ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1634 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1634 ************************************ 2 May 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a Burgundian woman between 1100 and 1350, and you asked us to suggest some bynames referring to forests, rivers, or water. You also asked our opinion of your design for your arms, "Azure, on a pale argent, a semy de lys azure." Here is what we have found. We think is a fine choice. The only form of the name we can place in Burgundy in this period is , recorded in the 13th century [4]. However, we only have limited sources for names from Burgundy in your period, and we think it is likely that the spelling was used, too. is recorded in 13th century Champagne [1]. is found in Paris in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, and the diminutive form is recorded there in the late 13th century [2, 3]. was common in late 13th century Lorraine, also spelled [4]. (The final 's' is a grammatical ending.) appears in Picardy in the 14th century [2]. The simplest way to pick a byname appropriate for your period is to find a small town or village that existed in Burgundy at this time, and use it as a surname after the word . If you have a place in mind and you'd like to know a period spelling, we may be able to help. If you prefer a surname meaning "of the Forest", the simplest choice is , which was common in medieval French [2]. You might also choose a surname based on a particular type of tree or some topographical feature: "from the Oak", "from the riverbank", "from the lake", etc. If any of these possibilities interests you, write again and we'll provide appropriate translations. Your arms can be blazoned "Azure, a pale argent semy-de-lys azure". This is a lovely design, but we don't think it is very likely for medieval Burgundy. The pale was fairly rare in French armory, as was a semy on another charge. If you reduced the semy-de-lys to three fleurs-de-lys, you'd have a more probable design. Unfortunately, both versions conflict with existing Society arms [5], so if you want to register your arms, you'll need to revise your design. We 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 Walraven van Nijmegen. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 3 May 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] De Joinville, Jean, _Histoire de Saint Louis_, M. Natalis de Wailly, ed. (Paris, 1874). [2] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967), pp.22, 110. [3] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris", Proceedings of the Known World Heraldic Symposium 1996 (SCA: Montgomery, Alabama; WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997). http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html [4] Jacobsson, Harry, _E/tudes d'Anthroponymie Lorraine les Bans de Tre/fonds de Metz (1267-1298)_ (Go:teborg: Gumperts Fo:rlag, 1955). [5] Corrmacc na Connacht "Azure, on a pale argent a sword inverted gules."