Charge (heraldry): Difference between revisions

In heraldry, a charge is anything that occupies the field on an escutcheon (or shield). The most common charges, or "ordinaries," are geometric constructs such as crosses and saltires. Other charges include animals, plants, astronomical objects and tools ranging from those of ancient vintage to locomotives, airplanes and a "computer ferrite core memory store matrix". "Atomic" charges have also occured in recent heraldry (see "atomic heraldry"). The ordinaries are sometimes called "proper charges," with other charges being known as "common charges." Charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three lions, then it is said to be "charged with three lions." It is important to distinguish between divisions of the field and charges, and to note that charges can themselves be charged.

Most armorial achievements include charges, but a few only have a plain tincture (or colour) without any device, or a simple division or pattern of the field. Charges have sometimes been associated with specific qualities possessed by the armiger (for example, the lion with courage), but now charges are chosen primarily for aesthetic purposes, and need not have any attached meaning.

Heraldic writers have, somewhat arbitrarily, distinguished between "honourable ordinaries" and "sub-ordinaries." It is often said that only nine charges are "honourable ordinaries," but exactly which nine fit into this category is a subject of disagreement. It is sometimes said that only those ordinaries each of whose widths is one-fifth or more of the total width of the escutcheon is "honourable."

Narrower or smaller versions of these ordinaries are called "diminutives." Many have two diminutives, the first with half the width of the original, and the second with quarter the width of the original.

Several different figures are recognised as honourable ordinaries. The chief is a horizontal stripe at the top of the field. Similar to it are the fess, a horizontal stripe in the centre of the field, and the bar, which is slightly thinner than a fess. The vertical equivalent of the fess is the pale. The diagonal equivalents are the 'bend (running from the upper left to the lower right, as perceived by the viewer) and the bend sinister (running from the upper right to the lower left). A chief, fess or pale occupies one-third of the field; a bar, bend or bend sinister occupies one-fifth of the field.

The cross is a geometric construction of two perpendicular lines, and is sometimes referred to as the "noblest" of the honourable ordinaries. There are several variants, such as Latin crosses and cavalry crosses. Of these variants, only the saltire (a St Andrew's Cross or X-shaped construction) is considered an ordinary in its own right. The size of each depends on whether or not the ordinary itself bears another charge; if it is charged, the width is one-third the width of the field, and if it is uncharged, the width is one-fifth the width of the field.

The chevron is a construction shaped like an inverted letter V; the pall, similarly, is shaped like the letter Y. The pile is a triangle, whose base lies along the top of the field, and whose vertex lies in the centre of the bottom half of the field. The quarter is a rectangle occupying the top left quarter of the field, as perceived by the viewer. The canton is a diminutive of the quarter, occupying in theory one-ninth of the area of the field, being as deep as the chief, which theoretically occupies one-third of the area of the field, but occupies the dexter third of this. A quarter or canton on the left side of the field is called a quarter sinister or canton sinister.

In addition to those mentioned in the above section whose status as honourable ordinaries is disputed, there are several other charges recognised as sub-ordinaries. The inescutcheon is a small shield placed in the centre of the field. The bordure is, as the name suggests, a border touching the edge of the field. Related to the bordure is the orle, a narrow border within the field. Unlike the bordure, the orle does not touch the edges of the field.

There are several diamond-shaped sub-ordinaries, including the lozenge and the fusil (which is thinner and longer than the lozenge). If a lozenge is "voided" or empty, it is called a mascle; if it appears to have a circular hole within it, it is called a rustre. The fret is an interlaced pattern of a mascle and two diagonal bands.

The gyron is a right triangle placed in the dexter chief of the field. A gyron is shaped like the lower left half of a canton. A similar figure found in the sinister chief is called a gyron sinister. The flanch, also called the flaunch, is a curved figure (somewhat shaped like a part of a hyperbola) that is placed along the dexter or sinister edges of the field. Flanches are always found in pairs, one on either side of the field. A label is a horizontal strap, with a number of pendants suspended therefrom. The default number of pendants is three; another number may be specified in the blazon. This is almost invariably a greater number, though there is allegedly a unique instance of a label with only one pendant.

