billet

For easy recognition of the items on a coat of arms, and hence the quick identification of the owner, bold simple shapes are best. Hence, simple geometric shapes are often used for this purpose A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P146xz`, and the billet is a typical example of this, and can appear in any of the main heraldic tinctures. In form it is a simple rectangle though sometimes has a slightly rounded or ragged appearance to reflect one possible origin as a block of wood cut by an axe. A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Billet. Wade groups the billet with the other square charges as symbols of “honesty and constancy”. The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P95