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SYSTEM
OF
HERALDRY,
SPECULATIVE AND PRACTICAL:
WITH THE
TRUE ART OF BLAZON,
ACCORDING TO THE
MOST APPROVED HERALDS IN EUROPE.
ILLUSTRATED
WITH SUITABLE EXAMPLES OF ARMORIAL FIGURES, AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MOST CONSIDERABLE SUR- NAMES AND FAMILIES IN SCOTLAND, $c.
TOGETHER WITH
HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL MEMORIALS RELATIVE THERETO.
BY ALEXANDER NISBET, GENT.
A NEW EDITION.
— —
VOL. I. EDINBURGH:
PRINTED FOR WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, PRINCE'S STREET, EDINBURGH J AND RODWELL AND MARTIN, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON.
1816.
OR
!&
V
K OCT241967
Alex. Latvrie <§• Co., Printers, Edinburgh.
ADVERTISEMENT.
ollowing SYSTEM of HERALDRY was undertaken by the Author, about the beginning of the last century, under the patronage of the Parliament of Scotland, and in dependence on a public pecuniary aid of L. 200, granted in the year 1 704, for enabling him to execute an undertaking which bore a close alliance to the honour of the nation.
The liberality of the Parliament having been rendered ineffectual, in conse- quence of prior assignments on the fund out of which the grant was payable, the plan of the Author was circumscribed, and the publication of the Work delayed till the year 1722, when the First Volume was printed at Edin- burgh, for Mr J. Mackeuen, bookseller, to whom the Author had assigned the property.
As this Volume was in many respects defective, an Appendix, or Supple- mentary Volume, was intended by the Author to follow the First Volume; but the death of that learned and industrious heraldic antiquary, at no great distance of time, the imperfect state of his collections, and the property passing through dif- ferent hands, delayed the publication of the Second Volume till the year 1 742, when it was printed at Edinburgh by Mr Robert Fleming, who was assisted in preparing it for publication by Mr Roderick Chalmers and other anti- quaries.
The great utility of this Work, which is universally acknowledged to be of the highest value and authority, joined to the consideration of its excessive rarity and enormous price, induced the design of reprinting it.
In committing the Work, a second time, to the press, an opportunity has been found of retouching the original plates, correcting many typographical errors, and a very considerable number of mistakes, chiefly in the orthography of persons and places, and adding a few notes, distinguished by the letter E : but the Publishers do not wish to be understood as having made any alteration in the substance, style, or language of the Work.
It is in contemplation with the Publishers to print a Supplementary Volume, containing corrections of the preceding volumes, -additional examples of Ar- morial Bearings in Scotland, and a continuation and enlargement of the memo- rials of our most ancient and considerable families to the present time. As it is evident that the materials for such a volume mtist be derived from sources of information inaccessible to the Publishers, they earnestly solicit the communica- tion of authentic memorials from the Nobility and Gentry of Scotland concerning their respective families.
EDINBURGH,] Oct. 24. 1804. I
TO THE
MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE,
J A M E S
DUKE OF HAMILTON, CHATELHERAULT AND BRANDON,
Marqxiisiof CLYDESDALE, Earl of ARRAN, LANERK, and CAMBRIDGE, Lord AVEN, POLMONT, M.ACHANSI-IIRE, and INNERDALE, Baron of BUTTON : And Hereditary Keeper of His Majesty s Palace of Holyroodbousc.
MY LORD,
THE design of the enfuing Treatise being to illustrate and perpetuate to posterity, in a methodical way, fuch distinguished Ensigns of Honour as have been bestowed by Sovereigns, especially the Kings of Scotland, on persons and families of the most distinguished merit, I could not introduce it more favourably into the world, than under the
DEDICATION.
protection of your most illustrious name, whose noble family has so signalized themselves in the service of their prince and country, as to de- serve to be honoured with the highest offices, and distinguished by the most noble badges of honour, which the Kings of Scotland could confer.
Your Grace's family, next to the Sovereign's, justly claims the pre- cedency of all the families of Scotland, not only as being the first Duke, but also on account of your royal defcent ; your noble ancestor, James Earl of Arran, being so near in blood to Mary Queen of Scotland, that he Was declared, in Parliament 1542, t^e fecond person of the realm, and successor to the imperial crown, in case she died without issue ; and also regent during her minority.
The merit of your farmfy was not confined to your native country, but procured considerable honours abroad ; so as the same noble person was dignified in France with the title Duke of Chatelherault, whose son, John, was created Marquis of Hamilton, being the first in Scotland who bore that dignity ; and in England, since the union of the crowns, your family was honoured with the title of Earl of Cambridge ; and, since the union of the two kingdoms, with the title of Duke of Brandon.
Some of your ancestors have also been invested with the Royal En- signs of St Michael in France ; and, ever since the accession of our Kings to the crown of England, they have been honoured successively with the most Noble Order of the Garter. As your illustrioxis father had the honour to be installed in that Order, so also in the royal and most an- cient Order of the Thistle in Scotland : Which two Orders, in one per- son, is a singular inftance never before bestowed (that I know of) on any other subject in Great Britain.
Your Grace having been pleased, of late, to add to the achievement of the family of Hamilton, &c. those of your mother, the daughter and fole heir of the ancient and noble family of Digby Lord Gerard of Bromley in England, I have prefixed them to this address, resolving to blazon and fpeak more particularly of them in the supplement to this work.
I shall not trouble your Grace with a particular detail of your ancient and honourable descent, that being already performed by better hands ; in whose works, the wisdom, valour, and loyalty of your ancestors to their prince and country, shine with a lustre becoming their grandeur.
So far as falls within my province, I hope, I have done your family justice in this book, and have nothing here to add but my earnest wishes, that the advantages of birth, education, and other accomplishments, so eminent in the person of your Grace, (which to enumerate, were to offend a modesty usually attending great souls), may be improven to perpetuate, and, if possible, to enlarge the honour of your family ; and to let the world know, how much I am,
My Lord,
Your Grace's most humble,
s
Most obedient, and most devoted servant,
ALEXANDER NISBET.
PREFACE.
AS HERALDRY itself is of a noble extract and original, so the knowledge thereof is worthy of any gentleman : and, if duly considered, will be found no less useful than curious ; as tending to illustrate the histories not only of particular families, but of the nation in general.
The original design of heraldry is not merely show and pageantry, as some are apt to imagine, but to distinguish persons and families ; to re- present the heroic achievements of our ancestors, and to perpetuate their memory ; to trace the origin of noble and ancient families, and the vari- ous steps by which they arrived at greatness ; to distinguish the many different branches descended from the same families, and to show the several relations which one family stands in to another.
As the practice of heraldry in Scotland is very ancient, so the higher we trace it, we find arms the more regular and distinct : And of so great importance to the nation was the regularity and distinction of arms reckoned by our kings and parliaments, that sundry laws, relative there- to, have been enacted and published, discharging all persons to assume arms to themselves without due authority; prohibiting those to carry arms who had right to none, or those who had right, to usurp the arms of other men.
Before the modern practice of subscribing names to writs of moment, which was not used in Scotland till about the year 1540, all such writs and evidents were only signed with seals, which contributed much to the regularity of arms : And therefore it was enacted by sundry statutes, That every freeholder should have his proper seals of arms, and should either compear himself at the head court of the shire, or send his attorney with his said Seal ; and they who wanted such seals were to be amerciate or fined : So that commonly gentlemen sent to the clerk of the court their seals in lead, who kept the same in his office, to produce or compare on occasions ; and it was reckoned no less a crime than forgery to coun- terfeit another man's seal. Vide Regiam Majestatem.
As those seals grew less useful and necessary, so armorial bearings be- came less regular: And therefore, anno 1592, cap. 125. the Parliament gave power and commission to the Lyon King at Arms, and his brethren heralds, to visit the whole arms of noblemen, barons, and gentlemen within Scotland, and to distinguish them with congruous differences, and to matriculate them in their books ; as also, to inhibit alj such to bear
iv PREFACE.
•M-m* as by the law of arms ought not to bear them, under the penalty of confiscating to the king all the goods on which such arms should be found ; with an hundred pounds to the Lyon and his brethren, and in case of not payment, to be imprisoned during the Lyon's pleasure. And, anno 1672, cap. 21. the said act of Parliament is renewed and ratified, and the Lyon King of Arms is impowered to distinguish arms, and ma- triculate the same in his books or registers. Which Register is ordained to be respected as the true and unrepealable rule of all arms and bearings in Scotland.
Many other instances might be given to prove the regard our ancestors in Scotland bore to heraldry, their zeal and concern to prevent irregulari- ties therein. By all which it is evident that they never looked on armo- rial bearings as an idle amusement, but as a matter of great moment and importance to the nation.
As the study of heraldry is what my peculiar genius has led me ta for many years, so I have endeavoured to adapt my studies that way, to the service of my country, not only by instructing sundry of our young npbility and gentry in that science, but by composing a complete system of it for the benefit of posterity. In which I have endeavoured to pro- secute that subject, both in a scientific or speculative way, and also re- ducing- the same to practice, by collecting the armorial bearings of most, if not all those surnames and families that ever made any considerable
ire in Scotland, and applying those bearings for illustrating the parti- cular history of families among us.
However ignorant or capricious people may censure this undertaking as idle or useless, yet the Parliament of Scotland, anno 1704, were of opinion, that something of that nature was very much wanted, and when finished, would be serviceable to the nation : And were so well pleased with my proposals for publishing the same, that the better to enable me thereto, they ordered me two hundred pounds Sterling, pay- able out of the tonnage on foreign ships ; but that fund not answering their expectations, and being encumbered with prior assignments, I ne- ver had a farthing that way, which was the occasion of this book's not being publi>shed long ago.
The work being chargeable, and my bookseller having undertaken it wholly on his own risk, I was obliged to confine myself to a certain, number of sheets. At the time of publishing my proposals, it was reckoned that the whole might have been contained in about 120, foe- sides copper-plates ; and the price to subscribers was fixed accordingly. And though that number of sheets was then judged sufficient to contain the whole System of Heraldry, according to the view I then had of it, yet, by reason of sundry new materials which occurred, the book has already exceeded the foresaid number of sheets, and I have not been able to overtake sundry particulars which I intended to have treated of; such as marks of cadency, marshalling of divers coats in one shield, exterior ornaments, &c. And, upon a more mature deliberation, I find, that in order to treat distinctly of those particular heads remaining, and to do justice to many considerable families, which I was obliged either alto- gether to omit, or treat of very superficially, an Appendix, or Supple- ment, will be necessary : in which I shall have opportunity both of correcting any thing amiss, and supplying any thing here omitted.
Had I confined myself barely to a System of Heraldry, as other authors on that subject have commonly done, I might easily have gone through
P. R E F A C K.. v
all the other parts of if, but the great collections 1 have made of armorial bearings in Sroiland, and the memorials of particular families, in this book, are so useful a part of it, that i am apt to think most of my readers will be better pleased with the method I have taken, than if L had given them only a dry system of the parts and rules of heraldry,
Though 1 have not been able to overtake somethings in the System of Heraldry, as 1 at first intended, yet I have explained the True Art of Klaxon, in a more ample, regular, and distinct manner, than any thing that I have ever seen on that subject. I have treated of the Rise and Nature of Arms, the principal Ensigns of Honour on which they hau- been usually placed, their different Tinctures and Furrs, the Partition and Repartition Lines, with their Accidental Forms: As also, the different Figures used in Arms, whether Proper, Natural, or Artificial, with the different terms of those figures, from their position, situation, and dis- position in the shield ; together with their various blazons and significa- tions, according to the sentiments of those who have written in Latin, Italian, German, French, and English.
As I have treated of all those particular heads very fully and distinctly, so I have illustrated them, and the several rules relative thereto, by suitable examples of armorial bearings ; principally taken from those of our own nation, and failing them, from those of other nations over all Europe; so that I may justly call it an Universal System, not calculated for Scotland only, or any particular country, but answering to the re- gular practice of heraldry through the world. Notwithstanding of which, I may presume to say, that my reader will here find such a collection of armorial bearings of surnames and families in Scotland, both ancient and modern, that the like was never attempted ; and which will serve as a general register, or at least a directory of arms to posterity: A work hitherto much wanted, and earnestly wished for by the curious.
In order to render my collection more complete, I have not only had recourse to my Lord Lyon's Register, in the Herald-Office, whose civili- ties to me on that occasion I most thankfully acknowledge, but also to old books of blazons, ancient records, seals of arms, and other monu- ments of antiquity: All which I mention as my proper vouchers on that subject, and refer to them by proper marks, of which I shall give here a short account.
The Lyon Register, though, by the foresaid act of Parliament, anno 1672, ordained to be respected as the true and unrepealable rule of all arms and bearings in Scotland, and instituted to prevent irregularities in heraldry, yet, at this day, is not so complete as is to be wished. Many of our most ancient and considerable families have neglected to register their arms, notwithstanding the act of Parliament, partly through in- dolence, and partly through an extravagant opinion of their own great- ness, as if the same could never be obscured : So that were it not for an- cient records, books of blazons, charters with seals appended thereto, or other monuments of antiquity, to which I have had recourse with great labour, and some of which I have purchased with great charges, the ar- morial bearings of sundry considerable families and surnames in Scot- land had been entirely lost. However, as the Lyon Office is of late much improven, and better regulated than formerly, it is like to be very useful in time coming ; and I have collected the greatest part of my blazons therefrom, and refer thereto sometimes by the letters (L. R.)
b
,n PREFACE.
/'. e. Lyon Register, and sometimes by the letters (N. R.) /. e. New Re- gister.
The most certain vouchers for the practice of arms in Scotland, next to the Lyon's Register, are ancient seals appended to charters, and other" writs, many of which I have vseen, and to them I refer in the following Treatise, mentioning them particularly.
Next to them are old manuscripts and illuminated books of blazons, whereof sundry are now in my custody, and to which I also frequently refer, as follows :
I. I have an old illuminated book of arms, with the names of the fa- milies who carry those arms, written under the shield, but often mis- placed, and the writing such as can scarcely be read : I conjecture it to have been done by some Frenchman, in the reign of King James V. or in the minority of our Queen Mary, but can say nothing certain that wav. Only, I saw at London in the Herald-Office there, another of the- same book, resembling mine both in the painting, writing, binding, &c. so near as one book could resemble another. I met also there with sun- dry others.
II. James Workman's Illuminated Book of Arms, who was herald in the reign of King James VI. ; which book I frequently refer to by these letters (W. MS.), which book I had from the ingenious Mr Henry Frascr, Ross Herald.
III. Mr Pont, a known antiquary, his Alphabetical Collection, in ma- nuscript,* of the Arms of our Nobility and Gentry, the original of which 1 have, being handsomely blazoned, and written in a good hand, to which I commonly refer thus, (P. MS.)
IV. James Esplin, Marchmont Herald, has left behind him an Illumi- nated Book, with the pictures of sundry of our old kings and their arms; as also the arms of our nobility and principal gentry, about the year 1630, to which I refer thus, (E. MS.) This book I have upon receipt from Mr Hugh Wallace of Ingliston.
V. Sir James Balfour, a learned and famous antiquary, who was Lyon King at Arms in the reign or King Charles I. left a Register of Arms, now in the Lawyers' Library, to which I refer thus, (B. MS.)
VI. George Ogilvie, a late herald with us, has left a Collection of Blazons, some of which I mention, and are marked thus, (O. MS.)
Besides those already mentioned, I have sundry other manuscripts of arms in my custody, but do not so frequently refer to them ; because 1 am not certain by whom they are done, and therefore cannot depend on their authority farther than as they agree with other books of the same kind. And as to blazons which I have collected from printed books, old b inklings, or other monuments of antiquity, when I refer to them I al- ways mention them at large.
Many of those manuscripts &.c. are in danger of being lost to posterity : But I am hopeful the collections I have made from them may be very useful, at least for supplying any loss which may happen that way.
I likewise refer sometimes to Sir George Mackenzie's Science of He- raldry thus, (M'K. H.)
As to memorials of particular families I have not been so full on them as otherwise I might have been, had the number of sheets to which I was confined allowed me ; but a work of that nature, though most de- sirable in itself, yet being attended with many difficulties, requires much time and labour : And, therefore, all that I could pretend to, at present,
PREFACE. vii
was only to lay a foundation, upon which either I myself, or others afterwards may build.
The learned Sir George Macken/.ie began a collection of such memo- rials, which he has left behind him in manuscript ; which I have referred to as occasion required : And had he finished the same for the press, it had been great service to the public, and made a very proper appendix to his excellent Book of Heraldry. But indeed a work of that nature is too great for one man, or one age, to finish, and therefore must proceed gradually, as the circumstances of things will permit. There are some ancient families amongst us now extinct, others have lost their charters and records ; and there are some who, though they have them in their possession, yet are not willing to communicate them ; and there are many of such an indolent disposition as not to regard the history either of their own, or of other considerable families : And yet without their con- currence a work of this nature cannot be completed. But as it is un- reasonable, that the more curious and inquisitive part of mankind should suffer by the indolence of those men, I am resolved to go on in this work so far as I can, w*th such helps as may be had.
There are three objections which may pollibly be framed against this Treatise, which I shall endeavour, brieflly, to obviate. First, some may object, that in my memorials of families I have insisted more particu- larly on some inconsiderable families, and passed over others of greater consideration very superficially. To which I answer, That probably it may have happened so, but without any design or fault in me ; for some persons have a taste for learning and antiquity beyond others, know the histories both of their own families, and of the nation in general, and are willing to do justice both to themselves and posterity, and therefore have assisted me with memorials, or allowed me to peruse their charters: Whereas others are altogether carekss of such matters, and neither are concerned for knowing, or being known. Besides, that being straitened for room, I was obliged to abridge most of my memorials, especially to- wards the latter end, and to omit some altogether. But as I designed my book for the xise of posterity, so in die Supplement which I intend to make to it, 1 propose to omit no memorial of any family which I either have by me, or may at any time come in my way, so far as I find it duly vouched : And, therefore, if any family shall think themselves neglected hereafter, they must blame themselves.
Secondly, others may object, That I have erred in sxmdry of my ac- counts of families. To which I answer, That the work being new, I have been obliged to go in an untrodden path, and therefore it is not to be wondered if sometimes I should miss my way; but I have endeavour- ed to act as cautious a part as possible, and where no proper vouchers appeared, I have chosen to be silent. If I have erred in any thing, I shall be ready, upon better information, to retract and correct the same in the above-mentioned Supplement, and shall be very thankful to any person who gives me further light in those matters. Which corrections and additions, being once printed, will be preserved for the use of posterity, and if ever the book comes to a second edition, these may be inserted in their proper places.
Thirdly, it may be objected, That this may be an endless work, so that one volume may draw on another, and yet the whole never be com- pleted. To which I answer, That a complete history of all the surnames and honourable families in Scotland is not to be expected from one hand.
viii PREFACE.
or in one age ; notwithstanding of which, all advances towards such a history will be serviceable to the public. We have no complete history either of England or Scotland,, nor is it probable that ever we shall have one till the day of judgment, when the thoughts of the hearts of all men shall be revealed : And yet the collections of learned historians and an- tiquaries, in all ages, have been applauded, and very deservedly j as tending to illustrate and improve our national history, though without being ever able actually to complete it. In like manner, though I shall never pretend to make a complete collection of memorials, relative to all our considerable families, yet, in the Supplement, I propose to finish my whole System of Heraldry in all its parts ; to correct what is wrong, and supply what is wanting in the present volume, so far as I am either capable, or may receive assistance from others ; and, wherein I come short, to leave a plan or foundation for those who come after me, to im- prove and build upon.
There are sundry subscribers, who should have been both mentioned in the book, and had their achievements engraven on die copper-plates, but happened either to come in too late for this volume, or neglected to give in either memorials or arms ; however, all care shall be taken to do them jxistice afterwards.
I am very sensible that a work of this nature, in which so many different persons and families are more or less concerned, must expose the author to variety of censures, and readily they who are least concerned will be most censorious: But as it is the service of my country, and benefit of posterity that I chiefly write for, so I shall be easy as to the snarls of idle and ignorant critics; and shall be ready, on all occasions, fully to satisfy candid and judicious readers : And whatever fate the following book may undergo in the present age, I shall comfort myself with the thoughts of this, that the older it grows, the more useful and valuable will it be to posterity.
SYSTEM
OF
HERALDRY,
SPECULATIVE AND PRACTICAL:
WITH THE TRUE ART OF BLAZON.
CHAP. I.
OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ARMORIES.
BEFORE I proceed to treat of ARMORIES in all their parts, it will not be im- proper to premise briefly somewhat concerning their name, rise and pro- gress.
Arms have been taken by all nations, and in all ages, for military marks and signs of honour ; by which, not only persons, families and communities are dis- tinguished and known, but nobles also distinguished from plebeians, and nobles among themselves. Which marks and signs were called arms ; because in an- cient times, they were painted, or engraven on shields, and other pieces of armour ; as also, upon banners and pennons, from whence they are called armorial ensigns : And being likewise embroidered or painted on the surcoats of military men, which they wore over their armour, to distinguish them in battle, they were called coats of firms.
How useful and honourable of old these marks and signs have been, will appear from \vhat some learned men have written on that subject j of whom I shall only mention a few.
William Wyrley, in his True Use of Armories, printed at London, an. 1592, , " Without armorial tokens, no martial discipline can be exercised, no army ranged, no attempt of any company achieved, and, by consequence, no conquest made, nor so much as any commonwealth defended, neither from outward ene- mies, civil discord, or rebellion of any plebeian rout. It will, I hope, reduce in- to estimation, a matter both of honour, order and necessity, which no doubt was, by the wisest and best governed states, at the first devised, and generally by all of any policy, received to a most necessary end."
A
, OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS
John Feme, in his Glory of Generosity, printed at London, an. 1586, p. 147, says, " The ancients did bear arms for the honour's sake of virtue : For it is one, " nay, the chiefest honour, for a gentleman to bear a coat of arms, and without " which none can be called gentle ; and that is commanded by the sanction of the " laws of nations."
Guillim, in his Display of Heraldry, Sect. I. Chap. I. says, " How great the " dignity and estimation of arms ever has been, and yet is, we may easily conceive " by this, that, as they do delight the beholders, and greatly grace and beautify " the places wherein they are erected ; so also, they do occasion their spectators " to 'make serious inquisition, whose they are ; who is the owner of the house " where they are set up ; of what family the bearer is descended ; and who were " his next, and who his remote parents and ancestors. It is very notable, that " these signs, which we call arms at this day, however in former ages they have " been named, have been of the greatest use and esteem, the knowledge of which " is called the Science of Heraldry, or of Armories. Which Edward Bolton in his " Elements of Arms, calls the Mistress and Queen of Liberal Knowledge ; for in it " all the fair arts seem to assemble, and every grace of invention glitters there, " with much significancy, ornament and utility ; for armories are the only re- " maining customary evidences or testimonies of nobility now : For neither sta- " tues, arches, obelisks, trophies, spires, or other public magnificent erections, are " now in use."
