of the order, it is usual to depict them on two separate shields tilted towards one another, this is termed "accollé". A married woman may also bear either her own arms or her husband's arms alone on a shield with the shield charged with a small lozenge to distinguish her from her husband. A widowed woman usually displays the impaled arms on a lozenge-shaped shield, unless she is a heraldic heiress (see below). Heraldic Heiresses If the woman is an heraldic heiress, her arms are shown on an inescutcheon of pretence, which is a small shield in the centre of her husband's arms. When widowed, instead of showing the impaled arms on a lozenge, she continues to use her marital arms, but placed on a lozenge or oval. In England and Northern Ireland, if there is more than one surviving daughter, each transmits her father's arms on equal terms. In Scotland however, only the eldest surviving daughter transmits her father's undifferenced arms to her offspring. Canadian Heraldry In Canadian heraldry, women and men are treated equally for heraldic purpose, reflecting Canadian equality laws. It is therefore common to display the arms of women on shields, rather than on a lozenge or oval, but a woman may still choose to have her arms displayed on a traditional shape. In many systems of heraldry, the arms of each living person must be unique. English heraldry has used armorial variants to distinguish the arms of brothers from their father's arms and from each other since the thirteenth century; this is now normally done by the system of marks or brisures set up by the early Tudor herald John Writhe. Canada adds a unique series of brisures for use by female children who inherit arms. As in other heraldic systems, these cadency marks are not always used; in any case, when the heir succeeds (in Canada, the first child, whether male or female, according to strict primogeniture), the mark of cadency is removed and the heir uses the plain coat of arms. Gallery See also Baron and feme Coverture Elizabeth Roads Arms of alliance References Heraldry Women in society