Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 665

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 665

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/665

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

Greetings,

Here is the information we found for you on Magdalena in late-period:

"Magdalena" appears to have existed in several widely-spaced cultures in 16th century Europe, and so would be a good choice if you're not yet certain which region interests you. The list you cite [1] should be sufficient documentation for use of the name in 16th century England, but we also found:

"Madeleine" and "Madallaine"; Norman, 16c [2] "Magdelena" and "Madalena"; Florence [3] "Magdalena" and "Magdalene"; Dutch, 16c [4] "Magdalena"; German, 1346 [5]
"Magdalena"; Hungary, 16c [6]


As for the surnames "Bischoptre" and "La Grande Tente":

"Bischoptre" is dated to c. 1487 on the web-page you cite [7]. Since this is both a list of English names and located on Laurel's "approved" website, there should be no problems with using it as documentation. Both your chosen given name and surname are contemporary in space and close in time, making the whole name quite reasonable.

We also found the related form "Bishopstrow" deriving from "Bishop's tree" [8], perhaps named from a cross erected in honor on a particular bishop. The Encyclopaedia Britannica Atlas indicates there is a Village of Bishop's Tree in Kent, and this is the likely the same town as the one in the brass rubbing.

"La Grande Tente" is a Society branch in Calontir. While name constructions are possible in the SCA using branch names, it would be an unlikely late-period surname. It is a French place name, and so could only be used with any degree of historical accuracy in a French name.

For a particularly flexible name, one that would fit a number of cultures with only minor changes, you might want to chose a surname derived from a cross-cultural given name. It was common for the father's name to become the surname of the children, such as in the English name "Magdalena Williams". This would be similar in Italian: "Maddalena Guillermi".


To document names taken from websites on your submission form: Include the author, title, and URL of the article, plus the source(s) cited for the particular name. In the case of your given name:

Talan Gwynek, "Late 16th C English Given Names" (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/eng16/). The article is a compilation of names from Volume III of the Index to Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCCA), covering the years 1581-1595. The article cites one person each with the names "Magdalen", "Magdalena", and "Magdalene".


Arval Benicoeur, Naitan de Yerdeburc, Talan Gwynek, and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn also contributed to this letter.

We hope that this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you,

In service,
Walraven van Nijmegen
Academy of S.Gabriel


[1] Talan Gwynek, "Late 16th C English Given Names", 1994

http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/eng16/

[2] Cateline de la Mor, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names",

http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/norman16.html Also published in the Trimaris KWHS, AS XXIX

[3] Rhian Lyth of Blackmoor Vale, "Italian Renaissance Women's Names",

http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/italian.html

[4] Luana de Grood, "Flemish Names from Bruges", 1996

http://www.us.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/bruges/

[5] Hans Bahlow, "Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch nach schlesischen

Quellen", Neustadt an der Aisch: Verlag Degener & Co., 1975.

[6] Ka'zme'r Miklo's, "Re'gi Magyar Csala'dnevek Szo'ta'ra: XIV-XVII

Sza'zad", Budapest, 1993.

[7] Julian Goodwyn, "English Names from pre-1600 Brass Inscriptions", 1997

http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/brasses/lastnamesAB.html

[8] Eilert Ekwall, "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names",

Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1989.