ACCEPTANCES

THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN REGISTERED:

AN TIR

Mountain Edge, Shire of. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

ANSTEORRA

Adelais le Wydu of Wareham. Name.

Alina Mitchell. Name.

Anas ibn Haroun 'Abd al-Zaki. Device change. Per pale sable and argent, in fess an increscent, a roundel and a decrescent within a bordure embattled counterchanged.

His currently registered device, Per pale vert and erminois, a dolmen counterchanged, is retained as a badge.

Please ask him to draw the bordure a little wider and with fewer and bolder crenelations.

Arabella Clarice Lovell. Name.

Angus Duncan Cameron. Name and device. Azure, on a bend sinister between two bells Or a claymore azure.

Arianwen ferch Padrig. Name and device. Purpure, on a bend sinister between two caravels argent three fleurs-de- lys palewise purpure.

The name was submitted as Arianwen ferch Padraig; we have changed Gaelic Padraig to Welsh Padrig to make the patronymic linguistically consistent.

Cairistiona nic Dhomhnaill Dail Riada. Name.

The name was submitted as Cairistiona nic Dhomnaill na Dalriada; we have corrected the spelling and grammar of the patronymic and locative. The spellings are modern; since Irish Dal Riada effectively ceased to exist in the early ninth century, and Scottish Dal Riada became Scotland shortly thereafter, a much earlier spelling would be preferable: Cairistíona ingen meic Domnaill Dáil Riata. However, the first known instance of Cristina in the British Isles is at least two centuries later than either Dal Riada.

Caitlin nic Aindreis of Dumbarton. Device. Purpure, a ship on a chief argent three quatrefoil knots purpure.

Submitted on the LoI as Caitlin ni Aindrieu of Dumbarton, the name was registered as above in the May 1995 LoAR.

Cathalán Ó Néill. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

The name was submitted as Cathalon O'Neill, but his forms have Cathalan Ó Neill. As he permits minor spelling changes, we have added the missing accents for consistency.

Cicely Garland. Name.

Faolain McFerran. Device. Vert, three boar's heads erased within an orle Or.

Francois la Flamme. Device. Vert estencely, a flame Or.

Gillian Marie Hayden. Name and device. Purpure, a goat salient and a bordure argent.

Nice simple armory!

Grimhun Hroth. Device. Vair, a bear statant erect affronty gules.

The bear was blazoned as statant displayed in the LoI, but there was a consensus among the commenters that displayed is an avian posture inappropriate for beasts (as, for example, rampant is a quadrupedal posture inappropriate for birds).

Johann Dähnhardt von Kniprode. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

The name was submitted as Johann Dahnhardt von Kniprode; we have added the umlaut to agree with the documentation. Though this was from Hanks & Hodges, more reliable sources support the resulting pronunciation.

Johann Kiefer Hayden. Name.

Although the LoI documented Hayden as English, the name is also entirely German. The client's own documentation included a German citation of Hayden 1397. The double surname is an anomaly.

Keldon of Stargate. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Per chevron gules and Or, two lions rampant Or and a maple leaf vert.

Submitted as Keldon an tSneacta.

Laure Anne the Plaidweaver. Device. Azure, on a bend between two dragons segreant addorsed Or a stick shuttle azure.

Lothaire Plouvier. Name.

Modius of Stargate. Name and device. Sable, a flame and a base argent.

The Latin personal name Modius was common enough to be the basis for at least three French place-names; Stargate is the registered name of his barony.

Mordraut Freyulf. Badge. Checky Or and gules, a plate overall a natural panther passant sable.

Sorcha nic Chonaill Dáil Riada. Name.

The name was submitted as Sorcha nic Comnaill na Dalriada. No one could support the patronymic in the submitted form, which seems to be based on an error in Hanks & Hodges; we have substituted a documentable version and corrected the grammar and spelling of the locative. The spellings are modern; Sorcha ingen meic Chonaill Dáil Riata would be more compatible with first-millennium Dal Riada.

Stephen Blakstok. Device. Per pale Or and argent, a chevron azure between three stocks couped sable all within a bordure azure.

Submitted on the LoI as Stiabhan Blakstok, the name was registered as above on the March 1995 LoAR.

Tomas Ashe Buchannan. Device. Argent, two bendlets abased, on a chief triangular azure three decrescents argent.

Ysabeau of Prague. Name and device. Argent, a seeblatt vert and a ford proper.

ATLANTIA

Alyna Navarre. Badge. Azure, an octopus between in chief two escallops, a bordure argent.

Deborah la Viaggiatrice. Name.

