Minutes of the July, 2025 Heralds Meeting

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MINUTES OF THE HERALDS MEETING – July 13, 2025
(11:04 AM to 1:52 PM)

ATTENDEES:

Domamir Vlatko syn, Vesper; Edith of Swanesdale, Matins; Hirsch von Henford, Golem; Anne fitzRichard, Stellanordica; Eilis O'Boirne, Baldric; Elewys Gwynne verch Llewelyn Dedewyth ap Gwenhwyfar Llwyd, Deputy Seawolf; Aasa Thorvaldsdottir, Green Banner; Ræv Kolfinnsson, Leveret; Astrith of Swansvale, HE; Kean de Lacy, HE; Moira of Kent, Princess of the Mists; Angus Duncan Cameron, PEaL; Keziah Godard; Lyneya of the Burnt Wood.

COLLEGE OF HERALDS MEETINGS

The July meeting was held via online conference, future meetings will be held via online conference until Vesper announces otherwise.

Note that West Kingdom Heralds Meetings can be found on the West Kingdom Calendar under the All Activities option [https://westkingdom.org/all-activities-calendar/].

Herald’s Meetings for 2025: September 21, and November 16.
Herald's Meetings for 2026: January 4 ((in-person only at the West Twelfth Night event)) 10 am (vs the normal 11), March 15, May 17, July 12, September 13, November 22.
Meetings usually begin at 11:00 AM and will be held via online/remote teleconference until further notice.

The DEADLINES for submission forms and documentation are: 2025 Deadlines: September 10, and November 5.
The 2026 DEADLINES for submissions forms and documentation are: December 17, 2025 and in 2026 March 4, May 5, July 1, September 2, and October 28.

Submission forms must be complete and received either via EMAIL or hardcopy by the deadline date at midnight to be considered at the next meeting (which is about 11 days later, except December due to holidays and the roadshow meeting prep time needed). If the forms are EMAILED, then payment must arrive by the meeting day. WALK-IN submissions will not be accepted while meetings are held via remote conference.


REPORTS

Vesper (Damir): At June Crown Kean de Lacy was confirmed as Herald Extraordinary. An order has been placed for more wax for sealing scrolls. Shout out to Elewys who was the loudest herald at West An-Tir War. There are several office change-overs, see the other reports.


Seawolf (Moss), Deputy (Elewys): Their Highnesses held several courts and they were all reported.


Sable Swan (Teagan): Since the last meeting, Sable Swan coordinated and managed herald duties for Cynagua May Coronet. Then coordinated Cynagua Court business at West June Crown.

Prior to this meeting, Teagan stepped up as Sable Swan Herald at Cynagua Summer Investiture, taking over the office from Victoria. Teagan organized and arranged the Investiture Court, and First Court of Raven and Brenna. She will be submitting her warrant within the week.


Stellanordica (Anne): Thank you to Vesper for bringing up wax and to Green Crown for allowing her to herald finals. Their Highnesses have held a few courts and are expected to have more in the next month.


Exchequer (Moira), Interim (Caoilinn): Working on the final steps to be able to accept PayPal e-pay for submissions. Also there will be signers changed on the bank account, which is taking some bureaucratic steps.


Matins (Edith): A reminder to submitters and consulting heralds that all submissions must be sent on the latest forms, please reference the West Kingdom Heralds website for the forms and other requirements of submission. Incorrect or incomplete forms are reason for administrative return of submissions. Also, all submission fees must be received prior to the date of the meeting or the submissions will not be reviewed. Matins office continues to roll forward, with submissions moving through the process.


Baldric (Eilis): Nothing to report. Discussion around possible upcoming trainings / information sessions. Specifically about an Ask-A-Herald / Consultation Table at Collegium in October.


Brachet (vacant), Leveret (Ræv).


Green Cloak (Alizan): This office is planned to pass to Victoria at Purgatory.


Green Crown (Moira), Interim (Gillian): No report received.


Green Trumpet (Gwenhwyfaer): No report received.


Green Banner (Aasa): The Consultation Table at Beltane and June Crown was well attended. Several consultations were completed at the events and more started with online followup.

Aasa plans to have the Consultation Table at Purgatorio and Fall Crown and she would be happy to have any heralds with her who are interested in learning about consultation.

Green Banner continues to consult online via email, FB, FB Messenger, and Discord in the West Kingdom server and private messages.

