Pr. William,

Congrats on both Barrie’s and Sandy’s emblazonments!  They are both very nice!  :D

Take care,

I am getting ready to register with the USHR and just wanted to make sure the blazon is correct (emblazonment can be found at post 133 of this thread, page 14):

Arms: Azure a fess wavy cotised between three celtic crosses formee alisee and a castle of two towers Argent.

Motto: Induite Vos Arma Dei.

Just need someone to tell me "yea" or "nay."  Thanks!

If you want a portcullis on the front of the castle, perhaps that should be mentioned?  Other than that it looks good to me.

Don’t take my word for it, though.  I still don’t trust my "Blazon Skillz."

JRB

Jonathan R. Baker;44284 wrote:

If you want a portcullis on the front of the castle, perhaps that should be mentioned?  Other than that it looks good to me.

The standard British depiction of a castle includes a central port and one window in each of the towers. These three openings can be blazoned in a specific colour, such as Azure, as in the arms of Spain. If one wants the castle to show a portcullis rather than a blank opening it should be blazoned as such. I do not think that a portcullis will enhance the design of the arms but rather complicate it unnecessarily.

I didn’t want to "cramp the style" of any future artists who emblazon the arms.  Plus it makes me no never mind if there is a portcullis or not.  As long as it is a "two-towered castle," I’m happy.  Simple is usually better.  :D What about the blazon as a whole?  Is it correct?

WBHenry;44279 wrote:

Arms: Azure a fess wavy cotised between three celtic crosses formee alisee and a castle of two towers Argent.

My only question about this blazon is in regard to the cotises. Since wavy is modifying the fess, does this mean that the cotises are straight or do cotises always follow the ordinary that they are framing? Would it be more descriptive to have a cotised fess wavy?

David Pritchard;44290 wrote:

My only question about this blazon is in regard to the cotises. Since wavy is modifying the fess, does this mean that the cotises are straight or do cotises always follow the ordinary that they are framing? Would it be more descriptive to have a cotised fess wavy?

David, you might be on to something.  I recall a blazon that described a "fess embattled cottised"—and the emblazon showed the cottises to be straight.

—Guy

So wouldn’t "a fess wavy cottised wavy" solve the problem?

Considering the "rule" of economy (say it with the fewest words possible), I think David is correct:  cotised fess wavy.  Unless there is another "rule" concerning "cotises" we don’t know about.

WBHenry;44298 wrote:

Considering the "rule" of economy (say it with the fewest words possible), I think David is correct:  cotised fess wavy.  Unless there is another "rule" concerning "cotises" we don’t know about.

Economy yes, but as far as I’ve always been told the adjectives come after the noun in a blazon (fess cotised) and we want the whole lot to be modified as wavy.  So, I would say, a fess cotised wavy.

Fess cotised wavy makes me think of a regular fess with the cotises wavy.

This really can’t be that difficult (or that unusual)...

It is my understanding that the cotices follow the charge. If the cotices are to be different from the charge, then they are to be blazoned seperately. For example, the Whitfield arms are Argent, a bend between two cotices engrailed Sable. In this example only the cotices are engrailed. if it were blazoned as Argent, a bend engrailed coticed Sable, then the cotices would follow the outline of the bend.

Take care,

OK, just opened a photobucket account.  Let’s see if I can get Barrie Burr’s rendition to appear:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z242/WBHenry/BarrieBurrAchievement2.jpg

Very nice,m I really like how your arms turned out