Her. Also 6 fece. [a. OF. fesse:—L. fascia band; mod.F. has fasce ad. L.]
1. An ordinary formed by two horizontal lines drawn across the middle of the field, and usually containing between them one third of the escutcheon.
1486. Bk. St. Albans Her. b ij. All the bastardis of all cotarmuris shall bere a fesse.
c. 1500. in Q. Eliz. Acad. (1869), 98. Pales, bendis, feces cheveronis.
1562. Legh, Armorie, 113 b. The fielde Argent, a Fesse, Azure.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, I. iii. 34/1. He beareth Arget, a Fesse, Gules.
1763. Brit. Mag., IV. 238. Argent, on a fess, azure, three lozenges, or.
1872. Ruskin, Eagle’s N., § 235. The Fesse, a horizontal bar across the middle of the shield, represents the knight’s girdle.
b. In fesse (see quot. 1889). Party per fesse: (of the shield) divided by a horizontal line through the middle.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 54. He beareth d’Argente, fiue Fusilles in Fesse Gules.
1705. Hearne, Collect., 12 Dec. The Arms of the University of Oxon are a field Jupiter, a Book Expansed in Fesse, Luna, garnished, having seven Labels with Seales, Sol.
1830. Robson, Brit. Herald., III. Gloss., Fesseways or in fesse.
1889. Elvin, Dict. Heraldry, 60. In Fesse, a term to express the position of charges when they occupy the position assigned to that ordinary.
2. attrib. and Comb., as fesse-line; fesse point, the exact center of the escutcheon; † fesse-target (see quot. 1889). Also fesse-ways, fesse-wise adv. = in fesse (see FESSE 1 b).
1775. Ash, *Fesse line, the line that constitutes the fesse.
1562. Legh, Armorie, 42 a. The *Fesse poynt.
1864. Boutell, Heraldry Hist. & Pop., v. 23. The heraldic Cross … is produced by the meeting of two vertical with two horizontal lines, about the Fesse point.
1586. J. Ferne, The Blazon of Gentrie, 206. Adding to the same, a *fesse Target, or scutcheon of pretence.
1889. Elvin, Dict. Heraldry, 60. Fesse-Target, an old term for Escutcheon of Pretence.
1725. J. Coats. Dict. Herald. (ed. 2), 144. *Fesse-ways, or in Fesse, denotes things born after the Manner of a Fesse, that is, in a Rank across the Middle of the Shield.
1830. [see 1 b].
1775. Ash, *Fesse-wise.
1864. Boutell, Heraldry Hist. & Pop., xxi. § 11 (ed. 3), 369. Two buckles, their tongues fesse-wise.