Deborah, which is her modern given name, is probably a modern spelling; Debora would better suit the late-period Italian date mentioned on her forms. A more authentic form of the byname would be la Pellegrina `the pilgrim, wanderer'.

Dugal Cavendish McRobert. Name and device. Or, two stags salient respectant, a mountain of three peaks sable.

The name would be much more plausible as Dugal McRobert Cavendish `Dugal the son of Robert Cavendish'. In Scottish usage a personal nickname like dubh `black' might intervene between given name and patronymic, but Cavendish is a locative surname from a place in Suffolk. As such it is very unlikely to have been used as a nickname in Scotland. We are nevertheless registering the name as submitted on the slim chance that he might have acquired the locative nickname from his travels or business dealings.

Elspeth Hagler. Name and device. Sable, three ermine spots within an orle Or.

The name was submitted as Elspeth Haggele, but her forms show that she wants to be `the Haggler'. The citations Ullein Hagler 1428 (Brechenmacher, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Deutschen Familiennamen) and Elspeth Rauhenperger 1483 (Ensign LoC, 13 November 1992, citing Erika Uitz, The Legend of Good Women, p. 110) let us register the name as Elspeth Hagler, a period German name much closer to the desired sound and appearance.

Nice armory!

Ingvar Erlingsson. Name.

This name was submitted as Ingvarr Erlingsson on the LoI, corrected in kingdom from the submitter's Ingvar Erlingrson. The correction to the patronymic was necessary, but there is ample evidence for the submitter's Ingvar, so we are restoring the given name to that form.

Jordana Volchevo Lesa. Name and device. Argent, on a bend sinister cotised between two roses azure barbed and seeded proper, a flute argent.

This name was submitted as Jordana of Volchevo Lesa, but Volchevo Lesa, the genitive case of the actual constructed place-name Volchii Les, already means `of Wolf's Forest', and of Volchevo Lesa is `of of Wolf's Forest'. We have therefore dropped the preposition to correct the grammar. Note that the submitter is not entitled to the incorrect form by virtue of its registration to several of her cousins: according to the Cover Letter of 22 February 1993, the Grandfather Clause covers only immediate family members.

Juliette Rossignol. Name and device. Per chevron azure and gules, a stork wings elevated and addorsed argent.

Versus Rosamund of the Misty Meadows, Purpure, a heron close supporting in dexter upraised talon a rose argent barbed and seeded gules, there is a CD for the field and another for the posture, which here is the equivalent of adding wings, which we have generally considered to be worth a CD.

Peter Hawkyns. Badge. Sable, on a pile inverted between two mullets argent a wyvern displayed purpure.

Thomas von Leipzig. Name and device. Quarterly sable and gules, on a sun argent a two headed eagle sable, a label argent.

Valerian Hildebrand. Name.

CAID

Ascelyn Schirleah. Name change from Acelyn Schirleah the Chaste.

Although the name was submitted on the LoI as Acelyn Schirleah, her forms have Ascelyn Schirleah. Either spelling is fine.

Barbara atte Rose. Name.

An excellent name.

Bronwen O'Shea. Device. Per chevron gules and Or, a unicorn couchant argent, an Arabian lamp sable.

John of Gyldenholt. Holding name and badge (see RETURNS for name). [Fieldless] A lion rampant Or charged on the shoulder with a mullet of four points elongated to base gules.

Submitted as Conchobhar Ó Faoláin.

Damales Redbeard. Badge for Maison du Cheval Volant. Argent, a horseshoe inverted sable and a bordure engrailed azure.

Eirikr Sigurdharson. Badge. Per pale gules and Or, a saltire counterchanged.

Gabriel Shadewehauke. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

The name was submitted as Gabriel Shadowhawk, and there was general agreement that the byname owed more to fantasy than to period naming practice. However, Old English sceadu `a shadow, shade, a shady place, a shelter' may occur in the place-names Shadow Brook and Shadwell, and Middle English halke `a corner, a nook, a hiding-place', from OE halc `a cavity', occasionally appears with vocalized l as hauke. Sceadu became ME shade, shad(e)we, and a mediæval Shadewehauke `shady nook' does not seem altogether improbable. As his forms allow, we have substituted documented period spellings for the locative element.

Hrodr-Havardr Haconson. Name change from Hrafnvarthr Ruadhan.

According to the forms from his previous submission, what he really wants is the sound of Hrodnovar. The Old Norse name Nafarr is also attested as Navar; we suspect that he would prefer Hrodr-Navar Hakonsson but are unwilling to make so large a change without consultation and commentary.

James Griffin. Name.

