Arquebus (Accepted); pistol (Accepted)

The term “gun” is used here to mean any firearm held and used in the hand (as opposed to, e.g., cannons or mortars).  This category of weapon includes the “musket” and the “arquebus”, long-barrelled firearms with shoulder stocks (the top charge in the illustration); and the “pistol” or “handgun”, less accurate but capable of being fired in one hand (the bottom illustrated charge).  Such weapons are period:  the arquebus was in use by the late 14^th Century [Stone 71].  They were also used as period heraldic charges:  a handgun, with a large bore and a small handle, is found in the canting arms of Gonson, c.1520 [DBA1 56]; a long gun with a strap (presumably an arquebus) was the canting badge of John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells (d.1498) [Siddons II.2 335].

Any type of gun is acceptable in Society armory, so long as it was known in period:  matchlock, wheellock, and flintlock weapons are all permitted.  A firearm “proper” has a brown wooden stock and black metal parts; it is fesswise, muzzle to dexter by Society default.

See also cannon, pole-cannon.

Aonghas Galloglach Domnhnullach bears:  Azure, a bend sinister sable and Or between in chief a flintlock pistol bendwise sinister, barrel to base argent, and in base a sword bendwise sinister and a sword bendwise sinister inverted, both proper.

Caoimhin mac Reagan bears:  Gules, on a saltire Or between in pale a tower and a boar’s head couped close argent, two matchlock muskets in saltire proper, barrelled argent.

Gabriel Hawke the Gunsmith bears:  Per pale azure and argent, in fess a hawk displayed belled and jessed per pale argent and sable between two wheel-lock pistols palewise triggers to center argent and sable.

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.