Hope no-one minds if they've seen this mail before - for collectors of unusual forenames. I flung this mail at the YORKSGEN list but it's so far met with deafening silence. Might be because of sport and 4th July... Last night I stumbled on a seemingly odd cluster of forenames from my very straightforward ROBINSON clan around Bradford. A Daniel and Hannah Robinson seemingly christened a son ATHRA ROBINSON - transcribed on the IGI as Ethra, but very clearly written on multiple censuses as Athra, and clearly not a typo for Arthur. Athra's a plain old farmer in Shelf. After some googling, I can only come up with two possibilities for Athra as a name: one Iranian (unlikely!) and one from obscure Anglo-Saxon mythology. It also seems it may have been an obscure name/word in Welsh. Athra has a son called FIRTH ROBINSON. Not so unusual a surname, but still odd as a forename. I'm used now to the concept of a child (often a younger boy) being given his wife's maiden name as a forename - my own great-great-grandfather was called Shepherd ROBINSON, his mother born Alice SHEPHERD. But ATHRA doesn't seem to appear anywhere as a surname, and a very likely marriage for his parents (Daniel and Hannah Robinson) has his mother's maiden name as Jennings. Similarly with Firth Robinson - his mother appears to have been born Agnes Pollard. I've of course considered Athra as a variant or misspelling of Arthur, but it doesn't seem likely, or to have occurred elsewhere. The names were given to children in the period 1850-70, and seem unusual affectations for lower class rural families, surrounded as they are by families with the traditional Williams, Johns and biblically derived forenames like Isaacs and Abrahams. Any suggestions on derivations of these names particularly Athra welcome! Finally, Shepherd Robinson's sister Mary seems to have married a plain John Bland and lived on the same farm as Firth Robinson eventually lived on - and Mary and John christened one of their sons Squire (seen as a name from when a child). I can see that this is a more common forename seen elsewhere, and maybe specifically in Yorkshire, but would be interested in its derivation - a play/attempt by lower class families at gentrification via "esquire"? [My connection with the BLAND family? An odd addition to a ROBINSON gravestone from Old Dolphin Chapel, Clayton Heights as sent to me by Bradford Central Library from the Blackburn transcriptions - the graveyard's now just grass. Squire Bland is buried in the Robinson grave, and from census guesses, he's the half-brother of an Isaac Robinson, born illegitimately to Mary I think, Shepherd Robinson's sister before marriage to John Bland.] Paul

Hi If you look at ATHRA spelled backwards you get ARTHA. Not the correct spelling but hey - many of the people couldn't read or write then let alone spell. Perhaps they were just in whimsical mood and decided to make up a new name like many of todays new parents. Doesn't get you any further I know but at least you have had one reply!!! Blessings Judith K ----- Original Message ----- From: "P S Mitchell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 8:25 PM Subject: [ BRAD] Unusual forenames: Athra, Firth, Squire > Hope no-one minds if they've seen this mail before - for collectors > of unusual forenames. I flung this mail at the YORKSGEN list but > it's so far met with deafening silence. Might be because of sport > and 4th July... > > Last night I stumbled on a seemingly odd cluster of forenames from my > very straightforward ROBINSON clan around Bradford. A Daniel and Hannah > Robinson seemingly christened a son ATHRA ROBINSON - transcribed on the > IGI as Ethra, but very clearly written on multiple censuses as Athra, > and clearly not a typo for Arthur. Athra's a plain old farmer in Shelf. > > After some googling, I can only come up with two possibilities for Athra > as a name: one Iranian (unlikely!) and one from obscure Anglo-Saxon > mythology. It also seems it may have been an obscure name/word in Welsh. > > Athra has a son called FIRTH ROBINSON. Not so unusual a surname, > but still odd as a forename. > > I'm used now to the concept of a child (often a younger boy) > being given his wife's maiden name as a forename - my own > great-great-grandfather was called Shepherd ROBINSON, his mother > born Alice SHEPHERD. But ATHRA doesn't seem to appear anywhere as a > surname, and a very likely marriage for his parents (Daniel and Hannah > Robinson) has his mother's maiden name as Jennings. Similarly with > Firth Robinson - his mother appears to have been born Agnes Pollard. > I've of course considered Athra as a variant or misspelling of Arthur, > but it doesn't seem likely, or to have occurred elsewhere. > > The names were given to children in the period 1850-70, and seem > unusual affectations for lower class rural families, surrounded as they > are by families with the traditional Williams, Johns and biblically > derived forenames like Isaacs and Abrahams. Any suggestions on > derivations of these names particularly Athra welcome! > > Finally, Shepherd Robinson's sister Mary seems to have married a plain > John Bland and lived on the same farm as Firth Robinson eventually > lived on - and Mary and John christened one of their sons Squire > (seen as a name from when a child). I can see that this is a more > common forename seen elsewhere, and maybe specifically in Yorkshire, > but would be interested in its derivation - a play/attempt by lower > class families at gentrification via "esquire"? > > [My connection with the BLAND family? An odd addition to a ROBINSON > gravestone from Old Dolphin Chapel, Clayton Heights as sent to me > by Bradford Central Library from the Blackburn transcriptions - the > graveyard's now just grass. Squire Bland is buried in the Robinson > grave, and from census guesses, he's the half-brother of an Isaac > Robinson, born illegitimately to Mary I think, Shepherd Robinson's > sister before marriage to John Bland.] > > Paul > > > ==== ENG-YKS-BRADFORD Mailing List ==== > Bradford List covers the whole of the Bradford Postal Code > area........which is Skipton and beyond, Tong and beyond, Cleckheaton and > beyond, & Keighley & Beyond > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > >