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Heraldry: Where Art and Family History Meet 1Part II: Marshalling and Cadency © Richard A. M cFarlane (2015)

Heraldry: Where Art and Family History MeetPart II: Marshalling and Cadency

byRichard A. McFarlane, J.D., Ph.D.

Image: The arms of Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. Blazon: Quarterly: 1st, Gules a Bend1

between six Cross Crosslets fitchée Argent, on the bend (as an Honourable Augmentation) an Escutcheon Or charged with aDemi-Lion rampant pierced through the mouth by an Arrow within a Double Tressure flory counter-flory of the first (Howard);2nd, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or in chief a Label of three points Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd,Checky Or and Azure (Warren); 4th, Gules a Lion rampant Or (Fitzalan); behind the shield two gold batons in saltire,enamelled at the ends Sable (as Earl Marshal). Crests: 1st, issuant from a Ducal Coronet Or a Pair of Wings Gules eachcharged with a Bend between six Cross Crosslets fitchée Argent (Howard); 2nd, on a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lionstatant guardant with tail extended Or ducally gorged Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd, on a Mount Vert a Horse passantArgent holding in his mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper (Fitzalan) Supporters: Dexter: a Lion Argent; Sinister: a HorseArgent holding in his mouth a Slip of Oak Vert fructed proper. Motto: Sola Virtus Invicta (Virtue alone is unconquerable). Wikipedia. “Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fitzalan-Howard,_18th_Duke_of_Norfolk#Titles_and_styles. Accessed: October 17, 2015.


Marshalling is — 1

Marshalling is the combining of multiple coats of arms into one achievement to show

decent from multiple armigerous families, marriage between two armigerous families, or holding

an office. Marshalling is accomplished in one of three ways: dimidiation, impalement, and

Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1909, reprint. New1

York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 523.


quartering. 1

Upper Image: Wikipedia. Created to demonstrate heraldic dimidiation. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File1

:Dimidiation_demo.svg. Accessed: October 14, 2015. Lower Image: Wikipedia. Created to demonstrate heraldic dimidiation.Joining together of two heraldic shields creates bogus "chevron".https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dimidiation,_worse_case_ demo.svg. Accessed: October 14, 2015.


York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 523-524.


Two Coats of Arms, One Shield — 1

Dimindiation placed the dexter side of the husband’s arms on the dexter side of the new

combined shield, and the sinister side of the wife’s arms on the sinister side. It can lead to

confusion, as in the lower example, and is no longer used. 2

Upper Image: Wikipedia. Created to demonstrate heraldic impalement. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki1

/File:Impalement_demo.svg. Accessed: October 26, 2015. Lower Image: Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Blazon: Quarterly, 1stand 4th, Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langed Azure, 2nd Or a lion rampant Gules armed andlangued Azure within a double tressure flory counterflory of the second, 3rd Azure a harp Or stringed Argent, the wholedifferenced with a label of three points Argent with the central point charged with a Tudor rose; impaled with a shield quarterlyGules and Azure a lion rampant regardant within an orle Or (for Rhys-Jones). Supporters: Dexter, a lion rampant gardant Orcrowned with the coronet of the rank of a child of the Sovereign proper; Sinister a wyvern Azure, gorged with a coronet Orcomposed of crosses pattées and fleurs de lis a chain affixed also Or. Motto: CAS GêR NI CHÂR Y WLAD A'I MACO(Welsh: Hateful the man who loves not the country that nurtured him).


Two Coats of Arms, One Shield — 1

Impaling places one entire coat of arms on one side of the shield, and another entire coat

of arms on the other. It is preferred over dimindiation, for obvious reasons.

In the case of a married couple, if the wife is not an “heiress,” meaning her father is

armigerious and she has brothers who will inherit the arms, the husband places his arms on the

dexter side of the new, combined shield, and his wife’s father’s arms on the sinister side. This

United Kingdom. College of Arms. “The Arms of Individuals in Same-Sex Marriages.” March 29,, 2014. Online.1

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:kings-ruling-2014&catid=12:resources&Itemid=216. Accessed: September 20, 2015.


new coat of arms indicates the union of the two families through marriage, however, it does not

pass on to the next generation.

The College Arms in London has decided:

(1) A man who contracts a same-sex marriage may impale the arms of hishusband with his own on a shield or banner but should bear his own crest ratherthan the crests of both parties. The coat of arms of each party to the marriage willbe distinguishable (1) by the arms of the individual concerned being placed on thedexter side of the shield or banner and (2) by the crest (when included). When oneof the parties to the marriage dies, the survivor may continue to bear the combinedarms on a shield or banner.

(2) A woman who contracts a same-sex marriage may bear arms on ashield or banner, impaling the arms of her wife with her own or (in cases where theother party is an heraldic heiress) placing the arms of her wife in pretence. Thecoat of arms of each party to the marriage will be distinguishable by the arms ofthe individual concerned being placed on the dexter side of the shield or banner (ordisplayed as the principal arms in cases where the other party is an heraldic heiresswhose arms are borne in pretence). When one of the parties to the marriage dies,the survivor may bear the combined arms on a lozenge or banner.

(3) A married man will continue to have the option of bearing his own armsalone. A ruling of the Kings of Arms made on 6 November 1997 allows a marriedwoman to bear her own arms alone differenced by a small escutcheon. That willcontinue to be the case but the addition of the mark of difference will forthwith beoptional.1

The example shows the arms of Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward,

Earl of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son. The arms show, on the dexter half, those of the

Queen differenced with a label of three points Argent with the central point charged with a Tudor

rose; impaled with the arms of her father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, “a shield quarterly Gules and

Azure a lion rampant regardant within an orle Or.”

Left image: arms of Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley. Blazon: Arms impaled. Dexter: Azure, a cross fleurettee Or;1

issuant from a base bary wavy of five, of the first and Argent, a mount of three coteaux of the second. Sinister: Gules, a ship ofthree masts, at sail, Or, between three stars Argent; on a chief of the third the arms of the Franciscan Order; upon a Latin crossSable two arms in saltak, the one to dexter uncovered and the one to sinister habited of the Order of St. Francis, both handsdisplaying the Stigmata, all Proper. Wikimedia Commons. Coat of arms of Sean Patrick O'Malley.svg. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_Sean_Patrick_O%27Malley.svg. Accessed: October 31, 2015. Right image: Arms of Right image: Arms of Sir James Monteith Grant, Lord Lyon King of Arms (1969-1981). Blazoned: Partedper pale; dexter, Argent, a lion sejant full faced Gules, holding in his dexter paw a Thistle slipped Vert, flowered proper, andin the sinister a shield (or inescutcheon) of the Second, on a chief Azure a St. Andrew's Cross of the First (the Lord Lyon Kingof Arms); sinister, Argent, a quill pen Or, feathered Gules between two manches Sable, on a chief of the Third three antiquecrowns of the Second (his personal arms). The whole ensigned with a King of Arms crown gold, the cap Gules tasselled Or.Crest: A dexter hand issuant proper, grasping a chevron couped Gules. Motto: ADSUM Supporters: On a compartment twoblack faced rams proper. http://heraldry.ca/arms/g/grant.jpg. Accessed: October 31, 2015.


More Examples — 1

Other than a married couple, impairment is also used to combine the arms of an office with

the arms of the officeholder. In the examples above, the one on the left shows the arms of

Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Catholic Archbishop of Boston. The image on the right shows

the arms of Sir James Monteith Grant, Lord Lyon King of Arms from 1969 to 1981. In both


examples, the dexter half shows the arms of the office, the sinister half the arms of the individual.

Obviously, the arms of the office do not descend to the armiger’s children, while the personal

arms may.

Image: Wikipedia. Created to demonstrate escutcheon of pretence. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki1

/File:Escutcheon_of_pretence_demo.svg. Accessed: October 14, 2015.

J.P. Brooke-Little, rev., Boutell’s Heraldry (London: Frederick Ware, 1978) 140; Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A2

Complete Guide to Heraldry (New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1909, reprint. New York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 539-540.


Escutcheon of Pretence — 1

Another system is escutcheon of pretence. If the wife is a heraldic heiress, that is, she has

no brothers to inherit her father’s arms or was granted arms in her own right, her husband places

her arms on a small shield, or escutcheon, in the middle of his arms. This escutcheon is “of

pretence” because the husband is “pretending to,” or claiming without a legal right to, the arms of

his wife. Their son, as the heir of both his mother and father, quarters the arms of both his parents

in a new shield.2

Upper Image: Rampant Lion Collections. FAQ. http://www.rampantlioncollections.com/?page=coat&sub1

=coatfaq#hop. Accessed: October 17, 2015. Lower: Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond. Blazon: Quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters, the Royal Arms of Charles II (viz. quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly;2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland); the whole within a Bordure company Argent charged with Roses Gules barbed and seeded properand the last; overall an Escutcheon Gules charged with three Buckles Or (the Dukedom of Aubigny); 2nd grand quarter, Argenta Saltire engrailed Gules between four Roses of the second barbed and seeded proper (Lennox); 3rd grand quarter, quarterly,1st, Azure three Boars' Heads couped Or (Gordon); 2nd, Or three Lions' Heads erased Gules (Badenoch); 3rd, Or threeCrescents within a Double Tressure flory counter-flory Gules (Seton); 4th, Azure three Cinquefoils Argent (Fraser) Crests: 1st,a Bull's Head erased Sable horned Or; 2nd, on a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant guardant Or crowned with aDucal Coronet Gules and gorged with a Collar company of four pieces Argent charged with eight Roses Gules and the last; 3rd,out of a Ducal Coronet a Stag's Head affrontée proper attired with ten Tynes Or. Supporters: Dexter: an Unicorn Argent armed,crined and unguled Or; Sinister: an Antelope Argent, also armed, crined and unguled Or, each supporter gorged with a Collarcompany as the crest. Mottoes: Over the 1st crest, Avant Darnlie; over the 2nd crest, En La Rose Je Fleuris; and over the 3rdcrest, Bydand. Cracroft’s Peerage. Richmond, Duke of. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/richmond1675.htm. Accessed: October 31, 2015.


