ARMED. This word is used to express the horns, hoofs, beak, or talons of any beast or bird of prey, when borne of a different tincture from those of their bodies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Armed]

Ex. Crest, a demi-griffin armed, gules.

ARMORIST. A person skilled in the bearings of coats of arms, and all relating to their emblazonment.

ARMS. A word derived from the Latin _arma_, which signifies in Heraldry a mark of honour, serving to distinguish states, cities, families, &c.

ARROWS. Short darts feathered at the ends.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Arrows]

Ex. Argent, three arrows paleways, points in chief sable, feathered.

ASPECTANT. Animals placed face to face in a charge are said to be aspectant. If they are about to attack each other, they are said to be combatant.

a.s.sUMPTIVE. Arms a.s.sumed without being sanctioned by a grant from the College of Heralds.

a.s.sURGENT. A man or beast rising out of the sea is said to be a.s.surgent.

ATCHIEVEMENT. The coat of arms fully emblazoned according to the rules of Heraldry. The lozenge-shaped atchievements that are displayed on the outside of the houses of persons deceased are commonly called Hatchments.

ATTIRED. When the horns of a stag are of a different tincture to its head, it is said to be attired.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Attired]

Ex. Argent, a stag lodged, proper, attired, or

AUGMENTATION. This word signifies in Heraldry a particular mark of honour, granted by the sovereign in consideration of some n.o.ble action, or by favour; and either quartered with the family arms, or on an escutcheon or canton.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Augmentation]

Ex. Ermine, on a chevron azure, three foxes' heads erased, argent. The augmentation is in a canton azure, a fleur-de-lis argent.

AZURE. The French word for _blue_: it is distinguished in heraldic engraving by lines running parallel to each other in an horizontal direction, as in the annexed example.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Azure]

BADGE. A distinctive mark worn by servants, retainers, and followers of royalty or n.o.bility, who, being beneath the rank of gentlemen, have no right to armorial bearings. The rose and crown is the badge of the servants, &c., of the Kings of England: they are displayed as in the annexed example.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Badge (Rose and Crown)]

BANDED. Anything tied with a band.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Banded]

Ex. Argent. Three arrows proper, banded.

BANNER. The princ.i.p.al standard of a knight. The great banner borne at the funeral of a n.o.bleman contains all the quarterings of his arms: it varies in size according to the rank of the deceased. The banner of the sovereign is five feet square; that of a prince or duke, four feet square; for all n.o.blemen of inferior rank, three feet square.

BANNER ROLL is a small square flag containing a single escutcheon of the deceased. Thus, if there are twelve quarterings in the banner, the same number of banner rolls will be required to be borne in the funeral procession. The annexed engraving shows the banner and banner-roll.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Banner roll]

BAR. An honourable ordinary, occupying one-fifth of the shield. It may be placed in any part of the field. It has two diminutives, the closet and barrulet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bar]

Ex. Ermine, two bars gules.

BARBED. Bearded. It is also applied to roses.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Barbed]

Ex. Azure, a rose argent, barbed, and seeded proper.

BARON. The lowest t.i.tle of the peerage of Great Britain.

BARON AND FEMME. Terms used in Heraldry to denote the arms of a man and his wife, marshalled together. See p. 38. [CHAP. VI.]

BARRULET. The smallest diminutive of the bar. The closet is half the bar; the barrulet half the closet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Barrulet]

Ex. Gules, two barrulets argent.

BARRY. A field divided transversely into several equal parts, and consisting of two different tinctures interchangeably disposed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Barry]

Ex. Barry of eight pieces, azure and argent.

BATON. BATUNE. BASTON. It is generally used as an abatement in coats of arms to denote illegitimacy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Baton]

Ex. Or, a cross gules, over all a baton argent.

BATTERING RAM. An instrument used for battering down walls before gunpowder was known in Europe: it is frequently borne as a charge in a coat of arms.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Battering ram]

Ex. Argent, a battering ram proper.

BATTLE AXE. An ancient military weapon, frequently borne on arms as a mark of prowess.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Battle axe]