Unto the An Tir College of Heralds does Dame Zenobia Naphtali, Lions Blood Herald, send greetings!

Please Take Note of my Address Change, Above!

Lion's Blood Decision Meetings

Currently scheduled public decision meetings are:

August 10 1996: (Saturday) Noon, at Ducal War (Barony of Three Mountains/Portland OR area), at the covered shelter by merchant's row.

September 22 1996: (Sunday) 11:00 a.m. at my house in the Portland area, address above. Please contact me for directions.

October 13 1996: (Sunday) 12:00 p.m. at my house, above. (Note that this is the day after the Arts Gathering and Bardic Party event also here in Dragon's Mist. Crash space can be arranged for those wishing to attend both.)

Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings! If you wish to host a meeting at your home or at an indoor event, please contact me more than a month in advance (so notice can be put in the Internal Letter of Intent.)

Roster Changes and Impending Roster Changes

Lions Blood Successor Chosen: HL Ciaran CluanaFerta (currently Black Stag) will be stepping up as Lions Blood Herald at 12th Night. To ensure a smooth changeover, he should be sent all submission forms mailed after October 30. He will be doing the December Internal Letter. I will be ruling on all the internal letters through the November IL (which will be ruled on at the January 1997 meeting.)

North Regional Herald Open: Vladimir has, alas, been transferred out of town for months so this position is now open for applications. They should be sent to Black Lion. Come back as soon as you can, Vlad!

Black Stag Herald Open (Deputy for Heraldic Education): Ciaran is looking to turn this office over as soon as possible. Applications should be sent to him and Black Lion.

E-Mail and World Wide Web Information

Lady Katherine FitzAlan, Rivers Regional Herald and Roster Keeper for Black Lion, asks that anyone who would like their email address to be on the herald's roster contact her at Starguard@hubert.rain.com. She indicates that she will not put your email address on the roster unless you tell her explicitly that you want it there, so don't assume she "has it" because you have sent her email.

HL Etienne d'Avignon, Three Oaks Pursuivant for the Barony of Wealdsmere, is being kind enough to organize an effort to send out the Internal Letter of Intent via email (and perhaps, on the An Tir World Wide Web page). The effort will begin with this issue. THE PAPER COPIES ARE NOT GOING AWAY, and the email copy will not have any information that is different from the paper copy. Since email is effectively free, I strongly encourage people to consider getting the IL via email (and, once the system gets to be 'stable', de-subscribing from the paper copies) since this will keep submissions costs down and avoid future needs to raise submissions rates. No one will get dropped from the email mailing list due to non-commentary, either: there is no financial reason to require this, unlike with the paper copies. If you are interested in getting the email version, email Etienne at scoffman@on-ramp.ior.com.

Etienne's proposal for the email portion is: "Each months Internal Letter (electronic edition) would consist of a page or two of general Heraldic info, a few pages of info on old submissions, and listing and commentary on the new submissions in a general WP or text format, as well as a couple of .GIF or .JPG images containing scans of the devices themselves. Each months newsletter is generally less then 12 pages total. The files could be set up as just archived downloadables (.ZIP files probably), or actual Web pages with links to the text and images for each month." It has been suggested that the text and image portions be sent seperately since some individuals have indicated that they have the technology to get the text but not to process the pictures.

Mistress Elizabeth Braidwood has been kind enough to find a place on the An Tir World-Wide Web page for heraldry things. Currently there is a body of heraldic handouts (including "How to fill out the forms", "What is an S.C.A. Name", "What is an S.C.A. Device", "Questions about the Internal Letter of Intent", "Documentation Standards" (sources for which the An Tir College does not need photocopies), and "Heraldic Display." She's done a great job scanning, coloring in, etc. Thanks! Please feel encouraged to direct submitters to this area.

This portion of the Web Page is currently accessible via the area called "Library." When they get the "castle" architecture up, the information will be accessible via the "Library" and via the "Herald's Office."

Also, do remember that there is an An Tir herald's mailing list. To subscribe, send mail to majordomo@mail.orst.edu. As the single line of the body of the message say "subscribe antir-heralds". To mail to the list, send mail to antir-heralds@mail.orst.edu.

