Heraldry - Ordinaries
Any design on a shield is known as a charge. A charge can be placed on another charge, and a charge that has another charge on it is called charged. Charges are divided into two main groups, the ordinaries and the common charges. This page has details on the heraldry ordinaries.
Ordinaries are basic geometrical shapes that are placed on the shield. There are several ordinaries that are concidered to be the orginal designs used in heraldry and these are sometimes known as the Honourable Ordinaries. The following section shows somes of the more common ordinary shapes shown in yellow (Or).
Ordinaries
The Chief
An ordinary but could also be a charge. Covers the top third of the shield.
The Fess
A band drawn across the centre of the shield.
The Pale
A band drawn down the centre of the shield. Usually about a third of the width of the shield.
The Bend
A band dexter chief to sinister base.
The Bend Sinister
A band sinister chief to dexter base.
The Cross
A combination of the pale and the fess. Can also be referred to as quarterly.
The Saltire
A cross placed on the shield diagonally.
The Chevron
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The Quarter
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The Canton
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The Bordure
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The Pile
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The Orle
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The Pall
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The Bar
The Bar
Like the fess, the bar lies across the centre of the shield, but is narrower.
Barry of eight
The bar can be multiple in number and known as barry.
The Gyron
The Gyron
Half of a quarter divided by a diagonal line.
Gyronny of eight
Gyronny can also be six, ten or twelve.
Gyronny of twelve
Gyronny of twelve
Examples
Gules a fess ermine
Chequy or and sable a pale azure
Per Pale or and gules a bend erminois
Chequy argent and azure a chief vert
Per pile argent and azure a fess counterchanged
Points of the shield
A: Dexter Chief
B: Middle Chief
C: Sinister Chief
D: Honour Point
E: Fess-point (middle of shield)
F: Nombril / Naval point
G: Dexter Base
H: Middle Base
I: Sinister Base
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