Friday, November 25, 2011

Ffraid for Sarah of Mynydd Gwyn

Sarah

This was done on a blank by Mistress Bridget. The text reads:

Due commendations and greetings to all whom these present letters meet from Robert and Genevieve prince and princess of Insula Draconis. Know that for the love we bear her and in gratitude for all that she hath rendered unto us and ours in deed and in service we the aforenamed princes are minded to recognize and advance our subject Sarah Ashton by making her a member of our Order of Ffraid with all rights responsibilities and privileges appertaining thereto, including the right to bear the badge of the order, an oak sprig per pale sable and azure fructed inverted or. This we do on the xvii day of the xii month, a.s. xlvi, at Tretower Castle in Mynydd Gwyn.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

AoA for Maerith aff Weselax

Mærith

The blank was done by Racaire; all I did was add in the relevant text.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

AoA blank

blank

This was done for an interkingdom scribal exchange. This is an AoA blank for Trimaris. The layout and lining was drawn Oct. 22, the calligraphy done Oct. 25, 29, and Nov. 2. The text reads:

To alle true and noble people thise present lettres seing or hering greetings by us king and quene of Trimaris. It is soo that many persones been moeved of noble and gentile courage to exercise virtuous condiciones by the whiche they shall come to the perfeccion of grete honour and be rewarded for their merits by renown and that they may be in all places of great honour perpetually shining before others by certain signs and shows of honour and gentility. That is to say of blazon helmet and crest in order that by their example others may the more endeavour perseveringly to spend their days in feats of arms and other virtuous works so as to attain renown of auncient gentility in their name, line and posterity. Of which persones oone in especial whos name is ___________, of the shire of _______________, who has long in his affairs borne himself valiantly and conducted himself honourably so that he has deserved well and is well worthy that henceforth perpetually and for ever more he and his posterity may be in all places honourably admitted renowned counted numbered and received among the number and in the company of other ancient gentle and noble lords. And for the remembrance of this his gentility we charge the said ___________ to devise suitable and unique signs and markings, that is to say blazon helmet and crest, the blazon of which he is to register with the College of Arms and which is to be depicted more pleinly below in words and image, to have and to hold by him alone henceforth and forevermore. In witness whereof we the said King and Queen have signed with owre hands these presents, made and given at _________ on the ____ day of ____ in the year of the society ___.

It is based on a combination of the grants to John Alfrey and John Aleyn. The lines are 1/4".


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Panache for Emelyne of Twynham

Emelyne

This was calligraphed on a blank by Bridget Greywulf, over the course of Oct. 29 and 30. The text reads:

By the king and queen of Drachenwald: To all who shall see or hear these presents, greetings. We who not only by common renown but also by the report of many credible gentles are truly advertised and informed of the great skill and knowledge in leatherworking of our subject Emelyne of Twynham so that she has deserved well and is well worthy so that henceforth and forevermore she be admitted, numbered, and accounted among the company of Our Order of the Panache. And for the remembrance of this we assign to the same Emelyne the right to bear the badge of the order, which right we affirm and ratify by this present charter, in witness whereof we have set our hands below on the vth day of November, a.s. xlvi.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Monday, September 26, 2011

AoA for Osk Grimsdottir

Osk

This blank was done by Margaretha; all I did was add in the details.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

AoA for Jon Knutsson

Jon

This was a blank done by Racaire; all I did was fill in the details.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Company of Merit for Artisans and Scholars for Ceara inghean Eoin mhic Lucais

Ceara

Combat scroll done at Raglan the day Robert and Genevieve stepped up as Prince and Princess. The text reads:

Be it known by this charter that we, Robert and Genevieve, prince and princess of Insulae Draconis, mindful of the good cooking and knowledge of fine victuals displayed by our subject Ceara inghean Eoin mhic Lucais confirm the said Ceara as a member of our most noble Company of Merit for Artisans and Scholars on the 22nd day of the 1st month of our reign, a.s. xlvi.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Company of Merit for Artisans and Scholars for Catherine Weaver

Catherine

Combat scroll done at Raglan the day Robert and Genevieve stepped up as Prince and Princess. The text reads:

Let all these present letters reading, seeing, or hearing know the will of Robert and Genevieve dread princes of Insulae Draconis. We have, not only by the testimony of many and credible gentles, but also by our own witness been long acquainted of Catherine Weaveres skill and knowledge in all manner of textile arts. And in virtue of the said Catherines prowess we are mind to make her a member of our Company of Merit for Artisans and Scholars, on the xxi day of the viii month, a.s. xlvi.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Fox for Alexander of Derlington

Alexander

The scroll was done on a blank that I started back at ID's first coronet and worked on sporadically since. It is based on BL MS Burney 199, f.1. The blank wasn't in fact complete but the ID signet needed some scrolls ASAP so I pulled this out and did the calligraphy day of.

