ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2824 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2824 ************************************ 7 Feb 2004 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if is an appropriate name for a Welsh woman living sometime before 1600. Here is a brief letter with the information we have found. Wales in our period was home to both Welsh and English speakers. The two languages used different spelling systems, so the same name was often spelled in very different ways depending on the native language of the scribe, the language of the document, and many other factors. The fact that many documents were written in Latin, which had its own spelling conventions and standard forms of names, adds to the complexity. We will therefore suggest more than one spelling for each element of your name, depending on the linguistic context in which you are using it. The Welsh form doubles as the normal spoken form of your name. is identical with a Welsh word for 'snow'. We have no evidence for used as a name before modern times, when it wasn't uncommon to adopt every day words as names. [1] We therefore recommend that you do not use this for your persona's name. If you'd like to consider alternatives, we recommend these articles as good sources of information concerning medieval Welsh naming practices: "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html "A Simple Guide to Constructing 16th Century Welsh Names (in English Contexts)" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/welsh16.html is a primarily Latin or English spelling of the name, though does appear in Welsh-language records in the 15th century and on. Prior to the 15th century, the name was spelled , or, if you go back far enough, . [2,3,4,5,6] The most common type of byname (surname) in Wales throughout period was a patronymic byname, one indicating the bearer's father's name. Using a form of as a patronymic byname is a fine choice. How the byname was recorded depends on the language of the document it was recorded in. For example, in English-influenced records from at least the 13th century on, a woman named whose father's name was might have been recorded simply as , while in Welsh-language records, she would be more likely be recorded as , with being the Welsh word for 'daughter'. How various elements are spelled in Welsh changed throughout the SCA's period. Once you've chosen a given name that you like, we'd be happy to tell you what the correct spelling of your name would be, in both English and Welsh. We hope that this brief letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Mari neyn Brian, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Arval Benicoeur, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 07Feb2004 -- References: [1] Gruffudd, Heini, _Enwau i'r Cymry/Welsh Personal Names_ (Talybont: Y Lolfa, 1984). s.n. Eira [2] Jones, Francis. "The Subsidy of 1292", Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 13:210-230. [3] Rees, WIlliam. 1941. "Ministers' Accounts (General Series), Bundle 1158, No. 3 (Public Record Office -- Accounts of the Ministers for the Lands of the Crown in West Wales for the financial year 1352-3" in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 10:60-83,139-156, 156-271. [4] Lewis, E.A. "The Toll Books of Some North Pembrokeshire Fairs (1599-1603)" in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies vol.7 (1934). [5] Ellis, T.P., _The First Extent of Bromfield and Yale A.D. 1315_, Cymmrodorion Record Series No. 11 (London: The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1924). [6] Jones, Thomas ed.. 1941. Brut y Tywysogyon (Peniarth Ms. 20). University of Wales Press, Cardiff.