A generic fetterlock, from A. C. Fox-Davies's Complete Guide to Heraldry
Falcon and Fetterlock Badge of Edward IV

A fetterlock is a sort of shackle that is a common charge in heraldry, often displayed in a way that resembles a padlock.

King Edward IV used a heraldic badge consisting of a fetterlock and a falcon. This was originally the badge of the first Duke of York, Edmund Langley, who used the falcon of the Plantagenets in a golden fetterlock. This was also used by his grandson Richard of York, who displayed the fetterlock opened.[1]

Fetterlocks feature in the crests of the Wyndham family of Norfolk, the Long family of Wiltshire and Clan Grierson of the Scottish Lowlands.

References

  1. ^ Friar, Stephen, ed. (1987). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. London: Alphabooks/A&C Black. p. 141. ISBN 0 906670 44 6.
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