The ranking of the popularity of the names of the seven sons
of Richard and Penelope are:
#1 John
#4 Richard
#7 James
#21 Peter
#30 Benjamin
#39 Jonathan
#45 David
#4 Richard
#7 James
#21 Peter
#30 Benjamin
#39 Jonathan
#45 David
Likewise for the daughters:
#2 Mary#5 Alice
#12 Sarah
All ten are common names from the 17th as well as the 20th century. All except Richard and Alice are found in the Bible. Interestingly, none are Puritan-like names, such as Eli, Caleb, Hope, and Charity.
The English naming practices for several centuries was to
often name the first two babies of each sex after the grandparents and then parents.
I just disproved my own theory that Alice was a rare clue to Penelope’s
ancestry.
But the question still remains: Who was Alice Stout named
after?
And Mary? And Sarah? Why no Elizabeth if Richard’s mother
was Elizabeth Bee?
Perhaps there was an Elizabeth, but she died young. (?) Sincerely, Brownie MacKie
ReplyDeleteSome researchers list more than ten children with the others dying young. However,if we can't locate Penelope's grave or even the birthdates of most of the surviving children, I doubt we'll identify infants buried in the 1650s.
ReplyDeleteIn that century, if a child with a family name died young, the next child born of the same sex would often receive the same name.
Probabilities are unsatisfying when one wants facts.
Naming conventions in England varied by region. An excellent reference is Albion's Seed by historian David Hackett Fischer. But an excellent summary of names
ReplyDelete