THE BLAZONING OF ARMORIAL BEARINGS
In this chapter we shall deal with _blazoning_, in which "the skill of
heraldry" is said to lie.
The word "blazon" in its heraldic sense means the art of describing
armorial bearings in their proper terms and sequence.
"To blazon," says Guillim, "signifies properly the winding of a horn,
but to blazon a coat of arms is to describe or proclaim the things
borne upon it in their proper gestures and tinctures" (_i.e._, their
colours and attitudes) "which the herald was bound to do."[1]
[Footnote 1: Our word "blast," as well as our verb "to
blow," are obviously derived from the German _blasen_, the
Anglo-Saxon _blawen_, to blow, and the French _blasonner_.]
The herald, as we know, performed many different offices. It was his
duty to carry messages between hostile armies, to marshal processions,
to challenge to combat, to arrange the ceremonial at grand public
functions, to settle questions of precedence, to identify the slain
on the battle-field--this duty demanded an extensive knowledge of
heraldry[2]--to announce his sovereign's commands, and, finally, to
proclaim the armorial bearings and feats of arms of each knight as he
entered the lists at a tournament.
[Footnote 2: Do you remember that in the "Canterbury Tales"
the knight tells the story of how, after the battle, "two
young knights were found lying side by side, each clad in his
own arms," and how neither of them, though "not fully
dead," was alive enough to say his own name, but by their
_coote-armure_ and by their _gere_ the _heraudes_ knew them
well?]
Probably because this last duty was preceded by a flourish or blast
of trumpets, people learnt to associate the idea of blazoning with
the proclamation of armorial bearings, and thus the term crept into
heraldic language and signified the describing or depicting of all
that belonged to a coat of arms.
The few and comparatively simple rules with regard to blazoning
armorial bearings must be rigidly observed. They are the following:
1. In depicting a coat of arms we must always begin with the field.
2. Its tincture must be stated first, whether of metal or colour. This
is such an invariable rule that the first word in the description
of arms is _always_ the tincture, the word "field" being so well
understood that it is never mentioned. Thus, when the field of a
shield is azure, the blazon begins "Az.," the charges being mentioned
next, each one of these being named before its colour. Thus, we should
blazon Fig. 44 "Or, raven proper." When the field is semé with small
charges such as fleur-de-lys, it must be blazoned accordingly "semé of
fleur-de-lys," in the case of cross-crosslets, the term "crusily" is
used.
3. The ordinaries must be mentioned next, being blazoned before their
colour. Thus, if a field is divided say, by bendlets (Fig. 30), the
diminution of bend, it is blazoned "per bendlets," if by a pale (Fig.
18), "per pale," or "per pallets," if the diminutive occurs, as in
Fig. 31, whilst the division in Fig. 32 should be blazoned "pale per
fesse." The field of Fig. 17 is blazoned "arg., two bars gu." All the
ordinaries and subordinaries are blazoned in this way _except_ the
chief, (Fig. 15), the quarter (blazoned "per cross or quarterly")
the canton, the flanch, and the bordure. These, being considered less
important than the other divisions, are never mentioned until all the
rest of the shield has been described. Consequently, we should blazon
Fig. 48 thus, "Arg., chevron gu., three soles hauriant--drinking,
proper, with a bordure invected sa."
[Illustration: FIG. 30.]
[Illustration: FIG. 31.]
[Illustration: FIG. 32.]
The term _invected_ reminds us that so far we have only spoken of
ordinaries which have straight unbroken outlines. But there are at
least thirteen different ways in which the edge of an ordinary may
vary from the straight line. Here, however, we can only mention the
four best-known varieties, termed, respectively, _engrailed_, (Fig.
33, 1), _invected_ (2), _embattled_ (3), and _indented_ (4). Other
varieties are known as _wavy_, _raguly_, _dancetté_, _dovetailed_,
_nebuly_, etc. Whenever any of these varieties occur, they must be
blazoned before the tincture. Thus in describing the Shelley arms,
Fig. 50, we should say: "Sa, fesse indented, whelks or." Fig. 34 shows
a bend embattled, Fig. 35 a fesse engrailed.
[Illustration: FIG. 33.]
[Illustration: FIG. 34.]
