AT LAST!

At last! A dictionary containing a number of the surnames which have been ignored by other compilers of surname dictionaries.
Back in January of 2013 when initiating this blog, I wrote that I would be writing mainly about … “names that are found in Hull and for which I have had difficulty in finding information. They were not covered in printed dictionaries of names, so my curiosity about their meaning or origin was not easily satisfied.
“So I started collecting any information about these names in order to draw conclusions, correct or otherwise, about them.”

George Redmonds’ (1936-2018) work on Yorkshire Surnames was published in 2015, but I only learned of its existence two weeks ago. I immediately ordered a copy, and so learned that it contained a lot of surnames that I was interested in and which have entries on this blog.
For example –
Acum, Clubley Cockerline, Dewick, Ella, Nendick, Owst, Plaxton, Scaum, Stather, Tarbotton.
On the whole, I think, Dr Redmonds’ data do little to effect a change of mind on my part. I’m surprised, really at how much our opinions coincide.
I will be adding information from the Dictionary of Yorkshire Surnames over time.
I will add the date ‘2015’ to these addenda, as I have previously quoted other texts by George Redmonds;, i.e.,
Yorkshire West Riding, English Surnames series I
Surnames Around Huddersfield
Articles published in “the Dalesman” in the 1970s

NOTES ON SURNAMES (HULL):
AN EXPLANATION

The surnames treated in the notes titled as above are not, as might be inferred –
a) confined to Hull and district
b) in most instances, of local origin
c) in many instances, best represented in Hull.

What they are are names that are found in Hull and for which I have had difficulty in finding information. They were not covered in printed dictionaries of names*, so my curiosity about their meaning or origin was not easily satisfied.
So I started collecting any information about these names in order to draw conclusions, correct or otherwise, about them.
I should point out that these enquiries began before the arrival of the personal computer, which could have answered many of my questions. They continued pre-PC style for years after that now indispensible tool became available, as my personal circumstances precluded acquisition.
Internet access has, to a large degree rendered my labour redundant, but there is one aspect that in my opinion saves it from the shredder. That is the concentration of notices on the limited area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, in particular the city of Kingston upon Hull.
So, rather than scrap my project I post them on the internet in hope that they might be of use to others, as pointers to sources for example.

*Several surnames were of non-English origin, which can explain their non-appearance in dictionaries of English or British surnames. One, Beharrel, is listed in Mark Anthony Lower’s dictionary of 1860.

EAST YORKSHIRE PLACE NAMES AS SURNAMES (4)

BRIGHTON, BREIGHTON

The first thought likely to come to mind when considering the origin of the surname Brighton would be , from Brighton in East Sussex. Less likely an ‘old’ Brighton that preceded the development of New Brighton in Lancashire.
However, neither location is the source of the Brighton surname.
Brighton on the south coast was called Brightelmeston, in the Middle Ages and up to the modern age. No surname appears to have developed from a Lancashire Brighton.
The surname Brighton is from the East Riding place name Breighton, in Bubwith parish. The ‘ei’ spelling first appears on record in 1636, probably based on a local pronunciation. Earlier spellings include Bryghton in the 12th-13th centuries along with Brichton in the same period.
As for the surname, Reaney (English Surnames) notices Richard de Brighton, freeman of York, 1328. there was also a Robert Brighton, mariner, freeman of York in 1559, who was from Market Weighton.

Hull seems to have held no attraction for Brightons. The earliest notice I have seen to date is a birth registration of 1857 for Sutton-on-Hull. A Private Thomas Brighton, East Yorkshire Regiment, who lost his life in World War 1, was a Hull man.
The Hull telephone directory of 1990* lists only four of the name.
According to “The Penguin Dictionary of British Surnames”, Brighton “is most commonly found (oddly enough) in Norfolk”.
Explanations of the meaning of the place name are –
1. “bright farm”
2. “farm near a bridge”.


*Predates the widespread adoption of the mobile phone, and the consequent decline in the number of telephone directory entries.

