ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2513 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2513 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 7 Apr 2002 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if would be an appropriate name for a woman of Norse descent living in northern England in the 16th century. Here is a brief letter with the information 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 other forms of the name appear to be much more common. Your choice of surname is fine; we find it in a number of spellings in northern England [7,9]: Gascoigne 1457 Gascon 1587 Gascoine 1607, 1609 Gaskin 1615 The particular spelling that you're interested in, , doesn't appear in our sources after the 13th century. [8] We recommend you use one of the forms listed above instead. The north of England was settled and ruled by Danes in the 10th century, but by the 16th century it's unlikely anyone born there thought of herself as Norse in any sense. Some noble families traced their ancestry to Danish forebears, but even that was fanciful as often as not. Unless you are thinking of a much more recent family alliance to a Scandinavian family, the notion of preserving any vestige of Norse culture in 16th century England is probably misplaced. Of course, there were some family surnames that derived from Norse roots. If you particular want such a name, we can certainly help you choose one. doesn't fit that model, though: It derives from a Middle English name that meant "the Gascon", i.e. a person from Gascony, in southwestern France. [8] We hope that this brief letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write again if any part of it was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Julie Stampnitzky, Maridonna Benvenuti, and Adelaide de Beaumont. For the Academy, -Argantgui de Cairmerdin, 07Apr02 -- 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] Julian Goodwyn, "English Names from pre-1600 Brass Inscriptions" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/brasses/. [8] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Gascoign [9] GENUKI, UK and Ireland Genealogy (WWW: maintained by Brian Pears, accessed 24 Mar 2002) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/PIT.html 3 Jun 1587 William Gascon = Barbarie Anderson http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/RYT1581.html 12 May 1607 John Gascoine = Barbara Besing http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/AYC.html 8 Oct 1609 Richard Fuler = Jaine Gascoine