Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

college were in the hands of two gentlemen named 'Robinson' and 'Crusoe.' They lived on the same staircase, and their names being (as is customary) emblazoned above the door, the coincidence was the more remarkable. 'Catchem' and 'Cheetham' is said to have been the title of a lawyer's firm, but I will not vouch for the accuracy of the statement. A story, too, goes that 'Penn, Quill, and Driver' once figured over a scrivener's office, but this is still more hypothetical.

But to return. We may see, from what we have stated and quoted, that up to a comparatively recent period the written name seems to have been anything but customary even in the metropolis. Any one who will look into a book printed up to the seventeenth century will see on the titlepage the fact stated that it was published or sold at the sign of the 'Stork' or 'Crown,' or 'Peacock,' or 'Crane,' as the case might be. How much we owe to this fashion I need scarcely say. The Hundred Rolls contain not merely a 'Henry le Hatter,' but a 'Thomas del Hat;' not only an 'Adam le Lorimer,' but a 'Margery de Styrop.' It is to some dealer in earthenware we owe our existing 'Potts,' some worker in metals our 'Hammers,' some carpenter our 'Coffins,' once synonymous with 'Coffer,' some osierbinder our 'Basketts,'some shoemaker our 'Lasts,' some cheesemonger our 'Cheeses,' some plowright our 'Plows,' some silver-smith our 'Spoons' and ' Silverspoons,' and some cooper our 'Tubbs' and 'Cades,' our 'Barrills' and

Punshons,' and so on with endless others. It was perfectly natural that all these should become surnames, that the same practice which led to men being

LOCAL SURNAMES.

called in the less populous country by such names as 'Ralph atte Townsend,' or 'William atte Stile,' or ' Henry atte Hatch,' or 'Thomas atte Nash,' should in the more closely inhabited city cause men to be distinguished as 'Hugh atte Cokke,' or 'Walter de Whitehorse,' or 'John atte Gote ' or ' de la Gote,' or 'Richard de la Vache,' or 'Thomas atte Ram,' or 'William atte Roebuck,' or 'Gilbert de la Hegle,' or 'John de la Roe,' or 'Reginald de la Wonte' (weasel). Our only surprise would be were the case otherwise. Nevertheless, as we shall see in another chapter, many of these animal-names at least have arisen in another manner also.

And now we come to what we may term the second branch of local surnames, that branch which throws a light upon the migratory habits and roving tendencies of our forefathers. So far we have touched upon names implying a fixed residence in a fixed locality. We may now notice that class which by their very formation throw our minds upon that which precedes settlement in a particular spot, viz., removal — that which speaks to us of immigration. Such a name in our mediaeval rolls as 'Peter le Newe,' or Gilbert le Newcomen,' or 'Walter le Neweman,' declares to us at once its origin. The owner has left his native village to push his interests and get a livelihood elsewhere, and upon his entrance as a stranger into some distant community, alone and friendless, nothing could be more natural than to distinguish him from the familiar ' Peters,' 'Gilberts,' and 'Walters' around by styling him as Peter, or Gilbert, or Walter the 'New,' or ' Newman.' This it is which is the origin of our 'Stranges,' descendants