ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2562
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2562
************************************

14 May 2002
From:  (Josh Mittleman)


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked whether <Ysmeine of Dunwich> is an appropriate name for an early
13th century Englishwoman.  This letter is a brief answer to your question.

You've chosen a fine name, though we'll suggest a slightly different
spelling.  Your given name appears in a wide variety of forms in 12th and
13th century records in England [1, 2, 4, 5]:

  Late 12th century:
    Ismena  
    Ymenia  
    Ysmeine  
    Ysmena  

  First half of the 13th century
    Hismena 
    Isemeine
    Ismeina 
    Ismenia 
    Ysmeina 
    Ysmena  

  Second half of the 13th century
    Emayn 
    Emoni  
    Emony  
    Heman  
    Hemin' (the apostrophe indicates a dropped <e>)
    Imaigne 
    Imania  
    Imanie  
    Imayn (a byname)
    Imayna  
    Imayne  
    Imeyna  
    Ismania 
    Ismanna 
    Ymaine (a byname) 
    Ymanie (a byname) 
    Ymanya  
    Ymanye  

The forms ending <-a> are probably Latinized; your original choice,
<Ysmeine> 1199, may not be.  Because of the wide variation in recorded
spellings, we aren't sure exactly how this name was pronounced.  Most
examples of the name omit the <s>, so by your period it was probably silent
and retained in writing either because of conservative spelling or to
indicate that the initial vowel is long.  Our best suggestions are that you
pronounce the name \ee-MAYN~\ or \ee-MEN~\, where \N~\ stands for the sound
of the n-tilde in the Spanish word <sen~or> or the <gn> in French
<montagne> and Italian <lasagna>.


The name of the town of Dunwich appears in medieval records in the name
<Walter de Dunewic> (1182-1200) [3] and in <Nicholaus de Duneswich>
(betw. 1216 and 1307), <Roger de Dunwich> 1333, <Walter de Dunwich> 1354
[4].  Note that <de> was a documentary form; it represented <of> in spoken
English.

Based on this data, we recommend you write your name <Ysmeine de Dunewic>
and pronounce it \ee-MAYN~ ohf DOON-@-witch\.  \oh\ stands for the vowel in
<more> and \@\ represents the sound of the <a> in <about> and <soda>.


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 Aryanhwy merch Catmael.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  14 May 2002


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References

[1] Nicolaa de Bracton, "A Statistical Survey of Given Names in Essex Co.,
England, 1182-1272", Known World Heraldic Symposium Proceedings 1995
(SCA Inc.; WWW: privately published, 1997).
http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/names.html

[2] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English
Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997).
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/.

[3] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_
(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Dunnage. 

[4] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_
(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Dunnage and
passim.

[5] Assize Roll 223, 27 Henry III (1242-43) (unpublished research by Talan
Gwynek).