Primrose as a male name

[Mike in Cumbria]

There was also that boy named Sue.

[hdw]

I had ancestors among the fisherfolk of Auchmithie, near Arbroath, and there were some strange women's names there, e.g. Nicholas, as in Nicholas Spink, Nicholas Beattie, etc. Nicholas was never used as a man's name in Auchmithie and it wasn't a local surname either.

Another women's first name in Auchmithie was Wortley, which puts me in mind of the English aristocratic Wortley Montagu family, as in Lady Mary Wortley Montagu the poet and letter writer.

There were two sisters in Auchmithie called Campbell Swankie and McKay Swankie, Campbell being my 3 x great-grandmother. I was amused to see that on her death-certificate her family recorded her name as Camilla, obviously thinking that Campbell was a bit crude. In the same way, an 18th century Grizel will often be named as Grace on her death-certificate in the following century.

Queen Victoria may have been fond of Balmoral and everything Scottish, but the Victorian age in Scotland is marked by increasing anglicisation of Scottish personal and place names. In St. Andrews, for instance, Marketgait, Southgait and Northgait become Market Street (etc.) and Baxter's Close becomes Baker's Lane.

Harry

[Millmoor]

If you google "Society of Genealogists WDYTYA Speakers Handouts" there is a fascinating series of notes regarding talks given at WDYTYA.

One of them well worth reading is by Dr Jenny Swanson from 2015 called "Scottish Baptismal Names". She discusses a variety of issues. One quote is that "... in Scotland, particularly pre 1800, certain names were not used for the sex which a post- 1900 English speaker from England would expect". She gives the examples of Cecil (female), Giles (normally female), Esme (male) and Nicholas (normally female). She goes on to say that between 1701- 1800 more than two thirds of those baptised Nicholas were female, males being more likely to be Nichol or Nicol.

William

[Redroger]

At Boston Lincs i have seen an optician named John Mavis Enderby. i am nearly sure this comes from the village of that name. it was his lucky day there is another settlement Bag Enderby

[hdw]

I've just remembered another one. My great-great-grandfather James Stewart had a half-sister called Graham Stewart, presumably because their father Richard Stewart was the son of a Jean Grahamslaw. At least Richard didn't call his daughter Grahamslaw Stewart.

Harry

[MBCfam]

I believe I am a descendant of Primrose Bell Thomson and Mary MacDonald Thomson. It appears that their son, John Murray Thomson, was my great-grandfather. He married Jessie Anderson. Anyone out there related to John or Jessie? They immigrated to the US in 1905ish.

[ev]

Hi MBCfam , welcome to RC 

There are four male births on the Statutory Records(from 1855 onwards) for a Primrose Bell Thomson in Scotland , 1855 , 1883 , 1908 , and 1918 , all Aberdeenshire.
Looks like Primrose Bell Thomson married Mary MacDonald in 1883 Old Machar Aberdeen(shire).

1881 Census(LDS)
16 Gerrard St , St Nicholas , Aberdeen
Primrose B Thomson 56 cloth boiler
Hellen Thomson 53 wife
William Thomson 30 son rope worker
Primrose B Thomson 26 son combmaker
Thomas Thomson 24 son combmaker
George Thomson 22 Son combmaker
James Thomson 11 son

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

Primrose Bell Thomson birth 7th March 1855 , Old Machar Aberdeen , father Primrose Bell Thomas mother Helen Smith(Familysearch)



ev

[Mowsehowse]

Interesting thread....

I was musing on the Greek god Narcissus, and googling from there I discovered that Wordsworth, in 1768, wrote a (very) lengthy poem called Peter BELL, a "potter", who had been around and seen a lot which left him cold, and was not even moved by a primrose flower..... I think.

Coincidental I expect.
You can find the poem here:
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/peter-bell-a-tale/

MODIFY: I have been trying to read the entire work. 
Wikipedia offers this explanation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bell_(Wordsworth)

  and now I am going back to bed for a week or two!!