A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

IN ARMORIES.
f both ; that part of it being of colour which lies upon the metal, and the other
the colour.
part metal, which lies upon
When the partition
line is
.straight, and of none of those crooked forms above
mentioned,
it has then no additional denomination in the blazon : Hut it it consist
of ;uiy of those particular forms, then the term of that form is added in the blazon,
and serves as a difference for cadets, as well to distinguish them amongst themselves,
us to difference them from their principal families. So Thomas Maule, a second son
of Maule of Melgum, who was a second son of Panmure, gave the same bearing
with Panmure, with the partition
liae waved thus ; fig.
2. parted per pale, wavey
argent and gules, on a bordure, eight cscalops all counter-changed of the same.
And Captain John Maule, another cadet of that family, made his partition line
in the Herald-ollice : Where also David Alexander
nebulc, as in the new Register
of Pitkclly, has his partition
line ingruiled for a difference, thus, parted per pale,
of the
ingrailed argent^ a cheveron ; and in base, a crescent, all counter-changed
same.
I shall here blazon the armorial bearing of the surname of Alexander, in the
vulgar Latin, and then proceed to the other partitions.
Scutum ad perpendicuiitin bipartitum
dex.tra semisse argentea, sinistra atra, cum can-
coloribus commutatis.
tberio & in inu'i iuna crescens, pradictis
Parted is
per fesse, when the shield is divided into two equal parts, by a horizontal
line. The French say, ; coupe the Latins, partitum ex transverso, and some-
times trinsvcrse sfdum; as rig. 3. parted perfesse, or and azure: The French, coupe
d'or, et d'azure ; the Latins, ex auto 13 cyano transverse bipartitum; the arms of
the Trotti in Milan. This and the former partition are very frequent in the
arms of the Italians, upon the account, there are few old families in Italy, who
were not engaged in the factions of the Guelphs and Gibelines, which parties
wore not only distinguished by such partitions in their arms, but even in their
habits, as before.
Those of the surname of BALNAVES with us, carry parted per fesse, argent and
sable, a cheveron counter-changed, of the same tinctures : Some say, that their
name and arms, are from a high hill, in the north of Scotland, called Ben Nevis,
whereabouts they lived ; the top of which hill is always white with now, and it's
lower parts black with heather. Balnaves of Hallhill, carried the foresaid arms.
Mr James Balnaves of Carnbody, and chanter of Dumblane, parted per fesse,
argtnt and sable, a cheveron betwixt three cinque-foils, two in chief, and one in
base, all counter-changed ; and for crest, a hand holding a foot-ball ; with this
motto, Hinc origo, as in our new Register of Arms ; and some others of the name
have the foot-ball for crest, with these words, Fortitudine ^ velocitate, upon another
tradition of their name, that one Nevoy, playing well at the foot-ball, before one
of our kings, who cried out, Well-balPd, Nevoy ; from, whence the surname Bal-
naves, which tradition seems more probable, and that they are originally from the
family of Nevoy, because their arms are not unlike.
The surname of MIDDLETON, the chief of which family was the Right Honour-
a lion ram-
able the Earls of Middleton, and Lords Clermont ; coupe, or and gules,
pant within a double tressure, flowered, and counter-flowered, with, flower de luces,
all counter-changed.
DRUMMOND of Concraig and Borlands, an old branch of the honourable house
of Drummond of Stobhall, and afterwards of Perth, parted per fesse, waved or and
gules, as fig. 4.
SHEWAL of that ILK., parted per fesse, dancette, sable and argent; in chief three
stars, and in base, a boar's head erased, all counter-changed of the same tinctures ;
as in Workman's Manuscript of Blazons, who was a herald painter in the reign of
King James VI.
The name VALENCE in England, parted per fesse, indents , azure and argent.
The name of KENDAL there, parted per fesse, indents, or and gules, as in Morgan's
Heraldry.
The third principal partition line, parted per bend, is when a field is divided
into two equal parts by a diagonal line, passing from the upper right angle, to the
left angle, towards the base; the French say then, tranche, the Latins, oblique^
dextrorsus bipartitum, vel sectum; as fig. 5. parted per bend, g ules and or.
G