between a hound and a beagle, with a large snout, and long, round,
thick ears.
[Illustration: Talbot]
Ex. Argent, a talbot's head erased, semé of billets.
TENNE, or TAWNEY. One of the tinctures used in emblazoning arms. It
signifies orange colour, and is represented in engraving by lines
drawn diagonally from the sinister to the dexter side of the shield,
traversed by perpendicular lines from the base to the chief.
[Illustration: Tiara]
TIARA. The Pope's mitre, with its triple crowns.
TINCTURE. A term used in Heraldry to express colour.
TOPAZ. The name of a precious stone, formerly used instead of or, in
emblazoning the arms of the English nobility.
TORTEAUX. Red roundlets.
[Illustration: Torteaux]
Ex. Argent, three torteaux in bend, sinister.
TOURNAMENTS were combats of honour, in which persons of noble birth
entered the lists to gain reputation in feats of arms. The name is
derived from _tourner_, to turn, from the horsemen turning frequently
as they rode round the enclosure, and during the course of the
engagement. The design of tournaments was to train the nobility to
the use of arms; none, therefore, were admitted to these sports but
persons of noble birth, who could prove their descent, at least, by
three generations. They were also required to be men of unspotted
honour and integrity.
It was customary for princes, on some public festivity or rejoicing,
to appoint a day for these entertainments, and give public notice to
the knights in their own territories, as well as in the neighbouring
states.
The knights generally made their appearance four days before the
combat. They endeavoured to excel each other in the splendour of their
equipage and dress, and in the excellence and beauty of their horses,
which were adorned with the most costly caparisons. Their armorial
ensigns were displayed with great pomp during three days, that all who
viewed them might judge if they were worthy of entering the lists. The
field where the tournament was to be held was railed in with pales.
This place was called the lists. A king was appointed to preside over
the sports, as were also judges to examine the knights' armour and
arms, and to see that no unfair advantage was taken. A number of other
officers were appointed, which our space will not allow us to mention.
A short distance from the lists were the galleries and pavilions for
the spectators; the most splendid was that fitted up for the lady who
presided as queen of the tournament and her attendants, all splendidly
attired. The most noble and most beautiful ladies of the court crowded
to these martial entertainments to inspire the combatants with ardour,
by giving them some token or favour, such as a scarf, veil, or
bracelet, with which the knight adorned his helmet or spear.
Their arms were lances of light wood, without iron at the top; swords
without edge or point; in some instances wooden swords were used.
The knights were formed into two parties, and entered the lists by
different barriers, riding round the lists several times to pay their
respects to their sovereign and the ladies. At length the heralds
sounded to arms; the quadrils, or troop, took their stations; when the
charge was sounded, the knights rushed against each other with the
utmost impetuosity. The clashing of swords, the sounding shields, the
war-cry of the knights, who shouted the name of their ladye-love in
the midst of the mimic strife, greatly excited the spectators, who, in
return, cheered and encouraged the combatants. When the knights were
brave and determined, the contest lasted some hours; the vanquished,
that is, those who were thrown from their horses, withdrew from the
lists as quietly as possible, leaving the field to their successful
opponents. The victory was decided by the number of knights unhorsed.
The prizes to the victors were adjudged and delivered by the queen
and the ladies. This authority of the fair sex contributed greatly to
polish the manners of the nobility and gentry of the middle ages, who
were anxious to court the favour of those who were the distributors of
public honours.
Sometimes this entertainment was followed by jousts. Two cavaliers,
out of gallantry, would break a lance in honour of the ladies. These
were followed by others until the lists were again cleared for the
tournament. The difference between tournaments and jousts was, that
the former were in the nature of battles, the latter of duels.
When the sports were over, the heralds and pursuivants declared the
names and titles of the knights, and proclaimed the heraldic ornaments
which the emperor, king, or prince that presided at the tournament
granted to those whom he pleased to reward or favour.
