30 USE AND ORIGIN OF SURNAMES. 
Parish, Town, Townend, Bridge, Heath, Moss, 
&c. At first, of was inserted between the chris- 
tian name and the locality; but after a time it 
appeared unnecessary to retain the particle. Thus 
Benjamin Manchester was at first Ben of Man- 
chester, John Hall, Jack of the Hall; and so of 
the rest. 
The source to which I have here referred the 
formation of a very numerous class of surnames 
is so obviously apparent, that little needs be said 
in proof of it; yet in confirmation of the view 
given, I quote the following passage from Cam- 
den’s Britannia, in his account of Lancashire. 
After stating that Richard Fitz Hugh of Hindley 
had married the eldest daughter and heiress of 
Gilbert de Culchit, he adds, “he assumed to 
himself the name of Culcheth, like as his brother 
Thomas, who wedded the second daughter, was, 
of [or from] the possession, called Holecroft : 
another also, for the same reason, was named de 
Peasfalong, and a fourth de Riseley. Which I 
note,” he then adds, “ that the reader may under- 
stand, how our ancestors, as in other things con- 
stant and grave, so in leaving and taking up 
names out of their possessions, were as vain and 
variable as might be. But even in other parts of 
