ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2373 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2373 ************************************ 9 Nov 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Englishwoman living between 1350 and 1500. You also asked us to evaluate your heraldic design and expressed some interested in a German name. Here is what we have found. We have found English examples of and from the 13th century through the end of our period. The usual English spellings of in your period were or . may have been used occasionally, but probably represents the pronunciation better [1, 6, 12]. In Germany, was generally a Jewish name; it was common among Jews from the 11th century [14]. We have found one 12th century example that might be a Christian woman and it became somewhat more common among Christians in the 16th century [2, 3]. The name or was used occasionally in medieval Germany, at least by foreign nobility -- it was the name of the Sicilian wife of the 12th century Emperor Heinrich IV and of the Aragonese first wife of the 12th/13th century Emperor Friedrich II -- but it didn't become common until the 18th century [3, 10]. Either name is plausible, but neither is a very good choice for re-creating German naming of your period. Middle names (or double given names) were essentially unknown in England until after our period [4]. They appeared in Germany somewhat earlier: By the end of your period, they probably weren't unfamiliar; but they were still uncommon and tended to combine common names. However, most people still had only one given name [5]. is a fine English surname. We found a also known as in 1290, and later-period examples of the surname c.1480, c.1520, 1599, 1578 [6, 13]. If you'd like a German name, then you might want to use the German translation of , which is . That was a fairly common surname, usually derived from a house-name. In Germany, houses were often identified by a particular decorative element; a house with a painting of a deer above the door might be called . We found a 1304 "Jacob called at the Hart" [7], 1300. However, was also used as a simple nickname, e.g. and 1295, 1295, and the feminine c.1300 [8]. To summarize, and are fine 14th or 15th century English names. If you decide you want a German name, then "Sara at the Hart" or "Sara the Hind" are plausible choices for the 14th century, though they are much more likely for a Jewish woman than a Christian. is plausible, though the given name was unusual. A middle name is possible for late 15th century Germany, but we don't recommend it as the best re-creation, particularly with these two unusual given names. The arms you described can be blazoned "Per bend argent and azure, a rose and a hind lodged proper." Using a hind to match your surname or is an excellent choice. The practice of matching arms to a name this way is called "canting", and it was very common throughout Europe in your period. We've found some cases in which a stag was used to cant on the name [13]. The hind wasn't a common charge in medieval heraldry - - -- stags were much more common -- but it did occur in both English and German heraldry [9]. The posture "lodged" appears in English heraldry by the late 15th century [11]. The rose is also a fine charge, common in heraldry through much of Europe. We're assuming you mean the heraldic rose, a picture of which you can find on the web: http://heraldica.org/topics/glossary/pics/365.jpg Unfortunately, your design as a whole is not appropriate to either England or Germany in your period, and it could not be registered with the SCA College of Arms. The main problem is the hind proper on a blue field: It was quite rare to place a dark-colored charge on a dark background. In heraldic parlance, this is called "color-on-color". The SCA College of Arms will generally not register arms that have a charge lying color-on-color. Dividing the field diagonally and charging the two halves with different objects was also rather unusual, even though it is an excessively common motif in Society heraldry. It was more common in German heraldry to charge both halves of the field with the same charge, or to charge just one half [15]. Thus, two German alternatives to your design are: Per bend argent and azure, two hinds lodged counterchanged. The hind on the white field is blue and vice versa. Per bend argent and azure, in chief a hind lodged azure. Neither of these designs is typical of English heraldry, however. If you want arms suitable for England in your period, you might consider: Azure, three hinds lodged argent. Argent, a hind lodged and in chief three roses gules. As far as we can tell, you can register any of these designs with the SCA College of Arms. 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 Modar Neznanich, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Elsbeth Anne Roth, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 9 Nov 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/ [2] Socin, Adolf, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch. Nach oberrheinischen Quellen des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts_ (Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1903; Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966). On p.93, he has 1184, the sister of a Cono von Marly. On pp.562-3 he has 1382 'Sara the big Jewess the (female) retailer' (apparently on the occasion of being granted citizenship in Basel) and a Jewish 1362 in Basel. (Symbols in square brackets appear directly over the preceding letter in the original.) [3] Drosdowski, Guenther, _Duden Lexikon der Vornamen_, 2nd ed. (Mannheim: Dudenverlag, 1974), s.nn. Sara, Konstanze. [4] We have found only one example of an English woman's middle name before 1600, , who married in 1571. We have a handful of masculine examples. Ewen, C. L'Estrange, _A History of Surnames of the British Isles_ (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 1931; Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1968), p.217. [5] Socin, chapter IV. He cites an early example of a feminine compound given name, , probably 13th century. [6] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Hart for examples of the surname. For , see s.nn. Baptist, Lyde, and Yarrow: 1551, 1591, 1573. [7] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960), s.n. Hirsch. [8] Socin, pp.378, 420. [9] Chesshyre, Hubert & Woodcock, Thomas, _Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary_, vol. I (London: The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1992). It has the English arms of John Badsull, 'Gules, a hind passant argent', from a CoA MS. of c.1520 and the arms of the German Count of Tierstein, 'Or, a hind gules', from Walford's Roll c.1275. [10] Bahlow, Hans, _Unsere Vornamen im Wandel der Jahrhunderte_, Vol. 4 in the series _Grundriss der Genealogie_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag, 1965), s.n. Constanze. [11] Chesshyre, Hubert & Woodcock, Thomas, _Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary_, vol. I (London: The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1992). On p.201: Downes, 'Azure, a stag lodged argent', Coll. Arms MS. L10 (ca.1520); a 1506 seal 'a stag lodged' for Strachan; John Trederffe, 'Or, a hart lodged azure', Randle Holme's Book (15th c.); and 'Sable, a hart lodged argent' for Downes of 'Shrigley' and Downys de Chest., from Ballard's Book (1465-90) and Coll. Arms MS. L10, resp. On p.291: Appulby, 'Azure, three stags lodged or', Peter Le Neve's Book (1480-1500). [12] Bardsley, Charles Wareing, _Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature_ (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1970). 1593, 1595. [13] Chesshyre and Woodcook, I:268 arms of William Hart in the Letter H Roll (c.1520) and to Harte in Arm. MS L2 (ca.1520); a minor variant is attributed to Syr percevall Hert in Writhe's Book I (ca.1480); yet another is attributed to Hart in Thomas Wriothesley's Roll of Patents (temp. Henry VIII). [14] Salfeld, Siegmund, _Das Martyrologium des Nu:rnberger Memorbuches_, Quellen zur Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, vol. 3 (Berlin: Verlag von Leonhard Simion, 1898). [15] We did find one analogous design in very late-period Germany, Abbey of Petershausen "Per bend azure and argent, a key bendwise wards to chief and a fish hauriant bendwise counterchanged." Siebmacher, Johann, _Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605_, 2 vols., ed. Horst Appuhn (Dortmund: Harenberg, 1988, 1989). However, this is an unusual coat, not typical of the heraldry of either Germany or England in your period. We noted several examples of "Per bend" fields with a pair of identical charges counterchanged, some with just one part charged, and some with a charge counterchanged across the line of division.