New Year, New Discovery

The flag of Weld Boat Club at Harvard
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

My dry spell for discovering armorial designs created by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) just ended, signaling what should become a great 2025.  While editing and double-checking references for an article on la Rose I wrote for the forthcoming publication on the proceedings of the 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, I literally stumbled upon something I have never seen before, the flag of Weld Boat Club at Harvard.

Please click this link for background on the Congress and my presentation on la Rose's work for several US Roman Catholic religious communities.

La Rose's design for Weld Boat Club
source: Harvard Illustrated Magazine (1899), 16.
Click to enlarge

The inaugural edition of Harvard Illustrated Magazine, published in October 1899, showcases la Rose's flag designed for Weld Boat Club.  Named for Harvard alumnus and philanthropist George Walker Weld (1840-1905), the club's boathouse was constructed along the Charles River in 1906 (Hodge, 2022).  I believe Weld left this gift in his estate following his death in 1905.

Why is this discovery important?

La Rose's flag for Weld now represents his first known heraldic design in my growing data set containing more than 260 works of corporate heraldry he produced.  Moreover, the boat club's flag now becomes la Rose's first example to showcase his gift of combining history, unification, and differencing into a design of arms rendered in the simplest form possible. 

I can assure anyone on the above point; the ability to accomplish these three tasks in a singular design successfully and simply, is truly a gift not widely distributed among heraldic designers.

Previously, data suggested that la Rose's armorial designs for two social clubs at Harvard--Signet Society and The Digamma (also nicknamed The Fox Club)--produced around 1902 were tied for the honor of being his earliest known work in the space of corporate heraldry.

Signet Society's club house on Dunster Street in Cambridge prominently features la Rose's creation of the society's arms carved into the building's portico and blazoned: "Arms:  Gules, a signet ring or, surrounded by seven bees of the same marked with sable.  Crest: From a fillet or and sable, a dexter forearm issuing, clothed in a sable sleeve with white cuff.  The hand proper holding an open book with two clasps and edges or, across the pages of which is inscribed Veritas" (Signet Society, 1903, II).

Arms of the Signet Society and Fox Club at Harvard
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Two notable observations.  Firstly, the addition of a crest for corporate arms was anathema to la Rose.  Signet Society's crest represents his only known one in my data.  Secondly, using letters for heraldic charges creates another significant outlier in the data--Weld Boat Club as well as the arms for The Digamma at Harvard produced in 1902. 

The Digamma's armorial ensigns were rendered as a bookplate for the society's library and published in 1915 (Ward, 122).  Based on the bookplate's engraved image, with hatching, in Ward (1915), the likely blazon for The Digamma's arms are: Vert, a fox rampant Or holding in dexter paw a capital Digamma Or.  The Harvard social club eventually changed its name to the Fox Club, as its told, because the Digamma closely resembles the letter "F."

Returning the Charles River.

A translation of Weld Boat Club's flag into a coat of arms
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Since the magazine's illustration of the flag contains no additional information, the likely blazon la Rose constructed for the flag of Weld Boat Club: Gules, on a chevron Sable fimbriated Argent the capital letter W at fess point Or between three open books Argent inscribed ve-ri-tas.  

Click to enlarge infographic
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The flag of the boat club shows la Rose's ability to masterfully combine history, unification, and differencing to produce one clear and coherent armorial design.  

As seen throughout his portfolio of corporate arms, la Rose's mastery of creating unification and differencing in arms built a framework the designer followed his entire career.  The flag's arrangement--the chevron and three open, inscribed books--is a clear reference to the arms of Harvard College, abstractly indicating that the boat club is a foundation of the college. Hammond (1981) gives the blazon for Harvard College's arms: "Arms of Harvard differenced by a chevron argent between the books" (171).  

Arms of Harvard College
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Moreover, Hammond (1981) notes that the use of the white chevron in the university's coat of arms was commonplace and seen throughout the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, but ultimately omitted when the Corporation officially adopted a seal containing its arms in 1843 (171).  Interestingly enough, la Rose resurrected the white chevron in his design for Harvard College's arms--adopted and seen to this day--ahead of the university's tercentenary celebrations in 1936 (Hammond, 1981, 171).  Perhaps la Rose had this plan in mind as early as 1899, though no evidence exists to support this claim.     

Nonetheless, la Rose suitably differenced the boat club's flag with a black chevron fimbriated white and omitting the gold clasps from the books while edging them white/silver instead of gold.  Overall, the capital letter "W" is placed at fess point likely honoring the club's namesake and benefactor, Weld.  The capital letter is rendered in Lombardic font, a very decorative, medieval-style of lettering la Rose used prominently for legends on corporate seals and inscriptions on open books.  Again, no rationale or details can yet be found to support these ideas.  

May the reader enjoy a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Works Cited

Hammond, Mason. (July 1981).  A Harvard armory part I.  Harvard Library Bulletin 29(3), 261-297, https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37364077?show=full

Harvard Illustrated Magazine. (October 1899).  "The flag of Weld Boat Club."  Harvard Illustrated Monthly 1(1),16

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Harvard_Illustrated_Magazine/XhkUAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=weld%20boat%20club%20harvard%20flag&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover

Hodge, Unique. (9 May 2022).  "Campus Spotlight: Weld Boathouse," Harvard College, retrieved January 4, 2025

https://college.harvard.edu/about/campus/weld-boathouse.