NOTES ON SURNAMES (HULL) 77

MEANWELL

A surname best represented in Lincolnshire, but Hull has its share of Meanwells.
But before proceeding any further with these notes, I think it would be worthwhile to read the following article on the surname –
https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Meanwell

While I am not convinced that Meanwell derives from Mandeville I don’t think we can dismiss the possibility out of hand. Reaney and Wilson’s Dictionary of English Surnames lists Manwell as variant of Mandeville, but not Meanwell.
In fact the only writer on surnames who lists this surname is Ernest Weekly (“Surnames”) who takes the name at face value, assuming it identifies someone well intentioned. He lists it alongside names such Eatwell and Lovewell. Personally I’m not sure that ‘mean’, signifying ‘intend’ was an early usage. (see below)
I think it worth considering that Meanwell could be a lost place name, the second component signifying a source of water, a spring, a well.
There is a district of Leeds in West Yorkshire called Meanwood, in which the first component means ‘common’, i.e., not private land. This component begins as (ge)maene, with the likelihood that the initial syllable was lost over time.
I have also found some Yorkshire field names with ‘mean’ as the first component, e.g., Mean Close.
So, Meanwell appears, to me at least, as a difficult name with several possible explanations.

As far as the surname’s presence in Hull and district is concerned, I can mention only
Jeffrey Meanwell, born East Sculcoates in 1848
Charles Meanwell, born Hull in 1849.

Addendum: re Meanwell as “well- intentioned”. The Oxford English covers this meaning with examples going back to Old English, so Ernest Weekley’s explanation is a possibility.

NAMES THAT CATCH MY ATTENTION (8)

MATTERFACE
strange name, was my first thought, I bet it started out looking very different.
I checked in Reaney and Wilson’s “English Surnames”. There was an entry for Matterface.
The first notice is of a Richard de Martinwast in 1166.
Sarra de Martwast’ (Essex) 1252.
Geoffrey Matterface, Gregory Mattervers, Thomas Matterverse (all Devon) 1642.
“English Surnames” explains the name as being from a place name in Normandy, France, spelt Martinvast, but sometimes Martinwast. The meaning of the name is Martin’s wasteland, or uncultivated land. ‘Vast’ is the same in meaning and origin as the English ‘waste’.
I have found no evidence of Martinvast as a surname in France.

NAMES THAT CATCH MY ATTENTION (7)

McTominay
Scott McTominay plays football for Manchester United and Scotland. His presence at the current European Cup competition reminded me to search for an explanation of his surname.
I consulted Edward MacLysaght’s “Surnames of Ireland”, no entry for McTominay. George Fraser Black’s “Surnames of Scotland” also ignored the name. Patrick Woulfe’s “Irish Names and Surnames” held a clue, viz., “MacTamney – Mac an tiompánaigh. So I returned t to MacLysaght. (Mac)Taminey, Tamney, same as Timpany. Timpany, “variants of this now rare Co. Down are Tempany and Tenpenny; MacaTamney has been used as a synonym in Co. Derry.”

A good example of what happens to existing proper names when one language is imposed on the speakers of another. I still don’t know if McTominay is another variant of Mac an tiompánaigh, which means, by the way, “son of the tympanist” (or “drummer”, or simply “musician”).
Re “Tenpenny”, another such Northern Irish name is Halfpenny, formerly Halpin, and originally Ó hAilpin.

NAMES THAT CATCH MY ATTENTION (6)

Two names that I’ve seen in the news recently, which I’d never heard before –  Brokenbrow and Shoemark.A simple explanation for their unfamiliarity is soon found: both are rare, and both belong to the South-West of England. Luckily both surnames are explained in the Penguin Dictionary of British Surnames.  So I quote.

Brokenbrow  “Place-name Brokenborough in Gloucs [Gloucestershire] and Wilts[hire] OE ‘broken/uneven hill’. A scarce surname, found mainly in these two counties.”

Shoemaker/Shoemark/Shoemack  Occupational term for a shoemaker OE. Rare in any form: Shoemaker is a Glamorgan surname and Shoemark/Shoemack are strongest in Somerset.”

OE is for Old English.

