England Regional, Ethnic, Foundling Surnames - International Institute
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The original content for this article was contributed by The International Institute of Genealogical Studies in June 2012. It is an excerpt from their course English - Understanding Names in Genealogy by Dr. Penelope Christensen. The Institute offers over 200 comprehensive genealogy courses for a fee ($). |
Regional and Ethnic Surnames
These surnames stem mainly from those who migrated longer distances. They include a group of directions: North and Norris, South and Southam, East, and West and indicated those who lived in the, for example, eastern part of a settlement, or who came from a certain direction. Secondly there are those who migrated across a county boundary, for example Cornwall, Dorset and Kent, or were from another country, for example Dench (Denmark), Fleming (Flanders), Germaine (Germany), Inglis (English), Norman (Normandy), Pettingall (Portugal), Quelch (Welsh) and Scott (Scotland). It is probable that some were nicknames, for example, indicating someone who supposedly behaved like a Welshman or in a French way. Some tribal names persist as in the related surnames Galbraith, Galbreath, and Coldbreath derive from a tribe of Britons living in Scotland, from the gaelic gall (‘stranger’) + Bhreathnach (‘Briton’).
Foundlings with Location Names
Abandoned children are often named after the street, parish or town where found, the latter probably being the parish and town of birth, and were usually brought up in the Poor Law Union Workhouse.
| St. Sepulchre, City of London c.20 Jul 1799 John UNION, foundling, a year old, from Shoe Lane Workhouse. |
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St. Andrew, Holborn c.29 Jan 1803 |
| St. Andrew, Holborn c. 7 Mar 1781. ‘James LIQUORPOND a dropt child from Gray’s Inn Workhouse.’ |
Such an unusual surname caused a search to be made of the locality and the hypothesis made that he was found in Liquorpond Street in this parish. When found later in life this would prove a clue to his place of origin, as there can’t be too many places with a street of that name.
Foundlings at the Jersey General Hospital were given surnames from days of the week (Catherine Monday 1851, Elizabeth Ann Septembre 1852), seasons (Cecilia Spring March 1847, James Summer June 1851), festivals (John Easter April 1839) or saint’s day and month (David Mars, 1 March 1854) (Worrall). A most useful survey of foundling names from London parishes has been published by John Light (Foundling Names. Genealogists Magazine Vol 21 #4, pages 112-117.)
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