ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2022 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2022 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 23 Mar 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if the name would have been used by a woman living at the time of Edward I, and for suggestions on surnames that would be appropriate. Here is the information we have found. The first examples of the Welsh name that we found were in the late 16th and early 17th centuries [1]: Gwineth 1577 Gwenett 1629 Gwinne 1630 While it is possible that the names were used earlier than this, we have found no evidence that they were. If you want an earlier period persona, we recommend that you not use this name. We can suggest some alternatives that may interest you, all found in the 13th century [2]: Wentlian, Wentlyan, Wentliana, Wentlyana Wen, Gwen Enith You can find some other possibilities in an article on the web, which also describes how to form surnames for this period: "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html The most common type of surname for a Welsh lady in this period is a patronymic surname, e.g., one identifying her father. For example, Wentlian the daughter of Madok would have been known as . The article referenced above also has men's names from which you can choose a name for your father. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Arval Benicoeur, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 23Mar00 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985). p. 118 [2] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996) URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html