This is the Middle Kingdom Letter of Acceptances and Returns for Escutcheon's August 2000 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.
Many thanks to Danr Bjornsson, THL Paul Wickenden of Thanet, THL Richard Morgan of Cumberland, THL Moraig Drummond, THL Friedrich Eric Helmut von Rheinhausen, Lord Leolin Gofar, Lord Wilhelm Schatzgeyer, Lord Etienne de Claremont, Mistress Elena de Vixen, Lord Dominic Durant of Marlborough, Lady Melisant de Montgomerie, Lady Jocelyn de Montgomerie, Lurianna, Lord Mikhail of Lubelska, Lady Ælfreda æt Æthelwealda, Lady Adeliza de Saviniaco, Kriemhilt von Ebersberg, and Master John ap Wynne for their commentary this month.
I would like to extend a special thanks to Mistress Elena de Vixen and her commentary crew for their many years of commentary. Mistress Elena is moving in the near future, and until such time as she is able to comment for us again, we shall miss her helpful words greatly!
Roadshow: Next month's meeting will be a roadshow at Boar's Head in Caer Anterth Mawr, December 9th. It'll be sometime in the afternoon after the classes on the SCA RfS have been completed. I hope to see many people there!
1) Angelique Michiele d'Herisson. New Name and Device.
Per saltire Or and purpure, semy-de-lis counterchanged, a hedgehog proper.
<Angelique> is in Withycombe, s.n. Angelica, the name of the lady beloved by Orlando. <Angelique> is noted as 'not uncommon in France.' A 1996 LOAR registration from Caid, Angelique Brigitte de Beauvais, uses just the Withycombe for documentation and successful registration. There is also a precedent from Bruce Draconarius, calling Angelique acceptable for SCA registration:
"Withycombe, p.24, cites Angelica as the 'name of the lady beloved by Orlando' in the works of Ariosto (1474-1533); we find it and its French form Angelique, acceptable. (Angelique Marielle DuBois, August, 1992, pg, 20)"
It is also found in "Jewish Given Names Found in Les Noms Des Israé1ites en France," by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, (http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfrie dmann/names/levy/angelique.html), dated to the 13th c. (copy of web page & original source included).
<Michiele> is found in "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" by Colm Dubh, ( www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html), listing Michièle.
Double given names, while never common in France, are found towards the very end of our period.
<d'Hérisson> is found in Dauzat, p. 325, under Héricier. No dates are given in the entry beyond references to Normandie-Picardie; perhaps someone with skill in French can better translate the entry.
The client cares most about having a French name and will NOT accept MAJOR changes. Submitted as <Angelique Michele d'Hérrison>, we have changed the second name to a documented form, and removed the accent from the second given name and the surname to conform with period practice; accents were not used in medieval French.
Hedgehogs proper are defined as "brown, with a white face and belly." (LoAR 8/92 p. 16)
2) Bathory Anastasia. Device Resubmission.
Per fess wavy sable and barry wavy Or and sable, in chief a decrescent Or.
Name reg'd 2/00
The client's identical previous submission was withdrawn by the client (see 2/00 LoAR). The client has included a letter of permission to conflict with the Canton of Hawkwood, "Per chevron Azure and argent, in chief a descrescent Or," and another letter of permission to conflict with Christopher Edward Hawkins, "Sable, a descrescent Or."
{) Constanza de Sevilla. New Device.
Or, a grenade gules
This conflicts with Ian of Loch Naver (reg. 9/92) "Argent chape sable, a fireball gules enflamed proper." There is one CD for the field, but none for changing the tincture of the flame from gules and Or to plain gules. Per the precedents of Bruce, there is no CD between a grenade and a fireball (LoAR 9/92, Ragnar of Moonschadowe, p.41)}
3) Danr Bjornsson. New Badge.
[Fieldless] An arrow inverted argent, winged Or
Name reg'd 5/99
{) Gwenllian Rhys Talbot. New Name-pended and Device-returned
Per bend azure and purpure, a maunch argent, on a chief azure, three roses argent, barbed vert, seeded gules.}
<Gwenllian> is the second most common feminine name in "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/ welsh13.html)
<Rhys> is in Reaney & Wilson s.n. <Rhys>.
<Talbot> is dated to 1332 in Reaney & Wilson s.n. <Talbot>. Foster, Dictionary of Heraldry, p.189, has the Talbot arms in it.
The client cares most about meaning and would like to have an authentic 13th century Welsh/English name. She will NOT permit MAJOR changes. She will NOT allow the creation of a holding name. We are pending this name for clarification; it is not apparent what she intends the name to mean, and the use of two surnames is certainly not appropriate for 13th century Wales.
The device is color on color, and is therefore being returned.}
4) Isabel Ulfsdottir. New Badge.
[Fieldless] On an ivy leaf vert, a wolf's pawprint argent
Name reg'd 05/99
This may conflict with Stevyn of Beinn nam faoghla (reg. 10/95 via Trimars), "[Fieldless] On a blackthorn leaf vert, an increscent argent," and Eleri of Nefyn (reg. 2/92 via the East), "[Fieldless] On an oak leaf vert, a hand argent." In each case, there is a CD for fieldlessness, but none for changing the type alone of the tertiary charge on a charge with a complex outline. We are unsure whether there is a CD between ivy leaves and oak and blackthorn leaves.
5) John Paul Devereux. Device Resubmission.
Gyronny of six azure and Or, a bordure counterchanged.
Name reg'd 02/94
{This does not conflict with Ottar Hrafnsson (reg. 5-98 via the Middle) "Gyronny arrondí Or and azure." There is one CD for the bordure, and one for plain gyronny vs. gyronny arrondí.}
The client's first submission (Azure, a mullet Or voided gules between in fess two double-bitted axes and issuant from base a demi-sun Or) was returned by Laurel on 2/94 for conflict with Hall (Azure, three battleaxes in fess Or). The client's second attempt (Azure, in fess a mullet gules fimbriated between two double-bitted axes palewise Or) was returned by Laurel on 4/98 for conflict with Morgan Bloodaxe (Azure, a triangle of three battleaxes fretted Or). The client's third submission (Azure, a mullet gules fimbriated between in fess two battleaxes Or) was returned by Laurel on 5/00 for the same conflict as the second. For this fourth attempt, the client has chosen a complete redesign.
6) Madoc of Windhaven. New Name {and Device.
Azure, a chevron ploye ecime inverted erminois, in chief a compass rose argent and in base a massacre argent, horned Or.}
<Madoc> is found in "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/ welsh13.html). <Windhaven> is a registered SCA branch name, (reg. 10/82).
{The device is being returned for use of a non-documented charge, a chevron ecime. The chevron ecime has been registered only once in the SCA, in 1973, and Laurel returned the device of Vladimir Heraldsson (Or, a chevron ecime…) in Oct. 1993 on the grounds that no evidence had been presented that the chevron ecime was a period charge. Without documentation that a chevron ecime is a period charge, we must return this.
Additionally, a properly drawn chevron ploye should not issue from the corners of the shield; please advise the client to see the depiction in the PicDic.}
{) Olaf Skytja. New Badge.
Sable, a pheon inverted Or
This conflicts with the badge of Kirk of Wendarrow, (reg. 7/71), "Vert, a pheon inverted Or." There is one CD for the field.
To Fearann na Criche: It is the emblazon that is registered, not the blazon. The reasoning behind this is that while many people do not know how to correctly blazon their chosen design, they do know what picture they want. Therefore, we will correct the blazon to match the emblazon, not vice versa.}
{) Siegound Eisenhaut. New Name and Device.-pended
Sable, a dragon's head erased, on a chief embattled Or, an arrow fesswise reversed gules.
No documentation for the name was enclosed. The client cares most about sound. He wants an authentic 14th century German name. He will NOT permit MAJOR changes.
The commenters found a number of possible alternatives, but all involve major changes to the name. We are therefore pending this to see if the client is interested in any of the possibilities found.}
7) Ulrich Rickers. New Name {and Device.
Argent semy of feathers bendwise sinister azure, a Caucasian merman proper, tailed and crined azure}
<Ulrich> is found in "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia" by Talan Gwynek (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/ laurel/names/ bahlow_v.htm). <Rickers> is in Bahlow (German ed.) s.n. <Rickert> on (423) - or (456) in the English edition. The client cares most about having a 14th century Germanic name. and would like his name to be authentic for that period and language. He will NOT accept MAJOR changes.
{The device is being returned per Laurel precedent: "(Argent, a melusine proper crined vert between three mullets azure) This is being returned for breaking the rule of contrast. A melusine proper cannot be placed on argent as human flesh was sometimes depicted as argent in period" (LoAR 6/98). This device suffers from the same problems.}
{) Vilk{u,} Urvas. New Device.
Azure, an armored wolf passant ululant coward contourny argent, in canton a laurel wreath Or
Name on 04/00 MK ELoI
This is being returned for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that the majority of the commenters felt the laurel wreath was too small and unidentifiable and that it needs to be redrawn.
There is also a possible conflict with Alanna of Volchevo Lesa (reg. 9/92) "Azure, a wolf statant ululant to sinister argent within an oak chaplet Or." There is one CD for moving the wreath, but it is not certain whether there is a CD between an oak chaplet and a laurel wreath; my personal suspection is that there is not. We advise the submitters to keep this device in mind when redesigning.
We would also like to see period examples of armored beasties such as the one used in this device.}
8) Wolfram van Coudenhove. New Name and Device
Or, a chevron gules, overall a stag at gaze proper.
<Wolfram> is in Bahlow, English ed., p. 621. <van Coudenhove> is found in the text of the July 2000 Laurel return of <Agnes van Kouwenhoven>, which states that the place name <Coudenhove> is dated to 1585 in van Berkel and Samplonius, Nederlandse plaatsnamen. The client would like to have an authentic name for an unspecified language and culture and cares most about language and culture. Submitted as <Wolfran van Kouwenhoven>, no documentation was given and none could be found for that spelling of the given name, so we have modified it to a documentable form. We have also changed the locative to a form explicitly documented as per the Laurel return.
Done by my hand this 16th day of November,
Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Rouge Scarpe
Sara L. Friedemann
213 N. Paterson
Madison, WI 53703
sfriedemann@students.wisc.edu