The billet is an oblong rectangle (the length being twice the width) found in the centre of the rectangle. The short sides of the rectangle are at the top and bottom, and the long sides are on the right and left. A circular ring is called an annulet; a circle is called a roundel. Roundels have different names depending on their tincture. A gold circle is a bezant, a silver circle a plate, a red circle a torteau, a blue circle a hurt, a black circle an ogress or pellet, a greem circle a pomme, a purple circle a golpe, an orange circle an orange and a blood-red circle a guze. Furthermore, if the circle is barry wavy argent and azure (so that it appears as blue and white waves), then it is called a fountain or syke.

Ordinaries have diminutives, or charges of the same pattern but of smaller sizes. A charge one-half the size of the ordinary is called a closet in the case of a bar, a pallet in the case of a pale, and a chevronnel in the case of a chevron. A charge one-fourth the size of the ordinary is called a barrulet in the case of a bar, an endorse in the case of a pale, and a couple close in the case of a chevron. Cotises, the endorse, and the couple close cannot be borne singly, but must be born on either side of, and close to, the associated ordinary, in which case the ordinary is said to be cotised.

Bends and bends sinister have another system of nomenclature for their diminutives. A stripe half as large as a bend is a bendlet or garter, one that is a fourth as large is a cotsie, and one that is an eighth as large is a riband. Similarly, a stripe half as large as a bend sinister is a scarpe, and one that as a fourth as large is a fissure. A stripe half the size of a bend, but cut off at the ends (so that it does not reach the corners of the field) is called a baton; the equivalent for a bend sinister is a baton sinister.

The diminutive of the chief is the fillet. The diminutives of the cross, saltire and pall are the fillet cross, the fillet saltire and fillet pall, respectively. These diminutives are one-fourth the sizes of the honourable ordinaries. The fess does not have a diminutive; it is sometimes suggested that bars are diminutives of fesses, but they are most often regarded as honourable ordinaries in their own right. A similar situation applies to the quarter and canton, though both the quarter and canton are often considered sub-ordinaries.

Most sub-ordinaries do not have diminutives. The diminutive of the orle is the tressure; the latter's width is one-half the former's width. Tressures are usually found in pairs, and are known as double tressures. The flanch also has a diminutive half its size, known as the voider, and there is another diminutive called the flasque, but these are largely theoretical, as these diminutives is no longer used.

Common charges include animals, whether land animals, fish or birds. The heraldic depictions need not, and usually do not, exactly resemble the actual creatures. Mythical creatures used in heraldry are sometimes called "monsters." Inanimate objects are also used; many of them resemble flowers and floral designs.

Though the taboo is not invariably respected, British heraldry in particular, and to a greater or lesser extent the heraldry of other countries, frowns on depictions of God or Christ.

Angels very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim, are extremely rare.

Humans may be employed as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. While there is, generally speaking, only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde), there are a number of frequently-occuring types of men, including the Moor (inaccurately shown as being African), Saracen, Turk, Englishman, Saxon and Welshman. Patrick McG. Stoker's crest is a Druid. A naked man occurs in the arms of Dalyell.

In British heraldry it is highly unusual for there to be a depiction of a particular named individual on the shield, though abroad particular saints often appear.

Parts of human bodies that occur include the arm, eye, hand, leg and skull.

The heart always appears like the heart in a deck of cards rather than a natural human heart.

The most common beast used in heraldry is perhaps the lion. Other common beasts include the tiger (if not otherwise described depicted in a typically heraldic, rather than the natural, form), leopard (which may be used to describe the lion "passant guardant" rather than the natural leopard), ounce (snow leopard), wolf, fox (occasionally including the arctic fox), dog, bear (including, rarely, the polar bear), beaver (often depicted as quite unlike the natural animal), boar, stag (though quite a few other types of animals in the deer family also occur, such as the hind (doe), roebuck and reindeer), antelope, horse, lamb, sheep, ram, cow, bull, goat, squirrel, serpent (almost invariably used to mean "snake"), snail (rarely called "house snail") and ape and (much less often) monkey.

