Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/190

This page needs to be proofread.

154


NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. VIL FEB. 23, 1907.


money. See ' Argot and Slang,' by Albert Barrere (London, Whittaker, 1889).

N. W. HILL. Philadelphia.

WARD SURNAME (10 S. vii. 109). What- ever be the origin of the Manx form, it is quite certain that, in most instances, Ward is native English. Bardsley rightly points out that the English name has really tivo origins, closely related. Thus in 1273 we meet with " Thomas le Warde," i.e., Thomas the guard, warder, or guardian, from the A.-S. iveard, a warder, so ancient that it occurs in ' Beowulf.' And secondly, also in 1273, we meet with a name of local or official origin, in the case of " Walter de la Warde," i.e. Walter of the guard, from the A.-S. weard, fern. sb. (genitive wearde), a ward, a watch, a guard. There can be no doubt as to these results.

WALTER W. SKEAT.

See 9 S. iii. 8, 72. The Gaelic Ward has nothing to do with the English Ward. The latter comes from two sources. In most ases it is an official name, having the mean- ing of watchman or guard. Sometimes, however, it is local, meaning at the place of the ward or guard. In early documents these two forms are kept distinct, the official name appearing as " le Ward," the terri- torial name as " de la Ward."

JAS. PLATT, Jun.

This name, though scattered over a large part of England, is found in greatest number in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and in the Midland counties, especially those of Leicester and Rutland, Notts, Derby, Stafford, Warwick, Northampton, Cam- bridge, &c. It is infrequent in the four northernmost counties of England, and is similarly absent or relatively uncommon in the counties to the south of a line joining Bristol and London. The name signifies a ward or keeper, and we find it with this meaning in such compound names as Wood- ward, the old title of a forest-keeper * Milward, the keeper of a mill (probably some manorial or monastic mill), and Mil- man, the same ; Kenward, the dog-keeper, or more probably Kineward, the cow-keeper. Aylward, the ale-keeper; Durward, the porter or door-keeper ; Hayward, the keeper of a common herd of cattle belonging to some town ; while the extinct Doveward

" An officer that walks with a forest-bill and takes cognizance of all offences committed, at the "rt swain-mote or court of attachments " (Bailey's


was probably a keeper of the manorial pigeons.

The births, deaths, and marriages of persons bearing the surname of Ward registered in one year, viz., between 1 July, 1837, and 30 June, 1838, both inclusive, were 985 births, 811 deaths, and 522 mar- riages.

In 1852 there were 187 traders bearing the surname of Ward, according to the * London Directory ' of that date.

ALFRED SYDNEY LEWIS.

Library, Constitutional Club.

My grandmother's maiden name (on the maternal side) was Ward. She belonged to the West Riding of Yorkshire branch. The Wards have intermarried w r ith my own family for generations ; indeed, my only sister's present name is Ward. Like MR. C. S. JERRAM, I have always been given to understand it represented " Guard," and this impression finds confirmation in the pages of ' The Norman People,' an anony- mous work published, in 1874, by H. S. King & Co., and dedicated by the author " To the memory of Percy, Viscount Strang- ford." Therein (pp. 440-1) we read :

" Ward, from Gar. or Garde, near Corbeil, Isle of France. Ingelram de Warda occurs in Northants, 1130, and Ralph de Gar, in Norfolk t. Henry II. (Blomefield, ix. 5). John de Warda of Norfolk occurs 1194 (R.C.R.). In 1286 and 1290 Stephen de Ware and Thomas de Ware are mentioned as hold- ing fiefs there (ibid., 359-360). From the latter descended, the Lords of Tottington, Pickenham, and Dudlington, of whom John Ward (14th cen- tury) acquired Kirkby - Beadon, and from him lineally descended the first Lord Ward and the Earls of Dudley.

" The Viscounts Bangor descend from a branch seated in Yorkshire, where Robert de la Gar (12th century) gave lands to Selby Abbey (Burton, ' Mon. Ebor.,' 396), after which, Simon Warde held a Knight's fee in York, 1195 (Lib. Nig.), and, with William his son, gave lands to Esholt Priory (ibid., 139). Robert de la Warde was summoned by writ, as a baron, 1299. A branch settled in Ireland t. Elizabeth, from which descend the Viscounts Bangor."

HARRY HEMS.

Fair Park, Exeter.

CALIFORNIA^ ENGLISH : AMERICAN COIN- NAMES (10 S. vi. 381 ; vii. 36, 136). I think MR. PENNY'S suggestion (ante, p. 37) that ticky is a corruption of tizzy, from tester Fr. teston, a very good one, though I doubt if it can be authenticated. I have never lieard the derivation of the word discussed, but from my knowledge of South Africa I am disposed to connect it with tick, Du. teek or tiek, a mite, of the family Acarina (Ixodidse). Diminutives, it may be ob-