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A Brief, Incomplete, and Rather Stopgap Article about European Household and Other Group Names Before 1600:
England - Households

See the Introduction for an explanation of what is contained in this article, and links to other sections.

(If you know of an article that A Brief, Incomplete, and Rather Stopgap Article about European Household and Other Group Names Before 1600 should link to instead of this section, or one covering a time, culture, language, and/or naming pattern not yet covered, please contact me and let me know!)

England - Households

As defined in the Middle English Dictionary (MED), in the late Middle Ages a household was "1a. (a) The members of a family collectively, including servants, a family; the familia of a bishop, abbot, etc.; ... (b) the persons living with a king, queen, or noble; attendants, retainers, retinue; court;" (MED, s.v. hous-hold). The earliest examples of use of the word in the MED date to the very late 14th century. Spellings listed in the header of the MED are: "hous-hold ... Also -hald, -hould, household, housshold, housold, houssold, housole, h)ousald, houseld".

Patterns Using the Word "Household"
Patterns Using the Word "House"

Patterns Using the Word "Household"

In at least the 15th and 16th centuries, one pattern for the identification of households used in England (in English) was:

the houshold of <specific reference to the individual who was head of household>
(The general pattern)
Including the specific form:

the houshold of <given name> <surname>

Historical examples include:

• 1440: "He was eke longing on-to þe grete houshold Of Herry þe Emperour" (MED, s.v. hous-hold)
• a1443: "William Aleyn Clerk of the countynghous with ynne the housold of the Kyng our soveraigne Lord." (MED, s.v. counting (ger.))
• 1449: "Gentilmen and Yomen of the moste honourable Houshold of the Kyng." (MED, s.v. gentil-man (n.))
• 1464: "In the xv 3ere was take a man of the houshold of Thomas Lancastir, whech was grete of his councelle" (MED, s.v. gret)
• 1475: "The meyte of the howseholde of kynge Salomon was, in euery day, xxxti grete measures [Trev.: corues; L chori] of floure, whiche he called chori." (MED, s.v. mesure (n.))
• 1539: "The Houshold of Richerd Redman, Esquyer" (Source = Musters in Skyrake Wapentake 1539 Google Books)
• 1633-1635: "Robert Careswell a Prime officer in the houshold of Thomas Lord Stanley the first Earle of Derby" (St. George, 141)

Another pattern was:

<specific reference to the individual who was head of household>es houshold
that is,
<specific reference to the individual who was head of household, possessive form> houshold
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• c1400: "Þe gode Erl was arrestede anone, & ladde vnto the barr bifore Robert of Hamond, þat was crouner [vr. Coroner] of þe Kyngus Household." (MED, s.v. corouner (n.))
• c1400: "Sir Roger the Mortymer..bisette his penyworthe [vr. penyworthes; F enploie ses darrez] wiþ þe officers of þe Quenes househalde in þe same maner as þe Kyngus officeres deden; & so he made his takyngus as tochyng vitailes, and also of cariages." (MED, s.v. peni-worth (n.))
• c1400: "Þe gentil-men of þe kynges householde and þe gentelmen of þe Erles householde of London after mete went in-fere forto playe." (MED, s.v. gentil-man (n.)) [Note that almost certainly earlier in the text the specific earl in question was identified.]
• c1400: "Safe ich baptyzed Stephanies houshold." (MED, s.v. hous-hold (n.)) [This quote is from the Bible, 1 Cor.1.16, and so most likely this Stephanas was only known by one name.]
• 1433: "Yef any suche persone be retorned by any Sheref..or by any Minister afore the Steward and Marshall of the Kynges houshold..he maye..be chalanged." (MED, s.v. marshal (n.))
• 1439: "Hir husbonde Thethiopien with-al Of Charlis houshold was maad senescall." (MED, s.v. seneshal (n.)) [Note that this appears to be from poetry, and so the use of given name only is probably for the sake of scansion and/or was the only name by which the said Charles was known in the poem.]
• 1439: "All ye surpluse of the said Revenue..shall be delyvered by Warant of ye said Feoffes to the Tresorer of ye Kyngs Houshold..for yexpensez of ye same Household." (MED, s.v. surplus (n.))
• 1447: "Many divers and grete assignations in tailes..were made and reysed uppon the Collectours of certain Subsidies and Custumes in diverse Portes of Englonde..for the Kynges Householde [etc.]." (MED, s.v. assignacioun (n.))
• 1450: "And the seid accompt to be shewed yerely to the Styward, Tresorer and Countroller of the Kynges Houshold for the tyme beyng." (MED, s.v. countrollour (n.))
• 1450: "The Receyvour generall of the Duchie of Lancastre..shall pay to the Tresorer of the Kynges Houshold..all sommes of money as shall growe of the revenuez of the seid Duchie." (MED, s.v. receivour (n.))
• 1454: "It is full expedient, byhooffull, and necessarie to..stablish a sadde and substantiall reule in the king's houshold." (MED, s.v. bihoveful (adj.))
• 1454: "Appointementes made and stablisshed for ye Kinges honeurable houshold..j Bisshop, j chapelein." (MED, s.v.chapelein (n.))
• 1455: "To establish an ordinate and a substantiall rule for the Kynges honourable Houshold." (MED, s.v.ordinat(e (adj.))
• c1475: "Office of sellar within the Kinges household hath a sergeaunt that shall receive all the wynes..that the Kynge or his houshold shall come to..and to awnswere roundly there to every gallon, pottell, and pynte, by measure." (MED, s.v. roundli (adv.))
• c1475: "For our sovereyn lordes household is now discharged of the ... Warderober, also called Clerk Purvayour, besides the grete warderober of houshold, which is the countyng-house, and the Houshold Tresorer, called Custos Magne Garderobe Hospicii." (MED, s.v. warde-rober (n.))
• c1475: "The remanent of his officers ... to be at bed and bourde at the Prince's householde at his lodgynge and lyverey in the countrey or in the town, whereat they shalle be assigned by the King's herbergers for the tyme." (MED, s.v. wher-at (adv. & conj.))
• c1475: "Cofferer of the King's houshold, whyche takyth in charge all the receytes for the Thesaurer of houshold..and he delyveryth to all other offycers purveyours theyre prestes uppon reckoninge; and he also payeth to the countries..for all dewe provisyons towchyng the expenses of houshold..Also he payeth fees, wages, and rewardes..Thys ys a greate offycer and key-berer of thys noble courte." (MED, s.v. cofrer (n.))
• c1475: "In case the accomptes passe..three days unaccompted..then the Steward and Thesaurer shall acquyte the costages of the Kinge's houshold." (MED, s.v. aquiten (v.))
• a1475: "The ordenarie charges..be thies: the kynges housholde, his warderobe." (MED, s.v. ordinari(e (adj.))

Patterns Using the Word "House"

One pattern for the identification of households used in England (in English) was:

the hous of <specific reference to the individual who was head of household>
(The general pattern)
Including the specific form:

the hous of <given name> <surname>

Historical examples include:

• (1423-4): "Henry Stapull hath j kilderkyn..yn þe hous of Julyane huxster, dwellynge yn þe aley vnder þe Shaffte yn Cornhill." (MED, s.vv. hukster(e (n.) & alei(e (n.) )

Another pattern was:

<specific reference to the individual who was head of household> hous
(The general pattern)
Including the specific form:

[Sir] <given name> <surname> hous

Historical examples include:

• c1475(1464): "I, the maker of this boke, wase brought up fro twelve yere of age in sir Henry Percy house." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

Another pattern was:

<specific reference to the individual who was head of household>es hous
that is,
<specific reference to the individual who was head of household, possessive form> hous
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• (c1395): "Is this the lawe of-kyng Arthures hous? Is euery knyght of his thus daungerous?" [This is in Aurthurian literuture] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• c1400(?c1390): "What, is þis Arþures hous?" [This is in Aurthurian literuture] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (1452) : "I had never geff cawse to non of my Lords hous to ow me evill will, ne..ther was non of the hows but I wold have do fore as I cow desir anioone to do for me." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (a1475): "A lord..is charged with no such charges..as is the kyng, except an houshold, wich is but litle in comparison off the kynges house." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

Another pattern (so far not found outside of religious/church references) was:

<specific reference to figurative head of figurative household>es hous
that is,
<specific reference to figurative head of figurative household, possessive form> hous
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• c1275(?a1200): "Of æuer elche huse..ðe king enne peni 3ette to Peteres huse." [Peter was the first pope] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• c1275(?a1200): "Þe pape..weteð Peteres hus." [Peter was the first pope; this reference is to the church as a household] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (c1384): "For tyme is that doom bigynne of Goddis hous" ["Gloss.: that is, at feithful men of Crist"]. (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• a1400: "In iacobes hous regne shal he, And of his regne noon ende shal be; Iacobes hous þere calleþ he Iacob kyng & his meyne, Þat is to say, al folk þat is Chosen to haue heuen blis." ["he" being Jesus, the son Mary will bear] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

Bibliography

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