John Edwin Cussans

“ FLAGS.
The custom of depicting heraldic devices upon flags has been practised from the earliest period, and is still in use amongst all nations. The same rules are to be observed in blazoning a flag as in blazoning a shield, observing that the former is always supposed to be transparent; if, therefore, the material of which it is composed be so thick as to be opaque, the charges on the other side must be drawn in reverse, so that the several devices exactly cover each other. The depth of a flag is called the dip, and the width the fly. ”

“ As successive heiresses inter-marry with the family, they would each bring in the arms to which they are entitled; thus, an escutcheon may be charged with the bearings of an unlimited number of families.
A knight is not permitted to surround his shield, on which his own and wife's arms are combined, with the order of the garter, or any other distinction essentially pertaining to himself. In this case, the respective arms must be blazoned on two separate escutcheons, placed side by side. ”

“ In blazoning a shield, in which two or more charges of the same tincture immediately follow each other in the blazon, it is not necessary to mention the tincture, until all the separate charges have been specified. Thus, supposing that in the first quarter of Fig. 175, the chevron and the crosses-crosslet were gules, it would be blazoned as, Argent; a chevron between three crosses-crosslet, gules.
It is a fundamental law of heraldry, that metal should never be placed on metal, or colour on colour. ”

“ It must be remembered that the shield, when in actual use, was held by the warrior in front of him; the right-hand side, therefore, was towards the left hand of a person before him. Thus, in a representation of a coat of arms, the right side of a shield, as it appears to the spectator, is always called the sinister, and the left the dexter. The words right and left are never used in Heraldry. ”

“ Should the eldest son himself have a son, he would bear his father’s arms differenced by a label, to show that he was of the first house; and on that label there would be charged another label, showing that he was the first son of that house. Again, the fourth son bears, as we have seen, a martlet for difference. His fifth son would, therefore, charge an annulet on his father’s martlet, thereby implying that he was the fifth son of the fourth house. ”

“ The title of ‘Lord,’ although it cannot be said to constitute a degree of nobility by itself, has yet a wider application than any other, for it is commonly employed in addressing peers of every rank, from a marquis to a baron. ”

“ Lions charged on an ordinary, or when there are two or more blazened on a shield, are frequently styled lioncels. A lion is armed of its teeth and claws, and langued of its tongue. It is always represented as armed and langued gules, unless the animal itself or the field be of that tincture, in which case it is armed and langued azure. ”

“ The motto of Fairfax is Fari fac. Forte scutum salus ducum is the well-known motto of the Fortescues, and may mean either, ‘A strong shield,’ or ‘Fortescue,’ ‘is the safeguard of the generals.’ Recipiunt fæminæ sustentacula a nobis, ‘Women receive support from us,’ is the motto of the Pattenmakers’ Company. The Scotch family Wightman bear for a crest, ‘a demi-savage holding over the dexter shoulder a club ppr.; with the motto, A wight man never wanted a weapon.’
Sometimes a motto seems to be chosen on account of the harmonious jingle of the words ”

“ When a shield consists of more than one tincture, and the partition is formed by a line drawn in the direction of any of the ordinaries, it is said to be party per that ordinary: thus, Fig. 2 is Party per pale, gules and azure; Fig. 3, Party per less, purpure and gules. A shield, however, is never party per chief, or of any of the diminutives of the ordinaries. ”

“ It was the custom for a sovereign to reward a knight on the field of battle, for any particular act of gallantry, by tearing the points off his pennon, thus converting it into a banner. Henceforth the knight was entitled to blazon his arms on a square shield, and was styled a knight-banneret. ”

“ All the sons of a family being equally entitled to bear their paternal arms, some mark is required by which they may be distinguished from each other.
In the early days of heraldry, differences were effected by a variety of arbitrary methods, such as changing the tincture of the original coat, adding or suppressing some minor charge, enclosing the shield within a bordure, &c. ”

“ The crest is also sometimes borne on a chapeau, or cap of maintenance, which may be of any tincture, but is usually represented as of crimson velvet, lined and guarded with ermine. Fig. 188. Unless specified to the contrary in the blazon, crests are always supposed to be supported on a wreath.
Two or more crests are sometimes seen ensigning a coat of arms; but if we consider what purpose crests were intended to serve, this practice is obviously incorrect. If a gentleman, on his marriage with an heiress, adopts her paternal crest, he ought to relinquish his own. ”

“ Instances of counterchanging are more frequently to be met with in foreign than in English Heraldry, though in the latter they are not uncommon. The arms of Wales are Quaterly, gu. and or; four lions rampant, contercharged. The arms borne by the Paumure and Lane families afford examples of counterchanging. ”

“ The Mantling is the ornamental accessory generally depicted behind the escutcheon. When the arms have supporters, it is usual to represent the mantling as a cloak (manteau) , or robe of estate. The royal mantling is of gold, and that of peers of crimson velvet; both being lined with ermine. The mantling of esquires is commonly depicted as hanging from the helmet ”

“ There are many families who possess no motto.
Mottoes, though generally transmitted with the arms, are not strictly hereditary. An individual is at liberty to affix to his escutcheon whatever motto his fancy may dictate. (For illustrations of mottoes, see Armes Parlantes, page 64.)
Supporters
Are figures of men, beasts, birds, or imaginary creatures, which, standing on the crest-scroll, seem to support the shield placed between them. The use of supporters is restricted to peers of the realm, and knights of the Bath ”

“ In blazoning, all tautology must be particularly avoided. Never repeat a tincture twice in the same blazon. Should it occur again, it must be described as of the first (or field) , of the second, of the last, &c., as the case may be. At the same time, everything must be described with the utmost minuteness, so that a person, by reading the blazon, may be able to delineate the shield and its charges with unerring precision. ”

