Re: Surnames more on

["Neil Sinclair/Peggy Rintoul" <rinsin@globalserve.net>]

Pertaining to the aforementioned thread....
Some small issue with 1379 as the date for the use of surnames being common
or "surnames being a necessity".  It seems that until the common
registration of written records with the Parish churches toward the end of
the 1600's surnames were not widely as popular as family names and what we
may have is among the rank and file a widespread use of names based on
geography, trade or physical feature. This continued to 1700-1800 when
because of writing more formal recognition became necessary. Now as one
further interesting note is that where names and wealth and title were an
issue identification and certainty were an issue and I sense that the titles
and use of names were regarded as important. Now a general quiry at what
point of histor do we see Sinclair names in Orkney and Caithness and
Midlothian becoming widespread in written use and parlance. My suspition is
cira 1700 but I profess a great amount of ignorance on the topic.
Now one relation shared with me that unless you had wealth and title or were
arrested and or hung, there was little reason to record anyones name before
1600 or so and it simply did not matter. Thoughts anyone?
Neil Sinclair
Forever Argyll

----- Original Message -----
From: "Niven Sinclair" <niven@niven.co.uk>
To: <sinclair@mids.org>
Sent: 10 April, 2000 6:10 AM
Subject: Re: Surnames


> At 20:15 09/04/00 -0400, you wrote:
> >Niven --
> >
> >After coming to appreciate your tremendous knowledge of all aspects of
the
> >Sinclair heritage , I thought that I would take a chance and see if you
could
> >provide any insight into my Sinclair line ??
> >
> >I am descended from a William B. Sinclair , who was born in "" England ""
in
> >1835 .
> >
> >I am curious as to whether you might have any guesses as to what surname
the
> >  "" B. " might represent ??
> >
> >Family elders seem to think he was Welsh ?
> >
> >I can say that he had a generally round face and dark ( black ? ) wavy
hair ,
> >not at all in keeping with a typically scottish appearance !
> >
> >I am hoping that the middle name may provide some clue as to his local
> >birthplace or perhaps some other clues as to his lineage .
> >
> >Thank you ,
> >
> >Joe Greigg
> >
> >There is the Barony of St Clare in Wales although the town is now called
>     St Clears which is on the A40 about 9 miles from Carmarthen.
>
>     The Sinclairs were also well-entrenched on the other side of the
Bristol
>      Channel (in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset) where we find the township
>      of St Cleer which is not far from Liskeard.
>
>     The name St Clair/Sinclair/St Clere/Synclere etc. has been spelt in 70
>     different ways.
>
>     After the Conquest (1066) the Sinclairs were to be found in 43 English
>     Counties and in Wales.  We were in Scotland slightly earlier than that
>     (1057) but, of course, people of our blood had been in Orknmey since
>     the 9th Century although they did not adopt the name Sinclair until
>     Prince Henry Sinclair became the 'jarl' of the Northern Islands in
1379
>     by which time 'surnames' had become a necessity.  Previously people
>     had been identified by their physical peculiarities*, by their
occupation
>     or by the name of their holding.  *E.g. Campbell =  crooked mouth.
>     Cameron = crooked nose. Canmore = big head.
>
>    The "B" in William B Sinclair could stand for almost any name.  The le
Beu
>    family came from Calvados in France settled in the South West and in
> Orkney
>    with the Sinclairs. The name became "Bews" but it could have been Bevin
> or Bevan
>    which, as you know, are typical Welsh names (which means a 'wine
drinker').
>    William is likely to have married a Welsh lass.  They are very comely.
>    Incidentally, the Sinclair of Argyllshire descent tend to be dark.  So,
> for that
>    matter, are the Sinclairs of Ulbster in Caithness.  We are not all blue
eyed
>    blonds.  Some, as we have heard, are red haired throw-backs with green
eyes
>    (and very attractive, too) but most of us, alas, are a nondescript
mousy
> brown.
>
>   Niven Sinclair
>
>    from some knowledge.  The language was not a problem.
>
> >[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
> >[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>
>
> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
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>

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