THOMAS WILCOX,
New Bedford,
MASS.
'-r-
-o
r
f
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
LONDON : I'RINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODB AND CO., NEW-STKEKT SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET
ENGLISH SURNAMES
THEIR
SOURCES AND SIGNIFICATIONS.
BY
CHARLES WAREING BARDSLEY, M.A.
SECO.VD EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED
CHATTO AND WINDUS, PICCADILLY.
1875-
TO
MY FATHER.
PREFACE
THE SECOND EDITION.
I ACCEPT the early demand for a new edition of my
book, not so much as proof of the value of my indi-
vidual work, as of the increased interest which is being
taken in this too much neglected subject. In deference
to the wholesome advice of many reviewers, both in
the London and Provincial press, especially that of
the ' Times ' and the 'Athenaeum,' I have re-arranged
the whole of the chapters on * Patronymics ' and
' Nicknames,' subdividing the same under convenient
heads. By so doing the names which bear any par-
ticular relationship to one another will be found
more closely allied than they were under their former
more general treatment.
My book has met with much criticism, partly
favourable, partly adverse, from different quarters. To
my reviewers in general I offer my best thanks for their
comments. The * Saturday Review '—and I say it the
more readily as they will see that I have not been in-
sensible to the value of their criticism— has not, I think,
viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND KDirrOX.
sufficiently understood the nature of my work. lam well
aware that praise is due to them for having for some
length of time strenuously advocated the claim of our
language to be English through all its varying stages.
I do not see that in the general character of my book
I have lost sight of this fact. An ' English Directory ' is
not an 'English Dictionary.' The influences that have
been at work on our language are not the same as
those upon our nomenclature. Every social casualty
had an effect upon our names which it could not have
upon our words. The names found in Domesday
Book, casting aside the new importation, were, in the
great majority of cases, obsolete by the end of the
twelfth century, and of those which have survived and
descended to us as surnames, well-nigh all are devoid
of diminutive or patronymic desinences — a clear proof
that they were utterly out of fashion as personal names
during the era of surname formation. The Norman
invasion was not a conquest of our language, but it
was of our nomenclature. The ' Saturday Review '
may still demand that we shall view all as English,
and obliterate the distinctive terms of Saxon and
Norman, but in doing so let us not forget facts. The
language which preceded the Norman Conquest is still
the vcJiiclc of ordinary converse. The nomenclature
of tlKit period went down like Pharaoh's chariot, and
like Pharaoh's chariot, which for all I know lies where
it did, was never recovered.
A review in the ' Guardian ' demands a brief notice
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. IX
on account of the mischief it may do. The end kept
in view by the reviewer is as transparent as his in-
ability to reach it. Surely the day is past for any
further attempt to make out that we have no metro-
nymic surnames. The writer is evidently unaware
of the fact that the use of ' ie ' and ' y,' as in ' Teddy'
or 'Johnnie,' in the nineteenth century, does not pre-
vail to as great an extent as that of 'ot' and *et' from
the twelfth to the fifteenth. As ' Philip ' became
* Philipot,' now ' Philpott ' ; as ' William ' ' Williamot,'
now ' Wilmott ' ; as ' Hew ' (or Hugh), ' Hewet ' and
'Hewetson' ; as 'Ellis' (or Elias), 'Elliot' and 'Elliot-
son' ; so ' Till ' (Matilda) became 'Tillot' and 'Tillot-
son ' ; ' Emme ' (Emma), ' Emmott,' ' Emmett,' and
' Emmotson ' ; ' Ibbe ' (Isabella), ' Ibbott,' ' Ibbett,'
and ' Ibbotson ' ; ' Mary,' ' Mariot ' and ' Marriott ' ;
and ' Siss ' (Cecilia), ' Sissot ' and ' Sissotson.' ' Em-
mot,' the writer says, is a form of ' Amyas,' I suppose
because he saw ' Amyot ' in Miss Yonge's glossary.
According to him, therefore, Emmot is a masculine
name. How comes it to pass, then, that Emmot is
always Latinised as Emmota, or that in our old
marriage licences ' Richard de Akerode ' gets a dis-
pensation to marry ' Emmotte de Greenwood ' (Test.
Ebor. iii. 317), or 'Roger Prcstwick ' to marry
' Emmotc Crossley ' (ditto, 338) .'' How is it we meet
with such entries as ' Cissot^ West,' (Index) or
' Syssot that was %vife of Patrick ' (69) .'' How
is it asrain that Mariot is refristcrcd as ' Mariot(7
X PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
in le Lane,' or 'John fil, Mariot^,' and Ibbot or
Ibbet as ' Ibbot^ fil. Adae,' or ' Robert fil. Ibot^,'
(Index) ? The fact is, we have a large class of
metronymics many of which doubtless arose from
posthumous birth, or from adoption, or the more
important character of the mother in the eyes of
the', neighbours than the father, others too from
illegitimacy.
Amongst other errors for which I have been called
to account, the oddest is that of attributing to Miss
Muloch the authorship of Miss Yonge's most useful
and laborious work on Christian names. I do not know
to which lady I owe the deepest apology — whether to
Miss Yonge for robbing her literary crown of one of
its brightest jewels, or to Miss Muloch for appearing
to insinuate that hers was incomplete. This and
several other mistakes of less moment I have rectified
in the present edition.
I have to thank the authoress of ' Mistress Mar-
gery,' etc., for the names in the index marked QQ.,
RR. I, RR. 2, and RR. 3. Such entries from the
registry of St. James's, Piccadilly (QQ.), as * Re-
pentance Tompson' (1688), 'Loving Bell' (1693),
' Nazareth Ruddc' (1695), ' Obedience Clerk ' (1697),
or 'Unity Thornton ' (1703), may be set beside the
instances recorded on pp. 102-104. To these I would
take this opportunity of adding * Comfort Starrc,'
' Hopcstill Foster,' ' Love Ikewstcr,' ' Fear Brewster,'
' Patience Brewster,' ' Remembrance Tibbott,' ' Re-
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. XI
member Allerton/ ' Desire Minter,' ' Original Lewis,'
and ' Thankes Sheppard,' all being names of emi-
grants from England in the 17th century, {Vide
Hotten's ' Original Lists of Persons of Quality.')
February 1875.
PRr:FACK
THE FIRST EDITION.
A S prefaces are very little read, I will make this
-^^- as brief as possible. It is strange how little has
been written upon the sources and significations of our
English surnames Of books of Peerage, of Baronet-
age, and of Landed Gentry, thanks to Sir Bernard
Burke, Mr. Walford, and others, we are not without a
sufficiency ; but of books purporting to treat of the
ordinary surnames that greet our eye as we scan our
shop-fronts, or look down a list of contributions, or
glance over the * hatches, matches, and despatches '
of our newspapers — of these there are but few.
Indeed, putting aside Mr. I^ower's able and laborious
researches, we may say none. Tracts, pamphlets,
short treatises, articles in magazines, have at various
times appeared, but they have been necessarily con-
fined and limited in their treatment of the subject.'
' Proofs of the ignorance of authors and authoresses in regard to
surnames might be cited to any extent. The novel of Aurora Floyd is
a case in point. When we read the account there given of the ancestry
XIV PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
And yet what can be more natural than that we
should desire to know something relating to the
origin of our surname, when it arose, who first got it,
and how ? Of the feebleness of my own attempt to
solve all this I am conscious that I need not to be
reminded. Still, I think the ordinary reader will find
in a perusal of this book some slight increase of infor-
mation, and if not this, that he has whiled away, not
unpleasantly, some of his less busy hours.
During the last seven years I have devoted the
whole of my spare time to the preparation of a
' Dictionary of English Surnames.' But about two
years ago it struck me that perhaps a smaller work
dealing with the subject in a less formal and more
familiar style might not be unacceptable to many, as
a kind of rudimentary treatise. In the course of my
labours I have come under obligations to several
writers and several Societies. To long-departed men,
whose works do follow after them, I must give a
passing allusion. Camden was the first to draw
attention to this subject, and though he wrote little,
and that little not of the most correct kind, still he
has afforded the groundwork for all future students.
Verstegan, who came next with his * Restitution of
Decayed Intelligence,' wrote quaintly, amusingly
of the heroine, her Scotch descent, &c., and tlien remember thai P'loyd
is but a corruption (tlirough the difficulty of pronunciation) of the Welsh
Lloyd, we may well be pardoned a smile. Walter Scbtt would never
have so committed himself.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. XV
and incorrectly ; and, with respect to surnames, his
definitions rather teach what they do not than what
they do mean. Passing over several archaeological
papers, and with a wide gap in regard to time, we
come to Mr. Lower's studies. He was the first to
give a real compendium of English nomenclature.
Of his earlier efforts I will say nothing, for the
' Patronymica Britannica ' is that upon which his
fame' must rest. The fault of that work is that the
author has confined his researches all but entirely to
the Hundred Rolls. These Rolls are undoubtedly
the best for such reference ; but there are many
others, as my index will show, which not merely con-
tain a large mass of examples not to be met with
there, but which, by varieties of spelling in the case of
such names as they share in common with the other,
afford comparisons the use of which would have
made him certain where he has only guessed, and
would have enabled him also to avoid many false
conclusions. This I would say with all respect, as
one who has benefited very considerably by Mr.
Lower's labours. Others I must thank more briefly,
though none the less heartily. To Mr. Halliwell I
am under deep obligation, for to his ' Dictionary of
Archaisms ' I have gone freely by way of quotation.
To Mr. Way's notes to his valuable edition of the
' Promptorium Parvulorum ' I am also indebted for
much interesting information regarding mediaeval life
and its surroundings. Miss Yonge's ' History of
XVI PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Christian Names' contains a large store of help to
students of this kind of lore, and of this I have
availed myself in several instances. In conclusion, I
have to acknowledge much valuable aid received from
the publications of the Surtecs Society, the Early
English Text Society, the Camden Society, and the
Chetham Society. It is in the rooms belonging to the
latter that I have had the opportunity of consulting
most of the records and archives, a list of which
prefaces my index, as well as other books of a more
incidentally helpful character, and I cannot allow
this opportunity to pass without tendering my hearty
thanks to Thomas Jones, Esq., B.A., F.S.A., for his
courtesy in permitting me access to all parts of the
library, and to Mr. Richard Hanby, the under-
librarian, for his constant attention and readiness to
supply me with whatever books I required.
Mancukstkr :
December 1873.
PREFACE
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
THERE are several matters which I deem it
advisable to mention to the reader before
he turns his attention to the Index of Instances
(pp. 514-612)
I. I have not, in the various chapters that form the
body of this book, in all cases drawn particular atten-
tion when any name happens to belong to several
distinct classes. In the Index, however, I have tried to
remedy this by furnishing instances under the several
heads to which they have been assigned in the text.
II. While ordinarily adhering to my plan of giving
but two examples, I have set down three in some
instances that seemed more interesting, and in ex-
ceptional cases even four. To the majority of the
appended surnames more illustrations of course could
have been added had it been expedient or necessary.
There are several names, however, which, though
4
XVllI PREFACE- TO THE
evidently of familiar occurrence in early days, as they
are now, arc yet, so far as my own researches go,
without any record. For instance, I cannot find any
Arkwright or Runchiman previous to the sixteenth
century. The origin is perfectly clear, but the
registry is wanting. Of several others, again, I can
light upon but one entry. Still, in a matter like this
one must be thankful for small mercies, and it was
with no small amount of rejoicing that in suCh a
simple record as that of 'John Sykelsmith ' I found
the progenitor, or one of the progenitors, of our many
* Sucksmiths,' ' Sixsmiths,' ' Shuxsmiths,' etc.
III. There has been a difficulty with regard to
Christian names also, which I have not attempted to
overcome because it was impossible to do so. With
the Normans every baptismal name, masculine or
feminine as it might originally be, was the comaion
property of the sexes. Thus by simply appending
the feminine desinence, ' Dructt' became ' Druetta '
(v. Drewett), 'Williamet' became ' Williametta ' (v.
Williamot), ' Aylbrcd ' became ' Aylbreda ' (7-. All-
bright), ' Raulin ' became ' Raulina ' {v. Rawlings), and
' Goscelin ' became ' Goscelina ' (v. Gosling). Any of
these surnames, Drewett, Willmott, Allbright, Raw-
lings, or Gosling, therefore, may be of feminine origin
— nay, if the reader has studied my chapter on ' Patro-
nymic Surnames ' with any care, he will see that this is
fully as probable as the opposite view. Leaving thus
undecided what cannot be solved, I have placed both
INDEX OF INSTANCES. XIX
masculine and feminine forms under the one surname
to which one or other has given rise.
. IV. There has been another difficulty also in re-
spect of Christian names. These, as has been shown
in the chapter thereupon, were turned into pet forms,
and these shortened forms commonly came to be the
foundation of the surname. In all the more formal
registers, however, these surnames were never so set
down. 'Hugh Thomasson,' 'William Thompson,'
and ' Henry Tomson ' might come to have their
names enrolled, and up" to the beginning of the six-
teenth century at least they would be set down alike
as ' Hugh fill. Thomas,' ' William fil. Thomas,' and
' Henry fil. Thomas.' Thus, again, ' Ralph Higgin-
son' or 'John Higgins' would be 'Radulphus' or
'Johannes fil. Isaac' This has prevented me from
giving so many instances of these curter forms
of the patronymic class as I should have liked. When
they are given, the reader will observe that they
come from less punctilious and more irregular sources,
such as for instance the Surtees' Society's collection
of Mediaeval Yorkshire Wills and Inventories. Where
I have given such an instance as ' Elekyn ' {v.
Elkins) by itself, it must be understood that this is
the Christian name, and that the owner when his or
her name was registered did not boast a surname
at all.
V. By way of interesting the reader I have occa-
sionally given the Latin form of entry. Thus ' Adam
XX PREFACE TO THE
the Goldsmith ' is set down as * Adam Aurifaber *
{v. Aurifaber), ' Henry the Butcher ' as ' Henry Carni-
fex' {v. Carnifex), and * Hugh the Tailor ' as ' Hugh
Cissor ' (v. Cissor). Latin, indeed, seems to have
been the vehicle of ordinary indenture. Thus under
' Littlejohn ' the reader will find extracted from the
Hundred Rolls ' Ricardus fil. Parvi-Johannis,' and
under 'Linota,' ' Linota Vidua,' ?>.,'Linota the Widow.'
In the recording of local names, Norman-French and
Saxon seem to have fought for the first place, and
even in our most formal registers they had the pre-
cedence over Latin. Thus if the latter can boast the
entry of ' Isolda Beauchamp ' as ' Isolda de Bcllo
Campo' (v. Beauchamp), still, if we come to such
generic names as Briggs or Brook, we find the entry
is all but invariably cither ' Henry Atte-brigg ' or
* Roger del Brigge ' [v. Briggs), or 'Alice de la Broke
or ' Ada ate Brok ' (v. Brook). As respects nick-
names or names of occupation, the Norman-French
tongue had them to itself ' Roger le Buck,' ' Philip
le Criour,' ' Thomas le Cuchold,' ' Osbert le Curteys,'
or * Thomas le Cupper' — such is their continuous form
of entry. Such a Saxon enrolment as * Robert the
Brochere ' {v. Broker) is of the rarest occurrence — so
rare, indeed, as to make one feel it was an undoubted
freak on the part of the registrar, whoever he might be.
VL In some few cases I have set down surnames
which are not treated of in the text. I have done
this either because the name seemed worthy of this
INDEX OF INSTANCES. XXI
casual notice, or JDccause, though not itself mentioned,
it happened to corroborate some statement I have
made regarding a particular name belonging to the
same class.
In conclusion, I will not say there is no mistake
in the Index — that would be a bold thing to state ;
I will not say that I may not have given an instance
that does not rightly belong to the surname under
which it is set; but I can asseverate that I have
honestly attempted to be correct, and I believe a
careful examination will find but the most occasional
error, if any at all, of this class.
CONTENTS.
TAfiR
Preface to the Second Edition ... vii
Preface to the First Edition .... xiii
Preface to the Index of Instances . . . xvii
Introductory Chapter i
CHAPTER I.
Patronymic Surnames 9
CHAPTER II.
Local Surnames 107
CHAPTER HI.
Surnames of Office 172
CHAPTER IV.
Surnames of Occupation (Country) ... 243
CHAPTER V.
Surnames of Occupation (Town) . . . .317
Appendix to Chapters IV. and V 415
CHAPTER VI.
Nicknames 423
Index of Instances
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
npO review the sources of a people's nomenclature is
to review that people's history. When we remem-
ber that there is nothing without a name, and that
every name that is named, whether it be of a man, or
man's work, or man's heritage of earth, came not by
chance, or accident so-called, but was given out of
some nation's spoken language to denote some cha-
racteristic that language expressed, we can readily
imagine how important is the drift of each — what a
record must each contain. Wc cannot but see that
could we only grasp their true meaning, could we but
take away the doubtful crust in which they are often-
times imbedded, then should we be speaking out of the
very mouth of history itself For names arc endur-
ing — generations come and go ; . and passing on with
each, they become all but everlasting. Nomenclature,
in fact, is a well in which, as the fresh water is flowing
perennially through, there is left a sediment that
clings to the bottom. This silty deposit may accu-
mulate — nay, it may threaten to choke it up, still the
well is there. It but requires to be exhumed, and we
shall behold it in all its simple proportions once more.
B
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
And thus it is with names. They betoken life and
matter that is ever coming and going, ever under-
going change and decay. But through it all they
abide. The accretions of passing years may fasten
upon them — the varied accidents of lapsing time may
attach to them — they may become all but undistin-
guishable, but only let us get rid of that which cleaves
to them, and we lay bare in all its naked simplicity
the character and the lineaments of a long gone era.
Look for instance at our place-names. Apart from
their various corruptions they are as they were first
entitled. So far as the nomenclature of our country
itself is concerned, England is at this present day as
rude, as untutored, and as heathen as at the moment
those Norwegian and Germanic hordes grounded their
keels upon our shores, for all our place-names, saving
where the Celt still lingers, are their bequest, and
bear upon them the impress of their life and its sur-
roundings. These arc they which tell us such strange
truths — how far they had made progress as yet in the
arts of life, what were the habits they practised, what
was the religion they believed in. And as with place-
names, so with our own. As records of past history
they are equally truthful, equally suggestive. One
important difference, however, there is — Place-names,
as I have just hinted, once given are all but imperish-
able. Mountains, valleys, and streams still, as a rule,
retain the names first given them. Personal names,
those simple individual names which we find in use
throughout all pre-Norman history, were but for the
life of him to whom they were attached. They died
with him, nor passed on saving accidentally. Nor
were those second designations, those which we call
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
surnames as being 'superadded to Christian names,'
at first of any lasting character. It was not till the
eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, or even fourteenth centu-
ries that they became hereditary — that is, in any true
sense stationary.
Before, however, we enter into the history of these,
and with regard to England that is the purpose of
this book, it will be well to take a brief survey of the
actual state of human nomenclature in preceding
times. Surnames, we must remember, were the sim-
ple result of necessity when population, hitherto iso-
lated and small, became so increased as to necessitate
further particularity than the merely personal one
could supply. One name, therefore, was all that was
needed in early times, and one name, as a general
rule, is all that we find. The Bible is, of course, our
first record of these — 'Adam,' 'Eve,' 'Joseph,' 'Barak,'
' David,' ' Isaiah,' all were simple, single, and expres-
sive titles, given in most cases from some circum-
stances attending their creation or birth. When the
Israelites were crowded together in the wilderness
they were at once involved in difiliculties of identifi-
cation. We cannot imagine to ourselves how such a
population as that of Manchester or Birmingham could
possibly get on with but single appellations. Of course
I do not put this by way of real comparison, for with
the Jewish clan or family system this difficulty must
have been materially overcome. Still it is no wonder
that in the later books of Moses we should find them
falling back upon this patronymic as a means of
identifying the individual. Thus such expressions
as * Joshua the son of Nun,' or ' Caleb the son of
Jephunah,' or 'Jair the son of Manasseh,' are not
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
unfrequently to be met with. Later on, this necessity
was caused by a further circumstance. Certain of
these single names became popular over others.
'John,' 'Simon,' and 'Judas' were such. A further
distinction, therefore, was necessary. This gave rise
to sobriquets of a more diverse character. We find
the patronymic still in use, as in ' Simon Barjonas,'
that is, * Simon the son of Jonas ; ' but in addition to
this, we have also the local element introduced, as in
' Simon of Cyrene,' and the descriptive in ' Simon the
Zealot' Thus, again, we have 'Judas Iscariot,' what-
ever that may mean, for commentators are divided
upon the subject; 'Judas Barsabas,' and 'Judas of
Galilee.* In the meantime the heathen but polished
nations of Greece and Rome had been adopting
similar means, though the latter was decidedly the
first in method. Among the former, such double
names as ' Dionysius the Tyrant,' ' Diogenes the
Cynic,' ' Socrates the son of Sophronicus,' or ' Heca-
tsus of Miletus,' show the same custom, and the same
need. To the Roman, however, belongs, as I have
said, the earliest system of nomenclature, a system,
perhaps, more careful and precise than any which has
followed after. The purely Roman citizen had a
threefold name. The first denoted the ' pnenomcn,'
and answered to our personal, or baptismal, name.
The second was what we may term the clan-iiajiic ;
and the third, the cognomen, corresponded with our
present surname. Thus we have such treble appella-
tions as ' Marcus Tullius Cicero,' or 'Aulus Licinius
Archeas.' If a manumitted slave had the citizenship
conferred upon him, his single name became his cog-
nomen, and the others preceded it, one generally
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 5
being the name of him who was the emancipator.
Thus was it of * Licinius ' in the last-mentioned in-
stance. With the overthrow of the Western Empire,
however, this system was lost, and the barbarians who
settled upon its ruins brought back the simple appel-
lative once more. Arminius, their chief hero, was
content with that simple title. Alaric, the brave
King of the Goths, is only so known. Caractacus
and Vortigern, to come nearer home, represented but
the same custom.
But we are not without traces of those descriptive
epithets which had obtained among the earlier com-
munities of the East. The Venerable Bede, speaking
of two missionaries, both of whom bore the name of
* Hewald,' says, ' pro diversd capellorum specie unus
Niger Hewald, alter Albus diceretur ; ' that is, in
modern parlance, the colour of their hair being
different, they came to be called * Hewald Black,' and
* Hewald White.' Another Saxon, distinguished for
his somewhat huge proportions, and bearing the name
of ' Ethelred,' was known as ' Mucel,' or ' Great,' a
word still lingering in the Scottish mickle. We may
class him, therefore, with our ' le Grands,' as we
find them inscribed in the Norman rolls, the pro-
genitors of our * Grants,' and ' Grands,' or our 'Biggs,'
as Saxon as himself Thus again, our later ' Fair-
faxes,' * Lightfoots,' * Heavisides,' and ' Slows,' are
but hereditary nicknames like to the earlier ' Har-
fagres,' ' Harefoots,' ' Ironsides,' and ' Unreadys,'
which died out, so far as their immediate possessors
went, with the ' Harolds,' and * Edmunds,' and
* Ethelreds,' upon whom they were severally foisted.
They were but expressions of popular feeling to in-
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
dividual persons by means of which that individuahty
was increased, and, as with every other instance I have
mentioned hitherto, passed away with the hves of
their owners. No descendant succeeded to the title.
The son, in due course of time, got a sobriquet of his
own, by which he was familiarly known, but that, too,
was but personal and temporary. It was no more
hereditary than had been his father's before him, and
even so far as himself was concerned might be again
changed according to the humour or caprice of his
neighbours and acquaintances. And this went on for
several more centuries, only as population increased
these sobriquets became but more and more
common.
In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, however, a
change took place. By a silent and unpremeditated
movement over the whole of the more populated and
civilized European societies, nomenclature began to
assume a solid lasting basis. It was the result, in
fact, of an insensibly growing necessity. Population
was on the increase, commerce was spreading, and
society was fast becoming corporate. With all this
arose difficulties of individualization. It was impos-
sible, without some further distinction, to maintain a
current identity. Hence what had been but an occa-
sional and irregular custom became a fixed and
general practice — the distinguishing sobriquet, not, as
I say, of premeditation, but by a silent compact, be-
came part and parcel of a man's property, and passed
on with his other possessions to his direct descendants.
This sobriquet had come to be of various kinds. It
might be the designation of the property owned, as in
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
the case of the Norman barons and their feudatory-
settlements, or it might be some local peculiarity that
marked the abode. It might be the designation of
the craft the owner followed. It might be the title of
the rank or office he held. It might be a patronymic —
a name acquired from the personal or Christian name
of his father or mother. It might be some charac-
teristic, mental or physical, complimentary or the re-
verse. Any of these it might be, it mattered not
which ; but when once it became attached to the pos-
sessor and gave him a fixed identity, it clung to him
for his life, and eventually passed on to his offspring.
Then it was that at length local and personal names
came somewhat upon the same level ; and as the
former, some centuries before, had stereotyped the life
of our various Celtic and Sclavonic and Teutonic settle-
ments, so now these latter fossilized the character of
the era in which they arose ; and here we have them,
with all the antiquity of their birth upon them,
breathing of times and customs and fashions and
things that are now wholly passed from our eyes, or
are so completely changed as to bear but the faintest
resemblance to that which they have been. To
analyse some of these names, for all were impossible,
is the purpose of the following chapters. I trust that
ere I have finished my task, I shall have been able to
throw some little light, at least, on the life and habits
of our early English forefathers.
The reader will have observed that I have just
incidentally alluded to five different classes of names.
For the sake of further distinction I will place them
formally and under more concise headings : —
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
1. Baptismal or personal names.
2. Local surnames.
3. Official surnames.
4. Occupative surnames.
5. Sobriquet surnames, or Nicknames.
I need scarcely add that under one of these five
divisions will every surname in all the countries of
Europe be found.
CHAPTER I.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES.
T T is impossible to say how important an influence
have merely personal names exercised upon our
nomenclature. The most familiar surnames we can
meet with, saving that of * Smith,' are to be found in
this list. For frequency we have no names to be con-
pared with * Jones,' or ' Williamson,' or * Thompson,'
or * Richardson.' How they came into being is easily
manifest. Nothing could be more natural than that
children should often pass current in the community
in which they lived as the sons of ' Thomas,' or
'William,' or 'Richard,' or 'John;' and that these
several relationships should be found in our directories
as distinct sobriquets only shows that there was a
particular generation in these families in which this
title became permanent, and passed on to future
descendants as an hereditary surname.^ The interest
that attaches to these patronymics is great — for it is
by them we can best discover what names were in
' The following extract will show how patronymic surnames
changed at first with each successive generation : — ' Dispensation for
Richard yohnson, son of yohn Richardson, of Fishlake, and Evott
daug : of Robert Palmer, who have married, although related in the
fourth degi-ee. Issued from Rome by Francis, Cardinal of St.
Susanna, 30th March, 13th Boniface IX. (1402).' Test, Ebor. vol. iii.
p. 318.
10 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
vogue at this period, and what not, and of those which
were, by their relative frequency, in a measure, what
were the most popular. Certainly the change is most
extraordinary when we compare the past with the
present. Some, once so popular that they scarce gave
identity to the bearer, are now all but obsolete, while
numerous appellations at present generally current
were then utterly unknown. There are surnames
familiar to our ears whose root as a Christian name is
now passed out of knowledge ; while, on the other
hand, many a Christian name now daily upon our
lips has no surname formed from it to tell of any
lengthened existence. The fact is, that while our sur-
names, putting immigration aside, have been long at a
standstill, we have ever been and are still adding to
our stock of baptismal names.' Each new national
crisis, each fresh achievement of our arms, each new
princely bride imported from abroad — these events
are being commemorated daily at the font. This is
but the continuance of a custom, and one very natural,
which has ever existed. Turn where we will in
English history during the last eight hundred years,
and we shall find the popular sympathies seeking an
outlet in baptism. Did a prince of the blood royal
meet with a hapless and cruel fate. His memory was
at once embalmed in the names of the children born
immediately afterwards, saving when a mother's super-
stitious fears came in to prevent it. Did some national
' Thus we find in the Manchester Directory iox 1861, 'Napoleon
Bonaparte Sutton, tripe-seller,' and 'Napoleon Stott, skewer-maker.'
Born, doubtless, during the earlier years of the present century, their
parents have thus stamped upon their lives the impress of that fearful
interest which the name of Napoleon then excited.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. II
hero arise who upheld and asserted the people's rights
against a grinding and hateful tyranny. His name
is speedily to be found inscribed on every hearth.
The reverse is of equal significance. It is by the fact
of a name, which must have been of familiar import,
finding few to represent it, we can trace a people's
dislikes and a nation's prejudices. A name once in
favour, as a rule, however, tept its place. The cause
to which it owed its rise had long passed into the
shade of forgotten things, but the name, if it had
but attained a certain hold, seems easily to have
kept it, till indeed such a convulsion occurred
as revolutionised men and things and their names
together.
There have been two such revolutionary crises in
English nomenclature, the Conquest and the Reforma-
tion, the second culminating in the Puritan Common-
wealth, Other crises have stamped themselves in
indelible lines upon our registers, but the indenture,
if as strongly impressed, was far less general, and
in the main merely enlarged rather than changed
our stock of national names. Thus was it with the
Crusades. A few of the names it introduced have
been popular ever since. Many, at first received
favourably, died out, if not with, at least soon after,
the subsidence of the spirit to which they owed their
rise. Some of these came from the Eastern Church,
of whose existence at all the Crusader seems to have
suddenly reminded us. Some were Bibhcal, associated
in Bible narrative with the very soil the Templars
trod. Some, again, were borrowed from Continental
comrades in arms, names which had caught the fancy
of those who introduced them, or were connected
12 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
with friendly rivalries and pledged friendships. This
era, being concurrent with the establishment of sur-
names, has left its mark upon our nomenclature ; but
it was no revolution.
The period in which these names began to assume
an hereditary character varies so greatly that it is
impossible to make any definite statement. As a
familiar custom I should say it arose in the twelfth
century. But there are places, both in Lancashire
and Yorkshire, where, as in Wales, men are wont to
be styled to this very day by a complete string of
patronymics. To hear a man called * Bill's o'Jack's,'
'o'Dick's,' 'o'Harry's,' 'o'Tom's,' is by no means a
rare incident. A hit at this formerly common Welsh
practice is given in ' Sir John Oldcastle,* a play
printed in 1600, in which ran the following conversa-
tion : —
'Judge : What bail .-' What sureties }
' Davy : Her cozen ap Rice, ap Evan, ap Morice,
ap Morgan, ap Llewellyn, ap Madoc, ap Meredith, ap
Griffin, ap Davis, ap Owen, ap Shinkin Jones.
' Judge : Two of the most efficient are enow.
' Sheriff: And 't please your lordship, these arc all
but one.'
This * ap,' the Welsh equivalent of our English
* son,' when it has come before a name beginning with
a vowel, has in many instances become incorporated
with it. Thus 'Ap-Hugh ' has given us ' Pugh,' ' Ap-
Rice,' just mentioned, ' Price,' or as * Reece,' ' Preece;'
*Ap-Owen,' 'Bowcn;' 'Ap-Evan,' 'Bevan;' ' Ap-
Robert,' 'Probcrt;' ' Ap-Roger,' 'Prodger;' 'Ap-
Richard,' ' Pritchard ;' * Ap-Humphrey,' * Pumphrcy ; '
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 1 3
«Ap-Ithell,' 'Bethell;'' or ' Ap- Howell,' ' Powell.' »
* Prosser ' has generally been thought a corruption of
' proser,' one who was garrulously inclined ; but this is
a mistake, it is simply * Ap-Rosser.' The Norman
patronymic was formed similarly as the Welsh, by a
prefix, that of ' fitz,' the modern French ' fils.' Sur-
names of this class were at first common. Thus we
find such names as ' Fitz-Gibbon,' ' Fitz-Gerald,' ' Fitz-
Patrick; 'Fitz-Waryn,' 'Fitz-Rauf,' 'Fitz-Payn,' 'Fitz-
Richard,' or ' Fitz-Neele.' But though this obtained
for awhile among some of the nobler families of our
country, it has made in general no sensible impression
upon our surnames. The Saxon added 'son,' as
a desinence, as ' Williamson,' that is, ' William's son,'
or ' Bolderson,' that is, ' Baldwin's son,' or merely the
genitive suffix, as ' Williams,' or Richards.' This class
has been wonderfully enlarged by the custom then in
vogue, as now, of reducing every baptismal name to
some curt and familiar monosyllable. It agreed with
the rough-and-ready humour of the Anglo-Norman
character so to do. How common this was we may
see from Gower's description of the insurrection of
Wat Tyler :
' ' Ithell,' though now unknown, was once a familiar CInistian
name. ' Evan ap Ithell,' Z. ; Jevan ap Ithell, Z. ; Ann Ithell, II. II. ;
Ithell Wynn, A. A. I. ' Bethell ' as a surname is still sufficiently common
in the Principality to keep up a remembrance of the fact.
^ ' Ilowel' or ' Iloel ' was at one time a favourite Welsh baptismal
name. We have a 'Ilowel le Waleys,' that is, ' llovvcl the Welsh-
man,' or, as we should now say, 'Howell Wallace,' mentioned in the
Parliamentary writs of 1313. As I shall show by-and-by, our
' Powells ' may in some^^cases, at least, be of more English origin.
14 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Watte ' vocat, cui ' Thoma ' venit, neque ' Symme ' retardat,
' Bat '-que ' Gibbe ' simul, ' Hykke ' venire subent :
'Colle' furit, quem ' Bobbe ' juvat nocumenta parantes,
* Cum quibus, ad damnum * Wille ' coire volat —
* Grigge ' rapit, dum ' Davie' strepit, comes est quibus ' Hobbe,'
• I^rkin ' et in medio non minor esse putat :
'Hudde' ferit, quem 'Judde' terit, dum ' Tibbe ' juvatur
' Jacke ' domosque viros vellit, en ense necat —
Or let the author of ' Piers Plowman' speak. ' Glutton '
having been seduced to the alehouse door, we are
told—
Then goeth * Glutton ' in and grcte other after,
* Cesse ' the souteresse sat on the bench :
'Watte' the wamcr and his wife bothe :
' Tymme ' the tynkere and twayne of his prentices.
' Hikke ' the hackney man and * Hugh ' the nedlere,
' Clarice ' of Cokkeslane, and the clerke of the churche ;
' Dawe ' the dykere, and a dozen othere.
In these two quotations we see at once the clue to
the extraordinary number of patronymics our direc-
tories contain of these short and curtailed forms.
Thus ' Dawe,' from ' David,' gives us ' Daw^son,' or
'Dawes;' 'Hikke' from 'Isaac,' * Hickson,' or
' Hicks ;' 'Watte,' from 'Walter,' 'Watson,' or 'Watts.'
Nor was this all. A large addition was made to this J
category by the introduction of a further clement,'^
This arose from the nursery practice of giving pet
names. Much as this is done now, it would seem to
have been still more common then. In either period
the method has been the .same — that of turning the
name into a diminutive. Our very word ' pet ' itself
is but the diminutive 'petite,' or 'little one.' The *•
fashion adopted, however, was different. We are
fond of using ' ic,' or * ley.' Thus with us ' John '
becomes ' Johnnie,* ' Edward,' ' Teddic,' ' Charles,'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 1 5
Charley.' In early days the four diminutives in use
were those of ' kin,' ' cock,' and the terminations ' ot'
or *et,' and 'on' or *en,' the two latter being of Nor-
"man-French origin.
I. Kin. — This Saxon term, corresponding with
the German ' chen,' and the French ' on ' or ' en,'
referred to above, and introduced, most probably, so
far as the immediate practice was concerned, by the
Flemings, we still preserve in such words as 'manikin,'
' pipkin,' ' lambkin,' or ' doitkin.' This is very familiar
as a nominal adjunct. Thus, in an old poem, entitled
' A Litul soth Sermun,' we find the following : —
Nor those prude yongemen
That loveth ' Malekyn,'
And those prude maydenes
That loveth ' Janekyn ; '
At chirche and at chepynge
When they togadere come
They runneth togaderes
And speaketh of derne love.
Masses and matins
Ne kepeth they nouht,
For ' Wilekyn ' and ' Watekyn '
Be in their thouht —
Hence we have derived such surnames as ' Simpkins '
and ' Simpkinson,' ' Thompkins ' and ' Tomkinson.'
2. CoSk. — Our nursery literature still secures in
its ' cock-robins,' ' cock-boats,' and ' cock-horses,' the
immortality of this second termination. It forms an
important clement in such names as ' Simcox,' ' Jeff-
cock,' ' Wilcock,' or 'Wilcox,' and 'Laycock' (Law-
rence).
3. Ot or et. — These terminations were introduced
1 6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
by the Normans, and certainly have made an impreg-
nable position for themselves in our English nomen-
clature. In our dictionaries they are found in such
diminutives as 'pocket' (little poke), 'ballot,' 'chariot,'
' target,' ' latchet,' ' lancet ; ' in our directories in such
names as 'Emmett,' or 'Emmot' (Emma), 'Tillotson'
(Matilda), 'Elliot' (Elias), 'Harriot' (Mary), 'Will-
mot' (Willamot), and 'Hewet,' or 'Hewetson' (Hugh).'
4. On or 671. — These terminations became very
popular with the French, and their directories teem
with the evidences they display of former favour.
They are all but unknown to our English dictionary,
but many traces of their presence may be found in
our nomenclature. Thus ' Robert ' became ' Robin,'
' Nicol ' ' Colin,' ' Pierre ' ' Perrin,' ' Richard ' ' Diccon,'
'Mary ' ' Marion,' 'Alice ' * Alison,' 'Beatrice ' 'Beton,'
'Hugh' 'Huon,' or 'Huguon'; and hence such sur-
names as ' Colinson,' 'Perrin,' ' Dicconson,' 'Allison' (in
some cases), ' Betonson,' 'Huggins,' and ' Hugginson.'^
I have already said that the Norman invasion
revolutionised our system of personal names. Cer-
tainly it is in this the antagonism between Norman
' 'Ot' and ' et ' sometimes became 'elot' and 'elet' — 'Robert
Richelot' (w. 15) (from Richard); Crestolot de Eratis (d. d.) (from
Christian) ; 'Walter Hughelot ' (A.) ; 'John Huelot' (A.) (from iluyh) ;
Constance Hobelot (A.) (from Hobbe) ; ' ILimclet de la Burste' (Cal.
and Inv. of Treasury) ; 'Richard son of Ilamelot ' (A. A. 2) (from
Hamon). ' Ilamlet ' and ' Hewlett ' are the commonest representatives
of this class in our existing nomenclature. As a diminutive suffix ' let'
is found in such words as ' leaflet,' 'bracelet,' 'hamlet,' or 'ringlet.'
- The French have, among others of this'class, 'Guyon,' ' I'hilipon,'
• Caton ' (Catharine), and ' Louison.' Sir Walter Scott, ever most accu-
rate in his nomenclature, makes ' Marthon ' to be domestic to Hamcline
de Croye (Qucntin Durward). None of these reached England.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 1 7
and Saxon is especially manifest. Occasionally, in
looking over the records of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, we may light upon a ' Godwin,' or ' Guthlac,'
or ' Goddard,' but they are of the most exceptional
occurrence. Were the local part of these entries
foreign, explanation would be unneeded. But while
the personal element is foreign, the local denotes
settlement from the up-country. Look at the London
population of this period from such records as we
possess. There is scarcely a hamlet, however small,
that does not contribute to swell the sum of the
metropolitan mass, and while ' London ' itself is of
comparatively great rarity in our nomenclature, an
insignificant village like, say Debenham, in Suffolk,
will have its score of representatives — so great was
the flow, so small the ebb. It is this large accession
from the interior which is the stronghold of Saxon
nomenclature. It is this removal from one village to
another, and from one town to another, which has
originated that distich quoted by old Vestigan —
In 'ford,' in 'ham,' in 'ley,' in 'ton,'
The most of English surnames run.
And yet, strange as it may seem, it is very doubtful
whether for a lengthened period, at least, the owners
of these names were of Saxon origin. The position
of the Saxon peasantry forbade that they should be
in any but a small degree accessory to this increase.
The very villenage they lived under, the very manner
in which they were attached to the glebe, rendered
any such roving tendencies as these impossible.
These country adventurers, then, whose names I
C
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
have instanced, were of no Saxon stock, but the sons
of the humbler dependants of those Normans who
had obtained landed settlements, or of Norman
traders who had travelled up the country, fixing
their habitation wheresoever the wants of an increas-
ing people seemed to give them an opportunity of
gaining a livelihood. The children of such, driven
out of these smaller communities by the fact that
there was no further opening for them, poor as the
villeins amongst whom they dwelt, but different in
that they were free, would naturally resort to the
metropolis and other large centres of industry. Not
a few, however, would belong to the free Saxons, who,
much against their will, no doubt, but for the sake of
gain, would pass in the community to which they had
joined themselves by the name belonging to the more
powerful and mercantile party. In the same way,
too, some not small proportion of these names would
belong to those Saxon serfs ^yho, having escaped
their bondage, would, on reaching the towns, change
their names to elude detection. These, of course,
would be got from the Norman category. But be all
this as it may, the fact remains that throughout all
the records and rolls of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries, we find, with but the rarest exceptions, all
our personal names to be Norman. The Saxon
seems to have become well-nigh extinct. There
might have been a war of extermination against
them. In an unbroken succession we meet with
such names as 'John' and 'Richard,' 'Robert' and
'Henry,' 'Thomas' and 'Ralph,' 'Geoffrey' and 'Jor-
dan,' ' Stephen ' and ' Martin,' ' Joscelyn ' and ' Alma-
ric,' ' Ik-ncdict ' and ' Laurence,' ' Reginald ' and
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. I9
* Gilbert; 'Roger' and 'Walter,' 'Eustace' and
' Baldwin,' ' Francis ' and ' Maurice,' * Theobald ' and
' Cecil,' — no ' Edward,' no ' Edmund,' no * Harold '
even, saving in very isolated cases. It is the same
with female names. While 'Isabel' and 'Matilda,'
* Mirabilla ' and ' Avelina,' ' Amabilla ' and ' Idonia,'
'Sibilla' and 'Ida,' 'Letitia' and 'Agnes,' 'Petronilla'
or ' Parnel ' and ' Lucy,' ' Alicia ' and ' Avice,' ' Alia-
nora,' or ' Anora ' and ' Dowsabell,' ' Clarice ' and
' Muriel,' ' Agatha ' and ' Rosamund,' * Felicia ' and
'Adelina,' 'Julia' and 'Blanche,' 'Isolda' and 'Ame-
lia' or 'Emilia,' 'Beatrix' and 'Euphemia,' 'Anna-
bel' and ' Theophania,' 'Constance' and 'Joanna'
abound ; ' Etheldreda,' or ' Edith,' or ' Ermentrude,'
all of the rarest occurrence, are the only names which
may breathe to us of purely Saxon times. In the
case of several, however, a special effort was made
later on, when the policy of allaying the jealous feel-
ings of the popular class was resorted to. For a
considerable time the royal and chief baronial families
had in their pride sought names for their children
from the Norman category merely. After the lapse
of a century, however, finding the Saxon spirit still
chafed and uneasy under a foreign thrall, several
names of a popular character were introduced into
the royal nursery. Thus was it with ' Edward ' and
* Edmund.' The former of these appellations was
represented by Edward I., the latter by his brother
Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. Previously to this, too,
an attempt had been made to restore the British
'Arthur' in that nephew of Cceur do Lion who so
miserably perished by his uncle's means, and thereby
20 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
gave Lackland a securer hold upon the English
throne, if not upon the affections of the country. The
sad and gloomy mystery which surrounded the disap-
pearance of this boy-prince seems to have inspired
mothers with a superstitious awe of the name, for we
do not find, as in the case of ' Edward ' or ' Edmund,'
its royal restoration having the effect of making it
general* On the contrary, as an effort in its favour,
it seems to have signally failed. Of all our early
historic names I find fewest relics of this.
The difficulty of subdividing our first chapter is
great, but for the sake of convenience we have de-
cided to preserve the following order : —
1. Names that preceded and survived the Con-
quest.
2. Names introduced or confirmed by the Nor-
mans.
3. Names from the Calendar of the Saints.
4. Names from Festivals and Holy-days.
5. Patronymics formed from occupations and
officerships.
6. Metronymics.
7. Names from Holy Scripture.
I. — Nanus that preceded ajid survived the Conquest.
The peculiar feature of the great majority of such
names as were in vogue previous to the Norman
' As a Christian name, however, fashion has again brought it into
favour. While the memories that cluster round tiie name of the Iron
Duke live, 'Arthur' can never die. Indeed, there are as many ' Arthur-
Wellesleys' now as there were simple ^'Arthurs' before the battle of
Waterloo.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 21
Conquest, and which to a certain extent maintained a
hold, is that (saving in two or three instances) they
did not attach to themselves either filial or pet
desinences. If they have come down to us as sur-
names, they are found in their simple unaltered dress.
Thus, taking Afred as an example, we see in our
directories ' Alfred ' or ' Alured ' or ' Allured ' to be
the only patronymics that have been handed down to
us. Latinized as Aluredus it figures in Domesday,
The Hundred Rolls, later on, register an Alured Ape,
and the surname appears in the Parliamentary
Writs in the case of William Alured. It is hard to
separate our * Aldreds ' from our * Allureds.' The
usually entered forms are ' Richard Aired,' ' Hugh
Aldred,' or 'Aldred fil. Roger.' Besides 'Aldred'
there is 'Alderson,' which may be but 'Aldredson.'
Aylwin is met by such entries as Richard Alwine, or
Thomas Ailwyne: 'Adelard,' as 'Adlard' or * Alard,'
and * Agilward ' as ' Aylward,' are of more frequent
occurrence ; while Aldrech, once merely a personal
name, is now, like many of the above, found only
surnominally.
The Teutonic mythology is closely interwoven in
several of these names. The primary root ' god ' or
'good,' which stood in all Teuton languages as the title
of divinity, was familiarised as the chief component in
not a few of our still existing surnames. ' Godwin,' the
name which the stout old earl of Danish blood has given
to our Goodwin Sands, seems to have been well estab-
lished when the great Survey was made. The French
' Godin ' seems scarcely to have crossed the Channel,
but ' Godwin ' and ' Goodwin ' have well filled up the
gap. ' Hugh fil. Godewin,' or ' Godwin de Dovre,'
22 ENGLISH SURNAMES,
represent our registers. Our ' Godbolds ' are found
in the dress of Godbolde/ our * Goodiers ' and ' Good-
years ' as ' Goder ' or ' Godyer,' and our * Goddards '
as 'Godard.' The Hundred Rolls give us a 'John fil.
Godard.' . The Alpine mountain reminds us of its
connection with ' Gotthard/ and Miss Yonge states
that it is still in use as a Christian name in Germany.
* Gottschalk/ a common surname in the same country,
was well known as a personal name in England in the
forms of * Godescalde,' ^ * Godescall/ or ' Godeschalke,'
such entries as * Godefry fil. Godescallus,' or * Godes-
kalcus Armorer,' or * John Godescalde,' being not un-
frequent. The latter name suggests to us our ' God-
sails" and ' Godshalls ' as the present English sur-
nominal forms. ' Gottschalk ' in our directories may
always be looked upon as a more recent importation
from Germany. Goderic was perhaps the commonest
of this class — its usual dress in our registers being
'Gooderick,' * Goderichc,' 'Godrick,' and * Godric'
An early Saxon abbot was exalted into the ranks of
the saints as ' St. Goderic,' and this would have its
influence in the selection of baptismal names at that
period. ' Guthlac,' not without descendants, too,
though less easily recognisable in our * Goodlakcs '
and ' Goodlucks,' and * Geoffrey,' or ' Godfrey,' whom
I shall have occasion to mention again, belong to the
same category.'^ The last of this class I may mention
is the old * Godeberd/ or ' Godbcrt.' As simple
' One John Godescalde was in 1298 forbidden to dwell in Oxford,
owing to some riot between Town and Gown (Mun. Acad. Oxon. p. 67).
' Herbert fil. Godman occurs in the ' Cal. Rot. Pat. in Turri
Londonensi.'' As a personal name it will belong to the same class as
' Bateman,' ' Coleman,' ' Sweteman.' Such entries as ' Bateman Gille,'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 23
* Godeberd ' it is found in such a name as * Roger
Godeberd,' met with in the London Tower records.
Somewhat more corrupted we come across a 'John
Gotebedde' in the Hundred Rolls of the thirteenth
century ; and much about the same time a ' Robert
Gotobedd ' lived in Winchelsea. In this latter form,
I need scarcely say, it has now a somewhat flourishing
existence in our midst. Some will be reminded of
the lines : —
Mr. Barker's as mute as a fish in the sea,
Mr. Miles never moves on a journey,
Mr. Gotobed sits up till half-after three,
Mr. Makepeace was bred an attorney.
Still, despite its long antiquity, when I recal the pretty
Godbert from which it arose, I would, were I one of
them, go to bed as such some night for the last time,
nor get up again till I could dress, if not my person,
at least my personality in its real and more antique
habiliment.
' Os,' as a rootword implicative of deity, has made
for itself a firm place in our ' Osbalds, ' Osberts,' ' Os-
wins,' ' Oswalds,' ' Osborncs,' and ' Osmunds ' or ' Os-
monds.' Instances of all these may be seen in our older
registries. We quickly light upon entries such as ' Os-
bert le Ferrur,' * Osborne le Hawkere,' ' Oswin Ogle,'
'Thomas Batemanson,' 'Richard Batmonson,' 'Coleman le lien,'
' Swetman fil, Edith,' or ' Sweteman Textor,' are not unfrequent.
'Tiddeman ' is of the same class. 'Tydeman le Swarte ' and ' Tidde-
man Bokere ' both occur in the fourteenth century. All the above are
firmly established as surnames. Having referred to ' Sweetman,' I may
add that ' Sweet ' itself was a baptismal name. ' Swct le Bone ' (A),
'John Swetson' ('State Papers, Domestic, 1619-1623'), 'Adam
Swetcoc ' (A).
24 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Nicholas Osemund,' or ' John Oswald.' Nor must
'Thor,' the 'Jupiter tonans ' of the Norsemen, be left
out, for putting aside local names, and the day of the
week that still memorialises him, we have yet several
surnames that speak of his influence. 'Thurstan'
and ' Thurlow ' seem both of kin. ' Thorald,' however,
has made the greatest mark, and next * Thurkell.'
Thorald may be seen in ' Torald Chamberlain ' (A),
Ralph fil. Thorald (A), or Torald Benig (A); while
Thurkell or Thurkill is found first in the fuller form
in such entries as ' Richard Thyrketyll,' or ' Robert
Thirkettle,' and then in the contracted in ' Thurkeld
le Seneschal,' or ' Robert Thurkel'
We have just referred to Thurkettle. ' Kettle '
was very closely connected with the mythology of
Northern Europe, and is still a great name in Norway
and in Iceland. The sacrificial cauldron of the gods
must certainly have been vividly present to the
imagination of our forefathers. The list of names
compounded with ' Kettle ' is large even in England.
The simple ' Kettle ' was very common. In Domes-
day it is ' Chctill,' in the Hundred Rolls ' Kctcl ' or
' Cetyl ' or * Cattle.' Such entries as * Ketel le Mercer,'
or ' Chetel Frieday,' or ' Cattle Bagge,' are met with
up to the fifteenth century, and as surnames ' Kettle,'
' Chcttle ' and ' Cattle ' or ' Cattell ' have a well-estab-
lished place in the nineteenth. Of the compound forms
we have already noticed ' Thurkettle ' or ' Thurkell.'
' Ankctil le Mercir' (A), 'Roger Arketel ' (A), ' William
Asketiir (Q), and 'Robert fil. Anskitiel' (W. 12) are
all but changes rung on Oskcttlc. The abbots of
England, in 941, 992, and 1,052, were 'Turkctyl,'
'Osketyl,' and 'Wulfketyl' respectively. The last seems
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 2$
to be the same as * Ulchetel ' found in Domesday.*
In the same Survey we light upon a ' Steinchetel,' and
* Grinketel ' is also found in a Yorkshire record of the
same period.^ Orm, the representative of pagan wor-
ship in respect of the serpent, has left its memorial in
such entries as ' Alice fil. Orme,' or ' Ormus Arch-
bragge.' The descendants of these are our ' Ormes '
and ' Ormesons.' More local names abide in * Orms-
by,' ' Ormskirk,' * Ormerod,' and ' Ormes Head.'
A series of names, some of them connected with
the heroic and legendary lore of Northern Europe,
were formed from the root ' sig ' — conquest. Many
of these maintained a position as personal names
long after the Norman invasion, and now exist in our
directories as surnames. Nevertheless, as with the
others hitherto mentioned, they are all but invariably
found in their simple and uncompounded form. Our
* Sewards,' ' Seawards,' and ' Sawards ' represent the
chief of these. It is found in England in the seventh
century, and was a great Danish name. Entries like
' Syward Godwin ' or * Siward Oldcorn ' are found as
late as the beginning of the fourteenth century.
Next we may mention our ' Segars,' ' Sagars,' ' Sa-
bers,' * Sayers,' and ' Saers,' undoubted descendants of
' While all these fuller forms are obsolete as surnames, we must not
forget that most of them still exist curtailed. From early days
•kettle' in compounds became 'kill' or 'kell.' Thus 'Thurkettle'
has left us 'Thurkell' and 'Thurkill,' already mentioned. 'Osketyl'
has become * Oskell' (' Oskell Somenour,' A. A. 3, vol. ii. p. 184).
' Ulchetel ' was registered as ' Ulkell' and ' Ulchcl' (' W. 12, pp. 19,
20). Our 'Arkells' (Sim. fil. Arkill, E.), I doubt not, are corniptions
of 'Ansketyl' or 'Oscetyl' or 'Arketel.'
* Matthew 'Paris, under date 1047, says of the bishopric of Selsey,
' Defuncto Grinketel, Selesiensi pontifice, Ilecca regis capellanus suc-
cessit.*
26 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
such men as ' Saher de Quincy,' the famous old Earl
of Winchester. The registrations of this as a per-
sonal name are very frequent. Such entries as 'John
fil. Saer,' * vSaher Clerk,' ' Saher le King/ or ' Eudo fil.
Sygar,' are common. Nor has ' Sigbiorn ' been al-
lowed to become obsolete, as our ' Sibornes ' and
'Seabornes' can testify. I cannot discover any in-
stance of * Sibbald ' as a personal name after the
Domesday Survey, but as a relic of ' Sigbald ' it is
still living in a surnominal form. Though apparently
occupative, our registers clearly proclaim that * Seman'
or * Seaman ' must be set here. As a personal name
it is found in such designations as ' Seman de Cham-
pagne,' or * Seaman de Baylif,' or 'Seaman Carpenter.'
With the mention of ' Sebright ' as a corruption of
' Sigbert ' or ' Sebert,' I pass on ; but this is sufficient
to show that a name whose root-meaning implied
heroism was popular with our forefathers.
The popular notion that ' Howard ' is nothing but
* Hogward ' is not borne out by facts. We find no
trace whatever of its gradual reduction into such a
corrupt form. As we shall have occasion to show
hereafter, it is our ' Hoggarts ' who thus maintain the
honours of our swine-tending ancestors. There can
be little doubt, indeed, that ' Howard ' is but another
form of ' Harvard ' or ' Hereward.' That it had early
become so pronounced and spelt wc can prove by an
entry occurring in the Test. Ebor. (Surt. Soc.) where
one ' John Fitz-howard ' is registered. Our ' Hermans '
and ' Harmans ' represent ' Herman,' a name which,
though in early use in England, wc owe chiefly to
immigration in later days. Such entries as ' Herman
de Francia' or 'Herman de Alemannia' are occasionally
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 2/
met with. The fuller patronymic attached itself to
this name ; hence such entries as * Walter Herman-
son,' and * John Urmynson,' * Harmer,' and ' Hermer,'
seem to be somewhat of kin to the last. The per-
sonal form is found in * Robert fil. Hermer,' and the
surname in ' Hopkins Harmar.' Besid^es * Hardwin,'
* Hadwin ' is also met with as a relic of the same,
while * Harding ' has remained unaltered from the day
when registrars entered such names as ' Robert fil.
Harding ' and ' Maurice fil. Harding ; ' but this, as
* Fitz-harding ' reminds us, must be looked upon as of
Norman introduction. Nor must * Swain ' be for-
gotten. We find in the Survey the wife of ' Edward
filius Suani,' figuring among the tenants-in-chief of
Essex. This is of course but our present ' Swainson '
or ' Swanson ; ' and when we add all the * Swains,'
* Swayns,' and ' Swaynes ' of our directories we shall
find that this name has a tolerably assured position
in the nineteenth century. ' Swain ' implied strength,
specially the strength of youth; and as Samson's
strength became utter weakness through his affection,
so I suppose it has fared with * Swain.' The country
shepherd piping to his mistress, the lovesick bachelor,
has monopolised the title. As a personal name it oc-
curs in such registrations as * Sweyn Colle,' ' Swanus
le Riche,' or * Adam fil. Swain.'
n. — Names introduced or confirmed by the Normans.
Of names specially introduced at the Conquest, or
that received an impulse by that event, we may men-
tion ' Serl ' and * Harvey.' ' Serl,' found in such
names as * Serle Morice ' or ' Serle Gotokirke,' or
28 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* John fil. Serlo,' still abides in our ' Searles ' and
' Series,' ' Serrells ' and ' Serlsons.' * William Serle-
son * occurs in an old Yorkshire register, and ' Richard
Serelson ' in the Parliamentary Writs. The Norman
diminutive also appears in Matilda Sirlot (A) and
Mabel Sirlot (A).* ' Harvey,' or ' Herve,' was more
common than many may imagine, and a fair number
of entries such as * Herveus le Gos ' or * William fil.
Hervei,' may be seen in all our large rolls. The
Malvern poet in his * Piers Plowman ' employs the
name : —
And thanne cam Coveitise,
Can I hym naght descryve,
So hungrily and holwe
Sire Hervy hym loked,
'Arnold,* now almost unknown in England as a
baptismal name, made a deep impression on our
nomenclature, as it did on that of Central Europe.
' Earn ' for the eagle is a word not yet obsolete in the
North of England, and this reminds us of the origin
of the name. This kinship is more easily traceable
in our registries where the usual forms arc * Ernaldus
Carnifix,' or 'Peter Ernald.' Besides 'Arnold,' 'Ami-
son,' and the diminutive ' Arnott ' or ' Arnct ' ^ still
live among us. 'Alberic,' or ' Albrcc,' as wc find it
occasionally written, soon found its way into our
rolls as ' Aubrey,' although, as ALUnc, Miss Yonge
shows it to have existed in our country centuries
' In these same Writs occurs also the name of ' Hugh Serelson.' It
is possible they are patronymics formed from ' Cyril,' but ' Serle ' is the
more probable parent.
' The ' Parliamentary Writs ' give us ' Matthew Amyct,' the ' Ilun-
dred Rolls,' ' Milisent Arnqt,'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 29
earlier.^ ' Albred,' probably but another form of the
lately revived * Albert,' is now found as ' Allbright *
and the German ' Albrecht.'
' Emery,' though now utterly forgotten as a personal
name, may be said to live on only in our surnames.
It was once no unimportant sobriquet. 'Americ,'
' Almeric,' * Almaric,' ' Emeric,' and ' Eimeric,' seem
to have been its original spellings in England, and
thus, at least, it is more likely to remind us that it is
the same name to which, in the Italian form of
Amerigo, we now owe the title of that vast expanse
of western territory which is so indissolubly connected
with English industry and English interests. Curter
forms than these were found in ' Aylmar,' * Ailmar,'
* Almar,' and ' Aymer,' and ' Amar.' The surnames
it has bequeathed to us are not few. It has had
the free run of the vowels in our ' Amorys,' ' Emerys,'
and * Imarys,' and in a more patronymic form we
may still oftentimes meet with it in our ' Emersons/
* Embersons,' ^ and * Imesons.' ' Ingram ' represents
the old ' Ingelram,' ' Engleram,' ' Iggelram,' or ' Inge-
ram,' for all these forms may be met with ; and
' Ebrardus,' later on registered as " Eborard,' still
abides hale and hearty in our ' Everards ' and ' Everys.'
The latter, however, can scarcely be said to be quite
extinct as a baptismal name. ' Waleran,' an English
form of the foreign 'Valerian,' is found in such an
' The ' Hundred Rolls' give us a pet addendum in the entry 'Walter
Auberkin. '
* ' Richard Amberson ' and * Robert Amberson ' may be seen in
Barret's History of Bristol (index). If not sprung from 'Ambrose,'
they -will be but a variation of 'Emberson,' and one more instance of
the change of vowels referred to a few pages further on.
30 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
entry as * Walerand Berchamstead,' or * Waldrand
Clark/ or 'Walran Oldman.' We see at once the
origin of our ' Walronds ' and * Walrands.' The name
of * Brice ' begins to find itself located in England at
this time. Hailing from Denmark, it may have come
in with the earlier raids from that shore, or later on in
the more peaceful channels of trade. The Hundred
Rolls furnish us with ' Brice fil. William ' and ' Brice le
Parsun,' while the Placita de Quo Warranto gives
us a * Brice le Daneys,' who himself proclaims the
nationality of the name. The Norman diminutive is
met with in 'Briccot de Brainton' (M M). 'Brice' and
' Bryson ' (when not a corruption of * Bride-son ') are
the present representatives of this now forgotten
name.' All the above names I have placed together,
because, while introduced or receiving an impetus by
the incoming of the Normans and their followers, they
have, nevertheless, made little impression on our gene-
ral nomenclature. The factthat, with but one or two ex-
ceptions, the usual pet addenda, 'kin,' 'cock,' and 'ot,'
or 'et,' are absolutely wanting, or even the patronymic
'son,' shows decisively that they cannot be numbered
among what we must call the popular names of the
period. Introduced here and there in the community
at large, they struggled on for bare existence, and
have descended to us as surnames in their simple
and unaltered form.
' As with ' Brice ' so it is to the Danes we owe many entries in our
older records of which ' Christian ' is the root. As a';baptisnial ^name
it has always been most common in those parts of the eastern coast of
England which have been brought into contact with Denmark by trade.
Suchnamesas ' JoanCristina, ' 'Brice Cristian,' or 'John fd. Christian/
frequently occur in mediieval registers. Their descendants are now
found as 'Christian,' 'Christy,' and ' Christison.'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 31
We now turn to a batch of personal names of a
different character, names which, with a few excep-
tions, are still familiar to us at baptismal celebrations,
and which have changed themselves into so many
varying forms, that the surnames issuing from them
are well-nigh legion. Most of these are the direct
result of the Conquest. They are either!^the sobriquets
borne by William, his family, and his leading fol-
lowers, or by those whom connections of blood,
alliance, and interest afterwards brought into the
country. Many others received their solid settlement
in England through the large immigration of foreign
artisans from Normandy, from Picardy, Anjou, Flan-
ders, and other provinces. The Flemish influence has
been very strong.
I will first mention Drew, Warin, Paine, Ivo, and
Hamon, because, although they must be included
among the most familiar names of their time, they
are now practically disused at the font. ' Drew,' or
'Drogo,' occurs several times in Domesday. An
illegitimate son of Charlemagne was so styled, and,
doubtless, it owed its familiarity to the adherents of
the Conqueror. Later on, at any rate, it was firmly
established, as such names as Drew Drewery, Druco
Bretun, or William fil. Drogo testify. That ' Drewett'
is derived from the Norman diminutive can be proved
from the Hundred Rolls, wherein the same man is
described in the twofold form of * Drogo Malerbe '
and * Druett Malerbe.' The feminine ' Dructta de
Pratello ' is also found in the same records. ' Drew '
and ' Drewett ' are both in our directories.' Few
' As a proof that 'Andrew' and 'Drew' were distinct names, we
may cite a fact recorded in Mr. Riley's Memorials of London. In the
32 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
names were more common from the eleventh to the
fourteenth century than ' Warin,' or * Guarin,' or
' Guerin ' — the latter the form at present generally
found in France. It is the sobriquet that is incor-
porated in our ancient * Mannerings,' or ' Main-
warings,' a family that came from the ' mesnil,* or
' manor/ of ' Warin,* in a day when that was a
familiar Christian name in Norman households, A
few generations later on we find securely settled
among ourselves such names as ' Warin Chapman/
or ' Warinus Ceroid/ or ' Guarinus Banastre/ in the
baptismal, and 'Warinus Fitz-Warin,' or 'John Wari-
son,' in the patronymic form, holding a steady place in
our mediaeval rolls. Two of the characters in ' Piers
Plowman/ as those who have read it will remember,
bear this as their personal sobriquet : —
One Waryn Wisdom
And Witty his fere
Followed him faste.
And again —
Then wente Wisdom
And Sire Waryn the Witty
And wamede wrong.
' Robert Warinot,' in the Hundred Rolls, and ' Wil-
liam Warinot ' in the Placita de Quo Warranto,
reveal the origin of our ' Warnetts ;' while our ' Warc-
ings/ ' Warings/ ' Warisons,' ' Wasons/ and ' P^itz-
Warins ' — often written ' Fitz- Warren ' — not to men-
year 1400, Drew Barenlyn, twice Lord Mayor, came before the Council,
asking to have his name ' Drew ' set down in the list of those who
possessed the freedom of the city, the scribe having entered it as
•Andrew.'— pp. 554, 555.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. ^^
tion the majority of our ' Warrens,' ^ are other of the
descendants of this famous old name that still survive.
A favourite name in these days was 'Payn/ or ' Pagan.'
The softer form is given us in the ' Man of Lawes
Tale '—
The Constable, and Dame Hermegild his wife,
Were payenes, and that country everywhere.
We all know the history of the word ; how that, while
the Gospel had made advance in the cities, but not
yet penetrated into the country, the dwellers in the
latter became looked upon with a something of con-
tempt as idolators, so that, so far as this word was
concerned, 'countryman' and 'false -worshipper' be-
came synonymous terms. In fact, 'pagan' embraced
the two meanings that ' peasant ' and ' pagan ' now
convey, though the root of both is the same. The
Normans, it would appear, must have so styled some
of themselves who had refused baptism after that
their chieftain, Rollo, had become a convert ; and
hence, when William came over, the name was intro-
duced into England by several of his followers. In
Domesday Book we find among his tenants-in-
chief the names of ' Ralph Pagancl ' and ' Edmund
fil. Pagani.' The name became more popular as time
went on, and it is no exaggeration to say that at one
period— viz., the close of the Norman dynasty — it had
threatened to become one of the most familiar appel-
latives in England. This will account for the fre-
quency with which we meet such entries in the past
as ' Robert fil. Pain,' ' Pain del Ash,' ' Pagan do la
' 'Warren Ic Latimer' occurs in the 'Rolls of Parliament,' and
'Fulco P'itz- Warren' in the 'Cal. Rot. Pat.' in Turri Londoncmi.
D
34 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Hale,' 'Roger fil. Pagan,' 'Payen le Dubbour,' or
' Elis le Fitz-Payn,' and such surnames in the present
as ' Pagan,' * Payne,' * Payn,' ' Paine,' ' Pain,' and
* Pynson.' The diminutive also was not wanting, as
* John Paynett ' (Z) or ' P^mma Paynot ' (W 2) could
have testified. Thus, while in our dictionaries ' pagan '
still represents a state of heathenism, in our directories
it has long ago been converted to the uses of Chris-
tianity, and become at the baptismal font a Christian
name. * Ivar,' or ' Iver,' still familiarised to Scotch-
men in 'Mac-Iver,' came to the Normans from the
northern lands whence they were sprung, and with
them into England. It was not its first appearance
here, as St. Ives of Huntingdonshire could have
testified in the seventh centur>'. Still its popular
character was due to the Norman, Such names as
*Yvo de Taillbois ' (12 11), mentioned in Bishop Pud-
sey's ' Survey of the Durham See,' ' Ivo le Mercer,'
'Walter fil. Ive,' 'William Iveson,' 'Iveta Millisent,'
or * John fil. Ivette,' serve to show us how familiar
was this appellation with both sexes.* Nor are its
descendants inclined to let its memory die. We have
the simple 'Ive' and 'Ives;' we have the more
patronymic * Iverson,' ' Ivison,' ' Iveson,' and ' Ison,'
and the pet ' Ivetts ' and * Ivatts,' the latter possibly
feminine in origin.
' Hamo,' or ' Hamon,' requires a paragraph for
• Ivo de Usegate was Bailiff of York in 127 1. A few years after
we find the Church of Askam Richard, close to the city, given by
William de Archis and Ivetta his wife to the Nunnery of Monkton. In
1729 Alicia Iveson was buried in St. Martin's, Micklegate. Thus in
the one city we have memorials of the male, female, and hereditary \i§e
of this name.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 35
itself. It is firmly imbedded in our existing nomen-
clature, and has played an important part in its time.
Its forms were many, and though obsolete as baptismal
names, all have survived as surnames. Of these may
be mentioned our ' Hamons,' ' Haymons,' * Aymons,'
and ' Fitz-Aymons.* Formed like ' Rawlyn,' ' Thom-
lin,' and ' Cattlin,' it bequeathed us ' Hamlyn,' a relic
of such folk as ' Hamelyn de Trap ' or ' Osbert
Hamelyn.' Another change rung on the name is
traceable in such entries as ' Hamund le Mestre,'
* Hamond Cobeler,' or ' John Fitz-Hamond,' the
source of our 'Hammonds' and 'Hamonds;' while
in ' Alice Hamundson ' or ' William Hamneson ' we
see the lineage of our many ' Hampsons,' But these
are the least important. The Norman-French diminu-
tive, ' Hamonet,' speedily corrupted into ' Hamnet '
and * Hammet,' became one of our favourite baptismal
names, and towards the reign of Elizabeth one of the
commonest. A ' Hamnet de Dokinfield ' is found so
early as 1270 at Manchester (Didsbury Ch. Cheth.
Soc). Shakespeare's son was baptized ' Hamnet,'
and was so called after ' Hamnet Sadler,' a friend of
the poet's — a baker at Stratford. This man is styled
' Hamlet ' also, reminding us of another pet form of the
name. We have already mentioned ' Richard,' ' Chris-
tian,' ' Hugh,' and * Hobbe,' as severally giving birth
to the diminutives, ' Rickelot,' ' Crestelot,' ' Huelot,'
and ' Hobelot.' In the same way, * Hamon ' became
' Hamelot,' or ' Hamelet,' hence such entries as
' Richard, son of Hamelot ' (AA 2), and * Hamelot de
la Burste' (Cal. and Inv. of Treasury). Out of
fifteen 'Hamnets' set down in 'Wills and Inventories'
(Cheth. Soc), six are recorded as ' Hamlet,' one being
D 2
36 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
set down in both forms as * Hamnet Massey ' and
' Hamlet Massey' (cf. i. 148, ii. 201). If the reader
will look through the index of Bromefield's ' Norfolk,'
he will find that ' Hamlet ' in that county had taken
the entire place of ' Hamnet.' Amid a large number
of the former I cannot find one of the latter. It would
be a curious question how far Shakespeare was biassed
by the fact of having a * Hamlet in his nursery into
changing ' Hambleth ' (the original title of the story)
to the form he has now immortalized. An open Bible,
and, further on, a Puritan spirit have left their influence
on no name more markedly than ' Hamon.' As one
after another new Bible character was commemorated
at the font, ' Hamon ' got crushed out. Its last refuge
has been found in our directories, for so long as our
' Hamlets,' ' Hamnets,' ' Hammets,' ' Hammonds,' and
' Hampsons ' exist, it cannot be utterly forgotten.
' Guy,' or ' Guyon,' dates from the * Round Table,'
but it was reserved for the Norman to make his name
so familiar to English lips. The best proof of this is
that the surnames which it has left to us are all but
entirely formed from the Norman-French diminutive
' Guyot,' which in England became, of course, ' Wyot.'
Hence such entries as 'Wyot fil. Helias,' or 'Wyott
Carpenter,' or ' Wyot Balistarius.' The descendants
of these, I need scarcely say, arc our ' Wyatts.' But
the Norman initial was not entirely lost. * Alcyn
Gyot ' is found in the 'Rolls of Parliament;' and
* Guyot ' and ' Guyatt ' testify to its existence in the
nineteenth century.' ' Ralph,' or ' Radulf,' of whom
there were thirty-eight in Domesday, has survived
' 'Guido,' as •Wydo,' is found in such entries as 'Will. fd. Wydo'
(A), or 'Will. fd. W)donis'(K), hence 'Widowson' and ' Widdowson,'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 37
in a number of forms. Our * Raffs ' and * Raffsons '
can carry back their descent to days when ' Raffe
Barton ' or * Peter Raffson ' thus signed themselves.
The favourite pet forms were ' RawHn ' and ' Randle ;'
hence such entries as ' Raulyn de la Fermerie,' * Rau-
lina de Briston,' or ' Randle de la Mill.' To these it
is we owe our ' Rawlins,' ' Rawlings,' ' Rawlinsons,'
'Rollins,' 'RoUinsons,' 'Randies' and 'Randalls.' Other
and more ordinary corruptions are found in ' Rawes,'
' Rawson,' ' Rawkins,' ' Rapkins,' and ' Rapson.' The
reader may easily see from this that ' Ralph,' from
occupying a place in the foremost rank of early
favourites, is content now to stand in the very rear.
There are a number of names still in use, although
not so popular as they once were, which were brought
in directly by the Normans, and which were closely
connected with the real or imaginary stories of which
Charlemagne was the central figure. Italy, France,
and Spain possess a larger stock than we do of this
class, but those which did reach our shores made for
themselves a secure position. ' Charles,' by some
strange accident, did not obtain a place in England,
nor is it to be found in our registers, saving in the most
isolated instances, till Charles the First, by his mis-
fortunes, made it one of the commonest in the land.
In France, as Sir Walter Scott, in ' Quentin Durward,*
reminds us, the pet form was ' Chariot ' and ' Charlat.'
This, as a surname, soon found its way to England,
where it has existed for many centuries. The feminine
' Charlotte,' since the death of the beloved Princess
of that name, has become almost a household word.
Putting aside * Charles,' then, the Paladins have be-
queathed us ' Roland,' ' Oliver,' ' Robert,' ' Richard,'
38 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Roger,' ' Reginald,' ' Reynard,' and 'Miles.' We see at
once in these names the parentage of some of our most
familiar surnames. ' Oliver ' was, perhaps, the least
popular so far as numbers were concerned, and might
have died out entirely had not the Protector Crom-
well brought it again into notoriety. ' Oliver,' 'Olver,'
' Oilier,' and ' Olivcrson ' are the present forms, and
these are met by such entries as ' Jordan Olyver,' or
'Philip fil. Oliver.' 'Roland,' or 'Orlando,' was the
nephew of the great Charles, who fell in his peerless
might at Roncesvalles. Of him and Oliver, Walter
Scott, translating the Norman chronicle, says —
Taillefer, who sang both well and loud,
Came mounted on a courser proud,
Before the Duke the minstrel sprang,
And loud of Charles and Roland sung,
Of Oliver and champions mo,
Who died at fatal Roncevaux.
' Roland ' was a favourite name among the higher
nobility for centuries, and with our ' Rolands,' ' Row-
lands,' * Rowlsons,' and ' Rowlandsons,' bids fair to
maintain its hold upon our surnames, if not the bap-
tismal list. Old forms are found in such entries as
'Roland le Lene,' ' Rouland Bloet,' 'William Rol-
landson,' or ' Robert Rowclyngsonnc ' ! We must not
forget, too, that our ' Rowletts ' and ' Rowlcts ' repre-
sent the French diminutive.' ' Robert ' is an instance
of a name which has held its place against all counter
influences from the moment which first brought it
into public favour. It is early made conspicuous in
the eldest son of the Bastard King who, through his
• Matthew Rowlett was Master of the Mint to Henry VHI. (>S<f^
Pro. Ord. P)ivy Council.)
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 39
miserable fate, became such an object of common
pity that, though of the hated stock, his sobriquet
became acceptable among the Saxons themselves.
From that time its fortunes were made, even had not
the bold archer of Sherwood Forest risen to the fore,
and caused ' Hob ' to be the title of every other young
peasant you might meet 'twixt London and York. A
curious instance of the popularity of the latter is found
in the fact that a tradesman living in 1388 in Win-
chelsea is recorded under the name of 'Thomas
Robynhod.' The diminutives ' Robynet ' ^ and ' Ro-
bertot' are obsolete, but of other forms that still
thrive among us are ' Roberts,' ' Robarts,' ' Robertson/
' Robins,' * Robinson,' 'Robison,' and 'Robson.' From
its shortened 'Dob' are 'Dobbs,' 'Dobson,' 'Dobbins,'
' Dobinson,' and ' Dobison,' ^ From its equally
familiar ' Hob ' are ' Hobbs,' ' Hobson,' ' Hobbins,'
' Hopkins,' and ' Hopkinson.' From the Welsh, too,
we get, as contractions of ' Ap-robert ' and ' Ap-robin,'
* Probert ' and ' Probyn.' Thus ' Robert ' is not left
without remembrance. Richard was scarcely less
popular than Robert. Though already firmly estab-
lished, for Richard was in the Norman ducal gene-
alogy before William came over the water, still it was
reserved for the Angevine monarch, as he had made
it the terror of the Paynim, so to make it the pride
of the English heart. Richard I. is an instance of
a man's many despicable qualities being forgotten in
» ' Robinet of the Hill' (Y). ' Richard Robynet' (11). 'William
Robertot ' (A).
* We find the diminutive of this form in the name of 'John
Dobynette,' who is mentioned in an inventory of goods, 1463. {Mun.
Acad. Oxon.)
40 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the dazzling brilliance of daring deeds. He was an
ungrateful son, an unkind brother, a faithless husband;
but he was the idol of his time, and to him a large
mass of English people of to-day owe their nominal
existence. From the name proper we get ' Richards '
and * Richardson,' ' Ricks ' and ' Rix,' ' Rickson ' and
' Rixon,' or ' Ritson,' ' Rickards,' and ' Rickctts.' '
From the curter ' Dick ' or * Diccon,' ^ we derive
* Dicks ' or ' Dix,' ' Dickson ' or ' Dixon,' ' Dickens ' or
* Diccons,' and * Dickenson ' or * Dicconson.' From
' Hitchin,' once nearly as familiar as ' Dick,' we get
' Hitchins,' ' Hitchinson,' ' Hitchcock,' and ' Hitchcox.'
Like many another name, the number of ' Richards '
now is out of all proportion less than these surnames
would ascribe to it some centuries ago. The reason
of this we shall speak more particularly about by-and-
by. Roger, well known in France and Italy, found
much favour in England. From it we derive our
' Rogers,' ' Rodgers,' and ' Rogcrsons.' From Hodge,
its nickname, we acquired ' Hodge,' * Hodges,' ' Hodg-
kins,' ' Hotchkins,' ' Hoskins,' * Hodgkinson,' ' Hodg-
son^' and ' Hodson,' and through the Welsh ' Prodgcr.'
The diminutive * Rogercock ' is found once, but it was
' The diminutive ' Richelot' was by no means unknown in England.
'Rikelot, tenant at Wickham ' (Domesday of St. Paul: Cam. Soc.),
* Robert Richelot ' (Great Roll of the Pipe), ' Robert Richelot ' (Feo-
danim Prioratus Dunelm. Sur. Soc.). 'Rickett' is probably a corrup-
tion of this.
* The Norman 'Diccon' was cormpted into 'Diggon.' Spencer
begins one of his pastorals thus, Welsh-like : —
' Diggon Davie, I bid her "Good-day,"
Or Diggon her is, or I missay.'
* Diccon' was popular among the English peasantry from the twelfth to
the eighteenth century.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 4I
ungainly, and I doubt not met with little favour.
Reginald, as Rinaldo, immortalized by the Italian
poet, appeared in Domesday as ' Ragenald ' and
* Rainald.' Our ' Reynolds,' represent the surname.
' Renaud ' or ' Renard,' can never be forgotten while
there is a single fox left to display its cunning. The
story seems to have been founded on the character
of some real personage, but his iniquities did not
frighten parents from the use of the name. ' Renaud
Balistarius ' or ' Adam fil. Reinaud * are common
entries, and ' Reynardsons ' and ' Rennisons ' still
exist. Our ' Rankins,' too, would seem to have origi-
nated from this sobriquet since ' Gilbert Reynkin '
and * Richard Reynkyn' are found in two separate rolls.
Miles came into England as ' Milo,' that being the
form found in Domesday. It was already popular
with the Normans, and, like all other personal names
from the same source, we find it speedily recorded in
a diminutive shape, as'Millot ' and 'Millet' ' Roger
Millot ' occurs in the Hundred Rolls, and ' Thomas
' Mylett ' in a Yorkshire register of an early date. The
patronymics were 'Mills,' 'Miles,' ' Millson,' and
' Mileson,' ' all of which still exist.
The great race for popularity since Domesday re-
cord has ever been that between ' William' and 'John.'
In the age immediately following the Conquest ' Wil-
liam ' decidedly held the supremacy. This is naturally
accounted for by its royal associations. There was,
indeed, a 'John' in the same line of descent as the
Bastard from Richard I. of Normandy, but the name
' A Richard Mileson entered C.C. Coll., Cam., in 1659 (Masters'
Hist. C.C. Coll.). Edward Myleson occurs in the Calendar to Plead-
ings (Elizabeth),
42 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
seems to have been forgotten, or passed by unheeded,
till it was revived again five generations later in 'John
Lackland.' * William ' enjoyed better auspices. It
was the name of the founder of the new monarchy.
It was the name of his immediate successor. What-
ever the character of these two kings, such a conjunc-
tion could not but have its weight upon the especially
Norman element in the kingdom. We find in Domes-
day that while there are 68 ' Williams,' 48 ' Roberts,'
and 28 'Walters,' there are only 10 'Johns.' A cen-
tury later than this, 'William' must still have claimed
precedence among the nobility at least, as is proved
by a statement of Robert Montensis. He says, that
at a festival held in the court of Henry II., in 1173,
Sir William St. John and Sir William Fitz-Hamon,
especial officers, had commanded that none but those
of the name of 'William' should dine in the Great
Chamber with them, and were, therefore, accompanied
by one hundred and twenty ' Williams,' all knights. By
the time of Edward I. this disproportion had become
less marked. In a list of names connected with the
county of Wiltshire in that reign, we find, out of a
total of 588 decipherable names (for the record is
somewhat damaged), 92 'Williams' to 88 'Johns,'
while 'Richard' is credited with 55; 'Robert,' 48;
'Roger,' 23; and 'Geoffrey,' 'Ralph,' and 'Peter,'
each 16 names. This denotes clearly that a consider-
able change had taken place in the popular estimation
of these two appellations. Within a century after
this, however, 'John' had evidently gained the supre-
macy. In 1347, we find that out of 133 Common
Councilmen for London town first convened, 35 were
'Johns,' the next highest being 17 under the head of
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 43
* William,' 1 5 under * Thomas,' which now, for obvious
reasons we will mention hereafter, had suddenly
sprung into notoriety; 10 under 'Richard,' 9 under
' Henry,' 8 under ' Robert,' and so on ; ending with
one each for ' Laurence,' ' Reynald,' ' Andrew,' ' Alan,*
' Giles,' ' Gilbert,' and * Peter.' A still greater dispro-
portion is found forty years later; for in 1385, the
Guild of St. George, at Norwich, out of a total of 376
names, possessed 128 'Johns' to 47 'Williams' and
41 * Thomases.'^ From this period, despite the hatred
that was felt for Lackland, 'John' kept the precedence
it had won, and to this circumstance the nation owes
the sobriquet it now generally receives, that of 'John
Bull.' Long ago, however, under the offensive title of
' Jean Gotdam,' we had become known as a people
given to strange and unpleasant oaths. It is interest-
ing to trace the way in which ' William ' has again
recovered itself in later days. Throughout the Middle
Ages it occupied a sturdy second place, fearless of any
rival beyond the one that had supplanted it. Its dark
hour was the Puritan Commonwealth. As a Pagan
name it was rejected with horror and disdain. From
the day of the Protestant settlement and William's
accession, however, it again looked up from the cold
shade into which it had fallen, and now once more
stands easily, as eight centuries ago, at the head of
our baptismal registers. ' John,' on the other hand,
though it had the advantage of being in no way hate-
' This rivalry seems to have made its mark upon the popular super-
stitions of our forefathers, for to this day the ignis fatiius of our marshy
districts is called either ' Will-a-Wisp' or ' Jack-a-Lanthorn.' It at
least reminds us that there was a day when every country clown was
either 'Jack' or 'Will.'
44 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
ful to the Puritan conscience, has, from one reason or
another, gone down in the world, and now has again
resumed its early place as second.
The surnames that have descended to us from
' William ' and ' John ' are wellnigh numberless — far
too many for enumeration here. To begin with the
former, however, we find that the simple ' Williams *
and * Williamson ' occupy whole pages of our direc-
tories. Besides these, we have from the curtcr * Will,'
* Wills,' ' Willis,' and ' Wilson ; ' from the diminutive
' Guillemot ' or * Gwillot,' as it is often spelt in olden
records, ' Gillot,' ' Gillott,' and 'Gillett;' or from
' Williamot,'' the more English form of the same,
' Willmot,' ' Wilmot, ' Willot,' ' Willet,' and ' Willert.'
In conjunction with the pet addenda, we get ' Wilks,'
* Wilkins,' and 'Wilkinson,' and 'Wilcox,' 'Wilcocson,'
and ' Wilcockson.' Lastly, we have representatives of
the more corrupt forms in such names as ' Weeks,'
' Wickens,' ' Wickenson,' and ' Bill ' and ' Bilson.' Mr.
Lower, who does not quote any authority for the
statement, alleges that there was an old provincial
nickname for ' William ' — viz., ' Till ;' whence ' Tilson,'
' Tillot,' 'Tillotson,' and 'Tilly.' That these are sprung
from ' Till ' is evident, but there can be no reasonable
doubt that this is but the still existing curtailment of
' Matilda,' which, as the most familiar female name of
that day, would originate many a family so entitled.
' Tyllott Thompson ' is a name occurring in York in
1 4 14. Thus it is to the Conqueror's wife, and not
' A certain John Willimote, a taverner, was sworn before the Chan-
cellor of Oxford University to sell good beer, 1434. (Mun. Acad. Oxon,
P- 595)- ' Williametta Cantatrix,' (Rot. Lit. Clausaruni).
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 45
himself, these latter owe their rise. It is not the first
time a wife's property has thus been rudely wrenched
from her for her husband's benefit. The surnames
from ' John ' are as multifarious as is possible in the
case of a monosyllable, ingenuity in the contraction
thereof being thus manifestly limited. As 'John'
simple it is very rare ; but this has been well atoned
for by 'Jones,' which, adding 'John ' again as a prae-
nomen, would be (as has been well said by the
Registrar-General) in Wales a perpetual incognito,
and being proclaimed at the cross of a market town
would indicate no one in particular. Certainly 'John
Jones,' in the Principality, is but a living contradiction
to the purposes for which names and surnames came
into existence. Besides this, however, we have ' John-
son ' and 'Jonson,' 'Johncock' and 'Jenkins,' 'Jen-
nings' and 'Jenkinson,' 'Jackson' and 'Jacox,' and
* Jenks ; ' which latter, however, now bids fair, under
the patronage of ' Ginx's Baby,' to be found for the
future in a new and more quaint dress than it has
hitherto worn. Besides several of the above, it is to
the Welsh, also, we owe our ' Ivens,' ' Evans,' and
' Bevans ' {i.e. Ap-Evan), which are but sprung from
the same name. The Flemings, too, have not suffered
their form of it to die out for lack of support ; for it is
with the settlement of ' Hans,' ' a mere abbreviation
' A curious spelling of this is found in the entry, ' Ilaunce, the
Luter, ii.s — vi.d.' [Privy Puise Exp. Princess Mary, p. 104.) ' Ilan-
kin Booby ' was the common name for a clown. ( C/iaf pell's English
Songs, I. 73.)
' Thus for her love and loss poor Hankin dies,
His amorous soul down flies.'
Musaru/n DeliciiP, 1655.
46 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
of ' Johannes,' we are to date the rise of our familiar
' Hansons,' ' Hankins,' ' Hankinsons,' and ' Hancocks/
or ' Handcocks,' Nor is this all. 'John' enjoyed the
peculiar prerogative of being able to attach to itself
adjectives of a flattering, or at least harmless nature,
and issuing forth and becoming accepted by the world
therewith. Thus — though we shall have to notice it
again — from the praiseworthy effort to distinguish the
many ' Johns ' each community possessed, we have
still in our midst such names as ' Prujean ' and ' Gros-
jean,' ' Micklejohn ' and ' Littlejohn,' ' Properjohn '
and ' Brownjohn,' and last, but not least, the estimable
* Bonjohn.' Do we need to go on to prove ' Jack's '
popularity, or rather universality .-' ^ Every stranger
was * Jack ' till he was found to be somebody else ; so
that ' every man Jack of them ' has been a kind of
general lay-baptism for ages. Every young super-
numerary, whose position and age gave the licence,
was in the eye of his superiors simply ' Jack.' As one
instrument after another, however, was brought into
use, by which manual service was rendered un-
necessary and ' Jack ' unncedcd, instead of super-
annuating him he was quietly thrust into the new
^nd inanimate office, and what with 'boot-jacks' and
'black-jacks,' 'jack-towels' and 'smoke-jacks,' 'jacks'
for this and 'jacks' for that, no wonder people have
begun to speak unkindly of him as ' Jack-of-all-tradcs
and master of none.' Still, with this uncomplimentary
' * Jack ' was really the nickname of Jacobus or James. Jacques
was the common name among the peasantry of France, and as a national
sobriquet was to that country what John was to England. On its
introduction to ourselves, it seems to have been tacitly accepted as but
a synonym for John, and has been used as such ever since
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 47
tone, there was a smack of praise. A notion, at any
rate, got abroad that * Jack ' must be a knowing,
clever, sharp-witted sort of fellow, one who has his
eyes open. So we got into the way of associating
him with the more lively of the birds, beasts, and
fishes ; such, for instance, as the 'jack-daw,' the * jack-
an-apes,' and the 'jack-pike.' But 'familiarity,' as
our copybooks long ago informed us, ' breeds con-
tempt ; ' and so was it with ' Jack ' — he became a
mark for ridicule. Even in Chaucer's day 'jack-fool'
or ' jack-pudding ' was the synonym for a buffoon, and
'jackass' for a dolt ; and here it but nationalises the
' zany,' a corruption of the Italian ' Giovanni,' or
* merry-John,' corresponding to our ' merry-Andrew.'
* Jack of Dover ' also existed at the same period as a
cant term for a clever knave, and that it still lived in
the seventeenth century is clear from Taylor's rhyme,
where he says : —
Nor Jacke of Dover, that grand jury Jacke,
Nor Jack-sauce, the worst knave amongst the pack,
But of the Jacke of Jackes, great Jack-a-Lent,
To write his worthy acts is my intent. '
Altogether, we may claim for ' John ' a prominent,
if not distinguished, position in the annals of English
' ' Sir John' ('sir' being the simple old-fashioned title of respect, as
in 'sir knight,' ' sir king,' &c.) was the familiar expression for a priest.
Bishop Bale speaks of them as ' babbling Sir Johns.' Bradford, too,
writing on the Mass, asks, ' Who then, I say, will excuse these mass-
gospellers' consciences? Will the Queen's highness? She shall then
have more to do for herself than, without hearty and speedy repentance,
she can ever be able to answer, though Peter, Paul, Mary, James, John,
the Pope and all his prelates, take her part, with all the singing " Sir
Johns" that ever were, are, and shall be.' — BisJwp Bradford's IVoris.
Park. Soc, p. 391.
48 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
nomenclature. Nor must we forget ' Joan,* until
Tudor days the general form of the present * Jane.'
Then ' some of the better and nicer sort,' as Camden
saith, ' misliking the former, turned it into " Jane " ; '
and in testimony of this he adds that 'Jane ' is never
found in older records. This is strictly true. There
can be little doubt that when the fair queen of Henry
VIII. gave distinction to the name it became a courtly
fashion to give it a different form from that borne by
the multitude, and thus 'Jane' arose. Thus 'Joan'
was left, as Miss Yonge says, ' to the cottage and the
kitchen ; ' and there, indeed, it lingered on for a long
period.' Of many another could Shakespeare have
sung : —
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
To-who.
To-whit, to-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Previously to this, anyway, both queens and prin-
cesses had been content with * Joan.' I doubt not,
with regard to several of the surnames above-men-
tioned, 'John' must, if the truth be told, share the
honours of origination with 'Joan;' nor do I think
' Jennison ' peculiar to the latter. What with ' John '
and 'Jean ' for the masculine, and ' Joan ' and' Jenny *
' Thus Thomas Ilale, a Puritan, writing in 1 660 against May
Games, has some versos in which tiie Maypole is represented as
saying—
I have a mighty retinue,
The scum of all the raskall crew
Of fidlers, pedlers, jayle scaped slaves.
Of tinkers, turncoats, tospot knaves.
Of theeves and scape-thrifts many a one,
With bouncing Bcsse and jolly Jonc.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 49
for the feminine, 1 do not see how the two could
possibly escape confusion. 'Jones ' and ' Joanes,' and
'Jane' and 'Jayne/ to say nothing of 'Jennings,'
seem as like hereditary from the one as the other.^
Two feminines from ' Jack,' viz. ' Jacquetta ' and
' Jacqueline,' were not unknown in England ; ' Jac-
quetta Knokyn' (A A 3), 'Jackett Toser ' (Z). The
latter was the more common, and bequeathed us a
surname ' Jacklin,' which still exists. It is found on
an old bell : —
This bell was broke and cast againe, as plainly doth appeare,
John Draper made me in 16 18, wich tyme churchwardens were,
Edward Dixson for the one, who stood close to his tacklin,
And he that was his partner there was Alexander Jacklin.
{Book of Days, i. 303.)
The peasant's leather jerkin, corresponding to the more
lordly coat of mail, was a jack whence the diminu-
tive jacket. The more warlike dress gave rise to the
name of ' Jackman,' of which more anon.
' In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a popular sobriquet
for Jane or Joan was ' Jugg.' In Espinasses' ' Lancashire Worthies,' Joan,
the daughter of the celebrated Dr. Byrom, is familiarly styled 'Jugg.'
A song of James I.'s reign says — •
* Joan, Siss, and Nell, shall all be ladified,
Instead of hay carts, in coaches shall ride.'
This is Mr. Chappell's version. (English Songs, i. 327.) In Hunter's
' Ilallamshire,' it runs —
'Jugs, Cis, and Nell, shall all be ladified.'
A ballad of Queen Anne's reign represents John, the swain, as
singing—
' My heart and all's at thy command,
And tho' I've never a foot of land.
Yet six fat ewes and one milch cow,
1 think, my Jug, is wealth enow.'
(Pills to Purge MdancJwly, i. 293.)
E
50 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The Angevine dynasty gave a new impulse to
some already popular names, and may be said in
reality to have introduced, although not altogether
unknown, several new ones. The two which owe the
security of their establishment to it are ' Geoffrey '
and ' Fulke.' The grandfather, the father, a brother,
and a son of Henry II. were 'Geoffrey;' and still
earlier than this, * Geoffrey Grisegonelle,' ' Geoffrey
Martel,' and ' Geoffrey Barbu ' had each in turn set
their mark upon the same. Apart from these in-
fluences, too, the stories brought home by the Crusa-
ders of the prowess of Godfrey, the conqueror of
Jerusalem, must have had their wonted effect in a
day of such martial renown. Such surnames as
'Jeffs,' 'Jeffries,' 'Jefferson,' 'Jeffcock' 'Jeffkins,'
'Jephson,' and 'Jepson' still record the share it had
obtained in English esteem. ' Fulke,' or ' Fulque,'
though there had been six so early as Domesday
Book, when it came backed as it was by the fact of
having given title to five Angevine rulers, got an in-
evitable place. Few Christian names were so com-
mon as this in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
But it was an ungainly one, difficult to pronounce,
and difficult to form into a patronymic. Thus, ' F'ax-
son ' and ' Fawson ' are the only longer forms I can
find as at present existing, while the variously spelt
' Fulkcs,' ' Foulkcs,' ' Fakes,' ' Faux,' ' Fawkes,'
' Faulks,' ' Fowkcs,' ' Folkes,' ' Foakes,' and doubtless
sometimes ' Fox,' serve to show how hard it was to
hand it down in its original integrity. The entries
in our mediaeval registers are equally varied. We
light upon such people as ' Fowlke Grevill,' ' Fowke
Crompton,' ' Fulk Paifrcr,' ' Fulke le Taverner,' * Foke
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 5 I
Odeli; ' Faukes le Buteller,' ' Nel Faukes,' and ' John
Faux.' As an English historic name it has given us
two miscreants ; the hateful favourite of John, out-
lawed by Henry III., and the still more sanguinary
villain of James I.'s day, in whose dishonour we still
pile up the blazing logs in the gloomy nights of
November. Henry, again, or more properly speaking
Harry, owes much to the Plantagenets, for but three
are to be found in Domesday. With its long line
of monarchs, albeit it represented a curious mixture
of good, bad, and indifferent qualities, that dynasty
could not but stamp itself decisively on our registers.
Thus, we have still plenty of * Henrys,' ' Harrises,'
* Harrisons,' ' Hallets,' ' Halkets,' ' Hawkinses,' and
* Hawkinsons ; ' to say nothing of the Welsh ' Parrys '
and ' Penrys.' ' (' Thomas Ap-Harry,' D. ' Hugh Ap-
harrye,' Z.) The Norman diminutive was early used,
as such folk as 'Alicia Henriot,' 'Robert Henriot,'
' Heriot Heringflet,' ' Thomas Haryette,' or ' William
Haryott ' could have borne witness. ' Harriot,' or
* Harriet,' has been revived in recent days as a femi-
nine baptismal name. ' Hawkin,' or * Halkin,' ^ how-
ever, was perhaps the most popular form. Lang-
land represents Conscience as saying: —
Thi beste cote, Haukyn,
Hath manye moles and spottes,
It moste ben y-wasshe.
' In the Athenct Oxoniensis the account of Martin Marprelate
begins 'John Penry, or Ap Henry, that is, the son of Henry, better
known by the name of Martin Marprelate, or Marpriest, &c.' (Edit.
1813, vol. i. p. 591.)
* An uncouth spelling of this is met with in the Dc Lacy Inquisi-
tion, where the entry occurs : ' Henry, son of llolekyn, for 17J acres of
E 2
52 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Baldwin had already appeared at the Conquest, for
an aunt of Williams had married Baldwin, Earl of
Flanders, and he himself was espoused to Matilda,
daughter of the fifth ' Baldwin ' of that earldom. No
doubt the Flemings brought in fresh accessions, and
when we add to this the fact of its being by no means
an unpopular Angevine name, we can readily see why
' Balderson,' ' Bolderson,' ' Balcock,' ' Bodkin,' and the
simple ' Baldwin,' have maintained a quiet but steady
position in the English lists ever since. Thus, the
Plantagenets are not without memorials, even in the
nineteenth century.
III. — Names from the Calendar of the Saints.
It is to Norman influence we owe the firm estab-
lishment of several names, which had already got
securely settled on the Continent on account of the
odour of sanctity that had gathered about them. The
Reformation threw into the shade of oblivion the
memories of many holy men and women who in their
day and generation exercised a powerful influence on
our general nomenclature. Many of my readers will
be unaware that there were three St. Geralds and
three St. Gerards held in high repute previous to the
eleventh century. The higher Norman families seem
to have been attached to both, though ' Gerard * has
made the deepest impression. * Gerald ' and ' Fitz-
Gerald ' are the commonest descendants of the first.
As respects ' Gerard,' such names as ' Garret Wid-
land, 4f. 6d. (Chcth. Soc, p. 12.) 'King Hal' is still familiar
to us.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 53
drington,' or 'Jarrarde Hall,' or 'Jarat Nycholson,'
found among our Yorkshire entries, serve to show
how far the spirit of verbal corruption can advance ;
and our many 'Garrets,' 'Jarrets,' 'Jarratts,' and
' Jerards,' as surnames, will probably testify the same
to all ages.* As there were twenty-eight ' Walters '
in Domesday Survey, we cannot attribute the popu-
larity of that name to St. Walter, abbot of Fontenelle
in the middle of the twelfth century. But, as Miss
Yonge shows, it had been spread over Aquitaine in
the earlier part of the tenth century, through the
celebrity of a saintly Walter who resided in that
dukedom about the year 990. Few sobriquets en-
joyed such a share of attention as this. In one of its
nicknames, that of * Water,' ^ we are reminded of
Suffolk's death in Shakespeare's Henry VI., where
the murderer says —
My name is Walter Whitmore.
How now ! why start'st thou ? ^^'hat, doth death affright !
Suffolk. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death.
A cunning man did calculate my birth,
And told me that by water I should die.
University men will remember a play of another kind
upon its other form of * Wat,' in the poems of C. S. C,
whose power of rhyming, at least, I have never seen
surpassed, even by Ingoldsby himself. He thus
begins one of his happiest efforts —
' ' To Garrett Jon«on, for slices^ xs. xd.' ' To Garratt Jonson, for
shoes, iiij-.' (IIous. Exp. Princess Eliz., Cam. Soc, pp. 16-18.)
* ' The account of Wattare Taylor and Wyllyam Partrynge, beyngc
churchewardens, in the xxxii. yere of the rayne of Kyng Henry the
eighth, A.D. 1 541.' (Ludlow : Churchwardens' Accounts, p. 6, Cam.
Soc.)
54 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Ere the morn the east has crimsoned,
When the stars are twinkling there,
(As they did in Watts's Hymns, and
Made him wonder what they were. )
This, too, it will be seen, as well as 'Water,' still
abides with us in its own or an extended guise, for
our ' Watts ' and ' Waters,' ' Watsons ' and ' Water-
sons,' ' Watkins ' and ' Watkinsons,' would muster
strongly if in conclave assembled. Our ' Waltrots,'
though not so numerous, are but the ancient ' Walte-
rot.' As a Christian name Walter stands low now-a-
days. ' Tonkin,' * Tonson,' and ' Townson ' (found in
such an entry as 'Jane Tounson') remind us of
'Anthony,'' a name previous to the Reformation
popular as that possessed by the great ascetic of the
fourth century. A curious phrase got connected with
St. Anthony, that of ' tantony-pig.' It is said that
monks attached to monasteries dedicated to this saint
had the privilege of allowing their swine to feed in
the streets. These habitually following those who
were wont to offer greens to them, gave rise to the
expression, ' To follow like a Tantony-pig.' Thus, in
* The good wyfe wold a pylgremage,' it is said —
When I am out of the towne,
Look tliat thou be wyse,
And run thou not from hous to hous.
Like a nantyny grice.
The connection between St. Anthony and swine,
which gave the good monks this benefit, seems, in
spite of many wild guesses, to have arisen from the
' Agnes Antonison is found in the Troc. in Chanceiy.' (Eliza-
beth.)
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 55
mere fact of his dwelling so long in the woodlands.
As Barnabe Googe has it —
The bristled hogges doth Antonie
Preserve and cherish well,
Who in his lifetime always did
In woodes and forestes dwell. '
It must have been this connexion which made 'Tony '
the common sobriquet for a simpleton or a country-
clown. It lived in this sense till Dryden's day, and
certainly had become such so early as the thirteenth
century, if we may judge by the occurrence of such
names as ' Ida le Tony,' or * Roger le Tony,' found in
the Rolls of that period.^ If, however, St. Anthony
was thus doomed to be an example, how great may
be the drawbacks to saintly distinction : * St. Cuth-
bert,' who, in the odour of sanctity, dwelt at Lindis-
farne, may even be more pitied, for, owing to the
familiarity of his name in every rustic household of
Northumbria and Durham, he became as ' Cuddle,' a
sobriquet for the donkey, and is thus known and
associated to the present moment. Our * Cuthberts,'
* Cuthbertsons,' and 'Cutbeards,' however, need trouble
' Fuller, in his Book of Worthies, writes : — ' St. Anthony is uni-
versally known for the patron of hogs, having a pig for his page in all
pictures, though for what reason is unknown, except, because being a
hermit, and having a well or hole digged in the earth, and having his
general repast on roots, he and hogs did in some sort enter common
both in their diet and lodging.'
* Thus in the comedy of the ' Western Lass ' (circa 1 720) the
heroine sings : —
' Is Love finer than money.
Or can it be sweeter than honey ?
I'm, poor girl, such a Toney,
Evads, that I cannot guess.'
$6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
themselves little, I imagine, on the question of their
connection with the animal to whom we usually
ascribe the honours in regard to obstinacy and stub-
bornness. Our ' Cuddies,' perhaps, are not quite so
free from suspicion. Our 'Gobbets' undoubtedly
spring from ' Cuthbert' A * Nicholas Cowbeytson '
occurs in a Yorkshire register of the fourteenth cen-
tury (Fabric Rolls of York Minster : Sur. Soc). From
* Cowbeyt ' to ' Cobbet ' is a natural — I might say an
inevitable — change. This name, however, owes no-
thing to the Normans. Not so ' Giles.' Everyone
knows the story of St. Giles, how he dwelt as an
anchorite in the forest near Nismes, and was disco-
vered by the King because the hind, which daily gave
him milk, pushed in the chase, fled to his feet. The
name is entered in our rolls alike as ' Giles,' * Gile,'
and ' Egedius' (Gile Deacon. A. Jordan fil. Egidius,
A). St. Lawrence, put on a gridiron over a slow fire in
the third century, made his name popular in Spain.
An archbishop of Canterbury, raised to a saintship
in the seventh century, made the same familiar in
England. Besides ' Lawson,' we have ' Larkins ' and
' Larson.' In the lines already quoted relative to Wat
Tyler's insurrection, it is said —
Larkin et in medio, non minor esse putat.
The French diminutive occurs also. An 'Andrew
Larrett' is mentioned by Nicholls in his history of
Leicestershire, and the surname may still be seen in
our directories. ' Lambert ' received a large accession
in England through the Flemings, who thus preserved
a memorial of the patron of Liege, St. Lambert, who
was martyred early in the eighth century. Sue-
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 5/
cumbing to the fashion so prevalent among the
Flemings, it is generally found as ' Lambkin,' such
entries as ' Lambekyn fil. Eli ' or ' Lambekin Taborer *
being common. The present sumominal forms are
* Lambert,' ' Lampson,' ' ' Lambkin,' and ' Lampkin.'
Thus our ' Lambkins ' cannot boast of the Moses-like
disposition of their ancestor on philological grounds.
With the mention of three other saints we conclude
this list. The legend of St. Christopher had its due
effect on the popular taste, and it is early found in
the various guises of ' Cristophre,' ' Cristofer,' and
* Christofer.' * Christophers ' and * Christopherson ' re-
present the surnames of the fuller form. To the pet
form we owe our ' Kitts ' and * Kitsons.' St. Christo-
pher's Isle in the West Indies is now familiarly St.
Kitts. It was of the indignity offered to Christopher
Marlowe's genius in calling him so generally by this
brief sobriquet that Heywood spoke when he said —
Marlowe, renowned for his rare art and wit.
Could ne'er attain beyond the name of Kit.*
The same writer has it also in one of his epigrams —
Nothing is lighter than a feather, Kytte,
Yes, Climme : what light thing is that ? thy light wytte.
We have already mentioned one abbot of Fontenelle
who influenced our nomenclature. Another who
exerted a similar power was ' St. Gilbert,' a contem-
porary and friend of the Conqueror. A few genera-
' ' To our well-beloved servaunt, Antony Lanibeson.'
(Grants of Ed. V. Cam. Soc.)
« 'Walter fil. Kitte.' (Household Exp. Bishop Swinfield, p. 170,
Cam. Soc.)
58 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
tions afterwards brought the English St. Gilbert to
the fore, and then the name began to grow common,
so common that as ' Gib ' it became the favourite
sobriquet of the feline species,' In several of our
earliest writers it is found in familiar use, and in the
Bard of Avon's day it was not forgotten. Falstafif
complains of being as melancholy as a ' gib-cat ' —
that is, an old worn-out cat. Hamlet also says —
For who that's but a queen, fair, sober, wise,
Would from a paddock, from a bat, a gib.
Such dear concernings hide ? (iii. 4.)
' To play the gib ' was a proverbial phrase for light
and wanton behaviour.- Thus ' Gilbert ' has been
forced into a somewhat unpleasant notoriety in feline
nomenclature. But he was popular enough, too,
among the human kind. In that part of the ' Town-
ley Mysteries ' which represents the Nativity, one of
the shepherds is supposed to hail one of his friends,
who is passing by. He addresses him thus :— -
How, Gyb, good morne, wheder goys thou ?
' In the ' Romaunt of the Rose,' it is said —
' For right no more than Gibbe, our cat,
That awaiteth mice and rattes to kiilen,
Ne entend I but to beguilen.'
In Peele's ' Edward I.,' too, the Novice says to the Friar —
•Now, Master, as I am true wag,
I will be neither late, nor lag.
But go and come with gossips cheer.
Ere Gib, our cat, can lick her ear.'
* Hence the old term, 'flibber-gib,' or 'flitter-gibbett,' employed by
Latimer, Burton, &c. ; and later, by Walter Scott, for one of vile pro-
pensities.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 59
The surnames formed from Gilbert, too, prove his
popularity. Beside * Gilbert ' himself, we have
' Gibbs,' ' Gibbins,' ' Gibbons,' ' Gibson,' ' ' Gibbonson,'
and ' Gipps,' to say nothing of that famous citizen of
credit and renown, ' John Gilpin,' who has immortal-
ized at least his setting of this good old-fashioned
name.
Having referred to Gilbert and Gib the cat, we must
needs notice * Theobald ' and ' Tib.' * St. Theobald,' if
he has not himself given much prominence to the title,
nevertheless represents a name whose susceptibility to
change was something amazing. The common form
with the French was ' Thibault ' or * Thibaud,' and
this is represented in England in such entries as
* Tebald de Engleschevile,' ' Richard Tebaud,' or
* Roger Tebbott' A still curter form was ' Tibbe ' or
' Tebbe ; ' hence such registrations as ' Tebbe Molen-
dinarius ' or ' Tebb fil. William.' In this dress it is
found in the Latin lines commemorative of Tyler's
insurrection : —
Hudde ferit, quern Jjidde terit, dum Tibbe juvatur,
yacke domosque viros vellit, en ense necat.
Among other surnames that speak for its faded popu-
larity are ' Tibbes,' ' Tebbes,' and ' Tubbs,' ' Theobald '
and ' Tibbald,' ' Tibbie ' and ' Tipple,' ' Tipkins ' and
* Tippins,' and ' Tipson,' and our endlessly varied-
' Tibbats,' ' Tibbets,' ' Tibbits,' ' Tebbatts,' ' Tebbotts,'
and 'Tebbutts.' Indeed, the name has simply run
riot among the vowels. ' Hugh ' I have kept till the
• A notorious rascal named ' Gybby Selby ' is mentioned in 'Calen-
dar of State Papers' for 1562. This accords with ' Robert Gybbyson,'
found in the Corpus Christi Guild, York, a few years earlier.
6o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
last, because of its important position as an early
name. It was crowded with holy associations. There
was a 'St. Hugh,' Abbot of Cluny, in 1109. There
was a 'St. Hugh,' Bishop of Grenoble, in 11 32,
There was ' St. Hugh,' Bishop of Lincoln, in 1 200,
and above all there was the celebrated infant martyr,
' St. Hugh,' of Lincoln, said to have been crucified by
the Jews of that city in 1250. This event happened
just at the best time for affecting our surnames. Their
hereditary tendency was becoming marked. Thus it
is that ' Hugh,' or ' Hew,' * as it was generally spelt,
has made such an indenture upon our nomenclature.
The pet forms are all Norman French, the most
popular being ' Huet,' ' Hugon,' and ' Huelot , ' the
last formed like ' Hamelot,' and ' Hobelot.' The
second of these was further corrupted by the English
into ' Hutchin ' and ' Huggin.' ^ Hence our rolls teem
with such registrations as ' Hewe Hare,' ' Huet de
Badone,' ' William fil. Hugonis,' ' Houlot de Man-
chester,' 'Walter Hughelot,' 'John Hewisson,' 'Simon
Howissone,' ' Roger fil. Hulot,' or ' Alan Huchyns.'
Among the surnames still common in our directories
may be numbered * Huggins,' ' Hutchins,' ' Hutchin-
son,' ' Hugginson,' 'Howlett,' ' Hullett,' 'Hewlett,'
• Huet,' ' Hewet,' ' Hewetson,' ' Howctt,' ' Howson,'
' Hughes,' and ' Hewson.' All these various forms
bespeak a familiarity which is now of course utterly
' ' Item, payde to Hew Watson, for a bawdrike to the first belle,
X(i.' (1546.) (Churchwardens' Accounts at Ludlow, Camden Soc. )
•Item, for markynge of Hew Davis' pew, xiu/.' (1552.) (do.)
' 'Ilugyn held of the same Earl an oxgang of land.' (De Lacy
Inquisit., Cheth. Soc, p. 6.) 'Huckin' seems to be a corruption of
•Hughkin.' ' Hughkin Byston' occurs in 'Wills and Inventories.'
(Cheth. Soc, i. 142.)
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 6 1
wanting, so far as our Christian nomenclature is con-
cerned. Indeed, after all I have said, I still feel that
it is impossible to give the reader an adequate con-
ception of the popularity of this name four hundred
years ago. It is one more conspicuous instance
marking the change which the Reformation and an
English Bible effected upon our nomenclature.
IV. — Names chosen from Festivals and Holydays.
We may here refer to a group of appellatives
which are derived from the names of certain days and
seasons. I dare not say that all I shall mention are
absolutely sprung from one and the same custom.
Some, I doubt not, were bestowed upon their owners
from various accidental circumstances of homely and
individual interest. Neighbours would readily affix
a nickname of this class upon one who had by some
creditable or mean action made a particular season
remarkable in his personal history. But these, I pre-
sume, will be exceptional, for there is no manner of
doubt that it was a practice, and by no means a rare
one, to baptize a child by the name of the day on
which it was born, especially if it were a holiday. We
know now how often it happens that the Church
Calendar furnishes names for those born upon the
Saints' days — how many ' Johns ' and ' Jameses ' and
' Matthews ' owe their appellations to the fact that
they came into the world upon the day marked,
ecclesiastically, for the commemoration of those par-
ticular Apostles. This is still a custom among more
rigid Churchmen. In early days, however, it was
62 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
carried to an extreme extent. Days of a simply
local interest — days for fairs and wakes — days that
were celebrated in the civil calendar — days that were
the boundaries of the different seasons — all were
familiarly pressed into the service of name-giving.
These, springing up in a day when they were no
sooner made part of the personal than they became
candidates for our hereditary nomenclature, have in
many cases come down to us. Thus, the time when
the yule log blazed and crackled on the hearth has
given us 'Christmas,' or 'Noel,' or 'Yule,' or ' Mid-
winter.' This last seems to have been an ordinary
term for the day, for we find it in colloquial use at
this time. In Robert of Gloucester's ' Life of William
the Conqueror,' he speaks of it's being his intention
to Midwinter at Gloucester,
To Witesontid at Westminster, to Ester at Wincester.
' Pentecost ' was as familiar a term in the common
mouth as 'Whitsuntide,' and thus we find both occur-
ring in the manner mentioned. ' Wytesunday ' is, how-
ever, now obsolete ; ' Pentecost ' still lives.' ' Paske,'
for ' Easter,' was among the priesthood the word in
general use ; old writers always speak of ' Paske *
for that solemn season. Thus, ' Pask,' ' Pash,' ' Pas-
chal,' and ' Pascal ' ^ are firmly set in our directories ;
' A servant of King Henry III. was called by the simple and only
name of ' Pentecostes.' (Inquisit. 13 Ed. I. No. 13.)
* In the old published orders for the sheriflf's annual riding in the
city of York, occurs this rule among others : —
' Also, we command that no manner of men walk in the city, nor in
the suburbs by night, without Torch before him, i.e. from Pasche to
Michaelmas after ten of the clock, and from Michaelmas to Pasche after
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 6$
as, indeed, they are on the Continent also. It is the
same with ' Lammas,' ' Sumption,' and ' Middlemas ; '
that is, 'Assumption ' and 'Michaelmas.' Each as it
came round imprinted its name at the baptismal font
upon the ancestors of all those who still bear these
several titles in our midst. It would be an anachron-
ism, therefore, to suppose Mr. Robinson Crusoe to
have been the first who introduced this system, as
even * Friday ' itself, to say nothing of ' Munday,' or
' Monday,' and ' Saturday,' and ' Tuesday,' were all
surnames long anterior to that notable personage's
existence. Nor, as I have said, are the less solemn
feast days disregarded. ' Loveday ' is one such proof.
In olden times there was often a day fixed for the
arrangement of differences, in which, if possible, old
sores were to be healed up and old-standing accounts
settled. This day, called a ' Loveday,' is frequently
alluded to. That very inconsistent friar in Piers
Plowman's Vision could, it is said —
hold lovedays,
And hear a reves rekenyng.
The latter part of the quotation suggests to us the
origin of 'Termday,' which I find as -existing in the
twelfth century, and probably given in the humorous
spirit of that day.^ Nor are these all. ' Plouday' was
nineof the clock.' These rules are thus prefaced. ' The sheriflfs, by
the custom of the city, do ride to several parts thereof every year,
betwixt Michaelmas and yi/w/^ww/t';-, that is Voo/f.' ('Hist, and Ant.
York,' vol. ii. p. 54.) Lancashire Easter-eggs are still called Pace-
eggs. — The harder 'Paske' is found in Wicklyffe's Version of
Matt. xxvi. I : — 'Whaune Jhesus hadde endid all these words he scide
to his disciplis, ye weten that after tweyn days, Paske schal be made.'
' Richard Domesdaye was Rector of Caldecoto, Norfolk, in 1435.
(Bromefield). This would be synonymous with 'Termday.'
64 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the first Monday after Twelfth Night, and the day on
which the farmer began his ploughing. It was a great
rural holiday at one time, and the ploughmen as a rule
got gloriously drunk. Similarly, we have ' Hockcr-
day,' * Hockday,' and perhaps the still more corrupted
' Hobday,' the old English expression for a 'high-day.'
The second Tuesday after Easter was especially so
termed, and kept in early times as such, as commemo-
rative of the driving out of the Danes in the days of
Ethelred. This was a likely name to be given on
such a high day in the domestic annals as that on
which the first-born came into the world. Happy
parents would readily seize upon this at a time when
the word and its meaning were alike familiar. Our
' Hallidays' or 'Hollidays' throw us back to the
Church festivals, those times of merriment and jollity
which have helped to such a degree to dissociate from
our minds the real meaning of the word (that is, a
day set apart for holy service in commemoration of
some religious event), that we have now been com-
pelled by a varied spelling to make the distinction
between a 'holyday' and a 'holiday.' Thus strongly
marked upon our nomenclature is this once favourite
but now wellnigh obsolete custom.
V. — Patronymics formed from Occupations.
We may here briefly refer to a class of patronymics
which, although small from the first, took its place,
as if insensibly, among our hereditary surnames. It
is a class of occupativc ox professional names, with the
filial desinence attached. There is nothing wonderful
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 6$
in the fact of the existence of such. The wonder is
that there are not more of them. It must have been
all but as natural to style a man as the son of * the
Clerk ' as the son of * Harry ' in a small community,
where the father had, in his professional capacity,
established himself as of some local importance.
Hence we cannot be surprised to find * Clerkson ' in
our registers. It is thus the 'sergeant' has bequeathed
us our * Sergeantsons ;' the 'kemp/ or soldier, our
* Kempsons ; ' the ' cook,' our ' Cooksons,' or * Filius
Coci,' as the Hundred Rolls have it ; the ' smith,' our
' Smithsons ;' the ' steward,' our ' Stewardsons ;' the
'grieve,' i.e. 'reeve,' our ' Grievesons;' the 'miller,' our
'Millersons;' and the 'shepherd,' our ' Shepherdsons,'
Of other instances, now obsolete, we had 'Masterson,'
'Hyneson,'^ ' Hopperson,' ' Scolardson,' and 'Priest-
son.' Nor were the Normans without traces of this
practice, although in their case all the examples I •
have met with have ceased to exist amongst us.
'Fitz-Clerk' but corresponds with one of the above;
while the warden of the woods gave us ' Fitz-Parker,'
and that of the college, ' Fitz-Provost.' Thus, those
who yet possess names of this class may congratulate
themselves upon belonging to a small but compact
body which has ever existed amid our more general
nomenclature.
VI. — Metronyniics.
We have already mentioned Joan as having be-
queathed several surnames. We did not then allude
to the somewhat difficult subject of metronyniics ;
' I see, however, from the Clerical Directory, that 'Ilindson' is still
in existence. A 'Nicholas Hopperson' is found in an old college
register for 1582. (Hist. C. C. Coll. Cam.)
F
66 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
we shall first prove by examples that there are a
large number of such. We shall then briefly unfold
their origin from our point of view. The feminine of
Peter, ' Petronilla,' was a name in familiar use at this
time. St. Petronilla, once much besought as a help
against fevers, would no doubt add to its popularity.
Barnyby Googe says : —
The quartane ague and the rest
Doth Pemel take away,
And John preserves his worshippers
From prison every day.
Ill the above stanza we are supplied with the com-
mon sobriquet taken from his name. As * Pemel ' or
* Parnel ' it held a high place among the poorer classes.
From an ill-repute, however, that attached to it in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it is now all
but extinct as a Christian name, and it is only among
our surnames that it is to be met with. It is curious
how associations of this kind destroy the chances of
popularity among names. 'Peter' was forced into
familiarity. 'Perncl' lost caste through its becom-
ing a cant term for women of a certain character.
'Magdalen' is another case in point. The Bible narra-
tive describes her briefly as a penitent sinner. Legend,
adding to this, portrayed her beauty, her golden
tresses, her rich drapery. Art added touches of its
own in the .shape of dishevelled hair and swelled eyes,
but all to make this centre scene of penitence the more
marked. This, and the early asylums for penitents, of
which she became the forced patroness, prevented her
name being used as a Christian name at this time —
I have never, at least, found an instance. But as a
proof how early it had become a term for what I may
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 6/
call mental inebriety, a connection which of course it
owes to the portrayals alluded to above, I may instance
the name of Thomas le Maddelyn, found in the
twelfth century (H. R.), and an evident nickname
given to one of a sickly sentimental character. Our
present ' Maudlins ' and ' Maudlings ' may be de-
scended from one so entitled, or locally from some
place dedicated to the saint.
Among other female names, * Constance ' bid fair
to become very popular. A daughter of William the
Conqueror, a daughter of Stephen, and a daughter-
in-law of Henry II. were all so called. Chaucer in
his 'Man of Lawes Tale' calls his heroine by this
title —
But Hermegild loved Custance as her life,
And Custance hath so long sojourned there
In orisons, with many a bitter tear,
Til Jesu hath converted, through his grace.
Dame Hermegild.
This must have been its favourite form in the com-
mon mouth, for we find it recorded in such names as
* Custance Muscel,' ' Custance Clerk,' ' Robert fil.
Custe,' or ' Cus nepta Johannis,' with tolerable fre-
quency. The diminutive ' Cussot ' is also to be met
with. I need hardly say that in our ' Custances,'
' Custersons,' * Cuss's,' and ' Custs,' not to say some of
our ' Cousens,' as corruptions of ' Custson,' the re-
membrance of this once familiar name still survives.
Of late years the name proper has again become
popular. ' Beatrice ' is another instance of a name
once common sunk into comparative desuetude. The
Norman ' Beton ' was the most favoured pet form.
Piers Plowman says (Passus V.) : —
68 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Beton the Brewestere bade him good morrow,
and a little further on,
And bade Bette cut a bough, and beat Betoun therewith.
Thus it is we frequently light upon such entries as
'John Betyn,' ' Bctin de Friscobald,' 'Robert Beton-
son,' ' John Bettenson,' or ' Thomas Betanson.' These
latter of course soon dropped into ' Beatson ' and
' Betson,' which, with ' Beton ' and ' Beaton,' are still
common to our directories. ' Emma,' too, as a Nor-
man name has left its mark. By a pure accident,
however, as Miss Yonge points out, it had got a place
previous to the Conquest among the Saxons, through
the fact of the daughter of Richard I. of Normandy
marrying first Ethelred, surnamed the Unready, and
then Canute the Great. Thus, though it has not un-
frcquently been claimed as of Saxon origin, it is not
so in reality. The general spelling is ' Emme,' and
the pet ' Emmot ' or ' Emmet ' is found in such names
as ' Emmota Plummer ' or ' Emmetta Catton.' This
at once guides us into the source of our ' Emmots,'
' Emmetts,' ' ' Emmes,' ' Emsons,' ' Empsons,' and
' Emmotsons.' ^
' This name seems to have been very popular in Yorkshire. The
instances given in the index are taken from papers relating to that
county. Thus, again, we find it occurring in the marriage dispensations
and licences of the period. 'Dispensation from Selow for Richard de
Akerode and Emmotte de Greenwood to marry, they being related in
the fourth degree. Issued from Rome by Jordan Bishop of Alba, Apr.
27th, 3rd Kugcnius IV.' (1433.) — (Test. Ebor. vol. iii. p. 317); 'Li-
cence to the Vicar of Bradford to marry Roger I'rcstwlck and Emmote
Crosslcy. Banns thrice in one day.' (1466.) — Do. p. 338.
* We must not forget that at first a certain strangeness must have
been felt in terming a woman by such a contradictoiy sobriquet as
'Alice Johnson' or ' Parnel Simjt;;/.' The feminine desinence was
occasionally attempted. 'Alioia Thonu/i'^^'///tv' is found in the 'Test,
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 69
Almost as equal a favourite as ' Emma ' was
' Cecilia.' This was a name introduced at the Con-
quest in the person of Cecile, a daughter of William I.,
and it soon found itself a favourite among high and
low as * Cicely,' or still shorter as ' Cis ' or ' Sis/ al-
though the latter seems to have been the more general
form. In Piers Plowman, however, is preserved the
more correct initial. I have already quoted him when
he speaks so familiarly of
Cesse the souteresse.
In all the ballads of the seventeenth century, on the
other hand, it is always ' Sis ' * Siss ' or ' Sys.'
Long have I lived a bachelor's life,
And had no mind to marry ;
But now I would fain have a wife,
Either Doll, Kate, Sis, or Mary.
Our * Sissons,' ' Sysons,' and ' Sisselsons ' * are of
course but the offspring of this pretty appellative,
while one more instance of the popular diminutive
may be met with in such a name as 'John Sissotson'
or ' Cissota West ' found in the ' Testamenta Ebora-
censia,' or ' Bella Cesselot ' in the Hundred Rolls.^
Our ' Dowses,' ' Dossons,' and ' Dowsons ' represent
the once popular ' Douce,' * Duce,' or ' Dulcc,' more
Ebor.' (Sur. Soc.), ' Isabella Peers(/i9§-///«- ' and 'Isolda Ve.Qr%dogJiier'
in Feod. Prior. Dunelni. (Sur. Soc), and 'Avice MattcTC'y^' in the
' Issue Roll.'
■'Item, I gyffe to Sicille Metcalfe, my sister's doughtcr, 20J. ' —
* Richmondshire Wills,' p. 128.
^ A curious proof of the popularity of this pet form is met with in
the Manor of Ashton-under-Lyne ' (Ch. Soc. ). In a community of some
20 or 25 families were the following: — 'Syssot, wife of Patrick,'
' Syssot, wife of Diccon Wilson,' ' Syssot, wife of Thomas the Cook,'
and 'Syssot, wife of Jak of Barsley.' Robert Syssottysone, Rector of
Lecceworthe, 1478 (xx. 2, p. 187).
