Curiosities of Puritan NomenclatureBardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
History
Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature
Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
Names, Personal -- English
Hence both Tibet and Gibbet were also used for the same; as in the old
phrase "flitter-gibbett," for one of wanton character. Tom in tom-cat came
into ordinary parlance later. All our modern Tibbots, Tibbetts, Tibbitts,
Tippitts, Tebbutts, and their endless other forms, are descended from
Tibbe.
Coming to boys' names, all our Wyatts in the Directory hail from
Guiot,[10] the diminutive of Guy, just as Wilmot from William:
"Adam, son of Wyot, held an oxgang of land."--"De Lacy Inquisition."
"Ibbote Wylymot, iiii{d}."--W. D. S.
_Payn_ is met in the form of Paynot and Paynet, _Warin_ as Warinot, _Drew_
as Drewet, _Philip_ as Philpot, though this is feminine sometimes:
"Johannes Schikyn, et Philipot uxor ejus, iiii{d}."--W. D. S.
_Thomas_ is found as Thomaset, _Higg_ (Isaac) as Higgot, _Jack_ as
Jackett, _Hal_ (Henry) as Hallet (Harriot or Harriet is now feminine), and
Hugh or Hew as Hewet:
"Dionisia Howet-doghter, iiii{d}."--W. D. S.
The most interesting, perhaps, of these examples is Hamnet, or Hamlet.
Hamon, or Hamond, was introduced from Normandy:
"Hamme, son of Adcock, held 29 acres of land."--"De Lacy Inquisition,"
1311.
It became a favourite among high and low, and took to itself the forms of
Hamonet and Hamelot:
"The wife of Richard, son of Hamelot."--"De Lacy Inquisition," 1311.
These were quickly abbreviated into Hamnet and Hamlet. They ran side by
side for several centuries, and at last, like Emmot, defied the English
Bible, the Reformation, and even the Puritan period, and lived unto the
eighteenth century. Hamlet Winstanley, the painter, was born in 1700, at
Warrington, and died in 1756. In Kent's London Directory for 1736 several
Hamnets occur as baptismal names. Shakespeare's little son was Hamnet, or
Hamlet, after his godfather Hamnet Sadler. I find several instances where
both forms are entered as the name of the same boy:
"Nov. 13, 1502. Item: the same day to Hamlet Clegge, for money by him
layed out ... to the keper of Dachet Ferrey in rewarde for conveying
the Quenes grace over Thamys there, iii{s}. iiii{d}."
Compare this with--
"June 13, 1502. Item: the same day to Hampnet Clegge, for mone by him
delivered to the Quene for hir offring to Saint Edward at Westm.,
vi{s}. viii{d}."--"Privy Purse Expenses, Eliz. of York," pp. 21 and
62.
Speaking of Hamelot, we must not forget that _ot_ and _et_ sometimes
became _elot_ or _elet_. As a diminutive it is found in such dictionary
words as bracelet, tartlet, gimblet, poplet (for poppet). The old ruff or
high collar worn alike by men and women was styled a _partlet_:
"Jan. 1544. Item: from Mr. Braye ii. high collar partletts, iii{s}.
ix{d}."--"Privy Purse Expenses, Princess Mary."
Hence partlet, a hen, on account of the ruffled feathers, a term used
alike by Chaucer and Shakespeare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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