Castle

Castle (Period)

A castle is a mighty edifice, a fortress or stronghold, generally made of stone. It is an ancient charge, found in the canting arms of the Kings of Castile, c.1244 [Asp2 213]. In early heraldry, no distinction was drawn between the castle and the tower; Society heraldry distinguishes between the two forms for the artist’s sake, but grants no difference.

The typical castle is of two towers, joined by an embattled wall with a gate; a “castle triple-towered” has a third tower issuant from the joining wall. The gate is usually shown closed, but this is an artistic detail; some early Society blazons use the term “friendly castle” to denote one with an open gate. (The term is no longer used; the gate is now left to the artist.)

The castle is sometimes blazoned a “fortress” or a “citadel”, especially for canting purposes. For related charges, see bridge.

The Baron of Ben Dunfirth bears: Barry wavy argent and sable, a castle within a laurel wreath Or.

David of Castlewhyte bears: Per chevron gules and sable, three castles argent.

Harold Breakstone bears: Or, a castle triple-towered sable, pennons flotant to sinister vert.

Cartouche

Cartouche (Accepted)

A cartouche is an oval or elliptical figure; its default orientation is palewise. It is considered a shape upon which arms may be borne; thus, like the lozenge and escutcheon, when used as a fieldless badge it must not itself be charged. Straight-sided cartouches are found in ancient Egyptian art; more oval cartouches were used for heraldic display [Hope 112]. Both forms have been accepted for Society use. See also egg.

Michael the Dane bears: Gules, on a fess argent a cartouche fesswise gules voided argent.

Axel Bohm bears: Argent estencely sable, a cartouche gules.

Juana Isabella de Montoya y Ramirez bears: Barry engrailed Or and vert, a cartouche pointed in chief and base counterchanged.

Carriage frame

Carriage frame (Period)

A carriage frame is the understructure of a horse-drawn carriage, comprising the wheels, axles, and chassis. It’s a period charge, found in the canting arms of da Carrara, lords of Padua, as early as 1413 [Conz.Const. clviº]. The carriage frame is palewise by default.

Leonarda Maria Carrera bears: Gules, a carriage frame argent.

Card-pique

Card-pique (Accepted)

A card-pique is a symbol found on playing cards: in non-heraldic terms, a “spade”. Tradition deems it a stylized form of spearhead. The card symbol appears to be period, though not used in period armory. However, there were some types of leaf in heraldry whose depictions are visually indistinguishable from a card-pique – the linden leaf, for instance – and the card-pique is accepted on that basis. It also means no difference is granted from those leaves. See also foil (trefoil), heart, lozenge.

Hugh ap Llewelyn bears: Or, a chevron voided gules between two card-piques and a crux ansata all sable.

Erc FitzMungo bears: Sable, a card-pique argent.

Jacob Maximilian of the Black Forest bears: Quarterly gules and checky argent and sable, a card-pique Or.

Canton

Canton (Period)

The canton is a square section of the shield, issuant from one of the upper corners. It’s one of the earliest of charges, found in the arms of John of Brittany c.1285 [Asp2 213]. Unless stated otherwise, it issues from the dexter chief corner; a “sinister canton” issues from the sinister chief.

The canton is a peripheral ordinary, though classed as a sub-ordinary by some authors. The same charge is also called a “quarter”; 19^th Century writers tried to distinguish between the two, saying the quarter was one-fourth the area of the shield, and the canton one-ninth. No such distinction is made in medieval or Society heraldry; it’s drawn as large as necessary, to accommodate the design on the shield.

Charged cantons were a period form of augmentation, and their use is so reserved in the Society.

Alan Fairfax bears: Bendy sinister Or and gules, a canton sable.

Thomas of Red Square bears: Argent, a quarter gules.

Helena d’Évreux bears: Per fess Or and azure, a sinister canton azure.

Cannon

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 14^th 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 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.

Candlestick

Candlestick (Period)

A candlestick is a cupped or spiked metal holder for a candle. It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Kyle, 1542 [Lindsay], and of the Worshipful Company of Founders, 1590 [Bromley & Child 99].

The default candlestick is an ornate column, spiked on top; it is palewise by default. If a candle is mounted in the candlestick, the fact is explicitly blazoned.

