Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

the vessel in which the provisions were weighed. Piers Plowman says

And the pound that she paied by

Peised a quatron moore

Than myn owen auncer.

In an appraisement of goods in 1356 mention is made, among other chattels, of ' one balance called an auncer.' 1 Thus our somewhat rare 'Ansers' are not such geese as they look ! Our modern notion of the Mint is that of a place where with a certain amount of State secrecy our money is coined and sent forth. Nothing of this kind existed formerly: each consider-able town had its own mint, and even barons and bishops, subject to royal superintendence, could issue coin. Thus it is that we meet with more or less frequency such a name as 'Nicholas le Cuner,'from the old ' cune' or 'coin;' or 'John le Meneter,'or 'John Monemakere,' or ' William le Moneur,'or 'William le Mynsmith,' mint-smith, that is; and thus it is our present 'Moniers' or ' Moneyers' and 'Minters' have arisen. Our 'Stampers' remind us of the chief feature of coinage, the die. The system being thus general, and subject to but an uncertain and irregular supervision, abuse of alloy crept in, and it was to remedy this, it is said, our 'Testers' and

1 This weight was abolished in 1351, and the balance made universal. 'Item, whereas great damage and deceit is done to the people by a weight which is called Auncel (par une pois qu'est appelle Aunsell), it is accorded and established that this weight called Auncel betwixt buyers and sellers shall be wholly put out, and that every person do sell and buy by the balance.' (Stat. Realm, vol. i. p. 321.) Cowell, in his Interpreter, suggests as the origin of the term 'auncel' hand-sale, that is, that which is weighed by the poised hand !

SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN).

'Sayers,' corrupted from assayers, were appointed. 'Sayer' or 'Sayers,' however, I have elsewhere deriveddifferently, and in most cases I feel confident the account there given is more approximate to the truth.

Literature and art in regard to the market are not without their relics. So far as the outside of books was concerned, our former 'John le Bokbinders' or 'Dionisia le Bokebynders' are sufficiently explicit. These, judging from their date, we must suppose to have bound together leathern documents and parchments of value, or books of manuscript. Speaking of parchment, however, we are reminded of the importance of this for testamentary and other legal purposes. Thus we find such names as 'Stephen le Parchemyner' or 'William le Parchemynere' to be common at this time. They afford but one more instance of an important and familiar name failing of descent. In the York Pageant, mentioned elsewhere, the ' Parchemyners' 1 and 'Bukbynders ' marched together.2

The old sealmaker, an important tradesman in a

1 Another form is found in 1389. William Parchmenter was seized for holding independent views of the Sacraments. (Nicholls'Leicester.)

2 In the Exchequer Issues we find the following: — 'To John Heth, one of the clerks in the office of privy seal of the Lord the King, in money, paid to his own hands, in discharge of 66s. which the said Lord the King, with the assent of his Council, commanded to be paid to the said John, for 66 great "quaternes"of calf skins, purchased and provided by the said John to write a Bible thereon for the use of the said King.' In an old Oxford indenture between the University and the Town, dated 1459, we find the more usual ' parchemener'spelt pergemener.' The agreement includes 'Alle Bedels with dailly servants, and their householdes, alle stacioners, alle bokebynders, lympners, wryters, pergemeners, barbours, the bellerynger of the universitie,' &c. (Hun. Acad. Oxon., p. 346.)