PN Du:1.221 fails to mention, let alone explain, the strange accentuation on the last syllable in Seaton Carew (conveniently rhyming with "canoe"). Of the dictionaries, only Ekwall notes it. The family name is given as
Ekwall DEPN: Petrus Carou t. R 1 (i.e. 1189-99)
Watts CamDEPN: Robert Carew H 1 (i.e. 1100-35), a Welsh name
Du:1.221: Robert de Carew
If really Welsh, could it be a nickname based on carw 'red deer'? Or belong to the root car- 'love'? But as far as I know neither of these would give the observed accent.
There is a Carew in one version of the notorious Battle Abbey roll of companions of William, and a Cari in another version. It seems a family of this name was trying to manufacture a noble ancestry. Is it the same family as that which held Seaton Carew?
Keith
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