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Kris Law
Detective Sergeant
Username: Kris
Post Number: 74
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 9:07 am: | 
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Does anyone know where Mary Ann Nichols got the nickname "Polly"? |
Monty
Chief Inspector
Username: Monty
Post Number: 642
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:25 am: |
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Kris,
Maybe an alias ??
Monty
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Donald Souden
Detective Sergeant
Username: Supe
Post Number: 116
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:26 am: |
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Kris,
I can't tell you why, but for ages Polly or Molly have been popular pet names for those whose given name is Mary.
Don. |
Sarah Long
Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 452
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:28 am: |
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Kris,
Many people just took other names. I suppose we can wonder where she got this one from. Maybe an relative or just something she fancied calling herself.
All the other victims had aliases too although I must admit, I can see where some of them came from.
Sarah |
Bill Holland
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 6:38 pm: |
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My Great Grandmother (a resident of Bethnal Green, b. 1887, d. 1951) was called Mary Ann Lynn and for her entire life, according to my grandmother, was known as Polly, so I assume many London 'Mary Anns' were given this nickname. |
Phil Hill
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 - 11:01 am: |
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Many of the old short-forms of names are disappearing, or have developed a life of their own. My next door neighbours have just had a baby and her given name is "Molly".
Molly and Polly were (I think) Mary as stated.
Peggy was Elizabeth
Margaret was Maggie, and Marjorie, Marge.
For men
Edward was Ed, Eddy, Ted (though, I think that might have come in with Roosevelt? although Edward VII, "Eddy"'s father was "King Teddy in his lifetime) but also traditionally NED.
Oliver was "Noll" as in Noll Cromwell, the Lord Protector (d 1659)
There are probably many more, not least given the Cockney taste for slang (rhyming and other).
Phil |
Sam
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 12:28 am: |
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"Peggy was Elizabeth"
Actually, Peggy is a pet form of Margaret. Margaret also has Madge, although I'm not sure how far back that this goes.
Elizabeth would have Elsa/Elsie, Lizzie, Lisa/Liza/Eliza.
For some odd reason, my maternal grandmother, named Natalie, has been called Nellie, despite that Nellie is a pet form of Helen or Eleanor.
Harry is a Midieval pet form of Henry.
There's a slew of pet names that are becoming used as given names. |
Phil Hill
Chief Inspector
Username: Phil
Post Number: 912
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 12:32 pm: |
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Elizabeth was also "Bess" or "Bessie", of course, as in "Good Queen Bess" (Elizabeth I) and could also be "Betty".
Sam, you my be right about "Peggy" - I must admit I didn't check (as I should have done).
Phil |
Chris Phillips
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Cgp100
Post Number: 1440
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 1:55 pm: |
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Certainly Peggy is a familiar form of Margaret, Meg becoming Peg in the same way that Moll became Poll (and, though less commonly, Martha became Matt or Matty, and thence Pat or Patty).
Chris Phillips
PS There's a school of thought that says Harry was the normal English form of the name in medieval times - Henry being an artificial form based on the Latin Henricus. In official 15th-century documents written in English (when most were written in Latin or French) the king's name is, apparently, given as Harry.
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Julie
Inspector
Username: Judyj
Post Number: 158
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 4:59 pm: |
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Chris Phillips
Hi Chris. Harry is also a short form of Harold.
My father and my brother were both named Harold however my brother was never called anything but Harry.
regards
Julie
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Phil Hill
Chief Inspector
Username: Phil
Post Number: 920
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 1:42 am: |
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Julie,
Be careful of modern "mis-use" of nicknames/short forms. These things change over time - Harry and Henry are the pairing with which I am familiar from the past.
That's not to say, of course, that you may not be right. I just urge caution.
Phil |
Julie
Inspector
Username: Judyj
Post Number: 159
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 12:20 pm: |
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Phil Hill
Of course you are right, since I did not take into consideration 1888 as opposed to say 2000. Times change, names change and I am sure nicknames or short form names change with the times, not to mention the fact that often people sometimes apply their own short forms whether or not they actually apply to the given name.
I jumped the gun.
You made a very good point.
regards
Julie
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