SENA, Appendix I, Charge Group Theory

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Appendix I: Charge Group Theory http:heraldry.sca.org/laurel/sena.html#AppendixI

The style and conflict rules are built around the idea of a charge group. A charge group is a group of charges of approximately the same size and visual weight that act as a single visual unit. This idea of explicitly organizing an armorial design in terms of charges groups is not a period heraldic idea, but a modern SCA invention. It is our attempt to codify what we see happening artistically, stylistically, and for cadencing in medieval armory.

Charges that are held by, suspended from, or are otherwise touching another charge fall into two categories. Those that are large enough to be of equal weight with the charge holding them are called sustained charges and are considered to be part of the same charge group as the charge holding them. Those that are smaller we call maintained charges and treat as artistic details. Maintained charges are described below in more detail.

A. Primary Charge Group:

The primary charge group is the charge or group of charges which are directly on the field in the visual center of the shield. Not every device has a primary charge, but most do. The primary charge group will typically be the largest charge or charges on the field.

If the armory has at least one central ordinary, they are the primary charge group. This is true even if there are other charges around it or the ordinaries are drawn narrowly. If there are no central ordinaries and the armory has a central charge or charges, they are the primary charge group. This is true even if the charges are on opposite sides of a field division. If there are no central ordinaries or central charges, but there are semy of charges on the field, those charges are the primary charge group. If there are two or more charges of similar visual weight or size in the center of the field which are touching, they are sustained and all part of the primary charge group.

For example, in Argent, a bend sable// and //Argent, two bendlets sable//, the bend or bendlets are the primary charges. In //Argent, a lion sable//, //Argent, three lions sable//, and //Argent semy of lions sable//, the lions are the primary charges. In //Argent semy of lions sable, a cross azure, the cross is the primary charge and the lions are secondary charges.

In Per fess vert and argent, a lion argent and a cross couped azure//, the primary charge group is the lion and the cross together. In //Per fess vert and argent crusilly azure, a lion argent//, the white lion cannot be on the white part of the field and is only in the top half of the field. Therefore, the primary charge group is the lion and the crosses together. In //Azure, two swords in saltire proper//, the primary charge group is the swords. In //Vert, in fess a cinquefoil Or sustained by a dragon argent, the primary charge group is the cinquefoil and the dragon together.

In armory with a divided field, there are two potential situations. Either each of the charges is entirely in a single section of the field, or one or more charges overlie the line(s) of division. In the first situation, the charges are collectively the primary charge group. This is true even when the bottom charge is drawn larger than the others, as this is common in period depictions. This is true even when one of the divisions contains semy of charges. This is true even if you use blazon terms like "in chief" or the line of division is blazoned as "enhanced". In the second situation, where one or more charges overlie the line of division, those charges are the primary charge group and the other ones are in a secondary charge group. For example, in Per fess gules and Or, two crosses bottony and an owl counterchanged//, the crosses are both above the per fess line and the owl is below the per fess line. In this case, the primary charge group is the crosses and the owl all together. In //Per fess gules and Or, an owl counterchanged and in chief two crosses bottony Or, the owl must cross the per fess line and be partially Or and partially gules. In this case, the owl is the primary charge group and the crosses are a secondary charge group. On an undivided field, a design that puts the owl completely or almost completely below the center of the shield (the per fess line) would give the impression of a single primary charge group, no matter how it was blazoned.

A peripheral ordinary (chief, base, bordure, orle, etc.) can never be a primary charge. If there are only peripheral ordinaries (or no charges whatsoever) in a piece of armory, it is known as field-primary armory. Field-primary armory is also discussed in Appendix I.B below, and has special conflict rules as described in [[2]] and A.5.G.1. However, if there are no central ordinaries or central charges, but there are non-ordinary charges in chief, in base, in canton, or in orle, they are the primary charge group. For example, in Sable, a canton Or// and in //Sable, a chief Or//, there is no primary charge group and they are both field-primary armory. In //Gules, in canton a lion Or//, and //Gules, in base a lion Or//, and //Gules, in chief three lions Or//, and //Per bend gules and Or, a lion Or// and //Gules, in canton a lion within a bordure Or//, the primary charge group is the lions. However, in //Gules, a cross bottony and in chief three lions Or, the primary charge group is the cross and the lions are a secondary charge group. In Azure, a bordure argent// and //Azure, a bordure argent semy-de-lys azure// there are no primary charges and the bordure is a secondary charge group. These are both field-primary armory. However, in //Azure crusilly, a bordure argent//, the primary charge group is the semy of crosses. In //Per fess gules and Or//, there is no primary charge group and this is also field-primary armory. In //Azure, in chief a cloud argent//, the primary charge groupis the cloud, but in //Azure goutty d'eau, in chief a cloud argent the primary charge group is the gouttes.

B. Secondary Charge Group:

A secondary charge group is a single charge or group of charges directly on the field around the primary charges. Therefore, you cannot have a secondary charge group without a primary charge group to surround, except in field-primary armory. In general, secondary charge groups will be drawn smaller than the primary charge group. For example, in Argent, a fess between three lions sable// and //Argent semy of lions, a fess sable//, the lions are the secondary charges, surrounding the primary fess. In //Argent, a fess and in chief a lion sable, the lion is the secondary charge. In each case if you removed the fess the lions would become the primary charge group. Several kinds of secondary charge groups can occur together in a design. Armorial designs with multiple secondary charge groups must generally match a pattern for period arrangement of charge groups. Types of secondary charges include:

1. Peripheral Ordinary:

This type of secondary charge group consists only of peripheral ordinaries: the chief, the bordure, the base (including the point pointed), the quarter, the canton, the gyron, the orle, the double tressure, the tierce, and flaunches. For example, in Argent, a bend and a bordure gules//, the bordure is a secondary charge group. In //Argent, a bordure gules, the bordure is still a secondary charge group and there is no primary charge group; this is field-primary armory.

