line between patrician and plebeian, which still exists so much more markedly upon the Continent, can only be traced most sketchily in this country is due to two causes—(1) the fact that in early days, when Society was slowly evolving itself, many younger sons of gentle families embarked upon commercial careers, natural family affection, because of such action, preventing a rigid exclusion from the ranks of Society of every one tainted by commerce; (2) the absence in this country of any equivalent of the patent distinguishing marks "de," "van," or "von," which exist among our neighbours in Europe.
The result has been that in England there is no possible way (short of specific genealogical investigation) in which it can be ascertained whether any given person is of gentle birth, and the corollary of this last-mentioned fact is that any real test is ignored. There are few families in this country, outside the Roman Catholic aristocracy (whose marriages are not quite so haphazard as are those of other people), who can show that all their sixteen great-great-grandparents were in their own right entitled to bear arms. That is the true definition of the "Proof of Seize-Quartiers."
In other words, to prove Seize-Quartiers you must show this right to have existed for
| Self. | Parents. | Grand- parents. |
Gt.-grand- parents. |
Gt.-gt.-grand- parents. | |
| 1. | Your | Father's | Father's | Father's | Father. |
| 2. | Your | Father's | Father's | Father's | Mother. |
| 3. | Your | Father's | Father's | Mother's | Father. |
| 4. | Your | Father's | Father's | Mother's | Mother. |
| 5. | Your | Father's | Mother's | Father's | Father. |
| 6. | Your | Father's | Mother's | Father's | Mother. |
| 7. | Your | Father's | Mother's | Mother's | Father. |
| 8. | Your | Father's | Mother's | Mother's | Mother. |
| 9. | Your | Mother's | Father's | Father's | Father. |
| 10. | Your | Mother's | Father's | Father's | Mother. |
| 11. | Your | Mother's | Father's | Mother's | Father. |
| 12. | Your | Mother's | Father's | Mother's | Mother. |
| 13. | Your | Mother's | Mother's | Father's | Father. |
| 14. | Your | Mother's | Mother's | Father's | Mother. |
| 15. | Your | Mother's | Mother's | Mother's | Father. |
| 16. | Your | Mother's | Mother's | Mother's | Mother. |
It should be distinctly understood that there is no connection whatever between the list of quarterings which may have been inherited, which it is permissible to display, and "Seize-Quartiers," which should never be marshalled together or displayed as quarterings.
Few people indeed in this country can prove the more coveted distinction of "Trente Deux Quartiers," the only case that has ever come under my notice being that of the late Alfred Joseph, Baron Mowbray, Segrave, and Stourton, for whom an emblazonment of his
