ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2202 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2202 ************************************ 26 Jan 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked our help choosing a name for a man born around 1400 to a family originally from the Scottish Highlands who had moved to Edinburgh. You wanted to use or as your given name and some form of as your surname, and you wanted to know how this man would have been identified in Gaelic, Scots, and while traveling in Burgundy. Here is what we have found. Starting in the late 14th century, there were two main languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands including the royal court and towns. Gaelic was the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots was closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Gaelic was rarely used as a written language, though; the main language of writing throughout Scotland in 1400 was Latin. Scots was just beginning to come into use as a written language. is a modern Scottish Gaelic form of ; we do not know if it existed in period Gaelic. itself was introduced into Scoto-Norman culture in 1080 [1, 2]. The name was adopted into Gaelic in Scotland by the late 13th century [3]. We don't have a good example of the name in Gaelic texts in Scotland, but we do have Gaelic examples from Ireland, where the name was typically written in your period [4]. This spelling was probably also used in 15th century Scottish Gaelic [5]. The closest our Irish sources come to the modern name is in the 16th century [6], and Scottish evidence also suggests that the modern form developed later than your period [7]. We therefore recommend you use , which was pronounced \AH-l@k-SAHN-dar\ or \AH-l@-SAHN-dar\. In your period, this name was regularly recorded in Latin documents as [8], and we would expect the same in Scots [9]. We'd expect the French in your period to use the French equivalent, or [10, 11]. is an English or Scots spelling of some Gaelic patronymic byname. A patronymic byname is a surname that identifies a man as his father's son. In Gaelic in our period, such bynames were used literally, i.e. a man would have been called only if his father's given name was . These bynames eventually came to be used as inherited surnames; but we have seen no evidence of that usage in Scotland as early as your period, so we'd expect your surname to correspond to your father's given name [12]. The origin of the modern surname is unclear. We aren't even sure it existed in period. Our earliest reliable example is from 1720. In period, we've found only a questionable reference to a in Glasdrum around 1500 [13]. The name may derive from Gaelic "son of Colla" [13, 14, 15]. The given name may well have been used in Gaelic Scotland a century earlier, but we have no evidence that it was. Assuming so, a Gaelic name something like would be a reasonable choice. However, may not derive from this source at all. It's entirely possible, for example, that it originated as an unusual anglicization of some other Gaelic name. Around 1400, a typical town-dweller in Scotland was often identified in all the languages of Scotland as his father's son, using forms appropriate to the particular language. Alaxandar son of Dubhghall might be identified in Gaelic as , in Scots as , and in Latin as or [16, 17]. If his family held land, that fact might have been included in his name in Latin or Scots, e.g. in Latin, in Scots. A Latin or Scots scribe might alternatively have identified him by his occupation or by a simple descriptive nickname [18]. Predicting how this man would have been identified while in Burgundy is much harder, since we have very little evidence of the names of Scottish travelers in France. He would very likely have been identified in Latin by Frenchmen in the same way as by Scots. In French, he might have been identified by a French translation of one of the forms of his name that we've already discussed, or might simply be called "Alexander the Scot" [19, 20]. We generally wouldn't expect to see a byname that meant "of Edinburgh" used for anyone other than a merchant or burgess of the town. You mentioned that you had found the name in a history book. Unfortunately, this probably isn't helpful: Modern historians generally don't use the medieval forms of names when they write their books, but rather use modern English forms that will be more familiar to their readers. However, if you can tell us the title and author of the book, we may be able to track down his original source. 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. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek, Adelais de Savigney, Africa filia Kennoci, Adelaide de Beaumont, Julie Stampnitzky, Dietmar von Straubing, and Mari neyn Brian. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 26 Jan 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.n. Alusdar. [2] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Alexander. The name was probably introduced to Scotland by Queen Margaret, sister of the Anglo-Saxon exile Edgar Atheling, who named her 3rd son, the future Alexander I, born 1080. Although she was English, she had previously lived in Hungary and may have encountered the name there. The name was introduced into England at about the same time: Withycombe has it in 1189, but other sources have examples in 1150-50 in Lincolnshire [2a] and no later than 1100-1110 in Cambridgeshire [2b]. The fact that there was a Pope Alexander II 1061-1073 may have been significant in the popularization of the name. [2a] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Alexander. [2b] Clark, Cecily. 