The peeress, by marrying one beneath her in rank, confers no dignity on her husband, but loses none of her own.  She is still addressed as “your ladyship,” though her husband only ranks as a gentleman; and it is for this reason that the arms cannot be conjoined in one shield as baron and femme.

Ex.  Baron and femme, two atchievements.  First, azure, a pile or, crest a star of six points, argent; second, gules, a cross flory argent, surmounted by an earl’s coronet:  supporters, on the dexter side a stag ducally gorged and chained, on the sinister side a griffin gorged and chained; motto, Honour and Truth.

[Illustration:  Baron and femme, two atchievements]

In the arms of the femme joined to the paternal coat of the baron, the proper differences by which they were borne by the father of the lady must be inserted.

If the arms of the baron has a bordure, that must be omitted on the sinister side of the shield.

Archbishops and bishops impale the paternal arms with the arms of the see over which they preside, placing the arms of the bishopric on the dexter, and their paternal arms on the sinister side of the shield; a bishop does not emblazon the arms of his wife on the same shield with that which contains the arms of the see, but on a separate shield.

Arms of augmentation are marshalled according to the direction of the College of Heralds:  they are usually placed on a canton in the dexter chief of the shield; in some cases they occupy the whole of the chief.  The mark of distinction denoting a baronet is usually placed on an escutcheon, on the fess point of the shield.

The rules here laid down apply to funeral atchievements, banners, &c.  The only difference, as will be seen by the annexed examples, is, that the ground of the hatchment is black, that surrounds the arms of the deceased, whether baron or femme, and white round the arms of the survivor.

[Illustration:  1]

In fig. 1. the black is left on the dexter side, showing that the husband is deceased, and that his wife survives him.

[Illustration:  2]

Fig. 2. shows that the husband survives the wife.

[Illustration:  3]

Fig. 3. shows that the husband and his first wife are deceased, and that the second wife is the survivor.

[Illustration:  4]

Fig. 4.  The shield on the dexter side of the hatchment is parted per pale; first, the arms of the bishopric; second, the paternal arms of the bishop.  The shield on the dexter (sic) side is the arms of the bishop impaling those of his wife as baron and femme; the ground of the hatchment is black round the sinister side of this shield, showing that it is the wife that is dead.

[Illustration:  5]

Fig. 5. is the hatchment of a lady that has died unmarried.  The arms of females of all ranks are placed in a lozenge-shaped shield.

[Illustration:  6]