Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

day when men were much better known by their crests than now, left its mark in the early 'Seler.' In the ' Issues of the Exchequer ' we find a certain 'Hugh le Seler' commissioned to make a new seal for the See of Durham. The modern form is 'Sealer.' Professional writers and copiers were common. The calling of scribe has given us our many 'Scrivens' and 'Scriveners,' descendants of the numerous William le Scrivayns' and 'John le Scrivryns' of our mediaeval rolls. Piers Plowman employs the word

I wel noght scorne, quoth Scripture,

But if scryveynes lye.

Our 'Writers' are but the Saxon form of the same, while ' le Cirograffer' would seem to represent the Greek. A 'William le Cirograffer' occurs in the Hundred Rolls. As a writer of indentures he is frequently mentioned. An act passed in the first year of Edward IV. speaks of such officers as ' clerk of our council, clerk or keeper of oure Hanaper, office of cirograffer, and keeper of oure Wills.'1 Employed in the skilled art of text-letter we may next mention such men as 'Godfrey le Lomynour' or 'Ralph Illuminator' or ' Thomas Liminer.' A poem, already quoted more than once, makes reference to

Parchemente makers, skynners, and plovers,

Barbers, Boke-bynders, and lyminers.2

How beautiful were the decorations and devices upon

1 Another ordinance has the following: — 'And that all Jews shall dwell in the Kings own cities and boroughs, where the chests of chirographs of Jewry are wont to be' ('ou les Whuches (hutches) cirograffesde Geuerie soleient estre '). (Stat. of Realm, vol. i. p. 221.)

2 'Nicholas Cotes, lummer.' (Corpus Christi Guild, York.)

SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN).

which they spent their care, some of the missals and other service books of this early period show.' This, I need scarcely add, was a favourite monastic pursuit. I do not know that 'Limner' still exists as a surname, unless it be in our 'Limmers.' That it lingered on in its more correct form till the beginning of the eighteenth century is certain, as the Tostock register serves to show, for it is there recorded that 'John Limner of Chevington, and Eliz: Sibbes of this town, were married, August 22nd, 17o0.' (Sibbes' 'Works,' vol. i. p. cxlii.)

Before closing this necessarily hurried resume of medieval trade, we must say a word or two about early shipping. We have mentioned certain articles, especially those of spicery and wines, which were thenused, as the result of foreign merchant enterprise. Much of all this came as the growth and produce of the opposite Continent. Much again reached our shore brought hither from Eastern lands in caravan and caravel by Venetian traders. Our 'Marchants; 'Merchants,' or ' le Marchants,' we doubtless owe to this more extended commerce. Apart from these, however, we are far from being without names of a more seafaring nature. It is a strange circumstance that our now one general term of 'sailor' had in the days we are considering but the barest existence surnominally or colloquially. In the former respect I only find it twice, the instances being those of 'John

1 1n the Hun.Acad. Oxon., p. 550, we find a quarrel settled by the Chancellor between 'John Conaley, lymner,'and 'John Godsend, stationarius.' Through him it is arranged that the former shall occupy himself in 'liminando bene et fideliter libros suos.' In the York Pageant the 'Escriveners' and 'Lumners' went together.