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Our Surnames C
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CAIRNS.
Possibly the same as CAINS, in which case it is Norman, coming from
Cahagnes (Calvados)or Cahaignes (Eure).
It could also mean someone living near a cairn, with which the North Pennines
are dotted!
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CALASHAW. A bit of a mystery
name, this! It does not appear in the “Standard Works”, nor does it resemble any known place-name. However, a “shaw” is a wood
or coppice, and “cal” could be “cold”, or belonging to Kali, a Viking
personal name.
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CALLALEY, CALLALY. See CLAVERING.
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CALVERT A calf-herd. There are two Freemen of York with the name and it is the
family name of Lord Baltimore, whose boundary dispute with the PENN family in
America in the 18th C led to the creation of the Mason-Dixon line.
See DIXON.
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CAPPER. A cap-maker. Variants of the name are found from the 13th C
onward.
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CARDUS, CARRODUS, CARRADICE. These are all variants of Carruthers
(Locally pronounced Cridders) in the
lower reaches of Annandale, Dumfriesshire. The CARRUTHERS family were the 13th
C stewards of Annandale under the BRUCEs, while Simon CARRUTHERS, Parson of
Middlebie, swore fealty to Edward I. (Landranger Sheet 85: Carrutherstown
NY103719, Middlebie NY215759)
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CARNELL. A fighting man, whose speciality was to man the crenellations of a
castle.
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CARR. Synonymous with KER and KERR . The meaning is “dweller by the marshy
copse”, such ground still being called “carrs”. A good old Borders name.
While nothing is 100%, there is a strong correlation that K- is Scots and C- is
English and there is also evidence that the names have been interchanged (Maybe
to distance themselves from Reiving relatives!) There is also a tradition, which
tests in the 1970s seemed to support, that KER/CARR is a nickname for
left-handed. We have CARR's in Ovingham around 1730.
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CARRICK. A person from the district of Carrick in Ayrshire. (see KENNEDY)
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CARROLL. Probably a pillow-maker, from the Old French carrel.
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CARTER. Exactly what it sounds like! Interestingly, the word cart (or chariot!)
is more or less the same in Old English, Norman French and mediaeval Latin, so
CARTERs have been around in all our ancestral strains!
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CHAMBERLAIN. A senior officer to a Lord or King, since only the closest and most
trusted servants were allowed near the lord’s inner sanctum. The title was
originally chamberling and also applied to the Lady’s female servants.
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CHAPMAN. A mediaeval trader. (ONS)
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CHARLTON. Derived from the place-name. Impossible to say which one; the
place-name is very common as it simply means the peasants’ village. CARLTON
and CARLETON are much the same name. CARLETONs and CHARLTONs are listed as
Reivers (q.v.). See also FENWICK.
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CHATT. Nickname for a cat-like person.
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CHAYTER, CATER. A buyer or provider of provisions for a large household.
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CHEESEBOROUGH. From the Northumberland village of Cheeseburn, (Landranger Sheet
88, NZ 093712) which was Cheeseburgh in the 13thC.The place-name is as likely to
mean the shingly fortress than the cheese-making one. It
depends which expert you consult. (ONS).
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CHESTER. From the place-name. In a North Pennine context, as likely to be from
Chester le Street or Chesters on the Roman Wall as from the county town of
Cheshire.
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CHISHOLM. From the Barony of Chisholm in Roberton, Roxburgh.
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CLAPHAM. From the place-name, which simply means “the settlement on the
(clumpy) hill”. While there are
several Claphams, the North Pennine example is in N Yorkshire, Grid Ref:SD745690
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CLARENCE. The Dukedom of Clarence was created in 1453 when the 3rd
son of Edward III married the heiress of Clare in Suffolk. As a place-name, the
origin of Clare is uncertain.
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CLARK, CLARKE. A clerk or cleric. Many clerks in the middle ages were laymen
attached to religious orders. They could therefore have been well-fed , but not
being bound by vows of celibacy may account how this became so common a family
name!
