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.

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.

Bordure (Period)

The bordure is an heraldic ordinary around the edge of the shield, typically one-eighth to one-twelfth its width.  It is subject to most of the standard treatments – embattled, nebuly, &c – though, because no period examples have been attested, the “bordure flory” is considered a step from period practice.  Because it has only one edge, a bordure may not be “dancetty”, nor may it be fimbriated, cotised, or voided.

The bordure has no diminutives in present Society heraldry.  Some early Society blazons used the term “bordurelet”, as an indication to the artist that the bordure should be skinny; but this is poor practice, and is no longer done.

The addition of a charged bordure is a common way of differencing, both in medieval and Society heraldry.  Bordures surmount all other ordinaries except chiefs and cantons.  In the case of the chief, we are told the bordure does not run along the bottom edge of the chief, but rather, the chief completely surmounts the bordure [Parker 73]; but we do find exceptions to this rule in period rolls.  The use of both chief and bordure is considered at best poor practice, and is disallowed in the Society when the chief and bordure are of the same tincture.

Bordure denticulada (Period)

The “bordure denticulada” is an Iberian variant of the bordure embattled, with only the crenellations issuant from the edge of the shield.  It is a period charge, found in the arms of Echaurj, mid-16^th C. [Armeria 316].

The Prince of the Mists bears:  Argent, a crown within a laurel wreath vert, all within a bordure engrailed azure.

Cormacc mac Conaill bears:  Sable, a bordure argent.

Aryanhwy merch Catmael bears:  Purpure, a bordure ermine.

Teresa de Çaragoça bears:  Or, a tree eradicated proper within a bordure denticulada azure.

Bend (Period)

Baton (Period)

The bend is an heraldic ordinary, a diagonal stripe from the dexter chief to the sinister base of the shield.  Its diminutive is the “bendlet”; Society blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the bend’s diminutives.

The “baton” or “baston” was originally another term for the bendlet; but by the 14^th Century it had acquired the meaning of “bend couped”, and this is both its modern and its Society interpretation.

Like all ordinaries, the bend is subject to the usual lines of division:  engrailed, wavy, &c.  Of the usages peculiar to the bend:  The “bend embattled” is only embattled on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned “(embattled) counter-embattled” or “bretessed”.  The “bend enarched” (or “embowed”) curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference.

Bend enarched (Period)

Bend beviled (Period)

The “bend bevilled” or “beviled” is divided vertically and offset; it is found in the arms of Zorke, temp. Henry VI [Gwynn-Jones 26].  Using other charges on the field with a bend bevilled is considered a step from period practice.

Bend engouled (Period)

Bend sinister (Period)

The “bend engouled” (from a term meaning “devoured”) has beasts’ heads on either end, issuant from the edges of the shield and overlying the bend:  this is an Iberian usage, as seen in the arms of Freire de Andrade or Dandrade, c.1540 [Nobreza xi].  The type of head should be specified:  dragons’ heads (also called serpents’ heads) were most commonly used in period.

The bend sinister is the mirror image of the bend, running from sinister chief to dexter base.  It was originally merely a way of displaying the bend, when the entire shield was turned to sinister (e.g., when displaying marital coats); but by the end of period it was being treated as a charge in its own right [Legh 64v].  While some texts have said the bend sinister was a mark of bastardy, it was no more so than any other cadency charge. Its diminutives may be called “bendlets sinister” or “scarpes”.  In other respects, the comments on the bend apply to the bend sinister as well.

Eglentyne Merryweather bears:  Vert, a bend vair.

Stephen de Montfort bears:  Gules, a bend argent cotised Or.

Kendra Grey bears:  Per bend sinister argent and vert, two batons sinister counterchanged.

Michael of Braghan bears:  Azure, a bend bevilled argent.

Domnhall na Moicheirghe bears:  Azure, two bendlets lozengy conjoined at the points argent.

Drueta de la Rosa bears:  Gules, three bendlets sinister ermine.

Illuminada Eugenia de Guadalupe y Godoy bears:  Sable, a bend engouled of two wolf’s heads Or.