Quarterings — 1

Quartering combines the arms of several families into one shield to show descent. In the

hypothetical example above, the man holding the arms Vert, a fess engrailed, has two children, a

J.P. Brooke-Little, rev., Boutell’s Heraldry (London: Frederick Ware, 1978) 140-145; Arthur Charles Fox-Davies,1

A Complete Guide to Heraldry (New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1909, reprint. New York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 547-555.

J.P. Brooke-Little, rev., Boutell’s Heraldry (London: Frederick Ware, 1978) 140-145; Arthur Charles Fox-Davies,2

A Complete Guide to Heraldry (New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1909, reprint. New York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 547-555.


daughter and a son. The daughter, who is not an heraldic heiress because she has a brother, bears

her father’s arms on a lozenge. When she marries her husband, who bears the arms Argent, a

cross azure, the two coats of arms are impaled. Their son does not inherit his mother’s arms, only

those of his father. On the other hand, her brother marries an heraldic heiress, either his wife has

no brothers or was granted arms in her own right. He places her arms on the escutcheon of

pretense because he pretends to represent her family as well has his own. Their son combines the

two coats of arms into a new achievement. English custom is to disassemble any existing

quarterings, and reassemble the coat of arms in the simplest possible composition, as shown in the

example. The Scottish practice is to include the husband’s and wife’s coats of arms as received

with their quarterings intact. 1

The quarters of a shield are numbered: the dexter chief is first, the sinister chief is second,

the dexter base is third, and the sinister base is fourth. The quarters may be divided into quarters

themselves, as in the Scottish practice, in which the quarters within quarters are termed “grand-

quarters,” “great-grand-quarters” and so forth. One’s father’s arms are always placed in the first

quarter, and one’s mother’s father’s arms are placed in the second. If necessary, quarters may be

repeated in reverse order to achieve an artistic balance. 2

Quartering is something of a misnomer in that, in English and continental practice,

quarters are sometimes more than four. Hence, a coat of arms may be “quarterly of six,” or

Iain Moncreiffe and Don Pottinger, Simple Heraldry, 1 American ed. (New York:: Mayflower Books, 1979) 23-1 st

25.

Cracroft’s Peerage. Richmond, Duke of. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/richmond1675.htm. 2

Accessed: October 31, 2015.


“quarterly of eight,” or whatever is necessary, but always an even number. The first quartering

being repeated in the final quarter, if necessary. One extreme example is George Nugent-Temple-

Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham, who had a coat of arms with 719 quarterings. 1

The arms of Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, are blazoned:

Quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters, the Royal Arms of Charles II (viz. quarterly: 1st and 4th,

France and England quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland); the whole within a Bordure

company Argent charged with Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper and the last; (the

Dukedom of Richmond) overall an Escutcheon Gules charged with three Buckles Or (the

Dukedom of Aubigny); 2nd grand quarter, Argent a Saltire engrailed Gules between four Roses

of the second barbed and seeded proper (Dukedom of Lennox); 3rd grand quarter, quarterly,

1st, Azure three Boars' Heads couped Or (Gordon); 2nd, Or three Lions' Heads erased Gules

(Badenoch); 3rd, Or three Crescents within a Double Tressure flory counter-flory Gules (Seton);

4th, Azure three Cinquefoils Argent (Fraser) . 2

The King Charles II granted the title “Duke of Richmond” to Charles Lennox, his

illegitimate son by his mistress, Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Aubigny and Duchess of

Portsmouth, in August 1675. Charles Lennox was further created in the “Duke of Lennox” a

month later. Charles’ son, also Charles, succeeded to the Dukedom of Aubigny on the death of his

grandmother in 1734. The 6th Duke of Richmond and Lennox was created Duke of Gordon in


1876. Thus, the current Duke holds three dukedoms (four, if the French Aubigny claim is

accepted), more than any other person in the realm.

His arms represent all of this history and these titles. The first and fourth quarters

represent the Dukes’ illegitimate descent from King Charles II and the Duchess of Aubigny, The

second quarter represents the Dukedom of Lennox. The third quarter is itself quartered showing

descent from four distinguished Scottish families, including Clan Gordon, and was brought to the

Gordon-Lennox coat of arms, along with the Gordon surname, when Lady Charlotte Gordon

married Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond & Lennox, and her brother, George Duncan

Gordon, died without male issue. Their grandson became Duke of Gordon in 1876.

Left: Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. Blazon: Blazon: Wikipedia. “Edward Fitzalan-1

Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fitzalan-Howard,_18th_Duke_of_Norfolk#Titles_and_styles. Accessed: October 17, 2015. Right: HH Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquessof Carisbrooke, Blazon: Quarterly, 1st and 4th grand quarters, the Royal Arms as borne by Queen Victoria differenced by aLabel of three points Argent the centre point charged with a Heart Gules and each of the other points with a Rose of the lastbarbed and seeded proper; 2nd and 3rd grand quarters, quarterly, 1st and 4th, Azure Lion rampant double queued barry of tenArgent and Gules armed and langued of the last crowned Or within a Bordure company and the second and third; 2nd and 3rd,Argent two Pallets Sable. Crests: 1st: Out of a Coronet Or two Horns barry of ten Argent and Gules issuing from each threeLinden Leaves Vert and from the outer side of each four Branches barwise having three like Leaves pendant therefrom of thelast; 2nd: Out of a Coronet Or a Plume of four Ostrich Feathers alternatively Argent and Sable. Supporters: On either side aLion guardant double queued Or. Motto: In Te Domine Spero (I trust in you, o Lord). Wikimedia Commons. File: Coat ofArms of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mountbatten,_1st_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke#/media/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Alexander_Mountbatten,_1st_Marquess_of_Carisbrooke.svg. Accessed: October 31, 2015.