Notwithstanding all the precautions to prevent the mischief that might
happen at these martial exercises few were exhibited in which a great
number were not wounded, some killed in the melée, others crushed by
the falling of the scaffolds, or trod to death by the horses. Kings,
princes, and gallant knights from every part of Europe have perished
at different times while attending or taking part in those mimic
battles. Successive popes thundered out their anathemas against all
that encouraged this warlike and dangerous amusement. Those who
perished in these sanguinary entertainments were denied the honour of
Christian burial; and yet, so strong was the passion of the nobility
of Europe for these martial sports, from a desire to display their
grandeur, courage, and address before the ladies and the assembled
multitude, that no bulls, decretals, or anathemas of the church were
able to restrain them. The use of gunpowder, and the consequent
inutility of armour to defend the person in battle, gradually put
an end to these animating shows. The tragical death of Henry II. of
France, in 1559, who was accidentally killed in a tournament, caused
laws to be passed prohibiting their being held in that kingdom. They
were continued in England till the beginning of the seventeenth
century.
An attempt was made to revive these martial exhibitions in Scotland, a
few years ago, by Lord Eglintoun, the acknowledged leader in all manly
sports, elegant athletic exercises, and baronial liberality. This
noble peer proclaimed a tournament to be held at Eglintoun Castle on
the 28th and 29th of August, 1839. The lists were duly prepared, a
covered pavilion was erected for the accommodation of the ladies,
which would contain 3000 persons. In front of this pavilion was the
throne of the Queen of Beauty and her attendants. Around the lists,
at convenient distances, were arranged the tents or pavilions of the
knights, over which floated the gonfalon, or great banner, emblazoned
with the arms and motto of the knight to whom the tent was
appropriated, penons and penoncils fluttered at each angle of the
pavilion, and the shield was placed over the entrance. The knights
vied with each other in the decoration of their pavilions; all was in
accordance with ancient customs: and if the shade of Froissart had
witnessed the scene, it could not have complained of modern innovation
or misplaced ornament. The procession of the King of the tournament,
the Queen of Beauty, with the judges, heralds, pursuivants,
halberdiers, musicians, men-at-arms, as also the splendid retinues
of the noble challenger and the gallant knights, presented a scene
unparalleled for magnificence and heraldic emblazonment since the days
of Edward IV. Every form was observed in this modern tournament; and a
more interesting scene for the historian, the antiquary, and armorist,
could not be exhibited. Unfortunately, the continued rain cast a gloom
over this animated spectacle, which nevertheless excited the highest
admiration of all who beheld it: a spectator of the scene could well
imagine the enthusiasm similar ones would create in the minds of the
gay and brave of former times. It is deemed necessary to briefly
notice the last tournament held in Britain; as any one that requires
full information on every part of heraldic ornament, processional
arrangement, and technical definition, may find positive examples in
the details of this gorgeous exhibition.
TRANSPOSED. Charges or bearings placed contrary to their usual
situation.
[Illustration: Transposed]
Ex. Argent, a pile, azure, issuing from the chief between two others,
transposed.
TREFOIL. Three-leaved grass: the shamrock of Ireland. When a flower or
leaf is introduced as a charge in a shield of arms, if it is of its
natural colour, or, in heraldic language, proper, the tincture is not
named, but if of any other colour it must be described.
[Illustration: Trefoil]
Ex. Argent, three trefoils, gules, one over two.
[Illustration: Tressure]
TRESSURE. An ordinary not so broad as an orle. It generally forms a
border to the inescutcheon. Tressures are frequently borne double,
and sometimes treble. They are generally ornamented flory and
counter-flory. The example contains only a single tressure. The
arms of Scotland exhibit an example of a double tressure flory and
counter-flory, as exhibited in the shield on the title-page of this
Manual. See DOUBLE TRESSURE.
TRICORPORATED. Three lions rampant, conjoined, under one head,
guardant, in the fess points. See LIONS.
TRIPPING. The motion of deer, between running and walking.
[Illustration: Tripping]
Ex. Argent, a stag proper, tripping.
[Illustration: Turband]
TURBAND. In coats of arms, where the knight was a Crusader, this
figure often appears. It was the form of the sultan's turban at that
period.
