Make A Name For Yourself
Alan Crosby considers what researchers can learn from their ancestors’ surnames
Recently I’ve been doing some research and analysis relating to surnames. In England, surnames became hereditary in the 13th or 14th centuries. The ‘fixing’ of a name – so that it passed on to the next generation – was initially found in the South and Midlands, and by the mid-14th century the trend had reached northern counties.
Before that time a man called, let’s say, John the Carpenter would actually have worked as a carpenter, but he might have been the son of Thomas the Weaver. In other words, there was no transmissible surname in the sense that we understand the concept today – people were known by personal labels that related to their trade, parentage ( Williamson), place of origin (Singleton), or physical characteristics (Redhead). In early medieval lists of taxpayers – our best source of information about this subject – we find countless examples: John, son of William, Geoffrey the Dyer, Simon of Reading, Henry the Short and so on.
The fixing of names transformed family identities. From that point onwards, John Carpenter’s name did not identify his trade but recalled that of a forebear. Simon Reading’s ancestors came from that town, but he might have had no connection with it. Henry Short could have been very tall! But each of them now had a surname they passed on to their immediate descendants, male and female, and which might well continue in the legitimate male line down to the present day. It’s an intriguing thought – our surnames are often remarkable historic memories, going back seven centuries or more to a distant forebear of whom we probably know nothing, but who has unknowingly given us this legacy.
My own name is locative, derived from a place name, though which of the (at least six) English places called Crosby that might be is anyone’s guess. However, about my mother’s maiden name there’s absolutely no doubt. It was Bagshaw, the name of a tiny hamlet just outside Chapel- en-le-Frith in the Peak District. Almost all people surnamed Bagshaw descend from one couple who lived there about 800 years ago – and even today the name is lives in Lancashire and is the editor of The Local Historian overwhelmingly concentrated in the Peak District and a few nearby towns and cities such as Sheffield.
The work I’ve been doing has focused on Banbury, where my father’s direct ancestors lived since the 16th century, if not earlier. Those lists of taxpayers (and of tenants of the bishops of Lincoln, who were the lords of Banbury) reveal dozens of locative surnames in the 13th and 14th centuries. These people were residents of Banbury, so they weren’t called ‘of Banbury’, since everyone in the town could make that claim. Instead, they were called after the place where they, or an immediate forebear, had come from.
For example, the family of Thomas Bekebroke, recorded in 1379, must have originally been from Begbroke, about 15 miles from Banbury on the way to Oxford. When Tom’s father or grandfather came to Banbury, the existing inhabitants gave him a label: “He’s John of Begbroke”, and the label was passed on to future generations.
Plotting the places in question on a map reveals interesting patterns of migration to medieval Banbury, a growing market town. Many names are very local indeed, showing that the people of the surrounding countryside saw better opportunities only a couple of miles away. Others came further – quite a few surnames are derived from villages in rural Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and the northern Cotswolds. Today, these are seen as beautiful countryside spots. To people 700 years ago, they were poor areas and living there was hard. “Why not go to Banbury,” someone might have said. “I hear tell that wages are good there, work is to be had – and there are plenty of alehouses too!”
‘Our names are often historic memories from centuries ago’
Autumn’s here: the leaves are turning brown and we’ve all got that back-toschool feeling. The nights may be drawing in, but the long-awaited new series of Who Do
You Think You Are? has arrived on our screens, and as ever the episodes promise to be full of intrigue, surprises and amazing revelations galore. So whose family history journeys can we escape into this year?
The series begins with four episodes packed with classic genealogical mystery-cracking and family history thrills. Join the celebrities – Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, writer and comedian David Walliams, Silent Witness actor Liz Carr and Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones – as they dive into the archives.
This time there are some really unusual stories going back 200 years and more, and several storylines reflect the nation’s current predicament. Sarah Feltes, series producer of WDYTYA?, says, “There are a lot of moving stories in these four episodes. Some are quite resonant, covering public service, doing the right thing and the founding of the National Health Service, plus there’s a kind of ‘whodunit’.” So were the episodes filmed in lockdown? Sarah explains, “We’ve been caught out by the pandemic, just like everyone else. Luckily we had just completed filming on four of the episodes when lockdown was announced, so we’ve been able to complete them.”
It’s been a challenging series to put together this year, but Sarah
‘There are a lot of moving stories in these four episodes’
the NHS right now, so for a story like that to come along at this moment is quite something.” You can learn about Henry Richard Jones’ experiences on page 75, and discover tips relevant to each episode on our website.
What of the remaining episodes planned for Series 17? Can they be filmed while still observing social-distancing guidelines – and will the celebrities be able to visit the archives in person?
Safety First
Sarah emphasises that safety is the absolute priority. “We are busily reviewing all of the protocols that are being put in place to film safely, with social distancing, without compromising the way that we tell our stories. We are optimistic that we will be able to achieve that, but we obviously need to know that everybody is going to be safe. We film with all sorts of people, with a wide range of ages. There’s often only one expert on a particularly niche subject, and we need to take care of the individuals involved.”
So will the traditional meetings with experts be replaced by Zoom chats? “I think it is possible. I don’t know that we will want them to become the norm if we can avoid it, but we are all becoming very used to meeting in this way. It’s a language we recognise, so we may do a bit of it, but we will try to make everything as normal as possible.”
In these uncertain times, though, two things are sure. The new series will give vicarious pleasure to those of us yearning for the archives that we can’t visit ourselves, and every episode will be as packed with genealogical gems as ever. So make yourself a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy some wonderful storytelling, as Sarah and her talented team of researchers lift the lid on the fascinating family histories contained in more of our favourite celebrities’ trees.
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