[Illustration: No. 153.--Fountain.]
A circular figure or Roundle that is _barry wavy arg. and az._, is
blazoned as a "_Fountain_," No. 153. Examples:--_Arg., three fountains_,
for WELLES: _Arg., a Chevron sable between three fountains_, borne by a
family named _Sykes_, their name being an ancient term signifying a well
or fountain. An _Annulet_, or a plain ring, No. 154, was sometimes
blazoned as a "_false Roundle_"--a Roundle, that is, pierced, and having
its central area removed.
[Illustration: No. 154.--Annulet.]
CHAPTER VIII
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION V
_Miscellaneous Charges:-- Human Beings-- Animals-- Birds-- Fish--
Reptiles and Insects-- Imaginary Beings-- Natural Objects-- Various
Artificial Figures and Devices-- Appropriate Descriptive Epithets._
"The Formes of pure celestiall bodies mixt with grosse terrestrials;
earthly animals with watery; sauage beasts with tame; fowles of prey
with home-bred; these again with riuer fowles; reptiles with things
gressible; aery insecta with earthly; also things naturall with
artificiall."
--GUILLIM'S "Display of Heraldry," A.D. 1611.
Thus, in his own quaint fashion, the enthusiastic old Herald of the
seventeenth century indicates the number and variety of the Charges,
which in process of time had been introduced into Armory even before his
era. In earlier days the Charges of Heraldry were much less varied,
comparatively few in their numbers, and generally of a simple character.
It will readily be understood, however, that fresh figures and devices
would continually appear in blazon; and also that these, in their turn,
would lead the way for the introduction of further varieties and new
modifications.
Human Beings are of very rare occurrence, except as Supporters. Parts of
the human frame constantly appear, but they are more generally borne as
Crests upon helms than as charges on shields. "Moor's heads" or
"Saracen's heads" appear in some coats, with arms, hands and legs: and a
human heart is well known as a charge in the coat of the famous house of
DOUGLAS, where it was placed to commemorate the duty entrusted by ROBERT
BRUCE to the "good Sir JAMES DOUGLAS," that he should bear with him the
heart of his Sovereign and friend to the Holy Land, and bury it there.
Sir James fell, fighting with the Moors of Spain, A.D. 1330. This Shield
of Douglas is a characteristic example of the gradual development of
armorial composition. About A.D. 1290, the Seal of WILLIAM, Lord
DOUGLAS, displays his Shield, No. 155, bearing--_Arg., on a chief az.
three mullets of the field._ Next, upon the field of the Shield of
WILLIAM, Lord DOUGLAS, A.D. 1333, there appears, in addition, _a human
heart gules_, as in No. 156. And, finally, the heart is ensigned with a
_royal crown_, as in No. 157, this form appearing as early as 1387.
[Illustration: No. 155.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 156.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 157.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 158.--Isle of Man.]
The Shield of the ancient kingdom of the ISLE OF MAN, No. 158, still
continues to be the heraldic ensign of that island: it is--_Gu., three
human legs in armour ppr., conjoined in the fesse-point at the upper
part of the thighs, and flexed in triangle._ This true curiosity of
Heraldry leads Mr. Planché to remark, that "the _arms_ of MAN are
_legs_" ("Pursuivant of Arms," p. 112). The Shield represented in No.
158 is drawn from an original example of the age of EDWARD I. in the
Heralds' College. At later periods, the armour of the conjoined limbs is
represented in conformity with the usages then prevalent, and golden
spurs are added. The ancient symbol of the island of Sicily, in which
the limbs are without either armour or clothing, has been represented in
No. 10: this device also appears in ancient examples with a human head
at the junction of the limbs. Three human arms, united in the same
manner, are borne on the shield of the mediæval family of TREMAINE.
[Illustration: No. 159.--Shield of St. Alban's Abbey
(partly restored).]
Human figures, winged and vested, and designed to represent ANGELS, are
occasionally introduced in English Heraldry, their office generally
being to act as "Supporters" to armorial Shields. Fine examples, in
admirable preservation, may be seen boldly sculptured in the noble
timber-roof of Westminster Hall; also in panels over the principal
entrance to the Hall, and in various parts of the Abbey of Westminster.
In the grand Abbey Church of St. Alban at St. Alban's, numerous other
examples of great excellence yet remain, the works of Abbot John de
Wheathamstede, about A.D. 1440. In No. 159 I give a representation of
the Shield of Arms of the Abbey of ST. ALBAN--_Az., a saltire or_,
supported by Angels, and the Shield ensigned by the Mitre of Abbot
Thomas De la Mere, as it is represented in his noble Brass in the Abbey
Church. The Shield and the Angel Figures are the work of Abbot John. The
Heads of the Figures, which are destroyed in the original, are restored
from stained glass of the same period in the Abbey Church. Figures of
Angels holding Shields of Arms--each figure having a shield in front of
its breast, are frequently sculptured as corbels in Gothic churches.
In the earliest Rolls of Arms, the Lion is the only animal that is found
in blazon, with the sole addition of Boar's heads. Deer, dogs, bulls,
calves, rams, and a few other animals subsequently appear to share
heraldic service and honours with the king of beasts. In modern Armory,
however, almost every living creature has been required to discharge
such duties as Heralds have been pleased to assign to them. The Lion of
Heraldry I leave to be considered, with the Eagle, in the next Chapter.
In comparatively early blazon, the _Bear_ is borne by FITZ URSE: the
_Calf_, by CALVELEY and DE VELE: the _Ram_, by RAMSEY and RAMRYGE: the
_Lamb_, by LAMBERT and LAMBTON: the _Otter_ (_loutre_, in French), by
LUTTREL: the _Hedgehog_ (Fr., _herrison_), by DE HERIZ, afterwards
HARRIS: and so also, in like manner, some other animals appear as _armes
parlantes_ (see p. 16).
With the lordly Eagle a few other Birds are associated in early
Heraldry: and, after a while, others join them, including the Falcon,
Ostrich, Swan, Peacock or Pawne, and the Pelican borne both as a symbol
of sacred significance, and also by the PELHAMS from being allusive to
their name. Cocks, with the same allusive motive, were borne by
COCKAYNE: Parrots, blazoned as "_Popinjays_," appear as early as
HENRY III.: and in a Roll of EDWARD II., the Sire MOUNPYNZON has a Lion
charged on the shoulder with a Chaffinch--in French a _Pinson_. The
favourite bird, however, of the early Heralds is the Martlet, the
heraldic Martin, a near relative of the Swallow or _Hirondelle_. The
Martlet is practically always represented in profile, at rest, and with
its wings closed. The few exceptions are modern. In some early examples
the feet are shown, as in No. 160: but, in the Shield of Earl WM. DE
VALENCE in Westminster Abbey, A.D. 1296, the Martlet appears feetless,
as in No. 161; and at a later period this mode of representation was
generally adopted. French Heralds deprive their Martlets of beak as well
as feet.
[Illustration: No. 160.--Early Martlet.]
[Illustration: No. 161.--Martlet.]
[Illustration: No. 162.--Banner of De Barre.]
"As the symbol of a name," writes Mr. Moule, "almost all Fish have been
used in Heraldry; and in many instances Fish have been assumed in Arms
in reference to the produce of the estate, giving to the quaint device a
twofold interest" ("Heraldry of Fish," p 13). The earliest examples are
the Barbel, the Dolphin, the Luce (or Pike), the Herring, and the Roach.
In conjunction with fish we may perhaps consider the Escallop which, as
a charge, belongs to the earliest period of Heraldry. The Barbel, so
named from the barbs attached to its mouth to assist it in its search
for food, was introduced into English Heraldry by JOHN, Count DE BARRE,
whose elder brother married ALIANORE, eldest daughter of EDWARD I. At
Carlaverock he displayed, as the chronicler has recorded, "_a blue
banner, crusilly, with two Barbels of gold, and a red border
en-grailed_," No. 162. The Dolphin, borne by GILES DE FISHBOURNE (H. 3),
and afterwards introduced into several English Shields, is best known as
the armorial ensign of the DAUPHIN, the eldest son and heir apparent of
the Kings of France, who bore, marshalled with the arms of FRANCE--_Or,
a Dolphin az._ This title of "Dauphin" was first assumed by CHARLES V.,
who succeeded to the Crown of France in 1364. In No. 8 I have shown
after what manner the Dolphin was represented by an ancient Greek
Artist: in the Middle Ages the heraldic Dolphin appeared as in No. 163.
GEFFREY DE LUCY (H. 3) bears--_Gu., three Lucies or._ On his marriage
with the heiress of ANTHONY, Lord LUCY, in 1369, HENRY, fourth Lord
PERCY of Alnwick, quartered these three fish, with his own lion (blue on
a golden field) and his fusils (gold on a blue field), upon the
well-known Shield of the Earls of NORTHUMBERLAND (Chapter XI).
[Illustration: No. 163.--Dolphin.]
[Illustration: No. 165.--Escallop.]
[Illustration: No. 164.--De Lucy.]
Another Carlaverock Banneret, ROBERT DE SCALES, whom the chronicler
declares to have been both "handsome and amiable" as well as gallant in
action, had "_six escallops of silver on a red banner_." This beautiful
charge of the escallop, happy in its association with the pilgrims of
the olden time, and always held in high esteem by Heralds, is generally
drawn as in No. 165.
Reptiles and Insects occur but rarely in English Heraldry. Bees, Flies,
Butterflies, and Snails are sometimes found, but they have no place in
the earliest Rolls of Arms. Bees, as might be expected, appear in the
Arms of _Bees_ton. _Azure, three Butterflies_, are the Arms of MUSCHAMP,
and they are carved twice in the vaulting of the cloisters at
Canterbury. Upon a monumental brass in the Church of Wheathampstead, in
Hertfordshire, the Shield of HUGO BOSTOCK (about A.D. 1435)
bears,--_Arg., three Bats, their wings displayed, sa._
Imaginary and Fabulous Beings, some of them the creations of heraldic
fancy when in a strangely eccentric mood, frequently appear as
Supporters; and, in some cases, they take a part in the blazonry of
Shields, or they are borne independently as Badges. A very brief
description (all that is necessary) of the greater number of these
monsters of _un_natural history will be given in the "Glossary of
heraldic terms," in Chapter X.; consequently, it is enough here merely
to refer to them as having a place in blazon. The Griffin or Gryphon,
the most worthy of the group, is comparatively common. The Dragon and
the Wivern or Wyvern, both of them winged monsters, differ in this
respect, that the former has four legs, while the latter has two only.
In early blazon this distinction was not always observed. The
Cockatrice, always having two legs, is a Wyvern with a cock's head.
Natural Objects of all kinds are blazoned as Charges of Heraldry, and
they will be found described and illustrated in their proper places in
Chapter X. They include the _Sun_, the _Moon_, the _Stars_; also such
terrestrial objects as _Trees_, _Flowers_, _Fruits_, _Sheaves and Ears
of Corn_, _Leaves_, _Chaplets_, _&c._ And with these Charges I may group
the always beautiful Fleur de Lys, and the Trefoil, Quatrefoil,
Cinquefoil, and Sixfoil.
Of the various Artificial Figures and Devices that Heralds have charged
upon Shields of Arms, it will be unnecessary for me to give detailed
descriptions, except when either the heraldic name may require
explanation, or some special circumstances connected with any particular
figure or device may impart to it peculiar claims for attention. Again I
refer to the "Glossary" for notices and examples of all Charges of this
class--Annulets, Buckles, Castles, Crowns, Cups, Horseshoes, Keys,
Knots, Sickles, Stirrups, Trumpets, and many others.
[Illustration: No. 166A.--Crescent]
[Illustration: No. 166B.--Increscent]
[Illustration: No. 166C.--Decrescent]
In blazoning Charges of various classes, Heralds employ _appropriate
Epithets and descriptive Terms_, of which the following are
characteristic examples:--The _Sun_ is "_in splendour_." The _Moon_,
when full, is "_in her complement_": she is a "_Crescent_" when she
appears in No. 166, A: she is "_Increscent_" when as in No. 166, B: and
she is "_Decrescent_" when as in No. 166, C. Animals and Birds of prey
are said to be "_armed_" of their talons, teeth, and claws. All horned
animals, also, except Stags and Antelopes, are "_armed_" of their horns;
and a Cock is "_armed_" of his spurs; whilst Griffins and birds of prey
are "_armed_" of their beaks and claws (_i.e._ the part of the leg which
is unfeathered). Animals are "_hoofed_" or "_unguled_" of their hoofs;
and "_langued_" of their tongues. Fierce animals are "_vorant_" of their
prey, when represented in the act of devouring it. Deer, when reposing,
are "_lodged_" Nos. 25 and 26: when standing, and looking out from the
Shield, No. 167, "_at gaze_": when in easy motion, they are termed
"_trippant_," or sometimes the word "_tripping_" is substituted, No.
168: and when in rapid motion, they are "_courant_," "_at speed_," or
sometimes described as "_in full course_," No. 169. The male Stag is
sometimes termed a "_Hart_," and the female a "_Hind_." There is really
a distinction between the Buck and the Stag, but it is very usually
disregarded in Heraldry. The antlers of the Hart are "_Attires_," their
branches are "_Tynes_"; and they are said to be "_attired_" of their
antlers. A Stag's head full-faced, but without the neck, as No. 170, is
"_cabossed_" or "_caboshed_."
[Illustration: No. 167.--At Gaze.]
[Illustration: No. 169.--At Speed.]
[Illustration: No. 168.--Tripping.]
[Illustration: No. 170.--Stag's Head Cabossed.]
Eagles and Hawks with expanded wings, as in No. 206, are "_displayed_."
