Ordinary in heraldic blazon in the form of a single, isolated horizontal band
For other uses, see Fess (disambiguation).
"Argent a fess gules"
In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English fesse, Old French faisse,[1] and Latin fascia, "band")[2] is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.[3] Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by a fess or other ordinary, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry states that earlier writers including Leigh, Holme, and Guillim favour one-third, while later writers such as Edmondson favour one-fifth "on the grounds that a bend, pale, or chevron occupying one-third of the field makes the coat look clumsy and disagreeable."[4] A fess is likely to be shown narrower if it is uncharged, that is, if it does not have other charges placed on it, and/or if it is to be shown with charges above and below it; and shown wider if charged. The fess or bar, termed fasce in French heraldry, should not be confused with fasces.
^Fouché, Pierre (1961). Phonétique historique du français (in French). Vol. III: Les Consonnes et index général. Paris: Klincksieck. p. 921.
^"Fess 1". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000. Archived from the original on 2005-09-26. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
^Woodcock & Robinson (1988), Oxford Guide to Heraldry, p. 60.
^Woodcock & Robinson (1988), Oxford Guide to Heraldry, p. 58.
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