The Pheon Cross
A pattern with a dark image and legal restrictions on its use, the Pheon Cross is rarely seen
The Pheon Cross
Two examples of the Pheon Cross
(click any image to enlarge)
As seen in the illustrations on the left, the arrow heads of the Pheon Cross may be pointing outwards or inwards, and the arms may be long or short. For each arrow head, the distinguishing feature is the engrailed inner blades. (If an arrow's inner edges are smooth then one of several different names is used, as described on the Barbee Cross page.)
Pheon
So a pheon is described as a flat, engrailed, barbed arrow, with no other particular meaning. It is incorporated in a few heraldic coats of arms, mainly English.
This arrow head (a single pheon, not the cross) was used by the Office of Ordnance created by Henry VIII in 1544 and became a common mark on anything being the property of the monarch. The etymology of pheon and why this symbol was chosen are both unknown, but the east-facing Norman 'Broad Arrow Tower', one of 13 defensive towers around the Tower of London, was built by Henry III some time between 1238 and 1272 to house part of the garrison. They presumably carried lances with the broad arrow pattern.
In 1698 it became illegal to mark anything with the symbol which was not government property, and it is still an offence today. The mark was ubiquitous in the two World Wars and appeared on ordnance and military equipment, although not on war-related civilian ID cards or food ration cards.
Large broad arrows were printed on British prison uniforms from the 1870s. Not surprisingly, convicts throughout Britain and its colonies felt uncomfortable at being branded 'Government Property' and the fashion was officially retired in 1922. (Some older prisons in Britain still have a few items in use bearing this mark.)
Perhaps because of the symbol's dark image and the restriction on its use since 1698, the Pheon Cross is rarely seen.