Aasa would like to commend Elewys for her consultation efforts on the Kingdom discord server, both for her increasing ability to handle names and armory herself and for her recognizing when she needs assistance from a more experienced herald. Eneco is also coming along nicely and has expressed interest in learning more about how to consult. Ræv and Kean continue to provide valuable online consultation,which is always appreciated.

Additionally, Aasa has been very pleased by the College's efforts and success in making Heralds Point a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. Thank you all.


Golem (Hirsch): Court Reports come in mostly pretty timely, and the royalty have generally been pretty quick about confirming things. That’s always nice. The extra details that come in for people not in the awards list already is greatly appreciated. (Modern Names, and so on …)

The awards list data got a revisit just to organize some things better. The issue was that over the years, awards have been added both in Kingdom (Principality and Barony mostly) that were not really “ranked” appropriately, and it made it harder to find where to put an award from out of Kingdom when folk move to the West (this was all Hirsch, thinking he had things in the right place, but finding he didn’t). Golem has things better organized now, most of the service awards are grouped together at appropriate levels, the A&S awards, combat awards, and so on. It is something most people won’t notice, but it will make things easier for both me and whomever follows him somewhere down the road.

Hirsch got in a last-minute (before Cynagua Investiture) ceremony change (Knight Counselor/Defense Counselor/Mark Counselor for the guard changed to simply “Martial Counselor”).

Otherwise, things are moving along, not much else to report.


ANNOUNCEMENTS / Other Business

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Facebook Page: The West Kingdom Heralds' have their own page on Facebook, announcements, help with consultation, and more are often done there:

      https://www.facebook.com/groups/302970543102065/

The West Kingdom web team have added a Discord channel for heraldry, which is used for consultation, look for the #heraldry group.:

      https://discord.gg/DF2uNqw7uA

MAILING LIST: The Yahoo hosted mailing lists have been closed by the folk at Yahoo. At this time, we no longer have a means of communicating with the College of Heralds except the Facebook Page noted above, or via email. To make it possible to post announcements from senior staff heralds, there is a new Announcements page (link removed, as this page was not used and removed from the site).

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: Many interesting heraldic links can be found through the SCA Heraldry web page at https://www.sca.org/heraldry, including the Laurel home page, the on-line Armorial and Ordinary (with search capabilities) and The Academy of St. Gabriel (an onomastic and heraldic consultation service). The West Kingdom Heraldry site and the West Kingdom Awards List can be accessed through the West Kingdom site, https://www.westkingdom.org. Heraldic queries may also be addressed to Vesper at herald@westkingdom.org -- answers may take a few days.

Also see above for the Kingdom Heralds' Facebook page and Discord channel.

BRACHET MEETINGS

Contact brachet@heralds.westkingdom.org for external commenting participation.


FROM THE LOARS

The cover letters, acceptances and returns for the past can be found at https://heraldry.sca.org/loar/. If you are interested in responding to some of the calls for commentary put out by the Laurel Sovereign of Arms, please be sure to visit the site.

April, 2025 LoAR (printed May 30, 2025) (West - January, 2025 LoI)

Cover Letter

Cover Letter

West Acceptances - April LoAR

Acceptances

West Returns - April LoAR

None!

May, 2025 LoAR (printed June 29, 2025) (West - No LoI)

Cover Letter

Cover Letter

West Acceptances - May LoAR

Acceptances

West Returns - May LoAR

Returns


In Service,
Edith of Swanesdale, HE,
Matins Herald


SUBMISSONS – July (2025)

ITEMS SENT TO LAUREL

Adriann Þunnkárr (NEW Device sent to Laurel)

Or, a lion gules between three roses gules barbed sable seeded Or, a double tressure sable.



Anastasia of the Burnt Wood (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter cares about the gender of the name (female) and marked no other boxes.

Anastasia - from “Feet of Fines for Essex Volume II (A.D. 1272 - A.D. 1326)” - Anastasia is listed on p.53, 55, 240 and in the Index [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/research/feet-of-fines#] [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/library/files/F1200000.pdf].

of the Burnt Wood - from “Feet of Fines for Essex Volume I1 (A.D. 1182 - A.D. 1272)” - Burnt Wood is listed on p.94 [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/research/feet-of-fines#] [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/library/files/F1100000.pdf].

The English name formation <given + locative byname> is found in SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Per pall inverted azure, purpure, and argent, three butterflies argent and a pine tree sable.