There are occasional appearances of the ass, bison, "brock" (badger), elk, "moldiwarp" (mole), moose, raccoon, calf, and the porcupine.

The cat has two forms: the "cat-a-mount," and the domestic cat, the latter called just a "cat." Only rarely is the breed described; Himalayan cats are known.

Rarely-occuring animals are the cougar, numbat and wolverine.

The lizard is almost without exception shown in generic form, but the Tuatara lizard is one of the supporters of Iain William Boyd. The turtle also occurs.

"Fish" are sometimes only described as "a fish," but commonly-found types include the dolphin (though it is not, in scientific terms, fish), the eel, ged (pike), burt, lucy, salmon (there is at least one occurence of an "Atlantic salmon"), roach and herring. There are occasional appearances of the trout. The whale (again, defined as a fish though in science it is a mammal) rarely appears. The narwal occurs sometimes as a supporter in Canada.

Oft-used birds include the eagle (sometimes having two heads), falcon, raven, swan, owl, crane, goose, stork, heron, dove, cock, ostrich, peacock and popinjay (parrot). (The osprey is almost invariably depicted simply as an eagle argent.) The turkey cock was a later immigrant from the New World, as are the cardinal bird and loon. In Canada the Canada goose occasionally appears. The kiwi bird occurs sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connexion to New Zealand. The phoenix also occurs (including in a Chinese type that can be seen in the arms of Adrienne Clarkson), as does the secretary bird. Sometimes appearing are the comorant and swallow; more rarely the finch. The arms of Colin Fleming include a white-tailed tropic bird. There are several types of "mutilated birds" in heraldry, including the alerion (an eagle without beak or legs) and merlette (used almost exclusively in France), a duck without beak or legs.

Insects include the bee (their hives also sometimes occur), the grasshopper, the butterfly, and, rather rarely, ants and flies.

Several mythical creatures are also used as charges. One of the most common is the unicorn, a one-horned horse. The dragon, another common charge, is depicted as large and reptilian, with a forked tongue, an eagle's eyes and a bat's wings. The wyvern is a creature similar to a dragon, but with only two legs. These predate the appearance of several types of Oriental dragons including the three-clawed dragon, granted in Europe and Canada for those with some connexion to China. The martlet, also common, is a bird without legs. Many of the other monsters are compound creatures. A simple example is the griffin, combining the head (but with ears), chest, wings and forelegs of the eagle with the hindquarters and legs of a lion (the male griffin lacks wings and his body is scattered with spikes); there is at least one example of the double-headed griffin. The hippogriff is like the griffin except that the lion parts of the griffin are replaced by those of a horse. The pegasus is a winged horse. The sea-lion is a combination of a lion and a fish.

Parts of creatures may also be used as charges. Parts used as charges include the head, the gamb (or limb) and the paw. If the part is erased, then it is depicted with ragged edges, as if it had been ripped from the animal's body. If the part is couped, then it is depicted with a straight edge, as if it were neatly severed. The term demi (as in, for instance, demi-lion) is used to indicate that the upper half of an animal alone is to be shown. If an animal is shown in its entirety, but with the head, tail and limbs separated from the body, it is said to be dismembered.

The position, or attitude, of the creature's body is also described. An animal engaged in battle (shown with one hind paw on the ground and three paws in the air) is called rampant (except the griffin, for whom the term segreant must be used); one that is walking (shown with one forepaw in the air and three paws in the air) is passant. Animals with all four paws on the ground are statant (stationary) if the paws are far apart or as sejant (standing) if the paws are close together. Animals with the two hind paws on the ground and the two forepaws in the air are salient (jumping) if leaning forward and sejant erect (standing erect) if upright. An animal is couchant if it is laying down, and dormant if it is sleeping (with its head lowered). By default, the charge faces the left, as perceived by the viewer. The head of an animal guardant faces the viewer, and that of an animal reguardant faces the right, again as perceived by the viewer. There are several positional descriptions unique to the lion, which appears to be the only creature that can be stantant with tail extended.

