It was, of course, impossible for Englishmen and Englishwomen to maintain their individuality on these terms. Various methods to secure a personality arose. The surname was adopted, and there were John Atte-wood, John the Wheelwright, John the Bigg, and John Richard's son, in every community. Among the middle and lower classes these did not become _hereditary_ till so late as 1450 or 1500.[1] This was not enough, for in common parlance it was not likely the full name would be used. Besides, there might be two, or even three, Johns in the same family. So late as March, 1545, the will of John Parnell de Gyrton runs: "Alice, my wife, and Old John, my son, to occupy my farm together, till Olde John marries; Young John, my son, shall have Brenlay's land, plowed and sowed at Old John's cost." The register of Raby, Leicestershire, has this entry: "1559. Item: 29th day of August was John, and John Picke, the children of Xtopher and Anne, baptized. "Item: the 31st of August the same John and John were buried." Mr. Burns, who quotes these instances in his "History of Parish Registers," adds that at this same time "one John Barker had three sons named John Barker, and two daughters named Margaret Barker."[2] If the same family had but one name for the household, we may imagine the difficulty when this one name was also popular throughout the village. The difficulty was naturally solved by, _firstly_, the adoption of _nick_ forms; _secondly_, the addition of _pet_ desinences. Thus Emma became by the one practice simple _Emm_, by the other _Emmott_; and any number of boys in a small community might be entered in a register as Bartholomew, and yet preserve their individuality in work-a-day life by bearing such names as Bat, Bate, Batty, Bartle, Bartelot, Batcock, Batkin, and Tolly, or Tholy. In a word, these several forms of Bartholomew were treated as so many separate proper names. No one would think of describing Wat Tyler's--we should now say Walter Tyler's--insurrection as Gowen does: "_Watte_ vocat, cui _Thoma_ venit, neque _Symme_ retardat, _Bat_--que _Gibbe_ simul, _Hykke_ venire subent: _Colle_ furit, quem _Bobbe_ juvat, nocumenta parantes, Cum quibus, ad damnum _Wille_ coire volat-- _Crigge_ rapit, dum _Davie_ strepit, comes est quibus _Hobbe_, _Larkin_ et in medio non minor esse putat: _Hudde_ ferit, quem _Judde_ terit, dum _Tibbe_ juvatur _Jacke_ domosque viros vellit, en ense necat." These names, taken in order, are Walter, Thomas, Simon, Bartholomew, Gilbert, Isaac, Nicholas, Robert, William, Gregory, David, Robert (2), Lawrence, Hugh, Jordan (or George), Theobald, and John. Another instance will be evidence enough. The author of "Piers Plowman" says--