The division “per fess(e)” means that there is a horizontal colour line of division, here “per Fess Argent and Azure” meaning divided by a horizontal line into the upper silver part and the lower blue part. When it comes to griffins, two schools of thought on the subject emerge: a “straight line” division claiming that there should be a straight horizontal line of division somewhere in the middle of the fantastical beast, sort of “come-hell-or-high-water” cut and whatever ends up cut gets coloured accordingly. This school of thought seems to be more popular with the continental heraldists and is simply following the rules to the letter. The other school of though, the “anatomical” one, argues that the upper or the eagle part of the griffin (heraldic griffin being a mélange of an eagle and a lion) is then coloured in its entirety of the first colour (or metal) and that the lion part gets another colour. It could also be said that the English speaking heraldists claim: the fess should be divided anatomically. The Lion portion of the Griffin should be one colour; the Eagle portion of the Griffin should be another. Mr Lumbley insisted on the second solution and having attested numerous examples of it in the British and Canadian heraldry, I agreed. However, with the Armiger's permission, I here exhibit both solutions, purposely drawn to be very similar.

The main element of the newly designed Crest is a Griffin. Being half Eagle and half Lion, it represents the American and English heritage of the armiger. Gules, Argent and Azure are the colors of the Union Flag and the flat of the United States as well as the flag of Texas where the armiger was born. The Saint Cuthbert’s cross is a reference to County Durham from whence the family descends. The tail is in the coward position for reverence before divine power represented in the cross.