Unto Their Royal Majesties Edward and Asa; the Honourable Lord Seamus McDaid, Aten Principal Herald; the Heralds in the Atenveldt College of Heralds; and to All Whom These Presents Come,

Greetings from Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy, Parhelium Herald!

This is the July 2005 internal Atenveldt Letter of Presentation. It precedes the external LoI that will contain the following submissions that are presented here, asking questions of submitters and local heralds who have worked with them; if these questions are not addressed, the submission may be returned by the Atenveldt College of Heralds. I accept online commentary, in addition to questions pertaining to heraldry and consultation for names and armory: brickbat@nexiliscom.com. Please have comments or questions to me, on any armorial matter, by 15 August 2005.

Submissions Website: You can send electronic commentary on the most recent internal LoIs through the site, in addition to any questions you might have. Current submission forms (the ONLY forms that can be used) can be found on the site. Please let your local populace know about the site, too: atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com.

Consultation Table: There will be an Heraldic Consultation Table at Kingdom Arts and Sciences, Saturday, 6 August, in the Barony of Atenveldt. You are more than welcome to come and sit on the Heralds’ Side of the Table! (These summer Tables can be busy ones.) Please let your local populace know about this, and if you or one of your clients needs particular help, especially with a name, let me know ahead of time so that I can try to bring appropriate resources. If you have submissions to send, you can hand-deliver them to me there. I will be accepting submissions at this event.

BIG PROBLEMS with Little Device Forms – READ THIS: This has happened a few times in the past, and I note that the incidence is increasing lately – I’ve been receiving device submission forms that have been very much shrunk/reduced by photocopying. If you don’t think this is a problem, you’re wrong. One of our 2004 submissions, for Helena de Argentoune, was returned by Laurel, only because her forms had been reduced in size so much that they violated the standards set forth by the Administrative Handbook: “This device must be returned for administrative reasons. The forms on which it was submitted were not the standard, approved forms for the submitter's kingdom. In particular, the escutcheon on the forms measured only 3 3/4 inches by 4 3/4 inches, much smaller than the 5 inches by 6 inches specified in section IV.C.1.d of the Administrative Handbook.”

Well, there goes several months of valuable wait-time...

In the past, if forms appear uncomfortably small to me, I’ve redone them (yeah, all the coloring, too). I shouldn’t have to be doing this (and Laurel staff doesn’t consider doing it at all). Make sure that your submission forms are of reasonable size; the master forms that I’ve provided to your office fit the standard 8-/2" x 11" piece of paper, and photoreduction shouldn’t shrink them significantly. (Why am I bringing this up? I received a packet that has a device form only with the escutcheon only 4 inches wide. I will probably redo the forms because I don’t want to see a replay of Helena’s return. Too-small forms is a really foolish reason to have an otherwise acceptable submission returned for redrawing.)

And just as a “heads up” for those who might have a bunch of submission forms, new forms will be coming from Laurel in a few months. Hopefully some redesign work will make them clearer to understand and easier to fill out (all those little questions that accepting/not accepting major and minor changes, and authenticity). You may wish to start using up your current stash of forms and making additional ones on a more as-needed basis.

Heraldry Hut: The next Heraldry Hut will be Friday, 19 August, beginning at 7:30 PM.

Laurel Decisions: Final outcome for submissions appearing on the Atenveldt Letter of Intent dated 23 January 2005 appear at the end of this report.

Please consider the following submissions for the August 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent:

Ailleann Mac Quinn (Atenveldt): NEW DEVICE

Argent, a dragon statant contourny vert breathing flames proper, in chief two hearts gules.

The balance is such that it appears the dragon is the sole primary charge and the hearts peripheral secondaries, hence the blazon.

The name appears on the 13 May 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent.

Áine inghean uí Ghríobhtha (Sundragon): DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, January 2002

Per bend azure and vert, a bend between four crescents conjoined in cross at the points and a cross clechy argent.

The name was registered January 2002.

The client’s original, Per chevron azure and vert, a chevron and in base a cross clechy argent., was returned for conflict with Winnifred Aurelia von Hirschberg, Per chevron enhanced azure and vert, a chevronel enhanced and in base a hart statant to sinister at gaze argent. The blazon of the charge in chief is taken from the August 2004 badge registration of Brian Killian the Red, (Fieldless) A grenade within and conjoined to four crescents conjoined in cross at the points Or.

Arsenda of Calais (Windale): DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, May 2004

Per chevron vert and azure, two estoiles and a winged scarab argent.

The name was registered September 2004.

The original submission, Azure, a fess argent between a bezant between in fess an increscent and a descresent, and a scarab maintaining a roundel argent., was returned for being overly complex by RfS VIII.1.a, which allows any single charge group to have at most two types of charge. This design resolves that problem.

Brian Sigfridsson von Niedersachsen (Tir Ysgithr): DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, August 2004

Per bend bendy argent and azure, and azure, in base three mullets of six points Or.

The name was registered July 2003.

The clients’s previous resubmission, Argent, three bendlets azure each charged with a mullet of six points palewise Or, a bordure counterchanged., was returned because the combination of multiple bends and bordure is considered excessive counterchanging. relevant:

Colyn MacRuairidh of Rathlin (Londinium): NEW BADGE

Vert, a beehive argent.

The name was registered December 2003.

Grianne the Red (Windale): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per bend sinister sable and gules, in fess a cinquefoil between an enfield and a wolf combatant.

Grianne apparently is a misspelling of the fairly common Irish Gaelic feminine name Gráinne (Ó Corráin and Maguire, p. 114); even in URLs which cite the historical female privateer Grainne O’Malley (also known by her Irish Gaelic name Gráinne Ní Mháille (c. 1530 to 1603)), use this spelling. Grainne appears to be the Anglicized form of the name. (Additionally, Gráinne/Grainne have multiple registrations in the Armorial; there are no Griannes listed.) The byname is a physical descriptor from the OE rēad, suggesting one with red hair; William Red 1176, and le Red 1332 are found in Reaney and Wilson (p. 374, s.n. Read). The client is most interested in the sound of the name (Grainne has the rough pronunciation of Grahn’-yeh) and she will not accept major changes to the name.

Jauhara al-Shaqra (Tir Ysgithr): CHANGE OF HOLDING NAME, “Kathy of Tir Ysgithr,” from Laurel, August 2003

The original name submission, Johari al-Noori, was returned because no documentation was presented and none was found to support Johari as a name used in period (it had been documented as Swahili, which can be considered a non-period language), nor was al-Noori documented as a period byname. Jauhara is the Arabic term for “jewel” (p. 150, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Hans Wehr, edited by J. Milton Cowan, MacDonald and Evans, London, 1980 reprint). Few period womens’ names are documented in writing (“Period Arabic Names and Naming Practices,” Da'ud ibn Auda, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/arabic-naming2.htm ), and issues with transliteration of a language that does not use the Roman alphabet are a problem. It would seem that the demonstrated feminine given name/ism Juwayriyyah might be an alternative transliteration of Jauhara, or that Jauhara could stand on its own as a feminine ism, connoting a “pretty” or “beautiful” quality of the bearer: Da’ud’s paper demonstrates the feminine isms Nuwwar (“blossom, flower,” found in Wehr, p. 1009), Ruqayyah/Ruqayya (“pretty,” p. 368), Ghaniyah (gāniya, “a beautiful woman,” p. 687), and Khadijah/Khadija (possibly from khadīr, “green (color)”, p. 243). al-Shaqra, “the fair-complexioned, light-skinned one,” is found in Wehr, ashqar (f. shaqrā), p. 481, serves as a laqab, a combination of words into a byname that here, serves as a descriptive of the person. The client is most interested in the sound of the name.

Lucius Evangelista (Windale) NEW NAME and DEVICE

Or, a double-headed eagle sable, on a chief gules two scorpions fesswise respectant Or.

