It's one of my two favorite times of year, St. Patrick's Day! (the other is Halloween). Yes I know, the Irish don't eat corned beef or drink green beer, the pubs are closed because it's a holy day and the arms of Ireland have a field of blue because green is an unlucky color. Leave me to my illusions ... and corned beef ... and green beer ... and folk songs ... and ...

The Festival of the Passing of the Ice Dragon is March 25th in the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael (Buffalo NY). A little over a week away as I write this. Give some thought to helping out at the heralds' table. Each year the event takes in dozens of submissions. If you don't want to do submissions, there's still a need for heraldic artists and town criers.

I'm still collecting submissions for the April Fools' Letter of Intent. You haven't disappointed me so far, I knew heralds had evil, twisted minds. However, it's shaping up to be a short letter. There's still time. More submissions welcome! And now, on with the show! Comments due: May 1, 2000.

1.) AEthelmearc, Kingdom of -- resub order name: The Order of the Grand Caltrop

The previous submission, The Order of the Caltrop, was returned by Laurel in Oct. 1999 for conflict with Calontir's Caltrop Pursuivant.

Herald of Record : Silver Buccle

2.) Adwen verch Gryffyn -- new device, name in process

"Argent, two crescents gules in pale between flaunches vert."

Herald of Record : Silver Buccle

3.) Cerridwen de Skene (F) -- new name

Cerridwen -- SCA compatible

de Skene -- Black (sn. Skene) is dated to 1296.

Herald of Record: Michael Langley of Riversmeet.

The name is mixing Scots and Welsh and uses Cerridwen to boot. Is this two weirdnesses? Opinions please.

4.) Constanza Marina de Uella (F) -- new name

I used as the basis of my documentation a book called Catalogo de Pasajeros a Indias Durante los siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII, Volume 5 The Catalogo is a compilation of ships' passenger listings. It was published by the Ministry of Culture in Seville in 1980. Although the 16th century is slightly past what I wish to document, I believe that the names would be common enough to be used in my persona's time frame of 1476-1520.

Constanza -- Literally, Constance. Found on page 999 as Constanza de Marmolejo. This was a common female name of the Spanish regions. It is also common in its English form during this period.

Marina de Uella -- Literally, Woman of the Sea from Uella. Found on page 999 (in the male form!) as Juan Marino de Arevalo. I have changed it to the female form of Marina. I could find no female version documented, so I am relying on this being in period style.

Uella is one of the period spellings of the modern town of Huelva in the extreme south of Spain in the area known as Andalucia (al-Andaluz in period). Unfortunately, the map that I found this spelling on, is hanging in a very small museum in Hershey PA where I could not get a copy of it. I did find other spellings for the same town, Meulva and Guelva.

I believe Uella would be the more proper spelling for the area. The modern Huelva would be incorrect as the H would not been commonly used if at all. Muelva and Guelva came from maps drawn by non-Spanish speakers of the time. Uella would be pronounced Way-la which would be closer to modern Huelva pronounced Well-ba.

Herald of Record: Auvere du Vere

5.) Danyel Clermont de Toulouse (F) -- new name

Danyel -- Catledge, Scott (SCA: Colm Dubh) An Index to the Given Names of 1292 Census of Paris (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html), pg 3 also Withycombe, Elizabeth The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names cites it back to 1379.

Clermont -- Tate, George pg 32, 35 The Crusaders: Warriors of God (pce) [Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1996 pages] A city in Aquitaine where Pope Urban II called for the first crusade (Council of Clermont) in 1095.

de Toulouse -- of Toulouse' Raymond of Saint Giles, Count Toulouse, Ibid, pg 36, (pce) Also listed in by Bishop, Morris The Middle Ages [Houghton Mifflin Co, 1968] pg 199.(pce) Also listed in Mittleman, Josh (SCA: Arval Benecouer) Languedoc Names circa 1300 (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/toulouse), a list of names found in guild records from Toulouse from 1270-1322.

In conclusion, I believe that Danyel Clermont de Toulouse is a suitable name for a female French persona set in early 14th century. In addition, this persona is of a daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant which ties directly to the substantial cloth trade that the city of Toulouse was engaged in throughout the period.

Herald of Record: Auvere du Vere

6.) Duarcan O'Raghailligh -- new device, name in process

"Per fess vert and sable, in pale a cat passant and three lozenges in fess argent."

Herald of Record : Juliana de Luna

7.) Edward O'Bannon (M) -- new name and device

Edward -- Withycombe, (sn. Edward, 10th C. on)

O'Bannon -- MacLysaught, pg. 12

"Vert, an Irish wolfhound courant argent between three trefoils or."

