ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1249 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1249 ************************************ 23 Sep 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked our opinion of as a late 16th century Scottish name, noting that is your mundane name. You also asked about your design for your arms, "Per fess gules and or, in chief a wirehair fox terrier courant proper carrying a Scottish bonnet proper in it's mouth, in base a lymphad sable with red pennants and sails." Here is what we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name and arms, then we may not be able to help you. In your period, there were two languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands and the towns. Gaelic is the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots is closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Therefore, the culture you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be constructed. was commonly used as a surname by Scots-speakers in our period, but it was not used as a given name. The first evidence we find of the given name is from the 19th century [1]. Because it's your given name, you can register it; but it is not a historically correct name. is a Scots or English form of the Gaelic or [2]. In the second spelling, the extra represents a softening of the sound called "lenition" that is sometimes required by Gaelic grammar. The was originally pronounced like the in , but by your period it could be a \gh\ sound or even silent. In modern usage, a name like is a clan surname; that was not true in period. In period Gaelic culture, a surname was a true patronymic, i.e. it identified your father. A 16th century Highlander called was the son of a man whose given name was . He may have been a member of any clan; his name tells us nothing about his clan affiliation. In Scots culture in your period, could have been used as an inherited surname, but it still wouldn't have indicated clan membership; it merely would have meant that your father's surname was . Here are a few Scots spellings of from your period: MakDonald 1571 McConile 1571 Makconeil 1571 Makconnele 1571 Makconell 1571 M'Konnell 1576 M'Oneill 1576 M'Conill 1580 McConnaill 1581 Maconhale 1588 MacKonald 1586 M'Connill 1597 M'Kconil 1597 You'll notice that in most of the examples, the \d\ sound has disappeared. This is the result of the softening that we discussed earlier. We would be happy to suggest some Gaelic given names that are appropriate to combine with the patronymic in your period, or some Scots given names that you could combine with . If you'll let us know where your interests lie, and narrow the field of possible names a little (i.e. tell us what letter you'd like the names to begin with), we'll send you a list of names to consider. The arms you described were "Per fess gules and or, in chief a wirehair fox terrier courant proper carrying a Scottish bonnet proper in it's mouth, in base a lymphad sable with red pennants and sails." These arms are not consistent with the style of heraldry we have observed in period Scottish sources. We have seen no examples of terriers in period arms, and we have seen nothing comparable to the dog carrying a hat in its mouth. Only certain types of dogs appear in period arms: greyhounds, mastiffs, and talbots (a sort of hunting hound). Divided fields are rare in period Scottish heraldry, particularly with dissimilar charges in the two halves [4]. Heraldry was quite widespread in the Lowlands in your period, but was rare in the Highlands. Some Highland chieftains used arms, and we have evidence that some of their relatives did, too; but we do not have evidence of heraldry used by lesser noblemen [3]. Given the ample evidence in the Lowlands, one might conclude that heraldic display in the Highlands was restricted to the higher nobility. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use heraldry: Many people in the Society use arms even though their personas would not have done so. You can find a few thoughts on this issue on the web: What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms? http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html The lymphad or galley was used by several Highland chieftains, including the MacDonald chieftains, the Lords of the Isles, who used the galley in their seals as early as 1411 [3]. Your design is obviously a play on the modern Clan Donald arms, which are identical to the lower half of your design [5]. There is some question whether it is appropriate to use arms so evocative of the arms of a famous period nobleman; some people would see it as an inappropriate claim to rank. On the other hand, with sufficient difference added to the basic design, you would have design that might be appropriate for a minor nobleman of the MacDonald clan. If you'll let us know whether you want a Highland or Lowland persona, we may be able to make specific suggestions. I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Elsbeth Anne Roth, Zenobia Naphtali, Rouland Carre, Talan Gwynek, and Effrick neyn Kenyeoch. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 23 Sep 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. MacDonald. [3] Campbell of Airds, Alastair, Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms, "A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry", _The Double Tressure_ (#19). [4] Schwietzer, Leslie A. and David Hunter of Montlaw, unpublished research. [5] "The Clan Donald" (WWW: DISCscribe Ltd., accessed 16 Sept 1998) http://www.tartans.com/clans/MacDonald/donald.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -