A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF THE SUB-ORDINARIES
vtr all in the centre, by way of an escutcheon, the badge of a knight-baronet ;
crest, u palm-tree, proper : motto, Sub ponde re cresco.
Sir Wu.i.iAM HAMILTON of Barnton, late of Binning, gules, on a cheveron, accom-
panied with three cinquctoils ardent, a buckle azure, between two musclieti:res
sable, and surmounted (by way of an escutcheon) with a badge of a knight-
baronet, all within a bordure of the second, charged with eight trefoils slipped vert ;
crest, the branch of a tree, growing out from an old stock ; with tlie motto,
Through God revived. Lyon Register. The canton, as all other supervenient
charges, depresses ;ind absconds, at least pro tanto, the pre-existent figure in the
dexter chief corner, as in the bearing of Colonel Rue Innes of that Ilk, and Pringle
ol Stitchell.
Sometimes the badge of a knight-baronet, by way of a canton, is placed in the
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sinister chief corner ; as in the bearingof OciLViEof Barras, giving place to the badge
of Scotland, the thistle ensigned with an imperial crown in the dexter chief corner ;
by a concession of the sovereign, for preserving the regalia in the time of the Rebellion,
as his charter bears, fig. 21. And Sir Archibald Stewart of Castlemilk has
the badge of Nova Scotia by way of a canton in the sinister chief corner : Of
before.
Sir John Feme, in his Book before cited, gives us also the example of two cantons,
dexter and sinister, borne by GUY Lord of WARWICK, in England ; and
Sylvester Petra Sancta gives an example of a canton placed
in the middle of the
chief point, carried by the RUDEARFI in Bavaria, viz. sable, a canton argent in
the middle chief point; but in Britain it would not be taken for a canton, but a
delph.
OF CHEQUE OR POINTS EQUIPOLES.
WHEN the field, or any armorial figure, is of many square pieces, alternately of
metal and colour, like the panes of a chess-board, consisting of three ranges-, (to
distinguish from compone and counter-compone, of which it is
before),
said to be
cheque, or echequete, which, as some say, is from the play of the chess. And they
make these square pieces or panes represent battalions and squadrons of soldiers in
line of battle. Others say, exchequire was anciently a compting-board, used by
accomptants in their calculation of accompts in public offices; from which the
Court of Exchequer has its name ; as those who write of the ancient state of
is from a
England, say the English Court of Exchequer, called Scacarium Regis,
chequer-work carpet that covered the table, as the Court 'of the Green-Cloth, in
the King's House, is so called from a green carpet. And Menestrier tells, magistrates
and judges of old wore cheque garments, called vestes scacatee, from which
the Latins, for chequer-bearings, say anna scacata, or scacciata, and others tes-
silata. Of figures so chequered I have given several instances in bends and fesses,
especially these of the name of Stewart. As for whole fields cheque, it seems they
are rare with us, for I have met with few or none of them : But I shall add here a
few instances of fields cheque in England.
Fig. 24. CLIFFORD Lord CLIFFORD of Chudleigh; in Devonshire, cheque,
or and
azure, a fesse gules, charged with a crescent of the first ; which family was dignified
with the title of Lord by King Charles II. the 22d of April 1672.
WARD Lord WARD of Birmingham, in Warwickshire, cheque, or and azure, a
bend ermine ; this family was dignified by King Charles I. anno 1643.
The Counts of VERMANDOIS in Picardy, cheque, or and azure, a chief of the last,
with three flower-de-luces of the first : The last race of these counts added
charged
the chief of France.
Cheque or chequer-bearing consists at least of three ranges or tracts of square
pieces, which some blazoners mention to the number of 4, 5, or 6 tracts, which
is superfluous : This the French heralds do not, yet they ordinarily mention the
number of the square pieces or panes of cheque, to the number of fifteen. When
qiie consists only of nine pieces, fig 25. they call them points eqmpties ; as Bara.
in his Blazon of the Arms of the Seignory of Geneva, cinque prints d'or, equipollez,
a qunrte d'azur. And Andrew Favin, in his Theatre of Honour, blazons these
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