Herald of Record : Michael Langley of Riversmeet

8.) Fin'e ingen Concatha (F) -- new name

Fine -- O'Corrin, Donnchadh & Maguire, Fidelma, pg. 99, (sn. Fine), dates this spelling to 805.

ingen -- early feminine patronymic

Concatha -- MacLysaught (sn. Battle) lists MacConcatha as the Gaelic. We believe this means 'hound of battle'. Should this be registered as 'Choncatha'?

Herald of Record : Juliana de Luna

9.) Lodovic of Grays Inn -- resub device, name registered August 1995

"Purpure, a spiderweb throughout on a chief argent, three spiders purpure."

Herald of Record: Lodovic of Gray's Inn

10.) Magnus Jager -- resub device, name registered March 1998

"Or a ram's head cabossed sable enflamed gules."
A slightly different previous submission was returned by Laurel in Oct. 1999 for having fimbriated flowers

Herald of Record: Maliafa

11.) Marguerite D'Honfleur (F) -- new name and device

Marguerite -- Catlegdge, Scott (SCA: Colm Dubh) An Index to the Given Names of 1292 Census of Paris (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html) lists a Marguerite la Lavendeire. It was also the name of King Francois I's sister Marguerite D'Navarre.

D'Honfleur -- Michelin's 1999 Guide to Normandy lists Honfleur as a town on the coast of Normandy that has a church built by the populace after the departure of the English at the end of the 100 Years War.

"Azure, a semy of marguerites argent seeded or, on a bend or a needle threaded azure."

Herald of Record: Giles de Beauchamps

12.) Sean O'Faolain (M) -- new name and device

The submitter gave me copious amounts of documentation, including a letter from the Academy of Saint Gabriel.

Sean Corrain and Maguire Gaelic Personal Names, pg. 163 (sn. Seaan) "This name did not become popular in western Europe until after the first crusades, but it was relatively popular in England from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, after which it became very common. It was brought into Ireland by the Anglo-Norman settlers but it was soon adopted by the Irish."

O'Faolain -- MacLysaght, Irish Families, pg. 138 (sn. O'Phelan) "anglicized variants of the same Gaelic surname, viz. O'Faolain." The citation also mentions an out-of-period writer Sean O'Faolain, however he is not famous enough to be protected.

"Gules, a bend between six bees or."

13.) Serena of Gaunt's Savoy (F) -- new name

Serena -- Withycombe, pg. 266 The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names a 13th century female name

Gaunt's Savoy -- Trevelyan, G.M. English Social History, A Survey of Six Centuries: Chaucer to Queen Victoria a palace in England in Chaucer's time, pg. 31 & 587, (pce)

Herald of Record: Auvere de Ver

14.) Una nic Daffydd (F) -- new name and device

No documentation was included with the submission, however the submitter wants the name to be female Irish/Scottish. The culture/language is most important to her and she allows for changes.

"Per pale vert and gules, a lion statant and on a chief argent, three snails sable."

Herald of Record: Beautrice Hammeltonne

15.) Will Langdon of Greymorne -- new badge, name registered January 1987

"Argent, a two-horned anvil sable within an orle of six hammers proper."

Herald of Record: Richenda du Jardin

16.) Ysabiau Visinant (F) -- new name

Ysabiau -- Catledge, Scott (SCA: Colm Dubh) An Index to the Given Names of 1292 Census of Paris (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html), pg. 3. Also seen on a marriage contract dated 1595 as Ysabeau de Lasset in Archives Deptementales de l'Herault, II E 95/1611 (folios 298v A 301v) available at (http://hypo.geneve.ch/www/cliotexte/sites/Arisitum/cdf/marriage.html)

Visinant -- This is a family name from the Vaud Canton of Switzerland (a French speaking portion) that traces its earliest reference to a document preserved in the national archives at Lausanne, Switzerland. This agreement is dated 1242 A.D. and as a witness to the agreement, a P, son of Wion Visinant is listed as witness. This is from the Whisnant Surname Center [under Surname Origins] by Raymond C. Whisinant and is available at (http://www.homepages.rootsweb.com/~whisnant/origins.htm) (pce)

This name appears to be comprised from two elements Wisi (Visi is a common variant) and nand, both of which appear in other French surnames from around the 13th century. (Arval Benicoeur, Academy of Saint Gabriel Client #1190 report dated 10/27/98, specifically Reference #3 (pce)) An example, Wisnart is a similar name appearing in Picardy in the 13th century. Based on the appearance of similar names during this period of time it is feasible that this name was in use and based on the above sources was probably used from 1200s on (the current spelling in use today in Switzerland) is Visinand.

In conclusion I believe that the name Ysabiau Visinant is a suitable name for a female persona in a French speaking portion of Switzerland at 1250-1350 A.D.

Herald of Record: Auvere du Vere