Same Charges but Different Sizes

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Illustrations:

Period:

=SENA, Armory Part 3, Style

D. Clarity and Simplicity of Charge Groups: 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...

• 1. Clarity of Charge Groups: Charges in an armorial design must be clearly organized into charge groups. Depictions of charges that blur the distinction between charge groups will not be allowed. Depictions of charges that that are ambiguous as to what sort of charge group they belong to will not be allowed. Documented armorial depictions will only be allowed if a method for describing them in blazon can be devised.

For example, the design a water bouget between in cross four estoiles// must be clearly drawn to be either as a large primary water bouget and four smaller secondary estoiles or blazoned as //in cross a water bouget and four estoiles and drawn as five charges of approximately equal visual weight. If the estoiles are drawn just a little smaller than the water bouget, it is not clear if the estoiles are intended to be part of the primary charge group or a secondary charge group. Such a design will not be registered.

Having identical types of charges in multiple charge groups on the field blurs the distinction between charge groups. Thus, it is not allowed, except for cotises and endorses around an ordinary. Charge types with identical blazons are allowed to be both on the field and in a tertiary charge group or in two separate tertiary charge groups. > For example, Azure, a cup Or and in base a cup argent// would not be registerable. Azure, a fess between three cups Or and overall a cup argent would not be registerable. However, Azure, on a fess between three cups Or, three cups sable is registerable, as is Azure, on a bend Or three cups sable and on a chief Or a cup sable.

Precedents:

October 2001 - same charge as primary and secondary charges okay

Badge. Azure, a cross of four mascles argent within and conjoined to a mascle Or. This armory uses the same type of charge as both a primary and secondary charge. Some commenters felt that this was therefore not acceptable per the following precedent: [returning a mullet of four points throughout ... between four mullets of four points ...] This is being returned for violating the long-standing precedent of using two different sizes of the same charge on the field. (LoAR 3/98 p. 15) However, in the cited precedent, there was a reasonable ambiguity as to which mullets were primary charges and which were secondary charges, as the emblazon could appear to be an idiosyncratic rendering of five mullets of four points in saltire. In Francesca's arms, this is not a problem. The surrounding mascle is clearly in a separate charge group from the mascles which constitute a cross. Consider the analogous case of, on a lozenge shaped shield, Azure, a cross of four mascles argent within and conjoined to an orle Or. The orle would have a resemblance to a mascle, but there would be no difficulty in distinguishing the orle from the primary mascle group." [but see SENA A.3.D.1. quoted above] October 2001 LoAR

==March 1998 - can't use different sizes of the same charge on the field: "This is being returned for violating the long-standing precedent of using two different sizes of the same charge on the field." [but see further explanation above] March 1998 LoAR