INANIMATE OBJECTS
In dealing with those charges which may be classed under the above
description one can safely say that there is scarcely an object under the
sun which has not at some time or other been introduced into a coat of arms
or crest. One cannot usefully make a book on armory assume the character of
a general encyclopædia of useful knowledge, and reference will only be made
in this chapter to a limited number, including those which from frequent
usage have obtained a recognised heraldic character. Mention may, at the
outset, be made of certain letters of the _alphabet_. Instances of these
are scarcely common, but the family of Kekitmore may be adduced as bearing
"Gules, three S's or," while Bridlington Priory had for arms: "Per pale,
sable and argent, three B's counterchanged." The arms of Rashleigh are:
"Sable, a cross or, between in the first quarter a Cornish chough argent,
beaked and legged gules; in the second a text T; in the third and fourth a
crescent all argent." Corporate arms (in England) afford an instance of
alphabetical letters in the case of the B's on the shield of Bermondsey.
[Illustration: FIG. 498.--Anchor.]
_The Anchor_ (Fig. 498).--This charge figures very largely in English
armory, as may, perhaps, be looked for when it is remembered that maritime
devices occur more frequently in sea-board lands than in continents. The
arms of the town of Musselburgh are: "Azure, three anchors in pale, one in
the chief and two in the flanks or, accompanied with as many mussels, one
in the dexter and one in the sinister chief points, and the third in base
proper." The Comtes de St. Cricq, with "Argent, two anchors in saltire
sable, on a chief three mullets or," will be an instance in point as to
France.
_Anvils._--These are occasionally met with, as in the case of the arms of a
family of the name of Walker, who bear: "Argent, on a chevron gules,
between two anvils in chief and an anchor in base sable, a bee between two
crescents or. Mantling gules and argent. {282} Crest: upon a wreath of the
colours, on a mount within a wreathed serpent a dove all statant proper."
Arches, castles, towers, and turrets may be exemplified, amongst others, by
the following.
Instances of _Castles_ and _Towers_ will be found in the arms of Carlyon
and Kelly, and of the former fractured castles will be found in the shield
of Willoughby quartered by Bertie; while an example of a quadrangular
castle may be seen in the arms of Rawson. The difference between a Castle
(Fig. 499) and a Tower (Fig. 500) should be carefully noticed, and though
it is a distinction but little observed in ancient days it is now always
adhered to. When either castle or tower is surmounted by smaller towers (as
Fig. 501) it is termed "triple-towered."
[Illustration: FIG. 499.--Castle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 500.--Tower.]
[Illustration: FIG. 501.--Tower triple-towered.]
An instance of a _Fortification_ as a charge occurs in the shield of
Sconce: "Azure, a fortification (sconce) argent, masoned sable, in the
dexter chief point a mullet of six points of the second."
_Gabions_ were hampers filled with earth, and were used in the construction
of fortifications and earthworks. They are of occasional occurrence in
English armory at any rate, and may be seen in the shields of Christie and
of Goodfellow.
The arms of Banks supply an instance of _Arches_. Mention may here perhaps
be made of William Arches, who bore at the siege of Rouen: "Gules, three
double arches argent." The family of Lethbridge bear a bridge, and this
charge figures in a number of other coats.
_An Abbey_ occurs in the arms of Maitland of Dundrennan ["Argent, the ruins
of an old abbey on a piece of ground all proper"], and a monastery in that
of McLarty ["Azure, the front of an ancient monastery argent"]. A somewhat
isolated instance of a _Temple_ occurs in the shield of Templer.
A curious canting grant of arms may be seen in that to the town of Eccles,
in which the charge is an _Ecclesiastical Building_, and similar {283}
though somewhat unusual charges figure also in the quartering for Chappel
["Per chevron or and azure, in chief a mullet of six points between two
crosses patée of the last, and in base the front elevation of a chapel
argent"], borne by Brown-Westhead.
_Arrows_ are very frequently found, and the arms of Hales supply one of the
many examples of this charge, while a bow--without the arrows--may be
instanced in the shield of Bowes: "Ermine, three bows bent and stringed
palewise in fess proper."
_Arrow-Heads_ and _Pheons_ are of common usage, and occur in the arms of
Foster and many other families. Pheons, it may be noticed in passing, are
arrow-heads with an inner engrailed edge (Fig. 502), while when depicted
without this peculiarity they are termed "broad arrows" (Fig. 503). This is
not a distinction very stringently adhered to.
Charges associated with warfare and military defences are frequently to be
found both in English and foreign heraldry.
[Illustration: FIG. 502.--Pheon.]
[Illustration: FIG. 503.--Broad arrow.]
[Illustration: FIG. 504.--Battle-axe.]
[Illustration: FIG. 505.--Caltrap.]
_Battle-Axes_ (Fig. 504), for example, may be seen in the shield of Firth
and in that of Renty in Artois, which has: "Argent, three doloires, or
broad-axes, gules, those in chief addorsed." In blazoning a battle-axe care
should be taken to specify the fact if the head is of a different colour,
as is frequently the case.
The somewhat infrequent device of a _Battering-Ram_ is seen in the arms of
Bertie, who bore: "Argent, three battering-rams fesswise in pale proper,
armed and garnished azure."
An instrument of military defence consisting of an iron frame of four
points, and called a _Caltrap_ (Fig. 505) or _Galtrap_ (and sometimes a
Cheval trap, from its use of impeding the approach of cavalry), is found in
the arms of Trappe ["Argent, three caltraps sable"], Gilstrap and other
families; while French armory supplies us with another example in {284} the
case of the family of Guetteville de Guénonville, who bore for arms:
"D'argent, semée de chausse-trapes de sable." Caltraps are also strewn upon
the compartment upon which the supporters to the arms of the Earl of Perth
are placed.
As the well-known badge of the Royal House of Tudor, the _Portcullis_ (Fig.
506) is familiar to any one conversant with Henry VII.'s Chapel at
Westminster Abbey, but it also appears as a charge in the arms of the
family of Wingate ["Gules, a portcullis and a chief embattled or"], where
it forms an obvious pun on the earliest form of the name, viz. Windygate,
whilst it figures also as the crest of the Dukes of Beaufort ["A portcullis
or, nailed azure, chained of the first"]. The disposition of the chains is
a matter always left to the discretion of the artist.
[Illustration: FIG. 506.--Portcullis.]
[Illustration: FIG. 507.--Beacon.]
[Illustration: FIG. 508.--Grenade.]
Examples of _Beacons_ (Fig. 507) are furnished by the achievements of the
family of Compton and of the town of Wolverhampton. A _fire chest_ occurs
in the arms of Critchett (_vide_ p. 261).
_Chains_ are singularly scarce in armory, and indeed nearly wholly absent
as _charges_, usually occurring where they do as part of the crest. The
English shield of Anderton, it is true, bears: "Sable, three chains
argent;" while another one (Duppa de Uphaugh) has: "Quarterly, 1 and 4, a
lion's paw couped in fess between two chains or, a chief nebuly of the
last, thereon two roses of the first, barbed and seeded proper (for Duppa);
2 and 3, party fess azure and sable, a trident fesswise or, between three
turbots argent (for Turbutt)." In Continental heraldry, however, chains are
more frequently met with. Principal amongst these cases maybe cited the
arms of Navarre ("Gules, a cross saltire and double orle of chains, linked
together or"), while many other instances are found in the armories of
Southern France and of Spain.
_Bombs_ or _Grenades_ (Fig. 508), for Heraldry does not distinguish, figure
in the shields of Vavasseur, Jervoise, Boycott, and many other families.
{285}
Among the more recent grants _Cannon_ have figured, as in the case of the
Pilter arms and in those of the burgh of Portobello; while an earlier
counterpart, in the form of a culverin, forms the charge of the Leigh
family: "Argent, a culverin in fess sable."
[Illustration: FIG. 509.--Scaling ladder.]
[Illustration: FIG. 510.--Lance or javelin.]
[Illustration: FIG. 511.--Tilting-spear.]
The _Column_ appears as a crest in the achievement of Coles. Between two
cross crosslets it occurs in the arms of Adam of Maryburgh ["Vert, a
Corinthian column with capital and base in pale proper, between two cross
crosslets fitchée in fess or"], while the arms of the See of Sodor and Man
are blazoned: "Argent, upon a pedestal the Virgin Mary with her arms
extended between two pillars, in the dexter hand a church proper, in base
the arms of Man in an escutcheon." Major, of Suffolk, bears: "Azure, three
Corinthian columns, each surmounted by a ball, two and one argent." It is
necessary to specify the kind of column in the blazon.
[Illustration: FIG. 512.--Arms of William Shakespeare the poet (d. 1616):
Or, on a bend sable, a tilting-spear of the field.]
_Scaling-Ladders_ (Fig. 509) (viz. ordinary-shaped ladders with grapnels
affixed to the tops) are to be seen in the English coats of D'Urban and
Lloyd, while the Veronese Princes della Scala bore the ordinary ladder:
"Gules, a ladder of four steps in pale argent." A further instance of this
form of the charge occurs in the Swiss shield of Laiterberg: "Argent, two
ladders in saltire gules."
_Spears_ and _Spear-Heads_ are to be found in the arms of many families
both in England, Wales, and abroad; for example, in the arms of Amherst and
Edwards. Distinction must be drawn between the lance or javelin (Fig. 510)
and the heraldic tilting-spear (Fig. 511), particularly as the latter is
always depicted with the sharp point for warfare instead of the blunted
point which was actually used in the tournament. The Shakespeare arms (Fig.
512) are: "Or, on a bend sable a tilting-spear of the field," while "Azure,
a lance or enfiled {286} at its point by an annulet argent" represents the
French family of Danby.
_Spurs_ (Fig. 513) occur in coat armour as such in the arms of Knight and
Harben, and also occasionally "winged" (Fig. 514), as in the crest of
Johnston.
_Spur-Rowels_, or _Spur-Revels_, are to be met with under that name, but
they are, and are more often termed, "mullets of five points pierced."
Examples of _Stirrups_ are but infrequent, and the best-known one (as
regards English armory) is that of Scudamore, while the Polish Counts
Brzostowski bore: "Gules, a stirrup argent, within a bordure or."
[Illustration: FIG. 513.--Spur.]
[Illustration: FIG. 514.--Winged spur.]
[Illustration: FIG. 515.--Sword.]
_Stones_ are even more rare, though a solitary example may be quoted in the
arms of Staniland: Per pale or and vert, a pale counterchanged, three
eagles displayed two and one, and as many flint-stones one and two all
proper. The "vigilance" of the crane has been already alluded to on page
247. The mention of stones brings one to the kindred subject of
_Catapults_. These engines of war, needless to say on a very much larger
scale than the object which is nowadays associated with the term, were also
known by the name _balistæ_, and also by that of _swepe_. Their occurrence
is very infrequent, but for that very reason one may, perhaps, draw
attention to the arms of the (English) family of Magnall: "Argent, a swepe
azure, charged with a stone or."
_Swords_, differing in number, position, and kind are, perhaps, of this
class of charge the most numerous. A single sword as a charge may be seen
in the shield of Dick of Wicklow, and Macfie, and a sword entwined by a
serpent in that of Mackesy. A flaming sword occurs in the arms of Maddocks
and Lewis. Swords frequently figure, too, in the hands or paws of
supporters, accordingly as the latter are human figures or animals, whilst
they figure as the "supporters" themselves in the unique case of the French
family of Bastard, whose shield is cottised by "two swords, point in base."
The heraldic sword is represented as Fig. 515, the blade of the _dagger_
{287} being shorter and more pointed. The _scymitar_ follows the form
depicted in Fig. 516.
A _Seax_ is the term employed to denote a curved scimitar, or falchion,
having a notch at the back of the blade (Fig. 517). In heraldry the use of
this last is fairly frequent, though generally, it must be added, in
shields of arms of doubtful authority. As such they are to be seen, amongst
others, in the reputed arms of Middlesex, and owing to this origin they
were included in the grant of arms to the town of Ealing. The sabre and the
cutlass when so blazoned follow their utilitarian patterns.
_Torches_ or _Firebrands_ are depicted in the arms and crest of Gillman and
Tyson.
_Barnacles_ (or _Breys_)--horse curbs--occur in some of the earlier coats,
as in the arms of Wyatt ["Gules, a barnacle argent"], while another family
of the same name (or, possibly, Wyot) bore: "Per fess gules and azure (one
or) three barnacles argent".
[Illustration: FIG. 516.--Scymitar.]
[Illustration: FIG. 517.--Seax.]
[Illustration: FIG. 518.--Church-bell.]
[Illustration: FIG. 519.--Hawk's bell.]
_Bells_ are well instanced in the shield of Porter, and the poet Wordsworth
bore: "Argent, three bells azure." It may be noted in passing that in
Continental armory the clapper is frequently of a different tincture to
that of the bell, as, for instance, "D'Azure, à la cloche d'argent,
butaillé [viz. with the clapper] de sable"--the arms of the Comtes de
Bellegarse. A bell is assumed to be a church-bell (Fig. 518) unless
blazoned as a hawk's bell (Fig. 519).
_Bridle-Bits_ are of very infrequent use, though they may be seen in the
achievement of the family of Milner.
The _Torse_ (or wreath surmounting the helm) occasionally figures as a
charge, for example, in the arms of Jocelyn and Joslin.
_The Buckle_ is a charge which is of much more general use than some of the
foregoing. It appears very frequently both in English {288} and foreign
heraldry--sometimes oval-shaped (Fig. 520), circular (Fig. 521), or square
(Fig. 522), but more generally lozenge-shaped (Fig. 523), especially in the
case of Continental arms. A somewhat curious variation occurs in the arms
of the Prussian Counts Wallenrodt, which are: "Gules, a lozenge-shaped
buckle argent, the tongue broken in the middle." It is, of course, purely
an artistic detail in all these buckles whether the tongue is attached to a
crossbar, as in Figs. 520 and 521, or not, as in Figs. 522 and 523. As a
badge the buckle is used by the Pelhams, Earls of Chichester and Earls of
Yarborough, and a lozenge-shaped arming buckle is the badge of Jerningham.
_Cups_ (covered) appear in the Butler arms, and derived therefrom in the
arms of the town of Warrington. Laurie, of Maxwelltown, bear: "Sable, a cup
argent, issuing therefrom a garland between two laurel-branches all
proper," and similar arms are registered in Ireland for Lowry. The Veronese
family of Bicchieri bear: "Argent, a fess gules between three
drinking-glasses half-filled with red wine proper." An uncovered cup occurs
in the arms of Fox, derived by them from the crest of Croker, and another
instance occurs in the arms of a family of Smith. In this connection we may
note in passing the rare use of the device of a _Vase_, which forms a
charge in the coat of the town of Burslem, whilst it is also to be met with
in the crest of the family of Doulton: "On a wreath of the colours, a
demi-lion sable, holding in the dexter paw a cross crosslet or, and resting
the sinister upon an escutcheon charged with a vase proper." The motto is
perhaps well worth recording; "Le beau est la splendeur de vrai."
[Illustration: FIG. 520.--Oval buckle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 521.--Circular buckle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 522.--Square buckle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 523.--Lozenge-shaped buckle.]
The arms of both the city of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen afford
instances of a _Pot of Lilies_, and _Bowls_ occur in the arms of Bolding.
PLATE V.
[Illustration]
{289}
Though blazoned as a _Cauldron_, the device occurring in the crest of De la
Rue may be perhaps as fittingly described as an open bowl, and as such may
find a place in this classification: "Between two olive-branches vert a
cauldron gules, fired and issuant therefrom a snake nowed proper." The use
of a _Pitcher_ occurs in the arms of Bertrand de Monbocher, who bore at the
siege of Carlaverock: "Argent, three pitchers sable (sometimes found gules)
within a bordure sable bezanté;" and the arms of Standish are: "Sable,
three standing dishes argent."