These ensigns of honour, or marks of nobility, are to be met with everywhere, not only on the frontispiece of public and private buildings, as aforesaid, but com- monly on tombs, and other monuments of antiquity, and especially are of excellent on seals, by which we know ancient charters and other evidences of the high- est importance, whether they be authentic, yea or not. And 1 cannot sufficiently wonder at the vanity of a great many, who glory in their carrying these marks and signs of honour, which they do not at all understand ; and must regret it in the greatest part of my countrymen, who, though otherwise well qualified in the knowledge of other liberal arts and sciences, yet neglect to apply themselves to Lhe study of heraldry ; a science so valuable, that the greatest men in all ages have thought it worth their study and application : And therefore Thomas Gore, in his Catalogue of Learned Men, who have written on this science, expresses himself in these words, " CMJO viri nobiles aliique laudabilem illam Heraldriae " Artem persequendi acriori extimulentur studio, i$c. ut palam fiat omnibus, " qualis in pretio &- Ignore nunc dierum est &- olim fuit res HeraldiCa, in 'toto " prope literarum orbe."
Though learned men are generally agreed as to the -usefulness of armories, yet
they difler with respect to the beginning and rise of them, of which I have spoken
ticulaiiy in a book formerly published by me on that subject, entitled, An
.y en the Ancient and Modern use of Armories, to which I refer the curious.
But lest 1 should seem to be defective in my present undertaking, in which I
propose to lay open the several parts of heraldry, I shall therefore give here a
brief" account of the nature and rise of arms.
iy are of opinion that arms owe their first beginnings to the light of nature,
; have been used by all nations, however rude and illiterate, for distinguishing the more worthy and eminent, from the vulgar and ordinary people ; though they cannot but allow that arms have been used in greater perfection and regularity in some countries than in others. The reason they give for their opinion, is, that d universally practised in all nations must be founded in nature ; <>r, which is much the -same, that whatever all countries, whether civil or barbarous, agree to in the main, though they differ perhaps in some circumstances, must pro- ceed from the dictates of natural reason. And, to support their assertion, they produce many instances of the practice of arms among the ancient and modern ;nts, not only of this but of the new discovered world, America. Whence .e conclude, that the use of arms was Amediluvian, and after the Flood, was continued among the children of Noah, and afterwards more particularly, and in .iter perfection, among the Children of Israel, as they endeavour to prove from : he prophecy of Jacob and Moses, and more especially from the ad chap, of the Book of Numbers, where God gives express commandment, " that every man of the
OF ARMORIES. 3,
" Children or" Israel shall pitch by his own standard, \viththe ensign of his father'- " house." And further, they urge the use and practice of armories in succeeding ages among the Egyptiar nans, Grecians and Romans.
And indeed it is true, that, as mankind increased and grew numerous, certain marks and distinctions, by which, persons, families and communities might be known one from another, were in a manner absolutely necessary ; and, therefore, us the learned Becmannus saith, " Hominem ab liomine distingucrc, ac variis dis- " criminare nominibus &- signis, labor fuit primorum parentum, &. pullulantis or- " bis negotium." Neither can military marks be younger than Mars himself, seeing, without distinguishing marks and signs, no martial discipline could be exer- cised. But, notwithstanding this, neither the Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Gre- cian emblems, nor even the banners and ensigns of those, or other ancient nation^, the antiquity of which is unquestionable, can properly be called aims. The former of these having never been looked upon as such ; and the latter, viz. ban- ners and ensigns, being rather to be reckoned among the regalia of these nations, as ensigns of power and dominion, than hereditary marks of honour, which we now call arms.
There are others who do not ascribe the rise and use of arms to the light of reason and nature, but rather to common practice and custom, as distinguishing military marks, or symbolical figures, used by these nations upon their shields, head-pieces, standards, or pennons, &c. which, as they were not hereditary marks of honour, transmitted from father to son, so neither were they ever regulated to the titles and rules of armories, being only temporary devices, which were taken up, and laid aside at pleasure, and intended partly for distinction, and partly for ornament's sake. And this is plain, particularly with respect to their use amongst the Romans, who never looked upon them as hereditary marks of nobility : For, had the Romans been conversant in the science of heraldry, as now practised all over Europe, we had certainly received from them the terms of that science, whereas, on the contrary, we find them handed down to us in Gothic and old French words, which the ancient writers of heraldry were obliged to dress up in a barbarous sort of Latin, when they wrote for the use of the learned world.
The Romans had, for their badges and signs of nobility, the statues or images of their ancestors ; and, among many other divisions of the Roman people, we find them divided into that of Nobiles, Novi y Ignobiles, which distinction of persons and families was taken from their right to have images or statues, an honour granted only to those, whose ancestors had borne some ollice in the state, such as Curule Edile, Censor, Pnetor, Consul, &tc.
He who had the privilege of using the images or statues of his ancestors was termed Nobilis ; he who had only his own was called Novus ; (the same with our upstart, or first of a family, that obtains a coat of arms) and he who had neither his own statues, nor those of his fathers, Avent under the name of Ignobi/zs, as the common people among us, who have no right to armorial bearings ; so that their Jus Imuginuw, was the same with our right to carry arms : And therefore, Abra- hainus Fransus, Lib. II. de Armis, says, " Quemadmodum apud Romanos, eorum " familiae obscura habebantur quarum nullae sunt Imagines, sic &. illi jam ignobile> " existimantur, qui majorum Anna non possunt ostendere."
These images or statues were made of wood, brass, marble, and sometimes in wax-work, and the better to represent the perso'n intended, painted according to the life (as Polybius observes), and dressed out answerable to their quality ; adorn- ed with the robes of the offices they had borne, with marks of their magistracy, and the spoils they had taken from the enemy. Thus the collar or chain on the statue of Torquatus, and the tuft of hair on that of Cmcinnatus, were the trophies of which those brave heroes had despoiled two of the Roman enemies.
These statues commonly stood in their courts, in a cabinet of wood, (from whence our cabinet of arms and ambries, where the several pieces of the honours of the nobility, such as, helmet, crest, gauntlet, spurs, banners, &c. ^ ere kept) and. upon solemn days, these presses or cabinets were set open, and the statues being adorned as above, were exposed to public view, in their courts before the porch and gate of their houses, (as now our nobility and gentry have their coats of arms cut in stone, or painted on escutcheons over their gates) ; not only that the people
4 OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS
micht behold their nobility and honours, but to excite their posterity to imitate the virtues of their ancestors, as Petrus Ancarena Clement says, " Arma plunbus » in locis earn ob causam collocantur, non solum ut Nobihtatis indicia smt, & « majorumnostrorumlVIonumenta, sed ut posteri excitentur ad laudem & decus. And Valerius Maximus upbraids a cowardly and insignificant posterity, " by those " ensigns, which as it were," says he, " tells them how unworthy they are of the " honours and privileges of their brave ancestors."
When any of the family died, the statues and images were not only thus ex posed to view, but in the funerals were carried before the cotpse, as ensigns of then- nobility. This is observed by Hennanus Hermes, in his Fasciculus Juris Publici, p. 800, and Basil Kennet, in his Antiquities of Rome, tells us, that the Romans brought forth their images at the funerals of those persons only who had the Jus Imaginum; and that Augustus ordered 600 beds of images to be carried before, at the 'funeral of Marcellus ; and Sylla, the dictator, had no less than 6000.
From this practice of the Romans, came the custom of succeeding ages to carry, at the funerals of great men, their ensigns of nobility, with the armorial bearings of those honourable families of whom they were descended, as well on the mother's side, as on the father's ; which, by our practice, being placed on funeral escut- < heons, round the achievement of the person deceased, are called Quarters or Branches ; and by others, Proofs of Nobility ; but by Pontus Heuterus Delphius, Stemmata, who, in his Genealogies, particularly treats of this subject, and derives our custom of carrying arms at funerals from that of the Romans above mentioned, in these words : " Quemadmodum olim apud Romanes in more positum fuit ut " majorum imagines ornandae funebrae Pompae adhiberentur, Atriaque cereis per " Armaria dispositis, ad Gentilitatem ostendendam ornarentur : ita & nostro tem- " pore in usu est, ut viri nobiles in justis funerum Exequiis, nuptiarum solenniis, '• quorundam etiam sacrorum primordiis, longa serie a proavis demissum Stemma in " medium adducant, ut scil. inde ortus sui splendorem commonstrent, dum qua- " tuor, octo, sexdecim aut triginta duo Nobilitatis suae Membra (quas vulgo qua- " teras vocant) adferunt, licet non uno eodemque ordine a singulis Insignia " locentur."
From all which we observe, that the use of arms with us, being hereditary marks of honour and noble descent, are of the same nature with the Jus Imagi- num among the Romans. Which opinion is confirmed by many famous writers, too numerous to be here inserted : But I cannot omit a modern one, the judicious John Brydal of Lincoln's-Inn, Esq. who, in his little book, intitled, Jus Imaginis apud Anglos, p. 53. says, " For, as in ancient times, the statues or images " of their ancestors were proofs of their nobility, so, of latter times, coat-arms •• came in lieu of those statues or images, and are the most certain proofs and evi- " dences of nobility. Hence it followeth, that Jus Nobilitatis is nothing else but " Jus Imaginis ; insomuch that the word Imago doth oftentimes signify nobility ; " and the right of having images with their ancestors was the same as the right " of having arms now with us." And hence it is, as Gerard Leigh tells us, in his Accidents of Armory, p. 40. " That the law of arms is for the most part directed " and regulated by the civil law."
Our armorial bearings, us hereditary marks of honour, thus succeeding in place of the Roman images and statues, naturally lead us to date their rise and origin as such, from the time of the subversion of the Roman Empire by the Goths and Vandals ; who, as they sunk many liberal arts and sciences, seem to have given birth and life to that of heraldry. These northern and barbarous nations charged their shields, and other pieces of armour, with figures of fierce animals, and almost all kinds of creatures, partly for distinction's sake in time of battle, and partly for ornament's sake, according to their own particular genius ; answerable to the common saying, " Ex iis quibus quisque magis delectatur qualis etiam ipse sit " cognoscitur."
These military marks and figures of lions, boars, wolves, &c. which they had on their shields, and other pieces of armour, became hereditary ensigns of honour, and were continued as such by them, and their posterity, and were called instead of Jus Imaginum, Tessera Gentilitiee, Insignia Gentilitia, and sometimes Arma as Budaeus in Pandect. " Prior pro iis" (speaking of the Roman images) says, " pos-
OF ARMORIES. 5
" teriora tempora Insignia Gentilitia habuerunt quae arma vulgo vocantur ; quac " ipsa quoque primum, nunc simile est veri, virtutis pr«emia fuerunt, ac rerum " pracclare gestarum decora." And elsewhere, " Gentiles tuerunt hi, qui ima- " gines sui generis proierre poterant, &• erant insignia Gentilitia qua; hodie arma " dicuntur."
Hence they became fond of the word Gentilis: And as Sehleti observes in his Titles of Honour, it came to be used, in their language, for an honourable epithet, glorying probably in that name by which the Romans used to call them in con tempt ; for the Romans used indifferently to call all those Genriles, who were not citizens of Rome.
These warlike nations, having subdued the Roman Empire, and raised their glory by military bravery, were naturally led to a high esteem of warlike achievements ; and, therefore, derived their ensigns and titles of honour from what chiefly con- cerned a soldier, and distinguished the different ranks of nobility, according to the different orders of military men, such as Miles, Eques, Scutifer, &-c. and their pos- terity, naturally desirous either to imitate, or perpetuate the warlike achievements of their ancestors, continued the same marks and ensigns of honour which were used by their ancestors : And not only so, but collateral descendants were ambi- tious to share with them in the glories of war already purchased ; and, therefore, assumed the same figures with the principal families, with some variation for dif- ference. And, in process of time, these ensigns were also desired by others, who justly reckoned, that, by extraordinary services performed in their civil capacities, they deserved as well of their Prince or country, as others had done by their mili- tary achievements. Upon which, many devices were formed into arms, and con- tinued as hereditary marks of honour, of which I am to speak particularly in the
following treatise. And so much shall serve at present for the nature and rise of
arms.
As the Goths, and their northern allies, first brought in armorial bearings, and transmitted them to their posterity as hereditary marks of honour, so did they also the feudal law, by means of which, arms grew up to farther perfection ; as is evi- dent by many armorial figures (in the following treatise) of ancient families, repre- -.enting the acknowledgments and services they were obliged to perform to their overlords and superiors, as roses, cinquefoils, spur-revels, bows and arrows, hunting- horns, ships, &c. upon which account such figures are frequent in armories all Europe over. Thus the old barons of Arran and Lorn were obliged to furnish a ship to the King in time of war, as their old charters bear ; upon which account they still carry ships, or lymphads in their arms. But of such feudal arms I have discoursed in my above-mentioned essay, and shall be more particular in my fol- lowing treatise.
Arms were very much improved, and in great esteem in the reign of King Charles the Great of France ; for which see Favin's Theatre of Honour, and Bar- tholomacus Chasa, in his Catalogue of the Glory of the World, who says, " That " that King not only constituted the Twelve Peers of France, but regulated the use " of arms." And all the French writers of that age tell us, That that great King, besides others, honoured the FrieTJanders and Scots with ensigns of honour, for their extraordinary services in his wars ; and when he and Achaius, King of Scot- land, entered into that famous league about the year 792, the double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered with flower-de-luces, was added to the arms of Scot- land, as a badge and memorial of that alliance, of which I have spoken in my fore- said essay, and shall have occasion afterwards to speak of the same in the following treatise.
For the better understanding of the antiquity and progress of Armories, as \ve now have them, I shall here mention only two grand occasions which contributed thereto, viz. the Crusades and Tournaments.
Crusades, or expeditions to the wars in the Holy Land against the Infidels, gave occasion of bearing several new figures, hitherto unknown in arms, such as the be- zants, martlets, alerions, escalopes, &-c. besides an indefinite number of crosses, which are to be seen in arms all over Europe. For they, who undertook these ex- peditions, received, from the hands of bishops and priests, little crosses, made of cloth or taflcty, which they sewed on their garments, and on which account these ex-
B
0 OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS
peditions were called Crusades. The first-of them began i'n the .year 1096; in which •almost all Christian nations engaged, and took upon them the Cross, as their man- ner of speaking was then. The form and fashion of the cross then could not but be as various as fancy could invent, to distinguish many companies of different na- tions. Which crosses became proper and fixed armorial figures to many families who had arms before these expeditions, but afterwards disused the same for the love they bore to the Cross, of which I have given several instances in my foresaid essay. By these crusades, arms were much improved all Europe over, and they gave an
increase of various forms of crosses and other figures ; of which in the following.
treatise.
Tournaments, the other occasion I mentioned of improving armories, are much more ancient than the crusades, though I have spoken of them first, and have very much improved armories, sooner or later ; not only by giving rise to figures within the shield, (such as the ordinaries as some say), but to those without the shield, which adorn and trim it in the present perfection and beauty we find arms, and which we call Achievements, i. e. complete armorial bearings, with all the exterior ornaments. And since tournaments seem to have completely built the armorial structure, (except as to marks of cadency, and the method of marshalling many coats of arms in one shield), I shall here treat of them briefly and distinctly, that my reader may somewhat understand achievements, as I speak of them in the fol- lowing treatise, till I come to treat separately of them in distinct chapters.
Some say, that Tournamenta is but the corruption of the word Trojamenta ; the Ludus Trojae, which were invented by Ascanius, and celebrated by a company of Roman youths, dressed after a' warlike manner, and generally of the best families of Rome. Others say, that Tournamenta came in place of the Ludus Trojae, and derives its name from Tour tier, a French word, (to turn round), because to be ex- pert in these military exercises, much agility both of man and horse was requisite.
Tournaments are commonly described, " Nundinae vel feriae in quibus milites ex •• condicto convenire, &• ad ostentationem virium suarum &- audaciae, temere con- " gredi solent." Or thus : " Solemn meetings, at great festivals, where nobles and " gentlemen performed martial exercises by combating together in desport." That there were such meetings as these, under the names of tournaments, joustings, has- tiludes, and tiltings, all Europe over, and especially in Germany, in the beginning of the tenth century, (where none were to be admitted who had not arms, as marks of their noble descent), is acknowledged by German, French, and English writers. Favin, in his Theatre of Honour, says, (for which he vouches Franciscus Modius's Pandectae Triumphales), That the Emperor Henry, surnamed the Birder, Duke of Saxony, in the year 936, decreed to bring in jousts and tournaments by solemn or- dinances ; and gave commandment, that the Palatine of the Rhine, and the Dukes of Bavaria and Saxony, should give, in writing, laws for regulating these meetings ; which they accordingly digested into twelve articles, in imitation of those of France, >ays Favin. By one of these articles it was decreed : " That no man should be " admitted into these festivals of arms who was not a gentleman of armories, and " of four descents at least, of noble parentage, both on the father and mother's " side; and if any man, who could not so justify his nobility by armorial ensigns, " (such as those we call quarters, or proofs of nobility, being the arms of his grand- " fathers and grandmothers), should present himself to jousts, by pretending that " he was ennobled by his Prince, (here Novi Homines were excluded), and there- " upon presumed himself worthy to be in the same rank with those of ancient no- " bility, such a man should be beaten with rods, and obliged to ride the rails, or " barriers, for his punishment." These rails, or barriers, were certain lists or stakes of wood, which surrounded the place of action, and kept off the spectators from the actors. And since I am speaking of them, I cannot but show, that though the various fashions of the trimming of armsbe brought from these honourable military exercises, yet 1 cannot be made to believe what Menestrier says, That the proper figures in this science, such as the cheveron, saltier, bend, bar, and other traverse pieces, are brought into this science, from these pieces of wood which formed and
made up the barriers, however so like to them they may seem to be ; of which
afterwards. But to proceed,
OF ARMORIES. 7
Segar, Norry King of Arms, in his treatise of Honour Military and Civil, Lib. 111. tells us also, That Henry the Birder was the first who introduced tournament > in Germany, which other nations did imitate, and had their own law-> relative to them. Our author mentions several laws, one of which was, " That it should be " lawful for all gentlemen, well born, to enter and light in these exercises of arms, " ever excepting such as had, in word or deed, blasphemed, or done or said any " thing contrary to our Christian faith, of whom, if any presume to enter the list, " we will and command, that the arms of his ancestors, with all his furniture, shall " be cast out, and his horse confiscated."
As for the frequency of tournaments solemnized in Germany, England, and Scot- land, I shall name but some, though there \vere many. — Henry the Birder solem- nized one in the city of Magdeburg, upon the first Sunday after the feast of the Three Kings, in the year 938, and in anno 943. There was another held at Rot- tenburgh, by Conrad Duke of Franconia. The Duke of Saxony solemnized ano- ther in the city of Constance, the first Sunday after the feast of All Saints, in anti'j 948. Favin gives us an account of thirty-seven tournaments, from that time till the year 1194. John Stow, in his Large Survey of London, tells us, several were anciently solemnized there every Friday in Lent, " by which, (says he), the gen- " try gave good proof how serviceable they would be in war." Upon which ac- count, Richard I. of England appointed several tournaments, " that his subjects, " (says our author), by these means, might be accustomed to horsemanship and " feats of arms ; and, consequently, better enabled to oppose their enemies the " Scots." Segar tells us of a tournament, held by King Edward the III. where David the II. King of Scotland, jousted and: carried the prize. He likewise tells us, that Richard the II. of England made solemn proclamation of a tournament, to be held at London, through Scotland, France, and Flanders, to which several stranger knights resorted.. And John Stow, in his forementioned book, says, ma- ny lords came from Scotland to that tournament, to get worship (as he calls it) by force of arms. Amongst them was the Earl of Mar, who challenged the Earl of Nottingham to joust with him ; they rode together certain courses, but not the full challenge, for the Earl of Mar was cast down, and had two of his ribs broken. The next Scotsman was Sir William Daxel, (whom I take to be Dalziel), the King of Scotland's banner-bearer ; he challenged Sir Piercy Courtney, the King of England's banner-bearer, and, when they had ridden many courses, they gave over without a seen victory. Then Cockburn, Esquire of Scotland, jousted with Sir Nicholas Howberk ; but Cockburn wras borne over, horse and man, anno 1395. On St George's clay, there was a great jousting on London bridge, (says our author), between David Earl of Crawiurd of Scotland, and the Lord Wells of England, in which the Lord Wells was, at the third course, borne out of his saddle.
In Scotland I have met with several tournaments solemnized ; but our authors are so brief that they only name them. There were three held in the reign of King William at Roxburgh, Edinburgh, and Stirling : Another in the reign of Alexander II. at Haddington ; " where," says Hector Boetius, " our nobility and '• foreign knights showed great prowess." King Alexander the III. held another at Roxburgh, upon the festivals of his son's marriage. There was another in the reign of King Robert III. ; to which came one John Morlo, an Englishman, (says our author), who gave challenge to the Scots knights ; he was taken up first by Archibald Edmonston, and, after him, by Hugh Wallace, and defeated both of them ; but at last was taken up by Hugh Traill, who overcame him. King James IV. caused proclaim a tournament through Germany, France, and England, un- der this title. " In defence of the Savage Knight," (being so called by a foreign princess), to be holden at Edinburgh, upon the festivals of his marriage with Mar- garet, eldest daughter to King Henry VII. of England ; — the fame of which tour- nament, (says Hawthornden in his History), brought many foreign lords and knights to Scotland. Challenges were given and received in defence of the Savage Knight ; and, several days before the joustings, the shields of the nobility and gentry of Scotland, with their helmets, wreaths, crest, and devices, were hung upon the barriers, or other places near by, which were guarded with strong and robust highlandmen, in savage dresses, which gave occasion to many families with us, whose progenitors were actors in that tournament, to have savages for their
8 OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS, &c.
supporters. To these tournaments with us none were admitted but those that were truly noble, as is evident by their proclamations, directed, of old, to earl%
barons, and knights ; and, since the reign of King James I. lords and barons ;
for which see Lindsay of Pitscotie's Manuscript, in the Lawyers' Library at Edin- burgh.
Having thus briefly given an account of the nature of tournaments, and the laws relative to nobility and arms, with a few instances of them, as solemnized both at home and abroad, I shall now add some observes from the ceremonies and customs used in the solemnities of tournaments, from some of their formulas which I have met with, from which some heralds bring the first use of exterior ornaments which adorn the shield, especially Menestrier.
