Unto the Laurel and Pelican Sovereigns of Arms and the College of Arms, greetings on this first day of April, 1999.

 

 

It is the intent of the An Tir College of Heralds to submit the following names and armory.  This letter being slightly out of the ordinary, we must give credit to those who are to blame.  This creation was assembled by Teceangl Bach (Drachenmist) with the assistance of Rafaella d'Allemtejo (Black Fawn), Ęšelfriš se Hluda (Birkenstock), Francesca (Testarossa), David of Moffat (Electric 110V/60 Hz), Zenobia Naphtali (Cordon Rouge) and our staff artist, Sebastian Sterne (Laissez Faire).

 

 

 

1. Angus Angus of Angus                               New      Name

 

Angus (the given name) is found in Black, Surnames of Scotland, p.23, where Angus mac Dunec' is listed for the period 1204-1211.  Angus (the byname) is also found in Black, p.24, where David Angus is listed for the year 1470.  Angus (the territorial locative) is found in Johnston, Place Names of Scotland, p.83 as a header spelling.  It can also be found in Black, p.24, where William de Angus is found in 1391, Laurence of Angus is found in 1305, and Serlo de Angus is found in 1229.

 

 

2. An Tir, Kingdom of, for the Ponchy Herald           New   Herald's Title

 

Ponchy as a surname is found in Dauzat's Dictionnaire etymologique des noms et prenoms de France under the headword Poncet+.  RfS III.2.b.iii. states that heraldic titles may be drawn from surnames.  We believe this to be acceptable, though were admittedly fatigued when we reviewed it.

 

 

3.  Ay Oo Ell Dotcomb                                 New       Name

 

Ay is found in Black, Surnames of Scotland under Aye, as a given name dated 1609.  Oo is a surname in Black dated 1526.  Ell is a header spelling of a surname in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames.  While it is undated, the very similar spelling Elle is dated 1221.  Dotcomb is a locative surname constructed on the English model.  Dot can be seen in such names as Dotland, a header name in Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Placenames, which is derived from Dot's Land.  -comb is a deuterotheme found in such names as Widcombe (also in Ekwall), where Wydecomb is dated 1461 and Widecomb is dated 1303.

 

 

4. Batman McRobin                                  New           Name and Badge

(Fieldless) A reremouse quarterly vert and gules, overall grillage argent.

 

Batman is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Bateman: Batman d'Appleton, 1313.  McRobin is found in Black, Surnames of Scotland under MacRobin with the spelling McRobin dated to 1489.  Grillage is an attested period charge originally blazoned as "square fretty".  The February 1999 LoAR Cover Letter quotes that "In period some badges canted on the owner's given name. Both Margaret of Anjou, consort of Henry VI and Margaret Beaufort, Countess Richmond, mother of Henry VII used the marguerite as a badge.   (Canting and Allusive Arms of England and Wales by Winifred Hall).”

 

 

5. Budd Lyght                                        New     Name and Device

Argent, three frogs vert and on a chief sable three billets argent.

 

Budd is from Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under the header Buddy: "Buddy is probably servant of Budda", 1135.  Lyght is found in Reaney as a header under Light: Thomas Lyght 1377.

 

 

6. Goodness Knowles                                            New      Name

 

Goodness is formed as a Puritan given name along the lines of Faith, Hope, Charity and Prudence mentioned in the introduction to Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., in the section on Puritan names.  These names are noted as flourishing between 1580 and 1640. Knowles is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Knoll.  The spelling Knolles is found in 1407; Knowles is another header spelling which seems compatible.

 

 

7. Hacun de Kerneil                                   New      Name and Device

Vert, semy of fours Or, an Easter egg argent.

 

Hacun is from Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd. ed., dated to 1180.  de Kerneil is found in Black, Surnames of Scotland and dated to 1202-1214.  Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 says, "the liturgical color for Easter was everywhere white."  The egg could also be blazoned proper but that might be confusing from a modern perspective.

 

 

8. Harry Furby                                       New      Name and Device

Gules, a hide per saltire vair and erminois.

 

Harry is in Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., under Henry dated 15th c.  Furby is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Firby.  The spelling used here is dated 1296.

 

                                                                           

9. Horsa Stalgong                                     New      Name and Device

Argent, a horse’s head sable issuant from a stocking gules.

 

Horsa can be found in the article "Anglo Saxon Names from Bede" on the WWW, at the URL http://www.accd.edu/sac/leassist/bede.htm.  Stalgong is an OE descriptive meaning "one who stalks" and is found on page 318 of A Concise Anglo Saxon Dictionary, 4th ed.  Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, lists the byname Stalkere dated to 1252 as "A derivative of ME stalke, OE stealcian 'to walk stealthily, to pursue game by stealthy approach'."  This suggests that the name Horsa Stalgong is an appropriate construction in Old English.  The heel and toe stitching details on the stocking do not add any significant tincture to the emblazon.

