ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1787 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1787 ************************************ From: "Braddon Giles" 1 Jan 2000 Greetings from the Academy of St Gabriel. You asked for our assistance in finding an authentic feminine name from the Duchy of Brittany, between 1400 and 1500. Your suggestion was , and you were interested in arms using fleur-de-lis and the tinctures ermine, blue and white. >From your letter you show an understanding that French and Breton culture are different. Name formation in Brittany was mostly French by your period, especially among the nobility. [1] Therefore, we will answer your question by referring to northern French language practices. is a modern French version of a feminine name from Provence. Originally , this name was carried to England by the Normans, where we find , , and in use between the 12th and 15th centuries. [2,3] is the modern French spelling. We have not found examples of any form of in France in your period. This may simply reflect our sources' spotty coverage of late-period France, but it appears that the name was never popular in northern France. We can't make a definite statement one way or the other, but we cannot recommend this name as a good choice for late-period Brittany. was the Provencal version of , and we have found used in Normandy and Picardy between the 13th and 16th centuries. [4,5] We think that would be a good choice for you. It would be pronounced \el-LEN-@\, where the \@\ is the last vowel sound in 'sofa'. You are correct that means 'of Brittany', as in your example . She already had her family name - - a locative byname which derives from the original town of her family [6]. In her case was a distinguishing title, rather than a name, that people used for her when she became the Duchess of Brittany in 1488 [7]. Another name with a similar meaning, 'the Breton', was more common. [8] and were first used outside Brittany to identify someone from Brittany who had moved elsewhere. A noblewoman of your period, living in Brittany, would probably have a surname based on the name of a village, town, or manor rather than for the entire province. For example, from the town of Auray, the site of a church endowed by , might be called . However, by your period these descriptive bynames had often been converted to inherited surnames. That is, if your father was then you would probably be . If you are still seraching for a surname, and want a name with a particular meaning, please tell us and we may be able to help. Or, we suggest you consider our library at: http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/#france The arms you described - 'Ermine, on a pale azure a fleur-de-lis argent' - are elegant and simple, and at the time of this report we believe you could register them with the SCA College of Arms. We hope this letter has been useful. We are sorry that we have taken some time to complete it. Please write to 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 Rouland Carre, Zenobia Naphtali, Talan Gwynek, Walraven van Nijmegen, Amant le Marinier, Arval d'Espas Nord and AElfwyn aet Gywrum. For the Academy, Giles Leabrook. 01 / Jan / 2000 _____________________________________ Bibliography. [1]Jones, Michael, _Ducal Brittany 1364-1399_, (Oxford University Press, 1997). [2] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). s.n. Eleanor(a) [3] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983). s.n. Eleanor [4] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967). [5]Cateline de la Mor, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/norman16.html [6] de la Broderie, Arthur, _La Bretagne Aux Derniers Siecles Du Moyen Age 1364-1491_ (Rennes, 1904) [7] Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, re: "Anne Of Brittany" http://www.eb.com:180/bol/topic?eu=7779&sctn=1 [Accessed November 9 1999]. [8] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987). s.n. Bretagne