It was the custom of those who went to these military exercises, to be in a com- plete military equipage, with arms on their shields, surcoat, and caparisons of their horses, as they are to be seen on the equestrian sides of many ancient seals with us and other nations, and on several sculptures, as Plate I. with their esquires riding before, carrying their masters tilting-spears, with their pennons of arms at them ; and in their left hand, the timbre, i. e. the helmets which were to be worn in the exercise, adorned with pieces of silk, mistress's favours, wreaths, or torses, being of the tinctures of the arms, and their proper liveries, and thereupon the crest or device. When the knights came near the barriers, where the joustings were to be held, they blew and winded a horn or trumpet, which gave advertise- ment to the heralds, who were there attending, to come forth, to receive their name, armorial bearing, and their other proofs of nobility ; which accordingly they per- formed, and recorded in their books : From which, it is said, came Heraldry, or Art of Blazon, a German word, which signifies to wind a horn, now taken for a regular description of arms, in their proper terms ; whence the German families have their helmets frequently adorned with several horns or trumpets, to show how often they have jousted in tournaments.
After the heralds have recorded the names, arms, and proofs of nobility of the knights, their shields of arms, with helmets, mantlings, wreaths, and crests, with which they were to joust, were hung up by the left corner, with the timbre, (in that posture which we call couchie, which we meet with in many shields of arms on old monuments and seals, and shows the owners had been received into tour- naments) upon windows, pavilions, trees, barriers, or other fit places, near to the place of jousting, some days before the action ; to the end that every one might be known by his arms, crest and liveries, to the actors, judges and spectators : With whom, and the ladies, the heralds went about, and described the arms, and gave an account of their owners, whom the ladies took the freedom to praise or dispraise ; whence, sometimes, the word blazon is taken to praise or dispraise.
Then challenges were given by the knights to one another, which were per- formed, by touching their shields with such weapon as they were to just with, cither with blunts or sharps. For the better understanding of which, I shall add here a piece of a formula of a tournament, held at Ingueleur in France, in the year 1389, sent by the French lords and gentlemen to the English, by way of a challenge, as in Segar's Treatise of Honour Civil and Military, Book III. being thus : " We likewise give you to understand, that such order is taken, that every ' one of us shall have his shield and impress hung on the outside of his pavilion, ' to the end if any one of you desire to run at tilts, then that the day before, you ' may with a lance, or such as you intend to joust with, touch the shield ; and • who intends to try his fortune, with blunt and sharp, must touch the shield with ' both, and signify his name and arms to them that have our shields in keeping." Those who attended the shields, so hung and exposed, (which the French call a faire fenestre}, Menestrier tells us, were the knights' servants or pages, who were dressed in such fashions as their masters fancied, making them sometimes appear like savages, Saracens, Moors, Sirens, and other monsters ; and sometimes under the disguise of lions, bears, &-C. who guarded the shields, with one or more heralds, to take an account of the names and arms of those, as also their weapons, with which they touched the shields, and to list them for combat. From which cus- toms and form, says our author, came the use of tenans and supporters, represent- ing men and beasts, at the sides of the shield : So that those, it seems, who were
OF THE DEFINITION AND DIVISION OF ARMS. Q.
Hiied to be admitted into jousts and tournaments, though but gentlemen hud ri^ht to carry supporters ; but now they are allowed to none under the dignity ol a lord-baron, except those who have right to them by prescription. But more of this afterwards, when I come to treat ot" the exterior ornaments.
Having given my reader a general idea of the rise, growth, and improvement of arms, to the present structure we now find them in, called Armorial Achievement1-. I must put an end to this general discourse, to begin and proceed to treat ,sepa rutely, as 1 have proposed, .of all the figures and pieces of armories, with i ! attributes and proper terms, in the following chapters of this treat;
CHAP. II.
OF THE DEFINITION AND DIVISION OF AR '
I DEFINE Arms, hereditary marks of honour, regularly composed of certain tine- lures and figures, granted or authorised by sovereigns, for distinguishing, differ- encing, and illustrating persons, families, and communities.
These marks of honour being represented upon shields, surcoats, banners, pen- nons, and other military instruments and ensigns, as is said before, are called arms, coats of arms, and armorial ensigns ; by the French, armories ; and in Latin, Anna Centilitia, Tessera; Gentilities, Insignia, Phrenofchemata, i3 Deigmata.
Hereditary marks of honour, regularly composed of certain tinctures and figures, distinguish arms from other signs and marks of soldiers, merchants and tradesmen, which are but arbitrary, during pleasure ; as also from hieroglyphics, symbols, emblems and devices, which have no fixed and certain tinctures, but may be com- posed of any colours or figures.
The words, Granted or authorised by sovereigns, exclude all arbitrary marks and signs ; such as those assumed by the ignoble at their own pleasure, which cannot be called ensigns of honour, however like to arms they may seem : For, " Nemo potest dignitatem sibi arrogare sine principis licentia. None can assume the " marks of honour, without the allowance" of the sovereign ;" arms being only allow- ed to the noble, and the ignoble are discharged the use of them, by the laws of all well-governed nations.
The words, For distinguishing, differencing, and illustrating persons, families, and communities, show the three principal ends of arms.
The first, is to distinguish the noble from the ignoble, the worthy from the un- worthy, by marks of honour and noble descent, conferred by princes upon their well-deserving subjects and their families, in reward of their virtuous actions and brave attempts.
The second end of arms, is to difference the branches or cadets of one and the same family ; that the first may be known from the second, and he again from the third, and the third from the fourth, and so on, were there never so many of them.
The third end and design of arms, is to illustrate persons, families, and com- munities, with ensigns of noble descent, and other additaments of honour, with- in and without the shield : All which I shall fully handle in this Treatise of Heraldry.
The division which I make of arms, in order to my intended method, is, into essential parts, and accidental ones, and of parts within and without the shield, and ot their various species and kinds.
By the first, I understand tinctures and figures, without which, no arms can be. By accidental, attributes which follow figures in their various shapes, as ingrailed, invccted, embattelled, &-c. The parts within the shield, are those contained within the limits of the shield : And, by parts without the shield, I understand the ex- terior ornaments, such as crests, helmets, mantlings, supporters, &-c. And as for the species and kinds of arms, such as, arms of alliance, of patronage, gratitude, concession, dominion, noble feus and pretensions ; all which I shall fully treat of in their proper places. And, before I proceed, I shall here give a description of
C
OF THE SURCOAT, ENSIGN, AND SHIELD.
those utensils and things, upon which arms have been anciently, and of later placed ; such as, the surcoat, ensign, and shield.
CHAP. III.
OF THE SURCOAT, ENSIGN, AND SHIELD.
THESE are called by heralds, the three principal signs of honour, upon the account that arms have been commonly placed upon them ; which I ^hall here briefly describe.
The surcoat, is a thin, loose, light, taftety coat, used by military men over their ar- mour ; upon which their arms were painted or embroidered, that they might be distinguished in time of battle. Sovereigns and other great men are represented on the equestrian side of their seals, on horseback, with such surcoats of arms. Sandford, in his Genealogical History of England, tells us, " That Gilbert Earl of " Clare was killed in the battle of Bannockburn by the Scots, for want of his " surcoat of amis ; who otherwise would have been saved, because he was a near " kinsman to King Robert the Bruce." These surcoats were much of the same shape and form of those now worn by heralds.
The other principal sign of honour, is the ensign ; under which general name, are comprehended standards, banners, pennons, gideons, and gonfanouns.
The first two, standards and banners, are of a square form, painted or embroidered with the whole achievements of those, who have right to display them in the field, or in solemnities ; and anciently they were allowed to none under the degree of a knight-banneret.
The pennon and gideon are of an oblong figure, and ending in a sharp point or two, carried on the points of spears ; and on them are only painted a part of the owner's arms, such as his device,. crest, and motto.
The gonfanoun is a banner or standard of the church, which is square, but has rhree labels or fanions (i.e. pieces of stuff, from which it is named), hanging down ; and the bearers thereof are called gonfaloniers.
Arms have also appeared anciently upon the furniture of horses, such as the caparisons, as may be seen on the seals of kings, and other great men, who are re- presented on horseback, holding on their left arm the shield of their arms, and the same armorial figures embroidered on the caparisons of their horses. I have seen a *eal of Alexander II. King of Scotland, appended to a charter of confirmation of
-,;ral lands to the abbacy of Melrose, upon which he is represented sitting on a throne with a crown on his head, in his right hand a sceptre, and in his left a mond : On the other side of this seal, he is represented on horseback in his coat of mail, holding in his right hand a sword, and on his left arm a shield, with the arms of Scotland, and the same arms are on the caparisons of his horse. Sandford, in his Genealogical History, makes King Edward I. of England, the first of their kings fhat had the arms of England on the caparisons of his horse; so that the fustom of placing arms upon caparisons was sooner with us than in England. I have seen the seals of the earls of March, Fife, &c. appended to evidents in the reign of Alexander III. whereon they were represented on horseback, holding their >hield of arms ; and the same on the caparisons of their horses.
I shall not insist here further upon several other things, on which arms have been placed, but proceed to the principal one, the shield, called by the ancients Scutum, from the Greek word ™«Te?, Corium, because they were made or covered with hides of beasts. From Scutum comes also the French words Escu and Escus- sion; the English Escutcheon; and the Italian Scudo, for a shield: From which • came these titles of honour, Scutifer, Scutiger ; the Spanish Escudros ; the French Escuire ; and the English Esquire.
The shield was also called Clypeus, wo ™ yKvtfcm, Sculpere to engrave ; because figures Di armorial bearings or achievements were commonly painted, engraven, or imr- bossed upon it ; as Virgil,
Mutemus Clypeos, Danaumque insignia nobis dptemus
JOO
P urn art
Emun. CcrttnErnwri, Vavr.
Courderfttent
L ,
L11J.J TT^TT
OF THE SURCOAT, ENSIGN, AND SHIELD. i r
As the shield \vas a necessary instrument in defence of the body, so was it with the ancients an honourable badge or -ign ; for, with the Grecians and Romaic, they who returned from the battle without 'it, were in great disgrace, and interdicted from holy things, as the antiquaries of those nations write. And as the shield v.a necessary and honourable, so it was judged by all nations the most coin en: tabula, to contain marks of valour and honour, as Bccmannus very well oi, Dissert. VI. Chap. V11I. " Scutum cur veteres potissimum eligerent, ratio iuit " quod inter anna maxime conspicuum esset, ac dclensivis puritcr atque oilen . " armis omnibus nobilius haberetur."
Antiquaries, historians, and heralds, amuse us with many various forms of shields used by the ancients, which are but of little use to us, therefore I shall be very- brief with them. There is no kingdom, people, or country, but have had several forms and fashions of shields, as they have had of apparel, ot which I shall give here only some few forms, ancient and modern, that ha\e been generally known and received all Europe over.
. Shields for the most part of old were to be seen triangular on the ancientest monuments, seals and coins; by the French called VAncien Ecu, as in Plate I. fig. i. that is the ancient shield : Arid from this triangular form, came the custom in heraldry, of placing the greatest number of figures above, and the smallest be- low, as 2 and i ; and if more figures, such as stars, 4, 3, 2, and i. This form of shield is to be seen on our ancientest monuments with figures so situated.
The other form of a shield, Plate I. fig. 2. now universally used, is square, rounded and pointed at the bottom, as Monsieur Baron describes it, in his Art of Blazon ; " Quarre arrondi &- pointu par la bas ;" which they say is after the fashion of the Samnitic shield used by the Romans. Sylvester Petra Sancta, in his Treatise of Heraldry, cap. n. says, " Existimo enim ad scuti Samnitici ftirmam " interne cuneatam &• pinnatam, aequalem autem superne exigi posse materiatam " scuti hujus honorarii figurationem." Shields after this form, are commonly made use of by the Britons, French, and Germans.
The Spaniards and Portuguese, have the like form of shields ; but they are round at the bottom, without a point, Plate I. fig. 3. The Germuns, besides the former, have other forms of shields whereon they place their arms ; two of which I shall here add. The first has its sides sloping, and again bulging at the flanks, as fig. 4. and the other, as fig. 5. has nicks and notches, called a shield-chancre ; because a shield after this form was used of old by them as a convenient one for resting the lance upon the notch, and in giving a thrust ; yet its form is not so convenient as the former ones to receive armorial figures. The two shields first mentioned, have been, and are more frequently used than any other form of shields.
Besides these various forms of shields, we find them also frequently distinguished by their different positions ; some being carried erect, and others pendant, or hanging by the right or left upper corner : This the French call Escu Pendu, and the Italians, Scuto Pe ndente ; the reason given for it, is, that when tiltings and tournaments were proclaimed, they that were to joust in these military exercises, were obliged to hang up their shields of arms some days before the time of exer- , along the windows and balconies of the houses, near the place of action, and if in the field, upon trees, pavilions, or barriers of the place of jousting ; that they who were judges, or otherwise assisted in these noble exercises, might know the actors. Columbier says, " That they who wrere to fight on foot had their shields " hung by the right corner, and they on horseback by the left." This position of the shield is called pendant by some, and couche by others, and was very fre- quent all Europe over, from the eleventh century to the fourteenth. But all the shields couche or pendant that I have met with of the sons of the royal family of Scotland and England, and of the nobility of these kingdoms, were pendant, or couche by the sinister, and very few by the dexter cornel- : The shield, pendant, or couche, when lying on the right side, was then a mark that the owner thereof • had formerly been exercised in tournaments, into which none were admitted but those that were truly noble. And it "may not be improper here to observe, that no sovereign ever carried his shield pendant or couche i because, as soverei,. they never formally entered the lists of tournaments.
12 OF THE SURCOAT, ENSIGN, AND SHIELD.
The Italians, for the most part, have their shields of arms after an oval form, tig. 6. in imitation, it is thought, of those used by Popes, and other eminent church- men. '; .imedest writer on heraldry, Sylvester Petra Sancta, regrets the use
of oval shields in Italy, who says, " Nunc figura Scuti ovalis usurpatur, retinetur- " que nescio an ex pictorum &- sculptorum imperitia." Others tell us, that the oval shield is not so honourable as those we have given before, as not representing any ancient nobility or descent, nor glory purchased in war, but a burgherly or citizen fame, and praise of learning, as Philobertus Camponile, whose words the anonymous author of Observation?* Eugenealogica:, Lib. II. cap. 5. gives us thus, " Ejusmodi scutis rotundis non indicari vetustam. originem, nee partem in bello " gloriam, sed urbanam laudera, solum famam Eruditionis ac Literarum :" And our anonymous author, in his forecited place, adds, " Qui nullo gaudet Nobilitatis " Jure, vel qui per Artes Mechanicas aliove modo eo Jure destitutus est, signa si " qvuehabet, neutiquam in 'scuto aut Clypeo exhibere posse: sed aut in forma " rotunda aut ovali, & a seuto distincta ;" /. e . Those who have not the privilege of nobility, or have had, and lost the privilege, by using mechanical arts, or by any other means, cannot place their arms on a formal shield, but on round or oval ones. But though oval shields be not looked upon as honourable in some coun- tries, and especially in our author's country, Flanders, yet in Italy, wre find not only the popes, and churchmen of noble descent, place their arms on oval shields or cartouches, but even the secular princes in Italy ; which they would not do, if they looked upon round or oval shields, as any way derogatory from their honour, but" still retain them, as of the ancientest form used by the Romans.
Women place their paternal arms on lozenges and fusils. The lozenge is a square figure, with one of its angles upmost, Plate I. fig. 7. ; and the fusil is such another, but longer than broad, and its upmost and undermost angles sharper than those at the sides, fig. 8. Plutarch tells, in the life of Theseus, That in the city of Mega- ra, (in his time), the tomb-stones, under which the bodies of the Amazons lay, were shaped after the form of a lozenge ; which some conjecture to be the cause . why women have their arms upon lozenges. Others again, that the fusil signifies a spindle, and represents one full of yarn, a proper instrument for women. Sylva- nus Morgan, and other English heralds, fancy, that the form of shields used by men was taken from Adam's spade, and women's from Eve's spindle. The French have a saying from their pretended Salic law, " Nunquam corona a lancea tran- " sibit ad fusum ;" '• the crown of France passes not from the lance to the distaff or t'usil." Sylvester Petra Sancta will have the form of women's shields to represent a cushion, whereupon they used to sit and spin, or do other housewifery, and calls it, " Pulvillum in quo exercent mulieres lintearia opificia." Sir John Feme has another notion of a woman's shield, to be from that square one, used sometimes by the Romans, called Tessera, which they finding unfit for war, did afterwards allow to women, to place their paternal ensigns upon, with one of its angles always up- most, as a tessera of their noble descent.
I have given these few forms of shields, generally made use of all Europe over, and passed over many other forms, which some writers ascribe to the ancients, as being of no use to this science, nor a part of blazon. I, shall add here the form of a cartouch, upon the account that some heralds tell us, That they, who have not right to carry arms on formal shields, may place them on cartouches. Favin, in Ins Theatre of Honour, and Menestrier, in his Treatise of Exterior Ornaments, and in his Abrege Methodique des Armories, gives us this form of a cartouch, fig. 9. '•arried by the village of Lyons in France. Others, again, tell us, That cartouches, i. e. false shields or compartments, are most frequently oval, having a mullet or ae round it, with flourishes coupe tortile, like to that used by the Popes, out of humility as they pretend. Monsieur L'Abbe Danet, in his Dictionary, says, " A " cartouche, ornamentique d'un fait de sculpture &• de peinture qui represente des " rouleaux des cartes c'oupe'es & tortillees ;" such as these embellishments w7hich placed at the sides of geographical maps, and frontispieces of books, wherein .ire commonly placed the names of countries, titles of books, marks and figures of merchants and tradesmen ; and are like those compartments below achievements of arms whereon the supporters stand, and in which are placed the names, desig- nations, &C. belonging to the owners.
OF THE TINCTURES, &c. 13
So then formal shields, above given, are ancient and honourable signs, and by all nations, tor placing on them the fixed figures of noble families, yet in the blazon of them, neither the form nor position of the shield is ever mentioned, though it be the continent, or containing part of armories ; and whether we con- sider the shield itself as a solid or geometrical body, or as the imitation of such a body, drawn with lines or purfles, by a pen or pencil, upon paper, or any thing : The superficies of that geometrical body, or the space within the bounding lines, is called with us and the English, thejicld; by the Italians and Spaniards, campo; and by the Latins, area, fundus, campus ; and must be of the tinctures received in this science, of which I proceed to treat.
CHAP. IV.
OF THE TINCTURES, OR ARMORIAL COLOURS.
THE essential parts of arms, (by some called the Elements of Armories), by our former definitio'n, are Tinctures and Figures. Tincture is a general word for metals and colours made use of in the science of heraldry ; and, in place of it, the French use the word Emaux, i. e. Enamelling, in placing colour upon gold and silver, the two metals in armories.
The tinctures, or armorial colours are seven, viz. two metals, gold and silver, and five colours, blue, red, black, green, and purple.
These tinctures are said, by Sylvester Petra Sancta and others, to be taken from the liveries of the four companies which acted upon the Roman theatres ; and Me- nestrier would have them brought from the Roman legions, as in his L' Origine de 1'Art du Elason.
In this science, tinctures, as well as figures, have their proper and fixed terms all Europe over, to which heralds hold close in their blazons ; so that almost all na- tions understand arid receive them in these terms, as an universal language, whiclr \vc very much owe to the French. And the terms of the tinctures are these :
|
Or, |
i. e. Gold. |
|
Argent, |
i. e. Silver. |
|
Azure, |
i. e. Blue. |
|
Gules, |
i.e. Red. |
|
Sable, |
i. e. Black. |
|
Vert, or 7 Simple, 5 |
i. e. Green. |
|
Purpure, |
i. e. Purple. |
There have been some debates among heralds, which of these tinctures are most honourable. All agree in giving precedency to the metals or and argent ; but the contest is in ranking the colours, some esteeming them more noble, according to nature, as they participate most of light. As Upton, a canon of Sarum-Wells in England, in his Treatise of Arms, ranks them thus : azure, gules, purpure, vert, sable, preferring azure to gules, grounding his opinion on that laying, " Golores " esse nobiliores, aut ignobiliores quo de albedine vel nigredine plus participant."
Others prefer those colours that can be best distinguished at the greatest distance, and the farther these distinctions or colours appear, they are, according to them, the more noscible and commendable ; upon which head they tell us, the Imperial Black Eagle is placed in a white" field. Gerard Leigh prefers gules to azure, be- cause it is nearer to the colour of the metal or than azure, which participates ot the metal argent. And some prefer sable before vert and pur pure, because its deepness is more conspicuous at a distance ; and they prefer vert to purpure, because the last was but lately received into this science. But all these precedencies given to tinctures must be considered with this proviso, that there be no other special reasons for the bearing of them otherwise in the ensigns of kingdoms and families.
In all coats of arms there must be, at least, two tinctures ; and there is a gene- ral rule given by heralds, that the field should be of a more noble tincture than:
D
,4 OF THE TINCTURE
the figure placed upon it ; as in the arms of Scotland, the fit-Id ia or, the figure, the lion, is gules. Again, if the field consist of two different tinctures, parted/*-; fi-sse, parted per pale, &c. the noblest tincture should be on the upper part, or on 'the right side of the shield, as Hoppingius, Cap. XI. lex. 4. " Quoties arma iiunt " ex diversis coloribus, semper nobilior color nobiliore in loco ponendus ;" pro- viding always, as before, there be no ether special reason for the contrary.
Those tinctures at the first view, when painted and illuminated, are known by their natural colours ; and when carved and engraven on copperplate, they were anciently known by the initial letters of their names. But now in Tailledouce they are known by points, hatches, or small lines ; which contrivance some impute to the French, and others to the Italian, Sylvester Petra Sancta ; which I shall here show, as I speak separately of the tinctures.
1. Or, a French word which signifies gold, its colour is yellow; and in Latin blazons, these words are used for it, aureus color, aurum, lutcum, croceum\flavum, gal- binum. This tincture was anciently known in engravings by the letter O, but now by points and ticks, as fig. i. Plate I.
2. Urgent, i. e. silver, its colour is white ; the Latins say, argenteus color, a/bus, and argtntum. It was anciently known in Tailledouce by the letter A, but now it js blank, and has no mark, as fig. 2.
3. Azure, i. c. blue, is said to have come from an Arabic or Persian word lazunl or lazurion, which signifies the same ; it is variously latinized by heralds, caruleus, cyaneus, glaucum, and cesium. It was represented by the letter B, now by horizon- tal or thwart hatches, as fig. 3.
