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In heraldry, a bend is a band or strap running from the upper dexter (the bearer's right side and the viewer's left) corner of the shield to the lower sinister (the bearer's left side, and the viewer's right). Authorities differ as to how much of the field it should cover, ranging from one-fifth (if shown between other charges) up to one-third (if charged alone).
Variations
A bend can be modified by most of the lines of partition, such as the bend engrailed in the ancient arms of Fortescue and the bend wavy in the ancient coat of Wallop, Earls of Portsmouth.
Diminutives
The diminutives of the bend, being narrower versions, are as follows, in descending order of width:
- Bendlet: One-half as wide as a bend, as in the ancient arms of Churchill family, and the arms of Byron. A bendlet couped is also known as a baton, as in the coat of Elliot of Stobs
- Cotise: One-fourth the width of a bend; it usually appears in pairs, one on either side (French: coté) of a bend, in which case the bend is said to be cotised as in the ancient arms of Fortescue and Bohun and in the more modern arms of Hyndburn Borough Council, England. In ancient arms it can be found on only one side of a bend blazoned as a bend singly cotised.
- Riband or ribbon: Also one-fourth the width of a bend. It is also called a cost as in the arms of (Or, a lion rampant gules surmounted of a cost sable, all within a bordure engrailed azure — first and fourth quarters)
- Scarp (or scarf): a bend sinister of one-half width.
Bend sinister
The usual bend is occasionally called a bend dexter when it needs to contrast with the bend sinister (Latin; means left), which runs in the other direction, like a sash worn diagonally from the left shoulder. The bend sinister and its diminutives such as the baton sinister are rare as an independent motif; they occur more often as marks of distinction. The term "bar sinister" is an erroneous term when used in this context, since the "bar" in heraldry refers to a horizontal line.
The bend sinister, reduced in size to that of a bendlet (narrow) or baton (ending short of the edge of the shield), was one of the commonest brisures (differences) added to the arms of illegitimate offspring of European aristocratic lords. Such royal descent was considered a mark of honour, and in most of Europe, illegitimate children of nobles, despite having few legal rights, were customarily regarded as noble and married within the most aristocratic families.
This was the usual mark used to identify illegitimate descendants of the English royal family dating from fifteenth century, as in the arms of Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, illegitimate son of Edward IV of England. It also appears in the arms of Antoine de Bourgogne, illegitimate son of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. The full-sized bend sinister was seldom used in this way, and more recent examples also exist of bends sinister that have no connection with illegitimacy, such as in the arms of the Burne-Jones baronets. These markings were never subject to strict rules, and the customary English use of the bend, bendlet, and baton sinister to denote illegitimacy in this way eventually gave way to the use of different kinds of bordures.
"Bar sinister"
Sir Walter Scott is credited with inventing the phrase bar sinister, which has become a metonymic term for bastardy. Heraldry scholar Arthur Charles Fox-Davies and others state that the phrase derives from a misspelling of barre, the French term for bend sinister. The term is irregular, since in English heraldry a bar is horizontal, neither dexter nor sinister; nevertheless, bar sinister has become a standard euphemism for illegitimate birth.
Similar elements
In bend
The phrase in bend refers to the appearance of several items on the shield being lined up in the direction of a bend, as in the arms of the ancient Northcote family of Devon: Argent, three crosses-crosslet in bend sable. It is also used when something is slanted in the direction of a bend, as in the coat of Surrey County Council in England.
Bendwise
A charge bendwise is slanted like a bend. When a charge is placed on a bend, by default it is shown bendwise.
Party per bend
A shield party per bend (or simply per bend) is divided into two parts by a single line which runs in the direction of a bend. Applies not only to the fields of shields but also to charges. A division in the opposite direction is called party per bend sinister.
Bendy
Bendy is a variation of the field consisting (usually) of an even number of parts, most often six; as in the coat of the duchy of Burgundy.
Analogous terms are derived from the bend sinister: per bend sinister, bendwise sinister, bendy sinister.
Engouled
In Spanish heraldry, bends may be engouled, or swallowed, by the heads of dragons or wolves. A famous example of this is in the Royal Bend of Castile.
In national flags
Bend
-
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
(bend enhanced) -
Flag of Brunei
(bend reduced) -
Flag of Uruguay, one of the three official
Party per bend
-
Flag of Papua New Guinea
Bend sinister
-
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(bend reduced) -
Flag of the Republic of the Congo
(bend enhanced) -
Flag of Namibia -
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis -
Flag of Tanzania
Bendlet sinister
-
Flag of the Solomon Islands
Party per bend sinister
-
Flag of Bhutan
References
Citations
- Debrett's 1968, p. 461.
- Boutell (1914), p. 58.