Expanded wings may be "_elevated_," or, if drooping, "_inverted_" or
"_in lure_." Birds about to take wing are "_rising_"; when in flight,
they are "_volant_"; when at rest, they are "_close_." A Bird
"_trusses_" its prey. A Peacock having its tail expanded is "_in its
pride_"; and this same expression is applied to the Turkey. A Pelican,
when feeding its young, is said to be "_in her piety_," but may be
merely "_vulning herself_" if the young are not represented. A Swan,
when blazoned "_proper_," is white with red legs and black beak.
Fish, represented swimming in fesse, are "_naiant_"; if they are in
pale, they are "_hauriant_," No. 164; but if their heads are to the
base, the term "_urinant_" is said to apply, but I cannot say I have so
far come across an authenticated instance of the use of this word; if
their bodies are bent, as the Dolphin is generally represented, they are
"_embowed_," No. 163. Fish, also, are said to be "_finned_" of their
fins. Insects are "_volant_." Reptiles are "_gliding_"; or, if they are
twined into knots, "_nowed_." Trees of mature growth are "_accrued_";
when with leaves, "_in foliage_" (but these two terms are so seldom used
that they may be entirely disregarded); with fruit or seeds, "_fructed_"
or "_seeded_"; if without leaves, "_blasted_"; and if their roots are
exposed, "_eradicated_." Branches or leaves torn off are "_slipped_."
The terms which denote the attitudes of Lions, all of them described in
the next chapter, are equally applicable to other animals. Some other
descriptive terms, not noticed here, will be found in the "Glossary" in
Chapter X.
CHAPTER IX
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION VI
_The Lion and the Eagle in Heraldry_
"The LION and a King of Beasts."
--SHAKESPEARE, _Richard II._
"The EAGLE, ennobled by Nature in as high a degree of nobility as
the chiefest of the terrestrial animals, is the most honourable
bearing of Birds."
--GWILLIM (_Edition of 1724_).
The regal dignity of the LION amongst the creatures that are quadrupeds,
like himself, would naturally secure for him a position of corresponding
eminence in Heraldry. From the dawn of the heraldic era, accordingly,
the Lion is blazoned on the Shields of Sovereigns, Princes, and Nobles.
The tressured Lion has been already noticed upon the Royal Shield of
SCOTLAND, No. 138; and a crowned Lion has also appeared in the same
attitude, borne by an English Prince, RICHARD, Earl of CORNWALL, No.
140. From the time that they first possessed any true armorial insignia,
the Sovereigns of the Realm of ENGLAND have borne Lions upon their Royal
Shield. A Lion was the Ensign of the Native Princes of WALES, as he was
of the Kings of LEON, of NORWAY, and of DENMARK, and of the Counts of
HOLLAND, HAINAULT, EU, &c. And, in like manner, the Lion was in high
favour with the most noble and powerful Barons of England--the MOWBRAYS,
BOHUNS, LONGESPEES, FITZ-ALANS, LACIES, PERCIES, SEGRAVES, and such as
they.
It was a necessary consequence of his great popularity that the Lion of
Heraldry should be blazoned in various attitudes, and also variously
tinctured, otherwise it would not be possible duly to distinguish the
Lions of different Shields. Heralds of all countries appear readily to
have permitted their Lions to lay aside their natural tawny hue, and in
its stead to assume the heraldic _or_, _argent_, _azure_, _gules_, and
_sable_; but Continental Heralds were not generally disposed to
recognise in their Lions any other attitude than the one which they held
to be consistent with their Lion character, instincts, and
habits--erect, that is, with one hind paw only on the ground, looking
forward towards their prey, so as to show but one eye, and evidently in
the act of preparing to spring. This undoubtedly most characteristic
attitude is _rampant_, No. 171: and only when he was in this rampant
attitude did the early Heralds consider any Lion to be a Lion, and
blazon him by his true name. A Lion walking and looking about him, the
early Heralds held to be acting the part of a leopard: consequently,
when he was in any such attitude, they blazoned him as "_a leopard_."
The animal bearing that name bore it simply as an heraldic title, which
distinguished a Lion in a particular attitude. These heraldic "leopards"
were drawn in every respect as other heraldic "lions," without spots or
any leopard_ish_ distinction whatever. This explains the usage, retained
till late in the fourteenth century, which assigned to the Lions of the
Royal Shield of England the name of "leopards." They were so called, not
by the enemies of England for derision and insult, as some persons, in
their ignorance of early Heraldry, have been pleased both to imagine and
to assert; but the English Kings and Princes, who well knew their
"Lions" to be Lions, in blazon styled them "leopards," because they also
knew that Lions in the attitude of their "Lions" were heraldic
"leopards." When at length the necessity of varying the attitude of
their Lions was admitted by all Heralds, in consequence of the greatly
increased numbers of the bearers of Lions, some strict adherents to the
original distinctive nomenclature blazoned any Lion that was _not
rampant_ by the compound term of a "_lion-leopard_," or a
"_lion-leopardé_." But that controversy has long been at rest.
The following terms are now in use to denote the various attitudes of
the Lion in Heraldry:--
_Rampant_: erect, one hind paw on the ground, the other three paws
elevated, the animal looking forward and having his tail elevated, No.
171. _Rampant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No.
172. _Rampant Reguardant_: as before, but looking backwards.
_Passant_: walking, three paws on the ground, the dexter fore-paw being
elevated, looking forward, the tail displayed over the back, No. 173.
_Passant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No. 174.
_Passant Reguardant_: as before, but looking backwards.
[Illustration: No. 171.--Rampant.]
[Illustration: No. 172.--Rampant Guardant.]
[Illustration: No. 173.--Passant.]
[Illustration: No. 174.--Passant Guardant.]
[Illustration: No. 175.--Statant.]
[Illustration: No. 176.--Statant Guardant.]
_Statant_: standing, his four paws on the ground, and looking before
him, No. 175. _Statant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the
Shield, No. 176: in this example the Lion has his tail extended, but
this would be specified in the blazon, as it is an unusual position. In
like manner, if the tail of a Lion in any other attitude be extended,
there must be a statement to that effect.
[Illustration: No. 177.--Couchant.]
[Illustration: No. 178.--Sejant.]
[Illustration: No. 179.--Dormant.]
_Sejant_: sitting down with his head elevated, No. 178. If he looks out
from the Shield, the word _Guardant_ is to be added. A Scottish Lion
sejant usually has his fore paws raised in the air, and in English terms
of blazon would be described as "_Sejant erect_" or "_Sejant rampant_."
_Couchant_: is at rest, the fore legs stretched on the ground, as No.
177.
_Dormant_: asleep, head resting on fore paws, No. 179.
_Salient_: in the act of springing, the hind paws on the ground, both
the fore paws elevated, No. 180.
[Illustration: No. 180.--Salient.]
[Illustration: No. 181.--Double-queued.]
[Illustration: No. 182.--Coward.]
_Queue fourchée_: having a forked tail.
_Double-queued_: two tails, as No. 181, which is a _lion rampant
double-queued_.
_Coward: passant reguardant_, his tail between his legs, No. 182.
Two Lions rampant, when face to face, are _Counter rampant_, or
_Combatant_: when back to back, they are _Addorsed_: when passant or
salient in contrary directions, they are _Counter passant_ or _Counter
salient_.
Lions, whatever their tincture, except it be red, or they are charged on
a field of that tincture, are _armed and langued gules_; but _azure_ in
the case of either of these exceptions, unless the contrary be specified
in the blazon. When several Lions appear in one composition, or when
they are drawn to a comparatively very small scale, they are sometimes
blazoned as "_Lioncels_." This term "_Lioncel_," it must be added, when
used alone, denotes a _small Lion rampant_.
[Illustration: No. 183.--Lion's Head.]
[Illustration: No. 184.--Lion's Face.]
[Illustration: No. 185.--Lion's Jambe.]
A Lion's _head_ is a Charge: it may be _erased_, as in No. 183; or cut
off smooth, when it is _couped_. A Lion's _face_ also is a Charge, No.
184; so is his _jambe_ or _paw_, No. 185. A _demi-lion rampant_ is the
upper half of his body and the extremity of his tufted tail, as in No.
186.
[Illustration: No. 186.--Demi-Lion Rampant.]
[Illustration: No. 187.--England.]
The LIONS OF ENGLAND are _golden Lions leopardé_, three in number,
placed one above the other on a red Shield. They are blazoned--_Gu.,
three Lions pass. guard., in pale, or_, No. 187.
A Lion in this attitude, of this tincture, and on a field gules, may be
blazoned as a "Lion of England." These three Lions _first_ appear upon
the second Great Seal of RICHARD I., A.D. 1194, on the Shield of the
King, No. 188. An earlier Seal, used by Prince JOHN before his brother's
accession, has a Shield charged with _two_ Lions only, and they are
_passant_, No. 189. The first Great Seal of the lion-hearted King has a
Shield, bowed in its contour, and charged with a _single_ Lion rampant
facing to the sinister, or _counter-rampant_, No. 190; and it has been
conjectured that, were the whole face of this Shield visible, a second
Lion rampant facing to the dexter would appear, thus charging the Shield
with _two Lions combattant_; this, however, is a conjecture which is not
supported by the authority of many Shields of the same form. A red
Shield charged with _two golden Lions passant guardant in pale_ (No.
22), and therefore closely resembling No. 189, as I have already shown,
has been assigned to WILLIAM I., and his two sons and his grandson,
WILLIAM II., HENRY I., and STEPHEN. The Shield bearing the three Lions,
No. 187, has been assigned to HENRY II., but it first makes its
appearance on the Great Seal of his son. The probability is that up to
this period the device was simply a lion, indeterminate in position or
numbers. This same Shield has continued, from the time of RICHARD I., to
display the ROYAL ARMS of the REALM OF ENGLAND: how, in the course of
ages, these Arms become grouped with other insignia, I shall presently
have to show.
[Illustration: No. 188.--Richard I.--2nd Gt. Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 190.--Richard I.--1st Gt. Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 189.--Prince John.--Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 191.--Le Strange.]
[Illustration: No. 192.--Giffard.]
[Illustration: No. 193.--Mowbray.]
The _Lion passant_ is carefully distinguished in the earliest Rolls as a
different Charge from the _Lion passant guardant_. Thus (H. 3), for
HAMON LE STRANGE--_Gu., two Lions passant arg._, No. 191; and for JOHN
GIFFARD--_Gu., three Lions pass. arg._, No. 192: for Sir NICHOLAS CAREW
(E. 2),--_Or, three Lions pass. sa._
[Illustration: No. 194.--De Lacy.]
[Illustration: No. 195.--De Segrave.]
From the numerous early Shields which bear _Lions rampant_, I select the
following examples, associated with names illustrious in English
History. For ROGER DE MOWBRAY (H. 3)--_Gu., a Lion rampt. arg._, No.
193: this Coat is quartered by the present Lord MOWBRAY, SEGRAVE and
STOURTON. For FITZ-ALAN, Earl of ARUNDEL--_Gu., a Lion rampt. or_
(H. 3), No. 193. For DE LACI, Earl of LINCOLN--_Or, a Lion rampt.
purpure_ (E. 2), No. 194. For Sir JOHN DE SEGRAVE (E. 2)--_Sa., a Lion
rampt. arg., crowned or_, No. 195. For PERCY, Earl of
NORTHUMBERLAND--_Or, a Lion rampt. az._, No 196: this Shield is drawn
from the fine counter-seal of Sir HENRY DE PERCY, first Lord of Alnwick,
who died A.D. 1315.
Two Shields of the DE BOHUNS, Nos. 114, 115, already described,
exemplify the display of Lioncels as heraldic charges. An earlier
Shield, charged with six Lioncels, but without any Ordinary, was borne
by FAIR ROSAMOND'S son, WILLIAM LONGESPÉE, Earl of SALISBURY, A.D. 1226:
it is boldly sculptured with his noble effigy in Salisbury Cathedral,
and it also appears upon his Seal--_Az., six Lioncels or_, No. 197. The
Roll of Edward II., confirmed by his Seal, gives for Sir WM. DE
LEYBOURNE the same composition, with a difference in the
tincturing--_Az., six Lioncels arg._ Other members of the same family
change these tinctures for _gules and or_, _gules and argent_, and _or
and sable_ (E. 2). Examples of Shields which bear Lions or Lioncels with
various other charges will be described and illustrated in succeeding
chapters.
[Illustration: No. 196.--De Percy.]
[Illustration: No. 197.--Longespée.]
Lions also fulfil important duties of high honour in English Heraldry as
_Crests_ and _Supporters_, and also as _Badges_. From the time of
EDWARD III. a Crowned Lion, at the first standing on a Cap of Estate,
and afterwards upon the Crown, has been the Royal Crest of ENGLAND;
a Lion also has always been the Royal Crest of SCOTLAND (see Chapter
XVIII.). The Princes of the Royal Houses of England, in like manner,
have always borne the Royal Lion distinguished by some "Mark of Cadency"
(see Chapter XII.): No. 198 is the Lion Crest of the BLACK PRINCE, from
his Monument at Canterbury, the Lion differenced with the Prince's
silver label. The Lion also appears as the Crest of many noble and
distinguished families, as the DE BOHUNS, the PERCIES, and the HOWARDS.
The Lion Crest of RICHARD II., sculptured _statant guardant_ upon his
helm, with a chapeau and mantling, and with the Badge of two Ostrich
feathers, in Westminster Hall, is without any crown: No. 199.
[Illustration: No. 198.--Crest of Black Prince.]
[Illustration: No. 199.--Crest of Richard II.]
