Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 213

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 213

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/213

Some of the Academy's early reports contain errors that we haven't yet corrected. Please use it with caution.

Here is the information that we have about the name Denys de Houtbewerker

As you noted,the compilation of names from Bruges includes two
instances of Denys in the period 1550-1600. Wilfried Beele, Studie van
de leperse Persoonsnamen uit de Stads- en Baljuwsrekeningen 1250-1400,
volume I, p.75, lists "Denijs" as a common name for Ypres from
1350-1400. At some point the "ij" started to be written instead of "y"
in Dutch, so it's possible that, despite the citations above, "Denys" is
correct for an earlier name, while "Denijs" is correct for later. Note,
too, that the time period for the shift from "y" to "ij" varies across
different regions; so, it is also possible that the "y" to "ij" shift
happened early in Ypres and late in Bruges.

Verdam's "Middelnederlandsch Handwoordenboek" translates "houtwerker" as
"carpenter", which the connotation of one who works with boards. If the
intended connotation is "artistisan who works with wood" or
"woodcarver", then "houtsnidere" would be a better choice. The
Supplement to Verdam's MNW has "houtsnidere" on page 159, dated to 1421.

If you intended the name to translate as "Dennis the woodcarver" then
either "Denys de Houtsnidere" or "Denijs de Houtsnidere" would be
appropriate. If the intended meaning is more like "Dennis the
carpenter/housebuilder", then either "Denys de Houtwerker" or "Denijs de
Houtwerker" would be appropriate.

Walraven van Nijmege, Arval d'Espas Nord, Lindorm, Alan Fairfax, and
Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn contributed to this letter.

We hope this has been helpful. If you would like further assistance,
please let us know

Yours in Service,
Margaret mcphe
Academy of S. Gabriel