Martlet

Martlet
Note that the British version of the Grumman F4F Wildcat was initially called the Martlet.
A martlet as used on the coat of arms of McGill University.

A martlet is a heraldic charge depicting a stylized bird (martlet being the diminutive of martin) with short tufts of feathers in the place of legs. Swifts, formerly also called martlets, have such small legs that they were believed to have none at all.

The inability of the martlet to land is often seen to symbolize the constant quest for knowledge, learning, and adventure as in the arms of University College, Oxford; Worcester College, Oxford; Pembroke College, Cambridge; McGill University (where the women's athletic teams are named the Martlets); the University of Houston and its Law Center; Westminster School, Simsbury, Connecticut (where the store is called the Martlet's Nest); the University of Victoria (where the student newspaper is also called The Martlet); and the Delta Chi Fraternity.

It has been suggested that this same restlessness is the reason for the use of the martlet in English heraldry as the cadency mark of the fourth son: the first son inherited the estate, the second and third traditionally went into the Church and the Army, and the fourth had no well-defined place. As the fourth son received no part of the family wealth and had to earn his own, the martlet was also a symbol of hard work, perseverance, and a nomadic household.

Coat of arms of a family named Bird, featuring four red martlets.

Centuries after his death, Edward the Confessor was assigned a coat of arms containing five golden martlets; Richard II of England combined this coat with the Plantagenet arms, and it later became the basis of the arms of Westminster Abbey and Westminster School.

The arms of the Valence earls of Pembroke were orled (bordered) with martlets, and subsequently these are also found in the arms of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

The French word for swallow is hirondelle, and therefore martlets have appeared in arms canting on the name Arundel.

The shield of the county of Sussex, England contains six martlets, said to represent the six traditional rapes (administrative sub-divisions) of the county.

Coat of arms of Dundalk, featuring six red martlets divided by a bend.

Six martlets, divided evenly by a bend, also appear on the coat of arms of Dundalk, Ireland. The bend and martlets are derived from the family of Thomas De Furnivall who obtained a large part of the land and property of Dundalk and district around the year 1319 by right of marriage with Joan De Verdon daughter of Theobald DeVerdon.[1] Three of these martlets, in reversed colours, form the arms of the local association football team Dundalk FC.

Source

Arthur Charles Fox Davies (2004), A Complete Guide to Heraldry, Kessinger Publishing  ISBN 1-4179-0630-8

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Martlet — Mart let, n. [F. martinet. See {Martin} the bird, and cf. {Martinet} a disciplinarian.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The European house martin. [1913 Webster] 2. [Cf. F. merlette.] (Her.) A bird without beak or feet; generally assumed to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • martlet — [märt′lit] n. [Fr martelet, prob. < martinet, dim. of martin] 1. the Old World house martin 2. Heraldry a representation of a bird without feet, used as a crest or bearing …   English World dictionary

  • Martlet House — on Rue Peel. Martlet House, formerly the Montreal headquarters of Seagram Company Ltd., is a Scottish baronial style building on Peel Street in Montreal, Quebec. The building was completed in 1928 by architect David Jerome Spence, with additions… …   Wikipedia

  • martlet — noun Etymology: alteration of martinet, from Middle French, probably from Saint Martin Date: 15th century martin 1 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • martlet — /mahrt lit/, n. 1. Brit. Dial. a house martin. 2. Heraldry. a representation of a swallow close and without legs, used esp. as the cadency mark of a fourth son. [1530 40; < MF martelet, var. of martinet; see MARTIN, ET] * * * …   Universalium

  • martlet — noun A mythical bird, often used in heraldry, which possessed no feet …   Wiktionary

  • Martlet — 1 [martinet]. Indiscriminately a swallow, swift or (house) martin. Cf. next 2) Her. A bird without legs or feet, used as a *charge; the *cadency of a fourth son. This notional bird is shown without feet or legs because the swift and swallow were… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • martlet — [ mα:tlɪt] noun Heraldry a bird similar to a swallow but without feet, borne as a charge or a mark of cadency for a fourth son. Origin ME (denoting a swift): from OFr. merlet, influenced by martinet (see martin) …   English new terms dictionary

  • martlet — mart·let …   English syllables

  • martlet — mart•let [[t]ˈmɑrt lɪt[/t]] n. orn brit. a martin, esp. the European house martin Delichon urbica[/ex] • Etymology: 1530–40; < MF martelet, alter. of martinet …   From formal English to slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”