Tiplady

[Mary Jane Battaglia]

I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY.
He lived in Yorkshire and, at Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of a young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the bottom edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did the initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb

[John Watson]

On Nov 26, 9:57 am, "Mary Jane Battaglia" <[email protected]>
wrote:

I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY.
He lived in Yorkshire and, at Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of a young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the bottom edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did the initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

Regards,

John

[Gjest]

On Nov 25, 7:35 pm, John Watson <[email protected]> wrote:

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

This is, to me, a new derivation. Looking at those names I have to
question whether they all derive from the same source. Admittedly
names can morph pretty severely, but I see Topley/Toppley as -legh
names. Syllables do sometimes get dropped, and I guess these could
come from Topcliffe, I think it less likely that they would pick up
that 'day' syllable at the end to become Tiplady.

I have seen a half-dozen different explanations for Tiplady, none of
them all that convincing. The earliest instance I was able to find was
from the 14th century, and was of a "Johanna Tippeleveday".

taf

[Renia]

Mary Jane Battaglia wrote:

I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY.
He lived in Yorkshire and, at Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of a young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the bottom edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did the initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb

I suspect the initials on the miniature were that of the painter.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames says of Tiplady that it is
possibly a Yorkshire name, citing John Typlady of Yorkshire in 1477. A
local variant is Toplady. However, of the surname Tippler, it says
tipler was an Elizabethan innkeeper. It cites William Tipeler in 1273 of
Sussex. I suspect Tiplady was a lady innkeeper.

Tiplady is certainly a Yorkshire surname. About half of the 435 Tipladys
in the 1841 England census were living in Yorkshire.

John Watson added:

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

I do not believe this or I would have seen more evidence of it. It's an
area I'm interested in but Tiplady is not a name familiar to me from
that area. In the Middle Ages it was one of the seats of the Percies.
The population in the 1820s was 659.

There were no Tipladys in Topcliffe in the 1841 census. If it was such a
localised name, one or two might have been still there. Almost half of
the 435 Tipladys in England in 1841 were in Yorkshire. Of those, 44 were
in Holderness, the largest concentration. 94 were in County Durham and
64 in Lancashire. Only one was in Lincolnshire, which, if it was a
Hull/Holderness name, we might expect to see more of. (There were 5
Topladys, all the same family, living in Nottinghamshire. No other real
variants of note.)

47 of those Tipladys in the 1841 census were born before 1790, 21 of
them being males. Of those 47, 29 were living in Yorkshire, 13 of them
being males. (2 in Aysgarth in West Hang Hundred, 1 in Aldborough in
Holderness Hundred, 1 in Bossall in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Brompton by
Northallerton in Allertonshire Hundred, 1 in Fewston in Claro Hundred, 1
in Bingley in Skyrack Hundred, 1 in Guisborough in Langbourgh Hundred, 1
in Pickering in Pickering Hundred, 1 in Osmotherley in Allertonshire
Hundred, 1 in Thirsk in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Horton in Morley Hundred
(Leeds area).

In Bulmer Hundred, there were 2. In neighbouring Allertonshire, there
were 2. In neighbouring Claro there was 1.

In the 1851 census there were 496 Tipladys, 286 of them living or born
in Yorkshire, 135 of those being males. There were 13 males born before
1790, 9 of them in Yorkshire. (The first location is where born, the
second is where living)[my brackets]:
Alexander Tiplady abt 1783 Askrigg, Yorkshire, England Head
Bainbridge Yorkshire
George Tiplady Ann abt 1781 Melbecks, Yorkshire, England Son
Melbecks Yorkshire [age 10, so not born 1781]
James Tiplady Ann abt 1783 Beamsley, Yorkshire, England Head
Thruscross Yorkshire
John Tiplady abt 1781 Yorkshire, England Visitor Stratford Le Bow
Middlesex
John Tiplady Seythey abt 1778 Sigston, Durham [Yorkshire], England
Head Brompton Yorkshire
Stephen Tiplady abt 1790 Yorkshire, England Hawsker Cum
Stainsacre Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady Elizabeth abt 1789 Heighley, Yorkshire, England Head
Horton Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1777 Buttercrambe, Yorkshire, England Father
Selby Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1785 West Rounton, Yorkshire, England Brother
West Rounton Yorkshire

