Lewis Tanzos
Eastern.crown@eastkingdom.org
26 September, 2002

Greetings and commendations unto the Heralds and Pursuivants of the East Kingdom, and others who receive this missive, from Tanczos Istvan, Eastern Crown Herald!

This is the Letter of Report (LoR) on the East's Internal Letter of Intent (IloI) dated 15 July 2002, available at http://tulgey.browser.net/~ech/2002-July/. Acceptances on this letter will be sent to Blue Tyger Herald to be included in an External Letter of Intent (XloI) to Laurel and the College of Arms.

As before, text in boldface is from the LoI, the following text is the discussion, decision, and further documentation discovered by commenters.

In service,
Istvan Eastern Crown

1. Alida de Conti - resub at kingdom device accepted

Azure fretty Or, on a pile inverted Or a thistle proper.

This may, under current Laurel precedent, conflict with Gwynneth of Glenstrae (August 1985, West), who bears "Per chevron azure and Or, two unicorns combattant Or and a thistle proper."

Reasoning part #1: Devices with piles inverted and devices with per chevron fields are considered to be equivalent. (Dun an Chalaidh, Shire of, 08/01, R-An Tir)

Reasoning part #2: Fretty and frets are considered to be equivalent. (Tamara the Seeker, July, 1993, pg. 14)

The new armory, then, is possibly equivalent to "Per chevron azure and Or, two frets Or and a thistle proper." As such, there is only one CD from Gwynneth's armory, and it conflicts.

Eastern Crown, however, is uncomfortable with this interpretation and is passing this to Laurel. The reason is that fretty is being equated to two frets in this interpretation. This is only true if there are two separate sections of fretty. This could also be equivalent to "Per chevron azure and Or, a fret Or and a thistle proper.", which would give another CD for change of number of primaries.

Her name was sent to Laurel on the East's 2001-01 letter.

2. Caitrina Gordon - new primary name accepted & new device accepted

Vert, on a fess between two pairs of rapiers crossed in saltire Or, a cat couchant sable.

Caitrina: This spelling is found, dated to 1467, in Names of Scottish Gaels from Scottish Gaelic Sources by Sharon Krossa at http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotnames/gaelicgiven/women/caitrina.shtml . Gordon: Header spelling in Black's Surnames of Scotland, dated in that spelling to 1408, p. 319. Sir Adam Gordon in 1402 was listed with many other Gordons from that time period and earlier in Webster's New Biographical Dictionary.

While the name is registerable as is, it not an authentic name for a Scottish Gael (nor it is Irish). The surname Gordon is clearly Scots-Norman in origin. It is also not really a Scots name as the spelling of Katherine given is a Gaelic form, although Catrina Gordon would be a fine Scots name.

"Catarine Gordon" is a fine 14th century Lowland name (see A List of Feminine Personal Names Found in Scottish Records, part two: Pre-1400 Names). "Caitrina inghean Eoin" would be a fine 15th century Highland (Gaelic) name -- note that Scotish Gaelic Given Names for Women has evidence of it only from the 15th century on. "Caitrina Gordon" is historically implausible, but probably registerable.

Note that somebody with access to the files should check to see if this is the same person as Caitrin Maura Gordon

3. Caranwyn Silveroak - new primary name accepted & new device accepted

Argent, on a bend between two Jerusalem crosses azure an oak sprig fructed argent.

Carowyn: '-wyn' in Welsh is a solely a masculine ending: 'The ending -wyn occurs only in masculine names in Welsh (e.g., Berwyn) while the ending -wen occurs only in feminine names in Welsh (e.g., Ceinwen).' This from the 'Concerning the Names Ceridwen, Kerridwyn, and the like' entry in the Problem Names Project: (http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/ceridwen.shtml) This still leaves the question of 'Caro-' as a name part. In Tangwystl's 'A Welsh Miscellany' we find 'Caradog' and 'Caranfael' among the men's names, which could be a weak argument for a 'Cara-' prefix, but only a weak one. As for 'Silveroak', we find 'Silverthorn' in Bardsley p. 691, and 'Greenleaf', 'Greentree' and 'Greenoak' in the same source p. 336. Ekwall has, under the header 'Silverley' p. 423, the note: "First el. doubtless the word 'silver'. Many names of plants and trees contain the word, as 'silver-weed', '-wort'. Silverley might be elliptical for a name containing such a word". Ekwall also has 'Whitnash', dated to 1227 as 'Wihtenassh', meaning 'at the white ash'. Taken together, this could be construed as evidence for Silveroak as a constructed English place name.

