[Ill.u.s.tration: Compony]
Ex. Argent, an inescutcheon azure, border compony, or and gules.
CONJOINED. Joined together.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Conjoined]
Ex. Argent, three legs armed, conjoined at the fess point at the upper extremity of the thigh, flexed in a triangle, garnished and spurred, or.
CONY. An heraldic name for a young rabbit.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Cony]
COTICE. One of the diminutives of the bend: cotices are generally borne on each side of the bend.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Cotice]
Ex. Gules, a bend argent, coticed of the same.
The cotices are frequently of a different tincture from the bend they cotice.
COUCHANT. The French word for lying down with the breast towards the earth, and the head raised. See LION COUCHANT.
COUNT. A n.o.bleman that was deputed by the king to govern a county or shire: the t.i.tle is not used in the British Peerage; his rank is equal to an earl.
COUNTER. In Heraldry implies contrariety, as in the following examples:--
COUNTER-CHANGED. The intermixture of metal with colours opposed to each other.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter-changed]
Ex. Per pale, or and azure, on a chevron, three mullets all counter-changed.
COUNTER SALIENT. Two animals leaping different ways from each other.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter salient]
Ex. Argent, two foxes counter salient.
COUNTER Pa.s.sANT. Two animals pa.s.sing the contrary way to each other.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter pa.s.sant]
Ex. Or, two lions pa.s.sant counter pa.s.sant gules, the uppermost facing the sinister side of the escutcheon, both collared sable, garnished argent.
COUNTER FLORY. Any ordinary ornamented with fleurs-de-luce: the points of the flowers run alternately in a contrary direction.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter flory]
Ex. Or, a pale purpure, flory and counter flory gules.
COUPED. From the French word _couper_, to cut. The cross in the example is couped, part of it being cut off, so as not to touch the edges of the shield.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Couped]
Ex. Azure, a cross couped argent.
COUPED. The head or limbs of any animal cut close is called couped.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Couped]
Ex. Argent, a boar"s head proper couped.
COUPLE-CLOSE. One of the diminutives of the chevron, half the size of the chevronel.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Couple-close]
Ex. Argent, three couple-closes interlaced vert.
COURANT. Running.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Courant]
Ex. Argent, a stag proper courant.
CRENELLE. The French heraldic term for embattled. See EMBATTLED.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Crenelle]
CRESCENT. The half moon with its horns turned upwards.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Crescent]
Ex. Azure, a crescent argent.
CREST. The ornament on the upper part of the helmet in Heraldry placed over coats of arms, either with or without the helmet. By referring to the t.i.tle-page of this work the crests of Great Britain will be found with all the adornments of regal helmets.
The English crest is a crown surmounted by a lion statant guardant crowned, or.
The Scottish crest is an imperial crown, surmounted by a lion sejant guardant, displaying two sceptres or.
The Irish crest is an ancient diadem surmounted by an embattled tower, a stag courant issuing from the portal.
The crest of Wales is a dragon pa.s.sant guardant, gules.--The whole of these crests, with mantlings, &c., are emblazoned on the t.i.tle-page of this Manual.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Crest]
Crests are usually displayed upon a wreath as in the annexed example, which is a demi-lion rampant. If a crest this size had been placed upon an helmet of proportionate size it must have occupied a sixth part of this page, and the shield containing the arms to be in proportion considerably larger: in showing the crest without the helmet proportion is of little consequence. See HELMET, WREATH, and MANTLING.