Vair

vair	Vairy gules and sabl
Angular Bells	Rounded Bells

vayr

Alternate Term: Vairé

Used in the early Middle Ages as a fur lining for cloaks, it became one of the conventionalized furs in heraldry. It was depicted as alternatively white and blue.
“This fur is also of some antiquity in heraldry, being originally composed of the skins of a kind of squirrel, bluish-gray on the back and white underneath, sewn together and producing an alternate blue and white appearance. Sudak, on the southern shores of Crimean, was the main emporium where Russian vair was traded to Venetian merchants, Marco Polo's father among them, and thence found its way to the west. Later the ingenuity of the heralds produces variations of these colours, so that we get vairy gold and azure or vairy argent and gules.“ from Heraldic Imagination, The, by Rodney Dennys, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1975
Vair has a default tincture of azure and argent, although other tincture combinations can also be blazoned as vairy (u)tincture1(/u) and (u)tincture2(/u), e.g. vairy gules and sable.
The vairs are pattern of bell-shaped blue and white pieces in varying patterns. There are two different style of vair-bells drawn, with rounded bells (called “vair ancient”) and with angular bells.

For alternate versions of Vair, See Also Vair En Pointe and Counter-Vair.
Generally written vairy when definite tinctures are named: a party-coloured fur, properly argent and azure, which tinctures are always implied when no others are mentioned; but, as will be seen, it occurs even in the early rolls of different tinctures. For instances, at the siege of Carlaverock “the valiant Robert de la Warde, who wards his banner so well,” bore it “vairy of white and of black.”

The origin of the name is not clear, but the most probable conjecture is that it is derived from a little animal whose fur was much in request, the ver, or vair, differently spelt, and which appears in Latin as varus. The word seems to have been used independently of heraldry for fur, and the following curious error may be noted in passing. The familiar fairy tale of Cinderella was brought to us from the French, and the slippers made of this costly fur, written probably verré for vairé, were erroneously translated “glass slippers,” which of course was an impossible material, but has been repeated in all nursery tale-books.

Menu-vair is used by French heralds when there are more than four rows, the term being considered as implying a diminutive vair. It is borne much by Flemish families, possibly in connection with trade associations. The menu-vair, or as we call it, minever, was a term used in the Middle Ages for the fur lining of robes of state.

Beffroi, or gros vair, is used when there are less than four rows. The name is evidently derived from the bell-like shape of the vair, the word beffroi being anciently used in the sense of the alarm-bell of a town. It is said that when French heralds use the term vair only, that four rows exactly are intended.
“De menu-vair de cinq tires, au chevron de gueules” – Stessin, Flanders.
“Plein de menu-vair” – Banville De Trutemne, Normandie.
“De beffroi, d’Or et d’azur” – d’Aubeterre, Champagne.
“Le Conte de Ferrers, ”verree de Or et de goules” – Roll, temp. Hen. III.
Hugh de Ferrers, vairre de argent et d’azur” – Ibid.
Robert de Beauchamp, “de vairrie” – Ibid.
Piers de Maulee, “de veirre a la manche de goules” – Ibid.
Sire Hugh de Meyni, “verre de argent e de sable, e un label de goules” – Roll, temp. Ed. II.
Monsire John de Beauchamp de Somersetshire, “port de verre” – Roll, temp. Ed. III.
Monsire de Nowers, “port verre d’argent et de gules” – Ibid.
Monsire La Ward, “port verre d’argent et sable” – Roll, temp. ED. III.
“Vairy argent and azure” – Beauchamp.
“Vairy argent and gules” – Gresley, Norfolk.
“Vairy argent and sable” – Maynell.
“Vairé, ermine and gules” – Gresley, Derbyshire.
Besides being applied to the field, it is often found applied to ordinaries and some few charges; and in some cases even to animals.
“Or, (another gules), a saltire vair” – Willington of Umberleigh, co. Devon, and Hurley, co. Warwick.
“Sire Johan de Hoorne, de goules a une frette de veer” – Roll, temp. ED. II.
“Quarterly, Or and gules, a bend vair” – Sackville.
“Paly of six Or and gules; a chief vair” – Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester, 1713-23.
“argent, a bend sable and chief vair” – Michael de Northburg, Bishop of London, 1461-66.
“Barry of six, vaire gules, and ermine, and azure” – gules de Braose, Bishop of Hereford, 1200-16.
“Sire Adam de Everingham, de goules, a un lion rampaund de veer” – Roll, temp. ED. II.
Heraldic writers also speak of varry as meaning one of the pieces of which the vair is composed; they also used the terms vairy cuppy and vairy tassy for potent counter potent, perhaps from the drawings in some instances resembling cups, and that in the possible meaning of tassa. It may be said that all these variations of the ancient vair arise from mere accident (generally bad drawing), supplemented by over refinement on the part of the Heraldic writers who have described them.

