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1.2 Early heraldry 

DISPLAYING MORE THAN ONE SHIELD

The acquisition of territories and titles created the need to display two or more shields in one armorial bearing. Three methods evolved.

Dimidiation: Each shield is bisected and the two halves are joined to form one shield. The result can be very strange and ambigous and this method was not used often.

Impalement: each shield is compressed into half a shield.

        Printed postal receipt for ensured shipment from Dobelm, Saxony, 1751.

 

The above two shields compressed into one.

Quartering: each shield is reduced to occupy two quarters of the new shield.
 

 
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