The somewhat singular charge of a _Chart_ appears in the arms of
Christopher, and also as the crest of a Scottish family of Cook.
[Illustration: FIG. 524.--Chess-rook.]
[Illustration: FIG. 525.--Crescent.]
[Illustration: FIG. 526.--Increscent.]
_Chess-Rooks_ (Fig. 524) are somewhat favourite heraldic devices, and are
to be met with in a shield of Smith and the arms of Rocke of Clungunford.
The _Crescent_ (Fig. 525) figures largely in all armories, both as a charge
and (in English heraldry) as a difference.
Variations, too, of the form of the crescent occur, such as when the horns
are turned to the dexter (Fig. 526), when it is termed "a crescent
increscent," or simply "an increscent," or when they are turned to the
sinister--when it is styled "decrescent" (Fig. 527). An instance of the
crescent "reversed" may be seen in the shield of the Austrian family of
Puckberg, whose blazon was: "Azure, three crescents, those in chief
addorsed, that in base reversed." In English "difference marks" the
crescent is used to denote the second son, but under this character it will
be discussed later.
Independently of its use in conjunction with ecclesiastical armory, the
_Crosier_ (Fig. 528) is not widely used in ordinary achievements. It does
occur, however, as a principal charge, as in the arms of the Irish family
of Crozier and in the arms of Benoit (in Dauphiny) ["Gules, a pastoral
staff argent"], while it forms part of the crest of Alford. The term
"crosier" is synonymous with the pastoral or episcopal staff, and is
independent of the cross which is borne _before_ (and not _by_) {290}
Archbishops and Metropolitans. The use of pastoral staves as charges is
also to be seen in the shield of Were, while MacLaurin of Dreghorn bears:
"Argent, a shepherd's crook sable." The _Palmer's Staff_ (Fig. 529) has
been introduced into many coats of arms for families having the surname of
Palmer, as has also the palmer's wallet.
[Illustration: FIG. 527.--Decrescent.]
[Illustration: FIG. 528.--Crosier, or pastoral staff.]
[Illustration: FIG. 529.--Palmer's staff.]
[Illustration: FIG. 530.--Shuttle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 531.--Woolpack.]
[Illustration: FIG. 532.--Escarbuncle.]
_Cushions_, somewhat strangely, form the charges in a number of British
shields, occurring, for example, in the arms of Brisbane, and on the shield
of the Johnstone family. In Scottish heraldry, indeed, cushions appear to
have been of very ancient (and general) use, and are frequently to be met
with. The Earls of Moray bore: "Argent, three cushions lozengewise within a
double tressure flory-counterflory gules," but an English example occurs in
the arms of Hutton.
_The Distaff_, which is supposed to be the origin of the lozenge upon which
a lady bears her arms, is seldom seen in heraldry, but the family of Body,
for instance, bear one in chief, and three occur in the arms of a family of
Lees.
_The Shuttle_ (Fig. 530) occurs in the arms of Shuttleworth, and in those
of the town of Leigh, while the shield of the borough of Pudsey affords an
illustration of shuttles in conjunction with a woolpack (Fig. 531).
_The Escarbuncle_ (Fig. 532) is an instance of a charge having so developed
by the evolution of an integral part of the shield itself. In {291} ancient
warfare shields were sometimes strengthened by being bound with iron bands
radiating from the centre, and these bands, from the shape they assumed,
became in course of time a charge in themselves under the term escarbuncle.
The crest of the Fanmakers' Company is: "A hand couped proper holding a
_fan_ displayed," while the chief charge in the arms is "... a fan
displayed ... the sticks gules." This, however, is the only case I can cite
of this object.
The _Fasces_ (Fig. 533), emblematic of the Roman magisterial office, is
very frequently introduced in grants of arms to Mayors and Lord Mayors,
which no doubt accounts for its appearance in the arms of Durning-Lawrence,
Knill, Evans, and Spokes.
[Illustration: FIG. 533.--Fasces.]
[Illustration: FIG. 534.--Fetterlock.]
[Illustration: FIG. 535.--Fleam.]
An instance of _Fetterlocks_ (Fig. 534) occurs in the arms of Kirkwood, and
also in the coat of Lockhart and the crest of Wyndham. A chain is often
substituted for the bow of the lock. The modern padlock has been introduced
into the grant of arms to the town of Wolverhampton.
_Keys_, the emblem of St. Peter, and, as such, part of the insignia of His
Holiness the Pope, occur in many ecclesiastical coats, the arms of the
Fishmongers' Livery Company, and many families.
_Flames of Fire_ are not frequently met with, but they are to be found in
the arms of Baikie, and as crests they figure in the achievements of
Graham-Wigan, and also in conjunction with keys in that of Flavel. In
connection with certain other objects flames are common enough. The phoenix
always issues from flames, and a salamander is always in the midst of
flames (Fig. 437). The flaming sword, a device, by the way, included in the
recent grant to Sir George Lewis, Bart., has been already alluded to, as
has also the flaming brand. A notable example of the torch occurs in the
crest of Sir William Gull, Bart., no doubt an allusion (as is his
augmentation) to the skill by which he kept the torch of life burning in
the then Prince of Wales during his serious illness in 1871. A flaming
mountain occurs as the crest of several families of the name of Grant.
