H E R A 
The CHEVRON. 
This ordinary confifts.of the lower half of the faltire, 
snd derives its name from the French, who call a chevron 
the two rafters or pieces of timber which, being joined 
together in an angle at top, bear the weight of the reft 
of the roof. It has-alfo its diminutives ; namely, the 
ckevronel , which is the half of the chevron; and the 
couple clofe, which is half of the chcvtonel, and is to the 
chevron as the cotice. is to the bend, that is, fo exclufively 
and clofely attached to it that it never appears but in 
its company. The French have but one diminutive of 
this drdinary, which they term etaye, a prop, or fupport'; 
and it contains the third part of the chevron. 
The etymology of the French architectural wofd 
chevron appears to be borrowed front chevre , a goat; for 
when two goats butt together, head' to head, their 
pofition is exactly that of the two rafters meeting in an 
angular attitude. , Though fimple. and obvious, this 
idea does not feem to have ever been conceived by for¬ 
mer etymoloFifts. 
• Plate III. fig. 43, argent, a chevron gules . The chevron 
ought to be .lhaded’under, and not one fide under and 
the other o.p.pofite above. Fig. 44. per .pale or and azure, 
d chevron counterchanged. Fig. 45, argent, a pcile gules fur- 
mounted by a chevron engrailed counterchanged. Fig. 4 6, or, 
three chevronels gules. Fig, 47, vert, a chevron between two 
chevronels argent. this coat might be blazoned: vert a 
chevron cotijed argent ; or vert, a chevron couple clofed argent. 
This.laft mode of deferibing this bearing i» iehiom, if 
ever, uie-i. Fig. 48, or, a fefs between two chevrons gules. 
Fig. 49, azure, a chevron removed argent. 
When the field is divided mo're than once per chevron, 
the term in bk zon.is chevronny, 01 cfievfonne, of 4-6-8 
pieces, as at fig. 50, chevronny of fix, or and fable. And 
when the charges on the eicufcneon are.dilpaled in an 
angle, the fuminit. of which is directed towards the top 
of the lllield, it is (aid, to be ckevroncuays, as at fig. 51, 
argent, a heart fupported by two Jwords chtvronways proper. 
Fig. 52, gules, a chevron humette, or. Fiere the lame ob- 
fervatipn applies as was made life,of above, in the de- 
feriptfon of fig. 41, Plate II. Fig. 53, azure, three chev- 
rcnels interlaced, argent. Some heralds call them chev¬ 
ronels braced. 
The CHIEF. ' 
1 The chief is fo callefi becatife it occupies.the chief or' 
'head part of' the el’cufelieon. It is ah ordinary, deter-’ 
mined by an horizontal line, diffant a third part of the' 
field from the top-edge of the lhield. This'liiie may be 
indented, wavy, &c. and in that cafe it ought to be fo ex- 
j) re fled in the blazon. Its diminutive is ^ filet, though 
feldoni to be met with, being nothing but a chief of a 
fmaller breadth. This ordinary is often made ule of as 
an honourable augmentation in the arms of a man who 
has deferved well of his country ; and we find illuftrious 
inftances of it in the addition made to-the coats of lord 
Nelfon, fir W. Sidney Smith, &c. where the chief of 
honourable'augmentation, as it is properly called, bears 
feme confpicuous reprefentations of the achievements" 
through which tliaf dignifying diftiinSfiori was obtained. 
Fig. 54, or, a chief fable. Fig. 55, argent, a. chief per pale 
azure and gules. Fig. 36, per pale argent and fable , a chief 
indented counterchanged. F ig. 57, azure, three mullets in chief 
■argent. 
The term “in chief ” is often ufed to exprefs that 
fome of the charges are in the upper part of the, lhield ; 
as, argent a chevron between two mullets fn chief, and. an anchor 
in bafe fable. 
Fieie ends the nomenclature and defeription of what 
we have called principal ordinatjes; the pieces or charges 
following, being not of the fame importance, are corifi- 
dered as fubordjnate in dignity. 
SUBORDINATE ORDINARIES. 
In conformity to the reafons alleged above, we Ihould 
Vo l. IX. No. 397. 