The name is Italian. Lucius is a Roman praenomen that persisted into as the name of several Popes (Lucius III d. 1185); it is more likely that the period Italian form is Lucio or Luciano, found in 1427, or as 15^th C. Venetian masculine given names Luca or Lucca, or even Lucha. In this situation, Evangelista is an unmarked patronymic: Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) was an Italian mathematician ( http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Torricelli.html ). This shows Evangelista as a masculine given name, and some persistence into modern times as a surname (model Linda Evangelista and fencer Nick Evangelista) demonstrate it as a nunmarked patronymic. A boy with the name of Giovanni Evangelista, the son of St. Frances of Rome (b. 1384) and likely named in honor of St. John the Evangelist, is found in http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=49. The name Isabella Evangelista (same documentation for surname) was registered in September 2004. The client is most interested in the sound of the name and wishes the name authentic for 16^th C. Italy; he will not accept major changes.

Malcolm the Bold (Windale): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, September 2004

Per pale sable and argent, two talbots sejant respectant counterchanged and a fox’s mask azure.

The original name submission, Malcolm McGregor the Bold, was returned for no documentation provided and none found for the construction [Scots given name]+ [Anglicized Gaelic patronymic] + [English descriptive byname]. The CoA would’ve reordered the name parts to Malcolm the Bold McGregor, giving the form [Scots given name] + [English descriptive byname] + [Anglicized Gaelic patronymic], which is a valid construction for a Scots name. However, the submitter would not accept changes.

The name is Anglicized Scot. Malcolm is not found with this spelling (the second -l- is dropped) in “Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names,” Sharon L. Krossa ( http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/ ); it seems to be the preferred spelling among SCA Malcolms. “The Kings and Queens of Scotland (to 1603)” site does show Malcolm as the spelling of three kings of this name

( http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page98.asp ). the Bold is a descriptive epithet.

The original device submission, Argent, a fox's mask azure within a belt sable., was returned for the combination of a charge within a belt or strap: that is listed in the Glossary of Terms under "Restricted Charges" in accordance with the following precedent: [Returning Or, a gurges purpure within a belt sable] Armory using a charge within a belt strap is restricted as such motifs were used as a standard form of badge display in Scottish armory. [Dec 2000, Ret-Meridies, Pol MacNeill] RfS XI.1 states: "Armory that contains elements reserved to or required of certain ranks, positions, or territorial entities, inside or outside the Society, is considered presumptuous." This is such a use, and was returned for violation of that rule. The redesign solves that problem.

Maria Angela il drago blu da Firenze (Atenveldt): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Or, a demi-dragon contourny maintaining in its sinister claw a bow and in its dexter claw two arrows azure, a bordure embattled gules.

The name is Italian. Maria and Angela are feminine given name found in “Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427,” Arval Benicoeur ( http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/ ). The byname, “the blue dragon,” follows an Italian name construction found in “Common Naming Practices,” Walraven van Nijmegen ( http://heralds.westkingdom.org/ClassHandout/CommonNamingPatterns.htm); while the Italians did use bynames/nicknames that were descriptives of the bearer (Walraven demonstrates 14^th C. Venetian nicknames that include Cappello (hat), Dente (tooth), and Torta (twisted)), I suspect those nicknames chosen were more pragmatic in their choice, possibly referring to an occupation of hatmaker (or one who is noted for wearing fashionable hats), or physical defects like broken or buck teeth, or a crippled individual. On the other hand, there are house names in Venice like Ca’ d’Or (House of Gold) which might refer to an inn or hostel, or merely to a residence that had a shining appearance compared to the drab neighboring buildings and was thus known for its looks. da Firenze, “of Florence,” is a locative byname. The client is most interested in the sound of the name and wishes to have it authentic for 15^th C. Italy. She will not accept a holding name. [Consulting Heralds: I don’t consider not accepting a holding name a good choice for a client; if for any reason a name is returned when this box is checked, the best piece of armory will be returned with the name. A holding name is merely that – the client is not saddled with it “forever,” and having one assigned guarantees that the armory can be registered and safeguarded. Changes to holding names are free.]

