Crampon

Crampon (Period)

A crampon is a metal rod, pointed at both ends, used by builders to strengthen a masonry wall. It is also called a “crampiron”, “cramp”, or a “wolf-hook”. It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Winterstetten, c.1340 [Zurich 122]. The crampon is palewise by default. See also hook.

Patriche del Lupo bears: Per pale angled reversed argent and purpure, two wolf-hooks palewise in fess counterchanged.

Hilderun Hügelmann bears: Sable, a crampon Or.

Diethelm Waltorfer bears: Azure, three crampons Or.

Crampet

Crampet (Period)

A crampet is the metal ferrule at the tip of a scabbard; it may also be blazoned as a “chape”, “bouterol”, or “boteroll”. Heraldry texts [e.g., Parker 566] show a variety of forms for the crampet, but all have a closed bottom and the upper ends split into two prongs, one of which is bent inward; the illustration is taken from the standard of the Lord de la Warr, c.1520, whose badge it was [Walden 184].

Lillia de Vaux bears: Argent semy of crampets, a bend azure.

John Drake bears: Sable, three crampets Or.

Machteld Cleine bears: Argent, a crampet vert.

Cradle

Cradle (Accepted)

A cradle is a small bed or cot on rockers, for lulling an infant to sleep. Though a period artifact, it does not seem to have been used as an heraldic charge. The cradle took many forms in period; the illustration is based on an illumination in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, c.1440 [fo.52]. The cradle’s default orientation in Society armory is in profile (or slight trian aspect), with the “head-pillow” end to dexter.

Period armory gives us examples of the “bassinet”, a broad shallow wicker basket for bedding infants. The bassinet is shown containing a swaddled infant, as in the crest of the Earls of Derby, mid-15^th C. [HCE xxvii]. See also Roman dining couch.

Gloria Kirkhouse of Tain bears: Gules, on a cradle Or two towers sable, all within a bordure Or.

Abigail of Lorraine bears: Azure, a cradle within an orle of thimbles Or.

Eẃa of Coppertree bears: Vert, a bassinet containing a baby swaddled Or, a ford proper.

Crab

Crab (Period)

Lobster (Period)

The crab is a squat-bodied crustacean, with a reputation for irritability. Heraldically, it’s classed as a type of fish. It’s found in the arms of Bryger or Bridger, c.1470 [DBA2 338], and the canting arms (Italian granchio) of de Grangis d’Ast, mid-15^th C. [Triv 166]. The crab was also the canting badge of Scrope, 1415, the crab being called a “scrap” in northern England [Hope2; also HCE xxviii].

Similar to the crab are the “lobster” and the “crayfish” (or “crevice”, from the French écrevisse): biologically distinct (living in saltwater and fresh water, respectively), they are indistinguishable for heraldic purposes. The lobster or crayfish is found as early as 1413, in the arms of Weiss [Conz.Const. cliiii], and in the canting arms (Italian gambero) of de Gambara, mid-15^th C. [Triv 157]. It’s usually drawn with a longer body than the crab. However, there are instances in period armory of “crabs” (known to be such because of a cant) drawn with lobster-like tails; no difference is therefore granted between these crustaceans.

Also found in period armory is the “prawn”, similar to crayfish but without the claws; it’s found in the arms of Sea or Atsea, 1632 [Guillim2 241]. All of these crustaceans are tergiant by default, with their heads or claws to chief. See also scorpion.

Mór Ruadh bears: Gules, a crab Or.

Raymond Crus Hummer bears: Argent, a lobster gules.

Eckhardt zu Westfilde bears: Gules, two crayfish and on a base Or, a compass star gules, in chief a label of five points overall Or.

Jean Oste de Murat bears: Azure, a chevron argent between two prawns haurient respectant and a fleur-de-kys Or.

Coxcomb

Coxcomb (Period)

A coxcomb is a caruncle of flesh, sitting as a crest atop the heads of some male birds (notably the cock), and generally treated as a symbol of pride or foolishness. It’s a period charge, found in the canting arms (Italian cresta da gai) of da Gaiano, mid-15^th C. [Triv 159; cf. also BSB Cod.Icon 270:409].

Guy of Aydon bears: Quarterly argent and vert, a coxcomb gules.

ffride wlffsdotter bears as a badge: A coxcomb sable.

Cotising

Bend cotised (Period)

Cotising is the addition to either side of an ordinary of a stripe parallel to the ordinary’s edge; these stripes are usually termed “cotises”. The bend was the earliest ordinary to be cotised in medieval heraldry, but the fess and the pale quickly followed; and any double-sided ordinary may be cotised in Society heraldry.

