Charge (Heraldry) (Paperback)

In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon (shield). This may be a geometric design (sometimes called an ordinary) or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device. In French blazon, the ordinaries are called pices while other charges are called meubles (i.e. "mobile"; this is a homonym of "furniture" in Modern French). The division of charges into "ordinaries," "sub-ordinaries" and other categories is a relatively modern practice that has been deprecated, and these terms much pejorated, in the writings of Fox-Davies and other heraldry authors. The particular significance or meaning of a charge may be indicated in the blazon, but this practice is also deprecated. The term charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three lions, then it is said to be charged with three lions; similarly, a crest or even a charge itself may be "charged," such as a pair of eagle wings charged with trefoils (e.g. Coat of arms of Brandenburg).