A History of British Surnames (Approaches To Local History) - Hardcover

Mckinley, R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0582018706 ISBN 13: 9780582018709

Publisher: Longman, 1990

Synopsis

Whether we are aware of it or not, almost all of us carry in our surnames living evidence of our family's past -- where they came from, where they lived, what they did, how they looked, or even what their neighbours thought of them. But the study of surnames is a serious and absorbing branch of local history, and can throw light on many aspects of the social and economic life of our forefathers. Here, one of the country's leading experts in the subject has put a lifetime's study at the service of readers without specialised knowledge of history or language. Avoiding technical terminology, Richard McKinley provides an authoritative introduction to the history of hereditary surnames in Britain from their first appearance to the present day. Devoting a chapter to each of the main categories of name, he enables readers to set the facts they discover about their own ancestry, family history and surnames into the context of general surname development. Mr McKinley deals with those names that originate in England, Wales and Scotland, and discusses developments in each of the three countries separately, wherever appropriate. While the surname classifications are familiar, the book breaks new ground in the way it uses the study of surnames to illuminate social history. In particular, it draws attention to the complex patterns of population mobility that have always characterised British society. It describes regional and class differences in surnames, some features of which survive to our own time, and a chapter shows how the study of local surnames can throw light on the history of a particular district. Mr McKinley's book is designed to enable amateur researchers to understand the main lines of surname evolution in Britain without having to master a large body of technical terms. It is likely to establish itself as the standard introduction to the subject.

About this title

Review

" Fills an important gap . . . there are two facets of this book which are noteworthy, apart from its authoriatative treatment; one is the inclusion of all parts of the United Kingdom, the other is the strong emphasis on the significance of surnames in the study of local history

Edition details

• Publisher: Longman
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0582018706
• ISBN 13: 9780582018709
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240