4. Gules, or Gueules, i. e. red ; some bring it from gula, the throat, because it is always red ; others from an Arabian word gule, which signifies a red rose; and others will have it from cusculium, cochineal, wherewith they dye scarlet : The La- tins, for gules, say, roseus color ; rubor, rubeus; sanguineus, coccineus ; and Petra Sancta uses these words, puniceum, purpureum ; conchileatum, ostreum, mineo vel cin- nabri illusuni. Gules was known in Tailledouce by the letter R, now by perpendicu- lar hatches. Fig. 4.
5. Sable, i. c. black ; some would have it come from the black furr called sables ; others from the French word sable, which signifies sand or earth, being dark or black : The Latins say, niger, furvus, pullus, fuscus, ater, iS sabuleum. It was known by the letter S, and now, in engravings, by cross hatches, perpendicular and horizontal, as fig. 5.
6. Vert, the common French word for green, is not used in their blazons ; but the word sinople, taken from the town Sinople in the Levant, where the best ma- terials for dying green are found.
I find green termed prasin, from a Greek word which signifies a leek ; the La- tins say, viridus or prasinum. It was known by the letter V, now by thwart or diagonal hatches from right to left, as fig. 6.
7. Purpure, i. e. purple colour, is said to have its name from a shell-fish called purpura, which gave materials for that colour. It was known by the letter P, now by thwart or diagonal hatches from left to right, fig. 7.
I must take leave a little here, to give the opinion of ancient heralds, who say, that the last two colours were not so soon received in armories, especially in England, as the former colours. John Bassardo, of that nation, who wrote in the reign of Richard II. says. That in armories there were two principal colours, white and black, and the other three, yellow, blue, and red, were composed out of the first two, and that some heralds of late added the colour green. Henry Spelman, his coun- tryman, who wrote long after him, tells us, that the colour purpure was but newly added, and that he did never see that colour in English arms. Menestrier says likewise, That in France, purpure was never found in arms, except to represent the natural colour of fruits, as grapes, — of birds, as peacocks, &c. which are then bla- zoned proper ; that is, in their natural colours : — For if purpure had been an armo- rial colour, it would not have been wanting in the ensigns of Kings and Princes, where it is not to be met with, neither have I found it in any of our nobility and gentry's arms, but of late, in a new family.
Some tells us, that purpure is a royal colour peculiar to Princes ; in so far, that all subjects were, by edicts, discharged the use of it, and the shell wherein it grew.
OR ARMORIAL COLOURS ic
, culled Saccr-mwcx : And the reason it was not so frequent in heraldry, that the shell-fish, in which that material was found, and the art of extracting or perfecting it, has been lost, ever since the Turks got pos^-.ion of the fishing at Tyre, and other places, where these shell-fishes grew. And the colour which we have in place of it, being composed of a red and a little black, or, as some <ay, of red and blue, has not been thought worthy to be received as an armorial colour. And though it be pretended by some, that the lion in the arms of the kingdom of Leon in Spain, and the horse in the arms of Westphalia, and the lion in the arnu of Bohemia, are of the colour purpure, and have been so blazoned by some, yet h in they are mistaken; for gules, i. e. red, is called purptireus color, as before, by Sylvester Pctra Sancta : And Bartolus, the lawyer and herald, who obtained right from the Emperor to carry the arms of Bohemia, knew the colour of his own arms best, and gives them thus in his Treatise de Insigniif, " Ut ego &• omnes de agni- " tionc mea leonem rubeum cum caudis cluabus in campo aureo portaremus." That purpure and gules are all one armorial colour is clear ; and that which gave occasion to some to believe that purpure was used of old as a distinct colour, is onU the alteration (says Menestrier) that is made sometimes on silver towards the co- lour purple, especially when silver lies in moist places, and is exposed to the wea- ther ; which made some unadvisedly to blazon the silver horse of Westphalia, pur- pure: And it is the known reason, wrhy illuminators and painters make no use of silver for writing, but only of gold, because the silver turns to a purpure colour. Sylvester Petra Sancta says, The reason why purpure is seldom used in armories, is, because it is only made use of by churchmen at the altars, and not by military men in the camp : His words are these, " Quia violatius color aris non castris me- " ruit, nee tint in vestibus &- in clypeis lionorariis qui castra sequebantur."
Besides these five colours named, the English heralds give other two colours, more rarely used Him purpure, and of less esteem; such as tenney and sanguine, which I cannot pass over, lest I seem to omit a part of the English heraldry.
Ttnney is a colour, say they, composed of red and yellow, by some called Brusque ; .md they make it to be known in Tailledouce by diagonal lines from right to left, and, ^ contra, from left to right.
Sanguine colour is a duskish red, which sometimes, they say, belongs to the Princes of WTales, and to the habits of the Knights of the Bath, and Serjeants at Law ; and they point it out in Tailledouce, by diagonal hatches from right to left, and horizontal ones.
These two colours are, by the English heralds, appropriated to abatements of honour, and so are dishonourable stained colours ; yet, says Guillim, if other figures be of these two colours, they are looked upon as honourable : But neither he, nor others, have ever given instances of any honourable families carrying figures of such colours that I have met with. Randal Holm, who wrote since Guillim, in his Academy of Armory, speaking of colours, says, " These two last colours, san- " gitine and tenney, have been used by the Dutch and Germans, but not with us in " England ; and, therefore," says he, " I do not set them down in the plate of " cuts with the other colours." And in the i8th page of his book says, " There " are indeed properly no more than four colours in arms with British men ; which " are gules, azure, sable, and vert ; and two metals, or and argent."
Of these tw:o metals and four colours, are all the fields and figures of arms, ex- cept some natural figures, such as grapes, oranges, peacocks, &c. which, when they are represented in their natural colours, are then blazoned proper, without . mentioning their colours. Some heralds will have those tinctures above-mention- ed to have mystical significations, and to represent moral, politic, and military virtues, in the bearers of such colours ; which fancies I designedly omit as ridicu- lous : For arms, of whatsoever tinctures they be, are equally noble, data paritate gestantium, if the bearers of them be of equal dignity. But lest I should seem to be defective in this part of ajmories, and because most of the English writers not only insist too tediously on their virtues and qualities which they fancy they re- present, but give out for a rule in this science, that gentlemen's arms should b<- blazoned by tinctures, the nobility's by precious stones, and sovereign princes' by planets, to show their supposed eminent virtues, by which also they blazon. Of such fantastical blazons, I shall subjoin the following scheme ; and if it seem
i6
OF THE TINCTURES,
too narrow for some, who love to use other different ways, by the months, days of the week, &-c. I recommend them to John Feme's Glory of Generosity.
|
COLOURS, |
TINCTURES, |
PRECIOUS STONES, |
PLANETS, |
VIRTUES. |
|
Yellow |
Or |
Topaz |
Sol |
Faith |
|
White |
Argent |
Pearl |
Luna |
Innocency |
|
Blue |
Azure |
Sapphire |
Jupiter |
Loyalty |
|
Red |
Gules |
Ruby |
Man |
Magnanimity |
|
Black |
Sable |
Diamond |
Saturn |
Prudence |
|
Green |
Vert |
Emerald |
Venus |
Love |
|
Purple Tenney Blood-Colour |
Purpure Tf/iney Sanguine |
Amethyst Jacinth Sardonix |
Mercury Drains-Head Dragons-Tail |
Temperance j°y Fortitude |
That these are but mere fancies, and are likewise unfit for the art in which they are employed, is clear from the following reasons given by Sir George Mac- kenzie of Rosehaugh, in his Science of Heraldry, p. 19.
I. The French, from whom the English derive their heraldry, and to whom they conform themselves, not only in principles and terms of art, but even in ex- trinsic words of the French language, do not only disallow these different ways of blazoning, but constantly treat them in ridicule.
II. The Italian, Spanish, and Latin heralds, use no such different forms, but blazon by the ordinary colours and metals, as Sylvester Petra Sancta in his Trea- tise, p. 58. " Non variari nomina debent metallorum vel colorum in magnatum, " aut in Regum Insigniis, pro hac re provoco ad Scriptores caeteros qui Gallice, " Germanice, aut Latine hac de re disseruerunt.
The great design of heraldry, is, to have the art of blazon universal, and to have the arms they describe, generally understood in all nations ; yea, and even Mr Cartwright their countryman, does condemn these ways as fantastical.
III. Art should imitate nature ; and as it would be an unnatural thing in com- mon discourse, not to call red, red, because a prince wears it ; so it is unnatural to use these terms in heraldry ; and it may fall out to be very ridiculous in some blazons : As for instance, if a prince had for his arms, an ass couchant under his burthen, gules, it were very ridiculous to say, that he had an ass couchant Mars ; for the word Mars will agree very ill with asses, sheep, lambs, and many other things which are to be painted red in heraldry ; and a hundred other examples may be given, but it is enough to say, that this is to confound colours with •„ barges, and the things that are borne, with colours.
IV. As this is unnecessary, so it confounds the reader, and makes the art un- pleasant, and deters gentlemen and others from studying it, and strangers from understanding what our heraldry is ; nor could the arms of our princes and no- bility be translated in this disguise into any other language.
But that which convinceth me most, (says our learned author), that this is an error, is, because it makes the great rule unnecessary, whereby colour cannot be put upon colour, or metal upon metal, for this cannot hold, but when metals and colours are employed, and named.
Having now fully treated of armorial colours, as the first elements or essential parts of armories, according to that part of the above definition, composed of tinc- tures and figures, I lay it down as a principle, that a shield of one of the foresaid tinctures only, without any figure, cannot be called a coat of arms, or an armorial bearing, no more than a red coat or a black hat, arms ; and no more than a piece of virgin -wax can be called a seal, nor a sheet of clean paper an evident, for two tinctures are absolutely necessary, at least, to form a coat of arms ; and when two tinctures meet in one shield, (though there be no proper or natural figure), there appears a partition or terminating line, which makes a figure, however small ; and is sufficient to make an armorial bearing, as will appear by the following par- titions of the field, and of furrs, ermine and vair, of which I proceed to treat.
OF THE FURRS IN HERALDRY, &c. 17
CHAP. V.
OF THE FURRS IN HERALDRY, ERMINE AND VAJR.
FURRS used in arms are two, ermine and vnir, which are composed of two or more of the foresaid tinctures : Heralds generally bring their hrst use in armories, from the robes and mantles of princes and chief commanders, which were lined or doubled with such furrs.
Feme, in his Lacie's Nobility, p. 72. says, That Priamus, King of Troy, in it mantle doubled with ermine, fought against the Grecians ; and that the old Dukc- of Brittany in France, as deriving their descent from him, carried ermine ; which that dukedom continues to carry till this day. Columbier, Sir George Mackenzie, and others, tell us, That le Seignior de Caucis, fighting in Hungary, and percei- \ ing his army to fly, did pull out the lining or doubling of his cloak, which was of the furr vair, and displayed it as an ensign to. rally his men ; which, for its good effect, became the fixed armorial bearing of that seigniory.
That furrs were anciently in use in arms, we have an ancient instance of Pope Innocent III. who, in giving absolution to Henry of Falkenburg, as being acces- sory to the slaughter of Conrad, the first Bishop of Wurtzburg, enjoined him, for penance, to fight against the Saracens, but never to appear in ermine and vair, or any other armorial colours made use of in tournaments.
Sir George Mackenzie gives another rise to furrs in his Science of Heraldry, where he says, " As shields were anciently painted, or covered with skins, as the " targets or shields of our Highlanders yet are, the painting gave occasion to the " colours formerly treated of, and the covering to the furrs or skins now used, " which I take," says he, " to be a better rise for their being in arms than to say " that they were used in mantles or garments." But, with all due deference to that great man, I think that Sylvester Petra Sancta, and others, with a great deal of reason and probability, bring both the tinctures and furrs in armories, from the habits and garments of military men and civil magistrates, to the shield ; — of which more particularly in the Chapter of Partitions. But to proceed to the description of furrs in armories.
There are then two principal furrs, ermine and vair ; with their different kinds. Ermine is the skin of a little beast, about the bigness of a squirrel, whose furr is al- together white except the tip of his tail, which is black, with which the white furr is besprinkled for beauty's sake ; and for its rarity and beauty is looked upon as a royal and noble furr. The Kings of Scotland and England have their royal robes doubled with this furr : And a distinguishing sign of the degrees of nobility in Britain, is, the number of rows or bars of ermine allowed to them by sovereigns, to wear on their robes, as signs of their degrees of nobility. A duke, in his man- tle of state, has four bars of ermine allowed him ; a marquis, three and a half; the earls, three ; the viscounts and lords, say our present writers, have only their man- tles find robes faced up with a white furr, taken for a Litivite's skin. This furr is so much esteemed by our European Kings, that, as Menestrier tells us, at the coro- nation of Henry II. of France, for want of true ermines to line his robes, they were forced to make use of cloth of silver, spotted with pieces of black velvet, to repre- sent ermine.
Several heralds have been at pains to trace the etymology of ermine. Some, probably enough, derive it from Armenia, where this little creature is to be found. For the furr ermine the Latins say, muris Armenia veil 'us ; and sometimes exuvia; Pontici muris, from the country of Pont us, where it is also to be found. And it i- observed by some, that those got there are not so white, neither the tip of their tail so black, as those in Armenia, from which country it has more co;nmonly it- name. Others, as Edward Bolton in his Elements of Armories, Chap. XXX. di-,- approvcs the derivation, of ermine from Armenia ; because these creatures are call- ed there gtinutales ; and he brings the name from bermes or herme, which were long square stones, formed like a statue, set up anciently by the Romans in their public ways, and dedicated to Mercury ; and these bermes or berme were used al-
E
i* OF THE FURR ERMINE.
so in adorning sepulchres and libraries. So, by this hardy derivation of Bolton'., every spot of ermine in arms stands for a her me, or shadow thereof, turning a shield, ermine, into a Roman Atrium, which contained the images or statues of the noble Romans. This derivation, however improbable it may seem, I thought fit to give, in regard it hath some congruity with the most probable opinion, that armories had their rise from the Jus Imaginum.
Ermine is represented by a white field powdered or seme of black spots, irregu- larly disposed as it were ; which black spots have their points upward, and topped with three ticks of black, as fig. 8. And when a shield, or field, or figure, is of this furr, argent and sfible, it is, in the blazon, only called ermine.
As for its different kinds, or sorts, in armories, they are after the same form, but of different tinctures : As, if the field be sable, and the spots argent, it is called con- tre en/lint' ; by the English, ermines, fig. 9. If the field be or, and the spots sable, the English call it erminois ; and when the field is black, and the spots or, they call it pe.'in. And they have another sort which they call erminits ; that is, when a hair of red, or a little gules, is placed at the sides of the black spots in a white field. But the last three sorts are rarely to be met with, even in English blazons, being the peculiar inventions of English heralds. The French and we use them not ; and if they occur, they would be blazoned or, seme of spots, sable, or sa- ble powdered with ermines, or ; and not make use of the w^ords, erminois, pean, and erminetts, not knowing what they signify.
Ermine, and its kinds, have two tinctures, by what is represented. The spots are in place of figures, and so make a complete armorial bearing ; and, as such, ermine has been carried by the Dukes of Bretagne, which we blazon only ermine ; the French say, d'be i mines ; and the Latins say, scutum Armenia; muris •vellere de- rcriptum. This duchy was annexed to the kingdom of France by Lewis XII. marrying Anne, the only daughter and heir of Francis II. and last duke of Bretagne.
The fields, and figures, or pieces of armories, which are laid upon the field as charges, frequently with us and other nations, are of this furr ; and, when the field is ermine, it may be charged with figures of any of the metals or colours before- mentioned. And the figures being ermine, may be laid upon fields either of metal or colour ; because furrs are composed of two tinctures, metal and colour, and so may either charge, or be charged, without any breach of the rule, Not to place metal upon metal, nor colour upon colour, of which I shall give some instances, of carrying ermine as a field and charge.
The family of Soules with us, lords of Liddesdale, anciently carried ermine, three cheverons,^/^; which I have observed marshalled sometimes in the achieve- ments of the Douglasses, for the title of that lordship.
The surname of Menzies have the field of their arms ermine; and these also of the name of Moncrief, M'Culloch, Craigie, and many others, of whom afterwards. And the family of Hamilton charges the field of their arms, being gules, with three cinque foils ermine, to shew their descent from the old earls of Leicester in England. And these of the surname of Telsifer, Cowper, and Mushet, have some of their ar- morial figures ermine, to show their descent from Bretagne ; and some of our se- nators of the College of Justice have assumed the furr ermine as senatorial.
The spots of ermine are many, and of an indefinite number, being irregularly disposed on the field ; but when a certain number of them, under ten, formally disposed, and situated after the position of any of the proper figures in heraldry, then the bearing is not to be blazoned ermine, the spots being charges, and are •ailed with us ermine spots, by the French, moucbetures ; and in the blazon, their name, number, and disposition are to be expressed. Gerard Leigh, an old English herald, in his Accidents of Armories, gives an example of this nature, thus, argent four queues (i. e. tails) of ermine placed in cross sable ; the moderns call them 'our ermine, spots, or mouchetiires, in cross sable. Henderson of Fordel has on a < luef of his arms, a crescent between two moucbetures. Hamilton of Innerwick has Uvo moucbetures on his fesse ; and Sir George Hamilton of Barnton has on his, che- veron, argent, a buckle, azure, betwixt two mouchetures, sable. Monsieur Baron, in his Art Heraldujue, gives us the arms of De Vexin in French, " de g ueles au ' croissant $ argent, charge' de cinque moucbetures de sable /' i.e. gules, a cres-
OFTHEFURR VAIR. 19
cent, argent, charged with five imucbetmes, sable. The Latin:-, call them, macula- minis Armenia..
UK THE KURR VAIR.
VAIR is the other principal furr in heraldry. Its pieces arc ahv.iy urgent and azure, as fig. 10. and n. of much esteem with the ancients in lining or doubling of robes and mantles of Kings, princes, and senators, as heralds tell u , but diiVer among themselves about the nature of it. The most part, and learned- est of them, tell us, that it is the skin of a little beast like a weasel, called I'm which Menestrier says, is thus described in a manuscript in the Vatican at Rome, " Yarns est bertia parvula paulo amplior quam Mustek, a re nomen sortita, namin " ventre candicat, in dorso cinereo colore variatur, adeoque eleganti, ut pellis ejus " in deliciis habeatur, nee nisi excellentibus viris, &- mulieribus convenire judica- " tur in urbibus bene moratis." From this beast Varus, whose back is blue, and belly white, they bring Vuir ; its proper colours, as I have said, being azure and urgent. And when the head and feet of the beast are taken from its skin, it re- sembles much the figure of vair used in heraldry, as Sir George Mackenzie and John Feme observe in their above-mentioned books.
Others, again, affirm, that this furr is not called vair from the beast Varus, but from vari'j vellere, being composed of pieces of skins of various colours sewed to- gether ; and when they latin this furr, they say, Anna variata ex pellibus all/if £5" cteruleis, so blazons Mr Gibbon for the arms of Beauchamp, an eminent man in the reign of Edward I. who was at the siege of Carlaverock in Scotland.
The learned Uredus, in his Blazons of Vair, says, " Scutum vario vellere impres- " sum ;" and so, with others, will have vair come from the Latin word vario, to vary and change.
Some latin vair, not from the various colours, but from the forms of the pieces of the furr, which seem to represent little shields, and so say, Farias pe lies scutula- tas. And Le Traphe d'Arms will have these pieces of vair to represent pots, bells, or cups, ranged in a right line, of which some seem turned upside down, others upright, as tig. n. Sometimes the cups, or bells, are ranged in such sort, that the points of one of the blue immediately touches another of the same colour, as do these of the colour argent ; and this they call contre vair, as fig. 12. And some heralds latin vair from the form of its pieces, which they take to represent caps or hats ; as Uredus, in the Blazon of Guissnes, a French seigniory, and that of the arms of St Pole, being gules, three pales, vair, a chief, or, are thus latined by him, Scutum coccineum tribus palis vellere petasato impressis, lemniscatum, summitate deaurata : The word petasus, signifies a cap or hat with a broad brim ; so that for vair, the Latins ordinarily say, " Scutum vellere petasato argen- " teo vicissim &• csruleo impressum," the arms of the family of Varana in Italy, which are canting arms, vair being relative to the name. And Menestrier tells us, the arms of Beauframont in France being vair, are also canting, and relative to the name, who will have the form of the pieces of vair to represent bells, which Beau- froy signifies befroy, a belfroy, a watch-tower or steeple, also an alarm-bell. The like may be said of the surname of Belches with us, who carry vair equivocally, relative to the name Belches.
We meet with grand vair and menu vair in French books. The first consists only of three tracts or ranges of pieces of vair; so the fewer they are the pi< are the larger, and latined by Sylvester Petra Sancta, " Petasi decumani grandio-
res." Menu vair, or little vair, is where there are more tracts than four ; and this is the ordinary vair used in armories, which is always of the tinctures argent and azure, as fig. 10. and n. Which tinctures we do not express in blazon, but only the word vair, which is always supposed to be of these two colours. But if the pieces of vair be of other tinctures, then they are to be expressed, by saying vaire or vairy of gules, and or, fig. 13. : As these of the Ferrers, earls of Derb) , and their descendants Lords Ferrers of Chartley in England, who carried vaire, or, and gules; thus blazoned by Jacobus Willhelmus Imhoff, in his Treatise, Blaz'jnia: Regum parlumque MagncE Britannia, " Ferrarii, Comites Derbine &• Barones de " Chartley, scutum quo utebantur petasis aureis &• rubeis variegatum est."
..
20 POINTS AND PARTS OF THE SHIELD, &c.
We meet often in French books vair or vairy, with their pieces otherwise ranged than the former, as fig. 14. which they call vair en pointe; of which Monsieur Ba- ron, in his LArt Heraldique, gives us the arms of Durant, which he blazons vair en pointe ; and, when of other tinctures than argent and azure, vair en pointe, d'or &- de gueles.
