An abatement (or rebatement) is a modification of a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
, representing a less-than honorable
augmentation, imposed by an heraldic authority (such as the
Court of Chivalry
His Majesty's High Court of Chivalry is a civil law (as opposed to common law) court in English and Welsh law with jurisdiction over matters of heraldry. The court has been in existence since the fourteenth century; however, it rarely sits. T ...
in England) or by royal decree for misconduct. The practice of inverting the entire
escutcheon of an
armiger
In heraldry, an armiger is a (natural or juridical) person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armig ...
found guilty of high
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
has been attested since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and is generally accepted as reliable, and medieval heraldic sources cite at least one instance of removing an honourable charge from a coat of arms by royal decree as an abatement of honour. Other abatements of honour implied by the addition of dishonourable
stains and
charges, appearing in late 16th-century texts, have never been reliably attested in actual practice. Additionally, as many heraldic writers note, the use of arms is not compulsory, so armigers are more likely to relinquish a dishonored coat of arms than to advertise their dishonor.
Inverted arms
The earliest mention in heraldic writing of a dishonorable display of arms (and, according to
Fox-Davies, the only one reliably attested in actual use; see historical examples below)
was inverting the entire shield, first documented by
Johannes de Bado Aureo
The identity of the heraldic writer Johannes de Bado Aureo is a matter of dispute. ("Vado Aureo" is a Latinized form of Guildford, in Surrey.) His work, ''Tractatus de armis'', written at the behest of the late Anne of Bohemia (died 1394), consort ...
in his heraldic treatise ''Tractatus de armis'' (c. 1394).
Contemporary accounts of executions for treason describe the traitor being marched to his execution in a paper tabard displaying his inverted arms,
and other accounts tell of displaying the inverted arms of prisoners, released on parole, who refuse to pay their ransom.
Note that inverted arms can also indicate the death of the holder, and do not necessarily indicate dishonour.
Theoretical abatements
Eight other abatements were introduced in the late 16th century, each prescribing a specific charge in a specific
stain
A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...
for a specific offense; though the charges themselves were uncommon but no less honourable than any other charge (if colored in any standard tincture or fur), it was only when displayed in the prescribed position and stain that these charges were supposed to be considered dishonourable.
Leigh (1562) enumerated the nine abatements thus:
#Point dexter parted
tenné
In heraldry, tenné (; sometimes termed tenny or tawny) is a "stain", or non-standard tincture, of orange (in English blazonry), light brown (in French heraldry) or orange- tawny (in continental heraldry) colour.
Tenné, however, is not to be ...
, for false claims of valor
#Point champaine tenné, for killing a prisoner who has demanded quarter
#Plain point
sanguine
Sanguine () or red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown color, so called because it resembles the color of dried blood. It has been popular for centuries for drawing. The word comes via French from the Italian ''sanguigna'' and originally from the ...
, for one who lies to his sovereign
#Point in point sanguine, for cowardice
#
Gusset
In sewing, a gusset is a triangular or rhomboidal piece of textiles, fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Gussets were used at the shoulders, underarms, and hems of traditional shirts and chemi ...
sanguine borne to dexter, for adultery, or to sinister for a drunkard
'a truncation of the shield''#
Gore
Gore may refer to:
Places Australia
* Gore, Queensland
* Gore Creek (New South Wales)
* Gore Island (Queensland)
Canada
* Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community
* Gore, Quebec, a township municipality
* Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manito ...
sinister tenné, for cowardice in the face of the enemy
#Delf
'shovelful of earth''tenné, for revoking a challenge
#
Inescutcheon
In heraldry, an inescutcheon is a smaller Escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon that is placed within or superimposed over the main shield of a coat of arms, similar to a Charge (heraldry), charge. This may be used in the following cases:
* as a sim ...
reversed sanguine, for any man who "discourteously entreateth eyther maid or widow against her will, or flieth from his Soveraignes banner"
#The entire escutcheon inverted, for treason
Scottish herald
Thomas Innes of Learney mentioned abatements in marital situations: "The law of arms provides for abating the arms of an adulterer by two gussets sanguine, and where the bearing of arms is necessary this, and one gusset (they will be close-gussets) for non-adulterous divorcees, are, at least in Patents, applied in the case of divorcees."
Several notable modern heraldists have asserted that the execution of this system of abatements has never been attested in fact, and that the whole system was in all likelihood a theoretical exercise created by heralds for the purpose of discouraging armigers from committing dishonourable acts.