Menorah (Accepted); flat candlestick (Accepted)

Of variant forms of candlestick, there is the “candelabrum”, a multi-armed candlestick, found in the arms of von Krage, 1605 [Siebmacher 151]. The number of arms is frequently blazoned, especially when five or fewer; three arms seem most common. If the candelabrum has seven or nine arms, it may also be blazoned a “menorah”, used in some Jewish ceremonies; the illustration shows a period form with seven arms, but both forms have been registered. The “morter” or “mortcour” is a mortuary candlestick, highly ornamented, for use at funerals; it’s found in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers, 1484 [Bromley & Child 259]. Finally, Society armory has the “flat candlestick” or “sconce”, a shallow dish with a handle.

Gilraen of Regen bears: Vert, a candle and candlestick flamant Or.

Louise of Woodsholme bears: Per fess embattled gules and erminois, in base a candle argent in a flat candlestick sable, enflamed proper.

Uilliam of Bronzehelm bears: Sable, a three-armed candelabra lit Or.

Edwin the Unwyse bears: Argent, a menorah sable.

Illuminada Eugenia de Guadalupe y Godoy bears as a badge: A mortcour Or.

Candle

Lit candle (Period)

A candle is a stick of wax or tallow with a wick down its center; it’s used as a light source. In period armory, candles are frequently found mounted in candlesticks, as in the arms of Emerlle, c.1520 [DBA2 222]. Occasionally, though, they’re found standing alone, as in the allusive arms (Italian cera, “wax”) of de Cerolis, mid-15^th C. [Triv 99]; and this is their most common depiction in Society armory. (The candle and candlestick should not be confused: the latter is the mount or holder for the former.)

A lit candle can be so blazoned, or may also be blazoned “enflamed” or “flammant”. The usual heraldic candle is a taper – the illustration shows such a candle, lit – but the less-slender “pillar candle” is also found in Society armory. All candles are palewise by default. For related charges, see torch. See also lamp, lantern.

The College of San Ambrogio bears: Sable, three candles in fess argent enflamed proper, within a laurel wreath Or.

The Ljusorden, of Nordmark, bears: A pillar candle per pale sable and azure, enflamed Or.

Lara Sukhadrev bears: Argent, a candle gules lit Or.

Camelopard

Camelopard trippant (Period)

The camelopard, or cameleopard, was the medieval name for the beast we call a “giraffe”. It was considered a monster, a hybrid of a camel and a leopard. The camelopard was the badge of Sir Henry Crispe, 1553 [Siddons II.2 85]; Bossewell [II.53] described the creature in 1572, though judging from his illustration, he was working from hearsay.

The creature was also called a “camelopardel” in medieval times; 18^th Century writers considered the camelopardel a distinct creature, a camelopard with swept-back horns. No such distinction was made in period, however; and no difference is granted in Society heraldry between them.

The camelopard seems to have neither a proper coloration nor a default posture; the illustration shows a camelopard trippant (i.e., passant).

Ingirídr Hikri Fridriksdottír bears: Argent, a cameleopard statant purpure.

Camille Lyon bears: Gules, a cameleopard rampant argent spotted sable.

Xanthippe Ouranina bears: Vert, two camelopards salient reguardant, necks crossed in saltire Or pellety.

Camel

Camel statant (Period)

The camel is a desert-dwelling beast famed for its ill temper – yet paradoxically, because it kneels to receive its load, a medieval symbol of humility as well.

The default camel is the single-humped camel, also called a “dromedary”; this is the form used in the arms of Schmotlzn, 1605 [Siebmacher 72]. If the “Bactrian camel” with two humps is intended, it must be so specified; it too is found in period armory, as the crest of Caunton, c.1528 [Woodcock & Robinson pl.13].

The camel can be shown “saddled and bridled” with tackle designed for camels; or “laden” with goods for transport. It doesn’t seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows a camel statant. See also ypotryll.

Ayesha of the Dancing Camel bears: Sable, a camel courant Or.

Arnulf of Ad Flumen Caerulum bears: Gules, a Bactrian camel passant argent crowned Or.

Jamal Damien Marcus bears as a badge: A camel couchant argent, saddled and bridled gules.

Eadweard Boise the Wright bears: Argent, a dromedary couchant contourny sable laden gules within a bordure azure.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings

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