Æthelmearc Letter of Intent Æ78
June 24, 2004

Unto Shauna Laurel, Margaret Pelican, Evan Wreath, and the commenting members of the College of Arms do Ailis Garnet and Roana Cornelian send greetings once again!

It is the desire of the Æthelmearc College of Heralds that the following items be considered for registration.

(Fieldless) An amaryllis flower Or seeded sable.

Her name was registered in 08/90. A previous badge (A sexfoil Or seeded sable.) was returned in 01/04 with the following commentary:

The College did not feel that this flower, originally blazoned as an amaryllis flower, was clearly identifiable as an amaryllis flower. The flower in this emblazon is affronty and has six equally-sized and equally-spaced petals that come to slight points at the end. Both the commentary from the College and the documentation provided with the submission indicated that an amaryllis flower has petals that are significantly longer, thinner, and more sharply pointed than the petals of the flower in this emblazon. The documentation also indicated that the amaryllis flower has a trumpet shape that was visually apparent even when the flower was affronty, while this flower appears to be flat. We have reblazoned the flower in this emblazon as a sexfoil, as it is well within the range of depictions which we expect for that stylized heraldic charge.

This submission therefore conflicts with the Caidan badge for the Legion of Courtesy, (Fieldless) A rose Or barbed and seeded vert. There is one CD for fieldlessness. There is no difference for the miniscule tincture changes due to barbing and seeding, which is much less than half the charge.

Hopefully this emblazon is sufficiently visually distinct from a sexfoil. It is based on an engraving (unfortunately post-period, but it's the best we've been able to come up with so far) viewable at http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1978/Amaryllis/sealy.jpg (fig. 2, amaryllis belladonna).

We ask Wreath to compare this badge with the badges of Karol Johanna Gartenheit "(Fieldless) A jonquil blossom bell to chief Or" and Winter's Gate, Barony of "Sable, a lily blossom Or." In each case, there is a single CD for fieldlessness and possibly a second CD for type, which we are unable to determine at this time.

Concerning the registerability of the charge, we have unearthed a variety of information about the amaryllis belladonna. There is decent support for the South African flower's cultivation in Italy at least as early as 1625. The amaryllis is included in the Hortus Farnesianus (1625), which was written by Tobia Aldinus and illustrated by Pietro Castelli and contains descriptions of rare plants growing in the garden of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese (www.geocities.com/ RainForest/1978/Amaryllis/farnesia.htm). Elsewhere we read that "the Cape Belladonna was in cultivation in Italy as early as 1633, fide Ferrari, De Florum Cultura, 116-117, c.c (1633). In the Italian version of that work (Flora overo Cultura di Fiori, 118: 1638) the common name is given as "Donna bella.")." (http://www.geocities.com/ RainForest/1978/Amaryllis/sealy.htm) One source claims that "the bulb was most likely imported into Europe by the Portuguese in the 16th Century and probably between 1497 and 1510" (http://www.theafricangarden.com/page51.html). We feel that the flower is registerable as African flora and/or with this 'gray period' documentation.

Gules, a stone throwing hammer and on a chief argent two ravens sable.

This name is intended to be masculine. The submitter accepts any changes and cares most about the sound. Originally submitted as Br{o,}ndólfr Asgeirsson, we have added the accent to the A to match the documentation.

Br{o,}ndólfr is found on p. 9 of Geirr Bassi.

Ásgeirr is found on p. 8 ibid, and the patronym has been formed according to the rules on p. 17.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter accepts any changes and cares most about the sound.

Catarina is listed as a woman's name in Arval's article, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names."

di is used as a patronymic marker in Italian.

Galaxio is listed as a man's name in the same article.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter accepts any changes and cares most about the sound, with the note that "'Sheffield' is most important."

Catherine is a secondary header form in Withycombe s.n. Katharine; various spellings are dated to period including Kateryn in 1456.

Sheffield is a header form in Reaney & Wilson with one Ralph Sheffeld in 1456.

Sable, a dragon's head cabossed argent.

The submitter accepts any changes and cares first about the meaning "creature" and second about the sound.

Creature can be found dated to 1576 on page 2 of the "Marriages at Marhamchurch from Phillimore Parish Registers" (http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Cornwall/towns/m/Marhamchurch/index.html).

Creature was also documented thusly by Laurel in the return of Creador Twinedragon in 12/95.