Old Submissions

Thanks to those who wrote letters of comment (boldface) on the May LoI, participated in commentary, or attended the July 14 meeting: David of Moffat (Electrum), Natasha Orionova Zateeva (Be Wayre), Kateryn of Falconkeep, Mary Lesslyn of Kailzie, Sorcha ni Fhaol·in, Maia of the Misty Oakes, Arianwen verch Kynwraidd ap Aeddan (Basilisk), Inguz Sigrun Miksdottir, Tanglwyst de Holloway, Katherine FitzAlan (Rivers), Darya Kazakova (Stromgard), Ailse an Creag Ealasaid, Deborah Unsiker, Ciaran CluanaFerta, Simon von der Eisenhandlung (Briaroak), Moreach nic Mhaolain, Antoinette Jarlshammer (Curragh Mor), Elisabeth de Rossignol, Erin, Frederick the Badger, Dianna of the Silver Shores (Aquaterra), Rosamund of the Misty Meadows, Christianna Rowena Yonge, Fionnghuala Friseil, and Drogo the Forgetful. Thanks to Drogo for hosting the meeting!

The Following submissions were forwarded to Laurel in the July 1996 Letter of Intent:

Alexander Stuart of Dunvegan (new/name, device) Per bend sinister purpure and vert a stag's head caboshed and a sheaf of arrows argent. One commenter noted that Dunvegan castle was a MacLeod holding, and wondered why a Stuart would be there. The feeling was that generally the town/community around a castle took the name of the castle; an Alexander Stuart could have lived around Dunvegan Castle æ or even at the Castle itself in a non-proprietary capacity.

Deborah Unsiker (new/name,device)Argent a bee within a bordure nebuly vert.Unsiker is in Reaney's DES under Unready on p.462, meaning "unsure", dated 1188. The submission was originally "Deborah the Undecided." Given previous precedent indicating that participle bynames are not period (Talan Gwynek, as Pelican, having changed the Browneyed to Browneye) this form does not seem registerable. She is aware of this, and indicates that she wants to preserve the meaning of the byname, which came from her "never being sure of what I wanted or thought, and my vague and forgetful ways..." This is the best we could come up with.

I did try to call her a couple of times but could not get through before my packing to move necessitated finishing the letter. She had indicated a willingness for a wide variety of names in order to secure her device and badge submissions, I hope this will be acceptable. Suggestions were also made for surnames meaning "the Bee" found in Reaney, such as "le Be" or "le Beo" (dated 1194 and 1243), since she was willing to consider canting surnames, but Unsiker seemed much closer to her desired main surname meaning.

A suggestion was made that the bee would be more identifiable as a bee if it were striped, or colored in bee proper (striped sable and Or with white wings.) Striping the abdomen of a bee is standard artistic license and could be done with this bee at any time (in a darker color of green, or as black details. As for confusion with a fly, strictly, flies only have two wings (hence their Order, which is "Diptera", two wings.) Heraldically, it's more or less "bugs is bugs" and generally the only reason you know whether the art is showing a bee, a fly, or a butterfly is because the family name cants or the blazon indicates the desired type of insect.

Deborah Unsiker (new/badge) A bee vert. A possible conflict was called against the badge of Glymm Mere. However, this badge is (Fieldless) A bee vair, not vert. There is one CD for the field (fieldless is a CD from any other field, including fieldless) and a CD for tincture of the bee (vair is a blue and white fur, kind of in a checky-like pattern; vert is green.)

Eleanor del Yete (new/device)Per bend sinister gules and auzre two gateways within an orle argent. The gateways appear to be a photoenlargement of the charge of that name in the Pictorial Dictionary. They are there stated to only be found in one registered armory, a Shire which seems (from the 1994 Armorial and Ordinary we had at the meeting) to no longer be registered.

The perspective of the "doors swinging outwards" leads me to believe this is not a period style charge. There were also comments received indicating that the charge looked like other charges (such as open books). However, we feel that since the gateway is a charge which has been previously registered in the S.C.A., and does not fall into any obvious classes of charges which are no longer allowed, this should be sent to Laurel for discussion.

Giovanni dell'Arco (new/name, device) Argent a bow reversed vert. The bow should be drawn more boldly, but the meeting felt it was identifiable as a bow. In matters of possible conflict with Brice Armbruster: Argent a crossbow vert, we count one CD for the visually (and tactically) significant type difference between a crossbow and a longbow, and another for orientation (the default crossbow has string to base, this bow is string to dexter.)

