April 1, 2001

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AN TIR LETTER OF UNTENT

Unto Elsbeth Laurel, Pietari Pelican and the other unsuspecting heralds compromising the College of Arms, greetings.

It is definitely not the intent of the An Tir College of heralds to register the following names and armory. As always, we list the fine, upstanding folks who became so besotted with their own heraldic acumen they needed to inflict these submissions upon their colleagues. The guilty parties are as follows: Elisabeth Black Lionessness, Zenobia Batonrouge, David Electric (220V/50Hz), Ciaran Lions Pizzle, Rafaella Coquille Noir, Eglentyne OYster, Teceangl Drachenmist, Francesca de’ Martini Gin, Sebastian Es tut mir leid, Jacobus Quinte-foiled Again, and Emma Dreamweaver.

1. Anna Robic Name and Device, New

Argent, semy of cartouches purpure.

Submitter will not accept major changes and wishes her name to be authentic to her culture. Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. p.25 s.n. Ann lists Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus, as marrying in 988. Robic is a constructed unmarked patronymic using Searle, William George, Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum p.402 which shows Rob- as variant prototheme to Rob- and the deuterotheme -ic on p. 314. We consulted at length with this submitter in our efforts to bring culture to the populace of An Tir.

2. Barbara Dolle Name and Device, New

Azure, a Caucasian woman proper crined and vested sustaining two jugs Or

She will accept changes to the name and is most interested in her dates. Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. P. 41 s.n. Barbara dates St. Barbara as a 3^rd century saint and says the name “was fairly popular from the end of the 12th C onwards.” Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames p.138 s.n. Doll date this spelling to 1279.

3. Barbara Dolle Badge, New

(Fieldless) A cross barby argent.

Submitter is adamant on metallic argent, saying specifically she wants it to be “sparkly, like rhinestones”.

4. Ben Affleck, College of Branch Name, New

Ben is found in Mackay, George, Scottish Place Names p. 13 s.n. Ben, meaning ‘mountain’; Affleck is found in the same source on p.6 s.n. Affleck with the meaning of ‘place of flagstones’. Sound and appearance are important to this group, as the college is at the drama school of a local university.

5. Blanche Clam de Sauce Name and Device, New

Gules, fretty wavy and semy of escallops argent.

Blanche is found as a personal name in Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France p.46 s.n. Blanc. Clam is in the same source on p. 133 s.n. Clam, and Sauce is a locative also in the same source on p.542 s.n. Sauce. The escallop forms in the device were all taken from the following period sources: Bedingfeld, Henry, and Peter Gwynn-Jones, Heraldry; Foster, Joseph, The Dictionary of Heraldry; and Pastoureau, Michel, Traité d'Héraldique.

6. Bugga Offa Name change from Gower Way

He does not care if changes are necessary and does not care about the gender of the name and wishes the College would just leave him alone and stop asking all these questions. Bugga is found in Searle on p. 120, s.n. Bugga dated 700 as a feminine given name. Offa is also found in Searle, on p. 364 s.n. Offa and dated 730.

7. Chery Parfait Name and Badge, New

(Fieldless) Issuant from a drinking horn barry wavy gules and argent a cloud argent charged with a roundel gules.

The submitter wishes a sweet name with a French theme, and allows changes, particularly garnishes. Chery is found in Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France p.123 s.n. Cheri. Parfait is in Reaney & Wilson p. 338 as the header spelling with this form dated to 1115. It is derived from the OF parfait from the Latin perfectus meaning perfect. As this submitter is a sweet young thing, the name is just right.

8. Davin Port Name and Badge, New

(Fieldless) On a cushion crosswise azure three garbs Or.

He is laid-back about changes. Davin is in Ó Corráin, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names on p.69 s.n. Daman as the Anglicized version of the name, which dates from at least 633. Port is in Reaney & Wilson p.358 s.n. Port dated 1084 and 1115. The design on the cushion should be couched.

9. Fíne le Nyte Name, Resubmission

Ó Corráin & Maguire p.99 shows Fíne dated to 805. Reaney & Wilson p.267 s.n. Knight dates this spelling to 1327. Her previous submission, Duchbhobhlaigh feidlech ingen Gallagher anglondach, was returned at kingdom because she allowed no changes and the name needed serious lenition. When we informed her of that, this was her reply.

10. Gimme Somer Lovyn Name, New

Meaning is most important, and she says she’s open to all sorts of changes. Reaney & Wilson p. 191 s.n. Gimblett dates Gymlot to 1420 as a “double diminutive from Gemme, Gimme, the vernacular pronunciation of James, used for men and women alike.” Somer is found in the same source on p.434 s.n. Summer and dated to 1275; its use here is as an unmarked patronymic. Ibid. p. 268 s.n. Loven dates the submitted spelling to 1345 and lists the name as a locative “From Louvain”.

11. Hakon Wulfsnot Name, New

The submitter wishes to retain the sound of this name. Withycombe p.144 s.n. Hacon says it was “not uncommon in” the 12th c. and gives the submitted spelling as the Old Norse form. The byname is a constructed unmarked patronymic from Searle with Wulf- shown as prototheme on p.506 and -snot shown as a deuterotheme on p.428.

12. Hamm on Wye, Shire of Branch Name, New

Azure, on a bar couped argent a laurel wreath fesswise vert and a barrulet gules.

Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names p.214 s.n. hamm dates this place name spelling to c. 1100. The same source p. 540, under the third header “Wye” lists it as “A Brit river-name identical with Wey.” And dates it from the 13^th century. Note that in the armory the gules barrulet on the argent bar must be throughout by default and for the best presentation.