Given that Caran- can be found as a root as part of "Welsh Compound Given Names" by Tangwystl ferch Morgant Glasvryn (From the proceedings of the Caidin Heraldic Symposium, 1989), we felt that "Caranwyn" or "Caranwen" was acceptable. When contacted, the submitter did not care about the actual gender and was amenable to either spelling, so we chose the change that preserved her original spelling the best.

4. Catheryne Green - new primary name accepted & new device returned

Vert, a sun Or and a base azure fimbriated Or.

Catheryne: Flight, Stuart, "King's Stanley Marriages to 1678: PARISH REGISTERS- Marriages Volume 1. 1673-1677," updated 19 Jul 1999 (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/8066/ks1.html - please note this link no longer exists! This is why we require photocopies of sources which are not on the SCA website: they can go away!) Talan's 'Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames' (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/reaneyHZ.html) gives the following spellings: Catherine, 1591; Kateryne, 1524; Katheryn, 1570; which ought to be sufficient support for the desired spelling. Greene: Fitzhugh, William W. and Jacqueline S. Olin, editors, Archeology of the Frobisher Voyages (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993). The Noble Science: Sloane Manuscripts 2530, Papers of the Masters of Defence of London, from the 1540s to the 1590s. Herbert Berry. (University of Delaware Press, Newark) Green is found as a header spelling in both R&W (p. 204) and Bardsley p. 334) but without dates for that spelling.

Documentation additional to that found on the LoI: The article "Name Distribution in King's Stanley Marriages: 1573-1600" (Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Name Distribution in King's Stanley Marriages: 1573-1600" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfriedemann/names/late16.htm ) includes the form Green, although with no better date than the title of the article. This is, however, sufficient for registration.

This armory submission violates RfS VIII.3 which only allows fimbriation of charges placed in the center of the design. The armory must therefore be returned.

If the base were entirely gold (or omitted), the design would conflict with Bridgit ferch Teleri "Vert, a sun within an orle Or".

5. Eadwenna aet Hraefnehyrst - resub at kingdom device returned.

Per bend vert and bendy vert and Or, a unicorn rampant argent.

There was an error on the LoI. The statement about 'enhanced' ordinaries not being registered anymore is incorrect - Eastern Crown was generalizing too much from a statement that a particular bend enhanced was too enhanced to be registerable.

However, the submitted emblazon is, in fact, "Per bend vert and bendy vert and Or, a unicorn rampant argent." As such, it conflicts with the device of Janusch der Wasserman, "Azure maily Or, a unicorn salient argent.", with but one CD for the field. Her name was sent to Laurel on the East's 2001-06 letter.

6. Gerrard Sanglier - new name accepted & new device returned

Per fess vert and potent, a boar passant argent

Gerrard: "Late 16th century Given Names" by Talan Gwynek (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/eng16/eng16alpha.html and http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/eng16/eng16notes.html#Gerrard) Indicates that the spelling "Gerrard" (which the submitter strongly desires) is documented to England but for a foriegner (in this case a German). Obviously, the submitter is more going for French than German or English per se, but he is hoping that the alternative spelling "Gerrard," which is at least documented to period, will be considered an acceptable spelling variation even for French use. Our sense is that the submitter would rather this match the French language of the surname, than that the surname's language be changed to match this. Sanglier: descriptive byname- French, 'the wild boar' or 'the boar.' There is a question of whether it is acceptable to simply use 'Sanglier' as the byname, or whether it is necessary to say 'le Sanglier' - the submitter strongly prefers the former but will accept a change to the latter. Documentation of 'Sanglier' as period French meaning 'the boar': "The hog was Richard of Gloucester, later Richard III, whose badge was a white boar (Gloucester's pursuivant was called Blanc Sanglier);" Stephen Friar, Heraldry for the Local Historian and Geneaologist (Sutton, 1992) p. 222

The given name is certainly registerable with a French name; any English name would be so. It's not even a weirdness, and French German wouldn't be more than one weirdness, if any. Morlet, s.n. Sanglé, derives the name from sanglier, so the byname is period. Gérard is an undated French personal name deriving from the german Gerhard (Morlet, Noms de Familles, p 455 SN: Gérard). Sanglier - an undated French surname meaning someone who lives alone...that is, is a man of little social graces. A pig. (ibid. P 882 SN: Sanglé) According to Greimas and Petit Robert I, that word means "boar" today but in Old French originally meant "solitary". The modern word is a contraction of the phrase "porc sangle" "solitary pig". Thus "sangler" was a surname for an unsociable man. The word "sengler" with the meaning "wild boar" first appears in the early 13th century, and the spelling "sanglier" is recorded in 1295. So "Gerard Sanglier" is not impossible in 14th century northwestern France. The submitter is warned that the surname would have carried the suggestion "anti-social" in this period.

