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This ClipArt gallery offers 225 the ordinaries commonly used in heraldry. The ordinaries are the geometric figures that are created when the shield is divided by straight, curved, or zigzag lines.

The Quarterly Ordinary has the 1st and 4rth per pale in argent (silver) and gules (red) color, the 2nd and 3rd are of or color.

Quarterly Ordinary

The Quarterly Ordinary has the 1st and 4rth per pale in argent (silver) and gules (red) color, the 2nd…

The Sable Ordinary has a chief engrailed in or color, and a per fesse engrailed in or and sable (black).

Sable Ordinary

The Sable Ordinary has a chief engrailed in or color, and a per fesse engrailed in or and sable (black).

"ORLE. A subordinate ordinary composed of double lines going round the shield at some distance from its edge; it is half the width of the bordure." -Hall, 1862

Orle

"ORLE. A subordinate ordinary composed of double lines going round the shield at some distance from…

"Azure, an orle, argent. An orle is a perforated inescutcheon, and usually takes the shape of the shield whereon it is placed." -Hall, 1862

Orle Ordinary

"Azure, an orle, argent. An orle is a perforated inescutcheon, and usually takes the shape of the shield…

"Azure, a pale or. PALE. One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two perpendicular lines drawn from the base to the chief. The pale occupies one third of the shield." -Hall, 1862

Pale

"Azure, a pale or. PALE. One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two perpendicular lines drawn from…

"Or, a pale purpure, flory and counter flory gules. COUNTER FLORY. Any ordinary ornamented with fleurs-de-luce: the points of the flowers run alternately in a contrary direction." -Hall, 1862

Pale Counter Flory

"Or, a pale purpure, flory and counter flory gules. COUNTER FLORY. Any ordinary ornamented with fleurs-de-luce:…

"Argent, a pale azure engrailed. ENGRAILED. Any object being edged with small semi-circles, the points turning outwards, is said to be engrailed." -Hall, 1862

Pale Engrailed

"Argent, a pale azure engrailed. ENGRAILED. Any object being edged with small semi-circles, the points…

"Azure, a pale, or. The pale is an honourable ordinary, consisting of two perpendicular lines drawn from the top to the base of the escutcheon, and contains one third of the width of the field." -Hall, 1862

Pale Ordinary

"Azure, a pale, or. The pale is an honourable ordinary, consisting of two perpendicular lines drawn…

"Azure, on a pale, walled on each side with three battlements argent, an endorse gules. WALLED. A term sometimes used in Heraldry. When an ordinary is edged or guarded by an embattled wall." -Hall, 1862

Pale Walled

"Azure, on a pale, walled on each side with three battlements argent, an endorse gules. WALLED. A term…

"Azure, on a pall argent, four crosses fitchy sable, in chief a cross pattee of the second. PALL. A scarf in the shape of the letter Y, forming part of the vesture of a Roman Catholic prelate. It is introduced as the principal bearing of the archbishops of Canterbury, Armagh, and Dublin." -Hall, 1862

Pall

"Azure, on a pall argent, four crosses fitchy sable, in chief a cross pattee of the second. PALL. A…

"PALLET. A diminutive of the pale." -Hall, 1862

Pallet

"PALLET. A diminutive of the pale." -Hall, 1862

"Argent, a pallet, gules. The pale has a diminutive called the pallet, which is one half the width of the pale." -Hall, 1862

Pallet Ordinary

"Argent, a pallet, gules. The pale has a diminutive called the pallet, which is one half the width of…

"Paly of four, argent and gules. PALY. A field divided by perpendicular lines into several equal parts of metal and tincture interchangeably disposed." -Hall, 1862

Paly

"Paly of four, argent and gules. PALY. A field divided by perpendicular lines into several equal parts…

"PARTED PER PALE AND PER BEND SINISTER Counterchanged, or and gules. PARTY or PARTED signifies divided, and applies to the several parts of an escutcheon parted by a line, which always runs in the direction of one or more of the honourable ordinaries." -Hall, 1862

Parted Per Pale and Per Bend Sinister

"PARTED PER PALE AND PER BEND SINISTER Counterchanged, or and gules. PARTY or PARTED signifies divided,…

