[ANSTHRLD] Grillage

[tmcd at panix.com]

On Sun, 15 Feb 2009, John Atkinson <johnmatkinson at gmail.com> wrote:
> OK, I've got a client who wants a sort of grid-pattern on his arms.
>
> I talked to a slew of folks who came up blank, except one person
> gave me the term "grillage".

*waves*

> Is this screwball field treatment still registerable?

He writes in the 2nd ed.,

    It is a period treatment: Strangways' Book, c. 1450, blazons it as
    "square fretty" and assigns it to the arms of Sir John Mandeville.

If it had been simply "and was used as a charge in the arms of", it
would be a slam dunk by RfS VIII.2, Period Armorial Elements.  But
that wording makes it look like attributed arms, or arms that might
have been attributed.  It's a period heraldic treatise, and they made
up shit like you wouldn't believe.

As for "field treatment": as of the 2nd ed. Pic Dic, Bruce had not yet
made the ruling that the similar fretty was a charge.  I suspect, as
Owen ap Morgan writes at
<http://heralds.westkingdom.org/Templates/Geometric/index.htm>, that
grillage would most likely similarly be considered a single charge.
On the other hand, the 12/94 LoAR has

    Avisa of Dun Carraig.  Device.  Azure grillagy Or, on a bend
    sinister argent a branch leaved vert flowered of a daisy azure
    seeded Or.

         Conflict with Corwynn of Thornwood (SCA), Azure, on a bend
         sinister argent a thorned slip embowed throughout sable.
         There is a CD for the addition of the grillage, but the only
         real difference between the tertiaries is the tincture, which
         is insufficient for the necessary second.

              There was a fair bit of discussion as to whether the
         grillage should be considered as a primiary charge, as is the
         case with fretty.  However, fretty is only considered that
         way because of evidence that it was an artistic variation of
         the fret; no such consideration can be given to grillagy,
         lacking a separate charge, the "grill".  As a consequence, it
         seems the most consistent way to treat grillagy is as we
         treat other strewn charges and field treatments such as
         masoned.

> Woodward's Treatise on Heraldry
> http://books.google.com/books?id=38psAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA98&lpg=RA1-PA98&dq=grillage+heraldry&source=bl&ots=9mT5jK7QCe&sig=Zlb5YV-GKRW_gqau8UoOinHxHaI&hl=en&ei=INCXSab4E4nKtQPZtt2QAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result

says *what*, blast it?!

    A grillage in which the interlacements are composed of pallets and
    barrulets, in other words of vertical and horizontal pieces, may
    occasionally be met with, as in the coat of the Lombard family of
    the Genicei, who use: Gules, a grille, or lattice, composed of
    four vertical pieces interlaced with as many horizontal ones,
    argent.

but no date.

> One item registered in 1994 and reblazoned in 1999
> http://oanda.sca.org/oanda_bp.cgi?p=grillage&c=case-insensitive&l=25&s=name+only&d=modern&g=enabled&a=disabled

    Forestgate, Canton of. Device. Vert, a bear rampant sustaining a
    key all within a laurel wreath Or and a chief Or grillage sable.

The reblazon didn't affect the grillage.

I can't assure the client of 100% acceptability, but given
- a certain period reference
- possible period use
- it could be blazoned as "fretty bendwise"
- it's not an SCA invention
I consider it pretty likely to be passable.

As a first step, perhaps e-mail Bruce and ask if he can expand on his
comment?

Daniel Lincolnia
-- 
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com