There were some that said this looked like "Potent, on a chief vert a boar passant argent.". In fact, the per fess division lines up exactly with the tick mark guides on the forms.

Unfortunately, this very nice device conflicts with Richard III of England (real-world badge), "A boar passant argent", with only a single CD for adding the field. If the device is changed to use a chief, we found no conflicts.

7. Gilbert the Short - new primary name accepted & new device accepted

Gules, two chevronels and a bordure Or

Gilbert from Reaney & Wilson, p. 264, Killer, Gilbert Killbole, 1327; p. 466 Vere, Gilbert de Veer, 1303. R&W has 'le Sorte' dated to 1269 and 'Short' to 1327, both under the header 'Short' on p. 407.

'Gilbert' also found in T. Gwynek: Men's Given Names from Early 13th Century England and J. Goodwin: English Names Found in Brass Inscriptions[Laurel] and Withycombe pp. 133-4 from OG `gisil' meaning `pledge' and `berhta' meaning `bright', having been used in England since the Norman arrival, and having been popular in the Middle Ages.

Apparently, the 'within and conjoined' for the chevrons is implied by their being throughout, which in turn is implied since it is the default for ordinaries to be throughout. SCA blazon by convention blazons them as diminutives: chevronels.

8. Iron Bog, Shire of - new device change accepted

Per chevron inverted argent and sable, a plant of three cattails slipped and leaved within a laurel wreath counterchanged.

Device change from: "Per chevron inverted argent and sable, in pale a plant of three cattails slipped and leaved and a laurel wreath counterchanged." (registered 03/84) The group name was also registered in 03/84. Though not mentioned on the LoI, there is a petition containing the blazon and signed by nine of the shire officers.

9. Olrik van Lubbeke - new device accepted

Per bend sinister gules and sable, two anchors Or.

His name was sent to Laurel on the East's 2001-05 letter.

10. Rhiannon Basset - resub device change accepted

Argent, a cat sejant, dexter paw raised sable gorged of a baronial coronet Or and on a chief embattled vert, two crescents argent.

Please note that this is the device change for Rhiannon Llysieusraig. The name change went to Laurel earlier, on the East's 2002-02 letter, when the device was originally returned.

We cannot think of anything that would conflict with this device that does not already conflict with her current device, "Argent, a cat sejant, dexter paw raised sable, on a chief embattled vert two crescents argent", and therefore the device is grandfathered by this precedent:

While this conflicts with [device]., since [her] previously registered device ... also conflicts to the same degree, she gets this badge courtesy of the grandfather clause. The Grandfather Clause applies to conflict, as well as stylistic problems; the badge conflicts no more (and no less) than the device, and if [she] may display the latter, it would be unreasonable to tell her she may not display the former.' (Jennet of Tewkesbury, 7/98 p. 7) Precedents - Jaelle, under Grandfather Clause

11. Sabine Kerbriant de Lanvaux - new name accepted and new device returned

Per pale azure and vert, six hearts Or

Sabine: Academy of St. Gabriel report #630 [PCA, but no headers], which states that Sabine was used occasionally to the end of the SCA period, and cites Morlet's Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle, v.II and Dauzat, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France. (Note that this is one of the early letters from St. Gabriel, and the web site version contains the warning about possible errors.) Kerbriant is a header form in Renouard, Phillipe, Répertoire des Imprimeurs Parisiens. [PCA] It seems that one Jean Kerbriant (or Huguelin Kaerbriand, they seem to be variant forms of the same name) married one "Jacqueline Beaucorps" on Januart 11, 1518. He sems to have been an 'imprimeur' (whatever that is) from 1516-1550 Lanvaux is from Berlitz: Discover Brittany [PCA]. It appears to be the name of a ridge in France, and the area has a church (Church of Saint-Gilles) that was originally built in the 12thC. It doesn't document the use of the name to period, though.

