Genealogy Chat

Hi, Iv'e just come across your offer and wondered if you know the meaning of the name Batty (sometimes spelt Battey, Battye)....Sue Batty xx

Hi Leigh, oh well, never mind. Thanks for looking anyway - much appreciated.

Hello Been a bit busy recently, but here are some more….. Margaret No QUINT or WETHERLY, sorry. FEAVER (& many variations): Roger le Fevere 1243, old French ‘fevere, fere’, Latin ‘faber’ ‘smith’. Trish Hope you had a good holiday! Unfortunately, no luck with BOWDREY etc! Keren HOADLEY: William de Hodlegh 1296, Sussex. From Hoathly (Sussex). No OLDING, but OLD meaning either ‘old’ or to distinguish from ‘the young’. STILES (& many variations): Reginald atte Stighel 1227. ‘Dweller by the stile or deep ascent’, old English ‘stigol’. REYNOLDS (& variations): Willelmus filius Rainaldi 1086, Domesday Book. Old French ‘reinald, reynaud’, old German ‘raginald’, ‘counsel might’, latinized as Reginaldus. Some of the numerous instances of Rainald in England may be from old Norse ‘Ragnaldr’, but most were introduced from France and Normandy, where both the old German and old Norse forms contributed to its popularity. KERENA (f) English: Latinate elaboration of KEREN, itself a version shortened to manageable proportions of the biblical name ‘Keren-happuch’ (meaning ‘horn of eye paint’ in Hebrew) borne by the third of Job’s daughters (Job 42: 14). All the very best! Leighx

I know lots of people have made requests but could you look up the surname LEAF for me please.

Hi Leigh, Could I be cheeky and ask you to look up three surnames please. COCKSEDGE GORNALL TABERNER Many thanks Jenny

Hello Leigh Could you please look for the surname FREESTON. Many thanks

Hollo Leigh Do you have Oyston/Oysten would like to know the meaning. Many Thanks Maureen

Hi Leigh Could you please look up the surname MOWER for me. Many Thanx in advance.....Jeff

Many thanks for your help Leigh!!

Thanks for looking Leigh, Hannah

leigh.firstly apologies for not getting back sooner...thankyou for doing all 5surnames,learnt some new stuff there.thanks again for your time and help.xx

Hello ..here are some more….. Hannah FARADAY isn’t listed at all I’m afraid. Pity, it would be nice to prove either way! Bernard REECE/RHYS/REACE/REES/RICE: Rees 1066 (Domesday Book), Cambridgeshire…old Welsh ‘Ris’, Welsh ‘Rhys’ ‘ardour’. WILLIAMS/WILLEMS/WELLIAM/FITZWILLIAM/FITZWILLIAMS: Robertus filius Willelmi 1086 (Domesday Book)….old German ‘Willihelm, Willelm’, the Norman form of French ‘Guillaume’, after the Conquest the most popular christian name until superseded by John. STEWART/STEWARD/STEUART/STUART: Roger se Stiwerd 1100-30 (Devon)…Old English ‘stiweard, stigweard’. Possibly a ‘keeper of the house’….after the Conquest it was used as the English equivalent of old French ‘seneschal’ of ‘the steward of a manor’ or ‘the manager of an estate’. The (Lord High) Steward of Scotland was the first officer of the Scottish King in early times; he had control of the royal household, great administrative powers, and the privilege of leading the army into battle…..Robert the Steward as Robert II, whence the name of the royal house of Stuart….Both in England and in Scotland the name derives from the lesser offices. In Scotland, that of a magisrate originally appointed by the king to administer crown lands….as in England every bishop, earl and manor had a steward. GRIBBIN/CRIBBIN/CREBBIN/GRIBBON: MacRobyn 1511, Crebbin 1640, Cribbin 1666. Irish MacRoibin ‘Robins son’. Crebbin is Manx. Kate HERRICK: Eric, Eiric, Erich 1066 (Domesday Book). Old Norse ‘Eirikr’, old Danish, old Swedish ‘Erick’. LUCKETT/LOCKET/LOCKETT/LOCKITT: Walter Loket 1275, Norfolk. A diminutive of Luke. (It is also the name of a village in SE Cornwall (near Callington)). Devonshire Dumpling No TANTON or GARNISH, sorry. WINSOR/WINDSOR/WINCER/WINSER/WINZER: Godfrey de Windelesor 1066 (Hampshire). From Windsor (Berks) or Little Windsor and Broadwindsor (Dorset). Rosalyn RATTRAY: Thomas de Rettre 1253. From the Barony of Rattray (Perth). That’s your lot for tonight! Leigh

Hi Leigh, Would you mind looking up for the surname HIPKISS please as I've not had any joy with deternining what its meaning is anywhere else. Thanks for your time. Zoe, Wellington, NZ

Hi Leigh. Thanks for your trouble - with all these requests I think you'll have to give up the day job. Barbara

If it's not too much trouble, could you look to see if you have anything listed for the surname Macaree. Thanks Janet