Breaking or erasing charges

As another form of abatement, some coats of arms were reportedly modified through breaking or cutting, reversing, or altogether erasing some existing charges, at least as they occur in patents, though the armiger's actual display of these defaced arms has not been documented and is unlikely.
In
French heraldry
French heraldry is the use of heraldic symbols in France. Although it had a considerable history, existing from the 12th century, such formality has largely died out in France, as far as regulated personal heraldry is concerned. Civic heraldry on ...
the term ''diffamé'' is used to denote a lion or other animal whose tail is cut off, or may refer more broadly to arms which have been altered to signify loss of honor. A lion with its tail between its hind legs is termed "couard" (coward), and has also been cited as a mark of infamy.
Though lions are traditionally depicted with male genitals, a recent trend toward omitting the genitals has been controversial, prodding claims that emasculated lions have also been an historical form of abatement. Commenting on the newly castrated lion in the arms of the
Nordic Battle Group in 2007, Vladimir Sagerlund, heraldic artist at the
Swedish National Archives since 1994, was critical of the politically motivated decision, stating, "once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown." ''The Times'' in London, however, noted a growing recent trend toward heraldic "castration", pointing to the lions passant on the royal
coat of arms of England
The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continue ...
, as well as the lions rampant on
those of Norway,
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, all of which have recently been depicted without genitals; in conclusion, ''The Times'' wrote, "some crests are ambiguous, but the message remains clear: the lions are supposed to display courage and nothing else." While such arms are clearly not intended as an abatement in modern times, no known examples of castrated lions have been found in medieval heraldry.
Reported historical examples
A few examples of historical abatements of arms have been recorded, though none of these reflect the addition of stained ordinaries as detailed above. Rather, these include broken chevrons, disarmed lions, and reversed or erased charges.
One of these rare historical examples was
Amery of Pavy, who was appointed governor of
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
by King
Edward III of England
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
in 1347, and whose arms were abated by royal decree in 1349 after the failed French
siege of Calais on the last day of December 1348, which resulted from Sir Amery's attempt to sell Calais to
Sir Geffrey Charney, the French governor of nearby
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.
It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...
, for 20,000
crowns.
As stated by Sir George Mackenzie: "And
Edward the Third of England ordained two of six
stars
A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
which a gentleman had in his arms to be effaced, because he had sold a seaport of which he was made governor."
Pursuivant of arms John Guillim
John Guillim (c. 1565 – 7 May 1621) of Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, was an antiquarian and officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is best remembered for his monumental work on heraldry, ''A Display of Heraldry'', first publi ...
, writing circa 1610, gave the story in considerable detail, adding that Sir Amery's arms were also inverted for his treachery. Guillim further explained that this humiliation is not inherited by the traitor's heirs, up to and including
capital crime
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
s, except in cases of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...
.
An example of a lion ''diffamée'' is that of
Jean d'Avesnes who insulted his mother,
Margaret II, Countess of Flanders
Margaret, often called Margaret of Constantinople (1202 – 10 February 1280), ruled as Countess of Flanders during 1244–1278 and Countess of Hainaut during 1244–1253 and 1257–1280. She was the younger daughter of Count Baldwin IX and M ...
, in the presence of
King Louis IX. He is supposed to have seen the lion in his arms ''diffamée'' (i.e. the tail removed) and ''morné'' (i.e. the teeth and claws removed).
See also
*
Augmentation of honour
In heraldry, an augmentation (often termed augmentation of honour or sometimes augmentation of arms) is a modification or addition to a coat of arms, typically given by a monarch as either a mere mark of favour, or a reward or recognition for som ...
*
Bend sinister (heraldry)
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 m ...
*
Gore (heraldry)
*
Gusset (heraldry)
In heraldry, a gusset is a Charge (heraldry), charge resembling the union of a Pile (heraldry), pile with a Pale (heraldry), pale extending from Escutcheon (heraldry)#Points, chief to Escutcheon (heraldry)#Points, base (or in the case of a flag ...
*
Stain (heraldry) In heraldry, a stain (sometimes termed stainand colour or staynard colour) is one of a few non-standard Tincture (heraldry), tinctures or colours (namely murrey, Sanguine (heraldry), sanguine and tenné), which are only known to occur in post-mediev ...
*
Shame pole
References
External links
*
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