Chaplet

Chaplet

Chaplet, (old fr. chapelet, pl. chapeus): is, when not otherwise described, a garland of leaves with four flowers amongst them, at equal distances. It is to be distinguished from the wreath(q.v.), and though usually composed of leaves will be found blazoned of various tinctures.

Sire Rauf LE FITZ WILLIAM, burele de argent e de azure, a iij chapels[in Falkirk roll 'chapeus'] de goules--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Party per fesse, argent and azure, three chaplets counterchanged--DUKE.

Sable, three chaplets argent--JODRELL, Stafford.

Sable, three chaplets gyronny argent and gules--DYRWARD.

It is more usual, however, to designate the material of which the chaplet is composed. It may be of roses(and this, perhaps, is the most frequent) or of flowers generally, or it may be of leaves, and often of laurel leaves. In the latter case it is termed a crown triumphal.

Monsire William PLAICE, port d'asur, au chief d'argent deux chapeaux des roses vermals--Roll, temp. ED. III.

Monsire de HILTON de Haderness, port d'argent, a trois chepeletts de roses vermaux--Ibid.

[Chaplets of roses are also borne by the families of SAXTON; DEAN; FAULDER; GREYSTOCK; FITZRALPH; LASCELLES, and others.]

Argent, on a chevron sable, between three chaplets of flowers gules, another chevron ermine--BOROUGH.

Argent, a lion rampant azure, holding in his dexter paw a chaplet of laurel vert, in chief a scroll sable, thereon the word "Emmanuel" or--EMMANUEL COLL., Cambridge.

Or, two bars azure, on a canton argent a chaplet of laurel proper--HOLME.

Argent, a garland of laurel vert, between three pheons gules--CONQUEROR, Frierton.

[Chaplets of laurels are also borne by the families of PELLEW; KEATS, Dover; NIGHTINGALL, Norfolk.]

Rarer instances occur of chaplets of holly, or of hazel, or of brambles, while the single instance of the chaplet of rue is a name sometimes given to the crown of rue(q.v.) which occurs in the arms given by Frederick of Barbarossa to the Duke of SAXONY.

Argent, a fesse engrailed humetty sable, between three chaplets of holly leaves proper--Nicholas BUBBEWYTH, Bp. of Salisbury, Bath and Wells, 1408-24.

Gules, on a chevron argent, between, in chief three chaplets of hazel or, and in base a plough proper, three shakeforks sable--PEER, Hazelwood, Devon.

Argent, a lion rampant gules encircled by a wreath of brambles proper--DUSILVA, Portugal.

When the material is oak the device is often blazoned as a wreath, and there is especially a 'wreath of oak acorned' which bears the name of the 'Civic wreath,' or the Civic Crown. It is supposed to represent the Roman crown conferred upon public benefactors, especially upon those who had saved the life of a citizen. The leaves should be represented tied together by a ribbon. The Ducal Coronet(q.v. under Crown) had originally oak leaves, but strawberry-leaves have been substituted.

Argent, a chevron gules; in base an oak wreath vert, tied azure; on a chief of the second, three mascles of the first--PELLEW, Cornwall, [1796].

Azure, on a fesse, between three garbs or, a wreath of oak vert between two estoiles gules--SANDBACH, Lancaster.

[Chaplets of oak also borne by the families of STUDD, Ipswich; DICKSON, Norfolk; LLOYD, Sussex; MURRAY, Mexico, and others.]

Gules, a lion passant guardant, and in chief two civic wreaths or, a chief wavy, charged with a ship of war before Algiers proper--PELLEW.

Argent, a civic crown or wreath of oak acorned proper, on a chief azure a serpent nowed or, and a dove of the field respecting each other--SUTTON, Norfolk.

The Crown obsidional is also mentioned in old works on heraldry, which is a chaplet graminy, i.e. composed of twisted grass, and is fancifully said to have been bestowed upon any general who had held a city against a besieging force.

Gules, an eagle displayed argent armed or; on a canton of the second a chaplet graminy vert--GOODALL, Suffolk[granted Mar. 1, 1612].

The term garland as well as wreath, it will be observed, is used sometimes instead of chaplet.