FAMILY CHRISTIAN NAMES.
23
―
The Puritans, acting under strong religious interests would admit of but two
classes of names for their children, those expressive of religious sentiment,
such as Praise-God, Live-well, Wait-still, and names which occur in Scripture;
hence in the early generations of the New England families the Christian names,
Patience, Charity, Mercy, Hope, Grace, and Lovie are of frequent occurrence.
The use of two or more Christian names is a comparatively modern practice,
as also the use of surnames in place of Christian names
There are a few Christian names in this book worthy of notice in this article.
In the Norman house of Ryedale, or Ridel, Walgrinus stands at the head of the
pedigree, and does not occur again in any branch of the clan. Galfridus, Gau-
fridus, and Gaufrid (different forms of the same name) are transmitted from
father to son, and from successor to successor, until borne by thirteen or more
members of the family.
Geoffrey and Geofery are names used during the early generations of the Nor-
man Ridels. Gervase, or Gervasius, was one of the first of the Anglo-Norman
representatives of the race who settled in Scotland, and it is a little singular
that this ancestral name was not continued in that branch of the Riddell family;
of late, however, after being laid away more than seven hundred years, it has
been resuscitated by a descendant of the original Gervasius, and is now used
both in Scottish and American branches of the family. The female Christian
names, Geva and Grizel, early introduced into the Ryedale family, have also been
revived and bestowed upon children of the Riddell and Ridlon name in Scotland
and the United States. Amongst the singular names found in the Scottish house
of Ridale, are Auskittel and Quintin. The former was derived from the family
of Aukittell, or Anskitell, now of "Mount Aukitell," and "Aukitill Grove,"
County Monaghan, Ireland, connected with the "Riddells of Glasslough." by
marriage in 1768; the name Quintin appears but once in the Riddell family, and
whence derived is not known, but is the name of a saint in the Roman Calendar,
and of a distinguished painter, born at Antwerp in 1460.
The name Hans in a branch of the family of Roxburghshire, Scotland, early
settled in Ireland, as well as the name Gavin or Gawin, peculiar to a Scotch-
Irish branch of the Riddell family, early settled in New Hampshire, were derived
from the Hamilton and Douglas families, in which the latter is found as far
back as 1520.
The Ridleys of Willimoteswick have perpetuated several ancient Christian
names peculiar to the early generations, such as Nicholas, Christopher, Cuthbert,
Launcelot, and Mark. Nicholas Ridley, the Martyr Bishop, was probably named
for his uncle, or Sir Nicholas Ridley the "Broad Knight," and having cast a
halo over the family name by his religious zeal and great learning, every gen-
eration since has had one or more representatives named Nicholas. The father
of the Martyr was Christopher Ridley of Unthank, and many have since borne
his Christian name, especially descendants from the "Ridleys of Battersea."
Cuthbert Ridley was sometime (say 1625) rector of Simonburn Church, in
Northumberland, England; his Christian name has been kept in the Ridley
family of Mickley, from father to son for six successive generations, and is now
used by descendants in New York.
Mark, as a Ridley name, goes back to 1623, when Dr. Mark Ridley was a sur-
geon in London. Since that date the name has occurred in the English and
American families, and is still used by the descendants of Mark Ridley, who
settled in Barnstable County, Mass., as early as 1660.
The Ridley family, now so numerous in the Southern States, have continued
