Below are the results of the February 2002 Letter of Acceptance and Return from the Laurel King of Arms. This website is not authoritative, but is an accurate reproduction of the text of the February LoAR.

October 2001 Letter of Intent
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ACCEPTANCES

Alaric der Jaeger and Adelaide Ehrhardt. Joint badge (see RETURNS for joint household name.) (Fieldless) A crux ansata argent winged sable.

Please advise the submitter to draw the crux ansata larger in proportion to the wings.
Submitted with the name House of the Winged Ankh.

Brian macc Fáeláin. Name and device. Per saltire sable and gules, a tyger rampant argent between three mullets of eight points Or.

Brighid inghean Fhearghusa. Name.

Castellana Alcon. Name.

Conchobar mac Eoin. Badge. Argent, a claymore inverted bendwise between two thistles sable.

This is clear of conflict with Corwin Breemore, Argent, a sword bendwise inverted sable, its blade entwined with a heather vine proper, between a raven's head erased close and another reversed, both sable, beaked gules. There is one CD for the change in type of the secondary charges. There is another CD for adding the heather vine. Our botanists were surprised to find that in 1982, when this was registered, there existed a twining species of heather. Our armorists were surprised to find how thriving the heather was, arguably overpowering the sword.

Craig Joyful. Name and device. Or, a handgun rest azure surmounted by a chevron inverted gules.

Craig is his legal given name.

Dafydd Morrison. Badge. Per pale sable and Or, a cross of Santiago counterchanged.

Danica Nemanjaviæa. Name and device. Gyronny sable and argent, on a chevron purpure fimbriated three mullets Or.

Submitted as Danitsa Nemanja, Danitsa is the submitter's legal given name. The LoI stated that the submitter "would prefer Danica (with a V over the C) which she claims is an 'un-americanized Serbian spelling', but she was unable to provide adequate documentation of Dani{cv}a being used as a given name for a human being in period." ("{cv}" is a Latin small letter c with caron or hacek.) Nebuly provided a good analysis of this name: There is precious little information that I've found on period Serbian names, though I have found quite a lot from neighboring Croatia, which spoke the same language. I don't find Danitsa or Dani{cv}a in Bosanac as a modern Serbian name, but I do find Danica and Danika. If her mundane name phonetically matches the original Serbian, then it would derive from Danica, with no hacek over the c, since the letter c is pronounced ts, while {cv} is pronounced ch in Serbian.
The byname Nemanja seems to be an attempted patronym, based on the fact that I found it as a given name in Bosanac, who hypothesizes that it is a hypokoristic form of Manislav. As such it would be a minimal further assumption that the hypokoristic might be a period one. However, I have seen no evidence of unmarked patronyms in period Serbia or Croatia (or any Slavic culture). The correct patronym form should be Nemanjaviæa.
To give the entire name a Serbian spelling and to correct the grammar, I recommend registering Danica Nemanjaviæa, though the suggestion depends on what the byname is supposed to mean-information that was not provided in the LoI. The documentation provided with the name submission referred to Stefan Nemanja or Stephan Nemanya, founder of the dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1169 to 1372. But that gives no sign of the meaning of the byname. Paul Wickenden of Thanet's "Dictionary of Period Russian Names" (2nd ed., Section N at http://www.sca.org/heraldry/paul/n.html) dates Nemania as a masculine given name to 1117, so Nebuly's hypothesis is on the mark. We have changed the byname to the form suggested by Nebuly to correct the grammar of the byname and give the submitter a Serbian form of her given name as she requested.
Please advise the submitter to "scale up" the chevron so that it is wider, but keep the relative proportions of the chevron, fimbriation, and mullets.

Daniel of the Outlands. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Quarterly azure and argent, five crosses crosslet in saltire counterchanged.

Please advise the submitter to draw the arms of the crosses somewhat thicker, to help with the identifiability of the center cross. Because this armory clearly uses a group of identical charges, and four of the five are very identifiable, the problems with the identifiability of the center charge due to counterchanging is not sufficient to warrant return.
Submitted under the name Daniel Larke of Fletcher's Glen.

Donnchadh mac Céadaigh. Name change from Donnchadh mac Shithich and device. Per bend sinister vert and argent, two arrows inverted in saltire Or and a thistle proper.

This was an appeal of changes made to his name when it was registered. The registration of his name in the July 2000 LoAR says: Submitted as Donnaichadh Síomaigh MacKeith, he requested a name authentic for 15th century Scotland. We have therefore not only dropped the middle name, not used in Gaelic, and changed the given name to a documented spelling but also changed the patronymic to a Gaelic form as well. The name could have been equally possible in the entirely anglicized form Duncan MacKeith. The LoI states "The justification for appealing the name registered and changing it to this one (or something similar) is that the client was very dissatisfied with the name registered to him, and the mispronunciation of it that naturally arose because of the way that it was spelled". This is an example of an appeal that points out something that was not considered when the original ruling was made, namely the potential for mispronunciation of this byname. Therefore, we are granting this appeal.
The new form of the name requested by the submitter was Donnchadh mac Céadach. We have put the byname into the genitive as required in a patronymic byname in Gaelic.
His previous name, Donnchadh mac Shithich, is released.

Eleanor de Wyte. Name.

Evelyn Macrae. Name and device. Argent, a wingless dragon dormant involved in annulo purpure and on a chief gules three pheons inverted argent.

No evidence was found that Macrae is a plausible spelling before 1600. Black (s.n. Macrae) dates numerous other spellings to period, but none have 'ae' in the second syllable. However, since Mackcrae is dated to 1650 (just at the end of the "gray area") in this entry, the submitted spelling is registerable. Since the submitter had no request for authenticity, we have not changed the spelling of Macrae to a period spelling.
Evelyn is the submitter's legal given name.

Feichín Mac Giolla Fhindéin. Name.

Submitted as Feichín MacAlinden, the submitter requested authenticity for Irish/Scottish and allowed any changes. There was some question regarding whether the spelling Feichín was used in period. In most examples in the annals, this spelling is a genitive spelling. However, the "Annals of Ulster" (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100001/) list Feichin as a nominative spelling in entry U668.5. The "Annals of the Four Masters" (vol. 1, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005A/) also list Feichin as a nominative spelling in entry M664.1. Given these two examples, the submitted spelling is registerable.
Woulfe (p. 374 s.n. Mac Giolla Fhindéin) lists MacAlinden as a modern spelling. (In Woulfe, the italicized subheaders are Anglicized forms dated to temp. Elizabeth I-James I. The non-italicized subheaders are modern.) As Mac Giolla Fhindéin is a variant of Mac Giolla Fhinnéin (also on p. 374) and M'Elinnan and M'Linnen are dated to temp. Elizabeth I-James I in that entry, MacElinden is a plausible period Anglicized form for Mac Giolla Fhindéin. None of the period Anglicized forms in either entry are spelled -Alin-.
This name, as submitted, mixes Gaelic and Anglicized Irish. In period, a name would have been written completely in Gaelic or completely in English/Anglicized Irish depending upon the language of the document that the name is recorded in. Therefore, we have changed the name to a completely Gaelic form of the name to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Gervais le marinier de Narbonne. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Listed on the LoI as Gervais la moraer de Narbonne, the forms listed Gervais la marin de Narbonne. The forms noted that the submitter intended for this name to mean 'Gervais the sailor of Narbonne'. No documentation was presented and none was found that le marin or la moraer were period bynames. Aliaume le marinier is listed in Colm Dubh's article "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris". We have changed the occupational byname to this form in order to register the name.

Gotschalg Sudermann. Name and device. Barry erminois and sable, a bend embattled and a bordure vert.

Jane Gude of Wylshire. Name.

Kymme Godric. Name and device. Per saltire sable and vert, an elephant and an orle Or.

Leonore of Black Diamond. Device. Azure, a boot and on a chief Or three lozenges sable.

Lommán mac an t-saoir. Name.

Submitted as Lommán Mac an t-saoir, the submitter requested authenticity for an unspecified language/culture (presumably Irish or Scottish Gaelic based on the documentation) and allowed any changes. The "Annals of the Four Masters" (vol. 1, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005A/), entry M773.3, lists Conall, mac an t-saoir, egnaide, & abb Bennchuir. We have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Lysbette du Plessis. Name.

Submitted as Lysbette Richelieu du Plessis, no documentation was presented and none was found that the name Richelieu was used except by the Duc de Richelieu. As noted by Metron Ariston, "the du Plessis family estate was Richelieu and it was from that estate that the Cardinal took his title." Lacking documentation that Richelieu was used by people other than the family of the Duc de Richelieu, it is not registerable. Additionally, since the family name of the Duc de Richelieu was du Plessis, if evidence is found that Richelieu was used by other than the duke's family, Richelieu and du Plessis would not be registerable in the same name, as the combination would imply membership in this family.
As the submitter allows any changes, we have dropped the problematic element in order to register the name.

Massimiliano Pontieri dal Sasso. Name and device. Argent crusilly gules, on a bend cotised azure three bells palewise Or.