{292}
A curious instrument now known nearly exclusively in connection with its
use by farriers, and termed a _Fleam_ (Fig. 535), occurs on the chief of
the shield of Moore. A fleam, however, is the ancient form and name of a
surgeon's lancet, and some connection with surgery may be presumed when it
occurs. It is one of the charges in the arms recently granted to Sir
Frederick Treves, Bart.
_Furison._--This singular charge occurs in the shield of Black, and also in
that of Steel. Furisons were apparently the instruments by which fire was
struck from flint stones.
[Illustration: FIG. 536.--Clarion.]
[Illustration: FIG. 537.--Bugle-horn.]
[Illustration: FIG. 538.--Bugle-horn stringed.]
Charges in connection with music and musical instruments do not occur very
frequently, though the heraldic use of the _Clarion_ (Fig. 536) and the
_Harp_ may perhaps be mentioned. The bugle-horn (Fig. 537) also occurs
"stringed" (Fig. 538), and when the bands round it are of a different
colour it is termed "veruled" or "virolled" of that colour.
_The Human Heart_, which should perhaps have been more correctly referred
to in an earlier chapter, is a charge which is well known in heraldry, both
English and foreign. Perhaps the best known examples of the heart ensigned
with a crown is seen in the shields of Douglas and Johnstone. The legend
which accounts for the appearance of this charge in the arms of Douglas is
too well known to need repetition.
_Ingots of silver_ occur in the shield of the borough of St. Helens, whilst
the family of Woollan go one better by bearing ingots of gold.
_A Maunch_ (Fig. 539), which is a well-known heraldic term for the sleeve,
is, as it is drawn, scarcely recognisable as such. Nevertheless its
evolution can be clearly traced. The maunch--which, of course, as a
heraldic charge, originated in the knightly "favour" of a lady's
sleeve--was borne from the earliest periods in different tinctures by the
three historic families of Conyers, Hastings, and Wharton. Other garments
have been used as heraldic charges; gloves in the arms of {293} Fletcher
and Barttelot; stockings in the arms of Hose; a boot in the crest of Hussy,
and a hat in the arms of Huth. Armour is frequently met with, a cuirass
appearing in the crest of Somers, helmets in the arms of Salvesen, Trayner,
Roberton, and many other families, gauntlets (Fig. 540), which need to be
specified as dexter or sinister, in the arms of Vane and the crest of
Burton, and a morion (Fig. 541) in the crest of Pixley. The Garter is, of
course, due to that Order of knighthood; and the Blue Mantle of the same
Order, besides giving his title to one of the Pursuivants of Arms, who uses
it as his badge, has also been used as a charge.
_The Mill-rind_ or _Fer-de-moline_ is, of course, as its name implies, the
iron from the centre of a grindstone. It is depicted in varying forms, more
or less recognisable as the real thing (Fig. 542).
_Mirrors_ occur almost exclusively in crests and in connection with
mermaids, who, as a general rule, are represented as holding one in the
dexter hand with a comb in the sinister. Very occasionally, however,
mirrors appear as charges, an example being that of the Counts Spiegel zum
Desenberg, who bore: "Gules, three round mirrors argent in square frames
or."
[Illustration: FIG. 539.--Maunch.]
[Illustration: FIG. 540.--Gauntlet.]
[Illustration: FIG. 541.--Morion.]
[Illustration: FIG. 542.--Mill-rind.]
Symbols connected with the Sacred Passion--other than the cross itself--are
not of very general use in armory, though there are instances of the
_Passion-Nails_ being used, as, for example, in the shield of Procter viz.:
"Or, three passion-nails sable."
_Pelts, or Hides_, occur in the shield of Pilter, and the Fleece has been
mentioned under the division of Rams and Sheep.
_Plummets_ (or _Sinkers_ used by masons) form the charges in the arms of
Jennings.
An instance of a _Pyramid_ is met with in the crest of Malcolm, Bart., and
an _Obelisk_ in that of the town of Todmorden. {294}
The shield of Crookes affords an example of two devices of very rare
occurrence, viz. a _Prism_ and a _Radiometer_.
Water, lakes, ships, &c., are constantly met with in armory, but a few
instances must suffice. The various methods of heraldically depicting water
have been already referred to (pages 88 and 151).
_Three Wells_ figure in the arms of Hodsoll, and a masoned well in that of
Camberwell. The shields of Stourton and Mansergh supply instances of
heraldic _Fountains_, whilst the arms of Brunner and of Franco contain
Fountains of the ordinary kind. A _Tarn_, or _Loch_, occurs in the shield
of the family of Tarn, while Lord Loch bears: "Or, a saltire engrailed
sable, between in fess two swans in water proper, all within a bordure
vert."
[Illustration: FIG. 543.--Lymphad, sail furled.]
The use of _Ships_ may be instanced by the arms of many families, while a
_Galley_ or _Lymphad_ (Fig. 543) occurs in the arms of Campbell, Macdonald,
Galbraith, Macfie, and numerous other families, and also in the arms of the
town of Oban. Another instance of a coat of arms in which a galley appears
will be found in the arms recently granted to the burgh of Alloa, while the
towns of Wandsworth and Lerwick each afford instances of a _Dragon Ship_.
The _Prow of a Galley_ appears in the arms of Pitcher.
[Illustration: FIG. 544.--Rainbow.]
A modern form of ship in the shape of a _Yacht_ may be seen in the arms of
Ryde; while two Scottish families afford instances of the use of the _Ark_.
