Æthelmearc Letter of Report Æ 64 -
March 1, 2003

Herein find the decisions of Garnet and Cornelian on the contents of Internal Letter of Intent Æ64. The items accepted here will be forwarded to Laurel in late February and should be decided on in June 2003. Baskets of thanks to all who commented on this letter: Ailis, Aryanhwy, Cadell, Cigfran, Daimhin, Dagonell, Edmund, Elsbeth, Myfanwy, Nicola, Otfrid, Roana, and Thomas. We love you!

1. Adrian MacLachlan –Name and device accepted

Per pale sable and argent, an oriental dragon rampant and a bordure dovetailed counter-changed.

This device has been re-drawn to be more identifiable and closer to what the submitter had in mind.

2. Æthelmearc, Kingdom of – Order name, The Order of the Silver Alce, accepted

Whether or not the Kingdom will have administrative problems with a proliferation of too-similar order names has no relevance to the registerability of the name.

3. Benedict Fergus atte Mede – Name accepted

Originally submitted as Benedict Feargus atte Mede, we have changed the spelling of the second name to make it registerable.

While the construction <given name> <patronymic> <toponymic> is registerable, it is highly unusual in an early period name, and will be viewed as a "weirdness." Using the Gaelic form Feargus in an otherwise English name is also a "weirdness," and two weirdnesses are not allowed. Thus, we have exchanged the Gaelic Feargus for the English Fergus.

4. Ethan Stewart – Name and device accepted

Per saltire purpure and vert, in pale two moose’s heads couped contourny argent.

5. Giana di Aurelio – Name and device accepted

Azure, three water-bougets Or and a chief Or fretty azure.

6. Gillian Llywellyn – Badge returned

(Fieldless) A stag’s head caboshed, between and conjoined to its antlers a mullet voided sable.

RfS VIII.3 states that "Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design." While mullets are suitable charges for voiding, in this case the mullet is not placed in the center of the design. (In practice, this means a mullet is voidable only when it is the sole primary charge).

Also, the primary charge was drawn in such a manner as to be almost unrecognizable. The features are highly stylized and the antlers are not actually connected to the head. Even if it were not in violation of the rules, it would have had to have been re-drawn before being sent to Laurel.

7. Gwineth McClelan – Name and device accepted

Azure, a duck naiant between three roundels Or.

The waterfowl has been reblazoned as a duck.

8. Isolda filia Georgii – Name accepted

Nice name!

9. Leo Bertran Benton – Name and device accepted

Purpure, a sword maintained by a hand and in chief three estoiles of eight points argent.

Research suggests that Bertrand is a French form of the name, and in a double-surname construction, it would be much better to have all elements in the same language. Henry Bertran is dated to 1155 in England, and so we have made this change.

10. Michael the Tinker – Name accepted

11. Phebee Sybbel Headley – Name accepted

Admittedly, double given names are vanishingly rare in period, but not unheard of. While the submitter requests authenticity and allows all changes, we are not convinced as to where the line should be drawn between "rare" and "inauthentic," and for the time being have allowed the double given name to stand.

12. Rhiannon y Bwa – Name and device accepted

Azure, two chicken’s legs conjoined à la cuise inverted issuant from base Or feathered argent.

Now that her name paperwork has caught up, we are forwarding her device (pended from letter Æ63).

13. Seamus mac Maoláin – Name accepted

14. Una de Saint Luc – Device accepted

Argent, a winged bull passant gules, on a chief sable three escallops inverted Or.

This device has been re-drawn to be more identifiable.

15. Viola Thornhaven – Name accepted, device returned

Argent chaussé ployé purpure, six violets leaved proper.

By long standing precedent, armory with a chaussé field must be also checked as if it were a pile. (i.e., this is considered identical to Purpure, on a pile argent six violets leaved proper). Thus, this device is in conflict with Julian of the Purple Mist (Purpure, on a pile argent two sprigs of laurel in fess proper) with only a single CD for the multiple changes to the tertiary charges.