Note the blazon nuance: S.C.A. uses reversed for inanimate objects which face sinister and contourny for animate objects. (To sinister may be used with active postures: for example, a lion rampant to sinister, a snail contourny and a lymphad reversed.)

Giuliana Audaci (appeal L/device)Pily bendy wavy sable and argent. Her device was previously returned in November 1995 for visual conflict with Conrad Hebenstorm: Azure, issuant from sinister base four piles wavy in point argent. The herald raises the following main points in the appeal:

1) Laurel mentioned that the device would have passed the "big lug test" (a shorthand humorous expression used by Master Da'ud to indicate that "a big lug on the field" could tell the difference.) However, Da'ud thought the two armories were still too close visually to be considered out of conflict. The herald writing the appeal thought (a) the device had failed the "big lug test" and (b) that it was unfair for Laurel to have a designated "big lug."

Since there is really no formal "big lug" (and the armory would have passed the "big lug" test anyways), this is immaterial.

2) The herald thought that "There are no rules that specifically restrict two visually similar but clearly differenced (CD'd) devices from being registered." This is not so: Rule X.5 specifically indicates that two devices which look sufficiently similar may be returned for conflict on visual grounds alone.

3) The herald argues that since this device was previously returned for mundane conflict (as it was internally, for conflict with de la Warde: Barry wavy sable and argent, and Plater Bendy wavy of six sable and argent under the pre-Modest Proposal rules then pertaining), then Conrad Hebenstorm's device should have been returned for similar conflicts with blue and white field only armory -- therefore she should be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to conflict with him.

The College of Arms has never supported policies that indicate making mistakes just because earlier mistakes were made. There is such a thing as a "hardship case" but that is generally in the case of major procedural errors by Kingdom or Laurel. The submitter has had a number of resubmissions, but as far as we can tell they have all been correct by the rules pertaining at the time. We are sorry that she has had such bad luck but do not see that any procedural errors were made during the course of her submissions by Kingdom or Laurel.

The An Tir College does not support any of the issues raised on the appeal. However, the College does note that there may be some grounds to support the appeal, on the question of whether this, in fact, should be considered a visual conflict. The fact that Conrad's piles are "in point" should add notably to the visual difference implying that they are distinct piles (or a variant of gyronny) rather than a variant of pily. While standard (palewise) piles can be drawn "in point" by default, this precedent should not extend to piles in other directions. See Roger Pye's articles on the pile and evidence from Foster æ piles in point probably developed from pallets that were "scrunched " together in the bottom of the shield. There is no design reason or reason of historical development why piles inverted bendwise should be forced by the design to be "scrunched" into the dexter chief corner of the shield (there being no evidence that piles bendwise inverted were somehow derived from bendlets, etc.) If piles bendwise in point were considered a 'real' heraldic differece from piles bendwise, it would help make the distinction between pily and piles (in point) and detract from any possible visual conflict.

The An Tir College is divided as to whether this should be a visual conflict or not (lack of an actual emblazon hampers us from making a judgement.) In matters of visual conflict, there can be no "new evidence" presented on the appeal other than new eyes. We have suggested that the new eyes of the Laurel office (and, perhaps, whatever Kingdom has Conrad's file) evaluate this again.

One commenter noted that the tone of the appeal was hostile and it was unwise to anger the heralds who are supposed to support the submission. While I do try to be objective regardless of tone of appeal letter, this is overall good advice and should be heeded.

James the Dragonseeker (new/badge)[Fieldless] A dragon head gules issuing from the top of a tower sable masoned Or. The blazon parallels that of his father's (Torric inn Bj–rn's) registered badge, which has a brown bear's head instead of a red dragon's head. (For difference, we count one CD for field, another for type of secondary charge, and a third for tincture of secondary charge.) A similar count applies vs. Ofelia della Crusca's badge (on the March 1996 An Tir LoI) which has a white unicorn's head.