 

 

10. Jedidiah Knyght                                   New      Name and Device

Per pale sable and argent, a force counterchanged.

 

Jedidiah is a biblical name and can be found in Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed.  Knyght is found Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Knight: John Knyght 1275. A force, says Parker p. 270, is a kind of shears used in a French factory; force is also a word for a clipping shears found under surname Forcer dated to 1210 in Reaney & Wilson.  It is important to the submitter that the light side of the force is to dexter and the dark side is to sinister.

 

 

11. Jedidiah Knyght                                        New      Badge

(Fieldless) A hand couped gules sustaining a sword azure hilted Or irradiated argent.

 

 

12. John Flusshe                                           New      Name and Device

Or, a gurges throughout azure, a bordure sable and on a chief vert in dexter a cartouche fesswise argent.

 

John is from Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., as a fairly common English 12th - 15th century.      Flusshe is from Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames header Flush, which coincidentally dates John Flusshe to c1405.  The cartouche, here, is onomatopoeic.

 

 

13. Ljötr Hynefr                                           New         Name

 

Ljötr is found in Black, Surnames of Scotland header MacLeod. It is a Norse name meaning "ugly" which resulted in this surname.  Hynefr is from Geirr Bassi Haraldsson, The Old Norse Name, "one with a tuft of hair on the end of his nose".

 

14. Ljötr Hynefr, alternate name Butt Ugley            New     Alternate persona name

 

Butt is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, under this header, as a personal name which was used in the 12th c.  Ugley is in the same source as a header spelling.  No dates are provided but it is said to be a place name.  Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Placenames shows places with the theme Uggle where it derives from Old Norse for 'owl'.  We presume this means the wood with owls in it.  (uggle + leigh)  Thankfully, he has no armory under either name.

 

 

15. Modesty Greenskirt                          New       Name and Device

Argent, a brunette wild woman proper overall a bend vert.

 

Modesty is in "Feminine Given Names in a Dictionary of English Surnames", by Talan Gwynek, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/reaneyintro.html, taken on 1/28/99.  It's dated 1269.  Greenskirt is a constructed byname along the lines of the name Grenehod (green hood) and Grenescleue (green sleeve) cited in Jönsjö, Jan, Studies on Middle English Nicknames.  "Skirt" is a contemporary article of clothing from 1300 as per the Compact Oxford English Dictionary.  In the June 1993 LOAR Master Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme ruled that a Caucasian human figure clad in a color had enough contrast to be placed on an argent field.  Since the area of the charge taken up by the bend is similar to the area of the charge covered by clothing on the average clad figure, this ruling should also apply here.  We hope it does, as Modesty feels very strongly about the 'proper'."

 

 

16. Olympia Washington                               New        Name and Device

Per chevron inverted azure and vert, in base a mullet argent.

 

Olympia is found in Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., under Olympias.  The form Olympias is dated to the 13th c.; Olympia is just about in the gray area in 1655.  Washington is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames as a header spelling.  The very similar spellings de Wasshingeton and Wasshyngton are found in 1395 and 1401 respectively. RfS V.1. and V.2. provide that personal names conflict with only personal names, and nonpersonal names conflict only with nonpersonal names. Therefore, Olympia Washington does not conflict with Olympia, Washington, the capital of the State of Washington, located at the southern tip of the Puget Sound.

 

 

17. Swetelove Twiceaday                         New        Name and Device

Or, a melusine proper crined sable atop each tail tip an hourglass gules.

 

("Why is she crined? Because her last customer didn't pay her.")

Swetelove is in "Feminine Given Names in a Dictionary of English Surnames", by Talan Gwynek, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/reaneyintro.html, taken on 1/28/99.  The name in this spelling is dated 1279.  Twiceaday is a header spelling in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames dated 1661.  Reaney says, "It is almost certainly a popular perversion.....of Tuesday, for someone born on that day."

 

 

18. Theodore Geisel                                    New      Name and Device

Argent, a pig gules within an orle of eggs vert.

 

Theodore is in Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., with this spelling dated 602-690.  Geisel is under header spelling Geiseler in Bahlow's Deutsches Namenlexikon, dated 1363.

 

 

19. Water Hassard                                      New      Name and Device

Azure platy, a pennon Or issuant from a ford proper.

 

Water is in Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd Ed., as a variant of Walter, dated 1460.  Hassard is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Hazard, dated 1197.

 

 

20. Why Not                                          New      Name and Device

Sable, a pall and in sinister base an annulet argent.

 

Why is in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames under Guy, c. 1200.  Not is in Reaney under Nott, 1100-1130.  Although aware of the unbalanced feel of this armory, Why believes there is no reason he shouldn't pursue a registration attempt.

 

 

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