Michael of Kilkenny (Atenveldt): NEW NAME

The only name documentation that was received with this submission was a photocopy of the client’s SCA membership card, which displays the name. This is not documentation – if you send in your membership fees and form with your choice of name being “Agamemmon, Queen of the Maypole Dance,” the Registrar will cheerfully put this on your membership card (and anyone checking your membership card at an event will laugh). Having said that, Michael is the client’s legal name. It is also a common English masculine given name, with this spelling found in the Curia Rolls 1196-1215 (Withycombe, 3^rd Ed., pp. 218-9). Kilkenny is a city in Ireland; its castle was built by the Normans, and St. Canice’s Cathedral was built in the 13^th C. ( http://www.kilkenny.ie/ ).

Nikolaus von Erlach (Atenveldt): NEW DEVICE

Checky gules ermined argent and argent, a unicorn rampant sable.

The name appears in the July 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent.

This is a gorgeous piece of armory (the size of the checky is great!); bear in mind, however, that no matter how “complex” a field is, only 1 Clear Difference can be garnered for it. (A quick check (my morbid curiosity kicked in) shows conflicts with a single unicorn sable rampant, rampant to sinister and a single demi-unicorn sable, both default and contourny...might the client consider adding a base sable?)

Shalon MacNeil (Atenveldt): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, June 2005

Argent, semy of annulet sable, a bordure per pale purpure and azure.

The original name, was returned for mixing a Russian and a Scots name element, a mix that is undocumented in period. Shalon is a masculine given Jewish name found in “Names of Jews in Rome In the 1550's,” Yehoshua ben Haim haYerushalmi

( http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/yehoshua/rome_article.html ). MacNeil is a Scottish surname, with the spelling MacNeill dated within our grey area of 1633 (Black, Surnames of Scotland, 12th reprinting, 1999, p. 550). As Red Boke Herald pointed out in the original submission, MacNeil as Scots (i.e., anglicized) form of the original Gaelic form mac Neill. The client is most interested in the sound of the name (anything that is close to the sound “Shay - lin” would be acceptable, providing that it could be combined with MacNeil). The lingual weirdness list

( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2002/01/02-01cl.html ) does not demonstrate a Hebrew-Scots name mix, but it does list Italian-Scots as a registerable weirdness. The client will accept a holding name if necessary.

The original device submission Sable, three roundels between six annulets interlaced in annulo argent, a chief ermine., was returned for too-small charges in the center of the field, and primarily for the overwhelming appearance of a loop of chain created by the interlaced annulets, a charge reserved for the Chivalry in the SCA. This is a complete redesign.

Uther the Dark (Windale): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per bend azure and sable, a bear rampant and three axes argent.

The name is English. Uther is the name of King Arthur’s father, found in Thomas Mallory’s (ca. 1405-1471) Le Morte d’Arthur; the name has been registered several times by the CoA, as late as February 2003, so it isn’t a unique name (and any help in finding its etymology would be appreciated). The byname is a physical descriptor, referring to one who might have dark hair or a dark complexion. This spelling is undated, but Robert Derck 1221, Richard Durk 1229, and John Darke 1362 are all attested in Reaney and Wilson (p. 126, s.n. Dark). The client is most interested in the sound of the name and will not accept major changes.

