Æthelmearc Internal Letter of Intent #59
June 2002


It is the intent of the College of Heralds of Æthelmearc to register the following:


1. Grettir hálfskegg - New name

The name is intended to be masculine. He will accept any changes.

Grettir is found twice in the Landnamabok, according to Geirr Bassi, p. 10.

The byname hálfskegg is intended to mean 'half-beard'; it is intended to refer to his clean-shaven cheeks and low-cut beard, but it could also refer to someone who had to have part of their beard cut off. The construction is based on information the submitter found in an Old Norse dictionary, and supported by the location of the bynames hálftr{o,}ll 'half-troll' and bláskegg 'black-beard' in Geirr Bassi.

Herald of Record: Juliana de Luna


2. Jeannette de Beavoir - Change of device

Vert, a fox's mask between three roses Or.

Her name was registered in March 1998. Her current device, Vert ermined, three roses Or seeded gules, will be retained as a badge.

Herald of Record: Richenda de Jardin


3. Juliana de Ravenshagh - New name and device

Per chevron inverted vert and argent, and angel argent and two hobbyhorses crossed in saltire sable.

The name is intended to be feminine. She will accept any changes. If her name must be changed, she cares most about the sound.

Juliana is dated to the period 1182-1272 in Nicolaa de Bracton "Anglo-Norman Names" (Can someone pull the URL?)

Reaney and Wilson (s.n. Ravenshaw) date de Ravenshagh to 1332.

Herald of Record: Richenda de Jardin


4. Melisant atte Mersche - New name and device

Sable, three cats sejant regardant argent.

The name is intended to be feminine. She will accept minor changes only. If her name must be changed, she cares most about the sound.

Melisant is dated to 1213 in Withycombe (s.n. Millicent).

Reaney and Wilson (s.n. Marsh) date atte Mersche to 1296.

Herald of Record: Bressal (Bruce) Macculloch


5. William Crane le Forestier - Change of holding name

The name is intended to be masculine. He will accept minor changes only.

Submitted as William le Forestier, that name was returned for conflict in October 2001; his badge was registered under the holding name William of the Debatable Lands.

William was "introduced to England by the Normans in the 11th c., fromwhcih time it has held its place as one of the commonest men's names," according to Withycombe (s.n. William). In addition, R&W give a Rauf le fuiz William in 1299, supporting this spelling of William.

Reaney and Wilson (s.n Crane) date Osbert Crane to 1177.

R&W (s.n Forester) date Robert le Forestier to 1332.


6. Róisín an Sabhbh ingen ui Dubhsalinate – New Name

The name is intended to be feminine. She requests that her name be made authentic for sixteenth century Irish. She will accept any changes. If her name must be changed, she cares most about the meaning of the bynames, “the sweet” and “female descendant of Dubhsalinate”.

Róisín is found in Ó Corrain and Magauire’s Irish Names on pages 156 to 157.

Sabhbh is found in Ó Corrain and Magauire’s Irish Names on page 160. Can we find evidence for this as a byname?

ingen ui Dubhsalinte is the Gaelic form of Delaney found in Woulfe’s Slainnte Gaedhheeal is Gall.