As a Royal Supporter of the Arms of _England_, the Lion appears in
company with some other creature from the time of HENRY VI., EDWARD IV.
sometimes having his Shield supported by two Lions. On the accession of
JAMES I. of Great Britain, the Royal Lion Supporter formed that alliance
with the Unicorn of Scotland which still continues, and will continue,
it is to be hoped, throughout all time. Lions, as I shall point out more
in detail in Chapter XVI., were frequently introduced into the
composition of Seals before true heraldic Supporters were in use. In
more recent Heraldry the Lion is a favourite Supporter: he now appears
supporting the Shields of the Dukes of NORFOLK, ARGYLL, ATHOLL, BEDFORD,
GRAFTON, NORTHUMBERLAND, PORTLAND, and WELLINGTON; also, with many
others, those of the Marquesses of BATH, EXETER, HEADFORT, and
SALISBURY; of the Earls of ALBEMARLE, BROWNLOW, CARLISLE, CARNARVON,
CORK, ESSEX, and HARDWICK; of the Viscount HARDINGE; and of the Barons
ARUNDEL, CAMOYS, DUNBOYNE, MONSON, MOWBRAY, PETRE, and SOUTHAMPTON. As a
Supporter the Lion is represented _rampant_, _rampant reguardant_, and
_sejant rampant_. Lions also, and Demi-Lions, are frequently borne as
modern Crests.
In our own treatment of the Lions of Heraldry, whatever their attitude
or tincture, whatever also the position they may occupy or the heraldic
duty they may discharge, we are always to draw and to blazon them as
true _heraldic Lions_, while, at the same time, in their expression and
general characteristics they are to be _genuine Lions_.
In becoming fellowship with the Lion, the EAGLE appears in the earliest
English Rolls and examples of Arms. The Royal bird, however, does not
occur in English blazon so frequently as the Lion; and his appearance
often denotes an alliance with German Princes. A Roll of Arms (printed
in "Archæologia," XXX.) of the year 1275 commences with the Shields of
the "EMPEROR OF GERMANY," and of the "KING OF GERMANY," which are
severally blazoned as,--"_Or, an Eagle displayed having two heads sa._,"
and, "_Or, an Eagle displayed sable_." In York Cathedral, in stained
glass, there are Shields with both the double-headed and the
single-headed Eagles, all of them German, which may be considered to
have been executed before the year 1310. In the north choir-aisle at
Westminster, the Shield (now mutilated) of the Emperor FREDERICK II. is
boldly sculptured by an heraldic artist of the time of our HENRY III.,
No. 200; here the Eagle had one head only. The German Emperors naturally
adopted the Eagle for their heraldic Ensign, in support of their claim
to be successors to the Roman Cæsars; and the Russian Czars, with the
same motive, have also assumed the same ensign. The Eagle having two
heads, which severally look to the dexter and the sinister, as in No.
201, typified a rule that claimed to extend over both the Eastern and
the Western Empires; as the Eagle with a single head, No. 202, might be
considered to have a less comprehensive signification. The Eagles of the
Princes of Germany are frequently to be found, blazoned for them, in
England.
[Illustration: No. 200.--In Westminster Abbey.]
[Illustration: No. 201.--Imperial Eagle.]
[Illustration: No. 202.--Royal Eagle.]
[Illustration: No. 203.--Cornwall.]
[Illustration: No. 204.--Seal of Euphemia Leslie.]
RICHARD, the second son of King JOHN, in the year 1256 was elected King
of Germany (he is generally styled "King of the Romans"), when he bore
the Eagle of the Empire: but the only Seals of this Prince that are
known to exist in England display the Shield of his English Earldom of
Cornwall, No. 140. His Son EDMUND, who succeeded to his father's
Earldom, on his Seals has represented an _Eagle bearing in its beak his
Shield of Cornwall_, as in No. 203: this is a peculiarly interesting
example of an heraldic usage of striking significance, and it also
illustrates the early existence of the sentiment which at a later period
led to the adoption of "Supporters" to Shields of Arms. In the early
Heraldry of Scotland, a single displayed Eagle is occasionally found
supporting an armorial Shield; as in the Seals of ALEXANDER STEWARD,
Earl of MENTEITH, A.D. 1296, and WILLIAM, Earl of DOUGLAS and MAR, A.D.
1378 (Seton's "Scottish Heraldry," Plates VIII. and XII.): sometimes
also, as Mr. Seton has observed, "the Eagle's breast is charged with
more than one Shield, as in the case of the Seals of MARGARET STEWART,
Countess of ANGUS (1366), and EUPHEMIA LESLIE, Countess of ROSS (1381),
on both of which _three_ escutcheons make their appearance" ("Scottish
Heraldry," p. 268, and Plate XII., No. 5): in No. 204 I give a woodcut
of this interesting composition; the Shields are, to the dexter,
LESLIE--_Arg., on a bend az., three buckles or_; in the centre, the Arms
of the Earl of ROSS--_Gu., three Lions rampant arg., within a tressure_;
and, to the sinister, CUMMIN--_Az., three garbs or_. The Imperial Eagle
is sometimes represented crowned; the heads also in some examples are
encircled with a _nimbus_ or glory, as in No. 212. I must add that in
the Heraldry of the English Peerage the Imperial Eagle still supports
the Shields of some few Peers of different ranks; as, for example, that
of Baron METHUEN.
[Illustration: No. 205.--Shield of Piers Gaveston.]
[Illustration: No. 206.--Montacute and Monthermer.]
PIERS GAVESTON, who was created Earl of CORNWALL by EDWARD II.,
bore--_Vert, six Eaglets or_, No. 205, (E. 2 and York stained glass): on
his Seal, however, the number of the Eaglets is reduced to _three_.
Another early example is the Shield of that gallant and persevering
knight, RALPH DE MONTHERMER--_Or, an Eagle displayed vert_, No. 206, who
became Earl of GLOUCESTER in right of his wife, JOAN, daughter of
EDWARD I., and widow of GILBERT DE CLARE, the "Red Earl"; this green
Eagle of Monthermer long held a place of high distinction in the
mediæval Heraldry of England, marshalled on the Shields of the Earls of
SALISBURY and WARWICK; in which, as in the example, No. 206, the Eagle
of Monthermer is quartered with the coat of Montacute, No. 20 (page 17).
The Eagle of early Heraldry was sometimes blazoned as an "_Erne_,"[4]
and sometimes as an "_Alerion_," WILLIAM D'ERNFORD (H. 3) bears--_Sa.,
an Erne displayed arg._: and, at the same period WM. DE ERNFIELD bears a
pair of Erne's or Eagle's Wings, called a "_Vol_," No. 207. From Shields
of the fourteenth century which bear Eagles, and are blazoned in the
Roll of Edward II., I select the following small group as good
examples:--Sir WM. DE MONGOMERIE--_Or, an Eagle displayed az._: Sir
NICHOLAS DE ETONE--_Gu., a Chevron between three Eaglets arg._: Sir JOHN
DE CHARLESTONE--_Arg., on a Chevron vert three Eaglets or_: Sir PHILIP
DE VERLEY--_Or, a Bend gu., between six Eaglets sa._: Sir JOHN DE LA
MERE--_Arg., on a Bend az. three Eaglets or_, No. 209: a Shield bearing
a Bend charged with three Eagles, but with different tinctures, No. 88,
I have shown to have been the Arms of the Grandisons.
[Footnote 4: Query if this is not really a herne or
heron.--A. C. F.-D.]
[Illustration: No. 207.--A Vol.]
[Illustration: No. 209.--De la Mere.]
Eagles, under their name of "_Alerions_" (which early Heralds
represented without feet and beaks), are blazoned in the same
disposition as in No. 209, in the Arms of the Duchy of LORRAINE,--_Or,
on a Bend gu. three alerions arg._: and this device the Dukes of
Lorraine _are said_ to have borne in commemoration of an exploit of
their famous ancestor, GODFREY DE BOLOGNE, _who is also said_, when
"shooting against David's tower in Jerusalem," to have "broched upon his
arrow three footless birds called alerions." "It is impossible," remarks
Mr. Planché upon this legend, "now to ascertain who broached this
wonderful story; but it is perfectly evident that the narrator was the
party who drew the long bow, and not the noble GODFREY." Mr. Planché
adds, that the Alerions of Lorraine may indicate an alliance with the
Imperial House; and he directs attention to "a similarity in sound
between 'Alerion' and 'Lorraine,'" and also to a singular Anagram
produced by the letters ALERION and LORAINE, which are the same
("Pursuivant of Arms," p. 87). The Arms of Lorraine are still borne by
the Emperor of AUSTRIA: and in England they were quartered by Queen
MARGARET of Anjou.
[Illustration: No. 210.--Shield at St. Albans.]
[Illustration: No. 211.--The Austrian Eagle.]
The Roll of Edward II. gives also for Sir HUGH DE BILBESWORTH these
arms--_Az., three Eagles displayed or_. A similar Shield, the tinctures
changed to--_Arg., three Eagles displayed gu., armed or_, was borne by
ROBERT DE EGLESFIELD, Confessor to PHILIPPA of Hainault, Queen of
EDWARD III., who in the year 1340 founded Queen's College, Oxford: this
Shield of the Founder is borne by the College. One of the Shields in the
Chantry of Abbot RAMRYGE in St. Albans Abbey Church bears the same
charges--_three eagles displayed_, No. 210: the drawing of the eagle in
this Shield is remarkable, and the form of the Shield itself is
singularly characteristic of the close of the fifteenth century. Another
Shield in the same monument bears a single Eagle, drawn in the same
manner, and sculptured with extraordinary spirit. The German Heralds,
and also their brethren of France, delight in exaggerations of what I
may distinguish as the Westminster Eagle, No. 200. The Austrian Eagle,
besides having both its heads crowned, has a large Imperial Crown placed
between and above the two heads, as in No. 211. The Imperial Eagle (Holy
Roman Empire) sometimes has a nimbus or glory about each head, which
dignified accessory is represented by a circular line, as in No. 212. In
some examples of Eagles, as well in our own Heraldry as in that of
continental countries, the wings are represented as _erect_ (the more
usual form in England), and having the tips of all the principal
feathers pointing upwards, as in No. 213. The Eagle borne as the Ensign
of Imperial FRANCE was represented grasping a thunderbolt, in an
attitude of vigilance, having its wings displayed, but with the tips of
the feathers drooping, as they would be in the living bird; No. 214.
[Illustration: No. 212.--Imperial Eagle, with Nimbus.]
[Illustration: No. 213.--Eagle "displayed," with Wings erect.]
EDWARD III., as a Second Crest, bore an Eagle. An Eagle also was borne
for his Crest, as the imperial bird was displayed upon his Shield (No.
206), by Earl RALPH DE MONTHERMER. In the more recent Heraldry of
England, the Eagle is a Supporter to the Shields of the Earls of
CLARENDON, COVENTRY, and MALMESBURY; the Viscounts BOLINGBROKE and ST.
VINCENT; and the Barons HEYTESBURY, RADSTOCK, WYNFORD, and others.
Eagles also and Demi-Eagles are borne as Crests in the English Heraldry
of our own day.
[Illustration: No. 214.--French Imperial Eagle.]
In drawing our heraldic Eagles, we can scarcely improve upon some of the
examples in which early English Heralds expressed their ideas of the
king of birds.
CHAPTER X
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION VII
_Glossary of Titles, Names, and Terms_
"The several denominations given to these tokens of honour ...
with the terms of art given to them."
--RANDLE HOME: "Academy of Armoury," A.D. 1688.
In this Glossary, which obviously must be as concise as possible,
I shall include no word that is ordinarily well understood, unless some
special signification should be attached to it when it is in use in
armorial blazon.
_Abased._ Said of a charge when placed lower than its customary
position.
_Abatement._ A supposed sign of degradation. (See Chapter XII.)
_Accollée._ Placed side by side.
_Accosted._ Side by side.
_Achievement_, or _Achievement of Arms_. Any complete heraldic
composition.
_Addorsed._ Back to back.
_Affrontée._ So placed as to show the full face or front.
_Alerion._ A name sometimes given by early Heralds to the heraldic
_Eagle_, which, when blazoned under this title, was also sometimes drawn
without legs or beak. (See p. 97.)
_Ambulant._ In the act of walking.
_Annulet._ A plain ring; sometimes blazoned as a "_false roundle_": in
modern English cadency, the difference of the fifth son or brother: No.
154.
_Annulettée._ Ending in Annulets.
_Antelope._ Depicted by early Heralds in a conventional manner, but now
generally rendered more naturally, the earlier type being termed the
heraldic antelope.
_Anthony, St._ His cross is in the form of the letter T, No. 93.
_Antique Crown._ See _Eastern Crown_.
_Appaumée._ Said of a hand, when open, erect, and showing the palm: No.
215.
[Illustration: No. 215.--Badge of Ulster.]
_Arched._ Bent, or bowed.
_Archbishop._ A prelate of the highest order in the English Church; his
heraldic insignia are his _Mitre_, _Crozier_, and _Pall_. Next to the
Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the first subject in the
realm; he is styled "Most Reverend Father in God," "by Divine
Providence," and "Your Grace." The Archbishop of York is third in rank
(the Lord Chancellor being second), and his style is the same, except
that he is Archbishop "by Divine permission." Archbishops impale their
own arms with those of their see, the latter being marshalled to the
dexter.
_Argent._ The metal silver.
_Arm._ A human arm. When a charge, crest, or badge, it must be blazoned
with full particulars as to position, clothing, &c. If couped between
the elbow and the wrist, it is a _cubit arm_.
_Armed._ A term applied to animals and birds of prey, to denote their
natural weapons of offence and defence: thus, a Lion is said to be
"_armed_ of his claws and teeth"; a Bull, to be "_armed_ of his horns";
an Eagle, "of its beak and talons."
_Armory._ Heraldry. Also, a List of Names and Titles, with their
respective Arms.
_Arms_, _Armorial Bearings_. Heraldic compositions, and the Figures and
Devices which form them. (See Chapter I.)
_Arms of Community._ Borne by Corporate and other Bodies and
Communities, as cities, colleges, &c.
_Arms of Dominion._ Borne by Sovereign Princes, being also the Sovereign
arms of the realms over which they rule.
_Arms of Office._ Borne, with the personal arms, to denote official
rank.
