The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-23
NOBILITY AND ooMMONERs.
In the Days of the Tudors Sharp Caste
Lines Were Not Drawn.


Lines Were Not Drawn.
A story in one of the magazines about
woman named Diver, who haunted
genealogists and experts in heraldry until
she satisfied herself that her family name
was De We're and Immediately adopted
that aristocratic patronymic, affords no
end OF amusement to photographers as Illus
tratlng the height Of absurdity in the quest
OF ancestry, says the Boston Transcript.
But may not the worthy Mrs. Diver have
been justified in her actionP It is very
probable that Diver is plebeian deform-
ity of De We're, which time, custom. care
lessness and an indifference to descent
brought about Names suffer Just such
mutilations and attrition in the course of
time and are ground down to an indistinct
sound, losing edge and accent in the pro-
cess. We once heard of a man who signed
his name Simmer without the slightest
suspicion that genealogy would have JUS
titled him in writing it Seymour.
This very beautiful and euphonious
name is treated with barbarity by many
who bear it, who pronounce 1t "Seemore,"
utterly oblivious that it comes from st.
Maur, in which form it is now written by
the Duke of Somerset, whose heir is Lord
Seymour. This family of Seymours, by
writing the name in its ancient and au-
thentic form and conserving its concentra-
ton as Seymour in one OF their titles,
undoubtedly are moved by the purpose of
letting the world know how they would
have it pronounced. They are very old
race, associated with Saint Maur in Nor
mandy before the Conqueror invaded Eng
land. They are as proud as the proudest.
When Sir Edward Seymour joined Will
liam of Orange at Exeter, the latter SAID:
II think, Sir Edward, that you are of the
family of the Duke of Somerset" Pardon
me, sir" responded the aristocrat of aris-
tocrats, speaking as the head of the elder
branch, ''the Duke Of Somerset is of my
family"
If a man or woman in America thinks it
worth the time and trouble to trace de-
scent in search of an ancestor, 1t is quite
possible that he or she may make a dis
covery gratifying to family pride. Social
lines have been much more closely drawn
in Great Britain in the last two centuries
than they were in the times OF the Plan
tagenets and the Tudors. 1t was no I'M
common thing, four hundred years ago,
for the sons of mobiles to go into trade IN
association with men who had made their
way from very humble beginnings. The
sons of country knights were often glad to
be taken into the counting houses and
households of rich London merchants.
Marriages often followed that united the
tradesman's family with old, historic lines.
Very kindly relations sprang up between
the palaces and ''the CITY,"
Even monarchs did not disdaln to mate
with ladies of no higher rank than simple
gentry. Edward " married Elizabeth
Woodville, who, though the daughter OF
Baron, was the widow OF simple knight
when the King, who was always taken by
pretty face, met her. The mighty Queen
Elizabeth had among her near kinfolks on
her mothers side some good-natured,
everyday country people who bore the
name of Brown, ana who when she came
to the throne visited London in the expec-
tation of nepotism.
The great Queen was more Tudor than
Brown-by the way Owen Tudor himself
was but plain Welsh knight who made
himself lucky marriage-and she sent her
country relatives back with an intimation
that court life was not their sphere, and
with no sinecure to console them.
DIR. Doran coniectured that the slang
phrase, astonishing the Browns" long
in vogue in England, may have had its
origin in this incident. The Browns were
types, for there was many plain country
gentleman who might with genealogical
justification "call the king his cousin" All
this has changed. Caste has hedged itself
in within the last two centuries; classes do
not mingle so much as they did in the time
of the Tudors, which is the best period for
Americans TO study when in search of an
cestors. Ii a lady or gentleman with
taste for ancestors wants to crafty it, it is
only an embittered enemy OF the Heraldry
Office who will seek to thwart the en-
deavor.