February 15, 1998
Greetings unto Master Dmitrii Volkovich, Dragon and the commenting members of the Midrealm College of Heralds; from Lord Paul Wickenden of Thanet, Escutcheon.
Here are the January 1998 submissions for your consideration and commenting. All commentary should be sent to Dragon (Acting Rouge Scarpe) Herald, Master Dmitrii Volkovich, early enough to arrive by April 1, 1998, with copy to myself. Unless otherwise stated, all name submissions will accept minor changes to grammar and/or spelling.
A few people have asked me if I would e-mail them when a new LoI has been posted to the web site. If you would like to have this service provided (whether you are an electronic commenter or not), please drop me a note at goldschmidt@uwplatt.edu.
1) Æsa Ingvardóttir. Change of Registered Name.
(F) Stormvale.
The client's currently registered name is Genevieve Okeburne de la Mere (10/93). Æsa is found in Geirr Bassi (17) and Ingvarr is in Ibid (12). The client asserts that "dóttir added to Ingvar was customare [sic] in the norse [sic] culture at that time to show that I was Ingvar's daughter." The client cares most about language and meaning and wants the grammar and spelling corrected for the indicated language and meaning.
The client has failed to decline the father's name into the genitive. The correct form would be Ingvarsdóttir. As the client requests correction, we should amend her submission.
2) Alwen the Weaver. New Name.
(F) Dun Traigh.
Alwen is documented from The Domesday Book: England's Heritage, Then and Now (101). The occupational byname is undocumented. The client cares most about language and sound.
3) Cecilia Warvic de Stradforde. New Badge. Purpure, a dexter arm embowed, reversed argent, sustaining a jester's bauble Or, skull argent, capped per pale ermine and Or.
(F) Flaming Gryphon. {Name reg. 6/92}
4) David de Brailes. New Name.
(M) Dun Traigh.
The elements are documented from The Domesday Book: England's Heritage, Then and Now, which notes a David d'Argenton and a village called Brailes in Warwickshire (no page numbers given). The client will NOT permit changes to spelling or grammar.
Mills (47) confirms that Brailes was mentioned in the Domesdaye Boke in 1086.
5) Fionnbharr Seabhac Seilge. Name and Device Resubmission. Argent, a falcon stooping bendwise sinister to base vert, and on a chief vert, a rapier, point to sinister argent, with bell, hilt and pommel Or.
(M) Azure Mere.
The client's previously submitted name (Fionnbharr Liath Seabhac Seilge) was returned by Laurel on 1/97 for implausible and undocumented construction, particularly the use of two words (seabhac seilge) together. While "an Seabhac" (The Hawk) would have been acceptable, Laurel stated, Seabhac Seilge is not.
The client attempts to address these concerns. The current name is intended to mean "Fair-headed Falcon." Fionnbharr is found in Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (3) as a given name meaning "fair head" [it is also found on (186)]. Seabhac Seilge is documented in several Gaelic dictionaries as meaning "falcon." For documentation of animals as descriptive surnames, the client cites Woulfe (19) who notes that "They are generally Norman-French or English, but we have a few surnames formed from Welsh and Anglo-Saxon nouns and adjectives." [But apparently, not Gaelic] The client cares most about language and meaning and wants the grammar and spelling corrected for the indicated language and meaning.
The client appears to be trying to prove (through the numerous dictionary entries) that seabhac seilge means simply "falcon" and not "hunting hawk" (as literal translation suggests). Even so, as Laurel has previously explicitly rejected this two-word byname, it seems unlikely that the complaint of plausibility has been addressed. The Woulfe discussion is limited to non-Gaelic names and single-element ones at that. Can someone assist and strengthen the documentation (or suggest an alternative that would be registerable for the desired meaning)?
The blazon is the client's. The client's previous device (Per chevron inverted vert and argent, a gyr falcon [Falco Rusticolus] striking proper, in chief a rapier fesswise, point to sinister argent, with bell, hilt and pommel Or) was returned by Rouge Scarpe on 9/96 although I do not have the reason available to me. The current submission is very similar although the bird is no longer depicted as proper.
