English Surnames: Their Sources and SignificationsBardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
History
English Surnames: Their Sources and Significations
Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
Names, English; Names, Personal -- English
Turning from the colour of the cloth to the garments into which it was
fashioned, nothing could be more natural to our forefathers than to take
off with a sobriquet the more whimsical aspects of dress indulged in by
particular individuals. Royalty itself did not escape. It was through
his introduction of a new fashion our second Henry got his nickname of
‘Curtmantel,’ and this was matched by ‘Capet’ and ‘Grisegonel’ across
the water. ‘Richard Curtepy’ reminds us of the poor clerk of whom
Chaucer says—
Full thredbare was his overest courtepy,
that is, his cloak or gabardine. ‘Henry Curtmantle,’ just mentioned,
‘Martin Curtwallet,’ and ‘Robert Curthose’ (still existing in Derbyshire
in the more Saxon form of ‘Shorthose’),[494] satirise the introduction
of a curtailment in the general as ‘Reginald Curtbrant’ does in the more
military habit; ‘Richard Widehose’ and the Scotch ‘Macklehose,’ on the
other hand, suggesting a change of an opposite and more sailorlike
character. ‘Hose,’ itself a surname, is again found in composition in
‘Richard Goldhose,’ ‘Nicholas Strokehose,’ ‘John Scrothose’
(‘Scratchhose,’), and ‘Richard Letherhose;’ the latter still to be met
with in Germany as ‘Ledderhose.’ ‘Emma Wastehose,’ though now obsolete,
evidently bespoke the reckless habits of the wearer, while ‘John
Sprenhose’ (_i.e._, ‘Spurnhose’) seems to have declared its owner’s want
of appreciation of that article altogether. The old ‘paletoque’ or
doublet, a loose kind of frock often worn by priests, left itself a
memorial in ‘Thomas Pyletok,’ which is now extinct, but ‘Pylch’ (‘Symon
Pylche,’ A.), the maker of which has already been mentioned, remains
hale and hearty in our midst. ‘Mantel’ (‘Walter Mantel,’ L.) and
‘Fremantel’[495] are well established among us, the latter probably
owing its origin to the frieze-cloth which the Frieslander of the Low
Countries once manufactured out of our own wool. It is Latinized in our
records into ‘Hugh de Frigido-Mantello,’ and the cloth itself as
‘Frisius pannus.’[496] The herald’s tunic, barely covering the chest and
open from the shoulder downwards, gave us our ‘Tabards.’ It must have
had plenty of last in it, for Piers Plowman talks of—
A tawny tabard of twelf wynters age.
The variegated dress, much in favour then apparently, still survives in
our ‘Medlecote’ and ‘Medlicott.’[497] The stuffed doublet gave us
‘Thomas Gambeson,’ now perhaps ‘Gamson,’ while the short petticoat is
memorialised in ‘John Grenecurtel.’ ‘Alicia Caperon’ and ‘Thomas
Chaperoun’ are early found. The _chaperon_ was a hood by which the
entire face could be concealed if it were so desired. Taylor, in the
seventeenth century, mentions it as but recently out of fashion—
Her _shapperoones_, her periwigs and tires,
Are reliques which this flattery much admires.
It is thus, by a somewhat strange but easy association of ideas, has
come our modern protector in society so called.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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