Floriated

Cross Floriated

§20. Of crosses with a floriated termination there are many varieties found in the actual emblazoning, but the nomenclature both of French and English heralds appears to be in a very unsatisfactory condition. The term most frequently employed is a cross fleury, and this is written also flory, floretty, and fleuronny, while the modern French heralds give us fleurée, fleuronnée, florencé (or fleuroncée), and fleur-de-lisée. It is not easy, however, to distinguish these from each other, or correlate them with the English terms, or with those used in ancient heraldry.

The commonly-accepted distinction by English heralds is that fleury signifies the cross itself terminating in the form of the upper portion of a fleur-de-lis, but that fleuretty(which is seldom used) signifies the cross to be couped, and the flower, as it were, protruding from the portion so couped; but it is a great question whether there is the slightest authority for such to be obtained from actual examples, or any such agreement to be found amongst the heralds of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As to the French terms, fleurée seems not to be applied so much to the cross as to other ordinaries, and signifies rather the edges ornamented with flowers or trefoils, while fleuri is applied only to plants in flower. The French fleur-de-lisée, on the other hand, seems to be the equivalent of the English fleuretty, and is represented with the flower protruding from the couped ends of the cross. The florencée and fleuronnée seem to be practically the same term, and both to be the equivalent of the English fleury. On the other hand, fleur-de-lisée seems in English blazon to be applied to the edges of the cross rather than to the ends, and consequently to be synonymous with the French fleurée.

We find also confusion in drawings between the cross fleury and the cross patonce, which latter, it will be seen, may be said to lie between a cross fleury and a cross patée, according to some authorities, though drawn differently by others.

It will be observed that in the old blazon, the ends(chefs or bouts) are sometimes described as fleuretty. "Richard SUWARD, who accompanied those[at Caerlaverock], had a black banner painted with a white cross with the ends fleuretty."

John LAMPLOWE, argent ung crois sable florettee--Roll, temp. HEN. III.

Sire Johan de LAMPLOU, de or a un crois de sable les chefs flurettes--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Sire Roger de SUYLVERTONE, de argent a une crois de sable, les chefs flurettes--Ibid.

Monsire William TRUSSELL, port d'argent une crois de gules les bouts floretes--Roll, temp. ED. III.

Monsire de PAVELEY, d'asure a une crois d'or en les bouts floretes--Ibid.

Monsire le Suard D'ESCOZE port sable a une crois d'argent les bouts floretes--Ibid.

    Richart SUWART, Re o cus converse       O crois blance o bouz flouretée.    
    Noire baniere ot aprestée                 Roll of Caerlaverock, A.D. 1300.  

Argent, a cross flory azure--BEVERCOURT and LEXINGTON.

Argent, a cross flory voided azure--MELTON, Lancaster.

Argent, on a cross flory sable four bezants--WHITGIFT, Bp. of Worcester, 1577, afterwards Abp. of Canterbury, 1583-1604. [Arms granted, 1577.]

Argent, a cross fleuretty sable--HOLMSHAW, Scotland.

Gules, a cross fleuronny argent--BROMFLET.

D'azure, à la crois d'argent, les extrémités fleur de lisées d'or--DUNOIS, Champagne.

Per pale azure and gules, over all a cross fleur-de-lis on the sides or--Gilbert IRONSIDE, Bp. of Bristol, 1661-71.