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SURNAMES 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

AN     ETYMOLOGICAL    DICTIONARY 
OF  MODERN  ENGLISH 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  WORDS 

A  popular  book  on   the  sources   of   the   English 
Vocabulary 

{Third  Edition 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  NAMES 

Tells  how  Surnames  came  into  being,  and  gives 
explanations  of  the  author's  etymological  method  in 
dealing  with  them. 

[Second  Edition 


SURNAMES 


BY  ERNEST  WEEKLEY,   M.A. 


"  Indeed,  there  is  a  woundy  luck  in  names,  sirs, 
And  a  main  mystery,  an  a  man  knew  where 
To  vind  it." 

(BEN  JONSON,  Tale  of  a  Tub,  iv.  a.) 


b  9 


LONDON 
JOHN  MURRAY,  ALBEMARLE  STREET,  W. 

1917 


£ 

M 


FIRST  EDITION     .        .        .    September  1916 
SECOND  EDITION         .        .  July  1917 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


PREFACE 

THE  volume  now  offered  to  those  who  were  kind  enough 
to  be  interested  in  my  Romance  of  Names  is  a  second 
offshoot  of  the  Dictionary  of  English  Surnames  on 
which  I  have  been  engaged  for  some  years.  It  differs 
in  several  ways  from  the  former  booklet.  The  Romance 
of  Names  was  an  attempt  at  a  general  survey  of  the 
subject,  and,  like  all  such  first  attempts,  it  contained 
a  good  many  inaccuracies  and  dubious  statements  1 
of  which  I  have  tried  to  purge  later  editions.  It  made 
no  special  attempt  to  deal  with  the  curiosities  of 
surname  etymology,  and  the  temptation  to  explore 
by-ways  was  firmly  resisted. 

The  present  volume  treats  much  more  completely, 
and  hence  more  ponderously,  of  certain  groups  of  sur- 
names which  I  have  investigated  with  some  approach 
to  thoroughness.  It  includes  a  very  large  proportion 
of  names  of  etymological  interest,8  the  majority  of 

1  Sometimes  due  to  accepting  definite  statements  of  my  pre- 
decessors ;  e.g.  Bardsley  says,  "  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  Haddock 
is  an  imitative  variant  of  Haydock."     It  may  be,  but  John  Haddok 
(Fine  R.,  Close  R.,  and  City  B.)  shows  that  it  was  also  a  nickname 
c.   1300.     There  are  so  many  "  well-known  facts  "  that  become 
fictions  when  tested  with  a  little  evidence. 

2  Many  of  these  are  so  odd  and  fantastic  that  I  may  be  suspected 
of  having  invented  them,  but,  with  perhaps  half  a  dozen  doubtful 

v 


vi  PREFACE 

which  have  not  been  mentioned  by  earlier  writers,  and 
hardly  any  of  which  have  been  hitherto  explained.  Its 
relation  to  the  Romance  of  Names  is  that  of  a  more  or 
less  erudite  treatise  to  a  primer,  matter  which  in  the 
former  book  was  dismissed  in  a  paragraph  or  two  being 
here  expanded  into  a  chapter.  This  involves  a  certain 
amount  of  repetition  which  I  hope  may  be  forgiven. 

As  the  theories  and  etymologies  proposed  are  to  a 
great  extent  novel,  I  have  thought  it  well  to  give  some 
of  the  data  on  which  they  are  based.  Consequently 
the  book  will  be  found  duller  than  its  predecessor,  and 
will,  I  fear,  have  little  attraction  for  any  but  the  sur- 
name enthusiast.  The  author's  own  inclination,  suc- 
cessfully fought  against,  was  to  give  for  each  name  a 
mass  of  evidence,  variants  and  early  examples,  which 
most  readers  would  rather  be  spared.  The  method 
actually  followed  has  been  the  rather  unsatisfactory 
compromise  of  giving  evidence  and  foreign  parallels 
in  a  certain  number  of  cases,  and  the  author  cannot 
hope  that  this  has  been  done  with  much  system  or 
consistency.  After  the  alternative  plans  had  been 
considered  of  relegating  the  medieval  examples  to 
footnotes  or  to  an  appendix,  it  was  finally  decided 
to  insert  them  in  square  brackets  after  the  modern 
names  to  which  they  refer,  an  arrangement  which  will 
perhaps  irritate  the  rapid  reader  without  satiating  the 
student.  The  chief  sources  of  these  early  examples  are 

cases,  every  English  name  printed  in  italic  type  and  included  in  the 
index  is,  or  was  as  late  as  the  nineteenth  century,  actually  existent 
in  this  country. 


PREFACE  vii 

enumerated  on  pp.  xvi-xvii,  but  many  other  documents 
have  been  consulted  and  are  indicated  with  more  or 
less  fullness  when  quoted.1  To  my  colleague  Mr.  E.  L. 
Guilford,  Lecturer  in  History  at  University  College, 
Nottingham,  I  am  indebted  for  many  medieval  names 
drawn  chiefly  from  unpublished  Midland  records.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  a  native  or  foreign  parallel  has 
often  been  preferred  to  direct  evidence.  This  arises 
out  of  the  comparative  method  which  I  have 
adopted,  the  only  method  which  can  lead  to  results 
of  any  value. 

The  index  contains  some  six  thousand  existing  sur- 
names, including  a  certain  proportion  of  French  and 
German  names  and  a  sprinkling  from  other  countries. 
In  the  body  of  the  book  appear  probably  almost  an  equal 
number  of  names  which  are  presumably  extinct,  though, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  never  safe  to  assume  this  even 
in  the  case  of  the  most  fantastic  name.  No  student 
of  the  subject  would  be  seriously  startled  at  finding 
Longshanks  and  Strongbow  dwelling  side  by  side  in 

1  To  date  exactly  each  example  would  have  involved  an  amount 
of  labour  and  verification  incommensurate  with  the  result.  The 
source  quoted  usually  shows  the  century.  The  great  majority  of 
the  examples  come  from  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  and 
names  later  than  1338  are  as  a  rule  dated.  The  names  are  given  just 
as  they  occur,  except  that  baptismal  names,  when  their  form  is  not 
in  question,  are  normalized,  while  /  and  v  are  put  for  i  and  u  where 
these  latter  are  consonants.  I  have  also  occasionally,  for  the  sake 
of  clearness,  added  to  final  -e  the  acute  accent  which  was  unknown 
to  the  Middle  Ages.  The  county  is  sometimes  given  when  the 
habitat  of  the  name  is  in  question,  but  readers  in  search  of  an 
ancestor  should  notice  that  in  many  cases  the  county  is  simply  that 
in  which  the  bearer  of  the  name  happened  to  be  hanged. 


Vlll 


PREFACE 


some  remote  village,  though  he  would  experience  some- 
thing of  the  exultation  of  a  naturalist  encountering 
a  dodo  in  Kensington  Gardens. 

The  author's  excuse  for  publishing  this  second 
instalment  of  his  harmless  researches  is  that  the  end 
of  his  Dictionary,  like  that  of  all  similar  undertakings, 
has  a  way  of  receding  as  it  is  approached.  It  seemed 
possible  that  information  representing  the  leisure 
amusement  of  several  years  might  be  doomed  to  the 
waste-paper  basket  by  harassed  executors,  in  which 
case  some  students  of  the  English  language  might  be 
the  losers.1 

The  "  practical  man,"  when  his  attention  is  accident- 
ally directed  to  the  starry  sky,  appraises  that  terrific 
spectacle  with  a  non-committal  grunt ;  but  he  would 
receive  with  a  positive  snort  any  suggestion  that  the 
history  of  European  civilization  is  contained  in  the 
names  of  his  friends  and  acquaintances.  Still,  even 
the  practical  man,  if  he  were  miraculously  gifted 
with  the  power  of  interpreting  surnames,  could  hardly 
negotiate  the  length  of  Oxford  Street  on  a  motor-bus 
without  occasionally  marvelling  and  frequently  chuck- 
ling. As  a  review  of  my  former  book  puts  it — 

"We  go  about  our  dignified  proceedings,  solemnly  addressing 
each  other  by  the  names  of  beasts  and  birds  and  kitchen  implements  ; 
we  are  dressed  like  savages  in  fantastic  feathers,  and  the  most 
important  list  of  honoured  personages  contains  a  set  of  nicknames 
graceless  enough  to  keep  us  laughing  for  a  month  "  (The  Times, 
February  22,  1914). 

1  See  p.  22. 


PREFACE  ix 

I  should  like  to  thank  by  name  all  the  friendly  cor- 
respondents who  have,  often  at  real  cost  of  time  and 
labour,  sent  me  information  on  the  subject  of  surnames ; 
but  the  list  would  fill  several  pages.  So  I  must  limit 
myself  to  saying  in  the  words  of  Captain  Grose  that — 
"  Several  gentlemen  (and  ladies),  too  respectable  to  be 
named  on  so  trifling  an  occasion,  have  also  contributed 
their  assistance." 

ERNEST  WEEKLEY. 


UNIVERSITY  COLLEGE,  NOTTINGHAM, 
April,  1916. » 


PREFACE   TO    THE    SECOND   EDITION 

THIS  edition  differs  from  the  first  in  a  few  small  details 
only.  A  number  of  misprints  have  been  corrected, 
and  some  statements  as  to  the  origin  or  survival  of 
unusual  surnames  have  been  modified.  The  index 
has  also  been  overhauled  and  a  few  omissions  repaired. 
For  most  of  the  corrections  I  am  indebted  to  the 
vigilance  and  knowledge  of  friendly  correspondents. 

E.  W. 

February  1917. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  ......         XV 

ABBREVIATIONS  EMPLOYED          .  .  ,  . 


CHAPTER    I 

% 

THE  STUDY  OF   SURNAMES  ....  I 

CHAPTER    II 

THE  TEUTONIC   NAME-SYSTEM    ....         26 

CHAPTER    III 

SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES      .....         47 

CHAPTER   IV 

THE  CORRUPTION  OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES    .     .    86 

CHAPTER   V 

SOME   OCCUPATIVE   SURNAMES    .  .  .  .102 

•i 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    VI 

PAGE 

PHYSICAL   NICKNAMES 124 

CHAPTER   VII 

COSTUME   NICKNAMES 145 

CHAPTER    VIII 

MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES          .  .  .       164 

CHAPTER    IX 

VEGETABLE   NICKNAMES 184 

/ 

CHAPTER    X 

PAGEANT  NAMES 198 

CHAPTER    XI 

SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES  .  .  .  .       225 

CHAPTER    XII 

THE    SHAKESPEARE  TYPE   OF   SURNAME          .  .      252 


CONTENTS  xiii 
CHAPTER    XIII 

PACK 

FRENCH  SURNAMES               .                                      •  278 

CHAPTER    XIV 

GERMAN   SURNAMES              .                                    .  2Q2 

CHAPTER    XV 

DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF   SURNAMES     .            .  .       306 

INDEX  .                                                     ...  •      331 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


A.    BOOKS    ON    NAMES 

Camden,  Remains  concerning  Britain  (London,  1605). 

Lower,  Patronymica  Britannica  (London,  1860). 

Lower,  English  Surnames  4  (London,  1875). 

Guppy,  Homes  of  Family  Names  in  Great  Britain  (London, 

1890). 

Bardsley,  English  Surnames7  (London,  1901). 
Bardsley,  Dictionary  of  English  and  Welsh  Surnames  (Oxford, 

1901). 
Bjorkman,  Nordische  Personennamen  in  England  (Halle  a.  S., 

1910). 

Macbain,  Etymological  Dictionary  of  the  Gaelic  Language,2 

PP-  396-412  (Stirling,  1911). 

Matheson,  Report  on  Surnames  in  Ireland  (Dublin,  1909). 
Jenner,    Handbook  of  the   Cornish   Language,   pp.    192-202 

(London,  1904). 
Moore,  Names,  Place-names  and  Surnames  of  the  Isle  of  Man 

(London,  1890). 

Ritter,  Les  Noms  de  Famille  (Paris,  1875). 

Langlois,  Table  des  Noms  propres  compris  dans  les  Chansons 

de  Geste  (Paris,  1904). 

Chastelain,  Vocabulaire  Hagiologique  (Paris,  1694). 
Schatzer,  Herkunft  und  Gestaltung  der  franzosischen  Heiligen- 

namen  (Miinster  i.  W.,  1905). 


XVI 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Pachnio,*  Die  Beinamen  der   Pariser  Steuerrolle  von  1292 

(Konigsberg  i.  Pr.,  1909). 
Kremers,  Beitrage  zur  Erforschung  der  franzosischen  Fami- 

liennamen  (Bonn,  1910). 

Heintze,  Die  deutschen  Familiennamen  3  (Halle  a.  S.,  1908). 

Salverte,  Essai  historique  et  philosophique  sur  les  Noms  de 

Peuples  et  de  Lieux  (Paris,  1824). 
Yonge,  History  of  Christian  Names2  (London,  1884). 


B.    SOURCES    FOR    MEDIEVAL    NAMES 

Searle,  Onomasticon  Anglo-Saxonicum  (Cam- 
bridge, 1897)  ....     Searle 

1086.     Domesday  Book    ....     DB. 

1158-1192.  Pipe  Rolls  (Pipe  Roll  Soc.,  34  vols.)  Pipe  R. 

1189-132 7.  Abbreviatio  Placitorum, 

Richard  I.— Edward  II.      .     Pleas 

1195-1214.  Fines,  sive  Pedes  Finium,  sive 
Finales  Concordiae  in  Curia 
Domini  Regis  .  .  .  Feet  of  Fines 

1199-1216.  Rotuli  de  Liberate  ac  de  Misis  et 

Praestitis,  regnante  Johanne     Lib.  R. 

1199-1326.  Charter  Rolls  .          .          .      Chart.  R. 

1199-1332.  Fine  Rolls      ....     Fine  R. 

1200-1400.  Documents  illustrative  of  Eng- 
lish History  in  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries, 
from  the  Records  of  the 
Queen's  Remembrancer  in 
the  Exchequer  .  .  Doc.  III. 

1202-1338.  Patent  Rolls  ....     Pat.  R. 

1205-1337.  Close  Rolls     ....     Close  R. 

*  Pachnio's  dissertation,  giving  a  great  number  of  thirteenth- 
century  French  nicknames,  is  extremely  valuable  for  comparative 
purposes,  and  is  freely  quoted,  especially  in  chapters  vi.  to  viii. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


xvu 


1216-1307.  Calendarium  Genealogicum,  for 
the  reigns  of  Henry  III.  and 
Edward  I.  .  .  .  Cal.  Gen. 

1216-1307.  Testa  de  Neville  sive  Liber  Feo- 
dorum,  temp.  Henry  III. 
— Edward  I.  .  .  .  Testa  de  Nev. 

1216-1377.  Rotulorum  Originalium  in  Curia 
Scaccarii  Abbreviatio, 
Henry  III.— Edward  III.  .  Exch.  R. 

1216-1336.  Inquisitiones  post  Mortem  sive 

Escaetae  ....  IpM. 

1272-1338.  Register  of  the  Freemen  of  York, 

Vol.  I.(SurteesSoc.,  1897)  .  F.  of  Y. 

1273.  Hundred  Rolls        .          .          .     Hund.  R. 

1275-1377.  The  Letter-Books  (A.  to  F.)  of 

the  City  of  London  .  City  A.,  B.,  etc. 

1277-1326.  Calendar  of  various  Chancery 
Rolls :  Supplementary  Close 
Rolls,  Welsh  Rolls,  Scutage 
Rolls  ....  Chanc.  R. 

1 2  84-1 431.  Inquisitions  and  Assessments  re- 
lating to  Feudal  Aids  .  Feud.  Aids 

Ancient  Kalendars  and  Inventories  of  the 

Treasury  of  His  Majesty's  Exchequer  .  Exch.  Cal. 

Liber  Vitae  Ecclesiae  Dunelmensis  (Surtees 

Soc.,  1841) Lib.  Vit. 

In  addition  to  the  above  a  great  number  of  county  Assize 
Rolls,  manor  Court  Rolls,  abbey  Cartularies,  etc.,  have  been 
consulted,  the  titles  of  which  are  given  more  fully. 


C.    SOURCES    FOR    MODERN    SURNAMES 


Return  of  Owners  of  Land  in  England  and 
Wales,  1873,  generally  called  the  Modern 
Domesday  Book  .... 

Dictionary  of  National  Biography       . 
2 


MDB. 
DNB. 


xviii  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

London  Directory,  1842. 
Various  Provincial  Directories. 
Navy  List,  September  1914. 
Army  List,  January  1915. 
The  London  Gazette. 
The  Daily  Paper. 
The  Casualty  Lists. 

Paris  Directory,  1907       .  .         .     Bottin. 

Rangliste  der  Kaiserlich  Deutschen  Marine, 


D.    DICTIONARIES    QUOTED 

The  New  English  Dictionary  .         .     NED. 

The  English  Dialect  Dictionary         .         .     EDD. 

Wright-Wulcker,  Anglo-Saxon  and  Old 

English  Vocabularies 2  (London,  1884)  .  Voc. 

Promptorium  Parvulorum  (1440),  ed.  May- 
hew  (EETS.)  Prompt.  Parv. 

Catholicon  Anglicum  (1483),  ed.  Herrtage 

(EETS.) Cath.Angl. 

Levins,  Manipulus  Vocabulorum  (1570),  ed. 

Wheatley  (EETS.)  ....  Manip.  Voc. 

Skene,  De  Verborum  Signification  (Edin- 
burgh, 1599). 

Cowel,  The  Interpreter  or  Booke  containing 
the  Signification  of  Words  (London, 
1607). 

The  same,  enlarged  (London,  1708). 

Blount,  Law  Dictionary  (London,  1691). 

White  Kennett,  Glossary  (London,  1816). 

Nares,  Glossary,  ed.  Halliwell  and  Wright 
(London,  1872). 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  xix 

Halliwell,  Dictionary  of  Archaic  and  Pro- 
vincial Words  10  (London,  1887)  .  .  Hall. 

Skeat  and  Mayhew,  Glossary  of  Tudor 
and  Stuart  Words  (Oxford,  1914). 

Palsgrave,  Lesclarcissement  de  la  Langue 

fransoyse  (1536)          .          .          .          .     Palsg. 
Cotgrave,  French- English  Dictionary  (1611)     Cotg. 


E.    SOURCES    OF    QUOTATIONS 

Chaucer,  ed.  Pollard  (Globe  Edition)  .          .     Chauc. 
Piers  Plowman,  ed.  Skeat  .          .          .     Piers  Plowm. 

The  Wycliffite  Translation  of  the  Bible        .     Wye. 
Skelton,  ed.  Dyce. 
Cocke    Lorelles    Bote,    sixteenth    century 

(reprint,  Aberdeen,  1848). 
Stow,  Survey  of  London  (1603). 


<     ABBREVIATIONS   EMPLOYED 


AF.     . 

AS.  . 
Ass.  . 
Bottin 
Cal.  Gen. 

Cart.    . 

Cath.  Angl.  . 

Chanc.  R. 

Chart.  R.      . 

Chauc. 

City  A.,  B.,  etc. 

Close  R. 
Cotg.  . 
DB.  . 
dial.  . 
dim.  . 
DNB. . 
Doc.  III. 


Du.  . 
EDD. . 
Exch.  Cal.  . 

Exch.  R. 


Anglo-French 

Anglo-Saxon 

Assize 

Paris  Directory,  1907 

Calendarium  Genealogicum  (1216- 

1307) 

Cartulary  or  Chartulary 
Catholicon  Anglicum 
Chancery  Rolls  (1277-1326) 
Charter  Rolls  (1199  .  .  .) 
Chaucer 
City  of  London  Letter- books  (1275 

•  •  0 

Close  Rolls  (1205  .  .  .) 
Cotgrave's  French  Dictionary  (1611) 
Domesday  Book  (1086) 
dialect 
diminutive 

Dictionary  of  National  Biography 
Documents  Illustrative  of  English 

History     (thirteenth    and    four- 
teenth centuries) 
Dutch 

English  Dialect  Dictionary 
Ancient  Kalendars  and  Inventories 

of  the  Exchequer. 
Rotulorum    Originalium    in    Curia 

Scaccarii  Abbreviatio  (Henry  III. 

—Edward  III.) 
films  or  nlia 

xxi 


XX11 


ABBREVIATIONS  EMPLOYED 


Feet  of  Fines 
Feud.  Aids  . 

Fine  R. 

F.  of  y.    . 

Fr.  . 
Ger.  . 
Goth.  . 
Hall.  . 
Hund.  R.  . 
Inq.  . 
IpM.  . 

Let.  . 
LG.  . 
Lib.  R. 

Lib.   Vit.      . 
Manip.  Voc. 
MDB. 
ME.     . 
OF.     . 
OG.     . 
ON.     . 
Palsg. 

Pat.  R. 
Piers  Plowm. 
Pipe  R. 
Pleas  . 

Prompt.  Parv. 
Reg.     . 
Sc.       . 
Testa  de  Nev. 
Voc.    . 
Wye.  . 


Fines,  sive  Pedes  Finium  (1195-1214) 

Inquisitions  and  Assessments  relat- 
ing to  Feudal  Aids  (1284  .  .  .) 

Fine  Rolls  (1199  .  .  .) 

Register  of  the  Freemen  of  York 
(1272  .  .  .) 

French 

German 

Gothic 

Halliwell. 

Hundred  Rolls  (1273) 

Inquests 

Inquisitiones  post  Mortem  (1216 
.  .  .) 

Letters 

Low  German 

Rotuli  de  Liberate  ac  de  Misis  et 
Praestitis  (1199  .  .  .) 

Liber  Vitae  Ecclesiae  Dunelmensis 

Manipulus  Vocabulorum 

Modern  Domesday  Book  (1873) 

Middle  English 

Old  French 

Old  German 

Old  Norse 

Palsgrave,  Lesclarcissement  de  la 
Langue  franfoyse  (1536) 

Patent  Rolls  (1202  .  .  .) 

Piers  Plowman 

Pipe  Rolls  (1158  .  .  .) 

Abbreviatio  Placitorum,  Richard  I. 
—Edward  II. 

Promptorium  Parvulorum 

Register 

Scottish 

Testa  de  Neville 

Wright-Wulcker,  Vocabularies 

Wyclimte  Translation  of  the  Bible 


SURNAMES 

CHAPTER    I 

THE   STUDY  OF  SURNAMES 

"  Nomen  quum  dicimus,  cognomen  quoque  et  agnomen  intelli-, 
gatur  oportet "  (CICERO). 

THE  study  of  surnames  in  England  is  chiefly  asso- 
ciated with  the  names  of  Camden,  Lower,  Ferguson, 
and  Bardsley,  though  many  other  writers  have  dealt 
with  the  subject,  or  with  special  aspects  of  it,  both 
in  books  and  magazine  articles.  Of  these  Camden, 
the  first  in  date  (Remains  concerning  Britain,  1605),  is 
still  in  many  ways  the  best.  His  brief  essay,  weak  as  it 
necessarily  is  from  the  philological  point  of  view,  gives 
by  far  the  clearest  and  most  sensible  introduction  to 
the  subject  that  has  yet  been  penned. 

The  first  attempt  at  anything  like  a  comprehensive  . 
Dictionary    of    Surnames    is     Lower's    Patronymica 
Britannica  (Lond.  1860),  which  contains  some  12,000 
names.     He  had  previously  published  English  Sur-  t 
names  (Lond.  1842,  4th  ed.,  enlarged,  1875).     Lower 
seems  to  have  been  a  genial  antiquary,  with  a  good 
deal  of  miscellaneous  information,  but  no  serious  know- 
ledge  of  European  languages.     On  the  surnames  of  his 


2  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

native  county,  Sussex,  he  has  often  good  first-hand 
information,  but  outside  that  he  is  quite  untrust- 
worthy. He  knew,  however,  something  about  the 
general  history  of  surnames  and  had  read  all  that  had 
already  been  written  in  English  on  the  subject. 
Some  of  his  suggested  etymologies  are  rather  funny, 
and  in  many  cases  he  does  not  seem  to  have  taken 
the  trouble  even  to  open  the  Gazetteer.  A  couple 
of  examples  will  suffice — 

"  Bicker  staff.  The  O.  Eng.  bicker  means  to  skirmish  or  contend, 
and  a  '  bicker-staff,'  therefore,  probably  signifies  a  weapon  analo- 
gous to  a  quarter-staff,  or  single-stick.  The  name  belongs  to  the 
same  class  as  Longsword,  Broadspear,  etc." 

"  Rigmaiden.  Two  gentry  families,  settled  respectively  in 
Counties  Lincoln  and  Lancaster,  bore  this  remarkable  name,  which 
at  the  commencement  of  the  present  century  was  still  extant.  I 
can  give  no  better  etymology  for  the  name  than  I  have  already 
assigned  in  Eng.  Sum.  ;  viz.,  '  a  romping  girl.'  " 

Now  Bickerstaff,  formerly  Bickerstath  (whence  Bicker- 
steth),  is  a  Lancashire  parish  near  Ormskirk,  Rigmaden 
is  a  seat  in  Westmorland,  and  the  local  surnames  de 
Biker staf  and  de  Riggemaden  can  be  easily  attested 
from  the  medieval  records  of  the  north.  I  have  noticed 
fifteen  variants  of  Bickerstaff  in  the  Lancashire  Assize 
Rolls  (1176-1285)  and  Rigmaiden  is  also  found  in 
several  forms.  Similarly,  Lower  explains  Fifehead 
as  from  a  promontory  in  Scotland,  whereas  Fifehead, 
formerly  Five-hide,  is  a  place  in  Dorset,  in  which 
county  Fifehead,  Fifett  is  a  common  surname.  But 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  useful  antiquarian,  as  distin- 
guished from  etymological,  information  to  be  gleaned 
from  Lower,  and  his  rather  ponderous  good-humour 
does  not  excite  the  irritation  which  is  evoked  by  the 
confident  imbecility  of  some  of  his  successors. 


EARLY  THEORISTS  3 

Lower  was  followed  by  Ferguson,  author  of  English 
Surnames  and  their  Place  in  the  Teutonic  Family, 
The  Teutonic  Name  System,  and  Surnames  as  a  Science. 
He  was  by  trade  a  cotton-spinner,  by  inclination  an 
amateur  philologist,  and  eventually  a  Member  of 
Parliament.  Like  most  people  who  dabble  in  the 
study  of  German,  he  was  struck  by  its  similarity  to 
English,  and  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  our 
surname  system,  like  our  language,  was  chiefly  of 
Teutonic  origin.1  In  other  words,  he  became  the 
victim  of  a  fixed  idea,  a  more  deadly  enemy  in  philo- 
logical matters  than  ignorance  itself.  The  consequence 
is  that  his  Surnames  as  a  Science  2  bears  some  resem- 
blance to  an  elaborate  lark,  which  begins  by  amusing, 
but  soon  palls.  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  thousands 
of  our  surnames  can  be  traced  to  personal  names 
which  were  in  use  in  Anglo-Saxon  times,  but,  to 
establish  such  connection,  it  is  just  as  well  to  supply 
a  little  in  the  way  of  evidence.  For  Ferguson  it  is 
quite  sufficient  to  find  a  somewhat  similar  Anglo- 
Saxon  name  in  Kemble  3  or  Thorpe,4  or,  failing  these 
sources,  an  Old  German  name  in  Forstemann,6  or, 
failing  Forstemann,  in  his  own  imagination,  to  ex- 
plain Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry  as  coming  straight  from 
the  Twilight  of  the  Gods  into  the  London  Commercial 
Directory.  So  Thompson,  whom  the  ignorant  might 
connect  with  Thomas,  is  really  the  son  of  doom  \ 
That  a  surname  is  obviously  taken  from  a  trade  does 

1  Which  it  is,  of  course,  though  not  as  Ferguson  understood  it. 

2  Second  edition,  revised,  London,  1884. 

3  Codex  diplomaticus  JEvi  Saxonici,  London,  1845-8. 

4  Diplomatorium  Angliciim  JEvi  Saxonici,  London,  1815. 

6  Altdeutsches  Namenbuck  :  part  i,  Personnel  amen,  Nordhausen, 
1856. 


4  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

not  disturb  him.  Archer,  Iremonger,  and  Prentice, 
which  are  recorded  by  hundreds  as  "  le  archere,"  "  le 
iremonger,"  "  le  prentice/'  are  "  Old  Prankish " 
names,  "  and  the  resemblance  to  anything  English  is 
only  an  accident."  Archer,  we  learn,  is  from  OG. 
Erchear,  Iremonger  is  related  to  Arminius  the  Cherus- 
kerfiirst,  and  Prentice  comes  from  "an"  AS.  Premtsa. 
An  unrecorded  Old  German  name  is  just  as  useful 
for  his  purpose  as  one  copiously  attested.  It  is  only 
a  case  of  "  not  yet  turned  up,"  a  phrase  that  recurs 
constantly  in  his  book.  Occasionally  the  intrusive 
place-name  annoys  him,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

1  Prendergast  is  derived  from  an  imaginary  Pendgast, 
"  an  ancient  compound,  from  the  stem  bend,  with  gast, 
hospes."  A  footnote  admits  that  it  may  perhaps, 
however,  be  from  a  Welsh  place-name  (as  of  course  it 
is),  but  it  "  illustrates  the  principle  just  the  same." 

A  contemporary,  and  to  some  extent  a  disciple,  of 
Ferguson,  Dr.  Charnock,  published  in  1868  a  small 
lexicon  of  unusual  surnames  under  the  title  Ludus 

v.  Patronymicus ,  or  the  Etymology  of  Curious  Names. 
On  Shakespeare  he  gives  us  the  following  remarks — 

"  I  have  elsewhere  (see  Notes  and  Queries,  vols.  ix.  and  x.), 
stated  that  Shakespeare  might  be  a  corruption  of  Sigisbert,  which 
would  translate  '  renowned  for  victory  '  (sige,  victory) ;  in  answer 
to  which  Mr.  Ferguson  seemed  to  think  that  the  name  might  be 
from  Sicisper,  Sigisper,  or  Sigiper,  which  he  would  translate  '  vic- 
torious bear  '  (perhaps  rather  '  victorious  man  ').  My  suggestion 
would  seem  probable  from  the  fact  that  the  name  Shakeshaft  might 
be  from  Sigishaft,  Sighaft,  used  by  the  Franks  for  '  victorious,' 
or  from  Sigishaved,  '  head  of  victory,'  '  victorious  leader.'  I 
am,  however,  disposed  to  think  that  the  latter  name  is  merely  a 
corruption  of  Shakestaff ;  and,  as  I  have  shown  elsewhere,  most 
names  compounded  of  staff  are  derived  from  AS.  sted,  a  place.  On 
further  consideration  I  am  inclined  to  doubt  my  former  derivation 


CRAZY  ETYMOLOGY  5 

of  the  name  Shakespeare,  although  it  would  easily  corrupt  from 
Sigisbert,  by  contraction  of  the  first  vocable,  and  by  dropping  of 
the  final  t.  I  agree  with  another  correspondent  of  Notes  and 
Queries  in  tracing  the  name  to  Jacques  Pierre.  .  .  .  The  nearest 
names  to  Jacques  Pierre  that  I  have  been  able  to  find  are  James 
Peters,  Jacques  Henri  Bernardin  de  Saint-Pierre,  and  Petrus 
Jacobus." 

Perhaps,  after  all,  it  is  only  the  gentleman's  fun. 

Theories  every  whit  as  crazy  are  constantly  put  for- 
ward by  amateur  philologists.  A  few  years  ago  I 
read  in  Notes  and  Queries  that  Jennins  is  of  Norse 
origin  and  means  the  "  iron  man/'  and  that  this  family 
gave  its  name  to  Jenningham,  now  corrupted  into 
Birmingham  !  This  statement  easily  beats  the  famous 
definition  of  the  crab  both  in  quality  and  on  points. 
More  recently,  in  the  same  publication,  the  suggestion 
was  made  that  the  puzzling  name  Shillito  or  Silito  was 
from  the  medieval  "  de  Sigillo."  Even  if  this  were 
phonetically  possible,  the  theorist  should  have  sup- 
ported his  case  with  modern  names  corrupted  from 
Molendinarius,  Albo  Monasterio,  Veteri  Ponte,  or 
Sexdecim  Vallibus. 

In  fact,  the  study  of  English  surnames,  being  a 
region  of  knowledge  which  has  never  been  scientifically 
explored,  is  a  regular  happy  hunting-ground  for  the 
unauthorized  amateur.  Even  men  of  learning,  who 
should  know  how  dangerous  it  is  to  stray  from  their 
own  sphere  of  knowledge,  occasionally  trespass  dis- 
astrously. I  have  recently  read  a  most  interesting 
and  informative  article  on  the  "  Place  of  the  Wood- 
pecker in  Religion,"  the  author  of  which  points  out 
quite  rightly  that  many  of  our  surnames  go  back  to 
instincts  surviving  from  this  prehistoric  cult.  But 
when  he  proceeds  to  tell  us  that  the  name  Peckover 


6  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

is  the  OF.  pic  vert,  green  woodpecker,  we  are  re- 
minded of  those  guileless  etymologists  who  derive  the 
Oxfordshire  Shotover  from  chateau  vert,  while  the 
suggestion  that  Woodhatch  (Surrey)  takes  its  name 
from  the  woodhack,  or  woodpecker,  makes  us  wonder 
whether  there  is  some  similar  explanation  for  Colney 
Hatch. 

The  documentary  study  of  English  surnames  began 
with  Bardsley,  who  shifted  the  field  of  investiga- 
tion from  the  migration  of  the  Aryans  to  the  Middle 
Ages.  He  realized  that  practically  all  our  sur- 
names came  into  existence  between  the  Norman  Con- 
quest and  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century.  His 
English  Surnames 1  contains  a  wealth  of  material 
drawn  from  various  medieval  sources,  and  his  Die-. 
tionary  of  English  and  Welsh  Surnames,  published 
(Oxford,  1901)  from  his  notes  after  his  death,  contains 
a  valuable,  though  often  wrongly  grouped  and  wrongly 
interpreted,  collection  of  authentic  instances.  Among 
all  who  have  written  on  the  subject,  he  appears  to  be 
the  only  one  who  knows  that  there  are  such  things  as 
chronology  and  evidence,  and,  where  he  goes  wrong, 
it  is  simply  from  ignorance  of  medieval  languages. 
I  have  given  a  few  examples  in  the  preface  to  my 
Romance  of  Names.  Similar  blunders  are  to  be  found 
on  almost  every  page  of  his  Dictionary,  but  it  would 
be  ungracious  to  insist  on  them.  Personally  I  have 
derived  the  greatest  help  from  his  work,  and,  though 
I  have  never,  when  possible,  used  one  of  his  instances 
without  verifying  it,  I  have  often  been  guided  to  the 
origin  of  a  name  by  his  copious  provision  of  early 
examples.  His  Dictionary  is  especially  valuable  for 

1  Seventh  edition,  London,  1901. 


VARIOUS  SOURCES  7 

the  later  history  of  names,  because  of  the  careful 
study  of  church  registers  by  which  he  is  often  able 
to  show  the  identity  of  surnames  which  have  become 
widely  divergent.  This  part  of  the  subject  can  only 
be  nibbled  at  by  one  individual,  and  a  real  Diction- 
ary of  Surnames  cannot  come  into  existence  until 
every  county  has  been  thoroughly  documented  by 
competent  investigators. 

The  study  of  surnames  is,  for  historical  reasons, 
more  complicated  in  England  than  in  any  other  Euro- 
pean country.  In  all  European  nations  there  is  a 
strong  foreign  element,  especially  in  frontier  regions, 
but  our  Directory  is  perhaps  the  greatest  hodge- 
podge of  all.  Taking  the  various  elements  in  chro- 
nological order,  we  have  first  the  "  Celtic  fringe," 
names  from  which  (Gaelic,  Welsh,  Irish,  Manx,  Cor-^ 
nish)  are  now  to  be  found  in  every  corner  of  Eng- 
land. In  fact,  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  real  old 
Welsh  names  (Cradock,  Ennion,  Traherne,  etc.),  now 
replaced  largely  by  the  unimaginative  Jones,1  Hughes, 
etc.,  are  more  numerous  in  England  than  in  their 
native  country.  Then  come  the  race  whom  we  call 
traditionally  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and  from  whom  those 
few  of  us  whose  ancestors  neither  came  over  with 
the  Conqueror  nor  escaped  miraculously  from  the 
Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  are  mostly  descended. 
In  the  East  and  North,  in  Scotland,  and  sporadically 

1  The  MDB.  contains  the  names  of  196  landholders  in  the  Isle 
of  Anglesey  whose  name  begins  with  /,  and  every  single  one  of 
them  is  Jones.  The  same  phenomenon  is  observed  in  other  coun- 
tries in  which  the  adoption  of  fixed  surnames  is  comparatively 
recent.  Thus  in  Sweden  about  one-half  of  the  population  is  ac- 
counted for  by  some  fifteen  patronymics  of  the  type  Olsen  (Olaf), 
Jakobsen,  Petersen,  etc. 


8  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

all  round  the  outer  edge  of  the  islands,  names  of 
Norse 1  origin  are  abundant ;  and  these,  from  the 
strictly  philological  point  of  view,  should  be  divided 
into  East  Scandinavian  and  West  Scandinavian. 
With  1066  we  have  the  Norman  irruption,  and, 
through  the  centuries,  a  constant  percolation  from 
various  French  provinces,2  culminating  in  the  great 
Huguenot  invasion  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries.  On  the  East  coast  Dutch  and  Danish  names 
are  not  uncommon ;  while  London,  as  the  commercial 
focus  of  the  world,  has  for  centuries  attracted  immi- 
grants from  various  European  countries,  many  of 
whom  have  been  fruitful  and  have  multiplied.  In 
quite  recent  times  there  has  been  a  steady  peaceful 
penetration  from  Germany,  and  London  and  our 
manufacturing  towns  are  largely  colonized  by  this 
energetic  race,  no  doubt  destined  to  be  the  ruling 
class  of  the  future.8 

But,  difficult  as  is  the  task  of  classifying  and  deriv- 
ing English  surnames,  it  is  nothing  compared  with 
that  offered  by  American  surnames.  In  the  States 
the  wear  and  tear  of  names,  which  in  England  extends 
over  ten  centuries,  has  been  concentrated  into  one, 
and  instead  of  half  a  dozen  elements  we  have  sources 
innumerable.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Republic  the 
problem  was  simpler,  for  the  sparse  population  was 
drawn  from  practically  four  sources,  British,  Dutch, 
French,  and  German.  In  the  earliest  census  taken,  it 

1  I  have  described  all  names  found  before  the  Conquest  as  Anglo- 
Saxon,   but  many   of  them  are  really  Norse.     Those  interested 
should  study  Bjorkman. 

2  French  names  are  particularly  common  in  Devon,  a  result  no 
doubt  of  intercourse  with  the  Channel  Islands. 

3  This  was  written  before  the  War. 


SURNAME  GROUPS  9 

is  interesting  to  notice  the  distribution  of  these  names.1 
We  find,  as  we  should  expect,  the  French  in  the  south, 
the  Dutch  in  and  around  New  York,  and  the  Germans 
in  Pennsylvania.  But,  since  the  time  of  the  first 
census  (1790),  immigrants  have  crowded  in  from  most 
countries,  civilized  and  uncivilized,  and  their  changed, 
distorted,  or  adapted  names  form  a  pathless  etymo- 
logical morass.  Even  in  1790  one  is  struck  by  the 
prevalence  of  crude  and  grotesque  nicknames,  often 
obvious  perversions  of  foreign  names,  but  frequently, 
no  doubt,  deliberately  assumed  by,  or  conferred  on, 
men  who  had  cut  even  the  surnominal  tie  with  Europe. 
In  one  respect  only  are  our  English  surnames  easier 
to  trace  than  those  of  continental  countries.  The 
possible  variants  and  derivatives  of  any  given  personal 
name  run  theoretically  into  thousands,  and  in  France 
and  Germany,  to  take  the  two  most  important 
countries  of  which  the  surname  system  is  related  to 
our  own,  there  has  been  no  check  on  this  process  of 
differentiation.  By  contraction,  aphesis,  apocope,  dia- 
lect variation,  and  many  other  phonetic  factors,  one 
favourite  name  often  develops  hundreds  of  forms,  many 
of  which  appear  to  have  nothing  in  common  with  the 
original.  Thus  Ger.  Nolle  can  be  traced  step  by  step 
to  OG.  Arinwald,  eagle  mighty.  The  Old  German 
names  passed  into  France,  underwent  a  new  phonetic 
development,  and  were  again  varied  ad  infinilum. 
Thus  Naudol  is  also  from  OG.  Arinwald,  which  became 
Fr.  Arnaud,  whence,  by  aphesis,  Naud,  and,  with  the 
dim.  suffix,  Naudot.  This  dim.  suffix  again,  which 

1  A  Century  of  Population  Growth  in  the  United  States  (1790- 
1900),  Washington,  1909.  A  copy  of  this  elaborate  and  valuable 
work  was  most  kindly  sent  to  me  by  G.  F.  Parker,  Esq.,  of  New 
York,  formerly  U.S.  Consul  in  Birmingham. 


io  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

many  other  names  share  with  Naudot,  became,  by 
a  second  aphesis,  Dot,  and  then,  with  a  new  dim. 
suffix,  Dottin.  Many  such  series  could  be  quoted 
among  modern  French  surnames,  e.g.  Hanotaux,  for 
Hanotot,  from  Hanoi,  from  Han,  from  Jehan,  i.e.  John  ; 
or  Denis,  Denisard,  Nisard,  Sard,  Sardou. 

Now  in  England  the  parallel  process  was  suddenly 
interrupted  by  the  Norman  Conquest.  The  Anglo- 
Saxon  names  which  persisted  remained  in  a  state  of 
arrested  development  and  seldom  produced  familiar 
derivatives.  Those  which  seem  to  form  exceptions 
do  so  because  the  corresponding  name  existed  in  Old 
French  and  thus  preserved  a  vitality  which  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  form  had  lost.  Thus  Rawle,  Rawlins,  Rawkins, 
etc.,  belong  t6  Fr.  Raoul,  from  OG.  Radwulf,  counsel 
wolf,  and  our  Tibbs,  Tibbets,  Tibbies,  etc.,  derive  from 
the  Fr.  Thibaut,  OG.  Theodobald,  people  strong,  rather 
than  from  the  cognate  AS.  Theodbeald,  a  rather  rare 
name.  From  the  Conquest  the  favourite  names  were 
French  names  of  Germanic  origin,  e.g.  William,  Robert, 
Richard,  or  Biblical  names,  e.g.  John,  Thomas,  Peter, 
of  Greco-Latin  or  Eastern  origin,  and  generally  in- 
troduced in  a  French  form.  Nomenclature  thus  made 
a  fresh  start,  and  this  start  falls  within  historic  and 
well-documented  times.  Practically  all  our  surname 
groups  of  baptismal  origin  date  from  after  the  Con- 
quest and  have  no  direct  or  conscious  connection  with 
their  Anglo-Saxon  or  Celtic  cognates.  Taking  at 
hazard,  from  vol.  ii.  of  the  Hundred  Rolls,  a  list  of 
people  from  various  counties  described  as  sons  of 
Adam,  we  find  that  the  font-names  represented  are 
Clement,  Eustace,  Geoffrey,  Gregory,  Henry,  Hugh, 
Humphrey,  John,  Nicholas,  Peter,  Philip,  Ralph, 


CLASSES  OF  SURNAMES  n 

Richard,  Robert,  Roger,  Simon,  Thomas,  William,  not 
one  of  which  was  in  real  English  use  before  the  Battle 
of  Hastings. 

But  a  close  study  of  the  cartularies  of  ancient 
manors  and  abbeys  reveals  the  survival  of  thousands 
of  Anglo-Saxon  names  among  the  peasantry,  and 
most  of  them  still  exist.  They  do  not,  however,  form 
groups  of  derivatives.  Even  when  Anglo-Saxon  names 
survived  as  such,  they  were  often  affected  in  sound  by 
the  Norman  pronunciation,  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that,  during  the  period  of  formation  of  our  surnames, 
French  was  the  official  language  and  a  considerable 
proportion  of  the  population  was  bilingual.  For  in- 
stance, Alphege  is  the  Norman  form  of  Elpkick,  AS. 
^Elfheah,  and  the  v  of  Elvin  (£Qfwine),  Colvin  (Ceol-  S 
wine),  is  due  to  the  same  influence.  Wace  makes 
Edward  into  Ewart,  a  name  which  has  other  origins, 
and  Leofwin  into  Lewin — 

"  Lewine  e  Guert  furent  od  lui  "  (Roman  de  Ron,  7857). 

The  font-name  is,  strictly  speaking,  the  only  true 
name,  the  other  classes  of  surnames,  patronymic, 
occupative,  or  nickname,  being  descriptions,  while  the 
local  surname  is  an  address.  Of  all  surnames  those 
of  local  origin  are  of  least  interest,  difficult  though  it 
often  is  to  recognize  the  village  or  homestead  in  its 
archaic,  distorted,  or  popular  form  (see  chap.  iv.). 
Probably  at  least  half  of  our  surnames  are  of  the 
dull,  unimaginative  local  kind,1  but  their  etymological 

1  It  is  rather  curious  that  a  few  names  of  this  type  should  have 
acquired  an  aristocratic  flavour.  Cholmondeleyis  simply  the  "  lea  " 
of  Ceolmund,  who  is  now  usually  Coleman,  and  Ponsonby  is  the 
"  by,"  or  homestead,  of  Punshon.  The  exclusive  Carlton  represents 
the  most  commonplace  of  our  village  names,  Ceorl's,  or  the  churl's, 
"tun,"  or  homestead. 

3 


12  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

explanation  belongs  to  the  student  of  place-names. 
As  there  is  hardly  a  spot  in  England  which  has  not 
given  its  name  to  a  family,  it  follows  that  a  complete 
etymological  dictionary  of  English  surnames  would 
have  to  include  a  complete  etymological  dictionary  of 
place-names,  i.e.  that  one  impossibility  can  only  be 
achieved  by  the  preliminary  accomplishment  of  an- 
other. The  study  of  these  names  would  have  to  be 
carried  on  by  counties  or  regions.  If  a  circle,  with 
say  a  ten-mile  radius,  were  drawn  on  an  ordnance  map 
round  a  city  such  as  Nottingham,  it  would  be  found 
that  all  the  village-names  in  that  circle  existed  in  the 
town  or  county  as  medieval  surnames.  With  the  en- 
largement of  the  circle,  these  names  would  thin  out 
in  number  and  become  more  corrupted  in  form,  until, 
except  for  their  accidental  appearance  here  and  there 
in  modern  England,  they  would  fade  away  like  the 
last  ripple  produced  by  a  stone  in  the  water.  A 
profound  historical  knowledge  of  the  earlier  forms 
and  of  the  local  pronunciation  would  of  course  be 
essential  for  the  study  of  these  names. 

In  investigating  the  origins  of  names  we  can  work 
either  backwards  or  forwards.  The  field  is  immense 
and  the  materials  are  available  in  overwhelming  mass. 
Lower  seems  to  have  used  as  general  sources  only 
Domesday  Book  and  the  Hundred  Rolls,  the  latter  a 
kind  of  later  Domesday  Book  compiled  in  1273.  These 
are  perhaps  the  two  most  valuable  documents  we  have, 
because  they  give  not  only  the  name  but  the  locality 
in  which  it  occurs.  But  there  are  many  other  sources 
of  hardly  less  value.  For  pre-Conquest  names  we 
have  Searle's  Onomasticon  Anglo-Saxonicum,  a  com- 
plete list  of  names  extracted  from  all  manner  of 


SOURCES  13 

sources,  including  the  earlier  compilations  of  Birch, 
Thorpe,  Kemble,  etc.  After  Domesday  Book  (1086)  the 
most  important  sources  are,  for  the  twelfth  century, 
the  Pipe  Rolls,  beginning  in  1158,  and,  for  the  thir- 
teenth century,  the  four  great  series  of  the  Charter 
Rolls  and  Fine  Rolls,  from  1199,  the  Patent  Rolls,  from 
1202,  and  the  Close  Rolls,  from  1205.  The  earlier  parts 
of  these  were  printed  in  extenso  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  and  they  are  now  continued  in  the  form  of 
Calendars,  i.e.  abstracts.  Then  we  have  the  In- 
qitisitiones  post  Mortem,  from  1216,  a  number  of  minor 
rolls  and  documents  dealing  with  special  regions,  and 
the  numerous  local  records  published  by  various 
antiquarian  societies,  such  as  the  Camden,  Chetham, 
Surtees,  and  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  Record  Societies. 
These  latter  sources  are  especially  rich  for  the  north 
of  England,  but  most  counties  have  now  their  anti- 
quarian societies,  from  the  Transactions  of  which  any 
amount  of  information  can  be  acquired.  An  ordinary 
lifetime  would  not  suffice  for  the  investigation  of  a 
fraction  of  the  superabundant  material,  and  the  con- 
tribution of  any  individual  to  the  subject  must 
necessarily  be  but  a  drop  in  the  ocean. 

The  Rolls  are  nearly  always  written  in  medieval 
Latin,  but  the  names  which  occur  in  them  are  put 
promiscuously  in  latinized  form,  e.g.  Johannes  Arcu- 
balistarius,  English,  John  the  Arblaster,  or  Anglo 
French,  Jehan  le  Arbalestier.  There  is  nothing 
like  uniformity  of  spelling.  Even  a  monosyllable  like 
Bruce  has  dozens  of  forms,  and  in  one  north-country 
document  I  have  noted  fifteen  spellings  of  so  simple 
a  name  as  Bradshaw.  This  applies,  of  course,  equally 
to  the  spelling  of  other  words,  but  while  this  has  now 


14  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

been  normalized  by  a  kind  of  collective  effort  and  the 
authority  of  the  printer,  the  differentiation  in  the 
spelling  l  of  names  has  gone  on  unchecked. 

From  about  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century 
the  records  become  of  less  etymological  value,  because 
the  significant  prefixes,  le  and  de,  del,  atte,  etc.,  tend 
to  disappear.  But  even  in  the  earliest  Rolls  caution 
is  necessary.  Many  accidents  and  misunderstandings 
may  have  occurred  between  the  verbal  communica- 
tion made  by  the  medieval  peasant  to  the  government 
official,  who  often  had  difficulty  in  understanding  him, 
and  the  printed  copy  or  abstract  which  we  now  pos- 
sess. It  is  never  safe  to  draw  inferences  from  isolated 
entries,  which  may  be  original  mistakes,  errors  in 
transcription,  misreadings  of  medieval  contractions, 
or  modern  misprints.  Le  is  constantly  confused  with 
de,  especially  in  the  Hundred  Rolls,  and  in  the  earlier 
issues  of  the  other  series,  and  de  is  also  often  found 
prefixed  to  obvious  nicknames  and  personal  names 
which  can  be  certified  from  much  earlier  records.2  The 
entries  are  to  a  great  extent  artificial.  The  common 
patronymics  in  -s  and  -son  rarely  occur,  and  the  font- 
names  are  given  in  full  instead  of  in  the  abridged 
form  actually  in  use.  We  find  Egidius  f.  Waltarii  for 
Giles  Watson,  and  Reginaldus,  Dionysius,  Petronilla, 
and  Theophania  for  people  who  were  certainly  known 
to  their  neighbours  as  Reynold,  Dennis,  Parnell,  and 
Tiff  en. 

1  It  is  considered  a  terrible  solecism  to  write  of  the  poet  Spencer 
or  of  "  rare  Ben  Johnson,"  but  in  Westminster  Abbey  these  two 
spellings  may  be  seen  over  adjacent  tombs. 

2  Some  of  our  county  histories  are  not  blameless  in  this  matter, 
and  sprinkle  de's  in  ludicrous  fashion  among  the  ancestors  of  the 
local  gentry. 


ARTIFICIAL  ENTRIES  15 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  the  nomenclature  of 
the  Middle  Ages  is  much  more  ornate  than  the  super- 
ficial study  of  history  would  suggest.  Female  names 
especially  have  much  of  the  penny  novelette  about 
them.  I  have  come  across  Amanda,  Bonajoia,  Dulci- 
bella,  Glorietta,  Licoricia,  Orgoylosa,  Orielda,  and 
many  others.  These  gorgeous  names  seem  to  have 
been  especially  common  among  the  Jews,  e.g.  the 
four  Jewesses  mentioned  in  vol.  xxxiii.  of  the  Pipe 
Rolls  are  Belleases,  Duzelina,  Pulcella,  and  Regina. 
In  a  great  many  cases  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether 
a  modern  name  is  a  patronymic  or  a  metronymic,  for 
most  of  the  male  medieval  font-names  had  a  feminine 
form  also,  e.g.  Almarica,  Alwina,  dementia,  Eustachia, 
Huelina,  Theobalda,  etc.,  and,  as  in  modern  times, 
we  sometimes  find  a  female  font-name  manufactured 
from  that  of  the  father  or  ancestor,  e.g.  Lescelina, 
daughter  of  Matthew  f.  Leising  (Lane.  Inq.  1205- 
1307),  the  latter  gentleman's  "by,"  or  farmstead, 
having  been  the  home  of  the  Lazenby  family. 

Occupative  names  given  in  Latin  or  French  form 
have  sometimes  persisted  (Faber,  Bullinger},  but  we 
may  be  sure  that  Ricardus  Molinarius  or  Richard  le 
Mouner  was  generally  in  private  life  Dick  Miller. 
There  are  few  commoner  entries  than  Cocus  and  le 
Keu,  both  now  represented  by  Cook,1  The  same  is 
true  of  nicknames.  Many  a  modern  Whitehead  descends 
from  a  Blanchef  or  Blaunkfrunt  of  the  Rolls,  and  the 
Caprons  of  to-day  are  far  less  numerous  than  those 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  most  of  whom  were  simply  Hoods. 
The  form  which  any  name  takes  in  the  Rolls  is  due 

1  Kew  still  exists,  but  is  not  common,  and  often  comes  from 
Kew  in  Surrey. 


16  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

largely  to  the  personality  of  the  recorder,  often  doing 
his  best  with  a  population  whose  dialect  was  to  him 
a  meaningless  jargon.  Ralph  Omnibon  (Fine  R.) 
looks  like  the  official  interpretation  of  Allgood,  AS. 
^Elfgod,  and  le  Petit  Chose  has  a  thirteenth-century 
prototype  in  Stephen  Aliquid  whom  we  find  in  Cam- 
bridgeshire in  1273  (Hund.  R.),  apparently  an  un- 
couth fenman  whose  name  the  official  compiler  gave 
up  as  a  bad  job. 

The  accidental  character  of  modern^iames  is  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  the  same  man  is  often  found 
with  more  than  one  description.  With  Publius 
Cornelius  Scipio  Africanus  we  may  compare  the 
humbler  Adam  Kokke  in  le  Grene  Pulter  (F.  of  Y.), 
whose  descendants  may,  along  with  other  possibilities, 
now  be  Adams,  Cox,  Green,  or  Poulter,  and  Ricardus 
le  Nouthird  de  Stanley  Porter  (ib.),  who  may  now  be 
represented  by  Richards,  Nothard,  Stanley,  and  Porter. 
So  with  Ralph  Thomasman  Fairfax  (Pat.  R.),  Edmund 
Johanser jaunt  Emmesone  (ib.),  Walter  le  Hore  de 
Elmham  called  Starling  (City  D.),  William  Jones- 
someter  Burdelays  (Pat.  R.),  Nicholas  Rogersser jaunt 
le  Norreys  (Cor am  Rege  R.  1297),  Everard  Williamsman 
Attemersche  (ib.),  Richard  Williamsser jaunt  Pykerell 
(ib.),  William  Rogereswarener  of  Beauchamp  of  Son- 
day  (Pat.  R.).  John  le  Cappeler,  called  "  le  prest " 
(City  B.),  appears  in  the  same  volume  as  John  Prest, 
cappeler  (hatter).  This  brings  us  to  the  fact,  which 
may  comfort  some  people,  that  trade-names  were  very 
often  nicknames,  e.g.  Stephen  le  Espicer,  called  le 
Horn  ere  (City  E.),  William  Priour,  cossun,  i.e.  horse- 
dealer  (ib.),  John  le  Naper,  King's  huntsman  (Chart.  R. 
1259),  Elias  Webster  dictus  Harpur  (F.  of  Y.),  Walter 


MODERN   SURNAMES  17 

le  Taillour,  vicar  of  Crediton  (Cham.  R.).  It  is  pretty 
obvious  that  a  man  could  not  be  Prentice  by  trade, 
nor  could  the  Mawer  or  Plowman  make  much  of  a 
living  by  "  mowing  "  or  "  ploughing  "  alone.  Many 
names  of  this  latter  type  date  back  to  the  manorial 
system,  under  which  tenants  had  to  put  in  a  certain 
amount  of  time  in  mowing,  ploughing,  hedging,  etc., 
for  their  masters. 

Just  as  a  well-established  medieval  name  must 
have  modern  representatives,  a  well-established  modern 
name  must  occur  under  some  form  in  medieval  records. 
By  a  well-established  modern  name,  I  do  not  mean 
one  which  is  chiefly  attested  by  the  contemporary 
London  Directory,  or  even  in  our  great  manufacturing 
centres,  for  these  may  be  of  Huguenot  or  later  foreign 
origin,  but  one  that  has  a  regional  existence  dating 
back  for  a  few  centuries.  This  brings  us  to  the  ques- 
tion of  modern  sources.  For  a  general  dissertation 
on  surnames  the  London  Directory"1  is  sufficient.  For 
the  historical  investigation  of  the  subject  it  is  useless. 
The  method  must  be  regional,  and  a  great  historical 
Dictionary  of  Surnames  can  only  be  compiled  when 
the  names  of  every  county  have  been  scientifically 
studied.  This  task  is  now  being  gradually  carried  out 
for  place-names,  and  perhaps  surnames  will  one  day 
have  their  turn.  Just  as  the  main  features  in  the 
political  history  of  a  country  could  be  inferred  from 

1  I  generally  use  the  edition  of  1842,  which,  appearing  before  the 
conquest,  is  comparatively  free  from  such  misleading  forms  as 
Arbiter,  Ger.  Arbeiter,  Freedman,  Friedemann,  Blooming  field, 
Blumenfeld,  Brilleslipper,  Brillenschleifer,  lens  grinder.  The 
modern  Directory  is  full  of  such  names,  sometimes  half  translated, 
e.g.  Althouse,  Diamondstein,  or  fully,  e.g.  Bathmaker,  Brilliantstone, 
or  wrongly,  e.g.  Coopersmith,  Kupferschmied,  copper-smith. 


i8  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

a  study  of  its  language  alone,  so  the  history  of  each 
county  and  region,  political,  ethnical,1  and  industrial, 
is  imbedded  in  its  surnames. 

For  even  now  our  population  is  largely  stationary 
in  abode.  The  Welsh  milkman  comes  to  London, 
drives  his  cart  for  twenty  years,  and  then  builds  him- 
self a  snug  villa  on  the  coast  of  Cardigan  Bay.  If  he 
remains  in  London,  his  dynasty  generally  dies  out 
within  a  few  generations.  Moreover,  in  most  families 
some  members,  at  any  rate,  remain  on  the  native  soil, 
and  there  are  now  probably  many  people  inhabiting 
the  very  spot  where  their  ancestors  dwelt  when  Domes- 
day Book  was  compiled.  It  is  sometimes  thought 
that  all  names  get  to  London  sooner  or  later.  They 
may  do  so,  but  they  do  not  remain,  and  I  do  not 
believe  that  half  of  our  surnames  of  long  standing  are 
represented  in  the  London  Directory. 

The  name  Fillery  is  a  good  example  of  stationary 
character.  The  only  Fillery  2  I  ever  heard  of  used  to 
bowl  for  Sussex  some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago.  From 
the  Percy  Cartulary  I  find  that  Henry  Filleray  or 

1  Here  is  a  concrete  example.     Guppy,  Homes  of  Family  Names 
(p.   53),  says,  "  The  isolated  colony  of  the  Norfolk  Howells  and 
Powells  invites  some  further  explanation."     I  have  also  been  struck 
by  the  frequent  occurrence  of  Welsh  names  in  medieval  Norfolk. 
In  an  early  volume  of  the  Patent  Rolls  I  find  that  Humfrey  de 
Bohun,  Earl  of  Hereford,  complains  that  while  he  was  absent  in 
Wales  on  the  King's  service,  assaults  were  committed  on  the  ser- 
vants of  his  household  at  Norwich.     Were  there  among  these  ser- 
vants some  Welshmen  from  the  Marches  who  settled  down  and 
married  Norfolk  wives  ?     Some  such  solution  is  no  doubt  the  true 
one.     In  Canada  at  the  present  day  there  are  plenty  of  Macdonalds, 
Macgregors,   etc.,   who  speak  French  only,  being  descendants  of 
disbanded    Highland    soldiers    who    took    to  themselves  French- 
Canadian  wives  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

2  I  have  since  found  the  name  in  a  casualty  list  of  the  Sussex 
Regiment. 


LOCAL  CHARACTER  OF  SURNAMES          19 

Fyleray,  also  called  Fiz  le  Rey,  i.e.  king's  son,  was  a 
Sussex  landholder  in  the  thirteenth  century.  The 
casualty  lists  now  being  issued  tell  the  same  tale. 
In  to-day's  (Feb.  n,  1915)  paper  occurs  Wyartt,  the 
name  of  a  private  in  the  Suffolks,  and,  opening 
Bardsley,  I  find  his  first  example  is  Lena  Wyard, 
(Hund.  R.,  Suff.).  My  own  name,  which  is  very  un- 
common, is  derived  from  a  village  in  Northants.  It 
has  occurred  in  the  casualty  lists  as  that  of  a  private 
in  the  Northamptons.  Peverall  is  found  among  the 
Sherwood  Foresters,  largely  recruited  from  the  Peak 
country.  The  famous  name  Paston  naturally  occurs  in 
the  Norfolk  Regiment.  Hundreds  of  similar  cases  could 
be  quoted.  It  is  among  the  rank  and  file  also  that  we 
find  the  great  Norman  names  (Marmion,  Maltravers, 
etc.),  which  have  almost  disappeared  from  the  peerage. 
The  best  single  source  for  modern  names  is  un- 
doubtedly the  Return  of  Owners  of  Land,  officially  com- 
piled in  1873  and  generally  called  the  Modern  Domes- 
day Book  (MDB.).  From  the  two  volumes  devoted  to 
England  and  Wales  we  find  that,  contrary  to  the 
opinion  of  the  stump  orator,  the  land  of  the  country 
is  held  by  nearly  a  million  people,  the  immense  majority 
of  whom  are  small  holders  of  the  peasant  class.  As 
the  return  is  by  counties,  it  is  easy  to  trace  the  names 
regionally  in  all  their  forms  and  corruptions,  and  to 
establish  the  locality  in  which  any  given  surname 
first  came  into  existence.  Very  often  we  may  find 
the  more  correct  form  still  borne  by  the  squire  and 
all  manner  of  perversions  represented  by  the  cottagers 
who  are  his  distant  cousins.  An  odd-looking  name 
can  often  be  solved  by  a  comparison  with  its  neigh- 
bours. When  we  find  Bathos  by  the  side  of  Bathurst 


20  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

we  recognize  a  natural  corruption.  The  last  five 
names  in  /-  in  Essex  are  Judd,  Judson,  Justums,  Jut- 
son,  Jutsum.  Here  Jud,  i.e.  Jordan,  has  given  the 
patronymic  Judson,  altered  to  Jutson  as  Hudson  has 
become  Hutson.  Then  our  love  of  final  -m  (cf.  Bran- 
som,  Hansom,  Sansom)  has  produced  Jutsum,  from 
which,  with  a  common  metathesis  (cf.  Cripps  for 
Crisp),  we  get  the  new  patronymic  Justums.  When  we 
find  Phizacklea  in  Lancashire,  we  hardly  need  the 
intermediate  Phizakarley,  or  the  imitative  Fitzackerley, 
to  guide  us  to  the  original  Fazakerley,  the  name  of  an 
ancient  parish  now  absorbed  in  Liverpool.  In  the 
East  Riding  we  find  Mainprice  in  the  same  locality  as 
the  perverted  Mamprize,  and  even  Mempriss,  Mim- 
press,  Mainpidge.  If  a  name  occurs  in  isolation,  and 
no  rapprochement  with  characteristic  names  of  the 
county  is  possible,  we  have  to  do  with  an  immigrant 
whose  kin  must  be  sought  elsewhere.  In  this  way 
we  can  to  some  extent  cover  the  same  ground  which 
would  be  explored  in  the  impossible  undertaking  of 
examining  the  parish  registers  of  the  whole  country. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  many  of  the  surnames  which 
seem  to  defy  interpretation  are  found  copiously 
represented  in  special  districts.  A  few  hours  devoted 
to  turning  over  the  leaves  of  the  MDB.,  or  even  a 
glance  at  Guppy,  reveals  the  existence  of  numbers  of 
unfamiliar  names  which  surprise  by  their  forbidding 
uncouthness.  The  explanation  is  that  they  represent 
the  name  of  some  medieval  homestead,  swallowed  up 
centuries  ago  by  the  growth  of  towns,  or  even  some 
field-name ;  or  they  may  spring  from  some  dialect 
word  which  had  died  out  before  dialects  became  a 
matter  of  interest.  Some  of  them  might  be  solved 


LOCAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF  SURNAMES       21 

by  local  antiquaries,  but  they  defy  the  philologist. 
Such  are  Benja field,  which  swarms  in  Dorset,  Bosom- 
worth,  common  in  Yorkshire,  Cudlipp,1  found  all  over 
Devon,  Enticknap,  common  in  Surrey  and  Sussex, 
and  the  great  Cumberland  name  Routledge. 

Altogether  local  distribution  must  be  taken  into 
account  in  proposing  an  etymology.  Bardsley  derives 
Godsall,  Godsell  from  Godshill  (Isle  of  Wight)  ;  but  it  is 
almost  entirely  a  Gloucestershire  and  Herefordshire 
name  [Geoffrey  de  Godeshale,  Fine  R.,  Glouc.J.  In 
Norfolk  and  Suffolk  we  find  Garwood  existing  strongly 
side  by  side  with  Garrood,  Garrod,  Garrett.  This  sug- 
gests that  Garwood,  sometimes  local  (garth  wood),  is  in 
these  counties  also  the  representative  of  AS.  Gaerweard, 
with  a  change  such  as  we  find  in  Grimwood  from 
Grimweard.  The  northern  Yarwood  is  the  same  name. 
In  the  same  region  we  find  the  similar  parallelism  of 
Legwood,  Legood,  Leggott,  all  probably  from  AS.  Leod- 
geard,  of  which  Leggett  is  the  regular  diminutive. 
Gaunt  has  two  well-attested  origins,  the  gaunt  [Gilbert 
le  Gant,  Fine  R.~\,  and  of  Ghent  [Richard  de  Gaunt, 
City  F.].  But  the  home  of  the  name  is  Lincolnshire, 
which  is  also,  as  a  fen  country,  one  of  the  great  centres 
of  bird  nicknames.  In  that  county  the  crested  grebe  is 
called  the  gannet,  or  gant,  and  hence  we  may  conclude 
that  most  of  the  Lincolnshire  Gaunts  take  their  name 
from  the  bird — 

"  These  birds  frequent  .  .  .  the  great  east  fen  in  Lincolnshire, 
where  they  are  called  gaunts  "  (Pennant). 

The  fairly  common  name  Bray  has  two  quite  clear 
local  origins,  viz.  from  one  of  the  many  places  in  France 

1  This  may  be  identical  with  Cutcliff,  common  in  the  same  county, 
but  neither  is  this  a  specific  place-name. 


22  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

called  Bray,  and  from  Bray  in  County  Wicklow  [Robert 
de  Bree,  provost  de  Develine,1  Doc.  III.].  No  doubt 
Bray  in  Berks  must  also  be  considered.  But  the  great 
home  of  the  Brays  is  Cornwall,  and  Benedict  le  Bray 
(Close  R.,  Cornwall)  shows  it  to  be  a  nickname  from 
a  Cornish  adjective  meaning  "  fine,  brave." 

Finally,  in  dealing  with  nicknames,  it  must  be 
remembered  that,  extraordinary  and  numerous  as 
medieval  nicknames  are,  many  of  them  have  gone 
unrecorded.  As  we  have  seen  (p.  16),  many  indi- 
viduals, in  fact  perhaps  the  majority,  had  four  names, 
of  the  type  John  Wilson  at  Town's  End  Saddler.  But 
most  John  Wilsons  had  a  fifth  name,  such  as  Whitehead, 
Shorthose,  Nightingale,  or  Dolittle,  and  this  fifth  name 
stood  the  poorest  chance,  as  a  rule,  of  getting  into 
official  records.  Therefore,  although  no  solution  of 
a  name  can  be  accepted  as  final  without  documentary 
evidence,  it  is  at  least  probable  that  no  common 
adjective  or  noun  that  could  conceivably  be  used  as 
a  nickname  is  altogether  absent  from  our  surname  list. 

The  study  of  surnames  may  be  regarded  as  a  harm- 
less pastime  or  as  a  branch  of  learning.  As  a  pastime 
it  is  as  innocent  as  stamp-collecting,  and  possibly  as 
intellectual.  As  a  branch  of  learning  it  is  an  inex- 
haustible, and  hitherto  practically  unworked,  mine 
of  philological  knowledge.  A  complete  dictionary  of 
English  surnames  would  not  only  form  a  valuable 
supplement  to  the  NED.,  but  would  in  a  great  measure 
revolutionize  its  chronology.  This  may  seem  of  little 
practical  importance  at  a  time  when  our  leaders  of 
science,  a  word  which  used  to  mean  knowledge,  are 
exhorting  us  in  unattractive  English  to  do  away  with 
1  Dublin,  hence  the  common  Irish  Devlin. 


NAMES  OLDER  THAN  WORDS  23 

"  ce  vieux  fatras  de  grec  et  de  latin  "  and  bend  all  our 
efforts  on  transforming  the  rising  generation  into  a 
nation  of  super-plumbers. 1  But  among  the  little  band  of 
attardes  who  rally  round  the  tattered  flag  of  intellectual 
pursuits,  there  will  always  be  some  to  whom  the  study 
of  our  glorious  language  will  have  an  irresistible  appeal 
Now  language  consists  of  words,  and  the  oldest 
articulate  words  are  names.  It  is  more  or  less  an 
accident  that  some  of  these,  having  become  proper 
names,  are  excluded  from  the  dictionaries.  Others 
still  discharge  a  double  function  and  are  equally 
the  prey  of  the  lexicographer  and  the  name-hunter. 
Dictionaries  draw,  as  a  rule,  on  literary  sources,  i.e. 
on  language  which  has  already  reached  a  somewhat 
artificial  phase  of  evolution,  but  in  the  names  and 
nicknames  of  the  Middle  Ages  we  hear  the  every- 
day speech  of  our  ancestors,  a  disconnected  speech 
perhaps,  and  without  that  thread  of  continuity 
which  enables  us  to  trace  the  dictionary  word  back 
through  the  centuries,  but  all  the  same  a  speech  which 
is  generally  far  older  than  literary  records.  Among 
words  which  occur  as  surnames  in  this  volume  there 
are  few  of  which  the  examples  do  not  ante-date  by 
some  centuries  the  earliest  records  in  the  NED.  This 
applies  especially  to  obsolete  or  dialect  topographical 
words2  (ch.  iii.),  and  to  trade-names8  (ch.  v.). 

1  These  gentlemen  are  apparently  unaware  that  the  uncanny 
efficiency  of  the  Germans  is  not  due  to  the  neglect  of  "  useless  " 
studies.     Even  in  such  a  by-way  of  knowledge  as  the  study  of 
surnames,  almost  the  only  work  that  can  be  taken  seriously  has 
been  done  by  Germans  or  German-trained  philologists. 

2  See,  for  instance,  Borstall  (p.  54),  Fostall  (p.  60). 

8  The  NED,  has  cheesemonger  (c.  1510),  quilter  (1563),  charwoman 
(1596).  The  first  two  are  surnames  in  the  Pipe  R.  for  1186,  and 
Alice  Charwoman  lived  in  Nottingham  in  the  fourteenth  century. 


24  THE  STUDY   OF  SURNAMES 

But  there  is  hardly  a  noun  or  an  epithet  which  can 
be  used  as  a  nickname,  apart  from  the  everyday 
Anglo-Saxon  vocabulary,  which  is  not  found  in  the 
Rolls  long  before  its  first  appearance  in  literature. 
The  nocturnal  mammal  called  a  "  bat "  is  usually 
bakke  in  Middle  English,  and  this  is  one  origin  of  the 
name  Back  [Henry  le  Bak,  Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297] — 

"  Moldewarpis  and  baches,   var.   rere-myis "    (Wye.   Is.  ii.   20). 

The  NED.  dates  the  form  bat  from  c.  1575.  But  it 
is  a  common  thirteenth-century  nickname  [Geoffrey 
le  Bat,  Fine  R.,  Reginald  le  Bat,  Hund.  R.I  and 
of  course  one  origin  of  Bait.1 

The  study  of  surnames  also  reveals  the  existence 
of  a  large  Anglo-French  vocabulary  which  is  other- 
wise almost  unrecorded.  These  words  must  have 
been  colloquially  current  during  the  period  when 
the  two  elements  were  in  process  of  fusion.  In  the 
long  run  they  were  rejected  in  favour  of  the  native 
equivalents  and  dropped  out  of  the  language,  except 
in  so  far  as  they  had  become  fossilized  as  surnames. 
Examples  of  such  words  will  be  found  passim  in  this 
volume,  but  they  are  chiefly  illustrated  by  nicknames 
taken  from  adjectives  or  derived  from  names  of  birds 
and  beasts.  These  two  great  classes  of  surnames, 
which  would  require  a  volume  to  themselves,  are  not 
included  in  the  present  work.  One,  unfortunately 
obsolete,  nickname  of  this  type  may,  however,  be  men- 
tioned here.  Our  familiar  "  pussy-cat,"  a  word  that 

1  Also  from  Bartholomew  and  from  the  AS.  Beorht-  names. 
Probably  also  an  archaic  spelling  of  "boat"  [Stephen  del  Bat, 
Close  JR.];  cf.  Barge,  Galley,  etc.  (p.  171).  Bateman  is  no  doubt 
sometimes  for  "  boatman." 


AN  EARLY   OCCURRENCE  25 

we  should  expect  to  find  in  popular  use  long  before  it 
was  put  down  in  black  and  white,  is  a  modernized 
"  puss-cat " — 

"  Micia,  a  pusse-kat,  a  kitlin  "   (Florio).    v 

The  NED.  first  finds  it  in  1565.  But  it  was  a  sur- 
name three  centuries  earlier — 

"  Ilyf  le  Messer  vulneravit  Robertum  Pusekat  juxta  pontem  de 
Corebrigge,  ita  quod  statim  obiit  "  (Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256). 


CHAPTER    II 

THE  TEUTONIC   NAME-SYSTEM 

"  It  seemeth  to  have  been  the  manner,  at  giving  of  names,  to 
wish  the  children  might  perform  and  discharge  their  names,  as 
when  Gunthram,  King  of  the  French,  named  Clotharius  at  the  font, 
he  said,  '  Crescat  puer  et  hujus  sit  nominis  executor  '  "  (CAMDEN). 

THE  names  in  use  among  all  the  Germanic  races, 
including  Scandinavia  and  Iceland,  go  back  to  that 
period  in  the  history  of  the  world  when  all  men  seem 
to  have  been  poets.  When  we  consider  the  beauty 
of  the  oldest  of  these  names,  their  picturesque  connec- 
tion with  gods  and  heroes,  war  and  the  wilds,  and  with 
the  great  elementary  abstract  concepts  which  we  no 
longer  understand,  and  compare  with  them  the  name 
creations  of  the  Romans,  and  still  more  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  commonplace,  prosaic,  spiteful,  or  obscene,  we 
feel  thankful  that  there  was  once  an  age  of  poetic 
bandits  and  imaginative  pirates.  These  Teutonic 
names  were  originally  all  dithematic,1  i.e.  each  name 

1  This  very  natural  formation  is  common  to  the  Aryan  races, 
with  the  rather  striking  exception  of  the  Romans.  The  chief  Celtic 
names  exemplify  it,  e.g.  Donald,  world- wield er,  "  much  the  same 
meaning  as  Dumnorix "  (Macbain),  Dugald,  black  stranger,  i.e. 
Dane,  Duncan,  brown  warrior,  Morgan,  sea-white.  It  is  seen  also 
•/  in  Oriental  names,  such  as  the  Biblical  Absalom,  father  of  peace, 
Jeremiah,  exalted  of  the  Lord,  Jonathan,  the  Lord's  gift.  This 
latter  is  a  very  favourite  combination ;  cf.  Godiva  (Godgifu), 
Theodore,  Dorothea,  Deodatus,  Dieudonne,  etc.  So  also  in  Arabic 

26 


THE   DITHEMATIC   TYPE   OF   NAME          27 

consisted  of  two  elements,  e.g.  Alfred,  fairy  counsel, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  the  earliest  times 
the  elements  were  understood  by  those  who  bore  the 
names,  as  were  the  Greek  names  which  they  so  strik- 
ingly resemble  in  structure  and  spirit.  This  resem- 
blance has  often  been  pointed  out,  e.g.  Godwin,  God 
friend,  Theophilus,  Folkard,  people  strong,  Demos- 
thenes, Sebert,  Sebright,  victory  bright,  Nicophanes. 

At  the  period  with  which  our  historical  documents 
deal,  these  names  had  largely  ceased  to  have  a  real 
meaning.  The  elements  of  which  they  were  composed 
were  drawn  chiefly  from  the  archaic  and  poetic  lan- 
guage and  these  elements  were  often  combined  so  as  to 
make  no  sense.  A  very  common  practice  in  naming 
children  was  to  compound  the  name  from  that  of  the 
father  and  mother,  somewhat  after  the  practice  fol- 
lowed by  modern  racehorse  owners.  Or  one  element 
persisted  in  a  family,  e.g.  in  the  six  generations  from 
Edward  the  Elder  to  Edgar  Atheling  practically  all 
the  kings  and  royal  princes  have  names  in  Ead, 
bliss.  The  elements  are  juxtaposed  without  anything 
to  show  their  grammatical  relationship,  so  that  in 
interpreting  them  one  can  only  indicate  the  general 
idea  which  each  half  expressed.  Still,  there  are  many 
examples  of  these  compound  names  which  still  occur 
in  Anglo-Saxon  poetry  as  common  nouns,  e.g.  Gold 
wine,  gold  friend,  whence  our  surname  Goldwin,1  is 

Abdallah  means  "  servant  of  God  "  (cf.  AS.  Godescealc),  Saladin 
is  "  honour  of  the  faith,"  and  Nureddin,  the  name  of  the  Turkish 
commander  in  Mesopotamia,  means  "  light  of  the  faith." 

1  Hence  also  Jeudwin,  an  Anglo-French  form  [Richard  Joldewin 
or  Jeudewyne,  IpM.].  Jawdewin's  Lane,  Oxford,  was  perhaps 
named  after  Richard  Jeodewyne,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  Godstow 
Cartulary. 

4 


28  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

used  of  a  liberal  patron,  Heremann,  army  man,  whence 
Harman,  means  a  warrior,  Maegenheard,  might  hard, 
our  Maynard,  is  found  as  an  adjective  in  the  sense  of 
strong. 

Of  the  names  dealt  with  here  the  great  majority 
are  common  to  the  Teutonic  languages,  with  certain 
small  differences  according  as  the  forms  are  German, 
Scandinavian,  or  English.  Some  belong  especially 
to  one  or  other  of  these  language  groups,  e.g.  the 
names  which  contain  the  elements  Brand,  flame,  sword, 
Cytel,  cauldron,  are  Scandinavian,  while  those  in 
-nand,  bold,  e.g.  Ferdinand,  are  continental  and  of 
rare  occurrence  in  Anglo-Saxon.  In  the  following 
paragraphs  I  give  the  names  in  the  normalized  West- 
Saxon  spelling,  from  Searle's  Onomasticon  Anglo- 
Saxonicum,  calling  attention  occasionally  to  the  Norse 
or  continental  forms  and  the  surnames  which  they 
have  produced  in  English  and  other  languages.  I  have 
already  (Romance  of  Names,  ch.  vii.)  mentioned  a 
number  of  obvious  examples.  Here  I  have  rather 
selected  those  of  which  the  origin  is  not  immediately 
apparent  or  which  have  an  unusual  appearance.  The 
great  variation  in  the  modern  English  forms  is  due 
to  many  accidents  of  time  and  place,  but  chiefly  to 
the  fact  that  the  same  name  has  often  reached  us 
through  different  channels — English,  French,  and 
Flemish.  Possibly  some  of  them  are  really  Celtic 
names  which  have  assumed  an  imitative  form.  It  is 
thought,  for  instance,  that  Cerdic  may  be  for  Cradock, 
Caractacus.  If  this  is  so,  Scott  was  doubly  unfortunate 
in  choosing  a  Welsh  name  for  a  typical  Anglo-Saxon 
and  then  turning  it  into  the  ghost-name  Cedric. 

The  Teutonic  name- system  was  carried  into  every 


MALE   AND    FEMALE   NAMES  29 

corner  of  Europe,  first  by  the  Vikings,  and  later  by 
those  valiant  Norman  knights  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  setting  out  with  a  handful  of  followers  to  carve 
themselves  out  a  kingdom.  Thus  Roderick,  fame 
mighty,  is  found  as  wide  apart  as  Wales  (Pr  other  o,Ryrie, 
Prytherick)  and  Russia  (Rurik),  and  has  named  such 
national  heroes  as  the  Spanish  Cid  (Don  Rodrigo), 
Roderick  Dhu,  and  Rory  O'More.  For  fuller  informa- 
tion on  the  historic  warriors  and  saints  who  caused 
certain  names  to  be  popular  in  special  regions  those 
interested  should  consult  Charlotte  Yonge's  Christian 
Names,  a  book  which  contains  a  vast  amount  of  learn- 
ing couched  in  gracious  form,  though  the  etymological 
theories  put  forward  are  sometimes  inaccurate  and 
out  of  date. 

Most  of  the  elements  l  used  in  these  names  can  be 
put  indifferently  first  or  last,  e.g.  Her  eric,  whence 
Herrick,  Richere,  whence  Richer,  Readier.  Some  are 
used  only  initially,  e.g.  Mcegen,  as  in  Maegenfrith, 
whence  Manfred,  others  only  finally,  e.g.  -laf,  as  in 
Frithulaf,  now  Freelove,  or  -mund,  as  in  Frithumund, 
whence  Freemont.  Generally  the  gender  of  the  second 
theme  corresponds  with  that  of  the  person,  e.g.  names 
in  the  feminine  nouns  -thryth  and  -hild  were  given  to 
females  only.  Examples  are  JEth  el  thryth,  Awdrey, 
Gaerthryth  (Gertrude),  Gartrude,  and  the  two  fierce 
queens  Brunehild  and  Chriemhild.  But  this  was  not 
a  fixed  rule ;  there  are,  for  instance,  many  male 
names  ending  in  the  feminine  -mund. 

The  elements  which  enter  into  the  composition  of 
Teutonic  names  fall  into  various  groups,  such  as 
deities  and  supernatural  beings,  animals,  abstract 

1  The  meanings  of  these  elements  are  discussed  further  on. 


3o  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

ideas,  weapons,  titles  and  epithets,  adjectives.  The 
chief  divine  elements  are  God,  Ans,  Ing.1  The  great 
names  of  Odin  and  Freya  seem  to  have  been  avoided, 
but  Thor  is  very  common.  The  element  God  appears 
to  have  been  often  felt  as  identical  with  good. 
Hence,  perhaps,  the  later  forms  such  as  Goodrich, 
Goodwin,  and  also  the  shortened  Good,  which  is  by 
no  means  always  a  nickname.  Here  belong  such 
apparently  insignificant  names  as  Gobb,  Gobbett, 
Gobby,  shortened  from  such  compounds  as  Godbeorht 
(Theophanes),  Godbeald  (Theocrates).  The  latter 
survives  more  fully  as  Godbolt  and  Goble,  while  the 
former  is  represented  in  French  by  Gobert  and  Joubert. 
Shortened  forms  of  God  names  are  German  Goethe 
and  Italian  Giotto.  It  appears  also  as  the  second 
element  in  many  modern  English  surnames,  e.g. 
Wingood,  from  AS.  Winegod,  Osgood,  Hosegood,  Horse- 
good,  from  AS.  Osgod. 

The  Aasir,  as  Miss  Yonge  calls  them,  the  Ansen,  as 
they  are  named  by  the  Germans,  were  the  divine  race 
inhabiting  Asgard,  the  Norse  Olympus.  This  very 
interesting  prefix,  which  may  be  taken  as  almost 
equivalent  to  God,  appears  in  three  forms.  The  Norse 
is  As,  the  Anglo-Saxon  is  Os,  and  the  German  is  Ans. 
From  Ascytel  we  have  Ashkettle  and  the  contracted 
Askell,  Astell,  etc.,  while  in  France  a  kind  of  com- 
promise between  the  Norse  and  German  forms  produced 
Anquetil,  introduced  into  England  as  Ankettle.  So 
also  Fr.  Angot  is  the  doublet  of  Osgood.  In  Haskell 
we  have  the  common  addition  of  the  aspirate  [Has- 
chetill  Werglice,  Salisbury  Chart.].  Several  surnames 

1  The  final  -ing,  which  appears  in  an  immense  number  of  names 
derived  from  Anglo-Saxon,  was  a  tribal  or  patronymic  suffix. 


COMPOUNDS   OF   THOR  31 

preserve  the  Anglo-Saxon  form  (Osborn,  Osman,  Osmond, 
Oswald,  etc.),  while  the  German  gave  the  famous 
Anselm,  whence  our  Ansell,  Hansell,  and  the  Dutch 
dim.  Enslin.  Ing,  the  name  of  a  demi-god,  seems 
to  have  been  early  confused  with  the  Christian  angel 
in  the  prefix  Engel,  common  in  German  names,  e.g. 
Engelhardt,  anglicized  as  Engleheart.1  In  Anglo-Saxon 
we  find  as  prefixes  both  Ing  and  Ingel.  The  modern 
name  Ingoll  represents  Ing  weald  (Ingold),  and  Inglett 
is  a  dim.  of  similar  origin.  The  cheerful  Inglebright 
is  from  Ingelbeorht.  The  simple  Ing  has  given, 
through  Norse  Ingwar,  the  Scottish  Ivor. 

The  Norse  Thor  became  AS.  Thur,  which  in  the 
compound  Thurcytel  gave  Scottish  Torquil  (whence 
MacCorquodale),  and  our  Thur  kettle,  Thurkell,  Thurtle, 
Thir kettle,  Thirkell,  Thirkhill,  Turtle,  and  Tuttle*  as 
in  Tuttlebee,  from  Thirkleby  (Yorks).  Thoroughkettle 
is  found  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Turketine  may  be 
formed  in  the  same  way  as  Anketin,  Rosketin  (p.  33), 
but  Henry  de  Turkedene  (Glouc.  Cart.}  suggests  a  local 
origin,  from  Turkdene  (Glouc.)  with  the  ending 
changed  as  in  Heseltine  (Hazeldean).  Other  com- 
pounds of  Thor  are  Thurgisl,  whence  Thurgell, 
Thurgser,  now  Thurgar,  and  Thurfrith,  the  wife  of 
Hereward  (Torfrida),  surviving  as  Turfery,  Tuffery, 
Toll  free.  The  Thur  names  did  not  flourish  in 
Germany,  but  the  Norsemen  took  them  to  France, 
whence  as  Turbert,  Turgis,  Turpin,  they  came  to 
England  and  gave  Turbott,  Tur  goose,  etc.  The 
common  Thurstan  became  in  France  Tustain,  Tustin, 

*  This  may,  however,  be  native  [Petronilla  f.  Engelliert,  Fine  R.] 
2  This   has   also  a  local    origin,    from   foothill,  a  watch-tower — 
"  David  dwellide  in  the  tote  hil  "  (Wye.  2  Sam.  v.  9). 


32  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

Tutin,  all  now  well-established  English  surnames.  I 
fancy  that  this  will  one  day  be  found  to  be  the 
origin  of  the  supposed  Celtic  Tristram,  of  which 
the  oldest  form  appears  to  be  Durstan.  Tarbath  is 
a  curious  corruption  of  Thurbeorht  and  Tarbun  of 
Thurbeorn. 

With  these  mythological  names  maybe  grouped  those 
inEalh,  temple,  and  the  legendary  Hun,  giant,  and  JElf, 
fairy.  In  connection  with  the  first  it  should  be  noted 
that  four  of  the  commonest  Anglo-Saxon  elements, 
Mlf,  Mthel,  Eald,  Ealh,  very  easily  became  confused, 
especially  after  the  Conquest,  and  hence  modern  sur- 
names in  AI-,  Ayl-,  El-  (Alwin,  Aylward,  Elwiri)  may 
belong  to  any  of  them.  We  find  historic  Ealhfriths 
who  were  known  also  as  Alfrith  and  Alfridus,  which, 
as  surnames,  would  easily  fall  together  with  those 
derived  from  Alfred  and  ^Elfric.  So  Aymer,  Aylmer 
may  represent,  and  do  in  individual  cases,  both 
JElfmaer  and  ^Ethermaer.  The  most  famous  name  in 
Ealh  is  Ealhwine  (Alcuin),  which  survives  as  Allchin, 
Alkin,  and  is  perhaps  not  altogether  foreign  to  Hawkins. 
Allcard  is  AS.  Ealhheard,  while  Fr.  Aucher  corresponds 
to  AS.  Ealhhere,  and  may  be  ^derived  directly  from 
it,  as  the  corresponding  element  is  scarcely  found  in 
continental  German  names.  Names  in  Ml]  are  very 
numerous  and  correspond  to  continental  forms  in  Alb. 
Thus  our  Avery,  less  commonly  Affery,  Affray,  All  free, 
which  stands  for  both  Alfred  and  ^Elfric,  is  the  same 
as  Fr.  Aubrey  from  Alberic.  A Iflatt,  Elfleet,  Elflitt  is 
from  ^Ifflaed,  elf  purity,  Alliott  from  ^Elfgeat,  Elver 
from  ^Elihere,  Elvidge,  Elvish  from  ^Elfheah,  Elnough 
from  ^Elfnoth,  Elston  from  ^Elfstan,  Elwall  from 
^Elfweald,  and  very  probably  Halsey  from  ^Elfsige, 


ANIMAL   NAMES  33 

with  the  incorrect  H-1  which  we  find  in  many  names 
of  this  class.  The  tribal  name  of  the  dwarfish  Huns 
was  applied,  curiously  enough,  in  Old  German  to 
legendary  giants,  and  is  still  so  used  in  poetic  style. 
It  is  not  common  in  purely  Anglo-Saxon  names,  though 
we  have  a  few  good  examples,  e.g.  Hunfrith,  whence 
Humphrey,  and  Hunbeorht,  which  is  Fr.  Humbert  and 
appears  also  in  the  Ger.  Humperdinck.  Hunbeald  is 
so  rare  that  we  dare  hardly  invoke  it  to  explain  our 
Honeyball,  but  it  is  represented  by  Ger.  Humboldt. 

When  we  come  to  the  names  of  animals  which  were 
used  in  the  formation  of  human  names,  we  naturally 
find  a  great  difference  between  the  Greeks  and  the 
Teutons.  Among  the  former  we  find  chief  honour 
paid  to  the  lion  (Leonidas,  Timoleon),  and  the  horse 
(Philip,  Hippolytus,  Xanthippe).  To  the  old  Teutons 
the  lion  was  unknown,  though  the  rather  late  name 
Leonard,  lion  strong,  formed  from  it,  appears  in  most 
European  languages.  The  horse  was  also  of  little 
account  on  the  salt  seas  and  in  the  German  forests, 
and  the  legendary  nicknames  of  the  Jutish  invaders, 
"  stallion  "  and  "  mare"  (Hengist  and  Horsa),  alluded 
to  their  flag,  on  which  the  white  horse  was  a  strange 
exotic  beast  to  be  classed  with  dragons  and  griffins. 
The  only  common  Anglo-Saxon  name  formed  directly 
from  "  horse  "  is  Roscytel.  This  is  fairly  common  in 
Middle  English,  and  still  survives  as  Roskill  [Swein 
f.  Roskil,  Pipe  R.],  while  the  derivative  Rosketin 

1  Examples  are  Hatchard  (OF.  Achard),  Hansell  (p.  31), 
Haskell  (p.  30),  Hasluck  (AS.  Aslac),  Hosmer  (AS.  Osmaer),  and 
Hansard,  from  OF.  Ansard,  OG.  Anshard.  The  use  of  "  Hansard  " 
by  modern  writers  on  economics  in  the  sense  of  a  member  of  the 
Hanse  League  is  a  blunder.  The  first  example  of  this  use  in  the 
NED.  is  dated  1832! 


34  THE   TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

(cf .  Anketin  from  Anscytel)  has  given  Ruskin  [Andrew 
Rosekin,  Pat.  R.].  The  original  Roskill  has  generally 
been  swallowed  up  by  Russell.  Rosamond,  Roseman 
contain  the  same  element,  but  are  of  continental  origin. 
For  the  Teutons  the  two  kings  of  the. forest  were 
the  bear  and  the  boar,  in  connection  with  which  we 
observe  a  very  curious  phenomenon.  Beorn,  so  com- 
mon in  Anglo-Saxon  names,  means  warrior,  while  in 
Norse  and  German  it  means  bear.  Eofor,  equally 
common,  means  boar  in  Anglo-Saxon  and  German,  but 
warrior  in  Norse.  In  each  case  one  language  has 
personified  the  formidable  beast  into  a  human  being. 
Any  modern  Barnard  or  Everard  is  therefore  etymologic- 
ally  a  strong  bear  or  boar,  or  a  strong  warrior,  accord- 
ing as  his  ancestry  is  pure  Anglo-Saxon  or  continental. 
The  favourite  Beorn  name  was  Beornheard,  whence 
Burnard,  Burnett,  Barnard,  Barnett,  etc.  It  has  also 
many  derivatives  in  French  and  German  (Behrens, 
Bernhardi,  etc.).  Other  names  of  this  group  which 
have  survived  are  Beornheah,  now  Barnish,  Burnage, 
Burnish  (cf.  Alphege,  Elvish,  from  ^Elfheah),  Beornher, 
one  origin  of  the  common  Fr.  Bernier,  and  of  our 
Berner,  Beornstan,  now  Burnstone,  Beornweald,  now 
Barnwell,  Bernal,  Burnell,  and  Beornwulf  which  would 
give  the  same  result ;  but  some  of  the  English  names 
here  enumerated  have  an  alternative  origin.  The 
same  element  is  final  in  Sigebeorn,  now  Siborne, 
Thurbeorne,  now  Thorburn,  Wigbeorn,  now  Whyborn, 
etc.  The  simple  Ber  does  not  appear  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  names,  but  Fr.  Beraud,  Beroalde,  OG.  Berwald, 
is  the  chief  source  of  our  Barrett.  But  the  most  inter- 
esting of  the  "  bear  "  names  in  Fr.  Berenger,  OG. 
Beringar.  It  was  very  popular  in  England  and  shows 


THE   WOLF  35 

the  common  confusion  of  -r-,  -1-,  -n-,  in  the  modern  sur- 
names Barringer,  Berringer,  Ballinger,  Bellinger,  Ben- 
ninger  [John  Beringer  or  Beniger,  IpM.].  Its  latest 
transformation  is  Bellhanger.  Eofor  is  less  common  in 
Anglo-Saxon  than  the  corresponding  Eber  in  Germany 
(Ebers,  Eberlin,  etc.),  and  it  is  possible  that  the 
favourite  Everard,  Everett  came  to  us  from  Eberhard, 
via  Old  French.  But  AS.  Eoforwine,  besides  giving 
Everwin,  has  run  riot  with  the  vowels  *  in  Erwin,  Irwin, 
Or  win,  Urwin. 

"^Quite  as  important  as  the  bear  and  the  boar  are 
the  mysterious  wolf  and  raven,  the  companions  of 
Odin.  AS.  Wulf  appears  initially  in  a  great  number 
of  names,  and  the  modern  name  Wolfe,  Woof  is  some- 
times a  shortened  form  of  these  rather  than  a  nick- 
name. Most  historical  of  all  is  the  dim.  Ulfilas,  the 
name  of  the  translator  of  the  Gothic  Bible.  Among 
compounds  of  Wulf  are  Wulfgar  (Woolgar),  Wulfnoth 
(Woolnough),  Wulf  red,  Wulfric  (Woolfrey,  Wool  fries), 
Wulfstan,  whence  the  local  Wolstenholme  and  Wolston- 
craft,  Wulfwig  (Woolley),  and  Wulfwine  (Woolven, 
Woollen).  In  the  Norse  forms  the  initial  has  disap- 
peared, e.g.  Ulph,  Uff,  and  Uffendell,  the  doublet 
of  the  native  Wolfendale.  In  French  these  names 
replace  initial  W-  by  G-  or  Gu-,  e.g.  Golfier  (Wulf here), 
one  source  of  our  Gulliver  and  the  origin  of  the  local 
Montgolfier.  L~  Almost  as  numerous  are  the  names  in 
which  -wulf  is  final,  but  here  the  origin  is  generally 

1  Our  surnames  come  from  the  dialects,  and  the  dialects  do  as 
they  like  with  the  vowels,  e.g.  from  Lamb  we  have  Lomb,  Lumb, 
common  Middle  English  forms,  and  also  Lemm,  Limb  (see  p.  130,  n.). 
Long  is  also  Lang,  Lung,  Leng,  and  possibly  sometimes  Ling.  Cf.  the 
local  Crankhorn  and  Crankshaw,  the  first  element  of  which,  meaning 
"  crooked,"  also  occurs  as  Crenk-,  Crink-,  Cronk-,  Crunk-. 


36  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

disguised,1  e.g.  Addle  from  ^Ethelwulf,  with  which  cf. 
the  fine  German  name  Adolf  and  its  atrocious  "  latiniza- 
tion  "  into  Adolphus,  Raddle,  Rattle,  from  Raedwulf, 
Kinnell  from  Cynewulf,  etc.  In  French  names  of 
similar  origin  the  termination  usually  becomes  -ouf,  or 
-oul,  e.g.  Burnouf,  Renouf  correspond  to  AS.  Brun- 
wulf,  Regenwulf,  while  Raoul  is  our  Ralph,*  Relf,  i.e. 
Rsedwulf. 

The  raven  appears  initially  in  Raefencytel,  whence 
Rankill,  Raefenhild,  which  is  one  source  of  Ravenhill, 
and  Raefensweart,  now  Ravenshear,  Ramshire,  Ramsker. 
Wselraefen  survives  as  Wallraven.  The  simple  Raven, 
common  also  in  place-names,  is  more  often  an  Anglo- 
Saxon  personal  name  than  a  later  nickname  from  the 
bird.  The  raven  names  are  especially  Norse,  and  the 
corresponding  German  names,  and  hence  Old  French 
names  also,  are  not  numerous,  but  we  have  con- 
tractions of  OG.  Raban  in  the  well-known  dithematic 
names  Bertram  and  Wolfram.  More  numerous  are  the 
eagle  names,  beginning  with  Earn  in  Anglo-Saxon. 
By  far  the  commonest  of  these  is  Arnold,  a  favourite 
German  name,  which  takes  in  Low  German  the  form 
Arend,  the  source  of  the  Norfolk  name  Arrand.  It  is 
rare  in  Anglo-Saxon,  so  the  probability  is  that  our 
Arnall  represents  rather  the  much  commoner  Earnwulf. 
Two  especially  interesting  Anglo-Saxon  names  are 
Earnthur,  whence  the  so-called  Celtic  Arthur,  and 
Earncytel,  now  Arkell,  Arkle,  Argles,  Arkcoll,  etc.  From 
Arthur  come  the  imitative  Authors  and  Earthy.  With 

1  Endings  such  as  -weald,  -wulf,  -hild  are  often  confused,  e.g. 
Gunnell  represents  both  Gunwulf  and  Gunhild. 

8  Ralph  itself  is,  however,  due  to  French  influence,  as  is  shown 
by  the  loss  of  the  medial  -d-. 


NAMES    OF   WAR  37 

the  same  group  may  be  classed  the  Norse  Orm,  dragon, 
serpent  (worm),  whence  the  famous  Guthorm,  still 
existing  as  Guthnim,  Goodrum,  while  Wormald  from 
Wurmbeald  shows  the  Anglo-Saxon  form.  We  have 
also  a  few  names  in  Swan,  e.g.  Swanhild,  now  Swannell ; 
but  this  is  for  AS.  swan,  a  "  swain  "  (see  p.  42).  The 
modern  name  Swan  is  more  often  a  nickname.  Many 
names  similar  to  the  above  were  used  as  cognomina 
by  the  Romans,  e.g.  Ursus,  Aper,  Lupus,  Corvus, 
Aquila,  but  these  were  nicknames  pure  and  simple. 

Among  common  Anglo-Saxon  names  we  find  no 
fewer  than  five  elements,  Bead,  Gund  (Guth),  Heath, 
Hild,  Wig,  which  contain  the  idea  of  war  or  battle. 
The  names  of  Hildebrand  and  his  son  Hadubrand  are 
thus  identical  in  meaning.  Sometimes  these  elements 
occur  in  combination,  e.g.  Gunhild  (Gunnell),  Heath- 
wig  (Hadaway,  Hathaway  *).  Other  examples  are 
Beaduric  (Badrick,  Batters),  Gundwine  (Gunwin), 
Heathured  (Hatred),  Heathuwine  (Hadwin),  Hildegar 
(Hilger,  Hilly  ar),  Wigman  (Wyman).  Hilditch,  Hildick 
looks  local,  but  is  AS.  Hildheah,  though  the  name  is 
not  in  Searle  [William  f.  Hildich,  Close  R.].  Wig  is 
especially  common  as  second  element  and  is  responsible 
for  many  names  in  -way  which  have  a  local  appearance, 
e.g.  Ellway  (^Elfwig),  Harraway  (Herewig),  Kennaway 
(Coenwig),  Goodway  (Godwig),  Redway,  Reddaway 
(Raedwig),  Otway,  Ottoway  (Othwig),  Bothway,  Bother- 
way  (Bodwig  *),  and  Hadaway  (v.s.).  So  also  in  the 
first  syllable  we  get  Way-,  as  in  Way  mark  (Wigmearc), 
Way  good  (Wigod),  alternating  with  Why-,  Wy-,  as  in 

1  Also  local,  of  the  "  heath  way." 

8  Not  in  Searle,  but  certified  by  the  Norman  form  Bovig  (DB.) 
and  Alan  Butewey  (Hund.  R.). 


38  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

Whybird  (Wigbeorht),  Whyborn,  Wyburn  (Wigbeorn), 
etc.  With  this  group  may  be  classed  also  names  in 
Sige,  victory,  e.g.  Sibbald  (Sigebeald),  Sibary,  Sibree  ! 
(Sigebeorht),  Sinnott,  Sennett  (Sigenoth),  Syrett,  Secret 
(Sigered),  Search,*  Surch  (Sigeric),  Brixey  (Beorhtsige) ; 
in  Here,  army,  e.g.  Folchere,  whence  Folker,  Fulker, 
Fulcher,  Futcher,  etc.,  Heregod,  now  Hargood ;  and  in 
Fczr,  danger,  e.g.  Faerman  (F airman*  Farman,  Fire- 
man). It  is  not  impossible  that  our  homely  Farthing 
may  sometimes  derive  from  Fserthegn. 

Equally  warlike  are  the  numerous  names  derived 
from  weapons.  Arms  of  offence  and  defence  are 
Msc,  spear  (ash),  as  in  ^Escwine  (Ashwin),  Bil,  sword, 
as  in  Bilheard  (Billiard),  Bilweald  (Billiald),  Brand, 
sword  (flame),  as  in  Colbrand  (Colbrain),  Ecg,  edge 
(of  the  sword),  as  in  Ecgheard  (Eachard),  Gczr,  spear, 
as  in  Gserwine  (Garvin),  Othgger  (Odgers),  Helm,  helmet, 
as  in  Helmaer  (Helmer),  Ord,  spear  point,  as  in  Ordwig 
(Ordway),  Ordgser  (Or gar),  shortened  also  to  Ord 
[Humphrey  FitzOrd,  Salisbury  Chart.],  and  Rand, 
shield,  as  in  Randwulf  *  (Randall,  Rendle,  Rundle), 
Beorhtrand  (Bertrand),  to  be  distinguished  from  Beorht- 
ram,5  bright  raven  (Bartram).  But  some  names  in  Bil 
belong  to  William,  for  we  find  William  "  dictus  Byl  " 
in  the  thirteenth  century.  Here  'belongs  probably 
the  dim.  Billion.  Brand  is  much  commoner  alone 
than  in  compounds,  and  has  also  become  Brond. 

1  For  this  rather  unusual  development  cf.  the  pronunciation  of 
Kirkcudbright. 

2  Reginald  Serich  or  Serche  (Cor am  Rege  R    1297). 

3  Of  course  also  a  nickname  ;    cf.  Fr.  Belhotnme. 

*  Randolph  (shield   wolf),  Ranulf   (raven  wolf),  Radulf,    Ralph 
(counsel  wolf),  are  separate  names,  though  often  confused. 
6  Neither  name  is  in  Searle.     They  came  to  us  through  French. 


ABSTRACT   IDEAS  39 

Gellibrand,  Gillibrand  must  represent  Gislbrand  [John 
Gilibrond,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  though  the  name 
is  not  in  Searle.  Cytel,  Ketvl,  cauldron  (of  the  gods), 
is  now  found  as  Kettle,  Kittle,  Chettle,  Cattle,  etc.,  as 
well  as  initially  in  Kettleburn  [Henry  Ketelbern, 
Chart.  R.],  and  in  many  names  of  local  origin. 
Chilvers  is  for  Cytelweard,  found  in  DB.  as  Chilvert. 
Hence  also  Kilvert. 

Forming  a  transition  from  war  to  peace  we  have  the 
important  elements  Burg,  refuge,  castle,  and  Mund, 
protection,  as  in  Burgheard  (Burchard,  Burchett], 
Wilburg  (Wilbur],  ^Ethelmund  (Almond],  Faermund 
(Farrimond).  Here  also  we  might  put  Weard,  guard, 
the  derivatives  of  which  easily  get  mixed  with  those  of 
Heard,  e.g.  Coenweard  (Kenward,  Kennard).  Frithu, 
peace,  has  given  us  many  favourite  font-names  which 
have  later  become  surnames,  e.g.  Domfrith  (Dumphrey, 
Dumpress),  Frithugar  (Frieker],  Frithumund  (Fiddy- 
ment  *).  To  the  last  name,  or  to  some  other  com- 
pound of  Frithu,  such  as  the  once  favourite  Frithu- 
swith  or  Friswid,  patron  saint  of  the  University  of 
Oxford,  belong  Fiddy,  Fiddian,  Phythian,  Phethean. 
This  element  often  becomes  Free  in  modern  surnames, 
e.g.  Freestone  from  Frithustan,  Freelove  from  Frithulaf 
[Frelof  Pollard,  Chart.  R.].  It  also  appears  via  Old 
French  in  Frizzle,  Froysell,  which  in  Scotland  has 
unaccountably  become  Frazer — 

"  Simond  *  Frysel 
That  was  tray  tour  and  fykell  "  (Song,  temp.  Ed.  I.) — 

1  The  r  is  lost,  as  in  Biddy  (Bridget),  Fanny  (Frances). 

1  The  common  Middle  English  use  of  Simond  for  Simon  suggests 
that  the  modern  Symonds,  Simmonds  is  only  occasionally  from  AS. 
Sigemund — "  Sy mound,  I  have  sum  thing  for  to  seye  to  thee  " 
(Wye.  Luke,  vii.  40). 


40  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

and  in  Fr.  Froissart,  represented   by  our   Frushard, 
F  rusher. 

The  importance  of  the  tribal  idea  is  reflected  in  the 
frequent  occurrence  of  Folc,  Leod,  Theod,  all  meaning 
people,  nation,  e.g.  Folcweard  (Folkard,  Vaulkhard), 
Leodgar  (Ledger),  Theodric  (Terry,  Derrick,  Dethridge, 
Derry,  Todrick),  Theodbeald  (Theobald,  Tibbies, 
Tipple,  Tidball,  Tidbald,  Tidboald,  Tudball,  Deeble, 
Dipple,  Tebbutt,  Debutt,  Dyball,  etc.).  We  have  also 
the  shortened  Theed,  Teed  [William  Thede,  Hund.  R.]. 
With  this  important  group  may  be  compared  the 
numerous  Greek  names  in  demos  and  laus,  e.g.  Demo- 
critus,  Laomedon,  Nicodemus,  Agesilaus,  etc.  The 
public  meeting  of  the  tribe  is  commemorated  by  names 
in  Mcethel  and  Thing,  both  meaning  assembly.  From 
the  first  come  Mauger,  Major  (Maethelgaer),  Maber, 
Malabar,  and  Fr.  Maubert  (Msethelbeorht) ;  from 
the  second  our  Dingle,  Tingle,  a  common  personal 
name  in  Middle  English  [William  Dingel,  Hund.  R.], 
from  AS.  Thingwulf  or  Dingolf.  Similarly  Greek  had 
names  such  as  Anaxagoras,  Pythagoras,  derived  from 
the  agora,  which  was  to  the  Greeks  what  the  forum 
was  to  the  Romans.  The  modern  surname  Lawman 
may  be  AS.  Lagmann,  lawyer,  the  name  of  the  poet 
whom  we  call  Layamon,  but  the  latter  is  so  rare  a 
name  that  it  is  probably  safer  to  refer  Lawman  to 
Lawrence  (cf.  Jackman,  Hobman,  etc.). 

A  very  common  element  connected  with  authority 
is  Weald  (wield),  rule,  as  in  Wealdwine,  now  Walwin, 
Wallen,  but  occurring  much  more  commonly  as  a 
suffix,  e.g.  Beorhtweald  (Brettle,  Brittle],  Grimbeald 
(Grimble),  Hygebeald  (Hubble),  Winebeald  (Wimble), 
etc.  Property  and  its  rights  are  represented  by 


MISCELLANEOUS    COMPOUNDS  41 

Geard,  enclosure,  "  garth,"  Haga,  enclosure,  "  haw," 
Mearc,  mark,  boundary,  and  Stan,  stone,  probably 
also  in  this  case  a  boundary  mark.  Examples  are 
Frithugeard  (Freeguard),  Haganfrith  (Henfrey),  Wig- 
mearc  (Wymark,  Waymark),  Goldstan  (Goldstone), 
Stanmaer  (Stammers),  Stanbeald  (Stumbles  1).  To  Haga 
belongs  the  famous  Nibelung  Hagen,  while  Hammond 
is  Fr.  Ramon,  short  for  OG.  Haganmund.  The  Middle 
English  contraction  of  Hagan  was  Rain — 

"  Heyne  hath  a  newe  cote  and  his  wyf  another  "  (Piers  Plowman) — 

the  origin  of  our  Haines,  Haynes,  which  may  also  be 
from  the  same  word  in  its  literal  sense  of  hedge,  en- 
closure. Land  and  sea  have  given  us  Lambert  (Land- 
beorht),  Saffrey,  Savory  (Saefrith),  Seagram,  Seagrim 
(Saegrim),  and  especially  Sagar,  Sayers,  Sears  and, 
many  other  variants  (Saegaer).  These  compounds  are 
often  not  to  be  distinguished  from  those  of  Sige  (p.  38), 
e.g.  Seawright  may  represent  Saeric  or  Sigeric. 

From  a  very  large  number  of  abstract  ideas  we  may 
select  the  following — Amal,  work,  as  in  Amalric, 
whence,  or  from  the  transposed  Almaric,  come,  chiefly 
through  French,  our  Amory,  Amery,  Emery,  Imray, 
Imrie,  while  the  Italian  form  Amerigo  ultimately 
named  a  continent ;  D<zg,  day,  as  in  Daegheard, 
Daggett,  Daegmaer,  Darner,  Daegmund,  now  Daymond, 
Dayman,  Damant,  etc.,  often  altered  to  Diamond, 
and  the  shortened  Jorms  Dack  and  Day,  the  latter 
of  which  has  other  and  more  common  origins  ;  Ead, 
bless,  the  first  element  in  so  many  Anglo-Saxon 

1  Alan  Stumbel  (Pat.  R.) ;  cf.  Rundle  for  Randle.  "  Rondulf 
the  reve  "  (Piers  Plowm.  A.  ii.  78)  is  in  the  variants  Rainald  and 
Reynald. 


42  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

names,  some  of  which  are  now  a  little  disguised,  e.g. 
Ager,  Adger  from  Eadgar,  Admer  from  Eadmser ; 
Hyge,  mind,  courage,  as  in  Hygebeorht,  whence 
Hubert,  Hubbard,  Hibbert,Hobart,  and  the  favourite  ME. 
Hugh  from  which  we  have  so  many  derivatives  (Huggins, 
Howchin,  Hewlings,  Hullett,  etc.)  ;  Laf,  remnant,  as 
in  Anlaf,1  now  Oliffe  ;  Maegen,  might,  as  in  Msegenhild, 
one  source  of  Meynell  [Peter  Maynild,  Pat.  R.]  ;  Noth, 
fame,  as  in  Nothgaer,  whence  Ger.  Notker,  Fr.  Nodier, 
and  perhaps  some  of  our  Nutters  ;  Reed,  counsel,  of 
which  the  most  popular  compound  was  Raedwulf,  our 
Ralph,  Relf,  Raw,  and,  via  Fr.  Raoul,  Raoulin,  our 
Rawle,  Rawlin  * ;  Thane,  thanks,  as  in  Tancred  or 
Tankard  and  Ger.  Danckwertz.  Most  of  these  can  also 
occur  finally,  e.g.  ^Etheldaeg,  Allday,  Ealdraed,  Aldred, 
Aldritt,  Alldread,  etc. 

Besides  Beorn  (p.  34),  Anglo-Saxon  used  Mann  for 
warrior,  hero.  This  occurs  as  second  element  in  a  great 
number  of  compounds  of  a  descriptive  kind,  e.g. 
Freoman  (Freeman),  Northman  (Norman),  Heardman 
(Hardman),  etc.,  many  of  which  are  of  course  also 
nicknames  of  later  formation.  For  servant  we  have 
Scealc,  as  in  Godescealc,  one  source  of  Godsell,  Outsell, 
but  much  commoner  in  German  (Gottschalk) ,  and 
Swegen  or  Swan,3  usually  occurring  alone,  Swain, 
Swan.  All  of  these  elements  have  poetically  the 
meaning  of  warrior  and  in  prose  that  of  servant. 
Cuth,  acquaintance,  "  kith,"  occurs  in  the  favourite 
Cuthbeald  and  Cuthbeorht,  the  former  of  which  shares 

1  This  is  the  Anglo-Saxon  form  of  Norse  Olafr,  Oliver. 
•  Rolfe,  Roff  have  often  interchanged  with  this  group,  but  really 
represent  ON.  Hrolfr,  cognate  with  Ger.  Rudolf,  fame  wolf. 
8  Norse  and  Anglo-Saxon  forms  of  the  same  word. 