The text reads:

All shall know by these words the will of Cernac and Susannah, celestial princes of Insula Draconis. For the advancement of honor and in witness of virtue it was created the most ancient and noble Order of the Fox, whose companions have distinguished themselves by their martial prowess, and one such is Alexnder of Derlington, gentlemen, of whose skill and chivalry we are well acquainted, and so we are pleased to make the said Alexander a member of the aforesaid Order on the xix day of August, a.s. xlvi, at Raglan Fair.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Ffraid for Ariel of Lindisfarne

Ariel

The text:

In exaltation of the Principality and for the increase of honour, it was ordained to create a Company, which is called the Order of Ffraid, to recognize exemplary service. And the companions of the order wear the badge of a black and blue oak sprig with golden acorns.

Greetings from Cernac and Susannah, prince and princess of Insula Draconis, to all who read these present letters. Much good have we seen and heard of the deeds and works of Ariel of Lindisfarne. In recognition of all that she has rendered to us and ours we are minded to make her a companion of our Order of Ffraid with all the rights and responsibilities appertaining thereto, including the right to bear the badge of the order, an oak sprig per pale sable and azure fructed inverted Or. This we do on the ---- day of August, in the year of the society xlvi, at Raglan Fair, and in witness whereof we have signed our names below.

The illumination was done by Lady Agatha of Norwich.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman, liana@ellipsis.cx.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

AoA for Maeve of Eplaheimr

Maeve

The illumination was done by Agatha of Norwich. The calligraphy took two days (Aug 6. and 7.), and the text reads:

Pay heed to the words of Cernac and Susannah, Prince and Princess of Insula Draconis. We, not only through common report and the testimony of many worthy and credible gentles, but also by our own witness are well acquainted with and informed of the deeds and doings of our subject Maeve of Eplaheimr, and so it is our solemn and joyful duty to recognize the worth and nobility of the said Maeve by raising her to the rank of lady with all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges appertaining thereto including but not limited to the sole and unique right to such arms as she shall register with the College of Arms which are to be depicted below so that henceforth she may perpetually and in all places be admitted, numbered and accounted among the nobles of this realm. And so that none may give the said Maeve any let or hindrance or other hindrance or impediment in the displaying of the said arms and in testimony of our action we have set our hands below on the xix day of August, a.s. xlvi.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

AoA for Cecily of Mynydd Gwyn

Cecily

This was done on a blank by Lady Agatha. The text was calligraphed on Aug 5 and 6 and reads:

To all present and to come who these present letters shall see or hear Cernac and Susannah prince and princess of Insula Draconis greetings and love. By these words know that we truly advertize and certify that Cecily of Mynydd Gwyn is to be in all places admitted, renowned, accounted, numbered and received in the company of nobles and for this we forthwith ordain to the above-named Cecily for her sole and unique use all rights to such arms as she shall register with the College of Arms. Therefore in witness of this and so that none shall contest our will we the said prince and princess abovenamed have signed below these presents made and given at Raglan Fair the ____ day of August in the year of the society xlvi.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Panache for Boudewijn uit Dorestad

Boudewijn

The exemplar is Codex S 1943 , fols. 106v, 131v, and 141v; I stole bits and pieces from each:

106v131v141

The scroll was completed over the course of three days. On May 2, 2010, I did the calligraphy, and painted the initial without whitework or flowers. On May 24, 2012, I did more flowers on top and side, did white work, and yellow work on initial; and then over a year later I finished it on July 24. There was supposed to be a border along the bottom, too, but I hadn't started it before giving it to the K&Q to sign, and they signed without leaving space to put in the border, oh well.