Vair En Pointe

vair en pointe

vayr en point

A variation of vair, in which the furs are arranged differently.
Vair en pointe is a term applied by Nisbet to an arrangement by which the azure shield, pointing downwards, has beneath it an argent shield, also pointing downwards, and vice versa, by which the effect shewn in the margin in produced. There are one or two coats of arms so blazoned, but it is not at all clear that this is the design meant. Also one coat appears with four tinctures.
“Vairy en point argent and azure” – Durant.
“Vairy en point gules and argent” – Monkhouse.
“Vairy argent, azure, gules, and or en point” – Roger Holthouse.

Vair of Four

vair of four

vayr of fohr

Very rarely Vaire of Four occurs, with the vair pattern being not white and blue, but white, black yellow and red.

Vairy

Vairy gules and arget

vayr'ee

Having a vair-type pattern but using colours other than blue and white, such as "vairy gules and argent"

Vambrace

vam-brays'

Armour for the forearm.

Vambraced

an arm vambraced

Gules, three dexter arms
vambraced argent, hands
proper -- Armstrong

vam-braysd'

Said of an arm covered in amour.
Vambraced a term describing an arm which is encased in armour. The hand is usually showb with a gauntlet on – when it is shown without the gauntlet then the fist is always clenched.
The term signifies that the arms is entirely covered with armour, but from the etymology of the term (avant bras) it seems that it formerly covered the fore part only. The brassarts are shewn in the illustration protecting the elbow.
“gules, three dexter arms vambraced argent, hands proper” – Armstrong. “azure, a fesse embattled ermine between two dexter arms vambraced argent, garnished Or” – Franke, co. Leicester; granted 1689. “azure, a dexter arm vambraced grasping a sword erect in pale proper, hilted and pomelled Or, between three boar’s heads couped of the third, langued gules” – Gordon, co. Banff.

Vamplate

vam-playt'

Alternate Terms: Vamplet, Vamplets

A guard for the hand on a lance.

Vane

a weather-cock

vayn

Alternate Term: Girouette

A thin plate of metal carrying an armorial device, which set on a revolving shaft and was used to indicate the direction of the wind. Castles and towers are sometimes blazoned as being “vaned”, i.e. with vanes on top.
a Weather-cock, (fr. girouette): this device by itself seems to occur only in one coat of arms; but Castles and towers are sometimes blazoned as bearing vanes, e.g. in the insignia of Edinburgh. As regards the arms ascribed to a Lord Mayor of London in the twelfth century, they are probably of sixteenth-century invention, though not unlike earlier Merchants‘ marks. In Stow’s Survey the weather-cocks are drawn like the figure in the margin.
“gules, on a saltire argent, between four weather-cocks(the supporters and vanes of the second, the cross crosslets or) five martlets of the field” – arms ascribed to Henry Fitz-Alwyn, first Mayor of London, and Roger Fitz-Alwyn, his successor.
“Per fesse sable and azure, a castle with four towers, the gate displayed argent; on each tower a vane Or” – Rawson.
“gules, a castle with two towers or, embattled and masoned sable, adorned with four vanes argent” – Chastelani, France. (“De gueules, au chateau à deux tours d’or moconné de sable” – Castellani, Provence.)
“D’azur, à un château sommé, de trois tours, pavillonnées et girouettées d’argent, le tout maçonné de sable” – Chastelain De Sertines.

