burlure
.
Searchable Lemmata: burlure (AF).
Alternate Forms: burules, grosse burlure, menue burlure.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Decoration;
heraldic term, with approximately the same meaning as barry, 'divided into an even number of parts by bars of alternating colours'. Appears as the compounds grosse burlure 'large burlure' and menu burlure 'small burlure', signifying wider and narrower bars respectively.(post 1250 - 1400 ?)
Ceremonial: Yes
Body Parts: N/A.
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, derivation of burlé (q.v.) 'striped, banded, barred' + -ure processual/result suffix. For the assimilation of these terms to the heraldic barry, etc. see discussion at burlé. The accompanying terms specify 'large' and 'small' (or fine) banding, respectively, which must refer to broader and narrower sets of bars.
WF: Derivation
Etym Cog:
References:
Art and Illustration:
In customary heraldic usage dating from the sixteenth century onwards, a bar occupied about 1/5 of the heraldic field, a closet was half a bar (i.e. 1/10) and a barrulet was half the size of the closet (i.e. 1/20 of the field). However, this usage is uncertainly reflected in medieval British sources.
The text in which the term burlure is used (the Walford Roll of arms) has 'grosse burlure d'argent et de sable' to describe the arms of the Comte de Vaudemont, which consists of alternating white and black horizontal stripes, five of each, i.e. what later heralds would call closets.
In the same text the arms of the Comte de Grandpre, consisting of alternating yellow and red bars, six of each (for a total of twelve, and therefore narrower than closets, though not as narrow as the later heraldic term barrulet) are described as 'une menue burlure d'or et de goule'; the term menue burlure is also applied to another set of arms with twelve bands.
Both types of burlure in the text are given under the general terms barry or burlé.