“ A widower’s hatchment is the same as a bachelor’s, except that his late wife’s arms are impaled with his own, while a bachelor’s is always single, or quatered. In the same manner, a widow’s is distinguished from a spinster’s. ”

“ The satirist may laugh, the philosopher may preach, but Reason herself will respect the prejudices and habits which have been consecrated by the experience of mankind. Few there are who can seriously despise in others an advantage of which they are secretly ambitious to partake. ”

“ Dormant.——Asleep, with its head resting between its paws. Fig. 112.
A lion with its tail between its legs is said to be coward; when furnished with two tails, queue fourchée; and if it have no tail, defamed. Two rampant lions, face to face, are said to be combatant; and when placed back to back, addorsed.
If an ordinary should be placed on (or, to speak in proper heraldic terms, over) a lion or other animal, it is debruised by that ordinary. The sub-joined example (Fig. 113) would be blazoned, Ermine, a lion rampant gules, debruised by a bend sinister, argent. ”

“ This term is also used when a charge (usually a demi-lion) is issuing from the bottom of a chief. When the charge is from the centre of an ordinary, usually a fess, it is described as Naissant. Lined.—Attached by a line, usually affixed to the collar of an animal (see crest of Baldwin in Appendix) . The term is also applied to the lining of a mantle, chapeau, &c., when borne of a different tincture. Maned.—Horses, lions, &c., are maned of the hair on their necks: they are also sometimes described as crined of the same. ”

“ Should the wife, or, in heraldic language, the femme, be an heiress or co-heiress, the husband, or baron, does not impale her arms with his own, but may, after her father's death, charge them on an inescutcheon, or shield of pretence, as exemplified by Fig. ”

“ These are far more numerous than the ordinaries, for there is not an object of any kind soever, either real or imaginary, but may be blazoned as a charge. Of animated beings, the Lion is that which is most commonly to be met with in heraldry. This animal is represented of every tincture, and in a variety of positions, the principal of which are the following:—
Statant—Standing in profile, and looking before him. Fig. 104. Charges are always represented as moving towards the dexter side of the shield, unless otherwise specified in the blazon. ”

“ Bulls, unicorns, and other animals having hoofs, are said to be unguled of them. An animal devouring another is described as vorant. When two animals are face to face, they are respecting each other. An animal wounded is vulmed; if smoke be issuing from the mouth and ears, it is incensed.
Birds
The Eagle, in heraldry, holds supremacy amongst birds, as the Lion does, amongst animals. The most common position assigned to the eagle is displayed, Fig. ”

“ Guillim’s Display of Heraldry; Edmondson’s Complete Body of Heraldry; Berry’s Encyclopædia Heraldica; Synopsis of the Peerage; and The Historic Peerages of England, by Sir Harris Nicholas; Parker’s Dictionary of Heraldry; Fairbairn’s Crests; Planché’s Pursuivant of Arms; Burke’s, Debrett’s, and Dod’s ; Robson’s British Herald; Boutell’s Heraldry, Historical and Popular; and Newton’s Display of Heraldry.
J. E. C.
“There is no subject more difficult to be dwelt on than that of honourable descent; none on which the world are greater sceptics, none more offensive to them ”

“ The knowledge of our own family from a remote period will always be esteemed as an abstract preeminence, since it can never be promiscuously enjoyed. If we read of some illustrious line, so ancient that it has no beginning, so worthy that it ought to have no end, we sympathise in its various fortunes ”

“ A head may be borne either affrontée or in profile; and may be couped or erased. It is usually represented with a wreath of leaves, or twisted silk bound around the temples; in which case it is said to be wreathed.
An arm encased in amour is vambraced. Thus Fig. 125 would be blazoned; Argent; a dexter arm, embowed, vambraced, ppr. [2] The hand is not supposed to be gauntleted unless so specified.
In blazoning a hand it is necessary to state whether it be the dexter or sinister; and if clenched or appaumée (open) . Fig. 126 is Argent; a sinister hand, couped, erect, appaumée, gules. ”

“ As an indiscriminate selection from the thousands which are enrolled in the Heralds’ College might be considered invidious, I give the blazon of those families only which are mentioned by Mr. Shirley [1] as constituting the landed gentry in England before the sixteenth century. Those families which have become noble since that period are distinguished by an asterisk. ”

“ Cross Patonce, the cross fleurie expanded. Fig. 63. Cross Botonnée. Fig. 64.
Cross-crosslet has each of its limbs crossed. Fig. 65. When the central part of the four limbs of a cross is cut out, it is said to be voided, as at Fig. 66; if only at the less point, where the limbs are conjoined, quaterly-pierced. Fig. 67.
A cross voided to the extremities of the shield is voided throughout. ”

“ The Roman eagle was probably the first heraldic device seen in Britain, although it is possible that the aborigines may have used distinctive emblems, as is the custom of the American Indians even at the present day. ”

“ The Fess is an ordinary horizontally crossing the middle of the shield, of which it occupies the third part.
6. The Bar, although one of the ordinaries, may be considered rather as the diminutive of the fess, as it differs from it only in its width, which is one fifth of the field. It is never borne without some other charge. ”

“ Having described the principal charge (or that which occupies the centre of the shield) , the subordinate charges, also lying on the shield itself, follow. Should any of the before-mentioned charges be themselves charged, the secondary charges so lying on them must not be mentioned until every object in direct contact with the field has been described.
By counterchanging is implied a reciprocal changing of a metal or fur for a colour, or vice versâ. Thus Fig. 174 would be blazoned, Party per pale, az. and arg.; a lion passant, counterchanged. ”