medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Anthony John Lappin <[log in to unmask]>
> It couldn't be that the speeding web-toed spliff-spinners were from
Louville-la-Chenard or Levesville-la-Chenard, some 40-45km ESE from
Chartres?
that's their Old Stomping Grounds, yes.
also running with the Le Puiset crew of the local mafiosi.
>So probably a cognomen drawn from a toponym denoting their origins or major
landholding.
may, non, ma frere.
you've got that splendidly back-asswards: the place was originally (11th c.)
Louvilla/Levesvilla [or something] and the "-la-Chenard" was added later (late
m.a. or even early modren) after the family who was seated there.
lots of other examples of a place name acquiring (as it werre) a cognomen
--either from the name of the Lord(s) who owned it or from some topographic or
other distinctive feature (in particular, these were added once the Bureau des
Postes got established, to distinguish between the various Rocheforts and
Chateauneufs and Villeneufs spread out all over the danged country.
a very useful source for studying toponymics en France is the series of
_Dictionnaires topographique de la France_ treating the whole country,
departement par departement.
the first of these was, as it happens:
Merlet, Lucien (1827-1898). Rédacteur
Dictionnaire topographique du département d'Eure-et-Loir comprenant les noms
de lieu anciens et modernes / réd. sous les auspices de la Société
archéologique d'Eure-et-Loir, par M. Lucien Merlet,... ; publ. par ordre du
ministre de l'Instruction publique ; et sous la dir. du Comité des travaux
historiques
Paris : Impr. impériale, 1861
conveniently available for downloading on Gallica:
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k36741j
no one knew (or has known) the documents from the Chartrain like Lucien
Merlet.
for Louville-la-Chenard he says (p. 105) "tire son surnom de _Philippus
Chanardi de prochia Loville_ [the Chenardi form being explained by its context
in a charter??], qui figure dans plusieurs chartes du milieu du XIIe s." the
form _Loovilla Chenardi_ first appearing in 1258; _Laoville-la-Chenart_ in
1282; Loovilla-Canardi in 1289.
Levesville-la-Chenard (same etymology) only appears in the 1736 pouillé.
> One should make a distinction too between self name-changing (Benedict
Biscop takes Benedict) and what we might call aponyms
we might call them that, but its a word unknown to the OED.
>(Boniface gets called that by the pope, abbots changed names of novices,
presumably so that there wouldn't be twenty-eight monks called Frater Iohannes
and fourteen answering to Frater Petrus in the monastery).
butbut, there surely *would* have been these multiple names in a single house,
would there not --assuming that (as this string seems to be demonstrating) the
taking of Professional Names not being the Standard Practice, by a Long
Chalk.
guys like Boniface and Biscop are the exceptions.
c
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