I have added the following new NTT families in the 1530-1750 period to my surname interests, ancestral to my BLATHERWICK families of Burton Joyce & Lowdham:
ALVEY, ARCHER, ASHBURY, BALDOCK, BLOCKSTON, BOLTON, BOWSKILL, FREAK, HALLAM, HARDING, HORNBUCKLE, HUBBARD, KETTLEBY, SEYWELL, SHEILAY (presumably SHELLEY, but open to suggestions), TROWELL, WHEATLEY, WHITWORTH & WIGFIELD.
The majority of these surname derivations have clear Notts (or local county)locational roots., so are ancient families in the area. Most of the them were in the West Bridgford (or nearby surrounding) records.
A web search shows that there are many researchers and descendants with connections to some of these families (e.g. BALDOCK), and that many were early colonisers of Virginia in the C17th (e.g. HORNBUCKLE).
The name BLOCKSTON is interesting as there's not an obvious derivation for the name. The spelling suggests "TON" for a place name, but I cannot find one (except perhaps BLOXTOWE). Any suggestions from local historians? Internet-sourced best guess is a derivation of BLACKSTONE. What I did find interesting is that the surname no longer exists in England (no BMD records from 1837), so it must have been a small family. As the name continues today only in the US, I assume they were part of the new settlers in VA described above.
As I'm interested in surname derivations I am perplexed by the standard explanations for both HORNBUCKLE and BOWSKILL. All data suggests that NTT is very much the past and present focus for these 2 names, suggesting long-established roots. This does not gel with locational explanations of HORNBUCKLE being from Arbuckle in Lanarkshire, SCT, and BOWSKILL from Bowscale in Westmoreland/Cumbria.
I was wondering whether HORNBUCKLE can be an occupational name (to do with shoe making) and BOWSKILL could be an honorific for an archer?
Anyone like to discuss?
Regards,
Mark
