Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

Hastiler.' In the will of Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Essex, among other household servants, such as potager, ferour, barber, ewer, is mentioned 'William de Barton, hastiler.' I need not remind Lancashire people that a haister, or Lister, is still the term used for the tin screen employed for roasting purposes. The memorials of this interesting servitorship still linger on in our 'Hastlers,' 'Haslers,' and 'Haselers.'If, however, the supervision of the roasting and basting required an attendant, none the less was it so with the washing-up department. How familiarly does such a term as ' scullery' fall from our lips, and how little do many of us know of its history. An escuelle1 was a porringer or dish, and a scullery was a place where such vessels were stored after being washed? Hence a 'squiller' or 'squyler' was he who looked to this; our modern 'scullion,' in fact, which is but a corrupted form of the same word. In one of Robert of Brunne's poems, we find him saying---

And the squyler of the kechyn,

Piers, that hath woned (dwelt) here yn.1

1 Amongst other gifts from the City 0f London to the Black Prince on his return to London from Gascoigne, in 1371, were ' 48 esqueles and 24 saltcellars, weighing by goldsmiths' weight, 761. 5s.' (Riley's London, p. 350.) 'The 11 messes to the children of the Kechyn, Squillery, and Pastrey, with Porters, Scowerers, and Turnbroches, every mess at 231. 16s. 91d., in all 2611. 13s. 7d.' (Ord. Henry VIII. at Eltham.) Apart from such entries as 'John le Squylier,'or 'Geoffrey le Squeller,' the Parl. Rolls gave us a ' John de la Squillerye.'

2 I may here mention that our brushes were almost entirely made of furze or ling; bristles were rarely used. Hence such a name as 'Robert le Lingyure' (H. R.), doubtless a maker and seller of brushes and brooms.

3 The 'Promp. Par.' has 'Swyllare: Dysche-weschour.'

SURNAMES OF OFFICE.

In a book of 'Ordinances and Regulations' we find mention made even of a 'sergeant-squylloure.' Doubtless his duty was to look after the carriage of utensils at such times as his lord made any extended journey, or to superintend the washing of cup and platter after the open-board festivities which were the custom of early baronial establishments. To provide for every retainer who chanced to come in would be, indeed, a care. The occurrence of a 'Roger de Norhamtone, Squyler,' however, in the London City rolls, seems to imply that occasionally the sale of such vessels gave the title. I cannot say the name is obsolete, as I have met with one 'Squiller; ' and 'Skiller,'which would seem to be a natural corruption, is not uncommon. Our 'Spencers,' abbreviated from 'despencer,' had an important charge — that of the ' buttery,' or 'spence,' the place where the household store was kept. The term is still in use, I believe, in our country farm-houses. In the 'Sumner's Tale' the glutton is well described as--

All vinolent as botel in the spence;

and Mr. Halliwell, I see, with his wonted research, has lighted on the following lines:

Yet I had lever she and I

Were both togyther secretly

In some corner in the spence.'

'De la Spence,' as well as 'le Spencer,' has impressed itself upon our living nomenclature. Our 'Panters,'

1 In an inventory of household chattels, dated so late as 1574, we find the furniture of the hall first described, and this begins, 'A cup-board and a spence, 20s, xxiii pewter dublers, gos.; seventene sawsers and potingers, 6s.' (Richmondshire Wills, p. 248.)