Curiosities of Puritan NomenclatureBardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
History
Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature
Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
Names, Personal -- English
The Restoration practically ended the conflict, but it was a truce; for
both sides, so far as nomenclature is concerned, retained trophies of
victory, and, on the whole, the Hebrew was the gainer. At the start he had
little to lose, and he has filled the land with titles that had lain in
abeyance for four thousand years. The old English yeoman has lost many of
his most honoured cognomens, but he can still, at least, boast one thing.
The two names that were foremost before the middle of the twelfth century
stand at this moment in the same position. Out of every hundred children
baptized in England, thirteen are entered in the register as John or
William. The Cavalier, too, can boast that "Charles,"[28] although there
were not more of that name throughout the length and breadth of England at
the beginning of Elizabeth's reign than could be counted on the fingers of
one hand, now occupies the sixth place among male baptismal names.
Several names, now predominant, were for various reasons lifted above the
contest. George holds the fourth position among boys; Mary and Elizabeth,
the first and second among girls. George dates all his popularity from the
last century, and Mary was in danger of becoming obsolete at the close of
Elizabeth's reign, so hateful had it become to Englishmen, whether
Churchmen or Presbyterians. It was at this time Philip, too, lost a place
it can never recover. But the fates came to the rescue of Mary, when the
Prince of Orange landed at Torbay, and sate with James's daughter on
England's throne. It has been first favourite ever since. As for
Elizabeth, a chapter might be written upon it. Just known, and no more, at
the beginning of the sixteenth century, it was speedily popularized in the
"daughter of the Reformation." The Puritans, in spite of persecution and
other provocations, were ever true to "Good Queen Bess." The name, too,
was scriptural, and had not been mixed up with centuries of Romish
superstition. Elizabeth ruled supreme, and was contorted and twisted into
every conceivable shape that ingenuity could devise. It narrowly escaped
the diminutive desinence, for Ezot and Ezota occur to my knowledge four
times in records between 1500 and 1530. But Bess and Bessie took up the
running, and, a century later, Bett and Betty. It will surprise almost all
my readers, I suspect, to know that the "Lady Bettys" of the early part of
last century were never, or rarely ever, christened Elizabeth. Queen
Anne's reign, even William and Mary's reign, saw the fashionable rage for
Latinized forms, already referred to, setting in. Elizabeth was turned
into Bethia and Betha:
"1707, Jan. 2. Married Will{m}. Simonds and Bethia Ligbourne."--St.
Dionis Backchurch.
"1721. Married Charles Bawden to Bethia Thornton."--Somerset House
Chapel.
"1748. Married Adam Allyn to Bethia Lee."[29]--Ditto.
The familiar form of this was Betty:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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