Entirely different terms are used for stags and other deer-like creatures. Trippant is used instead of passant, at bay instead of statant, at gaze instead of statant guardant, springing instead of salient and lodged instead of couchant.

As might be expected, fish also use a different terminology. A straight horizontal fish is naiant, and an arched horizontal fish is embowed. If the fish is vertical, and its head faces upwards, it is hauriant; if its head faces downwards, the fish is 'uriant.

Finally, the terminology for birds is based on the position of the wings. If a bird faces the viewer, with the head turned to one side, and the wings spread apart on either side, the bird is displayed. If the bird is not shown facing the viewer, and the wings are shown spread apart, the bird is volant (flying); if the wings are shown folded, the bird is trussed, close or perched. If the bird's head faces upward, the bird is rising or rousant (about to take flight).

Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges (the turnip, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat).

Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves (and in fields in the arms of the province of Alberta and elsewhere), though less often as ears), though most often they are shown in stylised form. Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down. "Ginny wheat" (like wheat but with a fatter ear) also exists.

Grass is sometimes specified to occur on the "mounts vert" (green hillocks) on which charges on the shield, or crest, sit or are placed.

The fern is usually found as part of the "fern-brake" or group of ferns.

The broom plant, symbol of the Platagenets, occurs occasionally; so do hops.

Thorns sometimes occur (usually in the form of a crown of thorns), as does ivy and holly.

The catail makes its appearance in the arms of the town of Arronville in France.

Juniper makes at least one appearance.

The heliotrope appears in the arms of Ennery, and hemp in the arms of Chennevières lès Louvres, both in the department of Val d'Oise; and the Bermudiana flower, Giant Red Paintbrush, and protea all make at least one appearance.

The most famous heraldic flower is the fleur-de-lis, which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this (the "natural" lily -- also somewhat stylised in its depiction -- also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lys) on the arms of Eton College; the lily of the valley is also distinguished from these). Heraldic roses are also (most commonly, and unless otherwise specified) shown in stylised form, as is the lotus flower. The thistle occurs constantly, as it is the symbol of Scotland. Other commonly used flower-like charges (called "foils") include the trefoil (with three petals), quatrefoil (with four petals), cinquefoil (with five petals) and sexfoil (with six petals); the double quatrefoil (with eight petals) is in England the seldom if ever seen cadency mark of the ninth son. Less frequently used flowers include the flower of the almond tree, anemone, daisy, the lilac, the dogwood flower, the peony, the tulip and the hydrangea (as in the arms of Rueil Malmaison). The trilium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context.

Among fruits apples occur very frequently, as do grapevines (with their grapes), cherries, pomegranates and strawberries but peaches also occur, and, infrequently, oranges and gourds.

Trees are sometimes merely blazoned as "a tree" but specific trees are mentioned in blazon. Far and away the most frequently occurring is the oak, but others include the pine ("[[pine cone|pineapples" refer anciently and much more often to the cone rather than the tropical fruit), the elm, the poplar, willow, alder, box tree and the palm; palm branches very frequently occur but are blazoned as appearing in a "stylized" form in the arms of Éragny sur Oise in Val d'Oise. Laurel and olive branches also occur. The arms of Fosses, in Val d'Oise, shows a monstrous tree ending in two hands cradling a town; the china cokar tree is another kind of "monster tree." A small group of trees is blazoned as a "hurst," which is distinguished from a forest.

The bamboo ball forms part of the crest of Suan-Seh Foo.

The maple usually occurs only in the form of leaves, and there are a few occurences of the tobacco leaf.

Nuts are sometimes blazoned simply as "nuts" (depicted like the walnut)though the most frequently occuring nut is the acorn, often cracked by a squirrel, and constantly in conjunction with the oak. The chestnut, sometimes on branches, also appears, as does the hazel.

