Bar (heraldry)

In heraldry, a bar is an ordinary consisting of a horizontal band across the shield. If only one bar appears across the middle of the shield, it is termed a ''fess''; if two or more appear, they can only be called bars. Calling the bar a diminutive of the fess is inaccurate, however, because two bars may each be no smaller than a fess. Like the fess, bars too may bear complex lines (such as embattled, indented, nebuly, etc.). The diminutive form of the bar (narrower than a bar yet wider than a cottise) is the barrulet, though these frequently appear in pairs, the pair termed a "bar gemel" rather than "two barrulets".

Common ordinaries

A single bar placed across the top of the field is called a '' chief''. A single bar placed over the center of the field is called a ''fess''. Two to four of these appearing on a shield are called ''bars'', and more than four are called ''barrulets''.

Diminutives

Thin bars are termed ''barrulets''. A still thinner bar or riband is known as a '' cottise''. Cottises never appear alone and have no direction of their own, but are borne on each side of an ordinary (such as a fess, pale, bend or chevron). The ordinary thus accompanied by a cottise on each side is then described as "cottised", or these may even be "doubly cottised" (i.e. surrounded by four cottises, two along each side).

The "closet" is described as a band of the thickness between a bar and a barrulet, but is rarely found.

A bar that has been "couped" (cut) at the ends so as not to reach the edges of the field is called a ''hamade'', ''hamaide'' or ''hummet'', after the town of La Hamaide in Hainaut, Belgium. As a charge, it is almost always depicted in threes. The adjective is ''hummety''.

Barry and barruly

A field divided by many bars — often six, eight or ten parts with two alternating tinctures — is described as ''barry'' (of ''x'', ''y'' and ''z'', where ''x'' is the number of bars, ''y'' is the first (uppermost) tincture, and ''z'' is the second tincture). A field divided into five, seven or nine parts with two alternating tinctures is not called ''barry'', however, but two, three or four ''bars''. A barry design consisting of ten or more parts is comparatively rare and is called ''barruly'' rather than ''barry''.

Examples

File:Blason Es famille Eusa (Navarre).svg, ''Argent, three bars gules''
File:Blason Fr famille Dujac (Bayonne).svg, ''Gules, four barrules indented Or''
File:Blason Jean Porré.svg, ''Sable, three bars gemelles Or''
File:Fess doubly costied demo.svg, ''Argent, a fess doubly cottised gules''
File:Blason ville fr Berneui-sur-Aisne (60).svg, A ''bar gemel wavy cottised'' in the arms of the French commune of Berneuil-sur-Aisne
File:Coat of arms of Saxony.svg, ''Barry of ten sable and Or'' in the arms of the German state of Saxony
File:Coa Germany State Hessen History.svg, Lion ''barry of ten argent and gules'' in the arms of the German state of Hesse
File:Blason ville fr Palluau (Vendée).SVG, A bordure ''barry of ten argent and sable''
File:Blason ville be Lahamaide (Hainaut).svg, ''Or, three hamades gules'', the arms of La Hamaide in the Belgian province of Hainaut
File:Richard de Valoines arms.svg, Arms of Richard de Valoines: ''Barruly of 14 argent and azure on a bend gules three mullets of six points or'' (1285)

References

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{{Heraldry

Heraldic ordinaries