A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF THE CHEVERON. 157
of the cheveron is quite oft", without any brisurc ; so that brise is only said of a
cheveron whose top is cut from tlie body, and remains in UK: field, as Plate VII.
fig. 14. argent, a cheveron brise, guh-s.
Such a one, says Holmes, is borne by the name of GREENWAY, but he calls it a
cheveron double-douncet, or double-onset, and says it may be called coupe, and
not rampe, as Guillim.
i'.ccinc is said when the top of the cheveron is not only rompu or brise, but
carried out of the field, as fig. 13. Which Sylvester Petra Sancta calls
Capriolus
fractus, diminutus ctipite, mutilus \3 pracisus, and on the margin he has the French
terms, brise au ec/att', which Sir George Mackenzie has in his Science of
Heraldry.
1 have met with such a figure in the bearing of JAMES ALEXANDER of Kinglassie,
parted per pale, argent and sable, a cheveron brised at the top, and in base a crescent,
all counter-changed, (there brise is the same with cceme) quartered with
the arms of the name of AYTON ; crest, a horse-head bridled, gules : motto, Ducitur
non trahitur. Lyon Register.
Some heralds are of opinion, as Sir George Mackenzie intimates, that when a
cheveron is so broken in its top, it is a sign that the principal house was ruined,
and sold ; and therefore the cadets take their cognizance bruised in its top.
Braced is said when two or three cheverons are interlaced together, as fig. 15.
argent, three cheverons braced in base, azure, and a soleil in chief, gules. And
azure, three cheverons braced in base or, by the name of FITZ-HUGH. There
was -a great baron of this name in Northumberland, to whom the Earl of Pembroke
was heir, who, amongst his other titles, is designed Lord Fitz-hugh, for which he
quarters these arms with his own : As also does GREY Earl of Tankerville ; these
cheverons so joined, may be blazoned, fretted or, interlaced, as well as braced.
Couche, is said when the top of the cheveron is turned to the left or right
side, the French say, when to the right, tourne, and when to the left, contourne;
Sylvester Petra Sancta, says, Nunc vibrat dextrorsum, nunc vibrat sinistrorsum.
Holmes gives us the arms of the name of TOURNEY, or, a cheveron couched gules,
fig.
1 6.
If it be turned to the other side, says he, it is termed couched sinister; Sir John
Feme, in his Glory of Generosity, p. 181, says the cheveron couche shows the
house not to be altogether ruined, but to stand in a mean condition, since the
cheveron is not reversed.
A Cheveron reversed is said when its point is towards the base, azure, a cheveron
reversed argent, by the name of RUMOR, as Mr Holmes gives us another example,
as fig. 17. argent, two 'cheverons couched vert, by the name of COUCH-
MASTER, others say, counter-cauchant ; the French, contre-tourne .
Counter-pointed is said when two cheverons meet by their point in the centre of
the escutcheon, the uppermost being reversed, as PI. VII. fig. 18. The arms of
TRAUIER in France, thus blazoned by Menestrier, d'argcnt, a deux chevrons con-
tre-pointes d'azur.
These last forms and attributes of the cheveron may be well said to be brisures,
if not abatements of honour.
When any other natural or artificial figures are situate in a shield, after the position
ot the cheveron, they are said to be in cheveron, or cheveron-waya, as before
of the other ordinaries. I shall add here one example, fig. 19. Plate VII.
PEARSON of Balmadies ; argent, two swords cheveron-ways, piercing a heart in
chief, proper, and in base a cinquefoil of the second ; crest, a dove holding an
olive branch in her beak, proper : motto, Burn spiro spero. New Register.
Having treated of the cheveron in its varieties', conform to which I shall add,
for examples, the armorial
bearings of several families and surnames in Britain.
LIDDERDALE of St Mary's Isle, azure, a cheveron ermine.
The surname of MASTERTON, argent, a cheveron gules, and chief azure ; sometimes
these arms are quartered with argent, an eagle displayed sable, armed and
beaked gules, for the name of Ramsay. As in Font's Manuscript. And in the
New Register.
ADAM MASTERTON of Grange, in Perthshire, argent, a cheveron between two
Rr