Crux Australis Monthly Letter
August 1997

Thomas Flamanc of Kelsale (John Sawyer)
1/13 Stockdale Ave
Clayton North, VIC 3168
Australia

Unto the College of Heralds of Lochac and others who read this does Lord Thomas Flamanc of Kelsale send greetings.

I have now selected my successor and it is will great pleasure that I announce that Aislinn de Valence has agreed to taken on the duties of Crux Australis as of Next Month. Please send all correspondence to her from now on. I would also like to thank Giles for his bid it was a very hard decision to make and I can only encourage him in his interest in become Crux.

I would also like thank publicly all those who have helped me in this office. To my team in Stormhold it would have been impossible without you. I would also like to publically thank Bruce Probst (formerly known as Decion) for his guidence on what th job actually entailed.

Your servant as always,
Thomas Flamanc of Kelsale
Crux Australis Herald.

Submissions

1. Cecily de Montsalvy
Mundane Name: Catherine Wilson
Group: Castellum Montanum
Consulting Herald: Eleanor of Abergaveny

New Name (See returns for device). French.

According to the submitter "Cecily" was a daughter of Edward IV of England (1469-1507). The Plantagenet Encyclopedia Ed. Elizabeth Hallam. Tiger Books Int. London 1996.

However this does not help document the name as French, nor even the spelling as I have the distinct feeling that these are normalised spellings. However Withycombe [2] on p61 under Cecilia, Cecily, Cicely lists a Cecilie Godstow dated 1450. It is not too hard to imagine the English to form Cecily. A discussion of the French Cécile as a more plausible element is not really necessary as the submitter has ticked the dreaded "no changes however minor" box!

"de Montsalvy" is stated to be (and presumably is) a place in the Department of Cantal France. The submitter has provided a printout from the French Tourism Site and a translation of a section from a book about the place entitled Montsalvy une description, une histoire by one bel Beaufrère" Chief Archivist ( onservateur des antiquités et objets d'art) of the Cantal department. published by Editions Gerbert, Aurillac France. The latter states that the town grew from what was first a church in 1070. The submitter did not however provide a photocopy of the original french. I can neither confirm or deny any of this as my French References are not what they should be. Dauzat [1] doesn't help other than to list a large number of surnames beginning with Mont. The combination of an English and French name is not what the submitter seems to desire however it certainly should be registerable.

Returns

1. College of Amesbury

Device Resubmission to Principality. Per bend embattled argent and purpure a laurel wreath vert and a scroll or.

This submission was returned in Febuary because the name Amesbury was in direct conflict with the important place name Amesbury. The device was also returned for two reasons; the submission could not continue without a name and the petition was not up to scratch either. The name was not submitted and this was not really a submission but a letter from the herald of the group asking that we submit the device with a holding name (something not even Laurel could do for a college) and the new petition.

The only real reason I have included this in the CAMeL is that it highlights a few points I would like to make. Firstly, I can not form a holding name. I can change it to an alternate but I cannot form a holding name. A holding name whilst registered can be changed at no cost whereas a registered alternate cannot. I would also like to point out that the device petition must have a picture of the proposed device on it. The petition submitted did have a very small outline of the device but it really did not depict the device well. You could also just put the blazon on the petition.

Consulting Herald: Odd Armstrong.


2. Canton of Bacchus Wood.
Group: River Haven

Device Resubmission to Kingdom (now Principality). Or on an amphora purpure a laurel wreath or, in chief three goutes de vin.

This submission is being returned because unlike last time where it had insufficient information on the petition, there is no petition at all. The submitters would also be wise next time to colour the submission in ink not in coloured pencil.

Consulting Herald: Odd Armstrong.


3. Cecily de Montsalvy
Mundane Name: Catherine Wilson
Group: Castellum Montanum

New Device (See above for names). Azure a winged unicorn passant argent within a bordure ermine.

This device is being returned because the unicorn is drawn incorrectly it is missing a hind leg. This means that it is not in a standard heraldic posture. This needs to be redrawn.



References

1
Dauzat A. Noms, et Prénoms. Larousse, Paris, 1989.

2
E.G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. O.U.P., Oxford, third edition, 1977.