Listed on the LoI as Massimiliano Pontieri de Sasso, this name was submitted as Massimiliano Pontieri di Sasso. No note was made in the submission packet or on the LoI regarding why the name was changed at kingdom and the change seems to have been a typo. The submitter requested authenticity for an unspecified language/culture (presumably Italian) and allowed minor changes. Pontieri is listed in Fucilla as originally referring to someone from Poitiers. However, De Felice does not list this form in his book Dizionario dei cognomi Italiani. The College was unable to find evidence of this byname used in Italian in period. However, given the examples that De Felice lists of bynames referring to Paris, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt and registering this element in the submitted patronymic form. However, we have no evidence that [given name] [locative byname] [patronymic byname] or even [given name] [inherited surname] [patronymic byname] is a plausible combination in Italian. Therefore, we have modified di Sasso to the locative form dal Sasso in order to register this name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the cotises wider.

Regana van Kortrijk. Azure, a squirrel argent.

Nice arms!

Robartach de Montáin. Name and device. Per chevron sable and argent, a dragon segreant contourny wings displayed argent and a roundel purpure.

Please advise the submitter not to draw the dragon's head overlapping one of the wings, but to draw the head so it lies entirely against the field. Also, please advise the submitter to draw the line of division in the center of the field rather than towards the base. Alternately, the line of division may issue from the same point on the sides of the shield, but it should be made steeper. The two halves of the field should be visually balanced.

Rothin in flamska. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Submitted as Rothin in Flamskä, the submitter requested authenticity for 11th C Dutch and allowed any changes. Both Aryanhwy merch Catmael's article "Viking Bynames found in the Landnámabók" (http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfriedemann/names/vikbynames.htm) and Geirr Bassi spell the byname in flamska. We have changed the byname to match this documentation. Pre- 1100 Dutch and Old Norse were ruled registerable, though a weirdness, in the registration of Aldgudana Gunnarsdóttir in the LoAR of November 2001. As a form of this byname in 11th C Dutch was not found, we were unable to make this name authentic as requested by the submitter.

William Hawke de Warwyck. Name and device. Or, on a pale endorsed sable three hawk's bells argent.

Submitted as William Hawke of Warwickshire, the submitter requested authenticity for 14th C English and allowed any changes. Reaney & Wilson (p. 493 s.n. Williams) dates Thomas William to 1327. This example of the spelling William in an unmarked patronymic supports the use of the spelling William as a given name in the submitter's desired time period. Bardsley (p. 367 s.n. Hawk) dates Adam Hawke to 1379. Locative bynames referring to Warwickshire seem to uniformly drop the element -shire. Dr D.A. Postles, ed. "Lincolnshire Lay Subsidy: Skirbeck" (http://www.le.ac.uk/elh/pot/lincskir.html) in the Parish of Holland, Village of Skirbeck, on line 64 lists Robert de Warwyck. We have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Zoraya de Navarra. Name change from Zoraya of Navarre.

Submitted as Zoraya de Navarre, the LoI stated that submitter wishes to change her byname to the Spanish form suggested in the LoAR of February 2001, when her current name was registered. This LoAR gave the Spanish form of the byname as de Navarra. The byname de Navarre is a French form. As the submitter requested authenticity for an unspecified language/culture (presumably Spanish since the submission specifies "the Spanish form de Navarre") and the submitter allows minor changes, we are registering this in the Spanish form de Navarra rather than the French de Navarre.
Her previous name, Zoraya of Navarre, is released.

RETURNS

Alaric der Jaeger and Adelaide Ehrhardt. Joint household name House of the Winged Ankh.

The term Ankh dates to the 19th C. As such, it is outside our period and not registerable. To quote Baryl: The Britannica (Vol.1, p.424) states that the symbol was known in Latin as the crux ansata and "extensively used in the symbolism of the Coptic Christian Church". The Coptic Church is the "principal Christian church in predominantly Muslim Egypt" and appears to have been founded in the 5th Century (Britannica, Vol.3, p.615). There appears to be no evidence that the shape gained use outside of that context within period. Lacking evidence that this symbol was known in England in period, it is not registerable in a household name based on the English inn sign model.

Daniel Larke of Fletcher's Glen. Name.

The submitter requested authenticity for 12th-13th C England and allowed minor changes. No documentation was provided and none was found that Fletcher's Glen is a plausible place name in period. Lacking such documentation, it is not registerable. As Reaney & Wilson (s.n. Glen) date Gregory Glen to 1230, William de glen to 1327, and Colban del Glen to 1328, this name would be authentic for his desired time period as Daniel Larke le Fletcher, Daniel Larke de Glen, or Daniel Larke del Glen. Changing the locative byname of Fletcher's Glen to the occupational byname le Fletcher is a major change. Dropping the substantial element Fletcher's from the locative byname is a major changes. As the submitter only allows minor changes, we were unable to make either of these changes and the name must be returned.
His armory has been registered under the holding name Daniel of the Outlands.