70 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
correctly ' Dulcia.' Hence we find such entries as
'John filius Dousae,' 'Douce de Moster,' and 'John
Dowsson,' Diminutives are found in ' Richard Dow-
kin ' (F), and in ' Dowsett,' ' Doucett,' and * Duckett'
The Norman was the more famihar form, all the more
so perhaps because in the baronial kitchen a course
of sweets was called dowcetts. An instance will be
found in the Rutland papers, p. 97 (Cam. Soc). This
is but another form of our ' dulcet' That the more
literal form was not lost, such names as ' Dulcia le
Draper' or 'Dulcia fil. William' will show, not to
mention our still existing patronymic ' Dulson.' The
later ' Dulcibella ' underwent the same change and
became ' Dowsabell.' This also attained the rank of a
surname, for beside such entries as ' Dowzable Mill '
(Z) and ' Dussabel Caplyn ' (Z) we light upon a
* Thomas Duszabeir (M). Thus familiar was 'Dulcia'
in former days. ' Dionisia del Lee ' or ' Dionisius
Garston ' are common entries, both masculine and
feminine forms being popular. ' Dennis,' ' Denot,'
and ' Dyot ' were the pet forms. Piers Plowman
styles one of his characters ' Denot.' Hereditary forms
are found in ' Dennis,' ' Dennison,' * Dyott,' ' Diotson,' '
and ' Dyson.' I cannot but think that ' Tenison ' or
' Tennyson ' is but a corruption of ' Dennison,' as also
* Tyson ' of ' Dyson.' That they are patronymics of
Antony (Tony) is the only alternative, and this I fear
is unsatisfactory. Mabel, although now somewhat out
of fashion, was very popular four hundred years ago
as 'Amabilla,' hence such entries as 'Amabella la
• In the Corpus Christi Guild, York, 1433 (Sur. Soc), Dyot is
feminine. There is set down, Robert Hayne et Dyot uxor.' The
patronymic ' Diotson ' is found in the same register.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 7 1
Blund,' or * Amabil fil. Emme.' The surnames de-
scended from it are sufficiently numerous to testify to
this. Besides ' Mabell ' simple, we have * Mabson,'
' Mabbs,' ' Mabbes,' ' Mabbott,' and perhaps * Maple-
son.' ^ Catharine, always called ' Catlin ' in the North,
reminding us of the Irish ' Kathleen,' is the source of
several surnames. Entries like ' Eleonore Catlynson '
(W. 12) or ' Thomas Katlynson ' (W. 1 1) are common,
and the shorter ' Cattlin ' is found in every Yorkshire
roll.
There is a certain quaint prettiness about * Hilary,'
* Lettice,' and ' Joyce,' three acceptable cognomens in
mediaeval times. The Normans liked their women to
be, however modest, none the less lighthearted, gay,
and spirited, and in the synonyms of ' mirth,' ' glad-
ness,' and ' sportiveness,' they would delight in affixing
on their newly-born children that which they hoped
would be in the future but the index of the real cha-
racter. ' Hillary ' when not local is therefore but the
fuller ' Hilaria.' ' Joyce,' sometimes the result of the
mere nickname, is nothing more than 'Jocosa,' and
' Lettice,' 'Letts,' and ' Letson' are sufficiently nume-
rous to preserve the memory of * Laetitia.' Thus, in
one of the Coventry Mysteries already alluded to,
mention is made of
Col Crane and Davy Dry-dust,
Lucy Lyer and Letyce Lytyl-trust,
Miles the Miller and CoUe Crake-crust.
' Letson ' is met in the fourteenth century as * Fitz-
Lettice.' * Thcophania ' was anything but unpopular,
but its length made it unavoidable but that it should
' I say 'perhaps' because it may be but a corruption of the local
Mapleston.
J2 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
be mutilated, or at least put in an abbreviated or nick-
name form, and thus it is has arisen our ' Tiffany,'
whence of course the surname of to-day. Thus, in
the Coventry Mysteries, it is demanded that
Both Bonting the Brewster and Sybyl Slynge,
Megge Mery-wedyr, and Sabyn ' Sprynge,
Tiffany Twynkeler fayle for no thynge.
Thierry in his history of the * Conquest of England '
quotes an old writer, who has preserved the following
lines of a decidedly doggrel character : —
William de Cognisby
Came out of Brittany
With his wife Tiffany,
And his maid Manfras,
And his dogge Hardigras.
We must not forget to mention J Eleanor,' or
' Alianora,' as it is more frequently registered, a
name of suffering royalty, and therefore to a portion
of the English people, at least, a popular name. Its
forms are too many for enumeration, but ' AHanor,'
* Annora,' * Annot,' ' Alinot,' * Leonora,' ' Eleanor,'
* Elinor,' ' Ellen,' ' Lina,' ' Linot,' and ' Ncl ' were the
most common. All of these were either surnames
themselves, or became the roots of surnames. Thus we
find among other entries such registrations as ' Alicia
Alianor,' ' Alianor Busche,' ' Annora Widow,' ' Annora
de Aencurt,' 'Anota Canun,' 'John Annotson,' 'William
Annotyson,' * Hugh fil. Elyenore,' ' William Alinot,'
' Alnot Red,' ' Lyna le Archer,' ' Linota ate Field,' or
' Sabyn or Sabina is frequently met with in the Hundred Rolls, as
also Sybyl, referred to in the line before. A church at Rome was
dedicated to a St. Sabina. Sybyl has bequeathed us 'Sibson.' In
Cocke Lorelles Bote, one of the personages introduced is ' Sybby Sole,
mylke ^vyfe of Islynton.'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 73
' Linota Vidua.' This list will suffice to prove the
place occupied by * Eleanor.' I have not mentioned
such entries as 'Johnfil. Nel' or ' Elisha Annyson,'
or ' Richard Anyson/ for though in these particular
instances we see the origin of some of our ' Ansons '
and ' Nelsons,' both are more generally referable to a
different source. ' Neal ' or ' Neile ' was very common
in this day, and * Neilson ' would easily be corrupted
into ' Nelson.'
'Julian,' the abbreviated formof ' JuHana,' as a Nor-
man introduced name became very popular, and its
after history was a very curious one. Such appella-
tions as ' Gillian Cook,' or ' Gilian of the Mill,' found
in the Hundred Rolls, or that of the well-known
' Dame Julyan Berners,' whose work on household
management I shall have occasion to quote by-and-
by, only represent in fuller forms the 'Gill' or 'Jill'
who is so renowned in our nursery literature as having
met with such a dire disaster in the dutiful endeavour
' to fetch a pail of water ' from the hill-side. I have
already mentioned ' Cocke Lorell's Bote,' where allu-
sion is made to
Jelyan Joly at signe of the Bokeler.
The shorter and curter form is given us in Heywood's
Epigrams, where the following marital dialogue oc-
curs : —
I am care-full to see thee carelesse, Jylle :
I am wofull to see thee wytlesse, Wyll :
I am anguisht to see thee an ape, Jyll :
I am angry to see thee an asse, Wyll :
I am dumpyshe to see thee play the drabbe, Jyll ;
I am knappyshe to see thee plaie the knave, Wyll.
But ' Gill ' at some time or other got into evil odour,
74 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
and this brought the name into all but absolute dis-
use. As a term for a wanton flirt or inconstant girl,
it was familiarly used till the eighteenth century. It
would seem as if the poet I have just quoted were
referring to this characteristic when he writes : —
All shall be well, Jacke shall have Gill ;
Nay, nay, Gill is wedded to Wyll ;'
or where in another place he says : —
How may I have thee. Gill, when I wish for thee ?
Wish not for me Jack, but when thou mayest have me.*
The diminutive * Gilot ' or * Juliet ' is used in the same
way. In an old metrical sermon it is said —
Robin will Gilot
Leden to the nale.
And sit ten there togedres.
And tellen their tale.
This at once reminds us of the origin of our * jilt,'
which is nothing more than a relic of the name for
inconstancy the sobriquet had obtained. In our * Gills,'
* Gilsons,' and many of our * Gillots,' a further remem-
brance is likely to remain for all time.^ Such names
' Jack and Jill seem ever to have been associated.
Will squabbled in a tavern very sore,
Because one brought a gill of wine no more ;
Fill me a quart, quoth he, I'm called Will,
The proverbe is, each Jack shall have his Gill.
Satyricall Epigrams, 1619.
* One can scarce forbear a smile to find in the ' Townley Mysteries '
Noah's wife, being pressed by her husband to enter the ark, replying —
Sir, for Jak nor for Gille
Willc I turne my face
Tille I have on this hille
Spun a space upon my rok (distaft).
* We must not forget a once familiar corruption of the diminutive
'Juliet' into 'Juet.' Such entries .is 'Juctta fil. William' (T. ),
' Richard fil. Juetta' (T.), ' William Juet ' (A.), or ' Christopher Jewit-
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 75
as these, however, offer no kind of comparison with
that of * Margaret,' This is the only rival that
'Gillian' had to fear, and had the misfortunes of
Margaret of Anjou occurred two, or even one century-
earlier, it would easily have taken precedence, so far
as our surnames are concerned. Apart from its being
found in several royal lines, it had the advantage of
undoubted prettiness both in sound and sense. Every
one, too, knew its meaning, for * margarite ' and
' pearl ' then, and until the seventeenth century even,
were interchangeable terms. Every early writer so
uses it. * Casting pearls before swine ' is with Wick-
liffe ' margaritis.' ^ The pet names too were pretty,
important in a day when the full name was rarely if
ever used.^ The Norman-French ' Margot ' seems to
have been quite as familiar as 'Marjorie.' Thus the
homely 'magpie' was at first styled the 'maggoty'
son ' (Z. ) are very common in the rolls of the xiiith and xivth centuries.
This, in the North, was pronounced 'Jowet,' hence such entries as
'Roger fil. Jowettse' (T. ), 'Jowet Barton' (W. ii), and our surname
'Jowett.' ' Jewitt' also exists. One of this name was a jockey in the
Derby of 1874.
' So, also, in another place the same translator says : ' The kyng-
dom of hevenes is lyk to a marchaunt that seekith gode margarites, but
whanne he hath founde one precious margarite, he wente and solde alle
thingis that he hadde and boughte it.' — Matt. xiii. 45, 46. Foxe too,
in his ' Book of Martyrs,' quotes Isidorus to the effect that John the
Apostle ' turned certain pieces of wood into gold, and stones by the
seaside into margarites.' — Vol. i. p. 28, edit. 1844.
''â– 'Barbara,' as another Greek virgin-martyr, may be set beside
Margaret. ' Barbe ' was the French form. As we shall see by-and-by,
our ' Simbarbes ' and ' Simbarbs ' hail from St. Barbe in Normandy.
(Jordan de St. Barbe, M., Thomas Seyntbarbe, B.) The Hundred
Rolls register three pet forms as surnames. ' Bertol Babbe,' 'John Bar-
bot,' and ' Nicholas Barbelot.' The latter belongs to the class in clot of
which ' Robelot ' ' Hewelot ' and • Hamelot ' are instances.
^6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
or ' magot-pie.' Many will remember that Macbeth
so uses it —
Blood will have blood :
Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak,
Augurs and understood relations have
By magot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth
The secretest man of blood. — ii. 7.
' Madge-owlet,' too, from its occasional use by writers
of this later period, seems to prove that the still more
homely owl of the barn owed an appellation to Dame
Marjorie. Her issue, as we should expect, is large.
We have ' Maggs,' 'Maggots,' and 'Magotson ;' 'Mar-
gots,' 'Margetts,' and 'Margetson;' ' Margison,' *Mar-
gerison,' ' Meggs,' and ' Megson.' ^ It will be surprising
to many that we cannot place ' Mary ' in the first place
among female names, as it is now among those of
either sex, but such was far from the case. Edward I.'s
daughter ' Marie ' seems to have been the first instance
we possess of its use among the higher families of the
realm ; and doubtless its presence at this time must be
referred, as in so many other cases we have mentioned,
to the Crusades. Mariolatry, we must remember, was
not yet an article of Romish belief Indeed, the name
is still of the rarest for generations after this. Maid
Marion, the mistress of Robin Hood, seems to have
made thatdiminutive popular, and either from the acted
plays in which she frequently afterwards figured, or
the little ornamental image of the Virgin worn by
women, is come our marionette. The one only form
in which it can be said to occur in our English records
• The various forms of the diminutive are found as Christian names
in the 'Manor of Ashton-under-Lyne ' (Ch. Soc), where occur such
entries as 'Magot, that was wife of Richard,' 'Merget of Staley,'
' Marget of Stanly,' ' Mergret, that was wife of Hobbe.' — pp. 96-7.
TATRONYMIC SURNAMES. "jy
is that of * Mariot,' such names as ' Mariot Goscelyn,*
or * Mariota Gififard,' or ' Mariota Gosebeck,' being
found as a very occasional registry. Thus our ' Ma-
riotts ' and ' Maryatts ' are explained. With regard to
another batch of names said to have sprung from this,
I find a difficulty sets in. We have the clear statement
of the author of the ' Promptorium Parvulorum '
that 'Malkyne' in his day was the sobriquet of Matilda,
that is, 'Mawdkin.' On the other hand, I find Halliwell
has a single quotation from a manuscript in which
Maid Marion is styled Malkyn also.^ All modern
writers, saving Mr. Lower, who has come to no deci-
sion at all, have comfortably put it down to this latter.
I have no hesitation whatever myself in deciding dif-
ferently, or at least in qualifying their conclusion.
' Since writing the above, I find several notices in Brand's 'Popular
Antiquities' which, while corroborating the view I have taken, shed a
clearer light as to Maid Marian's other sobriquet of 'Malkin.' In his
allusion to the Morris dances, he quotes Beaumont and Fletcher as
saying — •
' Put on the shape of order and humanity.
Or you must marry Malkin, the May-lady.'
Thus far, then, adding this to Mr. Halliwell's quotation, we find that
Maid Marian for several centuries was also 'Malkin.' But we must
remember that it was during this very period that Robin Hood and his
mistress were popularly believed to be Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, and
Matilda, daughter of Lord Fitzwalter. That the May Queen, therefore,
should be occasionally styled ' Malkin ' will appear natural enough if
we accept the view of the origin of that name as recorded in the text.
But it may be asked how did she get the sobriquet of ' Marian ' ?
Perhaps Mr. Steevens's quotation from an old play, ' The Downfall of
Rob. Earl of Huntingdon,' dated 1401, may help us— â–
' Next 'tis agreed (if thereto she agree)
That fair Matilda henceforth change her name ;
And, while it is the chance of Robin Hoode
To live in Sherwodde a poor outlaw's life,
She by Maid Marian's name be called.'
78 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
There can be scarcely any doubt, I think, that Malkin
was originally the pet name of Matilda ; then, as that
favourite name gradually sunk in estimation, and Mary
proportionately advanced, but this much later on, it was
transferred. Thus, if I am correct, our ' Makinsons '
and ' Makins,'^ our ' Meakins ' and ' Meekins,' and our
* Mawsons ' '^ will be sprung from Maud, rather than
Mary. In confirmation of this, I may quote 'Malkin,'
the early cant term for a 'slut,' a word as old as
Chaucer himself, and one that Mary could not have
possibly acquired in his day, as barely familiar.
* Mawdkin ' or ' Malkin,' on the other hand, w^ould be
the ordinary term for every household drudge. It is
only those who have carefully studied early registers
who can realize the difference of position ' Matilda '
and 'Mary' relatively occupy at such a period as this.
There were six ' Matildas ' of royal lineage between
William I. and Henry II. alone. It greets one at every
turn; the present popularity of the latter is entirely the
growth of a later and more superstitious age.'
Speaking of Mary, we must not forget Eliza-
beth, known, generations ere Queen Bess made it
* It has been thought by some that our ' Makins ' and ' Makinsons'
are from Matthew, and not in any way connected with feminine nomen-
clature. This may be so, for akhough there is the entry ' Maykina
Parmunter ' in the Parliamentary Rolls, there is also ' Maykinus
Lappyng ' in Materials for Hist. Reign of Henry VII.
^ Thomas Mawdeson (F. F.) would lead one to suppose that
Mawson was a direct corruption. It may be so, but ' Maw ' itself
seems to have existed as a pet form of Maud. In the ' De Lacy Inqui-
sition' (1311) there occurs 'Richard, son of Mawe, for 25 acres, etc'
— p. 10 (Chelt. Soc.)
' The preceding paragraphs will sufficiently answer, I doubt not,
the questions of correspondents in ' Notes and Queries,' as to whether
we have any surnames derived from female baptismal names,
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 79
SO popular, as Isabella. It was in this form it came
into England with that princess of Angouleme who
married John Lackland. But it was not a favour-
ite ; pretty as it was, its connexion with our most
despicable monarch spoiled all chance of popularity,
and while on the Continent it gained friends on every
hand, it was only with the higher nobility of our own
land it got any place worth speaking of. Still it has
left its mark. As Elizabeth^ at a later stage became
* Lib ' and ' Libby,' so Isabel was fondled into 'lb ' and
* Ibby.' Thus we come across such entries as * Henry
Ebison,' * Thomas Ibson,' or * John Ibson.' But a
foreign name without the foreign desinence would be
impossible. With the introduction of Isabel came in
the diminutive ' Ibbot ' or ' Ibbet.' Registrations like
* Ibbota fil. Adam,' 'Ibote Babyngton,' or 'Ebote Gylle,'
and as surnames * Walter Ibbot,' ' Robert fil. Ibote,'
* Francis Ibbitson,' or ' Alice Ebotson ' are of common
occurrence.^ Another form of the same diminutive was
'Isot,' hence ' Isotte Symes,' 'Izott Barn,' or ' Ezota
' Elizabeth came into use too late to leave any mark upon our sur-
names. I have not come across, to the best of my remembrance, a
single instance in any record earlier than the fifteenth century. * Bess,'
or 'Bessie,' was the first pet name formed from it, and this very proba-
bly began to grow into favour about the time of Elizabeth Woodville's
marriage. With the proud imperious Queen Bess, however, came in
every conceivable variety that could be played upon the name, ' Betsey,'
or 'Betsy,' 'Betty,' 'Eliza,' 'Lizzie,' and 'Libbie' being the favourites.
The first 'Bessie' I find is that of ' Bessye Tripps,' 1558; the first
* Betty ' being that of ' Bettye Sheile,' 1580, both being in a Newcastle
will. Betty for two centuries was, perhaps, the form most in favour in
aristocratic circles. How fickle is fashion ! It is entirely tabooed there
in the nineteenth.
2 Thomas and John Ibson are recorded in the 'Corpus Christi
Guild,' York. (Surt. Soc.)
8o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Hall.' ' But even with this we have not completed our
list. One more pet form, and one still common
amongst us, that of * Bell,' left its mark in * Bellot,'
' Bellet,' and ' Bellson,' all of which are still to be
found in our directories.
The preceding pages will be sufficient proof that our
metronymics are a considerable class. Many have not
hesitated to affirm them to be wholly of illegitimate
descent. We cannot doubt that in some instances this
is the case. Nevertheless, we must not be led astray.
' Poison ' is Paul's son, ' Nelson ' is Neil's son, Neil
or Nigel being at one time a familiar name with us.
And even when the name is unquestionably feminine,
as in Mollison, Margerison, Marriot, Emmett, or
Annotson, illegitimacy is anything but established as
a matter of fact. Adoption of children by women,
posthumous birth, and other peculiar circumstances
would often cause a boy or girl to be known in the
community by a metronymic. Especially, too, would
a child be thus styled in a family where the mother
was notoriously, and in an emphatic sense, the better
half, in a family where the husband was content to sit in
the chimney nook, and let the bustling Margery, or
Siss, or Emmot take, whether in or out of doors, the
lead in all that concerned the domestic relationship.
Thus, I doubt not, a large mass of them have arisen.
VII. — Names Derived from Holy Scripture.
We have incidentally referred to several Bible
names, such as John, Mary, or Elizabeth. We shall
find a certain characteristic appertaining to these. It
' ' George Hall et Ezota uxor ejus.' York Guild (W. ii).
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES.
is only those personages who prominently figured
in the Scripture narrative who made any mark upon
our nomenclature. The others, I doubt not, were
unknown. It is even uncertain whether the clergy
themselves had any but the faintest knowledge of the
Bible. Indeed, such names even as were in use bear
no testimony to the fact that they were given as the
direct result of familiarity with the sacred pages. If
from the New Testament, they were names that figured
in the calendar as saints and martyrs, names to whom
shrines and chapels had been dedicated. If from the
Old, they were just those like * Adam,' or 'Isaac,' or
' Joseph,' or ' Samson,' or * Daniel,' or ' Absolom,'
whose stories, told in the monkish performances or
miracle-plays, were thus forced into the acquaintance
of the popular mind. In a word, there is not a trace
of anything beyond a mere superficial knowledge of
the very outlines of the sacred narrative. Thus was it
with ' Adam,' already mentioned. That he and Eve
should be remembered at the font was inevitable.
The Hundred Rolls give us an 'Adam fil. Eve.'
Mr. Lower has been tempted to refer our ' Atkins ' and
' Atkinsons ' to Arthur, but there can be little doubt,
I imagine, that these are but sharper forms of ' Adkins '
and 'Adkinson.' The record alluded to above registers
the same person twice as ' Adam le FuUere ' and
' Adekin le Fuller.' With them therefore wc must ally
our * Addisons,' 'Adcocks,'^ and 'Adamsons.' Eve left
us 'Eveson' as a nietronymic, and 'Evetts' and 'Evitts,'
as the diminutives, are firmly set amongst us.'* 'Abel'
' ' Ilamne, son of Adecok, held 29 acres.' (De Lacy Inquis. p. 19,
Ch. Soc.)
' A proof that this origination is correct is found in a York will dated
G
82 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
was equally popular. The Norman desinence is found
in such entries as * Abalotta de la Forde,' or Richard
Abelot, whose descendants now figure as 'Ablett' and
'Ablott' As will be seen, these may be feminine
in origin. The reverence of the despised Jew for
Abraham prevented this from becoming acceptable to
Christians, but Isaac's sacrifice was too popular a story
not to leave an impression. It would be frequently
represented by the monks. I have already quoted
Langland where he speaks of
Hikke the hackney-man
And Hugh the nedlere —
an abbreviation now more generally known and spelt
as * Ike.' Gower also has it —
IVatle vocat, cui Thoma venit, neque Symme retardat,
Bat-i-^x. Gibbc simul, Ilykke venire subent.
From him then have arisen our ' Isaacs ' and ' Isaac-
sons,' our ' Hicks ' and ' Hicksons,' our ' Higgs ' and
' Higsons,' and with the Norman-French diminutives
appended, our ' Higgins,' ' Higginsons,' ' Higgotts,' • and
' Higgetts.' ' Sarah,' in the dress of ' Sarra,' had a fair
number of admirers. ' Sarra Ic Commongere,' 'William
fil. Sarra,' ' Nicholas fil. Sarre,' is the usual entry. The
origin of our ' Sarsons' would thus be certain, were it
1391. William de Kyrkby bequeaths articles to 'Evre uxori Johannes
Parvying,' and to ' Wiliielmo de Rowlay,' and then at the close he
speaks of them as the aforementioned ' Evotam et dictum Willielmum
Rowlay.' (Test. Ebon, vol. i. p. 145-6. Surt. Soc.) An old London
record, dated 1379, contains amongst other names those of 'Custancc
TiUsshe' and 'Evota de Durham.' The owner would be familiarly
known among her acquaintances as ' Evote ' or 'Evette.' {Memorials
o/Loiuhn, p. 435.)
' ' Sacred to the memory of George Higgott,' etc. Bonsall Church,
Derbyshire. The more common form is 'Higgett.'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 83
not that this name, as will be shown elsewhere, has got
confused with * Saracen.' Moses also failed to be ac-
cepted among Christians, nor was Aaron much more
fortunate, such registration as 'Aaron le Blund' or
* Aron Judde ' being rare. ' Samson ' or * Sampson,'
as it is more generally recorded, was of course popular
enough, and manj of our ' Sampsons ' are rather the
simple * Samson' than the patronymic of 'Samuel'
' Samms ' ' Samuels' and ' Samuelson' are generally of
Jewish descent. ' David,' with its ' Davies,' its ' David-
sons,' its ' Dawes ' and ' Dawsons,' its ' Dawkes ' and
' Dawkins,' or ' Dawkinsons,' its ' Dayes,' ' Daysons,'
and ' Dakins' (when not 'Deakin'), would be equally
sure of remembrance ; though doubtless, as the patron
saint of the Principality, and as a favourite among
Scottish kings, it owes much to these outer chances.
Here, too, we are reminded of Piers Plowman, with
his —
Dawe the dykere
And a dozen othere.
This nickname seems to have had a long reign in the
popular mouth, for we find, towards the close of the
sixteenth century, Haywood writing the following
epigram : —
To a justice a juggler did complaine,
Of one that dispraised his legerdemain.
What's thy name ? sayd the Justice : Dawson, sayd hec :
Is thy father alive ? Nay, dead, sir, pardee :
Then thou shalt no more be Dau's son, a clere case,
Thou art Daw thyself now in thy father's place. '
Passing by ' Absolom,' ' Solomon,' or ' Salamon,' 'Job '
and ' Jobson,' the story of Daniel would of course be
common. This has bequeathed us itself ifi propria pcr-
• 'Dawe Robson, et Alicia uxor ejus.' (W. il.)
G 2
84 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
sona, and'Dancock,' 'Dankin,' 'Danett,' and 'Dannett.'
With regard to 'Dans,' 'Dance,' 'Danse,' and 'Danson,'
there is a little difficulty. We have to remember that
'Dan,' like 'Dame,'' figured prominently in early days
as a simple title of respect. They were but the ' Don '
and ' Donna ' which, in one form or another, still exist
in Italy, France, and Spain. ' Dame,' from domina,
meant ' mistress.' * Don,' from dominus, meant ' mas-
ter.' To rank and age the two terms were equally
applied. A ' dame's school ' still preserves this con-
nexion of ideas. ' As with the mistress so with the
maid,' is in early Bibles ' As with the dame so with the
maid.' Thus there seems to be little doubt that our
' Dames ' and ' Damsons ' are so sprung. Why then
should not ' Dans ' and ' Danse ' and 'Danson ' be the
masculine form } Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales,
represents the host as asking the Monk —
But, by my trothe, I cannot tell your name :
Whether shall I call you my lord Dan John,
Or Dan Thomas, or elles Dan Albon ?
Thus he speaks also of ' Dan Constantine,' and jest-
ingly of the ass as ' Dan Burnell.' Thus, Lord Sur-
rey in one of his poems speaks of ' Dan Homer ;'
Spenser of ' Dan Geoffrey ;' Thomson of ' Dan Abra-
ham.' The best way will be, as in many another case,
' 'Damsel' is, of course, the diminutive of this. As a surname, it
is found in the cases of 'Simon Damesell ' (II. R.) and 'Lawrence
Damysell' (W. 2). Other diminutives are met with in 'Damietta Por-
ceir (Hist, and Ant. SuiTej', index), 'Damietta Avenell' (F. F.),
' Dametta fil. Morell ' (D. D.) ; hence as surnames our 'Damets,'
' Dametts,' 'Damiots,' and 'Domitts.' Entries like 'Alice Damyctt'
(Z), ' Hugh Damiot ' (A), ♦ Henry Damctt ' (R), and ' Henry Domct'
(A) arc common.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES, 85
to divide the honours between the two ; and leaving it
thus undecided, I pass on.
Nor is the New Testament without its instances.
Let us look at the Apostles first. We have already-
spoken at some length about ' John,' but we purposely-
kept for the present opportunity the explanation of
its popularity in England, There can be little doubt
that it owes much to its religious aspect. It was the
name not merely of the beloved disciple, but of the
Baptist, New and close associations with the latter
were just coming into being. We must remember
this was the time of the Crusades, It was the custom
of all pilgrims who visited the Holy Land to bring
back a bottle of water from the Jordan for baptismal
purposes, A leathern bottle was an inseparable
adjunct to the palmer's dress. We all remember
Walter Scott's description —
His sandals were with travel tore,
Staff, budget, bottle, scrip he wore :
The faded palm-branch in his hand
Showed pilgrim from the Holy Land.
Early scenes with regard to the river in which the
Baptist specially figured would thus be vividly brought
to their notice, and in the ceremony of baptism at
home nothing could be more natural than to give to
the infant the name of the baptizer of the Holy Child
Jesus, This is strongly confirmed by the fact of the
name taking precedence at this very period. It was
thus ' Jordan ' itself as a surname has arisen, I need
not remind students of early records how common is
'Jordan' as a Christian name, such cognomens as
'Jordan de Abingdon' or 'Jordan leClerc' being of the
most familiar occurrence. The baptismal soon became
86 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
surnominal, and now 'Jordan,'^ ' Jordanson,' * Jordson,'
' Jurdan,' ' Judd,' and 'Judson'^ are with us to remind
us of this peculiar and interesting epoch.^ We have a
remarkable confirmation of what I am asserting in the
fact of the Baptist's other name of ' Elias ' springing
into a sudden notoriety at this time. If ' John '
became thus so popular, it was inevitable ' Elias '
should be the same ; and so it was. Indeed, there
was a time when it bid fair to be one of the most
familiar sobriquets in England. For it was not merely
the second Elias and the Jordan that had this effect.
As the armies lay before Acre, remembrance of Elijah
and the prophet of Carmel must have oft recurred to
their minds. Out of many forms to be found in every
early roll, those of ' Ellis,' * Elys,' ' Elice,' ' Ellice,'
* Elyas,' ' Helyas,' and the diminutive ' Eliot ' or
' Elliot,' seem to have been the most familiar. Num-
berless are the surnames sprung from it. It is thus
we get our ' Ellises ' and ' Ellices,' our * Ellsons '
and * Ellisons,' our ' Elkins ' and ' Elkinsons,' our
* Thomas Jordanson and Margery Jordanson occur in ' Three Lan-
cashire Documents' (Cheth. Soc).
* 'Jud,' now the pet form of George, was formerly that of Jordan.
In GowePs lines, already quoted, it is said —
' Hudde ' ferit, quem ' Judde ' terit.
This reminds us of Aron Judde in tlie Hundred Rolls.
* Dean Stanley seems to have the impression that this custom
was confined to the pilgrims of Italy and Spain. In his Sinai and
Palestine, page 333, he says : ' The name of the river has in Italy
and Spain, by a natural association, been turned into a common Chris-
tian name for children at the hour of baptism, which served to connect
them with it.' Judging by existing traces merely, I doubt whether
the practice was quite so familiar in those countries as our own.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 87
* Elcocks ' and ' Ellcocks,' and our ' Ellicots,'^
' Elliots,' and ' EUiotsons.' In the north ' Alls '
seems to have gained the supremacy. Thus it is we
have our many ' Allisons ' or 'Alisons,'^ 'Allkins' or
'Alkins,' 'Allcocks' or * Alcocks,' and 'Allots.'
' Alecot,' as a synonym with ' Elicot,' I do not find to
be at present existing, but as a Christian name it
occurs at the same period with the above.^ ' Fitz-
ellis,' as the more aristocratic Norman form, is not
' Ellicot seems to be a sort of feminine from Elisota. ' Item do et
lego Elisotse domicellse meas 40J.' (Will of William de Aldeburgh,
1391. Test. Ebor. vol. i. p. 151.) 'Item, lego Elisot?e, uxori Ricardi
Bustard unam vaccam et los.' (Will of Patrick de Barton, 1391. Test.
Ebor. vol. i. p. 155.)
^ We cannot but believe, however, that in many instances these
two are but the offspring of ' Alice,' at this period one of the most
popular of female names. Nor must we forget that Alison was itself a
personal name, this being the Norman-French pet form of Alice, after
the fashion of Marion, Louison, Beaton, etc. We are all acquaint«d
with the * Alison ' of the ' Canterbury Tales ' —
' This Alison answered : Who is there
That knocketh so? I warrant him a thefe.'
We meet with it again in an old Yorkshire will : ' Item, to Symkyn,
and Watkyn and Alison Meek, servandes of John of Bolton, to ilk on
of yaim (them) 26s. 8d.' (Test. Ebor., vol. iii p. 21. Surtees. Soc. )
This name is found in our more foiTnal registers in such an entry as
'Alison Gelyot.' (Pari. Rolls.) With regard to 'Alls ' and ' Elis,' and
'Alison' and ' Elison,' recorded in the text, I may remind the reader that
A and E were all but convertible letters with the Normans. One of
their favourite female names, that of 'Aveline,' is found equally often as
'Eveline,' and in the form of 'Evelyn' it came down to the distinguished
writer of the seventeenth century. 'Arnold ' and ' Ernold,' ' Amcric '
and 'Emeric,' 'Amelia' and 'Emilia,' 'Anota and Enota,'and ' Ame-
lot ' and ' Emelot ' are but other instances in point.
» I am confirmed in my view by finding ' Eliot ' registered as ' Aly-
ott.' ' Alyott de Symondston held half an oxgang of land, xixc/.' (De
Lacy Inquisition (131 1) Cheth. Soc.)
88 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
yet, I believe, extinct. Thus the prophet at Carmel
and the forerunner at the Jordan have made their
mark upon our English nomenclature.
Peter claims our attention next. When we con-
sider how important has been the position claimed for
him it is remarkable that in an age when, so far as
England was concerned, this respect Avas more fully-
exacted than any other, his name should be so rarely
found, rarely when we reflect what an influence the
ecclesiastics of the day themselves must have had in
the choice of the baptismal name, and what an in-
terest they had in making it popular. It is to them,
doubtless, we must refer the fact of its having made
any mark at all, for 'Peter' was odious to English
cars. It reminded them of a tax which was the one
of all least liked, as they saw none of its fruits. It is
to country records we must look for the ' Peters ' of
the time. The freer towns would none of it. Among
the rude peasantry ecclesiastic control was wellnigh
absolute ; in the boroughs it was proportionately less.
I have already quoted an instance of 133 London
names where Peter is discovered but once to 35 Johns.
In the Norwich Guild already mentioned, the propor-
tion, or rather disproportion, is the same. To 128
Johns, 47 Williams, 41 Thomases, 33 Roberts, and 21
Richards, there are but 4 Peters. On the other hand,
in Wiltshire, out of 588 names, we find 16 Peters to
92 Johns. This wide difi"erence of ratio I find to be
fully borne out in all other groups of early names.
Thanks then to the ecclesiastics it did exist, and its
relics at any rate are numerous enough. It is hence
we get the shorter ' Parr,' ' Piers,' ' Pierce,' * Pears,'
'Pearse,' and ' Peers.' It is hence with the patronymic
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 89
added we get our ' Parsons,' ' Pearsons,' * Piersons,'
and the fuller ' Peterson.' It is hence once more with
the pet desinences attached we get our ' Perrins ' and
* Perrens,' our ' Perrets,' ' Perretts,' ' Parrots,' and
* Parrets,' • our * Peterkins,' * Perkins,' * Parkins,' and
' Parkinsons,' besides our ' Perks ' and ' Perkes ' innu-
merable.
' Simon,' or ' Simeon,' is represented by at least
sixteen different personages in the Scriptures, so we
may well expect to find that it has also impressed
itself upon our own registers. The usual forms of
the name in mediaeval rolls is * Sim,' ' Simkin,' and
* Simonet.' Thus we find such entries as ' Simon fil.
Sim,' ' Simkin Cock,' ' Symkyn Edward,' * Simonettus
Mercator,' or * Symonet Vaillain,' The French
diminutive does not seem to have been so popular
as that which the Flemings made so common, for I
find no * Simnets ' in our directories, while a whole
column has to be set aside for our ' Simpkins ' and
' Simpkinsons.' * Simcock' must have existed also, as
our ' Simcocks ' and ' Simcoxes ' can testify. Other
forms are found in ' Sims,' ' Simms,' ' Simpson,'
' Simmons,' ' Simonds,' ' Symonds,' ' Simmonds,' and
* Symondsons.' This latter is met with in the Rolls
of Parliament in the guise of ' Symondesson.' ' Philip,'
as another of the Apostles of Jesus, was also popular.
' Perrin was formed from 'Pierre,' as 'Iluggin' from Hugh or
•Colin' from Nicol. 'The wife of Peryn ' is mentioned in 'Manor of
Ashton-under-Lyne ' (Ch. Soc), p. 97. Perrot, or Parrot, represents
also the French diminutive. ' Alan Fitz-Pirot was a benefactor to St.
Alban's Monastery.' (See Clutterbuck's Hertford, Appendix, vol. i.)
Prince Edward used to call the favourite, Piers Gaveston, by the
familiar title of ' Perot.' (See Notes and Queries, vii. 280, and Lower
on ' Perrot,')
90 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
As with ' Simon,' most of the nursery forms are still
found as the chief components of its surnames.
Skelton, the poet-laureate — in lieu of a better — of
Henry VIII., reminds us of its chief contraction,
'Philp,' or *Phip,' in his lines on a dead sparrow,
named Philip : —
Many times and oft,
Upon my finger aloft,
I played with him, tittle-tattle,
And fed him with my spattle.
With his bill between my lips.
It was my pretty Phips,
Thus we derive our ' Phelps,' ' Philps,' ' Phipps,' and
* Phipson.' Adding to these our 'Philips,' 'Philipsons,'
' Philcoxes,' 'Philpotts,' and ' Phillots,' we sec that we
are not likely soon to be quit of Philip. He is now,
however, out of fashion as a Christian name. ' Philpot,' '
I need scarcely say, was very popular as the represen-
tative of the Norman-French ' Philipot,' found in such
entries as 'Thomas Phylypotte,' or 'John Philipot;'
but endeavours to deduce his origin as well in spelling
as in sound from the characteristics displayed by the
renowned Toby Philipot are not wanting, for I see
him figuring in the ' London Directory ' as ' Fillpot'
Archbishop Trench quotes from one of Careless's
letters to Philpot the following passage, which serves
to show that three hundred years ago at least the
name had been played upon in similar fashion : ' Oh,
good Master Philpot (he says), which art a principal
pot indeed, filled with much precious liquor — oh, pot
* There can be little doubt that 'Potts' comes from 'Philpotts.'
We light upon a 'Thomas Potkin' (H.H.), proving that the abbreria-
tion was in use.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 9 1
most happy ! of the High Potter ordained to honour.'
Some years ago, when a Philpott was appointed to the
episcopal chair of Worcester, Dr. Philpotts being yet
at Exeter, the following lines got abroad : —
\A good appointment ? ' ' No, it's not,'
Said old beer-drinking Peter Watts ;
•At Worcester one but hears " Phil-pott;"
At generous Exeter, "Phil-potts."'
* Fillpot ' as well as ' Fillip' are both found in
mediaeval registers in the cases of * Roger Fylpot ' and
* Walter Felip.' An old song, quoted in ' Political
Poems ' (i. 60), says of the defeated soldiers at Halidon
Hill :—
On Filip Valas fast cri they,
There for to dwell, and him avaunce.
The ' Fillpots ' of our present directories may there-
fore have thus spelt their names for four or five hun-
dred years. Anyhow they have precedent for the
form.
* Matthew the Publican ' seems to have been a
favourite alike in England and France. * Matt ' was
the homely appellative, and thus besides ' Mathews '
and ' Mathewson,' we meet with Matts,' ' Matson,'
* Mattison, ' and ' Mattinson.' Our ' Mayhews ' repre-
sent the foreign dress, and can refer their origin to
such personages as ' Adam fil. Maheu,' or * Mayeu
de Basingbourne.' ' Bartholomew,' for what reason I
can scarcely say, was a prime favourite with our
forefathers, and has left innumerable proofs of the
same. ' Batt ' or ' Bett ' seems to have been the
favourite curtailment. The author of * Piers Plow-
man ' speaks of ' Bette the Bocher ' (Butcher), * Bette
the Bedel,' and makes Reason bid
92 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Bette kutte
A bough outher tweye,
And bete Beton therewith.
'Batty,' 'Bates,' ' Batson,' 'Batcock,' ' Badcock,'
' Batkins,' ' Badkins,' ' Betson,' ' Bedson,' and ' Betty '
are relics of this. ' Bartle,' and the Norman-French
* Bartelot,' found in such entries as ' Bartel Frobisher,'
'John fil. Bertol,' 'Bartelot Govi,' or 'Edward Bart-
tlette,' at once bespeak the origin of our ' Bartles ' and
' Bartletts,' ' Nor was this all. Another favourite
sobriquet for this same name was ' Toly ' or * Tholy,'
hence such registrations as ' Tholy Oldcorn,' or
' Robert Toly,' or ' William fil. Tholy.' Our ' Tolleys '
' Tollys ' and ' Tolsons ' ^ are thus explained. None of
these could have been the offspring of any old ' Ladye
Betty,' as Mr. Lower seems to imagine, since that
name, as I have shown, did not exist in England at
this time, nor in fact can it be said to have been known
till rendered fashionable by Elizabeth Woodville, the
bride of Edward IV. What an influence a single in-
dividual may wield over our personal nomenclature
may be thus seen, when we remember the enormous
preponderance of this latter name during the two
centuries that followed the reign of the imperious but
* good Queen Bess,' and the glorious scattering of
the Spanish Armada. This, too, escaping the wither-
ing influences of the Puritan era, continued through
all, and now holds the fourth place in English esteem.
• A well-known Durham family of the name of ' Burletson' existed
till the close of the eighteenth century in that county, and I am not
sure that it does not still sur\'ivc there. This, I doubt not, is but a
corruption of ' Bartelotson ' or ' Bartleson.' (Fide Surtees' History of
Durham, vol. i. p. lo6.)
' John Toloson was Sheriff of London in 1237.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 93
In the poem I have just quoted, Reason
Called Caton his knave
Curteis of speche,
And also Tomme Trewe-tonge.
Thus we see that ' Tom, ' as the popular form of
* Thomas,' has been in vogue for many centuries.
* Thomas,' like some of the above names, received an
increased impulse from the Crusades. But another
circumstance also befriended it. In its numerous pro-
geny may be read again the story of the feud that
arose between the haughty Archbishop and Henry II.,
a feud that terminated so fatally for the former, and
made the spot where he fell hallowed for centuries
by the pilgrimages of shrine-worshippers. Piers, in
Langland's poem, says,
I nolde fange a ferthyng
For saint Thomas shryne.
The surnames whose origin we must undoubtedly
attribute, in the majority of cases, to the notoriety
given to the sobriquet possessed by this murdered
prelate are many. The patronymic is clearly marked
in our ' Thomasons,' ' Thomsons,' and ' Thompsons.'
The favoured Norman diminutive is equally assured
of perpetuation in our ' Thomasetts,' ' Thomsetts,' and
'Thompsetts ;' the Saxon being as fully popularised
in our * Thompkins,' ' Tompkins,' ' Tomkins,' and
' Tomkinsons.' The softer termination is also firmly
settled in our 'Thomlins,' 'TomHns,' and 'Tomlin-
sons.' ^ More abbreviated patronymics are to be met
' The romance form, ' Thomasine,' existed till recent days, and was
at the zenith of its popularity in Elizabeth's reign. It is found in every
94 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
with also in our' Thomms,' 'Thorns,' and * Toms.' With
so many representatives in the list of rational beings,
we need not be surprised to find the lower order of
creation under obligations to this title. It was with
the death of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and the con-
sequent popularity of his name, arose so many sobri-
quets of which the same name became a component
part. The cat became a ' tom-cat,' a simple-natured
man a ' tom-coney,' a silly fellow a ' tom-noddy ' or
' tom-fool,' a romping girl a ' tom-boy,' and a wren a
•tom-tit' Andrew has made little impression on
English nomenclature, but in Scotland he is universal,'
for not only is St. Andrew the patron saint, but
some of his relics are said to have been brought thither
in the 4th century. ' Andrew,' 'Andrews,' and ' Ander-
son' are its surnames, but nearly all belong to the
north side of the Tweed. 'James,' too, has failed to
be popular in England, but ' John ' in the shape of
' Jack ' has robbed him, as we have seen, of nearly all
his property. Such entries as ' James le Queynt,' or
' Ralph Jamson,' or ' William Gimmison,' were occa-
sionally registered, and in the form of ' James '
'Jameson' ' Jimson' and 'Jimpson' they still exist.''
* Jamieson ' is Scotch. Of the Gospel writers we have
already noticed ' Matthew ' and ' John,' In ' Mark '
we see the progenitor not merely of our ' Marks' and
register of that period. It is found as ' Thomasing ' in Worksworth
Ch. (Derbyshire) : ' Thomasing, filia William Sympson ; buried
Jan. 31, 1640.'
' Thus Skelton, in li^/iy come ye itat to Coitrtc ? says : —
' Twit, Andrewe, twit, Scot,
Ge hanic, ge scour thy pot.'
* An instance of the diminutive is found in ' Tliomas Jemmitt,'
recorded in Clutterbuck's Hertford, Index, vol. i.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 95
the Latinized ' Marcus,' but of * Marcock,' * Markin,'
and ' Marson ' also. The mention of * Luke ' recalls
such names as ' Luckins,' * Luckock,' ' Lucock,' or
* Locock,' ' Luckett,' and perchance * Lockett.' It is
in the form of * Lucus,' however, that he is generally-
known. The author of ' Piers Plowman ' speaks of
* Marc,' ' Mathew,' ' Johan,' and ' Lucas.'
Of the later period of New Testament history, few
names were better represented than ' Nicholas,' but it
was ' St. Nicholas ' of the fourth century who chiefly
gave it its position. Owing to several well-known le-
gends that connected themselves with this famous
Archbishop of' Myra, he became the patron saint of
boys, sailors, parish clerks, and even thieves. Two
of the most favoured curtailments of this name were
* Nicol ' and ' Nick.' From the one we have derived our
* Nicholls' and * Nicholsons ;' from the other our
' Nixs,' ' Nicks,' 'Nixons,' ' Nicksons,' and 'Nickersons,'
Judging from our surnames, * Nick ' was the more
favoured term. In the old song ' Joan to the May-
pole,' it is said :
Nan, Noll, Kate, Moll,
Brave lasses have lads to attend 'em ;
Hodge, Nick, Tom, Dick,
Brave country dancers, who can amend 'em ?
But the most popular form of all was that of
* Cole' ' or ' Colin,' which came to us through the Nor-
mans. ' Colin ' is one more instance of the diminutive
' Thus, in Why come ye 7iat to Courte? Skelton introduces such fic-
titious characters as —
' Havell, and Harvy Hafter,
Jack Travell, and Cole Craftcr.'
96 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* on ' or * in.' Thus we derive our ' Collins,' ' Collin-
sons,' and * Colsons.' The more usual desinence still
lives in our ' Colletts ' and ' Colets.' This is the form
found in one of the ' Coventry Mysteries,' where allu-
sion is made to
Kytt Cakeler, and Colett Crane,
Gylle Fetyse, and Fayr Jane.
Miss Yonge mentions a ' Collette Boilet ' who, in the
fifteenth century, caused a reformation of the nuns
of St. Clara, and Mr. Lower has a ' St. Colette,'
whose parents had given him the name out of respect
to ' St. Nicholas.' ' Coletta Clarke' is found in Clut-
terbuck's ' Hertford ' (Index). St. Nicholas, it is
clear, was not neglected.
The proto-martyr Stephen has left many memorials
in our nomenclature of the popularity which his story
obtained among the English peasantry. The name
proper is found in such entries as ' Esteven Walays,'
or ' Jordan fil. Stephen,' and their descendants now
figure amongst us as ' Stephens,' ' Stevens,' ' Stephen-
son,' and ' Stevenson.' More curtailed forms arc met
with in ' Steenson' and ' Stinson,' and the more cor-
rupted ' Stimson ' and ' Stimpson.' The Norman
diminutive was of course ' Stcvenet ' or ' Stevenot,'
and this still remains with us in our ' Stennets ' and
' Stennetts.' Nor do Paul and Barnabas lack me-
morials. Traces of the former are found in our ' Pol-
sons,' ^ ' Pawsons,' ' Powlsons,' and more correct ' Paul-
' I have slated in p. 80 lliat Poison is nothing more than Paulson.
A proof of this is found in the case of ' Pol Withipol,' who was sum-
moned to attend the council to show why the statute passed
27th Henry VIII., for the making of broadcloths and kerseys, should
not be repealed. — Proc. and Ord. Privy Council, vii. 156.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 97
sons.' In one of these, at least, we are reminded of
the old pronunciation of this name. Piers Plowman
styles it 'Powel,' and even so late as 1562 we find
Heywood writing the following epigram : —
Rob Peter and pay Poule, thou sayst I do ;
But thou robst and poulst Peter and Poule, too.
This at once explains the origin of our more diminu-
tive ' Pauletts,' ' Pouletts,' ' Powletts,' and ' Pollitts.' »
* Barnabas ' has left his impress upon our ' Barnabys,'
and when not local, ' Barnbys.' Miss Yonge mentions
an epitaph in Durham, dated 1633, commemorative of
one of the proctors of the chapter —
Under this thorne tree
Lies honest Barnabee.
A century later we find it in one of D'Orsey's bal-
lads —
Davy the drowsy, and Bamaby bowzy,
At breakfast will flout and will jeer, boys ;
Sluggards shall chatter, with small beer and water.
Whilst you shall tope off the March beer, boys. — Vol. i. 311.
This name is now entirely out of fashion.
With five Alexanders in the New Testament it
did not need the celebrity of the great commander
nor that of more fabulous heroes to make his name
common. In Scotland it obtained great favour, both
in palace and cottage. The softer form was always
used. Chaucer says —
Alisaundre's storie is commune ;
and Langland, among other foreign places of interest,
speaks of ^
Armonye and Alisaundre.
' Capgrave, in his 'Chronicles,' under date 1394, says: ' In this
time the Lolardis set up scrowis at Westminster and at Poulcs.'
H
98 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
This was no doubt the popular pronunciation of the
time, except that it was usually abbreviated into
' Sander,' or ' Saunder.' Thus, in * Cocke Lorells Bote,'
it is said —
Here is Saunder Sadeler, of Frog-street Comer,
With Jelyan Joly at sign of the Bokeler.
Hence it is we find such entries as * Thomas fil.
Saundre,' 'John Alisaundre,' 'Edward Saundercock,'
or ' Sandres Ewart,' and hence again such surnames
as ' Sandercock,' ' Sanderson,' ' Saunderson,' ' Sanders,'
and 'Saunders.' ' Timothy,' saving in 'Timms,' 'Timbs,'
'Timson,' and 'Timcock,' seems to have been over-
looked, and yet Glutton in 'Piers Plowman ' is followed
into the tavern by
Wat the wamer, and his wife both,
> Tymme the tinker, and twain of his 'prentices.
But, however unfortunate Paul's spiritual son may
have been, the same cannot be said of Clement, his
fellow-labourer. Raised to high distinction as the
title of one of the greatest of the early fathers, a
popular name among the Popes (for no less than
fourteen were found to bear the sobriquet), Clement
could not fail to meet with honour. Its usual forms
were * Clement,' ' Clemcnce,' and ' Clemency.' Dimi-
nutives were found also in ' Clem ' and ' Clim.' Of
the noted North English archer it is said, in one of
the Robin Hood ballads —
And Clim of the Clough hath plenty enough,
If he but a penny can spare ;
and in the old song of the ' Green-gown ' a rhyme is
easily secured by the conjunction of such names as —
Clem, Joan, and Isabel,
Sue, Alice, and bonny Nell.
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 99
The chief surnames whose paternity is traceable to
' Clement ' are ' Clements,' * Clementson,' ' Clemms,'
* Clemson,' and ' Clempson.' Archangelic names are
found in our ' Gabbs,' ' Gabbots,' and ' Gabcocks,'
from ' Gabriel ; ' and in our ' Michaelson,' ' Mitchels,'
and ' Mitchelsons,' from ' Michael.'
But let us somewhat more closely analyse these
names. As I have said before, from the most casual
survey one thing is evident, they represent the
Church's Calendar rather than the Church's Bible.
They are the extract of sacred legends rather than of
Holy Writ. There is not a single name to betray any
internal acquaintance with the Scriptures. Nor could
there well be. An English Bible was unknown, and
had there been one to consult, the reading powers of
the nation were too limited for it to have been much
used. Many of the clergy themselves could not read.
Thus the Bible, so far as extends beyond the leading
incidents it contains, was a sealed book. This had
its effect upon our nomenclature. We cannot find a
single trace of acquaintance with its rarer histories.
What a wide change in this respect did Wicklyffe
and the Reformation effect ! With an English Bible
in their hand, with the clearing away of the mists of
ignorance and superstition, with the destruction of all
forces that could obstruct the spread of knowledge,
all was altered. The Bible, posted up in every church,
might be read of all — and all who could probably did
read it. This at once had its effect upon our nomen-
clature. Names familiar enough in our own day to
those ordinarily conversant with the Scriptures, but
till then absolutely unknown, were brought forth from
their hiding-places and made subservient to the new
lOO ENGLISH SURNAMES.
impulse of the nation. Names associated with the
more obscure books, and with personages less directly
confronting us in our study of the Word, begin now
to be inscribed upon our registers. The ' Proceedings
in Chancery ' is the best evidence how far this had
affected our nomenclature towards the close of the
reign of Elizabeth. We come across such names, for
example, as ' Ezechie Newbold,' * Dyna Bocher,'
* Phenenna Salmon,' ' Ezekiel Guppye,' * Dedimus
Buckland,' * Esdras Botright,' ' Sydrach Sympson,'
'Judith Botswain,* 'Isachar Brookes,' 'Gamaliel
Capell,' ' Emanuel Cole,' * Abigaill Cordell,' ' Reuben
Crane,' * Amos Boteler,' ' Philologus Forth,' ' Zabulon
Gierke,' * Archelaus Gifford,' 'Gideon Hancock,' 'Seth
Awcocke,' ' Abacucke Harman,' or ' Melchizedek
Payn.' The ' State Papers ' (domestic) of James I.'s
reign are .still more largely imbued with the new
influence. We are now brought face to face with
entries such as * Uriah Babington,' ' Aquila Wykes,'
'Hilkiah Crooke,' 'Caleb Morley,' ' Philemon Powell,'
'Melchior Rainald,' 'Zachaeus Ivitt,' 'Ananias Dyce,'
' Agrippina Binglcy,' ' Apollonia Cotton,' or ' Phineas
Pett.* So far, however, the change was of a certain
kind. These new names did not clash with the
old nomenclature. There was a greater variety,
that was all. Both romance and sacred names went
together, and in the same family might be seen 'John'
and 'Ralph,' 'Isaac' and 'Robert,' 'Reuben' and
' Richard.' But a new spirit was being infused into
the heart of the nation, th"at spirit which at length
brought about the Puritan Commonwealth. We all
know how this great change came. It is neither our
intention, nor need we enter into it here. Sufficient
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. lOI
for our purpose that it came. This revolution mar-
vellously affected our nomenclature. It was not
simply that the old and, so to speak, pagan names
•William,' 'Roland,' 'Edward,' 'Ralph,' ' Aymon,'
and a hundred others, once household words, were
condemned to oblivion, but even the names of the
Christian saints were ignored. ' Cromwell,' says
Cleveland, 'hath beat up his drums clean through the
Old Testament — you may know the genealogy of our
Saviour by the names of his regiment. The muster
master hath no other list than the first chapter of St.
Matthew.' The Old Testament, indeed, seems to
have been alone in favour.' The practice of choosing
such designations borrowed therefrom as ' Enoch,'
'Hiram,' ' Seth,' ' Phineas,' 'EH,' ' Obadiah,' 'Job,'
♦Joel,' 'Hezekiah,' ' Habbakuk,' 'Caleb,' ' Zeruiah,'
'Joshua,' ' Hephzibah,' or ' Zerubbabel,' has left its
mark to this very day, especially in our more retired
country districts. Self-abasement showed itself, at
least externally, in the choice of names of bad repute.
'Cains,' 'Absoloms,' ' Abners,' ' Delilahs,' 'Dinahs,'
' Tamars,' ' Korahs,' 'Abirams,' and ' Sapphiras,'^
' Lord Macaulay has noticed this. Speaking of the Old Testament,
and in respect of the old Puritans, he says : ' In such a history it was not
difficult for fierce and gloomy spirits to find much that might be dis-
torted to suit their wishes. The extreme Puritans, therefore, began to
feel for the Old Testament a preference which, perhaps, they did not
distinctly avow even to themselves, but which showed itself in all their
sentiments and habits. They paid to the Hebrew language a respect
which they refused to that tongue in which the discourses of Jesus and
the epistles of Paul have come down to us. They baptized their chil-
dren by the names, not of Christian saints, but of Hebrew patriarchs
and warriors.' —(///>/'. E7tg. ch. i.)
^ The most curious illustration of this class is that of * Melcom
Groat ' (T.T.), ' Milcom, the abomination of the children of Ammon.'
102 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
abounded. Nor was this all. Of all excesses those
of a religious character are proverbially most intem-
perate in their course. Abstract qualities, prominent
words of Scriptures, nay, even short and familiar
sentences culled from its pages, or parodied, were
tacked on to represent the Christian name. Camden
mentions, as existing in his own day, such appella-
tions as ' Free-gift,' * Reformation,' ' Earth,' ' Dust,'
'Ashes,' 'Delivery,' ' Morefruit,' 'Tribulation,' 'The
Lord is near,' 'More trial,' 'Discipline,' 'Joy again,'
' From above ' — names which, he says, ' have lately
been given by some to their children, with no evil
meaning, but upon some singular and precise conceit.'
' Praise-God-Barebones ' is but another specimen of
this extraordinary spirit. The brother of this latter
could boast a still longer sobriquet. He had chosen
for himself, it is said, the title, ' If-Christ-had-not-
died-for-you-you-had-been-damned-Barebones,' but
his acquaintances becoming wearied of its length,
retained only the last word, and as ' Damned-Bare-
bones ' left him a sobriquet more curt than pleasant.
The following is a list of a jury said to have been
enclosed in the county of Sussex at this time, and
selected of course from the number of the Saints : —
Accepted Trevor of Norsham.
Redeemed Compton of Battle.
Faint-not Hewit of Heathfield.
Make-peace Heaton of Hare.
God-reward Smart of Fivehurst.
Stand-fast-on-high Stringer of Crowhurst.
— 2 Kings, xxiii. 13. This is a conversion by baptism which would
astonish equally Mr. Spurgeon and Dr. Pusey, I should imagine. A
sister of Archbishop Leighton (son of a much persecuted Presbyterian
minister) was ' Sapphira.'
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. IO3
Earth Adams of Waketon.
Called Lower of the same.
Kill-sin Pimple of Witham.
Return Spelman of Watling.
Be-faithful Joiner of Butling.
Fly-debate Roberts of the same.
Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith White of Emer.
More-fruit Fowler of East Hadly.
Hope-for Bending of the same.
Graceful Herding of Lewes.
Weep -not Billing of the same.
Meek Brewer of Oakeham.
The above list may be thought by many a mere
burlesque, and so I doubt not it is, but a similar cate-
gory could be quickly put together from more reliable
sources, and some of the names therein set down did
certainly exist. The following entries are quoted by
Mr. Lower from the registers of Warbleton : —
161 7. Be-stedfast Elyarde.
— Good-gift Gynnings.
1622. Lament Willard.
1624. Defend Outered.
1625. Faint-not Dighurst.
— Fere-not Rhodes.
1677. Replenish French."
The ' Proceedings in Chancery ' furnish us with
' Virtue Hunt,' ' Temperance Dowlande,' ' Charitie
Bowes,' and ' Lamentation Chapman.' The ' Visitation
of Yorkshire ' gives us * Fayth Neville,' ' Grace Clay-
ton,' ' Troth Bellingham,' and * Prudence Spenser ; '
and amongst other more general instances may
be mentioned * Experience Mayhew,' ^ ' Abstinence
' The same writer quotes from the register of Waldron the following
curious entry : — ' Flie-fornication, the bace sonne of Catren Andrewes,
bapt. ye 17th Desemb., 1609.'
* 'The Rev. Experience Mayhew, A.M., born Feb, 5th, 1673,
I04 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Pougher,' ^ ' Increase Mather,' * * Thankful! Frewen,'
'Accepted Frewen,'^ * Live-well Sherwood,' * * Faythful
Fortescue,' * and * Silence Leigh.' ^ The more extraor-
dinary and rabid phases of this spirit have now passed
away, but the general effect remains. It is from this
date, I have said, must be noted the declension of such
a familiar name as ' Humphrey,' or ' Ralph,' or ' Jos-
celyn,' and of the romance names generally. From this
date we perceive the use of some of our present most fa-
miliar and till then wellnigh unknown baptismal names.
With the restoration of Charles II. much of the
more rhapsodic features of this curious spirit died out,
but it is more than probable it was fed elsewhere.
The rigorous persecution of the Nonconformists which
marked and blotted his reign, the persecuting spirit
which drove hundreds to seek beyond the seas that
asylum for religious liberty which was denied them at
died of an apoplexy, Nov. 9th, 1758.' He was a missionary to Vine-
yard Island. (Vide 'Pulpit,' Dec. 6, 1827.)
' 'Here lieth the body of Abstinence Pougher, Esq., who died
Sept. 5th, 1741, aged 62 years.' (All Saints, Leicester. F/V/f Nicholls'
' Leicester.')
* Dr. Increase Mather was sent from New England to represent to
James II. the gratitude of the Dissenters for a Toleration Act in 1685.
{ FiV/i? Neales' 'Puritans,' vol. v. p. 31.)
* Rev. Accepted Frewen (died 1664) was Archbishop of York, and
son of a Puritan minister in Sussex. (Vide Walker's 'Sufferings of
Clergy,' p. 38,) 'Thankful!' was his brother.
* Mr. Livewell Sherwood, an alderman of Norwich, was put on a
commission for sequestering Papists, in 1643. (ScobcU's 'Orders of
Pari.,' p. 38.)
* Faythful Fortescue. ('Visitation of Yorkshire.')
* ' Robert Thycr and Silence Leigh, married Dec. 9, 1741.' (St.
Ann's, Manchester.) She was evidently the daughter of some old
stickler for St. Paul's doctrine — 'Let the women learn in silence, with
all subjection' — or had he been himself a sufferer in his married life ?
PATRONYMIC SURNAMES. 10$
home, could have none other effect than to make
these settlers cling the more tenaciously to the new
scheme of doctrine and practice, for which they had
sacrificed so much. Thus the feeling which had led
them at home to allow the Written Word to be the
only source from which to select names for their
children, or to make substitutions for their own, was
not hkely to be suppressed in the backwoods.^ Their
very life and its surroundings there but harmonized
with the primitive histories of those whose names they
had chosen, A kind of affinity seemed to be estab-
lished between them. This spirit was fanned by the
very paucity of population, and the difficulty of keep-
ing up any connexion with the outer world. They
were shut up within themselves, and thus the Bible
became to them, not so much a record of the past as
that through which ran the chronicle of the present.
It was a living thread interwoven into their very lives.
Their history was inscribed in its pages, their piety
was fed by its doctrines. Its impress lay upon all, its
influence pervaded all. All this has left its mark
upon Anglo-American nomenclature — nay, to such a
degree do these influences still exist, that, though
derived from the same sources, the American system
and our own can scarce be viewed otherwise than as
separate and distinct. Rare, indeed, are the early
romance and the Teutonic names in those tracts
' Charles Chauncy died in New England, 1671. He went from
Hertfordshire, where the family had been settled for centuries. His
children were 'Isaac,' ' Ichabod,' 'Sarah,' 'Barnabas,' ' Elnathan,'
♦Nathaniel,' and 'Israel.' (Clutterbuck's Hertford, vol. ii. 401.)
Elnathan and Nathaniel are the same, with syllables reversed, like
' Theodora ' and ' Dorothea. '
I06 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
where the descendants of the primitive settlers are
found. All are derived from the Scriptures, or are of
that fancy character, a love of which arose with their
Puritan forefathers. Appellations such as ' Seth,' or
'Abel,' or 'Lot,' or 'Jonas,' or 'Asa,' or ' Jabez,' or
' Abijah,' or ' Phineas,' or ' Priscilla,' or ' Epaphro-
ditus,' abound on every hand. Sobriquets like
' Faith,' and ' Hope,' and * Charity,' and * Patience,'
and ' Prudence,' and * Grace,' and * Mercy,' have be-
come literally as household words, and names yet
more uncouth and strange may be heard every day,
sounding oddly indeed to English ears. There would
seem to have been a revulsion of feeling, even from
such of the Biblical names as had lived in the earlier
centuries of our history, as if the connexion of ' Peter,'
and 'John,' and ' James,' and ' Thomas ' with others of
more pagan origin had made them unworthy of fur-
ther use ; certain it is, that these are in no way so
familiar with them as with us. Such are the strange
humours that pass over the hearts of men and com-
munities. Such are the changes that the nomen-
clature of peoples, as well as of places and things,
undergo through the more extraordinary convulsions
which sometimes seize the body corporate of society.
Truly it is a strange story this that our surnames tell
us. ' What's in a name .' ' in the light of all this,
seems indeed but a pleasantry, meant to denote how
full, how teeming with the story of our lives is each —
as so they are.
X
CHAPTER 11.
LOCAL SURNAMES.
In wellnigh every country where personal nomen-
clature has assumed a sure and settled basis, that is,
where a second or surname has become an hereditary
possession in the family, we shall find that that por-
tion of it which is of local origin bears by far the
largest proportion to the whole. We could well pro-
ceed, therefore, to this class apart from any other
motive, but when we further reflect that it is this local
class which in the first instance became hereditary, we
at once perceive an additional claim upon our atten-
tion.
I need scarcely say at the outset that, as with all
countries so with England, prefixes of various kinds
were at first freely used to declare more particularly
whence the nominee was sprung. Thus, if he were
come from some town or city he would be * William
of York,' or ' John of Bolton,' this enclitic being fami-
liarly pronounced * a,' as ' William a York,' or ' John a
Bolton.' For instance, it is said in an old poem anent
Robin Hood —
It had been better of William a Trent
To have been abed with sorrowe ;
I08 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
where it simply means * William of Trent.' * This, of
course, is met in France by *de,' as it was also on
English soil during early Norman times. If, on the
other hand, the situation only of the abode gave the
personality of the nominee, the connecting link was
varied according to the humour or caprice of the
speaker, or the relative aspect of the site itself Thus,
if we take up the old Hundred Rolls we shall find
such entries as 'John Above-brook,' or ' Adelina
Above-town,' or ' Thomas Behind-water,' or ' John
Beneath-the-town.' Or take a more extended in-
stance, such as * Lane.' We find it attached to the
personal name in such fashions as the following : —
Cecilia in the Lane.
Emma a la Lane.
John de la Lane.
John de Lane.
Mariota en le Lane.
Philippa ate Lane.
Thomas super Lane.
' Brook,' again, by the variety of the prefixes which I
find employed, may well be cited as a further example.
We have such entries as these : —
Alice de la Broke.
Andreas ate Broke.
Peter ad le Broke.
Matilda ad Broke.
Reginald del Broke.
Richard apud Broke.
Sarra de Broke.
Reginald bihunde Broke.
' ' What is your name?' then said Robin Hood,
'Come, tell me, without any fail ;'
' By the faith of my body,' then said the young man,
* My name it is Allan a Dale.'
{Robin Hood^ vol. ii, 261.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. IO9
These are extracts of more or less formal entries, but
they serve at least to show how it was at first a mere
matter of course to put in the enclitics that associated
the personal or Christian name with that which we
call the surname. Glancing over the instances just
quoted, we see that of these definitive terms some are
purely Norman, some equally purely Latin, a few are
an admixture of Norman and Latin, a common thing
in a day when the latter was the language of inden-
ture, and the rest are Saxon, 'ate' being the chief one.
This ' atte ' was ' at the,' answering to the Norman
* de la,' ' del,' or ' du,' and was familiarly contracted
by our forefathers into the other forms of * ate ' and
* att ; ' or for the sake of euphony, when a vowel
preceded the name proper, extended to 'atten.' Li
our larger and more formal Rolls these seldom occur,
owing to their being inscribed all but invariably in
the Norman-French or Latin style I have instanced
above, but in the smaller abbey records, and those of
a more private interest, these Saxon prefixes are
common. In the writers of the period they are fami-
liarly used. Thus, in the * Coventry Mysteries,'
mention is made of —
Thorn Tynker, and Betrys Belle,
Beyrs Better, and Watt at the Well ; •
' One of the best puns extant is put to the credit of the Duke of
Buckingham by Walter Scott, in his Peveril of the Peak. A Mrs.
Cresswell, who had borne anything but a creditable character, be-
queathed 10/. for a funeral sermon, in which nothing ill-natured was to
be said of her. The duke wrote the following brief but pointed dis-
course : ' All I shall say of her is this : she was bom 7w//, she married
•well, she lived wt'//, and she died well; for she was born at "Shad-
well," married to "Cress-well," lived at " Clerken-well," and died in
♦♦Bride-well."'
no ENGLISH SURNAMES.
while ' Piers Plowman ' represents Covetousness as
saying —
For some tyme I served
Symme aUe-Style
And was his prentice.
It may not be known to all my readers, probably not
even to all those most immediately concerned, that
this * atte ' or ' att ' has fared with us in a manner
similar to that of the Norman ' du ' and ' de la.' It
has occasionally been incorporated with the sobriquet
of locality, and thus become a recognised part of the
surname itself Take the two names from the two
poems I have but just quoted, 'Watt at the Well'
and ' Symme atte Style.' Now we have at this pre-
sent day but simple ' Styles ' to represent this latter,
while in respect of the former we have not merely
* Wells,' but ' Attwell,' or ' Atwell.' These examples
are not solitary ones. Thus, such a name as * John
atte Wood,' or ' Gilbert atte Wode,' has bequeathed
us not merely the familiar * Wood,' but * Attwood '
and * Atwood ' also. ' William atte Lea,' that is, the
pasture, can boast a large posterity of ' Leighs,'
' Leghs,' and ' Lees ; ' but he is wellnigh as com-
monly represented by our ' Atlays ' and ' Attlees.'
And not to become tedious in illustrations, ' atte-
Borough ' is now ' Attenborough ' or 'Atterbury;'
' atte-Ridge ' has become ' Attridge,' ' atte-Field '
' Atfield ; ' while such other designations as ' atte-
Town,' 'atte-Hill,' ' atte-Water,' ' atte- Worth,' 'atte-
Tree,' or ' atte-Cliffe,' arc in this nineteenth century
of ours registered frequently as mere ' Atton,' ' Athill,'
' Atwater,' ' Atworth,' ' Attree,' and ' Atclifife.' Some-
times, however, this prefix dropped down into the
LOCAL SURNAMES. Ill
simple *a.' The notorious Finder of Wakefield was
* George a Green ' according to the ballads regarding
Robin Hood. ' Thomas a Becket,' literally, I doubt
not, ' Thomas atte Becket ' — that is, the streamlet —
is but another instance from more general history.
The name is found in a more Norman dress in the
Hundred Rolls, where one ' Wydo del Beck't ' is set
down. In the same way 'atte-Gate' became the
jewelled ' Agate,' and ' atte-More ' ' Amore ' and the
sentimental ' Amor.' I have said that where the name
proper— i.e. the word of locality — began with a vowel
the letter ' n ' was added to ' atte ' for purposes of
euphony. It is interesting to note how this euphonic
' n ' has still survived when all else of the prefix has
lapsed. Thus by a kind of prosthesis our familiar
'Noakes' or 'Nokes' stands for ' Atten-Oaks,' that is,
' At the Oaks.' ' Piers Plowman,' in another edition
from that I have already quoted, makes Covetousness
to say —
For sum tyme I served
Simme atte-Noke,
And was his plight prentys,
His profit to look.
* Nash ' is but put for * atten-Ash,' or as some of our
Rolls records it, * atte-Nash ; ' ' Nalder ' for ' atten-
Alder,' ' Nelmes ' for ' atten-Elms,' ' Nail ' for * attcn-
Hall,' while * Oven ' and ' Orchard ' in the olden
registers arc found as * atte-Novene ' and ' atte-Nor-
chard ' respectively. That this practice, in a day of
an unsettled orthography, was common, is easily
judged by the traces that may be detected in our
ordinary vocabulary of a similar habit. In the period
we are considering ' ale ' was the vulgar term for an
112 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' ale-house.' We still talk of the ' ale-stake,' that is,
the public-house sign. Thus *atten-ale' got corrupted
into *nale.' Chaucer, with many other writers, so
uses it. In the ' Freres Tale ' we are told how the
Sompnour —
Maken him gret festes at the nale.
An old poem, too, says —
Robin will Gilot
Leden to the nale
And sitten there togedres
And tellen their tale.
Thus our forefathers used to talk alike of * an ouch,'
or 'a nouch,' for a jewel or setting of gold. Gowcr
has it —
When thou hast taken any thynge
Of love's gifte, or nouche, or rynge.
Even now, I need scarcely remind my readers, wc
talk of a ' newt,* which is nothing but a contraction of
' an ewt ' or ' eft,' and it is still a question whether
' nedder,' provincially used for ' an adder,' was not
originally contracted in a similar manner. ' Nale,' or
* Nail,' thus locally derived, still lives in our directories
as a surname.'
While ' atte ' has been unquestionably the one
chief prefix to these more familiar local terms, it is
not the sole one that has left its mark. Our ' Bywa-
ters' and ' Bywoods' are but the descendants of such
mediaeval folk as ' Elias Bi-the-water,' or ' Edward
' A will, dated 1553, among other bequests mentions : ' Also to 7>iy
tta7VHt Bygott an old angell of golde.' The old angel, I need not say,
refers to the coin, not the aunt. (Richmondshire Wills, p. 76.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. II3
By-the-wode,' and our * Byfords,' ' Bytheseas/ and
'Bygates,' or 'Byatts,' are equally clearly the off-
spring of some early ancestor who dwelt beside some
streamlet shallow, or marine greensward, or woodland
hatchway.
In this pursuit after individuality, however, this
was not the only method adopted. Another class of
names arose from the somewhat contrary practice
of appending to the place-word a termination equally
significative of residence. This suffix was of two
kinds, one ending in ' er,' the other in ' man.' Thus
if the rustic householder dwelt in the meadows, he
became known among his acquaintance as ' Robert
the Fielder,' or 'Filder;' if under the greenwood
shade, 'Woodyer,' or 'Woodyear,' or 'Woodman' —
relics of the old ' le Wodere ' and ' le Wodeman ; ' if
by the precincts of the sanctuary, ' Churcher ' or
' Churchman ' in the south of England, or * Kirker '
or * Kirkman ' in the north ; if by some priory,
' Templer ' or * Templeman ; ' if by the village cross,
' Grosser,' or ' Grossman,' or ' Groucher,' or ' Grouch-
man ; ' if by the bridge, ' Bridger ' or ' Bridgman ; ' if
by the brook, ' Brooker,' or ' Brookman,' or ' Becker,'
or * Beckman ; ' if by the well, the immortal ' Weller,'
or ' Welman,' or ' Grossweller,' if, as was often the
case, it lay beneath the roadside crucifix ; if by some
particular tree, ' Beecher,' once written ' le Beechar,'
or'Asher,' or ' Hollier,' or ' Holleyman,' or ' Okcr,'
and so on.
A certain number of names of the class we are
now dwelling upon have arisen from a somewhat
peculiar colloquial use of the term * end ' in vogue
I
114 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
with our Saxon forefathers. The method of its em-
ployment is still common in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The poorer classes still speak of a neighbour as dwell-
ing ' at the street end ; ' they never by any chance use
the fuller phrase 'the end of the street.' Chaucer
uses it as a familiar mode of expression. The Friar,
in the preface to his story, says slightingly —
A Sompnour is a rener up and doun
With mandments for fornication,
And is beaten at every tounes ende.
In the * Persones Prologue,' too, the same poet says —
Therewith the moons exaltation
In mene Libra, alway gan ascende
As we were entring at the thorpes ende.
How colloquial it must have been in his day we may
judge from the following list of names I have been
enabled to pick up from various records, and which I
could have enlarged had I so chosen : —
John ate Bruge-ende.
Walter atte Townshende.
John de Poundesende.
Margaret ate Laneande.
William atte Streteshend.
John atte Burende.
Adam de Wodcshendc.
Martin de Clyveshende.
John de la Wykhend.
William de Overende.
John de Dichendc.
Thomas atte Greaveshendc.
Besides these we have such a Latinized form for
' Townsend,' or ' Townshend,' as ' Ad fincm villae,' or
' End ' itself without further particularity, in such a
LOCAL SURNAMES. II5
sobriquet as ' William atte-Nende.' ^ The several
points of the compass, too, are marked in ' North-
ende,' ' Eastende,' and * Westende,' the latter having
become stereotyped in the fashionable mouth as the
quarter in which the more opulent portion of the town
reside, whether its aspect be towards the setting siin
or the reverse — but an exaggeration of this kind is a
mere trifle where fashion is concerned.
But these Saxon compounded names, numerous
as they are, are but few in comparison with the simple
locative itself, without prefix, without desinence,
' Geoffrey atte Style,' ' Roger atte Lane,' ' Walter atte
Water,' * Thomas atte Brooke ; ' or in the more
Norman fashion of many of our rolls, ' John de la
Ford,' 'Robert del Holme,' 'Richard de la Field,'
* Alice de la Strete : ' all these might linger for awhile,
but in the end, as we might foresee, as well in the
mouths of men as later on in the pages of our registers,
they became simple * Geoffrey Styles ' and ' Roger
Lane,' * Walter Waters ' and ' Thomas Brookes,' ' John
Ford ' and ' Robert Holmes,' ' Alice Street ' and
' Richard Field.' Here, then, is an endless source of
surnames to our hands. Here is the spring from
which have issued those local sobriquets which prepon-
derate so largely over those of every other class. To
analyse all these were impossible, and the task of
selection is little less difficult. But we may give the
preference to such leading provincialisms as are em-
bodied in our personal nomenclature, or to such terms
as by their existence there betoken that, though not
' This name thus formed existed till the sixteenth century, at least,
for ' Christopher Nend ' is set down in the Corpus Christi Guild,
York, 1530.
I 2
Il6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
now, yet they did then occupy a place in the vocabu-
lary of every-day converse. For it is wonderful how
numberless are the local words, now obsolete saving
for our registers, which were used in ordinary talk not
more than five hundred years ago. That many of
them have been thus rescued from oblivion by our
hereditary nomenclature is due no doubt to the fact
that the period of the formation of the latter is that
also during which our tongue was settling down into
that composite form of Saxon and Norman in which
we now have it, and which in spite of losses in con-
sequence, in spite of here and there a noble word
crushed out, has given our English language its
pliancy and suppleness, its strengths and shades.
We have mentioned ' de la Woode ' and ' Atte-
woode.' ' De la Hirst' is exactly similar — its com-
pounds equally numerous. The pasture beside it is
' Hursley ' — if filberts abound it is ' Hazlehurst ; ' if
ashes, ' Ashurst ; ' if lindens or linds, ' Lyndhurst ; ' if
elms, * Elmhurst.' If hawks frequented it we find it
styled * Hawkhurst ; ' if goats, ' Goathirst ; ' if badgers
or brocks, ' Brocklehurst ; ' if deer, ' Dewhurst ' (spelt
Duerhurst, 1375). The 'holt ' was less in size, being
merely a coppice or small thicket. Chaucer speaks
of ' holtes and hayes.' ' Dc la Holt ' is of frequent
occurrence in our early rolls. Our ' Cockshots ' are
but the ' cocksholt,' the liquid letter being elided as in
' Aldershot,' ' Oakshot,' ' and ' Bagshot,' or badgers'
holt. A * shaw ' or * schaw ' was a small woody
shade or covert. An old manuscript says : —
' William de Okholt is found in the * Inquis. post mortem.' This
would be the original form.
LOCAL SURNAMES. , 11/
In somer when the shawes be sheyne,
And leves be large and long,
It is fulle mery in feyre foreste
To here the foulys song.
As a shelter for game and the wilder animals, it is
found in such compounds as ' Bagshaw/ the badger
being evidently common ; ' Hindshaw,' ' Ramshaw,'
* Hogshaw,' ' ' Cockshaw,' ' Henshaw,' and ' Earnshaw.'
The occurrence of such names as ' Shallcross ' and
* Shawcross,' ' Henshall ' and ' Henshaw,' and ' Kersall '
and * Kershaw,' would lead us to imagine that this
word too has been somewhat corrupted. Other
descriptive compounds are found in ' Birkenshaw,*
or * Denshaw,' or ' Bradshaw,' or ' Langshaw,' or
* Openshaw.' As for ' Shaw ' simple, every county in
England has it locally, and every directory surnomi-
nally. Such a name as ' Richard de la Frith' or
* George ate Frith ' carries us at once to the woodland
copses that underlay our steeper mountain-sides —
they represented the wider and more wooded valleys
in fact We find the term lingering locally in such
a name as ' Chapel-en-le-frith ' in the Peak of Derby-
shire. The usual alliterative expression of early days
was ' by frith and fell.' We have it varied in an old
poem of the fourteenth century : —
The Duke of Braband first of all
Swore, for thing that might befall,
That he should both day and night
Help Sir Edward in his right,
In town, in field, in frith and fen.
Our ' Friths ' are by no means in danger of obsoletism,
• ' Emehna de Hogshawe ' (Inquis. post mortem). The name is
now extinct, I believe.
Il8 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
to judge by our directories — and they are a pleasant
memorial of a term which was once in familiar use as
expressive of some of the most picturesque portions of
English scenery. Such a name as * De la Dene ' or
' Atte Den,' of frequent occurrence formerly, and as
* Dean ' or ' Den ' equally familiar now, is worthy of
particularity. A den was a sunken and wooded vale,
where cattle might find alike covert and pasture.
Thus it is that we are accustomed to speak of a den
in connexion with animal life, in such phrases as a
* den of lions ' or a ' den of thieves.' See how early
this notion sprang. We have a remembrance of the
brock in ' Brogden,' the wolf in ' Wolfenden,' the fox
in * Foxden,' the ram in ' Ramsden,' the hare in ' Har-
den,' and the deer in ' Dearden,' ^ ' Buckden ' or ' Bug-
den,' ' Rayden ' and 'Roden,' or' Rowden.' The more
domesticated animals abide with us in ' Horsden,'
* Oxenden,' and * Cowden,' ' Lambden,' or ' Lamden,'
* Borden,' and ' Sugden,' or ' Sowden ; ' ' Swinden,'
* Eversden,' and ' Ogden,' at first written ' de Hog-
dene.' With regard especially to this latter class it is
that our ' Court of Dens ' arose, which till late years
settled all disputes relative to forest pannage. The
• Our ' Deardens,' however, may be in some cases but a corniption
of the old • Demeden ' — that is, the secret or secluded den. The
Hundred Rolls give us, for instance, a * Ralph de Demeden.' This
word ' dem ' was then in the most familiar use. Thus, in ' Cursor
Mundi,' mention is made of 'a mountain dern.' Chaucer speaks of
' deme love,' and Piers Plowman of 'derne usurie.' Our ' Durnfords'
but represent such an early entry as ' Robert de Dcrneford ; ' and of
names now obsolete, we miglit instance ' Dcrnehus,' found also in the
same roll as the above. Our 'Dernes' simple probably originated in
the reticent and cautious disposition of their first ancestor. We may
take this opportunity of noticing that 'Dibdin' is but 'Deepdcn.' One
of our older rolls has a ' Randolph de Dcpeden.'
LOCAL SURNAMES. I IQ
dweller therein, engaged probably in the tendance of
such cattle as I have mentioned last, was the ' Denyer '
or * Denman,' both surnames still living in our midst.
While the den was given up mainly to swine, the ley ^
afforded shelter to all manner of domestic livestock,
not to mention, however, some few of the wilder
quarry. The equine species has given to us ' Hors-
ley ; the bovine, ' Cowley,' ' Kinley,' and ' Oxlee ' or
'Oxley;' the deer, 'Hartley,' 'Rowley,' 'Buckley,'
and ' Hindley ; ' the fox, ' Foxley ; ' ^ the hare, ' Har-
ley,' and even the sheep, though generally driven to
the scantier pastures of the rocks and steeps, has left
us in ' Shipley ' a trace of its footprint in the deeper
and more sheltered glades. Characteristic of the
trees which enclosed it, we get ' Ashley,' ' Elmsley,'
' Oakley,'- ' Lindley,' or ' Berkeley.' Of the name
simple we have endless forms ; those of ' Lee,' ' Legh,'
' Lea,' ' Lees,' ' Laye,' and ' Leigh ' ^ being the most
familiar. In the old rolls their ancestors figure in an
equal variety of dresses, for we may at once light
upon such names as ' Emma de la Leye,' or ' Richard
de la Legh,' or 'Robert de la Lee,' or 'William de la
Lea,' or ' Petronilla de la Le.' Our ' Atlays ' and
'Atlees,' as I have already said, are but the more
Sax6n ' Atte Lee.'
In some of these surnames we can trace the early
cuttings amongst the thickly wooded districts where
the larger wealds were situated. Our * Royds,' or
'Rodds,' or ' Rodes,' all hail from some spot ridded
' By 'ley' I include both 'lee,' a shelter, and 'lea,' a pasture, for
it is impossible to distinguish the two.
* ' John de Foxlee ' is mentioned. (Fines, Ric. I.)
* More personal forms are found in ' Henry Legeman' (II.R.) and
'Elias Layman' (H.R.).
I20 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
of waste wood. Compounds may be found in our
* Huntroyds,' that is, the clearing for the chase ; ' Hol-
royds,' that is, the holly-clearing ; and ' Acroyds,' that
is, the oak-clearing, the term 'acorn,' that is, 'oak-
corn,' and such local names as ' Acton ' or ' Acland,'
reminding us of this the older spelling ; ' Ormerod,'
again, is but Ormes-clearing — Orme being, as we have
already shown, a common Saxon personal name. Our
' Greaves ' and ' Graves ' and ' Groves,' descendants of
the ' de la Groves ' and ' Atte Groves ' of early rolls,
not to mention the more personal * Grover ' and
* Graver,' convey the same idea. A ' Greave ' was
a woodland avenue, graved or cut out of the forest.
Fairfax speaks of the —
Wind in holts and shady greaves.
'Tis true we only 'grave' in stone now, but it was not
always so. Thus in the ' Legend of Good Women '
mention is made of —
A little herber that I have
That benched was on turves fresh ygrave.
We still call the last resting-place of the dead in our
churchyards a grave, though dug from the soil. I
have already mentioned ' de la Graveshend ' occurring
as a surname. Our ' Hargreaves ' hail from the grove
where the hares arc plentiful ; our ' Congreves ' repre-
senting the same in the coney. Our ' Grceves ' we
shall have occasion in another chapter to show belong
to another and more occupative class of surnames.
Our ' Thwaites,' too, belong to this category. Locally
the term is confined to Cumberland and the north,
where the Norwegians left it. It is exactly equivalent
LOCAL SURNAMES. 121
to * field,' a felled place, or woodland clearing The
compounds formed from it are too numerous to wade
through. Amongst others, however, we have, as
denotive of the substances ridded, ' Thornthwaite,'
* Limethwaite,' ' Rownthwaite,' and * Hawthorn-
thwaite ; ' of peculiarity in position or shape, * Brath-
waite ' (broad), and ' Micklethwaite ; ' of contents,
* Thistlethwaite,' * Cornthwaite,' and ' Crossthwaite,'
The very dress of the majority of these compounds
testifies to the northern origin of the root-word.
Our * Slade ' represents the * de la Slades ' of the
Hundred Rolls. A slade was a small strip of green
plain within a woodland. One of the numberless
rhymes concerning Robin Hood says —
It had been better of William a Trent
To have been abed with [sorrowe,
Than to be that day in the greenwood slade
To meet with Little John's arrowe.
Its nature is still more characterised in 'Robert de
Greneslade,' that is, the green-slade ; ' William de la
Morslade,' the moorland-slade ; * Richard de Wyt-
slade,' the white-slade ; ' Michael de Ocslade,' the
oak-slade, and ' William de Waldeslade,' ' the forest-
slade (weald) ; * Sladen,' that is, slade-den, implies a
woodland hollow. As a local term there is a little
difference betwixt it and * launde,' only the latter has
no suspicion of indenture about it. A launde was a
pretty and rich piece of grassy sward in the heart of
a forest, what we should now call an open wood, in
fact. Thus it is we term the space in our gardens
» 'William de Waldeslade' occurs in the 'Great Roll of the Pipe.'
122 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
within the surrounding shrubberies lawns. Chaucer
says of Theseus on hunting bent —
To the launde he rideth him ful right
There was the hart wont to have his fliglit.
In the ' Morte Arthur,' too, we are told of hunting —
At the hartes in these hye laiinJes.
This is the source of more surnames than we might
imagine. Hence are sprung our ' Launds,' ' Lands,'
* Lowndes,' ' Landers,' in many cases, and our obsolete
' Landmans.' The forms, as at first met with, are
equally varied. We have * atte-Lond,' * de la Laund,'
and ' de la Lande,' while the origin of our ' Lunds '
shows itself in ' de la Lund.' ' De la Holme ' still
flourishes in our * Holmes,' while the more personal
form is found in our * Holmers ' and ' Holmans.' An
holm was a flat meadow-land lying within the wind-
ings of some valley stream. Our * Platts,' found in
such an entry as ' Robert del Plat,' are similarly
sprung, but in the 'plat' there was less thought of
general surroundings. As an adjective it was in
common use formerly. For instance, in the ' Ro-
maunt of the Rose,' when the God of Love had shot
his arrow, it is said —
When I was hurte thus in stound
I fell down plat unto the ground.
Our ' Knowles,' ' Knowlers,' and ' Knowlmans ' carry
us to the gently rising slopes in the woods, grassy and
free of timber, the old form of the first being ' de la
Cnolle ' or ' atte Knolle.' Our ' Lynches,' once written
' de Linches,' I should surmise, are but a dress of the
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 23
still familiar link across our northern border — the flat-
land running by the river and sea-coast, while our
' Kays ' (when not the old British ' Kay ') represent
the more artificial ' quay,' reminding us of the knitting
together of beam and stone. It is but the same word
as we apply to locks, the idea of both being that of
securing or fastening.
Though it is to the more open plains and wood-
lands we must look for the majority of our place-
names, nevertheless, looking up our steeps and into
the fissures of the hills, we may see that every feature
in the landscape has its memorial in our nomenclature.
'De la Hill ' needs no remark. * De la Helle' and
* atte Helle ' are somewhat less pleasant to look upon,
but they are only another form of the same. * De la
Hulle,' again, is but a third setting of the same.
Gower says —
Upon the hulles hyhe
Of Othrin and Olympe also,
And eke of three hulles mo
She fond and gadreth lierbes sweet.
' Mountain ' is the ' de la Montaigne ' of the twelfth
century, but of course of Norman introduction. This
sobriquet reminds us of the story told of a certain Dr.
Mountain, chaplain to Charles H., who, when the
king asked him if he could recommend him a suitable
man for a vacant bishopric, is reported to have an-
swered, ' Sire, if you had but the faith of a grain of
mustard seed, the matter could be settled at once.'
* How } ' inquired the astonished monarch. ' Why,
my liege, you could then say unto this inojintaiii
(smiting his own breast), " be thou removed to that
124 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
see',' and it should be done.' ^ Our ' Cloughs ' repre-
sent the narrow fissures betwixt the hills. From the
same root we owe our ' Clives ' (the ' de la Clive ' of
the Hundred Rolls), * CHffes,' ' Cleves,' and ' Clowes/
not to mention our endless ' Cliffords,' ' CHftons,'
' Clifdens,' ' Cliveleys,' ' Clcvelands,' ' Tunnicliffes,'
'Sutcliffes,' ' Nethercliffes,' ' Topliffs,' ' Ratcliffes,' or
* Redcliffes,' ' Faircloughs,' and ' Stonecloughs.' Any
prominence of rock or earth was a ' cop,' or ' cope,'
from the Saxon ' cop,' a head.^ Chaucer talks of
the 'cop of the nose.' In Wicklyffe's version of
Luke iv. 29, it says, * And thei risen up and droven
him out withouten the cytee, and ledden him to
the coppe of the hill on which their cytee was
bilded to cast him down.' We still talk of a coping-
stone. Hence, from its local use, we have derived
our ' Copes ' and ' Copps,' ' Copleys ' and ' Copelands,'
and ' Copestakes.' From ' cob,' which is but another
form of the same word, we get our ' Cobbs,' ' Cob-
hams,' ' Cobwells,' ' Cobdens,' and ' Cobleys.' Thus,
to consult the Parliamentary Writs alone, we find
such entries as ' Robert de Cobbe,' ' Reginald de
Cobeham,' ' John de Cobwell,' or ' Godfrey de Copp-
den.* As a cant term for a rich or prominent man
' cob ' is found in many of our later writers, and
* cobby ' more early implied a headstrong nature.
Another term in use for a local prominence was
• Quite as good a story, and one less objectionable, is told of a
Scottish Member of Parliament called Dunlop, who, at a large dinner
party, having asserted that no one could make a pun upon his name,
met with the instant reply from one of his guests, ' Oh, yes, I can.
Z<7/ off the last syllable, and it is done.''
* Thus in the ' Proverbs of Hending,' it is said ; ' When the coppe
is fullest, then the hair is fairest.'
LOCAL SURNAMES. 12$
' ness,' or ' naze.' ' Roger atte Ness ' occurs in the
thirteenth century ; and * Longness ' and ' Thickness '
and ' Redness ' are but compounds, unless, as is quite
possible, they be from the same root in its more per-
sonal relationship to the human face, the word nose
being familiarly so pronounced at this time. Our
* Downs ' and * Dunns,' when not sprung from ' le
Dun,' are but descendants of the old ' de la Dune,' of
the hilly slopes ; our * Combs ' and ' Combes ' repre-
senting the ' de la Cumbe ' of the ridgy hollows, or
* cup-shaped depressions ' of the higher hillsides, as
Mr. Taylor happily expresses it. It is thus we get
our terms ' honeycomb,' ' cockscomb,' ' haircomb,' &c.
Few terms have connected themselves so much as
this with the local nomenclature of our land, and few
have made themselves so conspicuous in our directo-
ries. The writer I have just mentioned quotes a
Cumberland poet, who says —
There's Cumwhitton, Cumwhinton, Cumranton,
Cumrangan, Cumrew, and Cumcatch,
And mony mair Cums i' the County,
But nin wi' Cumdivock can match.
Of those compounds which have become surnames we
cannot possibly recite all, but among the more com-
mon are ' Thorncombe ' and ' Broadcombe,' ' New-
combe ' and ' Morcombe,' ' Lipscombe ' and ' Wool-
combe,' * Withecombe ' and ' Buddicom,' and ' Slo-
combe.' We have already mentioned * Amore.' The
simple * More,' or ' Moore,' is very familiar ; ' atte
Mor,' or * de la More,' being the older forms. This
has ever been a favourite name for punning rhymes.
In the ' Book of Days,' several plays of this kind
126 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
have been preserved. When Dr. Manners Sutton'
succeeded Dr. Moore in the Archiepiscopal chair of
Canterbury, the following lines were written : —
What say you ? — the archbishop's dead ?
A loss, indeed ! Oh, on his head
May Heaven its blessings pour !
But if with such a heart and mind,
In Manners we his equal find.
Why should we wish for More ?
When Sir Thomas More was Chancellor, it is said, his
great attention to his duties caused all litigation to
come to an end in the Court of Chancery. The fol-
lowing epigram bearing upon this fact was written : —
When More some years had Chancellor been,
No more suits did remain ;
The same shall never more be seen
Till More be there again.
Our * Heaths ' explain themselves, but our
' Heths,' though the same, and from the first found as
' Talking of ' Manners,' however, we may add one on the celebrated
Marquis of Granby : —
' What conquest now will Britain boast.
Or where display lier banners ?
Alas ! in Granby she has lost
True courage and good Manners.^
Puns of this nature may be met with frequently in books of the last
century. Some complimentary verses to Dr. Gill, on account of a sup-
posed victory in a public controversy, in 1727, in support of immersion
at baptism, have a play of this kind at one part : —
'Stennet,' at first, his furious foe did meet,
Cleanly compelled him to a swift retreat ;
Next powerful ' Gale,' by mighty blast made fall
The Church's Dagon, the gigantic 'Wall.'
(CilVs Works, edit. 1839.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. 12/
' atte Heth,' are not so transparent. Some might be
tempted to set them down in a more IsraeHtish cate-
gory as descendants of the ' children of Heth,' but
such is not the case. Somewhat similar to ' Cope/
mentioned above, was * Knop ' or * Knap '■— a summit.'
Any protuberance, whatever it might be, was with our
old writers a ' hto/>.' ^ Rose-buds and buttons alike,
with Chaucer, are ' hzops ' : —
Among the knops I chose one
So fair, that of the remnant none
Ne praise I halfe so wel as it.
North in his Plutarch says, ' And both these rivers
turning in one, carrying a swift streame, doe make the
knappe of the said hill very strong of its situation to
lodge a camp upon.' To our hilltops, then, it is we
owe our ' Knaps,' ' Knappers,' ' Knapmans,' ' Knopps,*
' Knopes,' ' Knabwells,' and ' Knaptons.' Our ' Howes'
represent the smaller hills, while still less prominent
would be the abodes of our early ' Lawes,' ^ and
' Lowes,' or ' de la Lawe ' and ' de la Lowe,' as they
are found in the Hundred Rolls. Our ' Shores ' need
no explanation, but our ' Overs ' are less known. An
old poem, quoted by Mr. Halliwell, says : —
' Our novr vulgar term ' nob ' is a relic of this : ' To hit a man on
the nob ' is, in the north, to strike on the head. In the same districts
a ' nob ' is a rich man, one of family and influence.
* Our Authorised Version has it, in Exodus xxv. 33 : ' Three bowls
made like unto almonds, with a knop and flower in one branch.' Here
a bud is evidently intended. I need scarcely say that ' knob ' is but the
modern form of this word.
' Besides 'David atte Lawe' (M.), we have the more personal
' John Laweman ' (A.), or ' Ranulf Laweman ' (A.). I doubt not these
are also local, but one cannot help thinking of Chaucer's ' Sergeant of
the Lawe, ware and wise.'
128 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
She come out of Sexlonde,
And rived here at Dovere,
That stondes upon the sees overe.
It seems to have been used generally to denote
the flat-lands that lay about the sea-coast or rivers
generally — what we should call in Scotland the links.
I have already mentioned our 'Overends' as similar
to our ' Townsends ; ' ' Overman * doubtless is but the
more personal form of the same.*
Coming gradually to more definite traces of
human habitation, we may mention some of our tree
names. Of several, such as ' Nash,' and * Nalder,' and
* Nokes,' we have already spoken. Such a name as
' Henry atte Beeche,' or ' Walter de la Lind,' or
' Richard atte Ok,' now found as simple ' Beech,' and
' Lind,' and ' Oake,' reminds us that we are not with-
out further obligations to the tree world. Settling
by or under the shade of some gigantic elm or oak, a
sobriquet of this kind would be perfectly natural. As
our ' Lyndhursts ' and ' Lindleys ' prove, ' lind ' was
once familiarly used for our now fuller ' linden.' Piers
Plowman says : —
Blisse of the briddes
Broughte me aslepe,
And under a lynde
Upon a launde
Leaned L
Were the Malvern dreamer describing poetically the
birth and the origin of the future Swedish nightingale
who four hundred years after\vards was to entrance
the world with her song, he could not have been more
• ' William de Thornover ' and ' Walter de Aslioverc ' will repre-
sent compound forms.
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 29
happy in his expression. Our * Ashes ' and ' Birches,'
once * de la Byrche/ need Httle remark, but ' Birks,'
the harder form of the latter, is not so familiar, though
it is still preserved in such names as * Birkenhead,' or
* Birkenshaw,' or * Berkeley.' A small group of trees
would be equally perspicuous. Thus have arisen our
' Twelvetrees,' and ' Fiveashes,* and ' Snooks,' a mere
corruption of the Kentish ' Sevenoaks.' Mr. Lower
mentions ' Quatrefages,' that is, ' four beeches,' as a
corresponding instance in French nomenclature. ^
A common object in the country lane or by-path
would be the gate or hatch that ran across the road
to confine the deer. The old provincialism for this
was ' yate.' We are told of Griselda in the ' Clerkes
Tale ' that—
With glad chere to the yate
she is gone
To grete the markisesse ;
and Piers Plowman says our Lord came in through
Both dore and yates
To Peter and to these apostles.'^
Our ' Yates,' written once * Atte Yate,' by their num-
bers can bear testimony to the familiarity with which
this expression was once used. ' Byatt ' I have just
shown to be the same as ' Bygate,' and ' Woodyat ' is
but equivalent to * Woodgate.' Other compounds are
' Several local names of this class are found with 'tree' appended.
Thus, 'Thomas Appletree' occurs in the Chancery suits of Elizabeth ;
and 'Crabtree,' ' Plumtree,' or 'Plumptree,' and 'Rowntrec' (rowan-
tree) may still be seen in our busiest streets.
* In the * Townley Mysteries,' Jacob, in his vision, is represented as
laying : —
' And now is here none othere gate
But Codes howse and hevens yate.'
K
I30 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
found in the old registers. In the ' Placitorum ' of
the thirteenth century, for instance, we light upon
a ' Christiana atte Chircheyate,' and a ' John atte
Foldyate ; ' while in the Hundred Rolls of the same
period we find a ' Walter atte Lideyate,' now familiarly
known to us as ' Lidgate.' Our ' Hatchs,' once en-
rolled as ' de la Hache,' like our before-mentioned
' Hatchers ' and ' Hatchmans,' represented the simple
bar that ran athwart the woodland pathway. We
still call the upper-deck with its crossbars the hatches,
and a weir is yet with the country folk a hatch.
Chaucer speaks of —
Lurking in hemes and in lanes blinde.
Any nook or corner of land was with our forefathers
a ' hearne,' and as ' en le Heme ' or ' atte Hurne ' the
surname is frequently found in the thirteenth century.^
' De la Corner ' is, of course, but a synonymous term.
A passage betwixt two houses, or a narrow defile be-
tween two hillsides, was a ' gore,' akin, we may safely
say, to ' gorge.* Our ' Gores,' as descendants of the
old ' de la Gore,' are thus explained. ' De la Gore-
way,' which once existed, is now, I believe, obsolete.
One of the most fertile roots of nomenclature was the
simple roadside * cross ' or ' crouch,' the latter old
English form still lingering in our ' crutched ' or
' crouched Friars.' Langland describes a pilgrim as
having * many a crouche on his cloke ; ' i.e. many a
mark of the cross embroidered thereon. A dweller
by one of these wayside crucifixes would easily get
• I believe this word is not yet extinct in our North-country vocabu-
lary. A Yorkshire inventoiy of goods, of 1540 or thereabouts, con-
cludes by stating what moneys had been discovered in comers and out
of the way places in the house : * In hemes, x\\\s. mul. j item, x sylver
spones, xxiiif. imd.' (Richmondshire Wills, p. 41.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. I3I
the sobriquet therefrom, and thus we find ' atte
Crouch ' to be of early occurrence. Our ' Crouch-
mans ' and ' Crouchers ' I have already mentioned.
A 'Richard Crocheman' is found in the Hundred
Rolls, and a ' William Croucheman ' in another entry
of the same period. As for the simpler ' Cross,' once
written ' atte Cross,' it is to be met with everywhere.
' Crosier ' and ' Crozier ' I shall, in my next chapter,
show to be official rather than local ; so we may pass
them by for the present. The more Saxon * Rood '
or ' Rudd ' is not without its representatives. ' Mar-
gery atte Rudde ' is found in the ' Placitorum,' and
our ' Rudders ' and ' Ruddimans,' I doubt not, stand
for the more directly personal form. Talking of
crosses, we may mention, in passing, our ' Bellhouses,'
not unfrequently found as ' atte Belhus ' or * de la
Belhuse.' The founder of this name dwelt in the
small domicile attached to the monastic pile, and, no
doubt, had for his care the striking of the innumerable
calls to the supply of either the bodily or spiritual
wants of those within. Our ' Bellows,' I believe, are
but a modification of this. The last syllable has
undergone a similar change in several other instances.
Thus the form ' del Hellus ' was but ' Hill-house/
' Woodus ' is but the old * de la Wodehousc,' * Stan-
nus ' but * Stanehouse ' or ' Stonehouse,' ' Malthus ' but
' Malthouse,' and ' Bacchus ' is found originally as 'del
Bakehouse.' ' The old ' Atte Grene,' a name familiar
' Thus, also, is it with 'Dufifus.' We find it in the Hundred Rolls
set down in the same form as ' de Duffus' or 'del DufTus,' the more
literal dress being met with in the London city archives in the name of
'Thomas Dufhous.' (Vide Riley's Memorials of London, p. 555')
• Dove-house' is the root.
K2
132 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
enough without the prefix, may be set beside our
' Plastows,' relics of the ' Atte Pleistowe ' or ' de la
Pleystowe ' of the period we are considering. The
' play-stowe ' (that is, 'playground') seems to have
been the general term in olden days for the open
piece of greensward near the centre of the village
where the may-pole stood, and where all the sports
at holiday times and wake tides were carried on.'
Our ' Meads ' or ' Meddes ' hail from the ' meadow,' or
' mead.' * Ate Med ' is the early form.'
A ' croft ' was an enclosed field for pasture. Be-
sides * Croft ' it has given us ' Meadowcroft,' ' Rye-
croft,' * Bancroft ' (that is, bcan-croft), ' Berecroft ' (that
is, dar/ey-croft), and ' Haycraft' (that is, Jiedged-croft).
It seems, however, to have been freely used, also, in
the sense of garth or yard, the enclosure in which, or
by which, the house stood. Thus, in the ' Townley
Mysteries,' Satan is represented as calling to the
depraved and vile, and saying —
Come to my crofte alle ye.
With the humour of the period, which was ever largely
intermingled in even the most sacred themes, one of
the characters, acting as a demon, replies —
Souls come so Ihyk now late unto hell
As ever
Our porter at hell-gate
Is holden so strait,
Up early and downe late,
He rests never.
' 'Agnes atte Punfald ' (A.) reminds us of our ' Penfold,' or
' Pinfold,' i.e. the pound.
« ' Ralph ate Med' (A.). ' Philip atte Medde' (M). In the Hun-
dred Rolls we find ' Willianr le Medward' corresponding to ' Hay ward.'
(Fi/^p. 198.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 33
There is little distinction to be drawn between ' garth *
and ' yard ' in the North of England, and in reality
there ought to be none. Such names, however, as
* Nicholas de Apelyerd,' or ' Robert del Apelgarth,'
or ' Richard atte Orcheyerd,' the descendants of
whom are still in our midst, bespeak a former
familiarity of usage which we cannot find now. We
have just mentioned * Haycraft.' This reminds us of
our ' Hayes.' Chaucer, in his ' Troilus,' says —
But right so as these holtes and these hayes,
That han in winter dead been and dry,
Revesten them in grene when that May is,
When every lusty beast listeth to pley.
A ' hay ' was nothing but a ' hedge.' In the Hundred
Rolls we find such names occurring as ' Margery de
la Haye ' or ' Roger de la Hagh,' or in a compounded
form * Richard de la Woodhaye,' or ' Robert de
Brodheye.' Of the simple root the forms most
common now are ' Hay,' ' Hayes,' ' Haighs,' ' Haigs,'
and ' Hawes.' The composite forms are endless.
' Roundhay ' explains itself. ' Lyndsay ' I find spelt at
this period as ' Lyndshay,' so that it is not the islet
whereon the lind or linden grows, but the hedge of
these shrubs. Besides these we have ' Haywood ' or
' Heywood,' ' Hayland ' and ' Hayley.' From the
form 'hawe,' mentioned above, we have our 'Haw-
leys,' ' Haworths,' and * Hawtons,' or ' Haughtons,'
and probably the longest name in the directory, that
of ' Featherstonehaugh.' We still talk of the hazv-
thorn and haw-haw. Chaucer uses the term for a
farm-yard or garth —
And eke there was a polkat in his hawe
That, as he sayd, his capons had yslawe.
134 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
This at once explains such a name as * Peter in le
Hawe' found in the Hundred Rolls. But Chaucer
has a prettier use of it than this, a use still abiding in
our ' Churchays,' relics of the mediaeval ' de Chirche-
hay.' He speaks twice of the * Churchhawe,' or grave-
yard. How pretty it is ! almost as pretty as its
Saxon synonym ' Godsacre,' only that is more en-
deared to us, inasmuch as since the acre always
denoted the sowed land (Latin ' ager '), so it whispers
to us hopefully of the great harvest-tide to come when
the seed thus sown in corruption shall be raised an
incorruptible body. Our * Goodacres ' are doubtless
thus derived — and with such names as ' Acreman ' or
* Akerman,' ' Oldacre ' or ' Oddiker,' * Longacre ' and
* Whittaker ' (or * Whytacre ' or ' Witacre,' as I find it
in the thirteenth century), help to remind us how in
early days an acre denoted less a fixed measure of
land than soil itself that lay under the plough. But
this by the way. I have just mentioned ' Hay worth.*
A name like 'William de la Worth' (H.R.) repre-
sented our ' Worths ' in the thirteenth century. Pro-
perly speaking, any sufficiently warded place — it had
come to denote a small farmstead at the time the
surname arose. ' Charlesworth ' is the ' churl's worth,'
the familiar metamorphosis of this name being identi-
cal with that ©f the astronomic ' Charles Wain,' and
with such place-names as ' Charle-wood,' ' Charlton,'
' Carlton,' and ' Charley.' Our various ' Unsworths,'
* Ainsworths,' 'Whitworths,' * Langworthys,' ' Ken-
worthys,' 'Wortlcys,' and others of this class are
familiar to us all. Surnames like ' Roger de la
Grange,' or ' Geoffrey de la Grange,' or ' John le
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 35
Granger,' ^ remind us that grange also was commonly
used at this time for a farmstead, it being in reality-
nothing more than our granary. "^ Piers Plowman
portrays the good Samaritan thus —
His wounds he washed,
Enbawmed hym, and bound his head,
And ledde hym forth on ' Lyard '
To * lex Christi,' a graunge
Wei sixe mile or sevene
Beside the newe market.
Our * Barnes,' I need not say, are of similar origin.
The Celtic ' booth,' a frail tenement of ' boughs,' whose
temporary character our Biblical account of the
Iraelitish wanderings so well helps to preserve, has
given birth to our ' Booths ' and * Bo©thmans,' once
written ' de la Bothe ' and ' Botheman.' They may
possibly have kept the stall at the fair or market.
Comparisons we know are ever odious, but set beside
the more Saxon ' Steads ' and * Steadmans ' the
former inevitably sufifer. The very names of these
latter betray to us the well-nigh best characteristics
of the race whence they are sprung. To be steady
and sUdfsist are its best and most inherent qualities —
qualities which, added to the dash and spirit of the
Norman, have given the position England to-day
occupies among the nations of the world. Our
' Bowers ' and * Bowermans,' when not occupied in the
' ' His tenants, the graingers, are tyed to come themselves and
winde the woll, they have a fatte weather and a fatte lambe killed, and
a dinner provided for their paines.' (Henry Best's Farming Book
(1641), p. 97.)
' * John Grangeman ' occurs in the Proc. in Chancery. (Eliza-
beth.)
136 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
bowyer's or bower's craft, represent the earlier ' de la
Bore ' or ' atte Bore,' and have taken their origin from
the old ' bower,' the rustics' abode. It is the same
word whence has sprung our bucolic * boor.' An old
English term for a house or mansion was ' bold,' that
which was built. The old ' De la Bolde,' therefore,
will in many cases be the origination of our ' Bolds.'
Our ' Halls ' explain themselves, but the older form
of 'Hale' (once *atte Hale' or 'de la Hale') is not
so easily traceable. ' De la Sale,' sometimes also
found as ' de la Saule,' was the Norman synonym of
the same.
Soon they sembled in sale,
Both kynge and cardinale,
says an old writer. ' Sale ' and 'Saul ' are still extant.
Names still more curious than these are those taken,
not from the residence itself, but from particular
rooms in such residence. They are doubtless- the
result of the feudal system, which, with its formal list
of house officers and attendants, required the presence
of at least one in each separate chamber. Hence the
Norman-introduced parlour, that is, the speaking or
reception room, gave us ' Henry del Parlour,' or
'Richard ate Parlour;' the kitchen, 'Geoffrey atte
Kitchen,' or ' Richard del Kechen ; ' or the pantry
' John de la Panetrie,' or ' Henry de la Panctrie.'
But I shall have occasion to speak more fully of this
by-and-by, so I will say no more here.
There is a pretty word which has been restored
from an undcsci-vcd oblivion within the last few years
by Mr. Tennyson, in his ' Brook,' as an idyll perhaps
the distinctly finest thing of its kind in the English
language. The word referred to is 'thorpe,' a village,
LOCAL SURNAMES. 137
pronounced * throp ' or ' trop ' by our forefathers.
Thus in the ' Clerkes Tale ' we are told —
Nought far fro this palace honorable,
There stood a thorpe of sight delitable,
In which the poor folk of that village
Hadden their bestes and their harborage ;
while in the ' Assembly of Fowls ' mention is prettily
made of
The tame ruddocke and the coward kite,
The cock, that horiloge is of thorpes lite.
This diversity is well exemplified in our nomencla-
ture. Thus the term in its simple form is found in
such entries as ' Adam de Thorpe,' or ' Simon de
Throp,' or ' Ralph de Trep,' all of which are to be
met with in the one same register; while compounded
with other words, we are all familiar with such sur-
names as ' Gawthorpe,' ' Winthrop,' * Hartrop,' * Den-
thorp,' ' Buckthorp,' ' Fridaythorp,' * Conythorp,' * Cal-
throp,' or ' Westropp.' Our ' Thrupps,' too, we must
not forget as but another corrupted form of the same
root.
There are two words whose sense has become so
enlarged and whose importance among English local
terms has become so great that we cannot but give
them a place by themselves. They are those of
* town ' and ' borough.' Such registered names as
* William de la Towne ' or ' Ralph de la Tune,' now
found as ' Town ' and ' Tune,' represent the former in
its primeval sense. The term is still used in Scot-
land, as it was used here some generations ago, to
denote a farm and all its surrounding enclosures. In
Wicklyffe's Bible, where we read ' and went their
ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandize,' it
138 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
is ' one into his toun.' In the story of the Prodigal
Son, too, it is similarly employed — 'And he wente
and drough him to one of the cyteseynes of that
cuntre, and he sente him into his toun to feed swyn.'
Let me quote Chaucer also to the same effect —
Whan I out of the door came,
I fast about me beheld.
Then saw, I but a large field.
As farre as ever I might see.
Without toune, house, or tree.
It is thus a name I have already mentioned, * de la
Townshende,' the parent of our 'Townsends,' 'Towns-
hends,' and * Tovvnends,' has arisen. Another entry,
that of ' Robert Withouten-town,' has, as we might
have expected, left no issue. Such names as ' Adam
de la Bury,' or 'Walter atte Bure,' or 'John atte Bur-
ende ' (the latter now extinct, I fear), open out to us
a still larger mass of existing nomenclature. The
manorial residence is still in many parts of England,
with the country folk, the ' bury.' To this or 'borough'
we owe our ' Burys,' ' Boroughs,' ' Borrows,' ' Buroughs,'
' Burkes,' ' Broughs,' ' Burghs,' and even ' Bugges,' so
that, though Hood has inquired —
If a party had a voice,
What mortal would be a Bugg by choice ?
still the possessors of that not exactly euphonious
cognomen can reflect with pride upon not merely a
long pedigree, but lofty relationships. Another form
of the same word, familiar, too, to early registers, was
' de la Bere,' and to this we owe our ' Berrys,' ' Berri-
mans,' ' Beers,' and ' Beares.' It is wonderful how the
strict meaning of 'shelter' is preserved in all the
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 39
terms founded upon its root ' beorgan,' to hide. Is it
a repository to guard the ashes of the dead i* — it is a
barrow, the act of sepulture itself being the burial.
Is it a refuge for the coneys i* — it is a burrow, or beare,
as in ' Coneybeare,' ^ Is it a raised mound for the
security of man } — it is a bury, borough, bro2igh,
or burgh. How altered now the meaning of these
two words ' borough ' and ' town.' Once but the
abiding-place of a scattered family or two, they are
now the centres of teeming populations. Of these,
while some are still extending their tether, others
have passed the middle age of their strength and
vigour, and from the accidents of physical and indus-
trial life are but surely succumbing to that dotage
which, as in man so in man's works, seems to be but
premonitory of their final decay. How true is it that
the fashion of this world passeth away. Even now
this ever restless spirit of change is going on. We
ourselves can scarce tell the spot upon which we were
born. We need not wait for death to find that our
place very soon knoweth us no more, and when we
talk of treading in the footprints of the generations
' The coney, or rabbit, Ims made a mark upon our local nomencla-
ture. An old form of the word was 'coning' or 'conig.' Thus Piers
Plowman says : —
' The while he caccheth conynges.
He coveiteth naught youre caroyne,
But feedeth hym all with venyson.'
Relics of this are found in such an entry as ' Nicolas Conyng' or * Peter
Conyng,' though now met with as 'Coney.' More local registrations,
such as 'Thomas de Conyton,' 'John de Conington,' 'John de
Conyngsby,' or 'Walter de Cunnyngby,' are still familiarised to us
in 'Conington' and 'Coningsby.' The North English form was
'Cuning,' whence the ' de Cunnyngby ' above instanced and our modem
'Cunninghams.'
140 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
that have gone before, it would seem as though it
were but to blind ourselves to the sober and unwel-
come truth that we are rather treading upon the
debris of the changing years.
But there is another class of surnames we may
fitly introduce here, which, I doubt not, forms no
small proportion in the aggregate mass of our nomen-
clature — that of sign-names. We in a cultivated age
like that of the present fail, as we must, to realize the
effect of these latter upon the current life of our fore-
fathers. We now pass up and down a street, and,
apart from the aid of the numbered doors and larger
windows, and a more peculiar frontage, above the
door we may see the name of the proprietor and the
character of his occupation in letters so large that it
is literally a fact that he who runs may read them.
But all this is of gradual and slowly developed growth.
The day we are considering knew nothing of these.
It was a time when the clergy themselves in many
cases were unable to read, when such education as a
child of twelve years is now a dunce not to know
would have given then for the possession of like
attainments the sobriquet of ' le Gierke ' or ' le Beau-
clerk.' And if this was the case with the learned,
what would it be with the lower grades and classes of
society } We may, therefore, well inquire what would
be the use of gilded characters such as we now-a-days
may see, detailing the name of the shopkeeper and
the fashion of his stores .'' None at all. They could
not read them. Thus we find in their stead the
practice prevailing of putting up signs and symbols
to denote the character of the shop, or to mark the
individuality of the owner. In an age of escutcheons
LOCAL SURNAMES. I4I
and all the insignia of heraldry, this was but natural.
All manner of instruments, all styles of dress, all
kinds of ensigns rudely carved or painted, that a
rough or quaint fancy could suggest, were placed in a
conspicuous position by the hatch or over the door-
way, to catch, if it were possible, the eye of the way-
farer. Even the name itself, when it was capable of
being so played upon, was turned into a symbol
readable to the popular mind. Nor was it deemed
necessary that the device should speak directly of the
trade. Apart from implements and utensils. Nature
herself was exhausted to supply sufficiently attractive
signs ; and what with mermaids and griffins, unicorns
and centaurs, and other winged monsters, we see that
they did not stop here — the supernatural also had to
be pressed into this service. The animal kingdom
was, however, specially popular — the hostelries pecu-
liarly engrossing this class from the fact that they so
often had emblazoned the recognizances of the family
with which they stood immediately connected. Thus
we still have * Red Lions ' and ' White Lions,' ' Blue
Boars ' and ' Boars' Heads,' ' White Bears ' and ' Roe-
bucks,' and ' Bulls' Heads.' Relics of the more
special emblems remain in the barber's pole, to the
end of which a bowl was once generally attached, to
show he was a surgeon also — the pawnbroker's three
balls, the goldbeater's mallet, or the shoemaker's last.
Of the more fanciful we have a capital idea given us
in the lines from Pasquin's 'Nightcap,' written so late
as 161 2 —
First there is maister Peter at the Bell,
A linen-draper, and a wealthy man ;
Then maister Thomas that doth stockings sell ;
And George the Grocer at the Frying-pan ;
142 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
And maister Timothie the woollen-draper ;
And maister Salamon the leather-scraper ;
And maister Frank the goldsmith at the Rose,
And maister Philip with the fiery nose ;
And maister Miles the mercer at the Harrow ;
And maister Mike the silkman at the Plow ;
And maister Nicke the salter at the Sparrow ;
And maister Dick the vintner at the Cow ;
And Harry haberdasher at the Home ;
And Oliver the dyer at the Thome ;
And Bernard, barber-surgeon at the Fiddle ;
And Moses, merchant-tailor at the Needle. '
More than three hundred years previous to this we
find such names figuring in our registers as 'John
de la Rose,' ' John atte Belle,* ' Roger Home,' and
' Nicholas Sparewe,' while ' Cow ' is met by its Nor-
man equivalent in the instance of * Richard de la
Vache.' Of the rest, too, contained in the above lines,
all are found in our existing nomenclature with the
exception of ' Fryingpan.' Still more recently, the
'British Apollo' contained the following: —
I'm amused at the signs
As I pass through the town,
To see the odd mixture —
A ' Magpie and Crown,'
The ' Whale and the Crow,'
The ' Razor and Hen,'
The 'Leg and Seven Stars,'
The 'Scissors and Pen,'
The ' Axe and the Bottle,'
The ' Tun and the Lute,*
The ' Eagle and Child,'
The ' Shovel and Boot.'
A word or two about these double signs before
we pass on, as I cannot but think much ingenious
' Vide Lower's Suntames.
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 43
nonsense has been written thereon. There can be no
difficulty in accounting for these strange combina-
tions, some of which still exist. A partnership in
business would be readily understood by the conjoin-
ing of two hitherto separate signs. An apprentice
who, on the death of his master, had succeeded to his
business, would gladly retain the previous well-estab-
lished badge, and simply show the change of hands
by adding thereto his own. I cannot but think that
such ingenious derivations as ' God encompasseth us '
for the ' Goat and Compasses,' or the ' Satyr and
Bacchanals ' for the ' Devil and Bag-o'-nails,' or the
' Boulogne Mouth ' for the ' Bull and Mouth,' are
altogether unnecessary. A clever and imaginative
mind could soon produce similar happy plays upon
the conjunctions contained in the above lines, and
yet the originations I have suggested for them all I
think my readers will admit to be most natural.
There is no more peculiarity about these than about
the ordinary combinations of names we are accus-
tomed to see in the streets every day of our lives,
denoting partnership. Thus the only difference is
that what we now read as ' Smith and Wright,' in an
age when reading was less universal was, say, ' Magpie
and Crown.' Partnerships, or business transactions,
often bring peculiar conjunctions of names. So early
as 1284, I find a 'Nicholas Bacun' acknowledging a
bond to a certain ' Hugh Motun,' i.e. Mutton. (Riley's
* London,' p. 23.) I have myself come across such
combinations as ' Shepherd and Calvert ' — i.e. ' Calve-
herd,' or ' Sparrow and Nightingale,' or ' Latimer and
Ridley.' During the early portion of my residence at
Oxford the two Bible-clerkships connected with my
144 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
college were in the hands of two gentlemen named
* Robinson ' and ' Crusoe.' They lived on the same
staircase, and their names being (as is customary)
emblazoned above the door, the coincidence was the
more remarkable. ' Catchem' and ' Cheetham' is said
to have been the title of a lawyer's firm, but I will
not vouch for the accuracy of the statement. A story,
too, goes that ' Penn, Quill, and Driver' once figured
over a scrivener's office, but this is still more hypo-
thetical.
But to return. We may see, from what we have
stated and quoted, that up to a comparatively recent
period the written name seems to have been anything
but customary even in the metropolis. Any one who
will look into a book printed up to the seventeenth
century will see on the titlepage the fact stated that
it was published or sold at the sign of the ' Stork ' or
* Crown,' or ' Peacock,' or ' Crane,' as the case might
be. How much we owe to this fashion I need scarcely
say. The Hundred Rolls contain not merely a
* Henry le Hatter,' but a ' Thomas del Hat ; ' not
only an ' Adam le Lorimer,' but a ' Margery de
Styrop.' It is to some dealer in earthenware we owe
our existing * Potts,' some worker in metals our
' Hammers,' some carpenter our ' Coffins,' once syno-
nymous with ' Coffer,' some osierbindcr our ' Basketts,'
some shoemaker our ' Lasts,' some cheesemonger our
' Cheeses,' some plowright our ' Plows,' some silver-
smith our ' Spoons ' and ' Silvcrspoons,' and some
cooper our ' Tubbs ' and 'Cades,' our 'Barrills' and
' Punshons,' and so on with endless others. It was
perfectly natural that all these should become sur-
names, that the same practice which led to men being
LOCAI, SURNAMES. 145
called in the less populous country by such names as
' Ralph atte Townsend,' or ' William atte Stile,' or
'Henry atte Hatch,' or 'Thomas atte Nash,' should
in the more closely inhabited city cause men to be
distinguished as ' Hugh atte Cokke,' or * Walter de
Whitehorse,' or ' John atte Gote ' or * de la Gote,' or
' Richard de la Vache,' or ' Thomas atte Ram,' or
* William atte Roebuck,' or ' Gilbert de la Hegle,' or
'John de la Roe,' or ' Reginald de la Wonte ' (weasel).
Our only surprise would be were the case otherwise.
Nevertheless, as we shall see in another chapter, many
of these animal-names at least have arisen in another
manner also.
And now we come to what we may term the
second branch of local surnames, that branch which
throws a light upon the migratory habits and roving
tendencies of our forefathers. So far we have touched
upon names implying a fixed residence in a fixed
locality. We may now notice that class which by
their very formation throw our minds upon that which
precedes settlement in a particular spot, viz., removal
— that which speaks to us of immigration. Such a
name in our mediaeval rolls as ' Peter le Newe,' or
' Gilbert le Newcomen,' or ' Walter le Neweman,' de-
clares to us at once its origin. The owner has left his
native village to push his interests and get a liveli-
hood elsewhere, and upon his entrance as a stranger
into some distant community, alone and friendless,
nothing could be more natural than to distinguish
him from the familiar ' Peters,' ' Gilberts,' and
* Walters ' around by styling him as Peter, or
Gilbert, or Walter the ' New,' or ' Newman.' This it
is which is the origin of our ' Stranges,' descendants
L
146 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
as they are of such mediaeval folk as * Roger le
Estrange ' or ' Roger le Straunge.' There was
' Roger the Cooper ' and ' Roger the Cheesemonger '
round the corner close to the market cross, and
' Roger atte Ram,' so, of course, this new-comer as
distinguished from them was ' Roger the Straunge '
or ' Strange,' and once so known, the more familiar
he became, the more ' Strange ' he became, though
this may seem somewhat of a paradox. Thus, too,
have arisen our * Strangers ' and ' Strangemans.'
These, however, are the general terms. To quote a
name like ' Robert de Eastham ' or ' William de
Sutton ' is, as it were, to take up the plug from a never-
ceasing fountain. We are thrown upon a list of
sobriquets to which there is no tether. Take up a
subscription paper, look over a list of speakers at a
farmers' dinner, scan the names of the clergy at a
ministerial conference, all will possess a fair average
of this class of surnames, early wanderers from one
village to another, Saxons fresh escaped from serfdom
seeking a livelihood in a new district, Norman trades-
men or retainers pushing forward for fresh positions
and fresh gains in fresh fields. It is through the
frequency of these has arisen the old couplet quoted
by Verstigan —
In ' Ford,' in ' Ham,' in ' Ley,' in 'Ton,'
The most of English surnames run.
There is probably no village or hamlet in England
which has not subscribed in this manner to the sum
total of our nomenclature. It is this which is so tell-
tale of the present, for while a small rural spot like,
say ' Dcbenham,' in Suffolk, or ' Ashford,' in Derby-
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 47
shire, will have its score of representatives, a solitary
' Richard de Lyverpole,' or ' Guido de Mancestre,' or
' John de Burmyngham ' will be all we can find to
represent such large centres of population as Man-
chester, or Liverpool, or Birmingham. Mushroom-
like they sprang up but yesterday, while for centuries
these insignificant hamlets have pursued the even tenor
of their way, somewhat disturbed, it may have been,
from their equanimity four or five centuries agone, by
the announcement that Ralph or Miles was about to
leave them, and who, by thus becoming ' Ralph de
Debenham ' or ' Miles de Ashford,' have given to the
world to the end of time the story of their early
departure.
