Washington Area Schools

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 10:46
 

Some very nice school arms for a set of three relatively new and interrelated Catholic schools in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC:

Avalon School, Bethesda, MD (founded 2003): Quarterly Sable and Or a cross bottony throughout counterchanged, in the second quarter a rose Gules barbed and seeded proper. Motto: Duc in altum.

 

http://www.americanheraldry.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1365&stc=1&d=1414190326

 

Clear allusion to Maryland, with the Calvert colors and the Crossland design. Avalon was the other of the Calvert proprietaries besides Maryland, referring (as I recall) to lands in Newfoundland.

 

Each of Avalon’s residential houses has arms of its own, the first two being very nice, the third having some tincture rule issues, the fourth unfortunately getting outside the heraldic palette. These can be seen at http://www.avalonschools.org/index.html (click the images and you’ll be taken to a bigger picture with an explanation of the design).

 

Calvert House: Per cross Vert and Or a cross bottony throughout counterchanged, in the first quarter a galley sails furled oars in action and in the fourth an escallop both Argent.

 

Carroll House: Per cross Azure and Or a cross bottony throughout counterchanged, in the first quarter a double-headed eagle displayed and in the fourth a compass star of eight points both Argent.

 

Stewart House: Per cross Gules and Sable a cross bottony throughout counterchanged, in the first quarter a lion rampant and in the fourth a hunting horn stringed both Argent.

 

Washington House: Per cross Gray and Sable a cross bottony throughout counterchanged, in the first quarter a sword bendwise point upward and in the fourth a dexter hand apaumée couped at the wrist both Argent.

 

Unfortunately, they missed a chance to work in heraldic references to the namesakes of the four houses, except for the Scottish lion in the arms of Stewart House.

 

Brookewood School for Girls, Kensington, MD (founded 2006): Argent a fess wavy Azure in chief three roses Gules barbed and seeded proper. Motto: Nolite timere.

 

http://www.brookewood.org/images/pages/site_index/crest.jpg

 

The fess is obviously a cant on "brook." The school is named for a prominent early Maryland family who were the original owners of the land on which the school stands (or is planned to stand—it’s not clear from the website whether the school has opened for business or not). The motto is the Latin version of Pope John Paul II’s "Be not afraid."

 

Thomas More Institute (an organization to provide academic materials for Catholic home-schooling): Or a chevron engrailed between in chief two moorcocks Sable, beaked and membered Gules, and in base a rose Gules barbed and seeded proper.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/continuitypress/tmicrest-medium-crop-0.05-0.03-0.96-0.99.gif

 

Based on the arms of St. Thomas More, which were (working from memory) "Argent a chevron engrailed between three moorcocks Sable beaked and membered Gules."

 

Thinking about it, any of these (except the arms of the four houses) would be worthy candidates for the design award.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 10:57
 

Here’s another, but unfortunately not the best of pictures: St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, VA, a merger of two schools run by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia: St. Agnes (founded 1924 for girls) and St. Stephen’s (founded 1944 for boys), which were merged in 1991.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/87/SSSAS_Seal.jpg/150px-SSSAS_Seal.jpg

 

As depicted on car decals and bumper stickers, the roundels are consistently green rather than black, but various colors of the design appear in various places on the school’s website, so it’s not entirely clear what is official. But I will offer the tentative blazon as "Argent six roundels Vert [pommes, for those who prefer] on a chief Gules an open book Or inscribed in letters Sable "IHS." Crest: A paschal lamb passant proper.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 11:08
 

Another DC-area school, St. John’s College High School, a Catholic boy’s military school run by the Christian Brothers, founded in 1855 and located in the northern corner of DC itself.

Argent two bars Gules surmounted of an obelisk issuant from base and on a chief embattled Azure a star Or between two Paschal lambs passant proper.  Motto:  Religio, scientia.

 

http://img.search.com/8/84/1851_Crest_Color.jpg

 

The two bars Gules clearly come from the Washington arms.  The obelisk represents the Washington Monument, the embattled chief the school’s military structure, the lambs are for its patron, St. John the Baptist, and the star is apparently a device of the Christian Brothers.

 

More to come.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 11:20
 

Archbishop Carroll HS is the Catholic archdiocesan high school in DC, founded in 1951.  The arms are "Vert two bars Argent surmounted of two lions rampant respectant Or supporting an open book proper inscribed [with something, not sure what], in chief two crescents Argent."

Again, well designed allusive arms.  The lions respectant or combatant are the common feature of the various arms of the Carrolls, probably Maryland’s most prominent Catholic family after the Calverts themselves, one of whom was the first Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States.  I believe the two bars are again an allusion to the arms of George Washington, and the two crescents are probably a Marian reference taken from the first quarter of the archdiocesan arms.

 

Unfortunately it’s hard to get a good picture to post.  A monochrome version is on the transcript request form at http://www.archbishopcarroll.com/published/admissions/dat/transcript_request_form.pdf

 
David Pritchard
 
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16 March 2007 11:25
 

I think that the arms of the Avalon School would look much better if the lower arm of the cross bottany was not so elongated, that is mimicking a Latin cross. It would be more attractive if the upper quarters were larger thus centering the cross.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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16 March 2007 11:38
 

And herewith the example of "marshalling gone mad" that is the arms of Gonzaga College High School, founded in 1815 and opened in 1821, the oldest educational institution in the original city of Washington (Georgetown University is older, but was not within the original city limits of Washington.)  The school was founded by Archbishop Carroll (see above) and is run by the Jesuits, as the name implies.

http://www.tahan.com/charlie/images/g_seal.gif

 

I have never seen these in color, but believe they can be made sense of as the arms of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (dexter) impaled with those of St. Ignatius Loyola.  If so, the blazon would be something like:

 

Per pale, dexter Argent a cross paty throughout Gules between four eagles displayed Sable over all an inescutcheon quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules a lion rampant Argent, 2nd and 3rd barry of six Or and Sable; sinister per pale, Argent two wolves supporting a cooking pot suspended from a chain issuant from chief Sable, and Or six bendlets sinister Gules.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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16 March 2007 11:51
 

Here’s another, Hyattsville, MD’s, DeMatha Catholic High School, a boys’ school run by the Trinitarians and best known for a decades-long history of national powerhouse basketball teams.