_Armes Parlantes._ Such as are allusive to the Name, Title, Office, or
Property of those who bear them: thus, _Leaves_ for _Leve_son,
a _Castle_ for _Castile_, a _Cup_ for _Butler_, _Fish_ for those who
derive revenues from Fisheries, &c. The more usual term is, however,
"canting arms" (See _Rebus_: also page 15.)
_Arrow._ Is _barbed_ of its head, and _flighted_ of its feathers;
a bundle of arrows is a _sheaf_; with a blunt head, it is a _bird-bolt_.
_At Gaze._ A term applied to animals of the chase, to denote their
standing still, and looking straight forward: No. 167.
_Attires_, _Attired_. The antlers of a Buck, Stag, or Hart: having
antlers. A Reindeer is represented in Heraldry with double attires, one
pair erect, and the other drooping forward.
_Augmentation._ An honourable addition to a Coat of Arms, specially
granted with a peculiar significance: thus, the "Union" Device of the
British Empire, blazoned on an inescutcheon, is the "_Augmentation_"
specially granted to the great Duke of WELLINGTON, to be borne on the
honour point of his paternal shield.
_Augmented._ Having an "Augmentation."
_Avellane._ A variety of the heraldic Cross: No. 109.
_Azure._ The colour _blue_ (indicated by horizontal lines): No. 52.
_Badge._ A figure or device, distinct from a crest, and capable of being
borne without any background or other accessory. Badges are, however,
often depicted upon a standard or roundle of the livery colour or
colours. Badges were depicted as a sign of ownership upon property; were
worn by servants and retainers, who mustered under the standards on
which badges were represented. (See Chapter XV.)
_Banded._ Encircled with a band.
_Banner._ A flag, charged with the coat of arms of the owner, displayed
over its entire surface. (See Chapter XVII.)
_Banneret._ A Knight who had been advanced by the King to that higher
military rank which entitled him to display a banner.
_Bar._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 81, 82.
_Bars Gemelles._ Barrulets borne in pairs: Nos. 83, 84.
_Barbed._ Pointed, as an arrow. The term is also applied to the small
green leaves between the petals of heraldic roses. (See _Rose_.)
_Barbel._ A Fish borne as an allusive device by the family of DE BARRE:
No. 162.
_Barded._ Having horse-trappings.
_Bardings._ Horse-trappings, often enriched with armorial blazonry. On
the Great Seal of EDWARD I. the Bardings of the King's charger for the
first time appear adorned with the Royal arms. On both sides of the
horse, the head is supposed to be to the dexter. An example is
represented in the Seal of ALEXANDER DE BALLIOL, in Chapter XIV.
_Barnacles_, _Breys_. An instrument used in breaking horses. A rebus of
Sir REGINALD BRAY, architect of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and
repeatedly represented there: No. 216.
_Baron._ The lowest rank in the British Peerage. A Baron is "Right
Honourable," and is styled "My Lord." His coronet, first granted by
Charles II., has on a golden circlet six large pearls, of which four
appear in representations, as in No. 217. An Irish Baron has no coronet.
All a Baron's children are "Honourable."
_Baron._ A purely heraldic term signifying a _husband_, a _wife_ in
Heraldry being _femme_.
_Baroness._ A lady in whom a Barony is vested by inheritance in her own
right; also, the wife of a Baron. In either case she is "Right
Honourable"; is styled "My Lady," and her coronet is the same as that of
a Baron.
[Illustration: No. 216.--Breys.]
[Illustration: No. 217.--Circlet of a Baron's Coronet.]
_Baronet._ An hereditary rank, lower than the peerage, instituted in
1612 by JAMES I., who fixed the precedence of Baronets before all
Knights, those of the Order of the Garter alone excepted. As originally
created, all Baronets were "of Ulster," or "of Nova Scotia"; afterwards
all new creations were "of Great Britain"; now all are "of the United
Kingdom." The "Badge of Ulster," generally borne as an augmentation upon
a canton or small inescutcheon, is--_Arg., a sinister hand, couped at
the wrist and appaumée, gu._,--No. 215. The arms of Nova Scotia, which
may be (but seldom are) similarly borne on a canton or inescutcheon,
are--_Arg., on a saltire az., the Royal arms of Scotland_. (See No.
138.) By letters patent of JAMES I., the wives of Baronets have the
titles of "_Lady_, _Madam_, or _Dame_," at their pleasure prefixed to
their names.
_Barrulet._ The diminutive of a Bar.
_Barrulée_, _Barruly_. Barry of ten or more pieces.
_Barry._ Divided into an even number of Bars, which all lie in the same
plane: Nos. 85, 86.
_Barry Bendy._ Having the field divided by lines drawn _bar-wise_, which
are crossed by others drawn _bend-wise_: No. 119.
_Bar-wise._ Disposed after the manner of a Bar,--crossing the field,
that is, horizontally. The term _fessways_ is more usually employed.
_Base._ The lowest extremity: No. 27, B.
_Basilisk._ A cockatrice having its tail ending in a dragon's head.
_Basinet._ A helm fitting close to the head.
_Baton._ A diminutive of the bend, couped at its extremities.
_Battled_, or _Embattled_. Having battlements, or bordered, as No. 38,
F.
_Beacon_, or _Fire Beacon_. An iron case of burning combustibles set on
a pole, against which a ladder is placed.
_Beaked._ Applied to birds, not of prey.
_Bearer._ An old Scottish term for a _Supporter_.
_Bearing_, _Bearings_. Armorial insignia, borne on shields.
_Bell._ Drawn, and generally blazoned as a _church-bell_, unless
specified to be a _hawk's-bell_.
_Belled._ Having bells attached.
_Bend._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 111-115.
_Bendlet._ The diminutive of a bend: No. 117.
_Bend-wise_, or _In Bend_. Placed in the position of or arranged in the
direction of a bend.
_Bendy._ Parted bend-wise into an even number of divisions: No. 116.
_Besant._ A golden "Roundle" or disc, flat like a coin: No. 151, and No.
140.
_Billet._ An oblong figure of any tincture: _Billetée_--strewn with
"Billets": Nos. 130, 146.
_Bird._ Many Birds appear in blazon, and they are represented both in
heraldic tinctures and "proper"--in their natural aspect. (See Chapters
VIII. and IX.)
_Bird-bolt._ An arrow with a blunt head.
_Bishop._ The Bishops are "by Divine permission," and are styled "Right
Reverend Father in God," and "My Lord Bishop." The Bishops of England
and Wales are not Peers but are all "spiritual lords" of Parliament,
some of the junior Bishops, however, having no seats. The Suffragan
Bishops are merely assistant Bishops, and are not Lords of Parliament.
The heraldic insignia of Bishops consist of _a mitre_ and _pastoral
staff_; they impale their official and personal arms, as do the
Archbishops; and, like them also, they bear no crests, but they ensign
their shields with a mitre.
_Blasted._ Leafless, withered.
_Blazon._ Heraldry: Armorial Compositions. "To blazon" is to _describe_
or to _represent_ any armorial Figure, Device, or Composition in an
heraldic manner. _Blazoning_--_Describing_ in heraldic language: also,
_representing_ in an heraldic manner. _Blazonry_--the representation of
any heraldic Figure, Device, or Composition. But the distinction is in
practice usually made to employ the word "emblazon" in cases of
representation.
[Illustration: No. 218.--Water Bouget.]
[Illustration: No. 219.--Bourchier Knot.]
_Boar._ In Heraldry occasionally termed _Sanglier_.
_Bordure._ A Subordinary: Nos. 139, 140. Also, an important
"Difference." (See Chapters XII. and XIII.)
_Botoneé_, _Botoneé Fitcheé_. Varieties of the heraldic Cross: Nos. 103,
110. This Cross is also termed _Trefleé_.
_Bouget_, or _Water Bouget_. A charge, representing the vessels used by
the Crusaders for carrying water. The word is an early form of Bucket.
Fine early examples occur in the Temple Church, at Beverley Minster, and
in a monument at Blyborough, Lincolnshire: No. 218.
_Bourchier Knot._ The badge of the Bourchier family represented in No.
219.
_Bourdon._ A palmer's or pilgrim's staff. (See _Pilgrim's Staff_.)
_Bow._ The archer's weapon, in all its varieties of form, is a charge.
_Bowed._ Having a convex contour.
_Bowen Knot._ No. 220.
_Braced._ Interlaced.
_Breys._ Barnacles, _q.v._
_Brisure_, or _Brizure_. Any difference or mark of cadency.
_Buckle._ See _Fermaile_.
_Burgonet._ A helm worn in the sixteenth century.
_Cabossed_, or _Caboshed_. The head of a stag, or other horned animal,
represented full-faced, so as to show the face only: No. 170. In the
case of a lion or leopard when the head is so represented it is termed
the face.
[Illustration: No. 220.--Bowen Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 221.--Caltrap.]
_Cadency, Marks of._ Figures and devices, introduced into armorial
compositions, in order to distinguish the different members and branches
of the same family. (See _Difference_, and Chapter XII.)
_Cadet._ A junior member or branch of a family.
_Caltrap._ An implement formerly strewn on the ground in war to maim
horses: No. 221.
_Canting Heraldry._ Refer to _Armes Parlantes_.
_Canton._ One of the Subordinaries: Nos. 129, 130.
_Cantoned._ Placed in the quarters of a shield.
_Carbuncle._ The same as _Escarbuncle_.
_Cartouche._ No. 46.
_Castle._ Generally represented with two or three turrets, as in the
shield of Queen Alianore, of Castile: No. 222. Refer to _Tower_.
_Celestial Crown._ No. 223.
_Centaur._ Also blazoned as a _sagittary_, and supposed to have been a
badge of King Stephen.
_Cerceleé_, or _Recerceleé_. A descriptive term to denote a variety of
the heraldic Cross: No. 98.
[Illustration: No. 222.--Castle.]
[Illustration: No. 223.--Celestial Crown.]
_Chapeau._ Also entitled _a cap of dignity_, _of maintenance_, or _of
estate_. An early symbol of high dignity, and in England of right of
Peerage. In addition it is now more frequently met with supporting
certain crests: No. 224.
_Chaplet._ A garland or entwined wreath of leaves and flowers, or of
flowers alone. A _chaplet of rue_, sometimes called a _crancelin_, is
blazoned bend-wise in the shield of Saxony--_Barry of ten or and sa.,
over all a chaplet of rue vert_: No. 225. (See _Crancelin_.)
[Illustration: No. 224.--Chapeau.]
[Illustration: No. 225.--Arms of Saxony.]
_Charge._ Any heraldic figure or device. _Charged_--placed on a shield,
banner, &c., as any heraldic figure or device may be.
_Chequeé_, _Chequy_, _Checky_. Divided into three, or into more than
three, contiguous rows of small squares, alternately of a metal (or fur)
and a colour: No 68.
_Chess rook._ A piece used in the game of Chess: borne by _Roke_wood and
others: No. 226.
_Chevron._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 123, 125.
_Chevronel._ A diminutive of the Chevron: No. 124.
_Chevroneé_, _Chevrony_. A field composed of a number of pieces divided
and disposed _per Chevron_: No. 124A.
_Chief._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 71-75. _In Chief_--placed in the
upper part of the shield, or arranged in a horizontal row across the
upper part of the field.
[Illustration: No. 226.--Chess Rook.]
[Illustration: No. 227.--Cinque foil.]
[Illustration: No. 228.--Clarions.]
_Cinque-foil._ A flower or leaf of five foils: No. 227.
_Civic Crown._ A wreath of oak-leaves and acorns.
_Clarenceux._ See _Herald_.
_Clarion._ An ancient musical instrument, a badge, apparently, of the DE
CLARES. By some this charge is supposed to represent a _lance-rest_, and
is sometimes so blazoned: No. 228, which shows two varieties of form.
_Clecheé._ A variety of the heraldic Cross: No. 105.
_Close._ With closed wings.
_Closet._ A Diminutive of the Bar, one half its width.
_Cloueé._ Fastened with Nails, and showing the Nail-heads: No. 150.
_Coat Armour._ True armorial or heraldic bearings, duly granted or
inherited, and rightly borne: so entitled, from having been depicted by
warriors of the Middle Ages upon their _surcoats_, worn by them over
their armour.
_Coat of Arms._ A complete armorial composition, properly what would be
charged upon a Shield or Banner, but often used as an alternative for
_Achievement_, _q.v._
_Cockatrice._ A fabulous creature, represented in No. 229.
[Illustration: No. 229.--Cockatrice.]
_Collar._ One of the insignia of Orders of Knighthood, worn about the
neck. Also any ornament or distinction worn in the same manner. Knights
occasionally wore collars charged with their own badge. In addition to
their badges of the Red and White Rose, examples exist showing that
adherents of the rival houses of York and Lancaster sometimes wore
collars, the former formed of alternate _Suns and Roses_, No. 230; and
the latter, of the letter S continually repeated, No. 231. No certain
origin has been discovered for the Lancastrian "Collar of S.," but it
has been suggested that it represents the word SOVERAYGNE, the motto of
HENRY IV. No. 230 is from the Brass to HENRY BOURCHIER, K.G., Earl of
Essex, at Little Easton, Suffolk, A.D. 1483; and No. 231 from the Brass
to Lord CAMOYS, K.G., at Trotton, Sussex, A.D. 1424.
[Illustration: No. 230.--A Collar of York.]
[Illustration: No. 231.--A Collar of Lancaster.]
_College of Arms_, or _Heralds' College_. (See _Herald_.)
_Colour._ See Chapter V., page 41. The term "_Colours_" is applied to
Flags, particularly to those of infantry regiments, and to such as are
displayed at sea. (See Chapter XVII.)
_Combatant._ Two lions, or other animals of prey, rampant and face to
face.
_Compartment._ In Scottish Heraldry, "a kind of carved panel, of no
fixed form, placed below the escutcheon, bearing the supporters, and
usually inscribed with a motto or the name and designation of the
owner." --_Seton._ Other objects placed below the shield are met with
under this description.
