Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature

inences were

)

e family, or offspring. The phrases "from generation to generation,"

was gett fr

t cuth to h

ve sense of a manikin, kilderkin, pipkin, lambkin, jerkin, minikin (little minion), or d

se prude

oveth

e prude

oveth

·

s and

th they

ekyn an

their

, whether as troopers or artisans, gave a great impul

can speke n

nneth all on

th grece abo

rutter

m Baldwin. Baudechon le Bocher in the Hundred Rolls, and Simmerquin Waller, lieutenant

is foun

ove and loss po

us soul d

Delici?

), Pipkin and Potkin (Philip), Simkin, Tipkin (Theobald), Tomkin, Wilkin, Watkin (Walter), Jenkin, Silkin (Sybil),[6] Malkin (Mary), Perkin (Peter), Hankin (Hans), and Halkin or Hawkin (Henry). Pashkin or Paskin reminds us of Pask or Pash, the old baptismal name for children born at E

in-wyf, iii

or 17? acres of land."-"D

-doghter, ii

te cote,

e moles a

e ben y

s Plo

s appendage. Some relics of this form of Mary still rem

chen mal

ckram 'bout he

the walls t

us," Act

atomy of Melancholy" is sti

en post, a hedge-stake may be so set out and tricked up, that it shall make a f

to clean ovens with. Thus, as Jack took the name of the implements Jack used, as in boot-jack, so by easy transitions Malkin. The last h

we their origin to either Mary or Maud. I would retract that supposition. There can be little doubt these are patronymics of Matthew, just as is Maycock or Meacock. Maykinus Lappyng occurs in "Materials for a H

rew invasion made a clean sweep of them. They found shelter in Wales, however, a

Co

action, pert demonstrativeness. The barn-door cockerel was not more cockapert than the boy in the scullery that opened upon the yard where both strutted. Hence any lusty lad was "Cock," while such fuller titles as Jeff-cock, or Sim-cock, or Bat-cock gave him a p

ut of course, and

d I, poor wench, have

mer calls the

, Cock: what

How,

soon: and grope behin

ay be compounds-unless they owe their origin to "cockeney," a sp

e meacocks, fool

nia" (1563) Mausipul

at business be

an dawcock, lus

King

sat on pill

rendering of th

Pillicock sa

one, he sits

ed" Will Cricke

that your lubberly legs would

in forming nicknames. That it should similarly be appended to baptismal names, e

m-cock was Simcock to the end of his days, of course,

Adecock, held 2

la Lowe, fo

Moreclough,

ercroft, for 20 acres."-"Th

k and Mycock of Matthew, Jeff-cock of Jeffrey, Johncock of John, Hitch-cock or Hiscock or Heacock of Higg or Hick (Isaac), Elcock of Ellis, Hancock or Handcock of Han or Hand (Dutc

et Beatrix uxor eju

et Matilda uxor ej

seventeenth century; and yet we have many evidences of its use in the beginning of the sixteenth. The English Bible, with its tendency to require the full name as a matter of reverence, while it supplied new names in the place of the old ones that we

entury saw the end of na

On

connection with Normandy and France generally brought the fashion to the English Court, and in habits of this kind the English folk quickly copied their superiors. Terminations in kin and cock were confined to

xly Beatrice or Beatrix in the Hundred Rolls. Only here and there can we gather th

the Bre

m good

ain, l

Bette cu

Betoun th

e registrar's hands, no

n answered:

so? I warran

old Yorks

ervandes of John of Bolton, to ilk one of yaim,

name familiarly en

ng of land, and paid yearly iiis. vi

But in the north of England Hutchin was a more pop

on, & Matilda u

l

chon-serva

ur Hutchinsons are all north of Trent fo

nor of Ashton-under-Lyne

owe this fact to Maid Marion, the May-lady. Many a Mary Ann, in these days of double baptis

olas; Diccon, from Dick, Richard; Huggin, from Hugh; Higgin, from Hick or Higg, Isaac; Figgin, from Figg, Fulke;[9] Phippin, from Phip

be (Theobald); our Collinges and Collings, Collins; and our Gibbings, Gibbins. Our Jennings should be Jennins; Jennin Caervil was b

ng-doghter, i

private secretary to Henry VI.) remind us of the former popularit

wlyn-wyf, ii

on than Rawlins. Deccon and Dickin have got mixed, and both are now Dickens, a

e, I bid her

her is, or

wyf, webester,

are Lampin, Lamin, and Lammin. These again are more correct,

et Alicia uxor ej

06 (Chappell's "Popular Music of ye Olden Time," i. 29). The French forms a

ustom that is obsolete in England

Ot an

ns that ran first in fav

t, ballot, gibbet, target, gigot, chariot, latchet, pocket, ballet. In the same way a li

rkshire previous to the Reformation were Matilda and Emma. Two of the commonest surnames there to-day are Emmott and Tillot, with such variations as Emmett and T

for Richard de Akerode and Emmotte de Greenwood to marry, they

er Prestwick and Emmote Crossley. Bannes thric

nd Ibbetsons. Registrations such as "Ibbota filia Adam," or "Robert filius Ibote," ar