The arms are "Argent a Trinitarian cross [which is a cross paty in which the horizontal arm is Azure and is surmounted by the vertical arm, which is Gules—perhaps there’s a better way to blazon this] within a bordure Azure charged with eight fleurs-de-lys Argent."

 

Dimly visible here, on the left:

http://www.zimmerworks.com/DeMatha/DeMatha Catholic High School 2_files/banner-dematha.jpg

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 13:19
 

St. Anselm’s Abbey School is in DC, a Catholic boys’ school serving grades 6-12, founded and run by the Benedictine monks of St. Anselm Abbey since 1942.

The arms are Argent, on a cross sable between twelve drops of blood a crescent of the field; a bordure engrailed gules.

 

http://www.saintanselms.org/school/downey/hum/Images/staseal.gif

These are also the arms of the Abbey itself.  They were designed by the distinguished Benedictine heraldist, Dom Wilfred Bayne, OSB, and the blazon given above is his.  See http://www.osb.org/gen/bayne.html).

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 13:28
 

I’ve posted this one before in connection with heraldry in and around Washington Cathedral.

These are the arms of St. Albans School, a Episcopalian boys’ boarding school (grades 4-12) founded in 1909, located on the Cathedral grounds and run by the cathedral foundation.  (Among other things, St. Albans is to boys’ choirs what DeMatha Catholic is to basketball.)

 

http://www.stalbansschool.org/images/StAlban_Logo_4c thumbnail.jpg

 

The arms are Azure on a saltire Or a mural crown and on a chief Gules a Jerusalem cross Argent.  "Azure a saltire Or" are the arms attributed to St. Alban.  The silver Jerusalem cross on red is taken from the arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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16 March 2007 13:39
 

A Catholic girls’ school in suburban Maryland, run by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and founded in 1868.

http://www.academyoftheholycross.org/images/mainemb1.jpg

 

I have to guess that the cross moline is Azure, the chief per pale of Calvert (black and gold) and Crossland (red and white), but I haven’t found these in color.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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16 March 2007 14:29
 

A private girls’ prep school in Bethesda, MD, founded 1901.

Azure on a fess between in chief three annulets Argent and in base an open book proper a laurel branch stem to dexter Vert.

 

http://www.zimmerworks.com/Holton/New_Folder/sarf_sq_lg.jpg

 

(The fact that a custom-designed silk scarf with the arms of the school on it is sold by the on-line school store is indicative of the typical family income level of the student body.)

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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16 March 2007 14:37
 

Boy’s private prep school (grades 3-12), founded 1929.

The arms are Or on a bend Sable three mullets, in chief point an annulet [or roundel?] Argent fimbriated Sable. Crest:  A dexter hand couped at the wrist cuffed Azure holding a torch Or flamed Gules.  Motto:  Virtute et non vi.

 

http://www.landon.net/images/Rugby Crest.jpg

 

 

And how’s this for using heraldry prominently?

 

http://www.landon.net/images/Homecoming 9.jpg

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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16 March 2007 20:49
 

Here’s another one, The Heights School, a Catholic boys prep school (grades 3-12) run by Opus Dei.  The arms are:

Azure a tower Or, a chief per pale, dexter quarterly Gules and Or a cross bottony counterchanged, sinister quarterly Vert a lily bendwise Argent and Or a rose Gules.  Motto:  Crescite.

 


<div class=“bbcode_left” >
The parents’ handbook explains the dexter half of the chief as deriving from the Maryland arms (the Crossland quartering), the lily and rose as representing the Virgin, and the tower standing for strength.

 

Nice brass casting on the sign at the school entryway:

 

http://www.heights.edu/uploads/33/577/NewSign.jpg
</div>

 

 
Daniel C. Boyer
 
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17 March 2007 15:04
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

(The fact that a custom-designed silk scarf with the arms of the school on it is sold by the on-line school store is indicative of the typical family income level of the student body.)


Wow, this is a beautiful use of heraldry.

 
Daniel C. Boyer
 
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17 March 2007 15:05
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Boy’s private prep school (grades 3-12), founded 1929.

The arms are Or on a bend Sable three mullets, in chief point an annulet [or roundel?] Argent fimbriated Sable. Crest:  A dexter hand couped at the wrist cuffed Azure holding a torch Or flamed Gules.  Motto:  Virtute et non vi.


Is there any possibility that it’s rather a plate within an annulet Argent?  Somewhat questionable though this may be, it looks more like this to me.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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17 March 2007 21:41
 

Daniel C. Boyer wrote:

Is there any possibility that it’s rather a plate within an annulet Argent? Somewhat questionable though this may be, it looks more like this to me.


Could be; that thought occurred to me today.  I rather suspect its an annulet—probably a cadency mark—that lost its correct tincture by a mistaken emblazonment at some point over the years and is now perpetuated out of habit.  Anyone know of any Landon family arms that are a close match?