Abbs

Abbs
This most interesting and unusual "English" surname is a variant of the popular 'Abel' introduced by returning 13th century Crusaders and pilgrims from the Holy Land. 'Abel' itself derives from the Hebrew given name 'Hevel' meaning 'breath or vigour'. The personal name 'Abel' (Hevel) was borne by the son of Adam, who was murdered by his brother Cain. It was very popular as a given name in Christendom during the Middle Ages, when there was a cult of 'suffering innocence' which Abel represented. For reasons unclear the early surname was widespread in Yorkshire and East Anglia, and is well represented in its various forms in the registers of the area. The surname is now found as Abbs, Abbis, Abbiss, Abbys, Abbes, Abson, Abbison etc, and all may be patronymic (Son of Abb). Early examples of the surname recordings include Willelmus filius Abbs, in the 1273 Hundred rolls of Buckingham, Jane Abs, who was christened at All Hallows church, Honey Lane, London, on October 23rd 1582, and Margery Abbs, who married James Young, at the famous church of St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on May 22nd 1620. On August 25th 1684 William Abbes married Sarah Page, at Great Yarmouth. A notable namebearer was William Abbs, who was mayor of the town of Bedford in 1534. The coat of arms granted in Norfolk, has the blazon of a red field, a fesse lozengy between three silver escallop, the latter being the sign of the pilgrim. The crest is a spur proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Abbys, which was dated 1379, in the Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11, known as "Richard of Bordeaux", 1377 - 1399. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abbs Cross School and Arts College — (once known as Abbs Cross Technical High School) is situated on Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch, East London in the London Borough Of Havering. Abbs Cross is now an Arts College. Like most secondary schools in its area, it lacks a sixth form centre… …   Wikipedia

  • Abbs Valley, Virginia — Abbs Valley is an unincorporated community located in Tazewell County, Virginia …   Wikipedia

  • Abbs-Head — (S., spr. Äbbshedd), Vorgebirg an der nordwestl. Küste der südschott. Grafschaft Berwick …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • ABBS — abbr. Apple Bulletin Board System (Apple) …   United dictionary of abbreviations and acronyms

  • abbs — plural of abb …   Useful english dictionary

  • St. Abbs — harbour as seen from the coastal path. St. Abbs (Scottish Gaelic: Cill Aba), historically known as Coldingham Shore, is a small fishing village located on the south east coast of Scotland, in the Berwickshire area of Scottish Borders. The village …   Wikipedia

  • Tom Abbs — Infobox musical artist Name = Tom Abbs Img capt = Img size = Landscape = Background = non vocal instrumentalist Birth name = Alias = Born = c. 1972 Died = Origin = Seattle, Washington Instrument = double bass, tuba, cello, violin, didgeridoo,… …   Wikipedia

  • Tom Abbs — (* 1972 in Seattle) ist ein US amerikanischer Jazz Musiker (Bass, Cello, Tuba sowie Violine, Didgeridoo, Flöte), Filmemacher und Musikmanager. Der Multiinstrumentalist Tom Abbs wuchs im Bundesstaat Washington auf und lebt seit 1991 in Brooklyn,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • St. Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve — is a Voluntary Marine Reserve the first established in the United Kingdom. Located in the Scottish Borders, it covers 8 km of the Berwickshire coast, from Eyemouth in the south to St. Abb s Head in the north. At its centre is the fishing village… …   Wikipedia

  • Mount Abbs — (70°35′S 66°38′E / 70.583°S 66.633°E / 70.583; 66.633) is, at 7,005 feet (2,135 m), the most prominent peak in the central part of Aramis Range, Prince Charles Mountains, situated j …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”