The text reads:

Companions of the Order of Panache have marked themselves as worthy of renown by their skill and knowledge of the gentle arts, and it is the privilege of the crown to augment the number of this company with deserving gentles. One such is Boudewijn uit Dorestad, and thus it is the will of Thorvaldr and Fiona, king and queen of Drachenwald, to make the said Boudewijn a member of the said Order, and give him the right to bear the badge of the order depicted in the margin below. Done on this the 20th day of September a.s. xliii.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Panache for Richard the Rampant

ScrollExemplar
RichardBL MS Egerton 286, fol. 2

The exemplar is British Library MS Egerton 286, fol. 2. The scroll was done in one sitting; from start to finish it took just over 3 hours. This was my second time using oak gall ink; I'm still quite happy with it.

The text reads:

Lief and Morrigan king and queen of drachenwald to all seeing or hearing these words, greetings. It is the perogative of the crown to reward men of good skill and knowledge for their merits. And so we who have been truly advertised that Richard the Rampant has long persued feats of arts and sciences so that he deserves well and is well worthy that he be henceforth accounted, admitted, and renowned in all places among the number and in the company of our order of the panache. And for the remembrance of this we charge the said Richard to bear the badge of the order, and in witness of this we have signed our names below on the xth day of august, a.s. xlvi


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Panache for George Fitzhume

ScrollExemplar
GeorgeCodex Claustroneoburgensis 136 fol. 304

This scroll was done on a blank by Nicole d'Anjou, based on a 15th C MS. I did the calligraphy on Jul. 18 and painted the panache on Jul. 19.

The text reads:

Lief and Morrigan, king and queen of drachenwald, to all the dukes, counts, barons, lords, and gentles of this kingdom, greetings and salutations. Let it be known that we have not only by the testimony of many worthy and credible gentles but also by our own witness been informed and acquainted with the skills in diverse arts and sciences, most particularly metalurgy, displayed by our subject Sir George Fitzhume. In recognition of this we the above-named king and queen make the said George a member of our Order of the Panache, with all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges appertaining thereto, and so that all may know of his excellence, of his knowledge, and of his prowess in these matters we charge him to bear the badge of the order, depicted in the margin below. So that none may lawfully contest this our will we have signed our names below on the 10th day of August, a.s. xlvi, at Pennsic War.

It is based on the 1459/60 grant of arms to John Alfrey, number 4 at http://verysleepy.itgo.com/grants.htm.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Birthday scroll for Judith de Northumbria

Queen Morrigan asked for a scroll to commemorate Countess Judith's birthday, so Saraswati and I combined our skills. She did the illumination, I did the calligraphy:

The full thing:

Judith

Close-up of the text:

Judith

Even closer-up of the text:

The text reads:

Dies natali Judite de Northumbria est magna festivitas! And so it pleases us greatly to celebrate the birthday [of] our royal cousin and most dear friend. So that all shall know the esteem and affection we hold for her and so that there be a perman[en]t token of our regard we have charged our scribes to draw up this present document after the manner of the scribes of Burgundy. In witness of our fidelity, we place our names below.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Court Barony for Alexander von Hardtwald

ScrollExemplar
AlexanderBL MS Egerton 2432, fol. 34v

The exemplar is British Library MS Egerton 2432, fol. 34v, from S. Germany or Switzerland. Hardtwald is in the southwestern part of Germany, so I tried to find a suitable exemplar as close as possible to there.

The scroll was produced over the course of four days; on July 3, I chose the design, drew out layout, painted all background colors, and started but did not complete the red outlining. On July 4, I completed the rest of the illumination except for the detail work on miniature. July 7 I did the outlining in brown and started the calligraphy, and I finished it on July 8.

The text reads:

Leif by favor of arms of drachenwald king and Morrigan by favor of beauty and inspiration of the same realm queen to our right trusty and wellbeloved lord Alexander von Hardtwald. Whereas by the advice and assent of our peers for certain arduous and urgent and serious affairs concerning Us and the defence of our kingdom we are minded to surround ourselves with such barons as shall give us council in these affairs we strictly enjoining command you upon the allegiance by which you are bound to Us that you (waiving all excuses) place personally yourself before us so that we may make you a baron of our court in recognition of your service to Knights Crossing and so that with the said prelates, great men and peers you treat and give your counsel upon the affairs aforesaid. And this as you regard Us and Our honour and the safety and defence of the realm in nowise do you omit yourself from our counsel, and in commemoration of this newly acquired honor we hereby grant unto you the sole and unique right to bear the arms blazoned as follows, that is to say: per chevron or and sable, a sun and in canton a mullet counterchanged, depicted more plainly above. This we do on the 16th day of July, in the year of the society xlvi.

