St. George's Society of New York

In 1998 the Society’s Executive Committee voted to apply for a grant of arms from the College of Arms in London. There were three reasons: to confirm the Society’s English roots (English origins must be established to be granted English arms); to obtain Royal recognition of the Society’s work (the College of Arms is a department of the Royal Household); and to raise the Society’s profile in New York to increase public awareness and attract new members.

A Committee was appointed consisting of James C. Risk, CVO; Arthur J. Rawl; and John Shannon. It had two tasks. First, to formulate what the armorial bearings should say about the Society and how they should look. Henry Bedingfeld, York Herald of the College of Arms , advised on what would and would not work. The second job was to raise the money to pay for the coat of arms since the Society’s assets can only be used for charitable purposes.

A limited fund raising campaign was undertaken immediately. Before the entire membership could be approached, thirteen members - all but one serving on the Executive Committee - and one friend of the Society pledged all of the needed funds.

The final design was approved on 8 June 1999. The devisal is conveyed by Letters Patent, a large hand-lettered illuminated parchment bearing the seals and signatures of the three Kings of Arms. In itself a work of art, the parchment was formally presented to President Peter Raven on 14 April 2000 at the Pierre Hotel by Mr. Bedingfeld and the British Consul-General in New York, Thomas Harris, CMG.

The salient features of the Society identified by the Committee were that it is American, in New York, named after St. George and was founded by Englishmen before the Republic. These four elements - America , New York, St. George and England - were chosen to be represented in the arms.

For England and St. George, the choice was obvious: a red Cross of St. George, England ’s Patron Saint, had to be on the shield. For America and New York, the Committee borrowed the crest of the City of New York, a Northern hemisphere surmounted by an American eagle, and added circlet of American stars. New York is also represented by a Lenape Indian as a supporter with trade goods at his feet symbolizing the mythical purchase of Manhattan for $24. St. George - with a halo and a red cross on his own shield - is the other supporter. (The dry-stone wall on which the supporters are standing is an allusion to Wall Street.) The Committee voted to retain the Society’s original motto written by Bishop Benjamin Moore.

A badge was designed with four American stars separated by windmill blades (also in New York City’s civic shield). The badge may be worn or displayed by all Society members.

It was necessary to “difference” the shield to avoid confusion with other entities using it. Mr. Rawl suggested a blue wheat sheaf (called a “Garb” in heraldic English), symbol of tithing. And to keep reproduction costs down, the Committee decided that the shield should have no more than two colors: red and blue (which, on white stationery, makes a “red, white and blue” combination suggestive of America).

With the basics agreed, Mr. Bedingfeld verified that no other entity had been issued similar arms by the College, whose records go back over 500 years. Fortunately, none had. Then he drafted a formal petition called a “memorial” addressed to the Earl Marshal of England, the Duke of Norfolk, who issued a warrant to the Kings of Arms (Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster) authorizing them to make the grant. At the final stage of the process, Garter declared that the single Garb should be changed to split wheat sheaves so that our shield would not appear to be imitating that of the City of London .

CREST: Upon a helm with a Wreath Argent and Gules issuant from a Coronet composed of a Rim Argent charged with a Barrulet Azure and set with eight Mullets Argent a representation of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth Argent the Oceans Azure standing thereon an American bald-headed Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) displayed Sable the head neck and tail Argent beaked and legged Or.

SUPPORTERS: On the dexter side a representation of St. George in armour proper nimbed Or and over the sinister forearm an escutcheon Argent thereon a Cross Gules and on the sinister a Lenape tribesman with trade goods at his feet both statant upon a Dry-stone Wall all proper.

BADGE: On a Hurt the Sails of a Windmill in Saltire Or between four Mullets Argent all within a Garland of eight Roses Gules barbed proper each charged with a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper.

The project led Committee members to visit New York City ’s Municipal Archives to inspect images of old New York civic seals and to the Museum of the American Indian to find depictions of Lenape tribesman from Manhattan Island. And the Society had to obtain a letter from Gov. George E. Pataki of New York stating that he had no objection to the Society being granted arms.

It has been asked why could we not have shown St. George slaying the dragon on the shield? The answer is that that image has already been appropriated by the Order of the Garter, founded in 1348. Another idea, incorporating St. George and the dragon in the crest, was also taken - by the Royal Society of St. George, which was granted arms (designed by Mr. Bedingfeld and the late Garter, Sir Colin Cole, KCVO) in 1990.

While a number of American government and corporate bodies have acquired arms from London, only three are known to have done so in New York City: Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue at 53 rd Street, Holy Family Church on East 47th Street near First Avenue and the American Priory of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

St. George's Society of New York - Coat of Arms