[Gjest]

I am surprised that no one has cited P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, A
Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford Univ. Press, 1995, p.
448. Reaney and Wilson show Tiplady as a variant of Toplady (or
Toplass), "both names for a libertine." (The famous English
hymnwriter, Augustus M. Toplady, would probably not appreciation this
derivation.)

"Libertine" and "female innkeeper" seem about equally likely, while
the other suggestions won't do!

DAVID L. GREENE, FASG
Editor and publisher, TAG

On Nov 26, 8:21 am, Renia <[email protected]> wrote:

Mary Jane Battaglia wrote:
I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY.
He lived in Yorkshire and, at Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of a young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the bottom edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did the initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb

I suspect the initials on the miniature were that of the painter.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames says of Tiplady that it is
possibly a Yorkshire name, citing John Typlady of Yorkshire in 1477. A
local variant is Toplady. However, of the surname Tippler, it says
tipler was an Elizabethan innkeeper. It cites William Tipeler in 1273 of
Sussex. I suspect Tiplady was a lady innkeeper.

Tiplady is certainly a Yorkshire surname. About half of the 435 Tipladys
in the 1841 England census were living in Yorkshire.

John Watson added:

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

I do not believe this or I would have seen more evidence of it. It's an
area I'm interested in but Tiplady is not a name familiar to me from
that area. In the Middle Ages it was one of the seats of the Percies.
The population in the 1820s was 659.

There were no Tipladys in Topcliffe in the 1841 census. If it was such a
localised name, one or two might have been still there. Almost half of
the 435 Tipladys in England in 1841 were in Yorkshire. Of those, 44 were
in Holderness, the largest concentration. 94 were in County Durham and
64 in Lancashire. Only one was in Lincolnshire, which, if it was a
Hull/Holderness name, we might expect to see more of. (There were 5
Topladys, all the same family, living in Nottinghamshire. No other real
variants of note.)

47 of those Tipladys in the 1841 census were born before 1790, 21 of
them being males. Of those 47, 29 were living in Yorkshire, 13 of them
being males. (2 in Aysgarth in West Hang Hundred, 1 in Aldborough in
Holderness Hundred, 1 in Bossall in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Brompton by
Northallerton in Allertonshire Hundred, 1 in Fewston in Claro Hundred, 1
in Bingley in Skyrack Hundred, 1 in Guisborough in Langbourgh Hundred, 1
in Pickering in Pickering Hundred, 1 in Osmotherley in Allertonshire
Hundred, 1 in Thirsk in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Horton in Morley Hundred
(Leeds area).

In Bulmer Hundred, there were 2. In neighbouring Allertonshire, there
were 2. In neighbouring Claro there was 1.

In the 1851 census there were 496 Tipladys, 286 of them living or born
in Yorkshire, 135 of those being males. There were 13 males born before
1790, 9 of them in Yorkshire. (The first location is where born, the
second is where living)[my brackets]:
Alexander Tiplady abt 1783 Askrigg, Yorkshire, England Head
Bainbridge Yorkshire
George Tiplady Ann abt 1781 Melbecks, Yorkshire, England Son
Melbecks Yorkshire [age 10, so not born 1781]
James Tiplady Ann abt 1783 Beamsley, Yorkshire, England Head
Thruscross Yorkshire
John Tiplady abt 1781 Yorkshire, England Visitor Stratford Le Bow
Middlesex
John Tiplady Seythey abt 1778 Sigston, Durham [Yorkshire], England
Head Brompton Yorkshire
Stephen Tiplady abt 1790 Yorkshire, England Hawsker Cum
Stainsacre Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady Elizabeth abt 1789 Heighley, Yorkshire, England Head
Horton Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1777 Buttercrambe, Yorkshire, England Father
Selby Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1785 West Rounton, Yorkshire, England Brother
West Rounton Yorkshire

