ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 953
http://www.s-gabriel.org/953
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From: 
11 Jun 1998

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on your name "Malcolm Hawke" and your
arms "Per pale sable and gules, a hawk displayed argent," which you
wanted to use for a Scottish person from between 1300 and 1500.
 
In your period, a Scottish name could be either Scots or Gaelic.
Scots is closely related to English and was spoken primarily in the
lowlands.  Gaelic was spoken in highland Scotland, and also in Ireland.

<Hawke> is an English name meaning (predictably enough) "hawk," which
we dated to 1379. (2) We didn't find <Hawke> in Scotland, but we did
find the name <Hawoc> (probably pronounced <HAH-vok>), which also
means "Hawk," dated to 1245. (3)  Because there was considerable
overlap between Scots and English it is possible that <Hauke> was used
in Scotland, but we recommend <Hawoc> since we know that it was used in
Scotland.

<Malcolm> is a Scots rendering of the Gaelic name <Mael Coluim>.  
It was used by Scots speakers, as (1)
 
Macolmus de Hadingtouna (1317)
Malcolmi Bolgy (1317)
Malcolmi de Polgoueny (1317)
Malcolm Marchel (1405)
 
The names from 1317 are from a Latin document, and the endings were
added to fit Latin grammatical rules.  The citation from 1405 is from
a Scots-language document.
 
It is actually very common in period for people to design arms that
refer to their surnames, so it is historically accurate to use a hawk 
in your arms.
 
However, the difference in appearance between a hawk and an eagle is
so slight that in period, they were distinguished by their posture.
Eagles were generally shown displayed, and hawks were generally shown
"close" (from the side, with wings folded).  Often they also were
shown with a jess on one leg.  In medieval heraldry, a "hawk
displayed" is an eagle--so if you specifically want to use a hawk, you
should change its posture to close.

If you want to use a bird displayed, we recommend that you call it an
eagle.  Unfortunately, your arms do conflict with the arms of the King
of Poland, "Gules, an eagle displayed argent, crowned Or."
 
We developed some alternative suggestions.  Based on our research into
Scots heraldry, we can make some suggestions that will make your arms,
like your name, distinctively Scottish.
 
First of all, fields divided in half are very rare in Scots armory.
It is more common to find solid fields, or occassionally fields
divided into stripes or checks.  We suggest that you use just a solid
background, either red or black. (4)
 
Hawks were quite rare in medieval Scots armory.  But since your
surname is Hawke (or Hawoc), it would make sense for you to have arms
with a hawk in them.  Thus, we don't see this as a problem.  Eagles
are not uncommon in Scots armory, so this would also be historically
accurate.

We can suggest the following designs:

* Gules, three hawks argent.
* Gules (or sable), a chevron engrailed between three hawks argent.
* Argent, a fess sable between three hawks gules.
* Argent, three hawks within a bordure gules.
* Gules, a fess checky sable and argent between three hawks argent
* Gules, a saltire engrailed between four hawks argent
* Sable, a fess checky gules and argent between three hawks argent
* Sable, a saltire [engrailed] between four hawks argent

Any of them would be equally appropriate if you used eagles (in a
displayed position) instead, although "Gules, three eagles argent"
would conflict with the arms of Poland.

Zenobia Naphtali, Arval D'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek, Rouland Carre,
Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte, Teceangl Bach, Felix MacAvady, and
Elspeth Anne Roth contributed to this letter.
 
We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you.
 
In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel
 
(1) Dickinson, William Croft, ed., _Early Records of the Burgh of
Aberdeen: 1317, 1398-1407_, vol. XLIX, _Publications of The Scottish
History Society_ (Edinburgh: The Scottish History Society, Third
Series, 1957).
 
(2) Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning
and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986).
 
(3) Reaney, P. H.,& R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_
(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995).
 
(4) Schweitzer, L. & Hunter of Montlaw, D.  Unpublished Research, 1998.