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COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #94 Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Feast of St. Brieuc
1 May AS XLI
Greetings from Myfanwy!
Herein pray find commentary on Æ #94. Sorry it’s at the last
minute
-- I had a serious attack of Life the first half of April, and then
spent most of the rest of the month trying to catch up on all the
things (like laundry) that fell by the wayside.
Everything has been conflict-checked through the January 2006 LoAR.
I remain your servant and the Society’s.
Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy@nauticom.net
1. Alasdair Waldgrave
The online docs for the given name are as cited; however, most of the
rest of the page uses the <McAlister> spelling, and the citations
are
all out of period. The docs from Black are as cited. Additionally,
Black gives <MacAlasdair> as the Gaelic for “son of Alexander”
[pp.
449-50, sn MACALASTER] but does not give a dated citation for the
submitted spelling, saying only [p. 450]: “Mac ‘Ic [sic] Alasdair is
the patronymic of the chief of Glengarry.” The ÓC &M docs
are as
cited, but again does not give a dated citation for this form. Grimble
[pp. 130-31, sn MacAlister gives the submitted spelling, but
it isn’t clear whether the spelling has been normalized:
Alasdair Mor [sic] was a younger son of Donald of
Islay, the founder of Clan
Donald and grandson of King Somerled. According to the Irish
annals, Alasdair
was killed in 1299 in conflict with his cousin Alasdair Macdougall,
of the senior
line of Somerled.... The descendants of Alasdair
Mor [sic] settled in Kintyre, where
Charles MacAlister was invested with the stewartry in 1481 by James
III.....
But a branch which settled in Clackmannanshire and held their
property of
Menstrie from the Earls of Argyll adopted the name Alexander,
although they
claimed descent from Alasdair Mor [sic]. Alasdair [sic]
is the Gaelic for Alexander,
just as Iain [sic] is the Gaelic for John. [p. 131] The English
name of the Menstrie
line became appropriate when it gave birth to William Alexander in
1567. for he
followed James VI to London when he inherited the English throne in
1603....
In addition, Withycombe [p. 13, sn Alexander] gives the submitted
spelling as the Gaelic form, saying: “It was early adopted into Gaelic
as Alasdair [sic] (now often spelled phonetically
Alastair [sic], &c [sic]).”
The Reaney and Wilson docs for the byname are as cited. I was unable
to access the website cited for the byname (I got an error message). If
accurate, it appears to reinforce the main Reaney and Wilson
spelling <Waldegrave>.. I checked my translation of the
DomesdayBook: in the
Index of Places [p. 1303 ff.] it says:
The Index of Places shows the modern name followed by the county in
( ) in
which the place is to be found in domesday. annotation in square
brackets helps
identify more closely where the place mentioned is to be found
geographically.
So ’Aislaby [near Pickering], (Yorks)’ [sic] This is followed by
the name of the
place (and its variants) as used in the actual text of modern name
order.
Therefore [p. 1418], it says:
Walgrave (Northants.), Waldgrave, Woldegrave, Woldgrave, 591, 605,
621
Looking on those pages, the text (in every instance) appears to have
been normalized to <Walgrave>; however, given the information in
the
index, <Waldgrave> *may* be an acceptable spelling. Black [p.
798,
sn Waldegrave] says:
An imported name from Walgrave in Northamptonshire. The excrescent
-de-
[sic] occurs early, as a ‘Ric’us de Waldegrave’ occurs in English
Charter rolls in
1383. The Scottish printer’s name was spelled Waldgraw in 1597.
This has a Gaelic given name and an English byname, which is one step
from period practice.
2. Alheydis von Körckhingen (badge) -- (Fieldless) A key fracted
chevronwise Or.
The submitted blazon implies that the two parts of the key are
separated, which is not allowed for fieldless badges. As the emblazon
clearly shows they are *not* two separate pieces, this is fine but
should be reblazoned.
I’m not sure what the default orientation for a key is, and whether
the position of the wards needs to be specified. Parker [p. 343, sn
Key} says:
Keys borne singly are usually in pale.... Further, it is necessary
sometimes to
state on which side the wards (fr. panne- [sic]}
tons [sic] of the keys should be
drawn. When no direction is given the key is drawn
erect: [sic] i.e. with the bow
[sic] in base.
