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 May 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 Adelais de Saviniaco, who is commenting for the first time this month, and also John ap Wynne, Mistress Elena de Vexin, Lord Thorvald Redhair, Lady Gwenhwyvar Nocturnal, Lord Percival ap Gwylim Trefanwy, Lord Eirik Banna, Lady Mhorag inghean Dhuibhghiolla, Lady Ælfreda æt Æthelwealda, Lord Mikhail of Lubelska, Lady Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Lord Alasdair Montgomery for their commentary this month.
1) Adriana Lyonnete Noel--New Name {and Device
Per bend nebuly argent and Or, a cross parted and fretted, in bend sinister a lotus flower purpure and a penguin proper.}
Submitted as Adriana Lynette Noel, the client indicated that she wished her name to be corrected for 13th century French, but that she would not accept major changes. Adriana is found in Morlet, 2:14. Given the popularity of the male Adrian (in various forms) through the Middle Ages, Adriana seems reasonable for the 13th century. The client claimed Lynette through the mundane name allowance; we were unable to document it but found Lyonnete dated to 1292 in Colm Dubh, Index to the…Census of Paris, on the Web at http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/ names/paris.html . Noel is found in ibid. as a given name, and Reaney & Wilson dates it as an English surname to 1248.
We modified the second given name in accordance with the client's desire for an authentic name. Since the client did not want major changes, we left the second given name in place, even though it is unlikely for this period.
{Although the device received many negative comments, the only reason for return is that the penguin is drawn in perspective. However, we will recommend to the client that she consider a more substantial redesign.}
{2) Alfah Beaufiz de Antioch--New Name and Device
Azure, a cross and in base two cups Or, overall a wolf's head caboshed winged sable.
Submitted as Alfa Bevis de Antioco. The client asked that the name be corrected for the period 1081-1120, but did not allow major changes. He documented Alfa as a variant of the Greek letter "alpha," which was supposedly used as a Roman name according to Wells, A Treasury of Names. Bevis is described as a name "familiar in early times from the 13th or 14th century" by Room, Dictionary of First Names, 39. The client also documents Antioco as an Italian form of Antioch from Hanks & Hodges, where it described as a given name, and includes an undated (but probably legitimate) reference to an Englishman named Robert de Antiochus from Bowman, The Story of Surnames.
The documentation for the given name is questionable. Even if it accurate, the combination of Classical Roman, English, and Italian in one name is virtually impossible. However, we found Alfah documented to 1086 as a variant of Alphege in Reaney and Wilson, s.n. Alphege. Beavis has two distinct ancestors in period--one is the locative de Beauvais, the other the descriptive Beaufiz or Belfiz ("good son"), all found in Reaney & Wilson s.n. Beaves. Finally, the included documentation for Robert de Antiochus shows that the name de Antioch (to use the English rather than the Latin form) is not impossible for an Englishman in period.
Given all this, we can construct the name Alfah Beaufiz de Antioch, which is would be a plausible, though unusual, name for an Englishman from c. 1100. However, because of the many small changes made to the name, we are pending it while we contact the client, rather than simply sending it on.
We must return the device for violating the rule of tincture. The wolf's head overall must have good contrast with the field. The device could be registered if the wolf's head were really on the cross, but we will once again suggest a more substantial redesign.}
3) Ariadne la Noire--Device Resubmission
Sable, three swans rousant within a bordure Or.
The client's name was registered in 4/99. The client's original submission, Gules, a swan rising within a bordure Or, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 5/98. The next submission, identical to this one in blazon, was returned by Laurel in 4/99 for a redraw.
{The lady mistakenly sent her forms directly to me rather than to Escutcheon. Since she has no new documentation, and since no one in kingdom caught the drawing problem originally, I don't think that there is anything to be gained by putting it on another internal letter and delaying it another 3 months. Just this once, I'll forward the submission on to Laurel.}
4) Bastian Wolfhart--New Device
Argent, on a mount vert, wolf statant gules.
The client's name was included on the June 1999 LoI. {We pended the device because the blazon and the emblazon did not match.} The depiction of the device comes close to Argent, a mount vert, overall a wolf statant gules. The emblazon suggests that the client intended to draw a standard on a mount, and we would like to see that blazon maintained in the registration. If that is not deemed appropriate, this device is still registerable with the wolf blazoned overall.
5) Edward Montague--New Name {and Device
Sable, on a cross raguly Or a cross gules.}
The client documents Edward from Reaney & Wilson, pp. 151-2, and Montague from ibid., 313 (although the particular spelling is not found there).
{Almost all the people who looked at the device, both commenters and casual observers, identified it as a Sable, a cross of flames proper. Since a cross of flame is a prohibited charge, we are returning this for that similarity.}
6) Eliahu ben Itzhak for Household Griffone d'Oro--New Household Name and Badge
(Fieldless) A gryphon segreant contourny Or atop a bar fesswise purpure charged with three bezants.
The clients provided no documentation for this name. We found no references for medeival Italian forms of "griffin." Cassell's Italian-English Dictionary says that the Italian for "griffin" is "grifone" or "grifo," and with that meager evidence we are sending the name on for further consideration.
{This does not conflict with either Golden Griffin Pursuivant or the Order of the Gilded Griffin. Although the names have the same meaning, the difference in their translated forms is enough to avoid any conflict.}
{7) Fearann na Criche, Shire of--Group Device Resubmission
Vert, three trees in pall, bases to center, argent and on a chief triangular azure a laurel wreath argent.
The client's original submission, Per chevron vert and azure, three trees cojoined in pall, and in chief a laurel wreath argent, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 7/96 for multiple problems with identifiability. Their next submission, Per chevron inverted azure and vert, three oak branches conjoined in pall, in chief a laurel wreath argent, was returned by Laurel in 1/99 for redrawing of the branches. This submission attempts to address those problems by detaching the three trees from each other, but it also raised the per chevron inverted field division so high that it isn't a field division anymore, but rather a chief triangular. Thus, it's color-on-color and must be returned.
We will work with these clients to ensure that their next submission is registerable.}
{8) Robert de Hwyl--Name and Device Resubmission
Argent, a stag trippant sable, a chief embattled vert.
The client's previous name submission, Robert da Hwyll, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 3/99 for multiple grammatical problems. The client has retained the sound of the name but has come up with an entirely new (and much more plausible) meaning for it.
Robert is shown to be a 13th-century Welsh name in Jones, "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th-Century Welsh Names," http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystl/welsh13.html . The use of the Latin de to mean "of" in Welsh names is documented from the same source. Hwyl is dated to the 15th century in "Wales: Land of Nature and Legend."
This is probably good documentation, but the client did not include any photocopies. Since these are not standard sources, I can't send the name on without actual copies of the documentation (including the Web page). Therefore, I am pending the name until the client sends copies of the docs to me.
The device is quite good, and apparently still doesn't have any registered conflicts.}
{9) Roewynne Langley--Badge Resubmission
Argent, a chevron inverted gules, overall an arrow inverted, a bordure dovetailed sable.
The client's name was registered in 5/88. The badge has been returned on several occassions. It was returned by Laurel in 3/94 and again in 8/97 for redrawing. Unfortunately, this device still has problems. An overall charge has to actually be over all the other charges in the center of the field. In this case, the arrow only makes it halfway and so it isn't really overall. Therefore, we must return this for redrawing.
I am not convinced that it will be possible to draw this blazon in a registerable manner, and I would normally return it. However, given that the clients have been attempting to register this for 12 years, I am not going to try and talk them out of it at this late date. Therefore, I am pending the device for redrawing; we'll see if it's possible to make a registerable version of it.
If this does get registered, the client would like to own the badge jointly with the Barony of Middle Marches.}
10) Rosamund of Bardowick--Device Resubmission
Argent, a chevron gules, overall a caltrop sable.
The client's name was registered in 5/98. {Her original submission, Argent, a chevron gules between three caltrops sable, was returned by Rouge Scarpe for conflict in 12/97.
{There were some questions about identifiability, but the caltrop is drawn in the standard heraldic depiction and, despite some reservations, few people wanted to bounce it.}
11) Sadhbh of Falcon's Keep--New Name
Sadhbh is found in Ó Corrain & Maguire, s.n. Sadb. It actually appears as Sabhbh, but this is certainly a typo. She asked that her name be correct for 12th-14th century Irish; we assume that she was referring only to her given name.
{Since Falcon's Keep is definitely not authentic for the 12th-14th century, I would normally pend this name to get clarification about the client's wishes. However, since the consulting herald is on my staff, I am going to assume that the client understands how the process works and forward the name to Laurel.}
12) Undewyn de Maccuswell--Device Resubmission
Argent, a saltire sable, on a Celtic cross throughout overall gules, nine Wake knots Or.
The client's name was registered in 11/96. {His original submission, Argent, a saltire sable, overall a Celtic cross gules fimbriated Or, all within a bordure compony gules and Or, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 7/96 for poor contrast. His next submission, Argent, a saltire sable, a dog's head erased overall gules, was returned by Rouge Scarpe in 3/98 for conflict. This design resolves all those problems, but raises some new ones.}
There were questions about the identifiability of the tertiary charges, but a significant majority of commenters identified the charges as knots. Despite some reservations, we are forwarding this to the College of Arms for further commentary.
{For purposes of layering, a charge overall is considered to lie on the field, and so it can be charged.}
Done by my hand, on the twenty-fifth day of July, anno societatis xxxiv, being the feast of saint Christopher.
Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe
Alan Terlep
5401 S. Cornell
Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 324-1366 (after 11am ET)