Manus Branduff of Ardmore. Device. Argent, a chevron purpure, in chief two ravens, dexter wing expanded and inverted, sable.

Manus Branduff of Ardmore. Badge. [Fieldless] A ram rampant sable maintaining in its dexter hoof a flanged mace argent handled of wood proper and in its sinister hoof a goblet Or.

Mathiu van der Zee. Device. Gyronny of three arrondy, azure, vert and argent, a mullet of four points elongated to base Or, a bordure Or pellety.

Olivia Kerr. Name.

Richard William McKinny. Name.

The name was submitted as Richard William McKinney, the surname having been changed in kingdom from the submitter's McKinny to match the available documentation. Woulfe gives both forms as standard modern spellings, and there is no evidence for either in period, so we have registered his original spelling.

Stephan of Bellatrix. Device. Sable, on a bend Or three compass stars palewise gules, a label couped argent.

CALONTIR

Sean MacKieran. Device. Tierced per pall potent, gules, and purpure, two male griffins combattant and a bordure Or.

This had been returned in the May 1995 LoAR because no emblazon forms were received by Laurel. Having now received the forms, we are able to register this.

OUTLANDS

Angelina Crispiana d'Avignon. Device. Per fess checky gules and argent and argent, a dance purpure and in base a pheon gules.

Bryan Morrison. Badge. [Fieldless] A sea-pegasus per pale argent and azure.

Halfdan Blackwood the Gray. Name and device. Per bend sinister sable and argent, a double-bitted axe and a fir tree counterchanged.

The name is almost excellent. The form of the name is mediæval, but the f in Halfdan was lost very early, even in Scandinavia, where the name originated, and Blackwood is a late-period spelling. Haldan Blakwode the Gray would be an excellent Middle English form.

Larissa the Lacemaker. Name and device. Argent, a coney sejant erect sable and on a chief urdy purpure three pair of lace bobbins argent.

Although the Greek name Larissa was directly supported only by references to Greek mythology, Larisa appears in Russian as the name of a fourth century martyr; Larissa seems to be a reasonable variant transliteration of the Russian. Combining it with a mediæval English byname is justified by the lingua anglica allowance.

Murdoch Drummond. Name and device. Party of six vert and argent, a griffin segreant queue-forchy gules between three increscents argent.

WEST

Agro of River Haven. Name and device. Vert, a turtle statant erect affronty sustaining in chief two double-bitted axes in saltire argent.

Anisah al Nuwwar. Device. Argent, a cross indented vert, overall a daisy azure.

Aubrey Rainald. Name.

Cynthia du Pré Argent. Device. Per pale argent and azure, a seeblatt and a bordure counterchanged.

Versus Beorhtraed Sifrisdohtor, Per pale argent and azure, an escallop inverted within a bordure all counterchanged, it was the general consensus after a visual comparison of the emblazons that there are probably sufficient differences between an escallop inverted and a seeblatt to apply X.2. between them.

Glenna Faye Keshkarrigan. Name and device. Argent, on a pale azure between two irises purpure, slipped and leaved vert, four plates.

The name was submitted as Glenna Fae Keshkerrigan. Glenna is her modern given name. Old French fae, faie `fairy' seems to be attested in English only in such spellings as faie, fay(e), fey. The usual English form of Irish Ceis Charraigín, and the only one for which anyone found documentation, is Keshcarrigan. The k/c interchange is reasonable, but the Irish vowel a is clearly distinguishable from e. We have therefore made minor spelling corrections as allowed by her forms.

Hræfn fram Lindune. Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, a pheon inverted counterchanged.

Nice armory!

Iulstan Sigewealding. Device change. Sable, three spearheads Or.

Nice armory!

His currently registered device, Per chevron sable and Or, two spearheads points to chief and a raven rising wings elevated and addorsed, within a bordure dovetailed, all counterchanged, is retained as a badge.

Rachel O'Marron. Name and device. Argent, a pale bevilled vert between in bend sinister two frets couped sable.

O Me(a)ran is a more probable late-period Englishing of the surname.

Saint-Florian-de-la-rivière, Canton of. Device. Argent, a cross bottony within a laurel wreath purpure.

Very nice!

Sarra Chantel de Navarre. Name and device. Azure, on a pile purpure fimbriated between two patriarchal crosses crosslet, an eagle displayed argent.

West, Kingdom of. Badge. Vert, a threaded needle bendwise sinister Or.

RETURNSPage JULY 1995THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN RETURNED FOR FURTHER WORK:

AN TIR

David of Moffat. Device change. Vert, a cross crosslet argent quarter-pierced gules on a chief engrailed argent three hunting horns vert stringed gules.

