Greetings unto all who read these words from Lord Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe Herald,
This is the Middle Kingdom Letter of Acceptances and Returns for Escutcheon's November 1999 letter. Comments in braces {} were removed from the Letter of Intent sent to Laurel and the College of Arms. Names, devices, or badges in braces have been returned or pended; general comments or replies to commentary are also placed in braces.
Thanks to Master John ap Wynne, Lady Ælfreda aet Æthelwealda, Lord Mikhail of Lubelska, Mistress Elena de Vexin, Lady Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Musa ibn Ibrahim al-athir, and Isfael ap Briafael, and Lady Adelais de Saviniaco for their comments this month.
ROAD SHOW: I will be doing a Rouge Scarpe road show for the April 2000 letter at the Middle Kingdom Heraldic Symposium in Shadowed Stars on April 1. I hope to see you there.
DEADLINE CHANGE: Because of the April 1 road show, I will need to receive comments on Escutcheon's February letter by March 31. On the other hand, if you show up to the Symposium you can deliver your comments in person.
{1) Affrica nic Pharlain Sidhein Mhoir--New Badge
(Fieldless) An orle of six escarbuncles and six roses argent, barbed and seeded proper.
The client's name was registered in 3/93. We are returning this badge because charges on a fieldless badge must be conjoined. We have also re-blazoned the "wreath" as an orle.}
{2) Aidan of Aran--Name and Device Resubmission
Per bend sinister argent and sable, a martlet displayed and a hog statant counterchanged.
The client's previous submission, Aeron of Martlett's Lair, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 2/98 and in 1/99 for a lack of documentation. Aidan is an English form of the Gaelic Aodhán, and is plausible for later in period. The Aran Islands are located near Scotland, but there is no individual place called Aran, and so of Aran doesn't really make sense as a locative name. Therefore, we unfortunately must return this name.
The device appears to be registerable as submitted.}
3) Derdriu ingen Murcada--New Name and Device
Argent, two dances purpure between two swans sable.
Derdriu is a header spelling in Ó Corráin & Maguire and MacMurcada is a header spelling in Woulfe. The client cares most about having an Irish name.
The name mac Murcada means "son of Murcad" and so it is not a possible Gaelic women's name. The correct form is ingen Murcada, which means "daughter of Murcad."
4) Derdriu ingen Murcada--New Badge
(Fieldless) A lion's head cabossed vert.
5) Dilan mac in tsaeir--New Badge
Vert, on a chalice within a bordure embattled argent, three mullets in chief vert.
The client's name was registered in 8/95. I have some doubts about whether the emblazon can be be consistently reconstructed from the blazon, but the internal Midrealm commenters didn't see any problem so I'm sending it to the College for commentary.
6) Eveline Guillemot--New Name and Device
Gules, a cross bottony and in chief three mascles Or.
Eveline is found in Withycombe, s.n. Evelina and in Reaney & Wilson, s.n. Eveling. Guillemot is found in Dauzat, 314. The client cares most about sound and having a French name. She wants an authentic 13th- or 14th-century French name but will not accept major changes.
7) Eveline Guillemot--New Badge
(Fieldless) A mascle per pale Or and gules.
{8) Gabrielle Taliaferro--New Name and Device
Purpure, a garden rose proper entwined around a decrescent argent.
The client dates Gabrielle in France to c. 1550 from Perouas et al., Marie, Jean, et les Autres, 100. This page shows a family tree which includes a Gabrielle Despres whose first child was born in 1566. She has also documented Taliaferro as an English name dating to 1584. It was apparently introduced to England by an Italian immigrant who was born in Venice in 1530.
9) Grifon L'Estrange-New Name and Device
Vert, a male griffon's head contourney erased and on a chief vert three fleurs-de-lys vert.
{This item was pended on the 9/99 LoAR.} Submitted as Grifon the Stranger. Grifon is found in the 1292 Census of Paris. Stranger is not documented, and we have substituted the documentable French form, which is described as "archaic" in Dauzat. The client has indicated that he prefers this form.
{The male griffon is covered with spikes, and so a male griffon's head is different from a standard, non-spiked griffon's head.}
10) John Black--Name Resubmission
The client's original submission, identical to this one, was returned by Laurel in 5/99 for conflict with John Blacas. He has since received permission to conflict. John is in Withycombe, 84 and Black is in Reaney & Wilson, 46.
11) Lilias of Goldenford--New Name and Device
Azure, a bend cotised Or between a salamander and a lily argent.
The client documents Lilias from various letters in the S. Gabriel archives, which describe it as a pet form of Elizabeth mentioned in Withycombe, s.n. Elizabeth. She documents Goldenford by showing that two-element palce-names were found in English, and then by documenting both Golden and Ford, which are headers in Reaney & Wilson. This doesn't quite demonstrate that Goldenford is a reasonable place-name, since not all the words applied to people are necessarily applied to places. I was unable to find clear evidence that Golden- was used as a place-name element, but even if no documenation can be found, it should be registerable as a TSCA byname and so I am sending it on.
{The device does not conflict with Scrope, Azure, a bend Or. There is 1 CD for the secondary charges and 1 CD for the cotising.}
{12) Mistig Waetru, Shire of--New Group Device
Per chevron azure and argent, five mullets in chevron argent and a laurel wreath vert.
The group's name was registered in 5/92. A petition of support is enclosed.
Unfortunately, this device technically conflicts with the Shire of White Mountain, Azure, on a pile inverted throughout between six mullets in annulo argent, in pale a sword palewise gules and a laurel wreath vert. According to current precedent, there is no difference between a pile inverted and a per chevron field division. Thus, the White Mountain device could be blazoned Per chevron throughout azure and argent, six mullets in annulo argent, a sword palewise gules, and a laurel wreath vert. Thus each of these devices has a single primary group. There is 1 CD for the arrangement of the charges. In order to get a second CD, either the type or tincture of half the charges in the primary group would have to be different. Mistig Waetru's device has 5 mullets argent in a group of 6, while White Mountain has 6 mullets argent in a group of 8. Thus we can't get a CD for either type or tincture of the primary charges, and we must return it.
We would be happy to see if we can get permission to conflict from the Shire of White Mountain.}
13) Morwenna ate Whiteoke--New Name
The client documents Morwenna with a letter from the S. Gabriel archives. {Paul's summary of the letter is fairly accurate: it was written to document Morwen, not Morwenna, and in fact does not include any period reference to Morwenna. The client's summary is a rather optimistic re-stating of the letter's findings. The problems with the citation style stem from the fact that it was written before Paul's comments led the Academy to adopt a standard citation format.} The letter does not document Morwenna, but it appears in Jones, "A Welsh Miscellany," 32.
The client documents atte Whiteoke from words found in a collection of Middle English writings (http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu /rbeard/diction5.html#history), but both the construction and the spelling are commonplace Middle English forms.
{14) Morwenna Llyn Llydaw--Device Resubmission
Or, on a hurt a seahorse erect contourny ermine.
{The client's previous submission, Or, on a hurt a horse's head couped argent, was returned by Laurel in 5/99 for conflict with Ekaterina Vladimirovna, Or, on a hurt a horse's head couped argent and for improper coloring on the forms. This new device has the same conflict. A charge that lies on top of another charge (called a tertiary charge in SCA heraldry) is considered a minor element in the design even if, as in this example, it appears to be the central element. Changes to tertiary charges never count for more than 1 CD, and so the changes to the tertiary here don't add a second CD.}
15) Peter Trevor--Change of Registered Name {and New Device
Per bend sinister bevilled azure and argent.}
The client's registered name is Philip Trevor of Breckenglade. Peter is a Biblical name (and it is also a header in Withycombe). Trevor is a Cornish surname found in White, A Handbook of Cornish Names, 59. {Actually no documentation is needed for this name change. Because all the elements are already registered to the client he can continue to use them under the "grandfather clause."} He cares most about language and would like an authentic 14th century English name.
{A bend sinister bevilled should be drawn with the bevilling oriented horizontally, not vertically as in this drawing. Therefore, we are pending this submission for redrawing.}
16) Rurik Brattahildski--Device Resubmission
Or chaussé purpure, overall two stags respectant proper
The client's name was registered in 5/99. {His previous submission, identical to this one, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 1/99 for redrawing.}
17) Sidric Swano--Device Resubmission
Per pale azure and argent, a pall between three swans counterchanged.
The client's name was registered in 5/99. His previous submission, Argent, a pall between three swans argent, was returned by Laurel on 5/99 for conflict with Ailith ferch Dafydd, Azure, a pall between a Celtic cross and two unicorns combattant argent. This submission clears that conflict.
{18) Threewalls, Canton of--Group Device Resubmission
Per fess sable and vert, a fess embattled counter-embattled between a laurel wreath and a chalice Or.
The group's name was registered in 2/99. They are currently appealing Rouge Scarpe's decision to change the name from their original submission of Canton of the Valley of the Three Walls; the appeal was included in the 8/99 LoI. Their previous submission, Per fess argent and Or, a fess embattled-counter-embattled between in chief a chalice sable within a laurel wreath vert, and a base embattled sable, was returned by Rouge Scarpe on 8/98 for identifiability and other problems.
The wreath is rather thin as drawn but should be registerable. Unfortunately, the group did not include a petition of support and so we are pending the device until we receive the petition.}
19) Tirnewydd, Marche of--Change of Group Device
Gules, a chevron inverted argent, a demi-sun issuant from the chevron and a laurel wreath Or.
The client's name was registered in 7/85. If this device is registered, the clients would like their current device, Argent, fretty gules, a laurel wreath and issuant from base a demi-sun Or, released. A petition of support is enclosed.
Done by my hand on the xx day of January, anno societatis xxxv, being the feast of saint Sebastian.
Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe
Alan Terlep
92 Ridgemont
Pontiac, MI 48340