"PARTED PER PALE AND PER CHEVRON Gules and or, counter changed. PARTY or PARTED signifies divided, and applies to the several parts of an escutcheon parted by a line, which always runs in the direction of one or more of the honourable ordinaries." -Hall, 1862

Parted Per Pale and Per Chevron

"PARTED PER PALE AND PER CHEVRON Gules and or, counter changed. PARTY or PARTED signifies divided, and…

"Party per fess, engrailed, argent and gules. PARTY PER FESS. A shield parted in the centre by an horizontal line through the fess point." -Hall, 1862

Party Per Fess Engrailed

"Party per fess, engrailed, argent and gules. PARTY PER FESS. A shield parted in the centre by an horizontal…

"Parted per pale, gules and argent. PARTY PER PALE. This signifies a shield parted by a perpendicular line down the centre, so that one shield may contain two coats of arms." -Hall, 1862

Party Per Pale

"Parted per pale, gules and argent. PARTY PER PALE. This signifies a shield parted by a perpendicular…

"Argent, a pile, purpure. PILE. An angular figure like a wedge, formed by lines running from the dexter and sinister chief to the middle base." -Hall, 1862

Pile

"Argent, a pile, purpure. PILE. An angular figure like a wedge, formed by lines running from the dexter…

"Argent, a pile, azure. The pile is formed like a wedge, and may be borne wavy, engrailed, &c.; it issues generally from the chief, and extends towards the base, but it may be borne in bend or issue from the base." -Hall, 1862

Pile Ordinary

"Argent, a pile, azure. The pile is formed like a wedge, and may be borne wavy, engrailed, &c.; it issues…

"Argent and azure, potent and counter potent. Some armorists call counter potent vary cuppy. POTENT. The ancient name of a crutch: when the field is covered with figures like small crutches it is called potent; when the heads of the crutches touch each other it is called counter potent." -Hall, 1862

Potent

"Argent and azure, potent and counter potent. Some armorists call counter potent vary cuppy. POTENT.…

"QUARTERED. A shield divided into four equal parts by a cross is said to be quartered. The quarter occupying the dexter chief is marked 1, or the first quarter; that occupying the sinister chief, 2; the dexter base, 3; the sinister base, 4; as in the annexed example." -Hall, 1862

Quartered

"QUARTERED. A shield divided into four equal parts by a cross is said to be quartered. The quarter occupying…

"QUARTERED PER CROSS—The shield is divided into four parts, called quarters, by an horizontal and perpendicular line, crossing each other in the centre of the field, each of which is numbered." -Hall, 1862

Quartered Per Cross

"QUARTERED PER CROSS—The shield is divided into four parts, called quarters, by an horizontal…

"QUARTERED PER SALTIER, which is made by two diagonal lines, dexter and sinister, crossing each other in the centre of the field." -Hall, 1862

Quartered Per Saltier

"QUARTERED PER SALTIER, which is made by two diagonal lines, dexter and sinister, crossing each other…

"The Escutcheon is sometimes divided into a great number of parts, in order to place in it the arms of several families to which one is allied; this is called a genealogical achievement. The compartments are called QUARTERINGS." -Hall, 1862

Quarterings

"The Escutcheon is sometimes divided into a great number of parts, in order to place in it the arms…

"Quarterly per pale dove-tailed, or and gules. DOVETAILED. A term borrowed from carpentry to show tinctures joined together by reversed wedges, which, being shaped like doves' tails, are by joiners called dovetailing." -Hall, 1862

Quarterly Dove-Tailed

"Quarterly per pale dove-tailed, or and gules. DOVETAILED. A term borrowed from carpentry to show tinctures…

"Quarterly, first and fourth argent, a chevron gules, second and third gules, a cross argent (that is, the field red and the cross silver or white)." -Whitney, 1911

Quarterly Shield

"Quarterly, first and fourth argent, a chevron gules, second and third gules, a cross argent (that is,…

"Gules, a riband, or. RIBAND. A diminutive of the bend." -Hall, 1862

Riband

"Gules, a riband, or. RIBAND. A diminutive of the bend." -Hall, 1862

Gules, two bendlets, engrailed, argent. The riband, which is one third less than the garter and the bendlet, must never occupy more than one sixth of the field. -Hall, 1862

Shield Showing Riband

Gules, two bendlets, engrailed, argent. The riband, which is one third less than the garter and the…

