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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for information about the names "Morag" and "Logan" in 16th century Scotland, and for some comments on your ideas for your arms. Here's what we've found. We'll start by discussing each of the name elements you asked about specifically, then discuss the ways they might have been put together into a complete name in your period, and finish by discussing your ideas for your arms.
The name "Morag" is a Gaelic-derived name in use in modern Scotland [1], but we have found no evidence that it was used in our period. It is related to the name "Mór" (ó represents an 'o' with an accent). "Mór" was the most popular name in use in late-medieval Ireland [3]. We don't have evidence that it was also used in Gaelic Scotland and it is rare in Scotland today [11], but it may have been in use in late period.
The surname "Logan" derives from the name of a place in Ayrshire; it existed as early as 1204. Various forms are recorded in the 13th century: "Logan" (1204), "de Logan" (1226). Closer to your period, the name occurs as "Logane" in 1569, "Loghane" in 1511 and "Lowgane" in 1646. In all its spellings, "Logan" is a Scots surname, not a Gaelic name. (For an explanation of this important distinction, please read "Scottish Names 101" on the web at http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scot_names_101.html
We don't know if the Logans described themselves as a "clan" in the 16th century. It is possible -- some Lowland families did so -- but the word did not have the same connotation in the Lowlands as it did in the Highlands, and both versions were vastly different from the modern notion of a "clan". It is equally possible that the Logans were not considered a "clan" until the 18th or 19th century.
We have only very scant evidence of Gaelic occupational bynames analogous to "the Merchant", and those examples occurred long before your period [10]. Therefore, if you chose a Gaelic name, we recommend that you not use an occupational byname. A more common practice was a patronymic based on the father's occupation, like these:
MacInesker, derived from Gaelic Mac an iasgair "son of the fisher" MacInespik, from Mac an easbuig "son of the bishop" MacIntaylor, from Mac an tailleir "son of the tailor" MacKinstry, from Mac an Astrigh "son of the traveller" MacKinty, from Mac an tSaoi "son of the scholar"
The first column shows Scots spellings recorded in the 16th century; the second column shows hypothetical Gaelic spellings [2]. We do not know of a Gaelic patronymic which means "son/daughter of the merchant," but we can try to guess what it might have been. The modern Scottish Gaelic word for "merchant" is "ceannaiche" [12], and a period Irish word is "cennaige" [13]. We assume that there must have been a cognate word in 16th century Scottish Gaelic. If so, the masculine patronymic derived from it might have been "mac a'Cheannaiche". The equivalent feminine name is "inghean a'Cheannaiche", pronounced \NEE-yen ah KHYOWN-ikh-eh\, where \kh\ is the sound in the Scottish word "loch", "KHYOWN" rhymes with "clown", and that 'Y' is pronounced as in "you". "Mór inghean a'Cheannaiche" means "Mor, the merchant's daughter". Note that this name means that Mor's father is a merchant, not that she is one herself.
That covers the individual name elements; now we'll turn to constructing a complete name for your persona.
It is important to understand that the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland in your period spoke different languages and had very different sorts of names. Gaelic-speaking Highlanders usually used Gaelic given names and patronymic bynames (i.e. bynames which identified their fathers). Scots-speaking Lowlanders used names similar in form to those found in England. The two types of names did not mix.
A Highland woman of your period would most likely have been known by her given name plus a patronymic (i.e. a byname which identified her father), such as "Mór inghean Donnchaidh" (Mor, daughter of Donnchadh). In general, her name would follow the pattern <given name> inghean <father's name in the genitive form>. You can find details of this construction in the article "Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames" on the web at http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/quick_gaelic_bynames.html. Since "Logan" is a Scots surname, it would not have been used by a Highlander.
A Lowland woman of your period might well have used the surname "Logan" and an occupational byname. Rather than a Gaelic given name, she would most likely have had Scots given name like the ones listed in the article "Early 16th Century Scottish Town Women's Names", available on the web at http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/acr_1501_womens_names.html.
We have found some examples of the word "merchand" in the names of Lowland Scots townsfolk. "Margaret Logan merchand" would be a correct way for you to identify yourself if your persona were a 16th century Lowland Scots woman and merchant living in a town. In this case, "merchand" isn't part of the name, per se; it's really an added description like "Robert Redford, actor". You could do the same thing with "goldsmitht" or "goldsmytht", a Scots word for "goldsmith" [14]. However, you should be aware that it is historically very unlikely for your persona to have been both a merchant and a goldsmith. Merchants and craftsmen were usually quite separate in your period. Scottish burgh regulations even forbade some craftsmen from becoming members of the merchant guild [15]. (The word "merchand" usually referred to maritime traders, though it was also used for local traders in small goods.)
The oldest examples of Logan arms that we could find are "Or, three piles sable" and "Or, three piles in point sable". A "pile" is a long, narrow wedge. In the first version, the three piles issue from the top of the field and all point straight down. In the second version, the outer two piles are angled so that all three points nearly meet near the bottom of the field. These two versions are just different artistic renderings of the same arms.