- Public Register volume 1, page 144. [full citation needed]
- Public Register volume 1, page 69 [full citation needed]
- Edmondson, Joseph (1780). A Complete Body of Heraldry. p. 163.
- Woodward & Burnett (1892), p. 172; Montagu (1840), pp. 41–42.
- Bertelli & Litchfield (2003), pp. 174–5.
- Montagu (1840), pp. 41–42.
- Montagu (1840), pp. 41–42; Bertelli & Litchfield (2003), pp. 174–5; Boutell (1914), pp. 190–1.
- Fox-Davies (1909), p. 512; O'Shea (1986), pp. 11–12.
- Fox-Davies (1909), p. 508; Woodward & Burnett (1892), p. 553.
- Boutell (1914), pp. 190–1.
- Wilson (2005), p. 56; Freeman (2009), p. 29.
- Woodward & Burnett (1892), p. 172; O'Shea (1986), pp. 11–12; Fox-Davies (1909), p. 508.
- Wilson (2005), p. 56; Hogarth & Pine (2017).
- Debrett's 1968, p. 604.
- Weald and Downs n.d.
- Boutell (1914), p. 59.
General and cited references
- Bertelli, Sergio; Litchfield, R. Burr (2003). The King's Body: Sacred Rituals of Power in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Penn State Press. ISBN 0-2710-4139-0.
- Boutell, Charles (1914). Fox-Davies, A.C. (ed.). The Handbook to English Heraldry (11th ed.). London: Reeves & Turner. OCLC 81124564 – via Project Gutenberg.
- "Civic Heraldry of England and Wales – Weald and Downs Area". www.civicheraldry.co.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Debrett's Peerage. 1968.[full citation needed]
- Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry: Illustrated by Nine Plates and Nearly 800 Other Designs. London: T.C. & E.C. Jack. ISBN 0-517-26643-1. LCCN 09023803.
- Freeman, Jan (2009). Ambrose Bierce's Write It Right: The Celebrated Cynic's Language Peeves Deciphered, Appraised, and Annotated for 21st-Century Readers. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-8027-1970-6.
- Hogarth, Frederick; Pine, Leslie Gilbert (2017). "Heraldry: The scope of heraldry". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Montagu, J. A. (1840). A Guide to the study of Heraldry. London: William Pickering.
- O'Shea, Michael J. (1986). James Joyce and Heraldry. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-8870-6270-4.
- Wilson, Kenneth (2005). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-5850-4148-3.
- Woodward, John; Burnett, George (1892) [originally published 1884]. Woodward's a treatise on heraldry, British and foreign: with English and French glossaries. Edinburgh: W. & A. B. Johnson. ISBN 0-7153-4464-1. LCCN 02020303.
Further reading
- Boutell, Charles (1890). Heraldry, Ancient and Modern: Including Boutell's Heraldry. London: Frederick Warne. OCLC 6102523.
- Brooke-Little, J P (1985) [originally published 1975]. An heraldic alphabet (New and revised ed.). London: Robson Books.
- Young, Robert (12 May 2005). "Civic Heraldry of England and Wales". Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Clark, Hugh (1892) [originally published 1775]. Planché, J. R. (ed.). An Introduction to Heraldry (18th ed.). London: George Bell & Sons. ISBN 1-4325-3999-X. LCCN 26005078.
- Cussans, John E. (2003). Handbook of Heraldry. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 0-7661-7338-0. LCCN 04024470.
- Friar, Stephen, ed. (1987). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. Sherborne: Alphabooks.
- Greaves, Kevin (2000). A Canadian Heraldic Primer. Ottawa: Heraldry Society of Canada.
- Heraldry Society (England). "Members' Roll of Arms".
- Heraldry Society of Scotland. "HSS Members' - Scots Arms". Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
- Innes, Sir Thomas (1956). Scots Heraldry (second ed.). Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
- Moncreiffe, Iain; Pottinger, Don (1953). Simple Heraldry. London and Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons.
- Neubecker, Ottfried (1976). Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-046312-3.
- Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. "Members' Roll of Arms".
- Bureau of Heraldry. "Gallery". National Archives & Records Service of South Africa. Archived from the original on 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- von Volborth, Carl-Alexander (1981). Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. Poole, England: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0940-5. LCCN 81670212.
- Woodcock, Thomas; Robinson, John Martin (1988). The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-211658-4. LCCN 88023554.
