ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1504 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1504 ************************************ 26 Jan 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is a period Welsh feminine name. This letter is a brief answer to your question. is a Welsh adjective meaning "kind, gentle, tender" [1]. It may be used as a first name in modern Welsh, but we have no evidence that it was used that way in period. This word was used as a descriptive byname in period, though. We found it recorded in the early 15th century as , which is the form that would be used in a woman's name [2]. A name like "Angharad the Gentle" would be unremarkable in that period. If you'd like to consider some other Welsh women's given names, you can find several lists on the web. We suggest starting with the Simple Guides. A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html A Simple Guide to Constructing 16th Century Welsh Names (in English Contexts) http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh16.html Women's Names in the First Half of 16th Century Wales http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welshWomen16/ We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 26 Jan 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges, _A Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, 1990). [2] Evans, H. Meurig & W.O. Thomas, _Y Geiriadur Mawr_ (The Big [Welsh] Dictionary) (Llandysul: Gomer Press, 1987). [3] Roberts, Glyn, "The Anglesey Submissions of 1406" in _Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies_, vol. XV pp.39-60.