[Illustration: Turreted]
TURRETED. A wall or castle having small turrets. In the annexed
example the square tower has circular turrets at the angles, and is
therefore said to be turreted.
TUSKED. Any animal having tusks of a different tincture from its body
is said to be tusked.
[Illustration: Tusked]
Ex. Argent, a boar's head, erased proper, tusked gules.
UNDY. A term used to express the word wavy by Gwillim and other
ancient armorists.
[Illustration: Wavy]
Ex. Argent, a bend undy, gules.
[Illustration: Vair]
VAIR. A kind of fur formerly used for the lining the garments of
knights. It is represented in engraving by the figures of small bells
ranged in lines, as in the annexed example. Unless the colour of the
fur is named, vair is always argent and azure. The bend, the cross and
saltier, are sometimes formed of this fur.
VAMBRACED. Armour for the arms.
[Illustration: Vambraced]
Ex. Argent, three dexter arms, vambraced, couped.
VAMPLATE. A word used by ancient heralds for armour for the hand,
instead of gauntlet.
VENUS. The name of the planet, used for the colour vert by ancient
heralds, who emblazoned the arms of sovereigns by planets instead of
metals and colours.
VERDOY. A bordure charged with eight leaves.
[Illustration: Verdoy]
Ex. Vert, a bordure argent, verdoy, of trefoils.
[Illustration: Vert]
VERT. Green. It is represented in engraving by diagonal lines drawn
from the dexter to the sinister side of the shield.
VISCOUNT. A title of honour, a degree below an earl.
VOIDED. A term applied when any part of an ordinary is left open to
the field.
[Illustration: Voided]
Ex. Gules, a bend sinister, voided, argent.
VOIDER. A subordinate ordinary.
[Illustration: Voider]
Ex. Azure, a voider, argent.
[Illustration: Volant]
VOLANT. The French word for flying. It is used in Heraldry to express
the same action.
VORANT. Swallowing or devouring: any animal, in a charge, devouring
another creature.
[Illustration: Vorant]
Ex. Argent, a serpent crowned, or, vorant an infant.
VULNED. A word that signifies wounded, used in emblazonry to denote an
animal wounded by another creature.
VULNING. Any creature in the act of wounding itself.
[Illustration: Vulning]
Ex. Argent, a pelican's head, erased, vulning.
WALLED. A term sometimes used in Heraldry. When an ordinary is edged
or guarded by an embattled wall.
[Illustration: Walled]
Ex. Azure, on a pale, walled on each side with three battlements
argent, an endorse gules.
WAVY. Curved lines, undulating like the waves of the sea.
[Illustration: Wavy]
Ex. Argent, the lower half of the shield three bars wavy, azure.
WHITE. This word is only used to describe a plain fur. It is
represented as argent.
WINGED. When the wings of a bird, or those of chimerical figures which
are drawn with wings, are of a different tincture to their bodies,
they are said to be winged. Thus, in the arms of the state of Venice
there is a lion sejant guardant, winged or.
[Illustration: Wings erect]
WINGS ERECT. Wings are called erect when their long feathers point
upwards.
[Illustration: Wings inverted]
WINGS INVERTED. When the feathers point downwards.
WIVERN. A chimerical animal, the upper part resembling a dragon.
[Illustration: Wivern]
Ex. Argent, a wivern, wings raised.
[Illustration: Wreath]
WREATH. A chaplet of two different-coloured silks wound round each
other, and placed on the top of the helmet for the crest to rest upon.
In Heraldry it is usually drawn straight, as in the lower example.
* * * * *
CHAP. VIII.
HERALDRY IN CONNECTION WITH HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR
DECORATION, COSTUME, AMUSEMENT, RELIGIOUS SOLEMNITIES, FUNERAL RITES,
ETC.
In the preface to this Manual, we stated that Heraldry might be
considered as the symbolic history of the nobility of Britain, from
the Conquest to the reign of Elizabeth. It would require a volume of
far greater pretensions than this to enter fully upon the heraldic
history of the peerage; but the assertion may be borne out by merely
glancing at the supporters of the shields containing the arms of the
British monarchs during that period.
