ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2610 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2610 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* From: Sara L Friedemann 23 Nov 2002 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for help creating an authentic name for a man living in upper England or lower Scotland between 1400 and 1600, with a given name of , and , , or as your surname. Here is a brief letter with the information we have found. All of your chosen elements are fine, though in general they are more appropriate for northern England than for Scotland. While was not that common in Scotland - we found only a few examples of it [1, 11] - it was quite popular in England in the later part of your period. Below are examples of different spellings that we've found recorded in different parts of England in the 16th century. Durham [5] Gabrell 1545 Gabraell 1597 Gabriell 1605 Ormskirk [7] Gabrell 16 times between 1557 and 1600 Gabriell 1589, 1591, 1594 Gabrill 1562, 1570, 1584 Gabrihell 1587 Chesham [8] Gabriell 1584 Gabriel 1599 Surrey [9] Gabriel 1512 The surname or is also recorded in Durham in various spellings, including 1587, 1604, 1580 and 1613. [6] In Scotland, we find the following forms: [1] Stuward 1415 Stuard 1421 Stiuard 1424 Stuart 1429 Steuarde 1442 Steuarte 1448 Stuerd 1490 Stevarte 1498 Steuart 1504 Stevarde 1506 Stuarde 1508 Any combination of the spellings listed above for the given name and the surname would make for an excellent name for a northern Englishman or a Lowland Scot. The surname or derives from the Old English given name [2]. A variety of spellings were used for this surname; the specific form is found in a 1557 biography of the English statesman Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and in a 1605 baptismal record, so this spelling is more appropriate for your period than . [3,4]. This surname is associated with Suffolk, in southern England, and so it is less appropriate for northern England/Scotland than some form of . [2] We hope that this brief letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, -Argantgui filia Catmaili, 23Nov02 -- References [1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.nn. Gabriel, Stewart. Under , he has one example of the given name in Edinburgh 1599. [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Woolsey. [3] Cavendish, George, _The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey_ (WWW: University of Toronto Library, 1998). http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/ret/cavendish/cavendish.html [4] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980). s.n. Wolsey [5] Unpublished research of Julie Stampnitzky. [6] Julie Stampnitzky, "Surnames in Durham and Northumberland, 1521-1615" (WWW: privately published, 2001) http://www.yucs.org/~jules/names/parish/surnames.html [7] Friedemann, Sara L., "16th Century Ormskirk Names" (WWW: privately published, 2002) http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/ormskikr.html. [8] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Given Names in Chesham, 1538-1600/1" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/chesham/. [9] Julian Goodwyn, "English Names from pre-1600 Brass Inscriptions" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/brasses/. [10] Starting in the late 14th century, there were two main languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands and Western Isles; and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands, including the royal court and towns. Gaelic was the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots was closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. The names we have discussed here would be appropriate for a Low- land, Scots-speaking person, not a Highland, Gaelic-speaking person. [11] _Perth Guildry Book 1452-1601_, ed. Marion L. Stavert (Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, New Series no. 19, 1993). Examples of the given name include , (possibly the same person) 1582 and 1586. --------- Addendum, 15 Feb 2003, Arval: We had originally reported just one instance of as a given name in Scotland, the one from Black. Aryanhwy found more, so I added them in note [11] and modified the text appropriately.