[antir-heralds] Assistance with Name requested

[Ursula Whitcher]

> I have a client who is requesting assistance with a Welsh by-name.  Welsh is
> not my strong suit, so I'm seeking aid on this one.   Here is her info.
> 
> " The byname I have  chosen is Duy Maes (Black Field).  In the course of my
> research I
> could not figure out what form the byname should take.  That is,  would it
> be "Duy-Maes," "Duymaes," "Duy Maes," or "DuyMaes"?
> 
>  "I have found some precedence for combining names in Old Irish.  The
> Kildare's name was derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish, meaning "Church of
> the Oak."  In that case the combination of two words pulled them together
> and eliminated some of the extra consonants.  Based on that would you say
> that "Duy Maes" could appropriately be "Dumaes"? "

Tangwystyl's article on medieval Welsh household names has a section on 
Names from Natural Features:

http://www.heatherrosejones.com/welshhouseholdname/features.html

This includes a list of modern Welsh toponymic elements used in place 
names.  The list has both Maes and Cae glossed as 'field', as well as 
Dol 'meadow'; Tangwystyl notes that all three can be modified by color 
words in place names.  She gives Du for 'black', and says that the usual 
word order puts the adjective second, though color terms can sometimes 
switch places.

I found both Caedu and Maesdu as modern Welsh placenames-- in 
particular, there's a popular golf course and a field below a castle ( 
http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Heritage_Holidays/Llywelyn_Fawr_Castles.htm 
) known as Maesdu-- so the construction is grammatical in that sense. 
Of course, whether it's plausible as a medieval placename is another 
matter.  I'd recommend asking Tangwystyl.

Ursula Georges.