Read Ebook: Peeps at Heraldry by Allen Phoebe

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The moon is certainly not in favour with Guillim, for, after declaring that she was the symbol of inconstancy, he quotes the following fable from Pliny to her discredit:

"Once on a time the moon sent for a tailor to make her a gown, but he could never fit her; it was always either too big or too little, not through any fault of his own, but because her inconstancy made it impossible to fit the humours of one so fickle and unstable."

The sixth Bishop of Ely had very curious arms, for he bore both sun and moon on his shield, the sun "in his splendour" and the moon "in her complement."

We now come to the elements--fire, water, earth, and air, which all occur as charges, but not often, in armorial bearings.

Fire, in the form of flames, is perhaps the most frequent charge. The Baikie family bear flames, whilst we have seen the picture of a church window in Gloucestershire, where a coat of arms is represented with a chevron between three flames of fire. The original bearer of these arms distinguished himself, we were told, by restoring the church after it had been burnt down. Fire often occurs in combination with other charges, such as a phnix, which always rises out of flames, the salamander, and the fiery sword.

Queen Elizabeth chose a phnix amidst flames as one of her heraldic charges. Macleod, Lord of the Isles of Skye and Lewis, bears "a mountain inflamed"--literally, a volcano--on his shield, thus combining the two elements, earth and fire.

"Etna is like this," says Guillim; "or else this is like Etna."

Water, as we know, is usually represented by roundlets, but the earth may figure in a variety of ways when introduced into heraldry.

In the arms of one King of Spain it took the shape of fifteen islets, whilst one Sir Edward Tydesley charged his field with three mole-hills.

The family of Milverton bear three mill-stones.

Plants, having been created before animals, are considered next.

Trees, either whole or represented by stocks or branches, are very favourite charges, and often reflect the bearer's name.

Some of our homely vegetables are found in heraldry. One Squire Hardbean bears most properly three bean-cods or pods; a "turnip leaved" is borne by the Damant family, and is supposed to symbolize "a good wholesome, and solid disposition," whilst the Lingens use seven leeks, root upwards, issuing from a ducal coronet, for a crest. Herbs also occur as charges. The family of Balme bears a sprig of balm, whilst rue still figures in the Ducal arms of Saxony. This commemorates the bestowal of the Dukedom on Bernard of Ascania by the Emperor Barbarossa, who, on that occasion, took the chaplet of rue from his own head and flung it across Bernard's shield.

Amongst flower charges, our national badge, the rose, is prime favourite, and occurs very often in heraldry. The Beverleys bear a single rose, so does Lord Falmouth. The Nightingale family also use the rose as a single charge, in poetical allusion to the Oriental legend of the nightingale's overpowering love for the "darling rose." The Roses of Lynne bear three roses, as also the families of Flower, Cary, and Maurice. Sometimes the rose of England is drawn from nature, but it far oftener takes the form of the heraldic or Tudor rose. Funnily enough, however, when a stem and leaves are added to the conventional flower, these are drawn naturally.

There are special terms for blazoning roses. Thus, when, as in No. 7 of Fig. 36, it is represented with five small projecting sepals of the calyx, and seeded, it must be blazoned "a rose barbed and seeded"; when it has a stalk and one leaf it is "slipped," but with a leaf on either side of the stalk, it is "stalked and leaved." A rose surrounded with rays is blazoned "a rose in sun" . Heraldic roses are by no means always red, for the Rocheforts bear azure roses, the Smallshaws a single rose vert, whilst the Berendons have three roses sable.

The thistle, being also our national badge, has a special importance in our eyes, but next to the "chiefest among flowers, the rose, the heralds ranked the fleur-de-lys," because it was the charge of a regal escutcheon, originally borne by the French kings. Numerous legends explain the introduction of the lily into armorial bearings, but we can only add here that although the fleur-de-lys is generally used in heraldry, the natural flower is occasionally represented--as in the well-known arms of Eton College; three natural lilies, silver, are charged upon a sable field, one conventional fleur-de-lys being also represented. Amongst other flower charges, three very pretty coats of arms are borne respectively by the families of Jorney, Hall, and Chorley. The first have three gilliflowers, the second, three columbines, and the last, three bluebottles .

One last word as to cereals.

Wheat-sheaves are very favourite charges. Lord Cloncurry bears three garbes in chief; Sir Montague Cholmeley bears a garbe in the base of his shield, as does also the Marquis of Cholmondeley.

Garbes and wheat-ears were also much used as crests.

The Shakerleys have a sheaf of corn for their crest, on the left of which is a little rabbit, erect, and resting her forefeet on the garbe; Sir Edward Denny's crest is a hand holding five wheat-ears; whilst Sir George Crofton has seven ears of corn as his crest.

Though quite out of order amongst cereals, we may mention what is, I believe, a rather rare example of the representation of the fern in heraldry, Sir Edward Buckley's crest--a bull's head out of a fern brake.

ANIMAL CHARGES

In dealing with charges of living creatures, we shall observe the following order: "Animals of all sort living on the earth"; "such as live above the earth"; "watery creatures"; "man."

To blazon animal charges, many special terms are required, describing their person, limbs, actions, attitudes, etc.

"And as," says Guillim, "these beasts are to explain a history, they must be represented in that position which will best show it."