In the same class with the village names of
England must we set our county surnames. These
are of course but an insignificant number set by their
brethren, still we must not pass them by without a
word. In the present day, if we were to speak of a
man in connexion with his county, we should say he
was a Derbyshire or a Lancashire man, as the case
might be. That they did this five or six hundred
years ago is evidenced by the existence of these very
names in our midst. Thus we can point in our
records to such designations as * John Hamshire,' or
' Adam de Kent,' or ' Richard de Wiltshire,' or
* Geofi"rey de Cornwayle.' Still this was not the only
form of county nomenclature. The Normans, I sus-
pect it was, who introduced another. We have still
* Kentish ' and Devonish ' and ' Cornish ' to represent
the ' William le Kentish's,' or * John le Devoneis's,'
or ' Margery le Cornyshe's,' of their early rolls ; and
148 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
our ' CornwalHs's ' also yet preserve such fuller forms
as ' Thomas le Cornwaleys,' or ' Philip le Cornwaleys.'
We may here mention our 'Cockins,' ' Cockaignes,'
and ' Cockaynes,' instances of which are early found.
An old poem begins —
Fur in sea, bi west Spayne,
Is a lond ihote Cockaigne.
There seems to be a general agreement among those
who have studied the subject that our ' cockney ' was
originally a denizen of this fabled region, and then
was afterwards, from a notion of London being the
seat of luxury and effeminacy, transferred to that city.
A * William Cockayne ' is found in the ' Placitorum '
of Richard I.'s reign, while the Hundred Rolls are yet
more precise in a ' Richarde dc Cockayne.' Speaking
of London, however, we must not forget our ' Lon-
donish's.' They arc but relics of such mediaeval
entries as ' Ralph Ic Lundreys,' or ' William London-
issh,' either of whom wc should now term ' Londoner,'
one who had come from the metropolis and settled
somewhere in the country. Chaucer in one of his
prose works spells it ' Londenoys,' which is somewhat
nearer the modern form. ' London,' once simple ' de
London,' needs no remark.
A passing from one part of the British Empire to
another has been a prolific source of nomenclature.
Thus we find such names as * Henry de Irlaund,'
'Adam de Irland,' 'John le Irreys,' or 'Thomas le
' Ireis,' in the ordinary dress of ' Ireland ' and ' Irish,'
to be by no means obsolete in the present day.
' Roger le Escot ' or ' Maurice le Scot ' represents, I
need scarcely say, a surname that is all but intermin-
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 49
able, the Caledonian having ever been celebrated for
his roving as well as canny propensities. It is to our
brethren over the Border, too, we owe the more
special form of ' Inglis,' known better in the south as
* English.' The Hundred Rolls furnish us with such
names as ' Walter le Engleis,' or * Robert le Engleys,'
or ' Walter Ingeleys.' Laurence Minot has the
modern form. Describing Edward III.'s entrance
into Brabant, he says —
The Inglis men were armed wele,
Both in yren and in stele.
The representatives of our native-born Welshmen are
well-nigh as numerous as those across the Scottish
line, and the early spellings we light upon are equally
varied — * le Galeys,' ' ' le Waleys,' * le Waleis,' and ' le
Walsshe' being, however, the commonest. The last
is used by Piers Plowman, who speaks of
Rose the Disheress,
Godfrey of Garlekhithe,
And Gryfin the Walshe.
In these, of course, we at once discern the progenitors
of our ' Welshs ' and * Wallaces.' ' Walshman ' is also
found as ' Walseman.' ' Langlois ' seems to be firmly
established in our present midst as an importation
from France. It was evidently returned to us all but
contemporaneously with its rise there, for as ' L'An-
gleys ' or ' Lengleyse,' it is found on English soil in
' One of Edward III.'s regulations concerning the sale and purchase
of wool speaks of ' merchandises en Engleterre, Gales, ou Irlande ; '
and further on more personally of ' merchantz Engleis, Galeis, ou
Irreis.' (' Stat, of Realm,' vol. i. p. 334.) ' Henry le Galeys,' that is,
as we should say now, 'Henry Welsh,' was Mayor of London in 1298.
I50 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the thirteenth century. It is quite possible that our
' Langleys ' are in some instances but a corruption of
this name. Thus the different quarters of the British
Empire are well personified so far as our directories
are concerned.
We have not quite done with the home country,
however. Our modern ' Norris's ' are of a somewhat
comprehensive nature. In the first place there can be
little doubt they have become confounded by lapse of
time with the once not unfamiliar * la Noryce,' or
nurse. Apart from this, too, the term * le Noreys '
was ever applied in early times to the Norwegians,
and to this sense mainly it is that we owe the rise of
the name. And yet it has another origin. It was
used in the mere sense of ' northern,' one from the
north country. Thus in the Hundred Rolls we meet
with the two names of 'Thomas le Noreys' and
* Geoffrey le Northern,' and there is no reason why
these should not both have had the same rise. A
proof in favour of this view lies in the fact that we
have their counterparts in such entries as ' Thomas le
Surreys ' and ' Thomas le Southern,' the latter now
found in the other forms of ' Sothcrn ' and ' Sotheran.'
Nor are the other points of the compass wanting. A
' Richard le Westrys ' and a ' Richard le Estrys ' both
occur in the registers of the thirteenth century, but
neither, I believe, now exists. ' North ' found as ' de
North ' needs no explanation, and the same can be
said for our ' Souths,' ' Easts,' and ' Wests.'
The distance from Dover to Calais is not great;
but were it otherwise, we should still feci bound in
our notice of names of foreign introducticMi first of all
to mention Normandy. For not merely has this
LOCAL SURNAMES. 15I
country supplied us with many of our best family
names, but it enjoys the distinction of having been
the first to estabHsh an hereditary surname. This it
did in the case of the barons and their feudary settle-
ments. The close of the eleventh century we may
safely say saw as yet but one class of sobriquets,
which, together with their other property, fathers were
in the habit of handing down to their sons. This
class was local, and was attached only to those fol-
lowers of the Conqueror who had been presented by
their leader with landed estates in the country they
had but recently subdued. As a rule each of these
feudatories took ashis surname the place whence hehad
set forth in his Norman home. Thus arose so many
of our sobriquets of which 'Burke's Peerage' is the best
directory, and of which therefore I have little to say
here. Thus arose the 'de Mortimers' (the prefix was re-
tained for many generations by all), the ' de Colevilles,'
the ' de Corbets,' the 'de Ferrers,' the 'de Beauchamps,'
the *de Courcys,' the *de Lucys/ and the 'deGranvilles.'
Thus have sprung our ' Harcourts,' our ' Tanker-
villes,' our ' Nevilles,' our ' Bovilles,' our ' Basker-
villes,' our ' Lascelles,' our 'Beaumonts,' our 'Villiers,'
our ' Mohuns,' and our ' Percys.' Apropos of Gran-
ville, a story is told of a former Lord Lyttelton con-
testing with the head of that stock priority of family,
and clenching his argument by asserting his to be
necessarily the most ancient, inasmuch as the little-
town must have existed before the grand-ville. A
similar dispute is said to have occurred at Venice
between the families ' Ponti ' and ' Canali ' — the one
asserting that the ' Bridges ' were above the ' Canals,'
the other that the ' Canals ' were in existence before
152 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the * Bridges.' So hot waxed the quarrel that the
Senate was compelled to remind the disputants that it
had power alike to stop up Canals and pull down
Bridges if they became over troublesome. But to
return : the number of these Norman names was
great. The muster-roll of William's army comprised
but an item of the foreign incomers. As the tide of
after-immigration set in, there was no town, however
insignificant, in Normandy, or in the Duchies of Arijou
and Maine, which was not soon represented in the
nomenclature of the land. From giving even a partial
list of these I must refrain, however tempted, but see
what the chapelries alone did for us. St. Denys gave
us our * Sidneys,' St. Clair, or Clare, our * Sinclairs,'
vilely corrupted at times into ' Sinkler ; ' St. Paul, our
' Semples,' ' Samples,' ' Sempills, ' ' Simpoles,' and
sometimes * Simples ; ' St. Lowe, or Loe, our ' Sal-
lows ; ' St. Amand, our ' Sandemans ' and * Samands ; '
St. Lis, our ' Senlis ' and ' Senleys ; ' St. Saviour, our
* Sissivers ; ' St. Maur, our ' Seymours ; ' St. Barbe,
our ' Symbarbes ; ' St. Hillary, our ' Sillerys ; ' St.
Pierre, our ' Sempers ' and ' Simpers ; ' St. Austin, our
' Sustins ; ' St. Omer, our ' Somers ; ' St. Leger, our
' Sellingers,' once more literally enrolled as ' Steleger,'
and so on with our less corrupted ' St. Johns,* ' St.
Georges,' and others. I do not say, however, that all
these were later comers. Some of them must un-
doubtedly be set among the earlier comrades in arms
of the Conqueror. Indeed it is impossible in every
case to separate the warlike from the peaceful inva-
sion. Looking back from this distant period, and
with but scanty and imperfect memorials for guidance,
it cannot but be so.
LOCAL SURNAME?. 1 53
With respect to another class of these Norman
names, however, we are more certain. Their very
formation seems to imply beyond a doubt that they
had a settlement as surnames in their own arrondisse-
ments before their arrival on English soil. We may,
therefore, with tolerable certainty set them down as
later comers. The distinguishing marks of these are
the prefixes ' de la,' or ' del,' or ' du ' attached to them.
Thus from some local peculiarity with respect to their
early homes would arise such names as * Delamere,'
•Dupont,' 'Delisle,' ' Delarue,' 'Dubois,' ' Ducatel.'
' Defontaine,' ' Decroix,' or ' Deville ' or * Deyville.'
This latter is now found also in the somewhat un-
pleasant form of * Devil.' They say the devil is the
source of every evil. Whether this extends beyond
the moral world may be open to doubt, but our
* Evils,' * Evills,' and ' Eyvilles,' from the fact of their
once being written with the prefix ' de,' seem to favour
the suspicion of there being a somewhat dangerous
relationship between them.' These names, though
' In two different rolls we come across such cognomens as ' Osbert
Diabolus' and ' Roger le Diable.' These are very likely but relics of
early jesting upon the local forms mentioned in the text. A ' Thomas
de Devyle' occurs in the Parliamentary Rolls, while in the Writs of the
same we find a ' John de Evylle.' The former instance, again, may be
but a sarcastic reduplication of the prefix. Dean Milman, quoting the
author of Anglia yudaica, tells the following story, which shows how
early this name had been so played upon : — ' A certain Jew travelling
towards Shrewsbury in company with Richard Peche, Archdeacon of
Malpas, in Cheshire, and a reverend dean whose name was "Deville,"
was told amongst other things, by the former, that his "jurisdiction
was so large as to reach from a place called 111 Street all along till they
came to Malpas, and took in a wide circumference of country." To
which the infidel, being more witty than wise, immediately replied : " Say
you so, sir ? God grant me then a good deliverance ! For it seems I
154 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
commonly met with in mediaeval records, are, never-
theless, I say, not to be put down as coeval with the
Conquest, but as after-introductions when England
was securely won. There befell Norman names of
this class, however, what I have shown still more com-
monly to have befallen those of a similar, but more
Saxon, category. If these prefixes ' de la,' ' del,' and
' du ' are sometimes found retained, they are as often
conspicuous by their absence. Thus while at an early
date after the Conquest we find the Saxon * Atwood '
met by the Norman ' Dubois,' it is equally true that
they had already to battle with simple ' Wood ' and
* Boys ' or ' Boyce.' Thus it was we find so early the
Saxon ' Beech ' faced by the Norman ' Fail ' or
' Fayle,' ' Ash ' by ' Freen,' ' Frean,' or ' Freyne,'
' Hasell ' by ' Coudray,' ' Alder ' by ' Aunay,' and, let
us say, for want of a ' Walnut,' ' Nut ' by ' Noyes,' In
the same way our ' Halls ' or ' Hales ' were matched
by ' Meynell ' (mcsnil), ' Hill ' by ' Montaigne,' now
also 'Mountain,' 'Mead' or ' Medd,' or 'Field,' by
' Prall ' or ' Prail,' relics of the old ' prayell,' a little
meadow. I have just set ' Wood ' by our ' Boys ' and
' Boyces.' To these we must add our ' Busks,'
* Bushes,' ' Busses,' all from ' bois ' or ' bosc' The
' taillis,' or underwood, too, gives us ' Tallis,' and the
union of both in ' Taillebois ' or ' Talboys,' as we now
have it, combines the names of two of our best church
musicians — ' Tallis ' and ' Boyce.' This comparison
of early introduced Norman with names of a Saxon
am riding in a country where Sin (Pechc) is the archdeacon, and the
Devil himself the dean ; where the entrance into the archdeaconry is in
111 Street, and the going from it Bad Steps (Malpas)." ' (^History of
Jews, vol. iii. p. 232.)
I-OCAL SURNAMES. 155
local character we might carry on to any extent, but
this must suffice — illustrations and not categories are
all we can pretend to attempt.
But these were not our only foreign introduced
names. Coeval with the arrival of these later Norman
designations a remarkable peculiarity began to make
itself apparent in the vast number of names that
poured in from various and more distant parts of the
Continent. That they came for purposes of trade,
and to settle down into positions that the Saxons
themselves should have occupied, is undoubted. The
lethargy of the Saxon population at this period would
be extraordinary, if it were not so easily to be
accounted for. There was no heart in the nation.
The Saxons had become a conquered people, and,
although the spirit of Hereward the Wake was
quenched, there had come that settled sullen humour
which, finding no outlet for active enmity, fed in
spirit upon itself, and increased with the pampering.
To punish open disaffection is easy ; to eradicate by
the stern arm of power such a feeling as this is im-
possible. Time alone can do it, and that but slowly.
More than a century after this we find Robin Hood
the idol of popular sympathy; no national hero has
ever eclipsed him, and yet, putting sentiment aside, he
was naught but a robber, an outlawed knave. He
was but a vent for the still lingering current of a
people's feelings. It was but the Saxon and Norman
over again.
We can easily imagine, then, if the spirit of the
people was so lethargic as this, at how low an ebb
would be the commercial enterprise of this period.
No country was there whose resources for sclf-aggran-
156 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
disement were greater than our own — none which had
more disregarded them up to the reign of the third
Edward. Till then she was the mere mine from
which other countries might draw forth riches, the
carcase for the eagles of many nations to feed upon.
Saving the exportation of wool in its raw unmanu-
factured state, she did nothing for her national pros-
perity. The Dutch cured the fish they themselves
caught on our coasts, and the looms of Flanders and
Brabant manufactured the weft and warp we sent
them into the cloth we wore. If our kings and
barons were clad in scarlet and purple, little had
England actively to do with that ; her share in such
superior tints was nought, save the production of the
dye, for in conjunction with the Eastern indigo it was
our woad the Netherlands used. That other nations
were advancing, and that ours was not, is a statement,
commercially speaking, I need not enlarge upon ; it is
a mere matter of history which no one disputes.
Not, however, that there was no trade. Far from
it. Long before Edward III. had established a surer
basis of order and industry, London had become a
mart of no small Continental importance. This out-
lying city, as with other towns of growing industry
abroad, had come under the beneficial influence of
the Crusades. So far as the redemption of the Holy
City was concerned, that strong, but noble madness
which had set Christendom ablaze was a failure.
But it effected much in another way. From the first
moment when on the waters of the Levant were
assembled a host as diverse in nation as they were one
in purpose ; when in their high-decked galleons and
oar-banked pinnances men met each other face to face
LOCAL SURNAMES. I 5/
of whose national existence they had been previously-
all but unaware — one result, at least, was sure to
follow — an intercommunion of nations was inevitable,
and, in the wake of this, other and not less beneficial
consequences. Healthy comparisons were drawn,
jealousies were allayed, navigation was improved,
better ships were built, harbours hitherto avoided as
dangerous were rendered safe, and new havens were
discovered. This influence was felt everywhere. It
reached so far as England — London felt it.
But it was a minor influence — minor in comparison
with our wonderful appliances — minor in comparison
with the commercial spirit developing such Republics
as Genoa and Venice, or the Easterling countries that
border the Baltic and German Seas — a minor influ-
ence, too, especially because the Saxons had so little
share in it. So far as they were concerned, this in-
ternationality was all one-sided. Denizens of all lands
visited our shores, but their visits were unreturned.
What an infinitesimal part of our Continental sur-
names in the present day are traceable to English
sources. On the other hand, there was no town how-
ever small, no hamlet however insignificant, in Nor-
mandy, in the Duchies of Anjou and Maine, or pro-
tected by the cities of the Hanseatic League, that is
unrepresented in the nomenclature of our land. Nay,
it was this very lack of reciprocity of commerce that
held out such inducements to the dwellers in other
lands to visit our shores. It was to step into posses-
sion of those very advantages we slighted they came :
we became but a colony of foreign artisans. Truly
our metropolis in those early days of her industry was
a motley community. Numerous names of foreign lo-
158 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
cality have died out in the lapse of centuries between ;
a large proportion have become so Anglicized that we
cannot detect their Continental birth, but there is still
a formidable array left in our midst whose lineage is
manifest, and whose nationality is not to be doubted.
We dare not enumerate them all. Let us, however,
take a short tour over Europe and the East. We
will begin with Normandy, and advance westerly, and
then southerly. The provinces that border upon
Normandy and Bretagne, especially to the south and
eastwards, large or small, have, as we should expect,
supplied us with many names. We have besides
' Norman,' which, like ' le Northern,' is of doubtful
locality, 'Bret,' 'Brett,' ' Britt,' 'Britten,' 'Briton,'
and ' Brittain,' from ' Bretagne,' and represented in
our olden rolls by such men as ' Hamo le Bret,' or
' Roger le Breton,' or ' Thomas le Brit,' or ' Ivo le
Briton.' Our 'Angers' are not necessarily so irascible
as they look, for they are but corruptions, as are
' Angwin' and ' Aungier,' of the ' Angevine of Anjou.'
Like our ' Maincs' and ' Maynes' from the neighbour-
ing duchy, they would be likely visitors to our shores
from the intimate relationship which for a while en-
dured between the two countries through royal
alliances. Our ' Artcrs' and ' Artis,' once registered
' dc Artoys,' came from ' Artois ; ' our ' Gaskins,'
and more correct ' Gascoigncs,' from ' Gascony ; ' and
our ' Burgons' and ' Burgoynes' from Burgundy.' To
Champagne it is we are indebted for our ' Champneys'
and ' Champness's,' descendants as they are from
' Hall, in his 'Chronicles,' speaks of the 'Duke of Burgoyne.'
(F. xxiiii.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. I 59
such old incomers as ' Robert le Champeneis,' or
* Roger le Chaumpeneys,' while the more strictly local
form appears in our * Champagnes,' not to say some
of our * Champions' and ' Campions.' ^ Speaking of
Champagne, it is curious that next in topographical
order come our ' Port-wines,' sprung from the Poicte-
vine of Poictou. So early as the thirteenth century,
this name had become corrupted into ' Potewyne,' a
' Pretiosa Potewyne' occurring in the Hundred Rolls
of that period. More correct representatives are found
in such entries as ' Henry le Poytevin,' and ' Peter le
Pettevin.' Pickardy has given us our * Pickards' and
' Pycards,' Provence our * Provinces,' and Lorraine
our ' Loraynes,' ' Lorraines,' and ' Lorings.' ' Peter le
Loring ' and ' John le Loring ' are instances of the
latter form. More general terms for the countrymen
of these various provinces are found in such registered-
names as 'Gilbert le Fraunceis,' or ' Henry le Franceis,'
or * Peter le Frensh,' or * Gyllaume Freynsman.'
I have mentioned 'Norman' — one of the commonest
of early sobriquets is ' le Bigod' and ' le Bigot' Well-
nigh every record has its ' Roger le Bygod,' or its
' William le Bygot,' or ' Hugh le Bigot,' or ' Alina le
' ' Champaigne,' of course, means simply plain-land, and is found
locally in various parts of Western Europe. I have included ' Cham-
pion' with the others because, though sometimes a combative sobriquet,
it is as often found to be the mediseval form of the local term, ' Cham-
pian ' and ' Champain' being other modes of spelling the same to be
met with at this period. Thus we find such double entries as ' Katerina
le Champion' and 'Roger de Champion.' Our present Authorised
Version uses the word twice, as in Deut. xi. 30: — ' Are they not on the
other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land
of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal,
beside the plains of Moreh ? ' In the various translations of this passage
almost all the above modes of spelling have been used.
l6o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Bigod.' Amid the varying opinions of so many high
authorities, I dare not speak in anywise with confi-
dence ; but, judging from these very entries which are
found at an early period, I cannot but think Dean
Trench and Mr. Wedgwood wrong in their conjecture
that the word arose from the ' beguines ' — i.e. the
Franciscans, With Mr. Taylor ' I am firmly convinced
it is ethnic, and that as such it was familiarly applied
to the Normans I am equally satisfied. In proof of
its national character, Mr. Taylor quotes a passage
from the romance of Gerard of Roussillon —
Bigot, e Proven9al e Rouergues,
E Bascle, e Gasco, e Bordales.
The popular story ascribes its origin to the fondness
for oaths so peculiar to the Anglo-Norman character,
and in this particular instance to the exclamation
' by-God.' 2 My own impression is that the origin of
the word has yet to be found. With regard to sur-
names, however, I may say that we have at this day
' Bigots' in our directories as well as in everything else,
and it is highly probable that our Bagots are but a
corruption of the same.
Turning westward, such names as ' Michael de
Spaigne,' or ' Arnold de Espaigne,' tell us at once
. ' Viik Words and Places, p. 436.
* Camden says : ' When RoUo had Normandy made over to him by
Carolus Stultus, with his daughter Gisla, he would not submit to kiss
Charles's foot. And when his friends urged him by all means to kiss
the king's foot, in gratitude for so great a favour, he made answer in the
English tongue, " Ne se, l)y God" — "Not so, by God" — upon which
the king and his courtiers, deriding him, and corruptly repeating his
answer, called him " Bigod," from whence the Normans are to this day
termed "Bigodi."'
LOCAL SURNAMES. l6l
who were the forefathers of our ' Spains ' and * Espins ;''
while ' John le Moor ' suggests to us at least the possi-
bility that English heathlands did not enjoy the entire
monopoly in the production of this familiar cognomen.
The intensive ' Blackamoor,' a mere compound of
' black ' and ' moor,' seems to have early existed. A
' Beatrice Blackamour ' and a ' William Blackamore '
occur in a London Register of 1417 — (Riley's
' London,' p. 647). Nor is Italy void of examples.
The sturdy old republic of Genoa has supplied us
with 'Janeway 'and ' Jannaway,'^ * Genese ' and * Jayne'
or ' Jeane.' Chaucer alludes to the Genoese coin the
'jane.' An old poem, too, speaking of Brabant as a
general mart, says —
Englysshe and Frensh, Lumbardes, Januayes,
Cathalones, theder they take their wayes.
The ' Libel on English Policy ' has the word in a
similar dress.
The Janueys comyne in sondre wyses,
Into this londe wyth dyverse merchaiindysses,
In grete karrekes arrayde withouten lack,
Wyth clothes of golde, silke, and pepir black.
Hall, in his Chronicles, speaking of the Duke of
Clarence ravaging the French coast in Henry IV. 's
reign, says, ' in his retournyng he encountred with
two greate Carickes of Jeane laden with ryche mar-
chandise.' (J. xxiv.)
• 'John Spaynard' is found in the Ca/. Rot. Patentium ; but the
name is now obsolete, I imagine. ' Peter Ispanier ' occurs in Clutter-
buck's Hertford (vol. i. Index).
* Hence we find Skelton speaking in one of his poems of ' That
gentyll Jorge the Januay. '
M
l62 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Its old rival upon the Adriatic still vies with it in
'Veness,' once enrolled as * de Venise.' Rome has
given us our early ' Reginald le Romayns ' and * John
le Romayns,' whose descendants now write their names
in the all but unaltered form of ' Romaine,' ^ and to
Lombardy and the Jews we owe Lombard street, and
our ' Lombards,' ' Lumbards,' ' Lubbards,' and perhaps
'Lubbers' — not to mention our 'Luckes,' and ' Luckies,'
a progenitor of whom I find inscribed in the Hundred
Rolls as ' Luke of Lucca.' Advancing eastwards, a
* Martin le Hunne ' looks strangely as if sprung from
a Hungarian source. Whatever doubt, however, there
may be on this point, there can be none on ' William
le Turc,' ^ whose name is no solitary one in the records
of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and whose
descendants are by no means extinct in the nineteenth.
' Peter le Russe ' would seem at first sight to be of
Russian origin, especially with such a Christian name
to the fore as the one above, but it is far more pro-
bably one more form of the endless corruptions of
* le Rous,' a sobriquet of complexion so extremely
familiar to all who have spent any time over mediaeval
registers. I have already mentioned * le Norrys ' as
connected with our ' Norris.' ' Dennis,' I doubt not,
in some cases, is equally representative of the former
* le Daneys.' Entries like 'William le Norris,' or
' Walter le Norrcis,' or ' Roger le Daneis,' or ' Joel le
Deneys,' are of constant occurrence. These, added
• WicklyfTe, in his preface to St. Taul's Epistle to the * Romayns,'
quotes St. Jeronic, and adds, ' This saith Jerom in his prologe on this
pistle to Romayncs.'
* ' Turk,' we must not forget, was a general term for anyone of the
Mahommedan faith. It still lingers in that sense in the j^aws, Turks,
Infidels, ami Heretics of our Book of Common Prayer.
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 63
to the others, may be mentioned as bringing before
our eyes the broadest limits of European immigration,
and with scarcely an exception they are found among
the English surnames of to-day.
But we must not forget the Dutch — a term that
once embraced all the German race.^ ' Dutchman,'
though I have found no instance in early rolls, is, I
see, a denizen of our present directories, while * Dutch-
women,' found in the fourteenth century, is extinct.
Our ' Pruces ' are but the old ' le Pruce,' or Prussian,
as we should now term them. The word is met with
in an old political song, and, as it contains a list of
articles, the introduction of which into England from
Flanders made the two countries so closely connected,
I will quote it fully: —
Now beer and bacon bene fro Pruse i-brought
Into fflaunders, as loved and fere i-soughte ;
Osmonde, coppre, bowstaffes, stile and wex,
Peltre-wai-e, and grey, pych, tar, borde, and flex.
And Coleyne threde, fustiane, and canvase,
Corde, bokeram, of old tyme thus it wase.
But the fflemmynges among these things dere,
Incomen loven beste bacon and beer.
* Fleming,' as our registers prove, was seemingly the
popular term for all the Low Countrymen, bands of
whom were specially invited over by two of our kings
to spread their industry in our own land. Numbers
of them came in, however, as simple wool-merchants,
' Thus we find Bishop Coverdale, in his Prologue to the Neiu Testa-
ment, written 1535, saying, ' And to help me herein I have had sundry
translations, not only in Latin, but also of the Dutch interpreters,
whom, because of their singular gifts and special diligence in the Bible,
I have been the more glad to follow.' {Park : Soc. p. 12.) Here he is
manifestly speaking of the German reformers.
M 2
l64 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
to transmit the raw material into Holland. As the
old * Libel on English Policy ' says —
But ye Fleminges, if ye be not wrothe,
The grete substance of your cloth, at the fulle,
Ye wot ye made it of youre English wolle.
But Flanders was not the only division represented.
Our ' Brabazons ' once written * le Brabangon,' to-
gether with our ' Brabants/ * Brabaners,' and * Bra-
bans,' issued, of course, from the duchy of that name ;
while our ' Hanways ' • and ' Hannants' hailed from
Hainault, the latter of the two representing the usual
early English pronunciation of the place-word. The
old enrolled forms are ' de Hanoia ' and ' de Henau.'
It is very likely, therefore, that our * Hannahs ' are
similarly derived. The poem I have just quoted,
after mentioning the products of ' Braban,' ' Selaunde,'
and * Henaulde,' proceeds to say : —
But they of Holonde at Caleyse buy our felles
And our wolles, that Englyshe men then selles.
This, and such an entry as * Thurstan de Holland,'
give us at once a clue, if clue were needed, to the
source whence have issued our ' Hollands.' ' Holand-
man,' which once existed, is, I believe, now extinct.
A common sobriquet for those enterprising traders
who visited us from the shores of the Baltic was
' Easterling,' and it is to their honest integrity as
merchants we owe the fact of their name in the
form of ' Sterling ' being so familiar. In contrast
to the country-made money, their coin obtained the
name of ' Easterling,' or, as we now term it, ' Ster-
' Andrew Porde speaks of ' Flaundcrs, Ilanvvay, and Braban, which
be commodious and plentiful contreys.' — Bokc of the Iittroditction of
Knowlalge.
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 65
ling ' money — so many pounds sterling being the
ordinary phrase for good and true coin. We have
even come to apply the term generally in such
phrases as sterling worth, sterling honesty, or
sterling character. The more inland traders were
styled ' Almaines,' or merchants * d'Almaine,'^ terms
common enough in our earlier archives, as ' le Ale-
man,' or * de Almania,' or ' le Alemaund,' and thus
have sprung our * Alemans,' * Almaines,' and ' All-
mans,' and through the French, probably, our ' Lalli-
mands,' ' D'Almaines,' * Dalmaines,' and more per-
verted ' Dalmans ' and ' DoUmans.' ^ Thus to these
enterprising and honest traders we owe a surname
which from the odious forms it has assumed shows
that their names, at least, were corruptible, if not their
credit. I ought to have mentioned, though I have no
record to quote in proof of my assertion, that our
* Hansards ' are, I have no doubt, descendants of such
Hanse merchants in our country as were members of
the Hanseatic League. The founder of the Hansards,
the publishers of the Parliamentary Debates, came
from Norwich in the middle of the last century, and
• An act passed in 1464 speaks of tonnage upon wines brought into
England *by eny Marchaunt Alien, as well by the Marchauntes of
Hance and of Almayn, as of eny other Marchauntes Alien.' (Rot.
Pari. Ed. IV.) Bishop Coverdale's exposition of the 22nd Psalm is
entitled, 'A very excellent and swete exposition upon the two and
twenty Psalme of David, called in Latyn, " Dominus regit me, et
nihil." Translated out of hye Almayne in to Englyshe by Myles
Coverdale, 1537.'
* The old form of ' Dutch ' was ' Douch ' or ' Dowch.' Skelton in
his ' Parrot ' says that, besides French, Lattyn, Ebrew,
'With Douch, with Spanysh, my tong can agree.'
Our ' Dowch's ' and ' Douch's ' still preserve this spelling.
1 66 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
I need scarcely say that the city was the chief head-
quarters of the Flemish weaving interest at the date
we are considering.
Leaving Europe for a moment, a name of peculiar
interest is that of ' Sarson,' ^ or ' Sarasin,' a sobriquet
undoubtedly sprung from the Crusades in the East,
and found contemporaneously, or immediately after-
wards, in England as ' Sarrasin,' ' Sarrazein,' ' Sarra-
cen,' and in the Latinized form of ' Sarracenus,' The
maternal grandfather of Thomas a Becket was a pure-
blooded Saracen, settled in England. The * Saracen's
Head,' I need not remind the reader, has been a
popular inn sign in our land from the days of Coeur
de Lion and Godfrey, It would seem as if they were
sufficient objects of public curiosity to be exhibited.
In the ' Issues of the Exchequer ' of Henry VI.'s
reign is the following : — * To a certain Dutchman,
bringing with him a Saracen to the Kingdom of
England, in money paid him in part payment of five
marks which the Lord the King commanded to be
paid him, to have of his gift.' Speaking of the Sara-
cens, however, we are led to say a word or two about
the Jews, the greatest money-makers, the greatest
merchants, the greatest people, in a commercial point
' Our * Sarsons ' may be metronymically descended from ' Sare ' or
'Sarra. ' Skelton, in 'Elynore Rummyng,' speaks of
'Dame Dorothe and lady Besse,
Dame Sare, our pryoresse.'
Nevertheless the same writer, in his ' Poem against Gameschc,' ad-
dresses a Saracen thus —
' I say, ye solcm Sarson, alle blake is your blc.'
Such entries as ' William fil. Sare,' 'John Saresson,' ' Henry Sarrasin'
or ' Peter Sarracen,' show both origins to be possible.
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 6/
of view at least, the world has known. No amount
of obloquy, no extent of cruel odium and persecution,
could break the spirit of the old Iraelitish trader.
Driven out of one city, he fled to another. Rifled of
his savings in one land, he soon found an asylum in
another, till a fresh revolution there also caused either
the king or the people to vent their passions and refill
their coflers at the expense of the despised Jew.
'Jury' would seem to be a corrupted surname taken
from the land which our Bible has made so familiar
to us. It certainly is derived from this term, but not
the Jewry of Palestine. It was that part of any large
town which in the Early and Middle Ages was set
apart for these people, districts where, if they chose
to face contumely and despite, they could live and
worship together. Every considerable town in
England and the Continent had its Jewish quarters.
London with its 'Jewry' is no exceptional case.
Winchester, York, Norwich, all our early centres of
commerce, had the same. Johan Kaye, in his account
of the siege of Rhodes, says: 'All the strete called
the Jure by the walles was full of their blood and
caren (carrion).' Our 'Jurys'^ are not, however,
necessarily Jews, as it is but a local name from resi-
dence in such quarters, and doubtless at one time or
another during the period of surname establishment
Christians may have had habitation there. ' Jew,' on
the other hand, as representing such former entries as
* Roger le Jew ' or ' Mirabilla Judaeus,' is undoubtedly
of purely Israelitish descent. But these are not all.
â– This surname is found uncorrupted so late as 1626. A 'John
Jewry' is set down in C. C. Coll. register for that date. (Vide //w/.
C. C, Coll. ) ' Jewsbury ' has the same origin.
l63 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Our early records teem with such names as ' Roger le
Convers,' or * Stephen le Convers,' ^ deserters from the
Jewish faith. We cannot be surprised at many of the
less steady adherents of the ancient creed changing
their religious status, when we reflect upon the cruel
impositions made upon them at various times,' I
suspect our * Conyers ' have swallowed up the repre-
sentatives of this name. Even in the day of its rise we
find it set down in one record as ' Nicholas le Conners.'
So much for general and national names. To
pretend to give any category of the town-names that
have issued from these wide-spread localities were, of
course, impossible. Such sobriquets as ' Argent,' from
Argentan ; * Charters ' and ' Charteris ' from Chartres ;
' Bullen,' ' Bollen,' or ' Roleyn ' from Boulogne,' with
' Bulness ' as representative of ' le Boloncis ; ' ' Lan-
dels ' from Landclles ; ' Death' or ' D'Aeth ' from Aeth
in Flanders ; ' Twopenny ' from Tupigny in the same
province ; ' Gant ' and ' Gent ' from Ghent, once ' de
Gaunt ; ' ' Legge ' from Liege (in some cases at least) ;
' Lubbock,' once written ' de Lubyck ' and ' de Lubek,'
' We must not forget, however, that the term ' convert ' was applied
to such as were lay members of a monastery. They were also working
brethren, and thus were distinguished from the 'monachi,' or monks,
who were wholly confined to religious offices and meditation. Thus, in
the Life of Hugh of Lincoln, it is said, ' Omnes intcrea Hugonem
loquebantur sive prior, sive monachus, sive conversus, gratiam attolebat
collatam Hugoni.' (P. 46. See, also, Glossary to same.)
* ' Edward I. went so far as to give the Dominican Friars, at their
particular request, power to constrain the Jews to listen to their preaching,
and even proceeded to waive his claim for seven years to more than a
moiety of the goods of the converts, the other half being given to
maintain the poor in the Hospital for Converts.' (Anglia "jfudnica,
P- 231.)
" H^ll, in his Chronicles, spells it ' Jiullcin.' (F, xxiii.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. 1 69
from Lubeck in Saxony ; * Geneve,' once * de Geneve,'
and 'Antioch/ once * de Antiochia,' are but instances
taken haphazard from a list, which to extend would oc-
cupy all my remaining space. Many of these are con-
nected with particular trades, or branches of trades,
for which in their day they had obtained a European
celebrity. If the peculiar manufactures of such places at
home as ' Kendall ' and * Lindsey ' and ' Wolsey ' have
left in our own nomenclature the marks of their early
renown, we should also expect such foreign cities as
were more especially united to us by the ties of in-
dustry to leave a mark thereof upon our registers.
Such names as * Ralph de Arras ' or ' Robert de
Arraz,' a sobriquet not yet extinct in our midst, carry
us to Arras in Artois, celebrated for its tapestried
hangings.' Rennes in Brittany has given birth to our
' Raines ' and ' Rains.' ^ Chaucer talks of pillows
made of ' cloth of raines.' Elsewhere, too, he makes
mention of * hornpipes of Cornewaile,' reminding us
that in all probability some of our ' Cornwalls ' hail
from Cornouaile in the same province. Romance in
Burgundy, celebrated for its wine, has left a memory
of that fact in our ' Rumneys ' and ' Rummeys.'
' So late as the year 1562 we find, in an old inventory, mention
made of ' One bede coveringe of ariesworke, Ss. {Richmondshire Wills,
p. 161.) ' Grant to John Bakes, arras-maker, of the office of maker
and mender of the King's cloths and pieces of arras and tapestry,
with \2d. a day for -wziges.^ —Materials for History of Reign of Henry
VII. (p. 259).
' The Gildhallte Mu7iiinenta mention, among other goods, 'mer-
cerie, canevas, conins-panes, fustiane, chalons, draps du Reynes, et
draps de soye.' (P. 231.) ' Then take a towell of reynes of two yerdes
and an halfe, and take the towell by ye endes double and laye it on the
table,' — The Boke of Kervynge,
I/O ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Some of my readers will remember that in the ' Squyr
of low degree' the king, amongst" other pleasures by
which to soothe away his daughter's melancholy,
promises her,
Ye shall have Rumney.
Our ' Challens ' are but lingering memorials of the
now decayed woollen manufactures of Chalons, of
which we shall have more to say anon ; and not to
mention others, our ' Roans ' (always so spelt and pro-
nounced in olden times), our 'Anvers,' once *de
Anvers,' our ' Cullings,' ' CuUens,' ^ ' Collinges,* and
' Lyons,' are but relics of former trades for which the
several towns of Rouen, and Antwerp, and Cologne,
and Lyons, were notorious. The rights of citizenship
and all other advantages seem early to have been
accorded them. In the thirteenth century we find
Robert of Catalonia and Walter Turk acting as
sheriffs, and much about the same time a ' Pycard '
was Mayor of London.
I must stop here. We have surveyed, compara-
tively speaking, but a few of our local, surnames.
From the little I have been able to advance, however,
it will be clear, I think, that with regard to the
general subject of nomenclature these additional
sobriquets had become a necessity. The population
of England, less than two millions at the period of
the Conquest, was rapidly increasing, and, which is
of far more importance so far as surnames are con-
cerned, increasing corporatcly. Population was be-
coming every day less evenly diffused. Communities
' Foxe, in his Alarlyrology, speaks of the ' Bishop of Mcntz, of
Cullen, and of Wonnes.' (Vol. i. p. 269, ed. 1844.)
LOCAL SURNAMES. I/I
were fast being formed, and as circumstances but
more and more induced men to herd themselves
together, so did the necessity spring up for each to
have a more fixed and determinate title than his
merely personal or baptismal one, by which he might
be more currently known among his fellows.
CHAPTER III.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE.
A CLASS of surnames which occupies no mean
"^"^ place in our lists is that which has been be-
queathed to us by the dignitaries and officers of
mediaeval times. Of these sobriquets, while some
hold but a precarious existence, a goodly number are
firmly established in our midst. On the other hand,
as with each other class of our surnames, many that
once figured in every register of the period are now
'extinct Of these latter not a few have lapsed through
the decay of the very systems which brought them
into being. While the feudal constitution remained
encircled as it was with a complete scheme of service,
while the ecclesiastic system of Church government
reigned supreme and without a rival, there were num-
berless offices which in after days fell into desuetude
with the principle that held them together. Still, in
the great majority of cases the names of these have
remained to remind us of their former heyday glory,
and to give us an insight into the reality of those now
decayed customs to which they owed their rise.
We must be careful, however, at the outset to
remark that a certain number of these names ought,
strictly speaking, to be set down in our chapter upon
sobriquets. They are either vestiges of the many
outdoor pageantries and mock ceremonies so popular
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 173
in that day, or of the numberless nicknames our fore-
fathers loved to affix one upon the other, and in
which practice all, high and low alike, joined. For
instance, no one could suspect such a sobriquet as
* Alan le Pope,' or ' Hugh le Pape,' the source of one
of our commonest and most familiar names, to be
derived from the possessor of that loftiest of eccle-
siastic offices.* It could be but a nickname, and was
doubtless given to some unlucky individual whose
overweening and pretentious bearing had brought
upon him the affix. So, again, would it be with such
a title as ' Robert le Keser,' that is, Caesar, corre-
sponding to the French ' L'empriere' and the obsolete
Norman * le Emperer.' This is a word of frequent
occurrence in our earlier poets. Langland says of our
Lord, there was
No man so worthie
To be kaiser or king
Of the kyngdom of Juda.
Again, he finely says —
Death cam dryvynge after,
And al to duste passed
Kynges and knyghtes,
Kaysers and popes,
Lered and levved. *
* The same remark will apply to our ' Cardinals ' and ' Pontifexs.'
'Cardinal' is early found in 'Walter Cardinall ' (P.)j and 'William
Cardynair (Z).
* In one of our old mediaeval ' mysteries, ' representing the Nativity,
one of the Magi says : —
Certain Balaam speakys of this thyng,
That of Jacob a star shall spryng,
That shall overcom kasar and kyng.
— Townley AfysteHes,
174 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
This surname, too, is now all but equally common
with the other, being met with in the several shapes
of 'Cjesar,' ' Cayser,' * Cayzer,' ' Kaiser,' and ' Keyser.''
The name of 'Julius Caesar,' as that of one of our
most esteemed professional cricketers, has only just
disappeared from the annals of that noble game.
The posterity of such enrolled burgesses as ' William
le Kyng ' or ' Thomas le Kyng ' still flourish and
abound in our midst. An imperious temperament
would thus readily meet with good-humoured censure.
' Matilda le Quen' or * Simon Quene' has not quite
failed of issue ; but had it been otherwise, it could
not have been matter for any astonishment, as the
sobriquet was doubtless anything but a complimentary
affix. We must remember that, somewhat curiously,
the old ' quen,' or, as the Scotch still term it, * quean,'
at once represents the highest rank to which a woman
can reach and the lowest depth to which she can fall.
So would it be once more with our endless ' Princes,'
and ' Comtes' or ' Counts,' ' Viscuntes,' the heads of
provincial government.' There is no reason, however,
why our ' Dukes,' * Dooks,' or * Dues,' as they are more
generally found in our rolls ('Roger le Due,' E., * Adam
le Duk.' M.),^ should not be what they represent,
or rather then represented. A ' duke' was of course
anything but what we now understand by the term,
' Some of these forms may be but corruptions of ' Casier,' the old
cheese-maker, found in the Writs of Parliament in such entries as
' Michael le Casiere,' or * Benedict le Casiere.' ' Cayser' would require
little variation to make it such.
« 'EUice Pryncc' (Z.), 'John Ic Cunte' (E.), ' Peter leCounle' (C),
'John le Viscounte ' (B.).
» 'William le Duck' (T.). Our 'Ducks' may thus be ofikial
rather than ornithological.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1/5
being then, as it more literally signifies, a leader, or
chieftain, or head. It is thus used in Scripture. Lang-
land, to quote him again, says of Justice —
A-drad was he nevere
Neither of due ne of deeth.
Elsewhere, too, he describes ' Rex Gloriae ' as
addressing Lucifer upon the brink of Hades, and
saying —
Dukes of this dymme place,
Anoon undo these yates,
That Crist may come in,
The kynges sone of hevene.
It is in this same category we must set, I doubt not,
such old registrations as ' Robert le Baron' or * Walter
le Baron,' 'John le Lorde' or 'Walter le Loverd,' and
' Walter le Theyn' or * Nicholas le Then,' names now
found as ' Baron,' ' Lord,' and ' Thain,' ' Thaine,' or
* Thane.' ^ Even in the case of names of a more eccle-
siastic character, we shall have to apply the same
remark. We have still in our midst descendants of
the ' le Cardinals' and ' le Bishops' of the thirteenth
century, and there can be little doubt that these were,
in the majority of cases, but nicknames given to par-
ticular individuals by way of ridiculing certain charac-
teristics which seemed to tend in the direction the
name suggested.
As I have already hinted, however, there is another
and equally probable origin for many of the names I
have mentioned. Pageantries and mock ceremonies
' This word is found as a compound in ' William Burtheyn,' a
Saxon title equivalent to the Norman 'Chamberlain.' The Prompt.
Par. has 'burmayden,' i.e. 'chamber-maid.'
176 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
were at this time at the very height of their popu-
larity. The Romish Church fed this desire. Thus,
for instance, take Epiphany. In well-nigh every parish
the visit of the Magi, always accounted to have been
royal personages, was regularly celebrated. Though
the manner varied in different places, the custom was
more or less the same. There was a great feast, and
one of the company was always elected king, the
rest being, according to the lots they drew, either
ministers of state or maids of honour. Thus Herrick
says —
For sports, for pageantrie, and playes,
Thou hast thy eves and hoHdayes :
Thy wakes, thy quintels, here thou hast.
Thy Maypoles, too, with garlandes graced :
Thy mummeries, thy twelfe-tide kings
And queens, thy Christmas revellings.'
' In the Hundred Rolls we find a 'Will Litleking.' This sobriquet
would readily attach to one such feast-appointed monarch whose dimi-
nutive stature would but impart additional merriment to the occasion.
'Roger Wyteking' {Testa de Neville) would owe his nont de phime to
the dress he wore. It is to such an institution as this, again, we must
ascribe the origin of such names as ' Reginald Kyngessone,' and per-
chance • Richard Kyngesman,' both found in the Hundred Rolls also.
That our ' Kings ' are but a memorial of the festivities of our forefathers,
is an undoubted fact. Every great nobleman had not merely a pro-
fessed ' fool,' but at particular seasons a ' King of Misnde.' This 'king'
initiated and conducted the merry doings of Christmastide, and was a
proper officer. Besides the 'King of Misrule,' there were also the
' King ' and ' Queen ' of each village enthroned on May morning,
who would be sure to keep their regal title through the year at least.
Thus, among the twenty or thirty families that comprised the manor of
Ashton-under-Lyne in 1422, we find ' Hobbe the King,' while a festival
to be held there in that year is to be under the supervision of ' Mar-
garet, widow of Hobbe the King, Hobbe Adamson, Jenkin of the
Wood, Robert Somayster (Sum-master), etc' {Three Lancashire Docu-
ments. Cheth. Soc.) 'Wc, Adam Backhous and Harry Nycol, hath
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1/7
I need scarcely say that as popular nicknames these
titles would be sure to cling to the persons upon whom
they had fallen, and that they should even pass on to
their descendants is no more unnatural than in the
case of a hundred other sobriquets we shall have oc-
casion to recount.
Of the rest, however, and, as I have said, maybe
in some of the cases I have mentioned, the surname
was but truly indicative of the office or dignity held.
The Saxon has suffered here. And yet to some this
may seem somewhat strange when we remember how
little change really took place in the institutions of
the Kingdom by the Conquest, The Normans and
Saxons, after all, were but propagations from the
same original stock, and however distant the period
of their separation, however affected by difference of
clime and association, still their customs bore a suffi-
cient affinity to make coalescence by no means a
difficult task. William was not given to great changes.
He was vindictive, but not destructive. His most
cruel acts were retributive, done by way of reprisal
after sudden disaffection. If a conqueror must estab-
lish his power, deeds of this kind are inevitable.
And even these are exaggerated. The story of the
depopulation of the New Forest, it is now pretty
generally agreed, is impossible — its present condition
forbids of any such act to have been practicable — and
the notion frequently conveyed in our smaller books
of English history, that the curfew was a badge and
made account for the Kenggam (King-game), that same tym don Wil-
liam Kempe, A'enge, and Joan Whytebrede, Qucft, and all costs de-
ducted, 4/. 5j. od. (Ch.wardens' Accounts: Kingston-upon-Thames.
Lyson.)
N
178 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
token of servitude, is simply absurd, the fact being
that the same custom prevailed over the whole of
Western Europe, as a mere precaution against tire at
a time when our towns were mainly constructed of
wood. A crushed people will always misinterpret
such ordinances. Prejudice of this kind is perfectly
pardonable. William then, I say, was not inclined to
uproot Saxon institutions. The national council still
remained. The ancient tribunals with their various
motes, the whole system of law which guided the
administration of justice, all was well-nigh as it had
been heretofore. But the language which was the
medium of all this was generally changed. The old
laws were indeed used, but in a translated form — old
officerships still existed, but in a new dialect — the old
policy was mainly upheld, but new terms of police
were introduced. It was not till Edward III.'s reign
that pleadings in the various courts were again carried
on in the English tongue — it was not till Henry VI. 's
reign the proceedings in Parliament were recorded in
the people's dialect — not till Richard III.'s day its
statutes and ordinances ceased to be indited in
Norman-Erench. This at once shows the difficulty of
any officership, however Saxon, retaining its original
title. The office was maintained, but the name was
changed. This was the more certain to ensue, so far
as the Church was concerned, from the fact that for a
considerable period all ecclesiastic vacancies were
filled up from abroad, liishops and abbots were
removed on pretexts of one sort or another, and their
places supplied from the Conqueror's chaplains. The
monasteries were hived with Normans ; the clergy
generally were of foreign descent. It was the same,
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 79
or nearly the same, with regard to civil government.
The lesser courts of judicature were ruled by
foreigners and the foreign tongue. The Barons, as
they retired into the provinces and to the estates
allotted them, naturally bore with them a Norman
retinue. All their surroundings became quickly the
same. Thus the French language was used not
merely in their common conversation — that of course
— but so far as their power, undoubtedly large,
existed, in the provincial courts also.
Such entries as ' Thomas le Shirreve ' and * Lena
le Shireve ' remind us not merely of our present
existing * Sheriffs,' ' Shcrrifs,' and ' Shreeves,' but how
firmly this Saxon word has maintained its hold
through the many fluctuations of English government.
The Norman ' Judge,' though it is firmly established
in our courts of law, has not made any very great im-
press upon our nomenclature. ' Justice,' a relic of
* William ' or * Eva le Justice,' ^ is more commonly met
with. Our ' Corners,' when not descendants of the
local ' de la Corners ' of the thirteenth century, are but
corruptions of many a 'John le Coroner ' or ' Henry le
Corouner ' of the same period. It is even found in the
abbreviated form of ' Corner,' in 'John Ic Corner ' and
' The Ordinary was any ecclesiastic judge, the bishop himself, or his
deputy. Thus, in a statute of Edward III., dated 1341, it is said : —
' Item, it is accorded and assented that the king and his heirs shal
have the conisance of the usurers dead, and that the Ordinaries of Holy
Church — les Ordinares de Seinte Esglise — have the conisance of usurers
in life, as to them appertaineth, to make compulsion by the censures of
Holy Church for the sin,' &c. {Stat. Realm, vol. i. p. 296.) We still
call the gaol chaplain the ordinary who conducts the condemned pri-
soner to the scaffold and reads the appointed service. The Parlia-
mentary Writs give us a 'John Ordeiner' and a ' Stephen Ordinar.'
N 2
l80 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Walter le Cornur.' Thus we see that so early as this
our forefathers discerned in the death of a subject a
matter that concerned not merely the well-being of
the crown, but that of which the crown as the true
parent of a nation's interests was to take cognizance.
More directly opposed to the Norman * Judge ' and
* Justice,' and in the end displaced by them, were
our Saxon ' Demer ' and ' Dempster ' (the older forms
being ' le Demere ' and * le Demester '), they who pro-
nounced the doom. An old English Psalter thus
translates Psalm cxlviii. 1 1 : —
Kinges of earth, and alle folk living,
Princes and all deriiers of land.
An antique poem, too, has it in its other form in the
following couplet : —
Ayoth was then demester
Of Israel foure score yeer.
We Still employ the term ' doom ' for judgment.
Chaucer speaks familiarly of one of the Canterbury
company as a ' Serjeant of the Lawc.' It is, in the
majority of cases, to the term ' sergeant ' as used in
this capacity we owe our much-varied * Sargants,'
' Sargeants,' ' Sargeaunts,' ' Sargents,' ' Sergents,' * Ser-
geants,' * Sarjants,' and ' Sarjeants.' The same poet
says of him : —
Justice he was full often in assize.
By patent and by pleine commission.
' Alured le Pledur,' or ' Henry Ic Plcidour,' and ' Peter
le Escuzer,' all obsolete as surnames, need little or no
explanation. Speaking of assizes, we are reminded of
our ' Siscrs ' and ' Sizcrs,' representatives of the old
SURNAMES OF OFFICE, l8l
'Assizer' — he who was commissioned to hold the
court. Piers Plowman frequently mentions him : —
To marien this mayde
Were many men assembled,
As of knyghts, and of clerkes,
And other commune people,
As sisours, and somenours,
Sherreves, and baillifs.
We are here reminded of ' Hugh le Somenur,' or
* Henry le Sumenour,' now spelt ' Sumner,' the sheriffs
messenger, he by whom the delinquent was brought
up to the court. He was the modern apparitor in
fact. In the * Coventry Mysteries ' it is said : —
Sim Somnor, in haste wend thou thi way,
Byd Joseph, and his wyffby name.
At the coorte to apper this day.
Him to purge of her defame.
A ' Godwin Bedellus ' occurs so early as Domes-
day record, and as * Roger le Bedel,' or ' Martin le
Bedel,' the name is by no means rare somewhat later
on. He was, whether in the forest or any other court,
the servitor, he who executed processes or attended
to proclamations. The modern forms of the name
comprise, among others, ' Beadell,' ' Beadle,' ' Bead-
dall,' and ' Biddle.' Such names as ' Richard le Gaye-
ler ' or ' Ada le Gaoler,' are very commonly met with
in our mediaeval rolls. The term itself is of Norman
origin, reminding us that, however menial the duty,
the Saxon could not be entrusted with such an office
as this. We cannot, however, speak of the gaoler and
his confreres without referring to a curious sobriquet
of this period, a sobriquet to which we owe in the
1 82 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
present day our ' Catchpoles ' and ' Catchpooles.' '
The catchpole was a kind of under-bailiff or petty-
sergeant who distrained for debt, or otherwise did the
more unpleasant part of his superior's work, and was
so called from his habit of seizing his luckless victim
by the hair, or poll, as was the familiar term then. So
general was this nickname that we find it occupying
an all but official place. It is Latinized in our re-
cords into ' cachepollus,' a word unknown to Cicero, I
am afraid. In the ' Plowman's Vision ' we are told of
the two thieves crucified with the Saviour that : —
A cachepol cam forth
And cracked both their legges.
Another name for the catchpole was that of ' Cacherel '
or ' Cacher,' both of which forms occur at this same
period as surnames. An old political song says,
murmuringly : —
Nedes I must spend that I spared of yore
Ageyn this cacherele cometh.
This sobriquet also abides with us still.'* ' Le Cacher,'
I fear, has been obsolete for centuries.'
' The term ' poll ' for the head, was far more familiar to our fore-
fathers than to ourselves, as such terms as * poll-tax,' or ' going to the
poll,' testify. It was in great favour for nickname purposes, and beside
the one in the text gave rise to such sobriquets as 'ranti-poll,' i.e.,
boisterous fellow; 'doddy-poll,' or ' doddy-poul,' as Latimer spells it,
i.e., blockhead; or 'withy-poll,' i.e., spoiled one. The latter was a
term of endearment, and as such would not be resented. Hence it is
found twice as a surname: — ' Poule Withipoule, taillour' [Rtitlaiid
Papers, Cam. Soc); 'Edmund Withipole' {State Papers, Domestic).
* An old sermon, written in the fourteenth century, upon Matt, xxiv,
43, speaks of those whom we should now term as the ' Devil and his
angels' as the ' Devil and his kachereles.'
' We have the surname of ' Outlawe,' or ' Outlaghe,' figuring in
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 83
Of such as were accountable for duties in the
pubHc streets, we may mention first our 'Cryers/
registered at the time we are speaking of as * Philip le
Criour,' or ' Wat le Greyer.' He, like the still existing
'Bellman,'' performed a fixed round, announcing in
full and sententious tones the mandates of bench and
council, whenever it was necessary to advertise to the
public such news as concerned their common well-
being. Our policeman may be modern in his name
and in his attire, but as the guardian of the peace, by
night as well as by day, he is but the descendant of a
long line of servants who have in turn fulfilled this
important public trust. His early title was borne by
' Ralph le Weyte,' or ' Robert le Wayte,' or 'Hugh le
Geyt,' or ' Robert le Gait.' All these forms are of the
commonest occurrence in our olden registries. By
night he carried a trump, with which to sound the
watches or give the alarm, and thus it was he acquired
also the name of ' Trumper,' such forms as ' Adam le
Trompour ' or ' William le Trompour ' being fre-
several rolls, and that of ' Felon,' or 'le Felun,' in at least one. These
would be both unpleasant names to bear, perhaps more so then than
now, A ' felon ' was one who had, by court adjudicature, and for some
specific crime, forfeited all his property, lands, or goods. An ' outlaw '
was one who had been cited to judgment for some misdemeanour, and
by refusing to make an appearance had put himself out of the protection
of the law. Thus, Robin Hood was an outlaw. ' Adam Outelaw ' signs
ordinances of Guild of St. John Baptist, West Lynn, 1374. {English
Gilds, p. 102.) This name, strange to say, lingered on to within
the last two hundred years, a ' Thomas Outlaw ' being found in a college
register for 1674. (Vide Hist. C. C. Coll. Cam.) In 1661, too, 'Ralph
Outlaw' was rector of Necton in Norfolk. (Hist. Norf., vi, 55.)
' 'On the 30th ult., at Greenheys, Manchester, formerly of Oxton,
Cheshire, Sarah, widow of R. Bellringer, of Pendleton, aged 82.'
(Manchester Courier, May 2, 1874.) This is the only instance of this
name I have hitherto met with.
,l84 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
quently met with at this time. To the former title of
this official duty it is we owe the fact of our still
terming any company of night serenaders * waits,' and
especially those bands of strolling minstrels who keep
up the good old custom of watching in Christmas
morn. A good old custom, I say, even though it may
cost us a few pence and rouse us somewhat rudely,
maybe, from our slumbers. ' Wait,' ' Waite,' ' ' Wayt,'
and ' Whaite,' with ' le Geyt,' are the forms that still
exist among us. ' Trumper,' too, has its place equally
assured in our nomenclature.
Such names as we have just dwelt upon, however,
remind us of other municipal authorities, higher in
position than these, to whom, indeed, these were but
servitors. A sobriquet like * Richard le Burgess ' or
* John le Burges ' reminds us of the freemen of the
borough towns, while * le Mayor,' or * Mayer,' or
'Maire,' or ' Mair,' or * Meyre,' ' or 'Mire,' for all
these different spellings are found, is equally sugges-
tive of the chief magistracy of such. Piers, to quote
him once more, speaks of: —
The maistres,
Meirs and Jugges,
That have the welthe of this world.
The feminine form of this sobriquet appears in the
early but obsolete ' Margaret la^ Miresse.' Speaking
â– 'Thomas le Await' occurs in the Rot. Curia: Regis. This reminds
US that our 'waiter' was once prefixed with 'a' likewise — 'xii. esquiers
awaiters. * ( Ord. Hoiisch old of Duke of Cla re f ice, 1 49 3 . )
' ' And to meyris or presidentis and to kyngis yc shall be led for me
in witnessyng to them.' — Matt x. 18 (WicklyfTc). In a Petition to Par-
liament, dated 1461, the following varieties of spelling occur within the
space of thirty lines : — 'Maier,' 'Mayer,' 'Mayre,' and ' Maire.' (Rot.
Pari. Ed. IV.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 18$
of mayors, some lines written some years ago on the
proposed elevation of a certain Alderman Wood as
Lord Mayor are not without humour, nor out of place,
perhaps, here : —
In choice of Mayors 'twill be confest,
Our citizens are prone to jest :
Of late a gentle ' Flower ' they tried —
November came and checked its pride.
A ' Hunter ' next, on palfrey grey,
Proudly pranced his year away.
The next, good order's foes to scare,
Placed ' Birch ' upon the civic chair.
Alas ! this year, 'tis understood,
They mean to make a mayor of ' Wood ! '
As a fellow to ' Meir ' we may cite * Provost,' or
' Prevost,' or ' Provis,' a term still used of the mayor-
alty in Scotland. * Councellor ' and ' Councilman '
are still familiar terms in our midst. * Clavenger,'
' Claver,' and * Cleaver ' we will mention last as filling
up a list of civic offices entirely, so far as the lan-
guage is concerned, the property of the dominant
power. A ' Robert Clavynger ' occurs in the Par-
liamentary Rolls. Its root is ' claviger,' the ' key-
bearer,' one whose office it was at this time to protect
the deposits, whether of money or parchments, be-
longing to the civic authorities. The more common
term was that of ' Clavier,' such entries as ' Henry le
Claver,' or 'John le Clavour,' or 'John le Clavier,'^
being of familiar occurrence at this time. Thus in a
treaty agreed upon between the Mayor, sheriffs, and
commonalty of Norwich in 14 14, it was declared that
' I suspect the difference between the ' claviger ' and the ' clavier '
la/ in that the former bore the key, and perhaps even the mace, in all
the many public processions and pageants of the day.
1 86 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* the mayor and twenty-four (of the council) shall
choose a common clerk, a coroner, two clavers, and
eight constables, and the sixty common council shall
choose a common speaker, one coroner, two clavers,
and eight constables.' (' Hist. Norf,' Blomefield.) In a
day when there were no patent safes we can readily
understand the importance of appointing men whose
one care it was to guard the chests wherein w'cre
stored up the various parchments, moneys, and seals
belonging to the civic council. This comprises our
list of Norman civil officers. One name, and one only,
of this class is Saxon, that of 'Alderman,' but I have
found it occurring as a surname in only one or two
instances, and I believe it has now become obsolete.
Turning from municipal to ecclesiastical affairs,
we find the Church of mediaeval times surrounded
with memorials. Some of these I have already
hinted at as being mere sobriquets ; ' none the less,
however, do we owe them to the existing institutions.
Such names as ' Hugo le Archevesk ' or ' William le
Arceveske ' can be only thus viewed. In * Morte
Arthure ' the hero holds festival at Caerleon,
Wyth dukez, and dusperes of dyvers rewmes,
Erles and erchevesques, and other ynowe,
Byscliopes and bachelers and banerettes nobille.
While this has long vanished from our directories, the
descendants of 'John Ic Bissup ' or ' Robert le Biscop'
are firmly established therein. The more Norman
' The old and general custom of electing a boy-bishop on St. Nicholas'
Day gave their title, doubtless, to most of our 'bishops.' The familiarity
of the ceremony is fully attested by Brand. To him I refer tlie reader.
The boy thus elevated by his fellows could not but retain tlie sobriquet.
Lyson quotes from the Lambeth Ch.wardcns' Accounts, 1523: 'For
the Bishop's dynner and hys company on St. Nycolas' Day, \\s, viii^/.'
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 8/
* Robert le Vecke ' and * Nicholas le Vesk ' still live
also in our * Vicks ' and 'Vecks.' It was only the
other day I saw * Archdeacon ' over a hatter's shop
— and that it is no corruption of some other word,
we may cite the early ' Thomas le Arcedekne ' as a
proofs Whether ' Archpriest,' a sobriquet occurring
at the same date, was but another designation of the
same, or performed more episcopal functions, I
cannot say,' The name, however, is obsolete in every
sense. The old vicar has bequeathed us our ' Vicars,'
* Vicarys,' and ' Vickermans.' Chaucer says in the
* Persons Prologue ' —
Sire preest, quod he, art thou a vicary ?
Or art thou a Person ? say soth by thy fay.
Our ' Parsons,' as Mr. Lowther thinks, are but a
form of ' Piers' son,' that is, * Peters* son.' It is,
however, quite possible for them to be what they more
nearly resemble ; indeed, I find the name occurring as
such in the case of ' Walter le Persone,' found in the
Parliamentary Rolls. Well would it be if we could
say of each village cure now what our great early
poet said of one he pictured forth —
A good man there was of religioun,
That was a poure Persone of a town,
But riche he was of holy thought and werk,
He was also a lerned man, a clerk,
That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche.
' Daniel Archdeacon was recommended to the King for his services,
l6lo. {State Papers, 1623-5, p. 545.)
* 'Roger le Archeprest' (J). The term was in use in the seven-
teenth century. Smith, the ' silver-tongued ' preacher, speaks of ' priest,
or priests, or archpriests, or any such like.' (GoiVs Arrow against
Atheists.)
l88 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Our * Priests ' and * Priestmans ' * answer for them-
selves, ' Thomas le Prestre ' and ' Peter le Prest,' I
do not doubt myself, were but other changes rung
upon the same, but I shall have occasion hereafter to
propose, at least, a different origin for the latter. The
lower ministerial office is suggested to us in ' Philip
le Dekene ' and ' Thomas le Deken,' but we must be
careful not to confound them with ' Deakin,' which is
often but another form of * Dakin,' that is, ' Dawkin,'
or ' little David.'' Our * Chaplains ' or ' Chaplins,' once
written more fully as ' Reginald le Chapeleine,' repre-
sent less one who officiated in any public sanctuary
than him who was attached to some private oratory
belonging to one of the higher nobility. Our * Chanters '
or ' Canters ' (' Xtiana le Chauntour,' A., ' William le
Chantour,' M.) still maintain the dignity of the old
precentors who led the collegiate or cathedral choir —
but the once existing ' Chanster ' (' Stephen le Chan-
ster,' J.), strictly speaking the feminine of the other, is
now obsolete.' In our ' Chancellors ' we may recognise
the ancient 'John le Chancelcr ' or 'Geoffry le Chaun-
celer,' he to whose care was committed the chapter,
books, scrolls, records, and what other literature be-
longed to the establishment with which he stood con-
' As in occupative names, svicli as 'Fisherman' and 'Poulterer,'
there was a tendency to repeat the suffix, or to add ' man ' to a term
that itself expressed a personal agent, so it was in official names. We
have just spoken of 'Vickerman' and ' Priestman.' 'Symon Prior-
man' (W. 15) and 'William Munkeman ' (W. 15) are other cases in
point.
' After the fashion of ' Vicary,' from 'Vicar,' and 'Thackeray,'
from 'Thacker,' so ' Diacony ' seems to have been formed from
• Deacon.' — Michell Diacony, xx.
* 'Williametta Cantatrix ' is found in the " A't^A Lit. Clatts. in
Turri Lond."
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 89
neeted. * Clerk ' as connected with the Church has come
down in the world, for as ' clericus/ or ' clergyman,*
it once belonged entirely to the ordained ministry.'
The introduction of lay-clerks, appointed to lead the
responses of the congregation, has, however, connected
them all but wholly with this later office. Nor have
our ' Secretans,' or ' Sextons,' or ' Saxtons ' pre-
served their early dignity. The sacristan was he who
had charge of the church-edifice, especially the robes
and vestments, and such things as appertained to the
actual service.^ The present usually accepted mean-
ing of the term, that understood by our great
humorist poet when he said —
He went and told the sexton,
And the sexton tolled the bell,
is quite of later growth. In our ' Colets ' and
* Collets * (sometimes the diminutives of ' Colin ')
we are reminded of the colet, or acolyte, who
waited upon the priest and assisted in carrying the
bread and wine, in lighting the candles, and per-
forming all subordinate duties. Our ' Bennets,' when
not belonging to the class of baptismal names (as a
corruption of 'Benedict'), once performed the func-
tions of exorcists, and by the imposition of hands
' A curious, not to say cumbrous, surname is met with in the Parlia-
mentary Writs — that of ' Holywaterclerk ' — a certain ' Hugh Haliwater-
clerk * being set down as dwelling at Lincoln. Doubtless he was con-
nected with the cathedral body of that city. The name, I need not say,
is obsolete ; and the Reformation has removed the office denoted. A
' Walter le Churcheclerk ' is found in the same record.
* The charge of the vestry seems to have been given also to the ' rcve-
tour,' from ' revestir.' A ' William Revetour, clericus, fdius Rogeri
Morbet, revetour,' was admitted to freedom of York City in 1420. He
died in 1446, and in his will makes mention of his father as * Roger
Revetour.' {Corpus Christi Guild, p. 24. Surt. Soc.)
190 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
and the aspersion of holy water expelled evil spirits
from those said to be thus possessed. Last of this
group we may mention our ' Croziers ' and ' Crosiers,'
they who at this time bore the pastoral staff. Me-
diaeval forms of these are met with in ' Simon le
Croyzer ' or ' Mabel la Croiser,' I doubt not that he
was a kind of chaplain to his superior, whose official
staff it was his duty to bear. In the Book of Com-
mon Prayer of the 2nd year of Edward VI. it is
directed : ' Whensoever the bishop shall celebrate
the holy communion, or execute any other public
office, he shall have upon him, besides his rochet, an
alb and cope, or vestment, and also his pastoral staff
in his hand, or else borne by his chaplain.'
When we turn our eyes for a moment to the old
monastic institutions, we see that they, too, are far
from being without their relics. In them we have
more distinctly the echo of a departed time. Many
of my readers will be familiar with the distinction
recorded in such names as 'Alexander le Seculer'
and ' Walter le Rcligieusc,' or ' man of religion,' as
Chaucer would have termed the latter. To be
* religious ' in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
was to be one of a monastic order bound by vows.
Thus our great mediaeval poet says in his Romance —
Religious folk ben full covert,
Secular folke ben more apert,
But nathelcss, I will not blame
Religious folke, ne Ihem defame
In what habitc that ever they go ;
Religion humble, and true also,
Will I not blame, ne despise.
The ' religieuse ' has apparently stuck to his vows,
for I have never found the term in an hereditary form,
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. I9I
while ' Secular,' as descended from such enrolled folk
as 'Walter le Secular,' or 'Joan, uxor Nicholas le
Secular,' still exists. I am afraid, however, the Sec-
ularist of that time could and would have told us a
different tale. Of these bound orders too, while the
general term, as I say, does not now exist surnomi-
nally, all the more particular titles which it embraced
do. As we catch the cadence of their names a
shadow falls athwart our memories, and in its wake a
crowd of dim and unsubstantial figures pass before
us. Once more we behold the fiery ' Abbot ' (Juliana
Abbot, A., Ralph le Abbe, C), and the portly ' Prior'
or 'Pryor' (Roger le Priour, B., William le Priur, E.).
We see afresh the * Friar,' or ' Freere,' or ' Frere '
(Syward le Frere, A., Geoffrey le Frere, A.), so 'plea-
sant of absolution ' and ' easy of penance.' Again
our eye falls mistily upon the * Canon,' or ' Cannon '
(William le Cannon, A., Thomas le Canun, E.), with
his well- trimmed beard and capped brow, and the
' Moyne ' (now ' Munn ') or ' Monk ' (Beatrix le Munk,
A., Thomas le Mun, A., Ivo le Moyne, A.), all closely
shaved and cloaked, and cowled, that knew his way to
the cellar better than to the chapel, who loved the song
more than the chaunt.^ And now in quick succession
flit by us a train of personages all beshrouded in garbs
of multitudinous and quaint aspect, in cloaks and hoods,
and tippets and girdles, and white and dark apparel.
There is the wimpled, grey-eyed ' Nunn ' (Alice la
' John Closterer.' {Three Histories of Durham. Suit. Soc. ) This
would be a general term for one who dwelt in a monastic institution.
Shakespeare uses the feminine 'cloistress.' Of a similar character would
be 'Nicholas Brotherhood' (NichoUs' Zw^j/^?-, 1633), 'John Brother-
hood' (W. 20), or ' William Felliship ' (W. il).
192 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Nonne, A.), and the Dorturer, represented in olden
registers by such a name as ' Robert le Dorturer,' he
who looked to the arrangements of the dourtour, or
dormitory —
His death saw I by revelation,
Sayde this frere, at home in our dortour. '
The word still existed in the sixteenth century, as is
evidenced by Heywood's use of it. He says —
The tongue is assigned of wordes to be sorter ;
The mouth is assigned to be the tongue's dorter ;
The teeth are assigned to be the tongue's porter ;
But wisdom is 'signed to tye the tongue shorter.
The figure is somewhat forced, but it has its beauty.
The ' Fermerer,' now found as ' Fermor ' and ' Firmer,'
was he who superintended the infirmary. Only a few
lines further on, in the earlier of the two poems from
which I last quoted, we find Chaucer making mention
of—
Our sexton, and our fermerere,
That have been trewe freres fifty year.
The * Tale of a Monk,' too, begins —
A black munk of an abbaye
Was enfeiTner of alle I herd say —
He was halden an hali man
Imange his felaus.
The fcrmery was the hospital or ' spital ' ^ attached to
each religious house, and was under the immediate
control of the above-mentioned officer. It is with him,
' In the Monastical Church of Durham, written in 1593, we are
fold of the ' Cellarer' tliat ' the cliambre where he dyd lye was in the
dorter.' (P. 83.)
' Hence the local surname ' Spital ' or ' Spittle : ' ' Richard ate
Spitale,' M. 'Gilbert de Hospitall,' A.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 193
therefore, we may fitly ally ' Robert le Almoner,' or
' Michael le Aumoner,' a name still abiding with us,
and representative of him who dispensed the alms to
the lazars and the poor. It is in allusion to this his
office that Robert Brunne in one of his tales says : —
Seynt Jone, the aumenere,'
Saith Pers, was an okerere
And was very coveytous
And a niggard and avarus.
Of the same officer in more lordly society the *Boke
of Curtasye ' thus speaks —
The Aumonere a rod schalle have in honde,
An office for almes, I understonde ;
AUe the broken mete he kepys in wait
To dele to pore men at the gate.
Many of those who were supported at this time and
in this manner were lepers. We can take up no
record, large or small, of the period without coming
across a ' Nicholas ' or * Walter le Leper.' Leprosy
was introduced into Western Europe with the return
of the Crusaders. To such a degree had it spread in
England, that in 1346 Edward III. was compelled to
issue a royal mandate enjoining those * smitten with
the blemish of leprosy ' to ' betake themselves to
places in the country, solitary, and notably distant '
from the dwellings of men. Such a distinctive desig-
nation as this would readily cling to a man, even after
' Our ' Amners ' are but a corruption of this same name. The word
had become early so corrupted — ' For in tymes paste kynges have geven
theyr bysshoprycks to theyr councellers, chaplaynes .... or to
suche which have taken paynes in theyr householde, as amners, and
deans of the chappell,' &c. (A Supplycacion to our moste Soveraign*
Lorde Kynge Henry tlu Eyghi, p. 34.)
O
194 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
he had been cured of the disorder/ and no wonder
that in our ' Lepers ' and ' Leppers ' the name still
remains as but one more memorial of that noble mad-
ness which set Christendom ablaze some six centuries
ago. A term used synonymously at this time with
leper is found in such an entry as ' Richard le Masele '
or * Richard le Masle,' that is, ' Measle.' Wicklyffe has
the word in the case of Naaman, and also of the Sa-
maritan lepcr.^ Langland speaks of those who are
afflicted with various ailments, and adds that they, if
they
Take these myschiefs meeklike,
As mesels, and others,
Han as pleyn pardon
As the plowman hymselve.
Capgrave, too, to quote but one more instance, speak-
ing of Deodatus, a Pope of the seventh century, says
' He kissed a mysel and sodeynly the mysel was
whole.' Strange to say, this name also is not extinct.
Our 'Badmans' arc not so bad as they might seem.
They, and our ' Bidmans,' arc doubtless but corrupted
forms of the old ' bcdcman,' or ' headman, ' he who
professionally invoked Heaven in behalf of his patron.
It is hence we get our word ' bead,' our forefathers
having been accustomed to score off the number of
aves and paternosters they said by means of these
small balls strung on a thread. This practice, I need
not say, is still familiar to the Romish Church.
' It was thus in the case of vSimon the I.cper of Bethany. The fact
of there being a feast in his house shows that he had been cured of his
disorder. None the less, however, did the surname cling to liim.
* * Go ye and tell agen to Jon those things that yc have herd and seen.
Blind men seen, crokide goen, mesels ben maad clcnc, defc men heren,*
&c. (Matt, xi., WicklyfTc.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. I95
But we have not yet done with the traces of these
more distant practices. The various reh'gious wan-
derers or sohtary recluses, though belonging to a
system long faded from our English life, find a per-
petual epitaph in the directories of to-day. Thus we
have still our * Pilgrims,' or ' Pelerins ' (' John Pele-
grim,' A., ' William le Pelerin,' E.), as the Normans
termed them. We may meet with ' Palmers '
(' Hervey le Palmer,' A., ' John le Paumer,' M.) any
day in the streets of our large towns, names distinctly
relating the manner in which their owners have
derived their title. The pilgrim may have but visited
the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury ; the latter,
as his sobriquet proves, had, forlorn and weary, battled
against all difficulties, and trod the path that led to
the Holy Sepulchre —
The faded palm-branch in his hand
Showed pilgrim from the Holy Land.'
The * Pardoner,' with his pouch choked to the full
(' Walter le Pardoner,' M.) with saleable indulgences,
had but come from Rome. He was an itinerant re-
tailer of ecclesiastic forgivenesses, and was as much
a quack as those who still impose upon the credu-
lity of the bucolic mind by selling cheap medicines.
As Chaucer says of him —
With feigned flattering and japes,
He made the parson and the peple his apes.
* Hermit ' I have failed to find as at present existing,
' Pilgrims to Rome were 'Romers;' whence such an entry as
' Cristiana la Romere' (H.R.) Piers Plowman in ' Passus IV.' speaks,
within eight lines, of 'religious romares ' and ' Rome-nmners.'
o 2
196 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
though ' Hermitage * or ' Armitage ' (' John Har-
maytayge,' W. 3), as local names expressive of his
abode, are by no means unfamiliar. Our 'Anchors'
and ' Ankers,' however, still live to commemorate the
old ancre or anchorite ; he who, as his sobriquet im-
plied, was wont to separate himself from the world's
vain pleasures and dwell in seclusion and solitude.
In the ' Romance of the Rose ' it is said —
Sometime I am religious,
Now like an anker in an house.
Piers in his * Vision,' too, speaks of —
Ancres and heremites
That holden them in their celles,
' Hugh le Eremite ' or ' Silvester le Hermite ' are early
forms of the one, while in the other case we find the
aspirate added in ' John le Haneker.' The modern
dress of this latter, however, presents the usual early
and more correct spelling.' What a vision is pre-
sented for our notice in these various sobriquets. It
is the vision of a day that has faded, a day with many
gleams of redeeming light, but a day of ignorance and
lethargy ; a day which, after all, thank God, was but
the precursor of the brighter day of the Reformation,
when the Church, true to herself and true to her
destiny, threw off the shackles and the fetters that
bound her, and began a work which her greatest foes
have been compelled to admit she carried through
' Capgrave, under date 1293, says: ' In the xxii. yere was Celestius
the Fifte, Pope, take fro' his hous, for he was a ankir.' This Celestius
at once passed a law that a Pope miglit resign, aad instantly gave it up,
returning to his old life agaiu.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 97
amid opposition of the deadliest and most crushing
kind.
Before passing on to a survey of our feudal aristo-
cracy, I may mention our ' Latimers,' or ' le Latymer,'
as I find it recorded in early lists. A latinier, or
latimer, was literally a speaker or writer of Latin, that
language being then the vehicle of all record or tran-
script. Latin, indeed, for centuries was the common
ground on which all European ecclesiastics met.
Thus it became looked upon as the language of inter-
pretation. The term I am speaking of, however,
seems to have become general at an early stage. An
old lyric says —
Lyare was mi latymer,
Sloth and sleep mi bedyner.
Sir John Maundeville, describing an eastern route,
says (I am quoting Mr. Lower) — 'And men allcweys
fynden Latyneres to go with them in the contrees
and furthere beyonde in to tyme that men conne the
language.' Teachers of the Latin tongue itself were
not wanting. ' Le Scholemayster ' existed so early
as the twelfth century to show that there were those
who professed to initiate our English youth in the
rudiments of that which was a polite and liberal edu-
cation in the eyes of that period. Such sobriquets
as 'le Gramayre,' or ' Gramary,' or ' Grammer,' repre-
sented the same avocation, being nothing more than
the old Norman ' Gramaire,' or ' Grammarian' as wc
should now call him, only wc now apply the term to
a philologist rather than a professional teacher. As
* Grammar ' the surname is far from being obsolete in
our midst. A ' Nicholas le Lessoner ' is met with in
198 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the Hundred Rolls. He was evidently but a school-
master also. The verb ' to lesson,' i.e. to teach, is
still in use in various parts of the country, and we
find even Shakespeare using it. Clarence says to his
murderer —
Bid Glostcr think of this, and he will weep ;
to which the murderer replies —
Ay, millstones ; as he lessoned us to weep.
^Richard III., act. i. so. iii.)
In looking over the pages of our early Anglo-
Norman history we are at once struck by the fact of
the absence of any middle class ; that important
branch of our community which in after and more
civilised ages has done so much for English liberty
and English strength. The whole genius of the
feudal constitution was opposed to this. There was
indeed a graduating scale of feudal tenure which
bound together and connected each community ; but
there was of equal surety in the chain of these inde-
pendent links of society a certain ring where all
alliance ceased save that of service, and which
separated each provincial society into two widely-
sundered classes. On the one side were the baron
and his nearer feudatories and retainers ; and below
this, on the other, came under one common standard
the villein, the peasant, and the boor, looked upon by
their superiors with contemptuous indifference, and
barely endured as necessary to the administration of
their luxury and pleasure. We have already mentioned
many of those who gave the baron support. Of other
his vassals we may cite ' le Vavasour,' or ' Valvasor,'
a kind of middle-class landowner. The lower orders
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 1 99
of chivalry have left us in our many ' Knights ' ^ and
* Bachelors ' or ' Backlers ' a plentiful token of former
importance. Our ' Squiers,' * Squires,' ' Swiers,' or
* Swires ' ^ carry us, as does the now meaningless
Esquire, to the time when the sons of those ' Knights '
bore, as the name implies, their shields. By the time
of Henry VI., however, it had become adopted by the
heirs of the higher gentry, and now it is used indis-
criminately enough. Those who are so surnamed
may comfort themselves at any rate with the reflection
that they are lineally descended from those who bore
the name when it was an honourable and distinctive
title. ' Armiger,* the form in which the word w^as
oftentimes recorded in our Latin rolls, still survives,
though barely, in our ' Armingers,' this corrupted form
being in perfect harmony with all similar instances,
as we shall see almost immediately. One of our
mediaeval rhymes speaks of —
Ten thousand knights stout and fers,
Withouten hobelers and squyers.
These hobelers are far from being uninteresting.
When we talk of riding a hobby, we little think what
a history is concealed beneath the term. A hobiler ^
' The Hundred Rolls contain ' Geoffrey Halve Knit ' and ' Nicholas
Halve Knycht.' They would seem to have arrived at some half stage
towaid chivalric rank.
'^ Swyan, in Morie Arthiire, slays Child-Chatelain, and
'The swyers swyre-bane (neck-bone) he swappes in sondre.'
* An ordinance of Edward IH. declares that 'men of arms, hoblers'
and archers (gentz darmes, hobelers et archers) chosen to go in tiie king's
service out of England, shall be at the king's wages from the day that
they depart out of the counties where they were chosen, till their return.'
{Stat. Realm, vol. i. p. 301.) Of the hobby itself, too, we have mention.
200 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
in the days we are speaking of, was one who held by
tenure of maintaining a hobbie — a kind of small horse,
then familiarly so known. A song on the times,
written in the fourteenth century, and complaining of
the manner in which the upper classes plundered the
poor, says : —
And those hoblurs, namelich,
That husband benimcth cri of ground,
Men ne should them bury in none chirch,
But cast them out as a hound.
Later on, by its fictitious representation in the Morris
dances of the May-day sports, the hobby came to
denote the mere dummy, and now as such affords
much scope for equestrian skill in the Rotten Row of
our nurseries. What tricks time plays with these
words, to be sure, and what a connexion for our
' Hoblcrs' and ' Hobblers ' to meditate upon. Our
' Bannermans' are Scotch, but they represent an office,
whether in England or the North, whose importance
it would be hard to estimate at this period. Nor are
we without traces in our nomenclature of its existence
in more southern districts. Our not unfamiliar ' Pcn-
nigers' and 'Pcnnigars' arc but the former official
pcnuagcr, he who bore the ensign or standard of his
lord. They figure even in more general and festive
pageants. In the York Procession wc find walking
alone and between the different craftsmen the ' Penna-
gers.' Probably they bore the ensigns of that then
Thus a list of the royal stud at Eltham, in the seventeenth year of
Henry VHI., includes 'coursers, 30; young horses, 8; l)arbary
horses, 4 ; stallions, 8; hobbyes and geldings, 12.' {Collection of Ordi-
nances, p. 200.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 201
important corporate city. I have but recently re-
ferred to * Robert Clavynger ' (H.) and the probabiHty
of his having carried the club or mace or key of his
superiors in office. All or well-nigh all the above
names find themselves well represented in the registers
of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Our eye
falls at once on an ' Andrew le Gramary,' a ' Richard
le Gramayre,' a ' Thomas le Skolmayster,' a ' Warin le
Latimer,' a ' William le Latiner/ a 'Jordan le Vavasur,'
a * Simon le Knyt,' a * Gilbert le Bacholer,' a ' Walter
le Squier,' or a ' Nicholas Armiger.'
A curious relic of the military tactics of mediaeval
times is presented to our notice in our ' Reuters,'
* Ritters,' and ' Rutters.' The old English forms are
found in such entries as ' Thomas Ic Renter,' or
' Ranulph le Ruter.' The root of the term is pro-
bably the German ritter, or rider, a name given at
this period to certain mercenary soldiers oftentimes
hired by our English sovereigns out of Brabant and
the surrounding country. Thus we find William of
Newburgh, under the date 1 173, saying that Henry II.
'stipendarias Bribantionum copias, quas Rutas vocant,
accersivit.' (Lib. ii. cap. 27.) Trivet, relating the
same fact, says (p. 73), ' Conduxit Brabanzoncs ct
Rutarios.' ' An old song begins —
Rutterkyn is come into owrc townc,
In a cloke withoute cole or gowne,
Save a raggid hood to kover liis crowne
Like a iut*cr hoyda.
• \\\ \hc Life of Hugh of Lincoln mcx\\.\or\ is made of ' Marchadeus
princeps Rutariorum' (p. 264). See the glossary, however, from which
I have derived much of the alcove,
202 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Rutterkyn can speke no Englyssh,
His tonge runneth all on buttyrd fyssh,
Ecsmcarcd with grccc abowte his disshe,
T-ike a rutter hoyda.
The nickname ' rutterkin ' proves the Flemish origin
of these troopers. Their capacity for stowing away
food and drink, from all accounts, is not exaggerated
in the poem from which the above is an extract. We
have just mentioned our ' Bachelors,' and this reminds
us of our ' Childs,' and of the days of chivalry. The
term 'child' was a distinctly honourable title in the
olden times. It was borne by the sons of all the
higher nobility; if by the eldest son, then in right of
his title to his father's honours and possessions ; if
more generally by others, then until by some deed of
prowess they had been raised to the ranks of knight-
hood. In either case 'child' was the term in use
during this probationary state. Thus Byron in his
' Childe Harold ' has but revived the ' Childe Waters,'
* Childe Rolands,' and 'Childe Thopas's' of earlier
times.' We owe many existing and several obsolete
surnames to this custom. Our ' Childs ' are but de-
scendants of such a sobriquet as ' Ralph le Child ; '
our ' Eyres' of such an entry as 'William le Eyre ; *
some of our ' Barnes ' may be but the offspring of such
a personage as ' Thomas le Barne ' (now ' bairn,' that
is, the born one); while 'Stephen le Enfant' or
' Walter Ic Enfaunt ' represents an appellation that is
now obsolete in England. ^ I need scarcely add that
' In the Aforic Aithurc mention is made of a youth named ' Chas-
telayne, a chylde of the Kynges chambyre.'
^ Such names as 'Alice Suckling' (ff.), or 'William Firstling,'
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 203
this last, in the form of Infante and Infanta, still
bears the same meaning in the royal families of Spain
that Child did in our own land in more chivalric
days.
The details of early feudal life are wonderfully
depicted by our nomenclature. Owing to the bound-
less and forced ceremony which arose out of the pre-
vailing spirit of feudal pride, our official memorials are
well-nigh overwhelming. Feudal tenure itself became
associated with office, and none seemed too servile for
acceptance. As has been said of Charlemagne's
Court, so might it be said of those of others — ' they
were crowded with officers of every rank, some of the
most eminent of whom exercised functions about the
royal person which would have been thought fit only
for slaves in the palace of Augustus or Antonine ' —
' to carry his banner or his lance, to lead his array, to
be his marshall, or constable, or sewer, or carver, to
do in fact such services, trivial or otherwise, as his
lord might have done himself, in proper person, had
it so pleased him — this was the position coveted by
youths of birth and distinction at such a period as
this.' Many of these officerships, or the bare titles,
still linger round the court of our sovereign. The
higher feudatories, of course, followed the example
thus set them by their suzerain, and the lesser barons
these, and thus household officers sprang up on every
side. See how this has left its mark upon our sur-
names. ' John le Conestable,' or ' Robert le Constable,'
(ditto) — both terms familiarised to us by tlie Authorised Version —
belong, seemingly, to the same class.
204 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
I need not say, is still well represented. In the ' Man
of Lawes Tale ' the poet says : —
The constable of the castel doun is fare
To see this wreck.
With him we may ally our not unfamiliar ' Castle-
mans,' ' Castelans,' and ' Chatelains,' representatives
of the old 'John Ic Chastilioun,' or ' Joscelin le Cas-
tclan,' or ' Ralph Ic Chatelaine.' The poet whom I
have just quoted says elsewhere : —
Now am I Iving, now chastclaine.
Doubtless this latter was but a synonym of the con-
stable, and his duties as govcnor but the same. Of
decidedly lower position, but not dissimilar in charac-
ter, we have also ' Wybert le Porterc,' or ' Portarius,'
as he is Latinized in our rolls. An old book of
etiquette says : —
When thou comes to a lordis gate
The porter thou slialle fynde therate.
He at the postern would as carefully look against
hostile, as our former ' Peter le Ussher,' or ' Alan le
Usser,' within would against informal approach.' The
Saxon form, however, was evidently not wanting, for
we have still ' Doorward ' and ' Doorman ' (' Geoffrey
le Doreward,' A., ' Nicholas le Doreman,' O.) in our
directories, not to mention their corrupted, ' Dur-
wards,' immortalized by Walter Scott, and ' Dormans '
and ' Domans.' The term ' doorward ' is found in
' Among otlicr duties the u.slicr lay at the door of his lord's sleeping
apartment. The Boke of Curtasyc says the
' Usher before the dore
In outer chambur lies on the fl(}rc.'
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 205
many of our early writers. Thus in an old metrical
account of the bringing of Christ before Caiaphas, it
is said of John when he returned to fetch in Peter : —
He bid the dureward
Let in his fere.
Our ' Chamberlaynes ' and * Chambers,' ^ (' Simon
le Chamberlain,' M., ' Henry le Chaumberleyne,' B.,
' William de la Chaumbre,' B.) had access to their lord's
inner privacy, and from their intimacy with his mone-
tary affairs occupied a position at times similar to that
of our more collegiate bursar. We have only to look
at mediaeval costume, its grandeur, its colours, and its
varied array, to understand how necessary there should
be a special officer to superintend his lord's wardrobe.
Our ' Wardrops ' are but the former ' de la Wardrobe,'
or ' de la Garderoba,' while ' le Wardrober,' or ' le
Garderober,' has bequeathed us our ' Wardropers.'
Thus the ' Book of Curtasye ' says : —
The usshere shalle bydde the wardropere
Make redy for alle, night before they fere.
Equally important as an attendant was the ' Barbour.'
He especially was on familiar terms with his master —
when was he not .-• I need scarcely say that among
his other duties that of acting as surgeon in the house-
hold was none of the lightest. Still his tonsorial
capacity was his first one. No one then thought of
shaving himself, least of all the baron. Even so late
as the sixteenth century a writer defending the use
of the beard against Andrew Boorde employs this
argument : —
' Our friends across the border have this surname in the form of
'Clialmers.'
206 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
But, syre, I praye you, if you tell can,
Declare to me, when God made man
(I meane by our forefather Adam),
Whether that he had a bcrde then ;
And if he had, who did hym shave.
Since that a barber he could not have.
I have no doubt it is here we must set our' Simisters,'
reHcs, as they probably are, of such a name as 'John
Somayster,' or 'WilHam Summister.' The summaster
seems from its orthography to have represented one
who acted as a clerk or comptroller, something akin
to the chamberlain or breviter, whom I shall mention
almost immediately ; one, in fact, who cast up and
certified accounts. Holinshed used the word as if in
his day it were of familiar import. Dwelling upon a
certain event, he says — 'Over this, if the historian be
long, he is accomptcd a triflcr ; if he be short, he is
taken for a summister.' ^
In such days as those, what with the number of
personal retainers and the excess of hospitality ex-
pected of the feudal chief, the culinary department
occupied far from an insignificant position in regard
to the general accessories of the baronial establish-
ment. Our ' Cooks,' or ' Cokes,' or ' Cookmans,*
relics of the old ' Roger Ic Coke,' or ' Joan le Cook,'
or ' William Cokcman,' even then ruled supreme
over that most ab.solutc of all monarchies, the kitchen ;
our ' Kitchenmans' (now found also as ' Kitchingham'),
' Kitcheners,' and ' Kitchens,' or ' de la Kitchens,'
' The more correct form is found in the name of ' William Sum-
master,' who is met willi in an old Oxford record as having deposited, in
1462, a caution for ' Sykyll-llalle,' of which he was principal. (Vide
Mutt. Acad. Oxoit.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 20/
as they were once written, reminding us who it
was that aided them to turn the spit or handle
the posnet. Our ' Pottingers ' represent the once
common ' Robert le Potager,' or ' Walter le Potager,'
the soup-maker. Potage was the ordinary term for
soup, thickened well with vegetables and meat.^
Thus in the * Boke of Curtasye ' the guest is bid —
Suppe not with grete sowndynge,
Neither potage ne other thynge —
a rule which still holds good in society. We are
well aware of the ingredients of the dish which
our Bible translators have still bequeathed to us
as 'a mess of potage.* In its present corrupted
form of ' porridge ' this notion of a mess rather than
of a soup is still preserved. Another interesting
servitorship of this class has well-nigh escaped our
notice— that of the hastilcr : he who turned the Jiaste
or spit. In the Close Rolls we find a ' Thurstan le
Hastier ' recorded, and in the Parliamentary Writs
such names as ' Henry Hastiler ' and ' William
' A strange and yet most natural change gradually crept over this
word. There can be no doubt that the original ' potager,' or 'potinger,'
had his place in the baronial household as the superintendent of the
mess-making department. From his knowledge of herbs thus acquired
he evidently came to be looked upon in a medicinal capacity. Thus the
term came to be used synonymously with 'apothecary.' In \\\q Archcco-
logia (vol. xxii) we find it recorded that one of the horses connected
with the household of James V. of Scotland was called ' le Pottinger ' —
' uno equo pharmacopile, vulgo le Pottinger.' In an old university
record, dated 1439, I find, too, a certain 'Ralph Prestbury' mentioned
as sworn to keep the peace towards ' Thomam Halle, potygare, alias
chirurgicum.' {Man. Acad. Oxou, p. 523.) Probably, however, it
was the lowly herbalist, rather than the professional druggist, who
acquired the sobriquet.
208 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Hastiler.' In the will of Humphrey de Bohun, Earl
of Essex, among other household servants, such as
potager, ferour, barber, ewer, is mentioned ' William
de Barton, hastiler.' I need not remind Lancashire
people that a Jiaister, or haster, is still the term used
for the tin screen employed for roasting purposes.
The memorials of this interesting servitorship still
linger on in our ' Hastlers,' ' Haslers,' and ' Haselers.'
If, however, the supervision of the roasting and bast-
ing required an attendant, none the less was it so
with the washing-up department. How familiarly
does such a term as 'scullery' fall from our lips, and
how little do many of us know of its history. An
esciidle^ was a porringer or dish, and a scullery was a
place where such vessels were stored after being
washed.^ Hence a 'squiller' or ' squyler ' was he
who looked to this ; our modern ' scullion,' in fact,
which is but a corrupted form of the same word. In
one of Robert of Brunne's poems, we find him
saying —
And the squyler of the kechyn,
Piers, that hath woned (dweh) here yn.*
' Amongst other gifts from the City of London to the Black Prince
on his return to London from Gascoignc, in 1 37 1, were '48 fsqucUs
and 24 saltcellars, weighing by goldsmiths' weight, 76/. 5^.' (Riley's
London, p. 350.) 'The 11 messes to the children of the Kechyn,
Sqiiillcry, and Pastrey, with Porters, Scowercrs, and Turnbroches,
every mess at 23/. i6j. 9^^/., in all 261/. I3J-. 7^/.' (Ord. Henry VIIL
at Eltham.) Apart from such entries as 'John le Squylier,' or ' Geoffrey
le Squeller,' the Pari. Rolls gave us a 'John de la Squillerye.'
* I may here mention that our brushes were almost entirely made of
furze or ling ; bristles were rarely used. Hence such a name as ' Robert
le Lingyure' (H. R.), doubtless a maker and seller of brushes and
brooms.
* The 'Pronip. Par.' has ' Swyllarc : Dysche-weschour.'
SURNAMES OF Ol-FICE. 209
In a book of 'Ordinances and Regulations' we
find mention made even of a ' sergeant- squylloure.'
Doubtless his duty was to look after the carriage of
utensils at such times as his lord made any extended
journey, or to superintend the washing of cup and
platter after the open-board festivities which were the
custom of early baronial establishments. To provide
for every retainer who chanced to come in would be,
indeed, a care. The occurrence of a ' Roger de
Norhamtone, Squyler,' however, in the London City
rolls, seems to imply that occasionally the sale of such
vessels gave the title. I cannot say the name is
obsolete, as I have met with one ' Squiller ; ' and
' Skiller,' which would seem to be a natural corrup-
tion, is not uncommon. Our ' Spencers,' abbreviated
from * despencer,' had an important charge — that of
the * buttery,' or ' spence,' the place where the
household store was kept. The term is still in use, I
believe, in our country farm-houses. In the ' Sum-
ner's Tale ' the glutton is well described as —
All vinolent as hotel in the spence ;
and Mr. H alii well, I see, with his wonted research,
has lighted on the following line« : —
Yet I had lever she and I
Were both togyther secretly
In some corner in the spence.'
* De la Spence,' as well as ' le Spencer,' has impressed
itself upon our living nomenclature. Our ' I'anters,'
' In an inventory of household chattels, dated so late as 1574, we
find the furniture of the hall first described, and this begins, ' A cup-
board and a spence, 20s. ; xxiii pewter dublers, 20s. ; sevcntcne sawscrs
and potingcrs, 6j.' (Richmottdshire Wills, p. 248.)
r
2IO ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Pantlers,' and ferocious-seeming ' Panthers,' descen-
dants of such folk as ' Richard le Pantcr,' or ' Robert
le Paneter,' or ' Henry de le Paneterie,' are but relics
of a similar office. They had the superintendence
of the ' paneterie,' or pantry ; literally, of course,
the bread closet. It seems, however, early to have
become used in a wider and more general sense.
In the Household Ordinances of Edward IV. one
of the sergeants is styled ' the chief Pantrcr of the
King's mouth.' John Russcl in his ' Boke of Nur-
ture ' thus directs his student —
The fuist yere, my son, thou shalt be pantere or buttilarc,
TIiou must have three knyfTcs kenc in pantry, I scy thee, evcrmare,
One knyfe the loaves to choppe, another them for to pare,
The third, sharp and kene, to smothe the trenchers and square.'
Of the old ' Achatour' (found as 'Henry le Catour'
or ' Bernard le Acatour '), the purveyor for the
establishment, we have many memorials, those of
'Cater,' ' Cator,' and ' Caterer ' being the commonest.
Chaucer quaintly remarks of the ' Manciple,' "^ who
was so
Wise in Ijuying of victuals,
that of him
Achatours niighten take cnsample.
The provisions thus purchased were called ' catcs,' a
favourite word with some of our later poets.
' 'Tlic Sewer muste speke witli tlie pantcr and oflyccrs of ye
spycery fur fruytcs tiial shall be elen fastynge. '— 77/c AWr of Ka-yii!:^.
'^ A manciple was an achatour for a more public institution, such as
an Inn of Court or College. It is (juitc j)ossiblc that our ' Manscls' and
' Mi.unsels' are thus derived, relics as they un<Ioubtedly arc of the 'le
Maunscls ' or ' le Mansells ' of this period. The corruption colloquially
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 211
Equivalent to the more monastic *le Cellarer,' ^ which
is now obsolete, are our numberless ' Butlers,' the
most accepted form of the endless * Teobald le Bo-
tilers,' ' Richer le Botillers,' ' Ralph le Botelers,'
' William le Botellers,' 'Walter le Butillers,' or ' Hugh
le Buteilliers,' of this time. As we shall observe
by-and-by, however, this was also an occupative name.^
With so many officers to look after the prepara-
tions, we should expect the dinner itself to be some-
what ceremonious. And so it was — far more cere-
monious, however, than elegant in the light of the
nineteenth century. Our ' Senechals ' and ' Senecals '
(' Alexander le Seneschal,' B., ' Ivo Seneschallus,'
T.), relics of the ancient 'seneschal,' Latinized in
our records as ' Dapifer ' (' Henry Dapifer,' A.), ar-
ranged the table. The root of this word is the Saxon
* schalk,' a servant which, though now wholly obso-
of ' manciple ' into ' maunsell ' would be a perfectly natural one. An
instance of the purer form is found in the name of ' Thomas Mancipill, '
met with in Mnnimenta Academica (Oxon.) p. 525, under the date 1441.
That this was a common term at that university we may prove from an
indenture found in the same book, dated 1459, in which are mentioned
' catours, manciples, spencers, cokes, lavenders, &c.' (P. 346.) It
may be interesting to some to state that to this day this is the term for
the chief cook in several of the colleges.
' A ' William Celarer' is mentioned in the Churchwardens' Accounts
of Horley, Surrey, 1526. {Brand, vol. i. 226.) A Saxon form of this
existed in the term, 'Hoarder,' i.e. one. who stored up. 'Richard le
Hordere' (H. R.), 'Adam le Horder' (Pari. Writs). The form ' hor-
destre,' or cellaress, is met with in contemporaneous writings.
' The duties of Butler and Panter being so all-important, they are
often found encroaching on one another's vocation. Thus the Bo/:e of
Curlasye says : —
' Botlcr schalle sett for each a me.sse,
A pot, a lofe, wilhouten distress.'
P 2
212 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
lete, seems to have been in familiar use in early
timcs.^ An old poem tells us —
Then the schalkes sharply shift their horses,
To show them seemly in their sheen weeds.
In ' Sir Gawayne,' too, the attendant is thus de-
scribed —
Clone spurs under
Of bright gokle, upon silk hordes, barred full rich.
And scholes (depending) under shanks, there the schalk rides.
We are not without traces of its existence in other
compounds. Thus our ' Marshalls ' were originally
* marechals ; ' that is, ' mare-schalks,' the early name
for a horse-groom or blacksmith. The Marshall,
however, was early turned into an indoor office, and
seems to have been busied enough in ordering the
position of guests in the hall, a very punctilious affair
in those days. The ' lioke of Curtasyc' says: —
In hallo marshallo alio men schallo sott.
After their dogro, wiihoutcn lott.
Our ' Gatcschalcs,' a name now altogether obsolete,
were the more simple porter, while our ' Gottschalks,'
a surname more frequently hailing from Germany, but
once common with ourselves as a Christian name,
denote simply ' God's servant.' But we arc wander-
ing. Let us come back to the dinner-table. Such
sobriquets as 'Ralph Ic Suur''* or 'John le Sewer'
* This was evidently in existence as a surname formerly, although I
have only been able to discover one instance of it. The Principal of
Bedel Hall, one of the numerous smaller estal)lishmcnts at Oxford in
medix'val times, was in the year 1462 a certain Dr. Schalke. (Afmi.
Acad. Oxon.) It is very likely that our present 'Chalk' represents this
name.
* We still use the compounds of this, as in 'pursue,' 'ensue,' rr
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 213
remind us of the sewer — he who brought in the
viands.* A sewe, from the old French sevre, to follow,
was any cooked dish, and thus is simply equivalent to
our course. Chaucer, in describing the rich feasts of
Cambuscan, King of Tartary, says the time would
fail him to tell —
Of their strange sewes.
I believe the Queen's household still boasts its four
gentlemen sewers. As a surname, too, the word is
still common. A curious custom presents itself to
our remembrance in our ' Says,' who, when not of the
* de Says ' (* Hugh de Say,' A.), are but descendants
of the ' le Says ' (' John le Say,' M.) of the Hundred
Rolls. An ' assay ' or ' say ' was he who assayed or
tasted the messes as they were set one by one before
the baron, to guard against his being accidentally
or purposely poisoned. An old poem uses the fuller
form, where it says —
Thine assayer schalle be an hownde.
To assaye thy mete before thee.
In the ' Boke of Curtasye,' too, we are told to what
ranks this privilege belonged —
No mete for man schalle sayed be,
But for kynge, or prynce, or duke so fre.*
'issue;' but we scarcely now employ the simple root-word so freely as
it evidently was employed in WicklyRe's time, lie translates Mark ii.
14 as follows: 'And whaune he passide he saygh Levy of Alfey
sittynge at the tolbothe and he seide to hym, sue me, and he roos and
suede him.'
' ' The sewer must serve, and from the bordc convey all manner of
potages, metes, and sauces.' — 77u- Boke of A'tTzyiige.
■•' ' Item : A Duke's eldest sonn is borne a Marquisse, and shall goe
as a Marquisse, and have his Assayes, the Marquisse being present."
214 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Another term for the same made its mark upon
our nomenclature as * Gustur ' (' Robert Ic Gustur,'
T.) To gust was thus used till Shakespeare's day,
and we still speak of ^ gusto ' as equivalent to rclisJt.
We are reminded by the fact of the existence of
' Knifesmith ' and * Spooner ' only among our early
occupative surnames that there were no forks in those
days.* There is no * Forker ' to be found. Even the
' Carver ' (' Adam Ic Kcrver,' A., ' Richard Ic Karver,'
A ) had to use his fingers. In the * Boke of
Kervynge,' a manual of the then strictest etiquette in
such matters, we find the following direction : — ' Set
never on fyshe, flesche, beest, ne fowle, more than two
fyngers and a thombe.' Seldom, too, did they use
plates as we now understand them. Before each
guest was set a round slice of bread called a trencher,
and the meat being placed upon this, he consumed
the whole, or as much as he pleased. Under these
circumstances we can easily understand how neces-
sary would be the office of * Ewer,' a name found in
every early roll as ' Brian le Ewer,' or * Richard le
Ewerc,' or * Adam de la Euerie.' As he supplied water
for each to cleanse his hands he was close followed
(A Book of Precedence.) Ilall, speaking of King Richard's murder,
says of Sir Piers that he 'came to Pomfret, commanding that the esquier
whiche was accustomed to sewe and take the assaye before Kyng Rychard
should no more use that maner of service.' Y. xiv.
' Forks, used first in Italy, were not introduced into the French
Court till late in the sixteenth century. In England they did not make
their appearance till 1608, and it is said they were there the immediate
result of the published travels of Thomas Coryat, who visited Italy
in that year. I am sorry to say that I cannot find arvy instance of
'Spooner' in our earlier archives. Foxe mentions, in his Martyr-
ology, a ' Robert Catlin, spoonmaker,' persecuted in 1552 at Byebrook,
Suffolk.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 215
by the ' napper ' or ' napier,' who proffered the towel
or napkin. The word, I need scarcely say, is but a
diminutive of the old nape, which was applied in
general to the tablecloths and other linen used in
setting forth the dinner. An old book, which I have
already quoted, in directing the attendant how to lay
the cloth, says —
The over nape schall double be layde.
The Hundred Rolls and other records furnish us with
such names as 'Jordan le Nappere,' or 'John le Na-
pere,' or ' Walter de la Naperye.' Behind the lord of
the board, nigh to his elbow, stood the ' page,' holding
his cup. This seems to have been an office much
sought after by the sons of the lower nobility, and it
is to the honourable place in which it was held we no
doubt owe the fact that not merely are our ' Pages '
decidedly numerous in the present day, but that we
also find such further particular compounds as
* Small-page,' ' 'Little-page,' or 'Cup-page' holding
anything but a precarious existence in our midst.
There seems to have been but little difference between
this office and that of the ' henchman,' only that the
latter, as his name, more strictly written ' haunchman,'
shows, attended his master's behests out of doors.
He, too, lives on hale and hearty in our ' Hench-
mans,' ' Hinxmans,' ' Hincksmans,' and ' Hensmans.' ^
' 'To Percivall Smallpage, for his expences, xxj,' {Household Ac-
count, Princess Elizabeth. Cam. Soc. )
* We find the modern spelling of this sobriquet little varied from
that of the fifteenth century. An act, passed in 1463, to restrain excess
in apparel, makes a proviso in favour of ' Ilensmen, Heroldes, Purcey-
vantes, Swerdeberers, as Maires, Messagers, and Minstrelles.' {Stat.
Realm, vol. ii. p. 402.) Sir Harris Nicolas says : * No word has been
2l6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
In several of our early records of names we find
' Peter le Folle,' ' Alexander le Fol,' and ' Johannes
Stultus ' appearing in apparently honest and decent
company. The old fool or jester was an important
entity in the retinue of the mediaeval noble. He
could at least say, if he might jiot do, what he liked,
and I am afraid the more ribald his buffoonery the
greater claim he possessed to be an adept in his pro-
fession in the eyes of those who heard him. His
dress was always in character with his duties, being
as uncouth as fashion reversed could make it. In his
hand he bore a mock rod of state, his head was sur-
mounted by a huge cap peaked at the summit and
surrounded with little jingling bells, his dress was in
colour as conflicting as possible, and the tout ensemble
I need not dwell upon. We still talk of a ' foolscap,'
and even our paper has preserved the term from the
fact that one of the earliest watermarks wc have was
that of a fool's cap with bells. ' Fools,' I need not
say, wherever else to be met with, arc now obsolete
so far as our directories arc concerned.
I have just mentioned the henchman. This at
once carries us without the baronial walls, and in
whatever scene we are wont to regard the early suze-
raine as engaging, it is remarkable how fully marked
is our nomenclature with its surroundings. Several
useful scrvitorships, however, claim our first attention.
In such days as these, when the telegraph wire was
more commented upon tlian " Ilcnclunen," or " Ilenxmen." Without
entering into the controversy, it may be sufficient to state that in the
reign of Henry VHI. it meant pages of honour. They were the sons
of gentlemen, and in public jirocessions always walked near the
monarch's horse.' {Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VIII., p. 327.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 21/
an undreamt-of mystery, and highways traversed by
steam-engines would have been looked upon as some-
thing supernatural indeed, we can readily understand
the importance of the official ' Roger le Messager,'
or 'John le Messager,' nor need we be surprised by
the frequency with which he is met. In the * Man
of Lawes Tale ' it is said —
This messager to don his avantage
Unto the Kinges mother rideth swift.
Though generally found as ' Messinger ' or * Mas-
singer,' the truer and more ancient form is not wholly
obsolete.* But if there were no telegraphs, neither
was there any regular system of postage. The name
of ' Ely le Breviter ' or ' Peter le Brevitour ' seems to
remind us of this. I do not doubt myself the 'bre-
viter ' was kept by his lord for the writing or convey-
ance of letters or brevets.^ Piers Plowman uses the
word where, of the Pardoner's preaching, it is said —
I^wed men loved it wcl,
And liked his wordes,
Comen up knelynge
To kissen his bulles.
He bouched them with his brevet
And blered their eighen.'
' Words terminating in this 'ager' seem invariably to iiave been
changed in the manner seen above. Thus, besides ' Massinger ' and
' Fottinger,' we have 'Arminger' from the old 'Armiger,' 'Firminger'
from the once not unfamiliar ' Furmager,' or 'Clavinger' from ' Cla-
viger.'
* This is confirmed by the Proiiip. Par. ' Brevetowre : brevigerulus.'
' Perhaps I ought to have placed ' le Breviter' in the dining-hall, as
but another name for the steward or steward's lieutenant. It was one
among other duties of this officer to set down not merely the courses as
they came in, but what and how much was placed before each, so that
all might tally with the sum allowed for culinary expenses. This is
2l8 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The signet of his lord was in the hands of the
' Spigurnell ' or * Spigurell,' both of which forms still
exist, I believe, in our general nomenclature. As the
sealer of all the royal writs, the king's spigurell would
have an office at once important and careful. The
term itself is Saxon, its root implying that which is
shut up or sealed. Our ' Coffers,' relics of the old
' Ralph le Cofferer,' or * John le Cofferer,' though
something occupativc, were nevertheless official also,
and are to be found as such in the thirteenth century.
They remind us of the day when there were no such
things as cheque-books, nor banks, nor a paper-money
currency. Then on every expedition, be it warlike
or peaceful, solid gold or silver had to be borne
for the baron's expenditure and that of his retinue ;
therefore none would be more important than he who
superintended the transit from place to place of the
chest of solid coinage set under his immediate care.
Our early ' Passavants,' or ' Pursevaunts,' or more
literally pursuivants, were under the direction of the
* Herald,' or ' Hcraud,' as Chaucer styles him, and
usually preceded the royal or baronial retinue to an-
alkuled to in the Boke of Ciirtasyc. Speaking of the steward's ofiices in
the hall, it says : —
' At counting stuanl schalle ben,
Tyll alio he bn~i'et of wax so grene,
Wiyttcn into bokes, without let,
That before in tabuls base been set.'
Further on, too, it adds —
' The clerke of the kitchen shalle alle thyngs brez<e.^
The name itself lingered on uncorrupted for some time ; for as simple
'Breviter' it is found in 1580 in a Caml)ridge University list. (///.r/.
C. C. Coll. Cam.) The corru])tcd 'Bretter' still exists, and is met
with in 'William Bretter,' a name entered in the Calendar to Pleadings
of Elizabeth's reign.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 219
nounce its approach, and attend to such other duties
of lesser importance as his superior delegated to him.
In this respect he occupied a position much akin to
that of the ' Harbinger' or ' Herberger,' who prepared
the harborage or lodging, and all other entertainment
required ere the cavalcade arrived. When we reflect
upon the large number of retainers, the ceremonious
list of attendants, the greater impediments to early
travel, and the difficulties cf forwarding information,
we shall see that these officerships were by no means
so formal as we might be apt to imagine. To give
illustrations of all the above-mentioned surnames
were easy, were it not that the number is so large
that it becomes a difficulty which to select. Such
entries, however, as 'Jacob le Messager,' 'Godfrey le
Coffrer,' ' Roger Passavant,' ' Main le Heralt,' ' Her-
bert le Herberjur,' ' Nicholas le Spigurnell,' ' Peter le
Folle,' or the Latinized ' Johannes Stultus,' may be
recorded as among the more familiar. A reference
to the Index will furnish examples of the rest, as well
as additional ones of the above.
In a day when horses were of more consequence
than now, we need not be surprised to find the
baronial manger under special supervision. This
officer figures in our mediccval archives in such entries
as ' Walter le Avenur ' or ' William le Avcnare.' * As
his very name suggests, it was the avenar's care to
provide for the regular and sufficient feeding of the
animals placed under his charge.^ The ' Poke of
Curtayse ' tells us his duties—
' 'To John Redyng, avener, for the expenses of le palfrais, 50/.'
Materials for Hist, of Reign of Henry VH., p. 407.
* * Item: It is ordeyned that the King's Avenor, with the two clerkes
220 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The aveyner shall ordeyn provande good won
For the lordys horsis everychon,
They schyn have two cast of hay,
A peck of provande on a day.
Elsewhere, too, the same writer says —
A maystur of horsys a squyer ther is,
Aveyner and ferour under him i-wys.
Our ' Palfrcymans' ('John Ic Palfreyman,' M.), though
not always official, I do not doubt had duties also
of a similar character in looking after the well-being
of their mistress's palfrey, and attending the lady
herself when she rode to the cover, or took an airing
on the more open and breezy hillside.
The two great amusements of the period we are
considering were the hunt and the tournament. Of
the former we have many relics, nor is the latter
barren or unfruitful of terms connected therewith that
still linger on in the surnames of to-day. The ex-
citing encounters which took place in these chivalric
meetings or jousts had a charm alike for the Saxon
and the Norman ; alike, too, for spectator as well as
for him who engaged in the fierce mclce. Training
for this was by no means left to the discretion of
amateur intelligence. In three several records of the
thirteenth century I find such names as ' Peter le
Eskurmesur,' ' Ilcnry le Eskyrmcssur,' and ' Roger le
Skirmisour.' The root of these terms is, of course,
the old PVench verb ' eskirmir,' to fence. It is thence
we get our skirmish and scyiiiu)iagc\ the latter form,
of the said office, doe give their dayly attendance, as well as for the check
roll, as all other concerning ])rovisions to he made for the king's stable,
according to the statutes ni.ade and ordeyned for the same.' (Extract
from Ordinances of Henry VIII. at I'.lthain.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 221
though looked upon now as of a somewhat slang
character, being found in the best of society in our
earlier writers. Originally it denoted a hand-to-hand
encounter between two horsemen. We still imply by
a skirmish a short and sharp conflict between the ad-
vanced posts of two contending armies. As a teacher
of ' the noble art of self-defence,' ' we can easily
understand how important was the skirmisher. The
name has become much corrupted by lapse of time,
scarcely recognisable, in fact, in such a garb as
* Scrimmenger,' ' Skrymsher,' ' Skrimshire,* and per-
chance ' Scrimshaw,' forms which I find in our
present London and provincial directories. Of those
who were wont to engage wc have already men-
tioned the majority. All the different grades of
nobility were present, and with them were their
esquires, with shield and buckler, ready to supply a
fresh unsplintcrcd lance, or a new shield, with its
proudly emblazoned crest. I need scarce remind the
reader of what consequence in such a day as this
would be the costume of him who thus engaged in
such deadly conflict. The invention of gunpowder
has changed the early tactics of fight. Battles are
lost and won now long ere the real melee has taken
place. Then everything, whether in war or tourna-
ment, was settled face to face. To pierce his
opponent where an inlet could admit his spear, or to
unhorse him by the shock of meeting, was the knight's
one aim. The bloodiness of such an affray can be
better imagined than described. Wc still hear of
distorted features in the after inspection of the scene
' The Liber Alltiis, among other entries, has the following: 'Qe nul
te'gne Escole de Eskermerye, nc dc liokeler dcins la cilcc.'
222 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
of battle, but we can have no conception of the man-
gling that the bodies of horse and rider underwent,
the inevitable result of the earlier manner of warfare.
Death is mercifully quick now upon the battle-field.
We have still three or four professional surnames that
remind us of this. We have still our 'Jackmans,' or
'Jakemans,' as representatives of the former cavalry;
so called from the 'jack' or coat of mail they wore.
It is this latter article which has bequeathed to our
youngsters of the nineteenth century their more
peaceful and diminutive jacket. Thus mailed and
horsed, they had to encounter the cruel onslaught of
our ' Spearmans,' and ' Pikemans,' and ' Billmans,'
names that themselves suggest how bloody would be
the strife when hatchet blade, and sharp pike, and
keen sword clashed together. To cover and shield
the body, then, was the one thought of these early
days of military tactics, and at the same time to give
the fullest play to every limb and sinew. This was a
work of a most careful nature, and no wonder it de-
manded the combined skill of several craftsmen.
Such occupative sobriquets as ' Adam le Armerer '
or * Simon le Arnmrcr ' are now represented by
the curter ' Armer ' or ' Armour.' In the ' Knight's
Tale ' it is said —
Tlicic were also of M.irtcs division
Th' armerer, and the bovvyer, and the smith,
That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his stith.
Our ' Frobishers,' * Furbishers,' and ' Furbers,' once
found as 'Richard le Fourbishour' or 'Alan le
Fourbour,' scoured and prepared the habergeon, or
jack just referred to, while ' Gilbert le Hauberger' or
'John le llaubergeour' was more immediately en-
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 223
gaged in constructing it. Our present Authorized
Version, I need hardly say, still retains the word. In
* Sire Thopas,' too, it is used where it is said —
And next his scliert an aketoun,
And over that an habergoun.
Our classical-looking ' Homers ' arc the naturally
corrupted form of the once familiar ' Ic Heaumer,' he
who fashioned the warrior's helmet.^ Our ' Sworders,'
I imagine, forged him his trusty blade,'^ while our
* Sheathers ' furnished forth its slip. Our ' Platers '
I would suggest as makers of his cuirass, while our
' Kissers ' — far less demonstrative than they look —
are but relics of such a name as ' Richard le Kissere,'
he who manufactured his cuishes or thigh armour,
one of the most careful parts of the entire dress.'
' The old Norman word was either ' healme ' or ' heaume. ' The
more ordinary term for the former now is ' hehnet.' Hall, writing of
the Battle of Bosworth Field, after mentioning the fact of the armies
coming in sight the one of the other, says : ' Lord, how hasteley the
souldyoures buckled their healmes, how quickly the archers bent their
bowes and frushed their feathers, how redely the bilmen shoke their
billes and proved their staves.' (Hall, Richard III., fol. 32 b.)
â– â– ' It is thought by several writers that the 'Sworder' was one who
performed feats of jugglery, the sword, after the fashion of the times,
forming the most important feature in his art, his hairbreadth tricks
being especially popular with the countiy people. It is quite possible
this may be its real origin. The only early instances I find of the name
are in the Parliamentary Writs and the Parliamentary Rolls, where are
recorded respectively a 'John le Serdere' and a 'Henry Swerder.'
' In Mr. Riley's interesting Memorials of London there is recorded
not merely a ' Richard le Kissere,' but the occupation itself is clearly
marked in the entry, ' Waller de Bcdefont, kissere.' (P. xxii.) There
need be no hesitation in accepting the statement that the 'kisser' was
thus occupied. It is merely spelt according to the then pronunciation.
In the Statutes of Anns it is said : ' And no son of a great lord, that is
to say, of an earl or baron, shall have other armour than mufflers and
224 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Lastly, our * Spurriers ' were there ready to supply
him with his rowel, and thus in warlike guise he was
prepared either for adventurous combat in behalf of
the distressed damsel, or to seek favour in the eyes of
her he loved in the more deadly lists.'
I must not forget to mention our ' Kemps ' while
upon military affairs, a general term as it was for a
soldier in the days of which we are speaking. I
believe the phrase * to go a kcmping ' is still in use
in the north. In the old rhyme of ' Guy and Col-
brand ' the minstrel says — •
When meat and drink is great plcntye,
Then lords and ladys still will be,
And sit and solace lythe :
Then it is time for mee to speake,
Of kern knightes and kempes grcate,
Such carping for to kythe.
How familiar a term it must have been in the common
mouth the frequency with which the name is met
fully shows.
Our ' SHngers ' represent an all but forgotten pro-
fession, but they seem to have been useful enough in
their day and generation. The sling was always
attached to a stick, whence the old term ' staffsling.'
Lydgate describes David as armed
With a stafTe slyngc, voyde of plate and mayle ;
cuishes {" ne seit arme fors de mustilers e de quisers ").' {Stat, of Realm,
vol. i. p. 231.)
' The obselete ' IJucklermaker ' must be set liere. Our Authorized
Version has made us familiar with ' sword and buckler.' ' Item : Payd
to Phillip Tynker and Mathou Buclcr-makcr, for drawycnge of the yron
and makynge of the stapuls, iij.' {Lu<tlovj C/iurchwariicns^ Accounts,
Cam. Soc.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 225
while in ' Richard Coeur de Lion ' we are told —
Foremost he sette hys arweblasteres,
And aftyr that hys good archeres,
And aftyr hys stafF-slyngeres,
â– And other with scheeldes and speres.
But we must not forget old England's one boast, her
archers, and our last quotation fitly brings them to
our notice. They, too, in the battle-field and in the
rural list, maintained alike their supremacy. If we
would be proud of our early victories, we must ever
look with veneration on the bow. ' Bowman ' and
' Archer ' still represent the more military profes-
sional, but not alone. Even more interesting, as
speaking for the more specific crossbow or * arbalist,'
are our 'Alabasters,' * Arblasters,' 'Arblasts,' and
' Balsters.' In Robert of Gloucester's description of
the reign of the Conqueror, it is said —
So great power of this land and of France he nom (took)
With him into England, of knights and squires,
Spearmen anote, and bowemen, and also arblasters.
Chaucer, too, describing a battlement, says —
And eke within the castle were
Springoldes, gonnes, bowcs, and archers,
And eke about at corners
Men seine over the wall stand
Crete engines, who were nere hand,
And in the kernels, here and there,
Of arblasters great plcntie were.
In the Hundred Rolls he is Latinized as 'John Alblas-
tarius,' and in the York Records as ' Thomas Balis
tarius.' The Inquisitioncs style him ' Richard le
Alblaster,' while the Parliamentary Writs register
him as ' Reginald le Arblaster.' It was to this
O
226 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
class of armour our word 'artillery' was first ap-
plied, a fact which our Bible translators have pre-
served, where, in describing the meeting between
David and Jonathan, they speak of the latter as
giving his 'artillery to the lad.' Cotgrave, too, in
his dictionary, printed at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century, has the following : — ' Artellier, a
bowyer or bow-maker, also a fletchcr, or one that
makes both bows and arrows.' The mention of the
fletcher brings us to the more general weapon. Such
an entry as the following would seem strange to the
eyes of the nineteenth century : — ' To Nicolas Frost,
bowman, Stephen Sedar, fletchcr,' Ralph, the strin-
ger, and divers others of the said mysteries, in money,
paid to them, viz.: — to the aforesaid Nicholas, for 500
bows, 31/. 8s. ; to the aforesaid Stephen, for 1,700
sheaves of arrows, 148/. 15^".; and to the aforesaid
Ralph, for forty gross of bowstrings, 12/.' (Exche-
quer Issues, 14 Henry IV.) This short extract in
itself shows us the origin of at least three distinct
surnames, viz.: — 'Bowyer,' ' Fletcher,' and 'Stringer.'
We should hardly recognise the first, however, in such
entries as ' Adam le Boghiere,' or ' William le Bog-
hyere.' ' John le Bower ' reminds us that some of
our ' Bowers' are similarly sprung, while * George le
Boyer ' answers for our ' Boyers.' Besides these, we
have 'Robert Bowmaker ' or ' John Bowmaykere '
to represent the fuller sobriquet. So much for the
bow. Next comes the arrow. This was a very care-
' We find the Paftenmakcrs of London petitioning the Commons, in
1464, that they may have restored to them the use of the ' tymber called
Aspe,' which had been of late entirely in the hands of the manufacturers
of arrows, ' so that the Flecchers thorough the Reame may sell their
arrowes at more esy price than they were wonte to doc' The aspe was
a species of poplar. — Rol. Pari. Ed. IV.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 22/
ful piece of workmanship. Four distinct classes of
artizans were engaged in its structure, and, as we
might expect, all are familiar names of to-day.
'John le Arowsmyth' we may set first. He confined
himself to the manufacture of the arrow-head. Thus
we find the following statement made in an Act passed
in 1405 : — ' Item, because the Arrowsmyths do make
many faulty heads for arrows and quarels, it is
ordained and established that all heads for arrows
and quarels, after this time to be made, shall be well
boiled or braised, and hardened at the points with
steel' (Stat. Realm.)' ' Clement le Settere ' or
' Alexander le Settere ' ^ was busied in affixing these
to the shaft, and * John le Tippere ' or ' William le
Tippere ' in pointing them off". Nor is this all — there
is yet the feather. Of the origin of such mediaeval
folk as 'Robert le Fleccher' or 'Ada le Fletcher,'
we are reminded by Milton, where, in describing an
angel, he says —
His locks behind,
Illustrious on his shoulders, fledge with wings,
Lay waving round.
The fletcher, or fledger as I had well-nigh called him,
spent his time, in fact, in feathering arrows.
