Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

Our early records teem with such names as 'Roger le Convers,' or 'Stephen le Convers,'1 deserters from the Jewish faith. We cannot be surprised at many of the less steady adherents of the ancient creed changing their religious status, when we reflect upon the cruel impositions made upon them at various times.2 I suspect our 'Conyers ' have swallowed up the representatives of this name. Even in the day of its rise we find it set down in one record as 'Nicholas le Conners.'

So much for general and national names. To pretend to give any category of the town-names that have issued from these wide-spread localities were, of course, impossible. Such sobriquets as 'Argent; from Argentan; 'Charters' and 'Charteris ' from Chartres; 'Bullen,' 'Bollen,' or 'Boleyn' from Boulogne,3with

Bulness' as representative of ' le Boloneis;' 'Landels ' from Landelles; 'Death' or 'D'Aeth' from Aeth in Flanders; 'Twopenny' from Tupigny in the same province; 'Gant ' and 'Gent ' from Ghent, once 'de Gaunt;' 'Legge' from Liege (in some cases at least); Lubbock,' once written ' de Lubyck ' and ' de Lubek,'

1 We must not forget, however, that the term 'convert ' was applied to such as were lay members of a monastery. They were also working brethren, and thus were distinguished from the 'monachi,' or monks, who were wholly confined to religious offices and meditation. Thus, in the Life of Hugh of Lincoln, it is said, 'Omnes interea Hugonem loquebantur sive prior, sive monachus, sive conversus, gratiam attolebat collatam Hugoni.' (P. 46. See, also, Glossary to same.)

2 'Edward I. went so far as to give the Dominican Friars, at their particular request, power to constrain the Jews to listen to their preaching, and even proceeded to waive his claim for seven years to more than a moiety of the goods of the converts, the other half being given to maintain the poor in the Hospital for Converts.' (Anglia Judaica, p. 231.)

Hall, in his Chronicles, spells it 'Bullein.' (F, xxiii.)

LOCAL SURNAMES.

from Lubeck in Saxony; 'Geneve,' once ' de Geneve,' and 'Antioch,' once ' de Antiochia,' are but instances taken haphazard from a list, which to extend would occupy all my remaining space. Many of these are connected with particular trades, or branches of trades, for which in their day they had obtained a European celebrity. If the peculiar manufactures of such places athome as ' Kendall ' and 'Lindsey' and 'Wolsey' have left in our own nomenclature the marks of their early renown, we should also expect such foreign cities as were more especially united to us by the ties of industry to leave a mark thereof upon our registers. Such names as 'Ralph de Arras' or 'Robert de Arraz,' a sobriquet not yet extinct in our midst, carry us to Arras in Artois, celebrated for its tapestried hangings.' Rennes in Brittany has given birth to our 'Raines' and 'Rains.' 2 Chaucer talks of pillows made of ' cloth of raines.' Elsewhere, too, he makes mention of ' hornpipes of Cornewaile,' reminding us that in all probability some of our 'Cornwalls' hail from Cornouaile in the same province. Romanee in Burgundy, celebrated for its wine, has left a memory of that fact in our 'Rumneys ' and 'Rummeys.'

1 So late as the year 1562 we find, in an old inventory, mention made of 'One bede coveringe of ariesworke, 8s. (Richmondshire Wills, p. 161.) 'Grant to John Bakes, arras-maker, of the office of maker and mender of the King's cloths and pieces of arras and tapestry, with 12d a day for wages.' — Materials for History of Reign of Henry VII. (p. 259).

2 The Gildhallae Munimenta mention, among other goods, 'mercerie, canevas, conins-panes, fustiane, chalons, draps du Reynes, et
draps de soye.' (P. 231.) 'Then take a towell of reynes of two yerdes and an halfe, and take the towell by ye endes double and laye it on thetable.' — The Boke of Kervynge.