ÆTHELMEARC COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #49
Myrkfaelinn Commenting Group

Greetings unto Lord Dagonell Collingwood, Garnet Herald, from Lord Bertran de Mellegwenn, Dominion Pursuivant.

The March meeting of the Myrkfaelinn Guerilla Heralds was held on Tuesday, March 27. Lady Adeliza de Saviniaco and I were in attendance. Enclosed please find our comments on the AEthelmearc Internal Letter of Intent #AE49.

Yours in Service,
Bertran de Mellegwenn

#1 Name:

Neither M nor D lenites before roughly 1200. Since all of the documentation is earlier, this should be fine as stands. The status of <Morgann> as a Gaelic name is slightly dubious. Perhaps the Book of Deer could in fact have been referring to a British man? The Problem Names Project article on Morgan says that it has a "common Celtic" origin, but I can't find any other example offhand. The documentation is sufficient for registration in any case.

#1 Device:

The Pic Dic implies that "triskele" usually refers to the triskelion arrondi; these are just plain triskelions, although we have not found examples of triskelions drawn in quite this manner. They are not exactly like the triskelion gammadion (restricted due to offensiveness). No conflict found.

#2 Name:

Why he's taking the trouble to change this name we can't imagine, but it looks just fine.

#2 Device:

No conflict found.

#3 Name:

Interesting choice of ID. Regarding <de la Croix>, Dauzat's "Dictionnaire des noms de famille et prenoms de France" has a bit more information s.n. Croix. There is a <Jehan Delacroix> in "Names Found in Commercial Documents from Bordeaux, 1470-1520" (http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfriedemann/names/bordeaux.htm). The index to the 1292 Paris Census (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html) has several names of the form <de la X>, so the submitter's construction should be fine.

#4 Name:

Bertrand du Guesclin was the commander of France's armies c. 1360. Dauzat has nothing much of use to say about <Bertrand> except that it is derived from the Germanic "Berht-hramn", meaning roughly "bright raven." The Index to the 1292 Paris Census (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html) has <Bertran> and <Bertrant>."Names Found in Commercial Documents from Bordeaux, 1470-1520" (http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfriedemann/names/bordeaux.htm) lists several forms, including several examples of <Bertrand>. We can't find anything on <Beaumanoir>, even in my own 3rd ed. Dauzat.

#4 Device:

The evidence for allowing the novel charge looks pretty good. We accept other stringed objects such as harps. The racquet might conceivably conflict with a paddle, but we find only one registered device using paddles as charges and it does not conflict.

#5 Badge:

Conflict with Fáelán MacFergus, "Per bend sinister wavy sable and checky Or and gules, in canton a wolf's head erased contourny argent." We count 1 CD for field, but nothing for position when comparing against a fieldless badge. (Precedent is LoAR 7/99 R-Middle Clare of Hele.)

#6 Device:

Note spelling of "bottony". Possible conflict with John FitzGerald de Clare, "Gules, a chevron embattled ermine between three Latin crosses bottony argent, each enfiled bendwise of a county coronet Or." There is one CD for removing the bordure. There is no difference between a cross bottony and a Latin cross bottony (LoAR 8/99 R-Ansteorra Matilda Merryweather). There may or may not be a difference for the coronets; it depends on how visually significant they are.

#7 Device:

This many conflict with Ivan Gregorivich, "Per bend sinister argent and sable, a prickly pear flower gules seeded Or, leaved of acanthus vert." There is one CD for the changes to the field. There may be none between the two flowers (the prickly pear appears in the Ordinary under FLOWER FEW PETALS). There may be one for the leaves, depending on their visual significance.

#8 Name:

A very reasonable late-period Scots name.

#8 Device:

The device does not conflict with Daniel de Tankard, "Gules, a tankard of beer Or, headed argent." There is one CD for adding the stirrups and a second, by precedent, for the difference between a chalice and a tankard (LoAR 9/95 p. 7).

#9 Name:

Fordwin is found as a surname in 1208 in Reaney and Wilson, s.n. Fordwin; the previous citation, one <Richard filius Fortwin> from 1221, indicates that it was in fact a given name. <Marchand> is found in ibid s.n. Marchant and dated to 1202.

#9 Device:

No conflict found.

#10 Device:

No conflict found.

#11 Name:

Lauretta is dated to 1185 in Reaney and Wilson, s.n. Laurette. The matronymic Laurette is likely to represent the medieval vernacular form. Montsalvy (no a) is found in Dauzat and Rostaing, "Dictionnaire des noms de lieu en France", s.n. Mons, p. 471. The form <abbe de montis Salvii> is dated to 1080, so the place, if not the exact spelling, is attested in period. (And the spelling is perfectly reasonable.)

#11 Device:

Are the hummingbirds conjoined at the beak, as drawn? The first purpure in the blazon appears superfluous. More seriously, the chief invected trefoily is probably not registerable; Laurel has in the past banned "doubly-complex" lines of division (LoAR 6/97 p. 12, chape ploye engrailed, 12/97 p. 11, engrailed and fleury.) No conflict found.

#12 Name:

The requested spelling may be modern, although header forms are usually ok.

#12 Device:

The device is just barely clear of Wulfstan Egweald, "Per chevron sable and Or, two wolves combattant and a tower counterchanged." There is one CD for changing the tinctures of the field and a second for changing the tincture of the tower, which as the bottommost of three charges does count as one-half of the group. (CL 9/90 p. 2)

#13 Device:

The position of the off forelimb is not standard for couchant. By Laurel policy, "the name Rhiannon may not be coupled with horses or unicorns, in view of Rhiannon's function as a horse goddess." (LoAR 27 Sep 86, p. 12) (See also: LoAR 25 Jan 87, p. 22) No conflict found.

#13 Badge: The default posture for a unicorn is rampant. This badge also runs afoul of the unicorn-Rhiannon policy (see above). No conflict found.

#14 Name:

Looks good.

#15 Name:

Looks fine. Is Lindley a real place name?

#16 Name:

The word "crest" does not appear in Smith, English Place Name Elements, which does not bode well for this submission.

#16 Device:

The use of two charges in the charged quarters violates XI.3.b on marshalling. Also, the blazon as written describes the birds as tertiaries placed on the crescents. No conflict found.