Skelton in ' The Maner of the World ' says : —
' The ' arrowsmith ' has a much longer and less euphonious title in
a statute of Elizabeth regarding the hiring of servants by the year. In
it are included ' Weavers, Tuckers, Fullers, Pewterers, Cutlers, Smithes,
Farrours, Sadlers, Spurryers, Turners, Bowyers, Fletchers, Arrcnvhcad-
ptakers, Butchers, Cookes, or Myllers.' — 5 Eliz. c. iv. 2.
^ Thus, among the London occupations, Cocke Lovell includes
those of the
' Spooners, turners, and hatters,
Lyne-webbers, setters, and lyne-drapers.'
Q2
228 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
So proude and so gaye,
So riche in arraye,
And so skant of nion-ey
Saw I never :
So many l)owycrs.
So many fletchers,
And so few good arcliers
Saw I never.
While all these names, however, speak for specific
workmanship, our 'Flowers' represent a more gene-
ral term. We are told of Phoebus in the ' Manciples
Tale,' that
His bowe he bent, and set therein a flo.
'Flo,' was a once familiar term for an arrow. 'John
le Floer,' or ' Nicholas le Flouer,' therefore, would
seem to be but synonymous with ' Arrowsmith ' or
' Fletcher.' ' Stringer ' and ' Stringfellow ' are self-
explanatory, and are common surnames still. What
a list of sobriquets is here ! WHiat a change in Eng-
lish social life do they declare. Time was when to be
a sure marksman was the object of every English
boy's ambition. The bow was his chosen companion.
Evening saw him on the village green, beneath the
shade of the old yew tree, and as he practised his
accustomed sport, his breath would come thick and
fast, as he bethought him of the coming wake, and
his chance of bringing down the popinjay, and pre-
senting the ribbon to his chosen queen of the May.
Yes, times are altered. Teeming cities cover the once
rustic sward, broadcloth has eclipsed the Lincoln
green, the clothyard, the arrow ; but still amid the
crowd that rushes to and fro in our streets the name
of an 'Archer,' or a 'Bowman,' or a ' 13utts,' or a
* Popgay' spoken in our ears will hush the hubbub of
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 229
the city, and, forgotten for a brief moment the greed
for money, will carry us, like a pleasant dream recalled,
into the fresher and purer atmosphere of England's
past.
In the poem from which I have but recently
quoted we hav^e the record of ' gonnes,' or ' guns,' as
we should now term them. It would be quite pos-
sible for our nomenclature to be represented by
memorials of the powder magazine, and I should be
far from asserting that such is not the case.' In the
household of Edward III. there are enumerated,
among others, ' Ingyners Ivij ; Artellers vj ; Gonners
vj.' Here there is a clear distinction between the
' gun ' and the ' engine ; ' between missiles hurled by
powder and those by the catapult. Fifty years even
earlier than this Chaucer had used the following sen-
tence : — ' They dradde no assaut of gynne, gonne,
nor skaffaut' In his ' Romance,' too, as I have just
shown, he places in juxtaposition ' grete engines ' and
* gonnes.' Of one, if not both of these, we have un-
doubted memorials in our nomenclature. The Hun-
dred Rolls furnish us with a ' William le Engynur ' and
a 'Walter le Ginnur; ' the Inquisitiones with a 'Richard
le Enginer,' and the Writs w ith a ' William le Genour.'
The descendants of such as these are, of course, our
'Gunners,' ' Ginners,' 'Jenour,' and 'Jenners,'^ the
last of which are now represented by one who is as
renowned for recovering as his ancestor in days gone
' Since writing this, I have discovered the names of ' Jolm Fusilier'
and ' Fuzelier.' (See Proc. and Crd. J'rhy Council^ under (hates
1437 and 1439.)
''â– We have a similar interchange of these two initial letters in the
cases of 'Gervais'and 'Jervis,' 'Geoffrey' and 'Jeffrey,' and 'Gill'
and 'Jill.'
230 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
by would be for destroying life. Our * Gunns' and
* Ginns ' also must be referred to the same source. In
one of the records just alluded to a 'Warin Engaine'
is to be met with. If we elide the first syllable, as in
the previous instances, the modern form at once
appears.
But if in the deadly tournament the baron and
his retainers found an ample pastime, nevertheless the
chase was of all diversions the most popular. In this
the prince and the peasant alike found recreation,
while with regard to the latter, as we shall see, it was
also combined with service. The woody wastelands,
so extended in these earlier days of a sparse popula-
tion, afforded sport enough for the most ardent hunts-
man. According to the extent of privilege or the
divisions into which they were separated, these tracts
were styled by the various terms of ' forest,' ' chase,'
* park,' and ' warren.' To any one at all conversant
with old English law these several words will be
familiar enough. To keep the wilder beasts within
their prescribed limits, to prevent them injuring the
tilled lands, and in general to guard the common
interests of lord and tenant, keepers were appointed.
The names of these officers, the chief of whom are
entitled by appellations whose root is of a local
character, are well-nigh all found to this day in our
directories. Indeed there is no class of names more
firmly imbedded there. In the order of division I
have just alluded to, we have * Forester,' with its
corrupted * Forster ' and ' Foster,' relics of such
registered folk as ' Ivo Ic Forester,' ' Henry le Forster,'
or ' Walter le Foster ; ' ' Chaser,' now obsolete, I be-
lieve, but lingering on for a considerable period as the
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 23 1
offspring of ' William ' or ' Simon le Chasur ; *
* Parker,' or ' Parkman,' or ' Park,' descended from
' Adam le Parkere,' or ' Hamo le Parkere,' or ' Roger
atte Parke,' or ' John del Pare,' and ' Warener ' or
' Warner,' or * Warren,' lineally sprung from men of
the stamp of * Thomas le Warrener,' ' Jacke le Warner,'
or ' Richard de Waren.' The curtailed forms of these
several terms seem to have been all but consequent
with the rise of the officership itself, ' Love ' in the
' Romance ' says : —
Now am I knight, now chastelaine,
Now prelate, and now chaplaine.
Now priest, now clerke, now forstere.
In his description of the Yoman, too, Chaucer adds —
An home he here, the baudrick was of grene,
A fostere was he sothely as I guesse.
Thus, again, Langland, in setting forth Glutton's en-
counter with the frequenters of the tavern, speaks
familiarly of —
Watte the Warner.
But these are not all. It is with them we must asso-
ciate our ancestral ' Woodwards ' or * Woodards,' and
still more common ' Woodreefs,' * Woodrows,' ' Wood-
roffs,' and ' Woodruffs,' all more or less perverted
forms of the original wood-reeve.^ A song represent-
ing the husbandmen as complaining of the burdens in
Edward II.'s reign says —
The hayward heteth us harm to habben of his
The bailif beckneth us bale, and weneth wel do ;
The wodeward waiteth us wo.
' ' Thomasine Woodkeeper ' is set down in the Index to Slate Papas
(^Dotnestic) for 1635. This is a name, I doubt not, of later origin.
232 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
All these officers were more or less of legal capacity,
men whose duty it was, bill in hand, to guard the vert
and venison under their charge,' to act as agents for
their lord in regard to the pannage of hogs, to look
carefully to the lawing of dogs, and in case of offences
to present them to the verderer at the forest assize.
The ' Moorward,' found in our early records as
'German le Morward ' or 'Henry le Morward,'
guarded the wilder and bleaker districts. ' The Rider,'
commonly found as ' Roger Ic Rydere ' or ' Ralph le
Ryder,' in virtue of having a larger extent of juris-
diction, was mounted, though his office was essentially
the same. Mr. Lower, remarking upon this word, has
a quotation from the ballad of ' William of Cloudesley,'
where the king, rewarding the brave archer, says : —
I give thee cightene pence a day,
And my bowe thou shall bere,
And over all the north countre
I make thee chyfe rydere.
With him we must associate our ' Rangers ' and
' Keepers,' who, acting doubtless under him, assisted
also in the work of patrolling the woodland and re-
covering strayed beasts, and presenting trespassers to
the swainmote just referred to.
The bailiff, shortened as a surname into ' Bailey,'
' Baillie' {'Germanic Bailif,' J., ' Henry le Baillie,'
M.), like the reve, seems to have been both of
' The stringent caic taken of the beasts of chase may be gathered
from the various laws passed regarding the dogs of such swineherds, &c. ,
as had right of entry in the woods. The chief one related to what was
called the lawing of dogs. I?y this rule the three claws of the forefoot
of every mastifTwere to be cut ofT by the skin, and the f.)rcst assize was
to make special inquisition to see that it was in all cases done. (See
Sliit. (!<' Fiiiilnis, 27 I-'dward I.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 233
legal and private capacity ; in either case acting as
deputy.* This word ' reve ' did a large amount of
duty formerly, but seems now to be fast getting into
its dotage. In composition, however, it is far from
being obsolete. The ' Reeve ' (' John le Reve,' M.,
* Sager le Reve,' H.), who figured so conspicuously
among the Canterbury Pilgrims, would be the best
representative of the term in his day, I imagine —
His lordes shepe, his nete, and his deirie,
Ilis swine, his hors, his store, and his pullrie,
Were wholly in this reves governing.
Our ' Grieves' (' Thomas le Greyve,' A.), who are but
the fuller * Gerefa,' fulfilled, and I believe in some parts
of Scotland still fulfil, he capacity here described,
being but manorial bailiffs, in fact. ' The Boke of
Curtasye ' says —
Grayvis, and baylys, and parker
Shall come to accountcs every yere
Byfore the auditoiirs of the lorde.
Thus, too, our 'Portreeves' (' William le Portrevc,' A.,
' Augustin le Portrcve,' A.), who in our coa.'-t towns
fulfilled the capacity of our more general ma}'or, arc
oftentimes in our earlier records enrolled as ' Port-
greve.' ' Hythereve' (' John le liuthercvc,' O.), from
hithe, a haven, would seem to denote the same
office, while our obsolete ' Fenrevcs' (' Adam le
Fenrevc,' A.), like the ' Moorward ' mentioned abo\'e,
' 'lie seide also to hise discipilis, thcr was a riche man that hadile
a baylyf, and this was defamed to him as he hadde wastid hise good is.
And he clepide him and seyde to him, what here I tliis tiling of thee?
Yelde rekenyng of thi Baylyc, for thou myght not now he bnylyf.'
(Luke xvi. i, 2 — Wicklyffe. )
234 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
had charge, I doubt not, of the wilder and more
sparsely populated tracts of land. Many other com-
pounds of this word we have already recorded ; some
we shall refer to by-and-by, and with them and these
the reeve, after all, is not likely to be soon forgotten.
But the poorer villeins were not without those
who should guard their interests also. In a day of
fewer landmarks and scantier barriers trespasses
would be inevitable. An interesting relic of primitive
precaution against the straying of animals is found in
the officership of the ' Hayward ' (or ' Adam le Hey-
ward,' as the Hundred Rolls have it), whose duty it
was to guard the cattle that grazed on the village
common. He was so styled from the Saxon ' hay '
or ' hedge,' already spoken of in our previous chapter.
An old poem has it —
In tynie of hervest mery it is ynough ;
Peres and apples hongcth on bough,
The hayward bloweth mery his home ;
In every felde ripe is come.
In ' Piers Plowman,' too, we have the word —
I have an home, and be a liayward,
And liggen out a nyghtes
And kepe my come and my croft
From pykers and theves.
It will be seen from these two references that the
officership was of a somewhat general character. The
cattle might be his chief care, but the common village
interests were also under his supervision. The term
has left many surnames to maintain its now decayed
and primitive character ; ' Hayward ' and ' Haward '
arc, however, the most familiar. * Hayman,' doubt-
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 235
less, is of similar origin. If, in spite of the hayward's
care, it came to pass that any trespass occurred, the
village ' pounder ' was ready at hand to impound the
animal till its owner claimed it, and paid the cus-
tomary fine —
In Wakefield there lives a jolly pinder,
In Wakefield, all on a green.
So we are told in ' Robin Hood.' I need not add
that our many ' Pounders,' ' Finders,' and still more
classic ' Pindars,' are but the descendants of him or
one of his confrhrs. I do not doubt myself, too, that
our ' Penders ' (' William le Pendere ' in the Parlia-
mentary Writs) will be found to be of a similar origin.
While, however, these especial officers superin-
tended the general interests of lord and tenant, there
were those also whose peculiar function it was to
guard the particular quarry his master loved to chase ;
to see them unmolested and undisturbed during such
time as the hunt itself was in abeyance, and then,
when the chase came on, to overlook and conduct its
course. These, too, are not without descendants.
Such names as * Stagman' and * Buckmaster,'' * Hind-
man ' and ' Hartman,' ' Deerman ' and its more ama-
tory ' Dearman,' by their comparative frequency,
remind us how important would be their office in the
eye of their lord.
Nor are those who assisted in the lordly hunt
itself left unrepresented in our nomenclature. The
old ' Elyasle Hunderd,' or ' hund-herd,' has left in our
' Hunnards ' an abiding memorial of the ' houndsman.'
• The first instance I have met with of this name is in a formal
declaration against Popish doctrine, dated 1534, and signed among
others by 'Gulielmus Buckmaster.' (Foxe's Marty rology.)
236 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Similarly the 'vaultrier' v/as he who unleashed them.
It has been a matter of doubt whether or no the more
modern * feuterer ' owes his origin to this term, but
the gradations found in such registrations as 'John
le Veutrer,' ' Geoffrey Ic Veuterer,' and ' Walter le
Feuterer,' to be met with in the rolls of this period,
set all question, I should imagine, at rest. An old
poem, describing the various duties of these officers
and their charges, says —
A halpeny the hunte takes on tlie day
For every houndc the sothe to say ;
The vewtrer, two cast of brede he tase,
Two lesshe of greyhounds if that he lias.
' Fewter ' and ' Futter/ ' however, seem to be the only
relics we now possess of this once important care.
Such names as ' John le Bcrner ' or ' Thomas le
l^erncr,' common enough in old rolls, must be dis-
tinguished from our more aristocratic ' Berners.' The
bcrner was a special houndsman who stood with fresh
rela)'s of dogs ready to unleash them if the chase
grew heated and long. In the Parliamentary Rolls
he is termed a ' ycoman-berner.' Our * Ilornblows,'
curtailed from ' Ilornblowcr,' and simpler ' Blowers,'
would seem to be closely related to the last, for the
horn figured as no mean addition by its jubilant
sounds to the excitement of the chase. lie who used
it held an office that required all the attention he
could bring to bear upon it. The dogs were not un-
leashed until he had sounded the blast, and if at any
time from his elevated station he caught sight of the
quarry, he was by the manner of winding his instru-
ment to certify to the hunt.'jman the peculiar class to
which it belonged. In the Hundred Rolls we find
' Tlie Hundred Rolls have the abbreviated form in * Godfrey le Futur.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 237
him inscribed as ' Blowhorn,' a mere reversal of sylla-
bles. Of a more general and professional character
probably would be our ' Hunters,' ' Huntsmans,' and
'Hunts,' not to mention the more Norman 'John Ic
Venner' or 'Richard Fenner.' It may not be known
to all our ' Hunts ' that theirs, the shorter form, was
the most familiar term in use at that time ; hence the
number that at present exist. We are told in the
* Knight's Talc ' of the—
Ilunte and home, and houndes him beside ;
while but a little further on he speaks of —
The hunte ystrangled with the wilde licrcs.
Forms like ' Walter le Hunte ' or ' Nicholas le Ilunte '
are very common to the old records. As another
proof of the general use of this word we may cite
its compounds. * Borehunte ' carries us back to the
day when the wild boar ranged the forest's deeper
gloom. ' VVolfhunt,' represented in the Inquisitiones
by such a sobriquet as ' Walter le Wolfhunte,'
reminds us that Edgar did not utterly exterminate
that savage beast of prey, as is oftentimes asserted.
A family of this name held lands in the Peak of
Derbyshire at this period by the service of keeping the
forest clear of wolves. In the forty-third year of
Edward HI. one Thomas Engeine held lands in
Pitchley, in the county of Northampton, by service of
finding at his own cost certain dogs for the destruction
of wolves, foxes, &c., in the counties of Northampton,
Rutland, Oxford, Essex, and Buckingham ; na}', as
late as the eleventh year of Henry VI. Sir Robert
Plumpton held one borate of land in Nottinghamshire,
by service of winding a horn, and chasing or frighten-
238 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
ing the wolves in Sherwood Forest.* Doubtless, how-
ever, as in these recorded instances, it would be in the
more hilly and bleaker districts, or in the deeper
forests, he found his safest and last retreat. It seems
well-nigh literally to be coming down from a moun-
tain to a mole-hill to speak of our ' Mole-hunts,' the
other compound of this word. But small as he was
in comparison with the other, he was scarcely less ob-
noxious on account of his burrowing propensities, for
which the husbandman gave him the longer name of
mouldwarp. His numbers, too, made him formidable,
and it is no wonder that people found occupation
enough in his destruction, or that the name of ' Mole-
hunt ' should have found its way into our early rolls.
So late, indeed, as 1641, we find in a farming book
the statement that I2d. was the usual price paid by
the farmer for every dozen old moles secured, and 6d.
for the same number of young ones. This speaks
at least for their plcntifulness. An old provincialism
for mole, and one not yet extinct, was ' wont * or
' want.' This explains the name of * Henry le
Wantur,' which may be met with in the Hundred
Rolls. In the Sloane MS. is a method given ' for to
take wontes.' It would be in the deeper underwood
our * Todmans ' and ' Todhuntcrs,' the chasers of the
fox, or ' tod,' as be was popularly called, found diver-
sion enough. It would be here our 'Brockmans*
secured the badger. I doubt not these were both
' Not very long previously to this we find Trevisa writing : 'There
are many harts, and wild beasts, and few wolves, therefore sheep are
the more sykerlyche ' (secure). Thus we have ample evidence, apart
from the existence of the name, that this depredator of the farming
stock was anything but unkno^vn during mediaeval times.
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 239
also of professional character — aids and helps to the
farmer. Indeed, he had many upon whose services
he could rely for a trifle of reward in the shape of a
silver penny, or a warm mess of potage on the kitchen
settle. Our'Burders' and 'Fowlers,' by their craft,
whether of falconry or netting, or in the use of the
cross-bow bolt, aided to clear the air of the more
savage birds of prey, or of the lesser ones that would
molest the bursting seed. I need scarcely remark
that the distinction between ' bird ' and ' fowl ' is
modern. The ' fowls of the air ' with our Saxon
Bible, and up to very recent days, embraced every
winged creature, large and small. In our very expres-
sion 'barndoor-fowl' we are only using a phrase which
served to mark the distinction between the wilder and
the more domesticated bird. The training and sale
of bullfinches seem to have given special employment
then, as now, to such as would undertake the care
thereof. A ' Robert le Fincher ' occurs at an early
period, and I see his descendants are yet in being.
As we shall see in a later chapter, this bird has set
his mark deeply upon our sobriquet nomenclature.
Our ' Trappers,' whether for bird or beast, confined
their operations to the soil, capturing their spoil by
net or gin.
We owe several names, or rather several forms of
the same name, to the once favourite pursuit of fal-
conry. Of all sports in the open air this was the one
most entirely aristocratic. In it the lord and his lady
alike found pleasure. It had become popular so early
as the ninth century, and, as Mr. Lower says, in such
estimation was the office of State falconer held in
Norman times that Domesday shows us, apart from
240 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
others, four different tenants in chief, who are described
each as ' accipitrarius,' or falconer. Until John's
reign it was not lawful for any but those of the high-
est rank to keep hawks, but in the ' Forest Charter '
a special clause was introduced which gave power to
every free man to have an aerie. So valuable was a
good falcon that it even stood chief among royal gifts,
and up to the beginning of the seventeenth century it
brought as much as lOO marks in the market.' Royal
edicts were even passed for the preservation of their
eggs. From all this, and much more that might be
adduced, it is easy to understand how important was
the office of falconer, nor need we wonder that it is
one of the most familiar names to be found in early
rolls. Of many forms those of Falconer,' ' Falconar,'
' Faulkner,' ' Falkner,' - ' Faulconcr,' and ' Faukener,'
seem to be the commonest. The last form is found
in the ' Boke of Curtasye " —
The chaunccler answcrcs for tlieir clothyng,
For yonien, faukcners, and their horsyng,
For their wardrop and wages also.
' Of course the breeding of falcons was a favourite as well as im-
portant care. 15y a special statute of Edward I.'s reign, every freeman
could l)ave in his own wocxl ' ayries of hawks, sparrowhawks, faulcons,
eagles, and herons.' {25 Edward i. c. 13.) I?y a statute passed in the
reign of Edward III., anyone who found a strayed hawk or tercelet was
to bring; it to the sheriff of the county, through whom proclamation to
that effect was to be made in the towns. If the finder concealed the
bird, he was rendered liable to two years' imprisonment. {34 Ed. III.
c. 22.) This will give some idea of the value attached to a good falcon
in those days.
■•' This form of spelling is used by Burton in his AtnUoniy. lie
asks, how would Democrilus have been affocled ' to see a scholar crouch
and creep to an illiterate peasant for a meal's meat, a scrivener better
paid for an obligation, a Aiulkncr receive greater wagci Unn a itadent ? '
(I'. 37.)
SURNAMES OF OFFICE. 24I
In our former ' Idonea or Walter le Oyseler' we
recognise but another French term for the same. A
special keeper of the goshawk, or ' ostcr,' got into
mediaeval records in the shape of 'William le As-
trier,' or ' Robert le Ostricer,' or ' Richard le Hostri-
ciere,' or ' Godfrey Ostriciarius,' The Latin ' accipiter '
is believed to be the root of the term, which
with such other perverted forms as ' Ostregier/
' Ostringer,' * Astringer,' and ' Austringer,' lingered on
the common tongue till so late as the seventeenth
century.* A curious proof of the prevailing passion is
found in the name of ' Robert le Jessmaker,' set down
in the Hundred Rolls. The 'jess' was the leathern
or silken strap fastened closely round the foot of the
hawk, from which the line depended and was held by
the falconer. That the demand for these should be
so great as to cause a man to give himself up entirely
to their manufacture, will be the best evidence of the
ardour with which our forefathers entered into this
pastime. The end of falconry was, however, sudden
as it was complete. The introduction of the musket
at one fell swoop did away with office, pursuit, with,
in fact, the whole paraphernalia of the amusement,
and now it is without a relic, save in so far as these
names abide with us.
In concluding this part of our subject it is pleasant
to remind ourselves that, however strong might be the
antagonism which this chapter displays between Nor-
man and Saxon, the pride of the one, the oppression
of the other, that antagonism is now overpast and
gone. We well know that a revolution was at work,
' Juliana Berners says : ' Ye shall understonde that they ben called
Ostregeres that kepe goshawkcs or tercelles.' (Ed. 1496, b. iii.)
242 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
sometimes showing itself violently, but generally
silent in its progress, by which happier circumstances
arrived, happier at any rate for the country at large.
We well know how this consummation came, how
these several races became afterwards one by the sup-
pression of that power the more independent of these
barons had wielded, by confusion of blood, by the
acquisition of more general liberty, by mutuality of
interests, by the contagious influences of commerce,
and, above all, by the kindly and prejudice-weakening
force of lapsing time. All this we know, and, as it is
in a sense foreign to our present purpose, I pass over
it now. I trust that I have already shown that there
is something, after all, in a name ; at any rate in a
surname, for that in it is supplied a link between the
past and the present, for that in the utterance of one
of these may be recalled not merely the lineaments of
some face of to-day, but the dimmer outline of an age
which is past beyond recall for ever. Viewed in a
light so broad as this, the country churchyard, with
each mossy stone, is, apart from the diviner lessons it
teaches, a living page of history ; and even the parish
register, instead of being a mere record of dry and
uninteresting facts, becomes instinct with the lives and
surroundings of our English forefathers.
CHAPTER IV.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY).
I NOW come to the consideration of occupations
generally, and to this I think it will be advisable
to devote two chapters. One reason for so doing, the
main one in fact, is that they seem naturally to divide
themselves into two classes — those of a rural character,
very numerous at that time on account of agricultural
pursuits being so general, and those of a more diverse
and I may say civilized kind, bearing upon the com-
munity's life — literature and art, dress, with all its
varied paraphernalia, the boudoir and the kitchen.
In considering the former, the character of our sur-
names will give us, I imagine, by no means a bad or
ineffective picture of the simplicity of our early rural
life, its retirement, and even calm. In shadowing
forth the latter, we shall be enabled to see what were
the available means of that age, and by the very
absence of certain names to realise how numberless
have been the resources that discovery has added at a
more recent period. It will be well, too, to give two
entire chapters to these surnames, as being worthy of
somewhat further particularity than the others. They
betray much more of our English life that has become
obsolete. Local names, as I have said already, while
244 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
they must ever denote much of change, denote the
changes more especially of Nature herself, which are
slow in general, and require more than the test of four
or five centuries to make their transitions apparent.
Personal or Christian names vary almost less than
these. The Western European system is set upon the
same foundation, and whatever has been peculiar to
separate countries has long since, by the interming-
ling of nations, whether peaceful or revolutionary,
been added to the one common stock. Some indeed
have fallen into disuse through crises of various kinds.
A certain number, too, of a fanciful kind, as we have
already seen, have been added within the last two
centuries, but these latter have not of course affected
our surnames. Nicknames, which form so large a
proportion of our nomenclature, remain much the
same ; for a nation's tongue, while receiving a constant
deposit and throwing off ever a redundant phraseo-
logy, still, as a rule, docs not touch these ; they are
taken from the deeper channel of a people's speech.
But the fashion and custom of living is ever changing.
New wants spring up, and old requirements become
unneeded ; fresh resources come to hand, and the
more antique are at once despised and thrown aside.
In a word, invention and discovery cast their shafts at
the very heart of usage. Thus it is that we shall have
such a large number of obsolete occupations to recount
— occupations which but for our rolls even the oldest
and most reliable of our less formal writings would
have failed to preserve to us.
It is quite possible for the eye to light upon ham-
lets in the more retired nooks and crannies of England
that have undergone but little change during even the
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 245
last six centuries, hamlets of which we could say with
Goldsmith : —
How often have I paused on every charm,
The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm,
The never-failing brook, the busy mill,
The decent church that topped the neighbouring hill.
The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade,
For talking age and whispering lovers made.
I have seen, or I at least imagined I have seen, such
a picture as this ; but if there be, this of all times is
that in which we must be prepared for a revolution.
Our railways are every day but connecting us with
the more inaccessible districts, following as they do
the curves of our valleys, winding alongside our
streams, like nature and art in parallel. As they
thus increase they bear with them equally increased
facilities for carrying the modernized surroundings
and accessories of life on this, on that, and on every
hand. Thus usage is everywhere fast giving way
before utility, and thus in proportion as art and in-
vention get elbow-room, so does the primitive poetry
of our existence fade from view. We can remember
villages— there are still such — around which time had
flung a halo of so simple aspect, villages whose steads
were grouped with so exqui;;ite a quaintncss, so
utterly and beautifully irregular, so full of unexpected
joints and curves, and all so thatched, and embrowned ,
and treilissed, that with the loss of them we have lost
a pastoral. There may be indeed a certain poetry in
model villas of undeviating line and exact altitude;
there may be a beauty in an erection which reminds
you in perpetuity of the great Euclidian truth that a
straight line is that which lies evenly between its ex-
246 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
treme points, but at times it puts one in sober mood
to think all the touches of a past time are to fade
away, and these be in their stead. How different the
tale nomenclature tells us of former rusticity and
simpler tastes.
The early husbandman required but little deco-
rative refinement for his homestead. To keep out
the cold blast and the driving rain, to have a niche by
the fireside comfortable and warm, this was all he
asked or wished for. His roof was all but invariably
composed of thack or thatch, and every village had its
'thatcher.' Busy indeed would he be as the late autumn
drew nigh, and stack and stead must be shielded from
the keen and chilling winter. The Hundred Roll forms
of the surname are 'Joan le Thaccher' and 'Thomas
le Thechare ; ' the Parliamentary Writs * John le
Thacher;' while the more modern directory furnishes us
with such changes rung upon the same as ' Thatcher,'
' Thacker ' ' (still a common provincialism for the oc-
cupation), and ' Thackery,' or ' Thackeray,' or ' Thack-
wray,' ^ These latter are of course but akin to the old
' John le Fermery,' or ' Richard le Vicary,' the termina-
tion added being the result of popular whim or caprice.
• 'Thackcr' represented the northern pronunciation, ' Tiiatcher'
the south. Compare 'kirk' and 'church,' 'poke' and 'pouch,' 'dike'
and 'ditch,' or the surnames ' Fisk ' and ' Fisii.' A 'Nathaniel
Thackman' is set down in the index to S/aU' J^ii/its (Domestic) for 1635.
â– â– ^ A 'John Thaxter' is met with in a college register for 1567 {//is/.
C. C. Coll. Cum.), and far earlier than this, in the Tarliamentary Writs,
we light upon a 'Thomas Thackstere. ' This is one more instance of
the feminine termination. That the word itself was in familiar use is
proved by the fact tluat in the ordinance arranging the Norwich Trades
Procession we find among others the 'Thaxteres' marching in company
with the ' Rederes.' {//isl. Norfolk, vol. iii.) As a surname the term
still survives.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 247
Our ' Readers ' had less to do with book lore than we
might have supposed, being but descendants of the
mediaeval ' William le Redere,' ^ another term for the
same kind of labour. The old ' Hellier,' or ' Helier/
carries us back to a once well-known root. To ' hill,' or
' hele,' was to cover, and a * hilyer ' was a roofer.^ Sir
John Maundville says with regard to the Tartars, * the
helynge of their houses, and . . . the dores ben
alle of woode ; ' and John of Trevisa speaks of the
English ' whyt cley and red ' as useful ' for to make
crokkes and other vessels, and barned tyyl to hele
with houses and churches.' Gower, too, uses the word
prettily, but perfectly naturally, when he says —
She took up turves (turfs) of the lond,
Withouten help of mannes hond,
All heled with the grene grass.'
Amongst other of the many forms that still survive
surnominally we have ' Hillyer,' ' HilHer,' ' Hellier,'
' ' Robertas Brown, redere,' Guild of St. George, Norwich.
' ' Also, that no tylers called hillyers of the cite compelle, ne
charge ne make no tyler straunger to serve at his rule and assignment,
etc' — The Ordinances of Wo7xester, English Guilds, 398.
* According to Walsingham, Wat the rebel was ' Walterus helier, vel
tyler.' The word is prettily used in an old Saxon Psalter, where, in the
stead of our present ' He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him,* we
read that a
' Forhiler is He
Of all that in Him hoping be.'
The following quotations from Wicklyffe's New Testament will prove
how familiar was the term in his day : ' And lo a greet stiryng was
made in the see so that the schip was hilid with wavis ' (Matt. viii. 24) ;
' For I hungride and ye gaven me to ete, I thirstide and ye gaven me to
drynke, I was herbarweles and ye herboriden me, naked and ye hiliden
me ' (Matt. xxv. 35) ; ' No man lightnith a lanterne, and hilith it with
a vessel, or putteth it under a bed' (Luke viii. 16).
248 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Hellyer,' and the somewhat unpleasant ' Helman '
and ' Hellman.' Earlier instances may be found in
the Hundred Rolls in such entries as ' Robert Ic
Heliere' or 'Will. Heleman.' Our 'Tylers* are well
and quaintly represented in the early rolls. One
mediaeval spelling of this good old-fashioned name is
' Tyghelere ' (Adam le Tyghelere, P.W.), while such
forms as ' le Tuglur,' ' le Tuler,' or ' le Tewler,' as
representatives of the Norman-French vocabulary,
meet us on cveiy hand. Whether any of their de-
scendants have had the courage to reproduce any of
these renderings I cannot say. I do not find any in
our directories. Our 'Smiths' have not been quite
so qualmish. With the tylers we may fitly introduce
our ' Shinglers,' they who u.sed the stout oaken wood
in the place of burnt clay. Churches were oftentimes
S3 covered. Mr. Halliwell quotes the following some-
what sarcastic couplet : —
Flouren cakes hcth tlie schinglcs alle
(^f clierclie, cloister, houre, and hallc.
Piers Plowman, too, speaks similarly of Noah's Ark
as the ' shyngled ship.' ' All these names have, occu-
patively speaking, now become obsolete, or nearly so ;
our ' Slaters,' or ' Sclaters,' or ' Slatters,' having usurped
the entire position they were formerly content to share
with their humbler brethren.^
' Among other items of an entry in the Issues of tlie Kxchequer we
fin'l for ' putting tlie shingles (>n t!ic king's kitchen, for the afores.ii.l
week, 17^. 4r/.' (43 Hen. III.)
* We find all these various forms of the same occupation mentioncil
in a statu'e of Elizabeth relating to the api)renticcship of chiUhcn. In
it are included ' Lymcburner, lUickmaker, I'.ricklaycr, Tyler, Slater,
llcalycr, Tilemakcr . . . Tha'chcr nr Sh.in<;!tr." (5 Eli/, c. 4, 23.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 249
In the majority of the above names we shall find
the Saxon to be in all but whole possession of the
field. The fact is, the roof and its appurtenances
were little regarded for a long period by our early
architects, if we may give such a grand term to those
who set up the ordinary homestead of the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries. There were no chimneys
even in the residences of the rich and noble. A hole
in the roof, or the window, or the door, one of these,
whether in the homes of the peer or the peasant, was
the outlet for all obnoxious vapours. With the Nor-
mans, however, came a great increase of refinement in
the masonry and wooden framework of which our
houses are composed. Such names as ' Adam le
Quarreur,' or ' Hugh le Ouareur,' ' Walter le Marbiler,'
or ' Geoffrey le Merberer,' * Gotte le Mazoun,' or
* Walter le Masun,' or ' Osbert le Machun ' represent
a cultivation of which the earlier settled race, if they
knew something, did not avail themselves in their
merely domestic architecture. Two of these occupa-
tions are referred to by ' Cocke LorcUe,' when he
speaks of —
Masones, maicmaheis, ami mcrlelcrs.'
' Henry le Wallcrc,' whose sobriquet was ennobled
later on by one of our poets, is the only entry I can
set by these as belonging to the Saxon tongue.''^ It
is the same with the Norman 'Amice le Chari)enler '
and * Alan le Joygnour.' While the former framed
' Huj^'h Mail)e!er was sheriff of I>ondon in 1424.
* Another Saxon name, that of 'John le Sclabhcrc,' is met with in
the Parliamentary Writs. It is, however, but an isolated instance, and
I do not suppose there was any particular cr.ift in masr.nrythat went by
that title.
250 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the more solid essentials, the very name of the latter
infers a careful supervision of minutiae, of which only
a more refined taste would take cognizance. The
descendants of such settlers as these still hold the
place they then obtained, and are unchanged other-
wise than in the fashion of spelling their name.
Of the plaster work we have a goodly array of
memorials, the majority of which, of course, are con-
nected with a higher class work than the mere cot-
tager required. The ordinary term in use at present
for a maker of lime is ' Hmeburner.' It is quite pos-
sible that in our * Limebears ' or ' Limebeers ' we have
but a corruption of this. Such sobriquets as ' Hugh
leLimwryte' and John le Limer' give us, however,
the more general mediaeval forms. The latter is still
to be met with among our surnames. But these are
not all. We have in our ' Dawbers ' the descendants
of the old ' Thomas le Daubour,' or ' Roger le Daubere/
of the thirteenth century, ' Cocke Lorelle,' whom I have
but just quoted, mentions among other workmen —
Tylers, bryckeleyers, hardehewers ;
Parys-plasterers, daubers, and lymeboniers.
Our ' Authorised Version ' when it speaks of ' the wall
daubed with untcmpercd mortar,' still preserves their
memorial, and our ' Plasters ' and ' Plaisters ' are but
sturdy scions of many an early registered ' Adam le
Plastier,' 'Joanna Ic Plaistercr,' or ' John Ic Cemen-
tarius.' The last of this class I would mention is
* Robert Pargctcr ' or ' William Pergitcr,' a name
inherited by our ' Pargitcrs ' and ' Pargeters,' This
was an artisan of a higher order. He laboured, in
fact, at the more ornamental plaster work. In the
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 25 I
accounts of Sir John Howard, A.D. 1467, is the follow-
ing entry : — ' Item, the vj day of Aprylle my master
made a covenaunt with Saunsam the tylere, that he
schalle pergete, and whighte and bemefelle all the new
byldynge, and he schalle have for his labore xiijs.
ivd.' ' It is used metaphorically, but I cannot add
very happily, in an old translation of Ovid —
THhs having where they stood in vaine complained of their wo,
When night drew neare they bad adue, and cche gave kisses sweete
Unto the parget on their side, the which did never mcete.
' Roger le Peynture ' or ' Henry le Peintur,' ' Ralph le
Gilder ' and ' Robert le Stainer,' were engaged, I
imagine, in the equally careful work of decorating
passage and hall within, and all have left offspring
enough to keep up their perpetual memorial. Thus,
within and without, the house itself has afforded room
for little change in our nomenclature, though the
artisans themselves have now a very different work to
perform to that of their mediaeval prototypes. The
increase of wealth and a progressive culture have not
merely taught but demanded a more careful and
refined workmanship in the details of ordinary house-
building. We may readily imagine, however, even in
this early day, how little the simple bondsman, or
freer husbandman, had to do with such artisans as
even then existed. I do not find, at least the excep-
tions are of the rarest, that these workmen dwelt in
the more rural districts at all. Their names are to
be met with in the towns, where the richer trades-
people and burgesses were already beginning to copy
' 'Item: Payd to a laborer for to pargytt, viii/. (P. 4, C/itirc/i-
7i>ardens' Accounts, Litdlmo, Cam. .Soc.)
252 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the fashions and habits of life of the higher aris-
tocracy.
We have already noticed the ' town ' — how it
originally denoted but the simple farmstead with its
immediate surroundings, then its gradual enlargement
of sense as other steads increased and multiplied
around it. We have also seen how the old 'ham' or
home gathered about it such accessions of human
abodes as converted it in time into one of those village
communities, so many of which we still find in the
outer districts, almost, as I have said, unaltered from
their early foundation. It was in these various home-
steads dwelt the peasantry. There might be seen our
' Cotmans ' and ' Cotters ' (' Richard Coteman,' A.,
'Simon le Coterc,' F.F.), the descendants, doubtless,
of the ' cotmanni ' of Domesday I^ook. Similar in
origin and as humble in degree would be our now
numerous ' Cottcrcls ' or ' Cottrels ' (' William Coterel,'
M., ' Joice Cottcrill,' Z.), till a comparatively re-
cent period an ordinary sobriquet of that class of
our country population. A curious memorial of a
past state of life abides with us in our ' Boardmans,'
' Boarders,' ' liordmans,' and ' l^ordcrs.' They were
the tenants of lands which their lord kept expressly
for the maintenance of his table, the rental being paid
in kind. Hence our old English law-books speak
familiarly of bord-service, or bord-load, or bord-land.
The term board in this same sense still lingers on the
common tongue, for we are }'et wont to use such
phrases as bed and boaid, or a frugal board, or a
board plentifully spread. A determinate, as distinct
from an unfixed service, has left its mark in our
' Sockermans,' ' Suckermans,' and ' Sockmans,' they
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 253
who held by socage, or socmanry, as the old law-books
have it. Under this tenure, as a condition of the
meagre rental, the stout-hearted, thick-limbed rustic
was to be ready, as his lord's adherent, to stand by
him in every assault, either as archer, or arbalister, or
pikeman — that is, fealty was to eke out the remaining
sum which would otherwise have been due. But
there were of these Saxon husbandmen some under
no such thraldom, however honourable, as this, and of
these freeholders we must set as the highest our
' Yomans ' and * Yeomans.' This term, however, be-
came an official one, and it is doubtful to which aspect
of the word we are to refer the present owners of the
name. It is possible both features may have had
something to do with its origination. How anxious
they who had been redeemed, or who had been born
free, though of humble circumstances, were to pre-
serve themselves from a doubtful or suspected position
such names as ' Walter le Free ' or ' John le Frcman '
will fully show. We find even such appellatives as
' Matilda Frewoman ' or ' Agnes I'rewyfe,' in the
latter case the husband possibly being yet in bond-
age. In our ' Frys,' a sobriquet that has acquired
much honour of late years and represented in me-
diaeval rolls by such entries as ' Thomas le Frye ' or
* Walter le Frie,' we have but an obsolete rendering
of 'free.'' These, as we see, are all Saxon — but
Norman equivalents are not wanting. Our ' Fran-
coms ' or 'Francombs' and ' Frankhams,' names by
no means uncommon in our existing registers, are but
' Thus, our ' Freebodys' are found alike in this guise, and in that
of • Frybody.' ' Robert Frybody ' is set down in Proc. and Or J. Prny
Council.
254 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Anglicised dresses worn by the posterity of such
registered folk as ' Henry le Franchome,' or* Reginald
le Fraunchome,' or * Hugh le Fraunch-humme.'
' William le Fraunk,' too, or ' Fulco le Franc,' can
boast many a hale descendant in our ' Franks ; ' and
'Roger le Franklyn ' or 'John le Fraunkelyn ' in our
' Franklins,' a name from henceforth endeared to
Englishmen as that of our gallant but lost Arctic
hero. From Chaucer's description of one such we
should deem the ' franklin ' to have been of decidedly
comfortable position, a well-to-do householder, in
fact.
Withouten bake mete never was his house,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plenteous,
It snowed in his hous of mete and drinke
Of all deintees that men coud of thinke :
After the sondry sesons of the yere,
So changed he his mete and soupere.
But we are not without vestiges of the baser ser-
vitudes of the time, and in this category we must set
the great bulk of the agricultural classes of the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries. The descendants of the old
* Ivo le Bondcs ' and ' Richard le Bondes ' are still in
our midst, and to judge merely from their number
then and now enrolled, wc see what a familiar position
must that of personal bondage have been.
Of alle men in londe
Most toileth the bonde,
says an old rhyme.' Still more general terms for those
who lay under this miserable serfdom were those of
' A curiously contradictoiy name is met with in ' Robert Frebond,'
found in the Hundred Rolls. The same roll contains the names of
•Roger le Neubonde' and 'Emma Newbonde.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 255
* Knave ' or ' Villein.' ' Walter le Knave ' or * Lambert
le Vilein ' or ' Philip le Vylayn ' are names registered
at the time of which we are speaking. The odium,
however, that has gradually gathered around these
sobriquets has caused them to be thrown off by the
posterity of those who first acquired them as simple
bondmen. Indeed, there was the time when, as I
shall have occasion to show in a succeeding chapter,
our forefathers could speak of ' Goodknaves ' and
' Goodvilleins,' Feudal disdain of all that lay beneath
chivalric service, however, has done its work, and we
all now speak, not merely as if these terms implied
that which was mean and despicable in outward con-
dition, but that which also was morally depraved and
vile. ' Geoffrey le Sweyn ' or ' Hugh le Sweyn,' how-
ever, by becoming the exponent of honest rusticity,
has rescued his sobriquet from such an ill-merited
destiny, and has left in many of our * Swains ' a token
of his mediaeval gallantry. 'John le Hyne' or
'William le Hyne' (found also as Hind), as represen-
tative of the country labourer, is equally sure of per-
petuity, as the most cursory survey of our directories
will prove.' Of the ' Reve ' in the ' Canterbury
Tales,' we are told : —
There was no bailif, nor herd, nor other hine
That he nor knew his sleight, and his covine.
In the ' Townley Mysteries,' too, the word occurs. In
the account of the reconciliation betwixt Jacob and
Esau the former is made to say : —
God yeld you, brother, that it so is,
That thou thy hyne so would kiss.
' Among the peasantry of Yorkshire the simple farm labourer is still
a 'hine' or 'hind.'
256 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
In the rural habitations we have mentioned, then
dwelt these various members of the lower class com-
munity.
The sobriquets we have just briefly surveyed, how-
ever, are of a more general character. We must now,
and as briefly, scan some of those which in themselves
imply the particular service which as rustic labourers
their first owners performed, and by which the titles
were got. This class is well represented by such a
name as ' Plowman.' Langland, when he would take
from a peasant point of view a sarcastic survey of the
low morality of his time, as exemplified in the Eng-
lish Church ere yet she was reformed, could fix upon
no better sobriquet than that of ' Piers Plowman,' and
has thus given a prominence to the name it can never
lose. What visions of homely and frugal content we
discern in the utterance of such a surname as this ;
what thoughts of healthy life, such as are becoming
rarer with each returning year —
For times are altered— trade's unfeeling train
Usurp the land, and dispossess the swain.
It was with him at early dawn would issue forth our
' Till)'ers ' or ' Tillmans,' to help him cleave the fur-
row. A little later on we might have seen our
' Mowers ' and ' Croppers ' ' hanging up their scythes
and sickles, as the autumn, in richly clad garb, passed
slowly by. Then again in due season busy enough
' A 'Cropper ' was a farm laljourcr who superintended the growth
and cutting of the crops. In the Custom Roll of the Manor of Ashton-
under-Lyne (Ch. Soc.) occurs the following : — ' Roger the Croi)per, for
his tenement, and whole service, the present 8</. ; the farm, 15^-.' <S:c.
Lower down mention is made also of ' Robin the Cropper.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 257
would be the ' Dyker,' now spelt ' Dicker,' ^ and the
' Dykeman ' or * Dickman,' With what an enviable
appetite would these eat up to the last relic their
rasher of bacon and black bread, and quaff their home-
brewed ale, a princely feast after the hard toil of
draining the field. To dike was merely to dig, the
root being the same. Of the kindly plowman Chaucer
says —
He would thresh, and thereto dike and delve,
For Christ's sake, for every poor wight,
Withouten hire, if it lay in his might.
The Malvern dreamer, too, speaks in the same fashion
of ' dikeres and delvers,' and among other characters
introduces to our notice ' Daw the Dykere,' ' Daw '
being, as I have already shown, but the shorter David.
Our * Drayners,' I need not add, were but his com-
peers in the same labour. Perhaps one of the most
beautiful features that help to make up a truly Eng-
lish rural landscape is the hedgerows, following the
windings of our lanes, and mazy bypaths skirting our
meadows. England is eminently a land of enclosures.
Still all this has been the result of progressing time.
If our pinder be now an obsolete officership it is
because the lines of appropriation have become more
clearly marked. It is only thus we can understand
the importance of his position in every rural com-
munity four or five hundred years ago. No wonder,
' ' Digger' also exists, and is found in an epitaph in St. Scpulclirc's,
^liddlesex.
' Here lyes Robert Diggs and William Digger,
There's no living soule knew which was the bigger,
They fared well and lived easy,
And now they're both dead, an 't shall please yc.'
*â– - Dinghy'' s History from Marble {Cam. Soc.^.
S
258 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
then, our ' Hedgers ' and * Hedgmans ' are to be found
whose ancestors were once occupied in setting up
these pretty barriers. An old song of James I.'s day-
says : —
Come all you farmers out of the country,
Carters, ploughmen, hedgers, and all ;
Tom, Dick, and Will, Ralph, Roger, and Humphrey,
Leave off your gestures rusticall. •
If stakes or pales were used, it is to our * Pallisers ' and
obsolete ' Herdleres ' our forefathers looked to set
them up. The former term I have but come across
once as an absolute surname, but such entries as
'Robert Redman, palayser,' or 'James Foster, paly-
cer,' are to be met with occasionally, and at once
testify to the origin of the term as found in our exist-
ing registers. ' Pallister,' too, is not obsolete ; strictly
speaking, the feminine form of the above. I find it
written ' Fallyster ' and ' Palyster ' in an old Yorkshire
inventory. But there is one more term belonging to
this group which I am afraid has disappeared from
our family nomenclature — that of ' Tiner,' he who
tined or mended hedges. A ' John le Tynere' occurs
in the Parliamentary Writs. We are reminded by
Verstigan's book on ' Decayed Intelligence ' that
' hedging and tining ' was a phrase in vogue not more
than 200 years ago. Mr. Taylor, in his ' Words and
Places,' connects our ' tine ' in the ' tines of a stag's
horns ' or ' the tines of a fork,' with the same root
implying a 'twig.' In our old English forest law a
' tineman ' was an officer very similar to the ' hayward,'
the only apparent difference being that he served by
night. The two terms are exactly similar in sense.
' Chappell's Ballad Music, vol, i. 327.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 259
We are not without relics, too, of our former means
and methods of enriching the glebe. Even here
several interesting memorials are preserved to us.
• Marler,' ^ ' Clayer,' and * Chalker ' (' Alice le
Marlere,' A., * Thomas le Chalker,' A., ' Simon le
Clayere,' A), still existing, remind us how commonly
the land was manured with marl and other substances
of a calcareous nature. Trevisa, writing upon this
very subject, says — * Also in this land (England),
under the turf of the land, is good marl found. The
thrift of the fatness drieth himself (itself) therein, so
that even the thicker the field is marled, the better
corn will it bear.' ^ An old rhyme says : —
He that marks sand may buy land ;
He that marles moss shall suffer no loss ;
But he that marles clay throws all away.
An interesting surname of this class is that of * Acre-
man,' or, as it is now generally spelt, 'Acherman,'
' Akerman,' or ' Aikman,' for it is far from being of
modern German introduction, as some have supposed.
In the Hundred Rolls and elsewhere it appears in
such entries as * Alexander le Acherman,' ' Roger Ic
Acreman,' ' Peter le Akerman,' and 'John le Akurman.'
His was indeed a common and familiar sobriquet, and
we are but once more reminded by it of the day when
the acre was what it really denoted — the ager, or land
' Thus we find in the forest charter of Edward HI.: 'Unus quisque
liber homo facial in bosco suo vel in terra sua, quam habet in foresta
marleram (marl-pit), fossatum, vel terram arabile, (S:c. {^Stat. oj Kcaliii,
vol i. p. 121.)
* As there was the 'Miller' and the ' Milward,' so there was the
*Marler' and the 'Marlward:' ' Alice le Marlere* (H.R.), 'John Marie-
ward '(H.R.).
s 2
26o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
open to tillage, without thought of definite or statute
measure. Indeed, it is quite possible the term was at
first strictly applied thus, for a contemporaneous poem
has the following couplet : —
The foules up, and song on bough,
And acremen yede to the plough.
If this be the case the surname is but synonymous
with ' Plowman ' and ' Tillman,' already referred to.
A curious name is found in the writs of this period,
and one well worthy of mention, that of ' Adam Ic
Imper.' An ' imp,' I need scarcely remind the reader,
was originally a * scion ' or * offshoot,' whether of
plants or animals, the former seemingly most com-
mon, to judge from instances. That nothing more
than this was intended by it we may prove by Arch-
bishop Trench's quotation from Bacon, where he
speaks of 'those most virtuous and goodly young
imps, the Duke of Suffolk and his brother.' ' Chaucer
says that of
feble trees their comen wretched imps —
and ' Piers Plowman ' uses the word still more ex-
plicitly —
I was some tyme a frcre
And the conventes gardyner
For to graflen impes,
he says. This latter quotation explains the surname.
' Impcr,' doubtless, simply differed from ' Gardiner' or
' Gardner ' in that he was more particularly engaged
in the grafting of young shoots.
' ' He shall be called . . . a lamb of Christ's fold, a sheep of
his pasture, a branch of his vine, a member of his Church, an imp of
his kingdom.' — liishop liale.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 26l
From the consideration of the last we may fitly
turn to the subject of fruits. There can be no doubt
that in early days, so far at least as the south, and
more particularly the south-west of England was con-
cerned, the vine was very generally cultivated by the
peasantry, and the wine made therefrom, however
poor it might be, used by them. So early as Domes-
day Survey a ' Walter Vinitor ' lived in Surrey, and a
century or two later such names as ' Symon le Vynur,'
or * William le Viner,' or ' Roger le Vynour,' the an-
cestry of our ' Viners,' show that the vine-dresser's
occupation was not yet extinct. We have long left
the production of this beverage, however, to the sun-
nier champaign lands of the Continent, and are con-
tent by paying a higher price to get a richer and
fuller juice. Our ' Dressers ' may either belong to
this or the curriers' fraternity. An old poem, which
I have already had occasion to quote, says —
111 tyme of harvest merry it is enough,
Pears and apples hangeth on bough,
The hayward bloweth merry his home,
In every felde ripe is corne,
The grapes hongen on the vyne,
Swete is trewe love and fyne.
We have here the mention of pears and apples. The
cultivation of these by our ' Orcharders,' or * de la
Orchards,' or ' de la Apelyards,' was a familiar occu-
pation, and ' le Cydcrer,' ^ and ' le Perriman,' or ' Pear-
man,' and ' le Perrer,' testify readily as to the use to
which they were put. The home-made drinks of
these early days were almost all sweet. Such decoc-
• ' Peachman' must be set here. 'Daniel Peachman' occurs in
Bromefield's Norfolk (Index).
262 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
tions as mead, piment, or hippocras, in the absence of
sugar, were mingled with honey. We can at once
understand, therefore, what an important pursuit
would that be of the bee-keeper.' Not merely did
the occasional husbandman possess his two or three
hives, but there were those who gave themselves up
wholly to the tendence of bees, and who made for
themselves a comfortable livelihood in the sale of
their produce. Many of our surnames still bear testi-
mony to this. ' Beman,' or ' Beeman,' or * Beaman,'
will be familiar to all, and ' Honeyman ' is scarcely
less common. In an old roll of 1183 we have the
name Latinised in such an entry as ' Ralph Custos-
apium.' But not merely honey, but spices of all kinds
were also infused into these various drinks, whether
of wine or ale. We have a well-drawn picture of this
in Piers Plowman's vision where * Glutton ' comes
across ]?cton the Brewstcre, and the latter bidding
him good-morrow, says —
' I have good ale, gossib,' quoth she,
' Glutton, wilt thou assaye ? '
' Hast thou aught in thy purse,' quoth he ;
' Any hote spices?'
' I have pcpir, and peonies,' quoth she,
' And a pound of garleck.
And a farthing-worth of fenel-seed
For fastyng dayes.'
Such an array of hot ingredients as this poor Glutton
' Thus it is expressly stated in the Forest Charter, as of importance
to the holder, that every freeman showld have a right to the honey found
within his woodland: 'Ilabeat similiter niel quod inventum fuerit in
boscis suis.' {Stat. Reahii, vol. i. p. 121.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 263
could not resist, and instead of going to Mass he
turned into the tavern, and having supped
A galon and a gille,
of course got uproariously drunk. Thus we see how
natural it is we should come across such names as
* Balmer,' or * le Oyncterer,' or ' le Hoincter,' as it is
also registered, or ' le Garlyckmonger,' in our early
records. The first still exists. The second does not,
but the cumbersome and ungainly appearance of the
last affords sufficient excuse for its absence. It is
quite possible, however, that our ' Garlicks ' are but a
curtailment of it, and this is the more likely, as such
forms as ' Henry le Garleckmonger,' or ' Thomas le
Garlykmonger,' are commonly found, and evidently
represented an important occupation. The Normans,
like the Saxons, loved a highly stimulative dish, and
garlic sauce went to everything ; bird, beast, fish, all
alike found their seasoning in a concoction of which
this acrid and pungent herb was the chief ingredient.
' Roger le Gaderer,' or as we should now say
* Gatherer,' has left no descendant, but he may be
mentioned as representing a more general term for
many of the above.
In the woodlands and its open glades and devious
windings, where several of these herbalists I have
mentioned would be often found, we shall see, too,
other frequenters. It would be here, subject to the con-
dition of agistment and pannage, our ' Swinnarts,' or
swineherds, tended their hogs. It would be here by
the hazel bank and deeper forest pathways our * Nut-
ters ' and * Nutmans ' would be found, as the autumn
began to set in, and browner and more golden tints
264 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
to fleck the trees and hedgerows. It would be here,
as the chills of early winter drew on, and the fallen
leaves lay strewn around, our ' Bushers ' or * Boshers '
(relics of the old 'John le Busscher' or 'Reginald le
Buscher'), and our more Saxon ' Thomas le Woderes,'
* Robert Wudemongers,' and * Alan le Wodemans '
(now ' Woodyers ' and ' Woodmans '), would be occu-
pied in gathering the refuse branches for firing
purposes — here our ' Hewers ' (once found as ' Ralph
' le Heuer ') and more specific ' Robert le Wode-
hewers,' ' our ' Hackers ' and ' Hackmans,' would be
engaged in chopping timber, perchance for build-
ing purposes, perchance for our * Ashburncrs,' * to
procure their potash from. Oftentimes, no doubt,
would these various frequenters of the woodland bos-
cage be roused from their rude labours to watch as
the hornblowcr (now ' Hornblow ') awoke the shrill
echoes, the lordly chase sweep through the glade till
it was hidden by the embrasures of the forest, or the
darkening twilight, or the bending hill.
One single glance backward over the names we
have so far recorded in this chapter, and one thing
will be obvious — their all but entirely Saxon cha-
racter. Our agriculture terms, whether with regard
^ 'Hewer' often occurs in composition, as in ' Robert le Wotle-
hycwerc,' ' Richartl .Stouhcwer,' ' Riciiard le Blockhewcre,' or ' Wil-
liam Flesschevver. ' This last may be but a corruption of ' Flcsher.'
After the prevailing fashion of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the
termination 'ster' was sometimes added instead of 'er.' Thus, in the
Chester Play we find the procession joined by the ' Hewsters.' Richard
le Hewster was sheriff in 1382. (Ormerod's Cheshire, vol. i. 302.)
* The ashburner is incidentally alluded to in a statute of Elizabeth's
reign, in which, among other occupations, is mentioned the ' Burner of
Oore and woad ashes.' — 5 Eliz. c. 4, 23.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 265
to the work itself or the labourer, belong to the
earlier tongue. There is nothing surprising in this.
While in the nomenclature of trade we find the
superior force and energy of the Norman tempera-
ment struggling with and oftentimes overcoming the
more sober humour of the conquered race, in the
country and all the pursuits of the country the latter
was far ahead of its rival. It was better versed in
agricultural pursuits, and ever retained them in its
own hands. At the same time, as we well know, this
very detention was but the mark of its defeat and
the badge of its slavery. It was a victory where,
nevertheless, all is lost. Wamba the jester, in
' Ivanhoe,' if I may be excused such a trite illustra-
tion, reminds us that our cattle, while in the field, and
under the guardianship of the enslaved Saxon, were
called by the Saxon terms of ' ox,' ' sheep,' and
* calf,' but served upon the tables of their lords
became Norman ' beef,' ' mutton,' and ' veal ' — that
is, while the former fed them, the latter it was that
fed on them. Thus in the same way, if those homely
pursuits which attached to the tilling of the soil,
the breeding of cattle, the gathering in and the
storing of the harvest — if these maintained the terms
which belonged to them ere the Conquest, they are so
many marks of serfdom. Provided the supply on
his board was only profuse enough, the proud baron
troubled himself little as to the supplier, or how or
under what names it was procured. See how true
this is from our nomenclature. There is a little word
which has dropped from our lips which once played
an important part in our vocabulary — I mean that of
' herd ' — not as applied to the flock, but the keeper.
266 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
We still use it familiarly in compounds, such as
swincJierd or shepherd^ but that it once had a separate
existence of its own is proved by the many ' Heards,'
or ' Herds,' or ' Hurds,' that still abound sur-
nominally in our midst ; relics as they are of the
' John Ic Hirdes,' or ' Alice la Herdes,' or * Robert
le Hyrdes,' of our olden records. Chaucer so uses it.
We now speak of our Lord as the ' Good Shepherd.'
He, however, gives us the simpler form where St.
Urban is made to say —
'Almighty Lord, O Jesu Christ,' quoth he,
' Sower of chaste counsel, herd of us all.'
Thus again, in the ' Townley Mysteries ' the angel
who visited the shepherds as they kept their flocks by
night is represented as arousing them by saying —
Herkyn, hyrdes, awake !
See now the many compounds of which this purely
Saxon word is the root. Are we in the low-lying
pastures. In our ' Stotherds ' and ' Stothards,' our
* Stoddarts ' and * Stoddards,' still clings the remem-
brance of the old stot or bullock-herd ; in our
* Yeathcrds ' (as in our * Yeatmans '), the heifer herd ;
and in our ' Cowards,' far from being so pusil-
lanimous as they look, the homely 'cowherd.' In
* William and the Wcrfolf ' wc arc told —
It bifel in that forest
There fast byside,
There woned (dwelt) a wel old churl
That was a couherdc.
Nor are these all. In our * Calvcrts ' and * Calvcrds '
we are reminded of the once well-known ' Warin Ic
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 267
Calveherd,' or 'William le Calverd,' as I find him
recorded ; in our * Nuttards ' the more general but now
faded ' neteherd ' or ' noutherd,' ^ and in our obsolete
' John Oxenhyrds ' and ' Peter Oxherds,' the familiar
ox. Are we in the grazing paddock. In our ' Coult-
herds,' ' Coulthards,' and ' Coultards' ('John Colthird,'
W. 9), not to mention our 'Coultmans' and 'Coltmans,'
we have ample trace of their presence. Are we again
on the bleak hill-side. The sheep have given us our
'Shepherds,' the rams our 'Wetherherds' (now gene-
rally written ' Weatherheads'), the kids our 'Gottards,'
not to say some of our ' Goddards,' memorials of the
once common goatherd. Are we under the woodland
pathways where the beech-nuts abound. There, too,
the herd was to be found, for in our ' Swinnarts,'
' Hoggarts,' and ' Sowards ' we are not without a
further token of his usefulness. In three instances I
have found ' herd ' connected with the winged
creation. In the Parliamentary Writs occurs ' Wil-
liam le Swonherdc,' in the Corpus Christi Guild
(Surt. Soc), 'Agnes Gusehyrd' and ' Joan Gusehyrd,'
and in the Hundred Rolls ' Henry le Rocherde,'
zV., rook-herd.^ ' Swanherd ' reminds us that swans
were an important article of diet in early times. In
1482 an Act was passed forbidding any but free-
holders (and they only if they had lands of the annual
value of five marks) to have marks or games of
swans. (' Stat. Realm,' vol. ii. p. 447.)
' This spelling lasted till tht seventeenth century. Henry Best, in
his Farmbig Book, 1641, says: 'The noutheard wages were, for every
beast, 2d. (P. 119, Sur Soc.)
* * Adam le Roc' (II. R.), represented by our modern ' Rooks,' re-
minds us of the older fonn.
268 ENGLISH SURNAMES. "
It will have already become clear to the reader
that this term ' herd ' played no unimportant part
in the vocabulary of the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries. But even now we have not done. For
instance, our ' Stobbarts ' and ' Stubbards ' are
manifestly descendants of such a name as ' Alice
Stobhyrd ' or ' Thomas Stobart/ the owners of both of
which are set down in the Black Book of Hexham
Priory in company with ' John Stodard,' ' William
Oxhyrd,' and ' Thomas Schipherde.' ' I should have
been in some difficulty in regard to the meaning of
this * stob ' or 'stub' had not Mr. Halliwell in his
dictionary of archaic words given it as an old rural
term for a bull. This surname, therefore, is satis-
factorily accounted for. I cannot be quite so positive
with regard to our ' Geldards ' and ' Geldarts,' but I
strongly suspect their early ancestor was but a
confrtre of the swineherd orhogherd, ' gelt,' or ' geld,'
as a porcine title, being a familiar word to our
forefathers of that date. Our ' Gattards ' and
* Gathards,' too, may be mentioned as but mcdia;-
valisms for the goatherd, ' Gatcard ' and ' Gatherd '
being met with in North English records contempo-
raneously with the above. Such a sobriquet as
'Adam le Gayt,' while it may be but a form of the
old ' wayt ' or watchman, is, I imagine, but repre-
sentative of this northern provincialism. It occurs
locally in 'William de Gatesden ' or ' John de Gates-
den,' both found in the Parliamentary Writs. With
' It will give the reader some idea of the importance of this root-
word when I say that lliese five names appear in a list of thirty-one
persons dwelling in tlie village of Aynwyk. (Surtees Soc Jlcxiuiin
J'riorv, vol. ii. p. 4.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 269
two more instances I will conclude. In our ' Hun-
nards ' still lives the memory of ' Helyas le Hunderd,'
the old houndsman, while in ' Richard le Wodehirde '
or 'William le Wodehirde' we have but another,
though more general, sobriquet of one of those many
denizens of the forest I have already hinted at. How
purely Saxon are all these names ! What a freshness
seems to breathe about them ! What a fragrance as
of the wild heather and thyme, and all that is sweet
and fresh and free ! And yet they are but so many
marks of serfdom.
I have just incidentally referred to the swineherd.
It is difficult for us, in this nineteenth century of ours,
to conceive the vast importance of this occupation in
the days of which we are writing. Few avocations
have so much changed as this. Hog-tending as a
distinct livelihood is well-nigh extinct. Time was,
however, when the rustic community lived upon
bacon, when the surveillance of swine was a lazy,
maybe, but nevertheless an all-important care. We
still speak of a ' flitch of bacon,' a term which, while
etymologically the same as ' flesh,' shows how to the
early popular mind that article represented the sum
total of carnal luxuries. Our use of the word
' brawn ' is of an equally tell-tale character. Every
one knows what we mean by brawn. Originally, how-
ever, it was the flesh of any animal. Chaucer says —
The Miller was a stout carl for the nones,
Full big he was of brawn, and eke of bones.
When, however, the wild boar had been brought
down, and salted, and put aside for winter us^l' how
natural that to the housewife it should engross this
general sense. It is to the imiiortancc this unsavoury-
270 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
looking animal held in the eyes of early rustics we
must attribute the fact of so many names coming
down to us connected with its keep. As I have just
hinted, such sobriquets as 'John le Swineherd' or
* Nicholas le Hogherd ' were common enough in
the country parts, our ' Swinnarts ' and * Hoggarts '
being witnesses. The sowherd remains in our
' Sowards,' and is as Saxon as the others. The same
tongue is strong again in our ' Pigmans ' ' Sowmans,'
* Hogmans,' and still more secluded ' Denyers ' and
' Denmans.' The Norman, however, is to be ac-
credited with our many ' Gilbert le Porchers ' and
'Thomas le Porkeres,' by which we may see that
when daintily served up under the name of ' pork ' it
was not disdained on the baron's table. Lastly, we
may mention our early ' Philip le Lardiners ' and
' Hugh le Lardiners,' names that in themselves sug-
gest to us the one purpose of the herdsman, the
fattening of his charge. They would be found
generally, therefore, neath the fastnesses of the forest,
where the
Oak with his nuts larded many a swine,
and where the mast and bccch-nuts abounded, the
chief pannage, it would seem, of that day.' Higher up,
as far indeed as the bleak and barren wolds, the
shepherd cared for and tended his flock. His was a
common occupation, too, as our nomenclature shows.
Evidently he was as prone in those days to the oaten
reed as the poets of all ages have loved to depict him,
• In an old book of tenures kept in York Castle occurs, or did occur,
the following: ' David le Lardincr holds one Serjeantry, and he is
Keeper of the Gaol of the Forest, and Scizcr of the Cattle which are
taken for the king's debts.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 2/1
for it is to his Norman-introduced name of ' Berger '
we owe the ' bergeret/ or pastoral ode. The song
indeed, so called, has died away from our ears, but
* Berger,' or ' Bercher,' as it was often written, still
lives, and may carry us back for a moment to these
wholesomer times.
Nor, if we approach more closely to the farmyard
enclosure, are we without memorials. The farm of
old, as applied to the soil, was of course that piece of
land which was rented for agricultural purposes, and
I doubt not the chief of the old * Robert le Fermers '
and ' Matilda le Fermeres ' represent this more con-
fined sense. ' Farmer,' whether colloquially or in our
registers, is the modern form. Udal, however, main-
tains the more antique dress, when he says, ' And
that the thyng should so be, Chryst Hymself had
signyfied to fore by the parable of the husbandmen
or fermers.'
While ' herd,' as a root-word, implied the tendance
of cattle in the meadows and woods and on the hill-
sides, ' man,' I suspect, was equally significative of
their guardianship in the stable and the yard. Thus
if the * cowherd ' was in the field, the ' coiunian ' would
be in the stall. We may here, therefore, set our
familiar ' Cowmans,' ' Bullmans,' * Heiffcrmans,' and
' Steermans,' or * Stiermans.' ^ One or two provincial-
isms, I imagine, have added also to this stock. Mr.
Lower thinks our ' Twentymans ' to be derived from
* Vintenarius,' a captain of twenty. This may be so,
but I suspect the more correct origin will be found in
* twenterman ' or * twinterman,' he who tended the
' Nicolas Goteman (W. ii.) occurs in an old Yorkshire register, but
the name is now obsolete, I think.
2/2 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* twentcrs ' or * txvintersl the old and once familiar
* two-winter,' or, as we now generally say, ' two-year-
old.' If the ' steer,' the ' heifer,' the * cow,' and the
' bull ' gave a sobriquet to the farm labourer, why not
this .-* As a farmyard term it occurs in every pro-
vincial record of the fifteenth and even sixteenth
century. Thus, to quote but one instance, I find in
a will dated 1556 mention made of *6 oxen, item,
18 sterres (steers), item, 11 heifers, item, 21 twenters,
item, 23 stirks.' (Richmondshire Wills, p. 93.) An
inventory of the same date includes * 3 kye, item, one
whye.' This latter term was equally commonly used
at this period for a 'heifer.' Our 'Whymans' and
' Wymans ' will, we may fairly surmise, be their pre-
sent memorial. * Cowman,' mentioned above, was
met by the Norman 'Vacher,' such entries as 'John
le Vacher ' or ' Walter le Vacher ' being common, and
as ' Vacher,' or more corruptly ' Vatcher,' it still abides
in our midst. ' Thomas le Stabeler,' or ' William Ic
Stabler,' too, are yet with us ; but descendants for
'Thomas le Milkar ' or 'William le Melkcr' are, I
fear, wanting. A Norman representative for these
latter is found in the Parliamentary Writs in the case
of ' John le Lactcr.' There is the smack of a kindred
labour in the registered ' Thomas le Charner,' for I
doubt not his must have been but an antique dress of
' Churner.' Another form is found in an old Rich-
mondshire will dated 1 592, where mention is made of
'Robert Chirner' and his sister 'Jane Chirner.' As
an additional proof that his occupation was such as I
have surmised, I may add that in the same record in
the valuation of household property the churn is spelt
chime. (Richmondshire Wills, p. 235, note.) The
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 273
most interesting sobriquet of this class, and the one
which has left the most memorials, is found in such
mediaeval names as ' Cecilia le Day,' or * Christiana la
Daye,' or ' Stephen le Dagh.' A ' day ' was a dairy-
man, of which word it is but another form, Chaucer,
in one of the most charming of his descriptions, tells
us of a poor widow, how that she —
Since that day that she was last a wife
In patience led a ful simple life,
For litel was her cattle, and her rent :
By husbandry of such as God her sent
She found herself and eke her doughtren two.
* # * ♦ ♦
Her board was served most with white and black,
Milk and brown bread, in which she found no lack,
Singed bacon, and sometimes an egg or twey.
For she was as it were a maner dey.'^ ^
The present representatives of this name are met
with in the several forms of ' Deye,' ' Daye,' ' Day,'
* Dayman,' and the more unpleasantly corrupted
' Deman.'
It is quite evident, judging from the places of
abode in which we find our early ' Fishers ' and
' Fishermans,' that it is to followers, though profes-
sional, of the quaint and gentle-minded Izaac Walton
we owe our many possessors of these names, rather
than to the dwellers upon the coast, although both,
doubtless, are represented. Such entries as ' Margaret
le Fischere,' or ' Henry le Fisserc,' or ' Robert le Fis-
' In a statute of Edward III.'s reign, dated 1363, in defining the
attire suitable for those whose chattels came under 40^-. value, we find
enumerated with others, 'tenders of oxen, cow-herds, shepherds, swine-
herds, deyes, and all other keepers of live-stock' (' bovus, vachers,
berchers, porchers, deyes, et tous autres gardeinz des bestes '). (Vide
Prom. Far., p. 116.)
T
274 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
cere ' are very common. This latter seems a sort of
medium between the others and such a more hard
form as ' Laurence le Fisker.' The finny species
themselves gave us such sobriquets as * John le
Fysche ' or ' William Fyske,' and both * Fish ' and
' Fisk ' still exist amongst us. The Norman angler
is seen in ' Godard le Pescher ' or ' Walter le Pecheur,'
while 'Agnes le Pecheresse' bespeaks the fact that
even women did not disdain the gentle art.
But the moment we hint of the village streamlet
we are thrown upon a subject vast indeed — the mill
and the miller. He was emphatically, you see, tJic
miller. Even now, in these busy grasping days, when
we have cotton mills and saw mills, silk mills and
powder mills, mills for this and mills for that, still it
never occurs to us, when we talk of the miller, that
any one could possibly mistake our meaning. And
well may it be so, for it is with him we entwine plea-
sant remembrances of the country, the wheel, the
stream, the lusty dimpled trout ; with him we asso-
ciate all of comfortable, peaceful content. A white
jacket and a white cap, with a black coat for Sundays
— how black it would look to be sure — a bluff, good-
humoured face, a friendly nod, and a blithe good-
morrow, up early and to bed betimes, and his memoir
is written, and a very pleasant memoir, too, with a
moral to boot for discontented folk, would they but
see it. The old word for mill was ' milne,' hence we
still have the earlier form, ' Milncs ' and ' Milner '
being nearly as familiar to us in that respect as
'Mills' and 'Miller.' Besides these we have 'Mil-
man ' and * Milward,' who once, no doubt, acted as
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 2/5
custodian, the modern * man on the premises,' in fact. *
The ancestry of all these is proved by such registered
forms as ' John le Mellere,' ' William le Melner,'
' Robert le Milleward,' 2 ' John del Mill,' or * Thomas
atte Milne,' all of which are found scattered over our
earlier rolls. ^ Our 'Threshers ' and 'Taskers ' (' Bene-
dict le Tasker,' H.R.) busied themselves in urging
the flail. I have only lit upon the latter term once
as in ordinary colloquial use. Burton in the preface
to his ' Anatomy ' says — * many poor country-vicars,
for want of other means, are driven to their shifts,' and
'as Paul did, at last turn taskers, maltsters, coster-
mongers, graziers, etc' * Our ' Winners,' shortened
from * Winnower,' winnowed the grain with the fan ;
our ' Boulters ' or ' Bulters,'^ 'Siviers' ' and Riddlers,'
('Geoffrey le Boltere,' A., ' William Rydler,' Z., 'Ralph
le Siviere,' A.), still more carefully separated the
flour from the bran. How beautifully Shakespeare
' ' William Wyndrailward ' occurs in tlie Cal. Rot. Chartarum.
* 'Manumissio Thomse Haale, alias dicti Mylleward de Hextone,'
1480 (xx. 2, p. 210). 'Milmastcr' is also found. • Mr. Andrew
Milmaster, of the Old Jewry, died Aug. 23, 1630.' (Smith's
Obituary.')
' We may here mention several surnames whose original possessors
were evidently confreres of the miller. 'John le Melmongere' (M.),
i.e., mealmonger ; * Denis leOtemonger' (X.), 'Walter le Heymongere'
(G.), ' Ralph'le Commonger ' (T.), and ' Henry le Commongere' (M.).
These are all obsolete, I fear.
* 'Adam Taskermale' (H.R.). This would be a sobriquet taken
from the ' male,' or bag in which the tasker carried his day's pro-
vision.
* In the Ord'utanccs of the Household of Henry VL, dated 1455, we
find the ' Bakhous ' (bakehouse) to be under thirteen officers, and of
them are '6 Gromes Bulters.' (Pro. Ord. Piivy Cottiicil, vol. vi. 226.)
T 2
2/6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
presses this into his imagery many will remember,
where Florizel speaks of —
The fanned snow that's bolted
By the northern blasts twice o'er.
Our Bible translators, too, must have yet been familiar
with the simpler process of this earlier time when
they rendered one of the prophet's happier foretellings
into the beautiful Saxon we still possess : — 'The oxen
likewise, and the young asses that ear the ground
shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed
with the shovel and with the fan.' The manufacture
or use of the fan wherewith to purge the flour made
our ' Walter le Vanners,' ' Simon le F'anneres,' ' Richard
atte Vannes,' or ' William atte Fanncs,' familiar names
at this time. In Cocke Lorcllc's Bote, we find among
other craftsmen —
Barbers, bokebynders, and lymners ;
Repers, faiters, and homers.
We must not forget, too, our 'Shovellers' and more
common ' Showlers,' ' showl ' being ever the vulgar
form. It was for no purpose of rhyme, only the word
is so used where we are asked —
* Who'll di_!^ liis grave ?'
' I,' said the owl ; ' with my spade and showl
I'll dig his grave.'
With these many reminders, it is not likely that cither
the miller or his men are likely to become soon for
gotten.
The smithy, of course, was an inseparable adjunct
to the small community. The smith, unlike the
Wright, was engaged upon the harder metals, the
^
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 277
latter being incidentally described to us by Chaucer
when he says of one of his personages in the Reeves
Story, that —
He was a well good wright, a carpenter.
Looking at the many compounds formed from these
two roots, we find that in the main this distinction
is maintained. Let us take the wright first. We
have but just mentioned ' Ralph le Siviere,' or
' Peter le Syvyere.' For him our ' Sivewrights '
were manifestly occupied, to say nothing of the
farmer's wife. The farmer himself would need the
services of our * Plowwrights ' ('William le Plowrittc,'
A., * William le Ploughwryte,' M.), and would he carry
his produce safely to the distant market or fair he
must needs have a good stout wain, for the track
athwart the hillside was rough and uneven, and here
therefore he must call into requisition the skill of our
many ' Wheelwrights,' or ' Wheelers,' ' Cartwrights'
and their synonymous ' Wainwrights.' ^ Adding to
these ' Boatwright,' or ' Botwright,' ' Shipwright,' and
the obsolete ' Slaywright,' the old loom manufacturer,
we see wood to have been the chief object at least
of the Wright's attention. But we have other names
of a different character. ' Limewright ' or ' Limer '
(' Hugh le Limwryte,' A., 'John le Limer,' A.) ceases
to maintain this distinction, so do our ' Glasswrights,'
equivalent to our ' Glaziers ' or ' Glaishers ' (' Thomas
le Glaswryghtc,' X., 'Walter Glascnwryht,' W. ii.,
' William Glaseer,' Z.).'^ ' Le Chcesewright,' or ' Chess-
' ' Robert le Whelere,' G., ' Walter Welwryghte,' A., ' Robert le
Wainwright,' H., ' Robert le Cartwright,' B., 'Hugh le Schipwryte,'
A., 'John Botewright,' F.F.
* So late as 1541 we have such an entry as this ; ' Item, to John
2/8 ENGLISH SURNAMES,
Wright,' like ' Firminger ' and * Casier,' brings us once
more into the scullery, and * Breadwright ' into the
kitchen. * Alvvright ' is doubtless but the old ' alc-
wright,' and ' Goodwright,' which Mr. Lower deems to be
a maker of goads, I cannot but imagine to be simply-
complimentary, after the fashion of many others which
I shall mention in another chapter. Our * Tellwrights '
or ' Telwrights ' have given me much trouble, and
though at first I did not like it, I think Mr. Lower's
suggestion that they have arisen from the Pauline
occupation of tent-making is a natural one. ' Teld '
was the old English word for a tent. Li the metrical
Anglo-Saxon Psalter the fourteenth psalm thus com-
mences —
Lord, in thi teld wha sal wone (dwell) ?
In thi hali hille or wha reste mone (shall) ?
We still speak of a ' tilt ' when referring to the cover
of a cart or wagon, or to any small awning of a boat.
It is quite possible, therefore, that the name has origi-
nated in the manufacture of such canopies as these.
Admitting this, I would merely suggest ' Tilcwright '
as requiring but little corruptive influence to bring it
into the forms in which we at present find the word.'
Glassier for mendynge the wyndowe over the gallery, vj. viii^/.' {Church-
wardens' Accounts, Luiilcru', p. 8, Cam. Soc.) A little later we find:
' Item, to John Pavicr for his labour, Wui. Item, for pavinge before
the gate, uL' (P. lo, do.) These are both interesting instances of
the late formation of surnames. Both evidently took their second
sobriiiuets from their occupation. ' Pavier,' I need hardly say, still
exists.
' Since writing the above I find my latter conjecture to be confirmed.
Miss Meteyard, in her interesting life of Josiah Wedgwood, says:
'The surname of 'Tellwright,' or 'Tilcwright,' which, variously spelt,
fills a considerable portion of the parish register of lUirslem down to a
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 2/9
Should this be the case, we must place it with * le Tyler,'
of whom we have but recently spoken. * Arkwright ' I
mention last as being worthy of more extended notice.
In this is preserved the memory of a once familiar and
all-important piece of cabinet furniture — that of the
old-fashioned ark. Much store was set by this long
years ago by the north-country folk, as is shown by
the position it occupies in antique wills, often being
found as the first legacy bequeathed.^ Shaped
exactly like the child's Noah's ark, it seems to have
had a twofold character. In one it was simply a
meal-bin. Thus in the * Tale of a Usurer ' we are
told :—
When this com to the kniht was sold,
He did it in an arc to hold,
And opened this arc the third day.
In the other it was more carefully put together. The
trick of its secret spring, known only to the house-
wife and her lord — sometimes I dare say, only to the
latter — it contained all the treasure the family could
late period of the eighteenth century, and is still common, is curious
evidence of the antiquity of the tilewright's craft in this locality. . . .
Every worker in its clays became a tilewright, whether he moulded
tiles or formed the homely pipkin or porringer, the slab-like dish or ale-
vat for the hall.' (Vol. i. p. 93.)
* In an inventory of household furniture, dated 1559, we have
amongst other articles, ' One trussin bed with a teaster of yealow and
chamlet, one old arkc, old hangyers of wuU grene and red, 6^. 8^/.'
(Kichmottdshire Wills, p 135.) Another writer, twenty years earlier,
relating the contents of the ' mylke howse,' includes 'an arke, a tube
(tub), a stande, a chyrne.' (P. 42, do.) The earliest instance of the
surname I have yet met with is found in the same book, where, in
a will dated 1556, the testator bequeaths a sheep to ' Ilenry Ark-
wright.' (Do. p. 155, note.) Both the ark itself and the trade are of
North English origin.
28o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
boast. Here were kept what parchments they pos-
sessed ; here lay stored up fold on fold of household
linen, venerated by the female inmates nearly as
much as the grandmothers themselves, whose thrifty
fingers had woven it in days long past and gone. We
see thus that upon the whole the wright wrotcght his
manufacture out of his own more specific material,
seldom, at any rate, poaching upon the preserves of
his friend the smith. The smith worked in iron and
the metals. This good old Saxon name, with the
many quaint changes that have been rung upon it,
deserves a whole chapter to itself How then can we
hope to do justice to it in a few sentences } We do
not know where to begin, and having once begun, the
difficulty at once arises as to where we can end. How
few of us reflect upon the close connexion that exists
between the anvil and the smith himself, and yet it is
because he smote thereupon that he got his name.
As old Verstigan has it : —
From whence comes Smith, all be he knight or squire,
But from the smith that forgcth at the fire ?
Putting in all the needs which in this agricultural age
his occupation would be necessary to supply, still we
could scarcely account for the enormous prepon-
derance he has attained over other artisans, did we
not remember that his services would also be required
in the production of warlike implements. Sword and
ploughshare alike would be to his hands. Chaucer
speaks of : —
The smith
That forj^cth sharpc swords on llic stilh.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 28 1
Between and including the years 1838 and 1854 there
were registered as born, or married, or dead, no less
than 286,307 Smiths. Were we indeed to put into
one community the persons who bear this name in
our land, we should have a town larger than Leeds,
and scarcely inferior in size and importance to that of
the capital of the midland counties.
The smith is often spoken of colloquially as the
blacksmith, a title which, while it has not itself a place
in our nomenclature, reminds us of others that have,
and of a peculiar custom of earlier days. The word
' blacksmith ' dates from the days of ' Cocke Lorelle's
Bote,' and it is quite evident that at that time it was cus-
tomary for the smith to have his name compounded
with sobriquets according to the colour of the metal
upon which he spent his energies. Thus the former
'Thomas Brownesmythe' evidently worked in copper
and brass, ' William le Whytesmyth' in tinplate, ' John
Redesmith ' in gold, a ' Goldsmith ' in fact ; ' Richard
Grensmythe' in I am not sure what, unless it be lead;
and ' John Blackesmythe' in iron. The last is the only
one I fail to discover as now existing among our sur-
names — a circumstance, however, easily accounted for
from the settled position the simple ' Smith' himself had
obtained as an artificer of that metal. But these are not
the only compounds. Our ' Smiths ' are surrounded
with connexions of not merely every hue, but every
type. Thus * Arrowsmith,' already alluded to with its
contracted 'Arsmith,' tells its own tale of archery ser-
vice ; ' Billsmith ' and ' Spcarsmlth ' remind us of the
lances, or rather lance heads, that did such duty in
the golden days of Agincourt and Poicticrs. Of a
more peaceful nature would be the work of our
282 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Nasmyths,' like our * Naylors,' mere relics of the old
nailsmith. Closely connected with them, therefore,
we may set our * Shoosmiths,'' but Saxon representa-
tives of the Norman-introduced ' Farrier.' The sur-
name still clings chiefly to the north of England,
where the Saxon, retaining so much more of its
strength and vigour than in the south, preserved it as
the occupative term for centuries. Springtide and the
approach of sheep-washing would see our * Sheer-
smiths ' busy, while the later autumn would have its
due effect upon the trade of our 'Sixsmiths' and
* Sucksmiths,' pleasant though curiously corrupted
memorials of the old sicklesmith, or ' Sykelsmith,' as
I find the name spelt. The bucklesmith ('John le
Bokelsmythc,' X.), whose name is referred to in the
poem I have but recently quoted, has similarly and
as naturally curtailed himself to ' Bucksmith.' ' Our
' Bladesmiths ' fashioned swords, being found generally
in fellowship with our ' Cutlers ' and obsolete ' Knyfe-
smythcs.' Our ' Locksmiths,' of course, looked to the
security of door, and closet, and cupboard ; ^ while
our ' Minsmiths ' ('John le Mynsmuth,' M.), for I
believe they arc not as yet quite obsolete, hard at
' '.Shuxsmith' seems but a corruption of this. The intermediate
form is found in IVills ami Inventories (Ch. .Soc. ), in tiic names of
'Margerie Shughsmythe ' and ' Henry Shughsmy the.'
* 'Buckler' may be mentioned here. 'John le Bockeler' (A.),
• Richard Bokeler ' (Z).
* With our 'Locksmiths' we must, of course, ally our ' Lockmans,'
' Lockyers,' and 'Lockers,' and perchance 'Lookers.' We find a
'Henry le Lokier' set down in the Hundred Rolls, and in an old
Oxford record, dated 1443, there occurs the name of ' Robert Harward,
loker,' who doubtless found jilcnly of employment in providing for the
.security of the various rooms attached to the difTerent colleges and halls.
{Mint. Acad.Oxon, p. 535.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 283
work in the mint smithy, forged the coin for the early-
community. As, however, I shall have occasion to
refer to him again I shall merely cite him, and pass
on.^ But we may see from the little I have said that
the smith never need fear obsoletism. Apart from
his own immediate circle, he is surrounded by many,
if not needy, yet closely attached relatives. We must
not forget, however, that the Norman had his smith,
too, and though the Saxon, as we have thus seen, has
ever maintained his dignity and position, still our
early rolls are not without a goodly number of ' Adam
le Fevres,' ' Richard le Fevers,' or ' Reginald le Feures,'
and their cognate ' Alan le Ferons ' and ' Roger le
Feruns.' Representatives of all these, minus the
article, may be readily met with to-day in any of the
large towns of our country.
We may take this opportunity of saying a word
about lead, inasmuch as the uses to which it was put
made the manufacturer therein familiar to rural
society. The leadbeater, in fact, was all-important to
' There are several single representatives of occupations connected
with the smith which I have not mentioned in the text, not having met
with any trace of their continued existence amongst us. Thus, in the
London Alemorials we find a 'John Chietesmyth,' which, so far, I have
found to be wholly unintelligible. I must say the same in regard to
' Cokesmyth,' occurring in the Boldon Book. 'John Rodesmith,' if not
a scribe's error for 'Redesmith,' would be the manufacturer of the then
familiar 'rood' or 'rode,' the cross which we occasionally may see still
standing beside our old turnpikes. ' William Watersmith,' it is quite
reasonable, may have spent his energies on water-wheels and such other
machinery as helped to turn the mill. All these are now, and probably
were then, almost immediately cbsolete. On the other hand, we have
' Wildsmith ' existing in our midst, only one representative of which am
I able to discover in our olden records. It is just possible that, like the
obsolete ' Youngsmith,' it originally referred to the characteristics of the
man as well as of his trade.
284 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the farmer's wife and the dairy, for the vessels which
held the milk, as it underwent its various processes
until it was turned out into butter, were commonly his
handiwork. Such names as ' Gonnilda le Leadbetre,'
or ' Reginald le Ledbeter,' we find in every consider-
able roll, and our modern ' Leadbeaters,' ' Ledbetters,'
' Leadbitters,* ' Lid betters,' and probably ' Libertys,'
are but their descendants. That mixture of lead with
brass or copper which went by the term of ' latten ' or
' laton ' has left in our ' Latoners ' and ' Latners ' a
memorial of the metal of which our old country
churchyard tablets were made, not to say some of the
household utensils just referred to. We find even
more costly and ornamental ware manufactured of
this, for among other relics preserved by the pardoner,
Chaucer tells us : —
lie had a gobbet (piece) of the sail
That seint Peter had, when that lie went
Upon the sea, till Jesu Christ him hcnt.
lie had a cross of laton, full of stones,
And in a glass he had pig's bones.
Such a name then as ' Thomas le Latoncr ' or
'Richard le Latoner' would be well understood by
our forefathers.
But we must not wander. In nothing does our
nomenclature bequeath us a more significant record
than in that which relates to the isolation of primitive
life. We who live in such remarkable days of loco-
motive appliance cannot possibly enter into the diffi-
culties our forefathers had to encounter in regard to
intercommunication. An all but impassable barrier
separated our villages from the larger and distant
towns. The roads, or rather, not to dignify them by
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 285
such a term, the tracks,^ were sometimes scarce
to be recognised, everywhere rough and dangerous.
Streams, oftentimes much swollen, must be forded.
Where bridges existed our ' Bridgers ' and ' Bridge-
mans ' took the king's levy ; where none were to be
found our ' Ferrimans ' rendered their necessary aid.
The consequent difficulties with regard to conveyance
were great. The larger of the county towns carried
on but an uncertain aud irregular communication,
while the remoter villages were wholly dependent
either on the travelling trader or peddler, or on the
great fair, as it came round in its annual course.
What a stock of goods would be laid in by the
bustling wife, and the farmer himself on this latter
occasion ! Imagine them starting forth to lay in a
supply for a whole year's wants. No wonder the
good, sound cob and the stout wagon it drew are
remembered in our surnames. Of the importance of
the former such names as ' Horsman,' if it be not
official, and * Palfreyman,' or ' Palfriman,' not to
mention ' Asseman,' are good witnesses. Such en-
tries as ' Agnes le Horsman,' or ' Roger le Pale-
freyour,' or ' John le Palfreyman ' are familiar to
every early register. Our * Tranters ' and * Traunters '
are but relics of the old * Traventer,' he who let out
' The roads between Cumberland and Northumberland were of the
roughest and most dangerous character till the seventeenth century, when
General Wade, in the course of his progress against the rebels, laid
down some of a better kind. The following couplet has been handed
down as the effort of some local poet : —
' If you'd ever been here
When these roads were not made.
You would lift up your hands
And bless General Wade.'
286 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
posthorses. In process of time, however, he got
numbered among the many itinerant peddlers or
carriers, of whom I shall speak shortly. Bishop Hall,
in one of his Satires, says —
And had some traunting chapman to his sire,
That trafficked both by water and by fire,
Our * Corsers ' ' or * Cossers,' too, little altered from
the former ' le Corsour,' represent, as did the obsolete
' Horsmonger,' the dealer in horseflesh. Another
branch of this occupation is represented by our ' Ritn-
chemans,' ' Runcimans,' or ' Runchmans.' They
dealt in hackney-horses, * rounce ' or * rouncie ' being
the then general term for such. Chaucer's ' Ship-
man ' was mounted upon one —
For aught I wot, he was of Dertemouth,
He rode upon a rouncie, as he couthe.
It was, however, a term applied in common to all
manner of horses, and it is quite possible the names
given above must be classed simply with ' Horseman '
and such like. Brunnc, in describing Arthur's Coro-
nation, mentions among other his gifts —
Gootl palfreys he gave to clerks
Bows and arrows he gave archers,
Runces good unto squicrs.*
â– In the Rolls of Parliament special mention is made of the King's
Corser, he who acted as the kin ;'s agent in regard to the purchase of
horses. A certain 'Johannes Martyr, corsere,' occurs in an old Oxford
record, dated 1451. {Mun Acad. Oxo/t, p. 616.)
* Thus, in the Itincrarium of Richard I., it is said that, after a con-
flict with the Greeks, ' Rex igitur cum persecutus esset imperatorem
fugientem lucratus est nmcinum vel jumentum sacculo retro sellam
collocato,' &c. — P. 191. We may quote, also, the Wardrobe of
Edivard I. : ' Magistro Willelmo dc Appcrle, pro restauro unius run-
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 28/
In such grand-looking entries as ' William le
Charreter,' or 'John le Caretter,' or 'Andrew le
Chareter,' ^ we should now scarce recognise the humble
* Carter,' but so is he commonly set down in the thir-
teenth century, our * cart ' itself being nothing more
than the old Norman-French ' charette,' so familiarized
to us by our present Bible version as ' chariot.' This
in the edition of 1611 even was spelt after the old
fashion as * charet' Our ' Charters ' are evidently
but relics of the fuller form, a ' John le Charter ' ap-
pearing in the Parliamentary Writs. '^ ' Char,' the
root of ' charet,' still remains with us as * car.' In
' Cursor Mundi ' it is said —
Nay, sir, but ye must to him fare,
He hath sent after thee his chare.
Gower, too, has the word —
With that she looked and was war,
Doun fro' the sky ther cam a char,
The which dragons aboute drew.
This was used by people of rank as a fashionable
vehicle for purposes of pleasure ; oftentimes, too, by
ladies.^ Corresponding with the other, the driver of
cini favi appreciati pro Roberto de Burton, valletto suo, &c., 8/.' —
P. 172.
1 The Test. Ebor. (W. 2) gives us a 'John Charioteer,' and the Cal.
Proc. Chancery (Z.Z.) a 'Thomas Charietter.'
2 This is confirmed by the existence of ' Chartman,' more modernly
'Cartman.' A ' John Chartman ' was rector of Sedistern, Norfolk, in
1 36 1. (Bromefield.)
» The following entry is found in the Issue Rolls : ' To Master
William la Zousche, clerk of the king's great wardrobe in money, paid
to him by the hands of John le Charer, for making a certain chariot for
288 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
such was 'John le Charer ' or 'Richard le Charrer/
the present existing forms in our directories being
' Charman ' and ' Carman.' ' * Cartman,' I need not
add, is also found as well as ' Carter.' All these
terms, however, are from the Norman vocabulary.
The Saxon word in general use was ' wagon ' or
' wain,' the conductor of which now dwells in our
midst as ' Wagoner ' or ' Wagner,' and ' Wainman '
or ' Wenman.' ' Charles Wain ' or the ' Churls Wain '
is the name that constellation still bears, and which
has clung to it, in spite of the Norman, since the day,
a thousand years and more, that the Saxon so likened
it. As in the case of so many other double words
representative of our twofold language, these two
separate terms have come now to denote their own
specialty of vehicle, and it 'is even possible that so
early as the day in which ' le Wainwright ' and ' le
Cartwright ' took their rise this distinction had
the use and behoof of Lady Eleanor, the king's sister, by writ of liberate
containing I ooo/.' {Issues of the E\c]iC(j»er, 6 Ed. IIL) Capgrave,
too, may be cited. Writing of Ilelianore, daughter to the King of
France, when given to Richard of England, he says, under date 1394 :
' .She was ful scarsly viii yere of age, but she brought oute of Frauns xii
chares ful of ladies 'and domicelles.' Mr. Way says that in 1294 the
use of this vehicle by the wives of wealthy citizens in Paris had
become so prevalent that it was forbidden them by an ordinance of
Philippe le Bel.
• 'Couchman' and 'Coachman' must be set here. 'Aug. 4,
1640. Dorothy Coachman, daughter of Tilncy Coachman, buried '
(.Smith's Obituary, p. 17). This Tilney is recorded elsewhere as 'Til-
ney Couchman.' Mr. Wedgewood says, 'Coach. The Fr. couchir
became in Dutch kodscn — to lie ; whence " koetsc," a couch — a litter,
a carriage in which you may recline, a coach ' (p. 1 59). The two-
fold spelling of this Tilney's name is thus explained. Hence, too,
' Couchmen ' represents but the older form of ' Coachman '^Richard
Couchman, Z., 'William Cowchcnian,' EE., John Coacheman, Z.
SURNAxMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 2 39
already begun to exist. It is thus our English lan-
guage has become so rich, this sheep-and-mutton
redundancy of which Walter Scott in his * Ivanhoe '
has so well reminded us. ' Richard le Drivere ' or
* John le Drivere ' of course must be placed here, not
to mention an ' Alice le Driveress,' who figures in the
Hundred Rolls.
Of such consequence was it that the horse-gear
should be carefully put together that it occupied the
full attention of several different artisans. Such
names as * Benedict le Sporier,' or ' Alan le Lorymer,'
or * Nicholas le Lorimer,' are found in every consider-
able roll of the period, and they still exist. The one
of course looked to the rowel, the other to the bit.
* John le Sadeler ' needs little explanation, his pos-
terity being still alive to speak in his behalf. The
old Norman-introduced word for a saddle was ' sell,'
and that it lingered on for a considerable period
is shown by Spenser's use of it, where he says —
And turning to that place, in which whyleare
He left his loftie steed with golden sell,
And goodly gorgeous barbes.
Every mediaeval roll has its ' Warin le Seler ' or
* Thomas le Seller.'' The pack-saddle was of such
importance that it required a special manufacturer,
and this it had in our now somewhat rare * Fusters ' or
> In the V<}r/i Pageant the ' Sellers ' and the ' Satellers ' went to-
gether. The latter, doubtless, made satchels, and would differ little
from the ' bourser ' or ' pouchemaker ' of that period. In the Prompt.
Parv. we find ' Sele, horsys hameys.* A 'John de Essex, Sel-
makere,' occurs in the London Records, 1310, and a ' Robert Newcomen,
Sealmaker,' 131 1. (Riley's London, pp. xxii., xxx.) The latter,
doubtless, was a maker of seals, like, some of the ' le Selers' of tiiis
period. I have mentioned them elscwlicre.
U
290 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Fewsters.' ^ In his ' Memorials of London,' Mr.
Riley mentions a * Walter Polyt, fuyster ' (p. xxii.).
A fuster was, strictly speaking, a joiner employed in
the manufacture of the saddle-bow, that is, the wooden
framework of the old saddle. It is derived from the
French 'fust,' wood, and that from the late Latin
' fustis.' Our ' Shoosmiths,' as I have before hinted,
made the horseshoe, while ' John le Mareshall,' or
* Ranulph le Marescal,' or ' Osbert le Fcrrur,' or
' Peter le Ferrour,' fitted it to the foot. The modern
forms are simple ' Marshall,' and ' Ferrier,' or * Ferrer,'
In the * Boke of Curtasye ' it is said —
For cclie a hors that ferroure schallc scho,
An halpeny on day he takes hym to.
Nothing could be more natural than that the shoeing-
forge should become associated with the doctoring of
horseflesh, but it is somewhat strange that when we
now speak of a farrier we recognise in this old term ^
simply and only the horse-leech. So full of changes
are the lives of words, as well as places and people.
A curious insight into mediaeval travel is presented
to our notice in our ' Ostlers ' and ' Oastlers ' and
' Osiers,' relics of such old registries as ' Ralph le
Hostiler' or 'William Ic Ostillcr.' This term, once
applied, as it rightly should, to the ' host ' or ' hosteller '
himself, has now become confined to the stableman,
thus incidentally reminding us how important this
part of the hostel duties would be at such a time as
I am endeavouring to describe. The idea of the
' While, as I have just said, in the i'or/: 7'(i!^m>ttkhthc *Satellers|'
and * Sellers' who go together, in the Chester Play it is the ' Saddlers'
and * Fustcrers.'
* In Holland's version of Pliny it is said that the Empress Poppxa
' was knowne to cause lier ferrers ordinarily to shoe her coach horses
and other pnlfries, &c., with cleanc gold.' (Way's riviiipt. Par.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 29I
hosteller being one whose especial office it was to
tend that which was their sole means of locomotion,
thus in time resolved itself into a distinct name for
that branch of his occupation.' The old ' Herber-
jour ' gave lodging, whence it is we get our ' arbour.'
Our kings and barons in their journeys always kept an
officer so termed, whose duty it was to go before and
prepare and make ready for their coming. Owing to
the large number of household attendants for whom
lodging was required, this was an important and
responsible duty. Thus has arisen our 'harbinger,'
so often poetically applied to the sun as heralding the
approach of day. The older spelling is preserved in
the ' Canterbury Talcs,' where it is said —
The fame anon throughout the town is bom,
How Alia King shal come on pilgrimage,
By herbergeours that wenten him beforn.
It is, however, as applied to lodging-house keepers
our many enrolled 'Herbert le Herberjurs,' 'Roger le
Herberers,' ' William le Herbers,' or ' Richard le Hare-
bers,' are met with, and I doubt not our ' Harbers '
and ' Harbours ' are their offspring. In this sense the
word is used by our mediaeval writers in all its forms,
whether verb, or adjective, or substantive. Tyndale's
version of Romans xii. 13 is, ' Be ready to harbour,'
where we now have it ' given to hospitality.' Bishop
Coverdale, speaking of the grave, says — ' There is
the harborough of all flesh ; there lie the rich and
the poor in one bed ' {Friiitfid Lessons). He adds
also, in another place, that Abraham was ' liberal,
* A suggestion I received at a dinner-table the other day that ' ostler '
was merely a corruption of ' oat-stealer ' I may as well mention here. It
is certainly suggestive, if not overburdened with accuracy.
U Z
292 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
merciful, and harborous ' — i.e., ready to entertain
strangers {The Old Faith). Bradford, too, to give
but one more quotation, prays God may * sweep the
houses of our hearts, and make them clean, that they
may be a worthy harborough and lodging for the
Lord ' {Bradford's Works). Market Harborough
still preserves this old word and its true sense
from being forgotten. With the bearers, therefore, of
the above names we may ally our ' Inmans ' and
* Taverners.' The latter term is frequently found in
early writings, and was evidently in ordinary use for
the occupation —
Ryght as of a tavernere
The grene busche that hangcth out
Is a sygiie, it is no dowte,
Outward folkys for to telle
That within is wyne to selle.
While, however, the tavern has undergone but little
change, the inn has. With our present Bible an inn
is ever a lodging, and this was once the sole idea the
term conveyed. It was not for casual callers by day,
but for lodgers by night. Thus Chaucer in his
' Knight's Tale ' uses the verb —
This Theseus, this duk, tliis worthy knight,
When he had brought them into his cite,
And ynned them, everich (cacli) at his degrc
He festeth them.
Until the fair or wake came on, as I have said, the
community in the more retired nooks and corners of
the country depended entirely on the mounted mer-
chant. He it was who conveyed to them the gossip
of the time. He it was, or one of his coiifrhcs^ that
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 293
brought them everything which in those days went
under the category of small luxuries. The more
lonely parts of the highway were infested by robbers.
Hence the pack-horsemen and other mounted traders
generally travelled in company, with jingling bell and
belted sword — a warning to evil-minded roadsters.
This was all the more necessary as they but seldom
kept to the main thoroughfare, A straight line
between the adjacent hamlets best describes their
course. Such local terms as ' Pedlar's Way,' or * Ped-
der's Way,' or ' Copmansford,' still found in various
parts of the country, are but interesting memorials of
the direct and then lonely route these itinerant traders
took in passing from one village to another. The
number of these roadsters we cannot otherwise speak
of than as that of a small army. Many of them, so
far as our nomenclature is concerned, are now obsolete,
but not a few still survive. Amongst those of a more
general character we find ' Sellman ' or ' Selman.''
From the old verb ' to pad,' which is still used
colloquially in many districts, for the sober and staid
pace the pack-horsemen preserved, we get our ' Pad-
mans ' and * Pedlers,' or * Pedlars,' once inscribed as
' William le Pedeleure ' or * Thomas le Pedeler.' It
is of kin to ' path.' We still talk of a 'footpad,' who
not more than two centuries ago would aho have been
spoken of as a * padder.' So late as 1726 Gay, in one
of his ballads, says —
Will-a-wisp leads the traveller a-gadding
Through ditch and through quagmire and bog,
No light can e'er set me a-padding
But the eyes of my sweet Molly Mogg.
' ' William le Vcndour ' is registered in the Cal. Rot, C/iarlanim.
294 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Perchance of similar origin, but more probably from
the old ' ped,' the basket they carried, are our * Ped-
ders,* ' Peddars,' and ' Pedmans.' * Martin le Peddere '
or 'Hugh le Pedder' or 'William Pedman' was a com-
mon entry at this time. On many parts of the English
coast a fish-basket is still familiarly known as a ' ped,'
and Mr. Halliwell, I see, quotes from another writer
a statement to the effect that in Norwich, up to a
recent day, or even now, an assemblage whither
women bring their small wares of eggs, chickens, and
other farm produce for sale, is called a ' ped-market.'
It is likely, therefore, that with these we must ally
' Godewyn le Hodere' or 'John le Hottere,' who
derived their sobriquets, I doubt not, from the fact of
their carrying their Jiods or panyers on their backs,
just as masons do now those wooden trays for mortar
which bear the same name.' Their very titles remind us
that our 'Huckers,' 'Hawkers,' and 'Hucksters,' relics
of the old ' William le Huckere,' ' Simon le Hauckere,*
or ' Peter le Huckster,' were from the first good at hag-
gling and chaffering wherever a bargain was concerned.
Our ' Kidders,' the ' William le Kydcrcs ' of the four-
teenth century, were of a similar type, whatever their
origin, which is doubtful. Probably, however, we must
refer them to the ' kid ' or ' kit,' the rush-plaited basket
they carried their goods in. We still speak of ' the whole
kit of them,' meaning thereby the collective mass of
any set of articles.'^ This view is strengthened — we
' Mr. Riley, in his interesting Memoriah of London, quotes from
^c Rolls of Gaol Di livery, temp. Edward I., the name of 'Richard
Witbred, hodere,' who had l)ecn slain in one of the city streets. (Intro-
duction, p. xi.)
* An act of Edward VI. speaks of ' the buying of anye come, fyshe,
butter, or cheese by any suche Badger, Ladcr, Kyddier, or Carrier as
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 295
might almost say proved — by the fact of a ' Robert
Butrekyde ' being found in the Hundred Rolls of this
period. This would be a sobriquet given to some one
from the basket he was wont to bear to and from
the country market where he carried on his calling.
Later on we find it used for a large mug or bowl.
In the ' Farming Book of Henry Best,' written in
1641, we find it said — ' Some will cutte their cake
and putte (it) into the creame, and this feast is called
the creame-potte or creame-kitte ' (p. 93), The
kidder's usual confrhe was the * Badger ' — up to the
seventeenth century an ordinary term for one who had
a special licence to purchase corn from farmers at the
provincial markets and fairs, and then dispose of it
again elsewhere without the penalties of engrossing.
It is generally said the sobriquet arose from the
habits of the four-legged animal of that name in
stealing and storing up the grain. The more pro-
bable solution, however, is that it is but a corruption
of ' baggager,' from his method of carriage.
But we must not forget in our list of early English
strolling merchants that the wandering friars them-
selves were oftentimes to be met with bearing treasure
wherewith to tempt the housewife, and no bad bar-
gainers, if we may accept the statement made against
them by an old political song : —
There is no pedler that pak can here,
That half so dere can selle his gere,
shal be assigned and allowed to that office.' (5 & 6 Ed. VI. c. 14.) A
confirmation of this act by Elizabeth alters 'Kyddier' to 'Kydder.'
The lader was the old carrier or leader. I have deferred speaking of
him till my next chapter.
296 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Than a frere can do ;
For if he give a ^vyfe a knyfe
That cost but penys two,
Worthe ten knyves, so may I thrive,
He wyl have ere he go.'
Our ' Tinklers ' and ' Tinkers,' like our more northern
' Cairds,' seem to have been scarcely removed in
degree from the strolling gipsies. They acquired
their name from the plan they adopted of heralding
their coming by striking a kettle, a plan of attracting
attention more euphoniously practised by our bell-
men, with whom we are still familiar. Such names
as 'Alice Tynkeller' in the fourteenth century, or
' Peter le Teneker ' found in the thirteenth century,
show how early had this method been adopted and the
sobriquet given.'* Last, but not least, come our ' Chap-
man ' or 'Copeman'** and * Packman.'"* The former is
sometimes met with as ' Walter' or 'John le Chcpman,'
whichat once reminds us of his origin,thatof the 'cheap-
man,' or ' cheap-jack,' as we should now style him.
' The greed of these strolling ecclesiastics is frequently alluded to in
the writings of this period. An old song on the Minorite friars says —
' They preche alle of povert, but that love they naught,
For gode mete to their mouthe the toun is through sought.'
{Pol. Poems, \o\. i. p. 270.)
' An act was passed in Edward VI. 's reign to suppress in some
degree the nnmber of this wandering fraternity : — ' Forasmuch as it is
evident that Tynkers, Pcdlers, and such like vagrant persones are more
hurtfull than necessarie to the Commcn Wealth of this realme, be
it therefore ordeyncd . , , that ... no person or persones
commonly called Pedler, Tynkcr, or Pcty Chapman, shall wander or go
from one townc to another, or from place to place, out of the towne,
parishc, or village, where such person shall dwell, and sell pynnes,
poyntes laces, gloves, knyves, glasses, tapes, or any suche kynde of wares
whatsoever, or gather connye skynnes, &c.' (^^ 6 Ed. VI. c. 21)
* 'John le Coper' is found in the Hundred Rolls.
* ' Lambert Ilardewarcman ' (W. ii.) is met with in York in 1473.
Whether he was a travelling dealer or no, I cannot say.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 297
The old ' cheaping,' or ' chipping,' a market-place, still
lingers locally in such place-names as * Chipping-
Norton,' or * Chipping-Camden,' or the local surname
' Chippendale ; ' and the verb ' to chop ' — i.e., to pur-
chase, I believe, is not yet extinct amongst us. The
once common phrase for selling and exchanging was
* chopping and changing.' Coverdale uses it. Speak-
ing of Christ driving out the money-changers from
the Temple, he says, * The Temple was ordained for
general prayer, thanksgiving, and preaching, and not
for chopping and changing, or other such like things'
{The Old Faith). Thus the term 'chapman' would
be no unmeaning one to our forefathers. But we
must give him a paragraph to himself
The chapman, you must know, was a great man.
According to more modern usage, he had a fixed
residence, but we may still see him at times, after the
olden fashion, travelling about in a large booth-like
conveyance or rumble. This vehicular mode of
transit set him far above the rank of ordinary foot-
pads. He was a sort of pedlar in high life, in fact, and
if his position was lofty, his abilities were generally
equal to a performance of its duties. O the sensation
his arrival caused ! The village green was instantly
instinct with life. From impossible nooks and cran-
nies surged forth a small army of all ages. Hoarded
pennies or twopennies were drawn forth from
cherished hiding-places, and flinty maternal pockets
were for the nonce assailed with comparative success.
To the young folks it was the next best thing to Pun-
chinello, the chapman was so funny. Besides, he had
so many things wherewith to tempt their juvenile
fancy. What was there he had not .-* Everything
298 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
that could under any lax code of fancy possibly or
impossibly come under the all-expansive term of
hardware was crowded within the magic recesses of
that chapman's van. Dolls and dishes, scissors and
hats, cornplasters and cosmetics, lollipops in the shape
of soldiers, and lollipops in the shape of windmills
issued forth in a succession as insinuating to the
purse as it was tempting to the imagination. And
what a man was Jack himself; he had a joke for every-
one, a frown for none. His face was an ever-changing
picture, bluffed by the wind and burnt by the sun ;
still it was ever cheery withal, now demure, half wag-
gish, half impudent, anon all benevolence as he de-
tails the merits of his latest painless corn-suppressing
plaster, and assures the gaping swains that his sole
object in life, since the happy moment when he first
became acquainted with its virtues, has been to carry
through the world the blissful tidings to suffering man.
All this, he adds, with reckless impudence, has been
done at a great personal pecuniary sacrifice ; but an
approving conscience, and the blessings showered
upon his head by the recipients of his generosity, have
been his ample reward. Of course they sell like wild-
fire, and the profits are enormous.'
Our ' Packmans,' ' Paxmans,' and perhaps 'Packers,'
were, as a rule, the village commissioners.* What a
simple and homely state of life do their names sug-
' It is to the humorous and familiar associations inseparably con-
nected with the early chapman we owe our 'chap,' a mere corruption of
the above.
' Mr. William Markcttman was appointctl by the Committee of
Plundered Ministers in 1650 to the Rectory of Elstrcc. (Clutlerbuck's
Hertford, vol. i. 161.) ' Articles exhibited against Clement Marketman,
executor of Clement Stuppeney, &c.' (.S'/<r/<' /'//^-j-, July 25, 1623.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 299
gest. No half-hourly omnibus, or still more frequent
train, whisked off the bustling housewife to the big
town — now some sleepy old place with grass-grown
streets, and half a century behind the times, where
' news much older than the ale goes round ' — but then
the thrifty emporium of cheese and butter and such
like stores, and great in the eyes of country bumpkins.
No ; if you visited the town in those days you must
make a day of it. And the mistress knew better than
do this. Leave her dairy, forsooth — what would be-
come of the cream if she left Malkin to forget her
work, and talk with Giles the cowboy behind the
stable door all morning ? She leave, indeed ! Of
course she could not, so there was the pack-horseman,
who for a trifling commission went to and from the
market for her and her neighbours. As he returned
in the cool of the evening, when the sun was low and
work over, you might see him pausing awhile at the
door of the farmsteads, long after he has given the
mistress her store, and, more slily, Malkin her ribbon.
He is in no hurry now, for he is telling the country
folk all the news ; how the great world is wagging,
and how there has been a great battk with the
Frenchers some six or eight weeks ago (news, good
or bad, did not travel fast in those days). The
Frenchmen are looked upon by the simple rustics
as the very impersonification of iniquity, they being
under a sort of impression that a Frenchman is a
being who defies God and man alike, and would think
no bones of eating you up. At once the packman is
plied for a full, true, and particular account of the
battle, and he, there being none to gainsay his de-
scription, and with an eye probably to the good wife's
300 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
best ale, which, as he well knows from experience, will
be brought forth with a freedom of hospitality propor-
tionate to the horror of the details, fills up a bloody-
tale with sundry touches of a most tragic character,
while the country folk gape in wide-mouthed terror,
and the old grandmother cries * Lord, ha' mercy on
us ! ' His face is lost to sight once more in the ale
jug, and then he passes on to other steads, where a
similar scene and a similar reward await his thirsty
soul. Another name in evident use for the packman
was that of ' Sumpter,' ' Martin le Somcter ' or
' William le Sumeter' being common entries at this
time. We are still familiar with the term as applied
to the mule or horse that carried the baggage, but in
a personal sense it has long been extinct,* saving in
our directories, where as ' Sumpter' and ' Sumter' it is
by no means seldom met with. How large a load
these animals were required to bear we may picture to
ourselves from a verse found in ' Percy's Reliques ' —
But, for you have not furniture
Beseeming such a guest,
I bring his owne, and come myselfc,
To see his lodging drest.
With that two sumpters-\vere discharged,
In which were hangings brave,
Silke coverings, curteins, carpets, plate,
And all such turn should have.
But useful as were all these various itinerants, it
was at the great yearly wakes or fairs, held in com-
memoration of the church dedication, that the house-
keepers round laid in their greatest store. The term
' wake ' denotes ' a watching,' because of the vigil
' ' Willmo Mone sometario ad unum somcrum pro amris Regis.'
( JVardrohe of Ed-ward /. , p. 77-)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 3OI
observed during the night preceding the festival itself.
Indeed ' wake ' and * watch ' were for centuries synony-
mous words.' Wicklyffe translates Mark xii. 37 —
* Forsooth, that that I say to you, I say to all, Wake
ye.' ^ Thus it is that our * Wakemans ' are but me-
morials of the old village guardian or night watchman,
while our * Wakes ' can boast a title dating so far
back as the time when * Hereward the Wake,' or
Watchful, was fighting the last battle of the down-
trodden and oppressed Saxon.^ These fairs were by
no means for mere pleasure-seekers, as we might ima-
gine from such a term as ' church-ale,' or judging by
the aspect of such festivals in the present day. They
had an end to answer, and an important end, and in
early times they fulfilled it. It was here the farmers
round brought their produce, ready to sell their wool
for good sound money, or to exchange it for commo-
' Thus the somewhat incongruous expression in Psahn cxxvii. I,
'the watchman waketh but in vain,' is explained. That a sentinel
should require rousing is opposed to all our ideas of the duties asso-
ciated with this office. It should be ' the watchman watcheth but in
vain.'
* It is in allusion to the disturbance thus created in the small hours
of the night we find a writer of the Stuart period saying, not unwittily,
to one thus rudely aroused : —
' That you are vext their wah's your neighbours keep
They guess it is, because you want your sleep :
I therefore wish that you your sleep would take,
That they (without offence) might keep their 7vaJ!:e. '
(Brand's /'i?/. A;il. iii. 9.)
* Isaac Wake was university orator in 1607. lie preached Rainold's
funeral sermon. Dr. Sleep was the leading preacher in Cambridge at
the same time. James I. , who dearly loved a pun, said ' he always felt
inclined to Wake when he heard Sleep, and to Sleep when he heard
Wake,' i.e., he could not decide on the relative merits of the two.
(Brooks' Furita?ts, vol. ii. p. 180.)
302 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
dities of which they stood in need. It was here the
foreign trader came to purchase sheep-fells and other
skins, soon, by transmission abroad, to be worked up
by Flemish hands into good broadcloth, and re-
transmitted again to London or provincial marts.
Edward the Confessor obtained a sum of 70/., an
immense amount at such a time as this, from the toll-
age at a fair held in Bedfordshire. Of many cele-
brated fairs, those of Smithfield on St. Bartholomew's
Day (which still exists as a kind of perpetual one),
York, Winchester, and Ely seem to have been the
most frequented. That in the Isle of Ely was kept
up on and for some days after the feast of St. Aw-
drey, or Audrey, the corrupted name of St. Etheldreda,
which as a surname our ' Awdreys ' still preserve.
This seems to have become specially noted for its sale
of trinkets, toys, and cheap and gay laces — so much
so that in course of time * tawdry,' or St.-Awdry, ware
became the colloquial and general term for such.
Drayton we even find using the word substantively
when he says : —
Of which the Naiads and blue Nereids make
Them tawdries for their neck.'
Of the still greater one held at Winchester, we find
Piers the Plowman speaking : —
To Wye and to Winchester
I went to the fair,
With many manner merchandise,
As my master me hight :
But it had been unsold
These seven years,
• Thus, in the IVifi^cr's Talc, the servant says : ' I have done. Come,
you promised me a tawdry-lace and a pair of gloves. '
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 303
So God me help,
Had there not gone
The grace of guile
Among my chaffer.
The ' Wife of Bath,' too, has a word to say upon this
subject. Says she : —
I governed them so wel after my lawe,
That eche of them ful blissful was and fawe
To bringen me gay thinges fro the feyre.
What a picture does all this present to our eye. We
can see the circular stand of booths belting the rails
of the quaint belfried edifice, sometimes, I am afraid,
the sacred precincts within.^ Behind these we may
note how busy are our ' le Stallers ' and ' le Stall-
mans,' now found also as ' Stalman ; ' not to say our
* Stallards,' that is, stall-wards, and obsolete ' le Ven-
dours.' No infliction too severe can be made upon
their readiness to please. Elbowing and chaffering
and good-humoured haggling are the order of the day.
Here the stupid, happy swain, with his be-ribboned
sweetheart tucked under his arm, is buying their little
stock wherewith to start life ; here the child is made
blissful with a trumpet, and the hoary-headed rustic
gets a warmer cap for his crown. Here, too, it is that
the chapman and other of his cotifrkres, as I have
already hinted, are buying in their varied commodi-
ties. All alike are well catered for. When we talk
of * packing up our duds,' few of us, I imagine, are
aware that we are using a word of most familiar im-
port in long generations gone by. A ' dud ' then was
a coarse, patched linen gown, gaudy in colour, made
' A law was passed at Winchester in 1285 that no fair or market
should be held in the churchyard, as had previously been the case.
304 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
up in fact of variegated pieces of this material. Hence
he who sold such cheap, flashy goods at a fair, any old
fripperer in truth, was styled a ' dudder ' up to com-
paratively recent times, and the booth itself a * dud-
dery.' * Duderman ' and ' Dudder ' (now obsolete),
* Dudman ' and ' Dodman,' are all, I doubt not, but
interesting memorials of this once flourishing lower
class trade. Such names as ' Thomas Dudman ' or
' Ralph Deuderman ' greet us occasionally in the olden
rolls. * William Fairman,' * found in the Parliamentary
Writs, would be, I suppose, a more general vendor.
He has not a few descendants.
But while bartering and the purchase and sale
of these varied household commodities occupied no
small amount of attention, such a sober mode of pass-
ing the fairtide was very far from being the intention
of the younger and gayer portion of the assemblage ;
nor was there, indeed, any lack of that which could
feed or give zest to their relish for amusement, though
it was not always of the most innocent nature. Our
' Champions' and ' Campions' arc but relics of the old
'William le Champion,'^ or ' Katcrine le Chaumpion,'
a sobriquet which would easily affix itself to some
sturdy and swarthy rustic who had thrown his adver-
sary in the wrestling ground. This has ever been a
popular sport amid our more rural communities. The
Miller, Chaucer says : — •
' The same record, however, contains a ' Faimmn All)ercl,' so that,
like 'Coleman' and 'Batcman,' it may have been but a personal
name.
* It is from this same root tliat our ' Kcmii' is derived, meaning a
soldier.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 305
Was a stout carl for the nones,
Fill bigge he was of braun, and eke of bones,
That proved wel, for over all ther he came,
At wrestling he would bear away the ram.
In an old poem I have already quoted, the mother
warns her daughter : —
Go not to the wrestling, nor shooting the cock,
As it were a strumpet or a giglot. '
Doubtless such a sobriquet as ' Richard le Fytur,' that
is * Fighter,' would be but representative of the same.
The country folks were not slow, too, to copy their
masters, and in the friendly joust the former, ' Thomas
le Justere ' or ' Robert le Justure,' would brace him-
self amid the excited ring to unseat his fellow-swain,
affording much sport to the on-looking wags.
By the maypole you may see the conjuror, or
'Wiseman,' as he was generally termed, battening
himself upon the superstitious minds of the assembled
hinds. In the Hundred Rolls he figures as ' Wysman '
and ' Wyseman.' A little further on our ' Players '
would be enacting their mummery. The great crowd
there in the corner are watching the showman with
his dancing bear, a yearly treat the younger holiday-
seekers always appreciated. What a change has
come over our English habits with regard to this
animal. Dancing was the least cruel of the sports
connected with it. Time was when every noble of
position had his bears and his bearward, when even
royalty could boast a master of the king's bears, and
' In the Complaint of the Ploiuman, too, we are told tiiat the priests
were always —
' At the wrestling and the wake,
And chief chantours at the nale.'
X
306 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
when as a pastime the bear-baiting took an easy pre-
eminence in the eyes of all holiday folk. A skit on
the Earl of Warwick, banished to the Isle of Man,
written 1399, says: —
A bereward found a rag :
Of this rag he made a bag :
lie dude in gode cntent.
Thorwe the bag the bereward is taken ;
All his beres have hym forsaken.
Thus is the berewarde schent. '
In one of our earlier rolls I find several names that
bear relation to this familiar sport. Of such are
' Geoffrey Bearbaste ' and ' Alexander Bcarbait.'
More common to us in the present day, however, are
the descendants of the more simple * Berward '
(' Michael le Berward,' H.R.) and ' Bearman,' or
' Berman ' (' Ralph Bareman,' H. R.). In ' Cocke
Lorelle's Bote ' mention is made of —
Jenkyne Berwarde of Barwyche.
Whether 'Jenkyne' was a mythic personage, or
whether any of our present * Bcnvards ' are his lineal
issue, I cannot pretend to say.'^ Any way, however,
' In the Household Book of the Earl of Northumberland, in 151 1,
under the head of 'Rewards,' is one of '6j. %d. to the Kyngs and
Queencs Barward, if they have one, when they come to the Earl' (Way).
In the Parliamentary Rolls mention is made concerning the ' Bere-
maistre of the Forest of Peake.' It was not till 1835 ^'^^^ ^^^"^ o'' '^"'^
baiting was finally forbidden by Act of Parliament.
* An old tavern-sign in Cheshire bore the following inscription : —
' Good bear sold here,
Our own Bruin.'
The book which records this quotes from the Congleton Toaon Register :
' 1599. — Paid the bearward, 4f. 4^/.' ' 1601. — Gave the bearward at
the great cock-fight, 6s, 8r/.' {Cheshire Ballads, p. 259.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 307
the name would be common enough then. Bull as
well as bear baiting, I need not say, was a popular
pastime with our forefathers. We still talk of bull-
dogs. Probably our ' BuUards ' could formerly have
told us something about this. Fit rival to these latter,
you may see the * Cockman,' or, as he was more gene-
rally termed, the ' Cocker,' matching his birds in the
adjacent pit. The author of the 'Townley Mysteries '
does not give the cocker a good character — at least
he places him in very bad company —
These dysars, and these hullars,
These cokkers, and these bullars,
And alle purse cuttars,
Be welle ware of these men.
Among other instances the Hundred Rolls furnish us
with ' Simon le Cockere ' and ' William le Koker.'
Professional dancers, I need scarcely say, were
seldom absent from the mediaeval festival. Tripping
it lightly to some Moorish round, we may see such
folk as ' Harvey le Danser ' or ' Geoffrey le Hop-
pere,' inciting the younger villagers to follow their
example. The latter name, which occurs frequently
at this time, reminds us that our modern slang term
' hop ' has but restored the ancient use of this word.
Our Prayer-Book version of the Psalms still employs
the verb in the verse, ' Why hop yc so, ye high
hills ? ' ' — and Chaucer, in picturing the merry 'pren-
tice, says —
At every bridale woukl he sing and hoppe ;
He loved bet the tavernc than the shoppc.
' A story is tokl of an officious clerk belonging to an old rural church
who, overwhelmed with the honour of having a bishop presiding at a
visitation there, ransacked his brains for something worthy the occasion,
X 2
508 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The feminine ' hoppestcre,' which he also uses, does
not sound quite so euphonious. In the ' Pardoner's
Tale,' among other of the dissolute folk in Flanders,
are mentioned * tombesteres ' —
And right anon in comen tombesteres
Fetis and smale, and yonge fruitesteres.
These, I doubt not, were female dancers, and per-
formers of such bodily gyrations and flexions as
mountebanks are still skilled in. The mascuhne
form is found in such an entry as 'William le Tum-
bere,' whom we should now, so far as his professional
tricks were concerned, term a tumbler.
All this time the mirth of music is at its loudest,
though it is somewhat hard to separate the tones of
the various rival minstrels. There is a trio in one
corner by the tavern door there, discoursing sounds
which are certainly equal, if not superior, to the
Teutonic bands of more modern days. Indeed, with
regard to the latter, I am beginning to suspect the
conjecture of a friend of mine to be perfectly true —
that they are German convicts shipped off, with
cracked and second-hand trumpets, by the Commis-
sioners of Police to save their keep. It is, however,
right perhaps that the country which sends us the
best should also have the option of sending us the
worst music in the world. The trio we may see here,
and then in stentorian voice gave out, instead of the usual Sternholdic
lines, the following variation : —
* Ye little hills and dales,
Why do ye skip and hop ?
