GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

From: James Herisson <>
Subject: Re: pronunciation of Norman surnames
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:54:03 +0000

My thought, as an amateur historian, is that you are right. During some
centuries, vikings had been getting up the Seine to Paris (as in other
countries). the Louvre was certainly one of the castle who defended
those intrusions, and a big chain closed town against intreusions from
the west

But along the centuries (it didn't last some years but quite a long
times), those conquerors settled in this region later called normandy,
learnt french, converted to christianism, became more "civilized", and
the kings of Freance (don't remember which) allowed them to bear the
title of Dukes of Normandy.

At that time they had become "french", if that meant something in those
years ; certainly some of the actual surnames, keep a slight remain of
nordic language, i had also read that some names of locations, for ex.
those finished in "-beuf") as they are many in that region of the mouth
of river Seine (elbeuf, criquebeuf, etc …) are of nordic origin.

In the court of William after 1066, the language was the french, names
were pronounced the french way, they introduced french words in the
english language, and i don't think that their danish cousins, settled
there some centuries ago, could understand them.

So Molyneux, was certainly pronounced Molly-Know.

But it's my own modest theory.

James

This thread:

• Re: pronunciation of Norman surnames by James Herisson <>