13. Hel’ Bent Name and Device, New

Sable, a bend sinister rayonny bendy sinister rayonny Or and gules.

Reaney & Wilson p.226 s.n. Hell date the personal name Hel’ to 1279. Ibid. p.40 s.n. Bent dates this spelling from 1256.

14. John Paul Pontiff Name and Device, New

Azure, a saltire and in sinister a capital sigma Or.

Submitter will accept no changes. John is found in Withycombe p. 178-179 which states, “…John was a fairly common English name in the 12=15^th C…” Withycombe also shows Paul on p. 239-240, dating this spelling in 1200, 1207 and 1210. Reaney & Wilson p.357 show Pontiff as a header spelling dating recorded instances of the name from 1260 through 1343. We believe there to be no presumption in this name, as the byname is documented as such:

The discussion of the names of Lucia Visconti and Arianna Maria di Marchesi, reviewed in the April Laurel meeting, sparked quite a bit of commentary, particularly as regards the strictures of Rules for Submission VI.1. ... While both surnames Marchesi and Visconti are derived, in a more or less roundabout fashion, from the Italian equivalents of Marquess and Viscount, they were also clearly documented as surnames used by non-nobles. As a consequence, the applicable part of RfS VI.1. would be "Names documented to have been used in period may be used, even if they were derived from titles, provided there is no suggestion of territorial claim or explicit assertion of rank. For example, 'Regina the Laundress' is acceptable but 'Regina of Germany' is not." In the cases here, both names have been documented to have been used in period, and neither is used in such a way as to suggest either a territorial claim or an assertion of rank. That being so, both names have been registered. [4/94c, p.2]

15. Krash Korz syn Name and Device, New

Bendy sinister sable and Or, a mountain issuant from base Or.

Sound is most important to the submitter, and changes are allowed by default. Krash is found in Paul Wickenden of Thanet, "A Dictionary of Period Russian Names", 3rd edition on p. 167, and Korz is in the same on p. 161. The patronymic is formed using the guidelines on ppg. xxi-xxiii.

16. Kytte Kybbel Name and Device, New

Per fess Or semy of saltorels couped gules and gules, in chief issuant from the line of division a demi-cat tergiant inverted sable and in base a cross quarter-pierced argent.

Submitter will accept changes, so long as we don’t get it all over the floor. Kytte is found in Withycombe p. 187 s.n. Katherine and dated 1360. Kybbel can be found in Reaney & Wilson p. 261 s.n. Keeble, this spelling is dated 1327.

17. Mace Betcopper Name and Device, New

Sable, on the top point of a mullet of six points pommelly Or within in chief four birds volant two and two argent a bird volant contourny azure and on a chief argent a spiked mace fesswise sable.

Mace is found in Withycombe p.280 s.n. Thomas as a French diminutive form dated 1200-10. Betcopper is found in Jönsjö, Jan, Studies on Middle English Nicknames, v.1 Compounds, on p. 55 dated 1365 as a name for a coppersmith.

Note: Submission of this item should in no way be interpreted as an endorsement or violence toward law enforcement on the part of An Tir or its residents.

18. Molde Cheseandbrede Name and Device, New

Purpure, on a loaf of bread argent between three wedges of cheese Or estencelly, a demi sun issuant from chief vert.

The submitter believes there have been enough changes already, thank you, and wishes a 12-13th century English name to express her sentiments about the rigors of housekeeping. The given name Molde is found on page 213 of Withycombe sub Matilda. It is dated to 1450, while earlier variations like Mauld can be dated to 1303. The byname Cheseandbrede is found on page 71 of Jönsjö as the header spelling. It is dated to 1302, and is defined as "one who likes cheese and bread". While the time frame for the desired personal name is a century later than her expressed wish, perhaps she will not be too particular about the time frame. Well-aged cheese and bread would certainly match the name pattern well. The wedges of cheese are in default representation:

[registering a wedge of Emmental cheese] There is a pattern of using foodstuff in medieval armory. ... This is the defining instance of the use of cheese in SCA armory, and in particular Emmental cheese. Emmental is the correct name for what is sold as Swiss cheese in the United States. It is a period cheese, which was sold in wheels and blocks. While we do not normally show objects in trian aspect, we see no problem with making the default wedge of cheese to be in train aspect since it aids in identifiability, as in the case of dice or tabors. The default position of a wedge of cheese is hereby with the cut point to dexter (as if it were a spear or sword) and the rounded edge to sinister and the whole being more or less fesswise as if lying upon a table. The standard shape would be a wedge of about 30 to 60 degree angle, about twice as long as thick. (Michael Houlihan, 9/97 p. 1)

19. Orenge Jussy Name, New

Reaney & Wilson p.330 s.n. Orange dates the name from 1201 and cites a “woman’s name Orenge”. Jussy is in Dauzat, Albert & Ch. Rostaing, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Lieux de la France p.372 as one of the header spellings.

20. Tarte de Brie Name, New

Submitter wishes to retain the culture of this name. Reaney & Wilson p.440 s.n. Tarte date this spelling in 1066 and state that is was “Used also as a personal name.” Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France on p.67 s.n. Brie list this spelling as a variant on Briard. There was armory with this submission. It was delicious.

This letter contains 17 new names, 9 new devices, 3 new badges, 1 name change, 1 resubmission, and about 12,250 calories. We’re not sending money unless you’re delivering pizza. However, we leave you with this: