Stain (heraldry)

In heraldry, a stain (sometimes termed stainand colour or staynard colour) is one of a few non-standard tinctures or colours (namely murrey, sanguine and tenné), which are only known to occur in post-medieval heraldry and are thought to denote a rebatement of honour. Almost none of these rebatements are found in fact of heraldic practice, however, and in British heraldry the stains find only exceptional use, other than for purposes of livery.^[1]

Murrey

Murrey (deriving from late Middle English, via Old French from Medieval Latin moratus, from morum 'mulberry') is mulberry-coloured, or reddish purple. The murrey colour used in coats of arms should be clearly darker than purpure and stand out from it, to approximately the same extent that sanguine is darker than Gules and tenné from brunatre.^[2] A good comparison between the two tinctures could be obtained from comparing the murrey in the coat of arms of the University of Wales, with the lion purpure adorning the coat of arms of the Kingdom of León.

Sanguine

Sanguine (deriving from Middle English, from French sanguin(e) 'of blood', from Latin sanguineus 'of blood', from sanguis, sanguin- 'blood') is a brownish red, or blood-red colour. It is expected to be darker than Gules.^[3]

Tenné

Tenné (deriving mid-16th century from an obsolete French variant of Old French tane)^[4] (sometimes termed tawny) is an orange-tawny colour, though orange may be considered distinct in continental European and African heraldic traditions. Called tanné in modern and actual French heraldry, it refers to the leather tanning process and to the color the finished product is said to have, hence the name tanné ('tanned'). Being the initial shade of brown available by itself in heraldry, it's hatching form naturally took the shape of red and green lines mixed together. Tenné is expected to be slightly darker than Gules, clearly darker than orange, but lighter than brunatre, sanguine, murrey & sable.

Samples

• 

  Murrey

• 

  Sanguine

• 

  Tenné

Historical examples

Flag of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939)

• The University of Wales, established in 1893, adopted a coat of arms blazoned: Argent on a fesse murrey three medieval lamps Or all within a bordure of the second charged with eight mullets of the third.^[5]
• The flag of the Second Spanish Republic, adopted in 1931, was a tricolor of gules, or and murrey (Spanish: roja, amarilla y morada).^[6]

See also

• Orange (heraldry)

References

Bibliography

• Fox-Davies, A. C. (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. (2004 edition) Whitefish, MT: Kessenger Publishing. ISBN 1-4179-0630-8 LCCN 09-23803

Heraldic tinctures
Rule of tincture Tricking system Hatching system
Metals	Argent Or
Colours	Azure Gules Purpure Sable Vert
Furs	Ermine Vair
Stains	Murrey Sanguine Tenné
Non-traditional1	Metals Copper Colours Bleu celeste Carnation Cendrée Orange Rose
1 Rarely used – mostly only in some regional traditions or as relatively modern innovations – and considered unheraldic by some.