Rand Hawkyns (new/device)Per fess azure and chequy sable and Or in chief a chess rook argent. A question was raised about the original conflict (when the rook was argent) vs. Salamallah the Corpulent, wondering if blazoning the rook "overall" in Salamallah's device would clear it (instead of per pall... a chess rook, if it were per pall... overall a chess rook.) The term Overall is used for charges which lie directly on the field but which overlap an underlying charge. For example, the arms of the Midrealm include a white field, a red pale, and a green dragon passant overall. (Its head is on the field, tail on the field, midsection overlies the pale.) Since Salamallah's device has no charge other than the chess rook, there is nothing for the chess rook to be "overall" on top of (field divisions don't count, just actual charges).

Robert Bloodaxe (new/device)Quarterly sable and vert a mullet of eight points argent charged with two axes in saltire sable each distilling a goute gules. Vs. the device of Eoin MacLeod: Per fess gules and purpure on a mullet of eight points argent two drinking horns addorsed sable, there is one CD for the field and another for type and arrangement of the tertiary charges. (The same count applies to Eoin's badge, which is the same, but fieldless.)

Note that these do not seem to be "Saxon axes" as blazoned (they are certainly not the "seax" which is kind of like a Saxon scimitar or falchion with a notch out of the back. We have blazoned them as standard axes.

Vs. Ellen Winterbourne: Gyronny azure and vert on a mullet of eight points argent an eagle's head erased gules beaked sable, there is a CD for the tincture of the field and another for change of type, number (and over half type) of the charges on charges by X4j.

Shiack MacGeoch (new/name only) The name was originally Sitheag NicGeoch, Deasal. Here deasal is the word meaning 'sun-wise' (as opposed to 'widdershins.') It is a long-standing nickname: she understands that we cannot find justification for a rotational direction as a period style epithet, and has allowed it to be dropped. We have asked the College of Arms if they could find a sound-alike or look-alike epithet for her.

The other changes were to make the name all Gaelic or all English. The g in MacGeoch clearly comes from Mag in the original Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha, "son of Eochaidh." It would not likely be found in an anglicization of a nic form. We suggested either Sitheag nic Eochadha or MacGeoch with some anglicization of Sitheag. She likes the anglicization better, particularly as it has come home to her that Gaelic is hard for most people to pronounce. This particular anglicization is in Black dated 1650. While this is outside of the usual 1600-1625 "grey area", it seems very similar to the anglicizations which are period, and seems generally plausible to us as a spelling variant of the period anglicizations, especially given the likely Gaelic pronunciation.

It was also noted in the commentary that as a personal epithet, the "Deasal" or what have you should go before the patronym. Note that Gaelic "Deise" (occording to Dinneen's Irish Gaelic Dictionary) has the implications of "right-hand, right" and also of "dextrous, expert, proper, well-mannered, pretty, nice, southern." If this epithet has an English analog she might be interested in it (it would have to be English or Scots, rather than Gaelic, to go with the language of the rest of the name.)

A question was raised as to whether she was Irish or Scots, that the name should be consistent. Given information from Mistress Tangwystl's class at the Kingdom Symposium in April 1995, it seems that as far as Gaelic goes the Irish and the Scots languages were very similar throughout most of period and didn't really start to diverge much until after period. As for the English-variety names, there seems to have been enough cultural contact between Ireland, England and Scotland to justify using name portions from any two (or all three) of these places in the same name, provided that they follow the same sort of translation style (all "Gaelic" type or all "English" type, counting the Scots language as "English" type.)

Siward Kestle (resub. L/device)Or, a castle and in chief three mullets purpure.

Vladimir Dragonovich (new/name, device)Purpure a compass star Or on a chief dovetailed Argent, a roundel between an increscent and a decrescent sable. Vladimir is dated 1053 in Wickenden. Dragon is a male given name dated 1052 in the same source. This seems a standard patronymic construction meaning "Vladimir, the son of a guy whose name is Dragon."

Much discussion was had about this name. Apparently the infamous Vladimir Tepes, a.k.a. "Dracula," has a name with a similar meaning. Vampire buffs among us stated that "Dracula" is supposed to mean "son of the Dragon" and this just takes the name into Russian. (Yes, Dragonovich is more properly "son of a guy named Dragon" rather than "son of the Dragon." Of course the fact that the submitter himself thinks that Dragonovich means "son of the Dragon" did not help mollify the outraged parties.) So, some of the Vampire buffs immediately pegged this as "the guy is trying to be Dracula" and were offended by it. Other Vampire buffs didn't see it that way at all, even when the explanation was presented. The non-vampire buffs didn't have much in the way of strong opinions.

Since we are talking about Dracula here, this is not strictly a matter of conflict (in which case we could argue that Dragonovich is a non-sound-alike translation and therefore clear.) It can also be considered a matter of possible offense. We have solicited the opinions of the College of Arms.

A question was raised in commentary about whether the names are temporally incompatible, since the type of patronym construction is dated from Tsarist Muscovy, 200-300 years after the dates of the name elements in Wickenden. Please note that the S.C.A. generally considers names within 300 years of each other (and sometimes up to 400 years) to be temporally consistent. Please also note that there is good reason to believe that the spellings of these names may be the earliest dates of names which were used much later as well. Certainly Vladimir is used in that spelling to the present day. We are willing to give Dragon the benefit of the doubt.

On the device, the submitter provided a second set of forms with a standard Compass Star depiction (rather than a star with arms extending 'throughout' the shield) and more crescent-like crescents on the chief.

The following submissions were returned for further work:

Bergdis Thorgrimsdottir (new/device) Argent an oak tree fructed and eradicated proper on a chief azure three roundels argent. Returned for reasons of conflict with the registered S.C.A. device of Aethelgar Regenwealdsune: Argent a tree eradicated proper on a chief azure a seax reversed blade to chief argent. In order for two pieces of armory to be considered clear of conflict, it is necessary for them to have two Clear Differences which would each have been used to show a degree of relatedness in blood, or one large change that would never be used to show relatedness. The default (standard) tree in S.C.A. blazon is an oak-like (roundish) tree. So there is no difference between this tree and Aethelgar's in type. The addition of the small acorns (and similar fruits on any sort of fruit- or nut-bearing tree) is also not considered a heraldically significant detail, but is considered artist's license. (If the acorns were considered heraldically significant, they would have to follow the other rules for heraldically significant charges, such as having good contrast with the underlying colors. So they could not be (as in this tree) brown acorns on green; they would have to have some good-contrast color like Or or argent.

The only remaining difference in the armories is the change of the charges on the chief. He has one white seax; you have three white roundels. According to rule X4j changes to a group of charges on charges can be worth at most one Clear Difference. A second difference is needed.

Vs. Craig of the Glyn: Argent a tree couped and on a chief dov etailed azure three keys fesswise reversed argent, there are two CDs, one for change of type and number of charge on the chief by X4j, and one for change of tincture of the main charge (the tree) from azure (in Craig's case) to proper (in Bergdis'). However, there is no difference between embattling and dovetailing the chieves.

A suggestion was made to blazon the "roundels argent" as "plates." The blazon can go either way in the S.C.A., and it appears that blazoning the colors of roundels explicitly (instead of using heraldic shorthand names for the different colors of roundels) is probably more period. Only plates, bezants and torteaux seem to be used as "special roundel color names" in period with any frequency (well, fountains too...) and "bezant" is sometimes found in early blazon as a synonym for "roundel."

Karl von der Ostwache (new/badge) (Fieldless) Issuant from a wall couped sable a tower argent enflamed at the battlements gules. Returned for reasons of the particular artistic rendering, which made the charges difficult to identify.

The depiction of the wall is fine. Unfortunately, the tower is drawn much too tall and slender to be perceived as a tower. Between the depiction of the flame at the battlements, and the narrowness of the tower, most members of the An Tir College viewed it as either some sort of modified candle (perhaps with a crown around it on the top), or as a thick version of a cresset torch (which is a pole with a basket at the top which holds the flaming bits.) It was generally felt that the drawing made the tower difficult enough to identify that the badge would almost certainly be returned at the Laurel Sovereign of Arms level for redrawing. This would be improved by drawing the tower wider (and perhaps with masoning marks, since the wall has masoning marks -- usually if a piece of stonework in a device or badge uses masoning details for brickworks, all the brickwork charges on that armory are treated in this fashion). The resemblance to a candle would be further lessened by making the flame spread all the way across the battlements, with multiple tounges of flame (more like a real burning tower, and less like a candle wick.)

Comments were made on the masoning marks (whether they needed to be blazoned, etc.) Masoning is considered artistic license for charges which are made of stone or brickwork. (A lion argent masoned sable needs to be blazoned explicitly as masoned, but a castle does not.) In this case, the masoning is a true artistic detail, being done in 'dark black' markings on 'lighter black.'

