Grillage (Period)

Grillage consists of a set of pallets interlaced with a set of barrulets; it is essentially a fretty field set crosswise.  Strangways’ Book, c.1450, blazons it as “square fretty” and assigns it to the arms of Sir John Mandeville [H. Stanford London, Some Medieval Treatises on English Heraldry, 1953, p.178].

Like fretty, while grillage has some of the characteristics of a field treatment, it acts as a charge:  charges overlying grillage must have good contrast with the underlying field.

The Canton of Forestgate bears:  Vert, a bear rampant sustaining a key within a laurel wreath Or and a chief Or grillage sable.

Avisa of Dun Carraig bears:  Azure grillage Or, on a bend sinister argent two forget-me-not sprigs stems to center azure slipped and leaved vert.

Cristoffel Muller bears:  Azure grillage Or, on a chief argent two castles gules.