The surname of RABIE was a locational name 'of Raby' a township in the parish of Neston, County Chester. Local surnames, by far the largest group, derived from a place name where the man held land or from the place from which he had come, or where he actually lived. These local surnames were originally preceded by a preposition such as 'de', 'atte', 'by' or 'in'. The names may derive from a manor held, from working in a religious dwelling or from literally living by a wood or marsh or by a stream. Following the Crusades in Europe a need was felt for a family name. This was recognized by those of noble blood, who realised the prestige and practical advantage it would add to their status. Early records of the name mention Thomas Penkett of Raby, Listed in the Wills at Chester, 1660. Nicholas Raby of Cuerden, Chester, 1674, ibid. Prior to the Invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066, no one had surnames, only christian or nicknames in England. Based on this, and our physical attributes, we were given surnames incorporating tax codes to show trades, areas in which we lived, as today we have street names and numbers. Surnames were used in France and like speaking countries from about the year 1000, and a few places had second names even earlier. Even early monarchs had additions to show attributes and character, for example Ethelred (red-hair) the Unready (never prepared). Edward I was named 'Long shanks' because of his long legs, and Richard III was called 'Crouchback' owing to his deformed shoulder. The arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. (Raby, County Durham; Robert, Lord of Raby, married Isabel, daughter of Geoffrey de Nevill, who became heiress of her brother, Henry de Nevill, 1227; their son Geoffrey, assumed his mother's surname and had two sons, Robert and Jolanus). In many parts of central and western Europe, hereditary surnames began to become fixed at around the 12th century, and have developed and changed slowly over the years. As society became more complex, and such matters as the management of tenure, and in particular the collection of taxes were delegated to special functionaries, it became imperative to distinguish a more complex system of nomenclature to differentiate one individual from another. |
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