Aurélie l’archère (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter previously used the unregistered <Arielle of Winters Gate>.

The submitter cares about the sound (none noted) and the gender (female) of the name.

Aurélie - from [Withycombe], p. 17, under the header <Aurelia>: Aurelie Bouget, baptized January 1,, 1581 in Côtes-du-Nord, France, mother Marriette Boufiz. FamilySearch [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FS1-9P7B?lang=en].

And from Family Search: Aurelie Gandonin baptized November 8, 1602 in Dreux, Eure-et-Loir, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Parents Richard Gandonin and Jacquette Jacque [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6S7F-8Z2M?lang=en].

l’archère - [Cotgrave] archer = archer. In modern French, the feminine form of a masculine noun ending in <-er> is usually formed by changing the ending to <-ère> [https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/french/french-i/french-i-nouns/the-gender-of-nouns].

The French name formation <given + occupational byname> is acceptable per SENA Appendix A with the note that the byname “may use article le, la, l', les or un/une or omit it”.

Device:
Per chevron ployé azure and vert, two bows in chevron inverted drawn with strings outward and arrows nocked and a bell flower plant of three blossoms Or.


Benjamin Ze'ev ben Yitzhak (NEW Device sent to Laurel)

Gules, a wolf rampant contourny between three roses, a double tressure Or.



Christopher McEntee (New Name sent to Laurel, Device Returned)

The submitter previously used the unregistered <Chris of Pavlok Gorod>.

The submitter cares about the sound (none noted) and gender (male) of the name.

Christopher - from [Withycombe] pp 65-66 many citations available, English citations as early as 1201, although listed as uncommon before the 15th Century.

McEntee - from Irish 13th Century Gaelic origins, stemming from the Scottish "Mac an tSaoi", meaning "son of the sage" or "son of the scholar". The prefix "Mc" indicates "son of", and "Saoi" refers to a wise or learned individual. Therefore, McEntee literally translates to "son of the wise one:. Listed in "A Guide to Irish Surnames" by Edward MacLysaght. Except this source has <Mac>, not <Mc>. The spelling is undated [page 100 in the 6th edition].

[Woulfe] on p. 62 has <MacEntee>, etc. under the header <Mac an tSaoi>. The copy of Woulfe reviewed doesn't have italicized font, so the West could not determine whether this falls in the Elizabth I, James I period.

In "Names and Naming Practices in the Fitzwilliam Accounts from 16th Century Ireland" by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn (Heather Rose Jones) at [https://heraldry.sca.org/names/lateirish/fitzwilliam.html], the use of both <Mac-> and <Mc-> are documented for the 16th century.

The English language name formation <given + patronymic byname> is acceptable per SENA, Appendix A, and the combination of English and Anglicized Irish and Gaelic is acceptable per SENA, Appendices A & C.


Ellisif í Reykiarvik (Resub to Laurel Device)

Per bend sinister azure and purpure, a bend sinister invected argent.

Original submission was returned on the June 2019 LoAR. The current rules for conflict allow for an SD for the change in field from the previous conflict. SENA.A5.F.1 “Substantial Change of Partition. A new submission is clear of any other piece of protected armory when it substantially changes the partitioning of the field.” With this change, the cited conflict is no longer a conflict and the submitter is resubmitting the same device.

The comments from the Return:

Ellisif í Reykiarvik. Device. Per bend sinister azure and purpure, a bend sinister invected argent.

This device must be returned for conflict with the badge of the Canton of Elvegast, Gules, a bend sinister of five lozenges conjoined argent. There is a single DC, for the field. Bruce Batonvert provided documentation from the DBA that demonstrated that engrailed, indented, and invected lines of division were used interchangeably by period heralds. A similar precedent was made in the February 2011 return of the device of Caleb Hoggar, which held that "a bend engrailed and a bend lozengy are interchangeable in period." This stance was upheld as recently as September 2016 with the return of Clydwyn Gwehydd's device. We reluctantly extend the equivalence of indented and engrailed lines of division to include invected.


Ezekiel Musard (New Name sent to Laurel)

The submitter cares about the meaning (byname meaning “confused”) and the gender (male) of the name.

Ezekiel - FamilySearch has many records from the late 1500s on. Ezekial Bradford died 1577 in Crediton, Devon, England. No batch number and image of record not viewable. [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6T66-SPZW?lang=en]

Ezekiel Bond was buried on November 23, 1616 at Barlavington, Sussex, England. The record is viewable and legible at [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J8QX-1XN?lang=en].

