ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3356 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3356 ************************************ 29 Aug 2008 From: Julia Smith Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether and the arms "Gules, an orle of pomegranates Or slipped and leaved vert" were appropriate for 15th-16th century Spain. The name is a lovely 15th century name. As you noted, all the elements of the name are found in Jae/n in 1495. In addition, there are thirty examples of names with a locative byname following a patronymic one; it is the most common pattern for people with two bynames. [1] We should note that is a spelling variant of and is pronounced identically. The pomegranate seems to have first appeared in Spanish armory as a royal badge, first used by Enrique IV of Castilla. [2] It is also used for a cant for Granada, as the Spanish word for pomegranate is "granada." This can be found both in the point added to the royal arms after the conquest of Granada and in a grant to the grandson of a king of Granada of "Azure, five pomegranates Or." [2] All the examples from Castilla are used by royalty, but in Aragon, there are four examples (one canting) of the use of pomegranates in normal armory [3]: - Or, an eagle sable crowned Or, in base a pomegranate proper. - Azure, three pomegranates Or, on a chief Or an eagle sable crowned Or [sic]. - Azure, three pomegranates Or seeded gules. - Gules, a pomegranate Or. In all the cases we found, the slipping and leaving are the same color as the pomegranate; we recommend you follow this pattern. We could find no evidence that charges in 15th-16th century Spanish armory were arranged in orle. Instead, charges are usually either arranged in the center of the field or located on a bordure. [3], [4] Eight items would typically be strewn evenly across the field. These are some designs using pomegranates and your colors that match arrangements found in Spanish armorials of this period: - Gules semy of pomegranates Or. - Gules, five pomegranates in saltire Or. - Gules, six pomegranates two, two and two Or. - Gules, five pomegranates in cross Or. We hope this letter has been useful to you. If you have any questions or would like further information, please don't hesitate to write to us again. Sabine Berard, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Bronwyn ferch Gwyn ap Rhys, Leonor Martin, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Adelaide de Beaumont assisted in researching and writing this report. For the Academy, Juliana de Luna 22 August 2008 [1] Uckelman, Sara L., "Spanish Names from Jae/n, 1495" (WWW: Self-published, 2006). http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/spanish/jaen1495.html [2] Mene/ndez Pidal de Navascues, Faustino, _Hera/ldica Medieval Espan~ola, Vol. 1: La Casa Real de Leo/n y Castilla_ (Madrid: Hidalguia, 1982). [3] Riquer, Marti/n de, _Heraldica Catalana des de l'any 1150 al 1550_ (Ediciones dels Quederns Crema, Barcelona, 1983), p. 275. [4] Riquer, Marti/n de, _Hera/ldica castellana en tiempos de los reyes cato/licos_ (Barcelona: Ediciones dels Quederns Crema, 1986).