| 4.1 The marshalling of arms
QUARTERING
The usual manner is to show the paternal shield in the
first and fourth quarters and the maternal shield in the second and third.
However, if one shield is regarded as more important than
the other, it will be shown on the first quarter regardless of its origin.
The shield of England is in the first quarter of the Royal
Arms, though the king of Scotland inherited the English throne through
his mother.
| Quartering a shield of a territory can
represent a claim rather than actual possession.
 
Until the year 1801, The Royal Arms of England included
the shield of France, stating a claim made by Edward III in 1340 to the
French throne.
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When an office holder quarters his
official arms with his own, the former
is placed in the first and fourth quarters.
The Grand Masters of the Sovereign Military
Order of Malta quarter their personal arms with that of the order.
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