kname Moorish, and the local
marsh), but both Morris and Morrison are sometimes to be referred to
Mary. Similarly Margaret, popularly Mar-get, became Mag, Meg, Mog,
whence Meggitt, Moxon, etc. The rarity of Maggot is easily
understood, but Poll Maggot was one of Jack Sheppard's accomplices and
Shakespeare uses maggot-pie for magpie (Macbeth, iii, 4). Meg was
rimed into Peg, whence Peggs, Mog into Pog, whence Pogson, and Madge
into Padge, whence Padgett, when this is not for Patchett (Chapter
IX), or for the Fr. Paget, usually explained as Smallpage. The royal
name Matilda appears in the contracted Maud, Mould, Moule, Mott,
Mahood (Old Fr. Maheut). Its middle syllable Till gave Tilly, Tillson
and the dim. Tillet, Tillot, whence Tillotson. From Beatrice we have
Bee, Beaton and Betts, and the northern Beattie, which are not
connected with the great name Elizabeth. This is in medieval rolls
represented by its cognate Isabel, of which the shortened form was
Bell (Chapter I), or Ib, the latter giving Ibbot, Ibbotson, and the
rimed forms Tib-, Nib-, Bib-, Lib-. Here also belong Ebbs and Epps
rather than to the Anglo-Sax. Ebba (Chapter VII).

Many names which would now sound somewhat ambitious were common among
the medieval peasantry and are still found in the outlying parts of
England, especially Devon and Cornwall. Among the characters in Mr.
Eden Phillpotts's Widecombe Fair are two sisters named Sibley and
Petronell. From Sibilla, now Sibyl, come most names in Sib-, though
this was used also as a dim. of Sebastian (see also Chapter VII),
while Petronilla, has given Parnell, Purnell. As a female name it
suffered the eclipse to which certain names are accidentally subject,
and became equivalent to wench. References to a "prattling Parnel"
are common in old writers, and the same fate overtook it in French--

"Taisez-vous, peronnelle" (Tartufe, i. 1).

Mention has already been made of the survival of Guinevere (Chapter
VIII). From Cassandra we have Cash, Cass, Case, and Casson, from
Idonia, Ide, Iddins, Iddison; these were no doubt confused with the
derivatives of Ida. William filius Idae is in the Fine Rolls of
John's reign, and John Idonyesone occurs there, temp. Edward I. Pim,
as a female font-name, may be from Euphemia, and Siddons appears to
belong to Sidonia, while the pretty name Avice appears as Avis and
Haweis. From Lettice, Lat. laetitia, joy, we have Letts, Lettson,
while the corresponding Joyce, L