[Ian Goddard]

Renia wrote:

Mary Jane Battaglia wrote:

I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your
members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me
with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my
ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY. He lived in Yorkshire and, at
Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I
have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of a
young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the bottom
edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did the
initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb

I suspect the initials on the miniature were that of the painter.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames says of Tiplady that it is
possibly a Yorkshire name, citing John Typlady of Yorkshire in 1477. A
local variant is Toplady. However, of the surname Tippler, it says
tipler was an Elizabethan innkeeper. It cites William Tipeler in 1273 of
Sussex. I suspect Tiplady was a lady innkeeper.

Tiplady is certainly a Yorkshire surname. About half of the 435 Tipladys
in the 1841 England census were living in Yorkshire.

John Watson added:
The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

I do not believe this or I would have seen more evidence of it. It's an
area I'm interested in but Tiplady is not a name familiar to me from
that area. In the Middle Ages it was one of the seats of the Percies.
The population in the 1820s was 659.

There were no Tipladys in Topcliffe in the 1841 census. If it was such a
localised name, one or two might have been still there. Almost half of
the 435 Tipladys in England in 1841 were in Yorkshire. Of those, 44 were
in Holderness, the largest concentration. 94 were in County Durham and
64 in Lancashire. Only one was in Lincolnshire, which, if it was a
Hull/Holderness name, we might expect to see more of. (There were 5
Topladys, all the same family, living in Nottinghamshire. No other real
variants of note.)

47 of those Tipladys in the 1841 census were born before 1790, 21 of
them being males. Of those 47, 29 were living in Yorkshire, 13 of them
being males. (2 in Aysgarth in West Hang Hundred, 1 in Aldborough in
Holderness Hundred, 1 in Bossall in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Brompton by
Northallerton in Allertonshire Hundred, 1 in Fewston in Claro Hundred, 1
in Bingley in Skyrack Hundred, 1 in Guisborough in Langbourgh Hundred, 1
in Pickering in Pickering Hundred, 1 in Osmotherley in Allertonshire
Hundred, 1 in Thirsk in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Horton in Morley Hundred
(Leeds area).

In Bulmer Hundred, there were 2. In neighbouring Allertonshire, there
were 2. In neighbouring Claro there was 1.

In the 1851 census there were 496 Tipladys, 286 of them living or born
in Yorkshire, 135 of those being males. There were 13 males born before
1790, 9 of them in Yorkshire. (The first location is where born, the
second is where living)[my brackets]:
Alexander Tiplady abt 1783 Askrigg, Yorkshire, England Head
Bainbridge Yorkshire
George Tiplady Ann abt 1781 Melbecks, Yorkshire, England Son Melbecks
Yorkshire [age 10, so not born 1781]
James Tiplady Ann abt 1783 Beamsley, Yorkshire, England Head
Thruscross Yorkshire
John Tiplady abt 1781 Yorkshire, England Visitor Stratford Le Bow
Middlesex
John Tiplady Seythey abt 1778 Sigston, Durham [Yorkshire], England
Head Brompton Yorkshire
Stephen Tiplady abt 1790 Yorkshire, England Hawsker Cum
Stainsacre Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady Elizabeth abt 1789 Heighley, Yorkshire, England Head
Horton Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1777 Buttercrambe, Yorkshire, England Father
Selby Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1785 West Rounton, Yorkshire, England Brother West
Rounton Yorkshire

IMV census information can be far too late to get an idea of early
distributions. If only the whole of the C14th subsidy roll had survived...

An approach I like to use is to search IGI for hits for the early days
of the parish registers (yes, I know it's an erratic source but can you
find me something better?). Some years ago you could actually put an
asterisk in the Christian name box and a date range. Now you can leave
the Christian name box blank but can't put in a date and have to inspect
the full yield by mark one eyeball. Anyway as a result of looking for
the C16th hits out of the first 1600...

