Wedderburn book; a history of the Wedderburns in ... - waughfamily.ca

INTRODUCTIOX.
whether they throw any ami what lij^ht on the matter. As a Sir David Introd.
Home was designed "of Wedderburn" in l.*}41, it is probable that there
are in these repositories documents of that date, and there may well be
others relating not only to the lands, but to the family of the name.'
The origin of the name, whether as place-name or patronymic, is by no
means certain. Surnames ending in "burn" are not uncoiiuiion, such as
Cockburn, Hepburn, and Thorburn, and the word would seem naturally to
signify "stream." Thus Wedder-burn would mean sheepo?th°e'"'^me.
and on this theory, but as far as I know on no
stream,
authority, a romantic origin has been given to the name.
It is said that a wounded knight dying of thirst on the battle Held, saw
a sheep (vvedder) go down to a brook (burn) to drink, and following the
animal, obtained water, and lived to acijuire the land and "call the "name
of the place " Wedderburn.- Etymologists, on the other hand, have suggested
that the name is derived either from the Celtic "Auedhur" (water), oi-'from
Veder and Bjorn, two Scandinavian proper names (Notes (ind Queries, Series
iv., vol. viii., pp. 2G9, 339), with what reasonableness I am unable to say.
The spelling or mis-spelling of the name is various in early times. I
do not attach much importance to the matter, as the manner
Various of spelling clearlv depended in those days on the fancy of
the name. tne Writer, and the same name may sometmies be found
differently spelt iu the same document. The early forms may,
however, indicate the etymology of the name, and the fact of its beino'
peculiarly spelt in instances where the reference is clearly to a member of
the fauuly may enable us on occasion to judge whether, in other cases,
we are dealing with one of its corruptions or with a name altogether distinct.
I collect, therefore, the chief early varieties of spelling it, across which I have
come. These are Vedyrburn, Whedirburn (1341), Whedyrbura (1431), Wedrebourne,
NVedreburne or Twedrebourne (1301, 1349-50), Wederlmrn, Wedirburn
(1375), Wederborne (1300, 1364), Wedd'burn, Wedderburn, We.lderburne,
NN'idderbnrn, Wedyrburne (1424), Wethyrburn, Wethirburn (1452),
Wethirburne (1496), Wetherburne, Wetherborn, Wetherhorne (1494j. In fact,
taking the name in its now recognized form, Wedderburn, and setting a.side
the rare substitution of V for IT, or the insertion of Ii after the IT, and
the very occasional dr for dJ, we may say generally that the common
varieties of spelling it depend on either the omission of one of the two dd's,
or the substitution of th for dd, and on the use of i for e in the first sjdiable,
of i or y for e in the second, or of u or ou, for w in the third. The occ:usional
addition of the final e is found in all forms of the name. Sunie other
varieties are either abbreviations, such as Wed'burn (129G) or Wedd'iiurn (post,
p. 5), or clear nus-spellings such as the Widdenborne in the papal ilispensation
of 1431. Of other possible corruptions of the narue, such as Winterborne,
Weatherby, Woodburn, Welberne, or Wadeburne, I have given a list at
p. 523 of vol. ii. I know, however, of no instance of the name being so
spelt where the reference is clearly to a member of the family, ami, though
my own experience of the way in which the name quickly jironounced may
(out of Scotland) be mis-heard and mis-spelt, shows me that it may be
•
The eiamination meutioned above was rnarle for mc by tlie Rev. Walter Xlaclcod at the oflices of Colonel
Miine- Home's law agents, Messrs. Adam ami I.am,-. in Edinburnli. TliC earlie.-t W cl.lerliuni writ
(Inv., vol ii , 157) is a charter by Arcbiiml.l, Karl of [)i)Ui;!iia, Lt.nl of Uailoway, Aiinan.ialc
and Weililerburn, to David Home of tlie lands of Weddcrl.ura. Tliis iii undated but is ».uil
to be 1413, and the writit.g is of that date. Coloutd .Miliie-Utine teils me that a Ri-rat.
quantitv of documents at both Paxton and Wedderburn linve never Ut-n exaniinc.l, wlulo
his law" agents stale that the inventory refers "to must of tho d(K.-unieiiUi in i.ur ik„v.i-«.-.Ii.ii,
excepting one box which, we think, wai some years ago dietovercd at the l!c„-i>ler House
' El relatione the late J. W. Wedderburn (post, p. 3491, who no d.jubt had it a-i a boy fn.m hU father,
J. W., though it is not mentioned in either his MS. or printed memoir.