_Componée_, _Compony_, or _Gobony_. A single row of small squares
alternately of two tinctures or furs: No. 66. (See _Counter Componée_.)
_Complement, In her._ Applied to the moon when full.
_Compound Quartering._ The quartering of a quarter, or division of a
quartered Coat-of-Arms. (See page 34.)
_Compound Arms._ Arms formed from the combination of the bearings of two
or more distinct coats, to produce a single compound coat.
_Conjoined in Lure._ Two wings united, their tips in base.
_Contoise._ A flowing scarf, worn attached to the helm before 1350. Two
examples occur in effigies in Exeter Cathedral, and another in
Westminster Abbey.
_Contournée._ Facing to the sinister.
_Cornish Chough._ A bird like a crow, black, with red beak and legs.
_Coronet._ An ensign of rank worn upon the head, in use in England from
about the middle of the fourteenth century, but without any distinctive
tokens of gradations of rank until a later period. In modern times
English Coronets have enclosed a velvet cap with a bullion tassel. This
cap originated in the cap of estate worn by Peers. (See _Prince_,
_Duke_, _Marquess_, _Earl_, _Viscount_, and _Baron_.)
_Cotise._ A diminutive of the Bend or other Ordinary, being one-fourth
of their width. _Cotised_. When a Bend or Chevron is placed between two
Cotises, or when a Fesse or Bar is placed between two Barrulets. Nos.
114, 115.
_Couchant._ In repose. No. 177.
_Couchée._ Said of a Shield when suspended from the sinister extremity
of the chief, or when placed as if it were so suspended. No. 49.
_Count_, _Countess_. _Count_, in Latin "Comes," the same as Earl.
_Countess_, the wife of an Earl: she is "Right Honourable," and styled
"My Lady": her coronet is the same as that of an Earl.
_Counter._ Reversed or opposite.
_Counter-changing._ See page 44, and Nos. 70, 126.
_Counter Componée._ Double _Componée_, or two conjoined rows of
alternately tinctured squares. No. 67.
_Counter-Embattled._ A term in use for a fesse, bar, or chevron when
embattled on both edges.
_Counter-seal._ Early seals were generally impressed on both sides; and
the seals thus were produced from two dies or matrices. The two sides
were severally called the _seal_ and the _counter-seal_, the latter
being termed the _reverse_ of the compound composition. Every such
double impression constituted a single seal. Both seal and counter-seal
were sometimes used alone; and the counter-seal was regarded as a
private seal, or _secretum_.
_Couped._ Cut off _smoothly_--the reverse of "erased."
_Couple-close._ Half a _chevronel_.
_Courant._ Running.
_Courtesy, Titles of._ Nominal degrees of rank, conceded to, and borne
by, the Eldest Sons of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls, and other titles
used by their younger children and all children of Viscounts and Barons.
_Coward_, _Cowed_. A term applied to an animal with its tail between its
legs. No. 182.
_Crampet._ The decorated end of a sword-scabbard.
_Crancelin._ From the German _kranzlein_, "a small garland," applied to
the chaplet that crosses the shield of Saxony, No. 225: this charge is
also blazoned as _a bend treflée vert_, _a bend archée coronettée_, or
_a coronet extended in bend_: it is said to be an augmentation
conferred, with the Dukedom of Saxony, on BERNHARD of Ascania, by the
Emperor BARBAROSSA. The Emperor took from his head his own chaplet of
rue, and threw it across the shield of Duke Bernhard. This story is
probably untrue.
_Crenellated._ Embattled.
_Crescent._ No. 166. In modern English cadency, the difference of the
second son, or house.
_Cresset._ A beacon.
_Crest._ A figure or device originally worn upon a helm, and now
generally represented above a Shield of arms. Crests at first were
ensigns of high honour, and their use was restricted to a few persons of
eminence: they were attached by a _wreath_, or _torse_, or by a
_coronet_, to the helm or basinet; and sometimes a crest stood upon a
cap of estate. Crests are still represented standing upon either a
wreath, or a cap, or issuing from a coronet: but in our own Heraldry a
_crest-coronet_ must always be carefully distinguished from those
coronets that are insignia of princely and noble rank. Crests are not
borne by ladies, a reigning Sovereign only excepted. (See _Panache_,
_Rebus_, and Chapter XIV.)
[Illustration: No. 232.--Crest Coronet.]
[Illustration: No. 233.--Crest-Wreath.]
_Crest-Coronet._ A coronet from which issues, or which supports,
a crest. No. 232.
_Crest-Wreath_, or _Torse_. In the Middle Ages, of rich materials and
costly workmanship; now represented as being formed of two rolls of silk
of the principal metal and colour in the arms, which are twisted to show
the metal and colour alternately. The earliest examples are about A.D.
1375. No. 233 shows three varieties of representation. (See Chapter
XIV.)
_Crined._ Having a mane or hair.
_Cross._ One of the Ordinaries. Nos. 90-110.
_Crown._ The ensign of Royal and Imperial dignity; in Heraldry borne as
a charge, and also used to denote the rank of a Sovereign Prince. The
Crown that is generally borne as a charge is represented without arches,
and resembling No. 232. Certain other crowns, each distinguished by an
appropriate title, are also sometimes borne on shields, or introduced as
heraldic accessories. (See _Celestial_, _Eastern_ or _Radiated_,
_Mural_, _Naval_, and _Vallary_ Crowns.) The different forms assumed at
different periods by the Royal Crown of England are faithfully
exemplified in the seals and the coinage of the successive Sovereigns,
and several fine examples are preserved in the Royal effigies. The
adornment of the regal circlet was arbitrary before the fifteenth
century; still, it always was enriched with gems and surmounted by
golden foliage. HENRY V. first arched his crown; and by HENRY VI. the
circlet was first heightened with alternate crosses-patée and fleurs de
lys. This arrangement has since been retained, the subsequent
alterations being restricted to changes in the number and in the contour
of the arches. The crown of His Majesty the KING has the circlet
heightened with four crosses and as many fleurs de lys; from the crosses
rise the arches, which are surmounted by a mound and a cross-patée. No.
234. This, the heraldic crown, is not an exact reproduction of the
actual crown of the King.
_Crozier._ Strictly, the cross-staff of an archbishop; distinguished by
its form from the pastoral-staff with a crook-head, of bishops; but the
term is loosely and very generally applied also to the crook-headed
pastoral-staff.
_Crusilee_, _Crusily_. Having the field semée of crosses-crosslets, or
of other small crosses, their peculiar form (when not crosslets) being
specified.
_Cubit arm._ A human arm couped between the elbow and the wrist.
[Illustration: No. 234.--Crown of H.M. The King.]
[Illustration: No. 235.--Dacre Knot and Badges.]
_Cup_, _Covered Cup_. A vessel formed like a chalice, and having a
raised cover; borne by the BOTILERS, BUTLERS, &c.
_Cushion_, _Pillow_, _Oreiller_. Unless described of another form,
square or oblong, and with a tassel at each corner.
_Dacre Knot._ No. 235. (See _Knot_.)
_Dancetté._ No. 38B. In early blazon, a fesse dancetté is styled simply
"a _dancette_" or "a _danse_." Nos. 78, 146; and No. 20A, page 70.
_Debruised._ When an ordinary surmounts an animal or another charge.
_Decrescent._ A half-moon having its horns to the sinister. No. 166C.
_Deer._ In general practice very little if any differentiation is made
between the _Stag_, the _Buck_, and the _Hart_; the female is a _Hind_,
and of course is without attires. (See Chapter VIII.)
_Degrees._ A term applied to the steps upon which a Cross Calvary is
represented.
_Demembered_, _Dismembered_. Cut into pieces, but without any alteration
in the form of the original figure.
_Demi._ The half. The upper, front, or dexter half, unless the contrary
be specified. No. 186.
_Depressed._ Surmounted.
_Dexter._ The right side. No. 27C.
_Diaper_, _Diapering_. Surface decoration. No. 68.
_Difference_, _Differencing_. An addition to, or some change in,
a Coat-of-Arms, introduced for the purpose of distinguishing Coats which
in their primary qualities are the same. (See Chapters XII. and XIII.)
_Dimidiated._ Cut in halves per pale, and one half removed: No. 250.
(See Chapter XI.)
_Disclosed._ With expanded wings, in the case of birds that are _not_
birds of prey. The contrary to _Close_.
_Displayed._ Birds of prey with expanded wings. No. 200.
_Disposed_, _Disposition_. Arranged, arrangement.
_Dividing Lines._ No. 38: also Nos. 27-37.
_Dolphin._ A favourite fish with Heralds. The heraldic Dolphin of
antiquity is exemplified in No. 8; that of the Middle Ages in No. 163.
_Dormant._ Asleep, as in No. 179.
_Double-queued._ Having two tails. No. 181.
_Doubling._ The lining of a Mantle or Mantling.
_Dove-tail._ No. 381.
_Dragon._ A winged monster having four legs. No. 236.
_Duke._ The highest rank and title in the British Peerage; first
introduced by EDWARD III. in the year 1337, when he created the BLACK
PRINCE the first English Duke (in Latin, "_Dux_"). A Duke is "Most
Noble"; he is styled "My Lord Duke," and "Your Grace"; and all his
younger sons are "Lords," and all his daughters "Ladies," with the
prefix "Right Honourable." His eldest son bears, by courtesy, his
father's "second title"; and, accordingly, he generally bears the title
of Marquess. Whatever his title, however, the rank of the eldest son of
a Duke is always the same, and it assigns to him precedence between
Marquesses and Earls. The Coronet of a Duke, arbitrary in its adornment
until the sixteenth century was far advanced, is now a circlet,
heightened with eight conventional strawberry-leaves, of which in
representations three and two half-leaves are shown; No. 237. It
encloses a velvet cap. The present ducal coronet is represented in the
portrait of LUDOVICK STUART, K.G., Duke of RICHMOND and LENNOX, who died
in 1624; the picture, the property of the Crown, is at Hampton Court.
[Illustration: No. 236.--Dragon.]
[Illustration: No. 237.--Circlet of a Duke's Coronet.]
_Ducal Coronet._ A term commonly, but not very accurately, applied to a
_Crest Coronet_. No. 232.
_Duchess._ The wife of a Duke. She is "Most Noble," and is styled "Your
Grace." Her coronet is the same as that of a Duke.
_Eagle._ See Chapter IX., page 92.
_Eaglet._ An Eagle on a small scale.
_Earl._ In Latin, "Comes"; in French, "Comte" or "Count." Before 1337,
the highest, and now the third degree of rank and dignity in the British
Peerage. An Earl is "Right Honourable"; he is styled "My Lord"; his
eldest son bears his father's "second title," generally that of
Viscount; his other sons are styled "Honourable," but all his daughters
are "Ladies." The circlet of an Earl's Coronet has eight lofty rays of
gold rising from the circlet, each of which supports a large pearl,
while between each pair of these rays there is a golden strawberry-leaf.
In representations five of the rays and pearls are shown; No. 238.
Elevated clusters of pearls appear in an Earl's coronet--that of THOMAS
FITZ ALAN, Earl of ARUNDEL--as early as 1445; but the present form of
the coronet may be assigned to the second half of the following century.
[Illustration: No. 238.--Circlet of an Earl's Coronet.]
[Illustration: No. 239.--Eastern Crown.]
_Eastern_, _Radiated_, or _Antique Crown_. No. 239.
_Electoral Bonnet._ A cap of crimson velvet guarded with ermine, borne,
in the Royal Arms, over the inescutcheon of the arms of Hanover from
1801 till 1816. No. 240.
_Embattled_, and _Counter-Embattled_. A term applied to a fess or bar
when so depicted both above and below.
_Embowed._ Bent. An arm embowed has the elbow to the dexter, unless
blazoned to the contrary.
_Embrued._ Stained with blood.
_Endorse._ A diminutive of the pale.
_Enfiled._ Pierced, _e.g._ with a sword, or surrounded, _e.g._ with a
coronet.
_Engrailed._ The border-line, No. 38D.
_Enhanced._ Raised towards the chief. Thus the arms of BYRON, No. 241,
are--_Arg., three bendlets enhanced gu._
_Ensigned._ Adorned; having some ensign of honour placed above--as a
coronet above a shield.
_Entire._ Said of a charge when it is necessary to express that it
extends to the border lines of a shield, coat, or banner; also of a
shield, coat, or banner of arms, when borne without any difference or
mark of cadency.
_Entoire_, _Entoyre_. A bordure charged with a series of inanimate
figures or devices, as crosslets, roundles, &c.; to a similar bordure of
living figures the term _Enaluron_ is applied. These are not terms
ordinarily in use.
_Enveloped_, _Environed_. Surrounded.
_Equipped._ Fully armed, caparisoned, or provided.
_Eradicated._ Torn up by the roots.
[Illustration: No. 240.--Electoral Bonnet.]
[Illustration: No. 241.--Shield of Byron.]
_Erased._ Torn off with a ragged edge; the contrary to _Couped_.
_Ermine_, _Ermines_, _Erminois_. Nos. 57-60 and 57A. The animal, the
ermine, sometimes appears in blazon, and an ermine spot is borne as a
charge.
_Erne._ An eagle. (See p. 96.)
_Escarbuncle._ No. 19.
_Escroll._ A ribbon charged with a motto; also a ribbon, coiled at its
extremities, borne as a charge.
_Escutcheon._ An heraldic shield: Nos. 39-40: also No. 27. An
Escutcheon, when borne as a charge, is usually blazoned as an
"_Inescutcheon_": thus, the Arms of HAY are,--_Arg., three inescutcheons
gu._: see also Nos. 131, 133.
_Escutcheon of Pretence._ A shield charged upon the centre of the field
of another shield of larger size, and bearing a distinct Coat-of-Arms.
_Escallop_, or _Escallop-Shell_. A beautiful and favourite charge; No.
165.