Shiack MacGeoch (new/device) Vert on a yew tree eradicated argent a wolf's head couped gules. Returned for reasons of conflict with the arms of Cherie Ruadh MhicRath of Locksley: Vert on a tree eradicated argent a cat herissony gardant gules, Phillip MhicRath of Locksley: Vert on a tree eradicated argent a crescent gules, and Ioseph of Locksley, the Rhymer: Vert a tree eradicated argent. Vs. the entire Locksley clan, the An Tir College believes there can be no difference given between a yew tree and a (default) round-shaped tree. While a clearly 'pine-shaped' or 'fir-shaped' tree is generally given a difference in type from a round tree, yew trees take a variety of shapes, many of which are roundish and bushy. Heraldry does not distinguish down to specific species of tree; if a number of representative yew trees grow to be roundish, we consider that a valid depiction for a "yew tree."

In the armory of Cheri and Phillip, the submitter has changed the type of the charge on the tree (from a cat or crescent to a wolf's head.) For groups of charges on charges, you can only get a Clear Difference for changing type only of charge if the underlying charge is simple in outline (see RfS X4jii). A tree is considered too complex a charge for type only difference of tertiary to be worth a Clear Difference. So, this armory technically has no Clear Differences from these two Locksleys.

In the armory of Ioseph, there is one CD for adding the group of charges on charges (the wolf's head) but no additional difference.

We have also asked her to draw the charge more markedly like a wolf's head; some thought it more resembled a bear.

College of St. Giles (new/name, device) Azure on a cross argent between four laurel wreathes Or five martlets gules.) S.C.A. branches must provide petitions with evidence of support for name or device submissions. No such petition was provided (we did write and request one.) Note also that no changes to the name were allowed on the forms: the S.C.A. does not currently register contractions (like "St." for "Saint") and the name might well have had to be returned for that reason.

The Kingdom Seneschal noted that she received a request from this College to become a formal S.C.A. group just days before our heraldry meeting. It is generally highly reccommended that a group be approved as 'incipent' by the Kingdom before it submits its name and armory. The Kingdom Seneschal may approve, on a case by case basis, forwarding submissions for not-even-yet-incipient groups.

A possible conflict was raised with the name of the National/Royal Cathedral in Scotland which is St. Giles' Cathedral. No one was able to produce a Webster's Geographical Dictionary or similar source to show if St. Giles is a protected place (in re: the Cathedral.) However, looking at an Atlas of Europe there seem to be many places named St. Giles (of some sort or another, sometimes the Saint has an epithet) which suggests that a Saint's name place might fall under the permission for "generic" place names.

College of St. Giles (new/badge) (Fieldless) A monkfish naiant to sinister argent. Since an armorial submission may not be sent up without either an accompanying name, or a name preceding the armorial submission, we cannot forward the group's badge. Please note that we are willing to try for the "monkfish" blazon, but we would not be surprised if Laurel blazons this in a fashion more compatible with the standard blazons of merfolk, such as a mer-monk or a merman habited as a monk.

Given the fact that mer-creatures of various sorts were used in period art (this being a specific example of a period art usage), and the use of mer-humans in period heraldry, the use of a mer-monk (however blazoned) seems plausible as heraldic charge.

Uilleam Maccus Wiel (Called Will the Tailor) (new/name, device) Quarterly argent and gules a 'cross sarcelly' quarterly Or and sable fimbriated quarterly gules and Or. Both were returned for stylistic reasons. The name seemed to be two seperate names: Will the Tailor and Uilleam Maccus Wiel. The submitter asked to preserve the meaning of the name, but the exact meaning was not stated on the forms, and the two names have different meanings: one is obviously William the Tailor, and the other is William (from a place called ) Maxwell (originally meaning Maccus' Well.)

In addition the name Uilliam Maccus Wiel needs grammatical work. Names in period either used all Gaelic spellings, or all English/Scots type spellings.Uilleam is clearly a Gaelic spelling. Maccus Wiel is clearly an English/Scots spelling: neither Scots Gaelic nor Irish Gaelic have the 'w' character. The two spellings cannot be combined in one name. We do not know what the Gaelic form of Maccus Wiel/Maxwell would be. The names William Maccus Wiel, William Maxwell, or even Will Maxwell the Tailor would all appear to be registerable. So would the name Uilleam T·illei™ir (William the Tailor, in Gaelic.)