Examples — 1

Left: The arms of Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk are blazoned:

Quarterly: 1st, Gules a Bend between six Cross Crosslets fitchée Argent, on the bend (as an

Honourable Augmentation) an Escutcheon Or charged with a Demi-Lion rampant pierced


through the mouth by an Arrow within a Double Tressure flory counter-flory of the first

(Howard); 2nd, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or in chief a Label of three points

Argent (Plantagenet of Norfolk); 3rd, Checky Or and Azure (Warren); 4th, Gules a Lion rampant

Or (Fitzalan). The current Duke of Norfolk is descended from several noble families, and has a

complex genealogy. The Howards have held the Dukedom of Norfolk for over five hundred

years. The Plantagenets of Norfolk were a cadet branch of the English Royal Family descended

from the fifth son of King Edward I. The Warrens were descended from William de Warenne, a

close companion of William the Conqueror. The FitzAlans were also in league with William the

Conqueror, and received the title Earl of Arundel.

Right: The arms of His Highness Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of

Carisbrooke, are blazoned: Quarterly, 1st and 4th grand quarters, the Royal Arms as borne by

Queen Victoria differenced by a Label of three points Argent the centre point charged with a

Heart Gules and each of the other points with a Rose of the last barbed and seeded proper; 2nd

and 3rd grand quarters, quarterly, 1st and 4th, Azure, a Lion rampant double queued barry of

ten Argent and Gules armed and langued of the last crowned Or within a Bordure company of

the second and third; 2nd and 3rd, Argent two Pallets Sable.

Alexander Albert Mountbatten was a decedent of the German princely House of

Battenberg and of the British Royal Family. He was a grandson of Queen Victoria through her

fifth daughter and youngest child, Princess Beatrice. Princess Beatrice married Prince Henry of

Battenburg. Alexander Albert was a Prince of Battenberg from his birth until 1917, when he and

other members of the British Royal Family relinquished their German titles during the First World


War. He was created Marquess of Carisbrooke by his cousin, King George V. He was a cousin

of both Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and of Queen Elizabeth II. His arms depict his

dissent from the British Royal Family in the first and fourth quarters by displaying the arms of his

mother, Princess Beatrice. The second and third quarters show his father’s arms, which, are

themselves a quartering of the arms of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in the first and fourth grand-

quarters and the arms of Battenburg, a town in Hesse, and the family seat, in the second and third

grand-quarters.

Upper Image: International Heraldry and Heralds. http://www.internationalheraldry.com/#marshalling. Accessed:1

October 17, 2015. Lower Image: Philip D. Blanton, An American Heraldic Primer. American Heraldry Society. http://www.americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Primer.Page5. Accessed: October 17, 2015.


York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 477-507, quotation at page 477; J.P. Brooke-Little, rev., Boutell’s Heraldry (London: FrederickWare, 1978) 103-124; Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk & Don Pottinger, Simple Heraldry, (New York: Mayflower Books, 1979) 16-26.


Cadency — 1

Cadency is the method of distinguishing or differencing a coat of arms to show the

armiger is a younger son, or cadet. According to Fox-Davis, “The obligation of cadet lines to

difference their arms was recognized practically universally by the fourteenth century; and when,

later, the systematic use of differencing seemed in danger of being ignored, it was made the

subject of specific legislation.” 2


Under the English system, certain marks, called “brisures,” are added to the shield as a

charge to difference the arms of younger sons from their father and eldest brother. The most

well-known brisure is the label. The label is a horizontal stripe, or bar, with three vertical stripes,

or pallets retrait issuant therefrom, and is reserved for the eldest son, and heir, during the life of

his father. On the father’s death, the heir removes the label, and assumes the undifferenced arms.

The eldest son of the eldest son typically bears a label of five points. The label may be of any

tincture.

Although not a good example of the rules generally, the most common example of labels

being used to difference arms is the British Royal Family. The Prince of Wales, as heir to the

throne, bears the royal arms differenced by plain label argent. His brothers, the Duke of York and

the Earl of Wessex, and his sister, the Princess Royal, also bear the royal arms differenced by a

label of three points argent, but each point is charged with some mark or combination of marks.

The Queen’s male line grandchildren also bear the royal arms differenced with labels of five

points, charged with various marks. Other than the Prince of Wales, who removes the label when

he becomes king, these labels become part of the individual’s arms, and there are many examples

of individuals descended from cadet branches of the Royal House still bearing the various versions

of the royal arms differenced with various labels.

