Recent Finds

Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Every now and then I stumble upon a rather attractive coat of arms from an unknown designer living on the Internet or social media, providing its owner with a dignified symbol.  It so happens that the four designs I rendered and posted above are ecclesiastical coats from parishes in the Episcopal Church.  When the subject of heraldry in the Episcopal Church emerges, we find ourselves in the lawless deserts of the wild west.  Truly, and I mean it, anything goes...or rather seems appropriate to adorn an escutcheon.  

The other ironic feature of these four coats of arms is the clear theme of barry wavy.  Additionally, my study of these four proves once again that a decent emblazonment makes all the difference.  The modernization of these designs leave much to the imagination...Nonetheless, I am committed to preserving good corporate heraldry in the US, regardless of the designer.

Coat of Arms, St. Patrick's Episcopal Church Brewer, Maine
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

St. Patrick's Episcopal Church bears a lovely coat of arms with striking originality.  My favorite design of this set.  I only wish there was some form of geographical identification incorporated into the design--absolutely illustrate the dedication of the parish but don't go overboard!  I chose to use an ancient Celtic crozier rather than some shiny new crook.  The symmetry of the snake's head facing dexter with the crook to sinister works nicely I think.

Coat of arms, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Branford, CT
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Coat of arms, Grace Episcopal Church, Massapequa, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Coat of arms, Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston, TX
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I'll keep hunting for more.  These designs give me hope and prove that there is such a thing as good American heraldry.

Two late comers, but worthy nonetheless...and I'm 99.7% certain that Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) designed the arms for Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia which was literally in his backyard.  The design scheme matches Temple's creation for arms for the Diocese of Virginia.  Researching this coat for verification.

Coat of arms, Church of the Holy Trinity, New York, NY
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 

Coat of arms, Christ Church Alexandria, VA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

La Rose & Music City

Proposed seal and arms for the Diocese of Nashville
produced by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose in 1932
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Some years ago, I was fascinated to learn that Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) had been commissioned for arms in the State of Tennessee.  Why?  After spending three years in graduate school/seminary in Tennessee, to find something as foreign as heraldry displayed seems, well, foreign.  Sewanee, of course, being the exception to this observation.  In fact, my research over the years has uncovered four corporate coats of arms produced by la Rose in the 1930s.

For the see of Nashville, la Rose proposed the design for a seal in the vesica format with new arms as illustrated above in 1932.  I've not encountered another Roman Catholic see whose seal is rendered in this format.  As far as I know, there is no evidence that the Diocese of Nashville adopted this particular shape, but thankfully their archives preserved la Rose's proposals and correspondence on the matter.

The vesica shaped seal with arms is widely used by dioceses in the Episcopal Church, as la Rose fashioned nearly 30 seals for Episcopal dioceses using this same format.  I do have one basilica that la Rose produced a seal with arms in the vesica shape which is still in use today. 

The Dominican Congregation of St. Cecilia, based in Nashville, worked with la Rose on a number of designs as the sisters established or took over leadership of a number of primary/secondary schools in the region.

L-R: Arms of Notre Dame High School and
the Dominican Congregation of St. Cecilia
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The Sisters established St. Cecilia's Academy in Nashville and the school uses the undifferenced arms of the Congregation.  To the south of Music City, Chattanooga became another focal point for the Congregation and ran Notre Dame High School which still operates and uses the arms la Rose designed, though their modern branding has the entire armorial ensigns in green/white reflecting their livery colors.  I'm working with the sister in charge of the Congregation's archives as I've inquired about three more schools which appear to bear arms that are suspiciously la Rosian.  So, more to come.

If you know, please share!
This is an exact replica from la Rose's drawing.

Of interest to me and my colleagues with the American Heraldry Society, I cannot identify the sinister charge in base of the high school's arms.  What is it?  If you know, please email me at chad(dot)m(dot)krouse(at)gmail(dot)com.

La Rose's design theory and framework was very much rooted in the medieval tradition.  La Rose believed that arms for a branch of a religious community should have in base the undifferenced arms of the main order while using a chief for differencing and creating unique identification for the new branch.  Countless examples exist illustrating la Rose's faithful adherence to this rule.  With St. Cecilia's Congregation, however, we see the reverse used--its important to bear in mind that the high school's arms had been created before the congregation's request for a design.

I can offer only some guesses for this new design arrangement:  1) the gyron for the Order of Preachers is quite striking and likely presents certain design challenges, 2) St. Cecilia Congregation did request a coat of arms similar to the design rendered for Notre Dame High School, or 3) given what he had to work with to create a simple and clear coat of arms, he had no choice but to change up his framework.  Thus, the chief of the Dominican arms becomes the unifying symbol in the arms for both foundations and corporate sole and the base allows for differencing creating unique identification of the bearer.  Fascinating. 

We see other examples within the Dominican family where la Rose changed things up in order to produce clear and perspicuous heraldry.

L-R: Arms of Albertus Magnus College and the Dominican Province of St. Joseph
both designed by la Rose
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In the 1920s, la Rose produced designs for Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut and the Province of St. Joseph in New York.  Here we see la Rose placing an inescutcheon on top of the undifferenced arms of the Order of Preachers using their gyronny of eight and cross.  The visual effect creates a rather striking bordure effect--immediately you know that somehow the Dominicans factor into this corporate body!  

A foundation of the St. Cecilia's Congregation that I'm actively pursuing
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Finally, I'm going on a limb suggesting that la Rose also used the other coat of arms in the Dominican family for a foundation of St. Cecilia.  I'm currently waiting on evidence from the archives so stay tuned.  Regardless who designed these arms, I think they're lovely.

The final corporate coat is that of Father Ryan High School in Nashville founded in 1925.  The school is beginning its centennial year in 2025.  I was honored to work with the official author writing the school's history regarding la Rose's design which is to be published this year as part of the celebration.  La Rose designed the school's arms in 1931 

Seal with arms of Father Ryan High School
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

La Rose's blazon for the high school:  Gules, between a cross saltire Or, three laurel wreaths and in base a covered ciborium all Or.  The ciborium found in base is a clear reference to Father Ryan.  The seal with arms arrangement above is the typical design format la Rose used for scholastic arms--a wafer style containing a gothic quatrefoil holding the arms in center.  I've simplified his design somewhat for a modern feel.

Tennessee, after all, does have good heraldry within its borders...you just need to dig a little.

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.  La Rose's design for the arms of the Signet Society is 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

Moreover, la Rose's use of letters as heraldic charges represents a significant outlier in the data--repeated in only one other known design, 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 Digamm'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.