Last modified: December 21, 2008

Outlands College of Heralds

December 22, 2008
From the Office of the Castle Herald
Baron Randal Carrick
castle@outlandsheralds.org

UNTO the Outlands College of Heralds, our respected friends and colleagues who give freely of their time to provide commentary, and all others who come by these letters, on this 21st day of December A.S. xxxxiii (2008 CE), does Don Randal Carrick send greetings on behalf of The Honourable Lady Marie de Blois, White Stag Principal Herald.

Here follows the Kingdom of the Outlands Letter of Presentation for December 2008. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Errors found herein are my sole responsibility.

Anyone may comment upon the items found herein, and e-mail commentary to the herald's commentary list is encouraged. Please have comments on items contained herein to Rampart Herald by January 17, 2009, for the decision meeting tentatively scheduled for January 18, 2009.  As a reminder, the College of Arms requests commentary on all items, including appeals.

Line Emblazon Sheet
Color Emblazon Sheet
December 2008 Letter of Presentation
January 2009 Letter of Response
January 2009 Letter of Intent
May 2009 LoAR Results
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1. Agnes de Lanvallei. New Badge. Fieldless, a sheep azure passant to sinister.

(Unser Hafen) The submitter's name was registered on the May 1988 LoAR via Calontir (http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/1988/05/lar.html).

2. al-Baran, Barony of. Order Name Appeal - Order of the Bronze Bell.

(al-Barran) The order name was originally returned by Kingdom on the September 2008 LOR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2008-08-lop/0809-lor.html), stating: "Conflict: Attempting something like [Order of the Bell] would conflict with [Bell Pursuivant] (East, 1981); Armorial Identifiability: cannot use the term 'bronze', must use heraldic tinctures."

As basis for the appeal, submitter states: This order name was rejected based on the August 2005 LoAR expansion of the forms of order names (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2005/08/05-08cl.html).  It was rejected on the basis of the use of "Bell" as an heraldic charge and thus "Bronze" being seen as a tincture and thus invalid.

The intent of this submission is not to refer to the "Bell" as the badge of the order but rather to a specific "Bronze Bell" as an "object of veneration".  This bell (named 'Antares Kano' after the Heart of the Scorpion and the Norse rune of 'light and clarity') is a 10" diameter, 50lb. bell forged by members of the Barony (as the more medieval answer to a clock and an air-horn) and cast in bronze at a local foundry.  It is rung to tell time at events and to welcome people to them.  Further information on this bell can be found here: http://www.rencentral.com/archives/Belling_Barony.shtml.

As such, the Barony would like to appeal the rejection of the award name and ask that it be reconsidered.  'Order of the Bronze Bell' satisfies both the LoAR precedent cited above by being named for an object of veneration and the requirements of Project Ordensnamen as being named after the third most common form in that document, a 'thing'.

Both Bell and Bronze can be documented via the OED.

3. Andrew von Aidlingen. New Name and Device. Argent, on a pile azure, a fleur-de-lis argent.

(Unser Hafen) Gender: Male. Submitter will accept changes to the name.

Andrew: Submitter's legal first name.  Submitter has included a copy of his driver's license as documentation.

Aidlingen: (from http://www.aidlingen.com) A small town near Boeblingen Germany. First settled approximately 1800 BC.  Became a village with Deurfingen in the 6th century.  Was a cloister from either 1150 or 843 (depending on the source) until becoming a possession of Bondorf in 1355.

4. Caoilinn inghean Caoimhin Ó Tighe. Name and Device Resubmission. Per pale purpure and argent, a Greek symbol 1000 voided, counterchanged.

(Unser Hafen) Gender: Female. Submitter will accept changes to the name.

This name and device was returned by Kingdom on the January 2008 LoR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2007-12-lop/0801-lor.html), stating: "The only documentation provided for the name did not contain the submitted given name as a dated spelling, and so cannot be used in good faith. Submitters are urged to use dated spellings from documentations, rather than any anglicised or modernised spellings found therein. Additionally, the use of the infinity symbol falls afoul of precedent banning the use of solitary abstract symbols [Iohann se pipere, 7/00]."