There is another furr rarely to be met with, but in the books of our English writers, as fig. 15. which Gerard Leigh calls Meirre, a term used by them when the field is grittie, as John Feme says ; that is, when the field is composed equally of pieces of metal and colour alternately, as vair, cheque, lozenge, and meirre. The last, of which we are speaking, is composed of pieces representing cups or goblets, always of the tinctures of argent and azure alternately. And the foresaid Leigh blazons this coat vairy cappy, (or t assyj ; and his countryman, Mr Gibbon, in his Introductio ad Latinam Blazoniam, calls it, " Campum cuppis vel tassis variega- " turn." But Guillim, and other modern heralds, say, the pieces of this furr do represent the heads of crutches, and blazon it, potent contre potent, argent and azure; Potent, an English word signifying a crutch, from the French word Po- tence, a gallows, or cross like a T. The name of Bureau, in France, have a che- veron of these figures in their arms, which is blazoned by Sylvester Petra Sancta, " Cantherius ex repetitis mutuo insertis patibulis ;" and Mr Gibbon calls it, " Can- " therium patibulatum ;" and the English heralds, Potent contre potent; as in the foresaid figure. — Of which more particularly afterwards, in the Chap, of Cros- ses, at the title, Of the Cross Potent, or Potence.
Having, I think, sufficiently treated of the nature and forms of furrs used in ar- mories, which are a compound of metal and colour, and are sufficient of them- selves, without the addition of any other figure, to stand for a complete coat of arms ; when they are a field of arms, may be indifferently charged, either with metal or colour; and when charges or pieces are of those furrs, they may be laid on a field either of metal or colour, without offending the rule of heraldry, Not to put metal upon metal, or colour upon colour. I now proceed to the principal points of the shield.
CHAP. VI.
Til)' POINTS AND PARTS OF THE SHIELD ;' AND FORMS OF LINES, WHICH DIVIDE THE
SHIELD INTO SEVERAL PARTS.
I HAVE described the shield under several forms, and clothed it with armorial tinctures and furrs. I shall proceed now to show its points or niduli, as the Latir-5 term them, in which figures are situated, and from them have additional terms in the blazons, to show in what parts of the shield they stand, and how dis- posed of.
The names of the points and parts of the shield are taken from the parts of a man, whom the shield is supposed to represent ; of which I have given two schemes, Plate II.
In fig. i. Plate II. the letters ABC represent the highest part of the shield, which the French call chef, the head. The English and we write it chief, as it '.vere the most honourable and chief part of the shield.
D is called the collar, or honour point; because eminent men do wear their bad- of honour about their necks, as the Knights of the Thistle, Garter, Holy Ghost, Golden Fleece, &c.
E is called the cceur (or heart) point, as also the centre or fesse point.
F, the nombrel or the navel point.
G H, by the French, are called \\\zjlanque points; but by the English, the base points. And I, by all nations, the base point.
^ is the dexter chief point ; B the middle chief point ; C the sinister chief 'point ;
^ the right base point; H the sinister base point : But the French call themflanques ;
and the letter I under them, they call the base point. The use of these points is to
difference coats of arms charged with the same figures : For arms having a lion in
chief, differ from those which have a lion in the nombrel point; and arms that have
\v<n>t4
4-
OF THE LINES. 21
u mascle or mullet in the dexter chief point, differ from those that have the like in the base points. Heralds tell us, these points have diflerent significations; for fi- gures which represent wit, are placed in the chief points ; and these which give addition of honour, are placed in the honour point: These which are given to re- ward courage, are placed in the cceur or centre point ; and these that are given in reward of supply or support, are placed in thejlank points, because a man's thighs, or flanks, are his greatest support. But these thoughts are mere flights of fancy in heralds, and seldom or never considered in composing arms ; but direct how to place figures on a shield after the most regular and beautiful ways, and, in blazon, to name the points wherein they stand, or are situated. When arms are blazoned, without relation to4 or expressing the points wherein the figures are situated, the\ are then supposed to possess the centre of the shield. The other scheme being the figure 2. in which the letter A is the centre of the shield, where, ordinarily, the principal figure of the bearing is placed.
B the middle chief point ; — any figure placed there, is said to be in chief.
C is ordinarily the place, when three figures are carried two and one : The un- dermost is there situate, as in the bearing of the house of Hamilton, gules, three cinquefoils, ermine, two in chief and one in base.
D the dexter chief point, or canton.
E the sinister chief point, or canton.
F the dexter flanque ; and G, the sinister flanque of the shield, where are situate the two crescents in the arms of Haig of Bemerside, Plate VI. fig. 28.
D B E are said to be in chief, or ranged in chief, as in the arms of Dalmahoy of that Ilk ; azure, three mullets in chief, argent. Plate VI. fig. 34.
When figures are situate or ranged, as D A I, they are said to be in bend, as the three martlets in the arms of Norvil. Plate V. fig. 20.
When ranged, as E A H, they are said to be in bend sinister.
When ranged, as H C I, they are said to be in base; the French say, in point.
When nine figures are ranged and placed as the nine letters in the scheme, they ire then, in the blazon, said to be carried 3, 3, and 3.
When three figures are ranged or situate as the three letters F A C, they are said to be in fesse.
And when five figures are ranged or placed as A B C F G, they are said to be in cross ; and when situate as A D I E H, they are then ranged in saltier.
When eight figures are situate as the letters DBEGICHF, they are said to he placed in orle .
OF THE LINES.
THE lines used in armories, in dividing the shield into different parts, and in composing of figures, are of different forms, without which many arms would be one and the same ; for a chief wavey differs from a plain chief, by the lines which compose them : And there are particular reasons for these different forms of lines, as shall be observed hereafter. These lines, according to their forms and names, give denomination to the pieces or figures which they form, except the straight or plain line. The crooked lines are these following : The first two lines, Plate II. named ingrailed and inverted, when represented together, are somewhat known, the one from the other, being opposite to one another, both being made (as it were) of semicircles, the ingrailed with points upward, and the invected line with points downward. Bxit this is not yet a sufficient distinction ; for suppose the space betwixt them, which they form, be a fesse, then it is only ingrailed and not invected ; for a fesse ingrailed must have the points on both sides turned towards the field, and the convex or gibbose parts towards the fesse itself ; and so of a bend, cheveron, and other proper figures in heraldry : And if these be invected, then the convex parts of the line are towards the field ; but these lines are more clearly dis- tinguished, when placed by way of border, as fig. i. Plate II. with the letters with- in a border ingrailed, and in fig. 2. within a border invected. These two lines, in- grailed and invected, are more hard to be distinguished, when the field is divided into two equal parts of different tinctures, as parted per pale, parted per fesse, &c,
F
M PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES
Here we know not whether the line be ingrailed or invected, except Wo observe this rule, That the form of the line must be applied to the colour first named. The French, for ingrailed, say engrele ; and for invected, canele. And those who write in Latin, commonly say, for ingrailed, ingrediatus ; imbricatus, and striatus ; and for invected, invectus and canaliculatus ; as Sylvester Petra Sancta.
Wavey, or waved, is said of a line or lines that are formed after the waves of the sea, as parted per fesse wavey in the arms of Drummond of Concraig, Plate II. fig. 4. ; and the lines which form the bars waved in the arms of the earl of Perth, which signifies, that the bearer got his arms for services done at sea ; as Sir George Mac- kenzie says, That the Drummonds bear the three bars or faces undee or wavey, be- cause the first of that name came by sea with Queen Margaret, who was married to Malcolm Canmore, as master of the ship, and having suffered great storm, through which he, by his skill, conducted them. He did thereafter get the three faces wavey, representing waves ; which form of line, the French term unde or on- de ; and the Latins, undulatus, undosits, or undatus.
Nebule, so called, because the line represents a cloud. The French heralds call it nuance ; the Latins, nebulosa linea ; and is given also to such as have been emi- nent for their skill in navigation.
Crenelle, or embattled lines, represent the battlements of a house ; and are said to signify, in armories, skill in architecture, — valiant actions in defending or as- ' saulting castles, — or to show the bearer to be descended of a noble house ; for of old, none were admitted to embattle their houses but great barons ; as Cambdeu observes, who speaking of TunstaPs seat in England, says, " Rex dedit ei licentiam " canellare mansam." The word crenelle is used for embattling, especially when ;t figure is embattled but in one side ; and when a figure, such as a fesse, is em- battled on both sides, heralds say ordinarily bretesse, and some say contre bretesse. For embattling, the Latins use the words pinnatus, pinnis asperatus ; as Uredus in his Blazons, and Sylvester Petra Sancta in his Murales Pimiula-.
There is another embattled line of this sort, which Leigh gives us, called battled embattled; because it hath one degree of battling above another ; and when the upper points are sharp, it is called carnpagne, as if the points represented bastions, the outer-works of cities and camps : When the upper points or battlements are rounded, it is called crenelle embattled arrondi ; such an embattlement faces the west part of the House of Seaton, the ancient seat of the chief of that name, Earls of Winton. The line indented resembles the teeth of a saw, and has its name from dens, a tooth, or indentura, a certain deed of writing, whose top is indented, or cuJ into like teeth. Dancette, which is the same almost with the indente secundum quale ; but not secundum quantum, for their forms are both one, but in quantity they differ much, for the indente is smaller than the dancette: Also dancette differs from indente, by reason it consists but of few teeth, though never fewer than three, as Mr Holmes in his Academy of Armory, whereas the indente hath many teeth. The French say for indented, denche, dentelle ; and for dancette when the teeth are very long, and when there 'are but two teeth or points, vivre; which Menestrier takes for the letter M, when the legs of it are extended from side to side of the shield ; because, many who carry a partition or fesse after that form, their names begin with the letter M : The Latins say, for indente, indentatus, dentatits, and dentlculatus ; and when the teeth of it are very long, as dancette, they say denies decumani.
I shall add other two forms of lines, lest I should seem to be defective in respect of other heralds ; who, for the most part, confound their readers, and make the . art unpleasant, and deter them from studying of it, by many fanciful forms of 'lines, \vhich are rarely, or never to be met with, their terms being gibberish and bombast. The first of these two is termed patte, or dove-tail, from a form of art used by joiners, who make joints one into the other by that name : It is by Mr Morgan, in his Sphere of Gentry, blazoned, inclnvc, labelled, because the points as ;iiey proceed from the ordinary, such as a chief or fesse, represent the points or ends of labels.
The other line is blazoned unde or champaine by Feme. Upton calls it vere ? because its points are formed like pieces of vair.
IN MEMORIES.
These, not counting the last two, are the. common received forms of /;'/, armories, and are called the accidents or attributes of armorial figures, which they form, and if any other be in painting or sculptures, not agreeable to those abo\c. as being uncouth and irregular, they are called by the best French heralds clattc.
The knowledge and use of these forms of lines are necessary in this science, to distinguish and difference many armorial bearings, who have the same partitions and figures, which would be all one bearing, if they were not distinguished and differenced by these attributes and accidents of lines ; as will more eminently ap- pear in the following chapters.
CHAP. VH.
OF THE PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES IN ARMORIES.
A SHIELD of one of the armorial tinctures is not a complete armorial bear- ing, as I said before, except there be more tinctures than one ; for then a figure will appear, though but the termination of two tinctures or more meeting- together, which represents a line or lines.
Lines then, which divide the shield, or field, into parts, are of two sorts. And, First, These which divide the shield into equal parts, and cut the centre, are called the principal partition lines ; by some pertransient lines: Of them there are four, parted per pale, per fesse, per bend, dexter, and sinister, called by the French, parti, coupe, tranche, taille. Secondly, Repartition lines, by which I understand these which divide the shield into unequal parts> as parti mi-coupe, and coupe mi- parti: But before I proceed to treat of them separately, and illustrate them by examples, I shall give the opinion of the learnedest heralds, of their rise and use in armories. Murk Vulson de la Columbier, in his Science Heroique, will have the rise of the partition lines, from the strokes and cuts of swords, which military men received in time of battle upon their shields ; and, to recompense the dangers wherein they were known to have been by these cuts, heralds did represent these cuts upon their shields by lines ; but for my part, L cannot conceive how these strokes or cuts, given at random, could give rise to the regular partition lines in armories, which are very mathematical, and regular in the shield ; and from, them all the proper figures in heraldry have their forms and denominations ; whence also the positions, dispositions, and situations of natural figures, have their terms in blazons ; yea, the science depends upon the knowledge of them.
I am rather of the opinion, that the partition lines have their rise from the same tountain with the tinctures and furrs, viz. from the habits of princes and military men, who, of old, were clothed in the war with garments of diverse colours, parti, •'/.Y/ic% bendie barrc, &tc. Of these party-coloured garments, Favin observes, in IiN Theatre of Honour, were the jackets, cassocks, and arming coats of the ancient Gauls, for which he cites these words of Virgil, " Virgatis lucent sagulis." And Eri- therus, in his Notes upon this place ot" Virgil, says, " Quasi hae quidem in Virgarum " modum deducts?, quibus vestibus milites utuntur vulgo, striati et divisati £• inde "' livria in militaribus vestibus dicta." And Mr Frecheus, in his Origin of the Palatinate from the Boii, says, the Dukes of Bavaria have anciently borne their «KQa,patii4,bendt, argent, azure, for that they resemble the party-coloured cassocks of the ancient Boii, who were these Gauls that attempted the surprise of Rome, and that their party-coloured garments were white and blue, by which they were dis- covered in the night-time. The Guelph. and Gibeline factions distinguished themselves by party-coloured garments ; the first had them parted per fesse, of two different colours, and the ether parted per pale ; and the same partitions were in their shields of arms. Menestrier in his treatise of the Origin of Arms, is of the opinion, that the rise of the partitions, in armories, was from those in the habits of grout men, and of which he gives several instances ; a few of which I shall here mention, as the ancient robes of the Consuls of Grenoble, were parti, or, and azure ; and the garments of the officers of the city of Cambray, part;, gules and argent ; and from these come the same partitions in their arms. The town of Metz carries for arms parti, argent, and sable ; and Bergamo, a town in Lom- bardy, carries also parti, azure, and or; the ancient habits of their magistrates be-
:4 OF THE PARTITION, AND REPARTITION LINES
ing of the same tinctures ; and these partitions are called devices, from the diversity of their colours.
Besides those partitions, we find other pieces of armories to have come from habits and garments, to the shields, of fields, especially those that are seme, or powdered, with small figures, such as stars, flowers, &-c. And show evidently, that. they were first on the stuff of garments, before they came to the shield ; for in all coats of arms seme, the half of these figures appear on the sides of the shield, being as it were so cut, when the stuff or cloth was shaped to the form of a shield- Many learned antiquaries and heralds are of this opinion. Sylvester Petra Sancta, in his Tesserae Gentilitia, has the title of his loth chap, thus, " Ex vestium ornatu " petitur origo gentilium Tesserarum ;" and about the end of that chapter, he says, " Si modum desideres haec signa transcribendi ex vestibus ad clypeos, nempe ex " unius luminis panno, vel bipartite, vel quadripartito, vel lemniscato, vel scutu- " lato ; fingas clypeo super poni pannum ejus schematis &- statim habes istiusmodi " gentilitias tesseras :" And besides, it is certain the crosses used in armories, were taken from the habit to the shield ; for those who undertook the crusades to the Holy War had crosses of stuff sewed on their clothes, before they were in their arms: Whence many shields of arms are mancbe, and gironne ; that is to say, with sleeves and gushets, which are proofs that many figures came from the habits and garments of great men to their shields.
But to proceed to the partition lines, as is said before to be four principal ones, which divide the shield or field, into equal parts, by cutting the centre. The English and French give them different names, the knowledge of both which are necessary. The terms of the last would be found more serviceable in this science than those of the English, who bring them from the ordinaries. And to explain both, I shall add their terms in Latin, by heralds who write in that language.
When the shield or field is divided into two equal parts, by a perpendicular line from the top of the shield to the base of the point, it is said by us and the English, parted per pale. The French say only parti, as of other things, when divided into two equal parts perpendicularly ; as Plate II. fig. 2. thus blazoned, parted per pale, argent, and gules. The French, parti d 'argent, et de gueules. The Latins say, Scutum a swmno bipartitum, dextra semisse argentea, sinistra coccinea : The arms of the city of Bari, in the Kingdom of Naples, which are so parted, upon the account that the ancient robes of their magistrates were of the same partition, as Favin gives us in his forementioned book : The arms of Lucerne, a Swiss canton, argent, parti d' azure i. e. parted per pale, argent, and azure : And Feme, in his above-named book, gives us the arms of the name of Fairly in England, blazoned after the old English way, counterly per pale, sable and or : They said of old counterly, when the field was divided into two equal parts, for which they say now, parted per pale.
There are several surnames with us, who have their bearings parted per pale, as that of MAULE ; the chief family of which name is that of the Earls of PANMURE, whose bearing parted per pale, argent and gules; a bordure charged with eight escalops, all counter-changed of the same.
Those of the surname of ALEXANDER, parted per pale, argent and sable; a cheveron and crescent in base, all counter-changed. The chief of this name was Alexander Earl of Stirling, who, to show his descent from the Macdonalds, quarter- ed their arms with his o.wn : Or, a galley sable, accompanied with three cross corslets, fitched gules ; two in chief, and one in base.
The surname of NAIRN gives parted per pale, sable and argent, a chaplet charged with four quarter-foils all counterchanged, which was carried by Sir Robert Nairn of Strathurd ; who, being one of the Senators of the College of Justice, was created a Lord of Parliament by the title of Lord NAIRN, whose only daughter and heir was married to William, a younger son of the Marquis of Athol, who took upon him the name, title, and arms of Nairn, which he quarters with the arms of Murray of Athol.
The blazons of other families of the surnames above mentioned will be found at the end of this chapter.
The term counter-changed, mentioned in the foresaid blazons, is used where the Held is of metal and colour, and the figure which is placed upon them, partakes
IN ARMORIES.
«f both ; that part of it being of colour which lies upon the metal, and the other part metal, which lies upon the colour.
When the partition line is .straight, and of none of those crooked forms above mentioned, it has then no additional denomination in the blazon : Hut it it consist of ;uiy of those particular forms, then the term of that form is added in the blazon, and serves as a difference for cadets, as well to distinguish them amongst themselves, us to difference them from their principal families. So Thomas Maule, a second son of Maule of Melgum, who was a second son of Panmure, gave the same bearing with Panmure, with the partition liae waved thus ; fig. 2. parted per pale, wavey argent and gules, on a bordure, eight cscalops all counter-changed of the same. And Captain John Maule, another cadet of that family, made his partition line nebulc, as in the new Register in the Herald-ollice : Where also David Alexander of Pitkclly, has his partition line ingruiled for a difference, thus, parted per pale, ingrailed argent^ a cheveron ; and in base, a crescent, all counter-changed of the same.
I shall here blazon the armorial bearing of the surname of Alexander, in the vulgar Latin, and then proceed to the other partitions.
Scutum ad perpendicuiitin bipartitum dex.tr a semisse argentea, sinistra atra, cum can- tberio & in inu'i iuna crescens, pradictis coloribus commutatis.
Parted per fesse, is when the shield is divided into two equal parts, by a hori- zontal line. The French say, coupe ; the Latins, partitum ex transverso, and some- times trinsvcrse sfdum; as rig. 3. parted perfesse, or and azure: The French, coupe d'or, et d' azure ; the Latins, ex auto 13 cyano transverse bipartitum; the arms of the Trotti in Milan. This and the former partition are very frequent in the arms of the Italians, upon the account, there are few old families in Italy, who were not engaged in the factions of the Guelphs and Gibelines, which parties wore not only distinguished by such partitions in their arms, but even in their habits, as before.
Those of the surname of BALNAVES with us, carry parted per fesse, argent and sable, a cheveron counter-changed, of the same tinctures : Some say, that their name and arms, are from a high hill, in the north of Scotland, called Ben Nevis, whereabouts they lived ; the top of which hill is always white with «now, and it's lower parts black with heather. Balnaves of Hallhill, carried the foresaid arms. Mr James Balnaves of Carnbody, and chanter of Dumblane, parted per fesse, argtnt and sable, a cheveron betwixt three cinque-foils, two in chief, and one in base, all counter-changed ; and for crest, a hand holding a foot-ball ; with this motto, Hinc origo, as in our new Register of Arms ; and some others of the name have the foot-ball for crest, with these words, Fortitudine ^ velocitate, upon another tradition of their name, that one Nevoy, playing well at the foot-ball, before one of our kings, who cried out, Well-balPd, Nevoy ; from, whence the surname Bal- naves, which tradition seems more probable, and that they are originally from the family of Nevoy, because their arms are not unlike.
The surname of MIDDLETON, the chief of which family was the Right Honour- able the Earls of Middleton, and Lords Clermont ; coupe, or and gules, a lion ram- pant within a double tressure, flowered, and counter-flowered, with, flower de luces, all counter-changed.
DRUMMOND of Concraig and Borlands, an old branch of the honourable house of Drummond of Stobhall, and afterwards of Perth, parted per fesse, waved or and gules, as fig. 4.
SHEWAL of that ILK., parted per fesse, dancette, sable and argent; in chief three stars, and in base, a boar's head erased, all counter-changed of the same tinctures ; as in Workman's Manuscript of Blazons, who was a herald painter in the reign of King James VI.
The name VALENCE in England, parted per fesse, indents , azure and argent. The name of KENDAL there, parted per fesse, indents, or and gules, as in Morgan's Heraldry.
The third principal partition line, parted per bend, is when a field is divided into two equal parts by a diagonal line, passing from the upper right angle, to the left angle, towards the base; the French say then, tranche, the Latins, oblique^ dextrorsus bipartitum, vel sectum; as fig. 5. parted per bend, g ules and or.
G
OF THE PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES
IV.IES AiLANofSauchnel, parted per bend indents, argent mA gules ; in chief two crescents, and in base a star, all counter-changed, fig. 6. so matriculated in the New Register : Others of the name of Allan, carry a pelican with three birds in a nest, or; as in James Pont's Manuscript of Blazons, written in the year 1624.
The surname of DAKSALLOUGH, parted per bend, ingrailed sable and argent, as in Mr Thomas Crawford's Manuscript of Blazons.
The surname of SPOT, parked per bend, dancette, argent and sable, two mullets counter-changed, as in Pont's Manuscript.
The name of BOYLE in England, of which is the Right Honourable Richard Earl of BURLINGTON, parted per bend, embattled argent and gules, (some say for embattled, crenelle > Imhoff, in his Blazons of the Nobility of England, gives them thus, Scuto constant oblique dextrorsum secto, ha ut dimidia ex parte candeat, alter rubeat, sectionis vero ades in pinnas desinat, quartered in the achievement of the Earl of Glasgow.
The fourth principal partition line, parted per bend sinister, is by a diagonal line, passing from the upper left corner to the low right angle toward the base ; the word sinister is mentioned in the blazon of this partition, to distinguish it from the former ; the French say only taille, as fig. 7. taille d' argent et d'azure, i. e. parted per bend, sinister, argent and azure; the Latins, scutum sinistrorsus sectum ex argentco fc? cyaneo ; the arms of Zurich, one of the Swiss cantons.
