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Welcome to "The Pepys One Name Study". My name is Andrew
Prescott and the reason I am interested in the name "Pepys" is that my mother
was a "Pepys" and her 19th century ancestors were "Peeps."
I am member no.3610 of the "Guild
of One Name Studies." As its name suggests this is an organization
of individuals or societies who study a particular name. My interest
is in the name "Pepys" or its variations - which are numerous. The main variations
that appear to have lasted into the 19/20th centuries are primarily "Peeps,"
and also, "Peaps" and "Peapes." There is an overlap between the records for
"Papes" and those for Peaps/Peapes at least in Norfolk, England. The
name "Pipes" may also be connected.
The main published genealogies are:
Genealogy of the Pepys Family 1273-1887, Pepys, Walter Courtenay, 1840-(Main
Author), Frederick Muller, reprinted by Barnes and Noble. Available on microfilm
from LDS.
Eight Generations of the Pepys Family, 1500-1800 Chappell, Edwin.
London, 1936 (Private Publication).
I started with Walter Courtenay's work; however, I have found many more exact
dates of birth in the International Genealogical Index and Vital Records Index
of the Latter Day Saints. Walter Courtenay Pepys was a barrister at
law and it appears that his main sources may have been wills. He gives many
dates of wills and probate but often no birthdate. In addition there
are often more children in the IGI than Walter Courtenay shows. I have
made only one fairly major change to Walter Courtenays links in the light
of IGI information. I added to and amended this from Edwin Chappell's book.
There were fewer additions but some changes. On the whole I assumed that Edwin
Chappel's was the more reliable work because it came later.
It seems that despite the small numbers and the work that has already been
done there is a part of the puzzle left. That is finding the origin of the
Peeps/Peaps/Peapes lines. Walter Courtenay Pepys states that: "considering
the number of years -more than six hundred-for which there is positive proof
that the name has existed in England, the number of persons bearing it is
curiously small." He goes on to say that he has searched every directory and
(perhaps revealingly), "nor have I ever heard of the name occurring among
those classes not generally included in Directories."
There are a couple of family lines in Norwich, Norfolk which at present are
not fully known and would continue the Pepys lines at least in Norwich, into
the 18th century. Walter Courtenay also appears to have overlooked the possibility
of there being other surviving lines than those whose names became standardized
at "Pepys". Of course my mother's family's belief that they were of the same
origins as the "Pepys" may have been wishful thinking but the circumstantial
evidence does appear strong. The 19th century "Peeps", "Peapes", "Peaps" and
"Papes" are nearly all found in Norfolk in the same towns and villages (Kings
Lynn and Burnham) as the 1st and 2nd Norfolk branches of Pepyses (Pepis/Pepes).
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There are a large number of variations in spelling of Pepys,
considering the relatively small number of people. Walter Courtenay Pepys
lists 17 "misspellings" and their earliest occurrence.The various (mis)spellings
of the name often occur in alternate versions of records for the same person;
for example, three different spellings in one document.
The following is from Walter Courtenay and Edwin Chappell with earliest
unlinked individual.
Earliest Use
1. Pepis. Richard Pepis..Stane Hundred
Rolls of the Hundreds, 1273. Also appears in Cottenham Parish records.1593.
This is the spelling used in the "Visitation of Cambridge, 1619."
2. Pepes John Pepes...Wytlisford Hundred.
Rolls of the Hundreds, 1273. This spelling is used for the majority of individuals
in the "Visitation of Norfolk, 1585" William Pepis...Cottenham, 1329
3. Pipys1 William Pipys...Cottenham,
1340
4. Pypys John Pypys...Chesterfield,
1411.
5. Peppy Robert Peppy...Beeston, 1428.
6. Pepys Thomas Pepys...Cottenham,
1434. This is the most usual spelling in Cottenham Parish Records, 1572-1641
and Cambridge University Alumni 1261-1900. It is also used for Robert and
William on the Visitation of Norfolk, 1585 (before it changes to Pepes), and
the Visitation of Cambridge, 1684.
