Search Results for: escarbuncle

Escarbuncle

Escarbuncle (Period)

Escarbuncle (Period)

An escarbuncle is a stylized heraldic charge, representing the boss and reinforcing bars on a shield.  It is normally of eight spokes, with the ends fleury, as in the illustration; this form is found very early, in the arms of the Counts (later Dukes) of Cleves, c.1275 [Asp2 190; also Gelre 93].  Escarbuncles of six are also found in period arms, as well as pometty ends; such cases are explicitly blazoned.  (Sometimes, the default fleury ends are explicitly blazoned as well.)

Escarbuncles may also be constructed by conjoining other charges:  the arms of the Kings of Navarre, from the mid-14th Century, had an escarbuncle of chains.  In Society heraldry, other charges have been employed as well:  an “escarbuncle of six swords, conjoined at the points”, for example.

See also mullet, sheaf, snowflake.

The King of Æthelmearc bears:  Gules, an escarbuncle argent within a laurel wreath and in chief a coronet Or.

Lorna of Leeds bears:  Or, an escarbuncle of six flory azure.

Alicia of Ravenserespourne bears:  Sable, three escarbuncles one and two Or.

Ferran de Montfery bears:  Argent, an escarbuncle of six spears offset deasil gules.

This entry was posted on January 26, 2014, in .

Snowflake

Snowflake (Disallowed)

Snowflake (Disallowed)

A snowflake is a single crystal of snow, feathery and six-pointed.  Snowflakes were once registered in Society armory, but as they aren’t found in period armory, they are no longer permitted.  See also escarbuncle.

The Baron of Nordskogen bears:  Azure semy of snowflakes argent, in canton a laurel wreath Or.

Trista de Winter bears:  Per pale sable and argent, in pale two snowflakes azure.

This entry was posted on June 3, 2014, in .

Keystone

Keystone (Accepted)

Keystone (Accepted)

A keystone is the central stone found at the top of an arch, which has the job of keeping the two halves of the arch from collapsing.  Though the term was used in period, the keystone does not seem to have been a period heraldic charge.  In Society armory, the keystone is defined to be trapezoidal, with the wide edge to chief; this appears to have been a common form in period architecture.  This form is similar in shape (though inverted) to the “quoin”, a wedge-shaped cornerstone, as found in the canting arms (Portuguese cunha) of Cunha, c.1540 [Nobreza x].

A form of keystone frequently used in Society armory is a stylized modern form, one of the symbols of the state of Pennsylvania:  a trapezoid with two notches in the upper corners.  This form is considered a step from period practice.

The Order of the Keystone, of Æthelmearc, bears:  Or, on a keystone gules an escarbuncle argent.

Jon Trimara bears:  Per chevron vert and gules, in saltire an arrow inverted and a sword Or and in chief a dovetailed keystone gules, fimbriated Or.

Lysken die Waeyer bears:  Vert, three keystones argent.

This entry was posted on February 17, 2014, in .

Chief

Chief (Period)

Chief (Period)

Chief triangular (Period)

Chief triangular (Period)

The chief is an heraldic ordinary, occupying the upper one-third to one-fourth of the shield.  It is subject to most of the standard treatments – embattled, nebuly, &c – though, because no period examples have been attested, the “chief fleury” is considered a step from period practice.  However, because it has only one edge, a chief may not be “dancetty”, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised, or voided.

 

A “chief triangular” is formed by lines from the upper points of the shield, drawn to a point.  The name is a translation of chef triangulaire, the French term for the charge; but the charge is found in English armory (under the blazon chefe entte pycche) as early as 1460, in the arms of Thorpe [RH].

 

Chief enarched (Accepted)

Chief enarched (Accepted)

Chief double-arched (SFPP)

Chief double-arched (SFPP)

A “chief enarched” is drawn with a concave arch; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference.  The “chief double-arched”, with two concavities, is first found in 19th Century British armory [Guide 75]; the “chief triple-arched”, with three concavities, seems to be a Society invention.  The chief double-arched has been ruled a step from period practice; presumably the chief triple-arched is similarly anomalous.

 

Chief surmounted by a fillet counterchanged (Accepted)

Chief surmounted by a fillet counterchanged (Accepted)

A “fillet” is a narrow bar overlying the edge of a chief; though attested in heraldic tracts [Legh 81], it does not seem to have been actually used in period armory.  It is considered the diminutive of the chief; but unlike the diminutives of other ordinaries, the fillet cannot be used except with its parent chief.  Since the fillet’s prescribed usage is equivalent to a fimbriated chief, the only permitted way it may be used in the Society is “a chief charged with a fillet counterchanged”, as in the illustration.

Elizabeth of Hadley Hall bears:  Lozengy Or and vert, a chief sable.

Phillip of the Valley of Sleep bears:  Argent, a chief indented purpure.

Gavin MacRobert bears:  Or, on a chief triangular gules a hawk argent.

Soraya Evodia bears:  Gules, an escarbuncle and a chief indented Or surmounted by a fillet dancetty floretty counterchanged.

This entry was posted on December 19, 2013, in .

Cannon

Cannon (Accepted)

Cannon (Accepted)

A cannon is a large caliber gun, mounted on a carriage, and used primarily as a siege weapon.  It’s a period artifact, dating from the 14th Century, but doesn’t appear to have been used as an heraldic charge until much later:  e.g., the arms of de Leitan, c.1540 [Nobreza xli].  There was also the “culverin” or “culvering”, a smaller type of cannon but longer in proportion, which seems to have been more for use against troops than walls [Guillim1 225]; and the “mortar”, a short-barreled cannon for lobbing projectiles over walls, found in the arms of von Brösicke, 1605 [Siebmacher 177].

 

 

 

Cannon mounted in ship's carriage (Accepted)

Cannon mounted in ship’s carriage (Accepted)

Cannon barrel (Period)

Cannon barrel (Period)

The cannon is mounted in a carriage, mouth to dexter, by default; if palewise, the mouth is to chief.  The largest cannon, sometimes called “bombasts”, were mounted in simple cradles and dragged into position for the siege [EB XX:190]; this form is the default for Society heraldry, and is shown in the illustration.  Later in period, carriages with wheels were also used; these must be specified in blazon, as a “wheeled carriage” (field artillery, with two large wheels) or a “ship’s carriage” (naval ordnance, with four or more smaller wheels).  The illustration on the left is of the latter, taken from ordnance recovered from the Mary Rose, 1545 [Rule 165].  The cannon barrel alone may also be used [Guillim1 225,226], which fact is always specified; it’s shown on the right.  For related charges, see gun, pole-cannon.

The Order of the Scarlet Battery, of Æthelmearc, bears:  Per fess embattled argent and gules, in chief a culverin dismounted gules charged with an escarbuncle and in base a sheaf of arrows argent.

Edward Holgrove:  Per pale sable and gules, in fess three cannon barrels palewise argent.

Alastar the Coursayre bears:  Sable, in pale a woman’s head couped and in saltire two cannons mounted on ship’s carriages and crossed at the barrels, a bordure argent.

Angus Olyver bears:  Lozengy Or and gules, in pale three cannons reversed, mounted on ship’s carriages, on a chief sable three bezants.

This entry was posted on December 11, 2013, in .