There were southern clusters in Dunstable and Castor in Northants. In
the north all the hits are on the right sight of the Pennines but well
spread and some of the names are ambiguous. However there seem to be
quite a few from Leake near Northallerton but they extend up into
Teesdale and down as far south as Coxwold, west to Pateley Bridge and
east via Settrington to Filey - but not Holderness. Potentially early
C17th hits could extend this simply by there being more surviving
registers. It would be an interesting exercise for the OP to plot the
spread half century by half century to get some idea when a family moved
into Holderness.

--
Ian

Hotmail is for spammers. Real mail address is igoddard
at nildram co uk

[Renia]

Ian Goddard wrote:

Renia wrote:

Mary Jane Battaglia wrote:

I apologize for getting off topic and time, but in view of your
members' expertise and resources, perhaps someone could enlighten me
with the meaning or history of the strange name of one of my
ancestors: Christopher TIPLADY. He lived in Yorkshire and, at
Sutton in Holderness in 1786, married an Elizabeth Jessie Cook. I
have a family artifact, a lovely painted brooch with the portrait of
a young woman of that time. The initials "EJC" are etched on the
bottom edge of the picture. What was the custom of that time? Did
the initials indicate the name of the person or the painter?
mjb


I suspect the initials on the miniature were that of the painter.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames says of Tiplady that it is
possibly a Yorkshire name, citing John Typlady of Yorkshire in 1477. A
local variant is Toplady. However, of the surname Tippler, it says
tipler was an Elizabethan innkeeper. It cites William Tipeler in 1273
of Sussex. I suspect Tiplady was a lady innkeeper.

Tiplady is certainly a Yorkshire surname. About half of the 435
Tipladys in the 1841 England census were living in Yorkshire.

John Watson added:

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.


I do not believe this or I would have seen more evidence of it. It's
an area I'm interested in but Tiplady is not a name familiar to me
from that area. In the Middle Ages it was one of the seats of the
Percies. The population in the 1820s was 659.

There were no Tipladys in Topcliffe in the 1841 census. If it was such
a localised name, one or two might have been still there. Almost half
of the 435 Tipladys in England in 1841 were in Yorkshire. Of those, 44
were in Holderness, the largest concentration. 94 were in County
Durham and 64 in Lancashire. Only one was in Lincolnshire, which, if
it was a Hull/Holderness name, we might expect to see more of. (There
were 5 Topladys, all the same family, living in Nottinghamshire. No
other real variants of note.)

47 of those Tipladys in the 1841 census were born before 1790, 21 of
them being males. Of those 47, 29 were living in Yorkshire, 13 of them
being males. (2 in Aysgarth in West Hang Hundred, 1 in Aldborough in
Holderness Hundred, 1 in Bossall in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Brompton by
Northallerton in Allertonshire Hundred, 1 in Fewston in Claro Hundred,
1 in Bingley in Skyrack Hundred, 1 in Guisborough in Langbourgh
Hundred, 1 in Pickering in Pickering Hundred, 1 in Osmotherley in
Allertonshire Hundred, 1 in Thirsk in Bulmer Hundred, 1 in Horton in
Morley Hundred (Leeds area).

In Bulmer Hundred, there were 2. In neighbouring Allertonshire, there
were 2. In neighbouring Claro there was 1.

In the 1851 census there were 496 Tipladys, 286 of them living or born
in Yorkshire, 135 of those being males. There were 13 males born
before 1790, 9 of them in Yorkshire. (The first location is where
born, the second is where living)[my brackets]:
Alexander Tiplady abt 1783 Askrigg, Yorkshire, England Head
Bainbridge Yorkshire
George Tiplady Ann abt 1781 Melbecks, Yorkshire, England Son
Melbecks Yorkshire [age 10, so not born 1781]
James Tiplady Ann abt 1783 Beamsley, Yorkshire, England Head
Thruscross Yorkshire
John Tiplady abt 1781 Yorkshire, England Visitor Stratford Le Bow
Middlesex
John Tiplady Seythey abt 1778 Sigston, Durham [Yorkshire], England
Head Brompton Yorkshire
Stephen Tiplady abt 1790 Yorkshire, England Hawsker Cum
Stainsacre Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady Elizabeth abt 1789 Heighley, Yorkshire, England Head
Horton Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1777 Buttercrambe, Yorkshire, England Father
Selby Yorkshire
Thomas Tiplady abt 1785 West Rounton, Yorkshire, England Brother
West Rounton Yorkshire





