Part 9 (1/2)

The field of any coat of arms is the surface colour of the s.h.i.+eld, and is supposed to include the area within the limits formed by its outline. There are, as has been already stated, but few coats of a single colour minus a charge to be found in British heraldry. But there {97} are many which consist of a field divided by part.i.tion lines only, of which some instances were given on page 69.

A s.h.i.+eld may be divided by part.i.tion lines running in the direction of almost any ”ordinary,” in which case the field will be described as ”per bend” or ”per chevron,” &c. It may be:

Per fess Fig. 48 Per bend ” 49 Per bend sinister ” 50 Per pale ” 51 Per chevron ” 52 Per cross ” 53 (though it should be noted that the more usual term employed for this is ”quarterly”) Per saltire Fig. 54

But a field cannot be ”per pile” or ”per chief,” because there is no other way of representing these ordinaries.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 48.--Per fess.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 49.--Per bend.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 50.--Per bend sinister.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 51.--Per pale.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 52.--Per chevron.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 53.--Per cross or quarterly.]

A field can be composed of any number of pieces in the form of the ordinaries filling the area of the s.h.i.+eld, in which case the field is said to be ”barry” (Figs. 55 and 56), ”paly” (Fig. 57), ”bendy” (Fig. 58), ”chevronny” (Fig. 59), &c., but the number of pieces must be specified.

{98}

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 54.--Per saltire.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 55.--Barry.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 56.--Barry nebuly.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 57.--Paly.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 58.--Bendy.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 59.--Chevronny.]

Another method of part.i.tion will be found in the fields ”checky” (or ”chequy”) and lozengy; but these divisions, as also the foregoing, will be treated more specifically under the different ordinaries. A field which is party need not necessarily have all its lines of part.i.tion the same. This peculiarity, however, seldom occurs except in the case of a field quarterly, the object in coats of this character being to prevent different quarters of one coat of arms being ranked as or taken to be quarterings representing different families. {99}

CHAPTER VIII

THE RULES OF BLAZON

The word ”Blazon” is used with some number of meanings, but practically it may be confined to the verb ”to blazon,” which is to describe in words a given coat of arms, and the noun ”blazon,” which is such a description.

Care should be taken to differentiate between the employment of the term ”blazon” and the verb ”to emblazon,” which latter means to depict in colour.

It may here be remarked, however, that to ill.u.s.trate by the use of outline with written indications of colour is termed ”to trick,” and a picture of arms of this character is termed ”a trick.”

The term _trick_ has of late been extended (though one almost thinks improperly) to include representations of arms in which the colours are indicated by the specified tincture lines which have been already referred to.

The subject of blazon has of late acquired rather more importance than has. .h.i.therto been conceded to it, owing to an unofficial attempt to introduce a new system of blazoning under the guise of a supposed reversion to earlier forms of description. This it is not, but even if it were what it claims to be, merely the revival of ancient forms and methods, its reintroduction cannot be said to be either expedient or permissible, because the ancient practice does not permit of extension to the limits within which more modern armory has developed, and modern armory, though less ancient, is armory equally with the more ancient and simpler examples to be found in earlier times. To ignore modern armory is simply futile and absurd.

The rules to be employed in blazon are simple, and comparatively few in number.