Col. Dr. Robert James DEVINE OStJ

devine (2)
ArmsGules, a cross argent surmounted on either side by a Flambard erect Or.
CrestUpon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Gules in front of an increscent and decrescent addorsed Or a Raven close Sable. Mantling: Gules doubled Argent.
BadgeA Curtana erect Gules the blade winged Or abutting the base of the pommel a Bee volant Or.
MottoDEO SOLI RATIONEM (Answerable but to God)

The armiger is a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and a Knight of Malta as well as being an Officer of the Venerable Order of St John. He has an illustrious line of descent including Sir John Langstrother, Treasurer of England and Prior of the English League of the Order of St John 1469. His ancestors also include members of the Merovingian dynasty, through which descent can be traced from Gallo-Roman aristocratic family of Syagrii from near Lyons. The armiger is a citizen of the United States. Elements of the arms reflect this background. The field reflects the connection with the Order of St John and the Equestrian Order as well as maternal descent from Moravian noble families. The flambards are an illusion to his career in international affairs and diplomacy. The opposing crescent moons of the crest represent the focus of his life and work on the Middle East and his Norman ancestors who took part in the Crusades. They also allude to the marriage of another ancestor (Baldwin II Count of Hainault) to a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed through the Emir of Cordoba. The Raven in the crest possesses special multifaceted meanings, some of them personal to the bearer but also symbolic of the arms of the Benedictine Monastery of Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The armiger is an Oblate Novice in the Swiss-American Congregation. The badge, which has been granted is shown as displayed on the armiger’s Standard. The curtana or sword of mercy (Edward the Confessor’s sword) is one of the five official Crown Jewels of England. The golden bee is symbolic of the armiger’s close ties to agrarian life and his descent from the Merovingian dynasty.

Granted1st August 2013 (College of Arms)
AgentPeter O’Donoghue (York Herald)

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