Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 579

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 579

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/579

Some of the Academy's early reports contain errors that we haven't yet corrected. Please use it with caution.

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked for our opinion of "Etienne de Bracieux" as a 14th century French name and of your idea for your arms. Here is what we have found.

"Etienne de Bracieux" is a fine name for your period. The on-line source where you found "Bracieux" is quite sufficient as documentation for the College of Arms. In fact, that article is simply a re-print of an article that appeared in the Known World Heraldic Symposium proceedings in 1989. However, you should be aware that this article presents modern spellings of place names. The 13th century source that was the basis of the article spells the place name "Braiecuel" [6].

For a general discussion of how to document a name, you could read "Exactly what does one need to document a persona name?", available on the web at <http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/namedoc.html>.

We believe that your given name was most commonly spelling "Estienne" in your period; that form is recorded in 1292 [1] and in the 16th century [2]. But it is probable that "Etienne" was also used; we found it in the 16th century as well [3]. If you place your persona in southern France, you might prefer "Esteve" or "Estevan", which we have found recorded in the Langue d'Oc somewhat earlier than your period [4, 5].

You asked our opinion of the arms "Quarterly argent and sable, a cross moline quarter-pierced counterchanged." We think you've designed fine arms for your period. The design is somewhat similar to the badge of the Order of the Meridian Cross, "A cross moline quarterly argent and sable." But since you have added the quarter-piercing and reversed the tinctures of the cross, there is no conflict by College of Arms standards. If you live in Meridies, you might decide to avoid conflict more carefully than the College requires, but there is no reason why you must do so.

I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek, Rouland Carre, Jaella of Armida, and Zenobia Naphtali.

For the Academy,

Arval Benicoeur


References

[1] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris"

(SCA, Inc., 1997).

[2] Frederic J. Baumgartner, "Change and Continuity in the French

Episcopate: The bishops and the wars of religion, 1547 to 1610" (Durham: Duke University Press, 1986).

[3] Cateline de la Mor, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names" (WWW: J.

Mittleman, 1997; also SCA Known World Heraldic Symposium, Trimaris AS XXIX).

[4] Ramons lo Montalbes, "French/Occitan Names from the XII and XIII

Century" (Privately WWW published, 1997).

[5] Frank M. Chambers, Proper Names in the Lyrics of the Troubadours

(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1971).

[6] Geoffroi de Villehardouin, "La conquete de Constantinople", ed. & tr.

Edmond Faral (Paris: Societe d'Edition "Les Belles lettres", 1938-1939).