ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1740 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1740 ************************************ 28 Jun 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether or "David the Large" is an appropriate name for a 13th or early 14th century Welshman who had an English father. Here is what we have found. is a mis-spelling of , the modern Welsh form of . In Welsh, a single is pronounced \v\ while is pronounced \f\. A single is pronounced \d\, while
is pronounced like the in . Thus, the modern Welsh name is pronounced \DAH-vith\ with the as in . This pronunciation is correct for your period as well, but the name was spelling at that time [1]. was a common name among the Normans and was adopted by the Welsh in your period. Among the Normans and English, the most common form in your period was ; was a later development [5]. Latin records from 13th century Wales include the name as , , and (in various grammatical forms), and we have found what appears to be a Welsh adaptation in the same period [2, 3, 4]. Welsh/English intermarriage was not at all uncommon in your period, especially in areas of heavy English settlement, such as in the south and around towns. or are entirely appropriate names for a man in these communities. "tall" is a fine Welsh descriptive surname. We have found examples in 13th century Wales, so would be an excellent choice, too [1]. In fact, the same man might well have been known as in some circumstances and in others. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Tangywstyl verch Morgant Glasvryn and Roxanne Joslin. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 18 Jun 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html [2] Hopkins, Anthony, "The Lay Subsidy of 1292: Monmouth and the Three Castles" in _Studia_Celtica_ 30: 189-196, 1996. [3] Ellis, T.P., _The First Extent of Bromfield and Yale A.D. 1315_, Cymmrodorion Record Series No. 11 (London: The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1924). [4] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "Names and Naming Practices in the Merioneth Lay Subsidy Roll 1292-3", in Known World Heraldic Symposium Proceedings, 1991 (SCA: Laurel, Maryland, 1991). [5] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Peter.