June 2005 - Laurel LoAR - Ealdormere Submissions

ACCEPTANCES

Constance the Curious. Device. Per pale argent and purpure, two dragons addorsed, conjoined at the tails, counterchanged.

Griffin de Stokeport. Name change from Griffin Brandt and badge. (Fieldless) A mullet of seven points per pale azure and Or.

The submitter requested authenticity for 14th C England, but no documentation was included showing the spelling Griffin in the 14th C. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames s.n. Griffin, notes a Griffin Parpoynt during the reign of Edward III, which places this spelling squarely in the 14th C.

His old name, Griffin Brandt , is released.

John Lindsay. Name.

This is not a conflict with John Vliet Lindsay , Mayor of New York City in the 1960s. Although John Lindsay has his own article in the Encyclopedia Britannica, very few commenters recognized the name. In addition, the historical figure did not flourish until well after our period. While his actions helped prevent unrest in the largest US city during a very turbulent time, his memory does not appear to be highly influential to the practice of politics today. Therefore, he is not important enough to protect.

His device, Per bend argent and azure, a winged cat salient and a decrescent counterchanged , was registered under this name in November 2004. It was not noticed that a holding name needed to be created until after the name was pended, but since the name is now registered, no correction of name is necessary in this case.

Lachlan MacLean. Household name House Golden Willow and badge. Vert, a willow tree eradicated within a bordure Or.

Laurel has ruled "There is a CD between a willow tree and a standard round shaped tree, just as there is a type CD between a pine tree and a standard round shaped tree. [Aleyn More, 09/02, A-Caid]". This precedent applies to a weeping willow tree; not a willlow tree. The compiled precedents do not note that Aleyn's tree is a weeping willow tree, a fact made clear in the device's blazon, Per pale vert and argent, a weeping willow counterchanged .

As discussed in the Cover Letter, the default willow is similar to an oak tree and there is not a CD between the two. The willow tree most often used in the SCA is actually the weeping willow, which is a significantly different (a CD) from an oak tree.

This does not conflict with: Torcail Ó Maonaigh, Vert, a tree blasted issuant from base, on a bordure Or three increscents vert . There is a CD for removing the tertiaries. There is a second CD for the type of tree. This is also clear of Huette Aliza von und zu Ährens und Mechthildberg, Vert, a tree blasted throughout Or . There is a CD for adding the bordure and another for the type of tree.

Maria the Black. Device. Argent, a natural panther statant sable, a base rayonny gules.

Mathild de Valognes. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Submitted as Mahhild de Valognes , the submitter requested authenticity for 11th C Anglo-Norman. The documentation for the name Mahhild was from Withycombe, The Oxford Dictionary of English Given Names . This document does not date this spelling, but it does suggests that it was used in period. Therefore, the spelling Mahhild is registerable. However, without dates, we cannot determine for which century it may be authentic. We do have forms of the given name dated to the 11th or early 12th C whose spellings are very close to the submitter spelling. These forms include Mathild , Matheld in 1086 and Mahald 1119, both from Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames s.n. Maud. We have changed the name to Mathild de Valognes to comply with the submitter's request for authenticity.

Swans Keep, Canton of. Branch name and device. Argent, a laurel wreath and on a chief azure three swans statant close argent.

Urraca de la Mar. Name.

The submitter requested authenticity for 15th C Spanish. While this name is a lovely period Spanish name, the given name Urraca had fallen out of use by the 15th C. Therefore, it is unlikely that this name is authentic for that time period.

RETURNS

Bastille du Lac, Shire of. Branch name.

While the submitters provided evidence of that the word Bastille as a placename is not unique to the Bastille of Paris , they did not demonstrate that a name of the form Bastille + generic topographic feature is follows patterns of French placenames. The submitters provide some documentation that Bastille and Chastel may have been used for the same sorts of structures. Dauzat et Rostaing, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Lieux de la France list these forms s.n. Bastia and Chateau respectively. The bastia+ names include names of people, occupations/titles, placenames and mountain names. There is also Bastia du Vert (undated), la Bastia-en Val (in the glen) and B.-des-Fonds (apparently fortress of landed property); the only dated form for the last two is Bastida . While Chateau+ names show a bit more variety, and include names of rivers as the second element, there are still no examples of Chateau + generic topographic feature . Barring documentation the generic topographic features were used in French placename with forms of Chateau or Bastia , such names cannot be registered.

Cainder ingen hui Chatharnaig. Household name Jolly Procrastinators and badge. Or, a chalice sable, on a chief purpure a quill pen bendwise sinister the quill passing between the blades of a pair of shears bendwise argent.

The name does not follow documented patterns of names for groups of people in period, nor was it adequately documented on the LoI. To address the latter matter first, no documentation was submitted showing that either word was found in period, nor was any documentation included showing the meanings in period of the words. This in itself is sufficient cause for return of this name.