Cotising an ordinary is considered the addition of secondary charges: “a bend between two cotises” is another ways of saying “a bend cotised”. (Alternatively, cotising an ordinary is equivalent to placing it inside another of the same ordinary voided; e.g., “a cross cotised” and “a cross within a cross voided” yield the same emblazon.) In some ways, however, cotising is comparable to a complex line of division; certainly the cotises cannot exist without the central ordinary, and they have nothing to do with any other secondary charges.

Cotises follow the line of their central ordinary by default; e.g., “a fess wavy cotised” will have a fess wavy between cotises wavy. It’s also possible for the cotises to have a different line than their ordinary: e.g., the “bend plain cotised dancetty” in the arms of Clopton, c.1420 [Hope2 46]. Cotises can also be a different tincture than their ordinary, as in the “bend argent cotised Or” in the arms of Cone, 1308 [ANA2 161].

Cotises might have a complex line on the outer edge only: e.g., the “bend plain cotised trefly on the outer edges” in the arms of Lower Alsace, 1493 [Neubecker 188]. Double cotises, as in the arms of Badlesmere, c.1300 [ANA 77], and even triple cotises are also possible, although the latter in only the simplest of armory.

Some ordinaries have special terms for cotising: the cotises for a pale are called “endorses”, and the whole is blazoned “a pale endorsed” or “between endorses”. The cotises for a chevron may also be called “couple-closes”.

Giulia Isabella da Venezia bears: Counter-ermine, a bend cotised argent.

Margriet van Middelburg bears: Gules, two chevronels ermine cotised Or.

Riocus de Uuenetia bears: Azure, a pale Or endorsed argent.

Muiredach MacGregor bears: Vair, a cross cotised gules.

Thomas of Eastbrook bears: Pean, a fess doubly cotised Or.

Rhiannon Annsachd bears: Gules, a saltire cotised Or.

Cornucopia

Cornucopia (Period)

A cornucopia is a goat’s horn or ram’s horn, with an abundance of fruits tumbling from its mouth. It’s a symbol from Greek myth, and is also called a “horn of plenty”. The cornucopia is a period heraldic charge, though rare, found in the arms of Cardinal Berdardus Divitius, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 267:489]. Its default posture is upright, as in the illustration; in the Society, it’s also frequently shown “effluent”, the horn tipped fesswise and its contents spilling to dexter. When “proper”, the horn is brown and the fruits of divers tinctures, according to their kind.

Yeke Delger bears: Per bend sable and argent, a cornucopia Or effluent proper.

Roxanne Brewer of Bath bears: Gules, a cornucopia effluent and in chief three cups Or.

Thyri skjaldmær bears as a badge: Two cornucopiae in saltire Or.

Cornice

Cornice, four-lobed and quadrate (Period)

A cornice is an architectural feature, consisting of a molded projection from a wall or pillar. As the term is used in the Society, it refers specifically to the molded frame of a decorative window; the period heraldic example, the arms of de Bolonia, mid-15^th C. [Triv 64; cf. BSB 270:185, c.1550] depicts a four-lobed quadrate frame consistent with Gothic tracery. See also edifice, foil.

Lyonnette Cheneval bears: Gules, a four lobed quadrate cornice Or.

Alienor de Montserrat bears: Sable, a lily within a four lobed quadrate cornice argent.

Christian Jorgensen af Helsingør bears as a badge: A four-lobed quadrate cornice gules.

Cornetto

Cornetto (Period)

Bass cornetto (Accepted)

The cornetto is a musical instrument which combines a wooden body with finger holes (like the recorder) with the mouthpiece of a trumpet. It was, indeed, sometimes an alternate depiction of the trumpet, as in the emblazon of Trumpington in the Heralds Roll, c.1280 [ANA1 78]. The cornetto is curved in form, ranging from the default form in the first illustration, to the so-called “bass cornetto” or “Serpent” in the second illustration.

The Society has the cornetto following the default orientation for other woodwinds: with the mouthpiece to chief. For related charges, see horn.

The Master of the King’s Musick of Atenveldt bears: Per pale azure and argent, in canton a sun in his splendour Or, in sinister a bass cornetto sable.

Dunstan Stonehill bears: Or, a bass cornetto and on a chief sable three bezants.

Compass rose

Compass rose (Accepted)

A compass rose is a symbol on a map which marks the cardinal points of direction. It consists of a multi-pointed mullet within an annulet, with the point in chief marking north; this point should be accentuated, with a fleur-de-lys being common. Medieval depictions varied widely, but the most common depiction showed a mullet of eight points (as in the illustration); mullets of 4, 12, or 16 points were also found.

Though used in late-period cartography, the compass rose is not found in period heraldry. The illustration is a composite of several examples from 16^th Century maps.

The King of Northshield bears: Sable, a compass rose argent within a laurel wreath, in chief an ancient crown Or.

Alexandre sur la Mer bears: Azure, a compass rose argent.

Annetje van Leuven bears as a badge: Ermine, a compass rose vert.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings

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