7. Pepy Robert Pepy....Kings Lynn.,
Inquisitiones ad quod damnum, 1439.
8. Peppys Henry Pepes or Peppys...Depedale,
1439 . Laurence Pipys...Stalham, Will of Laurence Pypys, 1511.
9. Pipes1 William Pipes
Ditto.
10. Peppis. John Peppis3...Branktre.
Will of John Peppis of Branktre, 1518.
11. Peppes. Will of Margaret, wife of above., 1519.
12. Pepes. Will of Thomas Pepes of Cottenham, 1520.
13. Peppys. Will of John Peppys of Debden, 1552.
14. Peapes. Talbot Pepys or PeapesCambridge University
Alumni, 1595 and U.K. Census records, one family in Burnham Norfolk 1881.
15. Peapys. Hern?, Nicholas, John Peapys. Subsidy
Taxes, Docking, Norfolk. 1597. Magdalen College, Cambridge, Records, 1653.
16. Peapis Richard Pepys or Peapis, Cambridge Unversity
Alumni, 1602.
17. Peaps. Will of John Peaps of Cambridge, 1636.
18. Pippis. Will of Anna Pippis of Cambridge, 1639.
19. Pepps Daniel Pepys or Pepps, Cambridge University
Alumni, 1652.
20. Peps. Samuel Pepys, marriage register, St. Martin's
in the Fields, 1655.
21. Pypes1 Admon. of Wm. Pypes' estate,
1656.
22. Peypes. Letter of Edw. Montagu to chief Justice
Pepys, 1656.
23. Peeps. Extract from "Coffee House Paper," Samuel
Pepys' Diary.
24. Peepes. William Pepys or Peepes, Cambridge University
Alumni, 1622. Marriage licence, John Peepes and Mary Gibson, Apr. 1683.
25. Peyps. Burial register of Samuel Peyps, St.
Olaves, Hart St., 1703.
26. Papes2 Parish registers and Bishops
transcripts of Walsingham, Norfolk, 1784-1874, UK census records 1851, 1881.
27. Papys IGI, Christening record of Eldrid Pepys
1712.
1 The various spellings Pipes, Pipys, Pypes, Pypys, would seem
to suggest that the modern "Pipes" are a related variation. In fact Pipes
is a much more widespread name and this could even lead one to wonder if "Pepys"
is actually a subset of "Pi(y)pes".
2 The families that appear as "Papes" also appear as "Peapes" and
"Peaps" in the same records.
3 Early Essex Branch
According to WCP the modern accepted spelling of "Pepys" did not become standard
until the end of the seventeenth century; although, in use much earlier, he
does not give the earliest example that he had found. The spelling "Pepys"
appears in the Visitiation of Norfolk, 1585, (curiously for the earliest people
prior to the use of "Pepes" mentioned above), and in the "Visitation of Cambridge,
1684.
Modern dictionaries of names suggest that Pepys is from the Old
French personal name Pepis (nominative form), oblique case Pepin, introduced
to Britain by the Normans. It may have originally been a by-name meaning "terrible"
or "awe-inspiring." from the German verb root "bib" - to tremble. It was the
name of several Frankish kings including Pepin le Bref, father of Charlemagne,
and remained popular throughout the early middle ages. Variants Pep(p)in, Pippin,
Pipon.. The first English mention is Ralph and Henry Pipin in the Domesday book
for Leicestershire 1086, and John Pepin, c. 1160 in Lincolnshire
Walter Courtenay Pepys says that the name "Pepys" came from the French "Pepy",
"Pepie", "Peppe" or "Pepe". One theory is that it originates from the Languedoc
where is found the name "Pepyons" in 1292. WCP goes on to describe the correspondence
that he had with a French Pastor M.Pepy who writes that the families of Languedoc
have a tradition that their origins were Italian, where are found the names
"Pepi" "Pepe" or "Peppe". I suspect that this was purely speculation based
upon the coincidence of names. A search of the IGI will reveal many simmilar
European names: The Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges:
Oxford University Press. The Dictionary of Enlish Surnames bu P.H.Reaney &
R.M Wilson. The Penquin Dictionary of Surnames by Basil Cottle.
