I’m not entirely sure whether I ought to be posting this here, since the remit limits "extensive discussions working through the design" to AHS members, and I am not (yet) a member. However, I doubt these discussions will be extensive since the bulk of the design is already decided. Nonetheless, our sagacious moderators will prudently decide whether to allow, move, or delete this thread entirely.

Having graduated from university and so returned to permanent residence back home in New York, I thought it’d be about time to assume arms. I’ve toyed with various designs for many, many years now, and this amounts to what I’ve come up with so far (if you’ll pardon the poor emblazonment of the windmill sails):

http://www.andrewcusack.com/akbcarms1.jpg

My stab at blazonry:

Azure, a fess chequy Or and Azure, three bezants Or in chief, the sails of a windmill Or saltire-wise in base.

The symbolism:

Blue and yellow are traditional family colors.

The fess chequy is something I’ve often seen on Scottish arms, and although (so far as I know) it doesn’t have any particular Scottish origin, I thought I’d use it in appreciation of my four years at a Scottish university.

The three bezants Or is in reference to Saint Nicholas, one of my favorite saints as well as the patron saint of New York. The sails of the windmill also represent New York.

My only issue is that I’d like to work something Marian in. I tried sticking a fleur-de-lys on the middle bezant but it didn’t look good and made it seem a bit complex. Any suggestions?

Perhaps instead of charging the middle bezant with a fleur-de-lys, you can remove it and place a fleur-de-lys there instead.

akbcusack wrote:

My only issue is that I’d like to work something Marian in. I tried sticking a fleur-de-lys on the middle bezant but it didn’t look good and made it seem a bit complex. Any suggestions?

What about a crest: A windmill Azure the tower charged with a fleur-de-lys Or.

You may need to specify it is a brick or wood tower, since there are different kinds of windmills.

Nice design, nice artwork.  Minor point in the blazon—- ...a fess checky Or and Azure between in chief three bezants and in base…

ANother suggestion for your desired Marian allusion would be to work it in as part of the crest, which avoids complicating a really nice shield design.

Congratulations on your graduation!

Just one thing, although I do like the overall design of the arms, it does make you look like a Stuart (of indeterminable ancestry), if I understand the Scottish system correctly. But I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly and give better advice.

And as to the Marian allusion, I rather like the idea of replacing one (or two) of the bezants…

Andrew:

I like your design as is.  My personal recommendation is that you keep the original design and simply double your symbolism; that is, use the blue as a symbol of the Blessed Mother.

Claus K Berntsen wrote:

Just one thing, although I do like the overall design of the arms, it does make you look like a Stuart (of indeterminable ancestry), if I understand the Scottish system correctly.

Not necessarily…there are a number of stem arms other than Stewart that have a fess checky (Lindsay, for one).  I think to be identified as Stewart the arms would need to be Or a fess checky Azure and Argent….

What I first thought of when I saw this was some connection to Pittsburgh (arms of Pitt:  Sable a fess checky Argent and Azure between three bezants), but of course the tinctures don’t match that, either.

Congrats and nice work on the design.  Keep it the way it is and add the touch of Marian in the crest.  Of course losing the middle bezant for a fleur would not clutter the design too much.  But it does look very classic the way it is.

Another possible approach would be to treat the original design as arms pertaining to your family (lineage)—i.e. to all the siblings & cousins—descended from some specified common Cusack ancestor, such as the original immigrant or if untraced, the earliest traceable Cusack in America.  Then you could, if you wish, vary the arms for your own personal use by e.g. substituting a fleur de lis for one of the besants.

This approach would of course require some level of consultation and common acceptance involving at least a representative sampling of your extended family—but IMO this would be a plus whether or not you vary the arms for personal use, because one of the generally accepted functions of arms is as a shared symbol of family identity & pride.

Hi Andrew.

First, I like the design of the arms as is – just like the good Father Archer.

If you want to add a nod to the BVM I’d suggest that adding a fleur-de-lis would be appropriate for two reasons – one, it is obviously for the BVM as per your intent; two, it is a nod to the Norman-Irish origins of your name.

Here are two examples I’d use if I were you and really intent on changing this nice design.

This one gives a clearer nod to your Cusack name as well as to the other things you wanted:

Arms – Per pale Or and Azure, between in chief three bezants and in base a fleur-de-lis a fess all counterchanged.

Crest – A windmill affrontee Argent, charged with a fess checkered Or and Azure.

Now obviously the base of the design is the famous Cusack arms and it also incorporates the symbols for the BVM and the bezants for St. Nicolas thus making the arms unique and a nod to your name and St. Nicolas all in the arms. And the crest gives the nod to the windmill (New York I presume) and the fess you desired to mark your time in Scotland. Plus this way the windmill, which might otherwise be a common charge is now much more distinct.

This one’s just like yours but altered ever so slightly:

Arms – Azure, between in chief three bezants and in base a fleur de-lis Or, a fess checkered Or and Azure.

Crest – The blades of a windmill in saltire Or.

JM$.02…

Reading Dennis’ posting, I wasn’t aware of the "famous Cusack arms" which apparently include a fleur de lis.  However, IMO you can reflect that allusion as easily in the crest as in the arms—shouldn’t matter much, whichever you prefer.

If you do part the arms fer fess, you can still use a fess checky overall of the same colors—it should look pretty nice!

Have we mentioned the "refrigerator test" in the thread?  Draw & color both versions - or three or four—in approximately the same size & style, stick ‘em all on the fridge or some other place where you’ll see them in passing several times a day, & after a week or two one or the other (or maybe elements of one or more) will start to seem "right"/"natural" to you.  Or if not, time to start over…

This is essentially tapping & deferring to your subconscious—don’t rush it, because eventually it will catch up with you & may lead to a lingering sense of dissatisfaction or disappointment with your arms after the "new" wears off.  "Blazon in haste, regret at leisure"

Quote:

Reading Dennis’ posting, I wasn’t aware of the "famous Cusack arms" which apparently include a fleur de lis.

Not quite right Mike and my bad.

The Cusack arms, which are one of the 243 that Dr. MacLysaght said were so numerous with different armigers from the same area but different fathers being granted undifference by Ulster before him that he included them in his list of 243 ‘sept’ arms. They are simply: Per pale Or and Azure, a fess counterchanged. There is no crest usually associated with these arms.

The fleur-de-lis I mention is one based on the notable Norman-Irish arms using this symbol of France (D’Alton arms and Sarsfield arms come to mind right now) and even more the several native Irish arms showing a piercing of such emblem or placing of them in their arms themselves having longstanding historical feuds with the Normans at one point (FitzPatrick [more properly MacGillaPatrick] and O’Phelan arms and the MacMahon Oriel and O’Mahony crests come to mind).

So, I apologize if I was unclear, but there are no fleur-de-lis in the Cusack arms; the Cusack arms are famous in that they are one of only 243 that Dr. MacLysaght intentionally singled out based off of their use from Ulster and continued through him; and finally the fleur-de-lis is commonly found in Norman-Irish arms and is an obvious, if not clever, way to allude to one’s Norman origins in Irish arms.

Sorry about the confussion Mike… my bad.

You might think of placing fleurs-de-lis between the blades of the windmill; or, make the sails "blades-fleury" (did I just invent a new charge??) 

—Guy

Dear Andrew,

Congratulation on your graduation and welcome home!

I think your arms, just the way they are, look very classic indeed.  I must say - excellent choice of charges and symbolism.  I tend to agree with Father Archer about the double reference of blue for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and/or with T.R. regarding the Marian reference by adding a fleur de lis somewhere in the crest.  Very nice work.

I also tend to like Denny’s second suggestion where the fleur de lis becomes the charge in base and the blades of the windmill constitute the crest.

All are excellent alternatives, in my opinion.

Regards,

Hassan

Many thanks to everyone who offered congratulations and for everyone’s very helpful thoughts and recommendations. In the interests of maintaining an elegant simplicity I think I must save a more overt Marian reference for the crest, though I do like the idea of claiming the azure for Our Lady.

Here are a few late suggestions :

- I am not convinced that the chequy fess is a good way to allude to Scotland. Since your name is Andrew, why not considering a saltire as a charge ? I was thinking of something like "per pale Or and Azure, a saltire counterchanged" as a basis for your shield. You would then get an allusion to your first name, your last name, and Scotland.

- You could put four bezants around the saltire (counterchanged as well), and, maybe, the wind-mill blades Argent over the saltire.

- I will second others members to think that Azure is a sufficient allusion to the Virgin.

Just thoughts, of course…

Nicolas