CREST

crest, a town of south-eastern france, in the department of drome, on the right bank of the drome, 20 m. s.s.e. of valence by rail. pop. (1906) town, 3971; commune, 5660. it carries on silk-worm breeding, silk-spinning, and the manufacture of woollens, paper, leather and cement. there is trade in truffles. on the rock which commands the town stands a huge keep, the sole survival of a castle (12th century) to which crest was indebted for its importance in the middle ages and the religious wars. the rest of the castle was destroyed in the first half of the 17th century, after which the keep was used as a state prison. crest ranked for a time as the capital of the duchy of valentinois, and in that capacity belonged before the revolution to the prince of monaco. the communal charter, graven on stone and dating from the 12th century, is preserved in the public archives. ten miles south-east of crest lies the picturesque forest of saon. crest (lat. _crista_, a plume or tuft), the "comb" on an animal's head, and so any feathery tuft or excrescence, the "cone" of a helmet (by transference, the helmet itself), and the top or summit of anything. in heraldry (q.v.) a crest is a device, originally borne as a cognizance on a knight's helmet, placed on a wreath above helmet and shield in armorial bearings, and used separately on a seal or on articles of property. _cresting_, in architecture, is an ornamental finish in the wall or ridge of a building, which is common on the continent of europe. an example occurs at exeter cathedral, the ridge of which is ornamented with a range of small _fleurs-de-lis_ in lead.