'A Witness to Post-Conquest English Cultural Patterns: The _Liber Vitae_ of Thorney Abbey', in _Words, Names and History: Selected Writings of Cecily Clark_, Peter Jackson, ed. (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1995), p.340. The name appears in a list of monks associated with Thorney Abbey, Cambridgeshire, written 1100-1110, which may incorporate older material. [3] We found the inscription "Alexander de Hyle filius et heres domini Engusii filii Dovenaldi domini de Hyle" 1286-94. The same man sealed himself and signed correspondence [3a]. received a grant of lands in Stirlingshire in 1330; these are modernized spellings of the names, so this isn't reliable; but it does show some form of in use [3b]. A Latin document recorded 1354 [3a]. is recorded in 1392 and in 1481 [3b]. A 15th century Gaelic document includes an abbreviation which probably stands for [3c]. [3a] Munro, Jean and R. W. Munro, eds., _Acts of the Lords of the Isles 1336-1493_; Scottish History Society, Fourth Series, Volume 22 (Edinburgh: Blackwood, Pillans & Wilson, 1986), p.281 (table 1, note 5); p.6. [3b] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.nn. Macintaylor, Alexander, MacAlexander. [3c] A photograph of the "1467 MS", a Gaelic genealogical manuscript, which is shelf-marked 72.1.1 in the Scottish National Library. Colm O'Boyle has kindly helped with our transcriptions from this manuscript. [4] Other recorded spellings include 12th century [4a]; (1299), , , (1366, 1368, 1504, 1508, 1577; all genitive forms, but as nominative in 1368) [4b]; (1260, 1299), (1366, 1468; genitive), (1368, 1419), (1419) [4c]. [4a] "Lives of the Saints from the Book of Lismore", ed. Whitley Stokes (Oxford, 1890), web edition Elva Johnston (WWW: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland, 1995), p. 124. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G201001/ [4b] Donnchadh O/ Corra/in & Mavis Cournane, "Annals of the Four Masters", six volumes (WWW: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland, 1997), entries M1299.3, M1366.8, M1368.11, M1504.10, M1508.11, M1577.5. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005C (v.3, 1172-1372) http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005E (v.5, 1501-1588) [4c] Cournane et. al., entries 1260.6, 1299.2, 1366.11, 1368.13, 1419.17. [5] Our best evidence for the use of the spelling in Scottish Gaelic is the abbreviation in a 15th century Gaelic manuscript [3c]. [6] Cournane, Mavis, Vibeke Dijkman, and Ivonne Tummers, "Annals of Connacht" (WWW: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland, 1997), s.n. 1522.6. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100011 [7] Black, s.nn. Macalaster, Macbrabner, Macinnes. The earliest examples we've found of something pronounced like the modern Gaelic are these Gaelic names recorded in Scots-language documents: 1455 in Arran, 1500, 1571, 1578, 1574, 1600. [8] Munro & Munro, p.243 (B33), p.92 (no.62), p.142 (no.89), pp.153-4 (no.96). These entries give examples of Gaels mentioned in 15th century Latin documents. The names appear in various grammatical cases; all of them correspond to the nominative form . Alexandro M[c]aine de Ardnamurchyn 1456 ([c] is a raised 'c') Alexandro Johannis domino de Ardnamurchan 1467 Hugoni Alexandri de Insulis domino de Slete 1469 Finvolam Alexandri Johannis de Ardnamurchan 1469 Alexandri Johannis de Ardnamurchan 1469 [9] 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). In an entry from 1405, we find the name . That man was probably not a Gael, but the example does illustrate the name in use in a Scots town in your period. [10] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris", Proceedings of the Known World Heraldic Symposium 1996 (SCA: Montgomery, Alabama; WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997). He lists . http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html [11] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967), pp.20, 111. She has several examples of and , as well as other less common spellings. [12] The descendents of some Scottish Gaels who migrated to the Lowlands were using inherited surnames derived from bynames by the mid-16th century, but not as early as the early 15th century. [13] Black s.n. Maccoll. [14] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation), s.n. Mac Colla. [15] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.n. Colla. [16] Dickinson has many examples of Latin patronymics of the form we've suggested, including in Aberdeen, 1400. He shows examples of Scots patronymics in names like and . In each case, the given name is Latinized but the byname is retained in its Scots form. [17] The Scots and Latin forms of appear in Black, s.n. Dougal. The Latin was recorded in the 14th century. A Scots record has 1415. The patronymic appears in English records as and in 1296. [18] Dickinson has these examples of other types of bynames, all from 1400: Henricus Taillour Alexandri de Keth Walteri Rede Robertus Narne Willelmo Crab Johanni de Brechyn Gilbertus de Kynros Willelmus Johannis de Hesilhede [19] Our analysis of French renditions of Scottish names is based on Philippe Contamine, "Scottish Soldiers in France in the Second Half of the Fifteenth Century: Mercenaries, Immigrants or Frenchmen in the Making?" in _The Scottish Soldier Abroad: 1247-1967_, edited by Grant G. Simpson, (Edinburgh and Maryland: John Donald Publishers Ltd and Barnes & Noble, 1992), pp.16-30. This article isn't the best of sources but it offers some help and is probably a good starting point for further research. [20] Colm Dubh, Paris Census. He lists . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Arval, 5 Jul 2001: Corrected typos in note [3] Arval, 3 Feb 2004: Corrected typo in note [7]