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CLASPER. Not in the “standard works”. However, the Oxford English Dictionary
allows CLASPER as a maker of clasps, especially of books, but can offer no
written reference earlier than 1885! Research shows it to be an almost
exclusively North-Eastern name and some traditions give it a Hanoverian origin.
This is no more satisfactory than the OED’s version, since the name is known
to be considerably older than Hanoverian immigration. Clasps for garments have
been valued items since mediaeval times so a maker or dealer could well have
adopted the name… though the majority seem to have
preferred to be BUCKLERs! GLASPER can be a variant. The first CLASPERs
we have on record are at Marsh Chapel,
Lincolnshire, where An or Agnes CLASPER was married in June 1591 and Barnard
CLASPER was married on 26 May 1608. From then on up to the 1800's almost all the
records are in Northumberland around the Morpeth area, when the coming of the
railways enabled the family to spread. (ONS).
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CLAVERING. Up to the 13th C., the Barons of Warkworth did not
have a surname, but used the patronymic, usually FitzRoger or FitzJohn (and
frequently alternating). While they were entertaining King Edward I (1239-1307)
at their estates in Essex, he “suggested” that they adopt a fixed surname
and "CLAVERING", the name of their Essex estate, seemed as good as
any. In addition to Warkworth, the CLAVERINGs held Callal(e)y, which they are
believed to have bought from Gilbert, son of William de Callaley in 1271. In
more recent times, the Tyneside CLAVERINGs were major coal owners in the
eighteenth century and among the wealthiest families in the region.
Not being Catholics as were so many local landowners (including the
Callaley branch), they were usually "well-in" with the Government and
benefited from the standing that gave them. The CALLAL(E)Y name seems to have
died out in Northumberland but at least two men from Ireland of that surname
emigrated to the USA in the 1850s (James Callaley, 22, in 1850 and Pat Callaly,
19, in 1855)
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CLAYTON. Derives from the place-name. We have possible candidates in Lancashire
and WRY. The meaning is self evident.
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CLEMENT. The name derives from the Latin for mild or merciful. It was adopted by
several Popes and doubtless by laymen, too. Probably the fiercest ones!
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CLEMENTSON, CLEMINSON, CLEMITSON. Son of CLEMENT.
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CLIFFORD. The (de) CLIFFORD family were, from 1310 to 1676, the Lords of Skipton
in West Yorkshire, and played a major part in both local and national history.
They took their name from Clifford Castle in Herefordshire
(Grid Ref:SO241457),
another of their holdings. From our “names” point of
view, it is significant that the mother of Robert CLIFFORD, first Lord of
Skipton in1310, was Isabella de VIPONT (see VIPOND) One
of the most remarkable CLIFFORDs was the persistent Lady Anne (1590 – 1676)
who, illegally derived of her inheritance on the death of her father, fought for
38 years to regain it at the age of 53.. and lived on another 33 years! She was
also a major genealogist of the Clifford and Vipont families.
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Castles: Appleby Grid Ref:NY715195.
Brough Grid Ref:NY798146, Brougham (Built by Robert Vipont) EHNY535280(, Pendragon Grid Ref:NY786017,
Skipton Grid Ref:SD993519
(ONS). clifford@one-name.org.uk
(Mr J D Clifford)
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CLOSE. There are two sources for this
surname, DeCLOS and LeCLOS. The de (of) and le (the) are important. “Of the clos”
is a dweller or worker in the enclosed space, such as a farmyard, while “the
clos” is one of a secretive disposition.
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COATES, COATS. A cottager or dweller by the sheep-cote. DELACOTE and its various
spellings come from the same root. There are Coates-type place-names, but none
that I’ve identified in the North Pennines. Any Clues?
Reverend COATES was vicar at Bedlington in the early 1800s
and there is a lovely oil picture of him with
his fishing rod, next to the river, looking very contented, in the possession of
one our contributors. Nothing else is known of him; can anyone help?
(ONS)
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COATSFORTH, COACHWITH, COATSWITH, COATSWORTH, COTESWORTH. These names
derive from a tract of land in Oxfordshire known as Cotsford which was given to
the Church in the 7th century and is referred to in the Saxon Chronicle dated
675. The name came to be connected
with the present COATSWORTHs through the Le BLUNT family.
