Bird's-Foot trefoil is the popular name of Lotus corniculatus, and one or two other creeping leguminous plants common in Britain. The common bird's-foot trefoil is a common British plant, and is found in most parts of Europe as well as in Asia, North Africa and Australia, and is a useful pasture-plant. Research Bird's-Foot Trefoil
The buck-bean (Menyanthes trifoliate) or bog-bean or marsh-trefoil is a perennialherb of the family Gentianaceae. It has a thick, far-creeping rhizome which bears alternate, long-stalked trifoliate leaves with sheafing bases and an erect leafless stem topped by a raceme of numerous five-lobed white or pinkish coloured flowers. It is common in boggy soils and at the edges of ponds and lakes, and is found in England, Europe and North America. It is a bitter tasting plant and was once used as a tonic. Research Buck-bean
Clover (Trifolium) also known as trefoil known from the division of the leaf into three leaflets, is a name of different species of plants of the natural order Leguminosse. There are about 150 species, of which 18 are natives of Britain. Some are weeds, but many species are valued as food for cattle. Trifolium pratense, or common red clover, is a biennial, and sometimes, especially on chalky soils, a triennial plant. This is the kind most commonly cultivated, as it yields a larger product than any of the other sorts. Trifolium repens, or white clover, is a most valuable plant for pasturage over the whole of Europe, Central Asia, and North America, and has also been introduced into South America. The bee gathers much of its honey from the flowers of this species.
Trifolium hybridum, Alsike, hybrid, or Swedish clover, has been long cultivated in the south of Sweden, and for some time also in other countries; it is strongly recommended for cold, moist, stiff soils. It resembles the common red clover in duration, stature, and mode of growth. Trifolium medium, perennial red or meadow clover, much resembles the common red, but differs somewhat in habit, and the bright red flowers are larger and form a less compact head. Its produce is less in quantity, and not so nutritive, as that of the common red. The name clover is often applied to plants like medick and melilot, cultivated for the same purpose and belonging to the same natural order, although not of the same genus. Research Clover
The strawberry (Fragaria) is a genus of low growing perennials of the Rosaceae family. The bright red fruit is the swollen and fleshy base of the flower, and has numerous achenes embedded on the surface, and are rich in vitamin C. The leaves are trefoil, rough, and toothed, hairy on the underside. The flowers are white or yellow, five-petalled and unisexual. Strawberries propagate themselves by way of fast-growing runners. There are eight species, of which Fragaria vesca is native to Great Britain. Research Strawberry
The standard English deck of cards consists of four suits of cards: diamonds, clubs, hearts and spades; each suit containing pip cards ranging in value from one (ace) to ten, plus three court cards: knave (jack), queen, and king.
The Spanish deck of playing cards comprised four suits: pinks (diamonds); rabbits (clubs); roses (hearts) and columbines (spades) which later evolved into dineros (diamonds); bastos (clubs); copas (hearts) and espados (spades).
The French deck comprised four suits: carreaux (artisans, equivalent to diamonds); trefle (clover, equivalent to clubs); choeur (ecclesiastics, equivalent to hearts) and pique (pikemen, equivalent to spades).
From the French and Spanish playing card decks evolved the British form, with spades being represented by the French form of a pike with an evolution of the Spanish name (swords); clubs being the French trefoilclover and hearts being a corruption of the French choeur into coeur.
The court cards are so named on account of their heraldic dress. The king of clubs originally represented the arms of the pope; the king of spades the King of France; the king of diamonds the King of Spain and the king of hearts the King of England. In the French deck the king of spades is called David; the king of clubs Alexander; the king of diamonds Caesar and the king of hearts is called Charles - representing the Jewish, Greek, Roman and Frankish empires.
The queens or dames are Argine - the queen of hearts is Juno, the queen of clubs Judith, the queen of diamonds Rachel and the queen of spades is Pallas representing royalty, fortitude, piety and wisdom. The four queens were originally depicted in likeness of Marie d'Anjou, the queen of Charles VII; Isabeau, the queen mother; Agnes Sorel, the king's mistress; and Joan of Arc, the dame of war.
Playing cards are typically manufactured from pasteboard, but sometimes from plastic which is much more har wearing, and are produced in a number of shapes and sizes. The standard deck or bridge deck consists of rectangular cards 3.5 inches by 2.25 inches with rounded corners. The poker deck is slightly larger, 3.5 inches by 2.375 inches. Patience decks are roughly half the size of a standard deck and are designed for sole play.
In ancient times, the best playing cards were known as Mogul cards, because the wrapper they were contained within carried a picture of the Great Mogul. Playing cards with a speck, mark or imperfection were known as Harrys.
Formerly in Britain playing cards were taxed. In 1862 a government duty of 3d was levied on each pack. Previously it was 1 shilling, and in the earlier part of the 19th century century 2 shillings and 6d. Manufacturers in Britain formerly had to pay an annual license of twenty shillings. Research Playing Cards
Early English architecture was the first of the pointed or Gothic styles of architecture that prevailed in England. It succeeded the Norman in the reign of Richard I (1189), and continued to the end of the reign of Henry II in 1272, a period of 123 years when it gradually merged into the Decorated style - some argue that the early English style continued until 1307.
One of the leading peculiarities in this style is the form of the windows, which are narrow in proportion to their height, and terminate in a pointed arch, resembling the blade of a lancet. Throughout the early period of the style they are very plain, particularly in small churches;
but in cathedrals and other large buildings the windows, frequently combined two or more together, are carried to a great height, are richly and deeply moulded, and the jambs ornamented with slender shafts. On the eastern and western fronts of small churches the windows are often combined in this manner, with a circular window above and a richly moulded door below; but in large buildings there is often more than one range of windows, and the combinations are very various. Though
separated on the outside, these lancets are in the interior combined into one design, thus giving the first idea of a compound window.
The doorways are in general pointed, and in rich buildings sometimes double; they are usually moulded, and enriched with the tooth-ornament. The buttresses are often very bold and prominent, and are frequently carried up to the top of the building with but little diminution, and terminate in acutely-pointed pediments, which, when raised above the parapet, produce in some degree the effect of pinnacles. In this style, likewise, flying-buttresses were first introduced, and the buttresses themselves much increased in projection owing to the comparative lightness of the walls, which required some counter-support to resist the outward pressure of the vaulting.
The roof in the Early English style appears always to have been high pitched, and the towers surmounted by lofty pointed spires, as at Salisbury Cathedral. In the interior the arches are usually lancet-shaped, and the pillars often reduced to very slender proportions. As if to give still greater lightness of appearance, they are frequently made up of a centre pillar, surrounded by slight detached shafts, only connected with the pillar by their capitals and bases, and bands of metal placed at intervals. These shafts are generally of Purbeckmarble, the pillar itself being of stone, and from their extreme slenderness they sometimes appear as if quite inadequate to support the weight above them. Some of the best examples are to be seen in SalisburyCathedral.
The architects of this style carried their ideas of lightness to the utmost limits of prudence, and their successors have been afraid to imitate their example. The abacus of the capitals is generally made up of two bold round mouldings, with a deep hollow between. The foliage is peculiar, generally very gracefully drawn, and thrown into elegant curves; it is usually termed stiff-leaved, from the circumstance of its rising with a stiff stem from the neck-mould of the capital. The trefoil is commonly imitated, and is very characteristic of the style. The mouldings of this style have great boldness, and produce a striking effect of light and shade. They consist chiefly of rounds separated by deep hollows, in which a peculiar ornament, called the dog's-tooth, is used, whenever ornament can be introduced. This ornament is as characteristic of the Early English as the zigzag is of the Norman. Research Early English
In architecture a foil is the space between the cusps in Gothicarchitecture; a rounded or leaf like ornament, in windows, niches, etc. A group of foils is called trefoil, quatrefoil, quinquefoil, etc. , according to the number of arcs of which it is composed. Research Foil
In heraldry, the term flourished means adorned with trefoils, fleur-de-lys, &c. For example a flourished cross is one where the arms terminate in a trefoil, or a fleur-de-lys.
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bird's-Foot Trefoil