EPITHETS  43 

Cobbold  with  Godbeald,  while  the  latter  survives  as 
Cobbett,  Cubitt.  Cuttell,  Cottle  may  stand  for  either 
Cuthhelm  or  Cuthwulf.  W int,  friend,  is  very  com- 
mon both  as  initial  and  final,  e.g.  Winebeald  (Winbolt), 
Glaedwine  (Gladwiri).  The  common  Unwin,  un-friend, 
enemy,  is  very  rare  as  an  Anglo-Saxon  name,  and  must 
generally  have  been  rather  a  nickname.  Vinegar  seems 
to  be  an  imitative  spelling  of  Winegaer.  Gisl,  hostage, 
is  the  first  element  of  Gilbert,  AS.  Gislbeorht,  but  its 
popularity  came  through  French.  From  Gislhere 
comes  Ger.  Gessler,  the  villain  of  the  Tell  myth. 
Thurgisl  is  the  origin  of  Thurgill,  and  also  of  Fr. 
Turgis,  whence  Eng.  Sturgess,  and  Todkill  is  earlier 
Theodgild,  probably  for  Theodgisl.  Waeltheof  means 
the  thief  of  slaughter,  with  a  first  element  which  we 
find  in  Valkyrie  and  Valhalla,  while  Friththeof,  the 
hero  of  an  ancient  saga  and  a  modern  North  Pole 
expedition,  means  thief  of  peace.  Some  authorities 
think  the  ending  was  originally  -theow,  servant,  slave, 
which  appears  to  survive  in  Walthew,  Waltho,  Waldo. 
Wiht,  creature,  sprite,  is  very  common  as  first  element, 
e.g.  Wihtric,  now  Whittrick,  Wightgar,  now  Widger. 
Another  form,  Uht,  appears  in  the  popular  Uhtred, 
whence  Oughtred  and  the  imitative  Outright. 

Among  simple  adjectives  the  commonest  are  Mthel, 
noble,  as  in  ^Ethelweard  (Aylward,  Adlard,  Allard) ; 
Beorht,  bright,  as  in  Beorhtman  (Brightman  ;  cf .  Greek 
Androcles),  Beorhtgifu  (Bright-eve),  Beorhtmaer  (Bright- 
more,  Brimmer),  also  very  common  finally,  e.g. 
Gundbeorht,  whence  Fr.  Gondibert,  our  Gombert, 
Gumpert,  and  Ger.  Gompertz  ;  Beald,  bold,  as  in  Beald- 
here  (Balder),  Daegbeald  (Day bell,  D  obeli]  ;  Cene, 
keen,  bold,  as  in  Cenered  (Kindred),  equivalent  to  Ger. 
5 


44  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

Conrad  (Thrasybulus)  ;  Cyne,  royal,  as  in  Cynesige 
(Kinsey),  Cynewulf  (Kinnell)  ;  Deor,  dear,  as  in  Deor- 
weald  (Dorrell,  Durrell]  ;  Eald,  old,  as  in  Ealdwig 
(Aldwy)  ;  Eorp,  swarthy,  as  in  Eorpwine  (Orperi), 
common  also  in  the  shortened  form  Earp,  Orpe ;  Freo, 
free,  as  in  Freobeorn  (Freeborn)  ;  Grim,  grim,  as  in 
Grimbeald  (Grimble),  whence  also,  by  a  common  meta- 
thesis, Gumbrell 1 ;  Healf,  half,  as  in  Healfdene  (Hal- 
dane),  the  "  half  Dane"  ;  Heard,  hard,  strong,  as  in 
Heardbeorht,  which  has  contributed  to  Herbert,  Har- 
bord,  etc.,  Stanheard  (Stannard)  and  Gifheard  (Giffard), 
the  latter  rare  in  Anglo-Saxon,  but  a  favourite  Norman 
name  (cf.  Ger.  Gebhardt)  ;  Leof,  dear,  as  in  Leofsige 
(Livesey,  Lovesey),  Leofred  and  Leofric  (Livery,  Luffery); 
Hlud,  loud,  famous,  rare  in  Anglo-Saxon,  but  very 
common  in  German  names,  e.g.  Ludwig,  Luther,  whence 
Fr.  Louis,  Lothair,  etc. ;  Ric,  powerful,  rich,  as  in 
Ricbeald  (Richbell),  Ricweald  (Riggall),  Ricweard 
(Richard*  Rickwood,  Record),  Leofric  (Leveridge, 
Loveridge) ;  Snel,  swift,  valiant,  as  in  Snelgaer  (Snelgar) ; 
Wacer,  bold,  as  in  Eadwacer  (Edicker),  corresponding  to 
the  continental  Odoacer ;  Wealh,  foreign,  as  in  Walkling, 
Wakeling,  a  dim.  of  Old  French  origin,  Vauquelin. 

Two  common  elements  which  hardly  fall  into  any 
of  the  classes  already  mentioned  are  Regen  and  Gold. 
The  former,  related  to  Goth,  ragin,  counsel,  seems  to 
have  been  used  in  Anglo-Saxon  as  a  simple  intensive. 
From  shortened  forms  of  the  common  Regenweald 
(Reginald,  Reynold,  Fr.  Renaud),  Regenheard  (Reynard, 
Renyard,  Fr.  Renard),  Regenhere  (Rayner,  Fr.  Regnier), 

1  For  the  change  of  vowel  cf.  Grimmett,  Grummett,  which  are 
common  side  by  side  in  Lincolnshire. 

2  This  is  also  from  Richard. 


SHORTENED   FORMS  45 

etc.,  we  sometimes  get  Raine,  Raines,  while  Raybould  is 
from  Fr.  Reybaud,  corresponding  to  Regenbeald.  Gold 
occurs  both  as  initial  and  final,  e.g.  Goldhavoc  (Gold- 
hawk),  Goldwine  (Goldwin,  Jeudewin),  Inggold  (Ingold, 
Ingle) .  Goldmore  represents  Goldmaer,  though  this  is  not 
in  Searle  [Guldemor  w.  of  Richard  Astmund,  Fine  R.]. 

The  frequency  with  which  any  given  Anglo-Saxon 
name  occurs  as  a  modern  surname  is  not  so  much  due 
to  its  wide  use  before  the  Conquest  as  to  its  associa- 
tion with  some  great  personality.  After  the  Conquest 
our  baptismal  system  became,  in  the  main,  French, 
although  the  French  names  in  use  were  largely  cognate 
with  the  Anglo-Saxon  names  which  they  superseded 
(see  p.  10).  But  the  memory  of  famous  saints,  like 
Guthlac  and  Cuthbert,  or  abbots  like  Thurcytel  and 
Ealhwine,  was  reverenced  in  those  districts  where  they 
had  lived  and  worked,  and  their  names  were  given  to 
children  born  of  parents  who  had  worshipped  at  their 
shrines. 

As  we  have  noticed  here  and  there,  the  modern 
surname  often  represents  only  the  first  element  of  the 
dithematic  personal  name.  A  notable  example  is 
Folc,  which  owed  its  popularity  to  the  Angevin  dynasty. 
We  find  among  its  variants,  Folk,  Fulk,  Fewkes, 
Foulkes,  Foakes,  Fooks,  Fowkes,  Folkes,  Volks,  Yokes,1 
and,  with  metathesis,  Flook,  Fluke,  Fluck,  Flux,  while 
Fogg,  Fuge,  Fudge,  Fuke  are  shortened  from  its  com- 
pound Fulcher  (Folker,  Fulker,  Futcher,  Fudger,  Volker, 

1  Here  sometimes  belongs  Vaux,  usually  local,  from  one  of 
many  French  place-names  formed  from  val.  Vauxhall  was  once 
a  manor  belonging  to  the  notorious  Falkes  de  Breaute.  His  name, 
really  the  nominative  of  Falcon,  Facon,  survives  as  Fakes,  Fawkes, 
Feakes,  Feggs.  Though  distinct  from  Fulk,  the  two  names  have 
been  confused. 


46  THE  TEUTONIC  NAME-SYSTEM 

etc.).  Foggathorp  (Yorks)  is  Fulcartorp  in  DB.,  while, 
in  the  Cor  am  Rege  R.  (1297),  the  same  man  is  referred 
to  as  Henry  Fulcher  and  Henry  Fouch.  The  famous 
French  name  Foch  is  of  course  cognate.  Other 
shortened  names  of  this  type,  not  already  mentioned, 
are  Or  am  from  the  Norse  Orm  [Orum  solus,  Lib.  Vit.] 
and  Worms  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  form,  as  in  Wurm- 
here,  Fm#,  Frow,  from  Freowine,  whence  Frewin,  Fruen, 
Gold,  generally  shortened  from  some  such  name  as 
Goldwine,  Main,  Mayne,  from  Maynard  or  some  other 
compound  of  Mczgen,  Wigg  from  one  of  the  many 
Wig  names,  Winks,  perhaps  from  Wincthryth  (Lib. 
Vit.),  etc.  Many  of  these  are  simple,  but  a  great 
many  of  our  short  names  of  Anglo-Saxon  origin  are 
very  difficult  to  identify.  This  difficulty  is  increased 
by  the  fact  that  names  of  this  type  are  seldom  recorded 
in  the  Rolls.  The  latter  give  almost  invariably,  in 
whatever  language  they  are  written,  the  font-name  in 
its  full  conventional  form.  Occasionally  a  clue  helps 
us,  as  in  the  case  of  Fogg  and  Fudge  (v.s.),  but  the  task 
of  extending  the  work  of  Kemble  :  by  identifying  the 
great  mass  of  these  names  with  their  originals  still 
awaits  an  enthusiast. 

N.B. — To  have  included  many  medieval  examples 
would  have  made  the  foregoing  chapter  quite  unread- 
able. The  author's  Dictionary  of  Surnames,  if  it  is 
ever  completed,  will  contain  evidence  of  the  survival 
and  alteration  of  these  Anglo-Saxon  names. 

1  In  his  pamphlet,  The  Names,  Surnames,  and  Nicknames  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons  (Lond.  1846).  This  task  has  already  been  attempted, 
for  German,  by  Starck,  in  his  Kosenamen  der  Germanen  (Vienna, 
1868). 


CHAPTER    III 

SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

"  Nor  indeed  is  he  capable  to  beare  any  rule  or  office  in  town  or 
countrey,  who  is  utterly  unacquainted  with  John  an  Okes  and  John 
a  Stiles  "  (Ho WELL,  Forraine  Travell). 

APART  from  the  innumerable  names  derived  from 
towns,  villages  and  estates,  we  have  a  very  large 
number  which  originate  from  features  of  the  land- 
scape (Hill,  Wood,  Field),  or  from  specific  buildings  or 
parts  of  buildings  (Church,  House,  Kitchen).  Many  of 
the  words  from  which  such  names  come  are  quite 
obsolete  or  survive  only  in  local  dialect.  Some  of 
these,  such  as  Hurst,  Shaw,  Thwaite,  etc.,  survive  very 
strongly  in  compounds,  and  are  often  curiously  cor- 
rupted. For  these,  of  which  I  have  given  a  summary 
account  in  my  Romance  of  Names,  see  ch.  iv.  Here 
I  propose  to  deal  rather  with  a  number  of  obsolete  or 
unfamiliar  words  which  occur  more  often  in  their 
simple  form.  A  few  others  are  included  because  of 
their  peculiar  use  as  surnames.  The  list,  though  by 
no  means  exhaustive,  contains  a  very  large  number 
of  names  which  have  never  been  explained,  and  the 
examples  by  which  they  are  illustrated  are  usually 
some  centuries  older  than  the  earliest  records  in  any 
dictionary.  A  few  others  belonging  to  the  same  class 

47 


48 


SOME  LOCAL   SURNAMES 


will  be  found  scattered  about  in  other  chapters  of  the 
book  in  which  accident  has  led  to  their  mention. 

In  many  cases  names  of  this  type  are  now  specific 
place-names.  We  find  constant  references  to  "  the 
Devizes,"  as  to  la  Burcote,  la  Haye,  la  Poole,  la  Rye, 
la  Sele,  la  Woodrow,  etc.,  now  known  as  Burcote, 
Hayes,  Poole,  Rye,  Seal,  Woodrow,  but  the  entries 
show  that  the  corresponding  surnames  often  belong  to 
the  general  as  well  as  to  the  specific  use  of  these  words. 
In  the  early  Rolls  these  names,  or  rather  these  addresses, 
are  always  preceded  by  prepositions,  which  have  now 
generally  disappeared.  The  following  examples  are 
put  down  just  as  they  are  printed  in  the  Rolls  : 


John  Abovebrok 
Roger  Abovetun  or  Bovetun 
Roger  ad  capud  villae  de  Weston 
Laurence  Atepleystowe     . 
Alan  ad  le  Loft 
Thomas  Attehallyat 
Walter  Attenovene 
Richard  A  ten  orchard 
John  atte  Churchestyghele 
Robert  Attekirkstiel 
William  Attelyhetewater   . 
Adam  Blakothemor  * 
William  Bithekirke  . 
Walter  Biendebrok  . 
Thomas  Bihunde  Watere  . 
John  Binetheinthetowne   . 
Geoffrey  Bynethebrok 
William  Binoptheweye 
Richard  Bysowthewimpel 
Ughtred  Bithewater 
William  del  Holewstret      . 
Paul  de  Subburgo 
Richard  de  sut  le  Vile 
William  de  sut  le  Bois 


(Hund.  R.) 
(Pat.  R.) 

(Coram  Rege  R.  1297). 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Hund  R.) 
(F.  of  Y.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(F.  of  Y.) 
(Cal.  Gen.) 
(Exch.  R.) 
(Close  R.) 
-  (Fine  R.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(Cal.  Gen.) 
(Hund.  R.) 
(IpM.) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(Fine  R.) 


1  A  misprint  for  Bakothemor,  back  of  the  moor. 


SURVIVAL    OF    PREPOSITIONS  49 

Henry  de  ultra  Aqua  .  .  (Pipe  R.) 

Edric  de  Ultra  Usam '  .  .  (Pipe  R.) 

Henry  in  le  Dyk       .  .  .  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.) 

Peter  in  le  Hawe       .  .  .  (Hund.  R.) 

William  in  le  Trees  .  .  .  (IpM.) 

John  in  the  Lane      .  .  .  (City  A .) 

William  Ithelane      .  .  .  (Fine  R.) 

William  Inthewro    .  .  .  (Fine  R.) 

Peter  Ofthechircheyard  .  .  (Fine  R.) 

John  Sourfleet  .  .  .  (Coram  Rege  R.  1297.) 

Walter  sub  Muro  or  Onderwal  .  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.) 

William  subtus  Viam  . .  .  (Nom.  Villantm  Yorks.) 

Martin  super  le  Wai  .  .  (Hund.  R.) 

William  Surlewe       .  .  .  (Pat.  R.) 

William  ultra  Swalle  .  .  (IpM.) 

Thomas  under  the  Hou  .  .  (Coram  Rege  R.  1297) 

John  uppe  the  Hull  .  .  (Pleas) 

Robert  Wythouthetown  .  .  (Hund.  R.) 

Names  in  which  the  preposition  has  survived  are 
still  common  in  English  as  in  other  languages,  e.g. 
Fr.  Doutrepont,  Ger.  Zumbusch,  Du.  Bezuidenhout, 
south  of  the  wood.  At  survives  in  many  obvious 
names  such  as  Atwood,  Attewell.  The  following  are 
less  simple,  Athawes  (haw,  a  hedge  enclosure),  Atheis 
(hays,  hedges),  Athews  (ME.  hiwisc,  homestead,  whence 
Huish),  Athoke  (hook,  bend),  A  they  (quay),  Ato,  Attoe, 
Ratio  (hoe,  a  sand-spit),  Athow  (how,  a  hill),  Attack, 
Attick,  Attock  (oak),  Attenbarrow  (barrow,  a  mound), 
Attrie  (rye,  seep.  72),  Attrill,  AS.  at  thcerehylle  [Thomas 
Atterhill,  Exch.  R.],  Attread  (reed),  Attride  (ME.  rithe, 
ride,  a  small  stream),  Attru  (trough,  see  Trow  ;  or  per- 
haps from  rew,  street,  row),  Attwooll  (Wool,2  Dors.), 
Atyeo  (a  Somerset  surname,  apparently  from  the  river 

1  The  Ouse  ;   cf .  Surtees. 

1  I  do  not  know  the  origin  of  this  place-name,  but  Attwooll  is  a 
Dorset  surname,  and  this  suggests  that  Wool  has  some  general 
meaning. 


50  SOME   LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Yeo).  Atterbury  is  "  at  the  bury,"  i.e.  borough,  and 
though  there  is  an  Attenborough  in  Notts,  the  fact 
that  Attenborough  is  found  along  with  Atterbury  in 
many  counties  suggests  that  the  two  names  are  often 
of  identical  origin.  So  also  Athemll,  Attreall,  at  the 
heal  (see  p.  62).  An  interesting  name  of  the  same 
type  is  Ather  smith,  ME.  at  ther  smethe,  or  level  field, 
for  which  see  p.  77.  Athersuch  probably  contains  Sich 
(q.v.),  but  the  ending  may  be  Such,  a  variant  of  Zouch, 
Fr.  souche,  a  tree- stump.  The  reduction  of  At  is  seen 
in  A' Barrow,  A' Burrow,  A' Ream  (corner),  as  in  Abear 
(see  p.  53),  Avann  (see  p.  59),  A  gutter.  In  the 
last  name  [Robert  atte  Gotere,  Pat.  R.]  gutter  means 
stream — 

"  The  guter  of  waters  "  (Wye.  Hob.  iii.  10). 

It  seems  to  have  been  equivalent  to  gote,  a  channel, 
whence  Gott  [William  atte  Gote  or  de  la  Gotere,  of 
Boston,  Pat.  R.].  At-  is  also  changed  to  Ad-  and  even 
Ed-,  Et-,  as  in  Edmead,  Ethawes. 

Names  such  as  Nash,  Noakes,  Nail  are  well  known 
to  be  aphetic  forms  of  atten  ash,  atten  oaks,  atten  hall. 
With  these  go  Niles,  Nayland,  Nyland  [Thomas  Atteny- 
londe,  Pat.  R.],  N orchard,  Nendick  (end  dike).  We 
also  get  aphetic  forms  in  which  the  initial  A-  alone  has 
disappeared.  The  stock  example  is  Twells,  at  wells. 
Here  belong  Tash  (at  ash),  Taw  (Athaw,  v.s.),  Toe, 
Toes  (Atto,  v.s.),  Trill  (Attrill,  v.s.),  and  probably 
Trood  [Margaret  atte  Rude,  Pleas.}.  The  Border  name 
Trodden  may  be  similarly  formed  from  northern  dial. 
roddin,  a  sheep-track. 

Occasionally  the  AF.  al  (a  le]  and  a  la  seem 
to  survive,  e.g.  Algate,  Allchurch,  Allpass,  Allpike 


SURVIVAL   OF   PREPOSITIONS  51 

(Hallpike1),  Alltoft,  Altree,  Allabyrne  (burn),  but  alter- 
native explanations  could  be  given  for  most  of  these, 
e.g.  the  prefix  may  be  aid,  old,  or  Allabyrne  may  be 
only  an  elaboration  of  Alabone,  Allibone,  which  in  its 
turn  is  a  perversion  of  Alban  [Hugh  Alybon,  Cor  am 
RegeR.  1297].  Allhusen  seems  to  represent  aland  the 
old  dat.  plur.  husum,  houses.  But  del,  de  la,  are 
common,  the  former  being  often  altered  to  dal,  deal, 
dil,  dol.  Example's  are  Delahunte,  Delahunty,  Delhay, 
Dallicoat,  Dallicott,  Dallamore,  Dillamore,  Dollymore, 
Dellaway,  Dilloway,  Dolloway,  Delbridge,  Dealbridge, 
Dealchamber,  Dillistones,  Dallywaters,  to  which  many 
more  could  be  added.  Dellow  probably  contains  how, 
a  hill  [William  Delhow,  Hund.  R.],  while  Dellew  is 
for  del  ewe,  water,  also  a  common  entry. 

Names  in  Du-,  e.g.  Dupree,  Duppery,  Fr.  Dupre,  of 
the  meadow,  Duberley,  i.e.  du  Boulay  (birch  grove),  are 
generally  of  more  recent  introduction  from  French. 
The  retention  of  de  in  names  of  French  origin,  Danvers 
(An twerp), Darcy  (Arsy,  Oise),  Davers (Auvers,  Manche), 
Dorsey  (Orsay,  Seine-et-Oise),  is  common,  but  we 
seem  also  to  have  a  few  cases  of  this  preposition 
coalescing  with  a  purely  English  word.  Such  appears 
to  be  the  explanation  of  Dash  or  Daish  (ash)  and  Dash- 
wood,  Delderfield ;  cf.  Nicholas  Dinkepenne,  i.e.  of 
Inkpen  (Chart  R.}. 

Besides  the  obvious  Bycroft,  Byford,  Bysouth,  Bythe- 
way  or  Bidaway,  Bythesea,  Bywater,  we  have  By- a 
in  Bygrave,  Bygreaves,  where  the  second  element  may 

1  The  aspirate  need  not  trouble  us  ;  cf .  Edward  Hupcornehill 
(Stow),  John  Sterthop  (Close  R.}. 

*  In  some  cases  this  may  be  the  noun  bye,  homestead,  e.g.  Byas, 
Dyers,  Bias,  "  by-house,"  may  mean  the  farm-house. 


52  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

mean  grove  (ME.  greve)  or  quarry,  trench  (ME.  grcef), 
Bygott,  which  being  a  Lincolnshire  name  goes  rather 
vfith-Gott  (v.s.)  than  with  the  nickname  Bigod  (bigot), 
and  Eying  (see  ing,  p.  64).  To  these  should,  I  think, 
be  added  Bidlake  and  Bidmead,  Bitmead,  which  con- 
tain the  definite  article,  and  probably  Behagg,  dial. 
hag,  hedge,  enclosure.  For  Ovcry,  see  p.  71.  Names 
in  Under-  and  Up-  are  fairly  numerous  and  generally 
simple.  Undrell  is  for  Underhill  and  Upfill  for  Upfield 
or  Upfold.  With  Upward  cf.  Downward  or  Downhard, 
Forward,  Southward,  etc.  Sometimes  in  such  names 
-ward  is  substituted  for  -wood  (cf.  Homeward  for 
"  holm  wood,"  i.e.  holly  wood),  but  they  are  also  to  be 
taken  literally.  With  Bartholomew  Forward  (Hund. 
R.)  cf .  Robert  Avant  (Ramsey  Cart.)  or  Julian  a  Nether- 
ward  (Hund.  R.),  evidently  one  origin  of  Netherwood. 
Downton  and  Upton  must  sometimes  have  been  applied 
to  men  who  lived  "  down  town  "  and  "  up  town  " 
respectively. 

A  few  other  prepositions  occur  sporadically.  Inder- 
wick,  Enderwick  is  ME.  in  ther  wick,  i.e.  homestead, 
village,  etc.  The  existence  of  Walter  Underwater 
(Lane.  Inq.  1205-1307)  suggests  that  Bowater  is  for 
bove-water.1  Neathway  is  "  beneath  the  way,"  and 
Withinshaw,  if  not  a  corruption  of  "  withy  shaw," 
willow  wood,  belongs  to  the  same  class.  In  Hindhaugh 
and  Hindmarsh  the  prefix  may  have  adjectival  or 
prepositional  force. 

The  following  are  examples  of  obsolete,  dialect,  or 

obscure  place-words  which  have  given  surnames.     It 

will  be  noticed  that  they  are  mostly  monosyllables  of 

Anglo-Saxon  origin,  but  they  include  a  few  Old  French 

1  Bove  is  older  than  above. 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  53 

words.  Some  are  quite  simple,  but  are  mentioned 
because  of  their  compounds.  Others  I  am  unable  to 
explain.  Quite  a  remarkable  proportion  are  names 
given  to  small  strips  of  land,  boundary  ridges,  trenches, 
etc.  They  seem  to  reflect  the  proprietary  tenacity 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

Bache,  Batch,  Bage.  ME.  bache,  a  river  valley 
[Robert  de  la  Bache,  Pat.  R.]— 

"Over  baches  and  hulles  "  (Piers  Plowm.  C.  viii.  159). 

It  is  common  in  Cheshire  place-names.  Compounds, 
Greatbatch,  Huntbach. 

Bale,  Bayles.  AF.  bail,  an  outer  fortification,  later 
replaced  by  bailey  [Tessaunda  del  Bayl,  Pat.  R.,  John 
de  la  Baylle,  Lond.  Wills,  1258-1358].  Hence  also  the 
official  Bailward. 

Ball.  A  common  field-name  in  Somerset  [John  atte 
Balle,  Kirby's  Quest,  Som.].  The  name  has  other 
and  more  usual  origins.  Newball  is  a  corruption  of 
Newbold,  new  building. 

Barff,  Bargh.  Northern  forms  of  barrow,  a  mound 
[Thomas  atte  Barghe,  Pat.  R.,  Yorks]. 

Earth.    Sheltered  pasture  for  cattle  or  calves — 

"  Warme  barth  give  lams 
Good  food  to  their  dams  "  (Tusser). 

Bay.  A  dam  or  pool.  Hence  the  common  Cam- 
bridgeshire name  Bays  [John  atte  Bey,  Hund.  R., 
Camb.].  Bay  is  also  a  colour  nickname  [Robert  le 
Bay,  Testa  de  Nev.]. 

Bear,  Beer,  Bere.  West-country  word  for  wood, 
AS.  beam  [Morin  de  la  Bare,  Hund.  R.,  Dev.,  Henry  de 


54  SOME   LOCAL  SURNAMES 

la  Bear,  ib.,  Elias  de  la  By  ere,  ib.].  Compounds 
Langabeer,  Conybeare,  Shillibeer,  and  the  deceptive 
Shebear.  This  is  perhaps  one  origin  of  Byers  ;  cf.  the 
parallelism  of  Bubear,  Boobyer,  in  Somerset,  but  in 
this  group  of  names  there  has  been  confusion  with  byre. 

Bent.  Very  numerous  meanings  in  Middle  English, 
ranging  from  bent  grass  to  battle-field  (see  NED.). 
Also  confused  with  Bend  [Robert  de  la  Bende,  Testa  de 
Nev.].  Compound  Broadbent. 

Sinks.  Northern  form  of  Banks  [John  de  Nighen- 
binkes,  i.e.  near  banks,  F.  of  Y.].  See  NED.  The 
intermediate  form  was  "  benks  "  [Robert  Neynbenkes, 
Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.]. 

Boak,  Boakes.  Northern  form  of  balk,  ridge,  especi- 
ally as  a  boundary  [Thomas  del  Bouke,  1429]. 
Boag  is  probably  a  variant.  From  balk  also  come 
Belk  and  Bilke  [Henry  del  Belk,  IpM.,  Norf .]. 

Boam.  A  common  Derbyshire  surname  [John  del 
Bom,  IpM.,  Notts,  1279-1321].  I  suppose  it  to  be 
a  phonetic  variant  of  beam  (p.  184). 

Boosey.    A  cattle-shed,  byre. 

Borstall,  Bur  stall.  A  winding  hill-path,  especially 
on  the  Downs  [John  Atteborstalle,  Hund.  R.,  Kent]. 
The  example  is  just  four  centuries  older  than  the  first 
NED.  record  of  the  word. 

Boss.  A  conduit,  fountain  [Bartholomew  de  la 
Bosse,  Close  R.] — 

"  Bosses  of  water  made  at  Belingsgate  about  the  year  1423  " 
(Stow). 

Breach.  An  opening,  also  fallow-land  [Andrew  de 
la  Breche,  IpM.]. 

Breeks,  Brack.    A  northern  dialect  word,  cognate 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  55 

with  above  and  also  used  of  rocks  [Robert  del  Brek, 
Lane.  Inq.  1310-33].  It  is  ON.  brekkr,  a  brink. 

Brend,  Brent,  Brind.  Brow  of  a  hill  [Simon  del  Brend, 
F.  of  Y.,  Richard  del  Brynd,  *&.]. 

Brewill,  Brow  ell,  Bruel.  OF.  breuil,  wood,  thicket 
[Simon  del  Bruill,  Chart  R.].  Part  of  Savernake  Forest 
is  called  the  "  Broyl  of  Bedewind  "  in  IpM.,  and  the 
Broyle  (Suss.)  has  the  same  origin.  Cf.  Fr.  Dubreuil 
and  de  Broglie,  the  latter  of  which  has  given  us  Brolly. 

Brush.  Broom,  undergrowth,  heather  [Adam  del 
Bruche,  Exch.  R.].  Cf.  Fr.  Delabrousse,  des  Brosses, 
etc.  Hence  also  Brushett  (see  p.  128,  n.  i) — 

"  Brusshe  to  make  brushes  on,  bruyere  "  (Palsg.). 

Budden.  This  surname  is  sometimes  of  baptismal 
origin  [Ermegard  Budun,  Hund.  R.],  from  Baldwin  or 
from  one  of  the  Bod-  names  ;  cf.  Fr.  Bodin.  But  it  is 
also  local,  a  variant  of  bottom,  which  occurs  as  bodan 
in  one  of  the  earliest  Anglo-Saxon  glossaries  [Stephen 
de  la  Buden,  Pleas,  Hants].  It  is  still  a  Hampshire 
name. 

Buggins.  ME.  bugging,  a  variant  of  bigging,  a  build- 
ing— 

"  Cometh  the  maister  budel  brust  ase  a  bore, 
Seith  he  wole  mi  bugging  bringe  ful  bare." 

(Song  of  the  Husbandman,  temp.  Ed.  I.) 

Buist.  ON.  bustadr,  homestead,  whence  also  the 
Orkney  and  Shetland  Isbister. 

Bumbey.     A  quagmire  (Norf.  and  Suff.). 

Biirst.  A  break  in  the  land,  from  AS.  geberst.  It  is 
so  used  in  the  Abingdon  Chronicle  [Hamelet  de  la 
Burste,  Exch.  Cal.]. 

Butt.    A  ridge  or  balk  in  ploughed  land.     Also  a 


56  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

measure  of  land.  But  the  surname  Butt  is  often  for 
Buck,  altered  in  the  same  way  as  bat  from  bakke  (see 
p.  24)  [Roger  le  Buc  or  But,  Close  R.,  Hugh  le  But, 
Pat.  R.,  James  le  But,  ib.]. 

Cage.  This  may  go  with  Penn,  Mewis  (p.  98), 
etc.,  or  may  be  connected  with  a  local  prison — 

"  Cage,  catasta  "  (Prompt.  Parv.}. 

"  Catasta,  a  cage  to  punish  or  sell  bond  men  in  "  (Cooper). 

In  the  Coventry  Mysteries  it  is  used  of  the  "  pageant  " 
on  which  a  king  stands  [John  del  Cages,  Bp.  Kellawe's 
Reg.]. 

Callow.  Applied  in  the  west  to  bare  land  [William 
de  la  Calewe,  IpM.,  Her  el],  the  same  word  as  callow, 
hairless,  unfledged,  which  is  the  more  usual  origin  of 
the  surname. 

Cheyne.  This  is  simply  a  Middle  English  spelling  of 
"  chain,"  probably  meaning  the  barrier  by  which 
streets  were  often  closed  at  night  [Richard  de  Catena, 
Close  R.]  ;  cf.  Ban — 

"  For  other  wey  is  fro  the  gatis  none, 
Of  Dardanas,  there  opyn  is  the  cheyne  " 

(Chauc.  Troilus  and  Criseyde). 

Chuck.  A  tree-stump,  OF.  chouq,  apparently  re- 
lated to  souche,  a  stump  [Henry  de  Chokes,  Close  R., 
Roger  de  la  Zuche  or  de  la  Suche  or  de  la  Chuche,  ib.]. 
Hence  Choak,  Chugg,  Chucks.  Also  a  nickname 
[Robert  Choc,  Pipe  R.,  William  Choc,  Hund.  R.]. 
Cf.  Block  (p.  156). 

Clench,  Clinch.  I  can  find  no  clue  to  the  meaning 
of  this  word,  apparently  the  origin  of  Clinch  in  Wilts. 
[Richard  de  la  Clenche,  Fine  R.,  Wilts,  John  de  la 
Clenche,  Hund.  R.,  Wilts].  A  stream  called  the 
Clenche  is  mentioned  in  Glouc.  Cart. 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  57 

Cloud.  ME.  elude,  a  rock  [Robert  atte  Cloude, 
Kirby's  Quest],  the  same  word  as  cloud  (cumulus). 
Hence  also  Clout  and  possibly  Clodd. 

Clyne.  Old  Welsh  chin,  clyn,  a  meadow  [William 
ate  Clyne,  Exch.  R.].  Also  Clunn. 

Cock.  The  very  common  entry  "  atte  Cok  "  refers 
not  only  to  a  shop-sign,  but  also  to  the  same  word 
commonly  used  of  a  water  conduit.  Cf.  Boss.  Hence 
also  sometimes  Acock,  Adcock,  Atcock  [Ralph  Atecock, 
Lond.  Wills,  1282]. 

Cockshott,  Cockshoot.  "  A  broad  way  or  glade  in  a 
wood,  through  which  woodcocks,  etc.,  might  dart  or 
shoot,  so  as  to  be  caught  by  nets  stretched  across  the 
opening  "  (NED.) — 

"  Cockesshote  to  take  woodcockes  with,  voice  "  (Palsg.). 

Cradle.  A  place  in  Sussex  called  "  le  Cradele  "  is 
mentioned  in  the  Percy  Cartulary  [Richard  atte 
Cradele,  Percy  Cart.,  John  de  la  Cradel,  Pat.  R.].  In 
Middle  English,  as  now,  the  word  was  used  of  various 
arrangements  in  the  way  of  framework  or  scaffolding, 
but  its  meaning  here  is  very  dubious.  Perhaps  the 
ending  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  next  name. 

Crundall,  Crundle.  More  than  sixty  crundels  are 
mentioned  in  Thorpe's  Codex  Diplomaticus.  AS. 
crundel  is  dubiously  explained  by  Sweet  as  a  chalk-pit, 
cavity,  pond.  Its  modern  dialect  meaning  of  a  ravine 
with  running  water  in  it  suggests  rather  "  crooked  dell," 
from  the  adjective  which  has  given  the  nickname 
Crum,  Crump. 

Curtain.  Dial,  courtain,  court-yard,  straw-yard, 
Late  Lat.  cortina. 

Deal,  Dole.    These  are  ultimately  the  same  word, 


58  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

meaning  boundary ,  division  [Alexander  de  la  Dele,  Fine 
R.,  William  de  la  Dole,  Hund.  R.].  Dale  is  often  for 
Deal.  The  word  is  still  in  use  in  various  forms.  Here 
generally  belong  also  Dowell,  Dowl,  Dewell,  Duell ; 
and  the  Kentish  dowel,  a  marsh,  is  perhaps  the  same 
word.  Most  of  the  words  for  boundary  appear  also 
to  have  been  applied  to  a  piece  of  waste  land  between 
two  cultivated  patches — 

"  The  waste  called  le  dole  "  (Pat.  R.,  Salop). 

Delf,  Delph,  Delves.  ME.  delf,  quarry.  [Hugh  del 
Delf,  Cal.  Gen.]— 

"  And  thei  gaven  that  monei  to  the  crafti  men  and  masouns,  for 
to  bie  stoonys  hewid  out  of  the  delves,  var.  guarreris  "  1 

(Wye.  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  n). 

Dibb.  Usually  bapt.  for  Dibble,  i.e.  Theobald  (see 
p.  40),  but  also  from  dial,  dib,  a  dip,  or  valley  [John 
del  Dybbe,  F.  of  Y.,  1469]. 

Dillicar.  A  dialect  name,  in  the  lake  country,  for 
a  small  field.  No  doubt  a  compound  of  the  very 
common  Can,  Kerr,  a  fen,  of  Norse  origin. 

Doust.  ?  A  Middle  English  variant  of  "  dust  "  [John 
del  Doustes,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33].  Cf.  such  names  as 
Chalk,  Clay,  Mudd. 

Drain,  Drane.  Obviously  from  the  drain  or  channel 
[John  atte  Drene,  Kirby's  Quest,  Som.],  a  word  first 
recorded  by  the  NED.  for  1552.  Cf.  Simon  Drane- 
land  [Hund.  R.,  Camb.].  The  examples  are  from  the 
two  chief  fen  counties. 

Dron.  Dial,  trone,  a  trench,  a  west-country  word 
[Geoffrey  Attedrone,  Glouc.  Cart.]. 

Dunt.     I  suppose  this  to  be  a  phonetic  variant  of 

1  This  is  the  origin  of  Quarrier  [Nicholas  del  Quarere,  Pat.  R.]. 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  59 

dent,  dint,  meaning  a  hollow  [William  Attedunt,  Hund. 
R.,  Kent], 

E 'aland,  Eland.  A  dial,  form  surviving  from  AS. 
igland,  now  corruptly  written  island  under  the  influence 
of  OF.  isle. 

Eaves.  Used  in  Middle  English  for  edge,  especially 
in  the  compound  "  wood  eaves,"  whence  Wouldhave. 
In  Whiteaves  the  first  element  is  probably  with  (p.  84). 

Fall.  It  is  a  little  doubtful  what  this  means  as  a 
surname  [Richard  del  Fal,  Hund.  R.,  Gilbert  de  la 
Falle,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  at  any  rate  in  com- 
pounds. In  Horsfall,  -fall  may  be  for  an  earlier  -fald,1 
i.e.  fold,  enclosure,  while  in  Woodfall  it  means  the 
place  where  trees  have  been  felled  [Richard  del 
Wodefal,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33].  Still,  although  the 
NED.  has  no  record  of  fall,  cascade,  till  1579,  "  the 
water's  fall"  (Spenser),  the  name  Waterfall  [Richard 
de  Watterfa.ll,  Hund.  R.]  points  to  a  much  earlier  use 
of  the  word. 

Fann.  The  winnowing  fan  [Gervase  de  la  Fanne, 
Chart  R.].  The  west-country  Vann  is  commoner 
[Richard  atte  Vann,  Pleas,  Wilts.].  Cf.  the  occupative 
Fanner  and  Vanner. 

Farndell.  The  obsolete  farthingdeal,  or  fourth  part 
of  an  acre.  Cf.  Halfacre — 

"  Farding  deale,  alias  Farundell  of  land,  signifieth  the  fourth  part 
of  an  acre  "  (Cowel). 

Hence  also  Fardell,  Varndell.  Farthing  was  also  used 
in  the  same  sense. 

Flatt.    A  common  field-name  in  Yorkshire,  and  used 

1  The  home  of  Hoys/all  is  the  West  Riding,  where  it  occurs  side  by 
side  with  H or s  fie  Id. 

6 


60  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

in  Suffolk  of  a  flat  oozy  shore  [Thomas  del  Flat, 
mariner,  F.  of  Y.].  Hence  also  the  Suffolk  name 
Flatman. 

Force,  Forse,  Forss.  This  may  be  the  northern 
force,  a  Scandinavian  word  for  waterfall — 

"  The  fishery  del  fors  "  (Pat.  R.,  Westm.  1320). 

But  the  analogy  of  Wilberforce,  from  a  place  formerly 
called  Wilberfoss,  suggests  that  Foss  is  more  often  the 
origin.  Cf.  Forsdyke  for  Fosdikc,  later  corrupted  to 
Fro  stick. 

Fostall,  Forrestal.  Dial,  fore-stall,  a  paddock  or 
way  in  front  of  a  farmhouse  (Kent  and  Suss.).  The 
NED.  quotes  it  for  1661,  but  it  is  much  older  [Osbert 
de  la  Forstalle,  Hund.  R.,  Kent,  Albreda  de  Forstallo, 
Cust.  Battle  Abbey,  1283-1312]. 

Foyle.  Apparently  some  kind  of  excavation,  Fr. 
fouille  [John  atte  Foyle,  Cust.  Battle  Abbey]. 

Fright.  A  Kentish  form  of  'frith,  a  wood,  deer- 
forest,  etc.,  so  common  in  the  phrase  "  frith  and  fell " 
[Henry  del  Fridh,  Feet  of  Fines]. 

Gallantree.  I  only  offer  the  conjecture  that  this 
Yorkshire  name  may  be  for  "  gallows  tree,"  earlier 
"  gallow  tree,"  AS.  gealgtreow  ;  cf.  Godfrey  de  Galowes 
(Fine  R.),  Ralph  de  Furcis  (Abingdon  Chron.). 

Garston.  An  example  of  a  common  noun,  AS. 
g&rstun,  paddock,  "  grass  town  "  [Henry  de  la  Garston, 
Fine  R],  which  has  become  a  specific  place-name.  Cf. 
Gratton,  stubble  field,  AS.  greed,  grass,  Barton,  AS. 
beretun,  "  barley  town/'  Leighton,  AS.  leactun,  "  leek 
town,"  kitchen  garden,  and  the  ubiquitous  Burton, 
AS.  burgtun,  "  borough  town."  From  the  latter  we 
have  Haliburton,  the  holy  dwelling. 


DIALECT    TOPOGRAPHY  61 

Gort.  OF.  gort,  properly  a  whirlpool  (Lat.  gurges, 
gurgit-},  but  used  in  England  of  a  kind  of  weir  ;  cf.  Fr. 
Dugort.  See  gorce  (NED.),  which  is  really  a  plural 
form,  and  apparently  one  origin  of  Joyce,  for  Burton 
Joyce  (Notts)  takes  its  name  from  the  de  Jorz  family. 

Grape,  Creep.  A  dial,  word  for  trench,  also  found 
as  grip  [John  atte  Gripe,  IpM.]. 

Ground.  Used  in  dialect  for  a  field  or  farm  ;  hence 
perhaps  the  East-Anglian  name  Grounds.  But  Roger 
Grond  (Hund.  R.,  Hunts),  Augustin  Grund  (ib.)  sug- 
gest a  shortened  form  of  Grundy,  AS.  Gundred,  as  a 
more  probable  origin  of  the  name. 

Hallows.     Possibly  ME.  halwe,  shrine,  sanctuary — 

"  Feme  halwes,  kowthe  in  sondry  londes  "  (Chauc.  A.  14). 

But  more  probably  a  dial,  form  of  hollow  [William  in 
le  Halowe,  Hund.  R.]. 

Hames.  Northern  form  of  "home"  [Adam  del 
Hames,  of  le  Hames,  Cumb.,  IpM.].  Also  Haimes. 

Hanger.  A  wood  on  a  hillside  [William  del  or  atte 
Hanger,  Pat.  R.]. 

Hard.  In  the  dialect  sense  of  hard  or  firm  ground 
(sixteenth  century,  NED.),  as  at  Portsmouth  [Gilbert 
del  Harde,  Pat.  R.].  Also  Hards.  In  Harder  the 
second  element  is  -or,  -over,  a  bank. 

Haugh.  This  very  puzzling  word  occurs  in  an 
immense  number  of  place-names  and  consequently  in 
many  surnames,  but  nobody  seems  to  know  what  it 
means.1  It  has  several  compounds,  Ridehalgh,  Green- 

1  "  Healh,  corner,  hiding-place  ;  bay,  gulf  "  (Sweet),  "  recess 
corner,  hollow  "  (Miller).  "  Dr.  Mutschmann  is  mistaken  in  thinking 
that  the  exact  sense  of  OE.  healh  is  '  very  uncertain  '  ;  it  means 
'  river  meadow  '  "  (Sedgefield).  "  It  does  not  necessarily  mean  a 
riverside  pasture.  A  hale,  in  Gloucestershire,  may  occur  on  high 
ground  away  from  any  stream  "  (Baddeley). 


62  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

halgh,  Hesmondhalgh,  Feather  stonehaugh.  Its  dative 
gives  Heal,  Hale,  and  most  of  the  names  ending  in  -all, 
-hall,  -0// contain  it,  e.g.  Brudenell  (at  the  broad  heal), 
Cleall  (clay),  Greenall,  Greenhall,  Blackall,  Blackhall, 
Whitehall  [Gilbert  del  Whitehalgh,  1397,  Bardsley], 
Midgall  [Migehalgh,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33],  Thornell,1  etc. 
Related  to  it  is  ME.  halk,  a  corner — 

"  As  yonge  clerkes,  that  been  lykerous 
To  reden  artes  that  been  curious, 
Seken  in  every  halke  and  every  herne  * 
Particular  sciences  for  to  lerne  "  (Chauc.  F.  1119). 

Hence  Halleck  3  and  sometimes  Hawke  and  Hawkes. 
In  Halkett,  Hallett,'  it  is  compounded  with  -head  (see 
p.  128,  n.).  Haugh  is  quite  distinct  from  Hough  (Huff), 
How,  a  hill,  though  it  has  been  confused  with  it,  e.g. 
in  Wardhaugh,  probably  for  "  ward  hough,"  the  beacon 
hill,  equivalent  to  Wardle  (ward  hill)  and  Wardlaw, 
Wardlow,  AS.  hlcew,  a  hill,  mound.  Ridehalgh  has  been 
confused  with  Redhough  [Thomas  del  Redhough,  Bp. 
Kellawe's  Reg.].  From  the  dial,  form  eale,  we  have  the 
names  Eales,  Eeles,  and  it  is  probable  that  Neale  is 
sometimes  of  the  same  origin  (see  p.  50). 

Heald.  ME.  hield,  a  slope  [Isabel  de  la  Helde,  Fine 
R.].  Cf.  Ger.  Halde,  very  common  in  place-names 
and  surnames.  Heald  may  be  also  for  Heal  with 
excrescent  -d ;  cf .  Neild  for  Neil. 

Heath.  This  seems  to  have  absorbed  "  hythe,"  a 
'quay,  harbour.  The  latter  was  once  a  very  common 

1  In  this,  and  some  other  cases,  it  may  have  interchanged  with 
-hill. 

2  A  corner  ;   hence  Hearn,  Hum,  Horn,  etc. 

8  Cf.  Frisian  hallich,  low-lying  land  near  the  sea. 
4  Also  a  dim  of  Hal,  or  Harry. 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  63 

name  [Eustace  de  la  Hythe,  Hund.  R.,  William  atte 
Hythe,  City  F.],  but  I  find  no  modern  examples. 

Helm.  Dial,  helm,  a  shelter  [John  de  la  Helme, 
Wore.  Priory  Reg.].  But  Helm,  Helms  are  more  often 
short  for  one  of  the  personal  names  in  Helm-  (p.  38). 

Herepath,  Herapath.  AS.  herepceth,  army  path, 
main  road.  Cf.  Ger.  Herwegh.  Is  it  too  venturesome 
to  derive  the  very  common  Cambridgeshire  name 
Thoday  from  AS.  theodweg,  people  way,  highway  ? 
Both  this  and  Tudway  may  be  rather  from  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  name  Theodwig.  Fossey  may  be  from  Fr.  fosse, 
a  ditch,  but  is  more  probably  from  the  historic 
Fosse- way. 

Hoath,  Hoad.  An  archaic  word  for  heath  1  [John 
del  Hoth,  Hund.  R.]. 

Honour,  Honnor.  "  A  seigniory  of  several  manors 
held  under  one  baron  or  lord  paramount"  (NED.) 
[Stephen  Adhonour,  Pat.  R.]. 

Hook,  Crook.  Both  used  of  a  bend  in  the  river 
[Richard  de  la  Hoke,  Feet  of  Fines,  John  del  Crok, 
Lane.  Inq.  1310-33],  the  latter  especially  in  Scot- 
land. The  first  seems  to  have  been  used  also  of  a 
sand-spit.  But  Crook  is  usually  a  nickname  [Philip 
le  Crok,  Pat.  R.,  Croc  the  huntsman,  Chart.  R.],  and 
Hook  is  sometimes,  like  Hucks,  a  form  of  Hugh  [Huka 
de  Thorne,  Pipe  R.]. 

Hope.  Another  word  of  very  vague  meaning,  "  an 
enclosure  in  marsh  land,"  "  small  enclosed  valley  " 
(NED.) .  But  there  also  seems  to  have  been  a  measure 
of  land  called  a  hope,  cognate  with  Ger.  Hube,  Hufe, 

1  I  have  only  HalliwelFs  authority  for  this.  Is  it  a  mixed  form 
due  to  the  constant  coupling  of  "  holt  and  heath  "  in  Middle 
English  ? 


64  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

a  unit  corresponding  in  use,  if  not  in  dimensions,  to 
our  Hide.  In  a  copy  of  White  Kennett's  Glossary 
which  I  possess,  several  examples  of  this  use  have  been 
inserted  in  MS.  by  the  learned  antiquary  Sir  Edward 
Smirke.  In  compounds  -hope  becomes  -ap,  -ip,  -op, 
-up,  Harrap,  Bur  nip,  Alsop,  Greenup.  This  rather 
common  name  has,  however,  another  origin  [Hugh  le 
Hope,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285,  Vital  le  Hope,  ib., 
William  le  Hope,  Archbp.  Peckham's  Let.]  which  I 
cannot  explain.  No  doubt  also  an  abstract  nickname 
(p.  218). 

Horn.  As  a  local  name  this  is  a  variant  of  Hearn, 
a  nook,  corner.  Hence  Langhorne,  Hartshorn,  Small- 
horn,  Whitehorn,  etc. ;  see  p.  62,  n.  2. 

Hulk.    A  hut  or  shed  [Agnes  atte  Hoik,  Pat.  R.]— 

"  Tugurium,  hulc  "  (Voc.). 

Idle.  An  Anglo-French  form *  of  OF.  isle,  also  Me 
[John  del  Idle,  IpM.,  Christiana  del  Ilde,  Hund.  R.}— 

"  Ilde,  lond  in  the  se,  insula  "  (Prompt.  Parv.) 

Other  island  surnames  are  Ilett,  appropriately  found  in 
Somerset  and  Cambridgeshire,  and  the  Celtic  Inch, 
Ince,  Ennis  [William  del  Enese,  Hund.  R.].  The  form 
Enys  is  very  common  in  Cornwall. 

Ing.  A  Middle  English  name  for  meadow,  especially 
a  swampy  one,  and  still  in  dial.  use.  It  is  from  ON. 
enge  [Thomas atte Enge,Fine  R.,  Reginald  de  If\g&,Pipe 
R.].  This  word  is  very  common  in  composition  and 
one  source  of  the  name  England,*  for  ing-land.  Names 

1  Cf.  meddle  from  OF.  meslev,  and  see  Madle  (p.  250). 

2  In  spite  of  the  existence  of  English,  Inglis,  the  name  England 
is  rarely  from  the  name  of    the  country.      Deutsch  is   a   German 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  65 

such  as  Fielding,  Penning,  etc.  have  usually  been 
explained  as  "  man  of  the  field,  fen,  etc.,"  but, 
although  this  tribal  suffix  occurs  frequently  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  place-names,  it  is  perhaps  equally  probable  that 
in  surnames  -ing  means  meadow,  e.g.  Wilding,  wood 
meadow,  Greening,  Beeching,  Bowring  (bower),  School- 
ing (cf.  Scho  field  t  Schooler af t) ,  Ravening,  Watering,  etc. 

Knaggs.    Northern  dial,  knag,  rock,  hill-top. 

Knell,  Knill.  Apparently  a  phonetic  variant  of 
knoll  [William  atte  Knell,  Cust.  Battle  Abbey,  John 
atte  Knyle,  Kirby's  Quest,  Som.].  Hence  also  Kneel. 

Knipe.  Ridge,  a  lake-country  word,  surviving  only 
in  specific  place-names  (EDD.). 

Lart.  A  west-country  word  for  "  loft."  Hence 
also  perhaps  Larter. 

Leach.  Dial,  letch,  a  boggy  stream  or  a  bog,  earlier 
lache  [John  del  Lache,  Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4] — 

"  Ductum  aquae,  quern  vulgo  Lacche  vocant  "  (Abingdon  ChronJ). 

It  is  still  used  as  latch  in  northern  dialect.  This  is  one 
origin  of  the  name  Leach,  Leech,  usually  the  physician.1 
Its  compounds  are  Blackledge,  Bleakledge,  Blackleach — 

"  Between  le  Misies  and  Blake-lache  unto  the  end  of  le  Cawsaye  " 
(Lane.  Inq.  1310-33), 

Cartledge,  Cartlick  [Robert  de  Cartelache,  Lane.  Court 
R.  1323-4],  Depledge. 

name,  but  I  do  not  think  Deutschland  is  found,  and  the  French 
surname  France,  not  very  common,  is  a  shortened  form  of  the 
baptismal  Francois.  England  is  also  an  imitative  form  of  the  Old 
French  font-name  Enguerrand,  with  the  common  change  of  r  to  / 
[John  Ingelond,  Pat.  R.,  Geoffrey  Ingelond,  Hund.  R.,  Simon 
Ingelond,  i&.] 

1  I  find  that  Surgeon  still  exists,  also  the  lengthened  Middle 
English  form  Surgenor. 


66  SOME   LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Leese.  Perhaps  generally  for  "leas  "  (cf.  Meadows)  ; 
but  there  is  a  dial,  lease,1  pasture,  AS.  Ices — 

"  The  years  have  gathered  grayly 
Since  I  danced  upon  this  leaze  " 

(Hardy,  Wessex  Poems}. 

Lew.    A  sheltered  spot  [Alice  ate  Lewe,  Hund.  R.]. 

Liberty.  I  have  already  suggested  (Romance  of 
Names,  p.  123)  that  this  name  comes  from  liberty,  in 
the  sense  of  district  outside  the  city  walls,  but  subject 
to  the  city  jurisdiction.  I  have,  however,  found  no 
early  example.  I  do  not  think  it  is  an  abstract  nick- 
name. The  apparently  parallel  Licence  is  an  imita- 
tive spelling  of  Lysons,*  of  Lison  (Calvados),  whence 
also  Lessons. 

Ling.  This  very  common  East  Anglian  name 
comes  from  the  plant,  and  also  specifically  from  Ling 
(SurL),  Lyng  (NorL),  and  Lyng  (Som.),  which  accounts 
for  the  three  regions  which  are  the  homes  of  the  name. 
But  the  collocation  of  the  word,  in  the  following  ex- 
tract, with  sich,  a  trench,  and  put,  a  pit,  suggests  some 
other  local  meaning — 

"  Le  Putsich,  le  Mucheleput,  le  Litleput,  le  Ling  juxta  Coppeswell, 
and  le  Longsyche  versus  Clayputtes  "  (IpM.,  Warw.  1268). 

Link,  Lynch.  A  ridge,  sand-hill,  AS.  hlinc.  Dial. 
linch  is  especially  used  of  an  unploughed  ridge  making 
a  boundary  between  two  fields  [Roger  ate  Lynche, 
Fine  R.].  Link  is  possibly  also  a  variant  of  Ling 
[John  atte  Lynk,  Pat.  R.,  Norf.]. 

i  See  NED. 

a  Final  -s  in  local  surnames  of  foreign  origin  is  treated  as  arbit- 
rarily as  in  native  names  (p.  71  n.).  We  have  Gamage,  Cammidge, 
from  Gamaches  (Somme),  Cormell,  from  Cormeilles  ^Eure),  but 
Lascelles  from  Lacelle  (Orne). 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  67 

Lippiatt.  The  leap-gate,  or  leap-yate,  "  a  low  gate 
in  a  fence,  which  can  be  leaped  by  deer,  while  keeping 
sheep  from  straying  "  (NED.).  Also  Lipyeatt,  Lippett. 
Cf .  the  variants  of  Lidgate,  swing-gate,  whence  Lidgett, 
Lydiate,  Liddiatt,  etc. 

List.  Used  in  Middle  English  in  the  sense  of 
boundary  [Peter  de  la  Leste,  Hund.  R.].  Cf.  the 
"lists"  for  a  tournament. 

Loakes.  East  Anglian  loke,  path,  road  [Gilbert 
Ithelockes,  Fine  R.]. 

Lone,  Loane.  Dial,  form  of  lane  [John  in  la  Lone, 
Glouc.  Cart]. 

Loop.  Used  in  Middle  English  of  an  opening  in  a 
wall,  whence  modern  "  loop-hole  "  [Edith  de  la  Lupe, 
Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.].  But  this  name,  though 
not  common,  has  an  alternative  origin,  the  wolf 
[Robert  le  Lupe,  IpM.]. 

Lyth.  A  Middle  English  and  dial,  word  for  slope, 
AS.  hlith  [Reginald  atte  Lith,  Fine  R.]— 

"  Steep   pastures  are  called  the  Lithe  "   (White's   Selborne). 

But  Gonnilda  le  Lyth  (Hund.  R.)  points  to  a  nickname, 
so  that  the  surname,  though  rather  rare,  has  two  well- 
attested  origins.  For  similar  cases  see  pp.  316-19.  Lyde 
is  a  variant. 

Maw.  A  variant  of  mow,  heap,  as  in  "  barley- 
mow."  The  name  is  very  common  in  Lincolnshire, 
and  medieval  examples  of  "  de  la  Mawe  "  abound  on 
the  east  coast  [William  de  la  Mawe,  Hund.  R.,  Suff.]. 
A  local  surname  could,  however,  hardly  come  into 
existence  in  connection  with  such  a  transient  thing 
as  a  haystack  or  cornrick,  so  that  we  must  assume 
that  the  word  is  here  used  in  the  wider  sense  of  mound, 


68  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

hillock,  or  that  it  meant  also  the  stackyard  or  barn. 
Maw  is  also  a  variant  of  Maufe,  Muff  (p.  246). 
/  Meals.  ON.  melr,  dune,  sandhill,  especially  on  the 
coasts  of  Lancashire  and  Norfolk  [Alan  del  Mels, 
Lane.  Inq.,  1310-33,  Elota  del  Meles,  ib.].  I  fancy  that 
this  word,  often  meole  in  Middle  English,  appears  in 
Ashmall,  Ashmole,  and  Cattermole. 

Mears.  Two  local  origins — (i)  mere,  a  lake,  pool, 
whence  also  Man,  Marrs  [Robert  de  la  Mar,  Lib.  VitJ]  ; 
(2)  ME.  mere,  mear,  AS.  gemcere,  a  boundary,  a  very 
common  word,  also  used  of  a  green  "  balk  "  or  bound- 
ary road.  Hence  in  some  cases  Marston,  ME.  mere- 
stone,  boundary  stone.  Mark,  March  are  also  some- 
times from  ME.  mearc,  boundary,  apparently  not 
related  to  the  above  [Roger  del  March,  Fine  R., 
Robert  atte  Mark,  City  D.]. 

Minster.  The  rarity  of  this  name  is  surprising, 
although  it  is  represented  also  by  the  lengthened 
Minister.  As  we  have  Beemaster,  Buckmaster,  Kil- 
master  or  Kilmister,  and  Kittermaster,  from  Beaminster, 
Buckminster,  Kilminster,  and  Kidderminster  respec- 
tively, it  seems  likely  that  Master,  Masters,  Mister 
may  also  have  been  sometimes  corrupted  in  the  same 
way  from  the  simple  Minster. 

Mount  joy.  Montjoie  is  a  common  French  place- 
name  [Ralph  de  Mungai,  Pipe  R.].  The  name 
has  no  connection  with  the  war-cry  Montjoie,  the 
origin  of  which  is  unknown.  Also  Mungay,  Mun- 
chay,  Mingey — 

"  Mont-joy e,  a  barrow  ;  a  little  hill,  or  heap  of  stones,  layed  in 
or  near  a  highway,  for  the  better  discerning  thereof  ;  or  in  remem- 
brance of  some  notable  act  performed.or  accident  befallen,  in  that 
place  "  (Cotg.). 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  69 

Mudge.  A  Devon  and  Cornwall  word  for  mud, 
swamp.  The  surname  is  common  in  both  counties. 

Ness.  A  headland,  but  not  necessarily  on  the 
coast.  Many  of  the  examples  I  have  found  are 
inland  [John  atte  Nesse,  Pat.  R.,  Richard  atte  Nesse, 
Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297,  Suss.].  The  second  example 
may  refer  to  Dungeness.  In  the  Abingdon  Chronicle 
ness  is  used  as  equivalent  to  stert.  See  Sturt. 

Pallant.  AS.  patent,  palace,  Lat.  palantium  for 
palatium ;  cf.  the  Palant  at  Chichester. 

Pamment,  Pament.  Middle  English  form  of  pave- 
ment, street.  In  Nottingham  are  still  High,  Low  and 
Middle  Pavement,  spelt  pament  in  the  Borough 
Records.  Cf.  Cosway,  Cawsey — 

"  And  whenne  y  was  nygh  the  awter  y  put  of  my  showy s  and 
knelyd  on  my  kneys  upon  the  pament  "  (Monk  of  Evesham). 

Pett,  Putt.  Variants  of  Pitt.  The  first  is  a  Kentish 
form ;  for  the  second  cf.  Hull  for  Hill.  Compounds 
Lampet,  Lampitt,  Lamputt,  loam  pit,  AS.  lampytt,  and 
Clampitt,  cloam  pit.  Cloam,  AS.  clam,  clay,  is  still 
used  in  dialect  for  earthenware.  Burpitt  is  possibly 
for  "  bear  pit "  1 ;  cf .  Bullpitt  or  Bowpitt,  and  Buckpit. 

Pickles.  The  Yorkshire  dial,  form  of  pightle,  an 
enclosure  (see  NED.).  Hence  also  Pighills  and  Pight- 
ling,  the  latter  compounded  with  ing,  a  meadow 

(P.  64). 

Pill.  A  west-country  word  for  a  creek  [Robert 
Attepile,  Hund.  R.,  Som.,  Bennett  de  la  Pylle,  Fine 
R.,  Dev.].  Hence  also  Pile,  Pyle,  Pillman,  and  Pitta- 

1  Bearblock  appears  to  mean  the  stump  to  which  the  bear  was  tied ; 
but  Bearpark  is  a  perversion  of  Fr.  Beaurepaire ,  fine  home. 


70  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

way,  with  the  intrusive  a  which  is  characteristic  of 
Devon  names  (Eastaway,  Greenaway,  etc.). 

Place,  Plaice.  ME.  place  has  a  wide  range  of  mean- 
ings, including  market  square,  plot  of  land,  large  house, 
hamlet,  etc.  But  the  modern  name  has  absorbed  an 
Old  French  word  related  to  Plessis  (p.  286),  and 
meaning  an  enclosure  [Richard  de  la  Plesse,  Hund. 
R.].  It  is  often  entered  as  de  Plexito.  Cf.  the  Fr. 
Dupleix,  which  has  assumed  in  England  the  imitative 
form  Duplex.  Hence  also  Pleass. 

Plank.  Used  in  Middle  English  of  a  narrow  foot- 
bridge [James  de  la  Plaunche,  Fine  R.] — 

"  Planche,  a  planke,  or  thicke  board  ;  especially  one  thats  laid  over 
a  ditch,  brooke,  or  moate,  etc.,  instead  of  a  bridge  "  (Cotg.). 

Plaskett.  A  swampy  meadow,  usually  "  plashet," 
dim.  of  OF.  plasq.  The  surname  represents  a  Norman 
form.  Also  Plashed. 

Plott.  The  same  as  Plait,  a  flat  piece  of  land  [Henry 
de  la  Plot,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285], 

Pluck.  Apparently  a  phonetic  variant  of  ME. 
plecke,  a  piece  of  ground  [Nicholas  de  la  Plock,  Glouc. 
Cart.].  It  is  also  found  in  Duplock,  earlier  Duplac 
(Norf.  Court  R.).  But  Diplock  is  more  probably 
"  deep  lake." 

Quick.  Usually  a  nickname,  but  also  a  northern 
variant  of  wick,  a  village  [Albert  de  la  Quicke,  Lane. 
Inq.  1205-1307].  Cf.  Quartan  iorWharton,  and  Quick- 
fall  for  Wigfall,  the  latter  probably  the  "  wick-fald," 
or  Wick  field. 

Rain.  The  name-group  Rain,  Rayne,  Raines, 
Raynes,  etc.  has  various  origins.  It  may  be  baptismal, 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon  element  Regen-  (p.  44),  as  in 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  71 

Rayner,  Reynold,  etc.  [Reine  Bacun,  Hund.  R.],  while 
the  -s  forms  represent  Rennes  [Robert  de  Rennes, 
Hund.  R.]  and  possibly  also  Rheims.  It  is  also  a 
nickname,  perhaps  from  dial.  Fr.  mine,  a  frog 
[Robert  le  Rane,  Pat.  R.].  But  the  home  of  the  name 
is  Durham,  and  in  that  county  rain  is  a  dial,  word 
for  a  strip  of  land,  boundary,  etc.,  which  is  no 
doubt  the  origin  of  most  of  the  northern  Raynes. 
The  word  is  common  in  field-names  in  north-country 
records. 

Rees.1  This  name,  usually  for  Welsh  Rhys,  is  also 
from  an  obsolete  word  for  stream,  channel  [Henry 
del  Re  or  atte  Ree,  IpM.,  Heref.].  There  are  several 
references  in  IpM.  to  "  la  Ree "  (Heref.),  but  the 
word  seems  to  have  been  in  general  use.  The  church 
of  St.  Mary  Overy  was  in  1502  Saint  Mary  "  over  the 
re."  Overy  and  Undery  are  both  existing  surnames; 
with  the  latter  cf.  Walter  Underwater  (Lane.  Inq.). 
Ree  may  be  related  to  ride  (see  p.  49)  and  Rye  (Suss.), 

1  The  majority  of  monosyllabic,  and  many  dissyllabic,  local 
names  are  commonly  found  with  -s,  originally  due  to  analogy  with 
Wills,  Jones,  etc.,  where  -s  is  the  sign  of  the  genitive.  It  will  be 
found  that  this  addition  of  -s  in  local  names  generally  takes  place 
whenever  it  does  not  involve  an  extra  syllable  or  any  exertion  in 
pronunciation,  e.g.  Birks  but  Birch,  Noakes  but  Nash,  Marks  but 
March,  Meadows  but  Field,  Sykes  but  Sich.  The  only  important 
exception  to  this  phonetic  rule  is  Bridges,  which  is  usually  derived, 
not  from  bridge,  but  from  Bruges,  once  commonly  called  Bridges 
in  English.  This  -s  is  also  added  to  specific  place-names,  e.g. 
Cheales  from  Cheal  (Line.),  Tarbox  from  Tarbock  (Lane.),  Burls 
from  some  spot  in  Essex  formerly  called  Berle  [Robert  de  Berle, 
Hund.  R.,  Ess.],  Rhymes  from  Ryme  (Dors.),  etc.  This  tendency, 
still  very  strongly  marked  in  uneducated  speech,  leads  to  some 
very  curious  results.  I  am  told  that  the  Earl  of  Stair  is  commonly 
called  Lord  Stairs  by  the  Wigtownshire  peasants.  Still  more  ex- 
traordinary is  the  existing  name  Steadmances,  of  obvious  origin. 


72  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

which  was  formerly  la  Rie  [Geoffrey  atte  Rye,  City  E.t 
Robert  Atterie,  IpM.,  Suss.].  The  word  is  perhaps 
of  Flemish  origin  ;  cf.  the  South  African  Delarey. 
The  scarcity  of  Ree  is  due  to  absorption  by  Ray 
[Robert  de  la  Reye,  Close  R.]. 

Rew,  Rue.  AF.  rew,  from  Fr.  rue,  street  [Robert 
atte  Rewe,  Pat.  R.,  Dors.]  ;  cf.  Attru  (p.  49).  But 
Rew  is  also  a  nickname,  a  variant  of  rough  [Walter  le 
Rewe,  Glouc.  Cart.]. 

Rhine.  A  name  given  to  the  large  drains  or  channels 
on  the  Somerset  moors,  AS.  ryne,  a  channel.  It  was 
the  Sussex  Rhine  which  proved  fatal  to  Monmouth's 
followers  at  Sedgemoor.  I  have,  however,  no  evi- 
dence for  a  surname  thus  formed,  so  Rhine  is  perhaps 
rather  for  Rhind,  Rind.  There  is  a  Perthshire 
hamlet  called  Rhynd,  but  the  surname  seems  to  be 
rather  from  a  Welsh  personal  name  [Rind  Seis,1 
Chart.  R.]. 

Riddy.  ME.  rithie,  apparently  related  to  ride,  a 
stream  (p.  49)  [Walter  Atterithie,  Glouc.  Cart.]. 

Riding.  Perhaps  from  one  of  the  Yorkshire  ridings,8 
but  more  probably  a  variant  of  Ridding,  a  clearing  in 
a  wood  [Raven  del  Riding,  Pat.  R]. 

Risk.  An  archaic  form  of  rush,  AS.  rise  ;  cf.  Riss- 
brook.  Hence  also  Rix,  usually  from  Richard,  but 
also  from  Exmoor  rix,  rushes  [John  de  la  Rixe,  Hund. 
R.,  Som.]. 

1  I.e.  Rind  the  Saxon  ;  cf.  Sayce,  Seys,  etc. 

2  Originally  thriding,  third  part,  the  initial  having  been  lost  by 
confusion  with  the  final  sound  of  the  north,    east,  west  which 
always  preceded    it.      We   have  the    converse  in  the    Middlesex 
village  of    Ickenham,    formerly   Tickenham.      As  time   went  on, 
people  who  lived  "at   Tickenham"  found  they  were  living  "at 
Ickenham." 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  73 

Roath.  Apparently  ME.  roth,  variant  of  root 
[William  atte  Rothe,  Lond.  Wills,  1305].  Or  it  may 
be  identical  with  Routh,  ON.  ruth,  a  clearing,  whence 
-royd,  common  in  north-country  surnames. 

Rood.  A  cross.  Also  Rude  [Walter  de  la  Rude, 
Fine  R.].  Hence  also  Trood,  "atte  rood."  Com- 
pounds Roodhouse,  Roddis,  Rodwell;  with  the  last 
name  cf.  Crosswell. 

Rule.  La  Riole,  near  Bordeaux,  latinized  as  Reula 
and  Regula,  ib  constantly  mentioned  in  London  records. 
It  gave  its  name  to  a  London  street  and  to  the  church 
of  St.  Michael  Paternoster  "Royal"  [Henry  de  la 
Rule,  City  B.,  Alvyn  de  Reule,  Henry  de  la  Riole, 
Exch.  Cal.].  In  Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.  (1301-60)  is 
mentioned  Roger  del  Reulle,  a  shipmaster  bringing 
wine  from  Bordeaux. 

Sale,  Seal.  Related  words,  the  first  representing 
OF.  sale  (salle),  the  second  AS.  sele,  hall,  dwelling- 
house.  Compounds  are  Greensall  and  Normansell. 
Seal  has  become  Zeal  in  Somerset.  These  names  have 
become  confused  with  dial,  seal,  sale,  a  willow,  whence 
the  Yorkshire  names  Sayle,  Sayles  [Agnes  del  Sayles, 
1379].  Cf.  Sallows,  Salliss,  from  the  same  tree,  AS. 
sealh. 

Salterne.    A  salt  house,  also  a  salt  marsh. 

Seath,  Seth.  AS.  seath,  a  pit,  pond,  used  in  dialect, 
generally  in  the  form  sheath,  of  a  brine-pit.  Hence 
also  Sheath  and  Sheat  [Humfrey  de  la  Shethe,  Testa 
de  Nev.].  It  should  be  noted,  however,  with  regard 
to  Sheath,  that  Fr.  Fourreau,  whence  Eng.  Furrell, 
seems  to  be  a  costume  nickname  from  the  sheath  or 
scabbard. 

Seed.     I  conjecture  that  this  name,  common  in  the 


74  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

north,  may  represent  AS.  geset,  seat,  dwelling,  as  in 
Somerset  and  the  surname  Honey  sett.  It  occurs  also 
in  Adshead,  Adsead  (Adsett,  Glouc.),  and  in  the  simple 
Sait.  This  would  explain  Liver  seed,  Loverseed,  from 
the  personal  name  Leo f here ;  cf.  John  de  Burysede 
[Hund.  R.]  and  the  Lincolnshire  name  Whit  seed. 

Selden,  Seldon,  Seldom.  The  dative  plural  of  the 
very  common  ME.  selde,  a  booth  or  shop  [John  atte 
Selde,  Lond.  Wills.,  1294] — 

"One  fair  building  of  stone  called  in  record  Seldom,  a  shed  "  (Stow). 

Sell  may  sometimes  represent  the  singular,  but  is 
usually  baptismal  [Nicholas  Sell,  Pat.  R.],  perhaps 
from  Cecil. 

Shear.  AS.  scaru,  division.  Hence  Landseer,  AS. 
landscam,  boundary  [Anthony  de  la  Lanscare,  Pat.  R., 
Thomas  de  la  Landshare,  Hund.  R.].  One  example 
is  from  Devon,  the  other  from  Somerset.  Hence  this 
is  the  origin  of  the  Devon  name  Shears,  while  Shar- 
land,  also  a  Devon  name,  may  contain  the  same 
elements  reversed.  The  form  Scare,  Sheer  is  also  a 
surname.  Cheers  seems  to  be  a  variant  *  [Walter  de 
la  Chere,  Glouc.  Cart.]  and  Chare  also  exists.  Seear 
may  belong  here  or  to  Sayer,  AS.  Saegaer. 

Sheard,  Shard.  Middle  English  and  dial,  sherd,  a 
gap  in  an  enclosure  or  bank  [John  atte  Sherde, 
Pat.  R.].  The  same  word  as  in  "potsherd."  Shirt 
is  an  imitative  spelling. 

Shed.  A  section  of  land.  The  same  word  as  in 
"  watershed."  Hence  Shead,  Shedd,  Shade.  No  doubt 

1  The  substitution  of  Ch-  for  Sh-  is  not  uncommon,  e.g.  Nicholas 
Chepe,  Ralph  de  Chepeye,  Osbert  le  Chephirde  occur  together  in  the 
Pat.  R.  Hence  Cheap  is  sometimes  a  nickname,  "  sheep." 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  75 

also  from  the  building,  which  is  also  shad,  shade  in 
dialect. 

Shields,  Scales.  The  English  and  Norse  forms 
respectively  for  a  shieling  or  shelter.  The  first  is 
very  common  in  Northumbrian  farm-names,  hence 
Blackshields,  Greenshields.  It  is  the  same  as  ME. 
schiel  [Adam  del  Schele,  Percy  Cart.],  whence  Shiel. 
From  Scales  we  have  the  compounds  Summerscales  l 
and  Winterscale,  corrupted  into  Summer  skill,  Sum- 
mersgill,  Wintersgill.  Related  are  the  numerous  Scan- 
dinavian names  in  -skjold,  such  as  Nordenskjold,  Liljen- 
skjold,  etc. 

Shippen,  Skippon.  A  dial,  word  for  cow-house,  AS. 
scipen  [Richard  de  la  Schepene,  Coram  Rege  R.  1297]. 
Hence  also  Shippings — 

"  Thropes,  bernes,  shipnes,  dayeryes  "  (Chauc    D.  871). 

By  folk-etymology  connected  with  "  sheep-pen,"  but 
really  cognate  with  "  shop."  But  in  Sheepwash,  Ship- 
wash,  Shipway,  Shipsides,  and  most  local  names  in 
Ship-,  the  first  element  is  "  sheep." 

Shire.  Used  in  the  sense  of  boundary  [Thomas  atte 
Shyre,  Lond.  Wills,  1349].  Here  belong  also  some- 
times Shear,  Shears  (cf.  Lankshear,  Hamshar) ;  but 

1  Various  explanations  are  given  as  to  local  names  in  Summer-, 
Winter-.  In  Germany  the  corresponding  names  are  considered  to 
indicate  a  southern  and  northern  aspect  respectively.  In  the 
examples  above  we  no  doubt  have  the  summer  and  winter  camp  of 
the  herdsmen.  Other  examples  are  Summerhayes,  from  hay,  an 
enclosure,  Winter  ford,  Winter  flood,  Winterbottom.  Winterburn  is  a 
burn  that  runs  in  winter  only.  Another  name,  especially  in 
Kent,  for  an  intermittent  spring  is  nailbourn,  later  eylebourn,  whence 
the  surname  Elborn  and  probably  Eborn.  On  this  interesting  word 
see  Skeat,  Trans.  Phil  Soc,,  1911-14,  p  37. 


76  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Thomas  Palle,  called  Sheres  (Lond.  1376),  suggests  a 
nickname  for  a  shearsmith  or  cutler.  For  the  usual 
origin  of  Shears  see  p.  74.  In  compounds  other  than 
county  names  -shire  is  generally  a  corruption  of 
-shaw  ;  e.g.  Ormeshire  for  Ormeshaw. 

Sich.  A  trench,  AS.  sic  [Robert  de  la  Siche, 
IpM.].  Hence  also  Sitch  and  the  Yorkshire  Sykes 
[William  Enlesik,  Pat.  R.,  John  del  Sykes,  Lane.  Inq. 
1310-33]— 

"  Sich,  sichettum  and  sichettus,  a  little  current  of  water,  that  uses 
to  be  dry  in  the  summer,  also  a  water-furrow  or  gutter  "  (Cowel). 

Slade.  A  valley,  glade,  strip  of  greensward  [John  o* 
the  Slade,  City  D.],  AS.  sited,  valley,  familiar  in  the 
phrase  the  "  greenwood  slade."  Hence  also  Slate, 
Sleath,  and  the  compound  Greenslade.1  This  is  another 

1  Our  ancestors  did  not  show  much  imagination  in  describing 
scenery,  and  Green  occurs  with  monotonous  frequency — Greenacre, 
Greenall  (heal,  p.  62),  Greenaway  (cf .  Eastaway,  Westaway,  and  other 
Devon  names),  Greenberry  (bury),  Greenfield,  Gren/ell,  Greengrass, 
Greenhalgh,  Greenhall  (p.  62),  Greenhead,  Greenhill,  Greenhongh, 
Greenhow  (hough,  a  hill),  Greenhorn  (horn,  a  nook  corner,  p.  64, 
but  possibly  a  nickname),  Greenhouse  (cf.  Whitehouse,  but  possibly 
the  house  on  the  green),  Greening  (p.  64),  Greenland  (ME.  laund,  a 
stretch  of  open  country),  Greenist  (seep.  95),  Greenlaw  (law,  a  hill), 
Greenlees,  Greenop,  Greenup  (p.  63),  Greenrod,  Greenroyd,  Grinrod 
(royd,  a  clearing),  Greensall,  Greensill  (see  Seal,  p.  73),  Greenshields 
(p.  75),  Greenstock,  Gristock  (stoke,  a  homestead),  Greensides(p.  138), 
Greenwell,  Greenwood,  etc.  In  F.  of  Y.  we  find  also  Greenayk  (oak), 
Greenbank,  Greenbergh  (barrow,  hill),  Greengare,  Greengore  (gore,  a 
triangular  piece  of  land),  Greenshagh.  But  occasionally  there  has  been 
confusion  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  name-element  Grim.  In  Suffolk  we 
find  Grimweard  becoming  Grimwood,  whence  the  transition  to  Green- 
wood was  inevitable.  The  compromise  Greenward  is  also  found. 
Conversely  the  very  common  northern  Grimshaw,  apparently 
"  Grim's  shaw  "  or  "  Grim's  haw  "  (enclosure)  is  generally  a  corrup- 
tion of  "  green  shaw,"  once  as  familiar  as  "  green  wood." 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  77 

example  of  the  elusive  meaning  of  these  dialect  words. 
White  Kennett  defines  it  as  a  long,  flat  piece  of  land, 
while  Wyclif  actually  uses  it  of  a,  presumably  flat, 
ridge — 

"  Semeye  gede  bi  the  slack,  var.  cop,  of  the  hil  .  .  .  and  curside" 
(2  Sam.  xvi.  13). 

The  EDD.  offers  a  very  wide  choice  of  meanings : 
valley,  hollow  ;  grassy  plain  between  hills ;  side  or 
slope  of  a  hill ;  small,  often  hanging,  wood  ;  strip  of 
greensward  through  a  wood  ;  green  road  ;  piece  of 
greensward  in  ploughed  land  ;  strip  of  boggy  land  ; 
stagnant  water  in  a  marsh  ;  small  running  stream  ; 
sheep-walk  ;  bare,  flat  place  on  top  of  a  hill. 

Slape.  Very  puzzling.  There  is  an  early  Scot,  slape, 
a  gap,  breach,  but  the  examples  of  de  la  Slape  are 
all  from  the  west,  chiefly  Somerset.  Slope  is  quite  a 
modern  word  according  to  the  NED.  Perhaps  related 
to  slipe,  a  long  narrow  strip,  used  in  several  counties, 
including  Somerset.  This  also  means  the  sloping  bank 
of  a  dike  or  river ;  cf.  slype,  a  covered  way  from  the 
transept  of  a  cathedral  to  the  chapter-house. 

Slay.  Slope,  lane  through  gorse,  etc.  (Suss.).  Also 
Sice  [Stephen  atte  Sle,  Close  R.,  Kent].  Probably 
identical  with  Slade  (q.v.)  ;  cf.  Smee  for  Smeed.  But 
the  surname  is  usually  from  ME.  slegh,  sly,  skilful. 

Slipp.    A  long  narrow  slip  (of  land)  ;   see  Slape. 

Smeed,  Smeeth,  Smedes.  ME.  smethe,  a  level  place 
[Simon  de  la  Smethe,  Close  R.,  Thomas  atte  Smyethe, 
IpM.].  See  Athersmith  (p.  50)  and  cf.  Smedley, 
Smidmore — 

"  Smeth  or  smoth,  planicies  "  (Prompt.  Paru.). 


78  SOME  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Hence  also  Smee  and  Smy,  dialect  forms.  All  these 
are  also  nicknames  from  the  same  word  used  in  the 
sense  of  smooth,  hairless  [Philip  le  Smethe,  Hund.  R.]. 
So  also  the  compounds  Smeathman  and  Smithett  (smeeth 
head)  may  be  local  or  nicknames. 

Snaith,  Snead.  Specific  place-names  (Yorks  and 
Wore.),  but  from  AS.  snced,  a  piece  of  land,  from 
snithan,  to  cut,  cf .  Thwaite  from  thwitan,  to  cut.  Also 
Snee. 

Snape.  A  spring  in  arable  ground,  Devon  (Hall.). 
But  the  word  is  quite  undocumented,  though  recorded 
as  a  surname  in  various  parts  of  England  [Henry  de 
la  Snape,  Hund.  R.,  Suss.,  Adam  del  Snap,  Lane.  Inq. 
1310-33].  It  appears  also  to  have  been  used  of  winter 
pasture.  Hence  also  Snepp.  Compounds  Harsnip, 
Dewsnap,  Dew  snip. 

Snodgmss.  This  name  contains  the  dial,  adjec- 
tive snod,  smooth,  trim. 

Splatt.  AS.  splott,  plot  of  land  [William  atte 
Splotte,  Kirby's  Quest,  Som.] — 

"  Landsplot,  tantillum  terras"  (Abingdon  Chron.). 

Hence  the  compound  Collinssplatt. 

Spon,  Spong,  Spun.  A  long  narrow  strip  of  ground, 
also  found  as  Spang.  Of  doubtful  origin,  but  probably 
Scandinavian  [Liulf  del  Espaune,  Feet  of  Fines,  Line.]. 
The  dialect  glossaries  assign  it  to  East  Anglia. 

Spring.  A  dial,  word  for  wood,  plantation  [Robert 
ad  Springe,  Ramsey  Cart,].  I  know  several  "  springs  " 
in  the  woods  of  Bucks.  Cf .  Goldspring.  Qf  course  the 
name  may  be  also  from  spring  in  its  more  usual  sense 
[Adam  de  Fonte,  Wore.  Priory  Reg.] ;  but  it  is  rarely 
taken  from  the  season.  The  Teutons  divided  the  year 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  79 

into  Summer  and  Winter,  hence  the  frequency  of  these 
words  as  surnames.     Still,  cf.  Fr.  Printemps. 

Staite.  ME.  stathe,  a  landing-place,  as  in  Bicker- 
steth.  Hence  also  State,  Staight.  And,  as  Bicker- 
steth  has  given  Bickerstaff,  this  local  name  may  be 
one  origin  of  Staff.  Stay  is  a  modern  dial,  variant 
(EDD.). 

/    Staple.    A  post  [Roger  Atestaples,  City  A.].    Gen- 
erally Staples. 

Stent.  A  boundary,  limit ;  probably  OF.  estente, 
extent. 

Stile.  AS.  stigol,  a  stile,  also  an  ascent.  Hence 
Styles  [Geoffrey  atte  Stile,  City  F.],  Still,  Stillman, 
Stiggles  [Richard  del  Stigels,  Pat.  R.],  Steggall,  Steggles, 
and  even  Steckles,  Stickles  [Robert  Atstychele,  Malmes- 
bury  Abbey  Reg.].  This  group  of  names  illustrates  a 
phenomenon  of  some  importance,  viz.  that  surnames, 
and  to  some  extent  place-names,  form  exceptions  to 
phonetic  laws.  The  rigid  phoneticians  will  say  that 
the  -g-  of  AS.  stigol  must  disappear  (cf.  sail  from  segl). 
The  answer  is  that  when  it  becomes  a  surname,  its 
development  may  be  arrested  and  an  archaic  form  may 
persist.  The  home  of  both  Styles  and  Stickles  is  Kent 
[Robert  atte  Estyghele,  Hund.  R.,  Kent],  where  they 
flourish  abundantly  side  by  side.  The  AS.  Stigand 
should  have  become  Stiant.  It  has  done  so  and 
exists  in  the  surnames  Styants,  Styance ;  but  it  also 
survives  as  Stigand,  Stiggants,  Stiggins,  Stickings. 
Similarly  AS.  jugol  became  fowl,  but  has  also  given 
the  surname  Fuggle  [Robert  le  Fugel,  Pipe  R.],  and 
Tickler  perhaps  represents  a  sharpened  form  of  "  the 
principal  rebel  Walter  Tighlar  "  (Stow). 

To  Style  may  belong  Stoyle  (cf.  Royle  for  Ryle),  but 


80  SOME   LOCAL  SURNAMES 

a  ship  called  la  Stoyle  (Pat.  R.)  is  OF.  estoile,  star, 
and  Lestoile  is  a  common  French  surname. 

Stitch,  Styche.  Dial,  stitch,  a  ridge,  a  balk  of  grass- 
land in  an  arable  field  [Richard  Attestyche,  Pleas.]. 
Styche  is  a  good  example  of  the  effect  on  pronuncia- 
tion of  an  archaic  spelling. 

Stoop.  A  dial,  word  for  boundary  post.  Hence  also 
Stopes,  Stopps  [William  del  Stopp,  1379,  Bardsley] — 

"  '  No  stopes  or  rails,'  was  the  cry  at  the  time  of  the  Notts 
enclosures  of  1825  "  (EDD.). 

Studd.  A  variant  of  Stead,  place,  dwelling  ;  cf. 
Richard  del  Pleystude  (Glouc.  Cart.),  i.e.  Playsted. 

Sturt.  AS.  steort,  tail,  as  in  the  bird-name  redstart, 
used  of  a  tongue  of  land  [William  de  la  Sturte,  Hund. 
R.].  Hence  also  Start.  Cf.  Start  Point. 

"  Boscus  qui  dicitur  stert  "  (Feet  of  Fines). 

Swale.  As  this  is  chiefly  a  Yorkshire  name,  we 
must  assign  it  to  the  river  (see  p.  161,  n.).  But  swale 
has  also  various  dial,  senses,  a  valley,  a  salt-water 
channel  (between  Kent  and  Sheppey),  a  pleasant  shade, 
to  one  of  which  probably  belongs  Tedric  atte  Suele 
(Pipe  R.).  Hence  also  Swell. 

Swire.  ME.  swire,  neck.  The  surname  Swire  may 
be  a  nickname  (cf.  Neck,  p.  135),  but  is  also  a  dial, 
variant  of  Squire.  In  ME.  swire  was  also  swere  and  was 
evidently  used  of  a  "  neck  "  of  land.  A  "  bottom  " 
called  "  le  Swere," "  le  Sweres,"  is  mentioned  in 
Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.  Hence  Swears. 

Tarn.     A  mountain  lake.     Hence  Tarnsitt,  tarn-side. 

Tart.  Fr.  tertre,  a  mound,  hillock  [Emma  sur  le 
Tertre,  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.]. 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  81 

Thake,  Theak.  An  East  Anglian  word  for  thatch.  I 
have  found  the  name  in  Suffolk.  Cf.  the  occupative 
names  Thacker,  Theaker,  Thackster. 

Thay,  They.  An  existing,  though  rare,  surname, 
which  is  amply  recorded  [Philip  atte  Thegh,  Cust. 
Battle  Abbey,  John  de  la  The,  Pat.  R.]— 

"  In  la  Thegh  vi  acrae  gross!  bosci  "  (Cust,  Battle  Abbey). 

It  seems  to  be  identical  with  Tye,  Tey  (q.v.),  which 
is  latinized  as  theia  in  the  Pipe  R. 

Torr.  A  west-country  word  for  a  rocky  hill  [Henry 
atte  Torr,  Fine  R.,  Dev.,  Robert  de  la  Torre,  Coram 
Rege  R.  1297,  Corn.].  Hence  Hayter,  Haytor,  Hector, 
high  tor,  and  Grinter,  green  tor  [Hugh  de  Grenetorre, 
Chanc.  R.,  Dev.]  Pictor,  a  Somerset  name,  prob- 
ably contains  the  same  element.  Torr  has  another 
origin  from  OF.  tor,  a  bull  [Hamo  le  Tor,  Pat.  R., 
Gilbert  le  Tor,  City  A.]. 

Trow.  A  Middle  English  and  dial,  form  of ' '  trough ' ' 
[William  atte  Trowe,  Hund.  R.}— 

"  Trow,  vessel,  alveus,  alveolus  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

This  is  also  one  origin  of  Trew  [William  Attetrewe  de 
Bristow,  F.  of  Y.].  The  same  word  is  used  in  the 
west  of  a  small  barge,  in  which  sense  it  is  still  the  sign 
of  an  inn  at  Jackfield  (Salop).  So  the  surname  may 
belong  to  the  same  group  as  Barge,  Hoy,  etc.  (p.  171). 
Tuer.  A  narrow  passage  or  alley  [William  de  la 
Tuyere  or  de  laTwyere,  Archbp.  Romeyn's  Reg.  1286- 
96].  I  am  not  sure  whether  Twyer  still  exists.  Tewer, 
Tuer  has  an  alternative  origin,  the  Tawyer,  or 
leather-dresser  [Martin  le  Tawyer,  City  E.]— 

"  Tewer  of  skynnes,  candidarius  "  (Cath.  Angl.). 


82  SOME   LOCAL   SURNAMES 

Tuffill,  Tuffield,  To  field.  Dial,  tuff  old,  twofold,  a 
small  shed,  "  lean-to,"  pent-house,  ME.  tofal,  also 
spelt  tuff  all.  Cf.  Nicholas  de  Apenticio  (Fine  R.) — 

"  Tofal,  schudde,  appendix,  appendicium  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Tuffill  may,  however,  be  equally  well  derived  from 
Theophilus  [Simon  Theonll,  F.  of  Y.]. 

Twiss,  .  Twitchen,  Twitchell,  Twizel.  I  put  these 
together  because  they  are  no  doubt  related.  They 
all  contain  the  idea  of  a  fork  or  branch.  Twiss,  un- 
recorded by  the  dictionaries,  unless  it  is  the  dial. 
twitch,  a  bend  in  the  road,  is  probably  the  original  of 
which  the  others  are  derivatives  [Hugh  del  Twys, 
Pat.  R.].  With  excrescent  -t  it  gives  Twist.  Twitchen 
is  used  in  dialect  of  a  narrow  passage  connecting  two 
streets  [Richard  de  la  Twitchene,  Fine  R.].  Hence 
also  Twitching.  Twizel,  Twissell,  Twitchell  are  AS. 
twisla,  fork  of  a  stream,  as  in  Entwistle  (Lane.), 
whence  the  corrupted  surname  A  nthistle.  Birdwhistle  is 
an  imitative  spelling  of  Birtwistle.  Elys  Bridestwesil 
or  Britwesil  was  almoner  to  John  of  Gaunt.  The  first 
element  is  probably  "  bird." 

Tye.  An  extensive  common  pasture  (Hall.).  Also 
Tey,  Tee  [Hugh  de  la  Tye,  Hund.  R.,  Adam  de  la  Teye, 
Cor  am  Rege.  R.  1297].  Tighe  represents  an  archaic 
spelling. 

Verge.  Possibly  in  the  sense  of  edge,  boundary, 
but  it  may  be  OF.  verge,  rood,  fourth  part  of  an 
acre  [Richard  de  la  Verge,  Close  R.].  Also  Varge. 

Voce,  Vose,  Voice,  Voase.  Fr.  Vaux,  plural  of  val, 
a  valley,  but  common  also  as  a  specific  French  place- 
name  [John  de  Vaus,  Lib.  Vit.].  This  element  appears 
in  a  few  English  place-names,  e.g.  Rievaulx,  whence 


DIALECT   TOPOGRAPHY  83 

Revis,  Rivis,  and  Jervaulx,  one  origin  of  Jarvis.  With 
these  cf.  Clarvis,  from  Clairvaux  [Albin  de  Clairvaux, 
Ramsey  Cart.}. 

Vyse,  Vize.  Of  Devizes,  once  commonly  called 
"  the  Vyse  "  and  latinized  as  Divisce  [Richard  del  Vise, 
Exch.  R.]. 

Walne,  Wawn.     ME.  walm,  a  well,  spring. 

Waud.  Variant  of  weald  or  wold  [Walter  de  la 
Waude,  Pat.  R.].  Hence  also  Weld  and  Weale,  the 
final  -d  of  the  latter  being  lost  as  in  Wiles  [Stephen  de 
la  Wile,  Pat.  R.]  from  the  related  Wild— 

"  A  franklin  in  the  wild  of  Kent  "  (i  Henry  IV.  ii.   i). 

The  Weald  of  Sussex  is  also  called  the  Wild.  Hence 
the  name  Wildish  1  and  the  imitative  Wildash. 

Waylett,  Waylat.  AS.  weg-gelcztu,  place  where  two 
or  more  roads  meet  [Cecily  de  la  Weylete,  Chart.  R.] — 

"  Sche  sat  in  the  weelot,  var.  place  of  two  weyes,  that  ledith  to 
Tampna  "  (Wye.  Gen.  xxxviii.  14). 

Way  the,  Wath,  Wathes.  ON.  vathr,  a  ford,  once 
fairly  common  as  second  element  in  place-names,  but 
now  usually  replaced  by  -with,  -worth,  e.g.  Langworth 
(Leic.)  was  Langwath  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
Similarly  -wade,  a  ford,  its  native  cognate,  has  inter- 
changed with  -wood,  so  that  Braidwood  may  sometimes 
be  identical  in  meaning  with  Bradford  [Reginald  de 
Braidewad,  Pipe  R.]. 

Wham,  Whan.  Possibly  from  AS.  hwamm,  a  corner 
[William  atte  WThaune,  Cust.  Battle  Abbey].  Cf.  dial. 
wham,  a  morass. 

1  Cf.  Devenish,  from  Devon,  Kentish,  etc. 


84  SOME   LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Wish.  A  damp  meadow,  marsh,  common  in  old 
Sussex  field-names.  Hence  Whish,  which  may,  how- 
ever, be  for  Hewish,  Huish,  AS.  hiwisc,  a  homestead — 

"  'Help  yourself,  Mr.  Whish,  and  keep  the  bottle  by  you.' 
'My  friend's  name  is  Huish,  not  Whish,  sir,'  said  the  captain." 
(Stevenson  and  Osbourne,  The  Ebbtide.) 

With.  ON.  vithr,  wood,  once  common  in  place- 
names,  e.g.  Asquith  (ash).  It  has  interchanged  with 
wath  (q.v.),  and,  like  that  element,  has  paid  tribute 
to  -worth,  e.g.  Askworth,  Ashworth.1  Also  Wythe. 

Wong.  A  meadow,  AS.  wang.  There  are  several 
"  wongs "  in  old  maps  of  Nottingham.  Compound 
Wetwan  [Thomas  de  Wetewange,  Archbp.  Peckham's 
Let.  1279-92].  Identical  with  ON.  vangr,  as  in  Stavan- 
ger— 

"  Wong  of  lond,  territorium  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Woodfine,  Woodfin.  A  wood-heap,  fairly  common  in 
Anglo-Saxon,  now  only  surviving  as  a  surname — 

"  Strues,  wudefine  "  (Voc.). 

Wroe.  ME.  wra,  nook,  corner  [John  in  the  Wro, 
Pat.  R.].  It  has  usually  become  Wray  [Thomas  del 
Wray,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  and  has  given  a  num- 
ber of  north-country  names  in  -wra,  -wray,  -ra,  -ray, 
-ry,  etc.,  e.g.  Doowra  (dove),  Thackwray,  Thackeray 
(thatch),  Rothera  (ME.  r other,  cattle),  Cawthra,  Cawthry, 
Whinray,  Winnery,  etc.  It  has  also  contributed  to 
Rowe  and,  indirectly,  to  Rose 8  [Simon  ithe  Rose,  Pat. 
R.,  Yorks].  Hence  the  Staffordshire  name  Durose  for 
del  Wros,  and  the  Lincolnshire  Benrose,  Bemrose,  Bem- 

1  In  both  of  these  the  -worth  is,  of  course,  sometimes  original. 
*  Cf.  Ruse  from  Rew  (p.  72). 


CURIOUS  SURVIVALS  85 

roose,  in  which  the  first  element  in  probably  "  bean." 
Here  may  belong  the  Yorkshire  name  Ringrow,  Ring- 
rose.  Wroe  may  also  sometimes  be  the  second  element 
of  Morrow,  as  "  le  Murwra"  (Cumb.)  is  mentioned  in 
IpM.,  and  of  Woodrow,  Wither ow,  the  latter  having 
the  Norse  with  (p.  84)  for  Eng.  wood.  With  Bithray 
cf.  Bid-lake,  etc.  (p.  52). 

There  are  some  local  surnames  which  are  of  obvious 
origin,  but  whose  rarity  makes  them  interesting. 
Such  are  Cowmeadow,  Farmmedows,  Forresthill,  Ozier- 
brook,  Monument,  Marthouse  l  (market-house),  Ground- 
water,  Bullwinkle,  the  bull's  corner  (cf.  Bulpitf),  Leap- 
ingwell,  evidently  from  some  pool  associated  with  the 
old  ceremony  of  leaping  the  well — 

"  Leaping  the  well,  going  through  a  deep  and  noisome  pool  on 
Alnwick  Moor,  called  the  Freemen's  Well,  a  sine  qua  non  to  the 
freedom  of  the  borough  "  (Hall.). 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  name  of  the  famous 
Whig  pamphleteer  Oldmixon  still  survives.  It  is  a 
compound  of  the  dial,  mixen,  a  dunghill — 

"  Futnier,  a  mixen,  dunghill,  heape  of  dung  "  (Cotg.). 


1  Mart  is  more  probably  short  for  Martin. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CORRUPTION  OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

"  '  Where  d'you  live  ? '    I  demanded. 

'  Brugglesmith,'  was  the  answer  "  (KIPLING). 

THE  connection  of  a  surname  with  a  specific  place- 
name  is  often  obscured  by  considerable  difference  of 
form  and  sound.  Sometimes  the  surname  preserves 
the  contracted  local  pronunciation  familiar  only  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  district.  Such  are  Aram,  Arum 
(Averham,  Notts),  Anster  l  (Anstruther,  Fife),  Littler 
(Littleover,  Derb.),  Wyndham  (Wymondham,  Norf.), 
Rowell  (Rothwell,  Northants),  Startin  (Staverton, 
Northants),  Sneezum  (Snettisham,  Norf.),  Bmtin  (Bris- 
lington,  Som.),Badgery  (Badgeworthy,  Glouc.),  Roster 
(Wroxeter,  Salop) .  These  examples,  taken  at  random, 
can  be  largely  added  to  2  by  any  reader  according  to 
the  district  with  which  he  is  acquainted.  In  the 
above  cases  the  local  distribution  of  the  surnames 
confirms  the  origin  indicated,  e.g.  I  have  found  Roster 
only  in  Salop.  So  also  Finbow,  found  in  Lincolnshire 
as  Fenbough,  is  now  chiefly  represented  at  Stowmarket 
(Suff .)  within  two  miles  of  its  birthplace  (Finborough). 

1  Hence  also,  I  suppose,  Ansterbervy,  the  borough  of  Anstruther. 

2  For  instance,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Devon  name  Widgery 
is  from  Wid worthy  in  that  county,  while  Essery  is  for  Axworthy, 
the  "  ash  homestead." 

86 


CONTRACTIONS   AND  ECCENTRICITIES       87 

Often  enough  the  surname  has  got  back  to  the  actual 
locality  from  which  it  was  taken  on  the  emigration  of 
the  ancestor,  e.g.  there  are  people  called  Freshney 
living  at  Friskney  (Line.).  Sometimes  such  contrac- 
tions are  made  from  local  names  which  have  not  become 
specific  place-names,  e.g.  Timblick  for  Timberlake. 
The  contracted  pronunciation  of  local  names  in  Saint 
is  a  familiar  phenomenon.1  Some  interesting  examples 
of  French  origin  are  Cinnamond  or  Sinnamon,  from 
Saint-Amant,  Cemery  from  Saint-Mary,  Savigar  from 
Saint- Vigor  [Thomas  de  Sancto  Vigore,8  Fine  R.], 
and  Santler  from  Saint-Helier  [Roger  de  Seinteller, 
Testa  de  Nev.]. 

Sometimes  the  local  pronunciation  or  later  perver- 
sion appears  to  be  simply  eccentric,  e.g.  Stuckey 
(Stiffkey,  Norf.),  Escreet  (Escrick,  Yorks),  Orlebar 
(Orlingbury,  Northants).  Occasionally  the  surname 
preserves  an  archaic  form,'  e.g.  Hockenhall  (Huck- 
nall,  Notts),  Keyhoe  (Kew,  Surrey),  Staveley  (Staley 
Bridge,  Chesh.),  or  represents  a  correct  and  natural 
development  of  a  place-name  which  has  become  ortho- 
graphically  perverted,  e.g.Sapsworth  (Sawbridgeworth,4 
Herts).  Tyrwhitt  is  the  older  form  of  Trewhitt 
(Nor thumb.),  and  Trask  of  Thirsk  (Yorks).  Shrosbree 
is  evidently  more  phonetic  than  Shrewsbury,  and 
Linkin  is  a  fair  attempt  at  Lincoln. 

1  Are  Smiles  and  Smirke  from  St.  Miles  and  St.  Mark  ?  To  the 
latter  we  certainly  owe  Seamark. 

8  Of  Saint- Vigor  (Manche  and  elsewhere).  From  the  personal 
name  Vigor  come  our  Vigors,  Vigers  [Ely  Viger,  Fine  R.]. 

3  Or  even  an  obsolete  name,  e.g.  some  of  the  Dunnetts  come  from 
Launceston,  the  earlier  name  of  which  was  Dunheved. 

4  Etymologically   the  "  worth,"  or  homestead,   of    Sebert,  AS. 
Sacbeorht.     Hence  the  surname  Sawbridge. 


88   THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

As  a  rule,  the  further  a  local  surname  wanders  from 
its  home,  the  more  it  becomes  distorted.  Perhaps  no 
name  of  this  class  has  a  greater  number  of  forms  than 
Birkenshaw,  birch  wood,  also  spelt  Berkenshaw,  Bur- 
kenshaw,  Burkinshear,  Bircumshaw.  With  the  common 
change  l  of  t  for  k  it  becomes  Bertenshaw,  Birtenshaw, 
Burtonshaw,  and  even  Buttonshaw.  Metathesis  gives 
Briggenshaw  (cf.  Brickett  for  Birkett  or  Birkhead), 
Bruckshaw,  and  finally  Brokenshire.  There  are  prob- 
ably many  other  variants.  The  substitution  of  -shire 
for  -shaw  is  also  seen  in  Blackshire  and  Kirbyshire 
(kirk  bye  shaw),  while  we  have  the  opposite  change  in 
Wilshaw.  Both  are  unoriginal  in  Scrimshaw,  Skrim- 
shire,  the  "  skirmisher,"  or  fencing  master.  Shire 
itself  has  many  variants,  which  are,  however,  easily 
recognized,  e.g.  Lankshear,  Willsher,  Hamshar,  etc.,  and 
Upcher,  from  Upshire  (Ess.).  A  phonetic  change 
which  is  rather  the  opposite  of  the  usual  tendency  is 
the  change  of  shaw  to  shall  in  Backshallt  Upshall, 
Ringshall. 

Other  examples  of  the  corruption  of  north-country 
names  are  Barraclough,  from  a  spot  near  Clitheroe, 
which  becomes  Barrowdiff  in  Notts  and  reaches 
London  as  Berrycloth  and  Berecloth  (cf.  Faircloth  for 
Fair  dough) ;  Carruthers,  a  Dumfries  village,  which  gives 
Carrodus,  Crothers,  Cruddas,  etc.  in  the  north  of 
England,  and  in  the  south  sometimes  Crowdace ;  Blen- 
karne  (Cumb.),  whence  Blenkiron,  Blenkin,  Blinkhorn', 
Birchenough  (hough,  a  hill),  found  in  East  Anglia  as 
Bicheno,  Beechner ;  and  of  course  the  -thwaite  names, 
e.g.  Branwhite  (Bran thwaite,  Cumb.),  Michadwaite 

1  Cf.   Kirtland    for    Kirkland,   a  common   north-country   place' 
name. 


IMITATIVE  CORRUPTIONS  89 

(Micklethwaite),  Posselwhite  (Postlethwaite),  Mussel- 
white,  Kibblewhite,  and  even  Whitewhite.  Frequently 
-wood  has  been  substituted  in  the  south  for  this  uncouth 
ending,  e.g.  Thistlethwaite  is  the  original  form  of  Thistle- 
wood,  for  the  first  means  the  clearing  or  open  land 
where  thistles  grow  and  the  second  makes  no  sense. 
The  simple  Thwaite  appears  also  as  Twaite,  Twite,1 
Dwight,  Thoyts. 

Occasionally  the  perversion  of  a  local  surname  is 
due  to  the  imitative  instinct,  e.g.  Stmwbridge,  Strow- 
bridge  for  Stourbridge  (Wore.),  but  many  names 
which  look  as  though  they  belonged  to  this  class,  e.g. 
Barnacle,  Clown,  Hartshorn*  Stirrup  ,*  (Styrrup,  Notts), 
Unthank,  Winfarthing,  are  genuine  place-names  re- 
corded in  the  Gazetteer.  A  very  slight  change  of 
spelling  is  often  rather  disconcerting,  e.g.  Wincer 
(Windsor),  Farnorth  (Farnworth),  and  occasionally  we 

1  Cf.  Crostwight  (Norf.),  "  cross  thwaite."  There  is,  however,  a 
dial,  twite,  meaning  a  kind  of  linnet. 

a  Here  the  suffix  is  horn,  a  nook  of  land  (p.  64) ;  cf .  Hearne,  Hum, 
etc.  But  some  of  the  -horn  names  are  probably  also  nicknames. 
Such  are  Greenhorn,  Langhorn,  Rouhorn  (rough),  Whitehorn  [MarkWy- 
thorn,  Hund.  R.].  In  the  medieval  play  of  Cain  and  Abel  (Towne» 
ley  Mysteries)  Cain's  seven  horses  are  Greynehorne,  Whitehorne, 
Gryme,  Mall,  Morell,  Stott,  and  Lemyng,  every  one  of  which  is 
now  a  surname.  Leeming  [William  Leming,  Hund.  R.]  is  the  present 
participle  of  the  obsolete  learn,  to  shine — 

"  Radieux,  radiant,  shining,  glittering,  blazing,  flaring,  learning, 
full  of  beames  "  (Cotg.). 

3  In  the  year  1280  occurs  the  name  of  Richard  Stirrappe  (Archbp. 
Wickwane's  Reg.},  the  form  of  the  entry,  and  the  agreement  of  the 
spelling  with  the  Middle  English  form  of  stirrup,  suggesting  a  nick- 
name. But  it  is  merely  an  early  instance  of  a  wrong  entry.  Richard 
was  a  Notts  man,  and  the  Archbishop's  clerk,  unacquainted  with 
the  little  Notts  hamlet,  took  the  local  name  for  a  nickname  and 
omitted  the  de,  a  good  example  of  the  care  that  has  to  be  exercised 
in  drawing  conclusions  from  old  records. 


9o   THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

come  across  alterations  of  the  most  violent  kind,  such 
as  Vicker staff,  a  well-established  Lancashire  surname, 
which  apparently  belongs  to  Bickerstaffe. 

In  fact,  local  surnames  are,  when  once  they  stray 
from  their  habitat,  most  subject  of  all  to  corruption. 
The  immigrant  possessed  of  a  baptismal  or  occupative 
name  would  generally  find  it  accepted  in  his  new 
surroundings  without  much  change,  and,  if  his  nick- 
name were  unfamiliar,  he  would  soon  be  provided  with 
a  new  one ;  but  the  man  who  tried  to  teach  his  new 
Midland  or  East  Anglian  neighbours  the  name  of  the 
Northumbrian  village  by  which  he  had  hitherto  been 
known,  would  be  very  much  in  the  position  of  the 
medieval  Baskerville  or  Blondeville,  whose  descend- 
ants have  now  become,  not  only  Baskwell  and 
Bloomfield,  but  even  Pesterfield  and  Blunderfield. 
The  existence  of  a  well-known  town  serves  in  some 
cases  to  normalize  the  spelling  of  a  common  surname. 
We  do  not,  for  instance,  find  many  variants  of  York 
or  Sheffield,  but  a  place-name  which  has  failed  to 
develop  into  a  specific  settlement  is  especially  subject 
to  variation.  In  Lancashire  documents  there  are 
several  references  to  Gosfordsich  [Walter  de  Gose- 
fordsiche,  Lane.  InqJ],  i.e.  the  "  sich  "  (see  p.  76)  by 
the  "  goose  ford,"  a  name  which  now  exists  as  Gors- 
tidge,  Gostige,  Gossage,  Gostick,  Gorsuch. 

The  suffix  portion  of  local  names  varies  in  bewilder- 
ing fashion.  We  find  -wood,  -worth,  -with  (Norse  for 
-wood),  -wade,  a  ford,  -thwaite,  constantly  interchanging, 
not  only  with  each  other,  but  also  with  the  -ward  of 
Anglo-Saxon  personal  names  and  with  the  adverbial 
-ward.  Thus  the  common  names  Norwood,  Southwood, 
Eastwood,  Westwood  are  sometimes  for  names  in  -ward 


DISGUISED  ENDINGS  91 

[Robert  a  Westward  or  de  la  West,  Hund.  R,].  In 
fact  -wood  in  surnames  is  generally  to  be  regarded 
with  caution,  e.g.  Stallwood  is  simply  a  perversion  of 
the  nickname  "  stalworth  "  or  "stalwart."  On  the 
other  hand,  Homeward  is  an  alteration  of  Homewood, 
for  Holmwood,  ME.  holm,  a  holly. 

Yate,  i.e.  gate,  is  well  disguised  in  Boyeatt  (bow,  an 
arch,  town  gate),  Ditcheatt,  Rowatt  [Robert  de  la 
Rougate,  Hund.  R.],  Windeatt  (wynd,  an  alley), 
Whiddett,  Widdeatt  (Woodgate  x)  ;  Burnyeatt  has  in 
Scottish  the  special  meaning  of  small  watercourse. 
Gate  itself,  whether  meaning  gate  or  street,  is  not  at 
once  recognised  in  Norkett  (north  gate),  Forget,  Forkett 
(fore  gate),  Claggitt,  Cleggeti  (clay  gate),  Foskett  (foss 
gate),  Poskitt  (Postgate),  Sloggett,  Sluggett  (slough  gate). 
To  these  may  be  added  Felgate,  for  field  gate  [Robert 
de  Fildegate,  Pat.  R.]  and  Falgate,  Folgate,  for  fall 
gate  [Peter  de  le  Falgate,  Hund.  R.],  the  latter  mean- 
ing a  gate  across  a  high-road. 

We  have  a  large  number  of  surnames  in  -fitt,  which 
may  represent  -field,  -foot,  or  -ford,  e.g.  M  or  fitt,  Murfitt 
(moor  field  or  moor  foot  ?),  Belfitt  (Belfield  or  Belford  ?), 
Breffitt  (brae  foot),  Brumfitt  (Broomfield),  Rumfitt  (Rom- 
ford),  Wei  fitt  (Welford).  So  also  we  find  Kerfoot  for 
Kerfield  (Peebles),  Playfoot  for  Playford  (Suff.),  Fifoot 
for  Fifield  (see  p.  128,  n.  3),  Linfoot  for  Linford,  etc. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  cases  of  suffix  change  is 
the  confusion  between  -cock  and  -cote,  -cott,  a  confusion 
that  we  find  already  in  the  Rolls.  Grewcock,  Growcock, 
Groocock,  Grocott,  Groucutt,  Growcoit  all  spring  from 

1  Whiddett  may  also  be  for  Woodhead.     In  fact  this  group  is 
easily  confused   with  that  of  local  names  in  -head  (p.  128,  n.  i.). 
There  is  not  much  difference  between  Ditchett  and  Ditcheatt. 
8 


92    THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

an  original  of  the  same  type  as  the  nicknames  Pea- 
N  cock,  Woodcock,  and  represent  ME.  grew-cok,  from 
Fr.  grue,  a  crane  [Henry  Grucok,  Cal.  Gen.,  Gerard 
la  Grue,  Fine  R.].  On  the  other  hand,  Ellicock, 
Elcock,  possibly  dims,  of  Ellis,  may  also  be  for  Ellicott, 
from  Elcot  (Berks),  formerly  Ellecotte  (Chart.  R.). 
The  derivation  of  these  names  is,  however,  complicated 
by  the  existence  of  Elacota  la  Regrateresse  (City 
B.)  and  William  Alicot  (Pat.  R.),  the  latter  of  whom 
may  also  be  responsible  for  some  of  the  apparently 
local  Alcotts,  Aucutts,  etc.  To  get  back  to  firmer  ground, 
the  Oxfordshire  name  Didcock  is  certainly  from  Didcot 
(Berks),  Slocock  is  for  "  slough  cote/'  Woolcock  for 
Woolcott  (Som.),  and  Bulcock  for  Bulcott  (Notts). 
Even  Peacock  is  sometimes  an  alteration  of  the  common 
Fr.  Picot  [Nicholas  Pikot  or  Pyekoc,  City  A.].  Chil- 
cock  is  for  Chilcote,  and  Peter  de  la  Polecok  (Testa  de 
Nev.)  should  be  "  pool  cot/'  while  Robert  Balkoc  or 
Barkoc  or  Balkot  (Cal.  Gen.)  shows  how  early  the  two 
endings  were  confused.  Moorcock,  which  might  be 
identical  with  Murcott  (moor  cote),  is  certified  as  a 
nickname  by  Martin  Morkoc  (Testa  de  Nev.)  and  by 
the  existence  of  Morehen.  Heathcock  is  also  a  nickname 
[Walter  Hathecok,  Hund.  R.].  Among  genuine  com- 
pounds of  -cote  the  most  interesting  is  Caldecote,  with 
a  very  large  number  of  variants,  such  as  Coldicott,  Goldi- 
cott,  Calcott,  Cawcutt,  and  Corkitt  \  Cf.  with  these  Adam 
de  Caldesete  (Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.) ;  see  Seed  (p.  73). 

