The Fess reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Fess

fess is a term used in heraldry to describe a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running from the left to the right side of the shield, centered from top to bottom. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the fess, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. The former is more likely if the fess is uncharged, that is, if it does not have other charges placed on it. If charged, the fess is typically wider.

The shield to the right depicts a gold fess placed on a black shield, and its blazon is Sable, a fess or.

The fess is one of the ordinaries in heraldry, along with the chief, bend, chevron and pale. There are several other ordinaries and sub-ordinaries.

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