On the device, the variant of the cross cannot quite be blazoned. It is not what the S.C.A. terms a Canterbury Cross; in the Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry by Bruce Miller and Kevin Munday (a book showing the heraldic charges that have been registered in the S.C.A.), a canterbury cross is more like a cross formy quadrate with a kind of hot dog shape at the end of each arm. This is closest to a cross sarcelly but those seem to have been drawn in England with curly pointy ends rather than ball ends as here. In addition, the complex fimbriation is likely to lead to return. The fact that the very thin fimbriation is not a solid color, and is not clearly the counterchange of the existing colors in the device, is likely to be adjudged by the College of Arms as being unidentifiable and overcomplex design for period heraldry, and is likely to be returned. The device would be much clearer either without fimbriation (for example, Quarterly argent and gules a cross sarcelly quarterly sable and Or) or as a clear counterchange of the field (Quarterly argent and gules a cross sarcelly voided all counterchanged.)

Questions were raised as to whether the cross moline is too complex a charge to fimbriate. I recollected some period examples of such a charge fimbriated in Foster, although I did not have the opportunity to research them. In general, a charge may be fimbriated if it can be blazoned/drawn as "on a <charge> another", and this should be possible with a cross moline or sarcelly if drawn correctly in a period style, although probably not with this particular depiction.

New Submissions

The blazons noted herein are those of the submitter unless a reblazon is noted in {curly brackets.} Similarly, documentation will be a summary of that provided by the submitter unless noted in {curly brackets.} Please comment on blazon style and content, and add any documentation that seems necessary.

1) Adair MacTaggart (Glymm Mere) new/name only

(M) MacTaggart is a header spelling in Black p.465 for a family which originally meant 'son of the priest' (Gaelic Mac-an-t-sagairt.) A McTagart is dated in 1583 and a McKyntaggart is dated in 1527. The surname is mentioned as part of the Ross family in Bain's Clans and Tartans of Scotland and in Ronald Macdonald Douglas' The Scots Book. No documentation is provided for Adair. He will not accept any changes to the name.

2) Bran Olom (Aquaterra) resub. K/device

Gules a cheveron between three lions Or a cross patonce gules.

His name was registered in April 1995. {His most recent previous submission (Gules on a chevron between two lions combattant and a castle Or a cross patonce gules) was returned in May 1996 for conflict with the arms of Godelieve Davyson of Salisbury: Gules on a chevron between three torches Or a cross of Jerusalem gules. There was one CD for the change in type of charges on the field (torches to lions+castle) but nothing for change only of type of tertiary charge, since rule X4jii cannot apply when the secondary charges are not identical. He has changed the armory so that the secondary charges are now identical, and X4jii may now potentially apply. Commentary on whether X4jii can apply for cross type between a cross patonce and a Jerusalem cross would be appreciated.}

3) Cavern's Gate, Shire of (Cave Junction OR) new/name, device

Sable a gate Or between two flaunches Or each charged with a laurel wreath vert. {Blazon note, the stems of the laurel wreath as depicted here are brown.}

The name is said to be "English." There is a petition in support of the name signed by 10 persons in the Shire (offices unspecified) and a petition in support of the device signed by 9 persons in the Shire (offices also unspecified.) They will not accept any changes to the name.

4) Cavern's Gate, Shire of (Cave Junction OR) new/badge

Sable, a gate Or. {Potential reblazon: (Fieldless) A cave opening sable charged with a gate Or.}

{No written description of the black item underlying the gate was provided, but previous discussions with a Shire member lead me to believe it is a cave opening. At the time of the discussions I was not able to find documentary evidence for a 'cave opening' (or any such hole or burrow) as a heraldic charge. Can anyone there find anything?}

5) Donnabh·n ² SÈaghdha (River's Bend) new/name only

(M) The name is Irish. Donnabh·n is in O'Corrain and Maguire's Gaelic Personal Names p.77 under Donndub·n and is said to have been "borne by a number of ninth- and tenth-century princes." ² SÈaghdha is in MacLysgath's Surnames of Ireland p.269 as the Gaelic form of (O) Shea. It is said to be a clan which migrated from Kerry to Kilkenny in the 17th c., implying existence before that time. If changes are necessary he wishes to preserve the general sound.

