Heraldry for Beginners

The Shield

The Shape of the Shield

The shield to the right names various positions. The terms listed below refer to the shield, or at least the field that the arms are depicted upon.

Shield The field of a coat of arms. Usually resembling an inverted triangle under a rectangle. See also Targe, Lozenge, and Cartouche. Targe A circular shield. Lozenge The diamond-shaped field on which a lady’s arms are usually displayed. Cartouche The oval field on which a church dignatary’s arms are usually displayed (a shield being inappropriate to that calling); sometimes used for a lady’s arms. Dexter The shield carrier’s right, and therefore on the left for the viewer. Sinister The shield carrier’s left, and therefore on the right for the viewer.

Divisions of the Field

The whole shield area is the field, where the design is emblazoned. The shield is the only essential element in a contemporary coat of arms. Figure 1 shows the traditional shape of a shield with the various positions named. When a shield is blazoned, these positions are used to indicate where the charges—the foreground design elements—are to be positioned.

Field divisions provide variation to the background.

Per pale	Per fess	Per bend
Per bend sinister	Per chevron	Per saltire
Quarterly	Gyronny	Chequy

Chequy describes charges divided into alternating squares as well. See also Blazon and Emblazon for Compony and Countercompony.

The example above is a “Gyronny of eight” which is the most common; however, six, eight, ten, twelve are all valid. (Note that per pale could be considered a gyronny of two and quarterly could be considered a gyronny of four.)

If the field is divided in three equal parts rendered in three tinctures, the field is described as tierce. (For example, check out how pale, fess, bend, bend sinister and chevron divide the field. See Charges.)

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Heraldry information compiled and organised by Timber Bram.
Copyright © 2001.