EAST YORKSHIRE PLACE NAMES AS SURNAMES (3)

Boynton the village of Boynton near Bridlington was originally Bovington, “the farm of Bofa’s clan”, Bofa being an old English male given name. The spelling Boynton for the place name is recorded in 1275, though Bovington was still in use.
Reaney’s “English Surnames” lists a Walter de Bovington in Yorkshire, 1210-1226; a Thomas  Boynton, Freeman of York, 1408. Other Bovingtons he lists probably take their name from southern locations.
The Boyntons of Barmston, East Yorkshire, were a landed family. Of them Barbara English writes:
“The Boyntons held a compact estate … on the northern boundary of Holderness … which they inherited through marriage c. 1497.” They maintained their position among the great landowners of the East Riding into the late eighteenth century.
(“The Great Landowners of the East Riding of Yorkshire”, 1580-1930)
Nathaniel, son of Mr Francis Bointon, was baptised at Holy Trinity, Hull, 14th May, 1644.
Boynton is a mainly Yorkshire surname, and best represented in Hull and district.

BRIGHAM the village of Brigham lies to the south-east of Driffield. There is another Brigham in Cumbria, but the East Yorkshire village seems to be the main source of the surname.
A.H. Smith (“The Place-Names of the East Riding of Yorkshire and York” 1970) writes:
“Brigham is on a small hill about half a mile from Frodingham Beck which is crossed by Frodingham Bridge. The name may refer to an older bridge at this point and would mean ‘homestead near the bridge’.”
William Brygham and his wife at ‘constabularia de Bartholme’, 1381
Edmund Brygham and his wife at  Cottingham ‘cum toto dominio’ (lordship of Cottingham?)  1381
(poll tax) A.H. Smith describes ‘constabularia de Barliholme’ (note spelling) as a  lost Beverley place name.
A pedigree of the Brighams of Brigham and Wyton is in Poulson’s “Holderness” vol. 2. The Brighams were recusants (Catholics) in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Ralph Brigham, recusant, 1604, was born 1583, the son of Francis and Mary Brigham.
He had sons, William, Francis and Henry, daughters Mary and Margaret.
In Hull and district:
George Brigham married Elizabeth Baxter at Holy Trinity, 1722
Isabel Brigham, spinster, buried at Sculcoates, 1738
William Brigham, mariner, 16 Charles Street, Hull, (1823 directory).

 

 

NAMES THAT CATCH MY ATTENTION (5)

LIMBRICK I first heard this name mentioned a couple of days ago when Grimsby Town signed Anthony Limbrick as assistant manager. It looked a lot like the Irish place name Limerick, of which more later.
The name is noticed in Basil Cottle’s edition of “The Penguin Dictionary of  Surnames” as being from a minor Lancashire place name, i.e., the hamlet of Limbrick near Chorley. This name is explained as meaning ‘lingen-brook’, the first component of which is elsewhere explained as meaning ‘clear water’.
The distribution of the surname creates some difficulty in accepting Dr Cottle’s explanation, it belonging chiefly to the county of Gloucestershire. There is near Bisley in that county a place called Limbrick’s, which was once called Limericks, apparently, named after a former owner.  Cottle suggests that this name alluded to the owner being from Limerick in Ireland.
Perhaps.
Interestingly, Edward MacLysaght’s “Surnames of Ireland” list a surname Limerick,  which he describes as “a toponymic taken not from the city of Limerick but from a French place. This rare surname is found in Co. Derry.”
Which brings me to this article online –
http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Limbrick
This adds more possible sources for the surname without providing a solution. However it does list some historical notices of the name(s), the earliest being from the year 1580.

AN EAST RIDING ARMORY 10

BEAN Argent, a chevron between three goat’s heads erased gules.
Arms of James Bean (d. 1767) on a monumental inscription in Aldbrough church. Bean was a former plantation owner in Jamaica who purchased Wentworth House in Aldbrough . He may not have been of local origin.
I have seen no other arms for the surname Bean, and have found no authority for the arms of James Bean.

