ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3289 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3289 ************************************ 16 Apr 2007 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if is an authentic name for an English woman living between 1350 and 1600, and said that you'd chosen as a variant of in Chaucer's poem "Anelida and Arcite". Here is what we have found. The character in Chaucer's poem is the twenty-four-year-old queen of Ermony. In the earliest printed editions of the work, the name is spelled , , , , and . Scholars disagree about the origin of this name. One theory is that is derived from , and identifies Anelida with Joan of Kent. Another connects the poem with Anne Welle, Countess of Ormonde, and says that is a variant of . [1] Still yet another traces the name back to Arthurian romance (as opposed to , which name comes from Alexandrian literature), where in the romances of Iwain, his paramour is named or . [2] What is clear, though, is that the name is almost certainly fictitious. We have found no examples of any form of this name being used by real people during your period. While some names can be found both in the every day name pool and in popular literature of the time (such as , , ), these tended to be the names of important characters in the most well-known romances. Whether these people were named after the characters in the romances, or whether the romances used names which were current in every day usage is not always possible to tell. Whichever is the case, this usage cannot be taken as support for the use of the name in your period. We therefore recommend that you chose a different given name. The three articles below are good places to start for finding English feminine names used during your period: "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/ "English Names from Pre-1600 Brass Inscriptions" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/brasses/ "English Given Names from 16th and Early 17th C Marriage Records" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/english/parishes/parishes.html We found various records to the town of Falconbridge throughout your period. In the earliest records we have, the final element was <-berg>, not <-bridge>. Around 1285 we find mention of one and a . A younger son of this Water was recorded as in 1307-08. [3] In the Great Chronicle of London, the city is spelled , , and in 1471. [4] The name also occurs in Shakespeare's play "King John". In the First Folio, the first publication of this play, it is spelled and . [5] Which spelling is most appropriate will hence depend on when specifically you decide to play your persona. Towards the earlier part of your period, we recommend a spelling such as . By the end of your period, is reasonable. We hope that this 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 Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Coblaith Mhuimhneach. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 16 April 2007 -- References: [1] de Weever, Jacqueline, _Chaucer Name Dictionary: A Guide to Astrological, Biblical, Historical, Literary, and Mythological Names in the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer_ (New York & London, Garland Publishing, Inc., 1996; WWW: Columbia.edu, no date), s.v. Anelida http://www.columbia.edu/dlc/garland/deweever/menu.htm [2] Shannon, Edgar F., 'The Source of Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite', PMLA, 27, no. 4 (1912), pp. 461-485. [3] Brault, Gerald J., _The Rolls of Arms of Edward I_, Aspilogia III, 2 vols. (London: Boydell Press, 1997). [4] Marsh, Jim, "Thomas Fauconberg and the Assault on London of 14th May 1471" (WWW: Self-published, 2002) http://www.pomian.demon.co.uk/FAUCONBERG.htm [5] Shakespeare, William, "King John (1623 First Folio Edition)" (WWW: University of Virginia Library, Electronic Text Center, no date) http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/ShaKJF.html