Ibot-dogh

e, et Ibota ux

ur, et Ebbot s

came Sisso

& Cissot sa femm

Society), penned fortunately for our purpos

wife of

ife of Dic

fe of Thoma

fe of Jak o

families will be evidence enough of the popularity of that n

ian or Julian, from Gill or Jill (whence Jack and Jill), became Gillot, Juliet, and Jowett; Margaret became Mar

et Magota uxor eju

t Magota uxor ej

Magotson

ed Rolls contain a "Cussot Colling"-a rare place to find one of the

e, Lesot wa

& Lesot sa femme

was very po

el, & Diot uxo

& Diot uxor ejus,

it became

, & Mariona ux

iotson, iiii

nnora or Alianora. So common was Annot in North England that the common sea-gull came to be so known. It is a mistake to suppose that Annot h

ster, & Anota u

son, wryght, i

nora are the same, s

Johannis Enotson,

Hundred Rolls we find "Linota atte Field." In fact, the early for

wode, et Sibota

et Sibbota uxor ej

ariot, and from our surnames it woul

ns Mariota Gulle

le Lane."-Hu

equests to "Ev? uxori Johannes Parvying" and "Willielmo de Rowlay," and later on he refers to them aga

name. Very speedily it became the property of the female sex, such entries as Tibot Fitz-piers ending in favour of Tibota

hear what news thou hast bro

e pet name is used in the song

erry Ann

Trilla,

work, Annot;

nit, Annot; s

ho will win

name for a male and female cat. Scarcely an

more than Gi

mice and rat

I but to

or one of wanton character. Tom in tom-cat came into ordinary parlance later. All our modern Tibbo

he Directory hail from Guiot,[10] the dimi

ld an oxgang of land."

ymot, iiiid

, Warin as Warinot, Drew as Drewet, Philip a

et Philipot uxor ej

, Jack as Jackett, Hal (Henry) as Hallet (Harriot o

et-doghter, i

examples is Hamnet, or Hamlet. Hamon,

ld 29 acres of land."-"De

h and low, and took to itself t

son of Hamelot."-"De L

n period, and lived unto the eighteenth century. Hamlet Winstanley, the painter, was born in 1700, at Warrington, and died in 1756. In Kent's London Directory for 1736 several Hamnets occ

by him layed out ... to the keper of Dachet Ferrey in rewarde

e this

im delivered to the Quene for hir offring to Saint Edward at Westm.

a diminutive it is found in such dictionary words as bracelet, tartlet, gimblet, poplet (

high collar partletts, iiis. ixd."-

f the ruffled feathers, a term use

gh, was popular, as our Hewletts can testify. Richelot for Richard, Hobelot and Robelot for Robert, Crestolot for Chri

lliot, from Ellis (Elias), had a great run.

alf an oxgang of land, xixd."

ough this was used also for boys. The will o

ot? domicell? me? 40s.

Barton, administered

cardi Bustard unam vaccam, et

artwyth, et Elesot ux

present surname. Bartholomew became Bartelot, now Bartlett,

course of time that they were diminutives of Emma and Hamond, and separated them from their parents. This did not come about till the close of Elizabeth's reign, so they

at it ever existed. This was unmistakably the result of some disturbing element of English social life. At the commencement of the sixteenth century there was no appearance of this confusion. In France the practice went on without let or hindrance. We can again but attribute it to the

ble Term

or in, and ot and et, have done this. We in England only adopted double diminutives in two cases, those of Colinet and Robinet, or Dobinet, and both were rarely used. Robinet has come down to us as a surname; and Dobinet so existed till the middle of the

is: Dobinet hath

ought a ring and token

s husband."-Ac

n Spenser's "Shepherd's Calend

le from thy g

ong of caref

soil, for in the "London Chanticleers," a comedy written

hich they're en

nniting: Ditty and Jenniting are agreed already ...

ts the same diminutive; Perrinot and Perrotin (little wee Peter) simply reverse the order of the two diminutives. The "marionettes" in the puppet-show take the same liberty with Mariotin (little wee Mary) above mentioned. Hugonet, of course, is the same as Huguenot; and had English, not to say French, writers remembered this old custom, they would have found no difficulty in reducing the origin of

ind these pet forms in use

to Fylpot, my Lady of Suf

pkyn for cherys, xxd."-"Privy

n, d. of Jenkin Rows

zed Alison, d. of Jo

ains three characters styled Annot Alyface, Tibet Talkapace, and Dobinet Doughty. Christian Custance, Si

terlude written in 15

Sydnam

ed a cat

III.), we find a document (numbered 1939, and dated 1526) containing a list of the household attendants and retinue

es-kin, cock, in, on, ot, and et; not a name, too, that, before it had thus attached them, had not been shorn of all its fulness, and curtailed to a monosyllabic nick form. Bartholomew must first become Bat before it becom

e about to consider, in the several shapes of Perkin or Parkin, Peacock, Perrot, and Perrin; and William as Willin (n