by Iago ab Adam (Mike Case)

Fesses/bars

Nowy appears to be a Breton invention. Research found no bars nor fesses nowy outside of Brittany. The earliest blazon found that describes these as "nowy" ("noues") is provided for the Matignon de Gouyon arms, in Extraict du livre de Navarre, 16th C French (Paris, BnF, ms. Français 32487), f. 33r (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9063216f).

Other period blazons found for them so far call them pumelees [7] or arrestees [8], though the one that uses pumelees draws the bars with multiple bumps, so there seems to have been some confusion by the artist. Typically drawn as something like two demi-roundels issuant from either side of the fess/bar, but the images found for Lestrelin seem to match the typical SCA emblazon of an outline like a roundel overlapping a fess.

The families with bars or fesses nowy are:

• Matignon de Gouyon: Or, two bars nowy, an orle of martlets gules [1]
• Merdrignac: the same as Matignon (possibly the same family)
• Callac: Or, two bars nowy, an orle of martlets sable [2]
• Querinan: Gules, on a fess nowy a martlet gules [3]
• Lestrelin: Argent, a fess nowy between 6-8 martlets [4, 5, 6]

Crosses

No known period examples were found of what we consider a cross nowy (according to both Parker, A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, and Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme, The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry).

The accedence of armorie, 1597, has one example of a crosse nowye, drawn with projections in the middle of each arm, as opposed to the center of the charge where the arms meet. [9] Parker describes this style as nowyed, distinct from nowy.

Other Ordinaries

No examples found.

Sources

1. Armorial of the Herald of Navarra, 15th C French (Paris, BnF, ms. Français 24920) f.46v
2. Blasons de Bretagne, 16th C French (Saint-Brieuc, Bibliothèque municipale, 013) f.23r
3. Blasons de Bretagne, 16th C French (Saint-Brieuc, Bibliothèque municipale, 013) f.74r
4. Stone fireplace (14th or 15th C), from the castle of Coët-Candec in Locmaria-Grand-Champ
5. Stone carving (early 15th C), from the castle of Coët-Candec in Locmaria-Grand-Champ
6. Carved arms of Lestrelin above the south gate to Sainte-Avoye Chapel in Pluneret, built by the Lestrelins in the mid-16th C. The arms were defaced during the French Revolution, but the basic shape can still be seen.
7. Armorial de France et traités de blason, 16th C French (Paris, BnF, ms. NAF 1075), p.157
8. Le Jouvencel, 1475 French (Paris, BnF, ms. Français 24381), f.170v
9. Legh, Gerard: The accedence of armorie, 1597 English