[ANSTHRLD] strange question

[Tim McDaniel]

On Wed, 4 Apr 2007, Hedwig <honeyfrog at gmail.com> wrote:
> Can you have a bend couped?

I can't think of any central ordinaries that can't be couped.
The "baton" is described as a bend couped in
<http://heralds.westkingdom.org/Templates/Ordinaries/index.htm>
but as a bendlet couped in most on-line sources.  Someone with the Pic
Dic or _An Heraldic Alphabet_ to hand can probably say more
authoritatively.

> For instance:
> Azure a bend couped Or charged with a compass star sable

We put a comma after the field (if strewn charges on the field, that
comma goes after them).  Also, we generally do "on a X [secondaries] a Y"
rather than "a X charged with a Y", unless the "charged with" form is
notably clearer.

     Azure, on a bend couped Or a compass star sable.

> So that would be a blue field with a gold bend only 1/2 way across
> the field charged with a black compass star.

Not merely "1/2 way across".  Couping of a central ordinary comes
moderately close to the edges.

> Also, IF you can do that with a bend does it matter where on the
> field it issues from?  (closer to the top or bottom than the middle
> for instance)

Um, it certainly does matter!  A bend or other ordinary doesn't change
its location due to being couped.  It's like you drew it as normal and
then erased^W rubbed out the ends.

Denyel de Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com