For a household name to be registerable, the submitter or the College must demonstrate that the words composing the name are found in period with an appropriate meaning, and that the name as a whole is constructed according to naming patterns found in period for organized groups of people. For jolly , the Oxford English Dictionary has several appropriate meanings, many of which date to the 14th, 15th, and 16th C. The word procrastinator is another matter; the earliest date found for this word in the OED is 1607 and the related procrastinate and procrastination are not found until the late 16th C. Furthermore, the word is one of those literary, overly abstract words that we would decline to register as a descriptive byname. Certainly, such words are not found in the Order names on whose construction this household name is based. Nor have we found evidence of such words in other constructions on which household names are based. Some commenters noted that the formation was documented from Meredudd Caethin, "Project Ordensnamen", and was therefore not applicable to a household name. We note that RfS 5.II.b.iv says that household names "must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people." As order names are period names for organized groups of people, they are valid models for household names as well.

The badge is being returned for multiple problems. This was submitted on a device form in the belief that a household would have a device. The Adminstrative Handbook of the College of Arms section II.D defines a Personal Device as "The single piece of armory associated with an individual's Primary Society Name which uniquely identifies that individual." The same section defines a badge as "Any piece of tinctured armory other than a Personal Device or Branch Arms". A piece of armory assoiciated with a household is a badge, not a device. Precedent states:

This badge was submitted on a device form instead of a badge form. Badges must be submitted on the badge form,

although the submitter is free to display it on any shape she desires. [Maredudd Angharad ferch Gwenhyfar, 10/00,

R-Outlands] In addition, no SCA name was included on the form.

This was submitted on a device form, not a badge form. Even had it been on the correct form, this would have suffered

multiple problems. The relative position of the quill pen and shears on the chief is not a standard heraldic arrangement: the above blazon, which was our best attempt, is still not an adequate description. The chalice was drawn with its mouth so tilted to the viewer as to be considered trian aspect. The cumulative effects of the poor design and poor emblazon combine to render this unregisterable. If resubmitted with the chalice and the charges on the chief in standard heraldic orientations, it should be registerable (barring conflict).

Mathild de Valognes. Device. Per bend sinister azure and sable, on a bend sinister enhanced sable fimbriated argent, a chalice and a broad arrow palewise Or.

This is being returned for using unallowable fimbriation. RfS VIII.3 states: "Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design." It has previously been ruled that "The bendlets abased are not in the center of the design and therefore their fimbriation is not acceptable." ([Ann Busshenell of Tylehurst, 10/02, R-Atenveldt]).

By the same reasoning, fimbriating a bend or bendlets enhanced is not acceptable.

Medb ingen Dúngaile. Device. Azure fretty argent, a weaver's slea and bordure Or..

The primary charge was not identifiable as weaver's slea - or other weaver's tool - by those knowledgable of weaving. Note that the first edition of the Pictorial Dictionary misidentifies a weaver's stick shuttle , based on an erroneous blazon which has since been corrected, as a weaver's slea . On resubmission this should use the weaver's slea shown in the second edition of the Pictorial Dictionary or provide documentation for this form.

Offangaard, Canton of. Device. Azure, a tower within a laurel wreath and on a chief embattled Or four mullets azure.

Returned for lack of name as Offangaard was returned 02/05; holding names cannot be formed for groups. Even if the name had been registered, this would have been returned for lack of a petition. On resubmission, we recommend using an odd number of crenelations on the chief.

Sven gunnolfr Ragnaldson. Name (see PENDS for device).

This name has several problems, but as the submitter allows only minor changes, we are unable to remedy them. The name is a mixture of English and Old Norse; while this is one step from period practice, such combinations are registerable barring other problems. The biggest problem in this case is that this name contains a double given name. This practice is unattested in Old Norse naming practice; double-given names containing Old Norse parts may not, therefore, be registered. The LoI justified the the second given name as a descriptive byname because it was written in all lowercase. This is a misunderstanding of the precedent that requires descriptive bynames in Old Norse to be in all lowercase. While descriptive bynames in Old Norse are written in all lowercase, writing a given name in all lowercase does not make it a descriptive byname. A descriptive byname is just that -- a name that describes some personal characteristic of the person bearing the byname.

If the submitter is interested in an Old Norse name, we suggest Sveinn Gunnolfson Ragnvaldssonar . All parts of this name, as well as the construction, are found in Geirr Bassi, The Old Norse Name . While several webpages were cited as documentation for the name Sven , no photocopies of these pages were included, nor was the information found on these pages summarized in the LoI. This is, in itself, grounds for return. Furthermore, the cited webpages were specifically baby name sites; such sites are comprised almost exclusively of modern names, are unreliable as sources of information for period names and spellings, and etymological information found on them is often just wrong. Baby name webpages are not sufficient documentation for any name submission. His armory has been pended under the holding name Sven of Tor Brandt . 

PENDS

Sven of Tor Brandt. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Per chevron Or and sable, two wolves combattant sable and a drakkar argent.

Listed on the LoI as Per chevron Or and sable, two wolves combattant and a drakkar sable , this is pended so it can be conflict checked with the correct tinctures.

Submitted under the name Sven gunnolfr Ragnaldson .

This was item 11 on the Ealdormere letter of February 1, 2005.