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marshalling

heraldry
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The image shows a family coat of arms.
Marshaling of several coats of arms The arms of the Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy family, blazoned: quarterly, 1st and 4th gules semƩ of cross-crosslets, three lucies hauriant argent, a canton of the last (Lucy); 2nd, grandquarter counterquartered, 1st and 4th argent, three bars gemel sable surmounted of a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure (Fairfax); 2nd parted per pale argent and or, an eagle displayed sable, armed beaked and membered gules (Ramsay); 3rd counterquartered, 1st and 4th azure a branch of palm between three fleurs-de-lis or; 2nd and 3rd gules three annulets or stoned azure. In the center of these quarters a crescent or (Montgomerie); 3rd grandquarter gules, three bars or, on a bend ermine, a sphinx between the badge of the royal (Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword) and the gold medal presented to Colonel John Cameron of Fassifern by command of the Grand Signior, in testimony of that sovereign's high sense of his services in Egypt, and on a chief embattled a representation of the town of Aire in France, all proper (Cameron of Fassifern).

The term "marshalling" in heraldry refers to the arrangement of multiple coats of arms on a single shield. This practice is used to display a family's lineage, particularly when inheriting arms through an heiress. For example, if a father's arms are in quarters 1 and 4, the mother's arms would be in quarters 2 and 3.1

Heraldry itself originated in early medieval Europe as a system of hereditary symbols used for identification in battle. The term "coat of arms" comes from the surcoat, a tunic worn over armor. The full heraldic achievement includes a shield, helmet, mantling, wreath, and crest, with potential additions like badges and mottoes. The shield's field is divided into sections to locate charges or designs, and colors, metals, and furs are used as tinctures. While rules of cadency, indicating a person's position within a family, were once strictly followed, they are now largely disregarded except for the British royal family and in Scotland.23

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7 Britannica Sources
  1. coat of arms
  2. marshaling
  3. heraldry - Quarterings and marshaling
  4. heraldry - Heraldic colleges and offices
  5. heraldry - England
  6. heraldry - The crest
  7. heraldry - Cadency

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