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The school’s badge
The badge was in the form of a shield, the top part of which had a maroon circular centre featuring the letters ‘ihs’ written in white; flanking this centre were what appear to be rampant lions in maroon, facing inwards. The bottom part of the badge, as viewed, features three maroon bands drawn diagonally across to the right-hand side and set on a gold background. What all of this means is not easy to say after so many years.
In the metaphorical language of the Bible the shield generally represents the protection of God, but is also applied to earthly rulers and to faith.
The letters, so frequently mistranslated by pupils as ‘I Hate School’ or ‘I Have Suffered’, probably derive from the first three letters of the Greek spelling of the Holy Name of Jesus. The insignia “ihs” comes from the Latinised version “IHSOUS” of the Greek word in capital letters for ‘Jesus’. It is the symbol of the Holy Name. Another explanation is that the letters ‘ihs’ have sometimes been interpreted as meaning the Latin phrase Iesus Hominum Salvator, ‘Jesus the Saviour of Men’ (or Mankind), but the former explanation is the more likely.
The lions are depicted standing erect with forepaws raised. They are standing on both hind legs, braced wide apart. In the whole of scripture there are said to be over one hundred and twenty references to the lion. The lion is an animal that will wait and watch and operate by stealth but once a roar has been issued it will move to full commitment and will not be shaken from its course. The lion is a common charge in heraldry and it traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, courage, strength, and royalty, because historically it has been regarded as the king of beasts.
The significance of the other features is not clear. Some are similar to the Manchester City Council coat of arms, for example, the three diagonal bands. For Manchester these represent the three rivers of the city – the Irk, Irwell and Medlock. Did the school copy this, or do the three bands have a different meaning, for instance, the Holy Trinity of Three Persons in One God? Manchester also has a shield, similar to the school’s, which is a reminder of historic heraldry. Manchester also features creatures – an antelope and a lion – near the top of its coat of arms. Another similarity features the colours – essentially red and gold; these are said to represent the families who were once the owners of the land on which Manchester was built. The school’s colours are similar. It seems perfectly plausible for the school to have incorporated aspects of the city’s coat of arms into its badge, especially as the school took over the building that once accommodated the Manchester Industrial School. In addition, the fact that St Gregory’s was the first Catholic central boys’ school in the city – and located near the centre of the city – may have led to features of Manchester’s coat of arms being woven into the school’s badge.
A further interesting fact is that Manchester Cathedral’s badge is also in the shape of a heraldic shield and has three diagonal bands in gold set on a red background, similar to the bottom half of St Gregory’s badge but with the colours reversed.
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