An unusual given name

[Pennines]

I have just been exploring one of my 'sideways' ancestors - a sister of my Great Grandmother and also following HER children through.

The Yorkshire burial of my Gt Grandmother's sister was actually on Deceased on Line - under her married surname of Stott. Buried in the same grave were her son, David Stott - and also a 'NEWNESS' Stott, a widow. This last one puzzled me - who would be named 'Newness'!

After checking this, I discovered that David Stott had married a 'NEWRESS' Parker in Yorkshire in 1904. What an unusual name.

The birth of Newress Parker was recorded in Q/E March 1883 (her actual birth was in Dec 1882).

Her parents and siblings had 'normal' names -- so why on earth would someone name a daughter 'Newress'?

I just had to share this unusual name -- and her burial as Newness (which amuses me.)

If anyone has heard of it before or comes up with a brilliant idea of why this child was so named -- I would just love to hear your thoughts.

[IgorStrav]

Is it a surname from earlier in the family?  I can see from an Ancestry search for it as a surname there are a few appearances.

Otherwise I agree, as a first name, very unusual!

[Pennines]

Good thought IgorStrav! I bet that's it - so I suppose it could have been much worse!

I hadn't thought of that myself - as it wasn't a middle name.

Thank you. I will explore that idea.

[IgorStrav]

Just to get you going, Pennines, Newress Parker's parents were


Thomas Parkier sorry Parker 1859 Wombleton and
Emma Sawyer 1849 Ripon, who married in 1881 in Ripon.

I had unreasonable expectations that the Newress name might pop up quickly, but I think you'll need to go back via GRO to get MMN for each of them, and I had to leave my computer to do something else.

Will you keep us posted?

 

[Pennines]

Thank you again IgorStrav -- you are a star. I love the town name you have discovered also -- Wombleton!

I always wondered where the Wombles came from originally!

[djct59]

I was talking to my cousin last week, and she asked "Why was my father called James Findlay Duncan Macara *******?"

I said "That was the name of the doctor who delivered him."

She "Yes - I've heard of Dr Macara, but why the middle names?"

Me "Sorry, you've misunderstood - the doctor's name was James Findlay Duncan Macara"

[Viktoria]

In my paternal great grandmother’s family the mother’s maiden ,( Rebecca  Cordley ) name is carried on as a second Christian name for one son ,,John Cordley, he died so then it became the first Christian name of the next son to be  born.Cordley Cole .
Cordley ,I like it and would have used it for one of my sons.
The mother had ten children !eight boys and two girls .Four of thr boys emigrated together in 1855 to Australia ,Sofala and Bathurst ,NSW.to the goldfields.
Another went  later ,who was a Methodist Minister ,A boy John Cordley died  thenCordley  was born .

One more son.
The mother was left a widow ,and died alone ,her two daughters ,one in Manchester  and  another on the East coast did not see her again.
A nice way if keeping a surname alive.
Viktoria.

[Pennines]

At first when I was reading your message Viktoria - I thought you were going to say they named the son Rebecca! (remember Johnny Cash and 'A boy named Sue'!

djct -- that's amazing - I was doing a friend's family history and one of her ancestors had been given the full name of the vicar who baptised him- as his first names.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  A connection of my family had the middle name Cubitt. I assumed it was a family name, but my research never found it anywhere, so perhaps it was a friend of his father.