"Argent, an ark on the waters proper, surmounted of a dove azure, bearing
in her beak an olive-branch vert," are the arms borne by Gellie of
Blackford; and "Argent, an ark in the sea proper, in chief a dove azure, in
her beak a branch of olive of the second, within a bordure of the third"
are quoted as the arms of Primrose Gailliez of Chorleywood. Lastly, we may
note the appropriate use of a _Steamer_ in the arms of Barrow-in-Furness.
The curious figure of the lion dimidiated with the hulk of a ship which is
met with in the arms of several of the towns of the Cinque Ports has been
referred to on page 182.
_Clouds_ form part of the arms of Leeson, which are: "Gules, a chief nebuly
argent, the rays of the sun issuing therefrom or."
The _Rainbow_ (Fig. 544), though not in itself a distinctly modern charge,
for it occurs in the crest of Hope, has been of late very frequently
granted as part of a crest. Instances occur in the crest of {295} the
family of Pontifex, and again in that of Thurston, and of Wigan. Its use as
a part of a crest is to be deprecated, but in these days of complicated
armory it might very advantageously be introduced as a charge upon a
shield.
An unusual device, the _Thunderbolt_, is the crest of Carnegy. The arms of
the German family of Donnersperg very appropriately are: "Sable, three
thunderbolts or issuing from a chief nebuly argent, in base a mount of
three coupeaux of the second." The arms of the town of Blackpool furnish an
instance of a thunderbolt in dangerous conjunction with windmill sails.
[Illustration: FIG. 545.--Estoile.]
[Illustration: FIG. 546.--Mullet (Scottish star).]
[Illustration: FIG. 547.--Mullet pierced (Scottish spur-revel).]
_Stars_, a very common charge, may be instanced as borne under that name by
the Scottish shield of Alston. There has, owing to their similarity, been
much confusion between _stars_, _estoiles_, _and mullets_. The difficulty
is increased by the fact that no very definite lines have ever been
followed officially. In England stars under that name are practically
unknown. When the rays are wavy the charge is termed an estoile, but when
they are straight the term mullet is used. That being so, these rules
follow: that the estoile is never pierced (and from the accepted method of
depicting the estoile this would hardly seem very feasible), and that
unless the number of points is specified there will be six (see Fig. 545).
Other numbers are quite permissible, but the number of points (more usually
in an estoile termed "rays") must be stated. The arm of Hobart, for
example, are: "Sable, an estoile of eight rays or, between two flaunches
ermine." An estoile of sixteen rays is used by the town of Ilchester, but
the arms are not of any authority. Everything with straight points being in
England a mullet, it naturally follows that the English practice permits a
mullet to be plain (Fig. 546) or pierced (Fig. 547). Mullets are
occasionally met with pierced of a colour other than the field they are
charged upon. According to the English practice, therefore, the mullet is
not represented as pierced unless it is expressly stated to be so. The
mullet both in England and {296} Scotland is of five points unless a
greater number are specified. But mullets pierced and unpierced of six
(Fig. 548) or eight points (Fig. 549) are frequent enough in English
armory.
The Scottish practice differs, and it must be admitted that it is more
correct than the English, though, strange to say, more complicated. In
Scottish armory they have the estoile, the star, and the mullet or the
spur-revel. As to the estoile, of course, their practice is similar to the
English. But in Scotland a straight-pointed charge is a mullet if it be
pierced, and a star if it be not. As a mullet is really the "molette" or
rowel of a spur, it certainly could not exist as a fact unpierced.
Nevertheless it is by no means stringently adhered to in that country, and
they make confusion worse confounded by the frequent use of the additional
name of "spur-rowel," or "spur-revel" for the pierced mullet. The mullet
occurs in the arms of Vere, and was also the badge of that family. The part
this badge once played in history is well known. Had the De Veres worn
another badge on that fatal day the course of English history might have
been changed.
[Illustration: FIG. 548.--Mullet of six points.]
[Illustration: FIG. 549.--Mullet of eight points.]
[Illustration: FIG. 550.--Sun in splendour.]
The six-pointed mullet pierced occurs in the arms of De Clinton.
The _Sun in Splendour_--(Fig. 550) always so blazoned--is never represented
without the surrounding rays, but the human face is not essential though
usual to its heraldic use. The rays are alternately straight and wavy,
indicative of the light and heat we derive therefrom, a typical piece of
genuine symbolism. It is a charge in the arms of Hurst, Pearson, and many
other families; and a demi-sun issuing in base occurs in the arms of Davies
(Plate VI.) and of Westworth. The coat of Warde-Aldam affords an example of
the _Rays_ of the sun alone.
A Scottish coat, that of Baillie of Walstoun, has "Azure, the moon in her
complement, between nine mullets argent, three, two, three and one." The
term "in her complement" signifies that the moon is full, but with the moon
no rays are shown, in this of course differing from the sun in splendour.
The face is usually represented in the full moon, {297} and sometimes in
the crescent moon, but the crescent moon must not be confused with the
ordinary heraldic crescent.
In concluding this class of charges, we may fitly do so by an allusion to
the shield of Sir William Herschel, with its appropriate though clumsy
device of a _Telescope_.
