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.

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

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

A helpful strategy for determining if there is appropriate overlap between charges is to swap them, putting the front charge in back, and see if both charges are still clearly identifiable.

Period Examples:

Armas

BSB 290, folio 153r, Armas de los Condes, Spanish 1440-1550

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

May 2000 - complex overall charge tincture

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

May 2000 - no overlapping chaussé, chapé, vêtu:

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:

• 2nd Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (April 2011 - August 2011) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - CHARGE -- Overall
• The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - CHARGE -- Overall
• 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