Submitter has provided the following additional documentation for the name:

Caoilinn inghean Caoimhín Uí Tighe

According to the below records it was used Probably in the 6th or 7th century. The mention of it was in 13th century Irish records. As names were occasionally rehashed it would not be surprising for this to do so.

The example I am giving for my last name, is more on structure. As Tighe is my family name I would wish to use it, However I am not stuck on it should it be changed. Caoimhin is a male name of the period.

----

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Caoilinn inghean Caoimhin MacTighe>, 'Caolinn Daughter of Kevin of the House Tighe', is a reasonable name for a Gaelic woman living in the 13th century.

As you know, we're currently on vacation and are not accepting any new clients for research.  However, we do have some information which might be useful to you, as we've researched both <Caoilinn> and <Caoimhin> in the past.  Here are excerpts from the reports we wrote which covered these elements:

>From Report #2718 [1]

"<Caelin> is an alternate spelling of a modern Irish name that is usually spelled <Caoilinn> [1, 2].  It developed from a name used in early Ireland, <Ca/elfind> (the slash represents an acute accent over the previous letter); accordingly, the modern form is sometimes spelled <Caoilfhionn> [3].  The only example we have found is an early Irish saint [1, 2, 3].  We don't know exactly when the saint lived, but we believe it was probably in the 6th or 7th century.  We find a mention of the saint and a place named after her in 13th century Irish records [4].  The saint's name was pronounced roughly \KEYL-yin\, with the \EY\ as in <eye>, shifting to \KELL-yin\ around the 12th century.  After 1200 or so, the name was pronounced \KAYL-yin\.

"Unfortunately, we have no other examples of the name.  Many names from the Old Irish period fell out of fashion until they were revived in modern times; <Caoilinn> may be such a name.  It is plausible, however, that a woman living in 7th century Ireland, roughly a contemporary of the saint, might also have been named <Ca/elfind>."

>From Report 2262 [2]

"<Ca/emgen> is an early spelling of <Caoimhi/n>, a Gaelic masculine name later eventually Anglicized as <Kevin> [1]. While there were a few early Irish saints named <Caoimhi/n>, we haven't found any evidence that the name was still in use in your period. However, the masculine given names <Maol Chaoimhi/n> and <Giolla Chaoimhi/n>, "devotee of Caoimhi/n" and "servant of Caoimhi/n", were used much later than <Caoimhi/n> itself. It was a common Gaelic naming practice to create new given names in this fashion when the actual name of a saint was considered too holy for ordinary people to use. These are the latest dated examples that we found:

    Gilla Caemgen 1134, 1135, 1159 [2]

    Giolla Caoimhghin 1135, 1159, 1215 [3]

    Maol Caoimhgin 1224 [3]

"While we didn't find any examples of <Maol Chaoimhi/n> or <Giolla Chaoimhi/n> used in your period, we believe that either is plausible based on the above examples and the continued use of other, similarly-constructed names [4]. Gaelic spelling conventions changed significantly around 1200, when the examples we found were recorded. By your period, we would expect these two names to be spelled <Maol Chaoimhghin> and <Giolla Chaoimhghin>."

   Aryanhwy

   for the Academy

   16 Apr 2006

 [1] Academy of S. Gabriel Report #2718 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2718 

The device emblazon is unchanged from the previous submission.  Submitter has provided no additional documentation to support this device.

5. Cillene mac Congalaigh. Device Resubmission. Azure, a fret argent, a lymphad overall sable.

(Hawk's Hollow) The device Azure, a saltire argent, overall a lymphad in action sable was returned by Kingdom on the July LoR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2008-06-lop/0807-lor.html), stating: "This device is returned for Conflict with Scotland (Azure, overall a saltire argent). The submitter gets only 1 significant difference for the addition of the lymphad."

Submitter has changed the saltire to a fret to clear the conflict.

6. Elena of Glastonbury. New Name and Device. Sable, two garden roses gules, slipped and leaved vert, entwined around and sustaining a cuphilted and quillioned rapier palewise inverted proper, a bordure gules.

(Unser Hafen) Gender: Female. Submitter cares most about the language and/or culture of the name (not defined).  Changes Accepted.

