Gouttes

Gouttes

Gouttes, (fr. larmes), drops: i.e. a figure of an elongated pear-shape, with the sides wavy. They are seldom, if ever, used singly, and generally the number is enumerated.

Per chevron argent and sable, three gouttes counterchanged--CROSBY.

Argent, a fesse dancetty or between three gouttys of the last--INGLEDEN.

Azure, on a saltire argent five gouttys gules--GOOSELIN(also GOVER).

Gules, a fesse between six gouttys or--WYKE.

Barry of six, sable and ermine, nine gouttes argent, three, three, and three--BRADWARDINE.

Argent, fifteen gouttes gules[de sang], five, four, three, two, one--LEMMING, Essex.

Argent, a saltire gules between twelve gouttes sable--KERCEY.

In the case of a lion with a goutte de sang, the blazon of vulned seems to be more properly used. At the same time there are many cases of lions represented with gouttes d'or, &c.

Monsire HAMLYN, port gules une lyon d'or goute sable--Roll, temp. ED. III.

Argent, on a lion rampant sable a goutte d'or streaming at the shoulder--LUDLOW.

Azure, on a lion rampant argent gouttes de sang--BERESFORD.

Azure, on a lion rampant argent gouttes purpure--FOSTER, Essex.

The more frequent form is gutté, or gutty, goutty, gouté(that is, semé of an indefinite number of drops. They may be of various tinctures, and in English heraldry a distinct term is used for each, though this was probably of late introduction.

  When argent, gutté d'eau: representing drops of water.                        
  When or, gutté d'or or auré: representing drops of gold.                      
  When azure, gutté de larmes: representing tears.                              
  When sable, gutté de poix: representing drops of pitch.                       
  When gules, gutté de sang: representing drops of blood.                       
  When vert, gutté d'huile, or d'olive: representing drops of oil.              

Azure, gutté d'eau--WINTERBOTTOM[Lord Mayor of London, 1752].

Argent, a lion rampant sable gouttée d'eau--MORTIMER, Vamouth, Scotland.

Barry of six ermine and sable, gutty d'eau--Thomas BRADWARDINE, Abp. of Canterbury, 1349. [But this is blazoned in the Lambeth MS. as barry of six ermine and ermines.]

Monsire John HALOU[HANLOW], port d'argent une lyon rampant d'azure goutte d'or--Roll, temp. ED. III.

Argent, on a talbot passant sable gouttes d'or--SHIRINGTON.

Sable, goutty de larmes, a lion rampant argent--CHANTRY.

Argent, goutty de poix and a lion rampant sable--Jake de la PLANCE, Roll, temp. ED. I. [Harl. MS. 6137].

Argent, goutty de poix, a chief nebuly gules--ROYDENHALL.

Gules, a bend or guttée de poix, between two mullets argent pierced of the field--See and City of BANGOR.

Sable, guttée d'eau three roses--John STILL, Bp. of Bath and Wells, 1593-1608.

Argent, gutty de sang, two darts points upwards gules feathered of the first piercing a heart of the second--YEOMAN.

In modern French blazon the term larmes is used for gouttes, and somé de larmes for gouttée. The tincture is always given, though larmes d'argent seems to be the most frequent.

D'argent, semé de larmes de sable--POILLOT, Ile de France.

When the goutte is reversed the term icicle is used by heraldic writers, that is, the charge is of the same shape, but the thicker portion is upwards, and the point downwards. Some heralds, however, call these figures Clubs, others Gouttes reversed, and others Locks of hair. The bearing seems to be confined to branches of one family.

Azure, three icicles bendwise in bend sinister or--HARBOTTLE, Brecon.

Azure, three locks of hair in bend or--HARBOTTLE.