A family tree shows that the Norman family were granted land in various
parts of England, including Oxfordshire, and became known as ‘DE COTESFORD’. By the 14th century, it seems they had moved north, and
references to John DE COTESFORD’ (COTTESFORD, COTSFURD, COATSFORD) are found.
He married Sybil against her father’s wishes, and his will is dated 30
Edward III (1357). His sons are
found in Westmorland, Cumberland and Durham.
Their name is now ‘DE COTESFORTH’.
By the 15th century the ‘de’ has been dropped. The name in its
various forms is still found throughout the northern counties, but not all
branches have yet been linked. Our researcher’s 5xgreat grandfather, John
COATSFORTH, married Isabel Hood in 1735 at Harbottle in Northumberland. (Landranger
Sheet 80, Grid Ref. NT 935046).
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COBRAN. The family, from Bishop Auckland, believe they had origins near St
Bees., Cumbria. The source of the name is uncertain unless it is the same as
CORBAN, from Corbon in Calvados, or maybe a nickname from Middle English corbun,
a raven. (Still “corbie” in dialect)
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COCKING. Thought to be the same as COCKAYNE, named for the fabulous, imaginary
country. More prosaically, there are real places called Cocking (Sussex) and
Cockington (Devon) where Cocca’s people lived.
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CODLIN. We have three possible derivations: a seller of fish or (codling)
apples, either of which is pretty straightforward. More interesting is a
contraction of coeur de lion, “lion-hearted” which is, in fact where
the sound, hard apples get their name!
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COLE. This may be from an old Norse or Danish personal name “Kol”.
However, it seems to have been well established in the 11th C., and
in regions not influenced by Viking invaders. This indicates a likely source as
Old English cola, “coal black” and hence a nickname for a dark-haired
or swarthy person.
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COLLINGSON, COLLINSON, COLLYSON. Son of Colin, or perhaps Coll, a diminutive of
Nicholas.
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COLLINGWOOD. Dweller in the disputed (challenged) wood. There is a Collingwood
in Staffordshire, but as COLLINGWOOD is a Reivers’ name, the origin may be
more local.
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COLMAN, COLEMAN. In the south of England, the name is likely to be
“coal-man”, the coal being charcoal rather than the mineral. However, in the
North, it is a Norse-Irish personal name, deriving from the Old Irish COLUMBAN.
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COLTER . Horse breeder; keeper of colts. (see also COULTER)
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CONKLIN. DNA testing has shown that least two separate lines of this name
emigrated to the USA. Amongst the early arrivers were John and Ananias CONKLIN
who were glass makers, lived in Nottingham c. 1635-1640, were married in St
Peter's Church, and probably worked at Wollaton.
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The name is variously spelled: CONCKLIN /
CONCKLING / CONCKLYNE / CONCLINE.
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CONN. An old Aberdeenshire Catholic name,
part of the Clan Donald, whose traditional name was “Siol Cuin”.
Alternatively, an Ayrshire name, shortened from PETCON. The modern name for
their estate is Pitcon, near Dalry, North Ayrshire (Grid
Ref:NS290497). Our CONN connection is in Sedgefield, Co
Durham, from 1700 to 1850.
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CONNAL, CONNELL. The name is to have originally been CONGAL or CONGUAL. It comes
from Stirlingshire and Dumfries in Scotland.
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CONWAY. From Conwy in Wales.
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COOK, COOKE. Not necessarily a cook as such, equally a seller of cooked meats.
The most famous COOK is surely James Cook (1728-1779). He was born at Marton,
Yorkshire and went to sea under Captain John Walker of Whitby in 1746 before
joining the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman in 1755. After working on extensive
surveys in Canada, he circumnavigated the world successfully twice in 1768-71
and 1772-75. His third attempt (1776-80) returned without him after he was
killed in Hawaii in 1779.