It is based on the summons to parliament used by Queen Elizabeth II, which so far as I can tell is little changed from the period summons.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Company of Merit for Excellence and Example

Company of Merit for Excellence & Example

ScrollExemplar
Excellence

This was done on a blank started at Kingdom University in November and completed at Crown in April. I wrote and calligraphed the text in June. I found out afterwards that the scroll was in fact incorrectly commissioned, so I've blocked out the recipient's name and will just post the rest:

The text is in Latin and Scots and reads:

Incipit verbi Cernaci et Susanne gloriosissimorum principis et principisse insulenses draconis, ad dominum ---- . [Here begin the words of Cernac and Susannah, most glorious prince and princess of Insula Draconis, to lord ----]

Quhosoevir by resoun and wit, by gud countenans and counsell, by deedis and werkes has set himselfe abofe his peeris is by these thyngis worthie to be known throuchout the land for the servys whilk he hast giuen. And soo it is syc that we the foreseyd prince and pryncess abouenamit wish and desyre to make thei foireseid ----- a member of owre most nobil, aunciant, and honorabil Companye of Merit for Excellence and Example, ande by the tokens and badges of whilk Compainie he shall be knowin amongst alle deinseinis of thys reaulme and in hothers as a membir of the forsayde Companie. Doun yhe eightein day of thei mownth of Iwne in the yere of the society foureti-sex. In witness quhereof we haue caused the present chartir to be drawin up, whilk we have signed below uith oure owne handis and markis.

The Latin phrase is translated: "Here begin the words of Cernac and Susannah, most glorious prince and princess of Insula Draconis, to Lord ---- ".


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Dragon's Tear for Edith of Hedingham

ScrollExemplar
EdithCod S 140

The exemplar is Codex S 140, fol. 76v, from the 14th/15th C. This is the second time I've tried to copy this truly gorgeous T; I've been disappointed with both results, though this one is definitvely better.

There's a typo in the text but I didn't bring my scraper to Vienna, so it's very poorly fixed.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Dragon's Jewel for Angelica of Guildford

ScrollExemplar
AngelicaCod S 318

Very happy with this one! I love the bright, bold colors, and the red-on-gold motif is becoming a favorite; this particular exemplar is from Codex S 318, fol. 239v, a 13th C homiliary. I also really like the oak gall (or maybe this was the willow gall) ink that I borrowed from Racaire.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Grant of Arms for Genevieve la flechiere

ScrollExemplar
GenevieveBL MS

This is based on BL Arundel 68, f. 41. I picked out the design and drew the layout on May 13; composed the text, based primarily on the grant of arms to John Aleyn (1454), with a few phrases liberally stolen from the grant to John Alfrey, drew the O and side border, calligraphed incipit, painted all background pink, blue, and carmine, and gold, on May 14; and on May 15 finished the calligraphy (took about 2.5 hours), and the rest of the painting. I am SO PLEASED with this one. (I got to do diapering on the shield! Yay!)

The text reads:

By Vitus and Eleanora the kyng and quene of Drachenwald to alle owre princes, dukes, barons, lords and nobles these present lettres seing or hering humble recomendacion.

Omnes boni remunerabuntur. It is soo that many persones been moeved of noble courage and gentile worth to exercise virtuous marks and condiciones by the which they shal come to the perfeccion of grete honour. Of which persones oone in especial whos name is Genevieve la flechiere of the shire of Thamesreach who has long borne herself valiantly and conducted herself honourably so that she is well worthy Where upon we the said sovorains of Drachenwald have made due serche and founde the right armes of the seid Genevieve as our dear cousins Sarnac and Jolicia, erstwhile souerayns of the raume of Ealdormere, haue assigned to her by grant, that is to say argent crusilly sable a bend gules, as depicted more pleynly above. The grant of which armes we conferme to the said Genevieve and witnesse here that no persone ought for to bere hem but her. In witnesse whereof to thise letres we have sette oure signes manuell the ____ day of ____, a.s. xlvi

The Latin phrase is translated: "All good men shall be rewarded".