In von Volborth [p.52, figs. 429-31] the position of the wards are
listed in the captions, but it isn’t clear whether they are
specifically blazoned. Brooke-Little [p. 128, sn Key} says: “When
blazoning a key not only should its posi- [sic] tion in the shield be
stated but also that of the wards.” Woodward [p. 371] gives the
blazon for the arms of the See of Exeter as “Gules, the keys of St.
Peter in saltire or [sic] wards in chief , surmounted by the sword of
St. Paul in pale proper, hilted gold”; note that in the emblazon
[Plate XXXIII, fig. 6], the wards of the keys appear to be addorsed as
well.
Possible reblazon: (Fieldless) A key fracted and conjoined chevronwise
[wards to dexter] Or.
clear of: Society for Creative Anachronism, Seneschals (1/73 ??) --
Gules, a key fesswise Or.
clear of: Society for Creative Anachronism (1/090 east) -- Vert, a
key palewise inverted and reversed Or. [for the Order of the Golden
Key]
In each case, there is a CD for field vs. fieldless, and one for
changing the position/orientation -- I would have said “posture”, had
it not been an inanimate object -- of the key (i.e., from fesswise or
palewise to chevronwise).
3. Finn Marland ÓShannon (device change) -- Azure, a chevron
sable
fimbriated between three wolf’s heads erased Or.
If I understand this correctly, the new submission is removing the
semy from the chevron -- otherwise the two pieces of armory are
identical.
The chevron is a bit small and a bit shallow, but is probably
registrable. An artist’s note to the submitter to make the chevron
larger (and steeper), even if it makes the heads smaller, would not be
out of order however.
probably clear of: Freya of the Amber Hills (3/78 ??) -- Azure, a
chevron sable fimbriated argent between two daggers proper and an
increscent argent.
There is a CD for changing the type and (for the most part) tincture
of the secondaries; there may or may not be a CD for changing the
tincture of the fimbriation.
clear of: Tristan Keck (5/86 Caid) -- Per pale azure and gules, a
chevron sable, fimbriated, between two lions combattant queue-forchee
and a lion passant guardant Or.
There is a CD for changing half the field, and one for changing the
type of secondaries.
possibly clear of: Beoric of Granite Hills (12/84 East) -- Azure, a
chevron gules, fimbriated, within two bears’ heads erased and a bugle
horn Or.
There is CD for changing the tincture of the ordinary, and possibly
one for changing the secondaries (although it may have to be a visual
call by Wreath in order to determine if two heads erased and another
charge are really a CD between three heads erased, since the tincture
is the same).
clear of: Aidan MacDonald (10/97 West) -- Gules, on a chevron between
three wolf’s heads couped Or, three cinquefoils sable.
There is a CD for changing the field tincture, and a visual CD (at
least) for the difference between a sable chevron fimbriated Or
(visually close to a sable chevron as a tertiary) to a chevron Or
charged with three tertiaries -- there is effectively a CD for type
and number of tertiaries,
4. Iain Ard mac an Bhaird -- Quarterly sable and azure, a griffin
couchant to sinister, wings inverted, Or maintaining a triquetra
argent.
The Black docs are more or less as cited (except that it doesn’t
specifically give <Iain> as modern Gaelic, only that the older
form
of the name is <Eoin>. Both <Iain> and <Ian> were
ruled SCA
compatible in 4/97, for <Iain Kyle the Red> and <Ian mac
Tawisch>.
[URL: http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/precedents/
jaeprec.html#namerulings} That being said, there is a more recent
Elsbeth Precedent [URL:
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/precedents/elsbeth/name.
html#N_ComS] that muddies the waters somewhat; returning the name
<Iain Bán Menzies>, Laurel writes:
... the name Iain [sic], while ruled SCA
compatible, is not attested in period. Iain Ban Menzies, 07/00 [sic], [R-Atlantia] [sic]
I checked the specific LoAR [URL:
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2000/07/00-07lar.html]. While the
spelling is not the only grounds for return, it is a contributing
factor (the modern spelling of <Menzies> makes for a second step
from
period practice).
The docs for <Ard> are as given [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/DescriptiveBynames/Ard.shtml];
note however that only one person with this name was found, dated to
1400, for the name <Domnall Ard h. Dubidir>.
I don’t have MacLysaght. The docs from Black for <mac an Bhaird>
are
as given. The other docs [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/DescriptiveBynames/Cam.shtml]
and [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/Masculine/Eogan.shtml],
respectively, are as given.
It isn’t clear if the submitter wants an Irish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic
name.
