Primary Charge Group

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The most important group of charges in a piece of armory. In blazons, the primary charge group is usually mentioned immediately after the field (though a strewn charge group is not primary when it is blazoned before a central charge group). If there is a central ordinary lying entirely on the field, it is the primary charge. If there is no such central ordinary, then the primary charge group is the set of charges of the same size that lie in the center of the design and directly on the field. An overall charge can never be the primary charge. In any piece of armory with charges there will always be a primary charge group, unless the only charges are peripheral. There cannot be more than one primary charge group in any given design. In Gules, a pale between two mullets argent, the pale is the primary charge. In Or, a maunche between three roundels azure the maunche is the primary charge. In Per chevron argent and sable, two roses and a fleur-de-lys counterchanged and on a chief purpure three hearts argent, the roses and fleur-de-lys are the primary charge group, because they are all of about the same size and in a standard arrangement. In Azure semy of mullets and a chief argent the strewn mullets are the primary charge group; in Azure semy of mullets, an eagle and a chief argent the eagle is the primary charge. In Sable, a lion Or, overall a bend argent, the lion is the primary charge. In Azure, a chief Or there is no primary charge group. See also Overall Charge Group, Peripheral Charge Group, Secondary Charge Group, Semy, Tertiary Charge Group.

• http://heraldry.sca.org/coagloss.html

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Illustrations:

Period:

An Ordinary of Siebmacher's Wappenbuch

• http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/heraldry/siebmacher/siebmacherordinary.html

Modern:

Pictorial Dictionary, 3rd edition:

• http://mistholme.com/pictorial-dictionary-of-heraldry

Vector Graphics:

• Viking Answer Lady - http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/Stars/Heraldry_SVG_Images/index.htm

Sources:

Academy of St. Gabriel "Medieval Heraldry Archive" - http://www.s-gabriel.org/heraldry/
Archive of St. Gabriel reports - http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/archive.cgi
Laurel Armory Articles - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/armory_articles.html

New Heraldic Primer (Heraldry for Non-Heralds) - http://heraldry.sca.org/armory/newprimer/
Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry (PicDic), 3rd Edition - http://mistholme.com/pictorial-dictionary-of-heraldry (in progress)
Period Armorials

Parker's Heraldry - http://karlwilcox.com/parker/
Riestap's Armorial Général - http://www.euraldic.com/lasu/bl/bl_a_aa.html

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents.html
Morsulus Heralds Website - http://www.morsulus.org/ (to search the LoARs and Precedents)

Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Definition:

(includes defaults, proper tinctures, blazoning)

July 2009 - charges on either side of line of division co-primary

#202Istv�n Nyiregyhazi. Device. Per chevron ploy� throughout Or and sable, two cinquefoils gules slipped and leaved vert and an alquerque board Or.

We apologize to the submitter for the lack of clarity of the previous return. The reason for the 'unmistakable impression of three co-primary charges' was that the charges were on either side of a line of division. Charges on either side of a line of division have long been held to be co-primary, regardless of their size. Precedent says "As two types of charges lying on either side of a line of division, this is four co-primary charges, not a primary and three secondary charges." [Ia ingen �eda, October 2008, R-Northshield] The same situation applies here: the flowers and the board are co-primary. Therefore, this device is still in conflict with that of Sine Ealasaid Leanora Kyntire, Per chevron Or and sable, two roses gules, barbed and seeded proper, and a cup Or, with a single CD for changing the cup to a delf with internal detailing.

Please instruct the submitter that, should he resubmit with an alquerque board, the marks on the board should be drawn more boldly, since they are the markings that make it identifiable as an alquerque board. As the defining instance of an alquerque board in Society armory, the charge should be drawn to match the period documentation. http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2009/07/09-07lar.html

Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

Collected Precedents:

• 2nd Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (April 2011 - August 2011) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - Single HTML Document
• 2nd Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (November 1993 - June 1996) -
  • the 1st part (Nov 1993 - June 1994) and
  • the 2nd part (July 1994 - June 1996)
• The Tenure of Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme (June 1992 - October 1993) - Collected precedents
• 1st Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (June 1990 - June 1992) -
  • the 1st year (June 1990 - June 1991) and
  • the 2nd year (July 1991 - June 1992)
• The Tenure of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane (September 1986 - June 1990) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor (August 1984 - August 1986) - Single HTML Document
• The Tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel (August 1979 - August 1984) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - Collected Precedents
• The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) - Collected Precedents

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