Farewell, see you over there

To anyone who comes across this blog, please note that it has been reborn as Fiat Vox, with a greater range of topics being covered therein, as well as the heraldry found here. Most of the more interesting posts from this blog are being converted and carried across to my new blog. Once they're all transferred, this one will likely be shut down. I thank you for your attention.

Chivalry: Nine vertues of Chivalrie

John Ferne's 1586 Glory of Generositie (part of The Blazon of Gentrie) gives the following 'Nine vertues of Chivalrie'.

Torq. I was never daintie of my cunning : of these nine vertues, foure of them beene called spirituall, and five temporall, the foure vertues spirituall be these.

1  He shall honor his father and his mother.
2  He shall not oppresse the poore.
3  He shall shew mercie where mercie is due.
4  He shall fight for the defence of the sacrifice of the great God of heaven.

Now follow the five vertues temporall.

1  He shall not turne his backe to his enemie, with intent to flie.
2  He shall truly hold his promise to his friend, as to his foe.
3  He shall be free of his hospitallitie.
4  He shall defend maidens right.
5  He shall uphold the cause of the widow.

Tinctures in Period: Purpure

Purple or Violet, known in Blazon as Purpure.

Boke of Saint Albans (1486)

St Albans refers to a tincture called 'brusk', which I include under Purpure as it is presented under the same stone, Amethyst, as is given in other sources.

Tercius lapis

And this stone is calde brusk colore in armys

The thirde stone is calde an Ametisce a dusketli stone brusk hit is calde in armys. The vertue ther of is : that he the wich berith in his Cotearmur that stone. fortunable of victori in his kinges batayll shall be. the wich stone is reserved to the virtutys crowne that was fortunable and victoriows in his kyngs batail of heven whan they faught with Lucifer.

Workes of Armorie (1572)

Violet, termed Purpure, is compared to Mercurie, and to the Amatiste.

The Amatiste his force or vertue avayleth agaynst dronkennesse, it keepeth a man wakyng, and dryveth awaye ill thoughtes, and sharpeneth the understanding also.

In the second table of tinctures, purpure is not included in the list of four colours, with the following note:

Purpure, may bee addedd to make the 5.coloure, but it is rare in use with us.

The Blazon of Gentrie (1586)

The last of the 7 tinctures detailed by Ferne.

The 7. cullor is composed of white, blew, & red, and is called purpre, it signifieth in

1 - Planets. - Mercury.
2 - Precious stones. - Amethist, Opall, and Hyacinth.
3 - Vertues. - Temperancie and prudence.
4 - Celestiall signes. - Sagittarius and Pisces.
5 - Months. - November and February.
6 - Days of the week. - Wednesday.
7 - Ages of Man. - The age of gray heares, called canasenectus.
8 - Flowres. - The Violet.
9 - Elements. - Water and earth.
10- Sesons of the yeer - Winter.
11 - Complexions. - Flegmatique with some choller.
12 - Numbers. - 7. 12.
13 - Mettailes. - Tinne.

Purpure is the only tincture to be given a complexion of a combination of two, rather than a single humour on its own.

In the angelic system given later in the book, Purple is given to Vertues, with the virtue Knightly of governement.

The Elements of Armories (1610)

The rankings of tinctures given by Bolton hold Purpure as one of the lowest, with Upton placing it fifth, after Gules, Leigh and Scohier relegating it to seventh and last, after Vert or Sable respectively, and Bolton's own throne of colours placing it last, sharing the fourth tier with Vert.

Display of Heraldrie (1611)

Purpure is a Colour that consisteth of much Red, and of a small quantitie of Blacke [...] Cassaneus having formerly handled those former six Colours, viz. White, Blacke, Red, Yellow, Greene, and Blew, saith, that of them all (being compunded and mixed together according to proportion), this Purpure Colour is raised. This Colour usually hath no other name in Blazon.

In his table of the names used for the tinctures and their order, Guillim gives Purpure the seventh place, as Purpure. Amethyst. Mercury.

