Welsh Birth Names 1301 AD

The name given to a male child at birth was announced to the tribe before the elders, and he became an offical member of the kindred. To his birth name, the father's name was joined to his sons, by the Welsh term ap/ab. [ap before a consonant, and ab before a vowel] The tribal chiefs would then add the family's ancestory, by adding the next four generations of grandfathers.

Thus a male child would become a son of a six-generation patrilineal kindred. [patrilineally is through the male side] Thus a kindred was counted to the 4th cousins!

The figure to the right shows a listing of Welsh names recorded in English records of Edward I, 1301. This pattern of names has been discussed in a previous post describing the way English scribes wrote down their Welsh names. A total of 365 names were recorded in the Welsh manner. The following is a description of the "birth" names used in this group of Welsh outlaws.

The 365 names contained a total of 813 birth names. Not surprising was the fact that "Yevan" accounted for 104 (13%) of these names! This was the Norman-French way of spelling John, and it was the most frequent birth name used among this group. The next birth name was "Lewelyn" at 54 (7%). The following list shows the remaining birth names above 1% in descending order:

David 43 (5%), Madok 39 (5%), Griffith 32 (4%), Howel 32 (4%), Yervorth 26 (3%), Waghan 24 (3%), Wilim [William, Wylim] 20(2%), Trahan 19 (2%), Phelip 19 (2%), Gronu 19 (2%), Goch 18 (2%), Res 17 (2%), Seisil 14 (2%), Rosser 14 (2%), Cadugan 13 (2%), Itherl [Itherl] 11 (1%), Eynon 10 (1%), and Ivor 10 (1%). This list of names made up 64 % of the birth names.

The spelling "John" occured only 5 times (.006 %)!

Thus, at this point in the English records of the day, "Jevan" was the most common birth name among the Welsh. This birth name was the root of the JONES surname.

The list is analyzed from Patent Rolls, Edward I, made available by Professor G.R. Boynton, University of Iowa Libraries.

A helpful reference in understanding the Welsh kindred is: "Wales in the Early Middle Ages", by Dr. Wendy Davies, Leicester University Press, 1982.

Welsh Names in English Records 1301 AD

In Wales, Edward I was here to stay. His legal representatives spread out about the new counties he had created in Wales, making this new occupation a problem for many Welshmen. Thus, the Welsh and their names became part of this new legal system recorded by those who kept the records.

In 1301, a number of these Welshmen were ordered to appear for trial regarding their "outlawry" for "a plea of trespass of Roger de Mortuo Mari". [Roger Mortimer] They were to "surrender to Clifford goal" before Easter and "take their trial". [order was dated Jan. 28, Nettleham, Membrane 30, Calendar of Patent Rolls, 29 Edward I] This list consisted roughly of 355 names written in the language of the day. An analysis of these names follows. [Of course, the surname JONES does not appear.]

The Welsh names took the following form: a birth name [in some cases associated with a qualifier term], then the term "ap" [meaning son of], followed by the father's name [in some cases associated with a qualifier term]. Thus, (birth name) (qualifier) ap (father's name) (qualifier). Fifty six percent of the 355 names [197] took this form. The Welsh name was extended to three generation in 19% [68/355], and to four generations in only 6% [6/355]. The Welsh name was recorded 13 times (4%) as a series of names without an "ap" appearing, i.e., "Vernack Ivor Vonal". In summary the names were recorded by the English in their particular form as follows:

1) Griffith ap Res [recorded 45% - 161/355]

2) Yevan Gogh [recorded 19 % - 68/355] (Gogh = Coch = red) thus John the redheaded

3) Yevan ap Howel ap Kenn [recorded 18% - 63/355]

4) William ap Yevan Lippa [recorded 6% - 20/355]

5) Goch Lewelyn ap Yevan Gogh [recorded 5% - 16/355]

6) Howel ap Traharn ap Res ap Griffith [recorded 1% - 6/355]

7) Lewelyn Wagham ap Lewelyn ap Seisil [recorded 2% - 8/355]

8) Vernacak Ivor Vonal [recorded 4% - 13/355]!

Remember, the percents represent the form of the name, not the particular name used as the example. An analysis of the birth names will be given. Much more to come.

On and On it Goes

The conquest of Wales was first started by the Anglo-Saxons (Germanic folks), then the Danes (Vikings), and then Normans (Northern French). By the time of Edward I [one of the first monarchs to speak Anglo-Saxon], the Normans had been working on this conquest for more than two centuries. The "barons" who were placed along the western border of "Norman land" took turns fighting the Welsh, and then fighting the Norman monarchy. On the other side, the Welsh would fight the Normans, or marry into the Norman families, and fight the Welsh. Back and forth it would go, on and on it would go, until fighting each other was just part of the landscape. Edward had already had his border warfare while yet a young prince under his father Henry III, and had a pretty good idea what was involved fighting with these crazy, independent, Welsh. It was not until the 12th year of his reign (1284), that he finally succeeded in making Wales a "Principality". The English would call this "Statutum Wallie", and the Welsh would call this "Statues of Rhuddlan" produced 3 March 1284. It was here that Wales, "...the newly conquered Principality..." was divided into six counties and placed under "English" jurisdiction. Thus begins the English records of its Welsh domain. It is in these records that the surname JONES begin to appear. The new English counties in Wales were grouped as follows: 1) Anglesey, Carnarvon, and Merioneth, known collectively as "North Wales" and were called "...the jurisdiction of the Justice of Snowdon..." 2) Flint 3) Carmarthen, with a later addition of Pembroke, came to be known as "South Wales". 4) Cardigan, which came to called "West Wales". Sheriffs and coroners were to be appointed for each county, and the English court system was to be applied. Of course, all of this involved record keeping, and these records became the source of analysis for the JONES surname. Chamberlains, sheriffs, ministers, receivers and other officers of these new Welsh counties formed many new records. This analysis will be presented in future posts. Much more to come!

The First JONES Surname in English Records

The land and who owned it was the foundation of feudal society. To own land, or at least be given title to the land, required a complex social order of "might makes right" verses those who actually lived upon and occupied the land. When William I arrived to the island, the Saxons, the Danes, and the ancient Britons had been trying to settle this issue for generations. Of course, William I settled most of this discussion when he got around to documenting his new land in the Domesday accounts. From 1086 onward, those who lived upon the claimed territory had to adjust their thinking and life-style to fit into this new, French speaking, "might makes right". By the time of Henry III, the new dominions (700 baronies) had been established, and those folks who opposed this were forced to occupy the high ground. For more than 50 years, Henry III shook all the bushes and managed to hold this domain together. At his death in 1272, his son Edward was out of the country learning his military strategies. Interestingly, one of the first acts that Edward did upon his return in 1272, was to inquire into the state of his land. This was officially called his "demesnes" and considered the right and revenues of "the crown". [ A demise comes from the French language meaning the transfer of the sovereignty to a successor.] Edward wanted to know what lands were under his control [linked to the crown by knight service], and what lands were under other types of "tenures". He also wanted to check if the sheriffs, officers, and ministers of his father had been ripping off the treasury. This fairly rapid inquiry became know as "Hundred Rolls", and is the first set of English documents to record the surname JONES! A set of commissioners were sent out to survey the land. They were to go into all cities, boroughs, and market towns and inquire of all demesnes, fees, honors, escheates [land lapsing back to the crown], liberties, and things involving fees and tenements belonging to the king or to others. The record involving Huntingdonshire hundred, summarized in 1273, is reported to contain the name of Matilda Jones! She is the first individual recorded in the English records using the surname JONES. Much more to come!