Merchion

Male
DWP
4 of 5

Discussion of the name

The Old Cornish masculine name *Merchion developed from the Brittonic masculine name Marciānos, which was in turn a borrowing of Latin Marcianus; its initial adoption into Brittonic may reflect the fifth-century Roman emperor of that name (von Feilitzen 1937: 327-8; Bromwich 2006: 447). The DB form Merken and the Exon (237b1) form Merhen are more likely to represent the Old Cornish or Old Breton form of the name rather than the Old Welsh one (cf. Jackson 1953: 282-301, 604-18), and so that is adopted as the head-form here.

It is the name of several people who occur on the fringes of early medieval British history (such as Meirch(y)awn the supposed grandfather of the late sixth-century northern British ruler Urien Rheged) as well as others associated more with romance tradition (Bromwich 2006: 28-9, 447-8).

Bibliography

Bromwich 2006: ed. R. Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein: the Triads of the Island of Britain, 3rd edn. (Cardiff, 2006)

von Feilitzen 1937: O. von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala, 1937)

Jackson 1953: K. H. Jackson, Language and History in Early Britain: a Chronological Survey of the Brittonic Languages 1st to 12th c. A.D. (Edinburgh, 1953)

Forms of the name

Spelling in Domesday Book: Merken

Spelling in Exon: Merhen

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head form: Merken

  Phillimore edition: Merken

  Alecto edition: Merken

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Cornwall 5,24,23 Carbihan Merken Merchion 'of Carbihan' - Robert, count of Mortain Andrew 'of Carbihan' 0.33 0.50 0.50 A Map
Totals