As may be naturally expected, the insignia of sovereignty are of very
frequent occurrence in all armories, both English and foreign. Long before
the days of heraldry, some form of decoration for the head to indicate rank
and power had been in vogue amongst, it is hardly too much to say, all
nations on the earth. As in most things, Western nations have borrowed both
ideas, and added developments of those ideas, from the East, and in
traversing the range of armory, where crowns and coronets appear in modern
Western heraldry, we find a large proportion of these devices are
studiously and of purpose delineated as being _Eastern_.
With crowns and coronets as symbols of rank I am not now, of course,
concerned, but only with those cases which may be cited as supplying
examples where the different kinds of crowns appear either as charges on
shields, or as forming parts of crests.
Crowns, in heraldry, may be differentiated under the Royal or the Imperial,
the Eastern or antique, the Naval, and the Mural, which with the Crowns
Celestial, Vallery and Palisado are all known as charges. Modern grants of
crowns of Eastern character in connection with valuable service performed
in the East by the recipient may be instanced; _e.g._ by the Eastern Crown
in the grant to Sir Abraham Roberts, G.C.B., the father of Field-Marshal
Earl Roberts, K.G.
In order of antiquity one may best perhaps at the outset allude to the arms
borne by the seaport towns of Boston, and of Kingston-on-Hull (or Hull, as
the town is usually called), inasmuch as a tradition has it that the three
crowns which figure on the shield of each of these towns originate from a
recognised device of merchantmen, who, travelling in and trading with the
East and likening themselves to the Magi, in their Bethlehem visit, adopted
these crowns as the device or badge of their business. The same remarks may
apply to the arms of Cologne: "Argent, on a chief gules, three crowns or."
From this fact (if the tradition be one) to the adoption of the same device
by the towns to which these merchants traded is not a far step.
One may notice in passing that, unlike what from the legend one would
expect, these crowns are not of Eastern design, but of a class wholly
connected with heraldry itself. The legend and device, however, are both
much older than these modern minutiæ of detail.
The Archbishopric of York has the well-known coat: "Gules, two keys in
saltire argent, in chief a regal crown proper." {298}
The reputed arms of St. Etheldreda, who was both Queen, and also Abbess of
Ely, find their perpetuation in the arms of that See, which are: "Gules,
three ducal (an early form of the Royal) crowns or;" while the
recently-created See of St. Alban's affords an example of a celestial
crown: "Azure, a saltire or, a sword in pale proper; in chief a celestial
crown of the second." The _Celestial Crown_ is to be observed in the arms
of the borough of Kensington and as a part of the crest of Dunbar. The See
of Bristol bears: "Sable, three open crowns in pale or." The Royal or
Imperial Crown occurs in the crest of Eye, while an _Imperial Crown_ occurs
in the crests of Robertson, Wolfe, and Lane.
The family of Douglas affords an instance of a crown ensigning a human
heart. The arms of Toledo afford another case in point, being: "Azure, a
Royal crown or" (the cap being gules).
_Antique Crowns_--as such--appear in the arms of Fraser and also in the
arms of Grant.
The crest of the Marquess of Ripon supplies an unusual variation, inasmuch
as it issues from a coronet composed of fleurs-de-lis.
The other chief emblem of sovereignty--_the Sceptre_--is occasionally met
with, as in the Whitgreave crest of augmentation.
The Marquises of Mun bear the Imperial orb: "Azure, an orb argent, banded,
and surmounted by the cross or." The reason for the selection of this
particular charge in the grant of arms [Azure, on a fess or, a horse
courant gules, between three orbs gold, banded of the third] to Sir H. E.
Moss, of the Empire Theatre in Edinburgh and the London Hippodrome, will be
readily guessed.
Under the classification of tools and implements the _Pick_ may be noted,
this being depicted in the arms of Mawdsley, Moseley, and Pigott, and a
pick and shovel in the arms of Hales.
The arms of Crawshay supply an instance of a _Plough_--a charge which also
occurs in the arms of Waterlow and the crest of Provand, but is otherwise
of very infrequent occurrence.
In English armory the use of _Scythes_, or, as they are sometimes termed,
_Sneds_, is but occasional, though, as was only to be expected, this device
appears in the Sneyd coat, as follows: "Argent, a scythe, the blade in
chief, the sned in bend sinister sable, in the fess point a fleur-de-lis of
the second." In Poland the Counts Jezierski bore: "Gules, two scythe-blades
in oval, the points crossing each other argent, and the ends in base tied
together or, the whole surmounted in chief by a cross-patriarchal-patée, of
which the lower arm on the sinister side is wanting."
Two sickles appear in the arms of Shearer, while the Hungerford crest in
the case of the Holdich-Hungerford family is blazoned: {299} "Out of a
ducal coronet or, a pepper garb of the first between two sickles erect
proper." The sickle was the badge of the Hungerfords.
A _Balance_ forms one of the charges of the Scottish Corporation of the
Dean and Faculty of Advocates: "Gules, a balance or, and a sword argent in
saltire, surmounted of an escutcheon of the second, charged with a lion
rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory of the first," but it
is a charge of infrequent appearance. It also figures in the arms of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants.
[Illustration: FIG. 551.--Water-bouget.]
Bannerman of Elsick bears a _Banner_ for arms: "Gules, a banner displayed
argent and thereon on a canton azure a saltire argent as the badge of
Scotland."
[Illustration: FIG. 552.--Arms of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Essex, K.G.:
Quarterly, 1 and 4, argent, a cross engrailed gules, between four
water-bougets sable (for Bourchier); 2 and 3, gules, billetté or, a fess
argent (for Louvain). (From his seal.)]