Is it l)ecause yer glad to see
His Grace the Lord Bish-op ?'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 309
at any rate, have one advantage — that of their poetic
mediaeval costume. The first we may notice is the
* Fiddler,' represented by such men as ' Robert Fyffud-
lere,' or 'John le Fythelere,' or the Latinized
* Rulard Vidulator.' This last reminds us that it is
now also written ' Vidler.' He of course played on
the violin, for I must not say ' fiddle,' it is far too
Saxon, for modern cultivated days. The Clerk of
Oxenforde seems to have been superior to the
generality of later university men, for he had —
Liefer have at his beddes head
A twenty bokes, clothed in black or red,
Of Aristotle and his philosophic,
Than robes rich;, or fidel, or sautrie.
Certainly time effects wonderful changes. But I
doubt whether even he would have found much profit,
not to say pleasure, in the study of Aristotle, or any
other philosopher, had he been subjected to the daily
practice of a well-scraped viol in an adjacent dormi-
tory,' the author of which could boast but one tune in
his repertoire, and was determined that every one
should know it. After the Fiddler — Saxon or no
Saxon, I'll stick to it for the nonce — comes the ' Piper '
with his reedy stop, and next to him the ' Taborer '
beating his drum with such rare effect as to make him
the very idol of the youngsters. Spenser calls him
the ' tabrere,' which form, as well as ' Tabrar,' * Tab-
berer,' ' Tabor,' and ' Tabcr,' still exists in our
nomenclature.
' Curiously enough, we have the name of ' Robert Ilarpmaker' men-
tioned in an old Oxford record, 1452. (Miin. Acad. Oxon.) This wc
may look upon, therefore, as an old -standing nuisance.
3IO ENGLISH SURNAMES.
I saw a shole of shepherds out go,
Before them yode a lusty tabrcre,
That to the merry hornpipe plaid,
Whereto they danced.
Such entries as ' Arnold le Pyper,' or ' Robert le
Pipere,' or ' William le Tabourer,' or * John le Ta-
burer,' are of frequent occurrence in mediaeval rolls.
The pipe, the tabor, and the trembling crowd,
is the order of the gentle author of the ' Faerie Queen ; '
so having disposed of the two former, the ' Crowder
with his six-stringed viol duly engages our attention
next, though he ought more correctly to have been
yoked with the ' Fiddler.' ' Crouth * was but another
form of the same word. An old Saxon Psalter thus
renders Psalm cl. 4 —
Loves him in crouth and timpane,
Loves him in stringes and organe.
Wicklyfifc, too, translates Luke xv. 25 as follows : —
* But his eldre sone was in the fecld, and whaune he
cam and ncighcdc to the hous he horde a symfonyc
and a crowdc.' ' Like our ' Harpers ' and more
northern ' Bairds,' the ' Crowder ' or ' Crowther' (for
as surnames both forms exist) was oftentimes blind,
and thus gained the car of an audience, if not appre-
ciative, at least sympathetic. Seldom, indeed, did he
leave cottage, or hall festival, or fair, without a
guerdon, and a kind word to boot ; for while customs
fade out and die, pity, thank God, knows neither
change of season nor chance of time. Mediaeval forms
' Burton, in his Anatotny of Mtlaiuhcly, says : ' Let them freely
fexst, sing, and dance, have tlieir poppet-jilaycs, hobby-horses, tabers,
crouds, bag-pipes,' &c. (P. 276.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 31I
of the above may be found in ' Richard le Cruder ' or
' Thomas le Crowder.' But we have yet several more
surnames to mention which prove the once great popu-
larity of this latter class of instrument. ' German le
Lutrere ' and ' John le Leuter ' have left no descen-
dants, I think.^ The more common term was lutan-
ist, but of this I have found no instance. While the
lute had generally ten strings, and was struck by the
hand, the viele or viol had six, was of stronger make,
and was played with a bow It seems to have been a
favourite instrument in the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries, for such registrations as * Benedict le Viler,'
'Nicholas le Vylour,' 'Wyot le Vilur,' or 'Jacob le
Vielur,' occur with tolerable frequency at that period.
Another Norman-introduced v/ord was that of ' gigue,'
or ' gig-' This, however, seems to have differed from
the others in being of the very roughest manufacture,
and made specially for professional dancers. These
' giguers ' were extremely popular at rural festivals of
any kind. At one and the same instant they would
be tripping it round on the 'light fantastic toe,'
singing some not too select verses, accompanying
themselves on their sturdy instrument, and yet would
have a hand to spare for a trifle if you should offer it.
If you doubted it you had but to try them. It is
thus we have got our 'jig,' our 'gigot,' or leg of
mutton, too, being so called from its resemblance
thereto. The surnominal form is found in such
entries as ' Walter le Gigur,' or ' Alexander le Gygur,'
• The names of 'William Elyott, luter,' and 'William Spenser,
harpour,' occur in 1432 in an old York will. {Test. Eboracaisia, vol. ii.
p. 21, Surtees Soc.) ' Haunce (Ilans) the luter ' and ' Philip the luter"
are frequently mentioned in Privy Expenses (Princess Mary).
312 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
but I doubt whether either is represented now. The
last of this class of instrumentalists we may mention
is ' William le Sautreour,' he who struck the ' gay
sawtrye,' as Chaucer terms it. The more correct
form of the word was 'psaltery.' It was specially
used as an accompaniment for the voice, hence it is
freely used in this sense in the Authorized Version.
I do not doubt myself that some of our * Salters ' are
but a change rung on the mediaeval ' Sawtrer.' The
' Fluter/ I believe, has left no descendants, but in
' Nicholas le Floutere ' he was to be met with at this
date, and, I need not say, would be as familiar as he
would be acceptable on such an occasion as this. The
lusty young Squire was so musical that —
Singing he was, or floyting alle the day,
He was as freshe as is the month of May.
There is one name I must mention here, that of
' Peter le Organer,' ' perhaps connected with ' Orgcr '
of the same date. The owner of this more modern-
looking term may either have been organist at some
monastery or abbey-church, or he may have played
upon the portable regal, in which latter case he too
might possibly have been seen here. But ' organ '
was a very general term. In the old psalters it seems
to have been used for nearly every species of in-
strument. We should scarcely speak now of ' hanging
up our " organs " upon the willows,' but so an old ver-
sion of the Psalms has it. Did we not know they
were a modern invention we might have been inclined
to suspect ' le Organer ' to have been but a strolling
' This name evidently lasted till the seventeenth century, for in 1641
an 'Adam Orgener' entered C. C. Coll. Cam. (Fufe Masters' history
of that college. )
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 313
performer upon the 'hurdy-gurdy.' That, however,
was an infliction mercifully spared to our forefathers.
In concluding this brief survey of mediaeval music,
I cannot, I think, do better than quote, as I have
done partially once before, Robert de Brunne's
account of the coronation of King Arthur, wherein
we shall find many, if not most, of the professional
characters I have been mentioning familiarly spoken
of. He says —
Jogelours weren there enow
That their quaintise forthe drew :
Minstrels many with divers glew (glee)
Sounds of hemes (trumps) that men blew,
Harpes, pipes, and tabours,
Fithols (fiddles), citoUes (cymbals), sautreours,
Belles, chimes and synfan
Other enow and some I cannot name.
Songsters that merry sung,
Sound of glee over all rung ;
Disours enow telled fables :
And some played with dice at tables.
But we are not without traces of the troubadour.
The simple vocalist, a strolling professionalist, too, in
many instances, remains hale and hearty in our
' Glemans,' ' Gleemans,' and * Glemmans,' not to
mention our * Sangsters.' Amid such lulls as might
intervene, we should hear them at the popular festi-
vals bidding for favour with their old-fashioned stories
of ' hawk and hound,' and ' my ladyes bower,' set,
no doubt, to airs equally a la vwdc. A contemporary
poet tells us their song
Hath been sung at festivals
On ember eves, and holy-ales.
The recitation of these stories seems to have been a
314 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
peculiarly popular profession. Our * Rhymers ' often-
times showed their skill in the art of rhythmical
narration by weaving the exploits they described into
extempore verse.' The 'Juggler' or 'Joculator,'
originally a minstrel or 'jester,' something akin to the
clown of later days, became by-and-by more cele-
brated for his skill in legerdemain than loquacity, and
now little else is understood by the word. Almost
every baron, and even the king himself, had his fa-
vourite jester ; but it was an art put to the most cor-
rupt purposes, and ' Jagge the Jogelour ' is set in very
low company by Piers Plowman. Certainly his jokes
were of the lewdest description, even for the rough
times in which he lived. His voice, too, was sufficiently
elevated, if we may trust the account given in the
' Romance of Alexander,' for —
No scholde mon have herd the thondur,
For the noise of the taboures,
And the trumpours, and the jangelours.
The ' Dissour,' the old Norman ' discur,' similar in
character to the rhymer and the juggler, seems to have
left no memorial, saving it be in our ' Dissers ; ' ^
' The ' Rhymer ' is often mentioned as belonging to the royal or
feudal retinue. Like many of the above, he may be set among our list
of early ofTicerships.
* We may set here our 'Bidders,' or ' Ernald le Bidere,' as he
was once recorded, lie was the general beggar of that day, and no
doubt a rich harvest would be the result of his attendance at the fair.
Piers Plowman says : —
' Bidderes and beggares
Faste about yede,
With their belies and their b.igges
Of bread ful y-crammed.'
'.Simon le Shobeggere' (II. R.), or 'Shoe-beggar,' as I presume
means, seems to have followed a more particular line of business.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (COUNTRY). 315
neither can I trace ' le Tregetour ' later than the
fifteenth century. Every footprint of his professional
existence, indeed, is now faded from our view* And
yet there was the day when none could be more
familiar than he. The Hundred Rolls record not
merely * Symon le Tregetor,' but ' William le
Tregetur' also, while * Maister John Rykele ' is
spoken of by Lydgate as 'sometime Tregitour of
noble Henrie, King of Engleland.' Chaucer, too,
mentions sciences
By which men maken divers apparences,
Such as these subtil tregetoures play.
For oft at feasts have I wel heard say
That tragetoures, within an halle large
Have made come in a water and a barge
And in the halle rowen up and down :
while in another place he speaks of seeing
Coll Tragetour
Upon a table of sicamour
Play an uncouth thing to tell ;
I saw him carry a wind-mill
Under a walnut-shell;
with other equally marvellous feats. Thus we see
that the art of legerdemain was not neglected at this
time.
I doubt whether any relics we possess so com-
pletely convey to our minds the radical changes which
have swept across the face of our English Common-
wealth as do these lingering surnames. They remind
us of the invention of printing, of the spread of litera-
ture, and of the slow decay thereby of the professions
they represented. They tell us of a changed society,
they tell us of a day of rougher cast and looser tram-
3l6 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
mels ; they tell us of a life around which the lapse of
intervening years has thrown a halo of so quaint
aspect that we all but long, in our more sentimental
moods, to be thrown back upon it again. Placing
these tell-tale names by the life of the present, we
see what a change has passed over all. Let us hope
this change denotes progress. In some respects it
assuredly does : progress in the settlement of our
common rights and duties, progress in civilization
and order, progress in mental culture, progress in
decorum. Still we may yet ask, with all this has
there been any true progress .-' The juggler, 'tis true,
with his licentious story, and the dissolute tragetour,
both are gone — they would be handcuffed now, and
put in gaol. This speaks something for a higher culti-
vation. But, after all, may not this be a mere outside
refinement — a refinement to meet the requirements of
an age in which the head is educated more than the
heart — a refinement which may be had in our shops
— the refinement, in fact, of the lowest of God's
endowed creatures, that of the exquisite .-* This is,
indeed, an artificial age, and it warns us to sec to it
whether we are hypocrites or no ; whether our life is
entirely external or the reverse ; whether it is all shell
and no kernel, all the outside cup and platter, and
within naught save extortion and excess. That
mortal shall have attained the highest wisdom who,
in the light of the world to come, shall have seen to
the cleansing of that which is within, and if that, if
the heart be cleansed, then the external life will as
naturally, as it will of necessity, be pure.
CHAPTER V.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION. (TOWN).
We have already said enough to show that our early
English pursuits were mainly pastoral. Even to this
day, as we are whisked across the midland counties
or driven across the Yorkshire wolds, we see what
advantages we must have enjoyed in this respect.
Our one chief staple was wool, and to export this in a
raw unmanufactured state was the early practice. So
general was this occupation that even subsidies to the
crown were given in wool. In 1340, 30,000 sacks of
wool were granted to Edward III. while engaged in
the French War. This would be a most valuable
contribution, for at this time it was held in the highest
repute by foreign buyers. ' The ribs of all nations
throughout the world,' wrote Matthew Paris, ' are
kept warm by the fleeces of English wool ' (Smiles).
So early as 1056 we find the Count of Cleves obtain-
ing a certain jurisdiction over the burghers of Nimc-
guen upon condition of presenting to the Emperor
every year ' three pieces of scarlet cloth of English
wool ' (Macullum). With the incoming of the P'lemish
refugees and other settlers already mentioned this
state of things was changed. The Conqueror himself
had settled one band near Carlisle, but his son Henry
3l8 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
soon after coming into possession removed them into
Herefordshire, and the Southern Marches of the Prin-
cipality. Doubtless the object of both was that of
setting up a barrier against hostile encroachments on
the part of the Scotch and Welsh ; but the result was
the spread of a peaceful and useful industry in two
widely separated districts. Two other settlements, in
Norfolk and Suffolk, one by Henry I., the other
under the direction of Edward HI., made East
Anglia for centuries the Yorkshire of England.
When we talk so familiarly of ' worsted,' or ' lindsey-
wolsey,' or ' kerseymere,' or ' bocking,' we are but
insensibly upholding a reputation which centuries
ago the several villages that went by these names had
obtained through Flemish aid. Thus was it then that
at length our country was enabled to produce a cloth
which could afford a comparison with that of the
Flemish cities themselves. Of this incoming many
surnames of this date remind us, the most important
of which I have already mentioned in my chapter
upon local names, ' Fleming,' as a general name for
all these settlers, being the commonest.
When, however, we turn to the occupations them-
selves connected with the industry, we cannot but be
struck by the wonderful impress it has made upon our
nomenclature. The child's ancient rhyme —
Black sheep, black sheep,
Have you any wool ?
Yes, sir; yes, sir;
Three bags full —
carries us to the first stage, and to the first dealer.
In our ' Woolcrs ' and ' Woolmans,' in our obsolete
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 319
' Woolmongers ' and * Woolbuyers,' ^ in our ' Packers ' ^
and once flourishing 'Woolpackers,' and in our ' Lan-
yers' and ' Laners,' relics of the old and more Norman
* Bartholomew le Laner ' or ' John le Lanier,' we can
see once more the train of laden mules bearing their
fleecy treasure to the larger towns or distant coast.
No wonder that Piers Plowman and others should
make familiar mention of the * pack-needle,' when we
reflect upon the enormous number of sacks that would
be in constant use for this purpose ; and no wonder
'Adam le Sakkere ' (i.e. 'Sacker'), and ' Henry le Cane-
vaser ' are to be met with as busied in their provision.'
Another proof of the engrossing importance of this one
English article of commerce is left us in our ' Staplers,'
The ' stapleware ' of a town was, and is still, that
which is the chief commodity dealt in by that par-
ticular market. A 'stapler,' however, has for cen-
turies been a generally accepted title for a wool-
' Here is Glyed Wolby of Gylforde squyeie,
Andrew of Habyngedon, apell byer.
(Cocl'e Lorelle's Bote. )
I am afraid the reader will scarcely recognise ' Wool-buyer ' in
' Wolby,' but I doubt not such was the trader referred to. ' Geoffrey
le Wolle-bycr ' occurs in the Parliamentary Writs.
^ One of Edward III.'s statutes says : 'That a certain number of
portours, pakkers, gwynders (winders), and other laborers of wools
and all other merchandizes, be sufficiently ordained for the place where
the staple is.' {Stat, of Realm, vol. i. p. 341.)
" It is not impossible that this species of cloth was in use by the
lower classes for articles of apparel. Chaucer, in his Roviancc, refers to
such a habit when he says : —
' She ne had on but a straite old sacke,
And many a cloute on it there stacke,
This was her cote, and her mantele.'
320 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
merchant, and has therefore absorbed the more
general meaning the word ought to have conveyed.
The first stage towards manufacture would be the
process of carding the raw and tangled material, and
numberless are the ' Carders,' ' Combers,' and ' Kemp-
sters,' ^ or ' Kemsters,' who remind us of this. In these
latter sobriquets we have but varied forms of the
same root ' cemb,' to comb. We still talk poetically
of ' unkempt locks,' and we are told of Emelie in the
Knight's Tale ' that—
Her bright hair kembed \\'as, untressed all.
The Norman corresponding name is found in ' Robert
le Peinnur' or 'William le Puigncur,' but unless in
our ' Pinners ' (a supposition not unnatural) it has left
no descendants. But even these are not all. It is
with them we must associate our ' Towzers ' and
' Tozers,' from the old ' touse ' allied to ' tease ' — they
who cleared the fibre from all entanglements. Spenser
talks of curs ' tousing ' the poor bear at the baiting,
and I need not remind the reader that in our some-
what limited canine nomenclature, * Towzer,' as a
name for a dog of more pugnacious propensities,
occupies a by no mea*ns mean place. As applicable
to the trade in question, Gowcr uses the word when
he says, in his ' Confessio Amantis ' : —
What schepc that is full of wnllc
Upon his backc they tose and pulle.-
' A prayer to the Commons, in 1464, respecting the importation of
foreign goods and merchandise, mentions ' llie makers of wollen cloth
within this Reamc, as Wevers, Fullers, Dyers, Kctnpsters, Carders, and
Spynners.' {Rot. Purl. Ed. IV.)
' A recipe from an old Ilarlcian MS. thus begins: 'Recipe brawne
of capons or of hennys, and dry them wele, and towse them small.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 32 1
It is here, therefore, we must place our one or two
solitary relics of the rough machinery then in use. In
' Cardmaker ' we have the manufacturer of the * comb '
or * card ' thus usefully employed ; in ' Spindler '
the maker of the pin round which the thread was
wound ; while our ' Slaymakers, ^ * Slaymans,' and
obsolete * Slaywrights ' ^ preserve the once so familiar
'slay' — that moveable part of the loom which the
webbe with his fingers plied nimbly and deftly along
the threads. A petition to Parliament in 1467 from
the worsted manufacturers complains that in the
county of Norfolk there are * divers persones that
make untrue ware of all manner of worstedes, not
being of the assises in length nor brede, nor of good,
true stuffe and makyng, and the slaycs and yern
thereto belonging untruly made and wrought, etc'
(Rot. Pari. Ed, IV.) I believe the word is not yet
obsolete as a term of the craft,
I have mentioned ' Webbe.'
My wife was a webbe
And woolen cloth made,
says Piers in his 'Vision.' This appears, judging at
least from our directories, to have been the more
general term, and after it its longer forms, the mascu-
line ' Webber ' and the originally feminine ' Webster,'
A poem written in the beginning of the sixteenth
century refers to
' In the south walk, Westminster Abbey, are gravestones recording
the deaths of 'George Slemaker,' 1802, and 'Susannah Slemaker,' his
widow, 1818. ( F?'(/^ Neale's IVestmiristcr Abbey.)
* Richard Slawright was prior of the Hermit Friars of St. Augusiin«
Warrington, in 15 16. {IVarringlon in 1465. Ch. Soc, p. xliv.)
Y
322 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Curriers, cordwayners, and cobelers,
Gyrdelers, forborers, and webbers.
Such entries as ' Elyas le Webbe,' or * Clarice le
Webbere,' or 'John le Webestre,' are of common
occurrence in our mediaeval and still earlier records.
But the processes are anything but at an end. The
cloth must be dyed and fulled. Of the first our
' Listers,' once enrolled as * Hugh Ic Litster ' or
* Henry le Littester,' ^ speak, and ' Dyer ' or * Dister,'
still harder of recognition in such a guise as ' Geof-
frey le Deghere ' or ' Robert le Dighestere,' forms
found at the period we are writing about. It was John
Littester, a dyer, who in 1381 headed the rebellion in
Norwich. Here the surname was evidently taken
from the occupation followed. Halliwell gives the
obsolete verb ' to lit ' or dye, and quotes an old manu-
script in which the following sentence occurs : * We
use na clathis that are Httcde of dyvcrse coloures.'
Such names as ' Gilbert le Teinturcr,' or ' Richard le
Teynterer,' or ' Philip le Tentier,' which I have come
across in three separate records, represent the old
French title for the same occupation, but I believe
they have failed to come down to us — at least I have
not met with any after instance. The old English
forms of 'tincture ' and ' tint' arc generally found to
be * teinture ' and ' tcint.' The teinturer is not without
relics. We still speak when harassed of * being on the
stretch,' or when in a state of suspense of ' being upon
tcntcr-hooVis,' both of which proverbial expressions
' A cliantry to the church of All Saints, York, was erected in the
fifteenth century by Adam del Bank, Littester.' (Hist, and Aiit. of
York, vol. ii. p. 269. ) The Provip. Par, has ' Lystare, or Lytaster
of cloth dyynge — Tinctor.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 323
must have arisen in the common converse of cloth-
workers. The tenter itself was the stretcher upon
which the cloth was laid while in the dyer's hands.
On account of various deceits that had become
notorious in the craft, such, for instance, as the over-
stretching of the material, a law was passed in the first
year of Richard III. that 'tentering' or 'teyntering'
should only be done in an open place, and for this
purpose public tenters were to be set up. (' Stat.
Realm,' Rich. III.) We find many references to this
important instrument in old testaments. Thus an
inventory of goods, dated 1562, belonging to a man
resident in the parish of Kendall, speaks of 'Tenture
posts and woodde, 6d. — ii tentures 20s.' {' Richmond-
shire Wills,' p. 156.) The dyes themselves used in
the process of colouring are not without existing
memorials. In the York Pageant, already referred to,
we find, walking in procession with the woolpackers,
the * Wadmen,' that is, the sellers of woad, unless
indeed, they were the dyers themselves. The more
common spelling was * wode,* and when not local,
' Thomas le Wodere ' or ' Alan le Wodeman,' with
their modern 'Wooder' and 'Woodman,' will be
found, I doubt not, to be the representative of this
calling. ' John Maderman,' and * Lawrence Madcrer '
remind us of the more reddish and popular hues.
Great quantities of this were yearly imported from
Holland, especially Middleburgh. The old ' Libel on
English Policy ' speaks of —
The marchaundy of Craban and Selande,
as being-
The madre and woode (woad) that dyers take on hande.
Y 2
324 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The thickening mill, however, has left us several words
of much more familiar import than these — viz.,
'Tucker'' Fuller ' (or ' Fulman' '), and 'Walker.'*
Among other older forms we find ' Roger le Tukere,'
'.Percival le Toukare,' 'Walter le Fullcre,' 'Ralph le
Walkerc,' and ' Peter le Walkar.' Of the first Piers
in his ' Vision ' makes mention, where he speaks of
Wollene websteris,
And wevcris of lynen,
Taillours, tanneris,
And Tokkeris bothe.
' Cocke Lorelle ' also refers to —
Multiplyers and clothe thyckcrs,
Called fullers everycbone.
' Walker,' claiming as it does an almost unrivalled
position in the rolls of our nomenclature, reminds us
of the early fashion of treading out the cloth before
the adaptations of machinery were brought to bear on
this phase of the craft. In Wicklyffe's version of the
story of Christ's transfiguration he speaks of his clothes
shining so as no ' fullere or walkerc of cloth ' may
make white upon earth.^ Reference is made to the
' 'William Fulman,' a learned antiquary, died in l6S8. (Vide
Dyce's S/iaArs/>ean; vol. i. p. 35.)
* A statute of T^lizabeth regarding the apprenticeship of poor children
includes among others, ' WoUen-weaver, -weaving housewiefes or house-
holde clothe onely and none other, Clolhe-Fuller, otherwise called
Tucker, or Walker.' (5 Eliz. c. 4,23.) 'Of William Reynolles,
wa'ker, for half a pewe with ICdward Doughtie, y. 4//.' {Churck-
watdi-ns' Exfcitses, LtuiUnv, p. 154 (157 1 ), Cam. Soc.) In the Chester
Play the 'weavers and walkers' marched together. (Kwi' Appendix.)
* This practice of treading the cloth ii referred to in a complaint
concerning the fulling of caps and hats in fulling mills, made to
Edward IV. It begins by saying that hats, caps, and bonnets hitherto
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 325
same practice by Langland also when, using this whole
process of cloth-making as an illustration, he says : —
Cloth that cometh fro the wevyng
Is nought comely to wear
Til it be fulled underfoot.
Or in fullying stokkes,
Washen wel with water,
And with taseles cracched
Y-touked, and y-teynted,
And under taillours hande.
We are here not merely furnished with the entire
process itself, but the terms themselves employed
harmonize well with the names I have mentioned.
' Walker ' and ' Tucker ' or ' Towkare ' or ' Toker,' as it
was variously spelt, together with * Tuckerman,' have,
however, disappeared as terms of this trade; and it is in
our directories alone we can find them declaring these
forgotten mysteries of a more uncouth manufacture.
The * taseles ' mentioned in the poem quoted
above were the common * teasel ' or ' tassel,' a rough
prickly plant allied to the thistle, which when dried
was used for scratching the cloth, and thus raising a
nap thereupon. Thus in Willsford's ' Nature's Secrets '
it is said, ' Tezils, or Fuller's Thistle, being gathered
or hanged up in the house, where the air may come
freely to it, upon the alteration of cold and windy
weather will grow smoother, and against rain will close
up his prickles.' (Brand's ' Pop. Ant.,' vol. iii. p. 133.)
In an inventory of the property of Edward Kyrkelands,
of Kendall, dated 1578, we find the following articles
had been made, wrought, fulled, and thicked in the wonted manner,
that is to say, with hands and feet — 'mayns et pees' — and then pro-
ceeds to urge that the use of mills brought inferior articles into the
market. (Stat, of Realm, vol. ii. p. 473. )
326 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
mentioned : — iiii syckles, a pair wyes and iii stafs,
tazills, ^s. 8d. — more in tazills, 2s. — iiii tentors, 40J.
(' Richmondshire Wills,' p. 274.) The occupation it-
self is referred to in an old statute of Edward IV. —
' Item, that every fuller, from the said feast of St.
Peter, in his craft and occupation of fuller, rower, or
tayselcr of cloth, shall exercise and use tayscls and no
cards, deceitfully impairing the same cloth ' — ' en sa
arte et occupacion de fuller et scalpier ou tezeiler de
drap, exercise et use teizels, &c.' (4 Ed. IV. C. I.) It
is probable that our ' Taylors ' have engrossed this
name. We find it lingering in Westmoreland, about
Kendal, till the middle of the sixteenth century, in
a form which required but little further change to
make it the same. In the will of Walter Strykland,
dated 1 568, there is mentioned among other legatees
a certain ' Edward Taylzer,' a manifest corruption of
' Teazeler.' (' Richmondshire Wills,' p. 224.) A cen-
tury earlier than this, however, such names as ' Gilbert
le Tasseler ' or ' Matilda le Tasselere ' were entered in
our more formal registers.
Our ' Baters ' and ' Beaters,' relics of the old
* Avery le Batour ' or ' John Betere,' were all but in-
variably cloth-beaters, although, like the fuller ' wolle-
beter,' ' they may have been busied at an earlier stage
of the manufacture. Capgravc, in his ' Chronicles,'
under date 30 A.D., says, * Jacobus, the son of Joseph
first bishop of Jerusalem, was throwe there fro the
pinacle of the temple and after smet with a fuller's
bat.' "^ With the mention of our ' Shearers ' (' Richard
' A •John Wollebeter ' is mentioned in an old Sufiblk will of 1370.
' We have the word ' bat' used in WicklyfTe's Testament : * In that
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 32/
le Sherere,' M.) and endless ' Shearmans,' ' Sharmans,'
or ' Shermans ' (* Robert le Sherman,' * John le Shere-
man,' M.), who represent the shearing of the manufac-
tured fabric, rather than that of the sheep itself, we
have the process complete. The cloth is at length
ready to be transmitted into the care of our * Drapers '
and ' Clothiers,' and from them again through the
skilled and nimble fingers of our numberless * Tailors.'
From all this we may readily see what an important
influence has England's one great staple of earlier
days had upon the nomenclature of our countrymen.
Such a name as ' Ralph le Flexman,' with its many
descendants, reminds us of the manufacture of linen,
which, if not so popular as that of wool, was neverthe-
less anything but unfamiliar to the early craftsman.
Our ' Spinners ' carry us to the primary task of thread-
making, an employment, however, all but entirely in
the hands of the women. The distaff and the weaker
sex have been ever associated, whether in sacred or
profane narrative. Thus it is that 'spinster' has
become stereotyped even as a legal term. Chaucer,
four hundred years ago, somewhat uncourteously
said : —
Deceite, weping, spinning, God hath given
To women kindly, while that they may liven.
Our modern ' linen ' is formed from ' lin ' or ' line '
— flax — as 'woolen' is from ' wool.' Hence we still
speak of the seed of that plant as 'linseed.' That
this was the common form of the word we might prove
by many quotations.
lie drank never cidre nor wyn
Nor never wered cloth of lyn,
hour Jhesus seide to the people, as to a theef ye han gon out with swerdis
and battis to take me.' (Matt. xxvi. 55.)
328 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
says an old poem. Even Spenser speaks of 'garment
of line,' and in ' Cocke Lorelle's Bote ' allusion is made
to ' lyne-webbers ' and ' lyne-drapers.' ' We need not
be surprised, therefore, to meet with such names as
' Elias Lyndraper,' or ' Henry le Lindraper,' or ' John
le Lyner,' Only this last, however, has survived the
changes of intervening centuries, and still holds a pre-
carious existence as 'Liner.' 'Weaver' was more com-
mon. A more Norman equivalent is found in such a
sobriquet as ' John le Teler,' or ' Henry le Telere,' or
' Ida la Teleress,' a name which is not necessarily of
modern French refugee origin, as Mr. Lower would
lead us to suppose. Indeed, a special part of the
ladies' head-dress had early obtained the name of a
' teler,' from the fine texture of the linen of which it
was composed.^ It is but too probable that this name
has become lost, like ' Taylzer,' in the more common
' Taylor.' This process of absorption we shall find to
be not unfrequent. Nor are we without a memorial
of the bleaching of linen. ' Whiter,' if not ' Whitster,'
still lives in our directories. It seems strange that our
' Blackers' should denote but the same occupation ; but
so it is — they, like our old ' Walter le Blakesters ' or
' Richard le Bleckcstcrs,' being but the harder and more
antique form of our present ' bleacher.' ' Our term
' God made 'flbr to cover us and clethe us also lyne, and wolle and
lethire.' {Mirror of St. Edmund, Early Eng. Text Soc., p. 21.)
* The bailifT of Norwich in 1250 was ' Otto le Texter or Weaver. '
{Hist. Norfolk, iii. 58.) 'John Tixter' was Mayor of Gloucester in 1270.
(Rudder's Gloucestershire, p. 1 13.) On the 30th April 1873, the Man-
chester Courier announced ' the suspension of Messrs. Textor and Co.,
silk merchants, London.'
* In the Prompt. Parv. we find the feminine termination to have
Ijeen in general use in Norfolk. The author has ' plcykstare — candi-
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 329
' bleak,' preserving as it does the earlier pronunciation,
is but the same word, being formerly used to denote
pallor, or wanness, or absence of colour. From this,
by a natural change, it came to signify anything
cheerless or desolate. With perfect honesty in this
case, at any rate, we may ' swear that black is white.'
With regard to silk, we had but little to do. The
manufacture of this important cloth was barely carried
on in Western Europe during the period of the esta-
blishment of surnames. It was nigh the close of the
fifteenth century before it appeared in France. All
our silks were imported from the East by Venetian
and Genoese merchant.s. Of the latter an old poem
says, they come —
Into this londe wyth dyverse merchaundysses,
In grete karrekis arrayde wythouten lack,
Wyth clothes of golde, silke, and pepir black.
Still we find a company of silkwomen settled in Lon-
don at an early period. In the records of this city
occur such names as ' Johanna Taylour, Silkwyfe,' in
1348, and 'Agatha Fowere, Silkewoman,' in 1417.'
In 1455 a complaint was raised by ' the women of
tlite mystery and trade of silk and threadworkers in
darius,' and further on, ' whytstare, or pleykstare— candidarius, candi-
daria.' Earlier in the work, too, occurs ' bleystare, or wytstare
(bleykester or whytster) — candidarius.' That the name lingered there
for a considerable period is proved by the fact of a ' Robert Blaxter
appearing as defendant in the Court of Chancery in a Norfolk case at tlie
close of the sixteenth century. {Proceedings i)i Chancery (Elizabeth),
vol. i. p. 250.) The earlier spelling is found in such entries as 'Will le
Bleckestere' (H.R.) or 'Richard le Blekstare' (P. W.). Blackister,
like Blaxter, still exists.
' Sylkewomen, pursers, and ganiysshers,
Tablemakers, sylkedyers, and shepsters.
{Cocke Lorelle's Dote.)
330 'ENGLISH SURNAMES.
London, that divers Lombards and other foreigners
enriched themselves by ruining the said mystery.' I
think, however, we shall find that all these were en-
gaged less in the manufacture of fabrics than of threads
for the embroiderers to use. Thus, as connected
with the throwing or winding of these silken tissues,
we come across such names as ' Thrower ' and
' Throwster,' the former having been further corrupted
into * Trower.' ^
Next to wool, perhaps leather formed the most
important item of early manufacture. We can hardly
now conceive the infinite use to which it was put at
this period. In military dress it had an especial
place, and in the ordinary costume it was far from
being confined to the extremities, as we have it now.
Jerkins, chausses, girdles, pouches, gipsire — all came
under the leather-dresser's hands. In 1378 we find a
jury, called together to decide upon a case of alleged
bad tanning, to have been composed of ' saddlers,
pouchmakcs, girdlers, botel-makers, tanners, curriers,
and cordwainers.' Of the more general manufacture
of hides we have numerous relics ; indeed, we are at
once introduced into the midst of a throng of trades-
men, the very list of which proves the then important
character of the article on which they spent their
energies. Such names as 'Jordan le Tannur,' or
' Loretta le Tannur,' ' Richard le Skynnere,' or ' Hamo
Ic Skynnere,' arc still numerous both in the tanyard
and the directory, and need little explanation. Our
' In A Complaint of Artificers to Parliament, in 1463, there is
included amongst other productions, ' Laces, corses, ribans, frenges of
silkc and of thrcdc, thrcden laces, throiven silke, silke in eny wise
embrauded.' {Rot. Pari., Ed. IV.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 331
* Curriers ' are also self-evident ; but I have not met
with any instance as yet in mediaeval times. Our
more rare ' Fellmongers ' were once occupied more
directly with the larger hides, or fells, as they were
called, of the farmyard stock. Less connected with
them, therefore, than with the others, we may mention
such men as ' William le Barcur,' or * Nicholas le
Barkere,' or * Robert Barcarius,' the ancestors of our
modern * Barkers,' ^ who, by the very frequency with
which they are met, show how important was the
preparation of bark in the tanners' yard. In the
conversation between Edward the Fourth and the
Tanner of Tamworth, as given by Percy, it is said —
' What craftsman art thou ? ' said the king ;
' I pray thee telle me trowe,'
* I am a Barker, Sir, by my trade ;
Now tell me, what art thou ? '
Such names as ' John le Tawyere ' or ' Geoffrey
le Whitetawier ' (now found as ' Whittear,' ' Whittier,'
and * Whityer '), not to mention such an entry as
that of ' Richard le Megucer,' throw us back upon
the time when the terms these men severally bore as
surnames would be of the most familiar import.
Their owners spent their energies in preparing the
lighter goat and kid skins, which they whitened, and
made ready for the glovers' use.^ The verb ' to taw,'
however, was also used of dressing flax, and we may
have to place ' Tawycr ' in some instances in this
category.
' 'Edmund Barkmaker' occurs in 'Calendar to Pleadings.' (Eliza-
beth. )
* According to Strype, the ' Company of Megusers ' dealt in the
skins of dead horses, and flayed them. He mentions ' Walter le
Whitawyer ' in the same account. {London, vol. ii. p. 232. )
332 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
And whilst that they did nimbly spin
The hemp he needs must taw,
we are told in ' Robin Goodfellow.' Our ' Towers,'
while apparently local, may be in some instances but
a corruption of this same term. So early as the
14th century we find a certain ' Eustace le Wittowere '
occurring in the Hundred Rolls, and that the simpler
form should similarly be corrupted would be natural
enough.' Thus we see that leather, too, is not with-
out its memorials. The more furry skins, as used in
a somewhat more specific form as articles of dress, or
to attach thereto, we will allude to by-and-by. As
we traverse in some semblance of order the more
definite wants and requirements of early social life,
the importance of these several crafts will be more
clearly brought out. We must not forget that there
were the same needs then as now, though of a diffe-
rent mould. Man in all time has had to be fed, and
clothed, and housed ; and if in all these respects he
has in these modern days become more civilized and
polished, it has been the result of a gradual process
by which he has slowly, and not without many a
struggle, thrown off, one by one, this custom and that,
which belonged to a ruder era and a rougher cast of
society. Our surnames of occupation are a wonderful
guide in this respect. A tolerable picture of early
life may be easily set before us by their aid ; for in
them are preserved its more definite lineaments, and
all we need is to fill up the shading for ourselves.
' .Since writing the above, I have discovered in tlie same rolls a
' Gill)ert /t' Tower ' and a 'Thomas /<f Toucre,' proving my surmise to
be correct. The feminine form is also to be met with in a 'Juliana le
Touestre,' this entry, too, being found in the same register.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 333
Forgotten wants, needs now no longer felt, require-
ments of which a progressive civilization slowly-
slipped the tether, necessities of dress, of habit, of
routine, all, while the reality has long faded from
view, have left their abiding memorial in the nomen-
clature of those who directly supplied them. Let
us, however, observe, as in our other chapters, some
kind of order — clothing, food, and general needs, this
seems the proper course of procedure. And yet one
more observation ere we do so. We have already
spoken of the early system of signs as advertising
the character of the articles to be sold. The early
shop was far more prominent as a rule than the
modern one. The counter, instead of being within
the walls of the house, projected forward upon the
pathway, so much so that we can only compare them
to those tables we may often see at night, where
under the lee of the walls costermongers offer shell-
fish, or tripe, or coffee to the passers-by. This was
objectionable enough ; but it was not all. Each
dealer loudly proclaimed to the wayfarer the merits
of his goods, vying with his neighbour in his en-
deavours to attract attention to himself or distract it
from the other, especially if, as was often the case, a
number of traders trafficked in the same class of
merchandise. Others, and their name was legion, had
no shop at all, not even the street table or counter,
but passing up and down with wooden platters or deep
baskets, made the very air discordant with their loudly
reiterated cries of * Hot sheep's feet,' or 'Mackerel,' or
* Fresh-herring,' ^ or ' Hot peascods,' or ' Coloppes.' It
is in reference to this we find Langland saying —
' Many of these cries originated surnames, whichj however, in most
334 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Cokes and their knaves,
Cryden, ' Hote pies, hote !
Goode gees and grys !
Gowe, dyne, gowe ! '
Lydgate has a still fuller and more detailed descrip-
tion of this in his ' London Lackpenny,' and as it is
tolerably humorous I will quote it somewhat largely,
using Mr. Bowen's modernization of it —
Within this hall neither rich nor yet poor
Would do for me aught, although I should die :
Which seeing, I got me out of the door,
When Flemings began on me for to cry :
' Master, what will you copen or buy ?
Fine felt hats, or spectacles to read ?
Lay down your silver, and here you may speed.'
Then into London I did me hie —
Of all the land it beareth the prize.
' Hot peascods ! ' one began to cry ;
' Strawberries ripe, and cherries in the rise ! '
One bade me come near and buy some spice :
Pepper and saffron they gan me bede.
But, for lack of money, I might not speetl.
Then to the Chepe I gan me drawen,
Where much people I saw for to stand.
One offered me velvet, silk, and lawn :
Another he taketh me by the hand :
' Here is Paris thread, the finest in the land ! '
I never was used to such things indeed,
And, wanting money, I might not speed.
Then went I forth by London Stone,
And throughout all Candlewick Street:
Drapers much cloth me offered anon ;
Then comes me one crying, ' Hot sheep's feet ! '
One cried ' Mackerel ! ' ' Ryster green ! ' another gan me
greet.
One bade me buy a hood to cover my head :
But, for lack of money, I might not speed.
cases, died with their owners. * Fresh-fish ' is found as the sobriquet of
a fishmonger; and 'Coloppcs,' ' Mackerell,' and 'Peascod,' all figure
in the rolls of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 335
Then into Cornhill anon I rode,
Where there was much stolen gear among.
I saw where hong mine owne hood
That I had lost among the throng —
To buy my own hood, I thought it wrong —
I knew it as I did my Creed,
But, for lack of money, I could not speed.
If we pass on from shop to shop in a more quiet
and undisturbed fashion than poor ' London Lack-
penny,' we must not forget that we are, at least so
far, enjoying that which our forefathers could not.
With regard to the head-dress, and to begin with
this, we have many memorials. ' Tire,' once a fami-
liar word enough, is still preserved from decay by
our Authorized Version of the Scriptures. Thus, for
example, it is said in Ezekiel, ' make no mourning
for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee.' *
I do not know how comprehensive are the duties
belonging to our present ' tirewoman ' or lady's-
maid, but in the day when the tragic story of Jezebel
was first translated, the sense of the word was entirely
confined to the arrangement of her mistress's ' tiara,'
which is but another form of the same term. In the
' Paradise Lost ' it is found as ' tiar ' —
Of beaming sunny rays, a golden tiar circled his head.
When we remember their former size, their horned
and peaked character, and the variety of the material
used, arguing as they do the then importance of the
fact, we need not be surprised at meeting with com-
' A complaint of craftsmen presented to Parliament in the reign of
Edward IV. speaks of 'silkc in eny wise embraudcd, golden laces, tyres
of silke or of gold, sadlcs, &c. (Rot. Pari. )
336 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
parative frequency such a surname as ' Tyrer,' ' Tyer-
man,' or ' Tireman.' It is somewhat hard to say
whether our ' Coffers ' are reHcs of the old * Coffrer ' or
' Coifer,' but as the latter business was all but entirely
in the hands of females, perhaps it will be safer to
refer them to the other. Such names, however, as
' Emma la Coyfere ' or ' Dionysia la Coyfere,' found in
the thirteenth century, may serve to remind us of the
peculiar style of the head-gear which the ladies affected
in these earlier times. The more special occupation
of preparing feathers or plumes has left its mark in our
'Plumer' and 'Plummcr,' memorials of the old 'Mariot
le Plumer ' or ' Peter le Plomer.' The old ' caul ' or ' call '
still lives in our ' Caimans ' and ' Callers.' ' Elias le
Callerc' occurs in the Parliamentary Writs, and
* Robert le Callerere ' in the ' Munimenta Gildhallae.'
Judging from the 'Wife of Bath's Tale,' we should ima-
gine this also to have been a female head-dress. There
the old witch appeals to the Queen and her court of lady
attendants as to them who wear ' kercheif or calle ' —
Let see, which is the proudest of them alle,
That wcarcth on a kercheif or a calle.
Another form of the surname is found in ' Alicia la
Kellere,' now simple ' Keller,' the article itself being
also met with in a similar dress. In the ' Townlcy
Mysteries ' a fallen angel is represented as saying that
a girl —
If she he never so foul a dowile
With her kelles and her pynnes,
The shrew herself can shroud
Both her chekys, and her chynnes.
In its several more general uses it has always main-
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 337
tained its strict meaning of a covering.^ Hoshea, we
may recollect, speaks figuratively of God's ' rending
the caul of Israel's heart.' Probably the word is con-
nected with the ' cowl ' of other monkish days, and
thus may be associated with our ' Coulmans ' and
' Cowlers,' ' Richard le Couhelere,' an entry of the
fifteenth century, may belong to the same group.^ A
once familiar sobriquet for a hood was that of
* chapelle,' ^ whence our edifice of that name and the
diminutive ' chaplet.' The Parliamentary Writs give
us an ' Edmund le Chapeler ; ' the Hundred Rolls
furnish us, among other instances, with a ' Robert le
Chapeler.' ' Theobald le Hatter,' ' Robert le Hattare,'
* Thomas le Capiere,' ' Symon le Cappere,' or * John
Capman ' need no explanation. The articles they
sold, whether of beaver, or felt, or mere woollen cloth,
were largely imported from Flanders. Thus it is that
Lydgate, as I have but recently shown, picturing the
' The caul, or membrane occasionally found round the head of a newly-
born child, was ever preserved by the midwife, in accordance with an
old superstition, as a preservative against accidents, but especially
against drowning. So late as Feb. 27, 181 3, the Times newspaper had
the following advertisement in its pages : ' To persons going to sea. — A
child's caul, in a perfect state, to be sold cheap. Apply at 5, Duke
Street, Manchester Square, where it may be seen.' An inventory of
goods, dated 1575, we fmd thus beginning: 'Imprimis, a cubborde,
2af. ; a calle, 5J. ; a table, 3J-. 4^.' {^Richmonds hire Wills, p. 259.)
With regard to the caul as an article of dress, we may quote the follow-
ing: 'Maydens wear sylken callis, with the whyche they kepe in ordre
theyrheare, made yellow with lye.' (Hormani Vulgaria.)
* Query — Did * Richard le Couhelere,' recorded in the Parliamentary
Writs, dress, prepare, and sell cow-heels ? There is nothing improbable
in it.
* ' E qe chascun esquier poxte chapel des armes son Seigneur: ' —
' And that every esquire do bear a cap of the armes of his lord. ' (Stat,
of Realm, vol. i. p. 220.)
Z
338 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
streets of London, mentions spots in his progress
therethrough where —
Flemings began on me for to cry,
' Master, what will you copen or buy ?
Fine felt hats, or spectacles to read ? '
That many of these wares, however, were of home
manufacture is equally undoubted, and of this we are
reminded by our * Blockers,' representatives of the old
' Deodatus le Blokkere.' The ' block ' was the
wooden mould upon which the hat was shaped and
crowned. In * Much Ado About Nothing ' Beatrice
is made to say : * He wears his faith but as the
fashion of his hat ; it ever changes with the next
block.' The ' blocker,' I doubt not, was but a hat-
maker ; we still call a stupid man a blockhead. Our
' Hurrers' (' Alan le Hurer,' H. R., ' Geoffrey le Hur-
were,' H. R.), once so important as to form a special
company with articles and overseers, as representative
of an old general term, arc not so familiar as we
might have expected them. Bonnets, caps, hoods,
hats, all came under their hands. Strictly speaking,
however, a * hure ' or ' howre,' as Chaucer spells it,
was a shaggy cap of fur, or coarse jagged cloth. In
an old political song of Edward the P'irst's time it is
said — â–
Furst there sit an old cherle in a blake hure,
Of all that there sitteth seemeth best sure.
That the word itself should have dropped from our
vocabulary is to me a mystery.' Even in our nomen-
' A complaint on the subject of liats, bonnets, and caps, in 1482,
speaks of these three specific articles as ' hccures, bonnettez, et cappez.'
{Stat, of Realm, vol. ii. p. 473.) ' Bonnet,' I need scarcely add, is here
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 339
clature the rarity of our * Hurers ' and * Hurrers ' is to
me inexplicable, bearing as it does no possible propor-
tion to the former importance of the occupation. But
this, as I have said before, is one of the peculiarities
of personal nomenclature, depending entirely as it
does on the uncertainties of descent. The head, we
see, was not neglected.
The sale of woollen cloth by our 'clothiers' and
' drapers ' we have already mentioned. The tailor
then, as now, made it up into the garments which the
age required. Few names went through so many
metamorphoses as this. ' Mainwaring,' it is said, can
be found in over a hundred and thirty different spell-
ings. The exact number with regard to ' Taylor ' I
cannot state, as I have not dared hitherto to encounter
the task of collecting them. The forms recorded in
one register alone give us such varieties as 'le
Tayllur,' 'le Tayllour,' 'le Tayller,' 'le Taylir,' Me
Taylour,' ' le Taylur,' * le Taillur,' and ' le Talur.' We
have also the feminine ' la Taylurese ' in the same
roll.^ A name obsolete now in a colloquial sense, but
common enough in our directories, is * Parminter,'
* Parmenter,' or ' Parmitar,' a relic of the old Norman-
French ' Parmentier,' a term a few hundred years ago
familiarly used also for the snip. Among other
mediaeval forms are ' Geoffrey le Parmunter,' ' Saher
le Parmentier,' ' William le Parmeter,' and * Richard
le Parmuter.' The Hundred Rolls give us the same
used, as it is still in Scotland to this day, as meaning a cap or covering
generally for the head.
' The ecclesiastic tailor was not wanting, judging by such an entry
as ' Robert Vestment-maker' (W. 2).
340 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
sobriquet in a Latin dress as 'William Parmuntarius.' '
As associated with the tailor, we may here set down
our ' Sempsters,' that is, ' Seamster,' the once feminine
of * Seamer,' one who seamed or sewed. Mr. Lower
hints that our * Seymours ' may in some instances be
a coriuption of this latter form, but I must confess I
discover no traces of it.
The sobriquet of ' William le Burreller ' introduces
us to a cloth of a cheap mixture, brown in colour, of
well-nigh everlasting wear, and worn by all the
poorer classes of society at this period. So universal
was it that they came to be known by the general
term of ' borel-folk,' a phrase familiar enough to
deeper students of antiquarian lore. The Franklin
premises his story by saying —
But, sires, because I am a borel man,
At my beginning first I you beseech
Have me excused of my rude speech.
Our ' Burrells ' are still sufficiently common to pre-
serve a remembrance of this now decayed branch of
trade. They may derive their name either from the
term ' borel ' or ' burel ' pure and simple, or from
* Burreller,' and thus represent the trade from which
the other, as a sobriquet, owed its rise. The manu-
facturer is referred to by ' Cocke Lorellc,' in the line —
Borlers, lapestry-work-makers, dyers.
Special articles of costume now wholly disused, or
confined or altered in sense, crop out abundantly in
' Talking of Latin forms, however, we are reminded that not un-
frequently an artisan of this class would be recorded as ' William Scissor,'
or ' Walter Cissor,' a mode pi writing the name very common in our
more formal records.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 341
this class of surnames. At this period a common out-
door covering for the neck was the wimple, or folded
vail, worn by women. To this day, I need not say, it
is part of the conventual dress. The author I have
just quoted beautifully describes Shame as —
Humble of her port, and made it simple
Wearing a vaile, instede of wimple,
As nuns done in their abbey.
Of this princess, too, whose careful dress he so par-
ticularly describes, he says —
Full seemly her wimple pinched was.
The maker of such was, of course, our ' Wympler.' ^
Among other ornaments belonging to the princess,
also, is mentioned ' a pair of beads,' that is, bracelets
of small coral, worn upon the arm, and in this case
* gauded with green.' A ' Simon Wyld, Bedemaker,'
is found in the London records of this time, and no
doubt ' Thomas le Perler ' could have told us some-
thing about the same. Beside these, therefore, we
may set our still existing ' Paternosters,' relics of the
old ' Paternostrer,' who strung the chaplet of beads
for pattering aves. ' Paternoster Row,' literally the
' Paternostrer's Row ' was some centuries ago the
abode of a group of these, doubtless then busy
artisans. Mr. Riley, in his interesting 'Memorials of
London,' records a * William le Paternostrer ' as
dwelling thereby.^ It is among such valuables we
' As a common instance of the transition process then at work we
may cite the name of 'John le Wympler, Goldsmith,' which occurs in
the London records of this time.
* A 'Robert Ornel, paternostrer,' is mentioned, under date 1 276, by
the same writer. [Memorials of London, p. xxi.)
342 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
must undoubtedly set pins at this period. Judging
by those which have descended to us, we should best
describe them as * skewers.' So anxious was AbsoJom
the clerk to please Alison that, according to Chaucer,
he sent her —
Pinnes, methe (mead), and spiced ale.
Whatever her appetite for the latter, there can be
little doubt that the first would be acceptable enough
in a day when these were so valued and costly as to
be oftentimes made objects of bequeathment. Such
entries as * Andrew le Pynner ' or * Walter le Pinner'
are, of course, common at this time, and their descen-
dants still flourish in our midst. Our more rare
* Needlers ' are but relics of such folk as ' Richard le
Nedlere ' or ' John le Nedlemakyere.' ' Piers, in his
Vision, speaks of —
Tymme the tynkere
And tweyne of his prentices :
Hikke the hakeney-man,
And Hugh the nedlere.
' Cocke Lorelle ' also mentions —
Pavyers, belle-makers, and brasycrs,
Pynners, nedelers, and glasyers.
The Norman form ' le Agguiler,' or ' Auguilcr,' still
lives in our ' Aguilcrs ' if not ' Aguilars.' A ' Thomas
le Agguiler ' represented York in the Parliament of
1305. Chaucer uses 'aguiler' in the sense of a
needlccase —
A silver needle forth I drew,
Out of an aguiler quaint 'ynow.
' 'Richard le Nedeler' represented Chichester in Parliament in
1305. (I/ist. IVcst. Div. 0/ Sussex.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 3
But if pins and needles were valued more highly then
than they are now, none the less did ' buttons ' fulfil
their own peculiar and important use. ' Henry le
Botoners ' or ' Richard le Botyners ' ' may be found in
most of our records. I do not see, however, that
their descendants have preserved the sobriquet,
unless, after the fashion of several other words in our
vocabulary, they are flourishing secretly among our
* Butlers,' and thus helping to swell the already strong
phalanx that surname has mustered. While, however,
all these representatives of so many though kindred
occupations seem to have flourished in their separate
capacities, I do not doubt but that * Richard le
Haberdasher ' would have been able to supply most
of the wares they dealt in. His was a common and
lucrative employment in a day when, to judge by the
contents of a shop of this kind as set down in the
London Rolls, he could ofler for purchase such a wide
assortment as spurs and shirts, chains and nightcaps,
spectacles and woollen threads, beads and pen-cases,
combs and ink-horns, parchments and whipcords,
gaming-tables and coffins (Riley's ' London Memo-
rials,' p. 422). There seems to be little doubt, however,
that in the first place he dealt simply in the ' hapertas,'
a kind of coarse, thick cloth much in vogue at this
time, and that it was from this he acquired the name
he bore.^
' The different materials used for the manufacture of buttons are
incidentally declared in such entries as 'Jacob le Homer et Botoner,' or
' John le Botoner et Latoner, ' found in the Cal. and Inventories of the
Treasury.
* Among other entries in the Liber Albiis occurs a list of customs for
exposure of merchandise to sale : —
344 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The now, I fear, obsolete ' Camiser ' made the
'camis' or chemise, or linen underdress — he was the
shirtmaker, in fact. The former spelling lingered on
to Spenser's time, who writes of a
Camis light of purple silk.
It is with him we must properly associate our
' Smockers,' ' Smookers,' and anachronistic ' Smokers,'
who, though their chief memorial remains in the
rustic smockfrock still familiar in our country dis-
tricts, were nevertheless chiefly busied with the
'smok,' such as the patient Griselda wore. Of one
of his characters Chaucer says —
Through her smocke wroughte with silke
The flesh was scene as white as milke.
Such phrases as ' smock-treason,' * smock-loyalty,'
and ' smock-race,' and the flower ' Lady-smock,' ^
still remind us that the word was once generally
understood of female attire. Of the flower Shake-
speare makes beautiful mention when he says —
And ladysmocks all silver white,
Do paint the meadows with delight.
' La charge de mercerie,
La charge de leyne d'Espagne,
La charge de canevas,
La charge de hapertas,
La charge de chalouns et draps du Reyns,' etc.
An entry almost immediately ensu'ng, after mentioning most of the
above, when come to ' hapertas,' speaks of 'haberdashery.' {Gildhallcz
Mutiimeiita. )
' Capgrave says that when Charles was at Constantinople the Em-
peror gave him 'a part of Jcsu crownc, that flowered therein their
sight, and a nayle with which oure Lord was nayled to the tre, and a
part of oure Lordis crosse: the smok of ourc Ladi: the armc of Scynl
Simeon. AUc these relikcs broute he to Acou.' (P. io6.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 345
The word slop is now well-nigh confined to the
nether garments of our youngsters, but though, in
this pluralized sense, it can date back to the time
when the bard of Avon said of one of his personages
that he was —
From the waist downwards all slops,
still, singularly used, it was in vogue far earlier. A
' slop ' in Chaucer's day, and even up to the fifteenth
century, was a kind of frock or overmantle.' In the
' Chanon Yemannes's Tale,' the host expresses his
surprise that the Chanon, a ' lord of so high
degree,' should make so light of his worship and
dignity as to Avear garments well-nigh worn out. He
says —
His overesc sloppe is not worth a mite.
Our ' Slopers ' still remind us of this. Our ' Pilchers,'
relics of ' Hugh le Pilecher ' or ' Nicholas le Pilchere,'
are equally interesting. In his proverbs on covetous-
ness and negligence, the writer I have just instanced
thus speaks —
After great heat cometh cold,
No man cast his pylche away.
A ' pilch ' was a large outer tippet made of fur, and
worn in winter. The modern ladies' * pelisse ' is but
another form of the same root. Speaking of furs,
however, we must not forget our ' Furriers,' and once
common ' Pelters ' and ' Pellipcrs.' They were en-
gaged in the preparation of the more furry coats of
the wilder animals. In the Hundred and other Rolls
' ' A Marquise (to have) for liis gowne, slope, and mantell, xvi yards,
and livery for .\vi servants.' (A Book of Precedence.)
346 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
mention is frequently made of such names as
' Geoffrey le Pelter ' or ' Reyner le Peleter.' A ' pell'
or ' pelt ' was any undressed skin. The ' clerk of the
Pells ' used to be the guardian of the rolls of the Ex-
chequer, which were written upon a coarse parchment
of this kind. As a general term of dress it was once
of the most familiar import. Wicklyffe, in his com-
plaint to the king, speaks of the poor being compelled
to provide gluttonous priests with ' fair hors, and jolly
and gay saddles and bridles, ringing by the v/ay, and
himself in costly cloth and pelure.' An old song
written against the mendicant friars, too, says —
Some friars beren pelure aboute,
For grete ladys and wenches stoute,
To reverce with their clothes withoute,
All after that they are.
Among the many ordinances passed to curtail the
subject's liberty in regard to his attire, much is
written on the fashion of wearing furs. It seems to
have been the great mark between the higher and
lower classes. In 1337 it was enacted by Edward III.
that no one of those whom we now term the opera-
tive class should wear any fur on his or her dress, the
fur to be forfeited if discovered. The names I have
mentioned above still remain in fair numbers as a
memorial of this period.
Such a name from the ' Rolls of Parliament ' as
that of ' John Orfroiser,' although now obsolete,
reminds us of an art for which English craftsmen
obtained a well-nigh European reputation in mediaeval
times, that of embroidery. ' Aurifrigium ' was the
Latin word applied to it, and this more clearly betrays
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 347
the golden tissues of which its workmanship mainly-
consisted. In the * Romance of the Rose,' it is said
of the fair maid * Idlenesse ' —
And of fine orfrais had she eke
A chapelet, so seemly on,
Ne wered never maide upon. '
The term * Broiderer,' ^ however, was the more com-
mon, and with him all textures and all colours and
all threads came alike. The Hebrew word in our
Bible, variously rendered as ' broidered work,' ' needle-
work,' and * raiment of needlework,' was translated
in a day when this would be of the most familiar im-
port. Our * Pointers ' and ' Poynters ' manufactured
the tagged lace which fastened the hose and doublet
together. In Shakespeare's ' i Henry IV.' there is a
playful allusion to this where Falstaff, in the act of
saying —
Their points being broken,
' ' To William Courteray, of London, Embroiderer, in money paid
to him for orfries, and other things by him purchased for a velvet vest
for the King, therewith embroidered with pelicans, images, and taber-
nacles of gold, etc., 20/.' (40 Edward III. Issues of Exchequer.)
' Brouderers, strayners, and carpyte-makers.'
{Cocke Lor elk's Bote.)
^ As a proof of the costliness of this raised needlework, we may
quote the following entry found in the Issues of the Exchequer : ' To
William Mugge, chaplain of the King's Chapel at Windsor, in money
paid to Thomas Cheiner, of London, in discharge of 140/. lately due to
him for a vest of velvet embroidered with divers work, purchased by
him for the chaplain aforesaid.' (24 Edward III.)
The higher nobility seem to have had their special embroiderers.
There was certainly a court craftsman of this kind. An act of the first
year of Edw. IV. speaks of ' ourc Glasier, Messagiers of oure Ex-
chequer, Browda-er, Plumber, Joynour, Maker of Arrows within the
Toure of London,' &c. {Rot. Farl, Edward IV.)
348 ENGLISH SURNAMES,
is interrupted by the response —
Down fell their hose.
It has been asserted that the presence of this name
in our modern directories is entirely the result of later
French refugee immigration ; but such registered
forms as ' John le Poyntour,' * Robert le Poynter/ or
' William Poyntmakere ' are found in the records of
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with sufficient
frequency to justify the belief that it was a much earlier
denizen than many suppose.^ In the former * Henry
le Lacer ' or ' Richard le Lacer ' we have, too, but a
fellow-manufacturer. Lace, it is true, is now rather a
delicate fabric of interwoven threads ; once, however,
it Avas but the braided string for fastening the
different articles of dress together. Thus, the * shoes-
latchct'' mentioned in Scripture is a mere diminutive
of the word as thus used. The hose and doublet
were invariably so attached. The verb ' to lace,'
I need not add, is still entirely employed in this its
literal sense. There were other means, however, of
holding the several garments together, and not a few
of which are still brought to our remembrance in our
nomenclature. ' Adam le Gurdlere ' or ' Robert le
Girdlere* speaks for himself. It was for the girdle
our former ' Agnes Pouchemakers,' ' Henry Pouchers,'
* Robert le Purscres,' and ' Alard le Bursers ' (when
not official) made the leathern pouch carried thus at
her side for greater readiness by the careful housewife.
' An act, elsewhere referred to, passed in the first year of Edward
IV., mentions among others the ' Kepcr of oure Armour in the Toure
of London, maker of Poyntes, Constaljle of oure Castcll or Lordship
of Iladleigh,' etc.— AV/. rarl. Edward IV.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 349
Chaucer, whose sharply-cut descriptions of the dress of
his company are invaluable to those who would study
more closely the habits of the time, tells us of the
Carpenter's wife that —
By her girdle hung a purse of leather,
Tasseled with silk and pearled with laton.
The Norman equivalent of Girdler was ' le Ceynturer'
('Nicholas le Ceynturer,' A.) or ' le Ceinter,' but I
have failed to find any traces of it beyond the four-
teenth century.^ Our decayed ' Brailers ' ^ and ' Bre-
girdlers * represent but the same occupation in more
definite terms. The old English ' brayle ' (from the
Norman ' braie ' or ' braye,' meaning ' breeches ') was
a waistband merely, a kind of strap, oftentimes
attached to and part of the trousers themselves. The
nautical phrase of * brailing up sails ' is, I fear, the
only relic we possess conversationally of this once
useful term. A ' brailer ' (' Roger le Braeler,' A.,
* Stephen le Brayeler,' X.) or 'bregirdler' ('John le
Bregerdelere,' X.) was, of course, a manufacturer of
these. Maundeville, in his ' Travels,' speaks of a
' breek-girdille ' (p. 50). The now almost universal
suspender was a later introduction, the names of
* Bracegirdler ' and * Bracegirdle,' which are not yet
extinct, denoting, seemingly, the process of change by
which the one gradually made way for the other. A
' brace,' from the Latin ' brachium,' the arm, encircles
' ' Hugh le Ceinter' was Mayor of Gloucester in the reign of Henry
the Third. (^wMqx'?, Hist. Glouccstoshire, y>. 1 1 3.) ' Benet Seinturer '
was Sheriff of London in 1216. (Strype.)
* Under date 1355, Mr. Riley, in his interesting Alcniorials 0/
London, gives the 'Articles and Ordinances of the Biaelers.' He also
has an account of the burning of some gloves and hraels for being of
false make and fashion in 1350. {Vide pp. 277 and 249.)
350 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the shoulder as a 'bracelet' does the wrist. It is
quite possible, however, they may be but a form of
* breek-girdle.' * Ivo le Glover ' or ' Christiana la
Glovere ' have left descendants in plenty, but they
had to fight a hard battle with such naturalized
foreigners as ' Geofifery le Ganter ' or ' Philip le Gaun-
ter.' At one time these latter had firmly established
themselves as the nominees of the manufacture, and
the only wonder to me is how we managed to prevent
' gants ' from superseding ' gloves ' in our common
parlance. The connexion of the * gauntlet ' with
military dress, however, has preserved that form of
the term from decay. Both ' Ganter ' and ' Gaunter,'
I need scarcely say, are firmly set in our midst.
And now we must descend once more till we come
to the lower extremities, and in a day of so much
tramping it on foot we need not feel surprised if we
find many memorials of this branch of the personal
outfit. The once common expression for a shoe-
maker or cobbler was that of soiiter} It is of con-
stant occurrence in our olden writers. Thus the
Malvern Dreamer speaks of —
Plowmen and pastours,
And othere commune laborers,
Sowters and shepherdcs.
Elsewhere, too, he uses the feminine form when he
makes mention of —
Cesse the souteresse.
The masculine term, I need not remind Scotchmen,
is still in colloquial use across the Border, and that
it was once so in England our many ' Souters,' * Sow-
' And * also, every sowtere that makcth shoon of new rothcs' lether,*
etc. {Usages of IVifichcster. English Guilds, T,t^().)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (tOWN). 35 1
ters,' and * Suters,' and * Suitors,' misleading as these
latter are, are sufficient evidence. Such entries as
' Andrew le Soutere,' ' Robert le Souter,' or ' Richard
le Sutor' are common to old registers. In the
* Promptorium Parvulorum ' ' sowtare ' is defined as a
* cordewaner ' or ' cordynare,' and this at once brings
us to our ' Cordwaners,' ' Cordiners,' and ' Codners.'
They were so termed because the goatskin leather
they used came, or was supposed to have come, from
Cordova in Spain. In the ' Rime of Sire Thopas,'
that personage is thus described : —
His hair, his beard was like safroun,
That to his girdle raught adown,
His shoon of cordewane ;
Of Brugges were his hosen brown.
His robe was of ciclatoun.
That cost many a jane.
In the ' Libel on English Policy,' too, we find it said
of Portugal —
Their londe hath oyle, wyne, osey, wex, and grain,
Fygues, reysyns, honey and cordwayne.
In the Hundred Rolls it is represented by such a
name as ' Hugh le Cordwaner ' or * Ranulph le Corde-
waner.' ' ' William le Corviser,' from the same records,
or * Durand le Corveser,' held a name which struggled
for some time for a place, but had finally to collapse.'*
' ' Item, received of John Bent and John Davies, cordiner, for one
pew, iis.' 1571. {Church'cvardens' Exp. Lndlmv, p. 148. Cam. Soc.)
* In the Mysteries composed for the City Pageant by Randie, a
monk of Chester Abbey, in the thirteenth century, a part in it is
directed to be sustained by the ' Corvesters and Shoemakers.' (Orme-
rod's Cheshire, p. 301). In this case we have the strictly speaking
Saxon feminine termination appended to a Norman word. I have
found three ' Shoemakers. ' ' Harry Shomaker ' was an attendant of
352 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
â– * Cobbler ' ('Richard le Cobeler,' A ), though it has
existed as a name of occupation fully as long as any
of the above, has, I believe, never been able so far to
overcome the dislike to the fact of its being a mere
mending or patchwork trade as to obtain for itself an
hereditary place in our nomenclature. * Cosier ' has
fared better, as have ' Clouter ' and ' Cloutman,' relics
of the old * John ' or ' Stephen le Clutere,' why I do
not know. We all remember how the inhabitants of
Gibeon 'did work wilily, and went and made as if
they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon
their asses, and wine bottles, old and rent, and bound
up, and old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old
garments upon them.' Another name we may notice
here is that of 'Patten-maker,' a 'James Patyn-
makere ' being found enrolled in a Norwich guild of
1385. Cocke Lorelle mentions among others : —
Alys Easy a gay tale-teller.
Also Peter Patynmaker. '
A patten seems in the thirteenth and fourteenth cen-
turies to have been very similar to our clog, only that
the former was more easily put on and off. It was of
a wooden sole, rimmed with iron. We find in 1464
the Princess Mary (1542). (Prky Piu-sc Ex/c-nst's, \>. 2.) 'Christopher
Shoemaker' was burnt at Newbury (15 18), wliose story is related by
Foxe. The name seems to have lingered on till the close of the
xviiith cent., for it is found in St. Anne's register, Manchester, in 1 78 1,
as ' Showmaker : ' 'Mary, wife of John Showmaker, burietl Aug. 26,
1781.' This spelling reminds me of an entry in the Household of
Princess Elizabeth, Cam. Soc. : — ' Robert Waterman for showing
(shoeing) xviij.' (p. 29.)
' And that the corvesers bye ther lelhcr in the seid Gild-halle.
{Ordinamcs of \Vorc(stcr. Euglish Guilds, 371).
' Another form of the name and occupation is met with in the
Cor/>. Christi Guild, York, in the case of ' Robert Patcner, et Mariona
uxor ejus' (W. ii,).
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 353
the Patynmakers of London presenting a grievance in
that the fletchers alone were allowed to use aspen-
wood, whereas it was the ' lightest tymbre to make of
patyns or clogges.' (Rot. Pari. iv. 567.) Mr. Way,
in his Notes to the * Promptorium Parvulorum,' says
they were worn much by ecclesiastics to protect the
feet from chill when treading the cold bare pavements
of the churches, and he quotes a Harleian MS. dated
1390 regarding an archiepiscopal visitation at York :
' Item, omnes ministri ecclesie pro majore parte utun-
tur in ecclesia et in processione /«/(?;/i" et clogges con-
tra honestatem ecclesie, et antiquam consuetudenem
capituli.' The patten-maker was evidently of some
importance at this time.^
Perhaps fashion never went to such an absurd ex-
treme as it did in the fourteenth century with respect
to wearing peaked shoes. An old poem entitled the
' Complaint of the Ploughman,' says of the friars, and
alluding to their inconsistencies, that they wear —
Gutted clothes to shewe their hewe,
With long pikes on their shoon :
Our Goddes Gospel! is not trewe
Either they serve the devill or none.
Piers Plowman, too, speaks of a knight coming to be
dubbed —
To geten him gilte spurs
Or galoches y-couped.
This last reminds us that they were commonly styled
' copped shoon.' Such a sobriquet as ' Hugh le Cop-
pede ' or 'John le Copede' would seem to refer to this.
Probably the owner had carried on the practice to an
even more extravagant length than his neighbours, and
' 'John Rykedon, patynmaker,' occurs in the Patent Rolls (R.R., i).
A A
354 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
very likely he was one of those who caused a law to be
passed in 1463 forbidding any knight, or any one
beneath that rank, to wear any shoes or boots having
pikes passing the length of two inches ! Even this
curtailment, I imagine, would astonish the weak
minds of pedestrians in the nineteenth century. Of
a similar craft with the shoemaker came * the hosier ' or
'chaucer,' the latter of which has become, surnomi-
nally, so famous in English literature. Though now
obsolete, such a name as ' Robert le Chaucer ' or
* William le Chaucier ' was anything but uncommon
at this time. Like * Suter,' above mentioned, it has a
Latin source, its root being ' calcearius.' Chausses,
however, were not so much boots as a kind of leathern
breeches worn over mail armour. There is probably,
therefore, but little distinction to be made between
them and the 'hose' of former days, though it is
somewhat odd that leather, which once undoubtedly
was the chief object of the hosier's attention, should
now in his shop be conspicuous by its absence. While
' Chaucer ' has long ago become extinct, ' Hosier ' or
* Hozier ' is firmly established in our nomenclature.
Thus we see that clothing is not without its memen-
toes.
A curious surname is presented for our notice in
our ' Dubbers,' not to be confounded with our * Dau-
bers ' already mentioned. To ' dub ' was to dress,
or trim, or decorate. Thus, with regard to military
equipment, Minot says in one of his political songs —
Knightes were there well two score
That were new clubbed to that dance.
It is thus we have acquired our phrase ' to dub a
knight.' The term, however, became ver>' general in
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN), 355
the sense of embellishing, rather than mere dressing,
and it is to this use of the word we owe the surname.
Thus, in the * Liber Albus ' we find a ' Peter le
Dubbour ' recorded, whose trade was to furbish up
old clothes ; he was a fripperer in fact. In the York
Pageant, already referred to more than once, we see
the * Dubbers ' walking in procession between the
* Bookbinders ' and ' Limners,' and here they were
evidently mere trimmers or decorators externally of
books. In another register we find a ' dubbour,' so
called because as a hawker of fish he was in the habit
of putting all the fine ones at the top of his basket, a
trick still in vogue in that profession, I fear.' In all
these cases we see that ' adornment ' or ' embellish-
ment ' is the main idea. I need not remind my
more North-country readers how every gardener
still speaks of ' dubbing ' when he heaps up afresh
the soil about his flowers and plants. The old forms
of the name were * Jordan le Dubber,' ' Payen le
Dubbour,' and * Ralph le Douber,' which last most
nearly approaches its root, the old Norman-French
' adouber,' to arrange.
A curious occupation is preserved from oblivion in
our somewhat rare ' Raffmans.' We have the root
meaning . of the word in our * reft ' and ' bereft,' im-
plicative of that which is snatched away or swept off.
Thus we still use ' riff-raff' in regard to the off-
' It is evidently in a depreciatory sense that Bishop Latimer in one
of his sermons makes use of this word, while his very employment of
it shows how familiar was its meaning as a term of occupation, even in
the sixteenth century. He says, speaking of a certain bishop, ' There
stood by him a dubber, one Doctor Dubber : he dubbed him by and
by, and said,' &.c. Second Sermon before Edward VI.
A A 2
356 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
scouring of the people. A raff-merchant was a dealer
in lumber of any kind. In the Guild of Saint George,
Norwich, 1385, we find not merely the name of * John
Raffman,' but such entries as ' Robert Smith, raff-
man,' or 'John Smith, rafman.' The term 'raff' for
a low fellow is not yet obsolete, and Tennyson, when
he says
Let raffs be rife in prose or rhyme,
is only using a sobriquet which, until recently, was a
very familiar one in the mouths of our peasantry. I
have placed the surname here because I doubt not
the occupation whence it sprung was chiefly in respect
of trimmings, and the shearings of cloth, wool, and
such-like articles of merchandise.
Another surname we must consider here is that
belonging to 'Ketel le Mercer' or ' Henry le Mercer,'
now found also as ' Marccr.' We sec in the very
title that the term has engrossed a sense not strictly
its own, and that, though we visit the mercer's shop
for silken goods, he was originally a dealer in every
kind of ware. He represented in mediaeval times,
in fact, the storekeeper of our colonies. Indeed I
believe that to this day in some of our more retired
country parts the mercer will supply his customers
with haberdashery, drugs, draperies, hardware, and
all general wants, saving actual comestibles. Mr.
Lower quotes an old political song against the friars,
in which this more correct sense of the word is
conveyed —
For thai have nought to live by,
They wandrcn here and there,
And dele with divers marcerye
Right as thai pedlars were.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 357
Our * Chaloners ' and * Challenors,' representatives
of such old names as 'Peter le Chaloner,' 'Jordan
le Chaluner,' or ' Nicholas le Chalouner,' originated
in a foreign but most useful manufacture. Chalons-
sur-Marne, at this time one of the most thriving towns
of the Continent, was chiefly renowned for its woollen
and worsted stuffs, and a peculiar coverlet of this
sort, called by the special name of a ' chalon,' became
celebrated over the more civilized world. In the
' Reves' Tale ' we are told of the miller that —
In his owen chambre he made a bedde
With sheles, and with chalons fair yspredde,'
Any importer or manufacturer of these was a
' Chaloner.' In a public solemn pageant held in 141 5
in the City of York, at the end of a list of trades to be
represented, there follows this : ' It is ordained that
the Porters and Coblers should go first, then, of the
right, the Wevers and Cordwaners : on the left, the
Fullers, Cutlers, Girdellers, Chaloners, Carpenters, and
Taillyoures : then the better sort of citizens,' etc.
('History and Antiquities of York,' vol. ii. p. 126.)
The trade name seems to have died out about the end
' The word was evidently in familiar use. Thus in the will of one
William Askame, dated 1390, it is said, ' Item, Margaretse prenticiae
Willielmi Askham do et lego a fedir bedd and i matras, ii shetes and
a coverlet, i bacyn and i laver, and a bras potte and volette of crysp.
Item Johanna; Dagh crisp volet and a cJtalou.'' — Test. Ebor., vol. i.
p. 130. {Surt. Soc.)
' And that no chalon of ray, or other chalon, shall be made, if it be
not of the ancient lawful assize, ordained by the good folks of the
trade.' (Ext. from Ordinances of tlic Tapiccrs, Riley's London,
p. 179.)
' Also, non of the Citce ne shal don werche qwyltes ne chalouns
withoute the walles of the Citee [i.e. Winchester). [English Guilds,
P- 35I-)
The Chaloner is styled the ' Chaloun-makyere ' in this ordinance.
358 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
of the fifteenth century. How corrupted a word may
become in the lapse of time may be seen in the
modern ' shalloon,' a term used for a species of
worsted cloth. In such a name as * Hugh le Shetare '
or * Roger le Shetere ' we recognize him who provided
that other portion of the bed gear which is referred to
in the extract from Chaucer. This name is now
extinct. Not so, however, our ' Quilters,' who still
thrive in our midst hale and hearty, and need never
fear obsoletism. Doubtless, as the cold of winter set
in, and its warm padded qualities began to be appre-
ciated, the quilters would be busy enough in providing
such a coverlet as this. ' Quiltmaker ' ('John le Quylte-
maker, (H.) is also found as a variation of the above :
an old poem mentions among others —
Quyltemakers, shermen, and armorers ;
Borlers, tapestry-work makers, and dyers.
Such a name as ' Christiana le Heldere ' or ' Robert le
Holdere ' must, I doubt not, be set here, both forms
being still in existence. They belonged, I think, to the
craft of upholdsters or upholders, at this time confined,
it would seem, entirely to the manufacture and sale
of mattresses, bolsters, pillows, and quilts, anything
of a padded nature connected with bed furniture.'
The insertion of flocks and feathers and the stitching
together of such would seem to be a woman's work,
and this is the clue, I suspect, to the fact of our now
using the feminine form of upholdster. There is a
curious complaint made to Parliament in 1495, by
' In the Guikl of St. George, Norwich, 1385, is mentioned tlie
name of 'Geoffrey Bedwevere.' He would \x: either a quiltcr, or one
of tliosc artisans alhided to by Cocke Lorcllc.
' Fyners, plummers, and peuters,
Bcdmakers, fedbedrnakcrs, and wyredrawcrs.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 359
the metropolitan upholders, that ' Quyltes, mattres,
and cussions (were) stuffed with horse hair, fen downe,
neetis here, deris here (deers' hair), and gotis here,
which is wrought in lyme fattes and by the hete of
mannys body the savour and taste is so abhomynable
and contagious that many of the King's subgettis
thereby been destroied.' ' It is prayed, therefore,
that only one kind of stuff be allowed to be inserted
in any one of these articles (' Stat : of Realm,' Henry
VII.). In ' Henry le Canevacer' or 'Richard le
Canevacer ' we are carried back to a class of now all
but entirely decayed trade. The canvaser, of course,
turned out canvas, and this more especially for bags
for the conveyance of the raw wool, or for tapestry
purposes. In an old poem relating to German im-
ports, it is said at the close —
Coleyne threde, fustaine, and canvase,
Carde, bokeram, of olde time thus it wase.
Tapestry work would engage much of this. Hangings
of this kind, ere wainscot came into use, were the ordi-
nary decorations of the baronial apartment, covering
as they generally did the entire length of the lower
wall. In the ' Boke of Curtasye ' we are told of the
duties of one officer —
Tapetis of Spayne on flore by side
That sprad shall be for pompe and pryde,
The chambur sydes rygt to the dorc
He hangs with tapetis tliat ben fulle store.
' I find several writers speaking (Mr. Riley among them) as if the
upholder was simply an undertaker. He may have been this, but it is
evident it was but a subordinate branch of his occupation. We find in
1445 a certain ' Richard Upholder ' appraising the bedroom furniture of
James Hedyan, the Principal of ' Eagle Ilall.' {Mttn. Acad. Oxo>t.,
P- 544)
360 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The name of * Tapiser,' for one who wove this
article, is familiarized to us as that of one of the im-
mortal company who sat down together at the 'Tabard '
in Southwark. Our modern ' Tapsters,' I doubt not,
afford but another example of a surname engrossing
what have been originally two separate and distinct
titles. In an old sacred pageant given in York in 141 5,
amongst other trades represented we find coupled
together the * Couchers ' and ' Tapisers.' ^ Our ' Cou-
chers ' and * Couchmans ' are thus explained. They
were evidently engaged less in the wooden framework,
as we might have supposed, than in the manufacture
of the cushions that covered it, and doubtless, like
the broiderer mentioned above, worked in gold and
silver and coloured threads the raised figures thereon.'^
Thus we must ally them with such names as ' Robert
le Dosier ' or ' Richard le Dosyere,' makers of the
' doss,' a technical term given at this time for cushions
' The ordinances for the Guild of St. Katharine, Lynn, are signed
by 'Peter Tapcser.' — English Guilds, p. 68. (E. E. Text Soc.)
The following entry from the Exchequer Issues will give the
reader a fair idea of the work that came under the tapiser's hands : —
' To John Flessh, tapestry maker. In money paid to him for a side
cushion, or carpet, a bench, and five cushions worked with the king's
arms . . . to be placed about, and hung at the back of the king's
justice seats of his common bench within Westminster Hall.' — 14
Henry VI.
* It is only right to say that there seems to have been a term
' coucher ' to imply one who resided in certain towns for purjioses of
trade of a somewhat doubtful character. In this sense it was but a
French sobriquet, meaning in English 'a lurker.' A statute of Edward
III. concerning the prices of wine and tlieir import speaks of
• Cochoures Engleys' (English couchers, or lurkers), living in Rochelle,
Bordeaux, etc., who traded in wines. The tenor of the allusion to them,
however, is such that we could hardly expect them to be represented
openly in an English pageant.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 36 1
or stools worked in tapestry.^ Thus the same book
which I have just quoted says of the groom's duties —
Tlie dosurs, curtines to hang in halle,
These offices needs do he shalle.
As a specific name for productions of this class the
word is now quite obsolete, though familiar enough
in early days ; tapestry indeed, in general, has ceased
to be popular, and is now all but entirely confined
professionally to the weaving of carpets, and as an
amateur art among ladies to those figured screens so
much in vogue not more than one or two generations
ago, traces of which still remain in the framed embroi-
deries yet lingering in many of our drawing-rooms —
embroideries of cats with grizzly whiskers and tawny
terriers — embroideries which as children we heard
with bated breath had been worked by our grand-
mothers when they were little girls, and thus we
realised for the first time, not so much that they had
done these wonderful things as that they had once
been small at all, like ourselves.
We have no surname to represent the weaving of
carpets, as this was an introduction of much later
date than most of our other household comforts in
the way of furniture. In Brand's ' Popular Antiqui-
ties ' an interesting quotation is given from Hentzner's
' Itinerary,' who, describing Queen Elizabeth's Pre-
sence Chamber at Greenwich, says, ' The floor, after
the English fashion, was strewed with hay.' The
strewing of church pews with rushes was common
' An old Yorkshire will, dated 1383, contains the following bequest:
' To John Couper, a docer, and a new banacjucr (a seat-cover) and ij
cochyns (cushions),' (Surtees Soc. )
362 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
until recent times, and in the North of England the
peculiar customs attaching to the * Rush-bearing,' a
kind of ' wakes,' are not yet extinct. It is fair to add,
however, that carpets were in course of introduction
at the beginning of the sixteenth century ; an old
poem of that date mentions —
Broudurers, strayners, and carpyte-makers,
Spooners, tamers, and liatters.
Before proceeding any further we had better intro-
duce our 'Lavenders,' or washers, for be it linen or
woollen stuff, be it garment for the back or covering
for the bed, all needed washing then as now. The
contracted feminine 'laundress' is still in common
use. That the masculine form, however, was early
applied to the other sex is proved in the ' Legend of
Good Women,' where we are told —
Envie is lavender of the court ahvay,
For she ne parteth neither niglit ne day.
The gradation from 'lavcnderic' to 'laundry' is
marked by Stowe, who in his ' Chronicles ' writes it
' laundery.' By similar contractions our ' Lavenders'
are now found also in the other forms of ' Launder '
and * Lander.' An old poem says —
Thou shalt be my launder,
To washc and keep clean all my gere.'
'Alicia la Lavendar' figures in the Hundred Rolls.
Doubtless, like our more Saxon ' Washers,' she was a
' Beatrice ap Rice, laundress to Princess Mary (daughter of Henry
'VIII.), is always set down as ' Mistress Launder.' ' Item, paid for
2 lb. of starchc for Mts Launder, viiid.' [Privy Purse Expenses^
p. 160.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 363
professional washerwoman. The stiffening process, of
infinitely more consequence then than now, has left its
mark in such a name as ' Ralph le Starkere,' or even
in that of ' William Starcman,' starch and stark being
once but synonymous words. Whether it were the
carefully pinched wimple or the kerchief, whether it
were of silk or lawn, both alike required all the
rigidity that could be imparted to them, would the
head be befittingly adorned. Employed, therefore,
either in the sale of the starch itself or in the work
of stiffening the dress, we find men of such a title as
the above. Doubtless they are referred to by the
author of * Cocke Lorclle's Bote ' where he speaks of —
Butlers, sterchers, and mustard-makers,
Hardeware men, mole seekers, and ratte-takers.
From the outer we may now naturally and fitly
turn to the provision for the inner man. Nor are we
without interesting relics also in this respect. We
have already described the process by which the flour
was provided. The agencies in the towns for the sale
of this, and the uses to which it was put, are all more
or less well defined, and well established also in our
present directories. I do not know whether French
rolls had obtained celebrity so early as this, but the
name of ' Richard Frenshbaker ' would seem at least
to give some kind of credence to the supposition.
There can be no doubt, however, that he dealt in a
fancy way, for in solid bread-baking the Saxon
'Baker' has ever kept his hands in the kneading-
trough, and need never fear, so far as our nomencla-
ture is concerned, being ousted therefrom. The
feminine form has become almost equally well estab-
364 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Hshed among us, ' Bagster ' or ' Baxter ' ^ or ' Backster'
(the latter spelling found in Foxe's Roll of Marian
martyrs) being among other forms of the old female
bakester.' Piers Plowman speaks of —
Baksteres, and brewcsteres,
And bochiers manye ;
and such good folk as ' Elias le Baxter ' or ' Ralph le
Bakster ' or ' Giliana le Bacster ' arc very plentifully
represented in our olden registers.^ Still the foreigner
did not give way without a struggle. We have
' Pollinger,' ' Bullingcr,' ' Bollinger,' and ' Ballinger,' as
corruptions of the ' boulanger ' or ' Richard le Bulen-
ger,' as he is recorded. In our 'Furners' we see the
representatives of such a name as 'William le Furner'
or ' Walter le Fernier,' he who looked to the oven,
while in the all but unaltered form of ' Pester ' we
may still not uncommonly meet with the descendants
of many an old ' Richard le Pestour ' or ' Herman le
Pestur,' who had spent the best of his days in the
bakehouse. Such a name as ' John Pastemakere ' or
' Gregory le Pastemakere ' or ' Andrew le Pycbakere,'
which once existed, reminds us of the pastrycook, a
member, as he then was, no doubt, of a by no means
unimportant fraternity — that of the ' Pastclers ' or
' Pie-bakers.' An old poem speaks of —
Drovers, cokes, and pulters,
Yermongcrs, pybakers, and \\aferers.
' The ordinances of the Guild of tlie Purification, Bishop's Lynn,
1367, are signed by 'Johannes Austyn, Baxter.' (English Guilds, p. 90.)
Capgrave, under date 205 B.C., says, ' hi tliis same tynie lyved the
eloquent man which hite (was called) I'lautus, and for al liis eloquens
he was compelled for to dwel with a baxter, and grinde his corn at a
querne.'
'^ The curious name of ' Sara le Bredeinongesterc ' occurs in the
' London Memorials' (Kiley),
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 365
Best known, however, to most people would he be
under the simple professional name of ' cook.' I need
not remind any student of olden English records how
familiar is ' Roger le Coke ' or * William le Cook ' or
'John Cokeman,' nor will he be astonished at his
being so well represented in all those forms in the
directories of the nineteenth century. I could give
endless references to show that this term was not
confined to the kitchen servitor. The 'City Archives'
give us an ordinance passed 2 Rich. II. (A.D. 1378) by
the * Cooks and Pastelers,' as an associated company,
and Piers Plowman speaks of
Punishing on pillories,
Or on pynnyng stools,
Brewesters, Bakers,
Bochers, and Cookes,
For these be men upon molde (earth)
That most harm worken
To the poor people.
' Cook ' or * Coke ' certainly holds a high position in
the scale of frequency at present, and, as I have had
occasion to notice in another chapter, is one of those
few tradal names that have taken to them the filial
desinence, ' Cookson ' being by no means uncommon.
Of all these we might have said much, but to mention
them must suffice, and to pass on. Solid bread-
baking, however, as I have just hinted, was not the
sole employment of this nature in early days. A
poem I have recently quoted speaks of 'waferers.'
Our 'Wafers,' relics of the old ' Simon' or ' Robert le
Wafre,' seem to have confined themselves all but
entirely to the provision of eucharistic bread, though
they W'Cre probably vendors also of those sweet and
366 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
spiced cakes which, under the name of ' marchpanes,'
were decidedly popular. Among other gifts that
Absolom the clerk gave Alison, Chaucer hints of —
Wafers piping hot out of the glcde,'
and the ' Pardoner,' in enumerating the company of
lewd folks of Flanders, speaks of ' fruitsters,' ' singers
with harps,' and 'waferers.' Piers Plowman puts
them amid still more disreputable associates. No
doubt, true to the old adage, * near the church, never
in it,' they were wont to hang about the sacred edifice
abroad and at home, ofiering their traffic to the de-
vouter worshippers as they entered in. We ourselves
know how searing to heart and conscience is such a
life as this. That all were not of this kind we are
reminded by the will of an Archbishop of York of the
thirteenth century, who therein bequeaths a certain
sum to two ' waferers,' evidently on account of their
exemplary conduct while conducting their trade at
the Minster door.
Chaucer, describing the prioress, says that —
With rested flesli, and milk, and wastel brede,
she fed her small hounds. Cakes of wastel were of
the purest flour and most careful bake, and were only
second to the simnel in quality. Wasteler, found in
such an entry as ' John Wasteler,' is extinct, but the
shorter * Wastel ' still exists in our midst. Probably,
in the latter case, it was originally but a sobriquet
' It is in this more general sense we find the word used in our present
Authorized Version. Thus in Lev. ii. 4, it is said : ' And if thou bring
an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened
cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with
oil.' — Tay to Ralph Crast the wafercr, 40?. of our gift.' ('Issues of
Exchequer,' 26 Henry III.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 367
affixed to a baker of this peculiar kind of bread.
It is in a similar manner, I doubt not, arose such
early nicknames as 'William Wytebred,' or 'John
Holibread,' or ' Roger Blancpain,' or ' Josce Barlibred,'
or ' Matilda Havercake,' or ' Lambert Simnel,' the
latter a name familiarized to the youngest student of
English history. Strange to say, ' Barlibred ' is the
only one of this list that has disappeared from our
directories, although ' Barleycorn ' was in existence,
I believe, but a few years ago. But to keep more
strictly to tradesmen : I have no doubt myself it is
here we must place our ' Mitcheners,' as makers of
the 'mitche' or 'mitchkin.' The diminutive was
the modern cracknel, while the larger seems to have
been a small loaf of mixed flour. Chaucer, in his
praise of contentment, says —
For he that hath mitches tweine,
Ne value in his demeine,
Liveth more at ease, and more is rich
Than doeth he that is chich (niggardly),
And in his barne hath sooth to saine,
A hundred mavis of wheat grain.
I have, however, no proof of the connexion I deem
exists, so I merely mention it and pass on. We
are more certain about our rare * Flawners ' and
* Planners,' ^ once the manufacturers of the ' flaon '
or ' flawn,' so popular as to have left its mark in
our * Pancake Tuesday.' Caxton, in his ' Boke for
Travellers,' says, ' of mylke and of eggs men make
' This corruption seems to have early become the accepted one. A
John Flanner entered C.C. Col., Cambridge, in 1649. [Hist. C.C.
Coll.). In 1641 another John Flanner was Rector of Kilverstone.
{Hist. Nor/., I. 546.)
Tt68 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
flawnes.' In the story of Havelok the Dane, too,
mention is made of —
Brede an chese, butere and milk,
Pasties and flaunes.
A ' Roger le Flaoner ' comes in the London Cor-
poration records, A.D. 1307, while much about the
same time I find a ' Walter le Flawner' in the Parlia-
mentary writs.
I have kept our ' Panyers' and * Panniers' till the
last, because there is just a shade of doubt as to
whether they owe their name to the manufacture of
the basket so-called or to the hawking of bread, the
very practice of which custom, so familiar as it was
then, has given us the term. The original meaning
of ' pannier,' the French * panier,' was bread-basket,
and the word seems to have acquired a peculiar pro-
minence from the fact that in mediaeval times bakers,
through being the subjects of a careful supervision,
were forbidden to sell their bread anywhere but in
the public market — nay, so particular were the
authorities with regard to this that an officer was
specially appointed to watch the * hutches,' boxes, or
baskets in which the loaves were exposed. A surname
' Robert le Huchereve' is even found in the Guildhall
records as a relic of this. We can thus readily under-
stand how hawkers of these portable covers or baskets
would acquire the sobriquet of ' panyers.' Certain it
is we find such entries as ' Simon le Pannier,' ' Robert
le Pannere,' ' Amiscus Panarius,' or ' Geoffrey Pany-
man,' while in another register the occupation of
' panycre ' is distinctly mentioned. We can equally
readily understand how from this the term itself
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 369
would, in course of time, obtain a wider and more
general sense. That it has done so the donkey's pan-
niers are a proof. It is, however, somewhat strange,
when we reflect upon it, that perhaps the last thing
we should expect to see borne in this fashion in the
present day would be that very article to which the
receptacle itself owed its name.
It is somewhat remarkable that while our direc-
tories possess many records of the early manufacture
of and traffic in cheese, yet there are no names what-
ever in the present day, I believe, and barely any in
the past, which arc associated with the most impor-
tant of all country produce — butter.^ The most satis-
factory clue to the difficulty will be to suppose that
the cheese-merchant of that day, as often in the
present, dealt in both articles. This is the more
likely, as the many sobriquets given to dealers in
cheese in the fourteenth century would appear to give
that edible, important as it was and is, a greater
prominence than singly it deserved. Thus we find
such names as ' Edward le Chescman' or ' Robert le
Chesemaker,' 'John Ic Chesewright,' or 'William
le Cheswright,' or ' Alen Ic Chesmongere,' as repre-
sentatives of the Saxons, figuring somewhat conspicu-
ously in the registers of the period.^ For the foreign
element, too, cognomens were not wanting. ' Bene-
dict' or 'Michael le Casiere' may even now be living
' Since writing the above I have found a ' William Buttyrman ' in
the Test. Ebor., vol. iii., Surtees Soc, but I can discover no trace
of its continuance beyond its immediate possessor.
- The Hundred Rolls furnish us with the local ' Adam del Cheshus,'
i.e., Cheese-house. He would be connected with some country dairy
or city store-room. The name is formed like 'Malthus,' from 'Malt-
house,' or ' Loftus,' from 'Loft-house.'
£ B
370 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
in our ' Cayzers,' if they be not but another form of
' Kaiser,' and ' Wilkin le Furmager ' or ' Wilham le
Formager' in our ' Firmingers,' is in no risk of imme-
diate obHvion. The majority of the Saxon forms, I
need scarcely add, are also thriving in our midst.
It may seem somewhat strange that ' grocer,' of
all trades the most important, so far as the kitchen is
concerned, should be so rarely represented in our
nomenclature. But the reason is simple enough. To
sell in the gross, or wholesale, was a second and later
step in commercial practice. A 'John Guter, Gros-
sarius,' appears in the London City Rolls so early as
1 310, but it had scarcely become a familiar name of
trade till the close of the fourteenth century.^ In
1363 a statute of Edward III. speaks concerning
' Merchauntz nomez Grossers,' so termed because
they ' engrossent totes maners des marchandises ven-
dables,' and then enhanced the price on each separate
article. Before this they had been known as the
Fepperers, or Spiccrs Guild, such names as ' John le
Espicer' or ' Nicholas le Espiccr ' occurring not unfre-
quently at this period. Spice, indeed, was the then
general term for all manner of drugs, aromatic and
pungent, which were brought into England by foreign
and especially Venetian merchants from the East.
These were carried up and down the country again
' In the country, and more north, wc shall scarcely find the teiin to
have made any way till even the fifteenth century. In tlie York Pa-
geant which occurred in 141 5, and was supposed to represent, as a
survey of its programme shows it evidently did, every trade or occupa-
tion that could claim the slightest right to attention, we do not find it
having a place. The 'Spicers' and '.Sauce-makers' are prominent,
however, and they, no doubt, even then were upholding the interests of
the trade which by-and-by was to go under this new sobriquet.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 37 1
by the itinerant traders, so many of whom I have
already referred to in a previous chapter. An old
song, written against the mendicant friars, relates
that, among other of their vagaries —
Many a dyvers spyse
In bagges about they bear.
As I have just stated, however, the term ' Grocer '
superseded that of ' Spicer,' and as such seems to
have confined its dealings to the modernly received
limit at an early date. As we must have already seen,
each want had always hitherto been met by its own
special dealer. With us now the Cutler would supply
all the 'Knifesmith' and * Spooner' then separately
furnished ; while our * Ironmongers ' or * Hosiers '
or ' Upholdsters ' would each swallow up half-a-dozen
of former occupations. Thus it was here. Our 'John
le Saucers' or ' Ada la Saucers ' provided salt pickle.*
As with the * Frankelein,' so with many another
there —
Wo was his cook, but if his sauce were
Poinant and sharpe, and redy all his gear.
'Peter le Salter' or 'Hugh Saltman' furnished forth
the chloride itself; ' William le Mustarder' or ' Peter le
Mustardman,' or 'Alice Mustard-maker/ the mustard ;
' Thomas le Pepperer,' ^ now spelt 'Pepper,' the pepper;
' 'Joan Sausemaker' occurs in the Corpus Christi Guild, York.
^ 'John Nutmaker' gave to a loan upon Middlesex in 1463. (Viiie
ScobelFs Declarations of Pari., 429.) This name has troubled me
much. Halliwell has 'nut,' a term for sweet-bread in the eastern
counties. Failing this, I can only suggest 'nutmegger,' and place it
among those set down in the text.
B B 2
372 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
'Ralph le Soper' or 'Adam le Savonier,' the soap.
Each set before his customers' eyes those pecuHar
articles of household consumption their names seve-
rally represent. All these, having flourished in the
earlier age, established for themselves a better place
in our register than our rare ' Grosers ' or ' Grossers,'
who in this respect only appeared in time to save
themselves from oblivion, though they have long ago
revenged themselves on their humbler brethren by
swallowing up entire the occupations they followed.
It is curious to note that in later days, through the
various accessions of luxury, the result in well-nigh
every case of foreign discovery, even ' Grocer ' has
failed to comprehend all. In our country villages
we all but invariably find added 'and licensed dealer
in tea, coffee, tobacco, snuff, &c.' In our towns,
however, this addendum has been dropped, and a
' grocer's shop ' is the place we turn to, without
thought of refusal, for these modern introduced
luxuries. What changes in our domestic resources
are here presented for our notice ! In my previous
chapter it was the ovcr-abundancc of certain rural
and primitive surnames which told the story of the
times in which they sprang. The contrary is here the
case. It is in the absence of particular names, some
of which I have already noticed, we have the best
guide to the extraordinary changes that have taken
place in our household economy. Look at our tea-
table. Already in the two short centuries from its
introduction this article has given its name to a
special meal, having thrown the once afternoon supper
into a nocturnal repast. Even Shakespeare could only
say —
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 373
Now can I break my fast, dine, sup, and sleep, '
How strangely would it have affected our nomencla-
ture had this and other like novelties been brought in
earlier. We should have had ' William le Coffyer '
giving us endless anxiety in the endeavour to separate
it from the actual ' Godfrey le Coffrer.' We should
have had, too, such folk as 'John le Riceman,' 'Walter
le Snuffer,' ' Ralph le Tobacconer,' shortened into
' Bacconer,' and the still more awkward ' le Potato-
man,' almost as inconvenient as ' Garlickmonger,'
though doubtless it would have been quickly curtailed
into ' Taterman ' or ' Taterer ' or ' Tatman ' and
' Tatter,' and later on again into other forms too
obscure to contemplate. The very recounting of
these changes, which are strictly on a par with other
names of a less hypothetical character, serve to im-
press us with the difficulties we have to encounter in
the task of deciphering many of our surnames after
the wear and tear they have undergone through
lapsing generations.
But I must not wander. The sale of vegetables
and fruits left its mark in our former ' John le Frue-
mongers ' and 'Ralph le Frueters,' and 'Hugh le
Fruters ;' ' Richard le Graper ' testifying seemingly to
' We are all familiar with the old adage,
'After dinner sit awhile,
After supper walk a mile ':
it often used to puzzle me that this last line, while speaking from a
medical point of view, should so calmly give up the general question as
to whether suppers were or were not advisable as a part of the domestic
regime. When we remember, however, that the couplet doubtless
arose in a day when dinner was at twelve and supper at five or six, we
can better understand its intent.
374 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
a more specific dealing. Our ' Butchers ' of course
have been busy enough from the day that the Nor-
mans brought them in. The variety of spelhng which
is found in olden records of this name is so great
that I dare not attempt a list, but I believe there still
exist, sans the article, such of the old forms as *le
Bouchier,' ' le Bowcher,' and ' le Bowsher,' while
' Botcher' is at least not altered in sound from * le
Bochere ' of the same period — ' Labouchere,' which
preserves this article, is of more modern introduction
from the Gallic shore. But the Norman was not
without his rivals. Such names as * Walter le Flesh-
mongere,' or ' Eudo le Flesshemongere,' or ' Richard
le Flesmongere,' ' prove that the Saxon did not give
up even this branch of daily occupation without a
struggle, and in the two isolated cases of ' William
Fleschour' and 'John Fleshcwer' that I have lit upon
we are reminded that Scotland, with its still flourishing
' flesher,' is but the asylum where this truly Saxon
term found its latest retreat. Even yet in England
with the country folk the butchers' shambles are the
' flesh-market.' That ' Fleshmonger ' was the col-
loquial term, we may prove from a list of tradesmen
mentioned in ' Cocke Lorelle's Bote,' a poem I have
already quoted several times ; reference is there made
to—
Woolemen, vyntcrers ami flcsshcmoiigers,
Salters, jewelers, and liaberdashers.
• William Fleshmonger, D.C.L., was Dean of Chichester in 1528.
(I/ist. Univ. Oxford. Ackermann, p. 154.)
'Also, the usage of fleshemongcres ys svvych, tliat everych fleshe-
niongcre ' not a freman shall pay 25(/. a year to the King if he have a
stall. (Usages of IVituhcstcr. £ng/is/i GiMs, ^$^.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 375
The ' Pardoner,' too, in the same poem, thus begins
his roll —
Here is first Cocke Lorelle the Knyght,
And Symkyn Emery, mayntenaunce agaynz ryght ;
With Slyngethryfte Fleshemonger.
But if not in the common mouth, yet in our rolls
there were two other names of this craft, which we
must not pass over unrecorded. They were those of
' Carnifex ' and ' Massacrer,' both representing the
slaughter-house, I doubt not. The existence of the
former would lead us to suppose that the old Roman
hangsman was settled in our midst, but it was merely
a mediaeval Latinism for a butcher.^ After the fashion
of the time nicknames were affixed upon everybody,
and our ' Butchers ' and ' Slaughters ' did not escape.
The Hundred Rolls alone register the names of
' Reginald CuUebol,' ' Henry Cullebulloc,' * William
Cullehare,' and ' William Culle-hog,' or in more
modern parlance 'Kill-bull,' 'Kill-bullock,' 'Kill-
hare,' and ' Kill-hog.' The original and more correct
' The following list in one of our early statutes will help to fami-
liarize the reader's mind with some of these niediteval Latinisms :
' Item, sallarii, pelletarii, allutarii, sutores, cissores, fabri, carpen-
tarii, cementarii, tegularii, batellarii, carectarii, et quicunque alii arti-
fices non capiant pro labore et artificio suo,' etc.
' Item, quod carnifices, piscenarii, hostellarii, braciatorcs, pislores,
pullctarii et omnes alii vcnditores victualium teneantur hujus-modi
victualia vcndere,' etc. {Stat, of Realm, vol. i. p. 308.)
The first list refers to the ' saddlers, skinners, whitetawyers, shoe-
makers, taylors, wrights, carpenters, masons, tylers, boatwrights, and
carters ; ' the second to the ' butchers, fishmongers, taverners, .
brewers, bakers, and poulterers.' With regard to the 'Carnifex' we
may add that among other items of expenditui^e belonging to Edw. I.'s
Queen at Cawood is mentioned ' cxpensa duorum carnificum eosdem
boves emencium.'
376 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* poulter,' he who dealt in ' poults ' or poultry, as we
now term it, has bequeathed his name to our ' Poul-
ters ' and ' Pulters.' Such names as ' Adam le Puleter,'
or * Bernard le Poleter,' or ' William le Pulter,' by the
frequency with which we come across them, show how
much did the farmyard help to provide in these days
for the supply of the dining-table.
I have no peny,
Poletes to biigge (buy),
says Langland, showing that in his time they were
commonly exhibited for sale. Indeed, the fact that
in the York Festival of 141 5 the 'bouchers' and
' pulterers ' walked in procession together clearly
proves their importance at the period in which the
surname arose.
We have already mentioned the fishmonger, or
what was practically the fishmonger, the fisherman, in
our last chapter while surveying rural occupations.
Our rare 'Pessoners'' as representative of the Norman,
and common * Fishers ' of the Saxon, lived in a day
when under Roman ecclesiastic influences fish was of
infinitely more importance than it is in this nineteenth
century, when it is merely used as a go-between or
mediator to soothe down the differences betwixt soup
and beef Then the year was dotted with days of
abstinence, or strongly indented with seasons like
Lent. Among the higher circles it mattered but
little. So much had the culinary art excelled in
' ' Egeas Fisher, or Pessoner,' was Mayor of Gloucester in 1 24 1.
(Rudder's Gloucestershire, \i. 113.) ' Ralf Ic Pecimer ' was bailiff of
Norwich in 1 239. {Broniefield, iii. 58.) This is a manifest corruption
of Pessoner.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 377
respect of fish that such periods as they came round
only brought to the epicurean mind visions of gas-
tronomic skill that put the sterner and weightier joints
utterly in the background for the time being. Pasties
of herrings, congers, or lampreys were especially popu-
lar, and, judging from the lists of courses contained in
some of our records, that only one of our mediaeval
monarchs should have succumbed to the latter is
simply an historic marvel ! Dishes too were prepared
from the whale, the porpoise, the grampus, and the
sea-wolf 'It is lamentable,' says, facetiously, a
writer in ' Chambers's Book of Days,' referring to
these viands as Lent repasts, ' to think how much sin
they thus occasioned among our forefathers, before they
were discovered to be mammalian.''
A curious name is found in the Hundred Rolls,
that of ' Symon Haryngbredere.' In what particular
way he carried on his occupation I do not know.
* Richard le Harenger ' is more explicable. Our
' Conders ' were partners in the fishing excursions of
the above. A full account of their duties may be
found in Cowel's 'Interpreter,' published in 1658.
The conder stood upon the higher cliffs by the sea
coast in the time of herring fishing, and with a staff
or branch of a tree made signs to the boatmen which
way the shoal was going. It seems there is a certain
discoloured aspect of the water as they pass along,
which is more apparent from an elevation than from
the level of the sea.^ In mediaeval times the plaice
' That this is the real origin of this name may be proved by I
James I. c. xxiii., which is entitled an 'Acteforthe better preserva-
tion of Fishinge in the Counties of Somersett, Devon, and Cornwall,
and for the relief of Balkers, Conders, and Fishermen against malicious
378 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
was a very favourite dish. The term it usually went
by was that of 'but.' Thus it is, I doubt not, we
meet with such entries, as ' William le Butor ' or
' Hugh Butmonger.' From some fancied resemblance
to this fish, too, it would be that such humorous
sobriquets as ' Walter le But ' or * John le But ' would
arise.
But while good and solid food could thus be pur-
chased on every hand, we must not forget drink, for
our forefathers were great tipplers. I have already
mentioned our ' William le Viners ' or ' Roger le
Vinours,' in most cases, I doubt not, strictly cultiva-
tors of that plant on English soil. None the less
certain, however, is it that our many early 'John le
Vineturs ' or ' Alexander le Vineters ' were also, as
merchants, employed in the importation of the varied
wines of the Continent into our land. How abundant
and how diverse they were an old poem shall tell us —
Ye shall have Spayneshe wyne and Gascoyne,
Rose colure, whyt, claret, rampyon,
Tyre, capryck, and malvesyne,
Sak, raspyce, alycaunt, nimney,
Greke, ipocrase, new made clary,
Such as ye never had.
The entry ' Adam le W^ncter ' reminds us that in all
probability it is to our early wine-merchants also we
suites.' In it too is found the folio A'ing: 'And whereas also for the
necessarie use of the takinge of the said Herring . , . divers
persons . . . called Balcors, Huors, Condors, Directors, or
Guidors, at the fishing tymes . . . tyme out of mynde have used
to watch and attend upon the high hilles and groundc near adjoining to
the sea coast ... for the discoverie and givinge notice to the
fisherman,' etc. (Stat, of Realm.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 379
owe our ' Winters.' ' Walter le Brewers/ or 'Emma le
Brewsteres,' or * Lawrence Beerbrewers,' ^ abound on
every hand. We are reminded of the last by ' Cocke
Lorelle' —
Chymney-swepers, and costerde-mongers,
Lodemen and berebrewers.
The Norman equivalent for our * brewer ' was ' bracer,'
and thus it is we meet with such a name as ' Stephen
le Bracer ' or ' Clarissa la Braceresse.' Latinized
forms are found in 'Reginald Braciator' or * Letitia
Braciatrix.' Brewing was at first entirely in the hands
of women. We have here ' brewster,' ' braceress,'
and ' braciatrix,' and such phrases as ' alewife ' and
the obsolete ' brewife ' (though it lingered on till
Shakespeare's day) show the ale-making and ale-
selling business to have been mainly hers. ' Malter ' ^
and ' Maltster ' or ' Malster ' both exist, but the latter
has ever denoted the avocation.^ 'Tapper' and
' Tapster,' too, are both occupants of our directories,
but as a term of industry the latter has ever held its
own.'* It is the same with several other occupations
' ' Lawrence Beerbrewer' occurs in a Norfolk register. {Hist. Nor/.
iv- 357') ' Lambert Beerbrewer' was one of the Corp. Christi Guild,
York. (Surt. Soc.)
^ ' Malter' I have failed to discover in our archives, but ' Aleyn le
Maltestere ' and ' Hugh le Maltmakere ' are both found. On the other
hand, while I have no feminine ' Tapster ' to adduce, I have hit upon
'Robert leTappere' and 'John le Tapper' in two separate records.
* A curious name is found in the St. Edmund's Guild, Bishop's
Lynn, the ordinances of which are signed by ' Johannes Mashemaker '
{English Guilds, p. 96), evidently a maker of mash-vats or of the
mashel, i.e., the rudder used for mixing the malt. (v. Maschd
Pr. Par.)
* Another proof of this is contained in the fact that in all allusions
in our olden ordinances to false dealings in the brewing and sale of ale
38o ENGLISH SURNAMES.
which we have already noticed. It is so with ' bread-
baking,' manifesting a woman's work. As we have
already seen, the familiar expression in olden times
was ' bakester,' now represented by our * Baxters.' It
is so with weaving. Our nomenclature, as I have
previously shown, still preserves the 'Webster' and
the * Kempster ' from being forgotten. In the winter
evening, as the logfire crackled on the hearth, and
while the good man was chopping wood, or tending
his cattle, or mending his outdoor gear, who but his
wife should be drawing woof and warp in the chimney
nook .'' Whose work but hers should this be to clothe
with her own thrifty fingers the backs of them who
belonged to her .'' But, as with the others, her work
in time became less a home occupation than a public
the punishment affixed is that of the tumbrel, the instrument for women,
corresponding to the pillory for men. I would not be mistaken. I
cannot doubt but that malster, tapster, baxter, webster, and kempster
were feminine occupations, and arose first in these forms as such. But
in the xivth century the distinction between *er' and 'ster' was
dropped through the Norman-French ' ess ' becoming the popular
termination. As 'ess' became still more strongly imbedded in the
language, ' ster ' came into but more irregidar use, and by the time
of Eliz.ibcth men spoke of 'drugster,' 'teamster,' 'rhymster,'
'whipster,' 'trickster,' 'gamester.' {Eiii^lish Accidence, p. 90.)
That this confusion was marked even in the earlier part of the xivth
century, not to say the close of the xiiith, is clearly proved by such
registered names as 'Thatcher' and ' Thaxter,' 'Palliser' and
' Pallister,' 'Hewer' and ' Hewster,' ' Bcgger ' and ' Bcggister,'
'Blacker' (bleacher) and ' Blaxter,' 'Dyer' and ' Dystcr,'
'Whiter' and 'Whitstcr,' 'Corviser' and 'Corvester,' and
' Bullinger, ' or 'Billinger,' and ' Billingster.' An old statute of
Ed. HI. (Statute jRealtu, I, 380) mentions 'filesters,' 'throwsters,'
and ' brawdesters ; ' and Dr. Morris quotes ' bellringster,' ' hoardster,'
and 'washster.' These latter are xiith and xiiith century words, and
were strictly confined to women.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 38 1
craft, and thus it got into the hands of the male
creation. While ' Spinner ' still flourishes as a sur-
name, the feminine * spinster ' never obtained a place
in our nomenclature.' This is no doubt to be attri-
buted to that early position it took in regard to
female relationship, which it still holds. This would
naturally prevent it from losing its strictly feminine
character.'-*
A vintner went commonly by the name of a wine
tunner, tunner itself being the ordinary term for one
engaged in casking liquor. 'Tun ' rather than ' barrel '
was in use. In the ' Confessio Amantis ' it is said of
Jupiter that he —
Hath in his cellar, as men say,
Two townes full of lovedrink.
Thus have arisen such words as ' tunnel ' or ' tun-dish,'
the vessel with broad rim and narrow neck, used for
transferring the wine from cask to bottle. That our
nomenclature should possess tokens of all this was
inevitable. We find such names as ' Edmund le
Tonder ' (F.F.),^ ' William Tundcr ' (F.F.), ' William le
Toneleur ' (H.), ' William le Tonier ' (H.), ' Richard le
Tundur' (T.), 'Hugh le Tundcr' (A.), or 'Ralph le
Toneler ' (A.) Till the close of the fifteenth century
wine of home-production was the common drink, for,
though beer was not by any means unknown to us, it
was not till the Flemings brought us the hop that it
' I find the term used occupatively once. Cocke Lorellc speaks of
' Spynsters, carders, and cappe-knytters.'
* 'Juliana Rokster ' occurs in an old record of 1388 (R.R. 2). The
*rock' was the old distaff. (Vide p. 74, note 2.)
• 'Edmund le Tonder' was bailiff of NorM'ich, 1237.
382 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
became a familiar beverage. We all know the old
couplet —
Hops, Reformation, baize, and beer,
Came into England all in one year.
Previous to this various bitter ingredients had been
admixtured, chiefly, however, wormwood. 'John de
la Bruere ' or ' William de Bruario ' are the local sur-
names met with in early records.
But we have been wandering. The Mayor of
York in 1273 was 'John le Espicer, aut Apotecarius ' *
(so the record is put), and while the two trades were
distinct in character, there can be no doubt at the
period referred to there would be much in common
between them. The one would sell certain spices
and drugs as ingredients for dishes, while the other
disposed of the same for medicinal uses. Our ' Potti-
carys,' of course, represent the latter. The term itself,
professionally speaking, is fast becoming obsolete,
having been forced into the background by our
' chemists ' and ' druggists.' But in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries it was the one name for all
such. In the ' Pardoner's Tale ' the abbreviated form'^
is familiarly used —
' The bailiffof Gloucester, in the year 1300, was ' Robert L'espicer,
or Apothecary.' (Rudder's G/ouccsiers/iin; \->. 114.)
^ We have a similar curtailment in our ' Prentices' or ' Prentis's '
(relics of ' William le Prentiz ' or ' Nicholas Apprenticius ') a name of
the most familiar import at the time of which we are speaking.
Chaucer begins his ' Cook's Tale ' by saying —
'A prentis whilom dwelt in our citec,
And of a craft of vitaillers was he.'
In the early days of national commerce and industry, when the jealousy
of foreign craftsmen was at its^lcight, the prentice boys showed them-
selves on various occasions a fomiidable body, capable of arousing riots
and tumults of the most serious character.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 383
And forth he goth, no longer would he tarry,
Into the town unto a Potecary,
And praied him that he him wolde sell
Some poison, that he might his ratouns (rats) quelL
Such men as 'John le Chirurgien ' or 'Thomas le
Surigien' are occasionally found,. but through the fact
of the craft being all but entirely in the hands of the
barber, they are rare, and I do not see that they have
surnominally bequeathed us any descendants. Even
so late as the reign of Elizabeth this connection seems
to have commonly existed. In the orders and rules
for an academy for her wards the following passage
occurs with respect to the teaching of medicine : —
'The Phisition shall practize to reade Chirurgerie,
because, thorough wante of learning therein, we have
verie few good Chirurgions, yf any at all, by reason
that Chirurgerie is not now to be learned in any other
place than in a Barbor's shoppe. And in that shoppe
most dawngerous, especially in time of plague, when
the ordinary trimming of men for clenlynes must be
done by those which have to do with infected per-
sonnes.' ' That ' Thomas Blodlettere ' and ' William
Blodlettere ' should be conspicuous by their absence
in modern rolls is not surprising. Their former exist-
ence, however, reminds us how in the past the fleshy
arms of our forefathers were constantly exposed to
this once thought panacea for all physical ills. It has
long ceased, however, to be the resortment it was,
and science, by taking it out of the tonsor's hands,
has left it to the wiser discretion of a more cultivated
and strictly professional class. We have no traces of
the dentist, as he too was absorbed in the barbi-
• Early Eng. Text Soc, Extra Series, vol. viii. p. 6.
384 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
tonsorial craft. Some lines, quoted by Mr. Hotten
in his interesting book on ' Signboards,' remind us of
this —
His pole with pewter basons hung,
Black, rotten teeth in order strung,
Rang'd cups that in the window stood,
Lined with red rags to look like blood,
Did well his threefold trade explain,
Who shaved, drew teeth, and breathed a vein.
Here, therefore, we see one more explanation of the
plentifulness of our ' Barbers,' ' Barbours,' * Barbors,'
and more uncouth-seeming * Barbars.' The old
records give us an equal or even greater variety in
such registrations as * John le Barber,' ' Richard Ic
Barbour,' ' Nicholas le Barbur,' ' Thomas le Barbi-
tonsor,' or 'Ralph Tonsor;'^ while feminine skill in
operating upon the chins of our forefathers is comme-
morated in such an entry as ' Matilda la Barbaresse.'
It is just possible, however, that she kept an appren-
tice, although such things are still to be seen, I believe,
as women-shavers. But the one chief sobriquet for
the medical craft, and the one which, excepting our
* Barbers,' has made the deepest indenture upon our
nomenclature, was that of * Leech ' — zaas, I say, for
saving in our cow-leeches it is now, professionally
speaking, obsolete. In our many 'Leeches,' 'Leaches,'
and ' Leachmans,' however, its reputation is not likely
soon to be forgotten. With the country folk it was
the one familiar term in use. Langland, while speak-
ing of —
' The surname of ' Shaver ' was not miknown then as now.
' JefiTery Schavere' was rector of Fincham, Norfolk, in 1409 (Brome-
field). ' Henry Shavetail,' an evident nickname, occurs in the Patent
Rolls (R.R.I).
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 385
One frere Flaterie,
Physician and surgien,
makes mention also of —
Conscience called a Leche
That could well shryve,
To go salve those that sike ben,
And through synne y- wounded.
• Le Leche ' is the general spelling of earlier times,
and it is that of the lines just quoted.' The Hundred
Rolls furnish us with a ' Hugh le Leche,' while
' Robert le Leche ' figures in the Parliamentary Writs.
Having just referred to the barber, we may here
introduce an obsolete surname somewhat connected
with his craft, that of ' le Loveloker.' In the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries the lovelock was as familiar
as the chignon is in the nineteenth, only that the
former was worn alike by men and women. They
wore curls or plaits of hair, oftentimes adorned with
bows or ribbons, and hung in front of the ear and
about the temples. If false, the hair was fastened by
means of adhesive plaster. In the ' Affectionate
Shepherd ' it is thus alluded to —
Why should thy sweete love-locke hang dangling downe,
Kissing thy girdle-stud with falling pride ?
Although thy skin be white, thy hair is browne ;
Oh let not then thy haire thy beautie hide.
How long this custom existed, and how commonly
the exquisites of the period wore these pendants, we
' In a popular poem of Henry the Eighth's time mention is made
of—
' Ilarpemakers, leches, and upholdsters.
Porters, fesycyens, and corsers. *
C C
386 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
may judge by the fact of a 'Walter le Loveloker'
occurring in the Hundred Rolls of the fourteenth
century. Probably he added to this the craft of
peruke-maker, and between the two, I doubt not,
throve and grew fat — for wigs too were an early
institution. The surname of occupation has been
long obsolete, but the simpler ' Lovelock ' is firmly
set in our registers.
In a day when the luxury of gas was unknown,
and the hearth, burning more generally with wood
than coal, would throw but a chequered light athwart
the room, we ought not to be surprised to find the
chandlery business to be somewhat demonstrative,
and so it is. In such a name as ' Michel le Oyneter '
or ' Hointer,' we are reminded of the old melter of
grease, and of the equally old English term ' to oint,'
for to 'anoint.' With him, therefore, we may asso-
ciate such of his confreres as ' William le Candel-
maker,' ' Roger le Chaundeler,' ' Richard le Chaund-
ler,' 'William le Candeler,' ' or 'Thomas le Candleman,'
names all in existence formerly, some of which still
abide with us. In ' William le Cirgier ' we are once
more reminded of the earlier religious rites of our
Church and its many vigils, from a performance of
which he who dealt in wax tapers, or ciergcs, as they
were then styled, would derive no doubt a steady
gain. In the ' Romance of the Rose ' wc arc told —
The nine thousand maidens dere,
That bcren in Heaven their cierges clere.
Of which men rede in church and sing,
Were take in secular clothing.
• Johannes Thurton, Candelerc. (Guild of St. George, Norwich.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 387
With these latter then it is we must associate such a
name as ' John Wexmaker.'
While, however, we are dwelling upon such and
similar wants in the domestic consumption, we are
naturally led to make inquiry concerning the utensils
in fashion at this period, and of those who provided
them. Of drinking vessels we have many, for, as we
have previously hinted, this was a decidedly drinking
age. Chief of all was the ' Mazerer.' No word
could be in more familiar use in the day we are speak-
ing of than the ' macer ' or * maslin,' carved from the
maple. It was the favourite bowl of all classes of
society. By the rich it was valued according as it
was made from the knotted grain, or chased and
rimmed with gold and silver and precious gems. We
are told of Sire Thopas how that —
They fetched him first the swete win,
And made eke in a maselin,
And real spicerie.
There is scarce a record of any magnitude or impor-
tance which has not its several surnames derived from
the occupation of carving this cup, and as the term
itself was variously pronounced and spelt, so did the
name vary. For instances the Hundred Rolls give us
' Adam le Mazerer ;' the Close Rolls, * William le
Macerer ;' the Warranty Rolls, ' William le Mazeliner ;*
and the London Records give us again a 'John le
Mazerer.' Besides these we have ' Mazclyn,' ' Maselyn,'
and ' Mazarin,' probably sign-names, the latter fami-
liarised to us in the celebrated Cardinal of that name.
Strange to say, ' Maslin ' and ' Masscr,' or ' Macer,'
all rare, are now the only relics we possess of this
c c 2
388 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
once well-known surname and occupation. No instance
I can furnish more clearly demonstrates the uncer-
tainty of descent in our personal nomenclature. Such
a name as ' Geoffrey le Hanaper ' or * William Ham-
permaker' bequeaths us a strange story of changed
circumstance. The shorter appellation, common
enough at this time, still lives in our ' Hampers.'
While the macer was invariably of maple, the ' hanap,'
or two-handed goblet, might be of wood or metal.
From the fact of a ' hanaper,' Latinized in our
archives into ' hanaperium,' being the crate where
these hanaps were kept, it acquired a secondary sense
of a repository for things of a more general character.
Thus has arisen the * Hanaper Office' ' in Chancery,
where writs were treasured up in a basket ; and thus
also it is that we now talk of a ' hamper,' a term so
delightfully familiar to schoolboys about Christmas
time. Our common ' Bowlers ' represent such olden
personages as ' Robert le Bollere ' or ' Adam le
Boloure,' they who made the cheap wooden ' bowl '
or ' boll.' The old spelling still survives botanically
in such a phrase as we find in the Authorized Version,
where it speaks of the ' flax being boiled,' that is, the
seed vessel was forming. It is always so spelt with
our mediaeval writers. Thus Glutton, in the ' Plow-
' Thus we find in an indenture of Henry the Seventh's reign it is
said at the close : ' And over this oure said Souveraigne Lorde
grauntctli by these presents to the said Ahbas and Convent that they
shall have as well this present Indenture as all other grauntes necessary,
wythout eny fyne, fee, or other thyng to hym orto his use in
his Chauncerie, or Hanapore, or other place to be payde.' (Stat, of
I\ealm, vol. ii. p. 671.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 389
man's Vision,' after sleeping away his last drunken
bout, wakes, and —
The firste worde that he warpe
Was, ' Were is the bolle ? '
' William le Cuppere ' and ' Richard le Kuppere,'
while engaged in the same occupation, are, speaking
surnominally, absorbed, I doubt not, by our' Coopers'
and ' Cowpers.' ' Copper ' may be but another antique
form of the same. Langland speaks of — â–
Coupes of clere gold
And coppes of silver.
I shall have occasion almost immediately to mention
Chaucer, as speaking of ' turning cups,' which would
seem to infer that they too were often made of wood.
Another name once existing was that of ' Doubler,'
a maker or seller of the ' doubler ' or ' dobeler,' or
dish ; a term derived from the French ' doublier,'
The word is still in use in the North of England,' and
both ' Doubler ' and ' Doubleman ' are in our directories
of to-day. The name of ' Scutelaire ' must be set
here also, though when we think of our modern coal-
scuttle we might imagine it somewhat of an interloper.
A change, however, has come over the stricter mean-
ing of the word. A 'scutcl' was formerly nothing
more nor less than a wooden or metallic dish or platter
used on our early dressdirs for culinary purposes. It
seems ever to have had its place in the dining-hall, for
in the household expenses of Bishop Swinfield (Cam-
den Soc.) we find the entry, 'xv. scutellis, xvii.
' Vide V^Siy'% Fro tn^t Fan.'., p. 124.