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. Judges 14:5-6 KJV

Saltier Ordinary

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath:…

"In heraldry, a charge consisting of two bendlets placed in saltier and interplaced with a mascle." -Whitney, 1911

Saltire Fretted

"In heraldry, a charge consisting of two bendlets placed in saltier and interplaced with a mascle."…

"Argent, a scarpe, gules. SCARPE. A diminutive of the bend sinister." -Hall, 1862

Scarpe

"Argent, a scarpe, gules. SCARPE. A diminutive of the bend sinister." -Hall, 1862

Gules, a baton, sable, garnished, or. The baton is the fourth part of the bend, and, as before mentioned, it is a mark of illegitimacy, and seldom used in Heraldry, but by the illegitimate descendants of royalty. -Hall, 1862

Shield Showing Scarpe

Gules, a baton, sable, garnished, or. The baton is the fourth part of the bend, and, as before mentioned,…

"In heraldry, a bearing resembling the pall (Y-shaped), but not reaching the edges of the escutcheon: the three extremities are usually pointed bluntly." -Whitney, 1911

Shake-Fork

"In heraldry, a bearing resembling the pall (Y-shaped), but not reaching the edges of the escutcheon:…

"The Billet is a right-angled figure a little longer than broad, resembling a folded letter in form, and from this said to have been derived."—Aveling, 1891

Billet Shield

"The Billet is a right-angled figure a little longer than broad, resembling a folded letter in form,…

"The Bordure of Border surrounds the field, and generally covers one-fifth of the shield."—Aveling, 1891

Bordure of Border Shield

"The Bordure of Border surrounds the field, and generally covers one-fifth of the shield."—Aveling,…

"The Flanch is formed of a segment of a circle placed on the side of the shield. It is always borne double or in pairs, the one on the dexter and the other on the sinister side."—Aveling, 1891

Flanch Shield

"The Flanch is formed of a segment of a circle placed on the side of the shield. It is always borne…

"The Frette is composed of a Bendlet and Scarp and a Mascle interlacing each other."—Aveling, 1891

Frette Shield

"The Frette is composed of a Bendlet and Scarp and a Mascle interlacing each other."—Aveling,…

"The Label is a Closet of Barrulet placed on the upper part of the field, and having three of more pendents or ribands hanging therefrom."—Aveling, 1891

Label Shield

"The Label is a Closet of Barrulet placed on the upper part of the field, and having three of more pendents…

"The Rustre differs from the mascle in that the perforation of the device is circular and not throughout."—Aveling, 1891

Rustre Shield

"The Rustre differs from the mascle in that the perforation of the device is circular and not throughout."—Aveling,…

"TRESSURE. An ordinary not so broad as an orle. It generally forms a border to the inescutcheon. Tressures are frequently borne double, and sometimes treble. They are generally ornamented flory and counter-flory. The example contains only a single tressure." -Hall, 1862

Tressure

"TRESSURE. An ordinary not so broad as an orle. It generally forms a border to the inescutcheon. Tressures…

"Or, a double tressure, gules. The tressure is a border at some distance from the edge of the field, half the breadth of an orle: the tressure may be double or treble." -Hall, 1862

Tressure Ordinary

"Or, a double tressure, gules. The tressure is a border at some distance from the edge of the field,…

"Argent, a double tressure, flory and counter-flory, gules. Tressures are generally ornamented, or borne flory or counter flory as in the annexed example." -Hall, 1862

Double Tressure

"Argent, a double tressure, flory and counter-flory, gules. Tressures are generally ornamented, or borne…

"DOUBLE TRESSURE. Two Tressures, or orles, one within the other." -Hall, 1862

Double Tressure

"DOUBLE TRESSURE. Two Tressures, or orles, one within the other." -Hall, 1862

"Gules, a bend sinister, voided, argent. VOIDED. A term applied when any part of an ordinary is left open to the field." -Hall, 1862

Voided

"Gules, a bend sinister, voided, argent. VOIDED. A term applied when any part of an ordinary is left…

"Azure, a voider, argent. In the voider the lines are still wider apart; this ordinary occupies nearly the whole of the field: it may be charged." -Hall, 1862

Voider Ordinary

"Azure, a voider, argent. In the voider the lines are still wider apart; this ordinary occupies nearly…