The Count of Krigsvold

James P. Howard, II

His Lordship, the Count of Krigsvold, serves as Chief Herald of Westarctica and directs the Westarctican College of Arms. Appointed on 9 June 2025, he is responsible for creating and recording grants of arms for Westarctica’s peers and knights. His work brings together heraldic design, documentary records, and the development of a distinct Westarctican armorial tradition.

Outside his heraldic office, Howard is a mathematician, data scientist, author, and educator. His interests range from artificial intelligence and public policy to open-source software, public history, and heraldry. He is the head of the House of Basu-Howard and patron of the Count of Krigsvold Fellowship.

Education

His academic training spans mathematics, engineering, public policy, and the humanities.

Service to Westarctica

The Count holds the titles Count of Krigsvold, Count Rubin de la Borbolla, and Baron of Matikonis. Their geographic names refer to the Krigsvold Nunataks, Mount Rubin de la Borbolla, and Matikonis Peak in Marie Byrd Land.

His Westarctican honors include appointment as a Knight of the Order of the Snowflake in 2023, advancement to Knight Commander in 2025, and appointment as a Companion of the Noble Order of Westarctica in 2025.

His appointment as Ellsworth King of Arms accompanied the College’s reopening in June 2025. The resulting armorial records show a developing practice that includes new grants, confirmations, badges, standards, and the recognition of inherited quarterings.

The Count of Krigsvold Fellowship

The Count became patron of Westarctica’s conservation scholarship following a funding pledge in December 2024. The renamed fellowship was first awarded in 2025 and supports graduate field research in climate change and global conservation.

The 2025 fellow, Sheherazade, worked on biodiversity conservation in Indonesia. The 2026 fellow, Ria Raut, studies forest recovery following selective logging in Sabah, Borneo. The Count’s dedicated website presents the fellowship, its fellows, and his wider work in polar education and conservation advocacy.

Learned societies & educational work

Howard is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the Cybernetics Society, and the British Computer Society. His professional distinctions also include senior membership of the IEEE and the Association for Computing Machinery.

His public educational projects include The Heraldry Project, which offers lessons, national-tradition guides, and primary sources for the study of heraldry. Readers wishing to explore his broader work can consult jameshoward.us; the House of Basu-Howard also has its own website.

Personal arms

The Count’s personal arms were granted to James P. Howard, II by the Chief Herald of Arms of Malta on 1 May 2024. The shield is blazoned Argent, a tetrahedron Azure transfixed by a sword Or hilt Azure. The crest is a martlet Sable, on a wreath of the colors; the motto is Ir-rieda biss tmexxi l-qalb.

The arms of the office of Ellsworth King of Arms identify his heraldic office; the Maltese grant shown here identifies him personally.