Ezekiel Fawsett was married to An Chapman on August 6, 1629 in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. The batch number for the record is M16252-1, which is a generally acceptable batch [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NXQF-355?lang=en].

Musard - from “Middle English Nicknames in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire” by Ingrid Hjerstedt, p. 146 SN Musard, William Musard 1335

The English name formation <given + byname> is acceptable per SENA Appendix A.


Griffin Grimwood (New Name sent to Laurel)

The submitter cares about the sound and spelling (none noted) and the gender (male) of the name.

Griffin - from “Monumental Brass Enscriptions - Male Given Names” 1 Griffin - 1583 bk [https://heraldry.sca.org/names/brasses/men.html].

Grimwood - from Family Search: Willm. Grimwood married 21 Oct 1596 in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England, Batch M06318-2 [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NL9S-J3V?lang=en].

The English name formation <given + byname> is acceptable per SENA Appendix A.


Guillamette Beauvais (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter will accept the following changes: place name indicator (e.g. Guillemette de Beauvais) and further cares about the gender (female) of the name.

Guillemette - from [DMNES] female, middle French, 1585; page 19 of Registre des Baptesmes, Mariages, & Morts, et Jeusnes, De Leglise Wallonne et des Isles de Jersey, Guernsey, Serq, Origny... [https://dmnes.org/cite/Guillemette/1585/WCS].

Beauvais - from "Some Names from Picardy in the 14th Century" by Brunissende Dragonette at [https://heraldry.sca.org/names/ArmorialClermont.pdf]. The full title of the article is "Personal names found in the Armorial du dénombrement de la Comté de Clermont en Beauvaisis 1373-1376: some names from Picardy in the 14th century".

See also "DRAFT: Names in the 1292 census of Paris" by Sara L. Uckelman at [https://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/1292paris.pdf], p. 58, where <Beauvais> is mentioned as a possible source for the locatives <de Biauvez>, <de Beauvez>, <de Biau-Veoir>, and <de Beauves>.

The French name formation is acceptable per SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Per fess purpure and gules, a fess flory Or between a rose and a crux ansata argent.


Hannah Storyteller (Heraldic Will sent to Laurel)

Submission of a heraldic will.


Isbell Ruyerfurde (New Name sent to Laurel)

The submitter will accept the following changes: “first name alternates: Isabelle, Isabella; last name alternate: Ruyerfurd” and further cares about the gender (female) of the name.

Isbell - from [DMNES] feminine, c1550, Scotland; page XXV of Corte Monialum de Northberwic: Isbell [https://dmnes.org/cite/Isbell/c1550/CartNBer].

Ruyerfurde - from Articles by Mari ingen Briain meic Donnchada from the listed website: 1502, Scotland; from “Early 16th Century Scotttish Lowland Names, Surnames - Alphabetical” draft edition. The Aberdeen Council Register: Ruyerfurde, 2 instances [https://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/surnamesalpha.shtml].

The Scots name formation <given +surname> is acceptable per SENA Appendix A.


Kean de Lacy (New Heraldic Title sent to Laurel)

Heraldic Title: Argent Fox Herald

Argent - Middle English "silver", MED s.v. argǧent n. & adj. [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED2198].

It is dated in a heraldic context to approx 1500 in section b of the quotations.

Fox - Middle Englsih "fox", MED s.v. fox n. [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED17500].

Herald - Middle English designator for the rank of Herald in "Heraldic Titles from the Middle Ages and Renaissance" by Juliana de Luna (Julia Smith), Siren Herald https://medievalscotland.org/jes/HeraldicTitlesSCA/index.shtml].

The pattern <color + charge + designator> is documented to Middle English from the same source.

The submitter was granted the title Herald Extraordinary on 21 June 2025 by the King and Queen of the West.


Lyneya of the Burnt Wood (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter cares about the gender of the name (female) and marked no other boxes.

Lyneya - from “Feet of Fines for Essex Volume I1 (A.D. 1182 - A.D. 1272)” - Lyneya is listed on p.132 [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/research/feet-of-fines#] [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/library/files/F1100000.pdf].

of the Burnt Wood - from “Feet of Fines for Essex Volume I1 (A.D. 1182 - A.D. 1272)” - Burnt Wood is listed on p.94 [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/research/feet-of-fines#] [https://www.esah1852.org.uk/library/files/F1100000.pdf].

