ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2442 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2442 ************************************ 21 Jan 2002 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a late 16th century Elizabethan military company, and whether such a company might have used the badge "Per pale Or and sable, on a pile argent a rose sable barbed and seeded gules". Here is what we have found. We haven't found a great deal of information about military companies in your period. What we have found suggests that the name "Company of the Black Wing" is not appropriate. The only permanent military units in England in your period were the Trained Bands, which existed from 1572 to 1647. They seem to be exactly the sort of company you want to re-create. Unfortunately, their names were fairly rudimentary: The London Bands were known by the colors of their livery, e.g. [1]. We haven't found an example of a name identifying the bands outside London, but a correspondant suggested they were known simply as . We found no evidence that these companies used heraldic insignia or uniforms; they may have identified themselves just by a livery color. Companies with somewhat more elaborate names appeared in London after 1611; these were "voluntary associations of gentlemen enthusiasts who read and wrote military texts and met to discuss new ideas as they practiced drill in various 'yards' throughout the city". Some of these companies were called the , the , and the , after the places in London where they met [1]. More information on the Trained Bands can be found at: http://www.routiers.org/bands2.htm http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/8901/military.html Related information on English armies of this period can be found at: http://senior.keble.ox.ac.uk/fellows/extrapages/iarcher/levies.htm Other military companies were raised as needed and were typically identified by their commander's name. Some 16th and 17th century units of this type were the (1573), (1640s), (1645) and (1645) [2]. In addition to the sources we've cited, you may want to consult these works: Harold L. Peterson, Arms and Armor in Colonial America 1526-1783 (Bramhall House, 1956). John William Fortesque, A History of the British Army (London: Macmillan & Co.; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1899). Francis Grose, Military Antiquities: Respecting a History of the English Army, From the Conquest to the Present Time (London: T. Egerton, 1801). Badges in your period were basically simple charges, generally fieldless, like the Tudor rose or the Stafford knot. There's a good article about period badges available on the web: What is an S.C.A Heraldic Badge? http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/whatis/badge.html On the other hand, some organized groups such as guilds bore arms, and these designs were more complex. A collection of guild arms, some of which date from your period, is available on the web at: http://www.heraldicmedia.com/site/info/livery/ Unfortunately, we don't know enough about Trained Bands to tell you definitely which type of insignia, if any, they used. As we noted earlier, we have found no example of any kind of armory belonging to a militia group from your period. If you'd like us to evaluate your design as a re-creation of arms for a period guild or in some other context, please write us again. 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 Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Maridonna Benvenuti, Christian de Holacombe, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Julie Stampnitzky, and Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 21 Jan 2002 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Davi Green, The London Trained Bands: 1572-1647 (WWW: The Pike & Musket Society, accessed 14 Jan 2002). http://www.routiers.org/bands1.htm [2] Information from Mr. Walter Bradford, curator of the Museum Division of the Center for Military History, US Army. He cited the unit names from Cecil C. P. Lawson, _History of Uniform of the British Army_ (London, P. Davies, 1940-), vol.1.