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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Manchester Rambler on Monday 09 May 05 14:40 BST (UK)

Title: Names and current affairs
Post by: Manchester Rambler on Monday 09 May 05 14:40 BST (UK)
While looking up some births on Free BMD, an unusual name caught my eye, and sent me off on a completely different track...
 
During the Boer War (1899-1902), hundreds of children were named after the commanders, battles and heroes of the time.  Among the more popular leaders were:

Henry Redvers Buller
Frederick Sleigh Roberts ("Bobs")
Horatio Herbert Kitchener
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

And the battles:

Pretoria, Ladysmith, Tugela, Colenso and Mafeking all scored highly in the name stakes.

However, some parents were even more imaginative...

Among my favourites:

Pretoria Surrender H Evans
Mafeking Roberts Turner
Tugela Royal Kallsen
Mafeking Baden P[owell] H MacDonald
Pretoria Ladysmith Ellis
Tugela Colenso P A Rooke
Kitchener Bobs Thornton
Baden Welcome Jordan
Colenso Victory Custance
Ladysmith Shamrock and Thistle Dujon
Redvers Buller K[itchener] R[oberts] B[aden] P[owell] Perrin
Winston Pretoria B Wright
Veldt Rose Brewer
Natal Bishop
Transvaal Roberts Jury
Vereeninging Annie Dorey
Kimberley Mafeking Edwards
Magersfontein Paardeberg Somers
Bloemfontein Salmon

The end of the war coincided more or less with the coronation of Edward VII, so in addition to all the little Edward Alberts and Alexandras, there are gems like:

Coronation Edward Akehurst
Peace Albert Akehurst (Corrie's twin)
Peace Coronation Hammond

I'd love to have a few of these names in my tree!  Did other world events affect our naming patterns?  When I get time, I'm certainly going to check it out....

MR
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Nessie on Tuesday 10 May 05 18:47 BST (UK)
Don't know if the two I found in my tree today are anything to do with current affairs or not ???
But for a miners family to have twins a boy and girl by the way ;D and call them Pyrah and Merab seems a bit unlikely. Anyone come across these as christian names?
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RJ_Paton on Tuesday 10 May 05 19:04 BST (UK)
Merab is a name from Caucasus area see
http://www.geocities.com/khabazim/ for one example
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Nessie on Tuesday 10 May 05 19:39 BST (UK)
That is interesting, but it was the girl twin who was called Merab ;D I have a faint memory from Sunday School that when David beat Goliath, he was then betrothed to a Merab. Maybe from that part of the world it is a uni-sex name. Still neither of the names seem to go with Scargill as a surname.
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RJ_Paton on Tuesday 10 May 05 20:05 BST (UK)
They can't be worse than some of the "modern" concoctions that parents saddle their children with.

"But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife." (1 Samuel 18:17-19 KJV)
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RJ_Paton on Tuesday 10 May 05 20:11 BST (UK)
A further search shows that Merab was an egyptian male name .
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Paul E on Friday 13 May 05 23:43 BST (UK)
From 1881, I particularly like

William Waterloo Napoleon Saunders, b1868 :)

Paul
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Paul E on Friday 13 May 05 23:45 BST (UK)
And I've just noticed that he had a brother...

Pius Romulus Saunders, b1877 :) :) :)
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: DebbieDee on Saturday 14 May 05 01:20 BST (UK)
My gt gt grandfather had two sons named Ebert (b1880) and Metford(my gt grandfather).

Don't know where my family got Ebert from - it may be from a German surname.  The first president of the Weimar Republic (in Germany 1919) was a Friedrich Ebert who lived from 1871-1925.

Unfortunately my granddad was named Ebert Walter Metford  :o.  Even worse he was born (in Somerset) in 1920.  No wonder he was always known as plain old 'Bert'.   ;D
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Hackstaple on Sunday 15 May 05 23:55 BST (UK)
DebbieDee - when they called him Ebert it was just Zummerzet for Herbert 8)
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RIPPON on Saturday 21 May 05 14:55 BST (UK)
I'm interested in Nessie's  Pyrah and Merab twins as the Pyrah family is a line that I am following.   Could you tell me if the Pyrah Christen name is followed by Whitaker, Scargill, Heyes or Charlton and what year?  I am thinking that the Christen name comes from an earlier Pyrah marriage.
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Nessie on Saturday 21 May 05 15:03 BST (UK)
It is from the Scargills of Thornhill, Dewsbury. Children of my ggg grandfathers brother.
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: M.T.H on Saturday 21 May 05 15:06 BST (UK)
Here's a bit of interesting info about names during the Boer War,it was posted back in August;

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,9986.msg31308.html#msg31308

Regards,Mick ;)
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: Nessie on Saturday 21 May 05 15:34 BST (UK)
Looking for a Pyrah/Scargill marriage I came across one for an Oliver Cromwell Pyrah in Dewsbury in 1893.
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: DebbieDee on Saturday 21 May 05 15:59 BST (UK)
MR,

I've just found one of my own 'Boer War Babes'.

Baden Pretoria Pratlett born in 1900.  Must have been a very significant battle as all his siblings have quite 'ordinary names.

Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: DebbieDee on Saturday 21 May 05 16:05 BST (UK)
DebbieDee - when they called him Ebert it was just Zummerzet for Herbert 8)

 ;D ;D ;D Maybe Mum or Dad had been on the scrumpy before popping down to the registrar hic :o
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RIPPON on Saturday 21 May 05 18:53 BST (UK)
Thanks Nessie.  I have Pyrahs on the 1881 census at Dewsbury Road, THORNHILL.  I think there must be a Scargill/Pyrah marriage somewhere?

David PYRAH          Head   M   Male   59   Batley, York, England   Woollen Manufacturer    
 Sarah A. PYRAH     Wife   M   Female 57   Batley, York, England       
 Josiah PYRAH          Son   U   Male   29   Heckmondwike                Woollen Overlooker    
 William PYRAH         Son   U   Male   20   Batley, York, England   Woollen Spinner    
 Lucy PYRAH           Daur   U   Female 17   Batley, York, England   Woollen Weaver    
 David PYRAH           Son         Male   13   Batley, York, England   Scholar    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source Information:
  Dwelling   Dewsbury Rd
  Census Place Thornhill, York, England
  Family History Library Film   1342101
  Public Records Office Reference   RG11
  Piece / Folio   4569 / 4
  Page Number   2
Title: Re: Names and current affairs
Post by: RIPPON on Saturday 21 May 05 19:10 BST (UK)
Oliver Cromwell Pyrah is the son of Simeon King Pyrah.   My guess is that Oliver was named after a locomotive as his father was a railway porter.