Another  deceptive  ending  is  -acre,  a  field,  as  in 
Hardacre,  Hardaker,  Har  dicker.  Its  compounds  are 
less  simple  than  they  look,  e.g.  Oldacre,  sometimes 
equivalent  to  Old  field,  represents  more  often  the  ME. 
alder  car,  a  "  car,"  or  marshy  waste,  overgrown  with 


COMPOUNDS   OF   -ACRE  93 

alders.  This  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  Middle 
English,  and  is  still  used  in  dialect  in  the  form 
owdaker — 

"  Aleyr  keyr,  alnetum  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

"  All   the   londs,   merys,   marysses,    alderkars "    (Will,    1484). 

With  Oldacre  cf.  Older  shaw,  the  "  alder  shaw,"  and 
the  still  earlier  form  in  Ollerhcad,  Ollerenshaw  [John  del 
Holerinchawe,  1332],  and  Lightollers,1  Lightowler. 
Whittaker,  which  represents  not  only  "  white  acre  "  (cf. 
Whit  field),  but  also  "wheat  acre"  and  "wet  acre/' 
is  also  sometimes  a  -car  name  [Adam  de  Whitekar, 
Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4].  Four  acre,  Foweraker  looks 
simple  enough,  but  may  very  well  come  from  the  dialect 
foreacre,  headland  of  a  ploughed  field,  whence  certainly 
Farraker.  The  well-known  Lancashire  name  Stirzaker, 
Sturzaker,  less  commonly  Steriker,  is  a  genuine  -acre 
name,  the  first  element  being  ME.  steor,  a  steer,  bull. 
In  Dunnaker  the  first  element  may  be  dun,  a  hill,  or 
dun,  brown.  Waddicar,  Waddicker  is  from  a  spot  in 
Lancashire  formerly  known  as  Wedacre.  In  Waraker 
the  first  element  is  Domesday  wara,*  an  outlying  por- 
tion of  a  manor.  This  is  further  corrupted  into 
Warwicker,  a  name  which  has  been  assimilated  to 
Warwick  by  imitative  spelling.  Half -acre  was  used 
in  Middle  English  for  any  small  piece  of  ground ;  cf . 
Halfhide  (p.  128,  n.  3).  Part  of  Brentford  High  Street 
is  still  called  the  Halfacre.  Ranacre,  Ranigar,  Runacres 
seem  to  represent  the  Anglo-Saxon  name  Rsefengar, 
raven  spear. 

1  Cf .  with  this  Lightbirkes,  a  Northumberland  shieling  mentioned 
in  the  Fine  R. 

1  On  this  important  word  see  Round's  Feudal  England  (p.  115). 


94  THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

Among  names  compounded  from  trees  the  oak 
easily  takes  first  place.  Most  villages  have,  or  at  any 
rate  had,  before  the  devastating  effects  of  enlighten- 
ment were  really  felt,  an  old  oak,  gallows  oak,  haunted 
oak,  or  some  other  oak  out  of  the  common.  In  com- 
pounds the  word  often  becomes  -ack,  -ick,  -ock,  -uck, 
and  in  some  of  the  following  examples  the  identifica- 
tion is  more  or  less  conjectural.  Whiteoak,  Whittock, 
Whitlick,  and  Greenoak  [Thomas  de  Greneayk,  F.  of 
Y.]  are  simple  cases,  also  Shurtock,  Shorrock,  Sharrocks 
[Herbert  de  Schirhoc,  Fine  R.]-^- 

"  Shire  oak,  an  oak  tree  marking  the  boundary  of  a  shire  or  a 
meeting-place  for  a  shire  court  "  (NED.). 

Holy  oak,  Holly  oak  may  represent  both  the  "  holly  "  or 
"holm"  oak,  i.e.  the  evergreen  oak,  and  the  "holy 
oak  "  or  "  gospel  oak  "  at  the  parish  boundary  where 
the  procession  stopped  for  the  reading  of  the  gospel 
when  "  beating  the  bounds" — 

"  Dearest,  bury  me 
Under  that  holy  oke,  or  gospel  tree  " 

(Herrick,  To  Anthea). 

Coppock,  Coppack  may  be  for  "  copped/'  i.e.  polled, 
oak,  for  the  earliest  example  of  the  word  "cop"  in  the 
NED.  is  "  coppede  ac."  Bantock,  Bantick  is  for  "  bent 
oak"  ;  cf.  Adam  del  Crokedaik  (IpM.),  and  Cmmmock, 
Cromack,  crump,  i.e.  crooked,  oak,  Cammack,  from 
dial,  cam,  crooked.  But  the  last  three  names  may 
be  dims,  of  crum  and  cam  used  as  nicknames.  In 
Brideoke,  Briddock,  the  first  element  is  probably  ME. 
brid,  bird,  while  Triphook,  Trippick  may  be  for 


THE  ENDINGS    -THORP  AND   -WlCH         95 

"thorp1  oak"  (v.i.).  There  is  also  the  classical 
example  of  Snook,  Snooks,  from  Sevenoaks,  not  neces- 
sarily always  the  place  in  Kent  so  called,  for  a  spot 
called  the  "  seven  oaks"  is  mentioned  in  the  Abingdon 
Chronicle.  The  intermediate  Sinnocks  also  survives, 
and  I  find  that  John  Hardyng,  of  Senock,  Kent,  was 
indicted  for  horse  stealing  in  1551.  Snake  is  probably 
the  same  name.  In  Buckoke  we  have  the  name  of 
some  famous  trysting  oak  of  medieval  hunters. 

Another  word  that  assumes  very  numerous  variant 
forms  when  used  as  a  suffix  is  -thorp*  e.g.  Hilldrop, 
Guntrip,  Westrope,  Redrup,  Gilstrap,  Winthrop,  etc. 
Whatrup,  which  looks  as  though  it  belonged  to  the  same 
class,  is  an  illiterate  alteration  of  Wardrop  [Thomas  de 
la  Wardrobe,  Hund.  R.].  Hurst,  a  wood,  is  slightly 
disguised  in  Fairest,  Greenist,  Everest.  The  last  name, 
of  reposeful  appearance,  belongs  almost  exclusively 
to  Kent  [Tenentes  de  Everherst,  Hund.  R.,  Kent]. 
The  prefix  is  AS.  eofor,  a  boar,  common  as  first 
element  in  place-names.  Wich,  a  dwelling,  as  in 
Norwich,  has,  as  a  suffix,  often  assumed  the  deceptive 
form  -age,  e.g.  Swanage  (Dors.)  is  Swanewic  in  the 
AS.  Chronicle.  Similarly  Colledge  represents  Colwich 
(Staff.),  and  Stoneage,  Woodage,  Middleage,  Winterage, 
which  suggest  epochs  of  civilization  and  of  human  life, 
also  contain  the  ending  -wich.  Curiously  enough,  from 
the  alternative  -wick  we  get  the  equally  deceptive 
Middleweek,  while  Nunweek  is  of  course  Nunwick 
(Northumb.). 

1  Browning  has  "  The  glowing  triphook,  thumbscrews  and  the 
gadge  "  (Soul's  Tragedy,  i.  332),  but  two  out  of  the  three  instru- 
ments are  ghost-words. 

*  See  examples  in  Baddeley's  Gloucestershire  Place-Names  (p.  x). 


96   THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

But  hardly  any  suffix  is  so  well  represented  as  the 
simple  word  house.  We  have  from  it  many  quite 
obvious  compounds,  e.g.  Newhouse  and  Whitehouse, 
and  others  whose  survival  is  interesting,  such  as  Ale- 
house,1 Barkhouse,  i.e.  tan-house,  Duekhouse,  Dyhouse, 
Porthouse  (gate-house),  Sainthouse,  Seedhouse,  Tap- 
house, Woolhouse,  together  with  the  somewhat  dis- 
guised Felthouse  (field).  Childerhouse,  though  not  in 
the  NED.,  presumably  means  orphanage  [John  de 
la  Chyldrehus,  Chart.  R.]  ;  cf.  Children  [John  Atte- 
children,  Pat.  R.]  and  Fr.  Auxenfants  (p.  280).  The 
well-known  Suffolk  Aldhouse  is  generally  an  imita- 
tive form  of  a  personal  name  Aldus,  well  recorded 
in  the  Rolls  [Nicholas  f.  Aldus,  Close  R.,  Aldus 
Waveloc,  Hund.  R.];  it  is  also  found  as  Aldus,  AUoust 
Aldis,  Awdas,  etc. 

But  often  -house  as  a  suffix  is  changed  into  -ows,  -ers, 
or  -as,  -ess,  -is,  -os,  -us,  e.g.  Bellows,  Churchers,  Dyas, 
Portess,*  Burdis,  Stannus,  Stannas,  Stannis,  all  obvious 
except  Burdis  (Burdas,  Burdus),  which  may  be  for 
"  bird-house,"  or  for  Bordeaux.  Bellows  has  a  variant 
Billows,  and  Windows  8  is  probably  for  Windus,  i.e. 
wynd-house.  Meadows  is  sometimes  for  "  mead 
house,"  whence  also  Meadus.  Other  examples  in  -ers 
are  Duckers  and  Drakers,  Smithers,  Smeathers  (see 
Smeeth,  p.  77),  Sailers,  Charters  (charter-house),  Slathers 
(ME.  slalhe,  landing-place),  Parkers,  J ewers,'  Childers 

1  The  two  bearers  of  this  name  in  the  Lond.  Dir.  (1843)  are  both 
publicans. 

8  This  may  be  for  Porteous  (p.  156),  but  it  is  quite  possible  that 
the  latter  name  is  sometimes  altered  from  Porthouse. 

3  Cf.,  however,  the  French  name  Lafenestre. 

*  Cf.  the  Jew-house  at  Lincoln,  said  to  be  the  oldest  inhabited 
building  in  England. 


COMPOUNDS   OF  -HOUSE  97 

(for  Child erhouse,  v.s.),  Hillers,  Boggers,  Suthers.  We 
have  something  similar  to  these  forms  in  Janders, 
which  actually  represents  the  heroic  Chandos  [Robert 
de  Jaundos,  Lib.  R.]. 

Examples  of  the  other  endings  are  Dyas,  Hallas, 
Hollas  or  Wholehouse,  for  "  hole  house,"  Dallas  (dale), 
Beddis,  Biddis,  from  AS.  bedhus,  chapel,  the  origin  of 
the  common  Welsh  place-name  Bettws  and,  sometimes, 
of  the  name  Bed-does  [John  del  Bettis,  Nott.  BOY.  Rec.]. 
With  Bullas  [Simon  de  la  Bulehouse,  Fine  R.]  cf. 
Ramus  and  Coultas,  Cowtas,  Coultish.  Brockis  is 
for  Brookhouse,  Nunniss  for  Nunhouse,  Roddis  for 
"  royd-house,"  from  the  northern  royd,  clearing,  or 
for  "  rood-house."  Charteris  is  for  Charterhouse,  an 
imitative  corruption  of  Chartreuse.  For  Millhouse  we 
have  Mellers,  Mellis  [Richard  de  Mellus,  Chart.  R.], 
and  even  Millist,  the  latter  with  an  excrescent  -/  as 
in  Middlemist  for  Middlemiss  (Michaelmas)  ;  cf. 
Bonus,  Bonest,  for  "  bone-house,"  i.e.  charnel-house. 
I  am  not  sure  whether  Porterhouse  still  exists,  but 
Pendrous,  Pendriss  is  for  "  pender-house,"  the  Fender 
being  the  same  as  the  Pinder  or  Pounder.  Malthus, 
Brewis,1  Cottis,  Loftus,  Lowas,  Lowis,  Newis  are  ob- 
vious. With  Boggis  cf.  Finnis  [William  del  Fenhus, 
Hund.  R.,  Suff.],  and  Cams,  Car  ass,  Caress,  from 
car,  a  marsh  (see  p.  93).  Harkus  is  for  "hawk- 
house,"  as  Barker  is  for  Hawker.  Fawcus,  Falkous 
suggest  early  shortened  forms  of  Falconas,  but  are 
more  probably  variants  of  the  personal  names  Fawkes 
(falco),  as  -«s  for  -es  is  common  in  some  Middle  English 

1  Possibly  also  one  of  the  many  variants  of  Bruce  ;  Alan  del 
Breuhous  (Pat.  R.)  confirms  the  first  derivation,  but  John  de  Brew- 
ouse  (Close  R.)  might  be  for  either, 


98   THE  CORRUPTION   OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

texts.     With  Falconas  goes  Mewis,  from  "  mew,"    in 
its  original  sense  of  a  cage  for  hawks.1 

Wortos  contains  the  archaic  "  wort,"  vegetable.  In 
Pettus  we  have  the  Kentish  Pelt,  for  Pitt.  With  Crannis 
[Richard  de  Cranehous,  Pat.  R.]  cf.  Duckers.  Barkis 
was  an  East  Anglian  name  long  before  Dickens  [Alfred 
de  Barkhus,  Pat.  R.,  Suff .].  Barrass  may  be  for  "  bar 
house,"  the  house  at  the  entrance' to  a  town  (cf.  Gatus), 
or  from  the  obsolete  barrace,  a  barrier  or  outwork  of 
a  fortress,  whence  the  French  name  Barras.  Baylas  is 
for  "  bail-house  "  (see  Bale,  p.  53),  and  the  very  common 
Bayliss  must  also  sometimes  belong  here.  Burrus  is 
"  bower-house  "  and  Burrows  may  sometimes  have  the 
same  origin.  Day  us  is  still  used  in  dialect  for  a  dairy 
(see  Day,  p.  233),  and  Adam  del  Cheshus  (Hund.  R.) 
suggests  that  Buttress  may  sometimes  represent 
"butter-house."  The  Lincolnshire  Govis  is  perhaps 
connected  with  the  dial,  verb  to  gove  or  goave,  i.e. 
to  store  corn  in  a  barn,  whence  the  occupative  Gover, 
Govier.  Copus  [Thomas  del  Cophous,  Fine  R.]  may 
be  the  house  on  the  "  cop,"  or  hill,  or  the  house  with 
the  pointed  roof,  like  the  "  copped  hall "  of  the  City 
which  still  survives  in  Copthall  Buildings.  Names  of 
the  type  here  dealt  with  are  especially  common  in  the 
north  and  the  Roll  of  the  Freemen  of  York  has  many 
early  examples  of  them.  The  above  list  is  far  from 
complete.  Circus  perhaps  belongs  to  the  same  group, 
though  I  can  suggest  no  origin  for  it.  Lewtas  is 
probably  connected  with  AS.  hleow,  shelter  (see  Lew). 
Wyclif  has  the  inverted  houselewth.  Dwerryhouse, 
formerly  also  Dwarryhouse,  means  "  dwarf  house  " — 

"  No  dwery  is  but  lyke  a  gyaunt  longe  "  (Lidgate). 
1  On  the  origin  of  our  "  mews  "  see  my  Romance  of  Words,  p.  120. 


COMPOUNDS  OF  -LAND  99 

The  compounds  of  -land  l  offer  no  phonetic  difficulty, 
but  include  some  names  of  antiquarian  interest,  and 
others  of  deceptive  aspect.  Olland,  old  land,  is  still 
used  in  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  for  land  that  has  lain 
some  time  fallow.  Buckland a  is  etymologically  "  book 
land,"  i.e.  land  held  by  written  charter.  Headland  is 
not  necessarily  a  cape — 

"  Headland,  that  which  is  ploughed  overthwart  at  the  ends  of  the 
other  lands  "  (Worlidge,  Diet.  Rust.  1681). 

The  Scottish  term  is  Headrigg  (ridge) .  Frankland,  AS. 
Francland,  was  used  in  ME.  for  France.  Eastland  was 
applied  specifically  to  the  Baltic  countries  [Eremon 
de  Estland,  Hund.  R.,  Godeschalke  de  Estlaund,  ib.], 
and  Norland,  Westland,  Southland  may  also  refer 
to  large  geographical  areas.  Britland  once  meant 
Wales.  The  Devon  name  Yalland,  Yelland,  Yol- 
land  contains  the  adj.  yald,  a  West  Saxon  form  of  old 
[John  de  la  Yaldelonde,  Hund.  R.,  Dev.].  Mark- 
land  was  originally  a  division  of  land  of  the  annual 
value  of  a  mark.  The  surname  has  an  alternative 
origin  from  mark,  a  boundary.  In  Trueland  the 
adjective  has  the  archaic  sense  of  good,  suitable, 
genuine.  Cf.  Truefitt,  where  the  suffix  is  probably 
field  (p.  91).  Both  Freeland  and  Goodland  are  some- 
times personal  names  [Hugh  Freeland,  Hund.  R., 
Hugh  Godland,  ib.].  They  would  be  AS.  Frithuland 
or  Freoland,  and  Godland,  names  which  are  not  given 

1  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  ending  -land  often  repre- 
sents ME.  laund,  open  country,  F.  lande,  a  moor. 

2  Like  all  place-names  in  Buck-,  it  may  also  have  to  do  with 
either  bucks  or  beech  trees. 


ioo   THE  CORRUPTION  OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES 

by  Searle,  although  the  elements  of  which  they  con- 
sist are  copiously  attested.  Other  -land  names  cor- 
rupted from  personal  names  are  Checkland,  for  Checklin, 
a  variant  of  Jacklin  [Ranulf  Jaklin,  Pat.  R.],  Jose- 
land,  for  Jocelyn  [Joselan  de  Nevill,  Yorks  Fines, 
temp.  John],  and  Candeland  [Kandelan  de  Slyne, 
Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  more  usually  Candlin, 
from  Gandelyn. 

Many  apparent  compounds  of  -way  are  from  AS. 
personal  names  in  -wig  (p.  37).  Genuine  local  com- 
pounds are  Birkway  (birch),  Buckaway  (AS.  hoc, 
beech),  Salway,  Selway  *  (AS.  sealh,  willow),  Rodaway 
(road),  Narraway,  etc.  Carroway  is  probably  for 
Garroway,  from  Garway  (Herel).  Faraway  is  from 
Farway  (Dev.),  with  the  -a-  which  is  characteristic  of 
Devon  names  (see  Greenaway,  p.  76,  n.}.  The  Dorset 
Samways  was  formerly  (1517)  Samwise,  which  seems 
to  point  clearly  to  AS.  samwis,*  dull-witted,  lit.  half 
wise.  Jennerway  is  one  of  the  many  variants  of 
Janways,  the  Genoese.  Jackways  shows  the  the  old 
dissyllabic  pronunciation  of  Jacques — 

"  The  melancholy  Ja-ques  grieves  at  that " 

(As  You  Like  It,  ii.  i). 

Spurway  seems  to  be  a  phrase-name,  the  native  equiva- 
lent of  Pickavance  (p.  268),  and  I  should  assign  a  like 
origin  to  Harkaway,  though  the  NED.  has  no  early 
record  of  the  phrase.  Cf.  Rumbelow,  no  doubt  a  nick- 

1  This  even  is  dubious.  It  may  be  AS.  Selewig  [Richard  Salewy, 
Wore.  Priory  Reg.]. 

a  This  sam  still  survives  in  the  perverted  "  sand-blind  "  and 
some  dialect  expressions. 


THE  CORRUPTION  OF  LOCAL  SURNAMES  101 

name  for  a  sailor.     Stephen  Romylowe  was  Constable 
of  Nottingham  Castle  in  1355— 

"  Your  maryners  shall  synge  arowe 
Hey  how  and  rumby  lowe  " 

(Squire  of  Low  Degree). 


CHAPTER   V 

SOME   OCCUPATIVE   SURNAMES 

"  Sitot  entre,  le  premier  moutardier  salua  d'un  air  galant  et  se 
dirigea  vers  le  haut  perron  ou  le  Pape  1'attendait  pour  lui  remettre 
les  insignes  de  son  grade :  la  cuiller  de  buis  jaune  et  1'habit  de 
safran  "  (ALPHONSE  DAUDET). 

BESIDES  the  large  number  of  occupative  surnames  of 
obvious  meaning  (Draper,  Fuller,  Singer,  etc.)  and 
those  which,  though  a  little  more  difficult  to  trace 
(Gardner,  Latimer,  Pitcher,  etc.),  have  a  well-docu- 
mented history  and  have  not  got  far  from  dictionary 
forms,  there  are  a  good  many  names  of  somewhat 
rare  occurrence  or  of  deceptive  appearance,  of  which 
I  propose  to  give  here  a  selection.  Many  of  them 
present  no  difficulty,  but  their  survival  seems 
interesting.  First  it  must  be  noted  that  many  sur- 
names in  -er,  suggesting  an  occupation  or  a  habit,  do 
not  belong  to  this  class  at  all.  Some  of  them  are 
Anglo-Saxon  personal  names,  e.g.  Asker,  Asher,  Asser, 
AS.  jEschere,  Fricker,  AS.  Frithugar,  Hollier,  Hull- 
yer,  AS.  Holdgar  [William  f.  Holdegar,  Pipe  R.~\, 
Ringer,1  AS.  Regengar  [Richard  Reynger,  Chart.  R.]. 
Diver  and  Ducker  are  no  doubt  nicknames,  both 
words  being  used  of  various  kinds  of  diving  birds, 

1  Possibly  also  for  Bellringer,  or  even  for  "  wringer  "  [John  le 
Wringer,  Fine  R.] ;  but  Ringer  is  still  a  font-name  in  Norfolk. 

102 


NAMES   IN   -ER  103 

while  the  two  surnames  are  found  especially  in  the 
fen-country.  Diver  has  been  a  Cambridge  name  smce 
1273  [Gunnilda  Divere,  Hund.  R.,  Camb.],  while  Ducker 
is  common  in  Lincolnshire.  Cf.  William  Plungun 
(Nott.  Bor.  Rec.)  and  Fr.  Leplongeon — 

"  Plongeon,  the  water-fowle  called  a  ducker  "  (Cotg.). 

Duckering,  also  a  Lincolnshire  name,  is  local,  the 
"  ing  "  frequented  by  "  duckers  "  ;  cf.  Ravening 
(p.  64).  Dipper,  which  looks  as  if  it  belonged  to  the 
same  class  as  Diver  and  Ducker,  is  local,  of  Ypres 
[John  de  Ipre,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285].  Diaper  1  is 
a  variant.  The  same  place  has  given  the  Scotch  name 
Wiper,  Wypers,  and  the  medieval  Ypre,  locally 
"Wipers,"  Tower  of  Rye  reminds  us  of  the  connection 
between  the  Cinque  Ports  and  Flanders.  Thus  history 
repeats  itself.8 

Many  names  in  -er  are  from  specific  place-names, 
e.g.  Docker  (Lane.),  Hever  (Kent),  Laver  (Ess.),  and 

1  The  old  etymologists  also  derived,  though  wrongly,  the  material 
called  diaper  from  Ypres. 

8  A  chapter  could  be  written  on  war-maps  and  surnames.  If 
we  follow  to-day  (Feb.  28,  1916),  as  the  great  struggle  for  Verdun 
is  proceeding,  the  sketch-map  in  the  Times  from  Nieuport  to  that 
fortress,  we  see  to  the  immediate  east  and  west  of  the  allied  line, 
as  we  go  through  the  country  of  the  Flemings,  Pickards,  Champneys, 
Lorings,  and  Burgoynes,  the  original  homes  of  the  families  of 
Bethune,  Lyle,  Dowey,  Aris,  Amy  as,  Cambrey  (Kembery,  Gambray) 
Noon  (Noyon),  Sessions  (Soissons),  Reames,  Challen,  Vardon,  to  note 
the  chief  places  only.  Armentieres  ought  to  be  represented,  for  it 
is  very  common  in  the  Rolls,  and  John  Darmentiers  was  sheriff 
of  London  in  1300.  All  the  above  are  amply  attested  and  there 
are  many  variants.  A  little  farther  south  the  famous  salient  of 
Saint-Mihiel  reminds  us  of  the  popular  form  of  Michael,  which  has 
given  us  Mighill,  My  hill,  Miall,  and  is  the  chief  source  of  Miles. 
With  the  intermediate  Higgles  cf.  Span.  Miguel.- 


104  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

others  represent  the  local  or  vulgar  pronunciation, 
which  is  very  fond  of  substituting  -er  for  a  more  dis- 
tinctive ending.  Such  are  Laidler  (Laidlaw),  Powner 
(Pownall),  Pepler  (Peplow),  Scatter  (Scottow),  Crafer 
(Cray ford),  Stanner  (Stanhoe),  Snusher  (Snowshill), 
Bearder  (Beardall  *),  Priestner  (Priestnall  *),  Hensher 
(Henshaw),  Brister  (Bristow,  i.e.  Bristol) — 

"  Nunk  !    did  ever  I  tell  thee  o*  my  Brister  trip, 
Ta  zee  Purnce  Albert  an'  the  gurt  irn  ship  ?  " 

(John's  Account  of  his  Trip  to  Bristol,  1843). 

With  this  cf.  Brisker  for  Briscoe.  All  the  above 
place-names  also  exist  as  surnames  in  their  more  correct 
form. 

So  also  Mesher  is  for  Measure,  which,  in  its  turn,  is 
Fr.  masure,  a  hovel,  tumble-down  dwelling  ;  cf.  Fr. 
Desmasures.  The  Yorkshire  name  Greaser,  Creazer 
appears  to  be  for  cress-over,  where  over,  which  regularly 
becomes  -er  in  compounds,8  is  an  archaic  word  for  bank 
[John  de  la  Cressovere,  Close  R.].  Stopper  is  a  variant 
of  Stopher,  for  Christopher,  Mailer  is  the  Welsh  name 
Meyler  [Mayelor  Seysenek,  i.e.  the  Sassenach,  Exch. 
CaL],  or,  as  a  Scotch  surname,  means  a  payer  of  rent, 
and  Hinder  is  the  comparative  of  hind,  courteous,  a 
later  form  of  ME.  hend — 

"  As  hinde  as  an  hogge 
And  kinde  as  any  dogge  " 

(Skeltonica). 

Cf.  such  names  as  Elder,  Richer,  Younger,  and  even 
Better  (p.  323). 

1  Neither  name  is  in  the  Gazetteer.     They  represent  small  spots 
in  -heal  (p.  62),  probably  the  "  priest's  heal  "  and  the  "  bird  heal." 
1  As  in  Greener  from  green- over. 


DOMESTIC  NAMES  105 

The  multiplicity  of  occupative  names  is  largely  due 
to  the  infinite  differentiation  of  functions  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  Nowhere  is  this  more  apparent  than  in 
the  names  derived  from  domestic  office.  We  even  find 
the  name  Household,  with  which  we  may  compare 
Fr.  Menage.  In  a  fifteenth-century  Courtesy  Book1^ 
we  find  precise  directions  as  to  the  duties  of  each  Sar- 
vant,  viz.  the  Marshall,  Groom,  Usher,  Steward,  Panter, 
Ewer,  Sewer,  Cook,  Squire,  Yeoman,  Amner,  Carver, 
Waiter,  Gentleman,  Page,  Porter,  Butler ;  and  several  ' 
of  these  genera  were  further  subdivided  into  species. 
Other  names  of  the  same  type  are  Chamberlain  and 
Seneschal,  the  latter  also  corrupted  to  Scnskell  and 
Sensicall.  The  Storer,  Storrar  [John  the  Storiere,  Pat. 
R.]  was  also  the  convent  treasurer.  And  there  were, 
of  course,  a  number  of  assistants  to  each  of  the  digni- 
taries mentioned  above,  e.g.  the  Cook  had  the  help 
of  the  Sculler,  Squiller,  S killer  [John  le  Squiller,  City 
E.]  in  the  "  squillery  "  or  scullery,  and  of  the  Skeemer 
[Richard  le  Skymere,  Cal.  Gen.}  and  Easier  in  the  more 
delicate  processes  of  his  art.  A  more  responsible 
office  was  that  of  the  Guster,  or  taster  [Robert  le 
Gustur,  Fine  R.].  Jester  is  also  a  surname,  but  the 
ancestor  was  not  necessarily  a  buffoon— 

"  Of  alle  maner  of  mynstrales, 
And  gestiours  that  tellen  tales  " 

(Chaucer,  House  of  Fame,  iii.  107). 

In  many  cases  the  official  bore  the  name  of  his  realm, 
e.g.  Chambers  appears  as  de  la  Chambre,2  so  that 

1  "A  generall  Rule  to  teche  every  man  that  is  willynge  for  to 
lerne  to  serve  a  lorde  or  mayster  in  every  thyng  to  his  plesure" 
(ed.  Chambers,  EETS.  1914). 

*  Cf .  Roger  atte  Bedde,  king's  yeoman  (Close  R.}. 


io6  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

corresponding  to  the  above  names  we  find  not  only 
the  obvious  Kitchen  and  the  rather  uncommon  Draw- 
bridge, but  also  many  less  simple  names.  The  Mar- 
shalsea  l  was  originally  a  court  which  had  jurisdiction 
over  the  royal  household  ;  the  name  is  also  found  as 
Marshallsay.  With  the  Usher,  Rusher,  is  connected 
Hush,  Fr.  huts,  a  door,  and  also  Lush  [Thomas  de 
le  Uisse,  Hund.  R.]  and  Lusher  [Geoffrey  le  Ussher  or 
Lussher,  Lib.  Cust.  Lond.].  Witcher,  Whitcher  are 
variants  of  the  same  name  [Richard  le  Wicher,  Feet  of 
Fines}.  The  Panter,  now  sometimes  Panther,  has  also 
given  the  name  Pantrey  [John  de  la  Paneterye,  Pleas], 
while  Lewry,  Lury,  from  the  office  of  Ewer,  even  sur- 
vives as  the  fuller  Delhuary.  Cf .  also  Lewer  and  Lower 
[Robert  Lewer  or  le  Ewer,  IpM.].  Spence,  from  the 
"  dispense,"  or  store-room,  is  also  found  as  Expence 
[Ralph  de  Expensa,  Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.].  With  Cook 
is  connected  John  de  la  Cusyn  (City  F.),  possibly  now 
represented  by  Cushion,  Gushing,  which  run  parallel 
in  Norfolk.  With  the  Amner,  or  almoner,  goes  Am- 
ber y,  Ambrey.  This  might  be  from  the  archaic  and 
dialect  aumbry,  a  cupboard,  store-room,  Fr.  armoiref 
but  it  is  also  a  corruption  of  "  almonry  " — 

"  The  almonry  (of  Westminster),  now  corruptly  called  the  Ambry  " 
(Stow). 

The  Butler's  domain  was  the  "  butlery,"  whence 
Buttery  [William  de  la  Botelrie,  Yorks  Knights'  Fees, 
1303].  Even  Nursery  exists  as  a  surname. 

There  are  many  other  names  which  come  from  the 
various  offices  of  great  households  and  monasteries. 

1  Perhaps  no  surname  of  the  occupative  class  has  so  wide  a 
range  of  meanings  as  Marshall.     See  NED. 


OFFICIAL  NAMES  107 

Spittle,  i.e.  hospital,  is  also  found  as  Ashpital.  Farmery 
is  for  infirmary  [Robert  de  la  Fermerie,  Pat.  R.] — 
"  Fermory,  infirmarium,  infirmatorium  "  (Cath.  Angl.). 

The  misericord,  "  an  apartment  in  a  monastery  in 
which  certain  relaxations  of  the  rule  were  permitted  " 
(NED.),  has  given  the  contracted  Mascord  [John  de  la 
Misericorde,  I4th  century].  Prater,  which  looks  like 
the  latinization1  of  "  brother,"  is  Middle  English  for  the 
monastery  refectory  [Thomas  del  Freytour,  F.  of  Y.] — 

"  ffreytowr,  refectorium  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). — 

or  the  name  may  be  for  ME.  f rater er,  the  superinten- 
dent of  the  f  rater  [Walter  le  Freytur,  Glouc.  Cart.]. 
Saxty,  Sexty  are  for  sacristy  (cf .  sexton  for  sacristan)  and 
Vester,  Vesty  are  both  related  to  the  vestry,  or  robing- 
room  [John  del  Vestiarie,  IpM.].  The  first  represents 
the  French  form  vestiaire,  while  in  the  second  the  -r- 
has  been  lost,  as  in  Laundy  for  Laundry  (p.  108)  and 
Dunphie  for  Dumphrey  (p.  39).  Herbage  is  OF.  her- 
berge,  hostel,  shelter,  and  a  similar  origin  must  some- 
times be  assigned  to  Harbour,  Arber  [William  le 
Herberere,  Lond.  Wills,  1318-9].  The  Herber,  or  Cold- 
harbour,  was  at  one  time  the  mansion  of  Sir  John 
Poultney,  near  Dowgate — 

"  A  great  old  house  called  the  Erber  "  (Stow). 

Wimpress  is  "  winepress."  For  Fann,  Vann,  the 
winnowing -fan,  seep.  59 — 

"  Van,  a  vanne*  or  winnowing  sive  "  (Cotg.). 

1  Pater  is  a  variant  of  Peter,  Mater  of  Mather,  mower. 

*  This  is  not  always  a  result,  as  in  Vowler  for  Fowler,  of  west- 
country  pronunciation.  Fan  is  Anglo-Saxon  from  Lat.  vannus, 
while  van  is  the  same  word  though  French.  Cf .  William  le  Fannere 
or  Vannere  (Lond.  Wills,  1292-3). 


io8  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

Other  names  connected  with  the  subdivision  of 
labour  are  Furnace,  Furness,  corruptly  Furnish,  Var- 
nish, Darey  [Alan  de  la  Dayerie,  Pat.  R.]}  and  Landry, 
Laundry  [Robert  de  la  Lavendrye,  Fine  R.].  But  the 
last,  though  not  common,  has  an  alternative  origin 
from  the  French  personal  name  Landry,  OG.  Landrich 
[William  Landri  or  Laundry,  Fine  R.].  Another  un- 
common name  with  a  double  origin  similar  to  that 
of  Prater  is  Parlour  [Ralph  le  Parlour,  Fine  R.,  Henry 
le  Parlour  or  del  Parlur,  Cal.  Gen.].  The  parlour 
was  originally  the  conversation  and  interview  room 
at  a  monastery.  Gennery,1  Ginnery  are  from  the 
"  enginery,"  some  kind  of  workshop.  The  NED.  has 
the  word  first  for  1605,  in  the  sense  of  the  art  of 
constructing  military  engines,  but  William  del  Engin- 
nerie  (Close  R.,  temp.  Hen.  III.)  shows  that  its  popular 
form  was .  in  use  more  than  three  centuries  earlier. 
Among  the  many  forms  of  Jenner,  the  engineer,  is 
Genower.  Chevery  is  OF.  chevrerie,  goat- fold,  and  John 
Chivery,  if  the  name  is  genuine,  was  of  like  descent.  Of 
the  same  type  is  Bargery,  fromFr.  bergerie,  a  sheep-fold. 
I  suppose  that  Gallery  may  be  from  an  official  whose 
duties  lay  in  that  part  of  the  mansion,  while  Roof  may 
have  been  the  sentinel  on  the  tower.  Bardsley  explains 
this  name  as  a  variant  of  the  Norse  Rolf,  but  Bartholo- 
mew del  Rof  (Pat.  R.),  the  common  Fr.  Dutoit,  and 
the  Du.  Vanderdecken  point  to  an  alternative  origin. 
Still  more  limited  is  Carnell,  Crennell,  AF.  quernel, 
F.  creneau,.s.  battlement  [William  de  la  Karnayle  or 
Kernel,  Ramsey  Cart.].  And  it  is  probable  that  Garrett 
owes  something  to  OF.  garite,  a  watch-tower,  turret, 

1  January  may  be  an  imitative  alteration  of  this,  or  from  OF. 
genevroi,  a  juniper  thicket  [Roland  de  la  Genveray,  Close  R.]. 


ACCIDENTS  OF  LOCALITY  109 

which  is  also  the  oldest  meaning  of  our  garret ;  cf . 
Soller  [John  del  Soler,  Pat.  R.],  still  used  in  dial,  of  a 
loft  or  upper  room — 

"  Solleve,  a  loft,  gamier  "   (Palsg.). 

"  Thei  wenten  up  in  to  the  soler  "  (Wye.  Acts,  i.  13). 

Postans  is  derived  from  the  postern  gate  [John  de  la 
Posterne,  Testa  de  Nev.]. 

Some  of  the  above  names  may  be  simply  due  to  the 
accident  of  locality  rather  than  to  occupation.  This 
applies  still  more  to  the  following,  which  I  put  here 
because  they  approach  the  others  in  character.  Frary 
is  Middle  English  for  a  brotherhood,  or  Friary.  Chan- 
try, Chantrey  is  from  residence  near  a  chantry,  an 
endowment  or  endowed  chapel  with  the  function  of 
praying  for  the  soul  of  the  benefactor.  Chaucer's 
Poure  Persoun  of  a  Toun  looked  after  his  flock — 

"  He  sette  not  his  his  benefice  to  hyre 
And  leet  his  sheepe  encombred  in  the  myre, 
And  ran  to  Londoun,  unto  Seint  Poules, 
To  sekcn  hym  a  chaunterie  for  soules  " 

(Prol.  510). 

It  has  absorbed  the  domestic  chandry,  or  chandelry, 
the  candle-store  [John  of  the  Chandry,  John  of  Gaunt' 's 
Reg.  1372-6].  Charnell  meant  both  a  mortuary  chapel 
and  a  cemetery  [Alice  de  Cimiterio,  Malmesbury  Abbey 
Reg.].  Mossendew  is  the  ME.  measondue,  synonymous 
with  hospital — 

"  Maison  Dieu,  an  hospitall,  or  spittle,  for  the  poore  "  (Cotg.). 

Lower  suggests  that  Domesday,  Dumsday  may  be  the 
same  name  latinized,  domus  dei,  but,  in  default  of 
evidence,  it  is  perhaps  safer  to  regard  it  as  a  pageant 
nickname  (ch.  x.),  from  some  representation  of  the 


no  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

Day  of  Judgment.  Maudling  may  also  derive  from 
a  religious  institution  [Nicholas  atte  Maudeleyne, 
Pat.  R.].  Monnery  is  OF.  moinerie,  a  monastery, 
and  I  imagine  that  Mendary,  found  in  the  same 
county,  is  an  altered  form.  Tabernacle  was  used 
in  Middle  English,  not  only  in  connection  with  the 
Jews,  but  also  of  a  canopied  structure,  niche,  etc., 
and  in  dial,  for  a  woodman's  hut.  Monument,  Mone- 
ment  probably  record  residence  near  some  elaborate 
tomb,  the  oldest  meaning  of  the  word  in  English. 
Checker,  Chequer  is  official,  of  the  exchequer  [Ralph  del 
Escheker,  Fine  R.,  Roger  de  la  Checker,  Hund.  /?.], 
and  I  conjecture  that  Tolputt  may  be  for  tolbooti, 
now  associated  only  with  Edinburgh,  but  a  common 
word  in  Middle  English — 

"  A  pupplican,  Levy  bi  name,  sittynge  at  the  tolbothe  "  (Wye. 
Luke,  v.  27). 

A  few  uncommon  surnames  have  an  official  origin. 
Fitchell  itself  [William  le  Fychele,  Hund.  R.]  is  the 
natural  popular  form  of  "  official  "  [Nicholas  le  Official,1 
Pat.  R.].  Brevetor  meant  a  bearer  of  "brevets,"8 
i.e.  official  documents,  especially  Papal  indulgences — 

"  Brevigerulus,  anglice  a  brevytour  "  (Voc.). 

Every  antiquarian  dictionary  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  contains  the  mysterious  word 
spigurnel,  a  sealer  of  writs,  on  the  origin  of  which  the 
NED.  throws  no  light.  "  It  is  evident  that  the  word 
had  no  real  currency  in  English,  and  its  appearance  is 
due  to  Camden  and  Holland,  copied  by  Phillips,  Blount, 

1  Cf.  Fr.  Lofficiaux  (Bottin). 

8  Hence  perhaps  the  Staffordshire  name  Brevitt  ;  cf .  Porteous 
(p.  156).  But  it  may  be  rather  for  the  local  Brefjitt,  brae  loot  (p.  91). 


RARE  OFFICIAL  NAMES  in 

Harris,  Bailey,  etc."  (NED.).  It  is,  however,  of  such 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  Rolls  [Edmund  le  Spigornel, 
Fine  R.,  Nicholas  Spigurnel,  Hund.  R.,  Henry  Lespi- 
gurnel,  Doc.  III.,  Henry  Spigornel,  City  C.],  that  it  is 
surprising  that  it  is  not  better  represented  as  a  sur- 
name. It  exists  as  Spickernell,  Spicknell,  Pickernell.1 
To  the  official  class  belong  also  Regester  and  Macer — 

"  Macere,  or  he  that  beryth  a  mace,  septiger  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

The  oldest  meaning  of  Sizer,  i.e.  "  assizer,"  is  a  "  sworn 
recognitor  "  (NED.),  and  I  imagine  that  a  Vizer  or 
Vizor  [John  le  Visur,  Hund.  R.]  had  to  do  with  "  re- 
vising." Gawler,  Gowler  [Geoffrey  le  Cooler,  Pleas], 
besides  meaning  usurer — 

"  Gonlare,  or  usurare,  usurarius,  ffenerator  "  (Prompt.  Parv.) — 

may  also  come  from  the  same  word,  gaveller,  gawler, 
applied  to  a  mining  official  in  the  Forest  of  Dean. 
Alner  is  the  name  of  the  official  more  usually  called 
*'  alnager,"  from  Fr.  aune,  an  ell,  who  attested  the 
measurement  and  quality  of  cloth. 

Some  rather  rare  occupative  surnames  are  due  to 
the  fact  that  in  Middle  English  there  were  generally 
two  words,  English  and  French,  for  each  of  the 
commoner  callings.  The  native  Flesher  has  almost 
disappeared,  absorbed  by  Fletcher  and  superseded  by 
the  French  Butcher.  The  native  Baker  has  generally 
prevailed  over  both  Bullinger  (also  found  as  Pullinger, 
Pillinger]  and  Pester1  [John  le  Pestur,  City  A.].  So 
,Peacher,  Petcher  [John  le  Pechur,  Pat.  R.],  Paster 
[Henry  le  Pastur,  Hund.  R.],  Scotcher,  OF.  escorcheur, 
make  a  very  poor  show  against  Fisher,  Shepherd, 

1  Cf.  Pink  for  Spink,  chaffinch. 

*  The  Latin  form  Pistor  also  survives. 


H2  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

Skinner.  The  latter  is  sometimes  represented  by  Flear, 
for  flayer.  Sotcher  is  the  natural  result  of  OF.  and 
ME.  soudiour,  a  soldier — 

"  Sodioure,  miles,  bellator  "  (Manip.  Voc.). 

Flecker,  Flicker  [Simon  le  Fleckere,  Northumb.  Ass.  R. 
1279]  are  variants  of  Fletcher,  the  arrow-maker,  and 
Shermer,  Shurmer,  Skirmer,  Skurmer,  etc.  represent 
the  obsolete  scrimer,  fencer,  sword-player  [William 
le  Schirmere,  Pat.  R.] — 

"  The  scrimer s  of  their  nation, 
He  swore,  had  neither  motion,  guard,  nor  eye, 
If  you  opposed  them  "  (Hamlet,  iv.  7). 

More  common  is  the  extended  Scrimygeour,  with  a 
great  number  of  variants,  Scriminger,  Scrimger,  etc. 
(see  also  p.  88).  Guyer,  Gyer,  Gwyer  is  OF.  guieor, 
guide  [Henry  le  Gyur,  Chart.  R.] — 

"Conscience,  that  kepere  was  and  gyoure"  (Piers  Plowm.B.  xx.yi). 

It  is  also  found  as  Wyer,  Wire,  from  an  Old  French 
dial.  form.  Carker,  Charker  are  Anglo-French  equiva- 
lents of  Carrier,  Charrier,  formed  from  cark,  chark,  a 
burden  (charge). 

Many  names  of  deceptive  appearance  can  be  solved 
by  the  study  of  old  records.  Bardsley  guesses  Punter 
to  mean  the  man  in  charge  of  a  punt.  But  Ralph  le 
Punter,  custos  pontis  de  Stanes  (Close  R.),  shows  that 
he  was  a  Bridgman  l  or  Bridger,  less  commonly  Brick- 
master.*  Rower  also  savours  of  the  water-side,  but  a 

1  Punt  is  of  course  equivalent  to  Bridge  [Roger  del  Punt,  Pat.  R.]. 

8  For  "  brig-master."  Cf.  Brick,  Brickstock  for  Brigstock,  and 
Bricker  for  Bridger.  But  most  names  in  Brick-  probably  contain 
"  birk,"  e.g.  Brickdale,  Brickett,  Brickland,  Brickwood,  etc.  The 
last  may,  however,  very  well  be  an  alteration  of  the  ME.  brigge- 
ward,  just  as  Hay  wood  is  often  for  the  official  Hay  ward. 


ANGLO-FRENCH  WORDS  u3 

record  (City  C.)  of  a  payment  made  by  the  Corporation 
of  London  to  Dionisia  la  Rowere  for  wheels  makes 
it  clear  that  she  was  of  the  same  craft  as  Robert 
Rotarius,  i.e.  Wheeler  (Chart.  R.).  The  rare  name 
Setter  is  wisely  explained  by  Lower  as  "  probably  some 
handicraft/'  Later  writers  have  assumed,  I  know 
not  on  what  grounds,  that  a  setter  was  one  who  put 
on  arrow-heads.  The  NED.  gives  several  mean- 
ings for  the  occupative  setter,  but  the  only  one  old 
enough  for  surname  purposes  is  "  setter  of  mes, 
prepositor"  (i5th  century).  It  knows  nothing  about 
arrow-heads.  In  City  E.  I  find  that  John  Heyroun, 
"  settere,"  and  William  le  Settere  were  called  in  as  ex- 
perts to  value  an  embroidered  cope,  hardly  the  work 
of  an  arrowsmith.  This  confirms  a  suspicion  I  had 
previously  had  that  this  Setter  may  represent  OF. 
saieteur,  a  maker  of  sayete,  a  kind  of  silk. 

Some  rare  surnames  connected  with  hunting  are 
Varder,  the  verderer  [William  le  Verder,  Exch.  R.], 
Berner,  OF.  brenier,  the  keeper  of  the  hounds  [John  le 
Berner,  Close  R.]t  and  the  synonymous  Brackner 
[Gilbert  le  Braconer,  ib.],  which  in  modern  French 
(braconnier)  has  come  to  mean  poacher.  Related  to  the 
latter  is  Bracher,irom  ME.  brack,  a  hound,  though  there 
has  no  doubt  been  some  confusion  between  this  and 
the  names  Brazier  and  Bracer,  the  latter  of  which 
means  brewer,  Fr.  brasseur.  Juster,  Jewster  is  evidently 
the  jouster  [Thomas  le  Justur,  Fine  R.],  and  Punyer 
is  from  OF.  pugneour,  poignour,  a  champion — 

"  De  Sarraguce  Carles  guarnist  les  turs, 
Mil  chevalers  i  laissat  puigneurs  " 

(Chanson  de  Roland,  3676). 

In  the  Lib,  R.  we  find  William  le  Poignur  or  Pugnear 


H4  SOME   OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

or  Punner  de  la  Galee,  apparently  a  formidable  mariner. 
Ferler,  Purler  is  OF.  fourrelier,  a  Sheather — 

"  Fowrelier,  a  scabberd  maker  "  (Cotg.). 

Stamer  is  OF.  estamier  [John  le  Stamer,  FineR.},  now 
replaced  by  etameur — 

"  Estamier ,  a  tynner,  tynne-man  ;  pewterer  "  (Cotg.). 

Fulloon,  from  Fr.  foulon,  a  fuller  [Thomas  le  Fulun, 
Pat.  R.],  is  an  example  of  the  small  group  of  French 
occupative  names  in  -on.  The  above  examples,  to 
which  many  more  could  be  added,  show  that  medieval 
England  was  bilingual  to  an  extent  which  has  hardly 
been  realized. 

Among  occupative  surnames  derived  from  archaic 
or  obsolete  words,  whether  French  or  English,  may  be 
mentioned  Biller,  a  maker  of  bills  or  axes  [Hugh  le 
Biller,  Fine  R.],  Power,  a  sweeper,  scavenger  [Roger 
le  Fower,  Hund.  R.]— 

"  ffewar,   or  clensar,   mundator,    emundator,  pur  gator  "  (Prompt" 
Parv.)— 

Kittler,  kettle-maker,  Alefounder,  inspector  of  ale, 
still  found  in  Suffolk,  Flather,  a  maker  of  flafhes,  or 
flawns,1  Theaker,  a  northern  variant  of  Thacker, 
thatch er,2  Crapper,  similarly  a  variant  of  Cropper, 
which  the  NED.  defines  as  "  one  who  crops,"  Meader, 
a  mower,  whence  Grasmeder,  Bester,  a  herdsman  [John 
le  Bestere,  Hund.  R.,  Hunts8],  Keeler,  a  bargeman, 

1  There  is  also  a  surname  Flawn  ;  cf .  Cake,  Wastell,  Cracknell,  etc. 

2  Cf.  Whattler,  from  AS.  watol,  hurdle,  also  used  of  thatch. 

8  It  is  still  found  in  that  county.  For  its  deceptive  appearance 
cf.  Bestman  (p.  237). 


ARCHAIC  WORDS  115 

still  used  in  the  north  of  a  manager  of  coal-barges  and 
colliers,  Marler,  a  worker  in  a  marl-pit  [John  le  Marler, 
Pat.  R.],  Retter,  a  common  Devon  surname,  perhaps 
from  ME.  retten,  to  rate,  reckon— 

"  Rette  not  the  innocent  blood  in  the  myddil  of  the  puple  Israel  " 
(Wye.  Dent.  xxi.  8) — 

Counter,  a  keeper  of  accounts,  treasurer — 

"  A  shirreve  hadde  he  been,  and  a  conntour, 
Was  nowher  such  a  worthy  vavasour  " 

(Chauc.  A.  359)— 

Dyter,  an  "  inditer,"  or  scribe — 

"  The  dyteris,  var.  endyters,  scribis,  of  the  kyng  "  (Wye.  Esther, 
viii.  9) — 

Render,  Rinder,  the  Tenderer  [John  le  Render,  Archbp. 
Wickwane's  Reg.  1279-84],  the  exact  meaning  of  which 
cannot  be  decided,  Shutter,  Shittler,1  and  Spindler, 
makers  of  shuttles  and  spindles  respectively,  Styer,  a 
horseman,  rider — 

"  Bite  the  feet  of  an  hors,  that  the  stiere  thereof  falle  bacward  " 
(Wye.  Gen.  xlix.  17) — 

Stickler,  an  umpire,  Heckler,1  a  dresser  of  hemp  or 
flax,  Cosier,  a  cobbler,  Oilier,  an  oil  merchant  [Reginald 
le  Oyler,  Leic.  BOY.  Rec.],  Sarter,  an  "  assarter,"  or 
clearer  of  forest  land,  and  many  more.  Some  names 
of  this  class,  e.g.  Faggeter,  Basketter)  Trumpeter, 
Preacher,  Teacher,  Minstrell,  Pronger,  Organer,  Outlaw, 

1  For  this  form  see  p.  130,  n.  Similarly  a  Britcher  is  not  a 
maker  of  "  britches,"  but  a  thinned  form  of  Bracher  (p.  113). 

8  Hence  our  verb  to  heckle,  i.e.  to  "  tease."  See  Romance  of 
Words,  p.  12.  With  the  name  Heckler  cf.  Burler,  a  cloth-dresser — 
"  Burler,  extuberarius  "  (Cath.  Angl.). 


n6  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

are  interesting  only  by  their  survival.  Cheeper, 
Chipper  means  buyer,  or  rather,  haggler,  cheapener— 

"  So  many  chepers 
So  fewe  biers 
And  so  many  borowers 
Sawe  I  never  " 

(Skelton,  Maner  of  the  World,  105). 

In  Lincolnshire  occurs  the  compound  Colcheeper,  but 
this  is  perhaps  Du.  koohchipper,  a  collier,  for  Dutch 
names  are  not  uncommon  in  the  county. 

Then  we  have  a  number  of  names  which  look  very 
simple,  but  the  exact  meaning  of  which  is  very  difficult 
to  establish.  Such  are  Borer  [Robert  le  Borier,  City 
E.],  Drawer,  Dresser,  Gatherer,  Sealer,  all  susceptible 
of  various  interpretations,  e.g.  a  Sealer  [William  le 
Seeler,  Pat.  R.]  may  have  made,  or  affixed,  seals.  In 
Acts  of  Parliament  he  is  coupled  with  the  "  chaff  -wax  " 
(see  p.  317)  and  also  denned  as  identical  with  the 
"  alnager,"  or  official  measurer  of  cloth  (p.  in).  The 
earliest  sense  given  by  the  NED.  for  dresser  is  cloth- 
dresser  (1520)  ;  but  John  le  Dressour  (Chesh.  Chamb. 
Accts.  1301-60)  may  have  been  something  quite 
different — 

"  Dresseur,  a  straightner,  directer,  leveller ;  settler ;  a  raiser, 
erecter  ;  framer,  fashioner,  orderer,  instructer  "  (Cotg.). 

Still,  as  it  is  a  Yorkshire  name,  it  very  probably  has  to 
do  with  cloth.  A  Rayer  [Ralph  le  Rayer,  Fine  R.] 
11  arrayed,"  but  the  verb  is  almost  as  vague  as  "  dress." 
So  we  cannot  decide  whether  the  original  Drawer  drew 
wire,  water,  beer,  pictures,  or  a  barrow.  In  the  sense 
of  tavern  waiter  it  appears  to  be  a  Tudor  word.  In 
modern  dialect  a  Gatherer  works  in  the  harvest  fields. 


COMPOSITE  ORIGINS  117 

Binder  means  book-binder  [Nicolas  le  Bokbindere, 
Lond.  Wills,  1305-6,  William  Ligator  Libror',  Hund. 
R.,  Oxf.].  It  is  still  an  Oxford  name. 

A  certain  number  of  these  surnames  have  two  or 
more  possible  origins.  An  obvious  case  is  Porter, 
which  may  mean  a  door-keeper  or  a  bearer.1  Burder 
may  be  for  "  birder,"  i.e.  Fowler,  but  would  equally 
well  represent  OF.  bourdour,  jester  [John  le  Burdeur, 
Pat.  R.]— 

"  Bonrdeur,  a  mocker,  j  caster ;  cogger,  Her,  foister,  guller  of 
people  "  (Cotg.) 

"  Godes  mynstrales  and  bus  messagers  and  hus  murye  bordiours  " 
(Piers  Plowm.  C.  x.  136). 

Bowler,  Boaler,  a  maker  of  bowls,  had  also  in  Middle 
English  the  meaning  of  one  who  loved  the  bowl.  In 
1570  two  inhabitants  of  the  parish  of  St.  Martin  in  the 
Fields  were  presented  as  "  common  bowlars  " — 

"  For  hit  beth  bote  boyes  boilers  atten  ale  " 

(Piers  Plowm.  C.  x.  194). 

Disher  means  dish-maker  [Richard  le  Dischere, 
Pat.  R.].  But  in  Piers  Plowman  "  Dawe  the  dykere  " 
or  "  Dawe  the  delvere  "  is  also  called  "  Dawe  the  dis- 
schere."  Therefore  Disher  may  be  for  "  ditcher." 
Cf.  Dishman  for  "  ditch-man."  Pillar,  Filler  is 
generally  local  [Thomas  Attepiler,  Close  R.],  but  also 
occupative  [Dike  le  Pilur,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285], 
perhaps  a  plunderer — 

"  Pylowre,  or  he  that  pelyth  other  men,  as  cachpolls  or  odyre  lyk, 
pilator,  depredator  "  (Prompt.  Parv.) — 


1  It  has  very  probably  also  absorbed  the  "  portrayer  "  [Nicholas 
ie  Portreour,  City  D.]. 


n8  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

but  quite  as  possibly  a  respectable  "  peeler  "  of  trees. 
As  late  as  1732  I  find  in  the  Nottingham  Borough 
Records  a  payment  to — 

"  The  pillars  of  the  bark  for  work  done  in  the  copies." 

Sailer  has  two  origins  besides  the  obvious  one.     It 
7  may  mean  a  player  on  the  psaltery  [Pagan  le  Salterer, 
Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-79]  and  also  a  Leaper,  Dancer, 
Hopper,  Saylor,  Tumber,  Fr.  tombeur — 

"  Master,  there  is  three  carters,  three  shepherds,  three  neatherds, 
three  swineherds,  that  have  made  themselves  all  men  of  hair  ;  they 
call  themselves  saltiers ;  and  they  have  a  dance  which  the  wenches 
say  is  a  gallimaufry  of  gambols  "  (Winter's  Tale,  iv.  3). 

This  suggests  Skipper,1  which  is  not  always  a  sea- 
faring name.  Cicely  la  Skippere  (Pat.  R.)  was  evi- 
dently so  named  from  her  agility.  The  word  skip  had 
in  Middle  English  no  suggestion  of  youthful  frivolity — 

"  And  whanne  the  apostlis  Barnabas  and  Poul  herden  this  .  .  . 
thei  skipten  out  among  the  puple  "  (Wye.  Acts,  xiv.  13). 

Curlier,  Kirtler  may  be  identical  and  mean  a  maker 
of  kirtles,  or  short  gowns,  ME.  curtil,  but  Gilbert  le 
Curtiler  (Pat.  R.)  may  represent  OF.  courtilier,  a 
gardener,  found  occasionally  in  Middle  English  as  cur- 
tiler.  Sellar,  Seller  means  not  only  a  saddler,  Fr.  sellier, 
but  also  what  it  appears  to  mean  in  plain  English a 

1  Oddly  enough  Saylor,  Sailer,  F.  sailleur,  leaper  [Hugh  le 
Saylliur,  Hund.  R.],  is  also  unconnected  with  the  sea,  although  G.  H. 
Le  Seilleur,  A.B.,  H.M.S.  Lion,  was  mentioned  in  Admiral  Beatty's 
despatch,  January  24,  1915.  The  very  numerous  American  Saylors 
are  mostly  German  Sellers,  i.e.  Ropers. 

z  It  is  of  course  also  connected  with  "  cellar  "  [William  atte 
Selere,  City  F.,  Ranulf  le  Celerer,  Pat.  R.]. 


NAMES   OF  DECEPTIVE   APPEARANCE      119 

[Gilbert  le  Seller,  City  A.,  William  le  Vendur  Chanc 
R.]- 

"The  sellers  of  Saba  and  Reema,  thei  thi  marchauntis "  (Wye. 
Ezek.  xxvii.  22). 

A  few  occupative  names  are  of  somewhat  deceptive 
appearance.  Foister,  Foyster  is  a  variant  of  Fewster, 
Fuster,  the  maker  of  the  wooden  frame  of  saddles. 
This  is  also  one  source  of  Foster  [Thomas  Foster  or 
Fuster,  Kirby's  Quest,  Yorks,  1285],  which  more  usually 
represents  Forster,  forester — 

"  Forty  fosters  of  the  fe 
These  outlawes  had  y-slawe  " 

(Ballad  of  Adam  Bell). 

Nor  can  we  doubt  that  the  name  Foster  also  represents 
ME.  foster,  used  both  of  a  foster-child  and  foster- 
parent  ;  cf.  Nurse,  Gossip,  etc. — 

"  The  Greekes,  whom  wee  may  count  the  very  fathers  and  fosters 
of  all  vices  "  (Holland's  Pliny). 

Caller  means  a  maker  of  "  cauls/'  net- work  head- 
dresses. Robert  le  Callere  was  sheriff  of  London  in 
1302— 

"  Call  for  may  dens,  retz  de  soye  "  (Palsg.). 

Milliner  is  for  Milner,  i.e.  Miller,  or  is  a  thinned  form 
(see  p.  130,  n.)  of  the  synonymous  AF.  Mulliner. 
Copper  represents  the  once  common  Cupper  [Roger 
le  Cuppere,  Chart.  R.],  now  almost  swallowed  up 
by  Cooper,  as  "  buttoner,"  a  common  trade-name 
in  the  City  Letter-Books,  has  been  by  Butler.  Comer 
may  be  a  variant  of  Comber,  but  a  ME.  comer e  [John 
le  Comere,  Pat.  R.]  was  a  newcomer,  stranger — 

"  For  knowynge  of  comeres  thei  copyde  hym  as  a  frere  "  (Piers 
Piowm.  C.  iii.  240). 


120  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

Cf.  Guest,  Strange,  New  come,  etc.  Pardner,  Partner 
are  from  "  pardoner  "  [Matthew  le  Pardonner,  Close  R.]. 
Booer  is  for  "  boar  "  or  "  boor,"  which  have  become 
indistinguishable  as  surnames  [Robert  le  Boor  or  le 
Bore,  Exch.  R.].  Ripper  is  a  variant  of  rippier,  one 
who  carried  fish  inland  for  sale  in  a  rip,  or  basket,  and 
is  also  a  dialect  form  of  reaper.  Sirdar  is  quite  a 
modern  alteration  of  ME.  serdere,  a  sword er  [John  le 
Serdere,  Pat.  R.].  Swindler  is  altered  from  Swingler,1 
a  beater  of  flax.  Cheater  is  for  the  official  escheater, 
but  may  also,  like  Chaytor,  come  from  Fr.  acheteur, 
which  we  have  generally  rejected  for  the  Norman 
form  acatour,  Cater,  Cator.  Tricker,  a  Suffolk  name, 
is  probably  Du.  trekker,  as  hard  to  define  as  our  own 
Drawer  (p.  116),  but  Treacher  [Matilda  le  Tresshere, 
Pat.  R]  is  OF.  trecheor  (tricheur),  a  traitor — 

"  Knaves,  thieves,  and    treachers   by  spherical   predominance  " 
(Lear,  i.  2). 

Pooler,  Puller  represent  OF.  poulier,  hen-keeper,  or 
poulter  [John  le  Pulier,  Pleas] — 

"  Poulier,  a  poulter  "  (Cotg.). 

Nipper  and  Plyer  which  seem  to  have  some  affinity 
with  each  other,  occur  in  the  country  of  the  Nappers, 
or  Napiers,  and  the  Players  respectively.  Poucher  has 
a  parallel  in  Purser,  a  maker  of  purses,  but  its  habitat, 
Lincolnshire,  suggests  something  more  adventurous. 
A  Powncer  "pounced,"  i.e.  pulverized,  various  pro- 
ducts, e.g.  woad  (p.  275).  Latter  appears  to  mean  a 
lath-maker.  Wader  has  not  to  do  with  "  wading,"  but 

1  We  have  the  opposite  change  in  Shingler,  for  our  shingle,  a 
roof-lath,  is  ultimately  Lat.  scindula,  whence  Ger.  Schindel. 


NAMES   IN   -STER  121 

with  "  woad  "  [Robert  le  Weyder  or  le  Wodere,  Lond. 
Wills,  1305].  It  is  common  in  north-country 
records.  With  Wadman,  Wademan,  cf.  Thomas  le 
Maderman  (Lond.  Wills,  1258-1358),  who  was  not 
necessarily  more  insane  than  other  men.  Finally,  the 
original  Bircher  was  not  an  educationist  but  a  shep- 
herd [Alan  le  Bercher,  Hund.  R.].  Fr.  berger,  variants 
berchier,  berquier,  latinized  as  bercarius  or  bercator, 
is  one  of  the  commonest  .entries  in  cartularies  and 
manorial  rolls  [Martin  Bercarius,  Cust.  Battle  Abbey, 
Richard  Bercator,  ib.,  Geoffrey  le  Berkier,  Testa  de 
Nev.].  It  has  usually  become  Barker,  as  in  Piers 
Plowman — 

"  Thyne  berkeres  ben  al  blynde  that  bryngyth  forth  thy  lambren  " 
(C.  x.  260.) 

The  NED.  follows  the  late  Professor  Skeat  in  errone- 
ously explaining  these  blind  shepherds  as  "  barking 
dogs." 

The  ending  -ster,  originally  feminine,  soon  lost  this 
distinction  in  Middle  English.  It  has  given  us  Bolster 
[Robert  le  Bulester,  Pat.  R.]  for  Bowler  (p.  117),  and 
possibly  Bolister,  though  the  latter  may  be  for  Ballister, 
Balster,  the  "  balestier,"  or  cross-bow  man,  who  has 
generally  become  Bannister.  Broster  is  for ' '  broiderer ' ' 
[Gelis  Browdester,  F.  of  Y.  1375],  and  Sumpster,  spelt 
Somister  in  Manchester  l  in  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  is  the  obsolete  summister,  explained 
by  Halliwell  as  "  one  who  abridges." 

Many  names  in  -er  are  rather  to  be  regarded  as  nick- 
names. Laker  means  one  fond  of  fun,  from  a  dialect 

1  Now  Sinister,  a  common  Manchester  name.  Cf.  Simner  for 
Sumner,  summoner,  and  see  p.  130,  n.  But  Sinister  is  also  for 
"  sempster." 


122  SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES 

verb  which  has  now  become  "  lark  "  [Robert  dictus 
Layker,  Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.] — 

"  Lakers,  such  is  the  denomination  by  which  we  distinguish 
those  who  come  to  see  our  country,  intimating  thereby  not  only 
that  they  are  persons  of  taste  who  wish  to  view  our  lakes,  but  idle 
persons  who  love  laking  ;  the  old  Saxon  word  to  '  lake/  or  play, 
being  of  common  use  among  schoolboys  in  these  parts"  (NED.  1805). 

Scambler  may  be  a  maker  of  "  scambles,"  1  or  benches, 
but  in  Scottish  it  means  a, parasite,  sponger — 

"  Scambler,  a  bold  intruder  on  one's  generosity  or  table " 
(Johnson's  Dictionary). 

Ambler,  a  nickname  of  gait,  has  absorbed  the  occupa- 
tive  "  ameller,"  i.e.  enameller  [John  le  Aumayller, 
goldsmith,  City  B.].  With  Copner,  ME.  copenere, 
lover  [Richard  le  Copenere,  Testa  de  Nev.,  Dors.],  cf. 
Lover,  Paramor,  Woor  [John  le  Wower,  Hund.  R.]. 
Shuter,  Shooter  was  once,  as  is  shown  by  numerous 
puns,  the  regular  pronunciation  of  "  suitor,"  whence 
also  Sueter,  but  the  "  wooer  "  sense  is  much  later  than 
that  of  litigant ;  cf.  Adam  le  Pledur  (Fine  R.).  It  is 
possible  that  Spouncer  may  be  a  nasalized  form  of 
"  espouser  "  [Thomas  le  Espouser,  Hund.  R.],  explained 
by  the  NED.  (1653)  as  an  arranger  of  marriages.  Spycr, 
whence  Spire,  is  rather  official,  the  watchman  [William 
le  Spiour,  Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.  1301-60] — 

"  The  wayte,  var.  spiere,  that  stode  upon  the  toure  of  Jezrael  " 
(Wye., 2  Kings,  ix.  17). 

Revere  is  the  Middle  English  form  of  reiver,  robber 
[Alwyn  le  Revere,  Oust.  Battle  Abbey] — 

"  The  revere  of  Gentilis  hymself  shal  reren  "  (Wye.  Jer.  iv.  7.) 


1  Hence  shambles.     See  Romance  of  Words,  p.  106. 


SOME  OCCUPATIVE  SURNAMES  123 

The  first  Trouncer  was  presumably  a  man  of  his 
hands,  though  the  verb  was  not  always  colloquial — 

"  But  the  Lorde  trounsed  Sisara  and  all  his  charettes,  and  all  hys 
hoste,  with  the  edge  of  ye  swerde,  before  Barak  "  (Judges,  iv.  15 
transl.  of  1551). 

Boxer  is  probably  for  Boxall  (Boxwell,  Glouc.),  though 
Stephen  Pugil  is  found  in  the  Pipe  R.  Yarker,  Yorker 
are  from  dialect  yark,  for  jerk,1  used  of  the  "  jerky  " 
manner  of  sewing  of  shoemakers — 

"  Watt  Tinlinn  was  by  profession  a  sutor,  but  by  inclination  and 
practice  an  archer  and  warrior.  The  captain  of  Bewcastle  is  said 
to  have  made  an  incursion  into  Scotland,  in  which  he  was  defeated 
and  forced  to  fly.  Watt  Tinlinn  pursued  him  closely  through  a 
dangerous  morass.  The  captain,  however,  gained  the  firm  ground  ; 
and,  seeing  Tinlinn  dismounted  and  floundering  in  the  bog,  used 
these  words  of  insult : — '  Sutor  Watt,  ye  cannot  sew  your  boots ; 
the  heels  risp  and  the  seams  rive.' — '  If  I  cannot  sew,'  retorted 
Tinlinn,  discharging  a  shaft  which  nailed  the  captain's  thigh  to  the 
saddle,  '  if  I  cannot  sew  I  can  yerk  '  "  (Scott,  Note  to  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel,  iv.  4). 


1  The  late  Professor  Skeat  suggests  with  much  probability 
(Trans.  Phil.  Soc.  1911-14,  p.  51)  that  this  is  the  origin  of  the 
cricket  "  yorker." 


IO 


CHAPTER   VI 

PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

"  He  brought  me  some  chops  and  vegetables,  and  took  the  covers 
off  in  such  a  bouncing  manner  that  I  was  afraid  I  must  have  given 
him  some  offence.  But  he  greatly  relieved  my  mind  by  putting  a 
chair  for  me  at  the  table,  and  saying  very  affably  :  '  Now,  six-foot  I 
come  on  '  "  (David  Copper  field) . 

THE  most  puzzling  class  of  surnames  consists  of  those 
which  appear  to  be  taken  from  some  adjunct  of  the 
personality,  whether  physical,  moral,  or  external, 
tacked  on  to  the  baptismal  name  without  further 
qualification.  I  mean  such  names  as  Head,  Shanks, 
Belt,  Mantell,  apparently  descriptive  of  appearance 
and  costume,  or  those  which  are  the  names  of  objects 
(Baskett,  Staff] ,  commodities  (Mustard,  Wheat],  articles 
of  diet  (Cake,  Beer],  plants  and  flowers  (Garlick,  Lilly], 
and  all  manner  of  minute  portions  of  creation  down  to 
Barleycorn  and  Hempseed.  When  such  names  occur 
as  compounds  (Broadhead,  Crookshanks,  Broadbelt, 
Longstaff,  Goodbeer,  Lillywhite,  etc.)  they  may  almost 
always  be  accepted  as  genuine  sobriquets,  which  can 
easily  be  paralleled  from  the  other  European  languages 
or  from  historic  names  dating  back  to  the  earliest 
times,  such  as  Sweyn  Forkbeard,  Rolf  Bluetooth, 
William  Longsword,  etc.  But,  when  they  occur  with- 

124 


PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES  125 

out  qualification,1  they  are  often  rightly  suspected  of 
being  merely  imitative  spellings  of,  or  accidental 
coincidences  with,  names  which  are  really  of  baptismal, 
local,  or  occupative  origin.  Thus  Armes  is  from  the 
personal  name  Orme  (cf.  Armshaw  for  Ormshaw),  Eye 
is  simply  "  island,"  and  Gaiter  is  AF.  gaitier,  a  watch- 
man, guard.  So  also  Hamper  is  a  maker  of  hanaps, 
or  goblets  [John  le  Hanaper,  City  D.],  Tankard  is 
the  personal  name  Thancweard,  whence  also  Tancred, 
Tubb  is  one  of  the  innumerable  derivatives  of  Theobald, 
Ban  ell  is  the  personal  name  Berald,  OG.  Berwald,  bear 
mighty,  Billett  is  a  reduction  of  AS.  Bilheard,  spear 
strong,  whence  also  Billiard,  Pott  is  an  aphetic  form  of 
Philpot,  i.e.  little  Philip,  etc. 

Writers  on  surnames  have  usually  dealt  with  these 
names  in  two  ways.  One  method  is  simply  to  give  a 
list  of  such  names  without  comment  or  history,  the 
other  is  to  explain  conjecturally,  without  evidence,  any 
name  of  this  class  as  a  perversion  of  something  else. 
The  truth  is,  as  usual,  a  compromise  between  the  two. 
It  can  be  shown,  by  documentary  evidence  and  by  a 
comparison  with  the  surname  system  of  France  and 
Germany,2  that  the  majority  of  these  names  are  what 
they  appear  to  be,  though  many  of  the  more  common 
have  been  reinforced  from  other  sources.  For  instance, 
the  common  name  Head  is  sometimes  undoubtedly  a 
nickname  [William  de  Horsham  called  le  Heved,  City 

1  Such  names,  when  genuine,  undoubtedly  indicate  something 
conspicuous  or  abnormal  in  the  feature  selected.     Such  a  name  as 
Foot  would  have  been  conferred  on  a  man  afflicted  with  a  club 
foot. 

2  There  are  also  many  Latin  examples,  e.g.  Caligula,  small  buskin, 
Caracalla,  Gallic  cloak,  Scipio,  staff,  Scapula,  shoulder-blade,  Struma, 
hump,  etc. 


126  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

B.],  with  which  cf.  Walter  Caboche  (Malmesbury 
Abbey  Reg.) — 

"  Caboche  bien  tymbree,  a  well-garnished  head-peece,  well-tackled 
braine-pan,  a  stayed,  or  discreet  pate  "  (Cotg.). 

But  it  is  also  local  [Thomas  del  Heved,  Hund.  R.], 
the  word  being  used  either  in  the  sense  of  top  end  (cf. 
Muirhead,  Woodhead,  etc.)  or  possibly  as  a  shop-sign. 
We  find  also  as  common  surnames  Ger.  Haupt,  Kopf, 
and  Fr.  Tete,  the  latter  being  often  the  origin  of  our 
Tait,  Tate,  though  this  is  also  found  as  an  Anglo-Saxon 
personal  name,  from  ON.  teitr,  merry. 

In  dealing  with  these  names  a  little  common  sense 
and  familiarity  with  life  are  required.  We  know 
that  the  popular  tendency  has  always  been  to  make 
the  unfamiliar  significant.  But,  if  we  have  been  to 
school,  we  know  that  there  is  no  limit  to  the  possi- 
bilities of  nickname  manufacture ;  and,  if  we  are 
philosophers,  we  know  that  human  nature  never 
changes.  In  some  comic  paper  lately  I  came  across 
the  following  gracious  piece  of  dialogue — 

"  Who  was  that  bloke  as  I  see  yer  with  last  night  ?  " 
"  Wot  ?    'Im  with  the  face  ?  " 
"  No  ;    the  other  one." 

If  we  go  back  to  the  thirteenth  century  we  find  that 
Philip  ove  (with)  la  Teste  (Pat.  R.)  and  Emeric  a  la 
Teste  (ib.)  owed  their  names  to  a  similar  play  of  fancy. 
The  great  difficulty  is  that  when  such  names  are 
recorded  in  our  Rolls  in  their  English  form  the  sobri- 
quet, as  a  rule,  is  simply  added  to  the  baptismal  name 
without  any  connecting  particle,  e.g.  Richard  Thumbe 
(Pat.  R.),  John  Tothe  (ib.),  so  that  we  can  never  be 
absolutely  sure  whether  we  have  not  to  do  with  an  early 


FRENCH  AND  GERMAN  PARALLELS    127 

case  of  folk-etymology.  In  French  records,  and, 
though  to  a  less  extent,  in  German,  the  use  of  preposi- 
tions makes  the  nickname  origin  clear.  Thus  Thomas 
Aladent  and  Pierre  a  la  Dent  (Pachnio),  with  whom 
we  may  compare  Haim  as  Denz  (Roman  de  Ron),  may 
be  considered  to  certify  our  Tooth  and  Dent 1  [Quidam 
Capellanus  Willelmus  Dens  nomine,  Royal  Let. 
Hen.  III.]  as  genuine  nicknames,  while  Peyne  mit  der 
Vust  (Heintze,  1366),  whence  Ger.  Faust,  would  incline 
us  to  accept  the  nickname  origin  of  Fist,  whence  also 
Feast,  even  if  it  were  not  absolutely  confirmed  by 
Johannes  cum  Pugno  (Pipe  R.)  and  Simon  Poynge 
(Nott.  Bor.  Rec.).  Cf.  Poincare  (p.  288)  and  Robert 
Poinfer,  i.e.  poing  de  fer  (City  E.}. 

If  we  examine  man  from  top  to  toe,  first  anatomically 
and  then  with  an  eye  to  his  costume,  we  shall  find  that 
there  is  hardly  a  detail  of  either  inventory  which  has 
not  produced  a  surname,  many  perhaps  now  obsolete  or 
corrupted  beyond  recognition,  but  the  great  majority 
still  in  use  and  easily  recognised.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  English  and  Anglo-French  words  occur  indifferently 
in  names  of  this  class,  and  that  among  the  latter  are 
many  terms  which  the  language  has  since  rejected. 
Names  of  the  physical  class  also  reveal  the  same 
habits  of  observation  and  gift  for  describing  conspicu- 
ous features  which  are  to  be  noticed  in  rustic  names  of 
birds,  plants,  etc.  Education  has  changed  all  that, 
and  we  cannot  imagine  a  modern  peasant  giving  any 
one  the  nickname  Larkheel  (p.  142)  or  christening  a 
flower  the  "  larkspur." 

Taking  first  the  larger  divisions  of  the  human  geo- 
graphy, we  find  Head,  Body,  and  Limb,  of  which  the 

1  Cf.  Durden,  Fr.  Duredent  [John  Denrdent,  Fine  R.]. 


128  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

first  has  been  already  dealt  with.  Compounds  of  Head 
are  Broadhead,  Cockhead  or  Coxhead,  Fairhead  [Adam 
Beaufront,  Close  R.],  Greathed,  Lambshead  [Agnes 
Lambesheved,  Hund.  R.],  Leithead  (little),  Redhead, 
Ramshead,  Whitehead,  Weatherhead  or  W ether ed  (sheep's 
head),  all  genuine  nicknames.  More  often  -head  is 
reduced  to  -ett,1  as  in  Blackett,  Brockett  [John  Broke- 
sheved,2  Close  R.],  Brownett,  Bovett  (AF.  bof,  Fr. 
bceuf),  Bullett  [William  Bolesheved,  Pat.  R.],  Cockett, 
Dovet  [William  Dowfhed,  F.  of  Y.  1354],  Duckett, 
Gossett  [John  Goosheved,  Lib.  Vit.],  Hawkett  [John 
Hawksheved,  F.  of  Y.],  Hogsett,  Doggett  [Roger 
Doggisheved,  Yorks  Fines,  temp.  John],  Redit, 
Thickett,  Strickett  (stirk-head,  Front-de-Bceuf),  Perrett 
[Robert  Pereheved,  Hund.  R.],  and  possibly  Brasnett, 
from  the  "  brazen  head "  used  as  a  sign.  With 
Roughead,  Ruffhead,  Rowed  [William  Ruhheved, 
Pat.  R.]  may  be  compared  the  Old  French  epic  hero 
Guillaume  Tete-d'Etoupes,  tow-head,  and  the  more 
modern  Struwelpeter.  With  these  go  Redknap  [cf. 
Robert  Bealknappe,  Glouc.  Cart.},  Hartnupp,  and 
Blacktop,  Silvertop.  Here  may  be  also  mentioned 
Petty  [Hugh  le  Pete,  Fine  R.}— 

"  PeU,  pild,  hairlesse,  bauld  "  (Cotg.). 

In  some  cases  -head  is  substituted  for  the  obsolete 
local  -hide  (of  land),  e.g.  Half  head*  Fifehead,  Fifett 
(see  p.  2),  while  Redhead,  Whitehead  have  absorbed 

1  This  reduction  to  -ett  also  takes  place  when  the  -head  is  local, 
e.g.  Aikett  (oak),  Bridgett,  Ditchett,  Grasett,  Gravett,  Puplett  (poplar), 
Watrett  (water),  etc.  For  Smithett  see  p.  78. 

*  Brock,  a  badger. 

8  Halfhide  also  exists  ;  cf .  Half  acre.  It  is  interesting  to  notice 
the  substitution  of  -head  or  -field  for  the  obsolete  -hide  in  the 


COMPOUNDS  OF  -BODY  I2g 

compounds  in  -hood l  [William  Redehod,  Pat.  R., 
Agnes  \\7ythod,-Hund.  R.].  With  these  cf.  Robert 
Blachod  (Close  R.),  John  Fairhode  (City  D.). 

The  simple  Body  is  hot  a  nickname,  but  a  personal 
name,  found  also  in  French  and  Flemish,  and  derived 
from  the  OG.  Bodo,  which  may  be  short  for  one  of  the 
many  names  in  Bod-,  command,  or  even  for  Baldwin. 
In  compounds,  -body  has  rather  the  sense  of  person, 
as  in  nobody,  busibody,  etc.  Well-established  examples 
are  Freebody,  Goodbody,  Handsomebody,  Lightbody 
(probably  ME.  lift,  little),  Pretty  body,  Truebody.  In 
Peabody,  Paybody,  Peberdy,  Pepperday,  Pipperday,/ 
the  first  element  may  be  the  obsolete  pea,  pay,  peacock 
(p.  194).  The  formation  does  not  seem  very  natural, 
but  cf.  Reginald  Pefot  (Pipe  R.)  and  Robert  Levedi- 
bodi,  i.e.  lady  body  (IpM.,  Notts).  Many  obsolete 
compounds  of  -body  occur  in  the  Rolls.  Jellicorse,  an 
existing  surname,  may  represent  Gentilcors,  or  per- 
haps Jolicors,  and  Bewkers  is  Fr.  Beaucors  [Jehan 
Biaucors,  Pachnio].  In  the  Pat.  R.  occurs  the  name 
of  John  Ordegorge.  Gentilcors,  i.e.  John  filthy  throat 
handsome  body,  perhaps  a  man  of  good  presence  and 
foul  vocabulary,  but  the  double  nickname  is  quite 
unique. 

Limb  is  for  Lamb,  either  a  nickname  or  short  for  . 

place-names  Fifehead,  Fifield.  There  are  several  such  places  in 
England,  all  earlier  known  as  Five-hide — 

"  It  is  an  interesting  and  curious  fact  that  we  owe  to  the  five- 
hide  unit  such  place-names  as  Fivehead,  Somerset ;  Fifehead, 
Dorset ;  Fifield,  Oxon  ;  Fifield  and  Fyfield,  Wilts ;  Fyfield, 
Hants  ;  and  Fyfield,  Essex— all  of  them  in  Domesday  '  Fifhide ' 
or  '  Fifehide  '—as  well  as  Fyfield,  Berks,  which  occurs  in  Domesday 
as  '  Fivehide  '  "  (Round,  Feudal  England,  p.  69). 

1  We  have  the  opposite  change  in  Robert  Shevenehod  (Hnnd.  R.) 
and  Adam  Hudcrul,  curly  head  (City  C.). 


130  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

Lambert,  the  latter  of  which  has  sometimes  become 
Limbert l  [William  Lembe  or  Lymbe,  Lane.  Inq. 
1310-33].  Lem  records  the  intermediate  stage.  Of 
the  same  origin  are  Lomb,  Lumb,  so  that  this  name 
has  run  through  the  five  vowels.  Joynt  is  an  Irish 
Huguenot  name,  Fr.  Lejoint,  from  the  OF.  joint, 
graceful,  slim,  etc. 

Skull,  Scull  is  a  Norse  personal  name  [Ralph  f .  Scule, 
Close  R..].  It  means  fox  or  the  evil  one.  Face  is 
aphetic  for  Boniface  [Face  le  Ferrun,  Pipe  R.]  and 
Pate  is  for  Patrick.  I  have  found  no  trace  among 
modern  surnames  of  Alexander  Rodipat  (Pat.  R.) 
or  Adam  Rudipol  (Fine  R.).  The  simple  Poll  is  for 
Paul,  OF.  Pol ;  cf.  Pollett,  Poison.  From  noil,  used 
both  for  head  and  nape  of  the  neck,  we  have  Hartnoll, 
common  in  Devon — 

"  If  oon  hadde  be  hard  nollid,  wondur  if  he  hadde  be  giltles  " 
(Wye.  Ecclesiasticus,  xvi.  n). 

Forehead,  Forrett  is  a  true  nickname  [Roger  Forheved, 
Close  R.]  and  "  brow  "  may  appear  in  the  compound 
Whybrow  [Whitebrow  the  plasterer,  F.  of  Y.].  The 
simple  Brow  is  local,  at  the  "  brow  "  of  the  hill  [Richard 
atte  Bro,  Pat.  R.],  though  I  find  also  Richard  Surcil 

1  This  thinning  of  the  vowel  in  surnames  is  a  phenomenon  which 
has  never,  I  believe,  been  dealt  with  by  any  phonetician,  but  there 
is  no  doubt  of  the  tendency.  An  early  example  is  Philip  Bribisun 
(Hund.  R.)  for  Brabazon,  the  man  from  Brabant.  It  is  seen  in  the 
names  Shellcross  for  Shallcross,  Flinders  for  Flanders,  Willacy  for 
Wallasey,  Shipster  for  Shapster,  Pettinger  for  Pottinger,  Plimmer  for 
Plummer,  Birrell  for  Burrell,  Chiplinior  Chaplin,  and  hundreds  more. 
It  has,  of  course,  parallels  in  vulgar  speech,  the  best-known  example 
being  the  change  from  master  to  mister.  Cf.  also  Jim  for  James, 
weskit  for  waistcoat,  and  Mr.  Mantalini's  demnition.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  Stringfellow,  formerly  Strengfellow,  contains  the 
northern  Strung,  strong. 


THE   HAIR  131 

(Fine  R.).  Oxbrow,  in  spite  of  the  Swedish  Oxenstiern, 
is  probably  from  Oxborough  (Norf.),  Spreadbrow  from 
Spro thorough  (Yorks),  Albrow  from  Alburgh,  Albury, 
Aldeburgh,  etc.,  and  Blackbrow  from  Blakeborough 
(Lane.),  though  it  would  be  a  very  natural  nickname. 
Hair  is  imitative  for  the  nickname  Hare  [Philip  le 
Hare,  Pat.  R.]  and  Hairlock  is  for  Harlock,  a  variant  of 
Horlock  (hoar),  often  spelt  Horlick.  Other  compounds 
of  -lock  are  Blacklock  or  Blakelock,  Whitlock,  Blay- 
lock  or  Blellock,  from  the  obsolete  blae,  blay,1  an 
adjective  meaning  ash  coloured,  Proudlock  [Thomas 
Purdelok,  Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-79],  Silverlock, 
Gowanlock  [Robert  Guldelok,  Pat.  R.] ;  but  the  suffix 
in  these  names  may  sometimes  be  -lake,  which  often 
becomes  -lock,  as  in  Fishlock.  The  commonest  of  these 
compounds,  Whitlock,  has  three  well-attested  origins 
— (i)  white  lock,  (2)  white  lake  [Williame  atte  Whyte- 
lak,  Kirby's  Quest,  1327],  (3)  the  personal  name 
Witlac,  which  occurs  in  DB.  [Whitlac  de  Longo  Vado, 
Fine  R.].  Whitelark  is  an  imitative  spelling  of  one  of 
these.  We  have  compounds  of  -hair  itself  in  Fairer, 
Farrar  8  [John  Fayerher,  Pat.  R.],  and  in  Harliss,  the 
hairless,  while  Polyblank  is  of  course  Fr.  poil  blanct 
white  hair.  To  return  to  -lock,  we  have  the  puzzling 
Lovelock,  which  the  NED.  does  not  find  as  a  common 
noun  till  1592.  This  is  not  an  insuperable  objection, 
as  I  have  frequently  found  words  used  as  surnames 
three  or  four  centuries  earlier  than  their  first  dictionary 
record  ;  but  it  would  perhaps  be  safer  to  regard  John 
Lovelok  (Pleas)  and  Walter  Loveloker  (Hund.  R.) 
as  belonging  to  the  ME.  lovelich,  lovely,  affectionate, 

1  Blay,  Blee  is  also  a  surname,  probably  from  complexion. 

8  In  the  nickname  of  Harold  Harfager  the  elements  are  reversed. 


?32  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

of  which  the  variant  lovelok  occurs  in  Piers  Plowman. 
In  fact,  the  name,  which  is  fairly  common  in  some 
parts  of  England,  may  have  an  alternative  origin  from 
ME.  lovelaik,  dalliance  [John  Lovelayk,  Fine  R.]  ; 
cf.  Laker  (p.  122).  Tress  is  short  for  Tristram.  Red- 
mayne  is  local,  of  Redmain  (Lane.),  a  place  which  is 
the  usual  origin  of  Redman,  though  this  is  no  doubt 
also  a  nickname.  Curll  and  Crisp,  Cripps  both  mean 
curly  in  Middle  English,  but  Curley  is  also  a  bird  nick- 
name, the  curlew  [Richard  Cur lue,  IpM.],  found  more 
rarely  as  Kirlew.  Absence  of  hair  has  given  the  native 
Bald,  generally  reduced  to  Ball,  and  the  augmenta- 
tive Ballard.  From  Old  French  come  Chaff e,  Chave, 
Shave,  Shafe,  Shove,  Shovel,  Cavell,  Caffyn,  Coffin,1  and 
sometimes  even  Cave.  Two  examples  must  suffice 
[Bartholomew  le  Chauf,  Pat.  R.,  John  Cauvel,  Pat.  R.]. 
With  these  cf.  Favell,  tawny  [Hugh  Falvel,  Pipe  R., 
Thomas  Fauvel,  Fine  R.],  and  Flavell,  yellow-haired. 
A  pretty  name,  which  may  refer  to  the  hair  or  the 
complexion,  is  Nutbrown  [John  Notebroun,  Close  R.], 
with  which  cf.  John  Perbroun,  i.e.  pear  brown  (ib.). 

Nothing  in  one's  appearance  attracts  the  critical 
attention  so  readily  as  the  nose,  but,  though  there  are 
many  references  in  the  Pipe  R.  to  Moss  cum  Naso  and 
his  wife  Duzelina,  I  do  not  know  a  single  modern 
surname  2  derived  from  this  feature,  unless  the  legend- 
ary origin  of  the  local  Courtenay  [Hugh  de  Courteney, 

1  This  is  the  traditional  etymology  of  Coffin,  but  I  am  not  sure 
that  this  name,  variant  Coffin,  which  is  found  in  Devon  from  the 
earliest  times,  is  not  rather  connected  with   Cornish  Couch  and 
Welsh  Cough,  red. 

2  It  is  possible  that   some  names   in    -ness,    e.g.   Hogness,    are 
physical.     But  Thicknesse  was  a  manor  (Chesh.  or  Staff.).     Neese 
(p.  245),  Kneese  may  also  refer  to  this  feature. 


THE  NOSE  AND  EYE  133 

Hund.  RJ]  has  a  tributary  source  of  truth  [William 
Curtnies,  Pat.  R.].  Peter  le  Noseless  (Pat.  R.)t  Agnes 
Kattesnese  (Hund.  R.],  Adam  cum  Naso  (Leic.  Bor. 
Rec.),  and  Roger  Withenese  (ib.)  show  that  this  feature 
did  not  escape  the  notice  of  our  ancestors.  Cammish, 
found  as  le  Chammus  (Notts,  1272),  means  flat-nosed, 
Fr.  camus,  but  a  number  of  names  which  appear  to 
belong  here,  e.g.  Cammis,  Camis,  Keemish,  etc.,  may 
equally  well  be  local,  of  Cambois  (Northumb.).  Beake, 
Bick  are  not  nose-names,  as  they  occur  in  Middle 
English  with  the  definite  article  [William  le  Beke, 
Hund.  R.,  Richard  le  Byke,  Close  R.],  but  I  cannot 
explain  them.  Mariota  Gosebeck  (Hund.  R.)  is  a  very 
evident  nickname.  Cheek,  Cheke  is  possibly  a  nick- 
name, but  I  have  no  evidence  except  a  ME.  Chericheke ; 
cf.,  however,  Fr.  Bajoue,  baggy  cheek. 

Eye  in  isolation  is  local  (p.  125)  and  Eyett  is  its  dim. 
But  the  compounds  of  the  physical  -eye  are  numerous 
and  have  not  hitherto  been  recognized  as  such,  e.g. 
Blackie  [Roger  Niger  Oculus,  Col.  Gen.],  Blowey, 
Brightey  [John  Claroil,  Close  R.],  Brownie,  Calvey, 
Dovey,  Whitey,  Birdseye,  Goosey,  Starey  (ME.  star, 
starling),  Hawkey,  Harkey  l  [Geoffrey  Hawkseye, 
Lond.  Wills,  1330],  Litiley  [cf.  Andreas  dictus  Parvus 
Oculus,  Pachnio],  Silvery,  Goldie,  Goldney  [Richard 
Geld  en  eye,  Fine  R.],  Sheepy,  Smalley,  Wildey.  Cf. 
with  these  William  Sweteye  (Hund.  R.)  and  the 
medieval  French  names  Brun-Eul,  Blancus  Oculus, 
Oculus  Auri,  quoted  by  Pachnio.  German  surnames 
in  -auge  are  also  numerous.  An  alternative  origin 
from  -ey,  island,  is  possible  for  some  of  the  above. 
Cf.  Rowney,  at  the  "  rowan  island "  [Walter  atte 

1  Cf.  Harkins  for  Hawkins  and  Harker  for  Hawker. 


134  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

Roueneye,  Hund.  R.],  Roffey,  at  the  "  rough  island  " 
[Amfrid  de  la  Rogheye,  ib.]. 

Bouch,  Buche,  Budge  are  Anglo-French  names, 
"  mouth  "  [Michael  od  (with)  la  Buche,  Pat.  R.].  For 
the  form  Budge  cf.  budge-at- court,  Fr.  bouche  a  cour, 
free  victuals.  This  surname  may  sometimes  have 
had  an  occupative  origin,  for  William  del  Bouch,  lay- 
brother  of  Furness  Abbey  (Pat.  R.),  was  evidently 
employed  in  the  provisioning  part  of  the  establish- 
ment. The  English  Mouth  is  also  a  modern  surname, 
and  Merrymouth  is  not  uncommon  in  the  Rolls  [Adam 
Mirimouth,  Pat.  R.].  It  is  interesting  to  find  Henry 
Millemuth  (Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-79)  three  cen- 
turies earlier  than  the  first  dictionary  record  of  "  mealy 
mouthed."  Muzzleis,  I  think,  an  imitative  alteration 
of  the  nickname  Mustell,  Mustol,  from  OF.  musteile, 
mustoile,  a  weasel  [Hugh  Mustel,  Close  R.,  Custance 
Mustel,  Hund.  R.].  I  doubt  whether  Chinn  is  gener- 
ally a  nickname, though  I  have  known  it  so  used  by 
modern  schoolboys.  In  Simon  Chyne  (Ramsey  Cart.} 
we  have  perhaps  the  shortened  form  of  Chinulf  [John 
Chinulf,  Wore.  Priory  Reg.],  AS.  Coenwulf,  bold  wolf. 
Or  Chinn  may  be  from  Men,  a  common  nickname 
[John  le  Chen,  Chart.  R.],  which  would  readily  assume 
the  imitative  form,  apart  from  the  regular  tendency 
of  e  to  become  i  before  n,  as  in  ink,  ME.  enke,  or  the 
local  surname  2nd,  for  "  end." 

Tongue  is,  so  far  as  my  evidence  goes,  local,  from  a 
"  tongue"  of  land  [Benedict  del  Tunge,  Pat.  R.],  or 
from  one  of  the  places  specifically  named  Tonge,  Tong. 
To  the  same  source  belongs  Tongs.  Gum  is  a  variant 
of  Gomme,  ME.  gume,  a  man  [Geoffrey  le  Gom,  Cor  am 
Rege  R.  1297],  as  in  bridegome,  now  perverted  to  bride- 


THE  NECK  I35 

groom.  Whitear  and  Whittear  are  variants  of  Whittier, 
an  occupative  name,  "  white  tawer,"  i.e.  a  kind  of 
leather-dresser  [Walter  le  Whytetawere,  Pat.  R.], 
whence  also  perhaps  Whitehair.  Boniface  is  a  font- 
name,  Bonifacius,  though  its  use  as  the  landlord's 
name  in  Farquhar's  Beaux'  Stratagem,  and  its  natural 
fitness  of  sound,  have  combined  to  give  it  a  sug- 
gestion of  rubicund  joviality. 

Gar  gate,  Gargett  is  from  OF.  gar  gate,  throat,  gullet 
[Hugh  Gargate,  Pipe  R.],  a  name  earned  in  the  same 
way  as  that  of  the  mythical  Grandgousier  and  no 
doubt  present  to  the  mind  of  the  creator  of  Gargantua. 
Neck  seems  to  be  a  true  nickname  [Isabel  Necke, 
Fine  R.]  and  is  found  in  compounds,  e.g.  the  historical 
Edith  Swanneck,  the  less-known  Agnes  Cousdecine, 
col-de-cygne  (Hund.  R.),  and  Simon  Chortneke  (ib.). 
Robert  Tunekes  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.)  perhaps  had  what  is 
now  called  a  double  chin.  The  existence  of  ME. 
Swanswire  suggests  that  Swire  (see  p.  80)  may  also 
be  a  physical  nickname.  Here  also  may  sometimes 
belong  Halse,  from  ME.  halse,  neck  [John  Langhals, 
Close  R.]  and  also  Haddrell,  Rather  all  [William  Haterel, 
Pat.  R.},  from  ME.  hattrel,  the  nape  of  the  neck  (also, 
the  crown  of  the  head),  of  Old  French  origin,  but 
differently  explained  by  Cotgrave — 

"  Hastereau,  the  throat  piece,  or  fore-part  of  the  neck  (belike  from 
the  Walloones,  by  whom  a  mans  throat,  or  neck,  is  thus  tearmed)." 

This  is  a  common  word  in  Middle  English  (see  Mr. 
Mayhew's  note  in  the  Prompt.  Parv).  It  may  be 
noted  'that  the  name,  with  many  variants,  seems  to 
belong  especially  to  Gloucestershire,  while  in  the 
adjacent  Monmouth  we  find  Hatterell  Hill,  perhaps 
so  named  from  its  shape. 


136  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

The  fairly  common  Beard  [William  cum  Barba  or 
od  la  Barbe,  City  D.],  also  spelt  Beart,  is  curiously 
short  of  existing  compounds,  though  it  has  no  doubt 
contributed  to  Whitbread  [Philip  Wytberd,  Pleas, 
Peter  Whitbred  or  Whytberd,  Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297]. 
Blackbeard  and  Fairbeard  exist,  though  rare,  and  in 
Blackbird,  Silverbird,  the  original  suffix  is  also  prob- 
ably -beard  [cf.  William  Barbedor,  Pat.  R.].  Thomas 
Dustiberd  (Pat.  R.)  and  Ralph  Jolifberd  (F.  of  Y.)  are 
not  now  represented,  nor,  unfortunately,  Ralph  Barbe 
de  Averil  or  Barba  Aprilis,  who  was  chaplain  to  Hugh 
Earl  of  Chester  in  the  twelfth  century.  We  may 
perhaps  assume  that  he  resembled  Chaucer's  franklin — 

"  Whit  was  his  berd  as  is  a  dayeseye  "  (A.  332). 

The  insignificance  of  the  beard  in  our  modern  sur- 
names is  in  curious  contrast  with  the  place  it  occupies 
in  history.  The  reader  will  at  once  think  of  the  Lango- 
bards,  Bluebeard,  Charlemagne  "  a  la  barbe  fleurie/' 
Sweyn .  Forkbeard,  Barbarossa,  Graf  Eberhard  der 
Rauschbart,  Blackbeard  the  pirate,  etc.  The  German 
compounds  of  -bart  are  still  numerous  and  fantastic. 
A  possible  English  example  is  Massingberd  [Richard 
Massyngberd,  Close  R.,  Line.,  1329].  Lower  says — 

"  A  very  old  Lincolnshire  family,  dating  from  temp.  Henry  III. 
.  .  .  the  final  syllable  clearly  having  reference  to  the  appendage  of 
the  masculine  chin.  The  meaning  of  the  other  portion  of  the  name 
is  not  so  obvious,  as  no  word  resembling  massing  is  found  in  early 
English  or  Anglo-Saxon.  In  some  Teutonic  dialects,  however,  that 
or  a  similar  form  means  "  brass,"  and  hence  Massingberd  may 
signify  Brazenbeard,  with  reference  to  the  personal  peculiarity. 
Inf.  Rev.  F.  C.  Massingberd,  M.A." 

This  is  quite  possibly  a  correct  guess.      There  is  an 
ON.  messing,  brass,  still  used  in  German,  and  found 


WHISKERS  137 

in  Anglo-Saxon  as  mcesling,  mceslen,  while  Lincolnshire 
is  a  chief  habitat  of  Norse  words. 

Whisker  is  merely  an  imitative  spelling  of  the  personal 
name  Wiscard  [Wischard  Leidet,  Pipe  R.],  repre- 
sented by  Fr.  Guiscard  and  Scottish  Wishart,1  but  OF. 
gernon,*  moustache,  whiskers,  has  given  us  Garnon, 
Garnham  [Adam  as  Gernons,  Pipe  R.,  William  Bought, 
called  Gernon,  City  D.,  William  Blancgernun,  Pat.  R.]. 
Harold's  scouts  took  the  shaven  Normans  for  priests 
until  the  king  enlightened  them — 

' '  N'ont  mie  barbes  ne  guernons* 
Co  dist  Heraut,  '  com  nos  avons  '  " 

(Roman  de  Rou,  7133). 

In  Grennan  we  have  the  Old  French  form  grenon.  ON. 
barthr,*  beard,  has  also  contributed  to  Barrett,  and  the 
same  feature  is  incorporated  in  Skegg,  though  both 
reached  England  as  personal  names  rather  than  nick- 
names. Sweyn  Forkbeard  is  recorded  in  the  AS. 
Chronicle  as  Svein  Tjuguskegg. 

The  rest  of  the  human  form  divine  will  give  us  less 
trouble,  as  nicknames  fasten  most  readily  on  visible 
parts  and  facial  characteristics.  Shoulders  is  an  existing, 
though  uncommon,  surname  [Hugh  Schulder,  Cor  am 
RegeR.  1297].  ME.  wambe,  belly  (cf.  Scott's  Wamba), 
a  common  name  in  the  Middle  Ages  [Matthew  a  le 
Wambe,  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.],  still  survives  in  Whitwam  or 

1  John  Wiseheart,  Bishop  of  Glasgow  (Pat.  R.),  is  an  obvious 
perversion. 

a  This  is  of  cognate  origin  with  Swedish  gren,  branch,  fork,  common 
in  names.  The  connection  between  this  word  and  a  Viking  beard 
will  be  apparent  to  the  reader  who  remembers  Sweyn  Forkbeard 
and  the  bold,  bad  whiskers  of  Admiral  von  Tirpitz. 

3  This  word  is  found  only  in  compounds.  The  Viking  Barthr 
is  called  Baret  in  Old  French  records. 


138  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

Whitwham  l ;  and  Whalebelly  is  a  well-known  Norfolk 
surname.  Cf .  Walter  Alipanch  (Hund.  R.)  and  Sancho 
Panza.  Back  is  probably  not  anatomical,  though 
•  Petrus  ad  Dorsum  is  found  in  Old  French,  as  it  has 
three  other  well-authenticated  origins :  (i)  local  [John 
atte  Back,  Bardsley,  1327],  (2)  baptismal  [Backa 
solus,  Lib.  Vit.],  an  Old  French  name  of  Germanic 
origin,  whence  also  Bacon',  (3)  ME.  bakke,  bat  (p.  24). 
It  is,  however,  strange  that  we  find  no  compounds  of 
-back,  corresponding  to  such  medieval  names  as  Cattes- 
bak  and  Longueeschine  or  OF.  Maigredos.  Thornback 
is  no  doubt  from  the  fish. 

Side  exists  as  a  surname,  but  is  local  [William  del 
Syde,  F.  of  Y.],  the  word  being  used  either  of  the 
edge  of  a  wood,  the  side  of  a  hill,  or  the  bank  of  a 
river,  in  all  of  which  senses  it  is  common  in  compound 
surnames,  e.g.  Akenside  (oak),  Burnside,  Greensides. 
In  Half  side  the  first  element  perhaps  means  half-way. 
Tinside  is  of  course  for  Tyne-side,  as  Tinnett  is 
for  Tynehead  [Richard  del  Tyndiheved,  Lane.  Inq. 
1310-33].  Ship  sides  is  probably  from  a  pasture 
(sheep).  But  undoubted  nicknames  are  Heaviside, 
Ironside,  and  Whiteside  [Robert  Whytside,  Fine  R.], 
the  last  being  also  local  [Richard  de  Whiteside, 
Close  R.].  In  my  Romance  of  Names  (p.  126)  I 
have  suggested  that  Handyside,  Hendyside,  may 
represent  ME.  hende  side,  gracious  custom,  but  the 
variant  Handasyde  suggests  a  possible  nickname  of 
attitude,  "hand  at  side,"  for  a  man  fond  of  standing 
with  arms  akimbo  ;  cf.  Guillelmus  Escu  -  a  -  Col 

1  But  perhaps  local,  AS.  hwamm,  corner ;  cf .  Alexander  del 
Qwhom  (Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.},  where  the  initial  Q-  is  north-country 
for  W-,  as  in  Quartan  for  Wharton,  Quigley  for  Wigley,  etc. 


THE    HAND  139 

(Pachnio).  The  formation  of  Strongitharm  is  some- 
what similar.  Silverside  is  local,  from  a  spot  in  the 
Lake  Country  [John  de  Sylversyd,  Preston  Guild  R. 
1397,  Bardsley].  Hardrib  seems  to  be  a  nickname,  as 
also  Broadribb,  Brodribb,  the  latter  no  doubt  sometimes  v/ 
corrupted,  as  Bardsley  suggests,  from  Bawdrip  (Som.). 
Rump  is  a  common  name  in  Norfolk,  and  there  are 
plenty  of  early  examples  from  East  Anglia  [Robert 
Rumpe,  Ramsey  Cart.,  Roger  Rompe,  Pat.  R.,  Suff., 
Casse  Rumpe,  Hund.  R.,  Camb.].  It  is  probably 
short  for  Rumbold  or  some  other  personal  name 
in  Rym-,  noble.  Heintze  derives  the  corresponding 
German  Rumpf  in  the  same  way.  But  Fessey  seems 
to  represent  Fr.  fessu,  explained  by  Cotgrave  as 
"  great  buttockt."  Richard  le  Fessu  was  butler  to 
Edward  II.  (Pat.  R.),  and  the  change  of  form  is 
normal ;  cf .  the  vulgar  pronunciation  of  nephew, 
value — 

"  In  short,  I  firmly  du  believe 

In  Humbug  generally, 
Fer  it's  a  thing  thet  I  perceive 
To  hev  a  solid  vally  " 

(Russell  Lowell,  The  Pious  Editor's  Creed). 

Hand,  Hands  may  be  explained  as  rimed  on  Rand, 
Rands  (Randolph),  as  Hob  is  on  Robert  and  Hick  on 
Richard,  but  nickname  origin  is  also  certain  [Robert 
Asmains,  Close  R.,  Ralph  cum  Manibus,  ib.].  White- 
hand  exists,  and  Balmain  means  fair  hand  [John  Bele- 
meyns,  Pat.  R.].  To  the  same  origin  must  be  some- 
times ascribed  Main,  Mayne.  Cf.  Fist  (p.  127).  Quater- 
main,  Quarterman  is  also  a  nickname  [Herbert  Quatre- 
mains,  Fine  R.}  ;  cf.  William  Quaterpe  (Pat.  R.).  The 
arm  appears  only  in  compounds  [Armstrong,  Strongi- 
ii 


140 


PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 


tharm].  We  have  also,  through  French,  Firebrace,  Fair- 
brass,  Farbrace  [Stephen  Ferebraz,  City  A.],  and  Bradfer 
[Matthew  Brazdefer,  Ramsey  Cart.].  This  last  has 
also  given  Bradford,  just  as  Petti fer  has  sometimes 
become  Petti  ford.  Is  Stallibrass  [William  Stalipres, 
Pipe  R.]  a  hybrid  imitation  of  these  with  steel  as  its 
first  component  ?  Such  hybrids  occur,  e.g.  the  medieval 
name  Maynstrang,  a  compromise  between  "  hand 
strong  "  and  "  main  forte." 

The  common  surname  Legg  is  both  baptismal  and 
local  [Nicholas  f.  Legge,  Fine  R.,  Pagan  de  la  Leg, 
Kirby's  Quest,  1327].  In  the  first  case  it  is  short  for 
Ledger,  Legard  [Leggard  de  Aula,  Hund.  R.],  AS. 
Leodgaer  or  Leodgeard ;  in  the  second  it  is  an  archaic 
spelling  of  Leigh,  Lea,  a  meadow.  Here  also  belong 
Barleggs,  barley  meadows,  and  Whitelegg  [Richard  de 
Whiteleg,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  though  Henry 
Whitshonk  (Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4)  suggests  an 
alternative  origin  for  the  second.  It  is  possible  that 
there  may  have  been  a  later  formation  from  the  "  leg  " 
used  as  a  hosier's  sign,  but  for  this  I  have  found  no 
evidence.  Leg,  being  a  Norse  word,  may  occur  in  the 
compound  Sprackling,  corruptly  Spratling  [Gervase  f. 
Sprakcling,  Feet  of  Fines],  which  Bjorkman  identifies 
with  the  Old  Norse  nickname  Sprakaleggr,  of  the 
creaking  legs  ;  cf.  Ger.  Knack  fuss.  In  Middle  English 
the  native  shank  seems  to  have  been  preferred  in  de- 
scriptive epithets  [Walter  Schanke,  Pipe  R.],  hence 
Shanks,  Crookshanks  or  Cruickshank,  Sheepshanks,  and 
the  less  common  Ettershank,  from  dial,  cddcr,  ettcr,  a 
thin  rod  used  in  fence  making — 

"  Edder  and  stake 
Strong  hedge  to  make  "  (Tusscr). 


THE    LEG    AND    FOOT  141 

We  also  find  compounds  oijambe,  e.g.  Foljambe,  Full- 
james  [Thomas  Folejambe,  Hund  R.~],  while  the  still 
commoner  Bellejambe  [Adam  Belejambe,  Pat.  R.] 
has  been  transformed  into  Belgian.  Knee  may  refer 
to  some  geographical  feature,  like  Ger.  Knie,  which 
Heintze  derives  from  the  same  word  used  of  a  nook  in 
a  wood,  but  it  may  also  come  from  Knaith  (Line.), 
spelt  Kneye  in  the  Fine  R.  ;  cf.  Smee  for  Smeeth  (p.  77). 
Kneebone,  being  a  Cornish  name,  is  best  left  alone. 
Shinn,  Shine  appears  to  be  a  personal  name,  occurring 
chiefly  on  the  Welsh  border,  and  hence  probably  Celtic. 
It  may  even  be  a  thinned  form  (p.  130,  n.)  of  Shone,1 
Welsh  for  John.  With  Foot  cf.  Gregory  cum  Pede 
(Leic.  BOY.  Rec.)  and  Jean  Aupie,  Andreas  ad  Pedem 
(Pachnio).  This  has  several  compounds,  Barfoot  or 
Burfoot,  Broadfoot,  Lightfoot  [Lyghtefote  Nuncius,  in 
the  Towneley  Play  of  Cczsar  Augustus],  Long  foot, 
Proudfoot,  White  foot  (cf.  Blampied,  Blampey),  Crowfoot, 
Gray  foot  (gray,  a  badger),  Pauncefote,  Puddifoot.  The 
last,  also  found  as  Puddephttt,  Puttifoot,  etc.,  is  well 
attested  as  a  nickname  in  Middle  English,  and  belongs 
to  a  dial,  adjective  meaning  thick  or  stumpy.  Cf. 
Richard  Pudito  (Hund.  R.),  John  Podipol  (ib.),  John 
Podihog  (Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4) — 

"  He  had  club  feet,  and  ...  his  nickname  Poddy  came  from 
this  peculiarity  of  his  walk  "  (H.  Armitage,  Sorrelsykes). 

Puddifant,  Puttifent  means  "  chubby  child "  (see 
p.  247),  unless  it  is  merely  a  corruption  of  Buttivant 
(p.  256,  n.).  The  obsolete,  or  apparently  obsolete,  com- 
pounds oi-foot  are  very  numerous  (see  p.  144).  With 
Pettifer,  i.e.  pied  defer,  cf.  John  Stclfot  (City  C.),  Ralph 
Irenfot  (Pat.  R.),  and  with  Pettigrew,  pied  de  grue,  cf. 

1  \Vith  this  cf.  Cornish  Chown  [John  Chone,  Close  R.,  Cornwall]. 


142 


PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 


Ger.  Kranefuss.  Heels  generally  belongs  to  AS.  healh,  a 
local  term  of  doubtful  meaning  (see  p.  62).  But  I  have 
found  Larkehele  as  a  medieval  name  and  also  John 
dictus  Talun  (Archbp.  Giffard's  Reg.  1266-79).  In 
the  latter  example  talon  may  have  its  later  meaning 
of  claw  rather  than  heel,  but  it  is  much  older  than  any 
instance  of  talon,  claw,  in  the  NED.  Anyhow,  it  is 
possibly  the  origin  of  Tallents.  Toe,  Toes  are  local 
(p-  5°),  but  Prictoe  is  apparently  a  nickname  from  some 
physical  peculiarity. 

Among  internal  organs  we  have  Heart,  Lung,  Kidney, 
Giblett.  The  first,  generally  for  the  animal  nickname 
Hart,  may  sometimes  be  genuine ;  cf.  Richard  Quoer 
(Hund.  R.)  and  Fr.  Cceur ;  but  Lung  is  a  variant  of 
Long  [Geoffrey  le  Lung,  Hund.  R.],  Kidney  is  an 
.Irish  name,  and  Giblett  is  a  dim.  of  Gilbert.  With 
Goodhart,  Goodheart  we  may  compare  Bunker  [William 
Boncuor,  Fine  R.,  Robert  Finquoyr,  Hund.  R.]. 
Hartfree  has  a  suggestion  of  the  Restoration  dramatists, 
;but  is  probably  AS.  Heardfrith.  Bowell  is  a  variant 
of  Powell,  Welsh  ab  Howel  [Strael  Aboel,  Fine  R., 
Glouc.],  and  Bowles  is  local,  of  Bouelles  (Seine-Inf.) 
[Hugh  de  Boeles,  Fine  R.].  Brain,  found  chiefly  on 
the  Welsh  border,  is  a  Celtic  name ;  cf.  Macbrain. 
Blood  is  a  Welsh  patronymic,  ab  Lloyd,  which  became 
Blood,  Bloyd,  Blud  just  as  the  simplex  gave  Flood, 
Floyd,  Flud.  The  compounds  Wildblood,  Young- 
blood  are  temperamental  rather  than  physical.  They 
are  perhaps  really  compounds  of  blood  in  its  figurative 
sense  of  offspring,  person  ' — 

"  This  Abel  was  a  blissid  blod  "  (Cursor  Mundi,  1035). 