Generally, under the English system, each younger son adds a mark to the shield showing

his place in the family: the second son, a crescent; the third son, a mullet [a five-pointed star]; the

fourth son a martlet [a bird]; and so forth. This system was invented in about 1500 by John

College of Arms. Resources. Law of Arms. Online. http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/the-law-of-arms.1

Accessed: November 8, 2015. Italics added for emphasis.



Ian de Minvielle-Devaux, “Differencing in England, France and Scotland,” Coat of Arms, no.147, Autumn 1989.3

Available online. The Heraldry Society. Artiles. http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/articles/marshalling_and_cadency/differencing_in_england_scotland_and_france.htm. Accessed: November 8, 2015. Footnotes omitted.

College of Arms. Resources. Law of Arms. Online. http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/the-law-of-arms.4

Accessed: November 8, 2015. Italics added for emphasis.


Writhe, Garter King of Arms. According to Fox-Davies, “The second son of the second son1

places a crescent upon a crescent, the third son a mullet on a crescent, the fourth son a martlet on

a crescent, and so on.” Obviously, this system would soon become unworkable. Ian de2

Minvielle-Devaux wrote,

Notwithstanding all this, the actual practice of differencing fell away sharply inEngland in the sixteenth century, and by the seventeenth century there were fewexamples of the practice, apart from some use of the minor cadency marks. Eventhis use, which was never a general one, soon died out almost completely,although it continued to be described and recommended by writers on heraldryuntil the twentieth century. ... Indeed the English system of differencing accordingto seniority has recently been described by an English herald as being ‘permissiverather than mandatory.’ The usual English practice is now (as it has been for along time) for all legitimate male line descendants of a grantee of arms to use thearms without any difference, although some authors suggest that it is‘discourteous’ of younger branches not to use some mark of difference from thehead of the family.3

The College of Arms’ official web site states, “The arms of a man pass equally to all his legitimate

children, irrespective of their order of birth.” In the December 2007 issue of the Heraldry4

Society's newsletter, Heraldry Gazette, Garter King of Arms Peter Gwynn-Jones wrote, “I have

never favored the system of cadency unless there is a need to mark out distinct branches of a

particular family. To use cadency marks for each and every generation is something of a nonsense

Peter Gwynn-Jones, The Heraldry Gazette, n.s. 106 (December 2007): 8–9. 1

Thomas Innes of Learney, Scots Heraldry, 2d ed. (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1956) 104. 2


York: Bonanza Books, 1978) 500-503; Thomas Innes of Learney, Scots Heraldry, 2d ed. (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1956)101-111.


as it results in a pile of indecipherable marks set one above the other. I therefore adhere to the

view that they should be used sparingly. ... I believe it right in England and Wales for a branch to

use cadency marks sparingly and only if they wish to do so.” 1

Under the English practice, arms descend only through the male line, so a woman uses the

arms of her father undifferenced, regardless of whether she has brothers or sisters. If she has no

brothers, and is thus an heraldic heiress, she passes her father’s coat of arms to her son quartered

with the arms of her husband. Her sisters do likewise. Canada has a system of cadency marks for

daughters, but the system is not rigorously enforced.

In Scotland, the practice of differencing arms is still enforced. The basic assumption of

Scottish heraldry is “one man, one coat of arms.” Only the head of the family, usually the clan

chief, has the right to the undifferenced arms. This assumption has led to a complex system of

cadency illustrated above. Usually, arms are differenced by bourders of different tinctures, each

tincture representing a different brother. The colour-on-colour/metal-on-metal rule is not applied

to bourders, but if the field and the bordure are coincidently the same, “the practice is to employ a

bordure chequy or counter-compony for that cadet.” In subsequent generations, bordures may2

be parted, or the line of the bourder may be changed, or the bourder charged, or, finally, new

charges, including English marks of cadency, may be added to the shield. 3

Left Image: Arms of Andrew Ian Henry Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford blazoned: Argent a Lion rampant Gules on a1

Chief sable three Escallops of the first. Crest: A Goat statant Argent armed and unguled Or. Supporters: Dexter: a Lionrampant Gules gorged with a Collar Argent charged with three Escallops Sable; Sinister: a Goat Argent armed unguled andbearded Or. Motto: Che Sera Sera (What will be, will be). Cracroft's Peerage: The Complete Guide to the British Peerage &Baronetage. Bedford, Duke of (E, 1694). http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content /bedford1694.htm. Accessed:October 17, 2015. Right Image: Arms of John Francis Russell, 7th Earl Russell, blazoned: Argent, a Lion rampant Gules on aChief Sable three Escallops of the field, over the centre Escallop a Mullet for difference. Crest: A Goat statant Argent armedand unguled Or. Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion Gules, and on the sinister side an Heraldic Antelope also Gules armedunguled tufted ducally gorged and chained, the Chain reflexed over the back Or, each supporter charged on the shoulder with aMullet Argent. Motto: Che Sera Sera (What will be, will be). Wikipedia. Earl Russell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Russell. Accessed: October 17, 2015. Cracroft's Peerage: The Complete Guide to the British Peerage & Baronetage. Russell,Earl (UK, 1861). http://www .cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/russell1861.htm. Accessed: October 17, 2015.


