- MAN O’ WAR
- A sailing, later steam-assisted, warship of the 17th, 18th or 19th centuries (see also ‘man-o-war pendant’
and ‘repeating frigates’).
HMS Vanguard of 74 guns 1787, UK (Wikipedia)
- MAN O’ WAR PENDANT (or PENNANT)
- In English, then British, usage, now obsolete, an alternative term for the commissioning or masthead pennant – see
‘masthead pennant 1)’ (also ‘common pendant’
and ‘man o' war’).
The Common or Tricolour Pendant, England then UK 1661 – c1850 (fotw)
Please note that in English then British usage only vessels of the Royal Navy are permitted to wear a pennant.
- MANTLE
- A heraldic term for a cloak or robe behind the shield, and which can enclose
a full set of armorial bearings (see also ‘Appendix IV’
and ‘armorial bearings’).
Notes
a) When used on the arms of a ruling
prince or sovereign a mantle becomes a pavilion (see
‘pavilion’)
b) Mantles may still be seen in
the parliamentary and state robes worn by British peers (which are graded according
to rank).
British Peers in Parliamentary Robes (edeandravenscroft.co.uk)
- MANTLING
- A heraldic term for the decoration resembling drapery in a coat of arms, and
attached to the helmet by a torse (see also ‘Appendix IV’,
‘armorial bearings’,
‘coat of arms’ and,
‘helm’ – for information on torse see
‘wreath 2)’).
(International Heraldry))
Please note that mantling originated as a protective covering for the helmet.
- MARCHING FLAG
- See
‘parade flag 1)’.
Girl’s Brigade Company Marching/Parade Flag, UK (Graham Bartram)
- MARIAN CROWN
- In Christian, particularly South European, tradition, a term (often misapplied) for a crown (sometimes blue) bearing a star or stars on top, and said to symbolize the coronation of the Virgin Mary – see ‘marian flag’.
Flag and Arms of Ourentã, Portugal (fotw); Flag and Arms of
Conceição, Portugal (fotw)
Please note that a Crown of the Holy Spirit (illustrated below) is often (sometimes officially) misidentified as a Marian Crown.
Flag and Arms of Manigoto, Portugal (fotw)
- MARIAN FLAG
- One of a number of flags – most often a bicolour of blue and white - that
symbolizes veneration of the Virgin Mary in the Christian tradition – see ‘marian crown’ (also
‘Christian flag 1)’ and
‘religious flag’).
Catholic Marion Flag (CS); Flag of the Catholic Church in Poland (fotw)
- MARK
- 1. See ‘union mark’, ‘merchant mark’ and
‘house mark’.
- 2. A term occasionally used (to describe the figure on a flag) in place of the more
precise (and to be preferred) descriptions contained herein – see
‘coat of arms 1)’,
‘emblem 1)’,
‘merchant mark’,
‘seal’,
‘shield’ and
‘symbol 1)’ (also
‘cadency, mark of’).
Norway-Sweden Union Mark and Naval Jack 1844 – 1905 (fotw); Arms of Bobenheim am Berg Germany (Wiki)
- MARKING (or MARKER) PENNANT
- In US military usage and some others, a pennant used to mark the turning points
or limits of a parade ground (see also ‘pennant 2)’).
- MARKS OF CADENCY
- See ‘cadency, mark of’.
![[cadency marks]](../images/v/vxt-d062.gif)
The cadency marks of the 1st to the 6th son in English heraldry (Parker)
- MARRYAT'S CODE (MARRYAT or MARRYAT’S CODE OF SIGNALS FOR THE MERCHANT SERVICE)
- The set of signal flags and pennants devised by Captain Frederick Marryat RN for
use by the merchant service, this first appeared 1817 and went through several
editions before being supplanted by the Commercial Code of Signals (later the
International Code of Signals) in 1857
(see also ‘distinction pennant 1)’,
‘International Code of Signal Flags’,
‘pilot jack’
and ‘signal flag’).
![[Marryat example]](../images/v/vxt-d1114d.gif)
![[Marryat example]](../images/v/vxt-d1114e.gif)
![[Marryat example]](../images/v/vxt-d1114f.gif)
![[Marryat example]](../images/v/vxt-d1114g.gif)
Flags 3, 5, 6 and 7 in Marryat’s Code of
Signals for teh Merchant Service (fotw)
- MARSHALLING
- The heraldic term used to describe the process of arranging two or more different
coats of arms on the same shield or banner of arms – see
‘impale 1)’ and
‘quartering 1)’ (also ‘banner of arms’
and
‘dimidiated’).