2. Semy:

This type of secondary charge group consists of charges strewn over all or over one part of a field. Charges semy are almost always in a separate charge group from all other charges. However, when a divided field (with or without a central ordinary) has a semy of charges (or charges semy) on one half of the field and another charge or group of charges on the other, the charges form a single secondary charge group around the primary ordinary. For example, in the armorial submission Argent crusilly, a bend gules//, the crosses are the secondary charge group. In the armorial submission //Per chevron argent crusilly gules and azure, a chevron Or and in base a griffin argent, the crosses and the griffin together form a single secondary group.

3. Cotises, Endorses, Etc.:

This type of secondary charge group consists of charges that tightly mirror the line of a primary ordinary but are slimmer. For example, in the armorial submission Argent, a bend cotised gules, the cotises are a secondary charge group, and the bend is the primary charge group.

4. Other Types of Charges:

Other kinds of secondary charge groups exist. They may consist of a single charge in canton, a group of three charges around an ordinary, and the like. For example, in the armorial submissions Argent, a chevron between three roundels gules// and //Gules, a bend and in chief a roundel gules, the roundels are the secondary charge group.

C. Tertiary Charge Group:

A tertiary charge group is a charge or group of charges which are entirely on another charge and are not on the field themselves. Tertiary charges may be found on other types of charge groups, including an overall charge group, but not on maintained charges.

A single charge group may only have one tertiary charge group on it. However, a piece of armory may have different tertiary charge groups on different underlying charge groups. Charges on tertiary charges are known as quaternary charges and are not allowed, unless documented as an Individually Attested Pattern.

For example, in Argent, on a pale sable three mullets argent//, the mullets are a tertiary charge group. In //Argent, on a pale sable a tower between two mullets argent//, where the tower and the mullets are the same size, they collectively form a tertiary charge group, and this design is registerable. However, in //Argent, on a pale azure a tower and in chief a mullet argent, where the tower is much larger than the mullet, two distinct tertiary charge groups are formed by the tower and the mullet on the same charge, and this design is not registerable.

In Gules, a lion Or charged on the shoulder with an annulet gules, a bordure Or crescenty gules// there are two tertiary charge groups: the annulet on the lion is one tertiary charge group and the crescents on the bordure are a separate tertiary charge group. This design is registerable. In //Sable, three delfs Or each charged with a mullet vert, the mullets form a single tertiary charge group, as each mullet is on a delf that is part of the primary charge group. This design is also registerable.

D. Overall Charge Group:

An overall charge group is a charge or group of charges which crosses the center of the field, lying partially on the field and partially on other charges. It can only appear on a design that has a primary charge group. The underlying charge is the primary charge, while the overlying charge is an overall charge. There can be only one overall charge group in any design. In period heraldry the overall charge is almost always a bend.

An overall charge must overlie a primary charge; if there is no other primary charge, there is no reason to refer to a charge as "overall". An overall charge must have a significant portion on the field; a design with a charge that has only a little bit sticking over the edges of an underlying charge is known as "barely overall" and is not registerable. We do not allow overall charges to overlie peripheral ordinaries, except as an Individually Attested Pattern.

For example, in Argent, a lion sable, overall a bend gules// the bend is the overall charge, and the lion the primary charge. However, given a field divided //per pale sable and gules//, with a //bend argent//, there is no reason to blazon it as //Per pale sable and gules, overall a bend argent//, as there is no primary charge for the bend to be "overall". This armory is simply //Per pale sable and gules, a bend argent.

For example, Or, a pale gules and overall a bend and in chief a mullet//, where the mullet partially overlies the pale and partially lies on the field has two overall charge groups and is not registerable. For example, //Or, a pale gules, and overall in chief a mullet, where the mullet is almost entirely on the pale but has a small portion on the field is not registerable, as this is "barely overall".

E. Maintained Charges:

Charges that are held by, suspended from, or are otherwise touching another charge fall into two categories. Those that are large enough to be of equal weight with the charge holding them are considered to be part of the same charge group (primary, secondary, overall) as the charge holding them. We call these sustained charges. Those that are smaller we treat as artistic details. They are not part of any charge group. They do not contribute to difference for conflict purposes. They are allowed to violate the contrast rules, though they must have some contrast so that they can remain identifiable. Despite that, they contribute to complexity count, because they still add to visual complexity. We call these charges maintained charges.

In the case of Sable, a dragon maintaining a sword argent//, the sword is much smaller than the dragon and does not contribute to difference. In the case of //Sable, a dragon sustaining a sword argent, the sword must be of equal visual weight with the dragon. This generally means being at least as long as the dragon is tall. It is considered part of the primary charge group with the dragon. A depiction that is unclear, with a sword that is smaller than the dragon, but still quite large, may be returned for blurring the distinction between the two possible blazons with their different implications for style and conflict.

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