390 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
salsariis.' The learned editor of this book, com-
menting upon this passage, says, ' " scutella " is a word
of somewhat extensive appHcation to dishes or platters,
saucers or salvers, and it is retained in our .present
English " scuttle." ' I doubt not Avith him that while
* scutum,' a shield, is the root, the term is here in-
tended to refer to the large flat spoons or plates used
for the sauce-dishes. It is from his resemblance to
these that some wide-mouthed country bumpkin is
set down in the Hundred Rolls as ' Arnold Scutel-
muth,' while the occupation of making them finds its
memorial in the Rolls of Parliament in such a
sobriquet as 'James le Scutelaire.' Speaking, how-
ever, of the dining table, we may here mention the
cutler. Of such a name as ' Henry Knyfesmythe ' I
have already had occasion to hint. The cutler enjoyed,
or perhaps I ought to say was the victim of, a very
uncertain orthography in mediaeval times, and some of
the forms found are extremely curious. I may cite
such personages as 'Richard le Cutyler,' ' John le
Cotiler,' ' Peter le Cotyler,' ' Henry le Cotelcr,' or
* Solomon le Cotillcr ' as representative of those which
were then most in vogue. All are now content, it would
seem, to be absorbed in the simple ' Cutler.' Strange
to say, I cannot find a single ancestor of our familiar
' Spooner.' A mediaeval rhymester, however, speaks of
' sponers, turners, and hatters.' With many of these
names I have just mentioned • the ironmonger would
have much to do. The uncertain form of the term
used for this material gave rise to three familiar words,
those of ' iron,' ' ise,' or ' ire.' Trevisa speaks of Eng-
land as being plenteous in ' vcynes of mctayls, of
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 39 1
bras, of yre, of leed, of tyn, of selver.'^ Thus while
' Henry le Ironmonger ' dealt, as no one of my readers
will doubt, in vessels and utensils of the material his
name suggests, it is not to be supposed that ' Geoffrey
le Iremonger ' or ' William le Irremongere' was but a
cant nickname for one of splenetic temperament ; or
that in * Isabel le Isemonger ' or ' Agnes la Ismongere'
we have traces of any disposition for those frozen
creams which in the hot summer time we of the nine-
teenth century are so glad to seek on the confectioner's
counter. All alike were hardware manufacturers.
The present forms are ' Iremonger,' ' Irmonger,' and
* Ironmonger.'
It may seem strange that wood should hold such
a conspicuous position in work of a culinary nature,
but it is with good reason. We must remember all
our ornamental fictile vessels were unknown to our
forefathers. It was not till the close of the sixteenth
century they came into any settled use. It is to this
circumstance we must doubtless refer the extraordinary
prevalence of our * Turners.' Not the least important
articles of their workmanship would be the vessels
they turned off from the lathe. That Jack-of-all-
trades, the Miller of Trumpington, could, according
to Chaucer, amongst his many other achievements,
* turn cuppes.'^ When wood, however, was not used,
the utensils were of the roughest character — mugs,
jars, and such like vessels, formed of the common
' Thus the author of Cocke Lordle's Bote refers to —
' Yermongers, pybakers, and waferers,
Fruyters, chesemongers, and mynstrelles.'
2 * There dwelled also turners of beads, and they were patemoster-
makers' (Stow, iii. 174). The term was evidently very general.
392 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
baked and glazed clay, and reserved for the ruder
requirements of the household. Our * Stephen le
Crockers ' and ' John le Crokers ' (P. W.) — for both
forms then as now are found — made simply the glazed
crock, or ' crouke,' as Chaucer has it, used for holding
butter or milk or such like store — vessels, in fact, re-
served for the scullery or the pantry rather than the
parlour or hall. John de Trevisa, writing in 1387,
says in his description of Britain : * There is also
white clay, and red for to make of crokkes, and
steenes (stone jars) and other vessels.' The same may
be said of our * Jarmans.* Most of our domestic utensils,
therefore, if not of wood or clay, were made of metal,
and this generally of a mixed kind. * Henry le Brasour '
or' Robert leBrazur,' now' Brazier' or' Brasher,' worked
in brass ; ' Thomas le Latoncr,' or ' William Ic Latoner,'
in latten or bronze ;' while a mixture of lead and tin
fully employed the wits and hands of our ' Pewters,'
' Pewtrers,' and ' Founders.'^ We must not suppose
' 'Founders, latcn- workers, and brochc-makers.' [Cocke Lonile's
Bote.)
' A law passed in the fust year of Richard II. forbids halfpennies
and farthings to be melted for vessels or other things, on pain of forfeit-
ing the money so melted and the imprisonment of the founder — 'sur-
peine de forfaitre del monoie founder et imprisonement del foundour.'
{Siaf. I^ealm.) The 'founder,' as his name implies, melted down the
metal, and then poured it (fundere) into the mould. We still speak
familiarly of a foundry; but the term 'founder' as a worker therein
is now, I believe, obsolete. Such names, however, as ' Robert le
P'undour' or 'John le Funder,' whose descendants are still with us,
show that this was once in common use. As an additional proof that
they were formerly more distinctively engaged in the manufacture of
pots and vessels, we may state that in the ^'ork Pageant, elsewhere
spoken of, the 'Pewterers' and ' Founders ' marched together. Speak-
ing of ' Founder,' we are reminded of ' Alcfounder.' In 1374 William
Alcfounder was Rector of Bichamwcll. {//isl. Norf., vii. 295.) The
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 393
therefore, that ' John le Discher ' or ' Robert le
Disshere ' (with their once feminine partner, * Margaret
la Disheress '), and ' Ranulf le Poter' or 'Adam le
Potter ' or * Thomas Potman,' ^ laboured after the
modern style. The ' disher ' all but invariably worked
in pewter,^ and the ' potter,' if not in the same, could
only resort to common clay as an alternative.
' Calisher ' is probably the old ' le Calicer ' or ' Chali-
cer.' The more modern spelling is found in the
London Records, in 13 10, where mention is made of
' Ralph de Chichestre, Chalicer.' The ' chalice ' has
now, however, allied itself so entirely with the sacra-
mental office of our Church that it is hard to regard
it in the light of an ordinary utensil. As a trade-sign
a chalice would be readily conspicuous, and to this
we owe, no doubt, our * Challis's ' and ' Challices.'
While speaking, however, of drinking vessels, I
must perforce allude to the horner. I need not remind
my reader how many are the descendants of such a
alefounder took his name from his duty as an inspector, appointed by
the Court Leet, of assizing and supervising the brewing of malt Hquor.
He examined it as it was /(7«;y(/ out. Thus ' fundere,' and not 'fun-
dare,' is its root. Another name he bore was that of 'ale-conner.' A
poem of James the First's reign says —
' A nose he had that gan show,
What liquor he loved I trow ;
For he had before long ' ' seven yeare,
Been of the towne the ale-conner." '
' The following entry appears in the Issues of Exchequer : — '20/.
paid to John le Discher, of London, for him and his companions to
provide plates, dishes, and saltsellers for the coronation.' (i Ed. II.)
^ As an illustration of the use to which the art of working in
pewter was put, we may instance one of the ' Richmondshire Wills' in
which the following articles of this mixture are bequeathed : ' iij basyns,
ij uers, one doson plait trenchers, one brode charger, iiij potijjers, xx"«
platters, x dishes, and vj sausers.' {Surtces Soc.)
394 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
man as * Richard le Horner ' or * John le Horner,' but
it may not equally have struck him how all-important
would be his trade at such a period as this. That his
chief manufacture was that of the musical horn I
cannot doubt, so used as it was officially or ordinarily,
at fair and festival, at dance and revelry, in time of
peace and in time of war. The ' Promptorium Par-
vulorum ' describes it as ' hornare, or home-maker.'
Still this would not be all — far from it. Windows
were commonly made of this material, frames were
constructed of it, the child's horn-book being but a
memory of this ; lanterns were formed of it, cups of
all sizes were fashioned from it, chessmen were manu-
factured out of it. In the ' Franklin's Tale' de-
scriptive of Winter it is said —
Janus sils by the fire with double berd,
And diinketh of his bugle-horn the wine.
As a sign-name ' at the horn ' would be a common
expression, and certainly we have had plenty of
' Horns,' if not the ' horn of plenty,' at all times
during the last six hundred years.
Turning for a moment to vessels of a more general
character, our ' Coopers ' or ' Cowpers ' ^ or ' Coupers '
have ever flourished extensively. Such forms as
* Thomas le Cuper,' ' Warin le Coupcr,' or ' Richard le
Cupare ' are found on every side ; while even such
entries as ' Richard Cowpcman ' or ' Roger Cowperese'
may be occasionally alighted upon. The term * coop '
is not in itself in common use now — indeed, saving in
' We find this now well-known surname thus spelt in a statute
passed in Elizabeth's reign, in which are included the ' lynncn-weaver,
turner, cowper, millers, earthen -potters.' (5 Eliz. c. iv. 23.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 395
composition, as in hencoop, for instance, it is all but
obsolete. The Norman and more correct ' cuve ' gave
us such early names as ' Ralph le Cuver ' or ' John le
Cover,' or * Adam le Covreur ' or ' Robert le Coverur,'
the latter being one more example of a reduplicated
termination.' Our modern * Covers,' however, pre-
serve the earlier and more simple form. Our ' Cad-
mans,' once written * Cademans,' framed the cade or
barrel, the sign-name of which gave us the notorious
Jack Cade of early insurrectionary times. Shake-
speare facetiously suggests a different origin when he
makes Dick the butcher to insinuate that it was for — •
Stealing a cade of herring.
In either case the same word is used, and the deriva-
tion in no Avay impeached. Our * Barrells ' are either
sign-names also, or but corruptions of such an old
entry as 'Stephen le Bariller.' 'Alexander le Hopere'
and ' Andrew le Hopere,' now ' Hooper,' explain
themselves.^ Doubtless they would be busy enough
at this time in strengthening these several barrels,
cuves, coops, and cades with pliant bands, whether of
wood or metal. Speaking, however, of wooden bands,
reminds us of our ' Leapers,' ' Leapmans,' and ' Lip-
mans.' A ' leap ' was a basket of flexible, but strong,
materials, its occurrence in our old writers being so
' In the Issues of the Exchequer we find a ' Ric. le Cuver ' at one
time providing three buckets, and at another working with other eight
carpenters upon the outer chamber of the King's Court. (43 Henry
III.)
"^ 'John Busheler' occurs in Valor. Eccles. Henry VIII. He
probably made the old bushel measure, once in. common use. ' Is a
candle bought to be put under a bushel?' (Mark iv. 26.)
396 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
frequent as to need no example.^ The ' maund ' was
similar in character, but made of more pHant bands,
probably of rushes, for we find it in common use by
our early fishermen. Our ' Maunders ' and ' Manders '
are, I think, to be set here, therefore, either as manu-
facturers or as wayside beggars, who bore them as
the receptacles of the doles they got. Another sup-
position is that they were beggars who acquired the
sobriquet because they maundered out their petition
for alms. I cannot but think the former is the more
likely derivation, our Maundy Thursday itself having
got its name from the practice of doling out the gifts
for the poor from the basket then so named.
But we have not even yet completed our list of
surnames derivable from manufactures of this class.
Our ' Coffers ' represent seemingly the same word in
a twofold capacity. We find occasional records where
the cofferer was undoubtedly an official servant, a
treasurer, one who carried the money of his lord in
his journeys up and down.'^ More often, however, he
was a tradesman, a maker or dealer in coffers or
' Mr. AVay, in his valuable series of notes to the Proiii/torium
Parvulorum, quotes a later Wicklyfiite version, in which the * basket
of bulrushes' in which Moses was placed is termed 'a leep of segg'
(sedge). An old list of words which he also quotes has 'a lepe maker,
copliinarius.' {Cat/t. Aug.) I mention this latter especially, as I
have not been able so far to light upon any instance of the sobriquet.
I have no hesitation in saying, however, that if ' Leaper' and ' Leap-
man ' be not manufacturers, they have, at any rate, as fish-scllers, ori-
ginated from the same root. 'And thei ceten and weren fulfilled, and
thei taken up that that leltc of relifs sevene leepis.' (Matt. viii. 8.
Wicklyffe.)
^ 'Ihus in the Trcvelyan papers (Cam. Soc.) we fre juently come
across such a record as the following : ' Item, to Edmund Peckham,
cofcrer of the Kinge's House for th'cxpenses and charges, etc'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 397
coffins, the two words being once used altogether
indiscriminately.' Many of my readers who are
familiar with Greek will recognise the more literal
translation and meaning of the word in Wicklyffe's
rendering of Mark vi. 43. 'And they token the
relyves of broken mete, twelve cofifyns full.' Lacking
any other name to represent the undertaker's busi-
ness, I doubt not our early ' William le Cofferers' and
' Godfrey le Coffrers ' were quite able and willing to
furnish forth this portion of the funeral outfit. These
early surnames, then, must be set beside our already
explained ' Arkwrights,' while, as sign-names, our * Cof-
fins ' and ' Coffers ' (supposing the latter not to be a
curter form of 'Coffrer') will be as readily recognisable.
While, however, wood, clay, and the various
cheaper metals were thus brought into requisition to
provide the utensils of the household and the means
of carriage, we must not forget that leather, too, had
its uses in these respects. It is this lets us into the
secret of the numerosity of our ' Butlers.' Important
as undoubtedly was the ' Boteler ' to the feudal resi-
dence, that fact alone would scarcely account for the
large number of ' le Botillers ' or ' Ic Botelers ' we find
in every considerable roll. The fact is, the name was
both official and occupative. Of this there can be no
doubt. In the York Pageant of 141 5 we find walk-
ing in procession together with the ' Pouchmakers '
the ' Botillers ' and the ' Cap-makers,' all obviously
engaged in the leather manufacture. The phrase
'like finding a needle in a bottle of hay ' still preserves
' The list of tradesmen in Cock LorclL's Bote includes —
' Pype-makers, wode-mongers, and orgyn-makers,
Coferers, carde-makers, and carvers.'
398 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the idea of a bottle as understood by our forefathers
four hundred years ago — that of a leathern case,
whether for holding liquid or solids.^ The hay-bottle
was doubtless the bag that hung at the girth, from
which, as is still the case, the driver baited his horse.
Bottles for liquids were commonly of leather. The
'black-jack' was always such. It is of this an old
ballad sings —
Then when this bottle doth grow old,
And will no longer good liquor hold,
Out of its side you may take a clout,
Will mend your shoes when they are worn out.
Thus we see that the * Botiller ' was, after all, in some
cases but identical with the old pouch-maker, repre-
sented in our old rolls by such folk as ' Henry
Poucher ' or ' Agnes Pouchmakcr.' Another and
more Norman term for this latter was that of 'Purser'
or ' Purser,' though in later days both forms have
come to occupy a more official position. Such names
as ' Alard le Purser ' or ' Robert Ic Pursere ' are of
frequent occurrence. Nor, again, while speaking of
leather, can we omit a reference to the old ' Henry
Male-maker,' who made up travelling bags. ' Cocke
Lorelle' mentions —
Masones, male-makers, and merbelers,
Tylers, bryckc-leyers, and harde hewers.
The modern postal mail has but extended its earlier
use. We may remember in the ' Canterbury Tales '
' An Act of Edward VI. relative to the buying of tanned leather
speaks of the ' mysterie of Coriar (currier), Cordewainer, Sadler,
Cobler, Girdler, Lether-seller, Bottelmaker.' (3 and 4 Ed. VI. c. 6.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 399
SO pleased were the company at the end of the first
story, that the host said —
Unbuckled is the male,
' Let see now who shall tell another tale,
For trewely this game is wel begun.
We must not forget, however, that many of these
baskets and boxes would require cordage then as
now. Piers Plowman mentions ' Robyn the Ropere,'
and both name and occupation are still familiar
amongst us. In the Fabric Roll of York Minster is
mentioned a 'William Raper,' 1446; and again in
1457, under the head of 'Custos canabi,' one 'Thomas
Kylwake, rapor.' Both forms are equally common in
our directories. As representative of the more tech-
nical part of the industry we may cite * Thomas le
Winder' and 'Richard le Windere,' whose progeny
still dwell among us. ' Adam le Corder ' or * Peter le
Corder, ' or ' George le Stringer ' or ' Thomas Streng-
fellowe,' carry us back to names of the commonest
import in the fourteenth century. The —
Lanterners, stryngers, and grynders
are set together by an old rhymer. But I have
already said something about them in connection
with our 'Bowyers' and ' Fletchers,' so I will pass on.
There are but few traces in our nomenclature of
more delicate workmanship. Much of our jewellery
came from abroad. Most of that fashioned in Eng-
land was under the skilled eye of the Jew. Still
' Robert le Goldbeter ' or ' Henry le Goldsmith ' is
not an uncommon entry at this time. The Norman
equivalent was met by such a name as ' Roger le
400 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Orfevre ' or ' Peter Ic Orfeure,' and these lingered on
in a more or less full form till the seventeenth cen-
tury. Their memorial, too, still survives in our
' Offers ' and ' Ofifors.' ^ Ivory was much used, too, and
our ' Turners ' here also were doubtless very busy. A
pretty little casket of this material, called a 'forcer,'
small and delicately carved, used in general for stor-
ing away jewellery and other precious gems, was
decidedly popular among the richer ranks of the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In an old poem,
sometimes set down to Chaucer, it is said —
Fortune by strength the forcer hath unshete,
Wherein was sperde all my worldly richesse.
Our present 'Forcers' and early 'Nicholas le Forcers'
and ' Henry le Forcers ' represent this. Our use of
ivory tablets is not yet obsolete, though of late years
the wondrous cheapness of paper and the issue of
pocketbooks and annuals have threatened to absorb
their existence. Of somewhat larger size were the
' tables ' of this time. Chaucer, in portraying the
Limitour, speaks of him as followed by an attendant,
bearing —
A pair of tables all of ivoiy,
And a pointel, ypolished fetisly,
And wrote alway the names, as he stood,
Of alle folk that gave them any good.
It is in a yet larger sense of this same word our early
translators introduced the phrase ' tables of stone,'
found in the Mosaic record — not, however, that the
smaller 'tablet' was unknown. Apart from such a
' • William le Orbater ' (goldbeater) is also found in the Hundred
RoUs.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 4OI
registration as * Bartholomew le Tabler,' found in the
London Rolls (1320), we have mentioned as living in
Cambridge in 1322 one 'Richard le Tableter.'' We
can readily understand how useful would be his occu-
pation to the students, who were thus provided with
a writing material capable of erasure, at a time when
paper was infinitely too expensive to be simply
scribbled upon.^ The pointel, or pencil, mentioned
above, seems to have required also a separate manu-
facture, as we find the surnames ' Roger Poyntel ' and
'John Poyntel' occurring in 13 15 and 13 19, the latter
the same date within a year as the ' Tabler ' just re-
ferred to. These tablets, I need not say, were, whe-
ther the framework were ivory, or box, or Cyprus,
overlaid with smeared wax, the pointel being, as its
name more literally implies, the stile with which the
characters were impressed. The pointel was a com-
mon ornament and hung pendent from the neck.
Two surnames far from being uninteresting must
be mentioned here. They are those of ' Walter
Orlogyr ' ' and * Thomas Clokmaker,' the one being
found in the 'Guild of St. George, Norwich' (1385),
the other in the ' Proceedings and Ordinances of the
' A ' Bartholomew le Tableter ' is also found in the ' Memorials of
London' (Riley). The date being the same or nearly the same as that
of ' Bartholomew le Tabler ' inscribed in the Parliamentary Writs for
the capital, we may feel assured both are one and the same person.
2 ' And thei bikenyden to his fadir, that he wolde that he were
clepid. And he axinge a poyntel wrote seiynge Jon is his name.'
(Luke i. 63. Wicklyffe.)
' I have since discovered another instance of this name —
' To Bartholomew le Orologius, after the arrival of William de
Pikewell, 23 gallons.' 1286 (Domesday Book, St. Paul's, Cam. Soc).
D D
402 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Privy Council.' ' It is just possible also that ' Clerk-
wright,' set down in the former record, may be but a
misspelling or misreading for ' Clockwright' The
two first-mentioned names remind us that if not of
clocks, as now understood, yet the manufacture of
dials did make a transient mark upon our English
nomenclature. I say transient, for I find no trace of
either being handed down even to the second genera-
tion by those who took these sobriquets. The
' horologe ' seems to have become a pretty familiar
term in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, for we
find Wicklyfie translating 2 Kings xx. 1 1, ' Isaye the
profete clepide ynwardly the Lord, and browgte agen
bacward by x degrees the schadewe bi lynes, bi
whiche it hadde gone down thanne in the orologie of
Achaz.' The transition from clocks to bells is not
a great one, as both have to do with the marking of
time. I will here therefore refer to the old bell-
founder, and then pass on. The ' Promptorium
Parvulorum' gives us ' Bellezeter' as the then usual
term for the trade, and from the occurrence of such
entries as ' Robert ie Belzctere ' or ' William Ic Bel-
zetere' we cannot doubt but that it was so. Of course
a corruption of so awkward a word was inevitable,
and Stow, by informing us that ' Billiter Lane ' was
formerly nothing more nor less than ' Belzetars Lane,'
has prevented dispute from arising regarding the
origin of our ' Billitcrs.' ^ If, however, further proof
' ' Imprimis Thomrc Clokmakcr for makyng of the sail when it
was broken, viiij.' 1428 (Pro. Ord. Privy Council).
- Stowc and Strype, however, while aware of the corraption, were
both ignorant of its meaning. Speaking of the woodmongers, the
former says, ' Whether some of these woodmongers were called ' IJilliters
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 403
were necessary, we could bring forward ' Esmon Belle-
yeter' from the Privy Council Ordinances.^ Stripped
of its uncouth orthography, we are here shown, the
process by which the changed pronunciation gradu-
ally came into use.
We must say a word or two about former coinage,
and weights and measures, for all are more or less
carefully memorialized in our directories of to-day.
The two chief names, however, by which the early
scale was represented, ' le Aunserer' and ' le Balancer,'
are, I am sorry to say, either wholly, or all but wholly,
extinct. Such entries as ' Rauf le Balancer' ^ or ' John
Balauncer ' or ' Thomas le Aunsercmaker ' were per-
fectly familiar with our forefathers. The ' balance '
was of the simplest character, a scale poised by the
hand. The manufacture of such is mentioned by the
author of 'Cocke Lorelle's Bote,' when he includes —
Arowe-heders, maltemen, and cornemongers,
Balancers, tynne-casters, and skiyveners.
By its repeated occurrence in our present Autho-
rized Version this word is sure of preservation from
obsoletism. The ' auncel ' or ' auncer ' was strictly
from dealing in billets I leave to conjecture. In the register of >vills,
London, mention is made of one William Burford, billeytere.' (ii. p. i26.
The Woodmongers were sellers of fuel. ' Robert Wudemonger ' is
found in the H. R.
' I may quote a statement recorded of Congham Manor. ' In 1349
Thomas de Baldeswell presented to the church aforesaid, as chief lord
of this fee ; in 1367, Adam Humphrey, of Refham, and in 1385, but
soon after, in 1388, Adam Pyk ; and in 1400, Edmund Belytter, alias
Belzeter, who M'ith his parceners,' &c. {[list. Norf., viii. 383.) The
said Edmund is also met with elsewhere as ' Belleycter ' and ' Bel-
yetter.'
* Another ' Ralph Balancer' was sheriff of London in 1316.
D D 2
404 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the vessel in which the provisions were weighed. Piers
Plowman says —
And the pound that she paied by
Peised a quatron moore
Than myn owene auncer.
In an appraisement of goods in 1356 mention is made,
among other chattels, of ' one balance called an
auncer.' ^ Thus our somewhat rare ' Ansers ' are
not such geese as they look ! Our modern notion of
the Mint is that of a place where with a certain amount
of State secrecy our money is coined and sent forth.
Nothing of this kind existed formerly : each consider-
able town had its own mint, and even barons and
bishops, subject to royal superintendence, could issue
coin. Thus it is that we meet with more or less
frequency such a name as ' Nicholas le Cuner,' from
the old *cune' or 'coin;' or 'John le Meneter,' or
' John Monemakere,' or ' William Ic Moneur,' or
' William le Mynsmith,' mint-smith, that is ; and thus
it is our present ' Moniers ' or ' Moneyers ' and ' Min-
ters ' have arisen. Our ' Stampers ' remind us of the
chief feature of coinage, the die. The system being
thus general, and subject to but an uncertain and
irregular supervision, abuse of alloy crept in, and it
was to remedy this, it is said, our ' Testers ' and
' This weight was abolished in 1 35 1, and the balance made universal.
' Item, whereas great damage and deceit is done to the peoj)lc by a
weight which is called Auncel (par une pois qu'cst appelle Aunsell), it
is accorded and estaliHshed that this weight called Auncel betwixt
buyers and sellers shall be wholly put out, and that every person do sell
and buy by the balance.' (Stat. Realm, vol. i. j>. 321.) Cowell, in
his Interpreter, suggests as the origin of the term 'auncel' hand"-
sale, that is, (hat which is weighed by the poised hand !
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 405
' Sayers,' corrupted from assayers, 'were appointed.
' Sayer' or 'Sayers,' however, I have elsewhere derived
differently, and in most cases I feel confident the
account there given is more approximate to the truth.
Literature and art in regard to the market are not
without their relics. So far as the outside of books
was concerned, our former ' John le Bokbinders ' or
' Dionisia le Bokebynders ' are sufficiently explicit.
These, judging from their date, we must suppose to
have bound together leathern documents and parch-
ments of value, or books of manuscript. Speaking
of parchment, however, we are reminded of the im-
portance of this for testamentary and other legal
purposes. Thus we find such names as ' Stephen le
Parchemyner ' or ' William le Parchemynere ' to be
common at this time. They afford but one more
instance of an important and familiar name failing of
descent. In the York Pageant, mentioned elsewhere,
the ' Parchemyners ' ' and ' Bukbynders ' marched
together.'^
The old sealmaker, an important tradesman in a
• Another form is found in 1389. William Parchmenter was seized
for holding independent views of the Sacraments. (Nicholls' Leicester.)
' In the Exchequer Jssties we find the following: — 'To John
Ileth, one of the clerks in the office of privy seal of the Lord the King,
in money, paid to his own hands, in discharge of G6s. which the said
Lord the King, with the assent of his Council, commanded to be paid
to the said John, for 66 great "quaternes" of calf skins, purchased and
provided by the said John to write a Bible thereon for the use of the
said King.' In an old Oxford indenture between the University and
the Town, dated 1459, we find the more usual ' parchemener' spelt
'pergemener.' The agreement includes 'Alle Bedels with dailly
servants, and their householdes, alle stacioners, alle bokebynders,
lympners, wryters, pcrgemeners, harbours, the bellerynger of the uni-
versitie,' &c. [Mini. Acad. Oxon., p. 346.)
406 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
day when men were much better known by their
crests than now, left its mark in the early ' Seler.' In
the ' Issues of the Exchequer ' we find a certain
' Hugh le Seler ' commissioned to make a new seal
for the See of Durham. The modern form is ' Sealer.'
Professional writers and copiers were common. The
calling of scribe has given us our many ' Scrivens '
and ' Scriveners,' descendants of the numerous
'William le Scrivayns' and 'John le Scrivryns' of our
mediaeval rolls. Piers Plowman employs the word —
I wel noght scorae, quoth Scripture,
But if scryveynes lye.
Our ' Writers ' are but the Saxon form of the same,
while ' le Cirograffer ' would seem to represent the
Greek. A ' William le Cirograffer ' occurs in the
Hundred Rolls. As a writer of indentures he is
frequently mentioned. An act passed in the first
year of Edward IV. speaks of such ofificers as ' clerk"
of our council, clerk or keeper of oure Hanaper, office
of cirograffer, and keeper of oure Wills.' ' Employed
in the skilled art of text-letter wc may next mention
such men as ' Godfrey le Lomynour ' or ' Ralph Illu-
minator ' or ' Thomas Liminer.' A poem, already
quoted more than once, makes reference to —
Parchemente makers, skynners, and plowcrs,
Barbers, Boke-bynders, and lyniincrs."
How beautiful were the decorations and devices upon
' Another ordinance has the following : — ' And that all Jews shall
dwell in the Kings own cities and boroughs, where the chests of chiro-
graphs of Jewry are wont to be' ('ou les Whuches (hutches) cirografTes
de Geuerie soleient estre '). (S/uf. of Realm, vol. i. p. 221.)
* ' Nicholas Cotes, lummcr.' {Corpus Christi Ciiil J, York.)
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 407
which they spent their care, some of the missals and
other service books of this early period show.^ This,
I need scarcely add, was a favourite monastic pursuit.
I do not know that * Limner' still exists as a surname,
unless it be in our ' Limmers.' That it lingered on
in its more correct form till the beginning of the
eighteenth century is certain, as the Tostock register
serves to show, for it is there recorded that 'John
Limner of Chevington, and Eliz : Sibbes of this town,
were married, August 22nd, 1700.' (Sibbes' 'Works,'
vol. i. p. cxlii.)
Before closing this necessarily hurried resume of
mediaeval trade, we must say a word or two about
early shipping. We have mentioned certain articles,
especially those of spicery and wines, which were then
used, as the result of foreign merchant enterprise.
Much of all this came as the growth and produce of
the opposite Continent. Much again reached our
shore brought hither from Eastern lands in caravan
and caravel by Venetian traders. Our ' Marchants,'
* Merchants,' or ' le Marchants,' we doubtless owe to
this more extended commerce. Apart from these,
however, we are far from being without names of a
more seafaring nature. It is a strange circumstance
that our now one general term of ' sailor ' had in the
days we are considering but the barest existence sur-
nominally or colloquially. In the former respect I
only find it twice, the instances being those of ' John
' In the Mun. Acad. Oxon., p. 550, we find a quarrel settled by
the Chancellor between ' John Conaley, lymner,' and 'John Godsend,
stationarius.' Through him it is arranged that the former shall occupy
himself in ' liminando bene et fideliter libros suos.' In the York
Pageant the ' Escriveners ' and ' Lumners ' went together.
408 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
le Saillur ' and ' Nicholas le Saler,' both to be found
in the Hundred Rolls, It may be said to be a word
of entirely modern growth. The expression then in
familiar use was 'Shipman,'' and * Shipman ' is the
surname best represented in our nomenclature. It is
by this name one of Chaucer's company at the
Tabard is pictured forth —
A Shipman ther was wonecl far by West,
He knew wel alle the havens as they were,
Fro' Gotland to the Cape de Finisterre,
And every creke, in Bretagne, and in Spainc ;
His barge ycliped was the ' Magdelaine.'
This, intended doubtless to set forth the wide extent
of his adventure, would seem cramped enough for the
seafarer of the nineteenth century. The word itself
lingered on for some length of time, being found both
in our Homilies and in the Authorized Version, but
seems to have declined towards the end of the seven-
teenth century. ' Henry le Mariner's ' name still lives
among us, sometimes being found in the abbreviated
form of * Marner,' and ' Shipper ' or ' Skipper ' is not
as yet obsolete. The strictly speaking feminine
* Shipster ' comes in the quaint old poem of * Cocke
Lorelle's Bote,' where mention is made among others
of—
Gogle-eyed Tomson, shipster of Lyn.
' Cogger,' found in such an entry as ' Hamond Ic
Cogger ' or ' Henry le Cogger,' carries us back to the
' Thus in Kaye's description of the siege of Rhodes it is said :
' Anone after that the Rhodians had knowledge of thees werkes a ship-
man wel cxperte in swymmyng, wente by nyghte and cutted the cordes
fro' the ancre.'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 409
old ' cogge ' or fishing smack, a term very familiar on
the east coast, and one not yet altogether obsolete.
It seems to have been often used to carry the soldiery
across the Channel to France and the Low Country
border, or even further.^ Our cockswain was, I doubt
not, he who attended to the tiller of the boat. We
still speak also of a cock-boat, written in the ' Promp-
torium Parvulorum ' as ' cog bote,' and doubtless it
was originally some smaller craft that waited upon
and attended the other. Thus it is highly probable
that • le Cockere ' may in some instances have been
but equivalent to ' le Cogger.' - ' Richard le Bots-
weyn,' ' Edward Botswine,' ' Peter Boatman,' * Jacob
Boatman,' or the more local * Gerard de la Barge,'
are all still familiar enough in an occupative sense,
but surnominally have been long extinct, with the
exception of the last.^
Coming to port, whether it were York, or King-
ston, or Chester, or London, we find ' Adam le
' In the Itinerarium of Richard I. we find it recorded that while
the Christians were besieging Acre Saladin's army began to hem them
in, ' In hoc itaque articulo positos visitavit eos Oriens exalto ; nam
ecce ! quinquagintas naves, quas vulgo coggas dicunt, cum duodecim
millibus armatorum, tanto gratias venenint quanto nostris auxilium in
angustia majore rcpendunt.' — p. 64. The Cog was evidently in common
use as a transport. To judge from the following entries, it was, in some
cases, at any rate, of considerable size: — 'Henrico Aubyn, magistro
f^^o,? Sancti Marie, et 39 sociis suis nautis, 23/. \2s. bd.' ' Thomo de
Standanore, magistro f<7jv:' Sancti Thonia;, et 39 sociis suis, 23/. 12s. 6d.'
(Ed. I. Wardrobe.)
* ' Benjamin Cogman ' occurs in an old Norfolk register. Hence
'Cockman,' like ' Cocker,' may in some instance belong to this more
seafaring occupation.
• ' John Shipgroom ' occurs in the Rot. Orig. (G. ) ; ' John
Shypward' in Cal. Rot. Chartarum (D.) ; and ' Alexander Schipward '
in Rolls of Pari. (H.).
4IO ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Waterman,' or ' Richard Waterbearer,' or ' William le
Water-leder ' busy enough by the waterside.* The
latter term, however, was far the commonest in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. I have already
mentioned the sense of ' lead ' at this time, that of
carrying. Piers Plowman, to quote but one more
instance, says in one place —
With Lumbardes letters
I ladde gold to Rome,
And took it by tale there.
In the York Pageant of 141 5 we find two separate
detachments of these water-leaders in procession, one
in conjunction with the bakers, the other with the
cooks. It would be doubtless these two classes of
shopkeepers their duties of carrying stores, especially
flour, to and from the different vessels would bring
them in contact with most. Our ' Leaders,' ' Leedcrs,'
* Leders,' and ' Lodcrs ' are either the more general
carrier or an abbreviated form of the above.'^ * Gager,'
though rarely met with now, is a descendant of
' ' Richard Drawater ' (A.) would be a tiicknamc.
* This word ' lead ' is worthy of some extended notice. We
still speak of a path leading our steps to a place, but we scarcely now
would say that we lead our steps to it. Shakespeare, however, does so,
where Richard III. addresses Elizabeth —
' Dorset your son, that with a fearful soul
Leads discontented steps in foreign soil.'
Several commentators on Shakespeare have proposed * treads ' in the
place of Meads,' not knowing, seemingly, how familiar was this
sense of carrying or bearing in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A
century earlier the Malvern Dreamer says —
' And maketh of Lyere a lang cart
To leden all these othere :'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPAflON (TOWN). 411
'William le Gageour,' or 'Alexander le Gauger,' or
* Henry le Gaugeour,' of many a mediaeval record.
His office was to attend to the King's revenue at our
seaports, and though not strictly so confined, yet his
duties were all but entirely concerned in the measure-
ment of liquids, such as oil, wine, honey.' The tun,
the pipe, the tierce, the puncheon, casks and barrels
of a specified size — these came under his immediate
supervision, and the royal fee was accordingly. Such
a name as ' Josceus le Peisur,' now found as ' Poyser '
or ' Henry le Waiur,' that is, ' Weigher,' ^ met with
now also in the form of ' Weightman,' represented
the passage of more solid merchandise. The old
form of ' poise ' was ' peise.' Piers Plowman makes
Covetousness to confess —
I lerned among Lumbardes
And Jewes a lesson,
To weye pens with a peis,
And pare the heaviest.
while just before he writes —
* And cart-saddle the commissarie,
Oure cart shall he lede
And fecchen us vit?illes.'
In North Yorkshire to this very day they do very little carting.
They all but invariably 'lead hay,' ' lead corn,' etc. An old form of
'lead' was 'lode.' We still talk of a 'lode-stone.' This cxplams such
an entry as ' Emma le Lodere ' or ' Agnes le Lodere.' They were both
doubtless 'leaders' or 'carriers,' that is, wandering hucksters.
' ' Item, that all wines, red and white, which shall come unto the
said realm shall be well and lawfully gauged by the King's Gangers, or
their deputies' ('bien et loialment gaugcz par le gaujeour le Roi, ou
son depute.'). {Stat, of Realm, vol. i. p. 331.)
^ An epitaph in St. Anthony's, London, dated 1400, says of the
deceased that he was —
' The King's weigher more than yeres twentie,
Simon Street, callyd in my place.'
{Maitland, ii. 375.)
412 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Richard in ' Richard the III.' finely says —
I'll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap,
Lest leaden slumber peise me do\ui to-morrow,
(Act V. scene 3.)
With the above, therefore, we must associate our
' Tollers,' once registered as ' Bartholomew le Tollere'
or 'Ralph le Toller,' together with our 'Tolemans'
and * Tolmans,' they who took the King's levy at fair
and market — by the roadside and the wharf.' Piers
Plowman, in a list of other decent folk, includes —
Taillours and tynkers,
And tollers in markettes.
Masons and mynours,
And many other crafts.
Cocke Lorcllc is not so complimentary. He says —
Then come two false towlers in nexte,
lie set them by pykers (thieves) of the beste."
In concluding this chapter, and our survey of trade
generally, it will be necessary to the completion
thereof that we should say a word or two about the
money trading of four hundred years ago or more.
Banks, bank-notes, bills of exchange, drafts to order —
all these arc as familiar to the tongues of the nine-
teenth century as if the great car of commerce had
ever gone along on such greased and comfortable
' The local form is found in the case of 'Jcffery Talbothe,' a
Norfolk Rector in 1371. (Bromeficld). The 'receipt of custom ' is
with WicklifTe the 'tolbothe.'
â– ^ Skelton seems of the same mind as the author of Cocke LordU.
' .So many lolle:-s.
So few tme tollers.
So many pollers,
Saw I never,'
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 413
wheels. But I need not say it is not so. Very little
money in the present day is practically coin. Our
banks have it all. It was different with our ancestors.
As a rule it was stored up in some secret cupboard
or chest. Hence it is, as I have shown, the trade of
* le Coffer ' and the office of ' le Cofferer ' are so much
thrust before our notice in surveying mediaeval
records. Still, trading in money was largely carried
on, so far, at any rate, as loans were concerned. The
Jew, true to his national precedents, was then, I need
not say, the pawnbroker of Europe, and as his disciple,
the Lumbard soon bid fair to outstrip his master.
Under the Plantagenet dynasty both found a pros-
perous field for their peculiar business in England,
and, as I have elsewhere said, Lombard Street ' to this
day is a memorial of the settlement of the latter. In
such uncertain and changeful times as these, kings,
and in their train courtiers and nobles, soon learnt
the art, not difficult in initiation, of pawning jewels
and lands for coin. The Malvern Dreamer speaks
familiarly of this —
I have lent lordes
And ladies my chaffare,
And been their brocour after,
And bought it myselve ;
Eschaunges and chevysaunces
With such cheffare I dele.
This species of commerce is early marked by such
names as ' Henry le Chaunger ' or ' Adam le Cheves-
• I need not remind the majority of my readers of the origin of our
term 'lumber room,' that it is but a corruption of lombard-room, or
the chamber in which the mediaeval pawnbroker stored up all his pledges.
Hence we now speak of any useless cumbrous articles as 'lumber;'
414 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
tier,' 1 while still better-known terms are brought to
our notice by entries like ' John Ic Banckere,' ' Roger
le Bencher,' 'Thomas le Brokur,' or 'Simon le Brokour.'
Holinshed, in the form of ' brogger,' has the latter to
denote one who negotiated for coin. As * Broggers,'
too, we met them in the York Pageant. There,
probably, they would transact much of the business
carried on between ourselves and the Dutch in the
shipping off of fleeces, or the introduction of the
cloth again from the Flemish manufacturers.^ The
pawnbroker of modern days, dealing in petty articles
of ware, was evidently an unknown personage at the
date we are considering. The first distinctive notice of
him I can light upon is in the ' Statutes of the Realm '
of the Stuart period. It will be there found that
(chapter xxi.) James I., speaking of the change from
the old broker into the more modern pawnbroker,
refers to the former as one who went ' betweene
Merchant Englishe and Merchant Strangers, and
Tradesmen in the contrivinge, makinge and concluding
Bargaines and Contractes to be made betweene them
concerning their wares and merchandises,' and then
adds that he ' never of any ancient tymc used to buy
and sell garments, household stuffe, or to take pawnes
• Mr. Halliwell gives ' chevisance,' an agreement, and 'chevisli,'
to bargain. Mr. Way commenting on 'chcvystyn,' quotes Fabyan
as saying — ' I will assaye to have hys Erklom in morgage, for wclle I
knowe he must chevyche for money to perfourme that journey.' Mr.
Wright's Glossary to Piers Phrd<maii has ' chevysaunce, an agree-
ment for borrowing money.' The word often occurs in medieval
writers, and no wonder at least one surname arose as a consequence.
' An act of Richard II. speaks of officers and ministers made by
brocage, and of their broggers, and of them that have taken the said
brocage, ' pour brogage, et de lor broggers, et de,' etc.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 415
and bills of sale of garments and apparele, and all
things that come to hand for money, laide out and
lent upon usury, or to keepe open shoppes, and to
make open shevves, and open trade, as now of late
yeeres hathe and is used by a number of citizens, etc'
Appendix to Chapters IV. and V.
It will perchance help to familiarize the reader with
the manner in which the occupative names contained
in the two preceding chapters arose, if I transcribe
several lists of tradesmen which have come across my
notice while engaged in the work of collecting sur-
names for my index. The first is found in most of
the Yorkshire County Histories, and is a record of the
order of the Pageant for the City of York in 141 5.
The second is the order of the Procession of the
Craftsmen and Companies of Norwich from the Com-
mon Hall in 1533. This list will be found in Brome-
field's 'Norfolk,' vol. ii. p. 148. The third is the order
of the Chester Play, inaugurated 1339, and discon-
tinued 1574. This list will be found in Ormerod's
' Cheshire,' vol. i. p. 300. These records possess an
intrinsic value, apart from other matters, as proving
to the reader the leading position which these several
cities held as centres of industry in the thirteenth,
fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. The
last list I would furnish is that met with in the quaint
poem entitled ' Cocke Lorelle's Bote,' pubhshed about
4i6
ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII., and pur-
porting to give a list of the tradesmen and manufac-
turers of the metropolis at that time. I have quoted
merely the portion that concerns my purpose, and it
is taken from the edition published by the Percy
Society. Though not perfect, that edition is un-
doubtedly the best.
I.
The Order for the Pageants of the Play of Corpus Christi, //;
the time of the Mayoralty of William Alne, /// the third
Year of the Reign of King Henry V. Anno 141 5, com-
piled by Roger Burton, Totun Clerk.
Tanners.
Plasterers.
Carde-makers.
Fullers.
Coupers.
Armourers.
Gaunters.
Shipwrights.
Fyshmongers.
Pessyners.
Mariners.
Pthemyners.
Bukbynders.
Hosyers.
Spicers.
Peutcrers.
Founders.
Tylers.
Chaundclers.
Goldsmithes.
Orfeures.
Gold-beters.
Mone-makers.
Masons.
Marashals.
Girdellers.
Naylers.
Sawters.
Sporiers.
Lorymers.
Barbers.
Vyntners.
Smythcs.
Fevers.
Pcnnagers.
Plummers.
Patten-makers.
Pouch-makers.
Botillers.
Cap-makers.
Vestment-makers.
Skynners.
Cuttellers.
Blade-smythes.
Shethers.
Scalers.
Buckle-mekers.
Horners.
Bakers.
Waterleders.
Cordwaners.
Bowers.
Fletchers.
Tapisers
Couchers.
•Littesters.
Cukes.
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 417
Waterleders.
Carpenters.
Hostilers.
Sauce-makers.
Joyners.
Mercers.
Milners.
Cartwrights.
Porters, 8 torches.
Tiel-makers.
Carvers.
Coblers, 4 torches.
Ropers.
Sawyers.
Cordwaners. 14
Cevers.
Wyndrawers.
torches.
Turners.
Broggers.
Carpenters, 6
Hayresters.
Wool-pakkers.
torches.
Boilers.
Wadmen.
Chaloners, 4
Sherman.
Escriveners.
torches.
Pynners.
Lumners.
Fullers, 4 torches.
Lateners.
Questors.
Cottellers, 2
Payntors.
Dubbors.
torches.
Bouchers.
Taillyoures.
Wevers, torches.
Pulterers.
Potters.
Girdellers, torches.
Satellers.
Drapers.
Taillyoures,
Sellers.
Lynwevers.
torches.
Glasiers.
Wevers of Wolle
It is ordained that the Porters and Coblers should go
first; then, of the Right, the Wevers and Cordwaners ; on
the Left, tbe Fullors, Cutlers ^ Girdellers, Chaloners, Car-
penters, and Taillyoures ; then the better sort of Citizens ;
and after the Twenty-four, the Twelve, the Mayor, and four
Torches of Mr. Thomas Buckton.
II.
The Order of the Procession of the Occupations, C^'afis, or
Companies {Norwich) to be made on Corpus Christi Day,
from the Common Hall. (1533 a.d.)
I. The Company of Masons, Tilers, Limeburners, and
Smiths.
£ E
41 8 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
2. The Carpenters, Gravours, Joiners, Sawers, Seive-
makers, Wheehvrights, Fletchers, Bowers, and
Turners.
3. The Reders, Thaxters, Rede-sellers, Cleymen, and
Carriers.
4. The Butchers, Glovers, and Parchment-makers.
5. The Tanners.
6. The Cordwaners, Coblers, Curriers, and Collamiakers.
7. The Shermen, Fullers, Woolen and Linnen Weavers,
and Wool-chapmen.
8. The Coverlet-weavers, Darnick-weavers, and Girdlers.
9. The Combers, Tinmen.
10. The Vintners, Bakers, Brewers, Inn-keepers, Tiplers,
Coopers, and Cooks.
11. The Fishmongers, Freshwater-fishers, and Keelmen.
1 2. The Waxchandlers, Barbers, and Surgeons.
13. The Cappers, Hatters, Bagmakers, Paintmakers, Wier-
drawers and Amiourers.
14. The Pewterers, Brasiers, Plombers, Bellfounders,
Glaziers, Steynors.
15. The Tailors, Broiderers, Hosiers, and Skinners.
16. The Goldsmiths, Diers, Calanderers, and Sadlers.
1 7. The Worsted-weavers and Irlonderes.
18. The Grocers and Raffmen.
19. The Mercers, Drapers, Scriveners, and Hardwaremen.
20. The Parish Clerks and Sextons, with their banner-
wayts, and minstrals.
Bromefield's ' Norfolk,' vol. ii. p. 148.
III.
The Chester Play was inaugtirated 1339. The following
trades, guilds, and companies took part in it : —
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 419
First List.
1. The Barkers and Tanners.
2. Drapers and Hosiers.
3. Drawers of Dee and Water Leaders.
4. Barbers, Waxchandlers, Leeches.
5. Cappers, Wyerdrawers, Pynners.
6. Wrightes, Slaters, Tylers, Daubers, Thatchers.
7. Paynters, Brotherers (i.e. embroiderers), Glasiers.
8. Vintners and Marchants.
9. Mercers, Spicers.
Second List.
1. Gouldsmithes, Masons.
2. Smiths, Forbers, Pevvterers.
3. Butchers.
4. Glovers, Parchment-makers.
5. Corvesters and Shoemakers.
6. Bakers, Mylners.
7. Boyeres, Flechers, Stringeres, Cowpers, Turners.
8. Irnemongers, Ropers.
9. Cookes, Tapsters, Hostlers, Inkeapers.
Third List.
1. Skinners, Cardemakers, Hatters, Poynters, Girdlers.
2. Sadlers, Fusters.
3. Taylors.
4. Fishmongers.
5. Sheremen.
6. Hewsters and Bellfounders.
7. Weavers and Walkers.
The last procession occurred in 1574.
Ormerod's ' Cheshire,' vol. i. p. 300.
E E 2
420 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
IV.
Extract fro7n 'â– Cocke Lorellis Bote.'
The fyrst was goldesmythes and grote clyppers
Multyplyers and clothe thyckers :
Called fullers everychone :
There is taylers, taverners, and drapers :
Potycaryes, ale-brewers, and bakers :
Mercers, flelchers, and sporyers :
Boke-prynters, peynters, bowers :
Myllers, carters, and botylemakers :
Waxechaundelers, clothers, and grocers :
Wollemen, vynteners, and flesshemongcrs :
Salters, jowelers, and habardashers :
Drovers, cokes, and pulters :
Yermongers, pybakers, and waferers :
Fruyters, chesemongers, and mynstrelies :
Talowe chaundelers, hostelers, and glovers :
Owchers, skynners, and cutlers :
Bladesmythes, fosters, and sadelers :
Coryers, cordwayners, and cobelers :
Gyrdelers, forborers, and webbers :
Quyltemakers, shermen, and armorers :
Borlers, tapestry-worke-makers, and dyers :
Brouderers, strayners, and carpytc-makers :
Sponers, torners, and hatters :
Lyne-webbers, setters, with lyne-drapers :
Roke-makers, copersmythes, and lorymers :
Brydel-bytters, blackcsmythes, and forrars :
Bokell-smythes, horseleches, and goldbeters :
Fyners, plommers, and peuters :
Bedmakers, fedbedmakers, and wyre-drawers :
Founders, laten workers, and broche-makers :
Pavyers, bell-makers, and brasyers :
SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN). 42 1
Pynners, nedelers, and glasyers :
Bokeler-makers, dyers, and lether-sellers :
Whyte-tanners, galyors, and shethers :
Masones, male-makers, and merbelers :
Tylers, bryck-leyers, harde-hewers :
Parys- plasterers, daubers, and lymebomers :
Carpenters, coupers, and joyners :
Pype-makers, wode-mongers, and orgyn makers :
Coferers, carde-makers, and carvers :
Shyppe-wrightes, whele-wrights, and sowers : ^
Harpe-makers, leches, and upholsters :
Porters, fesycyens, and corsers :
Parchemente-makers, skynners, and plovvers :
Barbers, bokebynders, and lymners :
Repers, faners, and horners :
Pouche-makers, below-farmes, cagesellers :
Lantemers, stryngers, grynders :
Arowe-heders, maltemen, and corne-mongers :
Balancers, tynne-casters, and skryveners :
Stacyoners, vestyment-svvoers, and ymagers :
Sylke-women, pursers, and garnysshers :
Table-makers, sylkedyers, and shepsters :
Goldesheares, keverchef, launds, and rebone makers :
Tankarde-berers, bougemen, and spereplaners :
Spynsters, carders, and cappeknytters :
Sargeauntes, katche-poUys, and somners :
Carryers, carters, and horsekepers :
Courte-holders, bayles, and honters :
Constables, hede-borovves, and katers :
Butlers, sterchers, and mustarde-makers :
Hardewaremen, mole-sekers, and ratte-takers ;
Bewardes, brycke-borners, and canel-rakers :
Potters, brome-sellers, pedelers :
Shepherds, coweherdes, and swyne-kepers :
Broche-makers, glas-blowers, candelstycke-casts :
422 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Hedgers, dykers, and mowers :
Gonners, maryners, and shypmasters :
Chymney-swepers and costerde-mongers
Lodemen and bere-brewers :
Fysshers of the sea and muskel-takers.
CHAPTER VI.
* Nicknames.'
IF we may trust the accredited origin of the term
nickname — viz., that it is prosthetically put for ' an
ekename,' that is, an added name — it may seem some-
what inconsistent to entitle a special branch of my
book by that which in reality embraces the whole.
But I do not think I shall be misunderstood, since,
whatever be the original meaning intended, the word
has now so thoroughly settled down into its present
sphere of verbal usefulness that it would be a matter
of still more lengthened explanation if I were to put
it in its more pretentious and literal sense. By
* nickname,' in this chapter, at any rate, I intend to
take in all those fortuitous and accidental sobriquets
which, once expressive of peculiar and individual
characteristics, have survived the age in which they
sprang, and now preserved only in the lumber-room
of our directories, may be brought forth once more
wherever they help to throw a brighter light upon the
decayed memorials of a bygone era. It will be seen
at a glance that it is no easy task that of assorting a
large body of nondescript and unclassed terms, but I
will do my best under pleaded indulgence.
We are not without traces of this special kind of
sobriquets even in the early days before the Norman
424 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Conquest was dreamt or thought of. I have already
instanced the Venerable Bede as speaking of two
missionaries who, both bearing the name of Hewald,
were distinguished by the surnames of ' White ' and
' Black,' on account of their hair partaking of those
respective hues. In the ninth century, too, Ethelred,
Earl of the Gaini, was styled the ' Mucel' or ' Mickle '
— ' eo quod erat corpore magnus et prudentia grandis.'
With the incoming of the Normans, however, came a
great change. The burlesque was part of their nature.
A vein for the ludicrous was speedily acquired. It
spread in every rank and grade of society. The
Saxon himself was touched with the contagion, ere
yet the southern blood was infused into his veins.
Equally among the high and the low did such sobri-
quets as ' le Bastard,' ' le Rouse,' ' le Beauclerk,' * le
Grisegonel ' (Greycloke), ' Plantagenet,' ' Sansterre,'
and ' Cceur-de-lion ' find favour. But it did not stay
here ; the more ridiculous and absurd characteristics
became the butt of attack. In a day when buffoonery
had become a profession, when every roughly-sketched
drawing was a caricature, every story a record of
licentious adventure, it could not be otherwise. The
only wonderment is the tame acquiescence on the
part of the stigmatized bearer. To us now-a-days,
to be termed amongst our fellows ' Richard the
Crookbacked,' ' William Blackinthemouth,' ' Thomas
the Pennyfathcr' (that is, the Miser), or 'Thomas
Wrangeservice ' (the opposite of Walter Scott's
'Andrew Fairscrvice'), would be looked upon as
mere wanton insult. But it was then far different.
The times, as I have said, were rougher and coarser,
and the delicacy of feeling which would have shrunk
'NICKNAMES.' 425
from so addressing those with whom we had to deal,
or from making them the object of our banter, would
have been perfectly misunderstood. Apart from this,
too, the bearer, after all, had little to do with the
question. He did not give himself the nickname he
received it ; pleasant or unpleasant, as he had no voice
in the acquisition, so had he none in its retention.
There was nothing for it but good-tempered acquies-
cence. We know to this very day how difficult was
the task of getting rid of our school nicknames, how
they clung to us from the unhappy hour in which
some sharp-witted, quick, discerning youngster found
out our weak part, and dubbed us by a sobriquet,
which, while it perhaps exaggerated the characteristic
to which it had reference, had the effect which a
hundred admonitions from paternal or magisterial
head-quarters had not, to make us see our folly and
mend our ways. None the less, however, did the affix
remain, and this was our punishment. How often,
when in after years we come accidentally across some
quondam schoolfellow, each staring strangely at the
other's grizzly beard or beetled brow, the old sobriquet
will crop up to the lips, and in the very naturalness
with which the expression is uttered all the separation
of years of thought and feeling is forgotten, and we
are instantly back to the old days and the old haunts,
and pell-mell in the thick of old boyish scrapes again.
Yet perchance these names were offensive. But they
have wholly lost their force. We had ceased to feel
hurt by them long before we parted in early days.
See how this, too, is illustrated in the present day in
the names of certain sects and parties. We talk
calmly of * Capuchins,' * Quakers,' ' Ranters,' ' Whigs'
426 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
and * Tories,' and yet some of these taken literally
are offensive enough, especially the political ones.
But, as we know, all that attached to them of odium
has long ago become clouded, obscured, and forgotten,
and now they are the accepted, nay, proudly owned,
titles of the party they represent. Were it not for
this we might be puzzled to conceive why in these
early times such a name as ' le Bonde,' significant of
nothing but personal servitude and galling oppression,
was allowed to remain. That * le Free ' and * le Fre-
man ' and * le Franch-homme ' should survive the
ravages of time is natural enough. But with ' Bond '
it is different. It bespoke slavery. Yet it is one of
our most familiar names of to-day. How is this .?
The explanation is easy. The term was used to
denote personality, not position ; the notion of condi-
tion was lost in that of identity. It was just the same
with sobriquets of a more humorous and broad cha-
racter, with nicknames in fact. The roughest humour
of those rough days is oftentimes found in these early
records, and the surnames which, putting complimen-
tary and objectionable and neutral together, belong to
this day to this class, form still well-nigh the largest
proportion of our national nomenclature. There is
something indescribably odd, when we reflect about it,
that the turn of a toe, the twist of a leg, the length of
a limb, the colour of a lock of hair, a conceited look,
a spiteful glance, a miserly habit of some in other
respects unknown and long-forgotten ancestor, should
still five or six centuries afterwards be unblushingly
proclaimed to the world by the immediate descendants
therefrom. And yet so it is with our ' Cruickshanks *
or 'Whiteheads ' or ' Meeks ' or ' Proudmans ; ' thus it
NICKNAMES.' 427
is with our ' Longmans ' and * Shortmans,' our * Biggs'
and ' Littles,' and the endless others we shall speedily
mention. Still these represent a better class of sur-
names. As time wore on, and the nation became
more refined, there was an attempt made, successful
in many instances, to throw off the more objectionable
of these names. Some were so utterly gross and
ribald as even in that day to sink into almost instant
oblivion. Some, I doubt not, never became hereditary
at all.
In glancing briefly over a portion of these names
we must endeavour to affect some order. We might
divide them into two classes merely, physical and
moral or mental peculiarities ; but this would scarcely
suffice for distinction, as each would still be so large
as to make us feel ourselves to be in a labyrinth that
had no outlet. Nor would these two classes be
sufficiently comprehensive .-' There would still be left
a large mass of sobriquets which could scarcely be
placed with fitness in either category : nicknames
from Nature, nicknames from oaths, or street-cries, or
mottoes, or nicknames again in the shape of descrip-
tive compounds. Names ffom the animal kingdom,
of course, could be set under either a moral or phy-
sical head, as, in all cases, saving when they have
arisen from inn-signs or ensigns, they would be
affixed on the owner for some supposed affinity he
bore in mind or body to the creature in question.
Still it will be easier to place them, as well as some
others, under a third and more miscellaneous cate-
gory. These three divisions I would again sub-
divide in the following fashion : —
428 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
I. — Physical and External Peculiarities.
(1) Nicknames from peculiarities of relationship,
condition, age, size, shape, and capacity.
(2) Nicknames from peculiarities of complexion.
(3) Nicknames from peculiarities of dress and
its accoutrements.
1 1. — Mental and Moral Peculiarities.
(i) Nicknames from peculiarities of disposition —
complimentary.
(2) Nicknames from peculiarities of disposition —
objectionable.
I II. — Miscellaneous.
(i) Nicknames from the animal and vegetable
kingdom.
(2) Descriptive compounds affixed as nicknames.'
(3) Nicknames from oaths, street-cries, and
mottoes.
I. — Physical and External Peculiarities.
(i) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Relationship,
Age., Size, and Capacity.
{a) Relationship. — There is scarcely any position in
which one man can stand to another which is not found
recorded pure and simple in the surnames of to-day.
The manner in which these arose was natural enough.
We still talk of 'John Smith, Senior,' and 'John
' I use this phrase as the most convenient. I shall have to record
many descriptive compounds under every separate division, but it is the
most suited for my purpose, and will embrace all the more eccentric
nicknames that I have met with in my researches, especially those
made up of verb and substantive, a practice which opened out a wide
field for the inventive powers of our forefathers.
' NICKNAMES.' 429
Smith, Junior,' when we require a distinction to be
made between two of the same name. So it was then,
only the practice was carried further. I find, for
instance, in one simple record, the following in-
sertions : — 'John Darcy le fiz,' 'John Darcy le frere,'
* John Darcy le unkle,' ' John Darcy le cosyn,' ' John
Darcy le nevue,' and ' John Darcy, junior.' How easy
would it be for those in whose immediate community
these different representatives of the one same name
lived to style each by his term of relationship, and
for this, once familiarised, to become his surname.
' Uncle,' • once found as ' Robert le Unkle,' or 'John
le Uncle,' is now quite obsolete, I think ; but the
pretty old Saxon ' Eame ' abides hale and hearty
in our numberless ' Fames,' ' Ames,' ' Emes,' and
* Yeames.' We find it used in the ' Townley Mys-
teries.' In one of them Rebecca tells Jacob he must
flee for fear of Esau —
Jacol'. Wheder-ward shuld I go, dame ?
Rebecca. To Mesopotameam
To my brother and thyne erne,
That dwellys beside Jordan streme.
The ' Promp. Par.' defines a cozen to be an * emys son,'
and it is from him, no doubt, our many ' Cousens,*
* Cousins,' ' Couzens,' and ' Cozens ' have sprung,
descended as they are from ' Richard le Cusyn' (A.),
or 'John le Cosyn' (G.), or 'Thomas le Cozun' (E.).
'Kinsman' ('John Kynnesman,' Z. Z.) may be of the
same degree. 'Widowson' ('William le Wedweson,'
R., ' Simon fil. Vidue,' A.^) is apparently the same as
' ' Lease to Thomas Unkle of a wood within the manor of
Bolynbroke, Nov. 30, 1485.' (Materials for Hist. Henry VH. 593 p.) â–
* The English form of Guido was commonly Wydo — hence such
430 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
the once existing * Faderless ' (' John Faderless,' M.),'
while 'Brotherson' and 'Sisterson' ('Jacob Systerson,'
W. 3) seem to be but old-fashioned phrases for a
nephew, in which case they are but synonymous with
the Norman ' Nephew,' * Neve,' ' Neave,' or ' Neaves ;'
all these forms being familiar to our directories, and
descendants of 'Reyner le Neve' (A.), or ' Richard le
Nevu' (E.), or 'Robert le Neave' (Z.). Capgrave,
giving the descent of Eber, says : ' In this yere (anno
2509) Sala begat Heber ; and of this Eber, as auc-
touris say, came the people Hebrak, for Heber was
neve unto Sem.' Thus again, the Saxon ' Arnold le
Fader ' was met by the Norman ' John Parent,' and
the still more foreign ' Ralph le Padre,' while ' Wil-
liam le Brother ' found his counterpart in ' Geoffrey le
Freer,' or 'P'rere;' but as in so many cases this
latter must be a relic of the old freere or friar, we had
better refer it, perhaps, to that more spiritual relation-
ship.'*
{b) Condition. — We have still traces in our midst
of sobriquets relating to the poverty or wealth of the
original bearer. Our ' Poores,' often found as ' Powers,'
are descended from the ' Roger le Poveres,' or ' Robert
le Poors,' of the thirteenth century, while our 'Riches '
entries as ' Wydo Wodecok,' or ' William fil. Wydo.' Thus, as I have
already said, ' Widowson ' may be a patronymic.
' The curious name of 'John Orphan -strange' is found in a Cam-
bridge register for 1544. (Hist. C.C. Coll. Cam.) Doubtless he had
been a foundling.
* Some Norman-French terms of relationship have been translated,
resulting in names of utterly different sense. Thus Beaupere, a step-
father, has become 'Fairsire ;' 'Beaufils,' a step-son (still surviving in
Boffill), ' Fairchild' ; and ' Beaufrere,' a step-brother, ' Fairbrothcr,' or
• Farebrother.'
•nicknames.' 431
are set down at the same period as * Swanus le Riche '
or * Gervase le Riche.' Of several kindred surnames
we may mention a ' John le Nedyman,' now obsolete,
and an ' Elyas le Diveys,' which, in the more Biblical
form of Dives, still exists in the metropolis. It is
somewhat remarkable that we should have the Jewish
' Lazarus ' also, and that this too should have arisen
in not a few instances from the fact that its first
possessor was a leper. * Nicholas le Lepere ' and
' Walter le Lepper ' speak for themselves. With the
above we may ally our early 'Robert le Ragiddes' and
'Thomas le Raggedes,' which remind us that our
vagabonds, if not our ' Raggs' and * Raggetts,' are
of no modern extraction, but come of a very old
family indeed ! 'Half-naked,' I unhesitatingly at first
set down as one of this class, but it is local.^
{c) Age, Size, Shape, Capacity. — This class is very
large, and embraces every possible, and well-nigh im-
possible feature of human life. A glance over our old
records, and we can almost at once find 'Lusty' and
' Strong,' ' Long ' and ' Short ' ' Bigg ' ' and ' Little,'
* High ' and ' Lowe ' (both perchance local), ' Large '
and 'Small,' 'Thick' and 'Thin,' 'Slight' and 'Round,'
'Lean' and ' Fatt,' ' Megre' and ' Stout,' ^ 'Ould*
and ' Young,' and ' Light ' and ' Heavy.' Was this
not sufficient ? Were there several in the same
community who could boast similarity in respect
» 'Adam de Halfnaked' (H.), 'Adam de Halnaked' (M.).
* The Hundred Rolls have a ' Henry Mucklebone.'
* 'Lusty,' 'Fat,' and ' Stout' evidently were not expressive enough
for some of our forefathers, to judge by such entries as ' Henry
Pudding,' 'William Broadgirdel,* or 'Joan Broad-belt.' The last still
lives.
432 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
to one or other of these varieties ? Then we got
'Stronger,* 'Shorter,' 'Younger,'* 'Littler,' 'Least,''
' Senior,' ' Junior,' and in some cases ' Elder,' Some
of these are of course Norman ; but when Saxon
occur we can all but invariably find the Norman
equivalent. Thus, if ' Large ' be Saxon, ' Gros ' (now
' Grose' and 'Gross ') is Norman ; if 'Bigge' be Saxon,
* Graunt ' or ' Grant' or ' Grand ' is Norman ;' if ' Small'
be Saxon, ' Pettitt ' or ' Pettye ' or ' Petty ' or ' Peat '
is Norman. Thus again, ' Lowe ' meets face to face
with ' Bas ' or ' Bass,' ' Short ' with ' Curt,' ' Fatte ' with
'Gras' or 'Grass' or 'Grace,'* ' Strong ' with 'Fort,'
' Ould ' with ' Viele,' ' Twist ' with ' Tort,' and ' Young '
or ' Yonge ' with ' Jeune.' Sometimes the termination
' Epitaph on William Younger, Rector of Great-Melton, deceased
March 6th, 1661, setat. 57 —
' Younger he was by name, but not in grace,
Elder than he, in this, must give him place.'
(Hist, of Norfolk, vol. v. p. 13.) 'Youngerman' may be seen
over a shop in Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester.
* ' Littler ' and ' littlest ' were once the common degrees of compari-
son, Shakespeare uses the superlative. Mr. Halliwell gives the Nor-
folk dialect a large range. Besides 'less' and 'least' he adds 'lesser'
and 'lessest,' 'lesserer' and 'lesserest,' 'lesserer still' and 'lessest
of all,' and 'littler' and 'littlest.'
* The former ' Haut,' that is, high or tall, is obsolete, I think.
' Robert le Haut' is met with in a Norfolk register. (Hist. Norf,
Index.)
* It is curious to compare local registers with local dictionaries.
Thus the Promptorium Parvulorum gives as a familiar Norfolk term
in the fourteenth century, ' craske, fryke of fatte,' or 'lusty,' as wc
should now say. This crask was a vulgar form of the French ' eras '
(Latin, 'crassus'). Turning to our registers, we find that while our
' Grass's ' are found in our more general rolls as ' Richard le Cras ' or
'John le Cras' or 'Stephen Crassus,' our 'Crasks' must go to a
Norfolk entry for a 'Walter le Crask.' (Vide Hist. Norfolk, IndeXi
Bromefield.)
' NICKNAMES.' 433
' man ' is added, as in ' Strongman,' ' Longman,'
' Smallman,' ' Oldman,' and ' Youngman,' or if a
woman, dame, as in such a case as * Matilda Lene-
dame,' which as a surname died probably with its
owner. Sometimes, again, we have the older and
more antique form, as in ' Smale ' and ' Smaleman,*
that is, small ; * Yonge' and ' Yongeman,' that is, young ;
and ' Lyte ' and * Lyteman,' that is, little ; ' Wight '
and 'Wightman,' now obsolete in our general voca-
bulary, referred to personal strength and activity. In
the * Vision of Piers Plowman,' one of the sons of
' Sire Inwit ' is described as being —
A wight man of strength.
• Manikin,' found at the same period, needs no ex-
planation.*
Of the less general we have well-nigh numberless
illustrations. It is only when we come to look at our
nomenclature we find out how many separate limbs,
joints, and muscles we individually possess, and by
what a variety of terms they severally went in
earlier days. No treatise of anatomy can be more
precise in regard to this than our directories. Some
prominence or other peculiarity about the head or
face has given us our 'Chins,' ' Chekes,' or 'Cheeks,'
and 'Jowles,' or 'Joules.' We are all familiar with
the protruding fangs of our friend ' Jowler ' of the
canine community. Thus even here also we must
place 'cheek by jowl.' ' Glossycheck ' ('Bertholomew
Gloscheke,' A.) once existed^ but is obsolete now.
' • Robert Manekin,' A. Nevertheless this is a baptismal name
also with the diminutive ' kin' appended. 'Manekyn le Heaumer,' H.
F F
434 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The same is true in respect of ' Duredent ' (' Walter
Duredent,' E.), or ' Dent-de-fer,' i.e., ' Irontoothed '
(' Robert Dent-de-fer/ E.), which spoke well no doubt
for the masticatory powers of its owner. * Merry-
mouth ' (' Richard Merymouth,' X.) would be a stand-
ing testimony to its possessor's good humour. It is
decidedly more acceptable than 'Dogmow'^ ('Arnulph
Dogmow,' A.) or ' Calvesmawe ' (' Robert Calves-
maghe,' M.), recorded at the same period. 'Sweet-
mouth ' (' Robert Swetemouth,' D.) also speaks for the
sentiment of the times. In modern days, at least,
the eye is supposed to be one of the chief points of
personal identity. I only find one or two instances,
however, where this feature has given the sobriquet in
our mediaeval rolls. In the * Calendarium Genealogi-
cum' a 'Robertas Niger-oculus,' or 'Robert Black-
eye,' is set down as having been ' pro felonia sus-
pensus.' We are reminded in his name of the ' Black-
eyed Susan ' of later days, but whether Nature had
given him the said hue or some pugilistic encounter
I cannot say. Judging by his antecedents, so far as
the above Latin sentence betrays them, the latter
would seem to be the more likely origin.'* 'William
le BIynd,' or ' Ralph Je Blinde,' speak for themselves.'
The ' Saxon Head,' in lome cases local, doubtless^
is still familiar to us. Its more Norman * Tait ' fitly
' ' To make a mow ' was to put on a mocking expression. The
word was once very familiar, though rarely used now. Bishop
Bradford, speaking of the Romish priesthood, says — ' They never
preach forth the Lord's death but in mockery and mows.' (Parker
Soc, p. 395.) MoTv has no relation to mouth.
' 'William Malregard ' (T.), or 'Geoffrey Malreward ' (T.), i.e.
Evil-eye, would not possess enviable sobri(juets, but the name lingered
on for several centuries.
» 'John Monoculus ' occurs in Memorials of Fotmtaitis Abbey.
'NICKNAMES.' 435
sits at present upon the archiepiscopal throne of
Canterbury. Grostete, one of which name was a dis-
tinguished bishop of Lincoln in the fourteenth cen-
tury, is now represented by ' Greathead ' and ' Broad-
head' only, Butler, in his ' Hudibras,' records it in
the more colloquial form of Grosted —
None a deeper knowledge boasted,
Since Hodge Bacon, and Bob Grosted.
The equally foreign * Belteste ' (' John Beleteste,' A.)
is content, likewise, to allow ' Fairhead ' (' Richard
Faireheved,' H.) to transmit to posterity the claims
of its early possessor to capital grace. 'Blackhead'^
existed in the seventeenth, and * Hardhead ' in the
fifteenth century. These are all preferable, however,
to * Lambshead ' (' Agnes Lambesheved,' A.), found
some generations earlier, and still firmly settled in
our midst, as the ' London Directory ' can vouch,^
So much for the head. * Neck ' and ' Swire ' are both
synonymous, Chaucer describes Envy as ready to
* scratch her face,' or ' rend her clothes,' or ' tear her
swire,'^ in respect of which latter feat we should now
more generally say * tear her hair.' Either operation,
however, would be unpleasant enough, and it is just
as well that for all practical purposes it only occurs in
poetry. Some characteristic of strength, or beauty, or
> A ' William Blackhead ' entered C. C. Coll. Cam. in 1669, and
a 'Thomas Hardhede' in 1467. (^Hist. C. C. Coll.)
^ The Abbot of Leicester in 1474 was one * John Sheepshead.'
' William Sheepshead ' is also mentioned in the Index to NichoUs*
Leicester.
' We must not forget, however, that ' swier ' is early found as a
provincialism for 'squier,' so that it may be referred in some cases to
that once important officer, (v, p. 199.)
F F 2
436 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
deformity (let us assume one of the former) has given
us our * Hands,' ' Armes,' and ' Brass's,' from the old
' Braz.' * Finger,' once existing ('Matilda Finger,' H,),
is now obsolete. Whether this sobriquet was given
on the same grounds as that bestowed on the redoubt-
able * Tom Thumb,' I cannot say, ' Brazdifer *
(' Simon Braz-de-fer,' E., ' Michael Bras-de-fer,' B.B.),
arm of iron, once a renowned nom-de-plume, still
dwells, though obsolete in itself, in our ' Strongithams'
and 'Armstrongs.'' A common form of this north
country name was 'Armstrang' or 'Armestrang'
(' Adam le Armstrang,' G.), reminding us that our
' Strangs ' are but the fellows of our more southern
'Strongs' ('John le Strang,' E., 'Joscelin le Strong,'
H.). ' Lang'' and ' Long' represent a similar differ-
ence of pronunciation. The 'Armstrongs ' were a
great Border clan. Mr. Lower reminds me of the
following lines : —
• Ye need not go to Liddisdale,
For when they see the blazing bale
Elliots and Armstrongs never fail.
(Lay of the Last Minstrel.)
Another and more foreign form of this sobriquet,
' Ferbas* (' Robert Ferbras,' M.), has come down to us
in our somewhat curious-looking * Firebraces.' Still
earlier than any of these we find the sobriquet
' Swartbrand.' Thus we see the arm wielded a
powerful influence over names as well as people, no
mere accident in a day when ' might was right.'
' ' Guy le Armerecte' (A.) would seem to be a Latinization of the
name.
^ 'Henry Langbane' occurs in the list of the Corpus Christi
Guild, York. (Surt. Soc.)
' NICKNAMES.' 437
'Main,' when not local, corresponds to the Saxon
* Hand,' and is found in composition in such designa-
tions as * Blanchmains,' that is, white-hand, ' Graunt-
mains,' big-hand, * Tortesmain,' twisted-hand, ' Male-
meyn,' evil-hand, or perhaps maimed-hand, equivalent
therefore to * Male-braunch ' (found at the same early-
date) in 'Mainstrong,' a mere variation of 'Armstrong,'
and in * Quarterman,' scarcely recognisable in such an
English-like form as the Norman ' Quatre-main,' the
four-handed. In the reign of the second Richard it
had become registered as 'Quatremayn' and 'Quatre-
man,' and the inversion of the two letters in this latter
case was of course inevitable.' * Brazdifer,' I have
said, is extinct — not so, however, ' Pedifer ' (* Bernard
Pedefer,' G., ' Fulbert Pedefer,' X.), that is, iron-footed,
which, occurring from the earliest times, still looks
stout and hearty in its present guise of ' Petifer,'
'Pettifer,' ^ and ' Potiphar,' though the last would seem
to claim for it a pedigree nearly as ancient as that of
the Welshman who, half-way up his genealogical tree,
had made the interesting note : ' About this time
Adam was born.' Even this name, however, did not
escape translation, for we find an ' Ironfoot ' (' Peter
Yrenefot,' A.) recorded at the same date as the above.'
Our ' Legges,' our * Shanks ' and ' Footes,' "* are all
• I see 'Catterraan' also exists. This is early faced by ' Richard
Catermayn ' (H.).
* Robert Pettifer was Sheriff of Gloucester in 1603. (Rudder's
Gloucestershire, p. 116,)
• The famous old surname of ' Ironsides ' is found so late as 1 754,
the Lord Mayor of London for that year being 'Edward Ironside.'
The Bishop of Bristol in 1689 was 'Gilbert Ironside.' His father,
' Gilbert Ironside,' preceded him in the same see.
* 'Antony Knebone' (Z.), This would seem to belong to a similar
class,
438 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
familiar to us, though the first is in most cases un-
doubtedly local, as being but an olden form of
' Leigh.' ' We all remember the inimitable couplet
placed over the memorial to Samuel Foote, the
comedian —
Here lies one Foote, whose death may thousands save,
For death has now ont foot within the grave.
* Jambe ' was the Norman synonym of ' Shank,' and
by way of more definite distinction we light upon the
somewhat flattering ' Bellejambe,' the equally un-
flattering 'Foljambe,' the doubtful ' Greyshank,' ^ the
historic ' Longshank,' the hapless ' Cruikshank ' or
' Bowshank,' ^ the decidedly uncomplimentary * Sheep-
shank,' and, last and worst, ' Pelkeshank,' seemingly
intended to be ' Pelican-shanked,' which, when we
recall the peculiar disproportion of that bird's ex-
tremities to the rest of its body, afibrds ample reason
for the absence of that sobriquet in our more modern
rolls. Some fifty years ago a certain Mr. Sheepshanks,
of Jesus College, Cambridge, while undergoing an
examination in Juvenal, pronounced ' satire ' ' satyr.'
' 'Leg' did not come into use till the beginning of the xiiith
century, when it was imported from Norway. ' Shank,' as the various
compound sobriquets found below will fully prove, did duty.
* Mr. Halliwell quotes the following couplet from an old manu-
script :
' Hir one schanke blak hir other graye,
And all her body like the lede. ' — (Die. L i.)
* 'Gerald Bushanke' (A.). This might be 'Beau-shank,' and
therefore equivalent to ' Bellejambe,' but such an admixture of
languages is not likely. We still speak of ' bow-leg,' and this is the
more probable origin.
* NICKNAMES.' 439
A wag, thereupon, wrote the following epigram, which
soon found its way through the University : —
The satyrs of old were satyrs of note,
With the head of a man, they'd the shanks of a goat :
But the satyr of Jesus all satyrs surpasses,
Whilst his shanks are a sheefs, his head is an ass's.
Swiftness of foot was not allowed to go unrecorded,
and we have an interesting instance of the way in
which this class of surnames arose from an entry
recorded in the ' Issues of the Exchequer.' There
we find a ' Ralph Swyft ' mentioned as courier to
Edward III. Nothing could be more natural than
for such a sobriquet to become affixed to a man
fulfilling an office like this, requiring, as it did at
times, all the running and riding powers of which he
could be capable.^ Other memorials of former agility
in this respect are still preserved in our ' Golightlys ' "
and ' Lightfoots,' while of still earlier date, and more
poetical form, we may instance ' Harefoot ' and ' Roe-
foot.' These, however, are altogether inexpressive in
comparison with such a sobriquet as ' Scherewind ' or
' Shearvvind,' which seems to have been a familiar ex-
pression at this time, for I find it recorded in three
several rolls. It is strange, and yet not strange, that
every peculiarity that can mark the human gait is
' Siuift, however, is not the only courier's sobriquet preserved to us.
' In the Countess of Leicester's service were several whose real names
weresunk in titles ridiculouslydescriptiveof theirqualities. *'â– Slingaway,^'
the learned editor of the Household Roll, has pointed out, he might
have added " Gobitheslie'^ (go a bit hasty) and " Bolctt" (bullet), so de-
nominated from their speed, and " Tritcbodit''^ (true body) from his fidelity.
These were all couriers.' {lions. Exp. Bish. Swittficld, p. 143.)
* ' C. P. Golightly,' ' Thomas Golightly.' Vitii Clergy List, 1848,
and other directories.
440 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
distinctly preserved in our nomenclature. ' Isabel
Stradling ' or ' William Stradling ' represent the
straddle ; 'Thomas le Ambler ' or ' Ralph le Ambuler '
(when not occupative), the amble ; our ' Shailers,'
* Shaylors,* and ' Shaylers,' the sJiuffle ; ' Robert le
Liltere,' the hop ; our ' Scamblers ' and ' Shamblers,'
the weak-kneed shamble ; ' Ralph le Todeler,' the
toddle ; and ' Samuel Trotman ' or ' Richard Trotter '
(when not occupative), the trot, if that be possible on
two legs. Besides these, we may mention the obsolete
' Thomas Petitpas ' or ' John Pctypase,' ' William
Noblepas,' and * Malpas,' which we might Saxonize
into ' Short-step,' ' High-step,' and ' Bad-step.' 'Chris-
tiana Lameman ' and ' William Laymeman ' remind
us of more pitiable weaknesses. ' Barefoot ' may have
been the designation of some one under penitential
routine, unless it be a corruption of ' Bearfoot.'
' Proudfoot ' and * Platfoot ' (plat = flat; need no com-
ment, while ' Sikelfoot,' found by Mr. Lower as exist-
ing in the thirteenth century, seems, as he says, to
bespeak a splayed appearance or outward twist.' If
this be so, the owner was not alone in his distress.
We have just mentioned ' Cruikshank.' Our ' Crooks'
are, I doubt not, of similar origin, and another com-
pound of the same, now obsolete, was ' Crookbone '
(' Henry Crokebane,' A.). Our ' Crumps ' are but
relics of the old ' Richard le Crumpe ' or ' Hugh le
Crump,' the crookbacked, and perhaps our 'Cramps'
and * Crimps' arc but changes rung on the same. Our
nursery literature still preserves the story of the ' cow
' I have mentioned 'Matilda Finger' (H.). I do not find any ' Toe '
in our Directories, but ' Peter Pricktoe ' (M.) and 'Thomas Pinchsliu '
(A.) existed in the xivth century.
NICKNAMES. 44I
with the crumpled horn.' Thus, also, was it with our
' Cams,' once ' William le Cam.' As a Celtic stream-
name, denoting a winding course, it has sur\dved the
aggressions of Saxon and Norman, and is still familiar.
Cambridge and Camford are on two different streams
of this name. In the*north a man is still said to * cam
his shoe ' who wears it down on one side. I have
heard the phrase often among the poorer classes of
Lancashire. ' Camoys ' or ' Camuse,' from the same
root, was generally applied to the nasal organ. In
the description of the Miller, which I shall have occa-
sion to quote again shortly, Chaucer says —
A Sheffield t-hwitel bare he in his hose,
Round was his face, and camuse was his nose.
As, however, I find both ' John le Camoys ' and
' Reginald de Camoys,' it is only a fair presumption
that in some cases it is of Norman local origin. With
one of our leading families it is undoubtedly so. The
two great clans of ' Cameron ' and ' Campbell,' I may
say in passing, though treading upon Scottish soil, are
said to mean severally ' crook-nosed ' and ' crook-
mouthed.' If this be so, we may see how firmly has
this little word imbedded itself upon our nomencla-
ture, if not upon our more general vocabulary. Not to
mention ' Crypling,' ' Handless,' and * Onehand,' ' we
find ' Blind ' significative of blindness ; ' Daffe ' and
' Daft,' of deafness ; ' Mutter ' and ' Stutter,' not to say
* Stuttard ' and ' Stammer,' of lisping speech ; and
' Accidents of this kind naturally became sobriquets, and then
surnames. Hence such entries as ' William Crypling' (A.), 'William
Onhand'(B.), 'John Onehand' (D.), or 'John Handless' (W. 11). 'John
Gouty' (V. I) represents a still troublesome complaint, and may be
mentioned here.
442 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Dumbard,' of utter incapacity in that respect. Such
a sobriquet as ' Mad ' • of course explains itself. As
we might well presume, this. has not come down to us.
Still less pleasant in their associations are our ' Burls*
(' Henry le Burle,' A.), that is, blotch-skinned. But
complimentary allusions to the smoothness of the
hands and face were not wanting. Apart from a
touch of poetry, such names as ' Elizabeth Lyllywhite,'
now * Lilywhite ; ' ' William Beauflour,' now spelt
'Boutflower' and 'Buffler;' and 'Faith Blanchflower,'
still existing also, are not without a certain prettiness.
Of equally clear complexion would be the obsolete
' William Whiteflcsh ' or ' Gilbert Whitehand ' 2 or
' Robert Blanchmains,' not to mention our ' Chits '
and 'Chittys' ('John Ic Chit,' A., 'Agnes Chittye,' Z.).
We still talk in our nurseries of a ' little chit,' a word
which, though strictly speaking confined to no age,
had early become a pet name as applied to young
children. It is with these, therefore, we must ally our
' Slicks,' from* ' sleek,' ' smooth,' •"' ' Sam Slick ' being
by no means in possession of an imaginary name.
Chaucer says of * Idleness,' in his Romance —
Her flesh tender as is a chicke
With bent browes ; smooth and slicke.
It is astonishing how carefully will a sobriquet of an
' ' Jordan le Madde ' occurs in the Placita de Quo Warranto.
' 'William Whitehand* is set down in the C. C. Coll. records for
1665. {Hist. C. C. Coll. Cam.) 'Humbert IJlanchmains' is found in
Nicholls' Leicestershire.
' In the Prompt. Parv. we fmd not merely 'slyke, or smothe,' but
' slykeston.' The slick or sleek stone was used for smoothing linen or
paper ; vide Mr. Way's note thereon, p. 458. ' The eban stone which
goldsmiths used to sleeken theirgold with,' etc. (Burton's Anatomy.)
' NICKNAMES.' 443
undoubtedly complimentary nature find itself pre-
served. Such a name as * Hugh le Bell ' or * Richard
le Bell ' is an instance in point.^ While objectionable
designations, or even those of but equivocal character,
have been gradually shuffled off or barely allowed to
survive, the mere fact of this being at the present day
one of the most familiar, and in respect of sobriquet
nomenclature the absolutely most common, of our
surnames, shows that the human heart is not altered
by lapse of generations, and that pride then, as now,
wielded a powerful sceptre over the minds of men.
Our 'Belhams ' represent but the fuller ' Bellehomme'
(* William Bellehomme,' M.). Thus the two may be
set against our Saxon ' Prettys ' and ' Prettimans,' '
though ' pretty ' would scarcely find itself so accept-
able now, denoting as it does a style of beauty rather
too effeminate for the lords of creation. In the Hun-
dred Rolls occur ' Matilda Winsome ' and * Alicia
Welliking.' Both these terms, complimentary as they
undoubtedly were, are now obsolete, so far as our
directories are concerned.
(2) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Complexion.
After all, however, it is, perhaps, complexion which
has occupied for itself the largest niche in our more
general nomenclature. Nor is this unnatural. It is
' Thus ' Bell' comes into three categories — the local, the baptismal,
and the sobriquet, represented in our registers by three such entries as
•John atte Bell' (X.), 'Richard fil. Bell' (A.), and 'Walter le Bel' (G.).
' 'Katharine Pretty man' (Z.), ' William Prettiman ' (F.F.). Thename
still flourishes, and as ' Miss Prettiman ' figures in the Caudle JLeclurcs,
444 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Still that which, in describing people, we seize upon as
the best means of recognition. Sobriquets of this
kind were so numerous, indeed, that there was no
term in the vocabulary of the day which could be
used to denote the colour of the dress, the hair, or the
face, which did not find itself a place among our
surnames.
It was the same with our beasts of burden or
animals of the chase. In these days their hides
almost invariably furnished forth their current de-
signations. Thus we find the horse familiarly
known by such titles as ' Morell,' from its moorish
or swarthy tan, or ' Lyard,' that is, dapple-grey, or
' Bayard,' bay, or * Favell,' dun, or Blank,' white.
The dark hide of the ass got for it the sobriquet
of ' Dun,' a term still preserved in the old pro-
verb, ' As dull as Dun in the mire,' while again
as * Burnell ' its browner aspect will be familiar
to all readers of Chaucer. Thus, also, the fox was
known as ' Russell,' the bear as ' Bruin,' and the
young hind, from its early indefinite red, ' Sorrell.'
How natural that the same custom should have its
effect upon human nomenclature. How easy for a
country community to create the distinction between
'John le Rouse' and 'John Ic Black,' 'William le
Hore' and 'William le Sor' or ' Sorrell,' if the com-
plexion of the hair or face were sufficiently distinctive
to allow it. Some of these adjectives were applied
to human peculiarities of this kind till within recent
times. Burns uses ' lyart ' for locks of iron grey,
and Aubyn, in his ' Lives,' describes Butler, author
of ' Hudibras,' as having ' a head of sorrell haire.'
We ourselves talk of ' brunettes ' and ' blondes/ of
NICKNAMES.' 445
' dark ' and ' fair,' Thus it was then such sobriquets
as 'PhiHp le Sor,' 'Adam le Morell,' 'William le
Favele ' or ' Favell,' ' Walter le Bay ' or ' Theobald
le Bayard,' ' Henry le Dun ' or ' Thomas le Lyard/
arose. Thus was it our ' Rouses ' and ' Russells,'
our ' Brownes ' ^ and ' Brunes,' with the obsolete
' Brunman,' or 'Brunells' and 'Burnells,' our 'Whites'
and * Whitemans,' our ' Hores ' and ' Hoares,' our
* Greys ' and ' Grissels ' ' sprang into being. Nor are
these all. Our ' Reeds,' ' Reids,' and ' Reads ' are all
but forms of the old * rede ' or red, once so pro-
nounced ;^ while ' Redman,' when not a descendant
of 'Adam' or 'Thomas de Redmayne,' is the be-
quest of some 'Robert' or 'John Redman' of the
thirteenth century. Our ' Swarts ' are but relics of
the old ' John le Swarte,' applied no doubt to the
tawny or sunburnt face of its original owner. The
word was in common use at this time. In ' Guy of
Warwick ' we are told : —
His nek is greater than a bole,
His body is swarter than ani cole.
The darker-hued countenances of our forefathers are
immortalised also in such entries as ' Reyner le
Blake ' or .* Stephen le Blak,' now found as ' Blake '
' ' Nutbrown ' is found in several early records, and existed till
1630 at least. ' George Nutbrowne was sworne the same daye
pistler, and Nathaniel Pownell, gospeller.' (Cheque Bk., Chapel
Royal (Cam. Soc), p. 12.)
* 'White' and ' Grissel' are combined in 'Anne Griselwhite,'
a name occurring in an old Norfolk register. {Vide Index, Hist.
Norfolk, Bromefield.)
* ' Thomas Pock-red ' in the Hundred Rolls would not be accept-
able.
446 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
and ' Black,' or ' Elias le Blakeman ' or ' Henry Blac-
man,' now ' Blakeman ' and ' Blackman ' respectively.
' John le Blanc ' and ' Warin Blench ' find themselves
in the nineteenth century supported by our 'Blanks'
and ' Blanches ;' ' while the descendants of such people
as 'Amabilla le Blund,' or 'Walter le Blunt,' or ' Regi-
nald le Blond,' or ' Richard le Blount ' still preserve a
memorial of their ancestry in such familiar forms as
'Blund,' 'Blunt,' 'Blond,' and 'Blount' 'Blanket'
and ' Blanchet,' as fuller forms, we shall notice shortly,
and ' Blondin,' ' Blundell,' and the immortalised but
mythic 'Blondel' are but changes rung upon the
others. Our ' Fallows ' are but relics of the ' Fales '
and ' Falemans ' of the Hundred Rolls. The some-
what pallid yellow they represented we still apply to
park deer and untilled earth. We find it, however,
used more personally in the * Knight's Tale,' where it
is said of Arcite that he began to wax lean —
His eye hollow, and grisly to behold,
His hewe falew, and pale as ashen cold.
* Scarlet ' doubtless was a sobriquet given, as may
have been some of the above, from the colour of the
dress, this being a very popular complexion of cloth
in early days. Tripping it —
In skerlet kyrtells, every one,
would be a familiar and pretty sight, no doubt, as the
village maidens went round to the tune of the fife and
• • Blanchfront ' seems to have been common, as I find it in three
distinct registers. 'Joan Blaunkfrount.'anunof Molseby. {Letters from
Northern Registers, p. 3 1 9. ) ' Philip Blanchfront' (F. F. ), 'Amabil Blanch-
front* (Fines, Ric. i.)
NICKNAMES.' 447
tabor at the rural feast or ingathering, nor would
umbrage be taken at the title. Several ' Blues ' are
recorded in the more Norman-French form of ' le
Bleu.' Whether they still exist I am not quite sure,
nor are we helped to any satisfactory conclusion by
the epitaph which Mr. Lower wisely italicises, when he
says it is said to exist in a church in Berkshire —
Underneath this ancient pew
Lieth the body of Jonathan Blue.
N.B, — His name was 'Black,' but that wouldn't do.
There may be more or less doubt as to the pre-
cise reference some of the above-mentioned names
bear to the physical peculiarities of their owners,
whether to the complexion of the face, or the hair,
or, as I have lately hinted, to the dress. But in
many other cases there can be no such controversy.
For instance, no one can be in perplexity as to how
our 'Downyheads,' 'Ruf heads,'' 'Hardheads,' 'White-
heads,' ' Redheads,' ' Flaxenheads,' * ' Shavenheads,'
' Goldenheads,' 'Weaselheads,'^ 'Coxheads' or 'Cocks-
heads,' and ' Greenheads ' arose, many of which, now
extinct, were evidently intended to be obnoxious.
Nor is there any greater difficulty in deciphering
the meaning of such names as ' Whitelock ' or ' Whit-
lock,' 'Silverlock' or ' Blacklock.' ' Shakelock' seems
to refer to some eccentricity on the part of the owner,
unless it be but a corruption of ' Shacklock,' a likely
' It was in the house of a Josias Roughead, of Bedford, that John
Banyan was first licensed to preach in 1672.
* ' Richard Flaxennehed ' occurs in the Hundred Rolls.
• ' Antony Wiselheade ' is registered in Elizabeth's reign in the
Calendar to Pleadings.
448 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
sobriquet for a gaoler, from the fetterlocks, once so
termed, which he was wont to employ —
And bids his man bring out the fivefold twist,
His shackles, shacklocks, hampers, gyves, and chains.
' Whitehair,' â– ' Fairhair,'* and ' Yalowhair,' are equally
transparent. The latter was once a decidedly favourite
hue, as I believe it is still, only we now say ' golden.'^
With the gross flattery so commonly resorted to by
courtier historians, every princess was described as
having yellow tresses. How they allowed themselves
to be so cajoled is an equally historic mystery. Queen
Elizabeth had more obsequious adulation uttered to
her face, and possessed a greater stomach for it, than
any other royal personage who ever sat upon or laid
claim to a crown, but nothing pleased her more than
a compliment upon her golden locks, carroty as they
really were. In a description of another Elizabeth,
the Queen of Henry VH., as she appeared before her
coronation, 1487, quoted by Mr. Way, it is said that
she wore * her faire yellow hair hanging down pleyne
behynd her back, with a calle of pipes over it,' and
further back still, when Chaucer would describe the
beauty of Dame Gladness, he must needs finish off
* 'William Whiteheare ' was Dean of Bristol, 1551, (Barrett,
Hist. Bristol. )
* ' 1522, 31 Dec. To Mr. William Farehaire, Doctor of Laws.'
(Letters of Fraternity (DvLrhvim Priory), p. 119. Surt. Hoc.)
Names like 'William Harebrown,' 'Ralph Lightred,' and 'John
Litewhyte' seem to belong to the same category with the above.
' Burton, in his Anatomy of Melancholy, says, ' ApoUonius will
have Jason's golden hair to be the main cause of Medea's dotage on
him. Castor and Pollux were both yellow-haired. Homer so com-
mends Helen, makes Patroclus and Achilles both yellow-haired ;
Pulchricoma Venus, and Cupid himself was yellow-haired.'
NICKNAMES.' 449
the portrayal by touching up her locks with the
popular hue —
Her hair was yellow, and clear shining,
I wot no lady so liking.
' Yalowhair ' is obsolete, but in our ' Fairfax ' is pre-
served a sobriquet commemorative no doubt of the
same favoured colour. In ' Sir Gawayne ' we are told,
after the alliterative style of the day, how ^ fair fanning
fax ' encircled the shoulders of the doughty warrior.
In the * Townley Mysteries,' too, a demon is repre-
sented in one place as saying —
A home, and a Dutch axe.
His sleeve must be flecked,
A syde head, and a fare fax,
His goune must be specked.
* Beard,' once entered as ' Peter Wi'-the-berd,' or
* Hugo cum-Barba,' still thrives in our midst; and
even ' Copperbeard,' ' Greybeard,' ' Blackbeard,' ^ and
' Whitebeard ' contrive to exist. * Redbeard ' * to-
gether with 'Featherbeard,' ' Eaglebeard,' 'Wisebeard,'
and ' Brownbeard,' ^ have long disappeared, and * Blue-
beard,* of whose dread existence we were, as children,
only too awfully assured, has also left no descendants ;
but this, I fancy, we gather from his history. ' Love-
lock ' is a relic of the once familiar plaited and
' This sobriquet, as old as tlie Hundred Rolls, is found in the
xviith cent., at Durham. ' Peter Blackbeard ' was ' brought up for not
paying Easter reckonings, 1676.' {Dean Granville^ s Letters, p. 235.)
* A contributor to N'otes and Queries, Jan. 14, i860, quotes an
old Ipswich record in which is mentioned an * Alexander Redberd '
dwelling there in the early part of the sixteenth century.
^ 'John Brounberd, son of William, a hostage from Galloway.'
{Letters from Northern Registers, p. 163.)
'Janet Brounebeard ' was an inmate of St. Thomas's Hospital, York,
February 6, 1553. (W. il, p. 304.)
G G
450 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
beribboned lock which I have already alluded to, as
having been familiarly worn by our forefathers of
the more exquisite type. To the same peculiar, if
not effeminate propensity," we owe, I doubt not,
' Locke ' (' Nicol Locke,' A.) itself, not to mention
' Curl ' (' Marcus Curie,' Z.) and * Crisp ' (' Reginald le
Crispe,' J.). The former of these two, however, seems
to denote the natural waviness, the latter the arti-
ficial production. In the poem from which I have
but just quoted we find the same hero described as
having his hair —
Well crisped and cammed (combed) with knots full many,
and a memorial of the fashion still lingers in the
' crisping pins ' of our present Bible version. In the
Hundred Rolls appears the sobriquet of ' Prikeavant.'
This, as Mr. Lower proves, lingered on till the close
at least of the seventeenth century, in the form of
' Prick-advance.' ' I cannot agree with him, however,
that it arose as a mere spur-expression. I doubt not
it is but the earlier form of the later ' pickedevaunt,'
the pointed or spiked beard so much in vogue in
mediaeval times. The word occurs in the ' Taming
of a Shrew ' —
Boy, oh ! disgrace to my person ! Sounes, boy,
Of your face ! You have many boys witli such
Pickedevaunts, I am sure.
Nothing could be more natural than for such a custom
as this to find itself memorialised in our nomenclature,
' I find this name still exists as ' Pickavant.' It maybe seen over a
boot and shoe warehouse by the Railway Station at Southport, Lancashire.
Probably ' Pickance ' is an abbreviated form. ' Charles, son of Daniel
and Eliza Pickance, bapt. March 26, 1754.' (St. Ann's, Manchester.)
' NICKNAMES.' 45 I
Exaggeration in the habit would easily affix the name
upon the wearer, and though not very euphonious as
a surname, the popularity of the usage would take
from its unpleasantness. This also will explain
' Thomas Stykebeard,' found in the H. R. at this
time. But let us turn for a moment to an opposite
peculiarity. Though we often talk of getting our
heads polled, few, I imagine, reflect that our ' Pollards'
must have obtained their title from their well-shorn
appearance. It is with them, therefore, we must set
our ' Notts,' ' Notmans,' and doubtless some of our
' Knotts.' The term ' nott ' was evidently synony-
mous with ' shorn,' and to have a nothead was to
have the hair closely cut all round the head. It
is still commonly done in some parts of the country
among the peasantry. Chaucer, describing the ' Yeo-
man,' says —
A not-hed hadde he, with a browne visage.
Andrew Boorde, too, later on, writing of the ' Mores
whyche do dwel in Barbary,' says : ' They have gret
lyppes and nottyd heare, black and curled.' ^ The
name as a sobriquet is very common in the old
registers. Among other instances may be mentioned
' Henry le Not ' and ' Herbert le Notte ' in the.
' Placitorum ' at Westminster. Nature, however, did
for our ' Callows ' what art had done for the latter.
The term is written ' calewe ' with our earlier writers,
and in this form is found as a surname in 13 13, one
* Richard le Calewe,' or bald-headed, occurring in the
' Many of my readers will be familiar with the sobriquet 'nott-
pated,' which Shakespeare puts in Prince Henry's mouth several
times.
GG 2
452 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Parliamentary Writs for that year. We still talk of
fledgelings as ' callow young.' From its Latin root
' calvus,' • and through the French ' chauve,* we get
also the early ' John le Chauf,' ' Geoffrey le Cauf,'
and * Richard Ic Chaufyn ' — forms which still abide
with us in our ' Corfcs' and ' Gaffins.' Our ' Balls' are
manifestly sprung from some ' Custancc Balde ' or
' Richard Bald.' But there is yet one more name to
be mentioned in this category, that of ' Peel ' or
' Peile,' descended, as it doubtless is in many cases,
from such folk as ' Thomas Ic Pelc ' Or ' William Ic
Pyl.'
As pilled as an ape was his crown
is the not very complimentary description Chaucer
gives of the Miller of Trumpington. It is but the
same word as occurs in our Authorised Version of
Ezekiel xxix. 1 8, where it is said : ' Every head was
made bald, and every shoulder was peeled.' In
Isaiah xviii. 2, too, we read of a ' nation scattered
and peeled,' the marginal reading being ' outspread
and polished.' ^ Used as a surname, it seems to have
denoted that glossy smoothness, that utter guiltless-
' ' Calvus protests for foes he cloth not care ;
For why ? They cannot take from him one hair.''
{Salyrical Epii^rams, 1 6 1 9. )
* The Alhendtmi thinks the more manifest origin is the local
'peel,' a small fortress used by Chaucer in the House of Fame —
'God save the lady of this/t7<'.'
I was not ignorant of the word, but as I could not find any examples
in the old rolls, I gave the preference to the nickname. I have since
met with an entry which justifies the At/ten<runt's remark : ' 1605,
Nov. 14, Rodger of ye Peele.' Also, ' 1621, July 10, Robarte Rodley,
of ye Peele in Chetham.' (Memorials of Manchester Streets, p. 282.)
'NICKNAMES.' 453
ness of capillary protection which belongs only to
elderly gentlemen, and even then to but a few.'
It can be no matter of astonishment to us, when
we reflect upon it, that our nomenclature should owe
so much to this one single specialty of the human
physique. The face is the mark of all recognition
among men, and how much of its character belongs
to the simple appanage we have been speaking of
we may easily gather from the difference the slightest
change in the style of dressing or cutting it makes
among those with whom we are most familiar. Look-
ing back at what has been recorded, what a living
proof they afford us of the truth of Horace Smith's
assertion that surnames ' ever go by contraries.' The
art of colouring may be hereditary, but certainly not
the dyes themselves. Who ever saw a ' Whytehead '
who was not dark, or a ' Blacklock ' who was not a
blonde .-* Who ever saw reddish hair on a ' Russell,'
or a swarthy complexion on a ' Morell ' .'' How
invariably does it happen that our * Lightfoots ' are
gouty, and our ' Hales ' dyspeptic, our ' Bigges ' are
manikins, and our * Littles ' giants. Such are the
tricks that Time plays with us. Recorded history
gives us the slow development of change in the habits
and customs of domestic life, but here we can com-
pare the physical shifts of the family itself As
history and everything else, however, are said to
repeat themselves, we may comfort or condole with,
• ' John Lytlehare ' occurs in a Norfolk register. Query, is it
meant for ' Littlehair ' ? Probably it is. (Bromefield's Norfolk.')
'Simon Lyt;hare' (lyte = little) is found in the Pari. Writs. 'Richard
le Ilerprute' occurs in the II. R. The modern form would be ' Hair-
proud.'
454 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
as the case may require, those who, if this dictum,
like the Pope's, be infallible, shall some time or other
return to their primitive hues and original proportions.
(3) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Dress and
Accontrements.
An interesting peep into the minuter details of
mediaeval life is given us in the case of names derived
from costume and ensigncy, whether peaceful or war-
like. The colour of the cloth of which the dress was
composed seems to have furnished us with several
surnames. For instance, our * Burnets ' would seem
to be associated with the fabric of a brown mixture
common at one period. Our great early poet, in
describing Avarice, says —
A mantle hung her faste by
Upon a benche weak anci small,
A burnelte cote hung there withail,
Furred with no minevere.
But with a furre rough of hair.
It was the same with our ' Burrels' (' Roger Burell,' J.,
' Robert Burcll,' R.), whom I have already had occa-
sion to mention. So familiar was this cloth that the
poorer classes acquired from it the sobriquet of ' borel-
folk.' This is only analogous to the French 'grisctte,'
from the grey cheap stuff she usually wore. Our
* Blankets' ('Robert Blanket,' B., 'John Blanket,' X.)
or ' Blanchets ' or ' Plunkets,' ' for all these forms are
• * Plunket ' was in early use as a perversion of ' l)lanket.' Thus
a statute of Richard 111. relating to this stuff calls it 'plonket.' The
'NICKNAMES.' 455
found, are in the same way but relics of the time when
the colourless woollen mixture, called by all these
names, was in everyday demand, whether for dress or
coverlet. A story has been spread abroad that our
woollen * blanket ' owes its origin to a man of that
name, who first manufactured it. Even otherwise
well-informed writers have lent themselves to the
furtherance of this fable. ' Blanket ' was originally
the name of a cheap woollen cloth, used for the
apparel of the lower orders, and so entitled from its
pale and colourless hue, just as russet and burrel were
in vogue to express similar manufactures of more
decided colours. It was but the Norman form of the
Saxon 'whittle,' once the household word for this
fabric. Thus we find it occurring in an old Act,
already referred to, passed in 1363, to restrict the
dress of the peasantry : — All people not possessing 40
shillings' worth of goods and chattels ' ne usent nule
manere de drap, si noun blanket et russet, laune de
xii^.,' that is, shall not take nor wear any manner of
cloth, but blanket and russet wool of twelvepence,
{Stat. Realm, vol. i. p. 381.) An old indenture of
goods contains the following : — ' Item, i olde Kendale
gowne, and a hood of the same, pris ix^., the gowne
lynyd with white blanket.' {Miin. Acad. Oxoji,
p. 566.) Both ' Whittle ' and ' Blanket ' are existing
surnames. The reader will sec from these references
alone that, whether in the case of the man or the
manufacture, it is the colour, or rather lack of colour,
which has given the sobriquet. Our ' Qreenmans,'
form in the Prompt. Part', is ' pluuket ;' and Mr. Way, commenting
iipon it, quotes a line from the Aivntyrs 0/ Art/mre —
' Hir belte was of plonkete, with birdis fulle baulde.'
456 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
whether as surname or tavern sign, are but sprung
from the old forester —
Clad in cote and hode of grene,
of Lincoln or Kendal make. The ' Greenman ' was
a favourite rural signboard, and I doubt not the
reader will have seen it occasionally swinging still in
the more retired parts of the country. Crabbe knew
it well in his day —
But the ' Green Man ' shall I pass by unsunjj,
Which mine own James upon his signpost hung ?
His sign, his image —for he once was seen
A squire's attendant, clad in keeper's green.
Turning from the colour of the cloth to the gar-
ments into which it was fashioned, nothing could be
more natural to our forefathers than to take off with
a sobriquet the more whimsical aspects of dress in-
dulged in by particular individuals. Royalty itself
did not escape. It was through his introduction of
a new fashion our second Henry got his nickname of
' Curtmantel,' and this was matched by ' Capet ' and
' Grisegonel ' across the water. ' Richard Curtepy '
reminds us of the poor clerk of whom Chaucer says —
Full thrcdbare was his overest courtepy,
that is, his cloak or gabardine. ' Henry Curtmantle,'
just mentioned, * Martin Curtwallet,' and ' Robert
Curthose' (still existing in Derbyshire in the more
Saxon form of * Shorthose '),' satirise the introduction
' This was a nickname of Sir Thomas Woodcock, Lord Mayor of
London, 1405 —
' Hie jacet, Tom Shorthose,
Sine tomb, sine sheets, sine riches.'
In the neighbourhood of Belper this surname may be commonly met
with. Some change of fashion at this date, encouraged by the mayor-
NICKNAMES.' 457
of a curtailment in the general as ' Reginald Curt-
brant ' does in the more military habit ; ' Richard
Widehose ' and the Scotch ' Macklehose,' on the other
hand, suggesting a change of an opposite and more
sailorlike character. ' Hose,' itself a surname, is again
found in composition in ' Richard Goldhose,' ' Nicholas
Strokehose,' 'John Scrothose (' Scratchhose,'), and
' Richard Letherhose ; ' the latter still to be met with
in Germany as ' Ledderhose.' ' Emma Wastehose,'
though now obsolete, evidently bespoke the reckless
habits of the wearer, while 'John Sprenhose ' {i.e.,
' Spurnhose ') seems to have declared its owner's want
of appreciation of that article altogether. The old
* paletoque ' or doublet, a loose kind of frock often
worn by priests, left itself a memorial in ' Thomas
Pyletok,' which is now extinct, but ' Pylch ' {' Symon
Pylche,' A.), the maker of which has already been
mentioned, remains hale and hearty in our midst.
'Mantel ' (' Walter Mantel,' L.) and ' Fremantel ' ' are
well established among us, the latter probably owing
its origin to the frieze-cloth which the Frieslander of
the Low Countries once manufactured out of our own
wool. It is Latinized in our records into ' Hugh
de Frigido-Mantello,' and the cloth itself as ' Frisius
pannus.'^ The herald's tunic, barely covering the
alty, would readily give rise to the sobriquet in the metropolis. Some
country squire or bumpkin carried the new style into Derbyshire, and
the Belper people still relate the fact of the grotesque appearance he
then made in their eyes by the nom-de-plume that as a necessary conse-
quence arose. ' Sic est vita nomimim.^
' ' Agnes Blakmantyll' (\V. 1 1) occurs in an old York register, 1455,
but must have become obsolete with the bearer, I should imagine.
* 'John Caury-Maury ' (V. 8) belongs to this class. It was a
nickname given to him on account of the exceedingly coarse cloth in
458 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
chest and open from the shoulder downwards, gave
us our ' Tabards.' It must have had plenty of last
in it, for Piers Plowman talks of —
A tawny tabard of twelf wynters age.
The variegated dress, much in favour then apparently,
still survives in our * Medlecote ' and * Medlicott.' '
The stuffed doublet gave us ' Thomas Gambeson,'
now perhaps ' Gamson,' while the short petticoat is
memorialised in ' John Grenecurtel.' ' Alicia Caperon '
and ' Thomas Chaperoun ' are early found. The
cJiaperon was a hood by which the entire face could
be concealed if it were so desired. Taylor, in the
seventeenth century, mentions it as but recently out of
fashion —
Her sJiappcrooncs, her periwigs and tires,
Are reliques which this flattery much admires.
It is thus, by a somewhat strange but easy association
of ideas, has come our modern protector in society so
called.
Excess of apparel has often in olden days been
under penal statute. Chaucer, in his time, decried
its abuse, and an old rhyme of Edward III. date is
still preserved, which is scathing enough —
Longbeards, heartlesse,
Painted hoods, witlesse,
Gaycoates, gracelesse,
Mai<es England thriftiesse.
which he was attired. In Skelton's Elynotir Kiiiniiiyug, some slatterns
arc thus described—
' Some loke strawry.
Some cawry mawry.'
'Item, presentatum est quod 'Johannes Caurymaury,' 'Johannes le
Fleming,' 'Hugo Ikinting,' 'Isaac de Stanford,' et Lucas de eadem
consueti fuerunt currere cum canibus suis sine warento,' etc. (Chrotiicon
Pctroburgensc. Cam. Soc, ]i. 138.)
' This may be local.
NICKNAMES. 459
We are reminded in this of * Gai-cote ' (' William
Gaicote,' A.), which once was a surname, though now
extinct. 'Wool ward' or'Woolard' (' Geoffey Wole-
ward,' A., ' Reginald Wolleward,' N.) still thrives.
To go 'woolward' was to undergo the penance of
wearing the outer woollen cloth without any linen
under-dress. It was often prescribed by the priest-
hood. Piers, in his Vision, says — ■"
Wolleward and weetshoed
Wente I forth ;
while another old poem bids us —
Faste, and go ivohvard, and ^\ake,
And suffre hard for Godys sake.'
The name was not an unfrequent one at the
time of which I am writing, and I doubt not was
oftentimes familiarly applied to friars. We must
probably refer to more warlike accoutrements for the
origin of our ' Gantletts ' or ' Gauntletts ' (' Henry
Gauntelett,' Z., ' Roger Gauntlet,' Z.), our ' Pallets '
and ' Vizards.' The latter was that part of the hel-
met which was perforated for the wearer to see
through, 'pallet' being the general term for the
helmet itself ' Ranulf Strong-bowe ' was a likely
sobriquet for a brawny-armed bowman to acquire,
and, like * Isabella Fortiscue ' (brave shield) and
' Emelina Longespee,' belongs to more general his-
tory. 'Sword,' 'Buckler,' ' Lance,' ^ 'Spear,' 'Pike,'
' Bill,' the renowned ' Brownbill,' and others too many
' We all remember in Love's Labour'' s Lost ' how Armado, being
pressed to fight, refuses to undress, and says: 'The naked truth of it
is, I have no shirt ; I go woolward for penance.'
^ One feels much tempted to add ' Roylance ' to this list. It cer-
tainly has a most kingly aspect. Still there can be little doubt that it
is but a corruption of ' Rylands.'
460 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
for enumeration, have similarly found a place in our
nomenclature. What a revolution in the mode of
warfare do they betoken. What a sweeping change
has the invention of gunpowder effected on the battle-
grounds of Europe.
But I mentioned ' badges.' It is amusing to see
how the early love of distinctive ensigns has made its
mark here. While it is an English instinct to reve-
rence authority, this authority itself has ever been
distinguished by the outward manifestation of dress
and emblem. The ceremonious requirements of the
feudal state have had their effect. As I endeavoured
to show in a previous chapter, these were simply over-
whelming. The office of each was not more distinct
than his outward accompaniments, and it was by the
latter his precise position was known. The ' baton,'
however, seems to have held the foremost place as a
token of authority — a sword, a javelin, a spear, a
wand, a rod, it mattered not what, a something borne
in the hand, and you might have known in that day
an official. Nor arc we as yet free from its influence.
Royalty still has its sceptre, the Household of State
its ' black rod,' magistracy has its mace, proctorship
its poker, the churchwarden his staff, the beadle — far
the most important of all to the charity children and
himself — his stick. From official, this rage for badges
.seems to have passed on to the quieter and more
ordinary avocations. The shepherd was not better
known by his crook, the huntsman not better known
by his horn, than the pilgrim by his ' bourdon,' the
woodward by his ' bill,' or the surveyor by his ' mete-
yard ' ' or ' metewand.' How easy then for all these
' I need not stay to point out the early familiar use of ' yard ' as a
* NICKNAMES.' 461
words to be turne"d into sobriquets. How natural
they should become slang epithets for those who
carried them. How natural that we should find them
all in our directories, ' Meatyard,' ' Burdon ' or
' Bourdon,' ' Crook,' 'Wand,' 'Staff,' ' Rodd,' ' Home,' ^
all are there. Nor did the personal characteristics of
such bearers escape the good-humoured raillery of our
ancestors. Far from it, ' Waghorn,' ^ would easily
fix itself upon some awkward horn-blower ; ' Wag-
spear '(' Mabill Wagspere,' W. i.), or 'Shakespeare'
('William Shakespeare,' V. i,), or ' Shakeshaft ' ^ or
' Drawsword ' (' Henry Drawswerde,' A.), or ' Draw-
espe' ('Thomas Drawespe,' A,') upon some over-
demonstrative sergeant or clearer of the way ; or
' Wagstaffe ' (' Robert Waggestaff,' A.) on some ob-
noxious beadle* ' Tipstafife ' we know for certain as
a name of this class — he was a bumbailifif. In 1392
one Roger Andrew was publicly indicted for pretend-
stick or staff of any length. In Wicklyffe's New Testament we find the
following : — ' And he seide to hem nothing take ye in the weye —
neither yerde, ne scrippe, neither breed, ne money.' (Luke ix. 3.) Our
Authorized Version still preserves the meteyard from obsoletism : * Ye
shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in
measure.' (Lev. xix. 35.)
' The horn was carried by the watchman as well as the huntsman
and the cryer, ' Henry Watchorn ' was mayor of Leicester in 1 780,
and the name occurs in the Nottingham Directory for 1864. Other
compounds besides 'Waghorn' are ' Crookhorn,' 'Cramphorn' (i.e.,
Clocked horn), 'Langhorn' and ' Whitehorn.'
- It was a Captain Waghorn who was tried by court-martial for
the wreck of the Royal George, which went down off Portsmouth in 1782,
lie was acquitted, however.
' ' Anne, daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth Shakeshaft, baptized
Dec. 6, 1744.' (St. Ann's, Register, Manchester.)
* ' Robert Go-before ' in the Rolls of Pari, is an evident sobriquet
affixed upon some official of this class.
462 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
ing to be an officer of the Marshalsea, which he did
by bearing a * wooden staff with horn at either end,
called a " tippestaffe." ' It does not seem, however,
to have been confined only to him. Chaucer says of
the frere, that —
With scrippe, and tipped staf, tucked high
In every house he gan to pore and pry ;
and but two lines further on he tells us —
His felaw had a staff tipped with horn,
which thus explicitly explains the term. The same
humour found vent in ' John Swyrdebrake,' ' ' Adrian
Breakspear,' 'William Longstaffe,' 'Antony Halstaff'
(perchance 'Hale-staff'),^ and 'Thomas Ploghstaf
(Plowstaff). With one or two more general terms of
this class wc may proceed. ' Robert Hurlcbat'^ and
' Matthew Winspear,' ' Richard Spurdaunce ' and
' Robert Bruselancc,' ' Simon Lovelauncc' and 'Thomas
Crakyshield,' * ' Roger Benbow,' ' Cicely Brownsword,'
and ' Thomas Shotbolte,* are evidently nicknames
fastened upon certain individuals for special prowess
in some of the sports of the Middle Ages, probably
at some church-ale or wakes.
' 'John Sw/rdebrake,' alias 'John Taillour.'
{Materials for Hist. Henry VII., p. 441.)
' In a list of bankrupts, dated the thirteenth year of Elizabeth, and
quoted in Notes and Queries, Jan. i860, occurs an ' Anthony Ilalstaffe,'
doubtless originally ' HalestafFe,' from 'hale,' to drag, and thus a
likely sobriquet for a catchpoll or bailiff.
'In the biographical notice appended to Archbishop Sandys' Sermons,
published by the Parker Society, we find that one of his friends was
called ' Hurlcstone.' This will be of similar origin with ' Ilurlebat.'
(pp. 13, 1 4-)
* ' Thomas Crakyshield ' was Rector of North Creak in Norfolk in
the year 141 2. (//;>/. Norfolk, vii. 77. )
NICKNAMES.' 463
II. — Mental and Moral Peculiarities.
(i) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Disposition —
Complimentary.
Let us now turn to the varied characteristics of
the human heart. If we wish to know how many-
good and excellent qualities there are in the world,
and at the same time deceive ourselves into a belief
that the evils are few, we must look into our direc-
tories. Scan their contents, and we might almost per-
suade ourselves that Utopia was a fact, and that we
were consulting its muster-roll. At every turn we meet
with virtue in the guise of a ' Goode,' or an ' Upright,'
or a ' Righteous,' ' or a * Patient,' or a ' Best,' or a ' Faith-
ful;' or infallibility in a ' Perfect' or 'Faultless.' We
are ever coming across philosophy in the shape of a
' Wise ' or a * Sage.' Conscience must surely trouble
but little, where ' Merry ' and ' Gay,' ' Blythe ' and
'Joyce,' that is, joyous, are all but interminable; and
companionship must be ever sweet with such people
to converse with as 'Makepeace'^ and 'Friend,'
' ' William Ryghtwys ' was Vicar of Fouklon in 1497. (Brome-
field's Norfolk.) ' Upright' appeared in a trial at Exeter in October 1874.
^ 'Make' was a familiar compomul. 'Joan Make-peace' was
sister to Henry IIL, and so named by the Scotch through her betrowal
to their monarch, by which peace was brought about. Bishop Hall
uses the opposite for a quarrelsome fellow —
' If brabbling Makefray, at each faire and 'size,
Picks quarrels for to show his valiantise.'
•Julian Make-blisse' and 'JohnMake-blythe' occur in two separate rolls,
and Mr. Lower mentions a ' Maud Make-joy ' in an old Wardrobe
Account: '1297, Dec. 26. To Maud Make-joy for dancing before
464 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Goodhart ' and ' Truman/ ' True ' and ' Leal,' * Kind
and * Curtis ' or ' Curteis.' ' Fulhardy ' and ' Giddy-
head/ ' Cruel ' and ' Fierce,' ' Wilfulle ' and ' Sullen,'
and ' Envious ' did indeed find a habitation in its'
pages, but they have long since disappeared, being
quite out of place in the presence of such better folk
as ' Hardy' ' and ' Grave,' and ' Gentle' and ' Sweet ;'
or if the cloven foot of pride be still visible in ' Proud '
and 'Proudfoot,' it is nevertheless under constant re-
buke by our familiarity with such lowly characters as
' Plumble ' and ' Meek.' ^ Nevertheless, this was any-
thing but so in the old time. The evil roots of sin
may still abide hale and strong and ineradicable in the
heart of man, but he has carefully weeded the more
apparent traces of this out of his nomenclature. I do
not mean to say we are utterly without names of ob-
jectionable import, but we shall see that what I have
stated once before is true in the main. We shall see
that as a rule it is only when the sobriquet word has
changed its meaning, or that meaning become obscure
and doubtful, or when the name itself has lost the
traces of its origin — easy enough in the lapse of so
many days of unsettled orthography — that the sur-
Edward Prince of Wales, at Ipswich, 2j.' Here the sobriquet is adopted
in compliment to the profession.
• Our ' Ilardmans' are but a corruption of ' Ilardyman.' John
Ilardyman, D.D., was installed prebend of Chester in June, 1563.
(Ormerod's Clic:hire, vol. i. p. 223.)
' 'Reginald Littleprowe' was Mayor of Norwich in 1532, and
'John Littleproud ' was buried at ' Attleburgh ' in 1619. (///>/.
Nor/., iii. 219, and i. 535.) This sobriquet, I doubt not, was in
sarcastic allusion to the haughty demeanour of its first possessor. As
in so many cases, however, there seems to have been no objection to its
acceptance on the part of his posterity.
NICKNAMES.' 465
name has lingered on. This will make itself apparent
as we advance.
Such names as' Walter Snel,' 'Richard Quicke' (A.),
including the immortal Quickly, ' Richard le Smert '
(M.),now ' Smart,' 'Thomas Scharp,' now ' Sharp,' ' ' Gil-
bert Poygnant' ( A.), 'Thedric le Witte' (A.), now ' Witt'
and ' Witty," Nicholas le Cute' (A.), and 'Ralph le
Delivre ' ^ (M.M.), argue well for the keen perceptions
and brisk habits of early days.^ The slang sense of
several of these, strangely enough, is but the original
meaning restored. 'Witty' arose when the word implied
keenness of intellect rather than of humour. Chaucer
thus speaks of ' witty clerkes,' using the latter word
too in a perfectly unofficial sense. Our numberless
' Clarkes ' and ' Clerkes,' sprung from equally number-
less ' Beatrix le Clercs ' or ' Milo le Clerks,' may there-
fore belong either to the professional class or to the
one we are considering. ' William le Frek ' (M.) or
' Ralph Frike ' (A.), now found as ' Freak,' ' Frick,' and
* Freke,' was a complimentary sobriquet implicative of
' ' Oswin Sharparrovv ' (W. 3), 'John Sharparrow' (W. 2), 'William
Sharparrow ' (W. 1 1). The original nominee was probably of a sarcastic
turn. The following inscription was once to be seen in York Minster:
' Orate pro anima dom. Johannis Sharparrowe, quondam parsone in
Eccles. Cath. Ebor., qui obiit xxv. die Oct. an. 141 1.' (Drake's Ebora-
cum, p. 498.)
"^ 'Deliver' as an adjective meant 'nimble,' 'lithe.' It was
familiarly used. Chaucer has 'deliverly,' ' deliverness,' and 'deliver.'
Of the young squier he says —
' Of his stature he was of even lengthe,
And wonderly deliver, and great of strengthe.'
' Ralph le Delivre ' is found in the Rot. Curije Regis.
* The names of ' Thomas le Busteler' (F.F.) and ' Robert le Bustler'
(T.) are less complimentary than most of the above. 'Nicholas le
Medler' (A.) would be quite as objectionable.
H H
466 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
bravery and daring even to rashness.^ Minot in his
political songs tells us in alliterative verse how the
doughty men of Edward the Third's army were —
Fill frek to fight.
The old 'William le Orpede,' or ' Stephen le Horpede,'
or ' Peter Orpedeman ' denotes a disposition equally
stout-hearted.'* It is a term found in well-nigh all our
mediaeval writers, and was evidently in common and
familiar use. Trevisa, in his account of the Norman
invasion, represents ' Gurth ' as saying to Harold,
* Why wilt thou unwary fight with so many orped
men ?' The monk of Glastonbury also, speaking of
Edward the Third's expedition to Calais in 1350, re-
lates that he ' towke with him the nobleis, and the
gentelles, and other worthi and orpedde menne of
armes.' Our ' Keats ' and ' Ketts ' are the old ' Walter
le Ket ' (G.) or ' Osbert le Ket ' (J.), that is, the fierce,
the bold. Thus the cowherd in ' William of Pelerne '
directs the child how to conduct himself —
When thou komcst to kourt
Among the kete Ionics.
With these therefore we may associate ' William le
Prew,' now * Prcw,' ' ' Nicholas Vigerous,' now found
also as 'Vigors,' 'Helen Gallant,' 'John le Stallworth,'*
' ♦ Craske, fryke of fatte,' I'.i:, lusty, fresh. (/'/-. /'<;;-.)
* ' Richard Curtevalur' (A.) would seem to have had an instinctive
acquaintance with the moral of that couplet which asserts that
' He who fights and runs away
Shall live to fight another day.'
There are a good many people, I fancy, who thus ' take thought for the
morrow.'
* Fr. Preux = valiant.
* ' Simon Stallworthe ' is mentioned in the Grants of Edward the
Fifth. (Cam. Soc. ) The modem form of the tcnn colloquially used is
* stalwart. '
* NICKNAMES.' 467
* Thomas Doughtye,' and * Robert le Bolde,' all
still well-known names, ' Prest,' * Peter le Prest '
(M.), when not the archaic form of ' Priest/ is
of kin to the mountebank's ' presto,' and means —
quick, ready. It was thus used till the seventeenth
century. ' Kean,' found as ' Hugh le Kene ' or ' Joan
le Kene,' implies impetuosity. All these names speak
well for the pluck of our forefathers. They are found
with tolerable frequency, and naturally have not been
suffered to die out for lack of pride. The Norman
element, as we see, is strong in these chivalrous sobri-
quets. Nor is it less so with many other terms of
no unpleasant meaning. Our ' Purefoys ' or * Purfeys '
represent the pure faith of their countrymen.' Our
* Parfitts ' are but the quainter form of * Perfect.'^ Our
'Bones,' 'Boons,' and'Bunns' are but variously cor-
rupted forms of Duran le Bon,' or ' Richard le Bone,'
or ' Alice le Bonne,' or ' William le Boon,' equivalent
therefore to the earlier ' Goods.' ' Bunker ' is similarly
but 'Bon-coeur' ('William Bonquer,' O.),^ our Saxon
* Goodhart ,' and ' Bonner,' and the longer ' Debonaire'
(' Philip le Debeneyre,' A.),"* our more naturalized
* 'Arthur Purefoy' or Turefaye' was Rector of Redcnhall in
1584. (Hist. No?-/., V. 363.)
* Thus Archbishop Sandys commences a sermon at Paul's Cross: —
'The Apostle St. Peter, like a perfit workman and a skilful builder,
first layeth a sure foundation.' {Parker Soc, p. 386.)