Flag and Arms of Wodzisław Śląski, Poland (fotw); Flag and Arms of
Vysočina, Czech Republic);
Royal Standard of Spain 1580 – 1700 (fotw)
- MARTLET
- The heraldic term for a small bird, always seen standing and usually (although not
invariably) shown with thighs but no visible legs – a merlette.
Flag of Bray, Ireland (fotw); Flag and Arms of
Ens, The Netherland (fotw); Flag of
Hemikem, Belgium (fotw)
- MASCLE
- The heraldic term for a voided lozenge – see
‘voided lozenge’).
Example: Banner of Arms of the Rohan-Chabot family, Josselin, France (fotw)
- MASONED
- A heraldic term used to describe the lines formed by masonry blocks in a building.
Flag of Castile and Leon, Spain (fotw); Flag of Romont, Switzerland (fotw);
Arms and Flag of Vrgorac, Croatia (fotw);
Flag of Oberkirch, Switzerland (fotw)
- MAST
- 1) Any vertical projection from a vessel upon which sails and/or flags can
be hoisted (see also ‘fore’,
‘mizzen’ and
‘stumpmast’).
- 2) See ‘flag pole’ (also
‘pole mast’,
‘sailor’s mast’ and
‘stayed mast’).
- MASTHEAD
- The highest point below the truck of any mast afloat or ashore (see also
‘mast’ and ‘truck’).
- MASTHEAD, AT THE
- (adv) When a flag is flown at the truck of a mast or at a point below the
truck, it is said to fly 'at the masthead'
- MASTHEAD FLAG
- 1) Generically, any flag hoisted at the masthead of a vessel (see also
‘mast’ and ‘masthead’).
- 2) Specifically, the national flags hoisted at the masthead of all masts when
a ship is dressed overall, usually the national flag of the nation being honoured
(see also ‘dress ship’).
- MASTHEAD PENNANT (or PENDANT)
- 1) A flag, usually long and narrow and often generally (but by no means exclusively) tapering
from hoist to fly, it can be triangular, cut off to a square, swallow-tailed
or a variation thereof,
and is flown from the main masthead of a naval or other public vessel in commission
but which does not carry a flag officer (or officer commanding other vessels)
on board – commissioning or commission pennant, narrow pennant, pennant of
command, war or warship pennant or of a warship commander and others (see also
‘broad command pennant’,
‘broad pennant’,
‘burgee command pennant’,
‘command pennant’, ‘converging stripes’,
‘flag officer’,
‘flag of command’,
‘flagship’,
‘in commission’,
‘naval ensign’ under ‘ensign’,
‘merchant pendant’,
‘naval jack’ under ‘jack’,
‘pendant’,
‘royal masthead pennant’, ‘private ship’ and
‘suit of flags’).
- 2) The generic name for any long narrow flag that is flown from the masthead
of a vessel – a whip pennant
(see also ‘streamer 2)’,
‘homeward bound pennant’ or
‘paying off pennant’).
![[Masthead Pennant - Spain]](../images/v/vxt-d207.gif)
Masthead Pennant of Spain (fotw)
![[Masthead Pennant - Belgium]](../images/v/vxt-d209.gif)
Masthead Pennant of Belgium (fotw)
![[Masthead Pennant - France]](../images/v/vxt-d211.gif)
Masthead Pennant of France (fotw)
![[Masthead Pennant - Estonia]](../images/v/vxt-d1583.gif)
Masthead Pennant of Estonia (fotw)
![[Masthead Pennant - South Africa]](../images/v/vxt-d2632.gif)
Masthead Pennant of South Africa (fotw)
Notes
a) A distinction has been drawn between
the standard masthead pennant flown by commissioned warships as defined in 1)
above, and the various command pennants that are flown in addition and subordinate
to it (see also ‘command pennant’).
b) There are three exceptions to this – the broad command pennant,
broad pennant
and the burgee command pennant -
all of which replace the masthead pennant when flown.
- MASTHEAD STREAMER
- See ‘streamer 2)’.
![[Masthead streamer]](../images/v/vxt-d1344.jpg)
The Henri Grace a Dieu, English Royal Navy c1525 (Wiki)
- MATRICULAR FLAGS (PENNANTS or ENSIGNS)
- See ‘registration flags’ (also ‘insurance flag’).
![[matricular flag - Spain]](../images/v/vxt-d487.gif)
![[matricular flag - Spain]](../images/v/vxt-d1800.gif)
Matricular Ensign/Registration Flag of La Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain c1870 (fotw);
Matricular Ensign/Registration Flag of San Juan de los Remedios de Cuba, Spain c1850 (fotw)
