Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

for enumeration, have similarly found a place in our nomenclature. What a revolution in the mode of warfare do they betoken. What a sweeping change has the invention of gunpowder effected on the battle-grounds of Europe.

But I mentioned 'badges.' It is amusing to see how the early love of distinctive ensigns has made its mark here. While it is an English instinct to reverence authority, this authority itself has ever been distinguished by the outward manifestation of dress and emblem. The ceremonious requirements of the feudal state have had their effect. As I endeavoured to show in a previous chapter, these were simply overwhelming. The office of each was not more distinct than his outward accompaniments, and it was by the latter his precise position was known. The 'baton,'however, seems to have held the foremost place as a token of authority--a sword, a javelin, a spear, a wand, a rod, it mattered not what, a something borne in the hand, and you might have known in that day an official. Nor are we as yet free from its influence. Royalty still has its sceptre, the Household of State its 'black rod,' magistracy has its mace, proctorship its poker, the churchwarden his staff, the beadle--farthe most important of all to the charity children and himself — his stick. From official, this rage for badges seems to have passed on to the quieter and more ordinary avocations. The shepherd was not better known by his crook, the huntsman not better known by his horn, than the pilgrim by his 'bourdon,'the woodward by his ' bill,' or the surveyor by his 'mete-yard' 1 or ' metewand: How easy then for all these

1 I need not stay to point out the early familiar use of 'yard ' as a stick or staff of any length. In Wicklyffe's New Testament we find the following: — 'And he seide to hem nothing take ye in the weye — neither yerde, ne scrippe, neither breed, ne money.' (Luke ix. 3.) Our Authorized Version still preserves the meteyard from obsoletism: 'Yeshall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.' (Lev. xix. 35.)

'NICKNAMES.'

words to be turned into sobriquets. How natural they should become slang epithets for those who carried them. How natural that we should find them all in our directories. 'Meatyard,' 'Burdon' or 'Bourdon' ' Crook' 'Wand' 'Staff' 'Rodd' 'Horne' 1 all are there. Nor did the personal characteristics of such bearers escape the good-humoured raillery of our ancestors. Far from it. 'Waghorn,'2 would easily fix itself upon some awkward horn-blower; 'Wag-spear' ('Mabill Wagspere,' W. 1.), or 'Shakespeare ' ('WiIIiam Shakespeare,' V. 1.), or 'Shakeshaft' 3 or Drawsword ' ('Henry Drawswerde,' A.), or 'Drawespe' ('Thomas Drawespe,'A.') upon some over-demonstrative sergeant or clearer of the way; or 'Wagstaffe ' ('Robert Waggestaff,' A.) on some obnoxious beadle.' 'Tipstaffe' we know for certain as a name of this class — he was a bumbailiff. In 1392 one Roger Andrew was publicly indicted for pretend-

1 The horn was carried by the watchman as well as the huntsman and the cryer. 'Henry Watchorn ' was mayor of Leicester in 1780, and the name occurs in the Nottingham Directory for 1864. Other compounds besides 'Waghom' are 'Crookhorn,' 'Cramphorn' (i.e., crooked horn), 'Langhorn' and 'Whitehorn'

2 It was a Captain Waghorn who was tried by court-martial for the wreck of the Royal George, which went down off Portsmouth in 1782.He was acquitted, however.

3 'Anne, daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth Shakeshaft, baptized Dec. 6, 1744.' (St. Ann's, Register, Manchester.)

4 'Robert Go-before' in the Rolls of Parl. is an evident sobriquet affixed upon some official of this class.