Embattled

Embattled

Embattled, battled, battelly, crenelled, or kernelled: a line of partition resembling a row of battlements, (from which it derived its origin and its name) across the shield; the term may also be applied to the edge of an ordinary.

When a fesse or bend or chevron is said to be embattled, it implies that it is so upon the upper side only, though sometimes this is mentioned(fr. crenellé), and the term super-embattled is occasionally found. When a fess or a chief is embattled on the under side only, the French use the term bastillé.

The "crenelles" are properly speaking the embrasures or open spaces between the "merlons," which are the upright solid pieces.

If the ordinary is crenellated on both sides it may be said to be embattled counter embattled, and this is properly used only when the crenelles on one side are opposite to the merlons on the other, and vice versâ. It may also be said to be bretessé, and this is properly used with English heralds, to signify that the crenelles are opposite to each other. With French heralds, however, the word bretessé is frequently used for counter embattled, and these terms do not seem to be used with their respective meaning very strictly even by English heralds.

Battled embattled, or battled grady, is a name given to a figure having, as it were, an extra battlement, but, as usual for these fanciful names, no examples are given. And the same may be said of battled arrondi, i.e. with the tops of the battlements rounded instead of straight. The term double embattled, however, does occur, and it is possibly the same as grady.

Or, a fesse embattled[on the upper side only] sable--ABBERBURY, Oxon, and ADDERBURY, Sussex.

Sire Johan de PENZRET de goulys a une bende batille de argent--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Monsire Henry de SANTON d'argent a une bend bateley sable--Roll, temp. ED. III.

Or, a chevron embattled at the top gules--ASLYN, Harl. MS. 1386.

Argent, a bend embattled counter embattled azure--SANDILANDS, Scotland.

Azure, a bend bretessed or--BRESCETT.

Or, a fesse bretessed gules--CREBBOTT, Sussex.

Argent, masonny; a chief embattled sable--REYNALL, Devon, 1716.

Argent, three bendlets embattled sable--Hadrian de CASTELLO, Bishop of Hereford, 1502; Bath and Wells, 1504-18.

Per bend embattled argent and gules--BOYLE, Middlesex.

Argent, a saltire counter embattled sable--Richard KIDDER, Bp. of Bath and Wells, 1691-1703.

Sable, a fesse counter embattled between three Catherine wheels or--Thomas de BRENTINGHAM, Bp. of Exeter, 1370-94.

Or, a fesse double embattled at the top sable; a label of three points gules--M. Richard ABBERBURY, [Roll, A.D. 1392-97].

Azure, three bendlets embattled counter embattled or--FREYNES.