ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1104 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1104 ************************************ From: 12 Aug 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wrote to us concerning the name , asking whether this were appropriate for a Norman living in Wales in the late 12th century. You also asked about the arms "Vert, a heraldic antelope and in chief two penanular broaches Or" I'd like to begin by saying that the individual elements in your name are all fine, though they are not yet in spellings appropriate for your period. Also, while each of the bynames (nicknames) you give is possible, it is highly unlikely that someone from the 12th century would use all three at the same time. It would be better to pick just one for registration. However, you need not stick to the same byname in everyday use; quite often in period a person would be known by different bynames in different circumstances, though generally by one at a time. Both and are good choices, since they are common men's names in your period, but these modern spellings weren't used in the 12th century [1]. The common spelling of was , which we find recorded in 1067 and in the Latinized form in 1086 and 1199-1220. is recorded as in the 11th and 12th century, and as in 1273. We also find in 1195, a partially Latinized name that means "Reginald the son of Hugh". This last example is a good model for your name; in the vernacular of the period, we would expect the name to be [2]. The byname "from Wales" is possible but we think it would have been a little unusual. It is a rather scholarly name, formed from the Latin name for Wales, and we expect it would only have been used in documents or in very scholarly discourse. The scholar , who was of both Welsh and Norman descent, was also called "Gerald the Welshman." [4] More common ways to say the same thing are or [5]. Some other examples meaning "the Welshman" are [3]: Osbert Waleis 1156-85 Robert Waliscus or Waleis 1166, 1169 Eudo le Waleis c.1200 Richard le Waleis or le Walles 1225, 1244 Bynames formed with "called", or in Latin, are certainly appropriate to your period. Based on recorded forms, we recommend or as an Anglo-Norman name meaning "green shield" [6] To summarize, we have given below both Latin and Anglo-Norman forms of each version of your name. Any of these forms could have been used interchangably to describe someone in your period: Anglo-Norman Latin [2] Willelm le fiz Hugh Willelmus filius Hugonis Willelm le Waleis Willelmus de Cambria or Willelm de Walenz Willelm Vertescu Willelmus dictus Vertescu or Willelm Grenescild You also asked us about a device: "Vert, a heraldic antelope Or, in chief two penanular broaches Or". This is not bad, but if you are interested in arms authentic to the 12th century there are several points you should be aware of. Firstly, "vert" has never been common in heraldry. This is not a problem with your device, but it does make it unusual enough such that someone bearing a green shield might indeed pick up the nickname "green shield". Second, we have never seen penannular broaches in period armory. This is indeed a problem, since the 12th century was the time that heraldry was in its infancy. Charges were few and came from a limited number of options; broaches were not among them. One possibility is to replace them with annulets (simple geometric rings) or round buckles. While buckles were not common, annulets were. Should you choose to do this, we recommend placing three annulets or three buckles in chief rather than two. This arrangement would be more in keeping with period practice. Lastly, we could find no evidence of antelopes in use during your period [7]. Monsters and beasts were rare in early heraldry, so we think an antelope would be unlikely. In fact, the earliest use of the antelope we found was by Henry Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV, in the late 14th century [8]. If you choose to use such an unusual charge, we recommend that you use it in a very simple, very standard design. We'd be happy to suggest more authentic designs using elements of your original design, but since you have already submitted your name and arms to the SCA College of Arms for registration, we aren't doing so in this letter. If you would like further advice on making your arms fit the time and place of your persona, please write us again. We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you. Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Arval Benicoeur, Zenobia Naphtali, Rouland Carre, Margaret Makafee, Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael Caermyrdin, Daniel de Lincolia, Marcello Caprioli, and Brad Miller contributed to this letter. In service, --Walraven van Nijmegen Academy of S. Gabriel [1] Nicolaa de Bracton, _A Statistical Survey of Given Names in Essex Co., England, 1182-1272_, Known World Heraldic Symposium Proceedings 1995 (SCA Inc.) http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5145/women.html [2] E. G. Withycombe, _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) [3] P.H. Reaney & R.M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995) [4] Michael Richter, _Giraldus Cambrensis." Aberystwyth: The National Library of Wales, 1976. [5] Ewen, C. L'Estrange, _A History of Surnames of the British Isles_ (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 1931; Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1968) p.152 [6] "Greenshield" is not the most likely possibility for a nickname, but it seems possible given bynames like "strong shield" (1177, 1185) [3], from which we hypothesize Anglo-Norman . appears in descriptive bynames as early as 1221 [3, s.n. Greenhead], and in 1206 [3, s.n. Shield]. Tangwystyl also notes that in Welsh legend, Brutus is given the nickname "green shield" or in Latin, (the form in Geoffrey of Monmouth). While this is a literary reference, rather than everyday naming practice, taken together with the above, it makes the case slightly stronger. [7] Cecil R. Humphrey-Smith, _Anglo-Norman Armory Two_ (Canterbury: Institute for Heraldic and Geneaological Studies, 1984) This is an ordinary of coats compiled from some 24 rolls of arms compiled during the period from about 1250 to 1315) [8] Rodney Dennys, _The Heraldic Imagination_ (New York: Clarkson and Potter Inc., 1975)