Supporters were not introduced in English heraldry previous to the
reign of Richard II. The shield of this luxurious monarch is supported
on each side by an angel habited, and beneath the shield by a white
hart couchant, gorged and chained or, beneath a tree. The shield of
Henry IV., the founder of the Lancastrian dynasty, was supported on
the dexter side by a swan, on the sinister side by an antelope, both
gorged and lined or. The shield of the gallant Henry V. was supported
on the dexter side by a lion rampant guardant, crowned or; on the
sinister side by an antelope, gorged and chained. Henry VI. had two
antelopes as supporters to his achievement. The shield of the gallant
Yorkist Edward IV. is supported on the dexter side by a lion rampant
argent, the tail passed between his legs, and turned over his back;
on the sinister by a white hart, and in some instances by a bull.
The supporters of the shield of Richard III. were two boars rampant
argent, tusked and bristled or. Henry VII., as a descendant of the
Welch prince Cadwallader, assumed the red dragon as the supporter
of the dexter side of his shield; the sinister was supported by a
greyhound argent, collared gules. The shield of Henry VIII. was
supported on the dexter side by a lion guardant, crowned or; on the
sinister by a dragon gules. Edward VI. had the same supporters. Mary
on her marriage with Philip of Spain, empaled the arms of Spain
and England as baron and femme; the dexter side of the shield was
supported by the imperial eagle, the sinister by a lion rampant,
crowned or. Queen Elizabeth rescued England from this degradation; the
crowned lion rampant of England resumed his place as the supporter of
the dexter side of the shield, and the red dragon on the sinister. On
the union of England with Scotland, the supporters of the royal arms
were, on the dexter side a lion guardant, crowned or, on the sinister
maned and unguled or, white unicorn, gorged and chained of the same.
The supporters of the royal arms have continued the same to the
present time; and, as an emblem of union and strength, long may they
continue.
The reader may easily read the vicissitudes and changes of dynasty in
the great change of these emblems of support and dignity during the
period of time that elapsed from the reign of Richard II. to James
I.; and even the brief notice here given would enable the reader to
determine the date of any building if the royal arms and supporters
were placed within it.
Heraldry had taken too firm a hold of the minds of the higher classes
of society to escape the notice of the architects who were engaged by
the sovereigns of England and by the wealthy barons, to erect those
splendid ecclesiastical edifices that still exist as the architectural
gems of Britain. Westminster Abbey teems with heraldic ornament, not
only in the gorgeous chapel of Henry VII., but in those parts of the
structure erected at a much earlier period. During the time when
those styles of Gothic architecture prevailed that are now called the
decorated and the perpendicular, the roof, the columns, the stained
glass windows, the seats, altar, tombs, and even the flooring, were
filled with emblazonment. A branch of art which our forefathers found
so useful as an ornament to architecture cannot be beneath the notice
of those who are desirous of treading in their footsteps.
Nor was heraldic ornament confined to architecture. It formed the
grand embellishment of the interior of the palaces and baronial
castles,
"The gorgeous halls which were on every side,
With rich array and costly arras dight."
The canopies of state, the furniture and plate, were all emblazoned
with the arms of the royal and noble owners. And even at the present
day, heraldry is far more effective for interior decoration than the
unmeaning Italian scroll-work that is substituted for it. Some idea of
the value of both may be formed by glancing at the interior decoration
of the new Royal Exchange; and it is to be regretted that the shields
containing the arms of the different countries should not have
occupied the walls, as an indication of the spot where the natives
of those countries might be found; and that the compartments of the
ceiling, if such ornament should be found in a building of this
kind at all, should not be filled with the Italian floral scroll
decoration.
In a preceding chapter of this Manual, the reader has been informed
that the arms of a knight were emblazoned on the surcoat or outer
garment that was worn over his armour, which was the origin of the
term Coat of Arms. Heraldic emblazonment was plentifully strewed over
the mantles of the nobility when they assembled on state solemnities.