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Panache for Elsa Snakenborgh

Elsa

I recommended Elsa for the award with a design already in mind. I knew that I'd seen some great examples of giraffes in some medieval bestiaries, and wanted to do an image of one with some text that made it sound like the record of a naturalistic expedition. I found the giraffes on Feb. 11, and drew the layout on Feb. 12. The text was composed on Mar. 8, and then in May I started the actual work: May 6 the gold squares were painted and the text calligraphed; I sketched the design and painted all the base colors. May 8 was black and white. May 13 was some details on the grass, trees, and beastie; I'm not terribly happy with them and so stopped there before I made it worse.

The giraffe is based on the giraffes in two copies of Jacob van Maerlant's De natura bloemen in the Royal Library in the Hague, KB, 76 E 4, fol. 13rb1, and KB, KA 16, fol. 50vb.

The text reads:

Cameleopard: Native to Juneborg in Nordmark, a lady of fine repute and noble rank. Noted for its skill and teaching in the scribal arts, and for this reason, recognized as a companion of the Order of the Panache by Vitus and Eleanora, king and queen of Drachenwald, during their Double Wars expedition, a.s. xlvi


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sigillum Regis et Reginae for Anya Mstyslavyaya

Anya

The scroll was done on a blank by Agatha of Norwich. I composed the text on May 12, and calligraphed it on the next day.

The text is based on pages 97, 107, and 112 of Hubert Hall, Formula Book of English Historical Documents, Volume 1: Diplomatic documents selected and transcribed by a seminar of the London School of Economics, available on archive.org at http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924092515711. It reads:

By the King and Queen forasmuch as we, of our special grace, in consideration of the trew and faithful service whiche our welbeloved servant Anya Mstyslavyaya hath done unto us, in certain and diverse matters of cloth and accoutrement, have given and granted unto her the right to bear our sigils as a token of our gratitude. Wherefore we wol and charge her that she do bear hereafter our sigils in due form, and these our letters shall be her warrant. Given under our hands, in our court at Turmstadt, the iind day of April, the ivth month of our reign, in the xlvth year.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Sigillum Regis for Whilja af Gothia

ScrollExemplar
WhiljaCodex Claustreoneoburgensis 389

The scroll was completed over two weekends; on May 1, I picked out design and wrote the text. On May 2, I sketched the layout, painted the blue of initial, and calligraphed first sentence. On May 5, I painted the green, finished calligraphy, did all rubrication outside main initial, and half of main initial rubrication; May 6 I finished.

The exemplar is Codex Claustroneoburgensis 389, fol. 99v (with extra inspiration from fol. 25v), a 15th C German MS.

The text reads:

We, Vitus, by right of arms King of Drachenwald, Sovereign of Nordmark and Insula Draconis, Lord of the far Reaches of Africa, Knight of the Order of the Chivalry, to our trusty and well-* servant Viscountess Whilja af Gothia, Companion of the Orders of the Panache and the Lindquistringes, fond greetings.

*beloved

Know that for the love we bear you and in gratitude for all that you have rendered unto us and ours we are minded to favor you above others of the land by granting unto you the right to bear a black dragon's head ensigned with our sigil, so that all may know the high esteem and respect that we hold for you.

In witness of this act we have caused these present letters to be drawn up, which we have signed below with our own hand on the ____ day of ____, a.s. xlvi.

Yeah, big skipped-word error in there. Had to put it in as a footnote.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

AoA for Amal binti Hamid

ScrollExemplar
AmalArundel 41

In November when I was in Copenhagen, about four days before an event I found out one of my scribes was in fact able to attend, so I quickly wrote their Majesties along the lines of "Please, please, please give her her AoA, she's been wonderful". They kindly acted upon my advice, but of course there was no way I could get a scroll to the event in time. So I decided I'd do it myself and started digging around right away for a suitable exemplar. I decided to go with BL MS Arundel 41, fol. 35, a French or English MS from the 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 13th C, because this style, to me, really says "medieval manuscript", and I really want my scribes to have the best. So I was going to try to do it all: the initial, the border, the calligraphy (with some abbreviations), the two-column format with paragraph/sentence markers, and a penwork initial in the second column. The biggest thing that held me up was that I needed a text starting with Q. Qs are common in Latin, but relatively uncommon in English. It took me until February before I came up with a suitable opening; the rest of the text then follows standard grants of arms texts from the 15th C. I wrote the text, drew the Q and the border, and caligraphed the incipit and the first two lines on Feb. 12, finished the calligraphy on Feb. 13, did all of the illumination except for the whitework and the center of the Q Feb. 19, and then finished up with drawing and painting the inside of the Q on Mar. 6. I'm very happy with the result.

The text reads:

Incipit verbis Ulfi et Ceve qui sunt rex et regina drachenwaldenses.

To all present and to come who these present letters shall see or hear Ulfr and Caoimhe king and queen of this kingdom of drachenwald greetings and love. Equity and reason ordains that virtuous men be by their merits and renown rewarded and not only their persons in this mortal life so brief and transitory but also after shall in all places have great honour perpetually before others, shining by certain signs and demonstrations of honour and courtesy, to wit by blazon helmet and crest in order that by their example others again force themselves to use their days in virtuous works and for this end we, king and queen as abovementioned, not only by common renown but also by report of other noble witnesses truly advertize and certify that Amal binti Hamid al-Chania gentlewoman is worthy that henceforth she be in all places admitted, renowned, accounted, numbered and received in the company of nobles and for this we forthwith ordain to the above-named Amal for her sole and unique use all rights to such arms as she shall register with the College of Arms. Therefore in witness of this we the king and queen abovementioned have signed these presents made and givenat Aarnimetsa the xxvii day of November anno societatis xlv.

The incipit translates as "Here begin the words of Ulfr and Caoimhe who are king and queen of Drachenwald."


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Dragon's Tear for the Shire of Klakavirki

Scroll
Klakavirki
Exemplar
Codex Admontensis 105

On Feb. 19 I picked the initial and pencilled in the layout; on Feb. 20, I painted the initial and calligraphed the incipit; on Feb. 22 I finished it. I absolutely love how the initial turn out. I absolutely hate the K in Klakavirki.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

AoA for Anita von Baden

Anita

The blank was done by Nicole d'Anjou, based on Codex Claustroneoburgensis 104, fol. 1r; I added the initial, from fol. 173v of the same MS.

The text reads:

To all good true and noble people these present letters seeing hearing or reading greetings and good will from Vitus and Eleanora, king and queen of Drachenwald. It is so that many persons have been moved of noble and gentle courage to exercise virtuous marks and conditions by the which they shall come to the perfection of great honour. Of which persons one in especial whose name is Anita von Baden of the shire of Klakavirki who has served our realm greatly and who in all her affairs has borne herself valiantly and conducted herself honourably so that she has deserved well and is well worthy that henceforth and forevermore she may be in all places admitted counted numbered and received among the company of other ancient and gentle nobles. Whereupon we the said king and queen have made herein an award of arms to the said Anita so that she and no other person but her may bear such arms as she shall register with the College of Arms. In witness whereof to these letters we have set our marks below on the 12th day of March, a.s. xlv.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Queens Order of Courtesy for Lyonet de Covenham

Lyonet BL Harley MS 2253 f. 131
ScrollExemplar

The exemplar is BL MS Harley 2253, fol. 131, a late 13th/early 14th C manuscript. I still find this type of secretary hand perplexing.

This manuscript contains a number of secular and religious lyrics, and I adapted the lyrics from one, the song of "Annot and John", appearing at fol. 63 of the MS. The text reads:

Þese are the wordes of Caoimhe drachenwaldish quene
Ase saphyr in seluer semly on syht,
Ase iaspe þe gentil þat lemeþ wiþ the lyht,
Ase gernet in golde ant ruby wel rhyt
Ase onycle she ys on yholden on hyht,
Ase diamaund þe dere in day when she is dyht;
Ase all þese ys þe ladie lyonet of covenham,
pearle of grace and goodenesse and þus we
Caoimhe make her a member of oure Order of
Courteisie, on augst seventh, a.s. xlv, at raglan.

Lines two through six are copied from the song.


© 2011, Sara L. Uckelman.