In England, the surname of JOHNES in Derbyshire, carry parted per bend, sinister ermine and ermines, (the French would say, taille d' ermine et contre ermine}, over all, a lion rampant within a bordure ingrailed, or. The same arms are borne by Sir JOHN TREVOR of Drynkynalt, in Denbighshire, descended from Tudor Trevor, Earl of Hereford, but he has no bordure.
Sir George Mackenzie, in his Science of Heraldry, gives us the arms of ELLIS, ;. ailed per bend sinister, argent and gules, a hand couped, and grasping a lance bend-ways, bearing on the top thereof an helmet, proper ; in the sinister chief an- gle, a spur-rowel of the first, and, in the dexter base, a horse-head couped sable ; but the Ellis's of Elliston and Southside carry .other arms, viz. eels relative to the name, — of which afterwards. «
There were several families with us who had their arms of this partition, as in our old books of blazons, which is now turned to the dexter, fancying some abate- ments or ignominy in the partition per bend sinister ; but I have met with no he- rald that says any thing to its dishonour, but all look upon it to be as honourable as the partition from the right.
Having treated of the four principal partition lines, when but one of them in a field, dividing it into two equal parts, I proceed now to show, what blazons they have, when there are two or more of these lines dividing the field into many parts.
When the first two lines mentioned, parted per pale and parted per fesse, as the French parti and coupe, meet in a field, they divide it into four equal parts or quar- ters, which are of different tinctures, the first as the fourth, and the second quarter as the third ; as Sylvester Petra Sancta, Cap. XXV. says, " Ex area simul ab apice " simul ab latere intersecta habentur tetrantes equales &- recti ; atqui hi semper ita " metalli &- coloris jubar alternant ut primus cum ultimo, secundus cum tertio, " splendeant lumine consentaneo ;" fig. 8. quarterly gules and argent; French, ecar- tele de gueides et d' argent. Gerard Leigh, and his followers, give out, That it should be blazoned, parted per cross, gules and argent, especially when there are no char- ges nor figures on the quarters. Suitable to this, Mr Gibbon blazons the same, as carried by Vere Earl of Oxford, with a star argent on the first quarter : " Scutum " in quatuor partes (sanguineas vicissim &• aureasj lineis ad crucis modum ductis " sectum ; cujus quadrans primus Stella nr^entea decoratur." The German Imhoff, in his Blazons of the Peers of Britain, blazons it better, thus : " Scutum in qua- " dras sectum, quarum prima &• extrema rubent, reliqui candent, solaque prima " stella distincta est argentea" The arms of the surname of TOUNIS with us, illu- minated in Workman's Book of Heraldry, as fig. 9. where the two partition lines are indented, is thus blazoned, parted per pale and per fesse indentc, argent and gules ; in the upper quarters two stars counter-changed of the same. And here it may be observed, that when the partition lines are under accidental forms, they
IN ARMOKU -
are then to be named in the blazon as the same figure, quarterly indent c, argent and gules, in chief, two stars counter-changed of the same.
When the other two partition lines, per bend, dexter and sinister, tranche and faille, meet in a field, they divide it into tour quarters, <n areas, as fig. 10. which is blazoned, parted per saltier, argent and azure, by the name or bane in Dau phiny. The French say, d'argentflanque d' azure; and frequently, fecnrtele en sau- tiAr. The Latins, as Chifletius, scutum oblique de\trorsus & sinisirorsus sectum ; and ImhofT, scutum in modum decussis quadripartitum. Some have blazoned them, girui ne of four, argent and azure ; because these quarters are not square but triangular, and meet in the centre as girons.
When the three partition lines, coupe, tranche, and taille, meet in one field, they make six triangular areas ; which the English blazon, gironne of six, or and sa- ble, on the first three negroes' heads, proper ; the arms of the name of CALLADKK in England, as fig. n.
There is a rule to be observed in the above-mentioned partitions, That the tinc- ture on the right side is to be begun with, as in the examples of parted per pale and quarterly ; and with the tincture which possesseth the top or chief part of the shield, as in the examples of parted per fesse and per saltier : Which rule, Syhr-- ter Petra Sancta gives thus : " Descriptio harum partium inchoare debet. ab eo ful- " gore, sen coloris, sen metalli, qui primus observatur oculis in superiore loco, vel " in angulo dextro." But, in the last example, we do not begin with sable, which is in the dexter corner, but with or, because it possesses the most part of the chief, and the sable but a cantle or lesser part of it. If there were a perpendicular line added to the three former, all the parts would be equal. Then we are to mention .first the tincture in the dexter chief corner, as in the examples following.
When all the four principal partition lines meet in one field, they divide it into eight angular and conal areas, or pieces, like to girons, as fig. 12. which our he- ralds blazon, gironne of eight pieces, or and sable ; but, in my opinion, these areas are not properly girons, which are figures or charges laid upon the field ; for some- times there will be but one, two, or three girons, and, in some bearings, to the number of sixteen, — of which afterwards. And it is to b^ observed, that these eight conal areas fall out necessarily by the four partition linos ; which, by the most judicious heralds, are blazoned, parted per pale, fesse, bend, dexter, and si- nister, or and sable ; carried by the ancient and honourable name of CAMPBELL, as in Sir George Mackenzie's Science of Heraldry. Menestrier, in his La Science de la Noblesse, gives the same arms to the family of Grolee in Bresse, which he bla- zons, parti, coupe, tranche, taille, d'or et de sable. Mr Gibbon, in his Introducti'j ad Latinam Blazoniam, gives us the arms of Bassingborn in England, which are al- so the same with the paternal bearing of Campbell, viz. " Scutum linea perpendi- " culari transversa, &• diagonali turn dextra, turn sinistra in octana aurea &-fur- " va traductum segmenta ;" because, says he, these lines divide the field exactly into eight gironal segments.
Besides the four principal partitions, now described, there are others, and espe- cially one, very frequently used with us and the English, but not with the French, especially under the name we give it ; which is,
Parted per cheveron ; it is made by two half diagonal lines, rising from the dex- ter and sinister base flanks, and meeting in the collar point of the shield, as fig. 13. parted per cheveron, sable and argent. The English heralds bring this partition, as they do others, from the ordinaries, which the French do not ; and so the first were wont to latinize this partition thus, scutum partitum ad modum signi capita/is, which they of old latined a cheveron, taking it to represent the ancient attire of the head ; — but more of this afterwards. Mr Gibbon blazons the foresaid figure, scu- tum ad modum cantherii (another word for the cheveron) bipartitum, pars superior nigrn i3 inferior argentea, carried by the name of ASHTON in Cheshire.
Those ot the surname of CR.AW with us give such a partition in their arms, a^ CRAW of Auchencraw, in the Merse, an old family, now extinct, carried parted per cheveron, vert and gules, three crows, argent; and the branches of that family, which continue in the shire of Berwick, have these partition lines under accidental forms. Craw of East Reston, parted per cheveron. embattled vert and gules, three crows, argent, fig. 14.
3 -, OF THE PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES
When there are two perpendicular, or palar lines, dividing the shield or field in- to three equal parts, without cutting the centre, as fig. 15. it is blazoned, tierce in pale, azure, or, and gules ; and by the Latins, area tripartite in aquales trientes a summo (Hi irrium ex cyano, auro, fc? astro, so given us for the arms of Douchat in France, by Sylvester Petra Sancta.
Tierce in fesse is such another, made by two horizontal lines, dividing the field into three equal parts, as fig. 16. tierce in fesse, azure, sable, and argent; the French say sometimes, d' 'azure coupe, de sable et tierce $ argent. Sylvester Petra Sancta blazons such a coat, belonging to the Berengi in Hessia, area tripartita transversa in tres trientes ex veneto furvo IS argent eo.
There are other two tierces, after the position of the bend, dexter, and sinister, by dividing the field into three equal parts by two diagonal lines ; the first, as fig. 17. tierce in bend, or, gules, and azure, by the name of Noinpar in France. The other from the left to the right, as fig. 18. tierce in bend, sinister, or, sable, and argent, by Turlinger in Bavaria. The French say, instead of tierce in bend, sinis- ter, tierce en bar.
These partitions, by tiercing the field, are not used in Britain in forming a sim- ple coat of arms, but only when they marshall three coats of arms in one shield, — of which afterwards. The Germans, French, and other nations, have, besides these tierces, which make up one coat of arms, others of the same nature, which do not occur in our British Blazons, at least if they do, they are not under the terms used abroad, of which I shall give a few instances for my reader's satisfaction.
Fig. 19. This is called tierce in mantle, azure, argent, and gules, by the name of Absperg in Ratisbon, which is made when the field is divided into three parts, by two lines issuing from the middle of the upper part of the shield, and dividing it- self again at the collar point into two diagonal lines, somewhat circular to the flanks. Which partition is frequent in the arms of religious orders, to represent their different habits ; the undermost area represents the tunic or vest, and the up- per part the surcoat or pallium, and in what colours they are worn. Sylvester Pe- tra Sancta, speaking of this partition, Cap. XXIV. says, " Ad haec scutaria chla- " mvs seu trabea, ter perinde scuti aream partitur ; & quod explicatur utrinque, " hoc refert pallium, quodque intus apparet, tunicam seu internum amiculum re- " presentat, ut dubitari non possit, quin ad similitudinem vestium, imo ad rem " vestiariam haec symboli gentilitii forma pertinet, idque ordinum religiosorum etiam " tessenc conformant, exemplo sint trabea aut coccinea, supra tunicam intextam " argento; quoe est Ghisiorum Venetiis ac Plessenbergionum in Franconia." And, on the margin, our author tells us, the French would call it pile or chappe ; and gives us several examples of this nature, some of which are reversed, to whom I re- fer the curious. I have observed, that the Spaniards marshall their arms by this partition, tierce in mantle ; as the family of Henriquez, first and second, argent, charged with a lion rampant, gules ; and the third of the last with a castle, or; be- ing descended of a natural son of Ferdinand King of Leon and Castile.
There is another partition more frequent, parted per pile in point, or and sable, fig. 20. so blazoned by Guillim and other English heralds. Gerard Leigh says, the pile part of this coat may be charged, and no other part thereof; and that it may be used as one only coat ; but by what authority he asserts the field cannot be oharged, I know not, for the practice of England is otherwise : As in the arms of SEYMOUR. Duke of Somerset, and of PARRE Marquis of Northampton. I do not take this figure to be a proper partition, but rather a field sable , charged with a pile or, one of the subordinaries, — of which afterwards.
Tierce in pile from the left to the right, gules, argent, and or ; the French say, tierce embarasse d droit de gueules d' argent et d'or, for the family of NEGENDUCK, as Menestrier in his La Science de la Noblesse.
Tierce in giron, bend sinister ways, sable, argent, and. gules : But Menestrier »ys, tierce en girons en barre, de sable, d? argent, et de gueules, fig. 22. for the fa- mily of Wa's.
Tierce in girons arrondi ; Menestrier says, tierce en girons gironnans au arrondis de gueules, d' argent, et de sable, carried by De Mengentzer, as in his La Science de la Noblesse, 011 la Nouvelle Metbode du Blason, fig. 23.
Tierce in pairle, is frequent with the French and Germans, Its form and name-
IN. ARMORIES.
is 1'rom the figure of pearl, — of which in its proper place. This partition is mad'.- by a paler line issuing from the base point, dividing, at the centre, into two diago- nal lines, which end in the dexter and sinister chief points, and divide the field into three areas ; blazoned, tierce in pairle, argent, sable, and gules, tig. 24. borne by the Prince of Misnia in Upper Saxony. Sylvester Petra Sancta not only give-, us this partition, but the reverse of it, tierce in pairle, reversed argent, or, and azure, borne by the family of Haldarmanstetin in Germany.
There are partitions denominated by the French, parti emanche, coupe emancbt . &c. of the first, when the field is divided perpendicularly by points or piles, mix ing with one another, or like a large dancette, as fig. 25.
Parti emanche, sable and argent, the English would blazon it, parted per pair. dancette argent and sable ; or argent, three piles issuing from the left side., sable. The French know nothing of piles — of which afterwards ; but say, when such fi- gures appear, emanche, manche signifying the sleeve of a coat. By the descriptions of these partitions, and the examples given, it is more than probable, that these partition lines were originally from the habits and party-coloured garments of great men. ,
There are other partitions, called by some repartitions, a few of which, chiefly used in Europe, I shall here subjoin ; though these may be referred to the Chapter Of Marshalling many Coats of Arms in one Shield. But since these are used by some families in Europe as one coat of arms, I shall speak of them in this place.
This partition is made by a fesse, or horizontal line, and half a palar or perpen- dicular line from the chief, terminating in the centre ; which the English would blazon, parted per fesse, first parted per pale, or and azure, second argent. The French say, caupe mi-parti en haut d'or, d1 azure, et d1 argent; and Sylvester Petra Sancta, parma transversa secta, superiore parte partim aurea, partim cy tinea, & in- ferne argentea, the arms of the Fatieri in Venice, fig. 26.
Fig. 27. parted per fesse, first or, second parted per pale, sable and argent ; the French say, coupe mi-parti en base ; and Sylvester Petra Sancta, super ne omnino aurea, inferne casia argentcaque, the arms of SchafFengergi in Bavaria.
Fig. 28. parted per pale, first parted per fesse, azure and gules, second argent ; the French, parti mi-coupe, to the dexter d' azure, de gueules, et d? argent. Sylves- ter Petra Sancta, scutum in dextra semisse quidem, super ne caruleum, inferne puniceum, & penitus argenteum in lava semisse, borne by the family of Florcaneri in Bavaria.
I shall add this partition, consisting of six areas ; blazoned, parti one, coupe two, azure and argent, as fig. 29. But this partition is fitter for holding different coats of arms marshalled together in one shield, than to be a coat of arms of itself with- out figures ; — but more of such afterwards.
There are many other odd partitions and repartitions of the field into two or more parts, which are to be found in the books of heralds before-mentioned, which, for brevity's sake, I omit ; because they are not to be met with in our Britannic Bearings, and rarely in eminent families abroad. I shall only here add one, which is a little singular with us, which I met with in a part of a manuscript of the learn- ed Mr Thomas Crawfurd, a curious antiquary and herald, whose writings on this and other sciences, were, to the great loss of our country, embezzled and destroy- ed after his death. He gives us the arms of Garth, (or M'Garth), in Galloway, an old name, but now not frequent, as fig. 30. which he blazons, quarterly per pale and cheveron, argent and gules.
To put an end to these partitions and repartitions, I shall only advise my reader to carry along with him the four principal partition lines, as they are given in the English and French terms ; from which not only the other partitions and reparti- tions, which commonly occur, but also the following proper figures in heraldry, which I am to treat of, have their names.
And here I shall conclude this chapter, as I propose to do those that follow, with a collection of blazons of the several families with us, which have for their bearings one or more of those partitions or figures whereof I have now treated, or may treat hereafter, in their proper places : Which I choose rather to do, than interrupt my reader by a multitude of blazons at the end of every paragraph.
JAMES ALEXANDER of Knockhill, parted per pale, argent and sable, a cheveron and crescent in base, all counter-changed, with a mullet for difference. N. R. . By
H
3o OF THE PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES
these two letters I understand the New Register of the Lyon Office ; so that those blazons, marked with these letters, are to be found matriculated there.
ALEXANDER ALEXANDER of Au.cb.mull, some time Bailie of Aberdeen, parted per pale, argent and sable, a cheveron between two mullets in chief, and a crescent in base, all counter-changed ; crest, a hand sustaining a pair of balances of equal scales : motto, ^uod tibi ne alteri. N. R.
ROBERT ALEXANDER of Boghall, parti argent and sable, a cheveron betwixt a writing-pen, fesse-ways, in chief, and a crescent in base, all counter-changed ; crest, a hand holding a quill : motto, Fidem serva. N. R.
JAMES ALEXANDER of Kinglassy, parti argent and sable, a cheveron bruised at the top, and, in base, a crescent counter-changed, quartered with the arms of the name of Aiton ; crest, a horse-head couped gules, bridled argent : motto, Ducitur non trahitur. N. R.
The Right Honourable the Earls of MJDDLETON, Lords Clermont and Fettercairn, parted per fesse, or and gules, a lion rampant within a double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered with flower-de-luces, all counter-changed j crest, a tower embat- tled sable, and on the top of it a lion rampant ; supporters, two eagles sable, armed and crowned, or : motto, Fortis in arduis.
This noble family is the principal one of the ancient surname of Middleton, so called from their lands, which lie in the sherifFdom of Kincardine, as Sir George Mackenzie in his Manuscript, who tells us, that the ancient evident, now extant of the family, is a charter of King William's, conh'rming a donation of King Duncan's, of the lands of Middleton, to Malcolm the son of Kenneth, from whence they took the surname, and were designed Middletons of that Ilk, till they sold these lands, and were thereafter designed Middletons of Cadham, till the year 1660, that John Middleton, for his eminent loyalty and bright parts, was advanced by King Charles II. to be Earl of Middleton, and High Commissioner to the Par- liament of Scotland ; and then got a concession of the double tressure to be added to his arms. He was succeeded in his titles and dignities, by his son Charles Earl of Middleton, who was secretary of state for Scotland, and afterwards for England.. The other branches of the family of Middleton, whose arms are to be found in the Lyon Register, are these :
Captain ROBERT MIDDLETON, descended of the family of MIDDLETON of Kill- hill, parted per fesse, or and gules, a lion rampant within a bordure embattled, all counter-changed ; crest, a boar's head erased and erected, azure; motto, Guard jour self.
Captain LAURENCE MIDDLETON, descended of Middleton of Clcrkhill, who. was a fifth brother of Killhill, carried the same, only with the variation of having the bordure nebule ; crest, an ape sitting on the top of a tree, all proper ; motto, Arte y Marte.
JOHN MIDDLETON, merchant in Frasersburgh, descended 'of the Middletons of Fettercairn, parted per fesse, or and gules, a lion rampant counter-changed of the same, armed and langued azure, holding in his dexter paw an astrolabe, proper ; motto, My hope is in God.
MR JoftN MIDDLETON, a minister of the gospel in England, in the county of Essex, second lawful son to Mr Alexander Middleton, principal of the King's College in the university of Aberdeen, parted per fesse, or and gules, a lion rampant within a bordure, indented and counter-changed of the same.
The surname of CRAIK, coupe, argent and vert, in chief three roses, gules ; and in base a ship, or, with sails thirled up.
The surname of ALISON, parted per bend, gules and or; a flower-de-luce coun- ter-changed, as in Mackenzie's Heraldry, Clan M'lver, or Clan Kiver, quarterly, or and gules, over all a bend sable, as in Mr Thomas Crawfurd's Manuscript of Blazons.
The Lord WIDDRINGTON in Lincolnshire, in England, quarterly, argent and
, a bend sable.
The paternal ensign of the ancient surname of CAMPBELL, ao I observed before,
i composed of the four principal partition lines, parti, coupe, tranche, faille, which
divide the field into eight gironal segments, ordinarily blazoned with us, gironne of
IN ARMORIES. . 3r
'jighf, or and sable ; by the mistake of the engraver, in the Plate of the Achieve- ments, it is sable and or, and so in several blazons in the Register of Arms.
I here give the blazon of the achievement of his Grace JOHN Duke of ARGYLE, Earl of GREENWICH, &-c. chief of the ancient and honourable surname of CAMP- BELL, quarterly, first and fourth gironne of eight pieces, or- and sable, second and third argent, a galley or lymphad, sable; sails furled up, flag and pinnets Hying, and oars in action, for the lordship of Lorn ; surrounded with the principal ensign of the most noble Order of the Garter, with the George pendant, as one of thr Knights Companions of the said Order ; timbred with crown, helmet, and mamv lings, befitting his quality ; and on a wreath of his tinctures, for crest, a boar's head couped, or; with the motto on an escrol, Ne obliviscaris ; and for supporters, two lions gardant gules, armed and langued azure, standing on a compartment, whereon are these words, Vix ea nostra voco; and behind the shield are placed a batton and sword accolle saltierways, the one being gules seme of thistles, or, and ensigned with an imperial crown, and the crest of Scotland ; and the other, a sword proper, hilled and pommelled or, being the two badges of the Great Master of the Household, and High Justiciar of the Kingdom of Scotland ; as in the Plate of Achievements.
The Right Honourable HUGH CAMPBELL, Earl of LOUDON, descended of old of the ancient family of LOCHOW, afterwards Earls and Dukes of Argyle, carried the same gironal segments of different tinctures as his progenitors have done. The first of them, Duncan Campbell, in the reign of King Robert the Bruce, married Susanna Crawfurd, heiress of Loudon, as is evident by that king's charters ; upon which account, in place of the tinctures or and sable, the family has ever since been in use to have, for their tinctures, gules and ermine, being these in the bearing of Crawfurd of Loudon, viz. gules, a fesse. ermine. The achievement of the present Earl of Loudon, is gironne of eight gules and ermine, surrounded with a collar of the most ancient and noble Order of the Thistle, or that of St Andrew, with the badges thereat pendant : Which arms are timbred with crown, helmet, and mant- lings, agreeable to his quality ; and, on a wreath of his tinctures, for crest, an eagle displayed with two heads within a flame of fire, and on an escrol ; for motto, / bide my time ; supported on the dexter by a man armed at all points, holding a spear, proper ; and, on the sinister, by a lady richly apparelled, holding in her hand a missive letter ; as in the Plate of Achievements..
The Right Honourable JOHN Earl of BREADALBANE, Lord GLENORCHY, quarterly, first, the paternal coat of Campbell, as descended of a younger son of the family of Lochow, now dignified with the title of Duke of Argyle. Secondly, argent, a lymphad sable, and oars in action. Thirdly, or, a fesse cheque, azure and argent, as being descended of one of the co-heiresses of Stewart of Lorn ; and the fourtli as the first : Which arms are adorned with crown, helmet, and mantlings, befitting his quality, and on a wreath of the tinctures of his paternal bearing : For crest, a boar's head erased, proper ; supporters, two stags, proper ; attired and unguled or ; motto, Follow me.
The other cadets of the noble family of Argyle, I add here, as they stand record- ed in our Modern Register : Sir HUGH CAMPBELL of Calder, quarterly, or, a hart's head cabossed, sable, attired gules, for the name of Calder, the heiress of which name and lands, one of his progenitors married. Secondly, gironne of eight, or and sable, for Campbell. Thirdly, argent, a galley with her oars in action, sable, for Lorn. Fourthly, or, on a fesse, azure, three buckles of the first ; crest, a swan, proper ; crowned, or ; motto, Be mindful : Supported on the dexter by a lion ram- pant, gardant gules, armed or; and on the sinister, by a hart, proper.
