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Two diagonal bands running opposite ways, one of which carries a reputation it does not deserve.
A bend runs from the top left of the shield to the bottom right as you look at it; a bend sinister runs the other way. The bend sinister is widely said to mark illegitimacy, and that is not quite right: the mark used in English practice was the narrower baton sinister, granted case by case rather than applied automatically. 'Bar sinister' is not a heraldic term at all — a bar is horizontal and cannot be sinister.
The two run in opposite diagonals and are constantly mistaken for one another; the bend sinister additionally carries a false reputation the bend does not.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Bend (heraldry) | Bend sinister |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | rotated | mirrored |
| Bend (heraldry) | Bend sinister | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction as you view it | Top left to bottom right | Top right to bottom left |
| Direction in blazon | Dexter chief to sinister base | Sinister chief to dexter base |
| Standing | An ordinary like any other | An ordinary like any other, despite the reputation |
| Illegitimacy | No association | Popularly associated; the mark actually used was the baton sinister |
| What to look for | The band descends to the right | The band descends to the left |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Bend sinister — The two run in opposite diagonals and are constantly mistaken for one another; the bend sinister additionally carries a false reputation the bend does not. | Commonly confused with Bend (heraldry) — Mirror images of one another, and the source of persistent confusion about which direction carries the reputation. |
Dexter and sinister are named from behind the shield, so dexter appears on the viewer's left. This reversal is the commonest source of error in reading a blazon and is the reason these two are confused so often.
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1909), via Project Gutenberg · retrieved 2026-08-20
The standard English-language reference, and a period one: published 1909, so it states Edwardian English practice as though universal and is occasionally sharp about continental usage. Cited for blazon terminology, the conventional depiction of charges, and — notably — for its own detailed refutation of tincture symbolism.
College of Arms, London · retrieved 2026-08-20
The heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for much of the Commonwealth. Authoritative for those jurisdictions only; Scottish practice differs and is governed separately.
Look at what the arms end in. A cross patonce widens outward and splits into three splayed points at each end; a cross fleury ends in a full fleur-de-lis. In practice the two are drawn so similarly that the standard authorities themselves differ over particular coats, and this is one of the genuinely unsettled distinctions in blazon.
Count the points. Both have arms that narrow at the centre and widen outward. A cross pattée ends in four straight edges — four points in total. A Maltese cross has each outer edge notched inward, producing two points per arm and eight in all.
Size and feet. An eagle is a principal charge, drawn large with wings spread and talons showing. A martlet is small, swallow-like, and has no feet at all — tufts of feathers appear where the legs would be. The martlet is also a cadency mark: in English practice it identifies a fourth son.
Look at the front half. A griffin has an eagle's beaked head, pointed ears, feathered wings and taloned forelegs on a lion's hindquarters; a lion is a lion throughout. A wingless griffin is not an error either — the male griffin is a distinct charge drawn without wings and set about with spikes.