MACARTHUR
This is a copy of an article published in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on 19th April 2004,
reproduced by kind permission of the author, the late Desmond Holden.
The “What's in a Name” series was a regular
feature in the Advertiser over the period 1993‑2004,
taking a refreshing look at the derivation of some typically
Derbyshire surnames.
Articles are confined to the origins and meanings of surnames,
and do not indicate any particular interest on Desmond's part in
the genealogy, descent, or family history of individuals bearing
the surnames featured.
Editor's Note: Articles are provided for general interest and
background only. They are not intended to provide an exhaustive treatise
for any individual family history - investigations of which may yield
quite different results. Or, in Desmond's own words:
“In the end it must remain with individual bearers of the names to
draw upon family traditions and to seek out such documentary
evidence as is available to decide the matter for themselves.”
WHAT'S IN A NAME …
Are you called MACARTHUR?
Shortly after the evacuation of the Romans from Britain, the
invasion of the Anglo-Saxons followed and overwhelmed the
native Celtic inhabitants. The most celebrated opponent was a
chieftain upon whom the name "Arthur" has eventually settled.
His real name and status is problematical and details of his
life are scanty. Upon a few hazy historical facts has been
superimposed much mythology from Celtic and Christian
sources.
The Celts originated from central Europe (St. Paul knew them
as the Galations). Sometime in the 4th century BC they had
crossed the channel and settled, eventually, in these
islands. They brought with them a mythology which is known to
have featured the bear - venerated, no doubt, for its
strength and ferocity. It had been known to their Greek
counterparts as "arktos" (c.f. Arctic, Arcturus) and was
transmitted here as "artos". (Compare Welsh "arth" and Irish
"art").
This Chieftain who had successfully repelled the invaders was
likened to the bear and was accordingly dubbed "Artoris".
However, during the turbulent centuries which followed,
historical fact and a wishful re-interpretation of legend
became inextricably blended and the legend of "King Arthur"
and his return from the dead became established in folk-memory.
The several chroniclers, endeavouring to provide a
history of events during the centuries between (roughly) 500
AD and the Norman conquest, incorporated into their writings
much of these traditions and thus encouraging a belief in
their authenticity.
Now it might have been thought that the high place occupied
by Arthur in English tradition would have guaranteed the
frequency of his name as a masculine personal name. But this
is not so. Although the name certainly does occur in
Domesday, examples are not many, and from about 1200 until
the mid-19th century the name was not popular as a first
name, and has not appeared in the "top twenty" names since
1925.
The earliest spelling uses only "-t-" but after the 1500s an
intrusive "-th-" appears. (Compare Gaelic; Artur, Italian,
Spanish: - Arturo). Its presence is not convincingly
explained. It occurs, for instance in "author" (auctor) and
"Anthony" (Antony). Because of the infrequency of the name,
corresponding surnames are comparatively rare. In the
National Biography there are only 7 entries for "Arthur" and
none at all for "Arthurian".
But in Scotland, things are very different. The records
indicate that forms of Arthur were frequently bestowed as a
personal name - e.g. King Art of Dalriada (West Coast). In
the matter of surnames, the Scots practice was to tag the
name on to the prefix "Mac-" which means "son of -". The
ensuing construction "MacArthur" was and remains so
widespread that it would be superfluous to list examples -
other than to mention that spellings such as "M'Arthur",
"McArthur", "Mcarthur" etc. are held invalid by authorities
in Scottish genealogy. (Compare Welsh "Map").
The Scots, like the English, seem to have regarded King
Arthur as a great hero, and were diffident in extending it to
any specific personality. There is an old Gaelic saying which
asks (briefly) "We know how the hills and streams got their
names, but who were the first Arthurites? The story seems to
begin with a Clan in the region of Strachar (Argyll) whose
Chieftain was an ardent supporter of Robert the Bruce
(1306-1329).
In Ireland the name "Arthur" was already established even
before the Norman conquest (Limerick). Later Scottish
settlers brought "MacArthur, which is sometimes found now as
"MacCarte" - thus preserving the original pronunciation.
Some "MacArthurs" chose to drop the prefix and assume only
the name "Arthur". Hence Chester Arthur, American president
(1881-1885) whose predecessors had emigrated from Scotland
and settled in Belfast. Another of emigrant ancestry was
General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), the hero of the
Pacific war. Locally we have Miss Ellen MacArthur of
Wirksworth, the celebrated yachtswomen. Otherwise there are
some 23 entries in the local directory.
It may be noted that the hill outside Edinburgh, known as
"Arthur's Seat" is a misrendering of the Gaelic "Ard-na-said"
meaning "vantage point for arrows" and has no Arthurian
connection - so they say!
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© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 19th April 2004.
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