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Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 2:49 pm
by FullCircle
Having a butchers around the Surname Database pointed to by Silkie, it would seem my name is of, ahem, Scots descent. Blimey. Wonky place T'Internet, if you ask me.


Surname: Dew
This unusual name, with the variants Dow, Dove and Dew, is of Scottish (and sometimes Irish) Gaelic Origin, and is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic word "dubh", dark, black, in Old Gaelic "dub". This word was frequently used as a personal name, by itself or as a shortened form of a longer double-stemmed name, and as a nickname or byname for a swarthy man, or perhaps for someone of a "dark" temperament. The patronymic form of the name is "MacDuff" or "McDuff", meaning "Son of Duff". In 1341 Brokynus Duff was one of an inquisition on lands in Aberdeen, and in the following year Machabeus Duff is on record as burgess of Cullen in 1342. The marriage of James Duff and Margarett Still was recorded at St. Margaret's, Westminster, in London, on March 16th, 1645. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Duncan Duff (witness), which was dated 1275, in the "Charters of the Priory of Beauly", during the reign of King Alexander 111, King of Scotland, 1249 - 1286. 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.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 2:53 pm
by Nick
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Well it explains your distinctly Scotophile leanings Jim . . .

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:41 pm
by sahona
Jim Dew, eh?
I think you could be right about your Northern roots.
Are you related to Foggy Foggy?

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:45 pm
by Rowana
You might even be gentry - See here -

http://www.duffhouse.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Do you require me to bow in your presence?

I can't do the forelock touching these days as my forelock departed long ago :lol:

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:16 pm
by Silkie
I always knew you were made of the right stuff Jim.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:40 pm
by Telo
Hi Jim. I'd always half assumed that there was a Dubh look aboot ye.

Not a common surname, and I've probably asked you this before (and forgotten), but were you any relation to Barry Dew who used to play banjo with Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine?

Some time in the late 80s or early 90s he renovated an old banjo for me. I'd spoken to him on the phone, and I was instructed to meet him at lunchtime in a pub in Islington's Chapel Market that seemed to serve him as some sort of extended office.

My memory could be wrong about this, but I'm sure when I came back to collect the instrument, I had to go through a chip shop and up some stairs to get access to his workshop.

Quite a character.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:54 pm
by FullCircle
Shard wrote:Hi Jim. I'd always half assumed that there was a Dubh look aboot ye.

Not a common surname, and I've probably asked you this before (and forgotten), but were you any relation to Barry Dew who used to play banjo with Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine?

Some time in the late 80s or early 90s he renovated an old banjo for me. I'd spoken to him on the phone, and I was instructed to meet him at lunchtime in a pub in Islington's Chapel Market that seemed to serve him as some sort of extended office.

My memory could be wrong about this, but I'm sure when I came back to collect the instrument, I had to go through a chip shop and up some stairs to get access to his workshop.

Quite a character.
Sounds highly romantic and a bit Maata Hari, but I am not aware of a Barry Dew in my close family, although I have Father In Law on the case, sleuthing out the records.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:06 am
by claymore
Have you had your Bar McVittie - you'll need one if you are a Scottish Dew

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:14 am
by FullCircle
claymore wrote:Have you had your Bar McVittie - you'll need one if you are a Scottish Dew
No, are they on free issue with each citizenship scroll?

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:36 am
by jim.r
maybe yer french ..... mon dieu!

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:52 am
by Aja
FullCircle wrote:
claymore wrote:Have you had your Bar McVittie - you'll need one if you are a Scottish Dew
No, are they on free issue with each citizenship scroll?
Free, no - but they are a snip!

Donald

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:52 pm
by FullCircle
jim.r wrote:maybe yer french ..... mon dieu!
Thats what I thought - D'Ewes, but mebbe not.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:52 pm
by FullCircle
Aja wrote:
FullCircle wrote:
claymore wrote:Have you had your Bar McVittie - you'll need one if you are a Scottish Dew
No, are they on free issue with each citizenship scroll?
Free, no - but they are a snip!

Donald
None the wiser Donald, none the wiser......

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:42 pm
by Alcyone
Don't believe a word of it. It's a ruse to make you buy tartan.

Talking of banjos, any of you lot come across Dagger Gordon? More famous for the mandolin. Inverness lad, I think, but used to play the West Highlands about 15 years ago. Well worth a watch if he's still at it.

Re: Apparently I may be one of you lot. Hmm.

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:22 am
by Rowana
Dagger Gordon is still around. See Here -

http://www.mandolin.org.uk/interviews/dagger.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;