ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1326 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1326 ************************************ 17 Nov 1998 From: Randy Dees Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel! You asked about the name , and about a design for arms: "Vert, a chevron wavy and in chief two towers Or". is an excellent name for an Englishman of the 13th-15th centuries. was common as a given name throughout this period.[1] While we did not find an example of as a surname in your period, we did find , , and , all in 1296.[2] We think you could drop the article , as we also found 1086, and 1198. Unfortunately, if you want to register this name with the SCA College of Arms, you will have to avoid a conflict with , registered in June 1998. You could avoid the conflict by adding a locative byname (a second surname that identifies the place where you live). A name like would be very appropriate for your period, and it avoids the conflict. You can find many examples English place names in spellings used in your period in either of these two books: Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991). Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). The design which you have suggested for your arms, "Vert, a chevron wavy and in chief two towers Or", is also a good start. We do have some suggestions to make it more typical of late medieval English arms. The chevron wavy was quite rare in medieval armory; we don't find examples in England until the early 16th century.[4, 5] Chevrons were most often unmodified, with straight edges. When they weren't plain, they were most often engrailed.[3, 4] We recommend that you choose one of these options. Towers are also rare in period arms. Castles are much more common. The design "Vert, a chevron and in chief two castles Or" is an excellent choice for your period. "Vert, a chevron and in chief two towers Or" is not as typical of late medieval English arms, but it is also a reasonable choice. I hope this letter has been useful. If any part was unclear or you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Arval d'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek, Rouland Carre, Evan da Collaureo, Juliana de Luna, and Ceatta o Gulcleth. For the Academy, Talorgen nei Wrguist November 17, 1998 ---------- References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Grey. [3] Brault, Gerald J., _The Rolls of Arms of Edward I_, Aspilogia III, 2 vols. (London: Boydell Press, 1997). [4] Woodcock, Thomas, Janet Grant, & Ian Graham, _Dictionary of British Arms_, vol II. (The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1996). [5] Parker, James, _A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry_ (Charles E. Tuttle, 1982), s.v. Undy, arms of Pilland "Argent, two chevrons wavy between three fleurs-de-lis sable."