Allis in Wonderland

 

This week it was my pleasure to attend the confirmation of a friend in Brigg. Amongst the couple of dozen or so candidates were the usual names that turn up everywhere such as MARSHALL and MILLER. There were also the few that are particular to local areas such as PETCH and BRUMBY plus those that originate with place names such as FEATHERSTONE, SHIPLEY and WALKEDON. The other main supply of surnames is from Christian names and these were well represented along with those such as MURCH which I recently wrote about.

Anyone who has looked through the really old registers will have seen my first name to look at. It would appear as Als or Allis and is to be found in Wonderland as Alice. The Brigg surname is ALLISS. In its original form of Adalhaidis it was then contracted down to Alis and a variation of its original form is to be found today as Adelaide.

The Christian name Giles may end up as a surname but this is an odd one with several very similar surnames having different roots. Taking it's start as the name of a saint and the hermit St Ǽgidius becomes Gile and Gille. However the surname GILL was to be found in the Domesday book but came from a dweller by the ravine and the word is still used today. A diminutive of GILL is GILLEAT which along with its numerous spellings is a name that can be found in this area of Lincolnshire.

The name PETCH is one of those local names and was listed by GUPPY as peculiar to Yorkshire. The name came from a nickname and was used, I feel, in a similar way that some one who was short would be called lofty. The word originates from the Latin peccatum evolved to the Old French peche and pechie, a sin. Way back in 1123 Robert PECCEO, the Bishop of Coventry, was nicknamed Peche; another name that comes from the same root is PEACHEY.

Those nice people the Latter Day Saints have a new website where you can say thank you for all their work that resulted in the IGI. If you sign up to do some indexing for them you will get a single page of work to transcribe along with a small program in which to type your transcript. All projects being administered by FamilySearch Indexing and participating genealogical and historical societies are listed. Each project is posted with a unique set of indexing guidelines and interesting facts. To do your bit visit http://labs.familysearch.org/ and say thank you. There are lists of the projects completed, underway and to come. These are mainly in the Americas but there are a few Irish items to work on and a Glamorgan that I couldn't access.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM - 23rd May 1800 - If the Legal Representatives of Charles FOWLER, Son of Joseph FOWLER, formerly of Goltho in the County of Lincoln. Gent, deceased and of Selina FOWLER, daughter of the same Joseph FOWLER, will apply to Mr BALDWIN, Attorney at Law in Lincoln, they will hear of something to their advantage. The said Charles FOWLER was bound Apprentice in the Year 1773 from Christ´s Hospital, London to a Captain RATCLIFFE, who then traded to Jamaica: was afterwards in the Year 1777, a Midshipman on Board one of His Majesty´s Ships then lying at Spithead; and in the month of February 1779, was in Quebec in Canada. The said Selina FOWLER married a Mr SPENCER, supposed to be a Sea-faring Man, and died about the Year 1769.

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