orange stained chevron. I think I just didn't like the school's version where everything appears flimsy and rather small.

Coat of arms of Woodberry Forest School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In my rendering, I was intentional in filling the space with a thicker chevron and robust evergreen trees.  Without any data, I give the blazon for WFS' arms as:  Argent a chevron Tenne between as many fir trees eradicated Vert. 

Based on some quick research, it appears the chevron comes from the "Walker" arms.  Robert Stringfellow Walker (1840-1914) founded WFS in 1889 and comes from a long line of Walkers who resided in Woodberry Forest, Virginia.  In fact, there is a book, "The Walkers of Woodberry Forest: 1720-1973," which has a strangely arranged quartered coat of arms emblazoned on the front cover.  One set of those arms appears with a chevron between three crescents (no tinctures on the image).  The fir trees create a "cant" or heraldic pun on the school's name--three trees to create a forest.  So far this all my working theory.    

Armorial flag of Woodberry Forest School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I have contacted the school's archives for information on the arms.  If my request is successful, I'll update this post.