1  Cf .  the  similar  use  of  Ger.  Blitt — "  Ein  junges  Bint,  a  very  youth  " 
(Ludwig).     Jungblut  is  a  German  surname. 


OBSOLETE    PHYSICAL    NICKNAMES         143 

Cf.  the  more  modern  "  young  blood,"  "  wild  young 
blood,"  used  of  a  buck  or  gay  spark. 

Bone  is  usually  for  Fr.  le  bon,  but  both  Bones  and 
Baines  *  may  be  taken  literally  [Simon  Baynes,  fine 
R.,  Muriel  Bones,  Chart.  R.].  Compounds  are  Long- 
bones,  Langbain*  Cockbain,  Smallbones,  Rawbone,  the 
obsolete  Sorebones,  and  the  existing  Hollebon,  Hollobone, 
hollow  bone,3  corresponding  exactly  to  Ger.  Holbein 
[Arnoldus  dictns  Holbein,  13 th  century,  Heintze].  Col- 
larbone is  an  imitative  spelling  of  Colbourne,  Allbones  is 
from  Alban,  and  Rathbone  is,  I  think,  local,  from  Rad- 
bourne  (Derb.).  It  is  a  Cheshire  name.  Lower  gives 
Skin  as  a  surname.  I  have  not  met  with  it,  but  Purple 
may  mean  "  clear  skin,"  OF.  pure  pel  [Roger  Purpel, 
Pat.  R.].  Earskin  is  of  course  for  the  local  Erskine. 
Tear  is  for  the  Gaelic  MacTear,  son  of  the  carpenter. 

Here  are  a  few  more,  apparently  obsolete,  nick- 
names of  this  class.  Although  many  of  them  are 
French  in  form,  they  all  occur  in  England  in  the  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  centuries.  Probably  some  of  them  still 
exist :  Barheved  (one  origin  of  Barrett],  Brokinheved, 
Flaxennehed,  Hevyheved,  Hundesheved,  Kenidheyd 
(kennet,  a  small  hound),  Sleghtheved,  Wysheved, 
Todheved  (tod,  a  fox),  Visdelu  (wolf's  face),  Visdechat, 
Clenebodi,  Hendibodi,  Oyldebuf  (ceil  de  bceuf),  Grasen- 
leol  (gras  en  I' ceil),  Fatten  eye,  Mauregard  or  Maure- 

1  Bain  is  usually  Scottish,  equivalent    to    Bean,  fair,  but  it  is 
also  a  nickname  from  ME.  bain,  ready  ;    cf .  Robert  Unbayn,  i.e 
the  unready  (F.  of  Y.). 

2  Here,  and  in  some  other  compounds,  bain  perhaps  means  es- 
pecially   leg;  cf.    Adam   Coltbayn    (Northumb.   Ass.  R.  1256-79) 
In  the  Towneley  Mysteries  "  langbain  "  is  used  for  a  sluggard. 

3  Holloman   is    a   variant    of    Holliman,    usually    "  holy    man  " 
[William  Haliman,  Pat.  R.]. 


I44  PHYSICAL  NICKNAMES 

ward,  Scutelmuth,  Swetemouth,  Widmuth,  Dogmow, 
Belebuche,  Quatrebuches,  Treynez  (three  noses), 
Sharpberd,  Stykberd,  Tauntefer  (dent  de  fer),  Auburn- 
hor,  Yalowehair,  Blanchpeil  (poll),  Rugepeil,  Beaupel, 
Curpel  (court],  Blakneyk,  Longecoo  (cou),  Longto, 
Irento,  Clenhond,  Lefthand,  Blanchemains,Malemayns, 
Tortemayns,  Mainwrench  (twisted  ?),  Beaubras,  For- 
braz,  Bukfot,  Bulfot,  Coufot,  Doggefot,  Gildenefot, 
Gosefot,  Harefot,  Hundesfot,  Kaifot  (kye,  cow),  Playfot 
(splay  ?),  Sikelfot,  Sorefot,  Fothot,  Pedechen  (pied  de 
Men),  Pedelever  (lievre),  Pettegris  (grice,  a  pig),  Pe 
de  Argent,  Hautepe,  Brounbayn,  Crokebayn,  Brune- 
coste,  Querdebeof  (cceur),  Corndebeof,  Cormaleyn  (cceur 
maliri),  Curmegen  (cceur  mechantP),  Catteskyn,  Sanc- 
medle,  Slytwombe,  Richwombe  (cf.  Fr.  Richepanse), 
Pesewombe,1  Calvestayl,  Wytebrech,  Smalbehynd, 
Fayrarmful. 

1  Pause  d,  pois  is  an  invective  epithet  applied  to  the  English  in  a 
French  patriotic  song  of  the  fifteenth  century  attributed  to  Olivier 
Basselin — 

"  Ne  craignez  point  £  les  batre, 
Ces  godons  (goddams),  punches  4  pots  ; 
Car  ung  de  nous  en  vault  quatre, 
Au  moins  en  vault-il  bien  troys." 


CHAPTER    VII 

COSTUME   NICKNAMES 

1 '  Sir/  said  Mr.  Tupman,  his  face  suffused  with  a  crimson  glow, 
'  this  is  an  insult/  '  Sir/  replied  Mr.  Pickwick  in  the  same  tone, 
'  it  is  not  half  the  insult  to  you  that  your  appearance  in  my  presence 
in  a  green  velvet  jacket  with  a  two-inch  tail  would  be  to  me ' " 
(Pickwick). 

HAVING  examined  man  anatomically,  we  will  now  make 
a  detailed  exploration  of  his  costume  in  peace  and  war. 
When  a  small  boy  assumes  his  first  topper,  he  knows 
he  must  steel  his  heart  against  the  salutation,  "  Ullo, 
'at,"  with  which  members  of  the  outspoken  classes  will 
greet  him,  and  a  provincial  tragedian,  impersonating 
a  picturesque  brigand,  has  been  encouraged  from  the 
gallery  with  "  Go  it,  boots !  "  The  Middle  Ages 
were  equally  attentive  to  the  conspicuous  in  costume, 
and  there  is  scarcely  an  article  of  attire  l  or  an  adjunct 
of  equipment  which  has  not  given  a  surname,  either 
in  isolation,  Halt,  Hood,  or  accompanied  by  an  adjec- 
tive, Curthose,  Hardstaff.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that 
many  names  of  this  type  have  an  alternative  shop-sign 
origin  [Thomas  del  Hat,  Hund.  R.].  The  Tabard 
will  occur  at  once  to  everyone,  and  Crowne  is  another 
obvious  case.  As  an  example  of  the  way  in  which 

1  Space  does  not  allow  of  describing  the  garments  mentioned 
and  their  varied  meanings  in  ME.  Those  interested  should  consult 
the  NED.  or  Fairholt's  Costume  in  England. 

J45 


146  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

names  have  been  taken  from  garments  we  may  take 
the  extreme  case  of  Coverlid.  It  would  seem  incredible 
that  anyone  should  be  nicknamed  from  a  counterpane 
or  quilt,  if  we  had  not  as  evidence  Matilda  Cooptoria 
(Hund.  R.)-  » 

"Hoc  coopertorium,  a  coverlyd"  (Voc.). 

From  the  head-gear  we  get  Halt,  Capp  [Alward 
Capp,  Pipe  R.],  Hood,  Capron  (Fr.  chaperon),  and  the 
obsolete  Capoce  [Nicholas  Capoce,  Pat.  R.}— 

"  Capuchon,  a  capuche  ;    a  monk's  cowle  or  hood  "  (Cotg.). 

The  Middle  English  compounds  of  Hood  seem  to  have 
been  absorbed  by  those  of  Head  (p.  129).  Cowl,  Cowell 
is  usually  a  Manx  name  (see  p.  319,  n.  i),  but  may  some- 
times belong  here.  Toye  is  a  dial,  word  for  a  close- 
fitting  cap  [Warm  Toy,  Hund.  R.].  It  now  belongs  to 
the  north  and  is  used  several  times  by  Scott.  Feather 
may  be  an  alteration  of  Father,  once  much  commoner 
as  a  surname  than  now  ;  cf .  Penny  feather  for  Penne- 
father,1  a  miser  [Justinian  Panyfader,  Archbp.  Peck- 
ham's  Let.  1279-92].  But  John  Fether  (Bp.  Kellawe's 
Reg.  1334)  points  to  literal  interpretation.  Bonnett 
is  generally  of  French  origin,  a  derivative  of  bon 
(see  p.  289).  Among  the  many  sources  of  Barrett  must 
probably  be  reckoned  OF.  barrette,  a  biretta,  so 
common  in  the  expression  "  parler  a  la  barrette" — 

"  Barrette,  a  cap,  or  bonnet." 

"  Parler  a  sa  barrette,  to  expostulate  with  him  face  to  face  ;    to 
speake  home,  and  to  his  teeth,  unto  him  "  (Cotg.). 


1  This  has  also  become  Pannifer,  Pen/are.  Cf.  the  rustic  "  gran- 
fer "  for  grandfather.  The  earliest  NED.  record  for  "  penny- 
father  "  is  1549. 


NECK-WEAR  I47 

This  word,  which  has  given  a  French  surname,  may  be 
responsible  for  Walter  dictm  Baret  (Archbp.  Giffard's 
Reg.  1266-79),  but  this  may  be  the  OF.  and  ME. 
bar  at,  guile,  contention,  etc.,  whence  also  Barter — 

"  Baratowre,  pungnax  (sic),  rixosus  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

To  costume  also  occasionally  belongs  Chappell,  OF. 
chapel  (chapeau).  The  hatter  is  generally  "  le  chap- 
elier  "  in  the  Rolls,  whence  Shapler.1  With  the  Sussex 
name  Quaife,  from  a  Norman  form  of  coif  [Andrew 
Coyfe,  Pat.  R.],  cf.  Lucy  la  Queyfer,  i.e.  the  coif-maker 
(ib.).  Kercher,  Kurcher,  Kerchey  are  from  kerchief  in 
its  original  sense,  couvre-chef — 

"  With  this  kerchere  I  kure  thi  face  "   (Coventry  Mysteries). 

Neck-wear  seems  to  be  recorded  in  Collar,  Ruff, 
Scarf,  and  Partlett,  but  none  of  these  is  genuine. 
Collar  is  an  imitative  spelling  of  Collier,  a  charcoal- 
burner.  The  ruff  came  after  the  surname  period  z  and 
Ruff  is  simply  a  phonetic  spelling  of  Rough  ;  cf.  Tuff 
for  Tough  [Nicholas  le  Toghe,  Hund.  R.].  Ruff  ell, 
Ruffles  I  take  to  be  local,  at  the  "  rough  heal "  ;  see 
p.  61,  and  cf.  Roughley,  Roughsedge.  Scarf  is  an  Old 
Norse  word,  still  used  in  the  Orkneys  for  the  cor- 
morant or  shag,  and  made  into  a  personal  name  in 

1  It  is  strange  that  the  name  is  not  coihmoner.  Hatter  is  equally 
rare.  Sh-  for  Fr.  ch-  shows  comparatively  modern  adoption.  I 
take  it  that  Shrapnel  is  a  metathesis  of  the  Fr.  Charbonnel,  Char- 
bonneau,  "  little  coal,"  found  in  DB.  as  Carbonel.  The  inter- 
mediate Robert  Sharpanel  occurs  in  Cockersand  Cart. 

*  Hence  the  explanation  I  have  given  of  Quitter  in  my  Romance 
of  Names  (p.  171)  is  wrong.  It  is  simply  the  queller,  i.e.  killer 
[Matthew  le  Queller,  Archbp.  Gray's  Reg.  1225-54].  Also  Keller 
[Simon  le  Keller,  F.  of  Y.]— 

"  Crackers,  facers,  and  chylderne  quellers  "  (Cocke  Lorelle). 


148  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

England  [Hugh  Scarf,  piscator,1  F.  of  Y.,  Henry  Scharf, 
Hund.  R.,  Line.].  A  kind  of  ruff  worn  in  Tudor  times 
was  called  a  partlet,  perhaps  from  the  name  of  Dame 
Partlet  the  hen  in  the  Romance  of  Renard,  but  the 
surname  must  go  back  to  the  latter. 

Coate  has  got  hopelessly  mixed  up  with  cote,  cott,  a 
dwelling,  but  we  may  assume  that  so  common  a 
word  must  have  contributed  to  the  ubiquitous 
Coates,  while  the  existence  of  the  Middle  English 
nickname  Turnecotel  points  to  a  dim.  of  the  word 
as  one  origin  of  Cottle,  Cuttle.  Medlicott  for  "  med- 
ley coat/'  i.e.  motley,  seems  to  be  certified  by 
Peter  Miparty  (Fine  R.),  Fr.  mi-parti  corresponding 
exactly  to  "  motley  "  ;  but  Body  coat  is  an  imitative 
spelling  of  Bodicote  (Oxf.)  Altogether  this  garment 
is  rather  disappointing,  though  there  are  probably 
some  names  in  -cote,  -cott,  to  which  it  has  contri- 
buted. Lower  gives  Gaicoje,  a  name  I  have  not  met 
with.  Mantell  is  as  old  as  the  Conquest  [Tustin 
Mantel,  DB.].  Freemantle  is  a  place  in  Hants  where 
Henry  II.  built  a  great  castle.  It  is  constantly  referred 
to  in  the  Pipe  R.  as  Frigidum  Mantellum,  though  I 
do  not  know  the  origin  of  the  name.  But  the  existence 
of  the  opposite  chaud-manteau  [Alice  Caumantel, 
IpM.]  suggests  that  Freemantle,  formerly  Freitmantel, 
may  also  be  a  nickname.  Pilch  is  etymologically  a 
"  pelisse,"  or  fur  cloak — 

"  Pylch,  pellicium,  pellicia  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Tippett  is  a  dim  of  the  favourite  Theobald  (p.  40),  or 

1  An  appropriate  nickname  for  a  fisherman.  Here  is  a  more 
modern  case — "  At  5,  Commerce  St.,  Buckle,  on  the  i8th  inst., 
William  Cowie,  '  Codlin,'  fisherman,  aged  79  years  "  (Banff shire 
Advertiser,  Aug.  19,  1915). 


SURNAMES    IN   -LESS  i49 

may  come  straight  from  Fr.  Thibaut.  With  the  historic 
Curtmantle  cf.  William  Curtepy  (Pat.  R.),  who  wore  a 
short  pea-jacket— 

"  Ful  thredbare  was  his  overeste  courlepy  "  (Chauc.  A.  290). 

OF.  gonelle,  a  dim.  of  gown,  is  one  origin  ofGunnell. 
Geoffrey  Grisegonelle  was  a  Count  of  Anjou.  WTilliam 
Sanzgunele  (Pipe  R.)  belongs  to  an  interesting  type  of 
name  which,  though  not  confined  to  the  costume  group, 
may  be  conveniently  mentioned  here.  Existing  names 
of  this  class  are  Bookless,  Careless,  corrupted  to  Carloss 
[cf.  Robert  Soroweles,  Lond.  Wills,  1319],  Faultless 
[John  Saunfaille,  City  D.],  Hoodless,  Landless,  Lawless, 
Loveless,  Peerless  or  Fearless,  Lockless  (cf,  Harliss), 
Reckless  or  Reatchlous,  all  of  which  are  obvious  and  to 
be  taken  literally.  They  can  be  authenticated  from 
the  Rolls  and  by  foreign  parallels,  e.g.  Fr.  Sansterre 
(Landless  or  Lackland),  Ger.  Ohnesorg  (Careless],  etc. 
Wanless,  sometimes  perverted  to  Wanlace,  Wanlass, 
Wandloss,  is  ME.  wanles,  hopeless,  luckless.1  Fairless 
is  explained  by  Lower  as  a  contraction  of "  fatherless  " 
[William  Faderles,  Rievaulx  Cart.],  but  perhaps  comes 
rather  from  ME.  fere,  companion,  equal,  commonly 
coupled  with  peer  in  the  expression  "  without  feer  or 
peer."  It  might  even  be  for  "  fearless."  Artless  is  an 
alteration  of  Arkless  (p.  215),  Ruglessisfor  Ruggles,  AS. 
Hrocwulf,  rook  wolf  [William  Roculf,  Pat.  RJ],  Nickless 
may  be  for  Nicholas,  or  for  "  neckless "  [Simon 
Nekeles,  Hund.  R.],  and  Sharpless  is  for  the  local 
Sharpies  (Lane.).  Makeless,  the  matchless,  does  not 
seem  to  have  survived  [Gilbert  Makeleys,  Leic.  BOY. 

1  Cf.  Wanghope,  from  ME  wanhope,  despair,  but,  like  all  -hope 
names  (p.  63),  with  a  possible  local  explanation. 


150  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

Rec.],  unless  it  is  the  origin  of  Maclise.  Thewlis, 
Thewless  l  in  modern  dial,  means  sluggish,  easy-going — 

"  He  was  a  quiet,  thewless,  pleasantly  conforming  man  "  (Crockett). 

Cf.  the  obsolete  John  Blodles  (Hund.  R.),  Peter  le 
Noselese'(Pfl/.  R.),  William  Tothelesse  (Lane.  Court  R. 
1323-4),  Thomas  Berdless  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.).  To  the 
same  group  belong  Santer  [John  Sansterre,  Hund.  R.] 
and  possibly  sometimes  Sansom;  cf.  Fr.  Sanselme, 
OF.  sans-healme,  helmetless. 

To  return  to  garments,  we  have  Cloake  [Alicia  Clok, 
Yorks  Knights'  Fees,  1303],  Jack,  Jackett,  and  Doublett. 
Jack  and  Jackett  are  of  course  usually  baptismal,  the 
ultimate  origin  being  the  same  in  any  case.  With 
Doublett  cf.  Alexander  Purpoynt  (Stow,  1373) — 

"  Pourpoynt,  a  doublet "  (Cotg.). 

Jestico  looks  like  a  perversion  of  Fr.  justaucorps,  cor- 
rupted forms  of  which  were  common  in  Scotland — 

"  It's  a  sight  fer  sair  een  to  see  a  gold-laced  jeisticor  in  the  Ha' 
garden  "  (Rob  Roy,  ch.  vi.). 

Wimplewas  a  surname  as  late  as  the  eighteenth  century, 
so  probably  still  exists,  and  "  le  Wimpler  "  is  a  very 
common  entry  in  the  Rolls.  Cape  and  Cope  are  both 
sometimes  from  garments ;  cf.  Guillaume  a  la  Chape 
(Pachnio)  and  Henry  Scapelory,  i.e.  scapulary  (Annal. 
Monast.) — 

"  Chappe,  a  churchmans  cope  ;  also  a  judges  hood  "  (Cotg.) — 

but  I  fear  that  Waistcoat  and  Weskett  must  be  regarded 
as  corruptions  of  the  local  Westcott.  Taber  is  for  tabard 
[John  Tabard,  Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4],  and  of  course 

1  The  simple  Thew  is  probably  ME.  theowe,  slave,  bondman. 


DETAILS    OF   ATTIRE  151 

has  been  confused  with  Tabor  (p.  175).  It  was  not 
necessarily  a  herald's  dress,  for  it  was  worn  by  Chaucer's 
Plowman — 

"  In  a  tabard  he  rood  upon  a  mere  "  (A.  541). 

Similarly  Surplice  is  derived  from  the  name  of  a  gar- 
ment not  originally  limited  to  ecclesiastical  use.  We 
are  told  that  Absalom  the  clerk  wore  a  kirtle  of  light 
watchet — 

"  And  therupon  he  hadde  a  gay  surplys  "  (Chauc.  A.  3323). 

Slavin  [Robert  Sclavyn,  Fine  R.}  is  from  the  name  of  a 
kind  of  cloak  often  mentioned  in  Middle  English — 

"  His  slaveyn  was  of  the  old  schappe"  (Richard  the  Redeless,  iii.  236). 

It  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  Slavonian  garment  and 
is  explained  by  Cotgrave  (s.v.  esclavine)  as  a  seaman's 
gown.  Overall  is  local,  the  first  element  being  ME. 
over,  river  bank,  while  the  second  may  be  "  hall"  or 
"  heal"  (p.  61).  The  sleeve  seems  to  have  survived 
only  in  Gildersleeve  [Roger  Gyldenesleve,  Hund.  R.] ; 
cf.  William  Grenescleve  (Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285) 
and  Roger  sine  Manica  (Feet  of  Fines).  We  do  not 
seem  to  have  any  name  derived  from  the  glove,  except 
the  dim.  Gauntlett,  though  Pachnio  has  Robert  aus 
Ganz  and  others.  Mitten  seems  to  be  a  genuine  nick- 
name [Roger  Mitayn,  Pat.  R.]. 

Belt  has  a  compound  Broadbelt  [John  Bradbelt,  Pat. 
R.],  chiefly  found  in  the  same  county  (Chesh.)  as  Brace- 
girdle.  The  first  element  of  the  latter  is  dubious, 
breeks  or  breast  ? — 

"  Go  and  have  to  thee  a  lynyn  bregirdil"  (Wye.  Jer.  xiii.  i). 
"  A  spousesse  schal  forgete  hir  brest  girdil  "  (ib.  ii.  32). 


152 


COSTUME  NICKNAMES 


It  gave  the  name  of  a  trade  [William  Brigerdler,  City 
B.].  With  the  above  names  cf.  Adam  Whitbelt  (Pat. 
R.)  and  Henry  Fairgirdle  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.).  The 
obsolete  name  Tutegurdel  suggests  a  very  full  habit  of 
body.  Buckle  is  generally  local  [Alexander  de  Boukhill, 
Fine  R.],  and  Hornbuckle  is  perhaps,  as  suggested  by 
Bardsley,  a  corruption  of  Arbuckle,  which,  in  its  turn, 
is  for  the  local  Harbottle  (Northunlb.).  In  Yorkshire 
this  is  also  found  as  Hardbattle.  Hose  1  (cf .  Raoul  aus 
Reuses,  Pachnio)  has  interchanged  with  House  [Nicholas 
de  la  Hose,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  and  the  latter 
has  generally  prevailed.  Thus  Shorthouse  *  is  com- 
moner than  the  original  Shorthose  [John  Shor those, 
Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  Whitehouse  has  absorbed  not 
only  Whitehose  [Galiot  Wythose,  Pat.  R.],  but  also 
Whitehause,  i.e.  white-neck,  which  occurs  in  F.  of  Y., 
and  Whitehorse,  perhaps  an  innkeeper's  name  [Robert 
Whithors,  Pat.  R.].  The  fairly  common  ME.  Curthose 
[Robert  Curthose,  Hund.  R.]  is  now  almost  lost  in 
Curtis,9  generally  from  le  curteis,  the  courteous.  The 
intermediate  form  appears  as  Curthoys.  Gaiter,  found 
also  as  Gater,  Gayter,  Gay  tor,  Geator,  is  either  OF. 
gaiteor,  a  watchman,  or  an  archaic  and  dialect  form  of 
Goater  [Michael  le  Geytere,  Hund.  R.].  Probably 
both  origins  are  represented — 

"  Custodes  qui  vocantur  Gategeters  "  (Nott.  Bor.  Rec.  1279). 
"  Whether  I  sail  ete  fleysse  of  bulles,  or  I  sail  drynke  blode  of 
gaytes  "  (Hampole's  Psalter,  xlix.  14). 


1  This  word  has  a  very  wide  range  of  meanings  in  Middle  English, 
gaiter,  stocking,  greaves,  breeches,  etc.     See  NED. 

2  Hence  also  Shorter s,  Shortus  ;  cf.  Churchers,  Smithers,  etc.  (p.  96). 

3  For  this  change  cf.   Mellis  and   other  corruptions  of   -house 
(p.  96). 


FOOT-GEAR  153 

Stockings  is  local,  at  the  stumps  or  forest  clearing 
[Edmund  del  Stocking,  Hund.  R.,  John  atte  Stocken, 
Cust.  Battle  Abbey,  1283-1312].  Boot,  like  Fr.  Bout, 
is  a  dim.  of  some  Teutonic  name  in  Bod-,  command, 
and  Button,  Fr.  Bonton,  is  a  derivative.  In  spite  of 
Caligula,  I  doubt  whether  Boot  is  ever  a  costume  name. 
The  apparently  parallel  cases  of  Startup  and  Buskin 
can  be  explained  differently.  A  startup  was  a  rough 
country  boot  or  high-low  (see  NED.  and  Nares) — 

"  Payre  of  startoppes,  houssettes  "  (Palsg.)  ; 

but  the  word  is  formed  in  the  same  way  as  the  sur- 
name, from  "  start  up  "  [William  Stirtup,  Archbp. 
Gray's  Reg.  1225-54].  We  now  say  upstart,  but  cf. 

"  That  young  startup  hath  all  the  glory  of  my  overthrow  " 

(Much  Ado,  i.  3). 

Buskin  is  merely  a  metathesis  of  buckskin,1  which  may 
have  been  applied  to  various  garments  [Richard  de 
Gravde  called  Bokskyn,  City  D.,  Peter  Buckskyn, 
Fine  R.,  Wralter  Buskyn,  ib.,  Martin  Peildecerf,  Pat.  R.]. 
It  may  even  have  been  a  nickname  from  the  quality 
of  the  human  cuticle.  There  is,  however,  nothing  to 
prevent  Messrs.  Startup  and  Buskin  from  having  been 
nicknamed  from  their  style  of  footgear ;  cf.  Robert 
Heghscho  (F.  of  Y.).  Slipper  is  occupative,  the  sword- 
sharpener  ;  see  NED.,  s.v.  swordslyper.  Clapskoe  is  a 
variant  of  the  local  Clapshaw,  apparently  the  haw,  or 
perhaps  shaw,  of  Clapp,  AS.  Clapa. 

1  This  is  the  origin  of  the  common  noun  buskin.  The  NED. 
quotes  (c.  1490),  "  My  Lord  paid  to  his  cordwaner  (shoemaker) 
for  a  payr  bucskyns  xviiid."  The  continental  words  suggested 
by  the  NED.  for  our  buskin  (first  record,  1503)  have  no  connection 
with  the  English  word. 


154  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

There  is  a  large  group  of  colour  nicknames  which 
may  also  be  referred  to  costume.  Even  Black,  White, 
Grey,  Brown  may  occasionally  belong  here,  but  though 
I  have  come  across  thousands  of  medieval  Greens, 
they  have  all  been  local,  "attegrene,"  "  delagrene." 
Still,  cf.  Fr.  Levert  and  Ger.  Grim.  Blankett,  Blewitt  or 
Bluett,  Blunkett,  Plunkett,1  Russett,  Scarlett  are  all  used 
in  Middle  English,  not  only  of  colours,  but  of  certain 
materials  usually  made  in  those  colours  ;  in  fact  scarlet 
as  a  material  is  older  than  the  same  word  applied  to 
a  colour.  Bissell,  Bissett  are  formed  similarly  from 
F.  bis,  dingy,  and  Violett  [Violetus  solus,  Pipe  R.] 
must  surely  belong  to  costume.  With  these  names, 
which  are  abundantly  exemplified  in  the  Rolls  and 
exist  also  in  French,  go  Burr  ell,  Borrell,  homespun,  and 
hence,  figuratively,  simple,  uneducated,  and  Ray,  a 
striped  cloth  often  mentioned  in  Middle  English — 

' '  When  men  with  honest  ray  could  holde  them  self  content  " 

(Barclay,  Ship  of  Fools,  8). 

Lambswool  also  appears  to  describe  costume,  and 
Woolward,  W collar d  must  sometimes  represent  ME. 
wulleward,  clothed  in  wool — 

"  Faste,  and  go   wolwarde,  and  wake, 
And  thole  hardnes  for  Goddes  sake  " 

(Hampole). 

Adjuncts  of  the  costume  are  Staff,  Clubb,  Bur  don,  a 
pilgrim's  staff,  and  Kidgell,  Kiggel,  Kitchell,  Ketchell, 
ME.  kycgel*  a  cudgel  [Walter  Kigel,  Chart.  R.,  Matilda 
Kiggel,  Hund.  R.].  These  are  all  well  recorded  and 

1  Also  local,  from  some  place  in  Brittany  [Alan  de  Plukenet, 
Plugenet,  Plogenet,  etc.,  Chart.  R.].     Hence  also  Plucknett. 

2  Kidgel,  cudgel,  is  still  in  dial,  use  (EDD.) 


ADJUNCTS    OF    COSTUME  155 

are  supported  as  nicknames  by  Giles  Machue  (Pat.  R.), 
a  Norman  form  of  Fr.  massue,  a  club.  With  Staff  cf. 
Tipstaff,1  given  by  Lower  as  a  surname,  from  "  tipped 
staff,"  and  the  more  familiar  compounds  Blackstaff, 
Hardstaff  [cf.  Adam  Toghstaf,  Pat.  R.],  Longstaff. 
Baston  [Thomas  Bastun,  Pat.  R.]  is  of  similar  origin — 

"  Baston,  a  staff,  club,  or  cowlstaff.  But  in  our  statutes  it  signi- 
fies one  of  the  Warden  of  the  Fleets  servants  or  officers,  who  attends 
the  kings  Court  with  a  red  staff,  for  taking  such  to  ward  as  are  com- 
mitted by  the  Court  "  (Blount). 

Trounson  is  for  truncheon  [Robert  Trunchun,  Hund. 
R.],  but  Blackrod,  Whiter od,  Greenrod,  Grinrod,  Bushrod 
are  local,  the  second  element  being  either  road,  or 
royd,  a  northern  word  for  a  clearing  [Adam  de  Black- 
rod,  Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285].  Wand  is  probably  an 
alteration  of  the  nickname  Want,  meaning  mole. 

In  the  case  of  names  of  this  type,  we  must  also 
consider  the  possibility  of  a  grotesque  physical  re- 
semblance being  suggested.  One  has  heard  of  a  tall 
lady  being  described  as  a  "  maypole."  Leschallas,  the 
vine-prop,  is  a  common  French  surname,  and  Vinestock 
is  found  in  England.  Gadd  comes  from  dial,  gad,  a 
long  tapering  stick,  used  figuratively  of  a  lanky  person 
[Joseph  le  Gad,  Pat.  R.].  In  one  of  Maupassant's 
stories  there  is  a  bony  forester  called  Nicholas  Pichon 
Ait  L'fichasse,  with  whom  we  may  compare  Robert 
Stilt  (Ramsey  Cart.) — 

"  Eschasses,  stilts,  or  scatches  to  go  on  "  (Cotg.). 

This  seems  to  be  the  natural  explanation  of  the  German 
name  Tischbein  (table-leg).  Clubb  was  used  for  a 

1  Tiptaft,  Tiptojt  is  local,  from  some  place  in  Normandy  formerly 
called  Tibetot,  a  Scandinavian  name  in  -toft.     It  also  survives  as 
Tiptod. 
12 


156  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

rustic  bumpkin  [Geoffrey  Clubbe,  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.], 
while  "  bumpkin  "  itself  is  possibly  from  the  Dutch  for 
a  tree-stump.  Block,  Blogg  x  is  no  doubt  to  be  ex- 
plained in  the  same  way  [Benedict  Blok,  Exch.  R.] — 

"  Ye  are  suche  a  calfe,  suche  an  asse,  such,  a  blocke  " 

(Ralph  Royster-Doyster,  iii.  3). 

With  this  group  of  names  goes  Whipp,  a  nickname 
for  a  carter  [Allan  Wyppe,  Hund.  R.,  Roger  Wyppe, 
Archbp.  Romeyn's  Reg.  1286-96] ;  cf.  William  Whippe- 
stele,  i.e.  whiphandle  (Pat.  R.).  Purse,  Pouch,  Pockett, 
Satchell  are  also  to  be  taken  literally,  and  Bernard 
Pouch,  collector  of  customs  8  at  Sandwich  in  the  early 
fourteenth  century  (Fine  R.),  suggests  to  us  how  such 
names  may  have  been  acquired  ;  cf.  William  Baglite, 
i.e.  little  bag  (Pat.  R.).  But  Wallett,  so  far  as  my  evi- 
dence goes,  is  an  alteration  of  valet,  a  servant  [Robert  le 
Vallet  or  le  Wallet,  Close  R.].  It  is  also  local,  for  Wall- 
head  (see  p.  128).  Porteous  in  Middle  English  means  a 
breviary,  but  as  the  name  (also  Porteas,  Portas,  etc.)  is 
essentially  Scottish,  it  may  come  from  the  special  use 
of  the  same  word  in  Scottish  law — 

"  Porteous  .  .  .  signifies  ane  catalogue,  contenand  the  names  of 
the  persones  indited  to  the  justiceair,  quhilk  is  given  and  delivered 
be  the  justice  clerke  to  the  crowner  "  (Skene). 

Budgett,  Bowgett  probably  belongs  to  AS.  Burgheard, 
usually  Buchard  in  Middle  English ;  hence  also 
Buckett.  Trussell  is  doubtful,  although  Trousseau,  a 
pack,  is  a  common  French  surname.  Troussel  is 
frequently  found  in  the  Rolls,  but  it  may  be  identical 

1  Cf.  Blagg  for  Black,  Jagg  for  Jack,  Slagg  for  Slack. 

2  Cf.  John  de  la  Barre,  collector  of  customs  at  Chichester,  temp. 
Ed.  I.  (Fine  Rolls). 


ORNAMENTS    OF    DRESS  157 

with  the  bird  nickname  Throssell,  Thrussell.  Bundle 
is  probably  local,  of  Bunhill,1  and  Pack  is  one  of  the 
many  forms  of  the  great  Easter  name  Pascal  [John 
f.  Pake,  Hund.  R.]. 

Coming  to  purely  ornamental  adjuncts  we  have 
Ring  [Robert  Ring,  Hund.  R.]  and  Goldring  [Richard 
Goldring,  Yorks  Knights'  Fees,  1303].  Ribbans,  a  Nor- 
folk name,  is  no  doubt  the  Flemish  Rubens,  which  is 
a  Frisian  derivative  of  Rupert,  Robert.  Here  also  we 
may  put  the  precious  metals,  Gold,  Silver,  Argent.  Gold 
is  usually  a  shortened  form  of  one  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
names  in  Gold  (p.  45)  ;  but  it  is  also  a  nickname  [John 
dictus  Gold,  Archbp.  Peckham's  Let.  1279-92,  Thomas 
withe  Gold,  Pat.  R.].  With  the  second  example  I 
should  connect  Wiegold ;  cf.  Wyberd  *  (with  the  beard?). 
Pur  gold  occurs  in  Blomefi  eld's  History  of  Norfolk  as 
Puregold.  Golden,  Goulden,  usually  for  the  patronymic 
Golding,  is  also  decorative  [Henry  le  Guldene,  Pat.  R.]. 
Both  this  name  and  Fr.  Dore  were  perhaps  due  to  the 
colour  of  the  hair.  Silver  may  in  some  cases  be  reduced 
from  the  occupative  "  silver er  "  [William  Sylvereour, 
F.  of  Y.  1416],  but  it  is  of  quite  common  occurrence 
as  an  epithet,  and  Argent  is  a  well-established  name  in 
both  English  and  French.  Jewell,  found  also  as  Joel, 
Joule,  Joll,  full,  is  a  personal  name  of  Old  French 
origin  [Judhel  de  Totenais,  DB.].  It  is  found  earlier 
as  Judikel,  and  I  fancy  it  springs  from  a  metathesis 
of  ON.  Joketel,  whence  also  Jekyll,  Jickles,  Giggle,3 

1  Cf.  Brindle  (Lane.),  formerly  "  burn-hill." 

2  The  common  AS.  Wigbeorht  would  explain  this  more  safely  ; 
but  Searle  has  no  name  corresponding  to  Wiegold. 

3  Hence  the  place-name  Giggleswick.      The  usual  view  is  that 
Judicael  is  Celtic.     Perhaps  two  originals  are  present  in  the  above 
group  of  names. 


158-  COSTUME   NICKNAMES 

and  many  other  variants.  The  common  surname 
Diamond  is  no  doubt  as  a  rule  altered  from  Daymond, 
Dayment,  AS.  Dsegmund,  day  protection,  but  Dia- 
manda  wife  of  John  Coroner  (Lond.  Wills,  1348-9) 
shows  that  it  was  used  as  a  fanciful  font-name. 
Modern  German  has  many  jewel  surnames,  but  they 
are  usually  Jewish  and  of  quite  recent  adoption.  Our 
Ruby,  Rubey  is  local,  of  Roubaix  [Hubert  de  Ruby, 
Cal.  Gen.] — 

"  Le  marchant  de  Ruby  ne  pouvoit  vendre  sa  marchandisa  audit 
pays  de  Flandres "  (Deposition  of  Bernard  de  Vignolles,  temp. 
Henry  VII.). 

Pearl  appears  to  be  a  nickname  from  the  gem,  but 
I  have  found  no  example  sufficiently  old  to  be  conclu- 
sive. Beryl,  Berrill  occurs  in  the  Rolls  [Walter 
Beryl,  Fine  R.],  but  is  probably  an  imitative  form  of 
the  name  Berald  (p.  34),  and  Jasper  is  also  baptismal, 
Fr.  Gaspard,1  the  name  of  one  of  the  three  Wise  Men 
from  the  East ;  it  has  also  given  Gasper.  Finally, 
Rainbow,  usually  an  imitative  spelling  of  OF.  Reim- 
baud,  corresponding  to  AS.  Regenbeald,  may  also  have 
been  a  nickname  for  a  man  who  loved  bright  colours, 
for  wre  have  the  parallel  case  of  the  Minnesinger 
Regenbogen,  still  a  German  surname. 

Having  considered  man  in  his  civil  attire,  let  us  now 
examine  him  when  armed  for  battle.  Armour  is  for 
the  occupative  "  armourer/'  and  has  preserved  the 
article  in  Larmor,  Larmour  [Manekyn  Larmurer, 
City  E.].  Harness  is  baptismal  [Robert  f.  Hernis, 
Hund.  R.],  from  an  aspirated  form  of  the  Domesday 
Ernegis,  Erneis,  an  Anglo-Saxon  name  in  Earn-,  eagle, 

1  It  is  a  Persian  name,  meaning  "  treasurer." 


DEFENSIVE    ARMOUR  159 

probably  Earngisl,  eagle  hostage.  But  the  existence 
of  Fr.  Beauharnais  and  Ger.  Harnisch  points  also  to  a 
nickname,  which  is  confirmed  by  William  Duble  Har- 
neys,  saddler  (City  A.).  Helm  may  be  short  for  one 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  names  in  Helm-,  such  as  Helmar, 
helmet  famous,  whence  Helmers,  and  is  also  local 
(see  p.  63) ;  but  Basnett  is  from  the  basin-shaped  helmet 
which  was  the  usual  head  defence  of  the  medieval 
soldier — 

"  And  a  brasun  basynet  on  his  heed  "  (Wye.  i  Sam.  xvii.  5). 

Cf .  the  German  names  Kesselhut  and  Ketelhod,  the  latter 
being  the  Low  German  form  (kettle  hat).  William 
Salet  (Exch.  Cal.)  took  his  name  from  the  type  of 
helmet »  which  superseded  the  bascinet.  Caplin, 
Chaplin  sometimes  represent  OF.  and  ME.  capeline,  a 
mailed  hood  [cf.  James  Cape  de  Mayle,  Pat.  R.].  Haber- 
shon  is  from  "  habergeon  "  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  14),  a  diminu- 
tive of  hauberk  [Simon  Hauberk,  Pat.  R.].  This  name 
is  further  corrupted  to  Habberjan,  Habberjam,  and 
Habbijams.  The  corresponding  Ger.  Panzer 8  is  a 
fairly  common  name.  This  group  was  once  much 
larger,  but  as  the  names  for  defensive  armour  became 
obsolete,  the  corresponding  surnames  died  out  or 
became  corrupted  beyond  detection.  William  Wam- 
beis  (Fine  R.)  and  Roger  Gaumbeis  (IpM.)  took  their 
names  from  the  gambeson,  or  wadded  doublet,  worn 
under  the  armour,  perhaps  the  origin  of  Gamson. 
William  Curbuill  (Percy  Cart.)  wore  armour  of  cuir- 

1  On  the  origin  of  salet,  salade,  a  helmet,  see  my  Romance  of 
Words,  p.  199. 

*  Hence  the  gepanzerte  Faust  or  "  mailed  fist." 


i6o  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

bouilli,  boiled  leather,  once  highly  esteemed  for  this 
purpose — 

"  Hise  jambeux  were  of  quyrboilly  "  (Chauc.  B.  2065). 

This  may  survive  in  Corbally  and  Garbally.  There  are 
plenty  of  local  Actons  without  invoking  the  medieval 
acton  or  auqueton  (Fr.  hoqueton)  which  was  also  worn 
under  the  armour,  but  the  garment  was  important 
enough  to  give  its  name  to  a  trade  [Simon  le  Actoner, 
Pat.  R.].  Both  Shield  [Roger  Shelde,  Pat.  R.]  and 
Buckler  are  sometimes  to  be  included  here ;  but  the 
latter  is  generally  occupative,1  the  buckle-malger 
[George  le  Bukeler,  Pat.  R.].  Skew  may  represent 
OF.  escu  [John  Escud,  Pat.  R.~\,  as  in  Fortescue  and 
Fr.  Durescu.  Cf.  with  these  names  Walter  Talevaz 
(Salisbury  Chart.) — 

"  Talevas,  a  large,  massive,  and  old-fasioned  targuet,  having,  in 
the  bottome  of  it  a  pike,  whereby,  when  need  was,  it  was  stuck  into 
the  ground  "  (Cotg.). 

Greaves  has  probably  no  connection  with  armour.  It 
has  three  other  well-established  origins,  viz.  grieve, 
a  land  steward,  ME.  grcef,  a  quarry,  excavation,  and 
ME.  greve,  a  grove. 

Among  offensive  weapons  we  have  Sword,  Sard 
[Syrich  Swerd,  Pat.  R.,  William  del  Espeye,  ib.~\, 
Spear,  Spearpoint,*  Dagger,  Lance.  The  last  is  more 
usually  short  for  Lancelot,  but  Longuelance,  Lance- 
levee  are  common  medieval  names ;  cf.  also  Fr. 
Lalance.  Rapier  is  a  variant  of  Raper,  the  northern 

1  In  this  class  of  names  especially  the  reader  must  be  reminded 
that  many  of  them  could  be  from  shop-signs — 

"  Jelian  Joly  at  sygne  of  the  bokeler  "  (Cocke  Lorelle). 
8  Is  this  rather  a  perversion  of  the  local  Pierrepoint,  Pierpont  ? 


OFFENSIVE    ARMS  161 

form  of  the  occupative  Roper,  and  Brand,  though  it 
means  sword,  is  a  personal  name  (see  p.  38).  Ap- 
parent compounds  of  -lance,  such  as  Hulance,  Roy- 
lance,  Sandelance,  are  merely  accidental  spellings  of 
Hullins,  dim.  of  Hugh,  Rylands,  Sandilands,  both  local ; 
cf.  pence  for  "  pennies,"  Simmance  for  Simmons,  Pearce 
for  Piers,  etc.  Pike  may  occasionally  belong  here,  and 
Hallpike  is  perhaps  for  "half-pike"  (but  see  p.  51). 
With  Knife  cf.  Jehan  Coutiau  (Pachnio).  Halbard, 
Halbert  may  be  a  weapon  name,  but  the  reader  will 
remember  Halbert  Glendinning.  As  Dart  is  essentially 
a  Devon  name,  it  probably  comes  from  the  river  * 
Dart.  Brownbill,  a  common  Cheshire  name,  is  doubt- 
ful. There  are  no  early  records,  and  the  oldest  occur- 
rence of  brownbill  in  the  NED.  is  1589.  Of  Brown- 
sword  also  I  find  no  earlier  example  than  John 
Brownswerd,  1561  (Bardsley),  Randell  Brownsworthe, 
1583  (ib.),  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  the 
name  is  local  or  represents  the  weapon.  Still,  as 
brown,  in  the  sense  of  "  burnished,"  is  a  regular 

1  In  my  Romance  of  Names  (p.  114)  I  have  put  forward  the  view 
that  river  surnames  are  rare  and  doubtful.  They  are,  however, 
more  numerous  than  I  thought,  e.g.  Henry  atte  Sture  (Pat.  R., 
Suffolk),  Richard  atte  Stoure  (Cor am  Rege  R.,  Essex),  the  river 
Stour  dividing  these  two  counties.  Cf.  also  C alder,  Tweed,  Solway, 
Wharf,  a  Yorkshire  name,  Gilpin,  a  stream  in  Westmorland, 
whence  also  the  imitative  Giltpen.  So  also  Churn,  from  a 
headstream  of  the  Thames,  whence  also  Churnside,  Chermside, 
Chirnside,  with  which  cf.  Calderside,  Deebanks,  Creedybridge .  Salli- 
banks  may  belong  to  Solway,  but  perhaps  rather  to  AS.  sealh,  willow  ; 
cf.  Ewbanks  (yew),  Firbanks,  etc.  Allenwaters  and  Gillingwater 
are  both  existing  surnames,  the  first  reminiscent  of  a  famous  song, 
the  second  probably  from  Gilling  Beck  (Yorks).  Dickens  may 
have  invented  Tim  Linkinwater's  name,  but  "  linking  water," 
from  the  Scottish  link,  to  trip  along  nimbly,  is  quite  a  possible 
formation. 


162  COSTUME  NICKNAMES 

epithet  of  the  sword  in  Middle  English,  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  the  origin  of  the  name  is  to  be  found  in 
the  "  bonny  brown  sword "  of  ballad  poetry ;  cf. 
Richard  Whitswerd  (Close  R.). 

Another  name  which  may  belong  to  this  class  is 
Glave,  Cleaves,  the  latter  very  common  in  East 
Anglia.  The  word  gleave,  still  used  in  dialect  of  a 
fish-spear,  is  the  same  as  glaive,  which  in  Middle 
English  means  both  sword  and  spear,  and  in  Old 
French  almost  always  the  latter.  In  Middle  English 
the  word  has  also  the  special  meaning  of  a  spear  set 
up  as  the  goal  of  a  race  and  awarded  as  a  prize  to  the 
winner,  the  origin,  I  suppose,  of  the  name  Winspear l — 

"  Certes  thei    rennen    all,  but  oon  of    hem  takith  the    gleyve  " 
(Wyclif,  Sermons). 
"  Glayfe  wynner,  braveta  "  (Cath.  Angl.). 

It  seems  very  possible  that  a  nickname  could  come 
from  this  practice,  references  to  which  are  numerous 
in  Middle  English  literature.  Cf.  Prizeman  and  the 
origin  I  have  suggested  for  Popjoy  (p.  201).  In  the 
same  way  Arrow  may  come  from  the  silver  arrow 
awarded  to  the  successful  archer  [Ralph  Arwe,  City  D.]  ; 
cf.  the  obsolete  Sharparrow.  "  Mangnall's  Questions  " 
are  not  very  suggestive  of  medieval  romance,  but 
Robert  Mangonell  (Fine  R.)  undoubtedly  took  his 
name  from  the  warlike  engine  with  which  he  was  an 
expert.  That  Spurr  was  a  spurrier's  sign  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  Richard  le  Sporiere  (City  B.)  is 
also  called  Richard  Sporon  (OF.  esporon,  a  spur) ;  cf. 
Thomas  Esperun  or  Sporun  (Pat.  R.),  whose  name  now 

1  Cf .  also  Winspur,  Winsper,  which  may  be  the  same,  or  may  refer 
to  winning  one's  spurs. 


OBSOLETE    COSTUME    NICKNAMES         163 

exists  as  Spearon,  Sperring,  Spurren.  Cockspur  was 
a  London  name  as  late  as  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
no  doubt  still  exists  somewhere. 

Of  the  same  type  as  the  names  mentioned  in  this 
chapter  are  the  following  which  appear  to  be  obsolete 
— Whitebelt,  Curtwallet,  Brounsack,  Pilchecurt  (court), 
Ruggebag,  Wydhos,  Witheskirtes,  Curtemanch,  Grene- 
hode,  Irenpurs,  Penipurs,  Smalpurs,  Halebourse,  Red- 
cal,  Short ecal  (see  Caller,  p.  119),  Losgert,  Blank- 
herneis,  Straytstirop,  Langboue,  Longespeye,  Curt- 
brand,  Descosu  (Fr.  decousu,  ragged),  Smalygurd,  a 
list  which  could  be  added  to  almost  indefinitely. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

MISCELLANEOUS   ADJUNCT-NAMES 

"  Oh  !  quand  ce  jour-la  je  parus  dans  la  cour  du  college  pendant 
la  recreation,  quel  accueil ! 

'  Pain  de  sucre  !  pain  de  sucre  ! '  s'ecrierent  a  la  fois  tous 
mes  camarades  "  (ANATOLE  FRANCE). 

BESIDES  the  numerous  nicknames  derived  from  a 
characteristic  of  physique  or  dress  discussed  in  chap- 
ters vi.  and  vii.,  we  have  a  large  number  of  surnames 
which  appear  to  be  taken  from  tools  and  implements, 
household  objects  of  all  kinds,  articles  of  food  and 
drink,  and  even  coins  and  numbers.  Many  of  these 
are  due  to  the  imitative  instinct,  but  the  majority  are 
perhaps  what  they  appear  to  be,  and  their  use  as  sur- 
names is  due  to  the  object  in  question  having  got  to 
be  regarded  in  some  way  as  an  inseparable  adjunct  of 
the  individual.  In  Nelson's  time  the  carpenter  was 
called  Chips  and  the  purser  Dips,  while  in  Jellicoe's 
time  the  torpedo-lieutenant  is  known  as  Torps.  When 
Smollett  wanted  names  for  three  sea-dogs,  Trunnion, 
Hatchway,  and  Pipes  presented  themselves  naturally. 
We  can  imagine  in  the  same  way  that  the  names 
Meteyard,  Meatyard,  Ellwand,  Elrod  were  conferred 
upon  early  drapers  who  usually  had  such  an  imple- 
ment in  hand,  or  even  put  it^  in  the  case  of  their 

164 


NAMES    FROM    WARES  165 

apprentices,  to  irregular  but  effective  uses.  Or  the 
ancestor  of  the  Ellwands  may  have  been  long  and  thin. 
Baskett  *  is  generally  derived  from  an  ancestor  who 
regularly  carried,  or  had  charge  of,  a  basket.  We 
have  also  the  surname  Maund,  from  the  archaic  and 
dialect  maund,  a  large  basket,  and  it  may  be  assumed 
that  Gilbert  del  Maunde,  Serjeant  of  the  almonry  of 
St.  Swithin,  Winchester  (Pat.  R.),  had  charge  of  the 
alms-basket  ;  cf.  Ernolph  del  Bracyn  (Fr.  brassin,  a 
brewing  vat),  mentioned  among  the  officials  of  a 
hospital  in  the  Chart  R.  Some  men  were  no  doubt 
named  after  the  commodities  they  dealt  in.  Every- 
one remembers  that  Dobbin's  school-name  was  Figs, 
a  delicate  allusion  to  his  father's  grocery,  and  I  have 
known  schoolboys  with  the  sobriquets  Bricks  and 
Balsam,  the  reference  being  in  each  case  to  the  source 
of  the  family  opulence.  Hence  such  a  name  as 
Hardware,  with  which  cf.  Robert  Smalware  (Pipe  R.). 
The  following  examples  have  a  strong  trade  suggestion 
about  them — 

Alexander  Fresharing,  fishmonger  .  .  (CityB.) 

Henry  Graspeys  (porpoise),  fishmonger  .  (City  D.) 

Pyke  the  fishmonger     .  .  (F.  of  Y.) 

John  Tupp,  carnifex     .  .  (#>.) 

Nicholas  Wastal,  cook  .  .  (City  C.) 

William  Duble  Harneys,  saddler   .          .  .  (City  A.) 

Why  people  should  be  named  Nail  or  H or 'snail, 
Horsnell  is  hard  to  say,  but  the  fact  remains  that 
these  names  exist  and  that  they  mean  literally  what 
they  appear  to  mean  [Ralph  Nayl,  Hund.  R.,  William 
Horsnail,  Close  R.'].  The  corresponding  Nagel  and 

1  It  is  sometimes  for  Bassett,  a  dim.  of  Bass,  i.e.  has,  low  ;  cf. 
casket  from  Fr.  cassette. 


166         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

Hufnagel l  are  well  established  in  Germany,  and  French 
even  has  Ferdasne  (fer  d'dne).  Equally  unaccount- 
able is  Trivett,  Trevitt  [Ralph  Trevot,  Pat.  R.],  which 
is,  however,  guaranteed  by  Ger.  Dreyfus  and  Augustine 
Tripoude  [Archbp.  Wickwane's  Reg.  1279-84],  for  trivet 
and  tripod  are  ultimately  identical.  No  doubt  some 
names  of  this  type  were  sign-names.  In  the  early 
Rolls  this  can  be  plainly  seen  [Hayn  atte  Cok,  City  E., 
Adam  de  la  Rose,  City  B.~\,  and,  even  at  a  later  date, 
when  the  preposition  has  been  dropped,  the  connection 
is  often  pretty  obvious.  Such  entries  as  John  Aguillun, 
i.e.  goad  (F.  of  Y.),  John  Whitehors,  taverner  (ib.), 
seem  to  point  to  a  shop- sign  as  clearly  as  Whitebrow 
the  plasterer  (ib.)  to  the  outward  and  visible  sign  of 
a  calling.  One  has  read  of  an  American  dentist  who 
suspended  a  gigantic  gilded  tooth  before  his  premises, 
and,  as  every  tradesman  had  a  sign  in  medieval 
England,  we  may  suppose  that  the  name  Needle, 
Neild  *— 

"  For  thee  fit  weapons  were 
Thy  neeld  and  spindle,  not  a  sword  and  spear  " 

(Fairfax,  Tasso,  xx.  95)— 

was  acquired  by  a'  tailor  whose  emblem  was  a  needle 
of  exaggerated  dimensions — 

"  Moses,  merchant  tailor,  at  the  needle  "  (Pasquin's  Nightcap). 

Ballance  is  clearly  of  sign  origin,  for  Ralph  Belancer, 
i.e.  scale-maker,  who,  according  to  Stow,  was  sheriff 
of  London  in  1316,  is  called  in  the  French  Chronicle  of 

1  Heintze  gives  thirteen  German  surname  compounds  of  -nagel, 
one  of  which,  W  acker  nagel,  is  very  familiar  to  students  of  German 
literature. 

8  This  is  also  for  Neil  with  excrescent  -d,  but  neeld  is  still  dialect 
for  needle  ;  hence  also  Neelder  for  Needier. 


IMPLEMENTS  X67 

London  Rauf  la  Balance.  Crucifix  is  no  doubt  also  a 
sign-name,  and  in  Limmage,  for  Vintage,  the  article 
survives.  See  also  Spun  (p.  162).  But  such  clear  cases 
are  not  numerous,  and  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether 
John  Hunypot  (Pat.  R.)  owed  his  name  to  the  sign  of  his 
shop,  to  rotundity  of  person,  to  a  mellifluous  style  of 
oratory,  or  was  named  ironically  from  a  particularly 
vitriolic  vocabulary.  Equally  mysterious  is  the  origin 
of  John  Sadelbowe  (Hund.  R.),  Roger  Hayrape  1  (Pat. 
R.),  Robert  Butrekyde  2  (Hund.  R.),  and  hundreds  of 
other  such  names,  with  which  we  may  compare  such 
German  3  names  as  Birkenrut  (birch  rod),  Windelband 
(swaddling  clothes),  etc. 

In  this  chapter  I  give  a  certain  number  of  charac- 
teristic names  of  this  class,  pointing  out  as  far  as 
possible  those  that  are  genuine  nicknames  and  those 
which  most  readily  admit  of  an  alternative  explana- 
tion, and  leaving  it  to  the  reader  to  decide  how  such 
odd  names  were  originally  acquired. 

Among  names  which  are  those  of  tools  and  imple- 
ments we  have  Auger,  Axe,  Chisell,  Coulter,  File, 
Funnell,  Gimblett,  Hammer,  Hatchett,  Last,  Lathe, 

1  Perhaps  from  an  elementary  style  of  dress.     The  costume  of 
Dancer,  the  famous  miser,  consisted  for  the  most  part "  of  hay-bands, 
which  were  swathed  round  his  feet  for  boots  and  round  his  body  for 
a  coat." 

2  A  butter-cask.     The  word  is  first  recorded  by  the  NED.  three 
centuries  later  (1567). 

3  The  comparison  with  grotesque  German  names  must  not,  how- 
ever, be  pushed  too  far,  as  a  large  number  of  these  are  only  about  a 
century  old,  having  been  forcibly  conferred  on  such  Jews  as  were 
not  responsive  to  the  pecuniary  suggestions  of  those  entrusted  with 
the  task  of  diffusing  surnominal  Kultur.     Examples  of  such  names 
are  Dintenfass   (inkstand),    Quadratstein    (square    stone),    Maschi- 
nendraht  (machine  wire),  etc. 


168         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

Mallet,  Mattock,  Plow,  Rake,  Shackle,  Shuttle,  Wim- 
ble, Windlass.  There  are  plenty  more,  but  these 
will  suffice  as  examples.  Auger,  also  Augur,  is  a 
personal  name  identical  with  Fr.  Augier,  from  OG. 
Adalgar,  and  hence  a  doublet  of  Alger,  Elgar.  Axe 
may  be  a  metathesis  of  Ask,  an  archaic  form  of  Ash ; 
cf.  the  vulgar  pronunciation  of  the  verb  "  ask"  ;  but 
it  may  very  well  go  with  Dagger,  Sword,  etc.  (p.  160)  ; 
cf.  Robert  Axe  (Hund.  R.),  Ebrard  Bradex,  i.e. 
broad  axe  (Pipe  R.),  and  Fr.  Hachette.  Our  Hatchett 
probably  has  two  origins.  It  is  a  normal  reduction 
of  Hatchard  (p.  33,  n.),  but  its  connection  with  the 
implement  is  supported  by  Robert  Coignee(Chart.R.) — 

"  Coignee,  an  hatchet,  or  axe  "  (Cotg.). 

With  these  cf .  Twybell,  from  the  name  of  a  two-edged 
axe — 

"  Twybyl,  ascia,  bisacuta,  biceps  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

"  Twyble,  an  instrument  for  carpentars,  bernago  "  (Palsg  ) 

Chisell  is  local,  of  Chiswell  (Ess.),  Coulter  is  occupative 
and  equivalent  to  Coltard,  Coulthard,1  etc.,  the  colt- 
herd.  File,  which  occurs  regularly  in  Kent  in  the  com- 
pany of  Fill,  has  a  bewildering  number  of  possible 
origins.  It  may  be  baptismal,  for  Philip  or  Felix 
[Adam  f.  Fille,  Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.  1301-60],  or 
come  from  ME.  file,*  fellow,  still  in  use  in  the  Artful 
Dodger's  time — 

"  At  this  point,  the  Dodger,  with  a  show  of  being  very  par- 
ticular with  a  view  to  proceedings  to  be  had  thereafter,  desired  the 
jailer  to  communicate  '  the  names  of  them  two  files  as  was  on  the 
bench  '  "  (Oliver  Twist,  ch.  xliii.). 


1  Said  to  exist  also  as  Coldtart. 

1  There  is  also  a  ME.  file,  wench  ;   cf .  Fr.  Lafille. 


IMPLEMENTS  169 

Most  probably  of  all  it  is  simply  Field  or  Fylde  with 
the  -d  lost,  as  in  Wiles  from  the  local  Wild  [Robert  de 
la  Wile,  Pipe  R.]  ;  cf.  the  Lane.  Files,  for  Fildes,  also 
Upfill  for  Upfield,  Butter  fill,  M  or  fill,  etc. 

Funnell,  a  Sussex  name,  is  for  Furnell,  found  in 
the  same  county,  and  this  is  the  very  common  Fr. 
Fournel,  a  dim.  of  four,  an  oven,  furnace.  This 
somehow  suggests  Tunnell,  which  is  the  AS.  Tunweald 
[Henry  Tonild,  Pat.  R.].  Gimblett  is  a  dim.  of  Guil- 
laume  with  metathesis  of  m  and  I ;  in  fact,  it  is  a 
doublet  of  Wilmot,  which  shows  the  same  metathesis 
in  Wimlott,  Wimblett.  Hammer  is  the  Scandinavian 
hammer  of  Thor,  occurring  very  commonly  in  local  and 
personal  names.  It  is  also  found  as  Hamar.  Captain 
Hammer  commanded  the  Danish  ship  which  brought 
to  England  the  bodies  of  the  murdered  crew  of  the 
E  13.  Last  would  seem  to  come  from  a  shoemaker's 
sign,  but,  if  this  were  the  case,  we  should  expect  to 
find  it  generally  diff used,  whereas  it  is  purely  a  Suffolk 
name.  The  only  clue  I  have  found  is  John  Alast 
(Hund.  R.,  Line.),  which  may  be  for  "  at  last."  Lathe 
is  Middle  English  for  a  barn  [William  de  la  Leythe, 
Archbp.  Giffard's  Reg.  1266-79].  Mallett  is  the  regular 
reduction  of  Maillard,  a  French  personal  name  from 
OG.  Madalhart.  It  is  probably  also  a  dim.  of  Mai, 
i.e.  Mary ;  cf.  Pallett.  Mattock  is  generally  an 
imitative  form  of  Welsh  Madoc,  but  may  in  some 
cases  be  from  the  tool.  With  Reginald  Mattock 
(Coram  Rege  R.  1297)  cf.  John  Pykoyse  (Pat.  R.)~ 

"  Picquois,  a  pickax  "  (Cotg.). 

Pitchfork  is  a  corruption  of  the  local  Pitchford  (Salop). 


170         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

Plow  was  a  common  inn  and  shop  sign  [Roger  de 
la  Plow,  Pat.  R.]— 

"  Master  Nicke,  the  silkman  at  the  Plow  "  (Pasquin's  Nightcap}. 

Hence  perhaps  also  Plews,  Plues.  Rake  is  more 
probably  local,  from  a  dialect  word  for  a  rough  path, 
pasture  [Geoffr«y  del  Rakes,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33].  It 
is  more  often  found  as  Raikes,  whence  also  Reeks, 
Rex.  Cf.  the  compound  Hollindrake,  Hollingrake, 
from  dialect  hollin,  holly.  Shackle  is  a  personal  name 
[Robert  Schakel,  Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297]  which  appears 
in  some  place-names,  e.g.  Shackleford,  Schackleton  ; 
but  it  was  perhaps  originally  a  Norse  nickname,  from 
ON.  skokull,  waggon  pole,  etc.  Shuttle  is  probably 
also  a  personal  name  [Simon  Shitel,  Pat.  R.],  from 
AS.  Sceotweald,  as  in  Shuttleworth  (but  see  p.  183). 
Wimble  is  for  Wimbolt,  AS.  Winebeald,  and  Windlass, 
Windless  should  probably  be  added  to  the  -less  names 
on  p.  149,  for  it  seems  to  represent  AS.  wineleas, 
friendless;  cf.  Henry  Frendles  (Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176- 
1285).  It  might  equally  well  be  a  phrase-name,  "  win 
lass"  (seep.  263). 

The  examples  dealt  with  above  mostly  illustrate 
the  fact  that  in  names  of  this  type  we  must  always 
look  out  for  imitative  corruption,  but  in  most  of 
them  the  alternative  literal  meaning  is  not  excluded. 
When  a  name  is  at  all  common  it  usually  has 
more  than  one  origin.  For  instance,  Winch,  which 
might  have  been  put  with  the  above,  is  derived 
from  Winch  (Norl),  from  the  "  winch  "  of  a  well 
or  floodgate  [Richard  Attewynche,  Pat.  R.],  and  also 
from  ME.  wenche,  a  young  woman,  which  dropped 
out  of  the  surname  list  as  the  word  degenerated  in 


VESSELS    AND    VEHICLES  171 

meaning  [Philip  le  Wenche,  Fine  R.,  William  le 
Wenche,  Pat.  R.].  Cf.  Maid,  Maiden. 

A  small  group  of  surnames  connected  with  sea- 
faring and  the  waterside  belong  rather  to  occupative 
names.  Such  are  Barge,  Bark,  Boat,  Catch  or  Ketch, 
Galley,  Hoy,  Shipp,  Wherry.  These  are  all  genuine, 
though  Shipp  is  also  for  "sheep";  and  several  of 
them  are  found  occurring  as  surnames  much  earlier 
than  the  corresponding  entries  in  the  NED.  Catch 
is  the  earlier  form  of  Ketch  [Henry  de  la  Keche,  City  £.]. 
Cf.  such  names  as  Cart  and  Wain.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  Carratt,  Carrett,  Carritt,  Carrott,  all  found  in 
Lincolnshire,  represent  AF.  carete  [Nicholas  de  la 
Carete,  Pat.  R.]  for  Fr.  charrette,  charotte.  At  the 
risk  of  wearisome  repetition,  one  must  keep  emphasizing 
the  fact  that  the  creation  of  surnames  is  due  to  un- 
changing human  nature,  and  that  their  investigation  re- 
quires common  sense.  There  is  nothing  more  natural 
than  that  a  man  should  be  nicknamed  from  the  object 
most  closely  associated  with  his  daily  activity.  Just 
as  Gager,  Gaiger  is  from  the  office  of  "  gauger  "  [William 
le  Gaugeour,  gauger  of  wines  in  England,  Ireland  and 
Wales,  Fine  JR.],  so  Gage  was  a  nickname  for  an  official 
of  the  same  class  [Nicholas  Gauge,  troner  1  of  wools 
in  Lynn,  Fine  R.]. 

To  consider  all  the  cases  in  which  people  have  been 
named  from  the  commodities  they  dealt  in  would  take 
up  too  much  space,  so  a  few  illustrative  examples  must 
suffice.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  surnames  were 

1  The  official  in  charge  of  the  tron,  or  weighing  machine  He  was 
alsa  called  $.  Poyser,  Poyzer.  Sir  William  Gage,  of  Suffolk,  to  whom 
we  owe  the  greengage,  had  not  wandered  far  from  the  home  of  this 
possible  ancestor. 

13 


172         MISCELLANEOUS   ADJUNCT-NAMES 

acquired  in  this  way,  for  we  even  find  the  inclusive 
Chafer  [Henry  Chaffar,  Pat.  R.]— 

"  The  chaff  are,  var.  marchaundie,  of  the  Jentiles  "  (Wye.  7s. 
xxiii.  2) — 

and  Marchandy,  Marchandise  both  exist  in  French.  I 
have  found  Clothes  in  Somerset,  the  home  of  the 
surname  Clothier,  in  its  older  sense  of  cloth-worker. 
So  also  Cords  and  Ropes  [Geoffrey  Rope,  Pat.  R., 
Richard  Cordel,  ib.]  are  probably  of  trade  origin, 
though  they  may  have  been  nicknames  for  that 
busy  medieval  official,  the  hangman.  Cordwent  is 
simply  "  cordwain,"  *  i.e.  Cordovan  leather  [Lambert 
Cordewen,  Hund.  R.].  With  the  famous  Hogsflesh  we 
can  compare  Robert  Pigesfles  (City  A.)  and  Johannes 
dictus  Venesun  (Archbp.  Romeyn's  Reg.  1286-96). 
The  latter  name,  of  which  I  have  found  several  medieval 
examples,  is  no  doubt  absorbed  by  Vinson,  Vincent. 

This  brings  us  naturally  to  the  large  number  of 
names  connected  with  foods  and  drinks,  most  of 
which  can  be  accepted  as  genuine,  though  it  is  a  moot 
point  how  far  they  are  due  respectively  to  the  fame  of 
the  purveyor  or  the  predilections  of  the  consumer. 
The  odd  and  homely  character  of  many  names  of  this 
class  is  exemplified  by  Casembrood,  the  name  of  a 
famous  Dutch  admiral,  which  has  a  parallel  in  Geoffrey 

1  In  a  somewhat  ambitious  book  on  surnames  published  a  few 
years  ago  we  find  the  astounding  statement  that  "  Lord  Teynham, 
being  a  Roper,  must  have  drawn  his  family  from  one  who  was  a 
'  cord-wainer,'  pacing  hourly  backwards  and  dealing  out  the  hemp 
that  was  being  spun  and  twisted,  a  monotonous  toil  from  dawn  to 
sunset,  unenlightened  by  a  glimpse  of  the  future  in  which  a  descend- 
ant would  wear  the  six  pearls  and  have  as  crest  a  lion  rampant 
bearing  a  ducal  crown."  Macaulay's  schoolboy  could  have  told 
the  author  that  a  cordwainer's  interest  in  cords  is  only  equalled  by 
his  enthusiasm  for  wains. 


ARTICLES    OF    FOOD  173 

Cheseandbrede  (Yorks  Knights'  Fees,  1303).  Besides 
well-known  existing  compounds  of  -bread  we  find  in 
Middle  English  such  names  as  John  Barlibred  (Pipe  R.), 
Adam  Cokinbred  l  (Leic.  BOY.  Rec.),  Cicely  Cromebred 
(Ramsey  Cart.),  John  Drybred  (Hund.  R.),  John 
Netpayn  (Pat.  R.),  and  William  Halibred  (Exch.  R.), 
the  latter  still  surviving  as  Hallowbread,  Hollowbread. 
The  French  compounds  of  Pain-  are  equally  numerous — 

"  M.  Painleve,  Minister  of    Instruction  and  Inventions,  returned 
to  Paris  to-day  from  England  "  (Daily  Telegraph,  Feb.  25,  1916). 

Cf.  Isabella  Levanbrede  (Yorks,  1379).  To  bread 
belongs  also  Bulteel  [Agnes  Buletel,  Hund.  R.],  con- 
nected with  OF.  buleter  (bluter),  to  bolt,  sift — 

"  Bultel  is  the  refuse  of  the  meal,  after  it  is  dressed  by  the  baker  " 
(Blount). 

Crust  is  short  for  Christian  as  Trust  is  for  Tristram, 
and  Crumb  is  local,2  of  Croom  [Adam  de  Crumb, 
Chart.  R.].  Cake,  Langcake,  Longcake  are  all  existing 
surnames;  Matilda  Havercake,  i.e.  oat-cake,  occurs 
in  the  Hund.  R.  and  Robert  Wytecake  in  Archbp. 
Wickwanes  Reg.  (1279-84)  ;  cf.  John  Foace,  of  Rouen 
(Pat.  R.)— 

"  Fouasse,  a  bunne,  or  cake,  hastily  baked  "  (Cotg.). 

Pancoucke,  a  famous  French  publisher  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  is  simply  the  Dutch  for  pancake  (pankoek),  and 
our  Pancutt  is  possibly  an  alteration  of  the  same  name. 
But  Honeybun,  Hunnybun  are  variants  of  the  local 
Honeybourne.  Another  imitative  name  is  Suet,  for 
Seward,  AS.  Saeweard  [John  Suard,  Fine  R.,  John 
Suet,  ib.]. 

1  For  cocket  bread  ;  see  NED. 

8  It  may  be  also  a  variant  of  Crump,  a  nickname  meaning  crooked. 


174         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

Leaving  aside  such  obvious  names  as  Pudding, 
Pottage,  we  will  consider  a  few  derived  from  obsolete 
words.  Brewitt,  Browett  is  OF.  and  ME.  brouet,  broth, 
v  pottage,  the  ultimate  origin  of  the  Scottish  brose  [John 
Brouet,  Pat.  R.].  Fermidge,  Firmage,  Furmidge  is 
AF.  furmage  (frontage),  cheese.  Haggas,  now  limited 
to  Scotland,  was  a  common  word  in  Middle  English — 

"  Hakkis,  puddyngs,  tucetum  "  (Prompt.  Parv.}. 
"  Haggas  a  podyng,  caliette  de  mouton  "  (Palsg.). 

With  these  cf.  John  Blaksalt  (Pat.  R.),  Henry  Peper- 
wyte  (City  C.),  John  Blancbulli,  i.e.  white  broth 
(Chart.  R.)}  Walter  Jussel  (Glouc.  Cart.)— 

"  Jussellum,  quidam  cibus  factus  ex  ovis  et  lacte,  anglice  Jussell  " 
(Voc.). 

Sharlotte,  which  we  now  connect  with  apples,  may 
be  ME.  charlet — 

"  Charlette,  dyschmete,  pepo  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Collop  seems  a  very  odd  name,  but  the  oldest  example 
I  have  found  [Thomas  Colhoppe,  Feet  of  Fines]  is 
identical  with  the  earliest  recorded  form  of  the  common 
noun  collop.  Drink  names  are  less  numerous.  We 
have  Milk  [William  Mylk,  F.  of  Y.],  Beer  (generally 
local,  see  p.  53),  Goodale,  Goodbeer,  Coolbear,  etc., 
and,  in  earlier  times,  WTilliam  Surmelch  (Pipe  R.), 
Robert  Rougevyn  (Pat.  R.),  and  a  host  of  similar 
names.  We  even  seem  to  have  general  terms  for  food 
and  drink  in  Vivers  or  Veevers,  V titles,1  and  Beveridge. 
The  first  I  cannot  prove— 

"  Vivres,  victualls,  acates  "  (Cotg.). 


1  This  name,  found  in  Devon,   is  more  probably  an  imitative 
corruption  of  Vidal,  from  Vitalis,  also  a  Devon  surname. 


MUSICAL   INSTRUMENTS  175 

though  it  seems  a  natural  nickname  for  a  provision 
dealer  or  innkeeper — 

"  Amongst  others,  one  Mother  Mampudding  (as  they  termed  her) 
for  many  years  kept  this  house,  or  a  great  part  thereof,  for  victu- 
alling "  (Stow) — 

but  Beveridge  is  amply  attested  [William  Beverage, 
IpM.,  Walter  Beverage,  Hund.  R.].  We  may  con-V 
elude  this  somewhat  prosaic  group  of  surnames  with 
those  of  two  contrasted  medieval  entertainers,  William 
Coldbord  (Lane.  Ass.  R.  1176-1285)  and  Agnes  Bone- 
table  1  (Pipe  R.). 

Among  musical  instruments  we  find  Bugle,  Drum, 
Flute,  Fidel  or  Fydell,  Harp,  Lute,  Organ,  Pipe, 
Timbrell,  Tabor,  and  Trump.  Not  all  of  these  are 
what  they  seem,  though  Robert  Clarion  (Close  R. 
1246)  and  Marmaduke  Clarionett,  1559,  incline  us  to 
consider  their  claims  favourably.  ME.  bugle,  besides 
being  short  for  "  bugle- horn,"  meant  wild  ox — 

"  Oxe  and  sheep,  and  she  geet,  hert,  capret,  bugle "  (Wye. 
Deut.  xiv.  5). 

It  was  also  the  name  of  a  plant,  often  confused  with 
the  bugloss — 

"  Buglosa,  bugle"  (Voc.) — 

and,  as  the  latter  has  given  a  surname,  Buglass,  our 
Bugle  may  go  with  the  plant-names  (ch.  ix.).  There 
is  also  a  hamlet  called  Bugle  in  Cornwall.  In  the 
absence  of  early  forms  it  is  impossible  to  decide.  But 
Bugler,  first  recorded  by  the  NED.  for  1840,  can 

1  Cf.  with  these  John  le  Caldeloverd  (Hund.  R.)  and  the  existing 
name  Bonhote,  F.  bon  hole. 


176         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

hardly  have  been  a  HornUower.  As  the  name  belongs 
exclusively  to  Dorset,  I  guess  that  it  comes  from 
Bugley  in  that  county.  Mandlin  is  an  alteration  of 
Maudlin,  i.e.  Magdalen;  cf.  Manclark  (p.  234).  Drum 
and  Drummer  are  probably  both  local,  the  former 
being  a  common  Scotch  and  Irish  place-name,  mean- 
ing "  ridge/'  while  the  latter  can  easily  have  been 
corrupted  from  one  of  the  innumerable  spots  beginning 
with  the  same  syllable.  Both  drum  and  drummer  are 
Tudor  words  in  the  NED.,  and  I  have  found  no  early 
examples  of  their  surname  use.  In  Middle  English 
the  instrument  was  called  "  taber "  [Richard  le 
Taborer,  Pat.  R.],  whence  the  occupative  Tabrar, 
Taberer,  Tabborah,  while  Taber,  Tabor  may  be 
shortened  from  this — 

"  Taberes  and  tomblers  "  (Piers  Plowm.  A.  ii.  79) — 

or  be  simply  the  name  of  the  instrument^jised  as  a 
nickname  for  the  musician  l  [Suein  Tabor,  Pipe  R.]. 
Tabrett  is  also  found  and  Tambourin  is  a  French  name. 
The  existence  as  surnames  of  Fidler  or  Vidler, 
Flutter,  Harper,  Luter,  Piper,  Trumper,  all  of  which 
are  well  documented,  is  in  favour  of  accepting 
Fidel,  Flute,  Harp,  Lute,  Pipe,  Trump  at  their  face 
value,  but  some  of  them  have  an  alternative  origin. 
Fidel  is  sometimes  Fr.  fiddle,  faithful,  Flute  is 
rather  an  imitative  form  of  Flewitt,  AS.  Flodweald 
[Fluold  solus,  Lib.  Vit.~\,  and  Harp  is  a  sign-name 
[Florencia  atte  Harpe,  Bardsley,  1327].  Organ  is  a 
personal  name  [Organ  Pipard,  Testa  de  Nev.].  It 
has  also  become  Orgies,  by  a  natural  corruption 

1  Cf.  Fr.  trompette,  trumpeter,  and  our  own  "  first  violin." 


COINS  i77 

which  occurs  also  in  the  case  of   the  common  noun 
of  the  same  form — 

"  Orgies,  tymbres,  al  maner  gleo  "  (NED.  i^th  cent.). 

Pipe  is  generally  local,  for  a  pipe  or  water-conduit 
[Thomas  atte  Pipe,  of  Bristol,  Pat.  R.~\ ;  cf.  Conduct, 
Cundick.  Timbrell  l  may  be  for  Tumbrell,  a  name  given 
to  the  official  in  charge  of  the  tumbrel,  "  an  instrument 
of  punishment,  the  nature  and  operation  of  which 
in  early  times  is  uncertain  ;  from  sixteenth  century 
usually  identified  with  the  cucking-stool "  (NED.).  We 
may  suppose  that  John  Tumberel,  collector  of  customs 
at  Haverfordwest  (Fine  R.),  worked  this  machine  in 
his  spare  time.  Probably  Root  is  sometimes  from 
the  rote,  the  most  famous  of  medieval  instruments 
[Simon  Rote,  Hund.  R.},  and  William  Sawtrey,  the 
first  Lollard  martyr,  took  his  name  from  the  psaltery. 
In  English,  as  in  other  languages,  we  find  a  certain 
number  of  surnames  derived  from  coins,  e.g.  Farthing, 
Halfpenny,  Penny,  Shilling,  also  Shilling  [John  Eskel- 
ling,  Pat.  R.],  Twopenny  or  Tippenny,*  Besant,  Ducat,* 
Duckett,  or  from  sums  of  money.  Pound  is  local, 
Guinea  is  an  imitative  spelling  of  the  Irish  Guiney, 
and  Shekell  is  for  Shackle  (p.  170).  Shillingsworth  is 
local,  the  "  worth,"  or  homestead,  of  a  man  named 
Shilling.  Cf.  Shillingshaw,  in  which  the  second  element 

1  See  p.  130,  n.  Still,  Robert  Tymperon  (Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.) 
suggests  an  early  form  of  "  tambourine,"  used  by  Ben  Jonson  some 
centuries  later,  and  Timperon  is  still  a  Cumberland  name. 

8  Also  Thic'kpenny,  Moneypenny  [William  Manypeni,  Pat.  R.]. 
Limpenny  is  local,  from  Lympne  (Kent). 

3  Shakespeare  spelt  the  coin  ducket,  while  ducat  is  a  restored  form. 
There  is  also  a  personal  name  Duckett,  for  Marmaduke,  and  another 
origin  is  "  duck  head  "  It  is  impossible  to  separate  them. 


178         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 


may  be  sJiaw,  a  wood,  or  haw,  an  enclosure.  The 
following  medieval  examples  are  instructive,  though 
they  do  not  tell  us  how  the  names  were  acquired — 


Robert  Alfmarck,  now  Allmark,  Hall- 
mark ..... 

William  Brodepeny 

Christiana  Deudeners  ;  cf .  Twopenny 

John  Deumars        .... 

Richard  Dismars,  now  Dismore  (cf. 
Sissmore  for  "  sis-mars  ") 

Roger  Duzemars    .          . 

John  Fivepeni         .          .          .          . 

Thomas  Godespeny 

John  Halfpound     .... 

Thomas  Mardargent 

John  Nynpenyz       .... 

Osbert  Oitdeniers  (huit  denier  s) 

Gerard  Quatremarc 

Thomas  Quatresoz 

Henry  Quinzemars 

Richard  Threeshillings     . 

Edmund  Trentemars 

Fulk  Twelpenes      . 

Geoffrey  Twentemarc 

Cecily  Treydeners  .... 

Laurence  Wytepens 


(Hund.  R.) 
(Writs  of  ParL) 
(ib.) 
(City  A.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(Fine  R.) 

(Hund.  R.) 

(Close  R.) 

(City  E.) 

(Fine  R.) 

(Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.) 

(Pipe  R.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(City  C.) 

(Close  R.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(City  A.) 

(Hund.  R.) 

(ib.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(ib.) 


With  the  last  of  these  cf.  the  well-known  Dutch 
name  Schimmelpeninck.  One  can  only  guess  at  the 
various  ways  in  which  certain  sums  became  associated 
with  certain  individuals.  We  know  that  Uncle 
Pumblechook  had  an  irritating  way  of  alluding  to 
Pip  as  "  six  penn'orth  of  ha'pence,"  and  that  David 
Balfour  was  also  temporarily  nicknamed  by  Lady 
Allardyce — 

"  '  O,  so  you're  Saxpence  \  '  she  cried,  with  a  very  sneering 
manner.  '  A  braw  gift,  a  bonny  gentleman.  And  hae  ye  ony  ither 
name  and  designation  or  -^ere  ye  bapteesed  Saxpence  ?  ' ' 


NUMBERS  179 

The  names  in  the  above  list  seem  to  be  nearly  all 
extinct  in  England,  though  many  of  the  same  type 
are  still  found  in  France  and  Germany.  But  it  seems 
likely  that  some  of  our  number  names  are  shortened 
from  them.  This  can  be  seen  in  the  case  of  Andrew 
Sixantwenti  alias  Vinte-sis-deners,  i.e.  twenty- six 
pence  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.).  Thus  the  name  Eighteen,1 
well  established  at  Reading,  may  be  short  for  "  eigh- 
teen pence."  Another  possibility  is  that  it  repre- 
sented the  age  of  an  ancestor  ;  cf.  Robert  Quinzanz 
(Chart.  R.).  Pachnio  has  many  examples  from  medie- 
val Paris,  e.g.  Raoul  iiij  Deniers,  Guillaume  ix  Deniers, 
Symon  Quatuordecim,  Jehan  Quatre-Cenz,  etc.  In 
the  last  two  examples  the  items  may  have  been  cows, 
sheep,  etc.  ;  cf.  Robertus  Quatuor  Bourn,  Geffroi  as 
ij  Moutons  (Pachnio).  And  there  is  a  medieval  Latin 
poem  on  a  peasant  known  as  Unusbos,  a  kind  of  Little 
Claus. 

Among  existing  names  of  this  form  are  Two,  Four, 
Six,  Twelve,  Twelves,  Eighteen,  Forty,  most  of  which 
are  susceptible  of  another  explanation.  Two  may  be 
short  for  Twoyearold  (p.  250),  but  is  more  probably 
local,  of  Tew  (Oxf.).  Four  has  two  clear  origins, 
other  than  the  numeral,  viz.  Fr.  four,  an  oven  [Hugh 
de  la  Four,  Hund.  R.],  and  the  archaic  fower,  a 
scavenger  [John  le  Fower,  Fine  R.].  Six  is  for  Siggs, 
short  for  one  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  names  in  Sige 
[^Edric  Sigge,  Pipe  R.].  Twelve  is  perhaps  short  for 
Twelftree  or  Twelvetrees,  and  Forty,  Fordy  is  local 
[William  de  la  Fortheye,  Hund.  R.,  Oxf.],  apparently 
the  island  by  the  ford.  In  the  Hund.  R.  are  several 
examples  from  Oxfordshire,  which  is  still  the  home  of 

1  Cf.  Fr.  Dixneuf  (Bottin). 


i8o         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

the  name.  Million  is  probably  the  Fr.  Emilien,  from 
Emile.  Billion  belongs  to  Bill  (p.  38).  It  is  found  in 
Norfolk,  sometimes  also  as  Bullion.  Milliard  is  an 
artificial  spelling  of  Millar d  [Robert  le  Milleward, 
Hund.  RJ\.  Unitt  or  Unite  seems  to  be  a  Welsh  name 
[Unieth  the  cutler,  Glouc.  Cart.],  possibly  from  Welsh 
uniaith,  monoglot,  of  one  language,  a  man  who  could 
not,  like  most  of  the  borderers,  speak  both  Welsh  and 
English.  Among  ordinals  of  English  origin  I  have 
only  come  across  Third,  which  may  be  short  for 
Thirdborough,1  the  peace-ofhcer  of  a  tithing,  originally 
the  head  man  of  a  frank-pledge  or  frithborh,  from 
which  latter  word  it  is  probably  corrupted.  In  fact, 
the  more  correct  Freeborough  exists  as  a  surname. 
But  in  French  we  find  Prin,*  Prime,  Premier,  Second, 
Thiers,  Tierce,  whence  our  own  Prin,  Prynne,  Pring, 
Print,  Prime,  Primmer  [Roger  le  Premier,  Pat.  R.~\, 
and  Tyers,  Terse  [John  Teis,  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.~\.  The 
curious  Lancashire  name  Twiceaday,  Twisaday  means 
"  twice  a  day  "  [John  Twysontheday,  Pat.  R.,  Cumb. 
1410],  but  remains  mysterious. 

Essentially  connected  with  the  individual  are  oath- 
names  and  other  characteristic  phrases.  Here  again 
we  have  sadly  degenerated,  and  few  of  this  type  are 
now  among  us.  We  have  Par  doe,  Pardy,  etc.,  from 
pardieu,  Mordue,  Mordey,  from  mort-dieu,  Dando  or 
Daddow,  for  dent-dieu 3  [William  Dandewe,  Archbp. 
Romayn's  Reg.  1286-96],  and  the  rather  Chadbandian 

1  With  this  cf.  the  synonymous  name  Headborough — "  I  must  go 
fetch  the  headborough  "  (Taming  of  the  Shrew,  i.  12). 

z  Prin,  prime  are  Old  French  forms  from  primus,  still  surviving 
in  printemps,  prime- abord,  etc.  The  existence  of  .the  name  De  la 
Pry  me  suggests  an  alternative  origin  for  Prime. 

3  Or  possibly  from  OF.  Damnedieu,  Dominus  Deus. 


OATH-NAMES 


181 


Godbehere,  Goodbehere  [Geoffrey  Godbeherinne,  City  B.]. 
Some  of  the  following  still  exist  in  a  disguised  form— 

William  Adieu  1  . 
Robert  Benedicite 
Walter  Corsant  (corps  saint) 
Richard  Coursedieu  2    . 
John  Depardeu   . 
Simon  Deudamur 
Deudevize  solus  . 


.  (Writs  of  ParL) 

.  (Exch.  R.) 

.  (Hund.  R.) 

.  (Exch.  R.) 

.  (Close  R.) 

.  (Chart.  R.) 

.  (Lib.  Vit.) 

Deulacresse  Judaeus  (Dieu  I'accroisse)  (Fine  R.) 


Henry  Deuleseit 
Deulebeneye  f .  Chere    . 
Deulesaut  (Dieu  le  sauve)  Coc 
Deulaie  (Dieu  I' aide)  f .  Ely  as 
Deusdedit,    sixth    Archbishop 

Canterbury 

Roger  Deus-salvet-Dominas  3 
John  Deutait       .          . 
Richus  Deugard  or  Deuvusgard 
John  Fadersoule . 
William  Goddesbokes  . 
Richard  Godesname    .          . 
William  Godespays 
Olive  Goadbles    . 
John  Godsalve    .          .          . 
Basilia  Godsowele 
William  Godthanke      . 
William  Gracias  . 
Simon  Halidom  . 
William  Helbogod 
John  Heylheyl    . 
Ralph  Modersoule 
John  Papedy  (pape-Dieu) 
John  Parfey 

William  Placedeux  (plaise  Dieu) 
John  Purdeu 


of 


(Hund.  R.) 
(Fine  R.) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(Close  R.) 


(DB.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(ib.) 

(Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts) 

(F-  of  Y.) 

(City  B.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(Exch.  Cal.) 

(Hund.  R.) 

(ib.) 

(Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.) 

(ib.) 

(Exch.  R.) 

(City  B.) 

(Close  R.) 

(Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.) 

(Pat.  R.) 

(Lane.  Inq.) 

(Hund.  R.) 


1  Cf .  Farewell  [Richard  Farewel,  Hund.  R.] 

8  For  corps  Dieu,  or  possibly  a  phrase-name  (ch.  xii.)  for  a 
man  who  had  taken  the  advice  given  to  Job  by  his  wife.  Cf. 
Adam  Crusseking,  i.e.  curse-king  (thirteenth  century). 

3  With  this  early  representative  of  "  three  cheers  for  the 
ladies"  cf.  Ger.  Trauenlob,  a  Minnesinger  and  a  cruiser. 


i82         MISCELLANEOUS  ADJUNCT-NAMES 

It  will  be  noticed  that  most  of  these  are  of  French 
formation.  Pardy,  Pardoe,  etc.  are  really  distinct 
from  Purdy,  Purdue,  etc.,  the  first  representing  rather 
de  par  Dieu,  i.e.  de  parte  Dei,  in  God's  name,  as  in 
modern  French  de  par  le  roi,  while  Purdue  is  rather  Fr. 
pour  Dieu.  Also  the  common  Pardoe,  Pardow  has  an 
alternative  origin  from  OF.  Pardou,  for  the  personal 
name  Pardolf  (Bardolph).  Deulaie  (v.s.)  may  be  the 
origin  of  Duly.  Deugard  has  given  Dugard.  For 
Godsave  see  p.  316.  Godsowele  is  one  origin  of 
Godsall,  Goodsell,  Outsell,  and  Modersoule  has  become 
Mothersole,  Mothersill.  Parfey  is  now  Purefoy. 

Finally,  we  find  in  Middle  English  a  number  of 
nicknames  evidently  derived  from  the  word  or  phrase 
which  a  man  overworked.  Most  of  us  could  quote 
similar  cases  within  our  own  experience.  Examples 
are — 

Milo  Ancoys,  OF.  ansois,  rather         .  (Hund.  R.) 

Robert  Autresy,  OF.  autresi,  also      .  (Pat.  R.) 

Hugh  Comment      ....  (Hund.R.) 

Michael  Houyece,  Ho  yes  ?  .  (IpM.,  Notts) 

Robert  Jodiben,  fe  dis  bien       .          .  (Fine  R.) 

William  Jurdemayn,  to-morrow  !       .  (Hund.  R.) 
Hugh    Oroendroyt,     OF.    orendroit, 

straightway     ....  (i$th  century) 

Peter  Ouy  ....  (Pipe  R.) 

David  Paraventure          .         .         .  (Pat.  R.) 

Richard  Pernegarde,  prends  garde     .  (Exch.  R.) 

Pagan  Purquey,  pourquoi          .          .  (Hund.  R.) 
John  Recuchun,  "  I  must  slumber 

again "   .  .  (Fine  R.) 

Ralph  Sachebien     ....  (Ramsey  Cart.) 

William  Wibien,  oui  bien  .          .  (Pleas) 

These  are  practically  all  of  French  formation,  and  I  can- 
not with  certainty  identify  any  of  them  with  existing 
surnames.  They  are  inserted  here  for  the  satisfaction 


ODDITIES  183 

of  students,  as  examples  of  the  fantastic  manner 
in  which  surnames  can  be  formed,  and  as  a  caution 
against  explaining  everything  odd  as  a  "  corruption." 
In  the  Nottingham  Borough  Records  occurs  the  name 
of  Elias  Overandover.  He  may  have  been  a  man 
fond  of  wearisome  iteration  in  speech,  or  with  a 
penchant  for  turning  somersaults,  or  of  antique  con- 
scientiousness in  the  performance  of  the  common 
task — 

"  My  godsire's  name,  I  tell  you, 
Was  In-and-in  Skittle,  and  a  weaver  he  was, 
And  it  did  fit  his  craft ;  for  so  his  shittle 
Went  in  and  in  still,  this  way  and  then  that  way  " 

(Ben  Jonson,  Tale  of  a  Tub,  iv.  2). 


CHAPTER    IX 

VEGETABLE   NICKNAMES 

"  Bot.     Your  name,  honest  gentleman  ! 
Peas.  Peaseblossom. 

Bot.  I  pray  you,  commend  me  to  Mistress  Squash,  your  mother, 
and  to  Master  Peascod,  your  father  " 

(Midsummer  Night's  Dream). 

VEGETABLE  surnames  may  have  come  into  existence 
in  various  ways.  Tree  names  are  generally  local,  and 
there  is  probably  no  well-known  English  tree  which 
has  not  contributed  to  the  list.  Most  of  these  present 
no  difficulty,  but  occasionally  dialect  forms  have  pre- 
vailed, e.g.  Hamblock  for  hemlock.  We  also  find  the 
obsolete  Beam  l  [Osborn  Atebeame,  Hund.  R.]  and  its 
compound  Nutbeam  [John  atte  Notebem,  ib.].  Local 
also  are  such  considerable  growths  as  Broom,  Reed, 
Gorse,  Furze,  Fern,  etc.,  with  their  compounds  such 
as  Thickbroom  [Richard  de  Thickbrome,2  Pleas.], 
Fearnside  [Nicholas  del  Fernyside,  Lane.  Court  R. 
1323-4],  Redfern  [William  del  Redferne,  ib.].  We 
may  perhaps  also  suppose  that  two  contiguous  Johns 
whose  huts  were  overgrown  with  ivy  and  jessamine 

1  AS.  beam,  a  tree.  "Not  found  later  than  Anglo-Saxon" 
(NED.).  But  the  above  example  shows  that  the  word  survived 
into  the  Middle  English  period.  We  still  have  the  compound 
hornbeam  and  others  which  are  less  common. 

8  This  was  a  manor  near  Lichfield. 

184 


CEREALS  185 

respectively  may  have  been  distinguished  by  the 
names  Ivy,  Ivey,  and  Jessemey,  Jessiman. 

The  above  are  simple  cases,  but  there  are  also  a  great 
many  surnames  taken  from  the  vegetable  world  which 
can  only  be  regarded  as  nicknames  created  by  the 
mysterious  medieval  folk-lore  of  which  we  unfortunately 
know  so  little.  We  still  sometimes  describe  a  person 
as  a  daisy,  and,  in  our  more  subtle  moments,  even  as  a 
tulip  or  a  peach,  while  the  quite  modern  nut,  or  more 
elaborate  filbert,  perhaps  represents  a  recurrence  of  a 
long-dormant  instinct  inherited  from  far-off  ancestors. 
Among  surnames  of  this  type  we  find  the  names  of 
plants,  flowers,  fruits,  vegetables,  and  also  minute 
products  and  parts  of  vegetation.  Here,  as  always, 
French  and  German  parallels  are  abundantly  numerous; 
while  in  Latin  we  find  Cicero,  Fabius,  Lentulus, 
Piso,  etc. 

Plant  itself  is  generally  local  [John  de  la  Flaunt, 
of  Rouen,  Pat.  R.]f  from  OF.  plant,  enclosure,  planta- 
tion, but  its  occurrence  in  the  Rolls  without  de  [Robert 
Plante,  Hund.  R.]  suggests  that  it  was  also  a  nick- 
name, from  ME.  plant  used  in  a  variety  of  senses, 
sprig,  cudgel,  young  offspring  (see  NED.).  We  find 
all  the  important  cereals,  Corn,  Wheat,  Barley,  Oats, 
Rye.  The  first  seems  to  be  genuine,  perhaps  for  a 
peasant  whose  corn  crops  were  particularly  successful, 
or  for  one  who  lived  among  cornfields  ;  cf.  Fr.  Desbleds, 
OF.  bled  (ble).  It  has  a  compound  Oldcorn,  whence 
also  Allcorn,  with  which  cf.  Johanna  Gold  corn  (Cal. 
Gen.)  and  Robert  Oldbene  (Hund.  R.).  Wheat  is 
more  often  one  of  the  very  numerous  variants  of 
the  occupative  Wait,  a  watchman ;  but  cf.  the 
common  Fr.  Froment.  Barley  is  a  local  name  and 


186  VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

also  a  variant  of  Barlow,  but  Desorges  is  a  French 
surname.  Oates  is  generally  the  Old  French  nomina- 
tive of  Odo,  Otto  [Otes  de  Houlond,  City  F.],  from 
some  German  name  in  Od-,  corresponding  to  AS. 
Ead-,  but  cf.  Fr.  Alavoine.  Rye  is  generally  local,  but 
the  corresponding  Seigle  is  a  common  French  surname. 
In  each  of  these,  therefore,  a  double  origin  is  possible, 
while  a  local  derivation  is  also  not  excluded.  Maize 
is  an  imitative  spelling  of  Mayes,  from  May,  which 
has  various  origins  (p.  248).  Grain  is  usually  a 
nickname,  OF.  grain,  morose *  [Dominus  Johannes 
dictus  le  Greyne,  Nott.  Bor.  Rec.].  Drage,  Dredge, 
Drudge  are  dialect  names  for  a  mixed  crop,  especially 
of  rye  and  wheat.  From  its  more  usual  name,  mestlyon, 
comes  Maslin,  though  this  has  also  another  origin,  from 
a  Middle  English  personal  name  Mazelin,  probably, 
like  Fr.  Massillon  (p.  283),  from  Thomas  [Mazelin  de 
Rissebi,  Hund.  R.]— 

"  Metail,  messling,  or  maslin  \  wheat  and  rye  mingled,  sowed, 
and  used  together  "  (Cotg.). 

Millett  is  a  dim.  of  Miles  or  Millicent.  Hardmeat  might 
be  taken  for  a  local  "  hard  mead,"  the  more  so  because 
Meat,  Meates  are  for  Mead,  but  William  Hardmete 
(Hund.  R.)  shows  it  to  be  a  nickname  from  the  obso- 
lete hard-meat,  used  of  corn  and  hay,  as  food  for 
cattle,  contrasted  with  grass.  No  doubt  Greengrass 
has  a  similar  origin.  Grist  is  for  Grice,  with  excrescent  -t ; 

1  A  very  interesting  chapter  could  be  written  on  nicknames  from 
Old  French  adjectives  which  have  survived  in  England.  Examples 
are  Tardew,  OF.  tardieu  (tardi/),  used  also  as  a  name  for  the  snail, 
Vesey,  Vaisey,  Voysey,  etc.,  OF.  envoisi,  playful,  AF.  enveise  [William 
le  Enveyse,  Hund.  R.],  Miskin,  F.  mesquin,  paltry,  etc. 


MEDICINAL    PLANTS  187 

cf.  Moist  for  Moyes,  i.e.  Moses,  and  Twist  for  Twiss 
(p.  82).  Grice  itself  has  two  origins,  Fr.  gris,  grey, 
and  ME.  grice,  a  pig. 

Among  plants  that  have  given  surnames  we  notice 
that  the  odorous,  pungent,  and  medicinal  varieties 
predominate,  probably  because  they  lent  themselves 
more  readily  to  emblematic  use.  It  is  known  that 
magical  properties  were  ascribed  to  many  of  them. 
We  have,  among  medicinal  plants,  Skirrett,  Camamile, 
Tansey,  Spurge,  Staveacre,  Bettany,  Rue.  The  last 
two  are  doubtful.  Bettany,  found  in  Staffordshire 
along  with  Betteley,  is  probably  from  Betley  in  that 
county,  and  Rue,  which  runs  parallel  with  Rew  in  Wilt- 
shire, may  be  AF.  rew,  street,  Fr.  rue.  Still,  both 
these  plants  have  a  good  deal  of  folk-lore  about  them, 
e.g.  according  to  Burton,  the  Emperor  Augustus  re- 
garded betony  as  efficacious  for  the  expulsion  of 
devils,  while  Shakespeare's  allusions  to  rue,  the  herb 
of  grace,  are  numerous.  But,  rather  than  attempt  an 
explanation  of  each  name  in  detail,  I  will  refer  the 
reader  to  that  very  charming  lecturer,  Perdita  (Winter's 
Tale,  iv.  4).  Staveacre  is  for  stavesacre,  which,  in 
spite  of  its  English  appearance,  is  almost  pure  Greek. 
It  was  an  emetic  and  a  remedy  against  vermin.  With 
these  go  also  Buglass  (p.  175),  and  probably  Sidwell, 
Sitwell  [Thomas  Sitwele,  Pat.  R.],  from  sedwall,  once 
regularly  coupled  with  ginger  and  other  spices — 

"  And  he  hymself  as  sweete  as  is  the  roote 
Of   lycorys,   or   any   cetewale  " 

(Chauc.  A.  3206). 

Here  generally  belongs  Ambrose,  common  as  a  medi- 
eval surname,  but  rather  rare  as  a  font-name  [William 

14 


i88  VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

Ambroys,  Hund'.  R.,  Richard  Ambrosie,  ib.].  It  was 
used  of  the  wild  sage — 

"  Ambrose  an  herbe,  ache  champestre  "  (Palsg.). 

And  it  is  very  likely  that  Alexander  *  or  Saunders  is 
often  to  be  classed  with  it.  This  was  a  common 
name  for  the  horse-parsley — 

"  Alysaundere,  herbe,  Macedonia"  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

For  an  example  of  saundres,  coupled  with  brazill  (p.  189), 
see  the  epigraph  to  ch.  xii. 

I  observe  that  Herr  v.  Wermuth  is  (Nov.  1915) 
Burgomaster  of  Berlin,  and  Wormwood  is  given  as  a 
surname  by  Camden,  though  I  do  not  know  if  it  now 
exists — 

"  Wermuth,  ein  bitter  kraut,  wormwood  "  (Ludwig,  Germ.  Diet. 
1716). 

Darnell,  tares  [William  Dernel,  Glouc.  Cart.],  was  con- 
sidered to  produce  intoxication  ;  cf .  its  French  name, 
ivraie.  With  Weeds  cf.  Fr.  Malherbe,  Malesherbes,  and 
Ger.  Unkraut.  Balsam  is  local  [Robert  de  Balsam, 
Hund.  R.~\,  of  Balsham  (Camb.),  and  the  Yorkshire 
Balm  is  a  corruption  of  Balne  in  that  county. 

More  associated  with  the  kitchen  are  Mustard,  Gar- 
lick,  Ginger,  Pepper,  Parsley,  Marjoram,  Fennell, 
Savory,  the  last  of  which  is  an  imitative  spelling  of 
Savary,  Saffrey,  etc.  [Savaricus  Clericus,  Pipe  R., 

1  Another  source  of  this  common  surname  is  no  doubt  to  be 
found  in  the  romances  of  Alexander  and  their  dramatic  adaptations 
(p.  216).  Speaking  generally,  when  a  surname  seems  to  represent 
a  font-name  in  its  unaltered  form,  it  has  a  subsidiary  origin,  e.g. 
Arnold,  Harrold,  Rowland  are  all  sometimes  local,  from  Arnold 
(Notts  and  Yorks),  Harrold  (Beds),  and  "  roe-land  "  [Peter  de 
Rolond,  Pat.  R.]. 


FLOWERS  189 

Savari  de  Duntrop,  Fine  R.].  I  have  even  found  it 
spelt  Savoury.  Sometimes  such  names  may  have 
been  adopted  in  place  of  cumbrous  trade-names,  such 
as  Thomas  le  Mustard er  (City  B.},  John  Garleke- 
mongere  (IpM.}.  So  also  Brazil,  Brazell  may  be  from 
the  vegetable  dye  which  gave  its  name  to  a  South 
American  country  and  a  medieval  trade  [Robert  Brand, 
brasiler,  Leic.  BOY.  Rec.]',  cf.  Adam  Saffran  (Pat.  R.). 
Pepper  may  also  be  shortened  from  Pepperell,  the 
latinized  form,  Piperellus  (DB.),  of  Peverel,  which  does 
not,  however,  dissociate  it  from  pepper.  Pepperwell 
is  a  curious  corruption  of  the  above  name.  The  OF. 
peyvre,  peyvrier,  very  common  in  the  Rolls  [Paulin 
Peyvre,  Chart.  R.,  John  le  Peverer,  Pat.  R.],  are  now 
represented  by  Peever,  Peffer.  Fennell  is  undoubtedly 
from  the  plant,  Fr.  fenouil  [William  Feneyl,  Pat.  R.], 
though  it  has  other  possible  origins.  It  was  an 
emblem  of  flattery — 

"  Woman's  weeds,  fennel  I  mean  for  flatterers  " 

(Greene,  Upstart  Courtier). 

Parsley  might  be  a  variant  of  Paslow  (q.v.),  but  the 
corresponding  Ger.  Peter silje  is  found  c.  1300. 

Flower-names,  such  as  Jasmin,  Lafleur,  were  often 
given  to  valets  in  French  comedy,  and  later  on  were 
popular  among  soldiers,  as  in  the  case  of  Fanfan  la 
Tulipe.  Much  further  back  we  find  the  romantic 
story  of  Flore  and  Blancheflour  and  the  German 
Dornroschen.  The  reader  will  naturally  think  of 
Chaucer's  Prioress — 

"And  she  was  cleped  madame  Eglentyne"  (Prol.  121). 

To  begin  with,  we  have  Flower  [ElyasFlur,   Fine  R.]t 


igo  VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

Bloom  [William  Blome,  Pat.  R.],  Blossom  [Hugh 
Blosme,  Hund.  R.]— 

''  The  braunches  ful  of  blosmes  softe  " 

(Chauc.  Legend  of  Good  Women,  143). 

With  these  cf.  James  Beauflour  (Close  R.}.  Flower  has 
an  alternative  origin  from  ME.  floer,  arrow- smith 
[John  le  Floer,  Hund.  R.].  The  commonest  of  such 
names,  Rose,  has  several  origins.  It  is  baptismal 
[Richard  f.  Rose,  Hund.  R.],  from  a  name  which  may 
come  from  the  flower  or  from  Rosamond  (p.  34),  a 
sign-name  [Adam  de  la  Rose,  City  B.,  Adam  atte  Rose, 
City  D.I,  and  is  often  imitative  from  the  local  Row 
or  perhaps  Wroe  [William  of  the  Rows,  Northampt. 
BOY.  Rec.,  Simon  ithe  Rose,  Pat.  R.,  Yorks.].  Lilley, 
Lilly  is  sometimes  from  the  font-name  Lilian,  of 
doubtful  origin  [Geoffrey  Lilion,  Hund.  R.,  Nicholas 
Lillie,  ib.],  and  has  specific  local  origins.  It  must 
also  be  a  sign-name,  though  I  have  found  no  early 
example.  The  name  Lilygreen,  which  has  occurred  in 
the  casualty  lists,  is  probably  Swedish  Liljegren  (see 
p.  195).  With  James  Popy  (Hund.  R.),  still  found  as 
Poppy,  cf.  Thomas  Coklico  (Pat.  R.)— 

"  Coquelicoq,  the  wild  poppie,  corne-rose,  red  corne-rose"  (Cotg.). 

Fr.  Pavot  and  Ger.  Mohn,  Mohnkopf  are  also  well- 
established  names. 

The  latter,  meaning  "  poppy  head,"  suggests  a  short 
digression  on  the  possibility  of  some  names  of  this 
class  having  originated  in  a  fanciful  resemblance.  I 
imagine  that  Mohnkopf  1  may  have  been  applied  to  a 

1  The  seventeenth-century  German  epigrammatist  Logau  uses  it 
of  an  empty,  sleepy  head — 

"  Capito  hat  Kopfs  genug,  wenig  aber  hat  er  Sinnen  ; 
Wie  ein  Mohnkopf  lauter  Schlaf,  sonsten  hat  er  nichts  darinnen." 


FANCIFUL    RESEMBLANCES  191 

bald-headed  man,   just  as   we  find,   conversely,   the 
•     field  poppy  called  in  German  dialect  Glatzen  (Glatze, 
a  bald  pate).     We  know  that  pill-garlic,   i.e.   peeled 
garlic,  was  used  in  the  same  way  in  English — 

"  Your  pyllyd  garleke  bed 
Cowde  hoccupy  there  no  stede  " 

(Skelton). 

So  Onion,  Onions,  usually,  as  a  Shropshire  name,  from 
the  Welsh  Any  on,  Ennion,  Eynon,  etc.  (anian,  nature, 
genius),  is  also  a  nickname  [Roger  Oygnouh,  Lond. 
Wills,  1295].  Cf.  Albert  Chive  (Pipe  R.)  and  William 
Chiboulle  (Chart.  R.),  the  latter  from  ME.  chibol,  an 
onion,  still  in  dialect  use — 

"  Ciboule,  a  chiboll,  or  hollow  leek  "  (Cotg.). 

The  first  Sweetapple  [John  Swetapple,  Fine  R.]  may 
have  been  a  cultivator  of  particularly  choice  fruit,  but 
his  name  reminds  me  strongly  of  a  schoolboy  of  my 
acquaintance  whose  unconsciously  sardonic  expression 
earned  for  him  the  name  Sour  Plum.  Moss  crop,  an 
archaic  name  for  the  tufted  club-rush,  may  have  been 
suggested  by  the  combination  of  a  thin  body  and  a 
shock  head. 

To  come  back  to  flower-names,  we  have  Daisy  [Robert 
Dayeseye,  Hund.  R.],  Primrose  [Peter  Premerole,1 
Pat.  R.],  Marigold,  Pimpernell,  Columbine  or  Collingbine, 
while Dandely on,  still  found  in  America,2  was  a  Kentish 
name  up  to  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
Thomas  Eglentyn  and  Peter  Parvenk  (periwinkle) 

1  This  is  the  older  form,  the  modern  -rose  being  due  to  folk- 
etymology. 

8  But,  like  all  American  names,  to  be  regarded  with  caution. 
See  p.  9. 


192  VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

,  occur  in  the  Pat.  R.  Each  of  these  no  doubt  has  a 
\l  tale  to  tell.  Violet  is  probably  a  colour  nickname 
(p.  154).  Lavender,  usually  occupative,  the  Launder, 
or  "  washerman,"  may  also  occasionally  be  a  nickname 
[John  Lavender,  taillur,  Pat.  R.].  Galliver,  Gilliver 
are  from  ME.  gilofre  [Peter  Gylofre,  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.], 
now  corrupted  to  gillyflower,1  a  flower  emblematic  of 
frailty.  I  fancy  that  this  is  due  to  association  with 
Queen  Guinevere,  from  whose  name  we  get  Junifer, 
Juniper.2  The  MDB.  contains  the  name  Rosontree,  but 
the  locality  (Yorks)  suggests  a  misprint  for  Rowntree 
(rowan  tree,  mountain  ash).  The  first  Woodbine  was 
perhaps  named  from  his  clinging  propensities,  but 
we  can  hardly  accept  Tulip,  the  first  mention  of  the 
flower  by  a  Western  European  being  about  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century  (NED.).  It  is  evidently  an 
imitative  spelling,  but  of  what  ? 

Fruit-names  may  also  in  some  cases  be  local,  e.g. 
Plumb  may  be  for  Plumtree,  Pear  for  Peartree.  But 
in  Old  French  we  often  find  them  used  with  the  definite 
article  in  such  a  way  as  to  suggest  a  nickname,  e.g. 
Raoul  la  Prune,  Gautier  la  Poire  (Pachnio),  the  latter 
individual  perhaps  having  a  head  of  the  shape  which 
earned  the  nickname  Poire  for  the  last  legitimate  king 
of  France,  and  which  suggested  the  medieval  "  pear 
head"  (p.  128),  now  Perrett.  These  examples  show 
that  Pear,  Pears  is  not  always  an  imitative  spelling 

1  The  following  extract  (1683)  is  a  good  example  of  "preposterous" 
etymology — "  The   July  flower  as  they  are  more  properly   called, 
though   vulgarly    Gilliflower  and    Gillofer."     This   is   like   "  June- 
eating  "  for  jenneting. 

2  Junipher  was  still  common  as  a  font-name  in  Cornwall  in  the 
seventeenth   and   eighteenth    centuries    (Bardsley).     It   is   curious 
that  in  dialect  the  juniper  is  sometimes  called  the  genifer  (EDD.}. 


FRUITS  193 

of  Fr.  Pierre.  So  also  in  English  we  find  William  le 
Cheris  '  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.),  who  is  perhaps  the  same 
person  as  William  Chirecod  (ib.),  with  whose  name  cf. 
Peascod  (p.  196).  But  many  apparent  fruit-names  are 
not  genuine.  Grapes  may  be  from  an  inn-sign,  but 
is  more  likely  connected  with  Grepe  (p.  61),  Raisin  is 
an  imitative  form  of  Ray  son  (p.  239),  and  Muscat 
is  an  alteration  of  Muskett,  a  nickname  frorri  the 
sparrow-hawk— 

"  Mouchet,  a  musket ;  the  tassell 2  of  a  sparhawke  "  (Cotg.). 

The  oldest  form  of  damson  is  damascene,  from  Damascus. 
Hence  the  name  Damson  is  probably  the  "  dame's 
son  "  [Geoffrey  Dammesune,  Pipe  R.].  Pippin  is  Fr. 
Pepin,  whence  also  the  East  Anglian  Pepys  [Richard 
Pepin  or  Pepis,  Hund.  R.,  Camb.],  and,  as  a  Somerset 
name,  is  altered  from  Phippen,  dim.  of  Philip,  which 
is  common  in  the  same  county.-  It  may  also  be  a 
fruit-name;  cf.  Costard  (p.  194).  Medlar  is  a  nick- 
name [William  le  Mesler,3  Hund.  R.].  Filbert  is 
simply  the  French  name  Philibert  [Dominus  Fylbard, 
Hund.  R.],  OG.  Filuberht,  very  bright,  whence  the 
nut  also  probably  takes  its  name.4  Dewberry  is  local, 
of  Dewsbury,  spelt  Deubire  in  1202,  but  Mulberry, 

1  The  older  form  of  cherry,  Fr.   cerise.     The  -s  has  been  lost 
through  being  taken  as  the  sign  of  the  plural,  as  in  pea  from  pease. 
It  is  possible,  however,  that  le  Cheris  may  be  the  Old  French  nom. 
of  chert,  "  the  cherished."     This  -s  does  not  appear  much  in  Anglo- 
French,  but  there  are  other  examples  of  it  in  the  same  record  as 
the  above.     See  Bew  (p.  319). 

2  Hence  the  surnames  Tassell,  Tarsell,  Taycell.     The  older  form 
of  the  word  was  tiercel.     See  Romance  of  Names,  p.  221. 