Elena: found in English Given names from 16th and Early 17th C Marriage Records by Aryanhwy merch Catmael dated to 1593 (http://heraldry.sca.org/names/english/parishes/parishes.html), also Late Sixteenth Century English Given Names by Talan Gwynek (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/eng16/eng16.html).

Glastonbury: dated to "the middle ages" at http://www.glastonbury.co.uk/pages/, also dated to the 7th century at http://www.somersettimeline.org.uk/page.php?trid=12. 

7. Halvar Half-Hand. Name and Device Resubmission. Per saltire gules and sable, on a plate a crossbow vert.

(Hawk's Hollow) Gender: Male. Submitter cares most about the sound of the name, and will not accept major changes to the name.

The previously submitted name and device, (Tomas Halvar, Quarterly argent and vert, a sinister hand aversant inverted issuant from chief and a two-fingered dexter hand aversant issuant from base argent) were returned by Laurel on the December 2007 LoAR (http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2007/12/07-12lar.html), stating: 

"As submitted, this name can only be interpreted as two given names without a byname. "Halvar" was documented as a late period Swedish given name. No documentation was submitted and none found to support unmarked patronymics in Swedish, or of a practice of using a second given name without a byname in this culture. The given name was documented as Old Norse, but there is no evidence for unmarked patronymics or double given names without a byname (for that matter, for double given names at all) in that culture. We would mark the patronymic, changing the name to "T{o'}mas Halvarson", but this would significantly change the sound and appearance of the byname; a major change which the submitter will not accept. Therefore, we are forced to return this name. 

This device is returned for lack of documentation of the use of a hand with three fingers as used in this submission. Nor was documentation provided, or found by the College, for the use of two hands with differing numbers of fingers in period heraldry. 

The majority of those polled, both heralds and non-heralds, saw this as a display of gang signs. This is also sufficient grounds for return under section IX of the Rules for Submission ("Offensive Armory") as well as section VIII.4 ("Obtrusive Modernity"). Using two identical hands in the same posture would remove this appearance. 

This does not violate the so-called "sword-and-dagger" rule, which prohibits the use of two similar but non-identical charges in the same armory (for example, see the return of Desiderata Drake device on the March 2007 LoAR). In this case, the two charges are the same charge - they are just in different orientations and postures. However, this is not good style and its use is not recommended. 

This does not create the appearance of marshalled armory under Society rules as both charges are the same charge (a hand). This is no different than allowing something like _two lions combatant_, which can also be blazoned as _a lion rampant to sinister and a lion rampant_."

Submitter has significantly change both name and device.

Halvar: Found in Svenska Fornamn, by Roland Otterbjork, P. 96, header "Halvar".  Dated to 1554, younger side form of Halvard.

Half-Hand: Physical description - submitter lost two fingers in military service.

8. Jeanne Dyfrgi. New Device. Gules, a greyhound courant to sinister within a bordure Or .

(Caer Galen) The submitter's name was registered on the September 1995 LoAR via the Outlands (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1995/09/lar.html).

9. Justin Case. New Alternate Name for Conrad von Zollern.

(Hawks Hollow) Gender: Male. Submitter cares most about the sound of the name, and will not accept changes to the name, nor the creation of a holding name.

Both names found in Reany & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd edition

Justin: P. 259, header "Justin": Derived from the name of two Byzantine Emperors. Latinized dated to 1175.

Case: P. 86, header "Case": A metonymic for 'a maker of boxes, chests, or receptacles'. Dated to 1274.

10. Katelin de Irlande. New Badge. Fieldless, a Celtic cross per pale azure and vert.

(Hawks Hollow) The submitter's name was registered on the May 2008 LoAR via Artemesia (http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2008/05/08-05lar.html).

11. Katelin de Irlande. New Device. Per bend sinister azure and vert, a Celtic cross and a chief argent.

(Hawks Hollow) The submitter's name was registered on the May 2008 LoAR via Artemesia (http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2008/05/08-05lar.html).

12. Mary Champernowne. Name Resubmission.

(Caer Galen) Gender: Female. Submitter cares most about the language and/or culture of the name, defined as 16C England. Changes accepted.

