Unto Black Lion and the College of Heralds of the Kingdom of An Tir, GREETINGS from Ciaran Cluana Ferta Lion's Blood.

There is discussion in the College of a ranking system for heralds, and I have been asked by Black Lion to explore the idea. If you have comments regarding this topic (for or against) please contact me. If you have e-mail access, and would like to comment or receive commentary about this use the address at the top of this page. If you have no e-access, but wish to comment please send your ideas to me via postal services.

Documenting names is important. In the past several months, I have been receiving xeroxed pages which have no accompanying title or publication data, and this month a submission which contained the xeroxed pages (which had no titles

on the pages) and a typewritten description of the documents (which showed no page numbers and were not in the order given in the description). Proper documentation consists of:

1) Photocopies of reputable sources, showing the information you are trying to prove.

2) Photocopies of the publication data (showing Author/Editor, Publisher [and publisher's location] and Date published.)

Some books need not be photocopied, but the list is SMALL, please check with Lion's Blood (or check the list on Laurel's web-page.) For that list of books, the submission needs only to quote title, author, page and header title.

Commentary on this letter is due no later than Friday, April 3rd for inclusion in the decisions made at the Kingdom Heraldic Symposium to be held in Wilsonville, Oregon the weekend of April 4th-5th. The Lion's Blood meeting will be held on Sunday at a site to be announced later.

Comments upon the new submissions contained herein should be received by me on or before Friday, March 14th. in order to be of influence at the meeting to be held in River's Bend. that weekend. For directions and time contact Eglantyne Merryweather (River's Bend's Herald at (360) 425-4570).

Old Submissions

The following have been sent to Laurel:

Abigail MacLachlan (Device only) Purpure, two bones in saltire and a chief argent.

An Tir, Kingdom of (for the Black Lion Herald) (change/Seal) (Tinctureless) Two trumpets in saltire bells to chief. overall a lion's head caboshed.

The current seal is to be released upon registration of this submission.

Aric McBride (change/Device) Azure, a unicorn rampant contourny and on a chief invected argent three suns azure.

The submitter's previous device (Azure, a unicorn rampant and on a chief invected argent three suns azure) is to be (registered in December 1989) is to be released upon registration of this submission.

Arnelfr Thingkona (Device only) Argent, a dogs head couped with in a bordure embattled azure.

This should be clear (by RfS X.2.c) of Llyn Aden ap Morgwn (pending on the Meridies LoI of November, 1997 [Argent, a wolf rampant maintaining a quill pen and a bordure embattled azure) because a dog's head is substantially different from a complete wolf rampant (the quill pen is a small, held object, and not worth difference).

Conner Hume (Name & Device) Azure, a unicorn rampant contourny and on a chief embattled argent three suns azure.

Crickstow-on-Sea, Port of (resub/Name) (see RETURNS for device)

While we have questions about the -on-Sea portion of the name, we have no evidence that this was not a formation used in period, so we are sending it on to Laurel. This is a much better name than previous submissions from this group.

Damietta di Carnevale (Device only) Argent goutty de l'armes a bourdure nebuly vert.

Several commenters said: "Nice armory!"

Dragon's Laire, Barony of (Badge only) Per pale gules and sable a bee rising proper within a bordure Or.

Dragon's Laire, Barony of (Badge only) Per pale gules and sable, a snapdragon slipped and leaved issuant from base within a bordure Or.

Dragon's Laire, Barony of (Badge only) Per pale gules and sable, two dragon's heads addorsed and conjoined at the neck within a bordure Or.

Eglantyne Merryweather (change/Device) Vert, a bend vair.

Her previous device (Sable, on a hand argent a rose proper, in chief two estoiles of eight rays argent) registered in November 1992 is to be released upon registration of this fine submission.

Elric Strangulf (Device only) Vert, a wolf passant argent within an orle Or.

Falk Elphegh McCrorey (Name & Device) Per bend sable and argent, a roundel ermine and a tree proper.

While the evidence given by the submitter shows three different languages being used, Falco and Elphege were found by stel in Reaney: p. 164 sub Fawke, dated to 1274; and p.9 sub Alphege shows an Elpheg in 1297. The problem now is the use of a double given name, which is very late period in Britain, and the given names then mutate to the forms Falk and Elphegh. McCrorey is his modern surname.

Iain Ruadh MacFhionnghain (Name only) (see RETURNS for device)

After telephone consultation with the submitter, we have forwarded this name in the revised spelling used here. It was originally submitted as MacKinnon. This avoids the use of Anglicized and non-Anglicized Gaelic in the same name, but makes it likely to be hard for people figure out the correct pronunciation (which should be similar to the originally submitted form). Red Iain MacKinnon was presented to him as an option, but was declined.

Juliana Felicita Boccaccio (Name only)

Although the Italian form of the first given name is Giuliana, Juliana is the submitter's modern name, (she is providing us with documentation), so we can use the modern name allowance here, too.

LjŪtr Einarsson (resub-L/Device) Per saltire vert and Or, in chief a hammer palewise argent and in fess two wolfs heads erased addorsed sable.

Rhys ap Gwilym (Name only)

Thora of Skye (Name & Device) Argent, a chevron azure overall a wolf sejant sable in chief a decrescent and an increscent azure.

We have corrected the emblazon (at the submitter's request) to make the decrescent and increscent azure instead of argent (which would have necessitated return.)

Yvon-Maurice Charon (Name & Device) Ermine, a fox rampant contourny gules maintaining in dexter forepaw a rapier within a bordure sable charged with eight fleurs-de-lys Or.

Yvon-Maurice Charon, for The House of the Three Furies (Household) (Name only) (see RETURNS for device)

While the name is a bit intellectual for an inn sign, there are several depictions of the Furies in period, and so the name is not implausible.