Signet Society. (1903). The Third Catalogue of The Signet. (Boston, MA:  Merrymount Press, 1903), II.

Ward, Harry P.  (1915). Some American College Bookplates. (Columbus, OH: The Champlin Printing  Company),122.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Some_American_College_Bookplates/Q0YPAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover

The Arms of First Families of Massachusetts

Seal concept designed by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As a proud member of the Hereditary Order of First Families of Massachusetts (HOFFMA), I recently had inspiration to see if I could create fresh renderings for the Order's use as those in print are rather dated.

My qualifying ancestor, Stukeley Westcott (1592-1677), was apparently quite the character since he was tossed out of Massachusetts only to become one of the first settlers to establish the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  He was a 2-for-1 as I am a member of both First Families of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island.  Interestingly enough, Westcott was also an early member of the First Baptist Church in America.  

Coat of arms of First Families of Massachusetts
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

History lesson aside, HOFFMA was organized in 1985 under the leadership of the late Dr. Roswell Levi Atwood of Massachusetts.  Dr. Atwood also designed HOFFMA's coat of arms around that same time, blazoned: "Barry wavy of six Azure and Argent on a chief of the second a cross Gules charged with a lion passant guardant Or of England."

Atwood goes so far as devise supporters blazoned: "on each side a griffin per fess Gules and Argent wings elevated, beaked, eared and tufted Or, armed Gules, and displaying above the shield a pillar Or; tassels pendant Gules."  This is pretty much all I'm going to cover on the supporters as they really don't interest me.

After becoming a member in 2015, I really wanted our coat of arms, well, to be simpler?  Thankfully, Atwood avoiding any temptation to run with a quartered coat!  So I've taken up the challenge in rendering a few design assets for HOFFMA with the hopes of their usefulness.  

Banner of arms, First Families of Massachusetts.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The annual directory sent to members notes that the flag of the Order--also an Atwood design--was apparently lost following the death of his son.  The flag, "reflects the Order's emblem on a field of white with gold trim."

After reading this I immediately saw the forthcoming banner of arms as rendered above.  I am planning to have the flag physically at 3ft x 5ft.  Not quite like Atwood's flag, perhaps cooler?

Members' medal of First Families of Massachusetts
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Now the Order's medal for members is rather slick and was quite fun to recreate digitally.  I actually need to order a miniature medal and excited to wear on formal occasions.  

I have at least one other hereditary society coat of arms to present and more to come soon.

Plot Twist

Recently, I received a kind email from Andrew Cusack who blogs andrewcusack.com, alerting me to the existence of the arms of the County of London (England).  The London County Council received a grant from the College of Arms in 1914: Barry wavy of six azure and argent, on a Chief of the last the cross of St George charged with a lion of England.  

The County of London was abolished in 1956 and replaced with the Greater London Council that seemingly bore the same arms until it was abolished in 1985-86.

Yikes!

So, did Dr. Atwood know that these arms existed?  Is it possible that he believed with the Greater London Council's abolishment in 1985-86 that the design was up for grabs?  Who knows.  Nonetheless, I believe its never wise to take another's coat of arms; differencing a design is rather easy and helps avoid infringement and the arms of FFMA are definitely crossing (or towing) that line.

Merry Christmas

The Arms of the University of the South, its schools, and residence halls.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

 Wishing you and yours every blessing this holiday season

and a prosperous new year!

The Arms of the Order of St. John

The arms of the Order of St. John.
Click to enlarge.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Since this summer, I've wanted to try my hand at rendering all the arms associated with the Order of St. John--the various priories around the world and so forth.  Well, project completed!  

I made this image to be poster size coming in at 16 inches x 20 inches and includes the coats of arms for the Sovereign Head, the Grand Prior, the Order itself, the 11 priories, 5 commanderies, and the St. John Eye Hospital Group.

All of these arms were devised and granted by the College of Arms and have as their basis the following blazon:  Gules, a cross throughout Argent in first quarter a representation of the Sovereign's crest.  Usually in the English manner, the first quarter is likely the obviously placement for any marks of differencing but has already been claimed by the Sovereign's crest.  Thus, the heralds opted to use the honor point, or center, for adding differencing marks.

I've added a small selection of the various arms in the Order of St. John illustrating these differencing marks. 

The coat of arms of the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John,
HM King Charles III.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John bears unique arms reserved only for the Sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III.  In these arms, we see the Order of the Garter belt taking precedence over St. John's Amalfi cross and draped with the black sash and Sovereign's badge.  In chief, we see the arms of the Order of St. John, where unfortunately, the Royal crest gets shrunk way too much in my opinion.  

Still, however, I love how this rendering came together and strikes a regal note.

Arms of the Order of St. John's Eye Hospital Group.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Eye Hospital Group features an abstract representation of an eye with the Amalfi cross in the center.  The rather intricate blazon was recently shared with me: "a voided and pointed Ellipse fesswise Sable enclosing a Pellet conjoined to a Decrescent and Increscent Vert throughout and charged with a Maltese Cross Argent."

Arms of the Order of St. John's Priory in Kenya.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Priory of Kenya do not use a traditional European eschuteon but rather a native one which seems more appropriate.  The Priory's differencing mark also matches in shape and comes from the national flag. 

Arms of the Order of St. John's Commandery in Western Australia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Commandery in Western Australia features a black swan atop three lines of barry wavy.