Ritson

Ritson
This surname, chiefly found in the northern English counties of Northumberland and Cumberland, and in Scotland, is ultimately believed to be a patronymic form of the male given name Richard, itself coming from the Old German "Ric(h)ard", a compound of the elements "ric", power, and "hard", hardy, brave, strong. The name is found occasionally in pre-Conquest Britain, but was popularized to a great extent by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. "Ricard" (without surname) appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and the subsequent popularity of the name gave rise to a variety of diminutive and pet-forms including the Northern English "Rich" or "Ritchie", whence the patronymic "Richison", corrupted to "Ritson". In his "Memoranda", Joseph Ritson records the genesis of the word thus: "Richardson, Richison, Richson, Ricson, Ritson". On December 10th 1510, Elizabeth, daughter of William Ritson, was christened in Crosthwaite, Cumberland, and on September 11th 1624, Matthew, son of Nicholas Ritson, was christened in Whitfield, Northumberland. A notable bearer of the name was Joseph Ritson (1752 - 1803), antiquary, who produced his "Bibliographia Poetica" in 1803. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Ritson, which was dated April 8th 1565, a christening witness, at Crosthwaite, Cumberland, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Ritson, Joseph — (1752 1803)    Although he scraped a living as a conveyancer, Ritson s real preoccupations were with his antiquarian researches and writing, and he quickly amassed an unparalleled knowledge and collection of early British poetry and song, which… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Ritson, Joseph — (1752 1803)    Born at Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, he trained as a solicitor, moved to London in 1775 and set up his own conveyancing practice in Grays Inn, then was called to the bar in 1789. On reading Fable of the Bees (1723) by Bernard de… …   British and Irish poets

  • Ritson Manuscript — The Ritson Manuscript is a late fifteenth century English choirbook. Along with the Pepys Manuscript it is much less elaborate than the Eton, Lambeth and Caius Choirbooks; it contains shorter and simpler pieces which appear to have been written… …   Wikipedia

  • RITSON, JOSEPH —    a whimsical and crabbed antiquary; his industry was great, his works numerous, among them one entitled Ancient English Metrical Romances, containing a long and still valuable dissertation (1752 1803) …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Ritson, Joseph — (1752 1803)    Antiquary and critic, b. at Stockton on Tees, settled in London as a conveyancer, at the same time devoting himself to the study of ancient English poetry. By his diligence as a collector and acuteness as a critic he rendered… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Adam Ritson — Rugby league player infobox2 playername = Adam Ritson fullname = height = 6 ft 1 in (184 cm) nickname = Ahhhh Its On!, Ritto, Rdam Aitson dateofbirth = 1976 cityofbirth = Sydney countryofbirth = Australia position = Prop youthyears = youthclubs …   Wikipedia

  • Blake Ritson — Infobox actor name = Blake Ritson bgcolour = imagesize = caption = birthname = birthdate = birthplace = deathdate = deathplace = othername = yearsactive = 1996 present spouse = partner = Hattie Morahan children = parents = residence = influences …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Ritson — (October 2, 1752 September 23, 1803), was an English antiquary.He was born at Stockton on Tees, of a Westmorland yeoman family. He was educated for the law, and settled in London as a conveyancer at the age of twenty two. He devoted his spare… …   Wikipedia

  • Blake Ritson — est un acteur britannique, qui commença à jouer tout en poursuivant ses études, d abord à la Dolphin School dans le Berkshire, puis à Cambridge. Il est aussi scénariste et réalisateur avec son frère aîné Dylan Ritson. Il tient le rôle de Mr Elton …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Garden roses — are mostly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated group of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. Numerous cultivars have been produced,… …   Wikipedia

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