3  For  the  intrusion  of  -d-  in  our  meddle  from  OF.  mesler  (meler] 
cf.  Madle  (p.  250),  Idle  (p.  64). 

4  See  Romance  of  Words,  p.  35. 


194  VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

Mulbry  appears  to  be  genuine.  Orange  is  doubtful, 
for,  though  Richard  Orenge  (Archbp.  Peckham's  Lett. 
1279-92)  points  to  a  nickname,  Orangia  de  Chercheyerd, 
who  was  hanged  in  1307  (Cal.  Gen.),  suggests  a  fantastic 
personal  name,  which  must  apparently  have  been 
formed  from  that  of  the  fruit.  There  is  also  the 
town  of  Orange  (Vaucluse),  but  I  have  found  no  evi- 
dence to  connect  the  name  with  it.  The  name  Rasp- 
berry is  found  in  East  Anglia,  and,  although  the  NED. 
does  not  record  the  word  till  the  seventeenth  century, 
the  name  may  be  genuine,  for  French  has  both 
Framboise  and  Framboisier — 

"  Framboise,  a  raspis,  hindberry,  framboiseberry  "  (Cotg.). 

Mellon  is  Irish,  I  suppose  for  Malone,  i.e.  the  tonsured 
servant  of  John.  Costard  is  a  very  common  Middle 
English  nickname,  perhaps  for  a  round-headed  man  ; 
hence  also  Coster,  Custer,  Custard. 

A  few  kitchen-garden  names  have  already  been  men- 
tioned, but  the  group  is  not  large.  Bean  is  usually 
Scottish,  Gael,  ban,  white,  whence  Bain,  but  this  will 
not  account  for  the  common  Norfolk  name  B canes, 
occurring  as  Bene  in  the  Hund.  R.  The  bean  seems 
to  have  been  a  favourite  crop  in  East  Anglia,  e.g.  in 
the  Ramsey  Cartulary  there  is  mention  of  plots  called 
Benecroft,  Benedale,  Benemede,  Benehill,  Bene- 
furlange ;  cf.  Barton-in-Fabis  (Notts),  Barton-in-the- 
Beans  (Leic.) .  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that  Eustace 
Sparaguz  (Fine  R.)  took  his  name  from  the  most 
delicate  of  vegetables.  Pease  is  also  a  vegetable 
name,  but  Pea,1  Pee  is  for  Peacock  as  Poe  is  for 

1  See  p.  193,  n.  i. 


BOTANICAL    DETAILS  195 

Pocock.  From  the  same  bird,  AS.  pawa,  we  have 
Paw,  Pay,  Pow,  Poye — 

"  Gold,    and   sylver,    and   yver,    and    apis,    and   poos "    (Wye. 
2  Chron.  ix.  21). 

An  apparently  authentic  nickname  of  the  vegetable 
type  is  Neap,  Neep  [Henry  le  Nep,  Hund.  R.],  which 
is  Middle  English  for  "  turnip."  It  is  seldom  that 
so  clear  an  instance  is  found  in  the  Rolls.  Cf.  Ameline 
la  Navete  (Pachnio) — 

"  Navette,  rapeseed  ;    also,  as  naveau." 

"  Naveau  blanc  de  jardin,  the  ordinary  rape,  or  turnep  "  (Cotg.). 

The  most  curious  of  the  vegetable  surnames  are 
those  which  are  formed  from  botanical  details,  and 
here  again  I  can  make  little  attempt  to  explain  their 
occurrence.  Similar  names  are  common  in  other 
languages,  and  Swedish  especially  has  a  very  large 
number  in  -gren,  branch,  -quist,1  twig,  -Had,  leaf. 
Twigg  has  parallels  in  Fr.  Rameau  and  Ger.  Zweig, 
the  latter  also  having  compounds,  e.g.  Mittenzweig, 
with  the  twig,  and  Sauberzweig,  clean  twig,  the  name  of 
an  officer  mentioned  (Daily  Telegraph,  Nov.  2,  1915) 
in  connection  with  the  murder  of  Nurse  Cavell,  and 
evidently,  if  there  is  anything  in  heredity,  originally 
ironic.  Both  Spray  and  Sprigg  are  used  in  dialect  of 
a  lean,  lanky  person  ;  cf.  p.  155.  In  English  we  have 
also  Branch  [Benjamin  Branche,  Hund.  R.]  occurring 
very  commonly  without  de,  though  John  de  la 
Braunche  (F.  of  Y.  1451)  suggests  local  origin,  or  per- 

1  In  the  casualty  lists  (Jan.  19,  1916)  occurs  the  name  Apple  quist, 
evidently  of  Swedish  origin. 


ig6       VEGETABLE  NICKNAMES 

haps  a  sign.  Branch/lower  is  an  alteration  l  of  the  nick- 
name Blanch  flower.  Bough  is  local  [John  atte  Bough, 
Pat.  R.],  in  the  sense  of  Bow,  arch,  with  which  it  is 
really  identical.2  Budd  is  an  Anglo-Saxon  personal 
name,  short  for  Botolf  or  some  such  dithematic  name, 
and  Leaf  is  an  imitative  spelling  of  Leif,  dear  [John  le 
Lef,  Pat.  R.] ;  cf.  Leveson,  which,  in  the  form  Leofsunu 
(see  Fr.  Cherfils,  p.  247),  was  already  a  personal  name 
in  Anglo-Saxon.  With  Ivy  leaf  cf .  Ger.  Kleeblatt,  clover 
leaf,  and  Rosenblatt,  whence,  or  perhaps  through  one 
of  the  Scandinavian  languages,  our  Roseblade.  Hoc- 
cleve  is  more  probably  a  complete  plant-name,  AS. 
hoclef,  mallow.  Sapp  is  a  nickname  [William  le  Sap, 
Hund.  R.].  In  dialect  it  means  a  simpleton,  cf.  sap- 
head,  sapskull,  but  its  history  is  unwritten. 

Then  we  have  fantastic  names  like  Goldstraw,  Pepper- 
corn, Barleycorn,  the  last-named  once  common  as  grain 
d'orge  [William  Greindeorge,  Hund.  R.],  now  Grandage, 
Graddige.  Graindorge  is  still  a  common  French  surname. 
With  Peascod  [Henry  Pesecod,  Pat.  R.],  Pescott,  Pease- 
good,  Peskett,  Bisgood  (?),  cf.  Benskin  (bean- skin) 
and  Maddy  Benestol  (Hund.  R.)  whose  name  con- 
tains dial,  stale,  a  stalk.  But  Podd,  also  Poad,  Poat, 
is  a  nickname  from  ME.  pode,  a  toad  [John  le  Pod, 
Hund.  R.].  I  doubt  whether  Seed  (see  p.  73)  belongs 
here,  but  Hempseed  is  an  uncomplimentary  nickname — 

"  Do,  do,  thou  rogue  ;  do,  thou  hempseed  "  (2  Henry  IV.  II.  i.) ; 

1  It  could  be   explained  as  dissimilation,  but  there  is  a  general 
tendency  for  /and  r  to  interchange.     See  the  forms  of  Berenger 
(p-  35)-     Branchett  is  no  doubt  for  Blanchett,  a  colour  name,  and  Mr. 
Pett  Ridge's  less  refined  characters  occasionally  used  "  brasted  " 
as  an  intensive  epithet. 

2  It  is  only  in  English  that  this  word,  meaning  something  bent, 
is  associated  with  trees. 


BOTANICAL   DETAILS  197 

though  the  only  time  I  have  come  across  it  was  in 
connection  with  a  gallant  exploit  in  the  War.  Cf. 
Ger.  Hanf Stengel,  hemp-stalk.  Our  Hempenstall  is 
one  of  the  many  variants  of  Heptonstall  (Yorks). 
In  Lillicrap,  Lillycrop  we  seem  to  have  the  archaic 
crop,  "  head  "  of  a  plant,  or  tree,  bunch  of  foliage, 
etc. ;  cf.  Mosscrop  and  Ger.  Mohnkopf.  Gower  uses  it 
in  his  version  of  the  famous  scene  in  which  Tarquin 
strikes  off  the  heads  of  the  tallest  plants — 

"  Anon  he  tok  in  honde  a  yerde 
And  in  the  gardin  as  thei  gon, 
The  lilie  croppes  on  and  on, 
Wher  that  thei  weren  sprongen  oute, 
He  smot  of,  as  thei  stode  aboute  " 

(Cow/.  Amant.  vii.  4676). 

With  the  poetical  Flowerdew,  whence  Flowerday,  cf. 
Robert  Honiedewe  (Salisb.  Chart.)  and  Ger.  Morgenthau, 
morning  dew.  Maydew  is  for  Matthew,  and  preserves 
the  intermediate  form  between  the  original  and  Mayhew, 
Mayo,  OF.  Mahieu.  Merridew,  Merriday,  Merredy 
are  the  Welsh  Meredith  [Mereduz  de  Beauveir,  City  D.]. 
They  are  further  corrupted  in  Lancashire  into  Mctta- 
dew,  Mellalieu,  Mdlalue. 

In  my  Romance  of  Words  (p.  196)  I  have  mentioned 
Ferguson's  conjecture  as  to  the  curious  name  Ivimey, 
Ivermee,  Evamy,  Efemey,1  etc.  I  am  afraid  the  pic- 
turesque derivation  there  suggested  will  not  hold 
water.  In  City  A.  I  find  Peter  Yvenes  or  Yvemeys, 
a  Spanish  immigrant.  I  do  not  know  the  origin  of 
his  name,  but  he  looks  like  the  true  ancestor  of  the 
Ivimeys. 

1  The  two  last  may  represent  Euphemia. 


CHAPTER    X 

PAGEANT  NAMES 

"  II  y  avoit  lors  une  dame,  qui,  pendant  les  jeux,  avoit  joue 
Conscience,  et  qui  pour  cela  en  eut  le  nom  tout  le  temps  de  sa  vie  " 
(BEROALDE  DE  VERVILLE,  Le  Moyen  de  parvenir). 

IT  has  always  been  recognized  by  students  of  surname 
lore  that  our  Prophets,  Priests,  and  Kings  generally 
owe  their  names  to  ancestors  who  had  enacted  such 
parts  in  medieval  pageant l ;  but  this  source  of  modern 
surnames  is  much  more  considerable  than  has  usually 
been  supposed.  Grown  people  are  almost  as  fond  of 
"  dressing  up  "  as  children,  and  in  recent  years  we 
have  seen  a  revival  of  the  type  of  pastime  once  so 
dear  to  our  ancestors  and  still  popular  on  the  con- 
tinent. Some  twenty  years  ago  the  author  was 
present  at  the  elaborate  display  by  which  the  Swiss 
celebrated  the  seventh  centenary  of  their  Republic. 
On  that  occasion  it  looked  as  though  the  whole  able- 

1  The  pageant  was  originally  the  scaffolding  on  which  the  players 
stood  or  acted.  In  the  case  of  the  shorter  plays  and  smaller  tableaux 
it  was  movable.  In  fact  the  cars  of  Lord  Mayor's  Show  are  its 
descendants — "  Every  company  had  his  pagient,  which  pagiants 
weare  a  high  scafolde  with  two  rowmes,  a  higher  and  a  lower,  upon 
four  wheeles.  In  the  lower  they  appareled  themselves,  and  in  the 
higher  rowme  they  played,  beinge  all  open  on  the  tope,  that  all 
behoulders  might  heare  and  see  them  "  (From  a  contemporary 
description  of  one  of  the  last  Chester  performances). 

198 


PROCESSIONS  199 

bodied  population  were  parading  in  historic  garb  for 
the  edification  of  the  physically  unfit  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  country.  In  medieval  England  no  im- 
portant feast  of  the  Church,  no  event  in  the  life  of  the 
monarch,  or,  in  the  provinces,  of  the  local  magnate, 
no  visit  of  a  foreign  dignitary,  was  allowed  to  pass 
without  the  accompaniment  of  something  like  a  Lord 
Mayor's  Show — 

"  One  other  show,  in  the  year  1377,  made  by  the  citizens  for  dis- 
port of  the  young  prince,  Richard,  son  to  the  Black  Prince,  in  the 
feast  of  Christmas,  in  this  manner  : — On  the  Sunday  before  Candle- 
mas, in  the  night,  one  hundred  and  thirty  citizens,  disguised,  and 
well  horsed,  in  a  mummery,  with  sound  of  trumpets,  sackbuts, 
cornets,  shalmes,  and  other  minstrels,  and  innumerable  torch  lights 
of  wax,  rode  from  Newgate,  through  Cheape,  over  the  bridge,  through 
Southwarke,  and  so  to  Kennington,  beside  Lambhith,  where  the 
young  prince  remained  with  his  mother,  and  the  Duke  of  Lancaster 
his  uncle.  ...  In  the  first  rank  did  ride  forty-eight  in  the  likeness 
and  habit  of  esquires,  two  and  two  together,  clothed  in  red  coats  and 
gowns  of  say  or  sandal,  with  comely  visors  on  their  faces  ;  after  them 
came  riding  forty-eight  knights  in  the  same  livery  of  colour  and  stuff  ; 
then  followed  one  richly  arrayed  like  an  emperor  ;  and  after  him 
some  distance,  one  stately  attired  like  a  pope,  whom  followed 
twenty-four  cardinals,  and  after  them  eight  or  ten  with  black  visors, 
not  amiable,  as  if  they  had  been  legates  from  some  foreign  prince  '' 
(Stow). 

There  are  possibly  to-day  people  named  Squire, 
Knight,  Emperor  l  or  Cayzer,  Pope,  Cardinall,  Leggatt, 
whose  ancestors  figured  in  this  particular  procession. 
Two  names  of  this  class  may  be  specially  mentioned, 
the  first,  Count  [Peter  le  Counte,  Fine  R.],  because  of 
its  rarity,  the  second,  Marquis,  because,  though  so 
common  in  the  north,  it  seems  unrecorded  except  as  a 
female  font-name  [Marchisa  f.  Warner,  Yorks  Fines, 

1  Still  a  surname  in  the  nineteenth  century,  though  I  have  not 
come  across  a  living  example. 


200  PAGEANT  NAMES 

temp.  John].  It  is  rather,  odd  to  find  the  German 
equivalent  recorded  for  the  same  county  [William 
Margrayve,  F.  of  Y.].  Lavicount  is  an  example  of  the 
grammatical  methods  of  Anglo-French. 

Such  a  procession  as  that  described  above  was  a 
very  mild  affair  compared  with  some  of  the  more 
scenic  pageants  which  were  enacted  on  great  occa- 
sions— 

"  At  certain  distances,  in  places  appointed  for  the  purpose,  the 
pageants  were  erected,  which  were  temporary  buildings  representing 
castles,  palaces,  gardens,  rocks  or  forests,  as  the  occasion  required, 
where  nymphs,  fauns,  satyrs,  gods,  goddesses,  angels  and  devils 
appeared  in  company  with  giants,  savages,  dragons,  saints,  knights, 
buffoons,  and  dwarfs,  surrounded  by  minstrels  and  choristers  ;  the 
heathen  mythology,  the  legends  of  chivalry  and  Christian  divinity 
were  ridiculously  jumbled  together  without  meaning  "  (Strutt). 

Then  we  have  the  popular  games  and  representations 
associated  with  church  festivals,  the  boy  "  Bishop," 
the  "  Pope  "  of  Fools,  the  "  Lord  "  of  Misrule,  the 
"  Abbot "  of  Unreason,  the  bull-baitings,  archery  con- 
tests, joustings,  running  at  the  quintain,  the  May 
games  with  their  Robin  Hood  pageants,  the  rough 
horseplay  of  the  Hockday  sports,  of  which  the  chief 
feature,  the  binding  of  men  by  women  and  vice-versa, 
perhaps  survives  in  the  names  Tieman  and  Bindlass, 
Bindloss.  It  is  quite  possible  that  Peacock,  Pocock, 
and  Popjoy,  Fob  joy,  Pobgee,  Pope  joy  may  have  been 
in  some  cases  nicknames  conferred  on  successful 
athletes — 

"  In  the  year  of  Christ  1253,  the  38th  of  Henry  III.,  the  youth- 
ful citizens,  for  an  exercise  of  their  activity,  set  forth  a  game  to  run 
at  the  quinten  ;  and  whoever  did  best  should  have  a  peacock  which 
they  had  prepared  as  a  prize  "  (Stow). 


ARCHERY  201 

Shooting  at  the  popinjay,  a  wooden  figure  of  a  parrot 
set  up  as  a  mark,  is  often  mentioned,  not  only  by 
English  writers,  but  also  by  Rabelais.  Of  course  these 
two  names  may  also  come  from  signs,  or  they  may 
be  nicknames  due  to  some  characteristic  of  the  original 
bearer  l ;  but  the  following  is  suggestive — 

"  P  ape  gay,  a  parrot,  or  popingay  ;  also,  a  woodden  parrot  (set  up 
on  the  top  of  a  steeple,  high  tree,  or  pole)  whereat  there  is,  in  many 
parts  of  France,  a  generall  shooting  once  every  yeare  ;  and  an 
exemption  for  all  that  yeare,  from  la  faille,  obtained  by  him  that 
strikes  downe  the  right  wing  thereof,  (who  is  therefore  tearmed  Le 
Chevalier ;)  and  by  him  that  strikes  downe  the  left  wing,  (who  is 
tearmed  Le  Baron ;)  and  by  him  that  strikes  down  the  whole 
popingay  (who  for  that  dexteritie  or  good  hap  hath  also  the  title  of 
Roy  du  Papegay,)  all  the  yeare  following  "  (Cotg.). 

Most  important  of  all,  perhaps,  from  the  surname 
point  of  view,  is  the  medieval  drama,  with  its  long 
and  detailed  representations  of  the  most  important 
episodes  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  and  from 
the  lives  of  the  Saints.  In  these  performances  the 

1  The  origin  of  bird  nicknames  would  repay  study.  In  some  cases 
no  doubt  they  were  due  to  some  external  feature,  but  most  of  them 
are  probably  connected  with  the  qualities,  invariably  bad,  which 
folklore  symbolised  in  certain  birds.  The  Peacock  personified  vanity, 
the  Woodcock,  according  to  popular  superstition,  had  no  brains,  the 
Capon  and  Daw  were  both  fools,  the  Buzzard  was  a  type  of  ignorance, 
and  so  on.  Most  interesting  of  all  is  the  woodpecker,  whose  many 
dialect  names  (Speight,  Speck,  Pick,  Rainbird,  etc.)  nearly  all  exist 
as  surnames.  Now  the  woodpecker,  a  retiring  and  inconspicuous 
bird,  has  none  of  the  prominent  characteristics  which  make  Jay, 
Nightingale,  Crane,  Goose,  etc.,  such  natural  nicknames.  His  place 
in  the  surname  list  is  due  to  an  unconsciously  persisting  myth  which 
is  perhaps  older  than  Genesis  and  Olympus.  See  Rendel  Harris, 
The  Place  of  the  Woodpecker  in  Religion  (Contemporary  Review, 
Feb.  1916).  On  the  general  characteristics  which  medieval  folk- 
lore ascribed  to  various  birds  we  get  some  light  in  Chaucer's  Parlia- 
ment of  Fowls  and  Skelton's  Philip  Sparrow. 


202  PAGEANT  NAMES 

number  of  actors  was  often  enormous,  and  the  spec- 
tacle was  prolonged  for  days  or  even  weeks— 

"  The  miracle  plays  in  Chaucer's  days  were  exhibited  during  the 
season  of  Lent,  and  sometimes  a  sequel  of  scripture  histories  was 
carried  on  for  several  days.  In  the  reign  of  Richard  II.  the  parish 
clerks  of  London  put  forth  a  play  at  Skinner's  Wells,  near  Smith- 
field,'  which  continued  three  days.  In  the  succeeding  reign  another 
play  was  acted  at  the  same  place  and  lasted  eight  days ;  this  drama 
began  with  the  creation  of  the  world  and  contained  the  greater  part 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  .  .  .  Beelzebub  seems  to  have  been 
the  principal  comic  actor,  assisted  by  his  merry  troop  of  under- 
devils.  .  .  .  When  the  mysteries  ceased  to  be  played,  the  subjects 
for  the  drama  were  not  taken  from  historical  facts,  but  consisted  of 
moral  reasonings  in  praise  of  virtue  and  condemnation  of  vice,  on 
which  account  they  were  called  moralities.  The  dialogue  was 
carried  on  by  allegorical  characters  such  as  good  doctrine,  charity, 
faith,  prudence,  discretion,  death,  and  the  like,  and  their  discourses 
were  of  a  serious  cast ;  but  the  province  of  making  the  spectators 
merry  descended  from  the  devil  in  the  mystery  to  the  vice  or  iniquity 
of  the  morality,  who  usually  personified  some  bad  quality  incident 
to  human  nature,  as  pride  and  lust"  (Strutt). 

Now  most  of  us  have  within  our  experience  cases 
of  nicknames  conferred  in  connection  with  private 
theatricals  and  fancy-dress  balls,  and  it  is  easy  to 
believe  that,  at  a  period  when  the  surname  was  not 
a  fixed  quantity,  distinction  in  some  piece  of  acting 
or  buffoonery  may  have  often  earned  for  the  per- 
former a  sobriquet  which  stuck.  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  all  the  names  I  am  about  to  enumerate 
belong  with  certainty,  or  exclusively,  to  this  class,  but 
I  think  that  in  the  case  of  most  of  them  there  is  a 
strong  presumption  for  such  an  origin.  To  go  thor- 
oughly into  the  question  would  involve  a  close  study 
of  the  medieval  drama,1  and  a  much  more  intimate 

1  See  E.  K.  Chambers,  The  Medi&val  Stage  (Oxf.  1903).  Some 
characteristic  plays  and  extracts  will  be  found  in  Pollard's  English 
Miracle  Plays,  6th  ed.  (Oxf.  1914). 


ALLEGORY    AND    DRAMA  203 

knowledge  of  the  history  of  pageantry,  than  can  be 
gleaned  from  the  popular  account  of  Strutt.  The 
reader  who  cares  to  look  through  the  long  lists  of 
dramatis  persona  in  the  Chester,  Coventry,  Towneley, 
and  York  plays,  will  see  that  there  is  hardly  a  name 
in  this  chapter  which  cannot  be  illustrated,  or  at 
least  paralleled,  from  those  collections. 

The  whole  question  also  has  a  psychological  aspect. 
The  rise  of  allegory  and  the  flourishing  of  the  drama 
are  connected  with  the  awakening  consciousness  of 
the  people  as  a  whole.  It  was  a  somewhat  dull,  prosaic 
awakening,  showing  itself  in  a  realistic,  bludgeon- 
wielding  type  of  satire  and  a  homely  morality,  and, 
from  the  surname  point  of  view,  in  a  striving  after  a 
name  that  meant  something  to  its  bearer.  We  see 
something  of  this  spirit  in  the  nomenclature  adopted 
by  Jack  Straw  and  his  followers.  The  following  pro- 
clamation is  contemporary  with  John  Ball — 

"  John  Schepe,  some  time  St.  Mary's  priest  of  York,  and  now  of 
Colchester,  greeteth  well  John  Nameless  and  John  the  Miller  and 
John  the  Carter,  and  biddeth  them  that  they  beware  of  guile*  in 
borough,  and  stand  together  in  God's  name,  and  biddeth  Piers  Plow- 
man go  to  his  work,  and  chastise  well  Hob  the  Robber  (Robert  Hales, 
the  Treasurer)  and  all  his  fellows,  and  no  mo,  and  look  that  ye  shape 
you  to  one  head  and  no  mo." 

And  as  late  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  rebellious 
peasants  revived  these  old  names  which  symbolized 
their  condition  in  life  and  their  aspirations — 

"  Taking  Robyn  of  Riddesdale,  Jack  Straw,  Thomolyn  at  Lath1 
and  Maister  Mendall  for  their  capteyns  "  (Letter  of  Henry  VII.). 

To  the  same  attitude  of  mind  belong  many  of 
the  phrase -names  dealt  with  in  ch.  xiu,  and  their 

1  ME.  lathe,  a  barn. 
15 


204  PAGEANT  NAMES 

descent  can  be  traced  through  the  Elizabethans  and 
the  Restoration  dramatists  via  Smollett  and  Fielding 
to  the  modern  novelists.  For  even  Dickens,  sumptu- 
ous as  is  his  collection  of  genuine  surnames,  occasion- 
ally descends  to  such  stuff  as  Veneering  and  Verisopht — 

"  A  curious  essay  might  be  written  on  the  reasons  why  such 
names  as  Sir  John  Brute,  Sir  Tunbelly  Clumsy,  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  Sir 
Anthony  Absolute,  Sir  Lucius  O'Trigger,  Lord  Foppington,  Lord 
Rake,  Colonel  Bully,  Lovewell,  Heartfree,  Gripe,  Shark,  and  the 
rest  were  regarded  as  a  matter  of  course  in  the  'comedy  of  manners.' 
.  .  .  The  fashion  of  label-names,  if  we  may  call  them  so,  came  down 
from  the  Elizabethans,  who,  again,  borrowed  it  from  the  medieval 
moralities  "  (William  Archer,  Play-Making). 

The  surnames  which  may  with  more  br  less  cer- 
tainty be  connected  with  medieval  spectacles  fall 
into  several  groups.  Many  Old  Testament  names 
such  as  Adam  and  Eve,  Abel,  David,  Solomon  or  Salmon, 
Sampson,  Jonas,1  etc.,  no  doubt  sometimes  belong  here. 
Geoffrey  Golias 8  or  Gullias  (Hund.  R.)  has  modern 
representatives  in  Gullyes  and  Gully  [William  Golye, 
Hund.  R.].  The  form  Golie  is  used  by  Wyclif.  From 
ME.  Goliard,  a  satiric  poet  or  jester,  popularly  con- 
nected with  Golias,  we  have  Gullard  [John  Goliard, 
Close  R.,  John  le  Golert,  Derby  Cart.  1353],  of  which 
Gullett  is  the  regular  reduction.  I  have  seldom  found 
Solomon  as  a  medieval  font-name,  while  William 
dictus  Salamon  (Lond.  Wills,  1287)  is  a  clear  case 

1  Was  the  original  Whalebelly  a  piece  of  realistic  mechanism  in  a 
Jonah  pageant  ?  One  has  heard  of  the  pantomime  actor  who  earned 
his  bread  as  the  left  hind-leg  of  an  elephant — 

"  In  this  same  interlude,  it  doth  befall 
That  I,  one  Snout  by  name,  present  a  wall  " 

(Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  v.  i). 

a  The  Middle  English  form  of  Goliath,  found  also  in  Shakespeare. 


OLD    TESTAMENT    CHARACTERS  205 

of  a  nickname.  Pharaoh,1  Pharro  is  explained  by 
Bardsley  as  a  corruption  of  Farrow.  It  is  more  likely 
that  the  latter  is  corrupted  from  Pharaoh,  a  very 
spectacular  personage ;  but  the  Scotch  surname  Ptolomey 
evidently  belongs  to  Bartholomew ;  cf.  Fr.  Tholomie. 
A  particularly  interesting  name  is  Absolom,  not  uncom- 
mon as  a  modern  surname  and  with  a  number  of  dis- 
guised variants.  We  know  from  Chaucer  that  this 
was  a  nickname  for  a  man  with  a  fine  head  of  hair — 

"Now  was  ther  of  that  chirche  a  parissh  clerk, 
The  which  that  was  y-cleped  A  bsolon  ; 
Crul  was  his  heer  and  as  the  gold  it  shoon, 
And  strouted  as  a  fanne,  large  and  brode  " 

(Chauc.  A.  3312). 

This  became,  by  a  common  metathesis,  Aspelon 
[Adam  Absolon  or  Apsolon  or  Aspelon,  City  B.}, 
whence  Aspenlon,  Asplin.  The  local-looking  Asp- 
land  is  the  same  name  with  spurious  -d  [John 
Apspelond,  City  E.~\  and  Ashplant  is  an  imitative 
spelling. 

A  doubtful  case  is  Pottiphar,  explained  by  Bardsley 
as  an  imitative  corruption  of  Petti fer  (p.  141).  It  may 
be  from  an  Old  Testament  play,  for  although  Potiphar 
himself  plays  no  part  in  history,  we  can  hardly 
imagine  that  the  medieval  drama  would  omit  to  put 
his  wife  upon  the  scene,  and  for  the  audience  she  would 
be  Mrs.  Potiphar.  Cf.  James  Dalileye  (Close  R.), 
who  presumably  played  Delilah  in  another  highly 
dramatic  Biblical  scene. 

But  many  names  which  might  appear  to  belong  to 
this  class  are  deceptive.  Shadrake  is  an  alteration  of 
the  bird  nickname  Sheldrake,  Ogg  is  not  the  King  of 

1  Pharao  Kircke  was  buried  at  Repton,  Dec.  i,  1602 


206  PAGEANT  NAMES 

Bashan,  but  AS.  Ocga  or  Ogga,  shortened  from  some 
such  name  as  O  eg  weald,  AS.  oga,  terror,  Leah  is  a 
form  of  the  local  Lea,  and  Rachell  comes  via  Fr.  Rachilde 
from  OG.  Raghild,  for  which  see  Regin  and  Hild 
in  ch.  ii.  Some  Welsh  surnames,  such  as  Jeremiah, 
Matthias,  Mordecai,  belong  to  the  later  name-creation 
with  which  the  modern  Welsh  have  replaced  their 
Aps.  Perhaps  in  some  cases  such  names  were  substi- 
tuted for  Welsh  names  of  somewhat  similar  sound,  just 
as  Jeremiah  was  adopted  in  Ireland  for  Diarmid.  This 
would  seem  to  be  the  explanation  of  Enock,  which  is 
spelt  Egenoc  in  the  Gloucester  Cartulary.  The  Suffolk 
name  Balaam  is  an  alteration  of  the  local  Baylham, 
from  a  village  in  that  county,  but  Robert  Balaam 
(Pat.  R.,  Cornwall)  suggests  also  a  nickname.  Jermy 
is  not  from  Jeremy,  but  from  Jermy n,1  with  which  it 
runs  parallel  in  Norfolk.  Noah  was  an  important 
character  in  the  old  drama  and  the  popular  form  of 
the  name  was  Noy,  whence  Noyes,  Noyce.  The  Chester 
play  of  Noah's  Flood  ends  with  the  lines — 

"  My  blessinge,  Noye,  I  geve  thee  heare, 
To  thee,  Noye,  my  servant  deare ; 
For  vengance  shall  no  more  appeare, 
And  now  fare  well,  my  darlinge  deare  !  " 

Saul,  Sawle,  generally  for  Fr.  Salle,  Lasalle,  is  another 
possible  case.  This  is  necessarily  guess-work,  but  it 
is  noticeable  that  the  Biblical  names  which  occur 
commonly  as  surnames  are  invariably  connected  with 
those  episodes  in  Old  Testament  history  which  were 

1  This  is  Fr.  Germain,  from  Germanus,  used  as  a  personal  name, 
but  Gilbert  le  German  (Pat.  R.)  and  Jermany,  Jar  many  point  also 
to  local  origin. 


NEW   TESTAMENT   NAMES  207 

constantly  dramatized  for  edification.  I  have  seen 
somewhere,  but  failed  to  make  a  note  of,  a  vaguely 
spelt  ME.  Nebuchadnezzar. 

From  the  New  Testament  we  have  Herod  [Seman 
Herodes,  Pat.  R.]  and  Pillatt l  [Alan  Pilate,  Pleas]. 
The  character  of  Herod  as  a  stage  braggart  was 
familiar  to  Shakespeare — 

"  I  would  have  such  a  fellow  whipped  for  o'erdoing  Termagant; 
it  out-herods  Herod  "  (Hamlet,  iii.  2). 

With  this  cf.  Jordan  Travagan  (Lib.  R,),  for  Terva- 
gant,  the  earlier  form  of  Termagant.  The  following 
excerpt  from  the  sums  paid  in  1490  to  the  Coventry 
smiths  who  acted  the  Passion  reads  oddly — 

"Imprimis  to  God,  ijs;  item  to  Cayphas,  iijs  iiiid ;  item  to 
Heroude,  iijs  iiiid  ;  item  to  Pilatt  is  wyffe,  ijs ;  item  to  the  devyll 
and  to  Judas,  xviijd ;  item  to  Petur  and  Malchus,  xvjd ;  item  to 
Pilatte,  iiijd." 

Several  rather  uncommon  names  of  office,  e.g. 
Governor  and  Commander  [William  le  Comandur, 
Hund.  R.],  seem  to  be  associated  especially  with  the 
Passion  Play.  The  most  interesting  is  Poyner,  i.e. 
"  painer,"  or  tormentor  [John  le  Poynur,  Hund.  R.], 
which  still  survives,  while  Turmentur,  of  which  I 
have  found  several  medieval  examples,  has  naturally 
dropped  out  of  use.  Officer,  still  a  Nottingham  sur- 
name, may  be  rather  corrupted  from  the  maker  of 
"  orphrey,"  or  gold  embroidery  [John  le  Orfresour, 
Pat.  R,~],  though  "  officer,"  in  the  sense  of  servant, 

1  The  very  popular  role  of  Pontius  Pilate,  one  of  the  stock  villains 
of  medieval  drama,  may  account  for  the  large  number  of  derivatives 
of  Pontius  in  France,  Pons,  Ponsard,  Poinson,  etc.,  whence  our 
names  in  Punch-,  Pinch-. 


208  PAGEANT  NAMES 

especially  of  the  crown,  is  a  common  word  in  Middle 
English ;  cf.  Fitchell  (p.  no).  Lathron,1  corrupted 
into  Leathern,  Letheren,  is  an  early  form  of  Fr.  lanon, 
thief,  penitent  or  otherwise.  In  Fr.  Lelerre  we  have 
the  old  nominative  of  the  same  word.  Cf.  Adam 
Maufetour,  i.e.  malefactor  (IpM.).  It  is  curious 
to  find  Christ  as  an  existing  surname,  but  it  is  no 
doubt  from  the  font-name  Christian.  With  Virgin 
and  the  latinized  *  Virgoe,  Vergo  goes  Mildmay  (p.  246), 
for  "  mild  "  was  the  traditional  epithet  of  the  Holy 
Virgin — 

"  Ave  Maria  !  maiden  mild  "  (Lady  of  the  Lake,  in.  29). 

Goad  is  no  doubt  for  God,  which  has  also  become 
Good ;  cf.  Goadbles  (p.  181).  Godson,  though  it 
obviously  has  other  origins,  is  also  to  be  taken  liter- 
ally [Henry  FizDeu,  Chart.  R.].  The  naivete  of  the 
old  drama  is  amazing.  In  the  play  of  Cain  and  Abel, 
Cain,  when  admonished  by  the  Almighty,  addresses 
him  scornfully  as  "  Hob  over  the  wall." 
Among  the  supers  are  Postle  or  Posthill,  Martyr,  and 

1  This  is  philologically  interesting ;  cf.  Dainteth  (p.  223).    Latheron 
is  still  in  dial,  use  as  a  term  of  contempt.     The  EDD.  derives  it 
from  Fr.  laideron,  ugly  person,  but  this  is  a  comparatively  modern 
word. 

2  The  stage  directions  and,  in  the  earliest  examples,  the  dialogue, 
were  in  Latin.     This  will  account  for  Pontifex,  which  may  be  either 
for  Pope  or  for  one  of  the  high  priests  in  the  Passion  play  [Gilbert 
Pountife,  Pat.  R.].     Another  purely  Latin  name  is   Coustos,  but 
custos  was  once  in  general  use  as  an  English  word,  e.g.  Berners,  in 
the  preface  to  his  translation  of  Froissart,  says  that  history  has 
time  as  "  her  custos  and  kepar."     Preater,  Pretor,  Prater  may  be 
for  "praetor"   or  for  "prater."      With  the  latter  origin  may  be 
compared    such  names  as  Whistler  [Elias  le  Wistler,   Glouc.  Cart.] 
or  the  obsolete  Geoffrey  le  Whiner  (Pat.  R.),  Richard  le  Titteler, 
whisperer,  tatler  (Hund.  R.),  John  Sternitour,  sneezer  (ib.). 


THE    MYSTERIES  209 

Saint,  Sant,  Saunt,  while  Devill l  [Osbert  Diabolus, 
Pat.  R.]  has  naturally  survived  less  strongly  than 
Angell  [Edward  le  Angel,2  Fine  R.~\.  There  was  more 
than  one  type  of  stage  angel,  hence  the  more  definite 
Henry  Angel-Dei  (Hund.  R.),  and  Fr.  Bonnange. 
Seraphim  still  exists  as  a  surname  [Peter  Serapin. 
Pat.  R.~\.  Pilgrim,  with  its  odd  variants  Peagrim, 
Piggrem,  Paragreen,*  etc.,  may  also  belong  here,  also 
Armitt  (hermit),  with  which  we  may  compare  not  only 
Fr.  Lermitte,  but  also  Reclus.  In  all  probability  some 
of  the  favourite  saints,  such  as  Christopher  and  George, 
contributed  to  the  surname  list  via  the  popular  drama. 
The  fact  that  the  latter,  a  very  rare  medieval  font- 
name,  is  so  common  a  surname  in  its  unaltered  form, 
is  an  argument  for  nickname  origin.  Both  were  also 
favourite  inn- signs.* 

With  George  goes  naturally  Dragon  [William  le 
Dragon,  Hund.  R.].  The  name  is  found  in  French 
and  the  other  Romance  languages,  and  in  the  Close 
R.  we  find  mention  of  a  Spaniard  with  the  pleasing 
name  Demon  Dragon.  Griffin,  usually  a  Welsh  name 
related  to  Griffith,  is  also  sometimes  a  nickname  [John 

1  I  read  to-day  (Nov.  20,  1915)  that  Herr  Teufel  is,  appropriately 
enough,  German  press  agent  in  Bale.     Here  may  belong  sometimes 
Dible,  Dibble.     The  Prynce  of  Dybles  is  an  important  character  in 
the  play  of  Mary  Magdalene. 

2  It  is  likely  that  Messenger,  Massinger  are  also  sometimes  of 
dramatic  origin,  for  there  is  a  nuncius  in  most  medieval  plays,  and  his 
part  is  important. 

3  These  may  equally  well  come  from  Peregrine,  which  is  etymo- 
logically  the  same  word. 

*  "  From  thence  towards  London  Bridge,  on  the  same  side,  be 
many  fair  inns,  for  recepit  of  travellers,  by  these  signs,  the  Spurre, 
Christopher,  Ball,  Queene's  Head,  Tabarde,  George,  Hart,  Kinge's 
Head,  etc."  (Stow). 


210  PAGEANT  NAMES 

Griffon,  Fine  R.].  In  the  OF.  Mystere  de  la  Passion 
it  is  the  nickname  of  a  comic  character  whom  Satan 
instructs  in  the  use  of  dice.  Although  Paradise,  Heaven, 
and  Hell  were  realistically  staged  in  the  old  drama, 
these  surnames  have  another  origin.  Paradise  is  local, 
a  pleasure-garden,  especially  that  of  a  convent — 

"  There  is  (at  Hampton  Court)  a  parterre  which  they  call  Para- 
dise "  (Evelyn,  Diary). 

Heaven,  a  Bristol  name,  is  generally  for  the  Welsh 
Evan,  and  Hell l  is  simply  a  variant  of  Hill  [William 
de  la  Helle,  Chart.  R.]. 

Surnames  derived  from  ecclesiastical  titles  are 
generally  too  obvious  to  require  explanation.2  Bishop 
occurs  as  early  as  DB.,  but  his  superior  does  not  seem 
to  have  survived,  though  arcevesque  is  common  enough 
in  the  Rolls  and  Hue  Archevesque  was  a  Norman 
poet  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Bishoprick  is  an 
abstract  nickname  to  be  compared  with  Office — 

"  His  bishoprick,  marg.  office  or  charge,9  let  another  take " 
(A.V.  Acts,  i.  20). 

With  the  still  existing  Archdeacon,  Arcedeckne,  cf. 
Roger  le  Archprest  (Pleas.),  who  possibly  enacted 
Annas  or  Caiaphas  in  the  Passion  Play.  Rarer  names 
of  this  type  are  Novice,  Novis,  Reverand,  Curate 
[Henry  Curete,  Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4],  Minchin.  The 
latter  is  ME.  minchen,  a  nun,  a  derivative  of  monk, 
regularly  used,  for  instance,  in  the  Cartulary  of  God- 

1  Hellcat  is  a  perversion  of  Halkett  (p.  61). 

2  It   is  curious   to   find  William  Hugh,  pape,  and  Reginald  le 
Ercevesqe  charged  together  with  murder  at  Exeter  (Pat.  R.). 

3  Is  this  the  origin  of  the  name  Charge,  or  is  this  for  Jarge  ?   Pre- 
bend is  also  a  surname,  but  can  Preferment  be  genuine  ? 


THE    CLERGY  211 

stow  Nunnery.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  origin  of 
Mincing  Lane — 

"  A  third  lane  out  of  Tower  Street  ...  is  called  Mincheon  Lane, 
so  called  of  tenements  there  sometime  pertaining  to  the  Minchuns 
or  nuns  .of  St.  Helen's  in  Bishopsgate  Street  "  (Stow). 

Labat,  Labbett  is  a  Huguenot  name,  representing  Pro- 
ven£al  abat,  abbot,  with  the  definite  article.  Ankrett, 
anchorite,  still  exists  by  the  side  of  the  simple  Anker, 
Anchor,  Annercaw — 

"  An  anchor's  cheer  in  prison  be  my  scope  " 

(Hamlet,  iii.  2). 

To  church  office  belongs  also  Reglar,  Rigler,  a  member 
of  a  religious  house,  often  contrasted  with  "  secular  " 
[Nicholas  le  Secular,  IpM.~\— 

"  Of  seculer  folke  he  can  make  reguter,  and  agayne  of  reguler 
seculer"  (NED.  1528). 

Both  Secular  and  the  synonymous  Temporall,  Tem- 
prall  still  survive  as  rare  surnames,  while  Regelous  is 
a  corruption  of  "religious"  in  its  old  sense  of  monk. 
Stroulger,  Strowger,  Strudger  is  perhaps  a  popular  form 
of  "  astrologer,"  a  nickname  often  applied  in  Middle 
English  to  the  cock. 

A  rather  fascinating  group  of  surnames  is  associated 
with  the  struggle  between  Christianity  and  Mahomet 
as  represented  in  medieval  romance.  I  have  not 
found  Christian  or  Pagan  except  as  personal  names, 
but  the  popular  form  Curson — 

"  As  I  am  a  cur  sen  man  " 

(Marlowe,  Faustus,  iv.  6) — 

was  often  a  nickname  J  [Simon  le  Curson,  Pat.  R., 
1  Curson  has  also  another  origin. 


212  PAGEANT  NAMES 

Walter  le  Hethen,  ib.].  We  cannot  imagine  that  the 
latter  was  a  professed  heathen,  for  such  views  were 
not  popular  in  the  Middle  Ages.  He  had  no  doubt 
played  the  part  of  a  "  paynim  "  in  some  dramatic 
performance.  The  same  applies  to  John  le  Reneyie, 
the  renegade  (Nott.  Court  R.  1310).  Similarly  the 
common  medieval  names  Hate-Christ  and  Shun- 
Christ  [Hugh  Hatecrist,  Pipe  R.,  William  Shunecrist, 
Exch.  R.]  were  probably  borne  by  men  who  had 
enacted  the  role  of  an  awful  example  in  a  morality. 
Cf.  Thomas  Corescros,  curse-cross  (Hund.  R.). 

The  legitimate  heathen  are,  however,  well  repre- 
sented. The  chief  character  on  their  side  was 
naturally  the  Soldan  of  the  Saracens,  whence  our 
Sowden,1  Soden,  Soltan.  With  Robert  le  Sowdene 
(Hund.  R.)  cf.  John  Saladin  (ib.)— 

"  He  that  playeth  the  sowdayne  is  percase  a  sowter.  Yet  if  one 
should  .  .  .  calle  him  by  his  owne  name  .  .  .  one  of  his  tormen- 
tors *  might  hap  to  breake  his  (one's)  head  "  (Sir  Thomas  More). 

Here  belong  also  such  names  as  Turk,  Tartar,  Arabin, 
Larby,  OF.  I'Arabi  [Ponce  Araby,  City  A.],  Moor, 
Morris,  and  Sarson,  for  it  is  hardly  likely  that  John 
Saracenus,  prebendary  of  Bridgnorth  (Pat.  R.),  was 
a  real  live  Saracen — 

"  I  sey,  ye  solem  Sarson,  alle  blake  in  your  ble" 

(Skelton,  Poems  against  Garnesche,  i.  36). 

Blackmore,  generally  local,  is  also  for  "  blackamoor  " 
[Beatrix  Blakamour,  Mem.  of  Lond.].  Memmett, 
Memmott,  Meymott,  and  probably  Mammon,  Mawman, 
represent  the  ME.  Maumet,  Maument,  i.e.  Mahomet 
[Ralph  Maumet,  Fine  R.],  whom  our  ancestors  repre- 

1  Also  a  local  name,  from  sow  and  dean  ;    cf.  Sugden. 
9  See  p.  207. 


DEMONS  213 

sented  as  a  god  or  idol.  He  is  regularly  coupled  with 
Tervagant  (p.  207).  Cf.  also  Peter  Amiraill  (Doc. 
III.)  and  Richard  Babiloyne  (Cor am  Rege  R.  1297), 
whose  names  may  still  survive  in  some  unrecognizable 
form.  Admiral,  an  extension  of  emir,  was  originally 
used  of  a  Saracen  chieftain,1  and  Lamiral  is  still  a 
common  French  surname.  The  "  Amiral  of  Babi- 
loyne "  is  often  mentioned  in  old  romance. 

Champion,  Campion  may  have  fought  on  either  side, 
but  the  stock  Christian  protagonists  were  the  douzepers, 
or  twelve  peers,  sometimes  confused  with  Charlemagne's 
Paladins.  In  English  a  new  singular  was  formed  and 
became  a  common  nickname  [Simon  Duzeper,  Close 
R.,  William  Duzeper,  Hund.  R.],  which  survives  as 
Dashper  and  Disper.  Epithets  often  applied  to  the 
Saracens  were  OF.  malfe  and  malfeu,  representing  a 
barbarous  Latin  male-fatus  and  male-fatutus  8  [Simon 
le  Malfe,  Pipe  R.,  William  Maufee,  Pat.  R.].  Hence 
our  Morfey,  Morphy,  Morphew,  the  spelling  of  the 
latter  having  been  influenced  by  the  obsolete  morphew, 
a  leprous  eruption.  Malfe  was  also  applied  specifically 
to  the  devil,  which  brings  us  to  surnames  derived 
from  supernatural  beings.  Poke,  Pook  [William  le 
Puk,  Kirby's  Quest],  and  Puckle  [William  le  Pokel, 
IpM.]  are  from  our  old  friend  Puck,  an  imp,  used  in 
Middle  English  of  Satan — 

"  Fro  the  poukes  poundfalde  no  maynprise  may  ous  fecche  8  " 

(Piers  Plowm.  C.  xix.  280). 
"  The  hell  waine,  the  fier  drake,  the  puckle,  Tom  Thombe,  Hobb 


1  See  my  Romance  of  Words,  p.  46. 

z  Cf.  the  origin  of  Mallory,   OF.   maleure,  Lat.   male-augur  atu& 
[AnketilMalore,  Pat.  R.,  Crispian  Malure,  Hund.  R.]. 

8  This  line  contains  three  surnames — Pook,  Pen  fold,  Mainprice. 


214  PAGEANT  NAMES 

gobblin  .  .  .  and  such  other  bugs  "  (Scott,  Discovery  of  Witchcraft, 
1584). 

Both  names  have  another  origin,  for  puke,  pook  was 
a  woollen  cloth  of  a  special  colour  (cf .  Burnett,  Ray,  etc., 
p.  154),  and  Puckle  is  also  local  [Robert  de  Pukehole, 
Cust.  Battle  Abbey].  This  brings  us,  even  geogra- 
phically, rather  near  "  Pook's  Hill."  With  Ghost > 
[Fabian  le  Gost,  Ramsey  Cart.]  cf.  Spirett,  Spirit,  the 
French  name  Lesprit  and  the  twelfth- century  chronicler 
Jourdain  Fantosme.  Warlock,  Werlock,  Worlock,*  a 
Middle  English  name  for  the  devil,  and  later  for  a 
wizard,  is  from  AS.  wcerloga,  a  traitor,  more  literally 
an  early  exponent  of  the  "  scrap  of  paper  "  theory. 
The  suffix  is  cognate  with  Ger.  liigen,  to  lie.8  An 
essential  figure  in  every  pageant  was  the  wodewose, 
AS.  wuduwasa,  faun,  satyr,  known  in  later  times 
as  the  Woodhouse,  Wodehouse.'  The  intermediate 
form  was  wodwysse  (temp.  Ed.  III. ).  Hence  the  names 
Woodiwiss,  Widdiwiss,  and  perhaps  Whitewish — 

"  Wodewose,  silvanus,  satirus  "  (Prompt.  Paw.). 


1  James  Ghost,  bedstead  maker,  5,  Little  Charlotte  St.,  Black- 
riars  Rd.  (Lond.  Dir.  1843). 

2  But  warlock  is  also  a  dial,  name  for  mustard,  so  that  Nicholas 
Warloc  (Hund.  R.)  may  belong  to  the  same  group  as  Gar  lick,  Pepper, 
etc.  (p.  188)— 

"  Mustard,  or  warloke,  or  senwyn,  herbe,  sinapis  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Warlow  appears  to  be  a  true  nickname.  In  the  Towneley  Mys- 
teries Pharaoh  refers  to  Moses  as  "  yond  warlow  with  his  wand." 

8  In  Truelock,  an  abstract  nickname,  from  ME.  trenlac,  fidelity, 
we  have  the  same  suffix  as  in  "  wedlock." 

4  It  gave  its  name  to  "an  ancient  East  Anglian  family,  Barons 
Wodehouse  and  Earls  of  Kimberley,  the  supporters  of  whose  shield 
of  arms  are  too  wodewoses  "  (H.  D.  Ellis,  Proceedings  of  the  Suffolk 
Institute  of  Archeology  and  Natural  History,  xiv.  3). 


ROBIN    HOOD  215 

Probably  some  names  derive  directly  from  the 
Robin  Hood  pageant — 

"  Bishop  La  timer  relates  that,  going  to  preach  at  a  certain  church, 
he  found  it  locked,  because  the  inhabitants  were  all  attending 
Robin  Hood — so  he  '  was  faine  to  give  place  to  Robin  Hoode's 
men '  "  (Strutt). 

On  this  see  also  Note  10  to  Scott's  Abbot.  The  char- 
acter of  Friar  Tuck  would  account  for  some  of  our 
Fryers,  Freres,  etc.,  and  no  doubt  Littlejohn  sometimes 
belongs  to  this  group.  Merriman  may  have  been 
applied  to  a  cheerful  person,  but  was  also  the  regular 
epithet  for  the  followers  of  a  knight  or  outlaw,1 
especially  in  the  phrase  "  Robin  Hood  and  his  Merry 
Men."  It  has  also  been  altered  to  Merriment.*  In 
the  same  way  we  may  perhaps  assume  that  Wiseman, 
besides  its  literal  meaning,  may  have  been  one  of  the 
"  wise  men  "  of  the  East  in  the  Candlemas  pageant. 
Greenleaf  was,  according  to  Lower,  also  a  character 
in  the  Robin  Hood  celebrations,  and  he  quotes,  from 
Fabian's  Chronicle,  mention  of  "  a  felow  wych  had 
renued  many  of  Robyn  Hodes  pagentes,  which  named 
hymselfe  Grenelef  "  (1502).  Robert  of  the  Lefgrene 
(Pat.  R.)  has  some  savour  of  the  outlaw  in  his  name. 
My  lord  is  perhaps  for  may-lord,  "  a  young  man  chosen 
to  preside  over  the  festivities  of  May-Day  "  (NED.), 
but  Melady,  which  looks  like  may-lady,  is  for  Melody, 
an  Irish  name. 

A  few  great  names  from  antiquity  may  have  figured 
in  the  pageants.  One  clear  example  seems  to  be 
Hercules,  also  found  as  Herkless,  Arculus,  Arkless,  who, 
in  the  character  of  a  swaggering  bully,  was  quite 

1  Outlaw  is  still  a  Norfolk  surname  [Richard  Utlawe,  Huud.  R.}. 
9  Still  used  in  Suffolk  of  a  comical  person  (EDD.) 


216  PAGEANT  NAMES 

familiar  to  the  Middle  Ages.  Both  Chaucer  and 
Shakespeare  deprive  him  of  the  aspirate — 

"My  chief  humour  is  for  a  tyrant:   I  could  play  Ercles  rarely" 
(Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  i.  2). 

Another  name  of  somewhat  similar  character  is 
Brettoner,  Bmttner,  a  libel  on  the  men  of  Brittany — 

"  A  Brutiner,  a  braggere,  a-bostede  him  also "  (Piers  Plowm. 
A.  vii.  142). 

Cf.  William  le  Tirant  (Fine  R.),  and  such  names  as 
Alexander  and  'Ccesar  which  may  obviously  be  some- 
times of  dramatic  origin.  Cupitt,  Cupiss,  common  in 
Derbyshire,  may  quite  well  be  from  Cupid  [William 
Cupide,  Leic.  BOY.  Rec.  1199].  But  classical  surnames, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  are  not  what  they  seem,  e.g. 
Hector  is  local,  "  high  tor  "  (p.  81),  Cato  is  also  local, 
at  the  "  hoe "  or  "  how  "  frequented  by  wild  cats 
[Robert  de  Catho,  Fine  R.],  and  Kitto,  which  looks 
like  its  offspring,  is  a  Cornish  name,  ultimately  a  dim. 
of  the  Welsh  Griffith.  Phoenix  appears  to  be  a  nick- 
name. The  word  was  common  in  Middle  English  in 
the  sense  of  a  paragon,  and  Finnis  may  sometimes 
represent  its  popular  form  fenice,  OF.  fenis — 

"Hie  phenix,  a  phenes  "  (Voc.). 

Finally,  we  come  to  the  rather  large  group  of  sur- 
names taken  from  abstract  qualities.  To  the  Puritans 
we  owe  such  baptismal  names,  generally  female,  as 
Faith,  Hope,  Charity,  but  this  fashion  came  too  late 
for  surname  purposes.  The  same  tendency  can  be  ob- 
served much  further  back  in  the  history  of  names.  We 
have  such  Greek  names  as  Sophia,  wisdom,  Irene, 
peace,  and  many  of  the  Teutonic  names,  which  repre- 


ABSTRACT    NAMES  217 

sent  our  oldest  stratum,  are  formed  from  abstract 
ideas,  e.g.  the  shortened  Hugh  is  simply  AS.  hyge, 
mind.  It  is  equally  natural  that  medieval  English- 
men should  have  nicknamed  people  by  the  names  of 
the  virtues  and  vices  which  they  seemed  to  personify, 
and,  as  the  epigraph  of  this  chapter  seems  to  show, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  such  names  were  often 
acquired  by  those  who  had  played  abstract  parts  in 
the  moralities. 

No  doubt  some  of  the  existing  surnames  of  this 
type  are  imitative  corruptions,  e.g.  Choyce  is  for  the 
font-name  Joyce  [William  Choys,  Pat.  R.],  Victory  is 
probably  an  alteration  of  Vickery,  an  early  form  of 
Vicar,  Honour  is  local,  from  the  same  word  used  of  a 
special  kind  of  fief  (see  p.  63).  Element  is  for  Elliman, 
which,  in  its  turn,  may  represent  the  "  man "  of 
Ellis,  or  F.  Allemand,  which  has  generally  become 
Allman',  Emblem  is  an  imitative  spelling  of  Emblin 
(Emmeline);  Memory  or  Membery  is  for  Mowbray, 
from  Montbrai  (Manche),  the  origin  also  of  Momerie, 
Mummery,  Argument  is  probably  from  Aigremont, 
a  common  French  place-name ;  Drought  and  Troth  are 
AS.  thryth,  might,  an  element  in  many  Anglo-Saxon 
names;  Courage  is  a  hamlet  in  Berks,  but  still 
Courage  is  a  French  surname ;  Foresight  is  the  local 
Forsyth ;  Zeal  is  a  parish  in  Devon ;  Trust  is  short  for 
Trustrum,  i.e.  Tristram,  and  so  on.  Other  examples 
of  such  imitative  forms  will  be  found  scattered  about 
in  other  chapters,  but  in  none  of  the  above,  and 
similar,  cases  is  the  literal  meaning  absolutely  barred. 

But,  allowing  for  this  incessant  striving  after  a 
significant  form,  there  remain  a  considerable  number 
of  abstract  surnames  which  can  be  taken  at  their 


2i8  PAGEANT  NAMES 

face  value.  Both  Virtue  and  Vice  are  well-established 
surnames.  Of  the  three  cardinal  virtues,  Faith,  Hope, 
Charily,  Hope  is  generally  local  (see  p.  81),  and 
Charity  has  also  a  double  origin.  It  is  usually  ab- 
stract [John  Caritas,  Leic.  BOY.  Rec.,  John  Charite, 
Pat.  R.],  but  Brother  Miles  of  La  Charite  of  the  Priory 
of  St.  Andrew's,  Northampton  (Pat.  JR.),  points  to 
charite  in  its  Old  French  sense  of  hospice,  refuge. 
Verity  is  a  true  abstract,  found  also  in  the  popular 
forms  Vardy,  Varty.  It  is  a  common  name  in  the 
West  Riding.  With  Pride  [Richard  Pride,  Fine  R], 
naturally  a  favourite  figure  in  edifying  drama,  we 
may  compare  Or  gill,  Fr.  orgueil  [Gerard  Orgoyl, 
City  D.].  Gentry  formerly  meant  both  high  rank 
and  good  breeding.  Chaucer  says  of  the  lion — 

"  Of  his  genterye 
Hym  deyneth  nat  to  wreke  him  on  a  flye  " 

(Legend  of  Good  Women,  394). 

See  also  Hamlet,  ii.  2.  Kindness  has  parallels  in  Fr. 
Bonte  [cf.  Nicholas  Bonty,  Close  R.'}  and  our  Goodship, 
but,  being  a  Border  name,  it  may  be  rather  Mackinnis, 
with  the  common  loss  of  the  prefix.  With  Wonder 
cf.  Marvell  [Geoffrey  Merveyle,  Pat.  R.~].  Speed  and 
Goodspeed  are  genuine  [Stephen  Sped,  Fine  R., 
Ralph  Godisped,  Hund.  R.}.  Hazard  1  is  perhaps 
usually  baptismal,  AS.  ^scheard,  whence  also  Has- 
sard,  Hassett,  but  the  existence  of  Chance,  Luck, 
Ventur  2  [William  Aventur,  Hund.  R.]  shows  that  it 

1  For  incorrect  aspirate  in  Anglo-Saxon  names,  see  p.  33,   «.    i. 
Here  we  have  also  the  influence  of  the  abstract  term. 

2  Venters,   Ventress,  Ventris  are  for  "  venturous,"  with  just  the 
same  phonetic  change  as  in  the  -house  names  (p.   96).     Cf.   Fr. 
Laventure  and  Laventureux. 


VICES  219 

may  also  be  a  nickname.  Bad  luck  was  responsible 
for  the  name  of  John  Amesas  (Hund.  R.),  who  habitually 
made  the  lowest  throw  in  dicing— 

"  I  had  rather  be  in  this  choice  than  throw  ames-ace  for  my  life  " 
(All's  Well,  ii.  3). 

Craft  is  generally  a  variant  of  the  local  Croft,  but  the 
abstract  Kraft  is  a  German  surname.  Forfeitt  had 
formerly  the  sense  of  wrong-doing  [cf .  Thomas  Trespas, 
Hund.  R.}.  Profit  is  of  course  for  the  nickname  Prophet 
(p.  198).  Glew,  Glue  is  an  archaic  form  of  glee  [Agnes 
Glewe,  Hund.  R.~\ — 

"  Glu,  or  menstralsy,  musica,  armonia  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Vices  and  virtues  are  equally  well  represented. 
Trickery,  a  Devon  name,  has  a  parallel  in  Engayne, 
OF.  engan,  trickery,  a  very  common  name  in  the 
Rolls,  starting  with  Richard  Ingania  (DB.).  It  seems 
to  have  become  Engeham,  now  nearly  absorbed  by  the 
local  Ingham.  With  Greed  [William  Grede,  Pipe  JR.] 
cf.  Greedy  [Helya  le  Gredie,  Leic.  Bor.  RecJ\.  Tred- 
gett,  or  Trudgett,  is  ME.  treget,  jugglery,  deceit  [cf. 
Simon  le  Treget  or,  Hund.  R.] — 

"  By  my  treget,  I  gadre  and  threste 
The  gret  tresour  into  my  cheste  " 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  1825). 

Fitton  [Richard  Fiton,  Fine  R.]  is  a  common  Middle 
English  word  for  lying,  deceit.  Its  origin  is  disputed, 
but  the  NED.  regards  derivation  from  fiction  as 
inadmissible — 

"  Fytten,  mensonge,  menterie  "  (Palsg.). 

Boast  had  in  Middle  English  the  sense  of  boasting, 
vainglory  [Robert  dictus  Bost,  Archbp.  Peckhams  Let.}. 
16  * 


220  PAGEANT  NAMES 

Cf.  Galfridus  Gloriosus  1  (Pipe  R.)  and  John  le  Boster 
(Pat.  R.).  Bessemer,  Bismire  is  ME.  bismer,  mockery 
[William  Bessemere,  Hund.  R.],  Ryott 2  [Philip  Ryot, 
Close  R.]  once  meant  debauchery,  riotous  living,  and 
I  should  guess  that  Surkett,  Serkitt,  Circuitt  are  related 
to  OF.  and  ME.  surquidie,  arrogance — 

"  Presumpcioun  ...  is  called  surquidie  "    (Chauc.    I.  403). 

More  pleasant  qualities  are  embodied  in  the  names 
Worship  [Thomas  Worthshipp,  Close  R.],  Thrift,  cor- 
rupted to  Frift,  Sillence,  Patience,  Pennance,  Pru- 
dence [Henry  Prudence,  Feet  of  Fines'],  Goodhead,  i.e. 
goodness,  Comfort  [William  Cumfort,  Hund.  R.],  with 
which  cf.  Sollas  [Ralph  Solaz,  Northumb.  Ass.  R.'], 
Manship,  Manchip,  corresponding  generally  in  Middle 
English  to  Lat.  virtus,  Friendship,  Quaintance  [John 
Cointance,  Lib.  R.~\,  and  Brotherhood — 

"And  ech  of  hem  gan  oother  for  tassure 
Of  bretherhede  whil  that  hir  lyf  may  dure" 

(Chauc.  B.   1231). 

This  last  name  may  be  also  local,  of  the  same  type  as 
Monkhouse,  Nunnery,  etc.  Holness  might  be  a  con- 
traction of  Holderness  (Yorks),  but  it  is  purely  a 
Kentish  name  and  no  doubt  for  "  holiness."  3  Welfare 
is  certified  by  Ger.  Wohlfart.  Cf.  Farewell,  Farwell, 

1  An  epithet  quaintly  applied  to  the  Kaiser  by  that  eminent 
humanist  Ferdinand  of  Bulgaria. 

2  Revel  is  a  font-name,  very  common  in  Old  French  and  Middle 
English,  possibly  derived  from  Lat.  rebellus.     But  the  fact  that  the 
name  is  so  common  in  Yorkshire  points  to  an  alternative  origin  from 
Rievaulx  [Ivo  de  Rievalle,  Lib.   Vit.\     Cf.  Revis  (p.  82). 

8  Holyhead  is  doubtful.  In  Middle  English  it  means  "  holiness," 
but  I  have  found  the  name,  also  as  Hollyhead,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Hollin-  surnames,  so  it  may  be  equivalent  to  Hollings- 
head,  i.e.  at  the  "  holly  head." 


ABSTRACT   NAMES  ,  221 

and  the  parallel  Ger.  Lebwohl.  With  Service,  Sarvis, 
and  Fair  service  cf.  Thomas  Wrangeservis  (Writs,  of 
Part.).  Lawty,  Lewty,  Luty  is  "  lealty,"  OF.  leaute 
[Thomas  Leaute,  Pat.  R.~\.  The  French  troops  in 
Morocco  are  at  present  (Nov.  1915)  commanded  by 
General  Lyautey,  and  the  more  anglicized  form  Loalday 
is  an  existing  English  surname — 

"Thenne  swar  a  bocher,  '  By  my  leaute! 
Shalt  thou  ner  mor  the  Kyng  of  Fraunce  se.'  " 

(Song  on  the  Battle  of  Courtrai,  temp.  Ed.  I.). 

The  corresponding  native  name  is  Holdship,  AS. 
holdscipe,  loyalty.  With  Counsell  [John  Counseil 
City  £>.]  we  may  compare  Read,  Reed,  among  the  many 
origins  of  which  must  be  included  ME.  rede,  counsel — 

"Reed,  counsell,  concilium"  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Hence  Goodread,  Goodred,  Goodered  [Richard  Goderede, 
F.  of  Y.  1465],  and  Meiklereid.  In  Middle  English 
we  find  the  less  complimentary  Robert  Smalred  (Pipe 
R.),  Philip  Lytylred  (John  of  Gaunt' s  Reg.  1372-6), 
and  William  Thynnewyt  (Lane.  Court.  R.  1325). 

Instance  meant  in  Middle  English  eager  supplica- 
tion. Peace  usually  belongs  to  this  group  [William 
Pays,  Fine  R.,  Nicholas  Pax,1  Hund.  R.],  and  Small- 

1  In  one  of  the  Chester  plays  "  Death  is  personified,  and  a  play 
on  the  Salutation  is  prefaced  by  a  long  prologue  in  heaven,  in  which 
the  speakers  are  (besides  Deus  Pater  and  Deus  Filius)  Veritas,  Mis- 
ericordia,  Justitia,  and  Pax"  (Pollard,  English  Miracle  Plays).  Here 
we  have  not  only  a  plausible  origin  of  the  names  Verity,  Mercy  or 
Marcy,  Justice,  Peace,  but  also  an  indication  of  the  fact  that  Death  is 
not  always  local,  of  Ath  (Belgium).  The  name  is  quite  common  in 
Essex,  where  it  is  occasionally  altered  to  Dearth.  With  Robert 
Death  (Cust.  Battle  Abbey)  cf.  the  common  French  surname  Lamort, 
also  found  in  England  as  Mort,  and  the  famous  Russo-German 
Todleben,  death-life.  Mortleman  also  suggests  a  dramatic  personifi- 
cation of  the  uncertainty  of  human  life. 


222  PAGEANT  NAMES 

peace,  Smallpeice,  very  common  in  Surrey,  is  its 
opposite.  Hawisia  Crist  a  pes  (Nott.  Bor.  Rec.)  was 
so  named  from  her  habitual  ejaculation,  which  was 
probably  not  unconnected  with  the  fact  that  her 
husband  was  Henry  Lytilprud,  i.e.  "  little  worth," 
whence  our  Littleproud.1  It  contains  the  older  form 
of  the  common  ME.  prow,  profit,  use,  whence  also  in 
some  cases  the  surname  Prow — 

"  That  shul  been  for  youre  hele  and  for  youre  prow  " 

(Chauc.  B.  4140). 

Nor  is  it  likely  that  our  name  Heal  is  quite  indepen- 
dent of  the  common  ME.  hele,  health,  salvation. 
Deeming  appears  to  mean  judgment — 

"  Ffor  drede  that  they  had  of  demyng  therafter  " 

(Richard  the  Redeless,  ii.  94). 

With  thiscf.  Sentance,  Sentence,  and  William  Jugement 
(Wore.  Priory  Reg.).  Flattery  is  a  quality  that  lends 
itself  readily  to  dramatic  impersonation.  Hardiment  in 
Chaucer  means  courage,  daring — 

"  Artow  in  Troye,  and  hast  non  hardiment 
To  take  a  womman  which  that  loveth  thee  ?  " 

(Troilus  and  Criseyde,  iv.  533). 

Travell  retains  the  older  meaning  of  travail,  toil. 
Plenty  was  in  the  thirteenth  century  the  name  of  a 
lady  [Christina  Plente,  Hund.  R.],  and  a  ship  called 
la  Plentee  is  mentioned  in  the  Pat.  R.  Skill  also 
apparently  belongs  here  [Walter  Skil,  Pat.  R.] ;  cf. 

1  The  synonymous  Petibon  is  found  both  in  Middle  English  [John 
Petibon,  Pat.  R.]  and  in  modern  French.  Littleproud  may,  however, 
have  been  a  modest  person  like  Robert  Proudofnouth  (Nott.  Court  R. 
1316),  but  Richard  Smalprout  (Hund.  R.)  supports  the  first  explana- 
tion. 


ABSTRACT   NAMES  223 

Slight,  usually  for  "  sleight  "  [Johannes  dictus  Slegh 
or  Slegt,  Bp.  Kellawes  RegJ\.  Wisdom  is  derived 
by  Lower  from  an  estate  in  Devon,  but  it  is 
always  found  without  de  [Hugh  Wysdam,  Hund. 
RJ\.  The  oldest  meaning  of  Purchase  is  pursuit, 
pillage  [Andrew  Purchaz,  Fine  R.].  It  is  also  one 
origin  of  Pur  kiss  [John  Purkase,1  Hund.  R.],  also 
Pirkiss,  Porcas,  Porkiss.  In  fact  there  is  hardly  a 
common  abstract  term  which  could  conceivably  be 
personified  in  an  individual  that  does  not  exist  as  a 
modern  surname ;  and  for  most  of  these  names 
medieval  prototypes  can  be  quoted.8 

Physick  and  Dainteth,  Dentith  are  of  special  interest. 
The  former  has  generally  been  explained  as  an  imitative 
corruption  of  the  local  Fishwick.  This  may  be  true  in 
some  cases,  but  "  physic  "  is  personified  by  Lang  land — 

"  Phisik  shal  his  furred  hodes  for  his  fode  sele" 

(Piers  Plowm.  B.  vi.  271) — 

and  Richard  Physik  (Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.)  certifies 
it  as  a  nickname.  Dainteth  is  an  archaic  form  of 
Dainty.  The  latter,  a  Northants  name,  is  generally 
local,  of  Daventry,  or  Daintry,  in  that  county.  But 
Dainteth  [Agnes  Deynteth,  Nott.  Bor.  Rec.'}  is  OF. 
deintet,  Lat.  dignitat-em,  and  shows  the  transition  of 
the  final  dental  on  its  way  to  complete  disappearance. 
The  only  existing  word  which  preserves  this  inter- 
mediate sound  is  faith,  OF.  feid  (foi),  Lat.  fid-em. 
The  two  names  Nation  and  Sumption,  Sumsion  may 

1  This  might,  however,  be  ME.  percase,   perchance ;    cf.   Per- 
adventure  (p.  182). 

2  Many  which  occur  in  the  Rolls  appear  to  be  no  longer  repre- 
sented, e.g.  Cuvenant,  Damage,  Purveance,  Testimonie,  Blithehait, 
the  last  apparently  from  an  unrecorded  ME.  blith-hede,  Bliss. 


224 


PAGEANT  NAMES 


be  for  Incarnation  and  Assumption.1  If  so,  they  do 
not  belong  to  this  chapter,  but  to  the  group  of  names 
taken  from  church  seasons,  such  as  Christmas,  Pente- 
cost, Middlemas,  etc.  But  they  may  equally  well  be 
for  "  damnation  "  and  "  presumption."  *  A  very 
possible  pageant  name  is  Welladvise,  Wellavize, 
Willavise,*  the  "  well  advised  "  ;  but  dial,  well-avized, 
comely,  is  related  to  visage  ;  cf.  Uack-avized,  swarthy. 
For  the  loss  of  the  final  -d,  cf.  Wellbelove,  Wellbelow, 
for  Wellbeloved. 

1  Asunci6n  is  a  baptismal  name  in  Spain. 

2  This  loss  of  the  first  syllable  is  normal  in  dialect  speech.     It 
is  just  as  natural  that  the  north-country  name  Tinnion  should  be 
for   Justinian    [Justinian   Penyfader,    Archbishop    Peckham's   Reg. 
1279-92]  as  that  King  Constantine  of  Greece  should  be  called  Tino 
by  his  imperial  brother-in-law. 

3  Bien-avise  et  Mal-avise  is  the  title  of  an  Old  French  morality 
play. 


CHAPTER    XI 

SOME   COMPOUND   NAMES 

"  '  This  infant  was  called  John  Little,'  quoth  he, 

'  Which  name  shall  be  changed  anon. 
The  words  we'll  transpose,  and  wherever  he  goes, 
His  name  shall  be  called  Little- John'  " 

(Old  Ballad). 

A  TYPE  of  surname  which  is  very  common  in  Middle 
English,and  is  still  strongly  represented  intheDirectory, 
is  that  of  which  we  may  take  Brownsmith,  Littlejohn, 
Goodchild,  Dawbarn  as  types,  i.e.  surnames  formed  by 
adding  a  qualifying  word  to  an  occupative  name,  a 
baptismal  name,  or  a  name  indicating  relationship. 
Brownsmith  is  the  smith  with  the  brown  complexion, 
Littlejohn  points  to  a  small  ancestor,1  but  probably 
also  to  one  who  had  enacted  the  part  of  Little  John 
in  some  Robin  Hood  play  or  procession,  Goodchild  is 
pretty  obvious,  and  Dawbarn  means  the  "  bairn  "  of 
Daw,  i.e.  David. 

Compounds  of  this  type  are  very  much  more 
numerous  in  French  and  German  than  in  English  (see 
chs.  xiii,  xiv),  but  we  have  a  fairly  large  number  of 

1  Of  course  nicknames  often  go  by  contraries,  as  is  the  case  of  the 
historical  Little  John  himself.  Snowball  [Pavia  Snowball,  Fine  R.] 
may  have  been  applied  to  a  swarthy  person,  as  Bottle  de  neige  is  in 
France  to  a  negro,  and  Goodchild  may  have  obtained  his  sobriquet 
by  indulging  in  parricide.  A  wall-eyed  portress  in  Marguerite 
Andoux'  Marie-Claire  is  called  Beloeil. 

225 


226  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

them,  some  common,  some  rare,  and  many  which  have 
never  been  explained.  Taking  first  the  occupative  class, 
we  notice  that  these  compounds  occur  chiefly  in  connec- 
tion with  the  true  old  English  words  which  lack  the 
later  agential  suffix  -er.  They  are  connected  with  the 
essential  activities  of  life,  and  are  thus  distinguished 
from  the  more  modern  names  which  spring  from  the 
shopkeeper  and  the  specialized  craftsman.1  These 
names  are  Wright,  Smith,  Hunt,  Webb,  Bond,  the 
farmer,  with  its  compound  Husband,  and  Grieve  or 
Reeve,  the  farm  steward.  To  these  we  may  add  Hine, 
later  Hind,  Mann,*  which  often  means  simply  the 
servant,  Knight,  originally  also  the  servant,  Herd,  the 
herdsman,  Day,  the  farm  worker,  Swain,  knave,  and 
Ladd.  Nearly  all  of  these  are  found  in  compounds, 
and  those  of  Wright  and  Smith  are  fairly  numerous, 
though  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  German 
compounds  of  Schmidt  and  Meyer  (see  p.  298). 
From  Wright 8  we  get,  according  to  the  nature  of 

1  Names  of  the  later  type,  if  long  and  cumbersome,  have  generally 
been  reduced  or  have  disappeared.  In  one  volume  of  the  Nott.  Bor. 
Pec.  I  find  Richard  le  Boustringer,  John,  Breadseller,  Hugh  Last- 
maker,  Walter  Pouchmaker,  Martin  Tankardmaker,  John  Ham- 
barowman,  i.e.  hand-barrow  man.  We  still  have  Bowmaker,  Slay- 
maker,  the  maker  of  "  slays  "  for  looms,  Millmaker,  Shoemaker,  the 
last  two  very  rare,  also  Ashburner,  Ironmonger,  Stonehewer,  whence 
Stanley,  Whittier  (see  p.  135),  and  others  which  are  easily  recognised. 
Woodier,  Woodger  are  for  "  wood-hewer."  Shoemark,  Slaymark 
appear  to  be  for  Shoemaker,  Slaymaker.  With  the  former  cf.  Ger. 
Schuhmach.  It  is  possible  that  they  go  back  to  Anglo-Saxon  forms 
of  the  type  Hunt,  Webb,  etc.,  but  the  loss  of  -er,  though  rare,  is 
not  without  example,  for  in  the  case  of  one  family  the  occupative 
Ashburner  has  been  shortened  to  Ashburn. 

*  Cf.  Humm  [Gilbert  le  Homme,  Pat.  R.,  Geoffrey  Homo,  #>.]. 

8  Wraith,  Wreath  are  perversions  of  Wright  The  intermediate 
Wraight  is  common  in  Kent. 


COMPOUNDS    OF    WRIGHT  227 

the  occupation,  the  very  obvious  Boatwright  or 
Botwright,  Cartwright,  Cheesewright,  Plowright,  Ship- 
wright, Sivewright,  Wainwright,  Wheelwright.  Wood- 
wright  may  be  the  wright  who  lived  in  the  wood  (cf. 
Wildsmith,  p.  228),  but  more  probably  the  "  mad " 
wright ;  cf.  Woodmason,  and  seep.  308.  In  Arkwright  we 
have  the  dialect  ark,  a  bin,  meal-chest,  and  Tellwright 
is  for  tile- wright.  William  Basketwricte  (Pat.  R.), 
Thomas  le  Glasenwryth  (Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.  1301-60), 
have  given  way  to  Basketter  and  Glaisher,  and  I  have 
found  no  descendants  of  Matthew  le  Glewryte  (Pat. 
R.),  Simon  le  Bordwryte  (IpM.),  or  Richard  le  Hair- 
wright  (Leic.  BOY.  Bee.).  The  personality  of  the 
Wright  is  expressed  in  Goodwright,  Micklewright,1  Old- 
Wright,  Whitewright,  and  John  Longus  Faber  (Writs  of 
Part.).  Allwright,  Woolwright  may  be  imitative  spell- 
ings of  the  AS.  Ealdric  and  Wulfric,  but  the  first  may 
equally  well  be  for  Oldwright,  northern  auld-,  and  the 
latter  may  mean  a  wool- worker.  Goodwright  (v.s.) 
may  be  AS.  Godric,  and  Seawright  is  from  AS.  Saeric, 
or  perhaps  from  the  more  common  Sigeric  ;  cf.  Sea- 
ward from  Saeweard  or  Sigeweard.  Aldritt  may  belong 
here  or  to  Aldred,  AS.  Ealdred.  Henwright  is  the  Irish 
name  Enright,  Enraght,  and  Kenwright  is  for  Kenrick, 
AS.  Coenric.  Many  of  the  above  names  are  some- 
times spelt  -right  instead  of  -wright. 

The  technical  compounds  of  Smith  are  curiously 
few.  Blacksmith  and  Whitesmith  are  both  said  to 
exist  by  Lower,  though  I  have  not  come  across  them, 
and  Locksmith  has  generally  yielded  to  Locker,  Lockyer. 
With  Brownsmith  (p.  225)  cf.  Randolf  Redsmith  (Nott. 
Bor.  Ree.).  On  the  analogy  of  Plowright  we  should 

1  See  note  on  Harrismith  (p  228). 


228  SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 

expect  Harrismith,1  Harrowsmith  to  mean  "  harrow 
smith,"  but  I  expect  they  are  perversions  of  Arrow- 
smith  [John  le  Arewesmyth,  Pat.  R.'],  which,  in  America, 
has  become  Arsmith.  Greensmith  is  local,  the  smith 
on  the  green,2  and  Wildsmith,  Wilesmith  is  the  smith 
in  the  wild,  rather  a  Forest  Lovers  sort  of  figure  * ;  cf. 
Shawsmith,  Brooksmith.  Specialists  have  given  the 
names  Shoesmith,  Shear  smith.  Sixsmith  may  contain 
scythe,  the  earliest  Anglo-Saxon  form  of  which  is 
sighthi,  or  more  probably  sickle  [John  Sykelsmith, 
IpM.~\.  In  Sucksmith,  Shucksmith  we  have  Fr.  soc,  a 
plough- share,  whence  ME.  sock,  suck,  still  in  dial,  use — 

"  Ye  sucke  of  a  plow,  venter  "  [mistake  for  vomer  ?]  (Manip.   Voc.). 

Grossmith  is,  I  think,  comparatively  recent,  and 
adapted  from  Ger.  Grobschmied,  blacksmith.  Clock- 
smith,  of  which  there  are  several  examples  in  the 
Repton  Register  (1578-1670),  appears  to  be  extinct. 
Nasmyth,  Nay  smith,  is  explained  by  Lower  as  "  nail 
smith,"  by  Bardsley  as  "  knife-smith."  The  fact 
that  Knifesmythe  was  a  medieval  name,  surviving 
into  the  sixteenth  century  as  Knysmithe,  is  in 

1  A  possible  explanation  of  these  names  is  Michael  the  Wright 
and  Harry  the  Smith.    Cf.  Fr.  Jeanroy,  Goninfaure,  and  Ger.  Schmidt- 
henner  (Heinrich),  Schmidtkunz  (Conrad).     But  the  only  examples 
of  such  a  formation  I  have  found  in  English  are  Pascoewebb  (p.  230) 
and  Foster  John  (p.  242).      Johncook  is  more  probably  for  Johncock 
(p.  239),  though  literal  interpretation  is  possible.     Wat  king  is  of 
course  Watkin. 

2  Is  Greenprice  the  Price  who  lived  on  the  green  or  is  it  a  barbarous 
hybrid  Green-pres  ?   Fr.  pre,  whence  Pray,  is  a  common  element  in 
Middle  English  names  [Henry  de  la  Preye,  Hund.  R.],  and  is  one 
source  of  Preece,  Price. 

3  So  Hollinpriest  suggests  a  pious  hermit  among  the  hollies.     It  is 
found  in  Cheshire,  where  Hollin-  names,  such  as  Hollingshead,  are 
numerous,  but  it  is  perhaps  for  "  holy  priest." 


HUNT    AND    HUNTER  229 

favour  of  the  second  derivation.  Being  a  Scottish 
name,  it  inevitably  has  a  legendary  origin.  Some 
prince  or  noble,  fleeing  from  his  enemies,  took  refuge 
in  a  shoeing  forge  and  hastily  donned  the  garb  of  a 
journeyman  smith.  The  pursuers,  of  course,  came  to 
the  same  smithy  to  get  one  of  their  horses  shod,  and 
at  once  noticed  the  clumsiness  of  the  smith's  assistant. 
"  You're  nae  smith  "  were  the  words  that  showed  he 
was  detected.  Though  led  away  captive,  we  may 
assume  that  he  was  released  and  had  issue.  Other- 
wise there  could  be  no  Nasmyths  now  !  Lower  also 
gives  Spearsmith  and  Bucksmith,  which  I  have  not 
met  with.  The  latter  is  perhaps  for  "  buckle- smith  " — 

"  Bokell  smythes  leches  and  gold  beters  " 

(Cocke  Lorelle). 

Grey  smith,  like  Brownsmith,  refers  to  personal  appear- 
ance;  cf.  Robert  Greygroom  (Fine  R.). 

I  do  not  know  of  any  modern  compounds  of  Hunt, 
and  only  one  of  the  later  Hunter,  viz.  Todhunter,  i.e. 
fox- hunter,  but  in  the  Rolls  we  find  Foxhunt,  Boar- 
hunt,  Wolfhunt.  Hunt  has  flourished  at  the  expense 
of  Hunter  by  absorbing  the  nickname  hund,  hound 
[Henry  le  Hund,  Pat.  R.],  and  is  also  local,  "  of  the 
hunt  "  ;  cf.  the  still  existing  Delahunte.  The  office  of 
Common  Hunt  to  the  City  of  London  was  not  abolished 
till  1807.  The  corresponding  OF.  veneitr  has  given  us 
Venom  and  Venner.  Gravenor,  though  it  has  inter- 
changed with  Grosvenor,  is  etymologically  grand 
veneur  [Richard  le  Grantvenor,  Fine  R.].  Hunt  is 
one  of  the  few  occupative  names  of  which  the  feminine 
form  has  also  given  a  surname.1  This  is  found  as 

1  For  a  large  number  of  obsolete  nouns  of  this  form,  as  also  for 
words  in  -ster,  see  Trench,  English  Past  and  Present. 


230  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

Huntress,  Huntriss  [Agnes  Venatrix,  Hund.  R.~\.  The 
only  other  names  of  this  type  I  have  found  are  Pewtress, 
Vickress,  and  possibly  Clarges  [Juliana  la  Clergesse, 
Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.].  Such  names  were  once 
commoner,1  e.g.  in  the  Gloucester  Cartulary  occur 
Alice  la  Carteres,  Alice  la  Horsmannes,  Isabella  le 
Prestes,  Matilda  le  Piperes. 

Webb  has,  I  think,  only  three  compounds,  Green- 
webb,  who  lived  on  the  green  (cf.  Greensmith),  Nor- 
webb,  at  the  north  end  of  the  town,  and  Brookwebb 
(cf.  Brooksmith) ;  with  these  cf.  John  le  Bothwebb 
(Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.),  i.e.  the  weaver  who  occu- 
pied a  booth.  Pascoewebb,  Pascal  the  weaver,  is  an 
example  of  a  formation  which  is  commoner  in  French 
and  German  (see  p.  228,  n.  i).  Bond8  gives  New- 
bond,  Newbound  [Walter  le  Newebond,  Hund.  R.~\,  and 
Blackbond,  Blackband,  while  corresponding  to  Young- 
husband  we  find  John  Yongebonde  (Chart.  R.). 
Goodban,  Goodbun,  Goodband  *  may  belong  here  or  to 
Goodbairn.  Willbond  may  be  for  "  wild  bond  "  [cf, 
Edwin  Wildegrome,  Pipe  R.].  Lovibond,  Loveband, 
Levibond  seems  to  mean  "  the  dear  bond  "  [Nicholas 
Leveband,  Hund.  R.]  ;  cf.  Loveday  (q.v.).  Lightbound 
is  an  alteration  of  the  local  Lightborne  (Lane.). 

Grieve,  with  the  imitative  spelling  Grief,  has  a  com- 
pound Fairgrief,  Fairgray.  Forgreive  is  perhaps  rather 
to  be  compared  with  Forman,  a  leader.  Reeve  is  also 

1  We  also  have  many  names  in  -ster,  originally  used  of  trades 
especially    practised    by    women,    e.g.   Brewster,   Baxter,   but  this 
distinction  was  soon  lost  [Simon  le  Bakestere,  Cal.  Gen.]. 

2  Hence  also  Band,  Bound,  Bunt  [Richard  le  Bande,  IpM.,  Ger- 
vase  le  Bunt,  Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.]. 

8  Final  -band  may  also  stand  for  the  local  -bourne,  -burn,  e.g. 
Millband  for  "  mill-burn,"  Chadband  from  Chatburn  (Lane.). 


"THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  ANTIQUE  WORLD"  231 

found  as  Reef.  Its  compounds  are  very  numerous 
in  Middle  English,  and  it  is  strange  that  so  few  have 
survived.  I  find  Oldreive  [William  le  Oldereve,  Pat.  R.}, 
which,  as  a  modern  Devon  surname,  is  neighboured  by 
Oldrey  (cf.  Fairgray),  and  of  course  Sherriff  (shire 
reeve),  Shreeve,  Shrive,  a  name  less  often  due,  perhaps, 
to  official  position  than  to  a  successful  interpretation 
of  the  Sheriff  of  Nottingham  in  a  Robin  Hood  pageant. 
The  Scottish  form  Shirra  also  exists  as  a  surname, 
and  I  suspect  that  Shearer,  Sharer,  a  common  name 
in  Scotland,  is  sometimes  of  the  same  origin.  *  I  can- 
not help  thinking  that  Woodroffe,  Woodruff,  a  plant 
nickname,  owes  something  to  the  woodreeve,  i.e. 
Woodward.  But  the  apparent  disappearance  of  the 
borough-reeve,  dike-reeve,  port-reeve,  etc.,  is  curious. 
Perhaps  they  were  converted  into  Borrowman  or 
Berryman,  Dickman,  and  Portman,  as  the  word  reeve 
became  archaic. 

From  Hine  we  have  Goodhind  [John  Godhine, 
Wore.  Priory  Reg.'},  a  type  of  name  [Richard  Fidelis 
Serviens,  Ramsey  Cart.}  once  very  common.  With 
Goodlad,  Goodlud,  Goodlet,  cf.  the  common  French 
names  Bonvillain,  Bonvalet,  and  the  extinct  Robert 
le  Godegrom  (Hund.  R.)  and  Richard  le  Lovegrom 
(Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.).  Lightlad  z  (little)  and  the 
synonymous  Petivallet  exist  as  English  names.  With 
Goodlass  cf.  Sotelass  (sweet).  Goddard  is  occasionally 
the  "  good  herd"  ;  cf.  Whiteheard,  Whittard  for  "  white 
herd."  The  prefix  Bon-  is  common  in  the  Rolls  [Richard 

1  It  is  generally  a  sheep-shearer,  and,  in  Northumbria,  a  reaper. 

2  The  only  compounds  of  "  boy  "  appears  to  be  Littteboy,  Oddboy. 
Warboy  is  from  Warboys  (Camb.),  and  Mortiboy,  Martiboy,  found 
also  as  Mortiboy s,  evidently  comes  from  some  "  dead  wood." 


232  SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 

Bonswan,  Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297] ;  cf.  Bon  fellow  for 
Goodfellow.  To  this  class  belongs  Goodhugh,  Goodhue, 
Goodhew,  which  I  have  previously  explained  1  as  for 
"  good  Hugh,"  an  explanation  which  may  in  some 
cases  be  right,  for  the  name  is  fairly  common,  and 
Hugh,  which  probably  ranks  sixth  in  popularity  (after 
John,  William,  Thomas,  Robert,  Richard)  among 
medieval  font- names,  may  naturally  have  joined  the 
Littlejohn,  Goodwillie  class  [John  Godehugh,  Pat.  R.}. 
But  the  real  origin,  from  ME.  hiwe,  servant,  jumps 
to  the  eyes  [John  Godhyue,  Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4]. 
And  the  same  word  hiwe'  is  often  the  origin  of  the 
usually  baptismal  Hugh,  Hew,  Hewes,  etc.,  just  as 
hine  is  of  Him,  Hinds,  etc.  In  fact,  the  two  words, 
which  are  ultimately  cognate,  are  used  as  equivalent 
in  Middle  English — 

"  He  withalt  non  hewe,  var.  hyne,  bus  hyre  overe  even  " 

(Piers  Plowman,  C.  viii.  195). 

Thraleiepresents  thrall,  aserf[JohnleThryl,2Pa/.  R.']. 
Goodchap  is  for  Goodcheap,  a  nickname  for  a  trades- 
man [Jordan  Godchep,  City  A.}.  Cf.  Geoffrey  Bon- 
mar  che  (City  A.),  whose  name  survives  as  Bomash — 

"  Bon  marche,  good  cheap,  dog  cheap,  a  low  rate,  a  reasonable 
price"  (Cotg.). 

Goodgame,  which  Bardsley  derives  from  the  medieval 
Goodgroom,  is,  as  the  example  [Walter  Godgamen,8 
Hund.    R.]    shows,    an    abstract    nickname,    "good 
sport,"  perhaps  equivalent  to  F airplay. 
From  Ladd  we  have  the  dim.  Ladkin.    The  apparent 

1  Romance  of  Names,  p.  60. 

2  Thrill  in  the  Scottish  form  ;    see  NED. 
8  Gamen  is  the  older  form  of  game. 


COMPOUNDS    OF    DAY  233 

compound  Sommerlat,  Summerlad  l  is  ON.  Sumerlida, 
summer  warrior,  of  very  common  occurrence  in 
Anglo-Saxon  records  [Sumerlede,  DB.]  ;  cf.  William 
Sumersweyn  (Ramsey  Cart.)  and  Winter  led  (DB.), 
the  latter  a  Viking  of  sterner  stuff. 

The  original  meaning  of  "dey"  was  a  "  kneader," 
as  in  AS.  hlafdige,  loaf  kneader,  whence  lady*  It  was 
then  used  of  a  woman  servant,  especially  a  dairy 
woman,  and  later  of  a  farm-worker  in  general.  Good- 
day  is  sometimes  from  this  word  ;  cf.  Goodhind,  Good- 
hew.  Faraday,  Fereday,  Ferriday  has  been  explained 
as  "  travelling  day,"  from  ME.  fere,  to  travel. 
The  formation  would  be  like  that  of  Delveday  (v.i.), 
but  I  have  found  no  early  examples.  The  Lincoln- 
shire name  Tolliday  or  Tolladay  is  very  puzzling.  It 
may  mean  "  Tolley  the  dey,"  or  the  "  dey  of  Tolley  " 
[cf.  Godus  Tholynwyf,  1397,  Bardsley].  In  Leic.  Bor. 
Rec.  occurs  the  name  of  Richard  Tollidenoitt  (AF. 
toille  de  noil,  toil  by  night).  Was  the  first  Tolliday 
the  opposite  of  this  ?  Or  does  the  name  represent 
"  toil  dey  "  ?  Cf.  William  Delveday  (City  C.),  William 
Plouday  3  (Hund.  R.).  The  fairly  common  Loveday, 
though  usually  of  similar  origin  to  Holiday,  Hockaday, 
must  in  some  cases  actually  represent  an  archaic  form 
of  lady  [Margot  la  Levedy,4  Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4]. 
It  may  also  be  simply  the  dear  servant ;  cf.  Richard 
le  Lovegrom  (Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg.). 

1  The  development  of  this  name  suggests  a  possible  etymology 
for  lad,  which  the  NED.  regards  as  unsolved. 

2  Cf.  the  origin  of  lord,  from  AS.  hlafweard,  the  "  loaf  ward." 

3  But   Plough-day  was  also  used  for  Plough  Monday,  the   first 
Monday  after  Epiphany,  so  that  the  above  example  may  belong  to 
the  same  class  as  Holiday,  Pentecost,  etc. 

4  She  was  fined  for  selling  bad  ale,  so  she  was  really  no  lady. 


234  SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 

Knave,  once  common  in  compounds  [William  Gode- 
knave,  IpM.,  Ascelin  Wyteknave,  Hund.  R.],  has  not 
entirely  disappeared.  It  still  survives  as  Kneefe,  Nave, 
usually  absorbed  by  Neave,  ME.  neve,  nephew,  and  in 
the  compounds  Balnave,  servant  of  Baldwin,  and 
Beatniff,  servant  of  Beatrice.  If  Pecksniff  is  a  real 
name,  it  means  the  servant  of  Peck.  It  is  possible 
that  in  these  names,  as  in,  Attneave  (Adam),  the 
suffix  is  -neve,  which  would  bring  them  into  the  group 
of  kinship  compounds  (p.  245) ;  but  Stephen  le  Knef 
(Pat.  R.)  favours  the  first  solution. 

AS.  ceorl,  churl,  survives  as  Carle,  with  dim.  Carlin,1 
but  I  find  no  modern  form  of  Aldceorl  (Lib.  Vit.). 
Swain,  a  Norse  word  for  servant,  is  cognate  with  AS. 
Swan,  with  the  same  meaning.  From  it  we  have 
Goodswin,  Goodswen,  while  Goldswain  means  the 
"  swain  "  of  a  man  named  Gold.2  Coxon  and  Boeson 
are  very  suggestive  of  coxswain  and  Boatswain.  I  find 
Boeson  still  in  Kent,  where  it  has  an  ancestor  [John 
Botsweyn,  Pat.  R.,  Canterbury],  but  Coxon  is  rather 
Cock's  son.  Another  name  of  this  type  is  Dreng, 
Dring,  which,  like  so  many  of  this  class,  ranges  from 
the  poetic  meaning  of  warrior  to  the  prose  meaning 
of  servant.  It  has  also  given  Thring,  a  variant 
used  by  Layamon.  The  Yorkshire  name  Kettlestring 
means  the  dring  of  Kettle.  We  also  find  compounds 
of  a  few  very  common  exotic  names,  e.g.  Clark, 
whence  Beauclerk,  Bunclark  (bon  clerc],  and  Manclark 3 
[Saegaer  Malclerc,  Pipe  JR.].  From  Fr.  Mauclerc 

1  In  the  north  this  also  means  "  old  woman." 

2  A  personal  name  Goldswegen  is  quite  possible,  but  it  is  not  given 
by  Searle. 

3  For  the  change  of  I  to  n,ci.Muncaster  (Cumb.),formerly  Af  wfcaster. 


COMPOUNDS    OF   KNIGHT  235 

we  have  Mockler,  and,  if  Buckler  were  not  already 
so  well  provided  with  ancestors,  it  could  be  simi- 
larly referred  to  Beauclerc.  With  the  dim.  Clarkin 
cf.  Robert  Peticlerc  (City  D.}.  Similarly  from  Ward 
we  have  Pettiward  [Roger  Petygard,  Pat.  R.].  Mai- 
press  is  AF.  mal  prest,  bad  priest.  Cf .  Allpress  (p.  287). 
Knight  has  a  by-form  Knevit,  Knivet,  apparently 
due  to  Norman  treatment  of  the  -gh-  sound.  Com- 
pounds of  Knight  are  Hal/night  and  Roadnight,  Rod- 
night,  both  usually  without  the  -k-.  The  latter, 
AS.  radcniht,  was  a  tenant  who  held  his  land  on 
condition  of  accompanying  his  lord  as  a  mounted 
servitor.  He  was  the  same  as  a  "  knight-rider/'  a 
title  which  survives  as  a  London  street,  though  not 
as  a  surname.  Another  name  for  the  same  rank 
was  AS.  r adman,  whence  Rodman.  Midnight  is 
simply  a  nickname  [Henry  Midnight,  Pat.  R.],  per- 
haps for  a  man  of  gloomy  temperament.1  The  cor- 
responding Neirnuit,  latinized  Nigra  nox,  is  common 
in  the  Rolls  [Richard  Neyrnuyt,  Pat.  R.],  and 
the  contrasted  Midday  was  a  fourteenth-century 
nickname.  Midy  is  found  in  French  and  Mitt- 
nacht  in  German.  Half  night  [John  le  Halfknyght, 
Chanc.  R.]  seems  to  be  unknown  to  the  dictionaries. 
As  ME.  half  man,  coward,  has  also  survived  as 
Half  man,  Halman,*  I  take  it  that  a  "half-knight'* 
was  a  servitor  of  small  efficiency ;  cf.  Richard 

1  Or  he  may  have  been  a  man  of  midnight  activities,  but  I  think 
the  first  suggestion  more  probable.     Cf.  the  numerous  -weathers  in 
English  and  -wetters  in  German.     We  have  Fairweather  or  Fare- 
weather, Merryweather,  Manyweathers,  an  uncertain  person,  Allweather, 
and  even  Fonweather  [William  Foulweder,  Ramsey  Cart.]. 

2  Halman,   Hallman  is  also   occupative    [William   le   Halleman, 
Nott.  Court  R.  1308].     Cf.  Bowerman,  Kitchingman,  etc. 


236  SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 

Alfthein  (Pleas).  Which  brings  us  naturally  to 
Doubleday — 

"  In  Sunderland  live,  in  the  same  house,  Mr.  Doubleday  and  Miss 
Halfknight"  (Notes  and  Queries,  Aug.  30,  1873). 

I  fancy  that  the  Doubleday  [Ranulf  Dubleday,  Fine  R.] 
was  not  only  a  Goodday  (p.  233),  but  actually  as  good 
as  two.  If  this  conjecture  is  right,  Doubleday  and 
Hal/night  offered  as  strong  a  contrast  in  the  thirteenth 
century  as  they  apparently  do  in  the  twentieth. 
Doubleday  may,  however,  be  a  fantastic  formation  of 
the  same  type  as  Twiceaday  (p.  180),  and  as  impossible 
cf  explanation. 

Mann  often  means  servant  [Michael  le  Man, 
Hund.  R.,  Henry  le  Man,  City  B.].  Its  compounds  are 
very  numerous,  and,  though  the  -man  in  them  does 
not  always  mean  servant,  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
explain  a  certain  number  of  them  here.  If  we  take 
the  commonest,  viz.  Goodman,  wTe  can  see  that  it  has 
many  possible  origins — (i)  the  AS.  Godman  [William 
f.  Godemon,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33],  or  Godmund,  with 
the  common  substitution  of  -man  for  -mund,  (2)  the 
good  "  man,"  i.e.  servant,  (3)  the  "  man  "  of  Good,  a 
common  personal  name  (see  p.  30),  (4)  the  "  good 
man,"  (5)  the  "  goodman "  of  the  house,  i.e.  the 
master.  With  this  cf.  Goodiff,  Goodey,  which  repre- 
sents "  goodwife,"  just  as  Hussey  is  occasionally  from 
"housewife"  [Richard  Husewyf,  Fine  R.].  When 
-man  is  added  to  a  personal  name,  it  usually  means 
servant  of,  e.g.  Addyman,  Harriman,  Potman  (Philpot), 
Human  (Hugh),  Monkman.  Oilman,  Wilman,  Jacka- 
man  may  also  represent  the  French  dims.  Guillemin, 
Wuillemin,  Jacquemin.  It  is  often  local,  generally 


COMPOUNDS    OF   MAN  237 

with  a  suggestion  of  occupation,  e.g.  Brickman  (bridge), 
Houseman,  Kitchingman,  Yeatman  (gate),  Parkman, 
Smithy  man,  Meatman  (mead),  Moorman,  Sellerman 
(cellar).  With  these  go  Chesterman,  Penkethman,  the 
only  examples  I  know  of  -man  added  to  a  specific  place- 
name,  and  both  from  the  same  county  (Chesh.). 
Nyman  is  AS.  neahmann  ;  cf.  Neighbour.  Sometimes 
-man  is  attached  to  the  name  of  the  commodity  which 
the  bearer  produced  or  sold,  e.g.  Flaxman,  W adman 
(woad),  Honeyman  [Gilbert  le  Honyman,  Pat.  R.].  In 
a  large  number  of  cases  such  names  descend  from 
personal  names  in  -man  or  -mund,  e.g.  Ashman, 
Chilman,  Osman,  Rickman,  Walkman  [TEscman,  Ceol- 
mund,  Osmund,  Ricman,  Wealhman].  Cf.  the  numer- 
ous Greek  names  in  -ander,  Alexander,  Lysander, 
etc.  Pure  nicknames  of  medieval  origin  are  Bleak- 
man  (pale),  Hindman  (ME.  hende,  courteous),  Lyteman, 
Lilly  man,  Lutman  (little),  Proudman,  Sly  man  or  S  lee- 
man.  Juneman  is  a  hybrid,  from  Fr.  jeune,  whence 
also  June.  Some  of  these  compounds  are  decep- 
tive, e.g.  Bestman  is  occupative,  the  "  beast  man  " 
(cf.  B ester,  p.  114)  ;  so  also  C oilman,  Pullman  (foal), 
Cappleman  (ME.  capel,  a  nag),  Palfreyman.  Chess- 
man is  for  Cheeseman,  and  Beautyman  or  Booty- 
man,  which  Lower  identifies  with  "  bothie  man/' 
from  Sc.  bothie,  a  hut,  is  possibly  a  nickname,  equiva- 
lent to  Bonnyman,  though  its  formation  would  be 
unusual.  Cf.  Booty,  which  is  certainly  in  some  cases 
from  "beauty"  [William  Beaute,  Close  R.].  I  fancy 
that  Middleman  *  is  for  "  mickle  man/'  as  Middleman 
is  for  Michaelmas.  This  ending  is  also  substituted 

1  The  same  change  has  occurred  in  some  local  names  in  Middle- 
e.g.  Middleditch  may  be  for  "  mickle  ditch." 


238  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

for  the  local  -nham,  e.g.  Sweatman  for  Swettenham 
(Chesh.),  T oilman  for  Tottenham  (Middlesex),  Twy- 
man  for  Twynam  (Hants).  In  many  of  the  commoner 
names  of  this  type  more  than  one  origin  has  to  be 
considered  ;  see  Goodman  (p.  236). 

The  following  Middle  English  examples  show  how 
words  indicating  servitude  were  tacked  on  to  the 
names  of  employers — 

William  Dengaynesbaillif      .         .  (Pat.  R.) 

William  Judde  Knave  .          .  (Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.) 

Ralph  Sweynesman      .          .         .  (Fine  R.) 

Laurence  Geffrey sman  Stace,  i.e. 
Lawrence  the  servant  of  Geof- 
frey Stace  .  .  .  .  (City  E.) 

Reginald  le  Personeman        .          .  (Coram  Rege  R.  1297) 

Johannes-that-was-the-man-of-Crise  (c.  1400) 

Roger  le  Priourespalfrayman          .  (Pat.  R.) 

Henry  le  Meireserjaunte        .          .  (Nott.  Court  R.) 

Richard  Jonesserjant,  i.e.  John's 

servant  ....  (Pat.  R.) 

John  le  Parssonesservante     .          .  (Pleas.) 

Rolaundeservant  solus  .          .  (Pat.  R.) 

Henry  Jonesquier         .          .          .  (Pat.  R.) 

Alan    le    Garzon water     i.e.    the 


garcon  of  Walter 
John  othe  Nonnes 
William  del  Freres 
Robert  Drewescok 
Robert  Godescoc 


(Pat.  R.) 
(City  B.) 
(F.  of  y. 
(Pat.  R.) 
(Pat.  R.) 


The  last  of  these  corresponds  in  meaning  with  the 
AS.  Godescealc,1  servant  of  God  [William  Godescal, 

1  This  name  suggests  a  parallel  with  those  Celtic  names  with  a 
prefix  which  originally  meant  servant,  the  second  element  being 
God,  Christ,  Mary,  etc.,  or  a  saint's  name.  Such  are  the  Scottish 
names  in  Gil-,  i.e.  "  gilly,"  e.g.  Gillies,  servant  of  Jesus,  which,  when 
preceded  by  Mac-,  becomes  MacLeish.  Scotch  names  in  Mai-, 
mean  "  tonsured  servant,"  Gaelic  maol,  bald.  Hence  Malise  or 
Mellis,  servant  of  Jesus,  Malcolm,  servant  of  Columba  [Malcolumb  f . 


-SON    WITH   OCCUPATIVE   NAMES          239 

Pat.  RJ\,  for  Cock,  which  has  various  origins  as  a 
surname,  was  once  the  familiar  appellation  for  a 
servant.  The  boy  in  Gammer  Gurton's  Needle  is 
always  referred  to  by  this  name — 

"  My  Gammer  is  so  out  of  course,  and  frantyke  all  at  ones, 
That    Cocke,    our    boy,  and   I  poor  wench,  have  felt  it  in  our 
bones." 

Some  of  the  names  ending  in  -cock  may  contain  this 
meaning,  e.g.  Johncock  may  mean  John's  boy  or  John 
the  boy. 

It  is  especially  from  the  type  of  occupative  names 
dealt  with  in  the  preceding  pages  that  we  find  forma- 
tions in  -son.  Such  are  Smithson,  Wrightson,  Grayson 
(grieve's  son),  Rayson,  Reason,1  Raisin  (reeve's  son), 
Herdson,  Hindson,  Manson,*  Day  son,  Ladson,  Swain- 
son,  Hewson,  Clarkson.  Other  names  of  this  type  are 
Archer  son,  Cookson  or  Cuckson,  Taylor  son,  Shepherd- 
son,  Sargisson  (sergeant),  etc.  Sardison  is  no  doubt 
a  corruption  of  the  last  name,  as  both  are  equally 
common  in  Lincolnshire.  Surgison,  like  Surgerman, 
may  belong  to  Sargent  or  Surgeon,  the  latter  still  a 
surname,  though  almost  absorbed  by  the  former. 

Waldefer,  Archbp.  Gray's  Reg.  1225-54].  Jt  is  found  also  as  Mil- 
in  Milvain  (Bean)  and  Macmillan,  son  of  the  bald  gilly.  In  Ireland 
we  have  such  names  as  M alone  (John),  and  a  great  number  in  Mul-, 
while  Mylecrist  represents  the  Manx  form.  In  Cospatrick,  Cos- 
Patrick  the  prefix  is  cognate  with  Welsh  gwas,  man,  whence  the 
I"r.  vassal. 

1  Reason  is  also  an  abstract  nickname  [Roger  Raisoun,  burgess  in 
Parliament  for  St.  Albans  temp.  Ed.  II.,  Close  R.~\. 

8  Manson  is  perhaps  more  usually  for  Magnusson,  an  Orkney 
and  Shetland  name.  Magnus  became  a  personal  name  in  Scandi- 
navia owing  to  the  fame  of  Charlemagne,  Carolus  Magnus.  The 
Vikings  took  it  to  the  northern  islands,  where  it  became  a  surname. 
In  Ireland  it  has  given  MacMamts. 


240  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

Surgenor  represents  an  obsolete  elaboration  of  Surgeon. 
Woodison  may  be  "  son  of  the  woodward."  As  for 
Crowdson,  Crewdson,  I  believe  it  is  the  son  of  the 
Crowder  or  fiddler,  a  kind  of  cousin  of  Tom  the  Piper's 
son.  It  belongs  to  Lancashire,  which  is  the  home  of 
this  type  of  name  ;  cf.  Adam  le  Harpersone  (Lane. 
Court  R.  1323-4),  and  Rutson,  the  latter  the  son  of  the 
Rutter,  or  fiddler. 

While  on  this  subject,  it  should  be  noticed  that 
many  apparent  -son  names  are  really  local.  One  may 
spend  some  time  on  Crowson  and  Strawson  before  dis- 
covering that  they  are  local  pronunciations  of  Croxton 
(Norf.)  and  Stroxton  (Line.).  So  also  Frogson  is  cor- 
rupted from  Frodsham,  Cawson  from  Causton,  Musson 
sometimes  from  Muston,  Wesson  from  Weston,  Esson 
from  Easton,  Foxon  from  Foxton,  and  Brobson  is  a 
perversion  of  Brabazon,  the  man  from  Brabant.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Scottish  Johnston  is  generally  an 
improved  version  of  Johnson  (Macbain). 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  compound  occupative 
names,  there  are  a  few  deceptive  or  obsolete  examples 
worth  noting.  Fairminer  or  Farminer  is  simply  a 
corruption  of  Fairmaner,  which  may  allude  to  the 
good  manners  of  the  original  possessor,  but  is  more 
likely  local ;  cf.  Fr.  Beaumanoir.  Longmate,  like  Mate, 
contains  mead.  Fairbard  is  probably  for  Fairbeard, 
though  the  simple  Bard  is  a  thirteenth-century  sur- 
name [William  le  Bard,  Coram  Rege  R.  1297],  i-e-  much 
earlier  than  its  recognition  as  a  dictionary  word.  Its 
Scottish  form  is  Baird,  and  the  word  has  risen  in  the 
world — 

"  The  Schireffe  .  .  .  sal  punish  sorners,  over-lyars,  maister-full 
beggars,  fuilles,  bairdes,  vagaboundes  "  (Skene). 


COMPOUND   ANIMAL   NAMES  241 

In  Goodearl  the  second  element  may  be  rather  the 
personal  name  Earl  [Stephen  f.  Erl,  Ramsey  Cart.]  than 
the  title,  but  cf.  John  Brounbaron  (Pat.  R.),  John 
Folbaroun  (ib.).  Littlepage,  Smallpage  need  no  ex- 
planations, and  Pennycook  l  or  Pennycock  is  for  the 
local  Penicuik  (Midlothian). 

Along  with  these  may  be  mentioned  a  few  compound 
animal  nicknames  such  as  Goodlamb,  Whitelam, 
Wildgoose*  Willgoss,  Wildgust  [Edric  Wildegos,  Feet 
of  Fines],  Graygoose,  Wildrake,  Hornram,  Wildbore, 
Wilgress,  dial,  grice,  pig  [William  Wildegris,  IpM.], 
Duncalf  [cf.  Henry  Dunfoul,  Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts. 
1301-60],  Metcalfe*  (mead  calf?).  The  Oxfordshire 
Fortmim  is  from  Fr.  fort  anon  [Nicholas  Fortanon, 
Hund.  R.,  Oxf.].  Names  of  this  type  were  once 
much  commoner.  Cf.  Gilbert  Blakeram  (Hund.  R.), 
Thomas  Bonrouncyn  (Pat.  R.),  Gilbert  Dayfoul  (ib.). 
With  the  Wild-  names  cf.  David  Wildebuf  (Hund.  R.). 
In  Wildman  the  first  element  is  descriptive  rather 
than  local  [cf.  ^Edwin  Wildegrome,  Pipe  R.~\,  but 
Wilder  is  local,  of  the  wilderne  or  wilderness  [John 
atte  Wilderne,  Fine  R.}.  Machell,  latinized  as  malus 

1  Pennycad,  Pennycard  are  evidently  from  Fr.  Penicaud. 

2  The  fact  that  that  Negoose,  Negus  belongs  to  Norfolk,  which  is 
the  home  of  the  "  goose  "  names  (Goose,  Gooseman,  Gozzard,  Gazard, 
goose  herd),  suggests  that  it  is  also  a  compound  of  -goose.     But  in 
the  same  county  I  find  Edgoose,  which  may  possibly  be  a  compound 
of  -house  (edge-house),  from  AS.  ecg,  corner,  whence  the  name  Egg. 
So  Negus  might  be  "  atten-eg-house."     Cf.  Nash,  Nye,  etc.  (p.  50). 

3  It  has  been  suggested  to  me  that  this  puzzling  name,  which, 
though  so  common  in  the  north,  seems  to  be  quite  undocumented, 
may  have  been  an  ironic  substitution  for  Turnbull  1 

"  Mr.  Metcalfe  ran  off,  upon  meeting  a  cow, 
With  pale  Mr.  Turnbull  behind  him." 


242  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

catulus,  and  Machin,  Fr.  Malchien,  are  uncompli- 
mentary compounds,  but  Machin  has  also  other 
origins.  Polecat  [Thomas  Polkat,  Pat.  R.~\  survives  as 
Polliket.  Weatherhogg,  a  Lincolnshire  name,  means  in 
that  county  a  male  pig. 

Among  surnames  compounded  from  font-names 
John  leads  easily,  as  do  Jean  in  French  and  Johann 
or  Hans  in  German.  In  the  latter  language,  with  its 
love  of  compounds,  we  find  something  like  a  hundred 
names  which  contain  Johann  or  its  pet  forms.  From 
LG.  Lutjens,  little  John,  comes  our  Lutyens.  In 
English  we  have  Brownjohn,  Goodjohn,  Littlejohn, 
Micklejohn  or  Meiklejohn,  Prettyjohn,  Properjohn. 
With  Foster  John,  i.e.  John  the  Foster  (see  p.  119),  cf. 
Pascoewebb  (p.  230).  With  Upjohn,  for  Welsh  ap 
John,  cf.  Uprichard.  The  fact  that  John  was  used, 
like  Jack,  almost  as  an  equivalent  of  man  or  servant, 
will  explain  Durand  le  Bon  Johan  (Hund.  R.),  the 
origin  perhaps  of  Bowgen,  Budgen.  Similarly  Grud- 
geon  seems  to  represent  Fr.  Grosjean  and  Pridgeon 
Fr.  Preux  '-Jean,  while  Spridgeon,  Spurgeon  may  be 
the  same  name  with  the  prefixed  S-  which  we  occa- 
sionally find  in  surnames.  Rabjohn  8  may  be  Robert 
the  servant,  or  perhaps  Robert  the  son,  of  John,  and 
Cample  John  may  mean  wry- mouthed  John,  from 
the  Celtic  word  which  has  given  Campbell.  With 
Dunbobbin,  Dunbabin,  cf.  the  obsolete  Brounrobyn 
(Lane.  Inq.  1310-33).  Goodrobert  survives  as  Good- 

1  To  this  archaic  Fr.  adj.,  meaning  doughty,  we  owe  not  only 
Proud,  Prout,  but  also  Prewse,  Prowse,  Prew,  Prue,  Prow,  with  the 
dim.  Prewett,  Pruett. 

