heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the

mantling In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the ...

in place. The torse is sometimes mistakenly said to represent the token, called a favour, such as a handkerchief or sleeve, which the knight's lady-love gave him to wear when he left for the wars or participated in tournaments. The purpose of the torse is known to be the masking of the "unsightly joining" of the helmet and the crest. However, it is possible that a knight might "twist he favourin and out or over and over the fillet which surrounded the joining-place of crest and helmet." Thus the favour (ladies handkerchief) might be twisted into the torse. The torse is blazoned as part of the crest. For example, the

Coat of Arms of Canada The Arms of Canada (french: Armoiries du Canada, links=no), also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (french: armoiries royales du Canada, links=no) or formally as the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (french: Armoiries de Sa M ...

is blazoned "On a wreath of the colours Argent and Gules, a lion passant guardant Or imperially crowned proper and holding in the dexter paw a maple leaf Gules." The tinctures of the torse are generally not mentioned in the blazon, as they are assumed to be of the principal metal and colour in the shield. Like the

, the torse must always be of a metal and a colour; usually the torse and the mantling have the same tinctures. In British heraldry, the torse is generally shown with six twists of material, alternately metal and colour. The abstracted torse is a modern development in which the twisted cloth of the torse appears as a solid, straight bar or pole, of twisted colors. This later development is due a design simplification of the blazoned torse. Occasionally the torse is replaced by a crown or coronet, which is then termed a "crest-coronet". In the past this practice was widespread amongst all ranks, but is nowadays usually denied to those outside royalty and the peerage, except in special circumstances. Some commoners have bypassed this rule by placing a coronet ''on top of'' a torse, rather than in place of it. The torse is also often used as a decoration on a heraldic animal, either across the brow, as a form of circlet, or around the neck.

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

and

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

s are traditionally depicted in heraldry with a torse across their brow.

Gallery

File:Torse of a British Gentleman.svg, A typical heraldic representation of the torse File:Tortillon.png, Torse File:Arms of Suffolk.svg, The arms of

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. History Est ...

afford an example of a crest-coronet. The crest is placed upon an "ancient crown" rather than the usual torse File:Arms of Sardinia.svg, The arms of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...

feature four moors' heads with torses across their brows File:Badge of the Governor-General of Canada.svg, The crest of the

King of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...

(and badge of the office of the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

), a crowned lion holding a maple leaf atop a torse.

References

{{Heraldry Heraldic charges

Gallery

See also

References