What's in a Name?

            The grandmother taught the little girl that names often repeat themselves in families.  For example, Joseph Caswell Haddock named a daughter Bluford who married Early Batchelor.  In turn, Bluford Batchelor (nee Haddock) named one daughter, Lena Victoria after her older sister Francis Victoria Haddock.

            Suddenly, all that Bible genealogy began to make sense.  So I have a list of names just like Jesus does in the Bible, the little girl thought, feeling pretty special.  So where does mine begin? 

            The general consensus among Haddock genealogists is to begin with the Domesday Books’ entry.  However, there was no additional documentation until more than two centuries thereafter in a document that reads as follows:

            “Then in 1309, John Haddock and William Haddock were living in Leigh-by-the Sea in England where there were nine free tenants renting land from the Lord of the Manor.  William rented nearly four acres which he called Heyronesland-Tenement.  He paid his rent in the form of attendance at the manor Court and two shillings at Michaelmas.” 

            It is important to remember that England was still a Catholic country in 1309.  Michaelmas Day was observed on the 29^th of September, properly named the day of St. Michael and All Angels.  In old England, it was one of the four quarterly terms, or quarter-days, on which rents were paid.   In 1752, Britain decided to abandon the Julian calendar in favor of the Gregorian.  Interestingly, 3 September instantly became 14 September.  As a result nothing whatsoever happened in British history between 3 and 13 September 1752, and “Old Michaelmas” became the 10^th of October that year and every year following.

            Names within the Haddock family remained consistent, however.  Richard and John were repeated over centuries.  In fact, those two names are the only male first names (with the exception of one Robert and one William) in the little girl’s direct line for nearly 400 years.  Leaving out all the “begots” the Haddock, Georgia direct lineage flows very nicely as follows: “Richard, Richard, Robert, Richard, Richard, William, Richard, John, John, John.” 

            By 1453, the first Richard Haddock, his wife Christine and their 10 children had already been honored with a brass monument at St. Clement’s Church in Leigh.  According to Leigh history, the family of Richard Haddock continued in its public service by providing ten captains, two admirals, knights, and even Controllers of the Navy at the height of British Naval supremacy.