Whitefriars Christmas Market
News item
WHAT’S IN A NAME? FIND OUT WITH THE CANTERBURY TALES
AT THE WHITEFRIARS CHRISTMAS MARKET
Did you know that if your second toe is longer than your big toe, it’s highly likely that you are
Anglo-Saxon? Or that if your surname is Campbell, you are probably a descendant of someone who had a crooked mouth?
You can discover more fun facts at this year’s Whitefriars Christmas Market in Canterbury, where staff from The Canterbury Tales will be offering you the chance to explore the fascinating origins of your family name.
Lyndsay Ridley, General Manager at the award-winning visitor attraction, says: “We’ll be giving visitors to our festive cabin an insight into the history behind their surname, including spelling variations, where their name was first recorded and some of the first settlers who had that name.
“Does your family name have a coat of arms, or a motto? Where does it derive from? What does your name mean in Old English? Come along and find out!”
Some fun facts about common surnames found in Kent…
• Taylor – derived from the Old French word ‘tailleur’, meaning ‘tailor’
• Baker – from the Saxon word ‘bacan’, which literally means ‘to dry with heat’
• Smith – metal worker or blacksmith, derived from the Old English word ‘smitan’, meaning ‘to smite or to hit’
• Collins – Gaelic origins from the word ‘cuilein’, meaning darling – a term of endearment applied to young animals
• Robinson – literally ‘son of Robin or Robert’
• Bailey – derived from the Middle English word ‘baili’, meaning ‘bailiff’
Did you know…?
• The name Campbell derives from the Gaelic words ‘cam’, meaning ‘crooked’, and ‘beul’, meaning ‘mouth’, hence meaning ‘a person with a crooked mouth or smile’!
• There are at least 45,000 different surnames in the UK
• Surnames were often applied because of a person’s characteristics – i.e. Short, Long, Small
• Some surnames were occupational (e.g. Archer) or topographical (e.g. Bridge or Dale); others were quite literally descriptive, such as White, meaning ‘of light or fair complexion’
• Spellings of surnames varied greatly – the same person may have different spellings on their birth, marriage and death certificates!
• The first census documenting all surnames (The Domesday Book) was carried out in 1086 by William The Conqueror
• Coats of arms have been registered at the College of Arms since 1484
Visitors to The Canterbury Tales’ Christmas market cabin can buy a framed Hall of Names certificate as a Christmas gift, detailing the full history and meanings of a family surname and family coat of arms.
The Whitefriars Christmas Market opens on November 28 and runs until Christmas Eve. For more details, visit www.whitefriarschristmasmarket.com
To find out more about The Canterbury Tales, and other gifts available at its medieval shop, visit www.canterburytales.org.uk