Harness

Harness
Recorded as Harnes, Harness, Hiarn, Harines, and possibly others, this is a very interesting surname. Although it can now probably be best described as English at least in the spellings shown, it is of pre 10th century Norse-French origins. It was probably introduced into England after the famous Norman-French Conquest of 1066 in the spelling of 'harneis' meaning baggage, and then by a process of development as horse drawn vehicles came into popular use was 'transferred' in meaning to the strapping which held the cart to the horse. As such the surname is almost certainly occupational for a harness maker, although it is possible that it may have referred to a driver of a vehicle. Occupational surnames only became hereditary when a son followed a father into the same line of business. In this case harness making became much more popular after the 16th century as roads improved, and as this was long after surnames came into general use, it may provide the reason as to why this name is relatively rare. Early examples of the surname recording taken from surviving early church registers of the city of London include William Harnes who married Anne Sater at St Margarets Westminster on January 28th 1564, and Robert Harness who married Jone Trender at St Botolophs Bishopgate, on January 15th 1639.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • harness — [här′nis] n. [ME harneis < OFr, armor < ON * hernest, military supplies < herr, army, akin to HARRY + nest, provisions] 1. Archaic armor and other military equipment for a man or horse 2. the assemblage of leather straps and metal pieces …   English World dictionary

  • harness — har‧ness [ˈhɑːns ǁ ˈhɑːr ] verb [transitive] to control and use a natural force or people s energy or skills: • He designs systems to harness the energy of waves to produce electricity. * * * harness UK US /ˈhɑːnɪs/ verb [T] ► to collect and… …   Financial and business terms

  • Harness — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Charles L. Harness (1915–2005), US amerikanischer Schriftsteller Forest Harness (1895–1974), US amerikanischer Politiker Harness steht außerdem für: das Geschirr eines Zugtieres Synonym für einen Lifebelt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • harness — ► NOUN 1) a set of straps and fittings by which a horse or other draught animal is fastened to a cart, plough, etc. and is controlled by its driver. 2) a similar arrangement of straps, as for fastening a parachute to a person s body or for… …   English terms dictionary

  • Harness — Har ness ( n[e^]s), n. [OE. harneis, harnes, OF. harneis, F. harnais, harnois; of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. harnez old iron, armor, W. haiarn iron, Armor. houarn, Ir. iarann, Gael. iarunn. Cf. {Iron}.] 1. Originally, the complete dress,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harness — [n] gear for controlling an animal belt, equipment, strap, tack, tackle, trappings; concept 496 harness [v] rein in; control accouter, apply, bind, bridle, channel, check, cinch, collar, constrain, couple, curb, domesticate, employ, equip,… …   New thesaurus

  • Harness — Har ness, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Harnessed} ( n[e^]st); p. pr. & vb. n. {Harnessing}.] [OE. harneisen; cf. F. harnacher, OF. harneschier.] 1. To dress in armor; to equip with armor for war, as a horseman; to array. [1913 Webster] Harnessed in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harness — index confine, constrain (imprison), constrain (restrain), curb, discipline (control), handcuff …   Law dictionary

  • Harness — A harness is a looped restraint or support.Harness may also refer to: *Harness (comics), a character in the Marvel Comics universe *Child harness *Climbing harness *Dog harness *Horse harness *Parrot harness *Safety harness *Test harness, in… …   Wikipedia

  • harness — harnesser, n. harnessless, adj. harnesslike, adj. /hahr nis/, n. 1. the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal. Cf. yoke1 (def. 1). 2. (on a loom) the frame containing heddles through which the… …   Universalium

  • harness — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 for a horse ADJECTIVE ▪ leather VERB + HARNESS ▪ put on ▪ remove, take off PREPOSITION …   Collocations dictionary

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