External links
- Canadian Heraldic Authority, Public Register, with many official versions of modern coats of arms, searchable online
- International Heraldry & Heralds, heraldry information by James McDonald
This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message In heraldry a bend is a band or strap running from the upper dexter the bearer s right side and the viewer s left corner of the shield to the lower sinister the bearer s left side and the viewer s right Authorities differ as to how much of the field it should cover ranging from one fifth if shown between other charges up to one third if charged alone Azure a bend or possibly the most famous bend in heraldic history which was the subject of one of the earliest cases in heraldic law in England Scrope v Grosvenor 1389 VariationsHeraldic achievement of Hugh Fortescue 1st Earl Fortescue showing arms of Fortescue impaling Grenville Baron Azure a bend engrailled argent plain cottised or Femme Vert on a cross argent five torteaux A bend can be modified by most of the lines of partition such as the bend engrailed in the ancient arms of Fortescue and the bend wavy in the ancient coat of Wallop Earls of Portsmouth Diminutives The diminutives of the bend being narrower versions are as follows in descending order of width Bendlet One half as wide as a bend as in the ancient arms of Churchill family and the arms of Byron A bendlet couped is also known as a baton as in the coat of Elliot of Stobs Cotise One fourth the width of a bend it usually appears in pairs one on either side French cote of a bend in which case the bend is said to be cotised as in the ancient arms of Fortescue and Bohun and in the more modern arms of Hyndburn Borough Council England In ancient arms it can be found on only one side of a bend blazoned as a bend singly cotised Riband or ribbon Also one fourth the width of a bend It is also called a cost as in the arms of Or a lion rampant gules surmounted of a cost sable all within a bordure engrailed azure first and fourth quarters Scarp or scarf a bend sinister of one half width Bend sinisterArthur Plantagenet 1st Viscount Lisle d 1542 bore the arms of the House of York with a bendlet sinister overall The usual bend is occasionally called a bend dexter when it needs to contrast with the bend sinister Latin means left which runs in the other direction like a sash worn diagonally from the left shoulder The bend sinister and its diminutives such as the baton sinister are rare as an independent motif they occur more often as marks of distinction The term bar sinister is an erroneous term when used in this context since the bar in heraldry refers to a horizontal line The bend sinister reduced in size to that of a bendlet narrow or baton ending short of the edge of the shield was one of the commonest brisures differences added to the arms of illegitimate offspring of European aristocratic lords Such royal descent was considered a mark of honour and in most of Europe illegitimate children of nobles despite having few legal rights were customarily regarded as noble and married within the most aristocratic families This was the usual mark used to identify illegitimate descendants of the English royal family dating from fifteenth century as in the arms of Arthur Plantagenet 1st Viscount Lisle illegitimate son of Edward IV of England It also appears in the arms of Antoine de Bourgogne illegitimate son of Philip the Good Duke of Burgundy The full sized bend sinister was seldom used in this way and more recent examples also exist of bends sinister that have no connection with illegitimacy such as in the arms of the Burne Jones baronets These markings were never subject to strict rules and the customary English use of the bend bendlet and baton sinister to denote illegitimacy in this way eventually gave way to the use of different kinds of bordures Bar sinister Sir Walter Scott is credited with inventing the phrase bar sinister which has become a metonymic term for bastardy Heraldry scholar Arthur Charles Fox Davies and others state that the phrase derives from a misspelling of barre the French term for bend sinister The term is irregular since in English heraldry a bar is horizontal neither dexter nor sinister nevertheless bar sinister has become a standard euphemism for illegitimate birth Similar elementsIn bend Arms of Northcote Argent three crosses crosslet in bend sable The phrase in bend refers to the appearance of several items on the shield being lined up in the direction of a bend as in the arms of the ancient Northcote family of Devon Argent three crosses crosslet in bend sable It is also used when something is slanted in the direction of a bend as in the coat of Surrey County Council in England Bendwise A charge bendwise is slanted like a bend When a charge is placed on a bend by default it is shown bendwise Party per bend Arms of Utrecht Party per bend argent and gules A shield party per bend or simply per bend is divided into two parts by a single line which runs in the direction of a bend Applies not only to the fields of shields but also to charges A division in the opposite direction is called party per