A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

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OF THE CHEVERON.
of Mortle in Aberdeenshire, and Michael Elphinstone of Quarrel. Lord Alexan-
der married the sister of James first Earl of Perth, with whom he had only a
daughter, Lilias, his heir, so that the title of lord descended to his nephew Alex-
ander Elphinstone of Barns, son of his brother James, who married the above
Lilias. Their son John Lord Elphinstone, married Isabel, daughter of Charles
Earl of Lauderdalc, by whom he has issue, and carries as before, argent, a cheveron
sable, betwixt three boars' heads erased gules ; supporters, two savages, proper,
with laurel garlands about their heads and middle, holding in their hands darts,
with their heads upwards ; and for crest, a lady from the middle richly attired,
holding a castle in her right
motto, Cause caused it.
hand, and in her left a branch of laurel ; with the
I will make mention of families of this surname afterwards,
who carry cheverons accompanied with figures.
with many others,
This ordinary, the cheveron, as others, is not only subject to accidental forms,
but to be voided and charged with figures proper and natural ; as by the following
examples.
A cheveron voided is when the middle part of it is evacuated or cut out by even
or straight lines, so that the field it.
appears through
voided of the
Plate VII. fig. 5. MAIN of Lochwood, argent, a cheveron gules,
field, betwixt two pheons in chief, and an unicorn's head erased in base sable ; as
in Sir George Mackenzie's Heraldry, and in the Lyon Register ; for crest, a hand
throwing a dart, proper : motto, Projeci. This figure is so irregularly cut, that it
may
be blazoned two cheverons.
CHIESLY of Kerswall, gules, a cheveron voided between three cinquefoils or ;
crest, an eagle displayed, proper : motto, Credo 13 videbo. New Register. And
there also,
CHIESLY of Dairy, argent, three roses slipped gules, and stalked vert ; and for
crest, another rose of the same ; with the motto, Fragrat post funera virtus.
The name of DOYLEY in England, azure, a cheveron ingrailed on the outer side
or, and voided of the field.
Camden, in his Blazons, for a cheveron voided, says, cantherium evacuatum.
The voidure must be made of even lines, and not ingrailed, waved, or any other
form in the inner part ; and when it is so, it is taken for a cheveron above a cheveron,
because the accidental forms cannot be attributed to the voiding of the
field, but to a figure : So that all voidings must be plain, and of the tincture of
the field ; if of another tincture, it is then taken for a super-charge. Plate VII.
fig. 6.
COOPER of Gogar, argent, a cheveron gules, charged with another ermine, ac-
companied with three laurel leaves slipped vert ; crest, a hand holding a garland,
proper : motto, Virtute. L. R.
When the cheveron, or any of the honourable ordinaries are only charged, and
not accompanied with figures, it is then thought by some heralds to be a more honourable
bearing, than when accompanied, and especially the cheveron. Gerard
Leigh says, when an ordinary is only charged, it is an honorary honoured ; but I
iim loath to be positive in this, though I have observed, in our ancient bearings of
principal families, the ordinaries have been oftener charged than accompanied.
HEPBURN, gules, on a cheveron argent, two lions pulling at a rose of the first,
Plate VII. fig. 7. I have seen these arms on the seal of Patrick Hepburn, as one
of the members of Parliament, anno 1372, being the third year of the reign of
Iving Robert II. appended to the Act of Recognition past in that Parliament, in
favours of John Earl of Carrick, eldest son to the said king, to whom John succeeded,
by the name of Robert III. so that the Hepburns carried these arms be-
: ;
)i-c the battle of Otterburn, which was in the year 1388, and had not them from
that battle.
Besides what I have said before of these arms, with submission to the learned Sir
George Mackenzie, I shall here add my conjecture about theai ; I think they
have been assumed as arms of patronage, and, in imitation of these belonging to
the Earls of Dunbar, (which were gules, a lion rampant within a bordure argent,
charged with eight roses of the first) making use of the same tinctures and figures,
placing the last upon a cheveron : and though there be two lions, and one rose upon
it, they are but situate to the form, of the cheveron for regularity and beauty ;