The Label is a narrow fillet across the upper part of the chief, from which hang three, four, five or more pendants, the pendants being, in most old examples, broader than the fillet. Reckoned with the Ordinaries, it was commonly used as a means of differencing a cadet's shield, and in the heraldry books it has become the accepted difference for an eldest son, although the cadets often bore it in the middle ages. John of Hastings bore in 1300 before Carlaverock "Gold a sleeve (or maunche) gules," while Edmund his brother bore the same arms with a sable label. In modern armory the pendants are all but invariably reduced to three, which, in debased examples, are given a dovetailed form while the ends of the fillet are cut off.
[Illustration: Scotland. Hondescote. Greyby. Hastings.]
The Fret, drawn as a voided lozenge interlaced by a slender saltire, is counted an Ordinary. A charge in such a shape is extremely rare in medieval armory, its ancient form when the field is covered by it being a number of bastons--three being the customary number--interlaced by as many more from the sinister side. Although the whole is described as a fret in certain English blazons of the 15th century, the adjective "fretty" is more commonly used. Trussel's fret is remarkable for its bezants at the joints, which stand, doubtless, for the golden nail-heads of the "trellis" suggested by his name. Curwen, Wyvile and other northern houses bearing a fret and a chief have, owing to their fashion of drawing their frets, often seen them changed by the heraldry books into "three cheverons braced or interlaced."
Trussel bore "Silver fretty gules, the joints bezanty."
Hugh Giffard (14th century) bore "Gules with an engrailed fret of ermine."
Wyvile bore "Gules fretty vair with a chief gold."
Boxhull bore "Gold a lion azure fretty silver."
[Illustration: Trussel. Giffard. Wyvile. Mortimer.]
Another Ordinary is the Giron or Gyron--a word now commonly mispronounced with a hard "g." It may be defined as the lower half of a quarter which has been divided bendwise. No old example of a single giron can be found to match the figure in the heraldry books. Gironny, or gyronny, is a manner of dividing the field into sections, by lines radiating from a centre point, of which many instances may be given. Most of the earlier examples have some twelve divisions although later armory gives eight as the normal number, as Campbell bears them.