When Wilhelm Laurel established the rank of Herald Extraordinary, he began the practice of personal heraldic titles:
Each Herald Extraordinary shall have a title that is his/her own personal title that s/he shall hold so long as s/he remains active.
Cover Letter, July 1981 Letter of Acceptances and Returns
Over the year since my elevation, I’ve struggled to think of an appropriate title to take on, until I was startled awake this weekend with a stroke of inspiration. The submission form has now been sent off and we’ll wait to see if the College will accept me as the “Gadfly Herald.”
The supporting documentation is attached below.
Gadfly Herald
The submitter was elevated to the rank of Herald Extraordinary on January 7, 2023.
The pattern <heraldic charge> + <designator> is found in Juliana de Luna’s “Heraldic Titles from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.” medievalscotland.org/jes/HeraldicTitles/
The pattern of creating new charges from plants and animals is noted in SENA A.2.B.2.b. heraldry.sca.org/sena.html#A2B2b
The term gadfly is found in gray-period sources including in “A copious English and Netherduytch dictionarie” (1647) by Henry Hexham: “een Ossen-vliege, a Gadfly, or a Hornet.” bit.ly/gadfly-cite-1
The term gadfly may also be found in period, hyphenated, in “Pierces Supererogation: Or, A New Prayse of the Old Asse” (1593) by Gabriel Harvey: “He that made that ryme in jest, little considered what a gad-fly may doe in earneft.” bit.ly/gadfly-cite-2