The heart was added at some point in history by some branches of the family; early heraldic historians believed that the heart commemorated the attempt to carry Robert the Bruce's heart to Jerusalem [4, 5, 6]. (That attempt actually failed: Sir James Douglas and many of his companions were killed while fighting the Moors in Spain, and the relics were returned to Scotland [7].) The legend was current in your period; it was recorded in "The Bruce" in 1375 and again by Raphael Holinshed in his 16th century History of Scotland [8, 9].
It would be excellent re-creation (and entirely within Society rules) for you to adopt some variant of the Logan arms. You could change the field color, add a set of simple charges on the field or the piles, add a bordure (a common form of cadency in late-period Scotland), or change the basic design in various other ways. If you're interested in this possibility, let us know and we'll suggest some specific ideas.
A hammer is a reasonable charge for arms of your period, but perhaps not the best possible choice. It was not uncommon in English armory, but we haven't seen an example of it in Scots arms. Tools, in general, seem to be rare in period Scots armory. If you want your arms to fit the persona of a 16th century Scots goldsmith, then it would not be unreasonable to use a tool of your trade in your arms, but you might want to consider other possibilities. We are not sure if anvils were used in period arms, but many different tools were used as charges by crafts and artisans, so we think an anvil would be as plausible as a hammer. An ivy vine is not likely to have been used; we have not seen examples of vines in period arms. You should try to choose one of these charges for your arms, rather than trying to fit all of them together. Simplicity is a good first step toward arms that are elegant, attractive, and good re-creation.
We suggest that you take the time to look at some examples of late-period Scottish arms, so that you can see the kinds of designs that were used. We can recommend several good sources for examples of Scottish arms, though most of them are difficult to find. You might find some of them in a research library or obtain them through inter-library loan. If you check with College of Arms members in your area, they may have copies of some of these books. The easiest to obtain is actually a large collection of period English arms, but it has lots of color pictures and will give you a good first impression of the heraldic style of medieval Britain. That book
Joseph Foster, The Dictionary of Heraldry (New York: Arch Cape Press, 1989).
Here are some Scottish sources:
Campbell, Colin, The Scots Roll: A Study of a Fifteenth Century Roll of Arms (Heraldry Society of Scotland 1995; ISBN 0 9525258 0 1).
Balfour Paul, Sir James, Lord Lyon King of Arms, An Ordinary of Arms Contained in the Public Register of all Arms and Bearings in Scotland, 2nd edition (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969).
This book contains only blazons of arms. If you can interpret
blazon, then focus on arms recorded in 1672, the earliest date given
in this collection.
Nisbet, Alexander, A System of Heraldry, Vols. I, II, T.A. Constable, Edinburgh 1984.
Van Helmont, Jan, "Gelre" (Leuven 1992, ISBN 90-74318-03-7).
This book is an edition of a medieval roll of arms, B.R. Ms.
15652-56. Only part of it deals with Scots arms, entries 679 to 720,
f.64, 64v and 65.
You could also consult "Double Tressure", the periodical published by the Heraldry Society of Scotland.
For general background on Scottish heraldic practice, we can recommend Nisbet (listed above) and:
Innes of Learney, Thomas, Scots Heraldry (Edinburgh/ & London: Oliver and Boyd, 1934).
Other, more recent editions exist. The illustrations in this one are
superior for the medievalist.
I hope this letter has been helpful. Several members of the Academy contributed to this letter: Tangwystyl ferch Morgant Glasfryn, Evan da Collaureo, Effric neyn Kenyeoch, Zenobia Naphtali, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Charles O'Connor, and Talan Gwynek.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Leslie Dunkling and William Gosling, The New American Dictionary of
First Names (Signet Books, 1983).
[2] George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland, (New York: The New York
Public Library, 1986).
[3] Donnchadh O'Corrain and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names (Dublin: The
Lilliput Press, 1990).
[4] Alexander Nisbet, A System of Heraldry, vol 1, T.A. Constable,
Edinburgh 1984.
[5] Stodart, Armorial de Berry
[6] Colin Campbell, _he Scots Roll: A Study of a Fifteenth Century Roll
of Arms (The Heraldry Society of Scotland, 1995).
[7] G. W. S. Barrow, Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of
Scotland, pp. 445-6.
[8] John Barbour. 1375. The Bruce, ed. A. A. M. Duncan, ed. (Edinburgh:
Canongate Classics, 1997).
[9] Raphael Holinshed, "History of Scotland"
[10] Sharon Krossa, "A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names, 1997, http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/simple_sc_gaelic_names_12.html
[11] Peadar Morgan, Ainmean Chloinne: Scottish Gaelic Names for Children
(Scotland: Taigh na Teud Music Publishers, 1989).
[12] Edward Dwelly, Faclair gaidhlig: A Gaelic Dictionary (Herne Bay [Eng.]
E. Macdonald & co., 1902-[11]).
[13] Dictionary of the Irish Language: based mainly on Old and Middle Irish
materials (Dublin : Royal Irish Academy, 1983).
[14] Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 - 11 (1501-1521).
[15] Cosmo Innes, ed., "Leges et Consuetudines Quatuor Burgorum," Ancient
Laws and Customs of The Burghs of Scotland. Vol. I, A. D. 1124 -
1424_, pp. 3 - 58 (Edinburgh: The Scottish Burgh Records Society,
1868).
Correction, 18 Oct 2001, Arval: After a word ending in n, like inghean, the letter D does not lenite.