_Books_ are frequently made use of. The arms of Rylands, the family to
whose generosity Manchester owes the Rylands Library, afford a case in
point, and such charges occur in the arms of the Universities of both
Oxford and Cambridge, and in many other university and collegiate
achievements.
_Buckets_ and _Water-bougets_ (Fig. 551) can claim a wide use. In English
armory Pemberton has three buckets, and water-bougets appear in the
well-known arms of Bourchier (Fig. 552). Water-bougets, which are really
the old form of water-bucket, were leather bags or bottles, two of which
were carried on a stick over the shoulder. The heraldic water-bouget
represents the pair.
[Illustration: FIG. 553.--Escallop.]
For an instance of the heraldic usage of the _Comb_ the case of the arms of
Ponsonby, Earls of Bessborough, may be cited. Combs also figure in the
delightfully punning Scottish coat for Rocheid.
Generally, however, when they do occur in heraldry they represent combs for
carding wool, as in the shield of Tunstall: "Sable, three wool-combs
argent," while the Russian Counts Anrep-Elmpt use: "Or, a comb in bend
azure, the teeth downwards."
_Escallops_ (Fig. 553) rank as one of the most widely used heraldic charges
in all countries. They figured in early days outside the limits of heraldry
as the badge of pilgrims going to the Holy Land, and may {300} be seen on
the shields of many families at the period of the Crusades. Many other
families have adopted them, in the hope of a similar interpretation being
applied to the appearance of them in their own arms. Indeed, so numerous
are the cases in which they occur that a few representative ones must
suffice.
[Illustration: FIG. 554.--Arms of Hammersmith: Party per pale azure and
gules, on a chevron between two cross crosslets in chief and an escallop in
base argent, three horseshoes of the first. Crest: on a wreath of the
colours, upon the battlements of a tower, two hammers in saltire all
proper. Motto: "Spectemur agendo."]
[Illustration: FIG. 555.--Arms of the Great Central Railway: Argent, on a
cross gules, voided of the field, between two wings in chief sable and as
many daggers erect in base of the second, in the fess point a morion winged
of the third, on a chief also of the second a pale of the first, thereon
eight arrows saltirewise banded also of the third, between on the dexter
side three bendlets enhanced and on the sinister a fleur-de-lis or. Crest:
on a wreath of the colours, a representation of the front of a locomotive
engine proper, between two wings or. [The grant is dated February 25,
1898.]]
They will be found in the arms of the Lords Dacre, who bore: "Gules, three
escallops argent;" and an escallop argent was used by the same family as a
badge. The Scottish family of Pringle, of Greenknowe, supplies an instance
in: "Azure, three escallops or within a bordure engrailed of the last;"
while the Irish Earls of Bandon bore: "Argent, on a bend azure three
escallops of the field." {301}
_Hammers_ figure in the crests of Hammersmith (Fig. 554) and of Swindon
(Plate VI.), and a hammer is held in the claw of the demi-dragon which is
the crest of Fox-Davies of Coalbrookdale, co. Salop (Plate VI.).
A _Lantern_ is a charge on the shield of Cowper, and the arms of the town
of Hove afford an absolutely unique instance of the use of _Leg-Irons_.
Three towns--Eccles, Bootle, and Ramsgate--supply cases in their arms in
which a _Lighthouse_ is depicted, and this charge would appear, so far as
can be ascertained, not only to be restricted to English armory, but to the
three towns now named.
_Locomotives_ appear in the arms of Swindon (Plate VI.) and the Great
Central Railway (Fig. 555).
Of a similar industrial character is the curious coat of arms granted at
his express wish to the late Mr. Samson Fox of Leeds and Harrogate, which
contains a representation of the _Corrugated Boiler-Flue_ which formed the
basis of his fortune.
[Illustration: FIG. 556.--Catherine wheel.]
[Illustration: FIG. 557.--Staple.]
[Illustration: FIG. 558.--Hawk's Lure.]
[Illustration: FIG. 559.--Fylfot.]
An instance of the use of a _Sand-Glass_ occurs in the arms of the Scottish
family of Joass of Collinwort, which are thus blazoned: "Vert, a sand-glass
running argent, and in chief the Holy Bible expanded proper."
A Scottish corporation, too, supplies a somewhat unusual charge, that of
_Scissors_: "Azure, a pair of scissors or" (Incorporation of Tailors of
Aberdeen); though a Swabian family (by name Jungingen) has for its arms:
"Azure, a pair of scissors open, blades upwards argent."
_Barrels_ and _Casks_, which in heraldry are always known as _tuns_,
naturally figure in many shields where the name lends itself to a pun, as
in the arms of Bolton.
_Wheels_ occur in the shields of Turner ["Argent, gutté-de-sang, a {302}
wheel of eight spokes sable, on a chief wavy azure, a dolphin naiant of the
first"] and Carter, and also in the arms of Gooch. The _Catherine Wheel_
(Fig. 556), however, is the most usual heraldic form. The _Staple_ (Fig.
557) and the _Hawk's Lure_ (Fig. 558) deserve mention, and I will wind up
the list of examples with the _Fylfot_ (Fig. 559), which no one knows the
meaning or origin of.
The list of heraldic charges is very far, indeed, from being exhausted. The
foregoing must, however, suffice; but those who are curious to pursue this
branch of the subject further should examine the arms, both ancient and
modern, of towns and trade corporations. {303}