IMV census information can be far too late to get an idea of early
distributions. If only the whole of the C14th subsidy roll had survived...

I agree with you but it can be useful, if only for elimination purposes.

Now, I have a 14th century Poll Tax somewhere, for Claro, I think. But
do you think I can find it?

An approach I like to use is to search IGI for hits for the early days
of the parish registers (yes, I know it's an erratic source but can you
find me something better?). Some years ago you could actually put an
asterisk in the Christian name box and a date range. Now you can leave
the Christian name box blank but can't put in a date and have to inspect
the full yield by mark one eyeball. Anyway as a result of looking for
the C16th hits out of the first 1600...

There were southern clusters in Dunstable and Castor in Northants. In
the north all the hits are on the right sight of the Pennines but well
spread and some of the names are ambiguous. However there seem to be
quite a few from Leake near Northallerton but they extend up into
Teesdale and down as far south as Coxwold, west to Pateley Bridge and
east via Settrington to Filey - but not Holderness. Potentially early
C17th hits could extend this simply by there being more surviving
registers. It would be an interesting exercise for the OP to plot the
spread half century by half century to get some idea when a family moved
into Holderness.

I tried the IGI, but, like you, found the spread too diverse to come to
any conclusion.

[Ian Goddard]

Renia wrote:

Now, I have a 14th century Poll Tax somewhere, for Claro, I think. But
do you think I can find it?

Genuki has what is supposed to be the entire West Riding roll. I say
supposed to be because although all the membranes are present at least
one locality, Cowick, isn't even listed. Needless to say it's a
locality I'm interested in. Maybe they were good at avoiding tax
collectors.

I searched the whole roll for Tipl, Topl and Typl and also for "pel"
variations without finding anything.

--
Ian

Hotmail is for spammers. Real mail address is igoddard
at nildram co uk

[Leticia Cluff]

On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:13:36 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:

On Nov 25, 7:35 pm, John Watson <[email protected]> wrote:

The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

This is, to me, a new derivation. Looking at those names I have to
question whether they all derive from the same source. Admittedly
names can morph pretty severely, but I see Topley/Toppley as -legh
names. Syllables do sometimes get dropped, and I guess these could
come from Topcliffe, I think it less likely that they would pick up
that 'day' syllable at the end to become Tiplady.

I have seen a half-dozen different explanations for Tiplady, none of
them all that convincing. The earliest instance I was able to find was
from the 14th century, and was of a "Johanna Tippeleveday".

If that is indeed the earliest form, then it rules out any connection
with Topcliff. The element "leveday" resembles the many possible
medieval spellings of the word "lady" that can be found in the Oxford
English Dictionary, including:

leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy.

The name Tiplady is included in this list of names suggestive of loose
sexual behavior:

"A literal meaning of the thirteenth century English by-name
Plantefolie is `wickedness shoot', which might either be a metonym
(synecdoche) for a `male generator of bastards' or, with the offshoot
sense, it might mean metaphorically a `bastard child'. We can compare
the metonymic sense, to wit a `male generator of offspring', with
other names such as Toplady, Tiplady, Toplass, Topliss, Shakelady,
Fullielove, Paramore, Sweetlove, Spendlove, Lemon (`lover',
`sweetheart'), Blandamer (from Pleyn d'amour, cf. Fullielove), and
perhaps also for example Pullrose, Breakspear, and Whitehorn, not to
mention many obscene by-names."