Wilhelm Gebauer Von Stadt Könisberg (Tir Ysgithr): NAME RESUBMISSION from Laurel, August 2004

The original name, Wilhelm Zugspitzer, was returned because no evidence was submitted and none found that German locative bynames were formed from the names of mountains in period. The name is German. Wilhelm is a masculine given name found in “German Given Names from 1495,” Aryanhwy merch Catmael (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/german1495.html ). While undated, Gebauer has its own entry in Bahlow and demonstrates it as an occupational byname gebower in 1372 (Hans Bahlow, Deutsches Namenlexicon, 1967, p. 161). Bauer means “farmer, peasant.” The locative means “of Könisberg City.” http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Mathematicians/Regiomontanus.html demonstrates Könisberg as a German city dating to1436 (the birthplace of mathematician Johann Müller, who is associated with the name Regiomontanus, which was taken from the Latin form of Könisberg “king’s mountain,” regio monte). Another Könisberg, known in modern times as Kaliningrad, Russia, was found in eastern Prussia and was established in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights in their conquest of this area, and it was named in honor of Bohemian King Otakar II ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad ). Either locale demonstrates Könisberg as a period place name. The client is most interested in meaning of the name, and he wishes to have the name authentic for Gemany in the 16^th C. (very specifically, 1560 A.D.). He will not accept major changes to the name.

The following submissions appear in the July 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent:

This month’s commentary is provided by Katherine Throckmorton [KT], Knute Hvitabjörn [KH], Snorri Bjarnarson [SB], Zenobia Naphtali [ZN] and Marta [MMM].

Alexander of Tyre (Mons Tonitrus): NEW NAME

As it appears that Tyre is the standard English name for the city, this is a very reasonable name. [KT]

Aythan Pengrek (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE:Per chevron Or and purpure, two triquetras and a leopard’s head affronty erased counterchanged.

Good name! [KT]

Catan inghean ui Cuinn (Tir Ysgithr): NEW DEVICE

Per chevron azure and argent, two open books and a unicorn passant counterchanged.

The name appears in the 13 May 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent.

Caterina Amiranda della Quercia (Tir Ysgithr): NEW DEVICE CHANGE; NEW BADGE

Per pale sable and argent, a dragonfly within an orle counterchanged.

(fieldless) A dragonfly within and conjointed to an annulet sable.

Fáelán Ruádhán (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE: Per pale Or and gules, a wolf sejant ululant counterchanged and a bordure indented sable.

A sable border on a gules field, particularly indented. I don’t think that will fly. [SB] As the field is neutral (half dark, half light), any tincture of charge can be placed upon it, aside from those used as field tinctures; this would be more of an issue, were he to have used a purpure bordure, I think, which has much less contrast with gules. [MMM]

There is a weirdness for the non-period SCA compatible posture ululuant. The indents need to be larger. [KH]

Mederic de Maritime (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE: Azure, a sword fesswise reversed proper surmounted by a sickle inverted argent.

I’m not sure about drop the -ius method of de-Latinizing a name that the client is using here, but I will leave that to those better versed in Latin than I. Of more concern is the byname. The departmente (which seems to be roughly analogous to an American county) of Charente-Maratime wasn’t called that until 1941( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charente-Inf%C3%A9rieure ), so it is highly unlikely source for a SCA period byname.

If the gentleman is interested in having a name that refers to the sea, or sea related occupations Colm Dubh’s article Occupational By-Names in the 1292 Tax Role of Paris has several options. Flemish Names from Bruges by Loveday Tonnkyn (http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/bruges/) has several instances of <de Mer> . [KT]

I was able to establish that the word maritime is period for french “of the sea”(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=m&p=6). However, I could find no reference for the use of it in a name. [SB]

I’ve consulted with the client and he is willing to change his name submission to Mederic de Châtellerault. This city, located in the province of Touraine, was an important stronghold on the northern March of Poitou, established by the Count of Poitiers to secure his borders in the early 10th C. The daughter of Aymeric I, Aenor de Chatellerault (ca 1103 - ca 1130), William X of Aquitaine, and was mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2tellerault#Twinned_cities ). [MMM]

(An alternative blazon:) Azure, in cross a sword fesswise reversed proper and a sickle inverted argent. These are co-primary charges, not a primary and an overall. [KH]

Michael Hawkins of Portsmouth (Atenveldt): DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom June 2005: Per bend sinister argent and vert, an anchor sable and a sinister hand argent.