Gervais le marinier de Narbonne. Device. Or, three piles in point issuant from sinister base overall a sword sable.

This device must be returned for non-period style. The original blazon was Or, three piles inverted conjoined at the point issuant from dexter chief gules, overall a sword sable. However, that blazon did not correctly describe the armory. When you blazon a pile as issuing from some portion of the shield, it is the wide (base) portion of the pile that issues from that portion of the shield, not the point of the pile. Here, all the points are conjoined in dexter chief, so the piles are not issuant from dexter chief. The would be better blazoned as issuant from sinister base.
However, "issuant from sinister base" does not adequately describe this design. The piles in this emblazon are spread too widely along the periphery of the shield to be described in this fashion. Piles issuant from chief (the default arrangement) have their bases spread over less than half of the outline of the shield, and usually less than a third of the outline of the shield. The widest "spread" found in period armory is with the outside piles issuant from the top corners of the shield, and usually all three piles are issuant from some subsection of the chief line. Piles issuant from dexter or sinister have their bases spread over less than half the shield (all issuant from the dexter or sinister side of the shield). In this emblazon, the bases of the piles spread over substantially more than half the shield. No evidence was presented, and none was found, for piles depicted in this manner in period armory. Without such evidence, this is not an acceptable depiction of piles issuant from sinister base.

Ian Lindsay MacRae. Device. Gyronny sable and argent, a wyvern erect maintaining a sheaf of arrows inverted and a bow within a bordure gules.

Conflict with Bela of Eastmarch, Gyronny sable and argent, a dragon rampant gules, armed and webbed vert. There is one CD for adding the bordure. There is no type difference between a wyvern and a dragon. A wyvern erect is in an equivalent posture to a dragon rampant, so there is no difference for posture. There is no difference for adding the small maintained charges. As a general rule, changing the tincture of a dragon's wings is considered to be change of tincture of half the charge. However, the webs of the dragons wings are not the entire wing, and visual inspection of the dragon in Bela's emblazon shows that it has particularly small wings. Thereore, less than half the tincture of the charges has changed, and so there is no additional difference for change in tincture.

Katrein Adler. Device. Per bend sinister argent and azure, two cinquefoils counterchanged.

Conflict with Rose the Riotous, Per bend sinister argent and azure, a garden rose bendwise sinister, slipped and leaved, azure and a goutte d'eau. There is one CD for changing half the charge group from a goutte to a cinquefoil. However, there is not substantial difference (as in RfS X.2) in type between the two charge groups. Current precedent holds that a rose is not different from a cinquefoil.
There is no posture difference for the flower in chief, because the slip and leaf are not considered to be worth difference. The flowers themselves are radially symmetrical, and thus you cannot get difference for making one of them bendwise sinister.
This is clear of conflict with Gerelt of Lockeford, Per bend argent and azure, in bend two roses counterchanged. There is one CD for the change to the field. There is also a CD for changing the tincture of the roses. Each rose in Gerelt's arms is half azure and half argent. Each of these roses is a solid tincture. Therefore, half the tincture of each rose has changed.

Kolfinna Knýtir. Name.

As no forms were received for this submission, it must be returned.

Rothin in flamska. Device. Argent, a chevron fracted counter-ermine in chief a gendy flower gules.

"There has been only one registration of a gendy flower, and that was in 1979. Therefore, before I am willing to register the charge again, I need proof that either it is a reasonable heraldic charge or that Gethyn can register it under the grandfather clause, i.e, that Gethyn is a close relative of Alma Tea ave Telemark" (LoAR November 1999). No evidence has been presented that this is a reasonable charge, or that this submitter is entitled to use it by the grandfather clause.

Thorvaldr Vakkerfjell Thórólfsson. Name change from Thorvaldr Gángläre Vakkerfjell.

Name elements are only grandfathered in the position in which they were previously registered. Since the position of Vakkerfjell has changed, documentation should have been provided that it is a reasonable element in this location. The submitter's file shows Vakkerfjell documented only as a branch name. No evidence has been provided that a placename would come between a given name and a patronymic in Old Norse. Lacking such documentation, this combination is not registerable. As the submitter does not allow major changes, we were unable to drop the problematic element to register the name.

October 2001 Letter of Intent
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