_Esquire._ A rank below that of Knight. Besides those Esquires who are
personal attendants of Knights of Orders of Knighthood at their
installations, this title is held by most attendants on the person of
the Sovereign, and all persons holding or having held the Sovereign's
commission in which they are so styled.
_Estate._ Dignity and rank.
[Illustration: No. 242.--Estoile.]
_Estoile._ A star with wavy rays or points, which are six, eight, or
sometimes even more in number: No. 242. (See _Mullet_.)
_False._ Said of any charge when its central area is removed--thus, an
_Annulet_ is a "false roundle."
_Fan_, or _Winnowing Fan_, or _Vane_. The well-known implement of
husbandry of that name, borne by the Kentish Family of De Sevans or
Septvans--_Az., three fans or_ (E. 2). This shield appears in the Brass
to Sir R. DE SEVANS, A.D. 1305, at Chartham, in Kent, and in the
cloisters at Canterbury.
_Fan Crest._ An early form of decoration for the knightly helm,
exemplified in the 2nd Great Seal of RICHARD I., and in many other
Seals, until about A.D. 1350. (See Chapter XIV.)
_Feathers._ Generally those of the Ostrich, sometimes of the swan, the
turkey, and a few other birds, borne generally as Crests and Badges,
both singly and in plumes or groups. (See _Ostrich Feather_, _Panache_,
and Chapter XIV.)
_Femme._ The Wife, as distinguished from the "Baron," the Husband.
_Fer-de-Moline_, or _Mill-rind_. The iron affixed to the centre of a
mill-stone; No. 243: a modification of the _Cross-moline_; No. 97.
_Fermail_ (plural _Fermaux_). A buckle: No. 244. Several varieties of
form appear in blazon, it being usual to specify them as round, oval,
square, or lozenge-shaped. They are always blazoned as buckles.
_Fess_, or _Fesse_. One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 76-80. _Fesse-wise, In
Fesse._ Disposed in a horizontal line, side by side, _across the centre_
of the field, and over the _Fesse-Point_ of a shield: No. 27, M.
[Illustration: No. 243.--Fer-de-Moline.]
[Illustration: No. 244.--Fermails.]
[Illustration: No. 245.--Fetter-lock.]
_Fetter-lock._ A shackle and padlock--a Yorkist Badge: No. 245; is from
the Brass to Sir S. DE FELBRIGGE, K.G., at Felbrigg, Norfolk, A.D. 1414;
this, however, being a very unusual shape.
_Field._ The entire surface of a Shield or Banner, or of an Ordinary.
_File._ A Label, from the Latin _filum_, a narrow ribbon.
_Fillet._ A diminutive of a Chief.
_Fimbriated._ Bordered--the border (which is narrow) lying in the same
plane with the object bordered: No. 89.
_Fish._ Numerous Fish appear in blazon, and generally in their proper
tinctures. They are borne as allusive charges, and also as types of some
connection between those persons who bear them and the sea or lakes or
rivers. Mr. Moule has published an admirable volume on the "Heraldry of
Fish," beautifully illustrated with examples drawn by his daughter. (See
p. 77.)
_Fitchée._ Pointed at the base, as in No. 110.
_Flanches_, _Flasques_. Subordinaries: Nos. 141, 142.
[Illustration: No. 246.--Fleur de lys.]
[Illustration: No. 247.--France Ancient.]
[Illustration: No. 248.--France Modern.]
[Illustration: No. 249.--Edmund, Earl of Lancaster.]
[Illustration: No. 250.--Margaret, Queen of Edward I.]
[Illustration: No. 251.--Seal of Margaret, second Queen of Edward I.]
[Illustration: No. 252.--Shield of Edward III., A.D. 1340.]
[Illustration: No. 253.--Shield of Henry IV., about A.D. 1405.]
_Fleur de lys._ The beautiful heraldic device so long identified with
the history of France: No. 246 (from the monument of EDWARD III.?). The
fleur de lys, derived, it would seem, from the flower of a lily
resembling the iris, was adopted by LOUIS VII. (A.D. 1137-1180) as his
royal ensign, and in due time it was regularly charged upon a true
Shield of Arms. Originally the Royal Shield of France was--_Az., semée
of fleurs de lys, or_; the fleurs de lys scattered freely over the
field, and the Shield itself having the appearance of having been cut
out of a larger object, over the whole surface of which the flowers had
been _semée_. This Shield of France is distinguished as "_France
Ancient_": No. 247. About A.D. 1365, CHARLES V. of France reduced the
number of the fleurs de lys to three; and this Shield is now known as
"_France Modern_": No. 248. In the year 1275, EDMUND, first Earl of
Lancaster, the second son of HENRY III., married BLANCHE of Artois, when
he differenced his shield of England with _a label of France--a blue
label charged on each point with three golden fleurs de lys_. No. 249,
thus, for the first time did the armorial insignia of England and France
appear together upon the same Shield. In 1299 EDWARD I. married his
second Queen, MARGARET of France, and then this royal lady placed on one
of her Seals a Shield of England and France dimidiated: No. 250. On
another of her Seals, a very noble example of the Seal-engraver's art,
Queen MARGARET displayed the Shield of King EDWARD I., her husband,
_surrounded, on the field of the Seal, with her father's fleurs de lys_:
No. 251. On the Seals of ISABELLE of France, Queen of EDWARD II., the
same dimidiated shield, and another shield quartering the arms of
England with _France Ancient_ and two other French coats (_Navarre_ and
_Champagne_) appear. Then Prince JOHN of ELTHAM charged a "bordure of
France" _upon his shield_, No. 24; thus applying the suggestion of the
Seal of Queen MARGARET, No. 251, in such a manner as was consistent with
the advanced condition of heraldic art. On his accession in 1327,
EDWARD III. placed a fleur de lys on each side of the Shield of England
upon his Great Seal: and in 1340, when he claimed the crown of France,
EDWARD _quartered France Ancient with his lions of England_: No. 252.
Shortly after his accession, perhaps in 1405, in order to conform to the
altered blazonry of the French sovereigns, HENRY IV. quartered _France
Modern_ on his shield: No. 253. The position of the three fleurs de lys
was more than once changed in the Royal Shield of England (as I shall
hereafter show more particularly) after the accession of the STUARTS;
and they were not finally removed till the first year of the nineteenth
century. The fleur de lys is also borne on many English Shields,
disposed in various ways. In modern cadency the fleur de lys is the
difference of the sixth son, or house.
_Fleurettée_, _Florettée_. Terminating in, or bordered with, fleurs de
lys; also, _semée de lys_.
_Fleurie_, or _Fleury_. Ending as No. 100; also, _semée de lys_.
_Flexed._ Bowed, bent.
_Flighted._ Feathered, as arrows are.
_Fly._ The length, and also the side of a flag farthest from the staff.
_Foliated._ Crisped, or formed like a leaf.
_Fountain._ No. 153.
_Fourchée_, _Queue Fourchée_. A term applied to a lion with a forked
tail.
_Fret_, or _Frette_. A subordinary: No. 148. _Frettée_, _Fretty_:
covered with fretwork: No. 149.
_Fructed._ Bearing fruit or seeds.
_Furs._ See p. 41: Nos. 57-65.
_Fusil._ An elongated Lozenge: No. 20A, p. 70. _Fusillée_, or _Fusilly_.
A field entirely composed of Fusils, all lying in the same plane.
[Illustration: Nos. 254, 255.--Fylfot.]
_Fylfot._ A peculiar cruciform figure, supposed to have a mystic
signification, found in military and ecclesiastical decorations in
England, and on Eastern coins, &c.: Nos. 254, 255; the latter example is
from the monument of Bishop BRONSCOMBE, in Exeter Cathedral.
_Gad_, _Gadlyng_. A spike, knob, or other figure, projecting from the
knuckles of gauntlets.
_Galley._ An ancient ship. (See _Lymphad_.)
_Garb._ A sheaf of wheat; if of any other grain, this to be specified.
_Garnished._ Adorned in a becoming manner.
_Garter, Order of the._ See Chapter XIX.
_Garter King-of-Arms_. The chief of the official Heralds of England, and
officer of arms of the Order of the Garter. (See _Herald_.)
_Gemelles._ See _Bars Gemelles_.
_Gem-Ring._ A ring for the finger, set with a jewel.
_Genet._ A spotted animal, somewhat like a marten: a badge of Queen
JOANNA of Navarre.
_George, Saint._ The Patron Saint of England. The circumstances which
led to his association with England are unknown. His Shield of arms, _a
red cross on a silver field_, first appears in English Heraldry in the
fourteenth century: No. 1.
_George, The._ A mounted figure of the Saint in the act of piercing the
dragon with his lance, and worn as a pendant to the collar of the Order
of the Garter; added to the insignia of the Order, with the Collar, by
HENRY VII. The _Lesser George_ has the same group on an enamelled field,
and surrounded by the Garter of the Order, the whole forming a "jewel,"
generally oval in shape: it was introduced by HENRY VIII., and is now
worn pendent from the dark-blue ribbon of the Order, the ribbon passing
over the left shoulder and the jewel hanging on the right side of the
wearer. Originally, this "Lesser George" was worn from either a gold
chain or a black ribbon: by Queen ELIZABETH the colour of the ribbon was
changed to sky-blue, and it assumed its present darker hue in the reign
of CHARLES II.
_Gerattyng._ Differencing by the introduction of small charges. It is an
early term, now obsolete.
_Gimmel-ring._ Two annulets, interlaced.
_Girt_, _Girdled_. Encircled, or bound round.
_Gonfannon._ A long flag, pointed or swallow-tailed at the fly, and
displayed from a transverse bar attached to a staff.
_Gorged._ Encircled round the throat.
_Gouttée_, _Guttée_. Sprinkled over with drops either of gold--_gouttée
d'or_; of silver--_d'eau_; of blue--_de larmes_ (tears); of red--_de
sang_ (blood); or of black--_de poix_ (pitch).
_Grand Quarters._ The four primary divisions of a Shield, when it is
divided _quarterly_: Nos. 30, 36, 37. The term "Grand Quarter" may be
used to signify a primary quarter or division of a quartered Shield or
Coat, and to distinguish such a quarter when _it is quartered_.
_Grieces._ Steps.
_Guardant._ Looking out from the field: Nos. 172, 174, 176, 187.
_Guige._ A Shield-belt, worn over the right shoulder, and frequently
represented in heraldic compositions as if sustaining a Shield of arms:
Nos. 48, 49.
_Gules._ Red: No. 53.
[Illustration: No. 256.--Shield of R. de Gorges.]
_Gurges_, or _Gorges_. A charge formed of a spiral line of blue on a
white field, and supposed to represent a whirlpool: borne (H. 3) by R.
DE GORGES: No. 256.
_Gyron._ A Subordinary. _Gyronny_. A field divided into Gyrons: No. 147.
(See page 70.)
_Habited._ Clothed.
_Hames_, _Heames_. Parts of horses' harness.
_Hammer_, or _Martel_. Represented in blazon much in the same shape as
the implement in common use (H. 3).
_Harp._ A device and badge of Ireland. The Irish Harp of gold with
silver strings on a blue field forms the third quarter of the Royal
Arms.
_Hart._ A stag, with attires; the female is a _Hind_: page 81.
_Hastilude._ A tournament.
_Hatchment._ An achievement of arms in a lozenge-shaped frame, placed
upon the front (generally over the principal entrance) of the residence
of a person lately deceased. In the case of the decease of an unmarried
person, or of a widower or widow, the whole of the field of the
hatchment is painted black; but in the case of a married person, that
part only of the field is black which adjoins the side of the
achievement occupied by the armorial insignia of the individual
deceased. Thus, if a husband be deceased, the dexter half of the field
of the hatchment is black, and the sinister white; and so, in like
manner, if the wife be deceased, the sinister is black and the dexter
white.
[Illustration: No. 257.--Hawk's Lure.]
[Illustration: No. 258.--Hawk's Bells and Jesses.]
_Hauriant._ A fish in pale, its head in chief.
_Hawk's bells, jesses, and lure._ A falconer's decoy, formed of feathers
with their tips in base, and joined by a cord and ring, No. 257; also
bells with straps to be attached to hawks, No. 258.
_Heightened._ Raised; placed above or higher.
_Heights._ Applied to plumes of feathers which are arranged in rows or
sets, one rising above another. See _Panache_.
_Helm_, _Helmet_. Now placed as an accessory above a Shield of arms, and
bearing its Crest after the fashion in which, in the Middle Ages, both
Helm and Crest were actually worn in tournaments. A modern usage
distinguishes Helms as follows:--The Sovereign--Helm of gold, with six
bars, set _affrontée_, No. 259; Noblemen--Helm of silver, garnished with
gold, set in profile, and showing five bars, No. 260; Baronets and
Knights--of steel with silver ornaments, without bars, the vizor raised,
set _affrontée_, No. 261; Esquires and Gentlemen--of steel, the vizor
closed, and set in profile, Nos. 262, 263. The Helms that appear on
early Seals and in other heraldic compositions till about A.D. 1600, are
all set in profile, and the shield generally hangs from them _couchée_,
as in No. 49. In these early compositions, the shield is small in
proportion to the helm and its accessories.
[Illustration: No. 259.--Helm of the Sovereign.]
[Illustration: No. 260.--Helm of Nobles.]
[Illustration: No. 261.--Helm of Baronets and Knights.]
[Illustration: Nos. 262, 263.--Helms of Esquires and Gentlemen.]
_Hemp-brake_, _Hackle_. An instrument having saw-teeth, used for
bruising hemp.
_Heneage Knot._ No. 264.