2  Rabfohns  is  a  Devon  name,  and  the  neighbouring  Dorset  is  the 
home  of  Rabbetts,  which  comes,  I  suppose,  from  Robert,  though  it 
may  represent  Raybould,  AS.  Regenbeald  [Richard  f .  Rabot,  Pipe  R.]. 


NAMES    OF    KINSHIP  243 

rop.  With  Goodwill,  Goodwillie,  cf.  Hervey  Pruguillun, 
i.e.  Preux-Guillaume  (Feet  of  Fines).  But  Goodwill 
may  also  be  an  abstract  nickname  ;  cf.  Fr.  Bonvouloir. 
Gaukrodger  l  means  clumsy  Roger,  but  Gaybell  is  an 
imitative  perversion  of  Gabriel.  Other  apparently 
obsolete  names  of  this  class  are  Dungenyn  (Exch. 
R.),  a  hybrid  from  the  English  adj.  dun  and  Fr. 
Jeannin,  Jolifewille  (Pleas),  Dulhumphrey  (Lower), 
Petinicol  (Hund.  R.),  Halupetir  (ib.),  Dumbbardolf 
(ib.),  Dummakin  (ib.),  Makin,  whence  Makins,  Meakin, 
being  a  dim.  of  Matthew,  and  Dunpayn  (Fine  R.), 
from  the  very  common  Pain  or  Pagan.  Walter 
Gobigrant  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.)  seems  to  mean  "  big 
Goby,"  i.e.  Godbold.  The  only  modern  parallel 
I  know  to  this  formation,  with  the  adjective  put 
second,  is  Wyattcouch,  i.e.  little  Guy  the  red  (Cornish), 
unless  Elsegood  is  for  "  good  Ellis,  or  Alice,"  and 
Drakeyoung  for  Drake  junior.  Cf.  William  le  Loverd- 
newe,  i.e.  the  new  lord  (IpM.).  Goodbrand  is  a  per- 
sonal name,  Norse  Gudbrand,  and  Littledyke,  which 
looks  so  obvious,  may  be  for  "  little  Dick  "  [cf.  Richard 
Litelhikke,  1385,  Bardsley]. 

A  good  many  surnames  are  formed  by  compounding 
terms  indicating  relationship.  Now,  excepting  for  a 
few  interesting  survivals,  we  use  only  -son  or  Fitz-t 
and,  as  early  as  the  thirteenth  century,  we  find  such 
an  illogical  description  as  Margery  le  Prestesson 
(Pleas).  The  following  medieval  examples  show  a 
much  greater  variety — • 

Ricardus  avunculus  Wilhelmi      (Pleas) 

John  Nikbrother    .          .          .     (Derbyshire  Charters) 


1  In  F.  of  Y.  1685  it  is  spelt  Corkroger 


244 


SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 


Henry  Huchild 

William  Personcosin 

Adam  Childesfader 

Robert  Barnfader  . 

John  le  Frer  Win    . 

William  Makeseyre,  i.e.  heir  of 

Mack       .         . 

Aernaldus  frater  Archidiaconi  . 
William  Jonesneve 
John  Gener  Adding 
William  Richardesneveu 
Patrick  William  Stepsone 
William  Gamelstepsone   . 
Alicia  Thepunderesstepdoghtre 
Alicia  Armwif,  i.e.  wife  of  Orme 
Amabilla  Folcwif,  i.e.  wife    of 

Fulk       . 
John  Wilbarne,  i.e.  the  "  bairn  " 

of  Will     . 

William  Godesbarn  l 
Adam  Gibbarne 
William  le  Barnemawe,  i.e.  the 

brother-in-law  of  the  bairn 
William  Dobmagh  . 
William  Godesmagh 
William  Hauwenmogh     .          . 
John  Gibbemogh    . 


(Hund.  R.) 
(F.  of  Y.) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(F.  of  Y.  1426) 
(Percy  Cart.) 

(State  Trials,  Ed.  I.) 

(Pipe  R.) 

(Cor am  Rege  R.  1297) 

(Northumb.  Ass.  R.  i^tk  cent.) 

(Coram  Rege  R.  1297) 

(ib.) 

(Cal.  Gen.) 

(c.  1400) 

(Hund.R.) 

(ib.) 

(Bardsley,  1379) 
(Pat.  R.) 
(ib.) 

(Hund.  R.) 
(Cockersand  Cart.) 
(F.  of  Y.) 

(Lane.  Inq.  1205-1307) 
(Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4) 


All  the  names  of  relationship  have  given  surnames 
uncompounded,  but  usually  with  the  addition  of  -s, 
e.g.  Fathers,  Fadder,  Mothers,  Sones,  Soanes  [Walter 
le  Sone,  Pat.  R.],  Fitz,  Fice  [Antony  fice  Greffown, 


1  No  doubt  a  name  assumed  by  some  pious  man.  Cf.  the  AS. 
Godescalc,  God's  servant,  once  common,  but  now  swallowed  up  by 
Godsall,  Godsell.  Curiously  humble  is  Thomas  Godesbest  (Leic. 
Bor.  Rec),  a  type  of  name  by  no  means  uncommon  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  Pachnio  quotes  Festu-Dieu,  God's  straw,  and  Tacon-Dieu, 
OF.  tacon,  a  patch  on  a  shoe.  More  assertive  is  William  le  Godes- 
halu,  the  saint  of  God  (Nott.  Court  R.  1308),  while  Geoffrey  Goddes- 
wynnyng  (ib.)  appears  to  mean  God's  gain. 


NAMES    OF    KINSHIP  245 

NED.  c.  1435],  Darter,  Brothers,  Br odder,1  Godson 
(cf.  Fr.  Lefilleul),  Frere,  Uncles,  Fames  (ME.  erne, 
uncle),  Child,  Fant,  Faunt  (Fr.  enfant),  Cousins, 
Cozens,  and  even  Cozze,  Nephew  (rare),  Neave  (ME. 
neve,  nephew),  Neech,  Neese,*  Widdows,  Gaffer  or 
Gayfer 3  (grandfather  4),  of  which  Gaff  is  perhaps 
the  shortened  form,  Gammer  (grandmother,  as  in 
Gammer  Gurton's  Needle),  Belcher,  Bowser,  Bewsher, 
from  OF.  bel-sire,  sometimes  in  the  special  sense  of 
grandfather,  Beldam,  grandmother.  With  Bewsher 
cf.  the  opposite  Malsher.  Also  Husband?  Kinsman, 
Parent,  Gossip,  Comper  [Roger  le  Comper,  John  of 
Gaunt9 s  Reg.] — 

"  Compere,  a  gossip  "  (Cotg.). 

With  Comper  goes  Marrow,  from  archaic  marrow,  a 
companion,  mate  [John  le  Marwe  or  le  Marewe,  Leic. 
BOY.  Rec.]— 

"  Marwe  or  felawe  yn  travayle,  socius,  compar  "  (Prompt.  Pan;.). 

In  one  volume  of  the  Fine  R.  we  find  John  Darcy  le 

1  This  may  be  rather   occupative,  the  "  broiderer  "  [Richard  le 
Broudeour,  Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.]. 

2  From  OF.  nies,  the  nom.  of  neveu  [Walter  le  Neise,  Hund.  R.]. 
It  is  found  in  Middle  English.     See  NED.,  s.v.  niece,  where,  how- 
ever, the  origin  of  the  masculine  word  is  not  correctly  explained. 
Neese  may  also  be  for  "  nose  "  (see  p.  133). 

8  This  is  perhaps  rather  from  Gainer,  a  very  common  name  in  Old 
French  epic,  and,  as  it  is  often  applied  to  Saracen  chiefs,  perhaps 
the  Eastern  Giafar,  vizier  to  Haroun-al-Raschid.  It  might  also 
represent  the  northern  form  of  Go-fair  [James  Gafaire,  F.  of  Y.]. 
See  also  p.  253,  n.  i. 

4  The  analogy  of  gossip,  Fr.  compare,  Ger.  Gevatter,  all  used  in 
the  familiar  sense  of  our  gaffer,  suggests  that  gaffer,  gammer  may  be 
rather  for  godfather,  godmother. 

6  This  usually  means  husbandman,  master  of  the  house,  etc. 
See  p.  226. 


246  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

Cosin,  John  Darcy  le  Frere,  and  John  Darcy  le  Neveu, 
an  example  which  shows  how  purely  accidental  is  the 
possession  of  such  surnames  at  the  present  day. 
Odam  is  ME.  odam,  son-in-law,  cognate  with  Ger. 
Eidam,  which  now,  like  odam,  is  practically  obsolete 
except  as  a  surname — 

"  Octiatus,  Danes'  odame 
After  theose  hostes  he  came." 

(King  Alexander,  i4th  cent.). 

Foad,  Foat,  Food,  found  chiefly  in  Kent,  represent  ME. 
fode,  a  child1  [William  le  Fode,  Cust.  Battle  Abbey}. 
For  this  word,  really  identical  with  food,  see  NED. 
Grandison  is  local,  I  suppose  from  Granson  in  Switzer- 
land [Otto  de  Granson  or  de  Grandisono,  Fine  R.},  and 
Outerson  is  the  son  of  Ughtred.  Practically  all  the 
corresponding  kinship  surnames  exist  in  French  and' 
German,  and  there  is  even  a  Parisian  named  Peretmere 
(Bottin,  1907). 

Of  the  compounds  formed  from  kinship  names  the 
most  interesting  are  those  illustrated  by  the  five  last 
examples  in  the  list  of  medieval  compounds  given 
on  pp.  243,  244.  ME.  maugh,  really  identical  with 
May  (q.v.),  seems  to  have  been  used  vaguely  for  any 
relative  by  marriage — 

"  Mow,  housbandys  sister  or  syster  in  law,  glos  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

In  the  north  it  usually  means  brother-in-law,  in 
which  sense  it  has  given  the  names  Maufe,  Muff, 
Maw*  But  it  also  survives  in  several  compounds, 
viz.  Godsmark,*  Hitchmough  (corrupted  to  Hickmott) 

1  It  also  means  a  wife,  a  young  man. 

2  For  this  name  see  also  p.  67. 

3  It  is  also  possible  that  this  is  an  oath-name  (p.  181),  though  a 
curious  one,  "  by  God's  brother-in-law."     In  the  Porkington  MS. 
of  the   fifteenth  century  poem  Mourning  of  the  Hare  we  find  "  by 


NAMES    OF    KINSHIP  247 

from  Richard,  and  especially  Watmough,  Whatmaugh, 
Whatmore,  etc.,  from  Walter.  There  are  probably 
many  more  names  of  this  class  which  still  live  in  dis- 
guise, as  the  formation  was  once  very  common. 

From  ME.  barn,  bairn,  etc.,  we  have  Whiteborn, 
the  complimentary  Fairbairn,  Goodbairn,  Goodband, 
Goodbun,  and  the  patronymics  Dawbarn  (David)  and 
Giberne  (Gilbert).  Maybin  is  perhaps  the  bairn  of 
May;  but  Huband  was  earlier  Hubaud,  AS.  Hyge- 
beald.  With  Dearborn  cf.  Fr.  Cherfils.  Many  names 
in  -burn,  e.g.  Blackburn,  Fairburn,  Dayburn,  may  in 
some  cases  belong  here.  For  Barnfather,  Bairns- 
father,  Ban  father  see  p.  244.  The  simple  barn  is 
also  one  of  the  many  origins  of  Barnes.  With  Fair- 
child,  Goodchild,  Littlechild,  cf.  Fauntleroy  and  Fillery, 
both  meaning  King's  son  (p.  18).  Bonifant  is  bon 
enfant  [Walter  Bonenfant,  Hund.  JR.],  i.e.  Goodson,  Good- 
child,  and  Bullivant,  Pillivant  include  both  this  and  bel 
enfant  [Colin  Belenfan,  Close  R.].  The  opposite  Mali- 
phant  [Nicholas  Maleffaunt,  Pat.  R.,  Alan  Evilchild, 
Hund.  R.]  also  exists.  Richard  Beaufaunt  (Pat.  R.) 
has  perhaps  contributed  to  Bevan  or  Biffen.  The 
simplex  exists  as  Fant,  Faunt,  Vant.  With  the  obso- 
lete Folenfant  cf .  the  surviving  Sillifant,  while  Selibarn 
(F.  of  Y.)  is  perhaps  still  represented  by  Sillibourne, 
Silburn.  The  epithet  silly  was  rather  complimentary 
than  otherwise,  for  it  meant  gentle,  innocent ;  cf. 
Roger  Seliday  (Pat.  R.),  Robert  Selisaule  (ib.). 

Fairbrother,  Farebrother,  Farbrother  belongs  to  the 
old  courteous  style  of  address  as  in  "  fair  sir/*  "  beau 

cokkes  soule,"  euphemistic  for  "by  Goddes  soule"  (p.  181).  In 
the  Cambridge  MS.  of  the  same  poem  this  is  replaced  by  "by 
cokkes  mawe." 


248  SOME  COMPOUND   NAMES 

sire,"  etc.  With  Alderson,  usually  "  older  son,"  cf. 
the  common  French  surname  Lame.  With  the  simple 
Alder,  Elder,  cf.  Younger,  but  both  the  former  are  also 
.  tree-names.  For  some  other  surnames  formed  from 
comparatives  see  p.  104. 

The  nickname  sire  [William  le  Syre,  Fine  R]  sur- 
vives as  Syer,1  Syers,  Surr,  Sirr.  Its  compounds  are 
Bonser*  Bouncer,  Mountsier,  M oncer,  Muncer  [John 
Monsyre,  Fine  R.],  Sweetsur  [William  Swetesyr,  Pat.  R.], 
Goodsir,  whence  also  perhaps  Goacher,  Goucher,  Dunsire, 
which  I  cannot  explain,  and  those  mentioned  on  p.  245. 
Cosher  perhaps  represents  "  coy  sire"  [Simon  Coy  sire, 
Hund.  R.].  Maiden  was  used  in  Middle  English  of  the 
unmarried  of  both  sexes  [John  le  Mayde,  Pat.  R.,  Ralph 
le  May  den,  ib.,  William  Pucele,  ib.],  but  in  compounds 
such  as  Chilmaid,  Denmaid,  Longmaid,  Maidland, 
maid  is  for  mead,  a  meadow.  On  the  other  hand,  Mead 
often  represents  maid  [John  le  Meide,  Lond.  Wills, 
1279].  May,  a  young  man  or  maiden,  has  the  familiar 
compound  Mildmay  [cf.  Richard  Dusemay,  Pat.  R], 
and  the  less  common  Whitmee  [William  Wytemey, 
Hund.  R.]  and  Youngmay  [Martin  le  Yungemey,  ib.]. 
The  simple  May  is  also  local,  apparently  from  an 
obsolete  variant  of  "mead"  [William  Attemay,  Pat.  R] ; 
cf.  Smee  for  Smeed  (p.  77).  Burkmay,  for  "  birk  mead," 
suggests  that Peachmay is  possibly  for  "beech3  mead." 

A  few  names  which  also  suggest  age  and  kinship 
may  conclude  the  chapter.  Such  are  Springall,  Sprin- 
gate,  Springett,  Springhalt,  the  springald,  young  man 

1  Cf.  Dame,  Dames,  though  this  may  also  be  from  an  archaic 
spelling  of  the  local  Damm,  Damms ;  cf .  Gape  for  Gapp. 

2  This  is  also  the  local  pronunciation  of  Bonsall  (Derby). 
8  Initial  P-  for  B-  is  not  uncommon  in  surnames. 


NAMES    OF    KINSHIP  249 

[Auger  Espringaut,  Pat.  R.,  Julian  Springald,  Hund.  R.], 
and  Stripling,  Stribling  [Adam  Stripling,  Pat.  R.]. 
But  the  first  group  may  also  belong  to  the  warlike 
instrument  which  was  called  a  springald ;  cf .  Mang- 
nall  (p.  162) — 

"  And  eke  withynne  the  castell  were 
Spryngoldes,  gunnes,  bows  and  archers  " 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  4190). 

Damsell  represents  OF.  damoisel,  a  young  squire,  rather 
than  the  fern.  form.  For  Milsop,  i.e.  "  milksop," 
see  p.  268.  Nursling,  or  Nutshalling,  is  a  place  in 
Hants.  But  John  le  Norrisone  occurs  in  Nott.  Court 
R.,  and  the  award  of  an  honorary  C.B.  to  Brigadier- 
General  Nourrisson  of  the  French  Army  has  just 
been  announced  (Nov.  17,  1915) — 

"  Nourrisson,  a  nursling,  nurse-child,  or  nursing  child  "  (Cotg.). 

Suckling  is  a  genuine  nickname,  but  Baby  is  rather  for 
Barbara,  asjjofry  is  for  Gabriel.  With  Twin,  whence 
Twint,  cf.  Gemmel,  OF.  gemel,  used  by  Wyclif  of  Jacob 
and  Esau  [Alan  Gemellus,  Pipe  R.,  Richard  Gemel, 
Fine  R.].  The  Gemmels  of  Scotland,  the  chief  home 
of  the  name,  perhaps  have  another  origin.  Fr.  Besson, 
whence  our  Bisson,  is  a  dialect  word  for  twin.  Man- 
kin,  Miniken  is  for  "  manikin  "  [Stephen  Manekin, 
Testa  de  Nev.].  Neame,  usually  for  ME.  erne,  uncle 
[cf.  Thomas  Nuncle,  Pat.  R.],  is  also  an  Anglo-French 
form  of  Fr.  nain,1  dwarf  [John  le  Neym,  Pat.  R.]. 
Male,  Mayle,  Maskelyne  are  simply  what  they  appear 
to  be  [William  le  Male  or  Masculus,  Percy  Cart.,  Henry 
Maskelyn,  Testa  de  Nev.],  but  Man  full,  a  Notts  name, 

1  Lenain  is  a  common   French  surname.       The   corresponding 
English  name  is  Murch — 

"  Murch,  lytyl  man,  nanus  "  (Prompt.  Parv.}. 


250  SOME  COMPOUND  NAMES 

is  from  Mansfield,1  whence  also  the  imitative  Manifold. 
An  interesting  variant  of  Male  is  Madle,  OF.  mask, 
due  to  the  Anglo-French  practice  of  intercalating  -d- 
between  -si-  as  in  meddle,  OF.  mesler,  idle,  OF.  isle  (see 
Idle,  p.  64).  Twoyearold  is  still  a  Lancashire  surname 
and  has  a  medieval  parallel  in  Adam  Fivewinterald. 

To  the  obsolete  examples  quoted  in  this  chapter 
may  be  added  the  following — Bonsquier,  Childesfader 
(cf.  Bairns  father),  Langebachelere,  Belmeistre,  Bel- 
verge,  Bruncarl,  Mamllastre  (Fr.  Maufildtre,  the  bad 
son-in-law),  Hardimarchaunt,  Lady  chapman,  Trewchap- 
man,  Calveknave,  Forsterknave,  Rouknave,  Smart- 
knave,  Whiteknave,  Bonserjant,  Aldegrome,  Greygrom, 
Litelgrom,  Shepgrom,  Bonswayn,  Madsweyn,  Litsweyn, 
Sikersweyn  (sure),  Yongswayn,  Surewyne  (friend), 
Porbarn,  Petytmey,  Donemay,  Prodemay,  Levemay, 
Levedame,  Lefquene,  Quenemay,  Sotemay  (sweet), 
Boncristien,  Bonchevaler,  Bonseygnur,  Frankchivaler, 
Smalperson,  Petitsire,  Litilpage,  Langeclerk,  Schort- 
frend,  Stalwortheman,  Malvoisin,  Malharpin  (OF. 
harpin,  a  harper),  Homedieu,  Witwif,  Blakshyreve, 
Countereve,  Lithbond,  Bedelking,  Witebitele,  Coper- 
kyng,  Whiteking,  Wodeking  (mad),  Jolyfray  (AF.  jolif 
rey),  Wodeprest,  Wytknyt,  Godeboy,  Jolifboie,  Bliss- 
wen  che,  Joymeyde,  Joyemaiden.  The  last  three  are 
probably  disparaging  ;  cf.  Fr.  fille  de  joie.  Animal 
compounds  are  Hogelomb,  Tythinglomb,  Maloysel, 
Maulovel  (cf.  Machell),  Mallechat,  Swethog,  Wodegos, 
Wodemousse,  Whytebull,  Qwytgray  (gray,  a  badger), 

1  The  -s-  in  such  names  is  quite  optional ;  cf .  Wilford,  Wilsford, 
Manbndge,  Mansbridge,  etc.  For  the  change  of  -field,  -fold  to  -full  cf. 
Hatfull,  Oakenfull,  etc.  Fairfoul,  which  looks  like  a  fantastic  nick- 
name, is  probably  for  Fair  field ;  but  see  p.  319. 


OBSOLETE    COMPOUNDS  251 

Jolicok,  Whytkok,  Yongkok,  Wytkolt,  Dunnebrid. 
Witfis,  Stocns,  Fresfis,  Rotenheryng  were  probably 
nicknames  for  fishmongers.  Wytecole  may  refer  to 
Nicholas,  but  more  likely  to  cabbage.  More  abstract 
compounds,  which  do  not  properly  belong  to  this 
chapter,  are  Godestokne,  Curtevalur,  Tartcurteis, 
Petikorteis,  Tutfait,  Tutprest,  Megersens,  Moniword, 
Maucuvenant,  Maucondut  (maleconductus,  cf.  Mawditt), 
Mautalent,  Scortrede,  Littylrede,  Smalchare,  Stille- 
prud,  Seldholi,  Stranfers  (strong  fierce),  Welikeing. 


18 


CHAPTER    XII 

THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

"  Johannes  Shakespere,  querens,  optulit  se  versus  Ricardum  de 
Cotgrave,  spicer,  defendentem,  de  placito  conventionis  ;  et  queritur 
de  eo  quod  dictus  Ricardus,  die  Jovis  proximo  post  festum  Sancti 
Bartholomaei  Apostoli,  anno  regni  regis  nunc  xxxmo  primo,  vendidit 
eidem  Johanni  unum  '  stik  *  de  '  saundres '  pro  '  brasill,'  et 
manucepit  quod  fuit '  brasill/  et  sic  conventionem  inter  eos  factam 
fregit,  ad  grave  dampnum  ipsius  Johannis  viginti  solidorum,  unde 
producit  sectam  "  (Nottingham  ^Borough  Records,  Nov.  8,  1357). 

THE  above  is,  I  believe,  the  earliest  known  occurrence 
of  the  most  famous  of  all  English  names.  This  very 
interesting  type  of  surname  is  found  plentifully  not 
only  in  English,  but  in  all  the  related  European  lan- 
guages.1 Many  examples,  both  English  and  French, 
are  quoted  by  Darmesteter  in  his  treatise  on  compound 
words.  Ritter  gives  about  150  French  examples  and 
Vilmar  collected  nearly  250  German  instances.  Some 
examples  of  such  will  be  found  in  chapters  xiii.  and 
xiv.  (pp.  288,  303).  Among  them  occur  names  familiar 
to  everybody,  such  as  Fr.  Boileau  (Drinkwater)  ,2 
Ger.  Klopstock J  (knock  stick),  and  It.  Frangipani, 

1  An  interesting  Danish  example  is  Ole  Lukoj'e,  Olaf  Shut-eye,  a 
popular  nickname  for  the  dustman,  recently  adopted  as  a  pseudonym 
by  a  brilliant  English  military  writer. 

2  I  do  not  know  whether  medieval  wit  was  equal  to  naming  a 
drunkard  thus  ironically,  but  the  following  entries  are  suggestive — 
Margery  Drynkewater,  wife  of  Philip  le  Taverner  (City  E.},  Thomas 
Drinkewater,  of  Drinkewaterestaverne  (Lond.  Wills,  1328). 

3  Cf.  our  Swingewood  and  possibly  Girdwood,  ME.  gird,  to  strike. 

252 


MODE   OF    FORMATION  253 

break  bread,  said  to  be  due  to  the  benevolence  of  that 
well-known  Italian  family.  Generally  such  names  are 
compounded  of  a  verb  in  the  imperative  followed  by 
its  object,  while  less  often  the  second  component  is 
an  adverb,  e.g.  Golightly  [William  Galigtly,  Pat.  R.], 
also  found  as  Galletly,  Gellatly,  with  which  we  may 
compare  John  Gofayre  l  (Pat.  R.)  and  John  Joligate 
(ib.).  Steptoe  apparently  has  a  similar  meaning, 
though  its  formation  is  abnormal. 

Names  of  this  type  hardly  appear  in  Domesday 
Book,  though  Taillefer,  whence  Telfer,  Telford,  Talfourd, 
Tolver,  Tulliver,*  is  anterior  to  that  compilation,  but 
they  swarm  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries. 
Of  the  many  hundreds  I  have  collected,  only  a  small 
proportion  seem  to  have  survived,  though  probably 
many  more  live  on  in  disguise.  Many  of  the  medieval 
examples  are  of  quite  unquotable  coarseness,  and  point 
either  to  the  great  brutality  or  the  great  naivete  of  our 
ancestors.  This  method  of  formation  is  one  of  the 
most  convenient  and  expressive  that  we  have.  There 
are  hundreds  of  common  nouns  so  formed,  e.g.  holdfast, 
makeshift,  stopgap,  holdall,  turnkey,  etc.  As  applied 
to  persons  they  are  nearly  always  disparaging,3  e.g. 
cut-throat,  ne'erdowell,  swashbuckler,  scapegrace,  skin- 
flint, or  are  contemptuous  substitutions  for  occupative 

1  This    is    perhaps  one    origin    of    Cover,    Govier.     Stow  men- 
tions a  Govere's  Lane  in  the  City,  the  earlier  name  of  which  was 
Gofayre  Lane  [John  Gofaire,  Lond.  Wills,  1259-60,  John  Goveyre, 
ib.  1291]. 

2  I  am  told  that  It.  Tagliaferro  has  adopted  the  form  Tolver  in  the 
U.S.     "  Taillefer,  the  surname  of  the  old  Earls  of  Engoulesme  ;   so 
tearmed  because  William  the  second  Earle  thereof,  clove  with  his 
sword,  at  one  blow,  an  armed  captain  down  to  the  stomack  !  " 
(Cotg.). 

3  See  Trench,  English  Past  and  Present,  pp.  219  seq. 


254  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

titles,  e.g.  sawbones  fora  surgeon,  or  the  dial,  bangstraw 
for  a  thresher.1  Warring  theologians  have  always 
been  great  coiners  of  these  phrase-names.  Compli- 
mentary examples,  such  as  Welcome  (cf.  Fr.  Bienvenu, 
It.  Benvenuto),  Makepeace  *  [Gregory  Makepais,  Leic. 
Bor.  Rec.],  are  exceptional. 

I  fancy  that  this  type  of  surname  owes  something 
to  the  vogue  of  allegory  and  allegorical  drama  in  the 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  At  any  rate, 
such  compounds  have  been  beloved  by  allegorists  from 
Langland  to  Bunyan.  The  latter's  Standfast  was  a 
surname  four  centuries  before  the  Pilgrim's  Progress 
[William  Stanfast,  Fine  R.,  Adam  Standefast,  IpM.], 
and  I  have  also  found  his  Saveall  both  as  a  medieval 
and  twentieth-century  name.  Langland  frequently 
personifies  Dowell,  Dobet,  Dobest,  the  first  of  which 
may  be  one  source  of  our  Dowell,  and  he  has  many 
references  to  Saywell,  who  still  figures  in  the  rustic 
proverb  "  Say  well  is  good,  but  Do  well  is  better." 

This  suggests  a  short  digression  on  the  ending 
-well  in  surnames.  Many  of  these  are  of  course  local, 
well  having  its  wider,  older  meaning,  which  includes 
fountain,  stream,  pool,  etc.  Some  are  from  specific 
place-names,  e.g.  Bakewell,  the  name  of  a  well-known 
advocate  of  cremation  some  years  ago,  Hopewell  or 
Hopwell,  Tidswell,  all  Derbyshire.  Others,  such  as 
Cantwell  [Gilbert  de  Kentewelle,  Hund.  R.],  Tuckwell, 
Tugwell*  are  from  spots  which  I  cannot  identify. 
Callwell,  Cor  dwell  are  among  the  many  variants  of 

1  Cf.  Martin  Betewete  (Hund.  R.)  and  Fr.  Babied. 

z  Cf .  Alice  Makehayt  (Hund.  R.). 

8  These  may  even  be  phrase-names.  Tuckwell  may  have  been  a 
good  "tucker"  of  cloth  (cf.  Tazewell,  p.  256),  and  Tugwellma.y  be 
from  ME.  tug,  to  wrestle. 


NAMES    IN   -WELL  255 

Cauldwell  *  (cold) .  Glidewell  is  also  local,  from  the  gleed 
or  glide,  i.e.  kite,  to  which  we  owe  also  Gledhill,  Gleadle, 
Gledstanes,  Gladstone.  Others  again  are  perversions, 
e.g.  Caswell  and  Kidwell  take  us  very  far  back  in  history, 
for  they  represent  the  Welsh  names  Caswallon  and 
Cadwal,  the  former  of  which  was  latinized  as  Cassi- 
velaunus,  just  as  Caradoc  or  Cradock  was  made  into 
Caractacus.  Kidwell  or  Kiddell  is  the  Somerset  form 
of  Cadwal,  which  in  Gloucestershire  has  become  Caddell, 
Cadle.  Caldwall,  found  in  Hereford,  is  no  doubt  the 
same.  Rouncewell  is  also  historic,  from  Roncevaux 
[Ralph  de  Runcevill,  Pat.  R.].  It  is  also  found  as 
Rounsevel,  Rounswell.  Perhaps  the  name  came  rather 
from  the  alien  priory  of  the  name  in  London  than 
from  the  Pyrenean  pass.  This  priory  became  the 
brotherhood  of  Rouncival,  which  existed  till  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century  (Stow) .  Ottewell,  Otterwell a 
is  a  personal  name  [Otuel  de  Bosco,  Fine  R.]  made 
famous  by  the  medieval  Romance  of  Otuel.  It  is 
a  dim.  of  Odo,  Otto,  which,  in  its  turn,  is  short  for  one 
of  the  Germanic  names  in  Oth-  [Otulph  le  Drivere, 
Pat.  R.],  whence  Ott.  See  also  Pepperwell  (p.  189). 

But  there  still  remain  a  few  names  in  which  -well  is 
simply  the  adverb  in  composition  with  a  preceding 
verb.  Such  are  Eatwell  [Robert  Mangebien,  Pipe  R.], 
Fretwell,  ME.  fret,3  to  eat,  devour,  Lovewell,  Meanwell, 
Treadwell  or  Tretwell  [Richard  Tredewelle,  Pat.  R.], 

1  Cf.  Sortwell  for  "  salt  well." 

2  This  may  be  local ;   cf .  Otterburn. 

3  This  occurs  in  several  Middle  English  names  (p.  273).    Robert 
Fretemon  (Pat.  R.)  may  have  been  an  English  Manesse  (p.  303),  but 
his  name  is  perhaps  from  AS.  Frithumund — 

"  Adam  afterward  ageines  hus  defence 
Frette   of   that  fruit " 

(Piers  Plowm.,  B.  xviii.  194). 


256  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

and  probably  many  more.  Among  them  are  a  few 
trade  descriptions,  e.g.  Thackwell  for  a  good  thatch  er, 
and  the  Somerset  Tazewell,  Taswell  for  a  good  "  teaser  " 
of  cloth.  With  the  variant  Toswill  cf.  Tozer,  for 
"  teaser."  The  corresponding  French  names  in  -bien 
and  German  names  in  -wohl  are  also  fairly  numerous. 

As  has  already  been  suggested,  surnames  of  this 
class  are  generally  disparaging.  It  is  even  likely  that 
the  historic  Taillefer  and  the  first  Shakespeare,  Shake- 
shaft  or  Shackshaft,  and  Shakelance  were  heroes  of  a 
somewhat  obtrusive  character.  Examples  of  "  fright- 
fulness  "  are  uncomfortably  numerous.  We  find 
an  extraordinary  number  of  Middle  English  names 
beginning  with  break-,  burn-,  kill-,  pill-  (skin),  or  with 
the  corresponding  Fr.  brise-,  brule-,  ttte-,  pele-.  In  fact 
French,  or  rather  Anglo-French,  predominates  over 
Anglo-Saxon  in  names  of  this  class.1  We  still  have 
Breakspear,  Braksper  [William  Brekespere,  Ramsey 
Cart.]  and  the  hybrid  Brisbane  [Thomas  Briseban,  ib.]. 
With  the  latter  cf.  Crakebone  [John  Crakebon,  Lane. 
Court  R.  1323-4],  still  an  American  name,  though  I  have 
not  come  across  it  in  England.  Modern  French  has 
Brisemur,  Brispot,  and  others  which  also  occur  com- 
monly in  our  Rolls.  Burnhouse,  Burness,  Burniss 
[William  Bernhus,  1 3th  century]  may  sometimes  be  local, 
at  the  "burn  house,"  but  Burnand,  Brennand,  though 
they  may  have  other  origins,  point  to  a  public  official 
[Simon  Brenhand,  Hund.  R.].  Of  the  same  craft  was 

1  Sometimes  we  have  both  forms,  e.g.  Buttifant,  Butterfant,  Fr. 
boute-avant,  push  forward  [Robert  Boute-Avant,  Pachnio],  corre- 
sponds to  the  native  Push  firth.  I  only  suggest  as  a  gusss  that  Mank- 
telow,  Mankletow,  Mankelow  may  represent  manque  I'eau  or  manque 
de  I'eau,  a  French  version  of  Ralph  Spare  water  (Pleas). 


"  FRIGHTFULNESS  "  257 

Henry  Brendcheke  (Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-79). 
Criminals  were  still  "  burnt  in  the  hand "  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  Cf.  Haghand,  for  "  hack  hand," 
and  possibly  also  Branfoot.  In  one  of  the  Towneley 
Mysteries  the  "  second  tormentor  "  is  called  Spy  11- 
payn.  The  original  Strangleman  may  have  been 
official  or  amateur.  In  French  we  still  find  Bnde- 
bois  and  Brulefer,  probably  trade-names.1 

Among  kill  names  we  find  ME.  Cullebol,  Cullebolloc, 
Cullefincke,  Cullehare,  Cullehog,  the  last  perhaps 
surviving  as  Kellogg.  Cf.  Fr.  Tubetif,  Tuvache.  For 
the  pill  names,  such  as  Pilecrowe,  Pilecat,  cf.  the  still 
existing  Fr.  Pellevillain,  which  has  a  parallel  in  a  Middle 
English  Fleybund  (flay  bond).  Jean  Poilevilain  was 
master  of  the  mint  to  Philip  VI.  of  France,  and  a 
medieval  bearer  of  the  name  had  himself  depicted  on 
his  seal  dragging  a  "  villain  "  by  the  hair.  Cf.  Butlin, 
Bucklin,  contracted  from  boute-vilain,  hustle  the  churl 
[Adam  Buttevilein,  FineR.],  and  the  obsolete  Butekarl 
(Feet  of  Fines).  Of  the  same  type  is  Fr.  Ecorcheville 
(p.  288),  found  also  in  Middle  English  along  with  Es- 
corceberd,  Escorchebuef,  etc.  These  are  only  illustrative 
specimens  of  a  type  of  name  which  is  only  too  common 
in  our  records.  In  the  list  of  presumably  extinct 
phrase-names  which  forms  an  appendix  to  this  chapter 
will  be  found  further  examples. 

Sometimes  the  phrase-name  is  merely  descriptive 
of  the  bearer's  occupation,  e.g.Drawater.  An  interest- 

1  Marwood,  though  it  can  be  explained  locally,  may  also  have 
been  a  nickname  for  an  incompetent  carpenter  [William  Marwod, 
F.  of  Y.].  Cf .  the  numerous  French  names  in  Gate-  (p.  262)  and  our 
own  Thumbwood,  apparently  from  the  archaic  verb  to  "  thumb," 
i.e.  to  handle  clumsily 


258  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

ing  example  is  the  Derbyshire  Copestake,  applied  to  a 
woodcutter  [Geoffrey  Coupstak,  F.  of  Y.  1295  ;  cf. 
Geoffrey  Cuttestuche,  Glouc.  Cart.].  This  naturally 
becomes  Copestick,  and  in  Yorkshire  Capstick.  With 
this  name  cf.  Hackblock  and  Hackwood.  Boutflour, 
Bought/lower  was  a  nickname  for  a  miller,  "  bolt 
flour"  [John  Bulteflour,  Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.  1303], 
from  the  archaic  bolt,  to  sift,1  and  in  Boltwood,  Bought- 
wood  the  second  element  is  "  woad,"  an  important 
medieval  commodity;'  cf.  Powncewayde  (p.  275). 
Pilbeam  was  a  barker  of  trees ;  see  Pillar  (p.  118) 
and  Beam  (p.  184).  In  Ridland,  Ridwood,  Redwood  we 
have  the  dialect  rid,  to  clear,  as  in  ridding  ;  cf .  Simon 
Draneland  (Hund.  R.,  Camb.).  Hamahard  suggests  a 
smith,  "  hammer  hard,"  and  has  German  parallels  in 
Klopf hammer,  Schwinghammer  (p.  303),  but  it  is  more 
likely  an  alteration  of  Haimard  (DB.),  apparently  a 
Norman  form  of  Hagenheard  (see  p.  41).  I  have 
found  no  early  example  of  Clinkscales,  but  I  expect 
the  ancestor  was  an  energetic  tradesman  or  money- 
changer. Cf.  John  Rattilbagge  (Hund.  R.).  Tylecote 
appears  to  have  been  a  tiler.  In  Spingarn  the  second 
element  is  a  still  existing  form  of  "  yarn."  Doubtfire, 
for  "  dout  fire,"  was  perhaps  in  charge  of  a  furnace, 
or  he  may  have  seen  to  the  enforcing  of  the  curfew. 
Cf.  OF.  Abat-Four  and  Tue-Four  (Pachnio).  John 
Adubbe-dent  (Pipe  R.)  was  an  early  dentist.  With 
C^itbush  cf.  Tallboys,  Fr.  Taillebois.  Tradition  makes 
the  first  Fettiplace  gentleman-usher  to  the  Conqueror. 
The  etymology  of  the  name,  AF.  fete  place,  make 
room,  points  to  some  such  office.  The  early  examples 

1  Cf.  the   ME.   name   Boute-tourte   [Guy  Buteturte,    Pipe   R.]. 
Tourte  was  coarse  bread  made  from  inferior  meal. 


NAMES    IN   LOVE  259 

are  all  from  Oxfordshire,  and  Adam  Feteplaz,  Fete- 
place,  Feteplece,  a  thirteenth-century  Mayor £>f  Oxford, 
is  mentioned  repeatedly  in  the  Rolls. 

But  examples  of  this  kind  are  not  very  numerous, 
and  the  great  majority  of  phrase-names  are  descriptive 
of  character,  e.g.  Lovejoy,  Doolittle  [JohnDolitel,  Percy 
f  Cart.,  John  Faypew,  City  D.],  habit,  e.g.  Drinkale, 
\  Drinkall  [William  Drinkale,1  Pat.  R.],  Ridout,  Rideout 
[cf.  Adam  Prikafeld,  Pat.  R.,  Robert  Chevalchesol, 
i.e.  ride  alone,  Pipe  R.,  Geoffrey  Wendut,  Fine  R.], 
or  even  gesture,  e.g.  Bendelow  [cf.  Arnold  Stoupe- 
doun,  Pat.  R.].  The  famous  name  Penderell  appears 
to  mean  "  hang  ear  "  [Richard  Pendoraile,  Chart.  R.], 
the  opposite  aspect  being  represented  by  John  Kokear 
(Leic.  Bor.  Rec.).  Similarly,  the  existing  Luckup  has 
a  pendant  in  the  obsolete  Regardebas. 

The  mention  of  Lovejoy  reminds  us  that  we  have  a 
large  number  of  surnames  of  which  love  is  the  first  or 
second  element.  These  are  not  all  as  simple  as  they 
appear,  e.g.  Loveguard  is  for  the  AS.  Leofgeard,  while 
Laverock  is  an  alteration  of  the  dial,  laverock,  a  lark 
[Richard  Laveroke,  Fine  R.],  whence  also  Laverack, 
Liverock  (p.  130,  n.}.  Loveluck  is  for  Lovelock  (p.  131). 
Lovelady  is  a  genuine  phrase-name  [cf.  Simon  Baise- 
belle,  Fine  R.]  ;  cruder  are  Toplady  or  Tiplady  and 
Toplass,  Topliss,  for  which  see  Othello,  i.  i.  But  the 
oldest  forms  of  Lovelace,  Loveless  go  to  show  that  in 
this  name  the  second  element  is  not  -lass,  but  -less 
(p.  149) .  Compounds  in  which  the  second  element  -love, 

1  "  Drink-ale  "  seems  the  natural  solution  ;  cf.  Fr.  Boicervoise. 
But  Drinkhall  [Thomas  Drynkhale,  Hund.  R.]  suggests  rather  the 
phrase  drinc  heil,  to  which  the  answer  was  was  heil  (wassail). 
Drinkall  might  be  also  "  drink  all  "  ;  cf.  Gather  all  (p.  266),  Wastall, 
"  waste  all  (?)  ". 


260  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

in  its  ordinary  abstract  meaning,  is  qualified  by  an 
adjective  are  Dearlove,  Sweetlove,  Tmelove,  Newlove, 
Proudlove.  Dearlove  has  an  alternative  origin  from 
AS.  Deorlaf,  beloved  remnant,  of  which  Searle  has 
several  examples.  Manlove,  Menlove  is  abstract,  from 
AS.  mannlufe,  philanthropy.  Fullalove,  Fullilove  is, 
of  course,  "  full  of  love/'  commoner  in  the  Rolls  in 
the  form  Pleindamour,  which  still  exists  in  Dorset 
as  Blandamore.  Waddilove  is  a  phrase-name  which 
seems  very  out  of  place  *  in  the  thirteenth  century 
[John  Wadeinlove,  Hund.  R.]. 

But,  just  as  Love  is  often  from  AF.  love,*  a  wolf  [Alan 
le  Love,  Hund.  R.],  so  many  compounds  in  -love  are 
phrase-names  of  an  energetic  character.  Catchlove,  Fr. 
Chasseloup,  means  wolf  hunter  [Alan  Cacheleu,  Pat.  R.]. 
We  also  find  in  the  Pat.  R.  Alan  Cachehare,  perhaps  the 
same  man  as  the  above,  and  Walter  Cachelevere,  Fr. 
lievre,  hare.  Spendlove,  Spendlow,  Spenlow,  Spindelow 
is  OF.  espand-louve  [Robert  Spendelove,  Northumb. 
Ass.  R.  1256-79,  Jehan  Spendelouve,  Pachnio],  which 
perhaps  refers  to  disembowelling.3  Pritlove,  which 

1  In  fact  "  wade  in  love  "  is  so  unlike  anything  medieval  that  I 
am  inclined  to  guess  that  the  first  element  may  belong  to  ME.  weden, 
to  rage,  and  that  the  name  may  mean  rather  "  furious  wolf."  See 
Catchlove  and  cf.  Walter  Wodelof  (Pat.  R.},  from  the  related  ME. 
wode,  mad.  This  seems  to  be  now  represented  by  Woolloff. 

*  Lovell  is  usually  its  diminutive  ;  cf .  Ger.  Wolfing,  Wulfing.  In 
the  medieval  French  romance  of  Guillaume  d'Angleterre,  one  of  the 
twin  "  babes  in  the  wood,"  rescued  from  a  wolf,  is  christened  Lovel 
by  his  finders — 

"  Lovel  por  le  lo  1'apelerent 
Que  anmi  le  chemin  troverent 
Qui  Tail  portoit  parmi  les  rains  : 
Einsi  fut  li  los  ses  parrains." 

3  Pachnio's  suggestion  to  read  espance  is  negatived  by  the  English 
form. 


NAMES    IN    -GOOD  26i 

looks  like  "  pretty  love,"  is  also  a  Kultur  name  [Alex- 
ander Pricklove,  Exch.  R.]  with  a  common  phonetic 
corruption.  Cf.  Prickman.  Cutlove l  is  paralleled 
by  ME.  Cutfox  and  other  names  of  the  same  type 
(p.  272).  In  Marklove,  whence  also  Marklow,  Martlow, 
Martlew,  we  have  the  verb  to  "  mark  "  in  its  common 
medieval  sense  of  striking  or  aiming  with  a  weapon 
or  missile.  Tmslove  appears  to  contain  ME.  truss,  to 
bind,  also  to  pack  up,  as  in  Truscott  (coat) ;  cf.  Packe- 
hare  (p.  274).  It  is  natural  that  the  hated  wolf  should 
be  selected  for  ill-treatment,  and  Roger  Frangelupus 
(AUngdon  Cart.},  though  bad  Latin,  confirms  both  the 
etymologies  proposed  above  and  the  general  theory  that 
the  verb  in  these  compounds  was  originally  an  im- 
perative. In  local  names,  such  as  Lovecraft,  Lovegrove, 
Loveland  [Margery  de  la  Lovelond,  Pat.  R.],  it  is  at  least 
possible  that  the  first  element  also  means  wolf,  and 
Wildlove  is  probably  an  animal  nickname  (seep.  241). 
The  name  Lovegood  brings  us  to  the  problem  of  names 
in  -good.  Some  of  these,  e.g.  Thurgood,  Osgood,  Win- 
good,  are  simply  Anglo-Saxon  personal  names  con- 
taining the  element  god  (see  p.  30) ;  but  others  are 
phrase-names  of  the  Shakespeare  type  and  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  second  component  is  doubtful.  Bid- 
good,  Bedgood  [Hervey  Budgod,  Close  R.]  I  take  to 
mean  "  pray  God "  ;  cf.  Ger.  Furchtegott.  Lovegood 
might  be  for  "  love  God  "  [Simon  Lovegod,  Fine  R.], 
the  opposite  of  Hatecrist  (p.  212),  or  again  for  "  love 
good/'  equivalent  to  Henry  Hatewrong  (IpM.) ;  but 
its  use  in  Cocke  Lorelle — 

"  Gregory  Love  good  of  Royston  mayer  " — 

1  Cutwolf,  which  I  have  not  found  later  than  the  sixteenth  century, 
is  rather  the  Anglo-Saxon  personal  name  Cuthwulf  [William 
Cuthewulf,  IpM.}. 


262  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

suggests  rather  that  good  has  here  the  sense  of  wealth, 
property,  as  in  Gathergood  and  Scattergood  [Robert 
Scatergod,  Cocker  sand  Cart}.  With  the  former  cf. 
Sparegod  (p.  275),  and  with  the  latter  "  Slyngethryfte 
fishmonger"  (Cocke  Lorelle).  Habgood,  Hobgood, 
Hapgood,  Hopgood  [William  Hebbegod,  Fine  R.]  may 
contain  the  obsolete  hap,  to  seize — 

"  Happer,  to  hap,  or  catch  ;  to  snatch,  or  grasp  at  "  (Cotg.). 

But  the  antiquity  and  variants  of  the  name  point 
rather  to  ME.  hap,  hop,  to  cover,  wrap  up.  Getgood 
sounds  hopeful,  but  is  really  commercial.  Dogood,1 
with  its  northern  variant  Duguid,  is  a  compli- 
mentary phrase-name  ;  cf.  Faceben  (p.  273).  Whether 
Digweed  is  a  southern  attempt  at  the  latter  or  a 
name  for  a  gardener  I  cannot  say. 

Some  names  which  appear  to  belong  to  the  Shake- 
speare class  are  due  to  imitative  spelling.  Tear  all  is 
for  Terrell,  i.e.  Tyrrell,  an  Anglo-French  form  of  AS, 
Thurweald,  Catcheside  is  local  (Catch erside,2Nor thumb.), 
Quickfall  is  for  Wigfall  (p.  70),  Carvall  is  for  Carvell, 
Carvill,  from  Cherville  (Marne),  Kilmaster  is  of  course 
from  Kilminster  (Caithness),  Marbrow  from  Marbury 
(Chesh.),  Pillbrow  from  Pulborough  (Suss.)  or  Pilsbury 
(Derb.).  Wastall  may  be  for  Wastell  (p.  165),  but 
names  in  waste-  were  once  common  (p.  277)  and  French 
still  has  Gastebled,  Gatble,  Gastebois,  Gatbois,  and  other 

1  Toogood  may  have  been  confused  with  this,  but  is  really  an 
adjectival  nickname.     In  French  we  find  Trodoux  and  Troplong. 
There  is  a  fairly  common  Middle  English  name  Tropisnel,  Tropinel, 
OF.  isnel,  swift,  still  found  in  Somerset  as  Trapnell.     With  Toogood 
goes  Sargood,  from  ME.  sar,  very,  as  in  "  sore  afraid."     Perhaps  the 
original  bearer  of  the  name  was  "  unco'  guid." 

2  Hence  Kitcherside  ;    see  p.  130,  n. 


TURN    AND    WIN  263 

names  formed  from  gdter.  Cf.  also  Waister  [John  le 
Wastour,  Pat.  R.].  Ticklepenny,  according  to  Lower,1 
is  from  a  "  place  near  Grimsby,"  but  is  remarkably 
like  Ger.  Kustenpfennig,  kiss  penny.  Pinchback  is 
for  Pinchbeck  (Line.)  and  Huntback  for  Huntbach 
(p.  53).  Handover  is  for  the  local  Andover,  and 
Filpot,  in  spite  of  the  corresponding  Ger.  Fullkrug,  is 
probably  for  Philpot,  i.e.  little  Philip.  Stow  adopts 
the  Filpot  spelling  for  the  famous  fourteenth-century 
Lord  Mayor  of  London.  Makeman  is  either  the 
"  man  "of  Mack  or  for  AS.  Maegenmund,  and  Putwain 
is  one  of  the  many  variants  of  Fr.  Poitevin,  whence 
also  Patvine,  Potwin,  Portwine,  etc. 

Some  verbs  appear  with  notable  frequency  in  these 
compounds.  From  turn  we  have  Turribull  [Robert 
Turnebul,  Pat.  R.],  whence  also  Turnbill,  Trumble, 
Tremble,  and  the  less  vigorous  Turnpenny  [Nicholas 
Turnepeny,  Hund.  R.].  With  the  former  cf.  William 
Turnebuk  (Pat.  R.),  with  the  latter  Richard  Turnegold 
(ib.).  French  has  several  such  names,  including 
Tournemeule,  probably  a  name  for  a  hay-maker.  From 
win  we  have  Winbow,  Winrose,  Winspear,  Winspur 
(p.  162),  Winpenny,  Wimpenny,  Vimpany  [William 
Winepeny  Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.  1301-60],  with  which 
we  may  compare  Fr.  Gagnedenier.  If  Windlass,  Wind- 
less (p.  170)  is  "  win  lass,"  the  -d-  is  intrusive,  as  also  in 
Windram,  a  nickname  for  a  successful  athlete — 

"  Over-al,  ther  he  cam, 
At  wrastlyng  he  wolde  have  awey  the  ram  " 

(Chauc  A.  546). 


1  I  fancy  that  some  of  Lower's  "  places  "  and  "  spots  "  were 
extempore  efforts.  The  only  suitable  "  place  "  in  Lincolnshire  that 
I  can  get  news  of  is  Ticklepenny's  Lock,  which  was  named  from  a 
man  called  Ticklepenny. 


264  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

John  Winram  was  sub-prior  of  St.  Andrews  in  1550. 
In  the  F.  of  Y.  we  find  "  Winship  the  mariner,"  which 
suggests  a  competent  pirate,  but  the  surname  is  per- 
haps from  AS.  winescipe,  friendship  (p.  220).  One  of 
the  most  curious  of  the  Win-  compounds  is  the  common 
Norfolk  name  Winearls,  in  which  the  second  element  is 
the  dialect  "  earls,  arles,"  earnest-money.  With 
Waghorn,  Wagstaff  cf.  Walter  Waggespere  (Lane. 
Ass.  R.  1176-1285),  while  Waggett  may  sometimes 
be  the  equivalent  of  Ger.  Schiiddekopf,  shake-head 
(see  p.  128).  To  the  Shake-  names  may  be  added 
Shacklock  [Hamo  Shakeloc,  Hund.  R.],  with  which 
cf.  John  Werpeloc  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.),  William  Wrytheloc 
(Malmesbury  Abbey  Reg-),  and  Shakelady,  Schacklady, 
with  which  cf.  Robert  Schaketrot  (Lane.  Court  R. 
1323-4)— 

"  An  old  trot  with  ne'er  a  tooth  in  her  head  " 

(Shrew,  i.  2), 

and  John  Daubedame  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.) — 

"  Dauber,  to  beat,  swindge,  lamme,  canvasse  throughly  " 

(Cotg.). 

Of  the  Hack-  names  the  most  interesting  is  Hak- 
luyt.  The  DNB.  describes  the  geographer  as  of  a 
family  long  established  in  Herefordshire,  probably  of 
Dutch  origin.  The  "  Dutch  "  appears  to  be  suggested 
by  the  second  syllable.  The  name  means  "  hack 
little,"  ME.  lut,  and  the  founder  of  the  family  was 
probably  a  woodcutter  without  enthusiasm  [Peter 
Hakelut,  IpM.,  Heref.].  Walter  Hackelute  or  Hakelut 
or  Hakelutel  occurs  repeatedly  in  thirteenth-century 
records  of  Hereford  and  Salop. 


PASS    AND    PIERCE  265 

There  are  also  two  rather  large  groups  containing 
the  verbs  pass  l  and  pierce.  From  the  first  come  Passe- 
low,  "  cross  water/'  whence  also  Paslow,  Par  slow, 
Pasley,  Pashley,  Pashler 8  [Edmund  Passelewe  or  Passe- 
ley  e  or  Passhelye,  Pat.  R.],  Passmore  [Stephen  Passe- 
mer,  Fine  R.],  Passavant  [Alan  Passa vaunt,  Lane. 
Ass.  R.  1176-1285],  contracted  to  Passant.  In 
French  we  find  Passelaigue,*  Passerieu  (OF.  rieu,  a 
stream),  Passelac,  Passepont,  etc.  With  Passavant  cf. 
the  hybrid  Startifant,  Sturdevant,  Sturtivant,  in  which 
the  first  element  is  ME.  stert,  to  start.  In  the  F.  of  Y. 
it  is  spelt  Stirtavaunt.  The  Pierce-  names  are  very 
curious,  and  it  is  hard  to  say  exactly  what  the  verb 
meant  in  these  compounds.  The  much  discussed  Per- 
ceval, Percival  is  simply  what  it  appears  to  be,  viz. 
"  pierce  vale  "  Another  hero  of  romance  was  Perce- 
forest.  One  origin  of  Percy,  Pearcey,  Pursey,  etc.  is 
perce-haie,  pierce  hedge  [William  Percehaye,  Hund.  R.]. 
Passifull  and  Passfield,  which  look  like  compounds  of 
pass,  are  in  all  probability  corruptions  of  Percival, 
and  Purcifer,  a  Yorkshire  name,  shows  the  same  slur- 
ring as  in  Brammer  for  the  local  Bramhall.  Finally, 
Pershouse,  Purshouse  is  "  pierce  house."  Thirlway, 
Thirlaway  contains  the  obsolete  "  thirl,"  to  pierce, 
but  the  whole  compound  may  be  local,  meaning 
a  gap. 

Somewhat  akin  to  this  group  are  the  French  names 
in  Tranche-,  some  of  which,  such  as  Trenchemer, 
Trenchelac  are  found  also  in  Middle  English.  With 

1  The  charger  of  the  paladin  Gerier  was  Passecerf  (Chanson  de 
Roland). 

z  Cf.  Brister  for  Bristow  (p.  104). 

3  Aigue  (aqua]  is  a  southern  form  of  eau',    cf.  Aigues-mortes. 


266  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

Tranchevent  cf.  Ger.  Schneidewind  and  our  Sherwin 
[Thomas  Sherewynd,  Fine  R.],  the  latter  the  same  type 
of  man  as  William  Windswift,  mariner  (F.  of  Y).  We 
have  other  compounds  of  shear  in  Sherlock,  Shurlock 
[Simon  Skyrloc,  Chart  R.],  and  in  Shargold,  Shergold, 
perhaps  a  coin- clipper  or  a  worker  at  the  mint ' ;  but 
Shearwood  is  local,  of  Sherwood.  Another  element 
which  was  once  common  is  tread.  We  have  still 
Tredwell,  Tretwell,  Treaddell,  and  Tredgold *  [Walter 
Tredegold,  Hund.  R.],  the  last-named  appearing  also 
as  Threadgold,  Thridgould',  cf.  Threadgate,  in  which 
gate  means  street.  In  Middle  English  we  find  also 
Thomas  Tredebalk  (Chart.  R.),  Symon  Tredhard 
(Yorks,  1379),  and  Richard  Tradesalt  (Rievaulx  Cart.). 
Treadaway,  Treadway  is  local  [John  de  Treddewy, 
Exch.  R.],  from  treadway,  a  thoroughfare,  which  was 
in  use  as  late  as  the  seventeenth  century. 

Gather  occurs  in  Gather  good  (p.  262),  Gather  cole,* 
Gather  all.  The  last-named,  of  the  type  of  Walter 
Pr  en  tout  (Lond.  Wills,  1340),  still  a  French  surname, 
and  Godwin  Givenout  (Rievaulx  Cart.),  has  also  become 
Gather  all,'  with  which  cf.  Catherwood  for  "  gather 
wood,"  and  Abraham  Cathermonie  (Rievaulx  Cart). 
In  the  Pat.  R.  we  find  Nicholas  Gadrewit,  whose 
pursuit  was  wisdom  rather  than  wealth.  Tirebuck 

1  "  The  other  (lane),  corruptly  called  Sermon  lane,  for  Shere- 
moniers'  lane,  for  I  find  it  by  that  name  recorded  in  the  fourteenth 
of  Edward  I.  ...  It  may,  therefore,  be  well  supposed  that  lane 
to  take  name  of  Sheremonyars,  such  as  cut  and  rounded  the  plates 
to  be  coined  or  stamped  into  sterling  pence"  (Stow). 

2  With  this  cf.  Ger.  Rosentreter,  the  trampler  of  roses. 

8  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  second  element  means  charcoal 
or  cabbage  [Robert  Gaderkold,  Pat.  R.}. 

4  I  think  Cathedrall  must  be  an  imitative  alteration  of  this. 


MISCELLANEOUS    EXAMPLES  267 

may  be  local,  of  Tarbock  (Lane.),  but  the  first  element 
may  be  the  obsolete  tire,  to  tear,  rend — 

"  I  graunte  wel  that  thou  endurest  wo 
As  sharp  as  doth  he,  Ticius,  in  helle, 
Whos  stomak  foules  tiren  evere  mo 
That  highten  voltoures,  as  bookes  telle  " 

(Troilus  and  Criseyde,  i.  785). 

This  etymology  is  supported  by  William  Randekide 
(Leic.  BOY.  Rec.)  and  the  Lancashire  Tyrer  [Henry  le 
Tyrer,  Bp.  Kellawe's  Reg.],  formerly  also  Tyre-hare, 
though  this  latter  may  perhaps  refer  to  a  blameless 
hairdresser. 

Knatchbull  may  have  been  applied  to  a  butcher,  or 
perhaps  to  some  medieval  Milo  of  Crotona  ;  cf.  John 
Felox  (i3th  century) — 

"  With  a  great  clubbe  (Commodus)  knatched  them  all  on  the  hed  " 
(NED.  1579). 

Benbow,  Benbough,  Bebbow  are  for  "  bend-bow  "  [Wil- 
liam Bendebowe,  City  F.].  Robin  Hood's  follower 
Scathelock  is  still  found  as  Scadlock,  Shadlock,  Shatlock, 
Shedlock,  Shotlock,  Shackcloth,  though  the  compound 
can  hardly  be  said  to  make  sense.  Evidently  Shack- 
lock  has  contributed  also  to  this  group.  There  are  a 
considerable  number  of  medieval  names  in  -lock ;  see 
p.  264.  Rackstraw,  Raickstraw,  Rextrew,  Rockstro  is 
occupative,  "rake  straw";  cf.  Ralph  Frapaile,  i.e. 
fmppe-paille  (Pat.  R.),  a  thresher,  and  see  "bang- 
straw"  in  the  EDD.  Prindeville  was  a  successful 
soldier,  Fr.  prend  mile.  Parlby  is  altered  from  the 
once  common  parle  bien  [John  Parlebien,  Pat.  R.] 
and  Chantler  is  for  the  still  commoner  chante  clair 
[Roger  Chauntecler  or  Chaunteler,  Pat.  R.].  Cash- 

19 


268  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

man  is  for  "  catch  man  "  [Mabel  Cacheman,  Pat.  R.]. 
Shadbolt,  Shotbolt  may  be  for  "  shoot  bolt"  (cf. 
Benbow,  p.  267),  or  the  first  element  may  be  a  past 
participle  and  the  whole  compound  have  been  ap- 
plied to  one  who  had  shot  his  bolt ;  cf .  the  common 
Middle  English  name  Lancelevee.  Hurlbatt  is  doubt- 
ful, for  Matthew  Herlebaut  (Pat.  R.)  looks  like  a 
personal  name.  Still,  John  Hurlebadde  (Pat.  R.)  and 
Thomas  Draghebat  *  (ib.)  tend  to  authenticate  it  as 
a  phrase-name.  Plantrose  [John  Plaunterose,  Hund. 
R.]  and  Pluckrose  [Alan  Pluckrose,  ib.]  still  exist  and 
have  plenty  of  medieval  support ;  cf .  Simon  Schakerose 
(Pat.  R.),  Peter  Porterose  (ib.),  Andrew  Plantefene  * 
(Leic.  Bor.  Rec.),  Elyas  Plan tefo lye  (Fine  R.).  Pluck- 
rose  has  a  parallel  in  Culpepper  *  [Thomas  Cullepeper 
or  Colepepyr,  Pat.  R.],  with  which  cf.  Richard  Culle- 
bene  (Hund.  R.). 

Among  examples  in  which  the  second  element  is 
adverbial  we  find,  besides  the  quaint  Gotobed  or  Gotbed, 
such  names  as  Rushout  (cf.  Rideout,  p.  259)  and  Rusha- 
way,  the  latter  perhaps  a  conscientious  objector,  like 
Robert  Torne-en-Fuie  (Pachnio).  Fulloway  may  be 
for  "  follow  way,"  as  Followfast  is  found  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  and  Standeven,  Standaloft  both  seem 
to  belong  here  also.  Pickavant,  altered  to  Pickavance, 
Pickance,  Pickervance  is  Fr.  pique-avant,  spur  forward. 

Subject  and  verb  are  inverted  in  Hornblow,  Horni- 
blow,  Orneblow,  and  possibly  in  Milsopp,  Mellsop 

1  This  seems  to  be  the  native  equivalent  of  Trailbaston,  a  term 
first  applied  to  a  class  of  malefactors.     On  the  interesting  develop- 
ment of  this  compound  into  a  legal  term  see  NED. 

2  Fr.  Join,  hay,  Lat.  f&num. 

3  There  is  just  a  possibility  that  this  means  "  black  pepper  "  ; 
cf.  Thomas  Piperwyt  (Cust.  Battle  Abbey)  and  John  Blaksalt  (Pat.  R.) 


MISCELLANEOUS    EXAMPLES  269 

[Roger  Melkesopp,  Hund.  R.].  The  latter  may  mean 
what  is  sopped  in  milk,  but,  as  applied  to  a  baby,  or 
to  a  spiritless  person,  it  may  be  rather  one  who  sups 
milk — 

"  Hay  11,  lytyll  tyn  mop,  rewarder  of  mede ! 
Hayll,  bot  oone  drop  of  grace  at  my  nede! 
Hay  11  lytyl  mylk  sop  I    hay  11,  David  sede  I  " 

(Towneley  Mysteries). 

Similar  inversions  are  found  in  Middle  English,  as  in 
the  pleasing  John  Coutorment  (Pat.  R.).  The  original 
Overthrow  was  perhaps  a  skilled  wrestler ;  cf.  Henry 
Overdo  (Close  R.  temp.  Ed.  IV.).  John  Lyngeteill, 
tailor  (F.  of  Y.),  may  be  for  taille-linge,  or  the  second 
element  may  be  toile,  cloth. 

It  excites  no  surprise  that  so  many  of  these  names 
have  disappeared.  They  are,  as  this  chapter  shows, 
and  as  will  be  seen  still  more  clearly  from  the  list  on 
pp.  270-7,  nearly  always  contemptuous.  Also  they  are 
often  cumbersome,  so  that  even  so  complimentary  a 
name  as  that  of  Jehan  Qui  de  riens  ne  s'esmoie(Pachnio), 
i.e.  John  Dreadnought,  had  a  very  poor  chance  of 
surviving.  Occasionally  such  names  have  been  ab- 
sorbed by  others.  There  can,  for  instance,  be  little 
doubt  that  some  of  our  Penfolds  *  represent  the  occupa- 
tive  "  pen-fowl  "  [Henry  Pynfoule,  Pat.  R.],  an  official 
who  has  become  more  usually  Catchpole  (Fr.  chasse- 
poule).  Walkimhaw,  Wakenshaw  has  a  local  look, 
but  the  existence  of  Rangecroft  suggests  that  it  may  be 
simply  "  walk  in  shaw,"  perhaps  a  forest  ranger — 

"  Walkers,  seeme  to  be  those  that  are  otherwise  called  foresters. 
Crompton  in  his  Jurisdictions,  fol.  154,  hath  these  words  in  effect: 
There  bee  foresters  assigned  by  the  King,  which  be  walkers  within 
a  certain  space  assigned  them  to  looke  unto"  (Cowel). 

i  This  has  several  variants,  e.g.  Pennifold,  Pinfold,  Pinfield. 


270  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 

Hence  perhaps  also  Walkland.  Or  the  name  may 
have  been  applied  to  a  forest  outlaw.  Cf.  Jourdain 
Saill-du-Bois  (Pachnio),  Hugo  Saildebroil *  (ib.),  found 
also  in  Middle  English  as  Saudebroyl,  both  of  whom 
probably  obtained  their  sobriquets  by  their  unwelcome 
sorties  from  the  woods  that  bordered  the  medieval 
highway.  Walklate  is  as  natural  a  nickname  as  "  toil 
by  night"  (see  p.  233).  Other  names  of  the  same 
type,  some  not  easy  to  interpret,  are  Wakelam* 
(cf.  Esveillechien,  p.  273),  Shearhod  (hood),  Stabback, 
Settatree,  Makemead  [Gregory  Makemete,  Pat.  R.], 
Lockbane,  Saltonstall  (cf.  mountebank  and  saltimbanque). 
The  obsolete  names  in  the  following  list  all  come 
from  the  same  sources  as  those  which  are  quoted 
throughout  this  book.  To  save  space  I  have  omitted 
the  baptismal  names  and  references.  Some  of  them 
no  doubt  still  exist  in  a  corrupted  form  and  perhaps 
others  are  wrongly  included  here.  A  few,  which  I  cannot 
interpret,  may  amuse  the  leisure  of  some  of  my  readers. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  Anglo-French  prevails  over  the 
native  element,  while  there  are  a  few  hybrids.  Many 
are  evidently  trade  descriptions,  but  the  majority 
allude  to  some  habit,  or  even  some  isolated  act,  on  the 
part  of  the  original  bearer. 

Baillebien  (OF.  bailler,  to  give.  Baysers 

Cf.     F.     Baillehart     [halter],  Besecu 

Baillehache  [axe],  whence  Bail-  Banesthef  (banish  thief) 

hache)  Banthane  (cf.  Crusseking,  but 

Baisedame  (cf.  Lovelady)  Banfather  is  for  Bairnsfather, 

Bayseboll  (one  who  loved  the  p.  244) 

bowl)  Barreduk  (cf.  Facehen) 

1  See  Brewill  (p.  55). 

2  The  rather  vigorous-looking  Wakem  and  Whackum  are  for  the 
local  Wakeham. 


OBSOLETE   NICKNAMES 


271 


Beivin  (boi-viri),  a  very  common 
Middle  English  name,  still 
found  as  Bevin) 

Berebred 

Berhors 

Beritawey  (with  the  bear-  names 
cf.  those  in  port-) 

Berewater 

Bereswerd 

Bernereve 

Brenecote 

Brengest 

Brendhers  (horse  ?) 

Bryndboys  (in  these  five  names 
we  have  Middle  English  forms 
of  burn) 

Betewater 

Byggeharme  (ME.  big,  to  build, 
contrive) 

Bindethef 

Bindewinter 

Bitebere 

Bytewant  (ME.  want,  a  mole ; 
cf.  Moulbayt) 

Blouhorn 

Boteturte  (see  p.  258,  n.  3) 

Brekbek 

Brekedisshe 

Brekedure  (door) 

Brechedure 

Brechehert 

Brekemast 

Brekpot 

Brekerop  (cf.  Crakestreng) 

Brekstaf 

Bridebek  (cf.  Bridoye,  the  judge 
in  Rabelais.  Geese  werebridled 
by  passing  a  feather  through 
the  orifices  of  the  beak  to 
prevent  them  from  straying 
through  hedges.  Hence  "  oison 
bride,  a  sot,  asse,  gull,  ninnie, 
noddie  "  Cotg.). 


Brysbank 

Brisbon  (bone) 

Brisecoc 

Briscop  (cup) 

Brisefer 

Briselaunce 

Brisemustier    (OF.    moustier, 

monastery) 
Brisepot 
Bristimbre 
Brusebar 
Brusekaillou 
Bruselance 
Brusepot 
Bukelboots 
Bukepot   (ME.    buck,   to   wash, 

clean,  as  in  buck-basket) 
Buskeleche 


Cachefis 

Cacchefrensh 

Cachehors 

Cachemaille  (Fr.  maille,  a  small 
coin  ;  cf.  Pinsemaille.  Cache- 
maille is  an  existing  English 
name,  no  doubt  Huguenot) 

Cachemay  (ME.  may,  a  maiden ; 
?  cf.  Bindlass,  p.  200) 

Cachepot  (cf.  Fr.  Chassepot, 
p.  289) 

Cachevache  (cf.  names  in  Chase- 
Cake-,  Kach-) 

Cakedan  (Fr.  daim,  a  deer) 

Cakerowe 

Castepac 

Chaceporc 

Chasehare 

Chasemuine  (Fr.  moine,  a  monk) 

Chanteben 

Chauntemerle  (Fr.  merle,  a  black- 
bird ;  but  Chantemerle  is  a 
common  French  place-name) 


272  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 


Chantemesse 

Charthecrawe 

Chaucebuef,  Causebuf 

Caucepe 

Causseben  (Fr.  chausser,  to  shoe) 

Chipawey 

Chopfox 

Clevegris  (ME.  gris,  a  pig) 

Clevehog  (these  two  names  are 
sometimes  misprinted  Clene- 
in  the  Hund  R.  Cf.  the  names 
in  Tranche-,  Trenche-} 

Clocoppe  (ME.  clock,  to  hobble, 
Fr.  docker.  Cf.  Startup  [p.  153] 
and  trollop,  Trollope,  from 
ME.  troll,  to  saunter,  prowl) 

Cnaplok 

Cokechinne 

Countefoghel  (before  they  were 
hatched  ?) 

Coupchesne 

Coupeforge  (?  a  mistake  for 
Coupegorge) 

Copefranceis 

Copegray  (dial,  gray,  a  badger) 

Coupne  (coupe-nez) 

Coursedieu  (cf.  Crusseking) 

Crakpot 

Crakesheld 

Crakestreng  (cf .  Brekerop. 
"  Baboin,  a  crack-rope,  wag- 
halter,  unhappy  rogue, 
wretchlesse  villaine,"  Cotg.) 

Crevecuor  (hence  Crawcour  and 
sometimes  Croker.  Cf .  Breche- 
hert.  But  the  name  is  local ; 
there  are  four  Crevecceurs  in 
France) 

Crollebois,  Corlebois  (OF.  croller, 
to  shake  ;  cf .  Curlevache) 

Crusseking  (curse) 

Cuethemarket  (know  the  mar- 
ket ?) 


Cullebene  (cf.  Peckebene) 

Cullebere  ("kill  bear"  or  Pick- 
barlik  ?) 

Cullefinch 

Cullehare 

Culletoppe  (Fr.  taupe,  a  mole. 
For  cull,  to  kill,  see  also  p.  257) 

Curairs 

Curedame 

Curlevache 

Cuttecope 

Cutfox 

Cuthog 

Cuttepope 

Cutsweyn 

Cuthup 

Cutwesyll  (this  may  be  for  wea- 
sel, but  is  more  probably  a 
perversion  of  weasand,  throat) 


Dyngbel 

Dyngesande      (ME.      ding,      to 

pound,  crush) 
Dragebrech 
Dreghorn 
Drawespe 
Drawlace 

Drawespere,  Draespere 
Draweswerd 
Draneck   (not    from  draw,   but 

from  thraw,  twisted, a  northern 

form  of  throw,  so  it  does  not 

really  belong  to  this  group. 

Thrawnecked  is  still  in   dial. 

use) 

Drounepak 
Dringkedregges 
Drynkpany     (possibly     belongs 

elsewhere.      Drinkpenny   was 

used  in  the  same  sense  as  Fr. 

pourboire  and  Ger.  Trinkgeld. 

Cf.  Virgil  Godspeny,  Pat.  R., 


OBSOLETE    NICKNAMES 


273 


and  the  existing  French  name 
Potdevin,  from  pot-de-vin,  a 
present  made  in  concluding  a 
bargain,  etc.  Hansell  also  no 
doubt  has  sometimes  a  similar 
origin) 
v  Drynkestor 

Dubedent  (see  p.  258) 

Duleram 

Dunpurs  (perhaps  for  "  don 
purse."  But  it  may  mean 
"brown  purse";  cf.  Irenpurs 
[p.  163]  and  Alexander  Hari- 
pok,  i.e.  hairy  pouch,  F.  of  Y.) 

Enganevielle    (OF.    enganer,    to 

trick,  deceive) 
Esveillechien 
Etebred 
Et[h]ebutter 
Etelof 
Etemete 

Faceben  (Dogood) 

Facehen  (one  who  could  "  say 
boh  to  a  goose."     But  a  line 
in  Cocke  Lorelle  suggests  that 
there  was  a  verb  face,  meaning 
to  ill-treat,  whence  Facer — 
"  Crakers,  facers,  and  chyl- 
derne  quellers  ") 

Falleninwolle  (?  well) 

Felebesche  (cf.  Coupchesne) 

Fernon  (a  ME.  Dreadnought) 

Ferewyff 

Fiercop  (OF.  fier-coup,  strike 
blow) 

Findesilver 

Forthwynde  (probably  for  wend, 
cf.  Wendut,  Gangeof,  Rideout] 

Fretecok 

Freteheved 


Fretelof 

Fretemette    (cf.    the   names   in 

Ete-  and  see  p.  255) 
Froisselewe  (cf.  Betewater) 
Fulsalt  (Fr.  fouler,  to  tread) 
Futladame 


Gangeof 

Gaderpenye 

Gardleberd 

Gastehuse 

Gatteprest    (cf.    the    names    in 

Waste-} 
Gerdelaf 
Ginful  (?  trap  fowl;  cf.  Pynfoule, 

p.  269) 
Girdethewode    (see    Girdwood, 

p.  251,  M.S.    But  it  may  be  for 

"  guard  the  wood  ") 
Gnawebon 
Gnawepeny 
Gobefore 
Godsendus 
Gointhewynd 
Gratefige   (Fr.   gratte  figue ;    cf. 

Squarcefige) 
Grindlas 

Grindelove  (see  p.  260) 
Gripchese 

Guanaben    (Fr.   gagne-bien) 
Gurdepack 
Gyrdecope,    Gyrdinthecope 


Hackebon 

Hachchebutere  (cf.  Avice  la  Bu- 

terkervere,  Close  R.) 
Hakkefot 
Hackenose 
Hacsmal 
Hactare 
Haldelond 


274  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 


Halskyng  (ME.  halse,  to  em- 
brace) 

Hatekarle  (cf.  Ger.Bauernfeind) 

Hatet[h]rift 

Hauntewak  (wake,  now  used 
only  of  a  funeral  feast,  for- 
merly meant  a  "  revelling  o' 
nights") 

Heldhare  (ME.  helden,  to  hold, 
keep) 

Hykepin 

Hoppeschort 

Hotgo 

Hundecrist  (cf .  Hatecrist,  Shone- 
crist,  p.  212) 

Hurtequart  (a  drinker's  name  ; 
cf.  the  archaic  expression 
*  "  crushing  a  quart  ") 

Hurtevent  (cf.  Tranchevent, 
Sherwin,  p.  266.  It  is  also  a 
French  place-name,  no  doubt 
meaning  "  face  wind,"  Mod. 
Fr.  heurter,  to  encounter 
roughly) 


Kacheboye  (see  names  in  Cache-, 

Chase-,  Cake-) 
Kachelewe 
Kachepeny 
Keekhorn 
Kembelof    (apparently    "  comb 

wolf  "  ;   cf.  unkempt) 
Kepecat 
Kepegest 
Kepeharm 


Lacklove 

Lapewater 

Laughwell 

Lenealday 

Levetoday 


Lievelance 

Liggescheld 

Lockeburs,  Locenpurs 

Locout  (probably  "  look  out  ") 

Lulleman 


Makebeverege 

Makeblisse 

Makeblythe 

Makefair 

Makehayt 

Make  joy 

Makesayle 

Mangebacun 

Mangefer 

Mangehaste  (OF.  haste,  a  spit;  cf. 

Taillehast) 
Mangevileyn 
Marewater 
Mendfaute 
Metlefrein 

Moulbayt  (cf.  Bytewant) 
Mucedent  (OF.  mucier,  to  hide, 

cover  up ;    cf.  Adubbe-dent, 

P-  258) 


Ottespur 


Pailcerf  (skin  stag,  or  perhaps 
for  "  poil  de  cerf") 

Paynlow  (torture  wolf) 

Pakharneys  (cf.  Trusseharneys 
In  the  Towneley  Mysteries 
Cain's  horse-boy  is  called 
Pike-harneis,  probably  the 
same  name) 

Parchehare 

Parlefrens 

Passlewelle 

Passeflabere  (a  nickname  applied 


OBSOLETE    NICKNAMES 


275 


in  Annal.  Monast.  to  Ranulf 
Flambard,  whose  name  sur- 
vives as  Flambert.  It  appar- 
ently plays  on  his  name  and 
suggests  handing  on  the  torch) 

Peckebene 

Peckechese 

Peckewether 

Percesoil,  Percesuil  (also  mis- 
printed Percefoil) 

Percevent 

Pichepappe  (apparently  the 
same  as  Fr.  Piepape,  and  of 
the  same  type  as  Crusseking, 
Shonecrist,  etc.,  but  I  cannot 
explain  the  first  syllable) 

Pickbarlik 

Pikebone 

Pikechin 

Pikhorn 

Pikemumele  (?  Fr.  mamelle) 

Pikewastel 

Pylcok 

Pillegos  (cf.  Jehan  Escorche- 
Rainne,  skin-frog,  Pachnio) 

Pillemyl  (mule) 

Pilemus  (mouse) 

Pinchehaste 

Pinsemaille  ("  Pinse-maille,  a 
pinch  peny,  scrape-good,  nig- 
ard,  miser,  peniefather/'Cotg.) 

Pinchepeny 

Pinchshu 

Pineferding 

Pirnetote  (see  Prentout,  p.  266) 

Playscefonte 

Polprest  (an  ecclesiastical  hair- 
dresser) 

Portebryf 

Portegoie,  Portejoie 

Porterob 

Portesoyl  (cf.  the  names  in  Bere- 
and  the  existing  French  sur- 


names    Portebois,     Portefaix, 

Portelance,  Portenseigne) 
Pouchmete 
Pownsewayd  (a  "  pouncer,"  or 

pulverizer,     of    woad.         Cf. 

Wader,  p.  120) 
Prikeavant    (an    alteration    of 

Pickavant,  p.  268) 
Prikehering 
Prikehors 
Prikeskin 
Pullebrid  (here  pull  is  equivalent 

to  pill ;    see  p.  257) 
Pulegos 
Pulhare 
/ 

Rennaway 

Reulebon    (AF.  reule-bien,  rule 

well) 

Rerepaunch 
Ringebelle 
Rivegut 
Robechild 
Rollevilain 
Romefare  (a  pilgrim  to  Rome) 

Sachevin  (OF.  sachier,  to  draw. 
It  may,  however,  be  an  al- 
teration of  the  French  sur- 
name Sacavin,  from  "  sac  a 
vin,  a  drunken  gulch,  or  gor- 
belly  ;  a  great  wine-drinker  " 
Cotg.) 

Sacquespee  (cf .  Draweswerd. 
This  name,  common  in  our 
Rolls,  has  perhaps  been  ab- 
sorbed by  Saxby,  It  is  still 
found  in  France  as  Sacquepe) 

Sailleben 

Schapacape,  Shapeakap, 
Shappecape  (a  tailor  ?) 

Schitebroch 


276  THE  SHAKESPEARE  TYPE  OF  SURNAME 


Scorchevileyn 

Scrapetrough  (the  name  of  a 
miller  in  F.  of  Y.) 

Scrothose 

Scubledekne 

Sefare 

Serveladi 

Shakeshethe 

Shavetail 

Skillehare 

Sletlame 

Sparegod 

Spekelitel 

Spelkelesing  (a  mistake  for 
"  speak  leasing  ") 

Spikefis 

Spilblod 

Spillecause 

Spillecok 

Spilcorn 

Spilfot 

Spiking 

Spilewyn 

Spitewinch  (wench) 

Sprenhose,  Sprenghoese  (ME. 
sprenge,  to  scatter.  Cf.  Waste- 
bus,  Bernhus) 

Springemare,  Springemer 

Spurecat  ' 

Spirecoc 

Spirhard 

Spirewhit 

Spongeboll 

Spurnestan 

Spurneturtoys 

Squarsefige 

Stalebond 

Stelecat 

Stepwrong 

Stikeman 

Strecketayle 

Strokehose 

Sturpot 


Supewortes 
Swetinbedde 


Taillebosc 

Taillehast 

Taylemayle 

TaiUepetit  (cf.  Hacsmal) 

Tamehorn 

Tendhogge 

Thurlewynd  (synonymous  with 
Percevent) 

Tyreboys 

Tirelitel 

Tireavant 

Tosseman 

Totepeny  (an  early  example  of 
tout,  in  its  original  sense  of 
looking  out,  watching  for) 

Tracepurcel 

Tradesalt 

Tredepel 

Tredlef 

Tredewater 

Trenchebof 

Trenchelake 

Trenchemer 

Trenchmore 

Trenchepin  (Fr.  pain  ?) 

Trenchesey 

Trenchesoil 

Trenchevent,  Trinchevent 

Trendelove,  Trendeluwe  (ME. 
trend,  to  turn.  The  second 
syllable  means  wolf.  Cf .  Turn- 
bull,  Turnbuck) 

Trotemenil  (for  Fr.  trotte-menu, 
used  of  a  tripping  gait) 

Trussebut 

Trusseharneys  ("  His  gilly-trush- 
harnish,  to  carry  his  knap- 
sack," Waver  ley,  ch.  xvi) 

Trussemulle 


OBSOLETE   NICKNAMES 


277 


Trussevilain 

Tukbacon 

Turnecotele 

Tornemantel  (in  these  the  first 

syllable    might    be    the    adj. 

torn) 

Turnepet 
Turnetrave  (trave,  a  dial,  word 

for  a  shock  of  corn  ;    cf .  Fr. 

Tournemeule) 


Vatost 


Wagetail 

Waynpayn  (a  Picard  form  of  Fr. 

Gagnepain) 
Waytecake    (a  gamekeeper, 


wayte,    to    guard,   and    cake, 
variant  of  chasse ;  cf .  Cakedan) 

Wakewo 

Wantemylk 

Wardebien 

Wasthose,  Wasthus 

Wastepayn 

Wastepeny 

Waveloc 

Wendut,  Wyndout 

Wetebedde 

Whirlepeni 

Whirlepipyn 

Widfare 

Winnelove 

Wynneyene  (again) 

Wipetail 

Wryngetayl,  Wrangtayle 

Wrytheloc 


CHAPTER    XIII 

FRENCH   SURNAMES 

"  As  to  bravery,  foolish,  inexperienced  people  of  every  nation 
always  think  that  their  own  soldiers  are  braver  than  any  others. 
But  when  one  has  seen  as  much  as  I  have  done,  one  understands 
that  there  is  no  very  marked  difference,  and  that  although  nations 
differ  very  much  in  discipline,  they  are  all  equally  brave — except 
that  the  French  have  rather  more  courage  than  the  rest  "  (Brigadier 
Gerard). 

SOON  after  the  beginning  of  the  war  I  read,  in  a  usually 
well-informed  periodical,  that  General  JofTre  was  of 
humble  extraction,  and  owed  his  name  to  an  immediate 
ancestor,  who,  pursuing  the  calling  of  an  itinerant 
dealer,  was  wont  to  commence  his  remarks  with  the 
words  J'offref  This  statement,  whatever  may  be 
thought  of  it  philologically,  seems  at  any  rate  to 
indicate  some  interest  in  the  onomatology  of  our  gallant 
allies.  French  names,  like  our  own,  have  a  history 
that  can  be  traced,  and  are  formed  on  a  system  which 
can  be  easily  illustrated.  From  about  the  eleventh 
century,  when  the  surname  (i.e.  super  name)  began  to 
be  added  to  the  simple  appellation  which  satisfied  our 
remoter  ancestors,  down  to  about  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  when  names  became  hereditary 
instead  of  changing  with  the  individual,  surnames 
have  been  formed  in  four  ways  only.  They  are 
baptismal,  from  the  name  of  the  father  or  mother,  e.g. 

278 


CLASSES   OF   SURNAMES  279 

Lamartine,  Clemenceau  (little  Clement) ;  local,  from 
place  of  birth  or  residence,  e.g.  Dupont  (Bridge),  Dupre 
(Mead),  Lallemand  (Allman)  ;  occupative,  from  trade 
or  office,  e.g.  Boucher  (Butcher),  Serrurier  (Lockyer), 
Lemattre  (Master)  ;  or  descriptive,  from  some  peculi- 
arity of  appearance,  character,  costume,  habits,  etc., 
e.g.  Legrand  (Grant)  Lebon  (Boon),  Beauharnais  (fine 
armour)  Boileau  (Drinkwater).  Thus,  corresponding 
to  our  Messrs.  Williams,  Mills,  Baker,  Small,  we  find 
in  France  Messieurs  Guillaume,  Desmoulins,  Boulanger, 
Lepetit.  Not  only  so,  but,  as  our  language  is  a 
mixture  of  English  and  French  and  a  large  proportion 
of  our  population  was  bilingual  during  the  period  in 
which  our  surnames  took  form,  most  common  French 
surnames  are  found  also  in  this  country,  so  that  the 
four  mentioned  above  not  only  translate  the  given 
English  equivalents,  but  also  flourish  among  us  as 
Gilham,  Mullins,  Bullinger,  and  Pettitt,  with,  of  course, 
many  variant  spellings. 

With  a  fair  knowledge  of  modern  French,  which, 
judging  from  the  published  versions  of  the  French 
despatches,  is  somewhat  to  seek  in  high  places,  and  some 
tincture  of  the  older  forms  of  the  language,  it  is  possible 
to  ascertain  the  meaning  and  origin  of  nine-tenths  of 
the  names  in  the  Paris  Directory.  But  the  tenth 
name,  or  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  a  very  well  equipped 
student,  the  twentieth  name,  is  often  a  teaser,  the  diffi- 
culties to  be  overcome  being  sometimes  greater,  some- 
times less,  than  those  encountered  in  the  study  of 
English  surnames.  Speaking  generally,  these  diffi- 
culties are  of  a  special  nature  resulting  from  the  char- 
acter and  genius  of  the  language. 

The  misleading  aspect  of  a  name,  due  to  erratic 


280  FRENCH   SURNAMES 

spelling,  is  a  common  phenomenon  in  both  languages, 
but  the  French  practice  of  omitting  the  final  consonant 
in  pronunciation  often  leads  to  an  orthographic  sub- 
stitution of  a  specially  baffling  character.  Dumounez 
suggests  nothing,  but  if  we  replace  the  final  -z  by  -r 
we  get  at  once  the  dialect  mourier,  a  bramble,  and  the 
name  is  then  as  simple  as  Dubuisson  (Bush)  or  Delarbre 
(Tree).  Montegut  is  obviously  Montaigu,  the  pointed 
hill  (Peake),  Darboy  is  for  d'Arbois,  from  a  place  in 
the  Jura,  and  Duclaux  is  simply  Duclos  (Close).  The 
well-known  name  Hanotaux  is  for  Hanotot,  formed 
from  Jean  by  the  most  puzzling  process  in  which  the 
language  indulges — thus,  Jehan,  Han,  Hanoi,  Hanotot. 
A  phonetic  spelling  gives  Leclair  for  Leclerc  (Clark), 
Lemerre  for  Lemaire  (Mayor),  Chantavoine  for  champ 
d'avoine,  oat  field,  while  Ozanne  disguises  the  more 
homely  Auxdnes,  a  nickname  of  a  type  not  uncommon 
in  French  and  meaning  either  an  ass-driver  or  a  dealer 
in  those  quadrupeds.  Similarly  we  find  Ozenfant  for 
Auxenfants,  corresponding  to  the  Mr.  Quiverful  of 
Trollope  and  the  old-fashioned  comic  papers.  In 
Lailavoix  is  hidden  OF.  lez  la  voie  (Bytheway)  with 
the  obsolete  preposition  lez  (Lat.  latus)  which  survives 
in  Plessis-les-Tours,  and  possibly  in  such  English 
place-names  as  Chester-le-Street. 

We  have  also,  as  in  English,  to  consider  dialect 
peculiarities.  Lat.  faber,  a  smith  or  wright,  gives  in 
the  north  Fevre,  Lefevre,  but  in  the  south  Fabre  and 
Faure,  along  with  other  variants  and  intermediate 
forms.  La  Chaussee  (Cawsey,  Cosway)  is  in  Provencal 
La  Caussade,  and  Salc&de,  drawn  and  quartered  in  1582, 
was  a  southerner  who  in  the  north  would  have  been 
Saussaye,  willow-grove  (Lat.  salicetum).  Canrobert, 


DIALECT    AND    ARCHAIC    FORMS  281 

corresponding  to  such  an  English  name  as  Robertshaw, 
contains  the  Normand-Picard  word  for  champ,  the 
normal  form  of  which  is  preserved  in  Changarnier, 
Warner's  field.  With  the  latter  goes  the  heroic  Chandos 
(Bon  en  eld).  The  famous  actor  Lekain  had  a  name 
which  is  a  variant  of  Lequien,  a  dialect  form  of  Lechien. 
Belloc  is  the  southern  form  of  Beaulieu,  Castelnau  of 
Chdteauneuf.  Corday  is  dialect  for  Cordier  (Corder, 
Roper),  Boileau  is  found  also  as  Boilaive,  Boileve, 
Boylesve,  and  Taine  is  an  archaic  or  local  pronunciation 
of  Toine,  for  A  ntoine.  So  also  we  have  archaic  spellings 
in  Langlois,  as  common  a  name  in  France  as  French 
and  Francis  are  in  England,  Picquart,  the  Picard 
(Pickard),  and  Lescure,  i.e.  I'ecuyer  (Squire).  In  fact, 
while  some  names  gradually  change  their  sound  and 
spelling  in  conformity  with  those  of  the  words  from 
which  they  are  derived,  others,  and  perhaps  the 
majority,  preserve  archaic  forms  which  aff ect  their 
pronunciation  and  disguise  their  origin.  A  tadpole 
is  called  in  French  tetard,  while  in  Old  French  a  man 
with  a  big  head  was  nicknamed  Testard,  a  name  which 
is  still  common  by  the  side  of  Tetard.  Many  of 
the  variations  which  occur  are  due  to  the  date  of 
adoption.  A  name  acquired  in  the  twelfth  century 
will  not  have  the  same  form  as  one  that  dates  from  the 
fifteenth,  e.g.  the  nickname  Rey  (King)  is  older  than 
Leroy,  and  Levesque  is  obviously  anterior  to  Leveque 
(Bishop,  Levick).  Souvestre  represents  the  Old  French 
form  of  Silvester,  of  which  Silvestre  is  a  modern  restored 
spelling. 

Taking  in  order  the  four  classes  of  names,  baptismal, 
local,  occupative,  descriptive,  it  is  interesting  to 
notice  the  resemblances  and  differences  in  the  methods 


282  FRENCH  SURNAMES 

by  which  surnames  are  created  and  multiplied  in  the 
two  languages.  We  have  in  English  more  than  a 
dozen  names  derived  from  William,  without  taking 
into  account  those  with  an  initial  G  (Gill,  Gillott, 
Gilkes,  etc.)  which  belong  to  the  French  form  Guil- 
laume.  Williams,  Williamson  are  English  formations 
to  which  French  has  no  exact  parallel,  and,  although 
the  prefix  in  Fitzwilliam  is  the  French  word  fils,  French 
surnames  of  this  type  are  very  rare.  But  we  also 
shorten  William  to  Will  and  create  by  diminutive 
suffixes  Willy,  Willett,  Willing,  Wilcocks,  Wilkin, 
Wilkes,  etc.  French  proceeds  in  the  same  way,  but 
with  much  greater  freedom,  e.g.  Guillaumet,  Guillaumin, 
Guillaumot,  Guillaumy,  Guille,  Guillemain,  Guillemard, 
Guillemat,  Guillemaud,  Guillemeau,  Guillemenot,  Guille- 
min,  Guillemineau,  Guillemot,  Guillermin,  Guillet,  Guil- 
liet,  Guillon,  Guillot,  Guillotin,  Guillon,  Guilmet,  Guilmin, 
and  a  few  dozen  more,1  piling  one  diminutive  suffix 
on  to  another  ad  infinitum.  Shortened  forms  such  as 
J  off  re  from  Joffroy  (Jeffrey),  Foch  from  Fochier,  Fouche 
(Fulcher)  are  easy  to  recognize,  and  the  addition  of 
suffixes,  as  in  Joffrin,  Geoffrin,  Joffron,  Joffren&t, 
presents  no  difficulty. 

So  far  things  are  simple.  But  the  tendency  of 
French,  with  its  stress  on  the  last  syllable,  is  more 
often  in  the  direction  of  the  decapitation  of  a  name, 
as  in  our  Bert  for  Herbert.  Simple  examples  are  Colas 
for  Nicolas,  Nisard  for  Denisard,  Bastien  for  Sebastien, 
Jamin  for  Benjamin,  Stophe,  Stofflet  for  Christophe. 
But  after  this  decapitation  there  generally  begins  a 
chain  of  names  which  is  very  difficult  to  trace,  e.g. 

1  Including  dialect  forms  in  W  and  V-,  e.g.  Wuillemin,  Wilmotte, 
Villemain,  etc. 


DERIVATIVES    OF   FONT-NAMES  283 

from  Thomas  we  get  Mas,  Masse,1  M asset,  Massenet, 
Massillon,  and  eventually,  by  a  new  decapitation, 
Sillon,  which  only  preserves  the  final  letter  of  the 
original  name.  So  from  Garaud  (Jerrold)  we  have 
Raud,  Rod,  Rodin,  and  from  Bernard  come  not  only 
Bernardin,  Bernadot,  Bernadotte,  but  also  Nadaud, 
Nadot,  while  these  may  go  on  to  Daudet,  Dottin,  etc. 
This  is  a  game  to  which  there  is  no  limit,  and,  as  names 
can  be  dealt  with  both  head  and  tail,  it  is  often  im- 
possible to  decide  how  a  series  has  begun.  Such  a 
name  as  Bert,  with  its  Berthon,  Berthollet,  Bertilleau, 
etc.,  may  be  from  the  first  syllable  of  Bertrand,  Berthe- 
lemy  (Bartholomew),  etc.,  or  from  the  final  of  Albert, 
Hubert,  etc.  Similarly  Nicot  may  belong  to  Nicolas 
or  Janicot,  the  latter  name  a  diminutive  of  Jean, 
and  possibly  the  origin  of  our  Jellicoe,  Garot  may 
represent  Garaud  (Jerrold)  or  Mar  gar  ot  (Margetts, 
Meggitt),  Filon  may  come  from  Philippe  or  Theophile. 
This  love  of  derivatives  is  especially  characteristic  of 
French  onomatology,  while  in  English  the  practice 
exists,  though  in  a  much  more  restricted  degree,  e.g. 
Philip,  Philpot,  Pott,  Potkins.  On  the  other  hand, 
French  has  not  our  trick  of  riming  names  (Dick,  Hick, 
from  Richard,  Dob,  Hob,  from  Robert). 

Hence  the  French  surname  groups  of  baptismal 
origin  are  much  larger  than  ours.  Jean  and  fitienne 
(Stephen)  are  said  to  have  each  more  than  one  hundred 
derivatives,  while  Pierre  has  about  two  hundred.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  these  most  popular  font-names 
are  all  Biblical.  So  also  the  Easter  name  Pascal 
has  a  large  number  of  derivatives,  e.g.  Pasquin,  Pdquin, 
Pasquet,  Pasquier,  etc.,  and,  among  female  names, 

1  Masse  is  also  for  Matthew. 
20 


284  FRENCH   SURNAMES 

the  great  saints  such  as  Marie,  Catherine,  Marguerite, 
head  the  list,  e.g.  Mariette,  Mariotte,  Riotte,1  Marat, 
Marot ;  Catinat,  Cathelineau,  Linel ;  Mar  got,  Margoton, 
Got,  etc.  The  relative  popularity  in  France  of  Biblical 
and  Teutonic  font-names  has  varied  in  the  past.  Before 
the  Frankish  conquest  practically  all  the  saints  and 
martyrs  *  of  Gaul  have  Greco-Latin  names,  though  a 
few  of  Teutonic  origin  appear  by  the  fifth  century. 
By  the  eighth  century  the  latter  are  in  a  majority, 
and  by  the  twelfth  the  Greco-Latin  names  are  swamped 
by  the  new-comers.  In  modern  France  these  once  so 
popular  names,  Beranger,  Fouquier,  Gamier,  Gautier, 
Lambert,  Oger,  Regnard,  etc.,  all  of  which  have  also 
given  English  surnames,  have  mostly  fallen  out  of  use, 
though  very  common  as  surnames.  A  few,  such  as 
Char  les,Edouard,  Henri,  Louis,  Robert,  are  still  popular, 
but,  speaking  generally,  French  parents  have  gone  back 
for  the  names  of  their  children  to  the  Bible  and  the 
Greco-Latin  martyrology,  e.g.  Jean,  Thomas,  Philippe, 
Pierre ;  Alexandre,  Eugene,  Theophile,  Victor,  etc. 

French  surnames  of  baptismal  origin  are  occasionally 
accompanied  by  the  article,  Landrieux,  Lasimonne, 
and  also  by  the  preposition  de  and  a,  Demichel,  Duber- 
trand,  Aladenise.  These  compounds  had  possessive 
force,  just  as  in  modern  rustic  French  "  1'enfant  a  la 
Martine "  means  Marline's  child.  Such  surnames 
formed  from  female  names  do  not  as  a  rule  point  to 
illegitimacy,  but  rather  to  the  importance  of  the  mother 
in  the  French  family.  Martin's  wife  was  called  La 

1  This  may  be  equally  well  an  abstract  nickname  ;    cf .  Ryott 
(p.  220). 

2  It  should  be  remembered  that  French  Christian  names  are  usually 
taken  from  the  Calendar,  the  name  given  being  that  of  the  saint  on 
whose  feast  the  child  is  born. 


LOCAL   NAMES  285 

Marline  and  ruled  the  roost.  Another  peculiarity  of 
French  surnames  of  this  class  is  the  frequency  with 
which  they  are  qualified  by  an  adjective.  In  English 
we  have  as  a  rule  only  compounds  of  John,  e.g.  Little- 
john,  Meiklejohn,  Prettyjohn,  etc.,  with  an  occasional 
Goodwillie  or  Gawkroger  (see  p.  242),  but  in  French 
most  common  font-names  are  thus  used.  On  his 
last  visit  to  England  President  Poincare  was  accom- 
panied by  Captain  Grandclement.  Cf.  Bonbernat 
(Bernard),  Beaujean,  Grandcolas  (Nicolas),  Petitperrin 
(Pierre),  Maugirard  (Gerard),  Grosclaude.  Sometimes 
the  article  is  also  used,  e.g.  Lepetitdidier,  from  one  of 
the  few  French  names  (Desiderius)  which  have  never 
flourished  in  England.  In  France  this  name  has  been 
prolific,  e.g.  Didon,  Didot,  Diderot,  etc. 

French  surnames  of  local  origin  may,  like  their 
English  companions,  range  in  order  from  a  country 
to  a  plant,  e.g.  Despagne  (Spain),  Lenormand  (Norman), 
Damiens  (Amyas),  Dupuis  (Wells),  Lacroix  (Cross, 
Crouch),  Delpierre  (Stone),  Lepine  (Thorn e),  Despois 
(Pease),  but,  while  our  names  have,  except  in  a  few 
cases  such  as  Atterbury,  Bythesea,  Delahunte  (pp.  48- 
52),  shed  both  preposition  and  article,  French  more 
often  keeps  both.  So  we  find  Croix,  Lacroix,  Delacroix, 
Salle,  Lasalle,  Delasalle,  whence  sometimes  our  Sale. 
With  names  of  towns  beginning  with  a  vowel  de  is 
commonly  prefixed,  e.g.  Davignon,  Davranche.  More- 
over, every  French  town  has  a  corresponding  adjective, 
a  privilege  accorded  in  this  country  only  to  the  capital. 
So  Bourgeois, besides  being  a  descriptive  name  (Burgess), 
may  mean  the  man  from  Bourges,  while  Boulnois,  also 
well  established  in  England,  indicates  an  inhabitant 
of  Boulogne. 


286  FRENCH  SURNAMES 

More  interesting  than  names  taken  from  specific 
places  are  those  derived  from  common  names,  the 
majority  of  which  belong,  like  our  Clough,  Hay,  Shaw, 
Croft,  etc.,  to  the  archaic  and  provincial  vocabulary. 
To-day  (Oct.  13,  1915)  we  read  that  Admiral  de 
Lapeyrere  has  been  succeeded  by  Admiral  du  Fournet. 
The  first  represents  perriere,  a  stone  quarry,  whence  our 
Ferrers,  the  second  is  a  diminutive  of  four,  an  oven. 
The  importance  of  the  public  oven  in  medieval  France 
is  attested  by  the  frequent  occurrence  of  the  surname 
Dufour.  In  Dussault  we  have  Old  French  sault,  a 
marsh,  wood,  in  Dumas  a  southern  word  for  a  "  manse  " 
or  homestead,  in  Dumesnil  (Meynell)  a  diminutive  of 
the  same  word.  Lapommeraye,  equivalent  to  our 
Appleyard,  has  given  us  Pomeroy.  Duplessis  comes 
from  the  "  pleached  "  enclosure  which,  as  Scott  reminds 
us  in  the  first  chapter  of  Quentin  Durward,  has  given 
a  name  to  so  many  French  villages.  In  Dubailleul 
we  have  an  Old  French  word  for  a  fort  or  "  bailey," 
and  the  origin  of  a  luckless  royal  name  (Balliol).  Des- 
preaux,  of  the  meadows,  a  name  assumed  by  Boileau, 
has  given  us  Diprose,  while  the  common  Ferte,  Laferte 
is  an  Old  French  name  for  a  fortress,  Latin  firmitas. 
In  Duquesne  we  have  the  Norman  form  of  chene, 
an  oak,  and  Dupuy  contains  what  was  once  the 
regular  French  name  for  a  hill.  This  word  is  the 
origin  of  our  "  pew."  In  fact  Dupuy  has  become 
Depew  in  America.  Delcasse  probably  means  "  of  the 
hut "  ;  Blois  del  Casset  was  a  Knight  of  the  Round 
Table.  Pertuis,  hole,  is  well  established  in  England 
as  Pertwee,  and  the  well-known  Maupertuis,  the  name 
of  Renard's  den  in  the  old  romance,  has  a  parallel  in 
William  Foulhole  (Nott.  Court  R.  1308). 


OCCUPATIVE    NAMES  287 

• 

When  we  come  to  occupative  names,  we  are  again 
confronted  by  crowds  of  diminutives.  Corresponding 
to  our  Shepherd  we  find  not  only  Berger,  Leberger, 
Labergere,  but  also  Bergerat,  Berger et,  Bergeron,  Bergerot, 
to  quote  only  the  most  frequent  variants,  while  Boucher 
gives  us  Boucharin,  Bouchereau,  Boucheron,  Bouchet, 
etc.,  and  of  course  Leboucher  and  Labouchere.  In  a 
recent  casualty  list  occurred  the  Canadian  names 
Dansereau  and  Mercereau.  We  have  no  native  English 
parallel  to  such  names,  though  Cantrell,  Chantrell, 
derived  from  French  Chantereau,  Chanterelle,  is  not 
uncommon. 

Corresponding  to  our  names  like  Monks,  Parsons, 
Reeves,  which  meant  originally  the  monk's  servant, 
the  parson's  son,  etc.,  we  find  a  number  of  French 
occupative  names  preceded  by  de  or  d,  e.g.  Dufaure, 
Augagneur.  The  word  gagneur,  contained  in  the  name 
of  the  late  French  Minister  of  Marine,  was  used  in  Old 
French  for  any  thriving  worker.  With  this  formation 
we  may  compare  Aupretre,  the  origin  of  our  A llpress, 
which  was  in  1273  spelt  Alprest  (Hund.  R.).  In  1235 
Jordan  le  fiz  Alprestre,  i.e.  Jordan  the  priest's  son, 
was  lodged  in  Nottingham  gaol  on  an  accusation  of 
homicide  (Pat.  R.).  Cf.  Malpress  (p.  235). 

Many  of  our  occupative  names  represent  obsolete 
trades  and  callings,  e.g.  Fletcher,  the  arrow-maker, 
Frobisher,  the  furbisher  of  armour,  Catchpole,  the 
constable.  So  also  we  find  among  common  French 
surnames  Flechier,  Laumonier  (almoner,  Amner), 
Verdier  (forester,  Varder),  Larmurier  (Armour),  Lar- 
balestier  (Arblaster,  Alabaster).  Or  names  are  taken 
from  archaic  and  dialect  names  for  occupations,  e.g. 
Meissonnier,  the  harvester  (cf.  our  Mawer),  Sabatier, 


288  FRENCH  SURNAMES 

the  southern  form  of  savetier,  a  cobbler,  Lesueur,  the 
shoemaker  (Sutor),  Molinier,  the  miller  (Mulliner), 
Pellissier,  the  maker  of  fur  cloaks  (Pilcher),  Lequeux, 
the  cook,  Perron,  the  smith  (Fearon),  Grangier, 
the  farmer  (Granger),  Lemire,  the  physician  (Myer), 
Marillier,  the  churchwarden,  Perrier,  the  quarry  man, 
Teissier,  the  weaver,  and  many  more. 

On  French  nicknames,  as  on  English,  a  very  big 
book  could  be  written.  There  is  no  name  of  bird  or 
beast,  no  epithet,  complimentary  or  spiteful,  but 
usually  the  latter,  which  has  not  been  used  to  form  a 
surname.  Some  are  of  incredibly  fantastic  formation, 
others  of  unquotable  grossness.  Here  I  will  only 
mention  some  which  are  connected  with  famous  men, 
or  which  are  of  special  interest  at  the  present  moment. 
To  begin  with,  President  Poincare's  name  means 
"  square  fist,"  an  honest  sort  of  weapon,  which  is  at  an 
initial  disadvantage  against  the  mailed,  or  knuckle- 
duster, variety.  By  an  odd  coincidence  two  of  General 
Joffre's  ablest  lieutenants,  Maud'huy  and  Maunoury, 
bear  ancient  nicknames  of  identical  meaning.  Maud'huy 
is  an  artificial  spelling  of  the  common  name  Mauduit. 
William  Mauduit  was  Chamberlain  to  the  Conqueror 
and  founded  the  Mawditt  family.  The  name  is 
derived  from  Lat.  male  doctus,  ill  taught,  by  which 
it  is  commonly  rendered  in  medieval  documents. 
Maunoury  is  from  mal-nourri,  where  nourri  has  its 
Old  French  sense  of  reared,  educated.1  The  opposite 
Biennourry  also  exists  and  corresponds  to  the  well- 
known  German  name  Wolzogen  (woJil  erzogen).  The 
name  Ecorcheville  has  also  won  honour  in  the  war. 

1  It  may  also  have  the  modern  meaning  ;  cf .  William  Wellefedd 
(F.  of  Y.  1397). 


NICKNAMES  289 

It  is  a  mild  alteration  of  the  medieval  E scorch evieille, 
skin  old  woman,  a  very  brutal  nickname,  with  numerous 
parallels  in  French  and  English  (seep.  256).  Cf.  the 
existing  surname  Pellevillain,  flay  serf  (p.  257).  Names 
formed  in  this  way  from  a  verb  are  very  common  in  both 
languages.  Cf.  French  Chasseloup,  hunt  wolf,  whence 
our  deceptive  Catchlove,  Chassepot,  not  the  pot-hunter, 
but  the  seeker  after  gratuitous  meals,  Gardebois,  the 
"  woodward,"  Fatout  (fac-totum),  or  our  own  Shake- 
speare, Golightly,  Doolittle,  etc. 

The  simpler  kinds  of  nicknames  formed  directly 
from  adjectives  or  nouns  are  generally  accompanied 
by  the  article,  e.g.  Lebas  (Bass),  Lebel  (Bell),  Lerouge 
(Rudge),  Larousse  (Rouse),  Laigle  (Eagle),  Leveau 
(Veal),  Lesturgeon  (Sturgeon).  When  an  adjective 
and  noun  are  combined,  the  article  is  more  often 
omitted,  e.g.  Bonvallet  (Goodhind),  Petigas  (Littleboy), 
Blanchemain  (Whitehand),  though  it  is  also  found  in 
such  names,  e.g.  Lepetitcorps  (Lightbody).  Adjective 
nicknames  also  form  innumerable  derivatives.  In 
English  we  have  the  name  Jolly  and  its  older  form 
Joliffe.  French  has  Joly,  Joliot,  Jolivard,  Jolivaud, 
J olivet,  etc.,  while  the  derivations  of  Bon,  such  as 
Bonnard,  Bonnet,  Bonneau,  Bonnel,  Bonneteau,  etc., 
run  into  dozens.  This  applies  also  to  a  less  extent  to 
names  derived  from  animals.  Corresponding  to  our 
Bull,  Bullock,  we  have  not  only  French  Lebceuf,  but  also 
Bouvet,  Bouvot,  Bouvelet,  Bouvard,  Bouveau,  though 
some  of  these  may  also  be  formed  from  the  occupative 
name  Bouvier  (Buller). 

To  sum  up,  French  surnames  are  very  like  English, 
the  chief  points  of  difference  being  the  retention  of 
prepositions  and  the  article,  the  common  decapitation 


290  FRENCH   SURNAMES 

of  baptismal  names,  and  the  extraordinary  power  of 
multiplication  by  means  of  diminutive  suffixes.  There 
is  also  hardly  a  well-established  French  name  which 
is  not  found  in  England,  whether  it  "  came  over  with 
the  Conqueror,"  was  imported  during  the  Middle  Ages, 
at  the  Huguenot  migration,  or  in  quite  recent  times. 
And,  generally  speaking,  the  earlier  its  introduction, 
the  greater  will  be  its  divergence  from  the  modern 
French  form  and  the  difficulty  of  establishing  then- 
identity. 

Those  interested  in  this  harmless  amusement  will 
find  pastime,  and  perhaps  some  profit,  in  analysing 
any  group  of  well-known  French  names.  If  we  take, 
for  instance,  the  chief  writers  associated  with  the 
golden  age  of  French  literature,  viz.  Descartes,  Pascal, 
Malebranche,  Corneille,  Racine,  Moliere,  La  Fontaine, 
Bossuet,  Bourdaloue,  La  Bruyere,  La  Rochefoucauld, 
and  the  already  explained  Boileau  and  Massillon,  we 
shall  find  that  they  can  all  be  assigned,  though  in  some 
cases  conjecturally,  to  one  of  the  four  groups.  Pascal 
is  a  baptismal  name  associated  with  the  Easter  festival, 
and  Corneille  is  probably  from  Cornelius,  though  it 
may  be  a  nickname  (Crowe).  Obvious  local  names 
are  La  Fontaine  and  La  Bruybre  (Moore),  while  La 
Rochefoucauld  is  from  the  rock  fortress  of  Foucauld,1 
the  old  Teutonic  Folcwald,  or  ruler  of  the  people. 
Descartes  is  probably  local,  from  OF.  quarte,  a  certain 
area  in  the  outskirts  of  a  town,  and  Bourdaloue  looks 
like  a  corruption  of  bord  de  I'eau  (Bywater).  Racine 
is  much  commoner  in  France  than  the  corresponding 
Root  in  England.  Moliere,  the  name  adopted  by 

1  "  The  French  submarine  Foucault  sank  an  Austrian  cruiser  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Cattaro  "  (Reuter,  Jan.  15,  1916). 


NICKNAMES  291 

Jean-Bap tiste  Poquelin,  is  Old  French  for  a  quarry 
from  which  mill- stones  are  obtained.  Malebranche 
is  an  uncomplimentary  nickname  of  the  same  type  as 
Malherbe  or  the  Italian  Malaspina,  and  Bossuet  means 
the  little  hunchback. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

GERMAN   SURNAMES 

"  Ca  obeit  magnifiquement,  surtout  aux  ordres  appuy6s  de  coups 
de  bottes  "  (CLAUDE  FARRERE). 

