The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition: Being a Concise Description of the Several Terms Used, and Containing a Dictionary of Every Designation in the ScienceAnonymous
History
The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition: Being a Concise Description of the Several Terms Used, and Containing a Dictionary of Every Designation in the Science
Anonymous
Heraldry
Numerous instances may be found, either in stained glass, monumental
brasses, or illuminated genealogies, of female figures bearing
heraldic devices on their apparel. A married lady or widow had her
paternal arms emblazoned upon the fore part of her vest, which by
ancient writers is called the kirtle, and the arms of the husband on
the mantle, being the outer and the most costly garment, and therefore
deemed the most honourable. This is called bearing arms kirtle and
mantle.
Our frontispiece contains two figures kneeling, taken from _Dallaway's
Heraldry_. They are to be found in an illuminated pedigree of the
Weston family. The male figure is that of Sir John de Weston, of
Weston-Lizars, in Staffordshire, and Isabel his wife, whose paternal
name was Bromley. In three quarterfoils beneath the figures are
shields: the first contains the arms of Weston, sable, an eagle
displayed or, with a lable argent, fretty gules; the centre shield
is argent, fretty gules; that under the lady is her paternal arms,
quarterly per fess dancette, or and gules. The figure of the knight
is represented in chain armour, over which is a surcoat, on which his
arms are emblazoned. The vest or kirtle of the lady is formed
entirely of the colours of her arms disposed quarterly, and parted
horizontally, or fessways, by the line dancette. As both the knight
and his lady appear together, each bears their own arms; but if either
had been drawn separately, the arms of both would have appeared on one
person; if on the male, they would have been empaled baron and femme
upon the surcoat; if on the female, they would have appeared on kirtle
and mantle. This lady is drawn with a kirtle only.
In some of the later monumental brasses, the arms on female figures
are arranged differently; the arms of the baron appearing on the
outside of the mantle, hanging over the dexter shoulder, the paternal
arms of the femme on the lining of the mantle turned outwards on the
sinister side of the figure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account