6: Lavinia the Ethiopian of Saint George -New Name (NP)
Submitter desires a feminine name.
The following changes are allowed: All changes necessary to make the name grammatically correct and registerable without changing the meaning
Meaning (Lavinia who is of Ethiopian descent and from Saint George) most important.
Consulting Heralds: Alys Mackyntoich (name) and Sláine báen Ronán (device)
Lavinia is a grey-period English given name, found in the Family Search Historical Records as follows:
Lavinia Smith; Female; Marriage; 10 Jun 1635; St Andrew, Chardstock, Devon, England; Batch: M06009-1 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2ST-35P)
the Ethiopian is the lingua Societatis form of the Middle English descriptive "blewman(e)" used to describe black-skinned people or people of Ethiopian descent. The MED s.v. bleu-man n. gives the following examples of the period terms:
(a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)2.207 : Þat is acounted byʒonde þe side of Ethiopia, blew men londe [L Æthiopiæ]
(a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)6.379 : Þe Blewman [vr. Bloman; Higd.(2): a man of Ethioppe] chaungeþ nouʒt liʒtliche his skyn
(1468) Acc.Howard in RC 57578 : Richard Fyrthyng, a blewmane
The MED s.v. blō-man n. also gives the following examples:
(a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)28a/b : Ethiopia, blomen lond
(a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)178a/b : Ethiopia, bloo mennes londe, had first þat name of colour of men
of Saint George is a locative byname following the pattern of naming places in England after saints. For example, Watts has the following period places named for saints:
St Agnes (1599), Sancte Agnetis (1327-47) - Watts s.n. St Agnes
Seint Auban (1400), Seynt Albones (1420) - Watts s.n. St Albans
Sancta Ewa (1282), St Tewe alias St Ewe (1610) - Watts s.n. St Ewe
St Martin by Loo (1516), S. Martyn (1610) - Watts s.n. St Martin
St Laurence (1235), S. Lawrence (1591) - Watts s.n. St Lawrence
Saint George is England's patron saint, well known in period. The MED s.v. dai contains the following quote dated to 1389: "On ye day of seynt George in ye worshepe of seint George."
The place name has been submitted as Saint George, as the College does not register scribal abbreviations for "saint" by longstanding precedent. [Guillaume de Saint Jacques, 7/2000 LoAR, A- Æthelmearc]