"Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

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Tony Hoskins

"Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av Tony Hoskins » 26 apr 2006 20:17:01

Certainly not from "where I am sitting".

I am baffled at the persistent assertion that a "goodwife" was the wife
of a "landed proprietor". Speaking from the vantage point of an American
local historian, observing the colonial scene, "goodwife" denoted a
significantly lower social stratum than "landed proprietor" denotes. For
the record, from the Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/

"goody: .... Goody also used since 1559 as a shortened form of
goodwife, a term of civility applied to a married woman in humble life;
hence Goody Two-shoes, name of heroine in 1760s children's story who
exulted upon acquiring a second shoe."


Anthony Hoskins
History, Genealogy and Archives Librarian
History and Genealogy Library
Sonoma County Library
3rd and E Streets
Santa Rosa, California 95404

707/545-0831, ext. 562

John Brandon

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av John Brandon » 26 apr 2006 20:17:02

I think David Greene once implied on the newsgroup that 'goodwife' had
a certain level of respectability as a title, slightly below 'Mrs.'
(may have been in connection with some Cudworths) ...

John Brandon

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av John Brandon » 26 apr 2006 20:17:02

In March 2004, DLG wrote:

The name proposed for James Cudworth's wife appears to derive from a
garbled mention of someone called "Goodman Cudworth," "Goodman" being

a title of respect, below the social level of "Mr."

Sutliff

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av Sutliff » 27 apr 2006 21:06:28

FWIW there was also a somewhat uncommon name of Goodithe (perhaps a
derivation of the medieval Godeheut?) during this time. For example, the
second wife of Sir John Seymour d. 1597 of Frampton Cotterell, Glos. was
named Goodithe. She died in 1612 and was buried at St. James Church,
Bristol. Robert Kingham (1572-1662) of Aston Clinton, Bucks was married to
Goodeth Sharpe so there is another example. I don't question the instances
mentioned in this thread, but I wonder if in some instances where a woman
has been referred to as "Goody", that it has been assumed that it was
Goodwife that was being referred to when it might have actually been her
name.

HS


""Tony Hoskins"" <hoskins@sonoma.lib.ca.us> wrote in message
news:s44f5646.096@CENTRAL_SVR2...
Certainly not from "where I am sitting".

I am baffled at the persistent assertion that a "goodwife" was the wife
of a "landed proprietor". Speaking from the vantage point of an American
local historian, observing the colonial scene, "goodwife" denoted a
significantly lower social stratum than "landed proprietor" denotes. For
the record, from the Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/

"goody: .... Goody also used since 1559 as a shortened form of
goodwife, a term of civility applied to a married woman in humble life;
hence Goody Two-shoes, name of heroine in 1760s children's story who
exulted upon acquiring a second shoe."


Anthony Hoskins
History, Genealogy and Archives Librarian
History and Genealogy Library
Sonoma County Library
3rd and E Streets
Santa Rosa, California 95404

707/545-0831, ext. 562

Todd A. Farmerie

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av Todd A. Farmerie » 27 apr 2006 21:34:49

Sutliff wrote:
FWIW there was also a somewhat uncommon name of Goodithe (perhaps a
derivation of the medieval Godeheut?) during this time. For example, the

Were I to guess, I would suggest the Anglo-Saxon Godgyth, the name
having undergon analogous shifts to Eadgyth -> Edith.

taf

Gjest

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av Gjest » 27 apr 2006 21:36:31

Sutliff schrieb:

FWIW there was also a somewhat uncommon name of Goodithe (perhaps a
derivation of the medieval Godeheut?) during this time. For example, the
second wife of Sir John Seymour d. 1597 of Frampton Cotterell, Glos. was
named Goodithe. She died in 1612 and was buried at St. James Church,
Bristol. Robert Kingham (1572-1662) of Aston Clinton, Bucks was married to
Goodeth Sharpe so there is another example. I don't question the instances
mentioned in this thread, but I wonder if in some instances where a woman
has been referred to as "Goody", that it has been assumed that it was
Goodwife that was being referred to when it might have actually been her
name.

HS

Dear Hap

Coincidentally, I posted a similar speculation this evening on a
related thread. I have come across a couple of 17th century English
cases - e.g. Goodwith or Goodith, the wife of Walter Pestell of
Colmworth, Beds, who died in 1675. Having wondered about the
derivation of the name for ages, last year I came across (if I recall
correctly) a Kentish Parish Register where it appeared as a variant
spelling of Judith - I can't remember the exact reference off the top
of my head, but will see if I can dredge it up.

Regards, Michael

Gjest

Re: "Goodwife", spouse of "landed prorietor"?

Legg inn av Gjest » 27 apr 2006 21:42:56

Todd A. Farmerie schrieb:

Sutliff wrote:
FWIW there was also a somewhat uncommon name of Goodithe (perhaps a
derivation of the medieval Godeheut?) during this time. For example, the

Were I to guess, I would suggest the Anglo-Saxon Godgyth, the name
having undergon analogous shifts to Eadgyth -> Edith.

taf

The parish registers for Colmworth, Bedfordshire record variants
"Goodwith" and "Gaditha" [an apparent Latin rendering, given that in
the same entry her husband Walter is called 'Gwalterus'].

MA-R

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