...In England premature babies who were not expected to live were in fact sometimes named Creature, and Bardsley even has an example of one who survived long enough to take out a marriage license in 1579...

Twyne is found in Reany & Wilson s.n. Twine with one Edmund Twyne in 1422.

Dragon is a header form in Reany & Wilson with one Walter Dragon in 1221. Dragon can also be a locative byname, as from an inn sign: Reany & Wilson list one William Strode called atte Dragon, a brewer in 1374.

The form states that "If the CoA decides that a double byname is not registerable, the submitter would prefer "Creature Twyne." We feel that the double byname is plausible as an inherited byname followed by an unmarked locative byname.

This name is intended to be masculine. The submitter requests authenticity for 14th century Scots, accepts minor changes only, and cares most about the language/culture.

Duncan is a header form in Black, with one John Duncanson in 1367. The given name also appears, dated to 1500, in Sharon Krossa's draft article, "Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names."

Blackwater is a header form in Black, with one Marjory de Blackwater in 1376.

Gules, on a pale Or between two gillyflowers argent three owl's heads cabossed gules.

Her name was forwarded to Laurel on XLoI Æ73 in December 2003.

Azure, an ivy leaf and on a chief Or three roses sable.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter accepts any changes and cares most about the sound.

Originally submitted as Giovanna di Morosini, we have dropped the "di" to match the available documentation. Grammatically, the name would be properly constructed as either "Morosini" or "di Morosino." Consultation with the submitter revealed a preference for "Morosini."

Giovanna is cited 39 times in the article, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427."

Morosini is listed in the 'Table of Surnames' of Arval's and Talan's article, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names."

Azure, a dance between three semiminims Or.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter accepts minor changes only and cares most about the language/culture. She is interested in but does not specifically request authenticity for a name appropriate to "A Greek woman living under Muslim rule."

A sheet attached to the submission from the herald of record states:

"The submitter desires to have a Greek given name <Helene> combined with the Arabic epithet <al-Zarqa'> meaning 'the blue-eyed.' I am basing the name construction on what might have been recorded by Arabic officials, recording the name of a Greek woman who was given an Arabic epithet by her Arabic-speaking neighbors. [...] The presumption here is that the Greek woman's Arabic neighbors and governing officials would have accepted her Greek given name as an ism and used it as such in further name construction."

While we are uncertain of the plausibility of these statements, we believe that the name is probably registerable as a single step from period practice.

Helene is dated to 1407 in the 'Feminine Given Names' section of Bardas Xiphias' article, "Personal Names of the Aristocracy in the Roman Empire During the Later Byzantine Era."

al-Zarqa' is listed as a feminine laqab (epithet byname) in Da'ud's article, "Period Arabic Names and Naming Practices." A naming pattern of ism + laqab is described in the article.

The submitter has included documentation (http://ieee.uwaterloo.ca/praetzel/mp3-cd/info/raybro/notes.html) for the shape of the semiminim.

His primary name was registered in 08/98.

This name is intended to be masculine. The submitter accepts minor changes only and cares most about French language/culture.

Henri (in addition to already being his registered name) is found in Colm Dubh's "Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris"

Eu is a header form in Dauzat & Rostaing's Dictionnaire etymologique des noms de lieux en France; the entry says "cant. Seine-Mar. (Auga, av. 966; Ou, XIe s.)" – basically, Eu is the modern spelling of a city in the Seine-Maritime district; period spellings cited are Augo circa 966 and Ou in the 11th century.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter requests authenticity for 12th -14th century Greek time period and language/culture, accepts minor changes only and cares most about the sound.

Maria is dated to 1351 in the 'Feminine Given Names' section of Bardas Xiphias' article, "Personal Names of the Aristocracy in the Roman Empire During the Later Byzantine Era."

Adrianos is dated to 1392 as a family name in the same article.

Section 3.2.1 'Feminizing Family Names' of the same article prescribes changing Adrianos to Adriane for the feminine form.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter accepts minor changes only and cares most about the meaning 'from Castille.'

Her previous submission, Juana of Castille, was returned in-Kingdom for mundane conflict with Juana 'la Loca,' Queen of Castille 1504-1520.

Reaney & Wilson, s.n. Pepperday, give one Nichola Pepdie in 1403.

Castile is the standard modern English spelling of the Spanish kingdom. Juliana's article, "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century" gives de Castil and de Castilla as locative surnames.

Vert, a fret and overall a mascle argent.

Her name was registered in 05/94.

We have had some disagreement in-Kingdom as to whether or not this device is visually distinct from either a fret or, therefore, fretty. The device may be in violation of the RfS VIII.3, Armorial Identifiability. We look to the college for opinions on its identifiability as two distinct charges.

This is technically clear of Kiena Munro (Vert fretty argent, a butterfly Or) and Thomas Archer (Vert, fretty argent, a pale vert, fimbriated argent) with 2 CDs for changing the type and tincture of the overall charge in each case. However, if this fret-and-mascle combination is judged to be indistinguishable from a fret, it should be returned for conflict with both.

This name is intended to be feminine. The submitter requests authenticity for Irish language, accepts any changes other than a change to French, and cares most about the sound.

Sáerlaith is a header form in OC&M; it is also dated to 969 in Mari's "Index of Names in the Irish Annals."

The submitter did not include any documentation, and neither did any of our commenters provide any, to support a Gaelic occupational byname such as the Seamstress. However, we believe it is registerable as an English-language occupational byname.

Reaney & Wilson s.n. Seamer give "John (le) Semere 1327, 1340. OE s{e-}amere 'tailor.'" Under Simester, Simister we find "Peter le Semester 1275; Ailicia Semester 1376; Julia Semster 1380; Margaret Sembster 1381. OE s{e-}amestre, feminine of s{e-}amere 'sewer, tailor,' sempstress; used also of a man."

The Oxford English Dictionary directs inquiries about seamstress to the entry for sempstress, which says "A woman who seams or sews ..." The earliest citations are "sepmstresse" in 1613 and "semstress" in 1644.

Seamster is likewise bundled in with sempster in the OED, where the entry says "[OE séamestre, fem. formation corresponding to séamere tailor: see seamer and –ster.] One who sews; one whose occupation is sewing, esp. the making and mending of garments; a tailor, seamstress. Originally a designation of a woman, but in OE. already applicable to a man. Now only applied to one of the male sex, seamstress being commonly used for a female sewer." Citations begin as early as 995, with "Margareta filia dicte Matilde, Semstere" in 1379 and "Cecily ... semster" in 1479.

Basically, it seems that the gender-based distinction between a "seamster" and a "seamstress" is at best a grey-period distinction. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the Seamstress will be deemed registerable as a modern form of an occupation and surname well established in period.

Per bend sinister sable and Or, an oak leaf bendwise sinister and an ink bottle counterchanged.

The Barony's name was registered "at some point." This badge is intended to be associated with the Baronial Scriptorium.

Argent, in base two bars wavy azure overall a penannular brooch open to base sable.

The Barony's name was registered "at some point." The submitters accept minor changes only and care most about the meaning which "refers to charge on badge."

Originally submitted as "Order of the Broach" we have consulted with the submitters and changed the spelling to match available documentation. Our research revealed that a broach is "a tapering pointed instrument or thing" which has historically encompassed such items as lances, spears, bodkins, awls, spits, and candle-spikes – not a round pin or fastener.

The Oxford English Dictionary, s.n. brooch, says "An ornamental fastening, consisting of a safety pin, with the clasping part fashioned into a ring, boss, shield, or other device of precious metal or other material, artistically wrought, set with jewels, etc," and dates the spelling broche as early as 1225.

Order names of the pattern "Order of the <heraldic charge>" are registerable, according to the RfS III.2.b.ii Names of Orders and Awards.

Several of our in-Kingdom commenters were concerned about the motif of "two bars wavy in base, overall a charge." While it does seem like an odd motif, it appears to be grandfathered to the Barony, which registered "Argent, in base two bars wavy azure, overall a raven's feather palewise sable" in 01/85.

Argent, an eagle's toe couped fesswise sable and in base two bars wavy azure.

The Barony's name was registered "at some point." The submitters accept minor changes only and care most about the meaning which "refers to charge on badge."

Order names of the pattern "Order of the <color> + <heraldic charge>" should be registerable, according to the RfS III.2.b.ii Names of Orders and Awards.

We found no previous registrations of a bird's digit, but we believe that it is registerable based on the following precedent:

While we have no period evidence for the use of lips as charges, we do have examples of other body parts: hands, arms, feet, legs, heads, eyes, teeth and mustaches. On the basis of these, we've registered ears and toes in the SCA... (Saundra the Incorrigible, March, 1993)