Mortiboys Origins |
The development of a name continues over centuries, sometimes from humble origins, taken from a trade or place of perhaps just one of our distance ancestors. Over the years it takes shape and now appears to us as something immutable; how could it ever have been different? The changes that a name goes through seem to depend, once the age of documenting our arrival, marriage and departure had become established, on how the name sounds. Perhaps the local dialect or custom influenced the way it was written. Indeed some names changed out of all recognition.
The name Mortiboys - first documented in the county of Warwickshire seems to remain on firm ground. Apart from the very few Morteboyce's, Marteboyes's or Mordeboise's it invariable is always found as sounding like Mort and Boys. The common early forms are Morteboyes and Mortiboyes. The earliest entry for the name is for a Ricus (Richard) Morteboyce, who was a member of the guild of Knowle in 1461. A disappointing late entry when the origin of a name is being sought. Fifteen years later John Mortyboys and his wife, both of Packwode (Packwood, Warwickshire) have joined the same guild. We can be left in no doubt the original Richard was indeed a Mortiboyes.
A look in modern day telephone directories shows 2 main variants: (numbers found in 1991 in brackets) Mortiboys (82) and Mortiboy (32). Only two other variants are found Morteboy (2) and Mortibois (1). An interesting point to note is the growth of the name Mortiboy; pre 1700 their are virtually none, in the 1700's to 3.3% and then post 1800 nearing 30%. What can be the explanation for the disappearing 's'? My own family were Mortiboys and dropped the 's' early 1800. My grandfather told the story of one of the family owning a shop and when the sign was made over the shop, the sign maker ran out of space to add the 's' and so the name was shortened to Mortiboy. Interesting enough my own researches suggest the story was true. A James Mortiboy had a shop in Upper Holloway, near the Mother Red Cap Inn starting in the 1830's. When the family arrived from Worcestershire to London in early 1800's the 's' still appeared in parish register entries, about the time of the shop it was gone.
What has been said about the origin of the name by others? R.H. Reeney's authoritative book on the origin of surnames states in the introduction; 'For Mortiboy I had only a single reference, Mordeboice in 1644. The name has been explained as 'Deadwood' which implies a place name, but no example with 'de' has yet been discovered and yet the persistent medial 'i' requires explanation. Dr. J.R. Greenwood of Windermere has now found examples in Warwickshire from 1461, but these are still to late for anything but guess work.' I intend to agree so the hunt goes on for earlier references. The dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks and Flora Hodges states 'Mortiboys - English (W. Midlands): apparently a Norman habitation name from an unidentified place with of Mort (dead) and Bois (wood)' Other surname books continue on a similar theme.
The Mortiboys appear in parish registers in Solihull in 1538; about the time when registers were ordered to be kept by the church. Many entries appear for a family that lived at Olton end, nr Solihull. Early wills for this family record where they lived, their family members and the land and property they left. The name predominated in and around Lapworth/Hampton in Arden/Solihull/Beaudesert/Tanworth areas up to 1700, it then gradually spread but still remained very much in the Warwickshire, Birmingham areas.