6) Fürsto de Robyne. Device Resubmission. Azure, a tyger (???) rampant sable and argent, langued gules, a trimount argent.
(F) Vest Yorvik. {Name submitted ??/??}
While the name is alleged to be in process, I can find no trace of it in Laurel's files or the Kingdom database. The charge is not identified and is not identifiable on either the full escutcheon or the mini. It is also tinctured sable with argent highlights, which is not heraldic style and provides poor contrast with the field. This item was apparently lost in Ealdormere some time ago and thus it would be a great kindness for the College to provide as much feedback as possible so this client can resubmit a future device which will be as trouble-free as possible.
7) Garreth Emeric. New Name and Device. Argent, a pair of flaunches sable, two chevronels and two chevronels inverted interlaced counterchanged.
(M) Fenix.
Gareth is in Withycombe (119) dated to 1593. The client argues that Garreth is a plausible spelling variant. Emeric is in ibid (97) under the header of "Emery." She dates Emeric to 1273. The client argues that this is a likely unmarked patronymic and notes that Reaney & Wilson (10) has Emeric dated to 1276 (under "Amery"). He will NOT permit changes to spelling or grammar.
Malcolm consulted on this device, but apparently decided to torture me by not providing a blazon. I have tried to put one together but am not happy with my result (it seems awfully clunky).
8) Gwen Pengam. New Name and Device. Per fess gules and azure, a fess embattled counter embattled, in chief between two towers and an anchor and in base a lymphad argent.
(F) Unicorn.
This item was pended last month for insufficient forms. That problem has been rectified. The name is Welsh and documented from Jones, "A Welsh Miscellany" which gives Gwen on (31) and Pengam ("wrong headed") (32). She cares most about meaning and wants the grammar and spelling corrected for the indicated language and meaning.
However, the device will probably need to be returned for "slot machine heraldry" (combining three distinct secondary charges -- anchor, lymphad, and towers -- in one design).
9) Marie l'Englois. New Name.
(F) Caldrithig.
According to the forms, both Marie and l'Englois occur in the 1292 Census of Paris available at www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html. As she understands it, Marie is a very common French, period name, and l'Englois is a period spelling of l'Anglais which means "the English" and was commonly used as a surname by persons of English descent living in France in period. She will NOT accept changes to spelling or grammar.
10) Meadhbh ni Bhriain. New Badge. Purpure, a dexter arm embowed, reversed, maintaining a bag erminois.
(F) Flaming Gryphon. {Name reg. 11/84}
11) Norborough, Marche of. Group Name Resubmission.
(Miami, Darke, & Shelby Co.s, OH)
Their previous name (Marche of Sundridge Faire) was returned by Laurel on 4/97 for a implausible construction and insufficient documentation (the actual return runs nearly a page in length!). This, in turn, was a return of an earlier submission (Sundrifaire) returned on 6/94 by Laurel for lack of sufficient documentation.
The name is constructed from elements found in Ekwall (343) which includes a "Northborough" (dated to 1202 as "Norburg"). The clients care most about meaning and sound and want the spelling and grammar corrected for the indicated language and meaning. A petition of support is included.
We are uncertain if Laurel will register a group whose name is so close to a real place name. However, it certainly is a more plausible name!
12) Orengarde d'Aubrecicourt. New Name and Device. Or, a bear rampant within a bordure sable semy-de-lys Or.
(M) Falcon's Keep.
Orengarde is found in Duby, France in the Middle Ages on a table of kings. d'Aubrecicourt is in Tuchman, A Distant Mirror (166) but is undated (although the book deals primarily with the 14th century). The client cares most about language and wants the grammar and spelling corrected for French.
13) Patraic Ó Dochartaigh. Device Resubmission. Quarterly vert and argent an Irish wolfhound salient erect counterchanged.
(M) Gwyntarian. {Name reg. 12/92}
The client's original submission (Vert, a chevron Or between three wolfhounds statant erect argent) was returned by Laurel in 1/97 for conflict with the freshly registered arms of Derdriu ingen Raghnaill Gráig na Manach (Vert, a chevron Or between two crescents and a tree argent). The new design clears this conflict.
14) Ramshaven, Barony of for The Favor of Ramshaven. New Order Name and Badge. (Fieldless) A ramshead caboshed argent.
(S. Ontario) {Name reg. 11/93}
This submission was pended on last month's ILoI for lack of funds. This problem has now been addressed. Ramshaven is, of course, the registered name of the group. The structure "The Favor of" is alleged to follow "a standard form for the title of awards within the SCA, eg. [sic] The Award of the Princess' [sic] Favor (Ealdormere)."
"The Award of the Princess' [sic] Favor" is not only ungrammatical English but, in fact, not a registered order name. I could not find a case of a registered order name that was this transparent. Can someone find one before we send this to Laurel?
15) Rolling Waters, Shire of. New Group Name.
(Columbus, IN)
The name elements are undocumented. A petition of support is included.
16) Sigrid De la Mare. New Name and Device. Vert, an eagle rising, wings elevated and addorsed Or, on a chief sable three cross crosslets Or.
(F) Caer Anterth Mawr.
Sigrid is documented in Kolatch and in Hanks & Hodges, First Names (neither of which is useful to us). De la Mare is found in The Norman People (136) dated to 1086. It is also found at other locations in the same source. There is other redundant and spurious documentation enclosed that has been forwarded to Dragon. The client cares most about language (Norse, OE, or French?) and sound and wants the grammar and spelling corrected for the "indicated language" (which is not indicated on the form).
According to Withycombe (269), Sigrid is the feminine of Siegfried and, while Scandanavian, it is found in English in the 13th century is the forms of Sirida, Sierida, and Sigerith.
This device must be returned for poor contrast between field (vert) and chief (sable).
17) Thalia Baroncelli. New Name.
(F) Hawkes Keye.
Thalia is a mythological name of a Greek Grace, according to Bullfinch, Mythology (18). While the client provides no evidence of this name in use in period, she points to several names in Withycombe of mythological origin, including Aeneas (5), Antigone (27), Cassandra (59), Diana (83), and Penelope (240). The surname is Italian and taken from Art and History of Florence (no page given) which describes the Baroncelli Chapel, built in the 15th century.
While some mythological names were adopted for use in period, not all were and barring evidence of actual use of the given name, this will probably be returned. The ever-glorious Hanks and Hodges, First Names (317) provides the only reference to the name that I could find and it notes, "Name borne in Classical mythology by the Muse of comedy; it is derived from Greek thallien to flourish, and has occasionally been chosen in recent years by parents in the English-speaking world in search of novelty." This is not particularly encouraging. Baroncelli is found as a variant of Baróne in De Felice, Cognomi (71).
18) Valentine Christian Warner. New Badge. Purpure, a skull argent wearing a fool's cap per pale ermine and Or.
(M) Flaming Gryphon. {Name reg. 8/90}
The following submissions have been PENDED and the clients notifed:
P1) Cynemund. New Name.
(M) Caldrithig.
This name has been pended for lack of a byname or other second name element.
P2) Duff MacKellar. New Name and Device. Gyronny sable and argent, a raven contourney closed, armed gules.
(M) Rivenwood Tower.
This name and device have been pended for insufficient funds.
P3) Wilhelm von dem Ambor. New Name and Device. Per pale wavy azure and argent, a horse courant contourney counterchanged.
(M) Rivenwood Tower.
This name and device have been pended for insufficient funds and an out-of-date check.
Yours In Service,
Paul Wickenden of Thanet
c/o Paul Goldschmidt
755 Siemers
Platteville WI 53818
608-348-6209
goldschmidt@uwplatt.edu
Dragon (and Acting-Rouge Scarpe):
Dmitrii Volkovich
John Polzinetti
8537 White Cedar Dr, #331
Miamisburg OH 45342-5346
John.Polzinetti@lexis-nexis.com
Rouge Scarpe:
VACANT