Pale

Pale

Pale, (fr. pal, pl. paux, old fr. pel): considered as one of the honourable ordinaries, and may occupy one third of the width of the shield. It has two diminutives, the palet, which is one half, and the endorse(q.v.), which is by some said to be one eighth of its breadth, by others one fourth.

The term vergette is said by French writers to be one third the width of their pal. The term occurs in one or two ancient coats of arms, but it is comparatively rare.

Gules, a pale or--arms ascribed to HUGH DE GRANDMESNIL, Lord High Steward of England, temp. HEN. I.

Sire ROBERT DE FORNEUS, de argent a un pel engrele de sable--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Sire Richard de WELLES, de or, a iij paus[i.e. pales] de goules; a un quarter de argent, et un molet de sable--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Argent, three pallets azure--THORNTON.

Or, two bars sable; on a chief of the second a palet between as many base esquires of the first; an inescutcheon charged with a fesse and chief ermine--BUTLER.

Sable, on a fesse or two palets argent--Sir Richard MALINS, Vice-Chancellor, 1866.

D'azur, à quatre vergettes d'ermine--RICHER, Orleanais.

De sinople, au pal d'or d'or chargé, d'une vergette de gueules; au chef d'argent chargé d'une épée contreposée de sable--JULIANIS DU ROURET, Provence.

Pales and palets are subject to the same kind of variations as the other ordinaries, such as the bend, fesse, &c., but not to so many, being far less frequently employed.

Azure, a pale chequy azure and or--BRICKWOOD.

Azure, a pale or goutty de sang--PLAYER, Middlesex.

Argent, a pale fusilly sable--DANIEL, co. Chester.

Gules, a pale lozengy[elsewhere of five lozenges] or--NIGEL, co. Chester.

Gules, a fesse depressed by a pale--DYRBYNE.

Argent, a chevron sable surmounted by a pale ermine--ENDERBY.

Gules, three palets vair; on a chief or a lion passant azure--Simon PATRICK, Bp. of Chichester, 1689; of Ely, 1691-1707.

Argent, a pale dancetty gules--STRANHAM, Kent.

Azure, a pale engrailed sable--DANIEL, co. York.

Gules, a pale invecked argent--VECK.

Argent, a pale nebuly sable--KAYNTON.

.... On a chief argent a pale quarterly azure and gules; on the first and fourth a fleur-de-lis; on the second and third a lion passant gardant all of the second between two roses gules, seeded or, barbed vert--EAST INDIA COMPANY, 1600.

Argent, a pale bretessed sable cotised; three torteaux in pale on each side--CROMIE, Ireland.

Argent, a pale pointed in base gules--DEVEY.

Argent, a pale furche, between two cotices sable--CUNNINGHAME, Scotland.

The pale furché in the last example is probably intended for the Shakefork, q.v.

In pale, (fr. l'un sur l'autre), is used when charges are arranged beneath one another, as in a pale. The term is frequently used, and often when not so it is implied, e.g. in the case of the three lions of England.

Azure, three escallops in pale or--SYMMES, Somerset.

Argent, three anchors sable in pale between two palets vert; a chief gules--DARWELL.

Palewise, (fr. en pal), is more accurately used of some one charge of which the position is not determined, such as a key, which may be upright or lengthways, and would be described as palewise or fesswise accordingly.

Argent, a spaniel dog passant proper; on a chief embattled azure a key paleways, the wards upward between two crosses croslet or--MAIRE.

Argent, a bend gules; in chief two broad arrows, shods conjoined by an annulet, palewise azure--COMRIES, Scotland.

Per pale or Party per pale is very frequent. See under Party.