Last updated The motto, at the Duke of Westminsters's mansion
Virtus non stemma is Latin for "Valour, not garland". This is the Duke of Westminster's motto at his stately home in Eaton. The motto means, less literally: Courage, not pomp. The Duke also has many stately homes with the same motto. It is the motto of Grosvenor Rowing Club and also used to be the motto of Harrow County School for Boys where it was usually translated as 'Worth, not Birth'.
The Latin words can also be translated as "Virtue, not pedigree". An expansion of the phrase used in some heraldry documents, Nobilitatis virtus non stemma character, means: "Virtue, not pedigree, is the mark of nobility".
It was also the motto of the Grosvenor Hotel, originally the home of Lady Grosvenor, located at 35 Fifth Avenue in New York, (first building, 1876; second building 1926; a hotel until 1964, when it was purchased by New York University).
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A virtue is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is valued as an end purpose of life or a foundational principle of being. In human practical ethics, a virtue is a disposition to choose actions that succeed in showing high moral standards: doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong in a given field of endeavour, even when doing so may be unnecessary from a utilitarian perspective. When someone takes pleasure in doing what is right, even when it is difficult or initially unpleasant, they can establish virtue as a habit. Such a person is said to be virtuous through having cultivated such a disposition. The opposite of virtue is vice, and the vicious person takes pleasure in habitual wrong-doing to their detriment.
Veritas is the name given to the Roman virtue of truthfulness, which was considered one of the main virtues any good Roman should possess. The Greek goddess of truth is Aletheia. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger argues that the truth represented by aletheia is different from that represented by veritas, which is linked to a Roman understanding of rightness and finally to a Nietzschean sense of justice and a will to power.
Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants". In contemporary parlance, it means tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown. The phrase also suggests that bad but justified outcomes should, or eventually will, befall tyrants. It is the state motto of Virginia.
Plus ultra is a Latin phrase and the national motto of Spain. A reversal of the original phrase non plus ultra, said to have been inscribed as a warning on the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar, it has metaphorical suggestions of taking risks and striving for excellence. Its original version, the personal motto of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, also Duke of Burgundy and King of Spain, was Plus oultre in French. The motto was adopted some decades after Christopher Columbus traveled to Guanahaní.
Arete is a concept in ancient Greek thought that, in its most basic sense, refers to "excellence" of any kind—especially a person or thing's "full realization of potential or inherent function." The term may also refer to excellence in "moral virtue."
Gravitas was one of the ancient Roman virtues that denoted "seriousness". It is also translated variously as weight, dignity, and importance and connotes restraint and moral rigor. It also conveys a sense of responsibility and commitment to the task.
The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. The term cardinal comes from the Latin cardo (hinge); these four virtues are called “cardinal” because all other virtues fall under them and hinge upon them.
The Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the official seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. The state flag of Virginia consists of the obverse of the seal against a blue background. A state flag was first adopted at the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861, readopted in 1912, and standardized by the General Assembly in February 1950. The standing allegorical female figure of virtue is shown having vanquished tyranny, symbolized by a fallen king at her feet. She has an exposed breast in the manner of classical depictions of Amazons, making this the only state flag in the U.S. depicting a form of toplessness. The motto Sic semper tyrannis means "Thus always to tyrants." The flag may be decorated with a white fringe along the fly edge; this is usually done when the flag is displayed indoors.
Grosvenor House was one of the largest townhouses in London, home of the Grosvenor family for more than a century. Their original London residence was on Millbank, but after the family had developed their Mayfair estates, they moved to Park Lane to build a house worthy of their wealth, status and influence in the 19th century. The house gave its name to Upper Grosvenor Street and Grosvenor Square.
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable residences in the 18th century. In the 20th it had an American and Canadian diplomatic presence, and currently is mixed use, commercial.
Eastgate is a permanently open gate through the Chester city walls, on the site of the original entrance to the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix in Chester, Cheshire, England. It is a prominent landmark in the city of Chester and the Eastgate clock on top of it is said to be the most photographed clock in England after Big Ben.
Per ardua ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "through adversity to the stars" or "through struggle to the stars" that is the official motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force, as well as the Royal Indian Air Force until 1947. The Royal Canadian Air Force used it until 1968, when it adopted the motto sic itur ad astra, a similar phrase meaning "such is the pathway to the stars". It dates from 1912, when it was adopted by the newly formed Royal Flying Corps.
"Fortune favours the bold" or "fortune favours the brave" are among the English translations of the Latin proverb "audentes Fortuna iuvat" and its variations. The phrase has been widely used as a slogan in the Western world to emphasize the rewards of courage and bravery, particularly within military organizations, and it is also used up to the present day on the coats of arms of numerous families and clans. It has historically served as a popular motto for universities, along with other academic institutions and recreational associations.
Virtus was a specific virtue in ancient Rome that carried connotations of valor, masculinity, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths. It was thus a frequently stated virtue of Roman emperors, and was personified as the deity Virtus.
Grosvenor Rowing Club is based on the Groves in Chester. It rows on the River Dee and has around 30 km of rowable river, much of which straight and broad.
The Chester Grosvenor Hotel is a hotel in Chester, Cheshire, England. The Grade II listed building was built between 1863 and 1865 and is owned by the Duke of Westminster.
Repulsae Nescia is a Latin phrase meaning "ignorant of defeat" in English. The longer phrase from Horace, Virtus Repulsae Nescia, is often translated as "courage knows no defeat".
In British usage, the term townhouse originally referred to the opulent town or city residence of a member of the nobility or gentry, as opposed to their country seat, generally known as a country house or, colloquially, for the larger ones, stately home. The grandest of the London townhouses were stand-alone buildings, but many were terraced buildings.
The statue of the 1st Marquess of Westminster is an outdoor sculpture depicting the owner and developer of the surrounding Grosvenor estate, Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster. The statue by Jonathan Wylder is located at the corner of Wilton and Grosvenor Crescents, Belgravia, London, England, and was commissioned by Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster in 1998.
In Treue fest was the motto of the Kingdom of Bavaria (1805–1918) and of its Wittelsbach rulers, after the end of World War I used by Bavarian monarchists.
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