Bar (heraldry)

In heraldry, a bar is an ordinary consisting of a horizontal band across the shield. If only one bar appears across the middle of the shield, it is termed a fess; if two or more appear, they can only be called bars. Calling the bar a diminutive of the fess is inaccurate, however, because two bars may each be no smaller than a fess.^[1] Like the fess, bars too may bear complex lines (such as embattled, indented, nebuly, etc.).^[1] The diminutive form of the bar (narrower than a bar yet wider than a cottise) is the barrulet, though these frequently appear in pairs, the pair termed a "bar gemel" rather than "two barrulets".^[1]

Common ordinaries

A single bar placed across the top of the field is called a chief. A single bar placed over the center of the field is called a fess. Two to four of these appearing on a shield are called bars, and more than four are called barrulets.

Diminutives

The diminutive of the bar that is half its width is the closet, that one-fourth the width is the barrulet.^[2] Barrulets are often borne in pairs known as bar gemel, the pair separated by the width of a barrulet. A coat of arms can bear multiple bar gemels, though four is usually the maximum.^[3] The bar gemel is sometimes referred to by the French Jumelle or jumelles.^[4][5] The diminutive of the barrulet, half its width, is known as a cottise. Cottises rarely appear alone, but are most often borne on each side of an ordinary (such as a fess, pale, bend or chevron). The ordinary thus accompanied by a cottise on each side is then described as "cottised", or these may even be "doubly cottised" (i.e. surrounded by four cottises, two along each side).^[6] A single cottise is usually blazoned a cost.^[7][8]

A bar that has been "couped" (cut) at the ends so as not to reach the edges of the field is called a hamade, hamaide or hummet, after the town of La Hamaide in Hainaut, Belgium.^[9] As a charge, it is almost always depicted in threes. The adjective is hummety.^[10]

Barry and barruly

A field divided by many bars — often six, eight or ten parts with two alternating tinctures — is described as barry (of x, y and z, where x is the number of bars, y is the first (uppermost) tincture, and z is the second tincture). A field divided into five, seven or nine parts with two alternating tinctures is not called barry, however, but two, three or four bars.^[11] A barry design consisting of ten or more parts is comparatively rare and is called barruly rather than barry.^[11]

Examples

• 
  Argent, three bars gules
• 
  Gules, four barrules indented Or
• 
  Argent, three bars gemelles gules
• 
  Argent, a fess doubly cottised gules
• 
  A bar gemel wavy cottised in the arms of the French commune of Berneuil-sur-Aisne
• 
  Barry of ten sable and Or in the arms of the German state of Saxony
• 
  Lion barry of ten argent and gules in the arms of the German state of Hesse
• 
  A bordure barry of ten argent and sable
• 
  Or, three hamades gules, the arms of La Hamaide in the Belgian province of Hainaut
• 
  Arms of Richard de Valoines: Barruly of 14 argent and azure on a bend gules three mullets of six points or (1285)

References

• Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. New York: Dodge Publishing. ISBN 0-517-26643-1. LCCN 09023803 – via Internet Archive.
• Brooke-Little, J P (1996) [1973]. An heraldic alphabet (New and revised ed.). London: Robson Books. ISBN 9781861050779.

This page was last edited on 29 May 2024, at 18:21