On Some Interesting Finds in The Blazon of Gentrie

When reading a heraldic treatise, one can often find some interesting heraldic motifs, designs, or elsewise which are not found in SCA heraldry. While reading the 1586 treatise The Blazon of Gentrie, by John Ferne, I found the following interesting snippets that I thought I should share.

p.184 - "The feeld is Gewles, three Barrulets, the first in chiefe, the second in fesse, and the third in bast Or."

This one is interesting to me as it presents a different arrangement of three like horizontal charges than is normally found, where the usual would be to have them evenly spaced or grouped together in the middle of the field.

p.190 - "He beareth Or mouchette de Gules, a plaine crosse, in baste, sable."

This one is interesting as it shows an ordinary, which would usually be throughout the field, or else fully coupled, taking up less than half of the field and simply squashed and cut off. The field treatment is also interesting, and not one I have seen before. Of this mouchette, the author says this:

"The charge of the fielde, the french call mouchette, that is to saye peeces of fleshe torne of, as a hauke doth in her feeding when she tyreth upon her pray, it were more fit for a Faukner, as it seemeth by the french Armoristes."

The spots, which seem almost to be inverted ermine spots with a bloody past, are not one I can recall ever having seen in SCA heraldry.

p.191 - "Azure, a staffe reguled truncked, in bend Argent : in chief two Cantones dexter and sinister : the firste Or, semie de graines de blede froment G. the seconde, is of the foure Beanes verte."

This coat features both the unusual feature of two charged cantons on one device, and also a gules canton on an azure field (The "G." in the blazon refers to gules, as may be seen in the illustration with a small "G" inside the sinister canton).

p.196 - "The field is Or : on a chefe Gules, a right arme extended purpure, portant un fanon Ermynes, brochant sur le toute"

This coat is interesting for its use of purpure, and for the cloth hanging from the arm extending from the chief and onto the field.

p.235 - "This Sheld is Azure three Trowts brased in triangle Argent, borne by the name of Trowtbeck."

I simply love this trout-quetra motif, and the delicious cant.