This was one of the very toughest decisions I've had to make in a long, long time. The issues involved were complex, there were approximately seventeen pages of commentary (most of it in ten point type), and none of the possible resolutions (including return of the submission) were without drawbacks. For those who wish only the "bottom line", the return of this submission is based on Protected Items I. of the Administrative Handbook.

The underlying issue in this submission is the fact that the submitted armory differs from the submitter's real-world armory only in the fact that in his real-world armory, matriculated through the Lyon Court of Scotland, the cross is square-pierced and the hunting horns are bells to sinister (the Scottish default is the opposite of the SCA default). Protected Items in the Administrative Handbook reads: "Protection afforded by the College of Arms is limited solely to the refusal to register any item known to conflict with a protected item under the Rules for Submission in effect at the time the new item is submitted to the College. Portions of the current Rules for Submissions pertaining to conflict apply to the following materials: ... I. Any Name or Armory Used by the Submitter Outside the Society - To preserve the historic distinction between an individual's Society identity and his or her identity outside the Society, no item will be registered to a submitter if it is identical to an item used by the submitter legally or in common use outside the Society. This includes (but is not limited to) a legal name, a common use name, and armory registered with any jurisdiction other than the College of Arms of the Society."

After a lot of thought and careful consideration of all of the commentary, I found four possible alternatives: (1) Declare that the two pieces of armory (SCA and Scottish) are not "identical" for purposes of Protected Items I, and register this submissions; (2) Eliminate or modify Protected Items I and register this submission; (3) Declare that every person in the SCA is "sufficiently important" to protect their non-SCA arms, and add the Scottish coat to the list of protected non-SCA armory; or (4) return the submission based on Protected Items I. Each of these options is discussed in order below.

(1) It was the overall consensus of the commentary, including the opinion of the submitter, that this submission is, in effect, identical to his Scottish arms. ("I personally do not believe that there are sufficient differences to make my mundane arms and SCA independently registerable, without removing Protected Items I.") The (two) differences between the armories, while blazonable, are distinctions rather than differences. To all intents and purposes, the two are, indeed, identical under the meaning of Protected Items I.

(2) While many commenters felt that Protected Items I should be modified or even eliminated entirely, there was no real consensus to either (a) eliminate the clause, or (b) how to modify it if it were to be retained in some manner. Certainly some of the commentary, including that of the submitter, indicates that Protected Items I. has been of practical use in consultations. ("I will admit that I have use this rule in this manner [to discourage people from registering their `family coat of arms'] on many occasions when acting as a consulting herald and a submissions herald, and have found that provision very useful.") As a consequence, it is by no means clear that such a "useful" provision should be either eliminated or seriously modified without thoughtful consideration and specific discussion of the practical and potential effects of such elimination or modification.

(3) While the idea of declaring that "All SCA people are, by definition, 'important' enough to protect under the Modest Proposal", proposed by Brachet, has a certain amount of appeal, and would allow us to "protect" the non-SCA armory of SCA participants while retaining Protected Items I. in its current form, it would also put the College in the position of determining the legitimacy of grants of arms by non-SCA heraldic authorities. Laurel is of the opinion that such would be a can of worms that we do not want to open. While most of us could reasonably agree that a grant by Lord Lyon or one of the English Kings of Arms is certainly "legitimate" for this purpose, and presumably grants by the Chief Heralds of Ireland and Canada; and that a letter regarding a "family coat of arms" from one of the many bucket shop heraldists was probably not "legitimate" for this purpose; these are only the two extremes of a wide and heavily populated spectrum. What of grants by registration agencies in Russia or by the Heraldry Society of Finland (where a "registration" of arms can be made for about US$5.00)? How about a grant by the American College of Heraldry? Or one by, say, Prince Kevin of the Principality of the Hutt River Province? How about one by the Heraldic Court of South Osage? [No, I am not making these up.] I do not believe that the College of Arms of the SCA should be in the position of deciding the legitimacy of grants of arms by other organizations.

(4) Protected Items I. is clear as written: "no item will be registered to a submitter if it is identical to an item used by the submitter legally or in common use outside the Society. This includes ... armory registered with any jurisdiction other than the College of Arms of the Society." There was a widespread feeling among the commenters that the submitted arms and the matriculated Scottish arms are heraldically identical. As a consequence, this submission must be returned under the Administrative Handbook, Protected Items I.

Mountain Edge, Shire of. Device. Per fess azure and argent, a fess of three lozenges conjoined between three laurel wreaths counterchanged.

