A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

M PARTITION AND REPARTITION LINES
Here we know not whether the line be ingrailed or invected, except Wo observe this
rule, That the form of the line must be applied
to the colour first named. The
French, for ingrailed, say engrele ; and for invected, canele. And those who write
in Latin, commonly say, for ingrailed, ingrediatus; imbricatus, and striatus ; and
for invected, invectus and canaliculatus ; as Sylvester Petra Sancta.
Wavey, or waved, is said of a line or lines that are formed after the waves of the
sea, as parted per fesse wavey in the arms of Drummond of Concraig, Plate II. fig.
and the lines which form the bars waved in the arms of the earl of Perth, which
4. ;
signifies, that the bearer got his arms for services done at sea ; as Sir George Mackenzie
says, That the Drummonds bear the three bars or faces undee or wavey, because
the first of that name came by sea with Queen Margaret, who was married
to Malcolm Canmore, as master of the ship, and having suffered great storm,
through which he, by his skill, conducted them. He did thereafter get the three
faces wavey, representing waves ; which form of line, the French term unde or onde
; and the Latins, undulatus, undosits, or undatus.
Nebule, so called, because the line represents a cloud. The French heralds call
it nuance ; the Latins, nebulosa linea ; and is given also to such as have been eminent
for their skill in navigation.
Crenelle, or embattled lines, represent the battlements of a house ; and are said
to signify, in armories, skill in architecture, valiant actions in defending or as- '
saulting castles, or to show the bearer to be descended of a noble house ; for of
old, none were admitted to embattle their houses but great barons ; as Cambdeu
observes, who speaking of TunstaPs seat in England, says, " Rex dedit ei licentiam
" canellare mansam." The word crenelle is used for embattling, especially when
;t figure is embattled but in one side ; and when a figure, such as a fesse, is em-
battled on both sides, heralds say ordinarily bretesse, and some say contre bretesse.
For embattling, the Latins use the words pinnatus, pinnis asperatus ; as Uredus in
his Blazons, and Sylvester Petra Sancta in his Murales Pimiula-.
There is another embattled line of this sort, which Leigh gives us, called battled
embattled; because it hath one degree of battling above another ; and when the
upper points are sharp, it is called carnpagne, as if the points represented bastions,
the outer-works of cities and camps : When the upper points or battlements are
rounded, it is called crenelle embattled arrondi ; such an embattlement faces the west
part of the House of Seaton, the ancient seat of the chief of that name, Earls of
Winton. The line indented resembles the teeth of a saw, and has its name from
dens, a tooth, or indentura, a certain deed of writing, whose top is indented, or cuJ
into like teeth. Dancette, which is the same almost with the indente secundum
quale ; but not secundum quantum, for their forms are both one, but in quantity
they differ much, for the indente is smaller than the dancette: Also dancette
differs from indente, by reason it consists but of few teeth, though never fewer than
three, as Mr Holmes in his Academy of Armory, whereas the indente hath many
teeth. The French say for indented, denche, dentelle ; and for dancette when the
teeth are very long, and when there 'are but two teeth or points, vivre; which
Menestrier takes for the letter M, when the legs of it are extended from side to
side of the shield ; because, many who carry a partition or fesse after that form,
their names begin with the letter M : The
Latins say, for indente, indentatus,
dentatits, and dentlculatus ; and when the teeth of it are very long, as dancette,
they say denies decumani.
I shall add other two forms of lines, lest I should seem to be defective in respect
of other heralds ; who, for the most part, confound their readers, and make the .
art unpleasant, and deter them from studying of it, by many fanciful forms of
'lines, \vhich are rarely, or never to be met with, their terms being gibberish and
bombast. The first of these two is termed patte, or dove-tail, from a form of art
used by joiners, who make joints one into the other by that name : It is by Mr
Morgan, in his Sphere of Gentry, blazoned, inclnvc, labelled, because the points as
;iiey proceed from the ordinary, such as a chief or fesse, represent the points or
ends of labels.
The other line is blazoned unde or champaine by Feme. Upton calls it vere ?
because its points are formed like pieces of vair.