medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
While feeling unqualified to comment on the correct plural of
cognomen (classical Latin/medieval Latin/etc.), I was interested in
the points on this list concerning "when surnames were coming in".
The answer would seem to depend on the locality. For example, the
adoption of hereditary surnames in Lancashire in England is said not
to have been complete until around the 17th century though many are
known to have been hereditary much earlier (e.g. 13th century
England). From documentary evidence it is not always clear whether a
bye-name or surname was hereditary or not and it remains to be seen
how much extra light DNA Y-line testing can shed upon this.
I hesitate to refer the book by Baigent, Lincoln, and Leigh on the
"Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" because of the controversy that even
its mention can generate. However, I know of a bit of independent
background to one of its contentions, to wit that there is a
hereditary relationship between the 8th century Merovingian surname
Plantard, the subsequent names Plantavelu and Plantagenet, and a
blood line Planta in England. The names Plantard and Plant(e) are
surviving surnames. Though even scientific evidence on such matters
may need handling with caution, I am wondering if our DNA testing
programme..
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cc/helpdesk/TestDir/plants/dna.html
may eventually help to uncover some further evidence relating to such
questions.
I should be interested if list members are aware of any other similar
study programmes.
Regards,
John
--
.
. John S Plant PhD MBCS MIDI KLUO
.. Keele University
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|