Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

others, four different tenants in chief, who are described each as 'accipitrarius,' or falconer. Until John's reign it was not lawful for any but those of the highest rank to keep hawks, but in the 'Forest Charter' a special clause was introduced which gave power to every free man to have an aerie. So valuable was a good falcon that it even stood chief among royal gifts, and up to the beginning of the seventeenth century it brought as much as 10o marks in the market.' Royal edicts were even passed for the preservation of their eggs. From all this, and much more that might be adduced, it is easy to understand how important was the office of falconer, nor need we wonder that it is one of the most familiar names to be found in early rolls. Of many forms those of 'Falconer,' 'Falconar,' 'Faulkner,' 'Falkner,'2 'Faucconer,' and 'Faukener,'seem to be the commonest. The last form is found in the 'Boke of Curtasye "

The chaunceler answeres for their clothyng,

For yomen, faukeners, and their horsyng,

For their wardrop and wages also.

1 Of course the breeding of falcons was a favourite as well as important care. By a special statute of Edward I.'sreign, every freeman could have in his own wood ' ayries of hawks, sparrowhawks, faulcons, eagles, and herons.' (25 Edward I. c. 13:) By a statute passed in the reign of Edward III., anyone who found a strayed hawk or tercelet was to bring it to the sheriffof the county, through whom proclamation to that effect was to be made in the towns. If the finder concealed the bird, he was rendered liable to two years' imprisonment. (34 Ed. III. C. 22.) This will give some idea of the value attached to a good falcon in those days.

2 This form of spelling is used by Burton in his Anatomy. He asks, how would Democritus have been affected ' to see a scholar crouchand creep to an illiterate peasant for a meal's meat, a Scrivener better paid for an obligation, a faulkner receive greater wagesthan a student?'

(P. 37.)

SURNAMES OF OFFICE.

In our former 'Idonea or Walter le Oyseler' we recognise but another French term for the same. A special keeper of the goshawk, or ' otter,' got into medieval records in the shape of 'William le As-trier,' or 'Robert le Ostricer,' or 'Richard le Hostriciere,' or 'Godfrey Ostriciarius.' The Latin ' accipiter' is believed to be the root of the term, which with such other perverted forms as 'Ostregier,' 'Ostringer,' 'Astringer,' and ' Austringer,' lingered on the common tongue till so late as the seventeenth century.1 A curious proof of the prevailing passion is found in the name of 'Robert le Jessmaker,' set down in the Hundred Rolls. The ' jess' was the leathern or silken strap fastened closely round the foot of the hawk, from which the line depended and was held by the falconer. That the demand for these should be so great as to cause a man to give himself up entirely to their manufacture, will be the best evidence of the ardour with which our forefathers entered into this pastime. The end of falconry was, however, sudden as it was complete. The introduction of the musket at one fell swoop did away with office, pursuit, with, in fact, the whole paraphernalia of the amusement, and now it is without a relic, save in so far as these names abide with us.

In concluding this part of our subject it is pleasant to remind ourselves that, however strong might be the antagonism which this chapter displays between Nor-man and Saxon, the pride of the one, the oppression of the other, that antagonism is now overpast and gone. We well know that a revolution was at work,

1 Juliana Berners says: 'Ye shall understonde that they ben called Ostregeres that kepe goshawkes or tercelles.' (Ed. 1496, b. iii.)