bend sinister Bendy Arms of the first house of Burgundy Bendy or and azure a bordure gules Bendy is a variation of the field consisting usually of an even number of parts most often six as in the coat of the duchy of Burgundy Analogous terms are derived from the bend sinister per bend sinister bendwise sinister bendy sinister Engouled In Spanish heraldry bends may be engouled or swallowed by the heads of dragons or wolves A famous example of this is in the Royal Bend of Castile In national flagsBend Flag of Trinidad and Tobago bend enhanced Flag of Brunei bend reduced Flag of Uruguay one of the three official Party per bend Flag of Papua New Guinea Bend sinister Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo bend reduced Flag of the Republic of the Congo bend enhanced Flag of Namibia Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis Flag of Tanzania Bendlet sinister Flag of the Solomon Islands Party per bend sinister Flag of BhutanReferencesCitations Debrett s 1968 p 461 Boutell 1914 p 58 Public Register volume 1 page 144 full citation needed Public Register volume 1 page 69 full citation needed Edmondson Joseph 1780 A Complete Body of Heraldry p 163 Woodward amp Burnett 1892 p 172 Montagu 1840 pp 41 42 Bertelli amp Litchfield 2003 pp 174 5 Montagu 1840 pp 41 42 Montagu 1840 pp 41 42 Bertelli amp Litchfield 2003 pp 174 5 Boutell 1914 pp 190 1 Fox Davies 1909 p 512 O Shea 1986 pp 11 12 Fox Davies 1909 p 508 Woodward amp Burnett 1892 p 553 Boutell 1914 pp 190 1 Wilson 2005 p 56 Freeman 2009 p 29 Woodward amp Burnett 1892 p 172 O Shea 1986 pp 11 12 Fox Davies 1909 p 508 Wilson 2005 p 56 Hogarth amp Pine 2017 Debrett s 1968 p 604 Weald and Downs n d Boutell 1914 p 59 General and cited references Bertelli Sergio Litchfield R Burr 2003 The King s Body Sacred Rituals of Power in Medieval and Early Modern Europe Penn State Press ISBN 0 2710 4139 0 Boutell Charles 1914 Fox Davies A C ed The Handbook to English Heraldry 11th ed London Reeves amp Turner OCLC 81124564 via Project Gutenberg Civic Heraldry of England and Wales Weald and Downs Area www civicheraldry co uk Retrieved 22 May 2017 Debrett s Peerage 1968 full citation needed Fox Davies Arthur Charles 1909 A Complete Guide to Heraldry Illustrated by Nine Plates and Nearly 800 Other Designs London T C amp E C Jack ISBN 0 517 26643 1 LCCN 09023803 Freeman Jan 2009 Ambrose Bierce s Write It Right The Celebrated Cynic s Language Peeves Deciphered Appraised and Annotated for 21st Century Readers Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN 978 0 8027 1970 6 Hogarth Frederick Pine Leslie Gilbert 2017 Heraldry The scope of heraldry Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 22 May 2017 Montagu J A 1840 A Guide to the study of Heraldry London William Pickering O Shea Michael J 1986 James Joyce and Heraldry Albany State University of New York Press ISBN 978 0 8870 6270 4 Wilson Kenneth 2005 The Columbia Guide to Standard American English Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 5850 4148 3 Woodward John Burnett George 1892 originally published 1884 Woodward s a treatise on heraldry British and foreign with English and French glossaries Edinburgh W amp A B Johnson ISBN 0 7153 4464 1 LCCN 02020303 Further readingBoutell Charles 1890 Heraldry Ancient and Modern Including Boutell s Heraldry London Frederick Warne OCLC 6102523 Brooke Little J P 1985 originally published 1975 An heraldic alphabet New and revised ed London Robson Books Young Robert 12 May 2005 Civic Heraldry of England and Wales Retrieved 24 July 2019 Clark Hugh 1892 originally published 1775 Planche J R ed An Introduction to Heraldry 18th ed London George Bell amp Sons ISBN 1 4325 3999 X LCCN 26005078 Cussans John E 2003 Handbook of Heraldry Kessinger Publishing ISBN 0 7661 7338 0 LCCN 04024470 Friar Stephen ed 1987 A New Dictionary of Heraldry Sherborne Alphabooks Greaves Kevin 2000 A Canadian Heraldic Primer Ottawa Heraldry Society of Canada Heraldry Society England Members Roll of Arms Heraldry Society of Scotland HSS Members Scots Arms Archived from the original on 2013 05 07 Retrieved 2010 07 26 Innes Sir Thomas 1956 Scots Heraldry second ed Edinburgh Oliver and Boyd Moncreiffe Iain Pottinger Don 1953 Simple Heraldry London and Edinburgh Thomas Nelson and Sons Neubecker Ottfried 1976 Heraldry Sources Symbols and Meaning Maidenhead England McGraw Hill ISBN 0 07 046312 3 Royal Heraldry Society of Canada Members Roll of Arms Bureau of Heraldry Gallery National Archives amp Records Service of South Africa Archived from the original on 2019 07 24 Retrieved 2019 07 25 von Volborth Carl Alexander 1981 Heraldry Customs Rules and Styles Poole England Blandford Press ISBN 0 7137 0940 5 LCCN 81670212 Woodcock Thomas Robinson John Martin 1988 The Oxford Guide to Heraldry Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 211658 4 LCCN 88023554 External linksLook up bar sinister in Wiktionary the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bends in heraldry Canadian Heraldic Authority Public Register with many official versions of modern coats of arms searchable online International Heraldry amp Heralds heraldry information by James McDonald