Sir JAMES CAMPBELL of Lawers, gironne of eight, sable and or, within a bordure vair; crest, a boar's head erected and erased, azure; motto, Fac fc? spera.
Sir GEORGE CAMPBELL of Cesnock, as descended of the family of Argyle and Loudon, carried both their arms thus, recorded in the Lion Register 1672 ; gironne of eight pieces, or and sable, for Argyle, within a bordure gules, charged with eight escalops of the first ; and a canton, also gironne of eight pieces, ermine and gules, "for Loudon; crest, a phoenix head erased, or; with thjs motto, Const anter fc? pru- denter.
Sir COLIN CAMPBELL of Aberuchill, Baronet, and one of the Senators of the
p OF THE PARTITION, AND REPARTITION LINES
College of Justice, whose grandfather was a second son of Campbell of Lawer.^ who was descended of the first son of a second marriage of the first laird of Glenorchy, who was a second son of the family of Lochow, now Duke of Argyle ; gironne of eight, or and sable, within a bordure embattled vert : Thereafter Sir Colin used the bordure nebule, and afterwards he caused mark it in the books, ermine; and altered also his exterior ornaments thus; crest, a demi-lion gardant, gules; holding in his dexter paw a sword, proper; and in his sinister, two laurel branches, orle-ways : The old motto was, Ex campo victoria; but since he was one of the Senators of, the College of Justice, he took for motto, Fictoriam coronat Christus; and for supporters, two blood hounds collared and leashed, proper.
His son and successor, Sir JAMES CAMPBELL of Aberuchill, now carries the same arms ; but has of late, by warrant of my Lord Lyon King at Arms, placed the laurel on the lion's head in his crest ; and in his sinister paw, a Highlander's dag or pistol ; with this new motto, Sequitur victoria forteis, He married the heiress of Dempster of Pitliver ; whose armorial bearings, with those of his own, may be seen engraved in copperplate, amongst the Plates of Achievements.
ROBERT CAMPBELL of Glenlyon, whose grandsire's grandfather was the eldest son of a second marriage of Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy, and his lady a daughter of Douglas Earl of Angus, carries quarterly, first and fourth, Campbell ; secondly, Lorn ; thirdly, Stewart ; and in the centre, a man's heart crowned, proper, for Douglas Earl of Angus ; crest, a demi-lion, holding up by his dexter paw a heart crowned : motto, ^ute recta sequor.
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL of Lochnell, descended of the family of Argyle, quar- terly, first, Campbell; second, argent; a boar's head erased, azure; armed and languid gules; third, Lorn, and the fourth as first ; crest, a dexter hand holding a lance bend-ways, proper : motto, Audacesjuvo.
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, brother-german of Waterhaughs, gironne of eight pieces, ermine and gules, waved ; and a crescent for difference : motto, Tandem licet sero.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Monzie, descended of a third son of the family of Gle- norchy ; the quartered coat of Glenorchy, with a mullet for difference : motto, Follow me.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Gargunnock, gironne of eight, ermine and gules ; on each of the last, a bee volant, argent; crest, a stork, proper : motto, Refero.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Succoth, gironne of eight pieces, ingrailed or and sable; crest, a camel's head couped, proper : motto, Labor omnia superat.
COLIN CAMPBELL of Blythswood, descended of Campbell of Ardkinlas, descend- ed of Argyle; quarterly first and fourth; gironne of eight, or and sable; each charged with a trefoil, slipped and counter-changed of the same ; second and third, Lorn ; crest, a ship at anchor : motto, Vincit labor.
MATTHEW CAMPBELL of Waterhaughs, descended of the family of Loudon ; parti, coupe, tranche, taille, wavey ermine and g ules : motto, Tandem lice sero.
ROBERT CAMPBELL of Glenfalloch, descended of Glenorchy ; the quartered .-oat of that family, and for difference in the centre, a hunting-horn, sable, gar- nished gules ; crest, a man's heart pierced with a dart, proper : motto, Thus far.
DUNCAN CAMPBELL, eldest lawful son to Colin Campbell of Monchaster, second lawful son to Sir Robert Campbell of Glenorchy ; the quartered arms of Glenorchy within a bordure invected, sable; crest, a boar's head erased cheque, or and sable: motto, Sequor.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Moy, Justice and Sheriff-depute of Argyle, descended of Campbell of Meiklellines, a third son of Sir John Campbell of Calder ; carries, Calder's coat as before, within a bordure ingrailed, or; crest, a swan, proper; crowned, or: motto, Be ever mindful.
Another cadet of the family of Calder, was Captain JOHN CAMPBELL, being a third son of that family ; whose grandchild is Mr Archbald Campbell, writer in Edinburgh, and who by his mother is descended of Campbell of Moy, and carries the arms of Calder, W7ith such another suitable brisure.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Carrick, as descended of Argyle, carries the arms of that family, within a bordure invected, or; charged with eight crescents, sable: motto, Set on.
IN ARMORIES..
Sir COLIN CAMPBELL of Ardkinlas, descended of Argyle, gironnt of eight, <,. and sable, within a bordure of the first; crest, a lyn.phad with oars in action, sable : motto, Set on.
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL of Balgairshaw, whose grandfather was a second son- of Campbell of Cronnan, descended of the family of Loudon, gironne of eight, ermine and gules, within a bordure ingrailed of the second, and charged with eight cres- cents, argent: motto, Lente sed opportune.
DONALD CAMPBELL of Auchawilling, descended of Sir Duncan Campbell, a second son of Colin Campbell, first laird of Ardkinlas ; carries Ardkinlas's arms, and charges the bordure with eight crescents, sable ; crest, two oars of a galley, di-- posed in saltier : motto, Armis fcr fide.
JOHN CAMPBELL of Innellan, descended of Auchawilling, carries the s?.me with Auchawilling ; but, for difference, ingrails the bordure ; crest, the same : motto,
Vis & fides.
COLIN CAMPBELL of Ardintenny, descended of Ardkinlas ; gironne of eight, or and sable ; a. bordure of the first, charged with eight crescents of the second ; crest, two oars of a galley, disposed in saltier: motto, Terra, mare, fide.
WALTER CAMPBELL of Skipness, descended of Ardintenny, carries the same with Ardintenny, but makes the bordure indented ; crest and motto the same.
I have just now in my hands, a charter in Latin, containing a precept of seisin, granted by DOUGAL CAMPBELL of Corvorane, then representing the old family of Macdougal Campbells of Craignish, with consent and assent of Ronald Campbell his son and heir, to Duncan M'Callar of Ardarie, and Margaret Drummond his spouse, and to Patrick M'Callar their son, &-c. of the one mark-land of Kilmon, near Lochavich, in the barony of Lochow-Middle, and earldom of Argyle, dated at Kinlochgoyll, the seventh day of October 1528, written by Neil Fisher, fbesaura- rio Lesmorense & N. P. with a seal of arms thereto appended, having a formal shield, gironne of eight, hanging on the mast of a lymphad or galley, with the legend round it. S. (for sigillum}, Dugal de Creagginisb. Most, if not all the letters, are of the old Irish character, by which the seal seems to be much older than the charter, and probably cut before surnames were used, either in charters, or upon seals.
These are also descended of the family of Lochow, now dukes of Argyle, and at this time represented by Dougal Campbell, now of Craignish, who bears the same arms, and uses for crest, a boar's head erased, proper ; with the motto, Fit via vi. See the old seal and present arms in the Plate of Achievements.
CRAW of East-Reston, parted per cheveron, embattled vert and gules, three crows argent; crest, a crow, proper: motto, Cui debeofidus.
CRAW of Nether-Byer, a cadet of East-Reston, gives the same ; and, for dif- ference, a bordure counter-changed of the tinctures of the field ; crest, a crow, proper ; with the motto, God is my safety.
CRAW of Heugh-Head, parted per cheveron, ingrailed vert and gules, three crows argent ; crest, a crow proper, standing on a sheaf of corn : motto, Nee careo, nee euro. All these are matriculated in the New Register.
The surname of LILLIE, parted per cheveron, ingrailed argent and gules, three lillies counter-changed of the same.
The surname of CHAPMAN, parted per cheveron, argent and gules, a crescent in the centre counter-changed, as in Sir James Balfour's Book of Blazons ; but in other books, I find some of the same name to carry vert, a saltier ingrailed be- twixt four sangliers' heads, erased argent.
I
H OF THE PROPER FIGURES IN HERALDRY, &c.
C H A P. VIH.
uF THE PROPER FIGURES IN HERALDRY^ OR THE HONOURABLE ORDINARIES IN GENERAL.
THE essential parts of armories, as before mentioned, are tinctures andjigures. I have spoken of 'the first, and I proceed now to treat of the second.
Figures, in this science, are either proper or natural. The first have their being and name from heraldry ; and as they are called proper figures, so likewise the ordinary charges; as being of an ordinary use in this science. The second, natural figures or common charges, are the representation of all things, animate or inanimate ; and these keep their prdper names in blazon, though they have additional terms, from their position, disposition, and situation in the shield.
The partition lines, which I have been treating of, may be reckoned proper fi- gures ; because they have their names from this art, and give denomination to all figures and charges, disposed or situate after their position : Yet they are not pro- perly charges, but the termination of such armorial bodies or figures which they
form.
The proper figures to be treated of, are those charges, or armorial bodies, which charge the field, or are laid upon it, and are commonly called the ordinaries, from their ordinary or frequent use in this science, and by some heralds, th& principal or honourable ordinaries ; (thi French say, pieces honor ables}, because they possess the third part, and principal places of the shield : And some say they are called ho- nourable ordinaries, because they are oftentimes given by emperors, kings, and princes, as additions of honour to armorial bearings of persons of singular merit and descent.
There are some proper figures, which are called the sub-ordinaries, or less honour- able ones ; not upon the account that they are of less dignity and honour, but for- asmuch as they cede the principal places of the shield to the honourable ordinaries, when they meet together in one shield.
The number of the honourable ordinaries with the English is nine ; some French heralds count ten, and others twelve ; and make every one of them possess a third part of the field : But the English make them sometimes to possess a lesser part, — of which I shall take notice as I treat of them separately. And since our heralds have followed the English in numbering them nine, so shall I : And since they are all of equal quality, I shall take the liberty to rank them after the method of the partition lines, with which they agree in nature and name.
The honourable ordinaries then are : The pale , fesse, bar, chief, bend dexter, bend sinister, crass, saltier, and cbeveron. Some English, in place of the bend sinister, have the inescutcheon; but I rank it with the sub-ordinaries, which are these:
The bordure, orle, essonier and tressure, inescutcheon, franc, quarter, canton, cheque, billets and billette, pairle, point, girons, piles, flasque, flanque and voider, lozenge, rustre, mascles, fusils, fret and frette, bezants, torteauxes, vires, annulets, gutte, paprlonne, and diapre ; all which shall be treated of in order, in several chap- ters.
As for the nine honourable ordinaries, some fancy that they are brought from the parts of a man's entire armour, as Columbier, who tells us, they represent the complete iwmour of a chevalier, as the chief, his helmet ; the pale, his lance ; the bend, his shoulder-belt ; the cross, his sword ; the fesse, his scarf ; and the cheve- ron, his spurs.
But this herald has made his chevalier go on foot, and has not given him a horse. Menestricr brings these honourable ordinaries from pieces of the consular garment, from pieces of armour, and from the pieces of the rails and barriers of tournaments and joustings, into which none were admitted but they that were truly noble ; which rails and barriers were made up of traverse and cross pieces of timber, form- ed like the ordinaries, where he has found out the saltier for a horse to Columbier's chevalier.
But, to leave these conjectures and fancies, I join with others, that the honour- able ordinaries have been invented as marks of different qualities in the bearers,
i i t 1 1 1 i i t * * *
OF THE PALE. 35
and granted as additions of honour; as the chief, the reward of these actions which are the product of wit ; the cross, of religious performances; the fesse and bend, of military exploits ; the chevcron, of politic effects ; and the pale, a sign of autho- rity. But, not to insist on their significations in general, I shall treat more parti- cularly of their different significations, representations, and reasons, for which they are become the fixed figures of some families.
CHAP. IX.
OF THE PALE.
THE Pale is that honourable ordinary which possesses tUe third middle part of the field perpendicularly, and has divers significations 'and representations in armorial bearings.
And, first, it is taken and latinised by heralds palus, which signifies a pale of wood, or stake ; and sometimes, for palus, ptiludis, which signifies a ditch or chan- nel, which it is supposed to represent in arms, especially by some towns in Hol- land ; but more generally for pales of wood, with which cities and camps are for- tified ; and has been given for an armorial figure to those who have, writh skill or success, impaled a city or camp, or who, with valour, have broken down the impale- ments of their enemy's camp or city.
The town of Beauvais in France carries for an armorial figure, a pale, with this verse to show its signification,
Palus ut hie Jixus const ans ^ firma manebo ;
upon account that town stood out always firm for the Kings of France against the. English. Others tell us, That the pale in this city's arms is relative to its name Beauvais, which signifies a good way ; as the pale, in the arms of the town of Stra- ta, represents a way or street, which Strata signifies. And Menestrier tells us, The town of Fond, upon the way from Rome to Naples, carries argent, a pale gules, to represent a ditch or channel, which Fond signifies in that country ; and the town of Dordrecht in Holland, gules, a pale argent, upon the account, and in memory of an old civil battle which occasioned much slaughter, staining the great street of that town with blood, and the river, running in the midst thereof, clear, is re- presented by the white pale.
The pale in the arms of many noble families is frequently taken for a mark of power or jurisdiction, as the learned Menestrier and other heralds observe, to re- present the paler part of the consular garment, which hangs down before from the neck to the foot. Bishops, and other dignified churchmen, have likewise such ob- long pieces belonging to their ecclesiastical habits, called episcopal pales, 'stoles, and tippets, as marks of jurisdiction and authority. The episcopal pale is borne in the arms of the Arch -Episcopal See ot Canterbury. But to proceed to the form of se- cular and armorial pale, and its accidental forms.
Plate III. fig. i . argent, a pale sable, the paternal bearing of the ancient surname of ERSKINE, the chiefs of which, the Right Honourable the Earls of MARK, Lords Erskine, &-c. have, for a long time, been in use to quarter these with the arms of Marr, viz. azure, a bend between six cross croslets, fitched or ; in their achieve- ment, timbred with crown, helmet, and mantlings befitting their quality, and out of a wreath of their tinctures ; for crest, a right hand, proper, holding a skein in pale, argent, hiked and pommelled or: and for motto, Jepenseplus. Which achieve- ment has been anciently, and of late, surrounded with the collar of the most no- ble Order of the Garter, (as Ashmole gives us), and of the most ancient Order of the Thistle, with the badges of St George and St Andrew pendant thereat, and supported with two griffins argent, winged, beaked, and armed or. Of the anti- quity of this noble family afterwards.
Several of the armorial bearings of the noble and honourable families of this surname, descended of the house of Marr, are to be found at die end of this, chapter.
.b OF THE PALE.
The pale is subject to the accidental forms of lines which compose it, as to be invr ailed, inverted, indented, nelmle, &c. As, also, the pale is sometimes fitche, or aiguise, that is, sharp at the point, and, in this form, it aptly represents a pale of wood fixed in the earth, to fortify camps and towns.
The family of CHANDOS in France and England, one of which name was one of the first Knights Companions of the noble Order of the Garter, as Ashmole gives us, in his Institution of that Order, argent, a pale fitched, at the point gules, as fig. 2. Plate III. ; the French say, a" argent an pale en pied aiguise de gueules; and Syl- vester Petra Sancta speaking of the arms of the Sussonii, being argent, three pales fitche at the foot gules, interdum (says he) bee sublica; Gentilitia cuspidantur in ima parte. When the pale turns fitche, or sharp gradually, from the top to the point, then they are called by us and the English, piles, — of which afterwards, being one of the sub-ordinaries.
Plate III. fig. 3. parted per fesse, gules and ermine, a pale counter-changed ot the same, and on the first three mascles or, used for arms by the name of Esplin. Such another bearing is that of ROPER of Teynham, an old family in Kentshire, which was dignified with the title of Lord Teynham, by King James I. of Great Britain, thus blazoned by Mr Dale, pursuivant, in his Catalogue of the Nobility of England, parted per fesse, azure and or, a pale, and three bucks' heads erased, and counter-changed of the same.
The pale, as I said before, is' subject to the accidental forms of lines which com- pose it ; a few instances I shall here add, as fig. 4. or, a pale ingrailed sable, by the surname of SAWERS, which, having teeth like a saw, is relative to the name. Syl- vester Petra Sancta gives us another coat of the same kind, which he blazons, sub- lica furva utrinque striata, in aureo scuti alveola.
Plate III. fig. 5. gules, a pale invected argent, by the name of VECK, as in Homs's Academy of Armory. And here it may be observed how ingrailing and invecting lines differ.
As for the other forms the pale is subject to, as nebule, dancette, embattled, &c. and how they may be charged and accompanied with other figures, in regard the other ordinaries are subject to the like, and that I will have occasion to speak of them and their attributes, I shall refer those forms till I come to them ; but shall here add one singular form, which I have not mentioned before, viz.
Azure, a pale rayoime or, by the name of LIGHTFORD ; the French say, a pale radiant, or rayonne, so named from the glittering rays and shining beams, like those of the sun.
Plate III. fig. 6. azure, a pale rayonne or, charged with a lion rampant gules, is carried by the name of COLEMAN in England.
This ordinary, the pale, is sometimes charged or accompanied with figures, for which I shall add the armorial bearing of the Honourable Mr DAVID ERSKINE of Dun, one of the Senators of the College of Justice, Plate III. fig. 7. argent, on a pale sable, a sword of the first, point downward, for the surname of DUN, upon the account that Sir ROBERT ERSKINE of that Ilk, one of the progenitors of the Earls of MARR, married the heiress of DUN of that Ilk, who carried gules, a sword in pale argent : Their younger son, in obtaining his mother's inheritance, placed the sword upon the pale of ERSKINE, for his difference from the principal family. Some of our old books of painting represent the sword as a cross croslet fitched or, taking it to be one of these in the arms of the earldom of MARR ; but, in our New Register of Arms I find them matriculated for DAVID ERSKINE of Dun thus, quarterly first and Fourth argent, a pale sable for ERSKINE, second and third gules, a sword in pale ar- gent, hilted and pommelled or, for DUN of that Ilk ; and for crest, a griffin's head i' rased, holding in its beak a sword bendways, and on the blade of it is for motto, Jn domino confido. Which arms are supported by two griffins gules, winged and armed or.
The pale, as is said, possesses the third middle part of the field perpendicularly from top to bottom, yet it admits of diminutions as to its breadth, the half of it is called a pallet, and the fourth part of the pallet an endorse or verget.
The pallet, the diminutive of the pale, being a half of its breadth, is latined pa- lus miniatus, and cannot be called semi-palus or demi-palus, which respects its length ; for with the English it is always as long as the pale : neither, according to them,
OF THE PALE. 37
can it be charged with any thing, but may be carried between figures. I have not met with the practice of carrying one pullet alone in a coat of arms, but where there are frequently two, three, or more together in one field, except in the bear- ing of the name of Ward, azure, a pullet argent, given us by the author of the Sy- nopsis of Heraldry, fig. b. Plate 111.
The endorse, or vet-get, being the fourth part of the pallet ; the first is a term used by the English, and the latter by the French, which signifies the same thing, a small rod or branch of a tree, which were usually interwoven With the pales, or stakes of wood, (in the sense we took them before), to fortify camps and cities ; wherefore heralds tell us, that an endorse or verget are never to be seen in arms, but when a pale is between two of them ; tor example, Plate 111. fig. 9. but here the endorses are made too broad by the engraver.
Argent, a pale ingrailed between two endorses sable, by the name of BELLASYSE,. thus blazoned by Mr Gibbon, " In parma argentea palum integrum ingrediatum, " (hoc est in semi lunulas utrinque delineatum), &. duabis hinc hide vacerrulis " planis ejusdem coloris comitatum." And Jacob Imhoil", in his Historia Genealo- gica Regum Pariumque Magiuv Britannia;, says, " Insignia quibus Bellasysii utun- " tur, in scuti quadripartiti prima &. ultima areola rubea, cantherium aureum, li- " liis tribus ejusdem metalli stipartum," (i. e. quarterly in the first and fourth area gules, a cheveron or, betwixt three flower-de-luces of the last, for Fauconberg ; but the pursuivant Dale, in his Catalogue of Nobility, gives other tinctures, viz. argent, a cheveron gules, between three flower-de-luces azure), " in secunda vero, " &• tertia argentea, palum nigrum qucm utrinque taenia, eodem colore tincta co- " mitatur representant." There was an old family of the name of Bellasyse in York- shire, of which was Henry Bellasyse, who was created Knight Baronet by King James I. and his son Thomas, for his loyal services, was created a Lord Baron, and thereafter, in 1642, Viscount Fauconberg; and since, in anno 1699, their family- has been honoured with the title of Earl of Fauconberg.
When there are more pales than one in a field, they cannot but lose of their breadth, and be proportionally smaller according to their number ; whence they have from the English the diminutive name pallet ; but the French call them al- ways pales, though they exceed the number of four.
Plate III. fig. 10. or, three pallets gules, surmounted of a cheveron azure, char- ged with as many buckles of the first, by the surname of SKIRVING. Thus by- Monsieur Baron, in his Art du Blason, of such another coat, d'or, a. trois pah g ue ules, a la cheveron d' azure, charge de trois fermaux if or brochant sur le tout. It is to be observed, the French are not so nice as the English blazoners, who will not repeat one word twice in the blazon of a coat, whereas the French do not stand to repeat one word twice in one blazon, as trois and or are here twice repeated.
Fig. ii. Plate III. or, three pallets gules, the arms of the town of Mechlin in the Netherlands ; thus by Uredus, scutum aureum palo coccineo tripartite exaraturn; and the arms of the county of Provence being almost the same, he blazons, scutum aureum quatuor palis miniatis impression, i. e. or, four pallets gules.
The arms of the kingdom of Arragon in Spain, are, or, four pallets gules ; which the French blazon, d'or, a quatre paiix de gueules. This country was possessed of old by the Kings of Navarre, till Reimar, natural son of Sanchez the Great, King of N'avarre, erected it into a kingdom anno 1034, whose arms were then an oak tree, because that country lies near the Pyrenean forest : But since it was annexed to Barcelona, by Raymond Berenger Count of Barcelona, who married Petronilla, the only daughter of Reimar II. and last King of the Arragonian race, about the year 1162, that kingdom has had no other arms since but these of the Counts of Barce- lona, or, four pallets gules ; which are said to have their rise thus : In the year 873, Geoffrey le Velon Count of Barcelona returning all bloody from battle, the King of Spain dipped his four fingers in his blood, and drew with them as many long lines o'n Geoffrey's shield, which became afterwards his fixed arms ; (we have such another story of the rise of the arms of the noble family of Keith, Earls Marischals of Scotland, which are after that same form, — of which afterwards), which account is affirmed by Favin and many other writers ; but Menestrier will have those arrm: relative, and speaking of the name Barcelona, £>uasi barras tongas, i* e. long bars.
