SUBORDINATE ORDINARIES.
In order more particularly to distinguish the subordinates in an army (the chieftains of different countries alone being entitled to the preceding marks of honour), other figures were invented by ancient armorists, and by them termed subordinate ordinaries. Their names and forms are as follows:—
The gyron is a triangular figure formed by drawing a line from the dexter angle of the chief of the shield to the fess point, and an horizontal line from that point to the dexter side of the shield.
The field is said to be gyrony when it is covered with gyrons.
Ex. Gyrony of eight pieces, argent and gules.
The canton is a square part of the escutcheon, usually occupying about one-eighth of the field; it is placed over the chief at the dexter side of the shield: it may be charged, and when this is the case, its size may be increased. The canton represents the banner of the ancient Knights Banneret. The canton in the example is marked A.
See [KNIGHTS BANNERET] in the Dictionary.