Hello! William SIMON: Usual English form of SIMEON. This form of the name is borne in the New Testament by various characters: two apostles, a brother of Jesus, a Pharisee, a leper, a tanner, a sorcerer (who offered money for the gifts of the Holy Ghost, giving rise to the term ‘simony’), and the man who carried Jesus’s cross to the Crucifixion. (No mention of any significance as a middle name). Stephen No WELLING. PEACOCK/PEACOCKE/PEECOCK/PACOCK/POCOCK: Pecoc 1086 (Domesday Book), Essex. Old English ‘peacocc ‘peacock’…..a nickname also used as a personal name. ROBERTS/ROBERT/ROBART/ROBARTS/ROBBERDS/ROBEARTS/ROBERS: Rodbertus, Rotbert, Robert 1066 (Domesday Book)…..Old French ‘Rodbert, Robert, old German ‘Rod(b)ert’ ‘fame bright’. It was introduced by Normans during the reign of Edward the Confessor and became very popular. Pet forms and diminutives were formed early, ‘Robin’ being particularly common. PUDDIFIN/POIDEVIN/POTWIN/PATVINE (& other variants): Peiteuin de Eya 1186 (Suffolk)…..old French ‘Poitevin’, Anglo-French ‘Peitevyn, a man from Poitou. GREENWOOD: John del Grenewode 1275 (Yorkshire). ‘Dweller by the green wood’. No BLAKEY, but BLAKE as a variant of BLACK. LOCKHART: Symon Locard 1153-65…..old German ‘Lochard’ ‘strong-hold-hard’. Old English ‘loc’ ‘enclosure, fold’ and ‘hierde’; herdsman in charge of sheep or cattle fold. CHEALE/CHEAL/CHEALES/CHEEL: Gilbert de Chele(s) 1275 (Lincolnshire). From Cheal (Lincs)….Old English ‘cele, ciele’ ‘cold, coldness’, middle English ‘chile, chele’ ‘cold (of the weather), frost’. Kathy As a surname: JOICE/JOYCE (& variations): Josce, Iocius c.1140-50 (Lincolnshire)….Breton ‘Iodoc’, the name of a saint, son of Judicael, who had a hermitage at the modern St Josse-sur-Mer. Earlier examples of the surname JOCE, cannot be distinguished from those of GOSS. Two farms in Essex, Joyce’s Farm, derive respectively from Robert and John Joce…….A feminine form of ‘Joceus, Jodoc’…..Occasionally the surname may derive from Jort (Calvados). As a first name: JOYCE (f formerly m) English: apparently from the male name JOSCE, which in turn is from JODOCUS, a Latinized form of a Breton name, Iodoc, meaning ‘lord’, borne by a 7th Century Breton Saint. The name was in use among Breton followers of William the Conqueror. However, although this was fairly common as a male given name in the Middle Ages, it had virtually died out by the 14th Century. There is some evidence of its use as a female name in the 17th and 18th Centuries, perhaps as a variant of Joy it was strongly revived in the 19th Century under the influence of popular fiction….characters in Mrs Henry Wood’s ‘East Lynne’, 1861 and Edna Lyall’s ‘ In the Golden Days’ 1885. Modern use may well have been influenced also by the common Irish surname derived from the medieval Norman male name. Barbara MADELL/MALE/MALES/MADLE: Robert le Masle 1187 (Berks)….old French ‘masle’ ‘male, masculine’. No YELL though. Kathleen COPSEY: Cofsi, Copsi 1066 (Domesday Book)…old Norse ‘Kupsi’…old Swedish ‘Kofse’. (The book doesn’t explain what they mean however!). byeeeeee

Hi Leigh, Would you be kind enough to have a look for Hoadley/Hoadly, Olding, Stiles and Reynolds in your book. Also is the name Keren in it ? Many Thanks Keren

Hi Leigh, just got back from holiday and saw your kind offer of name look-ups. If you come across the name Bowdrey (also spelt Bowdery and Bowdry) I will love you forever - thanks very much.

Hi Leigh Could you look for the surname QUINT, FEAVER, WETHERLY, thank you Margaret

Hello Christina TUCKER: Baldwin Tuckere 1236, Battle (Sussex). A derivative of Old English ‘tucian’ ‘to torment’, later ‘to tuck, to full’, ‘a tucker, fuller’. Occasionally a nickname for courage (French ‘tout coeur’). CRAWLEY/CROWLEY: Pagan de Craweleia 1130 (Bucks). From Crawley, (Bucks, Essex, Hants, Oxon, Sussex), or Crawley in Membury, Devon. NICHOLS (& many many variations!): Nicolaus 1086 (Domesday Book)….Latin/Greek ‘victory people’ was a very popular medieval name as is proved by its numerous forms as a surname, its diminutives and pet forms. WARNER: Warnerus de Lusoriis 1140…..Old Norse/French ‘Warnier’, Old French ‘Guarnier’, old German ‘Warinhar’, a common Norman personal name….A contracted form of old French ‘warrennier’ ‘warrener’. COOMBS/COMBE/COMBES/COOM/COOMBES: Richard de la Cumbe 1194 (Sussex)….From one of the many places named Comb, Combe or Coombe, or from residence in a small valley (Old English ‘Cumb’). ASHFORD/ASHFORTH/AISHFORD/AYSHFORD: Reginald de Ashford 1221. From Ashford (Devon, Derby, Salop) or Ayshford, Devon. Cheers Leigh