K
38 OF THE PAL!..
It is to be observed, when a shield is filled with such pieces, as pules, bends, bars, &c. of different tinctures, those of the greatest number are to be first named in the blazon ; as in the above example, the tincture or predominates, which is taken for the field, and the pallets gules for the charge. But when these pieces are of equal number and quantity, then we say, paly of so many pieces, and name first that of the tincture on the right side.
HUGH GOURNEY, a Norman, was made Earl of GOURNEY in England by King William Rufus, and carried paly of six pieces, or and azure. His daughter and heir was married to the Lord Mowbray, and his brother Sir Roger Gourney carried .is the said Hugh ; of whom Sir John Newton in England is descended, as in a Manuscript of the Ancient Nobility of England, which I have seen in the House of Seaton : 1 take some blazons out of it upon account of their antiquity, as those of Simon Sentliz Earl of Huntingdon, who carried paly of six, or and gules, within a bordure argent. He was Earl of Huntingdon in right of his wife Maud, daughter and heiress to Waltheof Earl of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Huntingdon, widow of David I. King of Scotland, and mother of Prince Henry. After Simon's death, the earldom of Huntingdon descended to her grandchild David, brother to King William of Scotland.
The surname of RUTHVEN with us, paly of six, argent and gules, as fig. 12. The chief of this name was Ruthven Lord Ruthven, and thereafter Earl of Gowry. They are said by some to be originally from Arragon, from the similitude of their arms ; but this is no certain evident of itself, without other documents. This ancient family, as others, took their surname from their lands, called Ruthven ; and was dignified with the title of Lord Ruthven by King James HI. Thereafter that fumily marrying one of the daughters and co-heirs of Patrick Halyburton Lord Dirleton, quartered their arms with those of Halyburton, being argent on a bend azure, three mascles or. William Lord Ruthven was by King James VI. creat- ed Earl of Gowry, 1581. The family ended when the lineal succession was cut off for their treasonable practices against that king. The next branch of that name was Ruthven Lord Ruthven of Freeland, who carried only the arms of Ruthven, paly of six, argent and gules; crest, a goat's head; with the motto, Deed shaiv; and for supporters, two goats, proper, which were the same used formerly by the Earls of Gowry, as relative to that title, which signifies a goat.
Fig. 13. Plate III. paly of six, argent and gules, over all, on abend azure, three cushions, or, by the name of Lundy of that Ilk in Fife, as in our books of blazons ; and are so illuminate, as I have seen them, with those of other Scots barons, on the roof of Falla-hall, an ancient monument of arms. Over all is said of the ordinary, and other things, when placed over figures proper or natural. And for over all, the French use the term brochant, and blazon the foresaid coat thus, palle d'ar- rent, et de gueles, de six pieces a la bande brochante d? azure, charge de trots coussins d'or. The Latins, for over all, say, in totam are am protensum; or, toti superinduc- tum, (as Uredus, in his Blazon of Sax. Modern}, or omnibus imposition. LUNDIE of that Ilk carries now the arms of Scotland, within a bordure gobonated; of whom afterwards.
Fig. 14. Plate III. Paly of six, argent and sable, surmounted with a fesse of the first, charged with three stars of the second, by the name of JAFFREY of Kings- wells. JOHN JAFFRAY of Dilspro, as a second son of Kingswells, the same, with a crescent for difference ; with the crest of the family, the sun beaming through a cloud, proper ; and motto, Post nubila Phcebus : As in the Lyon Register.
Tig. 15. Paly of eight pieces, others say, eight pieces pale-ways, or and g ides, over all a bend sinister azure, charged with a crescent argent, betwixt two stars of '.he first, by the name of MACKY.
These examples may seem to some to be contrary to the received rule in he- raldry, that metal should not be placed upon metal, nor colour upon colour: For, the above cheveron, bends dexter and sinister, being of colour, lie upon colour. But there is an exception of this rule, besides others, which will occur as we go. •along, viz. that, when the field is filled with pieces alternately of metal and colour, whether paly, barry, bendy, cheverony, fusily, lozengy, flower-de-lucy, it is then a compound field, and may receive a charge either of metal or colour, as the fields of furrs do. Sylvester Petra Sancta, in his 83d. Chap, intitled, An Metallum in.
OF THE PALE. 3«>
Metalh esse, aut Cd'>r in Colore recte possint? says, " Satis t^t res comperta in par- " mulis colore simul ac metallo, seu virgatis, seu scutulatis, rectc iconem totam " exarari posse, aut ex colore, aut ex metallo."
Yet some are so nice as to make the charge counter-change to the metal and colour of the compound fields above, as in the following example :
Fig. 16. Paly of six, or and sable, a bend counter-changed of (he same, by the Lord CALVERT, Baron of England : The French blazon it, palle (for, et de sable, de six pieces, a la btinde brochante de Vun en fautre; and the Latins, sex pahs, aureos, y atros, cum balteo burner uli in totidem tessulas (c dlctis cohribus subalter- natum commutatis ) subdiviso*
The pallets are subject to accidental forms, as well as the pale ; to be ingrailed, invected, waved, &-c. I shall add here one example out of the book, intitled, Synopsis of Heraldry ; argent, three pallets waved gules. There are other forms and variations of pales, of which I shall add a few instances.
Fig. 17. Paly of lour, azure and argent, counter-changed per fesse. The French say, contre palle d' azure et $ argent de buit pieces, by the name of JOWAY in France, as Monsieur Baron. Such another bearing Sylvester Petra Sancta gives, being paly of six, gules and argent, counter-changed per fesse ; which he thus describes, rather than blazons : " Sed pulchre lumen reciprocant dimidii atque obversi pali " tesserarii numero sex, nunc punicei argenteique, quae est tessera Rosenbergiorum " in Franconia."
Fig. 1 8. Plate lii. Paly of six, gules and argent on a chief of the field, as many crescents all counter-changed. Which blazon is given by Guillim, but he does not tell us by what family it is carried : He tells us, in his Display of Heraldry, Sect. 8. that arms paly represent strength ; and that the bearing of piles, pales, bends, bars, and other extracted parts, meaning the diminutives of the ordinaries, were called of old by heralds, restrial, in respect of their strength and solid sub- stance: And Sir John Feme, in his Glozy of Generosity, says the same, page 180. where he also tells us, that if these pieces be diminished, tierced, or voided, they show weakness. I shall here give an example of pallets voided.
Fig. 19. Plate III. Sinople, three pallets or, voided gules.. Voided is said when the middle part of figures are cut out, so that the field is seen through the middle of them, or another tincture in its place ; as in the present example, thus blazoned by the French, Sinople, a trois paux d'or, vuides et remplies de gueules* Such arms as these, whose pieces are voided, are not so commendable as those that are entire, by the fore-named heralds ; nor one pallet so commendable in arms as many ; and far less an endorse or verget, except there be a pale betwixt two of them.
Having treated sufficiently of a pale and its signification in armories, together with its accidental forms, as ingrailed, &-c. as also of its diminutives, pallets, and endorses ; and shown by blazons, that we say, a pale, when it. stands alone, as in the arms of Erskine Earl of Marr ; and how we say, on a pale, when it is charged with a figure, as in the arms of Erskine of Dun ; and how we blazon, when a pale is betwixt, or accompanied with figures : I proceed now to show when to say, in pale, and pale-ways.
The common charges, such as figures natural and artificial, as I said before, keep their proper names in blazon ; but they have additional ones, according to their disposition and position in the field, from the position of the ordinaries, as the pale, fesse, &-c. When three or more figures are placed or ranged one above ano- ther in the field, after the position of the pale, then they are said to be in pale : The French say, /'?/// sur I'autre, i. e. one above another, or range en pal : The Latins say, in pal urn collocata, or, alter alteri super impositum, as Plate II. fig. 20. azure, three stars in pale argent, by the name of LAMBOULT in France : And the royal bearing of England has such a blazon, gules, three lions passant gardant in pale, or.
Fig. 21. Azure, three salmons naiant in pale, proper, (Tun sur rautre, say the French), by the name of FISHER. And, azure, three fishes (called Garvin fishes), naiant, in pale argent, that in the middle looking to the sinister, and the two to the dexter, by the surname of GARVEY. Mackenzie's Heraldry.
We need not say of fishes, as some, naiant fesse -ways, in pale ; nor of beasts, passant fesse-ways : For all fishes naiant, and all beasts passant, are fesse-ways-
4o OF THE PALE.
So the terms, in pale, m fesse, in bar, in bend, respect the disposition or situation: ot" figures ; and to say pale-ways, fesse-ways, bar-ways, respects the position of figures : And this is the distinction betwixt in pale, and pMe-ways.
The ordinary disposition of small figures of the number three, are two in chief, and one in base ; and it is not necessary to mention their disposition, but to say, he carries azure, three flower-de-luces or, which are understood always to be so disposed ; but if they be otherwise situate or disposed, then their situation must be named in pale, in bend, &-c. And when oblong figures are situate, two and one being either erect, or diagonally inclining to the right or left, then we say pah' -ways, bend-ways, and bend sinister-ways ; for example :
Fig. 22. Argent, three sinister hands, couped gules, pale-ways ; we are not to say in pale, for then three hands in pale would stand one above another.
Fig. 23. NEILSON of Grangen, argent, three sinister hands bend sinister-ways, couped gules ; we must not say in bend sinister, for then would they be situate after the position of the bend sinister.
When one oblong figure is placed in the field, as a sword or spear, after the position of the ordinaries, it may be either blazoned in pale, in bend, &-c. or- pale- ways, bend-ways ; but when there are three swords, or other oblong figures, they must be blazoned pale-ways, and not in pale, as Plate III. fig. 24. azure, a sword in pale argent, hiked and pommelled or, between three crescents of the second, by the name of PATON of Kinaldy ; crest, a spar-hawk perching, proper : motto, I- Irtus laudando, L. R. where may be seen also the arms of Mr ROGER. PATON of Ferrochie, azure, three crescents argent (without the sword) ; crest, a spar-hawk, with wings expanded, proper : motto, Virtute adepta.
Plate III. fig. 25. Parted per pale, argent and sable, three flower-de-luces in pale, counter-changed of the same, as Sylvester Petra Sancta, in his Blazon of the Arms of the Vasani in Venice, " Lilia tria, loco pali-tesserarii composita et semi-atnt " semi-argentea, illic in semisse argento, hie autem in semisse atro."
BLAZONS OF ARMS BELONGING TO THIS CHAPTER WHICH HAVE THEIR FIGURES AFTER THF
FORM OF THE PALE.
The Right Honourable HENRY Lord CAR.DROSS, grandson to Henry first Lord Cardross, who was second son to John Earl of Marr, Lord High Treasurer of Scot- land, by his second wife, Lady Mary Stewart, daughter of Esme Duke of Lennox, carried quarterly, first gules, an eagle displayed or, armed and membered azure, looking towards the sun in his splendour, placed in the dexter chief point, as a coat of augmentation for the lordship of Cardross ; second grand quarter, quar- terly first and fourth azure, a bend between six cross croslets, fitch e or, for Man', second and third argent, a pale sable, the paternal coat of Erskine ; third grand quarter, quarterly first and fourth or, a fesse cheque, azure and argent ; second and third, azure, three garbs or, on account of his lady, daughter and heir of Sir James Stewart of Kirkhill ; fourth grand quarter as the first ; and for crest, on a wreath, argent and sable, a hand holding up a boar's head erased, on the point of a skein, thrust through the same, all proper ; supported on the dexter by a horse arjeat, furnished gules ; and on the sinister, by a griffin, parted per fesse, argent and sable, armed and membered gules, with this motto, Fortitudine.
The Right Honourable DAVID Earl of BUCHAN, Lord Auchterhouse and Cardross, eldest son and heir of the above Henry Lord Cardross, by his said lady, daughter and heir of the said Sir James Stewart of Kirkhill, having, anno 1695, succeeded in the earldom of Buchan, as nearest heir-male of his cousin William Erskine Earl of Buchan, (in whom ended the issue-male of James, eldest son of John Earl of Marr, by his second wife the Lady Mary Stewart, daughter of Esme Duke of Len- nox, and immediate elder brother of Henry first Lord Cardross, great grandfather of the said David now Earl of Buchan), carries quarterly, first grand quarter azitn\ three garbs or, being the feudal arms of the earldom of Buchan ; second grand quarter, quarterly, the paternal arms of Marr and Erskine. as a son of the house of Marr ; third grand quarter, the arms of Stewart of Kirkhill, ("on account of his mo- ther as above), blazoned in the Lord Cardross's achievements ; fourth grand quar-
OF THE PALE. 41
ter argent, three bars gemels gules, surmounted of a lion sable, armed and mein- bered azure, the paternal bearing of his lady, daughter and sole heir of Henry Fairfax of Hurst, Esq. whose father was second son of the Viscount Fairfax in England; and overall the quarters, by way of .surtout, an escutcheon, charged with his father's coat of augmentation for the lordship of Cardross, the whole adorned with crown, helmet, and manthngs befitting his quality ; and for crest, issuing out of a wreath, or and azure, a dexter hand holding a club, or batton, raguled pro- per; supported on the right side by an ostrich proper, one of the supporters of the ancient earls of Buchan, and on the left by a griffin g ules, one of those of the earis of Marr : motto, that of his predecessors the earls of Buchan, Judge nought, as in the Plates of Achievements.
The younger sons of David Lord Cardross, father of the above Henry Lord Car- dross, carry the arms of their father, as in the Lyon Register, thus :
WILLIAM ERSKINE, sometime governor of Blackness Castle, and second son to David Lord Cardross, his father's arms within a bordure or.
JOHN ERSKINE of Camock, third son, and some time governor of Stirling Castle, the same arms within a bordure, parted per pale, or and argent.
CHARLES ERSKINE, fourth son to the said David Lord Cardross, the same within a bordure tierced in fesse, or, argent, and gules; crest and motto to all of them the same with that of the Lord Cardross, as above.
CHARLES ERSKINE, Advocate, and one of the Commissioners of the Court o£, Po- lice, brother-german to David now Earl of Buchan, and second son to Henry late Lord Cardross, carries the arms of his father Henry Lord Cardross, within a bor- dure ermine for difference ; crest and motto the same as his father.
Sir WILLIAM ERSKINE of Brechin, who was Secretary to King James V. descend- ed of Erskine of Dun, carried quarterly, as by his seals which I have seen, first and fourth Erskine of Dun, second and third argent, three piles issuing from the chief gules, for Brechin, but upon what account I know not : His representative is Erskine of Pittodrie.
The Right Honourable ALEXANDER ERSKINE Earl of Kelly carries quarterly, first and fourth \g ules, an imperial crown within a double tressure, flowered and coun- ter-flowered with flower-de-luces or, as a coat of concession, second and third ar- geqt, a pale sable for Erskine ; and for crest, a demi-lion gardant gules ; suppor- ters two griffins or, armed gules, and on their breasts a crescent sable : with this motto, Decori decus addit avito. He is lineally descended of Sir Thomas Erskine, second son to the Earl of Marr, who, with Sir John Ramsay, rescued King James VI. from the Farl of Cowrie's bad attempts anno 1600, for which he was honoured with the foresaid coat of augmentation, and created Lord Baron of Dirleton, then Viscount of Fenton, and afterwards Earl of Kelly, anno 1619.
Sir JOHN ERSKINE of Alva, as a cadet of Erskine Earl of Marr, carries that earl's quartered arms as before, within a bordure quartered, or and vert ; and for crest, a dexter arm from the shoulder, in armour, grasping a sword, proper : with this motto, Je pense plus ; so matriculated L. R.
Sir ALEXANDER ERSKINE of Cambo, Lord Lyon King at Arms, \vhose father Sir Charles, also Lyon King at Arms, was a second brother ol" the Earl of Kelly, car- ries that earl's quartered arms as before, with a crescent for a brotherly difference. More of which family afterwards.
JOHN ERSKINE of Balgounie, descended of a second son of the Earl of Marr, quarterly, first and fourth azure, a bend between six cross croslets fitched or, for Mar ; second and third argent, a pale within a bordure sable. L. R.
Captain PATRICK ERSKINE, in Colonel George Hamilton's regiment, third lawful son to David Erskine of Kirkbudclo, lineally descended of the family of Dun, quar- terly, first and fourth argent, a pale sable, for Erskine ; second and third gules, ;; sword pale-ways argent, hiked and pommelled or, for the name of Dun, all within a bordure embattled azure ; crest, a griffin issuing out of the wreath, holding in his dexter talon a sword, proper : motto, Ausim i$ confido. L. R. These letters stand for the present Lyon Register, where the arms of our nobility and gentry have been recorded since the year 1662.
JOHN ERSKINE of Sheeltield, descended of the family of Balgounie, bears ar^i on a pale sable, a cross croslet fitched or, within a bordure azure ; for crest, a
L
42 OF THE FESSE.
dexter arm from the elbow, proper, holding a cross croslet or, pointed downward : motto, Think well. L. R.
Argent, a pale gule jv quartered with, the arms of Carnegie Earl of Northesk.
GRANDMAIN in England, gules, a pale or.
The family of ABBATI in France, d' 'azure, a pale tf argent.
The old Earls of Athol, paly of six, sable and or, which after became the feu- dal ones of that dignity, to the families that were invested therewith. As to the Cummins, Stewarts, and Murrays, for which see the arms of Murray Duke of. Athol.
CHAP. X
OF THE FESSE.
THIS honourable ordinary possesses the third middle part of the field horizoi;. tally. Guillim says, it is formed by two lines drawn traverse the escutcheon, which comprehends in breadth the third part of the field. Menestrier describes it, " Une pie'ce honorable qui occupe le tiers de 1'ecu horisontalment." And Sylves- ter Petra Sancta, in his 26th chap. De Fascia Tesseraria, says, " Tsenia haec medi- " am scuti regionem occupat, tertiamque ibi area partem implet ; refert vero mili- " tarem cingulum q uemadmodum scutaria coronis refert capitis diadema ;" and so will have it to represent the military belt, as the chief does the diadem of the head.
It is written by us and the English fesse, and anciently faisse; by the French, face, who bring it from the Latin \vovdfascia, which signifies a scarf; which word, Chiffletius uses in many of his Blazons, as in his arms of Bethune, fascia cocci- nea scuto argenteo impressa, i. e. argent, a fesse gules, Plate III. fig. 26. Sir George Mackenzie, in his Science of Heraldry, tells us, it represents the scarf of a warrior en ecbarpe, and from bearing argent, a fesse azure, the first of the Sharps, who came from France with King David, was called Monsieur d'Esharp, and by cor- ruption Sharp, of which name there are several families with us, who carry the same arms with additional figures, as at the end of this chapter, among other blazons.
The fesse, in armories, is generally taken to represent the military belt and gir- dle of honour, used in the ceremonies of old at the investiture of the nobility and knights. Cambden, in his Blazons, calls it balteum militare ; Minshew, cingulum honoris; and Guillim, in his Display, makes use of both these words: Who says, That the girdle of honour was anciently bestowed by emperors, kings, and gene- rals, upon soldiers for their special services ; and quotes that saying of Jpab to the man that brought him the news that Absalom was hanging by the hair of the head on aaoak tree, 2 Sam. xviii. n. " Why didst thou not smite him there to the " ground, and I should have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle," which- some translations have, an arming belt. Some latinize it, cingulum or balteum, which was used as a sign of honour by all nations, and in all ages ; called by the French of old, bauhlrick, the knightly belt, because kings and princes, in the ce- remony of knighting their favourites, girded them with the belt. Favin, in his Theatre of Honour, tells us, That when Charlemagne went to the battle against the Hungarians in the town of Ratisbon, he created his son Lewis Debonnair knight, by engirthing him with the bauldrick; which he describes to be a military belt or girdle, to which was fixed, on the left side, a sword, and, on the right, a long po- niard or war-knife, much like, says he, to the daggers used in Scotland.
Spelman also tells us, That knighthood was of old conferred by the cincture of the military belt. And Selden, in his Titles of Honour, says, The girding with the belt was an essential part of that ceremony : And, therefore, we find the por- •niitures and statues of great men, on monuments and grave-stones", with this gir- dle or belt, as a sign of nobility or knighthood, variously adorned with figures, pre- cious stones, and studs of gold and silver, to represent their eminency. Such an •jne has been anciently carried in the armorial ensigns of the noble and princely £k- txiily of STEWART, which we call a fesse cheque, as Plate III. fig. 27.
Plate Jiff. Vol.1.
nK^fy^ [^A OL,^
K* •>£•
LULOXUl
iiltVt^
VL
VII
XXVI
xxvir
xxyn
XXIX
XXX
OF THE FESSE.
43
The term cheque, in heraldry, is said of the field or any other charge or figure lillcd with square pieces alternately of different tinctures ; \\ hich pieces Monsieur Baron will have to represent, in armories, battalions and squadrons of soldiers, and so a fit bearing for chief commanders of armies, as those of the ancient family of Stewart have been.
Other heralds tell us, the term cheque is from the French word echiquier, a chess- board ; because the accountants in the office of the King's Exchequer did, of old, use such boards in calculating their accounts : And arms thus chequered, are call- ed by heralds arma scacuta or scaciata, and the Court of Exchequer with us is called, Scacariujn Regis*
The English writers of the Ancient and Present State of England tell us, That their Court of Exchequer is so called from a chess-board used by accountants, or from a chequer-wrought carpet which covered the table of the Court ; as the Court of Green-cloth in. the King's Palace is called from the green carpet. But they that would have more of this derivation may see Skene De Verborum Significations.
How agreeable, then, are the armorial ensigns of the Stewarts to their employ- ments and offices ; who, long before they ascended the throne, were commanders in chief of armies under our ancient Kings, and Lords High Stewards of Scotland, and were always in use to carry for their paternal ensign, or, a fesse cheque, azure and argent ; by the French, d'or, a la face echiquete, d' azure & d* argent ; and by the Latins, scutum aureum exaratum balteo militari transverso, cyani 1st argenti, duc- tu triplici scacato : The Latins ordinarily tell of how many tracts cheque consists, — but more of this afterwards in the title of CHEQUE.
I have seen the seal of Walter, hereditary Lord High Steward of Scotland in the reign of Alexander