_Herald._ An officer of arms. The Heralds of England were incorporated
by RICHARD III.; and from Queen MARY, in 1555, they received a grant of
Derby House, on the site of which, between St. Paul's Cathedral and the
Thames, stands their present official residence, HERALDS' COLLEGE, or
the COLLEGE OF ARMS. The college now consists of three
KINGS-OF-ARMS--_Garter_, _Clarenceux_, and _Norroy_; six HERALDS, who
have precedence by seniority of appointment--_Chester_, _Lancaster_,
_Richmond_, _Windsor_, _York_, and _Somerset_; and four
PURSUIVANTS--_Rouge Dragon_, _Portcullis_, _Rouge Croix_, and
_Bluemantle_. The official habit is a _Tabard_, emblazoned with the
Royal Arms, and the Kings and Heralds wear a _Collar of SS._ The Kings
have a Crown, formed of a golden circlet, from which rise sixteen
oak-leaves, nine of which appear in representations; and the circlet
itself is charged with the words, _Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam
misericordiam tuam_ ("Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great
loving-kindness").
[Illustration: No. 264.--Heneage Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 265.--Arms of the Heralds' College.]
The supreme head of the English Heralds, under the SOVEREIGN, is the
EARL MARSHAL, an office hereditary in the family of the DUKE OF NORFOLK.
The Arms of the College are--_Arg., a cross gu., between four doves
their dexter wings expanded and inverted az._: No. 265; Crest--_From a
crest-coronet or, a dove rising az._; Supporters--_Two lions ramp.
guard. arg., ducally gorged or_. Each of the Kings has his own official
arms, which he impales with his paternal coat on the _dexter_ side of
the shield. The Arms of Garter are--_Arg., a cross gu.; on a chief az.,
a ducal coronet encircled with a Garter of the Order, between a lion of
England and a fleur de lys, all or_. Clarenceux and Norroy have the same
shield, but the former has _a lion of England only, crowned, on a chief
gules_; and the latter, _on a chief per pale az. and gu._, has
_a similar lion between a fleur de lys and a key, all of gold_.
There is also another King styled "Bath," who is specially attached to
the Order of the Bath; he is not a member of the College.
[Illustration: No. 266.--Arms of Lyon Office.]
"Lyon King-of-Arms" is the chief Herald of Scotland; and the
establishment over which he presides is styled the "Lyon Office." The
Arms of the Office are--_Arg., a lion sejant erect and affronté gu.,
holding in his dexter paw a thistle slipped vert, and in the sinister an
escutcheon of the second; on a chief az., a saltire of the first_: No.
266.
Ireland is the heraldic province of "Ulster King-of-Arms." His official
armorial ensigns differ from those of Garter only in the _charges of the
chief_, which are _a lion of England between a golden harp and a
portcullis_.
_Herison._ A hedgehog.
_Hill_, _Hillock_. A mound of earth.
_Hirondelle._ A swallow.
_Hoist._ The depth of a flag from chief to base. See _Fly_.
_Honour Point._ No. 27, L.
_Humettée._ Cut short at the extremities.
_Hurst._ A clump of trees.
_Hurt._ A blue roundle.
_Illegitimacy._ See Chapter XII.
_Imbrued_, or _Embrued_. Stained with blood.
_Impaled._ Conjoined per pale.
_Impalement._ The uniting of two (or more) distinct coats per pale, to
form a single achievement.
_Imperially Crowned._ Ensigned with the Crown of England.
_Incensed_, _Inflamed_. On fire; having fire issuing forth.
_Increscent._ No. 166, B. See _Decrescent_.
_Indented._ No. 38, A.
_Inescutcheon._ An heraldic Shield borne as a charge. This term is
sometimes used to denote an _Escutcheon of Pretence_.
_In bend._ Disposed in the position of a bend; _In Chevron_, _In Chief_,
_In Cross_, _In Fesse_, &c. Disposed after the manner of a chevron, or
in the chief of the shield, or in the form of a cross, &c.
_In Foliage._ Bearing leaves.
_In Lure._ Wings conjoined in the form of a hawk's lure.
_In her piety._ A term applied to a pelican feeding her young.
_In Pretence._ A term applied to a single inescutcheon placed upon and
in the centre of a larger escutcheon.
_In Pride._ Having the tail displayed, as a peacock's.
_In Quadrangle._ When four charges are so disposed that one is in each
quarter of the shield.
_In Splendour._ The sun irradiated.
_Irradiated._ Surrounded by rays of light.
_Issuant._ Proceeding from, or out of.
_Jambe_, _Gambe_. The leg of a lion, or other beast of prey: No. 185.
_Jelloped._ Having wattles and a comb, as a cock.
_Jesses._ Straps for hawk's bells.
_Jessant._ Shooting forth. _Jessant de lys._--A combination of a
leopard's face and a fleur-de-lys: No. 267.
_Joust._ A tournament.
_Jupon._ A short, sleeveless surcoat, worn over armour from about 1340
to about 1405. It is often charged with armorial insignia, and thus is a
true "coat of arms."
[Illustration: No. 267.--Jessant de lys.]
[Illustration: Nos. 268, 269.--Heraldic Keys.]
[Illustration: No. 270.--Hastings Badge.]
_Key._ When represented in early blazon, Keys have always elegant forms.
No. 268 is from Peterborough Cathedral, and No. 269 from Exeter.
_King-of-Arms._ See _Herald_.
_Knighthood, Orders of_: _Knights_. See Chapter XVI.
_Knot._ An intertwined cord, borne as a badge. The varieties of this
device are--The _Bourchier_, No. 219; the _Bowen_, No. 220; the
_Harington_ (the same as a _Frette_), No. 148; the _Heneage_, No. 264;
the _Lacy_, No. 274; the _Stafford_, No. 304; and the _Wake and Ormond_,
No. 313. Cords were sometimes intertwined about other figures and
devices, and so formed what may be regarded as _Compound Badges_, which
significantly declared the union of two houses: thus, the knot of EDWARD
Lord HASTINGS unites the Hungerford sickle with the Peverel garbe: No.
270; and the _Dacre knot_ is entwined about the Dacre escallop and the
famous "ragged staff" of Beauchamp and Neville: No. 235.
_Label_, or _File_. A narrow ribbon placed across the field of a shield
near the chief, and having three, five, or sometimes other numbers of
_points_ depending from it, its object being to _mark Cadency_. In the
early Labels the number of the points was arbitrary, the usual numbers
being five and three; and, subsequently, three points were almost
universally used; the object always was to render the Label conspicuous.
In blazon a Label is supposed to have three points; but, if more, the
number is to be specified; thus, No. 271 is simply "_a Label_," but No.
272 is "_a Label of five points_." Labels appear early in the thirteenth
century, and in the next century they are in constant use. Various
charges may be placed on the "points" of Labels to extend their capacity
for "differencing." Since the time of EDWARD the BLACK PRINCE the Label
of the PRINCE OF WALES has been plain silver. The Label is almost
exclusively (now without any exception) used in Royal Cadency; but, in
modern Heraldry, in the case of all other persons it is the peculiar
mark of the eldest son. The Label is also found as a charge. It has
become a usage in the degenerate days of Heraldry to represent the Label
as in No. 273, instead of the earlier and far preferable forms of Nos.
271, 272.
[Illustration: Nos. 271-273.--Labels.]
[Illustration: No. 274.--Lacy Knot.]
_Lacy Knot._ No. 274.
_Lambrequin._ A mantling.
_Langued._ A term which refers to the tincture of an animal's tongue.
_Leaves._ Their peculiarities are to be blazoned, as _laurel leaves_,
_oak leaves_, &c.
_Leopard_, _Leopardé._ See page 84.
_Letters of the Alphabet_ sometimes are Charges. Thus, the Arms of the
Deanery of Canterbury are--_Az., on a cross arg., the letter "x"
surmounted by the letter "i" sable:_ the "x" is on the cross at the
intersection of its limbs, and the "i" is above it.
_Line_, or _Border Line_. No. 38.
_Lined._ Having a cord attached: also, having a lining.
_Lion._ See page 83.
_Lioncel._ A lion drawn to a small scale, and generally rampant, Nos.
114, 115, 197.
_Livery Colours._ Of the PLANTAGENETS, as one family, _white and
scarlet_; of the house of YORK, _blue and murrey_; of the house of
LANCASTER, _white and blue_; of the house of TUDOR, _white and green_.
The present Royal Livery is _scarlet and gold_. In the Middle Ages, all
great families had their own livery colours, which had no necessary
relation to the tinctures of the shield.
_Lodged._ A term denoting animals of the chase when at rest or in
repose, Nos. 25, 26.
_Lozenge._ A square figure set diagonally, No. 47 (also see page 69).
The armorial insignia of unmarried ladies and widows, with the sole
exception of a Sovereign, are blazoned on a Lozenge instead of an
Escutcheon.
_Lozengy._ A field divided lozengewise: No. 145.
_Luce_, or _Lucy_. The fish now called pike. See page 77 and No. 164.
_Lure._ See _In Lure_.
_Lymphad._ An ancient galley, No. 275. It was the feudal ensign of the
Scottish lordship of LORN, and as such quartered by the Duke of ARGYLL.
_Maintenance, Cap of._ See _Chapeau_.
_Manche_, _Maunche_. A lady's sleeve with a long pendent lappet, worn in
the time of HENRY I., and borne as an armorial charge by the families of
HASTINGS, CONYERS, and some others. HASTINGS (H. 3)--_Or, a manche gu._:
No. 276.
_Mantle._ A flowing robe worn over the armour, or over their ordinary
costume, by personages of distinction of both sexes: the mantles of
ladies were commonly decorated with armorial blazonry.
[Illustration: No. 275.--Lymphad.]
[Illustration: No. 276.--Arms of Hastings.]
_Mantling_, or _Lambrequin_. A small mantle of some rich materials,
attached to the knightly basinet or helm, and worn hanging down. It is
usually represented with jagged edges, to represent the cuts to which it
would be exposed in actual battle: No. 199. (See _Panache_.) Mantlings
blazoned with achievements of arms are sometimes adjusted in folds to
form a background to the composition, and they are also occasionally
differenced with various charges.
_Marquess_, _Marquis_. The second order of the British Peerage, in rank
next to that of Duke. This rank and title were introduced into England
in 1387, by RICHARD II., who then created his favourite, ROBERT DE VERE,
Marquess of DUBLIN. The next creation was by HENRY VI. A Marquess is
"Most Honourable"; he is styled "My Lord Marquess": all his younger sons
are "Lords," and his daughters "Ladies"; his eldest son bears his
father's "second title." The Coronet, apparently contemporary in its
present form with that of Dukes, has its golden circlet heightened with
four strawberry leaves and as many pearls, arranged alternately: in
representations two of the pearls, and one leaf and two half-leaves are
shown, No. 277. The wife of a Marquess is a "Marchioness"; her style
corresponds with that of her husband, and her coronet is the same.
[Illustration: No. 277.--Circlet of the Coronet of a Marquess.]
_Marshalling._ The disposition of more than one distinct coat of arms
upon a shield, so forming a single composition; or the aggroupment of
two or more distinct shields, so as to form a single composition; also
the association of such accessories as the helm, mantling, crest, &c.,
and of knightly and other insignia with a shield of arms, thus again
forming a single heraldic composition. See Chapter XI.
_Martel._ A hammer.
_Martlet._ The heraldic Martin, usually represented without feet: Nos.
160, 161, and 70 and 86.
_Mascle._ Lozenge voided: No. 143. _Masculée._ A field divided
mascle-wise.
_Masoned._ Representing brickwork.
_Membered._ To denote the legs of a bird.
_Merchant's mark._ A device, adopted as early as 1400 by merchants, as a
substitute for heraldic ensigns which were not conceded to them. Such
marks are the predecessors of the _Trade-brands_ and _Marks_ of after
times.
_Mermaid_, _Merman_, or _Triton_. The well-known fabulous creatures of
the sea, borne occasionally as charges, but more frequently as
supporters, badges, or crests. A mermaid was the device of Sir WILLIAM
DE BRIVERE, who died in 1226, and it is the badge of the BERKELEYS.
_Metal._ The Tinctures _Or_ and _Argent_: Nos. 50, 51.
_Mill-rind._ See _Fer-de-Moline_.
_Mitre._ The ensign of archiepiscopal and episcopal rank, placed above
the arms of prelates of the Church of England, sometimes borne as a
charge, and adopted by the BERKELEYS as their crest. The contour of the
mitre has varied considerably at different periods, the early examples
being low and concave in their sides, the later lofty and convex. See
No. 159.
_Moline._ A cross terminating like a Fer-de-moline, No. 97. In modern
cadency it is the difference of the eighth son.
_Moon._ No. 166, page 80.
_Motto._ A word, or very short sentence, placed generally below a shield
but sometimes above a crest, an idea perhaps derived from the
"war-cries" of early times. A motto may be emblematical, or it may have
some allusion to the person bearing it, or to his name and armorial
insignia; or it may be the epigrammatic expression of some sentiment in
special favour with the bearer of it. As a matter of course, allusive
mottoes, like allusive arms, afford curious examples of mediæval puns.
I give a few characteristic examples:--"_Vero nil verius_" (_nothing
truer than truth_, or, _no greater verity than in Vere_)--VERE; "_Fare,
fac_" (_Speak--act_; that is, _a word and blow_)--FAIRFAX; "_Cave_"
(_beware_)--CAVE; "_Cavendo tutus_" (_safe, by caution_, or _by
Cavendish_)--CAVENDISH; "_Set on_," says SETON; "_Fight on_," quoth
FITTON; "_Festina lente_" (_On slow--push forward, but be cautious_,
that is), adds ONSLOW. Again: JEFFERAY says, "_Je feray ce que je
diray_" (_I shall be true to my word_); SCUDAMORE--_Scutum amoris
divini_ (_the shield of Divine love_); says JAMES--"_J'aime jamais_" (_I
love ever_); says ESTWICK--"_Est hic_" (_he is here_); and
POLE--"_Pollet virtus_" (_valour prevails_); and TEV--"_Tais en temps_"
(_be silent in time_). The crest of CHARTERIS, an arm with the hand
grasping a sword, has over it--"_This our charter is_." In his arms the
Marquess CHOLMONDELEY bears _two helmets_, and his motto is--"_Cassis
tutissima virtus_" (_valour is the safest helm_); the crest of the
MARTINS of Dorsetshire was an ape, with the significant motto--"_He who
looks at Martin's ape, Martin's ape shall look at him!_" The motto of
PERCEVAL is--"_Perse valens_" (_strong in himself_); but, "_Do no yll_,"
quoth DOYLE. Some "lippes," as Camden remarks, have a taste for "this
kind of lettuce."