SURNAMES FROM IRISH PLACE NAMES

This is a very rare category of surname. I have only been able to identify a few. The earliest Irish surnames were based on the names of a male ancestor; O’Neill ( Ó Néill, descendant of Niall), McCarthy (MacCarthaigh, son of Carthach). Some of these names were very old, dating back as far as the late ninth century, but adoption of hereditary names was a lengthy process among the Irish. Some names only date back to the 16th century, a result of septs dividing and new branches taking new surnames.
It is my belief, though, that the adoption of place name surnames took place after the English invasion and occupation of parts of Ireland, beginning in the late 12th century.
At that time most English people had not adopted hereditary surnames. The same could be said of many Irish, but the clan system in Ireland meant that many who didn’t have an inherited surname of their own would be counted as being of the sept, and therefore the surname, of their recognised king or chief.
The English saw the clan system as a barrier to the complete subjugation of the Irish and the imposition of the feudal system. So they set about breaking the link between chief and clan, and the surname became a target.
The Statutes of Kilkenny of 1367 introduced by the English ordered all Englishmen and “Irish dwelling among them” to use English surnames, speak English and adopt English customs. By that time some English settlers were becoming more like the Irish and some had Irish as well English names, Bermingham became MacFheorais,
d’Exeter MacShiúrtáin, Mandeville MacUighilín.
So where the English were able to impose their rule English surnames became de rigueur, while elsewhere Irish clan names and hibernicised English names were unaffected.
In adopting English style surnames some Irish may have opted for place-names they were associated with. It’s also possible that English settlers chose  new names from their new homes, so such names cannot tell us anything of the origins of their bearers, English, Welsh, or Irish.
I think it’s important to establish that some Irish county names, usually imposed by English administrators, might appear to have been adopted as surnames, but surnames such as Louth and Mayo can usually be shown to be English imports with other meanings.

So, on to some examples of this rare type of Irish surname. Irish language versions are in brackets

Athy (Ataoi), from the town of Athy in Kildare, though the surname now belongs in the main to Galway. The Athys were one of the fourteen “tribes” of Galway, families that dominated the economy and politics of Galway City.

Corbally (de Corbaile), the name of townlands in twenty Irish counties, though Dublin, Meath and Louth are where the surname is mainly found. Corbally means “odd townland (no further explanation). Corballis, a variant, is found as a place name in County Meath, and as a surname in County Louth.

Craughwell (Ó Creachmhaoil), there is a village of the name in East Galway, where the surname is found. However, the Irish language version of the name takes the form of a patronymic (Ó meaning ‘descendant’). Ó Creachmhaoil would be pronounced “Oh Crahweel”. So identification of Craughwell as a toponymic-type surname is not beyond doubt.

Dease (Déise), from Deece in Couny Meath, “in which county the family has been continuously since the thirteenth century” (MacLysaght, “The Surnames of Ireland”).
I remember reading that this name was adopted by a branch of Anglo-Norman family of Nugent (originally de Nogent), but I can’t remember where I read it.

Dromgoole, Drumgoole (Dromgúl), was a place name of County Louth (Dromgabhail), and a surname of Louth, Dublin and Meath.

Finglas (de Fionnghlais), a place name of County Dublin, meaning “clear stream”, and a Dublin surname.

Galbally (de Gallbhaile), place names in five counties, meaning “foreign townland”, i.e. held by settlers of non-Irish origin. MacLysaght (loc. cit.) tells us the name is in Kildare since 1359.

Santry, (de Seantraith) Santry is in Dublin but the surname belongs to County Cork.

Slane (de Slaine), there are places of this name in Meath and Antrim. The surname belongs to Northern Ireland. Slaney, which, as a surname is found in Waterford, may be a variant or a lost place name.

Trim (de Truim), a place name of County Meath, the surname belongs mainly to County Wicklow with some of the name in Monaghan.

Finally, an Irish surname that MacLysaght suggests is locative –
Powderley which he posits as deriving from Powerlough, County Meath. He writes (loc. cit.), “My suggestion … is supported by the fact that references to the surname since 1750 are nearly all to Co. Meath and Louth. I have not met it earlier than that date.”