ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2374 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2374 ************************************ 19 Oct 2001 From: Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether the given name and one of the surnames , , and would be appropriate for a sixteenth-century English woman. Here is what we have found. The name was popular in England from the twelfth century onward. For most of this period the form was found only in documents written in Latin. The spoken form is represented by English spellings like the following sixteenth-century examples [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]: Eshabelle Ezabell Isabel Isabell Isbell Issabell Issebell Iszabell Izabel Izabelle Ysabell Yzabell However, there is evidence that by the last part of the sixteenth century had come into use as a vernacular English form: in some parish registers we find a few records of marriages between women whose given names are written as and men whose given names are recorded in English, not Latin, spellings. For instance, married in 1585. [1] Thus, a sixteenth-century is not out of the question, though English forms of the name appear to be much more common. By the sixteenth century, most people in England had inherited surnames, and many of these surnames are still used today. is a fine choice for a name; we found several people with last names of or during your period. [3, 7, 8] We also found several people with the last name . [9] is another good choice; we found the spellings , , , and or in your period, as well as the spelling in 1601. [8, 10, 11] Putting things together, we find that , , and are fine names for a sixteenth-century Englishwoman. The given name is more unusual, but it is quite appropriate for the late sixteenth century. I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Adelaide de Beaumont, Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Mari neyn Brian, Julie Stampnitzky, and Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, Ursula Georges 19 Oct. 2001 References: [1] GENUKI, UK and Ireland Genealogy (WWW: maintained by Brian Pears, accessed 29 Sept. 2001) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/HSP1563.html 29 Oct 1581 George Hedden = Isabella Ireland http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/DSM.html 25 Nov 1534 John William Elliot = Isabella Hewitt http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/EAS.html 18 Jun 1609 Richard Mautland = Isabella Winter http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/NBL/NSA1600.html 13 May 1613 John Wayby = Isabella Little 11 Feb 1613* John Hobkerke = Isabella Stocoe http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/RYT1581.html 30 Jul 1600 Bartram Boulmer = Isabella Tempest http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/SAT.html 22 Jul 1585 Richard Grinwell = Isabella Jolly [2] GENUKI, UK and Ireland Genealogy (WWW: maintained by Brian Pears, accessed 19 Oct. 2001) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/AYC.html Isabel, Isabell, Ysabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/BMI.html Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/BOL.html Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/CLS1582.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/COC.html Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/CON.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/DSB.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/DSM.html Isabel, Isbell, Izabel, Ysabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/DSN.html Isabel, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/DSO.html Ezabell, Isabell, Isbell, Issabell, Issebell, Ysabell, Yzabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/EAS.html Isabel, Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/EGG.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/ESC.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/ESH.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/GAI.html Isabel, Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/GAT1558.html Isabel, Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/GRE.html Isabel, Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/GRI.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/GST.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/HAM.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/HEI.html Isabel, Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/NBL/HEX1540.html Isabel, Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/HSP1563.html Isabel, Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/HUR.html Isabel, Isabell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/LON.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/MER.html Isabell, Isbell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/MHE.html Isbell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/NBL/NSA1600.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/PIT.html Isabell, Issabell, Issebell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/RED.html Isabel, Isabell, Isbell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/RYT1581.html Isabel, Isabell, Isbell, Issabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/SAT.html Isabel, Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/SED.html Isabel http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/SOC.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/WBN.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/WHK1579.html Isabell http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/WLW.html Isabell [3] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), "Names in Chesham, 1538-1600/1" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/chesham/ [4] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), "Names and Naming Practices in the Registers of the Church of St. Mary's, Dymock" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/dymock/ [5] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), "Name Distribution in King's Stanley Marriages: 1573-1600" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/kingsstanley/ [6] Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Friedemann), "16th Century Gloucestershire Names" (WWW: privately published, 1999-2001) http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/late16.html [7] Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Names found in the Berkeley Hundred Court Rolls" (WWW: privately published, 2000) http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/berkeley100.html [8] Julie Stampnitzky, "Surnames in Durham and Northumberland, 1521-1615" (WWW: privately published, accessed 29 Sept. 2001) http://www.yucs.org/~jules/names/parish/surnames.html [9] The Parish Registers of St. Michael, Cornhill, London, Containing the Marriages, Baptisms, and Burials from 1546 to 1754, partly edited by Joseph Lemuel Chester, The Publications of The Harleian Society, Registers, Vol. CXX (London, 1882) 5 Feb 1548 Roberte Gates = Margaret Lawson (p. 4). 8 Feb 1550 Susan Gates christened (p. 76) 8 Mar 1550 Susan Gates buried (p. 179) 15 Oct 1553 Jane Gates christened (p. 77) 28 Oct 1553 Jane Gates buried (p. 180) 11 Sep 1559 Judythe Gates was christened (p. 79) 10 Mar 1560 Joseph Gates, son of Robt. Gates, christened (p. 80) 30 Oct 1572 Rycharde Gates buried (p. 192) 9 Feb 1581 Margerye Gates, wife of Richarde, buried (p. 197) [10] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980) s.n. Wolff [11] Hitching, F. K., and S. Hitching, _References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602_. (Walton-on-Thames, 1910-11; Baltimore: republished for the Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1998) lxix