Greetings, good gentle!

Welcome to my blog!  I can't promise that I will post something every day, but when the whim strikes me, there will be something!


Here I plan to share my life in the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism.  I played in the SCA for 8 or 10 years back in my younger days, and then was out for about 10 years.  I have recently rejoined, because I missed everything...the clothes, the camaraderie, the crafts, the cooking!


I am still working on my persona.  I have taken the names I'm using from my own personal mundane (real life) genealogy.  Here is some of the history behind the names:




BEVERLY


Beverley (note the different spelling) is a place in Yorkshire, England.  I have many ancestors from Yorkshire, and I've always liked the name "Beverly".  It actually means "beaver stream" or "beaver meadow" in Old English.  Place names were frequently taken by a family as it's surname, which then would lead to male children being given the name, particularly if it was to carry on the wife's surname.  Eventually, female children were given the name too.  There was a spike in popularity in the early 20th century; it is still in use today.




FITZALAN


The name "FitzAlan", also spelled "Fitzalan" or "Fitz Alan", is originally of Breton origin and adopted by Scottish families.  The FitzAlan family held the earldom in Arundel, West Sussex, England from the 13th through 16th centuries.  Arundel castle still stands today.  The "Fitz" part means "son of", much like "Mc" or "Mac" or "ibn".  The name is still in use today.




DE STIRKELAUNDE


This name refers to an area in Westmorland, England; it came from a Scandinavian term for "cattle pasture".  This particular spelling is documented in the 13th century; the name was taken originally by Walter de Castlecarrock, in 1179, when he married local heiress Christian de Leteham and thus inherited the Strickland lands.  Sizergh Castle, the ancestral and current home of the Strickland family, still stands today after much renovation and repair.  The name is still in use today, and is very common in the southern United States.  In fact, I am a direct descendant of Walter de Castlecarrock!






So, now you know a little bit about how "Beverly" came to be.  Stay tuned for more information, pictures, and adventures!




Yours in service,
Beverly