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www.captaincooksociety.com
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COPELAND. Probably from Copeland Forest in Cumbria (Grid Ref:NY139071), or possibly Coupland in Northumberland (Grid
Ref:NT937312) or Westmorland (Grid Ref:NY708189)
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CORBY. This name has probably nothing to do
with ravens or crows, despite the bird’s dialect name. Corby is a Cumbrian
village meaning Kori’s by, Kori
being an Irish personal name.
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CORNER.. Either a dweller at a street corner, or a trumpeter.
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COSSON. (see Coulson, or more probably, COUSIN)
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COULSON. Son of Coll (Nicholas) or Kol, a Danish personal name.
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COULTER. There’s a Scottish street-song (Glaswegian, I think) that goes:
“Ali-bali, ali-bali-bee / Sittin’ on your Mammy’s knee / Greetin’ for a
wee bawbee / To buy some Coulter’s Candy”. So the name has a Scottish
provenance, at least! Where it comes from, is a little more difficult. It could
be from Scottish place-names in either Lanarkshire or Aberdeenshire. However,
our COULTERs trace their ancestry back to Ireland in the late 18th
C., where the name may be from an ancient Celtic tribal chieftain named Coltarain.
There is also evidence that English COULTERs may have been knife makers; both
Norman and Germanic roots contain words for knife-blade that evolved into the
modern “cutler”.
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COULTHARD, COULTHRED . Colt-herd; that is to say, a horse breeder. There is also
a possibility, given 18th and 19th C spellings and
dialects, that some COULTHARDs are re-spelled COULTERs. Given the complexities
of COULTER, however, I’d stick with the horses!
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COUSIN. A kinsman or kinswoman. It probably started, like “-son”, preceded
by a personal name. For example, the rather unwieldy “Robert’s Cousin”
could, dependent upon local circumstances, evolve either into ROBERTS or COUSIN.
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COVERDALE . From the Yorkshire place-name.
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COWAN, COWANS, COWEN. An abbreviation of MacOwen, that is Son of Owen or Ewen.
Scholars argue whether these are the same or separate names. Probability favours
a common root, from the Greek, “well-born”.
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COWARD. A cow-herd (or guard, perhaps) from Old English cūhyrde or cū-weard.
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COWEY, COWIE. There are two place-name derivatives to choose from – Great
Cowie in Essex, or the Barony of Cowie in Kinkardine, Scotland.
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COWING. While the derivation of the name is unclear (perhaps a variant of COWEY)
we have Elizabeth COWING of Corryhill Allendale, NBL. married Richardson LEE of
Allendale.
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COWLEY. There are lots of places called Cowley, but none of them north of
Derbyshire.
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COWPER. Synonymous with COOPER, a maker of barrels. The COWPER family were
active in the Alston / Nenthead / Garrigill area in the 18th C.,
where the name appears as a given name in the BARRON line, following the
marriage of John BARRON and Agnes COWPER in Garrigill in 1763.
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COWPERTHWAITE. From a village name. The West-Pennine village is currently in
Cumbria and more or less buried under the M6 motorway. (Landranger Sheet 97, SD
605695) Our COWPERTHWAITEs lived in the Longbenton area of Newcastle Upon Tyne
and have been traced back to the mid 1700s. There is a family story that they
originally came from Cornwall.
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COX, COXON. The name is usually thought synonymous with COCK (One of our
researched families changed from COCK to COX between the 18th and 19th
C), which has mixed and uncertain origins. Possibly a nickname for a sprightly
lad. COXON is usually son of Cock or Cox. MacCONCHOILLE, MacQUILLY are Scottish
equivalents. Other possibilities include:
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A boatman (coxswain, which has Old French roots).
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The Red One (Welsh Coch / Goch).
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Dweller on a hillock.
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Derived phonetically from MacCONCHOILLE ("son of the hound of the
wood"), which was also translated literally as "Woods".
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COYLE. The “standard works”
have nothing on this name. It could possibly be an alternative spelling for
COULL (which has several spellings already!), which is a town in Aberdeenshire.
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CRAIG. A dweller by the crag; Scottish
pronunciation. CRAIG was recorded in Midlothian in 13th C and is
a sept of the Gordon clan.