Staves - Introduction to the Herald's Staff

5.9.  Any herald on official business may carry a small white stave to indicate they ought not be interrupted.

9.2.3.  When announcing a multi-field, multi-herald tourney a herald’s white stave may be raised when speaking to assist in prevention of overlapping calls. 

These are quotes from the Lochac College of Heralds official policy. It is rather brief on the point, giving it as simply a method of stopping interruptions during calls. However, there are a great many uses for the herald's staff, and they are currently greatly under-used by heralds in my experience.

The most useful area of heraldry in which a staff can serve well is in tourney heraldry. At the start of a bout, the marshal indicates each fighter as they're introduced, and each fighter usually indicates the other with their weapon. If carrying a staff, the herald can join in on this. At the end of the bout, one fighter is again indicated, the victor, and if carrying a staff, the herald can help with this. Also, the staff can be raised to call for attention. In a multi-field environment, this attention is, as indicated in the Lochac policy, quite useful from the other heralds present. In a single-field environment, raising a shining white staff can raise the visibility of the herald, particularly if it's crowded.

Outside of tourney heraldry, a staff has some other very important uses for a duty herald. Firstly, it increases the visual impact of a herald in their tabard, adding to the style and pageantry of the event, which is, after all, one of the important roles of the herald. Secondly, it gives the the herald's hand something to do, rather than fidgeting or scratching (though, be careful not to drop it too often once you inevitably start twirling your staff).

Finally, when making an announcement in a hall, or calling for the beginning of court, a stout staff banged on the floor before your 'Oyez' makes it slightly more likely to get attention, and on top of that, adds an interesting note of class.

In later articles, I will show some period illustrations of herald's staves, and show how I believe they should be constructed.

Arrangements - Crossing the Line

In the period heraldry texts I've been reading, there are a few examples of devices with charges crossing the lines of ordinaries. I've shown one, which I'll re-cover here, but there are a number of interesting examples.

Hee beareth Or, a Lyon rampannt d'Ermine, debrused with two Barruletes, & fret with the thirde Sable.

This example from Bossewell's Workes of Armorie (1572) is more an example of layered overall charges, rather than simply crossing over the lines of an ordinary, but is worth mention here.

The fielde is sable, an Eagle displaide with two heades d'Or. debrused with a barre d'Ermyne.

The second example from Bossewell, this device which is blazoned as a simple surmounted or debruised is given the extra twist of having the wings come over the bar.

 R. hath to hys creste, on a Pillowe d'Ermine, an arme extended oute of a Crowne, sleves and ruffes d'Or, holding in an hande propre, a ball d'Argente.

The third example from Bossewell is from a crest, rather than the arms itself. It is blazoned with the term 'on', even though the arm extends off the edge of the pillow.

Ferne's 1586 The Blazon of Gentrie gives two examples of this. The first reads thusly:

The next coate I will blaze my selfe : the scutcheon is Verte in cheefe crenelle Ar. a file B.

In the tricking of this blazon, Ar. is Argent, and B. is Azure. The file has contrast to the chief embattled, but not to the field, by Society standards.

Or: on a chefe Gules, a right arme extended purpure, portant un fanon Ermynes, brochant sur le toute.

This blazon of Ferne's second example is rather tricky, as it mixes together English and French. As best as I can translate, "brochant sur le toute" is similar to "surmounting the field."

He beareth Or, out of the middest of a Fesse Sable a Lion Rampand, Naissant Gules, Armed and Languend Azure.

Guillim, in his 1611 Display of Heraldrie, attributes these arms to Sir Henry Emme, Knight of the Garter under Edward III of England. James Parker's Glossary also references these arms, in the entry for Naissant, stating

Or, a demi-lion rampant gules, naissant from a fesse sable. Sir Henry EAME, or ESME, K.G., temp. ED. III.

There is some difference in the surnames, giving three versions between two sources, and the Parker version lacks the blue claws and tongue. As far as I can see, there are two registrations for the naissant arrangement in Society heraldry, both from the 1980s.