6) Elsbeth MacTaggart (Glymm Mere) new/name only

(F) MacTaggart is a header spelling in Black p.465 for a family which originally meant 'son of the priest' (Gaelic Mac-an-t-sagairt.) A McTagart is dated in 1583 and a McKyntaggart is dated in 1527. The surname is mentioned as part of the Ross family in Bain's Clans and Tartans of Scotland and in Ronald Macdonald Douglas' The Scots Book. No documentation is provided for Elsbeth. She will not accept any changes to the name.

7) James Guntherson (Aquaterra) new/name, device

Sable, on a pile Or a boar's head erased sable.

(M) James is in Withycombe's Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names where it is dated in this spelling from 1148 on throughout the end of period. Hanks and Hodges' A Dictionary of First Names agrees with Withycombe. Gunther is a surname spelling derived from the English given name Gunter in Withycombe as well. Hanks and Hodges' Dictionary of First Names gives G¸nther as a germanic variant of the same name, with Gunther also found as a spelling. Hanks and Hodges' Dictionary of Surnames also gives Gunther as an English surname form of the name. If changes are required he wishes to preserve the meaning, which is an English version of "James, son of Gunther." (His mundane father has a registered name of Gunther the Boastful, registered November '95.)

8) Lionsdale, Canton of (Chilliwack, BC) new/name, device

On a field Or, a lions face Or on a cross patÈe quadratÈ sable, all within a laurel wreath vert.

The name is said to be English for "valley/dale of the Lion." They will accept changes to preserve the sound of the name.

The submission is accompanied by a petition in support of the name signed by 28 people (including the Chatelaine, Chief Archer, Arts and Sciences, Chronicler, Mistress of Lists, Chirurgeon, Exchequer, Master of Stables, Constable, Gold Key and seneschal. The device is supperted by a petition with 27 signatures including the officers mentioned above.

9) Oriana of Myrtlewood (Dragon's Mist) new/device

Purpure, on a pile argent a rabbit rampant contourny sable.

Her name was registered in April 1995. We will ask the West Kingdom for her file. (Hurrah for the West Kingdom, the only one that has so far actually sent me a requested submitter file during my tenure as Lions Blood!)

10) Ragnar Grimson (Three Mountains) new/badge

(Fieldless) A raven close maintaining an axe sable standing upon a roundel. {Proposed reblazon: (Fieldless) a raven maintaining an axe sable hafted statant atop a roundel argent.}

His name was registered in May 1991. We will ask the West Kingdom for a copy of his file.

11) Vulcanfeldt, Shire of (Selah, WA) new/ch. device

Argent an apple gules within a laurel wreath vert a chief wavy azure.

Their name was registered in June 1982.

{The petition of support has been signed by five officers: the Seneschal, Constable, Master of Stables, Exchequer, and Chronicler/Chirurgeon. Their Seneschal has sent a letter indicating that this is a good representation of the offices at the time of the petition (3/4 of the tenanted offices) but that the populace at large was not strictly sought out to sign the petition.}

12) Wyll Hauk (Aquaterra) resub. L/device

Argent, within two wings conjoined in lure a hawk's head erased a bordure gules charged with three pheons argent.

His name was registered in October 1995. His previous device (Argent, within a vol an eagle's head erased gules) was returned for visual conflict with John Milton: Argent, a double-headed eable displayed gules, and Brandenburg: Argent, an eagle displayed gules crowned Or. It was felt that "the overwhelming visual similarities (here, that of an eagle with the tail and legs missing, as well as a little bit of the neck), especially against Brandenburg (which is usually drawn in a German style, closer to the charges here than the usual English style), are simply too much to allow registration."

13) Yolande Chastellain (Lions Gate) resub. K/device

Azure a shakefork argent between three crosses bottony or within an orle or.

Her name is pending registration on the March 1996 LoI. Her previous device has fleurs-de-lys instead of crosses bottony and was returned for violating S.C.A. restrictions on the use of multiple Or fleurs-de-lys on azure, which is found in a number of cases mundanely indicating strong connection to the French Royal Family. She has substituted crosses bottony.

In service to An Tir,

Zenobia Lions Blood