Forest of Dean FHT Forum - "Latinised" names

"Latinised" names (reply)

rookancestrybest — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 19:28:24 +0000

My experience of the process of converting names from English to Latin and then from Latin back to English has led me to conclude that the record is only as good as the vicar's or priest's understanding of Latin. I have also found that the state of the handwriting of the clergyman in question is also a factor to consider. It took me five or six years to find out my great great grandfather's first name (not in a Forest of Dean Record but in another part of the country) and it was a combination of the fact that the priest's handwriting was almost indecipherable and that he used the wrong ending for the name I eventually found it out to be. They tend to get it wrong if it's not a common name like William or John.

So, even if you use a converter for the language beware! Also if a person was called by a name which could be used in English in either its Latin or one of its English forms it is never certain what the person's name actually was unless there are other records, e.g. Maria is obviously the Latin version of Mary but people in the UK can be called Mary or Maria or other variants of the name, in such a case it is impossible to know which name they were known by. Sometimes if the person comes from abroad (including Ireland) then it is even more complex trying to work out whether they would have been known by the version of the name used in the country in which they were born or its Latin version e.g. James and Seamus and John and Sean or Giovanni and John or Johann and John are an example of this!

Elizabeth JAMES 1675 Yorkley Newland (reply)

probinson — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:27:33 +0000

Thanks Slowhands. I'll check this further.

Latin / Greek in Parish records (reply)

peteressex — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:03:33 +0000

Thanks for the link, Slowhands. I'm glad I wrote "fazed" and not "phased"!

Latin / Greek in Parish records (reply)

slowhands — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:25:14 +0000

Arising from that compilation from Latin parish registers, does anyone know of a Latin-to-English glossary of abbreviations, including Latinised names such as occur in this thread?

I ask this in a fazed and foaming state, having been told by a parish archivist (from elsewhere in Glos) that a fellow from the 16th century registered as "Xpoferi" was actually named Christopher!

These scholarly clerics mixing Greek and Latin - what next :-)

http://www.freereg.org.uk/howto/latinnames.htm

Trying to imaging how it was written then transcribed
Xpofer === "Chi" "rho" ofer = Χρ ofer = Christ-ofer

Latin in Parish records help please (reply)

peteressex — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:21:44 +0000

Arising from that compilation from Latin parish registers, does anyone know of a Latin-to-English glossary of abbreviations, including Latinised names such as occur in this thread?

I ask this in a fazed and foaming state, having been told by a parish archivist (from elsewhere in Glos) that a fellow from the 16th century registered as "Xpoferi" was actually named Christopher!

Elizabeth JAMES 1675 Yorkley Newland (reply)

slowhands — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:11:49 +0000

I have children as Elizabeth (1675-1759), Warren (1680- ) and Jacob (or Jacobi or Jacobus) (1677-1715).

Appears to have parents Richard & Elizabeth, not Maria or Mary

Year: 1676
Month: Jan
Day: 1
Parents_Surname: JAMES
Child_Forenames: Elizabeth
Fathers_Forenames: Richard
Mothers_Forenames: Elizabeth
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Yorkley
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister:
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: Compiled from Latin PRs and BTs Old style date 1675/76
Register_Reference: P227 IN 1/2
Page_Number: 12
Parish_Chapel: Newland

Richard JAMES St Briavels (reply)

slowhands — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:07:39 +0000

I have children as Elizabeth (1675-1759), Warren (1680- ) and Jacob (or Jacobi or Jacobus) (1677-1715).

Jacob married Elizabeth Jones (1680-1740) in 1698. Their children were Jacobus (1697-1779), James (1696-1779), Philip (1700-1746), Margaret (1704- ) and Maria (1705-1735).

Jacobus married Sarah (1700-1741) and their son was Richard (1728-1767) who married Sarah (1730-1801). They had 16 children.

I can find no information further back than Richard, hence the question.

These seem to belong to a Richard / Mary union not a Richard/Maria union

1673 JAMES Richard Richard Mary St Briavels
1677 JAMES James Richard Mary St Briavels
1680 JAMES Warren Richard Mary St Briavels

Richard JAMES 1652-1712 Bream Newland ? (reply)

probinson — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:57:49 +0000

I have children as Elizabeth (1675-1759), Warren (1680- ) and Jacob (or Jacobi or Jacobus) (1677-1715).

Jacob married Elizabeth Jones (1680-1740) in 1698. Their children were Jacobus (1697-1779), James (1696-1779), Philip (1700-1746), Margaret (1704- ) and Maria (1705-1735).

Jacobus married Sarah (1700-1741) and their son was Richard (1728-1767) who married Sarah (1730-1801). They had 16 children.

I can find no information further back than Richard, hence the question.

Richard JAMES 1652-1712 Bream Newland ? (reply)

slowhands — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:08:42 +0000

Any information on above? Lived in the newland area and married to a Maria I think.

Not a lot to go on, where do the dates come from...

Are these possibly his children ?
1733 JAMES John Richard Maria Breem Newland
1734 JAMES Edward Richard Maria Breem Newland
1736 JAMES William Richard Maria Breem Newland

Richard JAMES 1652-1712 Newland ?

probinson — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:17:37 +0000

Any information on above? Lived in the newland area and married to a Maria I think.