Curiosities of Puritan NomenclatureBardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
History
Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature
Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
Names, Personal -- English
Sibyl had a tremendous run in her day, and narrowly escaped a second epoch
of favour in the second Charles's reign. Tib and Sib were always placed
side by side. Burton, speaking of "love melancholy," says--
"One grows too fat, another too lean: modest Matilda, pretty pleasing
Peg, sweet singing Susan, mincing merry Moll, dainty dancing Doll,
neat Nancy, jolly Joan, nimble Nell, kissing Kate, bouncing Bess with
black eyes, fair Phillis with fine white hands, fiddling Frank, tall
Tib, slender Sib, will quickly lose their grace, grow fulsome, stale,
sad, heavy, dull, sour, and all at last out of fashion."
The "Psalm of Mercie," too, has it:
"'So, so,' quoth my sister Bab,
And 'Kill 'um,' quoth Margerie;
'Spare none,' cry's old Tib; 'No quarter,' says Sib,
'And, hey, for our monachie.'"
In "Cocke Lorelle's Bote," one of the personages introduced is--
"Sibby Sole, mylke wyfe of Islynton."
"Sibb Smith, near Westgate, Canterbury, 1650."--"Half-penny Tokens of
Seventeenth Century."
"1590, Aug. 30. Christening of Cibell Overton, d. of Lawrence Overton,
bowyer."
Three names practically disappeared in this same century--Olive, Jacomyn
or Jacolin, and Grissel:
"1581, Feb. 17. Baptized Olyff, daughter of Degorie Stubbs."--St.
Columb Major.
"1550, Dec. 11. Christning of Grysell, daughter of -- Plummer."--St.
Peter, Cornhill.
"1598, March 15. Buried Jacolyn Backley, widow."--St. Dionis
Backchurch.
Olive was a great favourite in the west of England, and was restored by a
caprice of fashion as Olivia in the eighteenth century. It was the
property of both sexes, and is often found in the dress of "Olliph,"
"Olyffe," and "Olif." From being a household pet, Dorothy, as Doll, almost
disappeared for a while. Doll and Dolly came back in the eighteenth
century, under the patronage of the royal and stately Dorothea. What a run
it again had! Dolly is one of the few instances of a really double
existence. It was the rage from 1450 to 1570; it was overwhelmed with
favour from 1750 to 1820. Dr. Syntax in his travels meets with three
Dollys. Napoleon is besought in the rhymes of the day to
"quit his folly,
Settle in England, and marry Dolly."
Once more Dolly, saving for Dora, has made her bow and exit. I suppose she
may turn up again about 1990, and all the little girls will be wearing
Dolly Vardens.
_Barbara_, with its pet Bab, is now of rarest use. _Dowse_, the pretty
Douce of earlier days, is defunct, and with it the fuller Dowsabel:
"1565, Sep. 9. Buried Dowse, wife of John Thomas."--St. Dionis
Backchurch.
_Joyce_ fought hard, but it was useless:
"1563, Sep. 8. Buried Joyce, wife of Thomas Armstrong."--St. Dionis
Backchurch.
"1575, April 5. Baptized Joyes, daughter of John Lyttacott."--St.
Columb Major.
"1652, Aug. 18. Married Joseph Sumner and Joyce Stallowhace."--St.
Peter, Cornhill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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