Compartment (heraldry) Compartment (heraldry) In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount ("mount vert"), or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing. Care must be taken to distinguish true compartments from items upon which supporters are merely resting one or more feet, or, sometimes, mere heraldic badges or pure decoration under the shield, and, conversely, care must also be taken in very unusual cases such as the coat of arms of Belize, in which what may be taken to be a crest, the mahogany tree rising above the
Lion (heraldry) to Heraldry" (1829): English heraldist Charles Boutell wrote in 1890 that the lions of England were generally termed "leopards" until the end of the 14th century, including in the roll of arms of Henry III of England, and in a statute of Edward I of England, dating to 1300, which made reference to ""signée de une teste de leopart"—marked with the King's lion." In "English Heraldry" (1867), Boutell explained: In "Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning" (1976), German heraldist Ottfried Neubecker explained: According to Neubecker, what in Old French is termed a "léopard" is always "guardant" (head turned toward the observer),