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 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.
I would like to thank Lady Shahira bint al-Sammad and Lord Dagonell Collingwood, who are commenting for the first time this month (they're from Æthelmarc and are getting the letters from the Web.) Thanks also to Lord Andrew Maklaurene, Master John ap Wynne, Mistress Elena de Vexin, Lord Eirik Banna, Lady Mhorag inghean Dhuibhghiolla, Lady Ælfreda æt Æthelwealda, Lord Mikhail of Lubelska, Lady Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Lord Alasdair Montgomery, and to the Road Show attendees who helped with the letter. Unfortunately I didn't collect their names-watch this space for more information.
This month's letter includes three items from the Crown (it's good to be the king!), and two pended items.
NEW EMAIL: My email address is changing. My new email is: atterlep@oakland.edu. My old email address will still work for several months, but eventually you'll have to use this one.
REDRAWING: I plan to start pending, rather than returning, devices that need to be redrawn. If commenters report on a name, find problems, and identify how those problems could be fixed, I generally pend the name and contact the client. A device that needs to be redrawn fits into this category; the commenters have identified both the problems with the device and the solutions to them. While this means that the commenters won't get to look at the actual device before it's sent on, it is not too difficult to determine that (for example) a bordure has been widened, a charge taken out of perspective view, and so on. This will be the policy unless a majority of the commenters feel strongly that it is mistaken-so please send feedback on the issue if you have strong feelings about it one way or the other.
1) Adeliza de Saviniaco-New Name and Device
Gules, an orle of martlets argent.
The client believes that Saviniaco (found in Dauzat & Rostaing, s.n. Savigna) is in a Latinized form. D&R record 13 examples of Saviniacum[s], 6 of de Saviniaco, and 2 of Saviniaco, which suggests that Saviniaco is usually the ablative of Saviniacum[s]. She asked that the name be corrected for the 12th century northern France, and that it be put into either a completely Latinized form or a completely French one.
Withycombe, s.n. Adelaide, notes a reference from the Domesday Book to "Adeliz seu Adeliza." "seu" is Latin for "or." I don't have any expertise in the interpretation of the Domesday Book, but it seemed at least plausible that Adeliza is a Latinized form of the vernacular Adeliz. Since, if I am not mistaken, most 12th-century records were still in Latin, I have substituted the apparent Latin form Adeliza to produce a completely Latinized name. Suggestions for corrections are of course welcome.
Regarding the arms, I can do nothing but rejoice.
2) Caterina de Cesare-New Device
Per pale gules and argent, a cross flory counterchanged.
The client's name was registered in 4/93. Against Obadiah the Obstreperous, Per pale gules and argent, a Latin cross bottony between two boars heads couped close addorsed counterchanged, we count 2 CDs-one for the removal of the secondary charges and one for a change in the type of cross. I was unable to find any precedent regarding the difference between a Latin cross and a Greek cross, but it seems entirely reasonable to count a difference between them.
3) Elsa von Heilbronn-New Name and Device
Argent, on a pale wavy azure between two roses proper a cross bottony argent within a bordure azure.
Elsa is a constructed variant of Else. The client documents Else from a 15th-century German song, "Ludwig Senfl," that uses the diminutives Elslein and Elselein. This is sufficient documentation for Else, but doesn't explain Elsa (the client says she has chosen this spelling so that her name can be easily pronounced by English speakers). Heilbronn is apparently dated to 1182 in Die Deutschen Burgen und Schlössler in Farbe, and is also shown on a modern map of 12th-century Germany from an unknown source. The client would like the name corrected for 14th century Swabia or Franconia.
We doubt that Elsa is a plausible spelling. However, since we have no idea how to make this name more appropriate for 14th-century Franconia, we are sending it on as is so that the College can make all the appropriate changes at the same time.
{I planned to pend her device for redrawing. However, the lady and her pursuivant were at the Rouge Scarpe road show in Fearanne na Criche, and provided me with redrawn forms. Thus I have included a redrawn version of the device in this letter.}
4) Francescha de Vargas-New Name
Francescha is dated to 1390 in Marsá, Onomástica Barcelonesa del Siglo XV (no page given). Vargas is also dated to 1390 in De Atienza, Nobiliario Español. These sources are cited from the Academy of S. Gabriel report 1398, which says that the name is appropriate for Barcelona from the 14th century or later.
5) Frederic of Lub Shiochail-New Device
Per chevron gules and azure, two seahorses erect maintaining quills and a castle argent.
The client's name was submitted to Laurel in 3/99. {The device was pended for redrawing at that time.}
6) Iohannes de Glenfinnan-New Name
Submitted as Iohannes of Glenfiddan. The client asked for his name to be corrected for the Scottish/English border, circa 1300. Iohannes, the standard Latin form of John, is dated between 1230-1247 in "Given Names in 13th-Century England," http://www.panix.com/~mittle/ names/talan/eng13. {It is not likely that a Scotsman would have been called Iohannes in daily life-rather, he would have been called John (or a variant) and referred to as Iohannes only in records kept in Latin. These records would also have used the Latin de instead of the English of.}
The client provided no documentation for Glenfiddan, and we were unable to find any evidence for it. With his permission, we have substituted Glenfinnan. Darton, Dictionary of Scottish Place Names, 137, has Glenfinnan as the Scots form of Gleann Fhiohaig, which dates to the 14th century. Iohannes de Glenfinnan is a plausible Latin form of the Scots name John of Glenfinnan.
7) Middle, Kingdom of the for Bronze Ring, Order of the-New Order Name
This order name is common English.
8) Middle, Kingdom of the for White Chamfron, Order of the-New Order Name
This order name is also common English. If the name is registered, the badge (Fieldless) A chamfron argent, registered 2/99, should be associated with it.
9) Middle, Kingdom of the for White Lance, Order of the-New Order Name
This order name is, as one might guess, common English.
10) Morwith Blackthorn-Device Resubmission
Argent, a crown of thorns vert, barbed, within a bordure sable.
The client's name was registered 4/98. {Her previous submission, Argent, a rosebud sable within a chaplet of thorns vert, barbed, within a bordure sable, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 11/97 for the use of a rosebud, which is a prohibited charge. This resubmission eliminates that problem.} The crown of thorns is taken from the PicDic, illustration 811b.
{11) Vivienne du Lac-New Device
Per bend purpure and azure semy-de-lys Or, in sinister chief a unicorn rampant argent.
This device must be returned because the lady's name was returned by Laurel in 4/99. However, even if her name had passed, we would still have to return this device because it uses Azure, semy-de-lys Or. The arms Azure, semy-de-lys Or are the ancient arms of France, and French kings used various charges with this pattern as augmentations. Therefore, any use of Azure, semy-de-lys Or is prohibited in the SCA.
Remember, the arms Azure, semy-de-lys Or don't say "I am from France," they say "I am the King of France" (or, in this case, "the King of France really likes me.") That's not a claim that any persona's armory can make.}
{12) Wynter Aline Poe-New Name
The client documents Winter as a given name from Pine, The Story of Surnames, 131. Winter is also described as an Old English given name in Reaney and Wilson, 496. Aline is dated to the 12th century in Withycombe, 16. Poe is found in Matthews, English Surnames, 161.
Winter is a male name and Aline is a female name. Therefore, it is not possible for one person to have both these names. A woman can register a male persona name, but each name has to be consistent.
The client allows major changes, but I am not sure which element she would prefer to drop-especially since it isn't clear whether she knows that Winter is a male name. Therefore, I am pending this name while we contact the client and explain the situation.}
Done by my hand, on the twenty-ninth day of April, anno societatis xxxiii, being the feast of saint Catherine of Siena.
Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe
Alan Terlep
5401 S. Cornell
Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 324-1366 (after 11am ET)