SHIELD, an ancient weapon of defence, in the form of a light buckler, borne on the arm to fend off lances, darts, and other weapons. The form of the shield is represented by the escutcheon in coats of arms. The shield was that part of the ancient armour on which the persons of distinction in the field of battle always had their arms painted; and most of the words used at this time to express the space that holds the arms of families are derived from the Latin word scutum. The French escu and escussion, and the English word escutcheon or scutcheon, are evidently from this origin; and the Italian scudο signifies both the shield of arms and that used in war. The Latin name clypeus, for the same thing, seems also to be derived from the Greek word γλυφειv, to engrave; and it had this name from the several figures engraved on it, as marks of distinction of the person who wore it.

The shield in war, among the Greeks and Romans, was not only useful in defence, but it was also a badge of honour to the wearer; and he who returned from battle without it was always treated afterwards with infamy. People have at all times thought this honourable piece of the armour the properest place to engrave or figure on the signs of dignity of the possessor of it; and hence, when arms came to be painted for families in aftertimes, the heralds always chose to represent them upon the figure of a shield, but with several exterior additions and ornaments, as the helmet, supporters, and the rest.

The form of the shield has not only been found different in various nations, but even the people of the same nation, at different times, have varied its form extremely; and among several nations there have been shields of several forms and sizes in use, at the same period of time, and suited to different occasions. The most ancient and universal form of shields, in the earlier ages, seems to have been the triangular. This we see instances of in all the monuments and gems of antiquity. Our own early monuments show it to have been the most antique shape also with us, and the heralds have found it the most convenient for their purposes, when they had any odd number of figures to represent; as if three, then two in the broad bottom part, and one in the narrow upper end, it held them very well; or if five, they stood as conveniently, as three below and two above. The other form of a shield, now universally used, is square, rounded, and pointed at the bottom. This is taken from the figure of the Samnitic shield used by the Romans, and since copied very generally by the English, French, and Germans.

The Spaniards and Portuguese have the like general form of shields, but they are round at the bottom, without the point; and the Germans, besides the Samnite shield.[7:20:206] have two others pretty much in use. These are, first, the bulging shield, distinguished by its swelling or bulging out at the flanks; and, secondly, the indented shield, or shield chancree, which has a number of notches and indentings all round its sides. The use of the ancient shield of this form was, that the notches served to rest the lance upon, that it might be firm while it gave the thrust; but this form being less proper for the receiving armorial figures, the two former have been much more used in the heraldry of that nation.

Besides this different form of the shields in heraldry, we find them also often distinguished by their different positions, some of them standing erect, and others slanting various ways and in different degrees. This the heralds express by the word pendant, “hanging,” because they seem to be hung up, not by the centre, but by the right or left corner. The French call these ecu pendant, and the common antique triangular ones ecu ancien. The Italians call it scuto pendente; and the reason given for exhibiting the shield in these figures in heraldry is, that in the ancient tilts and tournaments, they who were to joust at these military exercises were obliged to hang their shields, with their armories, or coats of arms, on them, out at the windows and balconies of the houses near the place, or upon trees, pavilions, or the barriers of the ground, if the exercise was to be performed in the field.

Those who were to fight on foot, according to Columbier, had their shields hung up by the right corner, and those who were to fight on horseback had theirs hung up by the left. This position of the shields in heraldry is called couche by some writers, though by the generality pendant.

It was very frequent in all parts of Europe, in arms given between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries; but it is to be observed that the hanging by the left corner, as it was the token of the owner’s being to fight on horseback, so it was esteemed the most honourable and noble situation; and all the pendant shields of the sons of the royal family of Scotland and England, and of our nobility, at the time, are represented thus hanging from the left corner. The hanging from this corner was a token of the owner’s being of noble birth, and having fought in the tournaments before; but no sovereign ever had a shield pendant any way, but always erect, as they never formally entered the lists of the tournament.

The Italians generally have their shields of arms of an oval form. This seems to be done in imitation of those of the popes and other dignified clergy; but their herald, Petro Sancto, seems to regret the use of this figure of the shield, as an innovation brought in by the painters and engravers, as most convenient for holding the figures, but derogatory to the honour of the possessor, as not representing either antiquity or honours won in war, but rather the honours of some citizen or person of learning. Some have carried it so far as to say, that those who either have no ancient title to nobility, or who have sullied it by any unworthy action, cannot any longer wear their arms in shields properly figured, but are obliged to have them painted in an oval or round shield. In Flanders, where this author lived, the round and oval shields are in the disrepute he speaks of; but in Italy, besides the popes and dignified prelates, many of the first families of the laity have them.

The secular princes, in many other countries, also retain this form of the shield, as the most ancient and truly expressive of the Roman clypeus.

Shield , in Heraldry, the escutcheon or field on which the bearings of coats of arms are placed.

Shield Cape, a low point on the coast of New Holland, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which projects six miles into the sea. Long. 136. 23. E. Lat. 13. 19. N.