GERMAN  surnames,  like  English  and  French,  are  of 
four  origins.  They  may  be  baptismal,  local,  occupa- 
tive,  or  nicknames.  Taking  as  examples  four  names 
famous  in  literature,  Goethe,  like  his  hero  Goetz,  is  an 
abbreviation  of  one  of  the  numerous  Old  German  names 
in  God,  e.g.  Gottfried  (Godfrey,  Jeffrey),  Gotthardt 
(Goddard),  etc.,  Hans  Sachs  was  of  Saxon  descent, 
the  ancestors  of  Schopenhauer  were  "hewers"  of 
"  scoops,"  and  Schiller  is  a  Swabian  form  of  Schieler,1 
squinter.  As  is  natural  in  the  case  of  a  language  so 
closely  allied  to  our  own,  many  German  names,  in  fact 
the  great  majority,  not  only  correspond  in  meaning 
but  also  in  form  with  English  names.  If  Herr  von 
Bethmann-Hollweg  were  an  Englishman,  he  would 
be  Mr.  Bateman-Holloway.  Similarly,  the  famous 
general  whose  name  is  borne  by  the  elusive  Goeben 
would  have  been  in  English  Gubbins,  both  names  going 
back  by  devious  ways  to  Gottbrecht,God  bright  (Godber). 
Of  the  four  classes  of  surnames  the  oldest  is  that 

1  Cf.  our  Skeel,  originally  a  Norse  nickname,  the  squinter  [Sceal 
f .  Colbain,  Lib.  Vit.} 

292 


SHORTENED   FONT-NAMES  293 

which  is  composed  of  baptismal  names,  sometimes 
surviving  in  full,  but  generally  made  almost  unrecog- 
nizable by  all  manner  of  abridgement,  mutilation,  and 
dialect  variation.  The  correspondence  of  these  Teutonic 
dithematic  names  with  those  of  Greece  has  already 
been  noticed  (p.  27).  Other  examples  are  Dietrich, 
people  powerful,  i.e.  Demosthenes,  Ludwig,  glorious 
fight,  i.e.  Clytomachus,  Vilmar,  greatly  famous,  i.e. 
Pericles,  Conrad,  bold  counsel,  i.e.  Thrasybulus.  In 
process  of  time  these  musical  names  of  heroic  meaning, 
such  as  Eberhard,  boar  strong  (Everett),  Gunther,  battle 
army  (Gunter),  Megenhard,  might  strong  (Maynard), 
Hubrecht,  bright  counsel  (Hubbard),  Romheld,  fame  ruling 
(Rumbold),  etc.,  have  often  been  reduced  to  cacopho- 
nous monosyllables  distinguished  by  great  economy  of 
vowels.  Still,  unattractive  as  their  present  form  may 
be,  these  names  belong  to  the  oldest  period  of  the  race, 
and  Bugge,  Bopp,  Dietz,  Dankl,  and  Kluck  have  as 
much  right  to  look  down  on  most  of  their  polysyllabic 
neighbours  as  our  own  Bugg,  Bubb,  etc.,  on  such  up- 
starts as  Napier,  Pomeroy,  Percy,  and  Somerset,  for 
are  they  not  the  modern  representatives  of  the  heroic 
Burghart,  castle  strong,  Bodebrecht,  rule  bright,  Dietrich, 
people  mighty,  Dankwart,  reward  guardian,  and  Chlodo- 
wig,1  glorious  victory  ? 

Dankl,  the  Austrian  general,  and  the  redoubtable 
Kluck  illustrate  the  two  chief  ways  of  forming 
diminutives  of  German  names,  the  essential  element  of 
such  diminutives  being  /  in  the  south  and  k  in  the  north. 
Other  examples  zreBebel  (Badbrecht),  Handel(Ha.ndolf), 
Hebbel  (Hadubrecht),  Ranke  (Randolf),  Tieck  (Theo- 
bald), etc.  Another  very  common  ending  is  z,  or  sch, 

1  Hence  Ludwig,  Clovis,  Louis. 


294  GERMAN   SURNAMES 

and  often  these  elements  are  combined  in  one  and  the 
same  name.  This  appears  in  the  names  of  the  two 
teachers  of  modern  Germany,  Nietzsche  and  Treitschke. 
I  have  seen  it  stated  that  both  these  sages  were  of 
Slavonic  origin,  their  names  being  quoted  in  support 
of  the  statement.  Without  knowing  anything  of  their 
genealogy,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  their  names 
to  be  pure  German.  It  is  not  unfitting  that  the  crazy 
degenerate  who  loathed  his  own  nation  and  succeeded 
in  sending  it  mad  should  have  a  name  which  is  the 
diminutive  oiNeid,  envy,  the  first  element  in  Niedhardt, 
envy  strong,  while  Treitschke  goes  back  also  appro- 
priately to  Drudi  or  Thrudr,  one  of  the  Walkyries,  or 
"  death  choosers." 

The  third  of  the  illustrious  trio,  Bernhardi,  belongs 
to  a  different  group,  and  incidentally,  the  regular 
collocation  of  his  name  with  those  of  a  madman  of  genius 
and  of  a  considerable  scholar  must  surprise  even  him- 
self. When  the  full  baptismal  name  becomes  a  sur- 
name in  German,  it  usually  does  so  in  an  unaltered 
form.  Genitives  such  as  Peters  and  patronymics  such 
as  Mendelssohn  (son  of  Immanuel),  Mackensen  (son  of 
Mack),  are  not  common,  and  are  usually  of  Low  German 
origin.  Thus  we  generally  find  simply  Arnold,  Hilde- 
brand,  Oswald,  etc.  But  in  a  large  number  of  cases  a 
latinized  form  of  the  genitive  occurs,  so  that  Bern- 
hardi, which  I  have  seen  explained  as  Italian,  is  a 
survival  of  some  such  name  as  Johannes  films  Bern- 
hardi ;  cf .  such  names  as  Bartholdy,  Henrici,  Jacoby, 
Matthaei,  Nicolai,  etc. 

In  the  case  of  the  non-German  names  which  came 
in  with  Christianity,  as  often  as  not  the  last  syllable 
has  survived  instead  of  the  first,  e.g.  Hans  from 


LOCAL   NAMES  295 

Johannes,  Klaus  from  Nicolaus,  Mobius  from  Bartholo- 
maeus,  Bastel  from  Sebastian,  Grethe  from  Margarete, 
and  these  shortened  forms  lend  themselves  to  further 
endless  variations.  Hans,  like  our  John,  is  so  common 
as  to  need  qualification.  I  once  lived  in  Switzerland 
in  a  house  which  contained  three  of  the  name,  who  for 
purposes  of  distinction  were  known  as  Johannes, 
Hans,  and  Hensli.  So,  corresponding  to  our  Mickle- 
john,  Littlejohn,  etc.  (p.  242),  we  find  in  German  not 
only  Aldejohann,  Jungjohann,  Grossjohann,  Lutjens, 
etc.,  but  also  Langhans,  Kleinhans,  Guthans,  Schwarz- 
hans,  and  many  more.  But  this  subject  is  endless,  and 
space  only  allows  of  the  above  brief  indications. 

Names  of  local  origin  may  range  from  an  empire  to 
a  tree,  and  may  be  either  nouns  or  adjectives,  e.g. 
Oestreich,  Preuss,  Schottldnder,  Polack,  Czech,  Elsdsser, 
Hess,  Flemming,  Bremer  (from  Bremen),  Kammerich 
(Cambrai),  Backhaus  l  (Backhouse),  Fichte  (fir),  Beer- 
bohm  (Low  German  for  pear-tree),  Grunewald  (Green- 
wood), Kreuz  (Cross),  Eck  (Corner),  etc.  More  often 
than  in  English  such  names  are  accompanied  by  the 
endings  -er  and  -mann  (cf.  our  Bridger,  Bridgman), 
hence  Berger  (Mountain),  Brunner  (Fountain),  Kappler 
(Chappell),  Heinemann  (Grove),  Winckelmann  (Corner), 
Hoffmann  (Stead),  etc. 

It  is  probable  that  the  majority  of  modern  German 
surnames  are  of  local  origin,  easily  recognized  by  such 
characteristic  endings  as  -au,  originally  island,  now 
wet  meadow- land,  as  in  Gneisenau ;  -horst,  wood  (Hurst), 
as  in  Scharnhorst ;  -ow,  a  Slavonic  ending  often  con- 
fused with  -au,  as  in  Bulow,  Jagow ;  -itz,  also  Slavonic, 

1  It  means  "  bake-house,"  while  our  Backhouse,  Bacchus  is  both 
for  "  bake  "  and  "  back." 


296  GERMAN  SURNAMES 

as  in  Tirpitz-,  -bruck,  bridge,  as  in  Delbruck;  -stein, 
stone,  as  in  Bieber  stein ;  -hain,  hedge,  grove  (Hayne),  as 
in  Falkenhayn  ;  -dorf,  village  (Thorp),  as  in  Bernstorff  ; 
-burg,  castle  (Burrough),  as  in  Dernburg,  Hindenburg; 
-rent,  clearing  (Royd),  as  in  Kalckreut;  -berg,  mountain 
(Barrow),  as  in  Gutenberg,  and  many  others.  But  the 
study  of  these  names  belongs  to  topography.  As  in 
the  corresponding  English  names  we  come  across  many 
obsolete  and  dialect  words,  such  as  Kamp  or  Kampf, 
an  early  loan  from  Lat.  campus,  whence  Rennenkampf, 
race-course,  a  German  name  borne  by  a  Russian 
general,  and  Kuhl,  pool,  so  that  Baron  Kuhlmann, 
late  of  London,  is  a  German  Pullman.  In  many 
cases  surnames  of  local  origin  are  still  preceded  by 
prepositions  and  the  article  (for  English  examples 
see  pp.  49-52),  e.g.Anderbrugg,  Vorderbrugg,  Ingenohl,1 
a  corruption  of  in  dem  Ohl,  a  dialect  name  for  a 
tract  of  good  agricultural  land,  Biedenweg  (Bythe- 
way),  Vorbusch,  Zumbusch,  von  der  Heyde  (Heath), 
von  der  Tann  (Pine),  LG.  ter  Meer  (Bythesea),  etc. 

This  brings  us  to  the  question  of  von,  so  grievously 
misused  by  writers  on  the  war,  some  of  whom  ought 
to  know  better.  This  preposition  simply  means 
"of"  and  was  originally  put  with  nearly  all  local 
surnames.  It  is  still  so  used  in  some  parts  of  Switzer- 
land, where  I  have  had  my  boots  mended  and  my 
shirts  washed  by  vons  dating  back  to  the  Middle  Ages. 
It  gradually  dropped,  like  the  del,  de  la,  etc.,  which  we 
find  in  our  own  medieval  Rolls  ;  but,  corresponding 
to  our  own  Delmar,  Delafield,  Delamoor,  etc.  (p.  51), 
we  find  a  few  survivals,  such  as  von  der  Tann,  von  der 

1  Admiral  von  Ingenohl  was  succeeded  by  Admiral  von  Pohl 
(Pool) 


THE    PREFIX    VON  297' 

Goltz,1  von  der  Heyde,  etc.,  in  which  the  retention  is 
generally  due  to  the  ennobling  of  these  families.  As 
von  came  to  be  recognized  as  the  nobiliary  prefix,  it 
got  added  to  names  of  all  descriptions.  For  instance, 
the  name  of  Lieutenant  von  Forstner,  renowned  for  his 
epic  onslaught  on  the  lame  cobbler  of  Saverne,  merely 
means  Forster  (forester),  and  Colonel  von  Renter,  who 
commanded  the  regiment  involved,  has  one  of  the 
commonest  of  German  names,  meaning  a  "  clearer  of 
land,"  related  to  Bair^,  Wernigefo^,  the  Rutli,  etc. 
So  we  find  von  Schmidt,  von  Kleinschmitt,  von  Muller, 
von  Zimmermann  (Carpenter),  von  Kettler  (Tinker), 
von  Bernhardi,  von  Kluck,  von  Moltke,  the  last  name 
being  a  diminutive  of  the  same  class  as  Kluck,  possibly 
from  Matilda  ;  cf .  our  Mault,  Mould. 

Now  it  is  curious  that  we  English,  who  never  dream 
of  saying  von  Bismarck,  which  would  be  excusable 
in  the  case  of  a  territorial  name  (the  bishop's  mark  or 
frontier),  will  insist  on  von  Moltke,  von  Kluck,  etc., 
which,  in  German,  is  a  vulgarism  only  committed  by 
the  sort  of  people  who  in  English  address  letters  to 
"  Mr.  Smith,  Esquire,"  or  refer  to  a  clergyman  as 
"  the  Rev.  Jones."  Of  course  when  the  full  title  is 
given,  the  von  is  used,  e.g.  General  von  Kluck,  Herr 
von  Jagow,  but  otherwise  it  should  always  be  omitted. 
The  exception  is  a  name  like  von  der  Tann,  including 
the  article,  where  the  von  is  original  and  logical.  The 
Germans  have  a  cruiser  called  the  von  der  Tann,  but 

1  I  can  find  no  trace  in  Old  German  of  this  word  used  as  a  topo- 
graphical term,  but  in  a  MS.  of  the  year  1500  dealing  with  a  grant 
of  land  I  have  found  the  word  Goltzweg.  Professor  Fiedler,  of 
Oxford,  ingeniously  suggests  to  me  that  this  may  be  MHG.  golze, 
pair  of  breeches  (Lat.  calcea),  applied  to  a  fork  in  the  road. 


298  GERMAN  SURNAMES 

the  Gpeisenau,  Scharnhorst,  Moltke,  and  Blilcher 
appear,  or  did  when  this  chapter  was  written,  without 
the  particle. 

Many  corresponding  Dutch  names  in  van  are  well 
established  in  England,  e.g.  the  obvious  Vandam, 
Vandervelde,  Vandersteen,  while  the  more  aristocratic 
Vansittart  is  from  the  Netherland  town  Sittard.  Some- 
times it  combines  with  the  article  to  produce  the  prefix 
Ver-  as  in  Vereker  (acre),  Verschoyle  (schuyl,  shelter). 

Occupative  names  are  in  German  more  numerous 
than  in  English.  This  is  due  to  the  national  tendency 
to  elaborateness  of  description  and  differentiation. 
We  are  generally  satisfied  with  the  simple  -er,  but, 
corresponding  to  our  Baker,  we  find  in  German  not 
only  Becker  or  Beck,  but  also  Kuchenbccker  (cake), 
Weichbecker  (soft),  Pfannebecker  (pan),  Semmelbecker 
(simnel),  Weissbecker  (white),  and  many  others.  So 
also  the  German  compounds  of  Schmidt  far  exceed  in 
number  those  of  Smith.  We  find,  among  others, 
Blechschmidt  (tin),  Kupferschmied  (copper),  Silber- 
schmidt,  Stahlschmidt,  Hackenschmidt  (hoe),  Hufschmidt 
(Shoesmith),  Schaarschmidt  (Shearsmith),  Sichel- 
schmidt,  Dorfschmidt,  Rosenschmidt  (at  the  sign  of  the 
Rose),  and  about  twenty  more.  But  the  commonest 
of  all  such  elements  is  Meyer,  farmer,  the  compounds 
of  which  number  some  hundreds. 

Also  we  find  a  great  number  of  names  in  -macher,1 
e.g.  Radermacher  (Wheeler),  Sattelmacher  (Sadler), 
Schleier macher  (veil),  Wannemacher  (bath) ;  in  -giesser, 

1  Names  of  this  type  were  once  much  commoner  in  English  (see 
p.  226,  n.  i).  They  have  generally  been  simplified,  e.g.  Robert  le  Jese- 
maker  (Hund.  R.)  is  now  represented  by  Jesser.  Dutch  generally 
adds  -s  to  occupative  names,  e.g.  Raemakers  (Wheeler). 


OCCUPATIVE   NAMES  299 

founder,  e.g.  Kannengiesser,  Potgieter  ;  in  -binder,  e.g. 
Biesenbdnder  (besom),  Fassbender  (cask),  now  appearing 
in  the  London  Directory  in  the  proverbial  form  Fast- 
binder,  Buchbinder,  Burstenbinder  (brush) ;  in  -Schneider, 
cutter,  tailor,  e.g.  Brettschneider  (board),  Riemen- 
schneider  (thong),  Steinschneider ;  in  -hauer,  hewer, 
e.g.  Steinhauer  (Stanier),  Fleischhauer  (Flesher),  Holz- 
hauer;  in  -brenner,  e.g.  Aschenbrenner  (Ashburner), 
Kalckbrenner  ;  in  -schldger,  striker,  e.g.  Kesselschldger , 
Lautenschldger  (lute)  ;  in  -meister,  e.g.  Sutermeister 
(Lat.  sutor),  Backmeister  (bake),  Werckmeister  (Fore- 
man) ;  and  in  -mann,  e.g.  Sudermann  (Lat.  sutor), 
Schumann.  The  obsolete  worthe,  wright,  survives  in 
both  Schubert  and  Schuchardt.  To  these  may  be  added 
a  few  other  odd  compounds,  such  as  Biengrdber,  one 
who  digs  out  wild  bees,  Gildemeister ,  guild  master, 
Furbringer,  "  fore-bringer,"  i.e.  attorney,  Schwerdt- 
feger,  sword  polisher  (Frobisher),  Seidensticker,  silk 
embroiderer,  Saltsieder,  salt  boiler,  Mussotter,  jam 
boiler,  Weissgerber,  white  tawer  (Whittier),  Leim- 
kuhler,  glue  cooler.  As  in  England,  some  of  the  com- 
moner surnames  of  this  class  are  from  words  now  obso- 
lete, or  refer  to  obsolete  trades,  such  as  Schroder, 
Schroter,  Schroer,  tailor  (shredder),  Kurschner,  maker 
of  pelisses  (Pilcher),  Kriiger,  innkeeper,  etc. 

Forming  a  transition  from  the  occupative  surname 
to  the  nickname,  we  have  those  names  which  are 
indicative  of  rank,  office,  etc.,  and  which  are  seldom 
to  be  taken  literally.1  We  find  the  same  series  in 
German  as  in  other  European  languages,  viz.  among 
titles,  Kaiser,  Konig,  Furst  and  Prinz,  Herzog,  with  its 
Low  German  form  Hartog,  Graff  (Markgraff,  Landgraff), 

1  See  chap.  x. 
21 


300  GERMAN  SURNAMES 

Ritter,  Junker.  Of  a  more  official  character  are  Kanzler 
(Chancellor),  Richter  (Judge),  Probst  (Provost),  Vogt 
(Lat.  vocatus),  corresponding  to  our  Bailey,  Marschall, 
Hauptmann,  Faehndrich  (ensign) ,  Bur  germeister.  Among 
ecclesiastical  nicknames  are  Papst,  Bischoff,  Abt, 
Pfaff,  Monch,  Roster  (Sexton).  Such  names  as  Arm- 
bruster  (Arblaster),  Schiitz  (Archer),  Bartenwerffer, 
axe-thrower,  may  have  been  of  occupative  origin  or 
nicknames  due  to  the  skill  of  their  original  owners. 
Some  interesting  surnames  are  of  domestic  origin. 
Such  is  Knecht,  which  has  gone  down  in  the  world  as  its 
English  cognate,  Knight,  has  gone  up,  with  its  com- 
pounds, Gutknecht  (Goodhind)  and  Liebknecht.  Other 
names  of  this  class  are  the  very  common  Koch,  Schenk, 
butler,  "  skinker,"  Hofmeister,  steward,  head- servant, 
Schatzmann,  treasurer,  Wackier,  watchman  (Waite), 
with  its  compound  Saalwdchter  (Hallward). 

It  is  possible  within  the  limits  of  a  chapter  to  give 
only  brief  indications  for  nicknames,  in  many  ways 
the  most  interesting  of  all  surnames.  In  German  we 
find  the  equivalents  of  all  our  own  common  surnames 
of  this  class,  together  with  a  number  of  examples  of 
a  grotesqueness  rare  in  modern  English.  The  exist- 
ence of  this  latter  class  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 
German  surnames,  at  least  in  some  provinces,  became 
hereditary  at  a  much  later  date  than  in  England,  so 
that  local  wit  has  had  less  wear  and  tear  to  endure, 
and  also  to  the  fact  that  absurd  names  were  often 
conferred  forcibly  on  the  Jews  as  late  as  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  These  latter  I  leave  out 
of  account.  All  the  ordinary  adjectives  occur,  e.g. 
Gross,  Klein,  Lang,  Kurtz,  Schwarz,  Weiss,  Roth,  Griin, 
Hubsch  (Pretty),  Hesslich  (ugly),  Freeh,  bold  (Freake), 


NICKNAMES  301 

Frey,  Kahl,  bald  (Callow),  Kluge  (Wise),  Liebe  (Leif), 
Ehrlich,  honest,  Frohlich  (Merry),  Wunderlich,1  etc. 
The  article  which  once  accompanied  these  names  has 
often  survived  in  the  Low  German  forms,  e.g.  de  Witt 
(White),  Devrient  (Friend),  de  Beer  (Bear),  de  Hoogh 
(High),  etc.  Most  names  of  relationship  also  occur,  e.g. 
Vater,  Kind,  Susskind,  Liebeskind  (Leif child),  with  the 
compound  Kindesvater  (Barnfather),  Vetter  (Cousins), 
Neef  (Neave),  Brdutigam,  Ohm  (Eames),  Wittwer. 

Compounds  descriptive  of  appearance  are  Breitkopf 
(Broadhead),  Grosskopf  (Greathead),  Krauskopf, 
Kraushaar  (Crisp),  Gelhaar  (Fairfax),  Schwartzkopf* 
(Blackett),  Widderkop  (Ramshead,  Weatherhead),  and 
similar  compounds  of  the  alternative  Haupt,  such  as 
Breithaupt,  etc. ;  Bar  fuss  (Barfoot),  Katzfuss,  Breitfuss 
(Broadfoot),  Leichtfuss  (Lightfoot),  Langbein  (Lang- 
bain),  Krummbein  (Cruikshank),  Rehbein,  roe  leg  (cf. 
Sheepshanks),  Holbein  (hollow),  Gansauge,  goose-eye, 
Dunnebacke,  thin  cheek,  Dickhaut,  thick  hide,  Harnack, 
obstinate  (hard  neck).  Sometimes  the  physical  feature 
is  emphasized  without  an  accompanying  adjective,  e.g. 
Haupt,  Kopf  (Head),  Faust  (Fist),  Zahn  (Tooth).  From 
costume  come  Mantel,  Weissmantel,  Ledderhose*  Lein- 
hos,  Beckenhube  (Basnett),  Rothermel,  red  sleeve,  Panzer, 
hauberk  (Habershon),  and  many  others. 

Birds,  beasts,  and  fishes  are  well  represented,  especi- 
ally birds,  e.g.  Adler  (Eagle),  Geyer,  vulture,  Fink, 
Strauss,  ostrich,  Storch,  Pfau  (Peacock),  Elster  (Pye), 

1  Cf.  Nicholas  le  Merveleus  (Pat.  R.). 

*  It  is  curious  that  the  Germans  use  the  Schwartzkopff  torpedo 
and  we  the  Whitehead. 

3  Cf.  John  Letherhose  (Hund  R.},  Richard  Goldhose  (ib.},  and  the 
famous  Ragnar  Lodbrog,  hairy  breeches. 


302  GERMAN  SURNAMES 

Falcke,  Habicht  (whence  Habsburg),  Halm  (Cock), 
Rebhuhn  (Partridge),  Specht,  wood-pecker  (Speight), 
Taube,  though  this  last,  like  Taubmann,  may  belong  to 
taub,  deaf,  Wildegans  (Wildgoss),  etc.  These,  like  the 
corresponding  English  surnames,  were  sometimes 
taken  from  the  signs  of  houses.  The  same  applies  to 
animal  nicknames  such  as  Lowe,  Wolff,  Fuchs,  LG. 
Voss,  Hase  (Hare),  Eichhorn  (Squirrel),  Hirsch  (Hart), 
Kalb,  Schaff,  etc.  Among  fish-names  may  be  mentioned 
Hecht  (Pike),  Kaulbars  (Perch),  Stock fisch,  Krebs 
(Crabbe),  but  these  names  are,  for  obvious  reasons, 
less  numerous  than  those  of  birds  and  quadrupeds. 

The  two  smallest  classes  of  nicknames  are  those 
connected  with  coins  and  exclamations,  represented  in 
English  by  such  names  as  Penny  (p.  177)  and  Pardoe 
(p.  182).  Both  classes  exist  in  German,  e.g.  Hundert- 
mark  (cf.  Mrs.  Centlivre),  Pfundheller,  Weisspfennig, 
Schilling,  Funf  schilling,  Fun/stuck,  and  Gottbehut,  God 
forbid,  Gotthelf,  Gottwaltz,  God  rule  it.  With  these  may 
be  mentioned  a  number  of  abstract  nouns  which 
probably  became  surnames  at  the  period  of  the  pre- 
dominance of  allegory  (see  p.  217),  such  as  Freude 
(Joy),  Gluck  (Luck),  Dienst  (Service),  Andacht  (Wor- 
ship), Wohlfart  (Welfare),  etc. 

All  the  seasons  are  represented,  viz.  Fmhling  or  Lenz, 
Sommer,  Herbst  (Harvest),  and  Winter,  also  most  of  the 
days  of  the  week,  the  commonest  being  Sonntag  and 
Freytag,  and  the  feasts  of  the  church,  e.g.  Ostertag, 
Pfingst  (Pentecost),  Weihnacht  (Christmas).  Then  we 
have  descriptive  compounds  such  as  Wolzogen,  well- 
bred,  Ansorg,  Ohnesorg,  Kleinsorg  (Careless),  Juden- 
feind,  Jew-hater,  Burenfeind,  peasant-hater,  Siissen- 
guth,  sweet  and  good  (cf.  Peter  Richeangod,  Pat.  R.) ; 


THE   SHAKESPEARE    TYPE  303 

some  names  taken  from  the  vegetable  world,  e.g. 
Knobloch  (Gar lick),  Wermuth  (Wormwood),  Rubsamen, 
rape-seed,  Stroh  (Straw),  Erbsmehl,  pea-meal,  Gersten- 
korn  (Barleycorn),  etc. ;  and  quite  a  number  dealing 
with  articles  of  food,  usually  preceded  by  an  adjec- 
tive, e.g.  Siissmilch,  Sauerbrei  (broth),  and  especially 
the  numerous  compounds  of  Brot  and  Bier,  such  as 
Weissbrodt(WhiibTea.d),  Casembrood,  cheese  and  bread, 
Roggenbrod  (rye),  Truckenbrod  (dry),  etc.,  and  Gutbier, 
Bosbier,  Sauerbier,  Zuckerbier,  etc.,  most  of  which  have 
English  parallels. 

Lastly,  we  have  the  large  group  of  phrase-names,  con- 
sisting of  a  verb  followed  by  a  noun  or  an  adverb,  such 
as  our  Shakespeare  and  Golightly  (ch.  xii).  There 
are  probably  several  hundreds  of  these  in  German, 
almost  all  of  which  can  be  paralleled  by  modern  English 
names,  or  by  others  which,  though  recorded  in  our 
Rolls,  are  now  obsolete.  Some  of  these  are  warlike, 
e.g.  Schuttespeer  (Shakespeare),  Haueisen  (Taillefer), 
Hauenschild,  Zuckschwerdt,  draw  sword,1  occasionally 
with  the  verb  following,  as  in  Eisenbeiss  (Mangefer), 
Manesse,  man-eater,  ogre.  Sporleder,  spur  leather, 
was  probably  a  Hotspur,  Rumschottel*  clear  dish,  a 
glutton,  Irrgang  a  wanderer,  Liesegang  a  Golightly. 
Regedanz,  start  dance,  and  Liebetanz  explain  themselves. 
Puttkamer,  clean  room,  was  a  Chamberlain.  Common 
surnames  belonging  to  this  class  are  Klinkhammer, 
Pochhammer  and  Schwinghammer,  Schnapauff,  snap  up, 
Schlagentweit,  strike  into  the  distance,  Fullgrabe,  fill 
ditch,  Fullkntg  (Filpot),  Macheprang,  make  show, 
Kiesewetter,  discern  weather,  Kerruth,  turn  out,  Hebe- 

1  Cf.  Henry  Draweswerd  (Hund.  R.) 

2  Cf.  Terricus  Wide-escuele,  i.e.  vide-ecuelle  (Pachnio). 


304  GERMAN  SURNAMES 

streit,  start  quarrel  (cf.  p.  254,  n.  2),  Habenicht,  have 
nought,  Furchtenicht,  fear  nought,  Findeisen,  find  iron, 
SMuckebier,  swallow  beer,  Schmeckebier,  taste  beer, 
Trinkwasser  (Drinkwater),  etc.  With  these  cf.  the 
obsolete  English  examples  on  pp.  270-7. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  said  that  there  is  simply 
no  limit  to  the  eccentricity  of  nicknames,  though  their 
interpretation  is  often  a  matter  of  conjecture.  The 
German  name  Alleweldt,1  all  the  world,  has  Middle 
English  parallels  Tutlemund  and  Altheworld.  It  is 
hard  to  see  why  a  man  should  be  nicknamed  Lindequist, 
lime  twig  (originally  Swedish),  but  this  well-known 
German  name  is  surpassed  in  minuteness  by  the  French 
name  Brindejonc.  The  names  mentioned  in  this  chapter 
all  come,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  of  special  interest 
at  the  present  moment,  from  a  recent  German  navy 
list,  and  are  in  no  way  to  be  regarded  as  peculiar  or 
exceptional.2  A  few  other  miscellaneous  examples 
from  the  same  source  are  Rohwedder  (Fouweather, 
p.  235,  n.  i),  Trurnit,  grieve  not,  Mdgdefrau,  maid  wife, 
Ehrenkonig,  honour  the  King,  Vogelgesang,  Morgenrot 
(Dawn),  Krdnzlin  (Garland),  Hufnagel  (Horsnail), 
Buttersack  (see  p.  167),  Luchterhand,  left  hand,8  Neunzig 
(see  p.  179),  Hochgeschurz,  high  kilted,  Handewerk, 
Gutjahr  (Goodyear),  Hunerfurst,  prince  of  Huns,  Teufel 

1  In  Middle  High  German  this  phrase  seems  to  have  been  used 
as  an  exclamation  of  joy  and  wonder.  Walther  von  der  Vogelweide, 
when  after  long  waiting  he  received  a  fief  from  the  Kaiser  of  his  day 
(1220),  commenced  his  hymn  of  thanks  with  the  line — 

"  Ich  han  min  lehen,  al  die  werlt !  ich  han  min  lehen." 

*  Most  of  them  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  London  Commercial 
Directory  (1913). 

8  Cf .  Sinister,  OF.  senestre,  left-handed,  awkward  [Simon  Senestre, 
of  Dieppe,  Close  R.}.  Lefthand  is  a  ME.  name. 


LATINISMS    AND   GRECISMS  305 

and  its  compound  Manteuffel,  man  devil,  the  latter 
an  honourable  name  in  German  military  history  before 
the  destruction  of  Lou  vain. 

At  the  period  of  the  Renaissance  it  was  a  very  usual 
practice  for  men  of  learning  to  latinize  or  hellenize 
their  names.  The  case  of  Melanchthon  (Greek  for 
Schwarzerd)  will  occur  to  the  reader.  We  have  a  few 
examples  in  English,  e.g.  Torrens  (Brook),  Pontifex 
(Pope),  Sutor,  shoemaker,  etc.  Such  names  are  much 
commoner  in  German.  Well-known  examples  are 
Neander  (Neumann),  Sarkander  (Fleischmann),  Tre- 
viranus  (of  Trier),  Curtius  (Kurz),  Vulpius  (Fuchs), 
Fabricius  (Schmidt),  Pistorius  (Becker),  Avenarius 
(Habermann),  Textor  (Weber),  Sartorius  (Schneider). 
There  is  actually  a  Gygas  in  the  list  from  which  I  have 
compiled  this  chapter.  Even  the  Brown,  Jones,  and 
Robinson  of  Germany,  viz.  Miiller,  Meyer,  and  Schultz, 
sometimes  appear  glorified  as  Molinari,  Agricola,  and 
Prdtorius,  and  there  is  a  contemporary  Prussian 
court  chaplain  Dryander  whose  ancestors  were  named 
Eichmann. 


CHAPTER   XV 

DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF   SURNAMES 

"  En  histoire,  il  faut  se  r6soudre  a  beaucoup  ignorer " 

(ANATOLE  FRANCE). 

AN  esteemed  correspondent  writes  to  the  author  that, 
owing  to  the  many  and  various  side-possibilities  in 
etymology,  he  is  inclined  to  think  that  the  origins 
of  most  surnames  are  mere  guesses,  and  that  the  whole 
study  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  game  or  an  amusement. 
He  seems  to  me  both  right  and  wrong.  It  is  perfectly 
easy  to  show,  by  irrefutable  evidence,  the  derivation 
of  the  great  majority  of  surnames,  but  it  is  at  the 
same  time  impossible  to  say  to  the  individual,  "  Your 
name  comes  from  so-and-so,"  unless  that  individual 
has  a  pedigree  dating  back  to  the  Middle  Ages.  To 
take  a  simple  example,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to 
the  origin  of  the  three  names  Cordery,  rope-walk 
[John  de  la  Corderie,  Cal.  Gen.],  Cordurey,  king's  heart 
[Hugh  Queorderey,  Fine  R.],  Cowdery,  Fr.  coudraie, 
hazel  copse  [William  de  la  Coudray,  ib.].  But  to  any- 
one familiar  with  medieval  orthography  it  is  quite 
certain  that  these  three  names  have  been  commonly 
confused,  especially  when  borne  by  the  peasant  class,  and 
there  are  modern  variants  such  as  Caudery,  Cordaray, 

306 


SUBSIDIARY  SOURCES   OF  SIMPLE   NAMES    307 

Cowderoy,  which  one  would  be  shy  of  assigning  definitely 
to  either  of  the  three  etymons.  Hence  we  may  say 
that,  in  the  matter  of  the  individual  name,  etymological 
certainty  is  possible,  while  genealogical  certainty  is 
problematical.  Moreover,  there  are  many  common 
names  which  have  several  well-attested  etymologies, 
and  others  that  have  a  subsidiary  origin  which  would 
never  occur  to  superficial  observation. 

What,  for  instance,  could  be  simpler  than  Butcher, 
Child,  Cross,  Harrison,  Nicholl,  Stone,  Wills,  and 
Wood  ?  Yet  each  of  these  has  been  reinforced  from 
sources  only  known  to  the  scientific  explorer.  Butcher 
has  nearly  absorbed  Butchart,  a  common  Middle  English 
font-name,  which  comes  to  us  via  Old  French  from 
OG.  Burghart,  castle  strong.  This  would  become 
Butcher  as  inevitably  as  Punchard,1  Fr.  Ponsard  [Simon 
Ponzard,  Fine  R.],  has  given  Puncher.  Child  is  occa- 
sionally local  [Margery  atte  Child,  Pat.  R.,  Suss., 
Thomas  Attechild,  Hund.  R.,  Kent].  This  is  the 
Norse  keld,  a  spring,  as  in  Salkeld,  whence  Sawkill, 
which  in  the  south  took  the  form  <f  child."  Hence  also 
Honey  child*  from  a  spot  in  Romney  Marsh.  Cross, 
usually  local,  is  also  a  nickname  [Robert  le  Cros,  IpM.], 

1  Hence  also  Pinkhard  or  Pinkett  (cf.  Everard,  Everett)  and 
Pinker.  Cf.  Pinkerton  from  Pontchardon  (Orne)  [William  de 
Pontcardun,  Fine  R.~\,  see  p.  130  n. 

*  Apparently  "  honey  spring."  There  are  a  good  many  names  in 
Honey-,  some  from  specific  place-names,  e.g.  Honeybourne  (Honeybun, 
Hunnyburi),  Honey  church,  Honeycomb,  and  others,  e.g.  Honey  sett, 
Honeywell,  Honeywood,  which  correspond  to  no  known  locality.  I 
have  a  suspicion  that  in  some  cases  this  Honey-  is  an  alteration  of  the 
much  more  natural  Holy-,  a  phonetic  change  common  in  both  place- 
names  and  surnames.  The  EDD.  gives  "  Honeyfathers  !  "  as  an 
expression  of  surprise  used  in  Yorkshire,  and  explains  it  as  "  sweet 
saints."  Is  it  not  rather  "  holy  saints  "  ? 


308      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS  OF  SURNAMES 

an  alteration  of  Fr.  gros.1  Harrison  has  swallowed  up 
the  medieval  nickname  herisson,  hedge-hog  [William 
Herizun,  Testa  de  Nev.].  Hence  also  Hear  son,  while 
Harsum,  Hearsom,  Hersom  may  belong  here  or  to  the 
ME.  hearsum,  ready  to  hear,  obedient.  By  an  odd 
metathesis  the  Normans  transformed  Lincoln  into 
Nicol,of  very  common  occurrence  in  medieval  chronicles, 
hence  Nicholl,  Nicoll  is  often  local  [Alured  de  Nicol, 
Close  R.,  Thomas  de  Nichole,  Hund.  R.].  Stone, 
usually  local,  is  sometimes  short  for  one  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  names  in  Stan-,  such  as  Stancytel,  Stangrim, 
Stanheard,  etc.  [Robert  Ston,  Ramsey  Cart.].  This 
applies  also  of  course  to  Stanes,  Staines.  Wills  is 
sometimes  a  variant  of  Wells  [John  atte  Wille,  Pat.  R.]. 
Hence  Atwill,  Honey  will,  Twills  (p.  50).  Wood  is 
often  a  nickname  from  the  obsolete  wood,  mad  [Peter 
le  Wod,  Pat.  R.,  Robert  le  Wode,  Close  R.]  ;  cf.  Robert 
le  Madde  (Lane.  Court  R.  1323-4),  Ralph  Badintheheved 
(Hund.  R.).  This  is  also  one  origin  of  Woodman-, 
cf.  Alexander  Wodeclerc  (Close  R.),  i.e.  the  crazy 
priest,  and  Walter  Wodeprest  (Malmesbury  Abbey 
Reg.).  Wallis,  Welch,  etc.  may  occasionally  mean 
French,  as  the  early  Norman  settlers  before  the  Con- 
quest were  called  walisc  by  the  English  (see  Romance 
of  Words,  p.  151).  Even  the  ubiquitous  and  simple 
Smith  is  sometimes  local,  of  the  smeeth,  or  plain  (see 
Athersmith,  p.  50),  and  is  also  a  nickname,  the 
"  smooth  "  [Philip  le  Smethe,  Hund.  R.].  Cf.  Smeath- 
man.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  some  Thompsons 
come  from  Thompson  (Norf.),  an  example  of  's  ton 

1  Hence  also  the  adj.  coarse,  earliest  form  COYS,  a  metathesis  of 
cros.  Every  shade  of  meaning  in  which  coarse  is  employed  has  a 
parallel  in  gross  and  Fr.  gros. 


MANY    ORIGINS    OF   ONE   NAME          309 

becoming  -son  (see  p.  240),  while  others  represent  the 
baptismal  dims.  Thomasin,  Thomasine  [Bartholomew 
Thomasyn,  City  F.]. 

These  examples  show  sufficiently  that  even  the 
simplest  and  commonest  surnames  are  sometimes  less 
simple  than  they  look.  But  in  some  cases  the  multi- 
plicity or  choice  of  origins  is  quite  obvious.  The 
common  name  Burnett  may  be  (i)  baptismal,  for  Bur- 
nard,  Bernard,  AS.  Beornheard,  (2)  a  nickname,  dim. 
of  brown,  or  from  the  material  called  burnet  (see  p.  154), 
(3)  a  nickname,  "brown  head"  (see  p.  128),  (4)  local, 
at  the  "  burn  head,"  cf.  Beckett,  (5)  local,  at  the  "  burn 
gate"  (see  p.  91).  It  has  also  interchanged  freely 
with  Barnett,  which  is  generally  of  identical  origin. 
The  rather  less  common  Burnell  may  be  for  Beorn weald 
[Simon  Bernald,  Pat.  R.],  Beornhild  [Geoff rey  Burnild, 
Hund.  R.],  Beornwulf  [Geoffrey  Burnolf,  Fine  R.], 
from  "burn  hill"  [Richard  de  Burnhul,  Pat.  R.],  or 
it  may  be  a  nickname  from  "  brown "  [Burnellus 
Venator,  Doc.  III.],  in  which  sense  it  is  used  indiffer- 
ently with  the  preceding  name  [Alan  Burnell  or  Burnet, 
Pat.  R.].  Probably  in  the  case  of  these  two  names  all 
the  origins  indicated  are  represented  by  the  existing 
surname.  But,  if  we  take  the  rather  uncommon  Burret, 
we  find  that  the  possible  etymologies  are  hardly  less 
numerous.  Is  it,  for  instance,  for  Burrard,  from  an 
Anglo-Saxon  name  in  Burg-,  such  as  Burgweard,  Burg- 
heard,  Burgweald,  all  well  attested  in  the  Rolls,  or  for 
"  boar  head  "  [Robert  Burheved,  Fine  R.],  or  for  the 
"  bower  head  "  [Walter  de  la  Burethe,  Hund.  R.]  ? 
In  the  case  of  so  uncommon  a  name  it  is  probable  that 
one  only  of  these  prototypes  is  represented. 

There  are,  however,  many  well-diffused  names  which, 


310      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

like  Burnett,  have  several  clear  origins.  Such  is  Low, 
generally  local,  at  the  "  low,"  1  or  mound  [Ralph  de  la 
Lowe,  Hund.  R.],  probably  also  at  the  "  lough/'  and 
also  a  nickname,  the  wolf  [William  le  Lou,  City  B.] .  The 
existence  of  High  and  Bass  shows  that  the  entry  "  le 
lowe  "  is  often  for  the  English  adjective,  and  Low  is 
also  one  of  the  shortened  forms  of  Lawrence ;  hence 
Lowson.  Drew  is  from  the  name  Drogo,  OF.  Dru,  of 
uncertain  origin  [Drogo  f.  Ponz,  DB.],  and  is  also  a 
nickname  from  OF.  dru,  which  has  two  meanings,  viz. 
"  lover  "  and  "  sturdy  "  [John  le  Dreu,  Hund.  R.].  It 
is  occasionally  an  aphetic  form  of  Andrew.  Druce  is 
the  same  as  the  above,  from  OF.  Drues,  the  nom. 
case  of  the  name  Drogo,  or  for  the  patronymic  Drews. 
It  is  also  local,  of  Dreux  (Eure-et-Loire),  in  which  case 
it  may  represent  the  name  of  the  town  [Herman  de 
Drewes,  DB.]  or  the  adjective  formed  from  it  [Hugh 
le  Drueis,  Close  R.]. 

Angell  and  Angle  [Robert  en  le  Aungle,  Fine  R.] 
have  been  confused,  to  the  advantage  of  the  former, 
which  is  both  a  pageant  nickname  (see  p.  209)  and  a 
personal  name  [Angel  Clericus,  Malmesbury  Abbey 
Reg.].  But  these  names  also  represent  a  contracted 
form  of  the  Norse  Ankettle  [Henry  Angetil  or  Angel, 
Pat.  R]  ;  cf.  the  contractions  of  Thurkettle  (p.  31). 
Wynn  has  three  origins,  Welsh  gwyn,  white,  fair,  AS. 
wine,  friend,  or  the  same  word  as  an  element  in  such 
personal  names  as  Winfrey,  Winward,  etc.  (p.  43).  Hogg 
is  a  nickname  [Alice  le  Hog,  Hund.  R.],  B.  variant  of 
Hough?  i.e.  hill  [Richard  del  Hog,  Writs  of  Parl.],  a 

1  In  the  north  Law. 

2  Cf.  Cape  la  Hogue  and  the  hillock  called  Hooghe  at  the  point 
of  the  famous  Ypres  salient. 


ALTERNATION    OF   G-    AND    W-  311 

variant  of  Hugh  or  How  [Hogge  the  neldere,  Piers 
Plowm.,  variant  readings,  Hugh  the  nedelere,  Houwe 
the  neldere  1].  Ware  is  local,  for  Weir,  also  from  AS. 
war  a,  a  common  Domesday  word  used  for  an  out- 
lying part  of  a  manor,2  and  is  a  nickname,  the  "  ware/' 
or  wary  [Adam  le  War,  Feet  of  Fines]— 

"  A  Sergeant  of  the  Lawe,  war  and  wys  "  (Chauc.  A.  309). 

There  is  also  no  reason  why  it  should  not  come  from 
ware,  merchandise.  Marchandise  is  a  fairly  common 
French  surname  and  is  found  also  in  our  records  [Ralph 
Marchaundise,  Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-78]. 

The  above  are  simple  cases  which  require  no  philo- 
logical knowledge.  Less  obvious  is  the  double  origin 
of  the  series  Gale,  Gales,  Gall,  Gaul,  Gallon.  The  first 
is  from  "  gaol  "  and  the  second  from  Wales,  Fr.  Galles, 
but  all  are  also  baptismal  [John  Gale,  Pleas,  Thomas 
Galyen,  ib.],  from  an  OF.  Gal,  Galon,  which  is  OG. 
Walo,  short  for  some  name  such  as  Walter.  Both  the 
G-  and  W-  forms  are  found  in  Old  French  [Galo  or 
Walo,  Bishop  of  Paris,  Ramsey  Cart.].  Thus  the  above 
series  of  names  are  sometimes  identical  with  Wale, 
Wales,  Wall,  Waule,  W  alien  [Richard  f .  Wale  or  Wales, 
Pipe  R.].  Gales  has  a  further  possible  origin,  of 
Galicia  [Piers  Galicien,  Exch.  R.,  John  de  Galiz,  ib.] — 

"  Of  tydynges  in  Wales 
And  of  Sainct  James  in  Gales  " 

(Skelton,  Elynour  Rummyng,  354). 

Similar  cases  are   Gass,  Gash,  Gaze,   Gasson  8  [Robert 

1  See  p.  166. 

2  See  Round,  Feudal  England,  pp.  115-7. 

3  The  forms  in  -on  are  the  Old  French  accusative. 


3i2      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

Gace,1  Pat.  R.]  for  Wace,  Wass,  Wash,  Wason.  They 
come  from  OG.  Waso,  which  belongs  to  the  adj. 
hwas,  sharp  [Walter  Wasce,  Feet  of  Fines,  Richard 
Wason,  IpM.].  Forms  of  this  adjective  are  still  in 
English  dial,  use,  and  the  name  Wass  is  consequently 
also  a  nickname  [Henry  le  Was,  IpM.].  Finally,  like 
Wash,  it  is  local,  from  ME.  wase,  ooze,  pool,  whence 
specifically  the  Wash  [Richard  atte  Wase,  Hund.  R., 
Norf.].  So  also  Gate,  Gates  may  be  identical  with 
Waite,  i.e.  watchman,  from  the  OF.  gaite  [Adam  le  Gayt 
or  de  la  Geyte,  Exch.  R.]. 

Less  complicated  are  the  four  origins  of  Perry,  (i)  for 
Peter  or  Pierre,  (2)  for  Peregrine,  (3)  for  Welsh  Parry, 
i.e.  ap  Harry,  (4)  local,  at  the  pear-tree,  ME.  pirie, 
whence  also  Pirie,  Pury  [Alexander  atte  Pery,  City  F.t 
Richard  de  la  Pirie,  Hund  R.] — 

"  And  thus  I  lete  hym  sitte  upon  the  pyrie, 
And  Januarie  and  May  romynge  myrie  " 

(Chauc.  E.  2217). 

There  is  scarcely  a  common  surname,  except  those 
of  easily  understood  frequency,  like  Baker,  Green, 
Field,  etc.,  which  could  not  be  dealt  with  in  the  same 
way,  and,  at  the  risk  of  wearying  the  reader,  I  will  give 
a  few  more  examples.  Garland  is  certified  as  a  nick- 
name by  the  synonymous  Ger.  Krantz,  Krdnzl. 
It  may  have  been  taken  from  the  sign  of  an  inn — 

"  The  Garland  in  Little  East  Cheape,  sometime  a  brewhouse " 
(Stow). 

In  the  north  it  runs  parallel  with  Gartland,  i.e.  the 
"  garth  land."  It  was  also  a  personal  name  [Bartholo- 

1  Menage  refers  to  Wace  the  chronicler  as  Gasse.  Swash  is  the 
same  name  with  prefixed  S-  [Guacio  or  Swacio  de  Limeriis,  Salisb. 
Cart.]. 


NAMES    IN    HAN-  313 

mew  f.  Gerland,  Pipe  R.],  perhaps  originally  a  nick- 
name from  OF.  grailler,  to  cry  hoarsely,  croak,  etc., 
which  would  explain  its  use  as  a  dog's  name  in  Chaucer. 
Cf.  also  Richard  James  called  Greylond  (Lond.  Wills). 
The  commonest  source  of  Ray  is  probably  OF.  rei,  a 
king.  It  is  also  for  Rae,  the  northern  form  of  the 
animal  nickname  Roe,  and  we  cannot  doubt  that  it  is 
often  for  the  local  Wray  (p.  84)  and  Ree  (p.  71),  and  is 
also  a  costume  nickname  (p.  154).  Swan  is  a  nickname 
[Hugh  le  Swon,  Hund.  R.,  Walter  le  Cigne,  Close  R.]. 
It  also  represents  AS.  swan,  herdsman,  which  we  have 
replaced  by  the  Norse  cognate  swain.  This  word, 
in  its  poetic  sense  of  warrior,  was  an  element  in 
personal  names  [Swan  f.  Robert,  Fine  R.].  Finally, 
Henry  atte  Swan,  of  St.  Osith,  keeper  of  Queenhithe 
and  collector  of  murage  in  London  (Pat.  R.  1319), 
was  perhaps  the  owner  of  the  hostelry  which  gave  its 
name  to  Old  Swan  Pier. 

March  is  local,  at  the  "  march,"  or  boundary,  besides 
of  course  coming  specifically  from  March  (Camb.)  or  La 
Marche  in  France  [Richard  de  la  Marche,  hermit  of 
Charing,  Pat.  R.].  It  has  also  been  confused  with 
Marsh,  which  has  got  the  better  of  the  exchanges  [John 
atte  Marche  or  Mersshe,  City  E.],  and  is  a  variant  of 
the  font-name  Mark  [March  Draper,  City  A.,  Mark  le 
Draper,  City  C.].  Hann,  Hancock,  Hankin,  Hanson 
are  rightly  connected  by  Bardsley  with  Flemish  forms 
of  John.  Camden,  with  equal  correctness,  says  that 
Hann  is  for  Rann  (Randolph)  ;  cf.  Hob  from  Robert, 
Hick  from  Richard.  But  Hanne  or  Henry  of  Leverpol 
(Lane.  Inq.  1310-33)  shows  a  third,  and  perhaps  chief, 
origin.  The  harassed  reader  will  be  tempted  to  conclude 
that  any  name  can  come  from  anything,  nor  will  he  be 


314      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

far  wrong.    I  was  lately  asked  whether  Dobson  waJ 
derived  from  the  French  place-name  Aubusson.    TherJ 
is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be,  if  it  can  be  shown 
that  any  d'Aubussons  ever  settled  in  England.     But] 
Robert  is  a  safer  etymon. 

In  the  case  of  a  great  number  of  names  we  observJ 
a  simple  double  origin,  without  being  able  to  regarJ 
either  as  predominant.     Such  are  Agate,  "  atte  gatei' 
or  Agatha,  Rudge,  Fr.  rouge  or  dial,  nidge,  a  ridgqj, 
Wild,  "  le  wild  "  or  "  atte  wilde,"  Coy,  of  Quy  (CambJ 
[John  de  Coye,1  Pat.  R.,  Camb.]  or  the  "  coy  "  [Walt M 
le  Coye,  Pat.  R.].  Agnew  comes  from  Agneaux  (ManchJ 
[John  de  Aygneaus,  Chart.  R.]  and  is  a  nickname,  Fij. 
agneau   [Richard  Agnel,   Pat.   R.};    cf.   the  commoii 
French  surnames  Lagneau,  Lagnel,  Laignel,  Laignelem 
etc.     Vale  is  local  and  also  from  Fr.  veille ,  watch,  whijfl 
Veal  is  both  OF.  le  viel,  the  old  [Adam  le  Viel,  Lib.  RM 
and  le  vel,  the  calf  [Richard  le  Vel,  City  B.],  and  if 
course  Vale  and  Veal  are  themselves  now  hopelessrjl 
mixed  up. 

The  above  are  simple  examples  in  which  the  double 
origin  appears  on  the  surface,  but  there  are  others  less 
obvious.  Gower  is  sometimes  from  the  Glamorgan 
district  so  named  [William  de  Goar,  Pleas'],  but  morJ 
often  from  a  personal  name  Gohier  [Goher  de  Alnetoj 
Chart.  JR.],  which  comes  through  Old  French  from  OGJ 
Godehar ;  it  is  thus  a  doublet  of  the  native  Goodia, 
Goodair,  etc.,  AS.  Godhere.  The  name  has  a  possible 
third  derivation  from  a  shortened  form  of  OF.  goherier, 
a  harness  maker  [Ernald  le  Goher,  Close  R^.  With 
Gower  may  be  mentioned  Power,  generally  the  "  poor,*! 

1  He  seems  to  have  been  an  important  person.     I  find  him  also 
as  de  Quoye  and  de  Queye. 


DOUBLE   ORIGINS  315 

but  also  from  OF.  Pokier,  a  Picard  [Randulf  Puherius, 
Pipe  R.,  Roger  le  Poher,  Fine  R.].  Tyson  is  explained 
by  Bardsley  as  a  form  of  Dyson,1  from  Dionysius  or 
Diana,  and,  when  we  note  the  swarms  of  Tysons 
who,  in  Cumberland,  Westmorland,  and  Lancashire, 
confront  the  innumerable  Dysons  of  the  West  Riding, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  correct.  But  the 
first  Tyson  on  record  was  Gilbert  Tison  (DB.),  who 
came  over  with  the  Conqueror — 

"  Gysbright  Tysoun  fut  le  primer  des  Tysouns  "  (Percy  Cart.). 

His  name  was  no  doubt  a  nickname  from  Fr.  tison, 
a  firebrand  ;  cf.  our  Carbonnel  and  Fr.  Charbonneau.* 
Mould,  Mold,  Moule  are  old  forms  of  Maude.  Stow 
mentions  Henry  Fitzwarin  and  "Dame  Molde  his 
wife,"  the  parents  of  Lady  Richard  Whittington.  But 
these  names  also  represent  dialect  forms  of  the  animal 
nickname  Mole — 

"  Paid  the  mould  catcher,  £2  "  (Nott.  Bor.  Rec.   1724). 

Bruton  is  local  (Som.)  and  also  for  le  Breton  [John 
le  Brutun,  Hund.  R.]  ;  cf.  Bruttner  (p.  216).  Gibbons, 
usually  from  Gilbert  or  Gib,  comes  sometimes  from 
Gobion  (Gubbins),  an  Old  French  name  belonging  to 

1  The  change  is  common  ;  cf .  Tennyson  and  Denison,  both  from 
Dionysius  (Denis) .     The  Welsh  Denbigh  and  Tenby  both  represent 
the  "  Dane  bye." 

2  Our  Littlecole  is  doubtful.     It  may  be  formed  like  Fr.  Petinicol. 
The  Normans  inherited  from  their  Scandinavian  ancestors  a  love 
of  trivial  and  crude  nicknames,  and  some  of  the  proudest  names  in 
English  history  are  of  undignified  origin,  e.g.  Marmion,  now  found 
also  as  Marmon,  Marment,  is  OF.  marmion,  equivalent  to  modern 
marmot,  monkey,  brat.     There  is  another  OF.  marmion,  supposed 
to  mean  "  marmot,"  but  it  is  of  no  great  antiquity  and  would  not  of 
course  be  a  Norman  name. 

22 


3i6      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS  OF  SURNAMES 

OG.  Godbrecht.      This  is  found  as  Norman  Gubii 
[Richard  Gubiun  or  Gibiun,  Pleas]  ;   cf.  ribbon,  rubai 
Similarly  Higgins  belongs  perhaps  as  much  to  Hugj 
as  to  Hick  (Richard) .     Gainer,  Gaynor,  Ganner  iaT~ 
cupative  (see  Augagneur,  p.  287),  and  is  also  a  varianj 
form  of  Guinevere — 

"  And  Dame  Gaynour,  his  quene, 
Was  somewhat  wanton,  I  wene  " 

(Skelton,  Phyllyp  Sparowe,  636). 

Geary,  Jeary  is  short  for  one  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  nam< 
in  Gar-,  or  from  one  of  the  cognate  Old  French  namei 
As  Geri  it  was  the  name  of  one  of  the  paladins.     It  ij 
occasionally  a  nickname  [John  le  Gery,   Hund.  RJ]\ 
from  an  obsolete  adjective  meaning  uncertain,  change 
able — 

"  Right  so  kan  geery  Venus  overcaste 
The  hertes  of  hir  folk  ;    right  as  hir  day 
Is  gereful,  right  so  chaungeth  she  array  " 

(Chauc.  A.  1535). 

Sometimes  we  find  that  an  extremely  rare  name  hai 
more  than  one  legitimate  claimant.  The  name  Godsam 
reached  the  author  from  a  regimental  mess,  where  thl 
bearer  was  known  as  the  "  national  anthem."  This 
interesting  surname,  found  also  as  Godsiff,  represent™ 
the  Middle  English  phrase  "  o'  God's  half/'  properrd 
"  on  God's  behalf/'  but  generally  used  as  a  kindfj 
exclamation.  In  one  of  the  Chester  Plays  Noah 
to  his  wife — 


"  Wiffe,  come  in  !    why  standes  thou  their  ? 
Thou  art  ever  frowarde,  I  dare  well  sweare. 
Come  in,  one.  Codes  halfe  \    tyme  it  were, 
For  fear  leste  that  we  drowne." 


Thomas  Agodshalf,  whose  name  is  latinized  as  depat 


RARE    NAMES  317 

Dei, l  married  a  sister  of  Becket,  Walter  a  Godeshalf  lived 
in  Sussex  in  the  thirteenth  century  (Cust.  Battle  Abbey), 
de  Godeshalf  and  Godsalve  are  found  among  the 
Freemen  of  York,  Thomas  Godsalve,  whose  portrait 
by  Holbein  can  be  seen  at  Dresden,  was  Registrar  of 
the  Consistory  Court  of  Norwich  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  Godsawfe  is  found  in  Notts  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  in  fact  the  name  is  well  attested  in  various 
parts  of  England  up  to  comparatively  recent  times, 
and  very  likely  still  flourishes  in  some  remote  spot. 
Nothing  would  seem  clearer  than  that  this  should  be 
the  origin  of  Godsave.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may 
be  simply  "  God  save  "  ;  cf.  the  many  names  of  that 
type  given  on  p.  181,  some  of  which  were  even  used  as 
font-names  [Deulesalt 2  f.  Jacob,  Pipe  R.]  nearly  five 
centuries  before  the  Puritan  eccentricities.  Chaucer, 
which  still  exists  as  Chauser,  is  usually  said  to  come 
from  OF.  chauceor,  a  maker  of  leathern  hose,  very 
common  in  the  Rolls,  and  Baldwin  le  Chaucer  de  Cord- 
wanerstrete 8  (City  B.)  seems  conclusive.  But  the 
modern  Chauser  may  equally  well  represent  the  ME. 
chauffe-cire,  heat  wax,  a  name  for  a  Chancery  official 
[Ellis  le  Chaufesire,  Pat.  R.].  See  NED.,  s.v.  chaff-wax, 
and  Ducange,  calefactor  cera — 

"  Chauffe-cire,  a  chafe-wax,  in  the  Chancerie  "  (Cotg.). 

It  could  also  quite  well  represent  a  "chalicer." 

Anger  is  a  personal  name,  Fr.  Angier,  OG.  Ansgar 
(p.  30)  [Ansger  solus,  DB.].    It  is  also  derived  from 

1  See  Depardeu  (p.  181).      Probably  some  of  our   Par  dews  are 
simply  French  versions  of  Godsave. 
z  Diotisalvi  is  an  Italian  name. 
3  For  cordwainer  see  p.  172 


3i8      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

Angers,  whence  also  Ainger,  while  it  can  hardly  be 
excluded  from  the  great  class  of  abstract  nicknames 
(pp.  216-224)  ;  cf.  Ger.  Zorn.  Bottle  seems  to  be  a  rare 
name,  but,  in  addition  to  ME.  botel,  a  building,  house, 
it  has  ancestors  in  the  shape  of  Anglo-Saxon  names  in 
Bod-  [Botild  or  BotilHod,  Hund.  R.,  Robert  Buthewlf,1 
Chart.  R.].  Bellasis  is  local  [Robert  de  Beleassise, 
F.  of  Y.],  from  Bellasis  (Northumb.)  or  Bellasize 
(Yorks),  both  of  French  formation8;  but  there  is  a 
font-name  Belle-assez,  fair  enough  [Beleassez  Judaea, 
Pipe  R.],  which  is  not  uncommon  in  Middle  English 
and  would  give  the  same  result.  With  this  cf.  Good- 
enough,  Goodnow  [William  Godynogh,  Pat.  R.],  White- 
now,  Oldknow,  Thomas  Fairynowe  (Pat.  R.),  Richard 
Langynou  (Fine  R.),  and  even  Woodnough,  i.e.  mad 
enough  (p.  308).  Lew,  already  explained  (p.  66)  as 
local,  is  also  a  variant  of  Low,  wolf  (p.  310).  The 
full  Leleu  is  still  found  in  Devon.  Nothard  may  be 
the  "  neat-herd  "  [Nicholas  le  Noutehird,  F.  of  Y.]  or 
the  AS.  Notheard,  valour  strong.  Fear  has  alternative 
origins  from  ME.  fer,  fierce,  proud  (Fr.  fier),  and  fere, 
a  companion,  as  in  Play  fair,  and  of  course  has  been 
confused  with  Fair. 

Stut field  is  authentically  derived  from  fitoutteville 
(Seine-Inl),  with  the  regular  substitution  of  -field  for 
-mile  [Helewin  de  Estuteville,  Fine  R.],  but  it  can  also 
be  for  "  stot-field,"  from  ME.  stot,  a  nag,  bullock 
[John  de  Stotfold,  Chart.  R.].  Trist  is  short  for  Tris- 
tram and  alternatively  local,  at  the  "  tryst "  [Peter 
atte  Treste,  Hund.  R.],  the  earliest  meaning  of  which 
is  connected  with  hunting.  Cue  is  the  cook,  ME. 

1  Botolph,  whence  Boston,  Botolf's  town. 

2  Cf.  Belsize,  London. 


UNSUSPECTED   SOURCES  319 

le  keu,  from  Old  French,  but  there  is  a  Sc.  McCue,  for 
MacHugh,  which  would  inevitably  become  Cue  l  in 
England.  Suddard  is  a  dialect  form  of  the  local 
Southward  and  a  Scotch  form  of  Fr.  soudard,  a  soldier. 
Bew  is  usually  Welsh  ap  Hugh  (Pugh),  but  also  a  French 
nickname  representing  a  later  form  than  the  more 
common  Bell  [Peter  le  Beus,8  Leic.  Bor.  Rec.].  Uzzell 
probably  represents  both  AS.  Osweald  and  OF.  oisel 
(oiseau),  whence  also  Lazell,  Layzell,  Fr.  Loisel.  The 
antithetic  Fair  foul  might  be  for  "  fair  fowl,"  for  "  fear- 
ful," or  for  "  fair  field,"  each  derivation  being  legitimate 
and  easily  paralleled,  but  it  may  also  have  its  face 
value,  as  a  nickname  applied  to  a  man  of  contrasts ; 
cf.  Roger  Fulfayr  (Hund.  R.),  who  may,  however,  have 
been  "  full  fair." 

Finally,  we  have  the  case  of  a  name  of  obvious  and 
certain  origin  which  has  an  unexpected  subsidiary 
source.  Some  striking  examples  were  given  at  the 
beginning  of  the  chapter.  Hull  and  Pool  are  evidently 
local,  the  former  being  a  variant  of  ' '  hill '  '• 

"  On  a  May  morwenyng  on  Malverne  hulles  " 

(Piers  Plowm.  C.  i.  6). 

But  Hull  was  a  common  font-name  in  Lancashire 
[Adam  f.  Hul,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33,  Hull  f.  Robert,  ib.], 
hence  Fitzhull.  No  doubt  it  is  for  Hulbert,  an  Old 
French  name  cognate  with  AS.  Holdbeorht,  gracious 
bright.  Pool  is  a  common  Anglo-French  spelling 
of  Paul,  whence  also  Poll,  Pollett,  sometimes  Powell 
and  generally  Powles.  Arundell,  Arndell,  Arran- 

1  This  is  a  common  phenomenon,  the  aphetic  name  usually  keep- 
ing the  final  -c  of  Mac,  e.g.  Cawley,  Callister,  dish,  etc.      So  also  we 
find  Carty  for  the  Irish  Macarthy,  while  Casement  is  for  Mac-Esmond. 

2  This  -5  is  the  OF.  nominative. 


320      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

dale  are  obviously  from  Arundell  (Suss.),  but  Osbert 
Arundel  *  (Rievaulx  Cart.  c.  1140)  was  named  from 
OF.  arondel,  a  swallow.  Beaver,  Beevor,  etc.  show 
the  usual  pronunciation  of  Belvoir  (Leic.)  and  have  no 
connection  with  an  animal  which  was  extinct  in 
England  long  before  the  surname  period.  But  John  le 
Bevere •  (Fine  R.),  like  Geoffrey  le  Buver  (Close  R.)t 
was  a  thirsty  soul,  though  not  necessarily  to  be  classed 
with  William  Aydrunken  (Northumb.  Ass.  R.  1256-79). 
Bourne  is  generally  local,  from  Fr.  borne,  a  boundary, 
no  doubt  often  confused  with  burn.  It  is  also  a  nick- 
name, the  one-eyed  *  [Walter  le  Borne,  Pipe  R.,  Peter 
Monoculus,  Exch.  R.],  still  common  in  France  as 
Leborgne. 

Other  examples  of  reinforced  local  names  are  Tower, 
sometimes  the  "  tawer,"  leather  dresser  [Gilbert  le 
Tower,  Hund.  R.],  and  My  ear?  OF.  mire,  the  physician — 

"  Je  sui  malade  a  mort,  si  requier  vostre  aie, 
Que  my  ere  ne  me  puet  aidier  par  sa  clergie  " 

(OF.  poem,  .i4th  cent.). 

Buxton  is  occasionally  a  personal  name  [Ailric  Bucstan, 
Pipe  R.],  of  the  same  type  as  Wulfstan.  Venn,  usually 
for  the  local  Fenn  [Nicholas  Dibbe  of  la  Venne,  IpM., 

1  It  is  exceptional  to  find  bird  nicknames  preceded  by  the  article. 

*  The  vowel  change  is  regular  ;  cf .  beef,  people,  retrieve,  etc.  Or 
rather,  in  this  case,  we  have  kept  the  original  vowel,  the  French 
u  being  due  to  lalialization. 

3  The    earliest    meaning    was    probably    "  squinting."     Hence 
Leborgne  may  be  rather  Strabo  than  Codes. 

4  Myer,  Myers  is  generally  local,  at  the  "  mire,"  and  in  modern 
times  often  stands  for  Ger.  Meyer.       OF.  mire,  a  doctor,  perhaps 
became  a  popular  nickname  in  connection  with  the  quack  doctor  of 
the  medieval  drama.    It  is  a  very  common  entry  (mire,  meir,  meyre), 
and  has  evidently  been  confused  with  Mair,  Mayor.     In  fact  it  is 
likely  that  many  of  the  latter  spring  from  mire.     It  is  hardly  neces- 
sary to  say  that  the  local  Mears  (p.  68)  is  also  implicated. 


REINFORCED   BAPTISMAL   NAMES         321 

Som.]  is  also  baptismal,  probably  for  Vincent  [William 
f.  Venne,  Lane.  Inq.  1310-33].  Over  is  ME.  overe, 
bank,  sea-shore,  whence  several  English  place-names. 
In  Middle  English  it  seems  to  be  used  chiefly  as  a 
rime  for  Dover.  The  surname  Over,  whence  also  Owers, 
is  also  occupative,  from  OF.  ovier,  an  egg-merchant 
[Thurstan  le  Over  or  Ovarius  or  Owarius,  Leic.  Bor. 
Rec.]. 

The  above  are  examples  of  local  surnames  which 
have  other  subsidiary  origins.  Baptismal  surnames 
have  been  similarly  reinforced  from  other  sources. 
Even  the  simple  Adam  is  sometimes  local,  "  atte  dam  "  ; 
cf.  Agate,  Adeane,  etc.  Willis  has  encroached  on 
Willows  [Andrew  in  le  Wylies,  Percy  Cart.].  I  have 
already  suggested  (p.  232)  that  Hugh  may  sometimes 
represent  AS.  hiwa,  a  servant.  It  is  also,  like  Hogg, 
a  variant  of  the  local  Hough  [William  del  Hughe, 
F.  of  y.].  In  fact  Hugh,  Hough,  How,  Hogg  are  so 
mixed  up  that  a  small  chapter  would  be  required  to 
elucidate  their  history.  Hitch,  usually  for  Richard,  is 
occasionally  local  [Richard  Attehiche,  Hund.  R.], 
probably  a  variant  of  "hatch"  or  "hutch."  The 
derivative  Hitcheon,  from  Fr.  Huchon  (Hutchin),  dim. 
of  Hugh,  suggests  that  the  Hitch-  group,  like  the 
Hig-  group,  belongs  to  Hugh  as  well  as  Richard.  Bellis, 
having  its  home  in  North  Wales,  is  clearly  ab  Ellis, 
but  it  is  also  a  variant  of  Bellhouse  (see  p.  96).  Bryan 
and  Bryanson  are  both  occasionally  local,  from  Brienne, 
a  common  French  place-name  [Guy  de  Briane,  Fine  R.]t 
and  Brian  £on  [Bartholomew  de  Brianzun,  ib."\.  Neale, 
which  represents  the  font-name  Nigel  and  also  the  Norse 
Niel,  i.e.  Nicholas,  is  sometimes  derived  from  Nesle 
(Somme) .  The  merchants  of  Amyas  (Amiens),  Neal  and 


322      DIVERGENT   ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

Corby,  all  now  in  the  department  of  Somme,  are  often 
mentioned  in  City  records  and  appear  to  have  enjoyed 
special  privileges.  It  is  only  natural  that  each  town 
should  have  given  an  English  surname.  Catlin,  whence 
also  Galling,  is  usually  from  Catherine  [William  Cateline 
or  Katelyn,  Fine  R.],  and  may  even  be  a  dim.  of  the 
Norse  Kettle  [Ketelinus  le  Fevre,  Coram  Rege  R.  1297] ; 
but  it  also  records  stray  Catalans,  i.e.  incomers  from 
Catalonia  [Arnold  Catellan,  Pat.  R.,  John  de  Cateloyne 
or  Catelyne,  ib.] .  Everett,  besides  representing  Everard, 
AS.  Eoforheard,  almost  certainly  means  "  boar  head  " ; 
cf.  Bullett  and  the  other  examples  on  p.  128. 

Here  it  may  be  noted  that  personal  names  in  -ett,  -itt 
are  not  always  to  be  regarded  as  dims.  In  Tamsett 
we  have  merely  the  French  dim.  ending  -et  (Thomas-et), 
but  in  Hewett,  Howill,  Willelt,  and  many  other  names, 
the  ending  may  be  the  usual  reduction  of  -ard,  so  that 
they  would  be  from  Reward,  Howard?  Willard,  rather 
than  from  the  Hugh  and  Will  which  represent  a  first 
syllable  shared  by  these  names  with  other  Anglo- 
Saxon  names. 

An  occupative  name  may  also  conceal  one  of  the 
other  classes.  Metier,  usually  the  "miller"2 — 

"  Monde  the  mulnere,  var.   mellere,  and  moni  mo " 
(Piers  Plowm.  A.  ii.  80)— 


1  Howard  has  several  origins,  but  the  identity,  as  personal  names, 
of  the  shortened  How  and  Hew  suggests  that  its  chief  origin  is  Fr. 
Huard,  OG.  Hugihart.     Searle  has  neither  Hygeheard  nor  Hyge- 
weard,  but  such  names  must  have  existed. 

2  It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  according  to  the  NED.,  miller, 
meller,  milner,  mulliner  are  not  ound  before  the  fourteenth  century. 
They  are  all,  however,  common    as  thirteenth-century  surnames. 
The  Anglo-Saxon  term  was  mylenweard  (Millward,  Millar  d},  really 
the  official  in  charge  of  the  lord's  mill.     In  the  Pat.  R.  occurs  William 
le  Wyndmylneward. 


REINFORCED    OCCUPATIVE    NAMES       323 

is  also  the  "  better  "  [John  le  Meillur,  Chart.  R.] ;  cf. 
Fr.  Meilleur,  Ger.  Besser,  and  our  own  Better  [John  le 
Bettre,  Pat.  R.].  Biddle,  Bittle  is  not  only  for  AS. 
by  del,  the  beadle,  but,  its  home  being  Gloucestershire, 
represents  Welsh  ab  Ithel  (whence  Bethell,  Bithell, 
etc.),  the  simplex  being  found  in  Wiltshire  as  Iddols. 
Ryder  is  obviously  occupative,  but  the  home  of  the 
name  is  North  Wales,  a  country  singularly  unsuitgd 
for  cavalry.  Hence  ifc  must  often  be  from  a  Welsh 
personal  name  [Mereduc  f.  Reder,  Pat.  R.].  Mawer, 
a  "  mower  "  [Thomas  le  Mawer e,  Pat.  R.],  is  in  East 
Anglia  a  variant  of  the  dial,  mawther,  a  girl,  in  fact 
this  is  probably  the  usual  origin  of  the  name,  which 
belongs  chiefly  to  Lincolnshire — 

"  The  old  Mawther  biled  'em,  she  did.     Mrs.  Gummidge  biled 
'em  "  (David  Copperfield,  ch.  vii.). 

Very  common  names  such  as  Carter,  Cooper,  Tucker, 
easily  swallow  up  uncommon  names  which  have  ceased 
to  be  understood.  In  Carter  is  almost  lost  Charter, 
which  itself  may  have  various  origins,  including  that  of 
Carthusian  monk  [Philip  le  Chartrar  or  le  Carter  or 
de  Chartraas,1  Salisb.  Cart.].  Cooper,  Couper,  Cowper 
includes  not  only  "  cupper,"  but  also  Du.  hooper,  a 
merchant,  lit.  buyer,  which  we  still  have  in  horse-coper  ; 
and  the  not  uncommon  Toutcoeur,  all  heart  [Geoffrey 
Tutquor,  Royal  Let.  Hen.  III.  1216-35,  William  Tut- 
quere,  F.  of  Y.]  has  been  lost  in  Tucker. 

Even  the  obvious  nickname  has  often  a  secondary 
source.  I  will  take  three  examples  only.  Bird  is 
from  ME.  brid,  properly  a  young  bird,2  and  used  later 

1  Fr.  Chartreuse,  Eng.  Charterhouse. 

8  For  bird  in  general  fowl  was  used,  as  in  the  Bible. 


324      DIVERGENT   ORIGINS  OF  SURNAMES 

of  the  young  of  other  animals  and  even  of  children. 
In  the  fourteenth  century  it  is  used  for  maiden,  by 
confusion  with  ME.  burde,  berde,  and  possibly  also  with 
bride,  so  that  these  words  must  also  be  considered 
in  tracing  the  pedigree  of  the  Birds — 

"  Thir  breeks  o'  mine,  my  only  pair, 
That  ance  were  plush,  o'  guid  blue  hair, 
I  wad  hae  gien  them  off  my  hurdies 
For  ae  blink  o'  the  bom*  burdies  !  " 

(Tarn  o'Shanter). 

Ruddick,  found  also  as  Rodick,  Riddick,  Reddick,  etc., 
is  an  Anglo-Saxon  dim.  of  the  name  Rudd,  i.e.  red,  and 
in  dialect  is  a  name  for  the  robin — 

"  The  tame  ruddok  and  the  coward  kyte  " 

(Chauc.  Parl.  of  Foules,  349). 

But  Robert  del  Rowdick  (Leic.  Bor.  Rec.},  whose  name 
is  clearly  local,  may  have  been  the  ancestor  of  some 
of  the  Ruddicks.  Cox  is  one  of  our  commonest  sur- 
names, and  represents  Cocks,  the  simple  Cock  being  of 
at  least  four  origins,  none  of  which  will  very  well 
account  for  David  atte  Kokes  (Hund.  R.,  Norf.)  and 
John  del  Cogges  (Chesh.  Chamb.  Accts.).  Apparently 
these  names  refer  to  the  boat  called  a  "  cog  "  or  "  cock." 
For  similar  names  see  p.  171.  The  use  of  the  plural  is 
unusual,  but  cf .  Hoyes,  a  common  Lincolnshire  surname, 
and  Bates,  sometimes  an  archaic  northern  form  of 
"  boat "  [Adam  del  Bate,  IpM.]. 

I  had  intended  to  have  included  in  this  volume 
a  chapter  on  imitative  name-forms,  of  which  examples 
are  to  be  found  on  almost  every  page  of  the  book.  But 
the  subject  is  so  vague  and  endless  and  so  unsuited 
for  methodical  treatment  that  I  will  only  mention  a 


IMITATIVE   SPELLINGS  325 

few  characteristic  instances.  The  natural  tendency 
is  to  strive  at  giving  meaning  to  the  unintelligible  and, 
among  a  number  of  accidental  variants,  to  prefer  that 
which  suggests  something  significant,  however  remote 
this  may  be  from  the  real  sense  of  the  name.  But  the 
reader  whose  patience  has  held  out  so  far  will  have 
come  to  see  that  surnames  are  often  of  such  bizarre 
and  unexpected  origin,  that  one  must  exercise  great 
caution  in  arbitrarily  describing  the  unusual  as  imita- 
tive. Bardsley  regards  Tortoiseshell  as  an  imitative 
form  of  the  local  Tattershall.  The  habitat  of  the  name 
(Staffordshire)  does  not  favour  this,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  be  a  nickname,  probably  of 
costume,  just  as  we  have  tortoiseshell  cats  and  butter- 
flies. The  tortoise  was  well  known  to  our  ancestors, 
and  has  given  the  existing  names  Tortiss,  Tortise,  the 
latter  occurring  in  Norfolk,  where  the  Promptorium 
Parvulorum  was  compiled — 

"  Tortuce,  a  beeste,  tortuta  "  (Prompt.  Parv.). 

Beetle  may  be  an  alteration  of  Beadle,  but  we  have  a 
number  of  well-authenticated  insect  nicknames,  e.g. 
Ampt,  Emmett,1  Furmy,  all  meaning  ant,  Bee,  Coachafer, 
Flay  or  Fly,  Hornett,  Wasp,  etc.,  and  Robert  Scarbode 
(IpM.)  certifies  Beetle  as  a  nickname — 

"  Escarbot,   the   blacke   flie   called,   a   beetle  "    (Cotg.). 

There  are,  of  course,  some  cases  in  which  we  may 
legitimately  infer  imitative  origin  even  without  docu- 
mentary evidence.  When,  in  the  roll  of  a  regiment 
largely  composed  of  Irishmen,  we  find  King  seller, 
Flirty  and  Caverner,  we  need  not  hesitate  to  recognize 

1  Usually  a  dim.  of  Emma. 


326      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

the  fine  old  Irish  names  Kinsella,  Flaherty  and  Kava- 
nagh.  Coldbreath,  Cowhorn  and  Laughland  may  be 
similarly  accepted  as  for  the  Scottish  Galbraith,  Colqu- 
houn  and  Lachlan,  while  Cossack  is  the  Irish  Cusack. 
The  Welsh  Rhys,  Rees  is  very  common  in  England  as 
Rice  and  occasionally  as  Race.  Stow  tells  us  that  in 
1531  Sir  Rice  Grifith  was  beheaded  on  Tower  Hill, 
and  I  have  come  across  Race  Alisaundre  in  a  monastery 
cartulary  near  the  Welsh  Border.  Another  origin  of 
Race  is  Fr.  ras  [John  le  Ras,  Hund.  R.] — 

"  Ras,  shaven,  cleane  shaven  "  (Cotg.). 

Straight l  is  perhaps  merely  a  variant  of  Street  [Ralph 
del  Strate  or  atte  Strete,  Close  R.]. 

Sometimes  a  name,  without  being  imitative,  suggests 
something  quite  remote  from  its  meaning.  Lugger  is 
AS.  Hlothgar,  famous  spear.  It  cannot  be  of  the  same 
origin  as  Galley,  Barge,  etc.  (p.  171),  for,  according  to  all 
nautical  authorities,  the  name  of  the  craft  dates  from 
the  eighteenth  century.  Pinion  is  one  of  the  many 
names  from  Welsh  ap  Eynon  ;  cf.  Binyon,  Bennion, 
etc.  Pamphlett  is  a  dim.  of  the  name  Pamphile  [John 
Panfelot,  Pat.  R.].  Cf.  the  derivation  of  the  common 
noun  pamphlet,  from  Pamphilet,  "a  familiar  name  of 
the  twelfth-century  amatory  poem  or  comedy  called 
Pamphilus,  seu  de  amove,  a  highly  popular  opuscule 
in  the  thirteenth  century  "  (NED.) .  With  the  Eastern- 
looking  Durbar,  Doorbar,  AS.  Thurbeorht,  cf.  Sirdar 
(p.  120).  In  Icemonger  is  preserved  AS.  isen,  iron. 

The  locality  in  which  an  imitative  name  is  found 
often  furnishes  a  clue  to  its  origin.  Examples  are 
Blackcow,  of  Blackball  (Lane.),  and  Muse,  a  York- 

1  The  -g-  of  straight,  for  strait,  OF.  estreit  (etroit),  is  not  original. 


IMITATIVE   SPELLINGS  327 

shire  name,  of  Meaux  in  that  county.  So  also  Doubt, 
Doubting  are  found  in  Somerset  with  Dowd,  Dowding, 
these  probably  from  David.  In  Bucks  Coughtrey  is 
found  side  by  side  with  Cowdery  (p.  306),  while  in 
Lincolnshire  Cushion  occurs  as  a  variant  of  Gushing. 
Names  that  have  wandered  far  from  their  homes  can 
often  be  traced  back  thither  through  a  series  of  forms. 
To  those  mentioned  on  p.  88  may  be  added  Counter- 
patch,  a  London  version  of  Comberbach  (Chesh.),  of 
which  Cumberpatch  is  an  intermediate  form,  Kingrose 
for  Kinross,  and  Roseworm  for  the  much  prettier 
Cornish  Rosewarne. 

Names  of  baptismal  origin  get  perverted  if  unfamiliar. 
Williams  does  not  change,  but  Paton,  no  longer  recog- 
nized as  a  dim.  of  Patrick,  is  altered  to  Patten,  Pattern, 
Patent.  Any  form,  whatever  absurdity  it  suggests,  is 
preferred  to  the  unintelligible.  Thus  Mahood,  from 
Maheut,  the  Old  French  form  of  Matilda,  sometimes 
becomes  Mawhood,  and  Dawtrey,  i.e.  de  Hauterive, 
is  spelt  Daughtery.  Liptrapp  is  a  perversion  of  Liptrott, 
an  early  German  immigrant,  Liebetraut,  "  Dear  love," 
probably  a  Huguenot  name.  Loyal  and  Royal  are 
doubtful.  Though  quite  possible  nicknames,  they 
are  perhaps  rather  for  Lyle,  Ryle,  or  Lyall,  Ryall.  The 
first  two  are  local  and  the  second  two  baptismal, 
though  they  have  of  course  been  confused.  Lyall  is 
for  Lyulph,  representing  an  Old  Danish  Lithwulf  [Liolf 
f.  Liolf,  Fine  R.],  and  Ryall  is  for  Riulf  [Henry  f.  Riolf, 
Lib.  R.],  AS.  Ricwulf. 

One  result  of  imitative  spelling  is  that  we  find 
many  names  suggesting  adverbs,  conjunctions  and 
interjections,  or  even  parts  of  verbs.  These  are 
generally  pretty  simple,  e.g.  Whileis  for  Wile  (see  p.  83), 


328      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS  OF  SURNAMES 

Whence  is  at  the  "  wence,"  i.e.  the  cross-roads.  This 
is  simply  the  plural  of  went,  a  way  [John  del  Wente, 
Pat.  R.].  Where  is  for  Ware  (p.  311)  and  the  second 
element  of  Whereat  is  yate,  a  gate  (see  p.  91) .  In  con- 
nection with  these  names  it  may  be  noted  that  initial 
Wh-  is  often  artificial,  e.g.  Whatkins,  Whisker  (p. "137), 
Whybird,  AS.  Wigbeorht,  etc.  Heigho  is  for  Hay  hoe, 
at  the  "  high  hoe."  Would  is  of  course  for  Wood  ;  cf. 
Wouldhave  (p.  59).  Goe,  very  common  in  Lincoln- 
shire, where  it  is  neighboured  by  Goy,  is  local,  from 
one  of  many  places  in  France  called  Gouy  [Hugh  de 
Goe  or  de  Goy,  Close  R.]. 

Most  collectors  of  odd  surnames  have  been  attracted 
by  the  great  class  of  names  in  -ing.  A  curious  little 
book  *  now  before  me  has  a  list  of  150  such  names,  and 
this  list  could  easily  be  doubled.  It  is  probable  that 
hardly  any  *  of  these  names  are  really  present  parti- 
ciples. We  might  nickname  a  man  "  Dancing  Jimmy," 
but,  for  surname  purposes,  he  would  become  "  Jimmy 
the  Dancer."  A  great  many  of  these  -ing  names  are 
Anglo-Saxon  patronymics,  e.g.  Billing,  Golding,  etc., 
and  some  may  be  formed  from  local  names  and  mean 
inhabitant.  In  the  Abingdon  Cartulary  are  mentioned 
the  Beorhtfeldingas,  Lamburningas,  Winterburn- 
ingas,  Cnottingas,  Horningas,  who  inhabited  the 
"  bright  field,"  "  lang  burn,"  etc. ;  but  it  is  uncertain 
how  far  this  formation  survived  into  the  surname 
period.  Perhaps  the  majority  of  these  names  are  due 
to  the  vulgar  tendency  to  add  final  -g  after  -n,  as  in 
"  kitching."  Here  belong  Panting,  Painting,  for 

1  C.  L.  Lordan,  Of  Certain  English  Surnames  and  their  Occasional 
Odd  Phases  when  seen  in  Groups  (London  and  Romsey,  n.d.). 
*  But  see  Leeming  (p.  89,  n.  2). 


PRESENT   PARTICIPLES  329 

Pantin,  Panton,  a  dim.  of  Pantolf  *  [William  Pauntolf, 
Lib  R.,  William  Paunton,  ib.].  Going  is  the  French 
name  Gouin  [John  Gowyn,  Pat.  R.],  Howling  is  a 
double  dim.  of  How  or  Hugh ;  cf.  Fr.  Huelin,  Hulin. 
Wearing  and  Warring  are  for  War  in,  a  common  Old 
French  name  (Gue"rin)  which  usually  gives  Warren. 
Dusting  is  a  form  of  Thurstan  [William  Dusteyn, 
IpM.]  and  is  also  found  in  the  shortened  form  Dust. 
Fearing  is  for  Fear  on,  OF.  feron,  a  smith,  and  Basting 
is  a  perversion  of  Bastin,  i.e.  Sebastian.  And  so  ad 
infinitum.  It  is  possible  that  in  a  few  cases  the  origin 
of  an  -ing  name  may  be  an  abstract  noun ;  see  Deeming 
(p.  222) ;  while  many  of  them  are  local  compounds  of  ing, 
a  meadow  (p.  64). 

But  we  have  a  few  surnames  derived  from  French 
present  participles  used  as  nicknames.  Such  are 
Currant  [Beatrice  Corant,  Ramsey  CartJ\,  Mor daunt 
[Robert  le  Mordaunt,  Hund.  R.],  Mor  ant  or  Murrant 
[John  le  Moraunt,  Cor  am  Rege  R.  1297,  Amicia  le 
Murant,  Close  R.].  The  latter  name  is  more  likely 
aphetic  for  OF.  demorant  (demeurant)  than  for  mourant. 
Cf.  Hugh  le  Demurant  (Pipe  R.),  Johanna  la  Manaunte 
(Testa  de  Nev.),  Alexander  Sujournant  (Glouc.  Cart.). 
These  examples  seem  to  show  that  Remnant,  like  the 
common  noun  remnant,  represents  the  Old  French 
present  participle  remanant.  Many  more  names  of 
this  type  occur  in  the  Rolls,  e.g.  Penaunt,  Poygnaunt, 
Saillaunt,  Trenchaunt,  Taylant,  Erraunt,  etc.,  and 
probably  some  of  these  are  still  in  existence. 

The  examples  in  this  chapter  are  taken  almost  at 

1  Of  Old  French  introduction,  from  OG.  Bandwolf,  banner  wolf, 
which  does  not  appear  to  be  found  in  Anglo-Saxon.  It  is  fairly 
common  in  the  Rolls. 


330      DIVERGENT  ORIGINS   OF  SURNAMES 

random  and  most  pages  of  the  London  Directory 
would  yield  similar  results.  The  reader  will,  I  think, 
conclude  that  a  real  Dictionary  of  English  Surnames 
would  be  rather  a  big  book,  and  that  compilations 
which  dispense  with  evidence  are  not  to  be  taken 
seriously. 


INDEX 


This  index  contains,  with  a  very  few  doubtful  cases,  only  names  which 
were  in  existence  as  late  as  the  nineteenth  century.  Foreign  names  are 
printed  in  italics.  It  will  be  sometimes  found  that  more  than  one  origin  is 
indicated  for  the  same  name. 


A'barrow,  50 
Abbott,  200 
Abear,  50 
Abel,  204 
Absolom,  205 
Abt,  300 
A' Burrow,   50 
Acock,  57 
Acton,  1 60 
Adam,  204,  321 
Adams,  16 
Adcock,  57 
Addle,  36 
Addyman,  236 
Adger,  42 
Adlard,  43 
Adler,  301 
Admer,  42 
Ads.ead,  74 
Adshead,  74 
Affery,  32 
Affray,  32 
Agate,  314 
Ager,  42 
Agnew,  314 
Agricola,  305 
Agutter,  50 
Ahearn,  50 
Aikett,  128,  n.  i 
Ainger,  318 
Akenside,  138 
Alabone,  51 
Aladenise,  284 
Alavoine,  186 
Albrow,  131 
Alcott,  92 
Aldejohann,   295 
Alder,  248 
Alderson,  248 
Aldhouse,  96 

23 


Aldis,  96 
Aldous,  96 
Aldred,  42,  227 
Aldritt,  42,  227 
Aldus,  96 
Aldwy,  44 
Alefounder,  114 
Alehouse,  96 
Alexander,  188,  216 
Alflatt,  32 
Algar,  i~68 
Algate,  50 
Alkin,  32 
Allabyrne,  51 
Allard,  43 
Allbones,  143 
Allcard,  32 
Allchin,  32 
Allchurch,  50 
Allcorn,  185 
Allday,  42 
Alldread,  42 
Allenwaters,  161,  ». 
Alleweldt,  304 
Allfree,  32 
Allgood,  1 6 
Allhusen,  51 
Allibon,   51 
Alliott,  32 
Allman,  217 
Allmark,  178 
Allpass,   50 
Allpike,  50 
Allpress,  287 
Alltoft,  51 
Allweather,  235,  n. 
Allwright,  227 
Almond,  39 
Alner,  in 
Alphege,  n 

331 


Alsop,  63 
Altree,  51 
Alwin,  32 
Ambery,  106 
Ambler,  122 
Ambrey,  106 
Ambrose,  187 
Amery,  41 
Amner,  105,  106 
Amory,  41 
Ampt,  325 
Amyas,  103,  n.  2 
Anchor,  211 
Andacht,  302 
Anderbrugg,  296 
Angell,  209,  310 
Anger,  317 
Angle,  310 
Angot,  30 
Anker,  211 
Ankettle,  30 
Ankrett,  211 
Annercaw,  211 
Anquetil,  30 
Ansell,  31 
Ansorg,  302 
Anster,  86 
Ansterberry,  86,  ».  i 
Anthistle,  82 
Anyon,  191 
Applequist,  195,  «. 
Arab  in,  212 
Aram,  86 
Arber,  107 
Arbuckle,  152 
Arcedeckne,  210 
Archdeacon,  210 
Archer,  4 
Archerson,  239 
Arculus,  215 


332 


INDEX 


Argent,  157 

Attack,  49 

Bakewell,  254 

Argles,  36 

Attenbarrow,  49 

Balaam,  206 

Argument,  217 

Attenborough,  50 

Bald,  132 

Aris,  103,  n.  2 

Atterbury,  50 

Balder,  43 

Arkcoll,  36 

Attewell,  49 

Bale,  53 

Arkell,  36 

Attick,  49 

Ball,  53,  132 

Arkle,  36 

Attneave,  234 

Ballance,  166 

Arkless,  149,  215 

Attock,  49 

Ballard,  132 

Arkwright,  227 

Attoe,  49 

Ballinger,   35 

Armbruster,  300 

Attread,  49 

Ballister,  121 

Armes,  125 

Attreall,  50 

Balm,  1  88 

Armitt,  209 

Attride,  49 

Balmain,   139 

Armour,  158 

Attrie,  49 

Balnave,  234 

Armshaw,  125 

Attrill,  49 

Balsam,  188 

Armstrong,  139 

Attru,  49 

Balster,  121 

Arnall,  36 

Attwooll,  49 

Band,  230,  w.  2 

Arnaud,  9 

At  will,  308 

Banfather,  247 

Arndell,  319 

Atwood,  49 

Bannister,  121 

Arnold,  36,  188,  «. 

Atyeo,  49 

Bantick,  94 

Arrand,  36 

Aubrey,  32 

Bantock,  94 

Arrandale,  319 

Aucutt,  92 

Bard,  240 

Arrow,  162 

Aucher,  32 

Barfi,  53 

Arrowsmith,  228 

Augagneur,  287 

Barfoot,  141 

Arsmith,  228 

Auger,  1  68 

Bar  fuss,  301 

Arthur,  36 

Augier,  168 

Barge,  171 

Artless,  149 

Augur,  1  68 

Bargh,  53 

Arum,  86 

Aupretre,  287 

Bark,  171 

Arundell,  319 

Authors,  36 

Barkhouse,  96 

Aschenbrenner,  299 

Auxdnes,  280 

Barkis,  98 

Ashburn,  226,  n.  i 

Auxenfants,  280 

Barleggs,  140 

Ashburner,  226,  n.  i 

Avann,  50 

Barley,  185 

Asher,  102 

Avenarius,  305 

Barleycorn,  124,  196 

Ashkettle,  30 

Avery,  32 

Barnacle,  89 

Ashmall,  68 

Awdas,  96 

Barnard,  34 

Ashman,  237 

Awdrey,  29 

Barnes,  247 

Ashmole,  68 

Axworthy,  86,  n.  2 

Barnett,  34,  309 

Ashpital,  107 

Aylmer,  32 

Barnfather,  247 

Ashplant,  205 

Ay  1  ward,  32,  43 

Barnish,  34 

Ashwin,  38 

Aymer,  32 

Barnwell,  34 

Ask,   1  68 

Barr,  56 

Asker,  102 

Baby,  249 

Barraclough,  88 

Askell,  30 

Bacchus,  295,  «. 

Barrass,  98 

Aspenlon,  205 

Bache,  53 

Barrell,  125 

Aspland,  205 

Back,  24,  138 

Barrett,  34,   137,   143. 

Asplin,  205 

Backhaus,  295 

146 

Asquith,  84 

Backhouse,  295,  n. 

Barringer,  35 

Asser,  102 

Backmeister,  299 

Barrowcliff,  88 

Astell,  30 

Backshall,  88 

Bartenwerffer,  300 

Atcock,  57 

Badgery,  86 

Barter,  147 

Athawes,  49 

Badrick,  37 

Barth,  53 

Atheis,  49 

Bage,  53 

Bartholdy,  294 

Atherall,  50 

Bailhache,  270 

Barton,   60 

Athersmith,  50 

Baillehache,  270 

Bartram,  38 

Athersuch,  50 

Bailward,  53 

Baskett,  124,  165 

Athews,  49 

Bain,  143,  n.  i,  194 

Basketter,  115,  227 

Athoke,  49 

Baines,  143 

Baskwell,  90 

Athow,  49 

Baird,  240 

Basnett,  159 

Atkey,  49 

Bairnsfather,  247 

Bastel,  295 

Ato,  49 

Bajoue,  133 

Baster,  105 

INDEX 


333 


Bastien,  282 

Belloc,  281 

Bew,  319 

Bastin,  329 

Bellows,  96 

Bewkers,  129 

Basting,  329 

Bellringer,  102,  n. 

Bewsher,  245 

Batch,  53 

Belt,  124 

Bezuidenhout,  49 

Bateman,  24,  n. 

Bemrose,  85 

Bias,  51,  n.  2 

Bates,  324 

Bemroose,  85 

Bicheno,  88 

Bathos,  19 

Benbough,  267 

Bick,  133 

Bathurst.  19 

Benbow,  267 

Bickerstaff,  2 

Batt,  24 

Bend,  54 

Bickersteth,  2 

Batters,  37 
Baxter,  230,  n.  i 

Bendelow,  259 
Benjafield,  21 

Bidaway,  51 
Biddis,  97 

Bay,  53 

Benninger,  35 

Biddle,  323 

Baylas,  98 

Bennion,  326 

Bidgood,  261 

Bayles,  53 

Benrose,  85 

Bidlake,  52 

Bayliss,  98 

Benskin,  196 

Bidmead,  52 

Bays,  53 

Bent,  54 

Bieberstein,  296 

Beake,  133 

Benvenuto,  254 

Biedenweg,  296 

Beam,  184 

Bere,  53 

Biengrdber,  299 

Bean,  143,  w.  i,  194 

Berecloth,  88 

Biennourry,  288 

Beanes,  194 

Berenger,  34 

Bienvenu,  254 

Bear,  53 

Berger,  287,  295 

Biesenbdnder,  299 

Bearblock,  69,  n. 

Bergerat,  287 

Biffen,  247 

Beard,  136 

Bergeret,  287 

Biller,  114 

Bearder,  104 

Bergeron,  287 

Billett,  125 

Bearpark,  69,  n. 

Bergerot,  287 

Billiald,  38 

Beart,  136 

Berkenshaw,  88 

Billiard,  38,  125 

Beatniff,  234 

Bernadot,  283 

Billing,  328 

Beauclerk,  234 

Bernadotte,  283 

Billion,  38,  1  80 

Beauharnais,   159,  279 

Bernal,  34 

Billows,  96 

Beau  jean,  285 

Bernardin,  283 

Binder,  117 

Beaulieu,  281 

Berner,  34,  113 

Bindlass,  200 

Beaumanoir,  240 

Bernhardi,  34,  294 

Bindloss,  200 

Beaurepaire,  69,  n.  i 

Bernstorff,  296 

Binks,  54 

Beautyinan,  237 

Berrill,  158 

Bin  yon,  326 

Beaver,  320 

Berringer,  35 

Birchenough,  88 

Bebbow,  267 

Berrycloth,  88 

Bircher,  121 

Bebel,  293 

Berryman,  231 

Bircumshaw,  88 

Beck,  298 

Bert,  283 

Bird,  323 

Beckenhube,  301 

Bertenshaw,  88 

Birdseye,  133 

Becker,  298 

Berthollet,  283 

Birdwhistle,  82 

Beddis,  97 

Berthon,  283 

Birkenrut,  167 

Bedgood,  261 

Bertilleau,  283 

Birkenshaw,  88 

Bee,  325 

Bertram,  36 

Birkett,  88 

Beeching,  65 

Bertrand,  38 

Birkhead,  88 

Beechner,  88 

Beryl,  158 

Birkway,  100 

Beemaster,  68 

Besant,  177 

Birrell,  130,  n. 

Beer,  53,  124,  174 

Bessemer,  220 

Birtenshaw,  88 

Beerbohm,  295 

Besser,  323 

Birtwhistle,  82 

Beetle,  325 

Besson,  249 

Bischoff,  300 

Beevor,  320 

Bester,  114 

Bisgood,  196 

Behagg,  52 

Bestman,  237 

Bishop,  200,  210 

Behrens,  34 

Bethell,  323 

Bishoprick,  210 

Belcher,  245 

Bethmann-Hollweg,  292 

Bismarck,  297 

Beldam,  245 

Bethune,  103,  n.  2 

Bismire,  220 

Belfitt,  91 

Bettany,  187 

Bissell,  154 

Bellasis,  318 

Better,  323 

Bissett,  154 

Bellhanger,  35 

Bevan,  247 

Bisson,  249 

Bellinger,  35 

Beveridge,  174 

Bithell,  323 

Bellis,  321 

Bevin,  271 

Bithray,  85 

334 


INDEX 


Bitmead,  52 

Boakes,  54 

Bossuet,  291 

Bittle,  323 

Boaler,  117 

Botherway,  37 

Black,  154 

Boam,  54 

Both  way,  37 

Blackall,  62 

Boast,  219 

Bottle,  318 

Blackband,  230 

Boat,  171 

Botwright,  227 

Blackboard,  136 

Boatswain,  234 

Bouch,  134 

Blackbird,  136 
Blackbond,  230 

Boatwright,  227 
Bodin,  55 

Boucharin,  287 
Boucher,  279,  287 

Blackbrow,  131 

Body,  127,  129 

Bouchereau,  287 

Blackburn,  247 

Bodycoat,  148 

Boucheron,  287 

Blackcow,  326 

Boeson,  234 

Bouchet,  287 

Blackett,  128 

Boggers,  97 

Bough,  196 

Blackball,  62 

Boggis,  97 

Boughtflower,  258 

Blackie,  133 

Boicervoise,  259,  n. 

Boughtwood,  258 

Blackleach,  65 

Boilaive,  281 

Boulanger,  279 

Blackledge,  65 

Boileau,  252,  279 

Boulnois,  285 

Blacklock,  131 

Boittve,  281 

Bouncer,  248 

Blackmore,  212 

Bolister,  121 

Bound,  230,  n.  2 

Blackrod,  135 

Bolster,  121 

Bourdaloue,  290 

Blackshields,  75 

Boltwood,  258 

Bourgeois,  285 

Blackshire,  88 

Bomash,  232 

Bourne,  320 

Blacksmith,  227 

Bon,  289 

Bout,  153 

Blacktop,  128 

Bonbernat,  285 

Boutflour,  258 

Blagg,  156,  n.  i 

Bond,  226 

Bouton,  153 

Blakelock,  131 

Bone,  143 

Bouvard,  289 

Blampey,  141 

Bones,  143 

Bouveau,  289 

Blampied,  141 

Bonest,  97 

Bouvelet,  289 

Blanchemain,  289 

Bonfellow,  232 

Bouvet,  289 

Blanchett,  196,  n.  i 

Bonhote,  175,  n. 

Bouvier,  289 

Blanchflower,   196 

Boniface,  135 

Bouvot,  289 

Blandamore,  260 

Bonifant,  247 

Bovett,  128 

Blankett,   155 

Bonnange,  209 

Bowater,  52 

Blay,  131,  n. 

Bonnard,  289 

Bowell,  142 

Blaylock,  131 

Bonneau,  2  89 

Bowerman,  235,  «.  2 

Bleakledge,  65 

Bonnet,  289 

Bowgen,  242 

Bleakman,  237 

Bonnet,  289 

Bowgett,   156 

Blechschmidt,  298 

Bonneteau,  289 

Bowler,  117 

Blee,  131,  n. 

Bonnett,   146 

Bowles,  142 

Blellock,  131 

Bonnyman,  237 

Bowmaker,  226,  ».  i 

Blenkarne,  88 

Bonser,  248 

Bowpitt,  69 

Blenkin,  88 

Bonte,  218 

Bowring,  65 

Blenkiron,  88 
Blewitt,  154 

Bonus,  97 
Bonvallet,  289 

Bowser,  245 
Boxer,   123 

Blinkhorn,  88 

Bonvouloir,  245 

Boyeatt,  91 

Bliss,  223,  n.  2 

Boobyer,  54 

Boylesve,  281 

Block,  156 

Booer,  120 

Brabazon,  130,  n.,  240 

Blogg,  156 

Bookless,  149 

Bracegirdle,  151 

Blood,  142 

Boosey,  54 

Bracer,  113 

Bloom,  190 

Boot,  153 

Bracher,  113 

Bloomfield,  90 

Booty,  237 

Brack,  54 

Blossom,  190 

Bootyman,  237 

Brackner,  113 

Blowey,  133 

Bopp,  293 

Bradfer,  140 

Bloyd,  142 

Borer,  116 

Bradford,  140 

Blud,  142 

Borrell,  154 

Bradshaw,  13 

Bluett,  154 

Borrowman,  231 

Braidwood,  83 

Blunderfield,  90 

Borstall,  54 

Brain,  142 

Blunkett,  154 

Bosbier,  303 

Braksper,  256 

Boag,  54 

Bosomworth,  21 

Brammer,  265 

Boak,  54 

Boss,  54 

Branch,  195 

INDEX 


335 


Branchett,  196,  n.  i 

Brister,  104 

Buckmaster,  68 

Branchflower,  196 

Britcher,  ii5,"n.  i 

Buckoke,  95 

Brand,  38,  161 

Britland,  99 

Buckpit,  69 

Branfoot,  257 

Brittle,  40 

Bucksmith,  229 

Bransom,  20 

Brixey,  38 

Budd,  196 

Branwhite,  88 

Broadbelt,  124,  151 

Budden,  55 

Brasnett,  128 

Broadbent,  54 

Budge,  134 

Brdutigam,  301 

Broadfoot,  141 

Budgen,  242 

Bray,  21 

Broadhead,  124,  128 

Budgett,  156 

Brazell,  189 

Broadribb,  139 

Bugge,  293 

Brazier,  113 

Brobson,  240 

Buggins,  55 

Brazil,   189 

Brockett,  128 

Buglass,  175,  187 

Breach,  54 

Brockis,  97 

Bugle,  175 

Breakspear,  256 

Brodder,  245 

Bugler,  175 

Breeks,  54 

Brodribb,  139 

Buist,  55 

Breffit,  91 

Brokenshire,  88 

Bulcock,  92 

Breitfuss,  301 

Brolly,  55 

Bullas,  97 

Breithaupt,  301 

Brond,  38 

Bullett,  128 

Breitkopf,  301 

Brookhouse,  97 

Bullinger,  15,  in,  279 

Bremer,  295 

Brooksmith,  228 

Bullion,  1  80 

Brend,  55 

Brookwebb,  230 

Bullivant,  247 

Brennand,  256 
Brent,  55 

Broom,  184 
Broster,  121 

Bullpitt,  69 
Bullwinkle,  85 

Bretonner,  216 

Brotherhood,  220 

Billow,  295 

Brettle,  40 

Brothers,  245 

Bulteel,  173 

Brettschneider,  299 
Brevetor,  no 

Brow,  130 
Browell,  55 

Bumbey,  55 
Bunclark,  234 

Brevitt,  no,  n.  2 

Browett,  174 

Bundle,  157 

Brewill,  55 

Brown,  154 

Bunker,  142 

Brewis,  97 

Brownbill,  161 

Bunt,  230,  n.  2 

Brewitt,  174 

Brownett,  128 

Burchard,  39 

Brewster,  230,  n.  i 

Brownie,  133 

Burchett,  39 

Brick,  112,  n.  2 
Brickdale,  112,  n.  2 

Brown  John,  242 
Brownsmith,  225 

Burdas,  96 
Burder,  117 

Bricker,  112,  n.  2 

Browns  word,  161 

Burdis,  96 

Brickett,  88,  112,  n.  2 

Bruce,  13 

Bur  don,  154 

Brickland,  112,  n.  2 

Bruckshaw,  88 

Burdus,  96 

Brickman,  237 

Brudenell,  62 

Burenfeind,  302 

Brickmaster,  112 
Brickstock,  112,  «.  2 

Bru^l,  55 
Brulebois,  257 

Burfoot,  141 
Burgermeister,  300 

Brickwood,  112,  n.  2. 

Brulefer,  257 

Burgoyne,  103,  n.  2 

Briddock,  94 

Brumfit,  91 

Burkenshaw,  88 

Brideoke,  94 

B  runner,  295 

Burkmay,  248 

Bridger,  112 

Brush,  55 

Burler,  115,  n.  2 

Bridges,  71,  n. 

Brushett,  55 

Burls,  71,  n. 

Bridgett,  128,  n.  i 

Bruton,  315 

Burnage,  34 

Bridgman,  112 

Bruttner,  216,  315 

Burnand,  256 

Briggenshaw,   88 

Bryan,  321 

Burnard,  34 

Brighteve,  43 

Bryanson,  321 

Burnell,  34,  309 

Brightey,  133 

Bubear,  54 

Burness,  256 

Brightman,  43 

Buchbinder,  299 

Burnett,  34,  309 

Brightmore,  43 

Buche,  134 

Burnhouse,  256 

Brimmer,  43 

Buck,  56 

Burnip,  63 

Brind,  55 

Buckaway,  100 

Burnish,  34 

Brindejonc,  304 

Buckett,  156 

Burniss,  256 

Brisbane,  256 

Buckland,  99 

Burnouf,  36 

Brisemur,  256 

Buckle,  152 

Burnstone,  34 

Brisker,  104 

Buckler,  1  60,  235 

Burnyeatt,  91 

Brispot,  256 

Bucklin,  257 

Burpitt,  69 

336 


INDEX 


Burrell,  154 

Camis,  133 

Cathelineau,  284 

Burret,  309 

Cammidge,  66,  n. 

Catherall,  266 

Burrows,  98 

Cammis,  133 

Catherwood,  266 

Burrus,  98 

Cammish,  133 

Catinat,  284 

Burst,  55 

Campion,  213 

Catlin,  322 

Burstall,  54 

Cample  John,  242 

Cato,  216 

Burstenbinder,  299 

Candeland,  100 

Cator,  120 

Burton,  60 

Canrobert,  280 

Cattermole,  68 

Burtonshaw,  88 

Cantrell,  287 

Cattle,  39 

Bushrod,  155 
Buskin,  153 

Cantwell,  254 
Cape,  150 

Caudery,  306 
Cauldwell,  254 

Bustin,  86 

Caplin,  159 

Cave,  132 

Butchart,  307 

Capon,  201,  n. 

Cavell,  132 

Butcher,  in,  307 

Capp,  146 

Caverner,  325 

Butler,  105 

Cappleman,  237 

Cawcutt,  92 

Butlin,  257 
Butt,  56 

Capron,  15,  146 
Capstick,  258 

Cawley,  319,  n.  i 
Cawsey,  69 

Butterfill,  169 

Carass,  97 

Cawson,  240 

Butterfant,  256 

Carbonnel,  315 

Cawthra,  84 

Buttersack,  304 

Cardinall,  199 

Cawthry,  84 

Buttery,  106 

Careless,  149 

Cayzer,  199 

Buttifant,  256,  n. 

Caress,  97 

Cemery,  87 

Button,  153 

Carker,  112 

Chadband,  230,  n.  3 

Buttonshaw,  88 

Carle,  234 

Chaff,  132 

Buttress,  98 

Carlin,  234 

Chaffer,  172 

Buxton,  320 
Buzzard,  201,  n. 

Carloss,  149 
Carlton,  n,  n. 

Chalk,  58 
Challen,  103,  n.  2 

Byas,  51,  «.  2 

Carnell,  108 

Chamberlain,  105 

Bycroft,  51 

Carr,  58 

Chambers,  105 

Byers,  51,  n.  2,  54 

Carratt,  171 

Champion,  213 

Byford,  51 

Carrett,  171 

Champneys,  103,  n.  2 

Bygott,  51 

Carrier,  112 

Chance,  218 

Bygrave,  51 

Carritt,  171 

Chandos,  281 

Bygreaves,  51 

Carrodus,  88 

Changarnier,  281 

Eying,  51 

Carrott,  171 

Chantavoine,  280 

Bysouth,  51 

Carroway,  100 

Chanter  eau,  287 

Bythesea,  51 

Carruthers,  88 

Chanterelle,  287 

Bytheway,  51 

Cart,  171 

Chantler,  267 

Bywater,  51 

Carter,  323 

Chantrell,  287 

Cartledge,  65 

Chantrey,  109 

Cachemaille,  271 

Cartlick,  65 

Chantry,  109 

Caddell,  255 

Cartwright,  227 

Chaplin,  159 

Cadle,  255 
Caesar,  216 

Carty,  319,  n.  i 
Carus,  97 

Chappell,  147 
Charbonneau,  147,  n.  i, 

Caffyn,  132 

Car  vail,  262 

315 

Cage,  56 

Carvell,  262 

Charbonnel,  147,  n.  i 

Cake,  114,  n.  i,  124,173 

Carver,  105 

Chare,  74 

Calcott,   92 
Caldecote,  92 

Carvill,  262 
Casembrood,  172,  303 

Charge,  210,  n.  3 
Charity,  218 

Calder,  161,  n. 

Casement,  319,  ».  i 

Charker,  112 

Calderside,  161,  n. 

Cashman,  267 

Charnell,  109 

Caldwall,  255 

Castelnau,  281 

Charrier,  112 

Caller,  119 

Caswell,  255 

Charteris,  97 

Callister,  319,  n.  i 

Catch,  171 

Charters,  96 

Callow,  56 

Catcheside,  262 

Chasseloup,  260,  289 

Callwell,  254 

Catchlove,  260 

Chassepot,  289 

Calvey,  133 

Catchpole,  269 

Chdteauneuf,  281 

Camamile,  187 

Cater,  120 

Chaucer,  317 

Cambrey,  103,  n.  2 

Cathedrall,  266,  n.  4 

Chauser,  317 

INDEX 


337 


Chave,  132 

CUmenceau,  279 

Coppack,  94 

Chaytor,  120 

Clench,  56 

Copper,  119 

Cheales,  71,  n. 

Clinch,  56 

Coppock,  94 

Cheap,  74,  «. 
Cheater,  120 

Clinkscales,  258 
Clish,  319,  n.  i 

Copus   98 
Corbally,  160 

Checker,  no 

Cloake,  150 

Cor  day,  281 

Checkland,  100 

Clodd,  57 

Corderay,  306 

Checklin,  100 

Clothes,  172 

Cordery,  306 

Cheek,  133 

Clothier,  172 

Cordier,  281 

Cheeper,  116 

Cloud,  57 

Cords,    172 

Cheers,  74 

Clout,  57 

Cordurey,  306 

Cheesewright,  227 

Clown,  89 

Cordwell,  254 

Cheke,   133 

Clubb,  154,  155 

Cordwent,  172 

Chequer,  no 

Clunn,  57 

Corkitt,  92 

Cherfils,  196,  247 

Clyne,  57 

Cormell,  66,  n. 

Chermside,  161,  n. 

Coachafer,  325 

Corn,  185 

Chessman,  237 

Coate,  148 

Corneille,  290 

Chesterman,  237 

Cobbett,  43 

Cosher,  248 

Chettle,  39 

Cobbold,  43 

Cosier,  115 

Cheyne,  56 
Chilcock,  92 

Cock,  57,  239,  324 
Cockbain,  143 

Cospatrick,  238,  n. 
Cossack,  326 

Child,  245,  307 

Cockett,  128 

Costard,  194 

Childerhouse,  96 

Cockhead,  128 

Coster,  194 

Children,  96 
Chilmaid,  248 

Cocks,  324 
Cockshoot,  57 

Cosway,  69 
Cottis,  97 

Chilman,  237 

Cockshott,  57 

Cottle,  43,  148 

Chilvers,  39 

Cockspur,  163 

Couch,  132,  ».  i 

Chinn,  134 

Coffin,  132 

Coughtrey,   327 

Chiplin,  130,  n. 

Colas,  282 

Coultas,  97 

Chipper,  116 

Colbrain,  38 

Coulter,  1  68 

Chirnside,  161,  «. 