Conflict with Joshua the Pilgrim (registered 3/95), Per fess azure and argent, a fess fusilly counterchanged. There is only one CD, for the addition of the secondary charges.

ANSTEORRA

Cathalán Ó Néill. Device. Vert, a sun Or eclipsed gules, a bordure dovetailed Or.

Blazoned as "an estoile of four greater and four lesser rays", the charge is was identified as a sun by most of the commenters and by those attending the Laurel meeting. It was also felt that a "compass estoile" was an extension further from period practice than we are willing to go (the compass star is an SCA invention, and should not be used as a model to create other charges, which charges would then be another step further from period practice).

Conflict with Reynard de Lyre, Vert, on a mullet of eight points Or a fox's mask proper all within a bordure wavy Or. There is one CD for modifying the complex line of division of the bordure, but we grant no difference between suns and eight-pointed mullets, and change of type only (the fox's mask is mostly gules) of a tertiary on a complex charge.

Johann Dähnhardt von Kniprode. Device. Per pale sable and gules, a chevronel rompu and another fracted Or, in chief a sword fesswise reversed proper.

It was the consensus of the commenters and those attending the Laurel meeting that two different treatments should not be used on a group of identical charges. Though it makes a certain amount of "visual sense" here, it really is the equivalent of a chevronel indented and a chevronel embattled, or, perhaps even more parallel to this submission, a chevronel invected and a chevronel engrailed.

Keldon an tSneacta. Name.

This was a difficult decision. On the one hand, Keldon, of unknown provenance but seemingly a surname in origin, is actually his middle name and is orthographically incompatible with the Irish byname. On the other hand, it is not overly intrusive to the ear, and he apparently uses it as a given name. However, his forms show that he would really like the given name Caledon, if possible; and at the last minute Pelican found a rare Roman gentilicium Caledonius. This would be an acceptable given name in the later Roman Empire and for a few centuries thereafter, but combining it with the modern purely Gaelic orthography of an tSneachta `of the snow' is very questionable. Nix is the Latin for `snow', and niveus is `white as snow'; either Caledonius Niveus or Caledonius Nix would seem to be acceptable. We are therefore returning the name in order to allow him to make a more informed decision.

The accompanying device was registered under the holding name Keldon of Stargate.

Timur Borte. Device. Per chevron sable and azure, a chevron fracted tip inverted between two wolves combattant argent and two falchions in saltire proper.

The inversion of the "tip" of the fracted chevron is unattested in any of the heraldic literature; no one could find evidence that this or similar treatments of other ordinaries existed, either in period or since.

ATLANTIA

None!

CAID

Alexandria Elizabeth Vallandigham of Cambria. Device. Argent, on a mullet of seven points vert a griffin couchant, wings close, Or, in chief two mullets of seven points vert, a bordure compony purpure and Or.

The use of two different sizes of the same charge, especially when they then cause some confusion as to whether there is one group of primary charges or a primary charge and group of secondary charges, as here, has been cause for return in the past. (See, e.g., LoAR of March 1992, p. 15). Drawing all three mullets the same size, or choosing a different set of charges to go in chief, would cure this problem.

Conchobhar Ó Faoláin. Name.

Unfortunately, this name conflicts with Conchobar mac Fáeláin, registered 1/93. Fáeláin is simply an older spelling of Faoláin, and the change from mac to Ó does not significantly change the sound of the byname or the nature of the relationship in the sense of RfS V.1.a.ii (Bynames) and RfS V.1.a.ii(a) (Bynames of Relationship).

The accompanying badge was registered under the holding name John of Gyldenholt.

Gabriel Shadewehauke. Device. Vert, on a cross bottony issuant from base Or, a hawk stooping proper.

"There is no defined `proper' for a falcon. Falcons come in a number of types, whose coloration differs not only from species to species but often between the male and female of each species." (LoAR June 1995, p. 22)

Generys of Llandygái. Name change from holding name Carolyn of Dun Or.

According to Harpy, this type of accent, used to show unpredictable stress, was not used in period and is not obligatory even in modern Welsh. Unfortunately, the submitter allows no changes, so we must return the name. Please inform her that the Welsh version of the name would be Generys Llandygai.

OUTLANDS

Tamlene ap Guidgen. Device. Gules, a chasing hammer and a tierce dovetailed Or.

Technical conflict with Duncan Bruce of Logan, Gules, a mallet within a two-headed serpent in orle, heads at either end and respectant Or. There is a CD for changing the type of the secondary/peripheral charge, but no other CDs could be found under any of the sections of RfS X to grant the necessary second.

WEST

None!