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 February 1998 Letter of Intent. 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.
I would like to thank Anders Olafsson, Volodymyr Blahuciak, Ælfreda aet Æthelwealda, Mistress Elena de Vexin, Master john ap Wynne, Lady Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael Caermyrdin , the Barony of Jararvellir commenting group, and the Dragon consulting group (alias "Big D and the Funky Bunch") for their commentary this month. I would also like to thank Lady Phebe Bonadeci, Khevi, Conchobar mac Ghabann ("the Chicago mob") for helping in the preparation of the letter.
Next month's Rouge Scarpe meeting will be on Friday, May 1, so there will not be the usual "grace period" for late commentary--if your commentary will be late, please let me know. (I am happy to accept commentary via email). I hope you will provide feedback on these letters; I am hoping to provide as much useful information as possible in the LoAR.
1) Alwen the Weaver. New Name
The client included documentation from Hinde, The Domesday Book: England's Heritage, Then and Now. The source documents Alwen as a pre-conquest women's name. Several commenters suggested alternate spellings from Reaney & Wilson (under Alwen) but these are based on a different men's name. Weaver is found in Reaney & Wilson, p. 480 as le Wever, ="-1">1296 and also le Weuere. Other Saxon names survived past the conquest, so Alwen le Wever is a plausible 13th-century name. The submitted form Alwen the Weaver, the standard modern form, is thus also acceptable.
2) Æsa Ingvarsdóttir. Change of Registered Name
The client's currently registered name is Genevieve Okeburne de la Mere (10/93). This name was submitted as Æsa Ingvardóttir. Æsa is found in Geirr-Bassi, 17 and Ingvarr is in ibid., 12. The patronymic has been put in the correct genitive form.
3) Cecilia Warvic de Stradforde. New Badge
Purpure, a dexter arm fesswise embowed reversed argent sustaining a jester's bauble Or, skull argent, capped per pale ermine and Or.
Name registered 6/92.
4) David de Brailes. New Name
The client included documentation from Hinde, The Domesday Book: England's Heritage, Then and Now. David is found in Reaney & Wilson, 128. Brailes is found in Ekwall, p. 56.
5) Fionbharr an Seabhac. Name and Device Resubmission
Argent, a falcon stooping and on a chief vert a rapier reversed proper.
Submitted as Fionbharr Seabhac Seilge. The client's first submission, Fionbharr Liath Seabhac Seilge, was returned by Laurel 1/97 for several problems, including the use of Seabhac Seilge. The client has included entries from several modern dictionaries that show Seabhac Seilge (literally, "hunting hawk")as a translation for "falcon." This construction is dated to the 12th century in the Dictionary of the Irish Language. However, there still no solid evidence that two-element descriptive bynames were used in Gaelic.
The client has asked that the name be corrected so that it has the meaning of "fair-headed falcon" in Gaelic. Since the most accurate form within a name appears to be Seabhac I have modified the name. If the College concludes that Fionbharr an Seabhac Seilge is a more accurate rendering of "Fionbharr the Falcon," then it would be desirable to modify the name to this form. {I have already contacted the client about this change.}
6) {Fürsto de Robnye. Device Resubmission
Azure, a winged feline rampant argent on a trimount Or.
The client's name was listed on the ILoI as Fürsto de Robyne. Since the name was not submitted, this is not a significant error. No commenter was able to provide any evidence for either element in the name, although Fürst is a German byname found in Bahlow and Dauzat.
Even if the name was documented, the arms would be returned for redrawing. The trimount is lopsided (and could be a base engrailed), and the main charge has been painted with black highlights that make it impossible to identify (the head especially needs to be clearly drawn). In addition, the wings should be drawn larger. If the trimount were drawn so that the middle peak was clearly higher than the middle two and the main charge were made uniformly argent, this device would not have any stylistic problems.}
7) Garreth Emeric. New Name and Device
Argent, a pair of flaunches sable, two chevronels and two chevronels inverted interlaced counterchanged.
Gareth is dated to 1593 in Withycombe, 119. The rr for r variant may be supported by Reaney & Wilson, pp. 184-185 (sn. Garrad), which shows the forms Garrat (1553) and Garard (1540). Strictly speaking this would only support a hypothetical *Garerth, but we have sent the name on for further commentary. The client does not permit changes to spelling or grammar.
The device is clearly not consistent with medieval style, but the Rouge Scarpe staff regretfully concluded that the suggested blazon is clear and that the device is SCA-legal since ordinaries overall can be counter-changed over other ordinaries. (July 1992 LoAR, 20) {I hope that Malcolm had to come up with that blazon!}
8) Gwen Pengram. New Name {and Device
Per fess gules and azure, a fess embattled-counter-embattled, between in chief two towers and an anchor and in base a lymphad argent.}
The name is Welsh. Gwen is found in Jones, A Welsh Miscellany, 31. Pengam (meaning "wrong-headed") is found in ibid., 32. The client would like the spelling and grammar corrected for the indicated meaning.
{We have returned the device under RfS VIII.1.A as it is slot-machine heraldry. Although the charges in chief are much smaller than the lymphad in base, they are treated as a single group of charges around an ordinary (the fess). Thus there are three different charges in the secondary group. Removing the anchor would produce the legal design Per fess gules and azure, a fess embattled-counter-embattled between two towers and a lymphad argent, but the fess would have to be drawn wider and in the center of the device.}
9) Marie l'Englois. New Name
Marie and L'Englois are documented on Laurel's Web site at www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names.html , "Names from the Paris Census of 1292." The client will not permit changes to spelling or grammar.
10) Meadhbh ni Bhriain. New Badge
Purpure, a dexter arm embowed fesswise reversed maintaining a bag erminois.
Although this bears obvious similarities to the badge of Cecilia Warvic de Stradforde (above), the two do not conflict. In Cecilia's badge the arm and staff are of roughly equal visual weight, and are treated as a group of two charges. In this badge the bag has much less visual weight than the arm, and so the arm alone is treated as the primary charge. The addition of the jester's bauble to the primary charge group in Cecilia's badge makes these two charges completely different.
11) Norborough, Marche of. Group Name Resubmission
Their previous name submission, Marche of Sundridge Faire, was returned by Laurel in 4/97. Norburg is dated to 1202 in Ekwall, 343. The nearest spelling to their form is Borowgh, documented to 1515 in Ekwall, 75 (under "Burgh"). The mundane place Norborough is not found in Webster's Geographical Dictionary. The group would like the spelling and grammar corrected for English. A petition of support is included.
12) {Orengarde d'Aubrecicourt. New Name and Device.
Or, a bear rampant within a bordure sable semy-de-lys Or.
Orengarde is found in Duby, France in the Middle Ages. The client describes the source as a "table of kings" but it is actually a genealogical table that identifies Orengarde as the third wife of Count Fulk IV of Anjou. d'Aubrecicourt is found in Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, 166.
The device is registerable as is.
Since the client was apparently not aware that he was submitting a female name, we are returning this name.}
13) Patraic Ó Dochartaigh. Device Resubmission
Quarterly vert and argent, an Irish wolfhound salient erect counterchanged.
The original submission, Vert, a chevron Or between three wolfhounds statant erect argent, was returned in 1/97 for conflict with Derdriu ingen Raghnaill Gráig na Manach, Vert, a chevron Or between two crescents and a tree argent. The new design clears this conflict. The commenters agreed that the wolfhound should be drawn larger, but that it was identifiable.
14) Ramshaven, Barony of for The Order of the Favor of Ramshaven. New Order Name {and Badge
(Fieldless) A ram's head caboshed argent.}
This order name was submitted as The Favor of Ramshaven. The clients say that "The Favor of…" is a "standard form for the title of awards in the SCA." They cite the "Award of the Princess' Favor" of Ealdormere, which is not a registered award name.
In fact, there are no registered orders called "The Favor of…" However, there are awards called "Order of the X's Favor" (such as the Order of the Queen's Favor and the Order of the Throne's Favor.) The analogous form in this case is Order of the Favor of Ramshaven. {I have already contacted the client about the change.}
Although the use of a group name in an order name is considered a "weirdness" under current Laurel precedent, it is reasonable in this case. Based on existing registrations, the group could register the Order of the Barony's Favor. Including the actual name of the barony is less "weird" than the more common use of group names as an addition to an order name which is complete in itself.
{The badge conflicts with Carl of Carmarthin, Azure masoned argent, a ram's head cabossed argent and with Morgan Argante Elandris of Cantref Gwaelon, Sable, a ram's skull cabossed argent.}
15) {Rolling Waters, Shire of. New Group Name
The clients did not include any documentation for their name, and no commenter found any support for the use of Rolling in an English place-name. More generally, there no evidence that Rolling Waters was a period idiom, or that places were named after the characteristics of their water. Thus we have returned this name.}
16) Sigerith de la Mare. New Name {and Device
Vert, an eagle rising, wings elevated and addorsed Or and on a chief sable three crosses crosslet Or.}
The name was submitted as Sigrid De la Mare. The client asked for the grammar and spelling to be corrected. According to Withycombe, 269, Sigrid is a Scandanavian name that is found in 13th-century English in several forms. Sigerith is the closest in sound to Sigrid de la Mare is found in Reaney & Wilson, 130 (sn. Delamar).
{The device, with a sable chief on a vert field, is being returned under RfS VIII.2.b.i, "Poor Contrast," since it is color-on-color. If the chief were removed, the device Vert, an eagle rising, wings elevated and addorsed and in chief three crosses crosslet Or would have no stylistic problems.}
17) Thalia Baroncelli. New Name
Thalia is the name of the muse of comedy in Greek mythology. The client cited numerous mythological names that were used in period, but all the names cited are of humans except Diana, who was a major goddess. Many names from Greek mythology were not used for real people in period, and so examples of Penelope and Antigone (both found in Withycombe) do not show that Thalia would also have been used in period. However, Thalia was used as a name for humans in the 2nd century. (A Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, v. IIIA, p. 197). {Thanks Jararvellir!} The client documented Baroncelli from Pauli, Art and History of Florence, which dates the Baroncelli Chapel to the 15th century. It can also be found in De Felice, Cognomi, 71 (sn. Barone).
The combination of a 2nd-century and 15th-century name is clearly unlikely, but I have sent the name on for further consideration by the College of Arms.
18) Valentine Christian Warner. New Badge
Purpure, a skull argent wearing a fool's cap per pale ermine and Or.
Name registered 8/90. Although there is a thematic similarity to Jerry Garcia, Per pale azure and gules, a skull argent (unimportant non-SCA arms) the two devices are clear of conflict.
Done by my hand this fourteenth day of April, on the feast of Justin the Martyr, anno societatis XXXII,
Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe
Alan Terlep
5401 S. Cornell
Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 324-1366 (after 11am ET)