ÆTHELMEARC COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #71
Elsbeth Anne Roth, Clarion Herald


Unto the College of Heralds of {AE}thelmearc, greetings from Elsbeth Anne Roth, Clarion Herald.

Herein are my comments on {AE}71.

1. Alicia Hennenberg

    Note that Withycombe, s.n. Alice, dates the form "Alicia" in 1303
    (probably as a Latin form), so the name is period, although I was
    unable to find it in Germany.

2. Aurenca Mouly: A horseshoe Or

    Her submission in {AE}70 noted that her name is on the May
    external LoI ({AE}67).

3. Eumathios Bempetziotes

    In particular, "Eumathios" is found in the forenames section, and
    "Bempetziotes" is found in the family name section. The site looks
    to be incredibly useful and reputable.

5. James Irvin

    Looking at the S. Gabriel article, it looks like the documentation
    for "Irvin" comes from Black, pg. 278, s.n. Irvine.  The form
    "Irvin" itself is dated to 1641, with similar forms "Irvyn" dated
    to 1500 and "Iruin" dated to 1602.

7. Wynterset, Stronghold of: Argent, a winged stag's head erased and
   affronty azure surrounded by a laurel wreath vert and on a chief
   sable three mullets of eight argent

    There are some problems with the emblazon, I'm afraid. I suspect
    the laurel wreath is not round enough to be registerable, as per
    the given precedent:

        It must also be returned for stylistic reasons. Laurel wreaths
        must, by long standing precedent, be drawn in a circular, or
        mostly circular, shape. *V shaped* laurel wreathes are not
        acceptable. [Fiodnach Eoghan, Shire of, 11/01, R-Trimaris]

    Also the stag's head should be drawn more properly *affronty*, not
    looking slightly to its left.

    Lastly, someone else commented on this style of adding wings to a
    head.  It may be a problem: I check other registrations of winged
    heads and (those that were not cherubs) were either winged faces
    (heads cabossed) or, in, one case had the wings high up behind the
    ears, not where wings would be if the head had a body.  A winged
    demi-stag would be a much better charge (although it should be
    guardant and not affronty).

8. Wynterset, Stronghold of: Sable, upon a mullet of eight argent a
   winged stag's head erased and affronty azure

    This is probably in conflict with the badge for Micheila nic
    Fhionghuin of Skye (February 1985), *Azure, a sun argent eclipsed
    azure charged with a mullet voided argent*. There is a CD for
    fieldlessness, but probably not a CD for changing the tertiaries,
    as seen by the following precedent:

        [*On a sun argent an escallop inverted azure*] Conflict with
        Micheila nic Fhaionghuin of Skye, Azure, a sun argent eclipsed
        azure charged with a mullet voided argent. There is one CD for
        fieldlessness but since X.4.j.ii does not apply to tertiaries
        on suns, we cannot get the second for the change to type only
        of the tertiary. [Helena du Brouillard de Matin, June 1992,
        East]

    Also consider the badge for Loren of Blackthorn (December 1991),
    *On a compass star elongated to base argent a garden rosebud
    azure, slipped and leaved vert*.  If the tertiary charge is
    considered mostly *azure* (which, given that it is a rosebud, may
    or may not be true), then again there is a conflict.

    The same comment applies to the slight turning of the head,
    although I do not know if the problem is actually fatal.

9. Wynterset, Stronghold of: Argent, a stag's head erased and affronty
   azure and in base two swords in saltire sable

    The primary charge is again a *winged* stag's head.

References

Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and
  History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986).

Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_,
  3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988).