Morlet, pg. 871, s.n. Sabin, list Sabine as a feminine given name and matronymic and mentions that there was a saint Sabina in the third century. The Academy of S. Gabriel report #1766 http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showfinal.cgi?1766+0 , lists the name as being used (in England) in the 12-14th centuries, as well as in the 16th century. Withycombe also mentions Sabin(a) on page 260. Evidently it was both a male and female name. She does mention the spelling Sabine as a known surname, date unmentioned. Double-checking Dauzat, he says that the feminine given name "Sabine" produced metronymic surnames, and he particularly associates it with Calvados. There are also more recent St. Gabriel commentaries on the name Sabine, including #1692.

Kerbriant is found in Morlet (ibid, p 551 SN:Ker-) Ker[x] is a very common Breton protheme used in the formation of place names where there are numerous people of the same family name. Briant is also found in Morlet (ibid, p.141 SN:Briand) and is an ancient surname from Breton derived from the ancient breton verb "bri" meaning dignity or consideration.

In the document at http://193.251.66.28/histoirebretonne/terre/teneur/B/Bretagne.htm, under "de Lanvaux" we find listed one Alain de Lanvaux, with a date of 1273. The page http://www.ma-genealogie.org/jean-louis-collin/familles/pafg381.htm#7860 is a little hard to follow, but if you track the du Houlle family, it shows (at http://www.ma-genealogie.org/jean-louis-collin/familles/pafg381.htm#7861 ) the first grandchild of Madeleine de Lanvaux (wife of Geoffroy du Houlle) as having been born in 1415-so presumably Madeleine was alive and flourishing prior to that date. ( Madelain de Lanvaus married Geoffroy du Houlle. They had one child who survived, named 'Jeanne du Houlle'. Jeanne married Henry de la Riviere, and they had grandchildren Eon - in 1415, Geoffroy in 1420, and Thibault sometime later)

Device conflicts with William MacNess, registered April 2002, "Gules, semy of hearts Or", with only a single CD for changing the field.

12. Sorcha Deismireach inghean Mhurchudha - new primary name accepted and new device accepted

Quarterly argent and gules, a dragonfly counterchanged and on a chief sable three boars heads erased argent langued gules.

Sorcha inghean Mhurchadha from Academy of St. Gabriel letter #2064 [PCA]. Sorcha documented throughout period in O'Corrain & Maguaire. Report notes that the patronymic was usually spelled Murchad in the early medieval period, and Murchadh after 1200. Also from MacLysaght, under O'Murphy [PCA], we find a a Domhnall Dall Ua Murchadha who died in 1127. Deismireach from Malcom MacLennan's "A pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language", Acair and Mercat Press, Edinburgh, 1979. 'Deismireach' means 'curious', and was added to clear conflict.

The Academy report cited says that the underlying given name was spelled "Murchad" and "Murchadh", not the patronymic. The citation of "Ua Murchadha" is basically irrelevant: The existance of a name as part of a clan name does not mean that it was still in use as a given name, and that's what's required to support its use in a simple patronymic. However, the evidence in Academy report 2064 is sufficient to support the patronymic.

Gaelic descriptive bynames based on behavior were quite rare, but Mari neyn Bryan found some in her Index of Names in Irish Annals that describe similar personality traits: thrifty, pious, merry, grim, deceitful, etc. These were all recorded for men, though; women's bynames (also in that article) were much rarer and much more concrete. This one is registerable and we'd class it "not impossible", but the submitter is warned that it's extremely unlikely that a real person would be named this. For simply avoiding conflict, then a clan name would be a better choice, e.g. Sorcha inghean Mhurchadha uí Ruairc, but we'll pass it to Laurel as it is.

This is indeed the default posture for a dragonfly, called volant en arriere.

13. Timothy Fletcher - new primary name accepted and new device accepted

Or, a battle axe bendwise sinister sustained by a cubit arm sable, on a chief vert three bells Or.

Academy of St. Gabriel report #1910 [PCA]. Shows Fletcher from 1203 through the 16th century in Reaney & Wilson. Timothy from Talan Gwynek's "Late 16th Century English Given Names" (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/eng16/eng16alpha.html) - shows Timothy appearing 2 times. Documentation for Fletcher also provided from Bardsley [PCA], Hanks & Hodges [PCA], Reaney [PCA] and Bradley's New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [PCA].

The citations from Reaney and Wilson were only in the 12th and 13th century and were for different forms of the name. The 16th century citations were from the book References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602. The other citations, however, are fine.