In heraldry, an orle is a subordinary consisting of a narrow band occupying the inward half of where a bordure would be, following the exact outline of the shield but within it, showing the field between the outer edge of the orle and the edge of the shield.
An orle can sometimes be confused with an inescutcheon or escutcheon voided (a smaller shield with a shield-shaped hole), or with a patch of the field left over between a bordure and an inescutcheon.
Orles may varied by any of the lines of variation.
Discrete charges arranged in the position of an orle are described as in orle or as "an orle of".
Gules, an inescutcheon argent within a bordure argent
An orle indented on its inner edge
Argent, eight torteaux (roundels gules) in orle; alternatively an orle of torteaux
Tressure
A Tressure is a Edward Lawrence.
Example of a double tressure: Argent a double tressure Gules
Example of a double tressure flory-counter-flory: Argent a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules
Plain tressures are rare. It is much more common to see tressures flory-counter-flory, especially in Scottish heraldry, where many coats of arms derive from the Royal Coat of Arms. As a result the double tressure flory-counter-flory is often referred to as 'the royal tressure'.
When a tressure is impaled, it is supposed to follow the same rule as the bordure, and not to be continued on the side of the impalement, but several exceptions may be found.
Example of quartered arms (Bowes-Lyon) with tressures in two of the quarters: Quarterly 1 and 4 argent a lion rampant azure, armed and langued gules within a double tressure flory counter-flory of the second (for Lyon); 2 and 3 ermine three bows stringed palewise in fess proper (for Bowes).
Royal coat of arms of Scotland with a double-tressure flory-counter-flory
Example of the arms of the Montbeliard of Montfaucon family, showing two barbels within a plain double-tressure.
Example of a double tressure impaled, the arms of Isabella of Scotland.
References
- A C Fox-Davies A Complete Guide to Heraldry (revised by J P Brooke-Little, Richmond Herald), Thomas Nelson and Sons, London 1969fr:Liste de pièces héraldiques#Orle
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