We Declared Our Independence! Now What? I Know, a Coat of Arms

Late on the afternoon of July 4, 1776, the same day as the official date of the Declaration of Independence which had been adopted two days before, the Continental Congress of the newly-declared United States of America appointed three members of the committee of five which had drafted the Declaration (Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson), as follows:

"Resolved, That Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson, be a committee, to prepare a device for a Seal for the United States of America."

Over the course of the next month, these three gentlemen considered several possible designs, and on August 20, 1776, presented to Congress their final design, to wit:

“The great seal should on one side have the arms of the United States of America, which arms should be as follows:

“The shield has six quarters, parti one, coupé two. The 1st Or, a Rose enameled gules and argent for England; the 2nd Argent, a Thistle proper for Scotland; the 3d Vert a Harp Or for Ireland; the 4th Azure a Flower de luce Or for France; the 5th Or the Imperial Eagle Sable for Germany; and the 6th Or the Belgic Lion Gules for Holland, pointing out the countries from which these States have been peopled. The Shield within a border Gules entwined of thirteen Scutcheons Argent linked together by a chain or, each charged with the initial letters Sable, as follows: 1st M.B., 2nd N.H., 3d R.I., 4th C., 5th N.Y., 6th N.J., 7th P., 8th D.C., 9th M., 10th V., 11th N.C., 12th S.C., 13th G., for each of the thirteen independent States of America.”

The initials stood for: Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware Chesapeake, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. With supporters (Liberty and Justice), a crest of the Eye of Providence in a radiant triangle, and the motto, E Pluribus Unum, “Out of many, one.”

Congress’ action on this proposal? The Journal of Congress entry dated August 27th, 1776, notes: “the committee appointed to prepare a device for the Great Seal of the United States, brought in the same with the explanation thereof. Ordered to lie on the table.”

Apparently, rather like us, Congress was not impressed by the submitted design.

Two more committees and nearly six years later, the arms of the United States were approved on June 20, 1782. Here is how they appear on the reverse of the $1 bill today:

The arms on the breast of the eagle are blazoned Paly of thirteen* argent and gules a chief azure.

* Some heraldry enthusiasts get all "up in arms" (pardon the pun) about that blazon, which has come under criticism nearly since its original publication until today.

Much of that criticism is based on English blazon practice, as summarized in James Parker’s A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry:

Paly: when the field is divided by perpendicular lines into an even number of equal parts, the first of which is generally a metal, and that last of a colour. An uneven number … would be blazoned as of so many pales.

A difficulty with blazoning the arms of the United States in this manner is that the emblazon might not be reproduced accurately from the blazon. For example, many depictions of Argent six pallets Gules a chief Azure have the red stripes (the charges) significantly narrower than the white ones (the field), but such depictions lose the symbolism of having thirteen equally wide stripes, representing the thirteen original states of the union.

Then, too, as early as September 1786, in the Columbian Magazine, in “Remarks and Explanation” believed to be by William Barton, we find: “It is not consistent with the dignity of an imperial state, that its armorial insignia must necessarily be blazoned according to the general rules of blazonry prescribed by heralds.” Or in other words, “It’s ours, and we can blazon it however we like. So there.” Not the most convincing argument, I believe, but there it is nonetheless.

And finally, as John Gibbon stated in 1682, a full century earlier, in his Introductio ad Latinam Blasoniam:

Foreigners make no matter, neither in Paly, Barry, nor Bendy, whether the pieces be even or odd, provided they be of an equal latitude.

So, naysayers of the Eighteenth – or the Twenty-First – Centuries to the contrary notwithstanding, it seems, to me at least, that Paly of thirteen Argent and Gules a chief Azure is an accurate and acceptable blazon for the arms of the United States, one which will permit a faithful reproduction of the emblazon by any heraldic artist who follows it.

A Stained Glass Armorial Window That Is Truly a Family Affair

Having finished our tour of the Chapter House and its armorial stained glass windows, we find ourselves back out in the main body of York Minster, and looking at this window:

This is the Peter de Dene Window in the cathedral and it's a real family gathering.

We'll start at the top:

In the center of the three lights, at the top just below the roundel, we have in a small shield the attributed arms of St. Peter (not a relative), Gules two keys in saltire wards upwards or.

Then, in the top row of shields, from left to right, the arms of: the Emperor Frederick II (King Edward I’s uncle), Or a double-headed eagle displayed sable; the arms of King Edward I,  being England, Gules three lions passant guardant in pale or); and Margaret of France (King Edward’s second wife), Azure semy-de-lys or (France ancient).

Further below, in the center row of shields, again left to right: the arms of Eleanor of Provence (Edward’s mother), Paly or and gules; Richard of Cornwall, King of Rome (Edward’s uncle), Or an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered gules; and finally, Eleanor of Castile (Edward’s first wife), Quarterly Castile and Leon.

Finally, in the bottom row of shields, we have but two: on the left, the Kingdom of Jerusalem (held for a time by Edward’s uncle Frederick II), Argent a cross potent between seven crosses potent or; and on the right, Joan of Navarre (Edward’s sister-in-law), Gules an escarbuncle of chains or (though there is a lot of white in amongst the gold of the "chains" here).

As I said, a real family affair!

All that said, the particularly eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that there are a series of human figures flanking the central column of shields, each of whom is wearing a surcoat of arms. You may click on any of the images above to see a larger, more detailed photograph, which will show these figures and their surcoats more clearly. You may also recognize a number of these arms from having seen them elsewhere in the cathedral.

Starting at the top of this column, in the first detail photograph, flanking the arms of England, we have*: on the left, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller; and on the right, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Below those two figures, we find: on the left, the King of France; and on the right, the King of England.

Beneath those, in the second detail photo, we see: on the left, the Queen of France, and on the right, the Queen of England.

Underneath those, we have: on the left, Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, King Edward I's brother; and on the right, the chevrons of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester.

Below those two figures, we find: on the left, the well-known checky arms of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey; and on the right, the fess between crosses crosslet of Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.

Beneath those, in the third detail image, we see: on the left, William, Lord Roos, Gules three water bougets argent; and on the right, John, Lord Mowbray, Gules a lion rampant argent.

And finally, underneath those, we have: on the left, Robert, Lord Clifford, Checky azure and or a fess gules; and on the right, Henry, Lord Percy, Or a lion rampant azure.

Didn't notice them? Please go back and take a closer look!

* The identifications have been taken from Weir's A Guide to the Heraldry in York Minster, but following my own advice from an earlier post, I confirmed them in other sources.