Atkins and Hopkins surnames in Curry Rivel and Drayton

[jonwicken]

Is anyone researching these surnames at all?

I am asking because it seems from the parish registers that Hopkins (also spelt Hoptkins) and Atkins is the same family in the period of 1600-1700 with these two spelling variants.

Would the two names have sounded similar back then with a regional accent?

If anyone can assist me on this I would be most grateful.

Many thanks,
Jon

[jonwicken]

These are the individuals who use both Atkins and Hopkins in the area:

Thomas Atkins married Joane Pipe in Drayton in 1606.

They has the following children baptised in Drayton:

Mary baptised 1607 as Atkins buried 1607 as Atkins
Mary baptised 1608/9 as Atkins
Adam baptised 1609/10 as Atkins buried 1620 as Hopkyns
Marmaduke baptised 1612 as Atkins
John baptised 1614 as Hopkyns buried 1614 as Hopkins
Thomas Atkins baptised 1615   

Thomas and his widow Joane were buried as Atkins in 1633 and 1639 respectively in Drayton.

Their son Thomas Atkins born in 1615 appears to be the Thomas who was married first to Ann or Agnis before 1641. She died in 1657 and he remarried widow Joane Laver in 1662/3 in Drayton.

With these two wives he had the following children baptised in Drayton and Curry Rivel:

George Hopkins/Atkins 1642–1693
John Hopkins/Hoptkins 1647–
Robert Hopkins 1653–
Thomas Hopkins 1657–1700
Adam Hopkins/Atkins 1663–1700
Joseph Hopkins/Atkins 1666–1728

George baptised 1642 in Drayton as Hopkins and buried 1693 as Hopkins married Joane and had children buried as Atkins.

Thomas baptised in 1657 in Curry Rivel as Hopkins appears to have married Sarah and had a daughter Judith baptised 1690 as Hotkens at Curry Rivel. He is presumably the Thomas Atkins buried there in 1700. His wife was buried there in 1716 as Sarah Atkins Widow.

Adam baptised 1663 in Drayton as Hopkins had three sons baptised Hopkins in the 1690s and then a daughter Ann baptised as Atkins in 1699/1700. he was buried as Atkins in 1700 at Curry Rivel.

Joseph baptised in 1668 in Drayton married in 1689 at Drayton as Hopkins and had four children baptised between 1693 and 1700 as Hopkins but his youngest child baptised in 1702 was baptised as Atkins.

I have been quite surprised by the two names being used for the same person but it seems clear from all the above that they are.

I would love to know if anyone else has found these two variants and if they are researching the same families.

Many thanks,
Jon

[KGarrad]

There has been a study of "alias" names, which occur mainly in Devon, but can also be found around the West of England.

See:
http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/DevonMisc/Aliases.html
http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/DevonMisc/AliasesDiscriminant.html

This may explain your situation?