When you arrived at Charterhouse's website, you were greeted by a mischievous greyhound, an emblem that has become part of the School’s identity. This design was created by Second Year Specialist, Bonnie.
Originally sketched for a competition marking the 10th anniversary of Artifex, the School's annual arts festival (2024), Bonnie’s greyhound won first place and went on to feature across programmes, posters, social media, and now the website.
I thought that the greyhound was a good representation of how we live our lives at Charterhouse. It's gender-neutral, which feels important in a co-educational school, and I gave it a mischieveous look, because Carthusians are good at enjoying life and pushing boundaries – the pricked-up ears and the side-eye show that.
Bonnie, SECOND YEAR SPECIALIST
Beyond its symbolism, the greyhound reflects Bonnie’s passion for art. Though she is currently studying for the International Baccalaureate with a demanding mix of higher-level Global Politics, Physics and Mathematics, alongside standard-level French, English and Economics, art remains central to her identity.
“Art is where I can express myself outside the limitations of grade boundaries. I’m free to do what I want.” That freedom has been encouraged by Miss Helen Pinkney, Head of Art, who first spotted Bonnie’s talent in her sketchbook. “Miss Pinkney has inspired me and shown me so many opportunities,” Bonnie said. “My whole family is grateful for her recognising my art. I’ve been drawing since I was seven or eight, keeping sketchbooks like diaries, always in a cartoon or comic style. Instead of writing, I draw my life.”
Bonnie's digital creations are crafted using the iPad app Procreate, though she insists her approach is still traditional. “I use an Apple pen, but I do everything by hand.” Animals, in particular, fascinate her. “I like using animals to symbolise people. In my diary, my dad is a frog, my mum is a pig, and I’m a hamster! My parents picked that one for me; they thought my eyes looked hamster-like.”
Bonnie’s creativity extends beyond personal projects. Recently, she has been involved in a fundraising project at School where tote bags and t-shirts featuring her lino prints sold out, raising £400 for Concordis International, a peace-building charity.
Looking ahead, Bonnie is considering a university in the US, where she hopes to combine her passions. “I’m interested in studying Politics and Economics, but I’d like to keep pursuing art too. In the US, you don’t have to stick so rigidly to your major, which gives more flexibility.”
For now, her greyhound remains an enduring part of Charterhouse’s visual story. “I think the fact that you’re using my greyhound is brilliant,” Bonnie said. “I love that the School is using it for such an important job, telling the Charterhouse story.”
The greyhound has always been an important symbol for Charterhouse. This carved wooden greyhound came from the old Charterhouse in London, probably from a pew decoration in the chapel. You will see carved greyhounds above some doorways around the School, and the theme even extends to our ‘Greyhound Prizes’ for academic successes.
Our Greyhound's Origins
The greyhound is a key feature of the School's coat of arms, inherited from the School's founder, Thomas Sutton. Sutton was of humble birth and had made his fortune as a civil servant, property magnate, and moneylender. He did not have his own coat of arms until after his death in 1611, when the Court of Heralds assigned one to him in recognition of the importance of his charitable foundation. It was a ‘recycled’ coat of arms belonging to an extinct Sutton family from Lincolnshire, and it is still used by Charterhouse today. It is made up of the following parts:
The Helm: is a knight’s helmet, depicted above the shield.
The Crest: is the decoration above the helm, technically described as “a greyhound’s head, couped ermine collared gules garnished and ringed Or, on the collar 3 annulets gold”. In other words, the top of the helmet is decorated with a white greyhound’s head, cut below the neck in a straight line. Its fur is decorated with black ermine marks, and it is wearing a gold collar decorated with three gold rings.
Mantling: The Charterhouse coat of arms is often depicted with red and gold drapery on either side of the helmet, forming a backdrop for the shield.
The Shield: is technically described as “Or, on a chevron between three annulets gules, as many crescents of the field”. In plain English, this means that the shield has a gold background, divided by a red inverted v-shaped stripe; there are three gold crescent moons on the stripe and three red rings on the gold background.
The Motto: The Charterhouse School Latin motto is “Deo Dante Dedi”, which translates approximately as “God having given, I gave”[1], which is said to have been the motto of Thomas Sutton. However, it is also possible that the motto was adopted from the Carthusian monastic order, as “Deo Dante” is a phrase commonly used by Carthusian monks before starting any significant task. Today’s Charterhouse pupils are all known as Carthusians, and the phrase “Deo Dante Dedi” is an important part of our School ethos: we are fortunate to have great educational opportunities, and we therefore aspire to contribute as much as possible to the world.
1. Literally, 'With God giving, I gave'