Variated

vair"a-ted

An object which is cut in the shape of vair-type bells.

Varied Fields

var"ied fields

Fields which are produced by an odd number of lines across the shield, e.g. an odd number of horizontal lines would produce the varied field “Barry”. More complex varied fields can be produced by combining two sets of lines, e.g. combining horizontal and vertical lines would produce a chequered pattern, known as “checky”.

Veiled

veiled

Having a veil.

Verdoy

ver-doy"

A term for a bordure when it is charged with any kind of vegetation.

Verdy

verd"ee

Alternate Term: Verdé

Scattered with leaves or plants.

Verge

verj

In one case only this term has been observed to have been made use of to signify the edge or margin of the escutcheon.

“azure, two lions passant gardant; the verge of the escutcheon charged with demi-fleurs-de-lis or” – Augmentation granted to Katharine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII.

Verolled

ver-olled"

An object (usually a bugle-horn) which has bands around it which are of a different tincture to the rest of the object would be said to be verolled of that tincture, e.g. a red bugle with gold bands would be blazoned as “a bugle gules, verolled Or”.

Verolles

ver-olles"

Alternate Terms: Verules, Virolles

The decorative bands which are often found encircling bugle-horns.

Vert

vert

Vert is represented as
diagonal lines running
from the upper left to
the lower right

vert

Alternate Terms: Emerald, Green, Sinople, Venus

"Always blazoned as 'Vert', and in the later Middle Ages also as 'emerald' or 'Venus', that planet which 'exciteth to love wonderfully, especially between man and woman'. Randle Holme, writing in 1689, describes it as the colour which signified felicity and pleasure. Neither Bartolo or Bonet included green in their lists of Heraldic tinctures, although Bonet was writing about the time that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was composed. The Tractatus de Armis of Bado Aureo has an interesting comment on it: 'Green colour some men put and adde (i.e. include), the which I suppose hadde and toke his men begynnyng of some knyght mynstall or bourder (jester), the which was no worthy man'. However, he then depicts, later in the same treatise, the attributed arms of King Arthur - a cross argent on a green field with the Virgin Many and Child in the first quarter - which seemed to indicated a little muddled thinking on the subject. Sicily Herald considers it symbolic of jolliness and youth, but also of beauty and shame (a rather cynical combination), and equates it with Thursday and spring. Nicholas Upton, wring about the same time, had commented disparagingly on the colour green but, by the time he wrote the De Studio Militari, had been persuaded to change his mind. Apart from King Arthur's arms, there are few other well-known cases of the use of green in heraldry, in particular the attributed arms of Uther Pendragon (God, two Dragons addorsed Vert, crossed gules) and the famous party of arms of William Marshal, Early of Pembroke and Regent of England (Party per pale Or and Vert a lion rampant fourchée gules),. who died in 1219, over a century before Bartolo was writing. Nevertheless, there seems to have been an antipathy towards the colour until well into the fifteenth century, for it is not often found in the early armoury. This may possible have been because, in the literature of the time, while bright green was emblematic of spring – like the surcoat, shield and trappings of the Green Knight, 'as green as the grass and greener it seemed' - pale green was regarded as emblematic of death. Even to this day one finds many people who regard green as unlucky. John Guilim, Rouge Croix Pursuivant of arms in 1613, has the last work on this colour which 'best resembles youth, in that most vegetables, so long as they flourish, are beautiful with this verdure; and is a colour most wholesome and pleasant to see, except it be in a young Gentlewoman's face'." from Heraldic Imagination, The, by Rodney Dennys, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1975

Vervelled

a falcon jessed and elled

ver"velled

A term describing a falcon when it is “belled and jessed” and the leather thongs with which the bells are attached to the bird's legs, end in rings.

Vervels

ver"vels

Alternate Term: Varvels

Rings at the end of the leather thongs which are tied to a falcon's leg when it is jessed.

Vested

Clothed.

Vetu

Or vetu azure

vay'too

Alternate Term: Vêtu

This term is used to describe a field division that resembles a lozenge, where all the points touch the outside edge of the shield
Clothed, e.g. of an arm.
A peculiar term signifying that the shield is charged with a large lozenge, the four points extending to the edge of the shield.

Vetu Ploye

Argent vetu ploye gues

Alternate Term: Vêtu Ploye

Similar to vetu, except all the lines curve towards the center of the shield.

Vexillum

veks"ill-ums

A streamer or ribbon attached to a crozier just below the hook. It winds around the staff.

Vigilant

vig"il-ant

A cat is termed vigilant when it is looking around for its prey.

Vine

vin

Alternate Term: Vigne

The vine is sometimes found in more modern coats of arms, and can be found either with or without fruit. When it is blazoned as proper, then the leaves are green and the grapes are purple. The grapes should be shown as hanging down.
The vine is frequently represented in later arms, sometimes with and sometimes without the fruit, and very frequently also the leaves and the fruit, i.e. a bunch or cluster of grapes separately. When blazoned proper the leaves should be vert, the fruit purpure. The bunch of grapes should always be represented hanging, i.e. with the stalk in chief. The French use the term cap de vigne when the lower portion is shewn, with leaves and bunches of grapes (grappes or raisins), and pampre when only a branch of the vine is shewn with leaves, but generally without fruit. The term pampré of such a tincture refers to the leaves; fruité, to the grapes; the échalas is the vine-stick, by which the dwarf vines, chiefly cultivated abroad, are supposed.
"argent, a vine growing out of the base leaved and fructed between two popinjays endorsed, feeding upon a cluster of grapes all proper" – Winchester, Scotland.
"argent, a vine with leaves and fruit proper, over all on a bend sable three escallops of the first" – Levinz, co. Northampton.
"gules, a man's arm couped and embowed, the hand holding a branch of vine fructed, leaved and slipped all proper" – Corneilles.
"Or, three vine leaves vert" – Arabin.
"argent, a chevron between three bunches of grapes proper" – Bradway, co. Gloucester.
"argent, a bear's head proper holding a bunch of grapes in its mouth between three torteaux; a chief gules" – Bearsley, Coventry; granted 1730.
"D'argent, à un cep de vigne de sinople (entortillé autour d'un echalas du même et) fruité de deux grappes de sable planté sur une terrasse du même mouvante de la pointe de l'écu, et surmonté d'une etoile d'azur" – De Lesseps, Bayonne.
"D'argent, au cep de vigne, pampré et terrassé de sinople, fruité de gueules, soutenu d'un échalas de sable" – Guyon, Normandie.
"De sable, au cep de vigne, chargé de ses pampres, et soutenu d'un échalas de sable" – La Treiche, Normandie.
"De gueules, au pampre d'Or feuillé de sinople" – Ville de Dijon.
"d'Or, au chevron de gueules accompagné de trois raisins d'azur" – Olier-Nointel.

Violet

vi"o-let

Alternate Term: Violette

This refers to the wild violet which is drawn without any Heraldic conventionalisation.
“argent, a chevron sable fretty or between three violets purpure stalked and leaved vert” – Dikens.
“D’argent, a trois violettes au naturel, tigées de sable, et un chef d’azur, chargé d’une molette d‘éperon d’or a huit pointes” – Pol, Comtat Venaissin.

Violin

vi"oh-lihn

A musical instrument which is drawn true to life, and is usually found vertical with the body towards the top of the shield. The “treble violin” refers to the cello. If the strings are of a different tincture then it is said to be “stringed” of that tincture.
The violin or fiddle is found named in a few coats of arms. It should be drawn with the handle downwards.
"gules, three treble violins transposed argent, stringed sable" – Sweeting, Somerset.
"azure, three violins transposed two and one argent, stringed sable" – Suttie, Inveresk, Scotland.
"azure, three fiddles argent" – Sueting.

Vires

virs

(French) A term derived from the Latin viri?, and applied to a series of annulets conjoined, generally with the smaller one in the midst. It only occurs in French blazon, and but rarely.