* ' Thomas Bontemps ' appears in a Norfolk register of the fourteenth
century, {//is/. Norfolk, Index.) It seems somewhat analogous to
the now familiar ' Bonheur.'
* The son and successor of Charlemagne, Louis First, went by the
sobriquet of 'le Debonnaire,' on account of his courteous and affable
character.
H U 2
468 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
'Gentle' ('William le Gentil,' M.), ' Gentilman '
(' Robert Gentilman/ V. i.)/ and * Curteis ' or ' Curtis'
('Walter le Curteys' J., ' Richard le Curteis,' C),
Chaucer says —
AH men holde thee for musarde,
That debonaire have founden thee.
' Amiable ' (' Edward Amiable,' Z., ' Joan Amiable,' Z.)
once existed, but in our registers, at least, that sweet
grace is now wanting. Equivalent to these latter, but
more Saxon in character, come our ' Hendys' or
' Hentys ' (' Thomas le Hendy,' F.F., * John le Hendy,'
F.F.), a term found in all our early writers, and prettily
expressive of that which was gentle and courteous
combined. In the ' Canterbury Tales* thehost reproves
the friar for lack of civility to one of the company by
saying —
Sire, ye should be hcnde.
And curteis as a man of your estate,
In company we will have no debate.
In the Hundred Rolls we find a' William Hendiman'
occurring, and a 'John Hende' was Lord Mayor of
London in 1391. We have just mentioned the word
' musarde.' This reminds us of our ' Musards '
(' Malcolm le Musard,' M.), who were originally of a
dreamy temperament.* With our Saxon ' Moodys ' ^
(' Richard Mody,' G.), however, their title has fallen in
general estimation, the one now denoting, when used
' 'Thomas Genlilhomme' in the Writs of Paul represents the
Norman-French form. The surname still exists in France, as does
'Gentlem.in' in England.
* Akin to 'Malcolm le Musard' (M.) was 'Alan le Mute' (A.).
'Henry Duceparolc' (T. ) or 'Richard Parlebien'(M.) is decidedly compli-
mentary, but ' William Spekelital ' (P. ) would seem to have been morose.
* 'John Strictman' (A.) and 'John le Severe' ( A. ) may be set here.
' NICKNAMES.' 469
at all, a trifling, the other a morose and gloomy dis-
position. Our * Sadds ' (' Robert Sad,' H.), too, from
being merely serious, sedate folk, have become sorrow-
ful of heart. Our great early poet speaks in the nega-
tive sense of —
People unsad and eke untnie,
that is, unstable and fickle. In a short poem, ascribed
to Lydgate, pointing out to children their course of
behaviour in company, we are told —
Who spekithe to thee in any maner place,
Rudely cast not thyn eye adowne,
But with a sad cheer look hym in the face.'
Here of course sobriety of demeanour, rather than
sorrowfulness, is intended.^ That ' Henry le Wepere'
(A.), and ' Peter le Walur ' (A.), and ' William le Blu-
bere ' (A.), however, must have been of rueful coun-
tenance we need not doubt.
Many changes too have passed over the names as
well doubtless as over the lives of another section of
our nomenclatural community. Our ' Cunnings,' we
will hope, dated from the time when he who kenned
his work well was so entitled without any suspicion of
duplicity.^ Very likely too our *Slys' {'John Slye,'
H.), and ' Sleighs ' (' Simon le Slegh,' M.), ' Slees '
(' Isabella Slee,' W.G.), and ' Slemmans ' and ' Sly-
mans ' were simply remarkable for being honestly
' The Babces' Book (Early Eng. Text. Soc).
* * Every midwyfe shulde be presented with honest women of great
gravity to the Bysshop,' for she ' shulde be a saddc woman, wyse and
discrete, having experience.' (Andrew Boorde.)
* The Hundred Rolls give us a 'Robert le Sotele.' * Salomon le
Sotel' was .Sheriff of London in 1290, according to Stow. There is
no reason to suppose that either of these was distinguished for any of
the unpleasant features that often belong to sharp characteristics.
470 ^ ENGLISH SURNAMES.
dexterous in their several avocations.* The * mighty-
hand and outstretched arm ' of modern psalters was
once translated ' a hand that was slegh.' But as sly-
ness got by degrees but more and more associated
with the juggler's sleight-of-hand tricks, the word fell
into disrepute. Such is the invariable effect of keep-
ing bad company. So late, however, as the seven-
teenth century, one of our commonwealth poets Avas
not misunderstood when he spoke of one whom —
Graver age had made wise and sly.
But the same predisposition to give ' cra!fty ' and ' sly'
and ' cunning ' and ' artful ' a dishonest sense has not
been therewith content, but must needs throw ridicule
upon the unsophisticated and artless natures of our
' Simples ' (' Jordan le Simple,' A.), who would scarcely
feel complimented if their surname were to originate
in the present day.'^ It is the same with our ' Seeleys'
(' Benedict Sely,' D.) and ' Selymans ' (' George Sely-
man,' D.), the older forms of ' Silly ' and ' Sillyman.'
Perhaps the phrase * silly lamb ' is the only one in
which we colloquially preserve the former idea of
'silly,' that of utter guilelessness. A 'silly virgin'
with Spenser was no foolish maiden, but one helpless
in her innocence, and the 'silly women' Shakespeare
hints at in his * Two Gentlemen of Verona ' were but
inoffensive and unprotected females.^ ' Scaley,' ' Silly,'
' The Issue Roll gives us an opposite characteristic in ' Thomas
Litilskill.*
* ' Christopher Greynhome ' (W. 15) would represent the modem
sense of this word.
* There used to be an old proverb —
' Whylst grasse doth growe oft sterves the seely steede.'
NICKNAMES.' 471
* Sillyman,' and ' Selyman,' ' are all pleasant memorials
of the earlier sense of this word. Our ' Quaints ' and
' Cants have gone through a changeful career. They are
but the descendants of the old ' Margaret le Coynte ' or
' Richard le Queynte,' from the early French ' coint,'
neat, elegant, A shadow fell over it, however, and a
notion of artfulness becoming attached to the word,
to be quaint was to be crafty. Thus Wicklyfife, in his
translation of St. Mark's account of Christ's betrayal,
makes Judas say to the servants of the high priest,
' Whomever I shall touch, he it is, hold ye him, and
lead him warily, or queintly.' Thus, too, Lawrence
Minot, in his ' Political Songs,' tells us how —
The King of Berne was cant and kene,
But there he lost both play and pride.
Strange to say, the word has well-nigh recovered its
original sense, betokening as it does a whimsical and
antique prettiness, if not the bare quality itself Our
original 'Careless' ('Antony Careless,' Z.) was of
that happy disposition which the petty worries and
anxieties of life do not easily disturb, and, to judge
from our nomenclature, he forms but one of a large
band of cheery and easy-minded mortals. 'Joyce,*
that is, ' Jocose,' when not a Christian name,^ and
Vuie Dyce's notes to ' All's Well that luids Well' {Shakespeare'' s
Works, vol. iii. p. 288.) One of the best illustrations of this word,
however, is to be met with in Foxe's Martyrology, where, describing
the martyrdom of a young child not seven years old, he says : ' The
captain, perceiving the child invincible and himself vanquished, com-
mitted the silly soul, the blessed babe, the child uncherished, to the
stinking prison.' (Vol. i. p. 126, Edit. 1844.)
' Thomas Selybarn (/.<'. Silly-cliild) occurs in the ^'ork Guild.
(W. II.)
* Joyce may belong either to the nickname or the baptismal class.
•Richard le Joyce,' J., 'Joyce Faukes,' II., 'Joice Frankline,' W. 9.
472 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
* Jolly ' must be set here, not forgetting the older and
prettier 'Jolyfife' ('Henry Jolyfife,' M,). In the
' Miller's Tale ' we are told of ' Absolon,' how that
when at eventide he had taken up his 'giterne' —
Forth he goth, jolif and amorous,
to the window of his lady-love. 'Gay' ('William le
Gay; R.), and ' Blythe ' (' Richard Blythe,' Z.)/ and
'Merry' ('William Merrye,' Z.), or ' Merriman' ('John
Meryman,' X.), and ' Gaillard,' or ' Gallard,' or * Gay-
liard,' or 'Gaylord' ('Nicholas Gaylard,' T., 'William
Gallard,' A., ' Sabina Gaylard,' H.), must all be placed
also in this category.^ I am not quite sure, however,
that the last are without a suspicion of that conviviality
which the buxom alewife was but too ready to bestow.
Our merry, versatile friend Absolon, whom I have just
referred to, among other his unclerkly arts, could play
on the 'giterne' as well as any 'galliard tapstere.'
It seems to have been a common epithet, and would
readily find a place in our nomenclature, where it is
now firmly fixed. Our ' Merryweathers ' ('Andrew
Meriweder,' A.) and ' Fairweathers ' ('John Fayr-
weder,' A.)^ may seem somewhat difficult of explana-
tion to those who are unaware of the colloquial use
of these expressions in former times, 'Mery-weder'
' 'William Gladchere' (' Gladcheer ') (F.F.) would be a pleasant
sobriquet.
* 'Alicia Blissewenche' occurs in the Hundred Rolls— a light-hearted
ruddy-faced country girl of happy disposition and blithe expression. I
doubt not he was a lucky swain who got her to go to the priest with
h m to sue wedlock. Cf. 'JeiTery Joyemaiden' in the same record.
• The early ' John Bellewether ' (II.) may be either a partial transla-
tion of this, or that which is more likely, a sobriquet taken from the
custom of fastening a bell around the neck of the leading sheep, by
which to conduct the rest. We still tenii such an one the 'bell-wether,'
NICKNAMES.' 473
especially being of the most familiar import. In the
* Coventry Mysteries ' mention is made of —
Bontyng the Brewster, and Sybyly Slynge,
Megge Mery-wedyr, and Sabyn Sprynge.
A happy sunshiny fellow would easily acquire the
sobriquet, and indeed both are found at a very early
day as such.*
Not a few of those expressive terms of endear-
ment, some of which still flourish in our nurseries,
have made their mark upon our directories. We have
already alluded to our ' Chittys.' Our * Leafs' repre-
sent the old ' Alice le Lef ' or ' Matilda la Lef,' beloved
or dear. We still use it in the well-nigh solitary
expression * lief as loth,' but once it was in familiar
request. Robert of Brunne, in one of his stories,
says —
Blessed be alle poor men,
For God Almyghty loveth them :
And weyl is them that poor are here.
They are with God bothe lefe and dere.
Akin to this latter is ' Love,' which, when not the old
' Robert le Love' or wolf, is found in composition in
not a few instances. * Lovekin' and ' Lovecock,' after
the remarks made in our first chapter on these termi-
nations, will be readily explainable ; and ' Truelove,'
' We never use 'merry' now in relation to sacred things, though
our P^nglish Bible does. The fact is, the word has somewhat sunk in the
social scale. Few preachers would say, as Bishop Bradford could say
quite naturally in his day, ' The Lord for Christ's sake give us merry
hearts to drink lustily of His sweet cup.' A monument in Marshfield
Church on A. Meredeth ends thus —
'Judge then, what he did lose who lost but breath.
Lived to die wel), and dyed A MEREDETH.
( Rudder's Gloucestershire, )
474 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Derelove,' ' Honeylove,' and ' Sweetlove ' ' supply us
with expletives of so amorous a nature, wc can but
conjecture them to have arisen through the too pub-
licly proclaimed feelings of their early possessors.
* Newlove ' sounds somewhat inconstant, ' Winlove '
attractive.'^ ' Goodlove,' * Spendlove,' and * Likelove,'
1 believe, are now obsolete — a lot, too, which has
befallen the hardened ' Lacklove,' while our ' Fulli-
loves ' ^ still declare the brimming affection which
belongs to their nature — or at least did to that of
their progenitor. But even they are commonplace
beside our 'Waddeloves ' or 'Waddelows,' the early
form of which, 'Wade-in- love,' would seem to tell of
some lovesick ancestor so helplessly involved in the
meshes cast about him as to have become the object
of the unkind sarcasms of his neighbours. A longer
and equally curious sobriquet abides in our ' Well-
beloveds' and ' Wellbiloves.' It is this latter form in
which it is found in the ' Issues of the Exchequer.' *
The French form of this was ' Bienayme ' (' William
Bienayme,' A.), and to some settler of that name upon
' ' Sweetlove ' is met by ' Duzaniour ; ' ' Felicia Duzamour' occurs
in the Domesday, .St. Paul's (Cam. Soc). ' Dulcia Fynamour' is set
down in the IVardrobc Accounts Ed. i.
* ' Wooer,' and even ' Wooeress,' seem to have existed. 'John le
Wower' (A.), 'Hugh le Wewer' (R. ), 'Emma Woweres' (A.).
* ' Ralph Full-of- Love' was Rector of West Lynn in the year 1462.
(Hist, of Norfolk, vol. viii. p. 536.)
* ' Well beloved ' was the usual tenii applied in any formal address
in the Middle Ages, such as when a king in council made .any public
announcement, or when a priest addressed his people, or when a testa-
tor mentioned a legatee. It was then a perfectly familiar expression,
and would easily affix itself as a sobriquet. A Rev. C. Wcllbeloved
published a translation of the Bible in 1838, printed by Smallfield and
Co., London.
* NICKNAMES.' 475
our shores I suspect it is we owe our ' Bonamys '
('William Bonamy,' A.). I have just mentioned
* Sweetlove.' Associated with this are our simpler
* Sweets,' the nursery * Sweetcock,' and ' Sweetman,' '
variously corrupted into * Sweatman,' * Swetman,' and
' Swatman.' ' Bawcock ' and ' Baucock/ if not from
* Baldwin,' will be the endearing ' beau-coq,' once in
familiar use. Our ' Follets,' ' Follits,' and * Foliots,'
the last the original form, meant nothing more than
* my foolish one ' or ' fond one,' and were very com-
mon. They are but varied in the longer ' Hugh
Folenfaunt,' but I am afraid 'Walter Fulhardy' at
the same period is less complimentary. ' Poppet,' or
puppet, once the doll of English infancy, only remains
in the gilded and waxen manikins of the showman.
The surname, however, abides with us, as does also
' Poplett.' The old ' fere,' a companion, has left its
mark in our ' Fairs.' We all remember Byron's
resuscitation of the word. In ' Troilus and Cressida,'
mention is made of —
Orpheus and Euridice his fere.
Thus ' Playfair,' once written ' Playfere,' is simply
* playfellow,' while the obsolete ' Makefere ' (' Hugh
Makefare,' A.) would seem to be but intensive, ' make'
being the invariable dress with olden writers of our
more familiar ' mate.' ^
' ' Sweet ' and its compounds, however, are most probably to be
referred to our baptismal nomenclature. A ' Swet le Bone ' is found in
the Hundred Rolls, and in the same record occur such other forms as
'Swetman fil. Edith' and ' Sweteman Textor.'
"^ In All Saints Church, Hertford, exists or existed a tablet with an
inscription dated 1428, beginning thus —
' Here lyeth under this stone William Wake,
And by him Joane his wife and make.'
(Clutterbuck's /Av-//&n/j-///>i', vol. ii., p. 165.)
476 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
There is something in obtrusive virtue that instinc-
tively repels us. We always like a man's face to be
the index to the book of his heart, but when he would
seem to have carefully turned down each leaf for our
inspection, we get a revulsion of feeling — we like to
look out the page for ourselves. An elevated sense
of self-esteem was decidedly approved of by our fore-
lathers, but its too demonstrative exhibition soon
showed itself condemned in our ' Prouds,' ' Prouts,'
Proudmans,' ' Proudloves,' and ' Proudfoots ' (' Hugh
le Proud,' A,, ' John le Prute,' H., ' George Proude-
love,' Z.Z., 'Robert Prudefot,' A.). A very interesting
name which has escaped the notice of surname hunters
is that of * Gerish ' or ' Gerrish,' both forms being
found in our modern directories-. They are but the
truer representatives of the word ' garish ' as used by
our later poets. Shakespeare's Juliet, we may remem-
ber, apostrophizes Night, and bids her, when Romeo
be dead, cut him into stars, and thus —
All the world M-iil be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
This splendidly describes the term, expressing as it
does that which glares ostentatiously and showily
upon the eye. Lydgate, far earlier, had used it thus,
in the form of ' gerysshe ; ' and such names as
' Umfrey Ic Gerische ' or ' John le Gerisse,' found yet
more remotely, testify to its once familiar and fre-
quent use. Wc now talk of a prude as one who ex-
aggerates woman's innate modesty of demeanour.
Formerly it denoted the virtue pure and untravestied.
The root, the Latin ' probus,' excellent, still remains
in our 'Prudhommes' ('William Prodhomme,' R.,
NICKNAMES.' 4/7
• Peter Prodhomme,' A.), with their more commonly
corrupted 'Pridhams' and 'Prudames' and 'Prudens,' '
a sobriquet which once referred simply to the honest
and guileless uprightness of their owners. How truly
do such words as these remind us of the poor estimate
man, after all, forms of himself Man often rebels at
the declaration of Revelation that he is a fallen being,
and yet how strongly does he assert this fact in the
changes he himself has made in the meaning of words.
Our 'Bauds' ('William le Baud,' B., 'Wauter le
Baud,' M.) were once but the Norman equivalent of
our ' Merrys ' already mentioned.^ Must lightness of
heart inevitably end in wanton levity .-' There was a
day when our ' Parramores ' (' Roger Paramour,' M. ;
' Henry Parramore,' Z.) ^ were but the simple honest
lover of either sex, when our ' Lemons,' ' Lemans,'
and 'Lemmans' (' Eldred Leman,' A., 'John
Leman,' M.) meant but the beloved one from ' lief,'
* dear.' Both Chaucer and Piers Plowman employ the
term ' lef-man ' or ' leef-man ' as an expression of
endearment, with no thought of obloquy. Thus, too,
in the ' Townley Mysteries,' God is represented as
bidding Gabriel to go to Nazareth —
And hail that madyii, my lemman,
As hcyndly (courteously) as thou can.
' ' Prudens ' should more properly, perhaps, be placed among
abstract virtues. ' Richard Prudence ' F. F. Later on it became a
baptismal name — ' Prudence Howell.' (Proceedings in Chancery : Eliza-
beth.)
* ' Richard Merricocke' (F. F. ) was evidently a jovial fellow.
' ' Parramore ' is always found as ' Paramour ' in early rolls, and in
this form existed till the xviith century. ' April 18, 1635, Whitehall.
Captain Thomas Paramour appointed to the Adventure,'' State
Papers, 1635 (Domestic).
478 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Still, SO early as the days of Gower, its corrupted
leman had become a sobriquet for one of loose, dis-
orderly habits.'
(2) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Disposition —
Objectionable.
The mention of such names as ' Baud,' ' Parra-
more,' 'Leman' or 'Lemon,' 'Proud,' 'Proudman,'
and 'Proudfoot,' which we have charitably set in
the list of complimentary nicknames, as having,
perchance, risen at a time when the meaning of the
words conveyed a totally different idea from that
which they now convey, brings us to the category of
those which can scarcely seek any shelter of such a
kind. ' Lorel,' ' Lurdan,' and ' Lordan,' together with
the once familiar ' losel ' and ' losard,' denoted a
waif, or stray, one who preyed upon society, exactly
identical, in fact, with the Latin ' perditus.' Thus
we find Herod, in the * Townley Mysteries,' saying
to his officers —
Fie, losels and lyars, lurdans each one,
Tratours and well worse, knaves, but knyglits none.
Cocke Lorel le,' too, speaks of —
Lollers, lordaynes, and fagot l)erers,
Luskes, slovens, and kechen knaves.
" It was a favourite joke some few years ago in the House of Com-
mons to say that there were in it two Lemons and but one Peel.
While Sir Robert Peel was Irish Secretary, from 1812 to 1818, and was
somewhat remarkable in that capacity for his opposition to the Roman
Catholics, it was customary to style him by the sobriquet of * Orange
Peel.'
NICKNAMES.' 479
Cotgrave explains a ' loricard ' to mean a biske, lowt^
or lorell. This hiske, from the old French lasqiic, or
lache — slothful — though now wholly obsolete, did
much duty formerly. The adjective htskisJi and the
substantive liiskishness are often found. In law lache
still survives as a term for culpable remissness; Our
* Laches,' ' Lashes,' * Laskies,' and ' Lusks,' I am
afraid, therefore, come of but an indifferent ancestry.
Nor can anything better be said of our ' Paillards' or
' Pallards.' We still talk of a ' pallet,' the old ' paillet,'
or straw bed, from ' paille,' chaff. A paillard was a
cant term for a lie-a-bed.
By ' ribaldry ' we always mean that which is foul-
mouthed in expression. This was ever its implication.
A ' ribaud,' or ' ribaut ' belonged to the very scum of
society. He was a man who hung on to the skirts of
the nobility by doing all their more infamous work
for them. Chaucer, wishing to comprise in one
sentence the highest and the lowest grades of
society, speaks in his 'Romance' of 'king, knighte,
or ribaude.' ' William le Ribote,' therefore, men-
tioned in the ' Chapter House Records of Westmin-
ster,' or 'William Ribaud ' (W. 15), could not have
borne the best of characters, I am afraid. Although
not quite so degraded in the world's esteem as
some of these last, we may here include our ' Gcd-
lings,' reminiscences of the old 'Gadling' or 'Gedling,'
one who gadded about from door to door to talk the
gossip and scandal — the modern tattler, in fact. Our
former ' Gerard le Gaburs ' and ' Stephen le Gabbers '
were equally talkative, if not such ramblers. As
overmuch talking and jesting always beget a sus-
picion of overstretching the truth, so was it here.
480 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Wicklyfife uses ' gabbing ' in the sense of lying, and
an old poem says : —
AUe those false chapmen
The fiend them will habbe,
Bakeres and breowares
• For alle men they gabbe. '
(A litd soth Sen/iun.)
In the North of England, I need scarcely add, this is
the ordinary and colloquial sense of the term to the
present day. The name of ' John Totillcr ' might
well-nigh induce us to believe that teetotalism was not
unknown by that name at this period, but it is not so.
A ' totillcr ' was a ' whisperer ' of secrets. In the ' Le-
gend of Good Women,' one says to the God of Love —
In ye court is many a losengeour
And many a queinte totoler accusour.
The name of 'Dora Gibelot ' or 'John Gibbclote'^
reminds us of a term now obsolete, but once familiar
as denoting a giddy, flighty girl.^ It is found in
various forms, the commonest being that of ' giglot.' "*
Mr. Halliwell quotes an old proverb by way of adding
a further variation —
The smaller pesun (peas), the more to pott,
The fayrer woman the more gylott.
' ' Lyare, or gabbare — mendax, mendosus.' (Pronipi. PinT.)
'Henry le Lierc' (H.R.) speaks for himself, unless he liclhs himself.
" Like ' Gabelot,' ' Ilamelot,' 'Hughelot,' Crestelot,' etc., ' Gibelot '
may be a diminutive, in which case ' Gilbert ' will be the root, and the
name will belong to the patronymic class. (ViJc p. i6, note i.)
* A • William Gidyheved ' (Giddyhead) is mentioned by Mr. Riley
as living in London in the xivth century. (X. index.)
♦ In the Pr. Far., 'Gybelot' (or Gyglot) is rendered 'ridax.'
NICKNAMES.' 48 1
I would, however, suggest this as but the pet form of
* Gill,' mentioned in my chapter on Christian names.
In either case the meaning is the same. An often
met with sobriquet in the fourteenth century is that of
* Robert le Burgulion,' or ' Geoffrey le Burgillon,' the
old term for a braggart. It is now, however, wholly
obsolete. ' Robert le Lewed,' or * William le Lewed,'
is also lost to our directories, and certainly would be
an unpleasant appellation in the nineteenth century.
Its general meaning four hundred years ago, however,
was its more literal one, that of simplicity or igno-
rance. It is connected with our word ' lay' as opposed
to * cleric,' and arose at a time when knowledge was
all but entirely in the hands of the clergy. Thus in
the ' Pardoner's Tale ' it is said —
Lewed people loven tales olde,
Such things can they vvel report and holde.
Such a name then, we may trust, implied nothing
beyond a lack of knowledge in respect of its possessor.
' William Milksop,' or ' Thomas Milkesop,' or ' Mau-
rice Ducedame ' were but types of a class of dandified
and effeminate beings who have ever existed, but
even their names would be more acceptable than
those which fell to ' Robert le Sot,' or ' Maurice Drun-
card,' or ' Jakes Drynk-ale,' ' or ' Geoffrey Dringke-
dregges,' ^ or ' Thomas Sourale.' ' It is evident that
' Teetotalism was not without its representatives — ' Thomas le
Sober' (M.), 'Richard Drynkewatere ' (M.), 'John Drinkewater (A.).
There is no proof for Camden's statement that this is a corruption of
Derwentwater. From the earliest days it appears in its present dress.
^ ' Memorandum, quod die sancti Leonard i, fecit Galfridus Dringked-
regges de Ubbethorp homagium.' (V. 8, p. 151.)
* 'Thomas Sourale ' (A.) is met by 'John Swetcale,' a member of
I I
482 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
there were those who were disposed to follow the
dictate of at least one portion of the old rhyme —
Walke groundly, talkc profoundly,
Drinke roundly, sleape soundly..
' Ralph Sparewater,' I fear, was a man of dirty habits,
while ' John Klenewater ' was a model of cleanliness.
But we have not yet done with sobriquets of an
unpleasant nature. Men of miserly and penurious
habits seem to have flourished in plentiful force in
olden days as well as the present. ' Irenpurse ' figures
several times in early rolls, and would be a strong, if
somewhat rough, sarcasm against the besetting weak-
ness of its first possessor. ' Lovegold ' is equally
explicable. ' Pennifather,' however, was the favourite
title of such. An old couplet says —
The liberall doth spend his pelfe,
The pennyfather wastes himself.
It is found in the various forms of ' Penifader,' ' Pany-
fader,' and ' Pcnifadir,' in the fourteenth centur}'.
' Pennypurse,' ' ' Halfpcny,' and ' Turnpcny ' - are met
with at the same time, and somewhat later on ' Thick-
peny.' ' Broadpeny,' ' Manypcnny,' now corrupted
into ' Moneypcny,' ' Winpcny,' now also found as
* Wimpenny,' ' Pinchpenny,' with its more directly
St. George's Guild, Norwich (V.). The foiTncr, I doubt not, was a
crabbed peevish fellow.
' 'Simon le Chuffere' occurs in the II. R, This was a common
term of opprobrium for a miser. As ' ChufTcr ' it is found in the
Toiunley Mysteries.
* * The wife of Mr. Turnpenny, newsagent, Leeds, was yesterday
delivered of two sons and one daughter, all of whom are doing well
{Manchester Evening Nezvs, July i, 1873.)
* NICKNAMES.' 483
Norman * Pinsemaille,' and ' Kachepeny,' with its
equally foreign * Cache-maille,' are all also of the
same early date, and with one or two exceptions
are to be met with to this very day.' It is a
true criticism which, as is noticed by Archbishop
Trench, has marked the miserly as indeed the em-
phatically miserable soul. * Whirlepeny ' is now ex-
tinct, but alone, so far as my researches go, existed
formerly to remind men that the spendthrift character
is equally subversive of the true basis of human
happiness.^ Several names combined with 'peck' and
' pick,' as ' Peckcheese,' ' Peckbean,' ' Peckweather,'
and ' Pickbone,' seem to be expressive of the glut-
tonous habits of the possessors, but it is possible
they may be but the moral antecedents of our modern
'Pecksniffs '[3
Our ' Starks ' and ' Starkies,' if not ' Starkmans,'
represent a word which can hardly be said to exist in
our vocabulary, since it now but survives in certain
phrases, such as ' stark-mad,' or ' stark-naked.' We
should never say a man was ' stark ' simply. A
forcible word, it once expressed the rude untutored
nature of anything. Thus, on account of his unbridled
' ' William Taylemaylc ' is found in the Chronicon retrobtirgense.
(Cam. Soc.)
'â– ' We may also mention 'Gilbert le Coveliose' (M.) and 'Robert
Would-have.' We still say ' much would have more.' ' Robert Would-
have, sergeant-at-mace, witness in trial before the Mayor of Newcastle,
March 23, 1662.' (W. 16.)
' • William Rakestraw' reminds us of ' Piers Plowman's ' ratoner and
rakyer of Cheape,' i.e., ratcatcher and scavenger of Chcapside. A
still more objectionable name was that of * Adam Ketmongere ' (II. R.),
Ket = filth, carrion. ' Honorius le Rumonjour ' (Rummager) (N.) would
seem to have followed a similar calling. These sobriquets would
readily be affixed upon men of a penurious and scraping character.
I I 2
484 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
passion, the Bastard King is termed in the Saxon
chronicle ' a stark man, and very savage,' while just
before he is asserted to be ' stark beyond all bounds
to them who withsaid his will.' Thus it will be akin
to such names as ' Walter le Wyld,' ' or ' Warin Cruel,'
or ' Ralph le Ferce,' or 'John le Savage,' or ' William
le Salvage,' or ' Adelmya le Sauvage,' or ' William
Ramage.' Chaucer speaks somewhere of a ' ramage
goat.'
III. — Miscellaneous.
(1) Nicknames from t]ie Aii'u)ial and Vegetable
Kingdom,
Mr. Lower, in his ' English Surnames,' gives a long
list of names from what he calls vegetable pro-
ductions, but, although he does not say so, I am con-
fident he would be the first to admit that the great
majority of those which he instances should really be
set among our local surnames. For example, he
includes ' Cherry,' ' Broome,' ' Bramble,' ' Feme,'
' Holyoak,' ' Peach,' * Rowntrce,' in this category.
While ' Cherry ' and ' Peach ' might possibly be
sobriquets of complexion, the manifest course is to
look upon them as of local origin. So persuaded am
I of this, after a long perusal of mcdia:val records,
that I shall notice but some half-dozen names from
the vegetable kingdom, and only those of which I can
find memorials in past registers. This is a place
which of all others might well tempt me to run riot
among our directories, and collect a curious list from
our present existing nomenclature ; but I would even
• ' William Wildeblood ' is found in a Yorkshire Roll (W. 9), and
'Jordan Kite-wilde' in the II. R.
'NICKNAMES.' 485
here persistently adhere to the idea with which I set
out, and* to which I have mainly been true, viz., to
instance names about which I can speak somewhat
positively, because I have found them imbedded in
the nomenclature of the period in which surnames
had their rise. ' Blanchflower,' ' Lilywhite,' and ' Bout-
flower ' I have already dealt with. * Robert Daisye *
occurs in the ' Trial of Dame Alice Kyteler ' (Cam,
Soc), ' Nicholas Pescodde ' in the ' Proceedings in
Chancery ' (Elizabeth), ' Godfrey Gingivre ' (Ginger)
in the ' Writs of Parliament,' ' ' Geoffrey Peppercorn '
in the Hundred Rolls, ' Robert Primerose ' and ' Sara
Garlek' in the 'History of Norfolk' (Bromefield),
and 'Roger Pluckerose' and 'John Pullrose' in a
Sussex Roll of 1296.^ I doubt whether more than
one or two of these can be said rightly to belong to
the nickname class. As sign-names — for I feel
assured they thus arose — they will have their place
in our second chapter on ' Local Names.' '
But when we come to the Animal Kingdom we
are on clearer and more definite ground. The local
class must undoubtedly embrace a large number of
these names, as such an entry as ' William atte Roe-
buck ' (M.), or 'Richard de la Vache' (A.), or
' Thomas atte Ram ' (N.), or 'John de la Roe ' (O.),
or 'Gilbert de la Hegle ' (A.), or ' Hugh atte Cokke'
(B.), or 'Walter de Whitchorse ' (C), or 'John atte
' Also ' Agnes Gyngyvcrc ' in Riley's Memorials of London.
Like 'John Vergoose' (W. 13) i.e., vincgarish, they would seem to hit
off the sharp temperament of their owners.
^ Vide Lower's English Surna/nes, i. 242.
' Thus it is with our 'Roses.' The Rot. Fin. in Turri London.
give us a 'John de la Rose,' while the Hundred Rolls furnish us with a
'Nicholas de la Rose.'
486 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Gote' (M.) clearly testifies. But on the other hand
we find a class, set by which the last is insignificant —
a class which has its own entries — * William le Got '
(A.), 'Katerina le Cok ' (B.), 'Alicia le Ro ' (A.),
'Philip la Vache' (C), or 'Joachim le Ram ' (T.),
corresponding to the former, only differing in that
such entries are vastly more numerous and embrace a
wider range, taking in, in fact, the whole genus and
species that belong alike to ' the fish of the sea, the fowl
of the air, the cattle, and every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth.' In dealing with this large
and varied assortment of sobriquets, I would say
then that, where there is no proof positive to the
contrary, the course is to survey a name of this class
as referable to three distinct origins, and I put them
in the following order of probability : — i. A nickname
taken from that animal whose generally understood
habits seemed to bear affinity to those of the nominee.
2. A local sign-name. 3. An heraldic device. With
these preliminary statements, let us proceed.
As we find all the moral qualities seized upon to
give individuality to the possessors, so, too, we find
the names of animals whose peculiarities gave pretext
for the sobriquets pressed into the service of our
nomenclature. In our earlier Pagan history it had
been the wont of Saxon fathers to style their children
by the names of such beasts as from their nobler
qualities it was hoped the little one would one day
copy. The same fashion still existed, only that the
nickname as the exponent of popular feeling was
really more or less appropriate to him who was made
to bear it. In the latter case, too, it was the ridicu-
lous aspects of character that were most eagerly
NICKNAMES.' 487
caught at. Our general vocabulary is not without
traces of this custom. We still term a shrewish wife
a vixen, i.e. a she fox. Men of a vile, mean character
are rascals, i.e. lean deer ; and rough boys are tirchins^
a corruption of the old herison, or hedgehog. Apply-
ing this to surnames, we come first to
{a) Beasts. — Our ' Bests,' when not local, are but
the ' Richard le Bestes ' or * Henry le Bestes ' of the
thirteenth century. Their superlative excellence is
therefore imaginary, I fear, but we may be permitted
to hope that they are what they appear. ' Edith
Beest,' in the sixteenth century, is nearer our mo-
dern form. Our ' Oliphants,' ' Olivants,' and ' Olli-
vants' represent but the elephant, and owe their
origin, doubtless, to the huge and ungainly propor-
tions of some early ancestor. In the * Romance of
Alexander' is a strange description of the fabled mono-
ceros, which would seem to have been a kind of pot-
pourri of all other beasts, for besides a tail like a hog,
tusks like a dog, and a head like a hart's —
Made is his cors
After the forme of a hors,
Fete after olifant, certis.'
This sobriquet, in a day when size and strength went
for much, does not seem to have been thought ob-
jectionable, for its owners have left issue enough to
prevent its ever falling into abeyance.^ Thus we see
» ' Paid John of the hall, of tow (two) urchines, o/. os. ^d.' [Hist,
and Attt. Staffordshire, i. 1 97-)
2 George Camel and Jane Camel were apprehended as Popish
recusants, Maya, 1673. {Dean Granville's Letters, p. 225.) 'William
Cammille' (V. 4), 'George Camil' (W. 20).
' '1438.' "Item, pro aula 'Olefantc,' Magister Kyllynworth."
488 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
we may meet with elephants every day in our streets
without going to the Zoological Gardens for them.
Our ' Lions ' (' Richard Lion,' V. 2) and ' Lyons,' when
not local,' speak doubtless for the brave heart of
some early progenitor. Our ' Bears,' relics of ' Richard
le Bere ' (A.) or ' Lawrence le Bere ' (M.), as a reflec-
tion upon a surly temper, would be less corriplimen-
tary, or perhaps the original nominee wore his hair
shaggy and long. A fierce disposition would meet with
rebuke or praise, as the case might be, in such a sobri-
quet as 'John Lepard,' or 'Tiger,' now all but obsolete,
saving for our striped and liveried youths ; or 'Wolf
(' Elena le Wolfe,' A., ' Philip Ic Wolf,' M.), with its more
Norman ' Lupe'^ ('Robert le Lupe,' B.), or ' Lovel'^ or
' Love ' (' Robert le Love,' A.), the latter being in flat
contradiction to the usually ascribed instincts of the
animal. Timidity or reserve, or perchance fleetness
of foot, would soon find itself exalted in ' Geofl*rey le
Hare,' ' Reginaldc le Raye,' ' Walter le Buk,' ' Hobart le
Hart,' ' Dorothie le Stagge,' ' Henry Rascal,' * ' William
{Mun. Acad. Oxon. p. 522.) This hall or smaller college was so
called from the sign over the door. Skclton has both ' olyfant ' and
• olyphante.' lie describes a woman in ' Eleanor Rummyng' as
' Necked lyke an olyfant. '
â– ' Herveus de Lyons,' C, ' Richard de Lyouns,' M.
' It was ' Ilugues le Loup' the Conqueror appointed Second Count
of the Cheshire Palatinate.
* ' Lovel' is the diminutive. ' Maulovel ' will thus be 'Bad-wolfkin.*
* A Rascal was a lean, ragged deer ; Shakespeare so uses it. Very
early, however, the term was applied to the vulgar herd of human kind,
but with far less opprobious meaning than now. Ilall, quoting Henry
of Northumberland, speaks of Henry IV. as having obtained his crown
' by the counsadl of thy frcndcs, and by open noising of the rascale
people' (f. xxi.), i.e. the rabble. An extract from the Ordinances of
Henry VIII. at Eltham says, ' It is ordained that none of the sergeants
* NICKNAMES.' 489
le Do/ or * Alicia le Ro,' the ancestors of our * Hares,'
• Rays,' or ' Wrays,' ' Bucks,' ^ ' Harts,' * Stags,' ' Does,'
or * Roes,' of legal notoriety, and ' Prickets.' That
old spoiler of hen-roosts, the polecat, has left us in
' Fitch ' and * Fitchett ' no very happy relationship of
ideas. Craftiness would be very properly stigmatised
in ' Henry le Fox ' or ' John le Tod,' and a ' John le
Renaud ' occurring in the Parliamentary Rolls reminds
us that some of our ' Renauds ' and * Renards ' may
be more closely associated with this wily denizen of
our forest fastnesses than they think. The badger has
originated ' Walter le Broc ' or ' Henry le Brok ' (now
Brock) ; the beaver ' John le Bever,' or ' Johnle Bevere '
(now Beaver).^ The rabbit gave us ' Henry Cony ' and
' John Conay ; ' the weasel ' Mathew le Martun ' (now
Marten) ; the mole * Walter le Want ' (now Want) ;
the nimble haunter of our forest boughs * Thomas le
Squyrelle ' (now Squirrell), and the otter ' Alan Otere,'
or ' Edward Oter ' (now Otter).
Nor must we forget the farmyard and its acces-
sories, which, as we might readily presume, are well
represented. ' Alice le Bule,' or ' William le Bule '
(now Bull), is a sobriquet which has now such a firm
at arms, heralds . . . have, retain, or bring into the court any boyes or
rascalles, nor also other of their servants.' The surname was very
common, and lasted a long time — 'John Raskele' (H.), 'Henry Ras-
call' (Z.). Robert Rascal was persecuted for his religion in 15 17 (Foxe).
• Received for a pcwe in the lower end of the churche set to Richard
Rascalle, vij.' (Ludlow Churchwardens' Accounts, Cam. Soc.)
• As we have Cock and Cockerell, Duck and Duckrell, so we have
Buck and Buckerell—' Peter Bokerel' (A.), 'Matthew Bokerel' (A.).
Cf. Mackarel and Pickerell.
* Sometimes this is local, and a mere corruption of Bcauvoir —
'Roger de Bel voir' (M.).
490 ENGLISH SURNAMES."
place as symbolic of our national character that we
need not show to what peculiarities of temperament
they owed their name. ' Simon le Steer,' ' Peter le
Vache,' with its Saxon ' Thomas le Cu ' or ' Ralph le
Cou/ * Richard le Calf, ^ ' Godwin le Bulloc,' ' Peter le
Stot,' ' Roger le Colt,' are all of common occurrence,
and still abide with us. ' Roger le Mule,' as repre-
sentative of obstinacy, we might have suspected, would
have become early obsolete, but it still survives.' '
* Robert le Veyle,' or 'William le Veel,' now written
'Veale,' 'Philip le Mutton,' and 'John le Boeuf,' or
' Robert le Bef,' ^ carry us back to the day when these
several terms denoted the living animal. Thus, with
respect to the last, Burton in his ' Anatomy,' translat-
ing Plautus, says —
Like other cooks I do not supper dress,
That put whole meadows into a platter,
And make no better of their guests than beeves,
With herbs and grass to feed them fatter. — p. 69.
Alongside our ' Muttons ' we may place our ' William
' 'Duncalf may be seen over a window in Oklham Road, Man-
chester. ' William Duncalf (A.A. i), 'John Duncalf ' (A. A. i).
- Such names as Roger Runcy, Richard Palefray, John Portehors, or
Ralph Portehos represent terms very familiar to our forefathers.
* This word 'beef as denotive of the living animal was in vogue
in the seventeenth century at least. The plural ' beeves ' is still to be
found in our Authorized Version. P'or instance, Levit. xxii. 19, is trans-
lated, ' Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish of the
beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.' Sliakespeare, also, has the word
in this sense. He speaks in his ' Merchant of Venice ' of the —
'Flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats.'
We have here mutton used in the same manner. Edward the Second
was accustomed ' to breedc upp beeves and motonnes in his parkes
to serve his household.' [Liber A7[^rr, Ed. IV,)
NICKNAMES.' 49I
le Lambs ' and ' Richard le Lombs,' ^ and if they were
remarkable for their meek disposition, playfulness, I
doubt not, was equally characteristic of our ' Reginald
Kidds' and ' Cheevers,' relics of the old 'Henry le
Chivre ' or goat. I am afraid the connexion of ideas
that gave rise to such sobriquets as were represented
by 'Alice le Hog,' 'John le Bacun,' 2 'William le
Gryse,' ' Gilbert Gait,' ' Walter Pigge,' ^ ' Roger Sugge,*
' Richard le Bor ' (Boar), 'Richard Wildbore,' 'John
Pork,' and ' John Purcell ' (little porker, that is), is
not of the pleasantest — terms, too, as they are, all
familiar to our directories to this present day. Several
of these words are now colloquially obsolete. ' Grice/
I fancy, is one such. We still speak of the ' griskin,'
Locally it comes in such names as ' Grisdale ' and
* Grisvvood.' As a sobriquet of the animal, it was
quite familiar in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Piers Plowman says —
Cokes and their knaves
Cryden, ' Hote pies, bote !
Goode gees and grys !'
' Sug ' was provincial for ' sow,' and comes in the local
'Sugden' mentioned in my first chapter. Richard
HI. was sometimes styled the 'Boar' or 'Hog.' It
was in allusion to this that the rhyme got abroad —
' Apart from such entries as 'William le Lamb,' we find a 'John
Lambgrome' in the Himdred Rolls. Though obsolete, we must set him
by our ' Shepherds.' A brother-in-law of John Wesley bore the name
of ' Whitelamb.' I am not sure whether this surname has died out or
not. In the Visitation of Yorkshire, 1665, it is found in the person of
' Isabel Whitlamb.'
2 'Robert Spichfat' (X.), ' William Spichfat' (W. 11.), fromthcold
'spic,' bacon, seem to refer to the greasy habits of their owners.
' Christopher Pigg was Mayor of Lynn Regis in 1742.
492 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
The Rat, the Cat, and Lovel the Dog,
Rule all England under the Hog.
The first two referred of course to Ra/c\if(e and
Caieshy. But the mention of these reminds us of
our household pets and indoor foes. * Elias le Cat,'
or * Adam le Kat,' or ' Milo le Chat ' still boasts de-
scendants, and the same can be said for ' Nicholas
Dogge,' or ' Eborard le Kenn,' or * Thomas le Chen.'
The usual forms are Catt, Ken, and Kenn. In our
kemiel we still preserve a memorial of this Norman-
introduced word. Our ' Hunds ' and ' Hounds ' are
but the old ' Gilbert le Hund ' or ' William le Hund,'
and carry us to the forest and the chase. The especial
bugbear of cat and dog alike found remembrance in our
early ' Nicholas le Rat ' and 'Walter le Rat,' or * Ralph
Ratun,' ' and in 'John le Mous,' 'Hugh le Mus,' or
' Richard Mowse.' ' Ratton,' ' Ratt,' and ' Mowse ' still
exist. With one more name we conclude. Through
Spain and the Moors of Barbary monkeys were early
introduced for the amusement of the English people.
In the ' Miller's Tale ' it is said of Alison —
And thus she maketh Absolom her ape,
And all his earnest turneth to a gape.*
that is, she was wont to make a fool of him. The
sobriquet is found in such an entry as ' John le Ape,'
registered in the Hundred Rolls, or 'John Jackanapes,'
in the Parliamentary Writs.
' Raton is still the term in the North. Langland uses it, and in
Chaucer the Potccary is asked by a purchaser —
' That he him woukl sell
Some poison, that lie might his ratouns quell.'
' An old political poem says the Italians bring in
' Apes and japes and mamusetts taylcde,
Nifles, trifles, that litellc have avaylcd.'
' NICKNAMES.' 493
(/;) Birds.— The surname that represents the genus
is ' Bird,' the name being met with as ' John le Bryd '
or ' David le Brid/ a pronunciation still in vogue in
many parts of England. Falconry has given us many
sobriquets of this class. Accustomed as our fathers
were to seeing the fierce and eager instincts of the bird,
to nickname a man of rapacious and grasping habits
by such a term as ' John le Kyte,' or ' William le
Hawk,' or Richard le Falcon,' would be the most
natural thing in the world. And just as the difference
in breed and disposition in these birds themselves gave
rise to separate definitions, so an imagined resemblance
to these distinct qualities must have originated such
different names as ' Muskett,' ' Buzzard,' * Puttock,' '
' Goshawk,' ' Tassell,' ' Gleed,' or * Glide,' ^ and ' Spar-
rowhawk,' or ' Spark,' or ' Sparke,' as it is now more
generally spelt. So early as Chaucer, however, this
last was written 'Spar-hawk,' ^ and that once gained the
further contraction in our nomenclature became inevi-
table. Thus was it with other birds. Did a man
develop such propensities as showiness, then he was
nicknamed 'Jay;' if pride, 'Peacock' or ' Pocock,'
' ' Some bileve that yf the kite or the puttock fle ovir the way afore
them that they should fare wel that daye, for sumtyme they have
farewele after that they see the puttock so fleyinge.' (Brand, iii. 113.)
^ Our present Authorized Version retains the term in Deut. xiv. 13,
wliere mention is made of ' the glcdc, and the kite, and the vuUure
after his kind.' Locally it is found in 'Gledhill' and 'Gladstone,' or
more correctly ' Gledstane,' that is, the hill or crag which the kites were
wont to frequent. A 'William de Gledstanys' is met with in the
Coldingham Priory Records of the date of 1357, proving its North
English origin. ' Ilawkstone' and ' Gladstone' are thus synonymous.
» 'Richard Sparhawke ' was Rector of Fincham in 1534. (Hisi.
Nor/., vii. 358.)
494 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
as it was once pronounced ; if guile, ' Rook ; ' if pert-
ness, ' Pye,' with its diminutive 'Pyet ' or ' Pyett ; ' if
garrulity, ' Parrott ' or ' Parratt ; ' if he was a votary
of song he was styled ' Nightingale ' or ' Lark,' or in
its more antique dress ' Laverock ' or ' Woodlark,' or
' Finch,' or ' Bulfinch,' or ' Goldfinch,' or ' Chaffinch,'
or ' Spink,' or ' Goldspink,' or ' Thrush,' or ' Thrussel,'
or ' Cuckoo.' If jauntiness displayed itself in his actions
he was nicknamed ' Cock ' or ' Cockerell ' or ' Chaunte-
cler ; ' if homeliness, 'Sparrow; ' if tenderness, ' Pigeon ' or
* Dove,' and so on with our ' Swans,' * Herons,' ' Cootes,'
' Gulls,' * Storks,' ' Ravens,' ' Crows,' ' Speights,' ' Cranes,'
' Capons,' * Henns,' * Chickens,' ' ' Ducks,' ' Duckerells,'
* Drakes,' ' Sheldrakes ' or ' Sheldricks,' * Wildgooses,'
'Mallards' {i.e. wild duck), ' Gooses ' or ' Goss-'s,'^ 'Grey-
gooses,' * Goslings,' ^ ' Ganders,' ' Woodcocks,' ' Par-
tridges,' ' Partricks,' ' Pheasants,' or ' Fesants,' as once
spelt, and 'Blackbirds.''' These are names ornithologi-
cally familiar to us. Many a pretty name, however,
once on the common tongue but now obsolete, or well-
nigh so, still abides in our surnames. Thus our ' Pop-
jays ' still preserve the remembrance of the once
common popinjay or parrot, ' the popinjay, full of deli-
' * Philip Chikin' (A.), 'John Chiivin' (A.). The name existed in
the xviithcent., for one 'George Chicken' was summoned at Ryton 'for
not payeinghis assessments, July 28, 1673.' {Dean Giain'tlle's Letters,
Sur. Soc.).
* ' Peter leGoos,' F.F., ' Walter leGows,' A., 'Amicia Ic Gos,' J.,
'John le Gos,' M. The latter, as ' Goss,' is the present most common
form.
* This is as often from Joscelyn. ' Goscelinefil. Gawyn,' A., ' Roger
fil. Gocelin,' A.
* A tablet with the inscription ' Sacred to the Memory of Priscilla
Blackbird ' has been put up in Stepney churchyard within the last few
years.
* NICKNAMES.' 495
easy,' as Chaucer styles her.* In * Culver' or ringdove
we are reminded of the pathetic story of Philomine,
where the same writer likens her to
the lamb that of the wolf is bitten,
Or as the culver, that of the eagle is smitten.*
Our « Ruddocks ' or ' Ruddicks ' (' Ralph Ruddoc,' A.),
again, are but the old ruddock or robin-redbreast, * the
tame ruddock,' as he is termed in the ' Assembly of
Fowls.' The hedge-sparrow still lives represented by
our ' Pinnocks 'or * Pinnicks ' * John Pynnock ' (G.),
* Richard Pinnoc ' (A.)—
Thus in the pinnick's nest the cuckoo lays,
Then, easy as a Frenchman, takes her flight.
So an old writer says. Our ' Turtles ' (' Roger Turtle')
D.) are but" pleasant memorials of the bird that has
been so long emblematic of constancy, the dove ; our
' Challenders,' if not a corruption of ' Callender,' are
representatives of the chelaiinder or goldfinch, so often
mentioned by early poets ; and in our * VVoodalls,'
' Woodales,' and ' Woodwalls,' not to say some of our
* Woodwells,' we are but reminded of the woodwale,
the early woodpecker. Our ' Rains ' are but the old
* Robert or William le Rain,' another term for the
same ; ^ while our * Stars ' and ' Stares ' (' Robert Stare,'
' ' The bailiffs and commons granted to Robert Popingeay, their
fellow citizen, all their tenement and garden in the Parish of St. Mary
in the Marsh.' 1371. {Hist. Norf.,m. ()"].) ' Richard Popingay,' T.T.
*To a servaunt of William ap Howell for bringing of a popyngay
to the Quene to Windesore, xiiij. iiii(/.' {Privy Puise Expenses of
Elizabeth of York, 1502.)
* ' He turnede upso down the boordis of chaungeris, and the chayers
of men that solden culvers. ' (Matt. xxi. 12. v. WicklyfTe.)
' The Prompt. Par. has 'reyn-fowle, a bryd,' so called, the Editor
says, because its cry was supposed to prognosticate rain.
496 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
A.) carry us back to the day when the starling was
so familiarly styled. In the * Assembly of Fowls '
the author speaks of —
The false lapwing, full of trccherie,
The stare, that the counsaile can beurie.
In the * Romance of the Rose ' a list of birds is given
embracing many of the above —
For there was many a bird singing,
Throughout the yard all thringing,
In many places were nightingales,
Alpes, finches, and wodewales.
That in their sweet song delighten.
In thilke (such) places as they habiten.
There might men see many flocks
Of turtles, and laverocks,
Chelaundres fele (many) saw I there,
That very nigh forsongen were (tired of singing).
Every one of these birds so styled is still to be met
with in our directories, for even the alpe or bull-finch
is not absent. It is only in the investigation of sub-
jects like this we see how great are the changes that
creep over a people's language. What a list of words
is this, which if uttered now would fall dead and
meaningless upon the ear of the listener, and yet they
were once familiar as household words.
{c) Fish. — 'John le Fysche' or 'William Fyske'
have left descendants enough to prove that many a
Fish can live out of water, although much has been
advanced to the contrary. At a time when the
peasants lived daily on the products of the inland
streams and sandy sea-banks, and when the supply
was infinitely more plentiful than it is now, we can
easily perceive the naturalness of the sobriquets that
belong to this class. Terms that are all but obsolete
* NICKNAMES.' 497
to US now, were household words then. Hence it is
that we find our directories of to-day abounding with
such entries as ' Whale,' ' ' Shark,' ' Dolphin,' * Her-
ring,' 2 ' Codde,' ' Codling,' ' Salmon,' ^ ' Trout,' ' Macka-
rel,' ' Grayling,' ' Smelt,' ' Pilchard,' ' Whiting,' ' Tur-
bot,' ^ ' Keeling,' ' Crabbe,' ' Chubb,' ' ' Tench,' « ' Pike,'
and * Pickerel.' * John Sturgeon ' is mentioned by
Foxe in his ' Martyrology,' under date 1541, and still
remains. The Hundred Rolls contain a ' William
Lampreye.' ' Barnacle ' is still common, and * Mus-
sell ' and ' Spratt ' ^ are not unknown. But perhaps
the most curious of these early nicknames are those
belonging to * Matilda le Welke ' and * William
Welkeshorn.' Probably they were notorious for a
weakness towards that mollusk, which is still eaten in
large quantities in some parts of England.
(d) Insects and Reptiles. — This is not a large class.
The Hundred Rolls furnish us with a ' Magge Flie '
and an ' Oda ^ Flie.' The same records contain a
' ' Thomas le Whal ' (B.), ' Ralph le Wal ' (A.). As with Oliphant,
over-corpulence would give rise to the sobriquet.
* * Reymund Heryng' (INI.). The diminutive is found in the case
of ' Stephen Ilarengot' (D.D.), i.e., 'Little Herring.'
' 'Elizabeth Salmon' (G. ). It is said, a Mr. Salmon having been
presented by his wife with three boys at one birth, gave them the names
of 'Pickled,' 'Potted,' and 'Fresh.' I would call the reader's
attention to the italicised words that preface the statement.
* Daniel Turbot was summoned ' for not paying Easter reckonyngs,
Aug. 23rd, 1674.' (^Granville's Letters. Sur. Soc.)
* 'Matthew Chubb,' a member of the 'Gild of Tailors, Exeter.' —
21 Ed. IV. {English Gilds, 323 p.)
^ ' John Tenche' (A.). Tcnche is the name of one of the yeomen of
the Guard to Queen Mary when I'rincess Mary. {Priv. Purse Exp.
1 543-)
' Thomas Spratt was Bishop of Rochester in 1688.
* This is doubtless but a feminine form of Odo.
K K
498 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Margaret Gnatte' and a 'William Gnatte.' ' Baldewin
Bugg ' (B.) and ' Bate Bugge ' (A.) are also found, but
although the question has been asked —
If a party had a voice,
What mortal would be a Bugg by choice,
I fancy the cognomen is local, one of the endless
forms, like ' Brough,' ' Burgh,' * Burkes,' of the old
* Borough.' ' Roger le Waps ' ' reminds us of the still
existing provincialism for wasp, and ' William Snake *
or 'John Frog' would be as little acceptable.^ The
smallest and most repulsive insect we have, the para-
sitic louse, is found in ' Nicholas le Lus' (J.), but our di-
rectories have now got rid of it — an example that might
be followed with no small advantage in other quarters.
(2) Descriptive Compoimds affixed as Nicknames.
But in an age like that of the thirteenth and four-
teenth centuries we cannot imagine that society would
be merely required to come under a verbal castigation
such as, after all, did nothing more than strike off the
names of the animals that entered into Noah's Ark.
To call a man a 'wolf or a 'bull' or a 'grayling' or
a ' salmon ' or a ' peacock,' after all, is not very
dreadful. Terms of a more compound form, sobriquets
more minutely anatomical, arc also met with, the un-
pleasantness of which is proved by the fact of so few
of them having come down to us, while not a small
portion, as not fit for ears polite, must be altogether
left in their obscurity. There are others, however,
of which none need to be ashamed. For instance,
' * Roger le Waps ' is found in a Sussex subsidy roll of 1 296. (Lower,
i. 242.)
« In Ricart's Kalcudar of Bristol (Cam. Soc), William and Robert
Snake are set down among the earlier ' Prepositi.'
' NICKNAMES.' 499
the kingly denomination of ' Quer-de-lyun' ('Ralph
Querdelyun,' T,, * William Querdelion/ X.), ^ found in
several lists, could not but be agreeable, while ' Dan-
de-lyun,' or 'lion-toothed' ('William Daundelyun,' B.),
would be in thorough harmony with the spirit of the
age. ' Colfox ' (' Thomas Colfox,' Z.), still existing,
would be less pleasant. The term ' fox ' is supposed
in itself to be synonymous with deceit, but the inten-
sive ' col-fox ' or ' deceitful-fox ' must have implied
duplicity indeed ! Chaucer, in his ' Nunn's Story,*
speaks of
A col fox full of sleigh iniquity.
Clenehog ' (' William Clenehog,' A.) or ' Clenegrise '
(* Roger Clenegrise,' A.) would seem to be a sarcasm
upon the dirty habits of its early owner, while
' Piggesflesh ' (' Reyner Piggesflesh,' M.) or ' Hogges-
flesh ' (' Margery Hoggesflesh,' Z.) ^ is as obviously
intended to be a reflection upon the general appear-
ance. 'Herring' ('Robert Heryng,' A.), already
mentioned, is not objectionable, but ' Goodherring '
' In 1433 it had got corrupted into ' Querdling,' a ' Thomas Querd-
ling* occupying an official position in Norwich in that year. Of him
the following rhyme speaks —
' Whoso have any quarrel or pie,
If he but withstand John Hankcy,
John Querdlyng, Nic Waleys, John Belagh, John Meg,
Sore shall him rcwc
For they rule all the court with their lawes newe.'
(Bromefield, iii. 145.)
I doubt not 'Curling' is the modern representative of this name.
' This name is not obsolete. Mr. Lower quotes a local rhyme thus —
' Worthing is a pretty place,
And if I'm not mistaken,
If you can't get any butcher's meat,
There's "hogs' flesh" and "bacon."'
K K 2
500 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
('Adam Godharing,' A.) and ' Redherring' ' ('William
Redhering,' M.) are, ' Fish ' one would not for a
moment find fault with, but few young ladies, I
imagine, would be found to face at the matrimonial
altar a 'John Pourfishe' (M.). Objection, too, if not
by the fair inamorata, yet by her parents, would be
raised, I suspect, to an alliance with a * Roger Feldog,'
or ' Thomas Catsnose,' or ' William Cocksbrain,' or
'Robert Calvesmaw,' or 'Peter Buckeskyn,' or ' Arnulph
Dogmaw,' or ' Henry Crowfoot,' or ' Matthew Goose-
beak,' or 'John Bullhead.' ' Talking of the last, how-
ever, it is interesting to notice how much the bull has
entered into compounds of this kind. Thus we light
upon such names as ' Walter Oyl-de-beof ' or ' William
Oldbeof,' that is, bull-eyed ; ' Ralph Front-de-boeuf,'
that is, bull-faced ; 'John Cors-de-boeuf ' or 'Thomas
Cordebeofe,' that is, bull-bodied ; ' John Queer-de-
boef,' that is, bull-hearted, or 'Amice le Wildeboef or
' Nicholas Waldebeof,' seemingly like ' Wild-bore,'
referring to some wild untutored characteristics of the
bearer. In all these the genius of the age is quite
apparent, and probably not one was looked upon as
otherwise than complimentary. ' William Scorche-
bouef was evidently some unlucky young kitchener
who had mismanaged his duties as spit-turner, but it
betrays the process by which the term ' boeuf ' has
come into its present position of verbal usefulness.
In this light 'Cors-de-boeuf also is further interesting
as reminding us that there was a time when ' corpse '
' 'William Wolfheryng' occurs in a Sussex subsidy roll, 1296.
(Lower, i. 242.)
* 'Joan Blackdam ' occurs in Hist. Norfoll;. (Bromcfield, v.
Index.)
* NICKNAMES.' $01
did not necessarily imply the inanimate frame.
'Behold, they were all dead corpses,' found in our
Authorized Version, was no tautology, it would appear,
even in the seventeenth century. Thus do changes
creep over the lives of words as well as men.
We might fill a book with these descriptive
compounds — surnames so whimsical, so absurdly
humorous that they manifestly could not live. For
instance, we meet in the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries with such a sobriquet as 'William Honde-
shakerC)' which no doubt spoke for the hearty good-
will of its easy possessor. ' Geoffry Chese-and-brede*
seems to refer to the peculiar taste of its owner,
while ' Arnold Scutelmouth ' would be a sarcasm on
personal capacity for such things. ' Alan Swet-in-
bedde ' would not be an acceptable cognomen, nor
'William Badneighbour,' nor 'Thomas Two-year-olde,'
nor 'Geoffrey Dringke-dregges,' nor 'Anna Hellicate'
(hell-cat).' 'Alice Gude-ale-house ' was evidently a
homely landlady, who kept her tavern in good repute
by assiduous attention and good-humoured ways.
' William Kepegest ' would seem to bespeak the kindly
cheer of more private hospitality, while ' John Dry-
bread,' if not stingy, was doubtless crusty, ' John
Ratelle-bagge,' or ' John Leve-to-day,' or ' Serle
Go-to- Kirk,' or 'Thomas Horsenail,' or 'John Light-
harness,' or ' Richard Myldew,' or ' John Buckleboots,*
or 'Edward Tortoise-shell,'^ or 'John Hornbuckle,*
' ' Anna Hellicate' was called before the Archdeacon of Durham, for
not coming to the Church, 27th July, 1673.' {Dean Granville's Letters,
Surt. Soc.)
* This most curious name appears in the Manchester Directory for
1861.
502 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
while conveying no slight upon the character, would
be obnoxious enough as surnames. Our * Doolittles,'
* Lovejoys,' ' Scattergoods,' ' Makepeaces/ and ' Hate-
wrongs ' belong to this same category. ' A large and
varied assortment of this class will be found in the
notes to this chapter, and to them I refer the reader.
They are of a class which were especially popular at
the time of which we are writing. Many of them are
used as expletives in the railing poets and writers of
the period. For instance, the author of * Cocke
Lorelle's Bote ' speaks of —
' Slingthrlft Fleshmonger,'
Also 'Fabian Flatterer,' and 'Cicely Claterer,'
With 'Adam Avenis,' flail-swinger,
And ' Francis Flaproach, ' . . .
With ' Giles Unreste,' mayor of Newgate,
And 'Lewis Unlusty, the leesing-monger. '
Here is ' Will Wily,' the mill-pecker (thieQ,
And ' Patrick Peevish,' hairbeater.
With ' Davy Drawlatch ' ' of Rockingham.
Also 'Hick Crookneck,' the rope-maker,
And 'Steven Meascllmouth,' mussell-taker,
With 'Gogle-eyed Thompson,' shepster of L)mn.
The above selection of fancy names will give us a
fair idea of the kind of sobriquet which went down
with the lower orders during the Angevine and
Plantagenet dynasties.
But the largest branch of descriptive compounds
is yet to be mentioned. We find not a few instances
where names of simple relationship or occupation or
office, or even, we may add, of patronymic character,
having become compounded with adjectives expres-
sive of the feeling of those with whom the nominee
had to deal, naturally place themselves under this
* This seems to have been a surname— 'John Drawlace' (W. l8).
NICKNAMES.' 503
same category. These, so far as they have come
down to us, are generally of a favourable, or at least
harmless, description. Thus, to notice Christian
names first, this has especially been the case with
* John.' Probably as this sobriquet grew into favour
the practice became the means of distinguishing be-
tween several of the same title. Thus, as I hinted in
my previous chapter, if John were doughty, he became
'Prujean,'^ that is, preux-jean ; if fat, 'Grosjean;' if
young, ' Youngjohn ; ' '^ if clownish, * Hobjohn ; ' if big,
' Micklejohn ; ' if small, ' Littlejohn,' ^ or ' Petitjean ; ' *
if of a sunburnt countenance, ' Brownjohn ; ' ^ and if
comely or well proportioned, ' Properjohn ; ' thus pre-
serving a once familiar sense of ' proper,' which we
may meet with in such an olden phrase as a ' proper
knight,' or in our present Authorized Scripture
Version, where our translators make St, Paul speak of
' The President of the College of Physicians in 1665 was Sir
Francis Prujean. Bramston, in his Autobiography (Cam, Soc), styles
him ' Prugean.'
* The newspapers for June 6th, 1874, mention a 'Mr. Youngjohn '
in connection with an election petition at Kidderminster.
' We have already noticed that ' Robin-hood ' had become in itself a
surname. It is quite possible our ' Little-johns ' have arisen in a simi-
lar manner. Little John, I need not say, was as carefully represented
at the May-day dance as Robin himself or Maid Marian. Ritson has
preserved us a rhyme on the subject —
' This infant was called John Little,' quoth he
' Which name shall be changed anon ;
The words we'll transpose, so wherever he goes,
His name shall be called " Little John." '
* ' Item, to Guillam de Vait, Guillam de Trope, and Pety John
mynstralles, iv/.' {Trcvelyan Papers, ii. 20. Cam. Soc.)
' We might be tempted to place our ' Brownbills ' here, but I have
recently shown them to be representative of the old and famous pikes
known as 'brownbills,' used so commonly in war previous to the
introduction of gunpowder.
504 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Moses in his infancy as a ' proper child.' ' Lastly, we
have the estimable ' Bonjohn,' the origin, I doubt not,
of ' Bunyon ' and ' Bunyan,' the familiar bearer of the
latter form of which we shall all doubtless admit to
be well worthy his name. It is happy chance that
when we speak, as we often do, of ^ good John Bun-
yan,' we simply give him a reduplication of that very
title which none more richly merits than he. In 1310
there was a ' Jon Bonjon ' in London, and still earlier
than this a ' Durand le Bon Johan' figures in the
Hundred Rolls. ^ Several others we may mention,
more Saxon in their character, and all long obsolete,
save one. Indeed, I doubt not they died with their
original possessors. These are ' Robert Good-robert '
(P.) and ' Richard White-richard ' (J.), ' William Holy-
peter ' (A.) ' William Jolif-wiU ' (A.) {i.e. ' Jolly-Will '),'
and ' William Prout-picrrc ' (M.). ' William Good-
hugh ' (M.), however, has contrived to hold his own,
unless, as Mr. Lower thinks, it belongs not to this
category, but one I have already surveyed, that re-
garding complexion. Its early form of ' Godhewc '
would seem perhaps to favour his notion. Names of
this class, however, are rare. When wc come to oc-
' Thus Desdemona says to Emilia {Othello, iv. 3) — â–
' Tliis Lodovico is a proper man ; '
and the latter responds —
' A very handsome man.'
* ' Apple-John' must be looked upon as a nickname taken from the
fruit of that name. An apple-john was a species of apple which was
never fully ripe till late in the season, when it was shrivelled. Hence
Shakespeare's allusion in 2 Heniy IV. ii. 4. ' Sweet-apple' will belong
to this category.
* ' Full-James' must be looked upon as a corruption of Foljambe. I
prefer the original, though that is not complimentary.
' NICKNAMES.' 505
cupation the instances are much more common.
Thus if we have ' Husband,' who doubtless owes his
origin to his economical rather than his marital posi-
tion, we have, besides, ' Younghusband ' — in his day,
I dare say, a somewhat precocious youth — the now
obsolete ' Goodhusband ; ' if ' Skinner,' then ' Lang-
skinner ; ' if ' Wright,' then ' Longwright ' or ' Longus-
Faber,' as it is Latinized in our rolls ; if ' Smith,' then
' Gros-smith,' that is ' big-smith,' or ' Wild-smith ' or
* Youngsmith ;' or if ' Groom,' then ' Good-groom '' and
* Old-groom.' If we have * Swain,' we had also
* Goodswain,' or ' Brownswain,' or ' Madswain,' or
' Summerswain,' or ' Cuteswain,' or ' Colswain ' (that
is, deceitful swain , or ' Littleswain ; ' if ' King,' ^ then
' Littleking,' ' Coyking,' ' Brownking,' ' Whiteking,'
and 'Redking;' if ' Hine,' or ' Hyne,' or 'Hind,'
a peasant somewhat similar to Swain, then also
* Goodhyne ; ' if ' Bond,' then ' Youngbond ; ' if
* Knave ' or servant, then ' Smartknave,' ' White-
knave,' ' Brov/nknave,' and ' Good knave,' the latter a
strange compound to modern ears ; ^ if ' Clerk,' then
' Bonclerk,' * Bcauclerk,' ' Goodclerk,' * Mauclerk,' '' and
' This name lingered on till 1674 at least, for one of the private
musicians attached to the household of Charles II. was 'John Gode-
groome.' (Vide Chappell's Ballad Literattire, p. 469.) 'Robert le
Godegrom ' had appeared three centuries before in the Hundred Rolls.
' ' King ' I have already suggested as a sobriquet given to one who
represented such a rank in some mediaeval pageant. Peculiarities of
stature, manner, or dress would readily give rise to the compound forms.
' Archbishop Chichele, when founding All Souls' College, purchased
for this purpose the sites of • Beresford's Hall, St. Thomas's Hall,
Tyngewyck Hall, and Godknave Hall.' {IHst. Univ. Oxon, vol. i.
P- 195)
Probably its founder bore that name.
* 'Godfrey Mauclerk' was mayor of Leicester in 1286. Also,
506 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
'Redclerk;'' if 'Page/ then ' Littlepage ' ^ and
* Smallpage,' and to put it here for convenience, ' Law-
page ; ' if * Wayt,' a ' watchman,' then * Smartwayt,'
* Stertwait ' (active, on the alert), and ' Goodwayt ;' if
'Man' or 'Mann,' a relic of the old ' le Man' or
menial, then also ' Goodman,' a term, however, which
became early used of any honest householder.' ^ ' Le
Mayster' or 'Master' was common enough, but I am
sorry to say I have not lighted upon a ' Goodmayster '
as yet. Thus ' Fellowe ' also, or ' Fellowes,' as we now
have it, is met by ' Goodfellow ' and ' Longfellow ; '
' Child ' by ' Goodchild ' and the obsolete ' Evilchild ; '
' Son ' by ' Littleson ' and ' Fairson ; ' ' Sire ' by ' Lit-
tlesire ' and ' Fairsire ; ' ' Nurse ' by ' Goodnurse,' and
* Fowl ' by ' Goodfowl.' Norman equivalents for these,
however, were not wanting. ' Goodfellow ' had its
mate in ' Boncompagnon,' ' Goodbody ' in ' Bonecors,'
' Goodwait ' in ' Bonserjeant,' ' Goodclerk ' * in ' Bon-
' Walter Malclerk' (P.P.). Corrupted into 'Manclerk,' this name still
exists. (Cf. Clerical Directory, 1874.)
' ' Johan le Redeclerk, hosier dc Coventry.' (V. 9, p. xxiv.)
* The first ' Littlepage ' I can light upon is in the case of ' John
Littlcpnge ' and 'Joan Littlepage,' persecuted for their religion in 1521.
(Foxe's Marty rology.)
' 'Man' in the sense of servant is found appended to several
Christian names. Thus we come across such combinations as ' Mathew-
man,' 'Harriman,' and 'Thomasman.' The wonder is more are not
to be met with. The customary way of registering servants in the old
rolls is 'William Matthew's man,* or 'John's man Thomas.' Thus
the surname arose. The Proceedings in Kent, 1640 (Cam. Soc),
contained the name of 'Nicholas Ilodgman,' and 'John Ilobman' was
buried May 17th, 1649. {Smith's Obitnaty. Cam. Soc.)
* 'Grant to Henry Goodclerk for his services in the parts beyond
the sea, 23rd Sep. 1485.' {Materials for Hist. Henry VII., p. 557.)
'NICKNAMES.' $0/
clerk,' and ' Goodman ' Mn * Bonhomme ' (our present
* Bonham ') "^ and ' Prudhomme ' or ' Pridham.' * Evil-
child ' found itself face to face with * Malenfant,'
' Littlesire ' with ' Petitsire,' * Goodchild ' with ' Bony-
fant,' * Bonenfant,' or ' Bullivant,' as we now have it,
and * Godson ' or ' Goodson,' it may be, with ' Bonfils '
or 'Boffill.' We have still 'Clerk,' but 'Bonclerke,'
if not ' Beauclerk,' is obsolete ; * Squier,' but ' Bon-
squier ' has disappeared ; * Chevalier ' also thrives,
while ' Bonchevalier ' is extinct. In some cases the
simple and the compound forms are both wanting.
It is so with our former ' Vadlets ' and ' Bonvalets,'
our ' Vileins,' ' Beauvileyns,' and ' Mangevileyns '
(scabby), our ' Queynts ' and ' Bonqueynts,' and our
* Aventures ' and ' Bonaventures,' the latter sobriquet
evidently given to one who had acquitted himself well
in some mediaeval joust or tournament. It is found
in several records. Piers Plowman uses the term
simple, when he speaks of Faith crying —
As dooth an heraud of armes,
When aventrous cometh to justes.
'Christian,' which may be but the proper name, still
lives, though ' Bonchristien ' is gone ; and ' Count/
too, lingers, ' Boncount ' being obsolete. Sometimes,
strangely enough, the French idiomatic compounds
got literally translated into Saxon, resulting in terms
of utterly different meaning. Thus, as I have already
shown, ' Beaupere ' met face to face with * Fairsire,'
' ' Goodwife ' seems to have existed formerly. A ' William Good-
wyfe' was Rector of Stapleford, Herts, in 1443. (Clutterbuck's
Hertfordshire, vol. ii. p. 218.)
* ' Alan Bondame' represents the feminine (P.P.).
508 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
' Beaufiz '^ with ' Fairchild,' and * Beaufrere ' with * Fair-
brother.' But this bare and naked translation into
the vernacular seems to have been a general prac-
tice. The Norman * Petyclerk,' for instance, was
speedily met by ' Smalwritere,' ' Blauncpayne ' by
' Whitbred,' and * Handsomebody,' over which much
obscurity has lingered, is, I have no hesitation in as-
serting, a directly Saxonised form of ' Gentilcors,' a
name not unfrequently met with at this date.
Many of the names I have mentioned above, how-
ever, are, strange to say, being reproduced in the
present day after a curious fashion. The multiplica-
tion of forenames has been the primary cause of this.'*
In many cases these, by becoming as it were adjec-
tives to the surname, form sobriquets no less ludicrous
and striking than those which for that very reason
so soon became obsolete. Thus such a combination
as ' Choice Pickrell ' is exactly equivalent to * Good-
herring ' just alluded to. ' Arch Bishop ' restores the
archiepiscopal name which fell into abeyance in the
twelfth century ; while such other names as ' Perfect
Sparrow,' * Savage Bear,' ^ ' Royal King,' ' Sing Song,'
' John Beaufitz was Sheriff of Warwick in 1485.
' A curious circumstance happened, 1 believe, but a few years ago,
causing the increase of a forename, unintended, we may feel sure, by
those most immediately concerned. A child was taken to church to
be baptized. The clergyman at the usual place turned to the mother
and asked what name the infant was to bear. ' Robert,' was the reply.
'Any other name?' he inquired. 'Robert honly,' she answered,
her grammar not being of the best description. 'Robert Honly, I
baptize thee, in the name,' etc., at once continued the clergyman, and
the child was therefore duly so registered.
• A 'Savage Bear' was at large in Kent a few years ago. (Lower
i. 177.)
NICKNAMES.' 509
' Ivory Mallet/ ^ * More Fortune,' "^ * Christmas Day,'
' Paschal Lamb,' ' River Jordan,' ^ or * Pine Coffin,' *
may be met by designations equally absurd, if less
travestied. These, of course, must be attributed to
mere eccentricity on the part of parents, rather than
to accident. Combinations of this kind, however^
have arisen of late years through another circum-
stance. It not unfrequently occurs that through
certain circumstances two family names are united.
Thus we have such conjunctions as ' Burdett-Coutts '
or ' Sclater-Booth.' Speaking of these reminds me of
a story I have heard anent a combination of this kind.
A certain gentleman, it is said, of the name of CoUey,
in bequeathing in his will a considerable estate to a
friend of the name of * Mellon,' made it the condition
of his acceptance that the legatee added his bene-
factor's name to his own. His friend had no objec-
tion to the property, but when he found that his ac-
quiescence in the terms imposed would make him
' Mellon-Colley ' to the end of his days, he considered
the matter afresh and declined the offer.
' ' Ivory Malet' (D.D.) This, though registered in the xiiith, would
seem to have anticipated the croquet of the xixth cent. ' Ivray ' was a
baptismal name at the earlier date.
^ 'More Fortune, bayliff of St. Martin's, died May 17th, 1367.'
(^Smith's Obituary, p. 13.)
' 'May 27th, 1805. River, son of River and Rebecca Jordan.'
(^Christenings, St. Ann's, Manchester.)
* Several ' Pine Coffins ' may be seen in the Clerical Directories of
I 840- I 850.
5IO ENGLISH SURNAMES.
(3) Nickjtames from Oaths, Exclamations ^ Street-
cries, and Mottoes.
{a) Oaths. †” A remarkable, though not a very-
large, batch of surnames is to be referred to perhaps
the most peculiar characteristic of all — that of the use
of profane, or at least idle oaths. The prevalence of
imprecations in mediaeval times was simply extraor-
dinary,^ If the writings of that period bear but the
faintest comparison to the talk of men, their conver-
sation must have been strangely seasoned. F'or in-
stance, in the ' Canterbury Tales ' we find introduced
without the slightest ceremony such oaths as 'for
Cristes passion,' ' by Goddes saule,' ' for Cristes
saule,' ' by Goddes dignitee,' ' Goddes banes,' ^
' Cristes pcin,' * Goddes love,' ' Goddes hate,' 'Cristes
foot,' ' God me save,' and the more simple ' By-God,'
or ' Parde ' or ' Pardieu.' That they are mostly mean-
ingless is their chief characteristic. 'JohnPardieu' inthe
Rolls of Parliament will represent our many ' Pardews,*
' Pardows,' ' Pardoes,' and ' Pardies ; ' and although I
have given a different origin in my second chapter,^ I
may mention ' Alina le Bigod ' (J.), or 'John le Bygot'
(M.). ' Barbara Godselve ' â– * (F.F.), 'Richard Godes-
' 'Jean Gottam,' the Frenchman's title for 'John Bull,' is old. A
witness in the trial of Joan of Arc used the term *Godon,' and ex-
plained it to be a sobriquet of the English from their use of the oath
'Goddamn.'
* A clever article in the Edinburgh Revinv, April 1855, suggests
'Blood' and 'Death' from ' S'Blood' and ' S'Death,' the abbreviated
' God's blood ' and ' God's death.'
' Vide page 160. Camden says the Normans were so called because
' at every other word they would swear l>y God.'
* ' Henry Godsalvc' entered C.C. Coll. Cam. in 1614. (Masters^
Hist., C.C. Coll.)
'NICKNAMES.' 51 1
name' (X.), 'Richard Godbeare' (Z.), (now 'Godbeer,'
* Godbehere,' and ' Goodbeer '), ' Roger Godblod ' (E.)
(God's blood), 'Alicia Godbodi ' (A.) (God's body),
seem all to be representative of familiar imprecations.
[b) Mottoes. — In many cases we can scarcely doubt
that ensigncy has had something to do with the
origin of our surnames. Edward III. at a tourna-
ment had his trappings embroidered with the couplet —
Hay, hay, the white swan,
By God's soule I am thy man.
' Godsol ' and ' Godsoule ' formerly existed, and may
have so risen. Among other names of this class may
be mentioned ' Janett God-send-us '^ (W. 13), 'Roger
Deus-salvet-dominas/ 2 'John God-me-fetch,' 'John
Dieu-te-ayde,' ' John Flourdieu,' ' Henry Grace-dieu,' '
* Henry Warde-dieu,' 'John Depart-dieu,' and 'John
Angel-dieu.' ^ From the escutcheons of their wearers
these would easily pass on to the men themselves
who first bore them as surnames.
{c) Exclamations. — ' Peter Damegod ' (M.) and
'John Domegode' (O.), meaning literally 'Lord God,'
represent a once favourite expletive.^ We are here
' * Item, to Jannett God-send-iis, I give a caldron, and a pare of
tonges.' (Extract of will of William Hardinge, Vicar of Heightington,
1584. W. 13.) The editor suggests she was a foundling.
^ The Saturday Review, in a criticism of my book, mentions a
Rogerus Deus-salvet-dominas in the Essex Domesday.
' * Mr. Gracedieu, Incumbent of St. James's, Duke's Place.' (Strype,
London. )
* A curious heraldic name is found in the 17th cent. John
Poyndexter, fellow of Exeter Coll., Oxford, was dispossessed,
(Walker, Sufferings of the Clergy.)
5 Our ' Olyfadres ' will similarly be the expletive ' Holy-father,'
unless, like ' Thomas Worthship ' (Z, ), the name be but a title of respect
to some ecclesiastic functionary.
512 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
reminded that there was a time when ' Dame,' from
dominus and domina alike, was applied to either
sex. One or two exclamations of less objectionable
import are also to be met with. ' William Godthanke'
(A.) seems but a reversal of our ' Thank God,' while
' Ralph Godisped ' (A.), fossilised in our ' Goodspeeds,'
may represent ' God-speed-thee.' ^ ' Richard Fare-
wel' (A.), 'Simon Welfare' (A.), ' John Welcome' (Z.Z.),
'William Adieu ' (M.), would possess affixes readily
given for their kindly and oft utterance. Our ' Rumme-
lows,' ' Rummileys,' and ' Rumbelows,' without dis-
pute, represent but the old well-known cry of ' Rom-
bylow' or * Rummylow,' the sailor's 'Heave-ho' of
later days. In the ' Squire of Low Degree ' it is said —
Your mariners shall synge arow,
Hey how, and rumbylow.
The ancestor of those who bear the name was doubt-
less a sailor at some period of his career.'^
(d) Strcet-crics. — The calls of hawkers could not
of course escape the good-humoured raillery of our
forefathers. We find 'Robert Freshfissh' (X.) to
have been a fishmonger, and ' John Freshfisch ' is set
down in the Rolls of Parliament. About the same
time ' Margaret Fressheharyng ' dwelt in the Me-
tropolis. ' Agnes Godcfouclc ' (A.) and ' Basilia God-
fowele ' (A.) were manifestly poultry-women, for even
the most respectable occupations were then, as I have
already shown, itinerant. But perhaps the most
curious thing of all is to notice the price-calls that have
' 'Good-speed' may belong to the same class as Swift, Golightly,
Lightfoot, Roefoot, etc.— V. p. 388.
* The Constable of Nottingham Castle in 1369 was one Stephen
Rummelowe, or Runibilowc, for both forms are to be found.
'NICKNAMES.' $13
found themselves inscribed in our registers. The
larger sums will have a different origin, but I place
them here for convenience sake. The Writs of Parlia-
ment give us a ' Robert Peny ; ' the ' Wills and In-
ventories ' ^Surt. Soc), a ' Thomas Fourpeni ; ' the
Hundred Rolls, a ' John Fivepeni ; ' the * Cal.
Rot. Originalium,' a ' Thomas Sexpenne ; ' the ' York-
shire Wills and Inventories' (Surt. Soc), a 'John
Ninepennies ; ' and the Hundred Rolls, a ' Fulco
Twelpenes.' ^ 'James Fyppound ' (Fivepound) is men-
tioned in ' Materials for History of Henry VII.' So
early as 1342 we find 'John Twenti-mark ' to have
been Rector of Risingham (Norfolk, i, 64); while
' William Hunderpound ' was Mayor of Lynn Regis in
1417 (do. viii. 532). This latter may be a translation
of a Norman sobriquet, for * Grace Centlivre ' and
'Joseph Centlivre ' are set down in a Surrey register
of the same date. (' Hist, and Ant. Survey,' Index.)
In both cases, I doubt not, the nickname was acquired
from the peculiarity of the source whence the income
was derived. 'Centlivre' existed in the eighteenth
century at least, for it was Mrs. Centlivre who wrote
the 'Platonic Lady,' which was issued in 1707,
' Thomas Thousandpound,' the last of this class, ap-
pears in the 'Wardrobe Accounts' (Edward I.), and
concludes a list as strange as the most ardent ' lover
of the curious ' could desire.^
' ' Fulco Twelvepence ' was perhaps related to 'Robert Shillyng,'
found in the ' Patent Rolls ' (State Paper Oflice).
* A most anachronistic name is met with in the ' Calend. Inquis.
Post Mortem,' 30 Henry VI., in the entry 'Robert Panknolt.' A
• knot' was a small local prominence. On the bank or side of this the
nominee doubtless dwelt.
514 ENGLISH SURNAMES.
Looking back, however, upon these eadier names,
how many varied and conflicting qualities of the
human heart do they all reflect, some honourable,
some harmlessly innocent, the greater part, I fear, dis-
creditable. Of all how much might be said, but I
refrain, lest I be liable to a charge of acting contrary
to the spirit of the kindly old adage, ' de mortuis nil
nisi bonum ' — ' speak no evil of the dead.' Thus tell-
tale, however, are our surnames, and if it be no plea-
sant task to expose the weaknesses and the frailties
of them whose bones have so long ere this crumbled
into decay, still we may comfort ourselves with the
remembrance that their names, with many others I
could have adduced had space permitted, offer no
kind of reflection upon their present possessors. It is
not unseldom we see the bearer of a worthy name
dragging the same through the dust and mire of an
ignoble life. It is amongst these names of somewhat
unsavoury origin we oftentimes meet with the best,
and the truest, and the noblest of our fellows.
The Alphabetical Letters appended to the Navies furnished
in the Ijidex refer to the Documents in the List here
cited.
Hundred Rolls. A.
Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem. B.
Calendarium Rotulorum Patcntium in Turri Londinensi. C.
Calendarium Rotulorum Chartanim. D.
Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londonensi. E.
Valor Ecclesiasticus. F.
Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium. G.
Rolls of Parliament. H.
Placitorum in Dom. Cap. Westminster. J.
Testa de Neville, sive Liber Feodorum. K.
Calendarium Genealogicum. L.
Writs of Parliament. M.
Munimenta Gildhalloe Londoniensis. N.
Issues of the Exchequer. O.
Issue Roll. P.
History and Antiquities of York (Pub. 1785). Q.
Placita de Quo Warranto. R.
Guild of St. George, Norwich. 5.
Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi. T.
V. Camden Society Publications.
V. I. Bury St. Edmunds Wills.
V. 2. Dingley's History from Marble.
V. 3. Trevelyan Papers.
V. 4. Camden Miscellany.
v. 5. Smith's Obituary.
V. 6. Diary of John Rous.
V. 7. Liber Famelicus^Sir James Whitelock.
V. 8. Chronicon Pctroburgense.
V. 9. Proceedings against Dame .Mice Kytcler.
V. 10. Autobiography of Sir John Bramston.
V. II. Doomsday Book of St. Paul's.
V. 12. Ricart's Kalcndar.
V. 13. Proceedings in Kent.
v. 14. Rutland Papers.
W. Surtces' Society Publications.
\V. I. Coldingham Priory.
\V. 2. Testamenta Ebor.
W. 3. Durham Household Book.
L L 3
w.
4-
w.
5-
w.
6.
w.
7-
w.
8.
IV.
w.
lO.
w.
II.
w.
12.
w.
13-
w.
14.
w.
15-
w.
16.
w.
17-
IV.
18.
w.
19.
IV.
20.
516 ALPHABETICAL LETTERS REFERRED TO.
Kirkby Inquest.
Knight's Fees.
Nom. Villarum.
Illustrative Documents.
Priory of Finchdale.
( Fabric Rolls of York Minister.
I Wills and Inventories.
Hexham Priory.
Corpus Christi Guild.
Hist. Dunelm.
Barnes' Eccles. Proceedings.
Visitation of Yorkshire.
Feodarum Prior. Dunelm.
Depositions from York Castle.
Memorials of Fountains Abbey.
Depositions and Eccles. Proceedings.
Liber Vitce.
Remains of Dean Granville.
Memorials of London (Riley). X.
Proceedings and Ordinances : Privy Council. Y.
Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery (I'Llizabeth). Z.
The Publications of the Chetham Society. A A.
Wills and Inventories (Lancashire). A A. i.
Three Lancashire Documents. A A. 2.
Lancashire Chauntries. A A. 3.
Birch Chapel. A A. 4.
Rotuli Normanniae in Turri Londinensi. B D.
Documents Illustrative of English History. D D.
Index to 'Originalia et Memoranda.' E E.
History of Norfolk (Bromefield). /''/•'.
Fines (Richard I.). G G.
History of Hertfordshire (Cluttcrbuck). H H.
Rotuli Curias Regis. MM.
Calendar and Inventories of the Treasury. A'^ A'.
History of Leicestershire (Nicholl's). P P.
Register — St. James, Piccadilly. Q Q.
State Paper office. R R.
Patent Rolls. A' R. i.
Compoti. R R. 2.
Issue Rolls. R R. 3.
History of Durh.am (Surtees). .S 5.
State Papers (Domestic). T T.
Materials for History of Reign of Henry VH. X X. i.
Registrum Abbatia; Johannis Whethamstede. XX. 2.
Letters from Northern Registers. X X. 3.
Calendar to Pleadings (Elizabeth). Z Z.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Ablett,
Ablott,
AAR
A ARON, 83. Aaron le Blund, T.
"^ Aron Judde, A.
A'Becket {v. Beckett) 85.
Abbe, 191. Radulf le Abbe, C.
Abbott, 191. Juliana Abbot, A. Ric.
Abbot, M.
Abel, 82. Abel le Orfeure, T. Thomas
Abel, A.
Abigail, 100. Abi^jail Cordell, Z. Abi-
gail Tayler, W 16.
82. Abalotta de la Forde,
A. William Abelot, M.
J Ric. Abelote, V xx.
Abner, 77.
Above-brook, 108. John Abovebrok,
A.
Above-town, 108. Adelina Abovetoun,
A. William Abovetoun, M.
Abraham. Gerard Abbraham, A.
Robert Abraam, A.
Absolom, 83. Absolon in le Dyche, A.
Absolon fil. Simon, C.
Abstinence, 103. Abstinence Rougher,
104, n.
Acatour, 210. Bernard le Acatour, M.
John le Acatour, M.
Accepted, 104. Accepted Frewen,
104, n.
Achatour, 210. Jocius le Achatur, A,
Henry le Achator, H,
Acherman {v. Acreman), 259. Alex.
Acherman, A.
Acland, 120. John Acklande, Z.
Acreman, 259. Roger le Acreman, A.
Acroyd, 120. Henry Aykeroid, Z. Ric.
de Akerode, W 2.
Acton, 120. Reiner de Acton, jl/. En-
gelard de Actone, A.
Adam, 3, 81. Adam fil. Warin, M.
Adam le Flecher, T.
Adams, 81. Juliana Adams, /i. Richard
Addames, Z.Z.
Adamson, 81. Hugh fil. Adam, A.
Hoel fil. Adam, A.
)8i. William Adcock, IF 9.
Stephen Adcock, Z.
Hamme, son of Adecok,
AA 2.
Addison, 81. Gilbert fil. Adae, C.
Thomas Adesone, R.
Adcla (z/. Adelina), 19. Adela uxor
Roberti, C.
Adelaid [v. Alard), 21. Adam Adelaad,
A.
Adelina, 19. Adelina le Heyr, A.
Henry fil. Adelyne, A.
Adieu, 512. William Adieu, M.
Adkins, 81. Adekin le Fuller, A. Wil-
liam Adekyns, EE.
Adkinson, 81. William Adkinson
(London: Maitland).
5i8
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Adlard (v. Adelard),
Agate, III. Richard Atte-gate, A.
Leonard Agate, Z.
Agatha, 19. Agatha le Kareter, A.
Agatha de Dene, B.
Agnes, 19. Thomas fil. Agneta, y.
Agnes le Bruno, A.
Agrippina, 100. Agrippina Bingley,
TT.
Aguiler, 342. Thomas le Aguiler, A/.
William le Aguiler, Q. Lucas le
Aguler, A.
Aikman (v. Acrcman), 259.
Ainsworth, 134. Margaret Aynes-
worthe, Z.
Akerman (v. Acreman), 259. Peter le
Akerman, A. John le Akurman, B.
Alabaster, 225. Richard le Alblaster, B.
Henry le Alblaster, A/. Reginald le
Arbelestre, A.
Alan (v. Allen). Alan fil. Warin, Af.
Alan le Chapelein, L.
Alanson {v. Allinson). Brien fil. Alan,
C. William Alynson, IV 2. Thomas
Allason, Z.
Alard, 21. Alard ie Fleminge, B. Alard
le Burser, //. Robert Alard, A/.
Alaric. Robert Alrych, A. Agnes Al-
rich, A.
Albert, 29. John Albert, A. Robert
Alberd, A.
Alcock, 55. John Alcoc, A. John Al-
kok, //.
Alder, 154.
Alderman, 186. Thomas Alderman,
F 8. Robert le Alderman, A.
Benjamin Aldermannus, A.
Alderson, 21. John fil. Aldrech, C.
Christopher Alderson, IV 8.
Aldershot, 116. Robert de Alreshawc,
Af. Thomas Allshawe, XX.
Aldred, 21. Aldred fil. Roger, y.
Aldred Andre, A.
Aldrech, 1 21. John Alrich, Af. John
Aldrich, 1 Aldrich, A.
Alecot {v. Alicot), 87.
Alefounder, 392, n. William Ale-
founder, FF. Mary Alfounder, PP.
Richard Alefounder, Z.
Aleman, 165. Custance de Alemania,
A. William Alcmannus, C. John
le Aleman, IV 7.
Alexander, 98 (v. Saundcr). William
Alexandre, Af. Nicholas Alesandre,
A. Alexander fil. Seman, y.
Aleyn (v. Allen). Aleyn Forman, If.
Aleyn, Af.
Alfred, 21. Alurod fil. Ivo, y. Alfred
Dionysius Langsomer, A. Robert
fil. Alfridi, A.
Alianora, 19, 72. Alianora Bushe, ££.
Alicia Alianor, P.
Alice, Cig, 87, //. Nicholas fil. Alicia,
Alicia, (^ A. Richard fil. .Alice, .ff.
Alicot, 87. Alecot fil. Almar, C. Wil-
liam Alicot, A.
Alina (v. Alinot), 72. Alina Atte-broc,
A.
Alinot, f^9. 72. William .Minot, A.
.,• ,' -| Alnot Red, A. Havisia
Almet, ... ,
( Alinet, A
Allot, 19, 72, 87. Robert Aliot, A.
Walter Allot, A. Alyott de Symond-
ston, A A 2.
Alison (i), 87, «. Ric. fil. Ahse, A.
Goselin fil. Alice, A. John
Alicesone, A" A* i.
(2), 87, ;/. Alisccon de Tux-
forth, 11^2. Alison Gclyot,
//. Alison Wrangwish, IV
ir.
.Alkins, 87. John Alkyn, Af
Allbright, 29. Aylbreda de Chcny, A.
Aylbricht le Turner, A. Albred de
l.-x'Hayc, 7.
.Mlcock, 87. William .Mlcockc, Z2.
John AUcock, ZZ.
Allen. Thomas fil. Alani, Af. Will.
fil. Alani, P.
Allinson (v. Alanson). John Alleyn-
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
519
sone, S. William Aleynsonne, BB.
George Alonsonne, ZZ.
Allison (v. Alison), 16, 87.
Allkins (v. Alkins), 87.
AUman (v. Aleman), 165.
Allott, 87. Alote le Messer, A. Alot
Chapman, FF. Thomas fil. Alote,
M.
Allured (v. Alfred), 21. Alured Ape,
A. William Alured, M.
Almaine {v. Aleman), 165.
Almaric, f 18, 29. Almaric Breton, AI.
Almeric, | Almaricus le Botiller, B.
Almoner, 193. Robert le Almoner, //.
Alured {v. Allured), 21.
Alwright, 278. Richard Alwright, Z.
Amabilla, 19, 70. Amabilla le Blund,
B. Amabil fil. Emma, %
Amand (v. Samand), 125. Aymer de
St. Amand, A/.
Amary, 29. Rob. Amary, A. Roger
Ammary, A.
Amberson, 29. Richard Amberson,
29, ;/. Robert Amberson, 29, n .
Ambler, 440. Thomas le Amblur, A.
William Ambler, IF 9.
Ame {v. Eame), 429.
Amelia (v. Emilia), 19, 87, «.
Amclot {v. Amelia), 87, «. Nic. Amelot,
A. Ric. fil. Amelot, A.
Americ, 29. Americus Balistarius, £.
Americ Wylson, I V 3.
Amery {-j. Emery), 29. Hugh Amery,
//.
Amiable, 468. Edward Amiable, Z.
Joan Amiable, Z. Thomas Amable,
A.
Amice, 17. Geoff, fil. Amice, A'. Amice
le Noble, A. Robert fil. Amicie, Af
Amiger {v. Armiger), 199. Robert
Amiger, Z.
Amiot (v. Amy). Amiot de Pontefracto,
DD. Walter fil. Amiot, C7G. Wil-
liam Amiot, A.
Amner {v. Almoner), 193.
III. Agnes atte-More, B.
Amor, 1
Amore, f '
Amy {v. Amelia). Thomas Amye, BE.
Amy le Strange, FF.
Ananias, 100. Ananias Dyce, TT.
Ancell (v. Ansell). William Auncell, AI,
Anchor, 196. Sarra Ancorita, A.
Anderson, 94. Alice fil. Andre, A.
Colyn Andresonne, BB. John An-
drewson, ZZ.
, J (QA.. Nic. fil. Andree, A.
Andrew, ^^^ , , . ,
, , 4 Emma Andreu, A. An-
Andrews, ) , r^ r r
(. dreas le Orfeure, L.
Angel-Dei, 511. Henry Angel-Dei, A.
Anger, 158. Isabella Anger, H. Hugh
de Angiers, y. Robert Angier, XX.
Angwin, 158. Geoffrey leAungevyn, Z,.
Maurice le Anjevin, A. Simon le
Angevin, F.
Anker {v. Anchor), 196.
Anketell, 22. Anketil le Mercer, A.
Peter fil. Anketill, C. Ankelill fil.
Thomas, /C.
Annabel, 19. Anabilla de Harpham,
JF2. Peter fil. Annabel, il/.
V. Alianora), 72. John
IAnnotson, FF. Enota
Coley, A. William An-
notyson, /''/'". Anota
Canun, A.
Anora (v. Alianora), 72. Annora Vidua,
A. Annora le Aencurt, A'. Annore
Beine, y/.
, „,, I'll. William Ansel, /^. An-
Anselm, ^'^^'^ '^^ Bamburgh, A.
[ John fil. Anselmi, A.
Anser, 403.
Ansketil {v. Asketil), 24. Robert fil.
Anskitiel, IV 12.
Anson, 72. Elisha Annyson, FF.
Richard Anyson, /''F.
Anthony [v. Antony).
Antioch, 169. Nicholas Antioch, Af.
Robert de Antiochia, F.
Antonison, 54. Agnes Antonison, Z.
520
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Antony. John fil. Antony, A. Antony
Stilman, //.
Anvers, 170. Richard de Anvers, A.
Thomas de Anvers, R.
Ape, 492. John le Ape, A. Alured
Ape, A.
Apollonia, 100. ApoHonia Cotton, TT.
Applegarth, 133. Robert del Apelgargh,
A. Geoffrey de Appelgarth, K.
Appletree, 129. Thomas Appletree, Z.
Apple-john, 504.
Appleyard, 261, 133. Nicholas de Apel-
yerd, A. Thomas Appleyeard, ZZ.
(225. John le Arblaster, A.
' \ Reginald le Arblaster, B.
' \ Urric le Arbelastrc, J.
Archbishop [v. Archcvesk), 186, 508.
Hugh Archiepiscopus, C.
Archdeacon, 187. Richard I'Ercedekne,
V 9. Thomas le Arsdekene, A.
Adam Ercedekne, A.
Archer, 225. William le Archer, D.
Pagan Ic Archier, E.
Archevesk, 186. Hugo le Archcvesk, C.
William le Arcevcske, E.
Archpriest, 187. Roger leArcheprest, y.
Argent, 168. Reginald de Argente, ^i.
John de Argcntcyn, A'.
25, n. Simon fil. Arkill,
E. William ArkcU, W 2.
Roger Arketel, A.
Arkwright, 279. Hugh Arkewright, ZZ.
Lawrence Arkewrighte, ZZ.
Arme, 436.
222. Gwydo le Armcrcr, A.
Armcr, Simon le Armurer, G.
Armcrcr, Adam le Armercr, M.
Marion Armourer, 1 1'' 18.
Armiger, 199. Thomas Armigcr, C.
Nicholas Armigcr, E.
Arminger (v. Armigcr), 199. JefTry Ar-
mingcr, Z.
Armitagc, 196. John Harmaylayge, IF3.
Gregory Armitagc, Z.
Armour [v. Armcr), 222.
Arkell,
Arkettle,
ASH
(436. Adam le Armstrang,
G. William le Arme-
strang, G. Guy le
Armerecte, A.
Arnison, 28.
Arnald, 28. Walter fil. Amald, A.
Arnald atte Brok, A.
Arnet, 28. Hugh Arnyet, M. Milisent
Amet, A.
Arnold {v. Ernald), 28. Amoldus
Bassctt, E. Arnold Lym, H. Arnold
Lupus, H.
Arnott (v. Amett), 28. Ernot Stead,
Amulph. Amulph Dogmaw, A. Arnul-
fus de Derham, C.
Arras, 169. Ralph de Arras, A. Robert
de Arraz, A'.
Arrowsmith, 227, 281. William Arowe-
smythe, ZZ. John Arrowsmyth,
/'.
Arsmith (v. Arrowsmith), 227, 281.
Richard Arsmith, Z.
Arter, 158. Robert de Artoys, //.
Arthur, 19, 20. William fil. Arthuri,
A. Harthurus Bosewyll, It' 2.
Aquila, 100. Aquila Wykes, TT.
Ash [v. Ashe), 154.
Ashbunicr 264. Peter Ashbumer, ZZ.
Thomas Ashbumer, ZZ.
Ashe 154. Pagancl del Ash, M. Roger
atte Ashe, FE.
Asher, 113.
Ashes, 129.
Ashford, 146. Walter de Ashford, M.
Roger Ashford, Z.
Ashley, 119. John de Ashlegh, A'.
Oliva de Esscligh, E.
Ashman, 113. Walter Ascheman, A.
Thom. Asheman, B.
Ashover, 128. Walter de Ashoverc, -V-V
4-
Ashurst, 116. Adam de Ashurst, M.
John Asshenhyrst, Z.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
521
Attenborough,
Atterbury,
Attwell
Atwell,
Asketil f^' ^^- J°'''^^" Asketil, A.
A kell I ^'^"''^'" Asketil, Q. Askill
' ( le Fisherman, V8.
Assman, 285. Richard Asseman. A.
Roger Asman, A.
Astrier, 241. William le Astrier, £.
Atcliffe, no.
Atfield, no. Linota Ate-felde, A. John
Atefelde, A.
Athill, no. Bateman Ate-hil, A. Gre-
gory Attehill, FF.
Atkins, 81. William Atkyns, F. Thomas
Atkyns, //.
Atkinson, 81. John Attechenson, XX. i.
Raufe Atkinson, Z. Mariona Atkyn-
sone, IV ig.
Atlay, (119, no. Lawrence Atlee, Z.
Atlee, I Hugh Atlee, Z.
no. Walter Atteburg,
A. John Atte-bury,
M.
Alton, no. William Atton, B.
Attridge, no. Jacob Atteriche, A.
Attree, no.
no. Agnes Atte-well, B. Wil.
Atte Welle, Af. John At-
welle, Af.
Atwater, no. Elias Atwatere, A.
William Atte- Water. (Lower's Eng-
lish Surnames.)
Atwood, no, 154. Richard Ate-wode,
A. Adam Atte-wood, C.
Atworth, no.
Auberkin (v. Aubrey), 29. Walter
Auberkin, A.
Aubrey, 28. Albericus Balister, C. Al-
bricus le Child, T. Aubrey Bunt, A.
Audrey (v. Awdrey), 302.
Aumeric {v. Almaric), 17, 26. Robert
fil. Aumeric, C.
Aumoner (v. Almoner), 106. Michael
le Aumoner, B. Walter le Aumoner,
M. Adam le Aumener, G.
Aunay, 154.
Aunger {v. Anger), 158. Charles de
Angers, H. John de Aungiers, M,
Robert Aungier, XX. i.
Aunsermaker, 403. Thomas le Aunserc-
maker, X.
Aurifaber. Adam le Aurifaber, A/.
Andrew Aurifaber, i?.
iAwsteyne Mayne, Z. Astin
de Bennington, A. Wilekin
fil. Austin, C.
19, 87, n. Avehna Batayl,
FF. Wydo Aveline, A.
Avelina le Gros, y.
219. Walter le Avenur, A.
William le Avenare, G. Ralph le
Avener, Af.
Aventure, 507. William Aventur, A.
Andrew Aventur, A.
Avery (v. Every), 27. Avery le Batur,
A. Avere de Dayce, A.
Avice, 19. Avice le Aubergere, //.
Avicia de Breaute, £. Hawisia le
Gros, y.
Austen,
Austin,
Avelina,
Aveline,
Avener,
Avis,
Avison,
(v. Avice), 19. Avis Tailor,
F2. Richard fil. Avice, A.
William Avison, ZZ.
Await {v. Wait), 184. Thomas le
Await, A/A/.
Awdrey f3°^' Etheldreda Plote, A.
Awdry,' ] Audrey Bendish, /•'/'•.
( Awdrie Butts, Z.
Aylmar, 29. Aylmar Child, A. Elyas
fil. Ailmar, C. Pleysaunt Aylmair, //.
Aylward, 21. Simon fil. Aylwardi, /?.
Alan Alward, A. Ranulph Aluard,
A/.
Aylwin, 21. Richard Alwine, A.
Thomas Ailwync, A/.
Aymon, 35.
T) ABBE (v. Barbara), 75, «. Bertol
-*-' Babbe, A.
Bacchus, 131. Edmund atte Bakhus,
Af. Henry del Bakehouse, Af.
Thomas Bacchus, ZZ.
Bacheldor (v. Bachelor), 166.
522
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Bachelor, 199 - Jordan le Bacheler, L.
Backler ( Gilbert le Bacholcr, E.
Backhouse (y. Bacchus). Robert Back-
house, V. 5.
Backster, 364. Giliana le Bacstere, A.
Geoffrey le Bakestere, M.
Bacon, 491. John le Bacun, T. Roger
Bacon, R.
Badcock (f. Batcock), 92. Roger Bade-
cok, M. Richard Badcok, H.
Badger, 295. Nicholas Badger, ZZ.
Thomas Badgger, ZZ.
Badkins (z/. Batkins), 92.
Badman, 194. Simon Bademan, A.
Badneighbour, 501. William Badneigh-
bour, PP.
Bagger (i/. Badger), 295. Thomas le
Baggere, A. John Bagger, XX . i.
Bagot (f. Bigot) 160. Margery la Ba-
gode, K. Harvey Bagod, E.
Bagshaw, 117. Nicholas Bagshawe, Z..
Humphrey Bagshawe, ZZ.
Bagshot, 116. John Bagshot, ////.
Bagster [v. Baxter), 364
Bailey, \
Bailif, [232. Seman Ic Baylif, J.
Baillic, 1 Henry le Baillie, M. John
Baillif, ) le Baillif, B.
Baird, 310.
Baker, 363. Robert le Baker, B. Wal-
ter le Bakare, M.
Balancer, f 403- R^uf Ic Balancer. M.
Balauncer, John Ralauncer, G. Ra-
^ dulf le Balauncer, N.
Balcock, 52.
Bald, 452. Custancc Balde. A. Richard
Bald. A.
Balderson, 52. Ric. fil. Baldewin. A.
John fil. Baldevvini. R. Allaine Baw-
dyson. F3.
Baldwin. 18, 52. Baudewin de Bitton.
A. Baldwin Boton, C. Bawdcn
Maynard (English Gilds, 320).
Ball [v. Bald). 452. Roesia Ballc, A.
Ballinger {v. BuUinger). 364.
BAR
Balmer, 263. Christiana de (le?) Bal-
mere, PP.
Balster. 225. Thomas Balistarius, Q.
Bancroft, 132.
Banker, 414. John le Bancker, M.
Banknott, 513. Robert Banknott. B.
Bannerman. 200.
Barbar (v. Barber), 384, 205. Richard
le Barbar. A.
Barbara. 75. ;/. Barbara Bickerdyke,
\V. 16. Barbara Cla.xtone, IF 19.
Barbelot, 75. ;/. Nicholas Barbelot, A.
Barbot 75, n. John Barbot, A.
Barberess, 384. Matilda la Barbaresse,
A. Isabel le Barbaresse. A.
Barber. 205. 384. Bela le Barber, A.
Luke le Barber. M.
Barbitonsor. 384. Thomas le Barbi-
tonsor, J. William le Barbitonsor. H.
Barbour, 205. 384. Richard le Barbour,
M. Robert le Barbour. M.
Bardsley. William de Bardesley. H.
Robert de Bardesle. A.
Barefoot, 440. Norman Barefoot, A.
Roger Barefoot. Z.
Barge. 409. Gerard de la Barge, C.
Barker, 331. William Ic Barcur, A.
Osbert le Barker. .1/. Robert Barca-
rius, A.
Barkmaker, 290. Edmund Barkmaker,
ZZ.
Barkman [v. Barker). John Barkman,
\V\Z.
Barleybrcad. 367. Toser Barlibrcd. M.
Barleycorn. 367. Richard Barlccorn. A.
\ 96. 97. Barnabc le Teyl,
Barnabas (_ A. Burnaybc Brooke.
Barnaby 1 Z. Barnaby Benison.
'' Z.
Barnacle, 497.
Bamc. 202. William le Bame, A.
Thomas le Bame. T.
Barnes. 135. Warin de la Bame, A
Baron. 175. Robert le Baron, A. Wal-
ter le Baron, M.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
523
Barrel!, 144, 395. John Baryl, A. Ralph
Barel, A. Gilbert Barrel], F 5.
Barreller, 395. Stephen le Bariller, £.
Barter. Hugh le Bartur, A.
Bartholomew, 91. John Bartylmewe,
ZZ. Lawrence fil. Bartholemew, A.
Bartle, 92. John fil. Bertol, A. Bartcl
Frobisher, W 9. Bartly Bradforth,
IV g.
Bartlett, 92. Bartelot Govi, A. Thomas
Bartholot, A. Edward Barthlette,
FK Thomas Berthelett, F3.
Baskerville, 151. Sibilla de Baskervillc,
Af. Isolda Baskerville, £.
Baskett, 144.
Bass, 432. Alice la Basse, A. Robert
le Bas, BB.
Bastard, 378. Peter le Bastard, B.
Robert le Bastard, £. Nicholas le
Bastard, A.
Batcock, 92. Robert Batecoc, A. John
Batekoc, Af.
Bateman, 22. Bateman Gille, A. Bate-
man Taye, A. Bateman de Capele,
A.
Batemanson, 22. Thomas Batemanson,
F. Geoffrey Batmanson, IV 2- Richard
Batmonson, W 12.
Batcr, 327. Avery le Batour, A. Adam
le Batur, A. William Ic Batur, B.
Bates, 92. Bate Bugge, A. Bate le
Tackman, A. Bate fil. Robert, A.
Batkins, 92. Batekyn le Clerk, A.
Batekin Lahan, A.
Batson, 92. John Bateson, F. Gilbert
Batessone, Af.
Batt, 439. Geoffrey Ic Batt, B. Walter
le Bat, G.
Battenson [v. Betonson), 68. John
Battenson, Z.
Batty, 92. William fil. Battay, IF 5.
Ralph Baty. A'.
Baucock, 475.
Baud, 477. William le Baud, B.
Wauter le Baud, Af.
Bawcock, 475.
Baxter, 364. Elias le Baxtere, Af.
Barth le Bakesture, B. Andrew le
Bakester, G.
Bay, 445. Walter le Bay, A. Robert
le Bey, B.
Bayard, 445. Thebald le Bayard, A.
Thomas Bayard, A
Bayley {v. Bailey), 197.
Beaddall, "j
Beadell, I {v. Bedell), 181.
Beadle, J
Beaman {v. Beeman), 262.
Beanover (v. Over). Richard Beanover,
B.
Bear, 488. Richard le Bere, A. Law-
rence le Bere, AI.
Bearbait, 306. Thomas Barebat, A.
Alex. Barebat, A.
Bearbaste, 306. Geoffrey Barebast, A.
John Barbast, A.
Beard, 449. Peter Wi-the-Berd, D.
Hugo cum-Barba, A.
Bearman, 306. Ralph Bareman, A.
Bearward, 306. Michael le Bereward,
A.
Beater, 326. John le Betere, A.
Beaton {v. Beton), 68.
Beatrice, f 19, 67, Beatrix Cokayn, B.
Beatrix, | Beatrice de Knol, y.
Beatson, 63. Walter fil. Betricie, A-
Richard fil. Beatrice, F.
Beau. Richard le Beau, Af.
Bcauchamp, 151. William de Beau-
champ, A'. Isolda di; Bello-Campo,
F.
Beauclerkc, 505. Charles Beauclerke,
PP.
Beaufils, 430. Henry Beaufitz, Af.
Hugh Beaufiz, A. John Beaufitz,
XX. I.
Bcauflour, 508. Thomas Beauflour, Af.
Jacobus Beauflour, G.
Bcaufrcre, 430. Roger Beaufrere, Af.
Walter Beaufrere, Af.
524
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Beaumont, 151. Alice de Beaumont, M.
Robert de Beaumond, M.
Beaupere, 430.
Beauvileyn, 507. William Beauvilayn,
R. William Belvilein, E.
Beauvoir, 489. Roger de Bclvoir, M.
Beaver, 489. John le Bever, G. Ino
le Bevere, N.
Beck, 113. William en le Bee, A.
William atte Beck, M.
Becker, 113.
Beckett (i), iii. John de Beckote, A.
Wydo del Beck't, R.
(2), Becket fil. Emeric, E.
Beckman, 113.
Bedell, 151. Reginald le Bedel, B.
Roger le Bedel, M.
Bt dson (v. Betson), 92.
Bedweaver, 358. Geoffrey Bedwevere, S.
Bee (v. Wasp), Nicholas le Be, y.
Cuthbert Bee, IF 9.
Beech, 128. Eufemia de la Beche, B.
Robert de la Beche, A'.
Beccher, 113. John Becher, ^. Henry
le Beechur, A.
Boechman, 113.
Beef, 490. Robert le Bef, A. Richard
b Beef, A. John le Bcuf, M. Mary
Beefe, QQ.
Beeman, 262.
Becrbrewer, 379. Lawrence Bcrbrewer,
EF. Lambert Beerbruer, W. 11
Bcere, 138. Thomas de la Beere, B.
B'-hind-the-brook, 108. Reginald Be-
liundebroke, A.
Bchind-the-water, 108. Thomas Be-
liundewattre, A.
Bflham, 443. William Belhom, A.
William Belhomme, Af.
Bell (i), 443. Peter le Bel, A. Walter
le Bel, G. Robert le Bel,
B.
(2), 80. Richard fil. Bell, A.
Bele le Fciawe, A. Bcvll
Horsle, IV <j.
(3), 142. John atte Belle, V.
Richard atte Bell, M. John
atte Belle, X.
Bellejambe, 438. Peter Belljambe, A.
Richard Beljaumbe, M. Alex. Bele-
jambe, A.
Bcllet, 80. Robert Belet, A. Belet le
Pestour, H.
Bellewether, 472. John Bellewcther, M.
Stephen de (le ?) Behvether, MM.
Bellhouse, 131. Thomas de la Belhous,
A. Walter atte Belhous, M.
Bellman, 183, 296. John Belman, ZZ.
Christopher Bellman, ZZ.
Bellot {v. Bellet), 80. Adam Belot, A.
Bellows [v. Bellhouse), 131. John Bel-
hows, W 2. Isabel Bellows, \V 2.
Bellringer, 183, tt. Sarah Bellringer,
183 n.
Bellson, 80. John Bcllesone, M. Ann
Bellson, IF 9.
Beltcste, 435. John Beletestc, A.
Belzeter, 402. Robert le Belzetere, B.
William le Belzetere, B.
Beman (v. Beeman), 262.
Benbow, 462. Roger Benbow, E. Wil-
liam Bendebow, X.
Benchjr, 414. Roger le Bencher, A.
Bendbow (z: Benbow), 462.
Beneath-tlie-town, 108. Alyva Benethe-
ton, A. Roger Benethenton, A.
Benedict {v. Bennet).
Benison {v. Bennet). Bamaby Benjr-
son, Z. Simon Benesson, E.
Benn (f. Bennet). Eborard Benne, A.
Benne fil. Ive, M. Antony lien,
I' 7-
Bennet, 189. Reginald fil. Beneyt, A,
Benet Lorkyn, A^.
Bennetson (v. Bennet). Roger Bennet-
son, /•'. William Bennetson, //. Wil-
liam Bcnetson, IF17.
Benson (t: Bennet). Alison Benson,
IF 17. Ann Bensone, IF 9.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
525
BER
Bercher, 271. Thomas le Bercher, R.
Dorken le Bercher, A.
Berecroft, 132. William Barecrofte,
ZZ.
Berger (v. Bercher), 271.
Berkley, 119, 129. Robert de Berchelay,
E. Maurice de Berkelay, A.
Berman, 306. Alan Berman, M. Wil-
liam Herman, A.
Bernard. William fil. Bernard, A.
Bernard Coronator, A.
Berner, 236. Reginald le Birner, A.
Richard le Berner, R.
Berners, 236. John de Berncrs, E.
Matilda de Berners, E.
Berriman, 138. John Buryman, /-".
Jane Berryman, Z.
Berry, 138. Alex, de Bery, B. Nicholas
de la Bere, B.
Bertie. Alexander fil. Bcrtc, A.
Berward [v. Bearvvard).
Bessie, 52, n.
Best, 463, 487. Richard le Beste, A.
Henry le Beste, X. Edith Beest, Z.
Be-steadfast, 103. Be-steadfast Elyarde.
Bcthell, 13. Evan ap Ithell, Z. Jevan
ap Ithell, Z.
Beton, 68. Betin de Friscobald, O.
John Betyn, HH.
Betonson, 16, 68. Robert Betonson, W
II. John Bettenson, PP. Thomas
Betanson, HH.
Betson, 68, 92. William Beteson, IV'z.
Thomas Betisson, FP''.
Betsy, 52, n.
Betton (v. Beton), 68. James Bctton,
HH.
Betts, 92. Margery Bettes, W 2.
Thomas Betts, Z.
Betty, 92.
Bevan, 45. Eygncnn ap Yevan, D.
Howel ap Evan, Af.
Bidder, 314, n. Ernald le Bider, J.
Biddle [v. Bedell), 181. John Biddle,
Bidman, 194.
Bigg, 431. Agatha Bigge, A. Elias
Bigge, A.
(^59' S^o- Roger le Bygod, A.
Alina le Bigod, J. William
le Bygot, A. John le Bygot,
M.
Bill, 44, 459
Billingster, 380, «. Henry Billingster, £7^'.
Billiter {v. Belzetere), 402. Margaret
Billyetter, /''/''. Edmund Belletere, PP.
Billman, 222. Richardus Billman, IV
19. Stephen Bylman, P"F.
Bills, 44.
Billsmith, 281.
Bilson, 44. Henry Bilson, Z. Edmund
Bilsone, PP. Thomas Bilson, V-j.
Birch, 129. Hugh de la Byrche, A.
John atte Birche, M.
Bird, 493. John le Bird, A. David le
Bird, A. Ralph le Brydde, ^12.
Birkenshavv, 129, 117. William Burch-
ingshawe, Z. Robert Beckinshaw, Z.
Birks {v. Birch), 129. Bartholomew
Birks, PP.
Birmingham, 147. John de Burmyng-
ham, M. William de Bermingham,
A.
Bishop, 186. John le Bissup, A. Robert
le Biscop, C.
Bithewater [v. Bywater).
Black, <]44. Ederick le Blackc, A.
Ste])hen le Blak, G.
Blackamoor, i6i. Simon Blakamour,
ER 1. Beatrix Blakamour, X Richard
Blackaiiiore, PP\
Blackbeard, 449. Richard Blacbcrd,
A. Thomas Blackberd, lFi8. I'ctcr
Blackbeard, IK 20.
Blackbird, 494. Briscilla Blackbird,
494. "â–
Blackdam, 500. Joan Blackdam, PP.
Blacker, 328. Roger Ic Blackcrc, M.
Geoff, le Blakere, J/.
Blackestcr, 328. William Ic Bleckcstcre,
526
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
BLA
A. Richard le Bleckstere, jl/. Robert
Blaxter, Z.
Blackeye, 434. Roger Niger-oculus, L.
Blackhat. Henry Blakhat, /^/? i.
Blackhead, 435. William Blackhead,
435i ^- John Blackhead, FF.
Blackinthemouth, 424. William Black-
inthemouth, X.
Blackleach (v. Leach), John Blakeleach,
AA 3. Thomas Blakelache, AA 3.
Blacklock, 447. Peter Blacklocke, A.
Dame Blaikclocke, IV g.
Blackman, 446. Elias le Blakeman, B.
Henry Blacman, A.
Blackmantle, 457. Agnes Blackmantyll,
14^11.
Blacksmith, 281. Nicholas the Black-
smith, FF. John Blacksmythe, ZZ.
Bladesmith, 282. John Bladesmylh,
SS. John Bladsmith, FF. Thomas
Bladesmith, S. John Bladesmithe,
Blake, 445. Soman Ic Blake, A. Warin
le Blake, A".
Blakeman (v. Blackman), 446. Thomas
Blakman, IV 17.
Blamestcr. Robert le Blaimcstcr, A.
Blanche (i), 19, 446. Warin Blanche, A.
(2), Blanche Chalons, B.
Blanchct, 446, 454.
Blanchflower, 442. Faith Blanchflower,
Z.
Blanchfront, 446, 437. Philip Blanch-
front, /'"/•'. Joan Blaunkfront, XX a,.
Amabil Blancfront, GG.
Blanchmains, 437. Robert Blanchmains,
/•'/'". Humbert Blanchmains, PP.
Blanchpain, 367, 508. Roger Blancpain,
A. Edmund Blankpayn, D.
Blank, 446. Riolle le Blanc, C. John
le Blank, M.
Blanket, 446, 454. Robert Blanket, B.
John Blanket, X.
Blaxter (f. Blackestcr), 328.
BOA
Blind, 434. Ralph le Blinde, A. Wil-
le Blynd, J.
Bliss, 452. John Blisse, A.
Blisswench, 472. Alicia Blissewenche, A.
Blocker, 264. Deodatus le Blokkere, A.
Richard le Blockhewere, E.
Blond, 446. Reginald le Blond, A.
Gilbert Blond, FF.
Blondel, 446. Amicia Blondelle, FF.
Olive Blondell, /•"/•'.
Blood, 510. William Blood, X. Tho-
mas Blood, FF.
Bloodletter, 383. Thomas Blodletere,
A. William Bloodletter, X. John
Bloodlatter, W 12.
Blount, 446. David le Blound, B.
Hugh le Blount, M. '
Blower, 236. Mabil le Blouer, A.
Robert le Blowere, T.
Blov.hom [v. Hornblow), 236. Gilbert
Blouhom, A.
Blubber, 469. William Ic Blubere, A.
Nicholas Blubcr, A.
Blue, 447. Walter le B!cu, E.
Blund, 446. Herbert le Blund, A. Ama-
bclla le Blund, B.
Blundcll, 446. Jordan Blundel, N.
Petronilla Blundel, T.
Blunt, 446. Alicia le Blunt, B. Sibil
le Blunt, G.
Blythe, 463, 472. Antony BIythe, Z.
Richard BIythe, Z.
Blythman, 463. William Blythmari, W
3. Jasper Blithman, Z.
Boar, 491. Richard le Bor, A. Robert
le Bor, E.
Boarder, 252.
Boardman, 252. Hugh Boardman, ZZ.
Peter Boordnian, Z.Z.
Boatman, 409. Peter Boatman, FF.
Jacob Boatman, FF.
Boatswain, 409. Richard le Botsweyn,
;1/. Edward Botswine, Z.
Boatwright (t'. Botwright), 277.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
527
Bodkin, 51. Robert Bodekin, A. An-
drew Bawdkyn, W g.
Body, 455. William Body, A. Robert
Body, FF.
Boffill (v. Beaufils), 430, 507.
Bold (i), 467, William le Bold, M.
Robert le Bolde, R.
(2), 136, John de la Bold, A.
Elias de la Bolde, A.
Bolderson (z/.Balderson), 52.
„ , ( 168. Simon de Boleyn, FF.
r, ,, i Richard de Bolovgne, A.
BoUen, x u ^ n i ^
V John de Boloyne, A.
Bollinger, 364. Richard le Bollinger, E.
Boloneis, 168. Stacius le Boloneis, A.
Bolter, 275. Johnle Boltere, A. Geoffrey
le Boltere, A.
Bon, 467. John le Bon, O. Duran le
Bon, M.
Bonamy, 474. William Bienayme, A.
William Bonamy, A.
Bonaventure, 507. John Bonaventure,
//. Giot Bonaventure, y.
Bonchivaler, 507. John Bonchivalcr, B.
William Bonchevaler, A'.
Bonclerk, 505. Emma Bonclerk, ff.
John Boneclerk, JI.
Boncount, 507. Guido Boncunte, O.
Boncristien, 507. Andrew Boncristien,
O.
Boncompagnon, 506.
Bond, 254. Ivo le Bonde, A. Robert
le Bond, B. Richard le Bonde, 71/.
Bondame, 507. Alan Rondame, PP.
Bondman, 254. William Bondman,
XX. I.
Bone (v. Bon), 467. Thom. le Bone, A.
Richard le Bone, //.
Bonecors, 506. Manellus Bonccors, F.
Bonenfant, 507. Nicholas Bonenfaunt,
AI. John Boncfaunt, A. Walter
Bonenfaunt, A.
Bones, 455.
Bonfils, 507.
ii f 507. William Bonhome, A.
me, I Agnes Bonhomme, A.
Bonham,
Bonhomne,
Bonjohn, 46, 504. Durand le Bonjohan,
A. John Bon-John, X.
Bonner, 467. William le Bonere, A.
Alice le Bonere, A.
Bonnivant, 507. John Bonnyvaunt, Z.
John Bonyfant, Z.
Bonqueynt, 507. Andrew le Bonqueynt,
7-
Bonserjeant, 506. John Bonserjeant, A.
Richard Bonsergaunt, G.
Bonsquier, 507. Wiliam Bonsquier, A.
Walter le Bonesquier, J\fA/.
Bontemps, 467. Thomas Bontemps, FP\
Bonvalet, 507. John Bonvalet, y.
Richard Bonvallet, A.
Bonyfant {v. Bonenfant), 507. Henry
Bonyfant, A.
Bookbinder, 405. John Bokbyndere, X.
Dionisia le Bokebyndere, X. Robert
Bukebynder, IF 9.
Boon (z'. Bon), 4G7. Alice le Bonne, ^-f.
William Boon, B.
Boor, Robert le Boor, B. Robert le
Boor, G.
Booth, 135. Nicholas de la Bothe, A.
Odo de la Booth, FI\
Boothman, 135. Roger Bothman, A.
Henry Boolheman, ZZ.
Borden, 118. John de Borden, C.
Mathew de Borden, F.
Border (v. Boarder), 252.
Bordman (v. Boardman), 252. Ralph
Bordman, ZZ. James Bordman, /-Y''.
