Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-02-26
ANN ARUNDEL Or ANN ARuN-
DELL7


Correspondence Of EVENING CArrrAL.
From an account published ia the
EVENING CAPITAL Of Tuesday, we
learn that the Historical Society OF
Ann Arundelln county has report
ed upon the correct spelling of the
name of this county, basing their
proof upon the spelling adopted by
some of the writer's on the Peeraee
and upon the spelling used in the
act of 1850 creating the county. Their
conclusions, though perhaps correct,
should not be too hastily adopted. as
the Society does not claim infalIibil-
ity for the report, until further in
vestigation in this very important
subject has been conducted and all
authorities sifted. The spelling of
proper names during the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries was based
purely upon euphonic principles and
one could not in those days of gen.
eral illiteracy vouch for the true spell.
ing OF bis own name. The spelling
of the name of Shakespeare. for in
stance, is the FIRST of the difficulties
which embarrass the biographer of
the great poet. There are now four
forms In common use, each having
its particular authority, that the poet
used each himself. Thirty-two forms
of spelling his name were In common
use at time contemporanecus with
Shakespeare, aud Mr.. George Wise of
Philadelphia, amused himself by In
geniously executing chart which ex-
hibits 1906 ways of spelling the name
Shakespeare. From this immense ar
ray the modern writer must take his
choice However in the name Of Ann
Arundel and her namesake Ann
Arundel county we have not such
free scope Tor choice. Clearly the
spelling of the name in an early law
should not FIX the same for ages to
come, if within half-dozen pages |
the name is spelt differently. In one
record book we fnd our beloved |
county laboring under as many alias
es as q whole tribe of highwaymen or
Fiji kings. Here are some of them
"Annaraundell," anne Arundel. -
Anne Arundell," Anne Arundel"
"Ann Aruudell," Ann Arundel
can Arundell' and IAN Arundel"
Now the question remains what are
we to do before proving ourselves
correct in the matterS The society
thinks that the spelling used in the
Act OF 1850, creating the county, sup
ported as it is by the fact that the
present Lord Arundel of Wardour
uses the same, should be good proof
OF it's correctness Now it is evident
from the numerous ways used by
the clerk of the Assembly, that |
that form used in the Act of 1860 |
was there merely by chance and |
hence should not be taken as good
in the matter. Bacon, the
first and greatest compiler of Mary
land Law (l799) spells Arundel, 10
the Act of 1850 with q single l' and |
uses throughout his work no other
form. Chancellor Kitty who succeed
ed bin as the co6lfier of our law, in
variably uses the single a." Mr..
Bozman our most trusty pioneer
historian always spells the name,
Arundel, whether referring to Lady
Ann or the county. Moreover other
English Peerages give the name aud
family but one H." as do several
biographical dictionaries published
during the last century. Clearly
then authorities differ and as court
of final appeal we should refer the
matter to those holding the name of
Arundel in England and demaud of
them where they got thier name and
whether they have any lawful right
to the same as now spelled Docu
ments cJntemporaneous with the life
of Lady ADn EXIT at Wardour castle,
and from these perhaps the people of
our county may be enlightened. OF
tue first name, Ann, little need be
said The "e' added, was merely to
produce euphonic sound and bridge
over the hiatus existing between the
two words and thus run them into
one. We will wait meanwhile in un-
certainty and impatiehtly for our His
torical Society to conclude their re-
in this most important line
and solve the riddle Am Arundel or
Ann Arundel. ARUNDEL.