Page 23 of The Colonel's Ungovernable Governess
“No,” Darcy chuckled, “but if we look from father to grandfather to great-grandfather and so on, we would find more than one ‘William’ in the Fitzwilliam family.”
“And you, sir?” the child asked.
“I am equally as easy. My family name also arrived in England during the Norman Conquest. It comes from the French barony of Arcy or d’Arcy.”
Edward added, “In my cousin’s case, it could just as easily have come from the Irish wordÓDorchaide, which means a descendant of the dark-haired one, for the French first conquered Ireland before they came to England.”
The child had finally relaxed. “And ‘Jennings’?”
“Let us look in the book.” Darcy had marked the page with a slip of paper. “Would you please read what it says, my lord?”
Vincent sat straighter in the chair and moved the book closer before reading aloud. “An English patro . . .”
“Patronymic,” Darcy supplied, “meaning it is derived from the name of a male ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix, as it was with ‘Fitzwilliam.’”
The child nodded his understanding, though he still stumbled somewhat over the correct pronunciation of “patronymic.” He began again, “An English patrony . . . mic family name. Derived from Middle English ‘Janyn’ or ‘Jenyn,’ a variation of ‘John.’” He turned to Edward. “Just like you from ‘William,’ sir. I am from ‘John.’”
“Yes, indeed. Much the same,” Edward replied, before encouraging, “What else does it say?”
“First recorded in the 13th century. Found in Wales and Scotland, but also Ulster. That means in Ireland, correct, sir?”
“Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland,” Edward confirmed.
The child appeared proud to know something of what he read, and he continued, “Before the 17th and 18th centuries, people called ‘Jennings’ as a surname were found in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. That would be my family, would it not, Mr. Darcy?”
“It very well could be referring to your nearest ancestors. Now, turn to the other page I have marked,” Darcy encouraged.
“What is this?” the boy asked.
“This part speaks of the ‘Babcock’ name of your earldom. I do not expect you to read it all to the colonel and me, but it does speak to the specifics of the Babcock earldom. You should copy it out and begin to learn something of those who came before you. However, it is the name ‘Babcock’ I wanted you to explore. You will see one of the first notices of a written form of the word can be found in Lancashire.”
“Unlike Jennings,” the boy’s finger traced the words on the page, “which has masculine roots, ‘Babcock’ has a matrony . . . mic . . . that means ‘mother’ or ‘woman,’ does it not, colonel? The ‘patron’ was a male.”
“‘Matronymic’ does refer to women. Very good,” Edward said with a ruffling of the boy’s hair with his hand.
With a large smile, the boy continued, “Matrony . . . mic origin. The first Babcock was likely the son of a woman named ‘Barbara. ‘Saint Barbara’ is honored by the Church for standing up for Christianity against the pagan household in which she dwelled. She was beaten and tortured, but she would not de . . . nounce her faith.
“The surname was first recorded in Essex in 1259 when ‘Nicholas Bab’ registered it in the Calendar of Wills at the Court of Husting.”
“That is a court in London and is the oldest court in the capital,” Darcy quickly explained. “Continue.”
“The word ‘cock’ is generally sob . . .” the boy broke off again.
“‘Sobriquet,’” Darcy supplied. “It is a French word that originally meant a ‘tap under the chin’ or of unknown origin.”
“Miss Lambert said Victoria and I must begin French lessons this week,” the child said obediently.
“Excellent,” Edward declared. “Such will assist you with many of this country’s early documents, for French was the language of the English court from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the late 1300s.”
“Back to ‘sobriquet,’” Darcy instructed.
“The word ‘cock’ is generallysobriquetfor a sharp, forward boy.”
Edward supplied several examples, “Such asWilcoxorHancock.”
The boy admitted, “I never knew so much history goes into names.”
“Your given name of ‘Vincent’ means ‘prevailing.’ It comes from the Latin word ‘vincere,’ meaning ‘to conquer,’” Darcy explained.
