Chief

Various Chiefs

   The head or upper part of the shield, being a third of the field. In blazon it is mentioned last unless charged with a bearing and is divided off by one line which may be either straight or engrailed, indented, undy, etc.  See Ordinary.

Note. Guillim and Leigh maintain that, although the chief may be partitioned per fess, per bend, per saltire, quarterly, etc. it cannot be cut asunder and divided into halves; but the chief, termed inclave, which completely separates it into two parts forming, as it were, cantons, the field appearing between them, militates against this rule, which if followed in this instance cannot then be considered a chief and must be blazoned as cantons.