ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2004 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2004 ************************************ From: "Brian M. Scott" 6 Apr 2000 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked whether the name was suitable for a late-period female English persona. In particular, you asked whether Withycombe is correct in suggesting that may be a late-period form of and whether would be an appropriate surname. You mentioned that you were also considering the surnames and . Although we have not actually found period examples of , we have no reason to doubt Withycombe's statement that it occurred in North Lancashire in the 16th - 18th centuries. [1] Our sources for late-period English names are far from complete, and none of them covers that region. Whether the name is actually a form of is another question altogether. Withycombe's suggestion is very tentative, and the required sound changes are so extensive that we are inclined to suspect that has some other origin. The surname has to be discussed in connection with the surname . In Middle English there were two words spelled ; one meant 'black', and the other meant 'pale, wan'. Often these words can be distinguished only by context, and sometimes not even then. [2] Both gave rise to nicknames that later became the hereditary surnames and , but it seems likely that in most cases the modern surnames go back to the word for 'black'. [3] Both spellings (or minor variants) are found in the Middle Ages (e.g., 1273 and 1273), but was much the more common medieval spelling. [4] This disparity continued well beyond the end of our period. In 1601 the surname was recorded in only one English parish register, while was recorded in eight, and a fairly comprehensive survey of 17th century records found 467 instance of to only 88 of . [5, 6] Though we have no doubt that it was then in use, we were unable to find a 16th century citation for the exact form . We did find the form in 1601, and we found the minor variant in 1577. [5, 7] On that basis we think that or is an uncommon but authentic late-period name, at least in North Lancashire; appears to be a somewhat likelier variant of the same name. Forms of the surnames and were common in the 16th century. In 1601 the surname was recorded in the registers of 52 English parishes, in 32, in 24, and in 22. The spelling was especially frequent in Lancashire and Yorkshire and would therefore go well with the North Lancashire name . and were recorded in 14 and nine parishes, respectively. [8] Any of these forms would be suitable surnames. Aryanhwy merch Catmael and Maridonna Benvenuti also contributed to this letter. We hope that it has been helpful; if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to write again. For the Academy, Talan Gwynek 6 April 2000 ===== References and Notes: [1] Withycombe, E.G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988); s.n. Ismen(i)a. [2] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (New York: Oxford University Press, 1973); s.vv. black, blake. [3] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995); s.n. Black. [4] Bardsley, Charles W. A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980); s.n. Black. [5] Hitching, F.K. & S. Hitching. References to English Surnames in 1601 (Walton-on-Thames: Chas. A. Bernau, 1910); p. xxiii. [6] Rogers, Colin D. The Surname Detective (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995); p. 138. [7] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien). 'Name Distribution in King's Stanley Marriages: 1573-1600' (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/mari/kingsstanley/ [8] Hitching & Hitching, op. cit., pp. lxi, xliv.