ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1999 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1999 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 6 Apr 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a Lowland Scot c.1522, living near Stirling and associated with Clan Buchannan. You also asked if such a person could have used arms with a green field charged with a brass torque surrounding a silver crescent moon. Here is what we have found. Starting in the late 14th century, there were two main languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands, including the royal court and towns. Gaelic was the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots was closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Since you want a name suitable for a Lowlander, we'll focus on Scots names. Clans were a feature of Gaelic (Highland) culture in your period. The Buchannans were a Lowland family, who would not have considered themselves a clan in the 16th century [5]. The clan system didn't spread to the Lowlands until modern times, and then only in a form much changed from its medieval Gaelic roots. Your persona might well have been associated with the Buchannans, but would not have thought of them as a clan. is a Gaelic name, an adaptation of the Scots or English name . In fact, it's simply the Gaelic spelling that represented the pronunciation of the Scots name: The two were pronounced the same. is a perfect fit for your culture; we found an example recorded in Scots in 1551 [1]. Other early 16th century Scots spellings of include [4]: Katherine 1500, 1505 Katherin 1502 Katering 1520 Katherene 1543 Katring 1520, 1521 Katryne 1509 Katherina 1500, 1501 Chatherena 1521 ( was pronounced \K\ in this name) Katty 1513 Katte 1521 Catte 1531, 1549 Kitte 1520, 1531 Kytte 1543 We've found several forms of used as a surname in your period: 1511, 1514 [1]. These surnames originally meant "son/daughter of Andro", but by your period they would have been used as inherited family names, and would not have been expected to apply literally to the people who used them. We found no evidence that the surname was used in period Scotland. We don't know its origin, but it may not have existed in Scotland until the 20th century [1]. The placename was spelled in a variety of ways in our period. We found the names c. 1360 and 1459. We also found an example of c.1470, but not in a person's name [1, 3]. We recommend one of the first two spellings as most suitable for use in your name. By your period, Lowlanders used inherited family names, much in the manner we do today in modern English. A woman might well have been identified as her father's daughter, but her name would have consisted of a given name and her father's surname. For example, William Andro's daughter Catrina would have been known as . This name and are typical names for a 16th century Lowland woman. , with two surnames, is not very likely: In this period, a byname like usually implied that the person held that land (or was a very close relation to the person who held it). If you traveled to another burgh, you might have been identified by your place of origin, but only in records where your origin was relevent. In most circumstances, you'd have been known by just one surname, the one you inherited from your father. The arms you've described could be blazoned "Vert, a crescent argent within a torque Or." Unfortunately, this design is not a plausible re-creation of heraldry from your period. We have found no examples of torques used in period arms. Enclosing one charge within another is popular in modern design and in Society heraldry, but was rather rare in period heraldry. Green was not a common tincture in late-period Scots arms, but it wasn't unknown. Crescents were reasonably common, but we haven't found examples of ravens in period Scottish arms [2]. If you'd like our help in choosing a design more typical of your culture, let us know. 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 Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, Juliana de Luna, Zenobia Naphtali, Walraven van Nijmegen, Raquel Buenaventura, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Effrick neyn Kenneoch, Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja, and Amant le Marinier. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 6 Apr 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.nn. Carstairs, Anfrew, Stirling, Argo. [2] Schweitzer, Leslie A., and David Hunter of Montlaw, "Late Medieval Scottish Heraldic Design", Proceedings of the XXIII International Conference of Genealogy and Heraldry Sciences, 1998. [3] Johnston, James B., _Place-Names of Scotland_, 3rd ed. (London: John Murray, 1934), s.n. Stirling. [4] The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 - 20 (1501-1551), in the Aberdeen City Archives. [5] Black s.n. Buchanan. The Buchanans were Lowlanders took their name from the area in Stirlingshire where they settled. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Addendum, Arval, 26 Jul 2004: Added note [5].