ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2053 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2053 ************************************ 6 Jul 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Englishman in the 11th to 16th centuries. Here is what we have found. The name was imported to England by the Normans, and remained in use through the end of our period. However, it was not spelled with an 'h' until late in our period. The first examples we've found of the spelling were recorded in 1480, and that spelling didn't become common until the late 16th century [1, 2]. The name was often recorded in its Latin form , especially in the earlier centuries after the Norman Conquest, and also appeared as in 1379 [3]. is the modern name of a castle built in Wales in the late 13th century by Edward I. Its name, which may originally have meant "fine marsh" [7], was recorded in Latin as in 1284 [4] and in the name in the 15th century [5]. We found an Anglo-French form in the name , recorded 1406 [6]. The spelling is also plausible, thought we haven't found an example [9]. If you want your name to mean "Antony who lived at Beaumaris", then you'll want to set your persona after the construction of the castle c.1300 [8], and before c.1450, when descriptive surnames of this type had gone out of fashion in England. In that period, a name like or would have carried the meaning you want and would be a fine choice. The French would probably have been used only in writing; in speech, the name would probably have been or simply . This last choice, , would also be a fine choice later in our period, but by then the surname would have been understood simply as a family name, without any particular meaning. If you prefer the spelling , then we recommend you focus on the 16th century, for which would be a fine choice. In some circumstances, your name might have been written partly or entirely in Latin. This would have been standard before 1400 and gradually less likely later in period. The name might have appeared as or . We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. We were assisted in researching and writing this letter by Maridonna Benvenuti, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja, Talan Gwynek, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, Aryanhwy merch Catmael & Arval Benicoeur 6 July 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Anthony. [2] Julian Goodwyn, "Brass Enscription Index" (WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997). http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/brasses [3] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Anton. [4] Room, Adrian, _Dictionary of Place-Names in the British Isles_ (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd., 1989), s.n. Beaumaris. [5] Ellis, Henry, _The Record of Caernarvon_ (Public Records Commission, 1838). is an abbreviation for a Welsh name usually spelled . [6] Roberts, Glyn, "The Anglesey Submissions of 1406" in _Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies_, vol. XV pp.39-60. See also Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "Names and Naming Practices in the Anglesey Submissions of 1406", in "Y Camamseriad" issue 4, Summer, 1996. [7] Johnston, James B., _Place Names of England and Wales_ (London: Bracken Books, 1994 [1915]); author's name 'Johnson' on some editions. S.n. Beaumaris. The author notes "[o]ld forms" of the name , , and . The last is variant of the modern Welsh form, [4]. is a plausible Middle English spelling. [8] "Anglesey, Isle of" Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. [Accessed 29 June 2000]. http://www.eb.com:180/bol/topic?eu=7664&sctn=1 [9] Goodwyn, op. cit., has several examples of surnames like 1430, 1459, 1568, in which the first element is spelled . Note as well 1510.