The Morning herald., 1876-06-10

right Cartwright, Shoemaker, 1aylor,'sf
Tailor, Baker, Brewer, and = vast num-
her more, Il = S NsI
Ths sixth class is made up Of suraames,
derived from nick-nales, or designations
given to identity the person by some pecu-
iarity.
It were q curious study to inquire, how
far back it was when some natter-of.faot
man in quist old old hamlet in England,
said a man was "handy," and 80 named
tho progenitor Of the Handys, Hand,
Hands, and probably Hambys, who are
rscy of the soil, in Brandywine Hundred.
The Steuta owe their origin doubtless t"
some portly yeoman who was, ignorant Of
dyspepsia, and whose stomach was with
''Good capon lined"
Mr.. Bardsley could have added an ex-
ceedingly interesting chapter, fixing the
period at which the surnames came into
existence, as that of Handy and Others
This could have been done by finding
the period when the word came into
use.
The volume Of Mr.. B. teaches us Il les
son of human brotherhood, which ought to
be more generally learned, that we are chill
dren of one common father, and that the
blood which courses in the veins of hard
fsted John Smith, is Of the same original
fount, as that which throbs under the blue
veins OF Adolphus Smythe'-There was
fund Of philosophy in the answer OF the
English peasant to Lord "My family
is as cid as yours, but have lost my title
deeds" Like ali English authors, the
great family of British Celts, is ignored
We will give as an addenda, brief
commentary, upon Irish names. The de-
rivalion of the various Celtic names would
require apeculiarly well read Gaelic scholar
1t would be curious study to trace the
many names in the United States, of seem-
ingly doubtful origin, but upon close ex-
animation could easily be traced upwards
to the parent name. The names OByrne.
Byrn, Byrne, Brin, Brion, and in many
cases Burns, are of one common stock from
the Alpine region Of Wicklow, the
Switzerland of Ireland. "Where the
Queens writ, vet runs with great difficulty"
It would be likely to strike the ordinary
investigator upon the subject, that O'Brien
was name of cognate family, and origin
with OByrne, but the root of the name Is,
essentially different, and the Septs, Clans,
or families, are in no way allied. Various
corruptions of O'Brien may be found in
Brine, Brian, o, Beirne, Bejrne, Bryan,
and possibly Brion. From the original
O'Murphy we have Murphys, Murpheys,
Murphies, Murfys, Morieys and Morfys. |
This was the name OF a Sept, Tribe, or
Clan. In some parts of Ireland where a
a clan has held its ground, it ia amusing to
notice the many ways whereby men of the
same name, are earmarked, as Red John,
John of the Gap, Butty John, (butty
short, thickset) &C.; changing name
hardly ever occurs. The different ways
Of spelling and pronouncing Celtic names
in this country, arose mainly from the want
Of knowledge, Of the English tongue, by
many Irish immigrants, and hencethe phon-
etc spelling Of the name, by the people
they settled among. In some cases de-
sire to cast off the evidence of the If origin,
was the reason Of changing the spelling OF
a name, and a cowardly reason it was
truly.
We know of few subjects, SO pregnant
with food for thought as this treatise upon
surnane.. Properly read, it austains the
philosophy ofthe Dec laration of Jndepen
dence-as to the equality of man,