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Threlkelcl, or Borrowdale, could not take their names from their place of 

 residence, otherwise the quality of distinction would to a great extent have 

 been lost. Therefore other modes were also adopted. The best known 

 of these was the patro7iyinic, a class at which I have already glanced. 

 Thus where the head of a family bore the name of John his sons became 

 known as John's sons. — so of Robert or William, and eventually these 

 individuals became Johnsons, Robertsons or Williamsons ; and so on 

 through the whole list of baptismal names in vogue at the time surnames 

 were forming. Again, these patronymics were much increased by the 

 custom which prevailed then as now of using contracted or corrupt forms 

 of baptismal names. Thus we have Wihon, Jac/<son, Dickson, BicJison, 

 (Hikke was a corruption of Isaac), Watson (Wat, for Walter), Dmvson 

 (Daw, a corruption of David,) &c., &c. And, again, the list was still 

 further increased by the use of pet names, or names of endearment, which 

 were then given, as now, in the nursery and playground. Thus our Charles 

 becomes Charlie, William, Willie, John is known as Johnnie, Edward is 

 familiarly styled Teddy, and Robert, Bobby. Our diminutives you will 

 see are ie and lei/ but they were unknown in England 500 years ago or 

 assuredly we should have had, odd as they may seem, such corresponding 

 surnames as, Johnnieson, Willieson, Teddyson, and Bobbison. The pet 

 forms in use at the time were of quite a ditferent form and they must 

 have been in very common use : the principal terminations were Kin, and 

 Cock, both of Saxon orgin, and the Norman diminutives ot or et and on or 

 en. Kin has its living representative in the German Chen, as Miidchen, a 

 young or little maiden and still exists in our lambkin, pipkin, mannikin 

 &c. To it we owe such names as Tomkin, Jenkin, Wilkin, Atkin, 

 Simpkin and their compounds Jenkiuson, equivalent to Johnson, 

 Atkinson, i.e. Adamson &c. The diminutive Cock or Cox still lives in 

 . our nursery literature in the forms of Cock-robin, Cock-boat, Cock-horse ; 

 we owe to it such names as Cox, Cowx, Wilcox &c., &c. The Norman 

 on or en played no small part in the formation of our surnames, Robert 

 became Robin ; Nicol was transposed into Colin ; Richard was familiarly 

 known to his schoolmates as IDiccon ; Pierre became Perrin, and Mary 

 Marion, and in this manner sprang up such surnames as Robinson, 