_Mound._ A globe, encircled and arched over with rich bands, and
surmounted by a cross-patée, the whole an ensign of the royal estate.
A mound or orb forms part of the regalia, and the same form appears upon
the intersecting arches of the crown of the SOVEREIGN; and it also
surmounts the single arch of the coronet of the PRINCE OF WALES: Nos.
234, 289.
[Illustration: No. 278.--Mullet.]
[Illustration: No. 279.--Mullet, pierced.]
_Mount._ A green hill.
_Mullet._ A star, generally of five, but sometimes of six or more points
(if more than five the number to be specified), always formed by right
lines, as No. 278. A mullet is sometimes "pierced," as in No. 279, when
the tincture of the field is generally apparent through the circular
aperture. In modern cadency an unpierced mullet is the difference of the
third son. See _Estoile_.
_Mural Crown._ Represents masonry, and is embattled: No. 280.
_Naiant._ Swimming in fesse. See _Hauriant_.
_Naissant._ Equivalent to _Issuant_, but applied only to living
creatures.
_Naval Crown._ Has its circlet heightened with figures of the stern and
the hoisted sail of a ship alternating: No. 281.
_Nebulée_, or _Nebuly_. No. 38, H.
[Illustration: No. 280.--Mural Crown.]
[Illustration: No. 281.--Naval Crown.]
_Nimbus._ A glory about the head of a figure of a sainted personage:
sometimes used to denote sanctity in a symbolical device.
_Norroy._ See _Herald_.
_Nova Scotia, Badge of._ See _Baronet_.
_Nowed._ Coiled in a knot, as a snake.
_Ogress._ A _Pellet_, or black roundle.
_Opinicus._ A fabulous heraldic monster, a dragon before, and a lion
behind with a camel's tail.
_Oppressed._ An alternative for _Debruised_.
_Or._ The metal gold: No. 50.
_Ordinary._ An early principal charge of a simple character. See Chapter
VI., and Nos. 71-128: see also page 14.
_Ordinary of arms._ A list of armorial bearings, classified or arranged
alphabetically, with the names of the bearers. See _Armory_.
_Oreiller._ A cushion or pillow, generally with tassels.
_Orle._ A Subordinary formed of a border of a Shield, which is charged
upon another and a larger shield, as in No. 134. _In Orle._ Arranged
after the manner of an Orle, forming a border to a Shield, as in No. 86.
_Ostrich feathers._ A Royal Badge: also a Device in a few instances
charged by Royal and some other personages on an Armorial Shield. See
Chapter XV.
_Over all_, or _Sur tout_. To denote some one charge being placed over
all others.
_Overt._ With expanded wings.
_Pale._ One of the Ordinaries: No. 87. _Pale-wise_, or _In Pale_.
Disposed after the manner of a Pale--that is, set vertically, or
arranged vertically one above another, as are the Lions of England in
No. 187, page 87.
_Pall_, _Pallium_. A vestment peculiar to Archbishops of the Roman
Church: in Heraldry, as a charge, half only of the pall is shown, when
it resembles the letter Y; it is borne in the arms of the Sees of
CANTERBURY, ARMAGH, and DUBLIN.
_Pallet._ Half a _Pale_.
_Palmer's Staff_, _Pilgrim's staff_, or _Bourdon_. No. 282. JOHN BOURDON
(H. 3) bears--_Arg., three palmer's staves gu._
[Illustration: No. 282.--Bourdon.]
_Paly._ Divided per pale into an even number of parts, which all lie in
the same plane, as in No. 88. _Paly Bendy._ Divided evenly pale-wise,
and also bend-wise, No. 118.
_Panache._ A plume of feathers, generally of the ostrich, set upright
and born as a crest. A panache sometimes consists of a single row of
feathers; but more generally it has two or more rows or "heights" of
feathers, rising one above the other. In the greater number of examples
the tips of the feathers are erect; in others they wave, or slightly
bend over. A panache may be charged with some device or figure, "for
difference," as by the TYNDALLS, with an _ermine circlet_, a _martlet_,
and a _fleur de lys_. In Nos. 283, 285, from the seals of EDWARD
COURTENAY, and EDMUND MORTIMER (A.D. 1400 and 1372) the "heights" both
expand and rise in a curved pyramidal form. No. 284, from the seal of
WILLIAM LE LATIMER (A.D. 1372), shows a remarkable variety of both
panache and mantling. Waving plumes formed of distinct feathers first
appear near the end of the fifteenth century, and are prevalent during
the sixteenth century.
_Party_, _Parted_. Divided.
[Illustration: No. 283.--PANACHE CREST: Edward Courtenay.]
[Illustration: No. 284.--PANACHE CRESTS: William le Latimer.]
[Illustration: No. 285.--PANACHE CRESTS: Edmund Mortimer.]
_Passant._ Walking and looking forward: No. 173. _Passant Guardant._
Walking and looking out from the shield, No. 174. _Passant Reguardant._
Walking and looking back. _Passant Repassant_, or _Passant and Counter
Passant_. Walking in opposite directions.
_Pastoral Staff._ The official staff of a bishop or abbot, having a
crooked head, and so distinguished from an archbishop's _crozier_.
_Patée_, or _Formée_. }
_Patonce._ } Varieties of the heraldic Cross, Nos.
_Patriarchal._ } 106, 99, and 95.
_Pean._ The Fur, No. 60.
_Peer._ That general title, expressing their equality as members of a
distinct "order" in the realm, which is applied to Dukes, Marquesses,
Earls, Viscounts, and Barons of England, Scotland, Great Britain,
Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
_Peerage._ The hereditament of a Peer: also rank of a Peer; a list of
the Peers.
_Pegasus._ A horse with wings--a classic as well as an heraldic
imaginary creature.
[Illustration: No. 288.--A Portcullis.]
[Illustration: No. 286.--A Pennon.]
[Illustration: No. 287.--A Pheon.]
_Pelican._ Blazoned "in her piety," when feeding her young with her own
blood.
_Pellet._ A black roundle.
_Pendent._ Hanging.
_Pennon._ An armorial lance flag, pointed or swallow-tailed at the fly.
No. 286 is from the Brass to Sir JOHN D'AUBERNOUN, A.D. 1279; the arms
are--_Az., a chevron or_.
_Per._ By means of, or after the manner of.
_Pheon._ A pointed arrow-head, borne with the point in base, unless the
contrary is specified, No. 287.
_Phoenix._ A fabulous eagle, always represented as issuant from flames.
_Pile._ One of the Ordinaries, in form like a wedge, Nos. 126, 127, 128.
_In Pile._ Arranged after the form of a pile.
_Planta Genista._ The broom plant badge of the Plantagenets, No. 21.
_Plate._ A silver roundle.
_Plenitude._ The moon when full. See No. 166.
_Plume._ See _Panache_.
_Points of Shield._ No. 27. _In Point_ is the same as _In Pile_.
_Pomme._ A green roundle.
_Popinjay._ A parrot (H. 3).
_Port._ A gateway, as the entrance to a castle: No. 222.
_Portcullis._ A defence for a gateway, No. 288: the badge of the Houses
of BEAUFORT and TUDOR, borne by the former with the significant motto,
"_Altera securitas_" (additional security).
_Potent._ A variety of the heraldic cross, No. 108; also a Fur, No. 64.
_Powdered_, _Poudrée_. The same as _Semée_.
_Preying._ When an animal devours its prey. See _Trussing_.
_Prince_, _Princess_. In this country the rank and title of the members
of the Royal Family. Their style is "Your Royal Highness." The Coronet
of the Prince of Wales differs from the crown of the King, only in
having a single arch instead of two intersecting arches: No. 289. The
coronets of the Princes and Princesses, the sons and daughters of the
King, are the same as the coronet of the Prince of Wales, but without
any arch: No. 290. The coronets of the Princes and Princesses, the
grandchildren of the Sovereign, differ in having the circlet heightened
with two crosses patée, as many strawberry leaves, and four
fleurs-de-lys, No. 291. Other Royal coronets have the circlet heightened
with four crosses patée, and as many strawberry leaves. No. 292. For the
arms of their Royal Highnesses, see Chapter XVIII.
_Purfled._ Lined and bordered or garnished.
_Purpure._ A colour: No. 56.
_Pursuivant._ A Herald of the lowest rank. In the Middle Ages, these
officers were attached to the households of personages of high rank, and
bore titles generally taken from the armorial insignia of their lords.
_Quadrate._ A form of cross: No. 94.
_Quarter._ The first (from the dexter chief) of the divisions of a
shield that is parted per cross, as in No. 30; also any other division
of a shield, to be specified in blazoning. See No. 36, and _Canton_.
_Quartering._ Marshalling two or more coats of arms in the different
quarters of the same shield. When two coats are thus quartered, the one
in the first quarter is repeated in the fourth, and the one in the
second in the third; when three are quartered, the first quartering is
repeated in the fourth quarter. Any required number of coats may be
quartered on the same principle. This same term is also applied to
denote the dividing a shield "_quarterly_," as in No. 30, or into more
than four divisions, as in No. 36.
[Illustration: Nos. 289-292.--CIRCLETS OF ROYAL CORONETS
No. 289. Prince of Wales.]
No. 290. King's Daughters and Younger Sons.]
No. 291. King's Grandchildren.]
No. 292. Royal Dukes.]
_Quarterly._ A shield divided into four divisions, as in No. 30: each
division to contain a complete coat of arms, or a distinct heraldic
device or composition. Should the shield be divided into more than four
sections, the number is to be specified: thus, No. 36 is "_quarterly of
eight_," &c. See Nos. 252, 253.
_Quarterly Quartering_ and _Quartered_. The quartering of a "quarter" of
a shield that is divided "quarterly"; also distinguished as "_Compound
Quartering_." See page 34.
_Quatrefoil._ A flower or figure having four foils or conjoined leaves,
No. 293. In modern cadency a _Double Quatrefoil_ is the difference of
the ninth son.
_Queue Fourchée._ Having a forked tail; No. 181.
[Illustration: No. 293.--Quatrefoil.]
[Illustration: No. 294.--The Ragged Staff Badge.]
_Quilled._ Used to blazon the quills of feathers: thus, a blue feather
having its quill golden is blazoned--_A feather az., quilled or_.
_Radiant._ Encircled with rays.
_Rayonée._ Formed of Rays.
_Ragulée_, _Raguly_. Serrated, as No. 38, G. A "ragged staff," No. 294,
is a part of a stem from which the branches have been cut off roughly.
This "ragged staff," or "_staff ragulée_," is the famous badge of the
BEAUCHAMPS, and, derived from them, of the NEVILLES. No. 294 is from the
monument of the great Earl, RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G., who died in
1439, at Warwick.
_Rampant_, _Rampant Guardant_ and _Reguardant_. Nos. 171, 172; when
_reguardant_, the animal looks backward.
_Rebus._ An allusive charge or device. A cask, or _tun_, to represent
the final syllable "_ton_" of many surnames, is frequently found. I give
a few examples of several varieties of Rebus:--JOHN OXNEY,
Canterbury--An eagle (the emblem of _St. John_ the Evangelist, to denote
"_John_") standing on an _ox_, charged on its side with the letters _N
E_. JOHN WHEATHAMSTEDE, St. Albans--An eagle and an Agnus Dei (the
emblems of _St. John_ the Evangelist and _St. John_ the Baptist, to
denote "_John_"), and clusters of _ears of wheat_. JOHN RAMRYGE, St.
Albans--A _ram_, gorged with a collar inscribed with the letters _R Y G
E_. WOODSTOCK--The stump or _stock of a tree_. Abbot ISLIP,
Westminster--A man falling from a tree, exclaiming, "I slip!" and a
human _eye_, and a _slip_ (small branch of a tree). WALTER LYHART,
Norwich--_A hart_ (stag) _ly_ing down in _water_. An _owl_, with the
letters _D O M_ on a scroll in its beak, for BISHOP OLDHAM, at Exeter.
A church ("_kirk_") on a _tun_, with a pastoral staff and the initial R,
for Abbot ROBERT KIRTON, No. 295; and a _bird_ on a _tun_, and a _tree_
growing out of a _tun_, for BURTON and ASHTON, all at Peterborough. At
Wells, with an initial T, a fire-_beacon_ planted _in_ a _tun_, for
Bishop THOMAS BECKYNGTON, No. 296; and at Lullinstone, Kent, in stained
glass, the shield of Sir JOHN PECHÉ, A.D. 1522--_Az., a lion rampt.
queue fourchée erm., crowned or_--is encircled by _peach-branches
fructed and in foliage, each peach being charged with the letter É_, No.
297; the crest-wreath also is formed of a similar peach-branch.
_Recercelée._ A variety of the heraldic cross: No. 98.
_Reflexed_, _Reflected_. Curved and carried backwards.
_Reguardant._ Looking backwards: see No. 182.
_Rein-deer._ Heraldically drawn with double antlers, one pair erect, the
other drooping.
_Respecting._ Face to face--applied to creatures not of a fierce nature.
_Rest._ See _Clarion_, No. 228.
_Ribbon_, _Riband_. A diminutive of a _Bend_.
_Rising_, _Roussant_. About to fly.
_Rompu._ Broken.
[Illustration: No. 295.--Rebus of Abbot Kirton.]
[Illustration: No. 296.--Rebus of Bishop Beckyngton.]
[Illustration: No. 297.--Arms and Rebus of Sir John Peché.]