ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1226 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1226 ************************************ 28 Sep 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is a correct woman's name for 13th or 14th century England, and whether your design for your arms fits that period. Here is what we have found. is a fine name for your period. is recorded throughout your period, and from 1186 to 1210 [1, 2]. The surname or is less appropriate for your persona. We aren't sure that the place name existed in your period, and we are even less sure that it could have been used as a surname in England. We confirmed that Malcolm Barber does mention as a Templar in 1273 [3]. Barber has obviously translated the name to English ( is an English word, after all). We don't know the language of his original source, nor how it spelled the name. There is a modern village near Marseilles called or , which was recorded in 1097 as , in 1113 as , and in 1233 as . derives from a Provencal form of [4, 5]. The modern name is pronounced very much like the English word , with a slightly shorter vowel. Based on the period spellings, we think it is unlikely that this place name would have been spelled by 1400. If you want to use it, we recommend that you choose one of the period spellings. However, we have not found evidence that this surname was used in England. We think it is unlikely that a place from the south coast of France would have been used as a surname by an Englishwoman in your period. Many English surnames are based on French place names, but those places are in the regions of France from which many immigrants moved to England, mostly in the northwest. It would be better re-creation to choose a surname that we know was used in England in your period. There are quite a few similar-sounding English surnames. Some people used the animal-name as a descriptive nickname [6]: Fox temp. Henry II le Fox 1297 Many English place names have as an element. As you'll see, the preposition is generally used in the earlier examples and sometimes omitted in the later ones [6]: de Foxole 1197, de Foxales 1276, Foxholes 1406 (modern ) de Foxcote 1189, de Foxecotes 1348 (modern ) de Foxle 1230, de Foxley 1318, Foxleigh 1372, Foxleye 1382 (modern ) de Foxtone 1159, de Foxton 1303, Foxton 1382 (modern ) Some other English places are [7]: Foxdenton 1282 Foxherthe 1198, Foxierth, Foxherde 1202, Foxerde 1249 (modern ) Foxham 1065 Foxleg 1242 (pronounced as , it's modern form) Foxden 1407 (modern ) Foxwist 1260, 1286 A name like would be an excellent choice for your period. Thanks for the clear description of your arms. We would blazon them "Azure, a griffin segreant and on a chief argent, three roses gules. This design is very typical of heraldry in England toward the end of your period. If you set your persona at the earlier end, closer to 1200 than to 1400, you may want to consider simplifying the design a little, perhaps by removing the chief, making the roses white, and placing them directly on the field around the griffin: "Azure, a griffin between three roses argent". As far as we can tell, you should be able to register either design with the College of Arms. 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, Zenobia Naphtali, Brad Miller (who still hasn't picked a Society name), Thomas of Aylesbury, Myrdin the Just, Pedro de Alcazar, Margaret Makafee, and Elsbeth Anne Roth. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Sep 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/reaney/ [3] Barber, Malcolm, _The New Knighthood_ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Canto edition, 1995; ISBN 0 521 55872 7), p.170. [4] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997). [5] Dauzat, Albert & Ch. Rostaing, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Lieux de la France_ (Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1963). [6] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). [7] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -