Heraldry. 
722 
When there are more than one dend in a coat, the 
"are called bendlets; but when the field is equally di- 
PLATE 
ccxcll, 
Fig. 3. 
Fig. 5. 
| 
ae 
a 
Fig. 8. 
vided by 4, 5, 6, 8, or 10 lines, or any even number 
bendways, then it is termed bendy of so many pieces. 
The dend, or, as it may be called for distinction sake, . 
the bend dexter, has more subdivisions or diminutives 
than any of the other ordinaries: lst, The bendlet, 
which should contain one-sixth of the shield; 2dly, A 
garter; 3dly, A cotlise; Athly, A ribbon, none of which 
can be with propriety charged. See Fig. 3. 
4. The bend sinister, which passes diagonally from 
the sinister chief point to the dexter point in base, has 
not the same diminutives as those of the bend deater ; 
but, according to some heraldic writers, is subdivided 
into a scarp or scarf, which has just half the breadth 
of the Jend sinister, and a batlon or fissure containing 
half the breadth of the scarf. See Fig. 4. 
Many, however, will by no means admit of the bat- 
ton being said to be a diminutive of the bend sinister, or 
any part of any of the ordinaries. According to man 
years practice, the batton does not touch the extremi- 
ties of the shield, nor the extremities of the quarter 
where the paternal arms are placed, as all the ordina- 
ries do, but is, on the contrary, couped or cut short, 
and so borne as a mark of illegitimacy, (as may be seen 
in the arms of the Dukes of St Albans, Gratton, and 
Buccleuch, all descended from bastards of King Charles 
the Second,) and not as an ordinary or charge, or any 
part of the coat. For although some instances are to 
be met with of ancient arms, where the ba/ton sinister 
is passed from the sinister chief to the dexter base over 
all, and others where it passes from corner to corner 
over the paternal arms, and not over the other quarter- 
ings; yet in every one of these it is used as a mark of 
illegitimacy, and not as either an ordinary or a charge. 
This mark or batton may, in the arms of royal bastards, 
be of metal orfur, or both; but, in the escutcheons of 
those of the humbler sort, of colours only. When both 
a bend dexter and a bend sinister occur in the same coat, 
that is first mentioned which lies nearest the shield ; 
thus argent, a bend azure surmounted by a bend sini- 
ster. 
5. The Fass is formed by two lines drawn horizon- 
tally across the shield, and is understood to comprehend 
in breadth the third part of the shield, though less room 
is often assigned to it. This ordinary cannot be di- 
vided or diminished like the bend, but may be voided, 
a form to which all the ordinaries are liable. Voided is 
said of an ordinary when its middle is cut away, so that 
no more of it remains visible than the two outside lines ; 
as azure, a fess voided argent, by the name of Bleckall. 
6. The Bar is formed by two equidistant lines drawn 
horizontally across the middle or centre of the escut- 
cheon, after the manner of the fess, but containing-one- 
fifth part only of the field) The bar hath two diminu- 
tives, viz. a closet, which is in breadth one-half, and 
a barrulet, which is in breadth one-fourth of the bar. 
When the field is divided into 4 6, 8, 10, or 12 equal 
parts, it is then blazoned barry ; and when the dimi- 
nutives of the bar are placed in pairs on the shield, they 
are called bars gemelles, from the Latin, gemelli, twins. 
7. The Escurcuron itself is deemed an ordinary, 
and-is composed of three lines. It may be carried 
singly, or with others, as in the coat of Hay, argent, 
three escutcheons, gules, See Fig. 7. 
N. B. Inescutcheon signifies the same thing. 
8. The Borper hath, by several writers, been refu- 
sed admittance into the number of ordinaries ; they al- 
leging, that it is not a principal figure, but a difference 
only. Nisbet, however, very properly observes, that 
HERALDRY. 
. this is quite unjust, inasmuch as many coats consist of Heraldr 
Ss 
coats 
n the dorder alone. In blazon, borders 
other, 
always give way to the chief, the , and the can-« 
ton: so that, in coats charged with one of these ordi«. 
naries, the border goes round the field until it touches 
colours, and divided into squares, it is called a border 
compeny or compony ; if it hath two rows of squares, it 
is called counter compony ; if three, it is called cheque. 
A border purflewed is shaped exactly like vair : when 
it is.of one row, it is purflewed; when it is of 
two rows, it is counter ed; when of three, vair. 
The border enaleron is a x charged with birds; 
the border entoiré is charged with besants; the border 
verdoye is charged with vegetables ; the border enurney 
with lions, &c. But these terms ought all to be dis- 
carded as useless, 
9. The Orte is an inner border of the same sha 
all sides, so that it appears like an escutcheon voided, 
The edges of the or ay bs ingrailed, indented, in. 
vecked, &c. When any ings, as martlets, mascles, 
&c. are placed round an escutcheon on a field, they are 
said to be in orle; and it is needless to mention the 
number of them, for figures so placed are always sup« 
posed to be eight in number. See Fig. 9. 
The Tressure is a diminutive of the orle, formed by 
a small line or trace passing along the field, and en« 
compassing the inner part of the escutcheon in the same 
form as that of the shield. In some coats, the tressure 
is formed of two lines or traces, y counter-flory, as 
in the arms of Scotland. Indeed, unless it be of this 
sort, it may as well be called an orle as a tressure, as 
Edmonstone has well observed. 
10. “ The Frasque consists of an arched line drawn Fig. 10. 
somewhat distant from the corner of the chief, and 
swelling by degrees till you come towards the centre of 
the escutcheon, and then decreasing again with a like 
descent unto the sinister point base.’’ See Fig. 10. 
« The Franca is formed of an arched line, taking 
its beginning from the corner of the chief, and from 
thence compassing orderly with a swelling embossment, 
until it come near the nombril of the escutcheon, and 
thence proportionably declining to the sinister base 
point.” So says Guillim ; but Gibbon and Edmonstone 
are both of opinion, that these two ordinaries are cone 
and the same. The voider is certainly a mere diminu- 
tion of the flanch, and, by reason of its smallness, cans 
not be charged. : : 
11. The Saurrer, or Sautoir, is an ordinary consisting Fig. 11, 
of a fourfold line, two whereof are drawn from the dex-~ 
ter chief towards the sinister base corner ; and the other 
two from the sinister chief to the dexter base point. If 
not charged, it containeth one-fifth of the field ; if chars 
ged, one-third. See Fig. 11. , 
12, The Cross, after the expeditions to the Holy Fig. 12. 
Land, came to be an ordinary of most frequent use. It is 
composed of a fourfold line, whereof two are perpendi« 
cular and two horizontal ; so that it seems to be forms 
ed of the pale andthe fess, not lying on one another, 
but corporally united in the centre. The great variety 
of crosses used in heraldry is such, that in all consider~ 
able systems several pages are filled with engravings of 
them, Fig. 12, The most considerable are the cross pu- Figs. 12— 
tée, Fig. 18; the cross potence, Fig. 14; the cross avellane, 20, 
Fig. 15; the cross furche, Fig. 16; the cross crosslet, 
Fig. 17 ; the cross botone, Fig. 18; the cross flory, Fig. 
19; the cross patée fitched, Fig. 20; the cross pierced, 
as Prate 
the escutcheon, and doth not touch the exterior of the CCXCIL | 
shield, the shield being seen within and around it on Fis % 
—- —— '. 