4. The next thing to be blazoned is the principal charge on the field.
If this does not happen to be one of the chief ordinaries, or if no
ordinary occurs in the coat of arms, as in Fig. 38, then that charge
should be named which occupies the fesse point, and in this case the
position of the charge is never mentioned, because it is understood
that it occupies the middle of the field. When there are two or more
charges on the same field, but none actually placed on the fesse
point, then that charge is blazoned first which is nearest the centre
and then those which are more remote. All repetition of words must be
avoided in depicting a coat of arms, the same word never being used
twice over, either in describing the tincture or in stating a number.
[Illustration: FIG. 35.]
Thus, in blazoning Lord Scarborough's arms (see coloured plate), we
must say: "Arg., fesse gu., between three parrots vert, collared of
the second," the _second_ signifying the second colour mentioned in
the blazon--viz., gules. Again, if three charges of one kind occur in
the same field with three charges of another kind, as in the arms of
Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had three roundles and three
mitres, to avoid repeating the word three, they are blazoned, "Three
roundles with as many mitres."
When any charge is placed on an ordinary, as in Fig. 41, where three
calves are charged upon the bend, if these charges are of the same
colour as the field instead of repeating the name of the colour, it
must be blazoned as being "of the field."
We now come to those charges known as "marks of cadency." They are
also called "differences" or "distinctions."
[Illustration: FIG. 36.]
Cadency--literally, "falling down"--means in heraldic language,
"descending a scale," and is therefore a very suitable term for
describing the descending degrees of a family. Thus "marks of cadency"
are certain figures or devices which are employed in armorial bearings
in order to mark the distinctions between the different members and
branches of one and the same family. These marks are always smaller
than other charges, and the herald is careful to place them where they
do not interfere with the rest of the coat of arms. There are nine
marks of cadency--generally only seven are quoted--so that in a family
of nine sons, each son has his own special difference. The eldest
son bears a label (Fig. 36, 1); the second, a crescent, (2); third, a
mullet (3)--the heraldic term for the rowel of a spur[3]; the fourth,
a martlet (4)--the heraldic swallow; the fifth, a roundle or ring (5);
the sixth, a fleur-de-lys (6); the seventh, a rose (7); the eighth,
a cross moline; and the ninth, a double quatrefoil. The single
quatrefoil represents the heraldic primrose. There is much doubt as to
why the label was chosen for the eldest son's badge, but though many
writers interpret the symbolism of the other marks of cadency in
various ways, most are agreed as to the meaning of the crescent,
mullet, and martlet--viz., the crescent represents the double blessing
which gives hope of future increase; the mullet implies that the third
son must earn a position for himself by his own knightly deeds; whilst
the martlet suggests that the younger son of a family must be content
with a very small portion of land to rest upon. As regards the
representation of the other charges, the writer once saw the following
explanation in an old manuscript manual of French heraldry--namely:
"The fifth son bears a ring, as he can only hope to enrich himself
through marriage; the sixth, a fleur-de-lys, to represent the quiet,
retired life of the student; the seventh, a rose, because he must
learn to thrive and blossom amidst the thorns of hardships; the
eighth, a cross, as a hint that he should take holy orders; whilst to
the ninth son is assigned the double primrose, because he must needs
dwell in the humble paths of life."
[Footnote 3: A mullet is generally represented as a star with
five points, but if there are six or more, the number must be
specified. It must also be stated if the mullet is pierced, so
that the tincture of the field is shown through the opening.]
The eldest son of a second son would charge his difference as eldest
son, a label, upon his father's crescent (Fig. 37), to show that he
was descended from the second son, all his brothers charging their
own respective differences on their father's crescent also. Thus,
each eldest son of all these sons in turn becomes head of his own
particular branch.
[Illustration: FIG. 37.]
When a coat of arms is charged with a mark of cadency, it is always
mentioned last in blazoning, and is followed by the words, "for a
difference." Thus Fig. 43 should be blazoned, "Or, kingfisher with his
beak erected bendways[4] proper with a mullet for a difference gu.,"
thus showing that the arms are borne by a third son.
[Footnote 4: The individual direction of a charge should be
blazoned, as well as its position in the field.]