"According to Whatley's account of Samuel Pepys 'the family
of Pepys is one of considerable antiquity in the east of England.'
A 'Pepis' and a 'Pepes' held land in Cambridgeshire back in Edward I's time.
[1272-1307].
[Ric Pepis holds one messauge and one rood of land of the same G. He pays
a halfpenny for the lot. Before the war of the roses, another was bailiff to the Abbot of Crowland.
In 1563 the name of Thomas Pepys of South Creake in Norfolk is found entered
in the Herald's Visitation of that year, among the gentry bearing coat-armour.
William Pepys the Abotts bailiff, had three sons and three
daughters. From the eldest son descended the first Norfolk branch.
From the second came the Pepyses of South Creake, and from the third the
ancestors of Samuel Pepys.
Samuel's paternal great aunt Paulina made what was to prove
a doubly fortunate marriage. Her husband was Sir Sidney Montague,
who purchased Hichingbroke (by Huntingdon) from Oliver Cromwell's uncles
and godfather. Their eldest son, Sir Edward, became one of the Protector's
chief Admirals. He played a principal part in the Restoration of Charles
II and was created Earl of Sandwich..."
There have also been various ways of pronouncing the name Pepys, WCP mentions
"Peps", "Peeps", and "Peppis". He says that the Diarist pronounced it "Peeps"
as do the lineal descendants of his sister Paulina, the family of Pepys-Cockerell.
The other branches of the family all pronounce it "Peppis" which WCP considers
to be "correct" because of the early spelling and the French origins as "Pepy".
However he may have been mistaken in his assumptions. According to the Oxford
Dictionary it appears that in early English the word peep/peeps was written
a variety of ways such as "pepe" and even "pepys".
My mother's family lore said that one of my mother's ancestors had had enough
of people misspelling "Pepys" and so he formaly took up the use of "Peeps".
In my mother's time the family were keen to emphasise the historical association
and so they reverted to the spelling of "Pepys".
Of course the historical "association" to which I am referring is most notably
the diarist Samuel Pepys.
If you have an interest in the names Pepys/Peeps or variations then please contact
me at:
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Early Origins of Pepys
What this may reveal is a common linguistic origin (i.e for the same reason
that Smith is the most common name in much of Europe) but not necessarily
a common family origin.
Earliest English Origin.
The following is taken from a 1930's newspaper clipping that I have:
John Pepes holds of the said Prioress one plot and half a rood by rent to
her of eightpence, and three fisheries of the value of three pence, and
the same Prioress holds them of her own.
- Translation by WCP from the Rotuli Hundredorum (Edw. 1., 1273)]
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COMPILED GENEALOGY:
Note: I have standardized all names to "Pepys" even though this did not become the norm until the later 1700s, For the later lines of Peeps/Peaps/Peapes etc, I have kept to the most consistent spelling from records.
Descendants
of Thomas Pepys, born abt 1389, Cambridgeshire.
This is the family lines of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk The Cambridge line includes Samuel Pepys the diarist, and all surviving "Pepys" inluding the descendants of Charles Christopher Pepys the first earl of Cottenham.Pepys of Norfolk, that do not appear in the published genealogies
These are the families and individuals of (mainly) Norwich, Norfolk who do not appear in the published genealogies and can not be linked together as yet.
Peeps, Peaps, Peapes and Papes of Norfolk, from abt. 1693-
Including:
Peeps of Burnham, Brancaster and Kings Lynn, Norfolk 1693-
Peapes/Peaps/Papes of Binham, Norfolk 1760-
Peaps of Northumberland 1760-
Peeps of Michigan and Ohio.
Note I have inserted several "Unknowns," simply as a device to make it one cohesive file.
Pepys of Ireland - a family that is not given in published sources
Revised:
November 24, 2009 12:53 PM
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