"D'azur, à trois vires d'argent" – Glatigny, Normandie.

Virgin

ver-jihn'

A figure of a saint, when the name is not known, may be thus blazoned, but usually only the head, or the upper portion, is shewn, and the term demi-virgin is used, as in the insignia of the Mercers‘ Company. Similar figures are sometimes blazoned maidens’ heads: and those in the insignia of the See of Oxford, being veiled, are blazoned nuns‘ heads (sometimes ladies’ heads). See under head.

“Vert, a demi-virgin couped at the waist proper, mantled gules turned down ermine, her hair dishevelled, on her head an Eastern crown Or” – Company of Pinmakers (Inc. 1636).

Virgin Mary

vehr"jin mar"y

The Virgin is sometimes found as a charge in ecclesiastical heraldry. She is always found holding the infant Jesus.
The figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurs in the insignia of one or two Sees, and of several religious foundations, and of one or two Scotch Burghs; also on those ascribed to a King of England of the tenth century. It will be seen that the Virgin is variously represented, but always with the infant Saviour.
“azure, our Lady the Virgin Mary with a circle of glory over her head, holding in her dexter arm the infant Jesus, head radiant; in the sinister a sceptre all or” – See of Salisbury.
“argent, upon three ascents the Virgin Mary standing with her arms extended between two pillars; on the dexter pillar a church; in base the ancient arms of man on an escutcheon ensigned with a mitre” – Seal of the Bishopric of Sodor, and man (but often improperly adopted as the Insignia of the see, which are simply those of the Isle ensigned with a mitre).
“Vert, a cross botonne argent; on a canton of the last the Virgin Mary and Child proper(but there are several variations)” – Glastonbury Abbey.
“azure, three lions passant gardant in pale Or; on a chief gules the Virgin and Child of the second” – Augustinian Priory of Newstead, co. Nottingham.
“argent, the Virgin Mary looking at the Child Jesus in her arms, a radiated glory round each of their heads, all proper, their vestments azure” – Burgh of Lauder, Scotland.
“gules, the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus in her arms Or” – Burgh of Banff, Scotland.
“Vert, a cross potent fitchy argent; in the dexter chief the Virgin and Child in glory” – arms fancifully ascribed to King Edred, ob. 955, Harl. MS. 4033 (sometimes also King Arthur).
The charge also appears to be borne in the insignia of the See of Tuam, Ireland; in those of Tarant Nunnery, Dorset; and in those of the Deanery of Worcester.

Virols

vihr-ohls

The rings which commonly encircle Bugle-horns,; and hence virolled or virolly, (fr. virolé), is used when a circular band of a different tincture is thus encircled.

Viscount

vi'kownt

The fourth order of the peerage of England, being the intermediate rank between earl and baron. The title was originally the official name of the deputy of an earl, whence the name vice-comes, then Shire-reeve or Sheriff of a county. It was afterwards granted as a title of honour of John, Lord Beaumont, to whom King Henry VI., 1440, gave by patent the title of Viscount Beaumont in England and France, and hence the distinguishing affix, ‘The Lord Viscount’

Viscount's Coronet

a viscount's coronet

another viscount's cronet

vi"kounts ko"ro-net

The coronet which a viscount is entitled to bear above his coat of arms.

Visitations

vih-sih-tay'shuns

Early in the reign of Henry VIII. it was deemed advisable to collect and record genealogical and armorial information, and from this arose those journeys of the heralds termed visitations. The earliest, made by virtue of a royal commission, seems to be that of Gloucester, Worcester, Oxford, Wilts, Berks, and Stafford, in 1528-29. From this time the several counties were visited at irregular intervals until the Great Rebellion. Soon after the Restoration the practice was revived, but no commission has been issued since the Revolution. The last is dated May 13, 1686. Most of these ‘Visitations’ have been printed by Societies or by individuals, but some still remain only in MS., the chief being in the collections in the British Museum.