After describing this charge, Guillim rather comically gives us this story:

"An elephant of huge greatness was once carried in a show at Rome, and as it passed by a little boy pried into its proboscis. Thereupon, very much enraged, the beast cast the child up to a great height, but received him again on his snout and laid him gently down, as though he did consider that for a childish fault a childish fright was revenge enough."

Donkeys were evidently at a discount with heralds. The families of Askewe and Ayscough bear three asses passant charged on their shield, and there is an ass's head in the arms of the Hokenhalls of Cheshire.

The Harthills very properly bear a "hart lodged on a hill;" a single stag, his back pierced by an arrow, occurs in the Bowen arms, and the Hynds bear three hinds. Three bucks "in full course" are borne by the Swifts. Deer's heads are very common charges, generally occurring in threes. In the coat of arms of the Duke of Wurtemberg and Teck, we find three antlers charged horizontally across the shield.

A reindeer is drawn in heraldry with double antlers, one pair erect and one drooping.

The boar was deemed a specially suitable badge for a soldier, who should rather die valorously upon the field than secure himself by ignominious flight. Both the Tregarthens and Kellets bear a single boar, whilst a boar's head, either singly or in threes, occurs very constantly in coats of arms. A boar is blazoned "armed of his tusk" or "armed and langued," when his tongue is shown of a different tincture. Moreover, as Mr. Fox-Davies reminds us in his interesting "Guide to Heraldry," an English boar's head is described as "couped" or erased "at the neck," but the Scotch herald would blazon the same charge as "couped and erased" "close."

The Winram family bear a single ram, the Ramsays of Hitcham bear three rams on their shield.

A very pretty coat of arms belongs to the Rowes of Lamerton in Devon, "gu: three holy lambs with staff, cross and banner arg:."

The different parts of a lion are much used; the head, either erased or couped, the face cabossed, the paws, borne either singly or in twos and threes, and lastly, we find the tail represented in various postures. The Corkes bear three lions' tails.

The tiger follows the lion and has terms of blazon peculiar to himself. Thus, the single tiger borne by Sir Robert Love is depicted as "tusked, maned and flasked." In the arms of the De Bardis family, a tigress is represented gazing into a mirror, which lies beside her on the ground. This odd charge alludes to the fable that a tigress, robbed of her whelps, may be appeased by seeing her own reflection in a glass. A tiger's head is used but seldom as a separate charge.

Apparently the bear stood higher in favour with the old heralds. The family of Fitzurse charge their shield with a single bear passant, the Barnards have a bear "rampant and muzzled," whilst the Beresfords' bear is both "muzzled and collared." The Berwycks bear a bear's head, "erased and muzzled," and three bears' heads appear in the arms of the Langham, Brock, and Pennarth families.

ANIMAL CHARGES

The Carricks and Burgoynes bear one talbot on their shield, whilst the Talbot family have three talbots passant.

The Earl of Perth has a "sleuthhound, collared and leashed" for his crest; that of the Biscoe family is a greyhound seizing a hare. A dog chasing another animal must be blazoned either "in full course" or "in full chase." A foxhound nosing the ground is described as "a hound on scent."

The fox rarely figures in heraldry. One Kadrod-Hard of Wales bore two "reynards counter salient," and "the Wylies do bear that wylie beast, the fox"; whilst three foxes' heads erased are borne respectively by the Foxes of Middlesex and one Stephen Fox, of Wilts.

A fox's face is blazoned a "mask."

The dog, fox, and cat have each their typical meaning in heraldry. The dog symbolizes courage, fidelity, affection, and sagacity; the fox, great wit and cunning; the cat, boldness, daring, and extraordinary foresight, so that whatever happens she always falls on her feet. She was formerly the emblem of liberty, and was borne on the banners of the ancient Alans and Burgundians to show that they brooked no servitude.

Three moles are borne by Sir John Twistledon, of Dartford, Kent--a mole was sometimes blazoned "moldiwarp"--whilst the Rattons very aptly bear a rat.

We cannot say much of the toads, tortoises, serpents, grasshoppers, spiders, and snails which occur in heraldry.

To the Greek, the grasshopper signified nobility; hence amongst the Athenians a golden grasshopper worn in the hair was the badge of high lineage. In later days the heralds considered the grasshopper a type of patriotism, "because in whatever soil a grasshopper is bred, in that will he live and die."

Spiders were not only held symbolical of industry, but they were highly esteemed for their supposed properties of healing.

One family of Shelleys bears three "house-snails" so termed in heraldry to imply that they carry their shells. A type of deliberation in business matters and perseverance is supposed to be furnished by the common snail.

Various heraldic terms are in use for blazoning bird charges--viz.:

Falcons are blazoned "armed, jessed and belled." A falcon is usually called "goshawk" in heraldry.

Swans, geese, ducks, and other web-footed birds occur rarely in heraldry. The Moore family bear one swan, the Mellishes two, and three swans' necks are charged upon the Lacys' shield. One, John Langford, bears a single wild goose. Three wild duck volant appear in the arms of the Woolrich family. Three drakes--a very favourite charge--are borne by the Yeos. The Starkeys bear one stork, the Gibsons three.

Three herons occur in the arms of Heron, one kingfisher in those of one, Christopher Fisher . Viscount Cullen, whose family name is Cockayne, bears three cocks; three capons are borne by the Caponhursts; whilst, drolly enough, three cocks are borne by the Crow family. The Alcocks bear three cocks' heads.

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