Complex sentence: In England, the practice of using marks of cadency arose to distinguish one son from another: the conventions became standardized in about 1500, and are traditionally supposed to have been devised by John Writhe.
Split into simpler sentences: In England, the practice of using marks of cadency arose to distinguish one son from another. The conventions became standardized in about 1500: they are traditionally supposed to have been devised by John Writhe.