Viure

vi'uhr

Alternate Terms: Wiure, Wyer

This term, variously spelt, is said by Heraldic writers to signify a very narrow fillet or riband, generally nebuly (though no case of nebuly is cited, nor has one been found) which may be placed in bend, in fesse, or otherwise. It is probably only the common English word “wire,” which some Heraldic writer has written according to old spelling.

“argent, three bars gemels azure, on a chief gules a viure or” – Haydon, co. Devon.

Voided

Alternate Term: Vidé

Term for a charge with most of the center removed.
Having the middle removed so that the shield is seen between the two parts.
Having the central area cut out or left vacant, leaving a narrow border or outline.
This term applied to ordinaries and subordinaries signifies that the middle is removed so that the field is visible through it; thus a plain chevron voided has the appearance of two couple-closes, and a bend voided that of a pair of cottises. heralds, however, make some minute distinctions, and these will be found noticed under chevron voided.

The voiding of certain ordinaries is of ancient practice. It will be observed that the cross “recercelée” is sometimes blazoned “voide”. So also “faux crois” signifies a cross voided, while faux lozenge in one roll is used for a mascle, though the mascle itself is sometimes found blazoned voided. See mascle and Masculy. Again, faux rondelets are found meaning annulets, and the “faux escocheon” is now blazoned an orle. In some cases the term percée, or pierced, is used to mean the same as voided; and in others voided is used of a mullet when pierced is meant; but as a rule the piercing involves only a small aperture, and generally circular, while voiding involves a larger aperture, and one following the outline of the charge.

When the term is used by itself the tincture of the opening is understood to be that of the field, but an ordinary may be voided of another tincture.
“argent, a cross voided and double cottised sable, within a bordure Or” – Bromholme Priory, Norfolk.
Monsire Gerard Salvayn, port d’argent; “au cheif de sable deux molletts d’Or, voydes vert” – Roll, temp. Ed. III.
Monsire Gornill, “port d’or; cheif sable, deux molletts d’argent, voydes de gules” – Ibid.
“argent, two bars voided gules; over all a bend sable” – Burton.

Voiders

void'ers

Diminutive of Flanches.

Volant

a bird volant

vohl'ant

Flying.
Flying bend-ways towards the dexter.
Depicted with the wings extended as in flying.

Vorant

Sable, a dolphin naiant
proper vorant a fish
of the last -- James

vohr'ant

Devouring.
When an animal is shown devouring its prey, then it is termed “vorant”.

Vulned

Vert, a lion rampant
argent, vulned on the
shoulder proper -- Blbeck

vuhlned

Alternate Term: Ensanglanté

Wounded and bleeding. When the weapon (as an arrow) remains in the wound, the animal is said to be transfixed.
A term describing a creature which is wounded. This is shown by blood drops falling from the wound.
Used of an animal wounded and bleeding. Vulning herself is frequently applied especially to the Pelican, q.v. Sometimes the expression distilling drops of blood (or gouttes de sang) is used, but this term is more properly applied to a severed head.
“Vert, a lion rampant argent, vulned on the shoulder proper” – Bulbeck.
“argent, a lion rampant vert, vulned proper at the mouth” – Tyrwhitt-Jones, co. Salop.
“Or, a lion rampant sable, vulned gules at the breast” – Sammes, co. Essex.
“Per pale azure and gules, a wolf salient Or, vulned of the second at the shoulder” – Hawk.
“argent, a stag’s head erased gules (otherwise sable), attired or, distilling drops of blood” – Crawfurd, Scotland.
Embrued, which is used properly of Spears, etc., is also sometimes (but wrongly) applied to animals.
“Or, two wolves passant sable, mouths embrued gules” – Oliver Peard, Mayor of Barnstaple, co. Devon, 1575.

Vulning

vuhln"ing

Wounding. This term is used in connection with the pelican who is described as “vulning herself” when pecking at her breast in order to feed her chicks with her blood. See also In Her Piety.

Vulture

vuhlt-cher'

Alternate Term: Vautour

This bird seems to be named in a solitary instance in English coats of arms, and is not common in French ones.

“ermine, a vulture seizing her prey gules” – Siminges.
“D’or, au vautour essorant de sable” – Vaultier, Normandie.