Chief-pale (Period)

The chief-pale (French chef-pal) is an heraldic ordinary used in Continental armory, consisting of a chief and a pale conjoined with no seam.  It is, however, a single charge, described as such in period heraldic tracts [e.g., de Bara 37], and found as early as 1415, in the Concilium zu Constenz [fo.clxxxi].

The chief-pale has no diminutives.  Like the chief, it may not be voided, fimbriated, or cotised; if charged with tertiary charges, they must fill the entire chief-pale, both the horizontal and vertical portions.

Renzo di Ilario di Federigo Venturius bears:  Vert, a chief-pale ermine.

Praxilla Taurina bears:  Or, a chief-pale potent.

Lina Arinbjarnardottir bears:  Azure estencely Or, a chief-pale argent.

Chief (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 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 19^th 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)

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.

Chevron (Period)

The chevron is an heraldic ordinary, an inverted V-shape issuant from the sides of the shield. Its placement on the shield may vary, depending on the surrounding charges and the style of emblazon.  Period chevrons might be throughout, or not, without necessarily being so blazoned; it’s customary to blazon the “chevron throughout” in Society armory.  The chevron may also be slightly shifted to chief, or to base, to accommodate other elements of the design; this fact would likewise not be blazoned.

Three chevronels braced (Period)

The diminutive of the chevron is the “chevronel”; Society blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the chevron’s diminutives.  Chevronels or multiple chevrons are in pale by default.  Another common arrangement is “chevronels braced”, with the limbs of the chevronels fretted together.

A “chevron between couple-closes” is another way of blazoning a chevron cotised.  The “chevron inverted” (which modern heraldry texts blazon a “chevron reversed”) is found in the arms of von Chöntzin, 1605 [Siebmacher 38]; like the standard chevron, its limbs should be drawn issuant from the sides of the shield, not from the corners of the chief.  A “chevron embattled” is embattled only on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned “(embattled) counter-embattled” or “bretessed”.

Chevron inverted (Period)

Chevron couched from dexter (Period)

Of the more outré terminology:  A “chevron couched” is issuant from the side of the shield, as in the arms of Düchtel, 1605 [Siebmacher 83].  It should be specified as “couched from dexter” or “from sinister”; the illustration shows a chevron couched from dexter.  The blazon “two chevrons couched and (em)braced” implies a chevron from dexter and sinister, with their points interlaced.

Chevron ployé (Accepted)

Chevron enarched (Accepted)

A “chevron ployé” has its sides bowed to base, concave; this was originally an attempt to depict the convexity of the shield, and thus carries no heraldic difference from a plain chevron.  Similarly, a “chevron enarched” is bowed to chief, convex; this is the Society definition of the term.  (Legh’s Accedens of Armory, 1576, gives a different depiction of a chevron enarched; we would blazon it “a chevron enarched within and conjoined at the point with a [plain] chevron”.)

Chevron rompu (Period)

Chevron fracted (Period)

The most confusion has come from what may be called the “broken chevrons”:  those which are in some way fracted or offset.  No two references seem to define them quite the same way, and even the Society’s definitions have changed over time.  The following are the definitions currently in use:  A “chevron rompu” or “debruised” has its point offset to chief; it’s found in the arms of Salt or Sault, c.1520 [DBA2 393; cf. also Guillim2 133].  A “chevron fracted” has its point offset to base; it’s found in the arms of Fyndarne, c.1460 [RH].  A “chevron disjoint” has its point removed altogether, rather like two batons conjoined in chevron; it has been disallowed, pending period evidence of its use.

Chevron disjoint (Disallowed)

The Prince of Nordmark bears:  Per pale sable and azure, a chevron argent and overall a laurel wreath Or.

Muirgheal inghean Labhrian bears:  Ermine, a chevron azure.

Vasilii Volchogo Zuba syn bears:  Per pale vert and sable, three chevronels ermine.

Cecily de Farington bears:  Argent, three chevronels braced sable.

Gerhart von Altenberg bears:  Lozengy sable and argent, a chevron inverted gules.

Aelesia Emelyne Couchur bears:  Azure, a chevron embattled argent.

David the Pensive bears:  Argent, a chevron disjoint vert and in chief a sun in glory gules.

Justinian Karl Friedrich von Reichschöffen bears:  Argent, a chevronel inverted fracted and a chevronel fracted sable.

Robert Buran bears:  Per pale azure and erminois, a chevron rompu counterchanged.

Jean Paul Monraith bears:  Argent, a chevron couched from dexter braced with a chevron couched from sinister azure.