Nor was this ornament confined to the garments of males. Ladies
delighted to appear in the cognizances of their lords, or in their own
paternal bearings. Armourists that have amused themselves by treating
on the curious and obsolete terms of heraldry, have supposed that the
flanch and flasque represent that part of female attire which covered
the body from the lower part of the neck to the waist, and that
this part of the ladies' dress contained the heraldic bearing. Our
contracted space will not allow our indulging in fanciful research,
nor would it benefit our readers if we did so. Suffice it that we have
ample proof that heraldry formed the decoration of female attire.
Numerous instances may be found, either in stained glass, monumental
brasses, or illuminated genealogies, of female figures bearing
heraldic devices on their apparel. A married lady or widow had her
paternal arms emblazoned upon the fore part of her vest, which by
ancient writers is called the kirtle, and the arms of the husband on
the mantle, being the outer and the most costly garment, and therefore
deemed the most honourable. This is called bearing arms kirtle and
mantle.
Our frontispiece contains two figures kneeling, taken from _Dallaway's
Heraldry_. They are to be found in an illuminated pedigree of the
Weston family. The male figure is that of Sir John de Weston, of
Weston-Lizars, in Staffordshire, and Isabel his wife, whose paternal
name was Bromley. In three quarterfoils beneath the figures are
shields: the first contains the arms of Weston, sable, an eagle
displayed or, with a lable argent, fretty gules; the centre shield
is argent, fretty gules; that under the lady is her paternal arms,
quarterly per fess dancette, or and gules. The figure of the knight
is represented in chain armour, over which is a surcoat, on which his
arms are emblazoned. The vest or kirtle of the lady is formed
entirely of the colours of her arms disposed quarterly, and parted
horizontally, or fessways, by the line dancette. As both the knight
and his lady appear together, each bears their own arms; but if either
had been drawn separately, the arms of both would have appeared on one
person; if on the male, they would have been empaled baron and femme
upon the surcoat; if on the female, they would have appeared on kirtle
and mantle. This lady is drawn with a kirtle only.
In some of the later monumental brasses, the arms on female figures
are arranged differently; the arms of the baron appearing on the
outside of the mantle, hanging over the dexter shoulder, the paternal
arms of the femme on the lining of the mantle turned outwards on the
sinister side of the figure.
The reader will find, by referring to the word TOURNAMENT in the
Dictionary, that Heraldry formed the great embellishment of that
animated and costly amusement: and that the attainment of heraldic
honours was the only means of gaining permission to join in it, and
by this means only was a passport obtained to high society. These
honours, which cost some trouble in gaining, could be lost by
misconduct. Arms were forfeited for uncourteous demeanour, disregard
of authority, falsehood, oppression, and ungentlemanly conduct; and
there can be little doubt but, in a semi-barbarous age, when prowess
in the field of battle was considered the highest acomplishment, that
the dread of a blot on the escutcheon, or a reversal of the shield of
arms, restrained many a proud baron in his tyrannical proceedings
to those beneath him, and tended to keep down the insolence of the
upstart favourites of royalty. Heraldry tended to soften and polish
the manners, and, by the introduction of the manufacture of silken
housings tapestry, and carpeting, to increase the comforts and
pleasures of society, and compelled those who were anxious to exhibit
the insignia of gentility, to seek distinction by other means than
rapine and violence.
The term Canting Heraldry frequently occurs in ancient and modern
authors. It is a term of contempt and derision, applied to symbolic
bearings that are assumed without the authority of the Heralds'
College. In many cases they allude to the name or occupation of the
bearer: the motto is probably a pun upon the figures contained in the
shield, or some technical expression used by the parties in their
agricultural or commercial pursuits.
No person, when heraldry was in its greatest repute, dared assume any
cognizance or bearing without permission of the Earl Marshal or the
Kings-at-Arms. Any individuals, who presumed, by assumption, to offend
the laws of the court of honour, were liable to heavy fines and
personal duresse, which in many instances have been rigidly enforced.
THE END.
* * * * *
AUGUST, 1862.
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