PRICE
This is a copy of an article published in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on 22nd April 2002,
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 PRICE?
Variations: Pryce, Pryse, Preece etc.
Contrary to a widely-held belief, families bearing the name Price or any
of its variations, are not necessarily of Welsh ancestry - they could
have their origins in the northern counties of Scotland! When the
records are consulted and when surnames of apparently Welsh appearance
have not only been entered up in places so far distant from that region
but also at a time when movement was limited - then truly some
alternative explanation for the origin of such surnames ought to be
investigated. In Northumberland we encounter Adam Pryse and in its
diametrically opposite county of Cornwall (1297) is to be found a Robert
Pryse, while over in Essex (1320) dwelt Richard Prys.
In fact the foregoing surnames relate to an occupation and of which the
spelling "Price" is self-explanatory. It referred to a person nominated
by the authorities in large centres such as Chester, Norwich, Coventry
etc. who was required to monitor prices and not to allow them to be
increased above the level which it would be reasonable for consumers to
pay. An ordinance date 1448 describes the officials as "Ye Prysars or
settlers at pryce yn a merket or other placys". It is relevant to the
provenance of this surname to note that the office is also recorded in
Scotland where we are told that during the Middle Ages "there were
publick pricers of flesh in all the Burghs". A name appears as well:
"Alexander Wynchester, electit priser of flesshe" (Elgin - 1549).
After a great storm (1362) which inflicted considerable damage,
especially in the eastern counties, and many roof-tiles were dislodged,
all the pricers kept watch to see that the tilers maintained production
and did not create an artificial shortage. They also directed that tiles
be sold at the customary price. In 1423 the knifegrinders of London were
subject to special limits on their charges. In Chester (1557) the
bakers of that city tried to challenge the rates set for the sale of
bread and were heavily fined. The butchers joined in sympathy and their
leaders were thrown in gaol!
People who have reason to believe that their predecessors journeyed to
this country from around the Baltic might investigate accordingly.
There was a considerable influx of German workers and merchants
following the establishment of the Hanoverian dynasty with George I in
1714. Many of them originated in Prussia. They were so well-settled in
the larger cities as to require the building of churches for
the Germanic congregations. Not a few of these immigrants adapted their
native surnames to the nearest English equivalent and since many of
these surnames indicated their place of origin (Prussia) they readily
modulated in forms based on "Price".
But of course the majority of families of the name of Price or any of
its variations are of undisputed Welsh extraction. Literally the name
means "the son of Rhys". It is a personal name, of great antiquity and
has long been a favourite in Wales. A great number of historical and
mythical personalities belonging to that country bore the name. The
earliest form of the name Rhys is believed to have taken the form
"Rhita" and it appears in Arhurian Legends as "Rhyence".
In the old Welsh language the name was written as "Ris" and it may be
interpreted as: He who fights with fire and fury.
The initial "P-" is a shortened form of "Ap" which signifies "son of -"
It has its equivalents in the English "-son" and the Norman-French
"Fitz-". In modern Welsh the word for "son" is "mab" but in old Welsh
it was "map". Its association with the Scots form by way of "Mac" is
readily discernible. While "Mac" frequently abbreviated to "Mc" or even
to "M" its Welsh counterpart shortened to "Ap". So the "son of Rhys"
modulated into spellings such as Price, Preece, Pryce etc.
The earliest record is dated 1393 and refers to a Jorwerth ap Reys who
appeared in the Court of Common Pleas in London. A later example is
found in Pembroke and is to John Aprice (1492). It would be interesting
to learn what Harry ap Rice did to be awarded 16 shillings from Princess
Mary in 1544. Latin and Welsh get mixed up in the case of the Prebendary
of St. David's (1502) where he is described as Lodovicus Apprise and
Lewis-ap-Rhys.
The name is well-represented locally with about 200 entries under Price
in the directory. The Standard Biographies include about 50
personalities who bear the name Price and it would be invidious to
single any out. Still, mention might be made of Dennis Price (1915-1973)
who entertained us with his film acting as in "Kind Hearts and Coronets"
(1949). He is not to be confused with Vincent Price who frightens us all
in his horror movies, nor with Harry Price who is inseparably associated
with Borley Rectory and its ghostly manifestions.
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© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 22nd April 2002.
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