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DIFFERENCING
In Scotland Arms
are heritable property, and on their original owner’s death they
descend to his heir, normally his eldest son, and in turn to his
eldest son, and so on forever. A younger brother may inherit his
father’s Arms if the elder brother dies first and leaves no heirs of
his own. Otherwise younger sons and their descendants inherit only
the right to apply for a Matriculation of their ancestral Arms with
a "MARK OF DIFFERENCE" or "A DIFFERENCE" added to them.
There are many
methods by which the order of seniority of a family line can be
shown in the differences allotted. Two of the most usual methods are
set out in the diagram on the back of this sheet, the BORDURE most
usual in Scottish heraldry, and CADENCY MARKS more usual in England
and elsewhere. These two methods, and others, can be and often are
combined.
BORDURES (or
borders) are allotted to an armiger’s sons in order of their birth
in a set sequence of colours which shows their seniority, thus:2nd
son, Or; 3rd son, Argent; 4th son, Gules; 5th son, Azure; 6th son,
Sable; and so on. The first or eldest son inherits the Arms
undifferenced. Where the bordure in this sequence happens to be of
the same colours as the field of the Shield, it is made "chequy"
(chequered) of that colour and a contrasting one.
In the next
generation, the 3rd from the founder, this system continues as above
for younger sons as it shows the seniority of their descent from the
founder, NOT their father. When the previous generation, the 2nd had
already borne a bordure for difference as is shown in the diagram
where all the 2nd generation’s borders have been used up, the
bordure is further differenced by varying its inner edge in a set
sequence of patterns as shown. This combination of varying colours
and patterns of border continues in the same way for each subsequent
generation.
When these
differences as in the diagram are not available to younger sons of
the senior line, having been used by junior lines, an alternative
system or systems is used as shown, such as adding small marks of
cadency or varying the edge of the main charge on the Shield.
An illegitimate son
is accorded a special border of blue and white, called a "bordure
compony". This is inherited by all his legitimate descendants
thereafter, varied in similar ways.
In certain cases
differences are allotted for a lady of a junior line matriculating
Arms in her own right.
It is entirely for the Lord Lyon alone to decide which differences
to allot when matriculating Arms as he alone knows all the
differences which have already been allotted from the systems and
are recorded in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in
Scotland, and the principles on which they are allotted and should
continue to be allotted. |
