Fetterlock

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A generic fetterlock, from A. C. Fox-Davies's Complete Guide to Heraldry Complete Guide to Heraldry Fig534.png
A generic fetterlock, from A. C. Fox-Davies's Complete Guide to Heraldry
Falcon and Fetterlock Badge of Edward IV Falcon and Fetterlock Badge of Edward IV.svg
Falcon and Fetterlock Badge of Edward IV

A fetterlock is a sort of shackle that is a common charge in heraldry, often displayed in a way that resembles a padlock.

King Edward IV used a heraldic badge consisting of a fetterlock and a falcon. This was originally the badge of the first Duke of York, Edmund Langley, who used the falcon of the Plantagenets in a golden fetterlock. This was also used by his grandson Richard of York, who displayed the fetterlock opened. [1]

Fetterlocks feature in the crests of the Wyndham family of Norfolk, the Long family of Wiltshire and Clan Grierson of the Scottish Lowlands.

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References

  1. Friar, Stephen, ed. (1987). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. London: Alphabooks/A&C Black. p. 141. ISBN   0 906670 44 6.