The English name formation <given + locative byname> is found in SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Per pall inverted vert, azure, and argent, three forget-me-nots argent and a pine tree sable.


Morgan the Falconer (New Badge sent to Laurel)

(Fieldless) A falcon’s head erased sable, hooded argent, the hood charged with a rose purpure, barbed and seeded proper.



Nevara Bogi (New Name & Device sent to Laurel, Badge Returned)

The submitter will accept the following changes: different spelling is okay.

And further cares about the sound (none noted) and has no preference on the gender of the name.

The West Kingdom struggled to document this name, but the submitter sent the attached write-up of plausibility and documentation for review.

Nevara - from “Repertorio de Blasones de la Comunidad Hispánica” by Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent listed as the surname Nevares, p.1242. See attached documents.

Bogi – northern Italian surname.

The Italian name formation <given + byname> is found in SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Per pale argent and gules, a feather counterchanged sable and argent between in chief two mullets of eight points counterchanged sable and Or.


Raphael Lowe (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter will accept No changes, and considers the gender (male) important.

Raphael - from [DMNES] masculine, 1596, Canterbury; page 42 of The Registers of the Wallon or Strangers' Church in Canterbury, in Three Parts; volume 5 of Publications of the Huguenot Society of London [https://dmnes.org/cite/Raphael/1596/RWC].

Lowe - from Articles by Aryanhwy merch Catmael at http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/names.html : Robert Lowe was christened on March 09, 1599; found in the parish register of Ormskirk (Ormishaw), Lancaster, England [https://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/english/ormskirk/robert.html].

The English name formation <given + byname> is acceptable per SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Per bend sinister azure and sable, in bend a lion Or and a Maltese cross argent.


Siobhán ingen Tuathail (New Name & Device sent to Laurel)

The submitter cares about the language and/or culture (none noted) and gender (female) of the name and further requests AUTHENTICITY for 11-12th Century Irish.

Siobhán - from “Index of Names in Irish Annals” by Kathleen M. O’Brien: Siobhán [https://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/Siban.shtml].

ingen - from SENA Appendix A, Old/Middle Gaelic name formation for a woman’s patronymic.

Tuathail - from “100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland” compiled by Heather Rose Jones: genitive form of Tuathail, nominative form of Tuathal listed with a count of 35 instances [https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/irish100/].

The Old/Middle Gaelic name formation <given + marked patronymic> is found in SENA Appendix A.

Device:
Quarterly gules and sable, a dragonfly argent.


Teagan Ulfsdotter (Resub Device sent to Laurel)

Argent, a bend sinister vert embattled counter-embattled, overall a winged sword fracted and inverted gules.

Originally submitted in the West’s May 2025 LoI as “Argent, a bend sinister vert, overall a winged sword fracted and inverted gules.” This was in conflict with Gertraud von Wuerzburg, August 2001 (via Caid): Argent, a bend sinister vert overall a cross bottony gules. Under the Rules that Overall Charges fall under the same conflict rules as Secondary and Tertiary Charges, allowing only a total of one DC if the charge group consists of a single charge. SENA.A5.C.2 and SENA.A5.G. Therefore, this submission has a single DC in comparison to Gertraud’s device and was in conflict.

The change to the use of an embattled counter-embattled bend as the primary charge clears this conflict.



RETURNS – July (2025)

Christopher McEntee (New Name sent to Laurel, Device Returned)

Or, an owl gules, a gore sable.

This device is in conflict with the registered Flann Ua Cuill, May 2003, Or, an owl gules. The addition of the gore as a peripheral ordinary provides only a single DC of difference, and two DCs are required to clear conflict.



Halfdane (New Name & Device Returned)

These submissions were not reviewed for Administrative Reasons: submission fees were not received.


Jan (New Name & Device Returned)

These submissions were not reviewed for Administrative Reasons: submission fees were not received.


Nevara Bogi (New Name & Device sent to Laurel, Badge Returned)

Badge: (Fieldless) A feather … (unblazonable).

This badge is returned for violation of the rules of armory of the SCA College of Arms. The stars cannot be half on top of and half not on top of the feather, there is no way for this to be properly blazoned. Additionally, the tincture of the feather is split along its shaft, which is not a standard line of division for tincture changes.



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