Heraldic heiress
Encyclopedia
In English heraldry an heraldic heiress is a daughter of deceased man who was entitled to a coat of arms
(an armiger) and who carries forward the right to those arms for the benefit of her future male descendants. This carrying forward only applies if she has no brothers or other male relatives alive who would inherit the arms on the death of the holder.
A woman is an heiress if
She is an heiress in her issue if she dies having children and the line of her brothers becomes extinct, that is, all brothers and their children have died.
In the tradition of English heraldry
, which also applies to Wales
and pre-1922 Ireland
, a man's right to display his coat of arms also applies to his children and his wife (his sons' arms having differencing symbols
). His first-born son will inherit the undifferenced (identical) arms on his father's death and pass them on to his descendants. If there is no male line surviving at the armiger's death then each of his surviving daughters becomes a heraldic heiress who holds equally the right of ownership of the arms in trust for her son, who then becomes the absolute owner of the arms.
her arms on the sinister side of his as would be usual in the marriage to a woman whose father bore arms, he displays her father's arms on a small shield over the centre of his shield – an "escutcheon of pretence" for as long as there is no blood male in her extended family. Her husband never owns her inherited arms and they cannot pass on his death to any of his sons who are not also hers.
them, creating a new, indivisible coat to pass to his descendents in the usual way.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
(an armiger) and who carries forward the right to those arms for the benefit of her future male descendants. This carrying forward only applies if she has no brothers or other male relatives alive who would inherit the arms on the death of the holder.
A woman is an heiress if
- she has no brothers, or
- all her brothers die without sons or daughters.:
She is an heiress in her issue if she dies having children and the line of her brothers becomes extinct, that is, all brothers and their children have died.
In the tradition of English heraldry
English heraldry
English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the College of Arms. They are subject to a system of cadency to distinguish...
, which also applies to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and pre-1922 Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, a man's right to display his coat of arms also applies to his children and his wife (his sons' arms having differencing symbols
Cadency
In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at once...
). His first-born son will inherit the undifferenced (identical) arms on his father's death and pass them on to his descendants. If there is no male line surviving at the armiger's death then each of his surviving daughters becomes a heraldic heiress who holds equally the right of ownership of the arms in trust for her son, who then becomes the absolute owner of the arms.
Marriage of an heraldic heiress
If a heraldic heiress marries an armiger then, instead of impalingImpalement (heraldry)
In heraldry, impalement is the combination of two coats of arms side-by-side in one shield or escutcheon to denote union, most often that of a husband and wife, but also for ecclesiastical use...
her arms on the sinister side of his as would be usual in the marriage to a woman whose father bore arms, he displays her father's arms on a small shield over the centre of his shield – an "escutcheon of pretence" for as long as there is no blood male in her extended family. Her husband never owns her inherited arms and they cannot pass on his death to any of his sons who are not also hers.
Death of husband
On the death of her husband, her first-born son inherits arms from both parents and quartersQuartering (heraldry)
Quartering in heraldry is a method of joining several different coats of arms together in one shield by dividing the shield into equal parts and placing different coats of arms in each division....
them, creating a new, indivisible coat to pass to his descendents in the usual way.