Thanks, Doug, for taking the time to explain the origin of the name Puddephatt and variants. I found your information very interesting as I have a Puddephat in my Saunders line. John Saunders married [by Lic] 5 Apr 1790 Aldbury Herts Sophia Puddephat, daughter of Samuel Puddephat & Ann Humphrey. Sophia was bp 21 May 1769 Aldbury Herts. John Saunders [a grocer of Watford] and Sophia Puddephat had at least nine children. Regards Pat in Western Australia -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Dougr Sent: Thursday, 18 October 2007 7:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [BKM] Posting my Buckinghamshire interests Hi Susan The Puddifoot Name My Mother's maiden name was Puddephatt which is one of the variants that also include Puddifoot, Pudifoot, Puddefoot, Puddiphatt, Pudefat, Pudifat and Podifat She always said that when she was at school other children called her 'Pudding Fat' - which is hardly surprising as her surname was Puddephatt. This nickname was not far off the original derivation of the name. The first element of the name 'Pudde' is probably the dialectal 'puddy' or 'poddy' which in Old English meant round or stout in the belly. This came from the Germanic root 'pud(d) meaning to swell or bulge (i.e. as found in the word 'pudding' - which is something that swells up when cooked). In Low German the word 'puddig' meant thick or stumpy. In Old English the word 'puduc' meant a wen (ie a fat spot or lump) and the dialectal 'pod' was used to describe a large protuberant belly (in which form it still is often used). In Modern English peas grow in a pod that swells up as the peas inside ripen. It is clear that the second element 'Phatt' is not 'foot' but 'fat' from the Old English 'fat' meaning a vessel. With the introduction of the letter 'v' into English (it was not used in Old German) this word became our 'vat' meaning tub or cask. So someone given the name Puddephatt would be a person with a prominent paunch. In medieval England the 'd' would have been pronounced as a 't'. Thus Pudifat (and Puddephatt) would have been pronounced 'putifat' or even 'putifet'. The 't' pronunciation lives on in modern English words such a pot and potty - a fat pot (or Pudifat) that goes under the bed. The earliest reference to the name that I can locate is one Roger Pudifat in Cambridgeshire in 1188. The same gentleman (or someone of the same name) reappears in Hertfordshire in 1233. In 1212 there was a Herbert Pudifat in Yorkshire and in 1213 a Richard Pudefed in Oxfordshire. As spelling did not start to become standardised until the 17th century and as spoken English underwent a great vowel shift some two centuries earlier there are many different written versions of the name one of which was Puddifoot. Even in the 20th Century my Mother found that most people when writing her surname would spell it Puddifoot not Puddephatt. Pddifoot seems to roll off the tongue easier in the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire dialects. It would appear that the surname in its many different forms was largely restricted to the counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. So it would appear that for the past 1000 years the Puddephatts/Puddifoots have not been great travellers. If you get stuck chasing back your Puddifoot forebears try looking up the other spelling variants and try searching in North Hertfordshire in particular. Cheers Doug Rickard Sydney, Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "SUSAN DIXON" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:03 AM Subject: [BKM] Posting my Buckinghamshire interests > Posting my Buckinghamshire interests > > GUN WRIGHT PEARCE WEST PETTY SADLER FINCHER PRYOR LANGSTON SPICER WHITHALL SPICER BRAZIER TILBURY DARVELL HAZEL TAYLOR JESKINS HAZEL PUDDIFOOT READING FLEXMAN ...I had no idea there were so many til I started to write them down! > Sue > *************************************** > > BGS Website: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ > BFHS Website: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/ > Bucks Genuki Website: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message *************************************** BGS Website: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ BFHS Website: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/ Bucks Genuki Website: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.13/1075 - Release Date: 10/17/2007 9:38 AM

