Restoration of Anglican rites, 1661

[clayton bradley]

George Redmonds Christian Names in Local and Family History p 47 "..we know now that godparents were a major influence on name-giving during the late medieval, Tudor and Stuart periods..."statistics quoted by Smith-Bannister in Names and Naming Patterns leave us in no doubt about how important the custom was, with over 85% of boys named after at least one godfather in the 1550s and 1560s... The percentage was considerably less from about 1620, although still in excess of 45% in the 1690s."
He also writes on the spread of particular christian names from the landed classes to less important folk.
If you look at some of the early wills, you sometimes find people listed with different surnames, but the same christian name- gossips, with the same godfather.
Trolisse Brodley was taxed in Huddersfield in 1524 but from his name it's clear he was born in Bradford and named for Troilus Bolling, born in the mid 15th century.

[clayton bradley]

Custom is for 2 godparents at a baptism in a Catholic church, although only 1 sponsor is necessary. I didn't know it was different pre-Reformation. As baptism registers weren't routinely kept then, how was this known?
May I reply to Maiden Stone that at Halifax, there is a period during Mary's reign when all the godparents are recorded. I presume this also happened at some other churches, but I don't know. Mary instructed churches to record godparents but I know some definitely disobeyed her.

[mezentia]

Fitzhugh doesn't say what is the most powerful influence in naming a child, but I assume in a principally patriarchal society, it is the father's and paternal grandfather's names for boys, and the mother's and paternal grandmother's for girls. There is a paper by Erik Chitty, in The Genealogist's Magazine v16 No 2, June 1969 that discusses naming in more detail. A copy is re-printed in "Cake and Cockhorse" the magazine of the Banbury Historical Society Summer 1972 edition, and is a dowloadable PDF.

There are a number of estates in and around Adel, so it may be that I need to look through some of their archives to see if any further information can be gleaned. However, that may mean a trip to West Yorkshire Archives and that can't be done any time soon.

[Rena]

I noted you are seeking to tie same name families that lived in two different areas of Yorkshire.

For landed families who owned estates.  Often, for some, their meeting place was "the season in London" when estate owners removed themselves and their families to a house they probably owned in London - those in upper echelons partied with royalty or members of the royal court.  Fathers sought to marry off their daughters and sons to the offspring of rich fathers.  These landowners took their servants with them and those servants too might even find a partner.   I found one of my female Yorkshire ancestors had found a London coachman to marry in the church of "St. George, Hanover Square".

Other country folk could meet partners in a 10 mile radius.  This meant that one partner would walk 5 miles eastward to church and the other partner would walk 5 miles westward to the local church = ten miles distance.   If there was an annual feeing fair or market fair then villages might all climb aboard a wagon and travel to the fair where singletons would meet a beau.

Once upon a time GENUKI would clearly list nearby places but now when asked to show places 5 miles away (for instance) you are shown a map covered with teardrops.  I've clicked on a few such teardrops and saw that Bishop Monkton was surrounded by large Manor Halls / Manor houses.

Most of my ancestors whether English, Scottish or German used the coimmon naming pattern.  The only time they deviated was to give a baby the name of a benefactor, such as a man who had given a parent a job, or a benefactor and his wife who could not have children - if the latter, the child could expect to receive an inheritance..  Additionally when another member of their kith and kin failed to have a child named after themselves for whatever reason, then their name would be carried on by another couple.

[mezentia]

Hi Rena. I wish that the family I'm researching were landed gentry, but alas they are probably no more than agricultural labourers, or small farmers. The reason for searching different locations is try and establish a plausible migration from the parish of Adel to Ripon, and the chapelry of Bishop Monkton. That will support the links suggested that the families in Bishop Monkton are descendents of the families from Adel. The other possibility is that if the family maintained a naming convention, this is supporting evidence for a connection, and the more so if the name is relatively uncommon. My interest in Anglican Rites is an offshoot of this research.

[Maiden Stone]

May I reply to Maiden Stone that at Halifax, there is a period during Mary's reign when all the godparents are recorded. I presume this also happened at some other churches, but I don't know. Mary instructed churches to record godparents but I know some definitely disobeyed her.

How could I have forgotten Queen Mary? 
In atonement I looked at a few parishes in Lancashire which had baptism registers for that period. Disappointing result - not only were there no godparents' names, parents names weren't recorded either. One register contained no baptisms for Mary's reign.
What was the customary number of godparents in Mary's reign?

He also writes on the spread of particular christian names from the landed classes to less important folk.

Trolisse Brodley was taxed in Huddersfield in 1524 but from his name it's clear he was born in Bradford and named for Troilus Bolling, born in the mid 15th century.

 

Ferdinando was a key name in a family from Durham connected to one of mine. I traced the family back to 1600's. It may have been a name which had come down from a higher social class.

[clayton bradley]

In Halifax, in Mary's reign, there were three godparents with a preponderance of males even when the child was female. For instance, Annes daughter of Jacob Hargreaves of Shelf 21 Jul 1557 had godfathers Richard Mawde, Edward Brodley and Thomas Quitley. It was possible to have two godmothers as Annes daughter of Richard Brodley of Shelf, 13 Feb 1556/7 with godparents James Stancliff, Annes Bridge and Alice Snyppe.
I'd be interested to know if there are other surviving baptisms from Mary's reign with godparents. Halifax can't be the only parish, surely.
I'm sure George Redmonds had something to say about Ferdinando in one of his books but I can't find it in his Christian Names book.

[Maiden Stone]

I'd be interested to know if there are other surviving baptisms from Mary's reign with godparents. Halifax can't be the only parish, surely.
I'm sure George Redmonds had something to say about Ferdinando in one of his books but I can't find it in his Christian Names book.

RootsChat is an education.
Why don't you start a topic about baptisms in Mary's reign to see if others have found anything?
Isabella was a popular name for one of my Catholic Lancashire ag. lab. families. I was hoping to find a Ferdinand and Isabella married couple. One Ferdinand was godfather to his Lancashire-born nephew* in the adjacent parish to my Isabella family.
*Ferdinando's nephew & godson was called after him. Ferdinando was maternal uncle. Baby was first-born of the marriage.
A Stanley Earl of Derby was Ferdinando, lived around 1600.