That's from an interesting article about the origin of the name and
family of Plant. It may be of interest to people here because of the
passing mention of Plantagenet, but there are many other good reasons
for reading the article:

http://cogprints.org/5462/1/nomina_eprint.pdf

The meaning of the name as a man who does something to ladies might
not be the derivation that Mary Jane most wants to hear, but it seems
like a very strong possibility, given the form "leveday" and the many
semantic parallels.

Tish

[Renia]

Leticia Cluff wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:13:36 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:


On Nov 25, 7:35 pm, John Watson <[email protected]> wrote:


The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

This is, to me, a new derivation. Looking at those names I have to
question whether they all derive from the same source. Admittedly
names can morph pretty severely, but I see Topley/Toppley as -legh
names. Syllables do sometimes get dropped, and I guess these could
come from Topcliffe, I think it less likely that they would pick up
that 'day' syllable at the end to become Tiplady.

I have seen a half-dozen different explanations for Tiplady, none of
them all that convincing. The earliest instance I was able to find was

from the 14th century, and was of a "Johanna Tippeleveday".

If that is indeed the earliest form, then it rules out any connection
with Topcliff. The element "leveday" resembles the many possible
medieval spellings of the word "lady" that can be found in the Oxford
English Dictionary, including:

leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy.

It's more like the surname Loveday than a deriviation of "lady", but
probably supports the para below describing "loving" surnames.

The name Tiplady is included in this list of names suggestive of loose
sexual behavior:

"A literal meaning of the thirteenth century English by-name
Plantefolie is `wickedness shoot', which might either be a metonym
(synecdoche) for a `male generator of bastards' or, with the offshoot
sense, it might mean metaphorically a `bastard child'. We can compare
the metonymic sense, to wit a `male generator of offspring', with
other names such as Toplady, Tiplady, Toplass, Topliss, Shakelady,
Fullielove, Paramore, Sweetlove, Spendlove, Lemon (`lover',
`sweetheart'), Blandamer (from Pleyn d'amour, cf. Fullielove), and
perhaps also for example Pullrose, Breakspear, and Whitehorn, not to
mention many obscene by-names."

That's from an interesting article about the origin of the name and
family of Plant. It may be of interest to people here because of the
passing mention of Plantagenet, but there are many other good reasons
for reading the article:

http://cogprints.org/5462/1/nomina_eprint.pdf

The meaning of the name as a man who does something to ladies might
not be the derivation that Mary Jane most wants to hear, but it seems
like a very strong possibility, given the form "leveday" and the many
semantic parallels.

Tish

[Leticia Cluff]

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:17:20 +0200, Renia <[email protected]>
wrote:

Leticia Cluff wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:13:36 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:


On Nov 25, 7:35 pm, John Watson <[email protected]> wrote:


The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

This is, to me, a new derivation. Looking at those names I have to
question whether they all derive from the same source. Admittedly
names can morph pretty severely, but I see Topley/Toppley as -legh
names. Syllables do sometimes get dropped, and I guess these could
come from Topcliffe, I think it less likely that they would pick up
that 'day' syllable at the end to become Tiplady.

I have seen a half-dozen different explanations for Tiplady, none of
them all that convincing. The earliest instance I was able to find was

from the 14th century, and was of a "Johanna Tippeleveday".

If that is indeed the earliest form, then it rules out any connection
with Topcliff. The element "leveday" resembles the many possible
medieval spellings of the word "lady" that can be found in the Oxford
English Dictionary, including:

leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy.

It's more like the surname Loveday than a deriviation of "lady", but
probably supports the para below describing "loving" surnames.

I still can't help feeling that the "leveday" in Tippeleveday is
closer to "leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy" than it is to
Loveday. What would a combination of Tip and Loveday mean?

