A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF THE BAK.
Blazon of the Arms of Juron in France, by Menestrier and Baron, Com re j.
(for et de gueules de bvit We would
pieces: say of such a bearing, parted per pale,
harry of four, 'j> u\\d gules counter-changed ; or as Mr Morgan, in his Bhizon of
the Arms of Sir Edward Barret of Avely in Essex, parted per pale, urgent and
gules, barry of four pieces counter-changed: Sir James Balfour,
in his Ilia/.'
gives us the arms of the surname of PEIT, thus, parted per pale, ardent and gules,
barry of six counter-changed. It may be objected, that there cannot be six bur-
in one field, since one bar possesses the fifth part of the field ; notwithstanding of
which, the English and we say, ordinarily, barry of six or more, understanding, as I
suppose, that there arc six pieces bar-ways.
Having spoken to the bar, and the diminution of its breadth, I shall speak a little
as to the losing of its length. When it does not touch the sides of the shield, it i->
said, with us, to be coupcd ; and alaise or aleze with the French as ; fig. 22. or,
three bars couped gules, by the family of HAMYDES in Flanders, which Mr Gibson
blazons thus, In campo aureo tres miniatos vectes a later e scuti :
disjunctos French
herulds blazon these arms, d'or a trois bamydes de gueules.
And from them Gerard
Leigh, when a fesse is couped, says it is bumet, from the bumydes, which signify a
cut or piece of a tree ; and therefore, Menestrier takes them in the above blazon
of the family of Hamydes, to represent what we call gantrees, or oblong pieces of
trees, after the form of fesses couped, upon which they set hogsheads and barrels of
wine, called in Flanders btunes ; and from which the surname and blazon of Hamydes.
The Dictionary of Arms, lately published by Mr Kent, gives the arms of the name
of ABRISCOURT, ermine, three bars buinette gules.
Having thus treated of the fesse and bar, in their forms, multiplication and di-
minutives, I am now to show what denomination other figures have, when situate
after their position
as when ; many small figures are ranged in the middle of the
field, after the position of the fesse, they are said to be in fesse ; the French say,
Ranges oil mises en face, and the Latins, Faciatim in loco ascia;, or, ad modum fascia ;
as in the bearing of MONTAGUE Earl of SALISBURY, argent, three fusils, (some call
them lozenges) in fesse gules, and with us argent, five fusils in fesse sable ; for
which some of our heralds say, argent, a fesse fusilly sable, by LEITH of Restalrig,
as fig. 23. Others of the name have them otherwise disposed ; of which in the
chapter of fusib.
When small figures
are ranged horizontally, above or below the middle of the
shield, they are said then with us, to be in bar; but the French, whether figures
be ranged in chief or in base, say en face. As for example, some of the surname
of OUSTON, with us, give for arms, gules, a crescent between two stars ranged bar-
ways in chief, and three stars bar-ways in base argent, as in Mr. Workman's Illuminated
Manuscript. The French would blazon this bearing thus, gules, a crescent
between two stars in fesse bausse, or transposed, and other three stars in fesse
abaisse argent, as Menestrier, in his blazons of the arms of GROLIER in France, just
such another as the former, fig. 24. viz. d'czure a. trois efoiles if 'argent, en face sur
trois besants (for, disposes de meme en face abaisse, i. e. azure, three stars in fc^.f ,
and as many besants .in fesse below the middle of the shield. Abaisse is a term
used by the French, when a chief or fesse is situate in the shield below their
of the
proper and fixed places : For example, the chief is always placed on the top
shield but when another chief is
; placed above it, (as in the following chapter of
the chief, Plate IV. fig. 31, and 32.) then the lowermost of the two is called a
chief abaisse, and so of a fesse, whose proper place is the middle third part of the
field ; but if it be placed below that, it is called a fesse abaisse, in opposition to
the fesse bausse, of which before ;
and so they say the same of other figures situate
after the position of these fesses high or low.
When oblong figures are placed in the field of arms horizontally, one above ano-
ther, they are .said to be bar-ways ; as some do blazon the arms of England, gules,
three leopards bar-ways in pale or, but these being Horn passant gardant, need not,
by their position after that of the bar, be said to be bar-ways, since passant intimates
the same. For a more specific example of which, I shall here give the arms
of BERTIE Marquis of LINDSEY, in England, argent, three battering rams bar-v,
proper, armed and garnished azure. This family was dignified with the title of
Lord Willoughby of Eresby, 1580 ; and, in the year 1626, with the title of Earl of