Chevron

A chevron is an ordinary shaped like an upside down V, rising from the lower corners of the shield to a point near the middle. It is one of the oldest ordinaries and was especially common in early Norman heraldry. Narrow versions are called chevronels.

The Stafford family bore Or, a chevron gules, a red chevron on gold, and branches of the family later added a border or small birds to tell their arms apart. That kind of change is part of cadency. In Scandinavia the chevron is called a sparre, and an early example is in the arms of Arvid Gustavsson Sparre.

The coat of arms maker has a Chevron ordinary and a Per chevron division on the Shield tab, plus a chevronel on the Shapes tab for thinner or repeated chevrons. Three charges placed two above and one below a chevron is a classic layout. The heraldic divisions guide shows how the forms differ.