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Marshalling of Arms
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If the shield you are blazoning is divided and displays two or more
distinct armorials, then you are blazoning a marshalling of arms.
These armorials fall into three basic categories:
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1. |
Shields with two sections, divided vertically.
These
often represent the arms of a husband and wife (baron
and femme,in heraldic terms) as in Example
1(a).
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vertical division is also used to marshall the arms of a bishop
or clergyman, combining the religious arms of the position held
with the individual's family arms, as in Example
1(b). |
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Example
1(a)
Example 1(b)
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2. |
Shields with four sections, divided quarterly (i.e., both
vertically and horizontally.
Such
shields display two, three, or four distinct armorials. The
armorial displayed in the upper left corner is always the
most important one.
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Example 2
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3. |
Shields with six or more sections, displaying five or more
distinct armorials.
Such
shields can very precisely represent the genealogy of an individual
by the placement of the various armorials. Unfortunately,
they are not always drawn carefully enough to do so.
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Example 3
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