The name appears in the 30 June 2005 Atenveldt Letter of Intent.

The client’s original device submission, Sable, a sinister hand and a bordure argent., was returned for multiple conflicts. Unfortunately this one conflicts with Rodrigo Bernardez: Per bend sinister argent and vert, a rat rampant sable and a hand argent., as there is only 1 CD for changing the type of one co-primary (rat to anchor). Having contacted the client, he will accept the alternate design of Per bend sinister vert and argent, a sinister hand argent and an anchor sable. This clears the conflict with Rodrigo (1 CD for field, 1 CD for changing type of a co-primary), and it appears to be clear of other conflict.

Nikolaus von Erlach (Atenveldt): NEW NAME

Good name! [KT]

Voron Gregor’ev syn Testseneviskii (Atenveldt): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, June 2004: Gules, in pale a tyger rampant contourny reguardant maintaining a goblet and a chevron inverted Or charged with five beehives palewise gules.

Good name! [KT]

Consider the following precedent: “Argent, in pale a chevron inverted gules charged with three roses Or and a tree eradicated proper. ...The device is returned for violating RfS VIII.1.b., which states: Armory must arrange all elements coherently in a balanced design. Period armory usually places the primary elements of the design in a static arrangement, such as a single charge in the center of the field or three identical charges on an escutcheon. More complex designs frequently include a central focal point around which other charges are placed, like a chevron between three charges, but the design remains static and balanced. Designs that are unbalanced, or that create an impression of motion, are not compatible with period style. In this submission the chevron inverted and the tree can only be interpreted as co-primary charges, as they are of approximately equal visual weight and neither occupies the center of the shield. This combination of ordinary with non-ordinary charge in a single charge group produces an unbalanced design. Without period evidence for such a design, it is not registerable. LoAR 04/05 Issobell nic Gilbert R - Caid” This submission violates RfS VIII.1.b. [However,]

Since this is a resubmission and the issue of balance wasn't mentioned in the previous Laurel return that included this unbalanced motif, this could be registerable under the following precedent: “We apologize to the submitter for not mentioning this conflict at the time of the previous return, but the College of Arms did not bring it to our attention at that time. The Laurel office has been known to give the benefit of the doubt to a submission when a possible problem was not mentioned in the previous return, but was present in the previous

submission and was clearly visible to Laurel when viewing the submission. Such a "clearly visible" problem could include possible problems with the artwork of the submission or the general heraldic style of the submission. Unmentioned conflicts are not clearly visible to Laurel and thus do not fall into this category. [Charles the Grey of Mooneschadowe, 06/03, R-Ansteorra] Precedents - François, under ADMINISTRATIVE”

This is a style issue and does fall into the clearly visible to Laurel category. There is also the issue of a "grace period" for a new policy. Pass this up. [KH]

I don’t know that the reason for Issobell’s return applies here, since the chevron inverted is the more base-oriented charge (in order to provide more space for the tyger), but it’s good that a similar submission which was returned has been mentioned. Both precedents will be included in the LoI. [MMM]

The following are returned by the Atenveldt College of Heralds for further work, July 2005:

Alexander of Tyre: NEW DEVICE: Sable, on a bend argent, four crosses formy palewise gules.

Consider Marieke van de Dal: Sable, on a bend argent a bendlet voided azure, therein five beech leaves palewise vert.; Siegfried von Hoflichskeit: Sable, on a bend argent a mullet of four points elongated to base gyronny Or and sable.; and Alys van Schaack of Lynnencorre: Sable, on a bend gules fimbriated argent, three garlanded white rose buds slipped and leaved proper. (the last considered as Sable, on a bend argent a bend gules charged with three garlanded white rose buds slipped and leaved proper.). [KH] Particularly in the case of Siegfried, there is 1 CD for multiple changes to the tertiaries. The pertinent rule is RfS X.4.j which states: Changes to Charges on Charges - Changes to a group of charges placed entirely on other charges may create one clear difference. No more than one clear difference can be obtained from changes to the same group of charges on other charges. [ZN] Drat!

