Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 626

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 626

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/626

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 S. Gabriel!

You asked about <Corin MacElys> as a Scottish name from the period 1000-1400.

There is no evidence that <Corin> was used in Scotland during the SCA period. Indeed, our only period evidence for it at all is from a 13th century Welsh genealogical manuscript in which it appears as a variant of <Corun>, the name of a man who is supposed to have lived in the 6th century. [1] We have no other instance of this name in any form, even in Wales. For your period it would not be good historical re-creation even for a Welsh persona; for a Scottish persona it is completely unsuitable.

We did not find <MacElys> at all. <Elys>, a popular name in the Middle Ages, is from <Elias>, the Greek form of <Elijah>; it was probably introduced into Scotland by the Anglo-Normans in the 12th or 13th century. [2, 3, 4] It was apparently not adopted by the Gaelic-speaking Scots, so it is extremely unlikely that the son of a man named <Elys> would have been called <mac Elys> 'son of Elys'. Instead he would have been <Elyssone> 'Elys' son', a form actually found in Scotland in 1296. [2]

You might wish to consider the given name <Colin>, a diminutive of <Nicholas> that was also quite popular in the Middle Ages. [2, 3, 4] The name <Colin Elyssone> would be very authentic for Scotland c.1300.

Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn and Arval Benicoeur also contributed to this letter. We hope that it has been useful; please write again if you have any further questions.

For the Academy,

Talan Gwynek


[1] Bartrum, P.C., _Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1966).

[2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_ (New York: The New York Public Library, 1989).

[3] Reaney, P.H. & R.M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991).

[4] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_ (Oxford: At the University Press, 1984).