Other plants include, rarely, mushrooms (though that usually is blazoned and depicted as the morel) and sugarcane. The bordure on the arms of Hart Bei Graz, Steiermark, Austria, is charge with an orle of lichen.

Celestial objects also feature as charges. A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour. Moons come in many varieties, including the full moon and the crescent. Mullets are stars; they are shown with five points, unless another number is specified (as in mullet of six). There are also comets, thunderbolts, lightning bolts -- also called "lightning flashes" (all shown in a stylised way), and there is at least one example of a "fork of lightning". Clouds often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. In terms of clouds' precipitation, the raindrop as such is unknown, and the snowflake is only known in more recent times, though the snowball predates this by some centuries.

Other inanimate charges include anchors, axes of various types, books, crosiers, lamps, portcullises, spurs, swords, hammers, arrows and ermine spots.

From ancient times, we have the amphora, and it is joined by the more nondescript vase, and particular types of vases, such as the perfume vase.

The barrel almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as a, tun.

There are baskets of several types.

Bridges, variously and usually more fully described, often occur.

Buckles occur not infrequently, including the stylized "boucle d'Oise."

The chief building that appears is the castle; this is distinguished from the tower in that a castle of the "generic" type (in British and allied heraldry, at any rate) consists of two joined towers at either end of a wall (also a charge in heraldry) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall), though there are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castle. (The castle is distinguished from the tower triple-towered [which has three smaller towers or turrets rising out of the top].) The tower in the regular sense is distinguished from the "modern tower," which appears as a sort of pallet-like, couped in chief, charge. Other buildings and related structures include dolmens, various forms of ecclesiastical buildings (including an "ecclesiastical building" in the arms of the town of Eccles in England, a belfry, churches of various types including a romanic church, chapels, abbeys, a monk's cell [shown as a separate building] and various types of temples), the pavillion, tents, towers (, is distinguished), windmills (including various components), and even pigeon coops, pillories and the Kremlin (in the arms of Le Kremlin Bicêtre, Val de Marne, France). (The appearance of the Kremlin brings up the point that difficulties can sometimes arise when it comes to depicting specific buildings, rather than specific types of buildings, from the blazon; for instance, if one does not know what the château de la Malmaison [in the arms of Rueil Malmaison in Hauts de Seine, France] looks like, one can be in trouble.) In France, the aquaduct sometimes appears. Weathervanes occur not only atop buildings but as independent charges. The city is also a frequently occuring charge, though almost exclusively in civic heraldry.

Chess rooks, as a charge, have a very different appearance from the rooks with which one might be familiar, ending in two outward-splayed "horns."

Constantly appearing are crowns of various kinds.

Hats include the shako and the "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli.

Keys (taking a form similar to a "skeleton key") frequently appear

Ladders typically take the form of scaling ladders.

Letters of the alphabet rarely appear, and then almost invariably in either one of two "fonts," Latin or "text" letters, although there are rare instances of onical, as the "M" in the arms of Meaux, Seine et Marne, France.

The maunch is a woman's sleeve; it is shown in a highly stylized form. A bishop's mitre also not infrequently occurs as a charge.

Musical instruments include the harp, bagpipes, bells, drum (shown as a "field drum"), guitar (only occuring as acoustic), lyres, organ pipes, and violin (along with its bow).

Nails occur in several forms, but are the type without modern heads.

A painter's palette and paintbrushes appear in the arms of Barbizon, France.

The escallop (scallop shell) is one of the most frequent charges.

Ships take a variety of forms, most often the lymphad (a type of ancient ship), but also Viking ships, three-masted sailing ships, a barque and even a cruise ship.

Stones are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distingished from pebbles.

The trophy is a collection of armor and weapons.

Weapons include the cannon, dirk, grenade (which has the appearance of similar to a cannonball with flames coming out of a flattened end) and the mace. A machine gun (upon a Vavasseur mounting) occured in the arms of Josiah Vavasseur, Esq.

The helm of Athene Promachos occurs in the arms of George Francis Gilman Stanley.