Coldbreath,  326 

Coulthard,  168 

Chisell,  1  68 

Coldicott,  92 

Coultish,  97 

Choak,  56 

Coldtart,  168,  «.  i 

Counsell,  221 

Cholmondeley,  14,  n. 

Coleman,  n,  n. 

Count,   199 

Chown,  141,  n. 

Collar,  147 

Counter,  115 

Choyce,  217 

Collarbone,  143 

Counterpatch,  327 

Christ,  208 

Colledge,  95 

Couper,  323 

Christian,  211 

Collingbine,  191 

Courage,  217 

Christopher,  209 

Collinssplatt,  78 

Courtenay,  132 

Chuck,  56 

Collop,  174 

Cousins,  245 

Chugg,  56 
Church,  47 

Coltard,   168 
Coltman,  237 

Coustos,  208,  n.  2 
Coverlid,  146 

Churchers,  96 

Columbine,  191 

Cowderoy,  307 

Churn,  161,  n. 

Colvin,  n 

Cowdery,  306 

Churnside,  161,  «. 

Comer,  119 

Cowell,  146 

Cinnamond,  87 

Comfort,  220 

Cowhorn,  326 

Circuitt,  220 

Commander,  207 

Cowl,  146 

Circus,  98 

Comper,  245 

Cowmeadow,  85 

Claggitt,  91 

Conduct,  177 

Cowper,  323 

Clampitt,  69 

Conrad,  293 

Cowtas,  97 

Clapshaw,  153 

Conybeare,  54 

Cox,  16,  324 

Clapshoe,  153 

Cook,  15,  105 

Coxhead,  128 

Clarges,  230 

Cookson,  239 

Coxon,  234 

Clarkin,  235 

Coolbeer,  174 

Coy,  314 

Clarkson,  239 

Cooper,  323 

Cozens,  245 

Clarvis,   83 

Cope,  150 

Cozze,  245 

Clay,  58 

Copestake,  258 

Cracknell,  114,  n.  i 

Cleall,  62 

Copestick,  258 

Cradle,  57 

Cleggett,  .91 

Copner,   122 

Cradock,  7 

333 


INDEX 


Crafer,  104 

Curtain,  57 

David,  204 

Craft,  219 

Curthose,   145,   152 

Davignon,  285 

Crakbone,  256 

Curthoys,  152 

Davranche,  285 

Crane,  201,  w. 

Curtis,  152 

Daw.  201,  n. 

Crankhorn,  35,  n. 

Curtius,  305 

Dawbarn,  225,  247 

Crankshaw,  35,  n. 

Curtler,  118 

Dawtrey,  327 

Crannis,  98 

Gushing,   106 

Day,  41,  226 

Crapper,  114 

Cushion,  106,  327 

Daybell,  43 

Crawcour,  272 

Custard,  194 

Dayburn,  247 

Creaser,  104 

Custer,  194 

Dayman,  41 

Creazer,  104 

Cutbush,  258 

Dayment,  158 

Creedybridge,  161,  ». 

Cutcliff,  21 

Daymond,   41,    158 

Crenk-,  35,  n. 

Cutlove,  261 

Dayson,  239 

Crennell,  108 

Cuttell,  43 

Dayus,  98 

Crewdson,  240 

Cuttle,  148 

Deal,  57 

Crink-,  35,  n. 

Czech,  295 

Dealbridge,  51 

Cripps,  20,  132 

Deal  chamber,  51 

Crisp,  20,  132 

Dabell,  43 

Dearborn,  247 

Croft,  219 

Dack,  41 

Dearlove,  260 

Croix,  285 

Daddow,  180 

Dearth,  221,  n. 

Croker,  272 

Dagger,  160 

Death,  221,  n. 

Cromack,  94 

Daggett,  41 

de  Beer,  301 

Cronk-,  35,  n. 

Dainteth,  223 

De  Broglie,  55 

Crook,  63 

Dainty,  223 

Debutt,  40 

Crookshanks,  124,  140 

Daish,  51 

Deebanks,  161,  n. 

Cross,  307 

Daisy,  191 

Deeble,  40 

Croswell,  73 

Dale,  58 

Deeming,  222 

Crothers,  88 

Dallamore,  51 

de  Hoogh,  301 

Crowdace,  88 

Dallas,  97 

Delabroui>se,  55 

Crowdson,  240 

Dallicoat,  51 

Delacroix,  285 

Crowfoot,  141 

Dallicott,  51 

Delahunt,  51,  229 

Crowne,  145 

Dally  waters,  51 

Delapeyrere,   286 

Crowson,  240 

Damant,  41 

De  la  Pryme,  180,  n.  2 

Crucifix,  167 

Dame,  248,  n.  i 

Delarbre,  280 

Cruddas,  88 

Darner,  41 

Delarey,  72 

Cruickshank,  140 

Dames,  248,  n.  i 

Delasalle,  285 

Crum,  57 

Damiens,  285 

Delbridge,  51 

Crumb,  173 

Damm,  248,  n.  i 

Delbriick,  296 

Crummock,  94 

Damms,  248,  n.  i 

Delcasse,  286 

Crump,  57 

Damsell,  249 

Delderfield,  51 

Crundall,  57 

Damson,   193 

Delf,  58 

Crundle,  57 

Dancer,   118 

Delhay,  51 

Crunk-,  35,  n. 

Danckwerts,  42 

Delhuary,  106 

Crust,  173 

Dando,  180 

Dellaway,  51 

Cubitt,  43 

Dankl,  293 

Dellew,  51 

Cuckson,  239 

Dansereau,  287 

Dellow,  51 

Cudlipp,  21 

Danvers,  51 

Delph,  58 

Cue,  318 

Darboy,  280 

Del  pier  re,  285 

Culpepper,  268 
Cumberpatch,  327 

Darcy,  51 
Darey,  108 

Delves,  58 
Demichel,  284 

Cundick,  177 

Darnell,  188 

Denis,  10 

Cupiss,  216 

Dart,  245 

Denisard,  10 

Cupitt,  216 

Darter,  161 

Denison,  315,  n.  i 

Cupper,  119 

Dash,  51 

Denmaid,  248 

Curate,  210 

Dashper,  213 

Dennis,  14 

Curie,  132 

Dashwood,  51 

Dent,  127 

Curley,  132 

Daudet,  283 

Dentith,  223 

Currant,  329 

Daughtery,  327 

Depew,  286 

Curson,  211 

D  avers,  51 

Depledge,  65 

INDEX 


339 


Dernburg,  296 

Dogood,  262 

Dubailleul,  286 

Derrick,  40 

Dole,  57 

Duberley,  51 

Derry,  40 

Dolittle,  22 

Dubertrand,  284 

Desbleds,  185 

Dolloway,   51 

Du  Boulay,  51 

Desbrosses,  55 

Dollymore,  51 

Dubreuil,  55 

Descartes,  2  90 

Domesday,  109 

Dubuisson,  280 

Desmasures,  104 

Doolittle,  259 

Ducat,  177 

Desmoulins,  279 

Doorbar,  326 

Ducker,  102 

Desorges,  186 

Doowra,  84 

Duckering,  103 

Despagne,  285 

Dore,  157 

Duckers,  96 

Despots,  285 

Dorfschmidt,  298 

Duckett,  128,  177 

Despreaux,  286 

Dorrell,  44 

Duckhouse,  96 

Dethridge,  40 

Dorsey,  51 

Duclaux,  280 

Deutsch,  64,  n.  2 

Dot,  10 

Duclos,  280 

Devill,  209 

Dottin,  10,  283 

Duell,  58 

Devlin,  22,  n. 

Doubleday,  236 

Dufaure,  287 

Devrient,  201 

Doublett,  150 

Dufour,  286 

Dewberry,  193 

Doubt,  327 

Du  Fournet,  286 

Dewell,  58 

Doubtfire,  258 

Dugard,  182 

de  Witt,  301 

Doubting,   327 

Dugort,  6  1 

Dewsnap,  78 

Doust,   58 

Duguid,  262 

Dewsnip,  78 

Doutrepont,  49 

Duly,  182 

Diamond,  41,  158 

Dovet,   128 

Dumas,  286 

Diaper,  103 

Dovey,  133 

Dumesnil,  286 

Dibb,  58 

Dowd,  327 

Dumouriez,  280 

Dibble,  58,  209,  n.  i 

Dowding,  327 

Dumphrey,  39 

Dible,  209,  n.  i 

Dowell,  58,  254 

Dumpress,  39 

Dickhaut,  301 

Dowey,  103,  n.  2 

Dumsday,  109 

Dickman,  231 

Dowle,  58 

Dunbabin,  242 

Didcock,  92 

Downhard,  52 

Dunbobbin,  242 

Diderot,  285 

Downton,  52 

Duncalf,  241 

Didon,  285 

Downward,  52 

Dunnaker,  93 

Didot,  285 

Drage,  186 

Diinnebacke,  301 

Dienst,  302 

Dragon,  209 

Dunnett,  87,  n.  3 

Dietrich,  293 

Drain,  58 

Dunphie,  107 

D/0te,  293 

Drakers,  96 

Dunsire,  248 

Digweed,  262 

Drakeyoung,  243 

Dunt,  58 

Dillamore,  51 

Drane,  58 

Dupleix,  70 

Dillicar,  58 

Drawater,  257 

Duplessis,  286 

Dillistones,  51 

Drawbridge,   106 

Duplex,  70 

Dilloway,  51 

Drawer,  116 

Duplock,  70 

Dingle,  40 

Dredge,  186 

Dupont,  279 

Dintenfass,  167,  n.  3 

Dreng,  234 

Duppery,  51 

Diotisalvi,  317,  w.  2 

Dresser,  116 

Dupre,  51,  279 

Diplock,  70 

Drew,  310 

Dupree,  51 

Dipper,  103 

Drews,  310 

Dupuis,  285 

Dipple,  40 

Dreyfus,  166 

Dupuy,  286 

Diprose,  286 

Dring,  234 

Duquesne,  286 

Disher,  117 

Drinkale,  259 

Durbar,  326 

Dishman,  117 

Drinkall,  259 

Durden,  127,  n. 

Dismore,  178 

Drinkhall,  259,  »• 

Duredent,  127,  n. 

Disper,  215 

Drinkwater,   252 

Durescu,  160 

Ditcheatt,  91 

Dron,  58 

Durose,  85 

Ditchett,  91,  n.,  128,  n.  i 

Drought,  217 

Durrell,  44 

Diver,  102 

Druce,  310 

Dussault,  286 

Dixneuf,  179,  n. 

Drudge,  186 

Dust,  329 

Dobson,  314 

Drum,  176 

Dusting,  329 

Docker,  103 

Drummer,  176 

Dutoit,   108 

Doggett,  128 

Dryander,  305 

Dwerryhouse,  98 

340 


INDEX 


Dwight,  89 

Elvish,  32 

Fairgray,  230 

Dyas,  96 

Elwall,  32 

Fairgrief,  230 

Dyball,  40 

Elwin,  32 

Fairhead,  128 

Dyhouse,  96 

Emblem,  217 

Fairless,  149 

Dyson,  315 

Emblin,  217 

Fairman,  38 

Dyter,   115 

Emery,  41 

Fairmaner,  240 

Emmett,  325 

Fairminer,  240 

Eachard,  38 
Ealand,  59 

Emperor,  199 
Enderwick,  52 

Fairplay,  232 
Fairservice,  221 

Bales,  62 

Engeham,  219 

Fairweather,  235,  «.  i 

Eames,  245 

England,  64 

Faith,  218 

Earl,  241 

Engleheart,  31 

Fakes,  45 

Earp,  44 

English,  64,  n.  2 

Falcke,  302 

Earskin,  143 

Ennion,  7,  191 

Falcon,  45,  n. 

Earthy,  36 

Ennis,  64 

Falconas,  97 

Eastaway,  70,  76,  n. 

Enock,  206 

Falgate,  91 

Eastland,  99 

Enslin,  31 

Falkenhayn,  296 

Eastwood,  90 

Enticknap,  21 

Falkous,  97 

Eat  well,  255 

Enys,  64 

Fall,  59 

Eaves,  59 

Erbsmehl,  303 

Fann,  59,  107 

Eberhard,  293 

Erwin,  35 

Fanner,  59 

Eberlin,  35 

Escreet,  87 

Fant,  245,  247 

Ebers,  35 

Essery,  86,  n.  2 

Faraday,  233 

Eborn,  75,  «• 

Esson,  240 

Faraway,  100 

Eck,  295 
Ecorcheville,  257,  288 

Ethawes,  50 
Ettershank,  140 

Farbrace,  140 
Farbrother,  247 

Edicker,  44 

Evamy,  197 

Fardell,  59 

Edmead,  50 

Eve,  204 

Farebrother,  247 

Eeles,  62 

Everard,  34,  35 

Fareweather,  235,  n.  i 

Efemey,  197 

Everett,  35,  95,  322 

Farewell,  181,  n.  i,  220 

Ehrenkonig,  304 

Everwin,  35 

Farman,  38 

Ehrlich,  301 

Ewart,  ii 

Farmery,  107 

Eichhorn,  302 

Ewbank,   161,  n. 

Farminer,  240 

Eidam,  246 

Ewer,  105 

Farmmedows,  85 

Eighteen,  179 

Expence,  106 

Farndell,  59 

Eisenbeiss,  303 

Eye,  125,  133 

Farnorth,  89 

Eland,  59 

Eyett,  133 

Farraker,  93 

Elborn,  75,  n. 

Eynon,  191 

Farrar,  131 

Elcock,   92 

Farrimoncl,  39 

Elder,  248 

Faber,  15 

Farrow,  205 

Element,  217 

Fabre,  280 

Farthing,  38,  59,  177 

Elfleet,  32 

Fabricius,  305 

Farwell,  220 

Elflitt,  32 

Face,  130 

Fassbcnder,  299 

Elgar,  1  68 

Facer,  273 

Fathers,  146,  244 

Ellicock,  92 

Facon,  45,  n. 

Fatout,  289 

Ellicott,  92 

Fadder,  244 

Faultless,  149 

Elliman,  217 

Faehndrick,  300 

Faunt,  245,  247 

Ellwand,  164 

Faggetter,  115 

Fauntleroy,  247 

Eliway,  37 

Fairbairn,  247 

Faure,  280 

Elnough,  32 

Fairbard,  240 

~Paust,  127,  301 

Elphick,  ii 

Fairbeard,   136,   240 

Fa  veil,  132 

Elrod,  164 

Fair  brass,  140 

Fawcus,  97 

Elsdsser,  295 

Fairbrother,  247 

Fawkes,  45,  n. 

Elsegood,  243 

Fairburn,  247 

Fazakerley,  20 

Elster,  301 

Fairchild,  247 

Feakes,  45,  n. 

Elston,  32 

Faircloth,  88 

Fear,  318 

Elver,  32 

Fairer,  131 

Fearing,  329 

Elvidge,  32 

Fairest,  95 

Fearnside,  184 

Elvin,  ii 

Fairfoul,  250,  n.,  319 

Fearon,  329 

INDEX 


Feast,  127 

Flattery,  222 

Forse,  60 

Feather,  146 

Plavell,  132 

Forss,  60 

Featherstonehaugh,  62 

Flawn,  114,  «.  i 

Forstner,  297 

Feggs,  45,  n. 

Flaxman,  237 

Fortescue,  160 

Felgate,  91 

Flay,  325 

Fortnum,  241 

Felthouse,  96 

Flear,  112 

Forty,  179 

Fenbough,  86 

Flechier,  287 

Forward,  52 

Fennell,  188,  189 

Flecker,  112 

Fosdike,  60 

Penning,  65 

Fleischhauer,  299 

Foskett,  91 

Ferdasne,  1  66 

Fleming,   103,  n.  2 

Foss,  60 

Fereday,  233 

F  lemming,  295 

Fossey,  63 

Ferler,  114 

Flesher,  in 

Fostall,  60 

Fermidge,  174 

Fletcher,  in 

Foster,  119 

Fern,  184 

Flewitt,  176 

Foster  john,2  2  8  n.  i,  242 

Ferriday,  233 

Flicker,  112 

Foucault,  290 

Ferron,  288 

Flinders,  130,  n. 

Foucht,  282 

Fertt,  286 

Flirty,  325 

Foulkes,  45 

Fessey,  139 

Flood,  142 

Four,  179 

Fettiplace,  258 

Flook,  45 

Fouracre,  93 

Fhire,  280 

Flower,  189 

Fourreau,  73 

Fewkes,  45 

Flowerday,   197 

Fournel,   169 

Fewster,  119 

Flowerdew,  197 

Fouweather,  235,  n.  i 

Fice,  244 

Floyd,  142 

Fower,  114 

Fichte,  295 

Fluck,  45 

Foweraker,  93 

Fiddian,  39 

Flud,  142 

Fowkes,  45 

Fidel,  176 

Fluke,  45 

Foxon,  240 

Fiddy,   39 

Flute,  176 

Foyle,  60 

Fiddyment,  39 

Flutter,  176 

Foyster,  119 

Fidler,  176 

Flux,  45 

Framboise,  194 

Fielding,  65 

Flv,  325 

Framboisier,   1  94 

Fifehead,  2,   128 

Fo'ad,  246 

France,  64,  n.  2 

Fifett,  2,  128 

Foakes,  45 

Frangipani,  252 

Fifoot,  91 

Foat,  246 

Frankland,  99 

Filbert,  193 

Foch,  46,  282 

Frary,  109 

File,  1  68 

Fochier,  2  82 

Frater,  107 

Files,  169 

Fogg,  45 

Frazer,  39 

Fill,  1  68 

Foister,  119 

Freeh,  300 

Fillery,  18,  247 

Foljambe,   141 

Freebody,  129 

Filon,  283 

Folgate,  91 

Freeborn,  44 

Filpot,  263 

Folk,  45 

Freeborough,  180 

Finbow,  86 

Folkard,  27,  40 

Freeguard,  41 

Findeisen,  304 

Folker,  38,  45 

Freeland,  99 

Fink,  301 

Folkes,  45 

Freelove,  29,  39 

Finnis,  97,  216 

Food,  246 

Freeman,  42 

Firbank,  161,  n. 

Fooks,  45 

Freemantle,  148 

Firebrace,  140 

Foot,  125,  n.  i,  141 

Freemont,  29 

Fireman,  38 

Force,  60 

Freestone,  39 

Firmage,  174 

Fordy,  179 

Frere,  215,  245 

Fish  wick,  223 

Forehead,  130 

Freshney,  87 

Fist,  127 

Foresight,  217 

Fret  well,  255 

Fitchell,  no 

Forfeitt,  219 

Freude,  302 

Fitton,  219 

Forget,  91 

Frew,  46 

Fitz,  244 

Forgrieve,  230 

Frewin,  46 

Fitzackerley,  20 

Forkett,  91 

Frey,  301 

Fitzhull,  319 

Forman,  230 

Freytag,  302 

Flambert,  275 

Forrestal,  60 

Friary,  109 

Flather,  114 
Flatman,  60 

Forresthill,  85 
Forrett,  130 

Fricker,  39,  102 
Friendship,  220 

Flatt,  59 

Forsdike,  60 

Frift,  220 

342 


INDEX 


Fright,  60 

Gaicote,  148 

Frizell,  39 

Gaiger,  171 

Frogson,  240 

Gainer,  ^Jer" 

Frohlich,   301 

Gaiter,  125,  152 

Froissart,  40 

Gale,  311 

Froment,  185 

Gales,  311 

Frostick,  60 

Gall,  311 

Frow,  46 

Gallantree,  60 

Froysell,  39 

Gallery,  108 

Fruen,  46 

Galletly,  253 

Fruhling,  302 

Galley,  171 

Frushard,  40 

Galliver,  192 

Frusher,  40 

Gallon,  311 

Fryer,  215 

Gamage,  66,  n. 

Fuchs,  302 

Gambray,  103,  n.  2 

Fudge,  45 

Gamson,  159 

Fudger,  45 

Ganner,  316 

Fuge,  45 

Gansauge,  301 

Fuggle,  79 

Gape,  248,  n.  i 

Fuke,  45 

Gapp,  284,  n.  i 

Fulcher,  38,  45 

Garaud,  283 

Fulk,  45 

Garb  ally,  160 

Fulker,  38,  45 

Gardebois,  289 

Fullalove,  260 

Gargate,  135 

Fiillgrabe,  303 

Gargett,  135 

Fullilove,  260 

Garland,  312 

Full  james,  141 

Garlick,  124,  188 

Fullkrug,  263,  303 

Garnham,  137 

Fullman,  237 

Garnon,   137 

Fulloway,  268 

Garot,  283 

Fulloon,  114 

Garrett,  21,  108 

Fun/schilling,   302 

Garrod,  21 

Filnfstuck,  302 

Garrood,  21 

Funnell,  169 

Garroway,  100 

Fiirbringer,  299 

Garston,  60 

Fiirchtegott,  261 

.  Gartland,  312 

Furchtenicht,  304 

Gartrude,  29 

Furler,  114 

Garvin,  38 

Furmidge,  174 

Garwood,  21 

Furmy,  325 

Gash,  311 

Furnace,  108 

Gasper,  158 

Furnell,  169 

Gass,  311 

Furness,  108 

Gasson,  311 

Furnish,  108 

Gastebled,  262 

Furrell,  73 

Gastebois,  262 

Ftirst,  299 

Gatbtt,  262 

Furze,  184 

Gate,  91,  312 

Fuster,  119 

Gater,  152 

Futcher,  38,  45 

Gates,  312 

Fylde,  169 

Gatherall,  266 

Gathercole,  266 

Gaby,  249 

Gatherer,  116 

Gadd,  155 

Gathergood,  262 

Gaff,  245 

Gatling,  322 

Gaffer,  245 

Gaukrodger,  243 

Gage,  171,  n. 

Gaul,  311 

Gager,  171 

Gaunt,  21 

Gagnedenier,  263 

Gauntlett,   151 

Gagnepain,  277 

Gawler,  in 

Gaybell,  243 
Gayfer,  245 
Gaynor,  316 
Gayter,  152 
Gay  tor,  152 
Gazard,  241,  ».  2 
Gaze,  311 
Geary,  316 
Geator,  152 
Gebhardt,  44 
Gelhaar,  301 
Gellatly,  253 
Gellibrand,  39 
Gemmell,  249 
Gennery,   108 
Genower,  108 
Gentleman,  105 
Gentry,  218 
George,  209 
Germain,  206,  n. 
Gerstenkorn,  303 
Gessler,  43 
Getgood,  262 
Geyer,  301 
Ghost,  214 
Gibbons,  315 
Giberne,  247 
Giblett,  142 
Giffard,  44 
Giggle,  157 
Gilbert,  43 
Gildemeister,   299 
Gildersleeve,  151 
Gilham,  279 
Gillies,  238,  n. 
Gillibrand,  39 
Gillingwater,  161,  «* 
Gilliver,  192 
Gilman,  236 
Gilpin,  161,  n. 
Gilstrap,  95 
Giltpen,  161,  n. 
Gimblett,  169 
Ginger,  188 
Ginnery,  108 
Giotto,  30 

Girdwood,  252,  n.  3 
Gladstone,  255 
Gladwin,  43 
Glaisher,  227 
Glave,  162 
Gleadle,  255 
Gleaves,  162 
Gledhill,  255 
Gledstanes,  255 
Glew,  219 
Glidewell,  255 
Gluck,  302 
Glue,  219 


INDEX 


GneisenaUj  295 
Goacher,  248 

Goodday,  233 
Goodearl,  241 

Goad,  208 

Goodenough,  318 

Gobb,  30 

Goodered,  221 

Gobbett,  30 

Goodey,  236 

Gobby,  30 

Goodfellow,  232 

Gobert,  30 

Goodgame,  232 

Goble,  30 

Goodhart,  142 

Godbehere,  181 

Goodheart,  142 

Godbolt,  30 
Goddard,  231 
Godsall,  21,  182,  244,  n. 

Goodhead,  220 
Goodhew,  232 
Goodhind,  231 

Godsave,  316 

Goodhue,  232 

Godsell,  21,  42 

Goodhugh,  232 

Godsiff,  316 

Goodier,  314 

Godsmark,  246 

Goodiff,  236 

Godson,  208,  245 

Goodjohn,  242 

Godwin,  27 

Goodlad,  231 

Goe,  328 

Goodlamb,  241 

Goeben,  292 

Goodland,  99 

Goethe,  30,  292 

Goodlass,  231 

Goetz,  292 
Goffin,  132,  n.  i 

Goodlet,  231 
Goodlud,  231 

Going,  329 

Goodman,  236 

Gold,  46,  157 

Goodnow,  318 

Golden,  157 

Goodread,  221 

Goldhawk,  45 

Goodred,  221 

Goldicott,  92 

Goodrich,  30 

Golding,   157,  328 

Goodrop,  242 

Goldmore,  45 

Goodrum,  37 

Goldney,  133 

Goodsall,  182 

Goldring,  157 

Goodsir,  248 

Goldspring,  78 

Goodship,  218 

Goldstraw,  196 

Goodson,  247 

Goldstone,  41 

Goodspeed,  218 

Goldswain,  234 

Goodswen,  234 

Goldwin,  27,  45 

Goodswin,  234 

Golfter,   35 

Goodway,  37 

Golightly,  253 

Goodwill,  243 

Gombert,  43 

Goodwillie,  243 

Gomme,  134 

Goodwin,  30 

Gompertz,  43 

Goodwright,  227 

Gondibert,  43 

Goose,  201,  n.,  241,  n.  2 

Goninfaure,  228,  n.  i 

Gooseman,  241,  n.  2 

Good,  30 

Goosey,  133 

Goodair,  314 

Gorse,  184 

Goodale,  174 

Gorstidge,  90 

Goodbairn,  230,  247 

Gorsuch,  90 

Goodban,  230 

Gort,  61 

Goodband,  230,  247 

Gospatrick,  238,  n. 

Goodbeer,   124,    174 

Gossage,  90 

Goodbehere,   181 

Gossett,  128 

Goodbody,  129 
Goodbrand,  243 

Gossip,  119,  245 
Gostick,  90 

Goodbun,  230,  247 

Gostige,  90 

Goodchap,  232 

Got,  284 

Goodcheap,  232 

Gotbed,  268 

Goodchild,  225,  225,  n., 

Gotobed,  268 

247 

Gott,  50 

343 

Gottbehiit,  302 

Gotthel/,  302 
Gotts  chalk,  42 
Gottwaltz,  302 
Goucher,  248 
Gough,  132,  n,  i 
Goulden,  157 
Gover,  98,  253,  n.  i 
Governor,  207 
Govier,  98 
Govis,  98 
Gower,  314 
Gowler,  in 
Goy,  328 

Gozzard,  241,  n.  2 
Graddige,  196 
Graff,  299 
Grain,  156 
Graindorge,  196 
Grandage,  196 
Grandclement,  285 
Grandcolas,  285 
Grandison,  246 
Grangier,  288 
Grape,  61 
Grapes,  193 
Grasett,  128,  n.  i 
Grasmeder,  114 
Gratton,  60 
Gravenor,  229 
Gravett,  128,  n.  i 
Grayfoot,  141 
Grayson,  239 
Greatbatch,  53 
Greathed,  128 
Greaves,  160 
Greed,  219 
Greedy,  219 
Green,  16,  154 
Greenacre,  76,  n. 
Greenall,  62,  76,  n. 
Greenaway,  70,  76,  n. 
Greenberry,  76,  ». 
Greener,  104,  n.  2 
Greenfield,  76,  n. 
Greengrass,  76,  «.,  186 
Greenhalgh,  61,  76,  n. 
Greenhall,  62,  76,  n. 
Greenhead,  76,  n. 
Greenhill,  76,  n. 
Greenhorn,  76,  ».,  89, 

n.  2 

Greenhough,  76,  «. 
Greenhouse,  76,  n. 
Greening,  65,  76,  n. 
Greenist,  76,  «.  i,  95 
Greenland,  76,  w. 
Greenlaw,  76,  «. 
Greenleaf,  215 


344 


INDEX 


Greenlees,  76,  n. 

Guest,  102 

Half  acre,  93 

Greenoak,  94 

Guill-,  282 

Half  head,  128 

Gieenop,  76,  n. 

Guillaume,  279 

Half  hide,  128,  n.  3 

Greenprice,  228,  n.  i 

Guinea,  177 

Half  night,  235 

Greenrod,  76,  n.,  155 

Guiscard,  137 

Halfpenny,  17" 

Greenrovd,  76,  n. 

Gullard,  204 

Halfside,  138 

Gieensall,  73,  76,  «• 

Gullett,  204 

Haliburton,  60 

Greenshields,  75,  76,  n. 

Gulliver,  35 

Halkett,  62 

Greensides,  76,  n.,  138 

Gully,  204 

Hallas,  97 

Greensill,  76,  n. 

Gullyes,  204 

Halleck,  62 

Greensmith,  228 

Gum,  134 

Hallett,  62 

Greenstock,  76,  n. 

Gumbrell,  44 

Hallman,  235,  n.  2 

Greenup,  73,  76,  w. 

Gumpert,  43 

Hallmark,  178 

Greenward,  76,  «. 

Gunnell,  36,  «.  i,  37, 

Hallowbread,  173 

Greenwebb,  230 

149 

Hallows,  6  1 

Greenwell,  76,  n. 

Gunther,  293 

Hallpike,  51,  161 

Greenwood,  76,  n. 

Gunwin,  37 

Halman,  235 

Greep,  61 

Guntrip,  95 

Halse,  135 

Grenfell,  76,  n. 

Guster,  105 

Halsey,  32 

Grennan,  137 

Gutbier,  303 

Hamahard,  258 

Grethe,  295 

Gutenberg,  296 

Hamar,  169 

Grew,  92 

Guthans,  295 

Hamblock,  184 

Grewcock,  91 

Guthrum,   37 

Hames,  61 

Grey,  154 

Gutjahr,  305 

Hammer,  169 

Greysmith,  229 

Gutknecht,  300 

Hammond,  41 

Grice,  185 

Outsell,  42,  182 

Hamper,  125 

Grief,  230 

Guyer,  112 

Hamon,  41 

Grieve,  226 

Gwyer,  112 

Han,  10,  280 

Griffin,  209 

Gyer,  112 

Hamshar,  75,  88 

Grimble,  40,  44 

Gygas,  305 

Hancock,  313 

Grimmett,  44,  n.  i 

Hand,  139 

Grimshaw,  76,  n. 
Grinrod,  76,  n.,  155 

Habberjam,  159 
Habberjan,  159 

Handasyde,  138 
Handel,  293 

Grinter,  81 

Habbijams,  159 

Handewerk,  304 

Grist,  1  86 

Habenicht,  304 

Handover,  263 

Gristock,  76,  n. 

Habershon,  159 

Hands,  139 

Grobschrnied,  228 

Habgood,  262 

Handsomebody,  129 

Grocott,  91 

Habicht,  302 

Handyside,  138 

Groocock,  91 

Hachette,  168 

Hanfstaengl,  197 

Groom,  105 

Hackblock,  258 

Hanger,  61 

Grosclaude,  285 

Hackenschmidt,  298 

Hankin,  313 

Gr  os  jean,  242 

Hackwood,  258 

Hann,  313 

Gross,  300 

Hadaway,  37 

Hanotaux,  10,  280 

Grossjohann,  295 

Haddrell,  135 

Hanoi,  10,  280 

Grosskopf,  301 

Hadwin,  37 

Hanotot,  10,  280 

Grossmith,  228 

Hagen,  41 

Hans,  294 

Grosvenor,  229 

Haggas,  174 

Hansard,  33,  n. 

Groucott,  91 

Haghand,  257 

Hansell,  31,  33,  n.,  273 

Ground,  61 

Hahn,  302 

Hansom,  20 

Grounds,  61 

Haimes,  61 

Hanson,  313 

Groundwater,  85 

Hain,  41 

Hap  good,  262 

Growcock,  91 

Haines,  41 

Harbord,  44 

Growcott,  91 

Hair,  131 

Harbour,  107 

Grudgeon,  242 

H  airlock,  131 

Hard,  61 

Grummett,  44,  n.  i 

Hakluyt,  264 

Hardacre,  92 

Grun,  154,  300 

Halbard,  161 

Hardaker,  92 

Grundy,  61 

Halbert,  161 

Hardbattle,  152 

Griinewald,  295 

Haldane,  44 

Harder,  61 

Gubbins,  315 

Hale,  62 

Hardicker,  92 

INDEX 


345 


Hardiment,  222 

Hayhoe,  328 

Hew,  232 

Hardman,  42 

Haynes,  41 

Hewes,  232 

Hardrib,  139 

Hayter,  81 

Hewett,  322 

Hardmeat,  186 

Hay  tor,   81 

Hewish,  84 

Hards,  61 

Hay  wood,  112,  n.  2 

Hewlings,  42 

Hardstaff,  145,  155 

Hazard,  218 

Hewson,  239 

Hardware,  165 
Hargood,  38 

Head,  124,  125 
Headborough,  180,  n.  i 

Hibbert,  42 
Hickmott,  246 

Harkaway,  100 

Headland,  99 

Hide,  63 

Harker,  97,  133,  n. 

Headrigg,  99 

Hig-,  321 

Harkey,  133 

Heal,  62,  222 

Higgins,  316 

Harkiris,  133,  n. 

Heald,  62 

Hildick,  37 

Harkus,  97 

Hearn,  62,  n.  2 

Hilditch,  37 

Harliss,  131 

Hearsom,  308 

Hilger,  37 

Harlock,  131 

Hearson,  308 

Hill,  47 

Harman,  28 

Heart,  142 

Hilldrop,  95 

Harnack,  301 

Heath,  62 

Killers,  97 

Harness,  158 

Heathcock,  92 

Hilly  ar,  37 

Harnisch,  159 

Heaven,  210 

Hind,  226 

Harp,  176 

Heaviside,  138 

Hindenburg,  296 

Harper,  176 

Hebbel,  293 

Hinder,   104 

Harrap,  63 

Hebestreit,  304 

Hindhaugh,  52 

Harraway,  37 

Hecht,  302 

Hindman,  237 

Harriman,  236 

Heckler,  115 

Hindmarsh,  52 

Harrismith,  228 

Hector,  81,  216 

Hinds,  232 

Harrison,  308 

Heels,  142 

Hindson,  239 

Harrold,  188,  n. 

Heigho,  328 

Hine,  226,  232 

Harrowsmith,  228 

Heinemann,  295 

Hirsch,  302 

Harsnip,  78 

Hell,  210 

Hitch,  321 

Harsum,  308 

Hellcat,  210,  n.  i 

Hitch-,  321 

Hartfree,  142 

Helm,  63,  159 

Hitcheon,  321 

Hartnoll,  130 

Helmer,  38,  159 

Hitchmough,  246 

Hartnupp,  128 

Helms,  63 

Hoad,  63 

Hartog,  299 
Hartshorn,  64,  89 

Hempenstall,  197 
Hempseed,  124,  196 

Hoath,  63 
Hobart,  42 

Hase,  302 

Hendyside,   138 

Hobgood,  262 

Haskell,  30,  33,  n. 

Henfrey,  41 

Hobman,  40 

Hasluck,  33,  n. 

Henrici,  294 

Hochgeschiirz,  304 

Hassard,  218 

Hensher,  104 

Hockenhall,  87 

Hassett,  218 

Henwright,  227 

Hoffmann,  295 

Hatchard,  33,  n. 

Herapath,  63 

Hofmeister,  300 

Hatchett,  168 

Herbage,  107 

Hogg,  310 

Hatfull,  250,  n. 

Herbert,  44 

Hogness,  132,  n.  2 

Hathaway,  37 

Herbst,  302 

Hogsett,  128 

Hatherall,  135 

Hercules,  215 

Hogsflesh,  172 

Hatred,  37 

Herd,  226 

Holbein,  301 

Hatt,  145,  146 

Herdson,  239 

Holdship,  221 

Hatter,  147,  n.  i 

Herepath,  63 

Hollas,  97 

Hatto,  47 

Herkless,  215 

Hollebon,  143 

Haueisen,  303 

Herod,  207 

Hollier,  102 

Hauenschild,  303 

Herrick,  29 

Holliman,  143,  n.  3 

Haugh,  61 

Hersom,  308 

Hollindrake,  170 

Haupt,  126,  301 

Herwegh,  63 

Hollingrake,  170 

Hauptmann,  300 

HfYzog,  299 

Hollingshead,  220,  n.  3 

Hawke,  62 

Heseltine,  31 

Hollinpriest,  228,  n.  3 

Hawkes,  62 

Hesmondhalgh,  61 

Hollobone,  143 

Hawkett,  128 

Hcss,  295 

Holloman,  143,  n.  3 

Hawkey,  133 

Hcsslich,  300 

Hollowbread,  173 

Hawkins,  32 

Hever,  103 

Hollyhead,  220,  n.  3 

346 


INDEX 


Hollyoak,  94 

Hubble, 

40 

Inglett,  ?i 

Holm  wood,  91 

Hubert, 

42 

Inglis,  64,  n.  2 

Holness,  220 

Hubrecht.  293 

Ingold,  45 

Holyhead,  220,  n.  3 

Hiibsch, 

300 

Ingoll,  31 

Holyoak,  94 

Hucks,  63 

Instance,  221 

Holzhauer,  299 

Huelin,  329 

tremonger,  4 

Honeyball,  33 

Huff,  62 

Ironmonger,  226,  «. 

Honeybourne,  307,  n.  2 

Hufnagel,   166,  304 

Ironside,  138 

Honeybun,    173,    307, 

Huf  schmidt,  298 

Irrgang,  303 

n.  2 

Huggins 

42 

trwin,  35 

Honeychild,  307,  n.  2 

Hugh,  42,  217,  232 

Isbister,  55 

Honeychurch,  307,  n.  2 

Hughes, 

7,  321                    Ivermee,  197 

Honeycomb,  307,  n,  2 

Huish,  84 

[vey,  185 

Honeyman,  237 

Hulance 

161                      Ivimey,  197 

Honeysett,  74,  307,  n.  2 

Hulbert, 

319                       Ivor,  31 

Honeywell,  307,  n.  2 

Hulin,  329                          Ivy,  185 

Honeywill,  308 

Hulk,  64                              Ivyleaf,  196 

Honeywood,  307,  n.  2 

Hull,  319 

Honnor,  63 

Hullett, 

42 

[ack,  150 

Honour,  63,  217 

Hullins, 

161 

[ackaman,  236 

Hood,  15,  145,  146 

Hullyer, 

102 

[ackett,  150 

Hoodless,  149 

Human, 

236 

[ackman,  40 

Hook,  63 

Humbert 

33 

[ackways,  100 

Hope,  63,  218 

Humboldt,  33                      Jacoby,  294 

Hopewell,  254 

Humm,  226,  n.  2              Jagg,  156,  n.  i 

Hopgood,  262 

Humperdinck,  33               Jagow,  295 

Hopper,  118 

Humphrey,  33                    Jakobsen,  7,  n. 

Hopwell,  254 

Hun,  173                              Jamin,  282 

H  or  lick,  131 

Hundertmark,  302              Janders,  97 

Horlock,  131 

Hunerftirst,  305                  Janicot,  283 

Horn,  62,  n.  2.,  64 

Hunnybun,  307,  n.  2       January,  108,  n. 

Hornblow,  268 

Hunt,  226,  229                  Janways,  100 

Hornblower,  176 

Huntbach,  53                     Jarmany,  206,  «. 

Hornbuckle,  152 

Huntback,  263                   Jarvis,  83 

Hornett,  325 

Huntress,  230                     Jasper,  158 

Horniblow,  268 

Huntriss 

,  230                     Jay,  201,  n. 

Horsegood,  30 

Hurlbatt 

,  268                     Jeanroy,  228,  n.  i 

Horsfall,  59 

Hurn,  62 

,  n.  2                     Jeary,  316 

Horsfield,  59,  n. 

Hurst,  47,  95                       Jekyll,  157 

Horsnaill,  165 

Husband,  226,  245            Jellicoe,  283 

Horsnell,  165 

Hush,  106                            Jellicorse,  129 

Hose,  152 

Husher, 

106 

enner,  108 

Hosegood,  30 

Hussey,  236 

ennerway,  100 

Hosmer,  33,  n. 

ennins,  5 

Hough,  62,  310 

Icemonger,  326 

eremiah,  206 

House,  47 

Iddols,  323 

ermany,  206,  n. 

Household,  105 

Idle,  64 

ermy,  206 

Houseman,  237 

Ilett,  64 

ermyn,  206 

How,  62 

Imray,  41 

essemay,  185 

Howard,  322,  n.  i 

Imrie,  41 

'esser,  298,  n. 

Howchin,  42 

Ince,  64 

'essiman,  185 

Howell,  1  8,  n.  i 

Inch,  64 

'ester,  105 

Howitt,  322 

Ind,  134 

estico,  150 

Howling,  329 

Inderwick,  52 

eudwin,  27,  45 

Hoy,  171 

Ing,  64 

ewell,  157 

Hoyes,  324 

Ingenohl, 

296 

ewers,  96 

Huard,  322,  n.  I 

Ingham, 

219 

ewster,  113 

Huband,  247 

Ingle,  45 

ickles,  157 

Hubbard,  42 

Inglebright,  31 

oel,  157 

INDEX 


347 


foffre,  282 
Joffrenot,  282 
J  off  tin,  282 

Kercher,  147 
Kerchey,  147 
Kerfoot.  91 

Knack  fuss,  140 
Knaggs,  65 
Knatchbull,  267 

Joffron,  282 

Kerr,  58 

Knecht,  300 

foffroy,  282 

Kerruth,  303 

Knee,  141 

ohncock,  239 

Kesselhut,  159 

Kneefe,  234 

^ohncook,  223,  ». 

K  ess  els  chid  ger,  299 

Kneebone,  141 

ohnson,  14,  n.  i 

Ketch,  171 

Kneese,  132,  n.  2 

ohnston,  240 

Ketchel,  154 

Knell,  65 

Joliot,  289 

Ketelhod,  159 

Knevit,  235 

folivard,  289 

Kettle,  39 

Knie,  141 

^olivaud,  289 

Kettleburn,  39 

Knife,  161 

r  olivet,  289 

Kettler,  297 

Knight,  199,  226 

Foil,  157 

Kettlestring,  234 

Knill,  65 

roJy,  289 

Kew,  15,  n. 

Knipe,  65 

'onas,  204 

Keyhoe,  87 

Knivett,  235 

ones,  7 

Kibblewhite,  89 

Knobloch,  303 

oseland,  too 

Kiddell,  255 

Koch,  300 

Toubert,  30 

Kidgell,  154 

Konig,  299 

oule,  157 

Kidney,  142 

Kopf,  126,  301 

oyce,  6  1 

Kid  we  11,  255 

Koster,  300 

oynt,  130 

Kiese;vetter,  303 

Kraft,  219 

udd,  20 

Kiggel,  154 

Kranefuss,  142 

rudenfeind,  302 

Kilmaster,  68,  262 

Krdnzlin,  304 

udson,  20 

Kilmister,  68 

Kraushaar,  301 

ull,  157 

Kilvert,  39 

Krauskopf,  301 

une,  237 

Kind,  301 

Krebs,  302 

uneman,  237 

Kindesvater,  301 

Kreuz,  295 

ungblut,  142,  n. 

Kindness,  218 

Kriiger,  299 

rungjohann,  295 
unifer,  192 

Kindred,  43 
King,  198 

Krummbein,  301 
Kuchenbecker,  298 

uniper,  192 

Kingrose,  327 

Kuhlmann,  296 

runker,  300 

Kingseller,  325 

K  up  fer  schmidt,  298 

uster,  113 

Kinnell,  36,  44 

Kurcher,  147 

ustice,  221,  n. 

Kinsey,  44 

Kiirschner,  299 

ustums,  20 

Kinsman,  245 

Kurtz,  300 

utson,  20 

Kirbyshire,  88 

Kustenpfennig,  263 

utsum,  20 

Kirlew,  132 

Kirtland,  88,  n. 

Labat,  211 

tahl,  301 

Kirtler,  118 

Labbett,  211 

Raiser,  299 

Kitchell,  154 

Labergere,  287 

(alb,  302 

Kitchen,  47,  106 

Labouchere,   187 

talckbrenner,  299 

Kitcherside,  262,  n.  2 

La  Bruyere,  2  90 

Zalckreut,  296 

Kitchingman,  235,  n.  2, 

La  Caussade,  280 

tamtnerich,  295 

237 

La  Chauss6e,  280 

'ampf,  296 

Kittermaster,  68 

Lackland,  149 

'annengiesser,  299 

Kittle,  39 

Lacroix,  285 

'anzler,  300 

Kittler,  114 

Ladd,  226 

happier,  295 

Kitto,  216 

Ladkin,  232 

"aulbars,  302 

Klaus,  295 

Ladson,  239 

leeler,  114 

Kleeblatt,  196- 

Lafenestre,  96 

[eemish,  133 

Klein,  300 

Laferte,  286 

[eller,  147,  n.  2 

Kleinhans,  295 

Lafille,  1  6  8,  w.  2 

lellogg,  257 

Kleinschmitt,  297 

La  Fontaine,  290 

lembery,  103,  «.  2 

Kleinsorg,  302 

Lagneau,  314 

lennard,  39 
.ennaway,  37 

Klinkhammer,  303 
Klopstock,  252 

Lagnel,  314 
Laidler,  104 

.enward,  39 

Kluck,  293,  297 

Laigle,  289 

enwright,  227 

Kluge,  301 

Laignel,  314 

24 

348 


INDEX 


Laignelet,  314 

Lavicount,  200 

Lailavoix,  280 

Lawless,  149 

Lain  6,  248 

Lawman,  40 

Laker,  121 

Lawty,  221 

Lalance,  160 

Layzell,  319 

Lallemand,  279 
Lamartine,  279,  284 

Lazell,  319 
Lazenby,  15 

Lamb,  35,  w. 

Lea,   140 

Lambert,  41 

Leach,  65 

Lambshead,  128 

Leaf,  196 

Lambs  wool,  154 

Leah,  206 

Lamiral,  213 

Leaper,  118 

Lamort,  221,  w. 

Leapingwell,  85 

Lampet,  69 

Leathern,  208 

Lampitt,  69 

Lebas,  289 

Lamputt,  69 

Lebel,  289 

Lance,  160 

Leberger,  287 

Landgraff,  299 

Lebceuf,  289 

Landless,  149 
Landrieux,  284 

Lebon,  279 
Leborgne,  320 

Landry,  108 

Leboucher,  2  87 

Landseer,  74 

Lebwohl,  221 

Lang,  35,  n. 

Lechien,  281 

Lang,  300 

Leclair,  280 

Langabeer,  54 

Leclerc,  280 

Langbain,  143 

Ledderhose,  301 

Langbein,  301 

Ledger,  40,  140 

Langcake,  173 

Leech,  65 

Langhans,  295 

Leeming,  89,  n.  2 

Langhorne,  64,  89,  ».  2 

Leese,  66 

Langlois,  281 

Lefevre,  280 

Lankshear,  75,  88 

Leftlleul,  245 

Lapommeraye,  286 

Legard,  140 

Larbalestier,  287 

Legg,   140 

Larby,  212 

Leggatt,  199 

Larmor,  158 

Leggett,  21 

Larmour,  158 

Leggott,  21 

Larmurier,  287 

Legood,  21 

Larochefoucauld,  290 

Legrand,  279 

Larousse,  289 

Legwood,  21 

Lart,  65 

Leichtfuss,  301 

Larter,  65 

Leif,  196 

Lasalle,  285 

Leigh,  140 

Lascelles,  66,  «.  2 

Leighton,  60 

Lasimmone,  284 

Leimkiihler,  299 

Last,  169 

Leinhos,  301 

Lathe,  169 

Leithead,  128 

Lathron,  208 

Lejoint,  130 

Latter,  120 

Lekain,  281 

Laumonier,  287 

Lelerre,  208 

Launder,  192 

Leleu,  318 

Laundry,  108 

Lemaire,  280 

Laundy,  107 

Lemaitre,  279 

Lautenschldger,  299 

Lemerre,  280 

Lavender,  192 

Lemire,  288 

Laventure,  218,  n.  2 

Lemm,  35,  n.,  130 

Laventureux,  218,  n.  2 

Lenain,  249,  w. 

Laver,  103 

Leng,  35,  «. 

Laverack,  259 

Lenormand,  285 

Lenz,  302 
Leonard,   33 
Lepetit,  279 
Lepetitcorps,  289 
Lepetitdidier,  285 
Lepine,  285 
Leplongeon,   103 
Lequeux,  288 
Lequien,  281 
Lermitte,  209 
Lerouge,  289 
Leroy,  281 
Leschallas,  155 
Lescure,  281 
Le  Seilleur,  118,  w.  i 
Lesprit,  214 
Lessons,  66 
Lestoile,  80 
Lesturgeon,  289 
Lesueur,  288 
Letheren,  208 
Leveau,  289 
L6v&que,  281 
Leveridge,  44 
Levert,  154 
Leveson,   196 
Levesque,  281 
Levibond,  230 
Lew,  66,  318 
Lewer,   106 
Lewin,  n 
Lewry,  106 
Lewtas,  98 
Lewty,  221 
Liberty,  66 
Licence,  66 
Liddiatt,  67 
Lidgate,  67 
Lidgett,  67 
Liebe,  301 
Liebknecht,  300 
Liebeskind,  301 
Liebetanz,  303 
Liesegang,  303 
Lightbody,  129 
Lightbound,  230 
Lightfoot,  141 
Lightlad,  231 
Lightollers,  93 
Lightowler,  93 
Lilienskjold,  75 
Lilley,  190 
Lillicrap,  197 
Lilly,  124,  190 
Lillycrop,  197 
Lillyman,  237 
Lillywhite,    124 
Lilygreen,  190 
Limb,  35,  n.,  127,  129 


INDEX 


Limbert,  130 

Love  grove,  261 

Lirnmage,  167 

Loveguard,  259 

Limpenny,  177,  n.  2 

Lovejoy,  259 

Lindeqmst,  304 

Lovelace,  259 

Lin  el,  284 

Lovelady,  259 

Linfoot,  91 

Loveland,  261 

Ling,  35,  n.,  66 

Loveless,  149,  259 

Link,  66 

Lovell,  260,  n.  2 

Linkin,  87 

Lovelock,  131 

Linkinwater,  161,  n. 

Loveluck,  259 

Lippett,  67 

Lover,  122 

Lippiatt,  67  • 

Loveridge,  44 

Liptrapp,  327 
Liptrott,  327 

Lover  ock,  259 
Loverseed,  74 

Lipyeat,  67 

Lovesey,  44 

List,  67 

Love  well,  255 

Littleboy,  231 

Lovibond,  230 

Littlechild,  247 

Low,  310 

Littlecole,  315,  n.  2 

Lowas,  97 

Littledyke,  243 

Lowe,  302 

Littlejohn,    215,     225, 

Lower,  106 

242 

Lowis,  97 

Littlepage,  241 

Lowson,  310 

Littleproud,  222 
Littler,  86 

Loyal,  327 
Luchterhand,  304 

Littley,  133 

Luck,  218 

Li  verse  ed,  74 

Luckup,  259 

Livery,  44 

Ludwig,  44,  293 

Livesey,  44 

Luffery,  44 

Loakes,  67 

Lugger,  326 

Loalday,  221 

Lumb,   35,  «.,   no 

Loane,  67 

Lung,  142 

Lockbane,  270 

Lury,  10  6 

Locker,  227 

Lush,   106 

Lockless,  149 

Lusher,  106 

Locksmith,  227 

Luther,  44 

Lockyer,  227 

Luter,  176 

Lofficiaux,  no,  n.  i 

Lilt  jens,  242,  295 

Loftus,  97 

Lutman,  237 

Lois  el,  319 

Luty,  221,  242 

Lomb,  35,  «.,  130 
Lone,  67 

Lutyens,  242 
Lyall,  327 

Long,  35,  n. 

Lyautey,  221 

Longbones,  143 

Lyde,  67 

Longcake,  173 

Lydiate,  67 

Longfoot,  141 

Lyle,  103,  «.  2,  327 

Longmaid,  248 

Lynch,  66 

Longmate,  240 

Lysons,  66 

Longstaff,  124 

Lyteman,  237 

Loop,  67 

Lyth,  67 

Lord,  200 

Loring,  103,  «.  2 

Lothair,  44 

Maber,  40 

Louis,  44 

Macbrain,  142 

Love,  260 

MacCorquodale,  31 

Loveband,  230 

Macer,  in 

Lovecraft,  261 

Machell,  241 

Loveday,  230,  233 

Macheprang,  303 

Love  good,  261 

Machin,  242 

349 

Mackensen,  294 
MacLeish,  238,  n.  2 
Maclise,  150 
MacManus,  239,  n.  2 
MacMillan,  238,  n. 
Mactear,  143 
Madle,  250 
Mdgdefrau,  304 
Magnus,  239,  w.  2 
Magnusson,  239,  «.  2 
Mahood,  327 
Maiden,  248 
Maidland,  248 
Mailer,  104 
Main,  46,  139 
Mainpidge,   20 
Mainprice,  20,  213,  n.  3 
Mair,  320,  n.  4 
Maize,  186- 
Major,  40 
Makeman,  263 
Makemead,  270 
Makepeace,  254 
Malabar,  40 
Malaspina,  291 
Malchien,  242 
Malcolm,  238,  n. 
Male,  249 
Malebranche,  291 
Malesherbes,  188 
Malherbe,  188,  291 
Maliphant,  247 
Malise,  238,  n. 
Mallett,  169 
Mallory,  213 
Malone,  104,  238,  ». 
Malpress,  235 
Malsher,  245 
Malthus,  97 
Maltravers,  19 
Mammon,  212 
Mamprize,  20 
Manbridge,  250,  n. 
Manchip,  220 
Manclark,  234 
Mandlin,  176 
Manesse,  303 
Manfred,  29 
Manfull,  249 
Mangnall,  162 
Manifold,  250 
Mankelow,  256,  «. 
Mankin,  249 
Manktelow,  256,  n. 
Manlove,  260 
Mann,  226,  236 
Mansbridge,  250,  n. 
Manship,  220 
Manson,  239 


350 


INDEX 


Mantel,  301 
Mantell,  124,  148 
Manteuffel,  305 
Many  weathers,  235,  n.i 
Marat,  284 
Marbrow,  262 
March,  68,  313 
Marchandise,  172,  311 
Marchandy,  172 
Marcy,  221,  n. 
Mar  got,  284 
Margoton,  284 
Mariette,  284 
Marigold,  191 
Marillier,  288 
Mariotte,  284 
Marjoram,  188 
Mark,  68 
Markgraff,  299 
Markland,  99 
Marklove,  261 
Marklow,  261 
Marler,  115 
Marment,  315,  n.  2 
Marmion,  19,  315,  n.  2 
Marmon,  315,  n.  2 
Marot,  2  84 
Marquis,  199 
Marr,  68 
Marrow,  245 
Marrs,  68 
Marschall,  300 
Marsh,  313 

Marshall,   105,   106,  «. 
Marshallsay,  106     • 
Marshalsea,  106 
Marston,  68 
Mart,  85,  n. 
Marthouse,  85 
Martiboy,  231,  n.  2 
Martlew,  261 
Martlow,  261 
Martyr,  208 
Marvell,  218 
Marwood,-  257,  n. 
Mas,  283 
Maschinendraht,     167, 

n.  3 

Mascord,   107 
Maskelyne,  249 
Maslin,  186 
Masst,  283 
Massenet,  283 
M asset,  283 
Massillon,  186,  283 
Massingberd,  136 
Massinger,  209,  «.  2 
Master,  68 
Masters,  68 


Mate,  240 

Mellon,  194 

Mater,   107,  n.  i 

Mellsop,  268 

Mather,  107,  n.  i 

Melody,  215 

Matthaei,  294 

Membery,  217 

Matthias,  206 

Memmett,  212 

Mattock,   169 

Memmott,  212 

Maubert,  40 

Memory,  217 

Mauclerc,  234 

Mempriss,  20 

Maud'huy,  288 

Manage,  105 

Maudling,  no 

Mendary,  no 

Mauduit,  288 

Mendelssohn,  294 

Maufe,  68,  246 

Menlove,  260 

Maufildtre,  250 

Mercer  eau,  287 

Mauger,  40 

Mercy,  221,  n. 

Maugirard,  285 

Merredy,   197 

Mault,  297 

Merriday,  197 

Maund,  165 

Merridew,  197 

Maunoury,  288 

Merriman,  215 

Maupertuis,  286 

Merriment,  215 

Maw,  67,  246 

Merryweather,235,  n.  i 

Mawditt,  288 

Mesher,  104 

Mawer,  17,  323 

Messenger,  209,  «.  2 

Mawhood,  327 

Metcalfe,  241 

Mawman,  212 

Meteyard,  164 

May,  246,  248 

Mewis,  98 

Maybin,  247 

Meyer,  298,  305 

May  dew,  197 

Meyler,  104 

Mayes,  186 

Meymott,  212 

Mayhew,  197 

Meynell,  42 

Mayle,  249 

Miall,  103,  n.  2 

Maynard,  28,  46 

Michaelwaite,  88 

Mayne,  46,  139 
Mayo,  197 

Micklejohn,  242 
Micklewright,  227 

Mayor,  320,  n.  4 

Middleage,  95 

Mead,  248 

Middleditch,  237,  n.i 

Meader,  114 

Middleman,  237 

Meadows,  96 

Middlemass,  237 

Meadus,  96 

Middlemiss,  97 

Meals,  68 

Middlemist,  97 

Mean  well,  255 

Middleweek,  95 

Mears,  68,  320,  n,  4 

Midgall,  62 

Measure,  104 

Midnight,  235 

Meat,  1  86 

Midy,  235 

Meatman,  237 

Miggles,  103,  n.  2 

Meatyard,  164 

Mighill,  103,  n.  2 

Medlar,  193 

Mildmay,  208,  248 

Medlicott,  148 

Miles,  103,  n.  2 

Megenhard,  293 

Milk,   174 

Meiklejohn,  242 

Millard,  180,  322,  «.  2 

Meiklereid,   221 

Millband,  230,  n.  3 

Meilleur,  323 

Millett,  1  86 

Meissonnier,  287 

Millhouse,  97 

Melady,  215 

Milliard,  180 

Melladew,  197 

Milliner,  119 

Mellalieu,  197 

Million,  1  80 

Mellalue,  197 

Millist,  97 

Meller,  322 

Millmaker,  226,  n.  i 

Mellers,  97 

Millward,  322,  n.  2 

Mellis,  97,  238,  «.  j 

Milner,  119 

INDEX 


351 


Milsopp,  249,  268 

Mosscrop,  191 

Neame,  249 

Milvain,  238,  n. 

Mossendew,  109 

Neander,  305 

Mimpress,  20 
Minchin,  210 

Mothers,  244 
Mothersole,  182 

Neap,  195 
Neathway,  52 

Mingay,  68 

Mothersill,  182 

Neave,  245 

Miuiken,  249 

Mould,  297,  315 

Neck,   135 

Minister,  68 

Moule,  315 

Neech,  245 

Minster,  68 

Mountjoy,  68 

Needle,  166 

Minstrell,  115 

Mountsier,  248 

Needier,  166,  n.  z 

Miskin,  186,  n. 

Mouth,  134 

Neef,  301 

Mister,  68 

Mowbrav,  217 

Neelder,  166,  n,  z 

Mitten,  151 

Mudd,  58 

Neep,  195 

Mittenzweig,  195 

Mudge,  68 

Neese,  132,  n.  2,  245 

Mittnacht,  235 

Muff,  68,  246 

Negoose,  241,  n.  z 

Mobius,  295 

Muirhead,  126 

Negus,  241,  n.  2 

Mockler,  235 

Mulberry,  193 

Neighbour,  237 

Mohn,  190 

Mulbry,  194 

Neild,  62,   1  66 

Mohnkopf,  190 

Muller,  297,  305 

Nendick,  50 

Moist,  187 

Mulliner,   119 

Nephew,  245 

Mold,  315 

Mullins,  279 

Ness,  69 

Mole,   315 

Mummery,  217 

Netherwood,  52 

Molitre,  290 

Munchay,  68 

Neunzig,  304 

Molinari,  305 

Muncer,  248 

Newball,  53 

Molinier,  288 

Mungay,  68 

Newbold,  53 

Molthe,  297 

Murch,  249,  n. 

Newbond,  230 

Momerie,  217 

Murcott,  92 

Newbound,  230 

Moncer,  248 

Murfitt,  91 

Newcome,  120 

Monch,  300 

Murrant,  329 

Newhouse,  96 

Monement,  no 

Muscat,  193 

Newis,  97 

Moneypenny,  177,  n.  2 

Muse,  326 

Newlove,  260 

Monkhouse,  220 

Muskett,  193 

Nicholl,  308 

Monkman,  236 

Musselwhite,  89 

Nickless,  149 

Monnery,  no 

Musson,  240 

Nicolai,  294 

Montaigu,  280 

Mussotter,  299 

Nicoll,  308 

Montegut,  280 

Mustard,  124,  188 

fticot,  283 

Montgolfier,  35 

Mustell,  134 

Niedhardt,  294 

Monument,  85,  110 

Mustol,  134 

Nietzsche,  294 

Moor,  212 

Muzzell,  134 

Nightingale,  22,  201,  w. 

Moorcock,  92 

Myer,  320 

Niles,  50 

Moorman,  237 

Myers,  320,  «.  4 

Nipper,  120 

Morant,  329 

Myhill,  103,  n.  2 

Nisard,  10,  282 

Mordaunt,  329 

Mylecrist,  238,  n. 

Noah,  206 

Mordecai,  206 

Mylord,  215 

Noakes,  50 

Mordey,  180 

Nodier,  42 

Mordue,  180 

Nadaud,  283' 

Nolle,  9 

Morehen,  92 

Nadot,  283 

Noon,  103,  n.  z 

Morfey,  213 

Nagel,  165 

Norchard,  50 

Morfill,  169 

Nail,  165 

Nordenskjold,  75 

Morfitt,   91 

Nail,  50 

Norkett,  91 

Morgenrot,  304 

Narraway,  100 

Norland,  99 

Morgenthau,  197 

Nash,  50 

Norman,  42 

Morphew,  213 

Nasmyth,  228 

Normansell,  73 

Morphy,  213 

Nation,  223 

Norwebb,  230 

Morris,  212 

Naud,  9 

Norwood,  90 

Morrow,  85 

Naudot,   9 

Nothard,  16,  318 

Mort,  221,  n. 

Nave,  234 

Notker,  42 

Mortiboy,  231,  n.  z 

Nayland,  50 

Nourrisson,  249 

Mortitaoys,  231,  «.  2 

Naysmith,  228 

Novice,  210 

Mortleman,  221,  ». 

Neale,  62,  321 

No  vis,  210 

352 


INDEX 


Noy,  206 

Orwin,  35 

Parkman,  237 

Noyce,  206 

Osborn,  31 

Parlby,  267 

Noyes,  206 

Osgood,  30,  261 

Parlour,  108 

Nunnery,  220 

Osman,  31,  237 

Parnell,  14 

Nunniss,  97 

Osmond,  31 

Parsley,  188,  189 

Nunweek,  95 

Ostertag,  302 

Parslow,  265 

Nurse,  119 

Oswald,  3  1 

Partlett,  147 

Nursery,  106 

Ott,  255 

Partner,  120 

Nursling,  249 

Otterwell,  255 

Pascal,  290 

Nutbeam,  184 

Ottewell,  255 

Pascoewebb,  228,  n.  i 

Nutbrown,  132 

Ottoway,  37 

230,  242 

Nutter,  42 

Otway,  37 

Pashler,  265 

Nyland,  50 

Oughtred,  43 

Pashley,  265 

Nyman,  237 

Outerson,  246 

Pasley,  265 

Outlaw,  115,  215,  n.  i 

Paslow,  265 

Oakenfull,  250,  n. 

Outright,  43 

Pasquet,  283 

Gates,  1  86 

Over,  321 

Pasquier,  283 

Oats,  185 

Overall,  151 

Pasquin,  283 

Odam,  246 

Overthrow,  269 

Passant,  265 

Oddboy,  231,  n.  2 

Overy,  71 

Passavant,  265 

Odgers,  38 

Owers,  321 

Passelac,  265 

Oestreich,  295 

Oxbrow,  131 

Passelaigue,  265 

Office,  210 

Oxenstiern,  131 

Passepont,  265 

Officer,  207 

Ozanne,  280 

Passerieu,  265 

Ogg,  205 

Ozenfant,  280 

Passfield,  265 

Ohm,  301 

Ozierbrook,  85 

Passifull,  265 

Ohnesorg,  149,  302 

Passmore,  265 

Oldacre,  92 

Pabst,  300 

Paster,  in 

Oldcorn,  185 

Pack,   157 

Paston,  19 

Oldershaw,  93 

Pagan,  211 

Pate,  130 

Oldknow,  318 

Page,  105 

Patent,  327 

Oldmixon,  85 

Painlev6,  173 

Pater,  107,  n.  i 

Oldreive,  231 

Painting,  328 

Patience,  220 

Oldrey,  231 

Palfreyman,  237 

Paton,  327 

Oldwright,  227 

Pallant,   69 

Patten,  327 

Oliffe,  42 

Pallett,  169 

Pattern,  327 

Oliver,  42,  n.  i 

Pament,  69 

Patvine,  263 

Olland,  99 

Pamflett,  326 

Pauncefote,  141 

Ollerhead,  93 

Pammant,  69 

Pavot,  190 

Ollerenshaw,  95 

Pancoucke,  173 

Paw,  195 

Oilier,  115 

Pancutt,  173 

Pay,  195 

Olsen,  7,  n. 

Pannifer,  146,  n. 

Paybody,  129 

Onion,  191 

Panter,  105 

Pea,  194 

Onions,  191 

Panther,   106 

Peabody,  129 

Oram,  46 

Pantin,  329 

Peace,  221 

Orange,  194 

Panting,   328 

Peacher,  in 

Ord,  38 

Panton,  329 

Peachmay,  248 

Ordway,  58 

Pantrey,  106 

Peacock,  92,  200,  201,  n. 

Organ,   176 

Panzer,  159,  301 

Peagrim,  209 

Organer,  115 

Pdquin,  283 

Pear,  192 

Orgar,  38 

Paradise,  210 

Pearce,  161 

Orgill,  218 

Paragreen,  209 

Pearcey,  265 

Orgies,  176 

Par  amor,  122 

Pearl,  156 

Orlebar,  87 

Pardew,  317,  n.  i 

Pearless,  149 

Orme,   37 

Pardner,  120 

Pears,  192 

Ormeshire,  76 

Pardoe,  180 

Peartree,  192 

Orneblow,  268 

Pardy,  180,  182 

Peascod,  196 

Orpe,  44 

Parent,  245 

Pease,  194 

Orpen,  44 

Parkers,  96 

Peasegood,  196 

INDEX 


353 


Peberdy,   129 

Pettiford,  140 

Pinker,  307,  n.  i 

Peckover,  5 

Pettigrew,   141 

Pinkerton,  307,  n.  i 

Pecksniff,  234 

Pettinger,   130,   n. 

Pinkett,  307,  n.  i 

Pee,  194 

Pettitt,  279 

Pinkhard,  307,  n.  i 

Peerless,  149 

Pettiward,  235 

Pipe,  177 

Peever,  189 

Pettus,  98 

Piper,  176 

Peffer,  189 

Peverall,  19,  189 

Pipperday,  129 

Pellevillain,  2^7,  289 

Pewtress,  230 

Pippin,  193 

Pellissier,  288 

Pfaff,  300 

Pirie,  312 

Pelly,  128 

Pfannebecker,  298 

Pirkiss,  223 

Fender,  97 

Pfau,  301 

Pis  tor,  in,  n.  2 

Penderell,  259 

Pfingst,  302 

Pistorius,  305 

Pendriss,  97 

Pfundheller,  302 

Pitchfork,  169 

Pendrous,   97 

Pharaoh,  205 

Pitt,  69 

Penfare,  146,  n. 

Pharro,  205 

Plaice,  70 

Penfold,  213,  n.  3,  269 

Phethean,  39 

Place,  70 

Penkethman,  237 

Phizacklea,  20 

Plank,  70 

Pennance,  220 

Phizakarley,  20 

Plant,  185 

Pennefather,   146 

Philpot,  125 

Plantrose,  268 

Pennifold,  269,  n. 

Phippen,  193 

Plasked,  70 

Penny,  177 

Phcenix,  216 

Plaskett,  70 

.Pennycad,  241,  n.  i 
Penny  card,  241,  n.  i 

Physick,  223 
Phythian,  39 

Platt,  70 
Playfair,  318 

Pennycock,  241 

Pick,  201,  n. 

Play  foot,  91 

Penny  cook,  241 

Pickance,  268 

Pleass,  70 

Pennyfeather,  146 

Pickard,  103,  n.  2 

Plenty,  222 

Pepler,  104 

Pickavance,  268 

Plessis,  70 

Pepper,  188,  189 

Pickavant,  268 

Plews,  170 

Peppercorn,  196 

Pickernell,  in 

Plimmer,  130,  n. 

Pegperday,  129 

Pickervance,  268 

Plott,  70 

Pepperell,   189 

Pickles,  69 

Plow,  170 

Pepperwe'll,  189 

Picquart,  281 

Plowman,  17 

Pepys,  193 

Pictor,  8  1 

Plowright,   227 

Perceval,  265 

Piepape,  275 

Pluck,  70 

Percival,  265 

Piggrem,  209 

Plucknett,  154,  n.  i 

Percy,  265 

Pighills,  69 

Pluckrose,  268 

Peretme're,  246 

Pightling,  69 

Plues,  170 

Ferrers,  286 

Pike,  161 

Plumb,  192 

Perrett,    128,    192 

Pilbeam,  258 

Plumtree,  192 

Perrier,  288 

Pilch,  148 

Plunkett,  154 

Perry,  312 

Pile,  69 

Flyer,  120 

Pershouse,  265 

Pilgrim,  209 

Poad,  196 

Pertuis,  286 

Pill,  69 

Poat,  196 

Pertwee,  286 

Pillar,  117 

Pobgee,  200 

Pescott,   196 

Pillatt,  207 

Fob  joy,  200 

Peskett,  196 

Pillaway,  69 

Pochhammer,  303 

Pester,  in 

Pillbrow,  262 

Pockett,  156 

Pesterfield,  90 

Filler,  117 

Pocock,  200 

Petcher,  in 

Pillinger,  in 

Podd,  196 

Peters,  294 

Pillivant,  247 

Foe,  194 

Petersen,  7,  n. 

Pillman,  69 

Pohl,  296,  n. 

Peter  silje,  189 

Pimpernell,  191 

Poincare,  127,  288 

Petibon,  222 

Pinch,  207,  n. 

Poinson,  207,  n. 

Petigas,  289 

Pinchback,  263 

Poitevin,  263 

Petinicol,  315,  n.  2 

Finder,  97 

Poke,  213 

Petitperrin,  285 

Pinfield,  269,  n. 

Polack,  295 

Petivallet,  213 

Pinfold,  269,  n. 

Poll,  130,  319 

Pett,  69,  98 

Pinion,  326 

Pollett,  130,  319 

Pettifer,  140,  141 

Pink,  in,  n.  i 

Pollikett,  242 

354 


INDEX 


Poison,  130 

Preacher,  115 

Pullinger,  in 

Polyblank,  131 

Preater,  208,  n.  2 

Punch,  207,  n. 

Pons,  207,  n. 

Preece,  228,  n.  2 

Punchard,  307 

Ponsard,  207,  «. 

Preferment,  210,  n.  3 

Puncher,  307 

Ponsonby,  n,  ». 

Premier,  180 

Punshon,  n,  «. 

Pontifex,  208,  n.  2,  305 

Prendergast,  4 

Punt,  112,  n.  i 

Pook,  213 

Prentice,  4,  17 

Punter,   112 

Pool,  319 

Prentout,  275 

Punyer,   113 

Poole,  307 

Pretor,  208,  n.  2 

Puplett,  128,  n.  i 

Pooler,  120 

Prettybody,  129 

Purchase,  223 

Pope,  199,  200 

Prettyjohn,  242 

Purcifer,  265 

Popejoy,  200 

Preuss,  295 

Purdue,  182 

Popjoy,  200 

Prew,  242,  n.  i 

Purdy,  182 

Poppy,  190 

Prewett,  242,  n.  i 

Purefoy,  182 

Porcas,  223 

Prewse,  242,  n.  i 

Purgold,  157 

Porkiss,  223 

Price,  228,  n.  2 

Purkiss,  223 

Portas,  156 

Prickman,  261 

Purple,  143 

Porteas,  156 

Prictoe,  142 

Purse,  156 

Portebois,  275 

Pride,  218 

Purser,  120 

Porteous,  96,  n.  2,  156 

Pridgeon,  242 

Pursey,  265 

Portefaix,  275 

Priest,  198 

Purshouse,  265 

Portelance,  275 

Priestner,  104 

Pury,  312 

Portenseigne,  275 

Prime,  180 

Pushfirth,  256,  n. 

Porter,  16,  105,  117 

Primmer,  180 

Putt,  69 

Portess,  96 

Primrose,  191 

Puttifent,  141 

Porterhouse,  97 

Prin,  i  80 

Puttifoot,  141 

Porthouse,  96 

Prindeville,  267 

Puttkammer,  303 

Portman,  231 

Pring,  1  80 

Putwain,  263 

Portwine,  263 

Print,  1  80 

Pyle,  69 

Poskitt,  91 

Printemps,  79 

Posselwhite,  89 

Prinz,  299 

Postans,  109 

Pritlove,  260 

Quadratstein,  167,  n.  3 

Posthill,  208 

Prizeman,  162 

Quaife,  147 

Postle,  208 

Probst,  300 

Quaintance,  220 

Potdevin,  273 

Profit,  219 

Quarrier,  58,  n. 

Potgieter,  299 

Pronger,  115 

Quarterman,  139 

Potman,  236 

Properjohn,  242 

Quarton,  70,  138,  n. 

Pott,  125 

Prophet,  198 

Quatermain,  139 

Pottage,  174 

Prothero,  29 

Quick,  70 

Pottiphar,  205 

Proud,  242,  «.  i 

Quickfall,  70,  262 

Potwin,  2  63 

Proudfoot,  141 

Quigley,  138,  n. 

Pouch,  156 

Proudlove,  260 

Quiller,  147,  n.  2 

Poucher,  120 

Proudman,  237 

Poulter,  1  6 

Prout,  242,  n.  i 

Pound,  177 

Prow,  222,  242,  «.  i 

Rabbetts,  242,  n.  2 

Pounder,  97 

Prowse,  242,  n.  i 

Rabjohns,  242 

Powe,  195 

Prudence,  220 

Race,  326 

Powell,  1  8,  n.  i,  319 

Prue,  242,  n.  i 

Rachell,  206 

Power,  314 

Pruett,  242,  n.  i 

Rachilde,  206 

Powles,  319 

Prynne,  180 

Racine,  290 

Powncer,  120 

Prytherick,  29 

Racks  traw,  267 

Powner,  104 

Ptolomey,  205 

Raddle,  36 

Poye,  195 

Puckle,  213 

Radermacher,  298 

Poyner,  207 

Puddephatt,  141 

Rae,  313 

Poyser,  171 

Puddifant,  141 

Raemakers,  298,  «. 

Poyzer,  171 

Puddifoot,  141 

Raickstraw,    267 

Prater,  208,  n.  2 

Pudding,   174 

Raikes,  170 

Prdtorius,  305 

Pugh,  319 

Rainbird,  201,  ». 

Pray,  228,  n.  2 

Puller,  120 

Rainbow,  158 

INDEX 


355 


Raine,  45,  70 

Redit,  128 

Ridland,  258 

Raines,  45,  70 

Redman,  132 

Ridout,  259 

Raisin,  193,  239 

Redmayne,  132 

Ridwood,  258 

Rake,  170 

Redrup,  95 

Riemenschneider,  299 

Ralph,  36,  42 
Raineau,  195 

Redway,  37 
Redwood,  258 

Riggall,  44 
Rigmaiden,  2 

Ramshead,   128 

Ree,  72 

Rigler,  211 

Ramshire,  36 

Reed,  184,  221 

Rind,  72 

Ramsker,  36 

Reef,  231 

Rinder,  115 

Ramus,  97 

Reeks,  170 

Ring,  157 

Ranacre,  93 

Rees,  71 

Ringer,  102 

Rand,  139 

Reeve,  226 

Ringrow,  85 

Randall,  38 

Regedanz,  303 

Ringrose,  85 

Randle,  41,  n. 
Rands,  139 

Regelous,  211 
Regenbogen,  158 

Ringshall,  88 
Riotte,  284 

Rangecroft,  269 

Regester,  in 

Ripper,  120 

Ranigar,  93 

Reglar,  211 

Risk,  72 

Ranke,  293 

Regnier,  44 

Rissbrook,  72 

Rankill,  36 

Rehbein,  301 

Ritter,  300 

Rann,  313 

Relf,  36,  42 

Rivis,  83  . 

Raoul,  36 

Remnant,  329 

Rix,  72 

Raper,  160 
Rapier,  160 

Renard,  44 
Renaud,  44 

Roadnight,  235 
Roath,  73 

Raspberry,  194 

Render,  115 

Rocks  tro,  267 

Rathbone,  143 
Rattle,  36 

Rendle,  38 
Rennenkampf,   296 

Rodaway,  100 
Rod,  285 

Raud,  283 

Renouf,  36 

Roddis,  73,   97 

Raven,  36 

Renyard,  44 

Roderick,  29 

Ravenhill,  36 

Retter,  115 

Rodick,  324 

Ravening,  65 

Reuter,  297 

Rodin,  283 

Ravenshear,  36 

Revel,  220,  n.  2 

Rodman,  235 

Raw,  42 
Rawbone,  143 

Reverand,  210 
Revere,  122 

Rodnight,  235 
Rodwell,  73 

Rawkins,  10 

Revis,  83 

Roff,  42,  n.  2 

Rawle,  10,  42 

Rew,  72 

Roffey,  134 

Rawlin,  42 

Rex,  170 

Roggenbrod,  303 

Rawlins,  10 

Rextrew,  267 

Rohwedder,  304 

Ray,  154,  313 

Rey,  281 

Rolfe,  42,  n.  2 

Raybould,  45 

•     Reynard,  44 

Romheld,  293 

Rayer,  116 

Reynolds,  14,  44 

Rood,  73 

Rayne,  70 

Rhind,  72 

Roodhouse,  73 

Rayner,  44 

Rhine,  72 

Roof,  10  8 

Raynes,  70 

Rhymes,  71,  «. 

Root,  177 

Ray  son,  239 

Ribbans,   157 

Ropes,  172 

Reacher,  29 

Rice,  326 

Rosamond,  34 

Read,  221 

Richards,  16 

Rose,  84,  190 

Reames,  103,  n.  2 

Richbell,  44 

Roseblade,  196 

Reason,  239 

Richepanse,  144 

Roseman,  34 

Reatchlous,  149 

Richer,  29 

Rosenblatt,  196 

Rebhuhn,  302 

Richter,  300 

Rosenschmidt,  298 

Reckless,  149 

Rickard,  44 

Rosentreter,  266,  n.  2 

Reclus,  209 

Rickman,  237 

Roseworm,  327 

Record,  44 

Rickwood,  44 

Roskill,  33 

Redknap,  128 

Riddick,  324 

Rosontree,  192 

Reddaway,  37 

Ridding,  72 

Roster,  86 

Reddick,  324 

Riddy,  72 

Roth,  300 

Redfern,  184 

Ridehalgh,  61 

Rothera,  84 

Redhead,  128 

Rideout,  259 

Rothermel,  301 

Redhough,  62 

Riding,  72 

Rough,  147 

356 


INDEX 


Roughead,  128 

Saalwdchtcr,  300 

Savigar,  87 

Roughley,   147 

Sabatier,  287 

Savory,  41,  188 

Roughsedge,  147 

Sacavin,  275 

Savoury,  189 

Rouhorn,  89,  n.  2 

Sachs,  292 

Sawbridge,  87,  n.  4 

Rouncewell,  255 

Sacquepe,  275 

Sawle,  206 

Rounseval,  255 

Saffery,  41,  188 

Sawkill,  307 

Rounswell,  255 

Sagar,  41 

Saxby,  275 

Routh,   73 

Saint,  209 

Saxty,  107 

Routledge,  21 

Sainthouse,  96 

Sayce,  72,  n.  i 

Row,  190- 

Salt,  74 

Sayer,  74 

Rowat,  91 

Salcede,  280 

Sayers,  41 

Rowe,  84 

Sale,  73,  285 

Sayle,  73 

Rowed,  128 

Salier,  118,  n.  i 

Saylor,  118 

Rowell,  86 

Salle,  285 

Say  well,  254 

Rower,  112 

Sallibanks,  161,  n. 

Scadlock,  267 

Rowland,  188,  w. 

Sallis,  73 

Scales,  75 

Rowney,  133 

Sallows,  73 

Scambler,  122 

Rowntree,  192 

Salmon,  204 

Scare,  74 

Royal,  327 

Salter,  118 

Scarf,  147 

Roylance,  161 

Salterne,  73 

Scarlett,  154 

Royle,  79 

Salters,  96 

Scattergood,  262 

Rubens,  157 

Saltonstall,  270 

Schaar  schmidt,  298 

Rubey,  158 

Saltsieder,  299 

Schaff,  302 

Rubsamen,  303 

Salway,  100 

Scharnhorst,  295 

Ruby,  158 

Sampson,  204 

Schatzmann,  300 

Rudd,  324 

Samways,  100 

Schenk,  300 

Ruddick,  324 

Sandelance,  161 

Schiller,  292 

Rude,  73 

Sandilands,  161 

Schilling,  302 

Rudge,  314 

Sanselme,  150 

Schimmelpeninck,  1  78 

Rue,  72,  187 

Sansom,  20,  150 

Schlagentweit,  303 

Ruff,  147 

Sansterre,  149 

Schleiermacher,  298 

Ruffell,  147 

Sant,  209 

Schluckebier,  304 

Ruffhead,  128 

Santer,  150 

Schmeckebier,  304 

Ruffles,  147 

Santler,  87 

Schmidt,  297 

Ruggles,  149 

Sapp,  196 

Schmidthenner,  228,  n.  i 

Rugless,  149 

Sapsworth,  87 

Schmidtkunz,  228,  n.  i 

Rule,  73 
RumbeTow,  101 

Sard,  10 
Sard,  1  60 

Schnapauff,  303 
Schneidewind,  266 

Rumfitt,  91 

Sardison,  239 

Schofield,  65 

Rumschottel,  303 

Sardou,  10 

Schoolcraft,  65 

Rump,  139 

Sargisson,  239 

Schooling,  65 

Rumpff,  139 

Sargood,  262,  n.  i 

Schopenhauer,  292 

Runacres,  93 

Sarkander,  305 

Schottldnder,  295 

Run  die,  38,  41,  n. 

Sarson,  212 

Schroder,  299 

Ruse,  84,  n.  2 

Sarter,  115 

Schroer,  299 

Rushaway,  268 

Sartorius,  305 

Schroter,  299 

Rushout,  268 

Sarvant,  105 

Schubert,   299 

Ruskin,  34 

Sarvis,  221 

Schuchardt,  299 

Russell,  34 

Satchell,  156 

Schuddekopf,  264 

Russett,  154 

Sattelmacher,  298 

Schultz,  305 

Rutson,  240 

Sauberzweig,  195 

Schumach,  226,  n.  i 

Rutter,  240 

Sauerbier,  303 

Schumann,  299 

Ryall,  327 

Sauerbrei,  303 

Schuttespeer,  303 

Ryder,  323 

Saul,  206 

Schiitz,  300 

Rye,  185,  1  86 

Saunders,  188 

Schwartzhans,  295 

Rylands,   161 

Saunt,  209 

Schwartzkopf,  301 

Ryle,  327 

Saussaye,  280 

Schwarz,  300 

Ryott,  220 

Savary,  188 

Schwerdtfeger,  299 

Ryrie,  29 

Saveall,  254 

Schwinghammer,  303 

INDEX 


357 


Scotcher,  m 

Shacklock,  264 

Shine,  141 

Scotter,  104 

Shackshaft,  256 

Shingler,  120,  n. 

Scrimger,  112 

Shadbolt,  268 

Shinn,  141 

Scriminger,  112 

Shade,  74 

Ship-,  75 

Scrimshaw,  88 

Shadlock,  267 

Shipp,  171 

Scrimygeour,  112 

Shadrake,  205 

Shippen,  75 

Scull,  130 

Shafe,  132 

Shipsides,  75,  138 

Sculler,  105 

Shakelady,  264 

Shipster,   130,  n. 

Seagram,  41 

Shakelance,  256 

Shipwash,  75 

Seagrim,  41 

Shakeshaft,  4,  256 

Shipway,  75 

Seal,  73 

Shakespeare,    4,     252, 

Shipwright,  227 

Sealer,   116 

256 

Shire,  75 

Seamark,  87,  n.  i 

Shanks,  124,  140 

Shirr  a,  231 

Search,  38 

Shapler,  147 

Shirt,  74 

Sears,  41 

Shard,  74 

Shitler,  115 

Seath,  73 

Sharer,  231 

Shoemaker,  226,  ».  i 

Seaward,  227 

Shargold,  266 

Shoemark,  226,  n.  i 

Seawright,  41,  227 

Sharland,  74 

Shoesmith,  228 

Sebert,  27 

Sharlotte,  174 

Shone,  141 

Sebright,  27 

Sharpless,  149 

Shooter,  122 

Second,  180 

Sharrocks,  94 

Shorrock,  94 

Secret,  38 

Shatlock,  267 

Shorters,  152,  n.  2 

Secular,  211 

Shave,  132 

Shorthose,  22,  152 

Seear,  74 

Shaw,  47 

Shorthouse,  152 

Seed,  73,  196 

Shawsmith,  228 

Shortus,  152,  n.  2 

Seedhouse,  96 

Shead,  74 

Shotbolt,  268 

Seidensticker,  299 

Shear,  74,  75 

Shotlock,  267 

Seigle,  1  86 

Sheard,  74 

Shoulders,  137 

Seiler,  118,  n.  i 

Shearer,  231 

Shove,  132 

Selden,  74 

Shearhod,  270 

Shovel,  132 

Seldom,  74 

Shears,  74,  75,  76 

Shrapnel,  147,  n.  i 

Seldon,  74 

Shearsmith,  228 

Shreeve,  231 

Sell,  74 

Shearwood,  266 

Shrive,  231 

Sellar,  118 

Sheat,  73 

Shrosbree,  87 

Seller,  118 

Sheath,  73 

Shucksmith,  228 

Sellerman,  237 

Sheather,  114 

Shurlock,  266 

Selway,  100 

Shebear,  54 

Shurmer,  112 

Semmelbecker,  298 

Shed,  74 

Shurrock,  94 

Seneschal,  105 

Shedlock,  267 

Shuter,  122 

Sennett,  38 

Sheepshanks,  140 

Shutler,   115 

Sensicall,  105 

Sheepwash,  75 

Shuttle,  170 

Senskell,  105 

Sheepy,  133 

Sibary,  38 

Sentance,  222 

Shekell,  177 

Sibbald,  38 

Sentence,  222 

Sheldrake,  205 

Siborne,  34 

Seraphim,  20$ 

Shellcross,  130,  ». 

Sibree,  38 

Serkitt,  220 

Shepherdson,  239 

Sich,  76 

Serrurier,  279 

Shergold,  266 

Sichelschmidt,  298 

Service,  221 

Sherlock,  266 

Side,  138 

Sessions,   103,  n.  2 

Shermer,  112 

Sidwell,  187 

Seth,  73 

Sherriff,  231 

Silberschmidt,  298 

Settatree,  270 

Sherwin,  266 

Silburn,  247 

Setter,   113 

Shiel,  75 

Silito,  5 

Seward,  173 

Shield,  1  60 

Sillence,  220 

Sewer,  105 

Shields,  75 

Sillibourne,  247 

S.exty,  107 

Shillibeer,  54 

Sillifant,  247 

Seys,  72,  n.  i 

Shilling,  177 

Sillon,  283 

Shackcloth,  267 

Shillingshaw,  177 

Silver,  157 

Shacklady,  264 

Shillingsworth,  177 

Silverbird,   136 

Shackle,  170 

Shillito,  5 

Silverside,  139 

358 


INDEX 


Silvertop,  128 

Smallpeace,  221 

Spence,  106 

Silvery,  133 

Smallpeice,  222 

Spencer,  14,  n.  J 

Silvestre,  281 

Smead,  77 

Spendlove,  260 

Simister,  121,  n. 

Smeathers,  96 

Spenlow,  260 

Simmance,  161 

Smeathman,  78,  308 

Sperring,  163 

Simmonds,  39,  n.  2 

Smedes,  77 

Spicknell,  in 

Simner,  121,  n. 

Smedley,  77 

Spickernell,  in 

Sinister,  304,  n.  3 

Smee,  78 

Spindelow,  260 

Sinnamon,  87 

Smeed,  77 

Spindler,  115 

Sinnocks,  95 

Smeeth,  77 

Spingarn,  258 

Sinnott,  38 

Smidmore,  77 

Spink,  in,  n.  I 

Sirdar,  120 

Smiles,  87,  n.  i 

Spire,  122 

Sirr,  248 

Smirk,  87,  n.  i 

Spirett,  214 

Sissmore,  178 

Smith,  226,  308 

Spirit,  214 

Sitch,  76 

Smithers,  96 

Spittle,  107 

Sitwell,  187 

Smithett,  78 

Splatt,  78 

Sivewright,  227 

Smithson,  239 

Spon,  78 

Six,  179 

Smithyman,  237 

Spong,  78 

Sixsmith,  228 

Smy,  78 

Sporleder,  303 

Sizer,  in 

Snaith,  78 

Spouncer,  122 

Skeel,  292,  n. 

Snake,  95 

Sprackling,  140 

Skeemer,  105 

Snape,  78 

Spratling,  140 

Skeer,  74 

Snead,  78 

Spray,  195 

Skegg,   137 

Snee,  78 

Spreadbrow,  131 

Skew,  1  60 

Sneezum,  86 

Spridgeon,  242 

Skill,  222 

Snelgar,  44 

Sprigg,  195 

Skiller,  105 

Snepp,  78 

Spring,  78 

Skilling,  177 

Snodgrass,  78 

Springall,  248 

Skin,  143 

Snook,  95 

Springate,  248 

Skipper,  118 

Snooks,  95 

Springett,  248 

Skippon,  75 

Snowball,  225,   n. 

Sprinehall,  248 

Skippings,  75 

Snusher,  104 

Spun,  78 

Skirmer,  112 

Soanes,  244 

Spurge,  187 

Skirrett,  187 

Soden,  212 

Spurgeon,  242 

Skrimshire,  88 

Sollas,  220 

Spurr,  162 

Skull,  130 

Seller,  109 

Spurren,  163 

Skurmer,   112 

Solomon,  204 

Spurway,  100 

Slade,  76 

Soltan,  212 

Spyer,  122 

Slagg,  156,  n.  i 

Solway,  161,  n. 

Squiller,  105 

Slape,  77 

Sommer,  302 

Squire,  105,  199 

Slate,  76 

Sommerlat,  233 

Stabback,  270 

Slavin,  151 

Sones,  244 

Staff,  79,  124,  154 

Slay,  77 

Sonntag,  302 

Stahlschmidt,  298 

Slaymaker,  226,  n.  i 

Sortwell,  255,  n.  i 

Staight,  79 

Slaymark,  226,  n.  i 

Sotcher,  112 

Staines,  308 

Sleath,  76 

Sotelass,  231 

Staite,  79 

Slee,  77 

Southland,  99 

Stallibrass,  140 

Sleeman,  237 

Southward,  52 

Stallwood,  91 

Slight,  223 

Southwood,  90 

Stamer,  114 

Slipp,  77 

Souvestre,  281 

Stammers,  41 

Slipper,  153 

Sowden,  212 

Standaloft,  268 

Slocock,  92 

Spear,  160 

Standeven,  268 

Sloggett,  91 

Spearon,  163 

Standfast,  254 

Sluggett,  91 

Spearpoint,  160 

Stanes,  308 

Slyman,  237 

Spearsmith,  229 

Stanier,  226,  n.  i 

Smallbones,  143 

Specht,  302 

Stanley,  16 

Smalley,  133 

Speck,  201,   M. 

Stannard,  44 

Smallhorn,  64 

Speed,  218 

Stannas,  96 

Smallpage,  241 

Speight,  201,  n. 

Stanner,  104 

Stannis,  96 
Stannus,  96 
Staple,  79 
Staples,  79 
Starey,  133 
Start,  80 
Startifant,  265 
Startin,  86 
Startup,  153 
State,  79 
Stathers,  96 
Staveacre,  187 
Staveley,  87 
Stay,  79 

Steadmances,  71,  ». 
Steckles,  79 
Steggall,  79 
Steggles,  79 
Steinhauer,  299 
Steinschneider,  299 
Stent,  79 
Steptoe,  253 
Steriker,  93 
Steward,   105 
Stickings,  79 
Stickler,  115 
Stickles,  79 
Stigand,  79 
Stiggants,  79 
Stiggins,  79 
Stiggles,  79 
Stile,  79 
Still,  79 
Stillman,  79 
Stirrup,  89 
Stirzaker,  93 
Stitch,  80 
Stockfisch,  303 
Stockings,  153 

stoffla,  282 

Stone,  308 
Stoneage,  95 
Stonehewer,  226,  n.  i 
Stoop,  80 
Stopes,  80 
Stophe,  282 
Stopher,  104 
Stopper,  104 
Stopps,  80 
Storch,  301 
Storer,  105 
Storrar,  105 
Stoyle,  79 
Straight,  326 
Strange,  120 
Strangleman,  257 
Strauss,  301 
Strawbridge,  89 
Strawson,  240 


INDEX 

Stribling,  249 
Strickett,  128 
Stringfellow,  130,  n. 
Stripling,  249 
Stroh,  303 
Strongitharm,  139 
Stroulger,  211 
Strowbridge,  89 
Strowger,  211 
Strudger,  211 
Stuckey,  87 
Studd,  80 
Stumbles,  41 
Sturdevant,  265 
Sturgess,  43 
Sturt,  80 
Sturtivant,  265 
Sturzaker,  93 
Stutfield,  318 
Styance,  79 
Styants,  79 
Styer,  115 
Styche,  80 
Styles,  79 
Such,  50 
Suckling,  249 
Sucksmith,  228 
Suddard,  319 
Sudermann,  299 
Sueter,  122 
Suett,  173 
Summer,  75,  «.,  79 
Summerhayes,  75,  n. 
Summerlad,  233 
Summerscales,  75 
Summersgill,  75 
Summerskill,  75 
Sumner,  121,  n. 
Sumpster,  121 
Sumption,  223 
Sumsion,  223 
Surch,  38 

Surgenor,  65,  «.,  240 
Surgeon,  65,  n,,  239 
Surgerman,  239 
Surgison,  239 
Surkett,  220 
Surplice,  151 
SUIT,  248 
Surtees,  49,  n.  i 
Siissenguth,  302 
Susskind,  301 
Sussmilch,  303 
Sutermeister,  299 
Suthers,  97 
Sutor,  305 
Swain,  42,  226,  234 
Swainson,  239 
Swale,  80 


359 

Swan,  37,  42,  234,  313 
Swannell,  37 
Swash,  312,  n. 
Swears,  80 
Sweatman,  238 
Sweetapple,  191 
Sweetlove,  260 
Sweetsur,  248 
Swell,  80 
Swindler,  120 
Swingewood,  252,  n.  3 
Swingler,  120 
Swire,  80,  135 
Sword,  1 60 
Syer,  248 
Syers,  248 
Sykes,  76 
Symonds,  39,  n.  2 
Syrett,  38 

Tabborah,   176 
Taber,  150,  176 
Taberer,  176 
Tabernacle,  no 
Tabor,  151,  176 
Tabrar,  176 
Tabrett,  176 
Tagliaferro,  253,  n.  2 
Taillebois,  258 
Taillefer,  256 
Taine,  281 
Tait,  126 
Talfourd,  253 
Tallboys,  258 
Tallents,  142 
Tambourin,  176 
Tamsett,  322 
Tancred,  42,  125 
Tankard,  42,  125 
Tansey,   187 
Taphouse,  96 
Tarbath,   32 
Tarbox,  71,  n. 
Tarbun,  32 
Tardew,  186,  n'. 
Tarn,  60 
Tarnsitt,  80 
Tarsell,  193,  n,  2 
Tart,  80 
Tartar,  212 
Tash,  50 
Tassell,  193,  n.  2 
Taswell,  256 
Tate,  126 
Taube,  302 
Taubmann,  302 
Taw,  50 
Tawyer,  81 
Taycell,  193,  n.  2 


36o 


INDEX 


Taylorson,  239 

Thoyts,  89 

Tolliday,  233 

Tazewell,  256 

Thrale,  232 

Tolputt,  no 

Teacher,  115 

Threadgold,  269 

Tolver,  253 

Tear,  143 

Thridgould,  266 

Tongs,  134 

Tear  all,  262 

Thrift,  220 

Tongue,  134 

Tebbutt,  40 

Thring,  234 

Toogood,  262,  n.  i 

Tee,  82 

Throssell,  157 

Tooth,  127 

Teed,  40 

Thrussell,  157 

Toplady,  259 

Teissier,  288 

Thumbwood,  257,  »• 

Toplass,  259 

Telfer,  253 
Telford,  253 

Thurgar,  31 
Thurgell,  31,  43 

Topliss,  259 
Torr,  8  1 

Tellwright,  227 

Thurgood,  261 

Torrens,  305 

Temporall,  211 

Thurkell,  21 

Tortise,  325 

Temprall,  211 

Thurkettle,  31 

Tortiss,  325 

Tennyson,  315,  n.  i 

Thurtle,  31 

Tortoiseshell,  325 

Terrell,  262 

Thwaite,  47,  89 

Toswill,  256 

Terry,  40 

Tibbets,  10 

Tottman,  238 

Terse,  180 

Tibbies,  10,  40 

Tough,  147 

Tcstard,  281 

Tibbs,  10 

Tournemeule,  263 

Ttte,  126 

Ticklepenny,  263 

Tower,  320 

Tetard,  281 
Teufel,  209,  n.  i,  305 

Tickler,  79 
Tidbald,  40 

Toye,  146 
Tozer,  256 

Tewer,  81 

Tidball,  40 

Traherne,  7 

Textor,  305 

Tidboald,  40 

Tranchevent,  266 

Tey,  82 

Tidswell,  254 

Trapnell,  262,  n.  i 

Thacker,  81,  114 

Tieck,  293 

Trask,  87 

Thackeray,   84 

Tieman,  200 

Travell,  222 

Thackster,  81 

Tierce,  180 

Treacher,  120 

Thackwell,  256 

Tiffen,  14 

Treadaway,  266 

Thackwray,  84 

Tighe,  82 

Treaddell,  266 

Thake,  81 

Timberlake,  87 

Treadway,  266 

Thay,  81 

Timblick,  87 

Treadwell,  255 

Theak,  81 

Timbrell,  177 

Tredgett,  219 

Theaker,  81,  114 

Timperon,  177,  n.  i 

Tredgold,  266 

Theed,  40 

Tingle,  40 

Tredwell,  266 

Theobald,  40 

Tinnett,  138 

Treitschke,  294 

Thew,  150,  n. 

Tinnion,  224,  n.  2 

Tremble,  263 

Thewless,  150 

Tinside,  138 

Tress,  132 

Thewlis,  150 

Tiplady,  259 

Tretwell,  255,  266 

They,  81 
Thickbroom,  184 

Tippenny,  177 
Tippett,  148 

Trevett,  166 
Trew,  8  1 

Thickett,  128 

Tipple,  40 

Tricker,  120 

Thicknesse,  132,  n.  2 

Tipstaff,  135 

Trickery,  219 

Thickpenny,  177,  «.  2 

Tiptaft,  155,  n. 

Trill,  50 

Thiers,  180 

Tiptod,  155,  ». 

Trinkwasser,  304 

Third,  180 

Tiptoft,  155,  n. 

Triphook,  94 

Thirdborough,  180 

Tirebuck,  266 

Trippick,  94 

Thirkell,  31 

Tirpitz,  295 

Trist,  318 

Thirkettle,  31 

Tischbein,  155 

Tristram,  32 

Thirkhill,  31 

Todhunter,  229 

Trivett,  166 

Thirlaway,  265 

Todkill,  43 

Trodden,  50 

Thirlway,  265 

Todleben,  221,  n. 

Trodoux,  262,  n.  i 

Thistlethwaite,  89 

Todrick,  40 

Trollope,  272 

Thoday,  63 

Toe,  50,  142 

Trood,  50,  73 

Tholomie,  205 

Toes,  50,  142 

Troplong,  262,  n.  i 

Thompson,  3,  308 

Tofield,  82 

Troth,  217 

Thorburn,  34 

Toine,  281 

Trouncer,  123 

Thornback,  138 

Tolladay,   233 

Trounson,  155 

Thornell,  62 

Tollfree,  31 

Trousseau,  156 

INDEX 


361 


Trow,  8  1 

Twills,  308 

Vansittart,  298 

Truckenbrod,  303 

Twin,  249 

Vant,  247 

Trudgett,  219 

Twint,  249 

Varder,  113 

Truebody,  129 

Twisadav,  180 

Vardon,  103,  n.  2 

Truefitt,   99 

Twiss,  82 

Vardy,  218 

Trueland,  99 

Twissell,  82 

Varge,  82 

Truelock,  214,  «.  3 

Twist,  187 

Varndell,  59 

Truelove,  260 

Twitchell,  82 

Varnish,  108 

Trumble,  263 

Twitchen,  82 

Varty,  218 

Trumper,  176 

Twitchings,  82 

Vater,  301 

Trumpeter,  115 

Twite,  89 

Vaulkhard,  40 

Trurnit,  304 

Twizel,  82 

Vauquelin,  44 

Truscott,  261 

Two,  179 

Vaux,  45,  n. 

Truslove,  261 

Twopenny,  177 

Veal,  314 

Trussell,  156 

Twoyearold,  250 

Veevers,  174 

Trust,  173,  217 

Twybell,  168 

Venn,  320 

Trustrum,  217 

Twyer,  81 

Venner,  229 

Tubb,  125 

Twyman,  238 

Venour,  229 

Tubeuf,  257 

Tye,  82 

Venters,  218,  n.  2 

Tucker,  323 

Tyers,  180 

Ventress,  218,  n.  2 

Tuckwell,  254 

Tylecote,  258 

Ventris,  218,  n.  2 

Tudball,  40 

Tyrer,  267 

Ventur,  218 

Tudway,  63 

Tyrrell,  262 

Verdier,  287 

Tuer,   8  1 

Tyrwhitt,  87 

Vereker,  298 

Tuff,  147 

Tyson,  315 

Verge,  82 

Tuffery,  31 

Vergo,  208 

Tuffield,  62 

Uff,  35 

Verity,  218,  221,  n. 

Tuffill,  82 

Uffendell,  35 

Vermuth,  188 

Tugwell,  254 

Ulph,  35 

Verschoyle,  298 

Tulip,  192 

Uncles,  245 

Vesey,  186,  n. 

Tulliver,  253 

Underbill,  52 

Vester,  107 

Tumbrell,  177 

Undery,  71 

Vestey,  107 

Tunnell,  169 

Undrell,  52 

Vetter,  301 

Turbert,  31 

Unite,  1  80 

Vicar,  217 

Turbott,  31 

Unitt,  1  80 

Vice,  218 

Turfery,  31 

Unkraut,  188 

Vickerstaff,  90 

Turgis,  31,  43 

Unthank,  89 

Vickery,  217 

Turgoose,  31 

Unwin,  43 

Vickress,  230 

Turk,  212 

Upcher,  88 

Victory,  217 

Turketine,  31 

Upfield,  52 

Vidal,  174,  n. 

Turnbill,  263 

Upfill,  52,  169 

Vidler,  176 

Turnbull,  263 

Upfold,  52 

Vigers,  87,  n.  2 

Turnpenny,  263 

Upjohn,  242 

Vigors,  87,  n.  2 

Turpin,  31 

Uprichard,  242 

VUmar,  293 

Turtle,  31 

Upshall,  88 

Vimpany,  263 

Tustain,  31 

Upton,  52 

Vinegar,  43 

Tustin,  31 

Upward,  52 

Vinestock,  155 

Tutin,  32 

Urwin,  3  5 

Vinson,  172 

Tuttle,  31 

Usher,  105 

Violett,  154,  192 

Tuttlebee,  31 

Uzzell,  319 

Virgin,  208 

Tuvache,  257 

Virgoe,  208 

Twait,  89 

Vaisey,  186,  «. 

•"Virtue,  218 

Tweed,  161,  n. 

Vale,  314 

Vittles,  174 

Twelftree,  179 

Vandam,  298 

Vivers,  174 

Twells,  50 

Vanderdecken,  108 

Vize,  83 

Twelve,  179 

Vandersteen,  298 

Vizer,  in 

Twelve  trees,  179 

Vandervelde,  298 

Vizor,  in 

Twiceaday,  180 

Vann,  59,  107 

Voase,  82 

Twigg,  195 

Vanner,  59 

Voce,  82 

362 


INDEX 


Vogelgesang,  304 

Walwin,  40 

Vogt,  300 

Wand,  155 

Voice,  82 

Wandless,  149 

Yokes,  45 

Wanghope,  149,  n. 

Volker,  45 

Wanlace,  149 

Volkes,  45 

Wanlass,  149 

von,  296 

Wanless,  149 

von  der  Goltz,  296,  297 

Wannemacher,  298 

von  der  Heyde,  296,  297 

Want,  155 

von  der  Tann,  296,  297 

Waraker,  93 

Vorbusch,  296 

Warboy,  231,  «.  2 

Vorderbrugg,  296 

Wardhaugh,  62 

Vose,  82 

Wardlaw,  62 

Voss,  302 

Wardle,  62 

Vowler,  107,  n.  2 

Wardlow,  62 

Voysey,  186,  «. 

Wardrop,  95 

Vulpius,  305 

Ware,  ,311      ^^ 

Vyse,  83 

Warlock,  214 

Warlow,  214,  n.  2 

Warren,  329 

Wace,  312 

Warring,  329 

Wdckter,  300 

Warwicker,  93 

Wackernagel,  166,  n.  i 

Wash,  312 

Waddicar,  93 

Wason,  312 

Waddicker,  93 

Wasp,  325 

Waddilove,  260 

Wass,  312 

Wademan,  121 

Wastall,  262 

Wader,  120 

Wastell,  114,  n.  i 

Wadman,  121,  237 

Waterfall,  59 

Waggett,  264 

Watering,  65 

Waghorn,  264 

Wath,  83 

Wagstaff,  264 
Wain,  171 

Wathe,  83 
Watking,  228,  ».  i 

Wainwright,  227 

Watmough,  247 

Waister,  263 

Watrett,  128,  ».  i 

Waistcoat,  150 

Waud,  83 

Wait,  185 

Waule,  311 

Waite,  312 

Wawn,  83 

Waiter,  105 

Waygood,  37 

Wakelam,  270 

Waylatt,  83 

Wakeling,  44 

Waylett,  83 

Wakem,  270,  n.  2 

Waymark,  37,  41 

Wakenshaw,  269 

Waythe,  83 

Waldo,  43 

Weale,  83 

Wale,  3" 

Wearing,  329 

Wales,  311 

Weatherhead,  128 

Walkinshaw,  269 

Weatherhogg,  242 

Walkland,  270 

Webb,  226 

Walklate,  270 

Weeds,  188 

Walkling,  44 

Weichbecker,  298 

Walkman,  237 

Weihnacht,  302 

Wall,  311 

Weiss,  300 

Wallen,  40,  311 

Weissbecker,  299 

Wallet,  156 

Weissbrodt,  303 

Wallis,  308 

Weiss  gerber,  299 

Wallraven,  36 

W  eissmantel,  301 

Walne,  83 

Weisspfennig,  302 

Walthew,  43 

Welch,  308 

Waltho,  43 

Welcome,  254 

Weld,  83 
Welfare,  220 
Welfitt,  91 
Welladvise,  224 
Wellavize,  224 
Wellbelove,  225 
Wellbeloved,  225 
Wellbelow,  225 
Werckmeister,  299 
Werlock,  214 
Wermuth,  303 
Weskett,  150 
Wesson,  240 
Westaway,  76,  n. 
Westland,  99 
Westrope,  95 
Westwood,  90 
Wethered,  128 
Wet  wan,  84 
Whackum,  270,  n.  2 
Whalebelly,   138,   204, 

n.  i 

Wham,  83 
Whan,  83 
Wharf e,  161,  n. 
Whatkins,  328 
Whatmaugh,  247 
Whatmore,  247 
Whatrup,  95 
Whattler,  114,  n.  2 
Wheat,  124,  185 
Wheelwright,  227 
Whence,  328 
Where,  328 
Whereat,  328 
Wherry,  171 
Whiddett,  91 
While,  327 
Whinray,  84 
Whipp,  156 
Whish,  84 
Whisker,  137,  328 
Whitbread,  136 
Whitcher,  106 
White,  154 
Whitear,  135 
Whiteaves,  59 
Whiteborn,  247 
Whitefoot,  141 
Whitehair,  135 
Whitehall,  62 
Whitehand,  139 
Whitehead,  15,  22,  128 
Whiteheard,  231 
Whitehorn,  64,  89,  n.  2 
Whitehouse,  96,  152 
Whitelam,  241 
Whitelark,  131 
Whitelegg,  140 


INDEX 


363 


Whitenow,  318 

Willett,  322 

With,  84 

Whiteoak,  94 

Willgoss,  241 

Witherow,  85 

Whiterod,  155 

Willis,  321 

Withinshaw,  52 

Whiteside,  138 

Wills,  308 

Wittwer,  301 

Whitesmith,  227 

Willsher,  88 

Wodehouse,  214 

Whitewhite,  89 

Wilman,  236 

Wohlfart,  220,  302 

Whitewish,  214 

Wilmot,  169 

Wolfe,  35 

Whitewright,  227 

Wilsford,  250,  n. 

Wolfendale,  35 

Whitey,  133 

Wilshaw,  88 

Wolff,  302 

Whitlock,  131 

Wimble,  40,  170 

Wolfing,25o,n.2 

Whitmee,  248 

Wimblett,  169 

Wolfram,  36 

Whitseed,  74 

Wimbolt,  170 

Wolstencroft,  35 

Whittaker,  93 

Wimlott,  169 

Wolstenholme,  35 

Whittard,  231 

Wimpenny,  263 

Wolzogen,  288,  302 

Whittear,  135 

Wimple,  150 

Wonder,  218 

Whittick,  94 

Wimpress,  107 

Wong,  84 

Whittier,  135,  226,  n.  i 

Winbolt,  43 

Wood,  47,  308 

Whittock,  94 

Winbow,  263 

Woodage,  95 

Whittrick,  43 

Wincer,  89 

Woodbine,  192 

Whit  warn,  137 

Winch,  170 

Woodcock,  201,  n. 

Whitwham,  138 

Winckelmann,  295 

Woodfall,  59 

Wholehouse,  97 

Windeatt,  91 

Woodfin,  84 

Whybird,  38,  328 

Windelband,  167 

Woodfine,  84 

Whyborn,  34,  38 

Windlass,  170,  263 

Woodger,  226,  n.  i 

Whybrow,  130 

Windless,  170,  263 

Woodhead,  126 

Wickfield,  70 

Windows,  96 

Woodhouse,  214 

Widdeatt,  91 

Win  dram,  263 

Woodier,  226,  n.  i 

Widderkop,  301 

Windus,  96 

Woodison,  240 

Widdiwiss,  214 

Winearls,  264 

Woodiwiss,  214 

Widdows,  245 

Winfarthing,  89 

Woodman,  308 

Widger,  43 

Winfrey,  310 

Woodmason,  227 

Widgery,  86,  n.  a 

Wingood,  30,  261 

Woodnough,  318 

Wiegold,  157 

Winks,  46 

Woodrofife,  231 

Wigfall,  70 

Winnery,  84 

Woodrow,  85 

Wigg,  46 

Winpenny,  263 

Woodruff,  231 

Wilberforce,  60 

Winrose,  263 

Woodward,  231 

Wilbur,  39 

Winship,  264 

Woodwright,  227 

Wild,  83 

Winspear,  162,  263 

Woof,  35 

Wildash,  83 

Winsper,  162,  f». 

Woolcock,  92 

Wildblood,  142 

Winspur,  162,  n.,  263 

Woolfrey,  35 

Wildbore,  241 

Winter,  75,  n.,  79 

Woolfries,  35 

Wildegans,  302 

Winter,  302 

Woolgar,  35 

Wilder,  241 

Winterage,  95 

Woolhouse,  96 

Wildey,  133 

Winterbottom,  75,  n. 

Woollard,  154 

Wildgoose,  241 

Winterburn,  75,  ». 

Woollen,  35 

Wildgust,  241 
Wilding,  65 

Winter  flood,  75,  «. 
Winterford,  75,  n. 

Woolley,  35 
Woolloff,  260,  n.  i 

Wildish,  83 

Winterscale,  75 

Woolnough,  35 

Wildlove,  261 

Wintersgill,  75 

Woolven,  35 

Wildman,  241 

Winthrop,  95 

Woolward,  154 

Wildrake,  241 
Wildsmith,  228 

Winward,  310 
Wiper,  103 

Woolwright,  127 
Woor,  122 

Wiles,  83,  169 

Wire,  112 

Worlock,  214 

Wilesmith,  228 

Wiscard,  137 

Wormald,  37 

Wilford,  250,  n. 

Wisdom,  223 

Worms,  46 

Wilgress,  241 

Wiseman,  215 

Wormwood,  188 

Willacy,  140  ft. 

Wish,  84 

Worship,  220 

Willavise,  224 

Wishart,  137 

Wortos,  98 

Willbond,  230 

Witcher,  106 

Would,  328 

364 

Wouldhave,  59 
Wraight,  226,  n.  3 
Wraith,  226,  n.  3 
Wray,  84 
Wreath,  226,  n.  3 
Wright.  226 
Wrightson,  239 
Wroe,  84,  190 
Wiilfing,  260,  n.  2 
W under lich,  301 
Wyartt,  19 
Wyattcouch,  243 
Wyberd,  157 
Wyburn,  38 
Wyer,  113 


INDEX 

Wyman   37 
Wymark,  41 
Wyndham,  86 
Wynn,  310 
Wypers,  103 
Wythe,  84 

Yalland,  99 
Yarker,  123 
Yarwood,  21 
Yate,  91 
Yeatman,  237 
Yelland,  99 
Yeoman,  105 
Yolland,  99 


Yorker,  123 
Youngblood,  142 
Younger,  248 
Younghusband,  230 
Youngmay,  248 

Zahn,  301 
Zeal,  73,  217 
Zimmermann,  297 
Zorn,  318 
Zouch,  50 
Zuckerbier,  303 
Zuckschwerdt,  303 
Zumbusch,  49,  296 
Zweig,  195 


Printed  by  HaztU,  Watson  6-  Viney,  Let.,  London  and  Aylesbury,  England. 


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