ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2674 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2674 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 4 Aug 2003 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a Lowland Scottish man of the border region living in the last half of the 16th century. You later asked about the nickname and the surnames and . You also asked for our help with appropriate armory, possibly including crows, crows' wings, a wolf's head, a cross, a feather, or a bishop's crozier. Here is what we have found. First, we'd like to apologize for your long wait for this report, and most especially for the delay in fixing some errors in the original version that you've seen. We hope the information is still of use to you. We'd also like to thank you for doing so much research before coming to us; it makes our job a lot easier. You have a number of different issues we'd like to discuss regarding the elements of your name, so first we'll give you some background information, then we'll look at each element of your name and discuss the overall structure. Beginning around the 14th century, the two main languages spoken in Scotland were Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands and Western Isles, 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. These languages were very different and had different naming customs. There was some mixing of names from the different cultures, but most names were not adopted into all of the cultures. Therefore, the culture you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be constructed. A person living in the Scottish Lowlands during your period would definitely be a Scots speaker. was an extremely popular name in both England and Lowland Scotland during your period. [1] We find it recorded in 16th century Lowland Scotland in various spellings, including several pet forms, but the most popular spelling appears to have been . It is an excellent choice for your name. The pet form is recorded in your period, but it was typically spelled . [2] is a fine Lowland surname, though this spelling appears to be modern. We find the following forms recorded in the 16th century: [3] Crosaris, 1526, 1587 (this is plural, referring to the family) Crosar, 1537 Crosare, 1564 Crosars, 1569 (again plural) or is an excellent name for a Scottish Borderer of your period. We find the surname recorded in Scotland in your period; it survives in this spelling to the present day. In some instances, it is apparently shortened from , a place-name in Berwickshire: in 1577 two men appear recorded as 'Alexander Auchincraw...and Henry Craw, his son'. [3] The name appears from the 14th century, and a number of the examples seem to have no association with Auchencraw, so it's likely that the name also comes from the common Scots word 'crow'. The spelling and the corresponding pronunciation were not generally used for the bird in Scots until the 18th century, so is a much better choice if you want a name related to the bird. [4] Nevertheless, the surname was also in use by Lowlanders throughout your period, so it's also a fine choice for your name. [3] As a southern English surname it does derive from the name of the bird, but as we've just seen, as a Scottish surname it must have some other source or sources. [5] One likely possibility is the Middle Scots word 'a hut, a hovel; an animal pen or fold', a borrowing of Gaelic , with roughly the same range of meanings. (The slash stands for an acute accent over the preceding letter.) Another Middle Scots word, this one of uncertain origin and meaning 'a wicker fish-trap in the form of an enclosure or row of stakes across a river or estuary', can also appear as and is also a possibility. [6] Finally, the surname may in some cases be from a place named . [3] Thus, while is a fine Lowland name, it almost certainly does not have the meaning that you intend. By the 16th century, Lowland Scots typically used inherited surnames, much like modern surnames. Nearly all the examples we find of the name form [given name] [family name] of [place-name] indicated some form of lordship over the place, not merely association. We would expect someone named to hold the lands called . [7] We couldn't find any pre-1600 references to a place called , though we found it on a modern topographical map, and there is no reason that it could not go back to the 16th century or earlier. [8] In any case we do not recommend the spelling ; the map confirms that in this name is the Scottish and northern English variant of , for which the spelling is first attested in the 17th century. [9] We don't know whether is a plausible name for a holding; today, at least, the ridge and its immediate environs appear to be uninhabited. On balance, though, we think that is a possible Border name in your period, though plain is definitely a safer re-creation. You cited a number of name examples from _The Steel Bonnets_ by George MacDonald Fraser. Choosing a name based on information from books other than scholarly works on naming practices is perilous; even the author of a history book recording the name of a famous historical person usually normalizes or modernizes the name to a form more accessible to a modern reader. Unless the text specifies that names are unchanged from their original forms, they aren't good models for an authentic name. For example, the text of Fraser's book contains many quotations that include names in original spellings, but in the narrative sections the names are modernized. Thus, on p.236 a quote refers to , likely an original spelling, while the previous narrative sentence mentions , a normalized spelling. [10] The structure of your name as a whole has several problems. The full name you suggested, , combines two very different styles: [given name] [family name] of [place-name] and [given name] [family name] callit [nickname]. We have never seen this combination of forms and we recommend that you choose one or the other at a time. It's entirely possible that the same man could appear in different records as and or the like in another, but we wouldn't expect to find them all combined. For instance, Kinmont Willie was named (at least in modern spelling), but we have no evidence that he was ever known as or . [3] You said you were basing on two examples from Fraser, and , and the following passage from Fraser: A second method was to call a man by his place or land; Kinmont Willie, Lancie Wighthaugh, Hob of the Leys, Jock of the Side, Jock of the Park, etc. or by his rank - Sim the Laird for example. By a combination of the two methods we get Whitbaugh's Andy, The Laird's Jock, Kinmont's Jock, Hob the clerks brother, and the like. [10] These names appear to have been normalized, but the basic forms are probably authentic. In particular, and appear to be authentic documentary forms. None of the examples, however, justifies , or even , since all are based on the given name of the person involved (and even more specifically, on a pet form of that given name). Since in our own research we have found no examples the type [nickname]'s [nickname], we cannot support a construction like <(the) Crow's Wolf> as a nickname compatible with the Scottish Borders in the 16th century. Indeed, since does not appear to have been used as a given name in that time and place, we can find no way to justify any name that is particularly close to your established nickname of . You also asked for our help with appropriate armory, possibly including crows, crows' wings, a wolf's head, a cross, or a bishop's crozier. Heraldry was very popular with Lowland families in your period, so arms are very appropriate. [11] We'll look at each of the charges you mentioned, and then suggest some possible designs. We haven't found examples of wings in your culture's heraldry, so we can't recommend wings as good historical re-creation for you. [12] Since heraldic arms were meant to be passed down through many generations, we wouldn't expect to see a nickname reflected in armory. Canting, or pictorially referring to a name in armorial design, was very popular in Scottish heraldry, but we typically only see the surname or family name represented. Thus we'd not be surprised to find a wolf on the arms of a family called or a crow on a family called . We don't know whether wolves' heads were more common than the entire beast in your period, so you might want to consider designs using wolves as well as wolves' heads. [13] The only dated pre-1600 British example of a crozier in heraldry that we've found is indeed for a religious person: John Birde, Bishop of Bangor (1539-41), sealed with '... a mace in bend dexter surmounted of a pastoral staff in bend sinister'. We have found a specifically Scottish example, but unfortunately it's undated, and we don't know when the arms were granted or assumed: the Kirk family bears 'Gules a crosier Or and a sword argent saltirewise on a chief of the second a thistle vert'. [14] In general it appears from our sources that croziers were typically used in the arms of church officials, bishoprics, abbeys, etc., so we don't believe a crosier is a good choice for you. You mentioned looking for the real-world arms of the Crozier family; a roll of arms dated 1584 gives the arms of Croyser as 'Sable, a cross between four gadbees Or'. [15] ('Gadbee' is another name for the horsefly. We don't know whether this family is related to the Border family.) Note that a cross makes a fine cant for as well, since cants were based on sound, not meaning, though of course crosses were very common charges and were certainly not limited to the arms of persons named or . You asked in later correspondence about using a feather in your arms. In your period, and in real-world heraldry in general, 'a feather' usually refers to an ostrich plume, as in the badge of the Prince of Wales, or to a peacock feather, neither of which much resembles a crow's feather in their customary representations. [16] Feathers are in any case a rare charge, usually used as cants. [17] We have not found any feathers used in Scottish armory during your period, so we would not recommend it as good historical re-creation. Based on the information above, we can recommend the following designs for you: * Or, a cross between four wolves' heads sable * Or, a cross between four wolves passant sable * Or, a cross between four crows sable * Or, a cross azure between four crows sable * Sable, a cross between four wolves passant Or * Sable, a cross Or between four wolves' heads argent * Sable, a cross Or between four wolves passant argent We believe you can register any of these designs with the SCA College of Arms. 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 Anplica dell'Isola, Arval Benicoeur, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Effrick neyn Kenneoch, Iago ab Adam, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Adelaide de Beaumont 3 August 2003 ===== References and Notes: [1] Withycombe, E.G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988); s.n. . [2] Krossa, Sharon L. (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte). 'Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names' (WWW: Privately published, 7 December 2001). http://www.MedievalScotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/ [3] Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986); s.nn. , , , , , . [4] Robinson, Mairi, ed. The Concise Scots Dictionary (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1987); s.v. . [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995); s.n. . [6] Robinson, op. cit., s.vv. , . [7] Research by Effrick neyn Kenneoch in the manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 - 20 (1501-1551), in the Aberdeen City Archives. Examples include , also sometimes identified without the locative and sometimes as (1512, 1515). [8] "Streetmap.co.uk" (WWW: BTex Ltd 1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003). http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=324500&y=627500&z=3&sv=Wolf+ri&s t=3&tl=Wolf+Rig,+Scottish+Borders+[Hill/Mountain]&searchp=newsearch.srf& mapp=newmap.srf [9] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. 2 vols. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1973); s.v. . [10] Fraser, George MacDonald. The Steel Bonnets (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1971); pp. 74, 75, 236, 375. [11] Schweitzer, Leslie A., & David Hunter of Montlaw. 'Late Medieval Scottish Heraldic Design', in L'Identita\ Genealogica e Araldica (Atti del XXIII Congresso internazionale di scienze genealogica e araldica 1998), Ministero Per i Beni e le Attitvita\ Culturali, Ufficio Centrale per i beni Archivistici 2000, volume 1, ISBN 88-7125-187-3; pp. 93-116. [12] Schweitzer, Leslie A., & David Hunter of Montlaw. 'Charge Use in Late Medieval Scots Heraldry' in The Double Tressure #24, pp. 11-32 (Heraldry Society of Scotland, 2001). [13] Fox-Davies, A.C. A Complete Guide to Heraldry (New York: Bonanza Books, 1978); p. 149. You pointed out his comment that '[w]olves' heads are particularly common, especially in Scottish heraldry'. Though Fox-Davies' work is a fine reference for general heraldry, it was written in the 20th century, and many of his comments relate to heraldic practices that developed during the Victorian era or even later. We haven't noticed an especially large number of wolves' heads in Scottish armory from your period. [14] Papworth, John W. Papworth's Ordinary of British Armorials, reprint (Bath: Five Barrows Ltd., 1977); p. 1097. [15] Ibid., p. 644. There are several variations on this basic design listed, but this is the only one marked as pre-1600. [16] Brooke-Little, J.P. An Heraldic Alphabet (New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1973; s.v. . [17] Woodcock, Thomas, Janet Grant, & Ian Graham. Dictionary of British Arms, vol II (London: The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1996); p. 336. Four examples appear of a chevron between three feathers, and all are canting (for Alexander of Featherstonhaugh, sealing in 1388; Fetherstonehawe in a roll temp. Henry VI; William Fethir in a roll of 1410; and Parkinson alias Fetherstone in a roll of ca.1525). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Revised 4 Aug 2003 from the original report of 15 Jul 2003.