Rorehunt, 238. Henry Borehuntc, D.
Bonoughs, 138.
Borrows, 138.
Boshcr, 264.
Boswell. Henry de Bosevil, /:/. John
de Boseville, A.
Botcher (i'. Butcher), 374. Elias le
Rochcr, 71/. John le Bocher, Af.
Botcler (v. Butler), 21 r. Ralph le Botc-
ler, B. Walter le Boteler, Af.
528
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Botiler {v. Butler), 117. Teobald le
Botiler, A. Richer le Botiller, A.
Botwright, 277. John Botewright, FF.
Bartholomew Botwright, Z.
Boulter (v. Bolter), 275.
Bourdon (v. Burdon) 461.
Boutflower {v. Beauflour), 442. Mar-
garet Butflower, FF. William Beau-
flour, B.
Boville, 151. Warin dc Boville, A.
William de Bo vile, A.
Bowcher, 374. John Bowcher, ZZ.
William Bowcher, ZZ.
Bowen, 12. Griffin ap Oweyn, I?. Jane
Abowen, Z. James Aphowen, XX 2.
„ f (i), 226, John le Bower, A.
' I (2), 135, Richard atteBowre, Af.
Bowerman, 135. William Bourman, F.
Bowler, 388. John le Bolur, A. Robert
le Boiler, Af. Adam le Bolour, M.
Bowmaker, 226. George Bowmaker,
SS. Robert Boumakcr, IV 1. John
Bowmaykere, IV 3.
Bowman, 225. Robert Bowman, Z.
John Bowman, ZZ.
Bowshank, 438. Gerald Bushanke, A.
Bowsher, 374. Katerin Rowghshere, /•'.
George Beawsher, /•'.
Bowyer, 226. William le Boghyere, A.
Adam le Boghiere, A/. William le
Bowyer, //.
Boyce {v. Boys) 154.
Boyer (v. Boyer) 226. Geoffry le Boyer
T. Adam le Boiere, F.
Boys, 154. Ral^h del Boyes, A. Henry
du Boys, Af.
Braban, 164. Saher de Braban, F.
Arnald de Braban, A/.
Brabaner {v. Braban), 164. Isabel Bra-
bancr, ZZ. Robert Brabaner, ZZ.
Brabant (r. Braban), 164. Margaret
Brabant, Z. John Brabant, ZZ.
Brabazon, 164. Roger le Brabanzon, Af.
Reginald le Brebanzon, //. Roger le
Brabanson, //.
Bracegirdle, 349. Justinian Bracegirdle,
Z.
Bracegirdler (f. Bregirdler), 349
Bracer, 379. Robert le Bracer, A.
William le Bracur, T. Reginald
Bracciator, A.
Braceress, 379. Clarice le Braceresse, A.
Letitia Braciatrix, A. Emma le Bra-
ceresse, T.
Bradshaw, 117. Mabel de Bradschaghe,
A A 2.
Brailer, 349. Roger le Braeler, A.
Stephen le Brayeler, X.
Braithwaite, 121. Roger de Bratwayt,
A. Richard Braythwait, XX. i.
Branson {v. Brainson), John fil. Briani,
A. Edward Bransonne, Z.
Brasher {v. Brazier), 392.
Brass, 436. Simon Braz, A. John
Brass, Af.
Brazdifer, 436. Walter Brasdefer, E.
Simon Brazdefer, F. Michael Bras-
defer, BB.
Brazier, 392. Robert le Brazur, G. Wil-
liam le Brasour, A''.
Breadmongster, 364, Sara la Brede-
mongestere, X.
Brcadwright, 278.
Breakspeare, 462. Adrian Brakspere,
////. Alexander Brekspere, AfAf.
Bregirdler, 349. John le Bregerdelere, X.
Brclson (v. Burletson). Henry Brel-
son, Z.
Bret, j 158. Hamo le Brett, ^. Milo
Brett, ( le Bret, Af.
Bretter (v. Breviter), 217. William Brct-
ter, ZZ.
Breviter, 217. Peter le Brevctour, Af.
Ely le Brevcter, O. Richard Brexy-
ter, Z.
Brewer, 379. Walter le Browcre, B.
William le Brcwere, y.
Brewery, 379, 382. John de la Bruerc,
A. Walter de la Bruario, Af.
Brewster, 379. Emma le Breuslcrc, A.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
529
Brianson (i), Giles de Brianzon, M.
William de Brianzon, DD.
(2), Thomas fil. Brian, A.
William fil. Brian, A.
Bricot {v. Brice), 30. Bricot de Brain-
ton, MM.
Brice, 30, Brice fil. William, A. Brice
de Bradelegh, A. Bricius le Daneys,
R. Brice Persona, A.
Bridge-end, 114. John ate Bruge-ende,
A. Stephen atte Brigende, B. Wil-
liam atte Brigende, M.
Bridgeman [v. Bridgman), 113. John
Bridgeman, Vj.
Bridger, 113, 285. John Bridger, Z.
Bridgman, 113, 285. Jasper Bridge-
man, Z. Giles Bridgman, FF.
Briggs [i.e., Bridge). Roger del Brigge,
M. Sarra atte Brigge, B.
Briton, 158. Wygan le Bretun, A.
Robert le Breton, B. Ivo le Breton, E.
Britt, 158. Thomas le Brit, B. Wydo
Ic Brit, A. Nicholas Britte, XX i,
Brittain (v Briton), 158.
Britten (v. Briton), 158.
Britton {v. Briton), 158.
Broad, 381. John le Erode, B. Richard
le Brod, M.
Broadbelt, 431. Joan Broydbelt, IF 11.
Robert Brodebelte, W 17.
Broadcombe, 125. Robert de Brude-
combe, M.
Broadgirdle, 431. William Brodgirdel,
A.
Broadhay, 133. Robert de Broadheye,
A.
Broadhead, 435. Walter Brodheved, A.
Edmund Broadheade, /.Z.
Broadp'.nny, 482. William Brodepeny,
M.
Brock (i), 489. Walter le Broc, T.
Henry le Brok, A.
(2), {v. Brook), 108. Edeline de
Broc, E. Elias del Broc, T.
Brocklehurst, 116.
Brockman, 238. John Brockeman, H,
Robert le Borckman, A.
Brogden, 118. Alice Brockden, ZZ.
James Brocden, FF.
Brogger, 414.
Broiderer, 347. John Brauderer, O.
Broker, 414. Robert the Brochere, B.
Thomas le Brokur, M. Simon le
Brokour, G.
Brook f ^°^' ■^^''^^ ^^ ^^ Broke, A.
Brooke I ^^^ ^'^ Brok, B. Laurence
\ del Broc, A.
Brooker, 113.
Brookman, 113. John Brokeman, C.
Brother, 430. William le Brother, A.
Wymond Brother, M.
Brotherhood, 191. Nicholas Brother-
hood, PP. John Brotherhood, Wuo.
Brotherson, 430.
Brough, 138.
Brown, 445. Wymarc Brown, A. Simon
le Brown, AI. John le Broune, G.
Brownbeard, 449. John Brownberd,
XX t^. Janet Brownebeard, IV 11.
Brownbill, 459.
Brownjohn, 46, 503.
Brownking, 505. Simon Brun-king, F.
Brownknave, 505. Richard Brownknave,
Z.
Brownman, 445. Richard Broneman, A.
Brownsmith, 281. Thomas Browne-
smythe, ZZ. Hester Brownsmith, FF.
Brownson. Roger fil Broun, A. Regi-
nald fil. Brun, MM.
Brownswain, 505. John Brounsweyn, P.
Brownsword, 462. Richard Brown-
sworde, AA 3. Thomas Browne-
sworde, ZZ. Cicely Brownsword,
A A 4.
Bruges. Saber de Bruges, E. Oliva de
Bruges, E.
Brun, 445. Hugh le Brun, B. Nigel le
Brun, C.
Brune, 445. Alicia le Brune, B. Robert
le Brune, Af.
M M
530
INDEX OF INSTANCES,
Erunell, 445. Brunellus Carpenter, E.
Brunman, 445. Henry Brunman, A.
Robert Brunman, O.
Brunne, 445. William le Brunne, G.
Bruselance, 462. Robert Bruselance, A.
Eryson (i^. Brice), 30. Henry fil. Brice,
F8. Bamabe Brisson, F4.
Buck, 488. Walter le Buk, C. Roger
le Buck, M.
Buckden, 118. Sarra de Bokeden, A.
Richard Buckden, Q.
Buckleboots, 501. John Bukelboots,
AA I.
Buckler, 282, 459. Johnle Bockcler, A.
Richard Bokeler, Z.
Bucklermaker, 224. Mathew Buckler-
maker (Ludlow. Cam. Soc).
Buckley, 119. Michael de Bokele, A.
William de Bucley, SS.
Buckman, 235. Alan Bokcman, A.
Euckmaster, 235. William Buckmaster,
/''. Thomas Buckmaster, Z. Elias
Buckmaster, F5.
Buckrell, 489. Peter Bokerel, ,1 Mathew
Bokcrel, A.
Buckskin, 500. Peter Euckeskyn, D.
Nicholas Buxskyn, M.
Bucksmith, 282. John le Bokclsmyth, A'.
Buckthorp, 137. Hamalin de Dugtorp,
A. Thomas Bugthorppe, If-' 11.
Buddicom, 125.
Buflfler (v. Boutflovver), 442. James
Beauflur, X.
Bugden (f . Buckden), 118. William de
Bugenden, A.
Bugge, 138, 498. Bate Bugge, A.
Baldewin Bug, B.
Bulfmch, 494. Edward Bolfynch, X.
Bull, 489. Alice le Bule, A. William
le Bulc, n.
BuUard, 306.
Bullen {v. Boleyn), i63. William BuUen,
rr. Robert Bulcyn, Z.
Bullhead, 500. Richard Bolchcvod, A.
John Bolehcvcd, M,
Bullinger, 364. Richard le Bulengcr, .C.
Bullivant (ta Bonenfant), 507. Robert
Ballyfaunt, Z.
Bullock, 490. Godwin Bulloc, A.
Kdmund Bullok, D.
Bulman, 271. Vv'illiam Bulman, D.
Walter Bulleman, FF.
Bulness, 168. Stacius le Boloneis, A.
Bultcr (t'. Bolter), 275.
Bunker, 467. John le Bonccr, B. Wil-
liam Bonquer, O.
Bunn (f. Bonn), 467. Rocelin le Bun,
A.
Bunyan (z'. Bonjohn), 504.
Bunyon (v. Bonjohn), 504.
Burdcr, 239. Thomas Burdcr, F.
Burdett-Coutts, 509.
Burdon, 461. Richard Burdun, E.
Maria Burdun, R.
Burelman, 454. John Burclman, X.
Burend, 114. John atte Bur-ende, R.
Burgess, 1S4. John le Burges, A.
Richard le Burgeis, E.
Burgh, 138. Walter atte Bergh, B.
\\'illiam atte Burgh, R.
Br.rghman, 138. William Burgman, B.
Burgon, f 158. John Burgoyne, A.
Burgoyne, | Thomas Burgoyn, B.
Burguillun, 481. Geoff, le Burgillon,
T. Robert le Burgulion, M.
Burke, 138. Hubert de Burk, A. John
de Burk, A.
Burlc, 442. Henry le Burle, A.
I'urktson [v. Bartlett) 92, n. William
Byrtletson, IT 17. William Burletson,
SS. Bryan Burletson, SS.
Burman [v. Burghman). Isabel Burc-
man, A. John Burman, B.
Burnell, 445. Pagan Burnel, J. Bur-
nellus Carpenter, E.
Burnett, 454. Thomas Burnet, 7..
Burroll, 340. Roger Burell, J. Robert
BurelC R.
Burroughs, 138. Robert de la Bcrwc, B.
Henry Burroughe, Z.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
531
Burser (v. Purser), 398, 348. Adam le
Burscr, £. Alard le Burser, //.
Burtheyn, 175, fi. William Burtheyn, G.
Bury, 138. Geoffrey de la Bure, A.
John atte Bury, M.
Bush {v. Busk), 154.
Busheler, 395, «. John Busheler, F.
Busher, 264. Reginald le Buscher, y.
John le Busscher, M.
Busk, 154. Hamo de Bosco, A. John
ad Bosc, A.
Buss, 154. Alicia Busse, A.
Bustard. Richard Bustard, Jf^2.
Bustler, 465. Thomas le Busteler, FF.
Robert le Bustler, T.
But, 378. Roger le But, £. John le
But, 7
Butcher, 374. Michael le Bucher, T.
Butler, 211, 397. Robert le Butiler, A.
William le Butiller, B. Hugh le
Butellier, £. John le Butteller, M.
Butmonger, 378. Hugh Butmonger,
A.
Butrekyde, 294. Robert Butrekyde,
A.
Butt, 228.
Butter, 378. William le Butor, P.
Butterman, 327. William Buttyrman,
P. George Butman, Z. Lancelot
Butiman, PFi8.
Buttoner, 343. Henry le Botoner, A.
Richard le Botyncr, //. Lawrence le
Botaner, N.
Buzzard, 493. Eustace Busard, A.
Peter Buzard, A.
Byatt {v. Bygate), 129, 113.
Byford, 113. Abalotta de la Forde, A.
Stephen de la Forde, A.
Bygate, 113, 129. Philip de la Gate, A.
Walter de la Gate, A.
Bythesea, 113. Roger Bythesca, Z.
Pagan de la Marc, A.
Bytheway, 113. Richard Bytheway, Z.
Bythcwood, 113. Edward Bythcwode,
A, William Bythcwood, M.
M
By water, 112. Elyas Bithevvater, A.
Robert Bithewater, 3f.
By\vood (v. Bythcwood), 112.
/^ACHEMAILLE, 483.
^ Cacherell, 152. Grig le Cacherel,
A. Adam le Cacherel, M.
Cade, 144. Margery Cade, A. Walter
Cade, A.
Cadman, 395. Walter Kademan, A.
Robert Cademan, y.
CKsar {v. Kaiser), 174. Susan C^sar,
Z.
Caffin, 452. Richard Chauffin, A.
Caird, 296.
Caitiff. Richard Caytyf, DD.
Caleb, 100. Caleb Morley, TT.
Calf, 490. Nicholas Calf e,.<4. Richard
Calf, M.
Calisher, 393. Elena Calicer, D.
Callender, 495.
Caller, 336. Elias le Callere, M. Robert
le Callere, ^V. Robert le Callererc,
N.
Callow, 451. Richard Calewe, M.
Richard le Calue, FF.
Caiman, 336.
Calthrop, j 137. William de Calthorpe,
Caltrop, \ M. Ralph de Kalthorp. H,
Calve [v. Calf), 444. Henry le Calve,
M. Idonia le Calwe, T.
Calverd f^^^- Henry Calvehird, M.
Calvert ' 1 J°''" '® Calvehird, H.
\ Warin le Calvehird, IK 4.
Calvesmawe, 434. Robert Calvesmaghc,
M.
Cam, 441. William le Cam, A. Wil-
liam le Cam, A'.
Camamilla. Camamilla Helewys, RR 1.
Camden, 389. John de Campeden, A.
Maurice de Campeden, FF.
Camel, 487. George Camel, IV 20.
Richard Camill, V e,. William Cam-
mille, ^"4.
M 2
532
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Cameron, 441.
Camiser, 344. Bartholomew le Camisur,
X.
Camoys, 441. John le Camoys, A.
Campbell, 441. Thomas Cambell, Z.
Campion (i), 304. Walter le Campion,
A. John le Campion, T.
(2), 159. [v. Champion, 2.)
Camuse {v. Camoys), 441.
Candeler (v. Candler), 386.
Candleman, 386. Adam Candeleman,
M.
Candlemaker, 386. John le Candle-
makere, M.
Candler, 386. Mathew le Candeler, A.
John le Candeler, E.
Cane. Hugh de Caen, C. Richard de
Cane, H.
Cannon, 191. John le Cannon, A.
Richard Cannon, Z.
Canon, 191. William le Canon, A.
Thomas le Canun, E.
Cant (f. Quaint), 471.
Canter {v. Chanter), 188.
Canute, 20.
Canvaser, 319, 359. Henry le Cane-
vacer, M. Richard le Canvaser, M.
Capcron, 458. Alicia Caperun, A.
Thomas Chaperoun, "J.
Capet, 456.
Capmaker, 337. Thomas Capmaker, //.
Capman, 337. John Capman, M. James
Kapman, Z..
Capon, 494. Robert le Capon, DD.
Agnes Capun, A.
Capper, 337. Symon le Cappierc, A.
Thom.as le Capicre, A.
Carboncr. Geoffrey Ic Carbonere, W
15. Alfred Carbonator, MM.
Carder, 320. Peter Carder, Z. John
Carder, Z.
Cardinal, 173. Walter Cardinall, /'.
William Cardynall, Z.
Cardmaker, 321. Robert Cardcmaker,
II.
CAT
Careful. Robert Carefull, MM.
Careless, 471. Roger Carles, H. Antony
Careless, Z.
Carlton, 134. Geoffrey de Carlton, A.
Audeley Carleton, Z.
Carman, 288. Henry Carman, A.
Matilda Carman, A.
Carnifex, 375. Hugh Carnifex, A.
Henry Carnifex, M.
Carpenter, 249. Amice le Charpenter,
T. Stephen le Charpenter, B. Robert
le Carpenter, M.
Carter, 288. Magge le Carter, A. Wil-
liam le Caretter, E. Robert le Carec-
ter, A. Robert le Karetter, A.
Carteress. Cristina le Carteres, A,
Cartman, 288.
Cartwright, 277. Robert le Cartwright,
B. Thomas Cartwright, Z.
Car\'er, 214. Adam le Karv'er, A.
Richard le Kerver, A.
easier, 174, n, 278, 369. Michael le
Casiere, M. Benedict le Casiere, M.
Cassell. John de Castell, A. William
de Castell, A.
204. Jocelin le Castlelyn,
A'. John le Chastilioun,
R. Thomas le Chastelain,
M. William Castleman,
^ Z.
Catalonia, 170. Robert de Catalonia, p.
170.
Catcher, 182. Adam le Cachcr, A.
Richard le Catchcre, A.
Catchcrel, 182. Nicholas le Cachcrcl,
A. Lucas Cachcrellus, A.
Catchhare. Hugh Cachehare, M.
Catchman, 152. Edmund Catchman,
ZZ.
Catchpeny, 483. Nicholas Kachepeny,
A.
Catch pole, 182. Hugh le Cachepol, il/.
Geoffrey le Cachepol, A,
Michael Catchpoole, Z.
Castclan,
Castleman,
Catchpoll,
Catchpool, ,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
533
CAT
Cater, \ 210. Henry le Catour, A.
Caterer, I John le Catur, y. Nicholas
Catour, ) le Catour, B.
Catlinson, 71. Richard Catlynson, 55.
Eleonore Catlj-nsson, IV 12. Thomas
Katlynson, W 11.
Cats-nose, 500. Agnes Cattesnese, A.
Catt, 492. Adam le Kat, C. Mi!o le
Chat, E. Elyas le Cat, A.
Catterman {v. Quarterman), 437.
Richard Catermayn, H.
Cattell, Uv. Chettle), 24. Cattle
Cattle, ( Bagge, A.
Cattlin, 71. Robert Catelyne, ////.
Richard Kateline, A.
Caury-Maury 457. John Caury-Maury,
Cayser, (174. Samson le Cayser, A.
Cayzer, 1 Thomas le Cayser, A.
Cecil, 19. Richard fil. Cecille, A.
Thomas Cicell, Z.
Cecilia, 69. Cecilia in the Lane, A.
Cecilia la Grase, T. Sissilie Linscale,
W 16.
Ceinter, 349. Girard le Ceinter, C.
Robert le Ceynter, M.
Cellarer, 211. Richard le Cellarer, O.
John Cellarer, D.
Centlivre, 513. Grace CentlivTe, Joseph
Centlivre, v. p. 513.
Centurer, 349. Nicholas le Ceynturer,
A. Richard le Ceynturer, A. Benet
Seinturer, v. p. 349.
Cesselot (v. Sisselot), 69. Bella Cesse-
lot, A. Alicia fil. Scsselot, A.
Chaffinch 494. Abraham Caffinch, v. 13.
Chalk (v. Schalk), 212 n.
Chalker, 259. Thomas le Chalker, A.
Gilbert le Chalker, A.
Challen, 170. Rodger dc Chaluns, A.
Piers de Chalouns, M.
Challender, 495.
Challenor [v. Chaloner), 357.
Challice,
Challoner,
Chaloner,
Chamberlain,
Chamberlayne,
Chambers, 205.
(2)
Champness,
Champneys,
Challis,
393-
CHA
357. Jordan le Chaluner, T.
John le Chaloner, B.
Peter le Chaloner, M.
Nicholas le Chalouner,y4.
, 205. Walter le Cham-
bcrleyne, A. Simon
le Chamberlain, AT.
Henry le Chaumber-
leyne, B.
Henry de la Chambre,
A. William de la Chaumbre, B.
Champagne, 159. Robert de Chaum-
paigne, M.
Champion (i), 304. Katerina le Cham-
pion, A. William le
Chaumpion, A.
159. Roger de Cham-
pion, B.
158. Robert le Cham-
peneis, E. Roger le
Chaumpeneys, A. Ste-
phen le Champenays, L.
Chancellor, 188. Thomas le Chanceler,
M. Geoffrey le Chaunceler, R.
Chandler, 386. Jordan le Chaundler, C.
Roger le Chaundcler, B.
Changer, 413. Henry le Chaunger, M.
Adam Chaunger, FF.
Chanster, 188. Stephen le Chanster, J.
Williamctta Cantatrix, /:.
Chanter, 188. Christiana le Chaunter,
A. William le Chantour, M.
Chapell. Henry atte Chapelle, M.
Hugh de la Chapele, A.
Chapeller, 337. Robert le Chapeler, A.
Edmund le Chapeler, Af.
Chaperon, 458. Almeric Chaperon, O.
8. Reginald le Chape-
lein, y. Hamo le Chapc-
leyn, T.
Chapman, 296. Geoffrey le Chapman,
M. Alard le Chapman, 7".
Charer, 287. John le Charcr, O.
Richard le Charrcr, ;!/. John Ic
Charrer, A,
Chaplain,
Chaplin,
534
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Charioteer, 287. John Charioteer, IV
2. Thomas Charietter, Z.
Charity, 103. JohnCharite, ^i. Charitie
Bowes, Z.
Chariesworth, 134.
Charlewood, 134. Isabelle Chariewood,
Z. John Charlewood, Z.
Charley, 134. Philip de Charleyc, M.
John Charley, ZZ.
Charlton, 134. Thomas de Charlton,
Af. Henry de Charewelton, A.
Charman, 288.- -John Charman, FF.
John Charcman, ////.
Charner, 272. Thomas Ic Charner, A.
Charter, 287. William le Charetter,
G.
Andrew le Chareter, A/. John le
Charter, M.
Charteris, j 168. Ralph de Chartres, M.
Charters^ | Alan de Chartres, A/.
Chartman(i'. Cartman), 287. JohnChart-
man, FF.
Chaser, 230. Simon le Chasur, A.
Chatelain (v. Castelan), 204. Ralph le
Chatelaine, A.
Chaucer, 354. Gerard le Chaucer, //.
Mary le Chaucer, A'^. Ralph le Chau-
cer, £. Robert le Chaucer, .1/.
Chauntccler, 494. Roger Chauntcclcr, B.
Agnes Chauntler, Z.
Cheek, 433. John Checke, Z.
Cheese, 144. Nicholas Chcse, T. John
Chese, X.
Cheese-and-brcad, 501. Geoffrey Checse-
and-brcde, I V 5.
Cheese-house, 369. Adam del Cheshus,
A.
Cheesemaker, 369. Robert le Chese-
maker, A.
Chccseman, 369. John le Chcseman,
A. Edward Cheseman, //.
Cheesemonger, 369. Adam lo Chis-
mongcr, H. Alan Ic Chcsmongcre, L.
Cheesewright, 277, 369. John Chcse-
wright, Z.
Child,
Childe,
Cheever, 491. Henry le Chivere, Af.
Jordan Chevre, C.
Cheke (v. Cheek), 433.
Chen (v. Ken), 492. Reginald le Chen,
Af. William le Chien, £.
Chcpman, 296. Walter le Chepeman,
Af. John le Chcpman, B.
Chesswright (v. Cheesewright), 369.
William Cheswright, Z.
Chettle (v. Kettle), 24. Chetel Frieday,
FF.
Chevalier, 507. Walter le Chevaler, A.
Roger le Chevaler, A.
Chevestrer,4i3. Adam le Chevestrcr, A.
Chicken, 494. John Chikin, A. Philip
Chikin, A.
Chietsmith, 283. John Chictsmyth,
X.
202. Mihsent le Child, A.
Walter le Child, Af. Roger
le Childe, A.
Chin, 433. John Chyne, A.
Chippendale, 296.
Chit, 442. John Ic Chit, J?.
Chittcrling. Richard Chitcrling, A.
Chitty, 442. Agnes Chittyc, Z. John
Chittie, Z.
Choice-Pickrcll, 508.
Christian, 30, 507. Christian Forman,
IV 2. Bricc Christian, A.
Christiana, 30. Joan Crislina, A. Cristina
Alayn, A.
Christie (z'. Christian), 30.
Christison, 30. John fil. Christian, A.
Robert fil. Christine, Af.
Christmas, (62. Simon Christcmassc, A.
Cristmas, ( Richard Cristemassc.jl/.
Christmas-Day, 509.
Christoferson, 57. Richard Christo-
fcrson, ZZ.
Christopher, 57. John Christophre, Af.
William Cristofer, Z.
Chubb, 497. John Chubbe, Z. Isabel!
Chubb, Z.
Chuffer, 482. Simon Ic Chuffcrc, A,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
535
Church, 113. Robert atte Chyrche, A.
Alicia atte Chirche, B.
Churchay, 134. William atte Churche-
haye, A. Robert atte Churchey, IV.
Churchclerk, 189. Walter le Churche-
clerk, M.
Churcher, 113. Richard Churcher, Z.
Johan Churcher, Z.
Churchdoor. Reginald atte Churche-
door, Af.
Churchgate, 130. Robert atte Chirch-
yate, Af.
Churchman, 113. Ouse le C'hurcheman,
A. Simon le Cherchman, A/.
Churchstile. John atte Churchestighele,
AI.
Churner (v. Charner), 272. Robert
Chirner, H'^g.
Cicely {v. Cicilia), 69. Cicely Harbord,
Z.
Cirgier, 386. William le Cirgier, X.
Cirograioher, 406. William le Ciro-
grapher, A. Isaac Cyrographer, E.
Cissor, 340. Walter Cyssor, A. Hugh
Cisssor, AI.
Clare (z'. Sinclair), 124.
Clarice. 19. Alanfil. Clarice, ^^. Claricia
Crowe, A. Richard Clarisse, A.
Clark.
Clarke,
Claver, 185. Henry le Claver, E. Agnes
le Claver, FF. John le Clavier, BB.
Clavenger, ] Robert Clavynger, //.
Clavmgcr, J
Clay. Alice in le Clay, A. Thomas de
la Cley, A.
Clayer, 259. Simon le Clayere, A.
Cleangrise (t'. Cleanhog), 499. Roger
Clenegrise, A.
Cleanhand. John Cleanhond, X.
Cleanhog, 499. William Clenehog, A.
Cleanwater. John Klenc\\ater. Lower
I, 242.
Cleaver (f. Claver), 154. John Cleaver,
/'â– /'; William Cleaver, V (>.
(v. Clerk), 412.
COA
Clement, <'98. Richard Clement, W
Clements, 16. Ralph fil. Clemence,
Clementson, I A. Eustace fil. Clement,
Clemms, " A. Roger Clempson, Z.
Clempson, Peter fil. Clem, A.
Clemson, (^ Joyce Clem son, Z.
Clerk, I 189, 465. Beatrix le Clerc, A.
Clerke, | Milo le Clerk, A.
Clerkson, 65. Geoffrey fil. Clerici, A.
William Clerkessone, AI.
Clerkwright, 402. Robert Clerkwright, 5.
Cleve, 124. Plenry de la Clyve, A.
Thomas de Cleve, FF.
Cleveland, 124.
Clever (v. Cleaver), 154. William le
Clever, FF.
Clifden, 124. Raymund de Clifden, A.
Thomas de Cliffedon, A.
Cliffe, 124. Thomas del Clif, A. Henry
de Clyf, AI.
Clifford, 124. Robert de Clyfford, AI.
Roger de Clyfford, E.
CHffshend, 114. John de Cleveshend,
E. Martin de Clyveshend, A.
Clifton, 124. Ralph de Clifton, A.
Gervase Clifton, XX i.
Clive, 124. Humfrey de la Clive, A.
William atte Clyve, M.
Cliveley, 124. John de Clyveley, A.
Nicholas Cleveley, XX i.
Clockmakcr, 401. Thomas Clokmaker, Y.
Cloisterer, 191. Johannes Closterer,
IK 12.
Clothier,
Clothman,
Clougli, 124. Roger Clough, A. Richard
Cloughe, Z.
Clouter, 352. John le Clutcre, A^.
Stephen le Clutere, N.
Cloutman {^. Clouter), 352.
Clowes, 12^. John Clowes, Z. Thomas
Clowes, Z.
Coachman, 288. Dorothy Coachman, V<,.
Tclney Coachman, V^. John Coache-
man, Z.
Robert Clothman, A'A' 2.
536
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
COB
Cobb, 124. Robert de Cobbe, M.
Milisent Cobbe, A.
Cobbett {v. Cuthbert), 56.
Cobbler, 352. Robert le Cobeler, A.
Edward Cobler, H.
Cobden, 124. Godfrey de Coppden,
M. John Copedenne, A.
Cobham, 124. Reginald de Cobcham,
M. John de Cobbeham, A.
Cobley, 124.
Cobwell, 124. John de Cobvvell, M.
Cock (i), 145. Peter atte Cok, B. Wil-
liam atte Cok, G.
{2), 485. John le Koc, A. Ka-
terina le Cok, D.
Cockaigne, ( 148. Alan de Cokayne, A.
Cockayne, \ Richard de Cockayne, ^.
Cocker, 307. Simon le Cockere, A.
William le Kokcrc, A. John le
Coker, M.
Cockerell, 494. Giot Cockerel, M. Jac.
Quoquerell, C.
Cockeyn (v. Cockaigne), 148.
Cockin {v. Cockaigne), 148. Richard
Cokyn, H.
Cockman, 307. Maud Cockman, FF.
Robert Cokeman, M.
Cockney, 148. John Cokcney, D.
Cocksbrain, 500. William Cockes-
brayne, A.
Cockshead, 447. Adam Cockshevcd,
M. Antony Cockshead, Z.
Cocksha\s', 117. Adam de Cokeshaw,
A. John de Cokeshaw, A.
Cockshot, n6. Alan Cockshott, /â– ".
John Cockshott, Z.
Cockson {v. Cookson), 65. lid-
ward Cockson, 7,. John Cockson,
EE.
Codde, 497. Thomas Codde, /-"/•'. Joan
Codde, FF.
Codiner {v. Cordwaner), 351.
Codling, 497. Alan Codling, /•"/•'. Simon
Codlyng, FF.
Codner (v. Cordwaner), 351.
COL
Coeurdebeef, 500. Thomas Cordebeofe,
A. John Queerdeboef, B.
Coffer, f^^^' 336. 396. Godfrey le
Cofferer, j ^offrer, A. Ralph le Cof-
( frer, H. John le Coffrer, il/.
Coffin, 144, 397. Richard Coffyn, H.
Eiias Coffyn, "J.
Cogger, 408. Hamond le Cogger, O.
Henry Cogger, P.
Cogman, 408. Benjamin Cogman, /'7^
Coifcr, 336. Emma leCoyfcre, A. Ralph
le Coifier E. Dionysia la Coyfcre, A.
Coke (y. Cook), 206, 365. Roger le
Coke, M. Alexander Coke, A.
Cole (v. Colin), 95.
Coleman, 22. Editha Coleman, A.
Coleman le Hen, A.
Colet (f. Collet), 189, 96. Nicholas
Colyt, il/. William Kolytte, IF 11.
Colfox, 499. Thomas Colfox, Z.
Richard Colvox, A.
Colinson, 16, 96. William fil. Colin, A.
Colin le Balistar, E.
Collet {v. Colet), 189, 96. Collctta
Clarke, HH. Henry Collette, XX i.
Collier. Robert le Cohere, A. Johnle
Collier, C.
CoUinge [v. Culling), 170.
Collins (i'. Collinson), 96. Colinus de
liarcntyn, E. Colin le Fcrur, A.
Collinson (f. Colinson), 96. John Col-
lynson, Z. Lanclot Colynson, W ix.
CoUopp, 333 n. John CoUop, A. Mabil
Collope, A.
Colson (f. Colinson), 96. George Col-
lison, HH. RolxTt Colson, HH.
Colswain, 505. Stephen Colcswcyne,
A. Richard Colswcyn, T.
Colt, 490. Roger le Colt, .'/. William
lo Colt, /f. Joan Coke, Vj.
Coltman, 267. John Collman, //.
Geoffrey Coltman, M. Richard
Coltman, IK 11.
Colville, 151. William de Colville, M.
Felip de Colville, A.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
537
Colj-er (v. Collier). Henry le Colyer, A.
Cnmh (■'•^S- Elias de Comb, A.
Combe,
William atte Combe, M.
Nicholas atte Combe, Af.
Comber, 320. John le Comber, A.
Walter le Comber, E.
Commander. William le Comandur, A.
William Commander, Z.
Conder, 377.
Coney, 139, 489. Henry Cony, D. John
Conay, A.
Coney beare, 139.
Coneythorp, 137. Robert de Conig-
thorpe, XX ^.
Congreave, 120. Robert de Concsgrave,
A. William Congrove, //. Henry
Conygrave, XX 2.
Coning, 139. Nicholas Conyng, //.
Peter Conyng, /-". Michael Conning,
IF 20.
Coningsby, 139. John de Conyngsby,
P. Walter de Cunnyngby, A.
Conington, ( ^39- John de Conyngton,
Connington, ^^- Thomas de Cony^
l ton, A.
Conqueror. William Conqueror, A.
Robert Conqueraunt, A.
Constable, 203. John le Conestabic, B.
Robert le Conestable, G.
Constance, 19, 67. William fil. Con-
stance, A.
Convert, 167. Dyonis le Convers, A.
Stephen le Convers, B. Nicholas le
Conners, B.
Conyers {v. Convert), 197.
Cook, {^°^' 3^5- ^'^'"''^ <^oca, A.
r- ,' i Roger le Cook, J/, loan
^°°''^' i le Cook, /.•/.•. ^
Cookman, 206, 365. William Cokcnian,
y. John Cookman, IF 9.
Cookson, 65, 365. Robert fil. Coci, A.
John Cokesson, /'V\ Henry Cukeson,
IF II.
Cooper, 389, 394. Richard le Cupare,
A. John le Cuper, Af.
Coote, 494.
Cope, 124, Robert Cope, A. Adam
Cope, Af.
Copeland, 124. William de Copelaunde,
£. John Copland, Z.
Copeman, 296, 124. Laurence Copiman,
A. Hugh Cowpman, A'.
Coper, 296. John le Copere, A.
Copestakc, 124. William Copcstake,
Z.
Copley, 124. Avery Copley, Z. Christo-
pher Copley, Z. Thomas de Coppc-
ley, XX 4.'
Copp (i). John le Coppe, A. Thomas
le Coppe, A.
(2), 124. John de la Coppe, FI'\
Richard de la Coppe, FF.
Copped 353. Hugh le Coppede, A.
John le Copede, A/.
Copperbeard, 449. Robert Coperberd, A''.
Corbet, 151. Nicholas Corbet, A/.
Felicia Corbet, A.
Cord' r, 399. Adam le Corder, A. Peter
le Corder, A.
('351. Durant le Cord-
Cord iner, J waner. A/. Roger le
Cordwaner, 1 Cordewaner, C. Ger-
\ vaise le Cordewaner, A^.
Corfe, 452. John Chauf, A. Geoffrey
le Cauf, F.
Coroner, 179. John le Coroner, A/.
Henry le Corouner, A.
Corner (i), 179. John le Corner, A.
Waiter le Cornur, A'.
(2), 130, 179. William de la
Cornere, A. Robert Atte
Cornere, A/.
Cornmongcr, 275. Ralph le Corn-
monger, T. Henry le Cornmongere,
A/.
Cornish, 147. William Cornish, D.
Margery Cornish, //.
Cornthwaite, 121.
Cornwall, 169, 147. Geoffrey de Corn-
wayle, B. Wauter de Cornwaille, A/,
538
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Comwallis, 148. Thomas le Corn-
waleys, A. Philip le Cornwaleys, L.
Walter le Comewaleys, X.
Corsdebeef, 500. Thomas Cors-de-boef,
A. Thomas Cor-de-beofc, B. Galiena
Cordebeof, y.
/•286, 351. Ralph le Core-
Corser, ] viser, A. William le
Corviser, I Con-iser, B. Durand le
\ Corvescr, Af.
Cosier, 352.
Cosscr (v. Corser), 286.
Cotman (i), 252. Richard Coteman, A.
William Coteman, A.
(2). Thomas fil. Cotman, A.
John fil. Cotman, A.
Cotter, 252. William le Cotier, A.
â– Simon le Cotere, FF.
Cotterel, j 252. William Coterel, M-
Cottrell, I Joice Cotterill, Z.
Cotwife, 252. Beatrix Cotewife, A.
Coucher, 360. John le Cochere, A.
William Coucher, IV 2.
Couchman [v. Coachman), 288. Richard
Couchman, Z. William Cowcheman,
EE.
Coudray, 154. William de Coudrayc,
Af. Peter de Coudray, H.
Coulman, 337. Launcelot Coulman,
Z.
Coullhard, 1=^7- John Colthirde, Wg.
Coulthcrd, J D'-^vy Cowlhird, (P^iS.
Coultman, 267.
Councillor, )
Councilman,
Count, 174. John le Cuntc, E.
Peter le Countc, G. Richard Ic
Counte, A^.
Countess, 174, 507. Judctha Comm.i-
tissa, A. John Countcsse, A.
Countryman. John Cuntrcman, A.
Couper, 394. Nicholas le Coupcr, A.
Warin le Couper, J/.
Coupcrcss, 394. Roger Coupcrcsse, A.
i8i
Coupman. Richard Coupman, A.
Courcy, 151.
Court. Baldwin attc Curt, M. Godfrey
ate Curt, M.
Cousen, ("429. Richard le Cusyn, A.
Cousin, \ John le Cosyn, G. Thomas
Couzen, \ le Cozun, E.
Cover, 395. Richard le Cuver, O.
Walter le Cuver, E. Michael le
Cuver, A.
Coverer, 395. Robert le Covcrour, A.
Adam le Covrcur, M.
Covetous, 483. Gilbert le Covetiose,
M.
Cow (i), 490. Thomas le Cu, A.
Ralph le Cou, M.
(2), 485. Thomas del Cou, M.
Coward, 266. William le Kuhcrde, A.
John le Couhcrde, B. Adam le Cow-
hirde, M.
Cowbcvtson, 56. Nicholas Cowbeytson,
IV9.
Cowden, ii3. Thomas Cov.-den, I-F.
Nathaniel Cowden, FF.
Cowlcr, 337. Richard le Couhelere,
J/.
Cowley, 119. Alexander de Couleye,
A. Roger de Couele, A.
Cowman, 271.
Cowpcr (v. Coupcr), 389, 394. Willel-
mus Cow])ere, Wig.
Cowjiman, [v. Coupman) 394. Richard
Cowpeman, A.
Coxhcad {v. Cockshead), 447. Thomas
Co.xhead, HH.
Coxon {v. Cockson), 65.
Coyking. 505. John Coyking, Rf.
Crabb, 497.
Crabtrce. John Crabtre, IF 16. Wil-
liam Crabtrcc, W 16.
Crackshicld, 462. Thomas Cracky-
shiekl.
Cramp [v. Crumj)), 440. William Cramp,
Z.
Cramphom, 461. Joseph Cramphome,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
539
Crane, 144, 494. Hugh le Crane, G.
William le Crane, E.
Crask, 432. Walter le Crask, FF.
Crass, 432. Richard le Cras, A. John
le Cras, AI. Stephen Crassus, y.
Crestolot, 16. Crestolot de Pratis, D. D.
Crimp {v. Crump), 440.
Cripling, 441. William Crypling, A.
Crisp, 450. Robert le Crespe, A. Regi-
nald le Crispe, y.
Crocker 392. Simon le Crockere, A.
Stephen le Crockere, M.
Croft, j 132. Roger de Croft es, A.
Crofts, I Agnes de Croftis, A.
Croiser, 158. Simon le Croiser, M. Wil-
liam Croiser, //.
Croker, 392. Robert Croker, /-'. John
le Croker, M.
Crook, 461. Roger le Cruk, M. John
Cruke, A.
Crookbone, 440. Henry Croakbane, A.
Geoffrey Crokebayn, 11^4.
Crooke [v. Crook), 440. Vincent Crooke,
Z.
Crookhom, 461. John Crokehorn, B.
Robert Crokehorn, T.
Cropper, 256. Roger tlie Cropper,
A A 2. Robin the Cropper, A A 2.
Crosier {v. Crozier), 190. William Croy-
ser, G.
Cross f^3°" J°'^" '^"'^ Cross, M.
Crosse, ^°Ser del Cros, R. Jordan
( ad Crucem, A.
Crosser, 113.
Crossman, 113. Julyan Crosman, Z.
Emme Crossman, Z.
Crossthwaite, 121. Henry de Cros-
thwcyte, M. John de Crostwyt, R.
Crossweller {v. Crcssweller), 113.
Crotch, j 130. John attc Cruche, A.
Crouch, I Mrailda atte Crouche, B.
Croucher, 113, 130. John le Crocher,
K. John Crowcher, FF.
Crouchman, 113, 130. Richard Croche-
man, A. William Croucheman, B.
Crow, 494. Claricia Crowe, A. Robert
Crowe, AI.
Crowder, 310. Ricard le Cruder, A.
Thomas le Crouder, 1^2.
Crowfoot, 500. William Crowfoot, FF.
Henry Crowfoot, FF.
Crowther [v. Crowder), 310.
Crozier, 190. Simon le Croyscr, AI.
Mabel le Croyser, G.
Cruel, 464, 484. Warin Cruel, A.
Cruikshank, 438.
Crump, 440. Richard le Crumppe, A.
Hugh le Crumpe, T.
Cryer, 183. Philip le Criour, E. Wat
le Creyer, G. Edward le Crciour,
N.
Cuckhold. Thomas le Cuckold, A.
Matilda Cuckold, A.
Cuckoo, 494. Stephen Cuckoo, FF.
William Cuckow, FF. I'homas
Cuckowe, V. 13.
Cuddie [v. Cuthbert), 55.
Cullen C ^70- Jo''^'^ ^e Coloigne, FF.
Cullin<^ ^1 WiUiam de Culinge, A.
^' i Alan Culling, ^.
Culver, 495.
Cuner, 404. Ada le Cuner, A. Henry
Cunator, A.
Cunerer, 404. Samson le Cunercr, A.
Cunning, 139, 469.
Cunningham, 139.
Cuppagc, 215. John Cupnge, A A 3.
Cupper, 389. William le Cuppere, G.
Thomas le Cupper, AI.
Cure. John le Cure, A. Anno Cure,
Z.
Curl, 450. Marcus Curie, Z. William
Curie, Z.
Curling [v. Qucrdclyun), 499.
Currier, 331.
Curt, 432. Thomas le Curt, A'. Wil-
liam le Curt, L.
Curtman. Adam Curtman, A.
Curtbrand, 457. Reginald Curtbrant,
B.
540
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Curteis, 468, 464. Walkelin le Curteis,
C. Richard le Curteis, E.
Curtepy, 456. Richard Curtepie, A.
William Cortepy, A.
Curthose, 456. Robert Curthose, A.
Robert Curthose, PP.
Curtis, 468, 464. Osbert le Curteys, A.
Walter le Curteys, f.
Curtmantel, 456. Henry Curtmantel,
PP.
Curtvalor, 456. Richard Curtevalur,
A.
Curtwailet, 456. Martin Curtwallet, A.
f{v. Custson), 67. Eliza Cusse,
W 9. Matilda fil. Cusse,
A. Osbert Cuson, A. Cuss
Balla, A.
Cussot, 67. Cussot Colling, A.
Cust, 67. Custe Newman, A. Robert
fil. Cust, A. Custe Alver, A.
Custance, 67. Custance la Braceresse,
A. Henry fil. Custance, W 6. Rey-
ner Custance, A .
Custerson, ( 67. William Custson, W8.
Custson, I Henry fil. Custance, A.
Cutbeard, 56. Thomas Cutbcrt, //.
John Cutbert, A. William Cutteberd,
Cute, 465. Nicholas le Cute, A. Bene-
dict le Cuyt, A.
Cuteswain, 505. John Cutsweyn, A.
Cuthbert, 56. Cuthbert Capun, P.
Cuthbert Ricerson, IV $â–
Cuthbertson, 56. Elizabeth Cuthbcrtson,
W 16. Thomas Cuthbertson, IV 11.
Cutler, 282, 390. Walter le Cotiler, A.
Peter le Cotelcr, M. Jordan le
Cotiler, N.
Cydercr, 261.
â– pv'AETH {v. Death), 140.
•^ Uaffe, 441. Lcfcke DafTc, .-/.
Daft, 441. William Daft, A.
Daisy, 485. Roger Daisye, V 9.
Thomas de la
Cus-
tance de Alemania, A.
Damet,
Damiot,
Dakins, 188, 83.
Dale, Sibill de Dale, B.
Dale, M.
Dallman, \ , m _. \ ^
„, , .' I (V. Aleman), i6t;.
D Almaine, ' ^ " o
Dalmaine, .
Dalman, 165. John Dalman, FF. Wil-
liam Dalman, /'Y'.
Dame, 84. Henry Dame, A. Alexan-
der Dame, A/.
Damegod, 511. Peter Damegod, M.
John Domegode, O.
Damsell, 84. Simon Damsell, A.
Lawrence Damysell, IV 2.
Dameson, 84. John Damson, Z.
r 84, Dametta, A. Dametta
I fil. Morrell, DD. Henry
â– i Damett, P. Hugh Damiot,
A. Damietta Avenel, FF.
l^ Alice Damyett, Z.
Damned-Barebones, 78.
Damsel (v. Damsell), 84. Damosel
Skren, QQ.
Dance {v. Dans), 84.
Dancer, 307. Herveus le Danser, A.
Henry Dawnser, Z.
Dancock, 84. John Dancock, G.
Dandelyan, 499. William Daundelyun
B.
Danett, 84. Ralph Danett, PP.
Thomas Danet, XX i.
Daniel, 84. Daniel fil. John, E. Richard
Danyel, .-I/.
Dankin {v. Daniel), 84. Gunnilda
Danekin, A'.
^84. Daniel Dann, PP. Henry
Dannn, j Dann, PP. Moses Dan-
Dannett, ") nett, F 5. John Dannctt,
L ^4.
Dans, 84. \. , ^ ~
11 . } John Danse, Z.
Danser (v. Dancer), 307.
Danson, 84. Christoiihir Danson, Z.
John Danson, Z. Marmaduke Dan-
son, IV II.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
541
Dawe,
Dawes,
DAP
Dapifer, 2ir. Henry Dapifer, ^. Sewall
Dapifer, y.
Darling. Jane Darling, W 20.
Dason (v. Davison), 83.
Dauber, 250. Roger le Daubere, A.
Silvester Daubere, //.
David, 83. David Faber, A. Gilbert
David, A.
Davidson, 83. Robert fil. David, A.
Thomas Davydson, Af.
Davies, 83. Davey ap Davidson, Z.
Gerves Daves, IV 9. Davy Cow-
third, IV 18.
Davison, 83. James Davyson, IV g.
Thomas Davyson, /'7^
Davitt (v. David), 83. Robert fil. Davit,
A. Isabel uxor Davit, A.
Dawber {v. Dauber), 250
83. Daw le Pestour, //.
Dawe le Falconer, DD.
Lovekin Dawes, A.
Dawkes, 83. Charles Dawkes, FF.
Robert Dawkes, F5.
Dawkins, 83. John Dawkyns, F. Henry
Dawkins, Z. Dorken le Bercher, A.
Dawkinson, 83.
Dawson, 83. Richard fil. Dawe, A.
Raffe Dawson, Z.
Day, (273. CecilialeDay, y. Stephen
Daye, \ leDagh, T. Thomas le Day, .1/.
Dayes, 83.
Dayman, 273.
Dayson {v. Davison), 83.
Daystar. Robert Daystcrre, A.
Deacon, 188. Senxa le Dekcnc, A.
Philip le Dekene, M.
Deakin, 188.
Dean (i), 156. Roger le Dene, A. John
le Dene, FF.
(2), 118. William do la Dene, A.
A lam atte Dene, Af.
Dearden, 11 i Ralph de Dernedcn, A.
Dearlove, 47 William Derelove, F.
Richard Lcrclove, ZZ. Thomas
Dearlove W 16
Dearman (v. Deerman), 235
Death, 168, 510. John Deth, M. Hugh
de Dethe, A.
Debenham, 17, 146. John de Deben-
ham, A. Giles de Debenham, FF.
Debonaire, 467. Philip le Debeneyre, A.
Decroix, 153.
Deer, 443. Robert leDere,^^. Lawrence
le Deer, AI.
Deerman, 235. John Dereman, A.
William Dereman, A.
Defend, 103. Defend Outered.
Defontaine, 153.
Delamere, 153. Reginald de la Mere,
A. Grigore de la Mere, A.
Delarue, 153.
Delilah, 77.
Delisle, 153.
Deliver, 465. Ralph le Delivere, MAI.
Delivery, '^j.
Deman, 273. Roger Deyman, Z.
Demer, 180. Simon le Demer, B.
Dempster, 180. Christopher Dempster, Q.
Den, 118. Henry de Denn, A/. William
ate Denne, Af.
Denis (v. Dennis), 70.
Denison (v. Dennison), 70.
Denman, 119, 270. Ralph Denmane, ZZ.
Dennis (i). Denneyse Fowler, Z. Denes
Lister, IV 9. Richard Dio-
nys, Af.
(2), 162. Joel le Deneys, A.
Brice le Daneis, Af. James
le Danoys, XX i.
Dennison (i), 70. Henry Dennison, IV
16. John Denyson, IF 13.
Michael fil. Dionysioe, A.
(2). Walter Denizen, A.
Dcnt-de-fer, 434. Robert Dent-de-fer, F.
Denthorp, 137. Catherine Denthorp,
XX 4.
Denyer, 119, 270.
Departedieu, 511. John Departe-dieu,
f'F.
Deputy. Thomas Deputy, IV 20.
542
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Despencer,
Despenser,
Derbyshire, 147. Henry Derbyshyre,
ZZ. Thomas Derbyshire, 7,Z.
Deme, ii8 n.
Denihouse, ii3 n. Thomas Derne-
huse, A.
Denventwater, 429. Henry de Der-
wentwater, M. Thomas de Dertsent-
water, L.
175. Thurstan le De-
spencer, A. Edward le
Despenser, B.
Deus-saUet-dominas, 511. Roger Deus-
salvet-dominas, v. p. 511.
Devil, (153. John Deyvyle, ^. Tho-
Devjlle, I mas de Dey\7le, T.
Devoni h, 147. John le Deveneis, E.
Isabel le Deveneis, A. Xichol le
Devenys, M.
Dewhurst, 116. John Derhurste, XX \.
Grace Dewhirste, ZZ.
Deye (v. Day), 273. Hugh le Deye, G.
Cecily le Deye, FF.
Deyville, 153. Goscelin de Eyville, M.
John de Eyville, M.
Diacony, 188 «. Micheli Diacony, XXx.
Diable, 153. Osbert Diabolus, C.
Roger le Diable, y.
Dibden, ii3 ». Randoljibde Depcnden,
A. John Debden, XX i.
'65. (i),Johnfil. Decani, ^.
Amice fil. Decani, A.
(2), John Dyconson, H.
Anlhonye Dickon-
son nc, \V 9.
Dick, 40. Agatha Dick, FF. John
Dik. FF.
Dickens, 40. William Dicons, FF.
Richard Dikkins, FF.
Dickenson (f. Dicconson), 16, 40.
Robert Dickenson, ZZ. William
Dykynson, Z/Z.
Dicker, 257. Symon le Dikcr, A.
Geoffrey le Dykero, A.
Dickcrson, 40. Henry Dickcrson, FF.
Dickman, 257. Walter Dikeman, A,
Diccons,
Dicconson,
DOD
Agnes Dykman, B. Henry Dickman,
Vs.
Dicks, 40. William Dikkys, FF.
Thomas Dykys, FF.
Dickson, 40. Ralph Dikson, F. Nicho-
las Dykson, W 2.
Dieu-te-ayde,5ii. John Dieu-te-ayde, J/.
Digger, 257. William Digger, V 2.
Diggs (f. Dicks), 40. Robert Diggs,
257 n. Anne Digges, Z.
Digginson (w. Dickenson), 40. John
Digginson, Z. Agnes Digison, Z.
Dinah, 100. Dyna Bocher, 100.
r7o.Dionisius Garston, \V\\.
Dionisia, J Dionise Argentein, HH.
Dionisius, | Dionysia la Coyfere, A.
^.Michael fil. Dionisie, A.
Discipline, 77.
Disher, 393. John le Discher, O. Robert
le Dishere, X.
Disheress, 393. Margaret le Disheresse,
A.
Disser,
I qi4. Roger le Disser, A.
Dissour, ) ^ ^ "
Dister, 322. Robert le Dighestere, G.
Walter le Dighestere, G. Thomas
Dyster, B.
Ditchcnd, 114. John dc Dichende, R.
Dives, 431. Elyas le Diveys, A.
Dix [v. Dicks), 40. William Dixe, Z.
Thomas Dickcs, /•"/''.
Dixon (i'. Dickson), 40. Bayll Dixson,
J Kg. Agnes Dixson, Z.
Dobbins, 39. Toby Dobbin, FF. John
Dobbins, Z.. Matilda Dobin, A.
Dobbs, 39. Roger Dobbs, M. Richard
Dobbys, >S£. Robert Dobbis, 1^17.
Dobinett. John Dobyncttc, v. p. 39, «.
Dobinson, ^39. Miles Dobsonne, ZZ.
Dobison, \ Richard Dobyson, W 2.
Dobson, i Henry Dobbinson, W 20.
Dodman, 304. Peter Dodcman, A.
John Dodman, FF.
Dodson (f. Davidson), 83. John Daud-
son, M. Adam Doddson, ZZ.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
543
Doe, 489. John le Doe, A. William
le Do, A.
Dog, 492. Nicholas Dogge, A.
Dogmow, 434. WilHam Dogmow, A.
Araulph Dogmow, A.
Dollman, 165. Ales Dolman, Z.
Mathew Dolman, ££.
Dolphin, 497. John Dolfin, Z. William
Dolfin, A.
Doman (v. Doorman), 204.
Domitt, 84. Henry Domet, A.
Dook (v. Duke), 174.
Doolittle, 500.
Doomsday. Richard Domesdaye, FF.
Margery Domesday (Lower).
Doorman, 204. Nicholas Doreman, O.
Doorward, 204. Geoffrey le Doreward,
A. Elias Dorewarde, B. Isabel
Dorewarde, //.
Dorman (v. Doorman), 204.
Dorturer, 192. Robert le Dorturer, B.
William le Dorturer, DD.
Dosier, 360. Robert le Dosier, A.
Richard le Dosyere, A.
Dosser {v. Dosier), 360. Gilbert le
Dosser, A. John Dawsor, ££.
Dosson, 69.
Doubleman, 389.
Doubler, 389. Hans Doublcr, O. John
Doblere, X.
Doublcrosc. Annabell Doublerose.
Douce {v. Dowse), 69.
Doucett [v. Dowsett). John Doucctt,
FF.
Douch, 165.
Doughty, 467. John Doughty, FF.
Thomas Doughtye, ZZ.
Dove, 494. Richard le Duv, Af. Nicho-
las le Duv, Af.
Dowch, 165.
Dowkin {v. Dowse), 69. Richard Dow-
kin, /'•.
Downe, 125. John de la Dounc, B.
Nicholas atte Doune, AI.
Downyhead, 447. John Downyhead, M.
Dowsabell, 19, 70. Dowsabell Cobbe,
FF. Dowzable Mill, Z. Dussabell
Caplyn, Z. Thomas Duszabell, Af.
Doomsday, 63. Richard Domesday,
FF.
Doucett (z>. Duckett), 70.
Dowse, 69. Duce Mercatrix, A. Douce
de Moster, A. William Douce, Af.
Dowsett (v. Dowse), 69. Walter fil.
Dussote, A.
Dowson, 69. John fil Dousje, W 5.
John Dowsson, Z. Stephen Dowson,
F.
Dragon, 428. Walter le Dragon, A.
William le Dragon, A.
Drake, 494. Adam le Drake, B. Martin
le Drake, F.
Draper, 286. Roger le Draper, A.
Henry le Drapier, Af.
Drawespe, 461. Thomas Drawespe, A.
William Drauespe, A.
Drawlace, 502. John Drawlace, W 18.
Drawsword, 461. Henry Draweswerd,
A. Maurice Draugheswerd, Af.
Draw-water, 410. Richard Drawater,
A.
Drayncr, 257. Elizabeth Draner, Z.
Thomas Draner, Z.
Dresser, 261. Raphe Dresser, Z. John
Dresser, IV i6.
Drew, 31. William fil. Drogo, A. Dru
Rarentyn, //. Drcwe Drewery, Z.
Drewett, 31. Druett Malerbe, A.
Dnietta de Pratello, A.
Drynk-ale, 481. Jakes Drynkale, XX i.
Drink-dregs, 481. Geoffrey Dringke-
dreggcs, ^' C.
Drink water, 481. John Drinkewater^^/.
Richard Drynkewatere, Af.
Driver, 288. John le Drivere, .4/.
Richard le Drivere, Af. James Driver,
IF 16.
Drivcrcss, 281. Alice le Driveress, A.
Drunkard, 481. Maurice Dnmcard, A.
Drybread, 501. John Drybrcd, A.
544
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Dubber, 354. Jordan le Dubbere, P.
Stephen le Dubbere, AI. Payen le
Dubbour, N.
Dubois, 153. John Dubois, A.
Ducatel, 153.
Duce, (v. Dowse), 6g. Duce Vidua, A.
Agnes fil. Duce, A. John fil. Duce,
A.
Ducedame, 481. Roger Ducedame, A.
Duceparole, 468. Henry Duceparolc,
T.
Duck, 174 «. Roger le Due, ^. Adam
le Duk, M. William le Duck, T.
Ducket (v. Dowsett), 70. Margery
Duckett, HH. Robert Duckett, PP.
Dulcia Duket, A.
Duckrell, 494.
Dudder, 303.
Dudderman, M03. Simon Dudeman, Z).
Duderman, \ Ralph Deudeman, M.
Dudman, ( Obbe Dudeman, E.
Duffus, 131. Thomas Dufhouse, X.
John del Duffus, A.
Duke, 174. Nicholas Duke, ^. Thomas
Duke, B.
Dukeson {v. Douce). Robert Dukeson,
Z.
Dulcia (i'. Duce), 69. Robert fil. Dulcie.
A. Dulcia le Drapcre, G. Dulcia fil.
Willliam, E. Dulcia Boveton, A.
Dulcibella [v. Dovvsabcll), 70.
Dulson {v. Dulcia), 70.
Dull. Alicia le Dul, A.
Dumbard, 442. Robert Dumbard, A.
Dun (i), 125. Gilbert attc Dune, A.
Henry de la Dun, A'.
(2), 445. Henry le Dun, A. Wil-
liam le Dun, n.
Duncalf, 490. John Duncalf, AA i.
William Duncalf, A A 1.
Dunman, 395. William Dunman, A.
John Dunman, A.
Dunn (f. Dun), 395. William le Dunne,
A.
Dupont, 153.
Durand,
Durant,
Dyot,
Dyott,
Dyotson,
EDE
Henry fil. Durant, A. Durand
le Bonjohan, A. Ivo Du-
raunt, A.
Duredent, 434. Walter Durcdent, E.
Durnford, 118 n. Radegund Derneford,
HR I. Robert de Derneford, A.
Durward {v. Doorward), 204. John
Dunvard, B.
Dust, -jj.
Dutchman, 163.
Dutchwoman, 163. Katherine Dutch-
woman, X.
Duzamour, 474. Felicia Duzamour, z: p.
474-
Dyer, 322. John le Deyere, A. Geoffrey
le Deghere, G. Nicholas le Deighere,
M.
[v. Dionisia), 70. Diota de
Walworte, W 19. Dyot
Hayne, 11^ 11. Diotson,
Dyson [v. Dionysia), 70. William Dy-
sone, M.
Dyster iv. Dister), 322.
T7AGLE, 14s, 485. (i), Gilbert de la
^ Hegle, A.
(2), Custance le Egle, A.
Eaglebcard, 449. Ismay Egleberd, A.
Eame {v. Erne), 429.
Earl, 145. Roger leErl, /f.John Erie, B.
Famshaw, 117.
Earth, 77.
East, 150. Robert dc la Este, A.
Christopher Easte, /.
Eastcnd, 115. Emma ate Estende, A.
Adam in Estend, A.
Eastcrling, 164.
ILastcrn, 150. Thomas Esteme, A.
Eborard, 27. Geoffrey fil. Eborard, A.
r21)orard le Ken, A.
Edcline (v. Adeline), 19. Robert fil.
JCdeline, A. Edclina del Brok, K.
Edelina Aylevc, A.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
545
Edelota (v. Edeline). Edelota Darby,
y1. Ydelot Binytheton, A'.
Edith, 19. John fil. Edithe, A. Editha
uxor Edwardi, C.
Edmond, j 19. Edmon le Ussher, M.
Edmonds, | Walter Edmonds, Z.
Edmondson, 19. Robert Edmondson,
Z.
Edmund, j 5, 19. Robert Eadmund,
Edmunds, \ A. Edmund Bullok, Z.
Edmundson, 19. John fil. Eadmundi,
A. Alexander fil. Eadmund, A.
Edred. John Edred, A. Thomas
Edrede, A.
Edward, (19. Roger Eadward, A.
Edwardes, | Robert Edward, Af.
Edwardson, 19. George Edwardson,
XX r. Emma fil. Edward, A.
Eimeric, 26.
Elcock, 87. Francis Elcock, Q. Roger
Hellecok, A.
Elder, 432.
lileanor (v. Alianora). Eleanor Lovet,
H. Hugh fil. Elyenore, A. Elner
Martin, Z.
. Elias, 86.
Eliot f^7' ^'^°' ^^ ^^P- ^''^^' ^•
Eliott I ^l'°""s ^^ Balliol, E.
' I Richard Eliot, Af.
Elizabeth, 79 n. Elizabeth Draner, Z.
Elcock, 87. John Elcock, ZZ. Henry
Elcocke, ZZ.
Elkins, (86. Elekyn, A'. Robert
Elkinson, | Elkyn, X.
EUcock (v. Elcock), 87.
Ellen (JA Eleanor), 72. David fil. Elene,
A, Elene le Fleming, y.
EUice, 86. Duce Elice A. Ellice C^w-
per, Z. Elice Apprice, Z.
Ellicot, 87 «. Elisoip, A. Ellisotc
Dispenser, A. Elisott! Domicella,
IV 2. Elisot Bustard, U^' 2.
Elliot (v. Eliot), 16, 87. Richard fitz
Elote, Af. Henry Elyot, A.
Elliotson, 87. Robert Elyotson, /•'.
N
EMP
Ellis, 86. Elis le Fitz-Hugh, Af. Elis
de Albrighton, Af. Nicholas Ellys,
F.
Ellison, 86. Henry fil. Elis, A. John
Ellison, F. Elias fil. Elye, Af.
Ellson, 86. Roger fil. Elie, A. Wil-
liam Elson, H.
Elmer (v. Aylmer), 29. Richard Eilmar,
A. William Elmer, Af.
Elmhurst, 116.
Elmsley, 119. Albred de Elmsleie, A.
Elwyn {v. Aylwin), 29. Elwyn le Hey-
ward, A. William Elwin, A.
Ember, 61. Ember SoleiroU, QQ.
Emberson (v. Emerson), 29.
Eme, 429. Nicholas Eme, A.
I Emelia, 19, 87 n. Emelia la Prys, M.
i Emelot, 87 n. Emelot, y. Elena Erne-
lot {v. Emelia), A.
I Emeric, 29, 87 «. Emeric de Bezill, A.
j Emericus de Sacy, B. Emericus de
I Bosco, C.
j Emerson, 29. Richard Emryson, VV
! 12. John fil. Emerici, Af. William
j Emeryson, IV 8. Richard Emerson,
PV2.
I Emery, 29. Emerius Monetarius, C.
I William Emery, D.
I Emlott {v. Emelot), 87 n.
I Emma, 68. Emma mater Andreas, C.
I Emma la Gradere, A. limma uxor
I Saer, J.
68. Walter Em, A. Wil-
liam Emms, A. Edmund
Emmes, /•'/•'.
16, 68. Emmetta Catton, X.
Em met Flessour, IV 9.
Emmet Chapman, IVg.
Emmot (v. Emmott), 16, 68.
Emmotson, 68.
Emmott, 68. Emmota Plummer, IV2.
Emmota Fysscher, IV 2. Emmot
Kneyt, A.
Emperor, 173. Richard le Emperer,
O.
Em me,
Emmes,
Emmet,
Emmett,
N
546
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
EMP
Empson, 68. Richard Empson, H.
John Emmeson, FF.
Emson, 68. Elyas fil. Emme, A. John
Emyson, F.
Enfant, 202. John le Enfaunt, A.
Walter le Enfaunt, H. John le En-
fant, E.
Engineer, 229 (w. Jenner), William le
Engynur, A. Richard le Enginur, B.
Emulf le Enginnur, E.
English, 149. Walter le Engleis, A.
Richard le Engleys, B. John le Eng-
lisshe, M.
Enota, 87 «. Enota Coly, A.
Envious, 464. Hamo le Enveyse, A.
William le Enveise, C.
Epiphany, 61. Epiphania Jackson, QQ.
Eremite (v. Hermit), 196. Hugh le
Ermite, E.
Emald (f. Arnold), 28. Ernaldus de
Baiona, C. Ernaldus Camifex, C.
Peter Emald, R.
Escot (w. Scott), 148. Roger le Escot,
A. Adam le Escot, //.
Escriveyn (v. Scriven), 362. Robert le
Escriveyn, E. William le Escrevyn,
G.
Eskirmesur (v. Skrimshire), 220. Henry
le Eskirmessur, A. Peter le Eskur-
mesur, E. John le Eskirmesour, K.
Espaigne (f. Spain), 161. Arnold de
Espaigne, H. John de Ispania, A.
Espicer (z/. Spicer), 329. Alan le Espe-
cer, A. Milo le Espicer, N. Richard
le Espicer, B.
Espigumell [v. Spigumell), 183. Nicho-
las Espigurnel, A. Edmund le Espi-
gumel, L.
Espin (z/. Espaigne), 161.
Esquier (v. Squier), 166. Thomas le
Esquier, E. Gilbert le. Esquier, J.
Esquiler (w. Squiller), 174. William le
Esquiler, //. Robert le Escuyllcr, E.
â– ^â– ''.Strange (v. Strange), 146. Robert le
P' Estrange, A. John le Estrange, R.
Estraunge (v. Straunge), 146. Roger le
Estraunge, H. John le Estraunge, y.
Estrys, 150. Moyne le Estrys, A.
Richard le Estreys, T.
Etheldreda [v. Audry), 19. Etheldreda
Castell, FF. Etheldred or Audrey
Clerc, FF.
Ethelred, 5.
Euphemia, 19. Eufemia de Grey, K.
Eufemia de Heslarton, W <).
Eustace, 18. Herveus fil. Eustace, A.
Evans, j Howell ap Yevan, H. David
Evanson, 1 ap Evan, Z.
Eve, 3, 81. Eva Te.xtrix, A. Eva la
Warre, J. Eva fil. Dolphini, J.
Evelyn, I 87 n. Evelina Coynterel, A.
Eveline, \ George Evelynge, 7..
Everard, 29. Fulco fil. Everardi, R.
Everard Gallicus, E. Geoffrey fil,
Everard, A.
Everardson {tj. Evorard). Nicholas Eve-
rardsonne, BB. Peter Everadsonne,
BB.
Eversden, 118. John de Eversdene, A.
Luke de Eversden, DD.
Eversholt, 116. Richard de Eversholt,
M. John de Everesholt, R.
Every, 29. John Every, H. William
Everye, Z.
Eves {v. Eveson), 81.
Evesk (z'. Vesk), 156. Henry le Eveske,
E. Elyas le Eveske, T.
Eveson, 81. John fil. Eve, M. Cecilia
fil. Evae, T. Richard fil. Eve, A.
Evett, 81. Evota de Durham, A". Evota
de Stanley, W 2. William Evote, X.
^^''' \ 153- Peter de Evyille, M.
Evill, I
Evilchild, 506. Alan Evilchild, A.
Evitt (v. Kvett), 81.
Evott [^. Evett), 81.
Ewe (i), 445. Leticia le Eue, M.
Nicholas le Ewe, FF.
{2), 118. Jordan del Ewe, A.
John del Ewe, A,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
547
EWE
Ewer, 214. Brian le Ewer, E. Richard
le Ewere, H. William le Ewer, T.
Ewery, 214. Adam le Euere, A. Roger
de Euere, M.
Excuser, 180. Peter le Es-cuzer, H.
Experience. Experience Mayhew, 103
Eyre, 202. William le Eyr, B. Simon
le Heir, A. Robert le Eir, M.
Eyville, 153. Nicholas de Eyvil, A.
John de Eyvill, R.
Ezekiel, 100. Ezekiel Guppye, Z.
Ezota (t'. Elizabeth). Ezota Hall,
WXT..
â– pABER. Silvester Faber, A. Nicho-
las Faber, H.
Fail, 154. Gilbert Fayel, E. Matilda
Faiel, E.
Faint-not, 103. Faint-not Dighurst,
. 103.
Fair, 475. Richard le Fay re, A. Marcus
le Faire, C.
Fairbrother, 508.
Fairchild, 508. Robert Fayrchild, A.
Godfrey Fairchilde, C.
Fairclough, 124. William Fairclough,
Z. Hugh Faierclugh, Z.
Fairfax, 449. Thomas Fayrfax, M.
Guy Fairefax, H. William Farefaxe,
Fairhair, 448. Geoffrey Fairher, N.
Edward Fayreheire, Z.
Fairhead, 435. William Fairheved, A.
Richard Faireheved, H. ,
Fairman (i), 304. John Fayerman, A.
Richard Fayrman, A.
(2), 304. Fairman Alberd, M.
Fairesire, 506. Henry Fairesire, X.
Fairson, 506. Richard Fairsone, M.
Fairweather, 472. John Fayrweder, A.
Hugh Fairweder, A.
Faith, 103. Faythe Childe, W 14.
Fayth Neville, W 14.
Faithful, 104. Faythful Fortescue, 104.
Fakes [v. Fawkes), 50. Fakes de
Breante, E.
Falcon, 493. William le Falcon, M.
Falconar, /240. Guide le Falconare, ^.
Falconer, Geoffrey le Falconer, M.
Falkener, | William le Falkoner, M.
Falkner, ( Antony Falkner, Z.
Fallow, 446. Roger le Falewe, A,
Alicia la Falour (?), A.
Fallowman,446. William Faleman (?),^.
False. Agnes le P'aleise, J.
Fanner, 276. Walter le Fannere, X.
Simon le Fannere, X.
Fanne, 276. William atte Fanne, R.
Margery Fanne, Z.
Farebrother, 430.
Farewell, 512. Thomas Farewel, A.
Richard Farewell, A.
Farmer, 271. William le Farmere, A.
Robert le Fermere, A.
Farrier (v. Ferrier), 290. Sibilla le
Feryere, A.
Farthing, 456. Geoffrey Ferthing, A.
William Ferthing, M.
Father, 430. Arnold le Fader, A.
Robert le Fader, R.
Fatherless, 430. John Faderless, M.
Ralph Faderles, 55.
Fatman, 431. Richard Fatman, FF.
Fatt, 431. William le Fatte, M. Alan
Fatt, FP.
Fauconer, c(^- Falconer), 240. Bernard
P , '^ Fauconer, M. John le
FaulcTner, 1 Faukcncr, A. Henry le
\ raucuner, E.
Faulkes [v. Fawkes), 50. Edmund
Falkes, H.
Faulkner (v. Falconer), 240.
F'aultless, 463.
Faucet {v. Fauset).
Fauset {v. Fawkes). Richard Fauset, /'/',
Faux {v. Fawkes), 50. Nel Faukes, A,
John Faux, H. Nicholas Faukes, A,
Favell, 445. Hugh Fauvel, M. John
Fauvel, M.
NN2
548
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
FAW
Fawcett (v. Fawsett).
Fawkes, 50. Faukes le Buteller, A.
Faukesius de Breant, A. Fauke de
Glamorgan, £.
Fawsett (v. Fawkes). Robert Fawcett,
PP.
Fawson, ]
Faxson, J ^
Fayle (v. Fail), 154.
Fear-not, 103. Fere-not Rhodes, 103.
Fearon (v. Feron), 244.
Featherbeard, 449. John Featherberde,
//.
Featherstonehaugh, 133.
Feelgood. William Felegod, A.
Felicia, 19. Felicya Pudforth, A. Felicia
de Quoye, A. Warner fil. Felice, A.
Fell-dog, 500. Roger Feldog, 11^15.
Fellmonger, 331.
Fellowe, ( 506. Bele le Felawe, A.
Fellowes, \ Robert le Felawe, A.
Fellowship, 191. William Felliship,
W II.
Felon, 182 n. Henry le Felun, A.
Fenn. Roger del Fen, A. Thomas
atte Fenne, B. Gonnilda in le
Fenne, A.
Fenner, 237. Richard le Fenere. //.
Ralph le Fenere, P.
Fenreve, 233. Adam Fen re ve,^. Symon
Fenreve, A.
Fermer (v. Farmer), 271, 192. Robert
le Fermere, A. Matilda la Fermer, G.
Fermerie, 192. Idonia de la Fermerie,
B. John le Fermery, H.
Fermor (v. I'ermer), 192.
Feron, 283. Alan le Feron, A. Mar-
gery la Feron, B.
Ferrers, 151. Wydo de Ferreris, /'/''.
Elizabeth de Ferreris, PF.
Ferrier, 290. Osbert le Ferrur, A.
Peter le Ferrour, G. Colin le Ferur,
A.
Ferriman, 285. Peter Feryman, Z.
Richard Ferryman, Z.
Ferron {v. Feron), 283. Roger leFemn,^.
Fesant (z-. Pheasant), 494.
Feure, 283. Reginald le Feure, B.
Thomas le Feure, M.
Feuterer (v, Fewter), 236. Walter le
Feuterer, A.
(283. Richard le Fevere, A.
John le Fever, A/. Torald
le Fevre, y. Achard le
Fevre, T.
Fewster (v. Fuster), 289. Ralph Few-
ster, 55.
Fewter, 236. Geoffrey le Wewtercr, A.
John le Vautrer, A. Godfrey le
Futur, A.
Fidler, 308. Robert Fyflfudlerc, X.
John Fydler, ZZ. Ruelard Vidulator,
DD. Thomas le Fytheler (Lower).
Robert Fediller,A'A' I. John le Fythe-
ler, AA i^.
Field, 115. Linota ate Feld, A.
Thomas atte Felde, Af.
Fielder, 113. Alice Feylder, ZZ. Rich-
ard Feilder, IV g.
Fierce, 464. Ralph le Fere, A.
Fighter, 305. Richard le Fytur, A.
Filder (f. Fielder), 113.
Fillpot, 91. John Filpot, P. Roger
Fylpot, PP.
Fillip, 91. Walter Fell]), A. Jon fiz
Felyp, DD. Felipp Clerk, A.
Finch, 494. Thomas Finch, A. James
Fynch, //.
Fincher, 239. Robert le Fincher, B.
Fine-amour, 474. Dulcia Fynamour,
V. p. 474.
Finger, 436. Matilda Finger, //.
Firebrace, 436. Robert Ferbras, Af.
Firminger (v. Furminger) 278, 370.
Andrew Firminger, Z. John Far-
mynger, Z.
Firstling, 202. Bartholomew Firstling
(Strype). William Firstling, PP.
Fish, 274, 496. John le Fysche, Q.
Richard Fishe, PP.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
549
Fisher, 273, 376. Thomas le Fishere,
D. Henry le Fisscre, J. Margaret
le Fischere, A.
Fisherman, 273. Antony Fisheman,
FF. Andrew Fishman, FF.
Fishmonger, 334. William Fyshmon-
ger, F.
Fiske, 274, 496. William Fyske, Q.
Catherine Fiske, FF.
Fisker, 273. Robert le Fys-cer, A.
Lawrence Fisker, E.
Fitch, 489. William Fitche, A. Wil-
liam Fitch, FF.
Fitchett, 489. John Fichet, M. William
Fychet, H.
Fitz-amice, 13. Robert Fitz-amice, M.
Fitz-bennet (z-. Bennet). John le Fitz-
beneit, H. Alan Fitz-bennet, FF.
Fitz-clerk, 65. Alexander Fitz-clerk, H.
Fitz-ellis, 86. Robert Fitz-elis, M.
William Fitz-elias, M.
Fitz-garret [v. Garret). Edward Fitz-
garret, EE. Agnes Fitz-garret, FF.
Fitz-gerald, 13, 52. Gerald Fitz-gerald,
M. Thomas Fitz-gerot, H.
Fitz-gibbon, 13.
Fitz-hamond {v. Hammond), 13, 35.
John Fitz-hamond, D. Sibil Fitz-
hamon, FF.
Fitz-herbert (v. Herbert), 13. William
Fitz-herbert, Z. Thomas Fitz-her-
bert, EE.
Fitz-howard, 26. John Fitz-howard,
Wz.
Fitz-james (v. James), 13. John Fitz-
james, Z. James Fitz-james, EE.
Fitz-lettice, 71. Roger Fitz-lettice, H.
John Fitz-lettice, M.
Fitz-neel, 13. Robert Fitz-neel, D.
Thomas Fitz-neel, M.
Fitz-parker,65. Thomas Fitz-parkere, ^V.
Fitz-patrick, 13. Thomas Fitz-patrick,
M.
Fitz-payn, 13. Ela le Fitz-payn, //.
Elis le Fitz-payn, M,
Fitz-peers (v. Peers), 13. Lucia Fitz-
peers, li. Aveline Fitz-piers, FF.
Fitz-provost, 65. Simon Fitz-provost, H.
Fitz-rauf, 13. John Fitz-rauf, B. Rich-
ard Fitz-ralph, M.
Fitz-richard, 13. John Fitz-richard, B.
Rauf le Fitz-richard, M.
Fitz-simon {u. Simon), 13. Edward le
Fitz-simon, B. Robert Fitz-simon, M.
Fitz-water (v. Walter), 13. W^illiam 16
Fitz-water, A. Humfrey Fitz-wau-
ter, B.
Fitz-warin, 13, 32. Ino Fitz-Waryn, B.
Fulco Fitz-warr^n, C.
Fitz-william (v. William), 13. Jarvis
Fitzwilliam, Z. Roger Fitz-wilham,
FF.
Five-ashes, 129.
Fivepenny, 513. John Fivepeni, A.
Five-pound, 513. James Fyppound,
XX I.
Flanner [v. Flaoner). John Flanner,
FF. John Flanner, 367;/.
Flaoner, 367. William le Flaoner, A.
William le Flaoner, B. Roger le
Flaoner, X.
Flawner (z/. Flaoner), 367. John Flaw-
ner, X.
Flaxenhead, 447. Richard Flaxenne-
hed, A.
Flaxman, 327. William Flexman, A.
Ralph le Flexman, K.
Flaxwife, 327. Christina le Flexwyf, X.
Fleming, 163, 318. Ascelyn le Flemyng,
A. Alard le Fleminge, B. Baldwin
le Fleming, M. Jordan le Flem-
Fleshmonger, 374. William le Fles-
mongere, A. Eudo le Flcshmongere,
M. William Fleshemongere, /•".
Flcsher, 374. Robert Flessher, IF 2.
Miles Flesher, V $.
Fleshewer, 264. William Flesschcwer,
W "2.. John Fleshewer, y/.
Fletcher, 226. Henry le Fletcher, A,
550
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Robert le Fleccher, E. Adam le
Fletcher, G.
Flexman (w. Flaxman), 287.
Flinthard, 416. Jacob Flinthajd, A.
Richard Flinthard, H.
Florence, 134. John de Florence, R.
Florianora. Florianora de Barkworth,
RR I.
Flouredieu, 511. John Flouredieu, FF.
Flower, 228. John le Floer, A. Nicho-
las le Flouer, J. Reginald le Flower, B.
Fluter, 312. Nicholas le Floutere, B.
Fly, 497. Maggie Flie, A. Oda Flie,
A.
Foakes (w. Fulkes), 50. Foke OdeU, H.
Ralph Foke, A.
Foldyate, 130. John atte Foldyate, J.
Foliot, 475. Jordan Foliot, A. Richard
Foliot, B.
Foljambe, 438. Thomas Folejamb, A.
Richard Foljamb, M.
Folkes [v. Fulkes), 50.
Follenfant, 475. Hugh Folenfaunt, A.
Follet, f 475. Margery la Folyet, M.
Follit, I Jordan Folyot, A.
Fool, 216. Peter le Folle, A. Alexander
le Fol, C. Johannes Stultus, DD.
Foolhardy, 475, 464. Walter Ful-
hardy, X.
Foote, 437. Thomas Fot, A. Matilda
Fot, A.
Forager. William le Forager, B.
Forcer, 400. Nicholas le Forcer, A.
Henry le Forcer, B. John le Forcer,^/.
Ford, 115. Peter ate Ford, jT/. Nicho-
las de la Forde, A.
230. Gilbert le Forester,
A. Richard le Forester,
M. Ivo le Forester, J.
Forster (w. Forester), 230. William le
Forster, A. Henry le Forster, M.
Fort, 432. John le Fort, E. William
le Fort, M.
Fortescue, 459. Isabella Fortescue, B.
John Fortescu, //.
Forester,
Forrester,
Foster {v. Forester), 230. Walter le
Foster, J.
Founder, 392. William le Fonder, A.
John le Funder, E.
Fourpeny, 513. Thomas Fourpeni,
W<).
Foulkes (w. Fulkes), 50. Fowlke Grevill,
Z.
Fowkes (v. Fulkes), 50. FowkedeCou-
drey, A. Fowke Crompton, Z.
Fowl, 434. Walter le Fowel, A.
Nicholas le Foghele, M.
Fowler, 239. Warin le Fowlur, A. Wil-
liam le Fougheler, D. John le Fo-
gheler, M.
Fox, 489. Henry le Fox, A. Walter
le Fox, M.
Foxden, 118.
Foxley, 119. John de Foxlee, NN.
Francis, 159. Richard leFraunceys, ^.
Gilbert le Franceys, B, Henry le
Franceis, C.
Francom (v. Frankham), 253.
Francomb (z/. Frankham), 253. Wil-
liam Francombe, Z.
Frank, 254. Walter le Frank, A.
Fulco le Frank, E.
Frankham, 253. Robert Frankhome,
G. Reginald le Fraunchome, A.
Hugh Fraunch-humme, A.
Franklin, 254. Geoffrey le Fraunkelyn,
A. John le Fraunkelyn, B. Miles
le Franklein, M.
Frean (v. Freen), 154.
Frebom (f. Freeborn), 253.
Free, 253. Walter le Free, A.
Freebody, 253. Richard Freebody,
CC 3.
Frcebond, 254 «. Robert Frebond, A.
Freeborn, 253. Richard Frebem, A.
Agnes Frebem, A. Geoffrey Frebem,
Freegift, 77.
Freeman, 253. John le Freman, A.
Martin le Freman, A,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
551
FRE
Freen, 154. Fulk de la Freigne, G.
Stephen ad Fren, A.
Freer, (430, 191. Geoffrey le Frere,
Freere, | A. Syward le Frere, A.
Freke, 465. William le Frek, M.
Henry Freke, A.
Freman {v. Freeman), 253.
Fremantel, 457. Richard de Fremantell,
M. Hugh de Frigido-Mantello, E.
French, 159. Simon le Frensch, A.
Eborard le Frenshe, G. Richard le
Frensh, M.
French-baker, 363. Richard Frensh-
baker, D.
Frenchman, 159. Gyllame Freynsman,
Frere [v. Freer), i6r, 430. John le
Frere, A. Henry le Frere, B.
Freshfish, 333 n., 512. John Freshfisch,
H. Robert Freshfissh, X.
Freshherring, 512. Margaret Fresshe-
haryng, X.
Frewife, 343. Agnes Frewife, A.
Frewoman, 253. Matilda Frewoman,
A.
Freyne (v. Freen), 154. Robert le
Freyne, A. William le Freyne, A.
Friar (v. Frere), 191.
Frick, 465. Ralph Frike, A.
Friday, 63. Simon Fridey, A. Thomas
Fryday, B. Henry Friday, M.
Fridaythorp, 137. John de Fridaythorpe,
XX :^.
Friend, 410. Hugh le Frend, A. Wil-
liam le Frend, H.
Frith, 117, Richard de la Frith, A.
John attte Frith, FF.
Frobisher [v. Furbisher), 222. Peter
Frobysher, Z. Antony Frobiser, ZZ.
Frog, 437. John Frog, A.
Fromabove, 77.
Front-de-beuf, 500. Ralph Front-de-
bceuf, M.
Fruiter, 373. Ralph le Frueter, A.
Peter le Fruter, E. Hugh le Fruter, N.
Fulke,
Fulkes,
Fruitmonger, 373. John le Fruemonger,
M.
Fry, 253. Walter le Frie, A. Roger le
Frye, H. Thomas le Frye, T.
Frybody (v. Freebody), 253. Robert
Frybody, Y.
Fryer (v. Frere), 159, 437.
Fulchon [v. Fulke). Ralph fil. Fulchon,
A. Faulcon Pursevaunt, XX i.
{SO. Fulk Paifrer, H. Fulke
Paynel, A . Fulke le Taver-
ner, B. Fulco Fitz-warin, B.
Fuller, 324. Grigge le Fulur, A. Wal-
ter le FuUere, N. Mathew le Fullere,
M.
Fullilove, 474. Ralph FuU-of-love, FF.
Roger Full-of-love, FF.
Full-James, 504.
Fulman {v. Fuller), 324. William Ful-
man, v. p. 324.
Furber, 222, John le Furber, E. Alan
le Fourbour, G.
Furbisher [v. Frobisher), 222. Thomas
le Furbisur, M. Edmund Furbyssher,
ZZ.
Furminger, 370. William le Formager,
A. Ely le Furmager, O. Wilkin le
Furmager, O.
Furner, 364. William le Furner, A.
Walter le Fernier, A.
Furrier, 345. Richard Furryour, W3.
Fusilier, 229 n. Johannes Fusilier, Y.
Fuzelier, Y.
Fuster, 289. Ralph le Fuster, M.
Robert Fuster, F.
Futter (v. Fewter), 236. Ful«her le
Fewtrer, FF. Simon le Futur, A.
Fynamour, 474. Dulcia Fynamour,
474 «.
/"* A B B E R , 479. Stephen le Gabbere
^^ A. Gerard le Gabur, A.
Gabbot, 99. Anable Gabbot, A.
Gabbs, 99.
552
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Gabcock, 99. William Gabecoky, A.
Gabriel, 99. John Gabriel, M. Gabriel
Carye, Z.
Gadling, 479.
Gager {v. Gauger), 410. William le
Gageour, G.
Gaicote, 459. William Gaicote, A.
Gaillard (v. Gayliard), 472.
Gaite, 183. Robert Ic Gait, M.
Galer {v. Gayler), 151.
Galeys, 149. Thomas le Galeis, E.
Henry le Galeys, R.
Gallant. Thomas Galaunt, A. Helen
Gallant, FF.
Gallard {v. Gayliard), 472. William
Gallard, A.
Gait, 491. Gilbert Gait, A.
Gamaliel, 100. Gamaliel Capell, Z.
Gamson, '458. Robert Gamson, Z.
William Gamson, Z.
Gander, 494. Roger Gandre, A. Thomas
Gandre, X.
Gant (i), (v. Gaunt). Warin le Gant, A.
John le Gant, A.
(2), 168. Gilbert de Gant, J.
Reginald de Gante, E.
Ganter {v. Gaunter), 350.
Gantlett (v. Gauntlett), 459.
Gardiner, 290. Amabilla la Gardiner,
A. Thomas le Gardener, M.
Gardner (v. Gardiner), 260. William
le Gardner, J. Raffe Gardner, Z.
Garlick, 485, 263. Robert Garlick, A.
Sara Garlek, FF.
Garlickmonger, 263. John Garleke-
mongere, B. Henry le Garlekemon-
gere, M. Thomas le Garlykmonger,
M.
Garrett (v. Gerald), 52. Garrett Fitz-
garrett, Z. Garret Hawkinson, Z.
Garratt Jonson, v. p. 52.
Garretson (v. Gerald), 52. John Gar-
redsone, Z. Andrew Garretson, TT.
Gascoigne, 158. Jacob Gascoigne, B.
Philip le Gascoyne, T.
Gaskin (v. Gascoigne), 158. William
Gascon, B. Robert Gaskyn, /•'.
Gate (i), 230. Adam le Gfiyt, B.
Robert le Gait, M.
(2), 102. Richard atte Gate, J/.
William atte Gate, M.
Gateschale, 212. JohnGateschale, VVi,
Percevall Gatescalle, ZZ.
Gatesden, 268. William de Gatcsden,
iM. John de Gatesden, FF.
Gathard (v. Gaytherd), 268.
Gatherer, 263. Roger le Gaderer, A.
Gattard {v. Gaytherd), 268.
Gauger 411. Alexander le Gauger, A''.
Henry le Gaugeour, A^. Alan Gauger,
M.
Gaunt (i), 140. Simon de Gaunt, M.
Maurice de Gaunt, C.
(2), 432. Thomas le Gaunt, A.
Juliana le Gaunt, A.
Gaunter, 350. John le Gaunter, A''.
Stephen le Gaunter, AI. Geoffrey le
Ganter, A.
Gauntlett, 459. Kenry Gauntelett, Z.
Roger Gauntlet, Z.
Gawthorpe, 137.
Gay, 463. Robert le Gay, A. William
le Gay, K.
Gnyler, 181. Rich.ard le Gayeler, A.
John le Gaoler, B.
Gayliard, (472. Sabina Gaylard, H.
Gaylord, ( Nicholas Gaylard, T.
Gayt [v. Gate), 268. Adam le Gayt, B.
Gaytherd, 268. Roland Gateard, VV g.
Robert Gatherd, W g.
Gedling, 479.
Geldard, J 268. John Gildderd, IK 11.
Geldart, ( John Gcldert, \V z.
Gencse, 161.
Geneve, 168. Nicholas de Geneve, O.
Walter de Jeneve, A".
Gent (v. Gant, 2), 168. Alicia Gent, A.
JudaL'Us Gent, E.
Gentilcorps, 508. William Gentilcorps,
M. Richard Gentylcors, JC.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
553
Gentilhomme (v. Gentleman), 467. |
Tliomas Gentilhomme, //. j
Gentle, 464. Robert le Gentill, A.
William le Gentil, M. John Jentill,
Fir.
Gentleman, 467. Robert Gentilman, V.
Xicholas Gentilman, A. William
Gentilman, Fii.
Geoffrey (v. Godfrey), 18. Geoffrye
Gerard, A. Geoffrey de Grenville,
A.
Gerard, 52.
Cierald, 52. Warin fil. Gerold, A. Mar-
garet fil. Geraldi, J.
Gerish, 476. William le Geriss, A.
John le Gerisse, A.
Gerrish (v. Gerish), 476. Umfrey le
Gerische, A.'
Gervase. William fil. Gervasii, A.
Gervase fil. Hamo, C.
Geyt, 183. Hugh le Geyt, A. Robert
le Geyt, M.
Gibb /S^' Thomas Gybbys, XX i.
p.. â– ' J Adam Gibbe, Af. Robert
y Gybbys, FF. Gybby Selby.
Gibbins, 59. John Gybbyn, Z. John
Gybbyns, ZZ.
Gibbons, 59. John Giboun, Af. Robert
Gybbon, //.
Gibbonson, 59. John Gibbonson,
F.
Giljelot, 480. Dera Gibelot, A. John
Gibbelote, IV 2.
Gibson, 59. Thomas Gibson, F. Cicell
Gibson, VV 9. Perseval Gybson, IV
II. Robert Gyb'jyson, W 11.
Giddyhead, 480. William Gidyheued,
X.
Giggler. Robert le Giglere, A. Peter
le Gigelore, A.
Gigur, 311. Walter le Gigur, ^. Ale.x-
ander le Gigur, T. Bigelot le Gigur,
DD.
Gilbert, 18, 58. Warin fil. Gilbert,
JJD. Gilbert de Gaunt, T.
Gilbertson, 58. William fil. Gilbert, A.
Henry fil. Gilbert, A/.
Gilcock (v. Giles), 56. Cecilia Gilkoc,
A.
Gildensleeve, 404. Roger Gyldenesleve,
A.
Gilder, 251. Ralph le Gilder, X.
Giles, 56. Gile Deacon, A. Jordan fil.
Egidius, A.
Gill, 73. Richard fil. Gille, A. Gille
HuUe, A.
Gillian {v. Julia), 73. Gillian Cook, A.
Gilian de' la Mill, A.
Gillett ('^'^' ^"'^1°^ '^ Balister, E.
Cillot ' J G''o* '^ Heauberger, X.
Gillott I ^''^°' Carrel, BB. Gwil-
' \ lottus Clerk, C.
Gilpin, 58. Gilbert Gilpyn, H.
Gilson, 74. Robert fil. Gyle, A.
Thomas Gylson, F. William Gelson,
M^i8.
Giltspur, 409. Agnes Giltspur, FF.
Jeffrey Giltspur, FF.
Ginger, 485. Godfrey Gingivre, Af.
Agnes Gyngyvere, X.
Ginn, 230. Alexander Gin, A.
Ginner (v. Jenner),229. Hugh le Gin-
nur, m. William le Ginnur, A. John
Ginour, Af.
Gipps (v. Gibbs), 59.
Girdler, 348. Adam le Gurdlere, A.
Rol e:t le Girdlere, Af. Simon le
Gcrdlere, If.
Gladcheer, 472. William Gladchere,
FF.
Gladstone (v. Gledstane), 493.
Glaisher {v. Glaizer), 277.
Glassman, 277. John Glassman, IV g.
Robert Glasman, IV g.
Glasswright, 277. Nicholas lo Glas-
wryght, X. 'I'homas le Glaswryghte,
X. Walter Glasonwryght, IV 11.
Glazier, 277. William Glascar, Z.
Robert Glazier, Z.
Gledhill, 493.
554
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Gledstane, 493. William de Gledstanys,
Wi
deed {v. Glide), 493. Simon Clyde, B.
Glceman, \
Gleman, - 313
Glemman, )
Glide, 493. Henry le Glide, M. Adam
le Glide, M
Glorious. Robert le Glorius, E.
Glossycheek, 433. Bertholomew Glos-
cheke, A.
Glover, 350. Richard le Glovere, A.
Ivo le Glover, M. Christiana la
Glovere, //.
Glutton. Gilbert Glutun, L.
Gnat, 498. Margaret Gnatte, A. Wil-
liam Cnatte, A.
Qoat (i), 486. Simon le Got, A. Wil-
liam le Got, A.
(2), 486. John atte Cote, M.
John de la Cote, IV 2.
Goathirst, 116. Simon de Gotehirst, A.
Coalman, 271. Nicholas Coteman,
Go-be-fore, 461. Robert Gobefore, N.
God-beer (v. Goodbeer) 511.
Godbert, 22. Roger Godberd, A. Roger
Godeberd, y.
Godblod, 511. Roger Godblod, .£.
Godbold, 22. Godebold, y. Alice God-
bolde, Z.
Goddard, 17, 22. John fil. Godard, A.
Goddard Freebodye, Z.
Godfrey, 21. John fil. Godfrey, C. Alen
Godefrai, M.
Godin (v. Godwin), 21. Godin de Bere,
A. Codunle Bere, A.
Godman, 22. Herbert fil. Godman, C.
Godmefetch (v. Lower's Die.) 511.
Godrich, 22. William Godrick, //.
Robert fil. Godric, J.
Godsall, 511, 22. Cecilia Godsol, A.
Codsalve, 510. Thomas Codsalfe, iV 9.
Barbara Codsalve, fF.
Godsave (v. Codsalve), 51a
God-send-us, 511. Jennett Cod-send-us,
W 13. •
Codshall (v. Codsall), 22.
Godsname, 5x0. Richard Godesname X.
Godson (v. Coodson), 507. Ralph fil.
Godde, A. William fil. Gotte, A.
Amisius Godeson, M.
Godthank, 512. William Codthanke, A.
Godwin, 17, 21. Hugh fil. Codewin, A.
Godwin de Dovre, C. Codun le Bere,
A.
Co-in-the-Wind, 388. John Co-ir.-the.
Wynd, X.
Goldbeater, 399. Robert le Goldbeter,
A. Bartholomew le Goldbetter, C.
Coldenhead, 447. Richard Golden-
heved, CC i.
Goldfinch, 494. Agnes Goldfinche, A.
William Coldfynch, B.
Coldhose, 404. Richard Goldhose, A.
Goldsmith, 281, 399. Hervey le Gold-
smith, M. Robert le Coldsmyth, M.
Coldspink, 494.
Golightly, 439. Roger Galichtley, Af.
James Colyghtlye, W g.
Cooch, 24. John fil. Cuch, A. Roger
Cuch, A. Evan ap Couch, M.
Good, 463. Hugh Godde, A. Roger
Godde, M.
Coodacre, 134,
Goodalehouse, 501. Joan Good-ale-
house, IV 2.
Coodbarn, Christopher Goodbarne, W
Goodbeer, 511. Richard Codbearc, Z.
Goodbehere (v. Goodbeer), 511.
Coodbody, 506. Alicia Godbodi, A.
Goodchild, 506. Ralph Godchild A.
John Codchyld, M.
Coodclerk, 505. Henry Goodclerk,
XX I.
Coodenough. John Codynogh, G.
William Godyinogh, M.
Goodfellow, 506. John Coodefelagh, O.
Thomas Godfelawe, //.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
555
Goodfowl, 506. Agnes Godefouele, A.
Basilia Godfowele, A.
Goodgift, 103. Goodgift Gynnings, 103.
GoodgToom, 505. Robert le Godegrom,
A. John Godgrom, H.
Goodhart, 463. Alexander Godherte, E.
Walter Godherte, E.
Goodherring, 499. Adam Godharing, A.
Goodhugh, 504. John Godhug', A.
Hugh Godhewe, M. William God-
hugh, M.
Goodhusband, 505. Agnes Godhus-
bonde, y4. Nicholas Godhosbonde, ^4.
Goodhyne, 505. Alexander Godhine,
A. John Godhyne, M.
Goodier, 22. William Godier, M. Joan
Goodyere, W 2.
Goodknave, 505. Geoffrey Godeknave,
A. Gilbert Godknave, B. William
Goodknave, D.
Goodlake, 22. Guthlake Folyot, Z.
Goodlove, 474. William Godelove, M.
Goodluck {v. Goodlake), 22.
Goodman (i), 506. Henry le Godman,
A.
(2), Herbert fil. Godman, C.
Gcodmother. William Godmoder, A.
Goodnurse, 506. William Godenurs, A.
Goodrich [v. Goderich), 22. Walter
Goderiche, A. Richard Gooderick, Z.
Goodrobert, 504. Robert Goderoberd, P.
Goodson, 507. Emma fil. Gode, A.
William Godeson, A. John Gode-
sone, A.
Goodspeed, 512. Ralph Godisped, A.
Goodsvvain, 505. Henry Godeseweyn,
A. John Godsweyn, A. John Gode-
sweyn, M.
Goodwayt, 506. Roger Godweyt, A.
Goodwife, 507. William Goodwyfe,
507 n.
Goodwin, 21. William Godewyn, A.
Thomas Godwine, M.
Goodwright, 278.
Goodyear {v. Goodier), 22.
GRA
Goose (v. Goss), 494. John le Goos,
M. Peter le Goos, FF. Walter le
Gows, A.
Goosebeak, 500. Mariota Gosebeck, A,
Gooseherd, 267. Joan Gushyrde, W 11.
Agnes Gusehyrd, W 11. John Goos-
hewed, W 19.
Gore, 130. Robert atte Gore, A. Tho-
mas de la Gore, H.
Goreway, 130. William ad le Gore-
way, A.
Goshawk, 493. William Goshawke,
FF.
Gosling (v. Joscelyn), 494. Goscelina fil.
Gawyn, A. Roger fil. Gocelin, A.
Goss {v. Goose), 494. Amicia le Gos,
7. John le Gos. M.
Gotobed {v. Godbert), 22. Johannes
Go-to-bedde, RR i. John Gotebedde,
A. Henry Gotobed, Z.
Gotokirk, 501. Serle Gotokirke, A.
Gottard {v. Goddard), 267.
Gottschalk, 212, 22. Godeschalke de
Estlaund, A. Godefry fil. Godescal-
lus, C. Godeskalcus Armorer, Wz
Gouty, 441. John Gouty, V.
Grace, 103, 432. Grace Clayton, W 14.
Grace Prest, W 16.
Gracedieu, 511. 'Mr. Gracedieu,' v. \
511 n.
Gramary, 197. Andrew le Gramary, G,
William Grammary, M.
('197. Andrew le Gramayre,
Grammar, 1 A. Richard le Gramayre,
Grammer, 1 G. William Gramma-
L ticus, y.
Grand {v. Grant), 432
Grange, 134. Jordan de la Grange, A.
William de la Grange, M.
Grangeman, 135. John Grangeman, Z.
Granger, 134. Richard le Granger, A.
John le Graunger, G.
Grant, 432. Richard le Grant, C.
Walter le Grant, M.
Granville {v. Grenville), 151.
556
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Graper, 374. Agnes Graper, B. Richard
le Graper, H.
Grass, 432. Ralph le Gras, B. Walter
le Gras, G. Amabel le Gras, Af.
Graunt, 432. Jurdan le Graunt, A.
Richard le Graunt, M.
Grave, 464.
Graver, 120. Thomas Graver, Z.
Graves, 120. Sibilla de le Grave, B.
Robert atte Grave, M.
Graveshend, 114. Richard de laGraves-
hend, A. Stephen de Graveshende, B.
Gray (f. Grey) (i), 395. William le Gray,
O. Nicholas le Gray, A.
(2). Norman de Gray, ^.
Graycock {v. Grayson). Peter Gray-
cocke, W 16. Francis Graycocke,
W xb.
Grayson [v. Grierson). Mary Gray-
son, W xb.
Great. William le Grete, M. Hugh
le Gret, R.
Greathand. John Greathand, M.
Greathead, 435. Thomas Gretehed, H.
Agnes Greatheved, R.
Greaves {v. Graves), 120.
Greavesend (v. Graveshend), 114.
Green, 131. Deonisia ate Grene, A.
Warin de la Grene, A.
Greenett {v. Green). Simon atte
Grenette, B.
Greenhead, 447. Richard Greenhead,
IF 2.
Greenhorn, 470. Christopher Greyn-
horne, W 15.
Greenkirtle, 458. John Grenecurtel, FF.
Greenman, 456.
Greenslade, 121. Robert de Greneslade,
A'. Antony Greneslade, '/..
Grccnsmith, 281. Henry Greensmith, 7..
Edward Greensmith, FF. Richard
Grensmythe, Z.
Greeves, 120.
Greg, ) {v. Gregory) Simon fii. Greg,
Gregg, j A. Robert Grege, A.
GRO
Gregory. Peter Gregory, A. Richard
fil. Gregorii A. Gregory Washer,
Gregson (v. Greg). William fil. Greg,
A. Robert Gregson, W \\.
Grenville, 151. Richard de Grenville,
A. Matilda de Grenewille, A.
Grey (v. Gray) (i). Reginald de Grey, R.
William de Grey, R.
(2), 445. John le Grey, A.
Adam le Grey, G.
Greybeard, 449. Richard Greyberd, A.
Greygoose, 404.
Greyling, 497. Gilbert Greyling, R.
Greyshank, 438. Gilbert Greyschanke,
A.
Grierson (v. Gregson).
Grice, 445. John le Gris, A. Thomas
le Grise, M.
Grieve, 233. Thomas le Greyve, A.
Grieveson, 65. John Greveson, W ^.
William Greffeson, SS.
{v. Greg). Richard fil. Grigge,
A. Grigge le Fulur, A.
Serle Grigg, A.
Grinchetyl, 25. Grinchetyl, Q. Grim-
kettle, FF. Grinketel, v. p. 25 n.
Grimkelson. Only Grimkelson (Lower).
Grinder. Stephen le Grindar, .^. Ralph
Grindour, C.
Grinkle (z'. Grinchetyl), 22.
Grisdale, 491. Thomas Grisedale, 1^4.
John Grysdale, W 16.
Grise (v. Grice), 491. William le Gryse,
â– /..
Griselwhite. 445. Annie Griselwhite,
FF.
Grissel, 445. John Grissel, 7..
Griswood, 491.
Groome, 505. Seman Ic Groin, A,
Simon le Grom, H.
Grose, 432. John le Gros, B. Bertram
le Gros, E. Hugh le Gros, G.
Groser, 370.
Grosjean, 46, 503.
Grig,
Grigg,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
557
GRO
Grosser, 370.
Grossmith, 505.
(435- Richard Grostete, A.
' \ Peter Grossetest, IV 4.
Grostete, [ ^^^^^^ Groteste, X.
Grosvenur. Robert le Grovenur, y.
Robert le Grosvenur, T.
Grote. Roger le Grote, A. William
Grote, A.
Grover, 120.
Groves, 120. William atte Grove, Af.
Guard. Robert le Gard, FF.
i(v. Waring), 32. Guarinus
de Chauncy, E. Guarinus
Banastre, C. Ivo fil.
Guarin, C.
Gull, 494. Hugh le Gul, A. Clement
le Gul, A.
Gunn (i), Matilda fil. Gunne, A. Roger
Gunne, y.
(2), 230.
Gunner (v. Ginner), 229.
Gunson {v. Gunn, i). Richard fil.
Gunne, i?. Eustace Gunson, A.
Gunter (v. Gaunter), 309. Roger
Gunter, B. John Gunter, Z.
Gumey. Hugh de Gumay, A. Anselm
de Gumey, A.
Guster, 214. Robert le Gustur, T.
Guthlac, 17.
Guy, 36. Guy de Boys, //. Imbert fil.
Guido, T.
Guyatt, ( (v. Guy), 36. Aleyn Gyot,
Guyot, \ H.
TTABBAKUK, 100, Abacucke Har-
man, Z.
Haberdasher, 343. Richard le Haber-
dasher, P.
Hacker, 264. Adam le Hacker, E.
Richard Hacker, F.
Hackman, 264. Thomas Hakeman, A.
Joan Hakeman, FF.
Hadwin (f. Hardwin), 27.
Haig,
Haigh,
HAM
^133. Robert atte Haghe,
J FF. Richard atte Haghe,
i FF.
Hairproud, 453. Richard le Herprute,
A.
Half-Knight, 199. Geoffrey Halve
Knit, A. Nicholas Halve-Knight-
A.
Halfpeny, 482. William Halpeni, A.
Walter Halpeni, A.
Halfnaked, 431. Adam de Halnaked,
M. Adam de Halfenaked, H.
Hale, 136, 154. Pagan de la Hale, A.
Thomas ate Hale, M.
Halket, 51.
Hall, 136, 154. Walter de la Halle, A.
John atte Halle, B.
Hallett, 51. Matthew Halyet, FF.
Nathaniel Hallyet, FF.
Halliday, 64. Gerard Haliday, A. Alan
Halyday, H.
Halse, 385. John Halse, H. Andrew
Halse, W<^. John Hals, XX i.
Halstaff, 462. Anthony Halstaffe, 462.
Hamlet {v. Hamnett), 16, 35. Hamlet
Ashton, A A i. Hamelet de la Burste,
A'^A'^. Richard fil Hamelot, A A 2.
Hamlyn 35. Hamelyn de Trap, H.
Hamalin Prepositus, C. Osbert
Hamelyn, M.
Hammer, 144.
Hammett (z/. Hamnett), 35.
Hammond, 35. Hamund le Mestre, A.
Hamond Cobeler, H. John Fitz-
hamond, D.
Hamnett {v. Hamlet), 35. Hamnet,
Stockley, A A i. Humfrey Hamnett,
AA I. Hamnet Sadler, v. p. 35.
Hampnet Clegge, XX 1.
Hamo, / (v. Hammond), 35. Hamole
Hamon, • Bret, A. Hamo le Bard, A.
Hamond, (. Hamo fil. Ricardi, M.
Hamondson (i/. Hampson), 35. Alice
Hamundson, W 2. John Hawmund-
son, W \i.
558
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Hamper, 388. Geoffrey le Hanaper, A.
John Hanaper, A.
Hampermaker, 388. William Hamper-
maker, H. Walter Hampermaker,
/?^3.
Hampshire, 147. John Hamshire, A.
Hampson, 35. Nicholas fil. Hamon,
y. Hamo fil. Hamonis, C. Wil-
liam Hamneson, ZZ. John Hamson,
Hamsher (v. Hampshire), 120.
Hancock (v. Handcock) 46.
Hand, 436. Richard Hand, A. Thomas
Hande, A.
Handcock, 46. Hanecock Birun, A.
John Hancock, O.
Handless, 441. John Handelesse, Wii.
Handshaker, 501. William Honde-
shakere, M.
Handsomebody, 508.
Hanker, 196. John le Haneker, A.
William Hanekare, A.
Hankins, 46. Hancken de Fine, E.
Hanekyn Jocelyn, .V. Hankyn MayTi-
waryng, H.
Hankinson, 46. Garrett Hankinson, Z.
Randolph Hankynson, ZZ.
Hannah (v. Hannay), 164.
Hannant, 164.
Hannay, 136. John de Henau, C.
William Hannay, H.
Hans, 45. Hans Berner, O. Hans
Doubler, O.
Hansard, 165.
Hanson, 46. Roger Hanson, F. Richard
Hanson, W 2. Bamby Hanson, ^"4.
Hanway (v. Hannay), 164.
Harber, 291. William le Harl>ciour, B.
William le Herber, E. Richard le
Hareber, N.
Harbinger, 219, 291.
Harbour {v. Harber), 291.
Harcourt, 151. Sacr de Harccurt, A.
Alicia de Harecurt, K.
Hardcorse. bimon Hardcoric, E.
HAR
Harden, 118. Richard de Harden, B.
William de Harden, C.
Hardfish. Richard Hardfysshe, FF.
John Hardfish, FF.
Hardgripe. Robert Hardgripe, MM.
Hardhead, 435, 447. Robert Hard-
heved, A. Simon Hardheved, T.
Harding, 27. Maurice fil. Harding,
E. Harding Faber (Lower). William
fil. Harding, MM.
Hardman, 464. John Hardiman, 494 «.
Hardwareman, 296. Lambert Hard-
wareman, W 11.
Hardwin, 27.
Hardy, 464. Thomas Hardi,^. Richard
Hardy, M.
Hare, 488. Geoffrey le Hare, B. John
le Hare, M.
Harebrown, 448. William Harebrown,
FF.
Harefoot, 439.
Harengot, 497. Stephen Harengot,
DD.
Harfagje, 5.
Hargreaves, 120. John de Haregrave, A.
John de Hargreve, C.
Harley, 119. Roger de Harlege, A.
Richard de Harleg, A.
Harlot. John Harlot, A'. John le
Harlet, A.
Harman (v. Herman), 26. Cecilia
Hercman, A. Herman de Francia,
C.
Harmanson (v. Harman), 27. Walter
Hermanson, O. John Urmynson,
VV II.
Harmcr (v. Hcrmer), 27. Robert fit
Hcrmer, C. Hopkins Harmar, Z.
Harold, 5. 19. Gilbert fil. Harold, J.
Harold fil. Roberti, J.
Harper, (310. Ralph le Harpur, A.
Harpour, j Gilbert le Harponr, B.
IIar]nir, ( Hugh Ic H.-irper, M.
Harpmaker, 309. Robert Harpmaker,
309 «.
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
559
HAR
(SI. Heriot Heringflet, FF.
Thomas Haryette, G. Wil-
liam Haryott, F.
Harriman, 506. John Harriman, PP.
Harriot (i'. Harriet), 51.
Harris, 51. John Harryes, H. Ezekias
Harrys, FF.
Harrison, 51. Henricus fil. Henry, C.
George Herrison, W 9. Reginald
Herryesson, FF.
Harrold (i'. Harold), 5, 19. James
Harrold, FF.
Hart, 488. Hobart le Hart, FF.
Richard le Hert, M.
Hartley, 119. Richard de Hertleye, A.
Robert Harteley, Z.
Hartman, 235.
Hartop, I 137. John Hartop, FF.
Hartrop, ( Elizabeth Hartopp, FF.
Harvard, 26.
128. Eustace fil. Hervei, A.
Herveus le Gos, A. Wil-
liam fil. Hervei, E.
Haseler [v. Hastiler), 207.
Hasell, 54. Oliver de Hassell, A.
William de Hasele, A.
Hasler (z'. Hastiler), 207.
Haster (w. Hastier), 174. Philip le
Haster, A. John Haster, W <).
12<yy. Thurstan le Hastiler, F.
William Hastiler, Af. Henry
le Hastelier, HR. John
Hastier, Fio.
Hatch, 130. Richard de la Hache, A.
Philip atte Hache, M,
Hatcher, 130.
Hatchman, 130. Roger Hatchman, Z.
Hatechrist. William Hatecrist, A'.
Hatewrong, 500. Henry Hatewrong, B.
Hatmaker, 337. William Hatmaker,
H.
Hatt, 144. Thomas del Hat, A. John
atte Hatte, R.
Hatter, 144, 337. Henry le Hatter, A.
Robert le Hattare, M.
HAY
Hauberger, 222. Gilbert le Hauberger,
B. John le Haubergere, N.
Haughton, 133. John de Houghtone,
X. Thomas Haughton, Z.
Havercake, 367. Matilda Havercake,^.
Haverpenny, 428. William Haverpenny,
FF.
Haward (v. Hayward), 234. William
Haward, M. Piers le Hawarde, H.
Hawes, 133. Peter in le Hawe, ^. John
de la Hawe, A.
Hawke, 493.
Hawker, 294. John le Haucker, A.
Simon le Hauckere, B. John le Hau-
kere, M.
Hawkhurst, 116.
Hawkins, 51. Haukin de Hauvill, R.
Haukyn Mayne, H. Haukyn Ferers,
O.
Hawkinson, 51.
Hawkstone, 493. Roger de Haukes-
tane, A.
Hawley, 133. John Hauley, Z.
Hawman (v. Hayman). Thomas Haw-
man, W II.
Haworth, 133.
Hawthornthwaite, 121.
Hawton (v. Haughton), 133. Hugh de
Hawtone, A. Henry Hawton, Z.
Hay, 133. Anna de la Hay, B. John
de la Hay, M.
Haycraft, 132. Hugh de la Heycroft,
A. William a la Heycrofte, A.
Have ( ^33- Stephen de la Haye, A.
Ha e's 1 <^''ciliadelaHaye, Z?. Wil-
' ^ ' i Ham atte Haye, 7.
Hayland, 133. Thomas de Heyclonde,
A. Richard de Haulaund, Z:'.
Hayley, 133. Eborard de Heyle, A.
Gavin de Haule, £.
Hayman, 234. Peter Hayman, F. Ralph
le Hayman, Z.
Haymon {v. Haymon), 35.
Haymonger, 275. Walter le Hey-
mongere, G,
S6o
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
Hay ward, 234. Adam le Hay ward, A.
Richard le Hayward, B. Nicholas le
Hayward, AI.
Haywood, 133. William de Haywode,
M. Isabell Heywode, A.
Hazleholt. Simon de Hasleholt, G.
Hazlehurst, 116. William de Hasel-
hurst, R.
Head (i), 434. William Heved, M.
(2), 434. Thomas del Heved, A.
Heard (v. Herd), 266. William Hearde,
Z.
Heame (i), 130. Thomas ate Hume,
A. Henry en le Hurne, A.
(2), 494. Henry le Heme, A.
Heath, 126. William atte Hethe, B.
Nicholas atte Hethe, M. John de la
Hethe, A.
Heavy, 431.
Hedge {v. Hedges).
Hedger, 258.
Hedges. Geoffrey atte Hegge, M. John
atte Hegge, Af,
Hedgman, 258. Alan Hagheman, A.
Hefterman, 271.
Heir (v. Eyre), 169. Richard le Heir,
M.
Helder, 358. Christiana le Heldere,
A.
Hell (v. Hill), 122. Roger de la Helle,
A. Alexander atte Helle, /^.
Hell-cat, 501. Anna Hellicat, H^2o.
Hellier, 247. Robert le Helliere, A.
Thomas Hellier, Z.
Hellman, 247. William Heleman, A.
Hellus, 131. Nicholas del Hellus, A.
Hellyer(v. Hellier) 247. John Hellyer,
Z.
Helman (v. Hellman), 247.
Henchman, 215. Henry Henchman, Z.
Joseph Henchman, /•'/■".
Hendiman, 468. William Hendiman,
A. William Hendeman, M.
Hendy, 468. Thomas le Hendy, FF.
John le Hendy, FF,
Henman {v. Henchman), 180. John
Henman, FF. William Henman,
FF.
Henn, 494. Coleman le Henn, A.
Thomas le Henn, A.
Henriot (v. Henry), 51. Alicia Henriot,
W 2. Robert Henriot, IV 2.
Henry, 51. Henry fil. Isolda, T. Henry
fil. Justina, T.
Henryson, 51. William Henryesson, G.
Catherine Henryson, W 2
Henshall, f"7- Benjamin Henshaw.
Henshaw. 1 ^5- Joseph Henshaw, /•/<;
\ WilUam Hanshaw, H.
Hensman (v. Henchman), 215.
Henty [v. Hendy), 468.
Herald, f 218. Main le Heralt, B.
Heraud, | Roger Herald, FF.
Herberer [v. Harber), 291. Roger le
Herberer, O.
Herberger, 219, 291. Herbert le Her-
berjur, F.
Herbert. Herbert le Francis, E. Gilbert
Hereberd, A.
Herd, 266. John le Hirde, A. Roger
le Herde, Af. Alice le Herde, H.
Herdler, 258. Gilbert le Herdlere, A,
Herdman, 228. William le Herdeman,
B. Martin Herdman, A.
Herdson, 65. Henry Herdson, FF.
James Hirdson, ZZ.
Hereward, 26. Emma Hereward, A.
Howel ap Herewarde, Af.
Herman, 27. Herman de Alemannia,
G. Alan Herman, J/.
Hermer {v. Harmer), 27.
Hermit, 196. Gerard Heremite, A.
Silvester le Hermite, B.
Hermitage (v. Armitage), 196.
Heron, 494. Robert Heyron, A. Wil-
liam Heron, B.
Herring, 497. Robert Heryng, A.
Rcymund Heryng, Af.
Herringer, 377. Thomas le Haringer,
F. Richard le Harenger, A,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
561
Herringbreeder, 377. Symon Haryng-
breeder, A.
Herriot {v. Harriot). William Heryot,
XX r.
Heth, 126. Matilda atte Heth, A. John
del Heth, J.
Hewe (v. Hugh), 60. Hew Her>'son,
FF. Hewe Hare, Z. Hewe Why thede,
Hewer, 264. Walter le Howere, A.
Ralph le Heuer, B. Benedict le
Huwere, A.
Hewet, 16, 60. Robert Hughet, M.
John Hewette, H.
Hewetson, 16, 60. William Heuetson,
W^. Elizabeth Hewetson, Z. John
Hewetson, W 16. John Huetson,
W12.
Hewlett, 16, 60. Walter Hughelot, A.
William Hughlot, N. John Huelot,
A. Houlot de Rancheste, AA 4.
Hewson, 60. Jordan fil. Hugh, A.
John Hewisson, Z. Eliz. Hewson,
VV16.
Hewster, 264. Richard le Hewster [v.
p. 264 «).
Heyward, 234. Elwin le Heward, A.
Henry le Heyward, B. William le
Heyward, AI.
Heywood [v. Haywood), 133.
Hicks, 82. Geoffrey fil. Hicke, A.
Baptist Hickes, Z. Thomas Hix, Z.
Hickson, 82. John Hixson, F. William
Hikson, W 3. Nicholas Hichesone,
PP.
Higgett (v. Higgott), 32.
Higgins, 82. John Hyggyns, F. Edward
Hyggons, /''. William Higons, //.
Higginson, 82. Thomas Hyggenson,
IV g. Robert Higynson, ZZ.
Higgott, 82. George Higgott, 82 n.
Higgs, 82. George Higges, F. Tiionuis
Higges, Z.
High, 431. Robert le Hey e, /4. Robert
le Hey, M.
Higson, 82. Peter Higson, Z.
Hill, 122. Geoffrey del Hil, A. John
at Hil, M.
Hillary, 71. Hillary Constabularius, A.
lUaria Purcel, T. Hillaria la Waleyse,
A.
Hillier (v. Hellier), 247.
Hillyer (v. Hellier), 247.
Hind, 255. Francis Hind, Z. John
Hynd, ZZ.
Hinde, 255. Mildred Hynde, Z. Law-
rence Hynde, ZZ.
Hindley, 119. Hugh Hyndeley, ZZ.
John Hyndley, ZZ.
Hindman, 235. Richard Hindman, Z.
Hindshaw, 117.
Hindson, 65 n. Jenet Hyndsone, A A 4.
Hine, 255. Stephen le Hine, M. John
le Hyne, A.
Hinxman (v. Henchman), 215. William
Hinxman, Z. Joseph Hinxman, Z.
Hiredman. Thomas Hiredman, RR i.
Hirst, 116. Simon de la Hirst, A. John
de Herst, E.
Hitchcock, 40. Higecok de Trent, X.
Hichecok Bedell, /i. WilliamHychcok,
Hitchcox, 40.
Hitchins, 40. William Hychyns, F.
Hitchinson, 40. David Henchenesson, •
FF.
Hithereve (John le Huthereve, A^.), 233.
Hoarder, 211. Richard le Hordere, A.
Adam le Horder, H. John le Hor-
dere, A*.
Hoare {v. Hore), 444. Adam le Horc,
A.
Hob {v. Hobbs), 39.
Hobbins, 39. Hobbyn, FF.
Hobbler, 200.
Hobbs, 39. Obbe Dudeman, y?. Hobbc
fil. Ralph, DD. Hobbe the Wcre-
wede, (".
Molxlay, 64. Richard Hobday, Z.
Hobelot, 16, 39. Constance Hobelut, A.
562
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
John Hobman, F5.
William Hobson, F.
â– 64. John Hockeday, Z.
Hobkins (v. Hopkins), 39. Nicholas
Hobekyn, A. Roger Hobekyn, A.
Hobjohn, 503. John Hobjohn, Z.
Hobler, 200.
Hobman, 506.
Hobson, 39.
Thomas Hobbessone, H.
Hockday, 1
Hockerday, j
Hodder, 294. Godewyn le Hodere, N.
John le Hottere, X.
Hodges (w. Roger), 40. William Hodgys,
F. Robert Hodge, H.
Hodgkins [v. Roger), 40. John Hoge-
kyn, H. Charles Hodgskines, Z.
Hodgkinson {v. Roger), 40. John
Hoddeskynson, ZZ. Robert Hodge-
kynson, F.
Hodgman, 506. Nicholas Hodgman,
V. p. 506.
(v. Roger), 40. John
Hodgson, _ Hoggeson, F. Richard
Hodson, Hodggessone, H. Evan
^ Hodson, ZZ.
Heel (v. Howell), 13. Hoel fil. Philip,
C. Isabel Hoel, ZZ.
Hogg (i), 485. Richard del Hog, M.
(2), 491. AliceleHog, ^. Philip
le Hog, A.
Hoggart, 267. Nicholas Hogherde, F.
Margaret Hoggard, F. John Hogerd,
Wit.
Hogman, 270. John Hogeman, A.
Hogsflesh, 499. Margery Hoggesflesh,
Z. William Hoggesflesh, Z.
Hogshaw, 117. Emelina de Hogshawe,
117 «.
Hointer, 386, 263. Michelle Hointer, A.
Holder, 358. Robert le Holdere, A.
Holland, 164. Thurstan de Holland, M.
John de Holland, H.
Hollandman, 164. William Holand-
man, Wi.
Holleyman, 113. William Holyman, /i,
Richard Holly man, Z.
IIOR
Holliday, 64. Leonard Hollidaie, Z,
Ralph Holiday. FF.
Hollier, 113. William Holycr, FF.
Holman, 122. Digone Holman, Z.
Holme, 115. Joscelyn de Holme, A,
Robert del Holm, R.
Holmer, 122.
Holmes (v. Holme), 122, 115
Holt, n6. Henry de la Holte, A. Ralph
atte Holt, M. William del Holt, A.
Holtman [v. Holt), 116. John Holtman,
H. Thomas Holtman, FF.
Holroyd, 120. Richard Oldroyd, W16.
Holy-bread, 367. John Stokes, alias
Holibread.
Holy-peter, 504. William Halupetir, A.
Holy-water-clerk, 189. Hugh Hali-
watere-clerk, M.
Homer, 223. Manekyn le Heaumere,
H.
Honeyman, 262. Osbert Honiman, A,
Gilbert Honyman, D.
Hooker. William le Hoker, M. John
Hoker, X.
Hooper, 395. Alexander le Hopere, A.
Andrew le Hopere, M.
Hope. Roger de la hope, A. David
atte Hope, O.
Hopkins, 39. Henry ap Hopkyn, B,
Hopkyn ap Rees, C.
Hopkinson, 39. Henry Hopkynson, ZZ.
Richard Hopkinson, Z.
Hopper, 307. Richard le Hoppar, A.
Geoffrey le Hoppere, H. Adam le
Hoppere, "J.
Hopperson, 65. Nicholas Hopperson,
V. p. 65 n.
Hore, 444. Richard le Hore, A. Peter
le Hore, B. Thomas le Hore, M.
Horn, 142, 394. Roger Horn, A.
Richard Horn, R.
Homblow (v. Blowhom), 236
Hornbuckle, 501. John Hornbuckle, PP.
Homer, 394. Matilda le Hornere,
A,
INDEX OF INSTANCES.
563
Homer, 394. John le Horner, B.
Richard le Horner, M.
Horsden, 118. William de Horsden, A.
William de Horsenden, Q.
Horsley, 119. Beyll Horsle, W 9.
Roger de Horssele, DD.
Horsman, 285. Agnes le Horsman, A.
John Horseman, H.
Horsemonger, 286. Leo le Horse-
mongere, A.
Horse-nail, 501. Thomas Horsenail
(Hist. Ant. Surrey).
Hosier, 354. Philip le Hosier, M.
Lawrence Hosyer, H.
Hoskyns (^u. Hojigkins), 40. Thomas
Hoskyns, H. Elizabeth Hoskyns,
Z.
Host. Roger le Hoste, C. John le
Host, A.
Hostricier {v. Ostricer), 241. Geoffrey
le Hostriciere, E.
(w. Hodgkinson), 40.
John Hotchekynson,
ZZ.
Hound (zJ. Hund), 493.
Hound-dealer. John Houndealler, F.
Housewife. John Hosewyf, G.
Howard, 26. John Fitz-Howard, W 2.
William Howard, A.
Howe (i), 127. Letitia atte Howe, M.
John de la How, FF. Robert
adleHo, V8.
(2), Ralph le Howe, M. William
le Howe, M.
Howell {v. Powell), 13. Howel le
Waleys, M. Elizabeth ap Howell, B.
Howel ap David, M.
Howet 