Example — 1

The arms of the Dukes of Bedford and the arms of the Earls Russell show the English

system in use.

The arms of the Duke of Bedford, seen on the left, are blazoned: Argent, a Lion rampant

Gules on a Chief sable three Escallops of the first. The arms of the Earl Russell are blazoned:


Argent, a Lion rampant Gules on a Chief Sable three Escallops of the field, over the centre

Escallop a Mullet for difference. John Russell was a prominent politician during the reign of

Queen Victoria. He held several important cabinet posts, including twice being prime minister. In

1861, Queen Victoria created him Earl Russell. He was also the third son of John Russell, the

sixth Duke of Bedford, himself a prominent politician during the reign of King George III. Thus,

Earl Russell bears the arms of the Duke with a mullet on the second escallop as a mark of

cadency.

All four images: Heraldry Society of Scotland, HSS Members-Scots Arms. http://heraldry-scotland.com/copgal1

/thumbnails.php?album=7&page=1. Accessed: October 16, 2015.

Matriculated: The Court of the Lord Lyon 22nd August 1980. Lyon Register, volume 64, folio 72.2


The Arms of the Randall Family — 1

The Randall Family differences their arms according to the Scottish system.

The arms of John Richard Cary Randall are in the upper left corner. They are blazoned:

Gules, on a cross engraild Argent four horseshoes open ends uppermost Sable, at the centre

point a rose of the First barbed and seeded Vert. Crest: a pine martin standant guardant Proper.

Motto: CUM FIDE ET HONORE (Latin: With Faith and Honor). 2

According to John Richard Cary Randall’s statement on the Heraldry Society of

Scotland’s web site:

John Richard Cary Randal. Heraldry Society of Scotland, HSS Members-Scots Arms. http://heraldry-scotland.com1

/copgal/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=30. Accessed: October 17, 2015.

Matriculated: the Court of the Lord Lyon 22nd August 1980. Lyon Register, volume 64, folio 72. 2


The Lord Lyon granted my father, the late Cary Francis Martin Randall, (L/R57/118) the basic arms (Gules a cross Argent) of Sir John Randolf, son of SirThomas Randolf of Strathnith and the elder brother of Thomas, Earl of Moray(flourished circa 1298). This associates our lineage with the Dunegal of Strathnithand Maud, daughter of Ranulph of Meschenes and Rohaise de Clare of Tonbridge.

On the white cross are four horseshoes of Richard Randaolph of Berkshire(an extreme Protestant ancestor and cousin to Queen Elizabeth’s ThomasRandolph) adopted by him in place of five mullets to commemorated hisassociation with Lord Ferrers in the plan to rescue Mary, Queen of Scots, fromChartley Castle. The red rose is substituted for the central horseshoe as adifference, to show we are a junior branch of that family. The red rose is torepresent the ‘English’ connection. The rose should have been white, but you can’thave a white rose on a white background, so it had to be red.

The Lyon would not agree to the ancient Randall buck’s head crest as therewere too many armigers with stag’s head crests, hence the pine martin which fittedin well with my fathers middle name which was Martin. As I am my father’ssecond son I had to difference my arms and rather than have a bordure, my crosshas been engrailed..1

His son’s, James Francis Cary Randall, coat of arms, shown in the upper corner, are

blazoned: Gules, on a cross engraild Argent four horseshoes open ends uppermost Sable, at the

centre point a rose of the First barbed and seeded Vert debruised with a label of three points

during the lifetime of his father. Crest: a pine martin standant guardant Proper. Motto: CUM

FIDE ET HONORE. 2

James Francis Cary Randall’s statement is “The arms were matriculate in favor of my

father, John Richard Cary Randall off a grant of arms made to my grandfather, Cary Francis

Martin Randall on 16th March 1976. The cross in my grandfather's arms was plain, but as my

James Francis Cary Randal. Heraldry Society of Scotland, HSS Members-Scots Arms. http://heraldry-scotland.com1

/copgal/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=32. Accessed: October 17, 2015.

Matriculated: The Court of the Lord Lyon 20th August 1991. Lyon Register, volume 70, folio 109. 2

Matriculated: The Court of the Lord Lyon 6th July 1987. Lyon Register, volume 68, folio 107.3


father was the second son, he had to difference his arms, hence the engrailed cross.”1

Caroline Joanna Cary Randall’s arms are in the lower left corner. Her arms are blazoned:

Gules, on a cross engrailed Argent four horseshoes open ends uppermost Sable, at the centre

point a rose of the First barbed and seeded Vert and at the middle chief point a creasent Gules.

Crest: a pine martin standant guardant Proper. Motto: CUM FIDE ET HONORE. Caroline’s2

place in the family is unclear. Under both the Scottish and English systems, daughters do not

normally inherit arms, and Ms. Cary Randall received hers by a matriculation from the Lord Lyon.

Under the English system, the crescent is the mark of a second son. In this case, it may indicate

that she is the second child of her father. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the crescent on the arms

of her father follow the Scottish rule of one coat of arms per person.