Hi Pat I notice that your Puddephats had one 't' in their surname. In the 18th century it seems that how the name was written (e.g. with one 't' or two) depended on who was the vicar at the time. Some of my Puddephatts in Hereford had their surnames spelled differently up to three times - baptised as Puddephatt, married as Pudephat and buried as Puddephat. Cheers Doug ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pat Ricketts" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:48 PM Subject: Re: [BKM] Posting my Buckinghamshire interests > Thanks, Doug, for taking the time to explain the origin of the name > Puddephatt and variants. I found your information very interesting as I > have a Puddephat in my Saunders line. > > John Saunders married [by Lic] 5 Apr 1790 Aldbury Herts Sophia Puddephat, > daughter of Samuel Puddephat & Ann Humphrey. Sophia was bp 21 May 1769 > Aldbury Herts. John Saunders [a grocer of Watford] and Sophia Puddephat > had > at least nine children. > > Regards > Pat in Western Australia > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On > Behalf Of Dougr > Sent: Thursday, 18 October 2007 7:53 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [BKM] Posting my Buckinghamshire interests > > > Hi Susan > The Puddifoot Name > > My Mother's maiden name was Puddephatt which is one of the variants that > also include Puddifoot, Pudifoot, Puddefoot, Puddiphatt, Pudefat, Pudifat > and Podifat > > She always said that when she was at school other children called her > 'Pudding Fat' - which is hardly surprising as her surname was Puddephatt. > This nickname was not far off the original derivation of the name. > > The first element of the name 'Pudde' is probably the dialectal 'puddy' or > 'poddy' which in Old English meant round or stout in the belly. This came > from the Germanic root 'pud(d) meaning to swell or bulge (i.e. as found in > the word 'pudding' - which is something that swells up when cooked). In > Low > German the word 'puddig' meant thick or stumpy. In Old English the word > 'puduc' meant a wen (ie a fat spot or lump) and the dialectal 'pod' was > used > to describe a large protuberant belly (in which form it still is often > used). In Modern English peas grow in a pod that swells up as the peas > inside ripen. > > It is clear that the second element 'Phatt' is not 'foot' but 'fat' from > the > Old English 'fat' meaning a vessel. With the introduction of the letter > 'v' into English (it was not used in Old German) this word became our > 'vat' > meaning tub or cask. > > So someone given the name Puddephatt would be a person with a prominent > paunch. > > In medieval England the 'd' would have been pronounced as a 't'. Thus > Pudifat (and Puddephatt) would have been pronounced 'putifat' or even > 'putifet'. The 't' pronunciation lives on in modern English words such a > pot and potty - a fat pot (or Pudifat) that goes under the bed. > > The earliest reference to the name that I can locate is one Roger Pudifat > in > Cambridgeshire in 1188. The same gentleman (or someone of the same name) > reappears in Hertfordshire in 1233. In 1212 there was a Herbert Pudifat > in > Yorkshire and in 1213 a Richard Pudefed in Oxfordshire. As spelling did > not start to become standardised until the 17th century and as spoken > English underwent a great vowel shift some two centuries earlier there are > many different written versions of the name one of which was Puddifoot. > Even > in the 20th Century my Mother found that most people when writing her > surname would spell it Puddifoot not Puddephatt. Pddifoot seems to roll > off > the tongue easier in the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire dialects. > > It would appear that the surname in its many different forms was largely > restricted to the counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and > Hertfordshire. So it would appear that for the past 1000 years the > Puddephatts/Puddifoots have not been great travellers. > If you get stuck chasing back your Puddifoot forebears try looking up the > other spelling variants and try searching in North Hertfordshire in > particular. > > Cheers > Doug Rickard > Sydney, Australia > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "SUSAN DIXON" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:03 AM > Subject: [BKM] Posting my Buckinghamshire interests > > >> Posting my Buckinghamshire interests >> >> GUN WRIGHT PEARCE WEST PETTY SADLER FINCHER PRYOR LANGSTON SPICER >> WHITHALL > SPICER BRAZIER TILBURY DARVELL HAZEL TAYLOR JESKINS HAZEL PUDDIFOOT > READING > FLEXMAN ...I had no idea there were so many til I started to write them > down! >> Sue >> *************************************** >> >> BGS Website: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ >> BFHS Website: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/ >> Bucks Genuki Website: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/ >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in > the subject and the body of the message > *************************************** > > BGS Website: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ > BFHS Website: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/ > Bucks Genuki Website: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in > the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.13/1075 - Release Date: > 10/17/2007 > 9:38 AM > > > *************************************** > > BGS Website: http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ > BFHS Website: http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/ > Bucks Genuki Website: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message