Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry

Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry - L

Label - A bearing closely resembling the strap with pendants which form the saddle crossed the horse's chest. It is the oldest mark of difference, but sometimes borne as a charge. As a difference it was used generally by the princes of the royal house. The number of points did not necessarily mean anything, although the label of three points was supposed to represent the heir during the lifetime of his father; five points, during the lifetime of his grandfather; seven points, while the great-grandfather still lived, etc. According to the modern system, the elder son of an elder son places a label upon a label.

Lace d'amour - (leese da'moor) A cord of running knots surrounding the arms of widows and unmarried women. (Universal Dict.)

Lambrequin - (lam'-ber-kin) The point of a lable.

A mantle is sometimes referred to as a lambrequin. (In this connection see MANTLE.)

Lampasse - (lam-pas-see') The same as LANGUED.

Lancaster - One of the six heralds of the College of Arms.

Lance - Shakespeare's father was granted arms as follows: "Or, on a bend sable a lance of the field."

Langued - (langd) Tongued; having the tongue visible. Applied to the tongue of a bird or beast when of a different tincture from that of the body.

Lattice - A bordure formed of perpendicular and horizontal bars, interlaced or otherwise.

Laver - A green vegetation, a bunch of which is held in the mouth by the liver on the arms of Liverpool.

Leaf - The leaves common to heraldry are the strawberry, hazel, oak and elm.

Legged - The same as MEMBERED.

Leopard - The title of one of the heralds under Henry V.

Leo-parde - "A lion as a leopard." The early heralds seem to have gotten the lion confused with the leopard, and when describing him in any attitude except passant he was leo-pardé.

Leonced - [See LIONCED.]

Liard - A gray horse.

Limbeck - [See DISTILLATORY.]

Lion - The lion is the most popular beast in heraldry. He appears in the arms of Great Britian, Denmark, Spain, Holland, Bohemia, Saxony and numerous lesser countries. As early as 1127 Henry I used the lion as an ornament on a shield. Of the 918 bannerets of Edward II, 225 bore lions. The early English heralds seem to have confused the lion with the leopard. While never drawn spotted as the real leopard, he was described in most attitudes as leo-pardé, or a lion as a leopard.

The lion is drawn in about 30 attitudes, but it is seldom he is seen in other than rampant or passant.

LION'S WELP - The same as lioncelle

LION OF ENGLAND - In allusion to the lions on the arms of Great Britain. In English heraldry a lion passant gardant or is generally blazoned as "a lion of England."

Lionced- (li'unst) A bearing adorned with lions' heads, as, for instance, a cross with its ends terminating in lions' heads.

Lioncel- [See LIONCELLE.]

Liver- A fabulous bird, after which Liverpool is supposed to have derived its name. It resembles the cormorant. The arms of Liverpool are blazoned: "Argent, a liver sable, billed and legged gules, holding in his bill a bunch of laver vert."

"The liver was a foolish invention to account for the name [of Liverpool]. There was the "pool," which accounted for the last syllable, and there was the bird on the seal or shield, which, in the absence of other information, was supposed to indicate the prefix. A stuffed bird has from time immemorial been preserved in the Town Hall, supposed to be a specimen of the genus liver. It is, in reality, an immature cormorant, which has not attained its final dark plumage." - Sir J. A. Picton, in Notes and Queries, May 3, 1884.

Lodged - Applied to the buck, hart, hind, etc, when represented lying down.

The same attitude of the lion or similar beast is couchant.

Lord Lyon - [See LYON KING-OF-ARMS.]

Lowered - Applied to ordinaries abated from their common position.

Lozenge - (loz'-enj) 1. A diamond-shaped bearing, usually with its upper and lower angles slightly acute.

2. The form of the escutcheon upon which women place their arms. Specifically, for spinsters and widows.

As the shield was used in war, it was peculiar to men, and the female had no part therein; hence an unmarried woman from earliest times placed her arms on a lozenge, perhaps in allusion to the fusil, or distaff; when married, she shares the shield of her husband.

Lozengee - [See LOZENGY.]

Lozengy - (loz'en-jy) A bearing or the field divided into lozenge-shaped compartments of different tinctures, the lines being drawn in the direction of the bend and bend sinister.

Luce - A fish; a full-grown pike.

Lure - (lur) A bunch of feathers. (The lure was used in falconry to recall the hawks.)

Lymphad - (lim'-fad) A galley; an ancient vessel, having one mast. It is not uncommon in Scottish heraldry; it is the feudal ensign of the lordship of Lorne, being quartered by the Dukes of Argyll, and is also borne by the Clan Campbell

Lyon Court - The office or court of Lyon King-of-Arms; the Scottish college of arms.

Lyon King-of-Arms - A Scottish official (also called Lord Lyon) who derives his title from the lion rampant on the arms of Scotland. He has authority to inspect the arms and ensigns armorial of all noblemen and gentlemen in the kingdom; to give proper arms to those entitled to bear them; to matriculate such arms , and to fine those bearing arms which are not matriculated. He is assisted by heralds, pursuivants and messengers-at-arms.