Compone
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2008-06-06T21:40:30Z
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[[Image:Bordure compone.jpg|thumb|right|Bordure compone]]
'''Componé''', '''compony''' or '''gobony''', is a term used in [[heraldry]]. A ''[[bordure]] compone'' is that formed or composed of a row of square or rectangular parts or panes of two tinctures (what are described in common parlance as "colours," though this term has a different meaning in heraldry); as in the figure (sometimes compony-like arrangements, such as in the arms of His Excellency Duke Don Diego de Vargas Machuca, Head of the Ducal House de Vargas Machuca, are not so described in blazon<ref>{{cite web|title=Burke's Peerage & Gentry International Register of Arms: International Register of Armorial Bearings (Coats of Arms): The Arms of His Excellency Duke Don Diego de Vargas Machuca, Head of the Ducal House de Vargas Machuca|url=http://www.armorial-register.com/arms-it/duke-de-vargas.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref>). Or see the arms of Christ's College and St John's College in Cambridge which both have a bordure compony argent and azure (white and blue). This perhaps needs to be distinguished from similarly-appearing gyronny arrangements such as the ''bordered gyronny of ten'' in the arms of the 108th Aviation Regiment of the United States Army [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Avn/108AviationRegiment.htm] - though in general terms this is something of a distinction without an awful lot of difference.
"Compony" can also be used with [[bend]]s, &c. - as in the arms of Moorhouse 'Per saltire argent and gules; a saltire couped compony sable and or, between two martlets, one in chief and one in base, sable, all within an orle counterchanged'to be found in the Scots Public Register vol 71, p 105 - though certain charges cannot be compony,for practical reasons, such as, in general, common charges, and the chief as they are generally not long and thin as a row of compony is.
Compony ''might'' well be, but very rarely is, formed of three tinctures, as in the arms of [[Formia]], [[Italy]] as can be seen on the comune's website [http://www.comune.formia.lt.it/portaleformia/index.php] and whose border might be blazonable as compony of 24 vert, gules, argent, vert, argent, gules, the first and third vert panes being in dexter and sinister chiefs respectively.
There is also counter compony which is made up of two tracts of compony joined together, and billety counter billety which is to all intents and purposes, for bends and fesses, three rows of compony joined together, or a sort of stretched out chequy - as in the arms of Cullimore in Canada 'Azure; a fess billetty counter billetty gules and argent, between, in chief, two crescents and, in base, a wheel or; a bordure or for difference' to be found in the Scots Public Register, vol 52, p 82.
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