RETURNED for multiple conflicts.

Shawn Robert of Kilkenny (Atenveldt): NEW BADGE: Azure, two wyverns combatant counterchanged nesting in a brown nest.

The basic design is pretty, but the gentleman needs to totally rethink his choice of tinctures. [KT]

In addition to the cited problems, I have to question the identifiability of the demi-wyverns. [KH] The client will be contacted concerning the tincture of the wyverns and to what he wishes to have the them issuing from. If he desires a bird-like nest, it will have to be depicted in a more woven and stick-like pattern; although nests are commonly made from sticks and twigs, so that “brown” could be used, it would be improved by using Or as the tincture of the nest, in addition to avoiding the issue of the dark tincture “brown” on an azure field. As all charges in this badge are conjoined, he might consider a fieldless badge. [MMM]

RETURNED for tincture violation.

The following submissions were registered by the S.C.A. College of Arms, May 2005:

Anna de Wombwell. Device. Per fess argent and azure, a covered well argent with wooden supports proper roofed vert.

This device does not conflict with Moira Hawthorn, Per bend sinister purpure and vert, a well argent masoned sable. There is a CD for changing the field and another for changing the tincture of the well's supports and roof, which together constitute half the charge.

Beth McDonald. Reblazon of device. Purpure, an elephant argent maintaining atop its back a pyramid Or, a bordure embattled argent.

We have reblazoned this device, originally blazoned Purpure, an elephant argent with a pyramid atop its back Or, a bordure embattled argent, to more clearly indicate the relative sizes of the elephant and the pyramid.

Jane Kynesman of Northamptonshire. Device. Per pale azure and gules, three saltorels argent.

Mary Kate O'Malley. Device. Per saltire vert and sable, on a lozenge argent a wolf's head cabossed sable.

Simon Kerbouchard. Device. Per chevron azure and Or, two decrescents and a dragon contourny counterchanged.

Wesley the Silent. Name and device. Per pale azure and sable, the capital letter Q and in base a cartouche fesswise Or.

Although 1565 is the earliest date we have for the adjective silent, the descriptive is found applied to people in the late 16th C. Nor can its meaning be considered particularly abstract or learned; the corresponding noun silence is found extensively in Middle English and Elizabethan English with the meaning muteness, reticence, taciturnity. Therefore, although it is unlikely that silent would have been used as a byname, it is registerable.

The following submissions have been returned for further work, May 2005:

William of Tir Ysgithr. Holding name and device. Or, a vol sable and a bordure gules.

This device conflicts with William Guiscard, Or, a pair of bat's wings, conjoined and displayed, sable within a bordure countercompony vert and argent. Research into period usage finds bird's wings, but not bat's wings, as a stand-alone charge. Bat's wings are found only attached to bats or to various monsters such as dragons. Moreover, A European Armorial, by Rosemary Pinches and Anthony Wood (a drawing of a 15th C work), shows examples of dragon crests with both bird's wings and bat's wings, suggesting that the choice between the two may have been a matter of artistic license. Under the circumstances, we cannot see granting a CD between bird's wings and bat's wings, even as a stand-alone charge.

This item was originally submitted under the name Wilhelm Ludwig von Rabeslautern. The name was returned on the August 2004 LoAR and the device pended under the holding name.

Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy

c/o Linda Miku

2527 East 3^rd Street, Tucson AZ 85716

brickbat@nexiliscom.com

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Commonly-Cited References

Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland.

Gordon, E.V. An Introduction to Old Norse, 2^nd edition, Oxford at the Claredon Press, 1957.

MacLysaght, E. The Surnames of Ireland. Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 1991.

Medieval Names Archive. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/

Ó Corráin, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire. Irish Names.

Reaney, P.H. and R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames, 2^nd Edition, 1976, reprinted 1979.

Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd Edition. London, Oxford University Press, 1977.