Bar (heraldry)
[46][47][48] Also, the fess must remain centered along the line extending from the exact middle of the escutcheon or flag, while the bar can be borne “in several parts of the field”.
[66] As such, the bar on a shield or an escutcheon represents to the bearer "force, valour, courage, or wisdom, whereby he hath repelled any peril or danger imminent to his country or sovereign".
[67][68][69] Nisbet, citing Ferne (1586), observes also that the diminutives of the chevron, bend, and pale—the chevronel, bendlet, and pallet—represent pieces of wood or other matter used as different parts of fortified barriers surrounding settlements or encampments.
[71] The term closet may derive from the Latin claustrum and signify a bar used to secure a door or gate shut.
[72] The fess on the other hand portrays the military arming belt or Girdle of Honor awarded by rulers to soldiers or warriors for special services performed, as part of the ceremony of their investiture as knights.
[78] For example, the arms of Aragon and Barcelona—Paly argent and gules—are termed by them Barras longas, and Nisbet claims this usage is at the root of the place-name Barcelona.
Alfred Znamierowski (2007) refers to the white fess of the Flag of Austria as a “wide bar”, and then also immediately characterizes its design as "white-red-white stripes".
[109] However, these French diminutives of the fess are defined differently than the English bar and its diminutives—in terms of the proportion of their breadth relative to that of the field and to each other.
This divise (also filet en chef)[117] "supports" the chief, being positioned at its bottom edge and functioning effectively as fimbriation (see fillet).
Barry is the term applied to a field that is divided by parallel lines into numerous horizontally transverse partitions of equal breadth, and that alternate in tincture.
Barry of six is common[129] and Ferne suggests that the close resemblance of these partitions of the field to the bar, strictly defined, means that this variation of the field expresses the same meaning as the bar: force, valor, courage and wisdom and having repelled "any danger or peril imminent to country or sovereign".
[134][135] At the same time, Woodward, citing examples in French and German heraldry, asserts that even in English it is correct to blazon an odd number of partitions as barry—but in specific cases.
The term barry is sometimes compounded with other heraldic terms and this is done for one of three reasons: to indicate the modification by horizontally transverse partitions by variations of line, to indicate complex partitions with additional orthogonal lines of division, and the use of charges other than bars placed horizontally and transversely (barways) to effect variations of the field.
The charge represents a well or spring, and Berry (1810) speculates that the fountain "might have been borne by ancient knights to express the inexhaustible source of courage ever to be found within them, which flowed from motives equally pure as the crystal stream.
"[144] Guillim (1679) suggests that wavy lines of variation may evoke triumph over adversity and steadfastness in the face of the 'stormy seas' of fate.
[145] Nisbet (1722) finds that, in their time, barry-wavy arms were granted in recognition of services performed for country and sovereign at sea.
[147] Du Marte (1777) suggests that it may symbolize an award of arms for skill in navigation, in recognition of an achievement requiring the mastery of "storms, clouds, and wind".
But, often it is not specified whether the parallel lines of barry-nebuly vary in synchrony or counter-vary and that can pose difficuries for translating from blazon to visual representation.
[153] As noted, the indented variation of line closely resembles the dancetty, having only a greater number of consequently smaller, narrower and shallower 'serrated' or 'tooth-like' protrusions.
The resulting shapes produced by counter-changing are lozenges whose long edges run parallel to the top and bottom of the shield or flag.
(Similar lozenges with long axes oriented vertically are produced by the combination of paly and bendy lines, i.e. a paly-bendy or bendy-paly variation.
[164] If the angle of the two lines of division are the same they are blazoned as and the long axis is vertical, simply lozengy or fusilly (a more elongated lozenge), but if horizontal as in fess or in bar.
[165] If the bendy and counter-bendy lines of partition are not at the same angle, the lozengy or fusilly variation can be 'tilted' bendwise or counter-bendwise and are blazoned as in bend or in counter-bend.
[169][170] Smedley et al. (1845) hold that if the intersection of bendy and bendy-sinister lines of division produces lozenges or fusils whose long axis is oriented barwise, it can be blazoned fusilly barry.
emanché [193]), a field divided by the barways placement of piles throughout of equal breadth, is a commonly cited example of the third type of barry variation.
The terms barways and barwise are used to denote either the orientation (direction) or arrangement (placement, positioning, situation) of charges, specifically along a horizontal line parallel to the top edge of the field of the shield, escutcheon, or flag.
[217] If more than one such charge is borne upon the field of a shield (or flag) they are arranged vertically centered along a single (paleways) line, i.e. they are stacked one upon the other.
[245] If charges are arranged along a single horizontal line running through the center-point of the field they are not blazoned as in bar, but instead as in fess.
[257] Outside the precision of blazon, some heraldists have nonetheless found it advantageous at least to have term barrulet that they employ flexibly—sometimes to describe partitions a third the width of a bar or less, or sometimes a quarter of a fess.
Vexillologists often employ the terms 'stripe' or 'bar' indiscriminately for horizontally or vertically transverse charges or partitions composed of parallel lines, even sometimes for honourable ordinaries such as the fess, pale, chief, champagne, or sides.
