Overall Charge

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Definition:

Glossary of Terms - A charge that crosses over both edges of another charge to lie on the field on either side. For instance, Or, a lion rampant purpure and overall a fess sable has the fess starting on the field on one side, crossing over the center of the lion, and lying on the field on the other side. An overall charge is considered to lie directly on the field, and must have good contrast with it. An overall charge can never be the primary charge; in addition, there can only be a single group of overall charges.

The term used in searching the O&A for overall charges is "debruising".

Period Examples:

Armas
Italian-charged-overalls.jpg
Composite of Italian arms with charged overall ordinaries courtesy of Gunnvor silfrahar

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
Period Armorials


SENA Appendix I - Charge Group Theory:

Section 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...

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 dividedper 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". http://heraldry.sca.org/sena.html#AppendixI

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.

January 2008 - fieldless badges with overall charges:

The degree of overlap between these two charges is acceptable as both maintain their identifiability. As noted in the September 2006 registration of Sondra van Schiedam's badge: Several commenters recommended returning this badge for using an overall charge on a fieldless badge. We routinely allow overall charges on fieldless badges where the area of intersection is small, which is not the case in this submission. However, the November 1992 Cover Letter, where the current standard for acceptability of such overall charges was set, Laurel stated: I've therefore decided not to implement a comprehensive ban on fieldless badges with overall charges. I will be returning cases where the underlying charge is rendered unidentifiable, per Rule VIII.3; this will include the most egregious cases of overall charges (e.g. A pheon surmounted by a hawk's head). But this can be done as an interpretation of the current Rules, and needn't involve a new policy. In cases where identifiability is maintained -- where one of the charges is a long, slender object, and the area of intersection small -- overall charges will still be permitted in fieldless badges. The primary concern is identifiability. The charges in this badge maintain their identifiability, though the area of overlap is larger than we normally allow, and thus the badge is registerable. Similarly, the charges in this badge maintain their identifiability and are therefore registerable. January 2008 LoAR

From the May 2000 LoAR: "A complex overall charge must not share the same tincture as the ordinary it is surmounting. May 2000 LoAR

From the May 2000 LoAR: The chaussé line of division, along with chapé and vêtu , are different from other lines of divisions in that the outer portions never contained charges in period. Thus we can also not allow charges that overlap the outer portions. May 2000 LoAR]

Collected Precedents:

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