ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3327 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3327 ************************************ 27 May 2007 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if is an authentic name for a Welsh man living between 1250 and 1450, and if "Vert, a pegasus rampant and in sinister chief a Celtic cross argent" are authentic arms. Here is what we have found. The name is an anglicized form of the Welsh name or . We find in the 13th century, and both and in the early 15th century. [1,2] For a displaced Welshman, the spelling is an excellent choice. We have not been able to find in our Welsh resources; if you can tell us where you found the name, we may be able to give more information. It may be a form of the name , which we find spelled in a fourteenth-century Welsh manuscript. [6] Other examples of that we found are , in a document written in Latin from 1303 [7], and , sometime between 1485 and 1641. [3] The spelling is plausible for both Welsh and English contexts in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The construction is an excellent choice for your period; in non-Welsh records, this construction comprises around 90% of the examples. [4] Based on this, we can recommend as an excellent name for a displaced Welshman of your period. However, we cannot recommend your arms as good recreation. We have no evidence that Celtic crosses were used in heraldry of any pre-1600 culture, so this is definitely not a good choice of charge. We do have heraldic examples of pegasuses, but they are all from the 16th century. [5] We therefore cannot recommend this as an authentic charge for your period. 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 you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 27 May 2007 -- References: [1] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1996). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html [2] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "Snapshot of a Cantref: The Names and Naming Practices in a Mawddwy Court Roll of 1415-16" (WWW: Self-published, 2001) http://www.heatherrosejones.com/names/welsh/mawddwy1415.html [3] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985), s.n. Rhydderch. [4] Private research of Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. [5] Parker, James, _A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry_ (Charles E. Tuttle, 1982), s.v. pegasus has "Azure, on a bend argent, a pegasus in full speed sable", granted May 20, 1552, "Azure, goutty argent, a pegasus of the second", died 1631, and he also says "The pegasus also appears in the arms granted to the family of Cavaler in 1554." [6] Bartrum 1966, 50. Jesus College MS. 20, written in the mid to late 14th c., but whose orthography 'indicate[s] that the source ... was written in Old Welsh orthography prior to 1200' has an instance of . [7] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988, s.n. Roderick says "Rothericus son of Gryfin is mentioned in FA 1303."