As regards the Armorial Bearings, the principal charge is the fess chequy or bend chequy — that is, a belt across the shield composed of rows, usually three, of squares, alternately blue and silver in the case of the Stewarts, and black and silver in that of the Menteths. This charge is supposed to be derived from the chess, or chequered, board used by the Stewards in calculating their accounts.