The Following submissions were returned for further work:

Corvaria, Shire of (Badge) Argent a raven's head erased contourny azure beaked gules.

This being returned for conflict with Rodney William Czesny (Argent, a hawk's head erased and sinister facing gules beaked Or). While one CD comes from the tincture of the head, there is none to be had from type (in period, birds were often drawn sloppily, and there are several instances of return from Laurel based on WHOLE raven vs. WHOLE hawk [see 9\90, p. 13; or 1/91, p. 231) so we are fairly certain that this would not survive. It was the opinion of those at the meeting that fieldlessness would considerably help this badge.

Crickstow-on-Sea, Port of (Device) Per pale Or and azure, a castle gate argent within a laurel wreath counterchanged.

This appears to have a conflict with a badge of The Barony of River Haven (Per pale Or and azure, two towers conjoined by a bridge enarched argent and a bordure counterchanged). There is one CD for the difference of type (laurel wreath vs. bordure), but the precedents do not favor one for a difference in type of the primary charge. Brachet Herald has commented upon this in the previous submissions of this device (which were returned for other reasons), and while Laurel has been silent about this, I feel that Brachet is correct in his reasoning.

Dragon's Laire, Barony of (for the Order of the Albion Light) (Name & Badge) Per pale gules and sable on a mullet of eight points throughout argent a torch azure flamed gules.

Since Albion is an ancient name for Great Britain (and still in use as a poetic name for England), this becomes a noun modifying a noun, and we have no evidence for order names in period being formed this way.

The badge is returned for conflict with Lind Rachael Fessel of the Falconshield (Vert, on a mullet of six points argent a falcon displayed wings inverted azure). Clearly, there is a CD for the field, but (by RfS X.4.f) there is no difference between mullets of six and eight points. Further, there is no difference to be had from change of type only of the tertiary charge, because the mullet is not a simple enough charge for X.4.j.ii to be applied (which means that there must be TWO changes to the tertiary charge), and in this submission the charge is primarily azure. Change of the tincture of the torch MAY help here.

Iain Ruadh MacFhionnghain (Device only) Quarterly azure and argent, two squirrels sejant erect reguardant addorsed gules within a bordure counterchanged.

The device is being returned for the too-skinny bordure. While we applaud the attempt to make the squirrels large and identifiable, this should not come at the expense of the bordure, which, in this depiction, would invite commentary at the Laurel-level as to whether there is a bordure at all.

Yvon-Maurice Charon, for The House of the Three (Household Badge) Argent, on a pall within and conjoined to a bordure azure between three cups sable three rapiers points to center proper.

This should have been submitted on a badge form, but the reason for return is the swords, which are positioned on BOTH the pall and the bordure. Current precedent does not allow charges to lie both on peripheral charges AND the field or other charges on the field. This problem would disappear if the sword-hilts were placed wholly on the pall, and off the bordure.

New Submissions:

1) thelfrith se Hlud (Three Mountains) new/Device

Sable, three roundels argent.

His name is pending on the December 1997 Letter of Intent.

2) >Aubrey Merle (Seagirt) new/name & Device

Argent, within a bordure azure a blackbird sable.

Intended to be French, the given name is said to be a masculine name from the Old French Auberi or Alberi from the Old German Alberich "elf-counsel". Merle is documented from Reistap's Armorial General, vol.2 (Genealogy Publishing Co., 1965) p. 205 sub Merle, where it is shown to be the name of several armigerous French families. He accepts unspecified changes.

3) Eoin MacCainnigh (Aquaterra) new/Badge

(Fieldless) A stag's head caboshed per pale azure and Or.

His name was registered in April 1996.

4) Fearghus Sl·naigher (Wittanhaven) new/Name & Device

Azure, three macers argent.

Intended to be Irish Gaelic, the surname is said to mean Healer. The first name is shown from Patrick Woulfe's Sloinnte Gaedheal Is Gall (p. 184 sub Fearghus) where it is said to have been formerly a rather common name in Ireland and Scotland, and the name of ten saints in the Martyrology of Donegal. Malcolm MacLennan's A pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language (Aberdeen Univ. Press & Acair, no date) p. 303 sub sl·naighear, shows this word to be a masculine noun meaning a healer, a saviour. If changes are needed, he wants to keep the meaning.

5) Fearghus Sl·inaigher (Wittanhaven) new/Badge

(Fieldless) A macer argent.

His name is submitted above.

6) Maryn Grey, for Whytwoode Hall (Skogbryn) new/Household name

Her name was registered in June 1996. Whytwoode is shown from Reaney & Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed., sub Whitewood) where it mentions a Richard Whytwoode (dated 1532). She wishes to retain the general sound.

7) Maryn Grey (Skogbryn) new/Badge

(Fieldless) An apple tree argent within and conjoined to an annulet Or.

Her name was registered in June 1996.

8) Michael MacKenzie (Aquaterra) new/Name & Device

Or, a dragon's head couped on a chief vert a sword fesswise proper. (PROPOSED RE-BLAZON: Or, a dragon's head couped and on a chief embattled vert a sword reversed proper.)

The name is intended to be English/Anglicized Gaelic. Michael is cited from Withycombe (3rd ed., p. 218-9) sub Michael. MacKenzie is cited from Black (p. 525-6). He wishes to keep the general sound.

9) Nordholt, Canton of (Adiantum) new/Name & Device

Per fess indented azure and vert, a laurel wreath Or between three fir trees eradicated argent. (NOTE: the indented fess-line is heavily blacked in.)

The name is intended to be Old Norse for North Woods. Assistance is requested in documenting this place-name. A petition signed by 14 people is submitted for the name. A separate petition signed by the same 14 people is submitted for the device.

That's all for now.

Ciaran

An Tir College of Heralds - Internal Letter - February 1998