On the online version [URL:
http://www.aeheralds.net/Letters/AE94/iloi-CLR.html], the triquetra
appears to be Or; however, in the full-sized version it is definitely
argent. The problem is that it is so small as to be difficult to see
what it is -- the submission probably doesn’t need to be redrawn, but
it does merit a serious artist’s note. (No, don’t make it large
enough to be a sustained charge, just make it large enough to be
*visible*!)
I checked the blazon cited in the documentation. It was in fact sent
out on the External Letter as “wings inverted and addorsed” [URL:
http://www.aeheralds.net/Letters/
AE77/xloi.html], and changed at Laurel; without seeing any of the
College of Arms commentary on the LoI, it is unclear as to *why* it
was changed. Since Laurel registered the armory simply as “a griffin
couchant contourny”, the blazon could probably be safely changed in
kingdom, (i.e., if the submitter cares one way or the other). It
isn’t clear, however, how the current Wreath will decide.
Possible reblazon: Quarterly sable and azure, a griffin couchant
contourny Or, maintaining [in its sinister talon] a triquetra argent.
clear of: Nerissa Meraud de la Fontaine (badge, 7/87 West) -- Gules,
a griffin passant to sinister bearing in its sinister talon a goblet
Or.
There is a CD for changing the field, and one for the posture of the
griffin; there is probably nothing, however, for the maintained charge.
clear of: Eden of Lionsguard (8/85 West) -- Per chevron Or and gules,
in base a griffin dormant Or.
There is a CD for changing the field, and one for the orientation of
the griffin (i.e., from facing dexter to facing sinister); there is
possibly *not* a CD, however, between couchant and dormant.
5. Tancred of Acre (name resub)
The Withycombe docs are as cited. Reaney and Wilson [p. 439, sn
Tancred] gives dated citations for <Tancredus filius
Bernardi and Tancredus [sic] de Wilton> both dated to
1252. I don’t have Dauzat; Morlet [p. 917, sn Tancré, -ez] says:
n. de personne d’origine germ. Tan- [sic]
crad [sic] [tanc- [sic]. se rattache
au got. thaghs [sic], v.h.a. danc, tanc
[sic], après la mutation consonantique, pensée,
souvenir; -rad [sic], conseil], forme savante
Tan-[sic] crèdie [sic]
(Normandie).
The Wikipedia cite is mostly as given; note, however, that <St.-Jean
d’Acre> is only cited as one (of a fair number) of “other spellings
and historical names for the city” -- not as specifically medieval
formation -- and only at the very end of the article. One must
remember that Wikipedia is *only* as good as whoever submitted the
information, and should be judged accordingly. The other citation is
as given.
The Lingua Anglica allowance is one that probably has to be decided
upon at the Laurel level. Does the submitter allow for any changes,
or have a request for authenticity? The LoI doesn’t say.
6. Tuathflaith ingen uí Chellaich -- Azure, a bend sinister
argent
between a sprig of three oak leaves bendwise Or and a stag’s head
couped, a bordure argent.
I see that there is no herald of record, which -- given the state of
the emblazon -- is actually not all that surprising.
This needs a complete redraw -- the bend sinister is the primary
charge and should be *much* larger. The stag’s head is badly drawn,
and the bordure also needs feeding. Additionally, the sprig appears
to be “bendwise inverted”.
The complexity count is seven (three tinctures, four types of
charges); eight if you count the odd positioning of the sprig.
This is not terribly good style.
Possible reblazon: Azure, a bend sinister argent between a sprig of
three oak leaves bendwise inverted Or and a stag’s head couped, [all
within] a bordure argent.
possibly clear of: Ymanya Murray (12/98 Outlands) -- Azure, a bend
sinister argent between an open scroll Or and three quill pens, a
bordure argent.
There is at least one CD for changing the type and number of
secondaries; however, note that the charge above the bend sinister is
the same tincture on both pieces of armory, as are those below the
bend sinister on both.
probably clear of: Hereward Bannerbane (12/92 Caid) -- Azure, a bend
sinister between a bird displayed and a feather bendwise sinister,
within a bordure argent.
probably clear of: Leif Wadason (3/81 Ansteorra) -- Azure, a scarpe
between and [sic] sword and a dexter gauntlet clenched fesswise, all
within a bordurelet argent.
In each of these, there is a CD for changing the type of secondaries,
and probably one for changing the tincture of half of them.
Bibliography:
Black, George F. TheSurnamesofScotland:TheirOrigin,Meaning,andHistory.
Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd., 1999, 2004 [copyright: The New York Public
Library, 1946].