Canton (heraldry)
Canton is a square charge placed in the upper dexter corner. It is classed by some heraldic writers as one of the honorable ordinaries; but, strictly speaking, it is a diminutive of the Quarter, being two-thirds the area of that ordinary. However, in the roll of Henry III the quarter appears in several coats which in later rolls are blazoned as cantons. The canton, like the quarter, appears in early armory, and is always shown with straight lines.
A canton sinister is a canton placed on the sinister side of the shield.
The chequer, a pane of the field of chequy, can be considered a diminutive of the canton, though it cannot be a charge on its own.
An "enlarged sinister canton" appears in the arms of William Wilde Lotter.[1][2]
A plain, uncharged canton (sometimes a canton voided is also used this way) can be used as a mark of distinction, that is, not a mark of peculiar honour, but a mark denoting that the bearer is a stranger in blood. For example a groom, not descended from the bride's family, adopting the bride's last name after the marriage, might upon receipt of a Royal Licence permitting this, use the bride's family's coat of arms with an uncharged canton or canton voided.
In current sovereign state flags
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The flag of the Republic of China has a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with twelve triangular rays.
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The flag of New Zealand is the third with a Union Flag canton.
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The flag of the United States has 50 white stars on a blue canton, standing for the USA's 50 states.
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The flag of Uruguay has a white canton charged with the Sun of May.
References
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