The arms of Craig Martin Cary Randall are in the lower right corner. The are blazoned:

Gules, on a cross engrailed Argent four horseshoes open ends uppermost Sable, at the centre

point a rose of the First barbed and seeded Vert all within a bordure Or. Crest: a pine martin

standant guardant Proper, gorged of a collar Azure charged of three mullets Argent. Motto:

CUM FIDE ET HONORE. The use of a gold bordure indicates the second son under the3

Scottish system. Thus, the use of the gold bordure and the engrailed cross indicate that Craig

Martin Cary Randall is the second son John Richard Cary Randall, who was the second son of

Cary Francis Martin Randall.

Image: Arms of Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton, blazoned The Royal Arms of Charles II, viz1

Quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland; the whole debruised by a Baton sinistercompony of six pieces Argent and Azure. Crest: On a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant guardant Or ducallycrowned Azure and gorged with a Collar counter-compony Argent and of the fourth. Supporters: Dexter: a Lion guardant Orducally crowned Azure; Sinister: a Greyhound Argent, each gorged with a Collar counter-compony Argent and Azure. Motto: EtDecus Et Pretium Recti (The ornament and recompense of virtue). Cracroft's Peerage: The Complete Guide to the BritishPeerage & Baronetage. Grafton, Duke of (E, 1675). http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content /grafton1675.htm. Accessed: October 17, 2015.


Bastardy — 1

Marks of cadency are used to distinguish one family member from another. Marks of

bastardy are the same, except where any legitimate descendant could theoretically inherit the

undifferenced arms and the patrimony, an illegitimate descendant cannot. Marks of bastardy are

not intended as a punishment or disgrace, but to show that the bearer of these arms is a member



Thomas Innes of Learney, Scots Heraldry, 2d ed. (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1956) 108-109; J.P. Brooke-Little,2

rev., Boutell’s Heraldry (London: Frederick Ware, 1978) 123.

Iain Moncreiffe and Don Pottinger, Simple Heraldry, 1 American ed. (New York:: Mayflower Books, 1979) 19.3 st


of the family, but not part of the line of succession. Under Scottish law, all natural children are1

entitled to the arms of their father as a matter of right with a suitable difference. In the case of

illegitimate children, this is typically a bordure compony. Under English law, bastards must seek2

a new grant of arms. He or she may request the coat of arms of his father, with a suitable

difference, typically a bordure wavy, or an entirely new coat of arms that may or may not allude

to his or her father’s. These differences are permanent. The fact that a coat of arms indicates3

illegitimate descent from someone does not necessarily mean that the current armiger is

illegitimate.

In the example above, the arms of Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy, twelfth Duke of Grafton,

are blazoned as The Royal Arms of Charles II, viz Quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England

quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland; the whole debruised by a Baton sinister compony of six

pieces Argent and Azure. King Charles II had six illegitimate sons by several mistresses whom he

ennobled. Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy was his second illegitimate son. He was created first

Duke of Grafton by his father in 1675. As an illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, the surname means

“King’s son,” was not eligible to inherit the throne, nor were his brothers. The baton sinister on

the Grafton arms shows this, and nothing more. Charles had no legitimate offspring, so when he

died in 1685, the throne passed to his brother, the Duke of York, as King James II and VII. The


Dukedom of Grafton has descended though the legitimate male line of Henry Oliver Charles

FitzRoy for nearly 350 years, yet the Duke’s coat of arms still show illegitimate descent from

King Charles.


Selected Annotated Bibliography

Books:

Allcock, Hubert. Heraldic Design: Its Origins, Ancient Forms and Modern Usage. New York:Tudor Publishing Co., 1962. Available at the Orange County Family Search Library, 929.8A.

Bedingfeld, Henry Paston, and Peter Gwynn-Jones. Heraldry. London, Bison Books Ltd., 1993.

Brooke-Little, J.P., rev., Boutell’s Heraldry. London: Frederick Ware, 1978.

Brooke-Little, John. An Heraldic Alphabet. Rev. ed. London: Robson Books, 1996.

Burke, Bernard. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. London:Harrison. 1884. Available at the Orange County Family Search Library, 942.D24b.

Burke, Bernard. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldric History of the Landed Gentry. 17 ed.th

London: Burke’s Peerage, 1952. Available at the Orange County Family Search Library,Spec. Coll. 942.D22jb.

Burke, J. Bernard. Heraldic Register. London: E. Churton, 1850. Available at the Orange CountyFamily Search Library, 942.D24bj.

Child, Heather. Heraldic Design. London: Bell & Hyman, 1965.

Dennis, M. D. Scottish Heraldry: An Invitation. Edinburgh: Heraldry Society of Scotland, 1999.

Dennys, Rodney. The Heraldic Imagination. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1975.

Dennys, Rodney. Heraldry and the Heralds. London: Jonathan Cape, 1982.

Elvins, Mark Turnham. Illus. by Anselm Baker, foreword by Maurice Noël Léon Couve deMurville, preface by John Brooke-Little. Cardinals and Heraldry. London: BucklandPublications, 1988.

Fairbairn, James, comp. Fairbairn’s Book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland.2 vols. 4 ed. London: n.p.: 1905, reprint 2 vols. in 1. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishingth

Co. 1993. Available at the Orange County Family Search Library, 942.D24fc.


Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. Armorial Families. 2d ed. Available at the Orange County FamilySearch Library, 942.D24fa.

Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopedia of Armory. London:Bloomsbury Books, 1986.

Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. A Complete Guide to Heraldry. New York: Dodge Publishing Co.,1909, reprint. New York: Bonanza Books, 1978. Available at the Orange County FamilySearch Library, 929.6 F.

Franklin, Charles A.H. The Bearing of Coat-Armour by Ladies. London: n.p. 1923 reprint.Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. 1973. Available at the Orange County FamilySearch Library, 942.D24fr.

Franklyn, Julian. Heraldry. 1 American ed. South Brunswick, N.Y.: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1968.st

Available at the Orange County Family Search Library, call no. 929.6 Fr.

Franklyn, Julian. Shield and Crest. n.p.: London, 1960.

Franklyn, Julian, and Tanner, John. An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Heraldry. Oxford: PergamonPress, 1970.

Friar, Stephen. A Dictionary of Heraldry. New York: Harmony Books, 1987.

Friar, Stephen, and John Ferguson. Basic Heraldry. New York: W. W. Norton, 1993.

Gwynn-Jones, Peter. The Art of Heraldry: Origins, Symbols, Designs. London, Parkgate Books,1998.

Heim, Bruno Bernard. Or and Argent. Gerrards Cross, Eng.: Van Duren, 1994.

Heim, Bruno Bernard. Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origins, Customs and Laws.Gerrards Cross, Eng.: Van Duren, 1978.

Innes of Learney, Thomas. Scot’s Heraldry: A Practical Handbook on the Historical Principleand Modern Applications of the Art and Science. 2d ed. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1956.

Innes of Learney, Thomas and Malcolm R. Innes. Scots Heraldry. rev. ed. London: Johnston &Bacon, 1978. Updated edition of the preceding.


Le Févre, Jean. A European Armorial: An Armorial of Knights of the Golden Fleece and 15thCentury Europe. Ed. by Rosemary Pinches & Anthony Wood. London: Heraldry Today,1971.

Louda, Jiøí and Michael Maclagan. Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. New York:Clarkson Potter, 1981. Reprinted as Lines of Succession (London: Orbis, 1984).

Mackinnon of Dunakin, Charles. The Observer's Book of Heraldry. London: Frederick Warne,1966.

Neubecker, Ottfried. Heraldry: Sources Symbols and Meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976.

Parker, James. A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. Rutland, VT: Tuttle and Co., 1970.

Pastoureau, Michel. Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition. New York, Harry N.Abrams Inc., 1997.

Pine, L. G. International Heraldry. Rutland, VT: C. E. Tuttle Co, 1970.

Pine, L.G. The Story of Heraldry. London: Country Life Ltd, 1952.

Puttock, A.G. Heraldry in Australia. French Forests, NSW, Aus.: Child and Associates, 1988.

Slater, Stephen. The Complete Book of Heraldry. London: Lorenz Books, 2002.

Slater, Stephen. The History and Meaning of Heraldry. London: Southwater, 2004.

Spurrier, Peter. The Heraldic Art Source Book. Bath: Bath Press, 1997.

Volborth, Carl-Alexander von. Heraldry of the World. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1973.

Volborth, Carl-Alexander von. The Art of Heraldry. Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press, 1984.

Wagner, Antony. Heraldry in England. New York: Penguin Books, 1946. Available at theOrange County Family Search Library, Spec. Coll. 942.D6Wag.

Wagner, Anthony R. Heralds of England: A History of the Office and College of Arms. London:HMSO, 1967.

Williamson, David. Debrett's Guide to Heraldry and Regalia. London: Headline BookPublishing, 1992.


Woodcock, Thomas, and John Martin Robinson. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 1988.

Woodward, John, and George A. Burnett. A Treatise on Heraldry, British and Foreign. Rutland,Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1969.

Zieber, Eugene. Heraldry in America. New York: Crown Publishers, 1984.

Web sites:

The American College of Heraldry. http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org.

The American Heraldry Society. http://www.americanheraldry.org.

The Armorial Register. International Register of Arms. http://www.armorial-register.com.

The College of Arms, London, England. http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk.

The Court of the Lord Lyon, Edinburgh, Scotland. http://www.lyon-court.com.

Cracroft’s Peerage. http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk.

Governor General of Canada. Heraldry. http://gg.ca/document.aspx?id=2&lan=eng.

Heraldry of the World. http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Heraldry_of_the_world.

The Heraldry Society. http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/home.htm.

The Heraldry Society of Scotland. http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk.

The Institute of Heraldry. U.S. Department of the Army. http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil.

International Heraldry and Heralds. http://www.internationalheraldry.com

Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. http://heraldry.ca.

The Society of Scottish Armigers. http://www.scotarmigers.net/index.htm.

Society for Creative Anachronism College of Arms. http://heraldry.sca.org.

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