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CRAIGIE. From one of the many places of that name in Scotland.
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CRAIGS. Probably a variant of CRAIG, although the s-suffix can sometimes stand
for “house”, so “Dweller in the house on the crag”. Our dwelt in
Stamfordham, NBL. ((Landranger Sheet 88, Grid Ref. NZ080720).
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CRAWFORD. From Crawford in Lanarkshire, but already appearing in England as far
south as Somerset by the early 13thC. (ONS)
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CREIGHTON. Probably from Crichton in Midlothian (Map?). There is a Creighton in
Staffordshire but the Scottish one is probably more likely. The place-name just
means the village on the hill.
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CRESSWELL. A dweller by the watercress stream. There is a village of that name
in Northumberland. Our CRESSWELL's are of Norman origin and settled around
Warkworth and CRESSWELL (Landranger Sheet 81, NU 248060 & NZ 292934) in the
1100s. Henry CRESSWELL, our researcher’s 3xgreat grandfather, went to London
in the late 1750s & in due course became a fishmonger at Billingsgate Fish
Market. His grandson William Henry CRESSWELL emigrated to South Australia in
1866. (map)
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CRISPIN. The patron saint of shoemakers, martyred at Soissons in the 3rd
century, whose name means “curly”. We therefore have a choice. Either the
name was adopted in honour of the saint – by a shoemaker, perhaps – or was
given to a curly-haired person. No less an authority than Lanfranc, Archbishop
of Canterbury 1070-89 and counsellor to William the Conqueror, declared that the
first recipient of the nickname was one Gilbert CRISPIN whose grandson, also
Gilbert CRISPIN, became abbot of Westminster.
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CRITCHLEY. There’s a de Crikelawa in Northumberland back in the 12thC. It looks like a
place-name, but the only English contender seems to be Crichlow in Lancashire,
so it’s possibly in Northern France.
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CRONE. There is an ancient Gaelic
word, cron, which means yellow. No less than thirty celtic saints are
named CRONAN, which is a diminutive.
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CROSBY. From one of the many Crosbys or
Crosbies on either side of the Border. It means the village with the crosses.
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CROSIER, CROZIER. Either a bishop’s assistant who carried his staff, or a
seller of crosses. In a rather less ecclesiastical mode, CROZIERs are amongst
the Rever families! (See Reivers)
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CROSSLAND. From Crosland in the West Riding (Map?)
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CROUTHER, CROWTHER. A fiddle-player. The name of a similar instrument continues
as crwth, a sort of Welsh bowed harp.
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CROWELL. Someone from Crowell in Oxfordshire or, more interestingly, from a lost
village near Spofforth in W Yorkshire (map). The place-name means “the spring
where crows gather”.
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CUMMINGS. Various candidates exist for the original of this name, which seems to
have arrived with the Conqueror, possibly from the town of Comines near Lille.
The name COMYN, which has a long history in Scotland, is from the same root.
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CUNDITH. While our researcher reports that the name (with this spelling) is
extinct in Britain, it looks to be a variant of CONDUIT, one who lived beside
(or given our area’s skills in hydraulic engineering) dug artificial
waterways.
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CUR. Possibly “the dog”; there are examples in the 12th and 13th
C.
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CURCHIN. Possibly a variant of CURZON, which seems to originate in Norfolk and
Lincolnshire as DeCURCUN orDeCURSUN, and may derive from Notre Dame de Courson
in Calvados. The source is an Old French word meaning “a short piece of
land”.
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CURRAH. Same as CURRER, perhaps, meaning a courier or messenger.
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CURREY, CURRIE, CURRY. Various attributions, but in a North Pennine context,
probably from Currie in Midlothian. Our researchers’ lines are the usual
assortment of miners in Allendale and Hexhamshire.
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CUTHBERT, CUTHBERTSON. A popular name in the middle ages; he’s our very own
saint, after all. However, I do not suppose that the Saint would have approved
of the Reiving CUTHBERTs! (See Reivers)
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CUTT. A diminutive for CUTHBERT.
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