The name was returned by Kingdom on the July 2008 LoR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2008-06-lop/0807-lor.html), stating: "Rampart was unable to document the requested spelling of the submitters' Surname using the documentation provided. Lacking time, Rampart was unable to attempt to find better documentation than had been provided the first time the name was submitted. Additionally, the device is returned for lack of armorial identifiability of the pawprints due to size, arrangement and orientation."

Submitter has provided additional documentation to date the byname.

Mary: Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names, header "Mary": cites teh earliest known example in Britain as Mary, 2nd daughter of Malcolm II, 1082.  16C examples include Queen Mary I (Mary Tudor).

Champernowne: Acts of the Privy Council of England, New Series, vol.XXV, AD 1595-6. (in the Harvard Law Library, available online at http://books.google.com/books?id=IjkRAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Acts+of+the+Privy+Council#PPR1,M1).  P.425 discusses the appointment of Mr. Richard Champernowne as Deputie Lieutenante in Devonshire. His name appears in two spellings (Champernown and Champernowne) in the same paragraph.

13. Milesha Kulikova. New Device. Purpure, a dolphin hauriant dexter, and on a chief embattled Or, four mullets of four points gules.

(Caerthe) The submitter's name was submitted on the September 2008 LoP via the Outlands (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2008-09-lop/0809-lop.html).

14. Ramon the Chronologer. Badge Resubmission. Fieldless, an hourglass azure on a compass star argent.

(Caerthe) The submitter's name was registered on the February 1991 LoAR via the Outlands (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1991/02/lar.html).

The original device submission, Fieldless, on a compass star argent, an hourglass gules, was returned by Kingdom on the October 2006 LoR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2006-09-lop/0610-lor.html) stating: 

"Laurel precedent has ruled that glass objects must not be transparent and should be drawn of a solid tincture, which has been re-affirmed as recently as August of 2002:

...This matches other SCA practices for glass charges, as noted in the following precedent: "The lantern with its transparent 'glass' is not done in a period manner. As was noted in the commentary, the College has a long history of disallowing transparent objects." (LoAR August 1991 p.22)... [LoAR 08/02 Edward Glass A - East]

Commenters also indicate that the hourglass is shown in a trian or 3-D aspect, which is disallowed by Rfs VIII.1.c.i - Perspective - which states that charges should not be drawn in a trian aspect or with perspective unless they were depicted this way in period armory.
Commenters also noted that the mullet of 4 greater and 4 lesser points is considered a weirdness, but not a reason for return by itself.

Returned for violation of precedent and Rfs VIII.1.c.i."

Submitter has re-drawn the badge with a different rendition of the hourglass, and has made it a solid color throughout.

15. Ram's Keep, College of. Device Resubmission. Vert, a Ram's head cabossed argent, within a bordure embattled Or, and in chief a laurel wreath argent.

(Unser Hafen) (Castle could find no record of the name College of Ram's Keep being registered, or even resubmitted after being returned per below).

the original device submission, Vert, a ram's head cabossed within a bordure embattled Or, was returned by Kingdom on the May 2004 LoR (http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2004-04-lop/0405-lor.html), stating: "

These submissions are primarily being returned for the lack of a petition. Please see the Administrative Handbook (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/admin.html), particularly section IV.C.5. Evidence of Support, which says:

Submissions involving the branch name or arms of an active branch must include evidence of support for the action on the part of a majority of the active members of the branch. In the case of branches with no ruling noble, this support may be demonstrated by a petition of a majority of the populace and officers or by a petition of the seneschal and at least three-quarters of the other local officers. In the case of branches with ruling nobles, such petitions must also include a statement of support from the ruling noble. A valid petition must include a clear description of the item submitted; either the blazon or emblazon is sufficient for a petition regarding branch arms, though both are preferable.

"We do not register the scribal abbreviation (St.) But the full form (Saint), and the use of the apostrophe in possessives is not period." (Severian the Northumbrian of Saint Ninians Isle, 9/94 p. 7)

The College has submitted a petition in support of the proposed device, which has been re-drawn to include a laurel wreath of sorts.

Thus ends the November 2008 Letter of Presentation.

Your servant,

Randal Carrick
Castle Herald