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NOTES AND QUERIES. 112 s. L APRIL i, ww.
Ormondy, or, as Bardsley and Ayre print
at in the ' Ulverston Registers,' Ormandy, with
the variants Ormendy, Ormaday, Ormady,
- Ormundie, is found several hundred times
in those registers. It is found six times in the Kirkby Ireleth Registers, and three times in those of Pennington. It is, according to IBardsley's ' Dictionary,' a local name, derived from Osmotherly, a township in the parish of Ulverston, which was formerly called Osmunderlaw ; and he does not find it out of Lancashire.
Twisaday, with the variants Twiceaday, Twiceday, Twisedaie, Twiseday, Twysaday, is found thirty-three times in the Ulverston Registers. Henry Twisaday married Jenet Taylor at Cartmel, Feb. 21, 1655, but he was of Ulverston. It is, according to the ' Dictionary of Surnames,' a very old name in Furness, but Bardsley does not seem to have found it elsewhere. It is, like Monday and Friday, probably a form of the name of a weekday. JOHN R. MAGRATH.
Queen's College, Oxford!
These surnames do not appear to have been common in the Furness district at the time of George Fox, but they, nevertheless, .appear in various localities, as the following extracts from Parish Registers of North Lancashire show :
Ion. Over Kellet Register, 1652-1812 ( hree
times). Twisaday. Holdingham-in-Furness (once).
Bolton-le-Sands, 1665-1736 (once). Cartmell Register (once). Ormonday. Over Kellet Register, 1652-1812
(twice). Pennington - in - Furness, 1612-1702
(three times). Lancaster Parish Register, 1599-1690
(fifteen times). Chanelhouse. Pennington - in - Furness, 1612-1702
(once).
Urswick-in-Furness, 1608-1695 (three times).
All of the names seem to have passed, or to be passing, out of use. In a careful search of recent directories I could not trace the names of Chanelhouse and Twisaday, but the name Ormonday occurs at Barrow-in- Furness in 1913, whilst Ion occurs at Bolton, Blackburn, and Burnley in the current directories. ARCHIBALD SPARKE.
As one born in Furness and interested in surnames I can safely say that the above names, with the exception of the second, if not peculiar to the district in question at the present day, were almost certainly so in the seventeenth century, the time referred to in your correspondent's query.
Chanelhouse, Chananhouse, and even
harnelhouse are of local origin ; i.e., " at
the chanon house " the residence of the
canon : M.E. chanon. The chanonhouse,
rom which the Furness surname is derived,
s situated close by Pennington, near
[Jlverston, co. Lanes, and still nearer
Swarthmoor. The farm which now occupies
the site is known as Shannon-house. Here
resided the Augustinian canon, from Conis-
lead Priory, who was in charge of the parish
of Pennington.
Ion. This is almost certainly of baptismal origin, i.e., " the son of John." Perhaps it may be said that this belongs rather to Cumberland than to Furness. It is still common in both districts as a baptismal name for John.
Ormandy has an extremely interesting etymology. It is of local origin, i.e., of Osmotherley, a township in the parish of Ulverston. In the Coucher Book of Furness Abbey, c. 1300, p. 383, we find Walter de Osmunderlaw, the older form, which betrays the origin of the name. Even at the present day this name is hardly found outside Furness.
Twisaday. The origin of this name is obscure, possibly a form of Tuesday, given to a child at the font from having been born on that day. Or it may have been a nickname (its pronunciation is Twice-a-day). from some peculiar habit of the person so designated. Anyhow, it is a peculiarly Furness surname.
For further information on these names, I would refer your correspondent to Bardsley, ' Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames.' H. W. DICKINSON.
In reply to MR. NORMAN PENNEY'S inquiry whether these unusual surnames are common in Furness, I may say that the last two are still to be found in the district. Neither can be said to be common, but I think that Ormandy is far more frequent than Twisaday. Of the other two I know no modern instance.
But all four names are very interesting, and perhaps a brief note upon them may not be out of place. (1) Charnelhouse is a locative or " spot " name. The first bearer of it was probably the custodian of that gruesome abode, or had his habitation hard by, and would be identified either as Tom- at-the-Charnelhouse or Tom-by-the-Charnel- house. And so in time the name stuck to him and his family. (Cf. Attewell and Bythesea.) The name Spittlehouse (Spital- house), presumably of similar origin, is