Tish

[Gjest]

On Nov 27, 4:49 am, Leticia Cluff <[email protected]>
wrote:

The name Tiplady is included in this list of names suggestive of loose
sexual behavior:

"A literal meaning of the thirteenth century English by-name
Plantefolie is `wickedness shoot', which might either be a metonym
(synecdoche) for a `male generator of bastards' or, with the offshoot
sense, it might mean metaphorically a `bastard child'. We can compare
the metonymic sense, to wit a `male generator of offspring', with
other names such as Toplady, Tiplady, Toplass, Topliss, Shakelady,
Fullielove, Paramore, Sweetlove, Spendlove, Lemon (`lover',
`sweetheart'), Blandamer (from Pleyn d'amour, cf. Fullielove), and
perhaps also for example Pullrose, Breakspear, and Whitehorn, not to
mention many obscene by-names."

I think the author is trying to hard, including Breakspear, which is
more likely to be literal than metaphorical.

The meaning of the name as a man who does something to ladies might
not be the derivation that Mary Jane most wants to hear, but it seems
like a very strong possibility, given the form "leveday" and the many
semantic parallels.

On the flip-side, I saw it in a similar list of names which were said
to likely reference the Holy Mother (the Lady in question).

taf

[Renia]

Leticia Cluff wrote:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:17:20 +0200, Renia <[email protected]
wrote:


Leticia Cluff wrote:


On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:13:36 -0800 (PST), [email protected] wrote:



On Nov 25, 7:35 pm, John Watson <[email protected]> wrote:



The Yorkshire family name of Tiplady is said to be derived from the
town of Topcliffe in the North Riding. Variants are Topley, Tiplady,
Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief.

This is, to me, a new derivation. Looking at those names I have to
question whether they all derive from the same source. Admittedly
names can morph pretty severely, but I see Topley/Toppley as -legh
names. Syllables do sometimes get dropped, and I guess these could
come from Topcliffe, I think it less likely that they would pick up
that 'day' syllable at the end to become Tiplady.

I have seen a half-dozen different explanations for Tiplady, none of
them all that convincing. The earliest instance I was able to find was

from the 14th century, and was of a "Johanna Tippeleveday".

If that is indeed the earliest form, then it rules out any connection
with Topcliff. The element "leveday" resembles the many possible
medieval spellings of the word "lady" that can be found in the Oxford
English Dictionary, including:

leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy.

It's more like the surname Loveday than a deriviation of "lady", but
probably supports the para below describing "loving" surnames.


I still can't help feeling that the "leveday" in Tippeleveday is
closer to "leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy" than it is to
Loveday. What would a combination of Tip and Loveday mean?

Tippled lady or female drunk who is, em, very loving.

That's why I favour "a lady tavern keeper" for the origin of Tiplady. So
far.

[Gjest]

On Nov 27, 5:27 am, Leticia Cluff <[email protected]>
wrote:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:17:20 +0200, Renia <[email protected]
wrote:

leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy.

It's more like the surname Loveday than a deriviation of "lady", but
probably supports the para below describing "loving" surnames.

Also a female given name.

I still can't help feeling that the "leveday" in Tippeleveday is
closer to "leivedi, levede, levedie, levidi, lavedy" than it is to
Loveday.

But where does Loveday come from: this need not be an either/or -
Loveday could just as well be a variant of levedie.

taf

[D. Spencer Hines]

Of course.

Vide "Roundheels".

DSH

"Leticia Cluff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

The name Tiplady is included in this list of names suggestive of loose
sexual behavior:

"A literal meaning of the thirteenth century English by-name
Plantefolie is `wickedness shoot', which might either be a metonym
(synecdoche) for a `male generator of bastards' or, with the offshoot
sense, it might mean metaphorically a `bastard child'. We can compare
the metonymic sense, to wit a `male generator of offspring', with
other names such as Toplady, Tiplady, Toplass, Topliss, Shakelady,
Fullielove, Paramore, Sweetlove, Spendlove, Lemon (`lover',
`sweetheart'), Blandamer (from Pleyn d'amour, cf. Fullielove), and
perhaps also for example Pullrose, Breakspear, and Whitehorn, not to
mention many obscene by-names."