-LDRY. 433 
clafs under this title all the diminutives of ordinaries; 
but as, the better to lliow their affinity with the parent 
charge, they have been taken notice of in their refpe&ive 
places, we lhall content ourfelves with giving a clear 
defeription of the following : viz. The bordure, orle,. 
arid trellure.—The inefcutclieon.—The pile.—The can- 
■ ton and quarter.—T.he ffanche.s and voidersl-—The 
gyrpn.—The fret.—The pall or pairle. ’ 
The BORDURE. 
Some heraldic writers have confidered the bordure as 
one of the principal ordinaries ; and as it goes quite 
round, and takes the ffiape of the lhield, they, on a fu- 
perficial view, may be fuppofed well grounded in their 
opinion ; but whenjwe confider that this charge does not 
interfere with the original bearings, but refpe&fully 
creeps round the family coat merely to give aneceffary 
diftiniftion, or create a difference, we feel ourfelves 
autliorifed to clafs it with the fubordinate ordinaries f 
as we Ihould have done with the chief, had not a fonriu 
dable hoft of armorifts threatened us with the difplealing 
accufation of being innovators. 
The origin of the bordure or border , fpelt indifferently 
both ways, is certainly of great antiquity. Thofe inu J 
exauffible iources of heraldic devices, the tournaments 
and jufts, have witneffed the introduction of the bor¬ 
dure, when, after a hard and doubtful confiiCF, the un¬ 
known knight, his left arm bearing a golden but'plain 
and unadorned lhield, alights from his conifer, and, 
throwing up his vifor, difeovers the beautiful features 
of a.young lady who had long foughfand vidorioully 
encountered her unfaithful fuitor; vanquilhed, and re¬ 
turning fpeedily to his duty, the warrior diverts himfelf 
of hjs purple fcarf, and with it elegantly furrounds the 
enchanted lhield of his fair conquering antagonift. In 
that cafe, and let us not for a jnoment'fuppofe it im¬ 
probable, the arms will look as they are exemplified 
at fig. 58, Plate III. or, a bordurepurpure. See alio fig. 
59, or, a fefs cheque, argent and azure, within a bordure engrailed 
quarterly gules and fable. Alio fig. 60, quarterly azure and' 
argent, a bordure counterchanged. 
It has been a queltion among heraldifts, whether a 
bordure Ihould be lhaded. Although in this'point we 
are confcious that we differ entirely from Edmondfon’s 
precept, yet we lhall not heiitate to anfwer in the affir¬ 
mative, that a bordure be'ing, in gefieral, ap addition to 
the original arms, it ought to bear a ftrdng lhadow. upon 
it ; otherwife it would appear as if the field was party' 
per bordure, w,hiclv would be, in fad't, an heraldic incon¬ 
gruity. This figure has been often ufed as a rebatement or' 
diminution of honour, to diftinguilh younger fo ns from 
the elder, and illegitimate offspring from the true-bo.rn. 
As the bordure admits of charges, its odtlines may 
be compofed of pieces of feveral timftures. That 
lliown at fig. 61, Plate III. is fanguine, a bordure argent, 
with verdoy of trefoils-, or eight trefoils fipped proper. This 
word verdoy, is a.corruption of the F'rench verdure, and 
means a green bordure, or orle of green vegetables, as 
plants, fruits, powers, or leaves. In ancient blazon-' 
ings of arms we find alfo an enalitron (en orle) of birds ; 
enurny (orne) of beaffs ; perflew of furs ; and entoyre (en- 7 
toure) of inanimate things. Thefe expreffi'ons are all 
derived from French heraldic terms; and, moll likely 
to avoid obfeurity in fo noble a fcience, have been long- 
exploded and difufed. The ■ breadth of the bordure is 
generally a fifth part of the lhield, and its tinCture ought 
to be contrafted with the tindhue of the field, accord¬ 
ing to the rule laid down for other charges ; yet we may 
furnilh feveral inftances to the contrary. 
The bordure h^is no diminutive ; but being removed 
from the circumference of the efcutcheon nearer to the 
centre of the field, it takes the name of orle, from the 
Latin ora, a court or border ; orula, a fmall border ; 
from which the French have made their word ourlet, n 
hem or lelvage. See fig 62, or, an orle azure. 
In 
